December 2013 Top ??

I hope that everyone had a fantabulous Christmas!!

Welp we've made through another year. Seriously where did 2013 go?? Lawdy! I've included some products I did not like for the month. There's a lot going on in this post and it's quite long. I tried to group stuff together. Also tried to do some formatting stuff but Blogger isn't cooperating *sigh* So I'm sorry that this is long but here we go!

Eyes

I played around with Tarte palette from the Bow & Go collection as part of my "Palette Play December 2013". I really enjoyed playing around with this palette. It's a great everyday palette where you can do a complete look and not reach for additional eyeshadows. Tarte eyeshadows are smooth, buildable and easy to blend. They are definitely in my top 5 for eyeshadows. I kinda of didn't want to put this away to use the next palette on the list.

Lips

I have mentioned this lip combo before. I reached my good old trusty Heroine lipstick by MAC this month along why Mary Kay's Nourishine Plus lipgloss in Berry Tart. These two pair nicely together. Also if you have been wanting to try Heroine, it is now a permanent lipstick to the line and no longer limited edition. Which is nice but for those of us who went through hell and high water to get it, I'm like -______-. Ok not really but if you have ever tried to purchase limited edition MAC products when they launch, then you know what a bitch it can be. I especially feel for those who went the eBay route and paid a lot more. I got both of mine at the regular price.

I pulled out two of my favorite Revlon lipsticks that are my instant favs when the cooler temps set in. Black Cherry and Va Va Violet are just bomb.com.

In the video Partition by Beyonce, she's wearing a dark vampy purple lip which is right up my alley. So I went and pulled out a couple of Maybelline lip products that were a part of their fall collection and are limited edition (booooooo!). I pulled out Midnight Plum lipstick and Purple Royale lip gloss. I enjoyed both but the lip gloss baaaabbbbaaayyee gave me LIFE EVERLASTING! These Maybelline glosses are fantastic. If you're looking for a good inexpensive gloss then try these. They have a definite favorite for year (that post is coming as well).

Face

I had this listed as a surprise product of the month but decided that this was a hands down favorite. I picked up Revlon's Nearly Naked foundation at CVS during their winter beauty sale. It was 75% off. I got for $2.39 or something like that. So my feelings would not have been hurt if it didn't work out for me. I got the shade Cappuccino which reminded me somewhat of the Warm Almond shade I wear in one of Bobbi Brown's foundations. So I put it on and it blends into my skin nicely. It doesn't look cakey, it is somewhat buildable, held up nicely on my skin and didn't break me out. I was really impressed. So much in fact that I went to another CVS and picked another bottle. I mean for $2 and change, how could I not?? Dare I say that I have found a foundation at the drugstore!!??!?! Color me shocked.

I've had Mally's Invisible Bronzer in Deeper for a while now. I got in in a TSV kit. I've mentioned in previous posts that Bobbi Brown's Bronzing Powder in  Deep Chocolate is my holy grail bronzer. I've hit pan on it but still have a good amount of product left. Buuuuut I got it when I wasn't really checking for items being limited edition which this bronzer shade was and I haven't lucked up finding another one online. Anywho...I pulled out Mally's bronzer around the middle of the month. I swatched it next to Bobbi Brown and it's a little lighter but not much. Like Bobbi Brown's, it is a matte bronzer that doesn't run red or orange. I use it to bronze the outside of my face and to contour. I've been loving it this month. I looked online for giggles (QVC and Mally's website) to see if it's available for purchase but of course I couldn't find it. But again between the two bronzers I have, I am good and don't need another one for a while.
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Milani's Baked Blushes in Fantastico Mauve and Red Vino were in heavy rotation this month as well. I saw Fantastico Mauve on sale at CVS. I think with a 50% off sticker on it. Both blushes are nicely pigmented, brown girl friendly and give a nice glow to the cheeks.

Nails

The Good Tidings We Bling Sephora polish was probably a favorite last December and will probably be a favorite every December until I use it up. It's the perfect red and green glitter polish from Christmas nails manis.

Another polish I enjoyed this month is Butter London's West End Wonderland. I think this is my favorite gold glitter polish because you can build it up. It's also easy to remove unlike some glitter polishes.

Body

Funny I mentioned Korres Mulberry Vanilla Body Butter in my January Top 3 post. I tried this out original in the Ultra Hydration Trio set that was a Today's Special on HSN and opted for auto ship. "It combines the scent of fresh mulberries with warm vanilla". I love pairing it with philosophy's Falling in Love fragrance.

I picked up Carol's Daughter Angel Cake body cream and shower cream in a set from HSN. It came with two of each product. I had debated on whether or not if I want to keep the second set of  body and shower cream. I had toyed around with the idea of giving it to someone for Christmas. Well let's just say I'm keeping the second set lol. I love this scent. The notes of it are nutmeg, Moroccan rose and Tahitian Vanilla. It's a sexy scent but not overpowering at all. I liked paring it with Kate Walsh's Boyfriend.

I got the Josie Maran Agran Balm in a set that was a Today's Special Value on QVC. I wasn't reaching for it since I was trying to use the Cocoa Butter Vaseline I had up. Once the Vaseline was done I went back to using the Argan Balm. I use it mainly on the drier areas on my body. I enjoyed using it this month and I like it. But when I use it up I don't plan on repurchasing it. For one, the price of this product is $42. Plus I get the same results using Palmer's Cocoa Butter and the Cocoa Butter Vaseline and they are waaaaaay cheaper. There a Shea Butter with Cocoa Butter product that I've come across that I'm interested in trying that's cheaper as well.

Other Stuff

Beyonce...Beyonce...Beyonce! If you've been living under a rock and hadn't heard, Beyonce dropped her 5th album on Friday, December 13. The internet and everything was a blaze that day. I mean who drops and ENTIRE album with no word? And videos. Still don't know how she pulled that off. Anywho...I gave it a quick listen and Partition became an instant favorite (judge me alllll you want *insert grin*). Rocket is another fav with my baby daddy Justin Timberlake harmonizing in the background, Then one morning I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. So I popped my headphones in and gave it a thorough listen. I love it. It's definite something I can listen to from beginning to end and not skip a song. Love her or hate her, the chick is bad and doing the damn thing.

My favorite coffee creamer was back in stores. It usually shows up around Thanksgiving. When I saw it I was all over it. Been buying them two at a time. One for work and one for home. Peppermint White Chocolate is so good!

A Christmas Story!! Every year TBS airs it for 24 hours and I pretty much watch it for 24 hours. Alternating it with whatever channels are showing Elf and Home Alone, Home Alone 2 all day.

I made some white chocolate chip red velvet cookies this month for a cookie exchange and ended up making some more on Christmas Eve. They were so good and a crowd pleaser!

Surprise Product of the Month

I ordered the Lancome Tresor fragrance set from HSN when it was a Today's Special. The set came with the Tresor perfume and body lotion.  It's hard ordering a scent online you haven't smelled before. But currently HSN has an extended return policy. So I was fine with ordering it. The moment I got it and smelled it, I was like I've smelled this before. Then I got to thinking if one of my aunts or grandmothers wore it. I couldn't put my finger on it. The scent is described as "the elegance of rose, the sparkle of apricot blossom and the sensuality of sandalwood". Vanilla is one of the notes in this fragrance as well. If you haven't guessed I'm a sucker for scents with vanilla in it. So far I'm enjoying it. There are some other scents in the Tresor line that I'm curious about. May give them a smell next time I'm in Ulta.

I also picked up the Too Faced Pretty Rebel Eye Collection when I ordered the Tresor fragrance set. The set came with a quad, eyeliner and mascara. So needless to say I "cheated" during Palette Play December lol. I didn't put it together that the four shadows in the quad where from the Pretty Rebel eyeshadow palette. So I thought that was cool. The eyeliner is in espresso which is my favorite eye liner shade. I loooove a deep dark brown liner more so that black. The mascara is amazeballs! I'm talking one coat and you have lashes for days!!! One doggone coat!!!! I have never tried a Too Faced mascara. The wand is a rubber was with shorter bristles which I feel works best for my lashes. My lashes feel like my lashes which is the biggest thing for me when it comes to a mascara and it's easy to remove.

I had a sample size of Supersmile Whitening Toothpaste in Original Mint from a New Beauty Test Tube. I forgot I had it. I like the way my teeth felt after using it. It's a pricey products, so I doubt I'd get a full size tube.

I'on Like it at ALL!

I never really mention and products that I'm not like for the month since this is favorites. But there were a couple of products that got the strong side eye from me this month.

I picked up one of Maybelline's new eye makeup removers. They've been out for a while but they are still somewhat new. There were 3 kinds and I got the one that was more of a gel. I used it as directed with a cotton pad and just with my fingers. This joker irritated my eyes! It wasn't unbearable but it was annoying. When I opened my eyes they were red. I'm like really? Really!?!? I have yet to find an eye makeup remover that I like and I'm not looking anymore. Usually whatever face cleanser I use gets the job done. So I'm sticking with that and not wasting anymore money!

I picked up two bottles of the L'Oreal True Match foundation. They were on sale at Ulta for $2.50. So for $5 I wouldn't be hurt if I didn't like them or if they didn't end up working for me. I picked up shades 9.5 and 10. I am terrible at matching myself when it comes to foundation. This was no exception. Both shades were too dark for me. 9.5 may work for me in the summer *shrugs*. I just didn't like how it applied and the finished looked once I applied powder, bronzer, etc. I am SOOOO used to my Bare Minerals foundation and being BEAT TO THE GAWDS with little effort. The only liquid foundation that I LOVED was Bobbi Brown's Natural Finish Foundation but it was discontinued last year. I may go get a sample of her Skin Foundation. But then again I might not. But now that I've found the Revlon one, I'm good.

Another product I don't like is the Walgreens Textured Cotton Rounds. I ended up getting these when they were on sale. I like the premium ones with the black label. So I get these home and use them with my witch hazel toner and they pretty much fall apart on my face! I'm like really!?!? How do you jack up a cotton round! I didn't realize until recently that they were textured. Both sides are textured. I'm used to the ones were one side is smooth and the other is textured. Won't be buying these again.


Phew.....FIN!!!!!!!

I think for 2014, I'm may go back to categories. Who knows.  I probably will still do "surprise products" The top 3 things was cool but I felt liking I was restricting myself at times. But on the flip side I don't want to have a long list of things either. We shall see if I can find a happy medium in 2014.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has read, commented and shared my posts. I just get on here and babble. Didn't think folk would actually read what's going on in my crazy head and there's quite a bit ;) "See" you all next year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Bag of the Moment - Kenneth Cole Reaction Painted Lady Tote

Excuse my pillows :)

I got this in the mail today. It retails for $50 but I got it for $24.50. It's is gorg! When I ordered it online the color option said brown combo. Of course I was like huh?? It's taupe and faux leather. It doesn't have an odor like some faux leather bags tend to. There's a pocket on the front and one zip pocket inside the bag. The lining on the inside is light which you know I love. The one downside is that the lining is plasticy. But for the price I can over look that. It doesn't look like it'll tear easily. About to put my stuff in it and test this baby out!

Book Lovin - 2014 Reading Goals

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

I'm such a nerd right lol.

Anywho....for 2013 I read 80 books. Not bad. I was messing around creating my reading spreadsheet for 2014 and a few random things popped into my head (like they always do) on how I wanted to tackle my reading for 2014.

• I am going to limit myself from rereading books unless it's for a series that I need to refresh my memory on. A lot of the time if I can't decide what to read, I'll end up rereading a favorite book. Nothing wrong with that but when you have a crap ton of unread books then well yea, it can be a problem. Now if I do end up rereading something, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Keyword here is try.
• Speaking of series books, I have quite a few that I've only read the first 2 or 3 books or none at all. So I need to incorporate at least one book into the mix each month. Or for shorter series books, read the whole series in a particular month.
• I also need to review my wish list for book purchases and update it accordingly. Some of these books have been on my list for a while now. If I haven't picked it up by now then it ain't gonna get picked up. Or look and see if my library or the Kindle Lending Library has it.
• I donated 343 books to the library. I also gave some books away to friends in 2013. I still have a good amount of books left (both read and unread). I am going to make an effort to pull from the unread books that I have. I think maybe come the summer of fall, I will go back through what I have and maybe do another purge of the unread books that I haven't gotten to.

I think that's all for now.

A Proud Moment

**Sorry if this is a bit jumbled. These thoughts just came to me, so this is on the fly.**

Sooooo I was out and about yesterday and I stopped by CVS. Mainly to check out a couple of items from the current sale that is going on for beauty products. I went to get another nail polish (purchased 5 earlier in the week) and a foundation that I stumbled upon (you'll hear about in December favorites). Now mind you I had already picked up an extra bottle. If I had picked up the one I had in my hands on yesterday, then that would have been bottle number 3. As I was going back and forth scanning stuff, with about 4 items in my hand, I was like hold time. Now if I had gotten the items, it would have been less than $10 which is cool. BUUUUTTTT it would have been adding more to the mass of products I already have. I've made some good strides in getting rid of a lot of stuff. Doesn't meant that I don't still have a lot of stuff.

So I turned around from the scanner machine, put everything back and walked right out of CVS! And you know what? It felt good not buying stuff that I honestly didn't need. I went to Ulta earlier that day to use a 20% offer coupon I had. I got one hair item that I actually needed and I did get on "want".  That item was on sale and I had some reward dollars to use. So I don't feel bad getting it. Progress people progress. Now to keep this mindset going into 2014.

I came across this on Instagram this morning and I was like YAAAASSSSSS!!!! LOL! Overall I did good this year getting rid of stuff whether it was to friends and family or various donations. NOOOOOW I have to work on not bring more stuff in, being content using what I have and stick with the products and brands I like/know what works for me. A new shiny thing here and there isn't a bad thing. Just not ALLLLL the time.

Onward and upward!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Dear 2013 & Dear 2014

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

Dear 2013,
I'm over you.

Dear 2014,
Not really looking forward to you either because I'm not expecting anything different from 2013.

Usually I look forward to the new year but now I'm like whatever. This year overall has been crappy. But I can't sit here and say that xyz is gonna happen and it's gonna be a GREAT year. You know what I mean? Not trying to be a Debbie Downer. Just how I feel at the moment.

Palette Play December 2013

Another random thought that came to me while sitting on my bed. In an effort to get use out of this crap ton of palettes I have, I've decide to use a particular palette for a week. Of course my type A self wants to go ahead and decide which palettes I'm going to use for each week. So why not do a post to keep myself on track right? If I decide to use duos, trios or quads then I may use two for the week.  But for the larger palettes, the plan is to use that one palette for the week.

Here's what I planning to use in December:

Week of  December 1 - Tarte Palette from the "Bow & Go" Collection

Week of December 8 - Mally Citychick Celebration Shadow Palette

Week of December 15 - Too Faced Natural at Night Palette

Week of December 22  - Smashbox Mega Photo Op Palette

Week of December 29 - Tarte True Blood Palette

I'm also going to rotate through some Bare Minerals mascara this month as well (Flawless Definition, Volumizing and Curl & Lengthen).

Haven't decided on single eyeshadows and how to incorporate them in the mix since I have a lot of those too (mainly Bare Minerals loose shadows). Maybe starting in January, I'll use certain single shadows for a week. We shall see.

Let the fun begin!

Beauty Remorse

Just a quick ramble....

I was going through my stash yesterday, trying to figure out what makeup I wanted to wear. It hit me yet again that I have way too much makeup. Heck beauty stuff in general. And that's even after I purged a bunch of stuff. I do still have some wish list items. Going to revisit those items and determine if they are still a "want" since Lord knows I do "need" anything makeup wise. Going to hold off getting items like those until sales pop up. Gotta save where you can. And honestly the best time for beauty purchase is around the holidays with various sales and holiday sets. Next year outside of some beauty TSV auto deliveries from QVC, I'm going to try and be in replenish mode only and stick with staple products. Keyword try. Upside I've pulled some other items that I have and started putting Christmas gifts together. So I guess there is an upside to me buy stuff throughout the year. Ha!

Anyone else in this "dilemma"? How do you keep yourself focused and not buy stuff? Let's help each other!

November 2013 Top Ummm??

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

More than 3 products this month *shrugs*. It'll probably be more than 3 for December since I've a TON of beauty come in *head palm*. Let's get to it.

I had another work trip this month. Florida this time. Usually I don't go to this meeting but due to a coworker resigning in September and no replacement for her, I ended up being the sucker who had to go. Here some pics of my room and my view. Not too shabby.

As always packing a trial within itself. I kept simple for the most part. Well simple for me lol.  I had ordered the Glamour Now November Bare Minerals Today's Special Value from QVC the Saturday before my trip. I said if it came before I left then I would take it with me. I was able to play with the items the day before I was scheduled to leave. This set is the bomb! It's very rare that I like all the pieces in a set like this. But I like ALL the pieces. The quad is absolutely gorgeous. I also feel that the shadows in this quad very long wearing, more so than so of their other Ready shadows. The luminizer..babaaaayyyeee it's amazeballs! I'm always leery of  highlighters and how they will show up on my deeper skin tone or too shimmery/glittery. No issues with this. Unfortunately the set is sold out on QVC's site. I didn't know it had sold out. Every now and then sets like this show up on Bare Minerals website when they do their one day flash sales. So keep a look out.

As I've mentioned before I have a love/hate relationship with MAC. Maybe I'll explain my issues with them in another post. I picked up the lipstick Riri Woo mainly off of hype. I got it, worn it and I liked it. Had thought that I could have done without purchasing it since I have other red lipsticks in my stash that I really really like. I had worn in a few times before my work trip and I took it with me. I hate to admit it but this lipstick is the bizness. It's the retro matte formula and a little drying on the lips but that easy to solve with moisturizing your lips beforehand. The retro matte formula is very longer wearing. Seriously you don't really need to touch it up. Usually by the end of the day all I do is put a little Carmex over top of it if my lips start to feel dry or I want to have more of a glossy finish. I'm tempted to get another tube.

Another product I that I reached for before my work trip and took with were some OPI nails polishes. I always paint my nails before a work trip and take a couple of polishes with me. I had went back and for between some L'Oreal and OPI polishes that I hadn't reach for in a while. I ended up picking out Suzi Love Cowboys (this cracks me up since my coworker's name is Suzi) and Yodel Me on My Cell. Suzi Loves Cowboys is a perfect nude polish in terms of matching with my skin tone, not necessarily my nail color. It's brown neutral  creme shade. Yodel me Over on My Cell is a a pretty blue green color.

The Wen Tea Tree Oil is part of the original oil that Chaz Dean launched that were $20. They are no longer available which is a bummer. I have an extra bottle on standby. The newer treatment oils are pricier. I've only tried one. Anywho...this oil is a rock star! I use this on my hair daily and use it an as overnight treatment on my hair and scalp weekly. This along with the Tea Tree Cleansing Conditioner have done wonders for my hair in terms of manageability and hair growth. I'm bummed that this oil has been discontinued. I have a promo offer from QVC so I plan to pick up the newer Tea Tree Treatment Oil and give it a whirl.

I don't think I've mentioned People's StyleWatch magazine before in a post. I was watching Jerusha Couture's October Favorites (love her videos...check her out if you're a handbag/fashion gal) and she mentioned one of her favorite mags and it made me think of People StyleWatch. I've subscribed to a bunch of similar magazines that talk about beauty, fashion, etc. (InStylye, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Allure, so on and so forth) but this is on the only one that I have kept my subscription for and it holds my interest. I like the length. It's not too long but it's not like a brochure or anything. There's a good number of ads but it's not filled with them like some mags. I also love that the products they show have varying price points and they show looks for less (both fashion and beauty). Not everyone is going to be able to afford or want to spend their pennies on high end brands. They also do larger issues around Spring and Fall fashions which I love as well. They also feature plus sized clothing and articles which I can appreciate. It's just an awesome magazine to have if you're a fashion or beauty girl.

Another beauty TSV I got from QVC this month, was the "Bow and Go"  holiday collection that Tarte brought to QVC. They along with other beauty brand bring specific sets to QVC for the holidays and they are ALWAYS and amazing value. Ok back to the kit...one of the items included in this kit is the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. I hadn't had this mascara in my stash in a good while (can't remember if I've mentioned it in a favorites post before). I forgot just how much I love it! I cracked it open the following day when my order arrived. I love everything about the mascara, especially that my lashes feel like my lashes! That's a big deal breaker for me when it comes to mascara. It is also easy to remove. This came with 2 tubes and I had debated on gifting one. BUT ummm that's not gonna happen.

Surprise Products of the Month

Revlon launched some new Kissable Lip Stains. I picked up one of the matte ones called Shameless. It is a GORGEOUS purple shade. I hadn't seen it in my area but when I was in Florida, I saw it Walgreens. It was the last one in the display, so you know I jumped on it. It is long wearing and comfortable on the lips. I thought it would be similar to MAC's Heroine but it's a deeper.

I've had Deborah Lippmann's Ridge Filler Base Coat for a while. I got it in a set from HSN. When I first used it, I didn't really "get" it since I've always used traditional clear base coats. I had grabbed this to see how it would look on its own on my nails. I was like meh when I applied it. So I grabbed a nail polish to put over top. Used it a second time and it finally "clicked" for me. Here is the description for the base coat

"Help your nails and ridges look more healthy. This ridge-filling base coat from celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann not only helps fill and conceal ridges, but it helping provide a longer- lasting manicure. It leaves behind a smooth matte, bump-free finish for your lacquer to adhere."

It made my polish go on easily and evenly. I've had some issues with one nail and it did fill in the problem area. I also had good wear time using this base coat. The bottle I have is pretty much still full, so I'll get plenty of use out of it. Downside is that this joker is $20. So unless I luck up and get in another kit, I doubt I will repurchase it on its own. I also love her Addicted to Speed Quick Dry Top Coat but it's pricey as well.

I received a Jane Cosmetics eyeshadow in Juniper from my beauty pusha. It is described as a black blueish-green. It is a very pretty shadow. I wore it all over the lid with a matte dark brown shadow in my crease blended out. Pigmented, easy to apply, blend and inexpensive. I had never heard of the brand. Apparently they relaunched themselves. The brand is available at Ulta.

Top 5 Favorite Handbags

Quick disclaimer - I'm not bragging by any means. I have what I have. If you're not interested then cool. Catch back up with me on the next post :D

This post randomly popped in my head while I was sitting on my bed lol!!! Don't know why I didn't think of it for October's Blogapalooza. I haven't done that many handbag posts BUT if you haven't guessed it by now, I am a handbag girl through and through. People who know me can vouch for that. My boss has commented to me several times that I should start a purse blog *shrugs*. Don't know what I would talk about. Anywho..when it comes to styles, my favorites are satchels and hobos. My favorite brand is none other than Dooney & Bourke. And I cannot stand a bag with dark/black lining! Drives me nuts!!! Of course I had to think on this for a minute. Let's see if I can stay within the "top 5" Here we go!

The Dooney & Bourke Leather Hobo with Logo Lock was an easy choice and my number one. I absolutely love this bag and have it two colors (Natural and Navy) and I want more. I'm eyeing the grey. I honestly could stick with this bag in various colors and be a happy girl. Like how some ladies have the Hermes bag in multiple colors. Just an FYI, on QVC Dooney Days are going on where I think all of their bags or the majority of them are on 4 easy pays or more. Easy pay is your friend but can be the devil too lol. All of my bags except for a few, I have purchased from QVC and via Easy Pay. Easy Pay is like reverse layaway. You can break up your payments over x amount of months but you get your item within 7-10 days (sometimes less) and you have 30 days to try it out. What's not to love right? Ok back to the bag....

This bag is the perfect size for me. It's not small and it can hold a lot. I have traveled with this bag without any issues. I can't do small bags. I've tried and failed. It fits over the shoulder comfortably, even if you are wearing a coat. I love the inside. There are various pockets to fit your things and it does have a zip pocket. The cool thing when you order a bag from QVC, sometimes they throw in accessories basically for free. This bag came with a key fob and a coin purse which is a pretty decent size.

The Dooney & Bourke Donegal Crest Satchel is another bag that I got via QVC. I have this bag is three colors. My favorite is the black.  The blue and brown ones I got before they started making the cell phone pockets larger in their bags to accommodate the larger smart phone. There are also two zipper pockets on this bag. The handles are generous enough to carry on your shoulder as well. This bag also came with a wristlet and key fob. Pardon the toe of my grey boot in the bottom corner.

I purchased the Fluevog Soprano Hobo from the Fluevog store when I was in Seattle for work. I still can't believe I bought it outright. It was pricey but I don't regret my purchase. I love the color(dark green/olive) and the shape of this bag. It has a fun blue lining. I also like that you can carry it two ways. Here's a better pic of it I found on Polyvore There was a grey color on their website that I was stalking. It went on sale but I didn't pick up before it sold out. There's a store now in my area but I haven't made my way over to it which is a good thing LOL!

I got the Gucci Joy Hearts Boston Bag (I think this is the name of the bag) pre-loved from one of my sorority sisters who was selling it. I love love this syle of satchel. It's a nice size and fits all my stuff. The one downside to it, is that it doesn't have a lot of organization on the inside. There's one small pocket. Still love it though.

I picked up the Wendy Williams Medium Leather Satchel from QVC when she launched her line. I picked it up in green and I honestly want the other 3 colors. If I had to pick one of the three then it would be cognac. I don't know why but I have lightweight obsessed with tan colored bags. When she presented the bag, she let is slip that she designed this with the Louis Vuitton Speedy bag in mind. You're not supposed to mention brand names like that during presentations but we all know that Wendy doesn't care lol! What I love about this bag, that is lacking in the LV bag is organization. This bag has pockets and organization galore! I love the color too. When I carry this I get a TON of compliments.

And there you have it. I stayed at 5 bags woohoo!!! I could probably list another 5. Part 2 perhaps? We shall see.

Product I'm Trying to Use Up Nov/Dec 2013

It just grates my nerves when I have a products that are just about done but never seem to get finished! So I've been eye balling a few products and said that's it! I'm going to focus on using these products up, so I can get them out of my face! This dilemma seems to only occur with hair, body and skin care products. Never seems to be an issue with makeup products. It's a conspiracy lol.

Here are the products that I am going to try and use up between now and the end of December.

• Carol's Daughter Sugar Dipped Vanilla Rollerball
• This is one of my favorite vanilla scented perfumes. But as always with stuff we like, this has been discontinued. There's about a fourth left in the rollerball.
• Philosophy Falling in Love Body Spritz
• Another favorite scent. I've had this body spritz for a while and it's just about done. So it needs to be gone.
• Bath & Body Works Sweet on Paris Body Wash
• This is another vanilla scented product that I got last year during Bath & Body Work's end of the year sale. I can't remember when I cracked it open but it has been sitting in my shower long enough. Time to go!
• Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub
• I've mentioned this scrub in my favorites before. I think this is my third tube. I use this in the morning to cleanse my face. But since I have stumbled upon Serious Skincare's Glycolic Cleanser, I haven't been reaching for it as much as I used to when I first discovered it at CVS. There isn't a lot left in the tube, so might as well make the effort to use it and get it out of my shower.
• The Body Shop Body Butter Duo in Vanilla
• This body butter has a normal side and dry side. I just used up the normal side. So now I'm focusing on the dry side. I picked 3 of these while in Portland during a work trip at Ross and TJ Maxx for $5.99. I kept 2 and gifted one to a friend. This is the last one.
• Wen Tea Tree Cleansing Conditioner
• Of the original Wen Cleansing Conditioners, Tea Tree is hands down my holy grail. The results I have had with this cleansing conditioner is just BEYOND! Maybe I'll do a hair routine/favorite products post. Anywho...I have a bottle of Fig that I need to get to. So I want to get this bottle of Tea Tree done. Fig is my second favorite so it will not be a hardship to use it in the interim. Plus I still have some Tea Tree oil on hand, so my hair will have its Tea Tree fix.
• Black Radiance Shine Control Primer
• Another product I have mentioned in favorites. There's not a lot left in the tube plus I've had it for a while. I still really like this primer but I think it may be a better fit for my skin during the warmer months *shrugs*.

For some of these products,  you can somewhat see that there isn't a lot left to use. I'll report back on how successful I was in using up these 7 products by December.

Stay tuned...

**UPDATED
I forgot to add Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner. So that's 8 products instead of 7.

Hello Kindle!

A quicky tech post.

I got a Kindle and for under $10!!! I couldn't believe it myself. Amazon had a promo going on at the end of October. The deal I got was $60 off any Kindle. I got the version that's before the new Paperwhite which is $69 (with special offers). I was like no way! I debated on it since I already have a Nook Color. But there are some ebooks that are exclusive to Kindle and I mentioned that I was able to get it for less than $10 right? It came right before my work trip and I took it with me. I'm still getting use to it since my Nook Color is all touch. But I won't complain since I got it for a good deal! Woohoo!!

October 2013 Top 3

Last post of Blogapalooza!! Woot! Thank you for riding this out with me. Didn't think I would be able to do it. This was kind of fun BUT I will NOT be doing this again anytime soon. A professional blogger I am NOT!

Here is my top 3 products for the month!!

Wen Fall Apple Spice!!!! I could have mentioned this last month but at the time I had only used it twice. This new Wen seasonal scent and the cleansing conditioner is Amazeballs!!!!! I had said that I wasn't going to purchase anymore of the Wen seasonal cleansing conditioners since the ones for the past two years were not coming back. I caved when I heard that they were bringing back the auto delivery program for the 32oz size on QVC. I'm glad I did! This seasonal to me is smoother, creamier and more moisturizing than the previous ones. I could not stop touching my hair after I used it. I'm kind of kicking myself for not order and another one. It is still available so I might. My bank account is like girl have multiple seats! I'm looking for to the winter seasonal which Winter Cranberry Mint!!! *swoons*

I was talking to a makeup loving friend of mine about the new Bobbi Brown Chocolate palette and Bobbi Brown eyeshadows in general. It was a lovefest going on lol. When I heard a new Rich Chocolate palette was coming out I was excited since I love the original one. But when I saw that only two of the shades were new and the others were repeats there was honestly no need for me to pick it up. I hate when brands do that. So I decided to pull out the original Bobbi Brown Chocolate palette that  I have. To me this in the original nude/naked palette before all the other brands jumped on the "trend". It doesn't look like much but it is an awesome all occasions palette. I had a lot of fun using it this month.

I randomly picked out NYX Blush in Desert Rose to play with. I used it just about every day for about a week and half. It is very pigmented but not scary pigmented that if you apply too much that you'll end up looking like clown. A very brown girl friendly shade and you can beat the price of $5. Plus you can always catch a sale at Ulta or Cherry Culture.

Surprise Products of the Month

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara
In the Princess Tag, I hinted that I may have found a drugstore alternative to Lancome Definicils Precious Cells. Well this is it. I did a random Google search for dupes and came across this blog post. So of course I was curious. I was in Walgreens and they were having a buy one, get one 50% off on Revlon products. So I picked up a tube. So far I'm enjoying it. I have only tried one Revlon mascara. It was a favorite then ended up being a regret. So we shall see.

Revlon Honey Bare Lipstick
I think I may have found a new favorite nude lipstick. This was the other product I picked up at Walgreens for the buy one, get one. One of my favorite YouTubers, Jennifer Wan has mentioned this lipstick a bunch of times and it's one of her favorite. I had seen it other times when I've been out and about but just never picked it. I love it. It's one of the new shine lipsticks from Revlon. So you don't need to top it with a gloss and it's moisturizing like other Revlon lipsticks. I love that this is a nude lipstick that you don't have to baby. You can put it on and be done with it. This just might be my holy grail nude. We shall see.

Tarte BB corrector
Tarte had a Today's Special Value in September. I was not going to get it. I swear I wasn't. When I saw Musings of Muse's blog post on the two auto delivery shipments I was sold. I'm such a sucker. Anywho...one of the products is the BB tinted corrector. I have never used a corrector before. Typically you apply this over your under eye concealer. But I tried this on it's own and I really like it. Especially with the double ended brush that came with the kit. It reminds me of Bobbi Brown's concealer which I like but it's not as heavy to me and a tad easier to blend. I don't think I like it as much as I like Bare Minerals Stroke of Light though.

On to November and some good Thanksgiving eats!!!!

Makeup Collection: Some Other Tidbits

Better Beauty Cases

I have mentioned these in a favorites post last year and showed one of them in my Top 11 Nail Polishes post. I purchased these from HSN. I got two sets that came with a small case and larger case. One of the small ones is empty and I use it for work travel. The second smaller one I keep my everyday items/items I'm currently playing around with. I don't have a vanity, so I take this case into my bathroom to do my makeup in the mornings. One of the larger cases holds some of my nail polishes. The second case holds another competent to my makeup stash that I briefly wanted to show.

It holds my Bare Minerals loose makeup (eyeshadows, blushes and Radiance powders). This is another storage setup that may change. It was a good idea at the time but now it's not convenient and I don't reach for items in here. So something else is in order. If and when I change how I store these, I'll do an update post.

Ok I think that's it...phew! I have some other stuff mainly in my bathroom. Just everyday items like primers, Bare Minerals foundation, Mineral Veil, etc. but you don't need to see those :D

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 10

Here is the final drawer. No makeup here, just some bath and body items. Actually the items in this drawer more than likely will be moved out and I can shift some products around from the other drawers. We shall see. There are items from Bath & Body Works, philosophy, Carol's Daughter, Korres and Victoria Secret.

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 9

I guess you can say this is the face drawer with some other stuff randomly thrown in. Here there are highlights, powders, a bronzer, concealer and mascaras. The mascaras hanging off in the corner are unopened. So they may end up in  a gift bags or two come Christmas. Nothing too fancy.

On to the final drawer woohoo!

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 8

Holy blush drawer Batman! Here we have blushes from various brands and price points. The cheapest being Wet n' Wild and Elf. The higher being probably Tarte. I have one Lancome blush that I got from a blog sale, so I didn't pay full price. In between there's NYX, Milani, Mac, Bare Minerals and Maybelline.

On to drawer 9...

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 7

Yep more lipsticks along with lip pencils and chubby lip pencils/lip stains. Again both on the lower and high end of the spectrum when it comes to price. Some brands not mentioned yesterday are Bobbi Brown, Black Radiance, Kat Von D and Mary Kay.

Drawer 8 tomorrow and no more lip products :)

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 6

Here we have lip products and oh boy do we have some *head palm*. This started out as the lighter/brighter lipstick drawer which it still is. I moved and shifted some stuff around and threw some lipglosses in here for the time time being. As you can see there's a mix when it comes to brands. On the lower end, there's Wet n' Wild, Revlon, Milani, etc. On the higher end, there's Mally, Mac, Bare Minerals and some others.

Drawer 7 tomorrow. Possibly some more lipsticks *smh*

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 5

Mooooore eyeshadows!!!!! This is the drugstore eyeshadow drawer. Here we have Wet n' Wild, NYX, Sonia Kashuk, Maybelline, elf, Black Radiance and L'Oreal. Funny that this drawer was half empty when I purged a bunch of drugstore shadows. Clearly something happened since it's now full again lol!

On to drawer 6 and I promise it is not eyeshadows!

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 4

More eyeshadow palettes!?!?! Seriously dude *head palm*

Here we have some palettes and quads from The Balm, Lancome, Mac, Tarte, Stila, Too Faced, Tarte, Mally, Laura Mercier and BH Cosmetics. The two larger BH Cosmetics palettes are leaving my stash.

Tomorrow Drawer 5 and possibly more doggone eyeshadows *smh*

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 3

This is my favorite eyeshadow drawer! This drawer holds Bare Minerals Ready eyeshadows, Urban Decay and Bobbi Brown eyeshadows, lip palettes and pot rogues. 

Tomorrow drawer 4...

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 2

More eyeshadows. I guess you have say these are the "higher end". There are some Mac, Urban Decay, Bare Minerals, Laura Geller, Rock & Republic, NARS, Lorac and Smashbox. The Smashbox quads will more than likely be leaving my stash. I don't reach for them plus the Mega Op palette that I have mentioned before, has more than enough Smashbox eyeshadows. This drawer altogether may be different once I decided on how I want to organize the loose Bare Minerals shadows I have. 

Tomorrow drawer 3...

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 1

In this drawer we have eye products. In the basket to the left are eyeliners from a bunch of different brands such as Mally, Tarte, Bare Minerals and Urban Decay.  My favorite pencil eyeliners are by Urban Decay. There are some cream Urban Decay eyeshadows too. The basket to the right has shadow sticks and some bases from Mally, Tarte and NYX. In the front of the baskets we have Maybelline Color Tattoos, Bobbi Brown gel liners and cream shadows, cream shadows and liners from other brands.

Tomorrow Drawer 2...

My Makeup Collection: Overview

First off let me just say that I am not bragging in any way shape or form. If you've followed me along the hippy dippy journey, I've gone back and forth over the amount of makeup I've accumulated. So no judgements please. If you don't want to see it then please click out of the post and catch up with me later since this will be broken up over several posts.

I ordered the Seville Classics 10 Drawer Organizer from Amazon which I showed in my 2013: Organize, Purge & Save - Check In post. I've shifted some things around since then. The cart is available in a bunch different colors and at various retailers (online and in store). The two black mini drawers on top are from Target. The black baskets that you will see in the drawers are from Target as well.

What I'm going to is go drawer by drawer, give you a peek and overview of what's in the drawer. As well as, show you bits and pieces not in the cart. Sound good? Heeeerrreee we gooooooo!

Here is my setup:

On the top of the cart, I have a mix of things. Mainly stuff that won't fit in the drawers. To the left I have:

• A Bobbi on the go kit that I got from QVC.
• 2 Bare Minerals Ready palettes from their holiday collection last year
• My Z palette that has some Mary Kay eyeshadows, blushes and La Femme blushes
• Women of BE loose eyeshadow collection
• Tarte True Blood palette
• Smashbox Mega Photo Op palette
• Beauty blenders
• L'Oreal True Match foundations
• 2 compact mirrors that were gifted to me

On the top very top I have 2 loose Bare Minerals eyeshadow sets (A Vision in Velvet and Good Morning, Gorgeous).

The first mini 3 drawer holds my makeup brushes. The first drawer has all my Bare Minerals brushes. The second drawer holds eye brushes. The third drawer holds face brushes.

The second mini 3 drawer holds lipglosses. The first drawer holds mini sized glosses and some backup Mac lip products. The second drawer holds mainly lipglosses from Bare Minerals (100% natural, Buxom and Moxie). I have a few other higher end glosses thrown in here at the moment. The last drawer mainly has glosses from the drugstore (Maybelline, Milani, NYX, NYC, and Revlon).

Tomorrow we delve into Drawer 1 of the cart.

Stay tuned...

Favorite Beauty YouTubers

I'm subscribed to quite a few people on YouTube. I need to unsubscribe from a lot of them. Here are some that I pretty much watch faithfully and I like their personalities. They keep me wanting to watch their videos and they know what they are talking about. How fitting that I picked 8 YouTubers :D

Crystalis007

Ummm this is no surprise right? Since I have mentioned her blog and channel a BUNCH of times. Lol! Crystal mainly does hauls and product reviews which are great. But she mixes it up and keeps it interesting. Plus she's a fool and a half. She also has a vlog channel where she takes you shopping with her.  She shows new products in store and what the displays look like. There is also food series on her vlog channel featuring her husband.

Jennifer Wan (formerly fashionismycrush)

Jennifer does reviews and hauls as well. She has various series on her channel like Drugstore Diaries and Brushabilities. Her videos are very informative. So if you're looking for in depth product reviews then Jennifer is your girl.

Emilynoel83

I think everyone knows who Emily is. She a very popular YouTuber. She does a mix of things on her main channel. She has 2 other channels (vlog and product reviews). I love that even though she has a bunch of followers, she interacts with everyone like if she only had a 100. Some of these bigger YouTubers....don't get me started. Lemme hush. Plus she has a pink makeup room. I mean come on, how can you not love her for that! Teehee!

ArielHopeMakeup

I like Ariel's channel because she does tutorials. She also works a Bare Minerals and uses/shows a lot of their products. And if you haven't guessed by now, Bare Minerals is one of my favorite makeup brands.

1PurpleEyeDiamond1 

I love her channel because she's another one that actually does tutorials. I also love her Instagram because she posts her daily looks and swatches of products. She's also a makeup artist and knows her craft.

farahdhukai 

I like Farah's tutorials. They are simple yet very pretty. I also like her DIY skincare videos.

Jaclyn Hill

Jaclyn is another that I like for tutorials. She's quirky and fun to watch. She's also a makeup artist. A real one, not like some of these girls that just play in makeup claiming to be makeup artists. Let me hush and stop "hating". She is very knowledgeable on products and what works for various skin types and skin tones.

Nicole Guerrero

Nicole is another quirky YouTuber that I like. I like her favorites videos and her tutorials.

Who are your  favorite beauty YouTubers?

Book Lovin: Attachment to Books

I think I stumbled across this blog post via Twitter (Breaking The Sentimental Attachment to Books). I was like how fitting since I am currently going through the process of purging my books. I didn't think it would this hard but it so is! It has been HARD! Some books I was able to go through and put them into the "to go" pile instantly without any issues. Other books not so much. Some I won via giveaways, some I got from the authors personally and they signed the book(s) for me...I could go on. It got to the point I got so frustrated with this process that I stopped. But then I got mad because I'm tired of looking at all these books. Also this process is taking me away from the enjoyment of reading.

I did follow some points from the post. I did get rid of most of the multiple copies of books. Keyword being most. I didn't "write down" my thoughts on each book, that would take forever. For the "questionable" books they did get some extra thought to help me decide if it was a keeper or it was going. This last batch of books I showed no mercy. Also I do realize that this is a process. I plan to go through stuff again, do another drop off and then do a "final" purge for the year around Thanksgiving. Then I'm just going to leave it alone for a while and see what I actually read. I'll revisit everything again in 2014. If I keep this current process up I'll go bonkers.

I found this on Instagram and this pretty much sums up my dilemma.

I just have to realize that, no I can't read everything by everybody. I have some identified favorites authors and heck try keep trying to keep up with them is a task within itself. I need to figure out a way to keep track of books that I just want to read but not necessarily buy. My library does let you borrow ebooks and have borrowed a few. So that's a potential route.

I'm far from becoming a book minimalist. I don't think I could get down to only 20 books like the author of the blog post. But then again I don't want to end up like this lol!!

The struggle continues...

Tech Lovin: Email Overload

Can I just say that I am sick of email!!? I only have 3 emails well technically 4 but the last one is a temporary email that we be gone by the end of the year. I have 2 personal email addresses (Yahoo and Gmail) and of course my work email. I have had my Yahoo email since undergrad...many moons ago lol. My Gmail is more recent, but I really don't use it that much. I said I was going to use it more so for personal communication since my Yahoo email has so much tied to it with other stuff and is all over the place. If Gmail had folders I might use it more. Then I toyed around with slowly getting rid of my Yahoo email BUT that would be a nightmare.

Gmail has over 5,000 "conversations". My work email may be a little less. I'm not even going to say what my Yahoo email has with emails and folders*head palm*. I said I was going to devote some time to clean my inboxes out. But still haven't gotten around to it. I'll get into a mode where I'll delete a bunch of emails and unsubscribe from various lists and such, but I feel like no progress has been made. How you handle email overload?