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Five on Friday

Before I get down to today’s 5, I wanted to thank you all for your feedback on my reader survey! I absolutely loved reading through all the comments and have been compiling a list of posts to write. I’m working on my next Day In The Life post for y’all. 

1. Whole30 Greek Chicken Salad

This week I made Paleo Running Mama’s Whole30 Greek Chicken Salad and it was a hit! I wasn’t sure if the kids would eat it but they both picked out the ingredients they didn’t like (avocado and red onion for Thomas & bell pepper, tomato and red onion for Caroline) and really liked the salad — especially the chicken and the salad dressing! And for Matt, I air fried vegan “crispy tenders” to top his salad with in lieu of chicken. We will definitely be keeping this recipe in our salad rotation.

2. MAC Paint Pot

I recently refilled my MAC Paint Pot which reminded me to share it with y’all! I’ve been using this product in color Painterly since my wedding day makeup artist used it on me 10 years ago. I use it as an eye shadow primer or wear it by itself for a more natural look. I apply it with my fingers and it goes on creamy and dries quickly and beautifully — and it doesn’t crease, flake or look heavy! I think this is one of my longest favorite makeup products now that I think about it. You can find it at Nordstrom / Target!!!!! / Ulta / Amazon

MAC Paint Pot: Nordstrom / Target / Ulta / Amazon

 

3. Alice Feeney Book Reviews

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Rating 4.5/5: I really loved this thriller. While there were certain parts of the story line that were a stretch for me, it was a fun read with a wildly twisty ending.

Book Summary: Think you know the person you married? Think again…

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

Rating 4.5/5: I enjoyed Rock, Paper, Scissors so much that I decided to rent another audio book by Alice Feeney and my goodness it did NOT disappoint! I especially loved that I spent the entire book trying to guess the ending and was totally wrong. I blew through this book in 2 days and really loved the narrators (the murderer voice is sooooo creepy) and suspenseful plot.

Book Summary: There are two sides to every story: yours and mine, ours and theirs, His & Hers. Which means someone is always lying.

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessentially British village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Detective Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation. Someone isn’t telling the truth, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

His & Hers is a twisty, smart, psychological thriller. A gripping tale of suspense, told by expertly-drawn narrators that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

4. Day & Night Cereal Bar

Last weekend we took the kids to Day & Night Cereal Bar for a little treat after getting their shots! We’ve been wanting to visit this cute little shop for awhile and it definitely did not disappoint! Both kids ordered milkshakes with their favorite cereals mixed in and devoured them. And as soon as I finish whole30, we will definitely be taking a trip back!

 

5. Mascara Recommendations

I recently shared on Instagram that I was looking to try a new mascara after the quality of my longtime favorite started to go down. I polled y’all for your favorite mascaras and received recommendations for 51 types of mascara!!! It took me awhile to round them all up and I decided I’d share the most popular recommendations for those of you who asked!

Reader Favorite Mascaras

A few notes about the results…

First, Thrive was the most popular recommendation, however, it was the ONLY mascara that several readers mentioned they did NOT like. Most of you who said you did not like it mentioned that you switched to Ilia.

Right behind Thrive was a TIE between Essence Lash Princess and lia Limitless Lash. My goodness, almost every single person who recommended this Lash Princess RAVED about it and I was sold just by reading the first few reviews.

So I ended up grabbing Essence Lash Princess to try first! I’ve been using it for over a week and like it.

  1. Thrive Causemetics ($24)
  2. Essence Lash Princess ($5)   — very strong reviews
  3. lia Limitless Lash ($28)
  4. Lancôme: Lash Idôle Lash-Lifting & Volumizing Mascara ($27); Cils Booster XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Primer ($28); Hypnôse Volumizing Mascara ($29); GRANDIÔSE – Wide-Angle Fan Effect Mascara ($32)
  5. L’Oreal: Telescopic ($8); Voluminous Million Lashes ($8); Double Extend ($10); Bambi Lash ($10); Air Volume ($14)
  6. Maybelline: Lash Sensational Sky High ($9); Volum’ Express Falsies ($7); Full ‘N Soft ($7); Falsies Lash Lift ($9); Volum’ Express Colossal ($7)
  7. tarte: Maneater ($23); Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 ($23); Surfer Curl ($24)
  8. Benefit: Roller Lash ($27), They’re Real ($27); BADgal BANG! ($27)
  9. Beauty Counter ($10)
  10. It Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing & Lengthening ($25)
  11. CoverGirl: Exhibitionist ($12); Exhibitionist Uncensored ($12); Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara ($11)
  12. Hourglass ($29)
  13. Honest Beauty Extreme Length ($17)
  14. MERIT Clean Lash Extending Mascara ($26)
  15. Too Faced Better Than Sex ($27)

 

In Case You Missed It

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CAROLINE GLENN

Tuesday 18th of January 2022

The essense lit flaked allll over me, i can't believe so many people love it, so crazy! I think i'm going to try Thrive next, thanks for sharing!

Cheila

Friday 14th of January 2022

I have used the Lash Princess mascara for many years and have both the regular one and the waterproof version. They're SO good and cost next to nothing. I keep recommending them to everyone.

Kimberly Oliver

Friday 14th of January 2022

I missed your recent IG post on mascara. I switched to Lash Paradise when you recommended it. But, the last few tubes have dried out so quickly. Two weeks in and it was all clumpy! Glad I'm not the only one looking for a replacement. I'll have to try Lash Princess.

Emily

Friday 14th of January 2022

I find is so weird that so many people like the Essence Lash Princess, it’s been one of the worst mascaras I’ve ever tried! It goes on way too dry and doesn’t layer well at all. I used it maybe ten times trying to like it, but it’s garbage! Thrive however is the best mascara I’ve ever used! It took me a second to get used to the fact that it “makes tubes” over my lashes (this is how my makeup artist friend describes it, and I feel like it’s such an accurate description), but it never smears, does not come off super easy in water, and really does extend my lashes.