My December Favorites

I couldn't close out January without doing my first-ever monthly favorites. Moving forward, I want to recap a list of my favorite or most-used products of the month, starting with December, which was nothing but holiday parties, food and sparkles. While these items carried me through the festivities and cold-weather days, they're all great for use year-round and for equally glamorous or casual occasions.

1. MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation
I used Studio Fix years ago and added it back into my foundation routine this December. This foundation was my go-to for every party, dinner or holiday of the season. It has great coverage, but is still really light and airy on skin. And while I usually prefer a dewy finish, I love the soft-focus finish of this matte foundation and can always add a highlight where I need it for that glow I love. I find when wearing this it also helps to apply a little extra moisturizer while prepping your face. You can also add different oils, like argan, to this (or any) foundation to make the formula more sheer, blendable and to get an overall healthy glow. And at a $27 price point, it's obviously a new staple in my collection.

2. Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue
I played with glitter a lot this December and put the Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue to work for the first time. I was expecting this to go on like Elmer's Glue and had flashbacks to kindergarten and fingers covered in dirty, dried-up glue, but was surprised at how lightly it applies. I felt like I was wearing my usual primer, also from Too Faced, and my glitter stayed put for hours. I've been using this since and will continue to throughout the year. It works especially well with metallic eyeshadows and really intensifies the pigments.

3. NYX Butter Lip Balm in Red Velvet
I received this in my December Ipsy Glam Bag and it instantly became one of my more abused samples. This is truly buttery and creamy going on, is so soothing on dry winter lips, is the prettiest shade of candy coral red and smells so good I want to eat it. Throughout December, I was really feeling red lips and this balm was the perfect playful alternative to a matte red lip. The formula is buildable, from sheer to saturated, and reminds me of Fresh Beauty's Sugar Lip Treatments. NYX's doesn't have SPF like Fresh's, but at the end of the day, it's only SPF 15, and the NYX option is a tiny fraction of the cost.

5. Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub
I always have this cleanser on-hand because it's the best for clearing and preventing breakouts, but try to use as seldom as possible because of the salicylic acid and how drying it can be. But with so many events happening this month and with so much heavy makeup being applied and worn for hours while dancing and sweating, it really came to my rescue on many a night this month.

6. Lorac PRO Palette 
Blind and deaf from all the hype surrounding Urban Decay's Naked Palettes (and I'm not saying they're not fantastic, too), I missed the underdog Lorac PRO Palette. I definitely arrived late to this party, but what's important is that I'm here. Swatching the palette for the first time in late November, I was blown away by just how soft, pigmented and blendable these shadows were. I had been swooning over lush red or copper smokey eyes for fall and winter, and fell deeply in love with the Garnet and Sable shades in this palette. And the fact that this palette has an equal number of matte and metallic shades makes it really versatile. I'm definitely going back for the 2.

New Year, New Hair

In committing to my new year's resolutions of getting my hair situation in control (and blogging more about it), I decided to welcome 2015 with a fresh haircut - and then follow it up with regular trims. My entire life, I've cut my hair very infrequently and always thought the 6-week rule was a ploy by hairstylists to get customers in their chairs more often. But I realized they're onto something. When ends are split, hair can't reflect light. Infrequent cuts equal split ends which equal overall dullness. 

And on top of my infrequent haircuts, there's the fact that I've been cutting my hair in some form of layers since the 90s (the Rachel, anyone?). Layered haircuts require lots of texturizing and feathering to make the layers look seamless and those feathered ends,  when left alone, can get really ugly, really fast. I've essentially set myself up for dry, dull and brittle-looking hair. And I never want to be that girl again. So I went into my haircut with a list of criteria: 

• No layers, no texturizing. I'm looking forward to not dealing with those brittle, feathery ends again.
• No bangs. I've realized after years of studying photos of myself (you know you've done it, too) that I am just not a bangs person. No short bangs, no side-swept bangs, but because my face is so round, I did want a face-framing layer at about chin-length. 
• Minimal styling required. I once went from waist-length hair to chin-length bob, cold-turkey, but realized I was very wrong in assuming styling would take less work with such a short cut. Words of advice if you're considering a bob: Hair that flips out is not fun. This time, I wanted to get the length right and choose something that works for me. Long hair and very short hair can both be very high maintenance. 

In addition to my criteria, I also went to my new stylist with a number of inspiration photos. They were each slightly different, but she was able to get a good idea of what I was going for after seeing them all and  helped me decide on something I left very happy with. Some of my inspiration photos are below:

Besides the fact that Olivia Palermo is basically perfect, her hair is always so effortless. It's never over-styled and her cuts are never fussy. In this photo, I love her length and love that the cut is slightly angled.  

Again, perfection. In this photo, I love the slight curl she has going on in the front. It's not over-styled but still super feminine and softly frames her face.

  

While I could never wear such a flat style (thank you, big, round face), I love Emily's length and again, that slight angle. I also love that the ends look really piecey and blunt. See what I did there?

I said no bangs, but the length on this cut seemed perfect. And of all my inspiration photos, this was the color that most closely resembled mine, so it helped me visualize the final look a bit more.  

Because I'm always looking for a good deal, I used one of the best Groupons I've ever bought to get this cut. I paid $35 for $75 worth of services at Bradz Aveda Salon and Spa here in Austin. Because I'd heard good things and had a great experience at one other Aveda salon, I was very excited going in. 

My stylist was Olivia Shearfield - young, very sweet and pleasantly chatty. She was really patient, put a lot of thought into my cut and talked me through inspiration photo after inspiration photo, as I indecisively went back and forth through lengths and details. Once we finally decided on a look, she was as excited about my cut as I was. I liked her so much that, for the first time ever, I booked a second appointment with the same stylist -- and per her recommendation, eight weeks from now.

One length!!

Look at those marvelously blunt ends. 

Golden Globe Favorites

While I spent the entire Golden Globes oohing and ahhing over the beauty looks (or crying my eyes out anytime a clip for the Theory of Everything came on), there were some really notable moments - moments that made me tear up and moments that made me feel sheer joy throughout the night. There's no denying that Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez won the entire night with her speech for Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical. The gratitude and happiness she emanated made her already perfect beauty look all the more radiant. And, of course, the highlight of her speech was the quote that had every Hispanic beaming, and me shedding some more tears.

"This award is so much more than myself. It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes. My father used to tell me to say every morning that today is going to be a great day. I can and I will. Well, dad, today's a great day. I can, I did." 

For her grace and for her classically glamorous beauty look, Gina was among my favorites from last night. Makeup artist Jenna Anton focused on Gina's skin and lashes for the look. She used L'Oreal's The Super Slim by Infallible Eyeliner to create a wing, and Butterfly Intenza Mascara to give her lashes galore. Her skin and eyelids were glowy and golden, and her lips were topped with Infallible Pro-Last Lip Color Permanent in Blush 117. Her super shiny glamour waves and deep side part were created using a number of Joico products. Hair goals, for sure.

There was so much talk about whether Kerry Washington's Mary Katranzou gown was a hit or a miss. I still haven't decided my stance on it, but I fell in love with her beauty look. Kerry's skin was flawless with pink blush to accentuate her sky-high cheekbones. Her eyes looked big and bright with lashes up to heaven, and she had a fun pop of pink on her lips that made the entire look so sweet. The look was created by makeup artist Carola Gonzalez using everything Neutrogena (she's a brand ambassador) including their Moisture Smooth Colorstick. I've Insta-stalked Carola and asked what color Kerry was wearing in her comments section in hopes she responds. I'll keep you guys posted.

I was not one bit surprised when I learned Reese Witherspoon's look was created by makeup artists at Laura Mercier. Aside from having flawless hair and makeup, Reese had one of my favorite head-to-toe looks. Her beaded Calvin Klein gown and side-swept waves had her channeling old Hollywood in the best way. 

Kate Beckinsale's high bun gave me major hair envy. I don't have the face for an up-do like hers (I have a huge face), she wears hers so delicately. Her skin was super dewey with bronzey/gold eyeshadow on her eyes and a sheer pink lip color. All I see is glow, glow, glow.

Jennifer Lopez is a goddess. From the stunning, open-sleeved Zuhair Murad gown, the intensely voluminous hair (my favorite!), to the sultry smokey eyes and bronzed-to-perfection skin created by Mary Phillps, her look was every bit 'bombshell.' She completely owned the red carpet.

2015 Beauty Resolutions

We're all still talking about our 2015 resolutions right? We're only 4 days into the new year and it's not even Monday yet, so I'm assuming they're still a hot topic. I usually don't set resolutions, I've never really reflected on things I wanted to accomplish in a new year, but this year was different for me. I have a lot to look forward to personally and professionally in 2015, and come midnight on New Year's Eve, I noticed myself eating my 12 grapes very slowly, putting a lot of thought behind each of my wishes. I have so many resolutions for 2015 that I had to break them up into categories, and beauty was definitely one of them. 2014 was big for me in terms of beauty. I got my first facial (what?! I know!), significantly improved my skincare routine and discovered many amazing products, I did a lot more makeup than ever before and of course I started this blog. Below are things I hope to accomplish this year on my beauty journey. Let me know if we have any of any of the same resolutions, and if not, I hope to inspire you to add some of these to your list.

1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
I'm very inconsistent when it comes to proper hydration. I'll have days where I drink much more than the recommended amount and then have days where 5 pm comes around and I realize I've not had any water at all. I notice a huge difference in my skin, energy, levels of inflammation, when I do drink water. That and there's this almost alarming study from earlier last year. So in 2015 I'm making making it a huge point to be consistent with my water consumption. My strategy: carry a 24 ounce water bottle at all times, refilling at least 4 times a day. If you have as much trouble as I do maintaining proper hydration levels, or just don't enjoy the taste of plain water, I suggest adding fruits like cucumber, berries or citrus. Mint leaves are also great add-ins.

2. Get More Zzzz's
I've been a night owl my entire life, and while I do try to use the late hours of the night to knock out to-do list items (it's currently 1:30 am), it definitely catches up with me during the day while I'm at work. Not only does it take a toll on my ability to focus, it's also destroying my skin, my under eyes. It's a vicious cycle. My goal for this new year is to be dozing off my 11 pm every week night.

3. Conquer My Eyebrows
My eyebrows grow downward. While being Mexican has given me an olive complexion and dark locks I'm proud of, it has also given me eyebrows that grow downward and sparsely, but across a very large area. Threading keeps the issue slightly under control, but this is the year I conquer finding products to help me shape and fill them to perfection.

4. Play With Eyelash Extensions
This is completely for fun. I've never experimented with eyelash extensions. In addition to being blessed with eyebrows that grow downward, I was blessed with lashes that do the same. No curl. None. I want to have a little fun with extensions this year and see how it goes.

5. Start Saving for Botox
As wary as I am of injecting chemicals into my face, I'll need to start taking aging prevention measures soon - I really should start now, but I'll give it another two years. I have a horrible habit of scrunching my forehead and I suffer from severe resting bitch face while I seep. I already have fine lines to prove it. I turn 29 this year and want to gift myself some Botox for birthday 30, so I'm going to start a piggy bank and throw a little money in and here and there.

6. SPF Like It's My Job
SPF is one of the most important steps in any skin care regimen for the prevention of skin cancer, and of course aging. I know this, yet I have not made it a point to find the best SPF product for my skin. Most of my foundations, and moisturizers contain small amounts of it. I've had big issues with products containing higher levels of SPF, like the Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35 I talked about in my birthday post - they cause breakouts. This year I'm going to find the best product for me. I welcome recommendations! And if you haven't made SPF a priority in your life, watch this alarming video from Thomas Leveritt and I promise you'll have a change of heart.



7. Be Gentler with My Eyes 
Mother knows best. My mom hardly wears concealer, moisturizes her eyes heavily and removes her eye makeup very gently. I only wear difficult waterproof mascara, so she always sees me struggling and tugging at my eyes to remove my makeup. She's warned me of wrinkles, but who has time to wait patiently and work gently when you just want to get to bed?! This year, I'm making time and I plan to start loving my eye area a little more. I found this great video from PopSugar Beauty that shows a great way to remove eye makeup without all the tugging.

8. Expand My Makeup Portfolio
I'm always seeking opportunities to do makeup. Most of my clients are friends, coworkers, family. This year, I really want to expand my portfolio and take on more bridal makeup. I've got a wedding booked in March and am excited to be doing makeup for the bride and her family. I hope there are many more for me this year.

9. Get Faster at Makeup Jobs
In the second half of 2014, I did notice a decrease in the time it takes me to complete a makeup job. Every job brings me closer to a normal amount of time. I can take up to an hour and 20 minutes. My goal for this year is to be able to complete a look in 45 minutes.

10. Talk More Hair
Most of my blog talk is makeup and skincare. A friend requested more hair content and looking back I realized I was lacking hair content. Hair is one of those things I have yet to figure out -- in fact, just this year I finally realized that I'm not even a bangs person and am currently in the process of growing them out for good. This year, I plan to get more frequent haircuts, maybe experiment with color and of course, test products and share much more content in the category.