January Favorites

January is in the past and 2016 is on a roll! We have exactly 2 months till our wedding day from today and I'm getting more excited by the minute! Our flights are booked, passports for the boys have been sent in and are working on our fitness, especially after that last wedding dress fitting, oui fucking vey!

At the end of the month I always love watching monthly favorite videos on YouTube, usually my wallet doesn't. Rounding up some of my own favorites that include makeup, food and randomness. Here are my most loved products, favorite people and social media accounts I've been loving in the month of January.

Lets start with beauty products! I've been trying to use up products in my collection that I've forgotten about or are nearing expiration and while doing so I rediscovered my Maybelline Age rewind concealer in the brightening shade. I just finished that baby up and while I've repurchased it many times I'm excited to try another concealer I've been jonesing for, the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. I've talked about this many times before but my go to foundation for these past few months has been the Too Faced Born This Way foundation. I did an entire post on it here if you care to read and I can say that 99% of the time if I post a selfie on Instagram and my face is looking flawless it's because of that baby! It's worth the money, no drugstore foundation has EVER made me look as fabulous as I feel when I have that base on!

With the winter months in Michigan my skin is dryer then normal so using my face makeup brushes doesn't work well for me. To get the most out of my makeup I use my real techniques beauty blender. It's a fraction of the price of the real beauty blender and works just as well! Speaking of dry skin, my beloved Nivea moisturizer is the last beauty product in the round up. This stuff is in the men's isle and is THE best moisturizer and foundation primer and crazy affordable. The second listed ingredient is glycerin and in the beauty world that is key. This is the stuff that helps keep your makeup in place, it's found in primers that can cost you a pretty penny but this stuff is found in any drugstore. I promise you won't smell like a man either!

If you follow me on Snapchat (@eastwillowgrove) you will see me from time to time lathered up with the Mario Badescu drying lotion at night. I never understood the hype from other beauty bloggers but figured with Ulta's amazing return policy it can't hurt to try out and if I don't see results, back to the store it went. Let me tell you something, IT'S AMAZING. I've been having some bad breakouts lately all over my chin and it ain't cute. What is cute though is that I can plop that stuff onto my face and within two days there's no sign of those pesky little fellas anywhere in sight! 

With the wedding coming up I haven't changed my hair much, just brightened it up thanks to Jamie but have kept the length where it's at. I have a look I'm going for so I don't want to be all crazy like I was before our pre-ception and chop 7 inches off. I always talk about my NUME wands and how amazing there are, and I still love them but I've been dabbling in the realm of curling my hair with my NUME straightener lately! I've owned many straighteners before, anywhere from a Target brand to an expensive Chi and my NUME straightener is still the best I've had. You can usually score them for 70% off most days. I have a video that will be up next week on how I use my straightener to curl/wave my hair because it's become my favorite this past month! The silhouette straightener that I use is on sale till 2/29 for $38 with the code LOOKIE at checkout.

My favorite piece of clothing this month is hands down my olive green sweatshirt I snagged at Forever 21 a few months back. I like to call it a fashion sweatshirt though since it's not a grungy, do housework type of sweatshirt that you bum around in. If you watched my Capsule Wardrobe video you would have seen it in there. I love to throw a big statement necklace on with a bright lip and rock it out on Friday's, it's pretty much my go to. Speaking of capsule wardrobe it's been one month and I'm still very happy with the pieces I picked. 

Moving on to the randomness! With the wedding approaching I've been trying to eat much better and get to the gym more every week. A big downfall of mine is snacking. I love snacks, I love candy, I love chips, I love food. When 2 pm rolls around at work I get antsy, I'm ready to leave work but more so I'm ready for a snack! My go to lately is the Skinny Girl popcorn in sea salt and lime with a cup of Trader Joes vanilla and cinnamon black tea.

The other week I told you how I was obsessed with Casey Neistat's vlogs but there are tonsss of other YouTubers and bloggers that I follow and love just as much. I love discovering new creators online whether on YouTube, Instagram or a new blog. Lately I've been binge watching Jenn from Clothes Encounters, I love the way she films, her style and her overall chillness. A blog and Instagram I can't stop reading is True Lane. The blogger behind True Lane is Chelsea, and I don't just love her for her name, I love her clothing style the most, her coffee posts on Snap and her overall aesthetic on Instagram.
There are two shows I've really enjoyed watching this past month and that is the Chelsea Does series on Netflix and Parenthood! Chelsea Does puts a funny spin on topics often hard to talk about, I really hope that more episodes come out soon! I recently started watching Parenthood while I do cardio at the gym. Since I upped my running to 45 minutes a day watching a show helps me power through it! It's almost like watching Gilmore Girls

I think that about sums it up for favorites from this past month, a little bit of this, a little bit of that!

February Favorites

February has treated us well despite the shortness it brings every year. The weather here is still colder than Alaska {maybe?} but the sun is starting to rise earlier by the day! Que my happy dance because my seasonal depression can't handle much more of this. I heard on the radio the other day that the DJ would prefer all the snow we had last year in place of these below freezing temps. I beg to differ. Also, why don't the lovely people in the south know how to drive when they get an inch of snow on the ground? You drive slower, more cautious and you turn your windshield wipers on often. It's like everyone in the southern states are 12 year olds and have never driven a car?

Anyways.

This past month I've noticed I'm gravitating towards routines even more than usual. From showering to moisturizing, to what I eat at lunch, drink at night, to what I'm wearing on my face everyday. Routines drive my everyday existence, I LIVE for a good routine, a list of steps to follow to get from point A to point B. It's almost like an insurance that you WILL have clean teeth, you WILL be caffeinated by 8 am, you WILL have a damn good manicure!

From all of these routines I've pulled some of my favorite things {who else started singing that song??!!} perhaps you love them just as much or maybe you've found something to purchase on Amazon on your lunch break. I know I'm not the only one who does this!

While I've thrown in my favorite products from this month I decided to add in my favorite blog and Youtube channel at the moment. Katie recently moved back from Chicago to the mitten and also  bought a house she's been renovating so I am always waiting for her next home update! And Claire, oh Claire, she is a MASTER with editing. Her videos are AUH mazing! Watch her 'what's in my bag' video here and you'll see why I can't get enough of her!

|Lips| Face| Teeth| Nails| Body| Coffee| Blogger| Youtuber|

Stay warm! XX

Monthly Favorites| Teething

Teething is a bitch. There is no light way to put it. I looked back in Tracens baby book and his first tooth poking through his gums was at 6 months, so well see how long it takes Sky. I'm predicting in the next few weeks well see/feel something or at least I'm hoping! This kid is a MONSTER droller and hand sucker. His poor poor checks and fist are so raw from a combo of sucking on them and this crap ass winter weather.  I've been putting Vaseline on his cheeks and hand and then a sock over his hand. He looks so helpless but I don't want anything chapping or bleeding so a sock hand it is!

One of my favorite blogs to read for monthly baby favorites (and in general) is littlebabygarvin.  She always has great items that I already use or ones I've been eyeing to try, I trust her judgment, I also secretly want Tracen to meet Harper! I've compiled my current favorites of all teething related items that have helped me on a daily basis with Sky.

|1, 2, 3, 4, 5|

1. These keys are great on its own but put them in the fridge or freezer for a little bit and you are good to go. I also throw them in the diaper bag as it is a good toy/teether to keep him busy while out running errands.

2. I hadn't heard of these when pregnant with Tracen so this was my first time trying them. I had a coupon for Target so I snatched them up. There are about 100 in a pack and you can give 2-3 tablets, up to 4 times a day. I've only done 2 tablets, twice a day so far, once in the morning and once right before bedtime. It seems to take the edge off but not knock the kid out, which is what I want!

3.This is another thing that I didn't have for Tracen. I bought mine at a local natural boutique and have had it on him since he was 2 weeks old. It does not chock him and if he ever pulled on it, which Tracen had once, the clasp automatically pulls apart and the necklace drops off. Plus each bead is individually tied on so there will never be a ton of beads rolling around on the floor if anyone tugs on it and it falls off. I know some people say they can tell when their child(ren) aren't wearing it compared to when they are, but I haven't taken it off him so I don't know how he would be without it. I do think it has helped as he just chews on things and never really cries while teething.

4. These are just your basic teething rings. I like these better than the larger rings though as they are easier for Sky to get his little lips and gums around. Tracen never liked the big rings I bought because he could never really 'teeth' on them.

5. I picked up this little elephant guy for Sky's stocking this year. This is another thing I throw in my diaper bag as a toy/teether. Plus it's easy to wipe down when Tracen thinks its his and puts his grimy little lips all over it.

I really wish kids were born with teeth. I would take the risk of nursing with a mouth of teeth over the long process of teething any day!!