February Favorites

February Favorites; 2014

    Hey Belles! It's that time again, my monthly favorites! As I said in my first favorites post, my favorites will not always be beauty related things. I like to add anything that's been my favorite for that month, whether it be beauty things, food, or just everyday things. 

    February has been a month I'll never forget. I've had so many things happen in my personal life, that it's a miracle that I haven't just pulled all my hair out. But, I will say, One thing that happened this month that I'll never forget. I GOT ENGAGED! I'm still in shock from the whole thing. I constantly look at my engagement ring. Words cannot describe how happy I truly am to be spending the rest of my life with my best friend. Another thing, I chopped 12 inches off my hair. On a whim. But, I love my shorter hair. & with Spring just right around the corner I'll be thankful I did it. So, now onto all the other things that made me happy this month.

1. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Yes, I'm aware I'm a little late with the hype about this palette. But, I just recently have been able to get my hands on it. I love this palette! The colors are amazing, with all the rose golds and light pinks, it really makes my blue eyes pop!

2. Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation

If you've read my review between this and the Estee Lauder foundation. Then you should know how I feel about this miracle working foundation. If you'd like to read it, click here.

3. ZOYA Nail Polish

I received this polish in my February Ipsy bag. I have the shade "Odette" & I'd had it on my nails ever since. This polish is great, hardly any chipping & a beautiful color!

4. Wildflower iPhone Case

I love wildflower phone cases. They are all handmade and just so cute! They come in all different patterns and with studs on the back in different shapes. I have the tie dye case with a studded gold cross on the back for my iphone 5. I've never had a problem with this case. It doesn't fall apart and is very cute! If you'd like to see their site, click here. 

5. Cover Fx Mattifying Primer

This stuff is AMAZING. It's true to its word. It keeps you Matte all day long. & If you're like me and struggle with acne, you'll love it. It actually has a acne treatment in the primer. So, while you're keeping your foundation in tact, your fighting blemishes. Double Score!

6. Goody QUIKSYTLE Hair Brush

I actually purchased this brush while I had long hair, to help with making the blow drying process a little more tolerable. But, even though I'd chopped my hair, I still love this brush. It has a towel like material in between the bristles that helps get your hair dry faster. It really does save some time, as far as the blow drying process goes.

7. The Knot Magazine 

As I said before, I recently got engaged this month. So, of course first thing I wanted was a wedding magazine. I picked up The Knot and it's full of beautiful dresses and ideas for my upcoming wedding. I just love anything and everything about weddings. & reading this is making me so much more excited for my own!

8. Not Your Mothers Beach Babe Texturizing Spray

I've had this stuff for quite sometime. & honestly, at first I didn't really care for it. It didn't seem to do anything for my hair. But, since my hair is shorter now, it does seem to put a lot of texture in my hair. It makes it look like I'm just let my hair air dry from the ocean water. It really helps with me fixing my hair for work. I just spray this in and I'm finished!

    Alright, that's all my favorites for this month! I hope you enjoyed hearing all about my favorite things for February. I'd love to hear all of yours. If you have a post about your favorites, make sure to let me know below so I can check yours out!

Until next time,

Kat Von D VS. Estee Lauder

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo VS. Estee Lauder Double Wear

    Hey Belles! Today I'm going to share with you a review on the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo vs. the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundations. I'll start off by saying that they are both amazing, very full coverage. So, if you're more of light-medium kinda person, these foundations aren't for you. 

    I have very sensitive skin, which I've addressed numerous times on my blog. I have to be very careful with what I choose to use. Also, my skin is very patchy red & has a lot of scarring from acne in the past & even the acne I still battle to this day. So for me, having a full coverage foundation is a must. Of course I don't want it to look like I have tons of makeup on. So with that being said, I'll go into what I think of both of these foundations.

    I've been using the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-place foundation for years. Going on about 5-6 years. I do love this foundation. It's not heavy or cakey, as long as you have a light hand. You do have to use a concealer, or atleast I do, to be able to cover all my problem areas. It claims that it's 15 hour wear, oil-free, non-acnegenic, transfer resistant, & fragrance free. As far as the wear of this foundation, It could be better. I constantly have to touch it up, even with wearing a good primer. So, thats a thumbs down for me. I don't like having to reapply foundation throughout the day or having to blot my face every hour. Oil-free, I disagree. This foundation does make me kinda oily. I have combination skin, so I don't know if that has something to do with it or what. Non-acnegenic, I agree. This makeup has never made me break out. But, you do have to wash your face very well if you use this, but that's with all full coverage foundations. Transfer resistant, WRONG. This foundation rubs off on all my clothes. Not cute. Fragrance free, ehh, It just smells like foundation to me. The powder claims it's a 8 hour wear, eh. Again the same as I said above. So, I don't know, haha! But all in all, I do like this foundation for days when I'm not super busy.

You can purchase this anywhere Estee Lauder Makeup is sold.

Retail Price: $37.00 - Liquid 1 fl. oz./30 ml. 

$38.00 - Powder .42 oz/12 g

    I've just recently started to use the Kat Von D Lock-it Tattoo foundation, & honestly I LOVE IT. This foundation is extremely full coverage. Only down side, it can become pretty cakey if you don't apply evenly and fast. It does dry pretty quickly, but it's not "too" heavy, for me anyways. You don't really even need a concealer while wearing this foundation. It kinda doubles as one itself. Big plus & saves money, who doesn't love saving money? This foundation claims it's 24 hour wear, transfer resistant, matte finish, fragrance free, & oil-free. As far as the wear, I haven't ever wore foundation for 24 hours, but I do wear it ALL day. I don't have to touch this foundation up, unless I just get really really hot and sweaty. Gross, I know, but I'm telling the truth here. Transfer resistant, yes! It has never rubbed off on any of my clothes. That's a big deal. Matte finish, yup. This stuff can make your skin look flawless, so beautiful. & it stays that way, all day. Fragrance free, still just smells like foundation to me, haha. Oil-free, mostly. I don't get oily hardly at all with this foundation. So, I'm not having to touch it up as much. Woohoo! The powder is also 24 hour wear, But I do have to still touch it up. Just very little. But, if you have very acne prone skin, you really have to up your face routine and clean, clean, clean your face. This stuff sticks and can cause acne if you don't get it all off. But all together, I really do love this foundation. It's become my holy grail. It stays on through work & super busy errand days.

You can only purchase this @ Sephora.

Retail Price: $34.00 - Liquid 1 fl. oz./30 ml.

$34.00 Powder .31 oz/9 g 

So, my winner between the two foundations would have to be..

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation.

While both of these have pro's & con's, I just love the Kat Von D foundation more. It fits my skin and lifestyle better.

Have you tried either one of these foundations? If so, what do you love/dislike about them? Let me know!

Until next time,

The CUT!

    Hey Belles! So today I decided that I wanted to chop all my hair off..again. I don't know why, but everytime I get my hair long I chop it off again. A few years ago, when me & Adam started dating, I had a long angled bob. I used to get sooo many compliments on it, & I LOVED how easy it was to fix. Now, I will say it is kind of a pain when you decide to grow it back out again. But, I'm not too worried about that right now. I've done it before so it shouldn't be too hard to do it again. 

btw, I''ll go ahead and apologize for the cell phone picture quality. But when you do something kind of spur of moment, you work with what you got.

This is what we started out with, pretty long & some thick hair.

Yes, me & my stylist are kinda dramatic, BUT this was a pretty big deal considering how much hair we we're chopping off.

Still being dramatic here.

& BAM! Here's my hair now. Pretty short in the back with some length in the front. I LOVE this style. It's so much easier to style & maintain. No more HUGE rat knots in my hair, woohoo!

    Pretty big change. I've been debating doing this for awhile. & finally this morning, as I was "trying" to brush my hair. I decided I was over it. Here's to some cut new hair styles! I'm excited, & I know I'll eventually start to miss my long hair. But, It'll always grow back. I even tried to donate what was cut off, but no where will take it since it's been color treated. bummer.

Let me know what you think about it below! 

Until next time,

My "Go To" Playlist / February 2014

    Hey Belles! Today I'm going to share with you my current "go to" music playlist. If you're anything like myself, music always boosts my mood. When I'm having a bad day, or even a good day, music never fails to make go better. I will admit I do mostly listen to country music & don't stray too far from that. But, I do listen to some pop & rap music every now and then. So, let's jump into my current favorite songs!

1. ANYTHING Jason Aldean - That man is just mmmm. SO good lookin' & can just flat out sing. He's probably one of my most adored singers besides Luke Bryan.

2. That's my kind of night; Luke Bryan

3. Chillin' it; Cole Swindell

4. Mine would be you; Blake Shelton

5. Helluva life; Frankie Ballard

6. I hold on; Dierks Bentley

7. Get me some of that; Thomas Rhett

8. Tippin' point; Dallas Smith

9. Let her go; Passenger

10. Days of gold; Jake Owen

11. Who you love; John Mayer & Katy Perry

12. A little party never killed nobody; Fergie

13. Story of my life; One Direction

14. Adore you; Miley Cyrus

15. Runnin' outta moonlight; Randy Houser

16. Drivin' around song; Jason Aldean & Colt Ford - This video was filmed here in NC, pretty cool.

17. Hot mess; Tyler Farr

18. Take the keys; Leah Turner

19. Beat of the music; Brett Eldredge 

20. Timber; Ke$ha & Pitbull

21. Wake me up; Avicii

22. Booty wurk; Tpain

23. Talk dirty to me; Jason Derulo & 2 Chainz

24. Dark horse; Katy Perry

What songs are on your "go to" playlist?

Until next time,

February 2014 Ipsy Bag

    Hey Belles! Today, I'm going to share with you what I recieved in my February 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 and you receive 4-5 beauty products, sometimes samples, sometimes full size! This is an awesome subscription.

This months theme was "The Look Of Love", which only seems fitting see as how this is the month all about love. 

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

ZOYA; Professional Lacquer ~ $9 full size

Shade: Odette

Mally; Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner ~ $15 full size

Shade: Starshine

City Color; Be Matte Blush ~ $3 full size

Shade: Fresh Melon

POP Beauty; Plump Pout Lipgloss ~ $16 full size

Shade: Peony Petal

J.Cat Beauty; Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue ~ $4 

EL15

Overall, I'm pretty happy about what I received this month. I've never used fake lashes, so this will be my first go around. I don't know how I feel about that, but hey I'll try anything once. As far as the rest of the products, I feel like the shades will go really well with my fair skin tone.

If you'd like to subscribe to Ipsy for $10/monthly

you can click HERE!

Do you already have a Ipsy subscription? If so, what did you get this month?

Until next time,

Snow Day Essentials

    Hey Belles! Well as most of you may know, North Carolina is in the middle of the big winter storm Pax. In Wilkesboro, we currently have 10 inches of snow on the ground & it's still pounding down. So, with me not having a 4 wheel drive & my boyfriend being out of town for work, I'm pretty much snowed in my house until it stops or someone comes and gets me, haha! But I thought I'd share with you my "Snow day essentials" today. These are the things that help me not go so stir crazy during all this mess! 

Hot Chocolate - With extra marshmallows please! 

Fuzzy Socks - I have all different kinds of fuzzy socks. Some toe socks & some with cartoons on them. Who cares if I'm 21, I still watch cartoons.

Heated Blanket - A MUST. These blankets are amazing. I actually slept with it on last night. mmmm so warm!

A Good Book - I'm currently reading Ours to Love by Shayla Black.

My Camera - I LOVE pictures, & snow is so pretty and fun to take pictures in.

YouTube & Bloglovin - Okay, if I didn't have these two things, I'd go into insanity from boredom. I love watching all my favorite youtubers & reading my favorite blogs.

Comfy Sweats - I'll be honest, once I get home from anywhere no matter the weather outside, I strip off my "normal" clothes and I'm immediately in sweats. They are a must all the time.

Messy Hair - Yeah, I'm not fixing my hair to watch it snow, I probably won't even brush it, but that's pretty common for me. Haha!

My favorite movies & Netflix - Keeps me unbored, most of the time.

Snacks - Yep, girls gotta have her food.

The Sims 3 - I'm constantly playing this game.

Blinds Open - I LOVE watching the snow fall. So, I always keep my blinds open in every room so I can watch it.

What is your Snow Day Essentials? Are you in the middle of winter storm Pax? If so, where at? 

Until next time, 

Valentines Night Look - Collab W/ Beauty & Bliss!

    Hey Belles! I'm excited to say I'm here with my very first collab post with Hope over at Beauty & Bliss! She's the best! & even inspired me & helped me create my blog! Love her! We have decided to do two different looks for you, hers will be the day time Valentines makeup look & mine is the night time Valentines makeup look. Make sure to check hers out, she always does beautiful looks! Click here to take a peek at her look!

    For my nighttime look, I decided to do a pretty intense red eye look and a nude lip. I didn't want to make my lips pop, I wanted the main focus to be on my eyes.

(I'll put every eyeshadow palette I used beside the eyeshadow name as I list them)

- First, I placed "Tease" (UD Naked 2) in my crease, kinda as a transition shade.

- Second, I packed a deep red color (I used one from my Shanay palette) all over my lid, up to my crease. but, not on my inner corner of my eyes.

- Third, I used "Lovesick" (UD Vice 2) in my crease and outer 1/3 of my lid. While blending at the same time so I don't have any harsh lines. I also placed this under my lower lash line in the outer 2/3.

- Fourth, I used "Toxic" (UD Vice 2) over the deep red shadow, using my finger to pack it on and to add glitter to the red.

- Fifth, I placed "Dope" (UD Vice 2) as my highlight on my brow bone.

- Sixth, I placed "Shell Shock" (UD Vice 2) in my inner corner for more of a pop. I also used the under my lower lash line in the inner 1/3.

I used L'OREAL Ultra Slim Liquid Liner for my wing, & Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara.

For my lips, I used Estee Lauder's Pure Color Shimmer Gloss in the shade "Electric Ginger".

For my face, I used the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation.

Just make sure you blend, blend, blend your eyeshadows if you decide to recreate this look! 

I hope you guy's enjoyed my Valentines Night Time Makeup look. Please let me know if you decide to recreate this look, so I can check it out!

Don't forget to check out Hope's look over @ Beauty & Bliss!

Until next time,

20 Date Ideas

20 Date Ideas

    Hey Belles! So we all know that Valentines day is quickly approaching. Are you lost as to what you can do with your significant other, your honey bun, your sweetie pie? Well that's why I have 20 date ideas for you. Some that you don't even have to leave the house for or spend any money on, SCORE! 

1. Try a new restaurant - Go eat at a place you both have been wanting to try.

2. Ride around/Explore - Me & Adam do this a lot, we just ride around the parkway or drive around new places. So much fun!

3. Go Fishing - Nothing is more relaxing than sitting next to a river or a lake, plus you can talk about your future together.

4. Have a picnic - Pretty self explanatory.

5. Ice Skating - If you're near a place that offers ice skating, go for it! Even if you're bad, chances are they are too. So have fun making fools out of yourself.

6. Build a fort in your living room - I'd do this. We all have a little bit of our childish self just wanting to come out. 

7. Tv show marathon - Find a show you both enjoy and start watching a season. Me & Adam do this all the time.

8. Game night - Play xbox, playstation, or a board game against each other.

9. Go to a drive in movie - So romantic!

10. Watch scary movies - If you're into those kinda movies, I like them. Plus it gives me a reason to snuggle up to my man ;)

11. Netflix & some take out - Who doesn't love netflix & take out? I mean c'mon.

12. Go to a concert - Go to see your favorite band.

13. Have a bonfire - Roast marshmallows, hot dogs, etc. Just have a good time.

14. Go to your local fair - Play games & win tickets. Maybe they could win you one of those huge cliche stuffed animals, haha!

15. Have a photoshoot - I love pictures, & plus you can keep these forever.

16. Dress up & go out - Go to a fancy dancy place where you actually have to wear formal clothes.

17. Go to a bar/Clubbing - Hey, dance the night away. or drink. whatever floats your boat.

18. Weekend getaway - Go out of town for the weekend. Rent a cabin or stay in a hotel. Go explore and have some fun!

19. Trilogy movie night - Watch all of your favorite trilogy. 

20. Have a homemade dinner - Make them something good. Home made meals are always the best.

    I hope I gave you some inspiration for some fun date ideas. Just no matter what you do remember, MAKE MEMORIES. That's the best part of all! 

Until next time,

The ABC's of me!

    Hey Belles! I've seen this post going around on quite a few different blogs, & I've decided I would like to join in! I know a lot of my followers don't know much about me, except my name, that I love beauty, & my favorite color is orange (hence all the orange on my blog), hehe. So, enough of my jibber jabber, let's jump on into the ABC's of me! 

A - Age: 21

B - Birthday: October 10th

C - Color: Orange! 

D - Drink: Pepsi, my absolute weakness. 

E - Eyes: Blue

F - Flashback: High school, how I miss my old friends, just not all the work, bleh! 

G - Gent: My amazing boyfriend of almost 3 years, Adam.

H - Hobby: Blogging, photography, & the Sims 3.

I - Indulgence: Owls & Makeup! 

J - Job: Certified Dental Assistant.

K - Kiddos: Not currently, but in the next few years.

L - Love: Family, friends, & my amazing boyfriend.

M - Music: Mostly country, some pop.

N - Nickname: Belle & Chels.

O - One Wish: To live a long healthy life.

P - Pets: None at the moment.

Q - Quote: "No girl should ever forget, that she doesn't need anyone that doesn't need her." - Marilyn Monroe

R - Residence: With my Adam, in good ol' North Carolina!

S - Siblings: One brother, Wesley. & two sisters, MaKylie, & Lindsey.

T - Temperature: It's 46 degrees today in NC.

U - University: Didn't go to one, I went to our local community college.

V - Vehicle: Black Hyundai Veloster. 

W - Worst Habit: Stressing over things I have no control over.

X - X-ray: Last one was when they took one during my gallbladder surgery back in November, 2013.

Y - Yuck: Mostly anything with black or eye beady eyes, EW!

Z - Zodiac: Libra.

    I hope you all enjoyed by ABC's of me! I would love to know more about you guys as well. If you decide to do this post, let me know below so I can learn about you! 

Until next time,

January Favorites

January Favorites; 2014

    Hey Belles! I'm going to share my favorites of January with you today. This is my first monthly favorites post, & I don't want my favorites to just be beauty products. I want them to include all of my favorite things for that month. So, you'll get a little variety with these posts. 

    January was a pretty hectic month for me. I started my blog, woohoo! I kept my 2 year old baby sister for a week while my dad & stepmom went to Cancun. That was a little introduction to future motherhood, yeah that's going to be awhile. & I started exercising regularly, motivation! So, over my crazy busy month, I collected a few favorites, & here they are!

1. Mine to Hold; By: Shayla Black

This book was so good! I do need to say though, if you didn't like the 50 shades of Grey books, then you don't need to purchase this one. It's a bit spicy, but the love story overtakes all that jazz. 

2. Zumba Fitness & Toning

I've never enjoyed working out, honestly I'm just flat out lazy. But, I recently started going to a local gym to take Zumba classes with two of my cousins. We go every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday night, & Saturday morning. & I can definitely feel the soreness. I don't feel like it's such a workout since you're doing dance fitness. On toning days, we get to wave around those cool looking toning sticks you see above around. They are about 1 lb & they have tiny beads that make noise with the music as you workout, pretty fun I think!

3. Mary-Lou Manizer

This product is BEAUTIFUL. I use this almost everyday, as a highlighter and even a eyeshadow sometimes. & the packaging is just cute too boot. 

4. (MALIN+GOETZ) Mojito Lip Balm

I received this in my January Ipsy bag and I am really liking it! It's kinda thick but it definitely does the job. I always have problems with my lips being chapped, but this little tube of greatness has put a stop to that.

5. Flower Sheer Lip Tint

I was browsing around my local Walmart and I had heard some good things about the Flower line. So, I decided I would try some out for myself. I'm not really much of a lip product person. I just don't think any of them look good on me. But, I really do like this product. It's pretty pigmented, but I have the shade "Bare Blush" which is a nude pink, so I wear it quite a bit.

6. American Horror Story; Coven

I LOVE THIS SHOW. Period. I have enjoyed all of the past seasons too. It is pretty graphic, but that doesn't really bother me. If you like sci-fi things (ghost, aliens, witches, etc) & don't get offended easily, you'd really like this show. Sadly, the season finale was this past Wednesday, & I'm not sure when the next season will air. Hopefully soon! 

    Okay, there is my favorites for January. I hope you enjoyed it! I'd love to hear what some of your favorites for the month of January are! If you have post about it, make sure to leave it in a comment below so I can check it out! 

Until next time, 

Favorite Hair Products; February 2014

Favorite Hair Products; February 2014

    Hey Belles! Today I'm going to talk about my favorite hair products at the moment. I have extremely thick hair and it's pretty straight, naturally. So, working with it and styling it is almost always a hassle. But, these products have never let me down & are my go to's daily.

FREEZE it Mega Freeze Hairspray

This is an extreme hold hairspray, and as heavy as my hair is, I NEED IT. This stuff doesn't let my hair move, and I love it. Plus it has optical brighteners for a more enhanced shine on your hair. SCORE! 

You can purchase this at Wal-Mart for $4.00

Kenra Platinum Hot Spray

This is a heat protectant spray, and it is amazing. It smells so good & it kinda works as a hair spray too. This stuff lasts me forever. It comes in 2 fl. oz. & 8 fl oz.

You can purchase this at your local salon or their website for $20.00

Dove Refresh+Care Dry Shampoo

This baby has saved my hair. I used to wash my hair everyday and never let it rest. I've tried baby powder and other dry shampoo's but this will probably always be my favorite. It does come out white, and they don't have any for darker hair, BUT it's still amazing! As long as you rub it into your scalp you'll be just fine!

You can purchase this at Wal-Mart for $4.00

Big Sexy Hair Powder Play

I've already raved about this & you can see all about it here!

You can purchase this at your local salon or their website for $17.00

REDKEN Wool Shake 08

This is the BEST texturizer! This is probably my MOST FAVORITE product. It is a spray gel that has actually pieces of wool in it for texture. It makes my hair look amazing. I usually put it on right before blow drying, if I'm styling my hair straight. If I'm going for a messy look, I spray it on my damp hair and just scrunch my hair with my hands while I blow it dry. 

Sadly, they just recently discontinued this product! NO! 

I purchased this from my hair stylist for $18.00

There are all my favorite and most used hair styling products. I hope you enjoyed this & if you decide to try any of these products out for yourself, let me know how they work for you! 

Until next time,