People of the Internet! Are you ready to play our favorite game?
Because it’s time.
And I, for one, am VERY excited about this round.
///
Once a month here on the blog we get to kick off our shoes, relax, and settle in for some fun. (Because of all the things I want us to be, Fun-Havers is at an even tie with Big Dreamers). How it works is, we all get to Play Oprah by sharing our top 3 “Favorite Things” at the moment, and then end of the month, I give one of those things away!
Maybe to you!
It’s quickly becoming my favorite post each month, because I get to hear from you guys and find out all the latest scoop on what you love. I love getting to know you guys on a more personal level, and I especially love packaging up the giveaways, writing a little note, and sending real, actual mail to you.
There’s nothing like finding a package with your name on it in your mailbox, amiright? Does it even get more fun than that?
Maybe if we were all sipping a glass of wine together.
So without further ado,
? Let’s Play Oprahhhhhh! ?
My Top 3 Most Favorite Things this month are:
1) Funny Instagramers.
For whatever reason, I find myself scrolling less and less on social media these days. Facebook tends to overwhelm me simply because of the sheer magnitude of people in my feed. Twitter is fun, but only for like 5 minutes and then things start to get really intense, what with politics and such.
Twitter can be tricky. There’s some definite Pros, such as:
- Brevity- We don’t get sucked into a million words (hallelujah, amen).
- And then there’s the Spying– We get to see conversations between other people, which we’re totally into and we won’t even deny it.
- It also gives us Access to people we admire. We can directly tweet them and they can actually see it. (Like the time I tweeted Mindy Kaling to tell her that when she stopped for a photo with that life-size Outlander cardboard cut-out of Sam Heughan in Barnes & Noble, it was an even better instance of “worlds colliding” for me than the time Ryan Gosling hosted SNL…And she REPLIED.)
But there’s some definite Con’s too:
- Brevity. I know I’m cheating by using this one in both categories, but raise your hand if you die a little on the inside every time you have to backspace and delete down to 140 characters. ??
- Also, Stranger Danger. It’s where people seem to hang out, but it’s not where MY people hang out. Most of my real life friends, FB friends, and IG friends aren’t on twitter much, so it feels like I’m just speaking out into a cosmic void of strangers.
- Then there’s the Heated Political Debates. I get it. This stuff matters. But I don’t want to talk about it with strangers on Twitter. Hard pass.
///
So Instagram is where I go for FUN.
I love the combination of words and pictures- it’s easy on my tired brain, it feels much more personal than other forums, and I usually leave feeling inspired or entertained.
When IG came out with Stories, I was an instant fan (or should I say “InstA fan”?) (??See what I did there?) If you don’t know what “Instagram Stores” are, it’s basically IG’s version of Snapchat- short videos that disappear after 24 hrs. It’s that row of circles with people’s faces at the top of your screen.
Just pop some popcorn, click a few circles, and enjoy the show.
Of all social media outlets, I have the most fun over on IG Stories- usually making dramatic music videos with my dog, or goofing on my kids, or showing progress on our latest house flipping projects.
These days I’m making an intentional effort offer more value to my IG feed for my followers- to have it be more about them and less about me.
But stories is where I let it all hang out.
Basically, this is me in stories VS me in my actual picture feed ??.
I love it when other people are willing to sort of let it all hang out too, so some of my favorite funny Instagramers right now are:
@dogsbeingbasic– For the dogs.
I can’t even with dogs. You guys know this. I would adopt a puppy every day if my Husband would let me. I’m one of those girls who squeals and says “Ooooh, I loooooove dogs!” and it’s made more obnoxious only by the fact that I really mean it. I’ll never not like a picture of a dog. This feed is super funny. See below. ??
@erinfoster– For her stories.
She and her sister, Sara Foster have a show called Barely Famous, a “Mockumentary” in which they goof on themselves, reality TV, and Hollywood. It’s HILARIOUS. They poke fun at themselves but they do it in a way that is so clever that you almost miss it. They’re not just “in” on the joke, they’re telling the joke and it’s brilliant. Erin is (in my opinion) the funnier sister and her IG stories are great because she always makes fun of her sister in that uncomfortable kind of way where you can’t tell if she’s serious or joking. It’s the best.
@celestebarber– For her everything.
This is another woman who is willing to abandon all sense of vanity in pursuit of comedy. She takes photos and videos of very famous people- supermodels, actors, musicians, and she “reenacts” the photo. If you’re going to choose just one of these to follow, FOLLOW HER. Her Instagram feed is THE JAM. (Fair Warning: bit of a cuss-mouth.)
@noraborealis– For her Ralphiegrams.
Nora wrote a funny and poignant book called “It’s Okay To Laugh (Cryin’s Cool Too)”
that tells her personal story of losing her husband and father to cancer, having a son (Ralph) and losing a baby all within a few short years. She’s witty, honest, and generous with her pain, without ever losing a hopeful outlook.
I love following her story, and she always posts cute and funny #ralphiegrams
Now that we can all agree that Instagram is the best, let’s move on.
I also really love these Steve Madden Sneakers
I normally have a hard time with sneakers. I never know when it’s acceptable to wear Nike’s or what kind of ankle on a pair of jeans goes with what kind of sneaker. So I usually just skip sneakers altogether and wear flats or ankle boots. But sometimes a gal just wants to feel comfortable and casual, ya know?
These are your answer.
I had a knockoff pair from Target last year and I wore them to death. When I finally retired them I decided it was worth buying these.
I’m the kind of person who will find a product I love and NEVER try anything else ever again. I’ve used L’oreal mascara since I first started wearing makeup. For about 15 years I used L’oreal Voluminous mascara with the curved brush.
My lashes are long, but very blonde and thin. So I’ve always gone for mascaras that boost volume instead of “elongate” (if that’s even a real thing). I loved it.
Then they came out with L’oreal Voluminous False Fiber mascara and I switched to that one. I was sad it didn’t come in a curved brush, but I liked the pointed tip that made it easier to get those fine lashes at the corner of the eye.
THEN I discovered L’oreal Feline mascara and Y’ALL. This is like the holy grail of mascara! The magic all lies in the brush. It’s an odd looking, rubbery-type-deal with very short bristles.
I was extremely skeptical, but it actually works wonders. The rubbery brush doesn’t hold on to mascara and get clogged like most others do. All the good stuff goes on your lashes, thickening them up in half the time and saving lots of cleanup around your eyelid.
All the other brushes I’ve tried quickly get clogged and wind up “pushing” my lashes around rather than letting them slide through the brush, which always results in black gunk all over my eyelid from my lashes dragging across them.
Which was a real problem because apparently you’re supposed to put mascara on AFTER eyeshadow and that obviously doesn’t work when you’re just wiping it all off again with the mascara splotches. (??Reason #2 that I don’t wear eyeshadow) (Reason #1 being that I don’t actually know how to do it correctly. I always feel like Brooke Shields circa 1987.)
This month I’ll be giving away the Feline Mascara to one lucky reader.
As usual, I’ll draw a name at random over on Facebook Live at the end of the month. If you don’t want to miss it, just follow my page over there and join in the fun!
To make sure you’re entered to win, simply type in your email address in the blue lighted bar at the end of this post.
If you’ve already entered before, YOU’RE IN FOREVER and YOU COULD STILL WIN!
Yahoo! Giveaways are fun!
As always, I’d love nothing more than to hear what your “Favorite Things” are this month so sound off in the comments, email be back, or tag a photo of your favorite things on social media using the hashtag #letsplayoprah!
And come join me over on Instagram so we can take this friendship to the next level!
❤️
Melissa Eastwood says
Love these! Thanks for sharing!! Can’t wait to check out the instagram pages! ?
Natalie says
OMG, Celestebarber instagram is hilarious!!! My husband called out from the other room wanting to know why I kept laughing 🙂
ambersalhus@msn.com says
Natalie, isn’t she THE BEST? I die laughing at her feed. Her IG stories are pretty funny too.