Dollar Store Eyeshadow Finds

So while I was randomly at a local dollar store with a couple family members, I decided to check their makeup out. Just to see what they had and if I could maybe find a hidden gem, so to speak. I was pretty pleased with what I found. They had three eyeshadows from L.A. Colors. The only one not pictured was a white one that I didn't get because I already own a couple of whites, but the other two were just beautiful.

The first and my favorite is the Teal color, it is insanely pigmented to the point it stained my finger when I swatched it for the pic. It goes on relatively dark with just one swipe (the right side of the swatch). I am seriously in love with this color, I love blue/greens and this is the prefect teal in my opinion. A definite win in my book.

The purple while a gorgeous color is so hard to get to show up. The pigmentation is so light that the swatch seriously took me forever to get it even that dark. While it is a soft and silky as the teal it doesn't share the dark coloration I was hoping for. It is a nice light purple color but it looks as if it could have been much better. Not as much of a win but at $1 not horrible, I guess.

This does show that while a hit and miss, cheap makeup can be great (the Teal). So you don't have to spend a ton of money to buy your makeup, you just have to be willing to try looking in unexpected places.

Winter Favorites!

So now that Spring is officially here, at least according to the calendar, I figured I would run down a few of the things I found this last winter and am currently in love with.

I'll start with lip balms. I have been using Blistex for awhile now, but when my lips got really bad my mother turned me on to their Silk & Shine version. It is so smooth and silky feeling, it calmed my chapped lips amazingly quick. One of the plus side for this is that it gives you a nice light glossy look almost like a lip gloss but not as extreme, so it's a nice highlight or pick-me-up for you face after a long day. It has an SPF of 15 so it will come in handy now that the sun is shining a bit more as well.
The other lip balm that I have been using for a couple of months now is EOS Summer Fruit. It smells so yummy and is so incredibly softening, I am seriously in love with this little egg. Plus the packaging makes it fun to play with when your bored, it wobbles around if you roll it. This one also has the added plus of being natural and organic. Both are readily available at drug stores, grocery stores and of course supercenters (like walmart). EOS runs for about $3 and Silk & Shine for about $3-4.

The next products are all for your hair. This is mostly going to be for thinner hair (my hair type) so if you have thicker or curlier hair sorry. Maybe I'll ask my sisters about some good thicker hair products for you. Like I said having thin hair I decided this last winter to finally try some thickening treatments. I bought Beyond the Zone's Thick Enuff Creme back in Sept/Oct during a sale at Sallys. It has a nice almost soapy smell, it's a little weird and sticky feeling but once you put it in you hair it doesn't really feel sticky. I apply it directly out of the shower on towel dried hair. The biggest down fall for this one is while it does make my hair feel thicker it makes it crunchy until you brush it out. So as my hair dries it dries is crunchy clumps, now I usually shower before bed so by the morning it's dry and when I brush it the crunchy clumps break up. This could be a turn off for some of you. This runs for $7.50 at Sallys. The other one I got back in Feb. is Got2B's  Fat-tastic Instant Collagen Infusion Mega-Lift Root-Boosting Spray, it's a mouth full but it's worth it. This is also used right after a shower but it doesn't leave my hair crunchy or clumpy. It is easily sprayed on and brushed through. I have also tried this one on dry hair and it had an instantly noticeable difference. They both seem to work equally well, though I would say Got2b for me is better, though I like both. It's easier to apply, it doesn't leave your hair crunchy and is a little cheaper at $5.99 from Walgreens.  

 Lastly are two random hair products. Beyond the Zone's Last Call. I bought this back when I bought the thickening creme and between the two this is the most amazing. It's a hair masque, for people with either naturally dry, dyed or fried hair. You put it on towel dried hair and let it sit for 5 minutes and then rinse it out. It has a nice fruity scent, which is a plus for me. I don't really do much in the way of heat damage to my hair I do dye it, but my two sisters not only dye their hair but fry the crap out of it with straightening and curling. So I figured I would try it out and if it worked for me maybe it could help with their hair. My hair has seriously never felt as soft as it does after I use this stuff. I will definitely be passing this on to them to try. It is sell for $9.50 at Sallys, but I would say if you have dried, dyed or fried hair it's worth a shot. The other product is Got2b's Guardian Angel Gloss Finish Blow-Out Lotion, they like huge names apparently. This is just a nice heat protection spray, they have another one for flat ironning but like I said I don't really do that. I barely blow dry my hair unless I have to or randomly feel the need to. My hair doesn't really have that dry crunchy feel it used to after blow drying without this. I don't really know how this stacks up to other heat protection sprays but it could be worth a shot at only $5.99 at Walgreens, it won't break you to try it out.

If anyone has any recommendations for me for hair products for thinner hair I would love to hear them, also any for heat protection.
 

The Crisis in Japan

Today Japan has been hit with not one but two natural disasters. The first to hit was a magnitude 8.9 earthquake 80 miles off of the eastern coast of northern Japan. Followed by a 30 foot deep Tsunami. The two together have caused hundreds of deaths already and massive property damage to the majority of the northern part of the country. To help you grasp what is going on, basically Japan has experienced one of the 5 biggest earthquakes to happen in the last hundred years. The earthquake that hit India back in 2004 was a magnitude 9.0 and tsunami and that caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and untold damage to the cities it hit. 

The little red triangles are active volcanoes

Japan is located on the "Ring of Fire" a volcanically active and earthquake prone ring. This is where most of the worlds active volcanoes and 90% of the biggest earthquakes occur, but this is the largest earthquake Japan has seen since 1923 when they dealt with an 8.2 hitting Kanto.

One thing that Google is currently running is a Crisis Response page that is keeping an up to date feed on information as well as a Person Finder. The Person Finder can be used to either help locate or tell the location of people currently in Japan. If anyone has loved ones that they have not been able to contact you may want to try this. Crisis Response Person Finder

Others that may be wanting to help or trying to find ways to help there are numerous organizations looking for support to help the people of Japan:
The American Red Cross is currently accepting donations through their website and by phone just text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10.

The Salvation Army  is working on sending a team to help out Sendai, Japan and is taking donations via their website and also by phone just text either JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 to donate $10.

Save The Children is accepting donations to it's Children's Emergency Fund to help out kids and their families affected by the disaster.

International Medical Corps is taking donations via website and phone text MED to 80888 for a $10 donation as well as trying to get volunteers for response teams.

Global Giving is taking donations to help the Japanese people.

Doctors Without Borders is looking for donations to send in medical response teams to Iwate and Miyagi.

Operation Usa is looking for both monetary donations as well as medical supply donations.

This may look like a huge list of people asking for money but even helping out one of these organizations will make a difference to people who currently need major help right now. Even posting in a blog or on Facebook about helping will get the word out and make a difference. Think of it this way if something like this happened where you live or someone you loved lives, wouldn't you want everyone to try and help?
If you have any questions, ask and I will try my best to answer them.

Starry Pillow

This is an update from one of my fabric haul posts, early in February. I didn't get to take pictures for a tutorial because this was a quick last minute gift for one of my sisters. It was really simple to throw together. I used cardboard forms for the stars, I have a tutorial up for how to make those. The pillow was just two big square pieces sewn together, and it's stuffed with foam remnants. I just stitched the stars randomly onto each side of the pillow. Both the stars and the base for the pillow are flannels. I wanted something soft that didn't need a cover, for her to use. I thought it turned out pretty good and she absolutely loved it, so it was a win for me.

DIY Cardboard Patterns

Ever wanted to make a cute flower for your shirt or put a star pattern on a pillow, but can't draw for crap. You are not alone, I can barely draw a straight line let alone draw a cute pattern, free-hand, to cut out for my projects. Luckily I figured out a great way to make my own patterns while using up some of those old boxes lying around from x-mas.

Items needed: Printed out pictures, Cardboard boxes, Push pins, and Scissors and/or an X-Acto Knife. 
Difficulty and time to complete really depend on the the design.

Step 1: Find pictures of the design you want. I just Google image search for what I want until I find what I like. Once you have the pictures you want Copy/Paste it into Word and resize to what you want. My clovers are all just resized versions of the biggest ones. Print off you pictures.

Step 2: Cut out a piece of cardboard to the same size as your picture.

Step 3: Secure you picture to the cardboard. I'm using two push pins and the split in my table to hold it securely. You could use a little bit of tape or whatever works easier for you.
Now start poling holes in the cardboard following the line of the picture until you have completely traced the design.

Once your done lift up the picture to make sure you got all of it. If you did it right it should look exactly like the original picture.

Step 4: Use your scissors or knife to cut along the dotted lines. I found that for the more detailed designs or smaller designs it is better to use the X-Acto or utility knife.

Once you are done you should have an almost perfect replica of you original picture.

I like to use cardboard as it is a little way to recycle and it also makes for a nice sturdy pattern. Don't worry if you edges are a little rough, when you cut out the pattern on the fabric you can always sharpen or soften any edges as needed.

P.S. The clovers seen in this tutorial will be seen in the upcoming weeks, for St. Patrick's Day and possibly some Spring crafts.

Another JoAnn Haul

So I may have gotten myself into a bit of trouble, but when one of my favorite stores has a big sale, it's hard to ignore. One of the biggest draws for the sale, for me at least was that thread was 50% off. So I decided to expand my thread collection. Ever since I got my new sewing machine I have only really had basic black and white. I have other colors for hand sewing projects, but nothing that could fit my machine. I tried to aim for something from each color choice, in a shade I figured I would use more, so instead of getting hot pink I got soft pink, etc...*side note all of the thread is Coats & Clark*

From left to right I got: Light Slate, Pink, Atom Red, Ultra-Violet, True Blue, Icy Blue and Caspian Sea.

Same as before: Ming Teal, Kiwi, Leprechaun, Hunter Green, Yellow, Pumpkin, Beige, and Espresso.

If you are first starting on a thread collection my suggestion is to aim for the colors that you are going to use the most. For me that is blues and greens. Basic black and white is also the best to have as they have the most utility. If you want to aim for other colors try to think what you might make in that color, if you find yourself buying darker purples than it wouldn't make sense to buy a pale purple thread. Of course, you can always buy specific colors for specific projects. This is just my opinion, as always do what works the best for you.

 

 I also got a couple of patterns. Two pajama patterns, which I figured I could get some utility out of these. I was thinking about using these for pjs as well as dress, pants and shirt patterns. With a couple of variations to the pattern, I could make whole outfits out of just these pajama patterns.

 

This purse pattern seem, to me, to have the biggest range and utility. I wanted something that I could use to make numerous different bags in just one pattern pack. The Victorian one is one for me and my cousin-in-law. I am thinking about making a dress similar to this and he has been dying to figure out how to make the cowl, so it works for both of us. Plus my family is big fans of the Renaissance Festival and this could come in handy for then.

 I also picked up this magazine while I was waiting in line for the cloth cutting. I has a few interesting ideas, with handbags and a dress pattern I want to try out. Also it has a cool zipper flower tutorial I am gonna try out.

Some of the cloth I got was for my cousin's birthday. He loves music and cosmic patterns, so I picked him up a yard of each. Here's hoping he can think of something good to do with them.

I also got a sheer overlay for a dress I am working on for this halloween, I couldn't say no considering it was 50% off and I need it. The Basketballs are for my brother for some pj pants I will be making him for his birthday.

While I was out I found out Hobby Lobby was having a big sale on their ribbon so I ran over and got some stuff from them as well. I got this really cool black cording with silver beads in it, I though it would make a really cool necklace or even earrings. The white cording is for a costume project for my husband for later in the year. The other one up there is a blue and black ribbon that almost looks like stuff for a garter, but I was thinking a nice choker.

The other two I got are straight up ribbon. The one is really cool duo color blue and green-almost yellow. Haven't figured out what I am gonna do with it yet but I can't wait. The other is a really fun double sided lime green and purple, my baby sisters two favorite colors. You'll probably see this later pop up in something I made for her.

Overall I didn't spend as much as I thought I would so that is a plus side. Most of the stuff I got can be used for more that one purpose so that is another plus. Can't wait to see what comes out of this haul.

Bath & Body Works Spring Candle Review

The spring candle line from Bath & Body Works this year has tropical inspired scents. For me, who's a sucker for fruity fragrances, it was only natural for me to try them out. So I took advantage of their 3 for $5 mini candles (1.6 oz.) and my 20% off coupon, and instead of $3.50 a piece I spent $1.30 a piece. I ordered one of each of the new candles, the only problem is that they sent me two of one of the smells, so I will not be reviewing Calypso Sun.
I will be giving each of the candles a 1-5 rating. This is my opinion of each candle as to how I like it, this doesn't me that if I give it a low rating, the candle sucks and you shouldn't try it. Not everyone likes the same things and what I like you may not and vice versa.
1/5 = I will not buy this again, just not my cup of tea.
2/5 = I wouldn't buy it again, but if someone else gave it to me or burnt one it wouldn't bother me.
3/5 = I might buy this again, if I was in the mood for it.
4/5 = I really like this and would definitely buy this again.
5/5 = I absolutely love this and will probably buy again the next time I can.

4/5

So this is obviously the one they sent me a double of, and that is Island Nectar. This one claims to have vanilla, rum and musk mixed with its tropical fruits. I really only get a strong tropical fruit punch smell, there really no hint of the other scents, just a very nice mixed fruit smell. 

3/5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tropical Spice is a definitely the warmest smell out of all of the candles. Honestly this seems to be more fitting for the autumn or winter. You get a nice vanilla cinnamon smell with small hint of rum. It's truly a nice scent just doesn't really seem to fit in the collection.

5/5

 

 

One of my favorites is Caribbean Salsa, I think it kind of smells like a starburst. You get a sweet peach smell with bit of a tang from pineapple. Their is supposed to be Yuzu flower in it, I do smell a sweet flower scent, but I don't know exactly what I am looking for so I can't say for sure if it does the Yuzu flower justice.

4/5

Caribbean Escape is really hard to describe because I can't really point out one particular scent. It claims to have melon, raspberry, lemon and coconut milk. The strongest and most noticeable thing is the raspberry, so it is a sweet tropical berry scent.

3/5

Seaside Escape smells like a bathroom air freshener. It's not bad but it has a strong flowery smell mixed with a tiny bit of citrus. I don't mind it but for me it is stronger on the flower side than I would prefer. 

5/5

This smells like its namesake, Pineapple Mango. It smells like you just cut fresh pineapple, then the mango gives you a sweeter citrus smell to cut some of the pineapples tartness. Very simple but very yummy smelling. 

3/5

Vanilla Coconut kind of smells like a cookie. You get a strong vanilla smell with a coconut milky hint. The thing that makes it smell like a cookie is that you get a little hint of a nutty smell in there. It's nice but I hate the taste of coconut and I am not really a fan of the smell. It's good but not hugely for me. 

5/5

Pink Sangria smells like fruit loops. You get a huge hit of citrus with a nice mix of other fruit smells. It is supposed to have mandarin, apple, grapes and berries, that work amazing together. Honestly I am so tempted to take a bit out of it, it smells so yummy. 

4/5

Pineapple Orchid smells like Sweet Pea's sister. It is a very sweet flowery smell. The pineapple is really muted under the flower scent but it lends perfectly to the sweetness of the orchid. If you like sweet pea you'll like this candle. 

5/5

Island Colada smell just like a pina colada. A nice mix between the tart citrusy pineapple and orange with the creamy coconut. Another wonderfully yummy candle.

1/5

This is the only one that I don't like. It is trying to smell like its namesake but the mint that they added really just fights with the fruity smells. It just makes for an awkward smell, not a pleasing one. 

5/5

Passionflower seriously smells like Sweet Pea and Starburst had a baby. It is a very sweet fruity smell with the vanilla working together to make for an almost flowery scent. Which is odd because there is no flower in the blend, but it works well together. This is another were if you like Sweet Pea your like this one. 

4/5

Island Margarita smells like its name. There is the fruity citrus scent with a small hint of flowers. It works really nicely together, and almost smells exactly like a freshly mixed margarita. 

Hope this helps anyone who is thinking about trying out some of the new candle collection. If anyone as bought or tried Calypso Sun let me know what you think about it, I'm quite interested.

E.L.F. Mineral Eyeshadow Review/ Haul

So last week I posted about the big Mineral Eyeshadow sale that E.L.F. was running, that is now over, sorry if you missed it. It was where you could get 10 of their mineral shadows for free with a $25 purchase. Considering that I loved the two I purchased back in Nov. I definitely had to get in on this. So other than those shadows I got myself some other things I have been thinking about trying out. So far I am very pleased with everything.

First up I figured why not expand my brush collection, most of the ones I have are either old hand-me-downs or are few and far between. I figured why not try some of the other brush styles and get updates of my old ones. The white ones are from their normal professional line and the black brush is one of their studio ones. From top to bottom it is their: Bronzing brush, Blending Eye brush, Eye Crease brush, Eye Shadow brush, Defining Eye brush, Eyeliner brush, and the Small Precision brush. My favorite has to be the black precision brush, it's so small and has nice stiff bristles. All of the rest seem okay, some of the bristles were a little ragged and on one the silver part detached from the white base as soon as I took it out of the package. Overall I would say they are good for only $1 a piece but the studio brush seems to be of a lot better quality and the price difference is minimal (studio brushes are only $3 a piece). I would say skip the white ones and pay the extra couple bucks for the studio brushes.

Plum, Pearl & Coffee

Next are are some of my favorite things from E.L.F., and that's their liquid eyeliners. I got three more: Plum, Pearl and Coffee. Plum and Coffee are hard to tell apart when they are next to each other, but they are both beautiful colors. Plum is a nice dark purple color with a tiny bit of shimmer. Coffee is a nice dark muddy colored brown that would be perfect for a neutral or everyday look. Then there's Pearl, a pretty shimmery white, nice for a great pop of glitter for a bold look.

Luminance, Innocence, Coy & Blushed/ Bronzed

Luminance, Innocence, Coy & Blushed/ Bronze

So I have a confession, I don't really wear blush and have never worn bronzer. So I finally decided to try out some of their face products. I bought one of their Healthy Glow Bronzing Powders in Luminance (the lightest color they have). On my skin it is very hard to notice but it gives a beautiful kind of glow and little bit of a shimmer. On anyone darker than me it would be a good light highlighting color. Then I got two of their Natural Radiance Blusher's in Innocence and Coy. Innocence is a very pretty light pink color, while Coy is a darker pinky brown. Both nice colors on lighter skin tones. Lastly I ordered their Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder set. The blush is a pretty peachy pink color (which is my favorite blush color) and the bronzer is relatively dark on me so I have to apply it lightly. I'd have to say that as a first timer for bronzers I am very pleased with these purchases.

Blueberry, Berry Mix, Black Licorice & Butter Pecan

  Next up in my haul are some more things that I am familiar with and that's their eyeshadow duos. I bought two of them last year and loved them so much I figured I'd get the rest of the singles. They have other colors but you need to purchase them in sets (so those are probably next on my list).

Blueberry & Berry Mix

 The ones left were: Blueberry, Berry Mix, Black Licorice and Butter Pecan. Blueberry has a very light blue almost blue-gray color and a darker version. When applied the darker blue looks almost gray with a hint of a blue hue to it.
Berry mix is a nice pale pink with a purplish brown color. This would make for either a nice romantic look or a springy natural look. Black Licorice has two shimmery colors a silvery gray and a nice shimmery black, since these are two of my favorite eyeshadow shades I may be a little bias, but I love them . Lastly I got Butter Pecan, it has a nice shimmery brown with a very pale skin tone tan, that even in my swatch you can barely tell is there. This would be perfect for

Black Licorice & Butter Pecan

everyday, work or school.

Green, Orange, Pink, Blue

  Next up is probably my new favorite thing from E.L.F., their Studio Eye Transformer palette. In the case it just looked like four light highlight colors, for say the inner corner or the brow bone but once applied they have this wonderful shimmer quality, they reflect the light in gorgeous ways. On their own they just give a shimmery sparkle but over a base is when they really "shine". I'm showing them on their own and with a black base and they are just gorgeous. They would definitely give any look a beautiful pop of color. This is definitely a repurchase for me, I just love this palette.








And finally the whole reason I ordered all of this stuff, the free mineral eyeshadows! This was a joint decision between my husband and me. Basically we sat there and pointed at the ones we liked the most until we hit ten, not very high tech but it worked. And as stated before I'm in love with these shadows.

Innocent

 First up is Innocent: a very pale matte skin toned color. In the swatch you can't tell there is anything there, even in person it was hard to tell that I applied it. This would be perfect as a blending color for someone, like me, who is insanely pale. On someone darker it would be a nice pale tan color.

Elegant

Next is Elegant, which is basically the shimmer version of Innocent. Barely noticeable on my skin but gives a nice natural looking glow or shimmer. I like it because you could use it over any other color to give it a little but of shine.

Celebrity

And then there is Celebrity, a pretty champagne shimmer color. I'm planning on using this for a pretty natural look.

Socialite

Last in the brown color range is Socialite. It applies a lot littler than in the pot, but it is still a nice medium brown color. Would work great in a brown smokey eye look.

Glamorous

So I don't really wear pink eyeshadows but with how well purples look on my green eyes I figure pinks would look okay as well. This is Glamorous and it is a nice pretty pink with a bit of shimmer. In the pot it looks a little darker but it is a nice rosey pink.

Partier

Next up is the only other matte shade I got and that is Partier. A beautiful light gray color that could work to make a less powerful smokey eye look for the day time. And as I said before I love grays and blacks on my eyes, they make them pop.

Dreamy

I got two blues, first up is Dreamy. An absolutely gorgeous teal color. It makes me think of spring and the beach. I can't wait to break this out when the weather warms up.

Beachy

The other blue I got is absolutely gorgeous, it's Beachy. A beautiful cobalt blue color, it is going to be great come summer when then weather's warm and the water's cool.

Outdoorsy

Next up is one of my other favorite shades, its a green, but a weird green. Outdoorsy looks like a hunter green in the pot but on the skin it is an almost brown color with green glitter. It is so different and I love it. If you want a truer green color get E.L.F.'s Earthy.

Royal

Lastly there is a nice darker purple called Royal. It applies lighter than I expected but I love it, it's a kind of medium or dark purple with a nice glittery shimmer to it. Can't wait to see what it looks like on.

 So that is my E.L.F. haul, let me know if you hit up their sale and which ones you got. The only thing I didn't show was my free gift which was their eye brightener quad in Nouveau Neutrals, I reviewed it in my last E.L.F. haul.
Later this week or next I will have up a candle haul from Bath & Body Works and another JoAnn Fabrics haul.