December 2012 Favorites & Unfavorites!

It's time for my favorite & unfavorite products & things for the month of December!

December Favorites:

Click below to see my thoughts, and my "unfavorites"!

1. Color Club nail polish in Insta-this -- I got this in my Birchbox a few months ago and I just LOVE it! It's bright, it's bold, and the formula is perfect. I've been loving this against all the neutrals and darker colors I've been wearing this winter.

2. Zoya nail polish in Izzy -- Another Birchbox sample sent to me last Christmas. It's the perfect holiday jewel tone! I wore this Christmas day and got a lot of compliments on it. :) 

3. Essie nail polish in Chincilly -- I went through a phase of really disliking grays and beige's on my nails. This month, that phase was over. I bought this early in December and wore it a few times throughout the month. It's just a nice neutral!

4. Peppermint Hot Chocolate -- It was beginning to be a serious problem how much I was enjoying Peppermint Hot Chocolates this month. Like having them 3 times a week for the first few weeks of December. I love love love Peppermint anything, and chocolate anything, and Peppermint Hot Chocolate is the best of both worlds. Thankfully, I found a way to make Peppermint Hot Chocolate at home that was only about 50 calories, so that's what I quickly had to switch over to!

5. Target purse -- I posted about my finding of this purse here. I found this pretty little thing at Target for just $8.98 this month. Greatest find of the month! It's been a while since I've had a really big purse that I like, and I like it! It's been nice to have with me while I'm toting around Christmas presents, extra sweaters, etc. :)

6. John Freida Full Repair Shampoo & Conditioner -- As I may have mentioned, I get my hair highlighted every other month and I use heat on it just about every day, so it's quite trashed. I'm pretty picky about the shampoo & conditioner I use, and this stuff has been amazing! It really seems to be helping repair some of the damage I've done to it without weighing it down or anything. Definitely will be re-buying!

7. Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner in Pure -- This is actually my first and only lip liner, and I love it! It's a gorgeous, winter-appropriate pink (it's darker than it is in the picture) and it lasts for a long time. Love it!

8. Blog Inc. by Joy Cho -- I heard about this book from The Small Things Blog, and Matt got it for me right after I started my blog (that supportive husband, him!). I'm about halfway through, and I love it! It's got interviews with relevant bloggers, tons of tips and loads of helpful information. I totally recommend it for any bloggers out there, beginners or pro's!

9. Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation -- reviewed here. I've decided that this is probably a much better summer foundation than a winter foundation because it's so lightweight and relatively sheer, but I've been loving it this month for days off when I just want to even out my skin, or when I'm going to work. 

10. The Lost Series -- Specifically season five! I know, Matt and I are about three (or nine) years late on the Lost boat. I have seen most of the series before, but Matt hadn't, so a couple months ago we started watching it on Netflix and we. are. hooked. It's hard to go to the gym or work or shower or the fridge when we have every episode of Lost at our disposal! We just started the final season this week... Then we can finally leave the couch. Whew.

December Unfavorites:

Whoops! Forgot to number these. I'll just go in the order the items are listed.

1. DDF Brightening Cleanser -- I got this cleanser in my Birchbox several months ago, and I just absolutely hate it. I don't know what a brightening cleanser is supposed to do, but all this does for me is smell like black licorice, and make me mad because it smells like black licorice. I've been trying to use it up just because it's such a large sample size and could probably save me from buying a face wash for a month, but I just can't stand the scent. I also didn't notice any change to my skin with this face wash either. 

2. Revlon Photoready Concealer -- My under eye area has been dry and dark and just awful for a couple of months, and I've never been able to find a concealer that blends well/looks good in that area. I tried the Revlon Photoready Concealer this past month, and I do not recommend it for the under eye area at all! Under my eyes, it creased like crazy and looked quite cakey, and it just seems to sit in dry patches over any other part of my face. I'm so in love with Revlon foundations that I hate to bash this concealer, but it just didn't work for me.

3. Tresemme Dry Shampoo -- I ran out of my Batiste Dry Shampoo earlier this month and couldn't find it at the drug store I went to to replace it, so I got this stuff. And I hate it. It makes my hair feel wet and I literally don't think it made a single difference to the oiliness or appearance of my hair. Which is a big deal, cuz this girl hates washing her hair. Like, ever. 

4. Revlon Photoready Eyeshadow Palette in Metropolitan  -- I reviewed this product here, and as some of you may remember, I was unimpressed. I hate to see a product I paid for go to waste so I've been using this on my days off to just put a touch of shadow on, but it really is hard to work with and 4 of the 5 shadows are quite unpigmented.