July Favorites!

As expected, my vacation to Florida a couple of weeks ago was fantastic! I ate good food, laid on the beach, got a tan, spent quality time with my sisters, and just generally had a good time...also, my younger sister and I got our belly buttons pierced while we were there. :) Pictures will be posted later...it's a bit red right now since it's still healing.

I had planned to have a "How I Packed" post on packing for longer trips, but with all the chaos of packing and last-minute things that needed to be done before we left, I didn't get all of the pictures taken. Hopefully we can go back next year, though, and then I will for sure do that post.

Speaking of the beach, here's a little picture...hopefully it'll brighten someone's day as much as it brightens my own. :)

I just love it on the beach...so much that I could seriously live there. Maybe someday. ;)

Now on to the point of this post: beauty products I've been loving in the month of July! I'm going to try to do a favorites post once a month, and if I can stick with it then I will add a post for non-beauty faves.

First up is a nail polish, "Knackered" by Butter London.

One of the things I love about this shade is how versatile it is. As you can see from the picture, I showed what it looks like with varying coats on my nails, if that makes sense lol. In the top left is just one coat. Pretty and shimmery/glittery with just a hint of the blue and purple shades. The top right corner is two coats...still very sheer, but a little more color. The bottom right corner is three coats, which is my favorite. It's completely opaque like this, and absolutely gorgeous! My camera, of course, did not do the color justice. In reality it's a silvery blue color, but it has a purple opalescence running through it. The colors actually remind me of the ocean, which is why I bought this at Ulta while on vacation. I've only used it twice but it instantly became a favorite, and I've gotten a lot of compliments on it. :)

Next up is something that I think is absolutely essential for my makeup routine, particularly in the summer months: Urban Decay De-Slick.

I use this setting spray before and after applying my whole face of make-up, and it keeps it lasting all day. It's also great to use in the middle of the day to kind of refresh  your make-up.

My next favorite beauty product for July is Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light/Medium.

I was so excited when this came out! I am a huge fan of BB creams, particularly Skin79 and Lioele. But Maybelline is one of my favorite drugstore brands, and the fact that this actually lives up to most (if not all) of the claims it makes is just awesome. I dislike going out on the beach with a bare face, so while on vacation I used this every day. Now that we're into August, I still find myself reaching for it, and it will most definitely be a repurchase.

My next July favorite is another product that was acquired while I was on vacation, and it is Mario Badescu Drying Lotion.

I had heard before that this was supposed to be the best spot treatment ever, but I didn't know if it would really be worth the money. Plus, I didn't really have anywhere I could buy it around me. Luckily, it was in Ulta! I knew that I had enough spending money to splurge on a skincare product like this, especially since it was one that I'd been wanting to try for a while. Whenever I have a pimple (or 2 or 3) I dot this onto the spots with a Q-tip at night before I go to bed. When I get up in the morning, it comes off when I wash my face. I am very glad I bought it, because it IS the best spot treatment ever, in my opinion anyway. When used on small blemishes, I've found that by the next morning they are almost completely gone. On larger blemishes (that unfortunately I get more of) it greatly reduces the redness and swelling. Not to mention the fact that it instantly soothes the skin and has a nice scent.

The next product is something that was in my June Glam Bag. It is the Living Proof anti-frizz nourishing styling cream.

To be completely honest, I have been looking for a hair product like this for a LONG time. It has a really nice smell and a smooth texture. I like to use this before I dry my hair, and then if I'm wearing my hair curly/wavy, I use it after I've styled. It definitely cuts out the frizz in my hair and makes it smooth and shiny. When this little bottle runs out, I will most likely purchase the full size.

The next product I have is Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey.

It's just barely darker than my natural lip color, which happens to be one of my favorite kind of lip looks. It's glossy and really beautiful, plus long-lasting. There's a lot of shades to choose from, too.  Definitely recommend this.

Next is another hair product: Organix Macadamia Oil Intensive Moisture Mask.

I use this as a deep conditioner 1-2 times a week. As you can see, it's pretty thick but not heavy or waxy at all. I love the smell of it, and it's done wonders for my hair.

The next product is one I've talked about in a post before, and it is Neutrogena Deep Moisture Body Cream.

To me, this is just the perfect body lotion year-round. It sinks into the skin quickly but is very thick and  moisturizing. It smells really good, plus I've found that it helps with peeling skin (like from a sunburn). For the full review of this, see this post.

The next product is something else that came from Ulta, purchased towards the end of the month but instantly became a favorite: Real Techniques angled foundation brush.

Ever since discovering Pixiwoo on YouTube, I've wanted to try these brushes. So naturally, I was beyond excited to see they were in Ulta. I'm pretty sure the bristles are synthetic (on this one, anyway) but they're very good quality. So far I haven't found a brush I like better for applying BB cream with. I've not actually tried it for regular foundation, but will be sure to do that soon. I hope that in the future I can purchase more of these brushes.

This next product I think I purchased on the last or next to last day of July, lol. But it's something that I've been wanting to try for a while, and when I did I loved it. It's CoverGirl eyeshadow trio in Shimmering Sands.

These are such beautiful, shimmery neutral colors that I think are perfect for the summer. I've been using it nearly every day since purchasing it, and I'm in love. :)

Next up is a Lush product: Mint Julips lip scrub.

I am definitely a Lush fanatic, and this is by far one of my favorite products from there. It's an all-natural scrub and it smells/tastes amazing, like mint chocolate. The thing I like most about this, other than how soft it makes my lips, is that after you're done scrubbing, you can lick it off. :P

The next product is Loreal Magic Lumi concealer/corrector.

I use this as my undereye concealer, as well as to highlight areas on my cheekbones and around my nose and mouth, and it's brilliant. There's no shimmer to it, but it makes my skin look radiant, as if it's glowing from within, and makes me look as if I've had 10 hours of sleep the night before (even though that's definitely not the case on most days, ha ha). I haven't used the YSL Touche Eclat, but supposedly this is a dupe for it...I'll just say that I'm not going to pay $30+ dollars for that product when I can get this one for less than $10 at the drugstore.

My next favorite product for July is a mascara: Benefit They're Real!

This is the BEST mascara I've ever used for long, voluminous lashes. It definitely makes me look as though I'm wearing falsies. Love. It.

The next product is my first-ever NYX product: Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha.

I don't know why I didn't try NYX before now, because with just this one product I can see what I've been missing, lol. This works great as an eyeliner, and I also like to use it on my waterline for a more natural look. I will definitely be purchasing more NYX products in the future.

My last favorite beauty product for the month of July is another hair product: Jonathan Finish Shine Polishing Gloss.

I use this after I've dried and straightened or curled my hair, and it's just the most lovely finishing touch to any hairstyle, in my opinion. It makes my hair look polished and shiny, but never greasy.

That concludes the main point of this post. However, a few weeks ago I added a new member to my family...meet Megan. :)

She's adorable, right?! And getting SO big! She's grown quite a bit since this picture was taken...at least it seems that way to me, ha ha! Currently she is running around somewhere, but just minutes ago she was fascinated at the cursor moving across the screen as I typed, and tried to attack it. xD Such a mess, but very entertaining and sweet.

That's all for today! Hope you are having a wonderful summer, and I'll post again soon. :)

xoxo, Brittany

How I packed: Weekend Trip Edition!

Once again, it's been too long since I last posted! This summer is flying by way too fast for my liking, and I've been busy much of it already. I had planned to write this post within the week after returning from my weekend trip to Wisconsin, but got busy and just kept having to delay posting it. I decided now (yes, at 3 in the morning my time, lol) would be a good time to get this up, since in less than 48 hours I'll be leaving to go to the beach! YAY for the beach, I love going there sooo much. But more on that later.

I went to Wisconsin back at the beginning of June with my grandparents and sisters. We have family that lives there, and a cousin that graduated that weekend. We left early Friday morning and had planned to be back Sunday night. As you know from my last post, that didn't happen. My grandfather is much better now, though. He only stayed in the hospital for just under a week, and has been home ever since. He's doing well in physical therapy and getting stronger all the time. :)

Anyway, back to the point of my post. When I go on a short trip (think 4 days or less) I don't like packing my huge suitcase. There's not really a point to it, know what I mean? I got a new luggage set for Christmas from my parents, and was really glad that it included a small weekend-type bag. So, that's what I packed my clothes and shoes in.

It's hard to tell in the picture, but this bag is actually pretty small. I packed 3 pairs of pants, a few shirts, that pair of TOMS, flip-flops, underwear, and pajamas, and everything fit and the bag zipped with no trouble. My toiletries and make-up did have to be packed separately, but that wasn't a big deal.

This toiletry bag is Ralph Lauren but it's from TJ Maxx. It came as a set with 2 other smaller bags, and I got it for Christmas a few years ago. It's held up nicely, and I'm able to fit all of my full-size toiletry items in it, should I want to.

This make-up bag was a recent purchase for me. I've needed a new travel make-up bag for quite a while, and found this one at Wal-Mart and really liked it. As you can see, even my Urban Decay Naked palette fits inside, along with all of my other make-up products. It was a good purchase, only cost around $10, and I will get a lot of use out of it.

Since this trip involved a drive that was 10+ hours, of course I needed some entertainment.

This is the Victoria's Secret Angels tote that I received as a free gift for spending $75 there. I really love reading, and as you can see I took 4 books with me, plus my Nook. In case anyone's wondering, I took The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, Wither by Lauren DeStefano, The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan, and Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge. I also had Paper Towns by John Green on my Nook. I didn't get to read The Son of Neptune or Fly By Night, but the others I did read and I highly recommend all of them. Besides books, I also took my Nintendo DS and my iPod. Everything fit perfectly into this bag with plenty of room to spare. It's a HUGE tote bag, and is actually going to be my beach bag next week. :)

Speaking of next week, I'd better get off of here now and go to bed...LONG day of cleaning, laundry, and packing ahead of me tomorrow. :\ But I know it'll be worth it in the end. :) I hope this post has helped someone, or you at least had fun reading it, or someone is at least reading it, ha ha. As always, if you do read my posts, tweet me! I would love to hear from you and what you think of my blog. I'm going to try to get a couple of posts up next week while on vacation, and when I return I'll try to post another "how I packed" but for longer trips. Stay tuned for that! ;)

xoxo, Brittany

Just an update...

I've been out of town the past few days, and it feels really good to be back home. The trip was to Wisconsin to see my cousin graduate from high school. I went with my sisters and our grandparents, and we left early Friday morning. Originally it was planned that we would leave early Sunday morning to come home, but that didn't happen. My grandpa fell in the garage early Saturday morning and ended up with a broken hip, which he had surgery for on Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, he wasn't able to make it to the graduation, and neither was my grandma. They are both still in Wisconsin, and he's doing better. I know he's still got a long road of recovery ahead of him, though.

Despite that incident, we still had a fun trip! There's a great mall there, so we were able to shop a couple of times. One of the best parts of that mall is that there is a Macy's, which means a LUSH counter. I was really excited about that, haha. Also, my family there lives near Milwaukee, so one day we went shopping in downtown Milwaukee. It was awesome. :) My sisters and I were also able to attend our cousin's grad party on Sunday afternoon, which we wouldn't have been going to if the accident hadn't happened and we'd left as scheduled.

Anyway, that's about it. As always, I have several posts planned, and hope to get those up over the next couple of weeks. Hope everyone is having a good day! xoxo, Brittany

Collective Haul!

As promised, this is another "haul post," and it will include items from the past couple of times I've been shopping. :) These are in no particular order, by the way.

First up is a few things from Forever 21. In the top left corner is an adorable grey sweater with a black bow on the front. It was on sale, and even though it's too warm to wear it now, I know I'll get a lot of use out of it when fall comes back around. Next to that in the top right corner is a blue floral umbrella. I've been wanting a small one to keep in my car, because all too often I get stuck in a random middle-of-the-day rainstorm and don't have one. This one was too cute, and I'm thinking around $10, so I had to get it. Speaking of umbrellas, right under that is a gold chain necklace with a purple umbrella pendant on it...absolutely love. :) Bottom left corner is probably my favorite item purchased on this trip. It's a short sleeved purple shirt that has light purple, gold, and turquoise detailing on the top. It's a "high-low" style, and really loose on me, which I like a lot. In the bottom middle picture are just 2 basic tanks, one in lavender and the other in mint green. These are SO soft and go with a lot of things. Finally, in the bottom right is my other favorite, and it's a light brown loose-knit cardigan. All spring I've been looking for one, and was so glad to find this.

Next is a few things I picked up from Sephora. These were necessities, so nothing too exciting. On the left is Urban Decay De-Slick, Fresh Sugar Lip treatment kit (the Beauty Insider birthday present for this year), and Origins Checks and Balances face wash. The Urban Decay De-Slick is something I've been wanting to try for a while, and I'm so glad I finally got it! It's a make-up setting spray that you use on your face before and after applying your make-up. I've noticed such a difference in how long my make-up lasts when I use this. It actually makes it all the way through my 12-hour work shifts without budging at all. :) The Fresh Sugar Lip treatment is awesome. I've got one of the lip balms in another color (plum something, I think), so now I have a colorless one and a rosy one. The Origins Checks and Balances is a face wash that I've been using for close to a year. I use this as my nighttime face wash and absolutely love it. It has a nice smell, is gentle on the skin, and is basically just a really good face wash, lol. In the picture on the right is a sample of Dr. Brandt's Pores No More. I've almost used all of it up, and it's pretty good, but does nothing that my regular foundation primer can't do. The other item in that picture is my card (that I lost...sad!) that says "you are officially a VIB." VIB, for those that don't know, stands for "Very Important Beauty Insider." Basically you get extra perks that you don't get just being a Beauty Insider. To achieve VIB status, you have to keep 300 points in your beauty bank for a certain number of months, and you get to keep that status for the next year.

Last but not least: Victoria's Secret! I bought a new bra and underwear, but I'm not posting a picture of those on here, sorry! xD I was at VS on the day they were having their special "spend so much money get a free tote" deal. I was about $4 away from getting the free tote, so I grabbed the Beauty Rush soothing lip balm, pictured at the top. It's minty and actually does soothe your lips. I'm thinking it'll be great to have in my beach bag this summer, and will feel nice on my lips after I've been in the sun all day. Speaking of the beach, pictured bottom right is the free tote I got. You can't tell from the picture, but it's a pretty big bag and will make a perfect beach tote.

Well, unfortunately, that is all. I'm pretty sure these were from just 2 different shopping trips, lol, but oh well! I do have more hauls to post, including items from J. Crew, DSW, Anthropologie, and others. I'm also going to do a haul showing my MyGlam and Birchbox items from the past 2 months, as well as the (free!) Target Beauty Days bag I got a couple of weeks ago.

Also, I've been back on both of my Tumblrs recently! Want to follow me? I'd love it if you did! :) One is just a general/silly/fun/life blog, and it can be found here. The other one is a weight loss/healthy living/inspiration blog, found here.

Seeing as it is now nearly 4 am (!), I'm going to bed now...thank goodness I don't have to get up early in the morning for anything! Tomorrow is going to consist of cleaning my apartment, getting my room organized, exercising, Vampire Diaries (with which I've become obsessed recently), and a possible (probable) well-deserved mani/pedi. Goodnight! xoxo, Brittany

Update time :)

So...once again, it's been quite a while since I've been able to post on here. And like always, I don't know if anyone reads this, but just in case, I'm providing an explanation for my absence.

Last year (I'm thinking around October/November?) my laptop got several viruses on it and crashed. My sister's boyfriend offered to fix it, and tried, but said he would pretty much have to wipe everything off of it and start over. That was in January. Since then, it's been sitting on my desk all by its lonesome, looking a little pitiful lol. Because I work nights, it's sometimes difficult for me to find the time to do things on a computer that I actually want to do. So obviously going through numerous files/photos and putting the ones I want to keep on a jump drive wasn't exactly at the top of my list. However, I do still have things I have to do at times on a computer. My sister was kind enough (after a bit of pushing, mind you xD) to let me borrow her old laptop. It's pretty much a dinosaur, but I was able to do what I needed to on it.

That worked out most of the time, unless she decided she wanted it to play The Sims on or something, which would always frustrate me. -.- And then it got to where she didn't want me borrowing it without asking her, and then she changed her password and blah blah blah...I'm not going into all of that. But anyway, there was a time for a few weeks that I was just completely without a computer, plus my work schedule was crazy and I wasn't able to do what I needed to do to mine. So then March comes around, and we are redoing our bedrooms, which was an early birthday present from the parents and grandparents. Awesomeness, by the way, because I have an amazing bed. But back to the point. Somehow in all that mess of moving furniture and whatnot. her old laptop ended up in my bedroom. By this time she'd told me what the password was, so I was able to use it. Until a few weeks ago, anyway. That was when the power cord decided to get a short in it and not keep the battery charging, so I could only use it for a few minutes at a time before I'd have to stop working to hold the power cord into the outlet. So frustrating.

But then I got to thinking...I could get a new laptop, just a basic one that wouldn't cost me much, and then I wouldn't have to deal with all of this. And even if my old one was not infected with viruses, it would be about time for a new one anyway, because that one was nearly 4 years old. So I decided to just get a new one, and I'm very glad that I did. :) The one I got is a Compaq (like my old one) Presario CQ57. It's smaller than my old one, which I like, and it has Windows 7, and it's pretty much just awesome. Eventually I will get around to getting those files off of my old one and let my sister's boyfriend fix it, and then I'll just have that one to play The Sims on or whatever. But it's nice that until that time, I have a nice, new laptop to use the Internet, iTunes, YouTube, blog, etc. I'm happy with it. :)

I have several posts planned for the not-too-distant future, including but not limited to: a couple of tags, a few hauls rolled into one post, vacation/beach things, skincare and makeup routines, more pics of my cute dog, and much more! Hope you all are doing wonderfully!

xoxo, Brittany

Online Shopping Haul! (Sephora, Sigma, and LUSH)

Hello! So this is coming a few days later than I planned, but for a very good reason...I got my room redone! It was my birthday present for this year, and is actually almost a month early, but that's fine with me. :) The only thing left is getting my headboard finished and put in, which will be on Monday. After that I will most definitely take pics and post all about it!

Anyway, on to the point of this post, which is a collective online shopping haul. I've actually had some of these items for a week or so, but wanted to wait until all of them came in before posting. As you can see from the title, the three places I ordered stuff from are Sephora, Sigma, and LUSH.

I'll start with Sephora!

I actually only ordered 2 items, and the rest are free samples. The items I paid for are the Origins VitaZing moisturizer (pictured above on the far left) and YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in #7, Lingerie Pink (pictured on the far right). I've been using the VitaZing pretty much every day. I use it as my morning moisturizer, and I love it. It gives me the perfect amount of moisture without feeling heavy or greasy, it has SPF 15,it hasn't made my face go crazy and break out, and...I don't know how to explain it, but it's almost got a bit of tint to it. However, I would not describe it as a tinted moisturizer, exactly. It's got something in it that just evens out your skin and makes it look better, if that makes sense, ha ha. If you've used this before then you know what I mean. I highly recommend this moisturizer. The YSL lipstick I've used quite a bit, but not everyday because I do own a lot of lip products, and I don't like wearing the same one every day. It's a much paler pink than I thought it would be, but still pretty if I'm careful and don't put on too much. A darker lip liner underneath helps, as does lip gloss. Overall I like it, and the best part is that it smells like watermelon...yum! Lol. I got 3 free samples with my order, because Sephora is cool like that. I got Especially Escada perfume (in the pink package in the middle), Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta daily facial peel (2 small orange and white packages in the front), and a Givenchy foundation sample (not pictured, because I couldn't find it!). The perfume smells really good, but I've not tried the other products so I can't say anything good or bad about them yet. As a Sephora Beauty Insider, I get points every time I order/buy something from there, and once you get to 100 points you get a free deluxe sample. Mine was the Ole Henrickson Truth Serum with Vitamin C. I was SO excited to get this because the past few times that I've ordered, it's been available in a smaller package as a regular sample, but I've not been able to get it. I've been using this about every other day in the mornings, and so far I really like it. Not entirely sure what it does, but it feels good on my skin, and it smells like oranges. The last product from Sephora is Shiseido Eye Contour Cream. I was able to get a deluxe sample of this by entering a coupon code. I've been using it almost every morning, and I really like it. I'm starting to notice a reduction in the bags/dark circles under my eyes, so I'm pretty excited about that. I plan to buy the full size of this once the sample runs out.

Now for my Sigma order!

This my very first Sigma brush set, and it's the Make Me Crazy kit. The lighting in my bathroom makes the brush handles and the holder look pinkish, but they are actually purple. I have used these brushes since the day I got them, and I find myself wondering why I didn't purchase Sigma brushes before now, lol. I plan on getting more, starting with the kabuki brushes, because I've heard that the flat-top kabuki is amazing for applying foundation.

Last but not least is my favorite online purchase...LUSH!

These 2 items are wonderful. On the left is the Tea Tree Water, which I've been using as my toner morning and night. This doesn't burn my skin or make it feel irritated at all, it hasn't made me break out, and it has a nice smell. The product on the right is Grease Lightning. It also has tea tree in it, and I've been using this as a spot treatment. I really am able to tell a difference in my skin...I've had acne for a while now, and nothing else I've used has seemed to make as much of a difference as these products. I have to give partial credit to the fact that I've been taking an antibiotic, though...but still. I started using these before taking the antibiotic, so I know they're working.

Next up is the "fun" LUSH products...bath bombs and soap! The 2 bath bombs I got are Twilight (bottom left) and Butterball (bottom right). Apologies, I used half of Twilight before remembering about this blog post, ha ha. It was a wonderful bath too, I must admit. The bath bomb is lavender scented, and leaves your water kind of purple tinted with glitter in it. I did not realize this bath bomb was sparkly until I broke it in half, because the glitter is all on the inside. But I guess since it's called Twilight, it's only appropriate that it sparkles, right? Lol. Anyway, I took a bath with this one night before going to bed, and it left me very relaxed so I was able to sleep very well. Since taking this picture, I have also used the Butterball bath bomb. It was also amazing. I'm not sure what's in it, but it made me feel like I'd just taken a bath in shea butter or something, because my skin was so soft afterwards. It has a soft, comforting scent, and doesn't really do much to the water except make it kind of milky looking, if that makes sense.

Now for the soap. In the top left corner is the soap I got, which is Honey I Washed The Kids. They sent me a pretty good sized chunk of this, so I've cut off a small piece to keep in my shower, rather than keeping the whole thing in there. I LOVE this soap. It smells like honey and vanilla, is very cleansing and moisturizing, lathers up nicely, and it's just overall a good soap. The one in the top right corner is a sample that came with my order, but I can't remember what it's called...when I opened the plastic to smell it, the label came off. I do remember that it's supposedly one of their best-selling soaps, though. I haven't used it yet, but it smells really good.

This final LUSH product gets its own picture and everything, because it's just that amazing. This is the It's Raining Men shower gel. I love it, simple as that. My sister ordered and received her LUSH products before I did, and this was one of the things she got. I smelled it and knew I had to have it, lol, so of course I bought the biggest bottle (16.9 oz/500 ml if you're curious). I could seriously drink this or something, but something tells me it probably wouldn't taste as good as it smells, ha ha. I use this about every other time I shower (and use the soap the other times) and I just really enjoy how it smells. You can even use it as shampoo, which I have a couple of times, and it works pretty good as long as I use a good conditioner afterwards. I feel like if I didn't, it would dry my hair out a little. Other than that, it's awesome, and I will most certainly repurchase this.

Okay, that's the end of my haul! If anyone reads this, then I hope you enjoyed. As I said earlier, once my headboard is put up, I'll do a post on my room redesign. Until then, take care!

xoxo, Brittany

Clothing/fragrance haul!

So, as promised, here is my haul from the past couple of times I've been shopping! It's not that many items, lol, but I'm not usually one to just buy a whole bunch of stuff when I go to the mall. I like to just get a few things each time, and that way I save money, which is always good. :) Anyway, I'm gonna just get into this now.

First up is clothes! These are all shirts, and the stores I went to are Maurices, American Eagle, Hot Topic, and Victoria's Secret.

Maurices: I really like this store. We have one in the town I live in, and I can always find at least a couple of things that I like and that fit me well. However, there is one in the mall I went to as well, and I find they have a larger selection.

This is the first top I got at Maurices. Apologies for the bad quality photo...it was taken with my iPhone and I didn't have very good lighting at the time. Also, I didn't realize until now that it's kind of blurry-looking on one side. Oh well! I really like this shirt. The sleeves and sides are lace, and I think it's really pretty. It is also a longer shirt...not quite a tunic, but definitely longer than most tees, which I like. I've worn this a couple of times already, once with black pants and heels for church, and another time with denim capris and sandals, so it's very versatile and easy to dress up or down.

This is the only other shirt I got from Maurices, and I absolutely LOVE it! It's off-white with a subtle white stripe, and the graphic on the front is pretty...it says "Great New England Shoreline Florist, Free Delivery." I like the color, the graphic, how it looks on me...but my favorite thing is the back of it. It's got a bow at the top of the back, and then an opening below that down to almost the middle of my back. I can wear this now (and actually have already, haha), but it's going to be perfect for summer.

The next store I bought something from is American Eagle. It's one of my favorite stores...I get most of my jeans from there, and lots of shirts. Usually I'm able to find several things I like that look good on me, but this time I only found one shirt that didn't look like every other shirt I already have, lol.

It's purple, which is my favorite color. :) It's loose and flowy, and has a crochet-ish design around the neck area. You can't really tell in the picture, but the sleeves are split in the middle, so they just kind of hang off my shoulders. Love it.

I also went to Hot Topic, and really only went there for one purpose: a Hunger Games shirt...and I got it!

It's black and has the flaming mockingjay design on it. I wore this last night when I went with my family to see the movie (which was AMAZING, btw...can't wait to see it again!). I really like music/movie tees, mostly for just hanging out around my apartment/cleaning/whatever, but there are some that I'll wear out at times...I can definitely see myself wearing this one. It's too awesome of a shirt to keep confined in my apartment, lol.

The last clothing store I visited was Victoria's Secret. I got a new bra and some underwear, but obviously I'm not posting pictures of those, ha ha. However, I did get a shirt too, so...yeah.

It's just a simple tee, but I really like the color. It's actually a bright, really pretty blue, and the picture definitely doesn't do it justice. Plus, it's VS PINK brand, so it has the "PINK dog" logo (in the right corner above), which is so cute!

Besides clothes, I also bought some fragrance items from Bath and Body Works. These were purchased in 2 separate mall trips, and actually at 2 different malls lol.

This was from the first trip. I love these little hand sanitizers, which are usually 5 for $5. They sell the keychain/holder things for them. I do have one on my keychain, but they also fit perfectly on my stethoscope at work, so I have one there as well. I got 2 of the fresh market apple ones (my favorite), a wildberry hibiscus, and a vanilla berry sorbet. I also got a peach one, but it's not pictured because I gave it to my little sister. :) I also got the "best kiss" lip gloss, and I am in love with it! It goes on clear, but then changes to this perfect pink color. The best part, though, is that it smells and tastes like chocolate...I could seriously eat it, lol.

These are from the second trip, and are all "home fragrance" items. I love the candles but only buy them when they're 2 for $20, because any other time they're like $19 by themselves. I think that's a little ridiculous for a candle, no matter how good it smells lol. Anyway, the 2 candles I got are lemon mint leaf and white palm. They both smell amazing...the lemon mint leaf is citrus-y but not overpoweringly so, and also has a freshness to it. The white palm is a scent that I find very relaxing, much like the beach, but without the coconut scent that you think of when "beach scent" is mentioned. I like to light this one when I'm taking a bath, or right before I go to bed. The day I got these, Bath and Body Works was having a special deal where if you purchased 2 home fragrance items, you got a free antibacterial foaming hand soap, as well as a free tote. The soap I got is fresh picked peach (they gave me the option of that one or fresh picked raspberry). The tote is going to come in handy when my sisters and I go on vacation this summer. :)

Last but not least...Mia got her hair cut. :)

Isn't she adorable? I love this little snuggle bug, even if she is spoiled rotten. :)

That's about it for now. I have received all of the items I ordered online, so in the next few days I'll post an "online shopping" haul. I'm off now to get a little bit of rest before work tonight!

xoxo, Brittany

Update/what I've been up to/etc...

Hello hello! I realize it's been over 2 months since I last posted...oops! I'm trying to get myself to where I can post more regularly, about 2-3 times per week, but lately it's been difficult. For one, I was kinda stuck on what to write about, and also my computer STILL being broken doesn't help. But anyway, I've got several ideas for blog posts now, and hoping to get my computer up and running in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I'll just steal/borrow my sister's computer, like I'm doing today. :P

I know in my last post I mentioned doing a post about my ex, but thinking about it now...well, honestly, he doesn't deserve a whole blog post, ha ha. So I'm just going to post here what happened. Basically, I think we got serious too quickly. He'd just got out of a relationship that he'd been in for over a year, and the girl he was with was very mean to him, mentally/emotionally abusive, and just pretty much not a nice girl. He didn't have enough time to get over that break-up before we got together, and felt like he would be bringing me down by talking about it so much. He did talk about it a few times, but I didn't think he was overdoing it or anything...I think he just wasn't as ready for a serious relationship as I was at the time, and used his difficult break-up as an excuse to break up with me, which makes no sense at all, but whatever. I know the right man for me is out there somewhere, and hopefully we find each other soon. :)

Now for something a lot more exciting: I'm going to Florida this summer with my sisters! I know, it doesn't sound like a big deal, but for us it is because it'll be our first time going without our parents. I am SOOOO excited because I absolutely LOVE the beach. I think if it weren't for the hurricanes, I could live there, lol.

And that brings me to my next point, which is this...I've been working a lot more on losing some weight and getting myself fit. Actually, I've started to do just that a few times over the last month, but couldn't stick with it. So today, I started over and I WILL stick with it this time. My main motivation is, of course, being able to buy a bikini for the first time in a few years and actually look hot in it. I plan to get one from Victoria's Secret, because I think they have very nice ones, and when I have the body for it, why not spend a little more money? Especially since I'll be working so hard to look good, ha ha.

So this is what I'm doing to get in shape. First, I've changed my diet quite a bit. For one thing, I'm making healthier choices with my meals, and when all that's available is something unhealthy, I'm eating less of it. This is a basic meal plan for me, though it does vary some.

Breakfast: smoothie made with fruit, plain Greek yogurt, a little bit of protein powder, and water; vanilla Greek yogurt with fruit; granola bar; or cereal. This is pretty much what I usually have for breakfast anyway, but there are times when I get off work in the morning that I think driving through McDonald's or somewhere sounds like a good idea for breakfast, so I'm going to not do that anymore.

Lunch: sandwich on whole grain sandwich thins made with turkey, cheese, olive oil mayo (delicious, by the way!), and mustard; salad (I like to get the pre-made chef salads from Wal-Mart); or something else "healthy." Can't really think of any other options that would be considered "healthy," but sometimes my sister and I like to get sushi, Subway, or Taco Bell for lunch. I know that last one isn't always the best, but they do have healthier options than most fast food places.

Dinner: Whatever is available, ha ha! Sometimes I eat at home, and my sister will cook some kind of chicken dish, or salmon, or steak. Also, sometimes she will go get something, so once again, I'll choose the healthiest option. Sometimes I do go to my parents' house and eat with them, and usually my mom cooks nutritious, delicious meals.

On nights that I work during the week, I usually do eat a small meal around 10:30 or 11 pm. The cafeteria at the hospital I work in has a grill, so usually I get something from there. I'll have an omelette (with ham, cheese and mushrooms) or a grilled sandwich (ham and American cheese or turkey and Swiss). Usually when I get an omelette, that's all I'll eat because they are huge and fill me up. With the sandwiches, though, I'll get a bag of baked Lay's, pretzels, or pita chips.

Drinks: I'm limiting my Cokes to 2 per week. This is probably going to be the hardest for me, because I really enjoy Cokes, but I know I can do it because I have before. I even got to the point where I wasn't drinking Cokes at all. The rest of the time, I'll be drinking mostly water and tea, juice with breakfast if I feel like it, and 1 energy drink a week (at work, because I do get tired). Of course, I love coffee, so when I get to have a "normal" night of sleep (when I'm not working), I have coffee in the morning right after I wake up.

And that's about it for the "diet" part of my get-fit plan. Now for the exercise. I'm currently doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. It is amazing, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get in shape fast. I did this last year and looked pretty good, but did need to lose a bit more weight. When I did it last year, I didn't actually complete the whole thing, but this time I will. I'm doing that on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Wednesday, I'm doing Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. I love yoga, and this one is really good. I feel like if I did 30 Day Shred straight through 5 days a week, I would get frustrated with it and quit, so that's why I'm putting the yoga kind of right in the middle. On Sunday I'm taking a rest day, and I will take my dogs for a 15-30 minute walk around my apartment complex, depending on the weather. Since it's spring now, it feels so nice outside, and my dogs need a bit of exercise too sometimes, lol. Plus, they love walking around outside just as much as I do. :)

I've got more posts coming up in the next couple of weeks! Tomorrow or the next day, I'll be posting my first haul, and when all of the things I ordered online come in (from Sephora, LUSH, and Sigma) I'll post an online haul. I've also got a skin care routine, hair routine, AM and PM routines, and an everyday make-up look planned. Like always, I don't know if anyone actually reads my blog, but if you do, leave me a comment or tweet me to let me know.

Be back soon! xoxo, Brittany

Guess what? I haven't disappeared! :P

Like I've said so many times before, I don't even know if people actually read my posts, ha ha. If you do, then I appreciate it! Anyway, it's been a couple of months since I've written anything on here. I plan on getting back to posting at least every couple of weeks, but before I do that, I do believe an update is in order.

First of all...I am, unfortunately, single again. :\ Been that way since a few weeks before Christmas. Yeah, that means my relationship with the guy I thought was the answer to all of my prayers lasted only a couple of months. Boo. The reason we broke up needs its own blog post entirely, so I'll get that posted in the next few days, hopefully.

Second, my iPhone is awesome. iPhone > Droid, forever. Lol. I've had it for a while, but all the time I discover new reasons why it's such a great phone. Right now, it's sitting on the arm of the couch beside me, playing Coldplay. I wish I'd got one sooner, for sure, but I'm glad I have it now. :)

Third, I had a great Christmas! I'd like to be able to post pictures of everything I got, just because I can (ha ha), but I don't have pictures. So I'm just gonna do a quick list: Nook Color, new luggage set, pajamas, fuzzy socks, jewelry, The Help (movie), Coldplay "Mylo Xyloto" CD, Hot Chelle Rae "Whatever" CD, Boyfriend perfume by Kate Walsh, Grey's Anatomy seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, gumball machine, American Eagle gift card (used to purchase a sweater, new jeans, and black sparkly ballet flats!), electric blanket, candy, a scarf and gloves, and...I think that's it, lol. More important than what I got, though, is that I was able to spend time with all of my family. I was scheduled to work on Christmas Eve, but got cost-contained and didn't have to work. It was nice, because I was able to spend the night at my parents' house. :) Made my mom and dad happy to have me there Christmas morning.

Lastly...New Years resolutions. I usually make a few every year, and this year was no different. So, even though January is about halfway over, here they are!

1. Be healthier. I (still) have about 20 pounds that I feel like I need to lose to be at a healthy weight, so I'll be exercising more than I have been the past few months, as well as making major changes to my eating habits. I kind of hate it that I stopped losing weight when I was just 20 pounds away from my personal goal, but at the same time I was able to see that when I am done losing, I shouldn't have any problem maintaining my weight. For exercise, I'll be working out 6 days a week. One of those days will be a yoga day, with the other 5 being more intense work outs. I haven't decided for sure yet, but I'm thinking 30 Day Shred alternated with C25K. Maybe just 30 Day Shred, though. I don't know, ha ha. But I'll figure it out. Other than losing weight, I feel like being healthier also means taking better care of my hair and skin, which I already have been. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, though. :)

2. Strengthen my relationships. First and foremost is my relationship with God...after all, I wouldn't be here without Him! Lately I've been reading a devotional every morning when I get up, and spending some time in prayer after that and before I go to bed. Hopefully I can stick with it. :) Second is my relationship with my family members. I've been getting along great with my parents and little sister since...well, really, since last year when I moved out, lol. That's not to say we get along perfectly every day, but most of the time we don't have any problems. My twin sister, however, is a different story. So that's really the "family relationship" I'll be working on.

3. Spend less money. Being an RN, I will admit that I get a pretty decent paycheck, and usually have a good amount left even after paying bills. However, I'm sort of an impulse buyer...and sadly sometimes I end up with not much money left. So, I've got an amount of money in mind that I want to have left in my bank account before each paycheck comes in. Hopefully I can stick with it!

4. Find a guy worth keeping. Just kidding!...well, sort of. Ha ha. I would actually prefer it if a "guy worth keeping" found ME instead. ;) But I know God has someone amazing planned for me, so hopefully I can be patient and wait on His timing.

5. Take better care of the material things I've been blessed with. Mainly, my apartment, ha ha. I would include my car as well, but it's already well taken care of. My apartment, however, I definitely need to work on keeping cleaner than I did last year.

I think that's all. Like I said, in the next few days I'll get a post up on the (ex) boyfriend situation. And I really hope people read this, because for that one I'd like some input if at all possible. Anyway, tomorrow is a church day, so it's time for me to say goodnight!

xoxo, Brittany