These are a few of my favorite things. . .

January is finally coming to an end, and soon we begin month two of the new year . I did my favorites a little different this year- just to spice things up a bit. I didn't really have any other kinds of favorites this month besides beauty items-mostly because my new years resolution was to not open my wallet for any kind of craving, but these are some of the gems I picked up when I went on a Treat Yo'self day (Parks and Rec. reference). 

I'll do a hair post soon, but this is just one of my favorite hair products I've used this month. The Curl Enhancing Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner is so amazing. I've noticed any drug store hair product has somehow damaged my hair, so I dropped in at Whole Foods for some natural hair products and I've always been a fan of curly hair (you always want what you can't have) and this looked like it would suit my needs. After using it for a couple weeks, I can confirm that your hair will feel and look very shiny and soft. After putting this through my hair and scrunching it, you can definitely see the curl effect it gives off. Also, it's made from Shea Butter and Coconut Oil so thats a big thumbs up. Usually after I take a shower, I'll sometimes put on Origins Out of Trouble 10 minute mask. This past month or so, I suffered from some breakouts and dry skin and picked this up and I can't stop touching my face (which is bad cause that results to more breakouts- DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE!) But in all seriousness, this makes my face super soft and makes me feel happy haha. I' ll always see beauty bloggers and youtubers talk about this and if you might not know, I pretty much buy whatever they say is good.

After months of craving it, I finally got it- the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. I've been using cream concealers for far too long and I've accepted that they do not work for me. This concealer really hides all my dark circles and imperfections. I've never been much of a highlight kind of gal, but after a recent purchase at Sephora, I got Benefit's Watt's Up! and They're Real! Mascara. Again, I've seen beauty bloggers/youtubers talk about how much they love this stuff but it never really grabbed me. After using the highlighter, I can honestly say it makes a big difference- what with it emphasizing my cheekbones and brow area. Also, it's great for using as an simple eyeshadow. As for the mascara, I give it an A. It really lengthens my lashes when I apply it and makes them look a little bit fuller. Like highlighter, I've also never been interested in nail polish-I think I had a bad experience as a child. . . Anyway! I totally forgot that they make clear polishes! I picked the SEPHORA OPI Base Coat up last December and now, I can't stop putting it on! It doesn't chip off easily and dry's instantly when applied. When it comes to perfume, Miss Dior Cherie is my top one. The two words that come to mind when I think of this is light and lovely (?). It gives off such a youthful scent and therefore makes me happy. Sorry, I suck at explaining scents but yeah.

What were your favorite things this month? 

Beauty Cravings

current cravings by kat-94 featuring Laura Mercier

Clinique oil free face moisturizer / Origins skincare, $53 / Laura Mercier body moisturizer / Moroccanoil straightening iron, $53 / Bumble and Bumble styling product / Nars cosmetic, $35 / Anastasia Beverly Hills brow makeup / Sonia kashuk cosmetic / Mineral make up / Origins concealer, $28 / NARS Cosmetics lip liner / Jo Malone London Peony & Blush Suede Cologne / MAC 266 Small Angle Brush, $27

One of my New Year's resolutions was to not spend so much on products. So in the mean time, I've been keeping a list of what I'm looking forward to purchasing in the future-not all in one go of course. That would be.... not good haha. What are you craving for at the moment?

Home Decor

Ever since I asked my parents if I could choose the color of my own wall, I've always wanted to be an interior decorator. I can't even count the number of themes I've been through over the past 10 years. But in the past couple of month I chose not to go for a theme anymore, but rather simplicity since that is what I discovered, is to my liking. No bold colors, clean, and organized areas, etc. 

Outfit Of The Day

                OOTD by kat-94 featuring shirts & tops

Sorry, my family gets weird when I ask them to take a photo of my outfit and start questioning me, so most of my OOTD's will be from Polyvore! 

What's in my bag?

Before I start, I'd like to say that I think I'm doing a pretty good job posting new posts, am I right? Okay, let's begin. First off, I would like to say that my bag is from Zara that is pretty much the most basic bag anyone could ever have. As you can see, I bring mostly small things for those little emergencies so I would probably use a small zip up makeup bag to hold all those together. The basic essentials here are hand sanitizer, lotion, lip balm, phone, headphones, tissues, pencil (you never know when you're going to need a pencil), J'adore Dior Perfume, and some hair ties. Next in my purse are also the basic must-haves. My wallet is from Topshop and I absolutely love it. It holds all my cards neatly so I wouldn't fuss and dig through it when purchasing something, and it has a convenient coin pouch inside to hold all those unwanted pennies. Finally, I always carry a notebook on hand, in case I get a new idea for a post or if I need to write down a reminder.

So that's what's in my bag, what's in yours? 

Foundations

 Foundation is the most important factor when it comes to putting on makeup. It brings in the whole entire look together and holds it in place. We've all gone through the process of finding the perfect foundation and going through trial runs of having it been the wrong color, bad coverage, or just simply not good. When it comes to foundation, I look for what most of everyone else looks for: Light with solid coverage. After 3 years of finding what best suits my skin, I've come to four good foundations with a different purpose to my makeup routine.

When I'm going out on the town or to a fancy dinner party, I turn to my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. Yes, it is a little heavy but it has amazing coverage- it can seriously cover any redness, acne, scars, etc. Unlike some others, this foundation does not smear or run off; when you put it on your face, it stays there until you rinse it off. Another factor is that it has a little bit of shimmer, which I usually wouldn't like but one nights out, it adds a bit of glow to the face. Plus I sometimes feel like Edward Cullen and embrace my glittery-ness. 

 For the days where my skin is looking relatively normal, I will turn to my beloved bareMinerals Original Foundation. I'm still not used to the fact that is a powder foundation, but I love the way it looks on my skin and that it feels so light- I can barely feel it on my face. I wouldn't say it gives solid coverage like Rimmel, but it does cover any light redness around the face. On days where I need some SPF and my skin has a little more redness than usual, I will turn to my Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream or my Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation from Benefit. I would say these foundations are about the same. Their coverage does cover r. Plus they both have an SPF of 25-35 which is great for those sunny days. 

December Favorites

December Favorites by kat-94 featuring white tops

Seeing as its a start to the new year, I thought I'd show you guys my December Favorites.

Clothes: I've been pretty much living in my Topshop Rib Sweater. It's an ideal comfy, cozy sweater that you can wear anywhere-whether you dress it up or dress it down, it's still cute and also a basic necessity. Another bonus is that it's beige and can be paired up with anything. Whether it be something black, white, green, red, navy, etc.

Makeup: I think I've mentioned this in a previous post, but I normally don't wear blush because it tends to make me look younger than I already am so instead, I use bronzer. I bought this bronzer a long time ago but kind of forgot about it until I remembered I had it and so, it is now a part of my daily makeup routine again.

Music: When people think of Moonlight Sonata people will automatically think of the first part, but what they don't know is that this song has three movements. As a former piano player (now trying to get back on track) I can without a doubt say that Moonlight Sonata No. 3 is so beautiful to listen to. I know it's not the normal sing song songs I would usually post, but hearing this motivates me to practice piano even more. It amazes me how somebody can play that fast and with both hands simultaneously playing at the same speed and even at different.

Shoes: I got these pair of beauts for my birthday two weeks ago and again, I've been living in them. They have the warmth of an Ugg boot, but without the ugliness of it. Instead, its chic & fashionable and has some cute buckles on the side. It's kind of like Eleanor's Selfridges boots, but less expensive.

TV Shows: This has LITERALLY become my favorite show (comment if you know the reference). My friend introduced this show to me, and normally I'm not a tv show kind of person, but I am definitely hooked on this show. I think I most related to Aubrey Plaza and her character April because I actually have a lot in common with her, minus the death/blood/scary related things. And I love Leslie and Ben's and April and Andy's relationships-I aspire to have one just like theirs. But seriously, I highly recommend this show.

Beach beach, lets go get away

This past weekend, my mom had rented a beach house as a birthday gift to herself. Normally I don't like beaches-wet sand, weather gets my hair all gross, and worst of all: the youth having fun with their huge group of friends (you know that group of teenagers that take selfies and hug and laugh and uGH). When I went, it wasn't how I expected. The beach was completely empty, and it was the gloomiest I've ever seen it. And I have to say, it was quite beautiful. I mostly sat on the patio and read books until a child started to give me a withering stare-I left soon after. We only stayed there one night because my mom couldn't stand sleeping there and it was way too cold, but I wouldn't have minded. These are some pics I took.