Moroccan Oil

A few weeks ago, I went to the hair salon for a hair cut, and the hair dresser suggested this Moroccan Oil treatment for my frizzy, dry hair. I have been using it since and absolutely love it! I comb two pumps worth through my hair before styling every morning, and it has been keeping my hair soft, frizzless, and shiny. While it was quite costly for a hair treatment, it has been worth it. You can buy it HERE. I would highly suggest it for anyone who wants a soft, shiny mane and needs some oils back in their hair. Its the perfect product for the dry cold air of winter. Just be careful not too overdo it or your hair may look oily.

Have a fabulous friday!

Review: Aussie Hairspray

Aussie Mega Hairspray

I absolutely love this hairspray. Before using this kind of hairspray, I used various hair sprays that spritzed on instead of misting, as this one does, so it doesn't give that crunchy hair spray feel. It is hardly noticeable, but it still helps hold hair in place. 

I also like the smell of this product moreso than other products I have tried. Right now, this is my go to hair spray. I have been using it everyday for a few months, and it has lasted me quite a long time. This Aussie hairspray is a great value, especially for the great use you can get out of it.

Empties #1

I have been meaning to post this for a while. Its about a collective amount of products (skincare and beauty) that I have finished and have been meaning to throw out.

From left to right (top row): 

• Bath & Body Works Sleep Lotion: The scent is Lavender Vanilla, which I think smells really good, and it is from the aromatherapy line. I've had this lotion for a long time because I used to have a little bit of insomnia, and I think that it helped. I believe that currently this range is packaged differently at Bath & Body works, as I bought this a few years ago.
• Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash: This is one of my favorite drug-store face washes. It has a creamy formula. It is not too strong and not too light. It feels quite refreshing when in use.
• Olay all-day moisturizer: I use this everyday in the morning and evening. I absolutely love it and am considering buying more.
• Bath & Body Works Paris body spray and Bath Midnight Pomegranate body sprays: I love Bath & Body works lines of body sprays because I think that they typically don't smell as strong as perfume, which is perfect for everyday, and they're much more affordable then the high end perfumes. The Paris scent was definitely one of my favorites. 

(bottom row): 

• Benefit They're Real! mascara: A while ago I did a review on this mascara, which you can read HERE. I really liked it and will probably buy more.

Review: Defrizz Styling Products

When the air is especially damp, I get really frizzy hair. Not only does it look like a mess, but I don't like the feel of it either. Where I live, there is usually a lot of moisture in the air, so frizzy hair is a problem for me. Since the summer, I have been trying two different products to help combat this problem and help style my hair: one is a drug store buy and the other is Bumble & bumble.

Bumble & bumble Defrizz

This product was $30 for this 125 mL bottle from Sephora, which is insane. The defrizz cream did work. I would would put one dollop in my hands and work through the hair before styling. The formula is clear and doesn't smell bad, but you have to be careful to not use too much in one spot, as it will make your hair look and feel oily. After a while the effect would wear off and more would need to be applied. I was using it very quickly, and for $30 I don't think its worth it. If you can find a cheaper one, then I would recommend it as something to try, as it may work better on other hair types, and it did help maintain my mane.

Pantene Pro-V Stylers Styling Balm

When compared to the B&b styling cream, this was much more reasonable and achieved a very similar result. I applied this in a similar fashion, but it came out in pumps, which I liked better than the B&b bottle. The formula was white, and if too much was applied, it did not make my hair look as oily as the B&b did. On the other hand, I could not stand the smell of this formula; however, after styling my hair and spraying some hair spray, I couldn't smell it anymore. I would recommend this product, if you want to make a more price conscious purchase.

What styling/ defrizz creams would you recommend?

Review: Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Hello, Lovelies! I know this post has been long overdue. I have been crazy busy with college application season and school. With Thanksgiving Break coming up, I hope to have more time to do more posts. I have also had problems with my normal camera.

Anyway, over the summer, I received a sample of They're Real! Mascara by Benefit. At first, I was a little uncertain about it because I didn't think that it volumized my eyelashes very well, but after a few uses, I absolutely loved this mascara (and still do). It lengthened my eyelashes, but still left them with a natural look, which was perfect for everyday.

Another thing I really liked about this mascara was that it stayed on my lashes all day. I have worn various mascara to parties only to find the mascara on my cheeks by the end of the night. This was not a problem for They're Real! mascara. I even wore it while running, and it didn't run.

Now, I have finished it:( and am considering buying more, but I would love to try something new. Do you have any suggestions for what mascara to try next?

Morning Face Routine

For me, skin care is one of the most important aspects of beauty. For this reason, I have a set routine for my face every morning to keep my skin in good health!

From Left to Right:

1. My first step every morning is washing my face. Right now I am using Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Cleanser for the morning cleanse. I love how refreshing it is and how it wakes me up!
2. The next thing I do is spritz on a toner. Now I am using Boscia Clear Complexion Tonic to remove the residue left over from the cleanser.
3. I then apply the BareVitamins Skin Rev-ver Upper. It makes my skin feel so nice! When I am in a hurry, I don't need to apply anything else past this step.
4. Moisturizing is the last step for me before make up. I have been using this Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer with Sunscreen for a long time and still love it! Plus, it has SPF 15 to protect my face from the sun, and it's reasonably priced!

What skin products do you use? I hope you all are having a lovely fall! 

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!

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!!

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!

It's a NuMe!

Today I finally received the NuMe Couture straightener I had bought online. The glistening box beckoned me to open it immediately! The descriptions promise amazing hair, and after having faced disappointing results from a number of other straighteners, I cannot wait to see if the praise these tools have received remain true. 

While it may seem unimportant to receive another hair straightener, the NuMe not only symbolizes the possibilities of pretty hair, but also a new me in the realms of fashion and beauty. I have recently been reading a lot of beauty/fashion blogs ( Zoella and The Satorialist, among others) and watching a lot of beauty/fashion blogs (TessChristine, Zoella, and AndreasChoice, just to name a few) and was completely inspired by them. I could easily envision the captivating articles I would write, while viewing their blogs and marveling at their advice. 

The arrival of the NuMe triggered my leap into a world unknown to me: the world of blogging about fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. As popular fashion and my personal style changes, this blog will be there, capturing every twist and turn in the evolution.