February 2018 Favorites!

I actually had a hard time picking my favorite products for February. I haven't really bought a ton of new stuff, so I was picking from items I use all the time. I didn't want to feature the same things again (yes, I love MJ Air Blush in Flesh & Fantasy, but we know that!) so it was a little more difficult picking things this time around. There's a couple new things I haven't featured, and one of my all time favorites in the mix.

Nivea Oil Infused Lotion, Zoya Kimber, Alterna Volume Spray, Fenty Pro Filt'r Foundation, IGK Down & Dirty Spray

Not So Glamorous Ulta Haul

I was at Ulta the other day and I picked up a few things! Not too much, and nothing incredibly exciting, but hauls are fun!

I picked up another bottle of Nivea In Shower Body Lotion. This stuff has totally changed my shower experience, I love not having to worry about moisturizing my back after the shower since I can manage much better in the shower! I also don't have an issue with tub residue, though I know I have heard it from some. Some more mundane items - bobby pins and foam toe separators. I've been working with broken toe separators for what feels like a century, and it's always one of those things you never think to pick up. Thankfully, I spotted these right by the registers and they were a dollar.

I was in the market for a foot scrub. I normally pick up a Footsie Pumice Scrub from indie shop Savor, but they haven't had it listed lately, and the shop is currently closed for vacation. In its stead, I picked up Earth Therapeutics Purifying Foot Scrub. Hopefully it gets the job done, I need to keep my feet looking nice during sandal weather! (Like I wear sandals...more like constant flip flops.)

Also managed to snag my third repurchase of the NYX Cosmetics Micro Brow Pencil in Ash Brown. It's $10 and I love it - I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it from me. Also picked up my go to top coat, Seche Vite. I've tried other top coats, but I keep coming back.

I love hauls, even small, mostly boring ones! Hopefully the foot scrub works out, I really miss the Savor scrub (mine was chai tea scented!) but I needed something in a pinch.

Mini Ulta Haul!

I was at Ulta this weekend to get my bangs trimmed, so I decided to pick up a few things! I also had a 20% off coupon and an offer for triple points, so I wanted to make sure I cashed in on that as well! I'm working on a low buy right now, and the majority of these items are repurchases/replacements. 

• Nivea In Shower Body Lotion  - I love this stuff! It makes getting soft, moisturized skin even easier My boyfriend uses it as well, and this is the third bottle I'm picking up. I'm trying to go through all of the other body butters and lotions I have from indie companies, but so far nothing tops this in terms of ease of use. I can even get the middle of my back with this, meaning no dry, itchy spots I can't reach later in the day!
• Simple Cleansing Wipes - I keep these in my gym bag to take off my makeup before a workout. This takes off everything but the most stubborn waterproof mascara, which is OK by me. The scent is nice, and I haven't had any negative reaction after using these for a few weeks. This is my second pack of these. There are a few variations of them, such as exfoliating and what have you, but I just pick up the run of the mill cleansing ones.
• Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Mask - This is a new product for me. I saw this brand on the website, and I decided I wanted to give this mask a try! This mask is supposed to deep clean your pores and detox the skin. I'm a sucker for face masks, so I picked it up. There's another product I wanted to try from this brand called Three Times Sublime, but my Ulta was sold out. The scent on this is nice, like oranges!
• Rimmel Stay Matte Primer - Another repurchase! I wanted to have a drugstore mattifying foundation on hand, and I really loved this stuff when I used it initially. I find it's much easier to work with than Becca Ever Matte in terms of spreading it onto the skin, and still gives a great matte finish.
• NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Ash Brown - I reviewed this a while back, so this is another repurchased. I LOVE this product, and recommend it to anyone who uses the Anastasia Brow Wiz. It's cheaper per ounce, and does the exact same thing. I'm sure some people will be nitpicky about the formula, but I personally do not see enough of a difference to pay an additional $11 for a basically identical product. Plus, Ulta has these buy one get one 50% off all the time, plus coupons...I just really like this product, okay??

March 2015 Favorites!

End of another month already! It's time for my March favorites...this time I've included a bath/body product to mix it up a bit.

1. Nivea In Shower Body Lotion - On the recommendation of a few reddit friends, I picked up this in shower lotion from Nivea, and I am in LOVE. This winter has been especially bad for my skin concerning post shower dryness, and I have been going through a ton of body lotion. This makes life a lot easier, especially getting the small of the back that is hard to get by yourself! There are several formulas as well, for normal to extra-dry skin. I will definitely be keeping this in my shower for a long time to come.

2. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - I don't know how I haven't picked my go-to concealer for a Favorites post yet. I love the Radiant Creamy Concealer (RCC for short!) and I use it for everything - blemishes, under eyes, and covering any extra redness. I find that it is the perfect consistency of a little creamy but not too thick, buildable but not coming out cakey. The only letdown is that there's a very limited shade range for this concealer. (I use Vanilla.)

3. MAC lipstick in Viva Glam Miley Cyrus - When this was announced, I didn't really think twice about it, owing to my large collection of pink lipsticks. However, I received it as a birthday gift from some friends, and it looks fantastic on me! It's an amplified finish hot pink, a little bit darker than the photo shown here. Of course, all proceeds go to an excellent cause, which is another great gift from my friends.

4. Becca Ever Matte Poreless Perfecting Primer - Another one of my go to products. When Becca says matte, they mean MATTE. I wear this primer and at the end of the day, I may end up with a satin finish on my foundation, and that's a big may. I know the application may be tricky for some, but my best advice would be to get a sample if you can, and try warming it up on your fingertips and try patting it on to areas that are extra oily during the day, and then blending out with a patting motion from there. Be sure your moisturizer and SPF have fully sunken in before applying the primer.

5. By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Bronze Moon - This was another gift from my friends, and I was floored when I received it! Ombre Blackstars are a new favorite product of mine, and Bronze Moon is a lovely addition to my collection. These cream shadow sticks blend beautifully, and they are gorgeous just worn alone and blended out. My new quick eye look is taking a Bronze Moon to the lid, blending out to the crease, adding more product to the lid, and adding a little liner and mascara for a quick, subtle daytime smokey eye.