Hello, August!
This year is just flying by, isn’t it? Based on my calendar, August will be my most relaxing month. It’s the one month of this year that I don’t have any plans, birthdays, or holidays to concern myself with…and I’m certainly not complaining. I love having a free schedule because it’s such a rare thing now–of course, when I say free I actually mean busy…just with things that I can do from the comfort of my own apartment. I have a few ideas in my head that I’d really like to bring to life during this break, so hopefully I can make the most out of this month. Before I get ahead of myself, let’s jump back to July by recapping some of my favorite items:
Beauty & Style
I didn’t have a lot of makeup items in my July beauty bag. Summer usually means minimal makeup with a consistent routine, so I didn’t stray from products once I found what I now consider to be my summer makeup routine for work. I’ll go into depth in an upcoming post about that routine, but a few of the items made it to the favorites:
- Becca Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Rose Gold
- Stila Stay All Day Bronzer in Dark
- L’oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara in Black Angel
- Essie nail polish in Bikini So Teeny
- Essie nail polish in Private Weekend
- Caress Body Wash in White Peach & Silky Orange Blossom
- Kendra Scott Ainsley Cuff
Becca Cosmetics SSPP in Rose Gold
As you have previously read on the blog, I’ve ventured into the wonderful(ly intimidating) world of highlighters this summer. Of the shades I own, I consistently reached for Rose Gold the most in July. It looks so beautiful against a deep skin tone, and I love how very little product is required to get a pretty sheen on the cheeks. For swatches and a comparison against the other Becca highlight shades, click here to read my in-depth post.
STILA Stay All Day Bronzer in Dark
I feel a bit incomplete if I apply a highlighter without an accompanying bronzer. Stila’s Stay All Day Bronzer in Dark is a favorite because it’s buildable and leaves a warm, natural finish. It’s a challenge finding a bronzer that is deep enough for my complexion without teetering on the edge of red, but this product is the solution. I especially love the size of the compact, as it’s larger than your average blush.
L’Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara
I’ve purchased this product before and loved it, so I’m not sure why I was so insistent on trying out something else. L’oreal has long been my go-to brand for great mascaras. Telescopic Carbon Black is still one of my favorites after all these years when it comes to lengthening; however, Miss Manga is best overall. It lengthens, gives volume, and holds a curl. I’ve been ditching eyeliner more often than not these days and this mascara looks amazing on its own. I’ve even used it for my bottom lashes for a complete “eyes wide open” effect.
Essie Nail Polish
To my surprise, I’ve preferred blue nail polish this summer. I’ve also liked red and pink on my nails, but this summer that has totally changed. Right now I’m all about the shades of blue and minimal colors. Both Bikini So Teeny and Private Weekend have been featured on Instagram–see here and here–and I have to force myself to switch out my nail color. What I love about Bikini So Teeny is it’s the perfect periwinkle shade, but it’s not a sheer finish. Lighter colors are a constant guessing game because it’s hard to judge if the end result will look streaky. Bikini So Teeny luckily has an opaque finish.
Private Weekend is the same way: it’s opaque. We all know how hard it is to find a good white nail polish. They’re either streaky, sheer, or don’t have a smooth application. I don’t like my nail beds to be visible when I’m wearing a light color, so I recommend Private Weekend if you have the same preference. One thing worth noting is this shade is basically identical to Blanc, so there’s no need to purchase this one if you already own the classic alternative.
Caress White Peach & Orange Blossom Body Wash
It’s challenging to feature products with a scent on a blog post, but I had to share this one with you all. If you’re in Target or any other store that sells Caress, do yourself a favor and check out their body wash collections. I always like to pair bar soap with a body wash, but some of the fancier brands can get a bit pricey. Caress is super affordable and has a powerful scent in the shower that fades to a subtle starting point once you’re out of the shower. This one in particular smells exactly like the description: peach. orange. blossom.
Kendra Scott Ainsley Cuff
I wanted to feature this in my June favorites, but it was a birthday gift so it didn’t seem fair to feature something I only received mid-month. I’m actually surprised I wanted and love this cuff because I very quickly grew out of the arm candy trend. Maybe it’s because I have such tiny wrists, but bangles and things of that nature are a challenge to wear without feeling like they’re going to fall off. The Ainsley cuff is perfect for small wrists because it’s slightly adjustable and doesn’t have a large opening. Interested in how I style the cuff? Check out a few outfits previously posted on the blog: Professional, Casual, Business Casual,
Life & Music
As for the random favorites, that category is pretty slim this time around. I’ve focused a lot of my attention on organizing and planning out the remainder of the year, so my one favorite item focuses on that goal:
- The Happy Planner in (Heart) my Life
- Music Mood: Indie chill and a good beat
The Happy Planner
I cannot rave enough about The Happy Planner. I’ll keep it brief since the previous post is filled with all the planner details and tips, so be sure to catch up and read that post if you haven’t already. Even though I like a hardcover spiral bound planner, the freedom to customize this planner completely outweighs that need. I love the vertical layout of each week, especially because it’s divided by segment of the day rather than the specific hour.
Music: Indie Chill + A Good Beat
For the music, I finally stopped listening to only A$AP Rocky’s album long enough to single out a few of my favorite songs during July. If you weren’t already familiar, I have a playlist on Spotify that houses my monthly picks. Generally, I make note of what songs I’m consistently playing and then update the playlist on the last day of that month. So for my July favorites, all 10 songs will be remain on the playlist until it’s August favorites time. I’m thinking of storing each list somewhere on the blog just in case you miss a month and want to know what I was listening to, as I’d rather not keep a hoard of monthly playlists in Spotify. The complete list for July:
- Medicine – The 1975
- Video Girl – FKA Twigs
- Make Me Wonder – Klo
- Fallingforyou – The 1975
- Hymnal – In the Valley Below
- Smother – Daughter
- Murakami – Made in Heights
- Good for You – Selena Gomez
- Canal St – A$AP Rocky
- Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh) – Rich Homie Quan
What were some of your favorites last month?
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