March 2022 Beauty Faves

March was something else, lemme tell ya. The good part was celebrating our wedding anniversary. The bad part? Our dog Indy ended up needing emergency dental surgery and that was a long few days of tests (he's older) and getting him prepared for surgery. That was followed with pain medication, antibiotics, and weeks of making sure he was healing properly, but all is well now! Our vets are amazing, so we knew he was in good hands but I was still an absolute wreck from beginning to end. He's bounced back and is enjoying his food, toys, and generally speaking incredibly spoiled lifestyle. We wouldn't have it any other way. 😍

I didn't get around to doing a favorites post last month, which is unfortunate as they have always been ones I enjoy doing as well as reading on other blogs and pages. So let's dig into some of my fave products from March! As always, you can let me know if we have any in common or what got your love and affection this past month in the comments!

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2021 Beauty Favorites

Time to do a little roundup of some products I loved last year! I change it up a bit each year. In 2020, I included skincare. And honestly, as far as skincare goes, not much has changed aside from a product or two. The products I featured in 2020 are still absolute winners, so much so that a few are repeated this year! With not leaving home much due to the pandemic, these were my "reach fors" practically every outing even if just to feel put together for a moment to pick up curbside orders and when it began to feel like if I don't make some sort of personal effort, that I'll forget what it is like to function among the land of the living and outside of my four walls.

What did you love last year? I'd love to know! While I mentioned there are a few repeats on my list from 2020, I did add a few new things to my collection that lived up to hype or expectation. To make it easy to organize, I've broken it up into categories with six products each. Do we have any in common? If you would like a more in depth review or swatches on anything, let me know and I'll work on getting a post together. 😊

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December 2021 Favorites

I'm still on 2021, but not for long! Not that I mind elongating the holiday season a little longer. I'm hoping to have a post up on Christmas and my top products of 2021 this week and next and that should round out the last of my 2021 posts. I don't know what 2022 holds, but as of right now, it feels much of the same from last year. We're safe and healthy, so I start this new year being grateful for that. I may have to search harder some days to find something to be grateful for, but there is always something.

My favorites last month were a bit low-key and not my typical holiday fare. No red lipstick, because my mask would cover it. No pretty eyeshadows, because I honestly never left the car and chose curbside delivery. Just the bare minimal to make me feel a little more human, but with as little effort as possible. Not complaining here, because I absolutely do not mind the little effort part. 😂

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Travel Makeup Bag - What I Packed

We recently went away for a quick two night trip. I'll go more into where and why we went in my next post where I'll share places we ate and things we did. It wasn't exactly our choice to get away, but we were kind of forced into it with construction in our building. We did do it as wisely and cautiously as possible, spending the majority of our time in the hotel room or in outdoor spaces and with masks. If you're going to enjoy a vacation, there's no one saying you can't, only saying how you should.

Anyway, even wearing masks, I still like to put in an effort on some days. I find myself amping up my eyes and cheeks more now, since that is what is seen. Anyone else? The bottom half of my face still gets a little action, but I don't give it nearly the same amount of attention. Haha! Here are the items I packed for the trip, inside my old Glitzy Glam makeup bag. Anyone who watched Elle and Blair during their heyday on YouTube should remember their store! Years later, I still adore this bag. So well made and has gone on many trips with me!

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2019 Beauty Faves

I love putting together these annual type of posts. I was looking at last year's version of this post and some of these are repeat items. I don't treat this post as only highlighting products that are new to me or released over the year, but more on the products that I found myself reaching for on a constant basis. These products were favorites in every sense of the word during 2019. I'm sure I could have added a few more, but I had to draw the line somewhere!

I would love to know what made your list in 2019. What products were your true loves? I'm open for recommendations and I'm sure others are, as well!

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November 2019 Faves

I hope all of my fellow Americans had a great Thanksgiving! I certainly missed being home to celebrate - but hopefully next year! If all went to plan (I've scheduled this post), I had a laid back day of watching the parade and whatnot. Tonight, we're hosting a combination dinner for my Thanksgiving and my MIL's birthday. Just the three of us, but I have a bit of a feast planned. Instead of typical Thanksgiving fare, I'm making chili with ALL of the toppings (gimme!), cornbread, and a dessert. I just haven't decided on the dessert yet!

It felt fitting to end this week with my November favorites since this weekend ushers in December. Did you get an advent this year that you're looking forward to starting? I have a suspicion that I have one wrapped under the tree, but I guess I'll find out come Sunday! Though the cutest advent is the one we got for our dog Indy- there's frosted cookies behind each door. So precious!

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What's In My Makeup Bag

I haven't done one of these in a good long while, so I thought why not?! If you're interested in what I've been throwing into my everyday makeup bag lately, this is the post for you. This won't have reviews or swatches, but I will link to my posts where I have them provided when applicable. I've really been into shopping my stash and also getting a few products finished up. Not necessarily a Project Pan, but it is super satisfying to finish products. The ones that I am trying to finish are mostly repurchases or HG items! I might do a post later on about the products I've hit pan on or have finished up. It's been a long time since I've done that, as well.

Have you been shopping your stash recently or focusing on finishing more of what you have? I'd love to know what you've rediscovered or finished. Are they products that you would repurchase? Some of the items in this bag gets rotated weekly, but I'd say the concealers stay the same. I'm a "find something that works and stay with it" gal when it comes to concealers. My makeup bag is an old Cath Kidston design. I believe the shape is still offered, but this specific pattern isn't. On to the products!

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InstaMonth for September 2019

September through December is not only my favorite time of year, but it's my favorite time to be on social media. I mean, I'm kind of in a "bleh" moment with social media as a whole, but I love all of the fall and holiday visuals shared during this time. There's just something so special about all of the fashion, holiday decor, etc.

I'm starting to take my social media down that path, sharing more autumnal choices on Instagram and Pinterest. Does the time of year change how you post and what you post and view? Which season gives you the most inspiration? I'm in my moment right now! Here are a few posts from my Instagram during September.

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September 2019 Monthly Favorites

Yay for October! The holiday rush is starting and I am so ready for it. The first of my two Thanksgivings is just around the corner and I'm already pulling out our Halloween themed movies and shows to watch. Halloween isn't my top holiday, but it rounds out my top three just behind Christmas and Thanksgiving. What's your favorite holiday? Honestly, I just loooove talking all things holidays. If I could just live in a world like in The Nightmare Before Christmas where you can just open a door and escape into any given holiday...

But before I delve further into my October posts, I'm going to go back into the past momentarily with my September monthly favorites. I'll finish up my September posts with my InstaMonth round-up next week. Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of my favorites this month or what you have been loving. I know a lot of new launches are happening right now with the holidays coming up. I can barely keep up!

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E.L.F. Cosmetics Poreless Putty Primer

I was so excited to find this while I was back home, because I have yet to find it in stock anywhere here in Canada. It was part of my Ulta haul and I think I got some pretty nifty things. I'm going back home at Christmas and I'm both tempted to visit Ulta again or ignore it for the sake of my wallet. It's full of my kryptonite! Haha!

Now while this is supposed to be a dupe for the Tatcha Silk Canvas primer, I can't compare it since I don't own it. Well, I have a small sample but I don't find that fully worthy enough for a comparison. I wanted this first in hopes to save some money if I like it and splurge on the Tatcha if I didn't. So am I still tempted to splurge? Let's find out!

You can find my review of the Kylie Cosmetics Kristen Lip Kit in my last post!

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August 2019 Monthly Favorites

Yay, we're in September now! September to December is my favorite part of the year, so I am beyond excited that it is finally here. Fall weather and fashion, pumpkin everything, holiday after holiday...sign me up! Slowly but surely, the temperatures are dropping enough to break out my boots and cardigans. If only autumn lasted a little longer!

I hope you all had a wonderful August. I can't say that I have too many beauty favorites because the hotter it is, the less I won't on my face. Here are a few that I have not let me down in the last month. As an added bonus, they are all drugstore brands. Let me know some of your faves in the comments!

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July 2019 Monthly Favorites

Hello, August! One month closer to autumn...sorry to the summer lovers out there. I've been shopping for my fall wardrobe recently and I am just so ready. I can practically taste the pumpkin spice already!

But nevermind that it is August for a moment, here are my beauty favorites from July. There's a few new ones! For me, summer makeup needs to be light and can last through the heat and skincare needs to be easy and effective to combat the dry air. What do you look for in your summer products?

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June 2019 InstaMonth

June on Instagram...it was interesting, wasn't it? Heck, July started off on the wrong foot with that outage yesterday and I'm still experiencing bugs today. Honestly, I'd take the outage in a heartbeat if that meant they were working on their absolute bollocks of an algorithm. I'm sorry, but I'm not on the train of thought where it's completely the user and not the algorithm's fault behind any issue you find with Instagram. I'm sure there is some user fault, but the recent changes are affecting a lot of people and not just those with smaller follower counts. It's become a shell of what Instagram once was and that's a real disappointment. Have you noticed a dip in everything on Instagram, as well?

And since I had several people tell me just this week how they were missing my posts on their feed, I figured I'd share a few more photos from my account than I normally do. If they are not going to show up on most Instagram feeds, I might as well post them to my blog. Right?! So here are some pictures from my Instagram during June!

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Ulta Haul Spring 2019

If you read my last post, you know that I just got back from South Carolina to surprise my mom for Mother's Day! My trip was perfect. While I tried to spend the majority of my time home (first time in almost 7 years!) with my family, I did get out for a little retail therapy. You're not putting me in the land of Target and Ulta and expecting me not to take advantage, are you? That would just be cruel! I tried not to go overboard, but I did want to get a few things that we can't get here, can only order online, or it came in at a better discount.

I haven't tried any of this since I got back, as I just haven't had time. This is just pure emphasis on the haul and why I picked the items that I did! I would love to hear your rants and raves on any of these products that you've tried, though. I'm excited about everything I got...and it was so darn hard not to walk out with half of the store. Haha!

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E.L.F. Cosmetics Contour Palette in Light/Medium

I got this little gem for Christmas. I don't have a lot of Eyes Lips Face items, but two of their things are among my all-time favorites- the powder brush and the eyebrow kits. I highly recommend both of those items. I originally wanted the Illuminating Palette, but my husband couldn't find it and grabbed this Contour Palette instead. No complaints here! Though I do still hope to find the Illuminating one and add it to my collection at some point. Short story shorter: my husband did good.

Continue reading for my review and swatches of the Contour Palette in Light/Medium!

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