Weekly Roundup : Friday Faves #17

I am so happy Friday is here as I have a lot of fun things planned for the weekend! I hope everyone has a safe, fun and Happy Halloween, whether you celebrate it or stay at home with pajamas on and a good book! Without further ado, here's what I'm loving this week:

My first favorite is definitely this necklace from Orelia. I found out about this brand because it's popping up on bloggers posts all over the place and I had to check them out. I'm happy to report they are as good as everyone says. This evil eye necklace is so dainty, it's perfect for everyday wear and it's really good quality for the price. You can find it here.

I am loving the Milani Stay Put Brow Color in the shade Dark Brown. I love the angle brush and spoolie included with the product and this color is a perfect match for me. It definitely does stay put all day which is huge for me since I've had several brow products disappear by the end of the day. Since I have very light brows this is quite frustrating so I'm really happy I found this!

I love this travel set of Revlon tweezers. It's perfect to chuck in my purse so I always have one available. I also love that it comes with two different tips which are perfect for brows or splinters (not that I go around getting splinters, but I love to be prepared) or anything else that might come up.

I love this Too Faced bronzer; it's the Chocolate Soleil in Medium/Deep. I received it as a perk gift on an order and originally I thought it would be too dark for me. It actually swatches really light but is perfect for my face. It also smells like chocolate so there's that too. I definitely am interested in getting the full-size version once I've used this up.

I feel like the only way I could have ever missed talking about this lipstick is because I was waiting for it to be cold. I mean, that has to be it because this lipstick is AMAZING. It's a Makeup Revolution lipstick from their Atomic Shade line in the color Make it Right and it is PURPLE. I mean a deep, dark, gorgeous, amazing color of purple that is so perfect for Fall I can't even handle it. Basically, I'm not taking it off between now and Christmas (when I'll begrudgingly throw a red on for the holiday). If you've ever wanted a true purple this is the one for you!

That wraps up this week's favorites, let me know what you are loving in the comments below! XO

The Girl With No Past : A Book Review

If you follow my blog then you'll know that I've made it a goal to read more often. The husband bought this book for me a few Amazon orders ago and I finally got around to reading it this week. Yes, that's right, this week. I started and finished this book within a few days; mainly due to more commuting time and one really horrendous night spent in heartburn hell, but really this book was also that good.

Amazon describes it as: A gripping psychological thriller for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

The Descriptive text describes it as follows: Leah Mills lives a life of a fugitive – kept on the run by one terrible day from her past. It is a lonely life, without a social life or friends until – longing for a connection – she meets Julian. For the first time she dares to believe she can live a normal life. 

Then, on the fourteenth anniversary of that day, she receives a card. Someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won’t stop until they’ve destroyed the life Leah has created. 

But is Leah all she seems? Or does she deserve everything she gets? 

Everyone has secrets. But some are deadly.

I definitely didn't know what to expect when I started reading. The book starts off pretty intense and interesting and continues through twists and turns the entire time. I remember being near the end of the book (according to my Kindle) and I kept wondering when things would be explained. For a moment, I panicked thinking it would be a series and I'd have to spend another few days and eight more dollars before I could find out what happened. Luckily this wasn't the case and all my questions were answered by the end. That being said the ending was semi anti-climatic and open-ended (possible sequel?) but overall I liked the idea of the book and it was definitely well written and suspenseful. 

Have you ever read anything by this author? Let me know what you're reading at the moment! XO

Current Favorite Nail Look

I'm loving bold berries and bright reds as much as the next girl right now, but there's always one shade I come back to no matter what time of year and that's nude. Pink-y nudes, brown nudes, true nudes, sheer nudes, I love them all! Right now I'm loving this pink nude by Milani in the shade Natural Touch.

What shade do you find yourself wearing year round? Let me know in the comments below! XO

Award Winning Blueberry Muffins

The title of this post is a little misleading. These ARE award winning blueberry muffins, they're just not MY award winning muffins. My good friend and fellow blogger Andrea, over on Living on Cloud Nine posted this recipe on her blog a while back. The second I saw this post I knew I had to make these. My husband is a huge fan of blueberry muffins and these looked too good not to try.

Original recipe found here. The only changes I made were using coconut flour and unsweetened vanilla almond milk only because that's what I had on hand. These turned out delicious and I can see myself making them over and over again with different fruits and spices added to the mix. Note: my batter was super thick, probably due to the consistency of the milk, so I added a little bit of water to loosen it up before putting the blueberries in.

My muffins were no where near as aesthetically pleasing as Andrea's, but they sure did taste good, and that's definitely what counts at the end of the day, am I right? This is one of many delicious recipes Andrea shares on her blog so remember to go have a look! Thanks to my lovely friend for sharing the recipe! XO

My Husband Dressed Me...Series!

My good friend and I were chatting the other day when she sent me a link to a blog post. The post was a series of fashion photos in which the person let their husband dress them for a week. My friend suggested I do this for my blog and I jokingly said the problem with that would be that my husband would dress me better than I would dress myself. It did get me thinking, however, that it would be fun to have hubby dress me for different occasions. One thing I love about my husband is he is always surprising me and his knowledge of fashion is no exception. It also always surprises me the type of clothing he likes on me. For example, when I was searching for my wedding dress, I was looking at mermaid style dresses, because what guy doesn't love something a little form fitting? My husband actually picked out the princess style dress I ended up choosing. So today is the first post in a series of my husband dressed me posts and I started with my husband dressed me for a job interview.

I have a few pencil skirts but I was really surprised my husband picked this fit n' flare dress for my outfit. He also had me try on a couple different jackets before settling on this boyfriend cut blazer.

 Dress : H&M

Blazer : Forever 21

 I'm really surprised hubs picked out this classic style purse but it's perfect for a business occasion, such as a job interview. He said, "You can't carry a huge bag to a job interview. You need a small one." Noted.

Purse : Ebay

It also surprised me that the hubs picked out these booties, I was sure he would go for a pair of heels.

Booties : Sam Edleman Circus

I would never have thought to pair this statement necklace with this dress, but the cut of the neckline actually makes it work. Good job hubs!

There you have it, I think the hubs did a really good job dressing me for an interview. Let me know what you think of this outfit (and the series) below! XO

Weekly Roundup : Friday Faves #16

Another Friday is here, but this week has felt like the longest week ever. I feel like I'm coming down with a bit of a cold (NO!) so that might be why, but regardless, it's FRIDAY! YAY! I'm celebrating with another Friday Faves so here we go.

I'm pretty sure that my favorite scent is Coconut. I don't like to commit to things like this, but quite frankly whenever it comes to lotions or body washes I always pick Coconut if it's available. This body butter by Nirvana Spa is pure heaven. It's super thick and rich which is perfect for my skin this time of year and it smells so good I feel like I'm on holiday every time I put it on. It's paraben free and made with real coconut so it's ultra nourishing.

I've featured this blush in a blog post previously, but it had to go in a favorites. It's so shimmery and pretty and its rich hue makes it super wearable into the colder months. It's the Laura Gellar blush in the shade Pink Grapefruit and it gives the prettiest flush to your cheeks. I don't even need to wear a highlight when I wear this because it gives such a beautiful glow to the skin.

It's a berry shade, it's a balm stain in crayon form, it's called Cranberry Crush, need I say more? Seriously, though, this twist and shine balm stain from Jordana has been my go to lately. It's super easy to put on and gives the perfect bit of color to your lips.

Let's be honest, even before you are reading this, when you are just looking at the pictures you already know that I have a million shades like this. A MILLION. But not from Milani. That counts, right? Anyway, this berry shade in Sangria is so beautiful and Milani lipsticks are really comfortable to wear, so it's a definite favorite.

Last I have a liquid liner from Jordana. Which means it's super cheap. It's also a felt tip and for some reason I've been really into those lately. Probably because they're super easy to use which shaves a few minutes off my get-ready time. Which means more sleep. Which definitely makes this a favorite.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and as always, let me know what you're loving this week! XO

Makeup Revlolution Ultra Contour Palette

I didn't know whether or not I was going to post about this particular palette because it's been all over the blogosphere for some time now. Eventually, I decided I had to put my 2 cents in because I have used this palette non-stop for the past few months. The palette I'm talking about is the Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette. First off, it's Makeup Revolution so the price for a palette like this can't be beat. Since it is Makeup Revolution I already knew I'd be pleased with the quality and I was definitely not disappointed. While some might say it's ridiculously similar to the Golden Sugar palette which I posted about here, and that I really didn't need it I beg to differ. While the highlights are the same in both palettes, the Contour Palette is way more helpful for...well, contouring, while the Golden Sugar palette is much better for all over bronzing.

I think it's clear to see which two colors I've been using most although all three contouring shades on the bottom row are quite lovely. I'm especially loving the cool toned brown in the middle as my skin is taking on it's Winter sheen (i.e. extreme paleness). The yellow corrector directly above it has been setting my concealer beautifully and the pink shimmery shade to the right of that makes a beautiful 3rd highlight or eyeshadow. There have been times where I only had this palette with me and have used both the bronze highlight and the pink highlight as eye shadows and because they are so smooth and blend so well they work beautifully as such! The pink shade on the top left is a corrector as well so it's matte. Overall I've used this palette enough to say it's definitely worth the money in my opinion!

As always let me know what you're loving from Makeup Revolution or what your favorite contour products are! XO

Makeup Revolution Contour Palette

Crimson Peak : A Review

I honestly love a good scary movie, especially on or around Halloween time! So when my husband said I could choose any movie I wanted to see for our anniversary I knew I had to capitalize on the situation. You see, my husband hates scary movies...I mean he absolutely detests them. So generally we don't watch too many. So, being the sweet wife I am, I picked a scary movie. In my defense, this movie didn't really look too scary, and it avoided most of his scary movie must-nots: NO scary religious films, NO scary children, and absolutely NO exorcisms. Okay, none of those were involved so I did take some consideration on his feelings.

I was super excited to see this film. First, I love period horror films. Second, this movie was so beautifully shot, I just knew I was going to like it for that alone. Whilst I love a good scary movie I'll admit I scare easily. This movie WAS scary, but it was more gore-y than frightening. Which isn't a bad thing if you happen to like gore, which I do. The story line was interesting, but I did feel as though it was left somewhat unfinished. You got the general gist of what was happening, but not a ton of background information. It didn't have any super surprising twists, but it was still pretty entertaining. All in all, I'd say if you like scary, gore-y movies that are visually pleasing it's worth it to go see this movie in theaters!

Let me know what your favorite scary film is! XO

Save vs. Splurge

I always love finding affordable products for higher end versions. I finally found a drugstore concealer that I really, really like. A few months ago I'd gotten the Lancome waterproof, anti-crease undereye concealer. While it's a great concealer it's quite pricey, as most great concealers seem to be. I've been on the hunt for a great drugstore concealer for a really long time. There are some I've tried that I've liked, but they weren't anything amazing. A little over a week ago I picked up Maybelline's Master Conceal. What drew me to it was that it came in a tube much like my Lancome version. It claims to be a full coverage high resistance concealer.

The Lancome version is on the left in the shade Ivory. It has a more yellow tone to it while the Maybelline one has a pinkier undertone and is in the shade Fair. Both are the same consistency, a semi-thick liquid and both are incredibly brightening. 

Both blend out fairly easily which I like considering it's being put on a delicate area. From the swatches you can see the Maybelline concealer is actually slightly fuller coverage and sits a bit thicker on the skin.

Completely blended out the coverage is pretty similar, with the Maybelline one being slightly fuller coverage. Set with a powder the Maybelline one lasted almost a full day. I'd say it starts creasing and wearing around the 8 to 9 hour mark while the Lancome one lasted my full 12 hour day. I've worn the Maybelline one in the heat (basically being a sweaty mess) and also in a downpour and it stayed put in both instances.

As far as which I'd prefer, I'd say the Maybelline concealer is just as good as the Lancome version. It doesn't last as long but you're paying literally a fourth of the price. The Maybelline one is slightly thicker and fuller coverage so if that's something you look for I would highly recommend this concealer. I'd say for me I'll probably repurchase the Maybelline concealer over the Lancome one when both run out.

Lancome Concealer : .52oz - $31
Maybelline Concealer : .4oz - $8.99 but you can often find it on a sale in most drugstores

Let me know of a drugstore concealer you find comparable to the high end ones! XO

Day Date Outfit

The one thing I can say about Utah weather, is that it's incredibly unpredictable. I'm not exaggerating when I say one day it will be warm and sunny and the next will be a crazy snowstorm. You'd think I'd learn by now and be prepared for any event, but that just isn't the case. On this day we went to the movies (we saw Crimson Peak, so good!) and although I had my hat (thank goodness!) I really should have had a jacket with me.

These are my favorite jeans at the moment. They're distressed patchwork jeans by the brand Vanilla Star. I got them very recently from Shopko for a killer price as they were on clearance!
 

My top is from H&M last year and hat is from Forever 21. Both these styles seem to be around everywhere this year so you can find similar items in store or online.

I've talked about Angela and Roi in a previous post.  They are one of my favorite handbag brands as some of the proceeds from every purchase go towards a good cause. This is the Morning Plum cross-body bag which supports the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. This is one of my favorite bags, the quality cannot be beat and the size is perfect for day to day. You can find the bag here.

My booties are Steve Madden which I purchased at Ross a couple of years ago. These are some of my favorite shoes as I can wear them year round...although I wouldn't recommend them during a downpour.

As you can see from the closeup picture of my cut-out booties, it was incredibly wet outside at the time we took these pictures. Like I said, thank goodness I decided to wear my hat that day since I (rather impractically) didn't have a jacket. It's still one of my favorite Fall outfits, although let this be a reminder to me to throw on a leather jacket next time!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Let me know what you got up to! XO