And just like that, the first month of 2017 is already over. January is always one of my favorite months because 1) it’s my birthday month and 2) I have always loved the “new year, new me” concept and the idea of starting fresh with the beginning of the year. This year, January was extra special because it was also my month off rotations which gave me plenty of time to spend on myself – whether it meant actually going to the gym as often as I  wanted to, plenty of time to try new products and read books that had nothing to do with pharmacy. Since I had the entire month off, I came up with quite a number of favorites and decided that I want to try a different format for how I share those with you. Please, let me know if you like this format better or want me to go back to the old numbered format. With the new format, I’ll be able to share a lot more things I liked in a month, so I hope you guys prefer this format as well.

Beauty Favorites:

As I mentioned above, I had a lot of time to try new products in January which resulted in a lot of beauty favorites. The first one I’d like to talk about is a base coat for nail polish – Bonder by Orly. It’s made my manicures last a lot longer, dries very quickly and keeps the staining away. I think a lot of times we put more emphasis on the top coat but a base coat is just as important as it separates your nails from the nail polish that could stain them and could be the true reason your nail polish is chipping quickly. A hair favorite this month was the Sparkling Soda Shine Mist by Dry Bar. This is a shine spray that is used as a last step to your hair routine and makes your hair look super shiny and sleek. I’ve been eyeing this for months but decided to actually try it out in person at Sephora before committing since the price tag is a bit steep on this one ($28) and I was sold after trying it. Never has a shine spray made my hair look that much shinier and that much better. A skincare favorite this month has been the Pixi Glow Tonic Toner by Pixi. I have never been able to tell a difference in my skin from toners until I tried this one. The way I’ve been applying this toner has been after washing my face in the morning with a cotton pad before applying my make-up and as a last step of my skin care routine at night and it has made my complexion a lot more glowy and radiant. This can be found at Target for $15. A make-up favorite for January and probably for many months to follow was the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer that I was finally able to snag after months of it being out of stock. Everyone has been raving about this concealer and I was finally able to find out why for myself. This is the best concealer coverage-wise that I have ever owned. I’m pretty sure you could cover a tattoo under your eyes with this one. It does not crease and there are many shade options available. I do believe it is exclusive to Ulta and the Tarte website. My last beauty favorite for the month are make-up brushes. I got these from a company called Mikasa and my favorite ones from the brand have been the E300 blending brush, E230 flat shader brush ( I’ve been using this for my Colourpop shadows and while this doesn’t work quite as well as using your fingers, it is the best I’ve been able to find brush wise for applying that formula), the E100 angled liner brush (perfect for those who underline their eyes with black shadow instead of using eyeliner) and the F111 blush brush. You can get 15% off your order using the promo code “AZIRBAYEVAMUA15” (an affiliate code) and this code works for everything on the website – make up, hair products (they have some of my favorite brands including Macadamia, Bain de Terre), hair tools, and nail polishes (Essie and CND).

Book Favorites:

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to read for pleasure instead of for school so I was very excited for my month off. I got to read 4 books in January and two of them were definitely worth talking about. The first book that I really loved in January is called A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. The movie for this book also came out at the end of the month which was part of the reason I wanted to read it earlier on. The book is so hard to put down and really makes you wonder what is going on in your furry friends’ heads. I personally do not own a dog but have owned one in the past and know so many people that are currently dog owners and really think that this book is a must read for all of them. Yes, you’re going to cry because the book definitely has emotional moments but it’s still worth picking up. It’s written in a dog’s point of view so not exactly hard language to follow and is definitely a quick read. The other book I absolutely loved in January is Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. The HBO series based on this book is starting next month and I cannot wait to watch it ( and no, I don’t only read books that are coming to TV/movie theaters, it just worked out that way this month). This book is about events leading up to a murder investigation and takes place in Australia. The murder investigation shouldn’t scare off people that usually like to read “lighter” books because the book is written with humor and is about kindergarten moms and what happens in their lives when a new, young mom joins the “group”. It’s so well written and funny and Liane Moriarty is a great author to check out.  All her books have a twist that you do not see coming at the end and every time I finish one, I go online to see what else I can read by her because she is just that good at what she does.

Online Favorites:

I am subscribed to several blogs (more like newsletters than personal content) like MyDomaine, WhoWhatWear, Byrdie and several others. Some of my favorite articles that I read last month from these articles include:

17 Simple Habits You Need to Adopt to Be Healthy in Your 20s

How to Take Control of Your Money in 2017: A Month-by-Month Guide (such a great read for those of you hoping to take control of your finances in 2017)

Miscellaneous Favorites:

I’ve recently been trying to cut down on my caffeine intake (from 2-3 cups of coffee/day down to just one) and I’ve been looking for something to substitute my 2^nd and 3^rd cups of coffee. I turned to herbal teas since they don’t have any caffeine and the one I found that has changed my life (a bit of an exaggeration, but the first time I tasted this, I truly believed this statement) is the Peach Lemon Tea by Private Collection. I’ve been drinking this with honey instead of adding sugar and have been easily able to forego my 2^nd and 3^rd cup of coffee since I’ve discovered the tea. Staying on the caffeine topic – another favorite is my “Kiss Me, I’m Caffeinated” mug that my fiance got me for my birthday which is featured in the header image of this post. The mug is from Target and can be found among many other mugs with cute sayings. This should be available at most local grocery stores. My last favorite of the month is a song that is super fun and upbeat and has been the song I jam out to during my drives. It is Be Mine by Ofenbach and can be found by clicking here.

What were some of your guys’ monthly favorites? Please let me know if there’s anything worth checking out! As always, thanks for reading and don’t hesitate to comment below!