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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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?

The Shy Person's Guide to Rocking a Bold Lip

As someone who doesn't like being the center of attention at all, the prospect of wearing a bold lip out in public used to scare me. I would always put one on, decide it was "too much," and replace it with a more understated nude. Over the last few months I've been working my way up and building up my comfort levels around wearing bolder lip shades, and I've finally started feeling like it's no big deal. I figured I'd share the tips that really helped me for my fellow lipstick hoarders out there.

Start with deep nudes & neutrals

The first step I took in branching out to bolder looks was to wear deeper nudes/neutrals. Since they were still a natural brown/pink shade, they remained in what I felt was "wearable" territory, while still looking a bit more "done" than my previous nude staples. Try to pick something a few shades darker than your natural lip color. My lip color is more of a cool-toned rosy shade, so something like the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Do Me Baby is my perfect deeper nude shade.

Blot, Blot, Blot

Once I started heading towards brighter shades and away from neutrals, I found them much easier to wear and get used to when I blotted them down. Starting with a layer of lip balm really helps to sheer out the color, as well. Deeper berry shades like the NARS Lipstick in Scarlet Empress or Audacious Lipstick in Audrey work really well as they add a really natural-looking flush to the lips. Or if you know what color family you're going for, a sheer matte lipstick like the Glossier Generation G's would be perfect - Jam is a good way to ease into berry shades, Crush into bright pinks, and Zip into reds.

Wear it around the house

This was the biggest one for me - I just had to get used to seeing myself in the mirror in these bolder shades, so popping one on when I had nowhere to be really helped. I did this with deeper liquid lipstick shades. It also helped me get used to how these particular shades wore throughout the day, so once I started wearing them out, I knew when it would be time to touch up. We're our own toughest critic, so we often think we can't pull something off, when in reality, you're just not used to seeing a different look on yourself. I thought I couldn't pull off bright reds for the longest time until I started wearing the MAC Lipstick in Russian Red and the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red around the house - once I got used to it, I realized I loved the look and bought myself the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl, which had been on my wishlist for years.

Keep the rest of your makeup minimal

My biggest problem with a bold lip was that I felt a little too "done." I prefer to keep my makeup on the natural side of things, so I found that adding in a bold lip made everything look too much on my face. So I brought down the amount of makeup I wore on the rest of my face to keep everything looking fresh. A dewy base with bright, minimal eye makeup and fluttery lashes looks perfect with any bold lip - I had a whole post dedicated to that specific look here.

Do you wear bold lip shades? What are your tips for easing into them?

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