Top 5 - Travel Edition (Denver)

Happy Monday all and Happy Labor Day to all my US folks! I so do not want to go back to work tomorrow. Dah well. Let's talk about Denver and some favorites shall we?

I wasn't expecting much going to Denver. Usually when we travel for work we peg some restaurants to go to and maybe some sites to see if we have the time. But nothing really came to mind since I've never associated Denver as a "food city" and there wasn't anything I really wanted to see. Well let me tell you Denver has some good food! Even the food at the hotel I was staying at was really good. Downtown Denver was pretty nice with a lot of shops, restaurants, and people playing music. The view of the mountains was pretty as well. I will say being at a higher altitude did a number on me while I was there. I was like oh I'll be ok. Yea not so much. I didn't sleep well, I had very bad headaches and I felt like I couldn't get hydrated. So if you ever travel to Denver take the necessary precautions and drink LOTS of water.

As always I try not to take a lot of beauty stuff but then I'm gone a week. So it is what it is once I pack it all up. Here are the five items that stuck out the most.

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Let's Go Crazy

First of all I love the name of this lippie. Shout out to Prince. Let's Go Crazy is definitely in my top 5 of Prince songs. I think I got this as a point perk from Sephora. It is described as a vivid pink. NARS lip pencils are very nice. They are not drying on the lips and wear nicely. Since it's NARS they are on the pricey side. I would love more colors but the price gives my pause. These lip pencils are $27?!?!!! So whenever I can grab a deluxe sample size with points I jump on it if I like the color.

philosophy Microdelivery Wash

This stays in my travel bag and I use it as am morning face wash. This is a long time favorite and I have been debating if I want it back in my routine on a regular basis. I don't know if it was because of the drier air in Denver or just the stress from traveling or the meeting but my face was like YES the week I used this. It really helped smooth out my skin and in turn my serums and moisturizers absorbed into my skin nicely. My foundation application was also very nice. Getting that layer of dead skin off your face is major key to any skincare routine. If you're looking for a face scrub that is not abrasive then this is the one you want to try. You can catch some nice deals on the various sizes so keep your eye out at various retailers.

Butter London + Pantone Color Of The Year Nail Lacquers 

I go these polishes some time ago from Ulta and hadn't used them. I don't see them on Ulta's site anymore so I guess they've sold out. But looks like they are still available on Buttler London't website and on sale. When I got them I was kinda annoyed by the fact that these are the normal full size Butter London polishes and I paid the normal full sized price. I was going to return them but that's a hassle in itself. So I kept them. I picked up Greenery (vibrant, yellow green crème), Caramel Cafè (warm caramel brown), Rich Gold (warm golden shimmering beige). All three are very nice. My favorite of the three is Rich Gold. I think I may have found my holy grail gold nail polish. It's not super bright which I like and it very flattering on. I'll get a post on these up in September. There's also a palette in this collection that I've had my eye on. Let's see if it ends up in my hands.

NYX Perfect Filter Shadow Palette in Golden Hour

I went back and forth, round and round and everything in between on what doggone palette I was going to take with me. It was very annoying! I really need to decide on set eyeshadows, blush and lippies that I will take with me when I travel. We'll see if that actually happens. I don't know how I decided on the NYX Golden Hour Palette but I was happy with my choice. I also took the 4 matte NYX eyeshadow (mention in my June 2017 Top 5 post). They are good companion shadows for this palette. I mentioned this palette back in my February 2017 Shop My Stash post. I thought I had mentioned this as favorite. Guess not. If you're look for an inexpensive warm neutral palette check this one out. The shadow quality is very nice and I enjoy the mix of shades in this palette. Also you can catch NYX on sale at various stores, so you can get this for less than the list price of $19.99. I picked up another Perfect Filter Shadow Palette that's a perfect Fall palette. So stay tuned for that.

Mario Badescu Cucumber Cleansing Lotion

When I used up my favorite Neutrogena toner this was next on my list to use. I got this in a giveaway with a bunch of other Mario Badescu items. I had never tried anything from the brand. When I was packing up my skincare items a thought came to me. Maybe it isn't a good idea to take a new skincare item. What if I have a reaction???! I was like well whatever, we'll go with it. I did not have any issues and really like this cleansing lotion. It smells really nice and feels refreshing on the skin. Here are the claims from Ulta's website:

"Refresh and re-balance combination, oily skin. Natural astringent and skin-softening properties found in cucumber extract help minimize T-zone shine while nourishing skin with essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Oily skin gets the cooling, clarifying cleanse it needs to look healthy and revitalized."

I can say a big YEP to this. Would I repurchase this again? Most definitely. I have quite a few toners on hand now (don't know how that happened *shifty eyes* lol!!!) so I don't really need to repurchase the Cucumber Cleansing Lotion right now. But when it's time I will get another bottle.

And here's the view that I had from my room.

My next work trip will take my to Florida at the end of October. So we will see what that brings.

Next up my top 5 for August. Slowly getting back on track here. Slllowwwllyyyy!