April Favorites

April was a great month for products for me as I wore makeup more often. I work from home so most of the time I'm bare faced and in pajamas so it's wonderful when I have occasions to get dressed up for. The thing I love most about my favorites for April is that most of them are products that are easy to apply for a simple and natural look.


Makeup:


Nyx Butter Lipstick in Lollies- These butter lipsticks are amazing and I want more of them. They are so smooth and the colors are beautiful. I have 2 of the colors right now but I've been wearing 'Lollies' a lot since it's a light peachy pink that is perfect for a touch of color. The color 'Fizzies' is next on my list!

Benefit They're Real Mascara- I bought this mascara a while ago and while I liked it, I didn't like that it wasn't waterproof. I am all about the waterproof mascara so I kind of tossed this mascara to the side. This month I found it again and decided to try it out during the day and I actually ended up loving it! It is great for day time as it doesn't quite hold my curl as well as a waterproof mascara does BUT it does make my lashes look super long. Plus, it was so much easier to remove than I'm used to! ;)


Essie in Borrowed and Blue- I talked about this polish in my Spring Nail Colors post as it is one of my favorite nail colors for Spring. It's a beautiful pastel blue and I got so many compliments when I wore it!

Skin Care:

Hempz AromaBody Body Moisturizer in Pineapple Lily (Limited Edition)- I found this moisturizer in the sale section and I am so glad I picked it up. I have been slathering this stuff all over my body when I get out of the shower and it makes my skin feel so soft. Also, the scent is amazing. Especially if you like smelling like a pineapple. I am so bummed that it is limited edition because I won't be able to get another when I run out! They actually have it on Amazon right now but I'm not sure how long it will be in stock.

Hair Care:

Redken Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo- I picked this up last month as I've been meaning to find a good cleansing shampoo. I usually use a very moisturizing shampoo but I need something to use every couple weeks to really clean my hair and get rid of any product build up. After using this I fell in love!!! It smells just like fruit Mentos. SO YUMMY! It makes my hair feel really clean and of course, my hair smells amazing after using it. This shampoo will be perfect for the Summer to pull out any chemicals after swimming in a pool.

KMS California Tame Frizz Taming Creme- I wanted to try a new product for my hair now that the weather has been getting warmer. I usually use the Argan Oil by DermOrganic (which I still love) but I decided to switch things up. KMS California's Tame Frizz line has a few different options, including an oil, but I chose the Taming Creme. This stuff smells amazing and I love how it makes my hair look and feel when I use it before blow drying. It smooths my hair so much and doesn't make it greasy. If you have thin hair like me, I'd suggest keeping it on your ends only. I use so little product each time that this bottle is going to last me forever!

Random:

Book: I read 4 books last month but my favorite was 'All The Truth That's In Me' by Julie Gardner Berry. When I first started reading this book, I was super confused because it wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be. The cover and description make it seem like a modern story but it's actually set back in the Colonial days. It doesn't give specific dates but based on the fact that they used a pillory, I think that could put it in 1700-1800's. The writing style is also a bit different but I'm so glad I stuck with it because it was SUCH a good read. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it if you love historical fiction or mystery novels.
Show: I'm currently in the middle of SO MANY tv shows. I am such a sucker for tv series and sometimes I overwhelm myself trying to keep up with them all. My boyfriend put on the first episode of House while I was picking up a pizza and by the time I got back and started watching too, I was addicted. Now we are on to season 3 and we just love it! Dr. House is my favorite, I love how snarky he is. Every episode his team always disagrees with him and I always scream at the tv "Don't argue with House, he always figures it out!!!"

What were some of your favorite things in April? Can you even believe it is May and Summer is coming?!

January Favorites

I spent the majority of January sick and rarely left my apartment so I didn't end up wearing much in the makeup department. I did however end up using a lot of skin care products this month!


Makeup:

Physician's Formula Touch of Glow Nude Wear Concealer/Highlighter- I can't rave about this stuff enough! I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I do! The few times I did leave my place during the month of January (you know, when I ran out of chicken noodle soup or cough syrup) I would always put this stuff on under my eyes and it made me look a million times better. It conceals AND brightens and the packaging is super cute! I like the twist up design of this also but I've found I get a little overzealous when twisting the bottom and end up with a little more product than I wanted. I'm practicing though!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain in Smitten- I did end up going to a concert this month as my boyfriend and I received tickets for a Christmas gift. It was at the beginning of the month before I got sick so I did end up getting at least one good face of makeup on during the month of January. I wore this lip stain for the concert and ended up loving it so much it's been in my purse ever since. The color is SO beautiful. It's slightly darker than my lip color and the color stays on for hours. I also love that it feels like a lip balm on the lips. No sticky feeling!

Skin Care:


Softsoap Body Butter Coconut Scrub- I usually use the St Ives Oatmeal and Shea Butter Body Wash but when I ran out last month, I sent my boyfriend to the store for a new bottle and they didn't have it! He ended up picking up this coconut scrub for me instead (He knows me so well!) and it is amazing. I love coconut so the smell is so yummy but it's really the texture that is amazing. It's thick and creamy like a body butter with tiny exfoliating beads in it. I use this to wash my body and to shave my legs since it's so creamy.


Neutrogena Wave Vibrating Power Cleanser- I bought the Wave at Target about a year ago when it was on clearance. I'd always wanted to try it and it was about $5 so for that price I figured, why not? I don't use it every day but I use it whenever my skin starts to feel dry and dull. Since I was sick this month I ended up using it quite a few times. My skin just felt icky and dry and the Wave made my skin feel so much healthier.

Jurlique Moisture Replenishing Day Cream- This day cream came in a Birchbox last year and I used quite a bit of it this month. I use my Benefit Total Moisture at night but my skin was SO dry this month I needed more help. I don't love the smell of this (I'm so not an herbal scent person) but I love how thick it is and how it feels on my skin. It definitely helped revive my dry skin this month.

Lush Sweet Lips Lip Scrub-I've had this product for a while now and I don't even think they sell it anymore but since it's only a sugar scrub I still use it. Along with dry skin this month I've had crazy dry lips. I use this stuff to scrub away the dead skin on my lips before I slather on my lip balm. Even my boyfriend uses this stuff! You can find similar scrubs here.

Random:

Books:

I did quite a bit of reading this month and somehow have ended up with too many library books checked out (I use an online library check out app on my phone/iPad) so now I'm trying to get through them all. I read Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight and I really enjoyed it! It's almost like a dark Gossip Girl murder mystery full of twists and by the end of it I was dying to finish it so I could piece everything together. I also started reading the Little House on the Prairie Collection. My mom bought me the boxed set of books when I was a child and I've already read them but I decided to read them again after she found the collection the last time I visited her. They are pretty quick reads but I really enjoy them. I'm currently almost done with the second book and am reading them in between all of my library check outs!

TV Show:

Friday Night Lights- OH. MY. GOSH. I am obsessed. I watched all 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights in 2 weeks while I was sick. I couldn't stop. I have had it in my Netflix Queue forever and always wanted to watch it because HELLO CONNIE BRITTON (love her!) but always avoided it because...football. I am SO happy I started watching it though because the show was amazing. I already miss it and feel the need to start it over again. Also, Tim Riggins. He is probably my favorite character off any TV show I have ever seen. My boyfriend is tired of me saying the words Tim Riggins but I mean look at him!!! Did you watch this show? If so, we could talk about it all day if you want to! ;)

I cannot believe it is already February, where is the year going?!

November Favorites

December is here and I am so excited! I've already decorated my apartment for the holidays and put up the tree and I'm about to start in on my huge list of Christmas movies. Before I move on to December though, I want to share my favorite beauty items from November (and a few random favorites too!).

Makeup:

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation- I had purchased this foundation for my best friend's wedding in October after reading amazing reviews online about its staying power. I tested it out the night before her wedding and really liked it but the day of the wedding, I noticed patches of skin where the foundation wasn't covering. I put it aside after the wedding and went back to my regular foundation. In November though, I finally decided to give it another chance. I changed up my application technique (see below) and ended up falling in love with this foundation. It stays put all day and looks and feels like you aren't wearing any makeup. I wear the color #825 Buff Beige.
Ulta Super Blender Sponge- I bought this application sponge a couple years back at Ulta. It is similar to the Beauty Blender although most of the reviews for this product say there is no comparison and that the Ulta brand sponge is too hard. I stumbled upon the sponge again last month when going through my makeup collection and decided to give it a try. I am SO glad I did because I've used it over my regular foundation brush throughout the entire month of November. I just pump a small amount of foundation on to the bottom of the sponge and dab it all over my face to blend the product. It gives my skin a flawless finish and makes it easy for me to build up coverage on parts of my face that need it. I also use the smaller tip of the sponge to blend my concealer under my eyes.

Benefit Dallas Blush- I've had this blush for years! So long in fact, they have redone the packaging on this product. I used to use it as a bronzer but have recently started using it as a blush. It's a gorgeous dark pinkish brown color and I think it will be perfect for Winter time. I've loved all of the Benefit boxed blushes I've tried and they last forever!

Jane Concealer- I picked up the Jane concealer in Light back in October for my best friend's wedding. I heard rave reviews about it from multiple people and since it was so inexpensive, I picked it up to give it a try. This was another product that I didn't like the first time I used it. I also thought the color was too dark for being a 'light' shade. Once I started using the sponge applicator to apply it, I found that it actually blended very well and didn't settle into the lines under my eyes. Definitely a keeper!

Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara- This is a product I bought a while back and finally decided to open it up when my go-to mascara ran out. I love the formula of this mascara and the brush is very similar to my usual mascara. This mascara went on like a dream and there wasn't a single clump to be found! It also held the curl in my lashes all day. Of course, I tend to only buy waterproof mascara as I find it holds the curl in my lashes way better than regular mascara anyways. Regardless, this mascara is a great every day mascara and I would definitely repurchase it.

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Sultry- I was so excited when Revlon came out with their new matte and lacquer balms and was lucky to pick up the colors I wanted before they flew off the shelves! I will actually be sharing a full review on these soon but I have found myself wearing the matte balm in Sultry a lot. I've been gravitating to dark lips the last month and Sultry is the perfect shade for Fall/Winter.

Essie Nail Polish in Smokin' Hot and Cashmere Bathrobe- My most worn nail polishes last month would have to be Smokin' Hot by Essie for my nails and Cashmere Bathrobe by Essie for my toes. The photos do not do these colors justice at all. Smokin' Hot is this deep smoky plum color (they advertise it as gray though?) and it's absolutely gorgeous. Cashmere Bathrobe is a dark gray with tiny iridescent sparkles. At first I thought the sparkles were just silver but after looking closer, I realized the sparkles are actually purple, pink and green depending on how you move.

Skin Care:

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Eye Cream- I have been noticing that my under eyes have been super dark lately and I am getting little creasy wrinkles as well. I did some research to see what I could get at the drugstore to help the problem and found that Burt's Bees products have excellent reviews. I got the Intense Hydration cream and have been using it for the last few weeks and am already seeing an improvement! I apply the eye cream in the morning and also before I go to bed at night. My dark circles have diminished and the lines under my eyes are slowly disappearing. I am super impressed with this product and the fact that it is under $20.

Hair Care:

Organix Renewing Argan Oil Weightless Healing Dry Oil- I have super fine, thin hair that is always frizzy. I tried this oil because it claimed to be a dry oil. I use it every time I curl/flat iron my hair as a heat protectant and I love that it doesn't make my hair greasy. It is also great for spraying on your hair later in the day to tame that frizz!

Fashion:

Socks- My fashion favorite for the month of November is fun socks! The weather has been colder and I have been loving layering my knee high socks over tights and wearing fun socks with my boots. I have a whole drawer full of socks and most of them are from Target because not only are they so inexpensive but they are so cute!

Random:

Book: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern- I started reading The Night Circus in November and have almost completed it. I use a library app on my phone to check out and read books so I have a deadline that I need to finish it by. So far, I highly recommend it because it is so well written and so interesting that I find myself squeezing in a chapter whenever I can, while I cook, while brushing my teeth, etc. If you are looking for a book to pick up, you will not be disappointed by this one!

TV Show: Reign- Oh. My. Gosh. I am obsessed. I started watching Reign on a whim one day and now I am completely hooked. It's a little bit history and a lotta bit drama and all around perfection. Also, I look forward to reading these AMAZING and hilarious recaps after each episode.

What were some of your favorite things during the month of November?