I just realized that it’s halfway through November. But I love spending the end of the month–or the beginning of the next month–recapping my favorite products, so let’s jump in!

I should probably call this the Month of Mascara: I have tried a bunch, and three (!) made it to my monthly favorites list. Let’s just say my lashes have looked extra good this month. The first is a high end mascara: the Smashbox X-Rated mascara. I love the weird wand on this one. It’s a little hard to work with, but my lashes always look amazing–long and feathery. I feel like it makes my eye look huge.

The second is the Ulta Beauty Plush Drama mascara. I recently wrote a full post about this mascara, so I won’t go into detail here. If you love the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara, or have been wanting to try it, this one’s a dupe. It’s a wetter formula, has a huge brush, and makes my lashes look naturally long and thick–not false-lash effect, but more of a your-lashes-but-better effect.

The third mascara is the cult favorite, the Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect mascara. This is the one in the black tube with green details (not red–that’s their volumizing formula). The False Lash Effect formula truly does just that–it makes me look like I’m wearing false lashes when I’m not. It’s just an amazing product, and super easy to use. The wand is not too big, not too small, the formula is not too wet, not too dry, it’s just fantastic and I think it would work for so many people. This is truly one of my holy grail mascaras. Of the three I’ve loved this month, this is probably my top pick. And did I mention it’s around $4? Yeah.

I’ve really been working on doing my brows this month, and I have finally found a product I love: the NYX Sculpt and Highlight Brow Contour in Taupe/Vanilla. My hair is warm light brown with some blond highlights, and this matches perfectly. This is a very beginner-friendly pencil–it is a stiffer formula than others I’ve tried, which means that I have to build it up slowly. If you are great at brows and really need to fill them in, this may not be for you. But if you are new to brow pencils and only want to fill in a few spots, this is perfect. It’s hard to mess up because it doesn’t put down too much product, so I don’t even miss the fact that there’s not a spoolie–I just go over my brows with clear brow gel. (My current favorite is the Ulta Collection Brow Gel.) I like the highlight for cleaning up under my brow and adding a very subtle highlight. It’s a great product that I grabbed on a whim when it was on clearance at Target. Yay for late-night grocery runs!

Because I’ve spent the month fighting colds, sinus infections, coughs, you name it–it’s been rough– my Garnier BB Eye Roller has been a lifesaver. I haven’t worn a ton of makeup, but I love this for brightening my under-eye area. It’s such an odd product–it doesn’t provide a lot of coverage, but it is extremely brightening without being glittery or looking unnatural. It just makes my skin look radiant. It’s not sold in stores, but I found mine at Marshall’s for $4, and I know they’re on amazon as well. One you can buy in stores is their Skin Active Eye Roller, which is basically the same thing.

(I should give Sudafed, Celestial Seasonings Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea, Yoga with Adriene (YouTube channel), and Eden’s Garden Essential Oils (to diffuse, never to ingest) an honorable mention in this month’s favorites. These kept me going this month when I really felt at my worst.)

Finally, I rediscovered the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Blushing Nude. This may be the most perfect fall lipstick on the planet. It is pinky nude with brick-brown undertones, so it has enough warmth that it brightens my face without looking unnatural. (Natural seems to have been a theme for me this month.) Sometimes nudes can have too much brown and actually accentuate any darkness in your face–not a good thing if you’re feeling under the weather. This shade just adds enough color that it brings life to my face but works with any makeup look, no matter how subtle or dramatic.

I hope you enjoyed this monthly favorites post, even if it is a bit late. And I’ve already got a good list of November favorites ready to go!