March Favorites

To Listen To

Stand In The Light - Jordan Smith

Jordan, 22 year old from Kentucky, recently won on The Voice with good reason. This man has an amazing gift, and for those who watched the show from the Blind Auditions where he sang Chandelier, you know exactly what I'm talking about. He just launched his full album and this is my favorite song so far! I am really excited to see this singer grow and only continue to get better. Check out all the songs from the show on youtube, and his album on iTunes, trust me, so worth it. 

Phone Case

Kate Spade Black Case Wrap with Gold Trim

Seeing as though I have always had Samsung phones up until recently, I always envied the case selection for iPhones. I currently have the iPhone 6+, which for me is just right in size since I fell in love with the original (and biggest) galaxy note from a few years back. The first case I had on my phone was very pretty, but only took a few weeks to start chipping and rubbing away at the design. Once the gold ornate flowers turned white, I decided it was time for a new case. Nick wanted to do something special for me and purchased this simple, sleek, and classy black Kate Spade case with a sexy gold trim. I have had this case for the entire month now and it has outlasted the previous case already. The gold is in tact and has not started to peel, which I am very happy about. The case, with discounts was $45, while my original case was $35. So there is not too much of a difference in price, but a significant difference in quality.

Makeup

Kat Von D Everlasting Blush - Wish

I purchased this blush a few years ago and I am just coming around to appreciating its beauty. Wish is a nude peach with a very subtle shimmer. I purchased it to incorporate peach colors after my long love affair with Ulta's original version of Freesia, a soft rose color. Recently I have been using Wish as a base blush, either leaving it alone or blending with MACs Mineralized Blush New Romance. When writing this post, I could not find the Wish blush any where in stores and it seems to no longer be listed on Sephora or Kat Von D websites either, so you can either check Amazon, or if you're like me, you can dig it up out of your collection.

MAC x Ellie Goulding Cremesheen Lipstick - Without Your Love

If you are reading this and know me well, you have a pretty good idea of how excited I was for Ellie Gouldings newest album, let alone the idea of her collab with MAC. The only set back for me was this whole line of peach and pinks, which is not out of the ordinary for Ellie, but I expected more Rave than Reserved. I ended up only getting my hands on the one lipstick and the rest honestly didn't interest me enough to fork out the cash. The only other item I wish I would've gotten was the MAC 129 brush with coppery gold accent, ugh, damn it. At first I never really enjoyed MAC's cremesheen finish because it is so sheer and hardly any color pay off, but once I started wearing more natural looks or went out without makeup and wanted my lips to look pretty, this was my go-to.  Plus the cremesheens are great when you fill in your lips with a dark or bright liner and putting it right on top. This month was more about convenience, and throwing this in my purse or jacket pocket was so much easier than prepping for a liquid lipstick before work. It's understandable if this shade or this collection is not your cup of tea, but definitely try out the cremesheen collection at MAC before heading to the brights, they're just as beautiful and flattering on a wider variety of skin tones.

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter - Green

As you may have seen in previous looks, this glitter has gotten its fair share of spot light with good reason. This month I wanted to see how versatile it could be and used it on my nails. I first put down scotch tape in a diagonal position and painted with clear coat, then, while wet, I sprinkled the glitter all over making sure to cover the portion of the nail without tape. After, I painted another clear coat on top of the glitter. While it was drying and felt a bit tacky, I pulled up the tape. This allowed me to fix any glitter that may have gone over the taped area so I could push it back into place. In exactly 7 days, the glitter did not chip or peel, and it stayed shiny as ever. I love using these glitters all over! I am in need of every color. ASAP.

Skin Care

MAC Studio Moisture Cream

I have been using this cream on and off since December, sometimes with other moisturizers for my neck and under eye areas, and sometimes solo. I've noticed it works best over night and just alright during the day, unless I'm wearing makeup. I have a really bad habit of touching my face when I have no make up on and there were a few times that I felt very greasy come noon. To clarify, I normally skin prep before bed around 9 PM and in the morning between 6 and 6:30 AM. So after about 6 hours, it gave me a shine. With make up on it is the exact opposite, I will apply before primer, do my makeup, and I will be set for a night out, day at work, or mini selfie shoot at home. No judgment, we all do it. So seeing as though MAC is most known for their footprint in the makeup industry, I think it's safe to say that this moisturizer was created to withstand a day under the makeup. Online it actually does have products it works well with, including a matte finish foundation that controls oil, which is probably why I love it with my Maybelline Fitme Matte + Poreless. Boom.

e.l.f. Exfoliating Scrub

Elf recently released a bunch of skin care items that are just as affordable as the rest of the brand with the cutest blue packaging! This exfoliating scrub will run you about $6 at Target and online. The formula consists of a clay base with mineral oil, which are two you normally do not see together. I love that they have something like this, it exfoliates the skin, absorbs dirt and oil from the face, and replenishes oils back into the skin to leave it feeling bright, cleansed, and soft. This combination may not work for all skin types, so check it out online before purchasing. I haven't noticed the fragrance but it does have lavender and citrus ingredients. I haven't been using this every day, normally every other and a little goes a long way for me.

Clinique Even Better Brightening Moisture Mask

This month my skin has been filled with imperfections; I've dealt dry patches from alcohol based products drying out zits, my chin has been filled with black heads and texture from touching it at work, and that is just the beginning. With all of this craziness, I was tried of using clay based masks that draw out the oil, I really wanted to replenish my skin and that is exactly why I tried this product out. Every moisturizer I have tried from Clinique has been a success and I am so happy to be bringing this one into the mix. This mask is for brightening by delivering hydration to create that luminosity from within the skin. My skin has never felt so beautifully smooth and soft after the first application. I understand that this mask is a bit on the pricey side, selling for $36, but Clinique does offer the sample pack for $20 so you can try out all of the different ones before committing to one, so check that out while you're in line to check out at Sephora.

All-Over Body Care

Shea Moisture 100% Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Head-To-Toe Nourishing Hydration

 

I am just jumping onto the coconut oil band wagon. I've heard such great things and found that there are so many versions of coconut oil that brands have been marking up, like the Kopari Organic Coconut Melt for $36. The Shea Moisture for $15, is the cheapest one I could find at the drugstore. There are so many uses that you can find online, but I have been using coconut oil as a hair mask, scalp treatment, lip balm, hand and elbow moisturizer, spot treatment, under eye cream, lip scrub, and the possibilities are endless. I am just discovering the world of coconut oil, and can see myself using this daily. So far I’ve learned that a little goes a long way. Let me know if you have any tips or other uses for coconut oil!