My Brush Set

So a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a YouTube video that was giving a review of a make up brush set containing 24 brushes. I had been searching for a reasonable, yet good quality, brush set for a while to expand my collection, so I decided to watch the video. (In case you were wondering, it was makeupbyfran's review: mybrushset.com.)

After watching the video, I was quite interested in the product and went to mybrushset.com to check it out. They had the 24 set brushes in pink, black, and brown and offered free shipping to the United States. To make matters even better, the makeupbyfran's review had a promo code for 75% off the original price of the brush set because the brush company is Australian based and trying to gain customers in the US! I bought one immediately.

The other day, they finally arrived!

While I did not have a good experience with their customer service (they did not fix a problem, when they said they would, leaving me with an extra brush set and $25 poorer), I cannot deny the amazing deal I got on these! Barely over $1 per brush! And the brushes are so soft! 

If your looking to expand your collection, you should look into these! 

Haul: H&M, Forever 21, and LUSH!

Over the weekend, I went shopping again, spending my birthday money:) Shopping is such a stress reliever! Anyway, this is what I bought!

The first store that I made purchases in (after reluctantly leaving Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Nordstroms without buying anything) was Forever 21. 

I've really wanted a pair of floral jeans, and finally found some for a reasonable price!

If you can't tell, this blouse has a bunch of little anchors on it, which I thought was adorable, and it is of the peplum style, which I am really loving right now!

  

After Forever 21, I headed over to LUSH! The items smelled wonderful, and the bath bombs looked good enough to eat! The store was amazing, and they use natural ingredients in the majority of their products, which is a plus. 

I got the Hair Doctor Hair Mask, which smells of rosemary (I have heard that rosemary is great for helping with memory)! Despite the ugly color, the mask feels lovely on the scalp, and it was especially helpful for me because I have a dry scalp. After my first use, my hair felt softer and my scalp, more moisturized. So far, I am loving this product!

Another really cool thing about LUSH's masks is that if you buy 5, wash the empty containers, and bring them back to the store, you can get one mask for free!

My final stop was H&M!

The above shirt is a lace floral blouse, and I bought it for $5! What a bargain!

I don't know how well you can see it, but the pattern on the fancy jersey (as it is called on the receipt) above is a lovely floral print.

The last item I purchased was the long white scarf, as shown above. It can be worn many different ways and is large enough to keep me warm in the colder months. 

Have a lovely day!

The Liebster Award

source

Recently, I was excited to find out that I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by Lauren (Tea & Post), who has a lovely blog. You guys should definitely go check it out! (Thanks so much for the nomination!)

What is the Liebster Award? The award is one where bloggers nominate each other, who have less than 200 followers, for this award. It is a really good way to promote smaller blogs. If you want to learn more about the awards origins, click here. 

These are the rules:

1. You must link back to the person who nominated you

2. You must answer the 11 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you

3. You must pick 11 bloggers with under 200 followers to be nominated for the award

4. You must come up with 11 questions for you nominees to answer

5. You must go to their blogs and notify your nominees

These are my answers to the questions I was given:

1. What made you decide to start blogging?

I have always loved fashion and beauty, and when I started reading more personal blogs, particularly Zoella, instead of blogs like Who What Wear (which I love but it doesn't feel personal) I realized that writing a blog was something that I could actually do without actually working in the fashion industry but just as a lover of pretty things. 

2. What are your favourite types of posts to read?

I love reading hauls, beauty reviews, and tags. I feel like the tags are a lot more personal, which I definitely like in a blog.

3. What's your favourite cosmetic brand?

Right now, I'm loving BareMinerals' face products (especially their foundation and face primer) and LUSH (they make natural products, which smell good, and some look good enough to eat!)

4. Who is your favourite blogger/YouTuber?

I like so many, but I would say that Zoella and The Persian Babe are definitely two of my favorites!

5. What beauty product could you not live without?

Really pigmented lip balm. My lips get very dry so it's good for moisturizing but it still gives a pretty color and lipstick affect. 

6. What is your favourite book?

Pride and Prejudice. When I start reading it, I can't stop!

7. What are your top three favourite high street shops?

Topshop, Acne, and Mulberry (... And Louis Vuitton and Self Ridges and Harrods...I just love them all and wish I had enough money to shop at them all!)

8. If you could have dinner with three people, alive or dead, who would you pick?

The three members of the lonely Island. It would be quite entertaining! Or Jackie O, Princess Di, and Kate Middleton Dutchess of Cambridge. All have/ had amazing style and held positions of extreme importance!

9. What is your favourite lipstick?

YSL Volupte sheer candy (basically, that entire YSL range!) The colors are gorgeous and so is the packaging!

10. If you could live anywhere else in the world where would you pick?

Stockholm, Sweden. It is so pretty and has a wonderful selection of places to shop (and is the birthplace of many fashion houses and musical artists!) Stockholm is just full of so much culture and history!

11. Favourite perfume at the moment?

Right now, I am really loving Marc Jacob's Honey perfume. It smells especially good after the smell has worn off a little bit, so it is a bit lighter. 

Here is the list of my nominees:

1. Yet Another Makeup Blog

2. Girl About Town

3. Lists.Life.Livs

4. Cutie Pie Penguin

5. Stylishly Sierra

6. Annie Leaf

7. amdmarie

8. Lunam Et Sidera

9. Pint Size Pixie

10. Fashion Love By Pam

11. The Tina Diaries

These blogs are so lovely. I definitely recomment that you guys go and check them out!

Here are my questions to the nominees:

1. If you had to choose between fashion and beauty, which would you choose?

2. What is you favorite store?

3. What is your favorite place to visit?

4. Who/ what band is you favorite music artist?

5. What is your go-to beauty product?

6. What is your favorite nail polish color?

7. Who is your favorite designer?

8. What is your favorite beauty brand?

9. If you could choose anyone to narrate your life, dead or alive, who would it be?

10. What is your favorite kind of lip product?

11. Who is your favorite blogger/ YouTube vlogger?

If you were nominated and decide to participate, let me know. I would love to read your post!

Tag: 5 Pieces of Advice

I came up with this idea for a tag, where you share 5 pieces of advice about beauty, fashion, etc. I saw that a lot of bloggers included various tips in their posts, and this would be a way to combine their top 5, so without further ado, here are my top 5!

1) Remove your makeup before going to sleep! This is so important! It keeps your face nice clean and helps to prevent wrinkles. It is also a basic part of hygiene and good to keep your face refreshed.

2) Take care of your skin! Good skin is the basis for nice make up, so be sure to take care of it. Protect it from sun damage (many make up companies include SPF in their products). Moisturizing also helps your skin!

3) Don't be afraid to try something new! This is true for beauty and fashion. If you don't try something new, you won't know if you like it, so go ahead and wear the latest trend or try a new brand, but only if you want to.

4) If you paint outside of your nails, use lotion at night to clean it up! Not all of us are naturally nail artists, so one tip my mom gave me was to use lotion around the area where you painted outside the nail at night, which should get all of the paint off of your skin!

5) Have fun! Beauty and Fashion are meant to be fun. You don't have to wear or try something if it doesn't float your boat. Do what is comfortable for you, and if your routine is getting boring, don't forget to mix it up and try new things!

I tag everyone who wants to, to do this. I would love to see what tips all of you can offer!

Since this post was lacking a photo...here's a random one!  

New York, New York!!

Turkish Delight

Recently, a member of my family became a representative in America for a few lovely Turkish companies. She sells beautiful scarves/ shawls and unique, handmade jewelry that she gets from Turkey. The jewelry and scarves are Ottoman-inspired with touches of modern.

I bought this beauty from her today!

Its the F-1135 Calf skin leather necklace with various sizes of fish, and it came in the really pretty packaging as shown below (wrapped in tool and in the silver box). I got the purple fish, and there are a lot of other cute little charms on it...including one that looks like a fairy! So cute:)

There are so many cute earrings, necklaces, and bracelets to choose from! I especially like the ones that come on the silk. Plus, the scarves are so adorable! All of these items make perfect gifts for others, as well as for yourself. ;) I highly recommend them for everyone! You can get more info, look at the selection, and make your purchases at aynispandora.com. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! :)

Back to School Haul: Forever 21, Sephora,& More!

A couple of days ago I went to my local mall with one of my good friends for back to school clothes and other items. I hadn't shopped in a long time, not since before school let out, and now as a new school year approaches, it became imperative that I shop again.

The first place I stopped at was Bath & Body Works. They were having a promotion where you can get 5 hand sanitizers for $5 so naturally I picked out 5.

From left to right: Citrus Orchid Chill, Pink Chiffon, Coral Reef, Passionfruit Fig, and Stress Relief Eucalyptus Mint

They all smelled wonderful, and are the perfect size to put in my car, backpack, and purse. Also in Bath & Body Works, I picked up a holder for an air freshener for my car and some refills.

Top: Air Freshener Holder for Car
Bottom (left to right): Eucalyptus mint and Vanilla Coconut Air Freshener Refillers

Bath & Body Works had some adorable air freshener holders. The holders were so adorable!!! I am really liking the bow trend right now so I got that one, but there was also a purse shaped holder that I almost bought, among others. They are having a promotion right now: buy 3 get 1 free or buy 4 get 2 free. I used the latter promotion (my friend picked 3 refills and we combined our picks to get the items for less), and I only paid around $7 for all 3 items!

I also went to Charlotte Russe. I just love the accessories they have! I bought a necklace and a ring. They have a buy any 2 for $10 promotion on all of their jewelry.

The necklace has little gold bows and different sized faux pearls all over, which I thought was so adorable!! And the ring has a gold bow, plus the band is stretchy, so I can wear it on any finger (and its so cute!)

I also stopped at Sephora!

Above: Real Birthday Turn-ons by Benefit (I got it as a birthday gift for being a Sephora Beauty Insider and buying from Sephora during the month of my birthday)! It comes with a Benefit They're Real Mascara and Watt's up! highlighter (both minis).

Above: Naked by Urban Decay Basics Eye Shadow Palette, Bare Minerals Original SPF 15 Foundation, and Lancôme Long Lasting Undereye Concealer.

I think I may return the Concealer because I tried it and it didn't really work as well as I was expecting, and for the amount I paid for it, I think it should do a really good job. Maybe I got the wrong color? Have any of you had success with it?

Since I tend to use mostly neutral shades for eye shadow, I got the basic palette instead of the Naked 2 Palette, which is also more expensive.

Above: the Naked Basics eyeshadow palette (the box is covering the mirror so that light didn't reflect weirdly)
The shades from lightest to darkest: Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame, Naked 2, Faint, and Crave

My final stop was Forever 21! I also got a bow ring from here, but I don't like it as much as the one I got from Charlotte Russe.

Above: Silver bow ring with stud from Forever 21 ($2.80).

And now for my favorite part...the Clothes (all are from Forever 21)!!

The sweater above would look so cute in the winter with a collar popping out on top!

I saw a dress like this that was white in Urban Outfitters for $40, but I bought this for about half that price! I don't know if you can see it, but there is an embroidered flowery pattern in the dress.

I don't know what happened with the lighting in this photo, but the sweater is just a plain black cotton cardigan (about the same color as the dress above).

I don't know if you an tell, but these shorts are lacy! I am just loving lace. I have been looking for lacy shorts for a long time, but they were usually too short or too expensive...I finally found some!!!

Well, there goes a couple weeks' worth of wages, but it was so worth it! I am a bit of a shopaholic...haha:) Have any of you picked up some cool items lately?

Have a wonderful day, lovelies!

Back-to-School Favorites: Music Edition

This is a list of songs (in no particular order) that I have on repeat right now, in perfect time as those still in school gear up to go back. Each song is followed by a video of the song from Youtube.

1. Acapella by Karmin (I have been a huge Karmin fan ever since "Brokenhearted" was released, and I love Amy Renee Heidemann's style.)

2. Play it Again by Becky G (Both her vocals and rap are good!)

3. Brave by Sara Bareilles (She has a really strong and pretty voice in this song.)

4. I Run NY by the Lonely Island (The Lonely Island is definitely one of my favorite bands. I have been a huge fan since I watched Andy Samberg on Saturday Night Live! There was not an actual music video for this song, so I found a video with lyrics on Youtube. Disclaimer: some of the content (and this song) may be unsuitable for younger viewers.)

5. Earthquake by Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah (I know that its a little old, but its such a good song!)

6. Dreaming by Smallpools (I love the beat and sound of this song! It's so upbeat and fun.)

7. Forget You by Cady Groves (This song is so catchy!)

8. 50 Ways to Say Goodbye by Train (This song is quite comical, and I love Train's sound! If you like this song, I recommend checking out "Mermaid" by Train.)

9. Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) by Pink Floyd (I think this is a classic that any music lover must have heard of, and it is perfect for returning to school!)

10. With Ur Love by Cher Lloyd (I love the beat, the music video, and Cher Lloyd's style(: )

I hope you have found at least one new song that you like and have a wonderful rest of the summer!