December favorites (2013)

Are you sick of favorites yet? No? Well, that’s great because I have one last favorites post for you. Rather than overlooking all of 2013, I’m just showing you a few things which became favorites int he past month. And there is a lot of food in there: I’ve found quite a few delicious things again. I’ve also featured a few beauty products, but these are very recent and thus could not be included in my overall favorites of the year. Here goes nothing!

Against the Grain cookies in Chocolate Chip & Hazelnut and Chocolate & Orange

Let’s start with the best find I did in months: COOKIES! I haven’t been able to have store bought cookies in months and then I found these. These cookies are wheat, gluten and dairy free and are absolutely delicious. My favorites are the chocolate & orange ones. These cookies are crunchy, full of flavor and allergy free. There not cheap though: at almost 4 euros for a pack they’re expensive cookies, but great for the occasional treat of course.

Kruidvat cleansing wipes for dry and sensitive skin

I hadn’t used make up removing wipes since I was a teenager, but recently I’ve been using these to quickly clean myself up in the mornings. I like starting fresh & clean, but with my sensitive skin, water is just a big no go as it makes my skin feel only drier and more sensitive. These are a great alternative I find. And psst: I’m even using these to quickly freshen up my armpits before I put on deodorant.

Crackers from chestnut meal without added sugars

 Another one of those no go products: crackers. And then my organic supermarket started stocking this brand. These crackers also come in buckwheat (and even without sugar OR salt) and quinoa. Since I’d never tried chestnut meal I was curious to try these, as well as the fact that they contain no added sugar. And OMG! Can you say delicious? Again, crunchy and finally I have found myself a base for jams and marmalades again. That occasional bit of sweetness combined with something crunchy was something I was starting to miss.

Etos blush from Christmas collection

The prettiest blush I bought in a long time is this limited Christmas edition one from Dutch drugstore Etos. The minute I saw it I loved it. When you blend the colors together you get the prettiest shiny looking pinky peach colored blush color. I’ve been wearing this tons in the weeks before Christmas. With this baby you no longer need highlighter to give yourself that healthy glowing look. This blush does all that in one go.

Fuzzy sweater (H&M)

With the colder weather I’ve been addicted to fuzzy sweaters. And don’t worry, no rabbits were hurt in the making of this sweater: it’s made with synthetic fiber. But oh it’s so soft and so warm and so fluffy. I love wearing it around the house mostly and just chill out.

OPI All Sparkly and Gold (Mariah collection)

This limited edition nail polish has been on my nails quite a bit these past few weeks. It’s very sparkly and very gold. Eh, like the name suggests. It’s a very pretty gold color: more antiqued yellow gold than a true yellow gold. That slightly tarnished look is what makes this polish a great one in my opinion. Another plus it that it is easy to remove for a glitter.

Naked snack bars

Another food discovery I made are raw food snack bars by the brand Naked. I tried two so far and love them. I took a picture of the back as well, and look at those ingredients: real ingredients and sweetened with dates. Delicious and chewy these bars are a great snack. Now if they’d only sell these at the railway station or my regular supermarket!

Catrice Liquid Metal eyeshadow in Gold Leaf Me

If you saw my Make Up favorites of 2013 post which went up yesterday, you may have already seen this shadow. I already owned two other shadows from this line, and I originally passed up on this color. Yet, it’s greenish, golden color kept attracting me and finally I just caved. And I haven’t regretted that decision. Look at that swatch!

Higher Living Sweet Chilli organic herbal tea

Chocolate tea anyone? I never thought I’d like it. I tried a chocolate tea years ago and hated it. But the fact that this would be more of a chai tea, with ingredients such as cocoa, liquorice, chilli, ginger, cinnamon, cardamon and cloves, made me want to try it. This has been my favorite tea all month. It’s sweet and satisfying as much as having actual sweets but it packs a bit of punch. It’s a warm flavor perfect for the dark and dreary weather and very Christmassy as well.

Barry M Textured nail polish in Countess

Last but not least, another nail polish. Again a glittery one and again with a hint of gold (I am really liking gold colored make up this time of year not?). This one is different because it gives off a textured sand effect, making the glitters matte looking. Plus it’s long wearing. I wore this for 5 days before it started chipping and it didn’t chip majorly until I want to IKEA and started lugging around boxes.

What are your December favorites?