I'm always on board for a good beauty trend; bold brows, contouring, strobing -- I love them all.

One trend I really have fallen head over heels for is matte lips. I blame Kylie Jenner but Ms. Jenner really knew what was she doing. I love the look of matte lips -- they're so glamorous and really make you look like you spent 4 hours on your makeup, when you only spent 10 minutes.

I feel a lot fancier when I have a matte lip on.

A trend that goes hand in hand with matte lips is liquid lipsticks. A liquid lipstick applies like a lipgloss and comes in a lipgloss tube with a lipgloss applicator, but it is far from a lipgloss. Some liquid lipsticks have a mousse texture while some have a more liquidly texture but neither one (in my opinion) is better than the other.

The fabulous thing about liquid lipsticks and what entices most people? Liquid lipsticks are supposed to be long lasting! Most formulas I have tried, are in fact very long lasting which is such an added bonus in my book.

A downside of liquid lipsticks? They are extremely drying. Because they are such a super, high impact matte finish, they suck the life and hydration out of your lips.

There is a solution to this though -- make sure your lips are exfoliated and hydrated with your favorite lip balm.

Also, you must have a good liquid lipstick formula to have a true success. If the lipstick is too drying, then it'll be a total fail.

Well, I've tried a number of liquid lipsticks and they are all very long lasting, not drying at all, and give beautiful pigmentation!

This was definitely not a winning month for Birchbox and I am getting very close to canceling it. Birchbox has always had its ups and downs over the years, but for the past year or so, it's really been on it's A game. It was pretty much September-November that I haven't been a huge fan of the boxes I've been getting.

I will say a lot of it has to do with the fact that I have so many beauty products now that I'm just not as impressed with the products in the boxes as of late. Also, I've been getting a ton of perfume samples and since I'm allergic, it's a total waste for me.

I may stick it out one more month and see what happens in December but if that box is a bust, I'll probably cancel for a few months.

This month had to be one of my least favorite Birchboxes in over 3 years, which is funny because this had to be my favorite design on a box ever. It is gorgeous! I have it displayed on my desk with the LE Everyday Glamour Box and I'm obsessed with both designs.



Even though I really am not a fan of everything in the box, I do like all the products, I just wasn't impressed with the selection.




//Harvey Prince Yoigini Perfume: Yep, another perfume that I can't wear. Well, that's a lie. I've been experimenting with wearing perfume the past week and so far, so good. I haven't had an allergic reaction yet so we'll see how the it pans out. I wore this to work on Friday and it's a very subtle, feminine scent. It has notes of grapefruit and star jasmine which is really pleasant and pretty.

Full size: $57
Sample size: 3/5




//LOC Vibrant Matte Lipstick in Glam Life: I was probably most excited for this product, not going to lie. Earlier this month, Birchbox released their FIRST MAKEUP LINE and they partnered with one of my favorite Beauty Guru's,  Tati from GlamLifeGuru. They released eyeshadow sticks and matte lipsticks and every Birchbox subscriber got to sample one of the products in this months' box. I was happy I got the berry shade of lipstick and wore this last Friday. It's smooth, gorgeous, long wearing, and extremely easy to apply. This is definitely going to be a staple in my winter beauty routine.

Full size: $8
Sample size: 5/5




//Moroccanoil Hand Cream Fleur d' Oranger: I was less than thrilled to see another hand lotion in my Birchbox. Usually I don't mind these products but I have so many hand creams in rotation, I don't know what to do with them all. However, it was a nice surprise to see a full size product in a box. I also love the Moroccanoil brand so I enjoyed that as well. This would be a total win if it wasn't for the scent. I know it says it's an orange scent and I usually like citrus scents but this is just plain gross. It's so faint and subtle, but at the same time it's just not inviting. I've been using it because it's very moisturizing but the scent is horrible.

Full size: $24
Sample size: 5/5

//Number 4 Elixer Restore & Repair Oil: I have enough hair oil to last me 100 years. I definitely didn't need another one. I like the Number 4 brand and it's nice to have a tiny sample size to travel with but I wish I would've gotten something else instead of this. I haven't tried it yet but I'm sure it's great.

Full size: $26
Sample size: 2/5



//theBalm FratBoy Eyeshadow/blush: I don't have nearly as much theBalm products as I would like so whenever they pop up in my Birchbox, I am very happy. I've seen this product around before and have been curious to try it out. The sample is expectionally tiny and I don't know how I would ever get a blush brush into the little compact, nor would I use this color as an eyeshadow but I'll try it out and see what happens. theBalm is super high quality and I've never been disappointed with their products.

Full size: $21
Sample size: 1/5

We'll see what happens with Birchbox next month, otherwise I'll say bye-bye to it for a little while.

What did you get in your Birchbox this month?

I meant to have this post up last week but honestly, I just wasn't about it. It's at that point in the summer when I'm lazy and tired and the heat is just getting to me. I blame it on the fact that once August 1st hits, I'm programmed to think that I'll be going back to school.

I can't believe how fast time is passing. The summer is over and now it'll be TWO years since my senior year started. It's honestly really scary to think about and I think it's starting to hit me that this is life now. I work, I play, I have to figure out things on my own.

People my age are getting engaged and starting a whole different chapter of my life, and I don't have the energy to leave my bed in the morning.

I still feel like I'm living this fake life and I don't know when it's going to feel real, but with the summer being over, my first summer of working full time and not being a fresh out of college post grad, it's starting to get there.

Oh it's scary as hell.

I always tend to ramble during my monthly favorites post because it's another reminder of how fast my life is going by, and I don't know how to keep up with it--but maybe I'll save this for a different time.



I loved a lot of things this month, like A LOT but I narrowed it down to my top favorites.

//BlueSky Planners: The planner obsession was alive and real this month, as I got a bunch of new planners in the mail. They were all from BlueSky, and I'm so grateful that they sent them to me! From the Day Designers to the regular planners, I'm a little obsessed. I love staying organized and having my shit together -- writing things down just works for me and these planners have been a life saver.

//Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid Touch: I talked about this in my Recent Beauty Hauls post, and it's been my go to all month. It's so light weight, blends beautifully, and dries to a powder finish so it doesn't feel like anything on your face. Plus, the packaging is gorgeous, in a cute glass bottle.

//theBalm Brow Pow: I love theBalm products, but they're so hard to come by. You have to order them off of their website, or Birchbox, but sometimes they don't have everything you want -- and sometimes I do like buying things in a store. When I was walking past a Duane Read near my job, in Manhattan, and I saw that they have a section called The Look Boutique that has high end products. They aren't super high end but brands like Cargo, Vincent Longo, 100% Pure, etc... and theBalm! I was so excited I nearly cried. I went in one day, and just bought this brow powder and an InStain Blush. I wanted a brow powder to do my brows because I haven't found a pencil I really love. This powder has been the only thing I use and it makes my brows bold, but soft at the same time. I got it in Light Brown and it's incredible!

//BeccaxJaclyn Hill Champagne Pop: Everyone and their mother is talking about this highlight, and I also talked about it my Recent Beauty Hauls post. It has every right to be talked about, because it's gorgeous and pretty much will flatter everyone. I never had any Becca products before this, but this highlight is so buttery smooth and stunning -- I may have to try some more. This is the only highlight I've worn all month and I'm pretty sure it'll continue like that for a while.

//First Aid Beauty Blemish Patrol Pads: I've been meaning to talk about these, and you'll probably see them in another post this week. A little more than a month ago I noticed that I had a lot of bumps on the side of my face, along my jawline. It wasn't technically acne, but probably little whiteheads. I was on a quest to find something to cure this and low and behold, First Aid Beauty came in and saved the day. Their Blemish Patrol Pads claim to help prevent breakouts, control oil, and minimize pores. They're also safe for sensitive skin because that's what FAB specializes in. It comes with 60 pads, which is great because if you want to use one everyday, you have enough for two months. I was religiously using these, and saw results in less than a week. I was shocked and excited and continued to use them everyday for almost the entire month. Once I saw most of the bumps were gone, I would use these a few times a week, or whenever I saw a pimple popping up but my skin has remained in tact. I still have a good amount of pads left in the tub and will probably repurchase after they run out.

Another random favorite is not wearing jewelry. I rarely leave the house without at least one necklace, ring, or bracelet, but this month it was just too dam hot. I have been going to work, and going out sans baubles and I'm kind of loving it. I'm much more comfortable in the hat without the extra metal hanging on my body.

Here's to the last month of summer, and one step closer to Fall!

What were your favorites this month?