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!

July Ipsy Bag

I was very excited and anxiously awaited my first Ipsy Glam bag. The fact that it was called "Beach Beauty" made me even more excited because I love summery, bright and fresh things. It was delivered in a pretty pink metalic package. Inside, the products were contained in a clear-pink zip up travel pouch. When I opened it up I was shocked by the fact that something was spilled all over my products. It was a tan dried up liquid that resembled a foundation or something of the sort. I wiped off the products and examined each one. To my surprise, nothing was broken or even the color of what was spilled in the bag. What the heck? A bunch of people on twitter were telling me to contact their customer service but I didn't see the point considering everything was intact and usable lol. Not the best first impression though, I'd have to say.

The 5 products I received were...

Sexy Hair's Soy Renewal Beach Spray: This is described as a spray that provides body, fullness and light hold while helping to nourish, protect and heal hair damage with the power of Argan Oil.  It creates undone texture that looks and feels like you've spent a day by the sea. I'm not a big fan of sprays like this considering you are usually meant to spray it in your hair while it's wet and let it air dry. I'm not sure if I'll even use this since I never let my hair go natural. :(

BH Cosmetics California Collection: This provides three pretty colors from 3 different palettes. The dark purple shade is from the Hollwood palette, the brown from San Francisco, and the goldish yellow from the Malibu. They're all such gorgeous colors and come in cute packaging, that I'm actual considering buying the full size. I just checked them out on their website and discovered that they're relatively cheap, going for $9.95 and also include blushes and bronzer in the palette! Such a nice deal. Question is, which palette do I choose? Hollywood, San Francisco, or Malibu? Hmmm...

Coola Mineral Sunscreen: This is loaded with organic vitamins and minerals It's hypoallergenic, anti-aging, water resistant and also reduces redness and irritation on the skin. It has cucumber that calms the skin and a plankton extract that rejuvinates. Sounds pretty nice to me! I will probably use this because I hate burning my face and I've been getting so many new freckles that I just want to go away!

Pouty Pop Lip Crayon in Coral Crush: I am so glad I got this color. It's just the right coral color, so bright and pretty. It felt moisturizing and smooth on the lips unlike how I'd expect most crayons to feel. I'll definetely be enjoying this product.

Derma E Microdermabrasian Scrub: This is an exfoliater that contains sea salt and volcanic sand. It is said to help deminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and acne scars leaving the skin youthfully radiant. Even though I'm only 23, I have all of the above springing up on me and love that this will help me with those issues!

All in all, I'm happy with the products I received. I think $10 is definitely worth all that I got. Minus the spillage, I'm excited to get my next Ipsy bag and see what they choose for me next. :)

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Eyeshadow Review

What can I say? These eyeshadows blew me away with their long lasting capabilities. It is a cream/gel based eyeshadow that can be smoothed on with your finger tip for crease proof color that doesn't fade. It comes in 10 gorgeous colors ranging from a vibrant teal to a dark asphalt black. Like I mentioned in the Walgreens Haul post, I swatched these on my hand and they didn't come off at all when I rubbed at it. I am not kidding when I say these really are tattoo like. It was still on my hand the next morning even after I had washed my face and had my hands in water. I suppose a good makeup remover will be needed to remove this. The Colors I chose were the Bold Gold and Tough as Taupe which are pretty neutrals that I know I'll get a lot of use out of using them as bases. I found these at Walgreens but they are also available at Ulta, and a select few at Target going for $6-7 depending where you get it. They are buy one get one 50% off at Walgreens and Utla, so get them while they're hot! ;)

Walgreens Haul

Previously mentioned in my last post, I placed an order online at Walgreens. A bunch of their products were buy one get one 50% off! Below is what I got.

Maybelline Baby Lips: I think almost everyone has heard of and used Baby Lips. They recently came out with more colors, so I of course grabbed a few. I previously owned the blue one which is a basic white/clear, and the green which is the same but has a SPF added. I chose the new ones in Peach Kiss, and Pink Punch. I tried to swatch them on my hand and found that they hardly show up at all which is fine by me because I love using these as a chapstick because they're so moisturizing and soft!

Maybelline Eyestudio Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eyeshadow: I have seen a lot of these used in youtube tutorials and finally got some of my own. I went with semi neutral colors, Bold Gold and Tough As Taupe. When I swatched them on my hand, and tried to wipe it off, it did not budge! I like that about these considering there are so many times when I touch or wipe my eye forgetting I have eyeshadow on so it will be nice to have something that won't smear or wipe away if that were to happen.

Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer: These look like they would be sheer glosses, but they are anything but! They are so opaque and beautiful on. It does feel creamy like a gloss, but looks like a shiny lipstick. A lot of the colors online were not available, so I got the 4 that were. Those colors were Out Of This World, Apocaliptic, Nude Eclipse, and Big Bang. The Big Bang one is a vibrant red and not pictured because it was not shipped with the package for reasons unknown to me. Hopefully it arrives soon because I think I'll love it the most.

The Cosmopolitan magazine was not from Walgreens. ;)

I did not provide the swatches because I plan on doing reviews on the Color Tattoo and the Lip Lacquers separately. I will go more into detail in those posts. 

Until next time!♥

Clothing Haul

Hi guys, sorry I've been a little MIA. I was off enjoying our 4th of July/Indepenence Day vacation up north at the lake and wasn't able to get on a computer, let alone get service on my phone which was torture at times.

I had a little shopping spree the weekend before the 4th, so thought I'd share what I picked up. At the store Windsor, I found some really cute lace crochet shorts. They had a bunch of colors, but I decided to go with navy and a pale pink/peach color. I really didn't need two, but they fit so good! I love that they almost look like a skirt at times but feel like shorts.

I ended up getting two tye in the front tops, one in tan and one in white. I'm a little disappointed because I took the tags off and washed them and when I put one on, it had a small run on the chest area. :( The quality of the material obviously isn't the greatest. I still think they're nice though. I also got an adorable pair of brown sandals that were just so beachy and pretty, I couldn't pass them up!

I went to H&M next and found some more shorts. They are the brand &Denim which always fits me perfectly! It made me happy that they fit me in a size smaller than I normally buy too, which is always a great feeling! :D The first one is a strange pattern, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, but I really like them on. They have a pretty shimmer to them and are just so pretty!

That is all! 

I just ordered a bunch of lip products at walgreens so expect a post about them very soon!

*NOTE: The pictures from Windsor are from windsorstore.com. The H&M pictures are mine.

NYX Haul

I have long awaited the delivery of my NYX order. I don't know if it's just me but they take really long to ship out their orders compared to other companies. It took 10 days or more. Regardless of that, I am very happy with the items like always.

I went with a few lip products. I got the Butter Gloss in Peach Cobbler which is really glossy and a little translucent. The Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa (a what? lol), it was pretty matte, I almost felt like I wanted a gloss to it but the color is a gorgeous fuchsia. Then the Xtreme Lip Cream in Candy Land which was very lipstick like and thick. Loved it. Below are the swatches in order.

I also included the Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator in Sunbeam, the Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, Powder Blush in Taupe and the Smokey Shadow Palette.

The illuminator and eye pencil show up great too! The Milk pencil is great for highlighting under your brow bone and the corners of your eye. You just draw a bit on and smudge it out with your finger or a blending brush. This is actually my second one (a repurchase!). The illuminator is a really pretty pearl shimmer that I can't wait to add to my cheek bones for a dewy, glowy finish. The taupe blush was recommended by one of my favorite youtubers ~saturdaynitesalright. She insists it is great for contouring in the hollows of your cheeks which I'm excited to try out as well since I've been using bronzers to do that. Below is a swatch of the pencil, illuminator and blush (which you can't really see so I'll put a picture of that also).

Last but not least, the Smokey Eye Palette. I really wanted the Natural or Nude eye palette? But they were out of stock, so I thought why not just get this one. I actually do love smokey eyes and tend to apply my eyeshadows dark and smokey anyway. It has every type of color you'd need from a sparkly grey, to burgundy, blue, and tan.

What do you think of these products? Have you tried any of them out?

June Favorites

These are products I used almost daily and loved for the month of June. I decided to go with a small handful of things so this wouldn't be a mile long post.

1. Loreal True Match Lumi Foundation: I looove this! It feels light on my skin and not cakey like a lot of other foundations tend to feel in the summer time. It's full coverage and long lasting which is always what I look for.

2. Burberry Brit Perfume: This is a fresh, fruity fragrance that isn't too young and in your face. It includes scents such as pineapple leaves, mandarin, grapes, pink peony, peach blossom, and white musk. The bottle is also a really pretty sheer pink with the burberry pattern.

3. Loreal Evercreme Nourishing Leave-in Spray: I use this as a leave in conditioner after my shower. It really does nourish and hydrate dry hair and makes it really soft. I starting using this after I added bleach to my hair and it made such a huge difference.

4. Tarte Hotel Heiress Bronzer: I scored this for $10 on their website. Not sure if it's being discontinued, but it will be a sad day if/when it does because it's so nice! It's not overly shimmery and leaves such a pretty bronze glow to the skin which is buildable and great for contouring. Plus the snake-skin leathery type packaging is adorable.

5. Tarte 12 Hour Blush in Glisten: It's the prettiest pink blush I own. I used to stick with berry and rose colored ones because light pinks never seemed to transfer on my skin for some reason, but this does. It has a gold shimmer to it which is just beautiful. This is by far my favorite blush, especially for the summer because of how vibrant it is. And of course like their bronzer, the case so pretty!

6. Benefit Browzings in Medium Brown: I've been using this all year, honestly. It's so nice! On one side it has a dark brown wax and then the medium eyebrow powder next to it. It comes with two mini brushes, one for blending and one for shaping which I actually use. My natural eyebrows are patchy and uneven so I use this daily.

7. Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighting Concealer: I love that this is more of a pink tone which helps with the bluish tint you can get from tired under eye bags. It brightens and conceals so wonderfully. It really makes my eyes pop and my skin glow. I love it so much. 

8. Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara: I've been hesitant to switch mascaras since I loved my Too Faced LashGasm so much. The wand has fine comb bristles which is great for my thin eyelashes. It really does give into it's promise of being clump free also. The fact that it is water resistant too is awesome and great for the summer. It never smears, and sometimes I'll wake up in the morning and feel like it's still on even though I washed my face. Waking up with dark eyelashes is a bonus I'd say? :)

Last but not least....

9. OPI Cajun Shrimp Nail Polish: This is the prettiest orangey red color. It's perfect for summer and looks great with a little tan.

Makeup Storage

Back when my makeup collection was small and simple, I would keep everything separate in makeup pouches on my dresser. Since, it is forever growing, a while back I decided it's time to be a little more organized. I found these chests of drawers at Walmart for only $8. They aren't as pretty as the see-through acrylic chests like I've seen beauty gurus have, but it works for now!

I have separate drawers for each product in order that I apply it. It starts with primer, next I'd obviously use foundation but I put that on top since they're pretty large. Then it continues with powders, concealers, bronzers, blushes, eyebrow/eyelash products, eyeliners & mascaras, lip glosses, and lipsticks. I keep my palettes on a shelf above.

As for my brushes, for now, I am keeping them in the closeable holder/case that my sigma brushes came in. I also use a DIY makeup holder that I made out of a mason jar with glitter and ribbon.

It'd eventually be nice to have a more presentable, pretty place to store everything like in a vanity or nicer compartments.

How do you guys store your makeup? Is it organized or all mixed together? I'm curious. :)