My two favorite things!! Makeup and Organization!

 I found these cute candle holders at Kirklands tonight. They have burlap wrapped around a glass jar, in addition to a satin ribbon layered on top, and a silver and crystal jewel tacked in the middle.  I've been wanting some glass containers to better organize my everyday makeup and tools for my vanity and immediately knew that these would be perfect!!!! 

Inexpensive, has bling, and matches my bedroom/bathroom decor perfectly!

The large container was $7.99 and the smaller ones $4.99. 

To help brushes stand in place I added inexpensive pearl beads I had previously purchased at Michaels.

This is the finished look......

Here for the white rotating makeup organizer from QVC (which is awesome and highly recommended for you product junkies like me).

Fun Randomness- Kirklands has a fun app you can download for free from the app store called "Spin To Win." It offers you a chance for various discounts daily. 

February Ipsy Glam Bag

My February Glam Bag from Ipsy. Its another one of my monthly beauty mail subscriptions. 

For $10 a month you get full and trial size beauty products meeting your subscription specifications (hair color, favorite products, skin tone, skin type, hair type, etc.). Each month your samples come in a cute make up bag.

This month I received a full size soft pink City Color Be Matte Blush. Its a beautiful color, however I find that matte blushes in general are harder (for me) to blend out, not as forgiviwww.ipsy.comng as a blush with some shimmer in it. It could be the foundation or the brushes I'm using??  

A full size Zoya soft purple nail polish.  A perfect shade since this year's color of the year is Radiant Orchid by Pantone!

Trial size POP lipgloss in Peony Petal. Its a great mauve pink color, but smells a little like motor oil....

A full size liquid eye shadow in Spiced Rum (I think the brand is Tini Beauty). Beautiful as an eye shadow base or worn alone. Perfect bronze for summer!

NuMe hair mask. I love the NuMe hair tools!! I have the reverse wand I use to curl Ashlyn's hair all the time, and I don't even have to put any hairspray in her hair and the curls last all day!!!! They always have great coupon codes too (I usually use the ones from my favorite you tubers). The hair mask was nice and also came with some great NuMe coupon deals!!

If you want to try the Ipsy Glam Bag subscription sign up today!! If there's a waiting list don't worry, its a short one!! 

I love my beauty box subscriptions!!! Its like Christmas once a month!!!!!

Lush Haul/Addiction

Ashlyn and I have found a new favorite shopping spot when we go to KC and its not (just) American Girl.....

We have the BEST daughter/mother time shopping at LUSH!

***Lush is marketed as a "fresh handmade natural cosmetics company with 

handmade bath and body products."***

We went a little overboard last weekend while in KC buying....

3 Ickle Baby Bot bath bombs, made with lavender, chamomile, and sandalwood.  Ashlyn loves taking baths with this relaxing treat in the evening.

5 Butterball bath bombs. A vanilla scented moisturizing bath soak made with creamy cocoa butter, great for the winter months.

1 Yuzu & Coco Bubbleroon. Smells like orange chocolate while creating mounds of bubbles for your bath.

1 Floating Island. A floating bath melt that smells like a tropical Island. My favorite scent of all!!!

Ashlyn and I are all about our bath/relaxation time and these make us feel super luxurious. 

Miracle Worker

 I've always been a fan of Philosophy products.  When I saw this new Miracle Worker Foundation I was intrigued. First, I'm a sucker for anything claiming anti-aging and miraculous results. Second, I had heard rave reviews on the Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Eye Repair.

I purchased The Miracle Worker Foundation in shade 6. It comes in 8 different colors, and I found after testing them at Ulta, shades 5 and 6 were really close in color. Since I hope to get darker in the coming months (spring/summer) I went with the slightly darker shade 6.

The coverage is beautiful! I would call it medium to full coverage and has a beautiful glow. Since I'm on the oily side, that's not always a good thing for me. But its so gorgeous on the skin I'm making it work with a primer. I apply it by using a damp beauty blender.

It has a broad spectrum spf of 30 sunscreen.

The picture below is what it looks like rubbed into the skin on the back of my hand.

I also purchased the Miracle Worker Anti-Aging Concealer Duo (pictured at top), but have found nothing different about it compared to other concealers. 

***My favorite under eye concealer is still the Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in either light or the brightener.***

One of the reasons I decided to purchase the foundation and concealer that "fateful" day at Ulta was because they were offering a free gift with purchase. I got a trial kit of the Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash (not pictured), Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer (on left), and the Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Eye Repair (on right). 

The exfoliating wash does exactly that....exfoliates. The moisturizer is a little thick, but I use it primarily at night. I want to get the oil free, light version to try during the day time. But the eye repair.........OMG!!!! LOVE!!!!!!!! I apply it day and night with my Clarisonic Opal. It goes on soooooo smooth, and blurs any and all fine lines. And its absolutely beautiful under your eye concealer! I ended up buying the full size ($66).

Pictured above is both the moisturizer and eye repair rubbed into the skin on the back of my hand.

The last thing I'm LOVING is the Miraculous Anti-Aging Retinoid Pads (pictured in picture at the top). I wanted to purchase the trial set that this was in, but my Ulta store was out. Weirdly enough the lady in line in front of me was returning the trial set she had purchased. Since this was the only product she had not opened in the trial set, they let me have it!!!!!! 

When purchasing the full size product, it comes with a container containing 60 cotton pads and a vial of "fresh glow elixir."  You pour the elixir into the container with the pads and the pads soak up the product. Then you use one pad every night on your face and the back of your hands. It claims to be less irritating than other retinols, while still diminishing the appearance of wrinkles, improving skin discoloration, and promoting skin clarity. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! I will be purchasing the full size product, as soon as my 15 piece trial size is finished. 

NO MAKE UP! After a week of using the Philosophy Miracle Worker Foundation and Skin Care Line.

Clarisonic Mia 2 and Deep Poor Review

I have been wanting the Clarisonic Mia 2 for a loooooong while now, but didn't want to pay the $150 price tag, because really HOW MUCH BETTER CAN IT CLEAN than the knockoffs at the drugstore for a FRACTION of the cost??

So who better to ask for it (as a Christmas present) than your mother?!? 

Well, mama came through!!! And I got this beautiful purple zebra print anti-aging tool wrapped up pretty for the holidays! 

It came with a basic cleansing head (not pictured) and a sample of the brand's gel cleanser, which I was very impressed with. Enough to buy a full size (from Sephora $25). 

To use, wet your skin and brush head, apply cleanser directly onto the brush head, and press the start button. There are 2 levels that you can choose by pressing the start button (once/low or twice/high). 

Starting at your forehead, move in a circular motion for 20 seconds until the device beeps. Then move onto your nose and chin area for another 20 seconds until it beeps. Then move onto each cheek, one at a time, for 10 seconds, until it beeps.

The results have really been remarkable. My skin is so smooth after and when washing my skin in the morning, my makeup goes on beautifully. I also feel like my lotions and potions absorb better after cleansing.

The difference I've found with this, rather than the drug store versions, is that this pulses. I believe the theory behind the pulsing is that it brings up any impurities deep within the skin. The website claims that the "cleansing brush uses a sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to deeply cleanse the skin more effectively."

Of course after using it for about a month I THEN decided to read the directions and discovered that if I registered it on the Clarisonic website I would get a $25 off coupon to use.

I saw the deep pore (and this mama needs DEEEEEEEP pore) treatment set which included a detoxifying mask, cleanser and a deep poor cleansing brush head. The set was $65, so I got it for $40. A new brush head alone goes for $25/$30 so I feel like I got a great deal. 

I am really impressed with this product and would recommend it anyone (especially if your mom is buying)!!!! Love you mama!!!! ;>)

Decoupage Desk

Ashlyn has a desk from Target (made from synthetic wood/finish), and on MULTIPLE occasions (even though after the first occurrence I established a NO WATER rule in her playroom) she HAS played with water ON her (synthetic wood/finish) desk. Of course every time she has played with water on her desk, sloshing it everywhere (Barbie swimming pool, fish bowl, Monster High Doll Hydro thingy-ma-bobby, etc.), the finish bubbles up. In the past I've tried sanding it down and repainting it, but the paint just flakes off, making a huge mess that I'm always vacuuming up.

So, the other day I happened to be in Hobby Lobby and saw that scrapbooking paper was 1/2 off. I picked a page I thought would match and bought 20 sheets (approximately $4). I already had a version of mod podge and a foam brush at home.

I first coated the desk in modpodge glue and adhered the scrapbook paper. The desk was obviously a different size than the paper so I did use my paper cutter to cut some of the pages to fit the desk.

After applying scrapbook paper, I coated the whole top with the mod podge sealing in the paper.

After the mod podge dried I then coated the top with a clear varnish and paint brush (I had some in my basement that I used).

I didn't need all 20 pages, but I did end up using 2 layers of paper. The first layer soaked up the varnish and left "stain like" marks, so I was glad I had plenty of extra.

Its not my best work, but Ashlyn is thrilled with the results and to me that's all that matters!

 

 

 



Living In My Heels: My (half assed) Artsy Craftsy Project

Living In My Heels: My (half assed) Artsy Craftsy Project: A few months ago I "Pinned" a fabulous post on Pinterest on repurposing your old card table. If I remember correctly the directio...