March Favorites 2015

I seem to have a lot of nail related products as my favorite for last month. I think it's because I've found my perfect combo of base coat, top coat, and remover so it makes the process of doing my nails so much better. I've been pretty good about not purchasing too many makeup items which is why there's an absence of them for March. 

•  Soy Iced Latte Candle. I normally am not a fan of candles that smell like food, but I love a good coffee/espresso candle. It's just like being a coffee shop! Target has their own line of candles that aren't too pricey that I always purchase. They've been good about adding new scents to the collection, and this iced latte one is one of them. It's about the same size as the Bath and Body Works 3-wick candle for half the price. The only downside is that it only has 1 wick so it doesn't burn as evenly as I'd like. Other than that it's amazing. Definitely my favorite scent from that range. It comes in an even bigger size too! (Target doesn't list all these candles on their website, but they do have the Sugar Blossom one on there. I also highly recommend that one if you want something light and fresh. The full range is almost always fully stocked in stores).
• Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat. I originally bought this in conjunction with one of their miracle gel color line polishes. It worked decently but I wasn't a big fan of the huge packaging. I decided to try just the top coat along with my other polishes from O.P.I and Essie, and it's actually become my new favorite top coat. It's so easy to apply since the brush is on the wider side so usually one or two quick strokes is all you need. On top of that it lengthens the time of my manicures. There is some slight chipping since I'm always typing on a keyboard, but so little you can't tell unless you're examining your nails up close.

•  Essie Topless and Barefoot Nail Polish. I think because there has been more surgery days and it has forced me to be more neutral about my polish colors, I've actually come to enjoy them. I'm not one to wear the same color twice in a row, but I pretty much wore only this all of March. Along with the Sally Hansen top coat it has been my go-to manicure all last month.

•  Zoya 3-in-1 Polish Remover. I've been meaning to try this nail polish remover for a while now and finally picked it up from Ulta a few months ago. I always end up with half used polish removers, but this is the only one I've been reaching for lately. It does a great job of removing my polish, and its smell is not offensive. One of the main reasons why I like to use this is for its pump. I can't count how many times I've accidentally knocked over a polish remover bottle. The pump makes it easy to just take a cotton round and soak the remover onto the pad without having to pick up the entire bottle.
• L'oreal Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold Hairspray. The only time I put products in my hair is when I'm using a hair serum. Other than that I prefer to keep my hair product-free. Lately though I've been straightening my hair due to its length and the little baby hairs that stick up around my face have been bugging me like no other! I bought the mini size of this a long time ago just to have on hand, but I've started to use this pretty regularly.. I basically spray some into my hand and use it to pat down any hairs that are sticking up.

•  Shashi Lilu Bracelet. This is another old favorite that has come into rotation again. It's a simple, delicate bead bracelet with colorful, miniature tassels adorned all around. It's easy to wear by itself, but also looks great stacked up with other bracelets and even watches. Unfortunately it looks like the clear beaded version of this bracelet is no longer available, but Shashi still makes this exact item just in different colors. (I'm actually wearing this in my most recent Instagram post even though it's a little hard to tell).

• Michael Kors Stacked Pyramid Pave Ring. Most of the jewelry that my boyfriend has gifted to me I've picked out myself. His taste in jewelry and my taste in jewelry is very different. We've been together long enough where if I like something I'll show him and he'll keep it in mind for a future gift-giving-occasion. You won't believe how surprised I was when he actually picked out this MK ring HIMSELF. He knows I do like the whole pyramid/studded design which is why he ended up getting me this. I love how it's a statement piece, but you can subdue it by taking out two of the pieces. You can also wear it with the band (with the logo on it) facing upright or upside down. He did good folks.

Unboxing/Review: Daniel Wellington Leather Band Watches

How did I originally hear about Daniel Wellington? Through Instagram. Almost every blogger seemed to be posting photos of them wearing one. I had never hear of the brand before then and was intrigued. I had always been on the lookout for a simple, black leather band watch. When I looked through DW's website and saw the Classy Sheffield (26 mm) I decided to do my research.

If I'm going to be perfectly honest I'll admit that I was a little skeptical of purchasing a watch from Daniel Wellington. I have a decent collection of watches and don't mind spending money on them since I wear one every day. While I definitely have watches that were way more expensive than some of DW's watches, I didn't feel comfortable spending a still good amount of money on a watch I had a)never seen in person and b)from a brand I had never heard of before.

I ended up spending a few weeks looking around for a similar design from other watch companies. You would think it wouldn't be such a hard task seeing how simple the DW watches are, but it actually is! One of the main qualities I was looking for was a plain face with non-silver metal detailing. While Marc Jacobs and Kate Spade had some that almost fit the bill, I didn't want anything that had the brand's logo very apparent or with non-classic details (like the spade, even though it is quite cute).

So in the end I decided to go ahead and order the Classy Sheffield with the black leather strap and the rose gold case. BEST. DECISION. EVER. I always thought certain outfits would just go better with a black leather strap watch vs the metal/ceramic band watches (which I normally wear) so I would just rotate this in every now and then. I originally purchased my first Daniel Wellington watch back in August of 2014 and for the past 7 months I've been wearing it 95% of the time. It's so lightweight, goes with everything, and the leather is even better than it was when I first got it (it's gotten a bit worn in and fits perfectly on my wrist).

And that brings me to the Classy St. Mawes Lady (36 mm). I was also interested in the lighter brown strap too during my first look through so decided to order this one in the larger size (which seems to be more popular...on IG anyways). I like this style as well though I wish the brown was more lighter, but overall it's another amazing addition to my collection. Since it is the larger version it does tend to move around on my wrist a bit more (but all watches do) and the leather is taking longer to "break in." For this time around I remembered to snap some photos of the packaging so decided to share along with my review.

Got this delivered to my parents' place and the UPS man totally called me out! 
Mom: "Another package?!" Him: "It's something good though it's a watch!"

Pricing is fair. The US website shows $199 but apparently pricing can vary depending on where it's being shipped from. (That's the only reason I seemed to be able to find). It showed up as $159.20 for me during check out (but paid a total of $135.20 using a discount code).

Well loved Classy Sheffield. Listed as $149 on the website though at checkout it showed up at $119.20 (with a discount code paid $101.32). If anyone knows the reason for the differences in price let me know!

How To Removing Pilling From Sweaters

 I feel at this point most of my sweaters have gotten a lot of use seeing that winter has come and gone. I have this cardigan that I wear TO DEATH during the colder weather and it's definitely seen better days. It's held up relatively well considering that it was less than $20 and I've had it for a few years. The main concern I had about it was the pilling. It was out of hand. I had bought this in a second color (that's how much I liked this cardigan) and the same issue came up with that one. The pills are more apparent on the lighter color but I don't wear that one as much so I decided to first try this removal method on the blue one. And I am happy to say it worked like a charm and is ridiculously easy, if not a bit time-consuming. (I wouldn't recommend doing this on more expensive clothing items).

Here's my method of removing pills from your sweaters and cardigans in 2 simple steps using only 2 items.

 Tools: A disposable razor and some packing tape. That's it!

 Step 1: Lay out your clothing on a flat surface. Start firmly dragging the razor across the surface. You may have to go over certain areas multiple times depending on how much pilling it had (typically worse on the insides of the arms where the fabric would be in contact with the sides of the body).

 Step 2: Once you start seeing the pills gather take a piece of packing tape and pat all over to grab the now loose pills. This should also help remove any barely-attached pieces as well.

 I did the same with my other cardigan. And voila! I can now wear them for a couple more winters.