September Favorites 2013

Happy October - the start of my 3 favorite months of the year!

Now if we can just get past the 90-degree weather and onto the 70s in Phoenix, it would really feel like fall.

September was a pretty successful month for trying new things. I conveniently have 9 favorites for the 9th month of the year.

They cover quite a few categories, so here we go~

SKINCARE:

• Epionce Lytic Gel Cleanser ($36): I bought this from my esthetician after my bi-monthly facial. She used it on me right at the beginning, which felt so nice. It has menthol, so you get a minty feeling on your skin. I'm not usually a fan of that for my face, but this one is gentle enough. This brand's products have great online reviews; this is my first purchase. The website says the cleanser is "formulated to actively remove oils, dead skin cells and help eliminate harmful microbes, while relieving inflammation and smoothing the skin." It's ideal for oily/problem skin - right up my alley. I use this at night, and it instantly removes makeup. As soon as it hits my skin, my foundation falls right off. Love, love, love.
• Trader Joe's Nourish All-In-One Facial Cleanser ($5.99): I'm still adoring this cleanser! I blogged about it at the beginning of September, only a week into using it. Since it was early, I was hoping it would continue to impress me. So far, it has yet to let me down! I use this one in the morning. Read my blog post about it for more information.

HAIRCARE: 

• Batiste Dry Shampoo ($7.99): "YouTube made me buy it," is basically all I can say. So many YouTubers rave about this, and I finally gave in and picked it up at ULTA. I love it!! Well, obviously, since it's in my monthly favorites. I've been using the Oscar Blandi powder formula dry shampoo, which I still like using, but Batiste definitely gives me the volume I want. Dry shampoo has been my savior. I wash my hair every other day, and my Day 2 hair looks and feels amazing, if I do say so myself.

MAKEUP: 

• DiorSkin Forever Fluid Flawless Perfection Fusion Wear Makeup SPF 25 ($47): What a name! So could it be? Did I find my holy grail foundation? This stuff doesn't cover EVERYthing (medium coverage), but I've been loving it as a lightweight go-to foundation for everyday wear. A lot lighter than Estee Lauder Double Wear but a bit more coverage than the Garnier BB cream that I've been loving. It also smells really good. I'm not used to that, but I'll take it. I buff this in with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush, and it blends so well into my skin. I use shade 20, Light Beige. The packaging is also beautiful, which always helps :)
• Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Bronzer ($12.79): This is an awesome bronzer for contouring. Ever since I bought it, I've been using it every time I wear makeup. It never turns orange on my skin. By the way, I believe the shade I use is called "Bronzer" so that made things confusing for blogging. It's a bit pricey for a drugstore bronzer, but I think it's worth the money. I've been using it daily, yet you can't even tell in the photo!
• Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro ($8.99): Can't believe it took me so long to discover this one! I purchased 4 baked blushes from Milani a few months ago, and I was more drawn to the other 3 shades: Luminoso, Dolce Pink and Corallina. For some reason, it took me a while to get to Rose D'Oro, but I think the saying goes... I saved the best for last! Seriously! I've been extremely drawn to rose gold ANYTHING recently, so this works out wonderfully. This is a beautiful rose gold blush that is very pigmented. Gahhh! Can't say enough good things.

RANDOM:

• Furla Glasses ($150-ish?): For the first time EVER, I now wear prescription glasses. I'm slightly near-sighted and need them for driving, watching TV, etc. I went to Costco for an eye exam because I've been having issues with extremely red eyes. Turns out they are super dried out and scratched up ***reaches for eye drops*** so I was told to get Refresh eye drops at the drugstore and... yeah, I also need glasses. Oh, OK! I was actually pretty excited because since I was little, I thought wearing glasses was so cool. I luckily found the perfect frames that fit my face just right AND were adorable. Pink bows on the side? So me! I get compliments quite often from strangers, which I really appreciate. It's not even like they're complimenting me because they're actually new and I've never worn glasses before. Strangers don't know that! So I know these were sure winners :)

• Soy-Blend Large Jar Candle in Heritage Pumpkin at Target ($10): I think I just converted. If you love pumpkin, this candle may be your new best friend. If the other candles in this line are THIS good, I'm no longer buying candles from Bath and Body Works. And that's saying a lot! It's currently burning near me as I type, and it just smells SO YUMMY. Since I loved this so much, my boyfriend and I picked up several others at Target, including one called Red Velvet. A Target.com review on the Red Velvet candle pretty much sums it up: "Love it, I want to smash it into my mouth is smells so good." That's a good sign! I haven't burned the others yet, so I cannot wait. Go, go, go. Pick this up right now. Heritage Pumpkin is limited edition.

• Vanity Girl Hollywood Broadway Vanity Mirror ($399): Ahhh, yes. My beautiful new vanity mirror. This was such a great online shopping experience! I bought this on the website and it showed up at my apartment less than a week later, I believe. It was VERY stressful figuring out which table to put this on and then actually assembling that (cough, IKEA, cough), but otherwise, this vanity mirror has been fantastic. I know the price seems very steep for a mirror, BUT this is top notch and makes my life so much more convenient. Stress-free living is priceless at times. I wanted a place where I can put on makeup with good lighting and have all my products right next to me. My boyfriend was amazing with helping me rearrange things, and now my setup is looking pretty good! I wanted to blog about this, so this worked out well.

This concludes my September Favorites post. Rather long, but I wanted to explain each thing well. More to come!

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Sonicare HealthyWhite: Review + photos

Hello! Today, I'm blogging oral hygiene. Exciting, I know.

After using a manual toothbrush for years, I got tired of the plaque I could still feel toward the back of my teeth. And my teeth were also suffering from my love for tea.

I finally gave in and initally purchased the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite rechargeable toothbrush at Target ($113 during a sale; usually $120) in hopes of getting them cleaner and brighter.

I saw that Costco carried a set of TWO for $109 (after an instant rebate of $40!) but it was sold out online.

Well, thankfully, a dear friend and I went to a Costco nearby after learning they carried the sets in store. Boom! A better deal right before my eyes.

So I returned the other one to Target and gave my boyfriend the second toothbrush. Such a great deal!

I have to say my teeth have never felt cleaner!

Sonicare HealthyWhite claims to make your teeth whiter in just 1 week, and I'm already starting to see change after a few days.

Without adding additional pressure, gliding this brush along my teeth makes such a big difference.

They feel polished every time, like I just went to the dentist. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's so true.

It comes in 3 modes: Clean, Sensitive, and Clean and White, which is what I like using the most so far.

It's timed, so after 2 minutes of regular brushing, there's an added 30 seconds of "White" mode to focus on your front teeth.

The package deal from Costco comes with the following:

--2 HealthyWhite handles
--2 DiamondClean brush heads
--1 UV Sanitizer (which the Target version did NOT have) with an integrated charger, cord wrap and brush head storage
--1 multi-voltage, compact travel charger
--2 travel cases

You just have to change out the brush head every 3 months or so. At Costco, they sell a pack of 6 for $50.

For the same DiamondClean brushes at Target, you'd have to pay $30 for just 2!

I haven't used the UV Sanitizer yet, so I can't complain about it if it doesn't work since this whole package is still SUCH a better deal than Target.

The product comes with a 2-year warranty, and then you can sign up for an additional 6 months online by registering your toothbrushes.

The instant rebate at Costco expires on Sept. 29, 2013, so I highly recommend grabbing this in-store deal if you're a Costco member (or if you have a friend/family member who is one)!

And even if this is long after the instant rebate, it's still a way better deal at Costco.

Do you prefer manual or rechargeable toothbrushes? Let me know! Thanks for reading.

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Makeup organizing ideas: Brushes + lipgloss storage

Hi there! Since I've been on an organizing kick AND my Vanity Girl Hollywood mirror arrived (post on that soon!), I've been looking for more ways to spruce up my beauty storage.

Just wanted to quickly share a couple additions:

1. A pretty dish (Skurar bowl 7") from IKEA ($4.99) to store my lip products. This keeps my favorite go-to items in an easy-to-reach place in an adorable way. I love it! I also picked one up in red for the holidays. I think it'll look cute with some candy on the coffee table.

2. A glass cookie jar from Target ($7.69) for makeup brushes. So excited about this one! I also picked up 2 bags of filler beads from Michaels ($5.99/bag; used a 25% off coupon) to keep the brushes in place. Since I started storing my brushes in a large acrylic organizer from The Container Store (previously mentioned in my organization post), I haven't been loving the idea of dust getting on them. With this jar, my problems are solved.

After finally figuring out a vanity situation with my mirror and an IKEA desk (that took a while to put together), I'm going to enjoy my new set-up and blog about it. More soon!

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Revlon Lip Butters Juicy Papaya + Wild Watermelon: Review + Photos

I got them!

After reviewing the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters line last week, I picked up 2 out of the 4 newest additions over the weekend: Juicy Papaya and Wild Watermelon.

I got Wild Watermelon first at Target and really liked it. It really does give my lips that "I just ate a cherry popsicle" look that many vloggers have raved about.

Since I'm not really used to having bold lips, I dab it on and go - just like with Sweet Tart.

Then after reading some rave reviews about Juicy Papaya, I got it yesterday at Target. I think we have a WINNER!

Juicy Papaya definitely lives up to the "juicy" name. I use my go-to Carmex Moisture Plus clear lip balm underneath and the Lip Butter goes on REAL smooth. It then has an extremely juicy look. I also don't have to just dab it on. I can swipe and reapply all I want.

No lip gloss necessary, for sure... even more than the other Lip Butters, in my opinion.

If you want an idea of what it looks like on me, check out the photo in my Target Sunglasses post from yesterday.

The orange in the tube can look intimidating for someone who doesn't typically wear oranges, but it's so sheer and natural. Get this if you were considering it!

I may need another tube just as a back-up.

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$16.99 Target sunglasses: Review + photos

What am I loving right now? These hot sunglasses from Target!

Yep, Target. Bargain! They are so simple, yet feel really sleek, sexy and cool. They are super glossy, and the lenses are really dark (which I love).

When something feels/looks amazing on AND they're inexpensive... don't they feel even better?

Unlike the typical cheap wayfarers I see at Target, these have a slightly different detail on the ends. I adore them. And they're a bit heavier, more durable, than other sunglasses in the store.

I usually try on a dozen sunglasses at Target every now and then because it's fun. They're cute when you walk by them, but then they typically don't live up to your (already slightly low) expectations.

But today, jackpot!

I loved these as soon as I put them on. I purchased Ray-Ban wayfarers before at Nordstrom and sadly returned them because of the way they're designed. They slightly tilt into your cheeks, and that doesn't work for my face. When I smile, the whole pair moves up! Awkward.

So anyway, these Target shades were PERFECT. They didn't hit my cheeks like Ray-Ban wayfarers do, AND they passed my "sit on top of my head" test. If they fit well on the top of my head like a headband, they're considered treasure... because my head... is .. shaped weird?

But even after all of this, I hesitated and figured I'll hold off and find a more expensive pair down the road that I know will last me forever. I usually wear my Ray-Ban aviators or Marc Jacobs sunnies. And I figured I'm fine for now. You know... save $$$ whenever I can.

But then, like a weirdo, I went back to the store a couple hours later. Luckily, Target is really close to my apartment.

I'm so happy I did. Love, love, love. For $16.99, they can't be beat. Bargain! I have another pair of Target shades from a year or so ago, and those actually feel like cheap plastic. But these don't! Can't wait to put them on again in the morning on the way to work.

Highly recommend. (Oh, and in the photo, I'm wearing my new Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya! Review soon!)

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Revlon Lip Butter review: It still wins

I love getting around... when it comes to lip products, that is.

From Revlon to MAC to Lancome, I'll try all kinds of lip products. And this only started in the last year! Before then, I wasn't too concerned about my lips. I had my set products (MAC's Angel was a big hit for me) and didn't do much exploring.

Then I started noticing my lips looking washed out in photos when I consistently went with just a clear lip balm - and I could be doing a lot better than that!

So to change things up and feel girly without doing much else, I've been accumulating an assortment of lip products.

With the rest of my face, I stay pretty consistent. I use the same foundation, blush, and eyeshadows each day. Then the fun begins with the lips!

Which lip product I'm loving right now

The thing is, even after purchasing various brands and different lines, I still reach for Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters the most.

This product first came out in 2011 and was all the rage. There were tons of blogs, vlogs, and swatches for them. "It's a lip balm! It's a lipstick! It's something in between!"

So yes, it took me a long time to finally buy one. In order to catch up several months ago, I bought 6.

I'm totally late to the party, but I'm still hanging around. Love the formula, love the colors, love the price tag (about $6 at Target).

I currently have (from left to right in the photo) Sweet Tart, Cupcake, Gumdrop, Lollipop, Pink Truffle, and Creme Brulee.

My favorite right now is Sweet Tart. It's a bright bubblegum pink that I learned could look clownish if over-applied. I use it to dab my lips and I'm good to go. It gives my lips a nice flush.

They're easy to apply, moisturizing, and brighten up my face. I still wear my clear lip balm (Carmex Moisture Plus) underneath, but I think they're still hassle-free. They also have the newer shades (Wild Watermelon, Juicy Papaya, Sorbet, and Pink Lemonade) I haven't considered yet. Not sure if I'm interested in them.

What's your go-to lip product? Have you tried the newest shades? Let me know what I should try next!

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo.