Beauty/Life: January Favorites

With the start of a new year I’ve decided to try my hand at a blog full of things I love, beauty, books and life! To start it all off, January favorites! *Insert cliche, I can’t believe it’s February, January flew by!*…. but seriously, January flew by!!

Based on the picture I obviously did not have a lot of favorites in January, and honestly it’s because I tend to use the same products every single day.  Not all of those products are favorites, most of them are things I have been using to get rid of them, or I just use them without thinking.  However… I tried to branch out a little and found myself falling in love with these babies!

First, the Ulta Beauty Rose Gold palette, I’ve had this for years and I used it a lot when I first got it, but as ironic as it sounds, I stopped using it for that reason.  I didn’t want to use it so fast that I hit pan right away, weird right?  So it’s just been sitting in my collection, hanging out… until this month. I pulled it out on a whim and absolutely fell back in love with the colors and the make up brush (not pictured obviously).  I use it to create a semi-smokey eye using the color sweetheart (the second color from the right) and dessert (right next to sweetheart), and it comes out so beautiful and soft.  I just love it! I highly recommend it, you can pick it up at Ulta for $20.  They also have a matte and a gold palette similar to this one.

Next is the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner in the color black.  I used to use eyeliner everyday but over the last few years I actually stopped lining my eyes and only tight lined them.  This was a product I picked up in a Sephora’s Favorite collection and thought I would give it a try.  It is honestly so pigmented and applies so amazing! I don’t do a wing or anything, I really just use it to enhance my lash line, but it is so beautiful, I’m really glad I had the opportunity to try it.  I got mine through Sephoras, so you can pick this beauty up at there for $22 in a few colors, including black.

Next is the Revlon Ultimate-All-in-One Mascara in Blackest Black.  I tend to use two different mascaras, one for top lashes and one for bottom lashes, and this is the one I’ve been using on the bottom.  That little brush is just perfect for the bottom lashes, it separates and targets each lash individually, I just love it! I have used it on the top lashes as well and I felt that it really lengthened them, which I loved as well.  I don’t use it regularly for the top, but it is definitely a favorite for the bottom lashes.  I picked mine up at Target for around $7 or maybe $8, and this particular range has several other types of mascaras to choose from.

Next is the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Moonstone.  I’ve always loved this highlighter, and only pushed it aside to use up another product.  I pulled it out in January to mix it up a little bit and I couldn’t put it down! These highlighters look so beautiful on the skin, they make you look like you’re glowing versus an actual pop of glow/sheen.  I love it and will continue to repurchase Becca highlighters.  I purchased mine at Sephoras for $38, again they have other colors that you can pick up that are equally amazing but Moonstone has been my favorite this month.

Last in the beauty category is the Dior Creme de Rose Soothing Plumping Lip Balm. This was another product that I loved when I first got it but to avoid using it all up I put it away.  I can’t even describe how wonderful this lip balm is, it is so creamy and it feels amazing on your lips.  I don’t notice any plumping, but it makes my lips feel smooth and hydrated, it’s honestly hard to describe how amazing this lip balm really is.  It is really pricey, but it’s a luxury I recommend if you’re ever looking to pamper yourself! I picked mine up at Sephoras for $30 — I did hear that this was a product being discontinued, but it has remained at Sephoras so I’m not sure how true that is.

First up in lifestyle/fashion are the Le Specs The Prince Aviators in Matte Black.  I first saw these sunglasses on a Kristina Braly YouTube vlog (which if you have never watched her, you should, she’s amazing and a January favorite as well!) and fell in love with them! They not only look amazing but they are so comfortable to wear, they go great with any outfit, and to be honest I feel like a total badass wearing them! I purchased these from Amazon for $89.

Last in this picture is the Mind Reader Milk Frother.  I have been obsessed with making my own lattes at home and it is all because of this tool! Normally when I make coffee at home I use some kind of creamer, but with this baby I don’t feel the need to use creamers or really even sugar.  I just froth some milk and use a little bit of sugar, and I get the perfect at home latte.  I’m obsessed, and I think any coffee or tea lovers should get this! I purchased mine from Target for $6.99.

I hope I was able to do these products justice, because they were honestly amazing for me in the month of January.  These favorites also reminded me to branch out a little and try new things, or re-try old products, which I think is the fun part of makeup/beauty. Hopefully next month I will have even more amazing finds to share!

Ashley