April is officially over which means it’s time to talk about some of my favorites this month whether it’s make up, fashion related items or some random favorites that don’t quite fit a particular category. April was a very busy month for me as it was my last month of school (ever!) and the month ended on a great note – my graduation. This means this is my first time writing to you guys with my newly acquired “Dr.” status which I’m very proud of and worked very hard for. Graduation also means that I will now have a lot more time to invest into Style As Needed which I’m very excited for and am definitely planning to start putting out more consistent material both here and my other social media platforms (aka Instagram – if you don’t follow me already, please do @styleprn). With all that said, now let’s get into my April Favorites…

Beauty:

1. CND Vinyl Lux Weekly Polish in Marvelous Moxie – I picked this up at my local Walgreens and am not just obsessed with the color of this polish but also with the formula. This polish didn’t chip on me for 7 days. Not one chip. The “Weekly Polish” part of the name is definitely true as I had to take the nail polish off because I just wanted a different color at that point and not because the nail polish was starting to come off. I am super impressed with the formula and would definitely recommend checking out this line. As for the color, this is such a gorgeous pink for spring and summer and would look great as a pedicure for the upcoming months. I got so many compliments while I wore this polish. I am definitely looking to extend my collection of this brand and this line after trying out this color.
2. Soap & Glory Wonderbronze – I’ve heard a lot about this bronzer in the past and finally decided it was time to pick it up. The way I use this bronzer is I actually swirl my brush into all the colors (as you can see, it’s a color wheel with many different strips of colors) with a large fluffy brush and bronze up my face as one of my last steps in my make-up routine. It’s a little difficult to pull off a contour with it because it’s more of a golden tone with orange undertones but if you’re fairly tan or have the right skin tone for it, it’s definitely do-able. You can also use some of the colors in this as a highlight but have to be careful when picking this up on a brush because of how close all the colors are. I picked mine up at Walgreens but this is also available anywhere that sells Soap & Glory products aka Ulta and Target as well.
3. Becca First Light Priming Filter – I’ve been eyeing this product for a while but I knew the Sephora VIB sale was coming up soon so I decided to wait to pick it up. Now that I finally have the product and have tried it several times, I am definitely happy I own it. This primer gives you a beautiful glow but not one as intense as the Becca Backlight Priming Filter provides. My foundation went on very smoothly on top of this primer and held all day. It is pretty pricey and there are many great drug store primers out there but if you’re okay splurging on one, I would recommend picking this up at either Ulta or Sephora.
4. Farmacy Green Clean – This is a make-up meltaway cleansing balm and when I first received this in my Sephora Play! Box, I was a little skeptical about how much use I was going to get out of this product. Well, it turns out I shouldn’t have been skeptical at all as this product is so perfect and convenient to have sitting on your vanity to help clean up little left over traces of make-up on your face. Have you ever gone to take off your make up and returned realizing you still have traces of mascara left under your eye? Or accidentally got mascara on your face when putting on make-up and needed something to quickly take if off? That’s where this little guy comes in as you can just dip your finger into this balm and dab it onto the spot you want to clean up and remove everything. It is also great for when you thought you did a great job taking mascara off the night before but in the morning you realize your lashes are still a little hard and clumpy. Since I got this product in a small jar, those are my uses for it. If you buy it in the original sized jar, you can just use it as your overall first step of your night time routine to take your make up off. I can definitely see this becoming a Sephora point perk in the future because of the size the little jar comes in. So keep an eye out for that if you’re not looking to invest in the large jar at the moment.

Fashion

1. Leopard Lace Up Flats – I picked up my flats at Express and unfortunately, they are no longer available on the website ( although, I did spot some still at my local Express) but I did find multiple similar versions online that you can find here and here. These flats are perfect to “spice up” an outfit (the way I prefer to wear it is either with red, green, purple or black tops/dresses) or to mix prints such as stripes and leopard print (my personal favorite print mixing combination).
2. Button Front Cami Denim Dress – I just recently picked this up to wear for my bachelorette party weekend in New York City that is coming up this month as I wanted a dress that would be perfect for going around and exploring all day and one that can also be worn out in the evening. This dress is so perfect for spring and summer and can be worn with pretty much any type of shoe which is what made it so perfect for my trip. It is still available online and in stores and is actually 30% off at the moment so snag it while you can.

Miscellaneous:

Pharmacy School Graduation – Taking a moment to talk about something personal. Two days ago I graduated pharmacy school with my Doctor of Pharmacy degree that I’ve been working on for 7 years now. I am so excited to finally be finished with this grueling process but I could not have had a better experience in pharmacy school and undergrad at the University of Cincinnati and am so proud to now be an alumni of such a great school. Graduation means that I have this month to prepare for the boards or pharmacy license exam which I will be taking in June. So if you see me at random coffee shops around Cincinnati this month, I most likely have a gigantic (we’re talking well over 1000 pages) boards preparation book, notes, and several cups of coffee in front of me.

So there you have it for my April favorites. Let me know what you guys loved this month and products, books, fashion items I need to pick up or check out. As always, thanks for reading!