Budget makeup find: Sonia Kashuk blush.

I've talked here before about my love of NARS' blush—Orgasm has been my go-to for years because it's seriously the perfect peachy pink. I love it; in fact, I'm currently trying to coax every powdery drop out of my almost-empty tray.

That said, at $25 a pop, NARS blush is not cheap, and I am not always able to get to Sephora to pick up a refill (I could order online but why pay shipping, you know?). So I present to you Sonia Kashuk's Beautifying Blush in Flushed, which rings in at under $10 and whose color, I'm finding, is an excellent reflection of its name. It's bright, so you don't need a lot, but it does the job. Pretty and inexpensive? Win/win.

Photo credit unknown; please let me know if you know it and I'll update!

spring favorites.

i love reading what's-in-your-bag and what's-in-your-beauty-cabinet style posts, so i thought i'd do one featuring my spring favorites. i have a pretty simple beauty routine -- a little foundation, some blush and mascara, blown-out hair when i have the time -- but i feel like lately i've found the products that really work for me.

1. mario badescu enzyme cleansing gel: i use this in the morning and it wakes up my skin really nicely. i find that as an end-of-day, makeup-removing product it's not fantastic (for me, at least), but in the morning it's perfect.
2. kiehls ultra facial products: i use these at night (i got them as part of a travel set, as a gift) to remove the day's makeup, tone and moisturize, and i love them. so gentle. plus they last forever.
3. jo malone orange blossom perfume: this scent is like the best of florida in a bottle -- it truly smells like orange blossoms and i love it. i had been using issey miyake for awhile -- and i still use miss dior cherie for special, particularly girly occasions -- but this is my new, hands-down favorite.
4. moroccanoil: smells great and works even better -- whenever i use it, my hair is softer and shinier. also, even though it's expensive, it lasts forever. i'm still less than halfway through a bottle i bought last mid-year last year.
5. fekkai glossing shampoo and conditioner: i got some samples of this and my hair just drinks it up. coupled with the moroccanoil, it's perfect. plus, it smells great.
6. bare minerals makeup: i have finicky, sensitive skin, and this is my product of choice. it's light but not drying and they actually make it in a shade that perfectly matches my incredibly white skin.
7. nars blush in super orgasm: my aunt bought this and didn't like it (!), so she gave it to me and i love it--and the little hint of sparkle it provides.
8. josie maran lip & cheek stain in jive: i bought this a few months ago and it's totally worth it. it somehow manages to be super-saturated and moisturizing. it's a little too bright for me to feel comfortable wearing every day, but on mornings when i need a pick-me-up or nights when i'm going out, it's perfect.
9. cover girl lash blast mascara (orange tube): best mascara i've ever used, hands-down. it's amazing. thickening and lengthening.

and you? what are your favorite beauty products right now? please share, i very unabashedly love this stuff.

A few favorites.

I always get a kick out of reading what beauty products other bloggers swear by (Anna at Door Sixteen puts together some particularly good round-ups), so I thought I'd share a few items I'm loving these days, too. (Please excuse the randomly numbered items in the image above, as they really are kind of, um, scattered. And please also share some of your favorite beauty products, as well—seriously, I love reading and talking about this stuff.)

1. Fekkai Brilliant Glossing shampoo and conditioner. Real talk: I generally cannot afford this stuff, but a few weeks ago I saw an offer from Saks that was too good to pass up: If you brought in a bottle of shampoo (any brand), they'd give you a free, full-size bottle of Fekkai. I was sold. (And I did end up buying the conditioner since that lasts me much, much longer.) It smells amazing and it works really well on my long, fine-but-thick hair. Two thumbs up.

2. Clarisonic brush. I've had this for a few months and I love it—my skin has never felt cleaner or smoother. It's an investment, for sure, but I use mine twice a day, so it more than works out (at least in my opinion). Plus, it's waterproof so I can cart it into the shower, which is awesome. And as far as keeping it clean, I just wash the brush with baby shampoo once a week and replace the head every three months or so.

3. Josie Maran argan oil. This stuff is a great natural moisturizer, and a little goes a long way; I put a dab on before makeup in the morning. It's also really nice for soothing chapped skin. Also: It lasts forever. 

4. Bare Minerals makeup. I've written about how much I love Bare Minerals before (here and here), and I'm happy to say that I still do. It's one of the few foundations that really works with my skin and my skin tone (which is super, super, super fair).

5. Nars blush in Orgasm. There's a reason people rave about this; the color is warm and it wakes up the face without being overpowering.

6. Bare Minerals eyeshadow in Pussycat. I don't wear eyeshadow every day, but when I do this is my go-to. It's a perfect color—an olive-gold-brown mix—it's shimmery without being overpowering and it's easy to apply. Yay!

7. CoverGirl Last Blash mascara (orange tube). I've tried a lot of other mascaras, and this is hands-down my favorite. It's volumizing and lengthening and I love it; a quick swipe does the job for daytime, and you can layer as needed for a more dramatic nighttime look. I usually buy it in black, but last time I bought it I grabbed a tube of brown and that's great, too.

8. My glasses, which I just raved about here. If I want to switch up my look, this is the easiest way to do it (again, the helps-me-to-see factor is a big bonus, as well.).

a few of my favorite things, or: a little list of happy.

+ this shrimp curry, which i mentioned on monday and have been savoring ever since.
+ nars blush in super orgasm -- my aunt bought it and didn't love it, so she gave it to me, and i am smitten.
+ rosebud salve.
+ work.
+ cold water with fresh lime wedges. yum.
+ exercise, which i've really been loving lately. yay, endorphins!
+ emily and geoff's house tour on apartment therapy, which is inspiring me to paint my bedroom pink (something i've wanted to do for awhile) and embrace wood.
+ strawberry abita. light and refreshing and seasonal and currently sitting jauntily on the shelves of my grocery store. woohoo!
+ this girl's pretty, wavy hair (which makes me want to keep mine long, after all -- see photo above), cute outfit, and style philosophy.

your turn! what are your favorite things right now?