My Favorite Things: June 2010

It's time for another installment of "My Favorite Things". Here's what I'm loving this month:

1) Laura Mercier primer, tinted moisturizer, and translucent powder. I was in the market for new foundation, and saw the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer rank #1 in InStyle Magazine's annual beauty issue. Having no better authority to go on, I took the plunge. I'm happy I did. The primer really helps my makeup last, and the tinted moisturizer provides light coverage and SPF in one without feeling heavy. It's rather expensive ($106 for all 3) but I once heard that you should splurge on cosmetics for the areas that need the most help. For me that's my skin. Plus I haven't found a drugstore product that provides the same results.

2) My new lunch tote. Until a few weeks ago I was still carrying the logo lunch bag I got at my last employer. There are so many things wrong with that sentence (corporate swag, 10 year old lunch bag, haven't worked there in almost 5 years) that I decided to get something new and cute. Luckily, I was able to find one that is also infinitely more functional! It has a nice wide opening to fit large bowls of salad, and it just makes me smile when I look at it. Target had some in store in different prints but I liked this one the best so I sucked it up and paid the $7 shipping on an $11 item.

3) Boston Cares. To whom much is given, much is expected. I'm truly blessed, so it's important to me to give back. Unfortunately, my hectic schedule makes it hard for me to find volunteer opportunities. Enter Boston Cares. This group organizes volunteer events and helps people like me find ways to give back no matter how much or how little time we have. I attended a very quick orientation Tuesday night to teach me about the program, and now I'm all set to start signing up for events. (There is a $20 orientation fee but I just consider it a donation.)

4) Switch by Chip & Dan Heath. The first book by this duo - Made To Stick - has been of more use to me than any book I've read in the last 5 years. It's about why some ideas stick (think urban legands) and others don't. As someone who persuades people for a living, the research and recommendations were invaluable. Switch is the sequel, and although I'm only about 40 pages in I'm already hooked. This one is about why people change or don't, and how to get people to change even when it's hard. The writing is so smooth and easy to read, and the concepts are so clearly spelled out it's a pleasure to read. I will say that the findings thus far aren't terribly new to me - my own research deals with changing human behavior and their conclusions support what I've written myself. But they have a way of crystalizing and communicating the ideas that just jumps off the page. (Makes sense given the topic of their first book, right!)

5) Fresh strawberries. There is nothing more delicious than a naturally sweet, fresh strawberry. The season is in full bloom right now and I bought 3 lbs of organic strawberries on sale at Whole Foods this week. Yum!

So there you have it. Five things I'm loving in the month of June 2010.