2014 Favorites

I had a lot of fun making the list of my favorite products of the year.  2014 was the year that I really started indulging my love of makeup and exploring new products, colors and techniques.  Bolder lip colors, winged liner, bronzer; it was my year of stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying new things.

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque

Anyone that keeps up with any sort of beauty blog or YouTuber know that the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque has gotten a lot of love over the last few years.  I can justify the hefty price to myself for a couple of reasons: one, it does an amazing job making my hair feel healthy, despite all the heat trauma I put it through; two, it lasts forever; and three, it smells delightful.  I use it as my daily conditioner in conjunction with an everyday clean shampoo and I don't find that it's too heavy or intense for everyday use.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Ah, the Naked palette.  I started watching YouTube beauty videos right around the time that the Naked 2 came out, and I pounced on the third edition as soon as it came out, but the original was never really on my list until I watched a simple smoky eye tutorial over the summer.  Luckily, my birthday was not long after the realization that I had to own this beauty.

L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara

Holy grail status alert: I love, love, love this mascara.  Even the non-waterproof version doesn't flake, smudge, or transfer on me, and I am just crazy about what it does for my lashes.

Aveeno Smart Essentials Nighttime Moisture Infusion

I love a good drugstore find.  I'm more than willing to splurge on skin care items as an investment in the longevity of my skin, but I'm definitely not going to complain that I can find a great product at Walgreens for an entirely reasonable price.  As an added bonus, I started using this moisturizer not long after our wedding early in the year, so the scent will always make me feel incredibly nostalgic for this phase of my life.  Memories!

MAC Turquatic Perfume

Oh, wow.  There is something about this scent that reminds me of high school, but ever-so-slightly more grown up.  I will absolutely continue to purchase this fragrance; I love it for everyday wear.

Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creme in Cannes

Along with the rest of the world, my primary goal for the latter half of 2014 was to find the perfect Kylie Jenner lip option.  I may or may not have done an embarrassing amount of research on the subject... At any rate, this is one of the more affordable products that I put to the test, and it swiftly became a daily staple for me.  For a matte lip color, it's not overly drying, it sets quickly, and it lasts for quite a while on the lips.

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Palette

For all the love I gave to the original Naked palette with all its shimmer, once I got my hands on the Naked Basics 2, I had a hard time putting it down.  Around Thanksgiving, we had pretty limited access to our house while we were doing some remodeling, and this was the only palette I brought with me during our various times out of the house.

What were your favorite products of 2014?  What are you looking forward to trying in 2015?

What's in my Travel Beauty Bag?

My husband and I needed to head out of town for a wedding this weekend, and at the last we decided to make a long weekend of it and stay an extra day at my parents' house, so I thought I would take a few quick snaps of the beauty essentials I brought with me for our little road trip.

I got this toiletry bag at Target a few months ago; it's by Sonia Kashuk and it's just chock-full of compartments and pockets.  It holds a good amount of products without being too bulky, and the geometric design is super cute.

This side has one big open pocket and two clear vinyl bags that zip closed at the top and are secured into the main compartment with velcro.  I actually keep the one on the left in my bathroom to keep hair ties and bobby pins in one place; it's also currently holding my Travalo that's filled with Viva la Juicy and a perfume sample that came in my most recent Glossy Box.

The bag on the right just has some essentials: toothpaste, deodorant, saline solution and my contact case.  This side is also carrying my Sonicare travel case and my makeup wipes.

The other compartment has a big vinyl pocket that I use to hold my liquid products; we have to drive through the mountains to get to my hometown, and the elevation change has been known to explode products every now and then.  This side is holding both my day and night moisturizers (both by Aveeno), eye cream, conditioner, body wash and body lotion, and some Neutrogena face wash.  When I travel, I rely a lot on the samples I get from my subscription services; samples are meant to be used, right?

(Quick side note: because we were traveling by car to stay with family, I didn't put a lot of effort into finding travel-sized versions of products.  Had we been flying or going somewhere without easy access to a drugstore, I'd have invested in some little pots or something to save space.)

The last section of this bag has a handy space for makeup brushes and a convenient flap to keep them protected.  Above that flap, there's an additional zippered compartment that I don't use very often, and a final zippered compartment that runs the length of the back "wall" of the bag.  I don't always carry my makeup in this toiletry bag; I'll occasionally overpack and use a separate makeup case, but for this trip I really made an effort to scale back and only bring some essentials and a few double-duty products.

What's your travel beauty essential?

May 2014 Favorites

Monthly favorites posts and videos are some of my, well, favorites to look forward to each month.  I find it almost a little bit fascinating to really think about what my most reached-for products were for and to notice little trends here and there.

1. L'oreal Miss Manga Mascara

No surprise here.  I'm completely infatuated with what this mascara does for my lashes.  While it's not labeled as a waterproof formula, this particular product performs just as well, if not better, than some waterproof mascaras I've tried.

2. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
An easy go-to for a sun-kissed look.  Plus, the smell is just delicious.

3. Tarte Exposed Blush

Still going strong in May, just as it was in April.  We're having some major remodeling done on our house right now, so a lot of my makeup isn't really easily accessible.  This blush has made my mornings really easy; it's tough to mess this one up.

4. Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation

This is one of my new favorite formulas.  It really does last on my skin all day, and it applies beautifully with my beauty blender.

5. Jordana Fabuliner

An easy to use, felt tip black liner that's worth every penny (all 299 of them).

6. Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Perfume

This was a Christmas gift from my mom last year, and I'm so thrilled to finally have it in my collection!  This is my go-to fragrance for every day; I love that it's light and not too sweet.

7. Alex and Ani Bangles

This little swan guy appeared in a Glossy Box a few months back, and I was instantly hooked.  My Amazon wish-list is now crawling with more of these bracelets, but I just couldn't help myself and ordered the St Christopher charm bangle in mid-May.  I've been wearing them almost every day; I love that they chime just a bit without being obnoxiously loud.

8. AG Hair Cosmetics Keratin Repair Serum

My stylist talked me into this a few months ago, and I've been using every time I've washed my hair since.  My ends tend to be dry and prone to breakage, but since I've been using this serum my split ends have been almost non-existent.

What products have you been loving this month?

ipsy Unboxing: April 2014

The second I heard that the April ipsy bags would include an Urban Decay eyeliner, my usual quest to stay unspoiled until my own bag arrived went out the window.  I was hearing from all different sources that this month's selection of products were some of the best that ipsy had assembled in recent months; on the whole, I'm usually pretty satisfied with ipsy, but there have been some off months here and there.

Loving this funky bag

Products!  Wee!

Beginning with the products I forgot to take closeups of (it was a crazy morning), there's a healthy-sized can of Big Sexy Hair Root Pump, which I'm excited to try out on my fine hair, and an equally generous tube (for skin care, anyway) of the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant (hey, who couldn't use a good exfoliation every now and again?).

On to the fun stuff!

As I mentioned, the item I was most excited about was the Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet.  I am powerless to resist a good black liner, be it liquid, felt-tip or pencil.  To date, I've only used the original formula pencil in Demolition (a rich, chocolatey brown), and I've loved it for well over a year now.  I'm excited to play around with this new formula and see how it holds up, especially on my waterline (another perennial quest of mine).

Left: initial swatch. Right: after light smudging with my finger.

A girl can always use a good champagne shadow, right?  This Elizabeth Mott shadow swatches beautifully, and I'm excited to try it out.  A few notes: the packaging, while cute and clear, feels a little cheap, and the pan has already dislodged itself from the glue holding into place.  No matter, though, because the shadow is gorgeous and I can easily pop into a Z Palette instead.

The last goody that arrived in my ipsy this month is an adorable jelly lip gloss from Mary Kay.  I have a couple of MK lipsticks that I like quite a bit, and I recently used up a mascara that I loved but whose name escapes me at the moment.  This gloss is a beautiful nude color, and surprisingly opaque.  I'm thinking it might be nice for a sweet Easter look...

Was your ipsy bag different than mine this month?  What did you love from your bag?

March 2014 Favorites

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?

Current Beauty Wish List

Admittedly, there's not much terribly spring-related about the beauty products I'm currently yearning for, but it's April now and I guess I'm starting to think about revamping my beauty routines?  Either way, I put together a quick list of the things I'll be saving my extra pennies for this month:







1. Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation, $55 for 1 fl oz.
My skin runs toward the oily side of the spectrum, and I've heard nothing but glowing reviews of this foundation.  It's supposed to work wonders for us oily girls, setting to a nice powder finish and staying all day with medium to high coverage.  My only hangup is the price tag; I'm generally a drugstore foundation kind of girl, but is this one worth the splurge?
(Hourglass website, Sephora)

2. Kenra Platinum Working Spray 14, $22
In my seemingly never-ending journey to learn how to curl my hair (long story), I've tried a lot of different techniques and products to get and hold a good curl.  I recently came across a product that works pretty well for me, but I just can't seem to shake that feeling that there could be something better out there.  When I was getting my hair done for my wedding a few months ago, the woman making me bridal-ready used this Kenra spray on my hair before she curled it, and it worked wonders!  Now, to be fair, we were going for a seriously long-lasting look that was a bit much for everyday curls, but I think a lighter application would make for a good, natural, touchable style.
(Kenra website)

3. Sigma E59 Wide Shader Brush, $14

The Sigma Essentials kit was the first set of quality brushes that I invested in, and I've been increasing my collection little by little over the last year or so.  Next on my list is this wide, fluffy brush, which is supposed to be great for blending around the edges of your crease.

(Sigma website)

4. NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder, $35

Yet another product that I've seen reviewed on YouTube for months now.  Given that I have drugstore-priced powders that work perfectly well, is this one worth the price tag?

(NARS website, Sephora)

5. Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara, $19

My wedding-day hair and makeup helper used the Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara on me for the big day, and it looked gorgeous, but again, it was a bit much for everyday.  I'd love to try this natural, curling, volumizing mascara and see how it compares to my other stand-by favorites.

(Tarte website, Sephora)

Are there any other products I should be on the lookout for?