FEBUARY FAVORITES

Namaste beautiful people,

It’s been a while, but I’m BACK! Happy (almost) Spring- the snow is melting and its 40 degrees (which totally feels like a massive heat wave here in New York).

This past month, I’ve gathered some pretty nice goods and rediscovered some of my old favorites, plus I have some solid non- beauty favorites to share as well!

So let me lay it down for you…

1.)

$32.00
Yves Saint Laurent
Volupté Tint-In-Oil

The first favorite comes from the ever-so-trusted Saint Laurent. This Tint-in-Oil is a new launch by the brand and honestly at first, I didn’t know what to think of it. Was it a lip gloss or was it just a glorified lip moisturizer? I bought it nonetheless and soon came to really like this product- I purchased the shade Drive me Copper 1, which is a light, tangy color (one of my go-to colors).

I have a type of natural berry coloring to my lips so in order to get the organic copper pigment out of this product, I typically use a lip primer (I’ll let you know about that a little later- it’s another one of my favorites). Ultimately, this coloration is tinted so you’re not going to get any super pigmentation, just a light, sheer hint of color.

The best aspect of this lip tint is the essential oils compacted in its formula. Made with apricot kernel oil, coriander fruit oil, jojoba seed oil, and possiflora edulis seed oil, this little tube is extremely nourishing and long lasting. Plus, this isn’t a sticky formula despite it being so moisturizing.

Here are a few swatches of the colors available:

You can tell from the swatches, that the formula is incredibly dewy. This dewiness adds a nice, subtle plump to your lips as well, an added bonus.

2.)

$27.00

Dior Vernis Gel Shine and Long Wear Polish

I am a polish enthusiast and as of late I have been buying out all of the DIOR nail polishes. I love the formula of these gems- they’re great quality and are heavily pigmented. One coat is all I really need! I actually find that Dior chips a lot less frequently than my past favorite, Saint Laurent polishes. Though they are pricy, they are worth the buy. One of my go-to Dior colors is Junon 494, which is a muted blue/ gray color- it’s a great everyday color that looks good paired with anything.

3.)

$21.00
stila
Lush Lips Water Plumping Primer

As I mentioned before, I have been loving a particular lip primer- This Stila lip primer is water-based and not only primes your lips, helping lock in as much pigmentation in a lip product as possible, but also is a lip plumper. I’ve had issues with other lip plumpers in the past in irritating my lips, giving them an uncomfortable tingling feeling, but since this product is naturally water based, it is great for sensitivity.

Plus! It’s made without Parabens, Sulfates and Phthalates!

4.)

$3.99

NYX COSMETICS: Round Case Lipstick

I didn’t actually realize how many good lip products I’ve found this month until I actually wrote it all out, but yeah- I guess it was a good month for lip goods! I am consistently surprised by NYX- they are so insanely cheap yet have amazing quality! These lip sticks are as creamy as ever and glide onto the most chapped lips with ease. The color is pretty solid as well and lasts for an acceptable amount of time. Plus, I mean, its $4. You can’t go wrong!

5.)

$49.00
Marc Jacobs Beauty
#Instamarc Light Filtering Contour Powder

Contouring and highlighting is a face’s best friend. I mean, who doesn’t want to look subtlety more sculpted and awake? This new Marc Jacobs contour/highlight compact is great quality and mimics a slight filter like that you would use on your Instagram.  Is it a “must buy”? Maybe not, but I’ve gotten pretty fair use out of it. For $50, you could get a fine product twice over but If you want to treat yourself, go for it!

6.)

$29
NARS
Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow

I’ve talked about these little guys before, but this month, I have collected a few more shades, specifically, Subra and Himalia. If you haven’t heard the hype about these shadows, basically they have the wonderful ability to be used dry, as a regular shadow or dampened as a powerful, pigmented shade that looks so electrifying on the lids!

Here are some of the shades wet just so you can see-

Aren’t they INSANE? This picture is not an exaggerated picture either- the colors are really that vibrant.

Now for some non-beauty favorites…

UO Mesh Dopp Bag
$14

ok- well, this is kind of a beauty favorite. I really like this makeup bag- it has this really cool and durable mesh exterior with a dainty leather handle. I love the look of black and brown leather together- I needed a new little travel bag too to take around with me -Altogether, a cute little bag.

SERIAL PODCAST

http://serialpodcast.org

So I am obsessed with NPR- I just think they produce some of the best content. My favorite radio show is, of course, This American Life, and as of late last year, a spin-off show was created called Serial in which parts of a larger story is told each week. Without giving too much away, this first season of Serial focuses on a murder that happened in the 90s and highlights the inconsistencies found within the trial. It’s a captivating, expertly produced show. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Well, that wraps up this past month’s favorites! Write to you soon!,

~JAX