My Favorite Things

I usually don't watch Oprah, but one episode I never miss is her annual "Favorite Things" show. This show is a consumer's dream. Oprah tells America all about her favorite products and gives her audience free samples galore. Unfortunately, I waited eagerly all summer and most of the fall just to have her announce that she was not going to do a "Favorite Things" show because of the difficult economy, like we really need one of the richest women in America to remind us how crappy the economy has become. I decided I was going to do my own blogger version of my Favorite Things and 5 months later I am getting around to doing that. My purpose is two-fold. First, I hope that my lack of class and style will motivate Oprah by showing her how desperately we need her to contiue with her "Favorite Things." Women still need to look at pretty clothes when the economy sucks. Second, I really need to be packing for next week's move but I am trying to avoid it at all costs.
So here it is, Melisa's favorite things for 2009:


I have tried more expensive cleansers, night creams and daily facial lotion, but I can't find anything better or more affordable than Olay Regenerist. I use the night cream, the cleansing cloths, and the regenerist daily moisturizer under my make up. I think it is great.

What would life be without music! My IPOD is my favorite gadget of the century! I have about 1000 songs and I listen all the time.

YOGA! It might be the only thing that keeps me from being institutionalized.

This make-up, Cover Girl Olay, is pretty new to the market and I skeptically gave it a try. I was hoping I would love it because it is so much cheaper than what I usually use, Clinque Superbalanced Foundation. It is fabulous and it only costs $13. Can't beat that!

It is a rare thing to buy an album and love every song on it, but all four of The Killers albums are full of my favorite songs. Their music gets me pumped when I need to run, makes me happy when I'm down, mellows me out when I'm hyped up, and pretty much fulfills all of my musical needs. LOVE THEM!!

Best fragrance on the market and I am pretty picky about my fragrance. Most perfume makes me nauseas after about an hour, but I could eat this stuff. It's not too expensive but I only buy the sample or travel sized bottles because they are easier to purchase than paying for the big bottles.

My husband told me that Bath and Body Works was going out of business, so I immediately went and bought 30 bottles of Cucumber Melon and Freshwater Cucumber Lotions. I couldn't imagine life without my favorite lotion. However, they weren't going out of business, lucky for me there was a great sale and I only paid $2 a bottle. Now I have my lifetime supply.

SCARVES!!! What a great accessorie. In the words of my sister-in-law, "Scarves make it look like you put effort and thought into your outfit, even if you didn't." I couldn't agree more.

Shutterfly is a great site that I use to create my scrapbooks from digital photos. I also think it is less expensive than traditional books because there is no need to purchase paper or all of the other items you need to make the pages cute. Shutterfly always has tons of layouts, colors, and designs.

White T-Shirts are essential to survival,right? I prefer the Hanes Premium V-Neck, for men size small. They are comfortable, fit great, and they are only $9.99 for a three pack.

Hands down the best mascara on the market at any price, and I have tried hundreds!

I hope this trend never goes out of style. I love brooches. I think they add another dimension to any old boring shirt. They make your look complete with little effort.

I know there are some critics of IKEA in the world, but those people just haven't accumulated enough junk to need IKEA in their life. I love their organizational items especially for kids rooms. They make clean-up time almost bearable.

So, think of these as an investment! Yeah, they are a little expensive but they are sooooo worth it! You will never want to wear another shoe once you have owned a pair of UGGS! They make life meaningful.


These are my very favorite magazines. They are full of ideas for families and offer great advice for mom's too!

Okay! So, I don't actually own the North Face Denali jacket, but I want it really badly! I try it on everytime I go to the mall, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to fork out the dough. The truth is it is a little too much dough, but I am waiting patiently for an end of season sale!

Everyone likes to have their house smell good and I have spent a small fortune on candles that will do this for my home! But, none have worked as well as this $2.99 Apple Cinnamon Candle from Glade. The best part, you can buy it at any grocery or drug store!

This is a really cool invention. It is a hair refresher or I like to call it SHAMPOWDER! If you don't have time or just don't like to wash your hair everyday, you just sprinkle a little of this powder on your scalp and it removes the excess oil and makes your hair smell pretty too!

My favorite jeans are those old American Classics-LEVI'S! But, I only buy men's sizes. They are more specific about waist and length measurement and I like that. Just remember the men's jeans also display the size on the back! Gotta scratch that out fast! (Note: I also wear women's clothes)