January Favorites
This entire month has been so off for me! I think it was because I took an entire week off at the beginning of the month when my husband surprised me with a birthday vacation. Ever since then, I’ve been so confused as to what day it is. I’m also not completely sure I was ready for the new year to start and during January, I really spent some time thinking about what I want to come out of this year. Now I feel ready!
Lots of home favorites to mention this month! The first being this candle that my husband found at Target. We love soy candles and normally find some pretty good ones at TJ Maxx. But this Pineapple Splash candle is amazing. I know it’s Winter and I should be burning something warm like vanilla or cinnamon, I just can’t ever stay away from these sweet fruity scents! The soy candles really last so much longer and this scent can fill up our entire living room. It’s delicious!
I am so one of those people who sees something, but might not agree with the price so I convince myself that I can make it on my own for much less. It’s really a problem because it never works out that way. For example, I’ve been wanting a blanket ladder for the longest time. They can get ridiculously overpriced, so I found an easy tutorial online to put one together myself. The tutorial claimed it would be around $7, but because I had almost zero supplies at home already and I chose a higher quality wood, it ended up being around $25.
We finally got it put together and I love the way it looks. It’s been such a nice addition to the living room to hold our blankets. But when it was all said and done, I almost regretted not just buying a finished one in the first place. At least we have a story to go behind it...
It wasn’t my intention to bring in so many rustic decor elements in our house, it’s just kinda happening that way. I’ve ended up mixing in all of my more glam decor with some new shabby chic pieces, like that blanket ladder and this laundry basket. I was tired of carrying heavy baskets, so I picked up one of these metal ones one wheels at TJ Maxx and it has been wonderful! I’ll definitely be picking up more when I can find them. Not to mention that the actual act of pushing it is pretty fun!
I got this compost bin as a Christmas present for my husband. He’s been wanting to start a compost for our garden and this small bin is the perfect size for the kitchen. This one isn’t too much of an eye sore and it actually makes me feel like I'm doing something good when I put in coffee grounds, vegetables, and egg shells.
I only have one food item to mention this month and it is these Chocolate Liqueur Cherries from Trader Joe’s. We don’t have a Trader Joe’s anywhere near me and I don’t know if these are limited to the holidays, but they are delicious. I always ask for them for Christmas! Chocolate covered cherries are good, but these are like next level. I’ll be so sad when they’re gone!
Beanies started being a thing for me last year and I couldn’t wait to start wearing them again this Winter. The Neff daily beanies are my favorite and my husband got me this super cute Twill color for Christmas. I love this color because it matches with everything, but I especially love the way it pairs with my skin tone and hair color.
When we were on vacation for my birthday, we ended up at a TJ Maxx. We actually started at the mall, didn’t find anything good, so we made our way to a store I knew would never let me down. My husband is the one who convinced me to get this leather jacket. I saw it and didn’t really think anything of it, but he made me try it on and explained what a good buy it was. I’ve never had a leather jacket before because I just didn’t think they were my style, but I love this one!
I also found this pullover that I’ve pretty much been living in ever since I brought it home. I did have to get a size too big because it’s all they had, but it’s not that bad. I love the oatmeal color of it and that it matches everything so well. It’s fleece all throughout the inside! This is one of those that gets worn immediately after it comes out of the laundry.
The other sweater I’ve been wearing a lot lately is this one that I featured in my Kerusso haul back in September. I love the graphics on it and the message that it sends. I didn’t know how I’d feel about a hoodie type of sweater without the hood, but I actually really like it. I usually just wear this as a shirt because it’s so soft on the inside, and I like that it’s not too baggy around the arms or body.
Old Navy has some super soft clothes and this t-shirt is my favorite long sleeve at the moment. We got it on sale during Black Friday, but Jacob kept it as a Christmas present for me. It’s technically a men’s shirt and I bought a different color for him too. It seriously feels like you’re wearing pajamas, it’s that soft! I’ll be keeping an eye on these for end of season sales so I can stock up.
Florida can’t ever be consistent with its weather and we’ve definitely had times this month where I’ve been able to get away with short sleeves and a light sweater. I’m still obsessing over these crew neck tees from A New Day (at Target). They’re just such a flattering fit! I have one in black and one in white so they match with anything and I can accessorize with whatever I want.
Also, the Live Love Dream sweatpants shown in the picture below have been worn the majority of the days this month. I got them from Aeropostale and they are the most comfortable sweatpants I think I’ve ever owned! I’m one of those people that put on comfy clothes the second I get home and these bottoms have been the only ones I wanna wear lately.
My sister got me these gold stud earrings for Christmas and I’ve been wearing them a ton lately. I like that there’s two different sizes for both of my piercings, but it also came with another larger size in the set that I can switch out if I want to. Besides the fact that I’m just absolutely obsessed with anything gold, these have also been great because they don’t have any prongs to pull my hair. And they totally match my beanie!
I’ve been very vocal about my appreciation for GlassesUSA. It makes me so angry how much a doctor’s office will charge for me to be able to see! GlassesUSA is much more affordable and I’ve never been disappointed by anything I’ve ordered from them. These sunglasses were a birthday gift from my parents and I have been so happy with them! The style is adorable, they’re incredibly sturdy, the lenses are perfect. There’s nothing more I could’ve asked for in a pair of prescription sunglasses.
I feel like I buy a new pair of slippers every Winter. I don’t know if it’s because I always wear them down and need a replacement or if I just want a new style. This year, Target had exactly what I wanted! Gilligan & O’Malley is one of my favorite brands at Target because their clothes are softer than anything else and these slippers are no exception. They also come in purple, but I like all neutral everything. These have been selling out fast all season and I was so lucky to find the last pair in my size!
Moving onto skincare, I can’t remember when I got this Aveeno Positively Radiant body lotion. It was just sitting in my cabinet as a backup and I finally pulled it out to use it on my feet before bed. Their body lotions always feel so luxurious on the skin and this has to be one of my favorite scents. It’s so fresh and light!
I’ve had the Mario Badescu rosewater facial spray before and I did enjoy it. My sister must’ve picked up on my hint in my Black Friday picks post because she got me the trio travel set for Christmas! The spray with aloe, cucumber, and green tea is my current favorite. The combination of those three ingredients is so refreshing, just like drinking actual cucumber water!
It’s not very often that I include makeup brushes in my favorites posts because I’ve stuck with the same brushes for years. My normal go-to brushes are still completely in tact, but I got the itch to start experimenting with different types of brushes to see how they could change a look. I wasn’t necessarily looking to change the finish, I was more interested in extending the wear of my makeup.
Even with the best primer and eyeshadow formula, my eyeshadow will still crease and fade faster than I would like on my extremely oily eyes. I switched my application method to packing on eyeshadow with more dense brushes rather than using all blending brushes and it has made such a difference. My two favorites are both from BH Cosmetics. One is from the original Sculpt and Blend set (#122) and the other is from their Sculpt and Blend 2 set (#129).
The two foundations I’ve been using the most recently are the Elf Acne Fighting Foundation and the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Powder Foundation. Both of these have been favorites for a long time, but I kinda go through phases with the powder foundation because sometimes I’ll forget about it.
The Elf foundation in the Porcelain shade is new for me. I have the shade Buff, which really only matches me after I’m freshly self-tanned. The Porcelain shade is the perfect match when I’m not tan at all. This is definitely my favorite foundation formula!
Makeup Geek’s blush in Covet is the only one of their products I own that is actually in its own packaging, and it is super fancy! This is a darker blush shade, so I really only bring it out during the Winter months. It also has a little bit of glitter which I was concerned about at first, but the glitter becomes almost invisible after it’s blended out on the cheeks.
I have a few face palettes that have really been the only powder face products I’ve been reaching for this month, with the exception of a setting powder. The Ofra Pro palette is full of my favorite Makeup Geek blushes, bronzers, and eyeshadows for an easy, everyday look. I’m still loving the quality and color selection of the Needs palette from the Emily Edit collection with Makeup Revolution. It has a lot of similar colors as my custom Ofra palette!
The Profusion Cosmetics Highlight & Contour palette has been my go-to, mainly just for the two matte highlighting shades. I use a combination of both of those lighter colors to brighten the under eye area. The formula in these powders is so smooth and the pigmentation is exactly what I need to cover dark circles.
During the holidays and when we went on vacation, I brought out my MAC eyebrow pencil in the shade Spiked. This is one that I fall in love with every time I use it. I don’t know why I always forget how amazing it is. I love everything about it. The color, the formula, it’s perfect! I’m actually almost out and just realized that this particular product was discontinued which makes me so sad! They do have a product that was supposed to replace it, so I might see what that’s all about and if it can even come close to how amazing this pencil is.
The eyeliner that I’ve used the most, aside from my favorite Elf Cream eyeliner that I have mentioned way too much, is the Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in the shade MatteMulberry. Although it’s named “pen,” it’s really just an incredibly silky smooth pencil. I love this particular shade because it can act as more of a brown or as a eggplant purple, depending on what shadows it’s paired with. It’s much softer and so much more flattering than a typical black eyeliner.
Milani’s eyeshadow primer has been one of my favorites since the day it came into my collection. I don’t use much of it and this little tube has lasted me way longer than what I’m willing to admit. I’ve been so caught up lately in the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Chromes that this primer was getting pushed to the back. I brought it back out for my vacation and fell in love with it all over again. I’m clearly going to need to repurchase soon. If you have super oily eyelids like me, this primer is a must!
Aside from the eyeshadows in the face palettes that I mentioned, the only other products I’ve been using (and enjoying) the most this month are the Pür Cosmetics Soirée Diaries eyeshadow palette and the L’oreal Infallible single eyeshadow in the shade Iced Latte. The Soirée Diaries palette isn’t just my favorite because it’s what I used on my wedding day, I just love every single shadow in the first two rows. It has all my favorite matte shades!
Iced Latte is an old staple in the makeup community. This shadow completely shook the market when it first launched and I have continued to love it ever since. The fact that I haven’t hit pan or had to replace it yet is almost unbelievable. If I’m ever going to an event or know I’ll have a long day, this is the only shadow I reach for without even thinking about it. It’s absolutely stunning and completely trustworthy to last all day.
It’s been a while since I’ve had the Benefit Roller Lash mascara in my collection. Thankfully, my parents gifted it to me for Christmas and I’m just as in love with it as ever. This is the only mascara my husband has ever noticed and without me even telling him that I opened this new tube, he said something again. That’s almost a miracle! I’m so happy to have this back in my life!
Finally, lip products! I’m still on a roll with the Pixi MatteLast Liquid Lips and the two shades I wore the most this month were Really Rose and Real Red. Really Rose might just be my favorite lip color of all time. It matches with any outfit or makeup look and is even more beautiful with a gloss layered over top. Real Red is a classic red without any other undertones and is the perfect formula to stay in place all day. Just be careful layering a gloss over that one, otherwise it’ll get all over the teeth. I'm speaking from experience, unfortunately!
According to all these favorites, this year is clearly off to a good start. You know you’ve reached adulthood when home favorites make you just as excited as previous hobbies, like makeup. And those sunglasses, though! I get excited just thinking about them!
If you have any questions about any of the products I mentioned, please feel free to leave them for me in the comments section below. Have you tried any of these products before? What were some of your favorites from this past month?
XO ♥ Christina ♥
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