Top 10 Under $10: It's All About the Eyes!

1. Costal Scents Elite Blender Brush
Blending brushes can definitely change an entire look in the best way! If you aren't able to afford a Mac or Urban Decay brush, this is an excellent dupe. Plus, it's very soft which is always nice on the eyes!
2. CoverGirl LashBlash Mascara in Very Black
 I have been using this mascara for so long, I try new ones but always end up back with this one. This is a perfect everyday mascara, I prefer the water proof year round just because I feel like it holds better throughout the day, but the normal kind works well too!
3. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Clear
Even though this is technically mascara, the perfect use for it is as brow gel. I don't always do my brows, but if I do, this holds them in place perfectly and helps to make the added color last longer.
4. Ulta Eyeshadow in Cashmere
I really like Ulta eyeshadows, they aren't as pigmented as high end brands but for a drugstore brand the pigmentation is great! This color is great for a brown smoky eye with a hint of golden glam! 
5. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
If you've never tried Color Tattoo's, do it! You will not regret it, these are the nicest drugstore cream shadows! They do not crease or feel greasy going on like other one's I've tried tend to do. I like neutral colors that I can play with to wear everyday, which is why this is one of my favorites! 
6. Ulta Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Blackout
This gel liner is perfect for everyday looks! It stays on my waterline which other eyeliners have trouble doing, so for me it's worth it just for that! 
7. Revlon Extra Curl Eyelash Curler
I don't really think eyelash curlers are that different depending on the job they do, the only major difference between drug store and high end is the frequency in which you will need to replace them. I've been using this one for about a year now and it's been working great! 
8. Ulta Eyeshadow in Iceland
The perfect highlight color for the corner of your eye or under your eyebrow. It's shimmery but not overwhelmingly so which makes it great for everyday.
9. Revlon Expert Tweezer
 I love Revlon's tweezers! It's kind of the same thing with the eyelash curlers, they essentially all get the job done, it's more down to personal preference of how you like your brows looking. If you don't know where to start or which product to get as a beginner, I'd say these would be a great buy for you.
10. L'Oreal Eye Makeup Remover
 This is an eye makeup remover that I've been using for years. There is no residue left behind and it takes off all of my eye makeup without tons of scrubbing. If you don't want to buy the L'Oreal, the equate brand works just as well.

Thanks for reading! :) What are your top 10 under $10?

Review: L'Occitane Shea Butter & Body Lotion

L'Occitane Shea Butter Review:

If you have ever used any products that contain shea butter, you'll know that once you begin you can never go back. I already adore L'Occitane products, but this 100% shea butter is incredible. As you can see in the photo below, it is super thick! There is absolutely no grease left behind, it absorbs into your skin quickly making your skin feel so soft moments after use! It is $40.00, so I wouldn't buy it for all over body lotion because that can add up quickly. I would recommend purchasing it for problem area's, especially with the cold winter months coming up.

L'Occitane Body Cream Review

This all over body cream contains 25% shea butter, so it has a nice balance for nourishing your skin. I did find that this one was a bit greasy, not as much as normal body lotions, but for L'Occitane products, it was not as creamy as the other products I've used. The product melts into your skin as you put it on, which is very nice, I hate when body lotions feel like they're just sitting on my skin. While this lotion is $42.00, you can get a lot out of this tub so it should last you quite a while.

All in all, I'd recommend buying either one of these products! I would buy on the basis of your skin type and problem area's, if you only get dry in a few spots go for the 100% shea butter, but if you're dry all over, try the body cream!

Thanks for reading!

October Birchbox

My wonderful mother gifted me Birchbox for the next 3 months, so I am very excited to see what goodies it brings! I've been tossing the idea around of getting a subscription for years now, but as a college student with not a ton of disposable income, I decided if I wanted beauty products, I'd prefer to pay for ones I knew I would like rather than chance it. I was very excited to get my first box in the mail! Since my box was gifted my beauty profile wasn't filled out, so the products weren't exactly tailored to me, but they will be next month! 

I got the Bain De Terre Macadamia Oil Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner, which I was excited about because I've been wanting to try products with macadamia oil. I have tried both of these products out and loved them. I was pleasantly surprised when the shampoo didn't leave my hair looking oily the next day (it's always a fear I have with new shampoo's and conditioner's). My hair is quite thick and tangles very easily, but after using both of these in the shower I could comb my hair no problem! It was amazing.
I also got Evologie stay clear cream, which I have not tried yet and isn't pictured because for some reason, my camera did not like this product and refused to take a good quality photo. Since my skin is so sensitive, I can be reluctant to try new face cleansers that I haven't heard much about. My skin has been acting out lately, so once it clears a bit, I will try the product out! The other product I have yet to try is the Jasmine Seven Fresh Feet Wipes, which was kind of funny to get in a beauty box. These are just to freshen up your feet and the packaging said it smells like peppermint, so we'll see that is.
The last product in this month's box was Thebalm Cosmetics Stainiac Lip and Cheek Stain. I haven't tried this on my cheeks, but I did test it out on my lips and despite it looking very dark in the packaging, it was surprisingly light on the lips. It might be the colder, crisp air here or it might be the product, but my lips felt SO dry after wearing this for an hour. I had to go wash it off because my lips felt so terrible.  Hopefully this product works better for others, but I wouldn't purchase the full size.

Do you get Birchbox? What was in your box this month?!

Thanks for reading :)

Haulin'

Midterms are over! 

If you've seen Gilmore Girls, then you'll get why this is funny :) or at least I think it's funny (maybe I'm alone in that, but hey, it made me giggle). 

I went to Sephora and Target this past weekend and did a little shopping in celebration of the ending of midterms. I got a mix of skincare and makeup products that I already love or am excited to try! As some of you probably already saw, I'm loving the St. Ives Green Tea Scrub. I can already tell this is going to be a product I will repurchase for years to come. Since I've already done a review on it, if you want information on this product you can find it here. 

I have dreaded dark under eye circles (an unfortunate product of my genetics). There is not a lot I can do to stop the progression of these dark circles, but I can try my best to help my eyes so I don't end up looking like a raccoon. I know I just blogged about the Bobbi Brown eye cream, but I decided to try something different after talking to the woman at Sephora. She suggested F.A.B. Dual Repair Eye Cream which is $40.00. I have only been using the product a few days now, so I won't be able to properly review or comment on the product until I've given it more time. I can tell you that the packaging is pretty and that you do not need a lot of the cream in order to get the job done, which is great because I know this will last me a while. 

For a beauty lover, I must admit, lipstick is not something that you would see a lot of in my collection. I rarely wear it, I don't really feel the need to wear lipstick to classes so it hasn't been a huge priority in my beauty routine, but I decided to get some Nxy Lipstick. With winter approaching and the chill of fall, I went with two different shades of red. Chaos (shade 511) is a deep elegant red that will hopefully look incredible with a subtle brown smoky eye. Eros (shade 536) is more of a bright red with a hint of orange undertone to give your lips a little pop of color! 

 I bought the Benefit How to Look the Best at Everything to try out some of their face products that I've heard quite a bit about. I LOVE the packaging, it comes in a box that looks like a book which is absolutely adorable and when you open it it also comes with tips & tricks which is fun! I haven't tried any of these products yet, but if you want a review on them once I've tried them out, let me know!

This is a special limited edition L'Occtaine Hand Indulgences Set which I was very excited about! The only holy grail for hand cream, in my opinion. This hand cream is 20% shea butter, so it hydrates your hands beautifully while not leaving a greasy feel behind. The tube might look small, but trust me, a little goes a long way which means it'll last a while. On their own, L'Occtaine hand creams are $10.00 which is a splurge, but one that is definitely worth while. 

Let me know if you have any questions or want reviews done on any of the products I've mentioned!

Thanks for reading! 

Organize It!

Junk Drawer Chaos!

I'm so happy I got this project checked off my list...I love going to my junk drawer now and actually finding what I need. We all have one...our crazy drawer that everything gets dumped into. I decided to organize our junk drawer on a rainy day, the perfect activity for an organizing junkie! I completely emptied out the drawer and cleaned it out. I had everything in the drawer laid out all over the kitchen counters and went through it throwing away unneeded things. I used containers I'd had lying around the house or in closets so this was once again...a dollar free project (my favorite kind!)

Can anyone say chaos?! It was a bit of a mess but it was well worth it in the end. 

If you can tell in the photo's before our thread and needles were just thrown in bags or just lying out which caused them to tangle which was not always great to deal with, so I decided to cut cereal boxes and line the thread in there and I love the way it turned out. I was going to decorate the sides of the boxes for a prettier look, but decided against it since the sides would inevitably not be seen in the drawer. As you can tell, I also organized them by color because who doesn't love that? 

I also gathered all of our random batteries and placed them in our clear organizing box (which probably has a specific name, but I have no idea what it is!) I also added in some random small tools/needles for thread. The second box with the brown, grey, and black thread has our car accessories like our valet key as well as Bath & Body Works scent fill-ins, which can be found here. I used both parts of a gift card box to organized our birthday candles, decorated chip clips, and various paint chip colors/coupons. 

On this side of the drawer, I used another cereal box for our small hammer and a few other tools that we like to have on hand. We also have packing tape that happened to fit there perfectly so I left it as is! I put our scotch tape on the side as well as slipping in fabric tape and twist ties next to it. Our scissors fit perfect next to the glass bowl with paint keys (which we seem to have a lot of). Toward the back of the drawer which you can't see to well I have larger tools as well as extra light socket covers and a timer for lights. 

Have you ever taken on the organizing of your junk drawer? If so, I'd love to see your pictures and read your stories! 

Thanks for reading!

First Impression: St. Ives Green Tea Scrub

You've Stolen My Heart...

I did some skincare and makeup shopping this weekend, which I'll haul in a different post this week, but I HAD to post about this scrub. First off, it's $4.99 - wonderful price. I have used St. Ives scrubs in the past and really enjoyed them, so deciding to try this one was not a difficult choice. Boy howdy am I glad I did! The scrub is hypoallergenic aka fabulous for me. There's a light exfoliate in the scrub, but it goes on super creamy. You cleanse your face with your cleanser first, then apply this scrub and let it sit for about a minute before rinsing. Just a warning for all of you out there with dry skin, this product can dry your skin out if you use it too often. 

Obviously, I can't say if the product is totally effective in clearing blemishes and calming redness because I have only used it once, but I'll definitely let you know when I find out! My skin felt smooth and soft after I rinsed this off. Normally, if you use any cleanser, scrub, or mask if your skin feels extremely tight after use (i.e. you feel like you have to immediately put moisturizer on), it's drying out your skin and you probably shouldn't continue using it. Some exfoliating scrubs can make your skin feel too tight and end up drying you out, so I was happy when this scrub didn't make my face feel super tight. By far my favorite thing about this scrub: the glorious smell. I cannot even describe to you the smell, but it is amazing, I could literally keep this on my face forever because it smells soooo good! 

So first impression green tea scrub? Let's never part. 

Review: Wen Sweet Almond Mint Conditioner

Apparently, an oily face is not enough, my hair had to join that party too...oil can be so needy. Try as I might to follow the rules of hair care that state "thy shall not wash one's hair everyday", the oil prevails and causes me to lose my battle with the rules of healthy hair. What's a girl to do when she's got her skin and hair against her? Try new products, of course, and maybe win the war on oil!

So here is a fun fact that many people with oily hair do not know but totally should: mint is a drying agent. I worked in a hair salon for a while and the hair dressers taught me so much about my hair type, seriously one of the best parts about working there. One of the hardest parts about having oily hair is trying to keep your hair hydrated without causing more excess oil and at the same time, trying to tame the excess oil...it can be a tough job.

The Wen Sweet Almond Mint Conditioner was created to replace shampoo, leave-in conditioner, and detangler, among other things. I've tried quite a few wen hair care products and found that they tend to leave my scalp and hair feeling and looking very oily, except for this mint one. Random tip: if you find that these conditioners do not work for your hair, try to use them as shaving cream...your legs feel AMAZING after!

I love how soft my hair feels after I use this, it is so easy to brush and work with! Since this conditioner has mint, it gets rid of excess oil while hydrating my hair which is amazing. You can definitely notice a difference in the way your hair feels and looks after using this. The conditioner starts working almost immediately after you put it on, you can comb your hair in the shower with this in and there are literally no tangles!

While I really like how my hair looks and feels after I use this, it is not a conditioner I use everyday. The conditioner works wonderfully, if you use a lot of it. I also have thick hair and I find it takes me about 10-15 pumps to get this product all over my hair. I like that this product doesn't suds up, but it's kind of difficult to spread through your hair...once you put slide it on a spot, it's pretty much not moving. Another thing I'm not fond of is that it takes soooooo long to rinse, I don't know if it's just me, but every single time I use this I feel like I'm standing under my shower forever waiting for it to rinse out. 

Overall, I would say this is a pretty good product. It does work effectively and help hydrate oily hair while soaking up the excess oil. Not my all time favorite, but if you want to try something new, I say give this a shot.

Thanks for reading! :)