Candy’s List of Favorite Things

It’s no secret that Oprah stole her “favorite things” idea from me — I harbor no resentment because the poor woman needed SOMETHING to finally garner attention and success — but I’m not going to let that stop me from continuing to share some of MY favorite things, in case you’re looking for a holiday treat and/or present.

1.  Flameless candles.  I love the ambiance that candles create, but as the mother of a four-month-old and two curious kitties, I’m not too crazy about having, you know, FIRE around the house.  For once, my mom gave me a good idea — Yes!  The Apocalypse is coming! — and suggested buying battery-operated “flameless” candles.  Whaddya know.  They smell delicious, are made with real wax and boast a realistic flame.  I bought my vanilla three-candle set at Target for $21.99.  A similar set (seen above) is available online for $29.99.

2.  Lashfood.  This over-the-counter answer to Latisse (you know, the eyelash enhancement drug that makes Brooke Shields dance with glee?) promises to make eyelashes longer and thicker, and when they offered to send me a sample to try out, I thought “Yeah, RIGHT!  I am so sure it’s gonna make a freakin’ difference.”  Because that’s the kind of optimist I am.  I also thought, “WOO-HOO!  FREE BEAUTY PRODUCT!”  Let’s face it, when you’re a new mom for whom bathing is a rare luxury, you’ll take all the beauty help you can get.  I vowed not to write about the product unless it actually enhanced my lashes, which are naturally full but short.  Lo and behold, after applying it to my lash line day and night for three weeks, I DID notice a subtle difference in length.  Mr. Candy thinks I’m nuts, but I swear I do.  (Then again, those two things are not mutually exclusive.)  One drawback:  Lashfood ain’t cheap, setting you back $99 ON SALE.  But I think the results look infinitely better than fake eyelashes or eyelash extensions, which can cost hundreds of dollars and give you the appearance of having spider legs glued to your eyes.  Always a sexy look.

3.  Bath & Body Works Socks Infused with Shea Butter.  Okay, now I’m going to have to eat my words and admit that my mom had yet ANOTHER good idea when she gave me a pair of these socks for my birthday.  I love, love, LOVE the feel of these super-plush socks on my tired tootsies.  I don’t have much time for pedicures these days, so I appreciate that the moisturizing effect of the built-in Shea Butter (lasting up to 25 washes) also helps keep my tootsies soft.  Thanks, Mom and Dad!  $7.50 or 2 for $12 at BathandBodyWorks.com.

4.  Crayola Digital Camcorder.  Another goodie that was sent my way — yes, I get a LOT of stuff pitched to me, much of which doesn’t warrant any coverage — and caught my attention because I would have LOVED one of these when I was a kid back in the Stone Ages.  Oh, to have been able to capture my amateur productions of “Annie” on this thing…!  The relatively cheap kids’ camcorder produces decent videos and even comes with editing software.  Best of all, it encourages creativity.  AND you can finally put the kids to work when you need someone to videotape Cousin Shirley’s wedding.  Intended for aspiring Steven Spielbergs age 5+.  $54.99 on Amazon.

5.  Jersey-knit crib sheets.  The sheets that came with Skylar’s nursery decor ensemble were a little rough and wrinkled, much like Tommy Lee Jones, so I hunted down (read:  Googled) some softer sheets for Miss Skye’s delicate skin.  I was quite pleased with the jersey-knit sheet I ended up buying on a whim — so much so, that I bought several of the yellow-striped option.  Why several?  Well, as any parent knows, sh*t happens.   Now on sale for $9.99.

Part Two of my fave things coming later this week…!