April showers are supposed to bring May flowers... and yet, here we are, now into May and it is showering like a sonovabiotch. It has not put a damper on my excitedness to talk about my April favorites. I managed to have many favorites because I'm not a very selective woman- everything excites me (that sounds so wrong.) so I really had to be harsh and cut back. Here's the narrowed list!
1) Juice Beauty Steam Cellular Repair CC Cream in Warm Glow
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| Photo taken from Birchbox.com |
I actually got a sample of this in April's Birchbox. Birchbox is a wonderful way to sample mostly beauty, some lifestyle products you possibly have never heard of and get to try before buying. It's magical, makes you feel fancy because you're getting lots of presents! I tried Birchbox on a whim and let me tell ya, so glad I did. Unfortunately before I was on birth control (it's the truth!) and really started learning how to take care of my skin, I looked like pizza face. It was so horrible, so bad. Now, I still have oily skin but now with acne scars! Not cute, not a ton, but enough to be noticeable therefore embarrassing. With summer coming up, I needed a solution how to cover up without slathering foundation on like a motha. This product allows my skin to breathe plus is doing wonderful, magical things like repairing the acne scars over time, giving me some SPF and perfect coverage. Because I'm paranoid, I double team this product with a tinted moisturizer which is sheer, light and perfect for summer makeup! My face looks dewy and not greasy. Yey! Another plus, this product smells like some sort of fruit or vegetable garden which I could understand some people not liking but I'm all over. Because... you know... food. It fades quickly enough so don't worry about strangers trying to chew your face off because it smells like salad.
2) Make Up Forever HD Microfinish Powder
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| Photo taken from Ebay |
This bad boy snagged me at Sephora on the sample shelves by the register which are the devil btw! While not full sized, it doesn't matter because this product is like magic fairy dust. A little goes a long way- I use the barest of amounts after I'm finished doing my face, buffing it on with a kabuki brush. The powder goes on translucent so no worries about looking like you were antiqued or pretending to be Marie Antoinette. It blends beautifully and leaves your skin looking like porcelain. Since my half Italian outweighs my half Irish, my olive oily skin starts melting almost immediately after applying make up so this is a godsend.
3) Benefit Box O' Powders in Dandelion
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| Photo taken from Sephora.com |
OBSESSED. I don't know how Benefit does it, but I've been having a real love affair with them. Can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, World Series kind of stuff. Yeah, I had to quote "It Takes Two", that's how obsessed and love affair-y. I had been agonizing whether or not to purchase this product because, let's be honest, it's a bit pricey. $28 is a little much for a box of illuminating blush. However, it's just so pretty... how could I not? It's described as a ballerina pink but I honestly see a slight blue tint to it. In some lights, it almost looks like the palest of violet. You can build this up for a real pink or just swipe a little over the apples of your cheeks, it just brightens your face. It's lovely and understated so while a tad expensive, worth the investment.
4) Kickboxing
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| Taken from the bowels of the internet. Thanks Google. |
I almost didn't add this because how can exercising be anyone's favorite anything? Exercising is the WORST. But after taking a hiatus from using the elliptical, I needed something a little more ass-kicking. My mom had been taking a class at one of the local Tae Kwon Do health centers for almost a year- beggginggggggg me to go with. I always shut it down because my thoughts when I get home from work are "How many cookies can I shove in my face before I hate myself?" and "I'm going to make sweet sweet love to my bed... while eating cookies". I'm honestly not even kidding. Me going to kickboxing is like dragging a vegan to a steakhouse- the answer is HELL NO. However, my best friend started going with my mom and they'd come home all sweaty but happy, laughing about how fun it was... I felt left out! So little Megan, little lazy like a kitty cat Megan, decided to go. Boy, am I glad I did! I've really been enjoying the classes which is something I never thought I would ever in a million years say about exercising. So grab a girlfriend or two or your sister or mom or bestie or man bestie or boyfriend or random human and go. What's the worst? You learn how to roundhouse kick as bad ass as Chuck Norris?? In the words of Elle Woods: Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy and happy people just don't shoot their husbands! (That quote has zero bearings, I just really wanted to add it)
Lastly, 5) "The Love Song of Jonny Valentine" by Teddy Wayne
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| Taken by myself. Stunning photography skills, I know. |
Actually, this book wasn't recommended to me by any of the patrons at the library (one of three places I work. Yeah, you read that correctly.) or friends who read but in a magazine. People magazine to be exact. At least it wasn't US Weekly! I was pleasantly surprised though. While I wouldn't call this book one of my favorites of all time, it was a really good read that was engaging and didn't drag. Definitely a vacation read, a good book to read on the beach. The novel is straight forward: it's about an 11 year old pop star named Jonny Valentine and a behind the scenes look of what being a pop star entails. It's very much a fictional telling of how Justin Bieber's life is, I imagine. For me, it cemented how truly demented the entertainment industry is in a way. Especially towards child stars. Media and people in general tend to forget how young these kids really are. It's slightly disturbing because the reader is constantly reminded that Jonny is only a boy. Just interesting and different, especially if you're looking for a light read.
What are some of your April faves?? I already am thinking on my May ones. Maybe I'll actually be timely with my May recommendations because I meant to post this on the 1st and well... yeah, it's not the 1st. Okay! Until next time!
