spring favorites | 2019

It's funny because it feels like just yesterday where I was writing one of these posts, but alas, it's been about 2-3 months. Back when I first started my blog, I wrote a monthly favorites, but since I'm such a creature of habit, I typically use the same items. I don't have enough items to share with you all to write a monthly favorites post!

I decided to stick with seasonal favorites. With the changes in the weather, I change up my makeup looks, skincare products, etc.

I hope you've been enjoying the weather, over here it's been amazing, we did get quite a few rainy days when I came back from my trip, but it's been super nice and sunny out since! If you've read my most recent gratitude post, you would know that I've been doing a lot of things and watching a lot of TV shows I've been obsessed with.

If you want to see my favorites from the last few months, just keep on reading!

• L’Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear 24HR Foundation

I don't want to talk about this too much, especially since I've already talked about this foundation during my winter post. I actually go as far as to say that I like this foundation more since the weather has warmed up. I have ultra dry skin, so I had to hydrate a lot prior to wearing most foundations in the winter in order to avoid looking like a gross dry zombie. Now, I can moisturize twice a day, and wear a hydrating primer, and I'll be fine!

It wears so beautifully, and if you're looking for an affordable foundation that comes in a whole bunch of shades, I definitely recommend this one!

• Too Faced Hangover Primer

This is actually one of the primers that I've been using non-stop. Not only is it extremely hydrating, but it isn't "oily". I don't know why, but some products that are considered moisturizing, causes pimples and bumps on my skin. Not this one!

I actually got this recommendation from my sister who really goes for the dewy look. I wore it last summer underneath my Too Faced Born this way foundation, and since then I've gotten my own and wear it under everything!

I definitely wouldn't recommend this product if you have oily skin or have a problem with coconut oil! Nonetheless, this has become one of my year round holy grail primers.

• Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer

This has been a semi-new favorite. This product came out around the winter, and since I've been becoming a huge fan of Milk's products, I decided to give this one a try. I'm honestly so glad I did. Not only are milk products considered "clean", which means they leave out a lot of chemicals that are bad for your skin, this primer works exactly how it's supposed to!

It makes my makeup last all day! Not only that, it's also extremely hydrating. I would say that it's less hydrating than the Too Faced Hangover Primer, but it's still great for those who have dry skin.

If you need a Primer that allows your makeup to wear beautifully throughout the day, and helps your makeup just stay put, then this is the primer for you! Because of it's gel-like quality, I think that any skin-type can use it. It doesn't really make my makeup look more dewy, like the hangover primer does, but it still makes my skin feel more hydrated, especially when using a matte foundation.

• KL Polishes

A few months ago, my blogger friend Cleia recommended I try KL polishes. I'm a big fan of Kathleen Lights, so when she said that she loves their polishes, I decided to give them a try. A little after her Game of Thrones collection launched, she had this huge sale, and I took the chance to grab a whole bunch of shades (I literally bought about 9-11 shades).

Not only were all the shades I got super beautiful, but it actually got me back into wearing polish! Since buying her polishes, I've been painting my nails almost weekly! Well, that's not completely true, I did get a lil' lazy, and skip a few weeks. I also got some gel polish done to my nails before my trip (which I still have on currently and am obsessed with).

If you're looking for some beautiful and unique shades, I would tell you to wait for a sale and scoop some up. Kathleen isn't part of KL polish anymore so we don't know when they're just going to stop making them. Fear not! She is coming out with a new nail polish company, Lights Lacquer.

• NudeStix in the shade Naughty N Spice

My sister has been obsessed with cream blushes recently, so we've both been trying out so many! While I spoke about the cream products by Too Faced in my last favorites, my sister's favorite cream blush brand has been NudeStix. No lie, she has about 4-5 of them.

She has let me wear hers so often, and I loved it so much, I ended up getting my own! I ended up getting the shade Naughty N Spice, which is considered to be a "dusty rose nude" according to the Sephora website.

While I can say there isn't that much product in the unit, you don't use that much per application, and I can guarantee that it will last you a long time. My sister, who occasionally overdoes the blush, still hasn't made much of a dent in her products. If you're looking to get into cream blushes, I can tell you this is one of the best one I've tried!

**sidenote, I'm not a big fan of the mini brush on the other end of the product. I feel like it makes the blush dissolve. I would recommend using a fluffier blush to get a beautiful finish**

• Laura Mercier Rouge Essentiel Silky Crème Lipstick (shade: Coral Nu)

This lipstick was gifted to me, and at first I gotta say, I didn't know if I was going to like it. The packaging is beautiful. It's this heavy, luxe mirror like packaging. Beyond beautiful. The problem I had with it was the shade. For someone who tends to stick with nudes, the pink shade they sent to me, was a little out of my comfort zone.

Once I put it on though, I was shocked to find out that I loved the shade. It looked so flatter. Not only that, but it felt so comfortable on my lips. It literally felt like I was wearing a lip balm on my lips. I've kept this lipstick in my everyday purse, so whenever I felt like I wanted a little pop of color I would pat this color on my lips.

I have to say I don't know if I would have chosen the shade myself, and I don't know if I would have personally spent the money on a lipstick (it is $32), but if you're looking for a beautiful lipstick, and you're not intimidated by the price, then definitely check out this line of shades!

• Stila Liquid Eyeshadows (shades: Sunset Cove, Rockin Rose, & Jezebel)

Back in February my cousin's wife saw that I love wearing shimmer shades on my eyes, and bought me one of the Stila liquid eye shadows. It was this beautiful baby pink with pink glitters in it. I didn't own anything like it, and I was obsessed. I felt so extra every time I wore it, but felt so confident wearing it that I didn't care.

Since then, I found the shade Jezebel at Nordstrom rack, which is considered a shimmer, so it's a lot less "loud". I love it just the same. Most recently, one of my best friends, Christina, got me the shade Rockin Rose, and omg, my collection of liquid eye shadows is complete. It's this brown shade with pink and gold glitter, and I love it. It's a lot more natural than the other two I have, which makes it perfect for wearing it everyday.

I know that Stila liquid eye shadows are definitely considered pricey, but let me tell you, this is one product I consider sooo worth it. They are beautiful and with all the times I've used it, there is still so much product left. A little goes a very long way.

• Urban Decay Born to Run

This is another product, I don't want to talk about too much, mainly cause I wrote about it for my last favorites. Also, I feel like i'll say the same thing I said last time around. I just want to mention it, because I'm still using it constantly and I'm obsessed.

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Palette

 I got this palette almost 6 months ago, during the winter, and while I found the shades to be beautiful, I just didn't find them work well for the winter? Recently though, I've been using the palette, and I'm completely in love.

The shades just give me this spring/summer fairy vibe, and I'm obsessed. I didn't realize it when I bought the palette, I would say the shades sway more towards being cool toned. It's something I realize I wasn't accustomed to, but something I'm having fun playing with. The shades in the palettes are beautiful, and while I've always been a little afraid of playing with purples, the purple matte in this palette is something I've been lovin.

If you don't have anything like this in your collection, I definitely recommend getting this palette!

• Elf Water Droplet Balm

My sister has been struggling with dry skin recently, and she was using this during the winter, and recommended it to me. I tried it out once or twice from her, and liked it enough to get it myself.

Now this isn't the most hydrating product in the world, but when you pair it with a nice serum/oil, or something to put underneath makeup, I really enjoy this. It's super affordable, and I really like it! It's really light on the skin, and gives my skin some pretty good moisture.

If you're looking for a pretty affordable moisturizer, I recommend this one. I would say that this would work well with all skin types because of it's consistency, and the fact  that it's not ultra heavy. I would say that if you do use it and you have dry or extremely dry skin to use it alongside with some other products!

• Ole Henrikson Truth Serum

I've been talking about this product for agesss. Probably from the moment I started my blog. I'm still obsessed with this serum. I actually have two different types of vitamin C serums. This one and the Mario Badescue Vitamin C serum. I love them both.

I wear it underneath one of my moisturizers before bed, and I wake up with nice soft glow-y skin! It's definitely one of those pricier products, but I can't get enough of it! If you have any recommendations for a good Vitamin C serum, let me know!

For now, I recommend this one (and if you don't want to splurge on this product, I recommend the Mario Badescue one! They always have sales at Ulta and Hautelook).

• Fresh Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil

I got a deluxe sample from Sephora a while back, and decided to give it a try. I would say this is the most moisturizing face oil I've ever tried. I put a little bit underneath my moisturizer and my skin feel brand new!

I'm almost done with my deluxe sample, and will be purchasing the full size soon!

• CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion

I've been using this drugstore lotion for at least 7 years. It's super inexpensive, moisturizes my skin well, and never gives me any allergic reactions. When I first started using this product, I didn't really have the money to be splurging on super expensive high end products, and since it still continues to work well, I still use it.

This is another affordable product I definitely recommend!

• Peter Thomas Roth FirmX Peeling Gel

This product was gifted to me back in August/September of 2018, and I still love it! I wrote a whole post about it back at the time, so I won't get too into it right now, but I'm still loving this exfoliant, and recommend it tons! It isn't too harsh on my dry sensitive skin, and makes my feel amazing after using it!

I use it about once a week, and the bottle they have sent me has lasted all this time! I will definitely repurchase the moment I run out of it!

• Fourth Ray AM to the PM Cleanser

I've always struggled with cleansers. A lot of them clean my skin, but they strip all the moisture from my face. Colourpop recently came out with a skincare line, and I decided to test out their cleanser. I will say that this cleanser has been one of my favorites!

It isn't too harsh on my skin, and it cleans my face beautifully! Not only is it amazing, but it's only $12. While they say that you can use it in the morning and at night, I only use it once a day, and either do a water rinse  or use some micellar water in the morning. 

I consider it super affordable and it works great! Check it out if you're looking for a cleanser.

 

I've always loved music, but I never realized how big of a part it plays in my life until about the past year or so. I listen to music almost every single day. Even if it's just a few minutes in the car, I love it.

If you listened to my last seasonal playlists, you can see that I do have a few repeats. There are some songs that stay with me as time progresses. You can definitely see that if you listen to my playlists. Let me know if I end up showing you something new on here! What have you been listening to recently? I'm always looking for new music to listen to. I listen to pretty much anything, so definitely let me know!

• Lucifer

I actually spoke about this in detail in my gratitude post, but I've been obsessed with Lucifer. It's about the devil, Lucifer, leaving hell, and making a life for himself on Earth in Los Angeles, USA. Of course the angles, and even some of the demons aren't too happy about that. The show has action, drama, and loads of funny moments. This show also combines it with some true crime moments, so if you're either into that supernatural type vibe or true crime, I would recommend this show! Netflix recently came out with it's 4th season, so you have a lot to watch!

• Gossip Girl

This spring I binged Gossip Girl for the third time. It was just as amazing as the first two times. I feel like I come up with different conclusions and impressions of the characters every time I watch it.

If you're into the high society drama, romance, and lots of scheming I definitely recommend this show! It's one of those shows where you get really attached to a lot of the characters, and so when the show is over you just miss them all, and feel like re-watching it all over again!

• Game of Thrones

I watched the first three seasons of Game of Thrones multiple times before actually watching the 4th and onwards! I know it's crazy. How do I watch seasons 1-3 so many times without continuing on?

I had some personal things attached to each of the times I watched it, and so on the third time watching the show, I decided to just watch it by myself. I'm glad I did. I was finally able to catch up with the show before the 8th and final season! I gotta say the first 7 seasons are AMAZING. The dialogue is so smart and fun, the scenes are so strong, and you just love watching what each and every character is going to do.

While I gotta admit that season 8 did not live up to my expectations, which I talk about a bit in my gratitude post, I still this that this is one of the best shows ever. For George R.R. Martin to create a world such as the one he did was incredible. There was so much creativity, and I absolutely loved it. I will probably reread the books and hope he released the final book soon!

I know a lot of people hated on season 8, but I would still recommend the show.

• Paradise Hotel

If you guys have been around for a while,  you would know that I'm a sucker for reality TV. I absolutely love it. Trash TV is so mindless, and I live for it. During May, Fox came out with a new reality TV show that I would compare it to a mix between Bachelor in Paradise and Love Island.

I really enjoyed watching the drama unfold, and hope there's another season!

• Bachelorette

While I hated last season of the Bachelor, I gotta say that I'm a huge fan of Hannah B. She's awkward, quirky, funny, and super silly. She actually seems like the least put together (in a good way), and just much more real than the other people who are bachelors or bachelorettes. I just feel like she's so much less polished, and she comes across as so genuine.

I've actually been liking this season so far! We're only a few episodes in, so you have time to catch up if you want to!

• Six Flags

I got a season pass to Six Flags this year. The price for parking has been so ridiculous, and the pass pays itself off if you go at least twice! I actually ended up going for my birthday and am planning on going next week, so that's already twice and the summer's just started!

My favorite ride in the Six Flags Jacksonville, NJ is Nitro! It's the perfect mix of butterflies and speed without bumping your head on those head protectors! Do you like amusement parks? Which one is your favorite?

So these are all of my favorites for right now! What are you loving as of recently? Let me know down below!

If you guys want to read my winter favorites, click here!

As always, I hope you have a great day/night. Sending you love, strength, and positivity.

-Melina xxx