Blogmas 2017 Day 13: Christmas Wishlist

Blogmas 2017 Day 13: Christmas Wishlist

I'm not sure what I really want this year. It's been a rough year finally for me and some close people to me, mainly due to the impact of Hurricane Irma. Many of us lost jobs, homes and family members.

I have a few things I've wanted to try this year or would like to have refills on.

Clarisonic Cleansing Brush Drying Stand
I saw this online and thought, how cool is that. I normally put mine on a seperate towel on my bathroom counter with the brush head facing down to let it air dry.

Clarisonic Cleansing Brush Head Replacement (Normal)
I really need a new one.

Beautyblender Pro Beauty Sponge
I use the pro version on their blotting sponge and I love it for blotting myself throughout the day. Maybe the beauty sponge is just as good. I hear the different colors have different benefits? Who knows.

Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette
I love orange to rusty eyeshadow colors and I've been wanting to have this ever since it came out.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette
I love this brands eyeshadow and contour palettes. This palette is another one of those everyday looks that isn't too dark or too light for me.

Morphe Jaclyn Hill Eyeshadow Palette
I love Morphe eyeshadow and I'm a huge fan of Jaclyn Hill (I met her in person)

Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyeliner Pen
I love this eyeliner pen. It's an exact dupe for the Kat Von D one. Only difference is the price, $2 cheaper.

Too Faced White Chocolate Bar
Not sure if this is still in stores but I love their chocolate bar palettes and I love white chocolate. Does it smell like white chocolate?

Sephora or Ulta Gift Card
Sometimes people forget or don't how to find makeup for me, so they just get me a gift card to there instead so I can the makeup I asked for.
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IKEA Alex 9 or 5 Drawer Unit
I already have the 9 drawer unit that is sharing makeup and crafting supplies. I'd like either of the sized to replace my sterilite drawer system that has my crafting supplies in it. It's just not practical anymore.

Michael's Gift Card
I'm a huge crafter so I would like to have one of these!

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Blogmas 2017 Day 12: Favorite Christmas Songs

Blogmas 2017 Day 12: Favorite Christmas Songs

I love holiday songs, specifically around Christmas. Here are some of my favorite Christmas songs;

- A Charlie Brown Christmas (Soundtrack)

- O Holy Night

- We Three Kings

- The Grinch Theme

- Jingle Bell Rock

- Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

- Frosty the Snowman

- Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

- Silent Night

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Blogmas 2017 Day 10: Favorite Christmas Nails

Blogmas 2017 Day 10: Christmas Nails

My Pinterest board "Christmas Nails" has all of my favorite Christmas nails but, I decided to share some of them on this post.

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Blogmas 2017 Day 9: Animal Lovers Gift Guide

Blogmas 2017 Day 9: Animal Lovers Gift Guide

I know it's not makeup or beauty related but, some of us (such as myself) love animals and our pets as much as we do beauty and makeup! I love my birds and I love things that resemble birds from scarves to journals!

Personalized Dog Bone Ornament ($16.00)

These are so cute. They are made of wire and you can get them personalized with your dogs name on them! 

Etsy Seller: Foxblossom

Sterling Silver Dog Bone Charm ($15.00)

Have a charm bracelet? Have a dog? Why not put their name on a cute dog bone on your bracelet?

Etsy Seller: UnmistakablyMine

Bird Mom Mug ($12.59)

I died when I saw this! I have two birds myself and I just think this is adorable!

Etsy Seller: StrictlyBusinessMugs

Cat Mom & Dad Cat Lovers Mugs (19.95+)

These are absolutely adorable. If you're a cat dad or cat mom, these are for you!

Etsy Seller: ErikaLesavageDesign

Customizable Cat Necklace ($12.50+)

These are also adorable for car lovers. You can personalize them with the initial or your cats name on them! 

Etsy Seller: MignonandMignon

DISCLAIMER: ALL photos are credited and belong to their original owners. They were used only for this blog for gift guides and to also help the sellers. I DO NOT own these photos. If the owners of the photos have any concerns, please contact me.

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Review! Too Faced Melted Lipsticks (Melted Marshmallow & Peony) + Swatches!

Hello beautifuls! I have a small review for you all! These products were in my small beauty haul (blog post and video), current favorites blog post, on a few MOTD postings and currently in my "on-the-go" makeup bag that holds lip and eye products for wherever I'm going for touch ups! Can you say obsessed? I can't get enough of these two products for some reason. 

I received Melted Peony as a deluxe mini sample from Ulta when I purchased the Too Faced Chocolate Solei Bronzer and I absolutely fell in love with it. The texture, the pigmentation, the quality, and that they smell delicious! I went out and bought Marshmallow. 

Packaging is very feminine with a gold colored tube cap and gold lettering and accents.

The full size product is 0.40 fl. oz. (12ml) where as the deluxe mini sample I received is 0.16 fl. oz. (5ml). The back of the packaging has a "melted heart", products name/color, expiration date, and general information.

Left to right: Melted Marshmallow, Melted Peony

These lip products are so pigmented, you only need a little bit on the center of your bottom lip and then smooth and blend it out to the rest of your lips. When I was wearing them I did notice they left my lips a bit dry so you definitely need to apply a lip balm before applying the product. They also leave a stain effect on your lips when the initial "glossy" look wears off.

Pros:

Long lasting

High pigmentation

Good smell

Long lasting

Give off somewhat of a stain 

Cons:

Pricey

Tend to leave lips dry after wearing them (use lip balm before applying)

Messy if too much product is applied

Final Thoughts:

I definitely have to say these are a must have in your lip product stash! They're like a lip gloss, lip stick and balm stain all in one! Only trouble is, you have to moisturize your lips before applying them or your lips will feel a little on the dry side. They come in a decent size range of colors through Ulta and Sephora from a nude to a dark berry color.

❤

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Beauty Haul! MAC, Sephora & BH Cosmetics!

So, I may have went a little ham lately at the mall. But I really wanted to check out the new Too Faced Every Nice Palette because I had their holiday palette from 2012 and couldn't get my hands on last years. This year was worth the wait! I'll also have a video for this as well!

BH Cosmetics 6 Collete Contour & Blush Palette:

It's funny where I found this, Urban Outfitters, of all places! I go in there once in a blue moon and I found these palettes. I've never tried BH Cosmetics and I really want to at some point, because their eyeshadow palette look like so much fun! The blushes in this are pretty, I'm not sure about that bronzer and highlight. I ended up buying two (thinking they were two different palettes and had different packaging) so I put the second in my makeup kit I use on others!

Too Faced Everything Nice Palette:

I'm glad I was able to get my hands on this palette. I saw so many photos of it online and swatches and drooled over it even more every time I kept seeing it in Sephora. I haven't even swatched it yet!

Too Faced Melted Lipstick (Melted Marshmallow):

I got a sample from Ulta of Melted Pheony and I loooove that shade so, I went out and bought another one, They so good, easy to apply and last long!

LUSH Lip Scrub (Bubblegum):

My lips have been dying without this! I ran out weeks ago and had such dried out lips I was going crazy. I seriously can't live without this!

Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser:

I feel as if I'm the last person on the planet to find out about this. I've been cleaning my beauty sponges with baby shampoo like I do with my makeup brushes and it never got the foundation stains out of them. Sephora said it would definitely get them out so we'll see how it goes!

MAC Warm Neutral Palette:

I always hear such great things about MAC's neutral eyeshadows but never took the step to buying the individual shadows (potted or in pan refills) to create my own neutral palette. Maybe because I'm not the best at neutral palettes? Don't know. I've been looking at this palette for weeks. I love this palette, I've been swatching it since I bought it and I've fallen in love!

❤

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Review! Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette!

I've been obsessed with this palette since I purchased it! I never had the chance to get my hands on the Vice 2 and yet to have tried Vice. So with that being said, I definitely made it a mission to get my hands on this palette. I bought my through Beauty Impulse inside Macy's for around $65. I've been swatching the colors in the palette and playing around with different looks and couldn't wait to share this palette with you all! (Unfortunately, I forgot to get a shot of the matching makeup bag!)

This limited edition palette is extra slim and lightweight with a magnetic closure and features 20 never before seen eyeshadows!

Included:

Vice 3 Palette

Matching makeup bag

Matching double-ended eyeshadow brush (shader & crease)

The front of palette features the Vice name in green with a jewel tone effect to it on a mirror reflective case.

The back of the palette is a reflection green color with Urban Decay's general information and ingredients, product longevity, and cruelty-free symbol.

The eye shadow colors are very eye catching when you first open the palette. They're mostly jewel tone colors; six mattes and fourteen shimmers. The colors make eye looks endless from a neutral look to a smoky look!

I think I mention this all the time, but I'm a sucker for purples, mauves, golds and plums so this is my favorite side of my palette! You can most certainly whip up some fall looks with this three rows here.

Left to right: DTF (matte), Downfall (matte), Undone (matte), Truth (matte)

Left to right: Brokedown (shimmer), Heroine (shimmer), Freeze (shimmer), Dragon (shimmer)

Left to right: Bobby Dazzle (shimmer), Reign (shimmer), Lucky (shimmer), Vanity (shimmer)

Left to right: Sonic (shimmer), Bondage (shimmer), Alchemy (shimmer), Alien (shimmer)

Left to right: Revolver (matte), Defy (matte), Angel (shimmer), Last Sin (shimmer)

Matching double-ended eyeshadow brush (crease and shader) which is great for traveling!

My final thoughts? I've been obsessed with this palette. It's fall time so I've been grabbing for this palette for fall looks. I've fallen in love with Sonic, Bondage, Alchemy, Reign and Lucky as they make perfect fall eye looks. I'm very pleased with this palette as I am with all of my Urban Decay palettes. Great pigmentation, long wearing, easy to blend and work with and fun colors. I recommend grabbing this palette! 

Makeup looks done with this palette:

Here

<3

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My Top Favorite Mascaras (Drugstore Edition)

We all have our favorite mascaras for all different reasons; lengthening, volumizing, fuller, false-looking, favorite brand, price, they options of endless! For me, mascara really needs to add length, volume and fullness to my lashes. Alone, they are short and somewhat thinned out. These are my top favorite drugstore (CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart, Kmart, Etc) mascaras that I always repurchase and love!

L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

I love this mascara and I'm so happy I discovered it and tried it out after watching a few YouTube videos featuring it! It adds volume, fullness, and length to my lashes. It's a very close dupe to my high-end favorite, Clinique High Impact Mascara! 

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara

Aside from the cute packaging and bendable mascara wand, which makes it easy for getting to the tiny lashes in the corners of your eyes, this mascaras adds tons of volume and fullness to my lashes. It's a "gel" formulated mascara, so you can build up your lash volume without clumpy lashes!

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes

I discovered this mascara about a year ago among the search for a new mascara. I really like how this add volumes and fullness to my lashes, not much lengthening though. Only issue with this mascara is I only need two coats max, or I'll have clumpy lashes!

L'Oreal 24HR Power Volume Mascara

TALK ABOUT VOLUME! This gives amazing volume and you really only need a few coats or else you will get extremely clumpy lashes, which is the downside of the wand being so huge. The word Power Volume is a great definition for this mascara

L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara

This is another mascara is adorable packaging and commercial to go along with it! It has a bendable wand want to help get the tiny lashes in the corner of your eyes and the the want itself is pointed to give additional help in getting the corner lashes and bottom lashes! It adds volumes and length but, not more fullness.

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Fall Bath & Body Works Haul; Candles & Hand Sanitizers!

Just a simple non-beauty related post :) I've had a bunch of various coupons for Bath & Body Works over the past few visits to their store and I thought I'd share my haul. This haul is about three different trips and is all Fall!

As you can see, I've been burning Mahogany Teakwood ever since I purchased it! I always repurchase this candle as it's my favorite scented candle from this company.

Trick or Treat 

Leaves

Flannel

Baltic Black Pearl

Mahogany Teakwood

Cayenne Caramel

White Pear & Fig

Crisp Morning Air

Paris Amour

Ginger Snap

A Walk in the Woods

Fresh Sparkling Snow

Cocoa Mint

Dazzling Diamond

Cozy Vanilla Cream

Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent for Fall?

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Review! Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm!

I'm really excited to share with you guys my new holy grail eye cream. Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm. I received this as a deluxe sample size in a beauty bag from Sephora with a $35 purchase and have fallen in love ever since. 

My first experience with Algenist products wans't so great. I received their "Firming & Lifting Cream" through my Sephora points and trying it on my face left it burning, stinging, and a greasy mess. I've never had good luck with eye creams in the past so, I decided to give them one last try with this. Boy, am I glad now!

From Sephora, one of the Algenist claims are"This rich yet lightweight balm hydrates and soothes the eye area to decrease puffiness and dark circles. The revolutionary microalgae-based ingredient Alguronic Acid fights visible signs of aging. It joins complementary active ingredients to deliver the appearance of renewal to the eye area." and "Formulated without parabens, sulfates, & phthalates"

I like the fact that it's formulated without parabens, since they ingredient alone in skin products irritate my skin.

I've been using this eye cream for a little over a month now, morning and night, and I have definitely seen results from using it. I have extremely dark circles for lack of sleep, rubbing my eyes, being a cigarette smoker (now in progress of quitting!) and constant tugging my eyes for eyeliner application. I've tried a few other eye creams over the years and got no results, just a greasy mess left over.

Within two weeks:

- the lines on the outside corner of my eyes have disappeared
- the finer lines that my concealer always creases into have reduced a significant amount
- my dark circles have reduced
- my under eye area looks healthier than ever

The product itself is of a creamy consistency, lightweight, easy to apply, non-greasy and absorbs fast which is a plus for me since past eye creams for me have been greasy and taken forever to absorb to point I quit using eye creams (I know, bad choice, but I had a negative experience).

Pros:

- Formulated without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates

- Full size jar is 0.5 oz (the jar is a good size)

- Lightweight

- Non-greasy

- Fast abosrbing

Cons:

- Pricey! Full size product is $65

- Full size jar is heavy

Overall, I really love this product and I'm glad I took the initiative one more time to try Algenist, as my first experience with their "Firming & Lifting Cream' was a stinging and burning face. I will definitely be purchasing the full size!

Disclaimer: All products were purchased on my own. This review is based on my 100% honest opinion after using this product for a certain amount of time.

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September 2014 Favorites!

It's that time already? September went by pretty fast. For this month I mostly have lip products and false eyelashes since for some reason I went on a lip balm stain binge and bought all kinds of brands and colors! They truly are a favorite lip product for me now. So, here we go, my second monthly favorites post! 

KISS Lashes (01), Salon Perfect Lashes (Natural & Glamorous):

I haven't worn lashes in years and I started wearing them again. I stepped out of my comfort zone and finally started to wear them. Now, I can't stop wearing them! I feel so naked without them. Salon Perfect and KISS lashes are perfect for me; lightweight, not too much and finish my eye look!

Duo Brush-Oh Adhesive:

This is honestly the best glue ever. I can't work with the squeeze tubes really well, I just can't for some reason. This is easy and fast for me to just brush the glue on, let them set and pop them on!

Lippies, lippies, lippies...

Lypsyl:

I discovered this through Hollie Forrest over at Eating Lipstick through her blog postings and get ready with me videos on YouTube and I must say, she is right, this stuff is amazing! It makes my lips feel so smooth after wearing it and it doesn't rub off fast. Plus, the minty feeling is soothing.

Wet n Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain (Nudist Colony): & NYC CityProof Twistable Intense Lip Color (Nolita Neutral):

These two balm stains have been my absolute favorites for the month. Everyday this month I've been putting them in my bag. For me, balm stains are convenient especially when I don't always have time to apply lipstick. They both give a beautiful nude look to my lips. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish  Colour Rush (Give Me A Cuddle):

I haven't done make neutral looks this month so I've been grabbing this color a lot to throw in my bag whenever I have a neutral eye look. It really stains my lips and leaves a nice peachy toned pink color!

Covergirl Colorlicious Lipgloss (Melted Toffee):

I've been topping off my nude lips with this lipgloss. It adds that extra shine to any of my nude lips that may look "too nude" with my fair skin tone. They smell amazing as well and give amazing color pay off!

Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick (Honeyed):

I think I've been grabbing for this color so much this month because of either the name or the delicious smell of these lipsticks from their line of makeup! Seriously, they smell like cookies or something! Other than that, I've been popping this on with extremely dark or smoky eyes!

ELF Moisturizing Lipstick (Party in the Buff):

I've been wearing this shade with every dark colored eye look this month. It's the perfect peachy nude for my skin tone. Not too nude, not too peachy, just right! It's creamy and lasts long.

Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm:

I'm going to be doing a full review on this product very soon, so be on the look out for that post! Basically, this is a miracle in a tiny jar! This is actually a sample size I got in a Sephora beauty bag with a $35 purchase and it has completely and I mean, completely made the fine lines around the outside of my eyes disappear! Definitely going to purchase the full size when my sample runs out.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque:

I love applying masks on the weekends! Sometimes I switch them up depending on how my skin feels and is reacting and I've been grabbing this one every Sunday night. This one really helps with my excess oil and acne issues I get every now and then. It smells great, feels great on my skin, doesn't break me out, good price and my skin seems to really love this.

To throw in some randoms...

Airhead Bites:

I don't know what it is about this candy but I'm obsessed with eating it and buying it wherever I see it! I'm serious, I have an addiction to it. They are just so yummy!

Wriglety's Juicy Fruit Gum:

I've been a fan of this gum for years. It's usually my go-to gum when I don't want to chew on mint flavored gum and I've been grabbing for it this entire month!

Pur Wintergreen Gum:

I spotted this at Walgreens a few weeks back and I really love this stuff. It's aspartame free, gluten free, vegan, and sugar free. The flavor is a very strong mint flavor but, lasts very long for me! Unfortunately, I haven't seen it around since the time I bought it!

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Trash Talk! Empties + mini reviews! (September 2014)

So, let's talk about some trash :)

To start off with, skincare & hygiene:

Bodycology Exfoliating Body Scrub (XOXO):

I've been using the Tree Hut Shea Body Scrubs for a few years now and I love them so much, they help scrub my skin and make it soft, make it easier to shave and my skin feels so wonderful for days afterward. I've seen Bodycology at Walmart, Target, and ULTA and was always curious and picked a scrub up! I definitely like this brand of scrub. It gives my skin a smooth feeling just like my Tree Hut scrubs do. Now I'm wanting to try the other scents! 

LUSH Lip Scrub (Bubblegum):

I've used this scrub for years! I use it several times a week during my night routine before bed and it makes my lips so smooth and ready for lip application the next day!

Dove Dry Shampoo:

I try not to wash my hair every single day, so I ended up getting into using dry shampoos. I've tried a lot of brands and so far, Dove Dry Shampoo is the best on my hair. It makes the oil disappear, makes my hair smell really good, doesn't give that white cast, and it adds a lot of volume to my hair!

Maybelline Clean Express Gentle Eye Makeup Remover:

Let's be real here, my eyes litterly hate every eye makeup remover out there. I've tried tons from Clinique, MAC, Estee Lauder to Neutrogena and they've all stung my eyes terribly. This remover is very gentle on my eyes and removes everything! Even my Kat Von D liquid liner which is so hard to get off! As a plus, it does not leaves my eyes feeling greasy!

Secret Clinical Strength Deoderant (Oh-la-la):

Over the years and growing up, I have found most deodorants to work for me. I do sweat a lot from taking medications so I discovered the clinic strength deodorants and they work wonders for me. I no longer get sweat stains in my clothes, especially my white shirts (ugh, I hate that) and it keeps my underarms dry all day long!

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel:

I have oily skin, very oily skin in my T-zone and somewhat normal on my cheeks and neck. I've been using this moisturizer for years since I was a teenager and I've never switched to any brand. This is my night time moisturizer (I use a different moisturizer for the day by Clinique) and absorbs quickly, isn't greasy, doesn't have a scent to irritate my skin, doesn't break me out and leaves my skin feeling so soft.

Victoria's Secret Body Splash (Such A Flirt):

I love the smell of this! It's very girly and feminine and great for spring time. I wore it a lot during spring going into summer. I'm always buying this scent whenever I visit Victoria's Secret to snag their 6 for $35 deal on their beauty line!

Makeup:

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer (Sunny):

I love this bronzer! I always repurchase it and buy backups of it all the time. It's great on my skin tone, doesn't leave me orange or dirty looking and lasts all day.

Maybelline Great Lash Real Impact! Mascara (Blackest Black):

I hated using this mascara. I thought it would be a nice dupe for Clinique Lash Impact Mascara at first but then, as I applied it to my lashes, it was horrible. Basically, the formula in the tube is so dried out and I got no product on my lashes from the brush. Bad buy.

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer (002):

I normally prime my T-zone with a mattifying, pore refining and oil controlling type of primer and the rest of my face with a normal type of primer. Well, this primer does the job for my cheeks and neck for making my foundation last throughout the day. 

Misc:

Bath & Body Works Candle (Mahogany Teakwood):

I love this candle. It smells so wonderful when it's lit and in my wallflower in my bedroom. I'm constantly repurchasing it everytime they have their 2 for $22 3-Wick Candle sale. It litterly reminds me of a well dressed, good smelling man, haha. It's a strong smelling scented candle so it's not for the faint hearted but, if you love those types of scented candles, such as myself, then this one is for you.

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