december favorites.

1. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman || This is everything I look for in a good book. It seamlessly blends history and fiction, it involves interesting, complex characters, it grabs its reader on the first page, and it manages to tie in a beautiful love story without being too precious. This was certainly one of my best reads of 2014 and may even be one of my best reads of all time.

2. Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick (in Zivoli) || When it comes to lipstick, I can be especially picky. Something that makes its way onto my lips needs to be created with special care and consciousness. Bite Beauty products are entirely food grade without compromising on quality. This color is bold without being over the top.

3. Trader Joe's Turkish Apricots || Dried apricots are one of my favorite treats, especially when I feel the need to satisfy my sweet tooth without doing too much damage. Look for apricots that are a natural brown-orange color instead of those that are bright orange. I like this bag from Trader Joe's because it's organic and doesn't break the bank.

4. Seabuckthorn Face Oil || Facial oils are a luxurious and nutritious way to show your skin some love. This Badger face oil is especially wonderful in the winter time when my skin tends to lean toward the drier side. I use two pumps on my face and neck at night after cleansing and toning my skin, and I use half a pump under my makeup in the mornings. In the summer time, I like this face oil, which is also made by Badger.

5. Hoop Dream Earrings (in yellow gold) || Jeffrey gave me these delicate hoops for my birthday in October and I've hardly taken them off since then. They're whisper thin, which I think is quite elegant and lovely.

6. Meyer's Clean Day Soy Candle (in Iowa Pine) || This is the perfect candle to burn when you're not quite ready to say goodbye to the piney scent of a good ol' Christmas tree!