Makeup Product Reviews:
Come see swatches, my reviews and comparisons of the new, the old and the holy grails of beauty products!
Finding a Fast and Easy Beauty Routine for New Moms (Or if you’re just in a rush!)
As I’ve been working on my baby preparation check list I realize that I could really benefit from coming up with a go-to, easy hair and makeup routine that I could do on the fly during those early sleep deprived months after Baby’s arrival. I know myself and I know that if I don’t have a habit ingrained in me I’ll most likely default to the no makeup, low ponytail look (which is my default look right now, haha). Maybe what I’m trying to achieve is unrealistic but can you blame a girl for wanting to look good as she enters motherhood? 
I don’t know if getting into the habit of a specific beauty routine is going to work once Baby arrives but I don’t see the harm in trying!
While I normally look to Pinterest for inspiration and tutorials, I think in this case Youtube is my best resource. Here are a few makeup tutorials that I’m liking right now. Most likely I’ll use these looks as inspiration and come up with something of my own.
This girl is so adorable and I love her look especially the pink lips!
This look is pretty similar as well – brown eyes, pink lips.
This girl is blessed with a full lash line so she doesn’t need any eyeliner for bold eyes! Lucky!
I still have yet to try out my new Too Faced Boudoir Eyes palette! This is a really good tutorial for when I’m ready to start playing with it. I’d definitely simplify the look since I don’t find it simple enough.
These makeup tutorials are just for some inspiration. There’s no way that I’d bother with things like highlighting and probably even bronzing when I’m sleep deprived and just trying to survive.
And onto hair! I’d love to learn how to french braid my own hair before Baby arrives! And I think it’s time to bust out my hot rollers again. I’m thinking I can place the rolls into my hair and then work on my makeup while the curls set. Yay for multi-tasking!
I found this good tutorial on 10 different french braid hairstyles for longer hair.
She makes it look so easy!
I’m loving the side french braid with low bun – the first combo she shows in the tutorial.
This look could also be potentially really fast and easy. Plus it doesn’t require french braiding!
So now onto the part of actually experimenting and trying these looks out! I’ll let you know how it goes!
How long does it normally take you to do your makeup and hair? Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you a beautyfull day!
Sephora Collection Duo Eyeshadow in Intense Black Review
During the Sephora VIB sale I was browsing the store when I wandered upon the $5 sale section. I’ve never bought Sephora brand eyeshadow before but I couldn’t resist the dark gray shade that came with the Sephora Collection Duo Eyeshadow in Intense Black. It’s the perfect gray that you can apply lightly for a daytime smokey eye or layer on for a nighttime look. I’m not that big of a fan of the lighter silver/gray but for $5 plus 15% off it was totally worth it!
I’ve worn the darker gray shade for 2 days now. The pigmentation isn’t so great and you really have to work at building up the color and blending it out but with my Urban Decay Primer Potion it seems to last a good amount of time. So if you usually like the buttery soft pigmentation of Urban Decay eyeshadows I wouldn’t recommend this but if you’re okay with blending and building up the pigmentation I’d definitely check out the $5 section the next time you’re in Sephora.
I’m sure I’ll keep my Sephora Duo Eyeshadow close at hand since I’m loving the dark gray so much! The real challenge will be thoroughly testing out my other new eyeshadow palettes to see how I like them!
On a side note: I’m so excited for tomorrow’s ultrasound!!!! Last night I had another dream that I had a little girl. In 24 hours we’ll know for sure- well 16 hours to be exact! 
Wishing you a beautyfull Tuesday!
Best Stretch Mark Cream During Pregnancy
Oh the battle against stretch marks! At this point I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be like the other 90% of mommy bloggers that get through their entire pregnancy with little to no marks. I guess I knew from the beginning that the odds were against me so I tried my best to do my research and prevent as much as possible. I didn’t find very many blogs that focused on best and favorite stretch mark creams during pregnancy (which further makes me feel like I’m the only blogger with this issue) so I thought I’d go ahead and share with you which ones I’ve tried and my thoughts. I hope this is helpful for you ladies out there prone to stretch marks!
The three stretch mark creams (and oil) are Sanctuary Spa Collagen Boosting Body Butter by Mum to Be, Bio-Oil and Mama Bee Belly Butter by Burt’s Bees.
The first stretch mark cream that I picked up was very early on in my pregnancy before I had done very much research. I was at the maternity store for the very first time looking for some maternity skinny jeans when I spotted their little display of different belly creams. I asked the sales girls which one worked the best and they recommended Sanctuary Spa Collagen Boosting Body Butter by Mum to Be.
Sanctuary Spa Collagen Boosting Body Butter by Mum to Be $15 (10.14 fl oz)
At first whiff I thought the smell was pleasant- sweet but in a good way. Trusting the advice of the sales girls I went ahead and bought it. Then that night I applied it all over and quickly realized that the smell was much too sweet once it was on. I decided to try to endure it and as you might be able to see I’ve made a pretty good size dent so far.
PROS
Of the three stretch mark creams that I’ve tried it’s the cheapest
It absorbs into your skin the quickest upon application compared to the other two
The scent lasts a long long time after application (this is a pro only if you like the scent)
CONS
I have grown to really dislike the smell. It’s way too strong for a pregnant woman’s nose
Not sure that it helps very much. I got several stretch marks before switching to the other two brands
I rarely use Sanctuary Spa Body Butter these days since I have other alternatives now. Since I don’t want to completely toss it I use it once in a while especially if my other creams aren’t nearby. I’ll continue to use this one as more of a touch-up during the day but I would not recommend it to other pregnant ladies at all! Definitely sniff and try on the sample before buying it!
Once I realized that the Sanctuary Spa Body Butter was no good for me I did a better job researching and decided that I needed to try out this highly popular Bio-Oil.
Bio-Oil Specialist Skin Care $27.99 (6.7 oz)
I picked up 2 bottles while Ulta had their 20% off sale! Score!
PROS
Highly recommended by other Mamas
Love the smell and don’t get sick of it
Supposedly the most effective based off reviews
CONS
It’s by far the most expensive option
Messy application because it’s an oil and you end up with an oily feeling bottle
Takes the longest to massage and absorb into the skin
Even though it’s expensive and inconvenient to apply I’m going to continue to use Bio-oil throughout my pregnancy and probably afterwards as well. I really enjoy the scent and in my mind it’s really helping prevent my stretch marks from getting out of hand (fingers-crossed). With the warning of the oily mess it makes, I would highly recommend this to other pregnant Mamas out there.
The last belly butter that I have tried out was picked up more as a supplement that I can apply during the day.
Mama Bee Belly Butter $13 (6.5 oz)
It was hard to open the airtight seal…
PROS:
Easy and clean application compared to the Bio-Oil
You have to massage it into the skin longer than Sanctuary Spa but shorter than Bio-Oil
Afterwards you aren’t left feeling sticky
Leaves your skin INCREDIBLY soft!
CONS:
It smells almost like plastic in the bottle and upon application but the smell does disappear after a while
Not quite sure how well it works based off minimal reviews
After trying all three stretch mark creams and oil out I’d recommend the Bio-Oil as your day/night time treatment and the Mama Bee Belly Butter as your mid-day supplement cream. You can definitely leave out the Sanctuary Spa Collagen Boosting Body Butter!
I hope this is helpful for you ladies in the beginning or middle of your pregnancy! Let me know if you have any other recommendations or questions in the comment below!
Wishing you a beautyfull day!
Sephora Haul
I couldn’t resist the free tote that Sephora is handing out today to VIB members so I stopped by the mall. If you’re also a VIB member and have some spare time today you should TOTE-ally check out your local Sephora (sorry for the cheese, haha)! These totes are pretty cute and handy for stuffing all your shopping goodies. It’s not as big as I hoped but it’s a decent medium sized bag. And it’s free so I’m not complaining!
Inside the tote included various samples, brochures and a Sephora compact mirror, the same one you get when you purchase a gift card. They were also handing out Dove chocolates which was kind of random but I happily took one.
I was a good girl and only purchased a couple things with my 15% off coupon. I’m excited to try out the Too Faced Boudoir Eyes palette ($36) for soft sexy looks and I couldn’t pass up the Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Moisture Balm ($10). To my surprise it smells just like my absolute favorite body cream Origin’s A Perfect World- kind of like the peachio candy! YUM! (Uh-oh, suddenly I have a craving for them! Darn crazy pregnancy cravings, haha)
If only the tote was a bit larger it would make a super cute beach bag! Anyway, maybe some new makeup will be motivation for me to jump back into the beauty world. If not Hubs is probably happy that my monthly makeup spendings has drastically reduced… although our baby expenses are shooting up!
Have you been doing any Spring makeup shopping? Any new trends that you’re loving this season? Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you a beautyfull day!
Sephora VIB Sale Starts Thursday 4/11 – My Wishlist
You may or may not have noticed but my beauty posts have drastically decreased since I’ve been pregnant. Maybe it’s me just transforming into a mom… but I don’t have a dying urge to buy every new makeup product that comes out anymore. It’s been so long since I’ve gone out with a full face of makeup on and my normal routine these days just focuses on applying the right skincare and SPF. I’m now getting used to and growing to love my natural fresh clean face again instead of feeling insecure if I go in public without any makeup to cover my flaws. This is probably a good thing since I’m assuming the first few months after baby arrives I won’t have the time or brain capacity to put on makeup.
Well I recently have been receiving notifications from Sephora that starting this Thursday 4/11 VIB members can get 15% off their entire purchase (ends 4/22). Since Sephora rarely goes on sale I couldn’t just ignore this offer. There isn’t anything I really want or need in particular but I’ve decided to browse their site and share my wishlist with you.
I’m most excited about the Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Soft & Sexy Eye Shadow Collection after seeing reviews and swatches on other blogs.
What is currently on your makeup wishlist? Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you a beautyfull day!
Spring Summer Trend – White Nails
I remember those days in middle school when girls would paint their nails with white-out during class out of boredom. It wasn’t very attractive back then but something about the white nail trend for this Spring/Summer has me drooling!
Source: carriebradshawlied.com via Soo on Pinterest
Source: solecityusa.tumblr.com via Soo on Pinterest
I love the way it makes your hands (and feet) look so crisp and clean! I’ve been staying away from nail polish minus getting Shellac done once for my birthday but I’m really tempted to try this out!
One important detail I noticed while looking through some white nails photos on Pinterest was that I only like the white polish on short nails. I personally find the long white nails a bit scary.
Here are some different brands to try out! I believe all 3 of these brands are 3-free too so safe for pregnant women. 
China Glaze White Out
OPI Alpine Snow
Essie Marshmallow
What do you think about the white nails trend? Do you have a favorite white nail polish?
Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you a beautyfull Thursday!
What’s in my Travel Makeup Bag – New York Edition
Hello from the Big Apple! Right now I’m in our hotel room in Time Square and I thought I should stop by to see how you’re all doing! Hubs and I have been having a wonderful time with my brother and sister-in-law eating lots of yummy food and just catching up.
I feel like I’ve been getting so much better at packing my travel makeup bag these days. I’ve clearly learned that if I take a ton of makeup on trips I never ever end up using all of it. So instead I’ve been taking just enough makeup to create ONE look that I can wear everyday. This has not only saved me packing space since I don’t have to lug around a huge makeup bag, it actually makes it much easier getting ready in the morning since I don’t have as many options.
Here is all the makeup that I’ve brought on our week long trip!
So proud of my new packing skills! haha
Garnier BB Cream – Light/Medium
Benefit the Porefessional
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Kiehl’s Lip Gloss – French Rose
Lancome French Touch Lipstick
Covergirl Lash Perfection
Shiseido Lash Curler
MAC Pressed Blot Powder
MAC Eyeshadow – Concrete
MAC Fluidline – Added Goodness
Maybelline Perfect Pastels – Velvet Crush
NARS Eyeshadow – Lhasa
Clinique Eyeshadow – Iced Mauve
NARS Blush – Gaiety
Okay, when you list it all out it looks like a lot but in actuality it all fits in a fairly small makeup bag (small in my opinion). It takes up such a small portion of my suitcase unlike my usual makeup bag that took up about a third of it, no joke!
It’s a sunny, beautiful day today so I don’t want to waste anymore time indoors! Time to go do some exploring and shopping while Hubs is hard at work at his conference, haha!
Wishing you a beautyfull day!
Dry Skin Remedies Part 2
Last month I did a post on my super dry skin. Well lately I feel like my skin has improved a lot so I wanted to share what products I’ve been using and loving.
For the past several years I’ve spent a lot of money on yummy smelling bath washes from Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works and the Body Shop. They always made my showers smell amazing but I never felt that the scent lingered afterwards especially once I lotioned up with another scent. Nor did I feel that my skin was noticeably softer. So one day while I was flipping through my Costco coupons I saw a sale for a 3 pack of Dove’s Winter Care body wash. I decided to save some money and give it a try. Well it’s been a couple months of consistent use now and I can honestly say that my skin feels much softer and moisturized!
Sometime it’s the plain and cheaper one that does the trick! I’ll be sticking to my Dove body wash through the Winter for sure and most likely through the rest of the year!
Here’s something I’ve been using ever since I was a kid. I’m not quite sure how to describe it but it’s a korean body scrub towel. There was a season of time where I switched to using a standard loofah but I just didn’t feel as clean or exfoliated afterwards so I had to return back to my trusty body towel.
Here’s how I use it. After I’ve been in the shower for a few minutes, I take my body towel and fold it so that it fits nicely in my hand. After letting it run under the shower for a few seconds I squeeze a generous amount of my Dove Winter Care body wash onto the towel and then proceed to scrub down my body. You can feel your body tingle from the exfoliation and it helps promote blood circulation. Once I’ve scrubbed everywhere that I can reach, I unfold the towel and grab the ends so that I can scrub down my back as well.
If you have an Asian market near you I’m sure you can find these there. I usually pick mine up from the local HMart for a few bucks. This has definitely been helpful in keeping my skin soft especially compared to using a regular loofah.
And I shared this with you on my last dry skin post but the body lotion that has been working well for me is Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula. It’s a lotion but feels rich like a cream and it’s not sticky at all. With consistent use I can feel my skin getting softer and retain moisture much better.
My hands which I wash frequently in hot water and my back are still my trouble spots. I’m still working on moisturizing my hands more often throughout the day and figuring out how to lotion my back after my showers. Hubs is usually not home when I’m showering so it might come down to buying that lotioning applicator stick thing I found at Bed Bath and Beyond, hahaha.
But for the most part I’m happy to say that my dry skin has improved a lot from the past several months. I’ve been more diligent about caring for my skin and those extra few minutes a day are really paying off. Oh and I feel like I’m getting faster and faster at lotioning my body! Haha, improvement!
Do you have any tips on how to have buttery soft skin? Are you flexible enough to lotion your own back? Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you a wonderful Tuesday!
My First Birchbox!
Happy Monday!
How was your weekend? Me? You’ll never believe it but I got sick AGAIN! I’m not really sure how it happened but I caught another cold just 1-2 weeks after I recovered from my previous cold! So my weekend was spent in bed and on the couch with a headache, blowing my nose every 10-15 minutes and trying to drink as much liquids as possible. I hope your weekend was better spent, haha!
On the upside, I received my very first Birchbox on Friday! My sweet cousins got me a subscription for my birthday knowing that it would be the perfect gift for me so I can test and blog about all the samples that I would receive! Thanks cousins for the super thoughtful gift!
Here’s the box it came in! Pretty pink cover!
Cover removed
Little message inside
And here’s what came inside!
Juicy Couture “Couture La La” Perfume sample
Beauty Protector Leave-in Conditioner
theBalm Hot Mama Shadow/Blush
Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
Ghirardelli Squares – Caramel
Besides the chocolate (that I devoured immediately) I haven’t had a chance to try any of the samples yet. I saw a photo of my cousin’s birchbox and hers was different except for the chocolate and the Vasanti product. It’s pretty cool how they tailor the boxes to each customer’s profile.
I’m not foreseeing any makeup testing for the next couple days. I don’t think anything will look good on my white death-like face (minus my Rudolph nose) right now nor do I have the energy to get dolled up.
Are you subscribed to Birchbox or any of those other similar companies? What did you receive this month? I’d love to know! Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you a wonderful Monday!
MAC + Rihanna Collaboration = RiRi Hearts MAC
Have you heard the buzz?? MAC will be releasing a collaboration line with Rihanna called RiRi Hearts MAC. The first of four releases will be coming out in May- I can’t wait! From the pictures alone, the colors and style look gorgeous! I’m loving the pink plus rose gold (?) packaging and that eyeshadow quad looks perfect for natural eyeshadow lovers everywhere. And how cute is that little pink brush? Love it!
While I’m not a fan of Rihanna’s life decisions, I do love her catchy music. I can have her song stuck in my head ALL DAY and actually like it, haha. She makes great music! Shine bright like a diamond, shine bright like a diamond, shine bright like a diamond… now it’s stuck in your head too!
I love her look here at the Grammys. Doesn’t she look lovely?
Her whole look was quite stunning!
I feel like Rihanna’s style has been becoming more sophisticated as she’s grown and matured so I’m looking forward to seeing what the other three releases will look like once they come out. But for now, I can’t wait for May to test out the new RiRi hearts MAC collection!
What are your first thoughts on the RiRi hearts MAC collaboration? Are you a fan of Rihanna? Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday!