January 2015 Favorites

Can you believe we are already finished with the first month of 2015? Seems like yesterday that it was New Year's Eve. But a new month means a whole new batch of beauty favorites!

CoverGirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara: If you read my Impulse Buy Monday post about this mascara, or if you follow me on Twitter, you know I adore the new Full Lash Bloom mascara from CoverGirl. Full Lash Bloom is the newest addition to the CoverGirl mascara line, and it has spread across the beauty blog universe like wildfire. It deserves all the hype, as this mascara is fantastic! It's not clumpy, it builds volume and length, it dries quickly, and my favorite part- it keeps your lashes feeling SO soft! Although I have many favorite mascaras that I would repurchase and recommend, none of them keep my lashes feeling so good. After typical mascara application, my lashes are usually untouchable and stiff, but this mascara feels like I have nothing on at all. Also, the packaging is adorable and I am a sucker for cute packaging. I definitely recommend this mascara if you're looking for a great drugstore option.


NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick: Another favorite of mine this January was the NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in the shade "B52." It's a pinky mauve shade that I think is very similar to bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in "Break Away" (my favorite lipstick ever). I wouldn't call it an exact dupe, but it's very close. The NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick applies so beautifully, has great pigmentation, and feels moisturizing on the lips. It is gorgeous, and since it's priced at under $5, I plan to buy many more shades. I don't know why, but this lipstick reminds me of a lipstick that I would have found in my grandmother's makeup collection (in a good way, my grandma was very stylish!). It's just a simple, beautiful, and classic lipstick formula that never goes out of style. This lipstick hasn't left my side all month.

Eucerin Calming Creme Daily Moisturizer: This moisturizer has been a lifesaver this month. This thick, rich lotion works great as a night moisturizer to keep dry skin at bay. More importantly, however, this lotion is brilliant at healing any scabbing or flakey skin due to acne breakouts. This January, I've had a few more little blemishes than I've had in the past few months, and when these zits dry out or heal, unfortunately they also scab. Trust me, no matter how good you are at concealing blemishes, scabs under your makeup are going to show and it's going to be bad. Eucerin Calming Creme Daily Moisturizer works very well on my skin to heal and smooth these scabs practically overnight! After moisturizing all over with a thin layer, I then go back and dab a bit of this miracle lotion on any rough spots. Don't rub it in! Just let your skin soak up the product (and it will, just be patient). When I wake up the next morning, the redness and the flakiness is at a minimum, making it much easier to conceal and not look bizarre. This has been a staple in my medicine cabinet for at least five years, I love it!

Manna Kadar Sheer Glo: I was so excited to get a sample of the Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion in my January ipsy bag. At first I had no idea what it was, but when I realized it was a highlighting lotion I was smitten. I love highlighters so much! I love the glow they give at the top of my cheekbones. This is a rose tinted shimmer, but it's not overly glittery (which some highlighters can tend to be). It's a nice, naturally pretty glow. A little bit goes a very long way, so this tiny tube will last a long time.

Blending Brushes: And my absolute favorite beauty discovery this month was a great gift from a coworker. My awesome Secret Santa at our office gift exchange gave me a gorgeous set of blending brushes for Christmas. I don't know where she got them as the brand is not stamped on the handles, but I saw a similar set on the BH Cosmetics website here. My set came with the same amount of brushes and the same types. I've never used blending brushes before, but she must be a mindreader since I was actually going to buy the Sigma F80 before she gave me this wonderful set (which includes a dupe)! I was really hesitant to try applying foundation with a brush, I couldn't wrap my head around it for some reason, but I am so glad I tried it. I absolutely love the finish I get when applying my liquid foundation with the flat top blending brush. It gives me flawless makeup in a flash, and I can't believe I waited so long. I absolutely love these brushes and can't wait to experiment more with them.

These were my favorite beauty items in January, what were yours?