Twenty Something Plus

August 27, 2015

My August Birchbox

I don’t know exactly what it is, but I really love the guest editor Birchboxes. And the box for this month’s was just too pretty to pass up!

So, I don’t watch Candidly Nicole but I’ve been a fan since her Paris Hilton days.

Anyways, the first product may look a little too familiar. That’s because I also got it in my July Birchbox. One can never have enough dr. brandt samples, but I think I’m going to save this one for something special…

I am probably most interested in trying the René Furterer LISSEA leave-in, as it sounds super fancy and is for unruly hair.

I have a lot of nail polish. That being said, I am not opposed to trying more. I’m pretty sure this OPI in A Great Opera-tunity is going to be my fall pink. It’s more of a peachy pink, but I dig that.

I don’t just have a lot of nail polish, I also have quite a few lip crayons. That I don’t use. Since this one is a multitasker and is intended for lips and cheeks I’m hoping to use it frequently. Who knows, maybe then I’ll see if my other lip crayons work as a blush as well!

The one product that gave me pause was the in shower tanning lotion. Because I don’t exactly need a tan…

Has anyone used the tanning lotion? I want to see if it gives my skin a healthy glow of is just a complete waste given the color of my skin. Well, we shall see…

August 26, 2015

YSL VoxBox

I know I say that I love things a lot, but what is there not to love about a box that gives you stuff to try for absolutely free?

And even better when the something free is by Yves Saint Laurent!

Finding out I was getting the YSL VoxBox legit made my day.

The only reservation I had was that a lot of products that say they work with all skin tones, don’t. But since the combined retail value of both products was $107, I figured that they shouldn’t disappoint.

And they did not!

The Touche Eclat Blur Primer gives you skin a little golden shimmer and the Touche Eclat Blur Perfector smoothes away imperfections. At first I was worried that I’d look like I’d done nothing but put some gold glitter and matte cream on my face, but after putting on my foundation the difference was very apparent. My face looked FLAWLESS! I couldn’t get over it. I should have taken pictures, but I didn’t. When I do, I will make sure to share…probably on Instagram.

If it weren’t for the fear of running out, I would wear both of these every second of my life.

August 25, 2015

Easy Flatlay Tips

My favorite style of photos on Instagram are flatlays. They are such a great way to showcase things in a really neat way.

There are tons of resources out there to master the art of the flatlay and I’ve already shared my number on Instagram tip (along with what I use for my white backgrounds), but here are five quick and super easy tips to help you nail them!

Think square! I’m all for thinking outside of the box, but for a flatlay you have to get super creative within it.

Move things around, see what works. Keep in mind that sometimes less is more!

Switch things up, try different angles. Who said a flatlay has to be dead on and from above? Zoom in, get close, crop it like it’s hot! You can also try different backgrounds.

Use airplane mode (and make sure your wifi is turned off) if you want to edit your photo in Instagram but save it for later. #latergram (I’ve also done this to brighten up a photo twice!)

Edit! If you want that crisp white background? Brighten up your photo and add a little contrast.

Bonus tip: Try to remember the four F’s!

Fit (Think square), Free-up (Less is more), Focus (Is your phone’s lens clean? Did you tap the screen where you want the focal point to be?), and Fine-tune (Make any changes and add any finishing touches).

If you want to know what I keep in my Instagram prop box (yes, I have one), go check out this post!

August 21, 2015

Splurge or Save: Tall Tote

Baggu Basic Tote $160 | Old Navy Faux-Leather Tote around $20

Although I still have my heart set on one day owning the Baggu Basic Tote, I spotted the Old Navy tote in stores for like $8. I made a huge mistake and didn’t get it. Went home, suffered from a serious case of fomo, then went back later the same day to get it. It had been the last one and someone else beat me to it. (Add this to the list of reasons why I have trust issues…)

They had similar ones in bright colors that were a plastic-y material for $14, but after searching three different Old Navy’s I was able to find a canvas tall tote which was much closer to the style of the faux-leather tote and cost about the same.

August 20, 2015

Throw Yourself a Crabby Party

Did you ever have one of those days where you in a meh kind of mood?

Indulging in the act of self-pity is not something that I would typically encourage. But sometimes you just need to.

The idea of having a literal pity party doesn’t appeal to me, I’d much rather channel my inner happy crabber.

These Woven Pear socks certainly help!

Think of it as a mini treat yo self sesh.

Movie?

Check.

Fun fact: The manfriend and I saw 27 Dresses on our first date and ever since I’ve been obsessed with Katherine Heigl movies!

Noms?

Check.

Wine?

Do you even have to ask?

Company is optional.

But ice cream is not.

It’s not an exact science and really doesn’t take much. And, if I’m being totally honest, I’m pretty sure this is how I spend most of my nights anyways…

So get comfy, pop open a bottle of wine and enjoy. But only if you’re 21.

So happy to have Woven Pear sponsor this post!

August 19, 2015

Rice (and Green Tea) for Your Face

I like rice.

Typically as a side or in a stuffed bell pepper, but as an exfoliant? I’ll bite.

At first I wasn’t sure how this was going to work. I’ve used others before and was not a stranger to OZ Naturals, I just hadn’t tried anything like this.

It’s really a rice enzyme powder so you just add water and rub it onto you face. No big deal. Except big deal, you can really feel the grit to it as it scrubs!

This wasn’t my favorite exfoliant, the powder can get everywhere and I’m already a messy enough person on my own. I also didn’t love the container, I didn’t even notice the top was set to close, since it still came out, when I finally figured it out I decided to store it in a plastic bag, which I highly recommend.

All that being said, I didn’t hate it. My face was left feeling clean and the green tea extract made it so that my skin wasn’t irritated.

What’s your favorite face scrub?

This post is sponsored by OZ Natural, but the opinions are my own.

August 18, 2015

August Loves

I am so excited about my loves this month, that I’m sharing them a little early and I seriously hope you’re even just half as excited about my August loves as I am!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Everyone once in a while I like to give my nails a break from polish and let them breathe for a little. But I don’t really like how my nails look or feel without polish. Julep’s Oxygen Nail Polish allows for the option to do both.

And since we’re on the topic of nails… Cuticles need love too! There is a reason that Essie’s Apricot Cuticle Oil is such a huge hit. If you haven’t tried it, then you really should!

Last month I said, I was trying not to spend a lot of money, this month I couldn’t really afford to spend any cash. I totally lucked out when I found an old Old Navy Gift card (it was seriously like Christmas all over again!) and found the sandals I’d been dreaming about on super clearance for under $8! When I entered my first Polyvore contest these beauts were on the set. Talk about speaking things into existence!

I’m a huge fan of Simple Skincare Cleansing Facial Wipes, so when they let me try their new Micellar Make-Up Remover Wipes, naturally, I was stoked. This may not be the first time I’ve been obsessed with a makeup removing wipe, but it certainly is the most obsessed I’ve ever been with one!

One of my besties got me hooked on C.O. Bigelow Menta Lip Shine a looong time ago. I just recently rediscovered it and, for the life of me, can’t remember why I stopped using it.

So thankful to Simple Skincare for giving me a chance to #TestTheWater!

August 14, 2015

Vanity Details

Only recently have I become somewhat of a morning person.

I wake up, check my Instagram, think about my plans for the day, and finally get out of bed because I can no longer here myself thinking over the sound of my stomach growling…

But my favorite part of the morning, after coffee, is the getting ready part. I truly enjoy the process of sitting down at my vanity and putting my makeup on.

What do I keep on my vanity?

Only the basic beauty essentials.

You know, makeup. Which is kind of obvious.

Some makeup brushes. A variety.

Hair accessories. (I know that I have really short hair, but these hair ties keep my bangs out of my face without creasing my hair.)
And of course, no vanity is complete with out a mirror. I adore my motivational one from North Detail! Plus, it’s super portable, so I can grab it and go. Get it girl!

What’s on your vanity?

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August 13, 2015

Styled by 5 featuring Shabby Apple

You know how I’ve been saying I want to start doing more style posts?

Well, I’ve teamed up with four other boss blogger babes to bring you Styled by 5!

The five of us will each style the same piece of clothing and since we all look and think differently from each other (hair, religion, location, skin, size, height, style…all of the above), you’ll get five totally different looks. That means you’ll get to see what I style, on other body types so you can find something that is best for you!

Make sure to check out Deidre, Sarah, Jacque and Kaylynn’s blogs to see how they styled this Shabby Apple dress too. And lookout for something styled by the five of us every month!

My style can (and has) been defined as traditional dramatic. I tend to vary between very classic things and super bold edgy pieces. Shabby Apple dresses are dreamy, and this one is timeless!

To add a little bit of drama to it I paired it with a Jenny Bird necklace from Rocksbox and leopard print flats. Even though technically, in theory, leopard tends to be considered a neutral, I don’t care. Leopard print is my favorite color.

So, what do you think? Is the little blue dress the new little black dress?

Maybe not, but that doesn’t make it any less cute!

August 12, 2015

Baking with Bet

Not sure if you remember, but I’ve posted about baking before.

But this kind of baking is totally different!

If you are any bit of a beauty buff, you’ve probably heard about contouring, strobing, and now baking. I can kind of contour and think I get the concept of strobing, but this? This I’ve got down packed! (Yes, that was an intentional pun, and I’m laughing at my own cleverness as I type this.)

So… What is baking?

Basically it involves concealer and a translucent powder.

I won’t bore you with all the details, but you put on your face. Then apply concealer under your eyes and blend, followed by the powder which you let sit (or “bake”) on your face for a while before brushing it off.

Here are some actual directions.

If you had to pick one: contouring, baking or strobing?