Thursday, January 14, 2016

My January Look: Showered in Comfort

January in the Midwest is cold. And snowy. Add a few gusts of wind, and you've got a miserable combination of weather. But that doesn't mean you have to put on stretched out, bulky sweaters and ratty socks to stay warm (although, if this is your favorite lounge wear, go for it!). Here are some of the things that I'm going to be wearing and using during January to keep my spirits up, even in the face of an unrelenting winter.

January Style



A Comfy Shirt
I received this exact Old Navy shirt for Christmas. This is one of the most comfortable shirts I've owned in a long time. I like that it is made from soft materials and the quilting adds a little bit of wintery accent to it. 

Sturdy Jeans
If you're like me and don't park your car in a garage, you need a good, sturdy pair of jeans to wear while cleaning off all the snow and ice before you leave for the day. And as all the fashion experts will tell you, dark washes make you look like your best self.

Bold Lips
For my makeup, I tend to go darker and bolder in the winter months. This Rimmel lipstick is my go-to when I want to make a statement. I'm also dying to check out darker colors like maroons and dark berries.

Great Boots
Boots are a must in the colder months, but as many of you in snowy areas know, great fashion boots don't always make great snow boots. So these are for walking around the inside, paired with leggings and a long sweater.

Statement Bag
Winter white and furry? Yes please! This bag looks amazing. I'm going to need to find one of these to go with my winter style.

Notebook
Yes. Notebooks are a MUST for a writer. I don't leave home without a working pen (don't you hate it when you find out that the ink is all dry?!) and some type of notebook to jot down all of my inspirations.

What does you January style look like?

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Oh Sugar! Let's Explore the #COVERGIRL VoxBox

It's that time again -- another VoxBox arrived in my mailbox just before Christmas. And what a gift it was! I am a total CoverGirl fan--about 85% of the makeup in my life is CoverGirl, so getting this box was really a dream come true! I was able to try two new CoverGirl products for 2016:

Let's take a closer look:

*Received these products free from Influenster for testing.*

Plumpify Mascara by blastPRO

My daily go-to mascara is CoverGirl's Lash Blast Length (for those who know just how many CG mascaras are out there but don't know the specific names, it's the yellow tube). So when I was picked to try CoverGirl's new Plumpify by blastPro, I was looking to see if this would replace my current daily mascara, or whether it would be better for specific situations.



The wand is spiky (both fins and cones) and twisted, so I wasn't sure how it would work at first. Once I got some product on it, I saw that it combed through my lashes with ease. It covers fully, and with a little wiggle, you can get a thick coat on every lash. This has a little more of a dramatic effect than my go-to mascara, so I would use this mascara when I really want to accentuate my eyes.

Colorlicious Oh Sugar! Vitamin Infused Lip Balm

 

I also received in my box the CoverGirl's Oh Sugar! Vitamin Infused Lip Balm. This is a tinted balm that goes on smoothly and comes in a variety of sweet-themed colors such as Caramel, Soda, Sprinkles and more. I received the Caramel color. At first I thought it might not work well since it is more brown than pink or red in tint, but once I put it on, it looked great. Just enough color to brighten my lips without having a bold look.

While it might be too sheer for some, this is the perfect intensity for me when I want to have a very natural daily look. Often I only want to use a bold lip on special occasions, so Oh Sugar! is great for daily use. It also has a sweet scent, kind of like sugary lip gloss flavors, so I love it even more (because the chemical scent of bold lipstick pigments are not my favorite thing).

truNAKED Eyeshadow Palette

CoverGirl has a third new product for 2016 which is the truNAKED Eyeshadow Palette. Although I didn't receive this product in my box, I've only heard great things about it from my fellow Influenster members. 

Overall, this box was a total success for me. I'm quickly becoming much more of a makeup connoisseur than I ever was, so I hope Influenster keeps me in mind for future boxes filled with beauty products!