February Favourites 2014!

Hey guys!

As another month waves goodbye, we say hello to a new beginning and warmer weather hopefully! It almost means I get to look back and see which products I have been loving the most! I'd say the month just flew by, but....awkward, it's only 28 days long. Anyway, this month I actually have quite a few favourites so let's get right into it!

I'm going to start off with my biggest favourite this month because I can't even get enough of using it! It's the L'Oreal Lash Out Butterfly mascara. The wand is so weird and quite a bit flexible, at least more so than any other mascara wands I've tried. If you guys saw my drugstore haul, you'll know what I'm talking about when it comes to the wand. It's asymmetrical, and according to L'Oreal, helps flare out and extend the outer lashes for that "fluttery" butterfly type of look. I don't know if my lashes looked like baby butterflies on my eyes, but I can tell you guys one thing for sure. After a few coats of this, it looked like my lashes could have fluttered right off my eyelids they were so long! It looked like I had falsies on, this mascara is that good. I'm really loving the L'Oreal mascaras over the other hyped up mascaras such as the Maybelline The Rocket and Benefit's They're Real mascara. I haven't tried either one, but honestly, if you can find the L'Oreal ones on sale they are so much cheaper than the Maybelline ones and definitely more so than the Benefit one! At my drugstore, the Maybelline line tends to run in between 6.99-15.99 depending on the product with the mascaras ranging around 10$ a piece. The L'Oreal ones can go for up to 14$ originally priced, but when they're on sale at my drugstore, it's only 7$. Seriously guys, of you can find either the Butterfly mascara or any one of the Voluminous Million Lashes by L'Oreal, get it! I can't stop raving about these mascaras since I purchased my first one in December!

Speaking of Benefit, you guys know if you read my latest haul post, I took my Benefit virginity this month and purchased two products by them. Honestly, it's about time too. Benefit has such adorable packaging and I've had such a hard time narrowing down which products I wanted to try the most by them (because let's be honest here, the Chronicler be more broke than 2 Broke Girls). So, I finally gave in and bought a hyped up product and a product I haven't heard anything about. I'll start with the hyped up one. It is the Benefit Rockateur blush. Yes, I was very late to jump on the Rockateur fan bus, but better late than never right? After seeing a few reviews on YouTube, I finally said screw it, and grabbed it. Yes, it was an impulse buy. (I had to escape the scary beauty lady who thought it was a good idea to put hot pink blush on my cheeks. She thought it "matched my skin tone beautifully". Uh, the only skin tone hot pink blush world for is darker skinned beauties, not this pasty pale vamp. End rant about the scary drugstore beauty lady.) Despite being an impulse buy and resulting in the subsequent burning need for me to buy a proper blush brush, I absolutely fell in love with blush and I don't think I'll be falling out of love with the Rockateur blush any time soon. It's the perfect kind of subtle blush for me. It's not as glowy or shimmery as I thought it would be which was a little sad, but I absolutely love the colour. When it comes to blushes, I'm terrified of applying too much and looking like the matchmaker from Mulan. *shudder* With this blush, that fear is unwarranted and makes me a happy Chronicler. If you've been tossing around the idea of splurging on a blush, this would be the one. It'll probably change for me next month, but until then, this one is my fave. ❤️

The next Benefit product I bought is my favorite gloss for this month. It's the Dandelion gloss by
Benefit and I absolutely love this gloss for everyday use. It also looks amazing over top of any nude or pinky lip colour. It's not super long wearing and it might taste a little sickly sweet for some people, but I love it all the same. I actually find it really soothing reapplying lip gloss, so the fact that it doesn't last forever on my lips is great for me. The gloss itself isn't tacky or sticky which is my main issue/fear when buying glosses (even though the stickiness usually means it's a long wearing gloss, so if that's your thing, maybe this one isn't for you?). It also claims to be "ultra plush" and at first I was like, "Whaaaaat?" But after applying for the first time, I couldn't stop rubbing my lips together because they felt so soft! In a nutshell, if you're looking for a nice gloss to spoil yourself with, I highly recommend this one by Benefit!

My next favourite is my Rimmel and it's their Scandleyes Waterproof Kohl Pencil in Nude. I really love using this on my waterline since I find that unless you're super pale, white liner on the waterline is just too harsh. This pencil brightens and opens the eyes and is perfect for an everyday look. This pencil goes on super smoothly with no tugging whatsoever. I find that's my main issue/fear with trying out new drugstore eyeliner pencils - either they aren't opaque enough, or don't go on smoothly at all, making application a huge pain! I intend to buy another in black for those days when I want a smoulder eyes kind of look because these pencils don't smear at all! This pencil has definitely worked it's way into my everyday go-to makeup routine.

Another favourite of mine, also by Rimmel, is their Scandleyes Eyeshadow stick. Mine is in the shade Witness White, and it is perfect for highlighting beneath the brow and also adding that pop of white on the inner corner - which is a look I have been obsessing over recently. I just think it looks so dewy and innocent looking! A look that isn't such a bad thing during the day time. It's a quick and easy application, and, like their kohl eyeliner, glides on super easily and creamy. I'm not sure about staying power since I don't tend to check on my makeup throughout the day unless I'm in a washroom or passing by a mirror, but as a whole, the product looks gorgeous on the eyes.

Keeping with the eyes, I rediscovered how much I love the Maybelline 24 hr Color Tattoo cream shadows. I repurchased Bad to the Bronze when I was home for Reading Week, and also purchased a new one called Barely Branded. My Bad to the Bronze one got kind of ruined while travelling, so of course, I had to purchase it again! I used this all the time over the summer and it got a little forgotten in the midst of my recently acquired eye shadow palettes. But after repurchasing it, I've begun using it everyday in addition to using the Barely Branded one I bought. Barely Branded is a creamy pearlescent shade that is perfect as an eyeshadow base (the main reason why I bought it) and works beautifully as a highlight under the brow bone. I also dotted this along the sides of my cheekbones for an extra little glow. All in all, I'm a huge fan of the Color Tattoos by Maybelline.

Next up, I have a product which I purchased back in January and was kind of on the fence about it until recently. It's the Revlon Photoready Skinlights product. Mine is in the lightest shade which is Bare Light. Basically it's a liquid luminizer that's supposed to give your face a natural glow. At first, I was skeptical on the shade I got because I thought maybe it was just too sheer and not really glowy enough for the effect I hoped to achieve. Once you're in natural lighting though, your face looks i
ncredibly healthy and radiant. I apply this after I apply my foundation and it usually goes on wherever I want to highlight - cheekbones, center of the forehead, tip of the nose, cupid's bow, and chin. I highly recommend this product if you're looking for a luminzer that is half the price of the high end ones. This achieves such a beautiful, healthy, natural glow and for where I live, the gloomy weather really dims down the face so this product is a must in my makeup routine.

Moving onto another face product I have been using everyday is the Maybelline Master Hi-Light by Facestudio in Light Bronze. I believe there are four or five shades to choose from, the shades in the middle being more pinky than the one I have. I went/am going through a phase where I love the look of blushes used as bronzers and was on the hunt for the perfect toned blush since, obviously, most of them seem to run too pink to be used as a bronzer. Then I saw this gem at the drugstore and swatched it once I tore it open at home and was super happy with the result! The mosaic type of packaging seems to be a pretty popular trend in the beauty world as of late, so it's often difficult to tell exactly what colour you're going to get from the product. The Maybelline blush/bronzer that I have definitely comes off more brown with a slight tint of pink which is exactly what I wanted. The hints of white in there are for the highlighting effect, I suppose, but honestly, I don't really see any of the highlight coming off on either my finger or a brush, so if you're worried about the flecks of highlight, don't. All in all, I'm a big fan of Maybelline, and this product has been added to the repertoire of products I love to use.

Lastly for makeup favourites, I have been loving the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. I was tossing around the notion of buying this liner for months, the only deterrent being the price (almost 30$ at Sephora), but a few days before Valentine's Day, when I was feeling super sorry for myself, I went on a mini shopping trip to Sephora before I was flying home for the week. And there it was. Shining like a beacon of light atop a display that proudly read, "Sephora's Award Winning Best Sellers", and, like the sucker I am, I was immediately drawn to it like a helpless moth to a flame. After that, I basically drifted through the mall in a daze, having been zapped by the price of the two items I bought. All that to say, I really really freaking love this liner! It applies black as pitch and once it's on, it is on until you want it off! I was looking for a waterproof liner because my eyes tend to get crazy watery when I go outside in the winter/brisk months, any kind of liquid eyeliner instantly ends up all over my eyelids, effectively ruining my eyeshadow, and basically my entire look. Maybe it was just the eyeliner I was using, but this one doesn't make my eyes water at all, and on the rare occasion it does now, the eyeliner stays put. (PS- When I say my eyes water, I don't mean just like a little teary eyed, I mean it waters to the point where my eye turns into a waterfall of tears. It gets pretty cray.) In a nutshell, this was totally worth it, and I will never turn my nose up at pricier liners again, as I have yet to find a drugstore alternative to this baby.

Finally, I have an UNfavourite this month, which makes me really sad because I really wanted to love this product! Thankfully it was cheap enough that I'm not too heartbroken over it, but just the same, an unfavourite is always a tragedy. It's the Hard Candy Baked Bronzer in Tiki. If you guys follow any number of beauty bloggers on YouTube, you'll probably have seen this product mentioned numerous times and raved about. Spurred by the many amazing reviews of others, I hightailed my booty over to Walmart and bought it. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, this product says bronzer, when really it's so pale, it might as well be a highlighter. It looks golden in the packaging and swatches beautifully. However, I found when I actually used this product, it came off more yellowy than gold and didn't do anything to highlight so much as add pigment that I didn't want to my face. Maybe I'm just too pale for this product to work for me, but I find that it just isn't my thing sadly.

Onto random things I have been loving over the course of February...

Favourite TV show: Orange is the New Black - After hearing that season two is going to be released in June, I hurriedly rewatched the entirety of season one and fell in love with it all over again! "I threw my pie for you."Hahaha! Can we please just have a moment of love for Crazy Eyes? If you haven't watched Orange is the New Black yet, get on it! For whatever reason you haven't seen it yet, it definitely is worth the hype and raving since it's truly an amazing show that pushes the boundaries of mainstream TV.

Favourite song: Anytime covered by SoMo - Okay, so I kind of raved about how much I love "Ride" by SoMo, which is an original song by him. After hearing "Ride", I began listening to a few of his other songs, which are mostly covers at the moment, although he has come out with his own album available on iTunes now, I believe, I came across this song and just fell in love with his voice all over again. Hip Hop/R&B music isn't really my thing at all, but I will listen to anything SoMo has to sing with a smile on my face. I love rock and alternative music, so for me to rave about this guy for two months straight, you know he's something special.

Favourite Hair Product: TresEmme Flawless Curls Mousse - I think my hair just gets too used to a single product after a few months, so I find myself either needing to deal with lifeless curls, or hunt for a new product. There have been some hits and misses in the past, and the most recent hit has been this one by TresEmme. I've never tried products by them prior to this, but I have to say, I'm really happy with the results. I use the mousse after my shower when I know I'm going out that day/night and once my hair is dry, the curls are bouncy and actually curled, which means little to no frizz! Yay! The next day, as opposed to being perfect curls, there a little less structured and more what I'm used to, which is them having a mind of their own. That being said, if you sleep with the product still in, it's not a huge deal, since my hair gets softer and the curls more what I'm used to seeing on my head. All in all, it's a great product so far!

Favourite Fashion Item: "Hello Gorgeous" T-shirt from Old Navy- I usualy don't shop at Old Navy often, but before the fall semester started, my mom took me and my out shopping where I found this T-shirt! It's super cute to dress up or down and because it's so simple, there's no way you can wear it wrong. On it's own or with a blazer, it looks great either way. I highly recommend checking our your local old navy for a similar shirt since I would have bought dozens of them had I known I'd love this shirt so much!

Favourite YouTuber: Bethany Mota - You may know her as Macbarbie07 on YouTube or have seen her name splashed across various ads for Aeropostale. With over 5 million subscribers, she's a hard character to miss. Recently, she's been super busy with her clothing line, but I know whenever I see a new video from her pop up on my subscription feed, I have to click it! I always look forward to her videos and love rewatching some of the ones she's made in the past. A huge inspiration and incredibly talented, she is my February YouTube favourite! #Motavation

That's everything for this past month's favourites! Hopefully this isn't up too late....Thank you so much for reading and I can't wait to see what goodies March will bring! Let me know in the comments what your favourite beauty or random product was for February!

XOXO,

A. Bean