Falling for Tom Ford Beauty

What a dangerous title, right? I got my first Tom Ford product for my birthday last year, and it's been love ever since. I managed to fight temptation to try more from the brand up until the beginning of this year, but once I started thinking about what kinds of products would really be valuable in my routine, I just couldn't resist anymore. I've now tried four products from the line, and I've fallen head over heels for them all.

Skin Illuminating Powder Duo, 'Moonlight' | This beauty is the one that started it all for me. I pretty much begged everyone around me for it for a full year, and then my parents got it for me for my birthday last year. It's an absolutely stunning highlighting duo - I had always assumed it was a highlighter and a bronzer, but both shades are shimmery. The deeper shade actually has more of a rose gold tone. My favorite way to wear it is with the lighter shade on the tops of my cheekbones, like a normal highlighter, with the darker shade blended just below it farther back on my cheeks. It makes my skin look so glowy and perfected. The light shade is a bit more subtle than I'm used to, but it's beautiful nonetheless.

Shade & Illuminate, 'Intensity One' | After falling for the powder duo, I set my sights on the cult-favorite cream duo. It's meant to be used to contour and highlight, but the deeper shade is much too warm for me to contour with. I was fully expecting that though, and I went in with the intention to use it as a cream bronzer - I'm not one for contouring much anymore anyway. I love the consistency of this - it leaves the skin plump and juicy-looking. The highlighting shade isn't super pigmented, making it more of a gloss. I absolutely love that look, so I've been reaching for this duo nonstop. But I could see someone being disappointed if they 1) wanted to contour with this and 2) wanted a more shimmery/golden highlight.

Eyeshadow Quad, 'Nude Dip' | The eyeshadow quads were another product I had been keeping an eye on for such a long time. I originally had my sights set on Orchid Haze (I think after seeing it on Bonjour Luce years ago), but once I saw swatches of Nude Dip on Mika's Instagram I knew that was the one I should go for instead. I've been having such a moment with a softer eyeshadow look lately, and these shades are perfect. They're all shimmery, but none of them are super metallic or anything so I don't mind still bringing them up into the crease. They're not super creamy or buttery, but they still apply beautifully and stay put all day long on me. This is definitely my favorite of the products I have.

Lip Color Shine, 'Nubile' | Fragrances aside, I think Tom Ford might be most famous for their lipsticks, so of course I had to try one. I had been looking at the Lips & Boys and Matte Lipstick shades, but then I saw Estee Lalonde feature the Shine Lipstick in Nubile in one of her videos and I fell in love. I've been into a more comfortable, creamy/glossy lip lately, so this is perfect. Nubile is a lovely warm pink nude shade that's great for every day. If I'm dropping $50 on a lipstick, I want it to be something I'll wear a lot, so this super comfortable and wearable shade was exactly what I needed. I'd highly recommend for your next splurge.

Have you tried anything from Tom Ford before? What's your favorite? I'm super tempted by the new Shade & Illuminate Cheek blush duos.

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I Switched to a Men's Razor (And You Should, Too)

With spring just around the corner (happy March, everyone!), it's really got me thinking about getting my legs out in shorts and dresses soon. And every year I dread shaving my legs (I know I don't *have* to, I just prefer it for myself). In recent years I have developed some kind of sensitivity to shaving/removing the hair on my legs - I end up with the ITCHIEST legs ever, and it's borderline unbearable. I had tried razor after razor and shaving cream after shaving cream, and nothing was helping. So when the lovely people at Harry's reached out and offered to send me a Shaving Set to try, I thought I had nothing to lose.

Harry's is a razor subscription service - you pick your razor and the frequency of deliveries, so you'll never be without a fresh blade again. I love this aspect because I've been stuck with no razor blades because I forgot to pick some up while grocery shopping more often than not. And because Harry's sells directly from their factory in Germany, they're able to charge lower prices per blade - most razors cost around $4 or more per blade, while Harry's are $2 or less. I'm always horrifically whiney at having to drop another $25 on a pack of razor blade refills, so this lower price is oh so welcome. You can also buy the razors and refill cartridges on their own without a subscription, but you will save money if you subscribe. You can start a free trial here and only pay $3 shipping.

But what about the quality? Well, I'll just say I've been blown away. I've been using women's razors the whole time I've been shaving, and I've often heard they just don't compare to men's (despite usually being more expensive). Harry's has really proven that - they show that sometimes simpler really is better. I think all the extra lotion bars and shaving cream strips were just crowding my old razors and cutting down on their effectiveness. With Harry's, each cartridge has five blades and a lubricating strip, and that's it. It gives me an incredibly close shave on my legs, and the flex hinge is perfect for maneuvering around the ankles and knees without cutting myself up.

I chose the Winston handle for my kit, and it's just beautiful - weighty and easy to hold. The kit also came with the Foaming Shave Gel, which I've also been enjoying using. It's "sticky" enough to not run off my legs before I can get to razor on them, but not so much that I can't rinse it off the razor. It smells quite masculine, but I really like the scent and it doesn't linger. The best part, I've found, of this new system is that I haven't had any awful itchy-leg reactions. Not at all. So hooray for me to actually be able to shave my legs without turning into some kind of rash-troll this spring and summer, all thanks to Harry's. 

Have you ever tried Harry's, or men's razors in general? How do you think they compare?

I was sent the Harry's Winston Shaving Set for the purpose of this review, but all opinions and results are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

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The Monthly Review | February

I'm so glad February passed by more quickly than January. I'm not a huge fan of winter once Christmas is over, so I'm happy to see February go and for spring to come. February was a pretty great month for me though, and I'm hoping I can continue that streak through March.

BEAUTY

I'll start off with beauty again this month - I began the month by putting myself on a spending ban, but I majorly failed. I'm done with spending bans because I'm pretty sure I always end up buying more than I probably would have if I was "allowed" to spend money on myself. Anyway, there were a few gems this month. I fell head over heels for the Jouer Powder Highlighter in Rose Quartz - it's such a buttery smooth formula that's a little intense, but it's easy to apply lightly for a more natural glow. The end of the month also marked the return of Glossier Haloscope in Moonstone, and since it's no longer a limited edition shade, I finally allowed myself to fall in love with mine. The Haloscopes are my absolute favorite highlighters, and Moonstone gives the perfect opalescent glow. Speaking of Glossier, I re-fell in love with the Stretch Concealer once I tried applying it with a damp Beautyblender - seriously, give it a try (and get 20% off your first Glossier order here!). And for lips, I've been going back and forth between the Hourglass GIRL Lip Stylo in Activist (review) and the By Terry Baume de Rose every day.

BOOKS, MUSIC, & TV

I'm still working my way through reading A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin. Seriously, as much as I love these books, they take me forever to get through. While I'm relaxing at home I like things that are a little easier to read, and I've read through Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey several times this month. It's just such a beautiful collection of poems, and I usually am not a huge poetry-reader. I've also been reading Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham, and it's so great to get some behind-the-scenes anecdotes from Gilmore Girls. There really was no other person who could play Lorelai Gilmore.

For music, I listened to mostly the same playlist that I linked last month and the La La Land Soundtrack, but I've been listening to Lana del Rey's new song nonstop since it came out. It's inspired me to go back and listen to her other albums too - I still know every song from Born to Die and the Paradise Edition by heart, but I need to listen to Ultraviolence and Honeymoon more.

Brett and I were so psyched for The Walking Dead to come back this month - it's one of our favorite shows to watch together. So far I'm really enjoying this season and can't wait to see if Rick can finally beat Negan. Another zombie-related show we watched together was Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix - we watched the whole thing this past weekend and loved it. It was so funny and although it was pretty gross at times, it was never unwatchable. We can't believe what a cliffhanger it ended on, so we're looking forward to Season 2.

This isn't a book, music, or a TV show, but I've also been loving the return of the You Must Remember This podcast. It's so well-researched and so interesting. Right now there's a series called "Dead Blondes" - all about blonde actresses that died too soon or tragically. I think my favorite episode from the series so far was the one on Thelma Todd, who I hadn't even heard of before. If you're into Old Hollywood and podcasts, You Must Remember This is definitely one to check out.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

I love doing this section of these posts - this month started out on a great note when I got my dream wedding dress! It was actually only my first appointment, so I wasn't expecting to buy a dress at all. But I fell head over heels with the first dress I tried on - the consultant really understood what I was looking for. I tried on five or six dresses afterward, but nothing compared to the first. I also got the first veil I tried on, too! Although the dress and veil are by different designers, they look like they were made to go together. I can't wait for them to both come in!

I also got my fourth tattoo, a couple peonies on my shoulder. It's not done yet, but I'm already so so happy with it. The artist's Instagram is here if you're interested - her work is stunning, and I'm hoping to get a few more flowers by her on my arm to make a kind of half-sleeve. My plan is to get lilacs next.

This month was also great because Brett had two Mondays off from the Police Academy - having him around for an extra night after the weekend and being able to cook dinner together was such a nice treat. He only has one more month at the academy left, and then he'll be home every night! I can't wait.

I'm hoping March will be the month that we pick our wedding venue and when I can finally stick to some sort of exercise regimen (and also a budget), but no promises.

What were the highlights of your month?

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