Since I came out of the womb, I was a hair accessory girl. My mom used to put hats, headbands, barrettes, and bows on my head with every outfit, and I was an exceptional child because I kept them on the entire time.

This continued well into childhood and my teenage years because I loved headbands. I wanted to wear a headband with every outfit, even if it didn't look right. Funnily enough, my mom grew to dislike my headband fascination but I blame her wholeheartedly for being this way.

Eventually, headbands went out of style and I needed to hang mine up. It wasn't until Gossip Girl premiered and Blair Waldorf reintroduced headbands to the fashion world that I felt comfortable rocking my favorite hair piece.



After a few years the trend faded once again but late last year, we saw the rebirth of it and I couldn't be more excited.

I actually was ahead of the game because this summer I purchased a pack of printed headbands from Amazon. I love wearing my hair curly and having a headband in to keep it out of my face but also it gives a nice beachy feel to a summer look.

When I was researching the fashion and beauty trends that were going to make a splash in 2019, hair accessories were at the top of the list and I've never seen a trend take the world by storm so fast.

Everyone is wearing barrettes, every fashion company is releasing headbands, and stylish scrunchies are making waves. I've already started stockpiling headbands and I need to find a few barrettes that will keep my unruly locks in place.

Headbands

Barrettes

My hair was always a little thick for barrettes and I felt like they always looked a little silly. However, now everyone is wearing thicker, more statement clips and I think I might try my hand at it.

Scrunchies 

Scrunchies have been making their way back into the style lexicon for a while and I'm personally very here for it. I've talked about my love of Slip Scrunchies before, the big and small ones, and I continue to spend money I don't have on overpriced hair ties. However, retailers are releasing cheaper ones that are just as adorable. The 90s are officially back!

I took two days off from the blog to focus on Christmas with my family and it was so nice. I hope you all had a beautiful few days with your families and loved ones. Now, I'm on vacation and taking these days before 2019 to relax and I'm so excited.

It's time I start wrapping up the year on the blog and I'll be talking about all my favorites from 2018. Today, we're kicking it off with my favorite beauty items of 2018. This was a year where beauty took a backseat and I stopped shopping at Sephora twice a week. I was much more mindful of what I was purchasing and the items I did pick up quickly became favorites. Here are just a few of them...

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

I think this was a beauty item that will be in a lot of end of year round-ups because it made the biggest splash this year. It is definitely my most used beauty item of the year and I can't remember a night where I didn't slather this on my face and bask in its glory. This is a mask that can be worn as a mask or as a moisturizer, meaning you don't have to wash it off. I use it as my night cream and my skin feels so soothed and healthy afterward. When I have a heavy makeup day or just feel like my skin needs extra love, Jet Lag cures it all. It isn't too heavy where you feel like you're a greaseball afterward, and you can even wear it under your makeup -- that's the beauty of it; it's deeply hydrating but not heavy. It was definitely my favorite item of the entire year.

Neutrogena Hydroboost Cleansing Lotion

I love a good cleansing oil but sometimes they are too greasy and heavy; sometimes I want to use them as a cleanser and not a makeup remover. This year I discovered one of my favorite cleansers; the Neutrogena Hydroboost Cleansing Lotion. It's thinner than a cleansing oil but thicker than cleansing milk -- it's the perfect happy medium. I use it on its own or with my Clarisonic and it gets all the remanents of my makeup off. It's very gentle, has no scent and hydrating. If this sounds like something you need, I highly recommend picking the Hydroboost Cleansing Lotion up!

Slip Silk Scrunchies

I've fallen in love with $40 scrunchies and I think this is what rock bottom feels like. I thought I had found the perfect scrunchie in Invisibobble and while those are still awesome (and only $8) my Slip Scrunchies are just incredible. From the brand Slip, the Silk Pillowcase brand comes silk scrunchies that won't leave indents and won't damage or break your hair. They have big scrunchies which are the first ones I got and then the thin ones (which are my current favorite). They hold my thick, curly, unruly hair in place and look so adorable in the hair or on the wrist. I don't know if I will ever buy another type of scrunchie again.

Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk

This may be cheating as I only picked up these items within the past two months but my goodness, they are the best. I'm talking about the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Pillowtalk and Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillowtalk. They are the best pair in beauty, the most natural and gorgeous colors and incredible formulas. Wear them alone, wear them together -- the possibilities are endless. They both apply like a dream and are comfortable on the lips. There is a reason that the shade Pillowtalk is a cult classic -- you NEED THEM!

Below are a few other honorable mention items!

xoxo
B

If you thought March was slow, April beat you to it. I feel like it has been April for 100 years. It was an exciting month though; lots of fun stuff at work, a few great family get-togethers, and finally the arrival of Spring.

I'm writing this on Saturday afternoon after running hours of errands and it was such a delight because it's so gorgeous outside. Is Spring melting my cold, winter loving heart? It just might!

As we're nearing Summer, I'm starting to think about new clothes and fun summer activities to do. I never do anything in the summer and every year, I vow to do something but it always falls through. Maybe this year will be the year I keep that promise.

I tried a lot of new things this month, from accessories to skincare to beauty and I've been loving a lot of them!



1. Cuvee Beauty Protective Treatment: I ran out of both my detangler/protective sprays this month and I've been meaning to try this Cuvee Beauty one. It's not necessarily a detangler but it gets the job done. I have the entire Cuvee Beauty line which I want to do a post on eventually but the story behind these products is that they are made with Champagne (how awesome?) for better, stronger hair. I've been loving this treatment! In the beginning, I felt like it made my hair a little greasy but that's not the case anymore; I guess it was something else or my hair has gotten used to it. I've been using it all month and my locks feel a little stronger and look better. It's an awesome product!



2. Slip Silk Scrunchies: I saw these everywhere last month and immediately fell in love with them. I love that all the 90s trends are coming back and I'm so into scrunchies being a thing again. Slip is also known for their silk pillowcases being good for your hair so if I was going to buy from anyone, it was Slip. The price is nuts; $40 for 3 scrunchies? It's insane but I had to have them because I'm a sucker. I've been LOVING THEM. I love my Invisibobble scrunchies that don't leave dents in my hair but these are even better. They don't give me a headache, they definitely don't leave dents and they are so comfortable. They are also adorable -- I especially love the pink one, obviously.



3. YSL Card Case: Last month when I got my promotion at work, I treated myself to this gorgeous YSL Card Case. I've been wanting it for years and finally took the leap (I also got a discount from SAKS from one of my friends) and it's awesome. It's large enough to use as a regular wallet with 5 card spaces but is also a little stiff (probably because it's still new). It is so luxurious and feels so nice, I'm pretty obsessed. If you've been wanting one of these, I highly recommend getting your hands on it. It's even better in person and well worth the $250 price tag.

4. St Ives Cleansing Stick: It's not a secret how much I love my Tarte Frixxtion Charcoal Cleansing Stick and I ran out last month. I was going to repurchase but then I remembered that St. Ives had come out with their own cleansing sticks and I had been curious to try them. I've been trying to explore the drugstore a little more and I've found some new gems that are hiding there. These St Ives Cleansing Sticks are just them. I have the honey one and it is so nice. It cleanses your skin and leaves it feeling super fresh. It's not an exfoliator so it doesn't feel the same as the Tarte one but St. Ives does have a charcoal one so I may try that next. If you want to get in on the cleansing stick trend, I highly recommend going with the St. Ives one.

What did you love this month?
xoxo
B