My Favorite Lip Picks.

Lip Service. At Your Service.

I have had so much fun incorporating a bit more color into my makeup bag over the past year. Since having a baby, I feel like I look tired all the time (probably because I am tired all the time...) so I've started adding a punch of color to the lips. I think it really helps lift the face a bit. And ladies, we will take all the help we can get right?

I thought I would share a few of my rotating favorites. I am not really a serial product tester, so when I say that I use these... I mean that I actually use them! Not just once or twice. Also, these are probably best on olive skin-tone - all you peaches and cream gals, you are so lucky. You can actually wear true reds and pinks and look like movie stars. All of us with yellow faces... we have to get a bit more creative. With orange tinted everything.

EOS Organic Lip Balm in Pomegranate Raspberry

This is my everyday go-to. It's completely clear and natural-looking. I can kiss all over my baby while wearing this balm, and nothing smears or rubs off. Plus, it just does a fantastic job moisturizing. My other favorite flavors are honeydew and passion fruit.

Korres Lip Butter in Quince

I love love love this color. It goes on like a balm but packs a joyful fruity punch of color. I only wish this consistency came in a wand/stick situation. I don't love dipping my finger in the little pot. Just a germophobe pet peeve.

Covergirl Natureluxe Gloss Balm in Coral

I'll go ahead and admit that I bought this one a few years ago, only because Taylor Swift was the cover girl for this line. But it turns out that this color quickly became my favorite! It's carefree and sheer and summery. Just like Taylor in 2012.

Royal Apothic Lip Tintie in Coral

Another coral, another wonderful one. This was a gift from my gal pal Natalie, and it is like a treasure! It comes all wrapped up so cutesy and the color is another coral, but a bit softer and pinkier. It's just lovely. Anthropologie strikes again.

100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze in Vixen

This is my newest favorite shade. Not only is the color a little outside my comfort zone (baby pink!) but it is surprisingly fun and makes me feel like one of the Pink Ladies from Grease. Annndddd this product is literally pure - there are no garbage chemicals in the ingredients. LOVE.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

Man, I tried this one for the first time in middle school and I thought it was THEEE coolest color. Ever. I tend to rub this one on when Starbucks rolls out it's Pumpkin Spice Latte in late August. It's just a color that screams for autumn and pumpkins and knitted sweaters and colorful hardwood trees. Yum. Now I want a Starbucks.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Strawberry Kisses

This is my go-to date night lip color. It's a stain, so it stays put, and the color is like WOW. It makes me feel modern and ladylike all at once.

An instagram of me in this color.

So there you have it! A peek into my medicine cabinet of lip paraphernalia. Groovy stuff, huh? These just make me happy and remind me of why it's so much fun being a girl. SO MUCH BETTER THAN BEING A BOY.

January Delights

January List... by oykristen // 1. Champion Women's Fit and Flare Tank // 2. Lacroix Pamplemousse Water // 3. Hale Groves Red Grapefruit // 4. Giada's Feel Good Food Cookbook  // 5. Neoprene Flashbulb Handweights  // 6. Vitamix Series 3 Professional Blender // 7. 2014 Paper Source Watercolor Art Calendar // 8. Korres Lip Butter in Quince // 9. Origins Plantscription Youth-Renewing Night Cream // 10. Paper Source Gratitude Journal //

A Jolly January.

It's a new year. Obviously, you know this. I have taken a little bit of time to reflect and think about what I want this year to be about. My bff Trish made a really point about resolutions. She said, "Year resolutions are too much pressure. I like to think about one goal for each quarter." So she makes mini goals for the Spring, Summer, Fall, etc. So smart! And certainly more manageable. That girl... she's a gem. 

So I've been focusing on wellness goals for the Spring (I know it's not quite spring yet, but humor me... I've gotta have some motivation to get through the winter up here!) When I say wellness, I do NOT mean just eating right, dieting or workout goals. I mean overall wellness; spirit AND body. What does that mean?

Spirit.

Making sure I take a few minutes every morning to pray, be thankful for another day of life and health, to read some scriptures or journal a little bit. It's annoying to wake up 15 minutes earlier than my eyes want to open, but I've found that it centers me for the entire day. And sometimes that 15 minutes turns into 45. It's rather peaceful. And it makes me more aware of others and their needs (hello, I write a BLOG, I don't need any extra incentive to be introspective. But I could certainly be less selfish.) This little journal (10. Paper Source Gratitude Journal) and calendar (7. 2014 Paper Source Watercolor Art Calendar) are a few great tools to get that reflective ball rolling!

Body.

Lets get real. My holiday was all-consuming. Literally. I vegged my heart out and worked out, um... very little. So I'd like to get back into the swing of balancing cardio and weights, along with some extra stretching. I never stretch anymore! Its ridiculous, because I know how good stretching is for the bod. When I watch TV, I'm taking half an episode to sprawl out on the floor and just stretch. There is just really no excuse. (Especially since I've been glued to House Hunters International and Property Brothers lately.) Oh HGTV. You slay me. I bought this fun workout top (1. Champion Women's Fit and Flare Tank) and have been using these nifty little weights (5. Neoprene Flashbulb Handweights) to slowly regain my strength and stamina. In an effort to imagine that I'm living in the tropics, I've been snacking on grapefruit everything lately, and treating myself to this sparkling water (2. Lacroix Pamplemousse Water) like it's going out of style. Yum. My dear friend and health guru got me this fabulous book (4. Giada's Feel Good Food Cookbook) for Christmas, and I've been trying out a few of the recipes. Who doesn't love Giada? She's such a babe. And a wonder in the kitchen. ANNND (drumroll please) I got this dreamy blender (6. Vitamix Series 3 Professional Blender) for Christmas and I am FREAKING OUT about all the wonderful eats that will come from such a powerful machine. Stay tuned for lots of yummy recipes to come.

Side note: It's winter. It's a real bear on the skin. I'm currently involved in a dysfunctional love/hate relationship with Origins (love the products, hate the prices), and since I am the whipped party, I shell out the cash for the promise of a brighter tomorrow (in this case, 9. Origins Plantscription Youth-Renewing Night Cream.) And to be honest, these products make my skin so soft and less, um caveman-like? I tend to turn sallow-yellow in the winter (thanks, Dad, for that Italian heritage. And thanks, Mom, for throwing in that Native American heritage, too.), so while my lovely sisters got the rosy-pink undertones in their skin, I unfortunately inherited the olive face which means than sans-tan, I am sporting a tricked-out yellow-fever kind of palette. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Thankfully, a pretty pink-ish lip gloss (8. Korres Lip Butter in Quince) certainly helps the dismal situation. Am I being too chatty? I'm feeling deliciously girly today.

I hope your January continues in a jolly fashion. Don't let the cold get you down! Blast your heat and wear bright colors - the sunshine is in your future!