Monthly Favorites | August 2015

In my last favorites post, I mentioned how August was going to be my free month. The time between publishing that post and this one just few by, and I feel like I somehow didn’t have time to do everything I wanted to do. Part of that is expected because I’m the person with a never-ending checklist and my mind is always thinking of more things I want to accomplish, but the other part is because this month magically became really busy. That being said, I’m very excited to enter September because I have exciting trips and events happening before the holiday season begins.

Jumping back on topic, let’s get into the favorites for August.

Beauty & Style

It didn’t feel like I had many beauty favorites this month, but I do have a little old mixed with a little new. I start to transition to my Fall hair and makeup style during the month of August, and my favorites reflect that this time around.

Shea Moisture Intense Hydration Shampoo & Conditioner

I love Shea Moisture because it’s a sulfate free brand that’s good for your hair. I’ve used the brand primarily for my curly hair and more recently started to search for options for my straight hair. Now that’s it getting closer to Fall, I’ve started wearing my hair straight more often than not. The hard part is finding a good shampoo and conditioner that still hydrates but doesn’t feel heavy. I originally chose the Manuka Honey and Mafura Oil Intense Hydration line because the smell is easily the best of their current lines. Luckily, the shampoo and conditioner also cleans my hair and leaves it feeling softly hydrated and lightweight.

Simple Cleansing Micellar Water

I stumbled across Simple’s micellar water pretty randomly. While looking for my usual makeup wipes, I noticed this was new on the shelves. At the time, there was a coupon for $2 off so I figured why not try it? I’m so glad I picked this up because I like it so much more than using a makeup removing wipe. This micellar water does a great job with removing face makeup, but it doesn’t leave your skin dry. It still feels hydrated to the point where you don’t have to continue with any additional products. You’re able to use this as a one-step night routine if you choose. For me, I only do that on my lazy days because I still feel better cleansing and moisturizing my face at night.

Tresemme Keratin Flat Iron Spray

Truthfully, I purchased the Tresemme keratin spray because my usual Organix Keratin Flat Iron Spray was out of stock and I needed a heat tamer to prep my hair for straightening. I used to use the very popular Tresemme heat tamer spray, but I hadn’t tried the keratin version until now. I was pleasantly surprised with how consistently the product sprays out across my hair. As far as results, my hair feels soft and smooth after applying heat.

Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar

I don’t have much to say about the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette that I haven’t already said, so I’ll keep it brief. I’ve enjoyed using the semi-sweet this month to complete a full eye look. Usually, I’ll pick and choose a lid, crease, and highlight shade from different palettes. I like that the semi-sweet bar has every shade I need in one palette that can create anywhere from a light to smoky brown eye.

Elizabeth & James Nirvana White

Both Nirvana White and Nirvana Black are two of my favorite perfumes, but Nirvana White has more recently become the go-to scent. I particularly enjoy wearing it during the day in conjunction with the Love Me body mist by Victorias Secret. Combined, they create a floral musk fragrance.

Essie’s The Perfect Cover Up

Bold teal shades are my favorite to wear on the nails. From OPI’s Amazon Amazoff to Ginger + Liz’s Stress Management, Essie’s The Perfect Cover Up hue truly pops against gold rings. This shade was part of Essie’s Fall 2014 collection and quickly became one of the standout colors. It’s still available for purchase so I recommend picking it up if you haven’t already. As mentioned earlier, it’s a bold teal shade. What makes it different and perfect for Fall is the slight gray undertone that almost dilutes the vibrancy of the shade.

MAC Whirl Lipstick

I wanted to include MAC’s Whirl lipstick in my monthly favorites last month, but I purchased it too late in the month to truly consider it a favorite. Let me tell you, this shade is well worth the hype. For me, this is the brown version of my favorite everyday shade: Twig. I have a “favorites” MAC post coming soon that will show the two shades on my lips, so for now I’ll say this is a beautiful cool-toned neutral brown with a hint of mauve. It works with your lip shade to tailor the color perfectly with your skin tone. My only wish with MAC is that they made this a satin rather than a matte finish. Satin lipsticks by MAC are ideal because they provide a matte finish without the dryness, whereas their matte finish shades do dry your lips out as the day goes on.

Miscellaneous

The Happy Planner
Music: Rediscovered
Podcasts
Starbucks – Mango Black Tea Lemonade

The Happy Planner

I’ve gone in depth about The Happy Planner previously, so check out that post if you’re interested. Sidenote: I’ve also seen a few things about MAMBI creating a fitness planner option as well, which I’m super excited about. As you can see from the photo, I have once again changed not only the cover, but also the binder rings. The customization is one of my favorite things about this planner because it keeps things fresh month after month.

Music: Rediscovered

This month, I listened to a few newer things but I mostly rediscovered music I loved but hadn’t played in a while. As always, you can listen to my current favorites on Spotify, but below is the full list:

Awful Things by From Indian Lakes
Shot for Me by Drake
High by the Beach by Lana del Rey
Tessellate by alt-J
Love Love Love (Love, Love) by As Tall As Lions
Yes I’m Changing by Tame Impala
Kids With Fake Guns by Hrvrd
When My Train Pulls In by Gary Clark Jr
Wu-Tang Forever by Drake
Houstatlantavegas by Drake

Podcasts

I’m actually listening to a Scandal podcast as I write this post. I don’t like to work in silence. Whether I’m listening to music or people talking, I prefer to hear some sort of noise in order to concentrate. I discovered two more podcasts to add to my subscriptions that I want to share with you all: The Friendzone and Scandal AfterBuzz.

The Friendzone is a mixture of life advice and pop culture that just recently premiered. Scandal AfterBuzz has been around since day one, but I just recently found out about it. With “5candal” premiering September 24th, listening to the recaps and theories of each episode leading up to the present is an excellent way to refresh my memory.

Starbucks Mango Black Tea Lemonade

I know this is pretty random to include on a favorites post, but this is the tea that sparked my current love of tea. I try to limit how often I order the mango black tea lemonade because of the sugar content, but it’s delicious. It has a bold mango flavor with a hint of tea mixed in with lemonade, just as the name indicates. All I can say is try it if you haven’t already.

What were some of your favorite products this month?

Favorite Products of the Month | August

Hi, I'm Chelsey

Beauty & Style