Holiday Beauty & Home Essentials

When thinking about beauty around the holidays, it's all glitz and glamour that come to mind. Below, I'm listing a few of my favorite things to wear and use around this time of year.

Holiday Beauty Essentials:

A. Becca blush in Songbird. I know this is a cult favorite, and I can see why now. At first, I got it as my autumn blush, but then it easily transitioned into my winter blush. It has a lovely copper/burnt orange color that warms up the cheeks.

B. Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara. This mascara has a double-sided wand that really adds volume and length to the lashes. I LOVE this. The only mascara that I've found that I like better is Better Than Sex by Too Faced.

C. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown. I don't like thick brows normally, but I love using this to just even everything out.

D. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo. I am in love with this product. I don't have the budget that I used to for beauty, so when the matte liquid lipstick became all the rage, NYX was my first go-to. I've heard Milani's matte liquid lipstick is also a bargain. This color, though. Ugh. It's so good. And perfect for the holidays.

E. Stila's Magnificent Metals Eye Shadow in Kitten. I got this sample size in Sephora's summer favorites bag. While it is a great shade for summer, it's super glittery with flecks of silver, gold, and green. A perfect companion for that holiday dress.

F. Kat Von D's Ink Liner in Trooper. My everyday liner is usually Stila's Stay All Day Liquid Liner, but I've noticed that it tends to shy away from my eyelash line as the day wears. Kat Von D's ink liner will literally stay put. Perfect for socializing with crazy family members for hours on end.

G. Colour Pop Super Shock Shadow in Amaze. This coppery shadow is brilliant to put on top of a gold shadow. I personally love using the Naked 1-2 palettes to create a great shimmery gold smokey eye, and put Amaze in the center of the lid.

H. Maybelline's Color Tattoo 24 Hr. by Eye Studio in 25 Bad to the Bronze. This is an everyday eyeshadow that complements basically any eye color. I like this all over the lid. And it can be transformed from a work look to a night look with no problem. My only suggestion is putting an eyeshadow primer on first as this will crease over time.

I. Urban Decay's Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup. I'm shade 4.0 in the summer, and can usually mix it with a lighter shade to make it work for the winter. I love this foundation as it makes my skin look flawless, and other makeup layers beautifully with it.

J. Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray. I'm practically out of this, so I've gotten the E.L.F. setting spray to see how it compares. However, my makeup wears noticeably different when I use this. It literally locks everything in place for most of the day.

K. Loréal Paris Colour Riche Lipstick in British Red. This is the perfect red. In general, but particularly for the holidays. It has more of an orange tone that compliments my skin tone perfectly. Not quite as deep as other reds, but still soft and lovely.

L. Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop. Let me start by saying I never thought I'd wear a highlighter until I saw Jaclyn Hill's collaboration with Becca. I love watching her YouTube videos, and I follow her on other social media. She is such a positive light, and I wanted to support her. However, after buying it, I'm now a huge fan of highlighter. This literally makes you glow. It is beautiful and natural and just everything that's good in the world.

Skincare:

M. Josie Maran Argan Oil Light. Although my skin is naturally oily, during the winter, I get awful dry skin around my eyebrows, nose, and mouth. When I use this on my face at night, I wake up with beautiful skin. I also have acne-prone skin, so this helps with blemishes and redness as well.

N. Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Daily Balancing Moisturizer. I used to use Lush's Cosmetic Lad, but my skin started having a bad reaction to it after a while. So, when I ran out of it, I switched to this brand, and so far, I love it. I can tell it's targeting my acne, and usually does a good job at keeping my skin hydrated throughout the day.

O. Glam Glow SuperCleanse Daily Clearing Cleanser. I don't use this often because of how expensive it was (I got it in a holiday box with a full-sized face mask pot). However, I wanted to try it for my wedding skincare routine. I love it. I love it. I love it. It's so expensive, but it's worth the hype.

Fragrance:

P. Coach's Poppy. My future mother-in-law gave this to me a couple Christmases ago because she was allergic. While it's a light, summery scent, because I got it during the holidays, that's what I always associate this perfume with.

Q. Marc Jacobs Daisy Intense. My father got this for me for Christmas as well. It has a deep scent that hangs around all day. I only need one spritz of this and people will still compliment me on my perfume nearing the end of the day.

Home Essentials:

1. Lilly Pulitzer Agenda. I need a planner in order to survive life in general, but especially around the holidays when family plans get crazy. While there are some expensive, and equally inexpensive planners out there, this one is right in the middle. It has beautiful pages, and enough space for daily tasks. It also comes with stickers, a pocket for documents, and a few other special tabs. I would like to do a planner post soon so I can lay out more details.

2. Agent18 Gold Polka Dot iPhone 6 Case. I got this at Target when I upgraded to a 6, and I love this. It's thick and durable, and perfect for the holidays.

3. Happy Mail by A Beautiful Mess. Happy Mail encourages kindness to make a comeback by sending you cards for all occasions to send to other people on any occasion. The subscription also gets you random items like this list pad, recipe cards, stickers, and other fun things.

4. Nate Berkus Scissors. I got these at Target, and I love having them in my office. I use them to clip coupons, mostly. But they are just so beautiful.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Hug your family, and remember all your blessings.