July Favorites 2013

July is my favorite month of the entire year so writing about how it is the end of the month makes me extremely sad! I don't want summer to be over, but it's flying by me and I have so many things to do before I go back to school. I can't get too upset though because my best friend, Meghan,  who I haven't seen in months, comes home from Germany today! Without further ado, here are my July favorites!

Essie Topless and Barefoot: I have been absolutely loving this shade on my nails this month. For some reason I've let it sit in my nail polish collection untouched all summer long. Fortunately I've picked it up and rekindled our love with just enough summer left to enjoy it. I think when I tried this before it was in the dead of winter and I didn't like the stark contrast between ghostly pale white and the nude nail polish. But, now I've got what I call a "summer glow" (if you know me, that's a joke) and I think it is my perfect nude shade.

Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee in Poppy Paradise: I posted a haul with this blush and mentioned that I'd come back to post about how I was liking it. I obviously have not gotten around to a full review, but since this is a favorites post I think that says a lot about the product since it is included in here! Beautiful natural color that stays pretty much all day long.

Revlon Lash Potion Mascara: I'm not one to venture out to try new mascaras, but the packaging on this one got me. I love the formula and it doesn't clump. Not much else to say! It's great!

Psssst Dry Shampoo: I'm a dry shampoo fanatic lately because who has time to wash their hair in the summertime? Not me! I ran out of my Batiste Dry Shampoo and grabbed this at Walgreens. I'm in love. It's like every new dry shampoo I try is my new favorite. Maybe I'm on to something...

Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel: This is my everyday cleanser and it's basically an everyday all the time favorite so I felt like it needed a mention. This is a gentle cleanser that has never given me breakouts and I love the scent of herbs and freshness. This product was feeling left out of my blog so I needed to add it because I love it so much.

Caress Passionate Spell Body Wash: I ran out of this body wash in July and now I need to repurchase it because I love it that much. It's amazing. I suck at describing smells. Just go buy it. It's amazing.

What are your July favorites?

June Favorites 2013

So another month of summer has passed us by and it's time for my monthly favorites! I absolutely love reading favorites posts so I hope some of you enjoy reading them. It's always nice to know about new products out there, or old products that have become new favorites. Without further ado, my June 2013 favorites:

Blue Diamond Almonds - Blueberry (or Cinnamon!) - These are seriously scrumptious. I discovered them on an endcap at Target while roaming the food aisles and don't know why they're not featured in a stand all on their own. They're sweet and crunchy with the best blueberry taste which comes from real blueberry juice, not just some chemical flavoring. The cinnamon flavor is also amazing. I'm sure if you were to toast them in the oven for just a moment your whole house would smell like a summer festival where they sell the cinnamon nuts. YUM.

Essie's Sunday Funday - This nail polish was recently featured in my Cara Box Exchange post because my lovely new blog friend Samantha sent it to me. It's the perfect summer shade and I've already repainted my nails with this color about 8 times.

One Love Organics Morning Glory Serum - Although the scent of this is somewhat herbal and earthy smelling, the results I've experienced are quite impressive. It's a brightening serum/toner and I love how I feel refreshed after applying it. I don't have the full size because I bought a sample pack of the entire skincare regimen and will probably end up buying it once I finish the sample.

Nike SB Stefan Janoski Shoes - I purchased these in June because I work retail and have long hours of standing and walking to put clothes away. So I must say thank you to the kind girl at Zumiez who helped me find the right shoe with her smart suggestions. Retail girls have to stick together. But seriously, these are probably the most comfortable shoes I own aside from my Birkenstocks which I can't wear to work.

L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner - Smoothest, creamiest, longest lasting eyeliner ever. 'Nuff said.

Batiste Cool and Crisp Fresh Dry Shampoo - One question. Why did I not discover dry shampoo years ago? This would have made high school a breeze! Anyway, I've heard YouTube beauty gurus and beauty bloggers all over the world rave about Batiste dry shampoos so I jumped on the band wagon to see what it was all about. I'm in love. A lot of dry shampoos have a weird aerosol can scent that isn't what I want my hair to smell like, but Batiste dry shampoos have fun scents and the product itself does the job well.

What were your June favorites?

Cara Box Exchange with Samantha from Schottel Story

I'm sure my new friend Samantha could hear my squeal all the way across the country when I received my Cara Box in the mail today!

Included was a very sweet note along with gummy bears, two packs of Starbursts (I already ate one!), Dove dark chocolate, an adorable cardholder, a drink tumbler, two packs of bobby pins (how did she know I always need these!), two makeup brushes, and Essie nail polish in Sunday Funday all packaged in a very cute blue organizer!

I've already painted my nails with the new shade and I'm absolutely thrilled. This is the perfect color for me and has the subtlest hint of shimmer which is gorgeous. It's also a really great formula that is opaque in one coat.

Samantha from Schottel Story

I'm so thankful to have been paired with Samantha! If you haven't already checked out her blog, you can find her here. She posts about her "handsome man, wedding planning, student teaching, college life, being a retired college athlete, and most importantly God. I can't wait for my next Cara Box match, but I'll always remember my first match with Samantha.

Outfit Inspired by Evergreen Love by Misty Miller

I said this, this is great

And I hope that we can make

It last like evergreen love should

I feel Evergreen Love is a perfect song to represent summer romances. It's hopeful for the future and Misty's innocent lyrics allow the listener to feel light and happy. There are no hidden meanings, nothing that the listener must think about-- just pure, happy, lasting love.

Earrings-Etsy, Bag-ASOS, Nail Polish-Ulta, Dress-Forever 21, Necklace-Brandy Melville, Shoes-TOMS

This simple love song is pure and beautiful. How perfect for a beautiful spring or summer day? Summer love is uncomplicated, hopeful, and fun, just like this outfit. The on-trend high-low dress is floaty and romantic, the TOMS shoes are comfortable and classic, and the bag adds a bit of character as a feature piece.

You can listen to Evergreen Love by Misty Miller here.

If you have a favorite song you'd like me to pull outfit inspiration from I'd love to take suggestions!

April Favorites 2013

Well I'm going to sound like such a girl right now and say that this month went by so quickly. I'm not joking. It feels like just yesterday I was on my way back home for the half-marathon that took place the first weekend in April! Here in Minnesota it didn't start feeling like April until last Friday, so I am very happy that spring has decided to come out of hiding! Here are a few things I've been loving the past month!

I talked about the Pink Fresh and Clean body spray in my collection post, but the lotion is equally as amazing. I love that when you pair fragrances with the matching lotion the staying power is tripled! This is a great lotion and I've used it for years. I only recently started using it again as a daily lotion and I'm so happy I did!

If you've already read my post raving about the Neutrogena Hand Cream then it wont be a surprise to you that it is showing up in my favorites! I love that this is a multi-use cream and it is the best chapstick replacement ever. I don't think I'll ever buy chapstick again.

I bought this Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner awhile back because I had forgotten my Bioderma at my house in Wisconsin and needed something gentle to take off makeup and refresh my skin. I definitely believe this is a dupe for Bioderma and if you've ever purchased Bioderma in the states you'll appreciate the $4.00 price tag on the Boots version. I still love my Bioderma as a number one product, but since it's so expensive I've been happy using this as a substitute.

In my Bursting with Blushes post I mentioned the Revlon PhotoReady Coral Reef Blush and ever since that post I have been wearing this blush everyday. I'm so glad I found a coral/orangey blush I can pull off.

This Revlon Fearless nail polish is a perfect bright spring red. I don't usually go for reds in spring time, but I wore this for a week and a half and almost wanted to repaint my nails the same color because I loved it that much. I paired it with my new Essie Strength base coat and was very impressed with how long it lasted.

The Essie Fiji nail polish is the perfect baby girl pink. I think of a baby shower when I wear it because it is so creamy and cute. It does need two coats to be opaque, but I don't mind an extra coat for a perfect pink.

I've had the L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Brown for a long time and it lasts forever! I love that it is a creamy eyeliner that just glides right on. It doesn't drag my eye and you can smudge it easily to get that "smokey" eyeliner look. I've been wearing it only on my bottom lash line to create a darker look

Now for some Non-Beauty favorites of the month:

For the first part of April there was still snow on the ground here in Minnesota, but once the sun came out I finally got to test out my new Birkenstocks in the style Gizeh. I purchased them because of my plantar fasciitis and they have been amazing. I will be living in these shoes this summer. I won't need anything else. Ever.

My favorite song of the month has been "I Do Adore" by Mindy Gledhill. I love the ukulele and the happy upbeat lyrics. It feels like summer and I love to belt it out when I'm in the shower.

What are some of your favorites from this month?