Lavenderwalls & Me...: December Favorites!!!

For me, especially being a veteran of retail, this time of year always brings out the busy in the busybody that I am. From entertaining, to wrapping up projects at work, to (OMG!) Christmas shopping, December seemed to fly by at lightning speed!

Due to all of the craziness, I knew that I wouldn't have time to explore too many new things or get too involved in many activites and adventures, so I committed to sticking to my staples and what I knew could get me joyfully through the season and sane.

However, I had several standouts in the month of December and it is with pleasure that I share...

* December Page-Turners *

One of my favorite things in life is to kick back and READ! There is something that is very special about being able to pick up a book and escape into someone's journey...whether fiction or non. The two books that I was OB-SESSED with in December were Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham.

Big Little Lies is a dramatic and mysterious story set in a very unique setting, Australia, and it follows the lives of a group of parents whose kids all attend the same school, essentially leading up to the conclusion of a death that somehow involved each person in someway. If you are a big fan of the varieties of Real Housewives and Desperate Housewives, you will surely enjoy this book. It's a thick one, but trust me when I say that you won't be able to put it down.

I also started Not That Kind of Girl this month and have yet to finish it, but, holy smokes, I love this girl and her book already. I have heard rave reviews on not only this book but about Lena Dunham's HBO hit show, Girls, and after reading the first few pages, I am definitely not surprised about this lady and her work being amaze-balls! I am loving how edgy and candid the author's writing is and how unafraid she is to say it as it is. And, let me tell you, in a world where people try to be too careful about everything they do and say, the honesty is much appreciated.

* Nail Polishes of the Holiday Variety *

Even though I was crazy busy this month, I, in some miraculous way, managed to find a way to keep up with my nails, which of my normal habit, the busier I am, the more rachet my nails look. These 3 were by far my go-to's in rotation for the month of December.

For the dark variety, it was absolutely love at first swatch with Essie's No More Film. A deep violet to perfection, this polish was smooth, opaque, and was the exact definition of a warm and sexy winter. Usually, I apply all of my polish with two coats for the perfect opacity, but I was pleasantly thrilled to learn that one will do with this color.

If I wanted to add a little sparkle to my nails, I added my new fave, Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe, which reminded me of the stars and outspace and, in other lights, the natural beauty at the extreme depths of the ocean. When applied over a dark polish, like No More Film, the gorgeous blues and greens from the glitter shine through with a unique elegance.

Lastly, the treasured winter gem, Essie's 2014 Winter color, Jiggle High Jiggle Low. I can't begin to tell you the lengths I went to to find this color. After seeing a very inspiring photo on Instagram of this polish applied, I immediately went on a hunt for this exact color. Ulta...Target...Walgreens...the supermarket. No where to be found for 2 weeks straight!...and then one day while I was casually at Ulta, I see a shiny chrome tower cart of what looked like fresh shipments of nail polish still in the boxes they were delivered in. I thought to myself, "I shouldn't do this, but I am." To my satisfaction and with prayer that an associate wasn't going to catch me doing this, I snagged me a bottle of Jiggle High Jiggle Low...Wahoo!!! Jen for the win! Besides this story, the color and application definitely did not disappoint. A mix between silver and gold. Opaque and perfect to carry me through December and into New Years! I think this shade is perfect for everyone, so I encourage you do get your hands on a bottle now!

* Mascara Perfection! *

Before I go into how ecstatic I am about the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill mascara, I feel like I need to preface it with this explanation. I am Chinese and I have short wimpy lashes. As many fellow Asians (or wimpy lashed ladies) would agree, finding the best mascara that will lengthen and volumnize without overwhelming or clumping the lashes is a challenge, and we don't always want to resort to falsies or lash exensions just to get the look.

Yes, there have been other mascaras I have tried that I think are incredible, but I thought I would give this one a shot, just because I'm curious and I like trying new things. Definitely not disappointed! Lengthens, volumnizes, makes my lashes look (almost) fake.

If you are looking at the brush, you might also find that another one of my favorites, Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes, has a similar type of brush. It grabs on to each individual lash and really blows them out while still fanning to give a clean, but dramatic appearance. So, I have to say that they are both very comparable to each other with Armani's having a slight edge ahead.

Given all the love I have for this mascara, let's talk about something really important that might scare some people away, and even hinder the product from getting the same praise as TF's Better Than Sex or Benefit's They're Real mascaras. If you thought that YSL's Babydoll mascara was steep at $30, this one will make you cringe a little more coming in at $32.

I know. Ouch, right?!

Do I still love it? OMG! YES! Would I still repurchase it? Maybe not right away, but absolutely!

* Red Be Gone! *

One of the things my complexion struggles with is redness. I don't have a lot of it and it doesn't really bother me, so I wasn't really seeking out a solution.

However, again, curiosity got the best of me. I saw this Bye Bye Redness by It Cosmetics at Ulta, I remembered hearing about this product briefly, so naturally I wanted to try.

The big thing I have to say this product does for me is that I get to wear less makeup, and for my lazy self, that is a huge win! I found myself using less foundation and powder all because this stuff really evens out my complexion.

Looking at the picture above, this product looks thick and heavy, but I assure you it's not. To my surprise, it is actually very lightweight and it leaves a nice satin matte feel. So, you can wear it alone or wear it under your foundation and still feel comfortable. The cream only comes in one shade, but it does a fantastic job at getting rid of the redness and adjusting to your own skin tone.

Like I mentioned earlier, December was busy, hectic, crazy, stressful, and just not the right time for me to be fooling with too much time consuming tasks...including makeup in the morning. Let's just say that I opted to hit the snooze button a few too many times in the last few weeks, and, well, I needed something quick and effortless.

In comes this lifesaver in a beautiful leopard print compact pallete. This is a holiday release by Laura Mercier called the Portable Colour Palette for Eyes, Cheeks, & Lips.

Short of foundation, concealer, and mascara, this palette has everything you need to complete and pull together your look and still keep things polished and professional. There are two layers of color for eyes and cheeks, a little cozy spot for the lip gloss, which is in the limited edition color Rosebud, and a nice-sized mirror.

Here's a closer look of the eye shadows and eye liner (Ignore my hand and camera in the mirror. Oops!): (left to right) Vanilla Nuts, Baroque, and Cedar (limited edition color) - eyeshadows; Tightline Cake Eye Liner in Ground Espresso (limited edition color)

The palette swatched.

* While Waiting in Line at Sephora *

I am going to venture out and say that you would be lying if you told me that you have never been sucked into the attractive little travel-sized items calling out your name while waiting in line at Sephora. Oh, they're sneaky, aren't they? Well, I will be the first to admit that I am HUGE sucker for those last minute attempts.

This was one of them.

If you remember from a past post, I had talked about the Philosophy Microdelivery brightening pads and how I liked to use them on the face, elbows, and underarms. Yup! Still love them. Yup! Still don't really care to pay $70 for 12 pads (That's almost $6 each!). Granted that they are phenomenal and that you use them but every so often, these facial radiance pads from First Aid Beauty costs me a whopping $14 for $28 pads. Yeah, $0.50 sounds more digestable, for sure!

The formula used in these pads are not as intense as the ones by Philosophy, so it is safe to use them up to twice a day, and they make for a great option to still tone your face while traveling.

I really enjoyed them because I felt that it helped keep my skin looking lively and radiant, which is something the stress, lack of time, and craziness can suck out of your skin. Even better, these pads are alcohol-free, unscented, and super gentle. Therefore, my skin didn't sting (Ouch!) and it also didn't dry out. Definitely repurchasing!!!

* Stretchy Pants: The Reason for the Season! *

There are many reasons why I love the colder season and the winter months...Big one is that I get to wear, practically live in, leggings. No joke! Eat, play, sleep, and work in leggings for as long as I can get away with it.

It's sort of embarassing when I think about it, but #sorrynotsorry! My favorite leggings are actually workout pants. Yup! I said it. Workout leggings that I literally stock up on at Nordstrom Rack for $20 - Marika Tek Platinum Slim Fit Leggings, and I do everything in these leggings. Does this oddly remind anyone of Pajama Jeans?

If I want to get technical about it, the reason why I wear these instead of regular leggings is because they are thick, warmer, and sturdier. In addition, I am curvy, so wearing regular legging always makes me feel a little too exposed, like the butt area is being overly stretched and people can see my underoos. Nope! I am not all about that. At that point, I feel and know that generic leggings would not make me feel comfortable and professional (and I use that word loosely) at work (Ssshhhh!!!! Don't say a word to my boss!!!).

You definitely see the quality in these leggings with the reinforced seams that run the length of the leggings from the bottom of the waistband down to the hem.

The waist band is nice and sturdy, so it stays on and doesn't slide off my hips (Curvy girls, you know what I'm talking about.).

...and of course. No workout pants are complete without that hidden pocket - in the event you are looking for leggings to workout in and not cheat the system to wear them to work.

A word of advice, if you do choose to wear workout leggings to work, make sure you stop by the mirror and ensure that everything else you are wearing will tie the look together in a work appropriate way. Make sure your top is long enough (to avoid the possibility of camel toe), accessorize with classy statement jewelry, and make sure your shoes are cute.

* ...But If You Really Have to Be Legit *

Ok, I have to admit...There are days where I can't get away with wearing my Marika's to work. However, I discovered these really well-made (stretchy and thick), professional looking skinny pants (officially known as Ponte Skinny Pants) at Gap, and I can't stop wearing these. They come in diffent colors, and if you order them online, you can get the pants in a petite or tall length, too.

The detailing on the pants are what I love and what makes them perfectly work appropriate. Check out those clean lines at the pocket openings, which I haven't yet verified if they are really functional pockets.

Zipper detailing at the inseam. Oooh! Classy!

You can see that the pants are stitched cleanly at the hem.

Button and zipper opening + inner button (not shown) to really keep it all together.

These pants were really popular (and affordable) this season and sold out fast at the stores, but I recently ordered a couple online as they were still showing in stock. If you are interested, get them while they're hot!

* Candle-Burning Fool! *

It's serious favorites business when you burn through three candles in one month! Who can blame me, though?! With amazing cold-weather scents that spawn out of the Bath and Bodywork stores, you would be a candle-burning fool, too.

As always, Leaves and Autumn are a must. They are definitely distinctly different, but both have a berries and apple scent that, to me, is crisp, clean, but warm and relaxing. Second-naturedly, I would just light both of these scents (not at the same time) when I get home from work, and I was instantly relaxed!

Another favorite that actually made a comeback at Bath and Bodyworks is Merry Mistletoe! OMG! I can't tell you how happy I am that this scent was brought back. A few years ago, Merry Mistletoe was discontinued and my heart sank. I instantly had to strategize how I was going to ration the last one I had. It was unnecessarily sad when you think about it - A grown person upset over a candle. SMH! If you haven't smelled this, you need to. Without being too Christmas-y, this candle really puts you in a holiday mood. You still smell mistletoe, but the added citrus, berry, and pear balances everything and keeps the whole tone light and fresh.

Needless to say, I had a insane obsession for fall/winter candles in the month of December!

Word of warning to my friends at B&BW, make smart choices and keep Merry Mistletoe in the permanent holiday collection. Make horrible dumb choices and I will go all "Panda Cheese" (Search it on YouTube!) on your store.

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Ending it on a good note, those are all of my December loves! I know the holiday season can be jammed-packed, crazy, and wonderful all at the same time, but I hope you are still enjoying every bit of it.

I have a couple things queued up and brewing for upcoming posts (2014 Standouts...hint hint!), but for now, I wish you all a fabulous send off into the new year! May 2015 bring you new adventures and inspiration for a better and happy you!