July 2017 Favorites

July being over means it is one step closer to fall!  I’m already burning Bath & Body Works candles (Warm Vanilla Sugar at the moment) and ready to stop jacking up my electricity bill with the AC blasting. I’ll start with the beauty products I’ve been loving this month.

Glossier Birthday Cake Balm Dotcom / I picked up the Birthday Cake version during my birthday month because it claimed to smell like cake.  It even has tiny minimal sparkles that show up in the sunlight. This stuff smells STRONG and I absolutely love it. The mint one lives on my desk at work, and the birthday cake lives in my bag.  I also picked up the Milky Jelly Cleanser in this order but haven’t formed a solid opinion of it yet so I will report back on that later.

NudeStix / You know those makeup products sitting in your collection that you NEVER touch and are kind of annoyed you spend money on? The NudeStix dual pencil in Whisper/ Mystic has been that product for me.  Something about summer makes me more into satin and creamier finish lipsticks I guess, because usually I’m dead set on matte formulas up until recently.   I pulled this one back out of my liner drawer one day and was so happy with the result.   It is so nice to have a liner/ color in one product! I use Mystic to line my lips, and fill in with Whisper which is a tad lighter. I’ve always liked how lip liners look on their own, but the tips are so small I never shade my lips all the way in. Chubby pencils like this let you do that!

You can also get them individually if you like one color over the other, which is what I intend on buying once I’m through this one.  I’m planning to pick up Pixi matte pencil and Bondi Bae bronzer stick soon.

Brazilian Bum Bum / I’ve had this Sol de Janeiro lotion for awhile now and use it super sparingly because it is fairly pricey. The scent is SPECTACULAR though, and lingers for a very long time. It has small shimmer particles so I like to wear it on my legs if I’ll be wearing shorts.  I went ahead and picked up the fragrance mist too because the smell is THAT GOOD.  It lives in my purse and I spray myself every few hours to perk up.  You have to give it a whiff next time you’re in a Sephora.

Sephora Collection Airbrush Foundation / When I was writing my post on Sephora Collection favorites, I found out the bronzer spray that I live and breathe for has been discontinued. After having a panic attack and alerting all my friends that there has been a tragic death among us, I went on the hunt for an alternative. If you want to buy the Guerlain bronzer spray for $64, that’s the best dupe out there that I know of right now.  As for me, I will be using the Sephora Collection foundation airbrush mist. It sucks that it is a foundation because it adds a layer of product much heavier than the bronzer mist, but it still gives that “tan filter” that I was looking for.  I use the darkest shade it comes in. The bronzer mist did not rub off onto my clothes, and I think the foundation mist does a bit more 🙁 The bronzer mist is a veil/ almost like adding a bronze photo filter without changing your makeup. RIP, never forget.

Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream / Drugstore holy grail item.  Every time I have been doing my makeup this month I want to reach for this, but force myself to incorporate other base products so I don’t run through it too fast. This foundation has great coverage, a beautiful satin finish, is amazing for oily skin like mine, and just does everything I need. It does not contain SPF, which I actually like because I can wear this when I know there is potential for someone to take a pic of me with no fear of white flashback.  It feels weightless and will be a forever fave. Read about the primer combo I like to use with it here. 

Jaclyn Hill Morphe Palette / I have gotten SO much use out of the shades I depotted and placed in my matte custom “life palette”.  Some of the shadows even uprooted some of my all time favorite Makeup Geek and Anastasia shadow from their places in my palette, which I never expected to happen.  The color selection is absolutely fabulous, and all the colors work really well minus the black being a charcoal grey POS. Nothing beats the Makeup Geek shade Corrupt or Kat Von D’s black in the Shade + Light Eye Contour palette. I may do a post on my favorite shades from the palette because they really have become staples for me.  I was not expecting to like this palette at all! 

Thrive Causemetics lash glue / Lash glue pisses me off. The classic Ardell one irritates my eyes after a long period of time and gets all gunky around the neck of the tube. The brush- on Ardell kind in the green tube DOES NOT COME OFF the base of my lashes, which is my worst nightmare attribute in a glue. I hate the look of chunky black goop on my clean face and I’m not trying to pull off all my lashes trying to pry it off. I decided to try the Thrive Causemetics glue on a whim after seeing Ssssamantha on youtube talk about it and being so fed up with my other glues. It’s great- it comes off my lashes when I wash my face, isn’t irritating, keeps my lashes on, and gives an awesome “sticky” feeling when you’re first applying them that helps get them right where I want them. My friends even noticed a difference in how it felt when I applied their lashes. Most importantly, it also donates to a good cause- helping women affected by cancer or domestic violence.

Liquid Lipstick Storage / For so long I was storing my liquid lipsticks in cleaned out Bath and Body Works candle holders.  It was hard to see all my lipsticks and they took up way too much space. I decided to address this organization disaster and buy a set of acrylic drawers. If you have a mega collection like me, this is so perfect! The drawers hold all my liquid lips and now I get to have them on display on my vanity. I have a much easier time seeing all my lipsticks so they get way more use! This would also be perfect for someone to store all their makeup in if they have a makeup collection the size of a normal person. Best $23 I’ve spent in awhile.

Morphe Brush travel case / I can’t remember if I have talked about this case or not, but I thought I’d bring it up again because when I was housesitting I brought it along for holding my brushes and it really helped me out. This holds a ton of brushes and opens up to lay them out all nice and flat.

Egyptian Magic / I have finally found my holy grail moisturizer. This looks like wax or a balm but warms up to your hand’s touch when you dip into it. The ingredients are amazing-Olive Oil, Bees Wax, Honey, Bee Pollen, Royal Jelly, and Bee Propolis.  I get a dime size chunk of the balm and warm it up into an oil in my hands before applying. I have been putting extra dabs on any hormonal acne I have to help all the nasty stuff in my zits have a lubed up pathway for leaving my face.

Joico Color Endure Conditioner / Whenever Ulta does a shampoo and conditioner sale I stock up, and I picked this one out randomly based on it being a color safe one. This conditioner feels so luxurious on my super dry ends and I only need a small amount. I wish I could exchange all the other conditioners I bought during the sale for this one, because it is one of the best I have tried.

Urban Decay Moondust Chem Trail / The Stila Glitter & Glow liquid shadows distracted me from one of my favorite liquid glitters, the Urban Decay Moondust liquid in Chem Trail.   While I still love the Stila, this champagne colored cream is less chunky. This color is so pretty dabbed onto the inner corner or center of the lid for a spotlight eye.

Essie Topless & Barefoot / This nude nail polish has been mentioned as a favorite of mine before, but I had to bring it up again as an ideal toe nail polish shade. It looks so pretty on all skin tones, but especially with a tan.  The formula is great and doesn’t show chips since it is nude. It lasted me several weeks and looked so clean and fresh with sandals.  If you’re ultra pale and want to try it, it looks so pretty with a layer of sheer ultra- light pink/ white like Essie Romper Room on top to lighten it up. Must have for any nail polish lover.

Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer / This lotion is a must have for summer when my legs are out in shorts/ dresses.  I love being able to skip moisturizing after I shower because it sinks into my skin so well. I was bitten up by mosquitos around fourth of July and this really soothed my skin. I use the gradual tan formula but they have it in plain lotion form too.

Mascara Tip / This came about on accident, but I left a brand new tube of mascara in my car when it was really hot and it made it work phenomenally better. New mascaras are much better when they get a chance to dry out a bit to thicken up the formula. Bacteria freaks me out too much to leave the cap off for a night like some people do, but the heat seemed to make it the perfect less- wet consistency. I think this would also work really well for mascaras that have dried up if you want to extend their life a little longer. 

 

other favorites

 

Essieenvy.com / I have a pretty big collection of nail polishes and paint my nails at least once or twice per week. It is a soothing nighttime ritual for me and I am always on the hunt for beautiful new shades.  This blog has been so fun to browse through and I love that she paints on colors side by side to show the color differences.  This website is so addicting! I’ve recently added Bangle Jangle, Come Here, Carry On, & Lady Like to my wishlist based on her recommendations.

Big Brother / One of the traditions my boyfriend and I have every summer is to get super into Big Brother. It’s on three nights a week so we get to binge watch two or three at a time one night per week. At first I thought the cast sucked but I’m liking it more and more as the season progresses.

Kitchenaid Soda Stream / This was the best birthday present I’ve ever received! I use it every night with a squirt of Crystal Light strawberry lemonade Liquid drink mix and some ice. It is so refreshing and I love not having to buy La Croix anymore. Making the fizzy water is fun and I love how it looks on our countertop. I can’t rave about this enough. My “healthy”ish alc beverage of choice: 3- 4 ice cubes, 2 shots of sauza blanco tequila (only $13 for a fifth!), squirt of Crystal Light, and fill the cup the rest of the way with fizzy water. 

Guess Sunglasses / This was a birthday gift from one of my best friends and has been my go to pair of sunnies lately. The style is “GUESS GU 3020 Sunglasses 52F Dark Havana” if you are interested, and I have been reaching for them over all the Raybans and other designer glasses I have. They are ultra lightweight and don’t disturb my makeup, have flat lenses, stay on my face, and are black, blue, and tortoiseshell so they match with anything I put on. They also come in pink which are really tempting me!

Zone Perfect chocolate chip cookie dough bars / I have to stop myself from reaching for one of these now as I’m writing about them. I searched for protein bars on Amazon and these ones had high ratings so I picked them up pretty much blindly. These taste exactly like eating straight cookie dough, but in a socially acceptable format. I like to get bars on Amazon because they are way cheaper than at a grocery store.

The Hills / I bought four seasons of the Hills on Amazon and have been working my way through the dvds. Best show of all time & Audrina’s hair color still makes me want to go brunette with caramel streaks.  This show and Laguna Beach were so iconic during my teenage years, and I appreciate the show even more now.

I had a great month and I hope you did too! Favorites posts are my favorite to read and write so please link yours below if you have a blog. <3

-Kim