Monthly Favorites Archives | Alexandra Adams

January 29, 2016 — No Comments

Monthly Favorites: January 2016

I cannot believe January is already over. Fastest month ever, am I right? This has been a month of trying new things, starting (and abandoning) new habits, and pretending like it's still Christmas. Here are some of my favorite things this month!

Butter London Nail Foundation Flawless Basecoat

I use this base coat on my nails every single time I paint them. It works better than a top coat (seriously) for adhering to the polish and helping it last a long time. And as a base coat, it helps keep darker polishes from staining my nails. It's win/win.

Jane the Virgin

If you don't already watch this show, now is the time. It's been on my list since Gina Rodriguez won the Golden Globe last year, but I only just started watching it this month. And I watched all of season 1 and the first half of season 2 twice in a row already, so I'm glad it started up again this week. Jane Villanueva has become one of my favorite fictional characters ever–she's so honest and great. In fact, almost all the characters on the show are just so darn likeable! It's crazy and funny and sweet and I don't want to give away any spoilers, so just go watch it so we can talk about it, okay?!

Snow

Oh my gosh, I love snow. The blizzard last weekend gave us over two feet, and I just love looking at it! My dogs love it too, especially Brooklyn. She just rolls around in it and takes off tearing through the yard until she's completely covered; it's so cute. I love the sparkle of it, the playing around in it, the sweaters and scarves you wear in it–it's all good to me!

Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Champagne

You guys, this is the best. It's a killer eyeshadow primer; anything you put on top of it isn't going anywhere. But it's perfect on its own, too–a little pink, a little gold. It's basically the same color as my go to eyeshadow shade, which makes this the ultimate lazy day product. This and some mascara is all you need!

Martha Stewart Plush Robe

I never really considered myself a robe girl, but oh man. My life has changed. This is the softest, coziest, best thing I have ever worn. You seriously don't know how soft this is until you touch it–Martha Stewart knows what she's doing. I wear it nearly every day when I'm working from home (and I'm pretty sure Martha does too). I'll even put it on over my regular outfit. It's like being wrapped in a blanket all the time—how could you go wrong?

What have been some of your favorite things this month?

Published by Alexandra Adams in Monthly Favorites

November 28, 2015 — No Comments

Monthly Favorites: November 2015

November is such a waiting game. Halloween is (finally) over, and I am so ready to get in the full-blown Christmas spirit...but Thanksgiving still has to happen. Now, I’m not one to let Thanksgiving get in the way of my holiday celebrations, but when everyone looks down their nose at you for listening to Christmas music on November 5th, it can be a little discouraging. But Thanksgiving is so late this year! And the 24 days leading up to the main event is not enough time to fully appreciate the season. At least not for me, anyway.

That being said, there are definitely a few holiday-ish things that may seem to be sneaking their way onto the favorites list a little early, but that I’ve definitely been enjoying all month.

First up is this weekly planner pad from Sugar Paper’s new line at Target. Y’all know how much I love my planners and notebooks and paper, and this pad is just so great. It has space on the left to plan out things that need to happen at some point over the course of the week, and space on the right to divvy things up between the days. Plus, it’s pink! What’s not to love?

Next on the list is the bread cornucopia my mom makes every year at Thanksgiving. We always use this to display our vegetables prettily and a little differently than a standard tray, and it’s one of my favorite parts about Thanksgiving. The whole thing is made out of Pillsbury breadsticks, so it’s delicious as well as festive!

If you follow my blog at all, you’ll already know this rose gold spray paint is one of my favorite things this month. I used it in several projects for our Thanksgiving tablescape, including these rose gold leaf candles, these napkin rings, and the painted branches. You’d think after using it so much I’d be sick of it, but nope! It’s still as pretty as ever. I’m just trying to figure out exactly how many things I can use it on before it’s considered overkill.

Now we’re really moving into the holiday spirit. Gift guides! These things are everywhere, and I devour them all. I love seeing things organized by color, or personality type, or family members. I get some great ideas from these for others and for myself! Some of my favorite gift guides are made by Lauren Conrad, LittleBlondeBook, and all the gift guides from fashion bloggers on liketoknow.it–they all include direct links to purchase the items, so it couldn't be easier.

Last, but definitely not least, beauty advent calendars. They’ve become more popular over the past couple years, but they’ve absolutely exploded this year. There are an incredible array of them, making it easy to get one (or several) with products you love. My wishlist currently includes Benefit Cosmetics' Party Poppers set, Ciaté London's Mini Mani Month, Eylure's Advent Calendar, FeelUnique's 12 Days of Unique Beauty, and Charlotte Tillbury's gorgeous The Book of Makeup Magic. There are tons of beauty calendars to choose from–they range from nail products to makeup to lotions to body washes to bath bombs and more. You can definitely find one you love–but move fast, they tend to sell out quickly!

What are some things you’ve been loving this month? Have you already been sneaking Christmas into your schedule as much as I have?

Published by Alexandra Adams in Monthly Favorites

October 29, 2015 — No Comments

Monthly Favorites: October 2015

October is such a great month for me. The air is finally getting chillier and I can break out my scarves and sweaters in earnest without sweltering in the shame of being too eager for the weather to change. This month I've rounded up some of my favorite things to share with you guys that I've been loving this month.

Candy Corn + Peanuts

This is the easiest "recipe" in the entire world and also one of the most delicious. Cocktail peanuts have the perfect amount of super-saltiness to balance out the super-sugary sweetness of the candy corn and the combination is perfect. I could eat this all day (and probably have).

This plaid scarf (similar here, here, here, here, and here)

I got this scarf at TJ Maxx and thought I wouldn't be able to wear it as much as I have. It works perfectly with this Butter nail polish and my pink Kate Spade studs. Since I tend to pull my hair back if my scarf is extra big, I get to show off my color-coordination skills. It's so cozy and versatile; I want one for every day of the week.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

My mom makes these every October, and when I was in college, this was the care package I looked forward to the most. Since I'm home this year, I got to have a few while they were still warm and oh. my. gosh. I forgot how good they were fresh out of the oven. They're especially dangerous because they're small, so you can easily eat eight or nine without even realizing it! The recipe can be found on my mom's blog here—just trust me on this one.

Dutch Braids

I have FINALLY mastered the Dutch braid this month! After years of French braiding, you'd think doing it backwards would be no sweat-but oh, sweat it was. You can see my tutorial here where I compare the two braids. I'm just glad I finally have another kind in my arsenal to pull out on bad hair days or just when I need my hair out of my face.

Dark lipsticks

And of course, with fall comes a dark lip. It's one of my favorite fall fashions. I've recently been reaching for my berry/wine colors, but I love a good dark red as well. Here are some of my current favorites!

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Blackberry Sorbet | This line is incredible; they go on so smooth and stay forever on the lips without smudging on anything.
YSL Rouge Volupté in Forbidden Burgundy
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Fiery | These really do stay all day. They're so pigmented, you only need one swipe and your lips are covered. (This might just be my favorite red lip of all time.)
Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color in 645 Red Revival
Sephora Luster Matte Long Wear Lip Color in Mulberry Luster
Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Berry Allure | This is definitely a gloss and is pretty sheer, but you can build it up to be more pigmented if you want.

Published by Alexandra Adams in Lifestyle, Monthly Favorites