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Clove + Hallow Lip Crémes

June 5, 2019June 5, 2019 by whoorl

You all. Clove + Hallow Lip Crémes are so dang good. I’m fully obsessed so of course, I wanted to swatch them for you.

These lipsticks are PETA-certified cruelty-free and vegan and are made with a base formula of organic castor and jojoba oils that delivers legit pigmentation. Plus, they are incredibly creamy. So. Very. Creamy. The satin-matte finish is classic and keeps my lips hydrated all day.

Full ingredient list:

Sunflower Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Mica, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Carnauba Wax, Candelilla Wax, Jojoba Esters, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Grapefruit oil, Orange Peel Wax, Argan Oil, Vitamin E; May Contain Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Lake Dyes

Two other bonuses – the white packaging is super chic with a magnetic closure and (and!) they work great as cream blushes. I personally love to wear Desert Rose on my cheeks all the time.

Here are my 4 favorite shades from the collection of 9.

Desert Rose

Blooming

Flaming Coral

Psych

The price point on these lipsticks can’t be beat. 20 dollars! Have you tried Clove + Hallow lip crémes? What’s your favorite shade?

Love lipstick? You might like these posts:

Best Natural Red Lipsticks in Green Beauty

Best of the Best: Kosas Lipsticks

My Favorite Black Friday Deals!

November 21, 2018January 30, 2020 by whoorl

Hello and happy Thanksgiving Eve! I’m currently en route to Santa Fe, New Mexico for the holiday weekend, but far be it for me to not share some of the best Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotions. Wow, there are so many deals to be had, but I am going to stick to spotlighting my favorite beauty brands and shops that I feel worthy of our almighty dollar. (I really tried to keep it around 10 mentions, but I couldn’t make it happen. We landed at a respectable 16, folks.)

Some promotions have already begun and some not quite yet, but I will include dates for you, as well as my top picks from each shop!

TRUE BOTANICALS

Let’s not beat around the bush…the first Best of the Best post on this website featured True Botanicals for good reason. Their skincare is absolutely lovely and it WORKS. Period. My very detailed review of favorite products is here, but if I had to choose two products from the line, the Resurfacing Moisture Mask and the Vitamin C Booster would take the cake. Every single one of you could benefit from adding these two to your rotation.

True Botanical’s once-a-year sale includes 20% off everything. EVERYTHING. Plus, you can earn a $10 credit for every $50 you spend. Use code ONCEAYEAR. Goes live Friday, 11/23 through Monday, 11/26.

AILLEA BEAUTY

AILLEA has become my online green beauty retailer of choice due to the sheer number of incredible brands in one place. (There are brick-and-mortar shops as well in Denver, Charleston, Raleigh, and Atlanta, and oh, how I wish I lived closer to one.)

AILLEA is offering 20% off store-wide Friday, 11/23 through Monday, 11/26. This promotion is happening both in-store and online, and shoppers can use the code CHEERSAILLEA when shopping online for the discount code to apply.

My Top Picks:

Kjaer Weis! Oh my goodness, you know my love runs deep for this brand. Cream blushes, my beloved KW Red lipstick, the new cream eyeshadows (love Gorgeous for the lid and Enticing for a liner)…these products are incomparable.

Kjaer Weis Eye Shadow in Pretty Purple, Cream Blush in Abundance, Lipstick in KW Red

Aila Nail Polishes are my nail polish of choice! My favorite shades are Ms. Martin, Sarang, Mr. Pookie, Room 212, and the Better Than Gel Topcoat is a must!

Can’t get enough of Clove + Hallow. Lip Velvets, Lip Glaze, and the Conceal and Correct concealer are my faves.

left to right: Clove + Hallow Lip Velvets in Roadtrip, Sugarbear, and Napa

CV Skinlabs Body Repair Lotion is the best body lotion for sensitive skin types.

Olio e Osso Lip and Cheek Balms are perfect for toting around. Wrote about the gorgeous tinted balms here!

Vapour! Love love love Vapour AER Deodorant (it’s my daily deodorant), the Soft Focus Foundation in 115 (see it in action here), the Multi-Sticks, and the Lux Lip Conditioner. (Full brand review here.)

Kosas lipsticks and cream blushes are in constant daily rotation over here.

And don’t forget two of my favorite skincare lines, MUN and Maya Chia! (psst – if Maya Chia is on your radar, check out my Beauty Heroes section below!)

LAUREL

This is Laurel’s only sale of the year and it is quite special. The Thankful Sale starts on Friday, 11/23 through Monday, 11/26 and is 20% off your entire order. Use the code THANKFUL at checkout and orders over $100 receive complimentary shipping.

Also, there are some really wonderful Thankful Sale Gifts with Purchase too:

Spend $250+ receive a deluxe trial size Limited Edition Honey Rose Spice Mask (15ml)
Spend $400+ receive a deluxe trial size Limited Edition Honey Rose Spice Mask AND a deluxe trial size sneak peek Jasmine Hydrating C Elixir (coming in 2019!)

I am obsessed with trying both of these products – the Honey Rose Spice Mask has an abundance of local organically farmed Roses, raw California Orange Blossom Honey, and warming spices of Tulsi, Nutmeg and Vanilla. UM, come to mama. The Hydrating Jasmine C Elixir is a whole plant Vitamin C and flavonoid-rich Hydrating Elixir including Hibiscus, Camu Camu, Rosehip and a genuine Jasmine Hydrosol made by the only artisan distiller in the world who has mastered the distillation of the delicate flower.

Wondering what to purchase from Laurel? My top three products are the Brighten Mask, the Honey Berry Enzyme Mask (reviewed here), and the Sun Damage Repair Serum. You can’t go wrong with these gorgeous options!

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A Fresh Face for Spring

March 29, 2016May 1, 2021 by whoorl

This is for all of my friends looking for a fresh, neutral look for the warmer months ahead. (Since I’m usually touting the brightest lipstick known to man, which I guess isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.)

This entire look (besides mascara) is by Beautycounter, and it’s an easy, no-thinking-necessary look for every day.

1. After cleansing and prepping skin, I apply Tint Skin Foundation in Linen all over my face. Depending on my level of laziness, I will apply with fingers or my Sigma Flat Kabuki Brush. (For those of you who don’t feel your foundation or tinted moisturizer blends well on your face, run, don’t walk, and purchase one of those brushes. Besides my MAC 217, it’s the most-used brush I own.)

2. I put a little dab of the Touch Up Concealer Pen in Light underneath my eyes to counteract darkness. I only apply underneath the eye, close to the nose area…if I take it all the way across, it accentuates my fine lines on the outer part of the eye area.

3. Bronzer time! Apply the Color Contour Bronzer in No. 1 across the top of my forehead, hollow of my cheeks, bottom of chin, and neck.

4. A bit of the Color Sweep Blush Duo in Tawny/Whisper on the apples of cheeks. I usually go for the Bloom/Tulip shade during fall and winter, but love this soft peach shade for spring and summer.

5. I use the Color Shade Eye Duo in Pearl/Champagne on my eyes – Champagne on the entire lid, and a bit of the Pearl in the inner corner of my eyes to brighten.

6. Apply the Color Outline Eye Pencil in Violet on the upper lash line only, followed by two coats of Per-fekt Lash Perfection Gel. (The best of the best, in terms of green beauty mascara. I ADORE this stuff.)

7. Dab Petal Lip Sheer on my lips, followed by a little bit of the Peony Lip Gloss.

Voilá! A great neutral look for Spring. (Or any season, really.) Let me know if you give it a ~~whirl~~ whoorl. Heh.

Oh! And pssst, mamas of wee ones…Beautycounter finally launched a Baby Line. Hooray!

Get Some Headspace

July 23, 2013July 3, 2015 by whoorl

I planned for this post to be a list of completely awesome ideas, objects, and websites that I’ve received over the past few years from you all. A readers’ recommendations best of the best, if you will, because, wowza, you all have offered up some amazing tips. Never fear, that list will still be published soon, but while compiling and writing the list, I found myself going on and on and on about a website that was very recently shared with me by a commenter (thanks, Janette!), Headspace.

Now, you know I try to keep things super light at Whoorl (sale at Madewell! Best pinkish nude lipgloss ever!), but the truth of the matter is that I’ve had a tough year in regards to my physical, and subsequently mental (funny how those two walk hand-in-hand) health. I’ve alluded to it a few times here, and while I won’t bore you with the details, let’s just keep it simple. 2013 has been a challenging year for me. Lots of searching for answers via doctors, physical therapists, behavioral therapists, acupuncturists, and naturopaths.

Because we all want answers, right? To be able to compartmentalize every feeling and thought and sensation and know that it’s fine. It’ll be fine! Everything is going to be alright because A, B, and C. I’m a girl who likes answers. I’ll research night and day just to feel like I have my arms confidently wrapped around a situation. However, the universe doesn’t see it that way, and as much as I’ve been fighting it and stressing out and not sleeping and hurting, I’ve recently experienced a shift in my core.

It’s time for me to quit searching outwardly for the answers and look inward.

Whoah there, Whoorl…can’t you just recommend your favorite curling iron today? Did you see those adorable Darby flats at J. Crew?

I know, I know. Quite a departure from my usual spiel, but something that I feel I need to share with you.

Being mindful, you guys. I’m working on it.

Listen, the first few times friends and acquaintances suggested I consider meditation, I physically couldn’t keep my eyes from rolling into the back of my head. Me? Meditate? This Type A, hamster-wheel-of-a-brain, work-at-home mom with a million things to do? Yeah. no thanks.

I gave it shot, though. I listened to several guided meditations and podcasts, and tried really hard to make it work, but I just didn’t feel connected at all. Either the voice was all wrong or the subject matter was too hippie dippie or the freaking wind chimes made me want to puke. It was just too much. I needed baby steps.

Enter Headspace.

You all, I can’t even express to you how grateful I am for this website. It’s meditation, but completely manageable. I want to write paragraph after paragraph about the Headspace concept in regards to meditation, but this video says it all. If you have 10 minutes, I highly recommend watching Headspace founder Andy Puddicombe’s TED talk about taking 10 minutes a day to be more mindful. (The guy knows of what he speaks…he is a former Buddhist monk. And, apparently, juggles.)

If 10 minutes is too much for you, check out this 1-minute video which I love as well.

I am just finishing the Take 10 program, and I swear I have so much more mental clarity and focus than I did a week and a half ago. It wasn’t easy – trust me, I am so NOT good at sitting alone with my thoughts. (It’s much easier to distract with a laptop screen or iPhone, right?) My first few meditations were wracked with shallow breaths and chest tightness, but as the days passed, the anxiety dissipated and calmness prevailed. I even find myself continuing to meditate after the 10-minute program has ended. I can’t wait to start Take 15 next on the Headspace app.

Also, Andy’s voice is just about the most perfect voice ever to guide you through meditation. No new age synthesizers, no wind chimes, none of it. Just his calming voice. (Also, I’m just going to say it. I think I have a crush. WHAT? I CAN’T HELP IT.)

Anyway, if you have considered mediating, but don’t know where to start, I highly recommend checking Headspace out. It’s 100 times better than that adorable silk blouse I plan on telling you about soon.

Odds and Ends

November 17, 2023November 17, 2023 by whoorl

This black blazer is my most-worn and forever a classic. The tortoiseshell buttons are what make it.

Flocks of starlings in evening skies. Unreal.

Target socks are the best, you can’t tell me otherwise.

The effects of stress on skin. Yippee.

Is Reddit the best place on the internet for reviews?

I bought a new setting mist earlier this week and it’s quite impressive. Hydrating yet blurring…yes, please.

This is the best news I’ve read all week. #morepandas

RMS Beauty 30% off sitewide! Here’s a list of my favorite products and shades.

Nothing’s worse than writing a cover letter. (Or your own bio.)

A batched cocktail is a great idea for holiday get-togethers.

I wrote a novel on sweaters this week. (Including 27 photos. You should have seen my bedroom afterward, total catastrophe.)

Mini saltines are a zillion times better than the original? I’m intrigued.

Moussy has always been my go-to for boyish jeans with a vintage feel. The Seagraves and Banning are both so good.

It’s 2023 – an IG account with no photo is straight-up frightening.

I just purchased two more beads (this and this) for my beloved Adina Reyter bead party necklace. (Shhh…I have something really special coming for you in early December…maybe pick a few favorites and put them in your cart?)

Happy Friday! Wishing you a wonderful weekend and holiday week ahead.

image credit: acjournal