Review :: LUSH Angels on Bare Skin

FYI---
I have oily skin, not super acne prone, just a zit or two every once in awhile.
I wear makeup often, but I do not use this to remove my makeup, after I have used something like Lush 9 to 5 or Lush Ultrabland to remove my makeup, I will then cleanse with this product.  I use both morning and night pretty much every single day (excluding days I am lazy and just use a makeup removing wipe :-p)

PROS

The scent is great.

I love that the oils in it leave your skin moisturized afterwards, not tight.

The ground almonds give the gentlest exfoliation; great for everyday use.
All of the tiny little acne bumps that were under my skin that I can never get to go away have gone away with a few weeks use of this stuff! Awesome!


CONS

Can be a little messy, especially with the lavender bits.

I haven't seen a reduction in my oiliness.


Overall, I would recommend this, even if only because I have seen those little under the skin acne bumps clear up, something I've never been able to accomplish fully with any other cleansers I've tried lately.  I realize it isn't made for oily skin, so I'm not upset that it hasn't reduced my oiliness, but I bet it would be just perfect for those with normal skin! :)

I hope this helps!
Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Also, just FYI, in case you were wondering... when you order online, it does come in the black pot, which you can then recycle towards the free Fresh Face Mask when you accumulate five empties.  Whenever I bought cleansers in the store they just came in clear plastic containers which don't count towards the free Fresh Face Mask.

Night Out Fall Lookbook

Check out the video here!

Here is a lookbook full of outfit ideas for a night out this fall! Whether you're hanging out with girlfriends or going on a date with your SO, I hope these outfits give you some inspiration. :)

Look 1:

Booties - Ross

Leggings - Body Central

 Tanks - Cotton On

Chambray Shirt - Body Central

Necklace - Claires

Bracelet - Black Swan Cuff - Jewelmint

Black Macrame Bracelet - made by me

So here's a touchy subject: leggings as pants.  Although I typically do not approve of leggings as pants and I don't wear them myself, I think these "pleather" or "wet look" leggings are a slightly better choice.  Of course, fashion is all about what makes you feel good and what you like to wear, not that my opinion about leggings as pants is going to change yours.  Plus my tops were long enough to cover my butt. lol.

Look 2:

Boots - Ebay

Tights - Payless 

Skirt - Cotton On

Shirt - Love Culture

Necklace - Body Central

I think this outfit is a nice blend of casual and sexy, great for all sorts of things like going out for the night or just running errands.  Since the boots have a little baby heel, they are not an issue to walk around in, making this one a great outfit for whatever it is you want to spend your day doing.

Look 3:

Booties - Charlotte Russe

Tights - Payless

Skirt - Cotton On

Shirt - H&M

Tank - Cotton On

Bracelets - Body Central

Leaves Bracelet - Charming Charlie

Necklace - Body Central

Ring - hand me down

This outfit I would definitely wear for a girl's night out.  It's sexy, but not OTT.

Look 4:

Booties - Charlotte Russe

Dress - Target

Belt - Body Central

Vest - Gordmans

Bracelets - Body Central, Earthbound Trading

Ring - Jewelmint

Turquoise Ring - made by my mom

Although I did already film a lookbook specifically centered around this chambray dress, I had a viewer ask how I would go about styling a chambray dress for fall, so I figured I would throw this outfit in there.  This here is definitely geared toward early fall, but you could always make it a tad warmer with some tights. :)

Thanks so much for reading!

If you have any lookbook suggestions, feel free to comment! I'd love to hear from you guys!

Love,

Alaina

Urban Decay Black Market 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set

West - dark brown w/ golden shimmer
Desperation - matte dark grey
Black Market - charcoal/black w/ slight sheen
Riot - purple w/ pinkish glitter
Apathy - olive green w/ multicolor glitter
Ink - navy blue w/ sheen

Most of these guys are limited edition.
They are an excellent set of fall colors!
They will wear great all day long and stay put.
They are neutral enough to wear everyday, but still have enough color to make them interesting.

If you've never tried Urban Decay's pencils, a set like this would be a great way to start out since you're getting the smaller sizes so you can try more out.  It's also great since these guys are limited edition too!

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Sigma Creme de Couture Collection - All Blushes + Eyeshadow Palette

Honestly, I wanted this collection mostly for the beautiful blushes! And when I saw that the entire collection was $55 and the blushes were $11 a piece, the little makeup freak in my head said, just get the whole thing, soooo here we are now. :)

This palette sure does look quite spring-y, but Apricot Flower, Passion Fruit, Ginger Pumpkin, & Cafe au Lait make for a great neutral-y fall look and I've been using them a ton!  I am obsessed with Passion Fruit, it's so freaking beautiful, I just absolutely love it!

I typically love my blue shadows, but with the deep dark smoky looks that come with the fall season, I haven't really been gravitating towards these ones just yet, but I assure you, one day you'll get on my YouTube channel and you will once again see another infamous blue eyeshadow look. :)

The blushes are absolutely to-die-for! And they last ALL day long and look just as vibrant and beautiful as they did first thing in the morning!  I love them all, especially Cherry Apple, another little one that's great for the fall season.

I am so glad I picked these guys up, I am just in love.

Thanks for reading!

I hope this was helpful!

Love,

Alaina

September 2013 Favorites

Sigma Crème de Couture Collection

NYX Matte Lipsticks

- Bloody Mary

- Alabama

- Indie Flick

- Audrey

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Benefit Stay Don’t Stray Eye Primer

Salon Perfect Nail Polish – Playful Plum

Lush Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser

Earth Therapeutics Pedicure Kit

- Refreshing Foot Scrub

- Foot Repair Therapeutic Balm 

Another Nail Polish Review :: Salon Perfect - Playful Plum

This is my favorite favorite color right now since fall has finally arrived!

It's a gorgeous dark purple color with shimmers of blue and purple.

 

This picture is taken after 2 coats and this stuff is so even and perfect at that point!  I don't think you can get away with one coat of this polish, but two is definitely perfect.

Although this polish is so gorgeous and super opaque, the wear time isn't really great.  After two days you can see wear on the edges and after three days (or so) I always end up with a significant chip on one nail (even with a base and top coat; I use Sinful Colors Base & Seche Vite Top). 

 It's sad because it's such a gorgeous fall color!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

Too Faced Beauty Blogger Darlings Mini Review

Chocolate Soleil Bronzer - This is a great bronzer. It's perfectly pigmented in my opinion because you don't have to swirl your brush in it to get it to show up, just dab and it's perfect.  It's not too pigmented or dark that you need to be extra careful with that one dab either.  It's also not too orange like some bronzers can look on my skintone, it's a great brown bronze shade and it just looks so great on the skin! Love!

Better Than Sex Mascara - I don't know about the claim for it's title, but I really really love this mascara!  Clumping is not an issue, it lengthens decently and builds tons of volume while separating lashes so beautifully!  Love love love!  My new favorite mascara and definite favorite of this little kit!

Shadow Insurance - Somebody is going to call me crazy, but I am not very impressed with this eyelid primer.  Although it works fine alone with shadow, I found it would not hold up when I used a creamy base and then shadow on top.  Not cool because really the only time I see issues with my shadows creasing is when I use a creamy base.  So since I use bases a lot, I was disappointed to see this primer oftentimes failing to hold up for my shadows.

Primed & Poreless - This glides on so smoothly, you can just tell it's a high quality product.  It is so silky smooth and a little goes a long way.  I have actually noticed a reduction in my pore size when using this, something many primers claim, but I've never really seen in any others I have tried.  

Overall, this little kit is awesome and it was only $20 at Ulta.  I love 3/4 of these products (and I'm sure I'm just a weirdo with the Shadow Insurance) so I would really recommend you picking it up if you happen to come across it.  If you've never tried Too Faced, this is an awesome starter kit, that's what I picked it up for and it definitely makes me want to check them out even more!

I hope this was helpful!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

My Favorite Fall/Winter Lip Products

Maybelline Fall Runway 2013 – Lavender Voltage

Maybelline Fall Runway 2013 – Midnight Plum

NYX Slim Lip Pencil – Deep Purple

Revlon Lip Butter – Raspberry Pie

BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss – Dare Devil

NYX Matte Lipstick – Alabama

Studio Gear – Mocha Berry

Wet n Wild – Dark Wine

F

Night Out Makeup Tutorial ft. Sephora Black Magic Palette

 Items Used:
Eyes...
ELF Eyelid Primer
Flower Beauty Creme Eyeshadow - Lilac You a Lot
ELF Cream Eyeliner - Plum Purple
Sephora Black Magic Palette
- beige
- dark green
- dark plum
Milani Liquifeye Eyeliner - Black
Rimmel Scandaleyes Pencil - Nude
Benefit They're Real Mascara
NYX Bohemian Chic Palette - Matte White

Face...
Murad Oil Control Mattifyer
Revlon PhotReady Perfecting Primer
NYX Full Coverage Concealer - Green
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer - Light
Revlon Colorstay Foundation - Oily/Combo - 150 Buff
Beauty Blender Pro
Chella Dazzling Dark Brown Eyebrow Color
ELF Eyebrow Treat & Tame - Ash
NYX Blush - Taupe
Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette - Hot Pink
ELF Blush - Gotta Glow

Lips...
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick - Anarchy

Thanks for reading!
I hope you enjoyed this look!
And thanks to Calah for my awesome birthday presents!

Love,
Alaina

My Furry Friend Tag Questions

Watch the video here!

1) What is your pet’s name?
2) What kind of pet is it and what breed?
3) How long have you had your pet friend?
4) How did you get your pet?
5) How old is your pet?
6) What are some quirky things about your pet’s personality?
7) What does your relationship with your pet mean to you?
8) What are some of your favorite past times with your pet?
9) What are the nicknames that you call your pet?

If you want to meet the newest addition to our family, click here!

OOTD + FOTD :: Neon Orangey-Pink

Video will be up Friday afternoon! :)

Makeup:

Eyes…

NYX Eyeshadow Base – White

NYX Bohemian Chic Eyeshadow Palette – Matte White & Cream

Coastal Scents 252 Eyeshadow Palette – Matte Hot Pink & Matte Vibrant Orange (the website used to tell you the names of the colors for this palette, but I can’t seem to find it anymore, sorry L)

Kat Von D Beethoven Palette – Lucifer – Matte Black

Milani Liquifeye Eyeliner Pencil – Black

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil – Milk

Mica Beauty Gel Eyeliner

Benefit They’re Real Mascara

Face…

Revlon Colorstay Whipped – 150 Buff

Milani Multitasking Face Powder - Light

ELF Contouring Blush/Bronzer – Turks & Caicos

ELF Blush – Gotta Glow Highlight

Lips…

NYX Auto Lip Pencil – Natural

Flower Beauty Pocket Fleur Lip Trio – PF 7 – lightest shade

Outfit:

Items worn...

Shoes - Payless

Tights - Target

Dress - Cotton On

Belt - can't remember... darn it!

Scarf - Target

Ring - gift from my sister

Phone Case/Wallet - Ebay! find it here, yay! 

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Lookbook :: Styling a Black Pencil Skirt

Watch the video here!

Thinking about what kind of lookbook I wanted to film, I figured starting with a staple piece like an easy black pencil skirt would be fun.  Lately I've been wearing skirts like crazy and wanted to show how I like to bring either a dressy feel or a super casual feel to one clothing item through many different items.  Outfit 2 is definitely my favorite, maybe just because I love that new Lion King shirt!

Look 1:

Shoes - Target (what?! not Payless?)

Top - Love Culture

Cami - Gordmans

Pearl Bracelets & Earrings - Body Central

Necklace - Body Central

Look 2:

Shoes - Payless

Top - Hot Topic

Belt - Body Central

Earrings - made by my sister Ry

Ring- made by my mom :)

Bracelets - Body Central & Charming Charlie

Look 3:

Heels - Ross

Top - Target

Necklace - Charming Charlie

Bracelets - Body Central & Charming Charlie

Earrings - Body Central

Look 4:

Shoes - Payless

Top - can't remember for sure, I think Rue 21 maybe

Necklace - Gordmans

Bracelets - Body Central

Ring - hand me down from a friend

Earrings - Kohls

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

The Boyfriend Tag Questions

Watch the video here!

1) Where did we meet? 
2) Where was our first date?
3) What was your first impression of me?
4) When did you meet my family? 
5) Weird habit of each other? 
6) How long have we been together? 
7) Do we have any traditions? 
8) An animal that resembles one another? 
9) What was our first roadtrip? 
10) First thing you noticed about me? 
11) What pisses him off? 
12) Favorite feature about each other? 
13) 3 things I am good & not good at? 
14) What do we argue about the most? 
15) Do I have PMS? 
16) Who wears the pants in the relationship? 
17) Do I have any weird obsessions? 
18) Nicknames for each other? 
19) What is my favorite restaurant? 
20) If I am watching TV, what am I watching? 
21) What is one food I do not like? 
22) What drink do I order when we go out to eat? 
23) What size of shoe do I wear? 
24) My favorite kind of sandwich? 
25) What is one talent I have? 
26) What would I eat everyday if I could?
27) My favorite cereal? 
28) My favorite kind of music? 
29) My favorite sports team? 
30) What is my eye color? 
31) Who is my best friend? 
32) Something you do that I wish you didn’t do? 
33) Where am I from? 
34) What kind of cake would you bake me on my birthday? 
35) Do I play any sports? 
36) What can I spend hours doing?