Summer Favorites 2016

I was going to make a ‘July favorites’ last month, but I decided I’d give myself another month using these products to give a better review. Then ‘August favorites’ time came around and I didn’t get around to it in time. So we will just call this one ‘Summer Favorites’, and I’ll share some new products of mine that I’ve been loving this summer.

Beauty Favorites

Tarte Tartlette In Bloom Palette 

I’m not good at eyeshadow. This is just a fact that I live with. Maybe one day I’ll magically improve, but to be honest that day seems far away. Throughout all the past palettes that have been trending (Naked Palettes, Too Faced Chocolate bar, etc.) I was always tempted to purchase one, but never did because eyeshadow was not something I knew how to do. Then one day this summer I was about to run out of time to use a coupon I had at Sephora for a free makeover. I didn’t have an event to go to, but decided to book an appointment just so I could try out some new products. This Tarte palette was the one the makeup artist chose to use on me. I asked for her to do something simple and easy that I could replicate and she could teach me as she applied it. I’d never been crazy about eyeshadow on myself, but I truly loved what she did on me that day, so I purchased the palette. And I have been crazy about it. First of all, it smells amazing. Like Vanilla? Or chocolate? I can’t really tell, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s just a great smell. I tend to stick with a few shades (smarty pants for the crease, flower child for the lid, and charmer under the brow) because I’m such a beginner that starting simple is a good idea. But I’ve been really, truly enjoying it. The colors in this palette are beautiful. It’s easily blendable which is all I wanted in a shadow. And it doesn’t hurt that the packaging is cute. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Soft Brown

For quite a long time I was using Anastasia Brow Powder Duo, and in that free makeup session I did at Sephora that I was talking about earlier, she used the Brow Wiz on me and I instantly understood all the hype I’d heard about it. It just makes my brows look clean which I like. To other people looking at me it wouldn’t look like a big difference, but I just prefer this tool over the powder I used to use.

Living Proof No Frizz Humidity Shield 

With my hair loss and breakage, I find that it is always looking kind of messy. So when I saw this travel sized bottle from Living Proof I decided to try the tester on my way out of Sephora. And it seemed like magic. One spray and just patting the frizz down and it was all gone and looked smoother than it had in ages. So I bought it and have not regretted it since.

L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

With my issues with hair loss, my eyelashes have always felt like a problem area for me, so I’m kind of always on the hunt for a magical mascara that would make a huge difference. Last time I was in Wal-Mart I walked by the L’Oreal section and saw the False Fiber Lashes. I remembered using that mascara toward the end of high school and loving it and repurchasing it over and over again. To be honest, I don’t remember why I stopped using it at all. But I decided to try it again, and I really love it. I won’t go as far as to say that it’s magic, but it’s pretty close. I really love what it does to my eyelashes. They look full and long with this mascara and stay looking full and long throughout the day. I strongly approve and you should definitely check it out if you have short, sparse eyelashes.

Non-Beauty Favorites

S’well Bottle 

Tori generously, kindly, and unnecessarily, bought me a S’well bottle as a gift after her stay here. Now what is a S’well bottle you ask? These bottles were launched in 2010 with a mission to rid the world of plastic bottles. The best part? They claim to keep cold drinks cold for 24 hours and hot drinks hot for 12 hours. And it WORKS. My cold bottle was left in the car for 3 hours with the sun beating down on it in sweltering weather. We came back to the car and did the test... Was it still cold? And it passed the test with flying colors. The water inside was still freezing, which seemed absolutely impossible. It was definitely some kind of sorcery. I haven’t tested out the hot drinks yet, but so far, I am in love with this thing. Not to mention it comes in a variety of beautiful colors and patterns. Tori got me mine from the Satin Collection in Monaco Blue and it is such a pretty color. I’ve definitely been enjoying my S’well bottle. Thank you Tori!

Breathe App

I decided to include a meditation app that I’ve been using almost daily. This app is simple to use and great for beginners who want to start meditating. You can check in by choosing the emotions you’re feeling when you begin, and then the app suggests 3 or 4 different guided meditations for you that you can choose from based on how you’re feeling. They’re not long meditations so they’re fairly easy to do, and I always feel so much more relaxed, grounded, and closer to the earth, after meditating.  

David’s Tea

I tried David’s Tea for the first time recently and have actually been enjoying it. I am not a tea person. Nor am I a coffee person. So I decided that I’d see if I could acquire a taste for tea, and it seems like it’s working. My favorite flavors so far have been Carribean Crush, Mango Madness, and the Me to We tea they have right now with the proceeds going to getting clean water for a developing community in Kenya. It tastes like fruit punch and I love it. People with Type 1, most teas have at most 10 calories and at most 3 carbs! Life is good for us over here! 


Xo, Michelle