Shower gel isn’t the most exciting stuff in the world but it sure does make mornings more enjoyable. A good smelling shower is one of my favorite things ever, so here is a list of shower gels I like, to perk up YOUR next shower.

1. EO Chocolate & Mint Shower Gel is the perfect mix of chocolate and mint, never too sweet but also not too tingly. This is a great way to wake up in the morning.

2. Nivea Touch Of Bliss Moisturizing Body Wash has a great creamy-fruity scent and leave my skin baby-soft. Love it!

3. L’Occitane Revitalizing Shower Gel contains mint, pine, and rosemary essential oils for a vibrant shower pick-me-up. It’s very refreshing!

4. Bath & Body Works Need A Margarita? Citrus Body Wash lives up to its name. It’s perfect for summertime, and smells good enough to drink (but don’t!).

5. The Body Shop Total Energy Exhilarating Body Wash mixes ginger with bergamot and  other spices, and has some scrubby bits to liven up your skin.

I’ve got a lot of stress going on in my life right now, job stress mostly, and fun beauty stuff always cheers me up. So this 5 Things is about the stuff I’ve found lately that is just perking up my day!

1. Shrek by OPI nail colors. I am just loving these fun, bright colors! I have Who The Shrek Are You? on my toes and I’m going to do a mani today with What’s With The Catittude?

2. Aromaleigh Victoria’s Revenge Limited Edition Eyeshadows – I was lucky enough to receive samples to review and share with all of you, and boy howdy are they GAWGEOUS! Expect multiple posts soon.

3. The new Badger Balm Lip Tints & Shimmers are so fabulous! These double-ended goodies boast beautiful sheer lip tints with ultra-moisturizing cocoa butter and olive oil. Love them!

4. FLOWERBYKENZO La Cologne is Kenzo’s newest fragrance, a citrus twist on the original FLOWERBYKENZO scent. I like the bitterness of the petitgrain paired with the powdery notes of the original. I’ll be reviewing this in full soon!

5. Fyrinnae’s new Lip Lustre shades are so pretty! I ordered Puppy Love and Ultra Phantom, and of course now I notice there are another FOUR new ones! Gah!! Next order, next order…

It’s finally starting to look like spring around here, despite all the rain we’re having in Portland. I start pulling out all my fruity-floral-girly scents in the springtime, so here’s a list of five that I like.

1. Hidden Fantasy by Britney Spears is a happy, fun fragrance. Lots of citrus and cake to cheer you up when the weather is bad.

2. Kenzo 7:15 AM in Bali is also a citrusy vanilla scent, with more flowers than Hidden Fantasy. It’s super-refreshing and happy.

3. Dreaming by Tommy Hilfiger is a great peachy-floral fragrance. Fabulous for springtime.

4. Diesel Fuel For Life for women: Berries and weirdness. One of my favorite perfumes!

5. Wrapped With Love Hilary Duff is definitely a spring scent – its aggressive fruitiness is a bit much for me unless I’m really in the mood.

A long time ago, Paul & Joe had a perfume called Blanc. I never bought it, but should have. Then it was discontinued and I was very sad. Now, it’s back! In honor of Blanc’s return (and I won’t let it slip through my fingers again!), here are five perfumes I would like to own. Most of them have proven elusive so far.

1. Paul & Joe Blanc. Notes include hawthorn, angelica, almond, and heliotrope. WANT NOW.

2. Si Lolita from Lolita Lempicka. In case you don’t read French, the notes include sweet pea, heliotrope, tonka bean, and bergamot.

3. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Lumiere Noire. All that really limits me from just ordering this is money. I wish I was independently wealthy. Rose, cumin, pimento, patchouli… *sigh*

4. 5:40 pm in Madagascar by Kenzo. Vanilla and the sea. Take me away! (I just have to travel someplace with a good duty-free shop to buy it!)

5. Anything from Andy Tauer. *sigh*

I love me some eyeliner. You could even say I’m an eyeliner addict. This might break some “makeup rules” but as far as I’m concerned, eyeliner is meant to be worn dark and heavy, although I like bright colored eyeliner too. Really, my criteria for a good eyeliner is pretty simple: it should apply smoothly with no tugging, pulling, or skipping, and it should wear all day long without fading or smudging. I’m willing to overlook a small amount of smudging, depending on the situation. Extra bonus points for eyeliner that wears well on the waterline.

With all that said, I’ve been trying out some new (and new to me) eyeliners. Here are five that meet my approval.

1. L’Oreal HiP Color Chrome Eyeliner, in all four colors. The gold and silver are okay shades, but I’m a huge fan of Violet Volt and Black Shock. This super-smooth formula wears all day long, and will even stay on the waterline, a bit. This has been my purple eyeliner of choice, lately.

2. I love a good black eyeliner, and L’Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner rocks! It’s a pencil, but it applies almost as smoothly as a liquid liner, but without the risk of smudging while it’s drying. This is a really good black eyeliner, with all-day wear and no smudging. Extra intense is right, this is a nice dark black.

3. Victoria Secret VS Makeup Eyeliner in Dark Chocolate. My new favorite brown. Meets all criteria, is a great rich brown color.

4. Jillian Dempsey for AVON Professional Kohl Eyeliner in bronze is a nice lighter brown, and I like the built in smudger – in case I want that softer smudgy look!

5. Tarte Indelible Wink isn’t new, but is a perennial favorite. This is my other preferred brown, and the one I reach for when I want a more defined line (I don’t often use the smudgey side of it). It wears REALLY well.

Sometimes I get a pile of products that I want to write about, but don’t really have enough to say about each one to merit a whole blog entry. So… a list! Here are five shampoos I like enough to recommend them to my dear readers. (In no particular order…)

1. Depth Drench Hydrating Shampoo contains a concentrated blend of marine botanicals combined with plant-based cleansers that are gentle on the hair. It’s also infused with certified organic aloe vera to nourish and restore essential moisture, leaving hair soft and repaired. I love the scent! This one is good for dry, damaged, and/or color-treated hair.

2. L’Occitane Soothing Shampoo smells amazing, thanks to the blend of five essential oils that also soothe the scalp. The blend consists of mandarin, basil, chamomile, cedar, and lemongrass, and I really can’t say enough about how nice it smells. The shampoo leaves my hair very soft and not dry at all.

3. Modern Organic Products Basil Mint Shampoo for normal/oily hair also smells great (I just love the scent of basil!) and works very well for oilier hair or removing product build-up. I like to use it once a week or so as a clarifying shampoo. It’s effective but doesn’t leave my hair feeling like straw.

4. Nature’s Gate Tea Tree Calming Shampoo is for itchy/flaky scalp, but also makes a fine clarifying shampoo, in my opinion. I bought this for Dear Husband, who likes it just fine for his itchy scalp, and I like it for occasional use as well. It’s not medicated, but contains a blend of essential oils to do the job. It’s another one that doesn’t leave my hair feeling like straw.

5. Collective Wellbeing Moisturizing Shampoo has a nice clean scent, and is great for dry hair. I used this several months ago when my hair was long and I was heat-styling it all the time, and it was really dry. It’s a great shampoo for adding some bounce and softness back to your hair.

I’ve been really into lipstick lately, instead of my usual lipgloss obsession. It must be that fall is closing in, because I’m really drawn to the creamy textures and richer colors of lipstick right now. Luckily, I already have several tubes of lipstick to choose from, so here is a round-up of my favorites! (In no particular order…)

1. MAC Lipstick in Lollipop Loving is the only MAC lipstick I own (so far) and is definitely a favorite. I love the melon color with green sheen (it’s much prettier than it sounds) and the creamy texture is great. This is usually my lipstick of choice if I’m wearing green eyeshadow.

2. Avon Ultra Color Rich Extra Plump Lipstick has a nice texture and a pretty selection of colors. The color Pink Sunset is the one I own, and the shade I reach for when I want something subtle. It’s a good everyday color that goes with everything.

3.L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick with Anti-Aging Serum is a new favorite of mine. The Colour Riche formula is great, very pigmented and smooth, and the addition of the “serum” makes it a little extra moisturizing without affecting wearability. The shade Robust Raisin is my go-to color when I want a darker lipstick, since it’s a purpley-brown color.

4. Max Factor Vivid Impact lipstick is another great drugstore option. I’m sad that Max Factor is closing up shop come January, but in the meantime, stock up on this great lipstick while you can. It’s smooth, pigmented and has great staying power.

5. For a more splurge-priced lipstick, try Lancome L’Absolu Rouge. The pigmentation is excellent and the range of colors is beautiful. I love how smooth and silky it is.

It’s time for a quickie 5 Things post, this time five cosmetics you can find in my purse. I’ve been sick the last week, and my skin is breaking out like crazy (always happens when I’m sick, blech!) so there is a definite focus on that.

1. The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Gel fights blemishes as soon as I feel them coming on, and helps to dry them out.

2. Concealer. Right now it’s a super-cheapo NYC Cover Stick, because I only use it to touch up blemishes during the day. Cheap, but effective for that.

3. Smith’s Mocha Rose Lip Balm. I’m a LOYAL fan of Smith’s lip products, so I just about squealed with joy when I found the newest, Mocha Rose, in NYC.  Being sick means fighting dehydration, which means dry lips. Mocha Rose means protected lips and it tastes so yummy!!

4. L’Oreal Colour Riche lipstick has been in heavy rotation lately. I like the smooth feel and nice pigmentation. This one, with the “anti-aging serum” seems more moisturizing, and I like the color (Robust Raisin).

5. Badger Aromatic Chest Rub is definitely NOT a sexy perfume for daytime, but when your chest is stuffy, it will help you feel better. Besides, the essential oil blend isn’t THAT bad, with a kind of “forest in wintertime” vibe going on.