January Favorites

I have several favorites this month!  I love reading other bloggers favorites (and watching favorites on YouTube as well!).  Lots of times I find new things to try!!

I will start with my beauty favorites:

First is a recommendation by Kristina at Pretty Shiny Sparkly, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair.  I was a little skeptical about making this purchase.  For all of my adult life, I've had oily skin.  When you have oily skin, you tend to steer clear of any type serum type of product for fear it will produce more oil.  I'm not sure that holds true any more.  I began to give this some thought after I realized this winter that I was starting to have a few dry patches on my face.  I've never seen such a sight before! I watched Kristina's video about the product and decided to add it to my wish list of various beauty products.  I got some gift cards for Christmas and decided to take the plunge (the smaller bottle retails for $62.00).  I couldn't be happier with my decision!  I get the occasional breakout (not just a little zit - but one of those big, tumor-like pimples that seem to take on a life of their own!).  I still get them but this serum seems to aid in the healing process.  They don't seem to linger as long as they used to (YEAH!).  And the other bonus - it doesn't seem to clog my pores!  This is a great product that I plan to repurchase over and over!

The next a glitter eyeliner from NYX called Liquid Crystal Liner

The silver color is called Crystal Silver and the gold color is called Crystal Silk.  I picked these up at my local Ulta store (you can also find them here).  I use these over my all time favorite MAC Powerpoint eyeliner in Buried Treasure.  The brush makes a very thin line of glitter and is subtle for a glitter eyeliner.  I get compliments on them each and every time I wear them.  I love to add a little sparkle and glitter to every day life.  It isn't always appropriate for the office (or even for a woman over 40), but every now and then, it's fun!

My last beauty favorite for January are LUSH bath bombs, bath melts and bubble bars (I know that's more than one item but I couldn't just pick one!  I've really come to love tub baths lately.  At our old house, we only had a shower in our master bath and the only other tub in the house belonged to my sons, and I really didn't want to have to clean it before each bath (boys are gross!).  In our new house, I have a huge garden jetted tub in my master bath and I have joyfully rediscovered baths!  I've tried a few bath bombs from LUSH and I've been very happy with them.  I've gone back a few times for more.  My two bath bomb favorites for January are Sakura and Twilight.

Both are suitable for evening baths and relax me and soften the skin.  This month, I've discovered their bath melts and bubble bars.  My faves are Dreamtime Melt and French Kiss Bubble Bar.

The bath melts are a very luxurious silky melt that really softens your skin.  It made a little bit of a mess in the tub, but not too bad.  I had them cut my bath melt into thirds before I left the store.  I probably could have had it cut smaller, but I do have a really big tub!  The bubble bars are also multi-use products.  I just break off a little corner of the bubble bar for each bath.  When I turn the jets on, I have a TON of bubbles!  I usually have to turn the jets off for a bit!  Love these products from LUSH.  The last time I was there I also bought a lip scrub and a lip balm.  I've used them only a couple of times, so I don't have a complete opinion yet.


For non-beauty related favorites, I have to first give a shout out to my Erin Condren Life Planner.

Like many other Southern women I know and love, I have ALWAYS been a paper-planner girl.  I need to see things written out, on paper or it doesn't happen!  I love to organize tasks and reminders by color so that I know what's going on even at a glance.  I have always used a Filofax (except for those couple of months I attempted to use a Palm Pilot).  I saw these online and started watching a lot of review videos and decided to go for it.  I was nervous, because I only knew my Filofax (and the Life Planner was pricier than my Filofax refills).  I love the colors and the festive designs and the layout.  This is just a perfect fit for me.  It's a little larger than the Filofax I used to use, however this has plenty of room to do proper planning.  I will admit that after I started using it, I began to miss my Filofax.  I broke it out and thought I might start using it again, but quickly realized that I really like the Life Planner layout much better.

The covers are heavy laminated that are customized with your name and/or phrase, and lots of designs and patters and colorways to choose from.  I love it and can't be without it!

My last favorite for January is my Teavana tea.

My sister (another great Southern lady) introduced me to their teas and got me hooked on this weight-loss blend.  Now, while this stuff is yummy, it's pricey for tea.  That said, I have noticed that it does curb my appetite a bit.  I have had it both hot and cold, and I like it both ways.  I just drink it warm at work.  It's a nice change from plain water all day.  I try to only have one (maybe two) cups a day to keep my caffeine intake in check.

That's all for my January Favorites!  Check back soon for a What's in my bag post coming soon.

Love y'all!
L