December 2012 Favourites

It’s the 7th, and almost midnight at that, but at least I’m getting this out before the end of the first week of the month! Anyways, here are my December favourites! Instead of giving you a super-short post, I’ll show you a couple favourites from the month, and also re-mention some past favourites that I’m still loving!

1. Argan Oil

This stuff is amazing, and it has pretty much completely replaced the Baby Buttercreme from last month in my hair routine.

I use this when my hair is still slightly damp. First, I brush out my hair and part it like usual. Next, because my hair is so thick, I part my hair in half in the back of my head, and use about a nickel-sized amount of the Argan oil for each half. If you have thin hair, you might be able to use about half what I do, since a bit of product goes a long way, and you don’t want to weight down your hair.

Then I warm up the oil in my hands before working it through my hair from the ends to about ear level on both sides, and I make sure to get some on the ends of my bangs, which are trying very hard to grow themselves out! When that’s done, I brush the oil through and let my hair dry naturally.

I've really felt a difference in the softness of my hair, and I also really like the soft, subtle scent. Also, this brand wasn't even that expensive, which is great! Will almost definitely repurchase once this bottle is empty!

 

 

2. Candles

This is probably not much of a shock. It seems like pretty much every beauty blogger around loves her candles, especially the ones from Bath and Body Works! I mean, come on, who doesn’t love when a room smells nice? Also, fire is pretty, and I can’t be the only one who thinks that, otherwise there wouldn’t be a fire-place channel on TV during the holidays…! Pictured are the majority of my current candle stash. I’m currently trying to work my way through that giant vanilla pillar candle before actually getting into the B&BW candles, though I couldn’t stop myself from trying out one of my French Baguette candles (which I burned almost half of!).

Repeats (to see all my past favourites, click here):

1. Burton Crystal File

I’ve actually said this before twice, once in my first Favourites post, and again when I got my travel file. These are so great for my nails! They don’t shred, like other files tend to, and actually help to seal the layers of your nail together! I carry one of these with me everywhere, and refuse to use anything else!

2. Maybelline Turbo Volume Express Mascara

I’ve tried several mascaras since my May Favourites post, but I’m pretty sure this is still my favourite. There is one I’m starting to like from my BeautyCrazed Canada prize pack (I’ll post it soon, I promise!), but I think this is still better so far! I love the volume it gives my lashes, and it isn’t as temperamental as I find the Falsies mascara… this mascara and my lashes just seem to get along!

3. Urban Decay Naked Palette

Another obvious favourite! This is just so versatile; you can create great natural or bold looks with this, and all the colours go together. Plus, with the Primer Potion, these basically last all bloody day! Love!

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil in Zero

(Sorry about the quality; I can’t find these images on my computer, and this one looks like it was taken before I got my good camera, but since the rest of these repeat pictures were taken from the original posts, I wanted to continue the trend.)

This is definitely the best liner I’ve ever used! I have and use Perversion, but I retract my statement that it is a favourite; I definitely prefer Zero to Perversion. It stays longer, for one, it seems like Perversion is too pigmented and soft to last. And sometimes Perversion is just too black to look right with a look.

Non-Beauty Favourites:

1. Merlin

Image from 3-Monkeys.co.uk

Working my way through British tv shows I want to watch, I’m now on the second season of Merlin, and it is fantastic! This is a show basically about Merlin, Arthur, Guinevere, etc. when they’re young. The final season is currently airing (I believe), so I have to try to avoid spoilers a bit, but since this isn’t really big (at least in Canada, I honestly don’t know about elsewhere) that isn’t hard. I’ll admit that sometimes the effects are a little cheesy or cheap looking, especially at the beginning, but the show is wonderful, and I love it! I definitely recommend giving it a try if you like fantasy, historical fiction, Arthurian legends, or British TV!

2. Lord of the Rings

Image from hyderabad.olx.in (This is what my boxed set looks like)

This is a long-time love, but I just wanted to mention it, since I’m re-reading the books right now, and also just refinished watching the extended editions of the movies in preparation for seeing the Hobbit on Friday!

After ten years since the last time I read these books, I’d forgotten how beautifully written they are. Tolkien is such a wonderful author, and I honestly have no sympathy for anyone who thinks he is dry and boring. His descriptions are wonderful, and his characters emotional and moving, and everything is just so real! I’m constantly running into passages that I want to quote and remember and share. Maybe I’m just a massive nerd, but I think this is one of those books that everyone should read. (And yes, technically the Lord of the Rings is one novel, in three parts, not a trilogy of novels. I’ll stop being a nerd now.)

I also wanted to mention that I finally have a bit of money now, and I would love to finally do that giveaway I mentioned last summer! Let me know what kind of prizes you’d be interested in winning!

Thanks for reading!

My November Favourites

Hey all! As you may have realised, November is over, and, since I love reading posts and watching videos about other people’s monthly favourite products, I thought I would start writing my own such posts! This month’s post will probably be a little bit longer than most months, as I’m including a few of my absolute staples, which aren’t likely to change month to month, but I think you guys should know about them, since they are great products! In the future I’ll try to keep it to less than 10 things.
So anyways, here are a few of the products (cosmetic and otherwise) that I have been loving this month (in no particular order):

1. My Guess wallet:
   
   
   This is the first expensive wallet I have ever bought. I decided that I wanted a designer wallet, and that that would be my Christmas gift to myself. As it is, this wasn’t really very expensive, but it did cost a lot more than I would usually spend on a wallet. Guess wallets usually cost $45, at least here in Canada, but I got mine for 25% off, which was basically the deal-sealer on whether or not I was going to purchase this wallet. I love it, though I’ve had to cut down a little on what I carry, as I used to have this massive, ugly guy’s wallet, and I carried a lot of unnecessary cards and paper.
   
   
2. L’oreal Million Lashes
   
   
   You’ve probably already heard me talk about this if you’ve been reading my blog for a little while, but this is actually a really nice drugstore mascara that I tried after hearing good things about it from stylishandliterate on YouTube. Way better than the Tarte I had before, and only about $11… depending where you buy it!
   
   
3. UD 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero
   
   
   This has been my favourite liner ever since I discovered it a couple of years ago. I’m only on my second pencil, which makes the $22 price tag a little more bearable. It stays put really well, and goes on beautifully! No complaints… I love Urban Decay!
   
   
4. Starbucks (especially eggnog lattes)
   
   
   Starbucks is always a favourite of mine, and that won’t change, but my favourite drink right now is definitely the Eggnog Latte, which is just fantastic!
   
   This is obviously a picture of my Starbucks card, on which I have 16 of the 30 stars I need to get to the Gold Level. If you haven’t heard about the Starbucks Rewards program and want to learn more about it, instead of rambling at you, I’ll link you to their site, where they describe it quite well. If you have questions, I might be able to answer them.
   
   
5. Elf mineral eye shadow primer
   
   
   I’ll admit that when I decided to try this out, I wasn’t expecting too much from it, however, its a really good deal for the $3 price tag! This won’t make your eye shadow last all day, but it definitely will make it last at least twice as long as it would without any primer at all. I really like this, and also how it makes my shadows look: a little brighter and more pigmented!
   
   
6. ELF complexion brush
   
   
   Again, I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with this $3 ELF brush, however, it’s super soft and fluffy, and I absolutely adore it! I know now that I never need to spend more than $3 on a brush, because ELF has beautiful ones, whereas I would be paying closer to $20 each for a cheap brush at Sephora.
   
   
7. Bath and Body Works sanitizers (specifically the choco mint one)
   
   
   I got this one from a giveaway on YouTube, along with a bunch of other stuff, and I’m absolutely in love! The Chocolate Mint scent is so much nicer than the strong citrus scents of most sanitizers, and unlike lots of other ones, this doesn’t leave a putrid taste in my mouth if I use the sanitizer and proceed to eat something with my fingers! I’ve checked these out in store since I received this one, and found out they are $2 each, which is a little more than I want to spend on sanitizers, but after using up almost half of this one already, I’m down to spend that much each to get myself a couple more. Plus some of the other scents smell really good too!!
   
   
   
8. Neutrogena Lip balm
   
   
   No other lip balm or chapstick I have tried before or since purchasing Neutrogena’s Norwegian Formula Lip Moisturizer has made my lips feel so nice. I tried this originally because I was sick of balms that tasted good but didn't do much for my lips, or sticks that made my lips really sticky. I have a hand lotion from the same formula, which I also adore (and need to replace soon), and so I was completely down to try this the moment I saw it. I can’t remember the price, but I’m sure it couldn’t have been more than $3.
   
   
9. “The Wee Free Men” by Terry Pratchett
   
   
   This was actually one of the required textbooks for my Children’s Lit class this semester, and though I’ve been a little slow working my way through it, I’m absolutely in love! I’ve read a couple other Pratchett books, and that was actually the main reason for my choosing this class. This is one of his books aimed at children, rather than adults, but his writing is so funny and so intelligent that the book doesn’t feel like reading a kid’s book. (This cost me about $3 plus shipping online, but I’m sure you can find it in a library, if you want to read it. Which you should.)
   
   
10. OPI Original Nail Envy
    This cost me about $20 at London Drugs, but it was completely necessary. My nails have always been a little dry and prone to peeling, but it was getting even worse, so I decided I had to try something. I wanted to pick up the one specifically formulated for Peeling nails, but they didn’t have it in store, and I was pretty desperate at the time, so I picked up the original. It’s been working wonders on my nails, but I find if I skip it a couple of manicures, then my nails go straight back to peeling like idiots. Still, definitely a must for me!
    
    
11. My Burton Crystal File.
    
    
    I’ve had this thing for years, and I’m absolutely in love. I got it from the PNE one year (the BC version of the CNE, if you’re from eastern Canada. It’s basically a fair, if you aren’t Canadian at all.) and I haven’t used a cardboard or metal file since. This one doesn’t tear your nails, but is actually supposed to help seal together the layers of your nail. Which is great for my poor, peeling nails. Also, they are easy to clean and can’t become infected! There’s nothing bad about this file. It was a little pricey, if I remember correctly, but so worth it. According to their site, one of these is worth $9.99 right now (or $14.99 regular). Here’s the link if you want to check them out: http://www.crystalfiles.com/nail_files.php
    
    
12. 7-year pen
    
    
    This was just a random that I picked up at Chapters one day, but then I fell in love with it. It writes really nice, and its super cute. (I got the black one first.) When I saw more styles in the Chapters in Richmond, I didn’t hesitate long before grabbing another one. I love writing with these. And, if their claim is true, I now have about 14 years worth of ink! Each one cost me $10, which I think is a great deal for a pen with 7 years worth of writing hidden inside it!
    
    
13. My Kinies Grey EZTote Canvas Bag
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Above are the product photos from Kinies’s Etsy shop. As you can see, its a largish, cute, simple, casual bag, with tons of room inside, and lots pockets! Below is a picture of what my bag looks like at the time of posting this, and I bought it about a year ago. Its holding up pretty good, apart from the tiniest bit of wear on one corner that is just beginning to show. And I use this every single day! I love how the grey has got a little discoloured, I think it give it character. And of course I love my buttons, most of which I got at PAX Prime this past summer. The bag cost me $46 CAD, plus $15 shipping, which seems like a lot for a canvas bag, but I completely don’t regret it! Here’s the shop if you wanna check out what else they have: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Kinies.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
14. “Ever After” by Marianas Trench
    
    
    This is the new Marianas Trench album. If you haven’t heard about Marianas Trench, because you’ve been living under a rock, immediately go download their three albums. They are fantastic! And when you fall in love with them, please give them your money and buy their albums!! Cost me ~$13 at HMV.
    
    
15. DAVIDsTEA
    
    
    Finally, DAVIDsTEA is a tea shop that recently opened up in my mall, and I’ve completely fallen in love with them! They have the most amazing and inventive tea blends, and sell not only loose leaf teas, but also hot tea, iced tea, and tea lattes, as well as all sorts of cups, steepers, and thermoses! I’ve already spent way too much there, and I’m really hoping to get some of their teas for Christmas this year!
    

What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments!