Nine thoughtful gifts to get your bestie on Amazon Prime

Post updated December, 2017. {This post contains affiliate links}

Anyone else have a best friend miles away? My “person” is more than 1,100 miles away in Florida, and she has a birthday coming up!

Rachel and I in 2014, reunited for my wedding after 4 years!

Even though I adore her and we make every effort to stay connected, it is really hard to come up with gifts to give when you see them maybe once a year. What does she have, what does she love, what does she really want but won’t buy herself??

So in all my digging, I decided to put a list together of some items you can get on Amazon Prime that can cater to a few different tastes. I hope this helps someone out there looking for a great gift for a loved one!

For the jet setter, cause let’s face it, we all know one and live vicariously through them…

For the beach lover (ahem, me!). I love this so much I’ll probably buy one too! This particular link is plus size, but they have these in all sizes…

AUTUWT Beach Cover Up Wrapped Dress

For the friend that has to carry her ID at work, help her do it in style…

Kate Spade Women’s ID Clip

Okay, who doesn’t secretly want to be a mermaid?! I certainly do…

U-Miss Mermaid Blanket

 

For the Jesus girls out there. I love Priscilla Shirer, and I have no doubt this devotional will be amazing…

 

For a sweet friend that deserves a pretty piece of jewelry (and a nice note)…

Smiling Wisdom Silver Leaf Friendship Necklace Gift Set

 

For your goal digger friends that like to jazz up their office space…

Kate Space Paper Clips

 

For the cocktail enthusiast. I actually bought this for my bestie as a house warming gift! I think it’s so fun…

Plant Theatre Cocktail Garden Kit

 

For the nostalgic, this is a sweet gift…

Fred: Cheesy Love Songs Cheese Board

And there you have it – hours of my research to find the perfect, affordable gift at your finger tips.

Here’s a bonus item not found on Amazon: have a dozen cupcakes delivered to their home or office. I did this for one of her birthdays and I heard it was a hit!

Did you buy something off this list? I’d love to hear about it!

Review: L’Oreal Color Riche® Matte Lipstick

I had the opportunity to try 3 colors from the L’Oréal Colour Riche® Matte Lipstick line and am totally a fan. While the experience wasn’t perfect, I am happy with these lippies and will totally purchase more colors.

Speaking of the colors….the rich, vibrant hues are great! My favorite of the 3 shades is Blake’s red, even though I don’t wear red often. I get so many compliments when I wear this color, and it lasts much longer than the nude colors in the same line.

Blake’s Red in action

For being matte, the lipsticks are not drying. In fact when first used they are very hydrating. However, the moisture does not last as the color, and that is something I look for in a lipstick. There is no feathering or bleeding. Lipstick stayed in place and never ended up under my lip or on my teeth. Those are wins for me!

I was also surprised to LOVE the matte lip liners. I am ordinarily not a lip liner kind of gal, but these are amazing. Color lasted HOURS, really all day. Funny thing is they lasted longer alone. When I added lipstick to them, they lasted through lunch. So, take that for what it’s worth.

Just with the lip liner alone

Let’s talk about the smell. Oh, L’Oreal, how I love you. But, I hate how your products smell! It’s not overwhelming, but it is strong enough to notice and never, ever forget.

One last thing I’ll add that I love – the placement of the logo on the lipstick. I love the branding and appreciate this so much!

I love Influenster. Ever since I discovered them I have received some pretty cool items, but this L’Oreal box has taken the cake. You can experience the awesomeness too with my link here.

Thanks to Influenster and L’Oreal for my complimentary lippies in exchange for my honest review. Here’s what I received:

L’Oreal Color Riche® Matte Lipsticks in…

• Matte-sterpise
• He thinks he’s matte-cho
• Blake’s red

L’Oreal Color Riche® Matte Lip Liners in…

• Matte-stermined
• Matte-ing call
• In matte-uated with you

Have you tried these lipsticks before? I’d love to know what your favorite color is!

When it rains…

We all have “one of those days” every once in a while, right?

So a few days ago I was driving to a playdate thinking about how I needed to come up with something good to blog about. It’s a funny thing – when my life was active and busy I didn’t have time to write, and now that I’m mostly a SAHM life gets a little crazy, yet not exciting to write about.

So, my wishful thinking turned into something that will be humorous to any mamas out there that can relate. Girls…ugh.

I had injured my arm sometime over the weekend so I was stuck at home, which meant BabyCoolJ was experiencing cabin fever. I had scheduled a playdate with a new mom on Tuesday so I sucked up the pain (along with pain killers and lots of ice packs) and ventured out. I knew it was a little risky cause the kiddo is usually nuts if he’s been cooped up too long.

We met at a Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble, grabbed some drinks and all was good. After the awkward getting-to-know-you casualties (luckily I think we hit it off, but who really knows!) we made our way to the children’s area before story time. BabyCoolJ and her toddler ran around and played and all was wonderful.

It was then, in the middle of telling this mom that I am so blessed because my kiddo hasn’t pooped in public since he was 3 months old, that he looks up at me with his little red face and said “poop?”

Y’all. Remember my hurt arm? Yeah, after 20 minutes in the women’s bathroom and myself almost in tears from pain and disgust (by the way, I hate germs) we made our way back.

Story time started and BabyCoolJ was NOT. HAVING. IT. He ran amuck. I knew it was coming, but just went with it and chased him around. When it ended, we went over to say bye and I told her I hope we could get together again (yeah, she hasn’t called…) and walked off. I saw a couple of books on sale that I knew the kiddo would love and went over to the cash wrap.

In this moment he just went nuts. He was doing that thing where I wouldn’t let him run off so he twists his arm and lays on the floor to wiggle out of my grip. It hurt too much to pick him up so I let him dangle a little until I finally bent over to pick him up.

Then….RRRRRIIIIIIPPPP. There was a mom behind me in line and I asked her how bad it was…she gave me the head tilt and said “oh, it is really bad.” I handed her the books, picked up my kiddo with my bad arm, and held his backpack across my butt as I walked across the B&N and through the parking lot.

I slipped into the drivers seat to turn on the air, slid my butt across the car to the back seat, strapped my crying hysterically toddler in, slid my butt back to the front seat, and laughed and cried a bit. Then, someone knocked on my window.

Remember the mom that told me it was really bad? She gave me her number and told me if I ever wanted to have a playdate, or grab coffee, to let her know. Way to make an impression.

So luckily we have a garage where we park the car, so I was able to get us out and into the house peacefully. I took off my Old Navy shorts (shoulda known better) and low and behold…they were ripped from the waist to mid crouch. And I was wearing a thong.

Luckily, as I write this, our week has only gotten better!

A churro-free life

Can you believe I just had my first churro this summer?

It’s important you understand that I grew up very in-tune with my roots. I am first-generation American (on my dad’s side). I grew up on the Texas-Mexico border. I spoke Spanish before English. My grandparents never even learned English. I went grocery shopping in Mexico. In fact, we did a lot of shopping in Mexico, ate at the restaurants, visited the doctors and picked up our prescriptions across the border.

Yup – I know my cultura well and I happily embrace it, albeit it wasn’t always that way.

This weekend Mi Amor and  I had a craving for Pan Dulce. I’ve never been a huge fan (I mean, I like it, but I’d rather have ice cream or cake!) but after experiencing my first churro I had to have it. We left BabyCoolJ with my in-laws and picked up some goodies.

When we got back I mentioned, in complete embarrassment, that I had just tried my first churro last month. To my complete surprise, my in-laws hadn’t either! And they also grew up in the Valley.

So it got me wondering – are churros like burritos; American made? I started to do a little digging – I love the internet!

Fascinatingly enough, according to a few articles I found, churros originated in China! What the what?! I love this excerpt, according to The Prisma:

The history of the churro is ancient and revered, lending the snack an almost mythical status. It begins not in Spain but in China, where Portuguese merchants first tasted youtiao, strips of golden fried salty pastry traditionally eaten for breakfast.

Ancient and revered…where have you been my whole life! Funny thing is I just assumed it was like a bunuelo, which I am not a big fan of. I learned that, while in every country churros vary, in Mexico they are usually filled with dulce de leche, Yup, delicious, gooey dulce de leche. I am sold.

Culture…heritage, background, society, familial upbringing…it is such an interesting thing. Mi Amor and I are both Mexican-American. We grew up in the same area, only miles away from one another, yet thousands of miles apart. We celebrate differently, treat family differently and fundamentally our ideals had to make dramatic shifts for us to finally be on the same wave-length.

When we get to know people in Austin, this always fascinates them. Not only do a lot of people think Latinos are the same, but compact that with us both being Mexican and that we’re both from the Valley just adds to the assumption that we were raised the same. I love “educating” my friends on what it was like growing up in a world where I was neither American, or Mexican, yet always both. And I especially love discussing this with my husband – who happens to see it differently than I do (or at least he used to!).

I wouldn’t change my mish-mash of cultures for anything. Latina, Texan, Mexican, American…I identify with them all. And I’m proud. Puro Raza. Now hand me a churro.