Thursday, December 4, 2014

Favorites and Disappointments November 2014 – Beauty and More

Here we are, at the end of November, and fully into the holiday season. Where did this year go?

November has been a pretty crazy month around here. I've spent a lot of the month behind a hospital mask, so I've kept my makeup routine fairly simple and the list below reflects that.

Let’s start with favorites first...

Lips: Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Galaxy
I read great things about this formula from several beauty bloggers, so I decided to try it out. After a thorough review of swatches online, I decided on Galaxy and Solstice. Between the two, Galaxy is definitely my favorite. The formula is nice and rich, applies like a gloss but has the coverage and staying power of a lipstick. The doe-foot applicator has an indentation which grabs the perfect amount of product to complete your whole mouth. Galaxy is mauvy plum with some shimmer, and fades to a nice stain with wear. This has been my go-to shade this month; I have reached for this more than any other because it goes with absolutely everything!

Eyes: Cream Eyeshadow
This month, I've pretty much stuck with a single cream eyeshadow followed by eyeliner and mascara. I've switched up the shadow, rotating through my collection, but the one that got the most wear was Ulta Color Coat Cream Eye Shadow in Shimmering Topaz (second month in a row!).

Face: NYX Cream Blush in Boho Chic
This is a very light pink cream blush which adds just the most subtle but natural hint of color to the cheeks. It helps perk up my complexion and make me look more awake when my skin is on the dull side. It is really hard to mess up when applying thi
s blush, which was perfect for such a crazy month.

Fragrance: Taylor by Taylor Swift
Taylor reminds me so much of my fragrance pick from last month, Killer Queen. The first time I wore it after trying Killer Queen, I swore I put on the wrong one later in the day! Now, it's really a toss-up between the two as to which one I want to wear, and I have to force myself to wear other scents.

Skincare: The Body Shop Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream
I've been dealing with two very dry patches on my face that weren't healing no matter what I put on them. I had to stop using face makeup for over 2 weeks because all it did was cling to them no matter what I did. I had a Groupon for The Body Shop and had heard great things about their skincare products, so I went in and asked their sales associate for advice. She suggested this product for during the day, and minimally using a night cream at night. She also mentioned that I could use this as a spot treatment if I wanted to use other moisturizers for the rest of my face. And while this hasn’t completely cleared up the dry patches, it has helped calm things down enough that I can wear makeup again. Also, I found that using a very moisturizing concealer like Benefit’s Fake Up is better on those areas than any other product.

Movie: Whiplash
Whiplash isn't the typical movie we usually go to see in the theater. But I had read great reviews, especially for the acting performances, so I took the kiddo to go see it. Briefly, the movie tells the story of a drum prodigy and his teacher who pushes him to be his best using some unusual methods. I thought it was a captivating portrayal of obsession, drive, and bullying from a different angle.

TV: Law and Order: SVU
Every time the hubby is in the hospital, we get sucked into watching marathons of SVU. It's addictive!

Other: The Body Shop, Black Friday sales

On to the disappointments... black eyeliners, eye pencils you have to sharpen


What things did you particularly enjoy this month?  What just didn't work for you?

(Pictures courtesy of Ulta, IMDB, and a few random web images)

No comments:

Post a Comment