E.L.F Disney Ariel Collection

So I finally got my hands on this collection! This is a limited edition from E.L.F, and it's only carried at Walgreens. In the collection they have a lip trio, brush set, false lashes, duo shadows, a beauty book, and a bonzer. They retail from $4.99-$9.99. I picked up the bronzer and beauty book. I could tell just by looking at the brush set that the brushes weren't that great of quality, I also passed on the lip trio just because it didn't stand out as anything unique. I also passed on the shadow duos, I just wasn't interested in the colors.

I LOVE the packaging for the bronzer! It's honestly the main reason I bought it. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Ariel image is actually a part of the compact as opposed to being a sticker. This bronzer (named Surfs Up) also comes with a mini kabuki brush which isn't to amazing. It's too small and compact to really be able to blend well, and it's not the softest brush I've seen from E.L.F. I love that the bronzer has spots of a gold highlight shade. You can either mix the colors to create a lighter, shimmery bronzer, or use it separately as a highlight. In the swatch photo, the swatch on the left is the bronzer alone, next to it is the highlight alone, and on the bottom it's mixed. The bronzer is nicely pigmented and it's not chalky. It is shimmery though, so I wouldn't advise using it as a contour. 

I am also in love with the packaging for the Treasure Within Beauty Book. It's nice and sturdy, it's a thick book that will look super cute sitting on your vanity. It has a mirror and a fold out section where you get the instructions for 2 different looks (a lighter daytime look, and a darker nighttime look). In the book you get 1 eye brush, 1 mini bronzer/blush brush, a lip gloss, 2 bronzers, and 9 eyeshadows. Not bad for under $10! I love the eyeshadow brush, I have used it for years and even keep some in my freelance makeup artist kit. It's great quality, and you can buy it on it's only for only one dollar! The mini bronzer/blush brush is pretty pointless, it's way to small and flat. It could possibly be used for highlighter though, since it's so small. The lip gloss (Go on and kiss the girl) is decent. Not amazing but not horrible. The 2 bronzers are nice and pigmented and soft. The eyeshadows are a bit hit or miss. The lighter shades tend to be a little chalky and not very pigmented. Over all, the shadows aren't the best things I've tried. They would definately work better with a base, such as NYX's jumbo pencil in milk, or even just a good eye primer to help bring out the colors.

All and all, I'm happy with my purchase. The bronzer is just plain cute and the beauty book has a great variety of colors are products. It's nice for people who travel, since they can easily have an entire eye, lip, and bronzer look from one palette. You could even use the Seashell shade lightly as a blush if you're stressed for space in your suitcase! 

If you plan on getting this collection, act fast since it is limited edition! You may be able to get it on drugstore.com or the walgreens website depending on if they restocked it or not. 

Fridays are for thrifting...

So I recently got rid of about 70% of my closet. I've "grown up" fashion wise, and needed a change. I realized that the majority of my closet didn't make me feel great, or even good. I was in the rut of buying clothes just because they were on sale. Or buying clothes that were to big or small thinking I could "make them work" (I'm no Tim Gunn!), or buying clothes just for the sake of buying them so my closet would look more full. I was buying clothes that I didn't love, I was buying clothes that didn't look good on me, or flatter my body or skin type. So I went through my closet and was brutally honest. I got rid of a lot of things that I liked, but knew I would never wear (mostly because they were way to big or way to small). I took my purged clothes to a thrift shop that I consign with so I could make some money to put towards my new collection.

That brings me to this thrift haul. Now that my closet is mostly empty (I only kept what I really, really love and what looks good and fits), I need to start rebuilding my fashion collection. Most people would go to their local department store, but I turn to my local thrift shops instead. I've always had a love for thriting. It's a treasure hunt, you never know what you'll find. I've gotten everything from vintage Dior to Gucci. I love it, plus it's loads cheaper then "normal" stores. And what's more bitchy then getting a great deal? 

With my new mantra in mind (only buy what I love, what fits, and what makes me feel good), I headed to the thrift shops.

First up the consignment shop (where I take all my items I no longer want). I only found one blouse, but I love it. It's an New York & Company sheer blouse. I like it because it's a neutral color, and I can dress it up and down. Since it's sheer, I can wear it in the summer, and since it has long sleeves, it can transition into the winter. I paid $2.81.

I also went to a local thrift shop where the proceeds benefit charity. I only found one top, but I really loved the fit and the detailing on the shoulder. I also love that since it's strips, it's more of a classic piece that can be worn for years without looking dated. It was half off, so I paid $1.50

I found the best deals at Goodwill. As soon as I walked toward the store, they had this blouse hanging in the window. I am a huge lover of Asian fashion. I grabbed it out of the window, and immediatley saw the Chinese fashion tag! I was thrilled! I live in hicksville where people don't have much of an open mind when it comes to fashion. The edge of the ribbon has frayed a little bit, but that's an easy fix.  I paid $6 (my goodwill has really raised the prices on clothes in the last few months).

I was holding my breath, thinking how cool it would be to find one more Asian piece of fashion. As I pawed through the racks of clothes, one piece jumped out at me. And yep, it was another Chinese fashion brand! Score! I love the top, but I'm not thrilled with the ruffles. I mean it's adorable, but just doesn't flatter my body shape. I saw that the ruffles can be easily ripped out, so I went ahead and got it. I love the detailing around the neck line and the vintage look and feel of the lace. This was also $6.

I then saw this top. I immediately thought Pinterest where I've seen many looks with this style shirt. How cute would it be with some casual jeans, cute flats, and a messy bun? Plus the fit is great, and I like having more casual clothes that I can throw on while running errands or going out to a casual lunch with friends. I also got this for $6 (what's with $6 for a tshirt?!)

I saved the best deal (money wise) for last. I picked up this Cynthia Rowley tunic style blouse for guess how much? You guessed it, lucky number 6. Her tops and blouses generally retail for $250-$290. So paying $6 wasn't to bad! I love that all the beading is intact, none of it is coming loose. I also love that the beading acts as it's own accessory, so you don't need a lot of jewelry. 

So all together, for 6 pieces of clothing, I spent less then $30. Honestly I would have been a bit happier spending a little less, but over all, I must say I did pretty well. 

Korean Beauty Haul

I am in love with Korean beauty products (and kpop, korean dramas, their fashion, I could go on and on). I recently placed an order with kpoptown.com. I've found it's one of the cheaper websites for kpop cds, and they have a nice selection of makeup and skin care. They almost always have a sale or coupon code too.

First off, I got a pair of the Beauty Lenses Glam Lenses in Charming Blue. I HATE these contacts! I've had circle lenses in the past that I've loved, but these were painful. I couldn't stand wearing them for more then a few minutes. I've tried other brands from Kpoptown and they were great. These just aren't worth it.

I've had my eye on this super cute Tony Moly lip gloss stick for awhile now! I mean, come on, how cute is it?! I got the shade No. 3 Juicy Apple. It's a pretty sheer apple red. I love how it feels like a balm, but looks like a gloss without the stickiness.

How cute is this?! It's the Baby Pudding Pact from Etude House. I haven't played around with it much, but I was surprised with how dark it is. They only have 2 shades, this was the lighter of the two. I'm hoping since it's a more sheer foundation, that the color won't appear to dark. 

Now the BB, CC, A-Z, creams have been pretty hot for the past couple years now. Those are not REAL BB creams! The "real" ones were started in Asia and have better coverage and benefits then the American brands. This is one of the more popular Asian BB creams on the market. It's the Super BB Cream Pink Label from Skin79. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but just from the swatch I can already tell that the texture and coverage are totally different from the US brands. It's a lot thicker, and offers more coverage. I'm excited to see how it looks and wears throughout the day.

Last but not least, I picked up 2 packages of the Etude House Strawberry Sponge Rollers. The great thing about these is that, since they are so soft, they are great for sleeping in. I did try these out, and I love them. 2 packages (4 curlers per package) was enough for my waist length, but thin, hair. They were very comfortable to sleep in, easy to put it and take out, and I loved the curls it gave my hair. I'm excited to play more with using more and less hair to get tighter curls or more of a beachy look. The curls lasted all day for me, even after being out in the heat and going to the gym.

Do you have any favorite Korean products? Let me know in the comments!

What's In My Makeup Bag?

As promised, here's what's in my makeup bag! I am currently using a Too Faced makeup bag since it's so flat and fits well into my purse. I can actually fit quite a few things in it!

I always like to have enough makeup in my bag so that in case I leave the house without makeup, I can throw on enough to look presentable. You know, in case I run into a prince, or worse, an enemy. I mean you can't meet your arch enemy without mascara now can you? 

I like to keep mini size items, this is where all those samples you've been hording come in handy! I keep a small sample of Clinique foundation, a Benefit Benetint (works for blush and lips), a High Beam, a mini Clinique mascara, a shadow stick from the Sephora Hello Kitty collection, and a Dolce and Gabanna Light Blue perfume sample.

I like to keep a few "emergency" items as well. I love the Boscia green tea blotting sheets! I also keep liquid mints, a hair tie and clip, deodorant towelette, and a packet that has a nail file, cotton balls, and cotton swabs (took it from a hotel I was staying at).

I'm almost always feeling sick in one way or another, so it's good to be prepared. I keep a band-aid, pepto tabs, and Tylenol in my purse at all times. I also don't go anywhere without my Seabands. I swear by these. I get nausea easily, especially when I'm in the car or nervous. I even wore them during my cosmetology state board test (I bet everyone wondered why the heck I was wearing sweat bands, since that's what they look like). If you get car sick, or nausea easily, this is the best thing you can buy!

Last, but not least, I keep some random items that come in handy. I have the Hard Candy Ey'm Tired roller ball for under the eyes (handy when you don't get much sleep), a pair of tweezers, eye drops, Clinique acne gel, Mary Kay hand lotion, eye drops, and some feminine products (because oh my gosh, I'm a girl!)

So that's everything, told you I could fit a lot in that bag didn't I?

Jason Wu For Lancome

I've been looking forward to this collection for awhile now! I love Jason Wu, and I love Lancome. What else could be better? Well, I'll tell you what could be better, sitting out by the pool with a hot cabana boy fanning me and bringing me a vodka and cranberry blush, handing me a towel....okay back to the subject.

This collection features 3 eyeshadow palettes, 2 blushes, nailpolish, 2 lipsticks, a brush, mascara, and liner, all in the limited edition Jason Wu packaging.

I decided to pick up the Disco Color Design Shadow Palette, and the Blush Subtil in Pressed Rose.

I love Lancome eyeshadows for the most part (some of the glitter shades have major fall out though). This palette lived up to my expectation. The colors are beautiful. These colors all have a glitter to them, so beware if glitter isn't your thing. I love the green, it's actually a duochorm with hints of gold. The cream color shade is a beautiful highlight/inner corner color, it's a little chalky though. The brown compliments the green nicely, and it's as glitter packed as the other shades. The blue/silver shade is a fun color, it seems a little misplaced next to the green and brown, but it's always fun to try something different. There is also a black shade, which I think is way to overdone in palettes like this. I'd prefer to see a lighter brown perhaps to have a transition shade.

I was surprised when I saw that the highlight was a cream, I didn't know that it was. I was guessing that they were both powders. Honestly, I'm over the whole cream and powder in the same compact thing. The powder always ends up sticking to the cream, making it not only look gross, but causing the products to mix. Lancome should take pointers from other brands such as Dior and The balm that cover the cream products when it's in a palette. I do love the shades though. The blush is a perfect mauve, and the highlight is a pretty light shimmery pink with gold undertones. Now call me crazy, but the blush smells like rose hand soap to me! Anyone else notice that?

Are you planning on getting anything from this collection? It is limited edition, so I'd hurry! 

Well, I'm off to catch up on some Doctor Who. Netflix just released a new season, bring on the Whovian marathon!

So long my lovely bitches, till next time, stay sophisticated.

Whats In My Purse?

Sorry for the lack of posts! I had my thyroid removed, so I'm isolated in a hotel room due to the radioactive pill I had to take! I can't be around people or animals, so I'm camping out in a hotel room for awhile. This hotel doesn't even have room service, so this is roughing it! 

On to whats in my purse! These are my favorite youtube videos to watch, so I thought why not do a blog post about it. 

The purse I'm currently using is the brand PiJi. It's a random Korean brand (I love Korean fashion). It's a pretty cheaply made purse, it's actually falling apart, but I still love it! 

In the front flap I keep my Samsung Galaxy S5 phone. I also have the movie stub from when I went and saw Maleficent (amazing movie!!), a card to show the airport if I fly anywhere (because of the radioactive iodine), a card for my next doctors appointment, a sheet of instructions for what to do after the iodine, and a receipt for my presale for the summer Estee Lauder gift.

In the two small pockets inside the purse I keep two headphones (in case a friend wants to borrow a pair), the "keys" to my hotel room, knock off Tylenol (because I'm cheap), a targeted heat therapy patch (neck problems), a hand wipe, and a cell phone battery.

In the main compartment of my purse I have a menu from my favorite Chinese resturant, coupons for Bob Evans (no, I'm not 80 years old, I just like their food), a Too Faced makeup bag (I'll have another blog post for what's in my makeup bag), my wallet, a car charger for my phone (pink of course!), a Cath Kidston id holder/coin purse, Certs mints, a pen, a piece of my purse that fell off (told ya it was cheap!), Altoids, a Rhiakuma Bear headphone holder, and my keys complete with a  pink Chihuahua Ty! 

The purse has a little zippered pocket on the back where I keep my Givenchy mirror and some throat drops.

Alright, so that's it bitches! I'll have another blog post for whats in my makeup bag. I think it deserves it's own post! 

Well I'm off to catch up on some Next Top Model, what else is there to do?!