Saturday, January 1, 2011

Christmas Haul!

Happy new year everyone! :)
I'm comming at you guys with a Christmas haul today! Sorry it took so long, I just wanted to make sure that I included all of the presents that I got from relatives that gave me presents after christmas.
***First, I want to say thankyou to my grandpa and grandma for generously giving me money for Christmas! <3 xoxo
Now let's get onto the gifts...

From my mom and dad I got:
- The Gingerbread House gift set from philosophy: This gift set comes in awesome elaborate packaging which really makes the two three in one (bubble baths/shampoos/body washes) really special. The set features the Gingerbread Girl three in one as well as the Gingerbread Man three in one. The difference in the smell of these products is that the Gingerbread Girl has more of a sweet bubble gum ginger scent and the Gingerbread Man smells exactly like ginger ale.



-Williamas Sonoma Gingerbread Chef Tree Ornament: Are you starting to tell that I like gingerbread? :)
- Too Faced Natural Eye Pallette: I absolutely love this eyeshadow pallete. It comes with 9 different eyeshadow shades--all great for neutral looks. It also comes with three cards which specifically tell you how to create a day, night, and fashion look using each of the three rows in the pallete. I have used most of the colors in the pallette. All of the colors are very highly pigmented, apply smoothly, and have little to no fall out. I forsee myself using this pallete everyday--it's especially great for travel as well!

- Snowball soap: This white soap comes in a hollowed out christmas tree ornament. I find it too cute. I love the scent of this soap as well. I can safetly say that if Christmas had a smell, this would be it. It has a rejuvinating blend of pine, vanilla, cinnamon, apple, cranberries, etc. This would be great to pop into a sock drawr! ;)

- A Peppermint Foot Cream & Night Socks: I adore this foot cream! I have used it about four or so times and I am in love with it.







- A box of chocolate: Yum. :)







From my cousin I got:





-Prince of Persia DVD









- A Puzzle Ball
-Santa's Workshop Gertrude Hawk Lil' Smidgens Chocolates












- Burt's Bees Radiance Body Wash & Body Lotion
- Burt's Bees Very Volumizing Pomegranate & Soy Shampoo & Conditioner
^^ I just recieved these products today. I haven't used them yet but I heard that they are great products. I will keep you updated on these!

Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 Beauty Favorites ~ Nails & Face

Here is the second part of my 2010 beauty favorites--nails and face!

Nails:

























































Face:

2010 Beauty Favorites ~ Skincare, Hair & Scents

Hey everyone :)
I am really excited to do this blog post on my 2010 skincare, hair, and scent favorites. I hope you enjoy!

Skincare:

This year, I really got into caring for my skin. In the beginning of the year, I started using the

-L'oreal Go 360 clean facial clenser: At the time, I really loved this cleanser. I repurchased it several times. It comes with a great scrublet to use with the soap to really deep clean your face. However, if this soap gets in your eyes, it will sting.
-The Clinique Three Step skincare system: Later during the year, I purchased a higher end facial soap, toner, and moisterizer.
- Clinique Liquid Facial Soap in Mild: I LOVE this facial soap. Unlike the L'oreal soap, it does not burn, even if it gets in my eyes! It is truly a lifesaver and I have been using it since August. You can see in the photo that I need a new bottle! (Might I add I am quite impressed with how long this product has lasted me as well as the great pump added!)
- Clinique Clarifying Lotion (Toner) for dry/combination skin: This is a wonderful toner. It truly purifys my skin and really makes my skin feel rejuvinated and refreshed. I use it twice a day with a cotton ball on my skin. I will never go back to just using a facial soap.
- Clinique Dramatically Different Moisterizing Lotion: If you're looking for a light, thin-consistany facial moisterizer, this is for you! This moisterizer is extremely light weight and very moisterizing. I recommend it especially for the summer when pores may become large and skin oily.
- St. Ives Sensitive Skin Apricot Scrub in Gentle: After seeing so many positive reviews on this facial scrub on Youtube, I decided to bite the bullet and run out and get this scrub. I am glad I did. This scrub is fantastic. I use it about once a week to really remove dead skin cells from my skin and allow new cells to form. I love how the scent of this srub is not at all overpowering. I also enjoy how squeeky clean, yet moisterized, my skin feels after using it.

Hair:

-Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream for frizzy, dry, unmanageable hair: This a perfect leave in conditioner everyone, in my opinion. If used sparingly on damp hair after a shower, it will make one's hair completely frizz-free and moisterized. The only bad aspect about this product is that it may make your hair appear greasy if applied thickly to your hair/roots. I use this conditioner about every four or so days when I take a shower.
- Garnier Fructis Anti-Frizz Serum: I use this on the ends of my hair to prevent split ends and frizz. It works truly amazingly at taming any sort of dryness around this area as well. My only problem with this is that it might make your hair look greasy like the leave in conditioning cream if used to excess--especially at the roots!
- Redken Smooth Down Heat Glide: Whenever I streighten or curl my hair, I ALWAYS use this! I will apply a small pea sized pump to all of my hair, especially at the ends when I use this. This product is works well at protecting my hair from the heat from my hair streightener. It also makes my hair feel really smooth once I streighten it!

-CHI Infra Shampoo: Wanting to branch out into higher end hair brands, I picked up this Chi shampoo at my local Walgreens. I was pretty impressed with this product. It left my hair looking shiny and feeling really soft after taking a shower. I didn't even have to use conditioner on my hair when using this shampoo! The only bad thing about this shampoo is the $14 price tag!
-Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo & Conditioner: While browsing through the drugstore, I noticed this shampoo. It stuck out to me the most from the rest because it reminded me a lot of philosophy products from Sephora. Since I needed a new shampoo and conditioner, I figured I would purchase these two items. I am really glad I did! First off, these two products smell like a tropical vacation. Organix was dead-on with the coconut scent! It couldn't have been more accurate. Additionally, I love the consistancy and texture of this hair product. I see myself repurchasing this in the future.
-VO5 Extreme Style Heat Defense Conditioning Spray: This heat protectant really lives up to its name! I really do feel like it geniunly protects my hair when I style it using heat.
- My Conair Hair streigtener from Justice: I love this hair streighener. Since it was only $10--on sale--at the time I was hesitant to purchase it since I was very cheep compared to other high end hair stregtener makers (like CHI, etc). However, I feel like it does the job as a stregtener. I purchased it last year and it still works like new. It heats up quickly, has variable heat settings, and makes stregtening my hair a peice of cake. I can also curl my hair flawlessly with this streigtener.
Body:
-Deep Aqua Shower Gel By Bath and Body Works: Ever since the summer I have been using this shower gel. It smells great and lathers wonderfully. I also find it very nourishing as it has Aloe Vera and Vitamin E.
-Caress Daily Silk Silkening Body Wash: I have been using this since summer. As the Deep Aqua Shower gel, it lathers up really well. Unlike others, this body wash really feels like silk on my skin! I also love the nice, light, floral, feminine scent.
-Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Cool Essentials Cucumber & Green Tea Scent Deoderant: I love this deoderant! It smells really fresh and clean and lasts all day!
Scents:
- Forever Sunshine Body Splash: I purchased this body splash during the summer from Bath and Body works. Whenever I use it, it brings back tons of memories from summer vacation 10' :').
- Winter Candy Apple Body Splash: This will forever be my FAVORITE winter apple scent. I loved it last year as well, but never got around to purchasing the body splash until this year and I am so happy I did!
Body (Continued):
-Nivea Creme:Dry Hands no more! I can always count on this moisterizer favorite to revive my hands of windburn and to moisterize my legs and arms when the weather is brittle.







-Philosophy The Gingerbread Girl & The Gingerbread Man body washes/shampoos/bubble bathes: Although I just recieved these for Christmas, I still think they deserve a spot in my 2010 favorites. Every shower I have taken, I have always used one of these body washes. They lather very well and leave an amazing scent on my skin! The gingerbread man smells exactly like ginger ale, while the gingerbread girl smells like ginger ale mixed with bubble gum. (It is a much sweeter version of the gingerbread man.)

Plum Twilight: New Years Eve FOTD

Hey everyone, today being New Year's Eve I figure that I will do a quick face of the day letting you know what I have on as far as makeup.

Eyes:
First all over the lid I applied Benefit's Stay Don't Stray eyeshadow primer. This would help my eyeshadow to stay on all night--allowing it to be both creaseless and vibrent. Second, on my eyelids, I applied a relatively light dusting of "Silk Teddy" eyeshadow by Too Faced all over the lid using my ecotools concealer brush. I then went in with my Wet n' Wild Color Icon pallete in "Lust" and used the dark, shimmery purple eyeshadow in the bottom right hand corner for my outer V/crease. (Note: This color is an EXACT dupe for MAC's Beauty Marked eyeshadow!) I applied this color with a fluffy crease brush by ecotools. Doing so would ensure that I would not over do it with this eyeshadow color--being both very pigmented and dark. After my eyeshadow colors were seamlessly blended into one another, I thickly lined my upper lash line with NYC's liquid eyeliner in "Pearlized Black, 870". I also left a little wing at the end. After, I lined by waterline with NYC's brow/eye liner pencil in black. Then, I layered Benefits Bad Gal Lash in black with Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion in very black. You're now done with the eyes!

Face:
Now onto face. Since I created a pretty dramatic look for my eyes, I decided to go light on the rest of my face. For under eye concealer I used Benefit's Erase Paste in medium. This concealer is one of the best that I have tried. It is both creamy and smooth in texture and is completely full coverage and opaque--perfect for hiding those under eye circles! For blush I used NYC's Blushable Creme Stick in "Pink Flash". I applied this directly from the stick onto my face and then blended the intese color out with an ecotools blush brush. Lastly, I applied my powder using an ecotools kabuki brush. I used Maybelline's Dream Matte Powder. This perfect powder gives me just enough coverage and sets my concealer quite nicely without being drying or cakey. It is definitely a makeup stable in my collection. Face is now complete! :)

Lips:
I kept the lips extremely neutral as well. I used Revlon's Color Burst lipstick in "Soft Nude". This great lipstick is incredibly smooth and leaves your lips feeling moisterized.

New Year/Tiny Baby Update

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!
WoooHooo!!

Can you guys believe that 2011 is literally hours away from officially being here??! I am not one to think that time goes by fast but this year was something else!

Update: Sorry I have been gone soo incredibly long. With the start of the new school year, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I have been extremely busy! But don'r worry, I don't plan on leaving blogger anytime soon.

~ Sandra <3

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Youtube Channel!

Hey Guys :)

The reason I've been neglecting my blog is that I have now began to post videos on youtube! (All revolving around beauty, fasion, and makeup)
Please check out my channel if you want! Be aware that I will be uploading more videos on youtube than posting blog posts!

My channel- http://www.youtube.com/Sandie2897

Please drop by!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Small Haul: Walmart

Hey everyone! SORRY it has been so long! Nonetheless, I have another blog post today in which I will be sharing with you the items I purchased from Walmart three days ago. Enjoy! :)

  • CoverGirl Fusion Mascara in "Very Black" - I purchased this for $7.98. I decided to try this mascara out after hearing very positive reviews of the product on you tube. The different thing about this mascara is that it claims to separate, lengthen, and volumize lashes at the same time. From two uses, I can tell you that this is my new favorite mascara! It does EXACTLY what it claims to do, does not chip, and stays on all day!
  • spf 20 Soft lips in "Vanilla" - I picked one of these chapsticks up to give it a try while at the check out counter at Walmart. It retails for about $1.77 depending on your location. I can safely say that I adore this chapstick--even more than my recently purchased e.l.f. chapstick featured in one of my previous hauls. This chapstick is extremely creamy without being too creamy where it begins to feel like Vaseline on your lips. There is also a wide variety of scents as well as seasonal scents and even tinted versions of these chapsticks. I really recommend that you try these out!