January 2013 Favorites & Unfavorites

The things I loved (and did not love) this past month!

January Favorites

1. Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo. I thought I'd never find a dry shampoo better than my beloved Batiste, but for a quarter of the cost and just a fraction less quality, this stuff does the trick. The only thing I really hate about it is the overtly citrus-y smell, but it doesn't last too long. And it works! Last month when I was trying the Tresemme dry shampoo, I had to wash my hair every other day because it wasn't working well, but I'm back to washing it every 3-4 days thanks to Suave!

2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Pink Pop. I absolutely adore how well this pops out in such a lovely way on my face! It's the perfect pink to be more than just "my lips but better" but not too much to take away from any of my other makeup. I have a feeling I'll be wearing this all spring! See it on me here.

3. Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick - Kate Moss Collection in 06. I bought this kind of on a whim but I'm SO glad I did. This is definitely a bright pop of pink, but I LOVE it. I LOVE PINK, GUYS! And this is relatively long lasting and an be found at any drugstore for cheap. See it on me here.

4. NARS Foreplay Blush Palette. Love love love this palette. I don't know if I'll ever go back to my other blushes. This has my favorite three colors to wear. I find myself kind of avoiding the highlight color, but 3 out of 4 is great odds for me in this palette. See my review for this product here!

5. Banana Boat Summer Color Sunless Tinted Lotion in Light/Medium. I am trying my absolute hardest to completely stop tanning in a bed. I've only had a handful of tanning packages in my life, but I know it's terrible for me and I am not trying to age my skin or bring on some skin cancer. Hence, I've started shopping around for self-tanners. Which is what I consider this lotion. It's called a "tinted lotion" but it gave me some great color after just two layers of it. I went with light/medium to be safe but I'll definitely be picking up the Deep shade of this lotion. It goes on well and looks even and truly tan and lasts for a good 3-4 days I'd say. Love it and highly recommend it!

6. Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail Enamel in Rich Raspberry. I saw this polish sitting on the counter of my mother's bathroom and I immediately stripped off my current polish and applied this. It's so pretty! To me, it's a winterized version of fuschia. Which is another shade of pink. My favorite. See it on me here. It lasted long and seemed to go with literally whatever I wore. Love it! Definitely picking up a bottle for myself soon.

7. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Neutralizer Concealer. THE PERFECT UNDER EYE CONCEALER HAS FINALLY BEEN FOUND. Thank God. I've been going through concealer after concealer trying to find one that didn't make my under eye area look like a grandma. Blech. This concealer is quite thin and sheer and often needs two layers, and I don't think I'd recommend it for normal blemishes (just too sheer), but it works wonders in the under eye area. RE-BUYING FOREVER. <3

8. My new Fuschia purse from Love Culture. I can't even decide what color this is. At first I was calling it magenta (it looks a bit more magenta in person) but it also looks fuschia. I don't care. I judge not against a purse this adorable and functional. It's small, super super structured and expensive looking and I only paid $20 for it.

9. Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt. I hardly ever eat normal ice cream anymore. It's just too high in calories and I can't stop eating it once I start! Instead, I try to treat myself to frozen yogurt. In the summertime, it's much easier to get my hands on some frozen yogurt because all the frozen yogurt bars in town are open, but unfortunately they close in October around here. A few weeks ago, I found this little treat at the grocery store and decided to try it out. I actually hate normal Greek yogurt. It's just too bitter for me and I don't like the flavor. But this stuff is AMAZING. I can't believe how rich and creamy this frozen yogurt is. The frozen yogurt comes in little 100-calorie cups and is the most lovely and delicious treat EVER. And it has 4g of protein!  Can't beat a sweet treat with some protein!

10. Gossip Girl. It started off slow. I watched a few episodes and was rather annoyed by all the teenage drama and unbelievably plots. And then before I knew it, I was sucked in, trying to sneak in an episode at every spare moment and threatening to quit going to the gym and going to work because I need to stay home and watch more Gossip Girl. Let me be clear about something: the plot of this show is absolute, utter trash that conflicts with my morals and values every time I watch it. But I AM SUCKED IN. I need more Serena. I need more Chuck Bass. I need more high-end fashion I can't afford.

January Unfavorites

1. Veet Hair Removing Strips. I've had this box of strips for about a year at this point and I just have to admit to myself that I don't like them. They work pretty well for how I use them, which is above my lip and in between my brows (I keep up the overall shape of my brows by tweezing). I hate going to a salon to get those areas waxed when I know I can do it at home. But this kit always always always gives me little white bumps after I wax, even if I use rubbing alcohol on the spot after I wax. Also, I just waxed a week ago and already feel some hair growing back, which leads me to believe it broke off at the root as opposed to being completely pulled out. Not cool!

2. Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara. I bought this because the brush reminded me a little bit of the they're Real! mascara brush (minus the annoying spikey end part), but I'm just not diggin' it. Even after 3 weeks of wear, it's still a bit clumpy. It definitely makes my lashes thick and voluminous, but it also makes them really "crispy", and a nightmare to try to remove later. And I didn't even get the waterproof kind. So I'm trying to use this up and enjoy the look of my lashes, but I definitely will not be re-buying this.

3. Milani Brow Fix in 01 Light. I've been using a brow powder from NYX that just feels like it makes my brows darker than they need to be. Being a chemical-blonde (not natural, obviously!), I'm always self conscious that my brows are way too dark for my hair. My stylist promises that they aren't, but I still try to use a lighter brow powder to fill them in. I bought this Milani brow powder because I've had my eye on it for months, but it has the same problem I keep finding with many "light" brow powders-- it's too red. And it doesn't apply smoothy at all or look natural. And I really wish I had a wax component in this palette because powder alone doesn't quit cut it for me. Meh!