May Favorites | 2015

I don't believe I've done a favorites post yet, and I know they're one of my favorite things to see in the beauty area of the Internet. I love to see what people have been enjoying, and also what they haven't - I think next time I'd like to incorporate both things I've liked and disliked. Ever since watching Claire Marshall's 'Beauty Reviews,' I feel like the inclusion of both is a pretty great idea.

But, anyway, this month is about what I've loved. It is a touch late, but better late than never. :)

I only have a few, all makeup related, as that's all I wanted to talk about this time. I've finally gotten the chance to really wear my makeup almost every day, so I've had plenty of time to try things out and see how I like them on an all-day basis and not just 'try it on and wear it around the house for a few hours.'

First, I'll start with the big thing: the Naked 3 palette.

I bought this last year, mostly because I loooved the colors in it. I'm a sucker for golds and dusty pinks. I didn't own any other Naked palette (I still don't), but this one called to me first. I've been really enjoying it this month, and almost every time I wear eyeshadow I use this. I particularly love Nooner, which is a matte mauve-pink and looks absolutely gorgeous. Sometimes I wear it alone with a bit of Dust in the inner corners. Dust is also a favorite, though many don't seem to like it because it's a fairly chunky glitter shadow and is a bit, well....dusty. I personally love it. It reminds me of fairy dust, and makes me feel quite like a fairy when I wear it. There honestly isn't a color in here I don't like in some way. With primer, these shadows last all day.

I've also been loving the Real Techniques buffing brush. I've been using it as my foundation brush, and let me tell you it works like a charm. I've always had trouble applying foundation with a brush, as it would get quite streaky, but this applies my foundation flawlessly. It feels wonderful. It can get a little streaky when the brush is dirty, but a good wash and it's back to it's usual perfection. Mine is currently dirty and in need of a good wash.

The Kat Von D Immortal Lash mascara has also been working pretty great for me. It's what I've mostly been wearing this month. It's a great, true black mascara that thoroughly coats my lashes and gives them length and, with two coats, a fair amount of volume. Nothing crazy, which is fine with me. The little bubble tip at the end of the wand is also pretty handy for catching my bottom lashes. The formula doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day, even in hot weather, which is fantastic (as you guys know, the Better Than Sex mascara did this to me - sad). I really enjoyed this mascara, and I'll probably buy it again.

The Pixi Flawless primer has also been steady on my favorites list. I've done a review on it already, so let me just say it has continued to not disappoint and I am sadly almost out of it. If you have dry, flaky skin, this might be a good primer to try for you.

Lastly, the OCC Lip Tar in Lydia has been killing it. I bought this on a whim a few months ago and I've worn it at least six times this month, which I almost never do for lipstick. I tend to switch it up a lot. But this lip tar is just so gorgeous. The shade is a beautiful dark mauve-y plum that looks fabulous with my pale skin, it applies like a dream, and once dry it stays on for hours. Even with no touch ups, at the end of the day my lips will be a light mauve that is still very flattering. It's also not drying. The lip tars can take some practice to apply, as they are very pigmented and can get messy fast. I apply it carefully with a small lip brush, which works great for me. I'm dying to get a few more colors from OCC soon.

I suppose that's it for this month. I have a few new skin/hair products to try out as well, and maybe they'll make it to next months list. We'll see!

What I've Been Enjoying

I gathered up a few little things I've been enjoying this past week, and decided to share them with you guys! This isn't an extensive list or anything, and doesn't quite qualify as a monthly favorites either I don't think.

This is the Etude House 'Missing U' Hand Cream from their Bee Happy edition, which had four different little bee hand lotions. I bought this from Amazon, as I don't think Etude House carries the bees anymore. I wanted this little guy because he's so cute, and I think bees are very precious and important to our world. This guy is supposed to have an 'acacia tea' scent, though I'm not sure what that smells like. He smells very floral-y and nice, with a touch of honey. The lotion isn't anything to write home about, but to be honest I didn't buy him for the lotion. He's just stupidly cute.

This Milani polish in 'Mauve Medley' was an impulse buy, but I'm quite happy I did. It's a lovely deep red/purple/brown color (mauve?) that complements my pale skin very nicely. My nails desperately need to be repainted, as you can see, but I've had the polish on for about two weeks without a top coat and they've stayed remarkably well. I'm impressed!

I've had this Harajuku Girls perfume for a while now. I got it for Christmas one year, and I've only worn it sparingly because the scent is incredibly strong! It's quite a nice scent, though, a bit tropical and floral-y. I really like it, and have started wearing it a little more recently. I only use a little bit, but a little bit goes a long way.

This mug was made for me by my sister-in-law, and it's honestly so perfect. The quote is from movie Dumbledore, and it has a little deathly hallows symbol drawn in the corner. I absolutely love it, being a huge Harry Potter fan, and I've been enjoying drinking my tea out of it. 

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Steven Kloves (screenplay), as said by Albus Dumbledore.

Top 5 Lipsticks

I decided to gather up my five favorite lipsticks, both drugstore an high-end, and write a little bit about each and why they're my favorite! I don't know about you, but lipsticks are one of my guilty pleasure products. I hoard lipsticks, and often have to restrain myself from buying more. I actually have this product with most makeup products...perhaps I'm just a makeup hoarder?

I have two high-end and three drugstore lipsticks here, and while they are some of my favorites, it's nice to have some of the affordable variety. Here we go, from left to right:

Milani Lipstick in Black Cherry - The Milani lipsticks are some of my favorite drugstore lip products in general. They come in a variety of textures (cream, matte, etc., just read the labels) and are extremely smooth and colorful. They also smell wonderful! Black Cherry is a dark purple-y red color, and looks gorgeous on pale skin (like mine). I believe Milani lipsticks run for about $6-7, and I buy mine at Walgreens.

NARS Audacious Lipstick in Annabella - The Audacious line is gorgeous in and of itself. Annabella is actually my first lip product from Nars, and I have to say I'm super impressed!! It's a super bright red that, again, looks gorgeous on pale skin. I'd naturally recommend a lip liner for this, or any red lipstick, as they can be difficult to work with, but it's so worth it. These run for about $35 a tube I believe. Quite expensive, but worth it in my opinion. And of course, there are always drugstore dupes to be found.

Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa - I picked this color because it's a bright, almost hot pink/fuschia color, and I didn't have the color in my line up. But let me just say the soft matte creams from Nyx are AMAZING. I literally love every single color. They are so lovely. For a drugstore lip product, I highly recommend investing in these, or even their lip butters. I just love the way these smell, their texture, their color pay-off, their lasting power, everything. I'm highly impressed with these. Nyx is one of my fave drugstore brands anyway, but wow! I can't adequately express my love for these without rambling for ages. I literally want every single color. For those confused by the name, these lipsticks are a cream, but dry matte on the lips, and they don't dry your lips out at all. Which is great, because my lips get super dry. These run for about $5 I believe.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in Pourpre Intouchable - Yet another high-end, these lipsticks run for about $32 at Sephora. I was drawn in by YSL's gorgeous packaging, but I have to say this lipstick quickly became a favorite. I'm not sure about their other colors, and would like to try them, but this one suits my skin tone particularly well. As a shine, it's a little sheer, but is buildable, and has tiny little glitters in it. It also smells like peaches, aka delightful. The tube feels weighty and expensive in my hand, which just sings to my inner makeup hoarder. I really love this lipstick, and plan to invest in a few more YSL colors in the future. 

Rimmel Lipstick in Bordeaux - I have many of the Kate Moss lipsticks from Rimmel, but this one beat them out just a bit. It's one of my oldest lippies in my collection, and an old favorite. It's a dark burgundy red, absolutely beautiful, and again it smells oddly nice (though the Kate Moss lippies smell even better). It really sticks to my lips, even on my long days, and doesn't cake up on my lips and make them look dry and cracked. It's one of those that I constantly reach for, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap, good lipstick. In fact, I'd recommend Rimmel in general! They're pretty great.

So, there you have it! My top five favorite lipsticks. I'm sure I'll do many more top five product posts, as I highly enjoyed making this and sharing what I love. As my collection grows, I may also make a separate drugstore faves & high-end faves! Who knows :)

See you around lovies xx