I'm heading out for the weekend to Philly to meet up with my family for some great food, shopping, and picking up my mom's new car. I'm beyond excited to escape the city for a little bit. Especially because of the cold-- our apartment is freezing! Luckily, I bought a little space heater last year from Bed, Bath, and Beyond - otherwise my sister and I would be popsicles. We live in an older building, so we have steam heat that we can kind of control. We can turn it on - but it doesn't mean we get heat. My sister and I love where we live, but if we could get in a newer building with a doorman, elevator, and a thermostat that you can control , we would love to. Sadly, we can't afford our dream apartment, so we became best friends with our little space heater.
Here are a few of my favorite things for January! It's been a cold month all across the US and is always a blahh month. The holidays are over, the sales are picked over or done, and you just can't wait for spring. These things helped to make my January a little better.
BEAUTY
I got this amazing product in the Sephora Favorites Super Stars Box. I went to buy it before Christmas at the Sephora back home, but they sold out of it. They said it was still online, so I went home and tried to buy it. Of course, it was sold out there as well. From stalking the website for a little bit, I found it back in stock at the Sephora by my apartment. Score! This eyeliner was full size and I love it. It goes on nice and smooth and looks great all day. You don't have to sharpen it or worry it will smudge once it dries.
Originally my mom bought this for herself because she loved the colors. She used it for a few days and decided there were too many "sprinkles" aka glitter in it. She gave it to me and bought the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette instead since there were no glitters in it. My sister and I both have the Urban Decay Naked 2 palettes and love them, but I find myself reaching for this one a little more this month. The shadows are a great formula that looks great all day long. Of course, it seems to be popular since all the Sephora's I've been to since I've started using it have been sold out. Clearly others like this as much as I do!
This one is more of a re-find than a new product. I used to be obsessed with this color and it was my go to when I was younger and got my nail done. However, I never bought it. But, when my sister and I went home, we got our nails done with my mom. We both picked gel colors since it lasts longer and doesn't chip. I thought I was getting a red, but I guess I told the guy the wrong number and ended up with this. Luckily, I still love the color. The salon wasn't the best at gel -- we typically go to a salon by NYU that does an AMAZING job. My sister took hers off after 2 weeks (she normally can get a good 4-5 weeks out of a gel because her nails don't grow fast). I'm still hanging on at almost week 3, but it's starting to chip at the end and is bugging me when I do my hair. So, we won't be going back to that salon for gel -but I think its time for me to buy this gorgeous nail color in the regular finish.
FASHION
I loved this J. Crew shirt from the first time I saw it in store. Unfortunately, all the stores I went to were either sold out or had it in an XXS or XL. When looking for birthday presents for my grandmother, I found it in a size small. It was on sale -- and an additional 50% off the sale price. Needless to say, it came home with me. It's such a cute t-shirt that can be dressed up with a blazer or stay casual with a chambray shirt and statement necklace tossed over it. They had a few other sayings, but I still haven't found anymore in my size.
Amazing Sales are currently going on. From Bloomingdales where they were running an additional percentage off sale in store, to J. Crew's 50% off sale items. Now is the time to buy any Fall/Winter merchandise you might want for next year. Some things like t-shirts in basic colors, denim, and sweaters are great to buy now. You know you'll need them - so why not stock up when they're on sale instead of buying for full price come September?
MUSIC
Before it closed earlier this month, I had seen Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (2.0) on Broadway a few times. I saw it once just to see it, then my family was in town and it was the only show they wanted to see, and then our friend joined the show (my sister and I were fortunate enough to see her go on twice, go backstage, and see her final performance where she was Arachne right before Sandy hit). She introduced us to Zane Carney, who was one of the guitarists/ awesome guy. I knew Zane and Reeve had a band called Carney. I spent a lot of time listening to their stuff on Youtube and wishing they would have a show. Bring in Zane's Rockwood February Residency in 2013. I think I went to every single show, but one because of an exam the next day. He played a few shows throughout the rest of the year, including a few with Reeve. He's out on tour with John Mayer now and is becoming more popular. His debut EP is out on iTunes, Confluence, and is amazing. I believe he's playing a few more shows at Rockwood in February, so be sure to check him out if you can. He promotes this amazing app called Spacebar, so even if you aren't 21 or are not in NYC or LA when he's playing - you can still listen to him (or other artists at a few venues).
What were some of your favorite things about January?
