Saturday, November 24, 2012

Concealer Week: Sonia Kashuk

 Hey Adventurers! Today is the first day of concealer week, I'll review all the concealers I have in my collection! To kick it off, I'm starting with the Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda concealer quad. This quad costs around 13 dollars and you can get it at Target. I'm not sure of other places that carry Sonia Kashuk. It comes with 3 creams and one powder. In this picture the upper left is the powder. There is also a tinted green concealer, a salmon tinted, and a light skin color.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Target haul!

Hey adventurers! Gotta really quick haul for you and two announcements! One: Next week will be Concealer week! I review all of my concealers for you all. Two: This blog is not going to be only makeup, I'm expanding my horizons to household goods. I've really been wanting to review a few household items but I don't want to start a whole new blog. So I'm just going to add them into this one. On to the goodies!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

My experience with Monthly Subscription Services!

Hey adventurers! Today is November first, so happy November everyone! I'd like to do a review of all the subscription services I am apart of. As you may or may not know, I am a member of a few. Them being: Ipsy, Birchbox, New Beauty Test tube, Beauty Army, Little Black bag. I'll be reviewing these for you today.

Beauty Army: 12 dollars a month, you get to pick 6 samples out of the 9 that they choose for you from responses to their quiz. I like Beauty army because they aren't a first of the month company. You have a week to choose your samples and it starts around the time frame of whenever you got your first bag. I got my first bag around the 24th so my week starts on the 24th. The shipping is quite slow to Hawaii, so it takes about a week and a half to get it here. But shipping is free so it's not an extra charge. I have been skipping my monthly boxes because the samples were the same as previous months and the samples-in my opinion- haven't been worth my 12 dollars. Recently they've been perfume samples, and little packs of skincare. I don't use those, therefore I have been skipping.

Bottom line: I do like this box, but I just wish the samples were better. I have skipped the past 3 months, and I have only received 3 boxes.

Birchbox: Oh the mighty birchbox, in my opinion this one started it all. When Birchbox got popular then all the sudden these things were everywhere. Birchbox is 10 dollars a month. I have had Birchbox for the past 10 months and I can honestly say that it's not that great. Every month it has been a disappointment. I will probably be canceling my subscription here soon. Every month it's like a twist band, a perfume sample, and last years not handed out samples. Three months ago, they put out a box that was just of the leftover samples and they handed that out as the "beauty school edition." Today is November first and I have not received my October box. They take my money out on the 1st, but they don't ship the boxes until the middle of the month. Shipping to Hawaii is painfully slow. It takes a very long time to get here. I usually don't receive my boxes until the end of the month which just irritates me.

****As of November 5th. I have canceled my Birchbox membership. I got my October box today and the contents of one of the bottles was all over the box, plus the customer service hasn't gotten back to me. BAD customer service Birchbox...*****

Bottom line: I do not think this box is worth the 10 dollars I've been putting into it for the passed 10 months. I will be canceling my subscription soon. I do not think it's worth it.

Ipsy: 10 dollars a month. The infamous Ipsy bag, personally I think they changed the name from Myglam because of all the horrible reviews the MyGlam bag got and they wanted to get a fresh start. The passed 3 Ipsy bags have been really nice. I actually enjoyed the products I got, except the bags are shitty. I tried to zip the black one with the gold zipper that I mentioned in my last post and it broke. So they aren't meant to be used obviously. Besides the dollars that I've put in in the past to get shit products, the one thing I don't like is the pink lipgloss they include in almost every bag. If it's got a lipgloss in it, it's going to be pink. Usually a sparkly, sticky, bright pink. How many pink lipglosses do they think I need?

Bottom line: I'll stick it out for a few more months because they seem to be heading in the right direction.

Little Black bag: This isn't a makeup only bag. They 'bag' costs 49.95 a month and of course you can skip it. But shipping is not free so in total when I get the bag it costs 54.95. You can choose the first item and then they choose 2 more items to be included in that bag. I have had several 'bags' from them and if you watch my YouTube channel, I have video's up on it. In my opinion I think it's only worth it when you get a purse. Because when I didn't get a purse, the 'bag' didn't feel like it was worth the 50 dollars I paid for it, but if I got a purse it was fine no matter how crappy the other two items were. The thing that everyone likes to mention about LBB is that you can trade the items you don't want for things that you do want as long as the other person accepts your trade, which is cool. But it's time consuming and usually only the crappy items are getting traded. I haven't been getting LBB only because it's so expensive. Yes, I have the money. But I'd rather not spend 50 dollars on something else that is 100% guaranteed that I'm going to like.

Bottom line: I like the concept, I really do. I periodically check back and see if there's anything that I like. But I never seem to buy it. They are always running monthly specials though if you're into that type of thing.

New Beauty Test Tube: 39.95 + shipping I believe. This is a seasonal thing so you only get 4 a year. I have quite liked this program every time I receive one you get at least one full size product and not just saying that you'll get a full size product you actually get one. In my first tube, I got a full size Moroccan oil anti frizz hair spray. Worth 38 dollars, the time after that I got the it's a 10 worth 20 AND a full size neutrogena concealer worth 14 dollars plus all the extras, and this tube I got a moroccan oil deep conditioner. Every tube I get is worth the 40 dollars that I'm paying for it. All other programs should take note. The only downside is that it seems to be more toward older women. I've gotten a lot of anti-wrinkle products that I just don't need at my age.

Bottom line: This is the one service that I really feel like I get my money's worth every time I receive a tube. So thank you New Beauty for getting something right! :)


Do you have any thoughts on Subscription services? Do you think they're worth the hype? Let me know in the comments below!

Monday, October 22, 2012

The past two months of the Ipsy bag.

Hey Adventurers! I've been so out of the 'beauty community' lately and so truthfully I didn't even open the bags until last night. I got the October one about a little over a week ago and September about a month before that. Yeah, I've had a lot going on. Anyways! Here's what I received in the September bag.


So here it is! The September Ipsy bag. The bag itself is a black bag with a handle that's not really a handle, I can't think of the word right now. It's so that you can just take the bag and wrap it on your wrist. It's a material where if you spill something on it, it's just going to run right off, so it's kid proof! hah. It has a gold zipper which accents the black really well.

The contents include:
Circus by Andrea's choice Nail polish in Tightrope- I like the color, but if the formula is anything like the yellow one I received the month before then this line is not for me. The formula flakes right off and yeah, I didn't like the yellow one. Hopefully this one is better.
Mirabella Eyeshadow in 36 Semiformal- It's a nice neutral brown shade with shimmer to it. It's not incredibly pigmented but it has potential. I don't like that it has no case to it, I'm going to have to buy something to put it in so that it doesn't get damaged.
Jane. Sparkle Gloss in Sparkle Pink- It's just like it sounds, sparkly pink lip gloss. It's pigmented when swatched but really sticky, I'll try it out on the lips and we'll see how that goes.
Carol's Daughter Monoi Split end sealer- I was happy that it was something for the hair as I am a giant hair product junkie. It has a pump in the sample that was given and I'm really excited about it. I've never tried any Carol's Daughter products, so that's a plus as well.
London Soho New York Smudge Brush- So happy that they sent us a brush that wasn't their own. I always need new brushes so I'm so happy. The bristles are dense and really soft in the package. I'm going to see how this one holds up.


This is the latest Ipsy bag, the October bag. When I opened this I was really excited about this. It had things from brands I had heard of so I was stoked. The October bag is red white and black-obviously. All of the Ipsy bags though feel cheap, like I wouldn't reuse them for anything other than storing things in. This one included. I don't really like the bag itself.

The October bag included:
Mirenesse Lip Bomb in #9- It's a pale pink lip gloss, and it has that cheap lipstick smell to it. The packaging is super cute in my opinion and I love the packaging and the fact that it's lip bomb and not lip balm. When swatched it's super pigmented but I haven't worn this on the lips.
theBalm What's your type black mascara sample- I've never tried any of theBalm's mascara so this was exciting for me. theBalm products are not that easy to get your hands on. It's a bristle brush and it's a smaller brush than a lot of the brushes on the market right now in my opinion and I'm excited about it.
Couture Colour Pequi Oil treatment- More Hair stuff! It restores softness and shine. I've never heard of Pequi Oil but I guess I'll try it out. I'm not sure though... I'll get to it eventually aha!
Be a bombshell eyeliner in Onyx- It's a pen type eyeliner and it is the biggest pen type eyeliner I have literally ever seen! When swatched it's a nice black line, but it rubbed right off. So I am hoping that It has more potential, cause I like eyeliner, I just can't seem to get it right.
Coastal Scents eyeshadows set 6- It comes with four colors, peach puff, cherry chocolate, nude and white silver. I was very happy to see that these were the four colors that I got, because a lot of the other sets roaming around were not neutrals and very out there shades that I wouldn't get any use out of. But I will get use out of this! They're very nice neutral shades and I'm excited for the looks I can make with this!

Friday, October 5, 2012

Dear you,

I know I haven't been updating this very often. The reason is, my husband just left on deployment and my cat went missing around the same time. I've very heartbroken over both of these events and I just haven't had the heart into this blog. I hope that I can get into this again very shortly and I would really appreciate it if you'd just stick with me. And please, PLEASE send me prayers that my cat comes back home. I love her and I miss her very much. I just hope that she's okay. :(


Monday, September 24, 2012

Swatched: Tarte 12-hour Amazonian Clay Blush

 Hey adventurers! I picked this blush up a few months ago actually at Sephora when I dropped in there to get something and I just recently discovered it--still in the packaging >.<. It's not a fall color, it's more of a summer color. It's called Tipsy. It's a coral shade that is more orange than anything.

The pigmentation is completely there. Very pigmented blush this was one swipe on the back of my hand. I've heard that these were very pigmented and they are. It got a little splotchy near the end of the swatch as it trailed off.

I haven't got to wear this blush yet as I mentioned I found it in the back of my collection. But I'll bust it out on one of the nice days if I think about it. I'll test it out and write a review of the wear, watch out for that.

Have you tried these? If so, did you like them?

Do you watch YouTube video's?

Check mine out! Give me some feedback, ask for video's, tell me if you like them. Subscribe if you want. Thank you!

http://www.youtube.com/user/AlternativelyAlaina

Friday, September 14, 2012

September beauty wish list!

Hey adventures! Today's my wishlist for the month, I'm trying out this "collage" look, tell me if you like this way or last months way(linked here) On to the list!

1. Diesel Loverdose perfume- I chose this just for the packaging, I haven't ever smelled this perfume I just love the packaging and have heard some raves about it and would love to try it out. Yes, I would smell it to make sure I'd like it first before I purchased it, but I think it would look good in my perfume collection! 

2. Clinique even better dark circle eraser- I have such a bag problem with under eye circles and I want to solve it. The quicker the better, I've heard a lot about clinique products and have a few, but haven't heard much about this. Just the commercials. I just need something that will make my under eye circles disappear rather than concealer which doesn't change anything. 

3. Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Toasted- I love this shade. It's my most used shade in the Naked palette as it is my go to one color look, just blend it out on the lid and it looks amazing. I wear it a lot when I'm just going out to chill or just hanging out at home. I love this shade. I'm not sure of the new formula which is another reason I'd like to try it. In case you don't know, Urban Decay just reformulated all of their eyeshadows so it might not necessarily be as good or much better I don't know. But would like to find out!

4. Dolce And Gabana Light blue- I love this fragrance, I've had only the sample size, but I used it up way too quickly. I LOVED it. This is a lot of peoples favorites as well and I would love to own the full size. This perfume is light and airy and perfect for everyday wear.

5. OCC Lip Tar- Do I even have to say why it's on here? I've heard AMAZING things about the OCC lip tars. I'm definitely going to try these out. On downside is that Sephora only carries 1 color on the website.

6. Sephora Blending brush- I need a higher quality blending brush. Nothing too special about it here. It's a 15 dollar brush, which is expensive for me; but I need something higher quality than the MyGlam one.

7. Tarte Lipsticks- Tarte just came out with new lipsticks and I'd love to try them as Lipstick and lip products in general are my absolute favorite things ever. 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Past week in photos


While my in-laws were here we did a LOT, that's why I didn't get to update my blog as much as I wanted. They were here for 10 days. In those 10 days we accomplished a lot. If you don't know, I live in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. My Husband is in the Navy and that's why I'm here. In these 10 days we:

  • Saw the Sea Turtles
  • Saw multiple sunsets on different beaches--including with the sea turtles
  • Visited the Arizona Memorial
  • Visited the USS Utah Memorial, USS Oklahoma, and USS Missouri
  • The Macadamia nut farm-- if you ever get the chance to come here, take the tour of the farm, it is absolutely hilarious!
  • Took family pictures on Waimanalo beach
  • Ate Kahuku Shrimp
  • North shore beaches
  • Got trampled by waves at the North Shore beaches--ha
  • BBQ'd multiple times
  • Waikiki
  • Waikiki at NIGHT
  • Enjoyed pure and relaxing family time
  • More
I would like to thank you guys for reading this post! and Thank you guys for following my blog--if you do!

So thank you!

xoxoAlaina

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Review: Formula 10.0.6 Keep Me Clean Facial Wipes

Hey adventurers! Today we have another review, this time of my favorite facial wipes! If you watch me on YouTube you'd be very familiar with these, I mentioned these a lot on my channel. I love these wipes, they take the makeup off with ease! It comes with 25 wipes and a price tag of around 5 dollars. I'm not sure where to find these because I get them from the NEX and I haven't seen the brand anywhere else as far as I remember right now. (Target MIGHT have the brand, but I'm not 100% on that)

These wipes are super moist, they are probably the wettest wipes I've used ever, I do store them upside down, but they seem to just come more moist than others I've tried. When removing my makeup, it comes off with ease, I use one of these wipes and follow up with my MAC makeup remover--the name is escaping me right now-- and then my formula 10.0.6 facial cleanser and the MAC doesn't really get anything else more off but the facial cleanser will alway get more off.

I find that mascara is no problem with these wipes, I don't use any waterproof mascara so I can't put in my say on that but my regular mascara it comes off with no problem. Eyeshadow--one swipe and its gone. I love these wipes. Love them! If you have seen them in your area I highly recommend these!

I have repurchased them over and over again. I seriously recommend them.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Memoire Liquid: Amour Liquide Body Cream.

     Hey guys! I haven't been as up-to-date on this blog as I wanted to be, but I'm back for a review on another item I got from my NewBeauty Test Tube. It's Memoire Liquide Amour Liquide; and it's a body cream. I also got two perfume samples of the same 'memoir liquide' brand. The scent is a light but very sweet kind of cotton candy-esque. The cream itself is very thick, it's a kind of thick that when you stop squeezing the tube a little bit gets sucked back into it. The color is an off white and it's extremely moisturizing.
     When applying it doesn't feel greasy and a little goes a long way with this cream. The scent lingers a long while. All in All I'm very happy with getting this product. I didn't think that I was going to use it when I got it, but it's very nice. Makes the skin very soft and smell good. It's the 5.1 oz bottle and I think it's going to take a long while to get through.

Sorry it's such a short post, I was lucky to get these few minutes to type this out. Luckily they're distracted with the pictures we had all taken.

Thanks so much for reading!

Have you tried this cream? interested in it?

Monday, September 3, 2012

In-laws are visiting!

My in-laws are going to be here for about 10 days, in fact by time this gets up, they're already here! I'm going to be scheduling posts to keep my blog running but I won't be around to answer any questions or respond to comments, just letting you guys know!

Sunday, September 2, 2012

NOTD: Sally Hansen's Black out & Color Club's Hot couture

Hey adventurers! Today's post is another nail of the day. I just took smoldering off today and it was kind of overdue but I wanted my black nail back. I don't know about you, but there is something so sleek about black nails. I have only been painting my nails continuously since about March when I took  my fake nails off and so I'm no pro at painting my nails as you can probably tell.

Black out by Sally hansen's Xtreme wear line has always been a favorite of mine because it's so black and smooth and dries fast. I just purchased Color Club's Hot couture from Bed Bath and beyond and this one surprised me actually; in the bottle it's pink, but on the nails I really see blue sparkles. It may be because of the dark color it's on top of but I still think it's a gorgeous top coat. I personally I love black with sparkles on the nails so I'm in love. :)

This is the order of which I did them, Nutra Nail strengthener, black out, hot couture, and my top coat that I chose is Insta dri!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Birchbox!

Hello Adventerers! I'm a little aggravated right now, I took tons of pictures of my birchbox (ie. opening it, each layer, how it's packaged) and I just checked right now and about 50% of the photos are corrupted soooo just deal with me, haha. I just literally deleted all the photos off my camera about 20 minutes ago because I usually check cause my iPhoto has been known to do that. Butttt I didn't check these. :( But anyways August's birchbox was "Beauty School Supply Kit" the box it came in was yellow this month instead of the usual pink and I guess they just took the extra bits that they had from the previous year and threw them into a box and named it Beauty school...

So here are the contents of my box, this was rumored to be one of the better boxes which I guess I'm glad about cause if you've been watching my youtube video's you'd know I kind of get the short end of the stick a bit. The items I got were the shick razor, a pixie lip color, a stretch silkening creme which is actually for your hair, a little sample of yu-be cream, and a sample of viva la juicy la flour--which in my opinion has the cutest bottle ever! The La Fleur doesn't really smell different to me because I own the full size of the regular viva la juicy and so I can say that. 


Overall I'm ehh about the box. I don't really expect much from Birchbox any more though. I'm debating about canceling it to be honest. What do you think? Should I cancel it? or no? Did you cancel your subscription? if so, why? if not, are you thinking about it?

Saturday, August 25, 2012

NOTD: Revlon's Smoldering

Hey Adventurers! Today's NOTD is Revlon's Smoldering(hence the title, hahha) It's a silver with a pinkish purple sheen to it. In the bottle it looks a lot nicer than on the nails and it took 3 coats to get the above results which isn't very dark at all. The top coat is Sally Hansen's Insta-dri. The consistency is thin and really sheer. I think one coat of this over a black nail polish would look really good. I'll try that next time. Haha.

I'd also like to point out the shape of my nails since I took my nails off in March I think. They're almost completely grown out and almost completely better.

In this picture you see the sheen it gives off. But I think that it shows a lot better in the bottle versus actual application.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Fashion wants: August 2012

Hey Adventurers! I've decided to update you on my fashion wants! These are all on the more expensive side because I'm feeling a little luxurious.--ha.

1. Michael Kors rose gold watch-- you may be asking why when I have the 15 dollars Target watch, but honestly I just want to see the actual difference in front of me. Am I willing to pay the 250 for it? Probably not.
2. Chanel tote- This is one of my forever wants. I've always wanted the chanel bag with the white symbol on the front but since that one is not on the website this bad boy right here will have to suffice. And since the website shows no prices I don't know how much this would cost.
3. Sneaker Wedges- Doesn't have to be these specific ones just sneaker wedges I love the idea. I may be tall enough already but they are just so darn cute. It's like a hide-a-wedge and I find them so adorable.
4. Victoria's Secret yoga pants- I'll be the first to admit that I thought it was ridiculous when everyone was wearing them. But then I bought some gilly hicks ones and I was addicted. Now, I don't wear them outside the house unless i'm doing something physical (ie. walking, jogging, hiking etc) but I do love them when I'm inside just chilling and hanging out. I've paid full price for 3 pairs and I do not regret it one bit. I wear them to death, so I'd like more. :)
5. Wildfox Couture Baggy beach jumper's- These look like the most comfortable things you could wear ever. But they come with a price tag of..... $108 each. I would never be able to justify that price. Ever. So I'll just admire from a far and wish I was rich. They are just so cute and look so comfy...



These are my fashion wants, what are yours?


xoxoAlaina

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Beauty Army!

Why hello there Adventurers! Today's post is another one of my beauty boxes, today's is Beauty Army. This box will run you about $12 to pick 6 beauty samples to be sent to you every month. This month I picked out:

Macadamia Healing oil treatment- So excited about this because of all the hype these products have gotten in the past, and well my naturally curly hair needs some healing.
Kellett Moisturizing gel- I basically picked this because I only wanted to try 3 things in my box and who can have enough moisturizers? hah.
Apothederm stretch mark cream- I don't have too many stretch marks but I do have some on my legs and well, they ain't cute so I want to try this is try to get rid of them. The only problem is, this bottle is pretty much empty. There's not much product in this at all. I don't know if I just got a bad one or what.
LA Fresh Oil free face cleanser- As much as I like my Benefit skincare a new cleanser every now and then can be good so I decided to try this one out.
Fiafini Skincare Divine hydration moisturizer- As good as the name sounds I had to pick it out. And I like trying new moisturizers. I'm currently shopping my stash of mini moisturizers right now to get rid of the little sample sizes that I have and it's been treating me well so far.
Atzen Protective day cream- Also says it's the perfect base for makeup, well I'ma be trying that one out tomorrow.

Those are the six things that I chose to receive this month. For my three months using beauty army I am very happy with it. The choice of samples that I like is lacking for example last month I didn't really like my box because I didn't have too many samples that I liked. But when that happens just skip the month. I get too excited about receiving things in the mail and go overboard and then I'm disappointed. BUT this month I truly love my box and am excited for 5 out of the 6 things!


Do you have a beauty army? Tell me about your samples below!

xoxoAlaina






Wednesday, August 15, 2012

E.L.F Blush: Candid Coral

Hey adventurers! Today's post is of the ever famous E.L.F blush in the color Candid Coral rumored to be an orgasm by NARS dupe. I do not own Orgasm so I cannot add my thoughts onto that, BUT I can tell you that I like this color. It's a nice coral shade with gold shimmer to it. As you can tell from the photo above it is a little dusty and/or powdery. Unfortunately I couldn't take a picture of it unused for you since I have had this blush for months now.

Above is a very heavy swatch to show the color that you can get out of it. I find that when applying it with my e.l.f complexion brush it's very difficult to get a lot of color. The golden sheen of this blush is amazing. It works as a highlight as well. I wore it alone on my cheeks today and I didn't need a highlight--and I forgot to use one as I was in a rush. I went for a natural look today as well AND I didn't have the time to really get the pigmentation that I wanted out of the blush but it ended up working just fine.

Please ignore the crazy hair. That golden shimmer you see on my face is this blush and I think it looks amazing. This is after my 7 hour shift at work today. I think that the only thing that you can really see thats left is the golden sheen, but it was good and it worked for the look that I was going for today.

So overall this is a very nice blush and I do like it. I do wish it was a little more pigmented though as it took quite a few swipes in the blush and over the face to get this minimal color.


Would I repurchase? Probably.

xoxoAlaina




August MyGlam Bag!

Hey Adventurers! Today's post is pretty short and to the point. Its that time again where I get all my monthly subscription boxes in the mail and today's post is MyGlam! With the bag I feel like they cheaped out and used a bag pretty much the same as last months bag and they threw in another Circus by Andrea's choice nail polish--I got the yellow one last month, absolutely hate it, chipped in a few hours-- so two of the items are pretty much the same from last month. BUT onto the contents!

1. MyGlam Glam Gloss in 02(original hahaha) and it's a hot pink with shimmer, almost exactly like the box. The packaging is really nice actually pretty sturdy contents. I'll try it out and let you know how I feel about it.
2. Circus by Andrea's Choice nail polish in Ringmaster, hot pink shade.
3. Dragon fruit roll on Perfume oil- Smells really sweet and fruity and it's an oil. I'm not sure if I'll use this but it is different and I like different---ha.
4. S.a.l.t.y Cosmetics Loose Luxury Mineral Eye Shadow in Glama-ZOID! It's a white with glitter and it's a rather small amount in the container and the container is small as well, I'd say it's about halfway filled length wise.
5. Eclos Plant Stem Cells Anti-Aging Regenerative Cream- The smell of this is really organic and kind of alcohol-y. I'm not really sure how I feel about the whole 'Stem cell' aspect of this cream. Kind of freaks me out to be honest only because of what I've heard about 'stem cell research' and stuff. So I'm not exactly sure about this.
6. Eclos Plant Stem Cells Anti-Aging Cellular Activator Face Serum- I don't know about these subscription services sending me a bunch of Anti-aging things. I guess you can never start to early... But same with #5 about the stem cells and I didn't bother smelling this one.


That's everything that was in this months MyGlam bag.

Overall I think I'm a little underwhelmed with this bag(no surprise there) but I feel like MyGlam is there to make a name for itself instead of doing what it promises to do (i.e deluxe size samples from your 'favorite' brands) making MyGlam brushes and MyGlam lip gloss. I just feel like their out to gain more here and it's going to change into more and more MyGlam official stuff every month and less chances of getting a product from an actual brand.

Another thing is, I don't know anything about the MyGlam company and how they made this lipgloss or those brushes, I could be getting something that has tons of chemicals in it. There's a lot that I just don't know. I wish they would just do what they said they were going to do when they started and just stick to the script.


Rant over, sorry about that guys.

xoxoAlaina

Sunday, August 12, 2012

E.L.F Glossy Gloss: Muted Mauve

Hey adventurers! Today's blog post is coming at cha from the back patio, where I am sitting at my brand new patio set! (can you tell how excited I am about that?)


Today's review is of another E.L.F product--since it is E.l.f month on my blog-- and this time it's the Glossy Gloss in Muted Mauve. When I received it, this was the product that I was least excited about as it looks straight up brown in the tube. Again, if you are going to purchase stuff from elf the pictures on the website are straight up bad. Always do your research darling.

Here's the swatch; again this has no shimmer or glitter in it because it's supposed to be just a straight color with sheen. But the color is a pinky brown, it's a very pigmented gloss and that could be a good or a bad thing. 

When I applied it to my lips, the brush was smooth and nice feeling unlike the brush that came with the shade Dragon Fruit--which was disappointing because that was my favorite color of the 4 that I purchased--and the color came out somewhat sheer. I am not a fan of this color on my lips, it made them look very odd. I'd say if you have a darker skin tone and you want a darker nude shade to try this one out, it is a good gloss but it just looks weird on my skin tone and my lips. 

I have inserted the picture above to show you the actual color that it looks like in the tube as the first photo doesn't give a very great representation of it. As you can see it is a very dark shade in the tube. It is a little forgiving as it's not exactly that shade on your lips. 

Will I be repurchasing? No. 

Have you tried Muted Mauve? Leave your thoughts on it down below! 

xoxoAlaina

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Wanna go shopping?

Hey adventurers! I know that when I'm online shopping I get tired of looking at the same ol' websites (ie. hollister, abercrombie, american eagle, aeropostale, wet seal, forever21, etc) even though they are good quality websites and have some good quality stuff I've grown tired of those places and have decided to look elsewhere! So I am going to share with you my findings here!

1. Urbanog.com
This website has some killer deals on shoes, you can get knock off Jeffery Campbell and others for a heck of a deal! If you're looking for shoes I would definitely check out this website.

2. BrandyMelvilleusa.com (US shop)
This website has been a rager on YouTube recently and it has some really trendy pieces for OK prices, I feel like the pieces that come from this website are higher quality than the ones from Forever21 but the prices are still on the inexpensive side.

3. Tobi.com
I just recently discovered this website and it looks like it could be a good deal, right now it's 50% off your first order and 30% off the new stuff added daily. This looks more like a trend type store and some of the prices are not budget friendly(inmyopinion) but with that 50% off your order could make it very wallet friendly!

4. Dots.com
This website has again lots of trendy pieces for around 20 dollars. They are introducing their fall jeans right now and they are really great prices around 20-30 dollars per pair of jeans. The only problem I seem to have with the website is the pictures they take. It seems they stick the shirt or item on a mannequin an then they edit the mannequin out and to me that's not visually appealing.

5. Bodyc.com - Body Central
I discovered them because they randomly sent me a catalog in the mail and their prices seemed really good for what they have. They also have a really good selection of shoes and accessories for good prices as well.  Right now you can take 10 off of 75 through August 15th by using the coupon code TAKE10AUG

6. Gojane.com
This website may not be a surprise to you, it has been pretty popular in the past. Again it's a more trend oriented store and which means the pieces may not be of the highest quality but they are not going to charge you outrageous prices for them either. Their shoe collection is absolutely amazing! They have really on trend shoes and really nice shoes as well. Lot's of high-low items on this website if that's your trend that you like!

7. Boohoo.com
This website is pretty cool because they have an option to shop by trend. Their clothes are more on the expensive side but they also have some inexpensive items, and if you shop the sale section its not as bad! They do usually have a pretty good selection on the sale items as well.

8. Getheavenly.com - Heavenly Couture
On the front page it says everything is 15 or less dollars except for there Romeo and Juliet collection and it seems like they have pretty good selection of items. I have not personally purchased from this website and if you have please leave your experience down below because it looks really interesting the times I've gone to the website.

9. Agacistore.com - A'Gaci
Shopping on this website is easy, self explanatory, and very appealing. The prices are also very reasonable for the items shown.

10. Stylesforless.com
Majority of the items on this website is below $20 which I think is an absolute steal in this market. I have never shopped from this website either so if you have, leave your experience down below!


I hope you enjoyed this list and maybe you can get yourself some good stuff for school or just for yourself(I know I do!)

xoxoAlaina


Friday, August 10, 2012

Random thinking leads to money saved.


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Bed Bath & Beyond Haul!

Hello Adventurers! I did a little shopping today at Bed Bath and Beyond because I had a 20% off coupon and I thought I'd share what I purchased! I also went to the NEX afterward because I was looking for those nail circles(i didn't find them.) From Bed Bath and Beyond I purchased:

Tree Hut's Shea Sugar Body Scrub in Coconut Lime
Nature's Bounty Hair Skin & Nails vitamins
Loreal's Color Riche balm in 418 Caring Coral
Loreal's Color Riche Lipstick in 176 Sunset Angora
Jean Pierre Original Daily cleansing Towlettes
Jean Pierre Exfoliating Cleansing pads with Microbeads
Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in 002 Black
Maybelline Luminous Lights in Lavender lights
Sample size Nivea 'Soft' hand and body lotion
and two packs of bobby pins

From the NEX I purchased:
Cetaphil's Gentle Cleansing bar
Formula 10.0.6 So Totally Clean deep pore cleansing original formula

I also purchased 6 nail polishes.


Three are Color Club nail polishes, from left to right they are Modern Pink, Age of Aquarius, Hot couture--which is a glitter polish. One Sinful Colors polish in Nail Junkie. Two Revlon polishes in Radiant--glitter polish, and Smoldering.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Style Steal: Michael Kors Rose Gold Watch!

Hey adventurers! Today I have a really exciting post for you guys. I was told by a friend at work that there was a pretty good cheaper version of the Michael Kors Rose Gold watch at Target, so of course I had to go pick it up. Now this watch is in NO way an exact replica so I don't want anybody bashing this post. It's just similar and if you aren't willing to spend $250 for a brand name watch, you can spend $15 on a pretty good replica(in my opinion!) Now again, this watch is NOT an EXACT replica of the Michael Kors one. There are some obvious differences. This is the Michael Kors watch:


This is the watch from Target:


Since the above photo is of course not the best, I will include one without the flash. Although without the flash it comes off yellow gold. I guarantee you this watch is in fact Rose Gold(in color).

Now there are some definite differences like: No "Michael Kors" engraved in the middle, The font of the numbers is different,  there is no date tracker on this watch at all, and this watch only has the number 12 and not any others. So no, this is not an exact replica. But I'd pay $15 for this all day and to me it looks just as dashing!


Quality: This watch is metal so it's got some weight to it. It's much heavier than my plastic white Anne Klein watch that I paid 45 dollars for. I was actually surprised by how heavy it was. It's not at all heavy on the wrist but it's heavy in the hand. It's self adjusting band which is pretty easy to adjust in my opinion because I have really small wrists so no watch ever fits me right with all the bands in. I'd pay 15 dollars for this over and over again. In fact, I'm going to go back to Target and see what other watches they have. They all looked so nice!

I'm going to leave you with more photo's of the watch!




 I could not get the flash to work when it was on my wrist which is why there is no picture of it on my wrist with flash. :( stupid camera!


The flash on my camera was not cooperating with me on most of these photos. My camera does not have a flash ON option only an Auto and an off. So I'm sorry the photo's are kind of lacking and the watch appears yellow gold the whole time. It was 8 at night and well.... I am really excited and wanted to get this up!


If you like this post go ahead and leave a comment down below! Would you pay $15 for this watch?


Again, SO sorry about the quality of the photos.. :/


xoxoAlaina

Monday, August 6, 2012

Quickie post: Primer primer primer!!

Hello adventurers!
Recently I have received some Foundation primers in my subscription boxes. I have only tried two so far them being the Smashbox photo finish and the clear fx primer. I cannot tell you how much of a difference they have made! Without the primer my blush only lasts maybe about two hours. But with the primers--I haven't had them long enough to decide which one is better-- my blush lasts all day! and I'm not joking I actually have to take it off at the end of the night. I was shocked what a difference this could make I always kind of thought it was a waste of money  to be honest. but damn--what I was really missing!

If you have any recommendations for me on primers please leave them down below!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

What's in my makeup bag!

Hello adventurers! Today's post is a very popular video on youtube, and I have actually filmed one myself and that can be found here, but that is old and here's an updated one! I got a new makeup bag as a gift with purchase from benefit if you purchased any of the Ultra Plush lip glosses. As you can see it can hold a lot of stuff. In no particular order:

Victoria's secret mini lipgloss in Innocent( dupe for NARS turkish delight post here)
Revlon Colorstay Overtime mascara
Maybelline Great Lash clear mascara (brow gel)
Neutrogena Healthy Skin brightening eye perfecter spf 25
MAC lipstick in Lovelorn
Benefit Ultra plush lip gloss in Sugarbomb
E.l.f eyelid primer
Maybelline the Mega Plush volum' express mascara
NARS Turkish delight
Maybelline Instant age rewind concealer in brightening
Revlon Just Bitten kissable lip color in Sweetheart Valentine
Revlon Colorburst Lip butter in Sweet Tart
E.l.f Baked blush in pinktastic
MAC Lipstick in Plumful
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Creme Brûlée
MAC Lipstick in Creme Cup
MAC Lipglass in Myth
NARS Blush in Gaiety
Sample size Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
Sample size Clear Prep FX primer
Benefit Erase paste in no.2 Medium
NARS Blush in Torrid
Benefit Ultra Plush lip gloss in Hoola
Clinique Cream Shaper for eyes in chocolate lustre
Rimmel Stay matte powder in Silky beige


Perfumes(Rollerball):
Vera Wang Princess
MAC Turquatic
Viva La Juicy--also came with a lipgloss on the other end which is just absolutely horrible!
Marc Jacobs Daisy




I know you may be thinking "why does she carry so much makeup on her?" It's because I do my makeup from this bag every morning and if I use a different product I just throw it in there. I don't use all of this every day by any means. It's a little look into my favorite products!

Have you done a post like this? Leave it down below for me to check out!

Would you like a review on any of these products?


xoxoAlaina

Saturday, August 4, 2012

E.l.f Glossy Gloss in Dragon Fruit


Hey Adventurers! Today I'm doing a review on the glossy gloss from e.l.f (eyes.lips.face) which can be purchased here in the shade Dragon Fruit. I chose this color because it was a shade that caught my eye on the website--side note: the color swatches on eyeslipsface.com are extremely off from the actual product you will receive and if you have reached this post(by searching) then you are doing the right thing by researching the color and by seeing swatches, yay for you!-- because it was a pretty regular shade, a light pinky coral color and I thought 'oh yeah, that seems regular enough to pull off!' And it's regular price is 3.00 but they always have a 50% off studio coupon that's running that allows you to get it for 1.50!

So in the photo above you'll see the swatch, and as you can tell it's a pinky coral color and it's just gorgeous. In the swatch it comes out pretty pigmented and it's a very wearable gloss with no glitter or shimmer whatsoever.

On the lips: The color comes off very streaky and I want to say that's from the brush. The brush is a very low quality brush that is very hard and scratchy. Not a pleasant experience to apply this--okay, so it's not THAT bad, but I still expected a little more to be honest-- I was quite disappointed with this. I usually don't like Brush type applicators anyway because I just find it awkward to be completely honest; but the brush that comes with this is just absolutely horrible.


Overall would I repurchase this? I'm still on the fence about them, the color is great when you get over the streaky-ness but that brush is just... I don't know how to describe it...



Did you find this with your glossy gloss? Did this review help you in anyway? What would you like to see from this blog? Send in your requests below!

Thanks for reading!


xoxoAlaina

Friday, August 3, 2012

Fragrance Friday!

Hey Adventurers! Today's Fragrance Friday is Vera Wang's Princess. This bottle is 3.4floz and it will cost $75. I got it in a set with a rollerball from the NEX for about $45, I know what a steal! Eau de Toilette's are not cheap and I was stoked when I saw how inexpensive it was. The product description says

'Vera Wang Princess begins with notes of waterlilly, lady apple, mandarin meringue, and golden apricot skin. Mid notes of ripe pink guava, Tahitian flower, wild tuberose, and dark chocolate which give way to delectable base notes of pink frosting accord, precious amber, forbidden woods, royal musk captive and chiffon vanilla. '


Princess' is a very light scent and not too overpowering which I really like about it. I can just put it on without thinking about how it might offend someone while at work. It's nice and light and I enjoy that. I pick up very floral notes with a hint of sweet. 


The bottle is absolutely gorgeous and it doesn't have too much excess packaging-- like lovestruck per say. and I like that. I have a lot of perfume's-- perfume collection coming soon-- and excess packaging just gets in the way. The crown 'lid' is so cute and under the lid there is a ring, I'm not sure if people actually wear it as a ring, but it is really pretty as well.


Vera Wang's Princess can be purchased in 1.7oz, 3.4oz and a rollerball and can be found at most major retailers. 




xoxoAlaina

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Mally's High Shine Liquid Lipstick


Hey Adventurers! Today is a review of the item I recently received in my New Beauty Test tube. I received my tube about two weeks ago and was instantly drawn to this to try out. I don't know too much about the brand but a few people on youtube talk about them and love them. This bad boy will cost $20. As I said, I received it in my test tube so I didn't pay full price for it.

This product has a brush tip applicator--these pictures were taken when it was brand new to get the full effect of everything and to keep it in pristine condition; and who wants to see a brush coated in gloss anyway? hahaa. To get the product through the brush, you twist up the bottom. It took a pretty good minute for any product to get through the brush.

Here's a swatch of it--with flash. It has shimmer in it and quite a bit that you won't see in the tube, it surprised me actually. On the hand it was more of a stickier formula than I liked. On the lips it feels less sticky but it's still sticky and it's not something that I would run toward again. The lasting power on the lips is enough. It stays for about an hour, comes off on things and it's sticky. I know it says nothing about staying tough. But I just wanted more from this product.

Bottom line: I wouldn't purchase this product again, and I don't think I would of ever purchased this product for $20. The color is gorgeous but it's just too sticky for my liking. :/ Again, I just wanted more from this product.



What were your thoughts on this product if you've ever tried it? Also what would you like to see on this blog?


xoxoAlaina
 
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