January Favorites

January Favorites  

I've been looking for the perfect winter skater skirt, that is still cute, but doesn't completely scream summer. I think this one does a pretty good job! It is black, so totally appropriate for winter, yet it is the floral pattern still makes it adorable in the true skater skirt fashion. (Forever21)

 If you have read my other blog posts you will know that I LOVE the Clinique facial products, they have really helped my skin. I used the facial bar for about a year but was getting tired of how it would break down towards the end of it and become very difficult to use. I went into the Clinique counter hoping they had a different form of the bar, and they did! It is a liquid gel face wash, and it is so good!! It is great at taking all dirt, oil, and make up off, really cleaning your skin. And now that it is even easier to use I absolutely love it.

As someone who LOVES bright color nails I was surprised to find myself at the nude and neutral colors. I picked up a creamy beige color a couple weeks ago and adore it! I find it is perfect for work and a business look. It can be hard wearing bright blue in a work suit, so this beige color is a much better look.

   

 apple pie: Do I need to say more? I mean it's just so good, and good for you? Yup, I'm going to go with that. 

Mac Vanilla Pigment... Oh my god.... I am obsessed. I have heard people talk about this product for a while,  I don't know what took me so long to get it, but either way I have it now and never want to let it go. It is so good. I use it most for a highlighter on my cheekbones. It is so easy to use. My favorite part is you can really use the exact amount you want. It is also great for eyes, and brow bone.

Mac Strobe Cream: I am also totally obsessed with this product already. I had been mixing  highlighter powder and my moisturizer for a while, so when I went into Mac and saw they had a product that would do this for me.... DUH I got it and it's so perfect. ( side note- it smells amazing)

Pumped Up! Causal. Oh boy... this mascara is so good and easy to use. Some mascaras really make you work to get the perfect look, but not this one. A couple coats and you have super long, volumized lashes, that stay like that day all day and night.

winter themed flowers: Even when a room is cold they make it warm and they smell beautiful. I am so glad a got out of the narrowminded mindset that flowers were just for nice warm days. 

pearl earrings: They are classic and always beautiful. They completely change any outfit into something special and look absolutely lovely on everyone.

Macadamia Hair Oil... while I was at college this was staple product for me. I used it on the ends of my hair after a shower, especially in the winter. I am so glad it is back in my life. The scent is so lovely... sweet and refreshing, that actually stays with your hair during the day. This oil is so good at smoothing out dry and dead ends, giving your hair a nice healthy shine. 

Clinique 3- Step Review

I have been using Clinique's 3-step products for half a year now and I love them! I started off with just the cleanser and the moisturizer, and then this summer I added in the exfoliate.

I can not say enough good things able the Facial Soap. It is so soft on the skin yet very cleansing. It does not irritate or make the skin red. I had suffered from off and on acne for the best couple years, just a few spots here and there nothing too our of the ordinary, but the cleaning soap has cleared that all up. I can tell the cleanser really clears out the pores without stripping the skin too harshly.

The next step is exfoliate. Like I mentioned I did not do this step until this summer but it has come in very handy. I use the Clarifying Lotion 3. This "lotion" is actually a liquid that clears away all dirt,  makeup, and excess oil. It seriously works so well to get all the junk from the day off your face. The direction are to use it twice a day, which I did over the summer, but as the weather changes I find I don't really need to use it as much. So now I just use it a couple times a week when I really went to clear off oil and makeup.

The last in the 3-step products is the Dramatically Different Moisturizer Gel. Ok I have tried many moisturizer over the years and this one by far is in my top five. It is so light yet so hydrating, all while being oil free. I use this in the morning and night. It is a great base for makeup and it leaves my skin perfect after working its magic over night.

I highly recommend all these products. They have done wonders for my skin without really harsh chemicals. I have noticed such a difference and won't be using anything but Clinique for a while.

Facing the Fall

Recently I had a bit of a shopping trip to the mall to two of my all-time favorite stores. It was my birthday a few weeks ago and my very wonderful brother got me two gift cards to these stores… so I had to go and do some damage. 

The first store I went to was The Body Shop. I have been doing some research on a few products I have been really interested in. The one that has rally been at the top of my list was the Camomile Cleansing Butter. I always feel that my cleanser never really does the job of getting all my makeup, dirt, and oil off my face from a full day. The only way I know everything is off is when I wash my face with a cleanser and exfoliate which isn't always the best idea for my skin. So I had been looking for something more gentle that will get everything off my face at the end of the day. The Camomile Cleaning Butter does just that! And it smells AMAZING. It has such a nice calming smell that I can't get enough off. The way it works is you just cover your finger tips with the butter and then rub it over your face for about 30 seconds. Then you take a wet, warm cloth, and remove the butter, and POOF makeup is totally gone! You are left with a lovely smelling face that is not dried out from harsh chemicals, but still feels like skin should.     

Another product I picked up was Coconut Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer. I have to be honest I am never one to really wash my hands excessively or use any antibacterial hand sanitizer. I have always thought those product were not a good idea because it only makes germs stronger. However... I think now that I am in contact with many more people due to my job and will be traveling more soon it can be important in certain situations to have a little extra clean. That being said... there was also a sale that had these antibacterial hand sanitizer at $2.00. I decided on the coconut option because the sweetness balances out the harsh smell of the germ killing chemicals. I am really happy with this product. The size is perfect but at the same time a I can tell the bottle will last me a good amount of time. 

The next product I picked up and had been looking for the perfect one, is a travel size hand lotion. It is that time of year that it is getting colder and my hands tend to become very dry and I truly HATE that feeling. Dry hands just distracts me until I settle it. So when I found this little travel sized hand lotion on sale I knew I had to grab it. I picked the pink grapefruit sent and I love it! And so does my man ;) But the lotion itself is extremely hydrating and just what I need for the winter. A little goes a long way. It does not leave your hands sticky or oily but just nicely moist. 

Another product I have looking to get is a moisturizer that is rich with vitiams, again just a little extra boost for these cooler months that dry me out. I can tend to have sentive skin so it is important that my skin products won't cause any problems. With that being said I love to get a test of a product before I buy a big full tub of it. So again with the sale... it was just perfect timing, because one of the sale products was a little tub of the Vitamin E Moisture Cream. It is a fairly light cream that does add an little extra something to my daily moisturizer. I use the product where I have my most dry skin, under my eyes and forehead. I really like it under my eyes where it really adds moisture and takes away any dullness. 

Ok there seems to be a massive trend in what I picked up from The Body Shop... this next product is another one that adds moisture to dry areas due to the change into colder months... this time it's my lips. I picked up the tub on lip balm in honey. I don't really lip to have things are my lips that are too flavored because it seems like I am always about to eat something. The honey smell is so nice, very light but sugary, and the balm itself is hydrating. 

Stay tuned for what I picked up from the next store :)