New Blog

Hi ladies,

I just thought I'd let you all know I've started a new blog (that I hope to keep updated more regularly!).

Always Bright

Thank you all!

Kiki

Haul: Ulta & BBW

Skincare Routine!

June Favorites

Recent Reading Material

This post is in no way beauty related. I recently came across a list of 100 books that you should read at some point in your life (some are series of books, so the total comes to over 100). I love to read and have a small library worth of books, so when I came across the list I naturally had to read everything on it. I have already read nearly a quarter of the books on the list, and have about six that I intend to finish before the new year. (As it is already December 17th, I have to get cracking!)

The ones I am finishing up in the next week and a half are:

I am already half way through Jane Eyre and love it so much, I can't wait to see the new screen adaptation of it. I am a quick reader, but may need some luck finishing all these what with the holidays taking of most of my time. If anyone is interested, I'll post the list of books. Just let me know :)

Wish me luck!

xoxo

Presents!

So when Sephora sends out their annual Beauty Insider $15 gift cards, I try to make the most of them. The holidays are a time when my wallet is stretched really tight because of all the Christmas shopping I do for others. Although I have a list a mile long of beauty products I'd love to try, I restrain myself. Here is where the gift card comes in!

While the gift card states there is a minimum purchase of $40 in order to redeem it, if you redeem it online, there is no minimum purchase! What I ended up doing was finding a product that was just $10 on the Sephora website, and once combined with shipping costs (which the gift card covers! score!) and tax my total came out to only $1.93! Luckily enough for me, my sister passed her gift card along to me, so I was able to purchase another $10 item. Below are my purchases:

(Excuse the crappy Blackberry pics!)

What I ended up with:

• Stila Adventurous in Aspen palette which includes 4 shadows: Snow Angel, Icicles, Glisten and Ajax and a convertible color in Rosy.
• Nars lip gloss in All Night Long
• Mini Makeup Forever HD powder
• Mini Bobbi Brown lip gloss in Crystal
• NUDE Advanced Probiotic Skincare samples
• Narciso Rodriguez "Essence" perfume sample
• Gucci "Flora" perfume sample
• Stile one step primecolor in Bronze Babe sample
• Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer sample
• Ojon Hair Restorative Hair Treatment sample

For a total of $3.86, I think I did pretty well!

What did you get with your Sephora gift card?

xoxo

In & Out

In:

- Christmas! I feel so festive around this time of year. I decorated the tree all by myself and just finished making gingerbread cookies for the children I babysit for.

- Tea. I've never been a tea person, but lately its just so cozy to be snuggled up under a blanket with a book and a warm cup of tea. The fact that its good for you is just an added bonus :)

- Being healthy. I've been trying to eat healthier since Thanksgiving left me feeling so lethargic. But I love cooking and I certainly love feeling healthy, so I've been coming up with healthy recipes to fight off that dreaded holiday weight gain.

- Glowy makeup. I watched MakeUpByTiffanyD's youtube tutorial on this years Victoria's Secret fashion show and have been recreating that look almost everyday since she posted it!

- Candles. I am absolutely in love with the large candles from Bath & Body. My favorites are seasonal - boo! The two I love are called Leaves and Winter Candy Apple. I am constantly burning one of these.

Out:

- Friends that disappoint. Pretty self explanatory.

- Stress. Holiday stress, school stress, work stress. It's all a big OUT.

xoxo

Masquerade

For years now my favorite part of Halloween has been to sit home and hand out candy to children. I know most people my own age prefer to get dressed up and go out (which I tried last year!), but I much prefer watching children run up my porch steps eagerly anticipating candy all the while dressed as funny/cute/frightening characters.

My sister was forced to get dressed up as she had a Halloween party she was required to be at for work. Surprise, surprise I was the one to do her make-up! She looked gorgeous but it made me a bit nostalgic for dressing up. Because it was already late, and impractical to get a costume just to hand out candy, I decided to draw a mask on my face. It was incredibly simple, took 15 minutes and only used a few products. While this post is probably late in the game, I just thought I'd share it with you :)

(pardon the funny expressions and quality - that's Photobooth for you)

Most of the children that came to the door asked if I could draw a mask for them too!

Let me know what you think!

xoxo

My First Youtube Video!

Hello girls! This is my first attempt at a youtube video. Let me know what you think

xoxo

My apologies..

Ladies--

I know I said over a month ago that I'd be getting back into the swing of things, but exams got the best of me. I'll be done with school in exactly one week, so expect a post then!

See you all soon!

xoxo

I'M BACK!

Hello ladies! Please excuse my extended absence. I have no real excuse other than that I have been totally uninspired personally to blog and I have been kept quite busy with school and work. But just because I haven't been blogging, that doesn't mean I have stayed away from blogger. I have spent this time reading reviews, FOTDs, and hauls and given the warm change in the weather, I have decided to jump back into the habit of blogging. Keep a look out--I have quite a few posts planned!

Missed you all loads!

xoxo

Pick of the Day

I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite beauty bloggers--shakespeareandstilettos

I have been following her for a short while and can honestly say that I look forward to seeing her new posts in my dashboard. Aside from being a wonderful writer, she posts some great reviews and beautiful FOTD's. In addition to all she provides to the blogging world, she's also having a fantastic giveaway that ends today!

shakespeareandstilettos giveaway

Take a look at her blog and you'll see what I'm raving about!

Christmas Giveaway

Hey ladies,

One of my favorite new bloggers is having an awesome Christmas giveaway! Check out her blog...I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do! I Heart Cosmetics

xoxo

Lipstick Rules

One of my favorite bloggers, Lipstick Rules, is having a Reader Appreciation Contest! Michelle is such an incredible writer and has some incredible reviews. She's also a mommy and a makeup obsessive (as we all are!). Be sure to check out her blog--I dare you not to love and follow her!

www.lipstickrules.com

NOTD

So ladies..

I have jumped on the matte bandwagon. I've been wanting to find the OPI or Essie matte finish polishes, but I just have not been able to get my hands on them. As I was perusing the mall today, I wandered into a terrible, tacky shoe store...that just happened to have a wall of makeup and nail polish. I picked up a few things, including this black matte polish by L.A. Girls. I had never heard of them, but for $2, you really can't go wrong! I decided to make the tips glossy, a la Kim Kardashian. I think it came out well. What about you?

xoxo

Uh oh...

I did it again...

Someone's having a giveaway....

Check out http://missmercurylady.blogspot.com/ . She is adorable and has some great hauls! She is having her very first give away. Take a look!

xoxo

Maybelline Pulse Perfection

I recently tried Maybelline's Pulse Perfection mascara and had high hopes for it. It is likened to the Lancome Oscillation but without the hefty price tag. While at $15, it is expensive for a drugstore mascara, it is far less than the $34 you'd have to shell out for Lancome. I have been interested in trying Oscillation for quite a while and thought if Pulse Perfection was any good, I'd try out the more expensive version. I usually like my mascaras as black as I can get them, so I opted for Blackest Black.

The Maybelline website says:

It’s our first vibrating mascara. Transforms your lashes to perfection.

• Patent-pending elastomer brush vibrates 7,000 times per stroke
• Provides clump-free definition, intense color, and shine
• Waterproof; also available in washable formula
• Builds lash volume, length, and adds curl
• Buildable formula
• Ideal for All Skin Types
• Contact lens safe

My thoughts on this product were not as glittering as their own review. I really wanted to love it--I even prepared myself before buying with plenty of reviews. While it did lengthen my lashes, it made them clump together and look spidery. Not an attractive look. It had a very wet formulation that took ages to dry. I tried applying it by way of the directions from the Maybelline website and I tried different tips from bloggers and youtubers. Unfortunately nothing worked for me. In fact, the reason I don't have pictures of my own tube is because I went back to the drugstore and returned it within the day. A product must really stink for me to run back to return it. If this is anything like Lancome Oscillation, I'd rather save my money.

London Calling...

My brother just got back from a little vacation to Paris and London visiting family. Before I wished him bon voyage, I made a little list of goodies I wanted. Being a man, he forgot some bits and complained about the male shop assistant in Superdrug giving him the eye while he perused the makeup aisles. But big brother did come through for me!

Barry M Dazzle Dusts: 51 (Mushroom), 03 (Pink/Gold), 39 (Tan), 89 (Oyster Grey), 98 (Petrol Black), 88 (Winter Berry)

Barry M Lip Paint: 101 (Marshmellow)

They are lovely and so pigmented! The swatches below are with NO base. I was quite impressed with how easily they blend into one another and into other shadows.

One of my cousins sent me a little gift over from London as she knows how much I love makeup. She sent me a YSL Rouge Volupte in #2 (I'm not sure of the name). Funnily enough, it was something I had spotted at a counter recently, but I couldn't justify the price tag. I also got some lovely smelling candles (thanks Natty!).

Above: YSL Rouge Volupte #2

Below: Barry M Lip Paint 101

I also got a couple of Nail Paints in Navy and Grey. They are both lovely fall colors and I can't wait to try them out.

Fancy Days

I went to a friends wedding this weekend and thought I'd share a photo of what I wore and how I did my makeup. I don't remember the exact products used, but its a pretty simple look. I also did a friends hair and makeup but I haven't gotten her photos yet. This photo is after a few glasses of wine, so don't mind the odd glow!

xoxo