Challenge

I'll admit I'm a bit of a beauty product junkie. If it's new & improved I'll take it! If it's in sparkly, shiny pretty packaging it's mine. Advertisers have me in mind when they put out a new product. So this is probably how I've accumulated so many lotions, sprays, shadows, mascaras, etc, etc. Last month I started my makeup challenge which means I cannot buy any new makeup until I finish what I have. This may take awhile....maybe  I'll be able to buy new makeup in say, 2015? Obviously there are certain things I have to constantly buy new of - foundation, powder. But I seriously have like 60 shades of brown eye shadow and 30 tubes of mascara. Don't worry, I have gone through and cleaned out expired products or products I'm not sure when I bought but probably are old anyway. My goal is to get through all of my little single, double and trio eye shadow sets and just use my palletes, which I think are better anyway. Currently I have 3 - an elf one, the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland & Coastal Scents 88 shadow one.
This challenge is going to take some time and restraint since I always try to get what's new and great in the world of makeup. Another challenge I'm doing in conjunction with this one is trying to get through all of my lotions/body sprays. This one may be a little easier....or not. I haven't worn alot of lotion over the summer just because it feels so gross on your skin once you step outside. But now that it's cooler and dryer I definitely need to wear lotion everyday. Three of my bottles of lotion are getting to the end, it's only a matter of time before they're gone! Then I'll be closer to my goal which I think will be good in the end. Who needs all that stuff anyway? I mean, it's not like I smell THAT bad naturally. I will continue to buy a regular everyday unscented lotion plus maybe a couple (small) bottles of scented lotion for hands once all of this is over but no more buying 6 bottles of a time because Bath & Body Works is having a sale and I have a coupon for BOGO. Nope. I will only do that if I'm buying a gift for someone. I didn't take a picture of my makeup collection because quite honestly it's very unorganized and kind of all over the place and I'm a little embarrassed to show you just how much there is! But here is a pic of what I have to get through as far as my lotion goes:

It's not really that bad. It could be worse right?
Well before all this "getting rid of crap" thing started, I did place an order with Bath & Body. I got a bunch of stuff for only $10!

These little guys were only $1 each. It's their new scent and it smells really good! Great for the holidays.

They had their pocket bac on sale 5/$5 so I got 3 of the Vampire Blood & 2 Candy Corn. Both are the new Halloween scents and they smell great. The other 2 were on sale: Orange Sapphire and LOL Lime. They smell great as well, very refreshing scents. 

I also got this cute little pocketbac holder. I kind of thought it was dorky at first but I love it. It was like 50 cents or something like that. They had kinds of colors, this one glows in the dark, how cool is that?

Now my beauty ban begins - wish me luck!

My new favorite lip products

For as long as I can remember I've always been a lip product girl. In junior high and high school I was the girl with every flavor of Bonne Bell lipsmacker in her purse. And everyone always knew to come to me if they were in need of a lipgloss. Well some things never change. Since I've "matured" though, I now only carry one or two flavors of BB in my bag, along with multiple tubes of Chapstick and lipsticks and glosses. I've also never really been much of a lipstick gal. I tend to like a more natural look when it comes to my lips. No bold reds or plums here! I go for light pinks and of course nudes. And even then I usually go for gloss over lipstick. I've never much liked the feel of lipstick, it always felt heavy on my lips and I tend to lick my lips a lot so it wore off quickly. But recently things have changed. I've discovered 2 new lipsticks that I am in love with and I'm tempted to stock up now because I have some sort of fear that they will be discontinued or something.
Here's what I'm talking about:

I've recently become more aware of MAC products and could easily spend a ridiculous amount of money on that website. But the way I go through makeup I just can't justify spending almost $40 on a lipstick and eyeshadow. But I do get all the hype about the lipstick. A few months ago I bought the Viva Glam Gaga lipstick, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere! :( I'm thinking about repurchasing though, along with the Cyndi one also. The money goes to a good cause after all.

 

On the left: MAC Creme d'Nude. Love this color! It goes on sooo smooth and looks great. It's a nude but it doesn't make your lips completely disappear. And it smells good too, which is always a plus. I got mine on ebay for around $10. A little much for me, but the pay off is totally worth it.

On the right: Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude. Another really great color. Kind of similar to the MAC but the formula feels a little different. I love the packaging, the quilted pattern and the shiny lettering. Perfect. I highly recommend both of these lipsticks. If you can find the MAC one for cheap (or if you don't mind the $14.50 price) I'd go for that one first, but the Revlon is definitely a great alternative.

Two more products - well actually just one.

I spotted these little guys at Walgreen's over a year ago but lately it seems like they've had a lot of buzz around them. I've seen them on a ton of youtube videos lately and decided I finally had to get some for myself. They're so cute and unique there's no way I could pass them up! They were 2/$6 which isn't a bad price. The one on the left is "honeydew melon" - or something like that and the one on the right is "summer fruit". They both smell so good and feel good on your lips. Very moisturizing. They recently came out with a new flavor - lemon. I might try that one, but I'm not too sure about it. 

Hope this was helpful for anyone looking for a new lipstick/balm. I would definitely recommend all of these to anyone!

A few new things

So I took my weekly trip to Target yesterday. Seriously I go at least once a week. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but I am beyond obsessed with Target. It's been going strong ever since I was young, like young young! I remember going there with my mom and getting toys, especially Barbies and stuffed animals. They always had the best. And now my love affair is still going strong, especially since Target has teamed up with big name designers and started getting all classy and such. If they ever went out of business, I would die, just die! I'd probably never buy anything again. Sad day.

I just went in to pick up a few things. Actually I just went in for body wash & hair color. I was a good girl and didn't even look at clothes, shoes, purses. I did however pass through the make-up area. I mean it IS en route to the hair section.....
I was walking innocently past the make-up when something caught my eye on the end cap of an aisle. It was a whole section of e.l.f. cosmetics. I love this brand, well sometimes. They have their hits and misses. The thing I love is that their items are so inexpensive which is great since I buy make-up all the time. If I bought all MAC or something I'd be in the poor house for sure! Luckily the things I picked up today we all hits and I only spent $8 on it all!

Beauty book Smoky Eye Edition - $5. Say what?!?! Yea I know, I did the same thing too. 12 eye shadows, an eyeliner and applicator. The colors are really pretty. They also had one for Neutral Eyes, Colorful Eyes and one just for lips. I really liked the colors in this one. My only complaint is that one of the shadows cracked and it was all over the inside, which you can kind of see in the picture (second row from the top, second shadow from the left) but that's not the company's fault. Overall I'd say this is a worth while purchase - it even has step by step instructions to achieve the look!

Hypershine Lip Gloss (in Bubblegum)

Zit Zapper

Eyelash Curler

All were $1 each

I really like the lipgloss. The color is subtle but very pretty. It smells very sweet which was initially a turn off but once it's on you really can't smell it. It's not sticky either which is a plus.

I tried the zit zapper last night. It seemed to work ok. I wasn't expecting an overnight miracle but I think it did ok for how cheap it was. It's a rollerball and it's got Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Oil, Witch Hazel and Camphor which all sound good. You can read more about it here

I haven't tried the eyelash curler yet but I'll let you know what I think about it

Ah! Here's what I actually went in for! The scent is Mango something or other. It smells really good!

I also got my hair color but didn't take a picture of it. I just got Natural Instincts in Medium Brown.

I also received this in the mail:

I always used to get this book from the library. I loved looking at all the different make-up looks. It's amazing what you can do with make-up. I suggest everyone get this book or at least borrow it from your local library. I bought mine used from Amazon. You can't even tell it's used and I got a great deal on it!

I've been shopping again......

So these things are kind of all over the place. I've just picked up a few things here and there over the past 2 weeks. But anyway here goes:

First is this pretty coral color cardigan from Old Navy. I can't seem to find it online anymore but check your local store. Mine had plenty last weekend. here is a similar style if you are interested.

Also from ON I got this cute little number in black. I forgot to take a picture of it but I can't wait to wear it. I think it will look great with tanks now and a basic long sleeve tee in the fall.

Next up is an ebay score. This cozy cardigan is from LOFT - I'm not sure how old or new it is. I didn't find it on thier website but I just love this thing. It's a medium but it's still roomy. I can just wrap it around myself. The 3/4 sleeves are great for this time of year when you might get a little chilly but not full on cold! 

Next is this cute little cardi from F21. It's very nautical but with a twist. It's blue and pinky-peach with gold buttons. This is adorable and once again will transition well into the cooler months.

This leopard flyaway cardigan is from Kohl's. I believe it's Daisy Fuentes. I got it on sale for about $13 I believe. I love purple and I think the pattern is fun a unique but still very wearable.

This shoe rack is another buy from Kohl's. I had a time with this one, let me tell you. Of course there was assembly required. It sounded simple - just insert the metal rods into the holes on the plastic stands. Well I got it all set up and put my shoes on it. I turn around for one second and it completely falls apart! So then I got the idea to super glue the rods into the holes. It felt much sturdier and is now standing fine on it's own - let's just hope it stays that way. I also put my heavier shoes on the bottom to sort of anchor it down (before I had them all scattered). It helped make lots of room and I just ordered another one on ebay that holds 40 shoes. I'm beginning to think I might have a shoe problem....

Please excuse the "dust" which isn't actually dust....it's baby powder and I didn't even notice it till the flash went off. I don't know how it got there - I must've had a spaz attack or something. Anyway I got this little tray at Target for like $2 and something. I was looking for a mirrored one but could not find it to save my life. I saw this one on the end of an aisle and thought, why not? You can't see it but it says "These are a few of my favorite things" on it.

Can't live without nail polish remover! I've been so into painting my nails lately but because of the abuse my nails take at work I'm changing my polish almost daily and I've always got good stock of this stuff!

Ok I found this at CVS for like 97 cents or something crazy like that. It was cheaper than Suave and the store brand. It doesn't even have a name, just the scent. There were a few others but this one smelled delicious. I might have to go back and stock up. For under $1 this is the best buy I've made in awhile!

I love this Tresemme heat spray & the anti frizz shine spray. And I bought the spray bottle to put my leave in conditioner in - it's Infusium 23 and is very runny so this is better than the bottle which does not have a sprayer on it.

I've been wanting to try out this new line of products from Suave and this smelled so refreshing. It'll be good for the mornings when I have to get up super early!

I bought the new Pantene hair spray & detangler for medium-thick hair. They smell so good and I really like the packaging.

I love Target's $1 socks! I go back like every other week to see if they have new styles. I'm determined to buy all of them!

Lastly is this lipgloss from NYC. It's called "Park Avenue Pink"

It actually looks more clear on my lips but then again my lips are natually pink. But it smells really good and I like the tube - it's very sleek looking.

Things I am loving for May

I see this on alot of youtube videos so I though I'd try my hand at it on here. These are in no particular order - just random things I've been using this month that I've grown to love.

First up in literature:

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I haven't started it yet but I've read (and seen the movies) Angels & Demons and The Davinci Code

And because I love fine reading

I Has a Hotdog from the people who brought you i can has cheezburger

Makeup/Beauty Products:

Blistex Lip Medex - I put it on every night before bed

Chapstick Fresh Effects

Miliani 3D Glitzy Glamour Gloss in Starshine

Maybelline Color Sensation Lip Gloss in Coral Gleam

Forever After Moisturizer

I use this after tanning for extra moisture and to extend the life of my tan

Proactive Green Tea moisturizer. 

Got it as a sample and really like it

Buckingham Palace Hand Lotion

Got this as a gift from my friend who visited London. It smells sooo good - it's light and smells fresh

Hollister SoCal body lotion

Scored this on sale for $6! Love it!

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Bath & Body Works Moonlight Path body lotion.

This is an old fave that keeps hanging around

Yes to Carrots body butter.

This smells so good (not like carrots at all promise!) and is very very moisturizing.

e.l.f. studio line contouring blush & bronzer. 

Saw this on a youtube video and heard it's comparable to the NARS blush & bronzer duo.

Haven't tried either so figured I'd try this one first.

Fragrance:

Victoria's Secret Love Spell body spray

I'm on my third bottle of this stuff - love it

American Eagle Real body spray

This is actually for men and I bought it for my bf but kept it for myself once I smelled it.

OMGahhh. 

It smells go good and not too much like a dude. It's very refreshing as well.

Juicy Couture Perfume 

I've wanted this for along time and finally went for it. I just got the 1 ounce since I've never smelled it in person, in the bottle before.

But turns out I love it!

Nail Polish!

Left to right:

Essie "Mint Candy Apple"

OPI "What's With the Cattitude?"

OPI "Done Out In Deco"

OPI "Meet Me On the Star Ferry"

OPI Designer Series "Sapphire"

OPI "Jade is the New Black"

China Glaze "I Wanna Lei Ya"

China Glaze "For Audrey"

Left to right:

Sally Hansen Insta Dri topcoat

Sally Hansen Extreme Wear "Mellow Yellow"

Love & Beauty (F21) "Peach"

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure "I Pink I Can"

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure "Commander in Chic"

Sally Hansen HD "Pixel Pretty"

Sally Hansen HD "DVD"

Sally Hansen Extreme Wear "Celeb City"

And one I forgot to include:

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength "Diamonds"

Randoms:

I saw this lil' guy on a random shelf at Target for $1

Just  thought he was cute and I like sea creatures

I don't know what these things are actually called but they're hair ties. They are alot better than your regular elastic, they don't pull and they never get too tight and ya know they're cute.

Survival Kit for girls from Glitzy Glam

Seriously has everything!

hair spray, clear polish, sewing kit, double sided tape, stain remover, breath freshener, etc.

It's all tucked into this fits-in-your palm silver pouch. Too cute!

Alli

This stuff seriously works wonders!

I used it for awhile last summer/fall then stopped but I still had some left and I'd like to lose a few more pounds. Try it - it's awesome!

5 React gum

Bath & Body Works

PocketBac

Elastic Headbands.

These are great for days when I want my hair completely out of my face. Great for working out.

These are cheap and you can get them anywhere.