July Favorites

Whew! Y'all, it's been a WHILE since I've sat down to talk about my favorite things of the month. I don't even think I've written a favorites post this year. I feel like this month was a lot of rediscovery for me as far as favorite products are concerned. I came back to some old favorites and wondered why I ever stopped using them in the first place.

Everyday Minerals Jojoba Base - Guys, I found my HOLY GRAIL foundation! Takes 5 minutes to put on, looks like my natural skin, hides all of the acne scarring I have while still showing all of my freckles. It's amazing and I ordered it on a whim when trying to re-up my stash of the semi-matte I thought I loved. I really don't know what else to say about it except that I'll be buying this until they stop making it.

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Bronzer - This stuff, you guys! I bought it in a 2 pack at Ross on a whim and I'm so glad that I have 2 of them. It's the perfect shade of bronze for me, not too dark, not orange-y, not too light, and it does have shimmer, but I don't feel like a stripper or a fairy or something. And most importantly, it's such an easy application. I just sweep it on really quickly (and sometimes a little slapdash) with my Real Techniques Blush Brush (that I literally never use for blush) and I'm out the door. I'm seriously in love.

Essie Nail Laquer in Chillato - I can't even lie to you, my obsession with this nail polish was immediate. I saw the Essie Summer 2015 collection photographed online, saw this color and decided that I immediately needed it. Irrational, yes, but I don't have anything else like it in my nail polish collection and it's such a nice color for summer. It's a cross between a neon and a pastel, I feel? It's basically a pistachio color and considering pistachio is my favorite flavor of ice cream (if only I could find a vegan pistachio, my life would be made), so it's a match made in heaven. Considering I never paint my nails and I painted my nails with this 3 times in the month of July, I'd say it's a winner.

OPI Steady as She Rose Nail Polish - I think it was actually about this time last year when I first ordered this nail polish from Amazon and I rediscovered it early this month when I was in between nail colors and needed  to paint my toenails before a lunch date with a girlfriend. It's just such a quick, low maintenance color. Two coats and it's opaque. It goes well with my skin tone and it's not super eye-catching or bright so if you have to paint quickly with it, no one will notice if it's slightly out of the lines.

Sally Hansen Gel Polish in Game of Chromes - Ok, ok, I totally got this polish for the name, but after finally breaking it out this month, I have to say that Sally Hansen is doing the gel polish game right you guys. I am notorious for trashing my freshly painted nails and these babies didn't chip for at least 3. The polish is super opaque and I love the shorter brush because it makes it so easy to paint your nails and not end up with polish everywhere. 

Aveda Be Smooth Smoothing Primer - I talked a lot about this stuff when I first started this blog and as usual, in my pursuit of the best hair product ever, tossed it aside. Except this is the best hair product ever. My hair routine this summer has been incredibly simple. I haven't been using heat hardly at all and even wearing my hair natural, this stuff has been a lifesaver. It's just the best smoothing product I've ever used and I'm definitely going to repurchase it when I run out.

Urban Expressions Woven Bucket Bag - So last month, I decided I wanted to see what all the buzz about Stitch Fix was. If you don't know, Stitch Fix is a subscription service that sends you five hand picked fashion selections from a stylist that you can try out and build your wardrobe. Now I wasn't super impressed with my first box. But I fell in love with this bag the second I saw it. I'll preface it by saying that i have been looking for a bucket bag for years. Something the right size to hold all my stuff without being too big, and something that I actually would want to carry. Well, this is it. I'm OBSESSED with it and I have been since I pulled it out of the box when I got my "fix". It's the perfect size; I can fit everything I need in it and still have everything fit comfortably. I love the vegan leather, and the woven body and I LOVE the lining. It's just the perfect bag for me. I've been carrying it as my everyday bag since I got it and I don't foresee changing it out anytime soon.

Lucille's - I actually had my first encounter with Lucille's in June but I've since made Jullie Anne come back with me so that I could have a Jameson Mule and some Snickers Pie (not dairy free, but for this pie, I will risk it).  The prices are reasonable and the food is always good. I typically try to split plates with people when I go (my mom and I got the brisket the first time we went and split it and it was ah-may-zing!) so it's even more cost effective.

Moscow Mules - I already mentioned the Jameson Mule when I talked about Lucille's but I've been on a Moscow Mule kick since our trip to Disneyland. I mean...I am a huge fan of ginger already (hardeeharrharr ginger who loves ginger) but if you want to add alcohol to that, I'm all about it. Plus, you know its a good drink when it has its own cup designed for it.

Astronaut Wive's Club - When I saw the previews for this, I thought hmmmm might be another Pan Am but so far, I think I'm wrong about that. Although set in the 60's and dealing with a group of women, so far, it's been refreshingly different. I tried to watch the first episode of Pan Am when it came out and couldn't make it past the first 5 minutes. This show, on the other hand, is really good. I love the way that they show how marriages really were back in the 60's with no one wanting to admit to shortcomings of their marriages or *gasp* divorce and I think that this show is definitely different than anything else that's on TV right now.