Dec
07

Sparkle & Pop: December Must Have’s + Thanksgiving Recap

Today’s post is a bit of a catch-all. Last month I started a series called Monthly Must Have’s that involve me sharing my top 5 favorite products for each respective month of the year to be posted the first Saturday of every month. Well, it’s the first Saturday of December, and I’m excited to share this month’s picks!! The year is almost up and the holiday season’s here, and I think people use that as an excuse to get a little crazier with their makeup and clothing choices. When else can you wear glittery eye liner with a sequin dress and get away with it?! In honor of the glitziness of the ending of the year, this month’s picks include a little bit of sparkle with just a touch of color pop.

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These five products will have you prepared for any kind of get together… and even bring a little bit of sun to your possibly sorta kinda pale winter face that starts to show up this time of year :)
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1 & 2) Essie Nail Polish in Russian Roulette + Good as Gold
What can be more seasonal than a bit of red and gold at Christmastime?! I love Essie nail polish and these colors go so well with this festive time of year. Depending on how crazy you want to get, you can stick with the neutral gold color (which is actually considered a “minor metallic”) or add some pop with the red. Don’t forget a minimum of two coats to make this brand of nail polish last!

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3) Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched
Confession time: This is the first bronzer I have ever owned! I’ve never been much of a face makeup kinda girl, but when this sample came in the mail last month, I was really excited to try it out! And it works like a charm!! I won’t be have any tanning opportunities until a month from today when I leave for Florida, and I usually tend to not tan my face anyway, so this bronzer adds the perfect touch to give my face that sunkissed look. I apply it to my cheekbones and concentrate more on my outer cheek (rather than the apple).

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4) Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Shameless
Alright, one more confession… this is also the first lip crayon I’ve owned. I know. I’m a little late arriving to the party because this is really such a great finish for a night out! It’s a little more bold than lipstick and adds just a little extra POP to your look. This color has just the very slightest tint of purple, so it’s probably better to stick with more neutral tones for your eye makeup when wearing this color.

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5) Starlooks Gem Pencil in Amethyst
If there’s one thing I love when it comes to makeup, it’s eyeliner! I try to have a lot of eyeliner options available (as well as eye shadows) as I’m sure many girls do, and this one is pretty unique compared to my darker brown and black shades I usually have. It’s shimmery and silver, and it’s perfect for hightlighting the inner corner of your eye to finish off a smokey eye look. You can bet I’ll be wearing this on New Year’s Eve this December!

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So there you have it… my five favorite products for the month of December! I shot all of these with my Canon 5D Mark III and 50mm 1.2L lens at f/1.2-1.6. I still haven’t gotten over being able to shoot wider than f/1.8. Feels too good to be true. I’ll accept it soon. I’m going to have to if I want to get any shots fully in focus!! ;) And now on to why I called this post a “catch-all” …
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I have a few pictures from my week spent in Indiana with family for Thanksgiving! There were lots of puppies and farm animals and of course… GOOD FOOD!!

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These cows are so funny… I never realized just how much of a personality each one has!! I swear they were posing for me!! Haha!
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My aunt’s cheese ball dip… SO. GOOD.
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And this picture above just about sums up what most of us were doing all week… lounging.
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And then I came home and got to annoy Justin with my new camera, too!! Yay! ;)

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And Chloe… but she doesn’t mind :) This was actually taken with my new Canon speedlite! So excited to try it out tonight!! Until next time… have a great weekend!

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