Apr 30, 2014

Empties!


Hey there!

Folks, you are going to have to grab a snack. I have a large container of empties. It's ridiculous really.

So starting on the left - Assured brand Moisturizing Shave Cream for Women; Raspberry- I wasn't really finished with the container but it was about a year old. I don't know if that's good or bad but I decided I'd go ahead and just let it go. It's nice. It's shaving cream. I guess I'd buy it again.

Toothpaste! I am a Colgate girl. My dentist said it's best and I don't know if it's the truth or not but it's what I buy. The large one is Colgate Total Advanced Deep Clean Paste. The smaller one is Colgate Total Whitening Advanced Paste (see a trend -- I like paste not gel?). The other smaller one is a Crest 3D white. It was left over from a traveling jaunt. It's was fine but I prefer Colgate. Yes, of course, I'd repurchase.

Bath & Body Works Signature Vanillas Lemon Shower Gel. This is my FAVORITE shower gel EVA! I buy this in bulk the 2 or 3 times B&BW puts it out. I'm down to 1 bottle now and I am scared. I've been using the new bottle only on special occasions. Will I repurchase? Are you kidding? I will spend an entire paycheck on it.

Bath & Body Works Mini Candles - I love these minis. They let me "try before I buy" the large ones. I have Island Margarita, Pink Lemonade Poundcake (oh yes, baby!), Pineapple Mango & Peach Bellini. I would buy them all again. They smell really nice. Yes, I reuse the jars too.

Organix Rejuvenating Cherry Blossom Ginseng Conditioner - This is a fabulous conditioner. It smells good and it makes my hair nice and smooth. I will definitely repurchase.

CVS Keratin Straightening Conditioner - I thought it would be just as good as the Organix. It's good, yes, but it's not as good as Organix. Will I repurchase instead of Organix and save some money? Nope. Not worth it.

CVS Energize Moisturizing Body Wash - Oh yes ma'am or sir. This body wash is so nice and smells so citrusy and fresh. I like CVS brand body wash. They are just as good as some of the others that I buy. I buy them all the time.

Avon Blushing Kiss Bubble Bath - I keep Avon Bubble Bath a plenty. I love their bubble bath. It doesn't break me or my kiddo out and a little bit makes a ton of bubbles. This particular fragrance is a no. It smells like roses crushed and sprayed with rose scent. It's overpowering.

Secret Antiperspirant - Holy Grail deodorant. Can I say that? This one is in Powder Fresh. I don't buy anything else because nothing else works. I won't buy anything else EVER! Love it.

Annie eye razor - Yep. I use these bad boys to take care of the eyebrows. I like the curved shape of this brand. I'm already scared every time I shape up my brows. The curved handle makes me feel like I'm in control. I just bought a 3 pack and realized I currently have 3 other 3 packs with 2 left in each. LOL!

Covergirl Flamed Up Mega Curl Mascara, Almay Intense i-color Eyeliner in Purple Amethyst & Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Paranoid Purple. I love all three of these products. I wasn't done with any of them but they are casualties of my eye issue. Because I didn't know what was going on, I tossed them. I did find out recently that it's a pollen issue not some eye disease like I first feared. But, I had already put it in the empties bin and repurchased others so...

That baggie with a white tube with a red stripe is my prescription Clobetasol Propionate. I have a scalp issue that isn't dandruff. I use this every 3 days and I really don't have a choice but to repurchase it.

CVS Eye Makeup Remover Pads - First off, this burns the crap out of my eyes. I purchased like a super pack of them and then after the first pack experienced the burn. I used this pack to wipe swatches off my hands and clean up makeup mistakes. I will not repurchase and I will be soooo glad when I'm done with them.

Body Prescriptions Anti-Aging Facial Cleansing Wipes - meh. They didn't take off makeup or do anything at all. They were wet. I will never buy these again.

White Cloud Cotton Round - Nope. Not all cotton rounds are created equal. These were soft but if they got wet they would disintegrate. They were horrible when it came to removing eye makeup, which is why I purchased them. I prefer the CVS brand, which I have purchased

Elf Professional Bronzing Brush - This wasn't a good bronzing or blush brush at all. It wasn't full enough and it shed like crazy. Also, the color bled. Yep, red was everywhere. I love the Studio Blush Brush that ELF makes though. I have 2 of them. It just goes to show you that ELF brushes are hit or miss.

I also have some Sephora samples that I finished/discarded. I was going to tell you about those but I think I'll save it for another day.


And that's my cosmetic trash! Aren't you glad you grabbed that snack?

Apr 29, 2014

Bath & Body Works Candle Haul

 

I like candles. I like candles that smell really good. I like candles that smell really good that I get on sale. Bath & Body Works had a sale on candles. Guess what I purchased?!

Bath & Body Works sends an email almost every day and normally I ignore them. This time they sent an email and promised me $5 mason jar candles and a free $14.00 or less item. You know I high tailed it down there right after work.

I didn't go crazy this time. I had just purchased several mini's a few weeks before. I only got 5 candles (ONLY -- did you see that I actually used the work ONLY). I picked up Frosted Cupcake, Watermelon Lemonade, Coconut Leaves, Lemon Verbena and Garden Strawberry. Yes, I realize that they all reference food. Don't judge me!

My faves are Garden Strawberry and Coconut Leaves. OMG. Garden Strawberry is the best candle ever (well, you know). It smells so good. You think that there is a bowl of sweet, delicious strawberries nearby. And the Coconut Leaves candle smells like coconut and vanilla. That is such a wonderful scent as well. Takes me back to the beach every time.


Keeping with the food theme are my Watermelon Lemonade and Frosted Cupcake candles. Shut up -- Just shut up! These candles are ridiculous! The Watermelon Lemonade is a sweet, lemony scent that really does make you think of a glass of watermelon lemonade (and if you have not ever had a glass of watermelon lemonade, you need to find a restaurant that serves it and take a swig). Frosted Cupcake smells like a container of cupcake frosting and of course I know what that smells like! Haven't you eaten sweet frosting out of the container? That's not just me, I know that! It reminds me of Betty Crocker's vanilla frosting. Theirs (in my opinion) is a bit sweeter than the rest.


And last, but certainly not least is Lemon Verbena. I love this smell in general. There is something fresh about verbena and you mix in lemon, you have a scent that reminds you of a clean space. I have hand soaps, body wash, body soaps and other "clean products" that are in lemon verbena. Some people like the smell of Mr. Clean. I like the smell of Lemon Verbena.

And that's my candle haul. That's pretty good for a candle loving girl! I got out of the store for $25.


Oh, and my free item? A candle people! Weren't you listening?

Apr 28, 2014

Nail Polish Change - Wet n Wild Megalast in Through The Grapevine & L.A. Colors Color Craze in Jewel Tone (and bonus color - Revlon Nail Enamel in Enchanting)

DoNOT talk about my crappy polish skills! I make up for it with my witty charm!

I don't know when this party nail craze is going to end but I'm going to be sad when it does!

This past week I wore purple in honor of my kiddo's prom dress. She got her nails done in purple so I did the same thing and used the same color for my party nail.
 
I know -- blurry as all get out. I wasn't drunk, I promise!

I've touted my love for the Wet n Wild Megalast nail polishes and because I discovered that Dollar General has a line exclusive to them (see, I'm late to the party, again!), you will be seeing lots of pretty colors from them. Their polishes wear well, stay chip free for most of the week and have that tapered brush that I have grown to love. This week, of course, was no exception. The color was beautiful and I plan to wear it again and again.

L.A. Colors nail polishes, on the other hand, are hit or miss. I've had some colors/formulations that I thought wore beautifully and others that didn't do the trick. Jewel Tone was more miss than hit and didn't really do what I wanted it to do, how I wanted it to do it.

When I create a party nail, I want to run the brush over it twice and be done. I'd like whatever sparkle, glitter, fuzz or confetti is going on inside the bottle, to flow seamlessly onto my nails. It took FOUR passes over the nail to get this sparkle on. That was a bit too much for me because it meant that my nail looked funky. You can't tell in the picture (or maybe you can) but I wasn't a fan of it. I like the sparkle result, mind you, just not what it took to get there. Especially since there are other polishes in my collection that will give me a pop of purple sparkle if I want. I would not buy this type of polish from L.A. Colors again.


Oh and you get a bonus cause I painted my toes! In keeping with the purple theme I used Revlon Nail Enamel in Enchanting. Very nice! I don't know if I'd use it on my nails but it is gorgeous on my tootsies. I can't really give you the deets on chipping and all that cause my toes don't type and cook and open packages and stuff so my toe nail polish lasts for weeks...until they grow. So I normally go 2 -3 weeks before painting them. But I wanted to show you the swatch cause it's purty!

And, just as I mentioned, I picked up a TON of new polish this past week. I can't even tell you how many Wet n Wild polishes I bought because it's embarrassing! No, not that I got them...that I didn't have them already! No one told me about the Dollar General exclusives! Sighhhhh. I made up for it though and you know what that means.


You're going to see a lot of WnW polishes! Get ready (But not next week. I'm doing something else next week).

Apr 27, 2014

Revlon Nail Enamel - Electric Chrome Collections


*Spiderman, Spiderman, 
Does whatever a spider can 
Spins a web, any size...

The entire time I was painting my nail wheel I was singing the Spiderman theme song. Cray-cray, I know but it's what I did.



I didn't think that I was going to purchase all of these polishes.  When I first saw the collection I decided to only pick up Spidey Sense and Electric Web. Those looked like safe nail colors. I did a swatch of both and loved them, so when I went back to my "Upscale Walgreens", I decided to add Gwen's Crush to my collection. I saw but left 1000 Volts in the store because I didn't think it was for me. And then, I spent an entire week waiting for Saturday so that I could travel back to my Walgreens and pick it up. I picked it up and decided that I needed I'm Electro as well. I didn't pick up Super Powered because it wasn't at my Walgreens but if I find it, yes sir, it's mine!

I think I made some good decisions. Do you see those colors? All of them are so pretty and vibrant. They all have a shimmer to them and a rich color. The one thing that kind of bothered me was that they dry, well,  not exactly matte, but not "wet". I like my polish to look shiny and this doesn't. It doesn't matter all that much though because I use the Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Top Coat and it gives a shine.

Spidey Sense is my favorite with Gwen's Crush following close behind. These colors are more than just party nail colors. These nail polishes are party HAND colors!

I really like them and the Revlon formulation just adds to the joy. This is one collection that I had no problem paying full price for and if you have the opportunity to pick up one or two of them, I suggest you do so!


Apr 26, 2014

Quickie Review - NYX Eyeshadow Base



Let's not focus on the yukkiness of the jar you see here. Let's focus instead on my love of this eyeshadow base.


I love this base!

I began looking at eyeshadow bases quite a while ago. NYX eyeshadow base in skin tone was one of the first ones that I tried. That, along with a few liquid ones and a few stick ones. I tried cheap ones and expensive ones. I tried white ones, clear ones and skin toned ones. No matter how many I tried, none of them really compared to my NYX eyeshadow base.

When you get down to it, this is a tacky, cream base. It's smooth but has the ability to stay crease free. The NYX website says it "creates a smooth canvas for color, increases its durability and prevents fallout". I couldn't agree more. And, it lasts forever. A little bit goes a long way. This $6 or $7 pot will last you a good year. I wear eye makeup 5 or 6 days a week (Sunday is normally a face rest day) and I might even get 13 or 14 months out of this little baby.

I haven't tried the white base or shimmer base in the NYX line but I don't know that I have to. It took me quite a while to learn the lesson -- when you find what works, stick to it.


What eyeshadow base works for you? How long did it take you to learn that lesson?!

Apr 25, 2014

Mally Beauty The Perfect Smokey Eye kit



A few weeks ago I purchased the Mally Beauty, The Perfect Smokey Eye kit at a nice discount with some added freebies thrown in.  I didn’t own any other Mally Beauty products so I thought, for $29 this is a great deal!  I can try a variety of products at one time.

I like Mally Roncal’s spunky personality on TV. She is lively and fun and always appears to be “on”. Her enthusiasm makes you want to try everything that she’s selling. So, when I saw this deal, I jumped on it. 

First, can I tell you how cute this makeup bag is?!  I love it. It’s big but not too big. It fits all that you need in a day. I immediately changed from the daily makeup bag I had been using, to this one. 


Inside was a plethora of goodies. There was a City Chick Smokey Eye compact, a Volumizing Mascara, Eyeliner Pencil and High Shine Liquid Lipstick in Gorgelina. I was stoked about all the fun-ness inside! I tried using a "full face" of Mally -- or at least what I had gotten in my bag. It creates a really nice, soft, natural face. You know I like that. As a total package, I liked it. Now, let’s get into the weeds. 

The palette itself is nice. It’s so sleek and smooth and looks pretty on my vanity. The 4 pans inside are nice as well. There is an eyeshadow base, crease color, lid color and brow color. The base is nice and I appreciate it but it’s not as tacky as I like. I do like that it’s creamy but because my eyelids are hooded, I can get creasing if my base is not a tacky cream base. The other 3 colors are nice but faaaaaar from smoky. Now, I am an NC42 in MAC so it’s probably not supposed to be smoky on darker skin. Fairer skin will probably get a good smoky eye. There isn’t any fall out and the eyeshadows go on well and last all work day. The colors are nice, but to use with other palettes or colors. I couldn’t create a look with just this palette. I needed to add a blending color. I wouldn't repurchase this particular palette but I would try other eye colors that she has.

I wore the mascara for several days and while it’s a really nice mascara, it’s not better than my holy grail, Jordana Best Lash mascara. There isn’t any smudging (I was scared that there might be because it seems to be a wet mascara) and it does great at adding color and some length to my lashes but I’m a volume girl and with the name ‘Volumizing Mascara’, I have high expectations. I will definitely keep and use this mascara but I wouldn’t buy it again.

The eyeliner is about the same – it’s nice but I have many others that are better. It took several swipes across the waterline to make color appear (but it went on smoothly each time) and it transferred to my eyelash line within 2 hours. I’ve mentioned before that that doesn’t bother me, but I would have liked more than 2 hours. I don't think I'd purchase it again. It seemed like a lot of work for not so much pay off.

The High Shine Liquid Lipstick in Gorgelina is nice and feminine. It’s a soft pink shimmer that looks really good on my lips. I wore it alone (on the day that I wore “all” Mally) but I like it over lipstick rather than alone. I just don’t feel like it kept my lips as moisturized as I like them but it wore well, right up until lunch without reapplication. At the $15 (on sale) price point, I’d like to take a look at other colors (something a bit darker – Orchid or Delish) and get a better idea of the liquid lipstick. I think it’s nice.


So overall, I liked this purchase. I think the products are just fine. But that’s what I think – they are just fine. I don’t think they are stand out for me. But, I only paid $29 for the lot and I honestly think I got a good deal.

Apr 24, 2014

Nanacoco Caught Out Loud Lip Glosses


I feel like some products don't get quite as much love as they deserve. I'm not sure if it's because they are too expensive/cheap or too elusive/easy to find. I think that my Nanacoco Caught Out Loud lip glosses are in that category. They are cheap glosses that you find at the beauty supply store but they are so nice.  They are rich, fully pigmented, smell nice and they're cheap. They aren't sticky and all and last for several hours.

I love the fact that you can try a nice bright color or a soft nude color and not spend more than $1.99 each! You can wear them alone or over other lip products or the thing I like to do, add a lip liner as a base. There appears to be about 30 colors in total and I own about...well it doesn't matter how many I own. Just know that I spend a lot of time at my local beauty supply store.


For this post, I pulled out my favorite 5.

I picked out Text Me Purple and Friday Night because they looked like they might be close to the Pantone Color of The Year, Radiant Orchid. I wear Text Me Purple alone and love it (I know. The girl that likes nudes and browns wears purple and likes it). I wear Friday Night over nudes or lighter berries that I feel need a little pick me up. I wear Lust over nudes or browns that need a little pick me up. I wear Ballerina over nudes for a little bit of pinky nude gloss. And I wear Desert Trip by itself when I just want some nudie gloss on my lips.


At $1.99 you could own the entire line and not feel guilty. I think these are just as good as some of my more expensive glosses and I think you'll feel that way too.


What's your cheapie lip gloss secret -- you know, the one that you love that cost you next to nothing?!

Apr 23, 2014

It's A Haul Y'all!


Hey there!

e.l.f. had one of their percentage off sales, so I took advantage and picked up some things that I can't find at my local Target or Wal-Mart stores.


First of all, I have to concur with everyone else -- e.l.f. ships quickly and packs well. I didn't buy a lot (and didn't spend a lot) but everything arrived safely and unbothered.

The first thing I pulled out of my baggie was the e.l.f. Studio Fan Brush. I have noticed that lots of makeup brush companies are making fan brushes. I don't really know what they are supposed to be for (I've seen everything from face powder to highlighter) but I didn't want to invest big money in a fan brush until I figured it all out. Well, I can say that I like this purchase. This brush is very soft. I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to use it, but trust me, I am going to have fun using it for something!

The next thing I reached for were the Eyelash Curler Replacement Pads. Perhaps you have had luck at finding these in the stores but I haven't seen hide nor hair of them. This was really the reason for my order. No review required. These are a necessity.

I have seen these Vanilla & Coconut Lotion Wipes online but not in stores. I was very anxious to try them. I'm not sure why everyone loves them but in 15 swipes across the face, I'll be able to tell you.


I wanted to try the High Definition Undereye Setting Powder. I have seen this in stores but it was discounted (50%? 40%? Who remembers exactly). You know I've been looking for an undereye brightener and I also like to use powder to set my eyeliner (I can't remember which YouTuber told me that but it seems to work). I'll report back.


And last but not least, I picked up the Pressed Mineral Blush. The first thing I noticed was the packaging. Except for the color of the container, it's similar to my Sonia Kashuk blush. The second thing that I noticed was that the color looks pretty. I ordered Wanderlust. We'll see how it wears.

And that's my Eyes Lips Face Haul. It's the first time I've ordered from them online. It was quick and easy...too easy really! Now that I know how easy it is, I see plenty of orders in my future.


Lots of stuff to play with. What do you think of my haul? What are your favorite e.l.f. products?

Apr 22, 2014

Quickie Review - Walgreens Lip Balm


I went to Walgreens (for makeup and half off Easter chocolate, of course) and I saw that they had their Walgreens Lip Balms with Vitamin E & Aloe on sale. I've mentioned that I'm not exactly in love with the EOS lip balms. They are in that awkward shape and usage causes a weird indentation in the product. I'm a plain "balm in a tube" kinda girl. That being said, my kiddo loves them. If she loves them, they get purchased (by/for her anyway). So, when I saw the Walgreens lip balms on sale, I decided to pick up 2 for the kiddo...and 2 for myself.

And, I was pleasantly surprised! I actually like the Walgreens lip balm better than the EOS balm!

The Walgreens balms came in watermelon and strawberry. I happen to have both of those EOS flavors. They all smell like the fruit they are supposed to smell like and the taste isn't terrible (They smell good people. You are BOUND to lick your lips a time or two).

The Walgreens balms came in the same egg shaped container but the product inside isn't a round ball. The top portion of the ball is flat (so not a ball at all). That's a little less weird to rub on your lips (a little less weird, not a lot). The formula appears to be slightly different too. I found the Walgreens balms to go on the lips more easily than the EOS balms. They also seem to last a bit longer and my lips felt more moisturized. Maybe the addition of vitamin E and aloe? I dunno.

If I had come across these first, my opinion of egg shaped lip gloss would have been different. I would have been willing to try out more flavors.


And now, I will!

Apr 21, 2014

Nail Polish Change - Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Pumped Up Pink Wet n Wild Wild Shine in Sparked

 

Birthday Nails!

I mentioned last week that I was going pink for my birthday. No special reason for pink. It was the color combo that I had in my "waiting to paint with" box. Well, I did use my pink and I added a party nail.

Happy Birthday to me! I loved both of these colors! The Sally Hansen Pumped Up Pink was a pretty, iridescent pink that had a slight blue hue. And, the Wet n Wild Sparked was my pink party color. It was lots and lots of very sparkly pink sparkles! The result of the two together was definitely a party on my fingers.


The Sally Hansen polish had that tapered brush that I'm beginning to love and the Wet n Wild had a regular brush. Both formulas are great and only needed 2 coats. I probably could have gotten away with 1 coat of the Sally Hansen.


Can we talk about Wet n Wild Sparked? The number of microscopic glitter pieces is crazy! I loved it. 2 brushes over the Sally Hansen and tada! Magically hands. I am going to be on the look out for more of these types of sparkles.


I enjoyed my birthday hands. The polish stayed on until I took it off a week later (BTW, I wear nail polish for 6 days and rest on the 7th - nail treatments and such). It didn't chip until the 5th day. Whoo hoo! This is a combo that definitely needs to stay in rotation.

Apr 20, 2014

It's A Haul Y'all!


Grab a snack and something cold to drink folks! We're going to spend some time together.

I spend the past week or so going a tiny bit crazy. It's all a part of my birthday haul! I mentioned at the beginning of the month that this is my Birthday Month and I planned on pampering myself a little bit. If you've noticed, many of the posts this month are positive reviews on the things that I love. If that bothers you a bit, don't worry. May is right around the corner and there have been some stinkers this month. I'll tell you all about it!

I know that you look at the haul pic and shake your head. It's ok cause I have more pictures! But, I'm not ashamed! I told you I had big shopping plans. Didn't you believe me? LOL.

My first thought was just to tell you about ALL the stuff that I purchased over the last week. I know. It's a lot of stuff and who has an hour to spend reading about all that? So I decided to just break it down by purchase type. That won't involve you investing in a bookmark and new eyeglasses.

BUBBLE BATH

I think I've mentioned it before. I like baths. I like bubbles and luxurious shower gels. They make me feel like a queen. To me, a shower is something you do really quickly to get the dirt and grime off. A bubble bath, on the other hand, is used for relaxing. You take your time and let the day fall off of you or you take your time and prepare your mind for the day ahead. Either way, it's a slow, purposeful thing.

And boy do I have a bubble bath collection already! I have a 4 foot high shower caddy next to the tub that is full of bubble bath. Then I have bottles of bubble bath in a pretty basket next to the tub. And then, I have some smaller gels in the 4 corners next to the tub. I'm a bubble bath/shower junkie. I admit it.


So, to add to my addiction, I picked up a few bottles this week. Everyone knows that ULTA was having a big sale last week so I picked up 3 minis -- Lollipop Twist, Marshmallow Chick and Yum Yum Yumberry. Can I just tell you how yummy they smell? The Lollipop Twist smells like a cherry flavored Jolly Rancher and the Marshmallow Chick smells like a lemony piece of sweet, sugary, cotton candy (how's that for descriptive?). The Yum Yum Yumberry smells like berries, just average. It smells like every other berry flavor you've  smelled. But, the other 2 will be future purchases for sure. They all lather well and I can see me getting the full size bottles of Lollipop Twist and Marshmallow Chick.

I also picked up a Coconut Grove Cleansing Shower Gel from Ulta. It was in the 3 for $10 section. It smells very nice and coconutty (I know it's not a real word but it should be!) but it's very liquidy. It's nice but I can't see me buying it again. I had to use a third of the tube to get all washed up and it never lathered.


I went to Wal-Mart, used a high value coupon and picked up 2 Nivea "Touch Of" fragrances -- Touch of Happiness and Touch of Sparkle. Touch of Happiness really does make me happy. It smells very fresh with a bright, citrus scent. Touch of Sparkle is a soft, light scent that just reminds you of clean laundry. They both are so creamy and feel very rich and luxurious. Nivea costs a bit more than others but it's so worth it.


St. Ives is a brand that I always buy but I didn't have these 2. I purchased Even & Bright and Revitalizing Pear & Soy. Yes, yes, yes, people. Both of these are great scents. They are a rich formula and a little but goes a lot way. It suds up really nicely and that's important! It's not a creamy formula and not one of the first ones that I grab but I do like the smell and they leave the entire bathroom smelling great.

I also bought a random Zest body wash(Creamy Cocoa Butter & Shea) and Herbal Essences Honey I Smell Good body wash. I haven't tried either of these but I'm pretty sure I'll like them.

So as you can guess, I smell pretty delightful right about now. I'm luxuriated and refreshed and my bathroom smells good too! If I had smell-o-computer, you'd be a happy camper.


I know I am!

Apr 19, 2014

Spring Favorites

Hey there!

I thought I'd change it up and drop a fun faves post. I originally thought I'd do the sundress weather tag but I didn't really feel like it said anything about me in relation to makeup. I decided to just pull random spring questions from the web. While I like Spring, my favorite time of the year is Summer because it's hot. I live in Atlanta and normally Spring time means that the hot weather is coming soon. Of course this year it's been cooler than normal. Just 3 days ago I had on a coat. A coat people, on April 14 -- in Atlanta.

BTW, I keep saying hot weather because I'm not talking about comfortably warm weather that requires a light sweater in the morning. I'm talking hot weather. You wake up a tad bit sweaty cause the 2 fans on you didn't do the trick overnight and your ac bill triples but you don't care. And, you keep 2 full ice tray's in the freezer at all times because you are going to need an iced drink the second you get out of bed. I like that kind of hot. I really do.

Any who, Spring has sprung -- even if the weather doesn't say so. That means that Summer is around the corner.  So, let's talk about the things I like about spring.


Favorite Spring Candle Scent?
I have been loving my Target Sweet Spun Sugar scented soy candle. It fills the rooms with sweet, cotton candy scented goodness. I know that everyone rants and raves about the Bath & Body Works candles but really, this one is nothing to sneeze at. In my opinion, it's just as good but half the price.


Runner up? Yes, it's a Bath & Body Works scented candle. It's the one in Pink Bubblegum. I buy 3 for $10 mini's and it makes me feel better. But this one, I'd pay full price for a large one. So yummy smelling!



Favorite Spring Bubble Bath?
There are three that I've been loving. I picked up this Philosophy Strawberry Italian Soda bubble bath from Marshalls for $10. It smells like strawberry soda. I mean you can smell the bubbles. Yes, that sounds like crazy talk but you can, you really can.

Bath & Body Works Signature line has some of my favorites. I always have to wait for the special sales when these come out. My favorite of all time is the Signature Vanillas Shower Gel in Lemon. OMG. It is amazing. I'm using this one sparingly because I'm down to my last bottle. Next time it goes on sale you must grab one. You'll love it.

Another Bath & Body Works fave is Orange Ginger in the Aromatherapy line. It's a nice smelling body wash that I only use during the day. I just feel like this one wakes me up and leaves me feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

Top Row: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Poppy, Rimmel 60 Seconds in Golden Hour & Pulsating, Rimmel Sweetie Crush in Candyfloss Cutie & Violet Swizzle
Bottom Row: Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Pumped Up Pink, Wet n Wild Megalast in Bite The Bullet & Revlon polishes in 
Strawberry Electric Spidey Sense & Charismatic

Favorite Spring Nail Polish Colors?
Yes, I know that pulling out 10 is probably over kill but I keep my finger nails and toe nails painted and that takes a lot of polish. Many of these are new (Rimmel 60 seconds in Golden Hour and Pulsating, Rimmel Sweetie Crush in Candyfloss Cutie and Violet Swizzle, Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Pumped Up Pink, Wet n Wild Megalast in Bite The Bullet and Revlon polishes in Spidey Sense and Charismatic) but I have my old standbys (Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Poppy and Revlon in Strawberry Electric). If I have to pick a favorite, favorite, it would be the Revlon nails in Strawberry Electric. I probably need to get a backup cause I would be so sad is this one ran out.



Favorite Spring Lip gloss?
You know how I love lip gloss. I have a lot. No, I don't know how many. I can't count that high. But, my favorite 3 are the Lancôme Gloss in Love in Cinema Cinnamon, Revlon Colorburst in Peony and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pinkissimo. These colors are light and beautiful on their own and when you add a liner with them or apply them over a light lipstick you get a BAM! for your lips. They are in my Spring rotation and I'm sure that I'll keep them in the Summer.



Spring Trend I'm Loving
Party accent nails are awesome! They let me get away with fun colors while wearing neutral colors on the other 8. I was like the whole nude lip thing but I think that was winter, not spring. I'm not 100% sure what else is happening but I'm on board with the party nail.
 
These are silver earrings. The lighting isn't the best!
Favorite Spring scarf or accessory?
Earrings. LOL. I know that sounds weird but I love earrings and my favorite type of earrings are hoops. How much do I love hoops? I own about 22 pairs of hoops right now. My favorites are these three. The large ones are fun and funky, the smallest pair are classic and the smooth pair are just awesome. I wear each of these at least once a week.


And there you have it! Those are my Spring Favorites. What are you liking this spring? What things are you avoiding like the plague? What Spring Faves are you willing to spend a lot on and what trend wouldn't  you purchase with a money making coupon?

Apr 18, 2014

It's A 10 Miracle Leave-in Product


While Birthday shopping, I made a special stop by Ulta. I don't go to Ulta very often because it's not that close to my house and the sales are normally the same as the BOGO 1/2 off that I get at the drugstores. This time, I made an exception because Revlon, Maybelline and Jane products were 40% off and that included the special, limited editions items (spoiler alert -- I did get 3 of the Revlon Spiderman nail polishes!).

When I was getting rung up, the sales lady gave a free 2 fl. oz. It's A 10 Miracle Leave-in Product. I love It's A 10! I use this spray in conditioner every time I wash my hair. It leaves my hair very soft and manageable and it really is a good detangler.

It claims 10 things..

1. Repairs dry, damaged hair
2. Aids shine
3. Detangles
4. Controls frizz
5. Seals & protects hair color
6. Prevents split ends
7. Stops hair breakage
8. Creates silkiness
9. Enhances natural body
10. Flat iron spray & thermal protector

I give it a 7 out of 10. I remember what my hair was like before it so I'll take what it is now.

I was super stoked to get this freebie because a full size bottle is $18! I know that's a lot to spend on hair care products and now that I think about it, almost all of my hair care products are expensive ones. My hair serum is about $18, my shampoo and conditioner is $7.99 a bottle (when I don't catch them on sale) and the leave in conditioner that I like is $18. I guess my hair is needy. Maybe it's not such a bad thing that I didn't commit to a new flat iron. My old one is cheapo repo. With my hair care costs, can I really afford a new one?!

It doesn't matter. It's A 10, is really a 10 in my book. A freebie is nice but I'll still pay full price for it.


What's your guilty hair pleasure?

Apr 17, 2014

Jordana Easyliner For Eyes


So why should we leave all the Jordana love for the mascara and eyeshadow singles? Let's give some love the Jordana eyeliners too.

I use the Jordana Easyliners all the time but this week they went on sale at Walgreens and when I went to stock up, I remembered that I hadn't reviewed them for you. Let me preface by giving my general review of all liners on me. I like a liner that gives a good 5- 7 hours of very little movement from the bottom waterline. I don't mind some movement but if I can't get at least 4 - 5 hours, then I'm not impressed. I like color payoff. I'm a neutral eyeshadow girl but my waterline is wild and sassy. I'll rock a purple eyeliner with no problem. And, it has to have hypoallergenic qualities. My eyes are super sensitive. It doesn't have to SAY hypoallergenic, but one little itch and in the trash you go.


So I think the Jordana Easyliners are very good. They last for most of the work day. At about hour 6 or 7 they begin to transfer to the bottom lash line. That would probably bother most people but for an hour or two, the transfer just looks like I meant to apply it there and that doesn't bother me. By the end of the day though, I'm ready to remove it because the transfer begins to go past the bottom lash line but who amongst us needs makeup on for 10 hours?

And the color spectrum is amazeballs! They have 13 gorgeous colors. I only own 6 of them. Oddly enough I do not own the black one. Well, not odd -- I don't like black eyeliner that much. It's a bit harsh on me. I do have Smokey, Eggplant, Coffee Bean, Brown Suede, Denim Blue and Purple Fusion. Out of those, Eggplant and Purple Fusion are my favorite.


These liners aren't super creamy but they are soft. They glide on your waterline very well and don't tug at your waterline. I'm not a fan of pencils so the fact that they are retractable is a plus. The color of the barrel accurately displays the color inside and the because the cap on all of the colors is gold, I can distinguish them from other liner brands in my collection.


You should go out and get them! For $1.99 ($1.39 on sale) you really can't beat it.