I don’t know where the heck August went, but my iPhone tells me that it’s almost over, so unless it’s as confused with the date as it is with the place I wake up, I guess we’ll be welcoming September very soon (#happydance). But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…
The end of another month means it’s time for another monthly favorites post. BUT… I’m going to put a bit of a spin on it this time around. You know how I just celebrated Spoons’ birthday? Well, I also happened to publish my first monthly favourites posts one year ago, so I thought it would be fun to go back through the last 12 months and see which things I’m still using and loving – kind of like a best of the best.
I know it probably makes more sense to do something like this at the end of December, but this is just the way things worked out so we’re going to roll with it. I’ll try to keep my commentary at a minimum since there are a lot of things to go through and I already explained why I love each of them. So, if you want some more info on something, go ahead and check out the original post it was featured in.
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. food .
Dry cappuccinos – September 2012.
Still one of my favourite hot drinks. If it’s not black coffee, it’s a cappuccino.
Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea – October 2012.
I can’t even remember the last time I didn’t start my day with a cup of this tea. Obsessed.
Chunky Homemade Applesauce – November 2012.
I’m not exaggerating when I say I always have a batch of this in my fridge. I finish one just to whip up another.
Maisie Jane’s roasted almond butter – November 2012.
No matter how many different ABs I try, this one remains my favourite. All almonds; no added salt, oil, or sugar.
Barefruit Apple Chips – March 2013.
I eat these on a daily basis. Sometimes a whole bag at once, and sometimes I try to ration. Crispy and addictive.
Genuine Health Greens+ multi+ vitamin supplement – March 2013.
One of the only vitamin supplements my body tolerates. I take a scoop everyday.
Frozen bananas – June 2013.
Cold, creamy, and sweet… I probably eat 1 – 1.5 frozen bananas a day.
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. beauty .
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters – August 2012.
If I’m looking for lip colour, I usually reach for these. Nice colour payoff without feeling dry.
Urban Decay Naked 2 eyeshadow palette – September 2012.
My go-to daily eyeshadow. Great colours, great pigment, great wear.
Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion – September 2012.
I use this every day, all day. Makes my hands so soft without feeling greasy.
MoroccanOil Light Treatment – November 2012.
I use this every time I wash my hair. It helps keep my ends soft and smooth.
Maybelline SuperStay 24-hour concealer – December 2012.
Favourite concealer when it comes to coverage and long-wear. Daily staple.
Lush’s Honey Trap lip balm – January 2013.
Another every day, all day kind of deal. This goes everywhere with me.
MAC’s Mineralized Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle – January 2013.
Daily makeup staple. Adds a pretty, healthy glow to your face.
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo – January 2013.
What I use to clean my makeup brushes. Wallet-friendly and effective.
Maybelline Colossal Volum’ mascara – February 2013.
Daily makeup staple. Gives a high-end mascara look at a fraction of the price.
Macadamia Hair Deep Repair Masque – March 2013.
I use this once a week to give my hair an extra shot of moisture. Leaves it healthy, soft, and smooth.
Urban Decay All Nighter makeup setting spray – March 2013.
Daily makeup staple. Makes my makeup “mesh together” and last all day.
Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes – March 2013.
Daily skincare staple. Great for removing even stubborn makeup. Doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry.
St. Tropez Self-Tan Bronzing Face Lotion – April 2013.
I apply this to my face once every few days. Gives a nice glow with no streaks or orange hues.
Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser – April 2013.
Daily skincare staple. What I use to wash my face every night and get any gunk off.
MAC’s Painterly paint pot – May 2013.
Daily makeup staple. I use it as an eyeshadow base and to cover up any discoloration on my eyelids.
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush – May 2013.
Daily makeup staple. Favourite blush ever. Doesn’t fade, doesn’t make me break out.
The Beauty Blender – May 2013.
Best.beauty tool.ever. Makes makeup go on flawlessly. Daily staple.
Philosophy’s Turbo Boost C Powder – May 2013.
Daily skincare staple. I mix this into my facial cream and it’s given me a brighter, more even complexion.
Revlon’s Colorstay liquid foundation – June 2013.
My current favourite foundation. Great coverage and staying power without feeling heavy/cakey.
Tarte’s Matte Bronzer – June 2013.
What I reach for when I want a sunkissed glow. Doesn’t look orange/dirty and stays put.
Dry brushing – July 2013.
Still doing this every morning. Still loving the results.
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. odds and ends .
Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R Martin – August 2012.
Probably my favourite epic fantasy series. Martin is all sorts of brilliant.
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok – September 2012.
One of my all-time favourite books. I’m sure I’ve read it at least 5+ times.
J. Crew Pixie Pants – October 2012.
Probably the best legging-type pants I’ve ever come across. Makes the legs and butt look fantastic 😉
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein – October 2012.
On my list of favourite books – one of the few that make me all misty eyed by the end.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss – January 2013.
This book… there are no words. It is easily near the top of the list of my all-time favourite books. Maybe top 3…
The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss – February 2013.
The sequel to the book above, and just as good.
Jesus Calling daily devotional by Sarah Young – March 2013.
I start pretty much every day with a reading from this book. Beautiful meditations.
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. blog .
It was definitely nice to get back into blogging after taking most of July off…
- I spent a lot of time this month stressing the importance of trusting yourself when it comes your own diet and health. It’s good to be open to new ideas and try different things, but at the end of the day you need to follow your own food rules and disregard what others say you “should” do.
- Two new recipes this month! First, my grandma’s recipe for beef rouladen. Second, what may be my favourite recipe to date – no bake almond fudge protein bars. Still lusting over those…
- Spoons turned one year old and I shared some things I learned about blogging over that year.
- And last but not least, the beginning of link love as a way to share some favourite articles from the web.
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Did ya make it this far? 😆 I know that was a lot to take in, and I’m sorry – a year is a whole lot of favourites to go through. I have to admit that it was pretty interesting to go back and see what things are still around, though… BUT! it’s high time to put this post to a close, so I’m going to do so by saying…
LONG WEEKEND! WOOP!! 😀
And now, give me 3 of your all time favourite / daily staple:
a) foods
b) beauty products
c) random odds and ends
I like the annual recap in September no less. It’s good to mix things up. I’m a big fan of Aveeno lotion too. Living in Ohio, I have a tendency to get ridiculously dry in the winter time (I suspect Canada is no better) so daily lotion is a must.
I don’t think I could pick favorite foods, especially since it’s always changing based on my CSA produce, although I do make granola on the regular and I’m also a fan of homemade pizzas too.
Happy Monday.
great post! i have GOT to try your apple sauce recipe. i’ve been meaning to for like, a year now. maybe now that it’s turning to fall if i go apple picking i’ll make a big batch! love fall foods 🙂
Thanks to you, I now no the wonderment of Urban Decay’s makeup and I’m IN LOVE with the Tarte blush! I need to check out the MAC painter pot…I’m always looking for a good eyelid primer/base for discoloration! Seriously, what did I DO before you started doing your little makeup posts?! Haha!
Staple Foods:
1. Peanut butter (I know it would kill you, but no matter how many nut butters out there I try, I ALWAYS come back to my beloved peanut…and it HAS to be crunchy!)
2. Cinnamon…I go through those bulk-sized containers in an embarrassingly short amount of time!
3. Cereal and/or crunchy grab and go snacky stuff! Gotta have my crunch!
Staple Beauty Products:
1. Eyelid primer. I’m currently using a sample of Urban Decay’s from Sephora that works pretty well, but like I said, I’m def gonna check out the MAC stuff
2. Carmex lip balm. I have a million and one lip glosses, balms, and whathaveyous but I think Carmex is still the best when it comes to chapped dry lips! I use it every night before bed.
3. Mascara. I don’t really have an absolute favorite right now since I’m always trying new ones, but I NEVER leave the house without it…even if that’s all I put on!
Staple Randoms:
1. My journal AND a good pen. I’ve found it helps a lot for my mental clarity to just jot down my feelings sometimes…even if I don’t understand them…and it’s critical to have a pen that’s not “throwing up” all over the paper since most of the time, I’m already frustrated enough! Lol
2. Sunglasses. Cannot, WILL NOT go anywhere without my shades. I have about 6-7 pairs of them planted in various places in my house and car just so I never get caught without them.
3. Hair ties/ponytail holders WITHOUT metal clips. Ditto from the sunglasses! And bonus points for not pulling half my hair out with those stupid metal pieces!
Oh girl, DEFINITELY check out the MAC paint pot! Even on days where I don’t use any shadow, I still put it on because it covers up any veins and redness on my eyelids.
I know it isn’t in this post, but I just made your little almond butter bars that you recently posted! I was eating little bits and pieces and now half the batch is gone! Those were amazing!
I love the Jesus Calling! I have been reading it since February and it definitely has some encouraging words! Lately I have been loving using coconut oil in my hair, so can that count as a favourite food AND beauty product tahaha 🙂
This post has reminded me that I need to look at my make up again, although I did get a great foundation this month. I feel like now I’m past 30 I need something a with more coverage! Love the philosophy range but haven’t had any products in ages, need to treat myself!
Frozen bananas are the best, they taste like ice cream without having to put in the work to blend them up. I love applesauce but have never tried a chunky version, I think I may like this one better because the consistency of non-chunky gets boring if that makes any sense.
Love this round up of favourites! I totally agree that homemade applesauce is seriously the best. The packaged kind doesn’t even come close to comparing. I’m so excited it’s starting to be apple season here – I see a LOT of applesauce in my future. 😀
And yesss A Song of Ice and Fire is totally on my favourites list for the year too. What a brilliant series. I haven’t been this obsessed with a series since Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings haha.
My favourites:
Food: Barney Butter, anything from Kindfood, pumpkin pie
Beauty products: Neutrogena SPF facial moisturizer, Organix coconut body wash, Burts Bee’s milk and honey hand lotion
Misc: A Song of Ice and Fire (books)/Game of Thrones (tv show), spending time in Toronto, coloured jeans!
I randomly stumbled upon your blog several months ago. So it’s really neat to see you compare a year ago to now! I really wish there was a list of all the available almond butters. Never heard of Maisie Jane so now I must add it to a list to order! Are you allergic to hazelnuts? I recently ordered hazelnut butter from Amazon, the manufacture is Dundee Orchards. Absolutely amazing, I finished it within several days (oops?).
Favorite foods: nut butters are at the top of the list, give me a banana, nut butter sandwich any day! I’ve done peanut butter, different kinds of nut butters (like Nutzo), but I seem to go back to almond butter. Just can’t pick a favorite brand! Oh what else in terms of foods… honey, yogurt, bulgur! Oh that sounds like an interesting combination all together doesn’t it?
Random odds and ends: does exploring different blogs count?
I hope you have yourself a wonderful day!
Honey, yogurt, and bulgur DOES sound amazing <3 I think it'd be a pretty fabulous twist on the whole oatmeal breakfast 🙂 And I'm not specifically allergic to hazelnuts, but I do sometimes get reactions to them so I try to avoid them. Shame because there are so many amazing nut butters out there!
mmm that applesauce. Sounds SO good right now.
Currently I’ve been really into turkey wraps and pancakes. It may also be due to the fact that I have a very understocked fridge and pantry. Need to work on getting it filled up.
As for beauty products I too am still loving my Urban Decay Naked Palette. It’s hard not to love it! I’m also really into my jasmine korres lip butter. Perfect for summer chapped lips.
Have a wonnnderful long weekend Amanda! 🙂
I start each morning with Jesus Calling and absolutely love it! I was thrilled to see you enjoy it as well. I want you to know how much I appreciate your blog. It has helped me tremendously. I have had an eating disorder for years and recently had a relapse. Your words of wisdom are an invaluable asset. I have combed through past entries and find those regarding compulsive exercise and clean eating particularly inspiring. Thank you so much for instilling me with hope and courage. So many so-called “healthy” living blogs only fuel my rigidity. I had completely stopped reading them and then was fortunate enough to stumble across yours. It is refreshing to see someone living a balanced truly healthy life. Have a wonderful weekend!
Haha, I love how I made both your recipes you published this month! I think I’ll be tackling the apple sauce next, seeing as you referred to it comparable to apple pie filling and not baby food.
So I’m going to skip the middle section 😉 but 3 all time favourite foods would be- vegemite, coffee and eggs. Can’t go a day without them. 3 random odds and ends- twitter. instagram. wordpress. Cannot believe how elevated the addiction is already..now only to get my head around utilising it properly!