Fire stole my home.

I come to you with a heavy heart today. Two nights ago my husband and I barely escaped our home with our lives. We've lost everything in an apartment fire that stsrted in our neighboors apartment. While we feel so incredibly fortunate to be alive, we have lost everything. We are not the type to ask for anthing, but now is not a time to be proud, we need help.

 

If you can and would like to contribute anything to help us rebuild our lives it would mean the world to us. Any little bit helps. To help us in our time of need please click here.

 

You can read more about what happened by visiting my  personal facebook page here.

 

 

I have a few blogs scheduled to post, but the blog will be on hiatus until we can get back on our feet.

 

Love you all and hope to be back very soon!

 

May Favorites 2014

It is favorites time! I didn't wear much makeup all month, I was sick for half of the month and used the time I would doll myself up for some much needed sleep! 

So here were my staples this month!

The Balm En Route Color Stay Shampoo and Conditioner

*image from thebalm.com

This set is by far the best shampoo and conditioner I have ever used. My hair is feels stronger, silkier, and is more shiny. I also love that this duo is only slightly scented which has been a great relief for my allergies this season. I will be repurchasing this again and again.

Essence Eyebrow Designer

*photo from essence.eu

I purchased this pencil in blonde. It perfectly matches my dark golden blonde hair and is a breeze to use! My brows stay perfect all day and have even received compliments on how nice they look! You can read a full review on this product here.

OPI Nail Envy

I've been using this for months now. It makes such a difference in the texture of my nails and they can grow without splitting. I have already repurchased another bottle.You can read a full review on this product here.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream 

I wash my hands a lot, and even though I slather lotion on afterwards my cuticles are still a mess. Burt's Bees lemon Butter Cuticle Cream is a godsend. It smells like Lemon Italian ice and is slightly waxy in texture. I've been using it multiple times a day, for ages and still have more than half of the container left.

Victoria Secret Pink Warm and Cozy Body Mist

*image from VictoriasSecret.com

Described as a toasted vanilla and peony scent, it is just perfect for Spring and Summer.The vanilla grounds the peony and is the perfect mix of sweet, sensual, and playful. A lot of sweet "foodie" scents tend to give me a migraine because they are just too sweet, this one doesn't at all. The best part though, the hubs likes it, and he doesn't like anything! 

Would you like me to include other non beauty favorites and non favorites next month?

What did you love in May? 

Reverse Shampooing Trend

The newest hair trend this year is to condition first, then shampoo. Sounds a little out there right?

 The theory is we never actually rinse our conditioner out enough thus our locks are weighed down and lackluster. The reverse method is supposed to make your hair more shiny, bouncy, and just all around more manageable. 

The process is simple, you just use your conditioner first, leave it in for as long as you normally would so your hair can drink up then moisture then shampoo it out.  So basically you allow your hair to get as much moisture as possible and then shampoo out the excess.

My hair is fine in texture and medium thick. Before trying this method I had no problems with my hair. it is shiny, full of body and feels silky soft. Even though I think my hair is in pretty decent condition, reading rave reviews peaked my interest enough to give it a whirl. 

I tried this once, and that was enough for me. My hair didn't look or feel any better, instead it was dryer, frizzier and less shiny. 

I'm going to stick with my boring old routine, it just works best for me.

BREAK UP!

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts on this trend?

CK One Mascara

This year Ulta is treating rewards members to a complimentary full size CK One mascara in Black for their birthdays. Freebies are awesome, but how well does this one work?

Sexy, sleek, and simplistic.

The packaging just does it for me.

The wand features a 2 types of plastic bristles one for volumizing and the other for definition and length. To switch between the bristle types you twist the top of the wand. 

After 2 coats

Definitely super pigmented.

My lashes certainly look long and defined but they are lacking volume.

You are supposed to be able to change the wand between bristles for definition and volume.

 I thought I did, but I'm still not seeing volume. Maybe I didn't do it right? Even if I didn't I'm lazy I do not want to re-learn how to apply mascara especially when I can perfect my lashes with another easier to use mascara.

My regular face wash does wonders with melting my eye makeup right off. Not so much with this mascara. I also used makeup remover to try to get this off. 

Below is what I was left with after both attempts.

 I don't want to scrub my eyeballs raw to get the days worth of mascara off.

At first I really thought I was going to love this. I could even deal with it not living up to its claims of voluminous lashes.  But, I am not in a battle with my face and I don't enjoy products that me an enemy to my eyes.

Pros:

Lengthening

great pigmentation

sleek packaging

doesn't clump

defines lashes

Cons:

Not volumizing

hard to get off

wand doesn't work like it claims

BREAK UP!

Have you received this as a birthday gift from Ulta? How did you like it?

Mascara Monday #1 Has your mascara gone bad?

Welcome to the first edition of Mascara Monday! Expect to see more tips and reviews the first Monday of each month!

If you don't already know, all makeup has an expiration date. 

Some products will offer a suggested time frame for use that will look like this:

*Photo from thebeautyloverspage.com

This symbol is usually found near the ingredients list. The number stands for the months the product is good for and the M stands for months.  In the case above the suggested use time is 6 months.

 You might also see the exact expiration date of a product, this is typically be on the bottom of the product. These dates make it easy to determine when its time to toss mascara out.

But what if your mascara has neither?
Cosmetic's spokespersons will tell you every three months, but is that really necessary?

In reality your mascara can last anywhere from 3 months to one year from the time of opening, depending on the formula and how you care for your mascara. As soon as you open the mascara and pull out the wand you have invited bacteria to live in the tube. Sounds gross, but the great thing is mascara has preservatives to keep bacteria from infesting your mascara, but only for so long. 

Many people will throw out a mascara once it becomes clumpy, but that doesn't necessarily mean its gone bad.

So, how do you know when your mascara has gone to sleep with the fishes? 

Well...when it smells like it has.

Also remember if you used a product while you had an eye infection, throw that sucker away, if it irritates your eyes but doesn't stank like the sea, still throw it away! If you are iffy about the product because of how it looks, throw it away! Always trust your gut.

Sinful Colors Professional Mod Mod World

I have been dying to try some of  the Posh Pastels from Sinful Colors Professional Mod Mod World Collection. A few weeks ago I finally got my hands on the colors I'd been lusting after.

Baby Blues

A periwinkle

Tempest

\A lavender

Cream Soda

A pastel coral

Bright Lucite

A bright minty blue

For this mani I used Baby Blues and Tempest (accent nail).

Love these colors together!

 This retro inspired mani was created using Bright Lucite, Cream Soda and Snow Me White (from their regular line) and the INM Out The Door top coat for extra shine.

* I found this design on Pinterest I altered it slightly but I have no idea who created this originally.

Polishes in pastels can be hard to work with, too thick or chalky looking, but not these. These posh pastels swatch exactly as the color in the bottle, and are creamy and opaque without being thick and gloppy. You can read a bit more on how I rate polish here.

Brush:
Medium sized and Easy to use.

Application:

It is easy to get a thin even coat with these polishes. No Streaking or bald patches.

Texture: 

smooth crème

Finish:
crème finish
medium shine

Opacity:
Fully opaque

Dry Time:
a minute or less for each thin coat

Length of Wear:
6 days before chipping without a top coat

POSH!

What are your favorite polishes for Spring/Summer?

How I rate polish

How do I determine what makes a great polish? 

1. Brush

Thick, average, or thin, and wonky? If the bristles are too thin, bent, frayed, or falling out, it is just makes the polish a hassle to apply.

A great brush to me is a medium to full dense brush without imperfections. I find that these types of brushes hold their shape during the application process allowing for a precise application.

2.Application:

 Thick or thin? Is it streaky or hard to use? Does it leave bald spots or become gloppy? 

I understand that there are many nail polish formulations to work with, but I cannot stand polishes that don't apply evenly.

3. Texture:
Smooth or jelly like, sandy or glittery? Is it gloppy?

I hate a gritty sandy texture on my nails, they catch on everything and tend to flake off more quickly, but I love the look so I typically layer on a good amount of top coat to keep the look without the annoyance.

Gloppy Polishes are a no go, ever can't stand em.

4. Finish:

Shiny, creme, gelly, matte, glittery or metallic?

I'm not a huge fan of mattes, so I don't purchase many (if any) of these types

5. Opacity:  

After 2 coats of polish is it completely opaque?

I like opaque polishes, but sheer polishes or gelly finish polishes have their place.

5. Drying Time:

Does the polish take more than a few minutes to set with a thin layer

Polish that doesn't try quickly enough, needs more TLC which is fine when you have the time, but lets be real Ain't nobody got time for that.

6. Length of Wear:

How long does the polish last  (without a topcoat) before chipping, peeling, or dulling? I expect polish to last at the very least 4 days.

What do you like in a polish? What are some of your favorites?

Would you like to see a scale or grade for polishes?