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beauty

beauty, empties

Empties

Time for another empties post!! I told you guys, I have been collecting the empties for awhile and didn’t realize how much I had!! There are some real gems in this bunch and the Clinique stuff I talk about is actually on sale at Nordstrom right now…as you will see if you follow the links. Yay! I love a sale.

Loreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream – This BB cream was alright. I don’t feel like there was anything special about it. I like this Rimmel one better and it is cheaper so I probably wouldn’t repurchase this one again.

Boscia Makeup Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil – Love love love this stuff!!! I cant sing enough praises about this and the Clinique one that is up next. If you are looking for a more natural option, go with this one.

Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm – Again, love love love. This and the Boscia are neck and neck for the number one spot in my heart. They both work so wonderfully at taking off my makeup without irritating my face, turning it red, or drying it out. Again, you cant go wrong with either of these products. I will probably pick this one up next time they have a free gift with purchase from a department store and get the Boscia one from Sephora to collect my points. Gotta maximize your dollar, am I right? I know there are cheaper makeup removers out there, but none come close to these two products.

Caudalie Vinosource Creme Sorbet Hydrante – I really loved this stuff when I first got it. I was pregnant and looking for ingredients that weren’t going to harm Zoe. I used it all, but I will say that it wasn’t as moisturizing in the colder months for me which let me to my new love for the Clinique Moisture Surge Intense that I am sure you are tired of me talking about. I would consider picking this up again in the summer when I might not need as much moisturizer. This would be great for oily/combo skin.

Bare Minerals ID Glimmer Shadow in Bare Skin – I have kept this specific color and Nude Beach in my makeup collection since my college days. I just love how gorgeous this color is alone or with Nude Beach and the little bit of shimmer it gives. I really reach for this a lot in the summer months.

Covergirl The Super Sizer – This mascara was a decent option as far as drugstore brands go. I liked how spread apart the wand was, it helped grab those harder to reach lashes. Is it my favorite drug store one though? No. I have to say Loreal Voluminous probably is. That isn’t to say that I would never buy this again but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

Have you guys tried any of these? What are you loving?

March 22, 2017 by Nadine

beauty, favorites, friday favorites

Friday Favorites

I went to schedule this post and realized it is St Patrick’s Day! Happy St Patrick’s Day!! Since I am part Irish, clearly I need to celebrate it in some way right? I feel like this week just went rushing right on by. Even work hours. I was busy busy busy. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Favorite Moments:

–A few coworkers and I headed over to the new Pizitz Food Hall downtown to check out the food court there. It was really cool. While I wasn’t super impressed with the meal I ordered from Choza, I am sure to go back and try some other things!!! I got three tacos, a chorizo, chicken and steak. I hate corn tortillas and didn’t realize that is what they would be. Despite that, the chorizo taco was good and had a real kick to it. The steak one was alright. The chicken one was really bland. I think next time if I go to that particular place, I would get a bowl instead. There is a bar set up in the middle of everything and several other restaurants I am dying to try!!! There are both an Ethiopian and Jerusalem place that I want to try, as well as a fish place that has sushi bowls that Laura has convinced me I need in my life.

–Speaking of Monday, I put on pre-pregnancy clothes and they fit!! Of course, not everything in my closet fits. But my stretchy jeans and the flowy tops do and I am calling that a freaking win!

–Another win? When I met up with my Friday lunch club girls that haven’t seen me since the week before I had Zoe. They finally got to meet her and made the comment that I don’t even look like I recently had a baby. Biggest compliment there ever was.

–This Very Berry Good Salad from Urban Cookhouse is what dreams are made of. I always order it with grilled turkey and citrus vinegerette. YUM

–I took Zoe to Babies R Us to use a gift card that we received from a sweet friend. I wanted to get her some new toys because we are both bored with all her current ones. Check out her haul!

–That dancing robot thing that lights up??? I save it for tummy time. Now look who likes it!!! Check out that neck strength! (The lights are reflecting on her face, she isn’t really a pink baby lol.)

–Zoe’s high chair has been sitting in the box in a corner of her room since we received it before she arrived. I decided to go ahead and put it together yesterday because she really likes sitting up. (And I am tired of looking at the big huge box.) Look at her loving it like a big girl!!!

Favorite Recipe: I am still trying to stay Whole 30/paleo the majority of the time. I have expressed my hatred of eggs many times. Here is the perfect non egg whole 30 breakfast! I cant wait to try this.

via

Favorite Mini Haul:I had to stop at Walgreens the other day and they were having a sale on their Wet n Wild stuff. Their brushes were 2 for $5. Um, ok!!! These brushes feel amazing and are so pretty!!! I got the blush, flat top and eyeshadow. Remind me of some higher end ones. I also have been dying to try the Lancome cushion highlighters. I didn’t want to pay the price for them, so I grabbed this one from Wet n Wild instead. It is super pretty!!!

Favorite Lusts: Even though this week has been cooler, overall it is starting to warm up around these parts. Time to start thinking about spring/summer clothing. I needed some new dresses last year, but since I was pregnant I just wore the crap out of the few flowy ones that I had. Basically I am started from scratch now and need at least a few to get me by this coming season. How perfect is this cold shoulder one from Loft??? My issue with a lot of dresses is that the arm holes are way too big for me. Ummmmm this tie shoulder strap would be PERFECT!

I fell in love with these sandals from Target. I am just patiently waiting for their shoes to go BOGO or at least on sale. There were a few others I wanted to scoop up also. Like these. And these. And maybe these.

Favorite Purchases: Speaking of shoes at Target, I did scoop these up last week. There was only one pair left in my size, and only about five pairs total in my store. I was afraid to wait for them to go on sale and they run out. They were insanely comfy and totally matched one of the four shirts I have that fit me right now. So yay! They look cuter on than in this picture. Much fancier than my usual flip flops.

Favorite Funnies:

TJ Maxx, I am looking at you….

My life struggle….

Linking up with Amanda. I hope you all have a great weekend!!!

March 17, 2017 by Nadine

beauty

Empties

I have some more empties for you today! This makes a small dent in the bag full of them I have. These are all face products, one of them being face sunscreen! Let’s just get to it, shall we??

Lush Ultrabland – I really enjoyed Ultrabland to remove my make up and clean my face in the evenings without drying it out. The smell takes a little getting used to, but it isn’t terrible or anything like that. I liked that you put it on your dry face and wiped it with a warm wet cloth. I felt like it took a step away from my nightly routine, which was a win. I would repurchase this again, but I enjoy the makeup remover balms more.

Lush Angels on Bare Skin -This is a scrub that smells very much like natural lavender. So you have to be ok with that scent to power through this container. I liked this alright, but to be honest…I got tired of the little “nature” like stuff getting stuck on my shower walls and floor and such. I suppose if I used it only at the sink, it wouldn’t have been as bad. I liked this alright, but I was barely able to use it all before the use by date and I had purchased the smaller container that is offered. I probably wouldn’t purchase this again because I like my Yes to Grapefruit scrub better, plus it is more easily found and less expensive. I will say that this was great for when my skin was super sensitive.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H Makeup -I love this foundation. It is my second favorite behind the Estee Lauder Double Wear. It provides a medium to full coverage look and you can make it look more matte or dewy depending on how you apply it. My favorite way is with a beauty blender. I have a perfect match in this line for color. I would repurchase this again.

Cotz Face – I absolutely LOVE this stuff. I wore this on my face all last summer at the beach, and the summer before cutting grass. I like that it doesn’t burn my eyes at all or break me out. I cant say enough good things about this, I highly recommend you get this for this year!!! It is time to stock up on these things. Remember I have super pale sun-sensitive skin and I had no issues with this! Have repurchased and will again this year!

Makeup Forever Mat Velvet -This provides a medium matte coverage. I liked the coverage alright, and it worked great in the summer with oily skin in the Alabama humidity. However, I could never find a color from Makeup forever that matched my skin tone perfectly. I also felt like this was almost too dry for my skin, and I am combination. I wont be repurchasing this.

Estee Lauder Double Wear – This is my holy grail IT foundation you guys!!! I used to wear it a long time ago and came back to it last year and I am not even in the market for anything else anymore. This provides medium/full coverage, lasts alllllll day long, looks great on my skin and has the perfect shade for me. Which is hard to find for some reason. Love love love this stuff and I have recommended it to several people. Have and will repurchase.

Fun tip, you see my foundation bottles up there? When I am running low and can’t pump/pour out anymore, I take a small brush and scrape out on the sides. I get about two more weeks out of my foundations doing this. You gotta save money where you can, am I right?! Have you used any of these things? Which products are you finishing up right now that you would repurchase?

March 8, 2017 by Nadine

beauty, best of, favorites

Go Ahead, Add These To Your List!

I decided that I wanted to play with Lauren and Bre for their new link up! I know I share some things on Friday Favorite posts, but any posts like this I do will be ultimate favorites. More than just my favorite for the now until the next best thing comes along haha. Anyways, let’s get to it!

Snack: Have you guys seen the Good Thins snacks in your cracker aisle yet??? I grabbed a box of the Sweet Potato ones and yummmmmm!!!! This really hits the spot when I want something crunchy to snack on. I looked at the ingredients and nutrition facts and they really aren’t too terrible. Much better than chips, that’s for sure!

Show: I have a lot of favorite shows, but I wanted to share one you maybe aren’t watching. Lucifer. Not only is the main guy a hottie with an amazing accent!!! (Who cares if he is the devil, right???) This show has the best soundtrack and it is action packed with some dry humor and fun plot line. Give it a try.

Dish Soap: Raise your hand if you have super dry hands pretty much all the time. What makes it worse? Doing the dishes!!! I have been using Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap for over a year now and it has made a world of difference on my poor, dry hands! In fact, I hardly had any cracking this winter and I know it is because I am using this!!! Bonus for smelling amazing! My favorite is the Basil but I have used the Lavender several times as well and it is great too. It is made with all natural ingredients so I don’t mind washing Zoe’s bottles with it either. Which is basically what motherhood to an infant is. Washing bottles. All. Of. The. Time. So many bottles!!!!

Makeup Palette: If you can only purchase one eye shadow palette, get Urban Decay’s Naked Basics Ultimate. You can pretty much create any look you are going for without having to reach for anything else. There are great natural looking daytime colors, a few that you can use to spice it up for evening…and everything in between. What I really appreciate is that they are matte. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good shimmer now and then but most of the time I want matte. The pigment is perfect and there isn’t much fallout. I use the Urban Decay Primer Potion under it, and every shadow. A holy grail for sure.

Acne Treatment: I really missed the Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Lotion when I was pregnant!!! You wouldn’t believe the difference this little gem can make with regular use. A bottle usually lasts me about six months, so it really isn’t a steep investment if you look at it that way.

Lip Treatment: My lips are forever dry and cracking. I have tried so many different things, but I always have Vaseline Rosy Lips on hand. I have been using this stuff for years and it is really the only thing that can bring some moisture to these lips of mine!!! I love the way it smells, it adds just a hint of color and is super cheap and found everywhere! I put it on every night before bed and I can still feel it on my lips in the morning. This also works great on days I don’t want to mess with lip gloss.

Blog: I plan to share one blog that you may not be reading each month! Have you met my IRL best friend, Laura? She blogs about awesome food and beer, DIY, recipes, being a full time working mom and everything in between. She is a real life blogger, which is something that is harder to come by these days. Find her over at Alabama Graffiti. Coolest blog name ever.

Let me know some things I need to add to my list!

February 28, 2017 by Nadine

beauty, products

Formula X – The System Xcel

Have you heard or tried the Formula X polishes? I have seen them around before and have always been intrigued but never actually picked one up. Formula X has released a new system that is supposed to create a gel like manicure that lasts at least 10 days with no chipping. Ummm 10 days? Sign me up! I am lucky if I get through one day without chipping any other polish I have ever tried!!!

Enter The System Xcel. Now, systems sometimes annoy me because there are always several steps and I start to get impatient. But you know what, if it works I am totally fine with the time…you know? This system has four steps to it.

Cleanse
Prime
Paint
Shine

Simple enough, right? What is even better? When you purchase the set you get to chose the exact color you want!!! There are so many to chose from!!! The idea is that the system should extend the wear of any Formula X nail polish for up to 10 days of flawless color.

I received the color TGIF which is a gorgeous coral pink color. Perfect for spring and summer! I went through the entire system, doing two coats of color to ensure there were no streaks. I actually really liked the formula of the color and would certainly purchase more! I liked how easy it went on and you can tell it is a higher quality. As far as how long this lasted for me? Well, I was going on about a week before I painted a room and got paint on my nails. Whomp whomp. I had to take it all off after that, but it was looking good until that point! It definitely lasted longer than any other polish/system I have tried. I will say that! Plus you are getting four products at the price point, so I think that is a good value.

Side Note: Did you know that Formula X polishes are 3 free? I very much care about that right now being pregnant and feel better knowing I am not putting all those chemicals on my nails!!! They are also cruelty-free.

I also received the Delete All – 5 Finger Nail Polish Remover. This was very intriguing to me because I hate to remove polish and with this? You literally just stick your fingers in to it and its magic and the polish comes right off! I hated messing with the pads and the remover and spilling things and cotton pieces getting torn and stuck to me and ugh what a mess! This makes things so much better!!!

Have you tried this system or Formula X? I would recommend them if you are looking for a higher end option that is 3-free, cruelty free and works.

**I received these products from Influenster in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

September 25, 2016 by Nadine

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