The Monthly Review | June

June has definitely been the fastest month of the year - I seriously can't believe tomorrow is July. It was quite a stressful month, but a few recent events have made it the best of the year so far.

Beauty

This month I took a long, hard look at my beauty spending. I wrote a post this week on how I'm going to stick to a spending ban because the amount of money I've spent this year alone on beauty is insane - I requalified for VIB Rouge for next year in MARCH. I did a huge declutter and managed to fit everything back into the little acrylic storage units and Ikea drawers I originally got for makeup storage. It's been so nice to have everything back in one place, and I'm sure Brett's super happy about it being out of the living room.

I've still been loving a few products despite downsizing a bit. My favorite release of the month was Glossier's Birthday Balm Dotcom (20% off here) - I always have at least two Balm Dotcoms nearby, and now I have a whole new obsession. It smells just like fresh out of the oven vanilla cake and has a little bit of holographic shimmer in it that makes it really pretty on the lips as well as cheeks and eyelids. When I haven't been slathering that on my lips, I've been going for the Buxom Wildly Whipped Liquid Lipstick in Devious Dolly - I was sent the White Russian shade earlier this month (post here!), and I fell in love with the formula so much that I got this more wearable rosy shade. The formula is super comfortable an looks beautiful on the lips, although it doesn't last as long as other liquid lipsticks I've tried. Other honorable beauty mentions have been the BECCA Sunlit Bronzer in Bali Sands, which I have now officially decided is the best bronzer I've ever tried, and the Milk Makeup Flex Concealer. Both have been helping me look much more well-rested and awake.

Speaking of looking awake, I'm also on my second month of Ritual vitamins, and I've been loving them. This month I got one of the new bottles that have a tab infused with peppermint oil in it, and it makes the experience so much better - before I found they had a fishy/seaweed taste, but now it's just minty and refreshing. I've noticed my moods and energy improving now that I'm taking them consistently.

Books/TV

Since I've become obsessed with My Favorite Murder (I'm so close to catching up, and I don't know what I'll do when I have to wait a few days between new episodes), I've started also reading a few true crime books. This month I've been reading The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule, all about Ted Bundy - the cool thing about this book is that Ann Rule worked with Ted Bundy before he became a serial killer, and she was assigned to write about the murders that were happening around the University of Washington campus before anyone knew who was behind them/before she knew she actually had been friends with the killer. I'm about halfway through, and it's such an interesting read. I've got a book about the Night Stalker on my to-read list next.

Brett and I have also binge-watched The Keepers on Netflix, and it was so good - even better than Making a Murderer. It was so hard and harrowing to watch at points, but it was such a great documentary. Now that we've finished that, we've started Bates Motel, and we're hooked.

When we've been looking for something a little more lighthearted, we've been watching old episodes of The Office - you may have seen me putting clips from the Dinner Party episode in my Instagram Story because it's my favorite episode of any TV show, not just The Office, ever.

Other Highlights

I'll start out with the biggest highlight of the month - we're buying a house! We started seriously looking at houses this month with a realtor (who's awesome!), and just last week we put an offer on one that was accepted! The inspection is happening today, so hopefully everything else in the process moves forward smoothly and we can be moved in by the end of the summer. We're both so excited to have our own house and start this new adventure. I can't wait to be able to paint and decorate exactly how I want.

We also passed our pre-anniversary this month - we're getting married June 8, 2018, so we spent the day of June 8 this year together. We also had a dinner tasting for what food we want served at our reception this past weekend and have all of that picked out now. My sister's maid of honor dress came in, too. It feels like everything is slowly starting to fall into place, and I'm so glad it hasn't been too stressful yet.

What were the highlights of your month?

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Drugstore Favorites

Since I've put myself on a spending ban, I've been going through my collection and giving things from the drugstore a little more love. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little bit of a beauty snob - I just love the feeling I get from using higher-end products, even if there are options at the drugstore that perform just as well.

L'Oreal Lumi Cushion & Pro Glow Foundation | When it comes to foundation, in my experience you can't beat L'Oreal. They have the widest range of shades that I've seen, and they have so many formulas that there has to be something there for everybody. I love their dewy foundations - the True Match Lumi Cushion is one of my everyday go-tos, and the Pro Glow Foundation is one I reach for when I want a little more coverage. They both leave a gorgeous glow on the skin without looking greasy. I've heard nothing but great things about the Pro Matte foundation too, so I may pick that up if my skin behaves.

L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara | This mascara is slowly but surely becoming super hyped-up, but it's for good reason. The Lash Paradise Mascara already reached "favorite drugstore mascara" status for me, knocking out my beloved Maybelline Full N Soft. It curls, volumizes, and lengthens my lashes all at once, and even the regular, non-waterproof version doesn't smudge on me. I've heard people compare it to the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara because of the wand and the packaging, and this is miles better in my opinion - the Too Faced flaked all over my face within about an hour of applying, while this lasts 12+ hours.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer | The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer is an oldie but a goodie - definitely my favorite from the drugstore, and one of my favorite undereye concealers hands-down. It's got light but buildable coverage, and it doesn't cake or crease. As I'm getting older I'm noticing a bit more creasing under my eyes, but this one still stays crease-free all day - I'll put up with the sponge applicator all day long for that. It works really well on the rest of the face too, and I find it conceals the redness around my nose really well.

Revlon ColorStay Creme Eyeshadow | I've only just been harping on about this recently, but the Revlon ColorStay Creme Eyeshadow is one of my favorite recent discoveries from the drugstore. It's definitely better than the Maybelline Color Tattoos. It's a lightweight formula that doesn't feel tacky or heavy on the eyelids, and it really stays put all day long with no creasing or fading. When I first swatched this on my hand, I had a hard time washing the swatch off! I have the shade Praline, and my only complaint is that I wish there was a bigger selection of shades - there aren't really any other colors in the line that I'd want.

Milani Color Statement Lipliners | I haven't tried many drugstore lipliners, but the Color Statement Lipliners from Milani are pure winners. They're an oldschool wooden pencil formula, and yet they're creamy and comfortable on the lips. They don't last quite as long as something like the MAC Lip Pencils, but I'll sacrifice a bit of longevity for comfort. My favorite thing about these is that two of the nude shades, 03 Nude and 04 All Natural, are dupes for my two favorite Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheats - Nude is so similar to Pillow Talk, and All Natural looks just like Iconic Nude. 

NYX Butter Gloss | Now that it's summer I'm getting back into glossy lips, and I've fallen back in love with the NYX Butter Glosses. They're the least sticky lip gloss I've ever tried, and instead feel creamy and quite balmy on the lips. I only have the shade Angel Food Cake left in my collection, but it's such a good everyday mauve shade.

EcoTools Brushes | I'll always love my Real Techniques brushes, but recently I've fallen for a couple brushes from EcoTools: the Sheer Blush and Blending & Bronzing Brushes. When I wear powder cheek products, I like to build up light layers, and these duo-fiber brushes make it so easy. They apply everything beautifully, and I'm probably going to get an extra of each so I don't have to wash them as often.

Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist | If we're talking drugstore skincare, Pixi is top of the game. So many of their products are favorites of mine, but if I had to choose one, I think it would be the Hydrating Milky Mist. I love a good face mist, and this one feels like it's actually doing something. It reminds me a lot of the Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist, too. If my skin is feeling parched or tight, a few spritzes of this helps it get back to feeling plump and glowy. I have a roundup of all of their mists, and they're all lovely.

What are your favorite products from the drugstore?

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How I'm Actually Sticking to a Spending Ban This Time

I've tried putting myself on spending bans multiple times, and I always fail. This time, I'm getting serious, buckling down, and saving money. Going through my makeup and skincare collections this past weekend made me realize I really don't need anything else for quite awhile. I had gotten into the habit of buying things for the sake of just having them, always justifying the purchases with "but I can write about it." I have plenty of makeup and skincare to get me through many many months of posts.

Actually Have No Money to Spend

I'll admit, the reason I'm finally getting serious about curbing my spending habits is because I'm literally going to be draining my savings account very soon - we're in the process of buying a house! And planning a wedding! And all of those things really add up. Now that I'm in full-on saving mode and feel like I literally cannot afford one single thing, I really haven't even had the urge to make a Sephora order - who knew?

Delete Saved Card Info

This will definitely help me if/when those urges to place spontaneous orders come back. If you need to go find your card to put the information in to place the order, that gives you crucial time to rethink and re-evaluate if you actually need the products in your cart. Plus if I'm vegged out on the couch looking around on Sephora's website, nine times out of ten I'm going to be too lazy to get up and get my card out of my wallet. Impulse buys - vanquished.

Clear Your Online Carts

Going along with the point above, another thing to do to curb impulse purchases is to clear out your online carts. I used to just keep things I wanted in my Sephora cart, and it just made it easier to order at a moment's notice, even if I didn't need the products. Instead of keeping your carts full, try writing down a wishlist instead - this is what I've been trying to do lately. Then I can check back over time and see if I still want what I had written down. My wishlists are full of crossed-out items I decided weren't really necessary.

Unsubscribe from Brand Newsletters/Unfollow Beauty News Accounts

This is a big one for me - if I see an email pop up about a sale or special gift with purchase, it would be so easy for me to justify making an order just to take advantage of the sale. But as my dad tells my mom when she gets 30% off Kohl's coupons in the mail, "you're still spending 70% more than you were originally planning." I've also unfollowed account like Trendmood - seeing the latest releases and knowing exactly when they're being released was just too much of a temptation for me - I was becoming obsessed with being one of the first to get a new product to review on the blog. Now I'm blissfully unaware of most new releases, and I don't just buy for the sake of having the newest thing.

Allow a Little Wiggle Room

Ok, so this would make it technically not a spending "ban," but I've learned going cold turkey just doesn't work. I'm still working out a budget, but for now I'm allowing myself one new product per month. Being able to pick up something new here and there will help me not go on a huge buying spree the second I decide my "ban" is over.

Have you ever done a spending ban? What are your tips?

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