October Favorites

When I sat down to write this post, I named it "September Favorites," so you can really tell where my head is. Like I say every month, October went by so quickly! This month's favorites is yet again a mix of new and old favorites - just the way I like it. I haven't been as strict about my spending this month, but I'm going back on my low-buy now to save money for Christmas. So next month's favorites may be more rediscoveries than new products.

Glossier You* | You had to guess this would be here, right? This has only been out for about a week, and I had only been trying it a week before that, and yet it's already become a firm favorite. You can read my review for my full thoughts on it, but I just love that it's a subtle, "skinlike" scent that sits close to the skin and isn't heady or overpowering. Usually I like my perfumes to have a bit of rose in them, but this doesn't and I'm still in love. I don't think I've ever gotten more compliments on a fragrance as I have on this.

Jordan Samuel Skin etOILe Facial Oil | I also wrote a review on this oil this month, and it's been a daily staple for most of the month. My skin absolutely loves this oil blend - it's become more balanced, even, and radiant this month after consistent use. I use it every night without fail, and sometimes in the morning too. I need to check out the retinol version next!

NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments | I fell so head over heels in love with these this month. I thought I was over the liquid lipstick trend, but I guess not. These feel so lightweight on the lips like a stain, and although they're quite a flat matte, they don't make my lips shrivel up. I love how easy they are to wear - on an everyday basis, I've been tapping a little onto the center of my lips and blending it out for a more stained effect. Starwoman is now the only red I want to wear forever and ever, and American Woman and Save the Queen are perfect everyday shades. I think I'm getting Walk This Way from my sister soon, too, so there's no end in sight for this obsession. You can check out my review for swatches of the three shades I have, too.

Pixi Glow Tonic | This is a rediscovery this month. After using The Ordinary's Glycolic Acid Toner for awhile, I just really missed the Pixi Glow Tonic. It's so much more pleasing to use, and I think it has much better effects on my skin. I've been using it every morning to wake up my skin, and it's been keeping it smooth and (aside from some hormonal breakouts) clear. I'm fully back on the Glow Tonic train, and I won't stray again anytime soon.

Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation | Speaking of breakouts, I've been actually wearing foundation this month as opposed to a smattering of concealer. While I'm not happy about the breakouts, I am happy I've rediscovered my love for the Light Wonder Foundation. It gives good coverage for me, and it leaves my skin looking so glowy and healthy. It also seems to smooth over any texture and blur my pores. It lasts throughout the day on me, and it looks beautiful both on its own or mixed with other products like the Glossier Skin Tint.

What were your favorites in October?

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New In: Skincare

Trying out new skincare is one of my favorite things to do, even more than trying new makeup. It's just so relaxing to pamper yourself, and the scientist in me loves to look at it as an experiment. There's a fine line between trying new products and completely overloading the skin, and I am always toeing that line. It's so tempting to just try all the things, but that wouldn't make for a very well-designed experiment, would it? So far my skin hasn't had any adverse reactions besides the usual hormonal breakout, so so far so good!

Jordan Samuel Skin | I wrote a whole post about the two products I've been using from Jordan Samuel Skin here, but I just wanted to pop in and say my skin has still been absolutely loving them. I'm going through them at a bit of an alarming rate, actually. The Hydrate Facial Serum is now my go-to to keep my skin hydrated and plump all day long, and I love how lightweight it feels. The etOILe Facial Oil has been giving my skin such a beautiful glow - it's really selling me on using oil blends as opposed to single-ingredient facial oils.

Monastery | A couple absolutely beautiful products from Monastery have recently come in the mail, and I've been head over heels for them. Monastery makes products from whole, natural ingredients that contain no drying salts or alcohol, and that are infused with aromatic oils for a truly luxurious experience. I've been trying out the Aloe Hyaluronic Gel*, which is an extremely lightweight gel moisturizer. I use this as a serum rather than my sole moisturizer. It contains two forms of hyaluronic acid to better penetrate the skin, as well as aloe and clary sage to rebuild and restore damaged skin cells. It also contains lavender to soothe. It's so incredibly comforting on the skin, and it's been calming down my breakouts for sure. The Gold Botanical Healing Serum* was another one that sounded like a godsend for my currently stressed skin. It's a facial oil containing evening primrose, rosehip seed, squalane, and English walnut oils. It's also scented with Edwardian rose, ambrette, cistus, and rosewood, so it's really relaxing to use before bed. This has also been amping up my glow and helping my skin heal itself over the past few weeks - I'm obsessed.

Thank You Farmer | Thank You Farmer is a K-beauty brand I've been super intrigued about, and they just recently became available at Ulta. I had been looking into picking up a few products when I got an email asking if I wanted to try some, so I jumped at the chance. I was sent products from the Miracle Age Repair line: Eye Cream*, Toner*, Serum*, and Emulsion*. They all work to brighten and restore the skin's natural glow with peony extract and burdock root extract. So far the standouts of the four to me are the Eye Cream and the Serum - the eye cream has a whipped, buttery texture that feels divine on the skin and hasn't been causing any clogged pores/milia. It leaves my undereyes SO beautifully nourished and hydrated - I've definitely noticed some plumping of my fine lines. The serum also makes my skin feel super plump and nourished, and it also contains niacinamide to calm the skin - an ingredient my skin responds really well to. I will keep you posted on these as I use them more, but so far so good. 

Fresh Beauty | I recently got the most exciting surprise package from Fresh, and I was so grateful! They were sending out a few of their Rose products, and since I had been posting about my love for the Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner and Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream, so they sent me refills of those along with a few other hero products. I have lots of cleansers open and on rotation now, so I haven't opened it yet, but I've tried many many samples of the Soy Face Cleanser* and I know I already absolutely love it - cue me using large amounts of my open cleansers to finish them faster and get to this baby. It's not stripping on the skin whatsoever, removes makeup well, and leaves the skin feeling nicely cleaned and conditioned. I love using the Rose Cream at night, so I've been digging into the Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream* during the day. It's been perfect for this transitional weather - it's rich enough to keep the skin feeling nourished all day long, but it doesn't feel heavy at all. It plumps up my skin nicely and leaves a bit of a tacky finish, which makes it an excellent base for makeup. And a standout product I had never even thought about trying is the Sugar Face Polish*. It's not abrasive or harsh, and it helps to chemically exfoliate with fruit enzymes as well as physically exfoliate with the sugar. This is a great pick-me-up to use in the mornings to help energize the skin. I'm in love.

What new skincare products have you been trying lately?

*Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information. This post contains affiliate links.

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NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments | American Woman, Save the Queen, Starwoman

Do you ever put off trying a product for so long, and then when you do, you get mad at yourself for waiting so long? That was me with the NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments. Maybe it's because they came out at the peak of my spending ban, but now that I've allowed myself to buy a few more things here and there, I jumped at the opportunity. The first shade I tried blew me away so much that I immediately bought two more within a couple days.

I had pretty much been over the whole liquid lipstick trend, finally admitting it just wasn't for me and my dry, sensitive lips. But the NARS Powermattes are so different from the thick, drying liquid lipsticks I had been used to. It's a thin, watery formula (don't tip the tube over while it's open) that feels more like a stain when applied and sets down to almost nothing. It moves with your lips so it doesn't crack throughout the day, and it's such a lightweight layer that it doesn't make the lips shrivel up with dryness. There aren't many lip products where I truly want to own every single shade, but this is one. The formula is quite versatile too - the shades I've tried all apply quite opaque with one layer, but they can easily be sheered out for more of a stained look.

T-B | Save the Queen, American Woman, Starwoman

The applicator is quite interesting - rather than a typical rounded doefoot, it's pointed and a little more stiff. This makes it super easy to get a crisp line without needing a separate lip liner. The thin consistency of the lipstick also makes it super easy to blend into a blurred lip, if that's what you're into - you need to see these in action on Katie Jane Hughes's Instagram. I'm trying so hard to learn how to blur them like her. 

The first shade I picked up was Save the Queen, inspired by my girl Amelia, because she was wearing it in her Instagram stories and it looked SO pretty that I needed it too. It's a beautiful dusty mauve shade that's just the kind of shade I always go for. It's a little more purple than the usual neutral moves I gravitate towards, so it's perfect to pair with all the cool-toned eyeshadows I love. Next I just had to try the formula in a red and grabbed Starwoman. It's a stunning blue-red that is seriously making me think about getting rid of all the other red lipsticks in my collection. Nothing compares to this. If you like blue-toned reds, get this one. The latest addition to my collection was American Woman, a more typical "me" shade - a neutral brown/pink. This is quite close to my natural lip color, making it the perfect "my lips but better" shade for me. I've been wearing this dabbed and blended into a lip balm almost every day since I got it. 

I still have almost all of the remaining shades on my wishlist and I can't decide which I'll get next. Any suggestions?

Have you tried the NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments?