September Favorites

1. Benefit They're Real Mascara

I have heard this talked about for so long. I didn't want to buy it because I knew it was a high end mascara and I like to buy the mascaras from the drugstore. Well, this month was my birthday and I got a birthday present from Sephora. They gave me this little sample mascara and a sample benefit highlighter. I understand now what all the hype was about. This is a really good mascara. I'm not going to buy the full size, but I enjoy this little sample.

2. Hard Candy Blotting Papers

I keep this in my beauty bag and take it to work with me everyday. During my break I blot my face with a tissue and put powder on. I have combination skin. Sometimes it is oily, sometimes it is dry, and sometimes in areas it is both. These are handy papers to have and I don't think they were expensive. I got them at Walmart.

3. Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector

When I was on Sephora's website shopping for my birthday presents, they let me pick out some samples. I chose this deluxe size sample primer. It lasted almost the whole month. I used up all of it. It is a good primer. Again, I wouldn't purchase it because it more expensive then I like to spend. I have other primers I need to finish, and when I get a primer next I will get one from the drugstore.

4. Stila In The Light Palette

This is something I got for my birthday. I love this palette! The eyeshadows are so pigmented and good quality. I had heard people talk about it on Youtube, so I have been curious about it. It has the eyeshadow "Kitten" which is also very popular. It is a beautiful shadow. I did a blog post about this, this month with different looks I found that I liked. I'm happy I got this. I also got Stila's In The Garden Palette, which I plan on doing a blog post about too.

5. Argan Oil and Coconut Oil

I got this tip from pinksofoxy http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg9f9knI31hrUYBN8ey0m6Q She is someone I subscribe to on Youtube. She uses natural oils on her face, body, and hair. For her hair she puts 3 drops of coconut oil in her hand and 5 drops of argan oil and rubs her hands together and puts it on her hair, avoiding the roots. I've been doing this, this month and I think it is a good treatment. It helps my hair not be so frizzy. It also smells good. With the coconut oil it comes in a solid form so I put some in the microwave for 20 seconds and let it melt, then I use a dropper to put on my hand.

6. Desert Essence Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner

This is another thing inspired by pinksofoxy. She uses this in the shower. It smells so good. I happened to see this in the organic section at my local Fred Meyers. I remember pinksofoxy talk about it, so I decided to get it. It isn't expensive. There are no sulfates. It makes my hair feel so good! I love this stuff! It also makes my hair smell good. The conditioner makes my hair really silky.

7. Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer

I think I mentioned the original primer in a monthly favorites before. I like that one too. I wanted to try the other kinds of primer. There is a skin correcting one and a lumanizing one. This one is the skin correcting one. This is what the back of the tube says, "Perfecting primer evens out skin tone and creates a flawless, smooth finish to skin. Fills in fine lines, wrinkles, and pores." I used this after I finished with the Becca primer. I like this primer just as much as the Becca one. I don't see it even out my skin tone, but I do notice it makes a smooth finish on my skin for before I apply foundation. This reminds me of the original one. I can't really tell a difference. The lumanizing one I can tell is more shiny, so I have to be careful with that one so I don't make my skin look too oily.

8. Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Pink

I mentioned the Happy Booster Blush in Natural in another monthly favorites. I like this blush too. It is a cool pink, almost matte. I think I have warm coloring, and this looks good on me. When I want to wear a pink blush, I reach for this. It smells good too! I love the little hearts. Physicians Formula seems to always have the cutest packaging. It reminds me of Asian makeup because there are a lot of cute packaged makeup from Asia. I wish more companies had cute packaging in America. I have several blushes from this line. I think it's good quality.

9. Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Sunset

This blush is so beautiful! I have mentioned in another monthly favorites the Sonia Kashuk blush in flushed. It is more of a pink. This is a coral. It is one of my all time favorite blushes. It is a great formula too. Sonia Kashuk can be found at Target. It is more on the expensive side, but it is worth it. At least for the blush. I think the brand gets mixed reviews.

10. DIY Makeup Brush Spot Cleaner

I have been using this brush cleaner I got at Fred Meyers for awhile, but I always run out of it and I feel like I could save money if I made my own. I looked it up on Youtube and I found this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5X27Yl1Oss. It is really easy to make you just need baby shampoo, a squirt bottle, and rubbing alcohol. Then the way I use it is I squirt some on a paper towel and clean my brushes with it after I'm done doing my makeup. This has come in handy for me, and it works really well. It disinfects and conditions the brushes.

11. ScentSationals Pumpkin Spice

Now that it is fall, I got some fall wax scents at Walmart. They are only $2! I fill my room with the pumpkin scent. Ohhhhhhh! It smells so wonderful! My mom wants to know what I'm baking. xD I actually don't like pie, but I love the smell of pumpkin pie. You only need a little piece of the wax and it will last for days!

Favorite Songs

Complicated by Avril Lavigne
Mine by Taylor Swift
Red by Taylor Swift
Rocket Man by Elton John
Time After Time by Cyndie Lauper
There's Always Something There To Remind Me by Naked Eyes
September by Earth, Wind and Fire
My Girl by The Temptations
Baby I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton
See You Again by Carrie Underwood
What About Now by Lonestar
Billy Jean by Michael Jackson
You're No Good by Linda Ronstadt
Since You've Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson
Love Somebody by Maroon 5
Sitting On the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Call On Jesus by Nicole C. Mullen

These are songs I've added to my exercise playlist:

Run It! (feat. Juelz Santana) by Chris Brown
Without You (feat. Usher) by David Guetta & Usher
The Next Episode by Dr. Dre & Snoop Dog
Fergalicious (feat. Will.I.Am) by Fergie
Club Can't Handle Me (feat. David Guetta) by Flo Rida
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet
Harden My Heart by Julianne Hough & Mary J. Blige
SexyBack (feat. Timbaland) by Justin Timberlake
Bad Romance by Lady GaGa
Paparazzi by Lady GaGa
Poker Face by Lady GaGa
Cherry, Cherry by Neil Diamond
Starships by Nicki Minaj
We Will Rock You by Queen

I hope you enjoyed my list of favorites! What are your favorites of the month?

July Favorites!

Favorite Movie

The Lone Ranger: When I first saw the preview to this movie, I was so enchanted. I can't even explain to you. I love Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Armie Hammer. I remember Armie Hammer played Prince Charming in Mirror, Mirror, the Snow White movie with Julia Roberts in it. I fell in love with him in that movie. I marked the date on my calendar when The Lone Ranger would come out. I was so excited. I don't normally do that. I also saw that it was made by the same people who made The Pirates of the Caribbean moves. This movie is what all movies should be. It had great cinematography, a beautiful soundtrack, handsome men, a great story line, romance, and excitement. Johnny Depp is so wonderful in this movie. When I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen a movie with him in it that I haven't liked. Same with Helena Bonham Carter. Basically, if you see they are out in a new movie, you should probably see the movie if you want to be entertained. This movie tells the back story of The Lone Ranger and Tonto. I love the morals of the story. I love when a story shows the good winning and the bad side being punished. Justice will be served! And it shows how Native Americans were mistreated, so it didn't glorify history or anything like that. There was also a bit of magic thrown in, which is fun for the imagination. I have a huge crush on the Lone Ranger. I want to watch Mirror, Mirror again, just to see Armie Hammer. <3

Favorite TV Show

The Office: I used to watch this show all the time, but for some reason I stopped watching it. Well, this month I was bored and searching On Demand for something to watch. I saw they had all 8 seasons of The Office on Demand! So I started watching season 8, hoping I would be able to follow the story, even though I haven't been watching it. You don't need to be up-to-date with the show in order to follow the episodes. It is so funny. I like how the characters are all quirky and interesting. The show also has heart. There is a sweet side to the show. For example, it shows the importance of friendship or loyalty or encouragement, etc, but it does it in a funny way, not a preachy way. Some people may not like this show because it is very strange. It's not like your typical sitcom.

Favorite Books

1. The House of Night Series: Marked & Betrayed by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast. I found this book in the grocery store. It is really the first two books of a series called House of Night. It is written for young adults, but I found myself getting wrapped up in the story. It is about teens that are turning into vampires. They stay in a boarding school called, "The House of Night." The first two books are about the main character, Zoey who has been "marked", so she is going to become a vampire and her whole world changes. In this book Nyx is a character, the goddess of night. She favors Zoey, and gives her special powers. There is a lot of magic in this book. There is also romance and mystery. It is written by a mother and a daughter. There are 10 books in the series so far, and the newest book is supposed to come out in October this year. I have to warn you these books may offend people because there are sexual situations and it shows the darker side to people who claim to be Christians. I am a Christian, and I'm not offended, but some people may be. It just shows people being narrow minded and weird, like people can be. Later in the series, Zoey meets Christians that are good.

2. Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast: This is the third book in the series. After reading the first two books I quickly went to the library to check out the next book. These books keep getting better! I have never liked soap operas, but I think these books are similar to a soap opera. There are a lot of weird drama situations, people die and then get raised from the dead. People are murdered, and there are a lot of lies. The main character, Zoey, has three different love interests! It is all pretty crazy, but I am hooked. I couldn't wait to get the fourth book after reading this one.

3. Untamed by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast: So I finished the fourth book this month! These books weave supernatural themes with Native American folk tales, so it is interesting to me. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away if you are thinking of reading these books. I went to the library and got a lot of these books. It looks like I'm going to be reading this series for the summer.

Favorite Nail Polishes

1. Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez in Confetti Fun: I wore this over China Glaze For Audrey. This is a glitter polish that has big and little flecks, red, green, gold, silver, turquoise. I don't have any polish like this. But it is dupable. It is just a colorful glitter polish. It reminded me of fireworks, and I wanted to wear it for the 4th of July.

2. Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez in Inner Sparkle and L'Oreal Nail Color in The Palace Life: I'm not happy with how this picture turned out. It is hard to see the polish. This is another glitter top coat that is so unique. I don't have anything like this in my collection. It has big and little flecks. There is pink and purple and tiny gold shimmer. I thought this would look good on a pastel pink polish. I like pastel polishes. I think I've mentioned that before.

Other Beauty Favorites

1. Milk of Magnesia: I have combination skin and in the winter time it was on the dryer side, but this summer my skin has been really oily. I tried different things, but I swear it just made my skin produce more oil. I researched what I should do on the internet and I found somewhere people recommending getting Milk of Magnesia from the dollar store. It only cost a dollar! You use a cotton ball and put in on your face before applying makeup. I wasn't sure about it, but then I heard Kandee Johnson talk about it in one of her videos. I don't remember which one. Once I heard her mention it, I felt like I should give it a try. I think it does work! Sometimes it leaves a white patch on my skin, but I just rub it off when I put my primer on. This is a great trick!

2. Boots No.7 Beautifully Matte Foundation in Cool Ivory: I have been trying different things to get my skin matte. My foundation wasn't doing the trick, so I knew I needed to get something for oily skin. I saw this review by Melmphs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHtcrLeKMC8. And she gave it a high review, so I decided to get it. I don't know if I got the right shade for my skin tone. There were testers there, so I should have used them, but I didn't know. I took the tester to the cash register! They had to go back and get me a bottle you could buy! xD It goes on dark when I put it on my skin, but when I blend it out it looks ok. I think this does help to keep me matte, along with my matte powder and the Milk of Magnesia. This is the best foundation I've tried so far to keep me matte. I don't want to look cakey. And it doesn't look like I have a mask on my face. I still have oil that shines through, but it is more controlled.

3. Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in Ivory: This is what I used for most of the month before I saw the video about the Boots foundation. I was using the foundation by Revlon for dry skin and I was really happy with it, until my skin got oily. I had at the beginning got one for dry skin and one for oily skin because I wasn't sure which one was for me. When I tried on the combination/oily foundation in the winter, my skin felt so dry and I hated it. I decided to keep it though. I'm glad I did because when my skin changed this summer, this foundation worked a lot better. The only thing is my skin was still oilier than I wanted it to be. I like the Boots one better because it makes me more matte, but I think it is more expensive. The Boots Foundation costs $13.99. The Revlon foundation costs $9.99. You get 1.0 Fl. Oz./30 mL in both foundations. The Boots foundation has SPF 15 which is nice.

4. Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Big Eyes Waterproof Mascara in Very Black: It was time to throw away my old mascara and get a new one this month. I was curious to try this one. I really love it! I think it does make my eyes look bigger. I like how it has a wand for the upper lashes and a wand for the lower lashes. I put Covergirl Lash Perfection as a second layer on the top lashes, and it really makes my lashes look nice. I have tried Maybelline The Falsies and I knew I liked that one. I thought I would like this, and I'm glad it didn't disappoint.

5. Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Flushed: This is a beautiful matte, bright pink blush. It really does give a flushed look to the cheeks. I heard Melmphs rave about this blush, and I had to go check it out. It is a dupe for MAC Blush in Pink Swoon, I heard somewhere, maybe I heard that on a Melmph Youtube video.

6. Essence Gel Liner in Midnight in Paris: This is a jet black eye liner. It is a dupe for MAC's Blacktrack Fluid Line. It is very inexpensive. I don't remember how much it cost, and I can't find the price online for some reason. It is a good deal.

7. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Pink Pop: I heard Essie Button raving about this on one of her youtube videos. It looked really pretty on her, so I was off to buy it. On my hand it looks like the same shade as the Sonia Kashuk blush. It is a new lip gloss. I have other Super Lustrous lip glosses so I knew it would be good quality. This is a bright watermelon pink, blue-based, medium-dark, with a creamy glossy finish. It is a pretty color for the summertime.

8. The Balm Rockstar Palette: I did a whole blog post devoted to this palette. http://beautydiversion.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-balm-rockstar-palette.html But I didn't put it in a monthly favorites. This is a great palette. It has shimmer and matte eyeshadow, a highlighter and blush that I love, and two lip products. The highlighter is exactly the same as The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer and the blush is exactly the same as The Balm's Frat Boy Blush. I use these all the time. My favorite thing about this palette is the blush because it is a matte peach, which I don't have in my makeup collection.

Favorite Songs

1. Tea for Two: I don't know who sings it. It is a young, female voice. I hear it on Youtube, so it must not be copyrighted. It is an updated version of the song. I'm aware that it is an old song, but this version is not sung by Doris Day or Ella Fitzgerald. It's a slower version. Here is a video with this song in the background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXKiOTho5Yg.

2. Let It Be by The Beatles

3. Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner

4. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor

5. Jump Right In by Zac Brown Band

6. Colder Weather by Zac Brown Band

7. Treasure by Bruno Mars

8. White Liar by Miranda Lambert

9. This One's for the Girls by Martina McBride

I have less songs this month! I'm not sure why that is because I love music so much. Maybe I've learned how to narrow it down a bit. If you haven't heard of a song, look it up on Youtube, you may like it. Some of the songs are old and some are brand new.

I hope you enjoyed my favorites! What was your favorite thing this month? Leave me a comment!

Hitting Pan and Empties

Finally, I have gathered 10 products that I have either finished or hit pan on. When you hit pan on a product that means you have come to the bottom of the product so you can see the bottom of the "pan." I saw someone's video when she included the products where she "hit pan" because she wanted to be able to show the product still before it was all gone. I thought that was a good idea, so I fished out all my products I have hit pan on and included them in my collection.

1. St. Ives Ultra Gentle Apricot Scrub

This smells good, and it exfoliates the skin. I didn't repurchase this because I felt like I could find something that would do a better job. I was looking for something with more fine beads in it.

2. Organix Repairing Awapuhi Ginger Shampoo

I like this shampoo. It is supposed to strengthen hair, and I think it does make my hair look nice. I'm not sure if it is stronger. I'm still using the conditioner that goes with this. It smells really good. I like the Organix products. I would repurchase this, but I have other shampoos that I need to finish using. When it is time for me to buy a new shampoo, I probably will buy one I haven't tried because I like to try out different shampoos.

3. Epielle Green Tea Cleansing Tissues

I get these from Big Lots for only $1. It comes with 30 tissues. My mom and I love these. I keep these at my makeup table, and I use them to clean up under my eyes, wipe off my hands, or take off my make up. I normally wash my face to take my makeup off, but sometimes when I want to be quick, I use these wipes. I love them! I repurchase them. This time I went to the store, the green tea wasn't there, I'm trying the cucumber wipes. They work good, but they have a cucumber smell which is ok to me. Some people may not like it. There is also a regular kind, and an aloe vera kind I think.

4. Wet 'n Wild Vanity Palette

I have just hit pan on the first color in this palette. I use this palette the most of all my eyeshadow products! It isn't available in the stores anymore, but you might be able to buy it online. The color I hit pan on is very dupable. It is my skin color. I think Wet 'n Wild Brûlée is a good dupe for it. It is a matte cream color. I use it to dupe many colors. I mention it a lot in my blog.

5. Revlon Illuminance Cream Shadows in Not Just Nudes

I hit pan on the first three colors. The first is a dupe for MAC's Painterly Paint Pot. The second is a dupe for MAC's Rubenesque. The third is a dupe for MAC's Indian Wood. You can still find this quad in the stores. The first color is a cream matte. The second is a beautiful color. I'm not sure how to describe it. The third is a matte warm medium brown. Some people don't like these cream shadows because they cause creasing. I haven't had a problem with them. I put an eye primer on first, like Too Faced Shadow Insurance. They are an inexpensive drugstore option compared to Mac's Paint Pots. These came out before Maybelline's Tattoos. I like the Tattoo's better because they wear longer. But the Revlon cream shadows are so beautiful. You can get them in a wide variety of colors and they come in quads. They are about $6.

6. L'Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base

I liked this. It was expensive for a drugstore product. You don't get a lot in a jar. It was good at smoothing out my skin and getting it ready for foundation. I would get this again. It's also moisturizing. After I use up the primers I have, I might repurchase this. Edit: I actually, couldn't wait. I didn't like the primers I had and couldn't wait, so I repurchased this already! This is good on wrinkles. I don't have many wrinkles, but it is good for the ones I have.

7. Sonia Kashuk How To Organically Look Natural Cosmetic Palette

I don't know if this is available anymore. I got this a while ago. I have hit pan on the eye 2 color. It's a camel brown color. I've hit pan on the blush. I've also hit pan on lip 2 and 3 colors. These look natural on me. My lips but better colors. It's a really nice palette. I used this a lot before I got really into makeup. I would just use this palette every single day.

8. Elf Blush in Peachy Keen

I think I dropped this and it broke. So I have half of it left. I love this color. It's like the name says a peach. I bought a new one already. It's inexpensive. I think it's a good blush to have in your collection.

9. Bare Minerals Mineral Veil

You get a lot of product. And it takes a while to use up! I would say several years! But I finally used it up. It looks very natural on the skin. I like this. I would repurchase this again, but it is expensive. First, I have drugstore powders I want to try. I would rather use a drugstore powder because it is more convenient to buy and inexpensive.

10. Covergirl Clump Crusher by Lashblast Water Resistant in Very Black

This was a very good mascara. I used this for three months, so now I'm throwing it away because they say that is how long a mascara lasts. I would repurchase this. I want to get something new though because I love trying new mascaras. This is true to it's name. It never clumped my lashes. I was pleased with it.

11. Maybelline Lash Discovery Mini-Brush Waterproof in Very Black

I always use this for my bottom lashes. I repurchased this. This is one of my all-time favorite things!

October Favorites

My favorites from last month haven't changed. I just wanted to add new products to the list of favorites. I also wanted to go into a little more depth as to why I chose the products I did for this month.

1. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream: For a couple of months I have been trying different eye creams. My eyes were sensitive to everything. Moisturizers that worked well for my face, made my eyes sting. Even products labeled "eye creams" were making my eyes sting. So finally I asked my mom what she uses. She uses Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream all over her face including her eyes. She has done this for years. She is in her 60's and she has very good skin. I tried this and my eyes love it. It is very moisturizing and no stinging.

2. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash: For over a month I have been seeing a dermatologist to take care of my adult acne problem. The doctor has recommended for me to use a benzoyl peroxide wash in the daytime and a salicylic acid wash in the nighttime. This wash has 2% Salicylic Acid, which is the percentage recommended by the doctor. I have seen improvement on my skin!

3. Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Control Cleanser: I ran out of the benzoyl peroxide wash I used last month which was a favorite. This cleanser I had in my cupboard. It came in a set if I remember correctly. I'm just using the cleanser part of the set because it has benzoyl peroxide in it.

4. L'Oreal Voluminous Waterproof Mascara in Black Brown: This has been my favorite mascara for a long time now. I have lots of different mascaras, and I try different ones that come out, but I keep going back to this one. It makes my lashes look full and curled. I use this on the top lashes only.

5. Maybelline Lash Discovery Mini-Brush Waterproof in Very Black: I found this on emilynoel83's channel on youtube. She had a video of her favorite mascaras. This one she recommended for bottom lashes. I got this to try out and it really does work great for the bottom lashes. This is the only thing I use now. I use to never put mascara on my bottom lashes because it was too hard for me. I would make a mess.

6. Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel: I don't remember how I heard about this. I must have been searching for the best facial primer. I found that a lot of people use this and find it works just as good if not better than the popular facial primers. I decided to try it. I can definitely tell a difference. My makeup goes on so much smoother if I put this on first. I love this stuff. It has similar ingredients to Smashbox's famous primer.

7. Tresemme Frizz Shield Finishing Spray: I use this just about every day I wear my hair up. It keeps my hair in place and doesn't let the frizzies out too much.

8. Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda -07 Concealer Palette: I still use my Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour Concealer from last month's favorites, but this concealer I reached for a lot too this month. There is a greenish shade that helps cover up redness. I had days where I felt like my whole face was red. There is also a salmon concealer to conceal under eye dark spots. There is a light shade to use as a regular concealer and then also a setting powder. This works really nicely. The only thing is that it may not be light enough for my skin. It is for light skin though, I just have very pale skin.

9. Enjoy Sulfate-Free Rejuvenating Volumizing Shampoo: I started using this a while ago. I went to Super Cuts and the lady doing my hair asked what shampoo I used. At the time I always used Pantene Volumizing Shampoos and Conditioners. She said that is the worst thing I could use on my hair. I guess because I have fine hair, all the oils in the Pantene products clogged the pores in my head and would give me dandruff and cause my hair to fall out! I've been using Enjoy ever since and my hair has no dandruff and is a lot improved. It feels really nice on the head. It is cooling and minty.

10. Enjoy Rejuvenating Volumizing Conditioner: This makes my head tingle and thats when you know it is working. I love the way it feels on my head. It reminds me of brushing my teeth, except for my hair. It leaves a fresh, minty, cooling feeling.

11. Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake Shower Gel: This smells so good. Just like it's name. It doesn't last on the skin, but while you are using it in the shower you can smell it. It is one of my favorite scents of all time I think.

What are your October favorites? Leave a comment or post your blog so I can see what you wrote. Have a happy Halloween and November!