January Favorites!

As we near the end of January, (that was fast!) I thought it would be cool to do a favorites post including all my must-haves from the month. I will include beauty products, crafts, etc. so let's get started!

First, let me just say that I don't like to wear a lot of makeup. I think the best look a girl can wear is one that is natural. When I see someone that has a load of makeup on, I think to myself, "What is this? Where is she going that she needs to look that orange and cake-y?" That said, I do believe in spicing up the usual look for weekends and different events that may call for a special look. It wasn't until I started watching Zoella on YouTube that I found out about this amazeballs product. Let me just tell you guys, my favorite color is pink...and this almost always applies when I buy makeup. I want pink eyeshadow, pink blush, and pink lipgloss. Even though I have a darker skin tone, and know that corals would add some pizazz to my face, I have never stepped up and taken the risk....until I heard this raving review from Zoella.

This M.A.C. lipstick is in the shade "Costa Chic" and is literally one of the best lip products I have ever owned. It is a bright orange and smears effortlessly onto the lips..not to mention how ridiculously pigmented it is. The color you see is exactly what you get. I'm so tired of going through those products that look shimmery, or slightly nude with pink undertones and then when applied, look nothing like what they appear. With this lip frost, that is definitely not the case. However, I will say that the swatch on the website (http://www.maccosmetics.com/products/spp/shaded.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT168&PRODUCT_ID=PROD310&SKU_ID=SKU11007) doesn't really match the true color. The swatch looks somewhat like a rosy-red. I would describe it as coral/sunset orange with pink undertones. The best part about this product is most definitely the price. It was only $15! Personally, I don't think that's half bad. Here is a picture of the lipstick and me wearing it!

M.A.C. Lipstick in Costa Chic

Another quick beauty product I want to share with you guys is this Essie nail polish in the color "Butler Please." It is a deep royal blue and it is fab. Although, I don't know it it's just mine or.....but it's really clumpy to apply for some reason. I bought another Essie polish from the same collection and it doesn't do that. It also chips a lot easier than the other color too. Perhaps I just need to add some nail polish remover to break up the clumps??? Any suggestions? All of that aside, I do really love the color of it in winter. It's bright and vibrant, but more subdued than most summer colors.

Essie Nail Polish: Butler Please

Next, OMG you guys. Technically I went here on NYE....but it lasted until midnight so I'm counting it ;). It's The Drybar. Now, in case you haven't heard of this beyond brilliant idea, it's essentially a blow dry bar. You go in, they shampoo & condition your hair, and then style it from the options they have in their lookbook! No cuts, no color. Okay.....when I first saw this in a magazine...which must have been at least a year ago...I  was so incredibly thrilled. If you have long hair like me, or long, thick hair like me, then you know what it's like to go through this process every day. I kid you not it takes me at least 2.5 hrs to wash, dry, and style my hair. And you know what the annoying thing is: You know when you go get your hair done and it is like crazy soft and silky? I can never seem to get my hair just like that at home. I have tried literally everything and it still seems to feel heavy until I straighten it some. Anyway......when I found out about this California based business, I was upset to learn that there was no location near me. :( However, as this is an awesome idea and business venture (props Alli Webb---and a major thank you for coming up with this!) they have grown and spread across the US with almost 30 locations! I actually found an article titled "Drybar: How One Woman And A Hair Dryer Became a $20 Million Operation" which I will link here in case anyone is interested in the details of how it became the brand it is today! (http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2012/11/01/drybar-how-one-woman-and-a-hair-dryer-became-a-20-million-operation/)

First ever Drybar visit!!!

Fresh flowers at the Drybar Georgetown

So, on the 31st, I went in to the Georgetown location in D.C. while on break (pictured side and above) and was extremely pleased with how everything turned out. They offer you drinks and mini-cookies...of course I wasn't old enough to get any of the champagne they offer -__- however, the experience was perfect. I only waited five minutes before the stylist took me back to discuss what look I wanted. I got a Cosmo/Mai Tai combo and fell in love! She took me back to the shampoo room which was lovely and then back to her station where there was a TV playing the movie New Year's Eve ...how appropriate! lol. Overall, I was beyond thrilled with my look and the service there. Most locations only charge $35, however mine was $40 because it was DC. (It's also $40 at NY and SF locations) They also have styling tools they call "The Hard Stuff," that have just come out and styling products entitled "The Sauce" that are available for pre-order on their website. Bottomline: Definitely check them out if there is a location near you! You won't be disappointed :)

The cutest doormat ever at the Drybar Georgetown location!

  Just getting muh hair did; sipping on OJ and watching New Year's Eve             
"But you know what? This is gonna be a great year..."

The finished product :)

Moving along swiftly... pleasepleaseplease consider making one of these. I first saw this idea when one of my friends posted a picture of hers on Instagram at the start of the year. It's a "Great Moments of 2013" Jar. Basically, you take a jar (either something laying around your house, or you can buy them from Michael's like I did), and you decorate it (I suppose you could skip this step if you wanted...but I mean, who wouldn't want a cute jar?!?!) and fill it with stick-y notes of great things that happen to you throughout 2013! Then, on New Year's Eve you can go through them and appreciate everything that much more! I think that things often go unnoticed and unappreciated these days, and this is a great way to remember all of the special things that happen over the course of a year! I only have a few stick-y notes in my jar thus far, but I also want to open the idea of putting the small great things that happen in as well. Some of mine are little things that have happened, but I think cherishing the small things at the end of the day, and in this case the year, is really something I want to remind myself of come NYE. I REALLY hope at least ONE person will make one after reading this. It is such a great idea to do with friends/family to get everyone into appreciating the great things that happen in the year! :-)

The great thing about this crafty idea is that it's personal and unique to the individual who makes it, and it is cheap! I want to say this mason jar was around $2 from Michael's and the flower stickers were $5 from Michael's as well. I already had white paint for the top, white ribbon, and found some old rub-on stickers that had cool sayings to live by such as: "Follow your heart,""Carpe diem,""What a wonderful world,""The best is yet to come," and "Make life an adventure." I think these were absolutely perfect to add to my Great Moments Jar and really captured the theme I was going for!

My "Great Moments of 2013" Jar!

My next favorite of January is somewhat random but I just found it by accident this past Saturday! And thank goodness because I have been addicted to this place ever since me and my Mom discovered them in NYC.

Pret A Manger! Beyond happy to discover this while shopping Saturday!!!

Pret A Manger, directly translated to mean "ready to eat" is a company that sells handmade, and pre-packaged foods such as salads, sandwiches, and baked goods. I actually made a point to stop at the location in Union Station after I went to Drybar because I was going through withdraw for not having it in such a long time. Turns out they have one where I go to college as well! Phew!! I went the other day and got my favorites:

Almond Croissant and Strawberry Lemonade from Pret! Yummy! Cue mouth watering haha

Last, but absolutely not least is the documentary First Position. Last year I was begging my Mom to see this with me, but simply never found the time. And too bad that we didn't because it is nothing short of unbelievable. Filmed by Bess Kargman, a previous ballet dancer, First Position follows 6 dancers to the 2011 Youth America Grand Prix Competition. The documentary really engages the audience to feel the passion and drive for each and every dancer featured. The camera follows all of them to their hometowns and dance studios around the world. Ranging from a small town in Maryland, to Italy, and Colombia, dancers of all different stories--this film captures them in such a pure light of mere talent and desire to dance and pursue a career in such an art.

The craziest part when watching was finding out that I actually know one of the girls featured. My brother is friends with Rebecca's (one of the dancers featured) boyfriend. They both went to the same high school. I was so stunned when watching lol. I had to replay the entire scene to fully grasp what I had just seen. I also took a special interest in Joan Sebastian Zamora who was also featured in the film because he is from Colombia...and though I am only 50% Colombian, I take great pride in my nationality. His story is the one that stuck with me most for his insane enthusiasm and hunger driving him to support his family back in Colombia; not to mention his immense talent as a ballet dancer. I would definitely recommend this documentary to ANYONE. You don't have to be a dancer or even have any background knowledge in the art to appreciate the hard work and dedication that a dancer puts into their career. A MUST SEE!

First Position DVD

So that's the end of my January Favorites.....Sorry that was incredible long, but I just want you guys to get a sense of who I am and what I like etc.

Comment below if you love any of the things I mentioned in this post!

See you next time,

xx Monica