Ah March, the month where we start to see the light at the end of the tunnel of winter. This year especially, I could not be happier to kiss February goodbye, but here's a look back on a couple of things that made it bearable. 

These Express Leggings have been all I've been wearing on nights out for the past two months. They look a little bit more "dressy" than jeans but are ten times as warm as tights. No way I'm going out the door without something serious on my legs in this -20 weather.

Sometimes all you need is a beachy candle to help you escape from the deep freeze. This Paradise Found scent is perfect for cuddling up at home because it is not overwhelming. Just go take a sniff at B&B, you'll thank me. 

A couple of weeks ago I had a weekend to myself and made it through almost the entire first season of Gossip Girl on Netflix. No shame.

I ordered this brush on a whim during the Coastal Scents 50% sale a few months back, and it has become my go-to foundation brush. Not only does it blend like a dream, it dries quickly after deep cleaning which means it will most likely be subject to  more ahem frequent cleanings than my Sigma F80.

If you are a fan of thrillers/mysteries, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn is an absolute must read. It is a bit graphic at times so be fore-warned, but an absolutely addicting storyline about a child-survivor revisiting the murder of her mother and sisters. Even better in my books than Gone Girl.

This bitter cold and super high winds has really done a number on my skin this year. I got a mini bottle of the Josie Maran Argan Oil in the Sephora Super Stars kit and I've been using it every couple of nights as a deep moisturizer. It does the trick without making me feel super greasy. 

I ended up caving and buying this Cocoon Cardigan and have pretty much been wearing it non-stop. Super comfy and warm, but still with some shape. Great purchase! 

And finally, something that I wish I didn't love as much as I do, this Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner really did live up to the hype. At $20+ a pop I'm not looking forward to having to dish out the money for another one, but it is so opaque, easy to use, and literally stays all day. Ugh.

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Being a former girl guide and all, I am a little OCD about being prepared. I don’t enjoy being caught off guard and so I have set up a little kit at the office to ensure I am ready for almost anything. You may laugh, but let me tell you, I have been in a situation where I needed every single one of these things, and being the person in the office people can rely on to have everything does have its perks!

1. Lozenges, because being that girl who can offer a co-worker a little comfort has its benefits. 
2. Mini Deodorant for freshening up before a big meeting, or those times you are late for work and forgot to put some one before you left the house. Just me? 
3. New Skin Liquid Bandages for breaking in those killer (literally) new shoes.
4. A Nail File because hang nails are THE worst. 
5. Tylenol/Midol, enough said I think. 
6. Hand Cream to save your dry little paws from those communal soap dispensers. 
7. Caught in the rain? Having a bad hair day? A tiny bit of Argan Oil can help hide a multitude of hair sins.  
8. And Dry Shampoo will take care of the rest. 
9. Bobby Pins/Hair Ties/Claws for when you really need to get down to business and want your hair out of your face.  
10. Tinted Lip Balm does double duty by moisturizing and providing a little life back into your face circa 2 pm.  
11. A Mirror keeps everything in check.
12. And a Pashmina/Scarf helps with climate control in frigid office settings.

Did I miss anything?

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It's that time again. Time to go through my garbage and see what we get - the good, the bad, and the ugly, and we've got all of that this month. Let's just get cracking shall we?

 

L'oreal Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm.  This product gets rave reviews online, but honestly I'm torn. It doesn't feel like it's really making my hair any healthier, but I do like it for a reason that most people probably would not. It weighs my hair down, so my naturally frizzy ringlet curls turn into soft waves.

Recommendation?  I'll probably buy it again to use in between my more expensive deep conditioner, but if you have fine and straight hair I would stay far, far away.

Garnier Fructis Volume Extend Dry Shampoo. It's ironic that as disappointing as I found this product, I actually have two bottles to throw away this month. I think that points to part of the problem though: I had to use so much of this dry shampoo to make any sort of difference to my hair. Volume? Yeah right.

Recommendation? It might be super cheap and smell great, but this dry shampoo really did nothing for me. I'll be sticking with my Batiste, and I recommend you do as well.

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Zero. This was a cult favourite for the longest time before it was dethroned by Perversion as the "darkest black" eyeliner in the 24/7 line up. Personally, I'm still on team Zero. I think it's almost more flattering for everyday to go with something a little less harsh. It stays in my upper waterline better than most other pencils I've tried, and is great for the days I go light on the eyes.

Recommendation? Looking to burn a whole in your pocket? This one is a winner. While I did really love this eyeliner, there have been so many dupes of this product to come out in the drugstore market that I think I would have to try out a couple before coughing up the $22 for this pencil.

Mario Badescu Whitening Mask. Again a product that I'm torn about. The product itself I really did enjoy. No matter if I disturb them or not, any sort of acne leaves a scar on me. It's great. I feel like this mask really did help to lighten some of that hyper pigmentation. Here comes my problem:

I didn't get to use much of it before it became hard as a rock. I've been trying to crush up the pieces and add water to turn it back into a paste, but it's getting to be a pain. 

Recommendation? If anyone knows how to keep this formula from drying up so quickly, I might actually recommend it. As it stand however, I'd give it a pass because I sure didn't get my money's worth.

Jordana Best Lash Extreme. It is a sad day that I have to admit that my last tube is probably past its prime. This mascara was my top pick for 2013, and my love affair is far from over. It's cheap, it's black, it's lenghtening, it's volumizing, what more could you want?

Recommendation? The best $2.99 I could spend on my eyes, I swear. If you haven't tried it already, really what do you have to lose? Now if only I didn't have to flee the country in order to find it, it would be perfection.

And finally, Body Shop Elderflower Cooling Eye Gel. I picked this up on a whim at some point during a BOGO free sale or something similar, which is basically all the time at The Body Shop. Fortunately for me I didn't spend real money on it because this one was a definite dud. No matter how long I left it to soak in or how little I used, this product never seemed to fully absorb into my skin. It sat on top and left a sticky residue behind that made makeup application pretty bad. The longer I had it the worse it got - within a couple of months it has become a thick sticky mess.

Recommendation? This product was pretty much a fail for me, and I can't really see who would it would work for.

And on that positive note, that's a wrap! What's the most interesting thing in your trash pile this month?

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