I have to admit, I had a tough time narrowing down my favorites for the month to a manageable list (no one wants to read a blog post
that long), but I did manage to pull together some favorites both old and brand new to share with you all.
First up is a wonder exfoliator called
Serious Serum; I picked this up in early January when I was getting my eyebrows shaped before my wedding. Since I was in the building, I decided to get, ahem... another area cleaned up, and bought this serum in a kit to stave off ingrown hairs. It contains Alpha Hydroxy Acid, which is typically an ingredient in facial exfoliants that's gentle but incredibly effective. I've actually yet to try it on my face, but my bikini line has been in great shape ever since I started using this.
The serum itself has a very loose, gel-like consistency. The kit I purchased came with a pair of exfoliating gloves, and I just use a pea-sized amount every time I take a shower. The gloves are just abrasive enough without being too harsh, and my skin has been incredibly smooth since January. I'm looking forward to test-driving the serum on my face soon!
It's rare that I get around to painting my nails on any kind of regular basis; it's even more rare that I put such a bright, seasonally-appropriate color on my nails. It's rarer still that I repeat a color within 2 weeks, so I knew this polish had to be included in my favorites. It's "Neely" by Zoya, and I believe it came in an ipsy bag a few months ago. The formula is a nice, creamy opaque mint green, and I'm loving it for spring. I wore to the office for St. Patrick's Day; it was a nice way to give a nod to the holiday without going overboard.
I know that I
just hauled this next product last week, but I've already fallen in love with it! I won't go too much into the details, except to say that it's a perfect my-lips-but-better color that's easy enough to apply without a mirror but adds just enough of a pop of color to a look. It's already become my go-to everyday lip color.
The Milani eyeshadow stick in Champagne Toast not only looks great as a single shadow all over the lid, but it's also the perfect base for a look using the Naked 3 palette; a few of the lighters, sparkly shades are a bit too sheer to really pop on the lid without a little help underneath. The best part: it's super affordable at the drugstore.
Another find from my waxing salon! I am a perennial sucker for impulse buys near the register; as I was setting my next appointment the last time I was there, they had a new display of
Billion Dollar Brows products that I immediately started swatching. I asked the girl at the counter what she recommended, and she told me that the Universal Brow Pencil had been their most popular seller since they had put the display out.
It's a standard, waxy, retractable pencil that does blend in with my dark brown eyebrows quite well. I'm definitely planning to try their brow powder once this pencil runs out, and I'll be sure to report back!
My hair is a bit of an enigma to me: it's gotten pretty thin over the years, but there's also a whole lot of it. It's naturally curly, but has a hell of a time holding a curl, so for the last year or so, I've been on a bit of a quest to find the right combination of products and techniques to equal success in getting my hair to cooperate. A few of my favorite gurus have mentioned this Paul Mitchell Hot Off the Press spray as being a great thermal protection spray as well as really doing a great job to help hold a curl, particularly in thinner hair.
It took me a while to actually
find this product, but once I did, I was instantly a fan. The trick for me is to remind myself to slow down, take my time, and be sure to spray each section of hair before curling (rudimentary, I know, but I had never bothered to learn to curl my hair until recently, so this was all Greek to me). I've had great success with a one-inch iron, and moderate success with a 1.5-inch iron. My next hurdle: hot rollers!
I have always been a big, big fan of second-day hair; I have so little patience for blow-drying and in-depth styling my hair that the discovery of dry shampoo was an absolute blessing. I've tried a few different brands before stumbling on the Dove Refres+Care Volume Dry Shampoo, and I'm already a huge fan. The scent is really quite pleasant, and the spray itself doesn't leave a white cast on my hair. It's also great for all over texture if I'm looking to "un-pretty" my hair.
Finally, my (new) all-time favorite makeup removing wipes. They're incredibly moist, smell pleasant, and they get the job done very well, and the best part is, they're
cheap. I get them at Costco, and I'll never go back to the Neutrogena wipes.
What have your favorite products been this month?
