Line up of our top five favorites! This is a series that we will feature periodically of each of our current five favorite beauty products. Some might be of the moment and others, well, they might just get a sparkly ring for the commitment we have to them! This is not a sponsored post - all of these things we have paid for with our own money and personally endorse! Links to each item will be at the end of this post!

LAUREN

Benefit They're Real Mascara  two words: game changer. This is my absolute favorite mascara product, it's also a personal favorite of Mallory's. Truthfully, when I leave the house with one thing on, this is invariably it. From the formula, to the shape of the wand and bristles, everything is just right for my lashes. With the right application, I love that you can layer this mascara too, giving you the perfect distribution of mascara for full and voluminous lashes.

Dry shampoo  I could write sonnets about my love for dry shampoo and any one who knows me can attest to that! In fact, when writing this and trying to decide on which one was my favorite, I couldn't decide between three: Dove Refresh + Care Invigorating Dry Shampoo, Batiste Original Dry Shampoo (Mal's go-to as well), and TRESemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo. For all different reasons, I enjoy each of these but luckily for you (mwuahaha!!!) I'm saving that for its own little post, so I done found myself an out! 

 

Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer and Blush  this collection is not joking around, I absolutely love both the bronzer (as does Mal) and the blush. The bronzer comes in the iconic color park avenue princess and I use the shade flush (pink berry), in the blush. Both of the products apply so smoothly, leaving you with just the right amount of pigment to compliment and define those cheekbones. 

Matte Liquid Lipstick  I have always had a soft spot for a pop of color on my lips, whether it be a neutral brown, a warm shade of red, or a deep burgundy. Within the last year, I have become entirely smitten with matte liquid lipsticks. Be it Kat Von D, ColourPop, Anastasia, you name it, they all work like magic. In my humble opinion, matte liquids can offer a girl several things lip sticks just can't and lucky enough for me, these were the exact qualities I wanted more out of my lipsticks. Specifically, I love the long-lasting wear, non-transferability, and matte finish. I know that some lipsticks have those capabilities but for myself, I found those qualities lacking, until I got myself some of these. I'm sure they'll be more on this later as well!

Revlon Liquid Liner  I'll be the first to tell you, I love luxury brands (Urban Decay, Benefit, Tarte, etc) but when a girl can get the same effect or better at drug store prices, I'm happy as a freaking clam! I have tried everything from sticks, gels, pots, you name it and thus, this liquid liner is tried and true for my cat eyes every. single. time. My hunch, like most things with makeup, is that this has to do with you skin type. I have normal to dry skin, so this works great on me. I can line my upper lid with no pulling (aka even lines) and it does not run (move around), even if I tear up. Which let's face it, I'm a huge sap, so that's mandatory. It will stay in place on top of my eye shadow, as pristine as when I first put it on, all the live-long day, and that's just about as much as a girl can ask for.

MALLORY

Million Dollar Tan  guys - this is the real deal. I have tried everything under the sun (no pun intended) to keep a glow going year-round. Living at the beach for such a long time, it was common culture to go out all spring, summer, and fall and just totally bake in the sun, and on the off season, keep it going with a tanning bed. But as I have gotten older, and having personally known people who have had (sometimes multiple) diagnoses with skin cancer, it became my absolute mission to find myself a healthier way to keep my glow without harming my body. I tried spray tans, tan towels, self tanners - you name it. But once I found Million Dollar Tan, everything changed! I started using it about 8 months before my wedding and haven't stopped! I use their Cabana Tan lotion, but they have other products as well. I personally use the regular tone, but I know people who have darker natural complexions and use their Extreme line. The face lotions smells wonnnnnderful - like coconuts. The body lotion is marketed as "unscented", but I will say that once it is on, it starts to have a slight self tanner odor. One thing I love about this lotion is there is no color guard, meaning it is white lotion, no instant bronzer, so you don't have a lot of color transfer on clothes! I don't think this has any impact on application though - it rubs in white so you can really see where you are applying. I have literally never had a streaking problem with this lotion either, only some dark spots around my wrists when I am lazy and rushed! I think this is one gem I will be loyal to forever. Lo backs this one up too; she jumped on the bandwagon with me before her wedding and has been hooked since!

Si by Giorgio Armani  I have NEVER been loyal to a perfume. Ever. I just have never been able to find a smell that I really identify with. I don't like very girly scents, but I don't like masculine either. I like a nice mixture of floral and woody. And this, my friends, is just that - THE perfect blend of sweet and musky. I love it so much that I tote a mini roller with me at all times. In my purse. In my car. Wherever I can take it, I do. But don't be fooled by that, the longevity of this perfume is stellar. I spray myself a couple times in the morning and get compliments on how I smell after I leave the office - that's crazy! It is also the only perfume that I have gotten compliments on. This is another of my life-long loves, I think. It has taken me almost 27 years of life to have a scent, and I do not plan to change anytime soon.

Lorac Pro Palette  This. Is. Everything to me. When I travel, this is the only eyeshadow I take - this one palette. It has the perfect mix of shimmer and matte, and I adore the earthy tones. The colors are so versatile that you can go from a simple work look to an edgy night-out eye with one palette! I also have the Lorac Pro Palette 2, and I must say, as much as I love that one, I still go back to this one as my default. Plus, has there ever been a more perfect crease transition shade than Taupe from this palette - I think not. Swoon.

Catwalk by TIGI Session Series Salt Spray  guys, first of all, this may be the most beautifully smelling hair product in all of existence. Phew, ok I had to get that out. I love a good salt spray because, now that I don't live on the coast anymore, I don't get that messy beach hair just from walking outside. I literally curl my hair almost every day, and most days I want a more textured, tousled look. My ideal hair style (and my go-to on a daily basis - bless that its in style again) is a half top knot, with my hair slightly curled and sprayed with this nectar-of-the-gods.

Bite Agave Lip Mask  first off, let me start by saying I adore what this company stands for (and so does Lo). They are all about "what goes on your mouth should be able to go into your mouth", so they don't use any dangerous chemicals in their products (so naturally, they are a staple in my lipstick drawer). I actually found out about this lip mask on a trip to Sephora, which I shamefully make too regularly, if to do nothing but browse and swoon over everything. My friend and I were trying on matte liquid lipsticks and after the first 2 I could feel my lips shriveling up like tiny, sad little raisins. The beauty advisor went and grabbed this tester and had us hydrate our lips again. OK pals, full disclaimer - I despise lip gloss. I don't know why, I have always hated it (outside of my awkward, butterfly clip middle school years where I gave it a valiant effort). I keep trying it, and maybe one day the stars will align and I will love lip gloss, but anything with the glass-like finish of a gloss, get it away from me. So the second it went on, I was like oh boy, a gloss. BUT ... people ... after the first minute or so, it starts to soak into your lips and boom - hydration. The most amazing hydration ever. You can wear it throughout the day, you can wear it at night to bed, like I do. I sincerely have almost totally given up on chap stick because of this majestic mask!

This wraps up our five favorites, hope you enjoyed! Let us know if you love any of these as much as we do, or what products you recommend and why; we are always on the hunt for new and improved products to try and love! Until next time, have yourself a fancy rest of the week, sweet pals! 


Benefit They're Real Mascara : Buy this on Ulta.com HERE

Dove Dry Shampoo: Buy this on Target.com HERE

Batiste Dry Shampoo: Buy this on Ulta.com HERE

TRESemme Dry Shampoo: Buy this on Target.com HERE

Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer, Park Avenue Princess: Buy this on Sephora.com HERE

Tarte Amazonian Clay, Flush (Pink Berry): Buy this on Sephora.com HERE

Kat Von D, Everlasting Liquid Lipstick: Buy this on Sephora.com HERE

ColourPop, Ultra Matte Lip {online only}: Buy this HERE

Anastasia Beverly Hills, Liquid Lipstick: Buy this HERE

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner: Buy this on Target.com HERE

Million Dollar Tan, Cabana Tan Lotion {online only}: Buy this HERE

Si by Giorgio Armani (perfume): Buy this on Ulta.com HERE

Si by Giorgio Armani (roller ball): Buy this on Ulta.com HERE

Lorac Pro Palette: Buy this on Ulta.com HERE

Catwalk by TIGI, Session Series Salt Spray: Find your local salon to purchase this HERE

Bite Agave Lip Mask, Champagne: Buy this on Sephora.com HERE

New Hampshire. Maine. Adventure.  New Hampshire’s beauty will sneak right up on you, if you’re not careful. New Hampshire is reminiscent of North Carolina’s beauty in some ways and that’s enough to make your heart ache in the best way. Maine is similarly stunning, with its untouched forests and rocky shores, you’ll never want to be more lost than you will when you find yourself in these beautiful pockets of New England.

We spent the first night wandering around the streets of Portsmouth. Our personal favorite city, if you’re looking for places to visit in New Hampshire. It’s on the water, so from just about any angle, you have a terribly quaint and romantic view. It resembles a town near and dear to all of our hearts back home – Wilmington, NC – but with a New England vibe, and a much colder climate! We had dinner at one of the sweetest restaurants, The River House. All of New England's prized gems (aka seafood, seafood, seafood!!!): chowder, lobster rolls, the works! After stuffing our faces (which happens to be a pastime of ours), the rest of the evening was spent catching up, in that cottage in the sticks Lauren and Cody love to call home. 

Second on our list of expeditions was to fulfill Mallory’s year-long dream of an early-morning rendezvous at her most favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant, The Big Bean. Their sausage and wild berry muffins (not when combined, well, I guess if you want to - good luck figuring that unicorn out) are what dreams are made of – literally, Mallory dreamed of coming back to this place for a YEAR! And to top it all off – we got to prance around in the most beautifully plump snowflakes – what a morning!

Anyway, we filled our bellies to the brim and set out for Cape Elizabeth; get ready to rip your heart out because even on the snowiest of days, this place lit up like the fourth of July. I mean, this place is as rad as it gets.

It was cold but it didn’t matter because we all couldn’t get over the view. After some exploring of the lighthouse and adjacent forts (plus a snowball fight or five), we set wheels for the LL Bean flagship store. Don’t forget your back-up wallet, LL Bean doesn’t play around. It really is just a fun place to explore! They have three separate stores, full of outdoor equipment, clothing, and home goods. Just the right amount of cozy in there too! To wrap up the most stellar day ever created (well, maybe second to our weddings, of course), after grabbing a quick bite at a local Mexican restaurant (SCORE!), our husbands made a campfire back out at the cottage in the sticks. It is so serene out there – nothing around you but a blanket of white, some out-of-season pear and apple trees, a personal covered bridge driveway, and some furry friends – the pups. In true form, Mallory was the first to fall asleep.

The weekend wrapped up as per usual, with us wishing for more days, a longer trip, more adventure, definitely more Big Bean breakfast, and still no sign of a moose. Really do need to plan a week-long trip though! Most of the fun we had didn't cost us a lot and truthfully, those times always seem to be the best! New Hampshire and Maine have a lot to offer, if you find yourself in need of a getaway that is the perfect amount of secluded and sociable, this might just be your lucky number! It is quaint, quiet, and is terribly charming – bar none some of the most beautiful sights this wonderful country has.

And now for the long-awaited sappy turn of events - best friends are hard to come by and we have said it a million times to each other but we do feel stupidly lucky and grateful for our friendship. It's the times like these that we hope to remember when we are old and wrinkly someday, if we haven’t lost our minds by then!! Grab yourselves a pal or twelve and hit the road jack; who knows, maybe you won't come back!

 

Music:
*We do not own any rights to the music used in this video.*
Copyright: The Paper Kites (Bloom)
Copyright: Benj Heard (Having a Good Day)

                     

                        

Come on in, take your seat and make yourselves comfortable. Long ago in a galaxy far, far away - wait, wrong introduction. Welcome to Love Mala, our love letter to you about all the things we enjoy. The heart of this space is about the unusually high amount of shared interests we have and love, hence Love Mala. Mala is nothing terribly clever; as you might have guessed it is our nicknames we have for each other (kind of). Mal and Lo are how we refer to one another frequently and you'll see that here on this blog but holy tangent, back to our blog name. Malo didn't quite have that ring to it and we liked Mala when combined better, so voilà! We basically became best friends instantaneously; in fact all of our friends thought it was some kind of wizardry because we just clicked. We met through Lauren’s husband, Cody, who at the time held the title “boyfriend”. Mallory and Cody had been friends since their first year of college, and he desperately wanted Mallory and her husband, Travis, to meet and “approve” of his new lady. When we met, all of the stars aligned and well, it was good. It didn't take us long to realize just how much we had in common, from wearing/wanting the same clothes, to continuously and accidentally matching our nail polishes and frankly, just about everything else. This happens a ridiculous amount of the time to the point that we have an on-going joke about being the same person. We even bought our husbands the very same humorous socks for Christmas this year and found out while excitingly telling each other about our stocking stuffers. Props to Target for baller socks, man!

So, welcome to the place of our shared interests, we hope you find it interesting, useful, or at the very least, fun. We are hopping on the blog bandwagon folks, have yourself a good time here and enjoy our lifestyle blog. This should be fun!

In the meantime, here's a little more about us individually, in case you’re interested in that sort of business -  

Lauren: I was named after Lauren Bacall, let's just start there. I grew up on a beautiful old farm in North Carolina, country as bunk and in the sticks. Wouldn't trade it for anything! My husband and I hope to get back to our roots when we are done traveling this beautiful continent. It's been pretty spectacular to get to hop from one side of the United States to the other, an experience we wouldn't have if it wasn't for his work in the Navy. The roaming just gets back to my nature, so I think that's why I enjoy it so. You see guys, I believe my spirit animal to be a bison, my husband says I'm a doodlebug. For all of those whose eyes are glazed over and look half as daft as I did, that's another name for a roly poly. And it's not, if you're wondering; my spirit animal is most likely a baby bison. I feel it in my bones. You know, if spirit animals are a thing. I have a good amount of Native American in my family, I even know which two tribes; that feels pretty cool. Navajo and Cherokee, if you're interested. Got a big soft spot for Westerns (film), Jeremiah Johnson or Outlaw Josey Wales, anybody? I sure hope so. I can thank my husband for so many things and Westerns are certainly one of them. Not sure why I'm still talking about Westerns. Anyhow, this sap just hopes you'll get your fancies tickled here and enjoy this adventure with us. I told my husband just the other day, Kacey Musgraves (album pageant material on repeat but that's another story for another day) couldn't have said it any better, "let's love hard, stay young, live fast, and die fun".

                 

                          

Mallory: Born and raised in lovely North Cack (known as North Carolina to all other 49 states), I have gained a great love for travel, discovery, and adventure over my past 26 years of life. Thanks, mom! My husband and I met, and didn’t actually start dating for 2-3 years; we remained friends with literally no romantic interest in one another. One day, he decided to visit me in Wilmington, and the rest is history! We shared the same love for travel, music, adventure, and much more, and ultimately came up with THE coolest idea (actually, it wasn’t OUR idea, but I can’t remember for the life of me where we heard it) – we have a 5-item “Anniversary Bucket List” that we abide by. Every year, on our wedding anniversary, we write down 5 things to accomplish in that year; for example “go somewhere new” or “go to a concert” or “fence in the back yard”, or even “have a baby” (well – we haven’t gotten to that one yet :) ). Ok, now that you have a serious understanding of the tangents both Lo and I go on, back to the meat-and-potatoes. My love for travel and adventure all began in Singapore, when I was, well, created. My whole life, my mom and I traveled together to some of the coolest places, and I have been hungry for culture and adventure since then. I truly believe that not a single penny put towards traveling and gaining life experiences can be wasted. I will take that any day over material items; well, makeup may just be a close second. Or tacos. Any who, I am an avid lover of animals, and am a total sap – yes, another thing Lo and I have in common. I don’t know too much about my family history (unfortunately), but I do know that I am part Cherokee (see, Lo and I = same person). I really hope you guys enjoy all of our adventures, interests, and experiences that we want to share!

Enjoy, pals!