April Favorites

Hey Lovelies!!!

It's that time again... Monthly Favorites!!! YAY! But before you get too excited, I have some kind of bad news.. Unfortunately, yesterday I had a pretty bad allergic reaction to something I ate (I'm allergic to ginger and it must have been in something that I ate and I wasn't aware of it) so this post is going to be kind of unimpressive. The day before I post is usually the day that I plan it all out and take pictures. So because I wasn't able to do that, I'm going to be using pictures from the internet just to make my life easier and not cram everything in today. I'm still going to be telling you the things that I've been loving this month, just not with my own pictures. I hope you can all understand why I'm doing this and no one is upset. So here we go!!

Fashion

♥ Daisy High-Neck Crop Top from Aeropostale - As you might already know, I work at Aeropostale so I spend a lot of time looking at their clothes. And they have some really nice stuff! So buying it to wear to work isn't so bad because I can wear it outside of work too! And I've recently been loving daisy prints, so this crop top was perfect for me. I don't wear this to work but I'm looking forward to wearing it this summer paired up with the orange skirt below.

♥ Orange Skirt from Aeropostale (pictured above)- Another fav from Aero. I'm a super girly-girl so I love wearing dresses and skirts. But I didn't have a bright orange skirt in my collection, so I figured this one would be the perfect addition, plus it looks amazing with the daisy crop top!

♥ Zodiac Tank from Aeropostale- Thanks to Andrea Russett, I've recently been loving tank tops like this one. They're kind of baggy and super comfortable to wear. And when I saw this one at work, I had to get it. And I'm loving it. It's super soft and has a cool bright green stitching.

♥ Tribal Scarf from Aeropostale- Another impulse buy from Aero. I was putting up these scarfs on the display and decided that I needed one of them in my wardrobe. And my favorite thing about this scarf is that I goes with almost anything because of all the colors in it.

Makeup

Nothing new this month :(

Nails

Again, nothing new :(

Skincare

♥ Jergens Natural Glow Body Lotion- Being a naturally very pale person, I need all the help I can to look tan for the summer. I tend to burn and never tan when I'm outside, so I need to use self tanners to get nice tans. While a lot of self tanners can make you look unnaturally orange, the Jergens Natural Glow line doesn't. It gives a very natural looking, gradual tan. I've been asked by many people if I went tanning or on a vacation, when all I've done is applied this a few times. Totally recommend for anyone who wants to try out a self tanner.

♥ Jergen Natural Glow Facial Moisturizer- Along with the body lotion, the face moisturizer in the Jergens Natural Glow line works amazingly! And an added bonus is the fact that it contains SPF 20. It's not the highest SPF but anything will help, right?!

♥ Dove Cucumber and Green Tea Body Wash- I've switched my body wash to something a little bit fresher and more appropriate for spring. Although it's not my favorite scent ever, it works really well and smells very fresh and clean. Plus, the bottle is huge so it should last me a while.

Hair

Nothing new this month :(

Scent

♥ Caribbean Escape Wallflower from Bath and Body Works- Always a favorite scent when it becomes Spring/Summer time. It smells of coconut and tropical flowers. I have this plugged into my wall in my dorm room and I have a candle ready to burn once I arrive home next week.

Food/Drinks

♥ Arizona Green Tea- I'm a huge green tea fan, and although this one has a lot of sugar, it's delicious and at only $0.99, it's impossible to pass up. I like the green tea flavor the best, but Arizona also has so many other flavors to choose from. You just can't lose with Arizona!

Entertainment

♥ I don't have anything really specific, but I've been loving listening to throwbacks from the 90's. I've been listening to them on iTunes Radio on various stations (Spice Girls radio, N'SYNC radio, Jesse McCartney radio). If you're a 90's kid, I highly suggest checking out these radio stations because I think it's impossible to not be happy when listening to throwback music.

Well, there you have it. I'm already feeling a lot better so I'm hoping I can put 100% effort into Sunday's post. Oh, and just a heads up, I working really hard making some changes to the blog appearance. It's a lot of changes and using tools I'm really new to, so I don't know when it will be finished, but I'll keep you all posted. So, I'll talk to you all again on Sunday, and until then, stay beautiful!!!

♥♥♥

March Favorites

Hey Lovelies!!!

It's that time again... Time for monthly favorites!!! It's crazy how fast this year is going by, isn't it?! 

♥ My first favorite would be my birthday which turned out to be a really nice day!!!

Skincare

♥ Olay Fresh Effects {Out of this Swirled} Pore Clean + Exfoliating Scrub White Grapefruit and White Tea- I've completely fallen in love with the Olay Fresh Effects skincare line. I also really love scrubs, whether it's body or face scrubs, because they make your skin feel so soft! And this one is no exception, plus it smells beautiful!! It's very fresh, as you would expect from the Fresh Effects line. It's not a really rough scrub, but just coarse enough to get a deeper cleanse in your skin.

♥ Olay Fresh Effects {Bright on Schedule} Eye Roller- Again from the Fresh Effects line, is this eye roller. I've been trying to get my hands on this for the longest time, and I finally found it a couple of weeks ago. And it has made such a big difference in the appearance of my under-eye circles. They're not as dark and don't look puffy. I would highly suggest this product to anyone!!!

♥ Lush Mask of Magnaminty- I'm in love with Lush's Fresh Face masks. The last time that I stopped by Lush to pick one up, they didn't have any, for some reason. But the lady at the store really helped me in choosing this mask. And I'm very happy with it!!! It's very minty and has a cooling, tingly feeling when you use it. I've need an improvement in my skin since starting to use this. Plus, since it's not one of the face masks, you don't need to refrigerate it and it lasts much longer.

Makeup

♥ Milani Brow Fix Brow Kit- Here's another product that I've been searching for absolute ages for! I finally found it and have used it ever since getting it. I'm extremely happy with the results and can see myself using this for a very long time. I just hope that it won't be as difficult to find when I need to get a new one because that would be even more frustrating.

♥ Covergirl Fresh Complexion Concealer- This concealer isn't the best concealer available to buy, but it is the only drugstore concealer that matched my skin tone perfectly. I have really light skin and most drugstore concealers are WAY too dark... No good! This one, however is perfect. So if you have really light skin like me, I would recommend trying this concealer in the lightest shade available.

♥ Covergirl + Olay Stick Concealer- I wanted to try out some new concealers and found these two concealers from Covergirl and have loved both of them. I've never tried a stick concealer before but heard great things about them. And it's all true because this concealer has really good coverage and blends really nicely. Plus it matches my skin tone pretty well, something that is usually really hard to find for my super light skin.

Nails

♥ Orly Bonder Rubberized Base Coat- I heard about this product from MissGlamorazzi and, since I've been looking for a new base coat, figured I'd give this one a try. It's a rubberized base coat so that really helps the nail polish stay much longer. And it does just that! I've noticed that my manicures last much longer now, so definitely try this out!!!

♥ Revlon Parfumerie in Powder Puff- I've noticed that I've had a different Revlon Parfumerie in every Monthly Favorites post. That just shows how much I truly love these nail polishes. And my mom got me this one for my birthday, along with two others, and this one is just beautiful. It's a pale pink with beautiful glitter and looks stunning. It isn't completely opaque so it either takes many coats or another color underneath. It smells like baby powder, which is kind of random but not a bad smell. This is just such a perfect color for me to wear. But it would definitely look much better if I was tan...

♥ Seche Vite Top Coat- If you've heard of this product, you won't even need to read this because you already know how amazing it is. It is THE BEST top coat I've ever used. It dries so quickly that I no longer have to sit and wait for ages for my nails to dry before I'm able to do anything. It makes me love painting my nails even more now!!

Hair

♥ TRESemme Platinum Strength Strengthening Heat Protect Spray- TRESemme heat protect sprays are my absolute favs but I've only used the regular one. I'm obsessed with the Platinum Strength line (it's what I use for shampoo and conditioner) so I just had to try this spray. I like it even more, mainly because of the scent. It's a little different but better. So I'm going to use this one over the other one from now on.

♥ Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo- I'm not going to say much because I've already reviewed it here but all I need to say is that I love it and it gives my hair lots of volume... Something it lacks a lot of.

Fashion

♥ JacksGap Rickshaw Run T-Shirt- A while back I donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust Fundraiser that Jack and Finn were doing for the Rickshaw Run and as a reward I got this t-shirt. I've been wearing it a lot because 1) it looks really nice thanks to the talented Finn and his graphic design skills and 2) it's super comfy. I also got a little card and Maoam (Jack's fav candy) pictured below:

Entertainment

♥ The Hunger Games: Catching Fire DVD- I'm a huge fan of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire was my favorite book and favorite movie (so far) out of the whole series. So when I got this for my birthday, I was super excited!!! I've watched it a few times and can't get enough. Plus this will be perfect for our weekend movie nights.

Miscellaneous

♥ Canon PowerShot ELPH 130 IS- Obviously, I'm loving my new camera that I got for my birthday. Other than this picture, I took all of these pictures for the blog with my camera. They come out so nice and it's really easy to use. I'm super happy with the results.

♥ Xhiliration Jewelry Storage/Mirror/Charging Station- I found this on sale at Target for $10 and had to get it. It was like it was meant to be! It has my two favorite colors (pink and light blue/Tiffany blue) and I needed a place to store my jewelry and a mirror for my desk. It literally had everything I needed and matched my room perfectly. If I didn't buy it, I would be convinced that I was crazy... It was almost like it had my name written on it.

♥ My new phone background- I'm obsessed with my new background. It's perfect for spring, which is slowly making it's appearance in Massachusetts. I love pink and I love daisies so this background is totally "me". I just love turning on my phone and seeing this right away. I got it off of Tumblr (I freaking love Tumblr) thinking it was just a random picture but it ended up being the perfect size to be a phone wallpaper. YAY!!!

I hope you enjoyed my favorites from this month. And leave a comment below with some things you've been loving this month. I'd love to have a look!! And if you didn't notice, I didn't do a shoutout to anyone this month. I do however, want to give a shoutout to my new favorite website: Pinterest. I've just started on there so I'm still getting the hang of it. I'm going to be posting my account on my Contact page. So if you have a Pinterest too, leave it in the comments and go follow me (or do whatever you do on Pinterest), I'll follow back! Anyways, I'll see you on Sunday and as always, stay beautiful!!!

♥♥♥

My Nail Routine + Favorites

Hey Lovelies!!!

I'm here to tell you all about my current nail routine and favorite nail polishes and tools. I'm going to start with my favorite part which is the actual nail polish. I have a pretty extensive collection and I'm quite proud of it! However, I do have my favorites! And these are them!

For my finger nails, these are my five favorite colors:

♥ Sally Hanson Complete Salon Manicure in 470 Red My Lips

♥ Revlon Colorstay in 060 Café Pink

♥ Revlon Parfumerie in 090 Bordeaux

♥ essie in 754 Mint Candy Apple

♥ Sally Hanson Complete Salon Manicure in 817 Gold Roses *Limited Edition*

And the color that is on my toe nails 99% of the time:

♥ Sinful Colors in 854 Boogie Nights

Now let's get into the routine that I stick to (quite religiously...)

First, I start out by cleaning up my nails. I'll trim them a bit if they need it with nail clippers. The pair that I use are by La Cross, but there's nothing extraordinary about them.

Then after that, I file my nails with a nail file. I have no idea what brand this file is. It gets the job done like any other nail file.

After that, I like to push and trim my cuticles. I know... Trimming your cuticles is not the best thing to do but sometimes you just have to trim them. Plus I find that it's much easier to apply nail polish more accurately after doing this. For trimming my cuticles, I use a Revlon tool.

Then, finally, I like to buff and smooth my nails with this four-sided Trim Buffing Block (featured in my February Favorites). I think that this tool makes the biggest difference in maintaining your manicure for an extended time. You nail gets smooth after using it and it helps hold the nail polish in place with a smoother application.

I always use a base coat after I finish buffing and smoothing my nails and before applying the colored nail polish. This base coat is pretty good! It is very, very slightly colored a pale white which also helps the colored nail polish appear more opaque. And, base coats also work to prevent your nails getting stained by the colored nail polish. For a base coat, I use:

♥ Revlon Colorstay Gel-Smooth Base Coat

After applying two coats of my colored nail polish, I always finish it off with a top coat. I'm not completely satisfied with this top coat, but it works for now. I prefer quick dry top coats, but I'm trying to finish up this bottle before I buy another type (maybe Seche Vite...?). Anyways, for a top coat, I use:

♥ Revlon Colorstay Gel-Shine Top Coat

Typically, my nail polish lasts about a week on average. When it's time to repaint my nails, I use the Target brand (Up & Up) Strengthening Nail Polish Remover. I've tried so many different types and formulations of nail polish remover and, to be completely honest, this one works the best, in my opinion. And I use cotton balls to remove the polish. I've tried cotton rounds, but I don't feel like they remove as much as the cotton balls.

In the situation where I need to remove my toe nail polish but my finger nails are painted, I use the handy little tool. It is a little rubber UFO looking thing that my mom found at a store (I have no idea what store though...) Basically, you put the cotton ball with nail polish remover in the little cut out and it acts as a barrier so that you don't get any nail polish remover on your finger nails. It works so well! If anyone knows where this can be found, leave it in the comments below!!

So, I've gotten my four closest friends to stick to this nail routine too! Almost every weekend, the five of us get together to do laundry, paint our nails, eat a bunch of food, gossip, and sometimes watch a movie. After I painted all of their nails once, they realized how long their manicures lasted so now we've made it a weekend tradition.

If you guys are interested, try out this nail routine or something similar and let me know how it works out for you! And if you have any suggestions or recommendations for my nail routine or even nail polished to try out, please leave them in the comments below. I'd love to test out some new products! I hope you like this post... Until next time, stay beautiful!!!

♥♥♥

February Favorites 2014

Hey Lovelies!!!

It's that time again... Time for monthly favorites!!! WOO YEAH!! Compared to January, I didn't try as many new products this month, however, I still found a lot of products that I loved! So here they are, I hope you enjoy!

Skincare

♥ Caress Endless Kiss Body Wash- I love this body wash. I actually intended for this to be in my January Favorites but I completely forgot it... But anyways, this body was is described as having the scent of "Creamy Vanilla & Sandalwood" and it smells wonderful. It's a very warm scent. If you don't like vanilla scented things, you probably won't like this, but I love it!

♥ Victoria's Secret Pink Warm and Cozy- So my friend had a mini bottle of this body mist and I remember trying it and falling absolutely in love with the scent. Around Christmas, I got the full-sized body mist and I've used it every day since. And just last week, I bought the mini lotion to keep in my handbag or backpack. The scent is just lovely... It's vanilla and peony  and I think that it goes well with the Caress body wash.

Makeup

♥ Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso- I'm pretty sure that every beauty guru, or just beauty obsessed person, has tried this blush and loved it. I've had this on my list to try for the longest time (I was waiting for my previous blush to run out which took absolutely forever). When I went to the store (CVS) to buy it, it looked super shimmery and I was unsure if it would look right on my oily skin. I bought it regardless, and I'm so happy I did. It's so pigmented and a gorgeous, natural color. And the shimmer isn't overdone, it simply adds a healthy, natural glow to your cheeks. An absolute staple for my makeup collection!

♥ Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist- I'm now on my second tube (is that the right word?) of this. I think this is one of my all time favorite lip products. The color is beautiful and I get compliments on it every time I wear it. I also think that it lasts quite a long time compared to most other lip products. It's kind of a mix between a lip liner and a lip stick but doesn't dry your lips out, which I love. And there's so many colors to choose from in this range.

Nails

♥ Essie Mint Candy Apple- A long time favorite and another favorite of beauty gurus. To me, Essie can be a hit-or-miss company; some colors are amazing quality while others are terrible quality, especially for almost $10 a bottle. Mint Candy Apple is one of the best colors. It has a smooth application, pigmentation, and color. Plus, for all my fellow pale people out there, this color makes you look tanner ;)

♥ Revlon Parfumerie in Beachy- As you could tell from my January Favorites and my review of the Revlon Parfumeries, I really like them. I recently got another addition (I had a 10% off coupon on my Target Cartwheel app) called Beachy. It's a beautiful bronze color, which I think could be worn at any time in the year, especially the fall. The smell in this one, unfortunately, isn't my favorite... It kind of smells like old lady perfume... Not the best. But other than that, it's really good.

♥ Nail buffing block- I recently got this Trim Buffing Block and it was an amazing purchase. Before applying a base coat, I use this to buff and smooth my nails. It really makes a huge difference. My nail polish applies much smoother and lasts longer. If you don't do this already, try it out and you'll see how nice your nails look afterwards.

Fashion

♥ H&M Circle Skirt- I've wanted a plain black circle skirt or skater skirt for the longest time. For Christmas, my grandmother gave me and my brothers $50 to spend at a store of our choice. I decided on H&M because they have nice stuff at a really affordable price. One of the things I got was a black circle skirt. It was the cheapest circle skirt I've ever found but you wouldn't know by looking at it. It's really high quality, looks amazing, and fits well.

♥ Alex and Ani Beaded Bangle- I got this bangle for Valentine's Day and I love it so much. Here in New England, Alex and Ani bangle bracelets are a huge deal! Most of them are just a metal band with a single charm on it, but some have beads, like this one. This is my first Alex and Ani with beads on it and it's perfect. If you want to check out some of the other bracelets, go visit their website: alexandani.com

Food/Drink

♥ Starbucks/Tazo Shaken Iced Green Tea- Mmmmm! I've had Starbucks a lot recently but I haven't exactly been in the mood for coffee, frappuccinos, or hot chocolate. I've been ordering a Venti Iced Green Tea and it is delicious. A lot of my friends don't like this drink, I guess it's an acquired taste... I love it, plus green tea is awesome for you.

♥ Chocolate Covered Strawberries- Perfect for Valentine's Day. My friends and I bought some chocolate covered strawberries at Godiva recently and realized how overpriced they were. So every weekend, we go to Target, and each of us buys a container of strawberries and a container of microwaveable Baker's chocolate. It costs under $5 to make about 15 strawberries. Then we have a "girls night" where we make choc. covered strawberries, paint our nails, watch movies, and gossip. It's so much fun and a highlight of our weekend.

♥ Cadbury Mini Eggs- Fun fact, I LOVE Cadbury chocolate. Here in the US, Cadbury isn't that commonly found; it's mostly Hershey's chocolate. But since Easter candy is out (already!) in stores, Cadbury is more popular and I'm loving every second. Mini Eggs are my favorite, they're so good! The UK has it good with stores stocked full with Cadbury chocolate...

Entertainment

♥ The Fault in Our Stars- Oh my god! This book is beautiful! I've heard great things about it and finally got around to reading it. I literally read it completely in just two days. All I have left to say is that I cannot wait for the movie to come out in June! Ahhhh

 ♥ Frozen- I think Frozen is now my top favorite Disney movie. It was incredible. The story is so much more unique than other Disney princess movies and I love that. Plus the music is so catchy and is stuck in my head all the time. Even though I don't have a sister, this movie had a really touching message.

♥ The Carrie Diaries- I've been watching The Carrie Diaries on Netflix all month and I just can't get enough. It's so entertaining to watch and I feel connected to the characters and story line for some reason. And just so you know, that happens extremely rarely; only in my absolute favorite shows, books, and movies. So I think it's a sign that it's already a favorite.

♥ The Vamps- I freaking love the Vamps. I've been a fan of theirs for a while now and they've just released their first single in the US recently, which is super exciting! Plus, they also just released a new song/music video called Last Night and I think everyone should check it out because it's flawless.

♥ MKTO- Such an awesome group. Their music is very unique compared to most other music on the market, but in the best way possible. I love Classic and Thank You! Go check them out if you haven't... I don't think you'll be disappointed.

♥ iTunes Radio- I think this is one of the best ideas from iTunes/Apple in a while. It's so much better than Pandora and connects to your iTunes account (obviously) so you can buy songs directly in iTunes Radio. And it really sticks to the radio you're listening to, unlike Pandora. The music it plays is exactly what I need. My two favorite radio stations are iTunes Top 50 Pop and iTunes Top 50 Alternative.

♥ BuzzFeed Quizzes- So addicting! I truly feel like these BuzzFeed Quizzes understand me... Me and my mom do these religiously and you'd be surprised at just how accurate they are. I have this website bookmarked in my phone and computer so I can do all the new quizzes each day. It's becoming an addiction...

I'd also like to give a quick shoutout to my favorite Blogger of the Month! Drumroll please.... Beauty Spiced Latte!!! I've been loving your blog and Instagram posts and I've also been loving our little convos on each other's posts! Plus, you tagged me for the Beauty Scenario Tag, which was amazing. And your super sweet and lovely! So, if you haven't visited her blog, please go check it out and also go follow her on Instagram (@beautyspicedlatte).

I hope you enjoyed this month's favorites. Let me know some of your favorites in the comments below or, better yet, do your own blog post! If you do, please leave a link in the comments... I'd be happy to check it out!!! Anyways, I'll be back again on Sunday for my regular Sunday post so stay tuned for that! And as always, stay beautiful!!!

♥♥♥