January 2014 Favorites

Well this is late. Sheesh.

I tried to come up with a catchy title for my favorites post for 2014. Couldn't come up with anything. Oh well. We shall see if I came come up with something. Let's get to it!

Eyes

Bare Minerals Fired Up palette came with a Rock the Clock Liner black liner in Midnight. I am not a fan of these liners. I gave all the full sized ones I had away. I used it because it was in the palette. When I applied it, it went on patchy. I was like heck! I'm trying to finish getting ready and out the door and this happens! So I grabbed Wet n' Wild's black eyeshadow in Panther and the Fine Crease Brush from Essence of Beauty. I was able to smudge the jacked up line out with these two products and I really liked the look it created.

Funny, The Balm's Meet Matte Nude palette was in my February 2013 favorites. I pulled this palette out while I was using the first 2 palettes from January Palette Play (The Light Show and Fired Up). These are some nice matte shadows. You get neutrals but you also get some gray/taupe/smokey colors as well. It's a great palette on its on but you can pair it with a palette or quad that doesn't give you a complete look. Which is why I used it with the 2 Bare Minerals palettes.

Lips

During the middle of the month I pulled out L'Oreal Paris Infallible Never Fail Lip Gloss in #533 Admiration (Color of Hope Edition) and  L'Oreal lipstick #531 Color of Hope. I got this in a L'Oreal set that was on QVC for I think it was either Breast Cancer or Ovarian Cancer. They do special shows and the net proceeds go to research. The lip gloss in a nude brown shade and the lipstick is mauvey pinky brown shade.  If that makes any sense. Every time I wear one, the other or both together, I always take to Amazon looking for a back up. They are both shades that work well with my skin tone separately or together. I have somewhat pigmented lips, so these are a my lips but better color. They go with any eye look or blush color. Both to me are brown girl friendly shades. They are nude but not a concealer kind of nude that washes you or more makes your lips look like you put white out on them or something like that. I lucked up one time and found the Color of Hope lip gloss in a squeeze tube at the Dollar Tree. Of course now I can't find it.

I got the Bare Minerals True Romantic Marvelous Moxie Lip Duo from QVC. I am loving the Moxie gloss. The gloss is called Heartbreaker and it's described as a peony pink shade. I also got a deluxe sample size of Rebel from Sephora.  Forgot to take a pic. Took a pick of the lipstick by mistake ugh! Heer's a link to Sephora's site where you can see the shade. It is described at a pink mauve shade which is right up my alley. I threw it in my makeup bag that I keep with me. I put it on several times later in the day at work when I didn't want to re-apply a lipstick I had on that was of a similar tone. I can definitely see myself getting this in a full size. I am always leery of pink colored lip products. There are very wearable and pretty pink shades that it flattering on a lot of skin tones. Come to think of it, a lot of my favorite pink glosses are Moxie glosses. The formula has also been great for my lips since it have be ridiculously cold! It gives your lips a little tingle but it's not an annoying tingle. Moxie glosses are very moisturizing.

Face

I got the Giovanni Eco Facial Clothes from my Secret Santa who happened to be my boss. I've really been enjoying using these to remove the majority of my makeup before I use Serious Skincare's Glycolic Cleanser and Clasrisonic. I also used these on weekends when I was just kicking around the house and didn't really feel like washing my face. The made me skin feel soft and didn't have my skin feeling tight afterwards. I have some Aveeno wipes to use after I use these up. After the Aveeno wipes, I don't plan on buying anymore makeup wipes. I feel like my Clarisonic and Glycolic cleanser gets everything off in the evening when I wash my face. If I feel the need to use a wipe then I'll use a baby wipe since I always have some on hand.

I've gushed over Wet n Wild's Color Icon blushes before but I don't ever think I've claimed a favorite. I played around with all 4 blushes in January month and I can say Heather Silk is my favorite. Mellow Wine is a close second. Heather Silk is described as dusty pink. Surprise surprise that it's a favorite since this color is my favorite pink blush color.

I used Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer for Combination Skin throughout the month. It's a past favorite. I reached for it on days when I was at home and didn't go out. I would wash my face and didn't feel the need to use a moisturizer with SPF since I was in the house. Or I used it when I used a Bare Mineral primer that already had SPF 30. This sinks in nicely into the skin and doesn't make me look greasy. I keep meaning to try their newer moisturizer with SPF 20. That'll be on the list this year to try and get a sample to try it out.

I also picked up the Bare Minerals True Romantic 3-piece Eye & Cheek Collection from QVC. I haven't really played with the quad or eyeliner but the blush....*pauses* is er'thang!!!!! The blush is called swoon and it is described as a petal-pink satin shade. It's a very very pretty wearable shade that can go with any look.

Nails

In my "11 Nail Polishes I Would Repurchase" post I mentioned that the Out the Door top coat was my holy grail top coat. Weellllll I think New York Color Grand Central Station #202 has taken its place! My beauty pusha Crystalis007 raved about the product on her blog. She got it at CVS during a 40% sale. When I went to look for it during the promo it was out of stock. Another random CVS trip I saw it and decided to pick it up. It's only $1.99 so even at full price it's a good deal for a quick dry top coat. This stuff is good! The one thing I had always hated about painting my nails is waiting for them to dry. Out of the quick dry top coats I've tried, this one is the best. Once I use up the bottle of Out the Door I have,I am sticking with this. I forgot to take a pic of it *head palm*

During the last CVS beauty sale, I picked 5 Milani nail polishes (Chocolate Sprinkles, Black Cherry, Bolting Blue, Dark Coffee and Deep Thoughts). I had only tried a glitter polish which I wasn't wowed by. I haven't heard a lot of people talk about these polishes but they are really nice. They are easy to apply and opaque with just one coat. There's one more that I may go check and see if it still on sale. I can't remember what that are at regular price but they still aren't that expensive. If you are a blue nail polish lover then you need to check out Bolting Blue! It's gorg! Ignore the Black Radiance Primers pictured :D

Body

Another gift from my Secret Santa was the Biggs & Featherbelle Fresh Mint & Sugar Body Scrub. This is a nice scrub. It's not too abrasive, it washes off easily and your skin feels moisturized to the point where you may not need to put on a lotion once you dry off. I didn't try that because even though my face is oily, the rest of me is DRY. So I don't play with it comes to lotion lol!!

Random Stuff

From hsn.com

Andrew Lessman's Secure Complete Meal Replacement has been a favorite for a while. I love it especially in the evenings when I come home and I know I should eat something but I really don't feel like eating. They come in these packets and a canister form. I love these packets for work and travel. I love how it mixes easily. I usually mix with milk or almond milk. I also love that this doesn't make me gassy. TMI I know but I've tried other products that gave me the feeling of being full but I had terrible gas and bloated! I was like jeez! I will definitely reorder.

Another food favorite are Kind Bars. I think I first tried these when I saw them in the grocery store, QVC had a TSV in January and I jumped on getting these. Some people said that it wasn't a good value and I compared it to some currently prices that were on Amazon and what I've paid at the grocery store when I have caught them on sale. I was fine with getting it.

One day while I was in the Dollar Tree, I needed to grab some toothpaste. I'm usually a Crest girl but for some reason I grabbed Aquafresh. Talk about old school lol. My mom used to use it when I was a kid. It came in standing tube. I think it was green.  Anywho...wasn't expecting much but turns out I really like it. I was in Walgreens and went don't the toothpaste aise and they had the larger tubes on sale, 2 for $3. So I got another tube and they also had the whitening version that I grabbed. Been using it the last couple of weeks and like it too. I was in CVS and they didn't have it. They had the newer version the deep clean, extra clean or whatever it's called. I love when finding stuff at the Dollar Tree turns out to be a good thing :) Don't sleep on the Dollar Tree.

I did a 28 day workout challenge in January. The challenge was put together by Jessica Smith TV. The challenge was awesome. It was mix of different things from high intensity, high impact workouts to yoga to indoor walking/jogging and some other things. Her website has a TON of information and workouts for various fitness levels. She also gives alternative moves for you to do if the current move is too challenging. She very encouraging but she does push you.  Her videos are on YouTube. Now that the challenge is over, she's sending out weekly workout schedules. I'm getting back into my Walk at Home workouts with Leslie Sansone but I will check out Jessica here and there to mix things up. Her videos will be handy when work travel rolls back around.

Surprise Products of the Month

Michele1218 on YouTube mentioned the First Aid Beauty Repair Cream in her 2013 favorites and she used it on her hands since they had been so dry. So of course I was like hmmmm. I've had mine for a while and rarely used it. I got it in a New Beauty Test Tube from QVC. So I put my tube by my bathroom sink and have really been enjoying it. The 2oz size is $12. So I doubt I'll purchase it when I'm done. I want to try Neutrogena's hand cream that I've heard good things about. It was nice to hear how someone else used the product, so that I can use it up and be done with it.

I was watching MakeupbyTiffanyD's Ulta haul and she picked up some Tree Hut products. I picked up the Shower Wash, Lotion and scrub in Brazilian Nut. It smells so good! The shower wash and lotion are very moisturizing.  I wondered if the scent would linger but it is very light. So I don't think it would interfere with whatever fragrance I may decide to wear. I'll have to test it out and see. The prices on the products were awesome too. Everything was under $8 and you can you Ulta coupons towards them. When I got these products I have a 20% coupon along with some reward dollars. They also had a promo of buy 2 get 1 free going on when I got these. They have other scents but my nose liked Brazilian Nut the most.

Meh Products of the Month

I picked up the Beauty Blender when I have a discount offer from bloom.com. I got the set that came with 2 Beauty Blenders and the cleanser. I've used this with liquid and cream foundations. I don't like with liquid and it's ok with cream foundations. When I've used it with liquid foundations, I feel like I use too much foundation and waste product. Then bouncing the product on my face multiple times to blend in foundation is kind of annoying, I got this product off of hype and there wasn't anything else I wanted on the site at that time. If I had to go back again, I wound't purchase the Beauty Blender. I'm just not in love with like everyone else seems to be. I may try it with cream blush products. If you're curious about this then I would suggest looking at some of the dupes for the Beauty Blenders. Some reviews have said that various dupes are just as good as the Beauty Blender. Real Techniques also recently released their own sponge and I want to say it's less that $10 and you can use coupons and catch deals at Ulta.

I picked up Urban Decay's Anti-Aging eye primer from Ulta. I have been having a TIME with eye primers, so I decided to try this one out. *sigh* Did not like it at all. My eye look creases in a few hours! I wish I had looked a Musings of a Muse blog post on the product before I got. Her reviews are pretty spot on and she didn't like this one. Needless to say it went back! I'm all about returning products that don't work for me this year. No more of  "trying" to make something work. Either it works for me or it doesn't. End of story.

And there you have it. Not too bad this month.

On to February!

Nail Polish Play February 2014 & Heart Health Month

Here are some nail looks that were favorites for January. My first attempt at doing some nail art with two of them. So be nice :)

Glitter sandwich using L'Oreal Berry Nice and Orly Tiara

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Ivy League, Milani Nail Art Draw in Pink and Sinful Colors Silver Ribbons

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White Out, Orly Tiara and Milani Nail Art in Purple Outline

One thing that made me chuckle was that I didn't have "enough" polishes for the month lol! When I got to the last week I only have one polish to play with. I think it was because I counted the glitter polishes and a full color polishes. There are some glitter polishes I have that are full polish glitters. But most I use over top of another polish. So there you go.

Anywho here is what I'm playing around with for February!

• Essie Wrapped in Rubies
• OPI Boris & Natasha 
• Sephora by OPI Be-Claus I Said So
• Sephora by OPI Mr Right Now
• OPI Lincoln Park After Dark
• Milani Signature Gold
• Formula X Perfection 
• Nails Inc Bling It On - Denim & Studs
• Sally Hansen Salon Effects Brattlesnake
  

February is Heart Health month, so I guess subconsciously this is why I pulled out a lot of red toned polishes :)  National Wear Red Day is on Friday, February 7 which is a part of Go Red for Women. Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association's national movement to end heart disease in women. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. You can also get the red dress pin from their site. I'll be wearing mine on Friday.

So let's raise awareness and take care of yourselves ladies! Just my little PSA for the month ;)

Palette Play Recaps - December 2013 & January 2014

I haven't done recap post for the palettes I used for December and January. I had started the one for December a while ago but time had gotten away from me. So I've combined the two months. Going forward I'm going to include the recap or whatever comments I want to share (if any) in the new Palette Play post going forward.

December Palette Play Recap

Here are the palettes I pulled out for December and some thoughts on the palettes:

Week of  December 1 - Tarte Palette from the "Bow & Go" Collection - I mentioned this in my December Favorites. So you have already heard me gush over this palette. It's great. I could have continued using it for another week. This was my favorite palette to use for the month.

Week of December 8 - Mally Citychick Celebration Shadow Palette - this is another good everyday palette BUT for me it was missed a dark brown shadow. But I still enjoyed using. I always have a single dark brown and black eyeshadow on hand. So the missing shade wasn't an issue.

Week of December 15 - Too Faced Natural at Night Palette - I think I used this like twice but I still enjoyed it. It's a past favorite.

Week of December 22  - Smashbox Mega Photo Op Palette - I only used this once. I used once of the purple trios with a Maybelline Color Tattoo and it was gorg! I may use this palette for work travel this year. We shall see.

Week of December 29 - Tarte True Blood Palette - I mentioned this palette in the Perfect Palette Tag post as a regret. The thing that turns me off about the palette is the packaging. It's big and bulky. The shadows are great. Tried to see if I could depot them but I almost broke a shadow, so I left it alone.

Maybe December wasn't a good month to start this lol. I did good the first two weeks. But then with the holidays rolling around during the third week, I was home for the most part so no makeup was done. Oh well. It was still a good start

January Palette Play Recap

I guess you can say January was a bit better. They first two palettes weren't necessary full eyeshadow palettes. Bare Minerals usually includes face charts with their palettes. I may have created the look on the charts when I first got the palettes, but eventually pitched them. I incorporated other eyeshadows to create an eye look that I was happy with wearing. I also may have used other eyeshadows instead on the "scheduled" palette. Let's face it, I buy stuff or I see something that makes me go ooooooh. But for the most part I did stick with using these palettes for the month.

Week of January 5 - The Light Show - my favorite eyeshadow from the palette was Flicker which is like and olivey dark gold shade.

Week of January 12 - Fired Up - I enjoyed the blush and lip gloss from this palette more so than the eyeshadows lol. My favorite eyeshadow was Sizzle which is like a taupey purple shade.

Week of January 19 - Convertible Eyeshadow Palette -  I was meh about this palette. I got it on Christmas Eve and it was on sale. I have some reward dollars and a 20% of coupon. So I got it at a good price. I have mentioned before that I love Ready eyeshadows. This palette just didn't do it for me,. The colors are pretty. Don't get me wrong. But the make up of the colors remind me somewhat of Urban Decay's Smoked palette and y'all know how much I looooooove that palette. Funny thing was I kept my receipt and the box it came in which is usual for me when it comes to Bare Minerals products. So needless to say that I returned the palette. I did like the two shades that were in the mini compact part (bronzey shade and dark brown) but that was not justification to keep it when I have similar shades.

Week of  January 26 - The September Issue - this palette had been on my Sephora wish list for a good while. I was waiting to see if I would go on sale for $25 like other 8.0 palettes have in the past. It didn't happen. I used my $20 off VIB offer to get the palette. This was my favorite to use for the month. The colors are gorg!

Palette Play February 2014

Happy February everyone!

One of several posts coming your way. I had wanted to have my January favorites post up by the 31st and some other posts done by now. But well ya know, stuff happens. It's a comin.

I think it's time for some drugstore palette play this month. I was going to use all Wet n' Wild 8 pan palettes this month. BUUUUTT my first Sleek palette purchase changed that :) So here's what I'm going to play around with this month.

Week of February 2 - Sleek Vintage Romance Palette 
I'm excited about this one. If you don't know, Sleek is a drugstore brand available in the UK. I ordered this via a seller on Amazon. This shipping was reasonable and it arrived it about a week. You can order directly from Sleek's website. If this is good, I can see this being a problem. I've added some other palettes to my wish list. *covers eyes* My thought process for getting this was that it'll satisfy my urge for the Naked 3 palette. But based off of reviews I read and heard, I think I'm passing on the Naked 3 palette.

Week of 9 - Wet n' Wild Nude Awakening Palette
My beauty pusher found this for me. I could not find it at drugstores in my area. This was one of the limited edition Spring palettes from last year I think. There are several posts comparing this to Urban Decay's original Naked Palette. So I'm excited to play with this palette as well.

Week of 16 - Black Radiance Posh Plums Palette
Black Radiance is owned by the same company as Wet n Wild. Pretty, pretty purples to play with *claps*.

Week of 23 - Sonia Kashuk Jewel of an Eye Palette
I got this on sale at Target and I'm kind of meh about it. Some of the shades are pretty but some other shades didn't seems to have a lot of color payoff. So I'm going to give it another whirl. People have raved about Sonia Kashuk eyeshadows. Right now I don't get the hype based off of this palette.

Best of Beauty 2013 Tag

I saw this tag floating around on YouTube which was perfecting timing since I was toying around with a favorites of 2013 post. But I didn't want to be all over the place with it. So helped me focus...to a point. I do have more than one answer for some. I mean come on, some times it's hard to have just one product for a category. These are not necessarily products that launched in 2013. It's a mix of stuff I bought in 2013, items that did launch in 2013 and stuff I just reached for a lot.

Let's get to it!!

Primer - Black Radiance Primer
I had thought that this primer was only good for me during the summer but I had used it a lot in December with Urban Decay's De-Slick. They are the perfect combo on my skin all year round. So I think it's safe to say that this is my holy grail primer. I picked up two more during the CVS sale when they were 50% off.

Foundation - Bare Minerals Matte Foundation
No surprises here but Bare Minerals Foundation in the matte version is hands down my favorite foundation. I use it everyday. The coverage is buidable to light/tinted moisturizer coverage to full coverage. There are other foundations that I kind of want to try, Then I'm like why bother when I have one is working for me just fine. If you've played along with me on my blog then you know I've stumbled across a liquid foundation at the drugstore. It popped up in my December favorites.

Concealer - Bare Minerals Stroke of Light
I know this more of an eye brightener but it is toted on providing light to medium coverage for the under eye area. I don't have major dark circles, so this perfect for me. Some other concealers I've used for the under eye I think were too heavy or I was too heavy handed with them. You can use a little or a lot of this and not have any issues with applying and blending the product. It's lightweight and blends nicely into skin. I've also used to to brighten other areas on my face. So it can be a 2 in 1 product. I think I'm on my second or third tube of this. It will always be in my stash. I do what to try their newer concealers in the pot.

Powder - Bare Mineral Bronzing Mineral Veil
I have several versions of Bare Mineral's Mineral Veil and I enjoy all of them. But THHHHEEEE one that is my hands down favorite in the Bronzing Mineral Veil. It's just bomb. It just is. I have the regular sized and a super sized that I got from QVC and I am still tempted to get another jar. It's not permanent to their line and I wish it was. For deeper complexions they always push the Tinted Mineral Veil. The Bronzing Mineral Veil in 10 times better in my opinion!

Bronzer - Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep Chocolate
Y'all already know how I feel about this bronzer. So there is no need for me to say anything else. I mean look at the huge pan in the center of the product! This gets used. No doubt about it.

Blush

• MAC Raizin - finally got my hands on this through a MAC sale that was taking place on Beyond the Rack. This in THEEE blush that MAC artists mention for brown girls. I can see why. Ladies that use this blush absolute love it. I reached for this several times throughout the year and had to force myself to put it away each time since I have a crap ton of blushes. It is the perfect everyday blush no matter what eye look or lip color you have on. It's a matte blush described as golden reddish-brown. It is a matte blush.
• NYX Desert Rose - I picked this one up in 2013 and it's the perfect pink blush for deeper skin tones. It's another blush that goes with just about any eye and lip combo. It's another product I had to force myself to put away. Y'all have seen my blush drawer :)

Highlighter - Bare Mineral Advanced  Bare Radiance
This is another product that I had to make myself put away. I'm not a big fan of highlighters. Some I feel require to much "effort". You have to be careful not to pick up too much product, blend it, blah, blah, blah. If you are someone who is "afraid" of highlighters or feel that they are too much effort then check out Bare Minerals Radiance powders. They are some my favorite products to use for highlighting. I picked up the Bare Minerals Advance Radiance from QVC. It is so pretty. It is described as a amber-nude sheen . I have also used this as an eye shadow and got a several compliments. For some skin tones, you may be able to use these as a blush. Radiance powders are multi-use products.

Brows - Iman Brow Pencil
Another product that should be no surprise. I found a seller on Amazon selling it with free shipping, so I ordered two more pencils. It's the perfect dark brown that doesn't run a warm brown or red.

Eyeshadow Palette - Urban Decay Smoked Palette

I gushed over this palette in my August Top 3 post. It's just the perfect palette to me. It's right up there with the original Naked palette. You can do a full look with this and not reach for any other shadows which is a big plus for me. It has neutral shades and pops of color.

And a quick honorable mention to the original Naked Palette. It's funny that I saw this palette in a a bunch of people's favorites videos for 2013 and it's not a "new" palette. It's just bomb and another product that I had to make myself put away. I'm undecided if I am going to pick up the other Naked palettes. Perhaps Naked 2 and maybe Naked Basics but I think I'll pass on 3 based on some of the comments I've heard. I may swatch it next time I'm in Ulta or Sephora.

Eyeliner

• Pencil - Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner in Espresso and Evercolor Ultimate Waterproof Eyeliner in Express-O-Lance
• Gel - Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Espresso
• Liquid - LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liner in Black

As I've mentioned before dark brown liners are my happy place. They give you definition to an eye look without being too much like black can be. Mally and Bobbi Brown's liners were three that I reached for a lot. The LORAC liquid liner is so easy to use and goof proof for me.

Mascara

• Lancome Definicils Precious Cells (not pictured) - this is my absolute favorite mascara. It's pricey but I still love it. It's a good every day, all occasion mascara. I love the wand and the formula. This'll be something that I purchase once a year since it is a pricier mascara and mascara is the one beauty product that doesn't keep for long.
• Mally Volumizing Mascara - this is my second favorite. It's funny that a long time ago I didn't like this mascara and now it's a favorite. I love the formula which is a little drier than some. I love the wand and just what it does for my lashes. With various sets I order from QVC, I always have a tube on hand.

Lip Pencil - NYX Lip Liner in Expresso
Again this shouldn't be a shocker. I use this lip liner everyday.

Lipstick 

• MAC Riveting Rose - this is another product I got when I didn't know about stuff being limited edition. I keep checking on eBay to see if I can find one at a decent price. When it comes to lipstick shades, I like the deeper berry tones. This is described as  a rich red-berry with purple and plum frost.". I just love it and it wears well throughout the day. I went through my stash to see if I have something similar to this and I don't, which is shocking. I'm going to be bummed if I can't find another one or if Mac doesn't re-release it.
• Wet n Wild Sugar Plum Fairy - another product that doesn't need explanation since I've talked about it so much. Another berry toned lipstick that I wear all year.
• Milani Color Statement Lipsticks - yes I'm mentioning a whole line of lipsticks lol. These lipsticks are bomb.com. What makes them even more fantastic is that they are available at the drugstore. So you can catch them on sale, use reward coupons on them, catch other deals, etc. The color selection, formulation and staying power on the lips is awesome. I have 6 of these lipsticks and I still have a few more on my wish list. Pictured below are the first 3 that I purchased. If you are new to lipstick, want to play around with color or looking to try a new brand then check these out!

Lip Gloss 

• Buxom White Russian Lip Cream - these lip creams are newer to the Buxom line. I got my tube based of all the hype I heard about this gloss. It is well deserved hype. Times when I didn't know what to put on my lips I reached for this throughout the year. It's the perfect nude gloss for any skin tone.
• Maybelline Color Sensational Lip glosses - I have gushed over these all year. They are fantastic glosses that are available at the drugstore. They have great pigmentation for a lip gloss. They are moisturizing and feel good on the lips. I have 13 of these glosses and of course I want more colors. Sick I know.

Beauty Subscription - QVC New Beauty Test Tube
I am not currently subscribed to this but I was earlier in 2013. I enjoyed it and may subscribe again. The QVC version of the New Beauty Test Tube includes products from brands at the Q. In some cases you receive full sized products and the sample sized products were generous amounts. You also get the New Beauty magazine. Through QVC you can do a single shipment or auto delivery. Auto delivery is a total of I think 4 shipments every 90 days.

Skincare - Serious Skincare Glycolic Cleanser
Skincare wasn't a part of the tag but I decided to throw it in. I tried this line late in the year but the products I've tried are awesome. If I had to pick one product that I've tried then it would hands down be the Glycolic Cleanser. I've been using this day and night and I feel that it has been a game changer for my skin.

Nail Polish - Essie Smokin Hot

Also nail polish wasn't part of the tag and I wasn't going to mention it but one polish that I really loved for 2013 popped into my head. I picked up Essie's Smokin Hot after seeing in a video on YouTube. It's purple gray shade and I love gray based polishes. Took this one with me on a work trip and wore it on my toes for the longest time.

And there you have it! Let's see what  2014 brings!

106 Years Never Looked So GOOD!!!

How could I not do a post on today??

HAPPY FOUNDERS' DAY to my Sorors of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated! I'm all festive today too lol.

I posted this video on my various social networking channels.

Mannnn the song in this video *tears* on the real. We all have gripes and issues with our organizations. But days like today make you REMEMBER what made you fall in love with your organization. You take stock on how you've changed and grown from being a member of your organization. It makes you remember those you have met along the way, who you now call friend as well as Soror or Frat. Remember that. Focus on that when those days come along and you get fed up. Keep pushing forward and do the work that needs to be done.

Onward and upward!!!

Another post done off the fly. Sorry if it seems jumbled :)

Nail Polish Play January 2014

I was watching Prettydaysies video on the 20 polishes that she's planning to wear this winter. So course I was like hmmmmm not a bad idea. So along with Palette Play we will have monthly Nail Polish Play! \O/ Even though I have given away quite a few nail polishes, I still have a lot.

Lately I have been painting my nails twice a week. So I pulled out 8 polishes and a bonus nail art polish. So here at the polishes I am going to use for the month of January! I set them aside in this bowl on my dresser.

• L'Oreal Berry Nice
• Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White Out
• Orly Tiara
• Milani Deep Thoughts
• Milani Bolting Blue
• Milani Dark Coffee
• Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Ivy League
• Sinful Colors Silver Ribbons
• Milani Nail Art  Draw in Pink

What I'll try to do is take a pic with me wearing the polishes. Then I'll do a recap in the post for the next month.  Who knows what I'll actually do. I just thought this would be fun to do and it'll help me not pull the same nail polishes from week to week. If I don't get to a polish, then I'll carry it over into the next month. We shall see how this goes.