Friday Faves Vol. 23

This overwhelmingly adorable dog named Squid!

This beauuuuutiful highlighter from Too Faced!

These yummy looking chocolate peanut butter cup cookies!

Friday Faves Vol. 8

 

This adorable yet sassy "Smash the Patriarchy" t-shirt!

These brand new Wet n Wild highlighters!

This beautifully written essay from David Sedaris, "Why Aren't You Laughing?"

These fancy little DIY paper flower cake toppers!

This seashell-inspired velvet chair!

This perfect pastel stripe manicure from @thenailtrail!

These amazing cat ear bluetooth headphones!

This real estate listing for the Grey Gardens property - it's up for sale for just $18 million!

This pineapple-shaped cross body bag!

This chic as hell pink eyelash wallpaper!

What cool stuff have you seen lately?

BEAUTY: 10 Best Shimmer Drugstore Products

Just in time for New Year's Eve, I present to you my favorite shimmer products from drugstore brands. I don't generally do the whole disco ball makeup thing, but a well placed glow here and there can really add a certain pop to your face. Maybe just don't wear all of these at once, okay?

1. Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro: This blush is the absolute best. Great peachy pink shade with built-in shimmer that lasts all day. Holy grail status.

2. Revlon Balm Stain in Crush: A great shiny berry shade that seriously lasts all day. It moisturizes, smells of peppermint, and gets better the longer you wear it.

3. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese: Perfect for an inner eye or brow bone highlight. The pencil shape makes for easy application with a nearly blinding shine.

4. Sonia Kashuk Highlighter Stick in Sparkling Sands: A close dupe for Benefit's Watt's Up! Great shine and formula. Apply with fingers or a stippling brush.

5. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze: I cannot adequately express my love for Color Tattoos. TRY THEM, OK? A great neutral shimmery shade that would look good on anyone.

6. Wet n Wild Fergie Shimmer Palette in Rose Champagne Glow: Swirl these shades together for a wonderful sparkle on your cheekbones. Smooth, shiny formula.

7. ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal: For that serious summer glow, dot this in a "C" shape on your temple and blend. It looks like liquid metal and cost $1.00!

8. NYX Roll On Eye Shimmer in Walnut and Chestnut: Beautiful shimmers to wear alone or together. Great for highlighting the middle of your eyelid. Rolls out smoothly every time.

9. Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eye Shadow in Bella Emerald: Love these shimmery shadows! They're like butter and blend just as well. Emerald is rich and nice for dark eyes.

10. Wet n Wild Eye Shadow Trio in Silent Treatment: Great for a soft look or a more dramatic glistening eye (the light shade is a nice highlight). Soft, blend-able formula.

Swatches L to R: Wet n Wild Silent Treatment, Milani Bella Emerald, Milani Rose D'Oro, Wet n Wild Rose Champagne Glow, ELF Lilac Petal, Maybelline Bad to the Bronze, NYX Cottage Cheese, Sonia Kashuk Shimmering Sands, NYX Walnut and Chestnut, Revlon Crush

Milani Bella Eyes Shadow in Bella Emerald

Wet n Wild Eye Shadow in Silent Treatment

ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal

What are your favorite shimmery products? What does your ideal New Year's Eve makeup look like?

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BEAUTY: Summer Beauty Essentials

Awwww yeah - it's officially summer! Just like clothes, food and my general outlook, there are plenty of beauty products I change up just for summer. These picks work great year round, of course, but they keep me smoother, brighter and generally more glowy in these hot summer months. Here's my version of required summer reading, except without all the books and with a bunch of nail polish (but also you should totally read books all summer even though no one is making you write a last minute essay on them).

1. Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Flamingo Pose [$5.49 Here]

This shade just pops off your face! A very pink coral, this lipstick is creamy and opaque and stays put much longer than a lot of my other drugstore lipsticks. Milani knows what's up with lipstick. This color would work on so many skin tones and shines as the focal point of a summer makeup look.

2. Revlon ColorBurst Balm Stain in Smitten [$8.99 Here]

Has there been a better drugstore lip product in recent memory than Revlon balm stains? The answer is no. This shade, a deep raspberry pink, works for seriously anybody. It moisturizes and opaquely colors, while its light mint scent tingles and refreshes. The chubby pencil makes for easy application, even without a mirror, and the buildable color is perfect for someone just dipping their toes into the lipstick world.

3. Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen [$10.49 Here]

This light formula absorbs quickly with no greasy feeling.

SPF is not optional in summer (or really ever) and I like to use a separate one for my face since body sunscreens can be greasy and thick. This light formula sinks into my skin so quickly and doesn't leave an oily feeling or sunscreen scent. It feels more like moisturizer than sunscreen, but the SPF 55 will keep your fragile face protected even in the craziest of summer suns.

4. Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Creme [$9.00 Here]

This stuff is hardcore - it stays all thick and gooey for hours if you let it just absorb.

I am passionate about this stuff - yes, passionate. I sing its praises to all open ears because it is literally the only foot moisturizing product that has ever caused measurable improvement on my dry feet (Mmmm). I will never stray from this if I want to keep my feet in sandals all summer long. NEVER.

5. Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Barely Branded [$6.99 Here]

The hype is real, people! I fell in love with Color Tattoos recently and I fell hard. Application is simple (smush on with fingers!), the color is rich (opaque in one swipe!), and the wear is loooooong, like must-scrub-it-all-off-before-bed long. This shade is soft and shiny, perfect for a light summer 'barely wearing anything' makeup look, but it can also double as a highlighting product! Due to its champagne shade and creaminess, I'm calling this a dupe for Benefit Watt's Up, which is a HUGE compliment. Plus, these babies are waterproof for anyone who doesn't want to give up their beauty routine - even at the beach.

6. Sally Hansen Extreme Wear Nail Color in Lacey Lilac [$2.99 Here]

Pastels are a perennial summer hit and this poppy lavender shade is so pretty you'll want to douse your fingers and toes in it until the leaves start to change. It's somehow soft and pretty while also being bold and interesting. Hands Nails down, the perfect purple. {You can see me use this shade here}

7. Wet n Wild Nail Color in I Need a Refresh-Mint [$2.29 Here]

If I had to pick one polish color for the rest of my life it would be something like this shade. A great formula, wide salon brush, and an absurdly cheap price make this an essential summer polish. This bright turquoise cream works well with many other shades for summer nail art or on its own for an oceanic splash of color. Buy this! {You can see me use this shade here}

8. Sally Hansen Extreme Wear Nail Color in Coral Reef [$2.99 Here]

When I first bought this I was just looking for a coral polish, no big deal. When I applied it and wore it outside I saw that it was, in fact, a very big deal. This shade is SO pretty in the sunlight it almost makes me angry. It's distractingly pretty. Opaque in one coat, this is a very pink coral that's bright and cheery and just the perfect summer shade. I'm getting mad all over again!

9. Mr. Pumice Bar [$2.79 Here]

This goes hand in hand (foot in foot?) with the Burt's Bees foot cream to create the perfect cocktail of smooth, non-wintery feet. The softer side gently rubs off dry skin, while the coarser side hits your feet with fresh pedicure realness for baby feet-like results. The best pumice I've ever used, ever.

10. ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal [$1.00 Here]

There's no better time to glow than summer and this cheap-o highlighter is a great way to get there. I dab a bit of this on my cheek bone with a small stipple brush (love the ELF one) for a shimmery summer look and it stays put all day. You only need a tiny amount to make a difference, and what a difference it makes!

11. Suave Dry Shampoo [$2.89 Here]

Dry shampoo would probably be in my holy beauty trinity if such a thing existed, and this very affordable and very effective Suave version has a permanent place on the top shelf in my bathroom. Top shelf, ladies. I reach for this a lot to spruce up my bangs or perk up my roots, and in summer - when sweaty foreheads and humidity blossom - this is essential to looking normal without having to shower multiple times a day. (Duh, not happening. I have makeup on.)

What are you favorite summer beauty products?

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BEAUTY: 5 More Beauty Products I Love Right Now

I love buying and trying new beauty products (I have to reward myself somehow for running Target errands) so as a follow-up to my 5 Beauty Products I Love Right Now post, I want to share more awesome items I can't get enough of. Let's go!

1. Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum
I bought this on a whim after seeing a positive review on Beauty Broadcast and, honestly, I would use this product every day even if it did nothing to stop breakage (but thankfully it does!) because the scent is AMAZING. I am admittedly a coconut fanatic (scent and flavor) so this milky, sweet scent instantly endeared me to the serum. Aside from that, it seems to actually prohibit breakage. My hair is pretty healthy, but it does fall out a lot when I comb it (although I've heard it's normal to lose 100 strands of hair per day - HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!). I put a small amount in my wet hair and run through with with my fingers and I've noticed less strand loss when I use it. One warning: don't use too much or you will have awkward greasy bangs all day.

2. Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

There's a reason this stuff has been popular for way longer than I've been alive - it works SO WELL. I remember my mom using this green goop when I was little and it seems like it's made a cameo in practically every sitcom and movie in the overused 'AHHHH! They caught me in my face mask!' scene. It feels so cool and tingly when you put it on and this is probably the only face mask that has ever caused a noticeable difference in my skin. I got a big tub of it at Sally's Beauty Supply (for like $5), which I recommend because it can be a little too thick to squeeze from a tube. 

3. Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse

This isn't so much a product as it is a method, I guess. I've been occasionally substituting a vinegar/water mix for conditioner and loving the results. If you haven't heard of this I know it sounds weird, but it leaves my hair super soft without the chemicals found in most traditional conditioners. Plus, it's super cheap! You simply mix a 1:4 ratio of apple cider vinegar to water (you can adjust that as needed) in a spray bottle and after shampooing saturate your hair with the mixture and rinse. I sprayed it in my eye and mouth the first time I used it, but now it's a breeze. Yes, your hair kind of smells like vinegar when it's wet but the scent completely goes away almost immediately and you'll never smell it when it dries.

4. ELF Shimmering Facial Whip

Despite the overly fancy name, this is just a basic highlighter but it really does a great job. I have it in Lilac Petal and I use a bit on my cheekbones and brow bone to add dimension. At first I was put off by the lipgloss-esque texture, but by using a small amount and rubbing it in the sticky feeling disappears. The shimmer and shade are exactly what I was looking for and at just $1.00 I am now attached to this product.

5. EOS Lip Balm in Sweet Mint

If you know me, you've definitely seen me with a lip balm in hand...I literally never leave home without it. I've been a diehard Burt's Bees user for years and while I try new ones here and there I always rely on my Burt's for the heavy lifting of hydrating and smoothing my lips. This is SO not the case anymore! The EOS balms are amazing, but the Sweet Mint flavor is especially wonderful. It is really similar in scent to the Orbit gum flavor of the same name and it lasts and lasts and lasts. It's not a superficial lip balm - this baby moisturizes. It'll definitely earn a permanent place in your purse.

So I have to ask - what are your favorite beauty products right now?

xoxo,

Michelle