I've Got That Summertime June Favorites

Well interweb peeps, June is over. Half of the year is already gone and I’ve got some serious whiplash. My bff and I were talking about what we’ve done in the last six months. I won’t get you with the details of the entire past, we are here to see favorites. And for June, there’s a few. Literally because these had been rocking my month. They may be few, but they be awesome.

Kind is the New Pretty – Tarte – If you read my last month’s favorites, which you should here, then you’ll know that I bought this little set on sale during the Ulta megasale of awesomeness. Of course, with my lowered immune system, I was getting sick and wasn’t one for wearing makeup. But now that I’m semi-sane, I’m so glad I bought this mini pallet. It’s easy to get to and has everything great shades that I can literally wear everyday. I’ve made a few trips back home and have had to make super early trips to the doctor so this little pallet plus a couple brushes and some mascara and I’m set.

I had to get rid of a lot of makeup after my stent of being an incubus of plague so between lack of money and the amount of makeup I tend to wear on a normal basis, I've really wanted more of an all-in-one situation and this little pallet has it.

I will admit that I didn't expect it to be this small. It fits in the palm of my hand. The bronzer works really well for my skin tone as it's not too warm. The blush is a bit more on the orange side but I strangely like it. It's buildable for me because I can imagine overdoing it, especially at home where my lighting is terrible thanks to wood panelling, so it's always a bit darker in my house than I like. Now the highlight....It is pretty fabulous. Granted when I put too much so that I look like a unicorn licked my face, it can be a bit much because it's white. The picture doesn't do the sparkle justice and in the words of YouTuber Nicole Guerriero, "Sir, can you see this highlight?" It definitely packs a punch but somedays I wanna be chill and not punch people with my highlight. 

Sally Hansen Instadry Nail Color – Petal Pusher – I hadn’t painted my nails in a hot minute. I haven’t had my nails done in an even hotter minute. Despite everything going on with me, my nails to tend to grow pretty fast so acrylics and gel can get pretty expensive. So instead of a super bold color I grabbed this for a little color and I am loving it. It’s subtle enough to not clash with everything and it doesn’t take forever and a day to dry.

I'm not kidding when I say it's a literal quick drying nail polish. If I have a solid seven minutes, the brush is wide enough to cover most of my nails in one swipe and opaque enough to not be entirely streaky. I can still do two coats, have them dry and pop a quick top coat and dry in roughly that time. So don't be too heavy on the hand and it'll all be well with the world.

Zuchini boats – Pinterest recipe – one of my best girlfriends and I have been working on newer and healthier recipes and once a week we make them and have a chance to catch up on life. Since we both were raised in a way that didn’t always include a lot of veggies like zucchini and squash, I’ve strayed away from them mainly out of ignorance. NOT the case anymore. This recipe she found on Pinterest from thewholesomedish.com called for ground chicken but we used ground turkey and lemme tell you, I’ve made it again and it’s pretty fricken awesome and surprisingly filling. So go check out my Food board onPinterest and test it out yourself.

So yes June be few but I can honestly say these have been consistently happening all month which is not always the case for lots of people, I've noticed. But even though the month is halfway gone, here's what I've been up to, what have you been up too or been loving lately?


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May Favorites - Time to Chill

Another month has come and gone and it’s kind of insane as to how fast things are starting to pick up. It’s currently around 90 degrees here in New Mexico so I’m doing my best to stay out of it all. It’s bad for me and my mood. What has been making my mood better this month tho are great things. Some I’ve rediscovered and some totally new, so check it out and leave me a comment with some of your favorites.

Amazon Firestick – My wonderful man of mine gave this to me for Christmas a few years back and I used it sparingly but didn’t really get into all the amazingness unless I turned off my cable. So yea, I’m going through life with no cable, no satellite, just a pretty awesome, and new, internet service that makes using this thing a necessity in life. Now mine isn’t like the newer ones with the voice activation and I’m ok with that. I already use Amazon Prime and can stream a ton of shows and movies. I have my YouTube account signed in so I don’t even have to bring out my phone or laptop and do I even need to mention Netflix? The next stop will be Hulu at some point, but for now…Life is pretty damn entertaining in a good way.

Actual Pic from Le Amazon Site

Tarte Lip Scuptor in Kind – So towards the end of Ulta’s super sale that ended in April, I took a shot at a little pallet from Tarte and with it being on a pretty good sale, I thought why not. Now the pallet is ok, to be honest I haven’t had a real chance to use it HOWEVER comma, I have been so in love with the lip color that came with it. It’s a lipstick on one end and a lip gloss on the other. Everyone talks about their perfect nude and since my lips are large and a bit discolored anyway I didn’t think I could and then I wore this and the heavens opened up and the Snapchat halo of flowers appeared on my head. Lol. All dramatics aside, both sides are wonderful in texture and sometimes I’ll wear both and sometimes I’ll wear one. The lip gloss I’m most impressed with because I usually stray away from glosses because of the stickiness. Can’t stand it, won’t have any of it. My ideal ‘gloss’ has been the Juicy Shaker from Lancome. But this right here may turn me onto Tarte lips if more of their lip products are this smooth.

Lipstick on the Left and Gloss on the Right - Same Bea-U-tiful Color

Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer – With the seasons changing and the wind blowing and my newly lowered immune system, this is a must. Don’t get me wrong, I also love the Purell brand and what not. But when you got a great girlfriend who works at the BBDubs and keeps you up to date on the best sales, you tend to stock up. (and for that I thank and love you Bona!!!) I’ve got the big size and mini sizes and have stocked up at some points where I give them to other girls at work because if you’ve ever worked with the public, things can get gross really quick and even more so if you have to handle money.

Old Packaging and New Little PocketPacs

Play N Skillz – Si Una Vez – Ok I’ve not had a favorite song in a hot minute. But let me tell you that when I heard this song. I didn’t even hear the music, I heard the lyrics and immediately had instant focus. This song was originally sung by Selena, wonderful Hispanic icon of my childhood who was taken from us way too early – even before TuPac, and hadn’t heard a good representation of any of her songs other than what her family has already done. But this song, I literally have had on repeat for an embarrassing amount of time and do I feel ashamed of it? Not one bit. Now I don’t care much for the English version, not to discredit Frankie J and Leslie Grace who are also in the song , (just listen to it, there’s quite a few people involved) but I think it loses something in translation. I think it’s a fantastic song that can stand on its own as well as give a wonderful tribute to Selena and her legacy.

Play-N-Skillz - Si Una Vez ft. Wisin, Frankie J, Leslie Grace

It's been a pretty chill month as find my way around getting back into life. Little show...well lotta shows and good music and a little piece of mind. What are your favorites?

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Didn't Have April Showers, We Had Snow - Monthly Favorites

Spring is in full swing and working on returning to normal-ish routine has me having a few favorites this month. It's been a trip reintroducing myself to the work world all for me to go dufuq!? Because low and behold, out here in New Mexico, it's common for the weather to be weird but when it decides to rain and then snow practically All. Friggin. Day. I gotta say that mother nature might be more messed up than me, and that's saying something. But to the good things that happened this month, just yesss.

Scandal – Cable is no more right now so Netflix and I have rekindled a beautiful relationship and with the help of my epic sister, I discovered Scandal. I’d heard about it, heard it was amazing and saw them winning a lot of awards and now I see why. Totally hooked and have been watching all month. Right now I’m at the end of season 4 and with season 5 on, ohhhh it’s gonna be good. I love Olivia and the team. Honestly Fitz gets on my nerves and I have a love/hate relationship with Cyrus. And even though, I hate Eli with a burning passion, Joe Morton does such a wonderful job with his character I love watching him.

Zia Earrings – My test trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico for my birthday was indeed a test of my health and recovery and I’d like to think that I passed. I’d say a solid C+. My boyfriend bought me a couple pairs of the Zia Earrings and then found where the artists work was being sold in the capital city. So of course I had to track it down and get more. I gotta couple, my sister gotta couple and bought me another set for my birthday. One thing I’ve learned about myself over this time is that there is a lot of rich culture in New Mexico and we have a lot of pride for our state is strong and true. We also like to represent. The artist, Cultura Corazon, who makes these, is awesome and has an awesome Etsy store. So check her out here.

They are real wood zia symbols.

These are mirrored acrylic zia symbols

Find her on Instagram too - She has a ton of cute stuff

Benefit Rollerlash – Going back to work means going and getting rid of expired makeup and just wearing makeup in general. So having fresh mascara was just like the first sip of a cherry coke hitting your soul. Just amazing. This mascara blew my mind when I started using it, you can read about that here because talking about it now would not show the same excitement and love I have for this product.

Clinique Intro Kit – Like I said in my last month’s favorites, I did indeed get this kit. And honestly I was super surprised at this intro size. It’s a 3 step process and using it this month, I can see and feel a difference in my skin. It doesn’t look or feel like sandpaper. Now I do still need a good scrub for the dead skin that’s still trying to stick around but keeping this combo-oily, acne prone skin looking decent has just gotten easier and it makes me feel good too. 

These were the awesome things that got me through this month and this crazy journey back into life.
What are yours?





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Tales of the Tank - My Backpack

Forward March - Monthly Favorites

March has been a great month for me. I'm making progress on my health, finally, after what feels like forever. I'm working on getting back into a routine so that I can prep for my return to work. To be perfectly honest, these past months have been more about what my body is doing rather than my makeup or beauty. I swear, I did some work on my eyebrows and felt like I cut down a national forest. Here's some of my lifesavers this month.

1. Planner - Now I had every intention on making a bullet journal. I had a layout planned out and colored pens HOWEVER comma, one of my side effects is shaking like a chihuahua, so the lines came out terrible and I couldn't stand it so I bought a different one. I figured with it only being March, I can get away with a couple blank months. This one is one I've had before and it's the best because it's pretty, has plenty of space to write on and tabs! Easy organization never hurt anyone.

2. Lip Balm - with Spring coming in and some bouts of dry mouth, my lips have taken some damage and because my siblings are awesome, I have a nifty little 3 pack of medcated Blistex. One to keep on me, one for my bag, and an extra for whichever I lose first because let's be honest. One or more of them will disappear at some point....not proud of it, but it's the truth.

3. Clinique Moisturizer - So with everything happening I needed to start working on skincare and I feel that I'm going to for some time. The meds I'm on are strong and I've seen the toll it's taken on my skin and whatnot. I bought a mini size version of this moisturizer from Ulta on a whim because my mom said to. She's trusted Clinique for years and for good reason. Using even just a little bit of this has worked wonders on my face which has started to feel like sandpaper. So hearing that the 21 Days of Beauty is on right now is great because the entire kit that this moisturizer comes in has an intro set that will be on sale. So my calendar and alarm are set so I can get on this sale and not feel guilty about it.

4. Water bottle - with all the medications I'm on, I am drinking a lot more water than I had even before I got sick. I've had a lot of dry mouth from the illness, the allergies making me sleeping with my mouth open. So I found a water bottle, on clearance, that has a nifty filter so I can fill it with water from the tap rather than buying bottled. It's also a whole liter so there's my drinking goal.

5. Good RX - I had seen the commercials but never really gave it much thought until my mom gave it a shot while in line at the pharmacy. Literally no sign up, no info other than a zip code for the pharmacy list and up popped a coupon for my most expensive medication. On top of that, they also have a free app so what ever happens to me now, you know I'm gonna be lookin for discounts.

Looking at now, it seems that this seems simple and it is. Simple becomes staple and we gotta start somewhere. I feel like I have as clean a slate as I'm going to get.

Tales of the Tank - My Backpack

Ok so these backpack purses I've been seeing had really made me want one. If you've read the other Tales in this series, you'd know that I basically carry a tank for a purse. Looking at all these teeny tiny backpacks while adorable as all get out, just can't work for me. Instead, I've found this one and it's a life saver. With that's been going on with my health, having a regular purse constantly falling on one hand while using my walker or cane was just not working.

I wanted one that wasn't a huge academic tank but I needed some space for the things I have to carry, like stuff for dr's appointments, so the cute teeny bags are a no go. After Christmas, against some better judgement, I clicked into the depths of Amazon and found this simple little gem.

I'd post pictures of my bag in real life but lighting say noooooope

No regrets at all.

I had to check the measurements to make sure it wasn't too small because I've been using a regular spiral to keep my notes and appointments together as well as my planner so as long as it doesn't fold, we Gucci. It's not very wide which is ok because it forces me to not carry too much. Yes, it'll be on my back but I still have to haul it on my shoulders, which on some mornings is a big friggin' deal.

I didn't want black just because I'm trying really, really, REALLY hard to push out some negative thoughts, and this charcoal gray is just gorgeous and the fabric is stiffer than typical canvas so it's been holding it's shape fairly well and the two front pockets as just big enough for some easy access.

What do I got in bag tho?

It's got an inside pocket for 14 inch laptop so I've been using that for my Dr. Spiral, my planner and a general notebook for little things. My doctor is a couple hundred miles away so I also have my Nintendo 3DS XL for some gaming if I'm not driving. Chargers are a must as well as my trusty external batteries. Thanks to Ulta for this little pill organizer for my afternoon meds and last but not least my wallet.

This is nothing compared to what I would normally carry. Like seriously. But desperate times call for desperate measures but it can still be cute, practical, and save what ever strength I have.



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Gettin Fancy With Lancome - Juicy Shaker

Ok so I don't see myself as a professional when it comes to super high end makeup and products of the like. I know that there is often a difference in quality and a bigger one in price. And of course it's the price that makes me think twice. Thinking thrice, this is also not sponsored.

I've always kinda viewed brands like Lancôme, Estée Lauder, etc as the old school brands. Not because they are only for older women but because I remember seeing their signs forever and a day where I didn't hear about MAC or Chanel or Marc Jacobs until I was in college watching YouTube videos.

Now fast forward to now, when I started hearing early reviews for the Lancôme Juice Shaker, I was hooked even before they came out. Then I waited and watched and finally found them! Maybe you've seen them on my Instagram, hint hint. They are an adorable mix of lip oil and pigment to nourish the lips and give some color all while looking like a cocktail shaker. Inside the shaker, are a couple weights that do the mixing while you shake it. Then the lid unscrews to show the cone shaped applicator with the actual product that was shaken onto it.

Now let me give you a little backstory on me and lip products. I don't have small lips. They are actually pretty full and while I've lived with them civilly, I've always been a bit self-conscious because if I wore anything other than a nude color or Chapstick, then that was all people would see. Some women are offended by people looking at their chest all the time whereas I would worry that there was lipstick all over my teeth, which, of course, happens often.

I've had my moments but these babies right here, the clouds opened up and down they floated from Heaven because they are perfect. Granted the matte lip has been the thing for a while now but the season is changing and its time for Spring and Summer to shine. They feel and look a bit glossy but with no stickiness...like at all. Seriously!!! I have 3 of these and they glide on without feeling like a glue trap. They have some really nice color but is a little more on the sheerer side which is great because I can layer it with a matte lip to soften it a tad or another lippie or just wear it by itself and I'm not worried about smearing, feathering, or messing with my teeth.

Personal favorite of the 3, so far, is the Mangoes Wild. There's even a subtle mango scent but its not enough for me to hate or feel overpowered, especially since I'm not a huge mango fruit fan.

I also have Cherry Symphony and Mint To Be, which I've also used quite often. There are more days that I don't wear a lip product other than a lip balm so the blue mint is a nice touch with its subtle shimmer.

Normally $21 for a lip product would make me wanna jump back and say do you remember what happened to your 1st MAC lipstick? (Lost it within a month of buying it on a trip to New York City, flying back to New Mexico and handling life and poof it was gone.) But I've made some major negotiations with myself to know where they are at all times and so far so good. I've been using all 3 for well over a month, or three-ish, and I may talk myself into buying more, who knows? Like I'm grown and a good lip is a grown woman staple like mentioned in this post. 

Having a good lip is important and the nutrients and wonderfulness in the oil has helped my lips so much. They're normally on the drier side as I'm also that person that licks off her lip products, bites her lips, other nervous/life ticks so my lips are very much appreciating the love and are peeling a hellllllllll of a lot less. I feel great in it and for as long as I've used it, I will make this a go-to product. Total win in my book so I thank Ulta for the online shopping options to allow me to get this PDQ, aka Pretty Damn Quick, and have it included in my monthly faves for May.

Have you tried them? Do you love them?

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