I had a hard time writing this post this month. I’ve been so focused on my new job and blogging that I haven’t really noticed what things I’ve been gravitating toward this month. I was able to come up with a few things, though, so here they are.
Daily Make-Up
Between leaving a company that I worked at for almost a decade and starting a new job, I wanted to put make-up on in the morning as it’s a comforting routine, but I also wanted something that was easy and effortless so I reached for tried and true favorites. The Naked2 palette by Urban Decay is my go-to palette. It has everything that I need for eyeshadow in one place (instead of digging out individual shadows from MAC) and I know how all the colors work together and which combinations are my favorite. I’ve been using Tease in the crease with Half Baked on the outer half of the eye and Bootycall on the inner half. (I forgot to mark them in this picture, but they’re all in the first half of the palette.) For a softer look I’ve been using Urban Decay’s Twice Baked Pencil Liner on my upper lash line with Urban Decay’s Roach Pencil Liner on the lower lash line if I felt like a little extra definition. Every once in awhile I feel like trying a higher end mascara, so this month I’ve been reaching for Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Splashes Mascara, which didn’t wow me quite as much as I expected it to, but I also shouldn’t expect a mascara to work miracles on my stick straight lashes that don’t curl. It is the best mascara that I’ve used in months and I have enjoyed it this month. For a base, I’ve been prepping my skin with a mix of Maybelline’s Baby Skin and Revlon’s Photoready Skinlights before using my trusty MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 1.0, topped with Rimmel’s Stay Matte Powder in Translucent. To add a bit of color to my face, I’ve been using Benefit’s Rockateur Blush, which I apply to the part of my cheek that I’d contour and sweep up, for a bit of contour and blush. If that feels like too much work, I’ve been using Tarte’s Cheek Stain in Natural Beauty. I’ve had a sample of this for awhile, but haven’t tried it because the intensity of the color kind of freaked me out, but it doesn’t apply as bright as it looks and it blends out to a really natural flush. I have been loving this product this month!
Kor Water Bottle
It has been really hot so I’ve been guzzling water and these Kor Water Bottles have been perfect for tracking how much water that I’ve been drinking. They’ve also been perfect at the office. I fill one before I leave in the morning and shove it in my bag. I like these because they don’t spill when they’re securely closed. I have had one of these bottles open in a bag before, so to avoid that I turn it upside down and give it a shake to make sure that it really is closed before I put it in.
Rickshaw Bag
I’ve only had this for a little over a week, so I probably shouldn’t include this in my favorites, but I have been loving this bag! I had my eye on them for a couple of years before finally biting the bullet and purchasing one. I love that you can customize the colors, even down to the Rickshaw label on the front, so I took full advantage of that. After talking to my friend Heather, who also has a Rickshaw bag, I decided to go with the large. It’s the perfect size to carry around all of my notebooks, along with a water bottle (or two), lunch and an extra pair of shoes. I can even put a coffee mug in it at the end of the day and I still have room. I like that this goes on my back so that I can be hands free, but that it doesn’t hurt my hip like cross body bags do (I think I walk differently when I use one), but I can also pull it to the side when I’m on the bus. This is the perfect bag for people who use public transportation for their commute and for people who are frequently on-the-go.
What have you been loving this month?
