This winter, my skin has been especially dry. My problem areas are my elbows, lower legs, feet, and hands. I'm assuming most of you ladies have the driest skin around these parts too because they are exposed to the cold the most. So let's talk about my winter skin saviors this year. I've never really stuck to a good moisturizing routine, but now that I'm starting to this year, I've noticed that my skin is so much more comfortable and supple. I will apply most of the products below right after I get out of the shower, and of course continue to re-apply my hand cream and lip balm over the course of the day. My skin has never been happier.

Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Deep Moisture Body Milk

Earth Therapeutics Foot Repair Therapeutic Balm

The Body Shop Shea Hand Cream

Burt's Bees Mint Cocoa Moisturizing Lip Balm

Blogmas 2017: Day 8 : Winter Beauty Haul

Hey all. I have an Ulta and Sephora haul to share with you beautiful ladies today.
All these items were purchased before Black Friday. That doesn't mean I didn't do any shopping on Black Friday. Oh no no. I spent wayyyy too much money online shopping as I do every year. Mostly for myself, no shame there. But no, all these goodies below were purchased about a month ago, I've just been too lazy to write this blog post until now.

Let's start with the stuff from Ulta:

Morphe M433 and M504 Brushes
My first ever Morphe brushes! I'm so happy that Ulta finally started carrying the Morphe brand. I've been lusting over their makeup brushes for over a year now, but could never bring myself to pay the hefty shipping price Morphe charges. I haven't used these suckers yet, but I have high hopes. Fingers crossed!

Morphe 35F Fall Into Frost Eyeshadow Palette
Let's just talk about the main feature in this haul here, my very first Morphe palette ahhhhhh. The feeling is surreal. I really hope this palette lives up to my expectations because I've been so excited to start using this. The fall into frost palette was my favorite out of all the current palettes. I think it offers the best shade variety in terms of colors and mattes vs. shimmers. Even the box it comes in is so lustworthy. I so desperately wish this palette came with a mirror on the inside, but I cannot complain since this baby was only $23 for 35 shadows, most of which are very useable shades. I can totally seeing this being my go-to palette this winter.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
This was a freebie gift because I spent more than like $50 on Clinique items. I'm a huge Clinique skincare fan, although I haven't tried a lot of their makeup products besides the foundation and powder. The lipstick is a pretty generous size and a universally flattering berry-brown shade. Not bad for a freebie!

Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder in "Stay Golden"
I finally used up my old Clinique pressed powder so it was time for a refill. I love using Clinique foundation and powders because they have use good ingredients, are oil-free, have a large variety of shades to pick from, and are relatively affordable. This is holy grail status and a product I'll continue to repurchase over the years because it's just so darn good. It locks in my makeup, removes shine, and adds just a touch of extra coverage to my foundation/concealer regimen.

L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer in "Light/Medium Warm"
My holy grail concealer from Milani was discontinued, so I needed a new concealer. I'm a fan of stick concealers and this one had good reviews. Although the crayon itself has a great formulation and applies very creamy with good coverage, the color is toooooo light for me. I'll be picking up a different shade in this range for sure though because the formula seems promising and similar the Milani Secret Cover Concealer that I've loved over the years.

Moving on to stuff from Sephora:

Fresh Nourishing Naturals Lip Duo
Despite their hefty price tag, the Fresh Sugar lip balms are one of my favorites. Some lip balms end up drying out your lips even more, but this one is extra creamy and rich. I've been meaning to try out their Sugar Cream Lip Treatments, so this set was a perfect opportunity to get one of my favorite lip balms and try out a new lip product.

Tarte Tarteist Pro To Go Amazonian Clay Palette
I got this palette specifically to travel with. I know that ever since losing my Naked palette while on vacation, I've been dead against traveling with high-end makeup products. But I just cannot bring myself to fall in love with drugstore eyeshadow palettes. Therefore, I decided that this $23 mini palette from Tarte is going to be my new travel buddy. I love this for so many reasons. It's tiny, sturdy, it's affordable, it has a mirror inside, and the shadows are right up my alley.

Sephora Collection Baby Z-Palette
Why the heck are Z-palettes are Sephora so cheap?! I got this "baby" size Z-palette to move my blush pans into, so that I could use my second, large-size Z-palette for more eyeshadow pans. But guys, this Z-palette can definitely hold more than 2-3 blush pans and probably even up to 8 eyeshadow pans. I'm very impressed.

Sephora Collection Colorful Eyeshadow in "Good Fortune Cookie"
I'll be honest, the only reason I got this is to boost my order up to free shipping status. I had low hopes for this, but it's actually quite a beautiful shade upon swatching. It has some glitter flecks in it, but isn't dripping with chunks of glitter. It may be too light for my skin tone since it's a light champagne gold, but I can see myself playing this shade especially over the holidays.

BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Eyeshadow & Highlighter Palette -- Review & Swatches

Hey guys! I have a very exciting blog post for you guys today. I recently got my hands on the Carli Bybel 14 Eyeshadow & Highlighter Palette from Ulta that has gorgeous, no...absolutely scrumptious, golden and bronze hues for everyday wear.

The first two rows have 10 eyeshadows with a mix of mattes and shimmers in various warm golden, bronze, and berry toned shades.

The bottom row has 4 highlighter shades. The first one seems to be a nice cool tone but the remainder of the three are warm, golden, and right up my alley.

Swatches of the eyeshadows start bottom up. The mattes are slightly chalky, but the shimmers are very buttery and have amazing color payoff with just one swipe.

Swatches of the highlights. The first highlight shade I found to be quite chalky, but the other three highlighter shades are very pigmented and easy to apply.


I won't lie, I haven't applied this to my eyes yet but I'm really looking forward to playing with the shimmer shadows in this palette. I'm not much of a highlighter fan, but I'm looking forward to testing the highlights on both my cheeks and my eyes. I love that this palette is full of warm toned shades with a mix of gold, bronze, and copper which are my favorite. There are also a couple purple-toned shades that I'm excited to try.

Favorites | February 2017

I can't believe it's been like a month since I last blogged. Surprise surprise, this year is flying by and I still haven't adjusted to the fact that it's 2017. January whizzed by in the ED, and February whizzed by in Step 3 study land and vacation. Not sure if I've mentioned this in my last post, but for the past two weeks I have been in Dubai and India with my mom for a bit of sightseeing and catching up with family. I'm planning on writing a separate blog post this upcoming weekend for my travel experiences and photos. For now, let's just say it was a really nice trip and it sucks to be back and have a rough three months to look forward to. The only good thing is that this week is going to be fairly light since I'm on nursery night shift for the next four nights and then I'm on my golden weekend with three days off. So nice slow transition back to work life until my next easy block in three months. I also have my eye appointment this week which I'm nottttt looking forward to.

Alright let's get to some favorites for this month. Sorry it's a tad late, I'm trying to post favorites at the end of each month, but I didn't have my laptop on this trip and it's really hard blogging on an iPad! Not too many favorites this month since I haven't had too much time to try out new products, but all o these are really amazing products nonetheless.

Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette, Nougat

I've been on a cool-tone rampage this month. I've also been playing a lot with my Chocolate Bar palette, especially with the cooler shades like Nougat, Puddin', and Rum Raisin. Of all three, I think Nougat is definitely my favorite. It's a beautiful matte dirty pink sort of shade that's a lighter brown with a hint of pink-mauve undertones. Really unique shade, at least in my makeup collection. And of course, the quality of these shadows is superb and they all blend beautifully. 

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Half-Baked

How's this for a makeup throwback. I dug this out of my eyeshadow drawer and have been wearing it quite a bit this month. I used to think this was way too bright of a gold, but I wore it this past month and I loved how it made my tired-sunken eyes pop.

L'oreal Voluminous Volume-Building Curved Brush Mascara 

The L'oreal Voluminous Mascara is at the top of my holy-grail mascara list. However, I usually go for the straight brush. While shopping at Ulta a couple months ago, I accidentally picked up the "Curved Brush" version. I didn't even know they made this mascara with this type of brush. But lo and behold, this ended up being a happy accident since I fricken love the curved-brush version of this mascara...even more than the original! The curved wand boosts up my lashes and makes them look more curled and fuller than with a straight wand, so this is definitely a must-try mascara. 

NYX HD Blush in Pink The Town

This has been my go-to blush this month. It has an interesting finish, it's mostly matte but has a hint of a satin-sparkle finish if you look at it carefully. The color is pretty ordinary but nevertheless it is a brightening peachy-pink blush without making your face look like a disco ball.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Cream Cleanser

I wanted to switch things up with month and try a new acne-specific face wash. I really like Neutrogena products and I decided to try the orange-colored tube of acne face wash from the sea of Neutrogena acne face washes they had at Ulta. I think it's reduced the number of fresh acne spots that have cropped up on my face this month, but I'm going to test out it for another few months before the final verdict is out on that. But like other Neutrogena face washes, it has menthol that makes your skin tingle, has a faint cucumber scent, and it did not cause me to have an adverse reaction.

Revlon Spring 2017 Mini Haul & Swatches

Happy Sunday! Actually not really one of the better Sundays I've had. This month on ED has disoriented me so much. I'm switching from evening shifts to overnight shifts to daytime shifts all over the place. It's been such an exhausting two weeks, can't believe I have two more left. The only good part is that it's going to be smooth sailing from here on out once this rotation is over. To make matters even worse, I woke up feeling sick this morning and only got 4 hours of sleep because I'm on backup call today. Oh and I'm taking Step 3 in less than a month and have been spending my rare days off studying. Pretty much the lowest point of intern year thus far.

I wanted to share an Ulta haul today. I bought a few goodies last week and have been playing with them over the last few days. Revlon products were buy one get one free so I decided to pick up a few things from their new spring collection. There are soooo many new products at the drugstore this spring. It feels like every single drugstore brand is putting out a new collection. Revlon has always been one of my favorite drugstore brands, so I was super excited to try out some of their new launches!

Revlon Kiss Balm Lip Balm in Berry Burst -- I'm a sucker for tinted lip balms. I like the way these smell and the packaging. It has a pleasant fruity, berry scent and applies quite smoothly on the lips. I've been loving a sheer berry lip during the winter, and this one is perfect for those no-makeup makeup days. It's also buildable so if I do want a more opaque lip, it's achievable with this. The only con about this product is that it's not as hydrating as some other tinted lip balms out there.

Revlon Ultra HD Gel Lipcolor in Desert -- I haven't played around with this product all that much yet, so I can't give you my full opinion its application and longevity. However, it's a gorgeous pinky-brown that applies very smoothly on the swatch. I thought these would be full on opaque, but I like that it's more of a medium-opaque shade.

Revlon ColorStay Creme Eyeshadow in Caramel (710) and Chocolate (720) -- These cream eyeshadows are packaged very similarly to the Maybelline Color Tattoos so I'm assuming they are meant to be dupes. However, I personally think that these are better than the Color Tattoos. These apply much more evenly and smoothly compared to the Color Tattoos. I've worn the shade Caramel a couple times on top of my NYX Glitter Primer and I'm honestly in love. It's a gorgeous medium golden-bronze color brightens up my eyes and it lasts all day without creasing. The trick with these cream shadows is using a tacky primer underneath, such as the NYX Glitter Primer. My biggest gripe with the Color Tattoos was that they were a pain to apply without patchiness or fallout. What I love about these Revlon cream shadows is that they come with a mini brush that is perfect for applying the shadows and to evenly spread the color evenly.

I haven't played with the shade Chocolate yet, but I was a bit disappointed at how dark the color is. I'm going to try and play with this some more, but it might end up being more suited as an outer corner or crease color more than an all-over-eyelid color. But the color still applies very evenly on the swatch, so the formula is very similar to Caramel.

Berry Burst, Desert, Caramel, Chocolate

Here are some swatches of the products above. Expect a few more hauls coming up in the next few weeks! Oh and plus, this weekend Ulta launched a 20% off coupon so expect a few more goodies from Ulta to be showcased here in the next week! :)

Bath & Body Works Haul

Survived the first week of my Emergency Medicine rotation! Oh my gosh, even though it's been only one week, it feels like it has been a whole month. The shifts go by fast, but it is just so exhausting especially during the cold and flu season. I have today and tomorrow off, and it feels soooooo nice, even though most of my days off have been spent studying for Step 3.

Like every year, I bought a crap ton of stuff from Bath & Body Works during their winter Semi-Annual Sale. I love their shower gels, so I stock up each year during the winter sale. I think I got a good mix of stuff this year, so I'm super excited to be sharing it with y'all.

Yummm, the shower gels. I picked up 7 scents this year. I've been a huge fan of the B&BW shower gels for over two years now. They lather so well and the scent lingers even after I step out of the shower, which is a huge plus. This year, I tried to get a mix of scent families. Amongst my favorites Snowflakes & Cashmere, Peony, and Velvet Sugar.
My favorite of the bunch would have to be Velvet Sugar. I love the packaging and the shower gel smells just like candy, but it's not sickly sweet like Vanilla Bean Noel is. Vanilla Bean Noel has a veeeery sweet sugar cookie scent, but I'm hoping that it's not as overpowering on my skin. I'm obsessed with Cashmere Glow scent, but they didn't have it in the full size, so I purchased the travel size instead for trips and such. Snowflakes & Cashmere smells pretty similar to Cashmere Glow, so I'm happy I snagged that baby up. I was a little sad that Peach Bellini and Mango Mandarin smelled so similar to one another. I still love the freshness of each scent and can't wait to use them during the summer. Of the bunch, Freesia was a huge disappointment. It smells like laundry detergent. Yuck, that's the biggest downside of ordering online -- you can't really smell it before you purchase it. But still beats shopping in a busy little boutique and standing in the long line.

I also picked up some foaming hand soaps. Again, love these. I used to buy just regular Up & Up hand soaps from Target, but I bought a few for my new apartment last summer and fell in love. And never looked back! I currently have holiday-themed hand soaps in my kitchen and bathroom, so I picked up some for the spring when those run out. The pictures on these look so spring-y!

I burned through the last bit of my favorite candle, Marshmallow Fireside, so of course I had to pick another one up. The packaging on this year's candle looks oh so adorable.

I finally ran out of antibacterial hand gel, so it was time to restock. These 5 came in a set, I'm blanking on the name. I love the packaging and honestly there's not a scent I dislike in this bunch. My favorite is "On Christmas We Wear Pink". Super sparkly and smells like a cupcake.

Last but not least, I got a new antibacterial gel holder. This is sooooo sparkly and gorgeous, the picture does not do it justice. Looks beautiful on my black crossbody bag.

That's it for this haul! I've been shopping a ton over the last few weeks, so be expecting a Target and Ulta haul soon. January is definitely going to be the month of haul posts! Toodles <3 

Blogmas 2016 : Day 2 : November Favorites

OMG THIS IS MY 100TH POST! :) time flies....

Hey beautifuls! Just got back from having dinner with some friends in Manhattan. Funny story, I left the bar at 10:30pm because I wanted to be safe. But to my surprise, the trains and subway stations were full of families, students, white collar workers, tourists, and tons of alone young females like myself. Granted I was riding the subway from the upper west side to midtown and then to Little Neck, which are all relatively safe areas but I literally thought I would be the only lone female on the trains that late at night. Guess it really is the city that never sleeps!

So today, I wanted to share my November favorites with you guys. I've been wearing a lot more makeup this month and have a few goodies to rave about. A lot of the products I have been using this month have been oldies but goodies that I've raved about tons of times in previous posts. So to avoid repeating myself, I'm just going to feature products that are new to me that have stood out this month.

Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Redemption Eyeshadow Palette
I went home to Pittsburgh for two weeks in early November and this was the only palette I took with me. While I'm not a huge fan of all the shadows in this palette, I love love love the golden and bronze shades (6th and 7th shades from the left).  Many people compare this palette to the UD Naked 1 palette and it is a pretty good dupe palette, but not all of the shadows are exact dupes. For example, the color that correlates to the Toasted shade from the Naked palette is much more purpley in the Makeup Revolution palette, and the shade corresponding to Hustle is more olive-green in this palette. However, I'm so so so happy that my two favorites from the Naked palette, Half Baked and Smog, are exact dupes of the 6th and 7th shades in this palette. The quality of all the shadows in this palette is excellent and they blend easily. In a nutshell, if you are looking for something similar to the UD Naked 1 palette but aren't willing to shell out $54 for the original, try this palette but be aware that not all of the shades are exact dupes.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Fanciful
This blush was part of Sephora's Fanciful Favorites set for Black Friday in 2015. I rediscovered it in my stash this month and haven't been able to put it down. It's a gorgeous medium rose pink shade that looks beautiful on medium-deep skin tones.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light
How gorgeous does this face powder look? I have to say this is probably one of my most exciting discoveries this month. I purchased this a month or so ago, but this has quickly climbed to holy grail status for me. I love the subtle highlight and warm, bronzed glow this gives my cheeks which makes my skin look radiant. Another must have for those with medium-deep tones!

Wet & Wild Powder Brush
A beautiful, soft, affordable powder brush that I've been using this month as a backup for my Real Techniques Powder Brush to apply my setting powder. I'm so amazed at the quality of this brush despite the super cheap price tag! These are only $2.99 and you can often find a deal on top of that at drug stores. Definitely going to be picking up a few of their other brushes in this collection!

The Body Shop Hand Cream in Shea
I've definitely mentioned this in previous favorites, but I had to mention it again! I've tried so many hand creams recently, but I keep coming back to this sucker. It hydrates my hands without leaving a greasy runny residue and smells divine. I love that it has a mild fragrance that's not overpowering. I also find that a lot of hand lotions have a floral scent that I can't stand, so I'm very happy that his one just smells like a simple, clean buttery vanilla.

Bolthouse Farms Greek Yogurt Dressing in Peppercorn Ranch
Such a silly thing to put in my favorites, but I had to share my love for this dressing! I love using ranch for vegetable dip and salad dressings, but most ranch dressings are full of fat, salt, and sugar. I saw this at the grocery store recently and purchased it and oh my gosh I'm in love. This tastes just like full-fat ranch but it's only 40 calories and only a few grams of fat. Hopefully this encourages to eat more salads this month ;)

#healthyholidays Day 2 -- ate four servings of veggies today!

Beauty Haul!

Welcome to Thanksgiving week! It's officially the week of stuffing our faces with turkey and getting a head start on holiday shopping. November is always the worst financial month for me. There are soooo many amazing deals going on that I tend to overspend every single year in November. December is pretty bad too, but not nearly as bad as November. But how can I resist all the pretty makeup and packaging and holiday decor and ornaments and treats and etc etc?!

As with every year, I got my 20% off VIB coupon for Sephora in the mail earlier this month and of course, I had to go shopping. I was going to buy a lotttt of stuff because I had to spend $200 to renew my VIB status, but after a lot of thought I've decided to just give up on the VIB program. I've been a VIB member for two years now and have finally realized that it's just not worth it. Every year I force myself to spend $350 on products I don't really use just to keep being a VIB member. And to be honest, the rewards just aren't that worth it. Sure you get exclusive deluxe rewards and stuff and yearly coupons, but I just don't buy that much makeup at Sephora anymore to justify being a part of their rewards program. So for next year I think I'm going to switch to Ulta for all of my beauty stuff. You only have to spend $450 per year, which is quite easy to do if you buy all your beauty stuff there -- cleansing wipes, cotton rounds, Q-tips, face washes, etc...it adds up! They carry literally everything I need from drugstore and high-end sides, and I just feel like I have a much more fun experience shopping at Ulta than at Sephora. The Ulta rewards program also seems much more robust with points contributing to dollar values off, 20% off everything coupons 3-4 times a year, and more points earned per purchase. But I barely shopped at Ulta this year so I figured I'd start that in 2017.

Okay enough chatting. Now to talk about the goodies I got.

Clarisonic Mia 2 in Gray -- yes I finally got a Clarisonic!!! My skin has been breaking out like crazy over the last month. I don't know if it's hormonal or from inadequate skin cleaning, so I decided to try out the Clarisonic brush. Apparently it's way more efficient than manual cleansing, so let's see if my breakouts are really from me not washing my face adequately at night. Clarisonic recently had a sale where the dark gray Mia 2 was 50% off on their website so I jumped right on it and got it for only $85! Steal of the season.

Beauty Blender with Mini BlenderCleanser Solid -- Another beauty staple that I just purchased for the first time. I've been applying my favorite Clinique foundation with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush for the last few months and I feel like I cake on my foundation. I decided to try the beauty blender to help my foundation go on more seamlessly. Plus, using a brush really drags on your skin, so I'm hoping this causes a little less damage to my skin when applying ze foundation.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion -- Okay for some reason this was on sale for $10 (it's usually $20). I thought I was going to get the baby size, but nope I got the huge wonking full size one! I have no idea why this was on sale for half off because this product is definitely not discontinued. Maybe they were just getting rid of product in the old packaging? In any case, this is one of my holy grail, everyday products that I was running out of and looks like I'm going to be good on primer for the next five years!!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light -- Hourglass just came up with itty bitty baby sizes of their lighting powders that were oh-so-raved-about two years ago. I never picked one up when they first came out because I'm not one for fancy highlighters and powders (especially when they cost $46 a pop), but when I saw smaller sized ones for half the price I figured I'd try it out. Plus, the Becca highlighters are way too shiny for me, and this one seems like a much more subtle highlight for everyday wear. It looks gorgeous on the swatch so I have high hopes for this product!

Sephora Collection Push Back Cuticle Pusher -- I love doing at-home manicures, but with the winter my cuticles get really dry and start flaking. I've always wanted to buy a cuticle pusher, but they're sooo expensive! When I saw this one on sale for $7 along with my coupon, I knew I had to get it. Hoping this pretties up my nails for an even better at home manicure!

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Fresh Cut Split End Mender -- I got this as a 100 point perk. I've been meaning to try something for the ends of my hair because they get sooo dry. Not sure if this product is really meant for that. I don't get split ends as often as I used to because I don't heat style as much, but with all the pulling and tugging I do for my curly hair, I'm sure I still rack up a few split ends. The reviews seem good so fingers crossed that my dry hair days have come to an end!



So that's all the gems I picked up at this holiday season's Sephora spree. I know Black Friday is just around the corner and there are sooooo many beauty goodies on the preview ad for Sephora and Ulta. BUT I'm going to be a good girl this year and probably won't buy anything from those sales. Instead my money is going to Kohl's  (and possibly Ann Taylor/LOFT). Kohl's has an AMAZING Black Friday sale every year and I just put in a huge ass order this morning for a ton of wardrobe and home staples I needed.
But anyways I hope you all have a great work week, and expect a blog post up on what I did this Thanskgiving (my first one alone in a new city!).

October Favorites ♥

Welcome to November! Crazy to think that this year is just flying by and it's almost time for Christmas. Is it almost time for 24/7 Christmas carols on the radio yet? That's my favorite time of the year. Although this year is going to be a little sad because I'm going to be alone without family for the holidays for the first time. I think after Christmas is going to be even more sad. That time of the year just gets really really depressing.

I finally started playing around with makeup again towards the middle of October! God, I missed makeup. My favorites this month definitely have a common theme. Sheer rosy lip colors and brown neutral shadows pretty much summarizes it. Oh and plus a lot of these are rediscoveries and have been featured in previous favorites, so expect nothing new and shiny here :)

Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Purely Naked -- I've had this on my eyelids most of October. This is my perfect everyday all-over-the-lid shade that's mostly matte with just a touch of sparkle and sheen. It makes a beautiful matte eye look when paired with Frappe in the crease and Peach Smoothie in the inner corner. This brand makes amazing matte eyeshadows, highly highly recommend if you're new to makeup and want high-quality but decently priced matte eyeshadows.

Burberry Wet/Dry Silk Eyeshadow in Pale Barley -- I really disliked this product when I first purchased it. However, after wearing a few times this this month I realized that it's actually a pretty unique shade in my collection. It doesn't make my eye area look dull and saggy like most other cool-toned taupe brown eyeshadows do, and brightens my eyes without looking too crazy or out-there. Plus, the formula of these shadows is buttery and silky, just like the name suggests. Oh, and let's be honest -- the classic Burberry packaging is everything.

Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment -- How did I not become obsessed with this product earlier?! I've seriously had a hard time putting down this baby down for the last few weeks. It's such a beautiful sheer rosey-pinky-red color for the fall. Mixed with the sleek packaging and lemon-sugar scent of Fresh products, it's a true winner this month.

Fresh Sugar Shine Lip Treatment in Rose -- When I haven't been wearing the Rose tinted lip treatment, I've been wearing the lip gloss equivalent. Again, a beautiful sheer deep pink-red color for the fall with a delicious lemony sweet scent and super easy application even when you're not near a mirror. Agreed with the name, this product definitely makes your lips shine!

Dior Addict Lip Gloss in Diablotine -- Told you this month it's all about the sheer red glosses and lip balms. I'm sure you guys recognize this lip gloss from multiple other posts. Dior Addict glosses have quickly become my favorite glosses on the market. I truly feel like a princess every time I carry one of these tubes in my bag. I haven't reached for this color too much before this month, but I don't know why. This color is a beautiful watermelon pink that applies so easily on the lips and leaves them super glossy and shiny. Love, love, love the brush applicator.

Sephora Daily Brush Cleanser -- Silly thing to love this month, but one of my new goals for the remainder of the year is to wash my makeup brushes more frequently. I used to hate the old formula of this cleanser because it was so greasy and left an oily residue on my hands and the brushes after I cleaned them. However, they recently re-formulated it and it's soooo much better! No more greasy residue, and my brushes are left super clean and soft.

Ulta Fall Haul ♥

Did I need new makeup? Definitely not. But I couldn't resist! I was going through my makeup collection the other day and realized I hadn't gone makeup shopping in months. Seriously, I think the last time I bought new makeup was back in December. So naturally, I felt like I needed some new goodies to play with, and rushed out to Ulta. None of the products I got are new or limited edition. Drugstore brands haven''t really come out with exciting new collections this fall. So I decided to pick up a few things I've had my eye on for the past few months.

Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Redemption Eyeshadow Palette -- This palette is a dupe for the iconic Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow palette. I lost my UD palette a few years ago at a hotel, but cringed at the thought of shelling out another $50 to purchase a new Naked palette. When I saw this palette at Ulta for $7, I knew I had to get it. The colors seem identical to the UD Naked palette, and the reviews on these look excellent too. Expect a blogpost with this soon if all goes well.

Almay Smart Shade Lip Butter in Berry Medium -- Back about five years ago, I was obsessed with the Revlon lip butters. Last year, their sister company Almay released their own line of lip butters. I owned every single color in the Revlon lip butter line and thought nothing could come close to their formula...but I was mistaken. The Almay lip butters are so much creamier and apply seamlessly on the lips. I already own two colors in this line, but picked up this gorgeous berry shade for the fall and winter season. As with the Revlon lip butters, my favorite part is that they are the perfect consistency between a lipstick and tinted lip balm, and are not too sheer but not too opaque either.

Palladio Shadow & Liner Herbal Crayon in Iced Coffee -- Palladio is another makeup brand that is new to Ulta. The crayons were on sale at Ulta, so I decided to pick one up and try it. The color is a cool taupe that I think would look pretty as a liner brighten up the eyes on a no makeup day.

NYX Cosmetics Hot Singles Eyeshadows in Sex Kitten and Gold Lust -- NYX makes some of the best drugstore eyeshadows. This particular formula is one of their older ones, but is my preference over their newer Prismatic eyeshadows. Mainly because I can depot these and pop them in my Z-palette. Second because the packaging and product is more sturdy. I picked up these two shades because they're gorgeous, everyday colors that make an essential addition to my Z-palette.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blush in Flushed -- How gorgeous is this blush. Such a beautiful bright, watermelon pink color that's like a mattified version of Benefit's Bella Bamba. I definitely don't have a color like this in my collection, which is why I had to get my hands on it this fall. It would make a gorgeous color for the summer, but I could also see it giving that just-came-out-of-the-chill flush to the cheeks.

Nivea A Kiss of Milk & Honey Soothing Lip Care -- I have no shortage of clear lip balms. In fact, I have an embarrassing amount compared to how often I actually remember to apply lip balm. But I was shopping at Ulta, and I couldn't help but pick this baby up. It's one of my favorite lip balms out there. The scent is uber yummy and cozy, and the most hydrating balm I've ever tried. I prefer it to the EOS lip balm, Chapstick, Burt's Bees, etc.

Soap & Glory Rich & Foamous Body Wash
Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Body Milk Lotion

I swear I had no intention of picking up this product when I first stepped foot in Ulta. But of course I was perusing the aisles, saw that Soap & Glory products were buy one, get the other half off and had to get this. I hate the classic S&G scent. Most people love it, but it makes me nauseous. So I thought no way in hell will I ever use any S&G body products. But I was wrong. I am obsessed with their Smoothie Star line. It smells like oats, almonds, and brown sugar...the most cozy, comforting scent for winter time. Luckily, winter also happens to be the season when my skin becomes parched and cracked and in desperate need of body lotion. I used to get the Bath & Body Works body lotions and butters, but they're all so richly scented it's sort of become off-putting to me. So I decided to try the S&G body lotion this winter because of the pleasing scent, the fact that the lotion comes with a pump ( I hate greasy lotion hands), and of course the cute pink packaging. As I was picking up the body lotion, I of course decided to get the body wash with the same oatmeal sugar scent. Cannot wait to use these babies this winter <3

Spring Discoveries ♥

Hey guys! Lonnnng time no talk. I'm finally getting started on packing my things, so things have been quite busy and hectic. I'm pretty much living at my parents house and going to my apartment a couple times each week to move stuff. It's coming along, slowly but surely. I only have my clothes, shoes, and scarves left to pack in my bedroom, sell my furniture, and then clean out the kitchen and bathroom. The thing that took the most energy (and caused alotttt of stress) this month was finalizing my housing arrangement. Long story short, I won't get my permanent apartment until July 1st, so I have to sublet until June 30th. I found a three-week rental on Air B&B in a house really close to the hospital, so I'm excited about that. Only downside is that I have to live with a family, so it's going to be a little different and not as private of an accommodation as I would've preferred. As for my permanent apartment, I managed to score one of the hospital-owned apartments at a really good deal! The rent is only $930/month, and that includes all utilities and is a short 5-minute drive to the hospital. I just have to suffer a bit until July rolls around, but it's going to be worth it!

So now that you know a little bit about this month's struggles, lets talk about some goodies I've been loving these last few months! Most of these are new discoveries I've made over the last two months. Spring has just creeped up and is almost over, so I need to start cherishing it a bit more before the summer officially begins in a few weeks. 

Clinique Even Better Foundation in Cream Caramel -- I bought this foundation over the winter since I needed a full-coverage product. This one is absolutely amazing! It's made with good ingredients, comes at a reasonable price in about 30+ shades, and provides medium-full coverage. It's a very lightweight foundation and has quickly become one of my holy grail products.

Clinique Stay Matte Sheer Pressed Power in Stay Honey -- I bought this powder to go along with my new Clinique foundation. Again, absolutely perfect and I have only good things to say about this product. Plus, look how cute that compact is!

MakeupGeek Eyeshadow in Purely Naked -- Although it looks fairly ordinary and boring in the pan, this eyeshadow is a new favorite everyday eyeshadow color. You can't see it in the photo above, but it has a few specks of glitter and some sheen so it's not a completely matte. It adds a little bit of color and brightness to my lid without looking too shimmery. Great work color!

EOS Lip Balm in Strawberry Sorbet -- I usually hate wearing lip balm. I can never get into my Burt's Bees lip balms no matter how much I try. I purchased this one because, hello it's pink and I love strawberry-scented everything. I can't put this lip balm down! It has a very natural, not-too-sickly sweet scent and leaves my lips extra moisturized. Not to mention, super fun to apply! 

Nivea In-Shower Cocoa Butter Body Lotion -- I never used to be the kind of girl who required daily moisturizing, but I've been noticing that my skin's been more patchy and scaly lately. I still hate moisturizing, so I decided to try this in-shower body lotion. It's pretty good! It definitely doesn't replace the need for a body butter or lotion if you have extra dry skin, but if you just have mildly dry skin like me, it will moisturize and leave your skin feeling smooth. Plus, its light cocoa butter scent is very exhilarating first thing in the morning!

Trim Slant Tip Tweezers -- Chances are that if you read any beauty blog about tweezers, they all talk about the Tweezerman brand, which come at around $25 a pop. Although I've never tried a pair of Tweezerman tweezers, these ones from Trim come for $1.99 at Target and work very well. I've always hated tweezing my brows, but these tweezers pluck hair efficiently and without a lot of pain!

Kirkland Signature Pacific Bold K-Cups -- These babies right here are why I'm considering getting my own Costco membership in my new city. K-Cups are super expensive and before discovering these, I was paying around $11 for a box of 18 K-Cups. Not horrible, but I'd be going to the grocery store every other week and was spending way too much on these, especially since I enjoy about 2 cups of coffee a day. I found these on sale at Costco last time I went, and I'm in love. I love me a strong, bold cup of coffee that doesn't taste like burnt -- these are perfect! They compare to the Starbucks medium roast coffee in my opinion and the Donut Shop Extra Bold Medium-Roast K-Cups that I used to love before these. They cost $37 for 100 cups which is a steal. Definitely try if you're a bold coffee lover like me!

The Good Table Parmesan and Herb Sauce and Crust Mix for Chicken -- I have so many food favorites this spring that I should do a separate blog post about all them. This one, however, stood out amongst them all. I love making chicken parmesan, but hate having to buy a big thing of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, only to throw them because I can't use the whole thing before the expiration date. This baby just changed my whole chicken parm game! This package allows me to make a delicious baked chicken parmesan in less than 30 minutes! And it's relatively low in the fat and sodium department since you can control how much sauce, crust mix, and cheese you put on each chicken breast. Definitely a must have for busy gals out there!