Ipsy's August Glam Bag

Out of the two Ipsy bags I have received this far, this one is my favorite. All of the products inside are things I actually enjoy using. Let me introduce them to you. :)

1. Nailtini in Mai Tai: This is a pretty coral red nail polish. I have never owned any polishes from Nailtini. I have yet to try it out on my nails and see how good the quality is but I'm sure it won't disappoint. Below is a swatch, on my hand... lol. I already had polish on so that's my excuse!

2. Michael Todd True Organics Pumpkin Face Mask: I have always wanted to try out products from Michael Todd. I was excited to receive this in my bag, and immediately tried it out after my shower. I have to admit, the smell was pretty gross. It smelled like those jars of mashed baby food and looked like it on my face also. It had a nice cooling tingle when I put it on, but my skin didn't feel or look any different once I washed it off which was kind of disappointing. Probably not something I would purchase on my own.

3. Pixi Lash Booster Mascara: This is the cutest mascara sample! It's so sleek and will be easy to travel with. It is said to boost your eyelashes in a "push up" effect that lasts all day. The formula is also waterproof which is great for summer.

4. Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in color 69: The lipstick formula is silky and smooth, and not drying like lipsticks tend to get. Not a huge fan of the color. It was a really deep blood red on my lips. I prefer a lighter orangey red so I probably won't use this unless I mix it with another color or gloss. I would definitely purchase a full size in different color.

5. Mica Mineral Eye Shadow in Striptease: This is a beautiful bronze gold shimmery loose eyeshadow.  I'm so glad I got this color because I love using golds and browns. Besides eyeshadow, it could even work well as a highlighter on the cheek bones or mixed into foundation for a pretty dewy finish. I'm excited to use this. The only thing I don't like is that you have to shake the product out and I'm scared I'm going to make a mess with it :( It's too pretty to waste!

Overall, I really enjoyed this month's bag! $10 well spent ;) 

Fall Fashion

Am I really already thinking about Fall right now?

It's been so chilly here lately, who can blame me. The windows are closed at night, and the heat is turned on in my car in the early mornings or late night drives. Since when does the temperatures in mid August range from 55-70 degrees fahrenheit in Michigan? NEVER. It's certainly making me want to whip out my boots, sweaters, and long sleeve shirts though.

With that said, I have been finding Fall Fashion inspiration all over. Stores already have great selections out, and cute ideas are being posted all over Pinterest and blogs. Below are Fall styles I think I'll be sporting this year.

Obviously, black is my main color of choice. I don't know what it is about black, that I've always loved. Probably the fact that it's sliming, edgy but sophisticated, and just classic. Incorporating pops of Fall patterns and colors like red, orange, brown, gold, green, etc will add a cute touch and be an eye catching focus with whatever you decide to go with, whether it be a bag, scarf, boot, or sweater.

What's your Fall style plans? Any must haves you're lusting over for the chilly season quickly approaching?

Beauty Wishlist

Hi Guys! Since I don't really have any new products to talk about right now, let me share what I'm currently lusting over and would love to purchase in the near future. They are all pretty pricey, so these things may accumulate in time.

The Clarisonic: I have been wanting this for so long! Every time I wash my face, I feel sad knowing I most likely didn't get my face completely clean like this is proven to do. I buff my makeup on and it sits on my skin for such long hours a day, I know there's makeup stuck in my pores wanting to get out! I can't wait to purchase this and see the difference it can do with washing my face and making my skin look better in general.

YSL Lipstick: I feel like I'm the only girl out there doesn't have one of these lipsticks. Everyone raves about them, but I just haven't had it in me to dish $35+ on a lipstick, especially since I'm pretty picky of how certain colors look on my lips. I want to love it. They are so pretty from the colors to the packaging. I really need to go try some out and invest in a couple though, because I know I am missing out.

Lilash: I have done my research lately on eye lash serums, and besides Latisse which you need a prescription for and has scary side effects, this is the next best thing! People's before and after results amazed me to see. I really want to give this a try and have beautiful, long, "natural" looking eyelashes.

Nume Curling Wand: A lot of youtubers have recommended this lately and have even offered huge discount codes which I might take advantage of some time soon. I've seen some demonstrations using it also, and you can tell the curl holds so good which is my main concern. I love that it is clampless and comes in different sizes for what ever size curl you prefer.



What do you guys think? Do you own any of these and recommend it?

July Favorites!

How is it already August? These months are flying by way too fast. July is my favorite month of the whole year, and I felt like I hardly got to enjoy it. :( I did enjoy some great products though, which I shall share with you right now!

1. Olay Fresh Effects "Bead Me Up" Cleanser: This is actually the first time I've used any of Olay's products. I guess I've been hiding under a rock, because I really love it! It's refreshing and has just enough exfoliants but isn't TOO beady like other exfoliating cleansers I've used. It's a great gentle cleanser with a little bit of that beady texture without feeling overly harsh, to scrub the yuck off your skin.

2. Herbal Essences "Set Me Up" Hair Spray: I've actually been using this the whole summer! I really mainly love it because it smells so good! It has a fruity/flowery smell which is so much better than the really strong repulsive ones like Aussie or Tresemme (no offense if you use those! :X). I use it for teasing my roots. It does just as good as a job as other drug store hair sprays. 

3. Loreal Everystyle Dry Shampoo: Another amazing smelling hair product, and also another first! This is the first dry shampoo I've ever tried. I wouldn't say it helped much with making my hair look less dirty/oily, but it definitely made it smell really good! It shoots out pretty powerful but I think most dry shampoos do for some reason? Either way, I'd probably buy it again because it smells so good.

4. Clinique Makeup Remover: All in all, any make up remover oils like this do the job. However, this is the one I've been using and loving. I mainly use it to touch up my liquid eyeliner by sticking a q-tip or cotton-bud in it to erase my mess ups. It's not really greasy like some tend to be and works like it's supposed to.

5. Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara: Cheap, and nice! I love the Jordana eyeliner pencils and liquid eyeliner markers, so I figured I'd like this. I've also seen a lot of beauty gurus (mainly in Australia it seems) rave about this mascara. I'm glad I finally got it!

6. Nivea Lip Butter: I had to get these in every scent - Vanilla Macadamia Kiss, Caramel Cream Kiss, and Raspberry Rose Kiss. The caramel is my favorite flavor of them all though. They're so moisturizing and taste AMAZING. Hands down the best lip balm I've ever had.

Hope you all had an amazing month! Bring on August♥

Lush Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub Review

This is the Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub from Lush Cosmetics, a store that makes fresh handmade cosmetics for skin and hair. This is one of their best sellers they have. A sucker for a good exfoliant and scrub, I snagged it up.

The minerals in sea salt scrub away dirt, dead skin and blockages for bright looking skin. It is made of vodka infused sea salt with a mix of avocado and coconut to hydrate skin. The antibacterial affects of the vodka and some lime juice help to eliminate blackheads, blemishes, and blocked pores for a visibly healthier skin. It is a pretty blue color that reminds you of the ocean. You can see the sea salt crystals in it, like a typical beaded exfoliator. I actually got a taste of it, and it tastes just like ocean water (don't recommend eating it, though).

To use, you wet your face, take a scoop full and massage it onto your face to exfoliate, then rinse. I have to admit, the salt felt pretty rough on the skin. I would not use this daily, as much as I'd love to, but boy did this work! As soon as I towel dried my face, my skin felt immediately softer and had that really clean refreshed feeling. I typically end my skincare routine by rubbing on a product with salicylic acid to help with breakouts (which is actually really drying) but I didn't even feel like I had to after this. I can't wait to continue using their products to watch the wonders it does for my skin using natural homemade recipes with fresh ingredients meant for specific skin issues.

I also got some masks, and a toner that I can review if you're interested. Let me know in the comments. :)

Jewelry Haul

Something randomly came over me this week that made me want to shop for accessories. It all began when I walked into Target during my lunch break at work to get something to eat at their cafeteria. I passed the jewelry section and so many things caught my eye! Sparkly necklaces to pretty gold bangles and strapey bracelets jumped out at me. I couldn't help but get a few. I also did a little jewelry shopping online at Etsy and Express. I'm obsessed with gold, studs, and chains right now, as you will see with everything I purchased in the pictures below.

Here I am wearing some gold bangle bracelets from Target. I have to admit they were pretty pricey coming from there, ranging from $14-20, but each piece is so beautiful even on it's own. 

I got this from Etsy. It's a dainty gold necklace with the infinity charm. One of my friends already has a cute side ways cross so I wanted to have my own little staple piece. This is just something simple I plan to wear on a daily basis.

This is a Gold ID Plate Necklace from Express. These are becoming popular among celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Rihanna. One of my favorite youtube gurus ~SMLx0 wore a necklace similar to this and it was gorgeous on her. She got it from the etsy shop called theblingbling. However, this one is a little more sleek and less chunky than the ones at that etsy shop.

I got this beautiful gold braided chain necklace, also from Express. The same youtube guru I mentioned above has shown this off in a few of her videos and I am obsessed with it. It's so summery and pretty. It can dress up any outfit and be the main eye catching focus.

Obviously, I am loving gold jewelry right now! What is your favorite accessory?

Faster Horses Festival

Is it just me or does country music make you think of summer time?

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's been getting more and more popular with a lot more amazing artists! It's so outdoorsy, mellow, fun, and dancey with lyrics about love, heartbreak, summer, beer (lol), partying, etc. This weekend, we had a huge country festival for the first time here in Michigan. It was called Faster Horses, where several country artists attended and played all day for 3 days. The biggest well known bands/artists that I got to see were Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Florida Georgia Line, Thompson Square, Luke Bryan, and Jason Aldean. If you don't know them, you are missing out!

I camped out in our families pop up camper with 4 girl friends and my sister, and it was basically a huge party all around us! We had a group of girls next to us from Canada which was cool to get to know. We also had groups of friends at different camp sites who we met up with each day. People were up all night talking, drinking, playing music and enjoying themselves. You can just call it a big hillbilly sleep over. ;) The weather was so hot that a lot of us got sun burn and we were sweating non stop, but we didn't let it stop us from enjoying ourselves. There were a lot of yummy food stands and places to hang out at.

What I didn't enjoy was the fact that they didn't have actual bathrooms. We had to use porta-pottys which were absolutely disgusting. I literally only used it twice and drove a couple miles to a gas station at night and in the morning to use and wash up. Their showers were in a trailer. Another thing that was a little annoying is that their campsites didn't provide us with picnic tables or a bonfire pit.

The crowds for the concerts were huge and full of energy. I could tell all of the artists were really impressed with the turn out and enjoyed playing for us. Each performer did an amazing job. Thompson Square were so cute (they're married in real life) and kissed at the end. Jake Owen had a broken hand but didn't let it stop him from putting on a great show without his guitar. Luke Bryan shot gunned beers and signed peoples cowboy boots that were thrown on the stage. Dierks Bentley pulled a girl up on stage and danced with her and gave her his signed guitar. Just awesome personal touches like that make it so fun and worth it.

I will definitely be going back next year & can't wait to see what artists will attend. I would love to see The Band Perry and Little Big Town there next time. This was absolutely the highlight of my summer!

Jake Owen was awesome! Such a cute & fun man :)

Us girlies

Kyla & Me

Trying to stay cool in our messy camper

Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, and Thomson Square all on stage together!