Twenty Something Plus

June 14, 2014

packing + prepping for Alt SLC

When I heard that Martha Stewart, yes THE Martha Stewart, was going to be a keynote speaker at this year’s Altitude Summit Salt Lake City I died. And then I entered every single contest in attempt to score the chance to attend.

I must be a cat, because I then found out that not only did I win (Thank you, Instagram and #altsummit_yellow!), but also that Joy Cho, yes THE Joy Cho, was going to be the other keynote speaker (Note to self: Make sure to pack Blog Inc.)! I died twice more.

Booked my flight, roundtrip. Had a minor panic attack (literally, anxiety will do that to you) after learning that the hotel where Alt SLC is taking place was full. Thankfully, I was able to find a hotel right down the street.

Prepping for Alt SLC was more or less a breeze. Blog cards? Check. Print schedule + highlight first, second, and third choice sessions? Check + color coded.

Packing is another story.

Did you know that you can only have one (1) quart sized ziplock bag for liquids? AND that each of those liquids must be in a container of less than 3.4oz? Seriously?? Who came up with this?! Clearly not a female + at the very least not me!

I have only ever flown internationally, and this trip I do not want to risk checking any luggage as I’ll only be in Utah for four days.

Now what to pack? What should I wear?

Slightly larger minor panic attack.

Others attending the conference (including Thrift Me Pretty’s Stasia Savasuk) have been very reassuring about not worrying about what to wear, but I can’t help it…t’s what I do on the daily!

I almost always overthink my outfits, have been known to over-pack, and now I’m trying to fit it all into a carry-on. This should be interesting…

June 12, 2014

twenty something plus + bing rewards

Almost too often we are criticized for using the internet for, well, everything. And as much as I’d like to argue that that’s not true, quite frankly, I can’t, because it is.

If I want to try a new restaurant, I look it up online and find reviews to see what others are saying about it. Same goes for movies, I need to know the ratings.

Living in a small town, I want to know how to get where I’m going before I drive an hour plus away, so I don’t waste gas. Gas is expensive y’all.

And also products. I must have looked into every single DSLR camera before investing in my Canon EOS Rebel SL1.

No one likes to waste their time or their money, and the internet, more specifically search engines, have helped us in our efforts to not do so. Except for when we want to, even if we shouldn’t…

When I need to know something, I often turn to my friends and family for their opinions or advice. How nice would it be to know what they like while I’m surfing the web?

Well by connecting my Facebook to Bing, I can! AND with Bing Rewards , I can even earn rewards simply for searching the web!

(I personally love that fact that a Sephora gift card is one of the reward options + I can even set it as a goal on my dashboard.)

How I use Bing…

I recently got a ficus. I was stoked. So stoked that I shared it on Instagram when I was doing the #100happydays Challenge.

I must have had it for about a week, maybe two when I noticed the tips of the leaves were turning brown. Not cool! I had no clue what I’d done so I looked it up using Bing.

The leaves are still brown, but at least I know how to prevent more leaves from turning brown and how to properly care for my beloved plant.

I have been thinking about getting tatted up for a while now. My little sister has over 10 tattoos (that I know of)! I just want one, OK, maybe two…and tiny ones.

I am pretty sure I want a tiny cross on the inside of my right wrist, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I would want it too look like.

I knew I’d want something small and simplistic, but much like requesting a particular hair style at a salon, I want to have a picture to bring with me, should I decide to actually get inked. I’d seen one that I liked on Pinterest, but I pin so much that I couldn’t find it, so I searched Bing Images and found it and several others that I liked just as much if not even better.

Bing has seriously made my sometimes confusingly chaotic life much easier, while at the same time rewarding me for it + in the form of makeup none the less!

Are you ready to start getting rewarded with what you want for doing what you already do? Then join Bing Rewards, it’s free!

I’m required to disclose a sponsored partnership between our site and Bing. I have been compensated in exchange for this post in the form of payment, product or experiences.

June 11, 2014

BeautyCon Swag Bag

As promised, here’s the BeautyCon swag I scored while attending BeautyCon NYC 2014!

The tote + these sunglasses + a shirt were the only things thatI knew for sure I would be getting. I knew the tote would be filled with products, but didn’t know brands, or quantities, or anything like that.

Contrary to lip products, I am not very adventurous when it comes to primer. I never really understood the different types. bareMinerals changed that. (There was also a bareMinerals booth and they gave out products + pointers. I didn’t get any additional products but the pointers were very useful. Also, I was not upset about missing out on the extra products because I had already splurged on all things bareSkin, their new liquid foundation…but more on that later, maybe.)

Maybelline was the first brand of mascara I’ve ever tried, and I still use it to this day. Why? Because it’s good. As is this lip color!

This NYX eyeshadow in Psychedelic is the perfect dupe for Urban Decay’s Thrash + I am a little too excited for fall to start rocking the heck out of this OPI is just perfect.

Given that I have started to dabble in video, this was a nice little surprise from YouTube.

I collect sunglasses/shades/sunnies/whatever you call them. Thank you StyleHaul for the extra pair!

Really impressed by all the benefits of Bronze Booster!

You can never have enough bronzer! I use bronzer that’s a little too light for me as an illuminator. Too Faced in Chocolate Soleil

Who doesn’t love kettle corn?! So good + the bag is super cute!

I don’t like diet soda. I should not have expected to like this zero calorie soda. But I did. And I did not like it. I gave it to my mom to finish, she liked it. Then again, she likes diet soda.

Thursday Friday designed the BeautyCon swag bag tote, so this coupon made perfect sense.

Me Undies tee shirts are my favorite! And while I don’t think they were at Beautycon, it was still cool to see a gift card from an upcoming brand that I love in the swag bag!

Elle was a major partner for BeautyCon NYC, and as an Elle Magazine subscriber, I found this cover to be utterly flawless (I’m still not over the Jennifer Aniston + Brad Pitt breakup, but I can’t hate Angelina…She has ageless beauty and is an amazing actress)!

Three of these will be included in my next giveaway! Which three do you hope they are?

June 9, 2014

BeautyCon NYC 2014

I was very fortunate to be able to hit up NYC for BeautyCon!

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but after reading up on it, I wanted in.

And, thanks to the manfriend, I was able to snag a PRO ticket + some BeautyCon swag, along with my two besties.

What is Beautycon? Well, put frankly, it’s a beauty convention.

What does that mean? It means you get to stand in a lot of long lines to get to try makeup and beauty products from various companies, if you are 21+ you get free drinks, and you get to hear panelists speak on various topics such as social media and being a diva, as well as meet some of your favorite makeup and hair gurus, bloggers, vlogger, etc.

In other words, it is EVERYTHING!

Was BeautyCon NYC worth it? I would say so!

Johnny Wujek selected me as one of his choices for the walk off contest! While I didn’t win, I werked it.

Not only did we have an absolute blast, but we are already looking forward to #BeautyConNYC 2015!

My next blog post will be all about my BeautyCon swag, so may sure you don’t miss it and subscribe!

June 6, 2014

may birchbox

I always look forward to getting my monthly Birchbox. I especially love it when I get a new product that exceeds my expectations, even if some of the other products don’t. My May Birchbox included a few products that had me freewheeling!

Birchbox bases the products you get in your box off of a profile that you fill out. My profile mentions that I have color treated hair so I often find myself getting color care hair products. What I found surprising about the shampoo + conditioner set I got this time, is that there was also a hair primer, which you apply before washing your hair. I was happy with the results, but hope that my next box does not include any color care hair anything.

My favorite product in my box this month, was the PIXI Beauty Shea Butter Lip Balm. I majorly heart getting full sized products especially lip products. As much as I swear that I adore eye makeup over all, I own way more lip products. What can I say? I have big lips and they need the extra TLC…

The color was much bolder than I expected for a lip balm, nothing too shocking, but I was pleased that the color was visibly detectable.

The other product that surprised me was the CōTZ Face Tinted Natural Skin Tone SPF 40. After I posted about my huge disappointment with Benefit’s Big Easy, I was very skeptical about trying anything tinted that didn’t say for dark skin. However, this wasn’t so bad. I mean it was light, but rubbed in and didn’t leave me looking ghostly. That being said, less is more. Even though I do not plan to buy this, I didn’t hate it.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

This month’s box even included a $25 off coupon to Kate Spade Saturday + if you subscribe to the Kate Spade Saturday emails you get 15% off your next purchase!

Enjoy my Birchbox posts + want in? Click here to sign up + give Birchbox a try!

June 4, 2014

may julep maven box

Like many makeup and beauty hoarders, I have a lot of nail polish.Name just about any color or finish and I’m pretty sure own it.

And yet, I still find that I do not have enough.Talk about first world problems…

I need my nail polish fix!

If you’re anything like me, then Julep is the answer. By becoming a Julep Maven, you get a monthly mani in a box.

Unlike some other subscription boxes, with the Julep Maven Box you have the option to not only skip a month if you need (which I do from time to time, because, well, shopping happens + I got bills to pay), but also the option to gift your box to a friend.

What makes the May box so special, is that it included the new Julep Plié Wand. This wand take the theory of writing with a pen or pencil and applies it to the mani, giving you more steady control as you paint your nails. This goes against my logic for leg shaving, but I can attest that it works. And well. Very well. I dig it.

Right handed and not at all ambidextrous? Not a problem! After attaching the magnetic wand to your nail polish and paint your left hand, the plié wand twists to rest on your hand so you can stably paint your right hand.

Believe it or not, my right hand actually came out better than my left for once!

May 30, 2014

spring fling voxbox

I joined Influenster not too long ago, and recently got my first VoxBox. I am always saying that I like to try new things, and VoxBox allows me to do just that + share my opinion on the products I try.

The theme of this particular VoxBox was Spring Fling, and had products to help you get ready for spring.

Spring Fling Vox Box

My Spring Fling VoxBox contained:

Peach Pie Car Freshener from the Labor Day Movie $21.24

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara $5.47

NIVEA Skin Firming Hydration Lotion $5.97 for 6.8oz

Playtex Sport Fresh Balance available in Walmart stores $3.99 – $4.99

Kiss Everlasting French Nails $7.79

Kiss Everlasting French Nails

voxbox-blogimage

These products were received complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

May 29, 2014

diy destroyed jeans

Jeans are a wardrobe staple.

Destroyed jeans take a classic look to the next level.

They are also wicked expensive…and I’m broke.

That’s what makes diy so awesome!

Not only are they something fun to try, but that feeling of accomplishment afterwards, makes me feel like I can take on the world. And in these jeans, I can, now that I worked some diy magic on them.

I found (yes, found) a pair of Vigoss jeans that just happened to be my size. The only thing wrong with them is that they were missing the button.

I have distressed, ripped, and destroyed all kinds of denim in the past, but they never come out great. So I set my expectations low, by deeming my finds as practice jeans. But the results were far better than I could have hoped for!

Side note: Pay attention and don’t multitask when doing anything with a sharp blade. Sounds obvious, but I sliced my finger pretty badly and there was a lot of blood involved…No bueno!

May 25, 2014

wake up + social media tank

This past weekend was spectacular! First I got this rad wake up + social media tank…

Second, I got to go to New York with my two best friends, where we went to the first ever BeautyCon NYC!

The manfriend got me a Pro Ticket which included a tote bag filled with goodies (I’ll be sharing about that and all things BeautyCon NYC later) and this tank!

Anyone who didn’t have a Pro ticket (there was also VIP and GA), was able to purchase a shirt for $25. What I found really cool was the fact that I was able to choose which shirt I wanted. Otherwise, I would have left with two shirts because I really liked this tank!

Don’t know what BeautyCon is? Check out their website! Want to hear about my experience? Stay tuned!

May 23, 2014

denim + denim look

I have have always appreciated the denim on denim look. I wear it often, but never with a skirt. Until now!

I mean, used to rock mini denim skirts on the reg, but stopped when they started to feel like they were no longer age appropriate for me.

Then I found this H&M skirt that is just the right about of mini.

And the details! I’m a huge fan of distressed denim and love to DIY, but it never comes out quite like this…

The second I saw it I knew that I wanted it. It’s just so…ME! Casual yet chic, with just a bit of edge. With my J. Crew chambray button up shirt and Forever 21 ankle boots, perfection! I can’t wait to style this skirt again! What would you wear it with?