BareMinerals Haul

A few days ago I visited Ulta after work... I had some gift cards that I needed to use up... here's what I came home with!

This is basically everything I purchased: The BareMinerals 'Get Started Complexion Kit', BareMinerals Renew & Hydrate Eye Cream, an eyeshadow duo and an eyeshadow quad. 

Here's a look at the inside of the Get Started Complexion Kit. (Please excuse my shoddy job of covering up the reflexion in the mirror!!) (:

I didn't necessarily need any of these items, as it comes with everything I already own, but I was sucked in by the packaging. I love the sleek black travel case! (It says "hello gorgeous" inside above the mirror. How cute!!) 

I use everything inside on a daily basis (aside from the primer and mineral veil, which I only use here and there). Usually I use the 'medium' shade of foundation, but it's starting look a little too dark for the wintertime, so I purchased this kit in the 'fairly light' shade. I was a little worried about the color having neutral undertones but I really think it suits me.

Inside, there is a an original foundation, a matte foundation, a small all over face color in the shade "warmth", a small mineral veil, a little prime time foundation primer, and a flawless application face brush. 

It was $49 and the Ulta's website says that it's a $109 value. (;

Here are the two eyeshadow palettes I picked up: The Dream Sequence and The Enlightenment. 

The Enlightenment (on the left) has two matte neutral colors. I picked this up with the intentions of testing out the color on the right to fill in my eyebrows. 

I had originally received The Dream Sequence (on the right) from my boyfriend on Christmas, but when I opened it, it was cracked. So technically, I didn't purchase this... just exchanged it for a new one. (;

Lastly, I needed an eye cream, because my beloved Benefit one was causing me to break out. Since I love everything else BareMinerals, I opted for one of their Renew & Hydrate version. 

It's such a little jar! (It's pictured above between the eyeshadow palettes to give you an idea of how tiny.) It was $32 for this little guy, so hopefully it lasts a long time! 

One of the (many) reasons I love shopping at Ulta are the free samples they have with purchase. I got a few this time for purchasing BareMinerals.

They gave me a sample of the Multi-Wrinkle Repair (hopefully it works as prevention as well, since I'm only 26!) and an adorable little sample of a matte foundation and brush. I'm not sure which brush this is, but I like it for under my eyes and around my nose. 

So that's it for my BareMinerals haul! What's your favorite BareMinerals product? Let me know in the comments and I'll look in to it. (:

2013 Favorites

What better way to start back to blogging than at the beginning of the new year with a yearly favorites post?

~Favorite Products/Brands~

The Republic of Tea - I love so many different things from this website that it would be impossible to list them all.  (I should probably do a review on the teas I have from here!)  If you try anything at all  from TRoT, I'd recommend getting one of their Custom Overwrap Tea Gift sets... you can pick either 12 or 24 individual flavors to test out first so you don't end up with a container of a flavor you dislike.  (: 

Cetaphil - Another brand I've loved in general... at the start of winter, I was having absolutely awful dry skin, especially on my face.  I tried out so many different lotions and creams (and spent oodles of money) trying to find something that wouldn't break me out, but would still be a strong enough moisturizer to stop my skin from feeling so dry.  I had heard about Cetaphil and always shrugged it off because of it being such a common drugstore brand. I am so very glad I tried it!!!  I love their Gentle Daily Skin Cleanser and their Restoraderm Skin Restoring Moisturzer and I'd absolutely recommend them both.

Taylor - I love Taylor Swift and her music, but I completely adore her perfume "Taylor".  It smells so different from any other perfume I've owned before and it lasts all day long. I always get compliments when I wear this and I love how it smells on my skin.  I love layering the perfume and the lotion together (although I'm not sure if the lotion is sold separately... I received mine in the gift set pictured to the right.) I'm terrible at describing scents, but her website lists it as "luscious fruits, blushing florals, and soft woods. If you happen to see this in a store, give it a sniff.  I promise you'll love it.  (:

BareMinerals/BareEscentuals - Yep, you guessed it; another brand that I've loved in 2013.  From their makeup to their skincare, I love it all!  They're a little (well, maybe a lot) on the pricey side, but I find that you definitely get what you pay for.  And as far as things like their loose foundations and eye shadows, they last practically forever.  

OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener (for Sensitive and Peeling Nails) - I'll admit this isn't the cheapest nail treatment, however, this stuff has saved my life. Or at least my fingernails' lives.  Haha.

I'd fallen in love with the original Nail Envy, as I have really thin nails that can't grow at all on their own.  Thanks to OPI, my nails could grow out a little and not break off.  Hooray!

Once I found the "Sensitive and Peeling" version, I don't think I've went a day without having at least one coat of it on my nails.  I always hear people talk about their "holy grail" beauty products... well, this is most definitely my "holy grail nail care product".  I honestly think I'd cry if I couldn't get this stuff anymore. 

Organix Light Penetrating Oil - Although the name is a little misleading (I honestly don't think that there is a single ingredient in this that is "organic"....) I still love it.  I have thin, fine hair, that I have been trying to grow the color out of.  I ombred my hair to allow the natural color to grow out (so I don't look silly having a solid line between colors across my head!) and I honestly didn't even realize how dry my hair was until trying this out as a sample from Ulta.  

I prefer the 'light' version, but honestly, the normal version wasn't too heavy for my hair.  As with all oils, definitely start out with a teeny, tiny amount, and add from there, or risk looking as if you haven't washed your hair for weeks.  haha.

 

                                     ~Favorite TV Shows~

The Vampire Diaries - Not a beauty favorite, but still a favorite nonetheless.  I haven't been caught up with any shows currently airing since I was in middle school.  (Which would sadly be about 13 years ago!) I am completely caught up with The Vampire Diaries and am eagerly awaiting it's return on January 23rd.  ♥ Delena.  

Once Upon a Time / Once Upon a Time in Wonderland - I'm also a pretty big fan of the UOaT series.  I love how they've taken all the usual fairy tales and created new worlds and stories with them.  I'm caught up with these shows as well.  Go me!  (;

                                      ~Favorite People~

Kim Dao - I love reading about her travels and seeing her fashion posts.  If you enjoy Japanese travel vlogs, gyaru fashions, and things like that, check out her blog.  (:

Lillian Masie - I always get so excited when I see a Lillian's posted a new video on YouTube.  I love her sense of style, her makeup tutorials, and her blogs.  

Zoella - I adore Zoe.  I've been watching her videos on YouTube for a while now, and I just love her to pieces.  It's quite motivational to watch her overcome her anxiety and do things that I could only hope to do one day!

I'm sure there's many, many more things I could add to this list, but I feel like the list is long enough already.  I wouldn't want to bore you too much on my first post back. (;

Were any of the things I listed also in your favorites of 2013?  Let me know!

And if there's something you really enjoyed that I've not listed that you think I'd enjoy, also let me know!  

I hope that everyone has a wonderful 2014!!!!

xoxox

June Favorites

So this is a few days late, but it's better late than never! (; 

I figured I'd just do my favorites this month because I didn't really have anything I didn't like this month, and that would make a 'hits and misses' post kind of silly to do.  Hehe.

1- Clarisonic Mia : Ever since I purchased my Clarisonic, I have been in love with it.  It cleans  your face sooo much better than just a wash cloth/bar soap. I have the standard brush head on it right now, but I purchased the blue brush head for my next replacement and I can't wait to try that one out!
2- Mario Badescu Drying Cream : This is by far my favorite overnight acne treatment product!! (although it's not an overnight treatment, lol) Whenever I use this, any breakouts that I have are significantly reduced by the next morning!
3- Simple Eye Makeup Remover : I got this little tester size towards the end of the month, but I love it so much I had to include it in this post.

4- Julep Nail Polish in Daphne : This color is so pretty!! It's like a Tiffany blue, but with more green in it.  Love it.
5- Julep Nail Polish in Kate : I have been looking for a white nail polish that wasn't super sheer for so long.  This one is perfect - it's really opaque and you can get away with one coat of it, but I usually go with two.  (;
6- Julep Nail Polish in Jessica : Since I already had two Julep polishes, I figured I'd go aheaed and throw in another one of my favorites.  I love that this polish has my name, and I love that it's a robin's egg blue!  I have the Zoya polish called 'Jessica', but it's not a fun color like this one, lol.
Anyone else love Julep? Let me know your favs!


And last but not least, I had to include a non makeup/beauty item because I can't seem to do a monthly favorites post without having at least one of these included, lol. I've been absolutely loving my Village Candle in Lemon Pound Cake.  It smells just like lemon pound cake - yum!!  Even if it's too hot outside or I have a fan on and I can't light it, just leaving it sit open with the lid off is enough to catch a hint of the tangy lemon scent.

Sorry this post is so late!! I had originally hoped to have it up Independence Day (and I even had the basic gist of the post laid out in my drafts) but I just haven't had time to finish it up until now.  D:

Anyway, I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Independence Day, and I'll see you in the next post!! ♥

The Balm Haul

 Hey girls!  (:

A few weeks ago while I was shopping at Marshall's, I noticed that they had some boxed sets from The Balm.  The only products I'd ever tried from The Balm was their Liquid Time Balm Spot Concealer - which I had purchased from Sephora a year or so ago, so I was curious to try some new things out!

I decided on the "You're Giving Me a Complexion" set and the "Smokey Eye Kit"

After I got home and tested them out/looked up the prices and realized what a steal these were, I went back and picked up some more!

 

Second time around I got the "Brown Eye Kit" and the "Green Eye Kit"

(and another 'Complexion Kit' because I really like the products included!

The eye kits were $9.99 - definitely a great deal considering one of their Overshadow Loose shadows sells for $15!

 The complexion kits were $20 and contain four products - The Liquid Time Balm concealer that I had purchased a while ago was $20 by itself.  

All in all, I'm super happy with these purchases!  I plan on doing a review for them if anyone is interested?  Let me know in the comments!! (;

May Hits & Misses

Since May is just about over, I figured I'd go ahead and do my 'Hits & Misses' for the month!

I'll start with the 'misses' since there's only two this month -

I had really hoped this 'Wet N Wild Juicy lip balm' would be like the Revlon Lip Butters, but for a fraction of the price.  The color payoff is about the same, and they are much cheaper, but this product leaves an awful taste on my lips and it tastes so bad I can't bring myself to overlook it. 

 Next is Crest 3D White Advanced Vivid toothpaste.  I love Crest products, and I really like this toothpaste.  The problem is the package design.  They made it so that the product comes out in two different colors but in order to do so, they had to put (what I'm assuming is) two tubes inside of one.  The product is fine until you're nearing the end and then it gets really hard to squeeze the last bit out, and I'm thinking that's because of the two-tubes-in-one bit.  Otherwise, I like this toothpaste!

On to the hits of the month!!!

This is a product I've had for probably a few years but I just recently rediscovered how much I love it.  Rimmel Lycra wear in Pure Sin is the perfect slightly sparkly nude color for my skin tone.

 As I mentioned in a previous post, I really love Mario Badescu products.  My favorites this month were the Aloe Moisturizer, the Ceramide Eye Gel, and the Drying Cream.  I plan on doing a review for these products later on!

 I found this amazing J.R. Watkins lotion in Lemon Cream at Cracker Barrel a week or so ago.  It smells exactly like lemon meringue (yum!!) and it doesn't leave a greasy feel when you put it on.

 This one might be silly, but I don't care if this is a winter-time scent, I am loving my Mint Chocolate anti-bacterial hand soap from Bath & Body Works.  They smell exactly like mint chocolate chip and the scent lingers just long enough on your hands after you wash them.  I had bought them last year when they were on a crazy sale (something like, 8 for $20?) and I still have a few left.  (:

 

Lastly, I am in love with my Victoria's Secret Pink water bottles.  I carry one with me every day because you only need to drink two of these (correct me if I'm wrong) to get your 8 glasses of water.  Plus, they're super cute!

xoxo

Best Company Ever!

Mario Badescu is my favorite company ever.  

I adore a lot of their products, and they have EXCELLENT customer service.  They have been so polite any time I've had to contact them, and they are extremely generous!  

If you fill out a little bit of information about yourself on their website, they will send you a completely free sample skincare regimen - customized to your specific skin type.  This is what initially got me hooked on their products... they give really good sized samples so you can test out the product for a few times to see if you actually like it or not. Click here to fill out the form and get some samples!!  (It's a really short form and only takes a minute or two.  I believe you get a confirmation email a day or so afterwards.)

My favorite products from MB (so far!) are the Drying Cream, the Aloe Moisturizer, and the Ceramide Eye Gel.  If you sign up to get free samples or have already tried MB, let me know what products you like because I'm always looking to test new products out! (:

xoxo