February Favorites
This February has been so much fun, mainly because of all the beautiful weather we’ve been having. Our Winter was really harsh this year compared to normal, but it was also very short lived which I’m really happy about. I hate the cold, so the fact that we’ve been having 80 degree sunny days the past few weeks have made me so happy! I’m also really happy because I’ve discovered a lot of new favorites this month, most of which I didn’t see coming. Those are always the best!
If you’ve kept up with my blogs and social media, then you might already know that we have been doing some serious renovations in our house almost immediately after returning home from our honeymoon. Well, now that all the painting is done and the new floors are in I’m really able to focus on decorating. I hadn’t decorated much before, especially the walls, because I didn’t know what the house was going to look like after the renovations and thought it’d be easier to match things once the changes were made. I’ve finally been adding a few pieces in as I can find them and my office is coming together beautifully!
The pink that I had on the walls before was fun for a while, but this new neutral tone with the gold accents are exactly what I wanted! The smaller frames are some that I featured in a DIY makeup wall art post, the white frame that says “Messy bun and getting stuff done” came from Hobby Lobby, and the gold “C” is something I’ve had for years. We also found the most perfect mirror on sale at Kirkland’s. I’ve wanted an oversized mirror forever and now my patience has finally paid off.
It’s been almost a year since I had my horrific hair bleaching incident and up until this point, I was able to hide it enough with the rest of my hair to keep it unnoticeable...for the most part. But with my hair getting longer and longer, it was getting more difficult to disguise. I was due for a haircut anyway and decided with my stylist to go a little shorter and work that piece in with the rest of the layers. It’s so much shorter than it was and took a little getting used to at first. It’s been close to four years since my hair was this short! Since there’s not as much weight on my hair now, it’s holding a lot more volume and who doesn’t want that?!
As far as skincare is concerned, I tried two new creams this month that really impressed me. The first is the Chuda Hydrating Cream. It’s more of a multipurpose balm that I’ve been applying all over the place. I’ve used it on my cuticles, fine lines, and underneath my eyes. It’s like nothing I’ve ever used before and I get excited every time I use it. A little bit goes a long way with this stuff, so I’m sure this jar will last me quite a while!
The second lotion is the Seacret Mud Therapy Hand Cream. My sister gave this to me for either Christmas or my birthday. I’m not exactly sure where she got it, but it’s one of the most moisturizing hand creams that I’ve ever had. It’s really thick and almost leaves behind a greasy feeling. I know that probably doesn’t sound that great, but it’s nothing too bad like not being able to open a door or anything like that. Both of these are really great products to use right before bed so they can work their magic overnight.
I like to use setting sprays to finish my makeup, but I’m pretty bad at always remembering to do so and then sometimes I feel like they don’t always work. As you might have seen on my Instagram, I’ve been using these Evian Facial Sprays lately and have been absolutely loving them. They not only help to set your makeup, but you can also use them throughout the day as a nice refreshing pick-me-up. They come in travel sizes, like the one shown below, so it’s easy to carry around in your car or purse. The mist is very fine and feels a little cooling when it comes out of the can. I can’t wait to use this during the hot Summer days this year!
Another skincare product I recently tested out are the VIIcode Oxygen Eye Masks. I just recently posted a full review on these with all the details, but basically they’re just amazing. I’ve tried so many products and creams for firming my under eye area and nothing has ever worked (aside from that Chuda cream). I used these a few times a week in the morning and they firm my under eye area so well, allowing for better makeup application. It’s crazy how well these work!
One of my flaws that I don’t appreciate about myself are my under eye circles. It doesn’t matter if I get four or fourteen hours of sleep, it’ll still look like I pulled an all-nighter. I’ve watched Emily Noel on Youtube for years and trust everything she has to say. She did a review on this L’oreal True Match Color Correcting Crayon in the shade Peach and I had to run out and buy it immediately. I’ve been testing it all month and I really do think it makes a difference! I apply it over my foundation, only where I have the most purple under my eyes. I blend it in with a sponge and apply a skintone concealer over top of it. I was worried that it’d be too much product under my eyes, but this is so lightweight I can’t even feel it. I definitely recommend checking this out!!
I totally didn’t need another eyebrow product in my current rotation, but this Maybelline Brow Precise Micro Pencil went sent to me from Influenster and there was no way I was gonna put it to the side. And I’m glad I didn’t! I fell in love with this pencil on the first application! I’ve heard so many good things about this pencil for the longest time, but I always passed it up when I was in the store. I can’t believe I underestimated it as much as I did. This is the smoothest brow pencil I’ve ever used, which makes for super fast application. The shade Soft Brown matches me perfectly, I’ve been using it constantly since I got it!!
You might not believe me on this next one, but I’ve actually used highlighters quite a few times this month. I never add highlighter into my makeup routine because I hate being any more shiny than my extremely oily skin already makes me. I have a natural, built-in highlighting machine and I hate it.
I forced myself to test the Pür Cosmetics Bronze & Brighten Cheek palette from my January Boxycharm and I actually kinda liked the extra dimension it added to my cheeks. I messed around with a few others that I had sitting around and the Ofra Rodeo Drive highlighter was my second favorite, which I already knew I loved using as an eyeshadow. They’re both very similar in color, but they’re extremely different in consistency. The Pür Cosmetics one can almost be too buttery sometimes that it’s difficult to get onto a brush.
Another great Ofra product is this magnetic palette that came in this month’s Boxycharm. I needed a new empty palette like this so bad, and I’m really excited this one showed up when it did. I thought the opening of it would be annoying or difficult to work around, but it’s actually not that bad at all. I’ve put in some of my extra Makeup Geek, Mac, and Ofra eyeshadows in it, along with two other blush pans that needed a home.
Pixi is a brand that I haven’t showed much interest in before and I’m not exactly sure why. Up until recently, I think I had only tried two of their products. I guess it’s just a brand that had never really caught my attention before. They sent me two packages within the past few months and I have been in absolute awe at how amazing they all are. Y’all know I can’t stand matte liquid lipsticks, but theirs are the most comfortable ones I’ve ever worn. And all the colors are neutral so they’re also super flattering and match with everything. I have a full review coming up on these that will be posted on Monday!
Their Rose Caviar Essence and the Rose Flash Balm are also amazing. I typically have been using the Rose Caviar Essence in the morning or when I need more of a serum on my skin. The Rose Flash Balm has been my go-to moisturizer after my intense face mask routine. They both smell like I have a dozen roses on my face and they leave my skin feeling so soft. I love it!!
With my oily eyelids, eyeliner has always been a little difficult. Pencil eyeliners don’t stay in place on their own (although I do have a hack to fix that) and liquid liners leave behind too harsh of a line for my personal preference. I’ve only tried one other gel eyeliner before and remember really enjoying it so I saw this Elf Cream Eyeliner in the shade Coffee on sale at Target for $1.50, I obviously didn’t think twice about it. I never knew I’d love it as much as I do! I love the brown shade with my eyes more than I like black eyeliner, even though looking at it in the pot makes me think of chocolate. But aside from the color, the formula is also super smooth, easy to apply, and lasts all day long without budging.
I think I’ve found more lip products than anything else this month. Also on sale with the eyeliner, I found the Elf Lip Kiss Balm on sale and picked up the shade Bare Kiss. It’s a really lightweight tinted lip balm that actually provides a very decent amount of color. I also notice a nice tingling sensation almost like there’s some type of mint ingredient in it.
I’ve had a L’oreal Infallible Lip Paint before, but it was more of a grayish purple that wasn’t what I expected although the formula was very comfortable. I picked up the shade Spicy Blush this month and absolutely love it. It’s kinda like a gloss, but it’s not really shiny. It just makes the lips look healthy. Both of those products were also Emily Noel recommendations. She never gets it wrong!!
The product that surprised me the most was the Girlactik Matte Lip Paint in the shade Posh that I got in last month’s Boxycharm. I am so beyond over this whole matte lip trend, but the formula of this wasn’t actually that bad at all. It looked the most flattering on my lips compared to other matte lip products I’ve tried, aside from the Pixi ones, and the color was a lot more wearable than I initially expected it to be.
This last product is one that I haven’t quite figured out whether it’s a true favorite or not, but figured I’d mention it anyway. After my last Seche Vite got so thick halfway through the bottle, I thought about looking into a better top coat. I had heard good things about the Essie Gel Setter top coat and although I do like it, I don’t know if it’s really extending the wear time of my polish as much as I would like it to. Sometimes my polish stays on an entire seven days and other times, it peels off within two days.
I’m starting to think it might be my base coat, so I’m gonna be switching that up next and see if it gets any better. Other than that, it does make my nails nice and shiny. I just don’t like how long it takes to dry completely. I’m so used to Seche Vite becoming rock solid after five minutes. This one takes a good hour or more before I don’t have to worry about banging my nails on anything. Plus, it’s not exactly any cheaper than Seche Vite either. I'll keep you updated!
With all this warm weather we’ve been having, I can’t wait to officially move into March and be out of the Winter months. And I hope it brings just as many wonderful new finds as these past two months did! This is starting off to be a great year!
If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave them for me in the comments section below. What were some of your favorite products this month? Is there a base coat you would recommend I try?
~Christina~
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