August Favorites 2014

I have not been that regular with my monthly favorites blog, but I hope to correct that beginning this month.  Monthly Favorites will be items during the month that I have developed a fondness for.  I will always have cosmetic/makeup items, books I have read, food items that I have discovered, music I have been listening to, and any other things that have caught my eye.

Makeup items for August have been new items and rediscovery of some old brands. 

First up is Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Lychee (from Sephora).  This lovely lip crème is a perfect pinky nude color.  The texture is delightfully light but the lipstick stays on for an amazing length of time.  Bite Beauty is a natural lip care company based in Toronto Canada.  Their lip products are all natural and you could even eat them (not that I would want to).  You can find them at Sephora or online at www.bitebeauty.com. 

NYX Lip Primer in Nude is a new discovery.  This lip primer keeps your lipstick from bleeding or spreading out.  Love this!  I bought mine at Ulta, but it is available at some CVS stores now as well.

Revlon lipcolor is on my radar again thanks to these two items:  Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede lipcolor in It Girl and Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain in Cannes Crush.    It Girl is a lovely bright coral shimmer with a slight pink undertone.  The lipstick by itself is a matte texture which I love but need a little more moisture so I topped the lipstick with the Moisture Stain in Cannes Crush.  Cannes Crush is a lightweight gloss/stain that is perfect over a lipcolor or by itself. 

I rediscovered a Chanel blush this month, Chanel Powder Blush in 02 Rose Bronze.  This color is a perfect neutral blush.  I have used this for contouring and also as blush when I am wearing a deeper eye color.  Delightful!

I have reached for my Lorac Pro2 Palette quite a bit this month.  Sixteen
eyeshadow shades, 8 matte and 8 shimmer/satin that have excellent color payoff.  The colors I have been using are:  Buff, Lt Brown, Cool Gray, Nectar, Black, Rose', Mocha, and Chrome.  While I still love my Lorac Pro Palette,
this one is a nice addition to the Lorac family.


Many of you know that I am a passionate reader.  This month was the arrival of the long-awaited third book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. The first of the trilogy was A Discovery of Witches published in December 2011, then Shadow Of Night published in May 2013, then
The Book of Life was out on July 15, 2014.  I read this without stopping on the 15th, then put it down for a couple of days and then re-read it while on tour with the Sonshine Choir from my church, Brentwood United Methodist Church.  I love these books for many reasons.  Deb is a History professor at University of Southern California, so for a history geek like me, these books are a treasure trove of history.  Because of these books I belong to a book group on Facebook that holds lively and fascinating discussions about many topics in the books.  This group of people are a never-ending source of delight for me with the amazing things they are able to pull up from History that are actually "Easter Eggs" in Deb's books.  If you read these books, you must start with the first book or you would be totally lost. 

Biographies are my passion and this month I re-read Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson.  This is by far the best Ben Franklin biography I have ever read (and I have read a lot).  Mr Isaacson (former chairman of CNN, managing editor of Time magazine, and president of The Aspen Institute), wrote this as if he had been able to sit with Mr Franklin for actual conversations.  It is thoughtful, thought-provoking, and thorough.  Mr Isaacson has also written biographies about Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Henry Kissinger.  So far I have read all except the one on Henry Kissinger, but you know it is on my To Be Read list!

For a group I belong to at church, we read this interesting book by The Arbinger Institute, The Anatomy of Peace.  This book revealed to me different ways of thinking when dealing with conflict in family, or even on a larger scale.  I think the folks in the Middle East should read this book.


I am a Foodie....I will not deny it, so these are the goodies that caught my fancy this month:

French Petite Palmiere cookies (Costco)
"Waffle" Salad at Publix (no idea why they call it Waffle, but it is in the pre-   made salad section in the deli)
Brach's Candy Corn (serious addiction)
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos from Bonefish Grill
Pumpkin Ale by Schlafly (high gravity beer that is only available in the fall and only from a liquor store) 

Music I put on repeat this month was Bach: The Cello Suites by Yo-Yo Ma
and on Spotify, the playlists for Deb Harkness' books. 


Looking forward to new discoveries in September!

Much Love.............Kat