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

It's been a while...

I promise I'm still alive! Ha ha, just been VERY busy the past few weeks, mostly because my work schedule has been crazy and all over the place. Which, by the way, I do not like one bit, but there's not really anything I could do about it, unfortunately. Anyway, update time!

First of all, I'm soo glad it's finally getting into the cooler fall months! Definitely my favorite time of year. :) I've been shopping LOTS lately, lol, and got some new jeans, sweaters, and pretty much all the other essentials for when it gets colder outside. My favorite thing I bought, though, would have to be my boots! They're mid-calf length, have a bit of a heel, and are biker boots! Also, I got them at Payless for about $30. This is what they look like:

I absolutely love them! Especially since I've been wearing a lot of skinny jeans/jeggings lately...these look really great worn over those, no matter what top I'm wearing.

Second, and this one is kind of random...I'm pretty sure I talked about going to see "The Help" back in a previous post. Well, I've been reading the book, and it's awesome. I definitely recommend it to everyone. :)

Third (also random): I've been trying to eat healthier and exercise more here lately. Back in January, after I was finished with RN school and the holiday season was over, I started doing that, and between the months of January and August, I lost almost 30 pounds! Very proud of myself for that, and I really like how I look...but I would like to lose another 20, because that will be at least 2 pant sizes down, which is where I feel like I need to be. I know it'll be difficult with the holiday season fast approaching, but I'm doing it the healthy way like I did before, so I'm sure it'll work. I'll try to keep updated on that.

Now the fourth thing that's new with me...I got a new phone! And...it's an iPhone 4. :) I LOVE it, and I've only had it for 3 days. The phone I had previously was a HTC Droid Eris. It was okay, but in my opinion, Android phones have nothing on the iPhone!

And now for the last thing, and I definitely saved the best for last. :) I'm dating a new guy! We've been seeing each other for about a month, but we "talked" on and off for nearly a year and a half before that. I'll have to write more about him and how we started dating in a separate post. He's amazing, and I'm definitely falling hard for him. :) He makes me sooo happy! And yes, he has a name, ha ha. His name is Mat. :)

I do believe that is it for now. Sorry for not posting much lately, but like I said, my work schedule has been crazy! Hopefully from now on I can write at least a couple of times a week, but we'll see.

xoxo, Brittany

Jeggings! And some other stuff...

So I went shopping with my twin sister today, who was needing to find a dress to wear to our cousin's wedding next weekend. While she looked through the dresses, I decided to look through the other clothes and see if there was anything I wanted to try on and possibly buy later. During my search through the racks of cute new fall shirts, I came across some jeggings. Up until a couple of months ago, I was much heavier (and 2 sizes bigger) than I am now, so when jeggings first became popular, there was no way I was going to wear them. However, losing weight does all kinds of things for your confidence levels. And even though I'm still a couple of sizes away from where I want to be, I have a new love of clothes that I wouldn't even dream of trying on a few months ago. So anyway, I picked up a pair of the jeggings in my size and headed to the dressing room. And let me tell you...these are the most comfortable pants I've ever put on! Yes they're denim, but I understand now what my little sister (who is tiny and can wear anything, ha ha) meant by saying they feel like pajamas. Because honestly, that's what they feel like. And now I'm very excited about pay day this week so I can go and buy those jeggings! Here's a picture of me in them. :)

Other things I love about this picture/my outfit:

1. That purple shirt...you can't tell because of the angle I'm standing at, but the sleeves have cutouts at the shoulders. It's also kinda loose on me at the top, and tends to slide to one side/fall off my shoulder a little which I really like. :)
2. My sparkly butterfly ring, because it's fun!
3. Awesome aviator sunglasses perched on my head.
4. My necklace...it's got lots of different colors in it, and kind of reminds me of candy. :)
5. The fact that even though I only got four hours of sleep today (I worked last night), you can't really tell in this picture...and in my opinion, I look fabulous. :)

And in case anyone wants to know, the things just listed came from a store called Rue 21, and the jeggings are at Maurices.

Other fun things that I found while we were out shopping: awesome biker boots, dressy black ankle booties, purple moccasins, a few great jackets, and lots of pretty jewelry. After we were done shopping, we were both thirsty, so my sister got a vanilla Italian cream soda and I got a caramel frappe! Perfect ending to a shopping trip, I think. :)

Also, we had IHOP take-out for dinner...it was delicious! And I ended my day with sitting on the pull-out sofa bed with my little sister (who is spending the night tonight), just talking, listening to music, and looking at things online that we want.

Overall, I had a wonderful day, despite the lack of sleep. Speaking of, I do believe it's time for me to catch up on some of that. Goodnight! :) xoxo, Brittany

What I've been up to!

This is an update of sorts, and a short review of a couple new products I've bought recently.

Last weekend, my sisters and I FINALLY saw The Help! And oh my goodness, it was a WONDERFUL movie! I'm not gonna say anything about it because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but I will say this: go see it...tonight! Ha ha. I hope to get to see it again, and I will be buying the book. I will also add this to my movie collection when it comes out on DVD. :) It was seriously one of the best movies I've ever seen, and I highly recommend it.

Okay, now for a short review. Like always, I don't even know if anyone actually reads this blog lol, but I'm gonna pretend that people do, just because it makes me feel better about spending time to type these posts up, ha ha. Alright, I'm sure a lot of people have heard about the DermaNew microdermabrasion system. I ordered one after seeing several positive reviews on it on Youtube, and I got mine in the mail last week. I've been using it pretty much every day, and it has made such a huge difference in my acne and the overall appearance of my skin. This is what it looks like...

And in case you were wondering, I got it from Beauty Choice.

In my last post, I mentioned the L'Oreal Double Extend Tubes mascara that I had recently bought. I've been using it for a few days now and LOVE it! It definitely makes my lashes look longer, and it's super-easy to apply and take off. I'm also still loving my Urban Decay Naked palette...been using it every day since I got it, ha ha!

Something else that I got last week is from iVi Scents. I bought the limited edition Kandee Johnson Birthday Cake Collection, which includes sugar scrub, body butter, and soap. These are the best-smelling bath products I've ever used, and they're so much better for your skin than a lot of other stuff is, because iVi Scents makes their products from non-toxic ingredients, and uses as many natural ingredients as possible. I love that, because I definitely do not enjoy putting harmful chemicals onto my skin. And the smell...I just want to eat all of this stuff because it smells so good, ha ha. Anyway, this is what the soap looks like:

And the sugar scrub looks like this:

And finally, the body butter:

The Kandee Johnson Collection is a limited edition set, but I just checked on the iVi Scents website and everything is still available...and the soap and sugar scrub are at discounted prices right now. The Birthday Cake scent will be available whenever, but if you're a Kandee fan like I am and want this set, I recommend getting it soon. :)

And oh my gosh, I can't believe I didn't say this first: I GOT A NEW CAR LAST FRIDAY!!! :D It's a Nissan Versa, and I absolutely LOVE it! It is a very pretty color called Arctic Blue. Here is a picture for ya!

Isn't it just adorable?! Yes, it's a cute car that gets good gas mileage, but it's also ALL MINE! Ever since I've been driving, I've had to share a car with my twin sister. And now I have a brand-new car that's my own. Love. :)

Not sure what I'm gonna be doing tonight. My little sister is coming over, so I'm sure we'll find something to do, even if it's just ordering pizza and watching a movie on Netflix. Hope you all have a wonderful day!
xoxo, Brittany

My Favorites: Beauty Product Edition

So, here it is! Another list of some of my favorite things, but this time with beauty products (make-up and hair stuff).

First is make-up, and I'm going to go in order of when I put them on...makes the most sense, right? Ha ha. Okay, so, the first thing I put on when I'm doing my make-up is face primer. I use Sephora Smoothing Primer or Benefit "that gal" brightening face primer. They both do a pretty good job of keeping my make-up in place. Only difference really is that the Sephora one gives a "slicker" feel to my face than the Benefit one. After primer is, of course, foundation. Lately I've been using the Covergirl Natureluxe foundation in 310 (flax). I absolutely love this stuff. The foundation is very silky and smooth on my face, even when I'm in a hurry and don't have time to put primer on.

In the hotter, more humid summer months (that seem to last forever in Arkansas, lol) I will use a tinted moisturizer if I know I'm going to be outside a lot, or if I'm at the beach or lake and just want a little bit of coverage. My two favorites are Covergirl CG Smoothers tinted moisturizer in fair to light and Philosophy Hope in a Tinted Moisturizer in light to medium. I like to have 2 different colors like this because once I have a nice tan (which usually doesn't take long) the "fair to light" colors aren't dark enough for me.

I do use a concealer under my eyes, and another on any blemishes I have. The product I use for undereye circles is Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Tinted Anti-Dark-Circle roller. It is amazing, and I think it's starting to lighten up my dark circles. The concealer I use for blemishes is the Physician's Formula concealer twins in yellow/light. I use the light side, and occasionally will use the yellow and light on top of the Garnier under my eyes, just when I'm sleep-deprived and need extra coverage.

After foundation and concealer, I use some kind of powder. My favorites right now are BareMinerals powder in fairly light, and Make-Up Forever HD powder. The BareMinerals is good if I need just a bit of coverage, or if I'm going to be spending a lot of time outside because it has SPF in it. The HD powder, however, is awesome. It feels like silk powder on your face. It's very translucent and colorless, and to me it doesn't give that heavy feeling that a lot of other powders do.

Following powder, I use bronzer to contour my face (under my cheekbones and on my temples). The bronzer I'm using right now is Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in Tropics. It's a good color for my skin tone, and it does what I want it to. After that, I use a highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones. I always use a cream and then a powder to set it. I just got Urban Decay cream highlighter in Sin, and it is beautiful! For the powder highlighter, I've been using BareMinerals mineral veil in Feather Light. It's pretty. :) I then use a blush right along my cheekbone, kind of between where I've put the bronzer and highlighter. It sounds weird, but it works and looks good. The blush I have at the moment is Clinique Blushing Blush in Smoldering Plum. It's a really pretty dark pink color.

Next is eyes! I LOVE eye shadow, and I think it's safe to say that next to lip gloss, eye shadow is my favorite make-up product to buy. For everyday, I like a neutral color. Lately I've been using Covergirl Eye Enhancers Trio in Cafe Au Lait. However, I just got this yesterday:

One word for this: LOVE! And that's after using it just once! I can't wait to play with it some more and come up with different color combinations and looks. :) Urban Decay makes another palette that is one of my favorites, and that is the Alice in Wonderland palette. I'm not sure if it's still available, because I'm pretty sure it was a special thing just for the movie back when it came out. However, you might still be able to find unused ones for sale on eBay.

Some other eye shadows that I like are Clinique's Color Surge eye shadow duo in twilight mauve and brandied plum. These two colors actually came with my Blushing Blush in Plum, as a small palette. I got it in a gift set a few months ago. These purple colors are fun for when I want to do something different with my eyes. Another brand that I think makes pretty good palettes at a wonderful price is ELF. My two favorites from them are the Beauty Eye Manual-Smoky Eye Edition, and the 32 Colors Eye Shadow Palette.

To keep all of these colors in place on my lids, I always use an eye shadow primer. I like Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but my favorite is Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion. The Too Faced one does its job by keeping my eye shadow on all day (or night), but the Urban Decay one does that, plus makes every color you put on top of it look absolutely fabulous. 

After my eye shadow, I use eyeliner, unless I'm in a big hurry and don't have time, ha ha. My favorites are Rimmel London Exaggerate waterproof eyeliner in Noir, Maybelline Eye Studio gel eyeliner in Blackest Black, and a new favorite, L'Oreal Extra Intense liquid pencil eyeliner in Carbon Black. I literally bought this last night and came home and tried it, and it is wonderful! It goes on very smoothly like a liquid or gel liner, but it's super easy to put on like a pencil liner. 

After I'm done with my eyeliner, I curl my lashes. I use Revlon's eyelash curler, which is amazing. After that, I put on my mascara. I've got a couple of favorites. First is Maybelline One By One in Blackest Black. It looks sooo good on my lashes! I was lucky enough to be born with naturally long lashes...however, since I'm also naturally a blonde, the ends of my long lashes don't show up very well. This mascara darkens and thickens my lashes, and makes them look really nice. In fact, the other night at work I had this on, and one of the nurses complimented me on how long and pretty my eyelashes were. :) Another favorite of mine is Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash (I think the color is just Black). It's great and I love it and can't say enough good things about it. I also like Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara, for exactly the same reasons, ha ha. Last night I bought L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes mascara in Blackest Black. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I'm excited to get to use it today! Supposedly it makes you look like you have lash extensions...and even though I do have long lashes, I don't see anything wrong with making them look longer lol. 

I have also recently started defining my eyebrows. I like Maybelline Define-A-Brow in light blonde, and have been using that. However, my Naked Palette came with a color called, well, Naked, and I used it on my brows yesterday...it worked really well! 

And now we move on to lips. My absolute favorite lip products are MAC lip liner in Subculture, and MAC creme sheen glass in Fashion Whim. They give the perfect pink color to my lips, and it goes with whatever clothes and make-up I already have on. If I want to do something darker, though, I like Revlon Just Bitten lipstain + balm in Beloved. It's kind of a pinkish-plum color and very pretty. I also like Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips lip gloss in Dolly. It's a dark pink and feels so nice on my lips...it's also mint flavored, which I love. For lip balm, I love Eos in lemon drop and Burt's Bees. Both are amazing products.

Okay, I believe that is all for make-up. Now I just have a few hair products that I'm going to mention quickly. These are all products that I use after I've washed and conditioned my hair. The first is Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil. I use this after towel-drying my hair, before I blow dry it. I can't even begin to describe how soft and healthy this makes my hair feel. I know I do a lot of damage to my hair when I straighten or curl it, but I feel like this argan oil just makes it un-damaged again. It's awesome. Before straightening my hair, I us Got 2b Guardian Angel flat iron balm straightening spray. I can definitely tell a difference in the health of my hair since I've started using this as opposed to when I didn't use any kind of heat protectant on it. Another product I like that I'm not even sure is available anymore is Bed Head A Hair Stick for Cool People. It's a texturizing stick, and I just rub a little on my fingers and run them through the ends of my hair after I've straightened it. This stuff works especially well at keeping my bangs under control when they just don't want to stay in place, which is more often than I'd like, ha ha.

And now I'm gonna mention my top 3 favorite perfumes right now. For summer, I like to use a body splash. I love Dream Angels Heavenly and PINK with a splash Fresh and Clean, both from Victoria's Secret. The Dream Angels Heavenly I actually use year-round because I love the scent so much, but in the cooler months I switch to the perfume formulation rather than the body splash. I also love, for summer, Forever Sunshine body splash from Bath and Body Works. It smells like all the best things about summer: sunshine, flowers, fruits. Love it.

One more thing and then I'm done, ha ha! The Aveeno face wash that I was using made my face break out after like, 2 days. So needless to say, I am not using that anymore, and have instead switched back to using my Murad Clarifying Cleanser. I have a whole bottle of this left, so I figured I would use it up instead of wasting it, since I did pay quite a bit of money for it. Also, just to clear up something from my last "favorites" post, the foot scrub I use is Peppermint and Plum scented.

I realize this was a really long post...sorry! Oh well, I hope that whoever reads this enjoys it anyway. I'll write again soon! Have a great day! xoxo, Brittany