august 2012 favorites

Another month down, another favorites post.
This month I re-discovered some old favorites and fell in love with some recent finds.
Here are my standout products for August 2012...

Skin 

Simple Hydrating Moisturizer

The Simple brand is new to the US this year, but has been very popular in the UK for quite some time. I’ve been looking for a daytime moisturizer that is very light since I have oily skin. I use just a little bit daily, and I think my skin has loved it. No breakouts so far!

Hair

Aveda Volumizing Tonic

An oldie but a goodie. I’m a loyal fan of Aveda products, but have been keeping this buried in the back. Started re-using it and I am now on a mission to finish this. I spray my roots with this when my hair is wet, put it in a pony while I do my makeup, and then blow dry. Instant volume and it smells amazing.

Nail polish

Orly - Rage

You can read my recent blog post here about why I love this polish.
Great polish for the fall!

Urban Outfitters - After Hours

I bought this glitter polish because it reminded me of OPI Teenage Dream from the Katy Perry collection. Except this one looked like it had finer glitter that would be easy to work with. Loved the way this applied and it stayed on for over a week as an accent nail.
Makes me want to try more UO polishes.

Essie - Lady Like

Such a classic. When I bought After Hours by UO, I had no clue what I would try pairing it with first. As soon as I saw this one in my drawer, it was a no-brainer.
I feel like these two polishes were made for each other.
To see how I wore Lady Like and After Hours together—here is my Instagram photo.

Tools

Real Techniques Brushes: Buffing and Shader

Bought these brushes recently at Ulta. I like using the buffing brush for contouring with bronzer; and the shader brush is perfect for applying eye shadow. I have a hard time finding the perfect eye shadow brushes because my eyes are small, and most shader brushes are too big for me. This one is perfect.

Tarte Eyelash Curler

My trusty Revlon eyelash curler finally got kicked to the curb. I needed to upgrade to something that was gentler and had better grip. This one by Tarte does not disappoint. And it came with a sample size of my favorite Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. That may have swayed my decision just a little bit.

Makeup

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bold Gold and Bad to the Bronze
Don’t want to beat a dead horse since I just blogged about these. But holy moly—these are seriously amazing. Bad to the Bronze has been with me since these first came out, but of course I had to pull it out after buying some new colors. I’ve been wearing Bold Gold literally every day. I went tailgating in 100 degree weather, went to the LSU football game, and went out afterward with friends-- and this did not budge at all by the end of the night. I highly recommend that you check these out if you haven’t already!

Wet N Wild Blush in Pearlescent Pink

Wet n Wild does a lot of things right that many people still don’t know about. Nail polish, eyeshadow-- and definitely blush. Their blushes are SO pigmented and they last all day. This one is a gorgeous pink with a slight golden shimmer.
These retail for $2.99—a freaking steal.

Fresh Sugar Lip Balm
Got this as the Sephora birthday gift. Good thing it was free because I would not spend $22 on a lip balm. But this is so moisturizing and I can totally see why the price tag is so high. It feels like butter on your lips and it is one of the best lip balms I have ever used.

Have you been reaching for any of these same products?

What else have you been loving lately?

NOTW: Orly Rage

The polish I'm wearing this week is Orly's Rage. This is the PERFECT "rose gold" nail polish. I have a current obsession with rose gold accessories and jewelry. So when I saw this on sale at Sally's I, of course, had to pick it up. 

I have this on with a base coat and top coat. I'm on day 6 and this is just now starting to chip. I'd say that's pretty good! 

As you can see from the picture, this has a very metallic shimmery finish, but it's not glitter. Which I love, because glitter polish is a pain to remove. 

Not only do I love this color, but this polish has the best application. This goes on smooth and opaque in 2 coats. And if you keep going over your nails with more polish, it doesn't get thick at all. Most polishes start to run on the side or become uneven and almost lumpy.

Literally, the only negative about this polish is the fact that it is hard to photograph to get the correct color that I see in person. Pictures do not do this color justice. It's gorgeous! 

I'm glad I picked this up because it's going to be a great color for the Fall and Winter seasons. 

You can find Orly Rage for around $8.00 at Ulta, Sally's, or any drugstore. If you're looking for something new to try for the Fall, I recommend this Orly polish!