Lip Lovings Lately

As I mentioned in my last post, I've never been a huge fan of lip products. I don't like to touch up my makeup during the day, so I like my makeup to be long-lasting. Therefore, a high maintenance lip color was out of the question.  Recently, however, I've been drawn more and more to purchasing and wearing lip products. Upon reorganizing my makeup, I found that half of my working collection was made of lip products! I've accumulated a list of five of my most recent go-tos below, so let's dive right in:

Handpicked: Favorites in May

It's been a while since I've curated all my favorites into one post! I skipped last month's because I just didn't find anything new or fresh to talk about, but I've definitely got a handful for you this month.

My favorite Pinterest boards!

I've got a problem, and her name is Pinterest. Whenever there's real work to be done like working on my resume, writing a research paper, or trying to write a blog post (guilty), there she is, looming on the horizon like the time-killer you know you'll end up succumbing to. You know there's no way you'll ever slay her completely: you've cultivated too many recipes to try, DIYs you'll never do, and fashion pieces that you can never even hope of owning. But, the real question is... Why would you ever want to give her up? She makes you feel fancier than you already are. (Or, if it makes you feel any better, you could totally give it up anytime you wanted to. The first step is to stop referring to a website as a "she.")

Handpicked for Spring: March Beauty Favorites

Nicer weather is finally upon us! Longer days, more sunlight, and a fresh feel to the air seem to give life new meaning after the long months of winter. Bring on the sandals, bike rides, and flowers! Oh, and of course, the following recently curated beauty items.

These are a few of my favorite things | February Favorites

I'm a little late to the party in getting this post up, but it's not just laziness this time. In the past few weeks I performed in RENT, had agonizingly long rehearsals for another play, and narrowly escaped midterms with my sanity in tact. I didn't have a lot of time to love a lot of things this month, but the few things I did love are big favorites.

January Favorites! 2014

Hello, friends! January is over as heck, so what better time to rave about what I've been loving this month? Let's get right into it:

Five Minute Makeup!

Some days, you just don't want to fuss with a lot of makeup. All you want is a basic, fool-proof look that you can do in five minutes before sprinting off to your 11 AM literature class because you don't want to look like you just rolled out of bed, although you probably just did. (Oh, wait. Just me?) In any case, this is the five-minute, foolproof makeup I employ on a daily basis... probably because I'm always running late. Whoops!

December Beauty Favorites {2013}

Hello, friends! Well, here we are... a week and a half into 2014 already. Time really gets away from you when you're not looking! Which totally explains why I'm late to the party with posting last month's favorites. If you're curious as to what my beauty essentials were in December, keep on reading!

Best Winter Scents from Bath & Body Works!

Hello, friends!

It's come to my attention that one of my most popular posts on this blog is about my Top 5 Bath and Body Works scent choices of all time. The majority of my traffic comes from people searching for the best scents from Bath and Body Works! That's exciting. However, since most of the scents listed in that post aren't very season appropriate, I decided to make another list of favorites--featuring my top five Bath and Body Works winter fragrances! Here they are:

December Life Favorites! | 2013

Hello, friends! As December comes to a close, I thought it would be a good idea to post about what my favorite things during the month were. Because why not, right? 

Here we go!

10 Things That Got Me Through Finals

Finals week is finally over! All my final papers, hating myself for not studying for exams sooner, and over-studying for those exams have finally ceased. Now that I'm on winter break until January, it's time to not do anything productive whatsoever and watch lots of netflix. Because that's what responsible adults do, right? But first, here's a look back at the ten things that helped get me through finals week the most:

Fall Favorites! | Mascara Warrior

Hello, friends!

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. From cozy sweaters, boots, seasonal beverages, and pumpkin or apple flavored everything, you really can't go wrong!

Since I've been busy with classes, my job, and some family things, I wanted to catch up with some of my favorite things to put on my face this season.

Under the Sea: Ariel Storylook Palette by Sephora

A couple of weeks ago, I got a package in the mail from Sephora. It wasn't one that I was expecting, but I was expecting a birthday package from my boyfriend. FROM SEPHORA? He knows me way too well. But what could he have gotten me? I don't remember telling him anything about wanting something specific from there. And the box was way too big for a gift card.

Anyway, I was astonished to find the Ariel Storylook Palette when I opened it! As it turns out, he actually read my blog and saw the Wishlist Wednesday post I made about it. I - just - wow. Major boyfriend points there. I mean, there was definitely some arm-flapping and odd noises made when I saw what it was. It was embarrassing. Good thing my whole family was there to see it.

July 2013 Favorites! | Victoria's Secret, Benefit, & More!

Hello everyone, and happy (almost) August! How was your July? I spent most of it going to Physical Therapy (my knee has gotten a lot better!), and taking piano lessons. I've accumulated quite a few favorites this month (maybe to make up for the fact that I didn't do a list of my favorites for June? whoops), so let's get down to business, shall we?

Target Haul! | makeup, shoes, and more!

I'm not sure that you could call this much of a "haul" in any sense of the word, but my mom and I made the trek to Target the other day and picked up a couple of things. It was the first time that I left the house for something besides doctors appointments and physical therapy sessions since my surgery, so I really enjoyed getting out for a while! It really wiped me out, though, so I was glad to get home afterward.

We only picked up a few important things (and a pair of shoes... because those are important too), but I still wanted to share what we got!

Top 5 Bath & Body Works Fragrances of ALL TIME!

I've been going into Bath & Body Works for as long as I can remember. My sister and I often went with each other and spent countless hours just smelling everything! Don't even get me started on the damage we'd do going in during the Semi-Annual sale. One of my fondest memories was driving home from the mall with my sister after we hit up Bath & Body Works and drained our wallets--we stopped at a red light and my sister asked me to take the items she bought out of the bag for her to smell before the light turned green again.

Because I've been pretty much obsessed with this company for most of my life, there are certain fragrances that I return to time and time again. So, whether you're looking for something new to try, you're curious in what my favorites are, or you're in another country just longing after what you can't get your hands on... I present to you my Top 5 Bath & Body Works Fragrances of ALL TIME! (Picture-heavy, so click through to see if your favorites made the cut!)

UPDATE 02 January 2014: Looking for more wintery scents? Check out my top winter picks from Bath and Body Works here!

Top 5 MUST HAVE Blushes!

Today is my 21st birthday! What better way to celebrate than to talk about my favorite blushes?

Blush is one of my absolutely favorite things. Adding a flush of color to the cheeks can really brighten up any makeup look! I used to only own one blush when starting my collection, but that was before my hoarding tendencies took hold. Since then, I've found that different colored blushes can achieve different looks. It's no surprise that I've built up quite the collection over the years!

So, I had a dig through my stash and came out the other end with my Top 5 MUST HAVE Blushes!

Did one of your favorites make the cut? Click through to find out!

Getting a Pop of Color: Lorac GloGetter Eyeshadow Palette

A week or so ago, I was out shopping with my mom for the day. We ran a few errands in the same general area that Ulta is in. I didn't recall having a need to go to Ulta, but I remember that I had recently tried to buy the GloGetter palette online after eyeing it for so long that the limited edition palette was no longer available. I thought that I might try my chances looking in the store itself for any stragglers.

Boy, was I lucky. I quite literally picked up the last GloGetter palette that was in the entire store. Score!

After going crazy with my Lorac Pro palette, I leapt at the chance to have another quality Lorac product in my collection (and at a steal for $20!). This is a colorful collection of ten shades that feature a good mix of brights as well as neutrals to pair them with. 

Its packaging is sleeker than that of the Pro palette, being made of hard plastic. Although this is better than how the Pro's packaging smudges easily, it can be pretty slippery. It also shows scratches very easily.

Though this is being marketed as a palette of brights, this is surprisingly accessible to those who are more comfortable with neutrals (like myself!). My favorite of these include the shimmery peach, the warm matte mid-toned brown, and the satin-finished navy blue. These wear really well, and as with all Lorac shadows, application is a dream. The shadows are buttery and last for a long time on the lid (with primer, of course.)

Swatches, without primer. 

I reach for this palette more often than I thought I would. Maybe this is just the nudge in the right direction I needed to play with color!

Anyone else get to snag this palette when it was available? Which colors are your favorites?

Also, don't forget to...

:)

What's in my travel makeup bag?

I know exactly what you're thinking. In fact, I know exactly what's been plaguing you, dear reader, ever since stumbling upon this blog of mine. You've been spending countless nights without rest because there were some things about my travels that you did not know... Well, no matter. I'll be divulging that information shortly. Feel free to relax now. 

I spent some time away this weekend. For beauty addicts everywhere, this can be both a blessing and a curse. Weekends away may be fun (mine was! I got to see my sister graduate from grad school), but deciding what to take into a teeny tiny makeup bag can be dreadful. However dreary the task, it must be done. I guess I managed. 

I don't work with Benefit or anything (I just wish I did!)-- I got this makeup bag as a gift with purchase at Ulta.

What's in my travel makeup bag? Click through for pictures and the list!

Packin' Trash: Thayers', Bath and Body Works, Yes to Cucumbers

Bonus toe. You're welcome.

I've been hoarding some trash for a while, and with moving home this weekend, I decided that I should get rid of as much as I could. Here's what I finished over the semester! 

Read more behind the cut!