Christina Alyce Beauty

Metallic and sparkly gold makeup, particularly for the lips, has definitely been trending lately-probably thanks to the elusive and totally swoon-worthy Pat McGrath kits. Of course, all of her products are perpetually sold out, and the ingredients are a bit of a mystery anyway, so they're pretty much out of the question for me. Luckily, clean brand Bite Beauty came out with some limited edition products this past holiday that evoke a similar feel. I originally set out to find the gold lip gloss and lipstick, but my local Sephora does not stock them, and once I saw the products in the Opal shade, I knew it was meant to be.

The Opal lipstick is their Creme lipstick formula, and is 97% natural. The texture is almost like a lip balm. It feels hydrating and creamy, but does not sit heavily on the lips. The ingredients include waxes such as calendelilla wax, beeswax, and jojoba wax, and oils ranging from argan, to safflower to sesame. It glides onto the lips smoothly and sits well- it does not slide around or get caught in any dry patches you may have. On the contrary, it leaves your lips feeling more conditioned than they were before application. My only gripe with this product is the wear time- when worn by itself it does not last very long on the lips, and I find myself reapplying every hour or so to bring back the shimmer. But a little extra upkeep is worth it with this, the opalescent sheen it gives the lips is subtle but beautiful. When layered over liner or another lipstick, it cools down the look, and gives whatever is underneath it a beautiful milkiness. I love layering this over my Rituel de Fille lipstick in the shade Datura, because it turns it into a creamy, blue toned pink.

The Opal lipgloss can also be layered over other shades, for a glossier look. It contains many of the same oils and butters as its lipstick counterpart, and is just as moisturizing. It works well over top the lipstick to intensify the opalescent effect, but is not as striking as the lipstick is on it's own. It's a lovely texture and does not feel overly sticky or goopy.
I really enjoy both of these products, and I think they are a beautiful, ethereal addition to any makeup look. If you only have room for one of the two products in your budget, I would recommend the lipstick over the gloss, only because it offers slightly more pigmentation. I am excited to try more products from Bite Beauty in the future!

I rarely make new year's resolutions, and this article sums up why pretty well. So instead of actual resolutions, I thought I would share some general beauty-related goals that I am working toward. I have been working on most of these for a month or longer already.

1.  Drink More Water and Less Soda I really struggle to drink enough water on a daily basis (many days I struggle to drink even half of what I should) and it leaves my skin and lips incredibly dry. I have also been reaching more for soda the past year than I ever have before, which is an incredibly unhealthy habit. Lack of hydration and increased sugar intake are a terrible combination for your skin! My office has an endless supply of water bottles so I have been trying to take advantage of this, and I have been doing okay. For my weight, I should be drinking roughly 77oz of water a day, so I split my day into segments and try to finish a water bottle within each allotted time period (for example, I try to drink one whole 17oz water in the morning, before lunchtime). I still have trouble meeting the goals every single day, but having more of a schedule does help overall. The weekends are much harder because I'm often out and about or drinking out of various sized glasses when I'm home. I would like to start using a reusable glass water bottle for more measured drinking on the weekends, and so I am producing less waste during the week.
2. Stick to a Consistent Skincare Routine 2016 was a roller coaster ride for my poor skin. I began the year as an avid Lush user, briefly switched to Korean skincare in the Spring, and then found a home in the world of natural and; nontoxic beauty for the second half of the year, all the while trying out 3 or 4 different forms of birth control in an attempt to get my hormonal acne under control. I rarely would use the same few products consistently, so of course with the hormonal side of things factored in, it's silly to expect that my skin would calm down and clear up. I have had a pretty set routine for a little over a month now, and I think I am beginning to notice some improvement in my breakouts, and I am determined to keep it up.
3. Stop Picking at my Skin This will undoubtedly be the most difficult goal for me. I have briefly mentioned before that I pick at my skin, and its more than just a bad habit. Dermatillomania is a compulsion defined as "the repetitive picking at one's own skin to the extent of causing damage." Acne and anxiety trigger my picking most, so I need to work on getting those two things under control, and to make a more conscious effort to not pick in the first place. Touching my skin certainly does not help my acne problem, so it's a bit of a vicious cycle- acne causes picking, which causes more acne in turn. I tend to mindlessly pick a lot in the car while I'm driving (not looking in the mirror, just running my fingers over my face, feeling for imperfections) and I have started to make an attempt to always keep both hands glued to the wheel so they can't wander. 
4. Use Up Products I Have....and stop buying products I don't need. To say I love skincare and makeup is an understatement. Trying out new products is one of my favorite things ever, but unfortunately that leaves my bank account less than happy. I have accumulated quite the stash over the past few months, and I need to work through what I have. Luckily this goes hand in hand with #2, because if I'm consistent in the products I use, I will be dedicated to using up one at a time instead of jumping around and never quite finishing anything. This also will help me to really get to know products before I review them, and I can start making "Product Empties" videos for my YouTube!
5. Put More Effort into my Blog, YouTube, and Related Social Media I seem to go through periods where I am very creative and want to engage with other users on Instagram, and other times I feel uninspired and unfriendly. I can't expect to run successful social media accounts if I am not posting content consistently or interacting with other people. I have been trying over the last couple of months to "like" more photos on Instagram instead of just scrolling through, and It has helped my content so much. I gain more followers, get more likes, and always seem to attract more offers from companies to review products when I'm more engaged. Posting and expecting likes to just flow in is selfish, you need to be willing to share the love too. I have also created a Twitter  account to hopefully interact with my readers more easily, and I want to revive my Tumblr and Facebook page so that I can connect with people over multiple platforms. And of course, a huge part of this is to create content I am proud of, and more of it. I want to become better at photography, and I want to take my YouTube beyond run-of-the-mill haul and unboxing videos. I want to post more consistently, with roughly one blog post per week, and 1-2 videos per month. I feel like I have started the year off on the right foot so far, with this being the 3rd post in two weeks, and I have just posted a new video to my YouTube. Of course, busy season at my job is just about to start, so I don't know how easily I will be able to keep up with posting for the rest of the winter, but I will try my hardest.