Welcome to the second installment of The Monthly Edit, a gluttonous feast of my favorite things each month. And this month I really fell hard for a few decedent treasures. From the latest makeup releases that captured my attention (and my heart) to my go-to skincare products currently saving my skin from winter’s chill, the luxury splurges that started an obsession, the usual suspects I still can’t get enough of, the new-to-me products that are actually worth it and much more. My favorites aren’t always what I used most but rather what I cherished most. Every month is different: there’s the newcomers and the holdovers, the unexpected and the obvious, the crowd-pleasers and the brow raisers. You can find every installment of The Monthly Edit here. Let’s dive in.
Programming Note: This post includes more goodness than an email can handle. Don’t miss a thing, read it here!
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The January Edit: Failure to Launch
This month has felt like a really long year.
January is always hard. And as in years past, the transition from one year to the next brought about a familiar yet deeply unnerving whiplash — leaving me feeling overwhelmed and wildly underprepared. While I’m still trying to find my footing (with the loving help of antidepressants), there continues to be flickering moments of reprieve, comfort and softness in the small things maybe even more than usual.
Somewhat reluctantly, I’ve tried to embrace the good — the lovely, the decedent, the cozy, the comfortable — wherever I could find it. And this month, like most others before it, my favorite things are an assortment of cherished items that feel a bit more revealing than they probably are. If you’re someone who likes to read between the lines, these posts are for you.
Now, Let’s Get to the Feast…
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January Highlights
While I can’t possibly speak to or feature each product or item included each month in a graphic or post, I always link the full list of the scrumptious treats I’ve cherished most that month for you to nibble on. If you have questions about the other products featured in this month’s edit below or on the full list, please leave me a comment! I’d love to hear from you.
HERMÈS | Plein Air H Trio Healthy Glow Mineral Powder: A few weeks ago I found myself thinking about Hermès Beauty more than one probably should. It all started when my friend Kackie let me try some of her new Hermès products and unintentionally ignited my current and all-consuming obsession with everything Hermès Beauty. And while I could go on and on for hours about the many products I’m loving from the brand, the one that started my unhealthy fixation is the Plein Air H Trio Healthy Glow Mineral Powder. It was easily my favorite discovery this month. The powder is a magical, masterfully crafted gradient of shades that gives me the most subtle and natural bronze ever (truly, ever). It’s beautifully blurring, buildable, even more desaturated than my other favorite bronzer and it sticks around all day. The shade I have is so close to my skin tone that I’m able to use it as both a setting powder (with a light hand) and a bronzer — almost like an all over enhancer. I’m in love. I haven’t thought about any other powders since I got it and if you told me I had to get rid of every setting powder/bronzer I own except for one, I would keep the Hermès without hesitation (that’s saying a lot coming from me). Again, I’m in love and I know it’s pricy but it’s well worth it in my opinion. I wear shade 01 Tottori. I also bought 02 Atlas (for science) and am waiting for it to arrive. I can’t be stopped.
ABERCROMBIE | Essential Polished Body-Skimming Tee (on sale!): Look, I’m a complete snob and I’m the first to admit it. So, obviously, I find it somewhat jarring that I’m going out of my way to tell you about something from Abercrombie — a store I can’t help but associate with everything that was ever wrong with the early 2000s. But over the last six months, I’ve worn something from Abercrombie literally every single day — mainly the Essential Polished Body-Skimming Tee and the Essential Baby Tee. I have both styles in every color (well, several in every color) and I cannot begin to tell you how great they are. Seriously, after years of wearing basics from Everlane and Vince, I’ve made the switch to Abercrombie and I recommend their basics to anyone and everyone who will listen. The Essential Polished Body-Skimming Tee is your classic, slightly cropped, slightly boxy cotton t-shirt that goes perfectly with everything you own. While I’m not a capsule wardrobe person, I have a uniform to alleviate decision fatigue and I almost always reach for this to pair with a sweater or on its own with my favorite pair of jeans. The Essential Baby Tee is designed to be more fitted (yet oddly flattering), slightly cropped and exactly what I want to wear under a fitted sweater or the like. If I’m not wearing one, I’m wearing the other. Both styles are easy to wear and care for, comfortable, come in extended sizes and good quality. They’re both really, really great. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by unprocessed rage at the mere thought of Abercrombie, and rightly so — trust me, I get it. However, I promise you that their basics are some of the best on the market. I take a size small. I recommend sizing up in both styles.
Nat Note: Should I write a post about my “uniform” wardrobe and approach to getting dressed that cured my decision fatigue? Let me know.
NICHE BEAUTY LAB | Ceramide Treatment (save w/ myskinterest): My skin simply wouldn’t survive the unrelenting, debilitating winter woes without the Ceramide Treatment from Niche Beauty Lab (along with all of their other products). While I’m a fervent fan of peptides, I don’t always give ceramides the love they rightfully deserve — as they play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy, happy skin barrier and retaining moisture. This serum is silky, never pills, plays well with all of the other products in my routine and leaves my skin feeling perfectly plump and healthy. It’s easy to get a little obsessed with our skin barrier during the winter months, and I often find that people search for some sort of reprieve from a thicker, richer moisturizer. However, I’m a strong believer that a luscious, hydrating serum can do more for your skin than most moisturizers. Plus, this serum costs less than a lot of well-loved moisturizers touted for their barrier benefits — especially with my code!
PREQUEL | The Gleanser: If you know me, you know I love Prequel. And while I’ve written love letters here and on Instagram about several of the absolutely amazing products in their line, I’ve only briefly mentioned The Gleanser — a wonderfully abundant humectant-rich, glycerin cleanser. For months, The Gleanser has lived in my shower and, in my opinion, is the best shower cleanser ever. The packaging is durable and the large pump makes it easy to use even when you have shampoo in one eye and your contact is acting up in the other. But recently I tried using The Gleanser on my legs when shaving and, not to be dramatic, it’s changed my life. For background, my legs are incredibly sensitive, prone to eczema and constantly irritated by everything and anything. And don’t even get me started on the nightmare that is shaving (I know, I should do some sort of laser hair removal). I’ve always opted to use a gentle cleanser or body wash over a shaving cream but I never thought to use The Gleanser before. When I finally did earlier this month, I was able to shave both legs without much irritation at all (though I will always have some) and it’s made what was an awful experience much more manageable. I’m so incredibly impressed by this and all other Prequel products and I really cannot recommend The Gleanser enough if you also suffer from shaving related irritation.
PRADA BEAUTY | Reveal Skin Optimizing Refillable Soft Matte Foundation: I know, I know — you’re tired of hearing about this foundation. But as someone with skin akin to an arid climate in a record-breaking drought, I really can’t overstate how confused and utterly obsessed I am with the Prada Beauty Reveal Skin Optimizing Refillable Soft Matte Foundation. And since I wrote about the foundation in a post earlier this month, I’ve had more time to get to know it and feel even more passionately about this unexpectedly amazing product. I’m insufferably picky about foundations. I’ve never (ever) gotten along with any coverage product described as “soft matte” but part of the magic of this foundation is that it seems to work beautifully across skin types. For example, my friend Steph describes her skin type as combination and says this works incredibly well for her and remains matte throughout the day. On the other hand, I always apply it over my holy grail primer (which gives the most perfect, lit from within glow) and I’ve found that I’m still able to get all the glow I want. While it has a nearly undetectable fragrance (designer brands truly can’t help themselves), I don’t even notice it anymore because it’s so subtle. The Prada Beauty foundation has easily skyrocketed above all others in my collection to become my absolute favorite and if you haven’t tried it, please let this be your sign! I wear shade LN5.
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the second installment of The Monthly Edit. In a month with so many great things to love, it was really hard to pick just a few to talk about.
I’d absolutely LOVE to hear what your favorite products were this month in the comments below. Also, how has January been treating you? Don’t be shy, we’re all friends here.
Until next time, follow along on Instagram and browse all of my favorite things. Don’t forget to click the 🤍 before you go! Thank you for being here. Talk soon.
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I am very wary of foundations, I usually use tinted moisturizers because of dry skin (I use the Chantecaille Future Skin Gel ). Also I would never use a matte finish - do you think it really works for dry skin?
Yes to a “uniform” post please! Trying to work on a capsule-ish wardrobe bc whew, decision fatigue (and I hate trends) and I’m all about plain tees, solid colors that I can mix and match. I feel like you’d be a wealth of knowledge (and recommendations) in this arena!