my 2016 favorites
I'm a consumer through and through. I love a good buy, a new find, or a tried and true. I wanted to feature my favorite products from this past year in ten different categories. Let me know your own favorites from this past year- I'm always in the market for a new one!
I featured this Tarte CC Undereye Concealer in this post from November about how I cover dark circles. I read about this product on Sea of Shoes earlier this year and am so happy I popped over to Sephora to try it. It's been a must in my makeup routine and really brightens my eyes.
I loathe hairspray. It makes my hair crunchy and just weird looking. I was sharing my hate of hairspray with a friend, and she recommended Bumble and Bumble's Spray de Mode because of it's flexible hold. I was obviously already a big, big fan of Bumble products so I was willing to give it a try. And I loooove it. My hair doesn't look crunchy or piece-y or weird. It's just really flexible hold, and as an added bonus I think it gives it a nice touch of texture. Still smooth but just a little something to it.
I rave about this lipstick to everyone. Everyone should buy this. I know no one it doesn't look good on. It's MAC in Brave, and I wear it on the daily to work and all the time on the blog (here, here, here, here, here, here). It's actually a bit darker than it looks in the picture. But its the perfect natural looking lipstick that makes your lips look so much better than natural. Plus a bit of a shimmer.
I've blogged about eye cream before, as I'm on a constant search for the best for me. I've been through so many buys and so many samples, until a friend said she recently started using this one. Already a Shiseido skincare super fan (here, here), I was all the more willing to give it a go. This is creamy and so moisturizing and fits into my Shiseido dominated routine perfectly.
When you have a cat, the only part that really stinks (unfortunately, literally) is the litter box. I've tried so many in an attempt to make both me and my cat happy, and each litter box would fall short for at least one of us. This year I decided to make an investment in the litter situation with a Modko litter box, and I'm so happy I did. I will admit that I was smitten with it from the beginning, and Francie had more of an adjustment period, but now we're both rather happy. Lots of privacy for kitten, less mess for me. Win-win.
I raved about Sweetbitter back in September here. It was my favorite book by far from the whole year (and possibly the last 5 years). I'll definitely be revisiting it again this year, because it was just that good. Stephanie Danler is a true talent, and I can't wait to read what she writes next.
It was hard for me to pick just one album because I love so much music, so I went with the two that I overplayed the most this year. I wrote about Dig Your Roots by Florida Georgia Line here. It was the perfect album to end the summer with. Drake's album Views came out last Spring before I started my Song of the Week series, so I've never discussed it on the blog, but I really, really loved this one. Give both a listen!
I have been on the search for a perfect black turtleneck for four or five years now. I buy one every season only to Goodwill it at the end. It's been difficult to find one that is tight in the arms but still comfortable and long enough to tuck in or layer and not ride up, and then I found this one by Petit Bateau as I was shopping on a whim during one of Shopbop's sales. It's perfect, and since I purchased it, I wear it often- like here and here.
One night while shopping at Nordstrom, my nephew got ahold of this little stuffed animal and wouldn't give it up. And being the type of aunt who rarely says no and is rather fond of spoiling, I ripped off the tag, took it to the register, and bought him this furry little friend. And I am SO glad that I did. It was an immediate attachment, and Parker carries him everywhere. We call him Baby Giraffe, and the happiness he brings that little boy is irreplaceable.
