March 2012 Love It Or Ditch It- Collective Review/Haul

I know that I usually go a little crazy when Ulta has their 21 days of beauty. This time around, I just didn't see anything that I really wanted except for the Stila Smudge Stick liners & I already have the 3 colors that I like from them. There wasn't much of anything that caught my attention or I thought that I really needed. So I didn't even get anything from that.
I did however pic up a bunch of random things here & there. Plus, I had a few things leftover to review from the Wet N Wild sale last month.
I ended up finding 2 new favorites + a few amazing things I really love this month!

 Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo & Conditioner- Target $5 each
(I got the daily treatment conditioner for free)

I instantly noticed a difference in my hair when I used this, & I mean instantly! The second I put the shampoo on my hair, I could tell that it was different from anything else I had ever used. It was thick & creamy & glided through my hair like butter! When I was rinsing it out, my fingers just glided through my hair like it was silk & I had never touched it with bleach or heat. The conditioner seemed slightly thicker then normal but, nothing to be in awe of. (I am sure that the conditioner did contribute to the end result) After I blow dried my hair, I instantly noticed that my split ends were less noticeable, I had fewer flyaways, & my hair felt so much softer! All of this was after just after 1 use! My hair felt thicker but, not weighed down too. Now, I haven't noticed as much of an impact since my first use but, I can say that this is one of the few shampoos I have ever been impressed with. Funny how I found this just days after filming my hair video & telling you that I've never found a daily shampoo I loved.

March 2012 Complimentary Quickie Makeup Look

I have really been loving my Wet N Wild Walking on Eggshells & Sweet as Candy trios this month. I know that I have been doing a ton of looks with the Wet N Wild trios lately but, they are just so convenient & really great quality. I have also been getting back into pin-up style looks lately. They can be tweeked to go with anything. They're simple, quick, & easy to do. Plus, they just look great with my current spring style & keep my face looking sultry but still springtime fresh.

Products Used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Essence Stay All Day in Glammy Goes To... (or Stars & Stories)

Too Faced Blending Brush

Wet N Wild trio in Walking On Eggshells (or Sweet As Candy)

ELF Shadow Brush

Physicians Formula 2in1 Eye Booster Liner in Ultra Black

Wet N Wild MegaShimmer in White Lotus

Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama Mascara

Gotta B' Urban Powder Brush

Ulta Cheek Color in Heartbreaker (or any pink toned blush)

Maybelline lipstick in Peachy Scene (or any pink toned lipstick)

Hope you all enjoyed!

March 2012 (HUGE) Random Purchases

This month I shopped a ton! I don't know what came over me. 
So this is going to be an extra long, picture heavy post.
I have felt like I was in a rut for a while now & have been wearing pretty much the same few outfits for a couple of months. I think that a big part of that was that I haven't been going out as much as I normally do. So I haven't been getting dressed up & have been in casual wear most of the time lately. I have just felt like I need to start mixing things up again & get out of wearing a plain t-shirt, jeans, & my chucks everyday. I just need to try something new & start being more adventurous in my daily wear again instead of just my club clothes.
So, I picked up a lot of stuff that I've never really worn before but have been seeing on other people & loving. I have already been feeling better & not so slumpy (I think I just made up that word).
I have also been getting back into nautical & retro pin-up type stuff this past month. Last spring I was obsessed with nautical stuff & I have gone in & out of pin-up phases since I was a teen.
I just feel like shopping this month has brought me back to my adventurous fashion sense that I used to have (ie- a different style everyday).

The second I saw this at Target I had to have it! I can't help but giggle & smile every time I use it. It adds a bit of cute whimsy to my morning coffee routine & it puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day. It's silly & makes me happy, & I suggest everyone run out & get one right now!

First Spring OOTD

The past few days have been all about my wedges! I have been centering every outfit around them. I feel like a slight obsession may end up taking over my closet this spring/summer (not like I really have any more space).

For this outfit, I wanted to mix a little bit of cutesy spring with my leopard Steve Madden wedges.

St. Patty's Day Looks: Smokey Green & Irish Pin-Up

I wanted to do 2 looks for St. Patty's Day this year. I wanted one that was more of the traditional look that I do everyday but in greens & one that was bright & more of a spring time look.
I almost never where green but always love it so much when I do it for a tutorial. I really think that it is a highly under rated eyeshadow color. I just always seem to forget about it for some reason.

The first look I wanted to do was a sparkly, smokier look. Something more based on the type of look that I wear everyday. I wanted something that had a big range of different greens & a bit of shimmering gold too.
I am really happy with how this came out (both with & without the black). It's a great way to make a brighter, bolder color more wearable.

Products Used:

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed

Rimmel Exaggerate Liner in Noir

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush

Sleek Caribbean Collection Curacao Palette

Sleek Original Palette

Stila Smudge Stick in Peacock

Real Techniques  Accent Brush

ELF Eye Transformer Palette

Rimmel Soft Kohl in Jet Black

Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara

Gotta B' Urban Powder Brush

Ulta Cheek Color in Heartbreaker

Prestige Lipliner in Love

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Primrose

Maybelline Lipstick in Make Me Pink

I wanted the second look to be more of a spring green styled look. Something brightening & light. As soon as I saw the WNW trio, I knew it was perfect. I decided to go with a pin-up styled look so I could keep the lips a brighter color. The highlight shade is amazingly beautiful & adds so much to anything it's paired with. 

Products Used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed
Wet N Wild I Dream of Greenie trio
Studio Tools Crease Brush
Sephora Eye Crayon in #505
(this is no longer available but, you can use any light shimmering eyeliner)
Physicians Formula 2in1 Eye Booster Liner in Ultra Black
Real Techniques Accent Brush
Physicians Formula  Shimmer Strips Gel Cream Liner in Glam Green Eyes
Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara
Gotta B' Urban Powder Brush
Maybelline Expert Wear Blush in Pinch O' Pink
ELF Studio Blush Brush
Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing Powder in Brighten
Sephora Nano Lipliner in Pinup Pink
CoverGirl Lipstick in Divine
Loreal Infallible Lipgloss in Bloom

I hope that you liked these Irish green inspired looks. I think that all of us should give our green eyeshadow's a little more use, I know that I defiantly need to!
Please go onto my Facebook page & vote for which Lady's Of The 80's Looks you would like to see first! 

Saint Patrick's Day NOTD

Here are a few pictures of my nails from my Smokey Green tutorial. I ended up using my Sinful Colors Green Ocean & really liked how it came out.

I still don't think that it's a dupe for the Nails Inc. one but, for the price, it's just as beautiful.

It's was very hard to capture on camera but, these nails shined so amazingly! You could see them glisten across the room!

These pictures do not do them justice at all!

Green Nails-

1 coat Sinful Colors See You Soon

1 coat Sinful Colors Green Ocean

Gold Nails:

2 coats Sinful Colors This Is It

2 coats Essie Luxeffects Shine Of The Times

3 coats of Love & Beauty gold glitter from I <3 Chunky Glitter collection

(I would suggest using a different glitter to get a better gem effect, this is what I had but it just didn't turn out like I had envisioned)

Turning a T-shirt and Jeans Into An Outfit- Plus NOTD

I am so sorry that this took me so long to get up but, got overwhelmed by other blogs that I had to get up for the end of the month & I had a family issue that I had to help with!

Anyway, on to the post.

Most of the time, I don't really want to think about what I'm going to be wearing. I just want to get dressed & get on with my day. (of course this doesn't apply to when I'm going to the club, that's my super fun fantasy dress up time!) However, I don't want to look like a slob or like I have no style simply because I'm only running errands.

After years of being a t-shirt & jeans girl, I have found the perfect formula for making it look like a pulled together stylish outfit. 

*This mostly applies to the fall & spring months where it's chilly but not cold.*

My bird dish! I keep a necklace (not pictured), 2 rings, a bracelet, & a simple pair of studs in here. These items go with everything & it keeps me from digging through my jewelry box trying to find something to go with my outfit. I can just grab & go.

February 2012 Love It Or Ditch It- Collective Review/Haul

(this month is a picture heavy post!)
My beauty purchases were all of the place this month. I just kind of picked up cool stuff as I saw it. I got to try out a few things that I have been interested in for a long time too. I went kind of nuts on the nail polishes this month. I bought a ton of new Sinful Colors but, just kind of gave a brief overview & a few details on some special ones, since most of you already know how much I love those polishes. There were a few Loves this month but honestly, mostly misses; especially when it came to nail polishes (other then my Sinful Colors).
On A Side Note:
I have noticed that the price of drugstore makeup & polishes have seriously gone up in price recently & it's really bothering me. It's getting to the point that you might as well just go for the high-end brands because there simply isn't enough of a price difference. I don't see where many of these brands feel that their products are good enough quality or unique enough to be charging these prices. It is getting to the point that I don't really feel like buying most drugstore brands is worth it. I will probably be sticking to my cheaper drugstore brands (mostly Sinful Colors, Essence & Wet N Wild) & just start investing the little bit more in higher end products for the most part.
(this is something that I know I complain about multiple times in this post & that's part of the reason that I wanted to talk about this, plus I just think it's ridiculous)


A random thing that I wanted to talk about is my re-found love for foundation sponges.
I pretty much stopped using foundation sponges ever since I got my Sephora Natural Foundation Brush (& many more since then). I love my brushes & never really thought about my sponges at all. Earlier this month all of my brushes were dirty so, instead of washing a brush, I was lazy & grabbed a sponge. Right away I wondered why I ever stopped using them & have been using a sponge pretty much every day since. I get beautiful coverage without it looking like I am wearing a ton of makeup (normally a big problem around my nose & mouth where I have a lot of redness). The makeup blends into my skin so much nicer & really stuck to places I normally have issues with (once again, around my nose. where makeup just likes to just wipe away). Plus the finish is so much nicer when I apply it this way. I have also found that my foundation seems to last longer before it gets super oily & looks like a mess. Despite the fact that I love my brushes, I think that I'm a reverse convert (not really sure what that means). Sometimes we get stuck in these loops of thinking the newer way must be better, when the good old fashioned way of doing things has been around so long for a reason.

February 2012 Random Purchases

I didn't do a whole lot of shopping this month due to saving up for a big purchase (listed last).
I did manage to pick up a few bits & pieces along the way & a late Christmas present finally came in.

February 2012 Complimentary Quickie Makeup Look

To be quite honest, I was not really happy with how this tutorial came out. I have done this look fairly often in the past several months & never had trouble with it like I did while filming this. Normally the taupe color is much more dominate & the dark shade goes on much easier.
With that being said, I still think that it looks nice.
You can easily control how dark or smokey this is by adding more or less of the darker shade. This makes the look adaptable for work or just everyday life.

Products Used:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Maybelline Expert Wear Brow Pencil in Blonde

Milani Brow Fix Brow Kit in 01 Light- highlight

Ulta Eyeliner in Plum

Sephora Smudge Brush

Wet N Wild Trio in Silent Treatment

Studio Tools Crease Brush

Revlon Double Twist Mascara

Sephora Retractable Waterproof Lipliner in Raspberry

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 06

Gotta B' Urban Powder Brush

Physicians Formula Happy Blush in Pink