Anyway, without further rambling, my favorites for this season!
St. Ives Even & Bright Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub
Photo credit = www.makeupandbeauty.com
A great new scrub I found in Target a few months ago! I love the St. Ives face scrubs, but the scrubby beads are usually really large and rough, so I can only use it 1-2x a week to prevent my face to get red and irritated. However, I was really excited when I saw a bunch of new St. Ives scrubs, and a few of them have really fine, small, less scratchy beads in really fresh scents! So I picked up this scent for the spring and summertime and boy is it a refreshing treat when I'm washing my face in the morning. And the best part is that I can use it every other day or even every day since the beads aren't as irritating to my face as the original St. Ives scrubs.
Bath & Body Works Shower Gel in Rome Honeysuckle Amore
I change up my shower gel every month and don't really mention them in my faves because they're just plain old body washes and I usually really like them, but not to the point where I have to mention them every month. BUT, this month I have absolutely fallen in LOVE with this shower gel. It's one of the few BBW shower gels that leave a scent lingering the whole day after I shower. It smells like flowers and it's soooo perfect for this season. Makes showering a definite treat. Plus, I love the hot pink color and how it stands out in my shower. Hoping that they didn't discontinue it so I can pick up a few more bottles for next year.
Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-In Conditioner
Photo credit = www.athunderheart.com
So this product is one of those hair products everyone and their mother raves about. It's been around for a long time, but the $20 price tag has always scared me away. But, sometime in April, Ulta had all of the Sexy Hair products on half off, so I was able to get this for only $10. Oh my oh my, I wish I had discovered this earlier! It makes my hair sooooo much softer, more manageable, and makes it feel healthier. It does reduce frizz a little, but I still have to use a serum after this to really get all my frizz down. I've been using this spray about once a week or when I have a special event coming up. Love the way this smells, how lightweight it is, and what a great job it does at taming my hair after a shower. Overall, love love love and I will be buying this again!
Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum
Photo credit = www.glesnibeautyblog.wordpress.com
I bought this product I think last June and I used to love it but stopped using it in the fall/winter because of how heavy and oily it made my hair. But, I pulled this baby out again this month because my hair has been feeling a little dry and getting unruly, so I thought maybe this serum would help moisturize my hair. Ahh don't know why I ever stopped using it! A few drops of this stuff smoothed across my strands and ends really reduces frizz and brings my hair back to life! Plus, coconut milk is really good for the hair so I'm sure it helps fortify the strands too. The only issue is that it is a heavier product and probably not good for fine hair, but if you use it sparingly on your strands while avoiding your scalp/roots and wash your hair every other day like me, you should be fine. Definitely going to be a staple hair product for me the entire summer!
BareMinerals Matte Foundation in Golden Tan
Photo credit = www.theneonleopard.com
Ah foundation. Something I've always been really resistant to wearing. Finally decided to cave in and try a BM foundation and boy I am in love. Why have I not used this before?! Evens out my skin like a dream, feels really lightweight, stays all day, and matches my skin tone perfectly. Only thing is that it is a pain to sit there buffing this stuff out, but the results are worth it. Feels like you just put on a new skin!
Physician's Formula Matte Collection Quad in Classic Nudes
Photo credit = www.wickedstarryeyes.blogspot.com
After hunting like crazy for neutral matte eyeshadows, I finally found an amazing drugstore matte eyeshadow quad! This isn't really a popular product, but it's definitely a hidden gem. The colors are SO pigmented and this quad in particular has all the perfect brown shades. Except for the whitish shade, I've been using all three on a regular basis for when I want a more natural eye look or as a transition color for my crease. In love, probably will end up getting the other matte quads from this collection eventually.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure
Photo credit = www.lovecharmaine.com
Another recent beauty hype. Again I was hesitant to get this blush because of the hefty price tag. I heard a lot of great things about this blush, but just paying $35 for a single pan of blush was a little over the top. But I decided to treat myself and pick up this blush as a post-step1 gift, especially given the fact that I was stressing hardcore during that period and was just glad that the nightmare was over. I got Mood Exposure in particular because I don't have this shade in my collection. It's a gorgeous plummy-brown shade and it looks very natural on my tan complexion. All the hype about this blush is true. It lights up my complexion, makes me look fresh and awake, doubles as a highlighter-blush combo, and adds the perfect amount of color to my cheeks -- perfect for everyday, especially office-wear. Comes in a very sleek, sophisticated packaging. Super easy to blend even if you slap on a little too much and again, this color is just beautiful! Love the formula and I may just be naughty and pick up another shade!
Physician's Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural
Photo credit = www.makeupandbeauty.com
Okay, let's be honest: the reason I got this blush was mainly the packaging. Love the little hearts and the pink container it comes in. Swirled together, you get a shimmery, light pink blush. I was a little afraid at first because the swatch looks mega shimmery, but on the cheeks it looks stunning and makes you look like you have a post-workout glow. No need for highlighter or anything else! A really gorgeous blush color for the springtime!
The Body Shop Watermelon Lip Gloss
Photo credit = www.bellabluelovesfashion.blogspot.com
I've been eying Body Shop glosses since forever. These are definitely my type of glosses: smell great, taste great, add a sheer color, lots of shine, no glitter. PERFECT. It's very appropriate for summertime since it smells and tastes exactly like watermelon. Delivers a really gorgeous sheer pink-red wash of color on my lips. More for everyday wear, not exactly for the office as it wears off easily and requires touch-ups every hour. Definitely favorite summer lip product this year!
Benefit Ultra Plush Lipgloss in Hoola
Photo credit = www.beautynerdbynight.com
This gloss is another everyday sheer lip gloss that I love for the summertime. It's a really pretty bronzey-nude lipgloss with some shimmer. It's a great gloss for the warmer months with a nice tan. Plus, the tube looks so summery! I love the Benefit Ultra Plush glosses because they are so moisturizing, smell/taste like peaches, add a ton of shine, and look amazing on the lips. I'm probably going to pick up the Coralista shade for the summertime and possibly Bella Bamba for the fall. Hope these never get discontinued because I go through about a tube every season or every other season. That's how much I apply it and love it!
Maybelline Color Elixir in Caramel Infused
Photo credit = www.makeupandbeauty.com
Now for a pigmented gloss that I have been loving this season. The Maybelline Color Elixirs are fairly new and come in a ton of shades ranging from brights to nudes to pinks to reds. I only have this shade so far and I'm in love. THE most perfect MLBB shade for me. It's almost like a gloss version of my Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle. Smells like vanilla/floral mix, so if you don't like lip products smelling perfumey, then stay away. Otherwise they make my lips feel super soft and aren't super sticky, although they last about 2-3 hours. I probably will buy a few more shades because the formula feels really nice and lasts a good chunk of time. I'm a total lip gloss junkie and I love me a gloss that feels like a gloss but lasts like a lipstick!
Revlon Parfumerie Nail Polish in African Tea Rose
Revlon Parfumerie Nail Polish in Apricot Nectar
Photo credit = www.vampyvarnish.com
My favorite new nail polishes this season! As you know, I love beauty products that smell yummy and these polishes fit the bill. Each one of them has a unique scent upon drying that is related to its shade name. So, African Tea Rose smells like roses while Apricot Nectar smells fruity. They also have a lot of shine, good staying power (not the best though!), a great applicator for really precise application, and come in a really cute bottle! Plus, the two above are absolutely stunning shades for this spring/summer season. The bottles look very boudoir-ish and ughhh I wish all nail polish bottles looked that vintage and cute! Not the best formula since it does tend to chip after a few days, but the other good qualities of these polishes make it worth the buy. Not all that expensive either, so I'm looking forward to buying a few more shades this fall/winter season. Definitely no more polishes for me this summer since I've been hoarding nail polishes like cray these past few months!
Merona Ultimate Scoopneck & V-Neck Tees
Photo credit = www.polyvore.com
I don't always feature a fashion favorite, but this month I went clothes shopping for a new office wardrobe and picked up a few little goodies. One of my favorites are the Merona basic tees. I love plain tees because they are so easy to style and can work either as casual shirts or more dressy shirts when paired with statement necklaces. I used to buy the Mossimo tees from Target, but they were so thin and flimsy and tended to get damaged easily in the washer. But I tried the Merona tees and they are SO much better! They're about the same price, but are made with a thicker material and fit a lot better on me. They come in a great range of colors and styles and I believe they're always coming up with new shades every season. They have $5 sales on them occasionally so it's great to stock up on these around holidays and such. I have 4-5 colors and cannot wait to buy some more because they are just so amazing, durable, fit great, and look very chic even as officewear!
LC Lauren Conrad Clothing Line
Photo credit = www.laurenconraddaily.blogspot.com
Another recent fashion favorite has been the LC clothing line at Kohl's. The clothing and jewelry are actually surprisingly affordable! The line's style is really similar to mine with a lot of frilly, delicate, flawy, vintage pieces. I wish I could afford every single thing from this line because everything I see I love. Not a single piece I'm like "hell no!" about. Honestly, I should just put Lauren Conrad as my favorite for this month because I love her shoe line, website, beauty/fashion style, advice, and tips as well!
Alexia Hashed Browns with Onion, Garlic, and White Pepper
Photo credit = www.heatherlikesfood.com
I love potatoes. LOVE them. My favorite "veggie" if it can even be counted as one. But, I don't like to buy fresh potatoes because I don't have time to peel them and last time I bought a bag, I had a massive fruit fly infestation in my apartment. Yuck, bad bad memories. So, I've resorted to frozen potatoes and I have been absolutely loving the Alexia brand for my potato fix. I've tried the sweet potato, crinkle cut, and hash browns from this line. I love them all but I particularly like their seasoned hash browns. They are a little unhealthy because you have to pan-fry them and can't just pop em in the toaster over like the fries. I've been making them as a Saturday morning breakfast treat for myself and nom nom they are so good with eggs or sausage on the side! It comes with seasoning already there and are still quite low in sodium (brownie points!). Love love love this brand of potatoes since they're delish, healthy, and affordable so I don't feel super guilty about my potato addiction. In fact, I wish I had more freezer space so I could have multiple bags of potatoes there for my random potato cravings :)
I love potatoes. LOVE them. My favorite "veggie" if it can even be counted as one. But, I don't like to buy fresh potatoes because I don't have time to peel them and last time I bought a bag, I had a massive fruit fly infestation in my apartment. Yuck, bad bad memories. So, I've resorted to frozen potatoes and I have been absolutely loving the Alexia brand for my potato fix. I've tried the sweet potato, crinkle cut, and hash browns from this line. I love them all but I particularly like their seasoned hash browns. They are a little unhealthy because you have to pan-fry them and can't just pop em in the toaster over like the fries. I've been making them as a Saturday morning breakfast treat for myself and nom nom they are so good with eggs or sausage on the side! It comes with seasoning already there and are still quite low in sodium (brownie points!). Love love love this brand of potatoes since they're delish, healthy, and affordable so I don't feel super guilty about my potato addiction. In fact, I wish I had more freezer space so I could have multiple bags of potatoes there for my random potato cravings :)
Whew! SO that is it for my spring favorites this year. I'm posting this on June 1st which to me is when summer begins! Time to bust out the heavy duty sunscreen, tank tops, shorts, and sunglasses!
