Over the past year I've felt myself maturing in different ways, but one way I know for sure my frontal lobe has fully developed? My need for neutral nails. I used to love my bright, fun colors like green, blue, and purple, or on the other end of the spectrum I loved a black polish but lately I just want something simple. 

I definitely still enjoy a color...but mostly in the pink or peach family, or if it's the colder months I love a brown. However, when I want a true color, especially in the 'in-between months' I'm probably going with red.

The issue I was running into was that all my Olive & June red polishes are too dark, too bright, or have the wrong undertone. None of the polishes were a true, blue red until now.

Olive & June has admitted that they haven't had a blue-red but are not answering for their sins with one of their newer shades 'Secret Recipe' I am still on my low-buy and not indulging in as many nail polish purchases as I usually do, but I needed to restock some of my nail care items so it was a good time to place an order. 

 There are very few beauty products that have stood the test of time in regards to my favorites. As someone who loves to try new things, it's rare that I continually buy the same product time after time. Sure, I've gone through mascara and foundation phases, but usually after the second or third time buying something, I'm ready for something new.

That logic does not apply to this particular product. 

When I first found out about the Clé de Peau Concealer about 10 years ago, I knew that I had to have it. My dark under eye circles have always been my biggest beauty pain point and for that reason concealer is my all time favorite product to test and try. If I'm putting one makeup item on, it's going to be concealer, so wouldn't it just be natural for me to fall head over heels for a $75 concealer that is like a magic eraser? 

No one wants to spend $75 on a concealer but when it's this good, when it lasts you years (well past the expiration date), you do it. 

the packaging has changed recently and i'm sure how i feel - the left  is my new tube

I just repurchased my fourth tube of this magic stick so I figured it was the perfect time for a review.

This past fall I got hooked on gel manicures because of their long lasting nature and how shiny & chic they looked. What I didn't love was the cost, sitting in the manicure chair and how I felt entrapped by the color for at least two weeks. I also have realized that I suffer from sensory issues and sometimes the feeling of thick nail polish on fingers sent shivers down my spine.

How could I mitigate the cons and still keep the pros? It was like Olive & June heard my prayers and answered them in quick succession.

Right before Christmas, my favorite nail polish brand released their at home gel manicure system and I don't know the last time I pressed checkout so fast. I bought the full gel system with 6 colors-- all which I have the regular polishes for too which made it easy to choose. 

 Well friends, another year has been completed and we're mere days away from ringing in 2025. It sounds like a fake year, something you hear in an episode of The Jetsons, but believe it or not, it's real. I don't really know how I feel about 2025 yet -- I think it's going to be a great year for me personally but for the collective world, I think we're in for some trouble. I hope I'm wrong! 

2024 was an interesting year, and I need to make the time to really reflect, but I think I had a good one. My mental health was better in a lot of ways, I traveled, I celebrated, I rested and I conquered some fears. Maybe I'll do a blog post or substack about my year, but for now we're here to talk about beauty products. 

2024 was the year of hair & skin for me; I went through some struggles with both but I think I'm ending the year with a decent rotation of products. While I still hit VIB Rogue this year (and pretty early in fact), I don't think I bought a lot of unnecessary products; the products I did buy became quick favorites and I also realized that most of my favorites were in my collection all along and I didn't need to try something new.

2025 is going to be a year of less stuff, so figuring out what I love and sticking with that. I don't always need something new to satisfy a craving and I need to get comfortable with wanting things versus immediately letting myself have them.

All of that being said, let's get into the products that made up most of my 2024.

*I think it's important to say that everything that I mentioned in my 2023 beauty favorites are still used on a daily basis for me...aside from maybe the Bobbi Brown foundation stick which I still love but found something I like even more. 

Nail polish names are so fun and I think it's probably the coolest job in the world to have a part in naming them. Some names make sense...like Essie Ballet Slippers or Marshmallow; others are a bit off the cuff, like 'Not a Phase' or 'Butler, Please' and some are bizarre but make perfect sense. 

Like this new one from the Olive & June winter collection...

Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of straight hair. It used to take my mom two hours to blow dry my hair when I was a kid and I used to hate doing my hair so much that I would pay my sorority sisters in alcohol to blow dry my hair for me. I never turned down a professional blow out, and I've gotten many a straightening & relaxing treatments in my day to just tame the mane that sits a top of my head. 

 Over the years I've gone through my fair share of hair tools; from blow dry brushes to a failed attempt at using the Dyson Airwrap to finally settling on my Shark FlexStyle...I still felt like something was missing.

 After a long, one and a half month Manicure Monday drought, we are back with a vengeance! Because of my busy 7 weeks, my gel manicure obsession has come to an end. I've given my nails the break they needed after removing the gel manicure myself, before it was meant to come off, and now I'm ready for polish again.

I still haven't bought the Olive & June Gel Manicure System but it's next on my list...however, we're going to be talking about one of their Fall 2024 polishes that I hadn't yet used after I initially placed my order.

After red nails for a month and a half, I was ready for something to truly put me in the fall spirit and the polish of choice was easy. Museum Date from Olive & June's most recent fall collection is so unique and truly one of a kind in my collection and probably a lot of yours too.

Retail's holiday season begins earlier and earlier every year it seems and this year it was no different with sets and collections being live since early September. 

I always love seeing what gift sets beauty brands put out for the holiday season; I love seeing the different themes, collaborations and assortments that are released but maybe that is just the beauty industry worker in me. 

This year it seems that a lot of brands are going with their hero products in limited edition shades, or best selling assortments in fun packaging. They're leaning into seasonal scents and flavors, with minimal 'holiday' packaging & using more of that winter vibe. 

With the Sephora sale coming up (more on that later this week), I wanted to highlight some of what I think are the best gift sets to give someone (or yourself) this holiday season. 

 One of the best days of the year is when Olive & June releases their new seasonal collections. I always love seeing the theme they chose as well as the shades. This year the theme was museums, which is very interesting, but I love the idea of a sophisticated, cozy fall city day roaming a museum exhibit.  

The shades released in this collection are gorgeous. they range from very light to deep, dark and glittery. I'll be honest; the first shade I used was "Sculpture Wing" which is a beautiful warm toned lavender but it wasn't the best (review coming soon). 

My next manicure is what we're talking about today and that's Patron of the Arts. It's the perfect transitional fall shade; a deep, dusty rose brown that screams pumpkin and apple picking.