Monthly Favorites: Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle – July 2014

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I know I say this each month, but man…  July sure flew by faster than ever and August is already proving to be traveling at lightning speed.  I had so much going on I really just forgot to post my Monthly Favorites here on my blog… so I am sharing it with all of you now.  Last month was a month of discovery because I tried out quite a bit of new products, most of which I found I immediately enjoyed.

Check out my video embedded below where I go through each product or click here to watch it directly on YouTube.

Check out the rundown of products for last month below.

I did a review here on my blog of the Hask hair care products in Argan Oil and Keratin Protein.  After using other products for a few months, I find that I still enjoy this line and it has made a whole lot of difference on my hair since the sun has been doing a full beat down.  Check out my complete review for these products here, and definitely check out the line where you can find them at select stores – I have been picking up my masks at Walmart.

I have a review coming soon on the Verona Color Switch.  This product is pretty genius and I think would be a great benefit for Makeup Artists especially.  It allows you to take your brush and swipe it through the product cleaning off excess product so you can use the brush again.  I especially love to use this when I used the brush originally to apply a color and then swipe it through the color switch so that I can blend the shade out without transferring additional product and causing a muddy effect on your eyes.  I also love that I can go from a dark shade like black to a light cream or white shade without mixing them.  It’s a great product and I hope to have the review done soon.

L’Oreal has hit a home run with Voluminous Miss Manga mascara.  It has quickly become one of my favorites because you can actually see my lashes when I use it and used in combination with one of my favorites… Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara – they have become a pair made in heaven. lol

Kiss 11 Lashes have been my jam this past month… this is my third pair even with reuse and cleaning of previous pairs.  I love how affordable Kiss Lashes are, how thin the band is so it makes it near to impossible to detect you have them on and most importantly – how comfortable they are on the eyes.  I especially love that these are dupes to my favorite Ardell Demi Whispies… but a bit cheaper than they retail since I can get them in a larger pack if I can find it.

Of course, I have been loving the new Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Shadows.  If you have been following me at all in July – you would have seen my review, which you can find here, as well as a tutorial using a few of the shades I mentioned in my favorites which you can find here.  Bella Chiffon, Bella Sand and Bella Bronze have been some of the favorites I have been gravitating to this past month and I know they will surely be favorites for time to come.

L’Oreal Infalliable eye shadows have been a favorite now since first trying them earlier this year.  While I am smitten and in love with Iced Latte, Gilded Envy has been a shade I have been rockin’ out in July.  I love just applying it with a quick wash of color and blending Milani’s Bella Cappuccino in the crease for a sweet every day look.  I promise I’ll have a quick tutorial for that coming up soon.

 

Through most of the summer I usually pull for my more nude shades and since I’m already on my second tube of Milani’s Nude Creme, I figured I needed to switch things up a bit and pull out some shades I haven’t been using all that much.  I purchased Bite Beauty’s Duo Lipstick in Lychee & Musk earlier this year and have really enjoyed the shades as well as the formulation.  Creamy, moisturizing and the colors are gorgeous.  The only downfall is that the formulation of these lippies are so darn soft, the warm summer heat has been doing a number on them and I know that soon I’ll be needing to apply these lip colors with a lip brush because the lipstick is getting bent out of shape.  They are naturally soft so even without summer, they were already starting to warp.  Regardless, for the price tag I am loving these and I think that anyone would enjoy them.

Of course, NYX’s Butter Lipsticks have been a favorite for months.  I have been pulling for Pops much more now then I did any other time.  I have a review for this lipstick here and if you are someone who likes nudes, this may be a great addition to your collection.  Creamy, soft and buttery on the lips, it’s been a favorite of mine all month.

After purchasing my Lorac Pro 2 Palette last month, I instantly fell in love.  The shades are perfect for year round because they are soft and wearable… you can easily use most of them for all over the lid one wash shades.  I love that there are a few bold shades as well.  I have a review of this palette coming soon as well as a tutorial coming up using colors that I have been rocking all month long together:  Rose, Mocha, Cool Gray, Nectar & Plum.  This is surely becoming a favorite palette of mine and will take it’s place right next to #1 in my Holy Grail pile.

Of course, we all know I’m about that Vanilla Cake scents.  I have been a long time fan of Pacifica and their Island Vanilla scent has been a top scent for me the last 2 1/2 years.  I haven’t used anything else but this scent all month long in July.

Last but not least are my Lifestyle Favorites.  As I mentioned in my video, the boys have been enjoying listening to Magic’s Rude on the radio so it has become a favorite of ours in the house.  I think it’s beyond adorable when twin 4 year olds and a 10 year old knows all the words to a popular song and they love it.  I have been also getting great use out of my Glasstic Water bottle.  I have a review for it here, and definitely recommend it to anyone – especially people who love infused waters.  It has been a lifesaver for me to carry around my drink in this heat.

Last but not least is my Cafe Press Customized Plus Size V-Neck T-shirt.  I designed this last month and have been enjoying it.  I think Black and Gold are such a great combination and I have been loving the simplicity and the statement.  I’ll try to remember to post a quick Outfit of the Day the next time I wear it.  The fabric is breathable, it’s cut and fits this plus size gal really well and it’s personalized.  I love it.  You can check out more information about creating your own shirt or many other things here.

Overall – even if July flew by so quickly and August is here… I am thankful that I accomplished so much in the month.  The twins are off to school as well as my eldest and all started on August 1st so the house has been quiet during the day, and I miss them so much.  Our summers are always filled with fun and this summer was surely no exception.  From hitting the beach, to the park to just cruising and enjoying our time together – I was certainly sad to see it all go (excuse me while I tear up a bit), but all three boys were so excited for school (I’ll have more of that in another post this week).  It’s times like this when I reflect back on a previous month that I realize how awesome life is and I’m glad for Monthly Favorites that allow me to reflect on the month previously.  My number one favorite that I didn’t mention in my video – time!  The past two months has given me awesome and quality time with my littles and my husband… that overall, is the best favorite of all.