March Ipsy Bag

Happy Spring everyone! 

I love sharing my monthly Ipsy bags with you. You probably already know, but if you don't, this is a monthly subscription service that delivered beauty items right to your door for $10.00 a month. I have been an active faithful member of Ipsy since attending Generation Beauty. 

The bag this month, is honestly not one of my favorites. It was made by a Ipsy member and I just really don't love the pattern or the weird plastic type material.

Here is what was in my bag,

1. NYX Love In Rio

2. Chella Indigo Blue Eyeliner

3. Pixi Beauty Flawless Beauty Primer

4. bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie "Get Ready" Lipstick

I can honestly say most months I am so happy and impressed, but this month was just a bummer. I know I'll use the eye shadow at some point but the rest is just not my cup of tea. The blue felt tip eyeliner is something I know I wont wear, and the other two just are not for me.

 Honestly though for $10.00 a month you never know what you'll get! I'm not complaining, because I really love getting new things, and I can share with friends and family! You can join here!


Let me know what your favorite subscription service is!

The perfect getaway

These past few days were filled with so much happiness and days off that didn't include homework, grocery shopping, and cleaning! Since this was the week of my Birthday and Valentines day I thought I would post about our week!

Wednesday: This was my 22nd birthday! I had work until 5pm and was surprised that my co-workers brought me such sweet gifts. (I work with my mom in the office, so I know that's how they knew) After work we went straight to BJ's which is where we had dinner and I got to open presents from my mom and sisters. I also had a red velvet pizookie, which if you don't know what that is then you need one right NOW. Its a hot baked soft cookie, with ice cream on top and it's amaze. After dinner Joe and I went home, where I found flowers and the whole living room decorated with balloons, streamers, and a banner for my birthday and Valentines day. I swear he's the best.

Also, on mine and my moms lunch break we went and looked at a wedding venue and I think it may be the one!!

Thursday: I had class which was a bummer because Joe and I wanted to head to the beach, but I had to be responsible first. Thankfully, my teacher let us out 45 minutes early and we were good to go! We left home around 2:30 and arrived in Morro Bay around 5:00. With the help from a Venti Starbucks Carmel Macchiato; thanks birthday reward! We were just in time to see the sunset, so we checked into our room and walked down to the dock and ate dinner watching the sunset! When we went back to the room we watched a show that I swore I would never, ever watch but when you're in a hotel without your trusty DVR you will stoop low. We watched three episodes of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.......I am so ashamed. We got sucked in because of how horrible it was. I know, no excuses but it's true. Then after that train wreck, we went to sleep.

Friday: This was our one and only full day to spend at the beach so we got a really early start and headed to Pismo beach, the fog was really thick and crazy so we waked the boardwalk, bought a ton of candy, and ate at the best place for clam chowder - Splash Café. We did some mandatory outlet shopping and headed back to Morro Bay. When we got back it was still pretty cold but so much less fog, so we decided to go to the aquarium and feed the Seals! This was Joe's first time doing this, I have done this since I was little so I took pictures while he held raw fish to feed them. They would bark for the treats and slap their bellies, it was funny. Then we walked the beach on the hunt for sand dollars which is something you just have to do when you go there. They are my mom's favorite and I wanted to get one for everyone! We found a ton thankfully and walked the beach for a while. We were missing Pepper pretty bad and we still had a three hour trip home, so we decided to leave and head home.

This fish seriously was scary..

I could not have asked for a better Birthday weekend! I hope you all enjoyed the pictures!

I am linking up with Rachael and Lisa!

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!

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!

 

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?

 

New Adventures!

Hi everyone!

I have really exciting things going on right now, and I wanted to share one of them with you because I want you all to be apart of it!

I am going to be a weekly blogger for polished.tv! My first post actually went up on the website today, and I would love if you all would go take a look and maybe leave a comment. It would mean the world to me! I am really excited about this; but not to worry this blog will not take a back seat and will still be a main priority to me and never neglected!

Here is the link to my first blog post! 5 best mascaras under $20.00

Let me know what y'all think!!

Thank you all so much for my new and old readers, who have wished me congratulations on my engagement (still cannot believe it)! You guys are so awesome! Leave your links below and I would LOVE to read and be support to you guys and your blog!


Until next time,

XO, Vivian

My Winter Essentials!

Hi everyone and happy weekend!! Whether it be snowing, raining, or just plain cold, these are some essentials that I always keep around in the winter months.

 Cozy socks for obvious reasons, no one likes frozen toes.

Body butter because my skin has been so dry lately and my new favorite is "Warm & Cozy" from Victorias Secret.

Tissues, once again pretty self explanatory.

Chapstick is a must for me, I keep one in every single place I will be throughout the day. Car, desk, bathroom, bedside, purse, etc.

Scarves are not only convenient but also an accessory. I love wearing them not only to look cute but to keep warm.

Cough drops or cold medicine in general is a good thing to keep stocked up on for emergency mornings when you need something to get through the work or school day.

Vitamin C is a must.

Hot chocolate or tea - both are amazing and there are so many varieties to choose from.

Gloves because I have the worlds deadliest, coldest hands ever! I recently bought a pair that are touch screen compatible which makes wearing them easier!

And of course Christmas movies or Netflix cuddled with your dog or special person makes those cold days a lot better!!!

XO, Vivian

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