February Favorites

I did my best to be very picky about where my money went this month so I have been all about samples, coupons and unique finds. My skin care products both found their way into my stash in unique ways: one came from my PopSugar box and the second was a sample from Sephora. And, as per usual, I have ANOTHER tea favorite this time from Barnes and Noble. My month has all been fueled by a rockin' girl group!

My beautiful planner somehow made its way into this picture. Review coming soon...





 



Maybelline Color Elixir by Color Sensational
The packaging attracted me to this new product from Maybelline. Spring seems to be the time of new lip products. Last year was the fun of the Revlon Lip Butters and Color Sensational lipsticks and this year, its the gloss, gloss, glosses! The tube with the product has the shape of a lipstick ... confusing, or awesome? We're going with awesome. Nothing annoys me more than sticky lip gloss--yuck. But these babies? Nada! With smooth application, good color pay off, these are the best I've tried. I have both Signature Scarlet (a bright red) and Rose Redefined (a rose pink).

 



Hollywood, California Glam Glow YouthMud exfoliate treatment masque
...and deep breath. With a name like that, you can imagine my look at the Sephora lady. All I could think of was mud masks that a kid might make with a fresh spring shower. The mental image was hard to erase. Then I put the mask on and that mental image was pretty close to the reality of application. But, buffing this guy off with a washcloth left my skin less than mud-like and it GLOWED. Yes, I'm 22 years old but my skin looked like a baby's which made this guy a spa night favorite for me.

 



Nourish Organic Argan Face Serum
Argan Oil for your face! Talk about the moisture. It seems like roses and apricots so, yeah, its spring. (Anyone catching a trend here? I'm so ready for spring!) As it is an oil/serum, it can be used under a moisturizer or alone. I have been using it after the Glam Glow and alone before bed. My face is soooo happy.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman brushes
The application of my product with these brushes is magical! I have a problem. I am very heavy handed with the product application. Like the, Oh gosh... too much blush! Yak! These have been my life savers!! They are super easy to clean, soft, and not clump-y with application. My absolute must-haves are the blush brush, the deluxe crease shadow blush and base shadow brush. I just dip the tip of the brush into the product, apply, and blend. But all the brushes are super easy to use, and, of course, blend.

Harney & Co Pomegranate Oolong tea & Bicycle mug
If this scent was made into a candle, I would buy endless upon endless supply. The tea is very full and tangy. I love it in the afternoon when I get home from work and before dinner. Sort of like an afternoon snack... but for adults! And the best part, I bought it from Barnes and Noble with a coupon! The mug is from World Market and I thought it was adorable. It is a wide top cappuccino mug with a pink inside. If it is not in use, it is sitting on my counter as decoration.

Little Mix "Salute"
I don't know if I can express the amount of love I have for this group. This girl group is the greatest thing since the Spice Girls and Destiny's Child combined. Yeah, bold statement. This album is a combination of dance anthems, girl power, and inspiring tunes. It is on Spotify but, I totally recommend actually BUYING this CD because the cover art is so gorgeous! Little Mix is on tour with Demi Lovato this summer and yes, I want to go! Who's in?

I hope you all enjoyed my favorites for February!! What products did you love for the month of LOVE?

Yours xx

March Favorites

WARNING: This post is quite lengthy but, it's a good one. I promise. The month of March is my favorite for several reasons: Spring has (officially) sprung, I turned 22 this month, my university had Spring Break, and my favorites are awesome! Without further ado...

Beauty and Body Care

For beauty products this month, you could say I branched out on a limb with the first one. I had never ordered/purchased a product from Lush Cosmetics and after using "Angels on Bare Skin" Facial Cleanser I wanted more and more and more....

For those who don't know, Lush Cosmetics are fresh, handmade cosmetics that use only natural ingredients. They are based out of Canada and, obviously, I don't live in Canada so I ordered from their website. Very quick and easy, might I add. I was on the hunt for a new facial cleanser that left my skin light and refreshed without being too harsh. I have fairly sensitive skin, so I always am a bit nervous about new products (tip: try a small amount on an inconspicuous bit of skin before trying all over your face) so I did my research and read lots of consumer reviews. And ended up with Lush! Wee!








I purchased Angels on Bare Skin from Lush because it was their best seller and was made for all skin types. It is very exfoliating which I find to be nice after my face as been put through the ringer I put it through everyday. Plus, it was cleansing and quite soothing. It makes my face feel like it has been blessed by Angels (ay, ay, see what I did there..? :O).

While Angels is my favorite cleanser, I needed something to take my makeup off before cleansing and I'm loving Maybelline's Clean Express Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover. It's not greasy at all, which as been a consist problem for me with makeup removers. It literally takes one swipe and my eye makeup is completely gone! I love it!! (PS I'm on my second bottle already.)


Speaking of eye makeup, I purchased a bit of a splurge birthday present for myself: Urban Decay Naked Palette. This palette is like the holy-grail for me. It has neutral matte colors for a simple everyday look as well as sparkly neutrals and colors to create the perfect smoky eye. I'm obsessed and have basically used it everyday since it arrived on my doorstep. (I purchased mine from Amazon, in case you were wondering).

Now, I've been a Moisturizing Chap stick girl for, like, ever so in the rare event that I find a lip balm or chap stick that I love more it is kind of a massive deal.

Dearest Nivea Lip Butters, you have found a home in my purse, makeup bag, backpack, beside stand (read: everywhere). I adore you to no end. You look so adorable in your little tin. You're not shiny, and yet add color and not only do you smell like absolute heaven but, you are moisturizingly thick, without caking. I love you.

Food and Drink Favorites

Food, everyone's favorite and between eating birthday cake and Easter candy, this section could turn into a bit of a circus act but these two products have stuck by me all month long and I adore them for it.

The Brookside Dark Chocolate Goji with Raspberry are indulgent and perfect. The dark chocolate is thick

but doesn't overpower the fruit pieces inside. To me, they seemed like Fruit Gushers without that awful sugar syrup oozing out of the middle.

Tazo Passion Tea has been a favorite of my for quite a while but this month I got the tea bags as a birthday gift with my lovely tea kettle. (Yes, I'm practically a 80 year old woman, between my tea kettle and knitting hobby, in a 22 year old's body. Do I care? Nope.) It is fruity and sort of, mm, tangy? Yeah, tangy. I've been making it hot with the tea bags but, also, I've been making it cool by taking two tea bags and hot water, placing it in the fridge for about 2-3 hours, and pouring it over ice. I'm obsessed.

Music Favorites

All you need to know for this section is this: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE'S THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE. Please, listen to this. Buy it. Download it. Whatever. It has been playing non-stop on my iTunes since arriving on the scene. I regularly jam to "Let the Groove Get In," "Pusher Love Girl," and "Don't Hold the Wall."

This next girl group from the UK, I found because of Little Mix (please go get on the Google right now if you don't know these girls. I love them to know end.). They have this awesome 90's type, hip-hop vibe. And this song! Sometimes music, like books, find you, ya know? 

M.O. - Ain't Got Time

Books and Movies Favorites

For the first time, I listened to an audio book from Audible.com. I listened to "BossyPants" by Tina Fey on my road trip. This book is hilarious, which was too be expected. But also enlightening. It was a lot about female empowerment, which apparently I've been obsessed with since I this month I also read Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In." This read, readers, it is a-maz-ing. She talks about women in leadership roles, women in the work place and encourages women to "lean in" in all things. I highly recomme

nd this read to anyone!

Oh and Girls. Lena Duhman knows my life. It is Sex in the City but with "real" girls in their 20s, navigating life. Hmm, I wonder why I could relate?? :)

Thanks for reading, y'all. Anything you've been enjoying this month? Let me know in the comments!!

Yours xx

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned above was purchased with my own money and all opinions are mine. This is NOT a sponsored blog post. You're beautiful.

Fashion Friday: February 8th, 2013

(FYI So far, every week that I've typed out the year I've typed last year..whoops. Good thing I proofread, ay?)

Happy Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week everyone. NYC is currently suffering through quite the snow storm, which I can relate to because SD is too! Enough with the snow, let's go ahead and kick off our Friday with a bit of inspiration that I have on my wallpaper of my desktop that I read and think about every day as I do that last mirror check before taking on the day.

“Dress how you feel and love what you wear, because at the end of the day you have got to wear and feel great in it. Great style isn't about looking picture perfect all the time. You wear your clothes. Your clothes should never wear you.” --Kelly Osbourne

Along with the quote, I'd like you to check this out. Kelly Osbourne has her own style, regardless of if I like it or consider her my style icon, I am enviable of her ability to identify something that she is particularly inspired by and stick to being herself, no matter the circumstance. 

Now, images and videos! 

Step one...

Good LBD. Love LOVE the embellishment!

I like the all black with an accent scarf!

I call this "Fox on the Run."

Real fear, people.

Scale of 1-10: How much do I want this shirt? 10. 10. 10! 

I'd like to introduce you all to Little Mix. Watch the video below then go download their US single "Wings." Four girls, strong individual styles yet, all complementary of each other.

Yours x

Oh and Happy Grammy Weekend!