After-Christmas Shopping Trip!

Sarah and I did a little bit of shopping today and I am pretty happy with what I picked up! I haven't tried some of the items yet but I'll probably do a review. 

I have heard a lot of things about the Clear line of hair care now, and I just couldn't help myself. I do have a feeling a lot of my hair troubles come from my scalp but we'll see what this can do. It was $4.99 at Target.

Okay, now before you have a heart attack at the price of the Shiseido cotton pads ($9.50), there is a reason behind this buy. I watch Michelle1218 on YouTube and I love her videos, she and I are actually very similar and we'd probably get along great! I really trust her reviews and advice so when she did an explanation on these I couldn't pass them up. These are the best cotton pads on the planet pretty much. The cotton is untreated unlike pads you'd buy at the drugstore. That means they are much softer and don't shed and are better at being used for what they are meant to be used for. I can't wait to give these a try and I will definitely be doing a comparison review soon. 

The gold beauty to the top right is the Too Faced Lip Creme in, "In The Buff". This is another raved about product in the beauty community and I haven't heard a single bad thing about it. It is so moisturizing and the color payoff is incredible. I wanted more than one but I decided to try this color first. The tube is nicely weighted and makes it feel expensive, and the formula just glides on. ($21 at Sephora)

I am in desperate need of a new cleanser and I had tried Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser before and their Ultra Moisturizer so I decided to pick up to small sizes in each to give them another go and see how my skin works with them. I think they'll work out just fine but I'm looking forward to it! (Cleanser $9 for 2.5 fl oz and moisturizer $18.50 for 2.5fl oz)

Finally, we walked into JCrew and I saw this button up and just had to get it. I love the color and the dots and best of all it was on sale for $50 instead of $78! They have other colors too, but not all of them are on sale. Someday I will fill my wardrobe with JCrew :)

Birchbox Beauty Haul

I am a little bit late on this post but I made an order on Birchbox because I had about 30 points saved up and that meant I could get $30 off my purchase! I didn't get a ton of stuff but I am very happy with what I did get. 

I have been getting really into black liquid liner and I just love the way it looks and I've been on the search for the perfect brush and formula. I've been using the 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner by Urban Decay and as much I love it the brush has started fraying. So this time, I decided to try Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. I adore this it is a marker not a brush you take out and this is perfect. It makes the sleekest lines and the formula has the best staying power I've seen. Even an oil based make-up remover had trouble getting it off my hand!

Then I picked up my all time favorite face towelettes by the Yes To brand. These are the Yes To Blueberry cleansing towelettes. They are the age refresh kind and it has apple and lemon peel in them. I really do not like blueberries and their smell but I love these! They don't leave that gross residue that so many do and they are so soft on your skin. This is a holy grail item for sure. 

Now this is hands down my new favorite product. I have been eyeing the stila eyeshadow palettes for a while. There are about four of them - there is the In The Garden, In The Know, In The Moment, and the one I bought was the In The Light palette. 

It comes with a small booklet with a few different eye looks you can do with the colors. It also came with a waterproof smudge stick eyeliner in the color damsel which is a beautiful chocolate brown.

I am in love with these colors. They are all so versatile and there is a mix of matte and shimmery colors.  First row: Bare (matte ivory) Kitten (shimmering nude pink) Bliss (matte nude) Sunset (copper shimmer) Sandstone (matte neutral brown) 

Second row: Champagne (pale gold shimmer) Glided Gold (bronze with gold shimmer) Luster (deep gray with gold shimmer) Night Sky (slate blue with silver shimmer) and Ebony (matte black)

I put swatches down below so you can see how pigmented they are. This is a must have palette if you like neutrals. I really think I have to go get the other three palettes now. It is a little pricey at $39 but well worth it!

Desk Supplies and Candles Haul!

It has been a particularly rough few days for me and while not much is helping right now, I did go out and do some shopping. I was in desperate need of a new filing system for all my important papers and one thing led to another. 

I first went to Staples, because where else would you go for office supplies? 

First, I needed more ink for my printer, because even though I'm taking classes online I find it easier for me to read things off of actual paper. Which makes it time consuming because I have so many pages to sit and wait for to print. 

I also needed some more of the Post-it notepads you see above. This comes with a pink color and a lime green color. I just think they are the perfect size to jot down lists of stuff I need to do or buy and I think I will always re-buy this. Also pictured is a package of cute tear-drop sticker labels by Martha Stewart's Home Office line. I think they may be used as labels, I'm not sure. Finally, I found those two very cute notepads for $1 at the register! I love them because I really love Europe and the old maps so they were perfect, the top is an old map of Europe and the bottom is a cute french themed one with the Eiffel Tower. 

Now, something I may not have mentioned before is that I am a die-hard Moleskine fan. I adore their notebooks and I actually have a few of them that I scribble in and draw in. They are truly the perfect notebooks and well worth the money. This is a "professional notebook" which I just had to have. It has different types of pages: project planning, index, to-do-lists, and adhesive tabs. I might do an more in-depth look at this. It'll be great once I start doing some web projects!

This is a Staple's special brand customizable notebook. I think these are just awesome and Martha Stewart's line has the same thing too. If I had known her stuff was 40% off I would have gotten her version. You buy a notebook that has lined paper in it already, and then it has special rings on it that allow you to add and take away whatever you want. They sell a bunch of different pages and tools to add in. I bought some grid paper and some page dividers. I'm going to use this for my code learning. As I'm learning all the new programming languages I want to take notes and the grid paper will be good for designing the web pages. 

This file box has a top with a compartment!

 I had to go to Target to find a box for my new file folders that I did actually get at Staples. The folders are from Martha Stewarts line, I thought the colors were so cute and they came six to a pack so it was a good deal. Until December 31st they are having 40% off of all her stuff so if you go and ask for the coupon they will give it to you. It says for one item but the cashier gave to me for all three items I bought. 

Now for the fun stuff! I had to stop into Bath and Body Works because during the storm I burned a lot of my candles. First, I found these really cute slippers that I'll just wear around the house. My feet are always cold and these are so warm.

Snowed In : fresh juniper, sugared sap, and sage.
Sandalwood Vanilla: exotic sandalwood,
 luscious caramel, fresh juniper and vanilla.

Honey Vanilla Dream: warm honey and vanilla
Vanilla Bean Noel: vanilla bean and caramel

A lot is going on above, I know. Just bare with me! So I had a coupon for a free mini candle so I decided to try Snowed In which is lovely. Then I also got a bigger Sandalwood Vanilla candle which is so warm and comfy (if a candle can be comfy :] ).

I always try to buy an anti-bacterial hand gel when I go in because I always use them, so while I was looking I saw they had a foam version and in the scent Vanilla Bean Noel. I love that holiday scent and the foam is awesome.

Then I saw the released a new scent for their Aromatherapy Sleep line called Honey Vanilla Dream. I couldn't decide if I liked it so I bought the mini body lotion and body wash. 

Then of course, they were having their buy two for $20 sale so I had to indulge. I bought these two holiday scents and I'm not big on the strong really floral or spicy scents. It honestly depends on the mix going on. Twinkling Night is a "Scenic celebration of blackberry and sweet nectar layered with notes of dark woods and patchouli". This is a sweeter smell but it is much lighter than other candles I've smelt. Whatever makes up the dark woods part of it really combines great with the rest of it. Sparkling Icicles is described as combining "sweet moss and bergamot adorned with a citrus bouquet". I don't smell the citrus as strongly which is a good thing. 

These two are scents I've had on the blog before but I wanted them in the large size this time. I have to say Fireside is one of my favorites, it is pretty strong but it makes me feel so warm and cozy. Fireside is a blend of "cedarwood, leather, and rich deep amber". I don't know why but I love burning this. The other is the White Barn No. 1 Nutmeg and Spice and this is another total favorite of mine. This is described as "A cozy concoction of spiced caramel and nutmeg evokes delightful memories of relaxing weekend getaways in the country". 

I hope you enjoyed this haul! Have a great weekend!

Earring Haul

A little while ago my mom and I took a trip to a tiny shopping mall in our town. It isn't our real mall but  it has a few okay places to go. One of the places we went for was Dress Barn. I didn't pick up any clothing by I did happen to find some earrings which I have been in desperate need of. 

I don't love earrings that dangle and I'm not big on hoops so finding these studs were awesome. I have really sensitive ears too so I needed something nickel-free. So here we go!

These first two sets have three in each and I think they are great for the year round. The first set has three pairs with a silver, gold, and copper color. What I really love about these are that they are textured. It makes them stand out a little without being obnoxious. The other set I love because the first two pairs I can wear in my second hole without getting in the way of the first hole's earrings...if that makes sense :)

This set has a pair of diamond looking studs, a pair of gold balls, and then a textured pair of gold balls.

These next two pairs are gorgeous and I'm so excited I found something like them. They are the same pair but one is gold with a yellow center gem and the other is silver with what looks like a blue center gem. Each has a ring of white gems around it. I feel like these while they look fancier can be pulled off with anything if done right. 

Then not too exciting but I bought a package of all different kinds of backings because I always end up losing those!

So there you go! My ears are happy with new sparkly things! Have you gotten any good pieces of jewelry lately?

10.12.12 Haul!

Happy Friday everyone! Someone went shopping today and I thought I'd kick off the weekend with a haul post! 

First up, are these flats from Old Navy - yeah, you read that right. I was a little shocked too that something this cute existed but I'm only just rediscovering a like for Old Navy again. These are tortoise colored pointed flats. The only downfall to these is I'm a 6.5 and they only had a 6 or a 7. Also, they are a little flimsy feeling but honestly I don't wear "nice shoes" all that often so they'll last me a while.

 

Also at Old Navy, I picked up some new socks! I literally have no socks so I figured with the cold weather it might be a good idea. I picked up two packs, one that is all light grey colored and one that has a polka dotted pair, a black pair and an argyle patterned pair. 

I also got a plain white vintage tee because that is just a classic staple to have in your closet and then I got a black beanie! I really love the beanie look and I haven't found any good ones for a while so I picked this one up right away. 

I stopped in at Aldo because I had seen this pair of oxfords and I immediately had to have them. I knew that I loved the style and that I would wear them a lot. The problem is a lot of brands are making their oxfords very flashy or with multiple colors. There are some that do the classic style but then put a neon stripe around the sole...not what I wanted. 

At $40 these were amazing - only problem..they didn't have my size and I had to order them so I have to wait before I can wear them. 

The light makes me look way too yellow, I need to take a picture outside and put that one up.

So if you haven't guessed, I did in fact stop in Sephora and I probably took six laps around that place. It is truly a dangerous store for me :) I was good though and only bought two things. The first is a new foundation, and I am only just getting on the bandwagon now. The Make Up Forever HD Foundation has been out for ages but I never really thought it'd do anything different. 

I've only tried it once but I do really enjoy this. It is a little watery but so moisturizing, which was what I was looking for. In the cold weather my skin gets much drier and things look too powdery and dry on my face. This has been great so far. I am the color N 125 for anyone wanting to compare. 

 Then I picked up the regimen set by Korres called the Wild Rose Brightening Skincare Set. It is made for Normal and Dry Skin which is both categories I tend to fall into. I've used the 24-hour Moisturizing and Brightening Cream and I love it. So hopefully, I've found my new cleanser and moisturizer!

My final purchase for the day happened by accident. My main goal for going to the mall was to buy those oxfords and find boots. I knew exactly the kind I wanted too, black, with a little slouch to them and with no heel. Essentially, I wanted motorcycle styled boots but they were no where to be found. Apparently, the style right now is riding boots or high heeled boots.

So as I walked through JCPenny to leave I gave a look at the show section and I found these boots, and they did have black but I actually liked the deep brown better. 

Hope you enjoyed! Have a good weekend!

Fall Drugstore Haul

CVS got a little visit from me the other night and I did a little damage. I have been pretty good lately with not buying any new make-up which is surprising since I've walked passed Sephora almost 5 different times this past month! It is hard to resist that place, but I held out.

So, when I had the opportunity to wander the aisles of CVS I took it! I am pretty happy with everything I bought too.

Above, are two Maybelline Color Tattoo colors and I am in love with them! They are incredible cream shadows with intense staying power. After swatching them on my hand even with make-up remover I was scrubbing. The one on the left is Tough as Taupe and on the right is Bad to the Bronze. 

Next, I was looking at some concealers but I really like the two concealers I have been using (Bobbi Brown and Sonia Kashuk's Hidden Agenda Palette), so I opted for a brightener. This is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser for Dark Circles. It is a great product because not only does it do its job of brightening but it offers a little extra coverage. I am victim to the dark circle so this helps me combat them even if I'm not wearing anything more than some concealer and powder.

 Then I couldn't resist the nail polish section and got these two beauties. I have to say these might be my go-to colors for the fall. The purple is called Sexy Divide and it is a true royal purple, and I love it! On the left is Mink Muffs, a browny taupe color. They are just so nice to look at and they apply really well. 

Finally, I picked up yet another Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey. This is a mauve pink color and it is a great lip color for the colder season. It isn't too bright but the color payoff is perfect and it would probably compliment most skin tones.