I've been pretty mute lately, and I'm sorry for that. Honest answer: I have no idea what to blog about. It's not a slump, technically, it's just that I can't come up with a topic to blog about. I'm trying. I have a feeling that there are going to be a few nail polish posts coming up (spring colors are my favorites). Anyways, that's not what you guys care about.

No one should be surprised to see two of these products. I mentioned that I've been using the Clinique Stay Matte foundation ($23) and the Revlon PhotoReady Skinlights ($11) in the shade Bare Light everyday that I wear makeup. It's just a phenomenal combination. I have never been so pleased with a foundation as I am with Stay Matte, and the PhotoReady Skinlights just helps neutralize redness.

In my desperation to find a concealer at Target a month of so ago I broke up the monotony with one of their Jumbo Lip glosses. I picked up what I thought was the prettiest shade- Pink Umbrellas. I've been reaching for this more than any other lip product. I love the shade, and it's more opaque than I expected. The amount of product you get is similar to similar items by Covergirl or Revlon. I think it's worth it, I just wish they had a wider variety.

For the past two, maybe even three, months I have had Essie The Lace is On on my toes nonstop. I take it off, and put it right back on. It's one of those shades that I latch onto for months.

Non pictured is my Burt's Bees lip balm which I had to buy after my lips became ridiculously dry. It's the only thing that can fix that problem, and no amount of EOS, or Chapstick, applications could come close. They're nice, but I really did miss my one true lip balm love.

I'm addicted, what can I say?

Favorite Nail Polish of 2013

This may be my favorite round up that I do at the end of the year. Some of these shouldn't come to you as a surprise, so I didn't have to think too hard. I narrowed it down to my top 5 of 2013. (in no particular order).

Essie The Lace is On is one of the newest additions to my little family. I didn't buy a lot of nail polish this year, as I'm pretty happy with my current collection. I loved having this on my toes, and wore it for months after I bought it. It's such a beautiful shade.

Zoya Mia is one that I probably wore on my nails for a month straight, which for me is a very long time. I didn't like it so much when I first bought it when I realized that it was a near dupe for a color that I already owned, but it grew massively on me this past fall. Not to mention I realized my love for Zoya's formula.

The next Zoya nail polish that I loved was in the beginning of 2013, and I bought it in their Earth Day sale; Zoya Julie. It has a shimmer to it, and is very nice on the nails. Definitely was my go-to for Spring.

I'm pretty sure that I obsessed over Essie Cocktail Bling in 2012, but it reached a new high in 2013. I love the muted color to it, and I think this is the reason I found myself gravitating toward this greyish/muted colors.

Last, but definitely not least, is the most expensive nail polish that I own. I was apprehensive on buying it, but I'm glad I did since it is my favorite shade of 2013. NARS Orgasm is a lot of things, and beautiful is definitely on the top of the list. It's probably the brand's most popular shade (considering it's in a multitude of product types), and it's very easy to see why. The wear, the shade, all of it is beautiful. 

What were some of your favorite nail polish shades?

Favorite Beauty Products of 2013

Happy New Year everyone! I'm super excited for this year. I have a lot of things planned (not necessarily for the blog), and since it's Year of the Horse (my Chinese Zodiac), I'm hoping things will be great!

I narrowed it down to six products, though it wasn't all that hard. I didn't buy a whole lot this year, and I wasn't loving the vast majority of what I did have. These products did stand out in my mind, and they were definitely used more than the rest.

My bottle of Origins Checks and Balances is looking a bit worse for wear. It's nearly done, and I'm savoring it. The smell, the results, just everything about this cleanser is heaven in a bottle for me. The next skincare product I ended up loving is the Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub (which was a PR sample). I love it just as much, if not more, than when I first reviewed it. My skin is so soft, and smells fantastic. A real winner for me, and I'll be sad when it runs out since there isn't a Body Shop near me anymore.

I just reviewed this product not to long ago, so you all should be familiar with the secret love affair that I've been having with my Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink. I find myself reaching for it even more the longer I have it, and really loving it as a base for some of my other eyeshadow shades. This one was a no brainer in the favorites department.

I managed to trade my beloved purple eyeliner for the Avon Glimmersticks in Brown Glow. I've mentioned it before, but I haven't actually discussed how much I love it. It's the perfect shade to be paired with Inked in Pink, and the two really compliment each other.

Finally I have my two favorite lip products. Revlon Honey is one of those colors that everyone loves. It really deserves it too. It's a beautiful shade that applies effortlessly, and smells fantastic. I do love mint. My Maybelline Color Whisper in Pink Possibilities is one that I don't hear a lot about. It adds a sheer pink tint to the lips, and has a your lips but better sort of effect, in my opinion. I wore it for several months straight, ignoring everything else I owned. Even when I decided to give it a break to use something else, it was still in the back of my mind.

Even though 2013 wasn't the best year for me in the way of beauty products, when I found something I loved, I stuck with it. These six are definitely going to be used well into 2014, and who knows. Maybe they'll make a reappearance.

What are some of your favorites of the year?

PR sample mentioned: Body Shop Scrub

Lately I've been loving...

I guess you can fall this a monthly favorites, but that's not exactly what it is. They're all a collection of products that I've been using for a while. Some of them you've seen on the blog before, but most are new.

First off is the foundation, Neutrogena Skin Clearing. I mentioned in my last favorites post. It doesn't help clear my skin, but as far as a foundation goes I really do like it. The smell is nice, it stays on my skin throughout most of the day, and it does a good job of evening out my skin.

Then is the Pixi Lash Line Ink*, that I've mentioned many times, and the Pixi Large Lash Mascara*. I don't know if there's much more I can say about these products that I haven't already. The eyeliner is just as good as it was when I reviewed it, and the only complaint that I have about the mascara is that it doesn't last quite as long as I would hope.

The Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer is one that I've wanted to try for a while, and I like it. It doesn't have a dark yellow tone to it like the Fit Me concealer does, something that I was worried about. I have pretty bad dark circles, so it doesn't cover them completely, but it's still nice.

Avon cream eyeshadow in Pebble Stone is such a beautiful color. It's subtle, and I like that. Not too opaque, but just enough to show color. Perfect for my work. Super easy to apply, and I use my ring finger.

OPI Nail Envy is one expensive little booger. $14 at Target. I can't say for sure if it's working, but I think my nails are getting there. They're become brittle. So, Nail Envy with cuticle oil is my plan for rescuing my nails. I will update you on the progress if it gets better.

The Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Anti Chip Top Coat. Better than the previous Insta Dry that I tried, but no Seche Vite. I am still on my mission for a replacement, but as far as a top coat goes, I like this one.

Lastly are my Kate Spade earings. I bought them at an outlet store when everything was 1/2 off, so they came out to be roughly $14. Not bad. I have sensitive ears, and while these aren't stirling silver, they didn't irritate my skin. That's a huge plus.

That was a lengthy post! I liked a lot more products than I thought. What were your favorites? What product(s) are you currently loving?

* = PR Samples

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Favorite Nail Polish of 2012

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Wine Not

A recent favorite. I've mentioned over and over how much I love this color ever since I tried the shade out for the SH Gel Strip review I did. I wore it for pretty much the whole month of December. I also realized that the SH CSM brush is my favorite.

China Glaze in Mistletoe Me

Bought this back in '11. It was my favorite toe color for '12, and I can't believe it took my that long to wear it. It's a beautiful mix of fuschia (it is fuschia, right?) and silver shimmer. A pain to remove, but so worth it.

Models Own in Beach Party

One of my first Models Own nail polishes =) I fell in love with this neon color instantly. I wish the brand was available here, but I think I would go broke. I wore this primarily in the summer time, and I intend on whipping it out again this year.

Julep Caroline

The perfect fall shade! I was so excited when I got this in my Julep Maven box.

Essie Bikini So Teeny

The perfect powder blue. Only downside is that the glitter doesn't show up =( Yet another one that I'll be revisiting next year.

Butter London Rosie Lee

I mainly wore it as a glitter gradient on top of Julep Pippa. It was my favorite manicure of '12, but it's beautiful on it's own.

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I love looking back at my nail polish and thinking about which ones I loved. I was surprised that when I looked at my OPI bottles, there wasn't one that I would consider a favorite. Maybe this year, I have been taking a break from buying nail polish. After I bought my new storage system I decided it was time to take a breather. Nail polish doesn't go bad, so my bottles are pretty much forever. At the rate I was going I was going to have to buy another drawer set this year. Plus I think I have a really good variety.

What were your nail polish favorites of 2012? Any you plan on bringing back in the new year?

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My Favorite Posts of 2012

It's that time of year when bundles of favorites begin rolling out. I have a few myself, but right now I want to share with you all a few of the posts that I'm really proud of. Some of these seem like they were  posted so long ago! This year really too its time, and so much has happened.

The posts are mostly reviews, but that's because I love doing reviews. It's so easy for me to sum up my opinions, and I have no problem laying out the pros and cons to each product.

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What are your favorite types of posts? Is there anything you would like to see more of on this blog? I'm always open to suggestions =)

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Favorites of December

Nuetrogena Lip Gloss in Nutri Berry

I'm not a big lip product fan, but this lip gloss is quickly changing that. I bought it when Target was having a buy one Neutrogena product, get the second one half off. Totally worth it.

Nuetrogena Foundation in Natural Ivory

I originally wanted the Maybelline Fit Me foundation, but they were out of my color. I think I remember hearing that skin clearing makeup is a bit of a gimmick, but I don't know, I think this is actually helping a bit. I really like this foundation, it's light, the right shade for me, and it covers pretty well.

Pixi Eyeliner in Black Silk*

I have fallen in love with liquid eye liner because of this. I did a complete review on this product, so you can see my full thoughts on it there, but I use this more than my other eyeliner. I love the wear it has and the ease of application.

Boots Makeup remover wipes

I apparently have been using some crappy wipes before this. I usually use an astringent after removing my makeup, and it's pretty obvious at how much I missed. When I first tried these out (bought on a whim because I saw they were on sale), I wasn't expecting much due to my past experience. It takes off the majority of my makeup, eye and all, leaving just a small amount left over. I was so shocked, I fell in love immediately.

Boots Beautiful Skin Night Cream

Night creams are really important to me. Despite my extremely oily skin, I need some sort of moisture after I wash my face at night or it feels tight and dry. The smell has grown on me, and I really like how light this cream is. It feels like I don't have a lotion on when I go into bed, and when my face is glued to a pillow, that's a good thing.

Sally Hansen Wine Not

I used to be obsessed with reds. Over the past couple of years, that obsession fizzled out. When I reviewed the SH Insta Gel Strips I fell back into love, and have been wearing this color for the majority of the month. While I was reviewing that product, I went out and bought the bottle form of the color because I loved it so much. It's beautiful, and I really like the Complete Salon Manicures brushes, it's probably my favorite brush.

China Glaze Ruby Pumps

This has, no joke, been on my toes for the entire month. I think I took it off briefly to apply Wine Not, only to apply Ruby Pumps on top the next day (removal was horrific, I don't recommend doing that). I bought this color last year, but I didn't give it too much thought until now. Definitely a favorite for the holiday season.

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Those are my favorites of December! I don't usually have monthly favorites, but I was thoroughly pleased with the products I tried/used this month. What are some of your favorites?

*-PR Sample

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Favorites of September!!

Woo! I actually have a couple of favorites this month. It hardly happens, normally it's empties, or rediscoveries. I feel like this month went by so slowly.

First off: Kate Spade purse

I have been looking for a structured purse for a while now. This one is beautiful. It's a tote style without any type of closure; it's main downfall. I can review it, and go into detail if you wish, I have just been LOVING this bad boy. It is the Wellesley Elena in Porcelain. I bought mine at an outlet for half off (steal!). My favorite details on this bag are the pink and red polka dot lining, and the rivets with spades indented in them.

Essie Size Matters

A toe staple this month! I have yet to switch to something else.

Mark Help Wanted

My favorite face wash of all time. It's an exfoliating cleanser that lathers up real nice. It works wonders on my skin, and it's always a pleasure when I revert back to using it.

Mark Self Sanctuary

I love this body wash so much. The smell is something that needs to be smelled, rather than described, and it's the only wash that the scent actually stays on my skin afterwards. I use this when I need a real pick-me-up, and it is just a luxurious experience.

Nail polish remover jar

This one is a generic one. I love how easy it is to remove the polish without having a multitude of cotton balls lying around. I do not use this for glitter, though. Too messy!

Kate Spade wallet

It is the Grant Park Stacey in Eggplant. Love this little wallet. It's a simply bifold, with plenty of slots for my cards, and 4 pockets for easy access with a zipper on the back. I recommend trying the sipper first, I had issues with the one I bought so I brought it back, and 2 others in the store were having issues. Yikes! Not good when you're paying $100 for a wallet (mine was half off [$40-someting], they were having a good sale).

Suave Professionals hairspray

I love this line. I also have the dry shampoo, and they both smell amazing! They go well together if I happen to use them both. This is the only thing that will prevent the baby hairs from sticking up. It wont tame them if they're already up, but they help prevent them from sticking out like I rubbed a balloon on my head. Drives me insane.

Solid Shampoo - Basin

I am loving solid shampoo in general. Right now I'm using a lemony one from Basin. I need to pick up more.. I end up only using this every other day, and it makes my hair look so alive, and smooth.

Guerlain Meteorites

I love these little balls. I want to buy another one (so expensive!), since this one is probably about 4+ years old. There still is a lot left, too! It sets my makeup, and it has a really nice scent to it. If you can smell these bad boys, do it. It's really pleasant and not over powering in the slighest.

I also have a manicure of the month, which is this one: Clicky!

What are some of your favorites? Have you had any rediscovered favorites?

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All time favs | nail polish

This group of polish are the ones that I know I can just swipe on, and be happy. They're easy choices, and my go to when I'm stumped on what I want to wear.

Essie Cute As A Button

A toe must! This is my favorite color for my toe nails, and that's really the only place I wear it. I don't like the way it looks on my finger nails, so I just keep it for my toes.

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OPI Brisbane Bronze

Probably my favorite color out of all the ones that I own. When I wear it, I prefer my nails to be short, and even. It looks so much better that way.

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Julep Freida

The newest of the bunch. It really compliments my skin tone, and I wish it wasn't so gosh darn expensive! I will repurchase when I run out, hopefully Julep keeps them in stock.

OPI Mermaid's Tears

Another one that I feel looks great on my skin tone.

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Essie Mint Candy Apple

A classic, I don't know of anyone who doesn't love this color. It's a fantastic shade for any season.

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Zoya Phoebe

I love matte nail polishes for a quick, and last minute manicure. It looks great matte, and equally wonderful with a glossy top coat over it.

swatch: matte | glossy

What are some of your favorite nail polishes?

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July Favorites - So much pink!

I don't know why, but I have been on a pink nail polish kick this month. This is only what you've seen as "favorites", you don't want to know how many I actually wore! It's an addiction, and believe it or not pink is not my favorite color. I know right, who knew?

Nail Polish

Essie Your Hut or Mine

Julep Freida

Essie Pink-a-Boo

Julep Ellie

Aveeno Daily Detoxifying Scrub
The Aveeno scrub smells so good! I got it as a sample from the summer Target bag. It works really well, I want to get a full sized bottle of it. 

Rebecca Minkoff Raffia Mini Mac

I don't know why, but I am obsessed with smaller bags for summer. To me, summer is about being airy and free. Not being boggled down by a huge purse. It looks small, but it holds a lot! Much more than my little black purse does.

What is your favorite color to wear during the summer?  Do you prefer bright colors, or neutral ones?

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Favorites of May

I finally have a favorites post! Lately I haven't been wearing a color more than one day. These two I have worn on multiple occasions, and are definitely two of my favorite manis of this year.

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