December 2014 Favorites

Here's what I've been loving for the month of December!

Eyes

I had a feeling that the Stila In the Moment palette would be a favorite when I picked it up. If I had gotten it earlier in the year, it may have been my favorite palette of 2014. But I haven't played around with it long enough to give it that title. This is an awesome neutral palette and it's a complete palette! I didn't have to add any other shadows to complete a look. It has a dark brown shadow which I love and it also has a black shadow which isn't a "scary" black shadow. Meaning that it's pigmented but not hard to blend. The shadows go nicely, easy to blend and have very nice staying power. This just might be my work travel palette for next year. It's easy to pack and easy to use. Not once when I used this I had to stare at and try to figure out a look. My "beauty mind" was like ok, these are the shadows we're using today and go! This was an awesome deal at $20. If you can get your hands on it  at the sale price, I say grab it.

Lips

I ordered the philosophy fresh cream ultimate 5 pc collection w/gift bag from QVC on auto delivery and I'm so glad I did. Fresh Cream has become my new favorite scent from philosophy. I also love that everything in this set is regular sized! I usually jump on the super sized bandwagon for philosophy products. But I've said that I'm done with super sized. The product I have been loving most from this is the lip shine. The Fresh Cream scent translates differently from product to product. The lip shine smells so freaking good! The product itself is not super sticky and is moisturizing on the lips. It's the product I have been reaching for at night to put on my lips. When I wake up in the morning, my lips feel soft and hydrated.

I picked up some of the new Maybelline Creamy Matte lipsticks online from Ulta when they had a 40% off promo along with buy one, get one 50% off. I think it was the Saturday after Thanksgving. An amazing deal right? One of the colors I didn't get due to it being out of stock was Siren in Scarlet. Ulta needs to do better with that but at least they didn't cancel my entire order. I heard that they did that during Black Friday. I got 5 colors and the one I have reached for the most is Divine Wine. No surprises there right? I love my berry shades. I also enjoyed wearing Lust for Blush and Mesmerizing Magenta. For a matte lipstick these are creamy and goes on very very smoothly. The pigmentation is great and the staying power on these is AWESOME! Yes I'm shouting lol. If you are looking for a good matte lipstick check these out. I'm definitely getting the red.

Face

I had some breakout issues this month. So I pulled out the Bare Minerals Blemish Ready foundation again to see how it would work. I do feel that it did help heal the breakouts on my face. It does contain my favorite acne fighting ingredient Salicylic Acid. When I first got this foundation and was using it, I didn't really have any breakouts going on to test their acne fighting claims. I'm happy to say that it worked for me. So this is a definite keeper in my beauty arsenal.

I thought I have mentioned Bobbi Brown's Highlight Powder in Bronze Glow. This was part of her holiday collection and it is pure awesomeness! I have raved about her shimmer bricks before and how easily they are to apply and how they wear nicely on the skin. This one is no different. It gives you this pretty glow that is not glittery. Trying to decide if this or Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector will be my favorite highlight product for 2014. That post is coming, so stay tuned for that.

Body

I made a Bath & Body Works run when I had a 20% off coupon and they had several promos going on. I picked up two of the Vanilla Bean Noel Body Creams. I have also shopped the Semi Annual Sale twice and got another tube *head palm*. Somehow I missed out on picking this scent up last year. If you are a vanilla lover then you have to check this out. I have always loved Bath & Body Works' Body Creams. They recently revamped the formula and it's even better. This is true vanilla scent. It's not overly sweet or fake smelling like some vanilla scents can be. The key note are: Fresh Vanilla Bean, Warm Caramel, Sugar Cookies, Whipped Cream and Snow-kissed Musk. Almost sounds like a dessert, minus the musk.

Korres released a new scent in their shower gels and body butters. The new scent Cinnamon Vanilla is EVERYTHING! OMG! It is so good! This is my new favorite Korres scent! It's a good mix of sweet and spicy. It's not too spicy that you couldn't use this all year. Well at least I would but everyone's nose is different. It'll mix well with other vanilla scented fragrances. I rarely write product reviews online but I had to share my thoughts on HSN's site. I picked up the duo which is a super awesome value. When I ordered, free shipping was available

Random Stuff

Last year I pick up a Twisted Peppermint candle from Bath and Body Works and loved it. I ended up getting 3 this year from two different trips. I gifted one and the other 2 are for me lol. I just love the scent. The peppermint is not overwhelming and it has a creamy side to it as well. It is described as "merry and bright peppermint celebrates the season with vanilla and sugary musk."

If you are an Amazon Prime member, then you HAVE to download the Amazon Music app to your smartphone, tablet, laptop or whateva so you can stream music for free. You can add various songs and albums to your library for free (as long as you maintain your Prime membership). I have had fun searching through the music and adding stuff to my library. I have the app on my phone. I'll plug in my headphones and just zone out. They also have various playlists as well. It's awesome.

Another app that has consumed a lot of my time is Candy Crush Soda! I've played Candy Crush Saga and got hooked on it but then I kind of fell off with it. When I saw that a new version was coming out, I said I would NOT download it. Well yea that didn't last long lol!!!!

Surprise Products of the Month

I ended up returning the Buxom Dolly's High Roller palette I picked up during the VIB sale and exchanged it for the Urban Decay On The Run palette. From the reviews I've read, it seems like people aren't happy with the packaging. I guess they were expecting something more "compact" for travel. I would totally travel with this. It is pretty much your full face. I love that the eyeshadows are all new shades. They are true to the quality of other Urban Decay shadows. They are pigmented and easy to apply. My favorite is Dare (second from the right). It reminds me of Buck from the original Naked palette but a tad deeper. Also I have never tried any of Urban Decay's Naked lip glosses until I picked up this palette. The gloss in the palette is called Sesso. It's described as a rose pink shimmer. It is very pretty and feels so good on the lips. I am overall pleased with this palette. Check it out if you can.

Nothing to report on nail favorites and no meh products either.

And there you have it! Woohoo! Not a lot of stuff but I really enjoyed using these products for the month on December.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read my ramblings, commenting and sharing my posts. I hope that everyone had a Merry Merry Christmas or whatever it is you celebrate during the holiday season. If you are going out tonight for New Year's, please be safe. "See" you all in January for more favorites shenanigans!

Book Lovin - 2015 Reading Goals

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

Well this thread didn't get a lot of love this year lol. I only read 53 books this year. Which is down from last year. In years past, I would set a goal of how many books I want to read. Not sure I'm ready to do that for 2015.

Last December I posted my reading goals for 2014. And well yea...I had good intentions. I did tackle my wish list but it needs some more work.

I have gone through my books again for the year. This time there was no wishy washy going on! I have a bag now ready to donate. I have my "library" on a spreadsheet and I would like to inventory my books. Especially since I feel like some books are MIA.

I saw a reading challenge floating around on Facebook that made me go hmmmm. One of the items was read a non-fiction book. I was going to try and read one non-fiction book a month. Now I think I may aim to read one a quarter, ending up with 4 for the year. I may go ahead and pick them out and I may do a post of them.

Then talking with one of my book loving sorority sisters, I realized that I am behind on a lot of series books that I have started. I was like oye vey! So I am going to try and get caught up on those.

Also I'm going to try and take advantage of the library bit more. Mainly borrowing eBooks. Borrowing print books from the library sometimes gives me the hebejebes lol. Some people are trifling with how they handle library books!

Doesn't seem like much but I think this is doable. It's enough to not get overwhelmed.

Let the reading begin!

Out of My Face - 2014 Edition (Recap)

This is my 200th post! Woot!!

In February, I posted a laundry list of products that I want to use up by the end of the year.

Was I successful?

Here is what I actually used up:

• Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Golden Deep
• Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray
• Philosophy Unconditional Love Shower Gel
• Korres Bergamot Pear Shower Gel and Body Butter 
• Mally Face Defender
• Kate Somerville ExfoliKate
• Out the Door Top Coat

This item was "indirectly" on my list but I didn't post about it lol. Weird I know. I used up:

• Bare Minerals Matte Foundation in Warm Deep - Good thing since I determined that this is not my shade even though I got "matched" in it. Hmph! I noticed that it turned red on me. I was like what the what??! So I'm sticking with Golden Deep. I can pretty much wear it all year.

Some items I just got fed trying to use up or they went bad, so the following go tossed:

• Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss - I just couldn't finish it, It was starting to get gunky and I don't like potted lip products.  
• Mally Glosses - As I was wearing these, I noticed that as the day progressed the worse of my lips would get. These were the cause. I had some newer Mally glosses and I wore those without any issues. Also these 3 didn't smell as sweet as the newer ones. They weren't rancid but you could definitely tell that the product started to turn. Glosses in general don't have a long shelf life but these definitely don't last long. So I don't plan on buying any more of these anytime soon.
• MAC Lipstick in Call My Bluff - MAC lipsticks and glosses have a vanilla scent to them. Well the scent was gone and it didn't smell all that great. So I pitched it. I have another one that I got from a blog sale. 
• MAC Evolution Revolution Lipglass - Another lippie I just couldn't finish. It was still ok but it was time to toss it. I'm not a fan of MAC Lipglasses and haven't not repurchased any in a good while. I think I only have 2 left in my stash but only because I really like the colors.
• Bath and Body Works Creamy Coconut Body Splash - I tried to use this up but I just wasn't reaching for it. Also when I sprayed it, it smelled more of alcohol than the Creamy Coconut scent.
• Buxom Dolly - I ended getting this again in a set I had purchased from Sephora. So I tossed the one I had since it was time and I had used most of it. But since I returned the set, I don't have it anymore. I may repurchase it at some point since I don't have any other mauvey lipglosses and it is a long time favorite.

And I didn't use up the following:

• MAC Lipstick in Heroine
• Urban Decay Perversion Eyeliner & Mally Evercolor Eyeliner in Onyx. I ended up giving the Mally liner away when I was purging items from my stash. Perversion is my favorite black pencil liner. So there was not need to keep the Mally one.
• Bare Minerals 100% Natural Lipgloss in Glazed Donut
• Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

There you have it. I will continue to use the items that I didn't use up. Not a bad effort.

Back to Basics - Skin Care Update

Back in October of last year, I posted about some skincare products I had been using and what my current skincare routine was at the time. At the time, I was enjoying everything that I was using.  In my June favorites post, I mentioned that my skin went all out of whack, how I freaked out and went back to basics for my skincare needs. I was like ok the basics for me are cleanse, treat and moisturize my skin. For cleansing, I like a light exfoliation in the morning and cream cleanser at night to help remove my makeup. For treating, I'm prone to breakouts, got pores going on, some dark spots and want to address anti-aging. Also I do like using weekly masks, peels, scrubs etc. For moisturizing, I need something that absorbs into my skin but doesn't contribute to my oiliness and I need an SPF for the daytime. Not too much to ask right? Some of these items you've heard me mention in previous favorites posts. Here's what I've been using and more importantly, what's been working for my skin.

Cleansers/Makeup Removers

I went back to the Biore Unclogging Pore Scrub. This was my favorite cleanser to use in the morning. Before I stopped using this I had purchased 3 tubes. I like using this in the morning in the shower. Sometimes I use it twice a day if I don't wear makeup on that particular day. It's not a harsh scrub, I like the tingling sensation and how my skin feels once I rinse it off. It feels smooth and not super tight/dry.

I randomly picked up the Olay Foaming Face Wash for Combination/Oily Skin when I was in Ulta. To me to this is more of a cream cleanser vs a foaming cleanser. This really got some use in July when I was doing a bunch of travelling. This was the one cleanser I took with me and used morning and night. I really really enjoyed using this cleanser. It gets my face clean but it doesn't feel stripped or have a tight feeling. I could stick with just this cleanser. But I do like having the Biore cleanser on hand too. There's also a Sensitive version that has good reviews. If you're looking for a good simple cleanser then check this one out.

I also use makeup remover wipes and I keep picking up random brands to try lol. Right now I have Maybelline Clean Express and Aveeno Ultra-Calming makeup remover wipes on hand.

I'm still using the Garnier Nourishing Cleansing Oil and enjoying it. The only thing I don't like is the packaging. It leaks but it's not enough to make me throw it out. But it's enough to be annoying. I don't know if I was a messed up bottle or if this is normal. Once I use it up, I won't be repurchasing it.

I'm still making my way through the H2O+ Dual Action Eye Makeup Remover. I'm still liking it but I forget to use in the evening when I remove my makeup! Oye! So when I do use it up, I don't plan on repurchasing it or any other eye makeup remover. Using a makeup remover wipe and the Olay cleanser gets all my eye makeup off. It's just another step that I don't really need.

Toner

I know some people say that you don't need a toner and then others say yes you do. Well for me, when I've had a toner in my routine, it has helped my skin. I'm still using Neutrogena's Clear Pore Oil-Controlling Astringent. I've lost count on how many bottles of this I have purchased. I was going pick up Dickinson's Witch Hazel again but this one does have Witch Hazel in it along with Salicylic Acid. So I'm sticking with this one.

Moisturizers

I've talked about the L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector products in previous favorites post. I'm still using and enjoying the Day/Night Cream. I don't plan on switching it out of my routine anytime soon. It absorbs into my skin nicely and it helps mattify my skin along with keep it moisturized. I've used both day and night.

When it comes to moisturizers with SPF I am very picky! I don't do thick ones. I need something that absorbs into my skin and doesn't make me oily. I picked up the Cetaphil Oil Controlling Moisturizer from Ulta. I was iffy on it once I mentioned picking it up to my beauty pusher and she said that she didn't like it. When I first started using it, I was meh towards it. But the more I use it, the more I've grown to like it.  So I will continue to use it. I may check out one from Neutrogena at some point next year. But again we'll see on that.

Eye Cream

I still have the L'Oreal Youth Code Eye Cream on hand and I'm still enjoying it. I've looked at some Olay ones. I may try one next time Ulta has a sale or I have a coupon. The L'Oreal one I order online from an Amazon seller which is fine but it would be nice to have something that I could get directly from the store. I have some sample ones that I am trying to use up now that aren't from drugstore brands (Murad Essential-C Eye Cream and Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel). Once I use them up, I will crack open the tube of the L'Oreal eye cream that I have.

Treatments

The Youth Code Texture Perfector Serum is a favorite for the year! I think this is my third or fourth bottle and I have a back up bottle waiting in the wings. This is one of the best serums that I have used. I love that I can score a deal on it from stores with store promos and coupons. I was tempted to try another L'Oreal Youth Code serum but I'm not going to. This helps keep my skin smooth, soft and addresses anti-aging.

The Clean & Clear Persa Gel 10 is what I have been using for blemishes and I love it. It blends in nicely to the skin but doesn't dry my skin and cause dry patches like some acne products with Benzoyl Peroxide. It gets the job done quickly in taking care of blemishes too. It's one of the best acne spot treatments that I've used. This will stay in my skin care arsenal!

Alpha Hydrox's ResQ has been a long time favorite. It's a dupe for philosohy's Help Me. I added this back into the rotation a few months ago. I stopped using it earlier for a little while to "see" if I really needed it. I noticed a difference. Retinol has so many benefits in addition to anti-aging. Plus this one also has Vitamins A,C and E. So check this out if you're looking for a good retinol but don't want to speed a lot of money.

Alpha Hyrdox's Oil-Free Treatment 10% Glycolic AHA is a newer item to my skin care routine. I picked it up based off of several reviews on Ulta's site from acne prone users who said that it helped them with their breakouts and control oil. It also helps with anti-aging. Since I use the ResQ at night, I only use it in the morning based off of information I found on Alpha Hydrox's website. So far I'm liking it and will keep using it.

Masks, Peels, Scrubs

The Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque is awesome sauce. I have used this off and on for years but really have been sticking to it for the last few months. I use it once a week every Sunday. Sometimes twice a week if I have a lot of breakouts going on or if my skin is just "congested".

I've mentioned the Queen Helene Grape Seed Peel Off Masque in my August 2014 favorites post. It's awesome sauce as well. I use this twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The peel gets all the gunk out of my pores and firms the skin (especially my neck!).

I mentioned the St. Ives Pink Lemon & Madarin Orange Scrub in my November 2014 favorites post. I'm still enjoying it. The times where I have been lazy do the Queen Helene Masques, I'll make sure I use this since it doesn't take long and it does the job. So this is another product that will remain in my skincare stash. I haven't seen it at the Ulta store that I frequent. So I need to go by Target and get another tube.

And there you have it!! Phew! Seems like a lot but it really isn't. I don't use all these products everyday or even twice a day.

It's kind of cool that everything that I am currently using is a drugstore/low cost product. For the most part I am consistent with my routine but I do have lazy days. Mainly on the weekends if I'm at home and not going anywhere. If you're curious about skin care at the drugstore, I highly recommend picking up products from Ulta. They seem to always have some type of promo going on, they have coupons you can use ($3.50 off $10, $5 of $15 or 20% off) and they have a pretty good return policy.

There are a few higher end items that have caught my my eye. Was tempted to pick up a Perricone Today's Special Value a few months ago, a Kate Somerville acne product had caught my eye and I've been contemplating trying the new Proactiv + line. But honestly what I have been using has been working. Even when I get lazy and don't do my masques, my skin is still pretty decent. I also love the fact that everything I'm using I can pick up from Ulta, Target or the drugstore. I do love me some online shopping but it is nice to run into a store and get what you need every now and then lol!! So as the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it! So this will be my routine unless my skin goes whacky again.

Beauty 2015...

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

I follow The Posh Blog on Instagram and I've watched a few of her YouTube videos. In November she said that she was going on a no buy. She recently did a blog post on whether or not she was successful and the eight things she learned. It was an interesting read. Of course it got me thinking yet again about my beauty ways.

I've picked up a some things here and there that have caught my eye. I've scored some good deals and picked up things that I am really liking. I have been BETTER this year at returning/exchanging items that I don't absolutely LOVE! Which is big for me. Most of the time, I'm like wellllll it's not bad or I can "make" it work. For instance, I think since 2010, I have purchased the Bare Minerals November Today's Special Value (TSV) from QVC which is their holiday TSV. I got this year's TSV and it sat for maybe a week and half to two weeks and I did not touch. It just said on my dresser. Usually I tear into as soon as I get my hands on it. I finally did a look with it on Thanksgiving. It was just ok. I wasn't wowed by it. Then I was like well maybe....then I thought about it and said NOPE, SEND IT BACK! No more wishy washy. No ma'am! No sir! NO MORE! I've talked with some friends and beauty lovers on Twitter and quite a few are on the same wavelength. What's the purpose of keeping something that you're lukewarm towards? That's just  a waste of money and more stuff taking up space.

I've also done what I think is my final makeup purge for the year. Instead of operating on a complete no buy, I'm going to attempt a "low buy" for 2015. Of course I will replenish what I need but I am going to be very critical when it comes to future beauty purchases and try not to buy into the "hype" from YouTube, Instagram or beauty blogs. I need to do a bit more organization in my 10 drawer cart as well. Maybe I'll do an updated makeup collection post and you'll see the difference from October 2013 and now. We'll see. So that'll be my beauty focus for 2015 along with using what I have!! Maybe I can actually hit pan on an eyeshadow or blush lol!!! Let's see how I do.

Stay tuned...

Palette Play December 2014

Ok sooooooo....this was supposed to be Drugstore December. But I picked up a couple of Stila palettes that I was going to wait and play around with next month buuuut I didn't want to wait. So there lol.  Here is what I'll be playing around with for the month.

Week of November 30 - Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadows

First column: Bella Emerald, Bella Black

Second column: Bella Purple, Bella Teal, Bella Espresso

Third column: Bella Bronze, Bella Champagne, Bella Gold

I got these from a friend a while ago and I have yet to play with them. I could depot them and put them into a Z palette. A nice mix of shades for a palette.

Week of December 7 - Stila In the Light Palette

I got this for $20 from Sephora online. I've heard that the "In the..." palettes are being discontinued. So check Ulta and Sephora online if you are interested in these palettes. This reminds me so much of the original Naked palette and y'all know that is my favorite palette. I've heard good reviews on this palette.

Week of December 14 - Stila In the Moment Palette

I got this from Ulta online. I kept going back and forth on it. But come on it's a purple and neutrals together! It's my palette happy place. The reviews on this palette are good as well.

Week of December 21 - Wet n Wild Sparkle 'Til Morning

This a short work week so we'll see how much use this gets. I have had it for a while and have yet to play with it *hangs head in shame* The makeup hoarder struggle.


Week of December 28 - elf Baked Shadows

I'll be hanging around at home for the most part this week. So we'll see if these get any use at all. These are good for a quick one eye shadow look which is all I'll probably be up to doing. The four shadows I have are Burnt Plum, Chocolate Dream, Bark and Passion Purple.

And Palette Play is done for 2014!!

Thanks for riding this out with me. I think I did a job good with utilizing my various palettes, quads, single shadows, etc. this year.  I'm going to do something similar for 2015 but slightly different. So stay tuned...

Polish Play December 2014

Let the festive nail polishes begin!

I got a set of minis from China Glaze's Twinkle Collection which is their holiday collection for the year. I got them from Fab Polish which is a subscription service for nail polish. This service is different in that you get 4 mini polishes a month. Which isn't bad. I mean have you ever truly used up a nail polish? So we'll see how this goes. I'll try to stick with until the Spring. How cute is this set right? I could probably use just this set from the month. But you know there's more lol!

De-Light, Define Good..., Pine-ing for Glitter, Feeling Twinkly

Here we have a hodgepodge of polishes. I pulled out the Sephora by OPI glitter polish that gets a lot of love in December. When I got the glitter OPI polish Let's Do Anything We Want! from The Muppets collection, I instantly thought about using it during the holidays. I also pull out OPI's Live and Let Die during the holidays every year since I've had it. It's a beautiful dark green polish with some gold glitter in it. The Urban Decay polish I scored from Sephora when it was on sale. It's a beautiful red polish. The Dior one I scooped up from a blog sale and the SpaRitual ones I scored from Ulta on sale. I've never tried SpaRitual before.

First row: Urban Decay Mrs. Mia Wallace, Dior Amazonia, Sephora by OPI Good Tidings We Bling

Second row: OPI Live and Let Die, Let's Do Anything We Want!

Third row: SpaRitual Ill Ume, SpaRitual Days of Wine and Roses

I hope you enjoyed these posts and that they helped you reach into your stash. Or pick up something new.

Let's paint some fingas!

November 2014 Favorites

Happy November! Excuse my non-painted nails in some of the pics. Here's what I've been loving and not liking for the month.

Eyes

I typically don't use traditional foundation (paddle) brushes when doing my makeup. I have 3 of them. But recently I pulled out my Real Techniques Essential Foundation brush to use to blend Bare Minerals Stroke of Light under my eye and I LOVE IT!  To me it mimics the patting motion that I do with my fingers. I also pulled out my Eco Tools Foundation brush to do the same thing and have been loving it too. So score for putting brushes I typically don't use to use.

I haven't used the Bare Minerals Ready 2.0 The Enlightenment in a while. This month I reached for it more to blend out my eye looks and highlight under my brow.

Lips

My berry toned lip favorite for the month has been Lancome's L'Absolu-Rouge lipstick in Berry Noir. I loved how this felt on my lips. If felt more like a lip balm than a traditional lipstick, it wears nicely throughout the day and the color is gorgeous.

I'm back on EOS lip balms. I haven't had any in a while until a friend of mine gave me Strawberry Sorbet. Then I picked up the newer ones in Coconut Milk (pink stripe) and Vanilla Mint (blue stripe) from Ulta when they were buy one, get one half off. I currently have Strawberry Sorbet and Vanilla Mint open. They are good to prep your lips before putting on lip products or if just don't want anything heavy on your lips.

I picked up the Studio 35 Beauty Cocoa Butter Lip Balm from Walgreens randomly one day. I have really been enjoying it. It's another lip balm that doesn't feel heavy on your lips but it is really moisturizing.

My nude lip favorite for the month has been Revlon's Mink lipstick. This is great nude lipstick. It goes with anything. It's not "too" nude and you don't have to baby it.

Buxom's Full-On Lipstick in Barcelona came in Buxom's Red Hot Set that I got from Sephora during the VIB Sale. I have not tried these lipsticks from Buxom before getting this one. So I was excited to give one a go. I love the way that this lip product is shaped. It's not as fat as a traditional chubby lip pencils. So you can be really precise with the application. I also love the color. It is described as scarlet apple but to me it's a brick red. It wears nicely throughout the day and doesn't dry out your lips.

Face

The blush that I could not get enough of this month is MAC's Fever blush. It's described as an intense reddish-burgundy shade and it's a permanent blush. It's great to pair with berry and red lip colors.

The Sigma Small Contour F05 brush is a brush that I have two of but hadn't been reaching for it to use for contouring and applying bronzer on my face. I added back into my rotation this month and have really been enjoying it. I have also used it for blush and applying my Bare Minerals foundation. It's a good multipurpose face brush.

My favorite brush to apply blush with is an angled blush brush. The e.l.f Studio Angled Blush Brush is awesome. It's super soft and makes blush application easy. You also cannot beat the price of $3! I plan to get another one.

I picked up the Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30 from Ulta a while ago. I haven't been wowed by it and hadn't planned on repurchasing it one I use it up. Was talking to a friend of mine who uses Bare Minerals foundation and I asked her what primer she uses with it. She was like most of the time she doesn't use one. I was like say what now? She was like their foundation is touted as a skin care foundation and she gets better results with it and less oil production without a primer. In my mind I was like shut the front door and got the thinking. The Cetaphil lotion is touted as an oil control one which I didn't really see using it as part of my normal face/makeup routine. So I was like let's try it like a primer. So this is my last step in my skin care routine. I let it sit of my face while I get dressed and do my hair and then I proceed to do my makeup. I have been LOVING it this way. Who knew! I have also tried this with the L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector Day/Night Cream as well which also works but I like the Cetaphil lotion a tad better. It'll be interesting to see how this works for me when the warmer temperatures roll back around.

 I think I've found the missing piece to my routine with the St. Ives Even Bright Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange Scrub. When I finished up Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate, I was on the hunt for a similar product. On Instagram, a person I follow posted her skincare routine and she had 2 scrubs by St, Ives that she uses I was going to check Ulta but I ended up in Target. I was looking at the St. Ives Scrubs along with the Target version of them. I went with the Even Bright one since I already have items in my routine to address acne and I wanted something for brightening. Also this is a moderate scrub. I don't do harsh scrubs and some of the reviews I read that people like their other scrubs but they felt harsh on the skin. The base of this one is creamy, so it easy to work on the skin. I have an updated skin care post that I had wanted to get up last months. It's coming. On the packaging it says, "polishes away little imperfections for bright, radiant skin". It also say that says visibly even toned skin and I can say that it does. After using it my skin does appear brighter. Also so post acne marks are starting to fade. So another great drugstore skin care find!

Nails

I picked up OPI 's A-Piers to be Tan from Ulta on sale. I mean seriously on sale. I got for $2 and some change. It's a pretty warm tan shade. I will be keeping this in easy reach.

Maybelline Color Show Downtown Brown is a unique nail polish. It's hard to describe what it looks like because it depends on how the light hits yours nails. It can look brown or green but it also has a hint of red in it. Some have called it the nail polish version of MAC's Club eyeshadow which a duo chrome shadow that unique as well. I went Amazon to see if I could find it. I did but haven't taken the plunge to get a back up, like I really need it.

Maybelline Color Show Avante Green and Sinful Colors Call You Later was my favorite nail look this month. This would be good to wear closer to Christmas. It's bright and festive looking.

Body

If I had to pick a favorite scent for the year, it would probably be Bath and Body Works' Amber Blush. I got this scent Memorial Day Weekend. I have used up the body cream and the shower gel is just about done. It's a bit fruity and a bit sassy at this same time. It's not too much for day and it definitely can be worn at night.

I came across the CVS Intense Relief Moisturizing Hand Cream during a CVS visit. This is the CVS version of Aveeno's Active Naturals Intense Relief Hand Cream. I'm always on the hunt for a good hand cream. I've been liking Aveeno's Positively Nourishing Whipped Souffle, so I why not give this a go. I have really been enjoying this hand cream. It sinks into the skin nicely, it doesn't make my hands feel sticky and it's soothing. I keep it on my desk at work. I would definitely repurchase this.

Random Stuff

From avenue.com

I don't like coats. The heaviest coat I want to wear is a leather jacket. I do have a peacoat that I usually wear in the winter time. I was poking around on Avenue's website and I saw that they had quite a few quilted jackets. I went into the store near me to take a look. I ended up getting the Quilted Anorak Jacket with Hood. It's not heavy but somehow it does keep me warm. For the purpose of going to and from my car during the work week, it suits my needs. I also like the hood and that it's detachable. I also like that it zips up to my neck. So if I'm not wearing a scarf, I can keep my neck warm.

Surprise Products of the Month

Thought I wasn't going to have anything here. I picked up The Maybelline Nudes palette over the summer and just going into this month for November Palette Play. I was excited about this palette because there aren't any true large palettes at the drugstore from your traditional drugstore brands like Maybelline, Covergirl, Revlon, etc. Then I was a little leery since the reviews on it have been so so but I should have know better. I've had a lot of Maybelline quads, especially the Styling Smokes ones which I loved. I got rid of them only because I had similar shades in other mid-range/high end shadows. I'm glad I picked this up. The colors are nice and great for everyday. This would also be great for travel. It can also take you from day into night. I rarely use a black eyeshadow since I'm scare it'll be too much and hard to blend. The black shadow in this palette is pigmented just enough and easy to blend. I also love how Maybelline put this palette together. You have 13 looks with this palette that they have mapped out for you on the back. There are 3 quads, 4 trios and 6 duos. So if you need some guidance, it's there. There is a Smokes palette that I have seen people get from Walgreens. I haven't found it yet. There is also supposed to be a Brights palette. I can't wait to get my hands on them.

The Buxom Pen & Ink Long-Last Eyeliner  was also included in the Buxom Red Hot Set I mentioned above. It's shaped differently from your traditional liquid liner and I LOVE IT! It makes the application so easy! And doing a cat eye is so simple. They have a dark brown that I want to check out to see how dark it is. One think that has me worried is that some of the reviews say that it dries out quickly. So I will keep an eye on it but so far it's still working for me. If it holds up, I have found my holy grail liquid liner.

Meh Products of the Month

I picked up the CVS Soothing Hand Cream. This is their version of Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. I've heard good reviews on the Neutrogena one but every time I'm in CVS I don't see it. So I decided to try this one. I did not like it. It's a gel consistency. It doesn't sink into the skin nicely, it's not all that moisturizing and it can make my hands feel sticky. So I won't be repurchasing this.

I ended up returning the Anastasia Beverly Hills Tamanna palette to Nordstrom. Shocker I know. Do not get me wrong, it's a beautiful palette. But when I used it, I would look at it and I had to force myself to create a look with it. So there was no point in me keeping it.

Another random lip product purchase from Walgreens was the Vaseline Lip Therapy in Creme Brulee. This was my first time trying a Vaseline Lip Therapy and I wasn't impressed. It's not all that moisturizing. You'd be better off using regular Vaseline. So in the trash it goes.

And there you have it. Not too bad this month. Tried not to "talk" too much. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

On to December!

Polish Play November 2014

This month is Maybelline Color Show month! These were my favorite nail polishes from the drugstore before I stumbled up Milani.  I've been meaning to show them some love for the last few months but got side tracked by other polishes. I was able to stand them up in my little bowl. Cute right? Excuse my messy dresser.

I'm wearing Impeccable Greys and Carbon Frost now. I'm really liking Carbon Frost which is one of their Shredded polishes. It's their version of the crackle/shattered polish and better to me than the ones I have from OPI, China Glaze and Sally Hansen. It goes on easily and the crackle effect is really nice and even. I'm wondering if there are anymore colors of their Shredded polish. I may look into that. Impeccable Greys is my favorite dark gray polish and would definitely repurchase it. I also like the packaging. It's sleek and easy to open. I also really like the brush. It's a nice size and gets the color on your nails easily. This is going to be a fun Polish Play month.

Palette Play November 2014

I went back and forth on whether not to combine November and December. With the holidays almost upon us (I can't believe it!) and my makeup play days being "limited", I had thought it would make sense to combine the two months. But then I was like nah lol! Plus I have some other things I want to play around with before December since I will be doing drugstore December again. Ok enough rambling. Here is what I will be playing around with for November!

Week of November 2 - Anastasia Beverly Hills Tamanna Palette

I finally broke down and got the Tamanna palette after using the Maya Mia palette and really enjoying it. Aren't the shades pretty? I already did a look with it when I got it home.

Week of Week of November 9 - Bobbi Brown Bronze Tortoiseshell Palette

I've had this for a while and have rarely used it. It randomly popped in my head when thinking about what I wanted to use this month. A pretty neutral palette. May try to use some Maybelline Color Tattoos with it.

Week of Week of November 16 - Urban Decay Smoked Palette

I went back and looked to see if I had used this already for the year. I had said in July that I was going to take it for with me for my work trip to St. Louis. I honestly don't remember if I took it with me or if I even used it during that week. Oye vey!!! But I'm going to use it now lol! This was dubbed my favorite palette for 2013. So why not give it some love right?  It's currently on sale for $29 at Ulta,

Week of Week of November 23 - Maybelline The Nudes Palette

To get the party started for Drugstore December, I'm going to be use the Maybelline The Nudes palette. I got this over the summer and have yet to use it.

Let's go!

**Ok so AFTER I posted this I saw that I didn't take the Smoked palette with me to St. Louis. I ended up taking the Laura Mercier Artist palette! Phew. LOL! Ok on with the Palette Play!

October 2014 Favorites

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a fantabulous October. There's a lot going on here this month. I guess to make up for a lackluster September. I picked up some things and put some old favorites to use again. I'll try not to go on too much about stuff I've already talked about before. Keyword being here is try lol! Let's get into some favorites shall we!!

Eyes

I enjoyed using the smashbox Mega Op palette this month but I'm not calling it a favorite for the month. I didn't use it the entire month (surprise, surprise) because after a lot of back and forth I picked up the Maya Mia Palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills. I got it from Nordstrom. It's not longer on their site but the Tamanna Palette is still available. I got the Tamanna Palette on sale at the time since Nordstrom priced matched it to someone else selling it. I was like say what now!?! I had no clue that Nordstrom did that. Even at full price these palettes area a good deal. Ok back to Maya Mia. Even though it doesn't look like it, this is a neutral palette (minus the Aqua shade of course). The matte shades are phenomenal! Matte shadows can be really good or really bad. These are smooth, pigmented, apply and blend nicely! The Deep Brown shadow is er'thang! I prefer a nice dark brown shadow in a palette instead of black any day!l Caramel and Sienna are wonderful warm brown shades for blending. I was going to get two MAC single eyeshadows similar in tone to these two. MAC single eyeshadows are $16 each (potted). So yea I made out better getting this palette. There shades in the palette are just enough to make it interesting and not like every other neutral palette. This is a good accompany palette if you need some neutrals to pair with a look.  I think this is a better buy than the Urban Decay Naked Basics 1 or 2. I'm glad I passed on those. I now have my eye on the Catwalk Eyeshadow Palette. I need another palette like I need another hole in my head. This will probably one of the last palette purchases I make. I have my eye on a couple of others but I'm not sure if I will get them. Eyeshadow palettes are my weakness.

I ordered the Bobbi Brown Bobbi's Chocolates Long Wear Eye Trio from QVC. This set is also available on her website. The product I have been loving from the set is the gel liner in Dark Brown. Bobbi Brown makes some of the best gel liner in the business be it drugstore or high end. They go on smoothly and last ALL DAY! On the days that my eyeshadow end up creasing, my liner stays in place when I use a Bobbi Brown gel liner. This set also come with a Mini Dual-Ended Cream Shadow/Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush . I already have two and I was yea ok another one. But I really used it this time around. I really enjoyed the Ultra Fine Eyeliner side of the brush. When I first used this brush I was still new to makeup and it was awkward for me. Using it more recently for some reason it was very easy to use. I like that you can really get close to the lash line and can make your wing as big or as little as you want.

The Bare Minerals Big & Bright Eyeliner in Black Coffee was THEE liner for me. But oddly enough I hadn't really reached for it much this year since I have been reaching for Urban Decay's Demolition for my dark brown liner needs. Mainly because I'm trying to use it up (Out of My Face - 2014 Edition). For whatever reason I have been using Black Coffee more so lately and I have been smitten yet again lol. It is a really good liner for the lower lash line. It's no longer available but I have seen it on eBay.

I picked up the H2O Dual Action Eye Makeup Remover from TJ Maxx. Again me trolling the beauty section and was like sure why not give this a try. I do really like this. It's one that you shake to mix together. It's not irritating at all. How can you have an eye remover and that joker stings your eyes? I've used some like that. Also this is great for removing lip products that stain your lips as well. I would repurchase it.

Lips

Marlena from Makeup Geek did a video on the "90s lipstick trend". I refuse to give the young lady credit (Kim's and dem's little sister) for this trend. Don't get me started on that foolishness! Anywho...I love that Marlena picked lipsticks available at the drugstore. One of the lipsticks she mentioned that you would be good for deeper skin tones is Revlon's Rum Raisin. I picked it up last month and have been wearing since then. I think with the cooler temperatures finally setting, I have been reaching for this more. Rum Raisin is a warm brown kinda of a brick color. It's a great lipstick to slap on and go.

Every month I pull out a red lipstick to play around with. This month it was Urban Decay's Gash lipstick. This is from their old line of lipsticks. It's a deep red which is right up my alley. It's comfortable to wear and wears nicely throughout the day. It leaves a nice stain on your lips and it's not drying.

My beauty pusha strikes yet again. Crystalis007 mentioned the NYX Butter Gloss in Angel Food Cake in her "Six Things Under $10 I Love!" video. I've heard people talking about these and how good they are. First I was leery after buying into the hype of their Mega Shine Glosses. I had some but pulled a bunch from my stash and only have 2 left and I don't plan on purchasing anymore. Then I was like I do not need any more lip gloss! But still I found myself at Ulta when some NYX products were buy one, get one 50% off. So I did get Angel Food Cake and Devil's Food Cake. Ironic right? Well I can say that they are worth the hype. The go on smoothly, they are not drying and have nice color payoff for a lip gloss. I went by Ulta today and picked up two more in Red Velvet and Raspberry Tart. I have my eye on a few more *shifty eyes*

Face

La Femme Blushes (round pans)

First column: Mulberry, Grape Passion, Grate

Second column: Bordeaux, Russet, Red

Third column: Fucshia, Oragne 

Some of these are washed out. Grrrrrr!

I picked up new foundation towards the end of September and I love it! Of course it would be from Bare Minerals. Their matte foundation is my holy grail. So it had to be something interesting to make me pick it up. Bare Minerals launched a new foundation called the Blemish Remedy Acne-Clearing Foundation and its exclusive to Sephora . I had seen a blog post about it but I thought it was a re-launch of their Blemish Therapy product which I have used before and like. The coverage is amazeballs. I want to say it has a hint more coverage than their matte foundation. The foundation makes several claims. I can't speak to the acne clearing claims of the foundation since I didn't have any breakouts at the time but it did not break me out. All Bare Minerals foundations claim to be good for the skin. I can say that for me it has been good for my skin. One of the claims I saw was about less oil production or something like that. It did help me skin in that area. When I would blot with a blotting paper there was some oil but not as much as I'm used to seeing. I also like the packaging. It not as messy as with their normal packaging for their mineral foundations. But it's hard to tell how much foundation you have in the jar. I just got it so I don't have to worry about that just yet. So all in all this, is a good foundation for me. Now will it be my new holy grail? Time will tell.

I picked up 4 more La Femme blushes (Mulberry, Grape, Russet and Bordeaux). I really got into them this month since I didn't really touch them last month.  These are pigmented inexpensive blushes. I ordered them from Makeup Mania. The blushes I reached for the most this month are Russet, Mulberry and Grape. They look crazy in the pan but they are great everyday shades for my skin tone.

I reached for the Black Radiance Shine Control Primer a lot this month. I'll leave it alone for a while and use whatever else. But when I use it again I'm like why did I leave this alone? This is the second tube I had scooped on sale during the CVS Beauty sale for $3 last year. I'm hoping that it's on sale again soon so I can get some more. But even at full price it's still a good deal for a primer. This is my holy grail primer. I've been tempted to try some other mid range/high end primers. But for what right? There's no need. Between this and Rimmel's matte primer I'm good.

I have been really been enjoying the L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector Day/Night Cream. For my oily acne prone skin, this is an awesome moisturizer. It's just enough moisture for me yet it's mattifying. And we'll stop here. LOL! If you interested in the L'Oreal Youth products, I have seen them on sale at CVS and Walgreens. Also Ulta has a buy one, get one 50% off promo going on.

Nails

I enjoyed playing around with all the Essie nail polishes that I pulled out for October Polish Play. I've gushed about Essie before. It's my favorite nail polish brand. Nothing else to say lol.

I reached for Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear polish in Black Out. This is in the old formula and I really like it. It goes on with ease and very opaque. I'm wearing in the pic above. Now I can't speak to the new formula. When I run out of this I will not repurchase it since I've hear they the reformulated polishes are not a good. Boooooo!

Body

I found out about the Key West Organic Unrefined African Shea Butter via Instragram. The poster had said that she uses it for her hands since she washes her hands a lot. So it got me thinking. I love Shea Butter for my hair, so why not my body? This is really nice! It absorbs nicely into the skin, keeps it moisturized and makes your skin nice and soft. I ordered this from Amazon. So between this and the Aveeno I think I'm set for body moisturizers.

Hair

We have a hair section this month! I've been cheating on Wen for the last month and a half. Shocking I know lol. I'm not giving up on Wen just yet. I still have some of it on hand plus there will be a December TSV that I'm tempted to get. Just weighing my options on what's out there. Wen is good but it's pricey. Last month I did some poking around online and picked up some shampoos and conditioners at the drugstore. I scored the items on sale or at The Dollar Tree. For co-washing I picked up several of the V05 Conditioners. I picked up the Herbal Escapes Clarifying Conditioner in Kiwi Lime Squeeze, Tea Therapy Clarifying Conditioner in Vanilla Tea Mint and Moisture Milks Moisturizing Conditioner in Passion Fruit Smoothie. I also have the coordinating shampoos in Kiwi Lime Squeeze and Vanilla Mint Tea. I've used the Kiwi Lime Squeeze shampoo its ok. Not bad but the conditioner is the winner. I've only used the Kiwi Lime Squeeze conditioner. I got side tracked by another product. The Kiwi Lime Squeeze conditioner got my hair clean and left my hair with just enough moisture. And they are CHEAP! CVS has a sale and they were 69 or 79 cents. I've seen couponers add coupons on top of sales and get them for practically nothing. So if you're looking for a conditioner to cowash with try VO5. If it doesn't work for you then you won't be out a lot of money.

I was going to mention another shampoo and conditioner here but it's not a meh product that you'll read about shortly. I had some issues with it. What helped my hair and scalp get back on track was Wen's Bamboo Green Tea and Fall Apple Spice Cleansing Conditioners. It's funny I wasn't all that wowed with Bamboo Green Tea until I stopped using it lol. Fall Apple Spice is a previous favorite. Both get my hair and scalp clean along with keeping them moisturized and not stripped. So my Wen babble above is pretty much null and void. I might still play around with the VO5 conditioners and such since I didn't have any issues. But I'm definitely not giving on Wen now.  And you best believe that I'm getting the December TSV now!

I've heard awesome things about the Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango Butter Moisturizer. I knew that you could find it at Walgreens but I never went on the hunt for it. I was in a newer Walgreens that's close to my house just looking in the beauty section. I was looking in the ethnic hair care section, I saw it and it was on sale! It's inexpensive anyway but saving some extra pennies is always a bonus. This is an awesome hair moisturizer. It's not heavy and it doesn't make your hair or scalp greasy. I've used at various stages of my hair (right after a relaxer to when my hair NEEDS one badly) and it worked just fine. I'm not sure right now if it'll take the place of Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque which is my holy grail hair moisturizer. I have enough hair moisturizers on hand right now that I don't need to pick anything else up. So I don't need to make any decisions on what to repurchase just yet. Buuuuuut I'd probably stick with Shea Moisture but it's nice to have an alternative with Elasta QP.

Random Stuff

The Safeway near my office always seems to be out of the large size of their store brand coffee creamer in French Vanilla. I like the regular version. They always seem to have the fat free and sugar free versions. Hmph! LOL! Anywho they were running a sale early in the month and they didn't have still didn't have the large size. I had meant to go to store near my house but it's not "on the way" during my morning and evening commutes. It's not out of the way honestly but you know how it is when you have a route that you take during the week, you try to stick to it. I don't mind stopping off somewhere it's on the way. So the last day of the sale I check the Safeway near my office one more time and no dice. So I look to see what's there in the larger size. I picked up the Salted Caramel. In my mind I was like this is either going to be really good or really bad. Happy to see that it's really good. Then during another Safeway run I picked up Sweet Italian Cream and it is good as well. So now I have some alternatives to French Vanilla isn't available. Thank goodness! Its the little things I tell ya.

Randomly pursing the cereal aisle at Safeway, I stumbled upon another cereal I like. I picked up the Special K Protein cereal. What got me was "satisfies huger longer" printed on the front of the box. It did just that. It wasn't overly sweet. It has a hint of cinnamon and the flakes don't get soggy in milk. Very tasty and I would repurchase it.

Next we have a deodorant. Yes a deodorant. Usually I can use whatever deodorant and not have any big issues. But maybe within the last year or so that has not been the case. I had tried this and that and nothing was working for me. So I was in Walgreens one day trolling the deodorant aisle. I bet the cashier thought I was nuts walking back and forth looking at deodorant. I picked up the Arm & Hammer Ultra Max deodorant in Powder Fresh. I haven't had any issues with this. It keeps me dry and I do like the scent. I usually don't like powder scented items due to the fake smell. So if you're looking for a deodorant then check this one out.

Surprise Products of the Month

This month has been the month of samples. Sampletober!  I had some from Sephora that I had picked and some I had gotten from people. So I went through them and started using them and I have been really enjoying some. I decided to group them here instead of listing them.

• Urban Decay Supercurl Mascara - this reminds me of Bare Minerals Curl & Lengthen Mascara. This does a good job of curling and separating your lashes.

• Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser - I really enjoyed this cleanser. I used it in the morning 2-3 a week and it help even and clear up my skin. I toyed around with getting a full size but its $36. I think the Alpha Hydrox brand has something similar. Need to investigate that.

• Murad Vitamin C Eye Cream with SPF 15 - a nice eye cream that isn't greasy and I like that it has SPF in it

• Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 - this was very very nice! It didn't make me greasy which is always an issue with moisturizers with SPF. I would definitely purchase this. I'm going to add it to me Sephora loves list so that I don't forget about it. Also it's not that expensive. It's $19. I've seen some at the drugstore for $12. The Cetaphil one I purchased from Ulta is $17.99. So price wise it's comparable.

• Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream - OMG!!! I sprayed this on as soon as I got the sample and fell in love! It's not too heavy. It has jasmine, blackberry, musks and some other notes I enjoy. I hopped on to Sephora's site and saw that there's a roller ball set that includes this scent. I swear I do not need any more fragrance. I have samples of some of his other fragrances too. *sigh*

I've been enjoying wearing monochromatic gray. I have a several pairs of grey jeans and various tops, ponte knit jacket and motorcycle boots. I hate to admit that I saw Kimmy Kakes (Kim Kardashian) in a gray t-shirt and jeans. I liked the look and recreated it with several pieces I have in my wardrobe. It's an easy look to do since various shades of gray look nice together vs trying to match an all black look.

I mentioned in my Beauty Plotting and Planning post that I was pre-ordering the November Tarte TSV from QVC (if you would like to pre-order it, the item numbers are in that post). It comes with 3 eyeliners (Bronze, Plum and Charcoal) that I was kind of meh about and had debated on gifting them. I've used their retractable liners in the past and they were just ok, I didn't think that these would be all that pigmented but was I wrong! They are nicely pigmented and go on without any pulling or tugging. I will get some use out of these.

Meh Products of the Month

It's funny how you can like something one month and not so much the next month. I had mentioned the You're The Balm lip balm in my August 2014 favorites. I continued using in September and through the earlier part of this month. I had noticed that that I had glitter on my lips. Of course I thought it was from whatever lip product I wore for the day but that didn't make sense on most days. Especially if I was wear a matte lipstick. Then I finally noticed as I dug into the lip balm that it has glitter in it! WTH! I had also noticed that my lips would feel kind of gritty. I don't mind shimmer/glitter in lip products as long as if I can't feel it. I put it aside to remember to talk about it and now that I have it's going in the trash. With the cooler temperatures and drier air, I need a little more moisture on my lips.

This was originally going to be mentioned as a favorite. I picked up Herbal Essences Hello Hydration shampoo and conditioner. I had heard good things about the conditioner. I really enjoyed using both of products and was excited to find something else to use while I was check out Wen alternatives. I was at work and one side of my scalp was itching and I did notice some flakes. Thinking about it,  I had noticed it the prior week when I used to products but didn't really think anything of it. This was on a Monday.  I poked around online and saw some reviews where people experienced the same thing and for some the issue got worse. So of course I started to freak out a little bit. I was going to wait to wash my hair at the end of the week but I jumped in the shower as soon as I got home and washed my hair with Wen. I haven't had any issues since. Prior to using Wen I would have flakes and issues with my dry scalp. I went ahead and gave the shampoo and conditioner to my mom. Usually stuff that doesn't work for me work for her. I have had good things going on with my hair and scalp. So I don't want any setbacks and I'm not going to try and make something work. I also picked another Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner that hasn't been opened that I'm not even going to bother with. Lesson learned here when something is working for you just stick with it. Oye vey.

I got a sample of Benefit's The Porefessional. I used it in the past and I could remember if I like it or not. It seems like everyone raves about it on YouTube. Gave it a go and it's not for me. I love how it goes on and it does mattify my skin but it does not help keep me matte throughout the day.

And there you have it! Phew! I think I forgot something but this is more than enough and my eyes are getting crossed. So I apologize yet again if something doesn't make sense.

Moving right along to November and Thanksgiving! I know everyone loves Christmas but I love me some Thanksgiving! Good eats and football all day! Woot!

Beauty Plotting and Planning

So with all the fall and holiday collections that have come out recently, my mind has been spinning (I'm such a nerd right?). Also with Sephora's VIB sale on the horizon, I've been pre-planning my online shopping cart. Yesterday I was on my laptop adding stuffing to my cart, taking stuff out and calculating the discount. Then I finally got the point where I was like ENOUGH and shut my laptop down. There is one item that I want from Tarte (the new blush palette) and The Magic Act palette from Bare Minerals. I can wait on the Bare Minerals palette to go on sale. Bare Minerals usually starts running promos during Black Friday and into Christmas. Also last year a lot of their holiday sets were on sale at Ulta well before Christmas. The Tarte palette hasn't sold out yet which I'm surprised that it hasn't. Last year that joker went quick! There are some items from Kat Von D that I want to try (her makeup wipes and makeup setting spray) and a brush cleanser I need to replenish. So it would be nice to save a little on those items.

Of course now I'm sitting here thinking about 2015 *sigh*. So I'm leaning towards doing what I was planning to do in I think 2012 or 2013. That is to replenish what I need to and stick with any QVC beauty TSV auto deliveries for my "new" pretty. I've already ordered Tarte's November TSV early and I opted for auto delivery (2 shipments total). I'm also going to order Bare Minerals November TSV on auto delivery as well (4 shipments total). So that alone is more than enough "new pretty" for next year. Now if something truly amaze balls comes out, I'll take a look at it. As far as maintaining my current statutes for Sephora's and Ulta's beauty programs, they're good into 2015. Going forward the main one I'm sure I'll be able to maintain is Ulta's since I can get my skincare items there along with my base face products (foundation and such). Also their beauty program is the better deal than Sephora's with the various 20% off coupons throughout the year and redeeming points for money off on your purchases. And their birthday offers are better at Ulta (depending on your level). As much as I've enjoyed picking up various products here and there, I've enjoyed rediscovering items in my stash and using them more so. I've done a good job getting rid of stuff that I don't want anymore. So it's time to shop my own doggone store (as my cousin like to call it).

Let's see how this goes. Stay tuned...