LBH Weekly Roundup: Bed Bath and Beyond, Wamsutta Sheet Set, Dri Soft Towels, NYX Micro Brow Pencil

Time for another Weekly Roundup!  We all love to crawl into luxurious bed sheets at the end of the day.  For some reason, I go through sheets, especially fitted sheets like the clappers.  The fitted sheets shrink from queen to single size over and over again and the elastic gets worn out.  My linen closet ends up with a huge assortment of mismatched flat sheets and nary a fitted sheet to be found.  A trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond was in order.

I was thrilled to pick up this Wamsutta sheet set.  I've washed the fitted sheet a couple of times now and, thus far, no shrinkage.  It was on sale and with the ubiquitous BBB coupon, the final price was a real deal.  While there, I also picked up a set of Dri Soft towels.

I am obsessed with these towels.  My old towels would take up to 3 hours to dry in the tumble dryer.  Living in a condo, I am unable to line dry towels outdoors.  The towels would take forever to dry in the bathroom and, inevitably, end up with that awful musty smell.  The Dri Soft towels dry in a flash in the tumble dryer (20 minutes) and come out fluffy and soft.  They are light weight but still feel cozy and dense against the skin.  If you are on a budget and watching your electricity bills or even if you are environmentally conscious, these towels are a real boon.

Lastly, I hit pan on my e.l.f brow palette a long time ago and all that was left was a ring around the pan.  I am not sure if it was because the product was getting old but I noticed that it just wasn't lasting for very long on my brows.  I swear the product would just evaporate or get absorbed into my skin within an hour.  It was time to switch to something new.  I have heard that the NYX micro brow pencil is a good dupe for the iconic Anastasia Beverly Hills brow pencil so I picked up the NYX pencil yesterday.

Like the Anastasia brow pencil, it has a spoolie on one end and a thin twist up pencil on the other.  I had forgotten about the convenience of using a twist up pencil rather than a cream or wax in a pan formula that requires a separate brush.  Travel-wise, this is a great option.  Do any of you own both the NYX pencil and the Anastasia pencil or have tried both?  How do they stake up against each other?

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LBH February Favourites: Batch Cooking with the Instant Pot, Takenaka Bento Box, NYX Stockholm Palette

With a full time job and a painfully long commute, organizing my free time is more important than ever.  Monsieur bought an Instant Pot a few months back and it languished in a corner of the dining room for weeks while we debated whether or not we had morphed into one of those people endlessly raving about the advantages of a slow cooker.

BUT...this is not your grandma's slow cooker.  Oh no!  It's a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, saute, steamer, and warmer.  It even bakes cakes and boils eggs.  Batch cooking is a lifesaver if you are keen on menu planning and are pressed for time.  We've cooked a whole chicken in it and it was the tenderest juiciest chicken  we'd ever had.  Do you have an Instant Pot?  Suggestions on what to cook in it are welcome!

In days of yore, I used to buy my lunches.  Huge, heavy lunches caused my waistline to steadily creep outward, made me sleepy and was unkind to my wallet.  Now I am determined to bring packed lunches  to work.  I'm obsessed with my bento box.

I really didn't want a bento box that was covered in pictures of Hello Kitty (although I love Hello Kitty) and this white one from Takenaka fits the bill to a minimalist "T".  It has two tiers and the lid clips everything together.

It even comes with a fork.  Packing a healthy lunch is a breeze and opening up my bento box at lunchtime is like opening a present to myself every day.

Last but not least is the NYX Stockholm palette.  I have mentioned this in a previous post but it really has become a firm favourite of mine.   NYX brought out a range of palettes named after various cities around the world and the Stockholm palette caught my eye immediately.

The warm toned colours really suit my skin.  I don't experience any fallout and they are longlasting.  The palette even comes with a matte lip cream.  The lip cream has a doe foot applicator.  There is a strong vanilla scent which I don't mind at all.  It isn't particularly longwearing and my lips do feel a bit dry after awhile but I like the rose nude shade a lot.  The inclusion of a lippie and the incredibly affordable price point makes this palette a winner in my book.  Have you tried any other NYX city palettes?

That's it for February!  I can't believe we are now into March as it snowed a few days ago.  I am already thinking about my Spring Capsule Wardrobe and can't wait to pack away my winter woollies and bring out lighter clothes.  What about you?  Are you experiencing cabin fever like me?

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Last Minute Gifts: Crabtree and Evelyn Biscuits, NYX Wanderlust Palette

The minutes are counting down to the Big Day!  Are you done your Christmas shopping?  Perhaps you are like me, still frantically scurrying around the shops.  This week threw all my plans out of the window.  The washing machine sprung a leak, causing an almighty mess.  I figured that, if I was going to call in a repairman, I might as well knock out a couple of other pressing repair jobs at the same time.  Haha, big mistake.  The promise of "No worries, we'll blast through the repairs in an afternoon" turned into a 3 day marathon.  Herewith are a couple of emergency last minute gift ideas in case you are stuck having to visit your local 24 hour pharmacy (or worse a gas station that has a mini mart attached to it) because the inlaws decided to spring a dropin on you.

Delicious edibles are always a safe bet.  They are gender free and don't involve too much thinking because, at this point, with your brain on overload, too much thought is contraindicated.

The Crabtree & Evelyn shop in Toronto only brings out their biscuits at Christmas time.  Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that, in other parts of the world, their mouthwatering bikkies are available year round.  This year's Christmas special is their All Butter Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut Biscuits.  The packaging is gorgeous, of course.

NYX came out with a selection of Wanderlust Palettes inspired by cities such as Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Paris, Madrid, London and Dubai.  I was really excited to pick up a few Toronto Palettes to give away but the colours were, in my opinion, astoundingly unwearable.  The lip creme was a dark gray/blue paired with gray eyeshadow.  I live in Toronto and have yet to encounter anyone wandering the streets in gray lipstick.  I suppose the intention was an edgy, goth vibe but it just isn't wearable on the regular unless you want to look like an extra off the set of "The Fifth Element."  I settled for Copenhagen which had a more on point selection of colours.

The lipcreme is a wearable nude and the eyeshadows, blush and highlighter remind me of Urban Decay's Heat Palette but at a price point that is a lot more bearable on the wallet.  Darn those Scandis!  Why do they get all the good stuff?

Wishing all of you a lovely Christmas!  Come and visit me on Instagram tomorrow @lheurebleuewithchloe for the last reveal of my Advent Calendar.

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