Beauty Finds

-This mineral water for removing make-up. I'm still using the same bottle I bought in April and it gets EVERYTHING off.
-The Ordinary Caffeine Solution - I put it around my eyes at night, and it has drastically made an improvement on my puffy eye syndrome. It's also under $7 a bottle!
-The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid- This might be my favorite product of the year. It does wonders for keeping my skin hydrated during the day. I put it on after my cleanser and before my cream, and you can't beat the price point.
-Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer- Between this and the caffeine solution, it keeps my face from looking as tired as I feel. Seriously though- this is the best concealer I have found to date. Love this stuff.
- Mac Mineralize Skinfinish- I love how light this powder is, while I definitely want my face to have the hydrated dewy look- I also don't want to look like I just finished a workout. This does that perfectly.
- L' Occitane Almond Shower oil - Last winter, my skin was uncomfortably dry and I could not stop itching. After some hesitation (because it is expensive) I purchased this and loved it. It smells absolutely amazing, and just like oil cleansing my face leaves me feeling hydrated, this does wonders for my dry and itchy arms/legs. This is a great yearly stocking stuffer (a tad late on that suggestion, I know).

Books
Thanks to pregnancy insomnia, 2018 was a big year for me in the books department. I read 20 books, which I realize is a small number for a lot of people, but for the girl who was not reading at all a couple years ago- I was very excited about this. (I also started a book club this year, which has been super fun.)  Here are my top favorites:

Fiction
-Defending Jacob- I could not put this book down. Absolutely loved this one.
-Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine- I wasn't sure about this one in the beginning, but within a couple chapters I completely fell in love with the main character and could not put this one down either.

Self Help (ps. I hate the title of this category)
--Big Magic - Anyone who considers themselves a creative (really everyone , because you are even if you don't consider yourself one) should read this, and then reread this.
-Essentialism- This book might have had the biggest impact on me. It's like minimalism for your life- cutting out what does not align with who you want to be/ or what you want to accomplish with your life. I checked this out at the library, and after reading it decided that I needed one for my shelf.

Parenting
Child Whisperer- I was initially turned off by the awful cover (it really is horrible), and some of the wording. It categorizes (which I was initially unsure of) kids/people into one of four "energies" and gives helpful tips on how to reach them as the individuals that they are and what they uniquely need from you as a parent. It quickly won a place on my shelf  because it was shockingly spot on with both of my girls.

Podcasts
I have to say, I haven't been as into podcasts this year. I'm extremely picky when it comes t podcasts.....and mostly I enjoy certain episodes without being a subscriber to entire podcasts. That said, here are my favorites from this year:

The Style Matters Podcast- designer interviews which I really enjoyed. This is probably the big one of 2018 for me.
The Second Life- Hillary Kerr interviews business women who have made career changes, and I find it completely interesting.

I'm also still loving these from last year: How I built this, the Simple Show, and Happier with Gretchun Rubin, the Bible Binge (when I need a laugh).