My week, and my top 5 most used products recently.

Hey everyone!

Today I am here because I cannot focus on my homework for these classes and I feel like I am starting to neglect blogging. Nooooo I don't want to do this because I love it so much, so I will always make time. I tend to overextend myself when it comes to taking on new projects, or in my case taking a full load of child development classes on top of an almost 40 hour a week job. It makes for a tired and boring me.

 I am an organizational freak and cannot seem to get it together with these classes and it's driving me crazy. I have my cute little planner from target, yet I just cant seem to get into the grove yet. I guess since it's only the second week I better calm down. But if anyone has any tips, please feel free to leave them!

My 22nd birthday is on the 12th of February, yes two days before Valentines Day; don't worry I feel bad for my fiancé too. I usually have my birthday week planned out a month in advance, not this time. I feel like an old lady who has to work on her birthday and doesn't care anymore, but that's a lie though cause I really do care!! I just have no idea what I want to do for it, and going out of town isn't really an option this time around since work and school suck all the fun out of things.

Anyway, that's my boring dilemma for the week; on a very positive note we have started our bloggers online bible study with Brittany from Happy is a choice and she's pretty much the best and the sweetest person! So far I am absolutely loving the book we are reading, "A Modern Girl's Guide To Bible Study"  I got partnered up with such a sweet girl named Katie, and I am so happy we have become friends! Her blog is here. I hope that with this I can grow and learn a lot!

Now on to the top five things you wont catch me without using in my morning routine lately!

1. L'Oreal Magic Lumi Primer - I had been searching for a perfect primer for my face, I have super dry skin and staying matte is not a priority of mine. I love having a glow to my face and this is just the perfect product for that! You can also mix it with foundation as well, but I just put this on after moisturizer and before foundation and it makes my skin have a very pretty glow and not too shimmery.

2. Naked Palette - I received this palette for Christmas from my mom, and I have neglected every single other eye shadow I have because I cannot keep my hands off of it. Every morning when I do my eye makeup I look at my other sad eye shadow products, but I cant seem to get enough of it! Such pretty colors and very pigmented.

3. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk - This will always be a staple in my makeup collection because not only is it amazing as an eye shadow base, but it is the best to use on your bottom water line to make your eyes look awake and bright! It's also great to use in your inner corner.

4. Urban Decay b6 complexion prep spray - I feel like I have talked about this product so much lately, but I just love it. It has reduced the redness in my cheeks and has helped any small breakouts go away so fast! It's great for spraying during the day over your makeup as well!

5. CoverGirl Outlast 3-in-1 foundation - I have not even thought about purchasing another foundation in over six months because I am so happy with this one. It has a built in primer and concealer which I would agree, it stays on all day and it gives the perfect amount of coverage without ever looking flakey or dry.


Let me know how your week is going and what some of your favorite products are!

Comfort Zone

Everyone has a bubble, a place where they feel safe and comfortable. Not too often is it ever comfortable to step outside of that bubble and do something that is scary and new, but could possibly, maybe have a good outcome. Possibly, maybe is not my style. I like security. I think those people are brave. The ones that will take chances when it comes, or take a new scary job even though they have a secure, cushy job. I am not like that. I like to stay inside my bubble with my security blanket of my family, fiancé, and dogs. I don't like the thought of being turned down or failing at something that I took a risk for.

School is not a comfort zone for me, it's a lot of work mixed with an almost full time job. I get anxious, stressed, and very vulnerable. On the other hand I know that this will be an amazing outcome when I look back a few years from now, hopefully teaching and thinking of how happy I am that I took this risk and put myself out there.

When I had my set schedule I knew I needed to ask for a raise to help with our income because I am losing a day of work to dedicate to classes. I have never, in the time I have had jobs asked for a raise or anything from my bosses. I have been at my current job for well over six months, and I have taken on a ton of new responsibility so I knew I deserved it, but I was very scared. I knew that for Joe and I that I needed to do this for peace of mind while I attend school so we didn't have to stress. I asked and guess what, my boss agreed and gave it to me no hassle or anything. Talk about relief. I had worked myself up into almost a panic attack, almost not even going to ask. I put myself out there, and got what I needed.

Sometimes we have to realize how much more we can do with our lives, and not sit around for someone to hand it to us. We honestly may never be satisfied if we don't take it into our own hands.
I may get turned down and I may fail, but how will I know if I never try? Having faith and knowing that things will happen in their own time is peaceful. I have to remind myself of this everyday.

Visa Giveaway!

I am super excited to be working with some fabulous bloggers to put together this giveaway for all of our readers! We are doing a $50.00 visa gift card giveaway this month, and just in time to buy yourself something pretty for Valentines Day! 

All you have to do to gain entries is follow the rafflecopter below!

Good luck to all of you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

January Ipsy Bag

My January Ipsy bag was 50/50 this month for me, I love my little bag that comes in every month and I love sharing all of the things I receive. Some months I will love every single item I get in my bag and some months (like this month) I just don't really care for some of the products.

But hey! that's okay because it's only $10.00 bucks a month and you really can't beat it.

In my bag this month I received:

Benefit - Porefessional: This is the one item I saw in my glam room and knew I was so excited to get! I love anything and everything from Benefit!

(MALIN + GOETZ) mojito lip balm: I had never heard of this brand, but after trying out this lip balm I am so happy that I received this product because it is doing wonders for my chapped lips.

Yaby liquid foundation - Buff: I was really excited to get a foundation in my bag but unfortunately I am pretty light skinned and this product only came in one shade to all Ipsy subscribers; Buff. I may be able to use this in the summer though mixed with my BB creams. I do really like the consistency of the product.






The next few products are things that I will most likely give away.








Balm me up organic sweet cocoa & tangy body balm: This has a VERY strong scent and I want to try it out I just am really not sure about the scent. Someone else may really like it though! I have read good reviews about the product and how nice it is, it's just not my favorite smell.









Absolute Make up cleansing tissues - pomegranate extract: I am very picky when it comes to products that I put on my face, because I have pretty sensitive skin. These have a smell I cannot even explain, and not in a good way. I could not imagine putting these on my face and eyes.

I love Ipsy and will always stay faithful to my favorite subscription service. I love that I can review the products that I love and don't love so much so they know what I like/dislike.


Try out Ipsy for $10.00 a month plus always free shipping!

 

Skincare Routine

Hi everyone!

I love reading about skincare and new products that are working for people, I am obsessive when it comes to making sure my skin is clean and taken care of. I thought I would share what is working for me because my skin has been very clear, and I have not had any breakouts from any of these products.

My daily products:

Simple Cleanser (not pictured, it was in my shower) - Every morning and night I use this to cleanse my face. *very gentle on skin, great for everyday use*

Simple Soothing Toner - I love this toner because it doesn't sting or have a smell. I use this at night after I take off my makeup and cleanse my skin to remove any left over makeup. I personally love the Simple brand because I have never not once had an issue with it hurting my skin or breaking me out.

Clean and Clear Morning Burst Gel Moisturizer - I use this every morning, I love the lightness of this product and the smell is pretty awesome!

Urban Decay b6 complexion prep spray - This is a new favorite of mine. I am so happy I purchased this because it has helped my skin so much. I have very red skin and this is something I use before I do anything to my skin I spray all over and let it sit in, then I apply moisturizer.

Here is what it says it does:

This energizing formula feels amazing and is great for ALL ages and skin types. (Trust us, even your boyfriend will want to steal it!) And the more you use it, the better the results. In a clinical study, after 8 weeks of use:

• Over 81% of participants had a measurable reduction in oil and surface shine.
• Over 78% had more radiant skin with less redness and fewer blemishes.
• A majority of participants had a measurable improvement in pore size.

I love these Simple makeup wipes and eye makeup remover, I use these daily whenever I need to remove my makeup, obviously. *gently on and around eye area*

These are the products I use about 1-2 times a week depending on need.

Radical Skincare Instant Revitalizing Mask - I use this about 1-2 times a week to refresh my skin and make it feel so soft! I have a whole review on this product here.

True Blue Spa face scrub - Twice a week use, I just like it to exfoliate my skin and to get rid of the dry skin. Most scrubs hurt or break out my skin and this one has not done that and it is very gentle.

Clean and Clear Dual Action Moisturizer - My holy grail for pimples that pop up! I will always have this product in my bathroom, whenever I have any sign of acne coming up I put this over the top of it and it takes care of it for me! I swear by this stuff.

**These products work for me, this is not in any way a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.**

Week 1: Get Fit, Feel Confident Be Healthy Linkup!

This is my first week of joining Brittany and Sam's "Get Fit, Feel Confident Be Healthy Linkup". I am so excited to read all of the girls posts on being healthy and getting fit, it is super motivating for me!

I will say that I am starting as of now; Monday January 13th. I also have not weighed myself yet for the week which is why I am starting today and weighing myself tonight to get started!

My problem: I have hypothyroidism, it was diagnosed about a couple of years ago and pretty much every girl in my family has the same problem. We all have to take thyroid medication every morning for probably forever. It's not fun having to wake up and remember to take a pill every morning when you should be a young healthy 21 year old. But I am very thankful that it is manageable, it just makes some things tough for me.

I had started doing morning smoothies with a ton of fruit and veggies including spinach....well after doing more research I found that I really shouldn't have raw spinach with hypothyroidism because it contains Goitrogens that slow down the thyroid function. NOT COOL, I thought I had been doing so good every morning throwing all these delicious fruits and veggies only to find out I was sabotaging my thyroid and medication! Since then, I have added carrots, Chia seeds, ginger root, and zucchini. I have also taken out all things that may affect my medication in the morning. So I am starting fresh this week with my new and improved smoothies, and I am bringing my lunch to work every day as well as cooking dinner at home.

I know that roughly I would love to loose about 15-20 pounds, as well as being fit and healthy!

My fur baby will love this because that means more walks for him daily as well.

 

Follow the hosts on Bloglovin (Brittany and Sam)!      

 

 

 

Current Favorites {January 2014}

I have a lot of things I have been loving lately, and I forgot to do my monthly favorite for the past two months! So here are some things I have been raving about!

Makeup:

Naked pallet I got from my mom for Christmas is at the top of this list, because I have neglected all of my other pallets and eye shadows since receiving it!

Urban Decay B6 (complexion prep spray), I absolutely have been loving this product! I will have my updated skin care routine up this week and a review on this soon.

L'Oreal Magic Lumi has been so good to me lately. I have such dry dull skin in the winter and since purchasing this product I actually have some glow to my face!

Hervana blush by Benefit has been my number one go to blush. It is perfect for my skin tone.

NYX Butter Glosses, I have been collecting all of them! I absolutely love éclair and apple strudel.

Nails:

Chinchilly and Ballet Slippers by Essie have been my favorite combo lately.

Hair:

I just got my hair done last night, and I am so happy with it! I usually try and get my hair cut short at least once a year to have fresh ends, and it was definitely time. My hair grows so fast that I wont even have time to miss my long hair.



Paul Mitchel Blonde hair care line, since I have ombre I still need to take care of my ends and the blonde parts, and the products from this line are the best.

TV Shows:

Dexter has been a recent obsession. I mean it, I have been addicted. The entire series is on Netflix and that has made my days filled with watching a show about a serial killer, but a good serial killer so it's okay.

Pretty Little Liars just came back everyone! I love this show, something about drama/suspenseful shows that get me addicted. I am writing recaps on the episodes weekly over on polished.tv here is my first recap! EP:1 Who's In The Box - please leave me a comment over there and let me know if you stop by! It would mean so much!

I have become a self proclaimed smoothie master, I recently bought chia seeds to add to my morning smoothies, this the highlight of my mornings! Sad, I know.

What are some of your current favorites?

Semi Annual Sales

Semi annual sales are a girls best friend, it's almost like black Friday minus the insane times of night, the kitchen appliances and televisions; oh and the scary fighting people. I went to the mall this week and found that the deals were so much better than even black Friday, and I got a good night of sleep! I had Christmas gift cards and I waited until I knew the sales were out and I would get the most out of them.

 

 

First stop was Victoria's Secret - DUH when I think semi annual sale my mind goes directly to VS. I had already spent some of my gift card on the online sale and still haven't received those things yet, but lets just say I went a bit overboard on the underwear sale. In the actual store I purchased 3 lounge wear V-necks (normally 20 each, on sale for 9.99), a push up demi campus bra (normally 40, on sale for 20), and a pair of the beloved yoga pant leggings (normally 40 on sale for 20). I was excited to say the least, and I still have to look forward to my online purchase to come!

Next was Bath and Body Works - I know I know, I am a very stereotypical girl going to Victoria's Secret and then the one stop shop for all things smell good. I can't help it. Pretty much everything was around 50% up to 75% off!
I purchased:
Cranberry Pear Bellini - Wallflowers (2) on sale for $5.00
Japanese Cherry Blossom - Cream Body Wash normally $12.50 on sale for $4.00
Japanese Cherry Blossom - Golden Sugar Scrub normally $16.50 on sale for $4.18
True Blue Spa - Face Scrub on sale for $4.00
Aloha Orchid - Hand Soap on sale for $3.00
the lip gloss was something I needed to purchase to spend at least $30.00 to use my $10.00 off coupon. Not a fan of it at all after trying it on. Way too sticky, almost like a kids lip gloss.

I had a Sephora gift card and used that to purchase the Urban Decay b6 vitamin infused complexion prep spray ($33.00). I was really drawn to this product and wanted to splurge on it since I did have a gift card. I cannot wait to do a review on this product and I really hope it does what it says! You can find it here

I bought a dress shirt at cotton on which was also on sale!

I'd say I had a pretty successful shopping trip! Did anyone else get any good deals after the holidays?