Mini e.l.f. Haul and Review

It's been a while since I bought any new e.l.f. products, mostly because I'm a hoarder I already own pretty much everything in their collection. Recently, they came out with some new items so I had to check them out. I'm super excited to share with you what I got!

My first and favorite purchase is the Ambient Palette which is new to e.l.f. It's meant to be a dupe of the Ambient Lighting powders from Hourglass. As you can see from the swatches they are very subtle, meant just to give a soft glow to the skin. You get 4 colors in the palette and it was $6 so a real bargain! As with the other e.l.f. products in these palettes, you can pop each pan out and swap with blush or contour colors to create your perfect personalized palette.

The next product I'm loving is the e.l.f. eyebrow kit in the shade Ash. It looks super light but it creates a really natural looking brow for me, which I'm loving at the moment.

  

e.l.f. came out with a couple of new colors in their matte lip range and I picked up the color Berry Sorbet. It's a perfect pink for this time of year and I seem to have better luck with the darker colors in the matte range so I am loving this.

 

 There are a bunch of different brands duping the Baby Lips balms right now and although I wasn't particularly fond of the originals, I have found some others that I do like. So when e.l.f. came out with their version I had to try a couple. I got mine in the shade (from top) Pouty Raspberry and Bare Kiss. They have a minty smell and tingly feel on the lips which I love. I also like that they are super pigmented, perfect for everyday.

 

 The e.l.f. moisture lipsticks aren't new, but they did come out with some colors perfect for the holidays. These are some of my favorite lipsticks because they are super moisturizing, as the name suggests, and really long lasting. I got this new color, Bordeaux Beauty, a deep gorgeous plum color.

I did get a few other items but I plan on talking about those in a future post. Have you tried anything new from e.l.f.?

Giving Thanks and Some Time Off

My husband showed me a meme the other day that said, "Black Friday: because only in America people trample each other for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have." I had a good laugh but in reality isn't that the truest statement? I urge you this Thanksgiving to take some time out to truly give thanks for what you have, whether you celebrate the holiday or not. It's about so much more than a holiday; it's time spent with family, coming together to share and love and laugh. It's about being thankful for the things that we have and giving back what we can, whether that be through monetary means or through time. My husband and I have the opportunity to serve others as we've volunteered at the shelter to serve food to people less fortunate than us. I am so thankful for the opportunity and that I have the means to do something for my community. Even if you do nothing other than stay home, just think about one thing that you are grateful for, that someone else would give anything to have. I am so very thankful to have all my amazing blog readers who make me feel so blessed to be a part of this community.

That being said, I am also fortunate enough to have two real days off...no running errands, no cleaning, no working, just two blissful days spent with family and being grateful. Please excuse the lack of posts for Thursday and Friday as I didn't pre-plan any posts because that's just not how this blogger rolls. I hope if you do celebrate Thanksgiving you have a wonderful one, and if not I hope you all have an amazing weekend full of happiness and love! XO

Thanksgiving Day Outfits

If you and your family are anything like me and mine, Thanksgiving means two things: food and football. While it's fun to dress up for the holidays, we also get really, really into our teams, so it's only natural throughout the years I've found a healthy balance of sporty and fashionable.

This is without a doubt one of my favorite outfits of all time. Even taking out the jersey I'd replace it with a tee shirt and it would be the perfect mix of casual and chic.  I love this fun skirt with this jersey (yes, it's a Raiders jersey for the hubs!) and to make it even more perfect for the holidays, the waist band is super stretchy so I can go back for my customary seconds. It's all about the little details, am I right?

 

These J. Crew pants are, again, super comfy and they matched perfectly with my Wilson jersey. I threw on a bright cardigan, comfy flats, and a statement necklace. The pants make this outfit a little more dressed up but this could definitely be worn out to a game or even to a Superbowl party.

I am a firm believer that a pencil skirt dresses up any outfit and this black and white checked one worked perfectly with my Julio Jones jersey (yep, love Atlanta too!). I added a pop of red with the shoes and if you guessed the skirt was super stretchy and comfortable then you know me all too well.

It's fun to get dolled up for the holidays but I am all about tradition and I enjoy incorporating my love of football into my holiday outfits. What do you wear to Thanksgiving? Are you a dress up or dress down family?

Treat Yourself Wishlist

It's inevitable that as I'm shopping for my friends and family I can't help but pick up some things for myself. Although I love to spend money on others, sometimes I just have to treat myself to something fun. I'm a huge fan of online shopping, especially on sites where I can find a wide range of items, from things for my hubby to things for my home. Spring is a recent discovery for me where they have wide range of products from beauty to jewelry to clothing from over 1000 different brands. Pretty much everything my little heart can desire. You can find some really affordable things as well with free shipping, so it's become one of my favorite places to shop online. Here's what's on my wishlist!

I am in love with the simplistic structure of this bag. The design is sleek but it has enough space to fit all your essentials. This is the type of bag no one would think to buy as a gift but it's something I'm most definitely coveting so it's at the top of my wish list. Find it here.

 Who doesn't like to treat themselves to some nice bath products, especially during such a hectic time of the year? The packaging on these ones are super adorable! These are in the scent Uplift.

I treat myself to a new pair of boots at the start of every season and these ones are perfect. They're simple, classic, and a bargain! They are the Alessandra Riding Boot in black.

I'm a big fan of dainty jewelry and this constellation ring is right up my alley. It's super affordable but looks expensive; my favorite kind of jewelry! It's available for pre-sale here.

Last on my wishlist is this Smashbox Try It Kit. You know that I love trying sample sets to see what types of beauty products I want to buy in full size. I'm a huge fan of Smashbox but I haven't tried any of these products yet so this is something I'll definitely be treating myself to.

I'm loving this site as I can treat myself to a little something while buying gifts for my friends and family. Have you guys ever shopped on Spring before? What's on your treat yourself wish list this holiday season?

Shop Spring

Weekly Roundup : Friday Faves #20

Holy cow, this week flew by and we are already through a lot of November. Where is the time going? It's Friday again, so you know what that means! Another roundup of things I've been loving this week is below!

This week has been all about the beauty products for me as I'm searching through my stash and playing with more looks. This bronzer/blush from The Balm in the shade Balm Desert is such a gorgeous neutral color. Originally I was sure I was going to use it as a bronzer but it comes out a little more pinky in person so I love it as a blush. It's also pretty matte and I've been into matte blushes so it's definitely been a favorite.

Wet n' Wild do some of my favorite blushes and this one in Heather Silk is just the right amount of dark pink for the cooler months but still with a bright pop of color. It looks super intense and a little does go a long way but blended out on the cheeks it gives the prettiest rosy glow.

I'm not a huge fan of the e.l.f. matte lip colors but this shade in Rich Red is the exception. It is a gorgeous true red and goes on super creamy. I wouldn't say it's a full matte which is probably why I like it, but it's matte enough and wears really comfortably.

Even though this Milani Crystal gloss is in the shade Summer Baby, I think it's totally holiday appropriate. It gives the prettiest gold shimmer to the lips and wearing it over a red (like the one above) would be absolutely stunning and perfect for the season! I am definitely loving this shade for holiday party looks!

Last but definitely not least I am listening to Meghan Trainor non-stop, especially this song. So good! Also loving Charlie Puth's song Marvin Gaye featuring Meghan Trainor, if you haven't heard it you should definitely check it out! I think I'm driving my husband crazy as she's just been on a loop for the past week (possibly longer)!

Hope everyone had a great week and remember to let me know what you're loving! Happy weekend! XO

Makeup Revolution Pink Fizz Chocolate Bar Palette

Hands down Makeup Revolution Chocolate Bar Palettes are my favorite palettes of all time. The packaging, the price, the pigmentation; it's all amazing. So when they came out with two new palettes I was all over that. Especially this Pink Fizz palette. I mean, it's basically my dream palette. It's really reminiscent of my Coastal Scents Revealed 2 palette which I did a post about a while back.

Again the packaging on this product is just super adorable and it's pink. IT'S PINK! I mean, that alone...am I right?

Love all the names, again, which play on the champagne fizzy drink theme. So cute.

This is without a doubt my favorite color range of all the chocolate bar palettes. It's mostly cool toned sparkly shades with a few mattes thrown in and it's mostly pink with some neturals.

I am super sad to report that the quality of the shadows is nowhere near as nice as the original palettes. I generally don't post about products I don't really like as I try to keep my posts about what I'm loving. Truth be told, I didn't even play with this palette much until this post because I was so sure I was going to love it. The shadows are quite powdery but also a lot of the swatches took 3 or 4 tries to get the color payoff I wanted for the photos. There are some beautiful shades in the palette and I'll still use it, but I am disappointed the shadows weren't the quality I've come to expect from Makeup Revolution. There's a beautiful pink in the palette that is literally just all chunky glitter. Not my cup of tea. I probably would just stick to the original palettes which are much more pigmented and offer beautiful colors as well. Like I said, the colors are still gorgeous, it's just a lot more work to get the amount of pigmentation that appear in the photos.

Have you tried either of the new Makeup Revolution Chocolate palettes yet?

Bedside Table Beauty

As a girl who has a sometimes unhealthy addiction to all things relating to beauty, I thought it might be fun to share the things I keep on my bedside table. These I like to refer to as my "finishing up" products, basically things I use every night before I go to sleep but like the luxury of doing in bed as opposed to in the bathroom.

The lip protectors : It's not unusual for me to have a number of the same types of products in use at the same time. I love the Nivea lip butter in Raspberry Rose Kiss but when I don't feel like dipping my finger into a pot (because when you're really tired, that can be a lot of work) I use the Smith's Strawberry lip balm which is really nice and moisturizing.

The cuticle softeners : Again, two products that essentially do the same thing. I love the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter cuticle cream, it's really my favorite, but it does get my nails quite greasy. When I still plan on using my hands (like if I'm going to read before I put them away) I like to use the European Secret's Hoofer's Choice nail and cuticle cream. Sounds really strange and it smells kind of medicinal, but it's a nice cream that really works.

The finishing creams : I always have to to put on a hand cream before bed. This one I mentioned in a post a couple weeks ago so it should come as no surprise it's made it into my bedside rotation. This mint pedi cream by Julep is so nice for keeping the feet soft and moisturized, especially this time of year when I'm wearing comfy socks to bed anyways.

The randoms : I always have antibacterial handgel everywhere and my bedside table is no exception. It comes in handy more often then you'd think! I also love a good hair oil and this Clear nourishing scalp and hair oil is perfect since it isn't too greasy. I just put a little bit on my hands and run through my ends every night and my hair feels really nice and soft in the morning.

The no fun but a necessity : My matte navy glasses by Third Culture aren't much fun, but as I usually read before bedtime they are a must. 

Being the naturally nosey person that I am I love to see what other people have stored on their bedside table. Let me know what you keep close by in the comments! 

Wet n' Wild Coloricon Eyeshadow Palettes

I love Wet n' Wild palettes because they're super affordable, you can find them at any drugstore and they're mostly amazing quality for the price. I recently picked up two Coloricon eyeshadow palettes in the shades Petal Pusher and Comfort Zone. They retailed for $3.99 each and contain 8 shadows in each palette.

Originally I was skeptical about the quality of these palettes. I generally like Wet n' Wild products, but for some reason these seemed like they would be slightly chalky. I was pleasantly surprised; these are super buttery and blend-able.

The packaging on these palettes is really cute. I love that each shadow is labeled and the back features a detailed diagram with numbers allowing you to create several different looks using the palette. It would definitely be a great palette for someone starting out in makeup. I was super excited for this Pedal Pusher palette as I am a huge fan of pinks and purples. I was slightly disappointed in the pigmentation of some of the colors (mainly the lighter ones) but I do think this would be a great palette for those who like a more subtle look. 

The Comfort Zone palette features the same packaging and was a lot more pigmented as far as I could tell. I was pleasantly surprised by this palette as I expected it to be a run of the mill neutral palette. Not that those aren't great, but this one is a little more unique. I love the bottom right color, it's a gorgeous brown with green reflect which is really reminiscent of some Colourpop shadows I have. I definitely would highly recommend this palette!

Overall I would say these palettes are definitely worth the price, especially as you get so many shades and can create so many different looks.

What are your favorite Wet n' Wild shadow palettes?