Alba Botanica

A friend recommended the Alba Botanica lotion to me due to it's high moisturizing abilities.  I saw it in Harmon, where I frequent for most of my toiletries and cosmetics.  I'm a coupon queen, I can't help it!

Alba products contain no parabens, phthalates or animal testing.

I first tried the emollient body lotion, and now use the Hawaiian sunscreens for summer.  I can use the sunscreen under my makeup daily as a daily protectent.  It doesn't smell like typical sunscreen, so I will continue purchasing!  I did find that it got liquidy in the heat of the Florida sun, and I didn't have a spot of sunburn on my body after 3 days in the intense sun, but I did have a red face.  Either I didn't shake it once liquidy, therefore applied it without all the ingredients mixed together or it was just too weak for my sensitive face.  I will keep it in the shade at the beach next time!  This would not deter me from buying because I trust it 100% on my body and as a sun deterrent on my face on a daily basis.  

My favorite Alba product I have tried so far is the hawaiian body cream deep moisturing kukui nut.  It moisturizes my legs in a hot minute and I love the thick texture that absorbs well!

(photo courtesty of amazon.com)

Can be purchased here:
http://astore.amazon.com/2strgircouand-20

Enjoy Alba Botanica!

-Erin

Ulta Twisted Volume Mascara

     Ulta's Twisted Volume Mascara is one of my favorite beauty finds this year.  I have never been loyal to any mascara until this one!  I liked Calvin Klein's mascara and I use their foundation, but the Calvin Klein mascara was very difficult to remove.  I tried several drug store brand mascaras over the years and none of them were fantastic either.  Estee Lauder mascara is great at defining but didn't give me the lengthening I was looking for.  Long story short, I can say with confidence that Ulta's Twisted Volume Mascara is the best one that I have found and I would recommend it to any of you!

     This mascara lengthens and defines my lashes beautifully.  I don't have any issues with flaking or running and my favorite thing is that is helps keep my eye lashes curled.  Curled lashes are an absolute must for me.  Without curled lashes, I look sleepy.  A lash curler is easy to use, takes just a few seconds, and instantly perks up your face and makes your eyes appear bigger.  If you aren't curling your lashes than you need to be.  I carry an eyelash curler in my purse for quick touch ups but with this mascara I find that I have to curl my lashes much less frequently than I was before.  

     One of the perks of this mascara is that it is a great price and value!  Normally it retails for $10.00 but a few times a year goes on sale for 2/$10.00 and you can use an Ulta coupon to bring the price down even lower. On average I pay about $7.50 for it.  If you are purchasing in the store then I recommend stocking up.  I have been in the Ulta store a few times and they are completely sold out of it.  

-Michelle

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*This was not a sponsored review.  Photos courtesy of Ulta.

Loreal Holds Steady at Top of My Fav Makeup List

I am just a regular woman, who likes drug store makeup.  How else would I have enough in my budget to also purchase some boxes of shoes here and some shopping bags full of dresses there?

I do like a few high end products, but my go to ranges from the various well known brands carried in drug stores.  Ever since first experimenting with makeup as a young teenager, I found myself continuously purchasing products from Loreal.

My repeat buys and favorites are my favorite mascara and eye liner of all time:

1) Loreal Telescopic Carbon Black mascara

2)  Loreal Lineur Intense Brush Tip liquid eyeliner Carbon Black

The mascara coats beautifully, stays on well on both top and bottom lashes, and the eyeliner glides on so smooth, allowing me to create a thin winged eyeliner look.  I can control the brush well, and the liner is bold with every stroke.

Another Loreal product I find to be of high quality are the Infallible eyeshadows.  The pigmentation, especially when applied with a wet brush, is ideal for bold looks!  I remember wearing a light purple Loreal eye shadow in college, and I still wearing the blend of the purples pictured below!

Over a decade later, Loreal Paris holds steady at top of my fav makeup list!

Can be purchased here:

http://astore.amazon.com/2strgircouand-20

~Erin

*All products mentioned were personally purchased and not endorsed.  Photos are owned by the blogger.

MakeUp Geek eyeshadows

After many beauty YouTubers raved about the quality and price of these eyeshadows, they were added to my mental wishlist.  I finally decided to order them a couple months ago.  Then the question was which colors do I get?

I placed an order and couldn't wait for my MakeUp Geek shadows to arrive!

I chose 9 eyeshadow pans and one foiled shadow!  I regretfully decided to hold off trying the blush.

In The Spotlight (foiled)

Cosmopolitan

Corrupt

Cocoa Bear

Shimma Shimma

Unexpected

Mocha

Sensuous

Bitten Prom Night I chose pans so I could add them to the Z palette I also purchased!  I got lavendar since I have a purple Nume curling wand set (reviewed here).  Does that make sense to anyone?  Me neither, but I guess I pictured a purple theme! They are more beautiful in person!  I chose a wide array of colors for very different looks!  The Z palette is great for traveling and this way I have all my unique color looks with me while away!   I love these shadows!  There isn't a makeup application of mine that does not include at least one of them!  They are great wet or dry!  They are great for base color, crease color, and highlighter  Their blending ability is top notch and probably the main reason I love them so much.  The looks created on the ideas section of their website is unbelievable too! For $5.99 each,  you can't go wrong!  Purchase your MakeUp Geek products on my affiliate link here! -Erin *Photos courtesy of blogger.  Products mentioned were personally purchased and not endorsed.

                                             

Do it or shush already

I have wanted a Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM for years...Like, a lot of years....Like, a decade....or longer.  Louis Vuitton is classic and a  Louis Vuitton monogram hand bag is iconic in the world of purses and accessories.  I know that I have already said it, but I have wanted one for years.  I've always envisioned having one for years and carrying it to the events that shape a person and his or her life.  But alas, the nearly $1,300 price tag has kept me from owning one.  When I was younger and single I probably could have saved better and purchased one but martinis with friends and new clothes were bigger priorities.  After I got married and shared my Louis Vuitton dreams with my husband, he tried to be supportive but the the look on his face screamed "not happening, Wifey."  Once our kids came the dream was pushed even further back in my mind.  I never stopped day dreaming about that LV though.  Anytime I see a woman carrying a Neverfull my dreams are reignited and I spend time perusing their website and Pinterest, secretly lusting after the same gorgeous hand bag.

And guess what?  My husband has finally told me to just buy it already....And you know what, I just can't commit.

What's my problem?

I should be all over this.  I should be either on the train on my way into New York City, where the closest store is, or dialing their main line and inquiring about availability and shipping.  But yet, I just can't.  I am having trouble committing to spending that amount of money on myself.

So, do I purchase it or not?  I feel like it's my one chance and I either need to complete the transaction or put the dream on the back burner and let it burn.

So here I stand.... Undecided and at a crossroads to owning a luxury purse or being responsible and saving the $1,300.  The moral of the story?  Being an adult is a tough business to be in.

So, tell me, what are your thoughts?

-Michelle

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*Photo from the Louis Vuitton website.  All opinions are that of the blogger.

Twisted Skirts

Lately I haven't been too inspired by fashion.  I still love summer dresses, maxi skirts, and joggers, but everything else has been very blah to me lately...very uninspired, and not anything that interests me.  This could possibly be because I am 24 weeks pregnant and most maternity clothes are terrible.  That's a post for a different day though!  Then the other day I saw a "twisted skirt" on Pinterest, though, and automatically fell in love.

The one pictured above was featured on the Daily Look.  I mean, how could you not love it? It's long and short all at once.  It is visually interesting, flattering to the legs, and looks very comfortable.  LOVE it!  

And now I am obsessed.  I spent entirely too long searching for the maternity version.  Sadly, I didn't come across one.  I did see several variations including short versions but I adore the short/long.  It's just cool to be both short and long at the same time!

Asos has this short, twisted skirt.  It is still interesting and fresh, but doesn't hold the same appeal to me as the long/short versions.  

I could not find the source of the maxi skirt version of the twisted skirt (that's a mouth full!) of the one below.  It was the closest to a maternity version that I could find.  From the picture it's hard to tell how big the opening at the bottom of the skirt is and if walking would be difficult.  What do you think?  

I am really hoping this trend hangs around for awhile.  I think pairing this type of skirt would be fun and it would still be comfortable and wearable.  What do you think of these twisted skirts?  Comment and let me know!

-Michelle

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*Photos courtesy of Asos and Daily Look.  The source of the third photo is unknown.  Opinions are that of the blogger.

Burt's Bees Review

This year I am on a mission to include more natural products in my makeup bag and beauty routine.  Erin always has good suggestions, of course, but sometimes I need products that I can grab while out running errands rather than order and wait to be shipped.  So really, I need products that I can buy locally and also favorites that I don't mind ordering.

Burt's Bees certainly isn't a new company on the beauty market; however, I didn't pay it much attention.  I figured it was another one of those companies that try to market themselves as being " all natural" but then only some of the products actually are.  I finally got around to doing some research and was surprised and impressed to find that over half their products are 100% natural and on average most are 99% natural.  How great is that?!  You can purchase Burt's Bees products at many local stores including Target and Walgreens which I shop at regularly.

One of the products I was looking to replace was my old standby Chapstick.  I had been using original Chapstick, with the black label, since I was old enough to buy my own products.  Only recently did I actually take time to read the label and discover some of the alarming products in it.  I am a huge lip balm addict so finding a replacement product needed to happen and fast!  I tried the EOS egg and wasn't impressed.  The egg was heavy in my bag and I had read time and time again that they get moldy quickly so I was constantly checked for mold.  I wasn't impressed at all.  My lips were dry and I  hated the egg.  And that's when I finally got around to researching other natural lip balms and Burt's Bees came up.

I figured that basic Chapstick worked for so long that I would try the original Burt's Bees Beeswax Balm first.  It's great!  Creamy, moisturizing and feels like Chapstick.  A no brainer switch for me!

Next, I tried the Calming lotion with lavender.  It's from the Burt's Bees Baby Bee collection.  The smell of lavender is pleasant and relaxing and lotion is thick and creamy.  It does take a little longer than some other lotions to absorb in the skin but it doesn't leave skin greasy or sticky.  My kids like it and I use it all the time too.  It isn't as awesome as the Karma Kreme by Lush Cosmetics that I absolutely love... but it is less expensive and a good lotion too.  

And lastly, now that it's summer I always carry facial cleansing cloths in my pool and beach bags.  I have to wipe the sunscreen, sweat, sand, and pool off my face before leaving.  Last year I used some cleansing cloths by Neutrogena.  I didn't have any complaints per say, but I wasn't exactly impressed either.  This year I went with Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleansing Towelettes.  Holy moly do these smell great!  The grapefruit smell is refreshing and they do seem to deeply clean my face rather than just smearing the gunk the around.  They are just $3.79 at Target too!  I bought a pack to keep in the car for after the gym too.  I highly recommend these.  

I'm feeling happy with my recent product swaps.  Not only am I putting fewer chemicals on my skin, according to the Burt's Bees website, their company is looking out for both their customers and the planet.  They believe in sustainability and include it in their business model and I can completely respect that!  I am a happy, new Burt's Bees customer.  Have you tried their products yet?

-Michelle

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*Products discussed were personally purchased and this was a non sponsored review.  Photos courtesy of Burt's Bees.

Body Scrubs

I have tried a few body scrubs in the past, and I thought they worked, but I was so wrong!

I like salt scrubs for my feet and hands, and sugar scrubs for my body, mostly prior to bottle tanning.  I now realize the body scrubs I was using were not fine enough, nor did they contain enough exfoliating participles to do their job before washing off!

One day I received a mystery box on my doorstop from Amazon Prime, and I was hooked!  My friend from NY had sent me a surprise birthday package full of fabulous beauty products, which I had yet to try!  The Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub washed the winter right off of my skin just in time to welcome spring and summer tan lines!  My skin was instantly softer, smoother,younger, and healthier looking after use.  So far I have tried the Pomegranate Acai and Brazilian Nut, which both smell so good I want to eat them!

The various scrub flavors can be purchased here!

The other products my friend sent me were all phenomenal!  What a great friend with fabulous taste!

~Erin

*All products were purchased and not sponsored.  Photo courtesy of the blogger.

Skin Brush

I remember waiting until Black Friday of last year to purchase the Clarisonic Mia electronic brush to wash my face.  Once the shopping 'holiday' arrived, I added it to my virtual shopping cart but could not get myself to click the 'place order' button.  I couldn't justify spending over a hundred dollars on it.  I asked for it for Christmas, but my boyfriend told me to use a washcloth and my family told me to use my hand to wash my face.  Overall, I figured I could do without it.

Michelle did a review on Olay's Pro X Microdermabrasion brush here a few months ago and it got me itching to purchase one.  I ended up coming across a Groupon for Vitagoods Perfect Skin Plus Enhanced Cleansing and Exfoliating Brush.  After checking that I could in fact find brush heads to replace it with in due time, I ordered it for $19.99!

It sat in the box for a while, but once winter ended I wanted smooth skin and I finally added a battery.  I love it!  I tried the large exfoliating brush on my full body, and also the soft facial brush.  I can't compare it to any other brands, but the dead skin is just nowhere to be seen and my face has stayed clearer than before!  I use it once a day on my face, which is probably too much, but it's so gentle.  I use regular face wash with it, and have been happy with the results!  I keep it out of direct water in my shower, and have used facial cleaners with exfoliating bubbles in them and they get wedged in the brush so I would not recommend that.  I have had no trouble using a sugar scrub with the large brush head though.

The Vitagoods Skin Brush can be purchased here.

Erin

*All products mentioned were personally purchased and this post was not sponsored by the company.

(Photos are courtesy of blogger.)

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