It’s January 3rd, which means the Christmas decor is put away, I’ve had a smorgasbord of cookies and beer over the holidays, and it’s refreshingly cold out. I love this time of year. These are the things I’ve been loving this winter.
Beauty
Red light mask / The Dr. Dennis Gross mask is HSA eligible. I high hopes that it’ll be anti-aging. It could totally be placebo, but after four weeks of using it, my skin is looking good.
Throwing away makeup / II have tried and loved a lot of products over the years. The issue is that I don’t go through makeup very fast. I’m trying to be diligent about using my products, especially the “high end” ones that I have a bad habit of “saving” for special occasions. It’s pointless if they end up expiring. With that in mind, I have thrown out a lot of old products and am focusing on USING my makeup. It has been refreshing. No more stockpiling!
Makeup master list / I put this post link in my Instagram bio that is going to be a revolving list of my current favorite makeup products.
Caliray Primer and setting spray / The Caliray primer and setting spray are worth all the hype. They are skin smoothing but not drying. 10/10 recommend.
Burberry Goddess / I love this classic cozy vanilla perfume. It’s the perfect grown up gorgeous everyday scent. To me, it conjures up 2012 VS Fashion Show era vibes, which makes me so happy.
DpHue Medium Brown Gloss / Will someone remind me not to get highlights when I inevitably want them again this spring? I’m back to my natural color and trying to remind myself that being brunette is great. I loved getting brown toner at the salon for the past year, but it fades after a couple washes. Might as well save some money and do it myself. At first I was worried it would be too dark because it looks pretty deep in the bottle. It matches my roots perfectly though, and covers up my brassy grown out highlights to give me the same shade all over. Here is my before and after results.
QuickTan / Since it is winter I have been able to take a break from self tanning my whole body. My arms and legs are covered up and pale, so I use QuickTan spray on my neck and chest so my makeup will still match. Yes, I’ve tried doing “pale” makeup on myself and don’t like it much. My bedsheets are thanking me for the tanning break.
Lumify / Forever favorite that I wanted to throw in here again.
Pretty Grunge palette / This palette inspires me to play with cool tones, and the Huda formula is one of my favorites.
Mac Studio Fix Powder / This powder has a gorgeous finish, holds up well on my oily skin, and the color range can’t be beat. Mac never lets me down. I like a few shades- NC35 all over, NW20 under eyes, NW43 as a bronzer.
Egyptian Magic / If you struggle with dry skin in the winter, please try this moisturizer. I apply at night and my skin feels amazing when I wake up.
Rhode Glazing Milk / I have tried everything from Rhode. Glazing milk and the lip balm are my favorite items. Glazing Milk works so well under makeup to give a hydrated and plumped base. If you’re a makeup girlie you need this as a first step!
Elf Setting Spray / Where have I been? I love this.
Health
Habit App / This app helps me to remember all the things I need to do to be the best version of myself. It’s satisfying to be able to check off a task I’ve done. I have mundane things listed as tasks like lunch salad, clorox wipe down surfaces, walk the dog, LED face mask, don’t snack, etc. It gamifies taking care of myself.
Homemade granola / My daily breakfast bowls are the highlight of my day. Concoction: one banana, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, ¼ cup granola, tsp peanut butter. I started making my own granola instead of buying because it’s easy, low calorie, and inexpensive. My recipe: bake oats 20 min at 350 degrees in a large Pyrex dish. Take them out, stir, add: cocoa powder, honey, cinnamon, coconut flakes, sprinkle of salt, coconut oil. Stir. Bake for another 20 min, done! I also make my own peanut butter by literally blending just peanuts in the blender.
Black coffee / I’ve lost 35 lbs since this summer by tracking my calories. (Still have 30 more lbs to go until I’m at my pre-pandemic weight goal!) One thing I’ve cut calorie-wise is coffee creamer. I was such a seasonal flavor Chobani girl, and it’s something I never thought I’d be able to do. Even more than the calories it contains, the oils in coffee creamers sketch me out. I have two cups of coffee every day. The first has collagen powder, 1 tsp of honey, a pinch of Celtic salt, and sometimes a splash of almond milk. The second cup is black coffee.
Hokas / I bought these initially because I thought they were cute. Turns out they’re also the best thing ever for improving my walks. In my opinion these need to be tried on to decipher which model feels best on your feet. My husband has the Cliftons, I wear Gaviotas.
Wearing
Elwood Vest / Love the camo trend, and I love vests, so I had to have this cute little puffer. When I went to a football game at my Oregon State in November, SO many girls were wearing camo. I was wearing a camo jacket so I felt cool lol.
Zip Sweater / Everyone needs a good cream sweater. I’m such a zip up hoodie person, and overheat easily in a pullover. I love that this is a zip version of a sweater, and I need every color.
Aerie leggings / Aerie has these leggings that have a flattering corset effect, and it makes my stomach feel flat, when it is NOT flat lol. They are on sale for $25, such a good deal! I have the flare version as well.
Gap sweatpants / As a person that is 5’10”, I struggle with most sweatpants being too short. That cute matching sweats look? Have never found a pair that goes past my shins. However, these Gap sweatpants are PLENTY long enough. They have cargo pockets, a drawstring at the bottom so they can be cinched or flared, and the thick fabric is simply perfect.
Lululemon headband / I love the Lululemon headbands because they make me feel a bit cuter day to day while have my hair in a NOT CUTE low pony.
Chunky hoop earrings / Amazon hoops I LOVE.
More
Apple AirTags / Everyone in our family got AirTags this Christmas, and I’m so happy we finally hopped on that train. I feel like you can never have enough of these.
Good Juju Candle / I’m done buying Bath & Body Works candles. They’re overpriced and literally toxic. This candle brand was started by a wonderful girl I know IRL, and they are fantastic. They smell just better than BBW and I love the wood wick sound it has while burning.
Hot Sauce / Besides breakfast, every meal I eat has hot sauce on top. My family knows this and usually my Christmas gifts are hot sauces, which I LOVE. This is a major favorite.
Planner / I cannot live without a planner. This is the one I picked for this year.
Thank you for reading! Let’s have a magical year.
-Kim