I’m going to start with my new morning face moisturizer. I loved my Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 50, but since it has been discontinued, I’ve been desperately searching for something to replace it. I’ve tried quite a few over the past few months, plus my skin has dried out a bit due to a new acne cream, but I think I finally found one that I really like! It’s from First Aid Beauty, which seems to be popping up in reviews everywhere lately, but I haven’t seen a mention of my favorite which is the 5-in-1 Face Cream SPF 30. It has a decent SPF, it’s hydrating without being greasy, it has a lovely texture that blends like a dream, it doesn’t break me out, and I really couldn’t be more impressed. It may not be my beloved Josie Maran, but the First Aid Beauty 5-in-1 Face Cream SPF 30 is a pretty damn fine second! J
Sticking with skincare, I found a daytime eye cream with SPF!!! I always find it troubling that eye creams never have SPF in them, though I can see why whenever I get just a dab of regular sunscreen near my eye. This one is from Ole Henricksen and I feel I need to point out that I haven’t been able to 100% confirm from the company that they are cruelty-free, but their website does state that they never engage in animal testing. Google searches seem to indicate the same. I’d like something more concrete, but I just went with it and tried the Total Truth Vitamin C Eye Cream SPF 15. Not only does it protect my delicate eye area from the harmful rays of the sun, it’s also a really nice eye cream! It’s thick, but blends in nicely – I use gentle patting motions to apply it. It actually seems to brighten under my eyes and makes my dark circles look a little less dark too! So, well done Ole Henricksen, although some confirmation on your animal testing policies would be fantastic.
I have also been loving my Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask for soothing and healing my dry, chapped winter lips! I recently reviewed it here, so I won’t go in to too much detail. Aside from tasting insanely delicious, although it kinda grosses me out to realize what that taste is disguising (lanolin), it feels really conditioning and protective on the lips. You put it on at night and it’s still there in the morning! Excellent stuff if you are ok with wool by-products (I know some are not)! It’s also a pain to get out of the tube, but it’s worth the effort for Bite Beauty’s Agave Lip Mask.
A hair favorite for the month is from Giovanni. It is their Don’t Be Flaky! Soothing Anti-Dandruff Shampoo. As I mentioned a little while ago, the nasty white itchy flakies have been gracing my scalp recently. I love the other tea tree-based shampoos I’ve tried as well, but this one works even better! It uses Salicylic Acid to treat the dandruff, with Tea Tree and Oatmeal to soothe the scalp. Not a white flake in sight and it smells really nice! It has kind of a mildly fruity scent that seems a bit tropical to me. It’s not terribly strong, nor does it linger and it’s a nice change from the standard tea tree-eucalyptus-mint hybrid in many standard tea tree shampoos. The Giovanni Don’t Be Flaky! Soothing Anti-Dandruff Shampoo has been a scalp saver in February! J
Agh! This is already long! Hurrying on to makeup, I’ve been using the Tarte Colored Clay Liquid Foundation pretty much daily. I really love this foundation! Again, I recently reviewed it here, so I won’t blab on about it. At the very end of the month, I tried using it with a Beauty Blender, and I finally get the Beauty Blender hype! J The two work fantastically together! I hope Tarte releases this widely soon so everyone can try it because the Colored Clay Liquid Foundation is suburb!
Another recently reviewed product that I have rarely been without is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow. I will say that this shade is very subtle, but it actually does make my cheeks glow! You can read more about the blush and see it swatched here. It’s not for everyone, and if you’re looking for a huge pop of color, check out another shade. But personally, I love the subtle glow that the Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow gives my cheeks.
The eyeliner I’ve reached for every day is the NYX Slide-On Eye Liner in Jet Black. Nothing fancy here, although it is a fantastic liner. I’ve mainly just been tight-lining my upper waterline with it, adding a bit of mascara and I’m out the door. It’s a wonderful, deep black that’s still really soft and creamy while remaining budge-proof. How it does all of that is beyond me, but it’s absolutely perfect for my recent purposes! J Love, love, love the NYX Slide-On Eye Liner in Jet Black!
Much to my own amazement, I’ve been reaching for eyeshadows from the Naked Basics Palette from Urban Decay this month. I’m amazed not because it’s a bad palette, but because I never use it! I find it most useful for crease colors and a brow highlight, but rarely do I only use this palette. For some reason though, it was pretty much all I reached for in February. So I guess I’m finally on the Naked Basics bandwagon! J
Last, but not least, I’ve been constantly reaching for the NYX Butter Lipstick in Fireball. I never would have thought I would like this shade, let alone be constantly reaching for it! But, as they say, never say never! J The lipstick itself is not really all that special. It’s a good lipstick, but nothing revolutionary. It’s comfortable and it wears well, but it’s the color that I’m constantly drawn to! I almost didn’t order it, but I kept seeing swatches of it online, and it looked kind of fun and different…for me anyway. It’s basically a bright orangey-coral. It’s not terribly opaque, which I think makes it more wearable. It’s a great way to tiptoe towards orange lips. J For whatever reason, I think it’s pretty and it seems to work well with the simple makeup I gravitated towards in February! Fireball, you were my Valentine! J
Finally, I’m finished! So many Favorites for such a short month! J If you stuck through me with this, thank you! You are a patient sole…or simply a beauty junkie that lives for Favorites posts as much as I do! J Let me know what you’ve been reaching for over and over again the last month because I’d love to know! Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again next month…well, hopefully sooner, but you know what I mean! J I hope you’ve had a fantastic February and may March be even better!!!
