NOTD: Maybelinne Rose Bling Sequins + EBOOST review

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The last couple of nail of the day posts have been focused on the Urban Decay Naked Polishes and while I really enjoy the colors in that collection, today I just wanted to do something a little more fun. Classes started up again this week, the weather has been pretty blah and let’s just say I needed to spice things up a bit! ;)

Maybelline Color Show Sequins Rose Bling

I went with Maybelline Color Show Sequin polish in the color Rose Bling. This is a limited edition polish and I’m super happy that I ended up picking this and another color from the collection up because I’m absolutely loving it!

Maybelline Color Show Sequins Rose Bling

Check out the sparkle in that bottle!! :)

Maybelline Color Show Sequins Rose Bling

I often find myself let down when I buy a glitter based polish and it ends up a lot sheerer on my nails than what you see through the bottle. Which, was at first what happened with this polish but if you put on a few coats you can get some great coverage! This polish has a variation of different glitter sizes and colors and actually does end up looking as if you applied sequins to your nails!

Maybelline Color Show Sequins, in Rose Bling. Three coats, natural lighting.

Maybelline Color Show Sequins, in Rose Bling. Three coats, natural lighting.

Unfortunately, this picture doesn’t do them justice, because in person the polish looks a lot more opaque.

Maybelline Color Show Sequins Rose Bling

Maybelline Color Show Sequins Rose Bling

I’m loving the sparkle of this polish and I can’t wait to play with the other shade I picked up from the collection soon. These are actually the first two polishes I’ve gotten from the maybelline color show polish line and I’m glad that I did because so far they’re certainly holding up to my current love for Maybelline!

 

I also wanted to share with you all another one of the products from my Holiday Vox Box 2012 from Influenster! I’m absolutely loving trying out all the new products they have given me and while I was honestly a bit skeptic about this particular one, it actually ended up impressing me quite a bit!

Eboost Pink Lemonade

I’m talking about the EBOOST energy + immunity drink powder packets. I received the pink lemonade flavor and I think my biggest fear was that it would be overly sweet. Which actually it wasn’t at all. These little packets are loaded with good for you vitamins and perfect for an on-the-go pick me up!

Eboost Pink Lemonade

Definitely not the most amazing photo, but I wanted to give you some idea of what this looks like.

I’m going to pick up some more of these soon to keep in my purse and car and I’d definitely suggest checking them out!

Thank you again to Influenster & Eboost for the sample!!

While this product was sent to me for free, all opinions are my own and 100% honest. :)

 

NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine Review

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Good afternoon! Today I’m sharing with you yet another review for a product that I received in my Holiday VOXBOX from Influenster. This time, I’m talking about the NYC, New York Color Liquid Lipshine gloss in Nude York City.

NYC color lip gloss

This lip gloss is definitely one of the products I was most excited about receiving in my box and something that I tried about as quickly as I got the box open. I’m a total sucker for lip products and always looking for new things to try out. While I am familiar with the NYC, New York Color brand (specifically their sunny bronzer!), I have never tried their lip products before.

NYC lip gloss

First off, I was glad that I received a nude color as that is generally my go to choice. The liquid lipshine claims to be a non-sticky formula and I can definitely state that this stands up to that claim! So many lip glosses out there can be unbelievably sticky and this product is far from that.

NYC color lip gloss

NYC Color lipgloss

Not only is this product non-sticky, but it also smells great! It doesn’t have any sort of chemically smell or taste. I’m pretty bad at identifying smells but I’d have to say it has a sort of fruity/vanilla scent to it. That was a nice surprise when I first put this product on! :)

Close up of Nude York City Liquid Lipshine

Close up of Nude York City Liquid Lipshine

This lip gloss retails for UNDER THREE DOLLARS and is available at most drug stores!! Definitely a steal since even at the drug store, you will often see prices for lip products closer to the ten dollar mark. I think that NYC, New York Color is an understated makeup brand that is worth checking out. I can’t wait to check out their other products in the future, and will definitely be reporting back the results.

NYC Liquid Lipshine in Nude York City

NYC Liquid Lipshine in Nude York City

Now the only con that I would have to say for this product is that the cap of mine does not close tightly. I’m wondering if this is just a malfunction of the one I received or if they are all like that? Other influensters or people who have tried this product: is this just a fluke!? Because of this, I don’t trust putting this product in my bag which is unfortunate because it’s definitely one of those colors that can be easily applied on the go! However, I wouldn’t rule this product out for this detail and absolutely recommend that you all go snag this ASAP! It’s currently one of my favorite lip glosses right now!

Again, this product was received for free as part of my holiday vox box from Influenster. My opinions of this product are 100% my own and honest.

If you are interested in joining Influenster, please leave your email in a comment! :)

BIRCHBOX Unboxing

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Since classes started up again this week, things have been a bit quiet on the blog. Too quiet! Today I wanted to share with you my January BirchBox!

BirchBox Jan

BirchBox is a  subscription service that brings a slew of different beauty samples to your door every month. It costs ten dollars a month, and you get about 4/5 samples in each box. You can also purchase full size products that you receive samples of on their website. I had signed up for Birchbox about a year ago, but ended up cancelling my subscription after receiving a less than thrilling box. I decided after reading reviews from other bloggers that it was worth giving them a second chance.

BirchBox Jan

BirchBox Jan

The box itself comes in a cute pink little box, and the products come in a brown box with the birchbox logo. Each box contains a card that lists what is in your box, as well as gives some information about the theme of the box, and the products inside. I can also say that my box shipped pretty quickly. I had received notification that it was shipping last week and it arrived today. :)

Birch Box Jan

 

 

BirchBox Jan

The products are wrapped up nicely in tissue paper, while some come in little boxes.

BirchBox Jan

 

BirchBox Jan

The first product on the list is a perfume same of Harvey Prince’s Skinny Chic. Full size of this product retails between $21 – $55. The description of this product says:

Keep your energy levels high(and fight cravings to boot) with this zesty blend of apple, mint, and lotus blossom.

BirchBox Jan

 

Next up is Lashem , measurable difference lash gel serum. Full size of this product is $69.99 (yikes!). The description of this product reads:

Made with nourishing goji berry extracts and fortifying biotin, this derm-approved serum gives you longer, thicker lashes. Use once a day.

BirchBox Jan

BirchBox Jan

The third product is the Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo. This retails for $32 full size. The description says:

Gentle enough for everyday use, this cleanser has a low-suds formula that removes build-up without stripping hair of essential oils.

BirchBox Jan

Next up is one of the products I’m really looking forward to trying: theBalm cosmetics, Hot Mama. This retails for $20 full size and the description says:

How cute is this two-in-one blush and highlighter? The universally flattering pigment laced with golden shimmer to warm up your complexion.

BirchBox Jan

BirchBox Jan

Last but not least is the beauty extra that came in this box, and actually the product I’m MOST excited to try:

BirchBox Jan

Fresh, Lotus Youth Perserve Face Cream. This product runs for $42 full size. The description reads:

With antioxidant-rich lotus flower extracts, this lush moisturizer protects skin from free radicals and hydrates for a full 24 hours.

I do wish this was a larger sample size though because I like to give skin care products especially, more time to test out before buying a full-sized product. However, I’m looking forward to using this as I checked and it does not contain salicylic acid, which I’ve learned recently I am allergic to and is in SO MANY skin care products!! That is actually a whole post in itself that will be coming in the future. ;)

Overall, I’d have to say that I’m a bit on the fence with this box. After looking through the products that were sent out in this month’s box, I saw a lot of products that I would have liked trying out over some of the items I received. I will definitely try everything that came in my box but I hope that next month is more exciting!!

Soap & Glory Review & NOTD

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Good morning! :) So last week I shared with you all the new Urban Decay Naked Nails set, as well as a NOTD from the collection. Today I wanted to share the second polish that I’ve tried out from the set and give you some more of my thoughts on these polishes, now that I’ve used them a bit more.

Urban Decay Naked Nails

The set contains six different shades mirroring the naked shadow collections. Last week I used the color hustle, and seriously, I was very impressed!! The brush and formulation of this product equal a very nice application. I did two coats, but honestly, the color was dark enough and the formulation was nice enough, that it almost wasn’t needed. This nail polish stayed on well and didn’t chip for five days, which, when you’re often cooking or baking, is pretty impressive in my opinion! These polishes dry fast too which merits a huge thumbs up in my world because usually, what makes me procrastinate doing my nails is the fact that I get super impatient with letting them dry. ;)

Urban Decay, Naked, natural light, 2 coats.

Urban Decay, Naked, natural light, 2 coats.

This week, I went with the namesake color: Naked. I wanted to take a break from all things dark & sparkly, so I went with the most neutral shade in the collection. I LOVE THIS COLOR!!! It’s a fantastic nude. Like Hustle before it, this polish went on easy as well.

Urban Decay - Naked

Unfortunately, my photos of this color don’t do it justice at all! I apologize for that. You’ll just have to trust me in saying that this color is gorgeous! I’m seriously loving this collection and think that at $26.00, you cannot go wrong picking this up! It’s available at Sephora and I actually believe it may be limited edition, so snag it up while you can!! :)

 

I also wanted to share with you a review of some products I’ve been really enjoying lately from Soap & Glory. I have always heard things here and there about different products from Soap & Glory, so I finally picked up some things from them. I started with their flake away body polish:

flakeaway

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Cookies & Clothes.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

So yesterday I felt the urge to bake and after watching BenjimanTV make Chocolate Chip Cookies, I just HAD to try them out!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Oh man. These are heaven. I’ve made tons of different recipes before for chocolate chip cookies but let me tell you, these definitely win by far! I tried to follow his recipe exactly but we didn’t have all organic ingredients on hand, and I ended up using some dark chocolate chips with the regular ones as I wanted to use them up but I think the mixture of chocolate really made these cookies even better. SO GOOD.

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Make sure to follow the directions with this recipe because otherwise you’ll burn them. I took them out as he says to but I had major apprehension since they looked so undercooked. Have no fear though, they definitely turn out just fine after enough time on the cookie racks!

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies   Seriously, what are you waiting for!?! Go make these cookies!!

I also got a package yesterday from Forever21! While I do like their store, trying to actually shop there is nearly impossible. It’s always a mess and chaotic and often times, they’re out of the size I want of something so I place most of my orders from them online instead. Also, if you order online and something doesn’t fit, you can get your money back! Unlike in the store, where they only issue store-credit. The only downside to ordering online is I find their shipping is pretty slow.

Click to see what I got!!

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Frugal Beauty: CVS

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Today I wanted to talk a little bit about being frugal. If you’re anything like me, you probably love shopping for beauty products, or let’s be honest…shopping in general! If you’re buying everything at full price though, then that seriously adds up and quickly!! I’m always keeping my eye out for specials when I’m at the store. I set my cart’s navigation for the clearance racks, and if I’m online shopping, you better believe I almost NEVER pay shipping and almost ALWAYS use a coupon code!!

online_shopping

If you follow beauty bloggers & vloggers regularly, you’ll see a lot of pricey high-end makeup. However, it’s usually the drug store finds that get a lot more attention. When we find a product that works, or better yet is a dupe of a high-end product, it’s worth screaming from the rooftops! Sometimes, those drug store products aren’t at as low of a price as you’d expect though. Have no fear, there are ways to make your dollars stretch even further at the drug store!

Most drug stores have some sort of in-store rewards program, but the one I want to focus on specifically is CVS. I have to say that not only does their rewards program, in my opinion, totally blow Rite-Aid and Walgreens (these are the only drug stores available in my area) out of the water, the store in general, their staff and selection wins as well!

cvscard

CVS has a program called Extra Care, and it seriously ROCKS! While you can save money with things being on sale with the card, the more alluring feature is the Extra Bucks Rewards Program.

 For example:

 Last week I went to CVS to pick up the new Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal Shadows. I got all of them, at $6.99, each which equals $34.95, total. I purchased a few other things, which brought my purchase to $54 w/ tax. Yikes! I personally think that’s a hefty bill for the drug store. Let’s make it better!!

I used $20.00 in previously earned ECB’s (extra care rewards bucks) to bring my total down to $34.00 and on this purchase I earned back $15.00 in ECB’s! That’s like spending $15.00 for $54.00 worth of product if you look at it that way. $15.00 off my next purchase will definitely go a long way.

While there are all sorts of things in the store that qualify for earning ECB’s, I think the makeup can be the best deal. Why pay full price somewhere else, if you can be rewarded for obsessively needing the next great new product as it comes out?! ;)

The program sweetens a little further as for every $50 that you spend on beauty; you’ll receive ECB’s for. They also keep track of your spending and do quarterly rewards based on what you’ve spent.

While this post might seem a bit boring to most, and to others it’s nothing new, I wanted to do a quick overview of this program because it never hurts to be a little more savvy and save some money!

What are your tips & tricks for saving money on beauty products?? Share them in a comment!!

All opinions of this program are my own. I was not paid to write this post or to promote this program.

Quaker Real Medleys

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I hope that everyone is having a fantastic weekend! Tonight I wanted to share with you all a review of another of the items that was sent in my Holiday Vox Box from Influenster! This time, we’re talking about the Quaker Real Medleys oatmeal cups!! I have to say that while I am a total fan of breakfast foods, I’m not head over heels in love with oatmeal. I feel that it’s often a tricky food that comes out either too wet or too dry, can often taste bland and not end up filling me up all that much. However, I can safely say that this new product from Quaker quickly destroyed any previous skepticism I had! This oatmeal was delicious, and coming from someone who has always been a bit on the fence about the ever popular breakfast food, it means a lot!! :)

Quaker Real Medleys Peach

Quaker Real Medleys Peach

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NOTD: Urban Decay Hustle

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Yesterday I shared with you the hauling I’ve recently done. Today, I’m going to showcase one of the polishes from the Urban Decay Naked Polish set that I picked up! I will review each polish as I use them and today I’m highlighting the polish Hustle. I had thought of going in order but after seeing this polish, I couldn’t help myself. I had to try this one first!

Urban Decay Naked Polishes

Urban Decay Naked Nail Polishes

From left to right: Naked, Sidecar, Toasted, Smog, Hustle and Creep.

Urban Decay Naked Polishes

Urban Decay Hustle Polish

Two coats, natural lighting.

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HAUL: Sephora, MAC, CVS.

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In between some errands I had to run yesterday, I picked up a bunch of new things, which will more than likely all be reviewed on here within the coming weeks. When I came home, the UPS man graced me with his presence and brought my package from Sephora…so it was like Makeup Christmas in my world yesterday! ;)

Please excuse the quality of pictures, I haven’t had my DSLR with me so everything I photograph is done with my iPhone (which I have to say, doesn’t have a horrible camera on it!).

So let’s start with the drug store!

CVS Haul

I initially went to CVS with the hopes of finding the new (and incredibly hard to find) Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal Shadows but of course, they didn’t have them. :( So I wandered a bit and ended up buying the above!

Revlon Photoready BB Cream – I got this in the shade light/medium. I’m excited to try this out! It was $10.99 at CVS.

L’Oreal Nail Color in Satin Sheets – They had a few colors that were marked 50% off so I picked this one up to try out. I don’t think I’ve ever actually used L’Oreal polishes so I will definitely review this one. These were marked as $5.99 full price at CVS.

L’Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in Perpetual Purple – I have read SO MANY great reviews of this shadow line but haven’t tried them out yet. When I saw this purple shade I just knew I had to give them a try! They are pricey I feel though, considering that they are a drugstore brand, but after all the positives I have read about these, I was willing to take the risk. They were $8.99 at CVS.

Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me – I’ve actually never tried out any of the baby lips balms before, but when I saw that they had come out with new tinted shades, I was interested in trying them out. They were pretty picked over and only had this shade and a grape one, so I opted for the red one. These were $4.99 at CVS.

Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks – So these were given to select people in the Holiday Vox Box from Influenster, but I didn’t receive one. I have actually seen these before and always passed by them but after seeing the reviews people were giving them, I figured they were worth a try. I will be reviewing these soon for sure! I picked up three types: anti-stress, a chocolate one and a deep cleansing one. They were $1.99 at CVS.

Want to see my Sephora and MAC hauls? Read on!

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Goody QuikStyle Brush

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I hope that everyone has a fantastic New Years tonight! I’ve got on my sparkles and I’m ready for whatever the night may bring! :) Today I wanted to share with you all another review of one of the items that came in my Influenster Holiday Vox Box, and this time it’s the Goody QuikStyle Brush!

Goody QuikStyle Brush

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