Friday's Five Things.

Another blog scheduling thing I'd like to try: Friday's Five Things, something I've picked up from Emily at Cupcakes and Cashmere, another blog I love. This is a simple list of five things (anything!) that I love or am lusting over or that make me happy right now, today, this Friday.

For today:

Smith's Rosebud Salve, $6 from Sephora. You can put it on anything.

Cuddly kittens. They were bombarding me this morning with snuggles when I was getting ready for work.

Planning my trip to Paris and Copenhagen in March. I stumbled across The Naughty Paris Guide... and don't think I will be buying this particular guide book... but it made me giggle.

Spring semester doesn't start until the 24th. Which means I now have 5 evenings a week to myself, to go to the gym, meet friends for dinner, and return things to Bloomingdale's. This makes me even more excited to finish my Master's next spring so I can reclaim my evenings again! (You know, and to be accomplished academically and achieve success in my career... but mainly the free time thing... JK)

January & February is always a good time for fresh oranges.

That is all.

Winter beauty craveables.

I finally had a chance to flip through the November issue of InStyle last night, even though the December issue has been out for a few weeks... I'm THAT behind. There were a bunch of articles about winter skincare and dressing for the cold weather. I feel like I'm also two-steps behind on my winter skincare routine. The chilly NYC air is starting to wreak havoc. I don't remember it being this bad last winter, but maybe that's because I came in halfway through the season or something?

Anyway, here's what I'm craving right now to try and fix this situation!

The Revlon Hot Facial Sauna, a personal steamer to loosen pores clogged with city grime, $24.99 from Ulta.

The Clarisonic Mia Skincare system, a rotating brush head to exfoliate deeply at home, $149 from Ulta. I really want this and think it could drastically help my skin right now, but it's definitely out of my price range. I'm looking for a more reasonable, effective option and will keep you posted if I find something.

Olive Oil Body Butter, perfect for my super dry skin right now, currently 2 for $25 at the Body Shop.

Nars Cream Blush in Shimmering Poppy, to add a nice glow to my pale-as-a-sheet winter skin, $26 from Sephora.

Uggg I'm so not looking forward to this cold, long winter!

I like manicures.

I went to Dashing Diva nail salon yesterday. It is by far one of the best nail salons I've ever been to. The decor is all pink and white and sooo darling. The pedicure lounge is so comfy, so you sit on a cushioned bench with pillows instead of on one of those plastic massage chairs. It's a fun, open environment and would be great for a bachelorette party or birthday party. I had the "Nourish Me Almond and Honey" mani/pedi, including a 10-minute foot massage, and it was wonderful. My hands and feet are baby-soft and feel really moisturized, something important in New York winters.

The one I went to is on 2nd Ave. between 72nd & 71st, but there are a couple othe

r locations. Now, it's not the cheapest salon around here, but it's by far not the most expensive. My special mani/pedi was $85, but their basic mani/pedi is $50, or $15 for just a manicure. The going rate for cheap nail places on the UES is $10 for a manicure. It's a little more expensive, but I think it would be worth it for a treat once in a while. They also do waxing and massage.

Oh, and they open a new package of a nail file and buffer for every client, then send you home with it. That's kind of nice. I'm against germs.