Just because I won’t be attending NYFW this season, it doesn’t mean that I can’t do something a little fashion forward on my own.
Even before I scored any of pieces from the Who What Wear x Target collection, I was thinking about which items I wanted and how I would style each of them.
One of my favorite pieces was this trench vest. I honestly didn’t think I’d actually end up getting it, but it is so me and I’m positive it’ll be worn very often!
During my 12 Days of Christmas Wish Lists the hair wish list included a $300 straightening brush by Dafni. While a lot of hair tools aren’t cheap, I just couldn’t justify spending that much on something I wasn’t even sure would work that well on my hair type.
But, thanks to a boutique deals website called Jane, I was able to get my hands on a much more affordable one.
It has rubber ball tips to help prevent burning your scalp. I broke one of the rubber tips off the first time I used it, to me it wasn’t a huge deal, but it is something worth mentioning.
Also worth mentioning, the temperature is in Celcius, not Fahrenheit, so you do have to keep that in mind when setting it. I’m not great with number and really not good with converting degrees, so I’ve been setting it to the highest temperature and then turning it down a few from that. It gets pretty hot, but definitely takes more that a few seconds to heat up.
More to keep in mind is that I have course chemically relaxed hair. It works well with my hair, but if my hair were natural, I don’t know that it’d be all that much better than just combing and using a flat iron.
I still haven’t tried the $300 version, because, well, it’s $300. But I can say that a straightening brush for around $20 is very much so worth it!
If you were to open up my purse and pull out my makeup bag, either two weeks ago or right this second, these five products are definitely in there.
I may not use all of them everyday, but they are my current makeup favorites and I use them often enough to feel like I have to have them on my person at pretty much all times.
Had you asked me prior to receiving the Marc Jacobs Beauty Velvet Noir Mascara free from Influenster, I would have said my favorite mascara was Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. While it is still one of my top mascara’s the Velvet Noir is just, well, better!
What I mean by that is, I am much happier with the way my lashes look when using the Velvet Noir Mascara. Plus, for a limited time get a free mini Le Marc Lip Crème and a mini Velvet Noir Mascara with any Marc Jacobs Beauty order.
Use code: FEB16. (I want to get their coconut face primer and keep the mini Velvet Noir in my bag and my current full-sized one on my vanity.)
The only thing that could possibly make Better Than Sex my number one again is if it came in waterproof…
I have been wanting to experiment with lip colors, but at the same time not wanting to go broke. In doing so, I have fallen head over heels in love with NYX. Right now I’m obsessed with their Butter Gloss in Praline. It makes a really great nude for darker skin tones.
Speaking of skin tones, I was given PÜR HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation to sample and found that by mixing one part Dark and one part Deep it matches my skin color perfectly! It’s light and dewy and gives my face a natural looking glow.
When I saw the Maybelline FaceStudio Master Contour kit all over my Instagram feed, I wanted to see what the hype was all about. I think I may have even secretly wanted to hate it a little bit. But the Medium to Deep palette created such a soft, natural looking contour that it quickly became one of my go-to’s.
If you already follow my on Instagram, you know my brow game isn’t a game. I usually use e.l.f Cosmetics Cream Eyeliner in Coffee and top it with NYX Tinted Brow Mascara. This process takes a while. Time that I don’t always have. But, with Benefit Instant Brow in Dark, I can do my brows even when I’m in a hurry.
I’d told myself, that I was going to use up the skincare products I have before trying any more new ones.
But Oz Naturals changed my mind with their Ocean Mineral Cleanser. I mean, they pretty much always do that to me, their products are vegan and organic, so I can almost never resist.
Really, they had me at ocean.
That and organic rose hip oil.
I’ve been using it for over a week now and I really like it. It gets my face clean, but gently. After I clean off my makeup, I wash my face with the Ocean Mineral Cleanser so make sure there won’t be any makeup stains on my pillows. Hasn’t let me down yet!
Now if only using it could make it summer and put me on a beach by the ocean somewhere…
Guess who was lucky enough to be selected to receive the Bonus Box by Rakuten Affiliate Network for a second time…
And the Q4 Bonus Box is equally as amazing as last quarter’s!
I’m not exactly a fan of headbands, but the one from jdklajkjdskflajlskj is cute and although I have yet to wear it out, Valentine’s Day is coming up so I’m pretty sure I will be very soon.
Jewelry is one of those things I like to look at and then don’t invest enough in. So it’s always nice to get something that is luxurious, yet practical. This Monica Vinader bracelet is the perfect addition to my little bangle collection, although I prefer to wear it solo.
My skin care routine is something that I’m constantly adapting. Even more so as I start to get older. Being able to try a new anti-aging cream cleanser was very nice treat!
I have already have a Clarisonic Mia, but the Foreo Luna Mini is a completely different experience! I especially recommend it if you have sensitive skin. Plus, you don’t have to worry about buying replacement brushes.
E.l.f. Cosmetics is one of the most predominate brands in my makeup bag. It’s affordable and their products work really well. I don’t think I could ever have too much e.l.f.
Plus, this Party Ready palette is great to take your look from day to night!
There was also a voucher for a pair of DL1961 jeans. I requested the Emma Skinny Jeans in Slashed.
The Rakuten Affiliate Network Instagram account has been releasing little sneak peeks of some of the contents for the 2016 Q1Bonus and I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I think I saw something from Clinique!
And their most recent launch with Who What Wear is what style bloggers’ dreams are made of. Especially those on a budget. Everything in the collection is under $50!
When I say that I have been waiting for this, I mean I literally marked it on my calendar and counted down the days.
As much as I may have wanted to, I couldn’t buy it all.
Stripes, black, and tees are the three things that are constantly on repeat in my wardrobe. So, this striped black tee didn’t stand a chance not to come home with me. It was also the last one in my size, praise hands emoji!
Again with the stripes. And I have been needing to grown up my winter wardrobe some. This sweater lets me do just that, while also staying true to my taste.
Not so much for winter, or what I would typically buy, but I love the elegance of this tunic! It’s something that I’d put on my vision board if I had one just for clothes.
This cape blazer screams NYFW and is something I would have thought I’d never own, especially not for under $50! It’s the first piece that caught my eye in the collection and the main reason I swooned so hard over it. I had get a sales associate to take if off the display for me.
The trench vest looks like a couple of jackets and other military style vests I have. I have been obsessed with the style ever since my dad gave me one of his old jackets from his days as a Marine. I wasn’t going to get it, but the manfriend looked at it and told me it looked like me. I mean, how could I not after that?
Call me crazy, but I am such a sucker for Valentine’s Day!
While I may not be the mushy type, that doesn’t mean that I don’t value love. Speaking of love, today my sister and I are going to an event all about celebrating self-love.
In kind of honor of said event, I’m sharing two Valentine’s Day inspired looks featuring the perfect red winter hat that I found on clearance at Target, after almost giving up hope!
I’m also really excited about these overalls. I found them at Target on clearance as well. And while I wasn’t exactly looking for them, they very much so needed to be in my closet!
There’s still a couple of weeks or so before Valentine’s Day, but I wanted to share these outfits with you in hopes of them helping to inspire you even a just little bit. And, if you’re not that into Valentine’s Day like that, make sure to at least give yourself some love!
I just got the sample choice email for February, so I figured I should probably get my December Birchbox post up.
For December I went with a sample choice instead of the curated feature box. Not for any particular reason, other than wanting a certain two colors for the Coastal Scents eye shadow palette sample. I also got a sample of shadow/blush by The Balm Cosmetics. I’m not so sure how I feel about it as a shadow, but I’m willing to give it a try.
I’ve sampled a few Harvey Prince fragrances, and now they make a sea salt hair spray. I really like that way it smells. Like, I sprayed some on my hair, forgot I had and kept trying to figure out what that amazing smell was. It was me. Well, it was my hair. I mean it could be complete ineffective as a hair texturizing mist and I would still use it as a hair fragrance.
Not getting the feature box made me think I would be missing out on the Juara hand and nail balm, but nope. I ended up getting it anyways. Not that my purse really needed another hand cream, but who doesn’t like having options?
My last sample was Klorane Dry Shampoo. I never blogged about it, but I tried Ipsy one month a LONG time ago and this was one of the products I’d gotten in my bag. I will say that I started using dry shampoo more often recently, so I will happily take an extra can.
For February, I also added on an item. Which means two Birchbox posts next month too.
If you want a piece of this Birchbox action, sign up here between now and Valentine’s Day and we could both win a Beauty Blender!
I wanted to show you just how easy it is to wear it both casually and a little more formally. And if a pair of overalls and a tight little black dress don’t demonstrate that then I don’t know what else could.
Coat: J. Crew
Shirt: Old Navy
Overalls: Gap (similar)
Crossbody Bag: BAGGU via the Poshmark app
Hat: Silence + Noise (similar)
Boots: Forever 21
Necklace: Kate Spade
I prefer body was to a bar of soap. But I hate how much body wash it takes to lather up. Not the case with this one. And it smells like it’s a super expensive luxury spa product! I first tried it when staying with family and, well, I dare you to find one that I’ll love more.
I’ve come across a ton of makeup brushes that I like to use, and after trying one from Real Techniques, I wanted to try more. I picked some up at Ulta Beauty and I’m hooked. I even snagged a pack of travel sized ones for an upcoming giveaway…
As someone that swore by makeup removing wipes, I didn’t think I’d ever use anything else. I was wrong. Going through so many was getting a bit ridiculous, so I decided to take advice from The Feminine Files and try using cotton pads instead. I really like using micellar water, but I need to find better quality cotton pads.
How many times have I said that I don’t like chocolate and then share about a chocolate candy bar? Probably too many to count. Here’s another one! If you haven’t seen the Snickers Crisper bars in stores, keep looking! SO GOOD.
Baking isn’t something I do every time I do my makeup, but I may do it a little bit more now that I’ve tried using a loose powder. I don’t know what I was thinking before.
