BH Wild & Alluring Palette

There's just something about baked makeup that gets me every single time. Not only are the products incredibly beautiful to look at, but the option to use them wet for more intensity is just brilliant. BH Cosmetic's Wild & Alluring palette is no exception, it's gorgeous, the pigmentation is out of this world and the color range is like nothing I have in my collection. You're getting a lot of bang for your buck with this dual purpose palette.

The palette contains 9 baked eyeshadows which are baked with different colors to create beautiful blends, a baked blush and a baked bronzer. The top three shadows have been my favorite thus far, but the pastel shades are all so pretty, I can see myself getting tons of use out of this through the month. The blush is a gorgeous shimmery pink and the bronzer is super golden, which also makes a great eyeshadow. You can find the palette here if you're interested. Have you guys tried anything from BH Cosmetics? Happy hump day my lovely friends! XO

#InstaNatural Micellar Cleansing Water

A couple of weeks ago InstaNatural sent me a facial cleanser that I fell in love with. They kindly offered to sent me the Micellar Cleanser Water to try out and I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed by the cleanser water. It contains lavender extract, cucumber extract, sage extract and calendula extract. I was super impressed that it not only took off my waterproof mascara and dark lipstick, but it made my skin feel super clean and moisturized. It's a true water consistency and the scent, much like the cleanser, is super natural. It smells sort of like plants, but in a good way.

Again, this product is super affordable around the $15 range for 8fl oz. If you're in the market for a new, super effective micellar water you can purchase it here. Let me know if you try it out and what you think. Happy Tuesday friends! XO -Kim

August Goals

I know, it's August ... Already! Before we know it Fall will be here and I'm kind of okay with that. This summer has been brutally hot and I'm kind of ready for it to be over. Needless to say, we still have a few months of summer to get through so here's some things I want to get done in August.

1. Have a girls night or a girls lunch: It's been SO long since I've seen a lot of my girl friends and that is just not okay. Even though I'm out of town for some of August and I work ALL the time, I really need some girl time so August is the time to schedule that in!

2. To work out for 1 hour (at least) 3 times a week: Technically, this is a challenge that my work is really pushing so I'm participating, but it's also a goal I'd like to set as I've been really sporadic on my workouts and can come up with any excuse not to do it. This will give me a little push.

3. Read at least 2 books on my week off of work: You guys know this often becomes a goal because I can never seem to sit down and read when I have so much else going on. With my week off I want to get in all the reading I can.

July flew by and I did not do well goals wise. I did yoga maybe a total of 3 times and was not productive in getting a night routine down. I did, however, start drinking more water again (helped by the fact that we've been living in an oven the past month) so there is that. What are you guys looking forward to accomplishing in August? XO

Weekly Roundup : Friday Faves #31

 Hey friends, can we all agree to be super grateful that it's Friday? I know I sure am! I've rounded up some of my favorites of the week and, as always, be sure to share yours in the comments!

My first favorite is this Milani Bronzer in the shade Fake Tan. I love the contour because it's so cool toned and the bronze has just a bit of shimmer for a nice summer glow. Also, the pan is HUGE so it will last forever and because it's Milani it was affordable.

This second Milani product is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it also is really pretty as a blush topper. It's the illuminating face powder in the shade Amber Nectar. It's a bronze, blush, and highlight all in one but when you mix them all together you get the prettiest sheer coral. You can use it for a super natural blush or highlight and it's just gorgeous.

I've been doing more shop my stashes lately as I am trying super hard to rotate my ridiculously large makeup collection and I pulled out this beauty that I was obsessed with last summer. It's from an Etsy store called Give Me Glow and it's in the shade Halo, a super gorgeous golden highlight that packs a big punch. It was also really affordable.

I've also been loving using this e.l.f. contouring brush to get a majorly defined contour. It's super thin and dense so it really gets in the cheek to add definition and I am loving a bold contour lately.

Last but always most favorite is Stephanie, the blogger behind Go Fashion Deals. Not only do I love her blog for fashion inspiration, she also has an Etsy store (GeekyGlamSteph) now where she sells tee shirts like the one she's modeling above. I love them, especially paired with a skirt like she's showing here! Go check her out.

Well that's all for this week my lovely lot, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and try to stay cool! XO

Diary of a Real Life

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I've made it a point to be as open and honest as I can on my blog. In a world where social media reigns supreme, I feel like it's so important to continue living a "real" life and portray that on my blog and various social media sites. I allow myself to be vulnerable, imperfect and even just plain "normal" because I'm human. We all are. Sometimes I feel like people mistake that for insecurity when nothing can be further from the truth. I get comments reassuring me that I'm fine, that it's okay, etc, etc. Don't get me wrong, I love every single one of my blogger friends and each and every comment is so sweet and thoughtful and I couldn't be more grateful. I guess I just don't want what I say to come across different from what I mean.

In my quest to live my normal life via the internet I want to make it clear that I have lots of self confidence, am more than okay with myself, my life and my image and don't need to be reassured that what I do or say is okay. I know that and I want you guys to know it too. I don't want people to see my blog and mistake it for a girl who is worried about what she is doing or what others think. Instead, I want all my blogging friends to know that I don't live in a fantasy world and I'm okay with that. I'm still 100% grateful and you should be too, whether you're keeping up with the Jones' or simply trying to keep it together.

I've had people in my day to day life comment on my blog to also reassure me that what I'm doing or saying is okay. If I've ever written a post coming across as needing this reassurance I apologize profusely. I simply share my life, my real life, with you guys because you are my friends. I know you'll be inspired, be amused, or simply come to catch up with me. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, friends, it's okay that my life is messy, I embrace it. I'm happy with it. If you come to my page, I hope you are happy with it too. Love you all, and happy Thursday! XO

What's My Face Worth?

hteorI've seen this post floating around and I found it interesting for a couple of different reasons. I pride myself on always finding affordable alternatives to high-end products but I also use a lot of makeup everyday. A lot. So even though the majority of my products are drugstore, I had a feeling it would still add up. This doesn't even include eyeshadow because I don't wear it all the time.  This is the day to day basics of what I always wear. Also, whatever the amount ends up being, don't tell my husband okay? Here's what my face added up to on this day:

The base : I use NYC's smooth skin primer. It retails at Walmart for $4.12. I also use NYC's smooth skin liquid makeup which I also purchase at Walmart for $5.56. The e.l.f. hydrating under eye primer which is amazing is $3 at pretty much any drugstore as well as on e.l.f.'s website.

Coverups and powders : I've used the Maybelline Fit me! matte + poreless powder in the shade translucent since I first discovered it and have repurchased it over and over. It retails for $4.97 at most drugstores. The L'Oreal Magic Lumi highlighting concealer is $9.89 which bothers me because a) that's super pricey and b) I don't like it all that much. Time to switch up my concealer, I think. The Laura Gellar balance + brighten foundation powder is a trial size and perfect to set my undereye concealer. I bought it in a kit, but the single product averages out to be $9.75, another pricier item considering I have a lot of cheaper versions that I like just as much.

My two eyebrow products are my some of my favorites and products I feel like I'll use for a long time to come. The e.l.f. eyebrow kit runs for $3.00 and the brow drama is $6.99. The formula is one of the best I've ever tried and is a firm favorite.

Two more NYC products that are really, really good and super affordable. The NYC mascara in Skyrise is super lengthening and the skinny brush makes it really easy to use, even on bottom lashes. I get it for $4.49 which is amazing for a mascara. The NYC liner has been a long time favorite and one of two eyeliners I use on a regular basis. It sets me back $5.17, again, amazing for a liquid liner.

This NYX baked and illuminating is gorgeous this time of year and has been a frequent guest in my makeup bag. It's in the shade Pink Fetish, lasts forever, and only costs $6.99. I've talked about this Butter Bronzer in a recent favorites. It's by Physician's Formula, which is, admittedly, one of the pricier drugstore brands so this comes in around  $12.50, one of my most expensive products. Still, totally worth it.

This NYX lip liner and Chi Chi liquid lipstick have been my favorite combo lately. The pencil, in the shade Purple Rain and costs $3.99. The quality of these lip pencils suggest a much higher price point so I own quite a few. This liquid lipstick is kind of a cheat because I actually received this from a lovely blogger friend, but they retail at $16.95 and can't be found at local drugstores for me...

Altogether, my everyday face costs $97.44. I know that's kind of a middle range price-point but still, seeing it in print really reinforces that makeup buying ban I'm always trying to put myself on. Do you guys know how much your face is worth? Happy mid-week my lovely friends! XO

InstaNatrual Glycolic Cleanser

I'm not skincare expert, but one thing I have figured out is what my skin likes. I have super oily skin with large pores and as I've gotten older, I've also started worrying about the fine lines around my eyes and mouth. Since I battle all these issues I've found that Glycolic acid is a holy grail for my skin. It shrinks my pores and manages my oiliness while giving me anti-aging benefits. I've been using this cleanser for a few weeks and have noticed my skin is softer, smoother and has a youthful glow to it.

This cleanser exfoliates by removing dead skin cells, helps to eliminate acne and also provides antioxidant protection to help against daily aggressors like UV radiation. The cleanser has Vitamin E, cucumber extract, organic chamomile extract and green tea extract, just to name a few of the natural ingredients. That's another thing I love about this particular brand, it contains natural ingredients that are good for your skin while being incredibly gently. The best part? A 6.7 fl oz bottle is only around $20.00. That's a steal for great skincare!

If you're interested you can find out more about the product and purchase it here. You can also check out InstaNatural on Instagram using the #InstaNatural

Let me know if you guys have heard of this brand or tried any of the products. I'm purchasing the mattifying toner so I'll keep you guys updated!

*Thanks to the folks at InstaNatural who sent me this product for free. This post is not sponsored and all thoughts and opinions are honest and are my own.