So... To be entirely cliché... Can you believe we're already two months gone in 2015? I can't. I'm pretty much floored by this and when I think about it, I end up thinking too much about aging and time passing quickly and how it's going to be no time until I am an old lady. Yes, I have anxiety. And yes, this time of year seems to be particularly flooring on the anxiety front. Anyway. At least February is a short month, and therefore it's supposed to pass more quickly than other months. AND I WILL BE YOUNG FOREVER. Ahem.

When I put together my monthly favorites, I don't think too hard about it. I go with my gut on the things that I just instinctively feel are my favorites of the month. This month happened to feel very thematic when I came out the end of it. The theme, you ask? MOISTURE. I swear, this month has been the absolute worst as far as dry skin and hair and I've been slathering myself up with everything I can find to try and combat that, and I've found that there are definitely some very solid products that take care of this for me.

Without further adieu (and neuroses... because HOLY on that first paragraph!)... Keep reading for a look at my February Favorites.

BEAUTY FAVORITES

1. NIVEA In-Shower Body Lotion Smooth Replenishing for Dry Skin - Review

You guys. YOU GUYS! Before this even came out, I was seeing it all over blogs from people who had received PR samples and I went into full stalking mode waiting for it to arrive on shelves in my local stores. I ended up finding it at Walmart - one lonely bottle of it displaced in a random aisle, and I bought it instantly. And I love it. Now, this is definitely not intense enough to be the only winter body lotion I use and I'm still loving my new Ride Or Die lotion, the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Body Lotion, but this still does what it does really well. In the drier months of the year, I tend to hate showering because my skin always feels tight and dry afterwards, but this body conditioner absolutely does away with that feeling. Instead, my skin feels soft and hydrated when I get out of the shower and I don't need to add anything else right afterwards to keep from feeling ashy and awful. This is definitely worth a try for pretty much anyone whose skin is feeling the effects of winter... or really anyone who feels the drying effects of a hot shower.

2. OGX Kukui Oil Conditioner

So... If you guys aren't reading Caroline Hiron's blog or watching her Youtube videos... DO IT.  This woman knows what she's talking about, she goes into the kind of detail that consumers should be looking for when it comes to products, and she's just damn charming on top of it. Anyway, I heard her talk about this conditioner a couple of times before I decided to try it. My hair has been a dry, frazzled mess this winter - mostly from too much bleach last summer and fall and a hell of a lot of heat styling. I've since had the worst of it cut off, but I'm still absolutely loving this conditioner. I tend to be leery when it comes to conditioners with oil in them because I've had bad experiences with residue and my hair feeling dirtier after I wash it than it was when I started, but this rinses absolutely clean and leaves my hair feeling soft, silky, and light. I have to say, I think it's one of the best conditioners I've found from the drugstore and I highly recommend it. Plus, it smells really, really delicious.

3. Shara Shara Gold Label Respescargo Cream

I'm taking another moment for Memebox.... And scene! Anyway, I got this cream in one of the Christmas boxes and it kind of sat on the shelf until a few weeks ago when I decided to give it a try... and pretty swiftly fell in love with it. I use this as my night cream, since I like to use something quite a bit lighter during the day under my makeup, and I find that I wake up with skin that feels moisturized and plump and gorgeous - even though our house is incredibly dry at the moment and my lips and throat feel completely parched. As far as I'm concerned, that's enough to prove that this cream gets it done. However, I've also seen improvement in the overall appearance of my skin since I've been using this. I'm already pretty bummed about the fact that it's going to eventually run out... and I feel like that's the biggest sign of all that I love it. You know, since I'm not even 1/3 of the way through the tub yet.

4. MOROCCANOIL Treatment Light

So here's a story... Every time I go to my hairdresser, my favorite part is right before the blowout when she puts really beautiful, amazing smells products in my hair. MOROCCANOIL is one of those products, and I've been vowing to pick up a bottle for well over a year now, but the price point is such that it's been hard for me to take the leap. When I got my hair cut recently, I told my hairdresser that this product was my favorite part and she gifted my with this little 50ml bottle that is literally never going to run out - it's probably going to go bad before it actually runs out, hence the literally. (Yes, I am that grammar nazi.) Anyway, I love this stuff and I find that it works really well in my fine, colour treated hair to leave it silky and healthy looking - while smelling like something I wanna rub myself in for several hours. Yes. Love. My hairdresser is the best.

5. NIVEA Smooth Replenishing Hand Cream with Macadamia Nut Oil

You'll see when I post my Monthly Empties that I've been going through hand cream this month like it's going out of style, finishing all of the hand creams that I already had on the go, so I had to pick up some new ones. I grabbed a couple of travel sizes of this cream for my desk and the sofa table and they are pretty much the business. I've been a huge fan of Nivea hand creams for quite some time and I find that I always seem to go back to them because even the higher end hand creams just never quite hold up to my Nivea. I think that this Smooth Replenishing formula has officially replaced the Q10 Anti-Age formula as my favorite, since this is a little more emollient and deeply hydrating. But seriously, you can't go wrong with any of the Nivea creams to moisturize parched hands.

6. Julep Nail Color in Evelyn

About 50% of the time, purple nail polish sucks. I'm not afraid to say that out loud, because I feel like most of us know that it's true. Purple pigments are notoriously tricky and it can be hard to get a really good purple shade. That said... In my experience, Julep does purple polishes right and all three of my favorite Julep polishes are shades of purple. You guys, this eggplant shade from Julep is heavenly. It's nice and deep without losing any of the colour intensity, it applies absolutely beautifully and could be opaque in one (though I usually do two coats), and it lasts so well without chipping. I'm in love with this shade and I literally don't want to wear anything else. EVELYN ALL THE TIME!

7. CDN Air Dry Fast Set Top Coat

When I saw this at Winners for a really good price, I decided to pick it up instead of my usual Seche Vite because I'm still always looking for something that will be better than the Seche Vite and I think we found it. This top coat dries almost as quickly as the Seche Vite (although it does take some time to harden and set completely) and it gives a beautiful shiny finish to the nails while really prolonging the wear time. Even better? It doesn't shrink, at least not yet for me. I've done maybe 5 manicures using this top coat and there hasn't been any shrinkage at all. I'm sold...  I just hope that I can find it easily once this bottle runs out.

NON-BEAUTY FAVORITES

8. Imperial Organic Cinnamon Rooibos Tea

Most of the teas I've been picking up recently have had caffeine in them, which is kind of a problem when the time of day I most want to drink tea is in the two hours before bed. This tea jumped out at me when I was at my local Asian grocery store for three reasons: Caffeine free, obviously, cinnamon, and rooibos. I mean... THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS! Ahem. Also, I've been drawn to tea bags lately. We have quite a bit of loose tea in our collection, but I've been far too lazy to deal with the Brewt's recently, so it's been all about the convenience of bags. This is really good, guys. I love it and I'm already going to need another box, because my boyfriend (who generally doesn't like my spicier teas) loves it as well. I have a feeling that we're going to be going through some of this.

 9. Hemp Socks

My cousin bought me and my boyfriend matching hemp socks for Christmas, because apparently we're adorable like that. (No, we're not.) It took me a couple of weeks to remember to open the socks, because I am definitely that person, but as soon as I wore them the first time I knew I needed more. I bought 2 more pairs and I think I'm on a mission for even more before my local hemp store sells out. I don't know what it is about these socks, but after wearing them in boots all day my feet are dry, warm and, best of all, don't feel the least bit dry. I seriously couldn't tell you why, but these socks are basically like foot care for me and I'm obsessed. I want to ignore all of my other socks and just wear hemp every single day during this cold weather.

10. The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

It's been a while since I've read a Young Adult book, but something drew me to this in the bookstore and as soon as I read the blurb on the jacket I was drawn into wanting to read it. And I loved it. My attention span for books hasn't been so good for the past several months, but I finished this book within a couple of days. The writing style was one that I enjoy for these types of books, straightforward and easy to read. I can't say that it blew my mind, but I did really enjoy it. I think was favorite part was the effortlessness of the world building and the way humanity remained very relatable and understandable even though this was a dystopian that dipped its toe into sci fi territory with certain elements. It had a strange feeling of being both futuristic and Victorian at the same time, but it never felt like it was trying too hard to be either of those things. Again, my mind wasn't blown but I really, really enjoyed it. Also, it's a standalone novel, which is damn nice. However... SPOILER: A dog dies and I sobbed like a baby over it, because I can't even with dogs dying. I didn't throw it across the room when that happened, though, so I must have really been into it. 

There you have it, my favorites of February 2015 - all about moisturized, cozy and comfortable.