June Beauty Favorites

It's our favorite time!  Monthly beauty favorites!  We get to chat about all the good stuff!  I feel like I'm reaching a point in my beauty collection where I've amassed some great holy grail products.  Stuff that I'll gladly repurchase over and over.  It's the sweet spot.  

Here's what June looked like:

My Childhood Beauty Inspirations

I was recently thinking about how impactful your childhood and early teen years can be when it comes to your beauty and pop culture tastes.  Those preferences can stick with you for life!  Sure, I don't paint glitter into my eyelids anymore (hello, 8th grade) but I still have quite the penchant for shimmer and giant hair.  

I can easily list all the pop culture figures that influenced my style and beauty choices (for better or worse) and, lucky you, I have! Take a sneaky peak at my biggest childhood beauty inspirations.  

Jem: not afraid of a little color

S'mores Rice Krispies

Uh yeah, hi.  You want these.  You just do.  

Fact: EVERYONE likes s'mores.  Even when people think they don't, they're just confused.  Let's give them a hand and tell them how wrong they are.  

Long Lasting Lipstick

Outside of blogging, I have a regular ol' 9-5 job.  Between traveling to and from work, my makeup always gets quite the wear test, especially in the humid summer months.  If I'm wearing a mostly neutral lip, re-touching throughout the day is a no brainer.  But if I decide to wear a bolder lip, I like to take a little extra care to make sure my color doesn't migrate around my face throughout the day (not an attractive look) and, worse, to avoid the dreaded lip line around the perimeter.  

Here's a quick video (yes, a VIDEO!  my first) I whipped up (let's be honest, I spent hours on this) full of my favorite quick tips.  Listen for my Chicago accent in all its glory.  Hope you enjoy!  

8 Things Making Me Happy This Week

I won a $50 gift card at Ulta this week (which I promptly spent) so I'd say it's the best week of the year.  I have low standards.  

1.  This easy cold-brew iced coffee is callin' mah name!  I've been making coffee at home every weekend (instead walking up to Dunkin Donuts to feed my addiction) but the summer heat is creepin' in on me.  I plan to test this recipe this weekend!  

2.  I won't blame you if you're entirely unfamiliar with Hilda the pinup model from the 50's and 60's but I urge you to familiarize yourself via these Etsy shops.  I can't get enough of these prints!  I've got my eye on this one.  And about every other dang one too.  Now it's just a matter of finding the right space on my wall......

3.  I hope you're ready to get all deep and stuff with this Thought Catalog list.  The thing is, I think I'm guilty of nearly all of them.  Sooooo, that explains a lot.  

4.  Sometimes the easiest desserts are the best desserts.  I present you, Exhibit A:  Salty and Malty Brown Butter Treats.  I don't want to meet the person who doesn't like that.  

5.  I've never read the book Hatchet but that doesn't make this "How Long Could Survive in Hatchet" list any less funny.  I hold no illusions about my survival instincts (i.e. I have none) so this list is pretty accurate.  Eric, on the other hand, would fashion some sort of Rube Goldberg contraption to hunt and kill animals for food or something.  We make a good team (if you define "team" as one person does everything and the other person is helpless).  

6.  Mkay, I'm not gonna say much but I'll just leave this link right here.  (OH MY GOD THE LORAC PRO PALETTE 2)

7.  It's kind of amazing that I need constant guidance on how to properly apply blush.  When I get it right, it looks great but when I get it wrong it looks so very wrong.  Perhaps this will help.

8.  I loved this adorable photo series of sister stuff!  If my older sis and I did this, much of it would be pretty similar.  If my younger sister and I did it, you'd think we weren't even related.    

So what's making you happy this week?     

Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Scones

Oh yeah baby.  These are the real deal.  And SO easy.  Whenever a recipe requires cutting butter into flour I'm like "Nah, not today, recipe.  Not today."  And then my husband is like "Who are you talking to?" and I'm like "Don't worry about it babe."  

Anywayz, the mood struck me one day.  I wanted to really do something in the kitchen.  You know the mood I mean.    

I unto thee I present these scones.  Or something.  

What's In My Bag

Ooooo, I'm gonna give you a little sneak peak into my bag!  I love reading/watching What's In My Bag posts because 1. I'm nosy and 2. I always find the best tips out of posts like that.  I love the idea of having the perfect little emergency kit in my bag at all times and I get the best ideas from other bloggers.

I use a small black zip bag to store all my beauty bits.  This one happens to be from Ipsy and it's the perfect size.  You can really find these anywhere and they're great to keep everything corralled in the same place.  

Ok here's what I have on hand:

5 Things Making Me Happy This Week

TGIF for rreeaaalllllll.  It was one of those weeks.  

1.  After a bit of consideration, I decided to order the Kevyn Aucoin book Making Faces.  I bought a used copy (because duh, I'm cheap) and it was actually cheaper to get it without Amazon Prime.  Of course, that means no two day delivery and I'm basically acting like I've been waiting 6 years for this book.  If I don't get it soon I don't know what I'll do.  I suppose I'll just wait longer but I won't like it! 

2.  I have found the most massive list of smoothie recipes in the history of mankind.  A compilation like no other.  Are you ready?  Are you seated?  Ok here you go.

3.  I'm generally not one for nail art but this super simple pastel look is too adorable to pass up!  It reminds me of sherbet and summertime!  

4.  I'm a HUGE podcast listener, especially on long walks, and I've discovered a new one that I can't get enough of.  It's called Throwing Shade but I suspect it may not be everyone's cup of tea.  It's a very specific kind of humor (and even a bit vulgar at times) but it really cracks me up.  But you've been warned, it's certainly polarizing and you'll either really love it or really hate it.     

5.  This "no makeup" makeup tutorial from Makeup by Alli is so subtle and beautiful!  Granted, the girl is a natural beauty but I'm always so impressed with the looks she creates and it inspires me to get creative.

So what's making you happy this week?

Strawberry Coconut Granola Bars

I can't possibly write this post without saying that I was having a bit of a blurry picture problem when I took these pictures.  They're grainy.  It's kills me.  It was a camera setting issue that I think I've now fixed but these pictures really break my heart.  But these bars were too good not to share!

Will you forgive me?

Juicy Summer Lips

Yaaassss girl.  Summer lips.  

Whenever summer rolls around, I always think that summer makeup, lips in particular,  are my favorite kind of makeup.  And then fall rolls around and I think fall is best.  And then winter and then spring.  

But today it's summer and boy have we got some juicy shades to discuss.  I did a sweep of my collection to grab my favorite coraly-pinkish-orangey shades in gloss and lipstick formulas.  The result is a real beaute.  

6 Things Making Me Happy This Week

Tomorrow is Friday, I've got freshly painted nails and a cup of tea.  Living large.  Let's get down to biz'naz.  

1.  These Whole-fruit Ice Pops are tah' die for.  Growing up, I've consumed more "Mr. Freeze" icy pop things than I care to know.  I would spend full summers eating only ice pops and watermelon and corn on the cob.  Talk about living the dream.  At least I can pretend I'm a grownup with these bars.  

2.  Just the other week I was thinking about building a small collection of beauty books.  I have a fair share of cookbooks but no beauty books.  And whatdya' know, xoVain compiled the list for me!  That was easy.  Didn't even have to break a sweat.  I've got my eye on that Bobbi Brown one and the Kevin Aucoin one.  Even if it is a bit 90's fabulous.  

3.  These famous photos were a bit enlightening!  However, I think it would be aptly named as "Famous photos from far away."  That Central Park picture though.  Dang.  

4.  Do you ever feel like you're just totally guessing what the heck you're doing when it comes to makeup brushes?  I'd like to think I've got things figured out but this guide on Nouvelle Daily is pretty perfect.  Couldn't have said it better myself.  And I didn't.  So yeah.  

5.  THESE ALMONDS.  Gah.  Can you imagine?  Just think of that flavor.  I could eat a pound in one sitting.  

6.  I'll just leave you with this.

What's making you happy this week?  

Grapefruit Pound Cake

Is there anything more satisfying than biting into a dense, moist, citrusy pound cake?  Heaven I tell you. 

May Beauty Favorites

Wah hoo!  Beauty chat time.  I never got around to posting an April Favorites but I'm back with a vengeance with May.  Let's stop the chit chat and get at the good stuff now.  

*P.S. Apologies in advance for the grainy picture quality.  I had a funky camera setting that I think I've since fixed.