December 2015 Favorites

How is it the last day of 2015 already!? It has been a whirlwind year. I am so excited for 2016 though and all of the great things I have in mind for this blog and all of the other dreams I’m pursuing. I’m working on my list of favorites for the entire year, but for now I’ve rounded up my favorites from the Month of December. These are what I’ve been loving this month, and am excited to share with you.

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a few of these already, but they’re worth mentioning again!

1) Julep Matte Lip Mousse – in the shades At Midnight, Bisou, Pucker Up, and Beso. Liquid lipsticks are all the rage right now, and these are a unique hybrid that I absolutely love. Not quite a liquid, but a mousse. They feel weightless, are easy to apply with the unique hourglass shaped wand, and don’t start to dry out my lips for many hours. They also don’t transfer super easy like most lipsticks. Which means more of it stays on your lips instead of transferring to your glass etc. These pigments are super vibrant and I am absolutely in love! Plus, aren’t those cases gorgeous? I’ve been keeping them right on my desk because they’re so pretty.

I got these in my December Julep Maven box, seen here. On right, wearing Beso. I think they should make this one into a nail color!

2) Pacifica came out with a new lip balm this month and it is divine! Their Naked Quench Lip Balm in Coconut Cherry is a tint-free intoxicating blend wrapped in their beautiful packaging. It is of course super hydrating and silky smooth. I’ve been using this a lot this month and would definitely recommend it. 100% vegan, cruelty and paraben-free. All natural coconut oil is the star of this product but it also contains a blend of anti-aging natural EFA’s (essential acids).

3) I just can’t get enough of this Kari Gran lip whip. I’ve mentioned it many times now. I literally used it every single day in December. You can read my original review here.

4) Julep nail polish in the shade Judy (boho glam). I also got this in my December box and instantly fell in love. A beautiful champagne meets moonlight shimmer. It can be a little hard to remove though…but so worth it for how long it lasts and how beautiful it looks!

5) Alima Pure Pressed Powder Foundation. Been using almost daily. I won’t go on and on about it, because I just reviewed it and you can read about it here. But it was definitely a favorite this month!

6) I was in a blush rut, so when I recently cleaned out and reorganized my blush drawer earlier this month I rediscovered this old friend, the jane iredale PurePressed Blush in Barely Rose. Ohhh how I love this one. It is a perfect matte rose quartz pink. Slightly cool toned and just ahhh, perfect. I have the old packaging but they still make this shade. I hope they always do.

7) Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Moroccan Beauty Oil. One word: Amazing. Winter weather has finally found us here in Vermont and over the past two weeks this pretty pink bottle has been a best friend. My scalp gets super dry and itchy in cold weather and a few drops of this really helps to calm and soothe. I’ve also been using it to moisturize the ends of my hair, my hands and cuticles, and will also incorporate it into my face skincare routine here and there. It smells sooo heavenly, just like all of their 1000 Roses products. Oh! I’ve also been in love with their body wash in this line too – just forgot to photograph it here.

8) These Aromatherapy Associates bath oils are from their beautiful holiday ultimate bath jewels set (on sale now that its after xmas!). I am so in love with this and have used up nearly three of them already. Destress Mind, Light Relax, Deep Relax, and Support Breath are a few of my favorites so far. These make shower or bath time 10x better and really helps me to calm down if I’m feeling especially anxious, which I was this holiday season.

9) Lastly, I treated myself to a candle by Red Flower I’ve been really wanting to try for more than a year and it did not disappoint. I got the japanese peony little flower candle. I wanted to make sure I liked the scent (and that it didn’t give me a headache as some candles do) before I splurge on the larger japanese peony petal topped candle which is quite a bit more expensive. But now that I know I love the scent, that one is going on my wishlist. Peonies are some of my favorite flowers in the world and these pretty pink candles are packed with the floral scent of them…it’s so good it almost puts me in a trance. I close my eyes and feel the beauty of spring all around me.

What were your favorites during the last month of the year? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! Happy New Year! Stay safe and see you soon with another post 🙂 xo – Naomi

*FTC This post contains affiliate links for Julep 😉