Hard Candy Glamoflauge Review

One of the things that I can't leave my home without, is concealer. Its so versatile, and with the perfect match, you can cover up almost any imperfections. I am *very* picky when it comes to products on my face. Having sensitive skin, really doesn't leave me much of a choice! The wrong formula can easily leave me weeks of havoc on my skin. Not a pretty site!

My go to used to be a department store brand, but my budget has changed a bit this past year. Now I have to find cheaper (but safe.) products I can use without breaking the bank. This was actually easier than I thought!

On twitter, one my friends mentioned a product she couldn't find. I had heard Hard Candy was available at Walmart, so I figured, why not check it out?

 

"Hard Candy♥Glamoflauge"

heavy duty concealer

light 

The packaging is really cute, and the concealer is very creamy. Its not watery at all, and the formula is very smooth. It works so wonderfully at brightening, and it really is heavy duty. Its not thick or cakey at all. In fact, I think it really gives department store concealer a run for its money!

 

 It was very affordable, and it lasts forever! This bottle could easily last me a year. Not only does it work great as a concealer, but I put the tiniest bit mixed in with a gloss, and it gives me the perfect nude lip in a rush! I won't leave without it! Best of all, it was dermatitis friendly, not dry spots at all.

Pros:

• Long lasting
• Affordable
• Full Coverage
•  Sleek Packaging
• Dermatitis Friendly!

Cons:

• None Noted.

Have you tried this concealer before? What's your favorite brand?

 

Peacock Ornaments!

I LOVE to craft. Honestly, if I had no other responsibilities (and a bigger wallet haha.), I could happily craft things all day long. I have so many "one day I will" pins on my pinterest board, its sad! Hopefully, one day when we buy our own home (and when I finish my schooling!), I'll have the luxury to do crafts, entertain, and beautify my home to my heart's content. Most of the crafts I'd enjoy doing, would be holiday type stuff, or showcasing personal items. Specifically, I mean baby stuff (footprints, fingerprints, my kids' first baby clothing etc.) & items commemorating my marriage (our courtship too!). I'd like to hang momentos around my home so it LOOKS like our home, you know? I'm kind of picky when it comes to decor, I don't like clutter or cheesy decorations. I think if I do it in a monochromatic way, I could make it look nice. Maybe...


In search of doing an easy craft (and scratching my itch a bit!), I found a neat ornament one on pinterest. It's a peacock feather in a glass ball. Simple & elegant.

 

 It was so incredibly easy to do! I bought some peacock feathers on sale at Hobby Lobby, and along with my coupon I was able to grab some stuff for a good price. ;-)

Here's the link for the pinterest idea.

And here's my link to follow me =)

What crafts are you working on? I'd love to hear some ideas!

Bridal Beauty 101

This post is sponsored by Dove® ClearTone™ Deodorant - designed to visibly reduce underarm dark marks and even skin tone.

Hubs and I have been toying with the idea of having a vow renewal. We got married in '06, but we never had a formal wedding. We decided a while ago that we would do it for our ten year anniversary, but even though its so far away, I can't help but day dream of it. Especially right now, since weddings seem to be going on everywhere! ;-)

I've been thinking of maybe doing a destination wedding, since we were already planning on going to Florida that year, but who knows. I think the only thing I know for sure, is that I want my bouquet to consist of peonies, and that I want a rose/champagne/cream dress. Something along those lines =) I think I'd like my wedding colors to be gold, peach, & white.

I have pinning away all kinds of ideas in hopes that one day, I'll get my wedding. I've found flower ideas, and bridesmaid ideas. One of the lists floating around everywhere, seem to be bridal beauty survival kits. Things that I've read are super important are;

• Pain Reliever
• Bandages in Various Sizes
• Lotion
• Dental Floss
• Toothbrush
• Shaver
• Hair Pins
• Matches
• Deodorant
• Baby Wipes
• Safety pins
• Small Scissors
• Sewing Kit
• Double Stick Tape
• Gum/Mints
• Extra Panty Hose
• Clear Nail Polish (Good to use if you get a run in your hose!)
• Spot Remover
• Static-Cling spray
• Dryer Sheets (Static hair? Rub a sheet through!)
• Lint Roller (tape)
• Flats or Sandals (Never know if your new shoes will start to hurt.)
• Superglue
• Tissues
• Tweezers
• Nail File/Nail clippers
• Hair Brush
• Coconut water + Straw (Electrolytes in case you don't get enough to eat!)
• Snacks
• Extra Contacts/Contact Solution
• Hair Ties

I think my TOP choices would be extra hose, mints, deodorant, flats, and baby wipes =) I'm sure every bride has specific items on their *emergency* list. I do plan on doing a lot of DIY stuff. I think it will be cheaper, and fun to add my own personal touch!

Did you have an emergency kit? or plan on having one?

I'd love to hear any ideas you could share!

I was compensated for this post by the Clever Girls Collective.com. All the opinions expressed here are my own.

Dare to Bare

This post is sponsored by Dove® ClearTone™ Deodorant - designed to visibly reduce underarm dark marks and even skin tone.

Personally, its very difficult to find products the work well with my skin type. I easily blemish, break out in dry spots... its a pain. During the summer, my problem worsens. I get embarrassed showing off skin with imperfections, but who wouldn't?!

After doing a little bit of research online (and of course, my own personal trial and error.), I've found a few things that work well. My face & body have cleared up so much, its hard to imagine what it looked like before. Here are the steps I've taken so far;

1. EXFOLIATE!
This has been a huge help for me. Scrubbing off dry skin has helped to smooth, and brighten my complexion. For my face, I use an organic honey or a greek yogurt mask. I rinse with bottled water (tap water has too much chlorine, which irritates my skin.) & scrub with a wash cloth. For my body, I use a loofah with Dove "Go Fresh" cool moisture body wash, it smells great, and leaves me feeling very refreshed.

(I recommend cucumber and green tea scent, its very lightly scented, and so far its the only body wash that gives me dry skin relief!)

2. A GOOD HAIR REMOVAL REGIMENT!
I can't stress enough how much this has helped me. If I use an old razor, or don't exfoliate before hair removal, I end up with razor burn and a horrible rash. Especially on my under arm area, since its so incredibly sensitive! I don't know if this is a universal problem, but it gets embarrassing when I notice a dark pigment. First, I exfoliate this area very well. Then, I remove hair with a hard wax (or a new razor). Lastly, I've found its important to use a good deodorant. I've tried several others that leave irritation, and smell horrible! My got to? I reach for my Dove Invisible solids (I swear on this little gem, I never get any irritation!). I've been dying to try Dove Clear tone, I've read great reviews on it.

3.  A SUN KISSED GLOW!
Either natural or faux, a nice little tan always seems to make any imperfections disappear. I've recently tanned, and its cleared up my skin so well!

4. Last, but not least, MOISTURIZE!
Coconut oil is all natural, and leaves my skin feeling very smooth. I've even used this as a make up remover, it works like a charm.

During the summer there's nothing more freeing than enjoying great beautiful skin =)

Do you dare to be bare? What are your favorite skin regiments?

 

I was compensated for this post by the Clever Girls Collective.com. All the opinions expressed here are my own.

Fair Time!

One of my favorite summer memories HAS to be going to the fair. I love the rides, the games, the colorful attractions. I think it brings me back to a time when hubs and I were dating. It just seemed like something romantic to do! I've been wanting to buy a new camera, but until I do I wanted to see how well my iphone would take some pics. Not too shabby! I thought it'd be fun to just post a few pictures =)

 

 

 

 

 

What are your favorite things to do during the summer?

 

Revlon Colorstay Cafe Pink Review

I've been looking everywhere for a baby pink polish, and I hadn't quite found the color I had in mind. While grabbing groceries I saw this little beauty!

 

 Revlon Colorstay: Cafe Pink 060

Its a very soft pink, reminded me of Barbie. The formula isn't very thick, so application was a little difficult to get the correct color. But 3 coats did the job, and I LOVED to color.

 

The color is very pretty, after a clear top coat, it looked  gorgeous (not pictured, since I wanted to show the product as is.)! On my hands, it lasted about 4 days without chipping (but realistically, I do a lot of house work without gloves, so that's pretty good.) 2 weeks later my toes still look fabulous! No chips.

Pros: 

• Pretty shade of pink.
• Long lasting as a pedicure.
• Great price.

Cons:

• Needs a few coats.
• Thin formula.

Overall, I would buy this again. I loved how it looks with my tan!

What's your favorite budget friendly polish?

 

 

Revlon Colorburst & Super Lustrous Review

As much as I love lip glosses, I'm not a big lipstick user. I can never find the right shade, and it never seems to stay on. I always figured it was an age thing, but even as I got older, it never felt quite right. While browsing through my local Kroger's, I noticed a big display for Revlon, and thought, why not? I looked through the reds but still didn't feel daring enough, so I decided on a pretty blush/nude color. The packaging is attractive, it has a cute diamond pattern on the tube.

 

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Stick : 070 Soft Nude

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss: 150 Peach Petal

 

I love, love, LOVE this creamy color! Compliments my skin tone so well.

 

The lipstick is very smooth, not drying or feathery. The gloss looks fabulous on top of it. Even more, it didn't flare up my dermatitis as of this post. (If I have any sort of reaction I'll edit this post, but so far so good!) I'm in love with the color, and def. gives me second thoughts about never wearing lip stick. I think I'll go out and grab a few more!

Pros:

• Looks great
• Stays on
• Doesn't bleed
• Smooth, not too sticky
• Didn't cause dermatitis reaction

Cons:

• None that I noted.

Whats your favorite shade of lipstick? 

 

 

Pinterest Love!

I've been trying to get more crafty, so I put a pictures on my inspiration board and viola! I have finally started doing some crafts off of my pinterest. =) I noticed a few DIY bracelets floating around (reminded me of the 90's hahaha.), and figured I'd put some of my old Girl Scout trades to good use.

Here's a pic of my DIY. I used a light pink floss & a forever21 ring, and the second one has black waxed thread, and an Ivory cross I upcycled from an old necklace. It was fairly easy to do, took about 30 minutes to complete both =)

 

Here's the link for the DIY.

 

Have you done any pinterest projects?

Follow me on Pinterest! I'd love to see your links<3

 

Garnier BB Cream Review!

When I was first introduced to online blogs, I couldn't help but be amazed with Asian beauty. I was fascinated with their BB Creams, cute lip balms, face masks, etc. TONS of adorable things that I wish I had access to locally! You can just imagine my excitement when I saw that BB creams were being advertised here.

From what I understand, BB creams were first created for people who had skin ailments. Specifically those that went under skin procedures, who couldn't use regular foundation for risk of infection. (I could be wrong lol, but this is what I gathered from a few online posts.) I was really happy, mostly because I have extremely sensitive skin (Atopic Dermatitis), and it's very difficult to find products that don't irritate and flare up my skin.

 

It took a few shopping trips before I was able to obtain a bottle. They must've been pretty popular because they were always sold out! Its Garnier brand, and it's called the "B.B Cream, Miracle Skin Perfecter" in medium/deep. (I typically wear light, but since its summer, I figured a darker shade would work fine to match my tan =) )

The bottle itself only lists the active ingredients; "Octinoxate 4%".

The Directions read:

"Gently apply Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfecter to face and neck prior to sun exposure for instant coverage and correction as well as for protection. Reapply as needed."

 

This is what it looks like on my skin, its a thick consistency (reminded me of a slightly thicker tinted moisturizer.), and it had a strong scent. I don't know if it was just my bottle, but it was strong as that scent you get from self tanning, just more perfume/alcohol.

 

It blended in very well, but although the color was absorbed- it felt a tad sticky, and still had a very strong scent. I'm not sure if this is with all BB creams, but I was little disappointed! I usually love Garnier hair products! Unfortunately, after a few uses, it flared up my dermatitis, and I had to discontinue use =( I kind of knew it wouldn't work, just by the strong scent of the alcohol. Maybe for someone with normal skin it would work well, but since I have sensitive skin, it did not work for me. 

 Pros:

• Blends Easily
• Nice Sleek Container
• Absorbs well

Cons:

• Strong Scent
• It did not work well with my sensitive skin.

What BB creams have you tried?