Update

Well...the house is mostly done save for a few little items like touch up paint and light switch covers. Not a moment too soon either because they finished and the next day we had a major snow/ice/freeze storm that's still going on a week later. Tons of fun. My day job kind of revolves around emergency responses to storm damages so unfortunately that's putting a kink in my blogging schedule lately.

I'm kind of just throwing in the towel until the first of the year. Instead of stressing about getting a blog done, I'm just going to get my house put back together when work slows down, enjoy the holidays and start 2014 off with a bang! Hope you guys understand!!

House

We have a shower/tub and walls, and the new flooring is in! Just need trim and paint and I can out my stuff away! Almost there!!!!

Construction Update

Well, we have a shower and walls. Paint is going in this week, then underlayment, our new flooring, trim work and then we are DONE!! Hopefully this time next week we will be settled in and back on blogging schedule. Again, I apologize. This was supposed to be a one weekend project that has been going about a month now. I can't wait to have all of my stuff out of storage and put back in it's place!

Update

The bathroom is still under construction. We discovered water damage that had travelled into our sons room adjacent to the bathroom. Will keep the blog updated when I can. Hopefully will be done around December, or close to done. Fingers crossed we get our shower back this week!

Construction

Please bear with me during this lull in blogs. Our bathroom is being remodeled and currently looks like this:  

So all of my pretty products are in storage until we are done. I will try to do postings if something fun comes up that is easy to review! Hope this gets done quick!!

DIY minion costume

We hosted a Halloween party for our friends at our house last weekend. I knew right away we were going as a minion and Gru. My husband is a big bald guy and it was just too perfect. 

Costumes were purchased at Goodwill, I used yellow RIT dye to dye the shirt and leggings and used black pipe cleaners and hot glued them to a yellow hard hat for my minion head. I got a witch nose from a halloween store and attached it with spirit gum to get the long Gru nose. I used a dark brown eyeliner pen and drew on his eyebrows and used MAC Satin Taupe around his eyes for that bruised look Gru has. 

This is definitely one

Of my favorite costumes we've done and was a hit! 

Halloween Nails Part 2

I had big plans for a crazy halloween mani this week, I even did one yesterday and hated it. So it all came off and I decided on something a little more simple and ended up loving it.

Next weekend we are having a big Halloween party at our house with all of our friends so the nails will likely match the costume (top secret!). I'll post some pics afterward, I'm so excited!!

I like this because I get the funkiness but it's still cute and classy, without being overboard or tacky. Just a simple shimmery orange on 4 nails, a shimmery black on the ring finger and a nail art brust on the ring finger to make white spiderwebs!

Halloween Nails

I've finally finished the home painting projects (blog post on that all soon). Suffice it to say, painting practically every wood object in your home black was not awesome for my nails. So as soon as I put the paint supplies away, I busted out my manicure kit and went to work.

We went to the pumpkin patch this past weekend so I was definitely in the mood for a fun "Halloween" type manicure. You know I love those mixed media manis, crazy and different on every nail. It's just fun!

So here is what I came up with! Super easy and all you need is white, black, silver and orange polishes along wiht dotting tool and black and white nail art polishes.

Basically mixed polka dots on the pinkies, spiderwebs on the rings, googly eyes on the middles, mixed polka dots and eyes on the indexes and stitches on the thumbs. I think I'll do another Halloween manicure this weekend and I'll share whatever I come up with! I'm thinking ghosts and jack o lanterns??

Breaks and such

Sorry it's been a while. We have been doing some major home projects and it's taking all of my spare time up the last 2 weeks. The last bits are almost complete and I promise I will do a blog post on it with pictures. For now, suffice it to say Behr Black Suede is my new best friend!

Milani Luminoso Blush

This is a much raved about product, it's been reviewed a million times by a million other bloggers. But...this is the first time I've seen it. Milani products were not sold anywhere near me until very recently. I had to grab this blush as soon as I saw the Milani section. I've just only ever heard how amazing it is.

And guess what? It lives up to the hype.

I honestly thought it was way too light when I saw it in the package. I thought it looked like a peachy highlighter. But I resisted the urge to think I knew better and bought it anyway. So glad I did.

This blush is unlike any other blush I own, it's a unique shade of peachy goodness. It has a gorgeous glowy sheen built in that totally eliminates the need to add highlighter. I really like how this makes your face pop, brightens it up and pulls your whole look together.

I can see this working on multiple skin tones and lasting a very long time, as it is a baked product. I swatched Luminoso next to my 3 other favorite blushes for comparison. You can see how different of a color it is but it ends up being so flattering! Definitely a natural, kicked up flush result.

CoverGirl Soft Mink, NYX Pinched, Milani Luminoso, NYX Dusty Rose

 

It looks the most similar to my beloved Soft Mink, but Soft Mink has a more silvery shimmer which makes it a cooler toned blush and Luminoso is definitely more golden and warm. 

I don't much care for the packaging. It feels bulky and fragile at the same time. Other than that, this is a happy addition to my blush collection and I get why everyone obsesses over it.

Thanks for reading!

Amena Bean Luminous Peptide Serum

Today I'm reviewing another fantastic Amena Bean product.  This little bottle has completely changed my skin care regime. I literally only use 3 things on my face at night now. Cetaphil face wash, Amena Bean serum and Aveeno daily moisturizer. Massive changes for a product junkie like me.

This is just amazingness in a bottle.

Amena Bean describes this product as:

Luminous Peptide Serum

Dry, Sensitive, Oily, Normal, Combination

Available Sizes: 1 oz, 16 oz

This serum uses Bearberry, Daisy, Licorice Leaf Extracts and CoQ10 & natural skin brighteners (no hydroquinone) to enhance the appearance of the skin.

Use

Apply to cleansed skin before moisturizer or sun protection.

Benefits

Clinical test with Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 resulted in a 44% reduction of deep wrinkles, a 37% reduction of main wrinkle density, and a 16% increase in lifting effect.
Clinical tests with Bellis Perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract resulted in a reduction of melanin formation and anti-oxidative activity, providing significant lightening effects. Results of a comparative study conducted with Belides (Daisy) Flower Extract and Arbutin (another trade mark lightener that has been a popular ingredient), used at equivalent polyphenol concentrations, showed that (Daisy) Flower Extract was twice as active as Arbutin.

Key Ingredients

Red Maine Algae(Ahnfelita Conccina Extract) – increases skin hydration significantly with enzymes and mineral naturally found in this algae extract, which is indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands. Sodium Hyaluronate – holds up to a thousand times its weight in moisture retention properties. Bearberry Extract (Uva Ursi Extract) Licorice Extract and Daisy Extract- ingredients to even out skin tone. Co Q10, Vitamins C & E, and Green Tea Extract – that fight free radicals that damage skin causing anti aging effects. Acetyl Hexapeptide-3 (Argireline) - is a topical botox, relaxing the muscles that cause deep wrinkles around the forehead.

Since this had such major promises (skin lightening AND topical botox results!!) I have been using this for a month and a half to see the results myself before coming to any conclusions.

I have to say, it definitely does work in the lightening department and toning the overall appearance of my skin. As I've previously mentioned, I have some sunspots on my forehead and hyperpigmentation on my cheeks that are basically the bane of my skin issues and drive me crazy. I've used this serum religiously twice a day and those areas are practically gone.

As far as the deep wrinkle relief...luckily I don't have any deep wrinkles YET so I can't really testify to that. I will say though, that I have noticed a major improvement in the suppleness and overall skintone. My face just has a glowiness without any makeup on it now that it hasn't for a while. I attribute some of that to the Amena Bean glycolic moisture cream that I love so much, but when used in conjunction with this serum I saw major results.

Overall, I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking to reverse sun damage, brighten their skin tone, reduce minimal signs of aging and improve the overall appearance of their skin. Amena Bean has impressed me again!

For more information on Amena Bean products you can contact Elaine at:

Beauty By Delivery

beautybydelivery@hotmail.com

http://beautybydelivery.com

**This product was sent to me for consideration of a review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own**

Pretty Little Things

Sometimes I like to go on WeHeartIt.com and just oogle pretty things and felt like sharing... Happy Friday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Falling Leaf Nails

It was a foggy, cloudy Saturday here this past weekend. My son took a spill on his scooter and was nursing quite the fat lip, so he asked to watch a movie. Once Hocus Pocus started playing, I knew I was ready for some fall nails. I decided to do a mixed mani (different patterns on each nail). So I came up with this:

Essie "Well Structured" with Wet n Wild "Glamorous Gold" glitter on my pinky and Thumb

Ultra Pro Nail "Big Spender" on my ring fingers. I used a black nail art brush to make a tree and then used both the small and large sides of my dotting tool to make falling trees. I used 3 colors to make the "leaves".

Sinful "Courtney Orange" on my middle finger.

Essie "Well Structured" with China Glaze "Tarnished Gold" crackle polish on my pointer finger.

Well Structured is one of my favorite fall colors. It reminds me of rich leather, like the color of an expensive handbag.

Favorite Fall Products

weheartit.com

 

I am so excited for fall. We are a family obsessed with being "cozy" and we love this time of year so much. The colors, the smells, the fun activities! We just love everything about fall. So right after Labor Day, we transition happily!

I thought it might be kind of fun to go through and list all of the fun products that I use and love this time of year! I'm also using stock photo's because most of my own products are very well loved and don't look very pretty anymore!

Bath and Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Lotion. My husband loves this stuff. He notices it every time I use it and always knows when I am wearing it. I like the lotion best, it seems to last the longest. It's a perfectly creamy pumpkin scent without being too spicy or way too sweet.

bathandbodyworks.com

Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin products. I found these last year at TJ Maxx and bought everything I could find in it. The smell is just SO yummy! I am currently using the Pumpkin Whipped Souffle Styling Cream and the Pumpkin Potion Leave In Conditioner. They both make your hair extremely soft and manageable but also leave it smelling like the best pumpkin pie you've ever had.

 

amazon.com

 

TIGI Catwalk Oatmeal and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner. The bottles call it "comfort food for damaged hair" and it really is. It also happens to smell like the most amazing mixture of honey, oats, cream and sweetness. It makes my hair so lush and moisturized and the scent lasts all day. I usually only ever use this in the fall and I have used it for YEARS. Such a great product.

amazon.com

Febreze Chai Latte Melts. YUM. These Febreze melts have totally replaced my need to buy Scentsy from the catalog. I love the Lavendar Blueberry and the Orange Honeycomb scents too, but Chai Latte is just divine. Spicy and comforting without being cinnamon-y or overpowering. Smells up your whole house!

walmart.com

International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice coffee creamer. I mean...seriously. Ridiculously good stuff. No need to stop by coffee shops every morning when you can have something this great at your house. I buy this in doubles and hate when it is replaced with the Christmas flavors.

internationaldelight.com

McCall's Country Canning "Autumn Leaves" candle. I get one of these every fall from a little boutique in my town and just love it. It's fall in a cup and the rustic packaging just looks so cute amid all the other fall decor in our house.

mccallscandles.com

Movies. Major fall movie fan here. My requirements for a "fall movie" are not very strict, I just have a selection of movies that we only bust out this time of year and they all remind me of fall. My all time favorite any kind of movie is also my favorite fall movie. You've Got Mail ("Don’t you love New York in the Fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies… I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address"!!). Other must-haves are Practical Magic, Hocus Pocus, Runaway Bride, When Harry Met Sally,  The Others, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Gilmore Girls, Picnic, Stepmom and The Proposal,.

Do you have any other recommendations? What products can you just not wait to bust out and use this time of the year?

August Favorites

I'm doing favorites a little bit early this month, because I don't plan on blogging at least for a week with the holiday! I really can't believe that summer is almost over, but I will say...come Monday morning my house will be ALL decked out for autumn. It is definitely our favorite season, so we are very happy to see it come!

This past month I have been loving a few things, so much so that I haven't really dabbled in much else. Not really a rut, just a hard core obsession lately!

First on our list is the L'Oreal Total Repair 5 System. I have the Shampoo, the Conditioner and the Damage Erasing Balm. These are totally unlike any drugstore hair system I've used before. First of all, they actually work. I know that you can't "undo" split ends, but you can sure as heck add moisture and shine and get the appearance and feel of healthier hair. One use of the conditioner and my hair was totally transformed. It made it smell amazing, feel amazing and actually looked a lot healthier. I use the conditioner daily and the balm about 3 times a week. It's amazing. I like to apply after I shampoo and condition and then wrap my hair up on top of my head and leave it at least 45 minutes before I rinse. This is a nighttime product for me. The balm is so thick and the jar is massive. Definitely worth it.

This system is to repair the 5 main signs of damage, split ends, weak, rough, dull dehydrated hair, and it really does repair the appearance of damaged hair for me. Moreso than most other products I have ever tried. These 3 products just makes my hair so happy and feels so dramatically better. I am definitely going to be trying other products in their line, they have a dry oil that looks pretty tempting!

For foundation, I have been trying to use up some of my collection before buying anything new. I never really loved the Revlon ColorStay Whipped Foundation as much as the formula for normal/dry skin. It's alright but was too matte for my liking and I just don't love the finish of it on it's own. So there she sat, until I decided I needed to force myself to use it.

I have been using a little scoop of the ColorStay Whipped on the back of my hand and adding 1 pump of the L'Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer. I apply with the Real Techniques Expert Face brush and have just been so impressed. It's glowy, but it lasts ALL DAY and doesn't transfer. You get the longevity of ColorStay but it's so glowy and pretty and looks so fresh. I have managed to use almost 3/4 of my jar of ColorStay this way and will definitely be repurchasing that as my next foundation! (Please excuse my rained on hair)

 

L'Oreal leGloss lipglosses. L'Oreal appears to be my favorite contender this past month. I have really been enjoying their products and definitely haven't been disappointed by L'Oreal yet. Hands down my favorite drugstore brand at the moment.

I've already done a full review of the leGlosses but they are definitely top notch in my book. Color payoff, scent and texture are all perfect. The packaging is classy and exactly what I want in a lipgloss.

So that's it for my current favorites! Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend and we will see you in September!

L'Oreal Colour Riche leGloss

Man, L'Oreal is sure making a run for my favorite drugstore brand. I've never tried their lip glosses before but I saw an endcap at Walgreens the other day that had several shades of the leGloss lipglosses on sale for $1.98 (!!!!). Total steal since these normally retail for around $8.

 

I grabbed 2 at that price and really love them both. I chose Florid Pink which is a perfect daytime creamy medium pink and Raspberry Flush which is a lovely bright pink.  I will definitely be on the hunt for more of these. I am a total gloss girl and these check all the boxes for me.

Super pigmented. Wonderful feel on the lips. Amazing smell. Cute packaging. Great color selection. Check, check, check and CHECK.

These stay on the lips about the same as an average lipgloss, the main difference is these are not sheer glosses. They are very pigmented, but in a workable way. Compared to say, the Rimmel Apocolips, The leGloss is much more wearable and easy to apply.

These smell wonderful. Slightly cupcakey but not sickly sweet or too immature, it's a more grown up vanilla-ish scent which I really love.

So for me, these have quickly become my all time favorite glosses. Any colors you would recommend??

Essence Effect Nails 3D Nail Pearls

I am kind of having a little love affair with Essence beauty products. I tried a few things on my trip to Ulta and now keep finding fun little Essence products at Fred Meyer's.

I have been eyeing these little nail pearls in "Candy Buffet" for a while but wasn't sure if I would like the texture on my nails. I totally pick at anything that feels out of place, which is why I never do fake or gel nails. I just peel them right off the second they start lifting.

At less than $3 I thought these would be an affordable way to try this funky trend and not be disappointed if it totally sucked. Well, it doesn't. The colors in these pearls are so fun and pretty and would go with a million different polish colors. With this perfectly girlie pink, it reminds me of cake sprinkles, teeny tiny ones.

I applied these to my ring fingers over L'Oreal Taste of Romance. I applied 2 coats of the pink and then poured the pearls over my ring finger. I lightly pressed to insure they stuck. The directions said you could apply a light top coat to seal them and I wish I wouldn't have. It slightly faded the pearls. I would skip that step to keep the pearls the bright colors.

 

Suprisingly, these don't feel wierd on. The pearls are so small that they don't make your nails look huge and wierd. They lay nicely and cover the nail really well. I wouldn't say this is a long lasting look, but definitely fun for a few days!

What do you guys think? Have you tried any other nail pearls? Any tricks to making them last?

June/July Favorites

I didn't miss June favorites on accident. I just didn't have enough products that I was using to justify a whole post about it. I generally like to have 5 or more products to talk about in a favorites, if I haven't used anything new or loved anything special, I won't do a favorites.

So...I've been trying some new things and loving some new things over the past 2 months and they definitely justify their own favorites post!

Also...AUGUST.

1. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I have a whole post about this magic little brush. I am so mad at myself for waiting this long to buy one, I will never be without one again.

2. NYX blushes. Particularly Dusty Rose and Pinched. Again, super irritated that WE CAN'T GET NYX where I live. This is a 2 hour trip or an online purchase only for me. But, these are amazing blushes. Super pigmented, cute packaging and great price. Love.

3. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey. Long time favorite, definitely my favorite out of the whole collection but recently fell back in love with it on a business trip. One application in the morning lasted through an all day class, coffees, lunches and still looked and felt pretty nice. Just love this classic color.

4. Sally Hansen Quick Dry Anti Chip Top Coat. I also have a whole review of this, but suffice it to say that I will never buy Seche Vite again. This little red bottle seriously makes a manicure last at least 8 days on me. CHIP FREE. Amazing!

5. Essence Get Big! Lashes Mascara, waterproof and regular versions. These definitely have to dry out a bit before they get awesome, they are very wet mascaras. But after about a week or two, these get amazing. Super huge brushes, awesome buildable mascara and it doesn't clump or get flaky. For $3.99, a definite repurchase.

L'Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer

Today I'm reviewing the L'Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer. This is my first real dip into the "primer" pool. I have just always been hesitant to use them, afraid it would give me cake face or break me out. I decided to try this one because I've never had a reaction to L'Oreal face products and you know I love the Lumi Foundation.

I wouldn't really use it as a primer. I mean, you definitely could if you wanted an all over dewy look but it is not going to matte you out at all. She's a glowy girl, this one. I typically use this by mixing it in with any of my foundations or applying it with a stippling brush to my cheekbones.

One thing I will note is that it comes out runny, even if I shake it up, so use caution when you pump it out. I love the bottle, the rose gold lid is so cute and the pump is perfect for this kind of a product. A little goes a long way.

It gives my skin a perfect glow without looking greasy or shiny. It is a very pretty effect. I really enjoy it mixed in my foundations and am having fun turning some of my more matte foundations into pretty summer foundations (I'm looking at you ColorStay).

Have you used this product? Any fun ways you've found to utilize it? Let me know in the comments!

Top 10 Under $10 Drugstore Beauty Products

I saw this tag going around recently and couldn't resist. It's a fun idea, the top 10 products for under $10. I'm making it drugstore, because that's my favorite place to find hidden gems.

So if I had to...HAD TO...only have 10 products under $10, these are the ones I just couldn't live withouth. The most bang for your buck and hte most impressive products I've found, used and loved. Most of these have already been reviewed on my page and can be found under the Labels tag with a quick search.

1. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

2. L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation

3. Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer

4. Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

5. Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows (Barely Branded, Bad to the Bronze)

6. L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain

7. NYX Blushes (Pinched and Dusty Rose are 2 of my favorites)

8. Revlon PhotoReady Concealer

9. Wet n Wild Eyeshadows (Walking on Eggshells should be in every makeup bag ever).

10. Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude. I don't know what I did before I had this little beaut!

Amena Bean Glycolic Moisture Creme

Today I'm going to be reviewing another amazing Amena Bean product from Beauty By Delivery. This one was not sent to me for consideration of a review, but it was given to me as a birthday gift. You guys know how much I love my Amena Bean products and this one just takes the cake. I have been using it pretty religiously since November and have formed a very good opinion on it.

photo courtesy of beautybydelivery

 

The Amena Bean Glycolic Moisture Creme is described as:

A daily reconditioning treatment containing natural fruit acids of Grape, Lemon, Passionflower and Pineapple. All of these natural fruits gently encourage the skin to shed its surface coating of dead cells. Usage on a daily basis will help diminish fine lines, scarring and skin discolorations.Vitamin A, E and C protect the skin from the damaging effects of free radicals and help improve elasticity. This formula is lightweight and oil free.

So...heaven in a jar, right?

I was having some issues with old blemish scarring, hyperpigmentation leftover from pregnancy (lovely), sun damage, clogged pores on my cheeks and just a general dull complexion. Even though I take good care of my skin and exfoliate a few times a week, it just didn't glow or look healthy like I am used to and I wanted that look back.

I use this twice a day. I wash my face with Cetaphil for oily skin, tone with Clinique toner and then apply the Amena Bean Glycolic Moisture Creme. It is a very light, lemony scented cream, absorbs quickly but leaves my skin feeling supple and healthy.

I kid you not, I noticed results within a week. Very dramatic fading of old blemish marks, clarified and dramatically glowier skin, a much more overall even and healthy appearance of my complexion.

This one product has made such massive changes to my skin that I don't know what I would do without it. It's brought back the pretty skin of my teens and twenties. It's just completely changed my complexion. This has replaced my dermatologist prescribed face cream and has pretty much reduced my breakouts to nothing. It's my holy grail product for sure.

This is definitely worth the price, I believe it retails for $20 a jar containing 1.7 fl oz. Even with using this twice a day for 8 months I still have a bit left in the jar. If you can get your hands on it, I just can't recommend it enough.

One thing to note, as with all AHA products please use caution when exposed to the sun. I highly recommend using a daily moisturizer with sunscreen in conjunction with this product.

For more information on Amena Bean products you can contact Elaine at:

Beauty By Delivery

beautybydelivery@hotmail.com

http://beautybydelivery.com