Haul: My Ulta Goodies

About a weekend or so ago, the Mister and I went to Freehold Raceway Mall and I saw the ginormous Ulta they had in there (queue the heavenly music). I have to admit, I am jelly of those who live so close to the mall as it has a Sephora and Ulta both. Anyway, my loving Mister took a seat in the waiting area and I ran in with glee to look at all the goodies Ulta had to offer. I didn't end up buying too much, I'm still trying to not purchase a ridiculous amount of products that will end up sitting in my drawer. Keyword, trying.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge: Being such a fan of the Beauty Blender (I have the pink and black one) I wanted to add a low budget and affordable version to my stash. I had heard a rave review from VintageorTacky on YouTube and she stated it was comparable to the BB sponge. I have tried it and do enjoy the results from it. When damp, the sponge balloons to about twice its size which is pretty fun. As to which I like better, I'm still not too sure yet.

Real Techniques Powder Brush: Who can have enough powder brushes? I'm not going to lie, I'm lazy when it comes to washing my brushes and will just use all my clean ones until I'm forced to wash them, I know it's terrible but I'm betting a lot of girls do it! 

Real Techniques Mini Trio Set: I got suckered into this small adorable set while I was waiting in line. I have been looking for an ideal travel powder brush to throw in my travel makeup bag and I think I found it. Plus it's pink! The other two brushes were bonuses for me.

OPI Natural Nail Base Coat: I was in need of a new nail base coat, and decided to try the OPI one. Usually I stick with very basic drugstore versions like Revlon and Sinful Colors but I decided to try the OPI version instead. 

Smashbox Mini Full Exposure Palette: How friggin cute is this!? I'll admit I got suckered waiting in line (damn those compulsive buys) but seriously, this is truly the perfect travel size palette. The original large full exposure palette came out when it was the Naked 3, NARSissit, and Lorac Pro craze (and of course I own all three), so I couldn't justify purchasing another $50.00 palette with similar colors. I feel this is the perfect compromise and absolutely perfect for someone who loves neutrals. Yes, the glitter shadows do have some fallout but I apply those with my fingers gently patting down on my lid and find that to be the best answer. Another plus for me is that the six shadows are exactly what I would have chosen out of the 12 from the normal palette.

Flowery Quattro Four Way Buffer: And lastly I picked these up because a girl can never have enough nail files lying around! lol

Hope you enjoyed my mini haul. I will be posting my first empties post in a few days, it took me forever to accumulate some for a substantial post! Anyway happy Thursday!

Haul: Sephora VIB Haul!

I think one of the biggest things I look forward to is the Sephora VIB sale. I mean, 20 percent off is a pretty big thing, especially for some middle to high end brands! Some may argue that Ulta has 20 percent off almost once a month, but remember, the discount doesn't apply to certain brands which always defeats the purpose for me. 

With this purchase, I was able to unlock VIB Rouge. I have to admit I was excited and horrified at the same time. Excited because I unlocked the ultimate tier of VIB but horrified because I had spent a certain amount of money to get there. Anyway, on to the haul!

1-Benefit Gimmie Brow: I had been on the fence with this for a while especially since I do enjoy the Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil and gel. I decided to read some blog reviews to help aid me in my decision to purchase or skip. It's obvious what the decision was. I've been testing this out for a bit since I've gotten it and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. I can use this on a daily basis without looking too done up but when I want to look really polished, I use this in combination with the Brow Wiz pencil.

2-Benefit Fake Up: After hearing from my friends how amazing this is, it was clear I had to try this as well. This is definitely one of the best concealers I have used, especially with my current skin condition (dry). There is no settling into fine lines and I look awake and refreshed. I will say, that if you do have extremely dark circles, this will still be too sheer for you.

3-Too Faced Lip Injection Color Bomb in Never Enough Nude: It wouldn't be a complete haul with at least one lip product! To be honest, I had about four more lip products in my cart but removed them after reminding myself that I have way too many. The product itself is lovely and the color is a perfect neutral nude to compliment many skin tones. That being said, it does sting upon initial application. So those who are sensitive to any lip plumpers should definitely stray from this. 

4-Diorshow Iconic Waterproof Mascara: Since it was the VIB sale, I decided to try a higher end mascara instead of the usual drugstore faves and I have to say, I'm not that impressed. I just feel that this doesn't really do much to my lashes. I may play with it a little more and try layering this with other mascaras and see what the result it.

5- Origins Clear Improvements Active Charcoal Mask Pods:  Woo, what a name! This was one of those, "you might like these" last minute adds to my cart. I've already tried a pod and liked the results it gave. The amount of product they give is plenty, I only needed about half of it for my entire face. I saved the rest of it in a small container for a future use.

6- Sephora Outrageous Prisma Chrome in Golden Taupe- This little stud of an eye shadow was on clearance so I decided to give it a shot. It swatches beautifully and will probably be fantastic for a neutral, smokey eye.

6- Hourglass Ambient Lightning Palette: Raved about by so many bloggers and YouTubers, I had to get this. I had this already placed in my cart waiting for checkout once the VIB sale was live. However the morning of the sale, Sephora stated it was sold out. Despite being disappointed, I kept checking back to their website and got lucky! I saw that they restocked the palette and did the fastest online checkout ever. One of the main reasons I wanted this palette was due to the amazing deal. Each powder is over 3 grams and you get three powders (two permanent, one limited edition).

7- Hourglass Ambient Light in Diffused Light: Since the palette was sold out initially, I decided to purchase one of the permanent Ambient powders. Diffused Light is great as a setting powder and gives my skin this beautiful "glow from within" look.  

8- Sephora Formula X The Twenty Two- Last but not least are this gorgeous polishes from Sephora's new nail polish line. I was so impressed with the 100 point polish I got previously I decided to give this a shot. I haven't really tried them all yet, so I can't give you a full review. I will say that the speckled polishes are very impressive.

Hope you enjoyed the haul and hope you all scored some great goodies during the VIB sale!! Happy Sunday!

Mini Date Haul

Having an entire lifestyle change means looking at your life, well in all aspects. This means bettering your mind and body as a whole and finding new ways to do this. So when the Mister and I decided to change our minds and bodies for the better, we needed to take a look at our diet and clean it up. To be frank, it was horrendous. Tons of refined carbs, sugar and sodium. Like they say, you can't outwork a bad diet. We cleaned out our fridge and filled it with healthy, leafy greens, lean proteins and complex carbs. Now, a giant misconception about eating clean or healthily is that it's tasteless and boring. I beg to differ. I've been finding more ways to season my food without the aid of tons of salt and I love it! I actually prefer eating cleaner than eating all the junk food I used to love (I'm looking at you Son of Baconator!)

On Saturday after our workout, the Mister and I saw just how gorgeous it was outside. We decided to take a walk to Pier Village, a shopping hub along the beach, and take in some vitamin D. The walk is about a mile to and back but in great company it doesn't feel long at all.

After treating myself to some frozen yogurt (yummmm) we stopped by one of our favorite stores, Carter & Cavero. This store is amazeballs. It specializes in olive oils and several types of balsamic vinegar. The store also dabbles in some olive oil based beauty products and contains other miscellaneous treats like specialty teas and plates made out of Himalayan pink salt! The store is very dangerous because you can sample each and every type of oil and vinegar and you can easily spend a good hour in there tasting everything. After much sampling and debating we decided on four bottles: two oils (garlic and tuscan herb) and two vinegars (red apple and coconut.) I also helped myself to some boxes of tea because I'm a tea hoarder and also because drinking water can get kinda boring!

Precious treasures waiting to be upwrapped!

The Tuscan herb olive oil is the bomb-dizzle! Dip some warm french bread in it and trust me, you'll be in heaven! The coconut balsamic vinegar smells and tastes delicious, I added a bit of this to my grilled tuna and it was a party in my mouth. I haven't used the apple balsamic yet, but I think it will be great with some grilled asparagus or salmon!

 

I've tried Harney & Son's tea in the Barnes and Noble Starbucks near my house and have loved every flavor. While I was in the store, they had "test tins" which was basically a tea bag in the tin so you could smell each one. These three were my favorite. I love any type of green tea pretty much and the Mister loves cinnamon tea. The vanilla comoro was so decadent smelling and it's decaffeinated, which means I can enjoy this at night without worrying about sleeping troubles!

I hope you liked my mini haul! As I find more interesting finds in food and health, I will post more. I'm thinking of incorporating reviews on different types of health foods, I know there are some readers who are interested in improving their overall health. If you would like to see that, please let me know! Feedback is always a plus. Hope you all had a great Wednesday. Two more days till the weekend!

Fitness Mini Haul...Plus An Update!

Oh hello! "Is it me you're looking for?" 

HAI GUYZ!!! Long time no chat and no see. I've seemed to have vanished after November. My apologies, I've missed posting and you all quite a bit. I just wanted to post a quick update of my life and show you a mini fitness gear haul I got today. 

All right, so first thing's first, what's new?

1-I have picked up fitness again, but this time with a vengeance. I started lifting again near the end of November but only cleaned up my diet in January. No more sissy Steph. After research, self evaluation and self motivation, I've cast aside preconceived notions and stereotypes. No more "toning" for me, it's all about building strength and getting muscle. I'm still very far from where I want to be, but my mind is finally prepared and excited for the journey ahead. I'm looking to build the strongest version of me there is, mentally and physically.

Beau snuck a pic while I was working out.

2-As you can tell from the pictures above, I dyed my hair black. I got sick of the red fading and of the maintenance. Another reason for my drastic change? I wash my hair more frequently since I workout pretty much everyday, the money cost to keep the color in wasn't worth it. Maybe in the summer I'll go red again, maybe. 

3-I've come to the realization that people will come and go in your life. As sad as this realization this, it's part of our journey in life. I'll leave it at that.

4-I'm still pretty obsessed with cosmetics. I don't think I ever will not be, but for a while I avoided Blogger because I couldn't control my desire to want everything I saw. I'm better now, but again it's something I definitely need to work on. Instead of having Buyer's Remorse, I'd rather have the self control to know when not to splurge.

My latest obsessions. Butter everything...well skincare wise. Lip butter and body butter are a God send in the winter!

Now onto the haul! Me and Beau went to the Jersey Shore Outlets today to do an exchange at the Nike Store. I wasn't planning on buying anything but I saw a sales cart labeled "19.99" I took a gander just to see what they were selling, I mean it's not like Nike has grossly hideous shoes. When I saw the pink in the box I squealed a bit. There was only one pair of 6.5's left so I felt this purchase was meant to be. A girl can never have enough trainers!

The Under Armor store was right next to Nike so we took a peek in there. I bought a black pair of capris off the UA website at the end of December and fell in love with them. They feel like second skin. I have been lusting for a pair of the ever so popular Lulu Lemon yoga pants...but I honestly don't want to shell out so much money. These look similar to the Lulu pants and half the price, especially if you find them at the outlet. I'm so excited to add these to my closet!

Have you guys kept up with your resolutions for the New Year/Life? Let me know please! Hope to hear from you all soon and of course Happy Hump Day!

Haul: L'Oreal Project Runway 2012 Lipsticks

You all know how much I love lipsticks so I couldn't help myself from picking these cuties up from Walgreens. While they are limited edition, I'm still seeing them all over the place at stores like Ulta, Duane Reade, CVS and Walgreens, so if you want these lipsticks, get them soon!

I decided to only get three out of the four lipsticks because I decided to be totally honest with myself about The Temptress' Kiss cause I would rarely wear it. So the three I got were: The Queen's Kiss, The Mystic's Kiss and The Muse's Kiss. Usually I'm not fond of the L'Oreal lipstick scent, but I love these colors so much that I ignore it. It does help that the smell dissipates after you put it on. My favorite out of the bunch is The Mystic's Kiss. It reminds me of a sheer version of Violetta, which I absolutely LOVE. Overall, all three are pretty sheer in coverage and you can build up the layers to your intensity. The swatches I have below are two coats just so I could show you the coloring on my lips.

 No Flash

 Flash

Swatches: All these were taken with no flash

 The Queen's Kiss

 The Mystic's Kiss

The Muse's Kiss

Did any of you guys buy these lipsticks? If so, what do you think? Which one is your favorite or lease favorite?

MAC Haul: The Marilyn Monroe Collection

This past Tuesday I was able to attend the Marilyn Event in Shrewsbury before its official launch. The place was packed and though my girlfriend and I got there at 7:30 (the event started at 7), a few items were already sold out, including one of the lipsticks I had really wanted. So when I went to the city on Thursday and went to the MAC store at Grand Central, I managed to snatch the LAST one. The SA made sure to let me know it was the last one, by bidding me farewell with "enjoy our LAST Charmed, I'm sure."

Anyway, back to the event itself. If you have ever been to a MAC event, you know it's madness. Women of all ages come to purchase these limited edition items and to socialize. All the MUA there that night were gorgeous in sparkling black dresses and platform heels. There were young guys passing drinks and hors d'oeuvres. My friend and I grabbed a prosecco, a form of sparkling wine and tried to browse the items. I was rather disappointed they only had one display of the items. I could not for the life of me find the beauty powder and it was a free for all for the lipsticks. Women didn't place the items back properly in the display (something that drives me up the wall) and of course there was some slight purse stabbing.

About a half an hour later my wonderful, patient friend and I exited the store with our goodies in tow. I mainly focused on the lip products and only purchased one eye shadow. I was disappointed at how light the blushes were and two out of the four eye shadows looked so similar and since I didn't even get to look at the beauty powder I passed on it all together. I do like what I purchased, especially Charmed, I'm Sure and Little Rock. If you are interested in the line, check your counters because the website is all sold out of the limited edition items. All right, this is long enough, here is my haul.

For those of you lucky enough to snag something from the line, what do you think of it? 

MAC Hey Sailor! Haul

MAC's Hey Sailor! Collection is still not available at counters, but you can find the products at the MAC cosmetics website and at their freestanding PRO stores. Every year MAC launches a beachy/nautical themed collection and each year, they manage to sucker me in. This is a 40 piece collection, pretty large if you ask me! Out of everything that I picked out, I'm pretty excited to use the highlighter and lipsticks (surprise, surprise). Anyway, here's the haul. I didn't swatch the lipsticks and lipglass on my lips because I have a cold and I didn't want to display my ridiculously red nose.

My Newest Editions!

Hai guys! Just wanted to drop by and show you my newest editions to my purse collection. These bags have been all the rage in the blogger sphere and to be quite honest, I was surprised to snag these!

If you do wish to purchase these bags, they are listed as a special price on Zara, get them now! Part of Zara's Basic line, these simple messenger bags will go with a plethora of my outfits any time of the year.

Just a quick note, the website coloring is a bit off for the lightest one of the group. It looks cream on the website, but it's definitely a dusty gray. The red (I picked this up for my mom) is a little brighter than shown and the black is just black, haha.

BUY HERE

“Flirting is a woman’s trade, one must keep in practice.”

Friends and family know I am an avid fan of Jane Eyre. I absolutely love that novel. Beau makes fun of me constantly because of my affinity towards it. I can't help it! Anyway, my love (obsession) for the novel led me to Etsy. I simply typed in Jane Eyre and was rewarded pages of eye candy. There was a piece that quickly caught my eye and upon clicking it, I knew I was in trouble.

I was led to a store named JezebelsCharms. The seller, Kate, creates wonderful literary pieces for you to wear! While there were various pieces to choose from, I spent time looking at her brass cuffs. I decided to purchase three, each one significant because they were so distinct in the novel. Each cuff is uniquely designed and the brass is destined to change color as it ages. This will result in a beautiful cuff with an antique and vintage feel.

If you have a chance, check out her store, and check out Etsy in general. There are some hidden gems and great deals. It's also a great opportunity to support handmade creations!

Perhaps one of my favorite points in the novel. I love that the entire passage is included on this delicate cuff. Click on the images to enlarge.

"My Bride is here...because my equal is here, and my likeness."

"Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me to as my own. In pain and sickness it would still be dear." This is the highlighted quote, the text underneath is the passage it is taken from.

Hope you guys liked my little jewelry haulage! Happy Hump Day. I'm also pretty excited for today, I'll be on my way to see Video Games Live tonight! The gamer girl in me is doing the happy dance right now.

Shop Mac, Cook Mac Haul

Hi my lovely readers!

Hope everyone is having a nice fresh start to the week. Don't let those Monday blues get you down. Think of the beginning of the week as the start of being an even more awesome person (cause I know you all are pretty awesome already!)

I picked up a few things from the Shop MAC, Cook MAC collection. They of course, were all lip products. I already had two of the Kissable lipcolours from the Peacocky collection which launched last January, but I went ahead and included them in the pictures. There is a slight difference in packaging between the two collections. The Shop Mac lipcolours have a thick black stripe on the tube while the Peacocky lipcolors do not.

I also picked up a lipstick from the collection. I had really wanted Quick Sizzle, but it sold out like a hotcake so no luck there. I settled for Watch Me Simmer, which is a crazy bright coral, pink shade. It's very spring.

The last thing I picked up was the Tendertone in Tread Gently. I have to say...I LOVE this. Oh man. I made mention to my mom how much I loved them when we passed the MAC store in Grand Central, and she just told me I have a package from MAC coming...I wonder if she got me more.

Did any of you purchase anything from the collection? I would love to know!

Update and Drugstore Haul

Hey guys!

I hope everyone has been well and keeping warm. The past week I've been sick and feeling quite miserable. I become such a baby when I get sick, but I'm very lucky to have a beau who takes awesome care of me. With his nurture and care, I'm definitely feeling better, the only thing remaining thing I need to get rid of is this runny nose.

I've also been trying to slim down. I started way back in July and I'm very happy to say I've successfully shed 10 pounds. I still want to drop another five to 10 pounds, but I'm pretty content where I'm at. Now I just need to tone, tone and tone. To be honest though, it's very cold and I hate going out to the gym to sweat and walking back home sweaty. I may have to bust out Insanity or my yoga dvds.

As of makeup, I've been trying very hard not to spend so much on it, but these damn makeup companies make it so hard when they come out with something new every month. Now I try to shop smarter and read the reviews before I buy. The picture below is an accumulation of purchases over the past two months. I will post reviews of the products when I finally use them.

The very coveted Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo Cream Eye Shadows in: Tough as Taupe, Bad to the Brozne, Audacious Asphalt and Bold Gold

From L to R:
Revlon PhotoReady Airbush Foundation in Nude
Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam foundation in Nude
L'Oreal 24hr Infallible Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe, Iced Latte, Amber Rush, Midnight Blue, Continuous Cocoa and Eternal Sunshine
Revlon PhotoReady Primer
L'Oreal Riche polish in He Red My Mind
L'Oreal Color Riche Le Balm in Rose Elixir (def prefer the Revlon Lip Butters)
Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch
Essie Luxe Effects polish in As Gold As It Gets

NoTD using the two polishes together. I feel it gives a very Lunar New Year look.

A before and after pic of me. The left picture was taken in July while the right picture was taken in mid December. It's not too noticeable, but I definitely feel my face has slimmed down.

Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed my update. I'm also wishing everyone a very Happy Lunar New Year! I especially love this event because it brings back wonderful memories of my grandmother. Be safe and see you all soon.