Usually I start out my end-of-the-month posts with a statement of how quickly the month went by. But this wasn't the case with January, it just dragged by so slowly and I'm pretty happy it's finally over. I always feel like January is such a downer of a month, too - the holidays are over, and it's just dark and cold and gloomy all the time. I'm trialing a new type of monthly post instead of a favorites post, so without further ado, let's get into it.
BEAUTY
Of course I still had to throw some beauty in here. This month basically centered around the Glossier Priming Moisturizer Rich* (review) for me. I was lucky enough to be sent it early to try it before the launch, and it really is something special. A late favorite was the new Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk. The Lip Cheat in the same shade is my absolute favorite, so I had to jump on the limited-edition release of the matching lipstick. I've gotten back into wearing eyeshadow this month and I have the Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quad in Nude Dip to thank for that - it's probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I've also fallen for the Colourpop Pressed Eyeshadows in the last week of the month - I'll have a review up this week.
TV/MOVIES/BOOKS
Brett and I binge-watched Westworld earlier this month on HBO, and I was blown away by it. Every episode left me with more questions, so I'm excited to watch Season 2 when it comes out. I also watched all of A Series of Unfortunate Events when it came out on Netflix - I loved those books when I was a kid, and it was really cool to see them brought to life (I loved the movie with Jim Carrey, but it was nice to see the books followed more closely). Most of the other things I've been watching have been things like the original Star Wars and Singin' in the Rain. I was really shaken by the deaths of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds at the end of December, so it's really motivated me to revisit their work. If you loved them, too, I'd definitely recommend the HBO Documentary Bright Lights, which took a super intimate and heartwarming look at their relationship. Similarly, I've also been reading Carrie Fisher's books this month. When I'm on lunch at work though, I'm still working my way through George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords.
Just this past weekend, Brett and I saw La La Land and I absolutely fell in love with it. I'm a huge fan of old-Hollywood musicals, and it really brought back that kind of nostalgia for me. I won't spoil it, but I was left pretty emotionally-wrecked by the end of it. But I'm still planning on seeing it again!
MUSIC
After listening to nothing but Christmas music nonstop last month, it was nice to get back into some normal music. I went back into listening to my playlist of oldies like Simon & Garfunkel, Carole King, and James Taylor for the most part - it's the kind of music my dad always has playing when I'm home, so it feels super comforting whenever I listen to it - it feels like home. I can already tell that after this weekend, though, I'll be listening to the La La Land soundtrack a lot - I've already been annoying Brett by listening to the Planetarium song around the house.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
I know I said this month dragged by, but there have certainly been highlights. Brett and I tried a few new restaurants, including an Indian place right down the street from us and a ramen place that just opened the next town over. My two best friends from home also visited this month, and I got to ask them to be my bridesmaids! We had a super fun afternoon catching up. I'm already looking forward to February because just this weekend I'll be trying on wedding dresses for the first time, getting lunch with my grandparents, and getting my fourth tattoo.
Let me know how you liked this "review" post rather than a normal monthly favorites! What were your highlights of the month?
I'd also like to take a moment to say that there have been many horrible things happening in the country and in the world this month, and the continuation of my regular posts is in no way a reflection of my ignorance or apathy towards what's going on. I want to keep this space a positive escape, but I'm working to use my voice on my other platforms, like Twitter, to share my opinions and amplify voices that should be heard.