Ever since I started blogging, I've been trying to do a seasonal favorites post but have found that I tend to churn through favorite products way too quickly! Even though I start a list of favorite products every season, by the time the season ends, I've already moved onto a completely different set of favorites. This may be the first time I’ve ever managed to crank a favorites post out before I’ve gotten ahead of myself. Fingers crossed for the summer favorites post! So without further ado, onto my favorite products of spring!
For the past month, I've been testing out a bunch of different brow pencils to try to find the best fit for me! Most of the brow products I've tried in the past end up being too dark or the consistency of the product is too thick for my sparse eyebrows - but at last, I've found one that is the perfect fit for my nonexistent eyebrows. Elf products can be kind of hit or miss but this brow pencil is definitely a hit for me! If you have sparse eyebrows like I do, this pencil is great because it creates very natural, light lines that don't immediately come across too strongly.
Colour Pop Ultra Satin Lip in Magic Wand
This lipstick has become such a favorite of mine that I now own not one, not two, but four of this shade! I’ve been wearing this shade non-stop every day so having a couple of duplicates is so nice for throwing in my bag or bringing along with me when I travel. I love this nude shade because it truly is a “your lips but better” shade for me. While it doesn’t necessarily make a bold statement on its own, it does a wonderful job of bringing together all of my makeup by creating a very smooth, neutral finish. Plus, the formula is extremely comfortable and it’s easy to swipe on without worrying about the lipstick moving around. I’m in love!
So, this is what happens when you go to Target too much. You end up falling in love with bubble bath for children. Yup. I have very neutral feelings towards the movie Frozen so I didn’t specifically buy it because of the theme, but I always search for kids' bubble bath products because I find that they’re often a lot more fun than bubble bath products made for grown-ups. Bath salts are great, but I’m all about the colors and bubbles when it comes to baths 😃 While I love lush products, they’re not the most affordable things in the world so I like to supplement with drugstore bath products. This bubble bath creates awesome, fluffy bubbles for a tenth of the price of a lush set. I’m sold!
Long Denim Shirts
If you’ve seen some of my recent style posts, you’ll recognize these photos of a denim jacket I’ve been wearing a lot over the past couple of months! I picked this long denim jacket/shirt up at H&M and also own another one from Zara that was originally meant to be a denim dress. (Similar one: Here) For me, this has been a great way to incorporate denim into my wardrobe in a way that suits my personal style. Short denim jackets always seemed to look a little off on me and I’ve found that longer style denim shirts look just as cool but don’t cut me in half like the short ones seem to do 😃 Plus, they are incredibly versatile and easy to throw on at a moment’s notice!
Straightener Curls
I’ve never been the best at curling my hair but this past month, I decided I really wanted to improve on my curling skills! After much Googling and YouTubing, I have fallen head over heels in love with curling my hair via straightener. It’s so much easier, more convenient, and safer (curling irons are not my friend) than curling my hair with an actual curling iron. If you’re curious, RachMartino does a great job of explaining the how-to’s in this video. I’ve been using my conair straightener which has worked wonderfully for me! I also love that this allows me to bring just one tool to both straighten and curl my hair when I’m traveling!
This one’s an oldie, but a goodie. I've re-fallen in love with my kindle! My most recent read? Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (so good). If you’re a bookworm like myself or someone trying to get into reading, I highly recommend getting a kindle! They make reading so much more convenient and accessible. There are tons of free kindle books online as well as e-books to check out at your local library. I’ll be bringing mine on vacation with me this summer and it has been amazing to be able to store hundreds of books on there but not have to add the weight of 100 books! The most affordable kindle starts at $80 and I think it is well worth it. My kindle is now going on 7 years old and still has great battery life and functionality. If you’re thinking about getting a kindle, take the plunge, I promise you won’t regret it!
What have been your favorites of this season? Anything you are looking forward to trying? I'd love to hear your thoughts!♥
April in Photos
It’s never until I look through my photos from each month that I realize I spend most of my time with animals instead of people! To be honest, I can’t really complain. Animals are always so loving, sweet, and just downright happy all of the time, who wouldn’t want to spend time with them? As a kid, I always thought I wanted to be a veterinarian (creative, I know) but given the squeamishness I’d develop later in life, this wasn’t in the cards for me. I now spend much of my free time petsitting professionally and showering all of my foster cats (and my own kitty!) with as much love as possible - and it brings me so much joy to know that I’m contributing to their happiness and the animal welfare cause in my own way.
Oftentimes, I it can be easy to let our careers define who we are, but I think what truly defines us is how we choose to spend our free time, because that shows us the things we do simply because we enjoy them. What do you find yourself doing in your free time? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Birchbox: April 2017
Well, I am back on the Birchbox train! I know I said that I was planning on ditching subscription boxes but I’m the most indecisive person in the world and life started to get really busy….which leads me to where I am today. Oops! 😛 After ditching 90% of my subscription boxes, I started a new job, added a couple of other commitments, and found myself with much less free time than I’d previously had.
I think this just goes to show that subscription boxes are a great fit for certain people, and maybe even at certain points in life! After work started to pick up, I found myself ordering things online instead of visiting stores - which can be quite expensive if you’re trying out new products and are not able to test them out in stores! In the end, I figured if I’m going to be trying product, I should probably be trying out samples instead of buying them full price right off the bat.
Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription ($10/month or less if you choose a year long subscription) that sends our personalized full-size and sample-size beauty, hair, make-up and skincare products.
Coastal Scents: Blush and Highlighter Duo | Full Size $19.95
This sample from coastal scents is a blush and highlight from one of their contouring palettes. The blush is on the pinkier side and has some beautiful pigmentation. The highlight, on the other hand, was a little too light for me. It might’ve been perfect for someone with fairer skin but for my slightly darker skin, I found that I had to go into the product a couple of times to build up the highlight. I really enjoyed trying this sample but probably won’t be going out to purchase the full-size product.
rms beauty: the ultimate makeup remover wipes | Full Size $16
If you had asked me a couple of years ago how I remove my make-up, I would’ve said vaseline all the way! Now, however, I have become wipe obsessed and am always looking for new wipes that are more effective or gentler on the skin. While these wipes from rms beauty were gentle and did not sting on the skin, they were so oily when I used them that it practically felt like I’d used vaseline to remove it anyway. Plus, at $16 for a full-size 20 wipes, this one’s definitely not kind on the wallet. It was a no-go for me.
Amika: Bombshell Blowout Spray | Full Size $24
I've been using this blowout spray for a couple of days and really haven't noticed much of a difference in my hair! Volume is not something I usually need in my hair - in fact, I’m usually looking for products that tame frizz - so this product just wasn’t a good fit for me.
R+Co: Death Valley Dry Shampoo | Full Size $29
This product came at the perfect time because I’m trying the whole showering at night thing! I’ve owned quite a few dry shampoos in the past and I don’t love the way they feel on my hair. It seems like most of them leave my hair feeling rough and knotty so I’m excited to try out the Death Valley brand and see if this might be a better fit for my hair.
The Beauty Crop: GRLPWR Lips Liquid Lipstick in Imma Bawse | Full Size $14.95
This liquid lipstick was the winner of the box by a mile! It was a little bit drying on the lips but with a beautiful, dark shade like this you really don’t want that color to move AT ALL so I’m more tolerant of the dryness as long as it means the lipstick doesn’t move! This shade is absolutely beautiful and the formula has been extremely long-wearing so I’m very pleased with it!
Featured April Birchbox Products:
For me, this box was kind of middle of the line. Even though I probably won’t be going out to purchase any of the full-size versions of these products, these are all products that I use in my day-to-day life and for me, it’s always interesting to test out products that different brands put out to see how they compare to the things I already use. I’m looking forward to being back on the Birchbox train and being able to test out products before jumping straight in to buying the full-size versions! What did you think of your April Birchbox? Let me know in the comments!
