February/March 2018 Favorites

I got caught up with midterms and finals these past several weeks, so I wasn't able to tally up my favorites since February. But! My birthday was in February so I definitely gathered quite a few of my most prized possessions from these past two months as well as some of my favorite experiences lately, so keep reading!

Colourpop In-Nude-Endo Highlighter Palette

My Colourpop favorite of the month definitely goes to this new highlighter palette. These shades can be worn as a natural, "wet"-looking glow but they can also be amped up as a blinding highlight. The shade range is very versatile, which is perfect for me because I like to change up the undertones of my highlights depending on the makeup look that I'm going for. My most used shades are Fine Line and On Tempo because I find that these cool tones are the most flattering on my complexion. I occasionally sprinkle some of Glad You Came if I want a little extra brightness since this shade has more of a white tint that really highlights the highest points of my face. I haven't touched any of my other highlighters since getting this kit, so I highly, highly recommend if you want an affordable option for an incredibly top-quality highlighter palette! 

Colourpop Lux Lipstick, Foolish

Another Colourpop favorite that I managed to snag this month is their newest lipstick release that comes in a traditional lipstick bullet. Considering that one of Colourpop's major specialties is lip products, it's about time that they came out with a conventional lipstick! I hopped on the bandwagon as soon as the collection was released, so I grabbed the shade that spoke to me the most — another deep orange to add to my collection of nearly identical shades. This formula is extremely pigmented so I usually only need to apply a few pats to achieve a more natural look. I wouldn't say it's super creamy especially if I don't fully swipe the bullet over my lips, but it's not drying either. It essentially feels like my normal lips and I'd say it lasts for a quite a while too. Plus, how stunning is this packaging though?

Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick, Freckle Fiesta

Speaking of more deep orange shades to add to my collection, here's another one that is almost identical to the lipstick I just mentioned. This one's just a hair deeper and more muted but it essentially gives off the same look. Fenty Beauty's new lip collection came out with a massive variety of shades as well, most of which are pretty unconventional so I opted for one of the most wearable shades. This product also only needs a few pats to give full coverage, which is great because it won't run out too fast even though the bullet is much smaller than most of my lipsticks. The formula is incredibly smooth and long-lasting, but since it comes with such little product, I usually save this for fancier occasions.

Skinfood Egg White Pore Mask

I have yet to write an extensive post on my updated skincare routine, but for now, here's one of the face masks that I've been loving these past couple months. I still need a bit more time to really see astounding results, but so far, it's been keeping my skin clear, tight, and less oily. 

Fleetwood Hoop Earrings

I'm not a huge jewelry person, so I typically prefer dainty pieces that don't attract too much attention. This pair of hoops is the perfect accessory for any outfit because it's so delicate yet it adds something extra if I'm wearing a plain look. Plus, I love anything that has to do with the night sky, so the little moons definitely drew me in.

Pandora Charm Bracelet

Speaking of dainty jewelry, my boyfriend got me this stunning Pandora charm bracelet with a rose gold heart lock for my birthday. I've been wearing this nearly every day that it almost feels like it's my lucky charm. I bought the letter J as the first of many charms to add to the bracelet because I figured I'd get something dedicated to his name. Hopefully, I'll fill this up with a bunch of charms that mean a lot to me by the end of the year!

My sister got me this set of lotions since everyone who knows me can tell that I don't have the softest hands. I've been keeping the lychee cranberry scent in my purse while I keep the other two at home for when I run out. These are super convenient and travel-friendly, and I love that they don't leave a sticky residue that usually keeps me from frequently applying lotion.

Smocked Ditsy Floral Crop Top

February started to get pretty warm so I got to bust out my signature off-the-shoulder tops and florals. I donned this crop top for my birthday since I always like to dress up a little more than usual every year. I thought this was a nice, casual-yet-dressed-up outfit that didn't scream "It's my birthday!" but at the same time showed that there's something special about this day. I pretty much celebrated my birthday throughout the week with some people who mean the most to me — my family, boyfriend, and friends. While I didn't get to see some other close friends or do super special things I wished I'd done this year, my friend April still made up for it by surprising me with these balloons and spending some quality time with tons of catching up! I never pictured myself wanting to celebrate Valentine's Day, but since this is both our first one, I thought it'd be nice to do something a little special. We had a fancy-ish dinner the night after, then headed to the beach to end an exhausting day by sleeping by the shore until 3 a.m. The best part was seeing my first shooting star (it was a massive one!) and it was extra special that I got to experience it with him. We also exchanged gifts, in which he gave me a box of chocolates along with a heartfelt letter, while I made him a quick DIY flipbook with some of my favorite photos with him. I finished off February with a long and draining hike at the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park with my siblings and cousins for my sister's 24th birthday. We've associated a lot of "bad" memories with this hike because we just happened to have the worst luck on this particular day — from getting lost multiple times to arriving at a destination with no waterfall. But... I'm sure a few years from now, we'll laugh endlessly about it. For now, we're pretty set on not hiking for another 5 years or so. On the bright side, the trail had some pretty sick views! My boyfriend and I haven't been on an adventure-type date in quite a while, but we finally got out and went whale watching at Newport. We saw tons of dolphins and seals during the 2-hour boat ride but unfortunately no whales. It was a great experience nonetheless and we spent the rest of the day doing other couple things, like watching the beautiful sunset on the beach, exploring the local area, and going Pokémon hunting, of course.

Another super fun date we went on lately was Paint Nite, an event in which an artist demonstrates a step-by-step tutorial on how to recreate her featured painting. It's definitely an enjoyable experience for anyone even though you think you lack in the creative department. The last time I painted or did anything drawing-related was probably in high school, so it was nice to reconnect with my artistic side again as I rarely have time to do so anymore. Keeping in touch with something that used to be a significant part of my life was certainly nostalgic, so this event sent a surge of fond memories from my younger days. My boyfriend kept my painting and I kept his so we'd have a little reminder of this date as well!

We also bought annual movie passes a few weeks ago, and we've been putting them to good use so far by going on frequent movie dates even in the middle of finals week. I'd say this pass is absolutely worth it if you're a huge movie fanatic since it basically gives you free movies if you go often enough! 
That wraps up this lifestyle-filled favorites post! It's definitely been an eventful and memorable couple of months. I was hoping to get some posts published soon since I'm finally on spring break, but I'm gonna have quite a hectic week so I might have to put those entries on hold until possibly summer. Thanks for stickin' around!
'Til next time! xoxo,