January Favorites

I don't think I have ever done a monthly favorites on here but what a better time to start than the new year because I really enjoy reading and watching everyone else's. Here are the things I have really been loving for the month of January.

Despite hauling so much from my recent holiday, I had lot of makeup-free days in January. When I did wear makeup, there were only 3 items that I consistently reached for. 

The IOPE Air Cushion XP Compact has been my go-to fuss-free foundation. I won't go too in depth as I already have a review about it but I love how it takes me only seconds to apply, leaving me with a very natural skin-like but glowy finish. 

The It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer has replaced all my other under eye concealers. It is full coverage and does an amazing job of covering my dark circles. The texture is thicker than I'm used to but once you warm up the product with your fingers, you only need the littlest bit to do the job. I really like that it doesn't dry completely matte either, it leaves the slightest sheen which makes it look very natural. It's also waterproof, last all day on me and doesn't crease. What more would you want? On errand days, I would only use this, pop on some brows and I can head out the door.  

For the majority of the month, I have only been using my 35O palette for eyeshadow. I have to say - it is worth the hype and if you can only get one palette from Morphe Brushes, this is the one! I just love these warm coppery shades against my skintone.

I've been loving 2 cleaning products that comes in pot form this month. Starting with the Beauty Blender Blendercleanser Solid. I actually accidentally bought this; I was after the Sephora version of the solid brush cleaner but I picked up this one instead and didn't realise. This was a lifesaver on my US trip! The soap itself is so effective yet gentle and I really appreciate that the soap doesn't move around in the case even when it comes into contact with water. After use, I just shake out any residual water droplets and the soap dries pretty quickly without further melting. I find that this is the best way to clean my RT sponge so I only use it for that. For my brushes, I still clean them using a Dove Beauty Bar as I always do. I would love to use the solid cleanser to clean all of my brushes but I would use the whole thing up in one session.

The Banila Co Clean It Zero was the first makeup removing cleansing balm that I tried (back in October) and since then I have tried a couple more but nothing works as well as this. It breaks down all the makeup quickly and efficiently. It starts off as a balm then melts into a slightly oilier texture as you massage it all over the face, removing all makeup and grime. When you rinse your face with water afterwards, it emulsifies into a milky consistency and leaves your face so clean. I love it because it's nowhere near as oily as cleansing oils and it doesn't irritate my eyes at all. It also comes with a handy spatula so you can scoop out the product in a hygienic manner. I really enjoy the process of taking off my makeup now; this is the first step of my double cleanse. 

I feel like I rarely have hair favorites because I don't really get excited about hair products. I have had variations of white and grey hair for about 2 years now and it's really hard to keep grey hair even and toned by yourself at home. Obviously there is purple shampoo. The one I use is the L'Oreal Silver Shampoo which I really like, I have a 1500ml bottle at home and I took a travel size one with me on my trip. When I was in the States though, I discovered the Aveda Blue Malva Color Conditioner and I noticed a difference from the very first time that I used it. Thanks to this, my hair stayed a true grey during my entire trip and even in the weeks that followed. After I hop in the shower, I usually wash my hair first, massage this all over and chuck all my hair in a shower cap while I finish the rest of my shower, then I would rinse it out. This has become an absolute staple for me and I would recommend it to anyone who has grey hair.

Then there were a few miscellaneous things that I really loved in January. First being my Comme des Garçons holographic stripe wallet that I bought at Dover St Market in New York. I used to have a white CDG pouch that was the same size when I was in high school, it was a hand-me-down given to me by my dad and I used it to death. About 3 years ago, CDG released their range of wallets in a green holographic textured colorway and I regretted not picking it up for years. This has been by far the coolest color I have seen since that release and I'm so glad I got it! It reflects blue and yellow stripes at one angle; and pink and green at another.

I have been obsessed with the Kanro Pure Gummy lollies this month. I found them at an asian grocery store and I'm pretty sure I bought all of them because they have been out of stock for a week now. My description does not do it justice but they are a heart-shaped, dense-gummy lolly with a sour sugar coating. The texture isn't too soft or chewy and the flavor starts off with a very sharp sourness before it becomes really fragrant. They come in a bunch of other flavors too but the grape one is my favorite. If you have access to these or come across them (or you have friends travelling to Japan *wink), you have to get some because they are delicious and so hard to come by. 

Lastly, I forgot to picture this in the first photo but I have been so attached to my Kindle ever since purchasing it. I carry it with me everywhere I go and I have read more books for leisure in the last two months than probably the last 4 years combined. I love that you can look up definitions of words you don't know, see your progress and share books with other kindle users. I don't like any of the available Kindle cases on the market so I usually keep it in this adorable pink pouch that I got from Forever 21. I bought my mum a kindle for her birthday this month too and we both enjoy using it so much. I have set myself a reading goal this year of 50 books. If you have a goodreads account, connect with me!

That's it for my first monthly favorites for the year. Sidenote - a couple of weeks ago I dug out and sorted through all my samples... I didn't realise I had so much!! I'm going to make it a mission to get through all of them. I am accumulating my empties but I will probably do a post on them every quarter.

Hope January was an amazing start of the year for you! 

What were some of your favorite things this month? 

chloé