I'm BACK!

Hey Belles!

LONG time since I've been around. I know, I know, shame on me. BUT, I'm back! 

I've had a lot of big changes occur in my life since I last posted in May. 

I'm no longer engaged, & I've moved back to where I grew up.

I've been working quite a bit more.

& I've been helping take care of my mother, which if some of you didn't know, she has breast cancer.

So, with that being said..

It has been a challenging last few months, but I'm stronger for it & I'm looking forward to the future & all it has in store.

I will slowly start back to my regular posting, I'm pretty much settled in. But, I have a few things I still need to do.

Thank you to all the ones that have checked on me & kept it touch!

I'm excited to get started again, & look forward to catching up with everyone as well!

Until next time,

Update; Where have I been?!

Hey Belles! Long time, no talk! I know I've been pretty much non-existent on all my stuff. Including my blog, instagram, & twitter. But, that's why I'm writing this today.

I have had a lot going on in my personal life.

& If you are anything like me, when I get stressed or overwhelmed..I push stuff away. I pretty much shut down.

Which is what I've been doing the past couple of weeks.

I really don't want to go into detail on everything that I'm dealing with, as it is personal matters.

But, I do want you all to know, I appreciate you all!

Your support & everything.

I will start doing my regular posts again soon. Just hang in there with me!

Thank you!

Until next time,

April 2014 Ipsy Bag

Hey Belles! Today, I'm going to share with you what I recieved in my April Ipsy bag. If you don't know what Ipsy is:

Ipsy was co-created by Michelle Phan, a famous youtube beauty guru. You pay $10/monthly & you receive 4-5 beauty products, sometimes samples, sometimes full size! This is an awesome subscription.

This months theme was "Beauty Rocks!"

Ipsy describes this theme as:

"Life is a dance floor, so why not live it up, sing out loud, and shake them hips?! This month, we're celebrating our unique beauty to the sound of tunes and festivals that fill the spring air. So, whether you're chilling in a campground or spinning in a ballroom, all of your April "Beauty Rocks!" products will help your lovely look become a hit!"

So, let's jump into what I received this month!

First, I received a Coastal Scents Medium Eyeshadow Brush. I've never used anything from Coastal Scents, but I've always wanted to. I've heard nothing but good things about this brand. Plus, no girl can have too many eye shadow brushes, right?

Retail; $2.49

Second, I received the Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eyeliner in the shade "Black Velvet". I love Urban Decay, & I know this will probably be something I end up using a lot. 

Full size; $20.

Third, I received Elizabeth Mott, Pop! Goes the eyeshadow in the shade "Champagne". I haven't heard a lot about this brand, but this color is beautiful & I can't wait to try it out!

Retail; $13.

Fourth, I received Starlooks Longwear Lip Pencil in the shade "Naked". I've never used lip liners, so this will be a first for me. I have just started wearing lipstick at all. So, hopefully I'll be putting this to use soon!

Retail; $12.

Fifth, I received Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant. I love any & all things skincare. So' I'm pretty excited to see how this stuff works!

Full Size; $78.

Okay, That is all I received in my Ipsy bag this month! 

If you would like to subscribe to Ipsy for just $10/monthly, click HERE!

Do you already have an Ipsy subscription?

If so, what did you receive?

Until next time,

My Skincare Routine

Hey Belles! So, today I'm going to talk about my current skincare routine.

First, we will talk about my skin. UGH. That's how I explain my skin. But, no really..my skin is pretty annoying. It's extremely sensitive, & I just found out recently I'm unable to tolerate anything as far as acne medications besides salicylic acid. Bummer, since for my breakouts this doesn't seem to make that much of a difference for me.

I've always had pretty acne prone skin, & it's oily/dry. Which is also a hassle.

& with that being the case, I'm constantly changing out my skincare routine to other products.

But, for now..these are my products of choice!

I first start off by using NUDE perfect cleansing face & eye oil.

This just gets all my eye & face makeup off, & It seems to work A LOT better than makeup removing wipes.

I've already raved about this awesome product, so you can click here to read all about it.

You can only purchase this brand @ Sephora.

Cost is $36.

Secondly, I use the new Biore deep pore charcoal cleanser with my clarisonic.

I love how clean this makes my skin feel. I have used it without my clarisonic but, I don't get as much "tingle" if I don't use it.

& yes, I use my clarisonic every night.

You can purchase this @ Walmart.

Cost is $7.

Thirdly, I use my Clean & Clear deep cleaning astringent.

I don't particularly like this one as much as I do the sensitive skin kind, but it's what I have for now.

To me, this stuff kinda burns. But, it does really clean my pores.

You can also purchase this @ Walmart.

Cost is $4.

Fourthly, I use my oh so loved Cetaphil moisturizer.

I've used this stuff for years, & it really is a great product.

plus, it's oil free!

You can also purchase this @ Walmart.

Cost is $11.

Then lastly, I use my Clean & Clear advantage acne spot treatment.

Like I said before, It is salicylic acid. Which for me doesn't really make that big of a difference with my kind of breakouts.

But, it'll do for now.

You can also purchase this @ Walmart.

Cost is $6.

So, there is my current skincare routine!

If you use any of these products, let me know below!

I'd love to know your thoughts.

Until next time,

NUDE Perfect Cleaning Oil Review

NUDE Cleansing Oil Review

Hey Belles! I've finally got another review for you! I know, I know, it's been awhile. 

Today, I'm going to be reviewing the NUDE Perfect Cleansing Oil, Face & Eyes.

I was walking around Sephora about a month ago looking for a cleanser that would help me get all my makeup off. If you've been with me awhile, you know I wear full coverage foundations. & It's almost impossible to get every bit of it off.

A lot of the women at the Sephora I go to wear the same foundation as myself, so I turned to them to see how they removed it all & kept their face from breaking out from leftover makeup. 

One of them pointed me to this stuff. I first went home with a sample because, I was like no way oil on my already oily skin is gonna help me not break out. Came home, tried it, & I'm in love. This stuff literally made my makeup melt off my face!

NUDE is a organic product line. The claim they are "beautiful without parabens, sulphates, PEGs, TEA, DEA, propylene glycol, phthalates, synthetic colour, synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, & silicones."

They also don't test their products on animals, & everything is made from 100% natural plant oils & is gluten free. Making this suitable for Vegans.

With this product it also wants you to apply to a dry face.

I usually use about three pumps when I'm wearing what I call my "full face." I massage it into my skin, mostly around my eyes to get all my eyeliner, eyeshadows, & mascara off. After I've rubbed it in, I add some warm water to my hands until my face has more of milky feel on it, & then just rinse clean. 

Price wise, This product is kinda pricey. But, if you use it like it says it will last you a long time.

The price is $36.00 USD.

You can purchase this at Sephora.

This isn't the only thing I use in my skincare routine, but this is what I use for makeup removal. 

I highly recommend this product!

It is becoming one of my holy grails.

If you want to learn more about NUDE skincare, click here!

Have you used this product? If so, what do you think about it?

Let me know below!

Until next time,

Easter Marshmallow Bark

Hey Belles! Today, I'm gonna share with you this super easy & yummy Easter Marshmallow Bark recipe. 

Every year for Easter, Me & Adam always make Easter baskets for my little sister & his nephew.

So, this year I wanted to make some homemade "candy" to place in their baskets.

What you'll need:

Jet-Puffed Fun Mallows, the miniature flavored ones.

Some kind of white chocolate melts, I used Vanilla Coating instead.

& Some cute little sprinkles, I used the bunny mix.

Instructions:

1. Melt white coating in the microwave until fully melted. Mine took about a minute. Even if it doesn't look melted, stir it around and it will begin to melt pretty quickly. Melting chocolate can be tricky, especially white chocolate. I used 5 blocks of my Vanilla coating.

2. Place marshmallows into melted chocolate/coating quickly, making sure all the marshmallows are coated. You'll want to do this pretty fast, so the marshmallows will not begin to melt. I used 5 cups of marshmallows for my bark.

3. After you've mixed the melted chocolate/coating & the marshmallows together, place them in a baking pan lined with some kind of parchment paper (this helps the mixture not stick to the baking pan). Make sure that the mixture is somewhat flat, so it looks like actual bark. I used a 9in X 9in baking pan for mine.

4. Once the pan is lined with the mixture, sprinkle whatever kind of topping you would like on top. I used leftover vanilla coating & my bunny mix sprinkles. 

5. Place the baking pan into the freezer for about 20 minutes. This helps the melted chocolate/coating harden quicker so it doesn't melt the marshmallows.

6. After 20 minutes in the freezer, take pan out & let it come back to room temperature before cutting into it. If you don't let warm up, the chocolate/coating will be too hard to cut evenly. In turn, making a huge mess.

7. After its to room temperature, cut into squares or whatever shape you desire.

After it's all finished it should look something like this..

Yummy! This stuff is so good, & I'm not even a big fan of the flavored marshmallows.

& it's just too cute with all the pastel colors & bunny sprinkles!

If you decide to try this recipe for Easter, let me know below!

Until next time,

What's on my iPhone?

    Hey Belles! With todays technologies, most of us live off our phones, tablets, & computers. I'm pretty guilty of that myself. So, today I decided I'd share with you what all is on my iPhone 5. & which Apps are my favorite! 

First, We will start off with my lock screen..

Pretty boring, except for that cute little girl on my wallpaper. No, that's not my daughter, it's my baby sister! 

Next, My home page..

These are the Apps I use the most, I have..

- Facebook

- Twitter; follow me here!

- YouTube

- Instagram; follow me here!

- Facebook Messenger

- Pinterest; follow me here!

- Pandora

- My shopping subfolder, I'll get into that in a minute.

- The Weather Channel

- My photography subfolder, I'll also get into that in a minute.

- App Store

- My Photos

- Contacts

- Camera

- Settings

- Blogger

- Bloglovin; follow me here!

- Spotify

- Clock

- Calendar

In my Home bar is pretty boring..

- Phone

- Safari

- Mail

- Messages

I couldn't live without my pretty much all of my social media apps or my photography apps. As for my weather app, I NEED to know the weather at all times, just ask my family, haha! 

Next, My second home page..

- Just Apps subfolder

- Utilities

- Facetime

- Google Maps

I hardly ever use my facetime, unless I'm facetiming my baby sissy.

Now, onto my subfolders..

We will start with my shopping one..

- Amazon

- Ebay

- Etsy

-StyleScan

I'm always searching on all these sites, especially Etsy. It's my favorite. As for StyleScan, I don't really know why I have it on my phone. I never use it. It's just a app where you can put outfits together & then buy them.

Here's my photography one..

- Pic Stitch

- Repix

- Bokehful

- Picfx

- Pic Collage

- PS Express

- Whitagram

- Camera +

- Afterlight

- VSCOcam

I use a lot of these on my pictures, most of them just have different filters you can use. Pic Stitch & Pic Collage, are just apps to make picture collages with. & Bokehful is pretty self explanatory, but if not it just adds bokeh to your photos. Whitagram, lets you put full size pictures on instagram. 

Here's my Just Apps one..

- Wallpapers

- Emoji

- Moviefone

- Sephora

- PayPal

- Vine

- Skype

- CocoPPa

- Voxer

- Tar Hoops

- Kik

- Guess 90's

Wallpapers is a app full of different pictures you can use as a wallpaper. Emoji, is what I use to have different emoji's in my text. Moviefone, lets you see what movies are in theaters near you. Sephora, I don't even need to explain this one. PayPal, or this one. Vine, I never use anymore. Skype, I used to use it when I was younger, but not so much anymore. CocoPPA, I use it sometimes & sometimes not. It's an app that lets you change your app icons..pretty cool. Voxer & Kik, are messaging apps. Tar Hoops, if anyone knows me, they know I love me some UNC Tar Heels basketball. This app lets me keep up with all the games & scores. Guess 90's, just bringing it back to my childhood. This is a trivia game all about the 1990's.

Here's my Utilities one..

I don't really feel like I need to explain these..If you have an iPhone you know what they do.

Welp, that's pretty much all I have on my iPhone!

Let me know below, what Apps are your favorite!

Until next time,

Lippies Haul!

    Hey Belles! Today I want to share with you a lipstick haul. aka my lippies haul! I really don't wear lipstick, but I've decided I want to try to get over my fear of going on in public with it on. So, I went on the hunt for some that I thought I would enjoy. I wanted to have bold lipsticks, & the one's I ended up getting I've heard about from various beauty gurus.

    I'm still pretty nervous to try the bold colors out and about. But, I'm slowly working up my courage. & hopefully by fall I'll be able to rock them! 

Here are some lip swatches of the ones I picked up:

Milani; Shade "27 Dulce Caramelo"

Revlon Colorburst; Shade "055 Cupcake"

Maybelline; Shade "880 Electric Orange"

Maybelline; Shade "645 Red Revival"

Revlon Lustrous; Shade "850 Plum Velour"

Milani; Shade "21 Sangria"

MAC Matte; Shade "AB3 Diva"

Let me know which one is your favorite!

Until next time,

Clarisonic Mia 2 Review

    Hey Belles! Today I'm going to be reviewing the Clarisonic Mia 2. I've always heard nothing but great things about Clarisonic's. So, I finally made the purchase, rather my fiancee made the purchase, hehe. I decided to get the Hollywood lights collection Mia 2 in purple. I know that it shouldn't matter that it lights up, but it totally does. 

    In addition to the clarisonic, I also got the ance brush head & clarisonic acne cleanser. It originally came with the sensitive skin brush head, but I felt like the acne one would be better for my skin.

    To start off with I'll talk about my skin. I have very acne prone skin, it's sort of combination. It's pretty oily while being pretty dry at the same time. In addition to that, it's extremely sensitive. I have to be careful with what I use on my face because, I will either swell up or have a really bad acne breakout. I also wear the Kat Von D lock it tattoo foundation, & while I love it, it's a pretty big pain in the butt to cleanse my face completely of it. So, when I kept seeing all these great things about the clarisonic, I decided I wanted it. 

    I purchased mine at Sephora for $150 & also got the cleansing pack with the acne cleanser & acne brush head for around $45. Yes, it is a rather expensive purchase. But I feel it's very much worth it. It comes with a carrying case, for traveling, a charger, & as I said before the sensitive skin brush head. It also comes with a two year warranty, & from what most people have said it lasts for years. 

    About the device itself, it claims "Clarisonic's patented sonic frequency oscillates back and forth at more than 300 movements per second to gently lift impurities." It has 2 speeds, low or high, 1 minute pulsing T-Timer, interchangeable brush heads, & battery life indicator. I do love the timer, It allows 20 seconds for your forehead, 20 seconds on your nose & chin, & 10 seconds per cheek. It helps me not stay in one place too long and over exfoliate & cause my skin to make more oil. It is also gentle enough, if used correctly, to use twice a day. 

    After using my clarisonic for just over a month, I've noticed a big change in my skin. It has made my skin not so flakey dry, attractive I know. & It makes my acne disappear. I will say though, I feel like my skin got worse before it got better. It does take your skin a little bit to get used to your new device, just like anything else when you add it to your face routine. It does recommend changing out your brush head every 3 months, & they usually run between $25-30. 

    So my overall verdict, YOU NEED IT. If you can afford it, you definitely need to make the investment. I love this thing. It has done wonders for my skin, & it feels so good using it! & I know if my sensitive skin can handle it, anything can!

Until next time,

My Favorite Youtubers

    Hey Belles! So, Today I'll be sharing with you some of my favorite people I watch on youtube. Everything from beauty gurus to just people vlogging. I would go into what youtube is, but I'm pretty sure most, if not all, of us in the blogging world know what youtube is. I get a lot of my inspiration from these girls/guys. 

My favorites are:

- Manda31409

- Kandee Johnson

- beautybaby44

- PiinkSparkles

- Casey Holmes

- ciaoobelllaxo

- Helen Melonlady

- grav3yardgirl

- Gigi Gorgeous

- Jenna Marbles

- eleventhgorgeous

- leighannsays

- vintageortacky

- Lauren Curtis

- AlisonLovesJB

- MissJenFABULOUS

- MissMeghanMakeup

- iheartmakeup92

- MadeYewLook

- Charisma Star

- Shaaanxo

- Jaclyn Hill

- lifesimmer

- glitteralittle

- NikkieTutorials

- Juicy Daily

- Bailey De Anna

- PinupDollAshleyMarie

If you love watching youtube videos, make sure to check these out! They are all so creative.

Do you have favorite youtubers? If so, who are they?

Let me know below!

Until next time,

March 2014 Ipsy Bag

    Hey Belles! Today, I'm going to share with you what I recieved in my March Ipsy bag. If you don't know what Ipsy is:

Ipsy was co-created by Michelle Phan, a famous youtube beauty guru. You pay $10/monthly & you receive 4-5 beauty products, sometimes samples, sometimes full size! This is an awesome subscription.

The theme for this months bag was "Destination Beauty", which seems to be a good theme since we are all over the cold weather & ready for some warm & sunny vacations.

& The bag this month was a selection from the artist, Klari Reis'.

It says "The print of this exclusive Ipsy makeup bag is a selection from artist, Klari Reis' geography-based series, "Street Anatomy," and showcases San Francisco, CA. (Reis' hometown and ipsy headquaters). To view more from Klari, please visit her website at www.klariart.com."

So, let's jump into what I received this month!

Pixi; Flawless Beauty Primer ~ $22 full size

bareMinerals; Marvelous MOXIE Lipstick ~ $18 full size

Shade: Get Ready

NYX; Love In Rio Eyeshadow Palette ~ $6 full size

Shade: No Tan Lines Allowed 

Chella; Eyeliner Pen ~ $24 full size

Shade: Indigo Blue

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this bag. The only thing I'm not too happy about, is the Indigo Blue eyeliner pen. Just because, I don't like I'll ever really wear blue eyeliner. But, I can give it a try. The NYX quad has such pretty colors in it, so I know I'll be getting some use out of that. The Primer, I'll use. I'm always trying out new primers. The lipstick, I'll try. As I've mentioned before, I don't really wear lipstick. But, I'm going to start trying to more. 

If you'd like to subscribe to Ipsy for $10/Month, click HERE!

Do you already subscribe to Ipsy? If so, what did you receive this month?

Until next time,