I can’t believe it’s already May. Next month will be one whole year at my new job (I still say new even though it’s been this long). I feel like I blink and weeks pass. However, at the same time, winter felt like it lasted 13 years so I’m reveling in these warmer days.

I’ve never done a monthly hit and miss post, but I thought it would be fun to try it out. I’m constantly trying new things, beauty or otherwise, so why not round everything up! If you guys do regular hits and misses, please comment below so I can give you a follow and if you like this kind of thing, let me know! Now let’s jump in…

Hits

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Skincare Line

I may do a full blog post on this line soon. I’m so obsessed with the eye cream, the moisturizer and the serum that I think I might have to give the makeup in this line a try as well. I’ve definitely been sleeping on Neutrogena. I’ve always lumped them into this “teen acne skincare” category, and because their products never seemed to clear my breakouts, teen or otherwise, I’ve pretty much ignored them. But a coworker recommended the eye cream and I loved it so much that I dove right in. The gel-cream is so cooling and soothing, and I can definitely see a difference in what is usually my dry flaky skin. I do, however, think everything in the line is overpriced— all three products cost $20 each. Sure, that’s cheaper than if I purchased high end skincare from Sephora or Macy’s, but I didn’t buy high end skincare, I bought drugstore. But maybe I’m just cheap.

Sephora Collection 10 HR Wear Perfection Foundation

Umm what have I been doing spending so much money on foundation when this $20 gem has been under my nose the whole time? I tried this during my 10 Days of Foundation test/experiment, and was totally blown away. It beat out name brands like Marc Jacobs, Fenty and Urban Decay. I even turned my mom onto it.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I love applying foundation with a “beauty blender.” I put that in quotes because I refer to every sponge as a beauty blender. I don’t think I could ever spend $20 on the official Beauty Blender brand. I basically buy whatever TJ Maxx has when I need one and haven’t been too disappointed yet. For $3 to $4, even if it’s not amazing, it’s still good. The last time I was there I saw that they had this Real Techniques sponge and since I never tried their beauty blenders before and people rave about them, I had to buy it. I can’t even think of the right words to describe it. It’s so soft and plush and very spongey, which is really perfect. If I can’t find it at TJ Maxx again, I’ll spend the few extra dollars getting it from the drugstore.

Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham

I’m a pretty avid reader but tend to lean heavily towards fiction over memoirs and biographies. Nonfiction needs to be really amazing to hold my attention. For example, I have the Jann Wenner biography by Joe Hagan. As a journalist and someone who has dreamed of working at Rolling Stone since I was in elementary school, I couldn’t wait to get home and start it. But jesus, the excruciating details about his parents’ lives and childhoods stopped me from getting past the first few chapters. Lauren Graham’s book, on the other hand, is AMAZING. I couldn’t put it down and when I did, it was to force myself to stop reading so it wouldn’t end. She is just as hilarious, witty and lovable as the characters she plays on TV — Gilmore Girls and Parenthood are two of my favorite, most beloved shows — and she’s able to write about her life with both accomplishments and struggles in such an intriguing and relatable way. I’ve already got her other nonfiction book, In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, in my Amazon cart with her novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe right behind it.

Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman

Ok I know I quite literally just said I don’t usually love to read nonfiction but this behind the scenes Bachelor tell-all was another one that just wowed me to the point that I couldn’t put it down. I wasn’t always a Bachelor fan. In fact, I actively disliked the show for a long time. It’s not the dating part, because I am a huuuuuge fan of every raunchy MTV/VH1 dating show that has ever existed, (Daisy of Love, A Shot at Love, Rock of Love, Flavor of Love; “‘insert word here’ at Love” and I will watch it), it’s how serious the show takes itself. But one of my roommates in college was a devoted follower so I started to watch Ben Higgins season with her and before I knew it, I was hooked. I was searching for it online if I had missed an episodes. I couldn’t miss the drama. Now, I didn’t watch Ari’s season because who tf is he anyway, but I’m still a member of Bachelor Nation and this book was an EYE OPENER. You have to be a special kind of twisted to be a producer on a show like that (but I’m not gonna lie, I think it’d be kinda fun).

Misses

Prive Reveaux x Madelaine Sunglass Collection

I wrote my thoughts in a blog post here about this line. I wanted so bad to love them but the two pairs I ordered look absolutely hideous on me. What a waste of $60!!

Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream

Drunk Elephant is one of those brands that I dream about trying. Maybe it’s because it’s so expensive, my brain tells me that it has to be good, but because it’s so expensive I’ll never be able to try it and then I think about it all the time. It truly is a vicious circle. So when Sephora offered a free sample of this eye cream with a purchase, I was ecstatic. I was already planning to buy the Sephora Collection foundation I mentioned above so I wasn’t putting myself out trying to spend the money. It feels really good on the skin, but I saw no changes in texture, moisture or brightness, and if you wear it under makeup it looks like absolute trash. It breaks up under foundation and concealer and makes it look like I have an extreme dry patch. Yes I have dry skin but it doesn’t look like that under makeup. For $64, I don’t think so. I’ll stick to my Neutrogena Hydro Boost.