My November favorites are more than just favorites— they are things that have literally helped me survive the past month. Two week-long trips to Southern Illinois, starting some exciting new projects and just generally being busy meant that my makeup and hair were not my number one priority. I wanted to simplify everything. I’m talking five-minute makeup and only washing my hair when absolutely necessary. I’m talking books that served a purpose. Everything had to have a reason, or else I didn’t have time for it.

My five-minute makeup routine, most days, took more like two or three. I purchased the Too Faced Born This Way foundation at the end of October and it may have replaced my holy grail Make Up For Ever HD. Half a pump covers all of my redness and makes my skin look natural and healthy. Plus, I think it moisturizes my skin a little bit as I wear it which will be fantastic this winter. I would set it with powders from the Kat Von D Shade and Light palette and then contour my face with the darker shades, and follow up with Rimmel’s Smoke N’ Shine eyeliner. It's perfect for tightlining but, be warned, it does smudge a little throughout the day.

And Nails Inc. Gel Effect nail polish. I'll be reviewing these later this month... But, spoiler alert, it was a favorite.

Dirty hair was my life in November. Go ahead and ew all you want, I made it work. When I did wash my hair, I would run a half pump of Moroccan Oil through my mid-lengths to my ends. At first I only used it because it seemed to make my hair dry faster— which, with my thick mane, is miraculous. But then people started commenting on how nice my hair looked. So it is definitely staying in my hair routine. On those days when washing was out of the question, Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak dry shampoo was a hair saver. It’s right up there with my Klorane dry shampoo, which is an all-time fave.

While I was traveling, I wanted to make sure I did some reading. But I’ve been having a quarter-life crisis about what I want to do with my life, so I needed books that were going to help me in some way. I had seen #GIRLBOSS floating all around the blogosphere, so when it became available in paperback I scooped it right up. Worth it. Not just some blogging trend. I also picked up Light is the New Black by Rebecca Campbell. If you're a spiritual person, this is a great read. I'll probably be doing reviews of these two in the future-- they deserve to be blogged about (which is why #GIRLBOSS has been blogged about nearly a million times, but still).

WHEW. I totally planned on making this a short post, but we see how that turned out.

What have you been loving this month? Are any of your faves the same as mine?