Best of Beauty 2016: Skin, Hair, Nails & More

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Hey friends! This week we're saying goodbye to 2016 by taking a look back at some of the best beauty launches and discoveries from the past year. We've already covered the best of the best in makeup, and today we're chatting skincare, haircare, bath, body and more! Curious to find out what products made the cut? Keep on reading!

August 2016 Faves & Updates

Hello lovelies! I woke up this morning with the sudden realization that it's significantly darker out when my alarm goes off at 6 am. The long, sunny days of summer are mostly behind us, and while I'm all about fall, I'm also pretty unhappy about feeling like a zombie before work every day. Maybe I need one of those alarm clock lights that mimic the rising sun...

Anyway...you're here to chat beauty (not just to hear me lament the end of my favorite season)! I tried to reel in my shopping in August, knowing that I'm going to Generation Beauty in New York later this month. Words cannot express how excited I am to spend an entire weekend reveling in all things beauty (really though, I feel like a kid waiting for Christimas). So, in the spirit of trying to keep things under control and to make room for lots of epic GenBeauty swag, I've kept things pretty minimal in the last month. Curious to see what made the cut? Keep reading to find out!

Winter Essentials: My Favorite Lip Balms

Has anyone else noticed that Mother Nature seems to be awfully confused about what season it is? One day its -8º out and the next its 60. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for an early spring, but these constant changes in temperature seriously wreak havoc on my body. My allergies are going nuts, as is my skin (which can't decide if it wants to be bone dry or oil slick). Truth be told, if there is one word that I can use to describe my usual state of existence between January and April living here in New England, it's uncomfortable.

So what's a girl to do? Do you just need to suffer through three months of static shocks, frizzy hair, and dry hands without reprieve? The answer is no. Or at least, not entirely. Maybe you can't avoid the pain of your face being slapped by a wind chill of -25º while you're walking in to work, but you can certainly do something to protect and treat the bits of you that are exposed to the elements.

Perhaps the most crucial of all my cold weather essentials is lip balm. Chapped lips can range from annoying to downright painful, which means I am all about taking the necessary steps to prevent them. And as your resident beauty enthusiast, it also means that I am forever on the hunt for that life changing, Holy Grail, ultimate savior from angry lips. Which, of course, brings us to today's post. I'm sharing 5 tried and true balms for surviving winter chap-free.

December 2015 Favorites

It's hard to believe the final month of 2015 is already almost over! With all of the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas the weeks have seriously flown by, although I have definitely managed to still have my fair share of experimenting with fun new beauty products. Today I've got a round up of 10 goodies that I have been absolutely loving as per late and would highly, highly recommend you check out.

September 2015 Empties

September was apparently a majorly productive month for me, because I've got a TON of empties to share. I've got a little bit of everything - from makeup, to skincare, to hair, even to tea and candles. There were definitely some hits, and also some misses, and I've got no shortage of opinions on either. Since I had SO many things to talk about, I thought it might be fun to film another video for you guys instead of writing up an epic-ly long post. So get cozy, grab yourself a snack, and get ready for some serious beauty ramblings!

May 2015 Favorites

Hello there, friends! I feel like I owe you all a bit of an apology. I've barely had time or energy to post, or engage with my social media, or respond to comments and it's totally bumming me out. Work has basically been sucking all of the life out of me, and by the time I get home I only seem to have the capacity to lay in bed and watch Pretty Little Liars reruns. I am so. SO tired. So tired I almost left the house today without realizing I hadn't put pants on. When you start forgetting how to dress yourself you know you're more than overdue for a break! Anyway, I know that I've been posting late or infrequently, but I hope you'll all understand and bear with me until my life returns to some level of normalcy. Anyway, on to the favorites! Even though I was a little sparse with my posts in May, I had no shortage of new beauty products to play with. It's always so hard to narrow my list down to just a few standouts! Fortunately I was able to get my act together and pick a few of my favorite products from the past month to share with you.

May 2015 Glambag

I know I'm a little late in the game with writing up reviews of all my May subscriptions, but it has been the craziest of months. Between working late and post-work commitments my free hours to blog have been sparse. I'm not entirely sure June will be much better, but here's to hoping!

The last subscription related post to cross off my list is my Ipsy Glambag. This month's theme was Jetsetter - offering a selection of products that are perfect for making you look great on-the-go, and that are also totally travel friendly. I think Ipsy actually did a pretty great job of selecting products that fit with the theme (which isn't always necessarily the case).