...I Spent Waaaay Too Much Money Last Weekend

Ah, Gustavos weekends... where I get my much needed girl time and my bank account gets decimated.  Worth it? Definitely.  And because of schedules, it only happens like once every six months or so, which we're working on fixing, but it was so needed and was a fitting end to my Spring Break.

So, haul time!  Beyond two new dresses (for under $20 together HECK YES) and a couple of more expensive blouses, I got a bunch of new makeup items.

At Ulta:  Ulta has had a beautiful sale going on, and on Saturday they had Bare Minerals mascara on sale for $9. Half price? I am about that life, lemme tell you.  (I used Ashley's a while back and loved it).  I also picked up NYX BB Cream and Pore filler.

At Target:  We decided to make a drug store makeup run because some of us (ahem, me) can't get over the mental hang up of spending more than $15 on a single item of makeup.  I'm cheap, I can't help it.  I got a bunch of e.l.f. items; including setting spray, brush cleaner, lip exfoliator, and a 32 eye shadow pallette. I've already used the pallette, and I love it.

At Sephora:  The last Gustavos weekend, we went to Sephora and I wanted (but couldn't justify at the time) this two ended lipstick set from Bite Beauty.  It includes the colors "Fig" and "Date".  I still wanted it just as much this time, so I treated myself.

P.S. In my haul photo, I included a buy from Old Navy, e.l.f.'s Face Primer.  I didn't get it this past weekend, but it's still less than a week old, so it deserves a place.

I am also not completely sure what the big deal is about BB Cream... I've Googled and I still don't completely understand, anyone care to explain? A more detailed review is coming soon, once I've given them a good try.

-Megan

Gustavos Weekend!!!!

Hey y'all! 

This weekend, Ash and I traveled up to visit our friend Amber. Ash nicknamed us the Gustavos back in high school, hence the title haha. And let me tell you, shopping with the three of us should be an Olympic sport. 

We had tons of fun, jokes and shenanigans were had. We ate at some of the best places: Zios, Houlihan's, Cheddars, and of course a late night Taco Bell run. We hit the mall twice, Ulta twice (I got Bare Minerals mascara for nine dollars, more on that later!), and Sephora twice. Our bank accounts were severely hit, and the both of us will be on a self-imposed spending freeze, but it was worth it.

We will each upload our hauls later this week, after we've fully tested and put our items to use. Reviews are coming, and we think you'll be pleased. 

I think my favorite part was trying out Amber's Makeup Geek eye shadows. It's pushed me over the edge and once my spending freeze is over, I'm totally buying  some! I will make it spending freeze, I will make it through the spending freeze... Hopefully. 

I think my favorite part of the weekend, beyond hanging with the girls, wasn't the makeup I bought (even though I got a BUNCH). I bought two new blouses from Forever 21 and two new dresses from JC Penny's. Hello, professional wardrobe! The dresses were a steal, together I spent less than $20 total. 

All together we've had a great girls weekend, catching up on everything that's been going on in our lives. I had a blast and can't wait to do it again...when my spending freeze is over. (I'm thinking a 3 month freeze is acceptable) lol. I'm gonna give myself a couple of weeks to try out my makeup to give my honest opinions of it so your reviews will be then. :) 

Here are some pics from the weekend. Talk to you soon!

Shopping! Megan wanted that purse so bad. It was just too cute! Also how adorable is too faced?! No teddy bears and animals were tested. Aww. Note to self: buy more too faced products. 

The top pic is of Sunday, Amber wasn't feeling too well but she put on a great smilie for us. :) 

The bottom pic was of me and Megan. We decided to get face masks at target. I think I got a clarifying peel mask and Megan did a deep cleansing mask. I really liked mine. However, I've never had a mask where you could not show emotion at all. It was like we had botox! We made fun of each other...but couldn't even laugh or smile. Of course, that made me super giggly. It was awful haha!

Watching YouTube.

Hey guys, its Ashley here! I thought I would do a different post for this week, YouTube favorites! I don’t know where I would be without YouTube in the makeup world honestly. I love watching makeup tutorials and getting tips from there. I have subscribed to some accounts that I found to be great, either the person is super good with makeup or they’re just plain fun to watch. I thought I would let you in on some of my favorites and why they make the list. Here goes nothing!

 

Jaclyn Hill - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6jgzx2g3nlbaYkd8EMweKA

She’s my all-time favorite makeup artist on YouTube. She is amazing at what she does! I started out really interested in makeup because of her. She made me think that I could actually pull off her looks with practice and a lot of patience. I blame her for my makeup addiction now. Lol. Watch her bloopers at the end; they are probably my favorite when she includes them in her videos.

Casey Holmes - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxj0QizmFhx7kVKSArHBCTA

Casey seriously would make the best friend ever. She is super funny and down to earth. She just seems very real. Her makeup and hair are always on point too. She doesn’t just do makeup videos, she also does fashion hauls and hair tutorials. One of my favorite parts of on her monthly favorites video is she will tell what music she’s currently listening to. Music is life for me so anytime I can hear something new that may be good, I’m all up for it!

Kathleen Lights - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8v4vz_n2rys6Yxpj8LuOBA

This girl is so much fun to watch. She is real and down to earth also. I love watching her tutorials because she makes them seem so easy, and usually they aren’t very difficult. She also will try to stay away from designer makeup that is expensive or she will warn you about it if she does use it. I can’t stand when I find a look I really like and someone is using a bronzer that’s over $50…seriously? Aint nobody got the time for that.

Nicole Guerriero - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz0Qnv6KczUe3NH1wnpmqhA

I started watching Nicole from Jaclyn Hill’s page. She’s really fun too. She does makeup and hair tutorials. Each video I watch of hers, I always learn a new tip or trick. Also, she has started a new skin care line. I would love to get the chance sometime to try it.

 

So those are just some of my favorites to watch on YouTube. Are there any that you guys watch that I should know of? Let me know, I’m always looking to find some new videos.

Spring cleaning of the face

Hey guys! I thought I would do a skin care post, since the face is like a canvas whem we start putting make up on it. It's always good to start out with a clean and fresh face!

So I use to have the worst acne when I was in high school...it was bad. So cleaning your face is super important, twice a day. Eating healthy and trying to not become stressed out. The last tip, is seriously what I need to do at the moment (hence my current two breakouts). So let's get into this thing! 

Morning routine - Confession time! I actually don't wash wash my face in the morning during the week. I just use a facial wipe and put some moisturizer on it. I'm pretty sure this isn't the best routine out there but ugh, I hate waking up already so the less I have to do the better. Lol. 

The facial wipes I typically use is make up remover facial wipes from the dollar tree. They work alright. I just hate spending so much money on wipes so I found a cheap way of doing it that works. 

The moisturizer I use is the Ulta brand with spf 15. It isn't anything fancy. Does the job. I would like to get something new to wear when I'm not out in the sun. It does kinda make my skin feel and look a lil oily without makeup under it. 

On a weekend morning I like using Clean & Clear Morning Burst facial cleanser. It kinda does make you feel more awake. It has these beads in it that break when you rub your fingers into your skin. I should really start waking up earlier to use it instead of the wipes. After the cleanser, I'll use Equate Beauty Clarifying Toner. It is the knock off of Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2. I never used toner before I got this bottle and really like it. It makes my skin feel very refreshed. Next I'll use Palmetto Derma Collagen Booster & Resortation Serum. Another first bottle of using serum in my skin care. I got this in a Boxycharm box and I really like it. Makes my skin feel so soft. Then I top it all off with the moisturizer I mentioned before. 

Evening routine - Depending if I have makeup on, I'll use a facial wipe to help out getting all that stuff of. So I switch on cleanser, I'll either use Purity or Clean & Clear Night Relaxing. Does the Night Clean & Clear make me feel relaxed, eh...not really. I use my same weekend toner and moisturizer. But I do use the Tarte Maracuja Bronzinf Serum which is one of my favorite skin products I have. 

When I travel I do use Equate Beauty Deep Cleansing which is a knock off of Noxzema. I like this for travel since its a cream and won't spill. 

I would like to find some more products that are good for oily skin. What is your favorite face product? Any good tips I should try out?

Spring is Coming!!

Don't get me wrong, I love winter. I love sweaters and scarves and boots... but the sheer amount of snow and ice that the MoArk area got the past couple of weeks just really got me down. Probably because I was trapped inside my apartment for most of it, but that's besides the point. I missed sunshine and moderate temperatures, so this weekend and this upcoming week will definitely be enjoyable.

360- "Mellow Yellow"

I got so excited about the weather that I went and got a bright new polish color.  Yellow.  (Too bad yellow is NOT my color, but I don't care. Spring is coming!)  Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear #360 "Mellow Yellow" truly looks like sunshine in a bottle.  It's so vivid and everything a yellow ought to be.

One coat. Super thin!

Four coats later...

The only downside I could see to this polish is how thin it is.  One coat definitely does not do the job well.  In fact, I used four.  Other than that small issue, I love this color.

Random question... How do people decide what shape to make their nails and HOW DO THEY DO IT SO PERFECTLY?! The struggles of an uncoordinated person with oddly shaped nails.  Nail beds are still wonky. #Girlprobs, I guess.

P.S. Now that I look at the pictures, the yellow doesn't look all that bad with my skin tone... Hmm...

Haul Haul Haul!

It's haul time! I've been collecting up this stuff up for a whole month or so. I have makeup from Ulta, Target, and Sephora. I've been using it quite a bit, therefore there's going to be some mini reviews in this too. There are a few products I haven't gotten to yet. Let's get it started with Ulta first. 

Ulta

I had never tried any thing from the NYX line therefore I jumped into it. It's pretty affordable and if you catch it at Ulta on sale, you just can't beat it. I got 2 soft matte lip creams, 3 retractable lip liners that claim to be waterproof, and 1 wonder pencil. 

I'm so impressed with the wonder pencil. It's in the color light. NYX claims that this pencil can do 3 things: conceal blemishes, line your lips against lipstick bleeding and fading, and brighten up the waterline of the eyelids. Sounds pretty wonderful, right? I've only used it for lower eyeliner. I really like it as that. I would like to use it for a lip liner but is that weird to use the exact same pencil for eyes and lips? Is that hygienic? I'm not too sure about it. I may have to get 2 pencils. 

Lip creams, wow. They're super creamy! They smell like buttercream too, love it. I feel like I'm putting cupcake frosting on my lips every time I apply them. The lasting time is alright, you will need to take it along to reapply that's for sure. I find the darker colors run a lil but lip liner should fix that right? 

I don't have much to say on the lip liners. There's not anything super special about them. 

Colors going top to bottom: natural, nude pink, and pretty in pink.

Prague and antwerp. 

Target. 

I had to check out some elf products that I've been hearing about of course. I'm actually pretty impressed with some of these products that I got from elf. 

Daily brush cleaner, is great from spot cleaning. I had just been rubbing my eye shadows left overs from my brushes on toilet paper...bad, I know. I just didn't wanna deep clean them every time since I didn't have any spot cleaner, until now! So basically I'm loving it. It works great. And smell is pretty good too. 

Blush brush, this brush is used for many things on YouTube. I've mostly seen it as a concealer setting powder. It's the prefect size for it. I haven't used it yet considering I just cleaned it finally for use. But I definitely plan on trying to make it a multitude use brush, hopefully. 

Eyebrow kit, I haven't tried it yet. It's on my bucket list to figure this whole eyebrow figuring out thing. 

Lip exfoliator, I love this! It was only $3 and one heck of a value. It smells kinda fruityish? When you run it over your lips it is very textured and you can feel it exfoliate, which I would hope you could. Lol. It has a waxy feel once on the lips. I think it will be a great lip primer for lip sticks. Also the packaging is very sleek and black. I like it a lot. 

Contouring blush and bronzing powder in St. Lucia, not sure how I feel about this yet. I think this is suppose to be a dupe for Nars. I just don't like glittery or any shimmer on my face other than my eye lids.  

Elf lip exfoliator

Contouring blush and bronzing powder in St. Lucia. Top is bronzer and blush is bottom. After looking at the swatch, I may start liking the bronzer. It doesn't look too glittery like the blush. 

Sephora. 

Melted too faced in peony. Ugh....I wanted to like it, I really did! But the "long lasting" isn't long lasting. Such a disappointment. It may last 40 minutes. It begins to get clumpy where the lips connect and I hate that. I've applied 2 different lip liners to it and it still does it. I'm going to try the elf lip exfoliator under it and see if it helps any. 

Nars blush in amour. I love it! It's matte and the color is so pretty. I have a lot of blushes I'm a hot pinkish color and this is different for me. I think you could wear this everyday and it be great with any look. I also had this on all day at work and it was long lasting, big plus for me. I definitely wanna try another blush from Nars now. 

Hoola from Benefit, bronzing powder. Love again! It's matte and great. It's easy to work with and blend. This possibly maybe one of my favorite bronzing powders. I would like to try to learn how to contour and use it. The brush it comes with, I think, would work really good for it too. It's like a mini Nars Ita brush. 

Bite Beauty Matte Cream Crayon in Glace. I love it! The color is beautiful, perfect for everyday. It last long. I'm definitely thinking of trying more of Bite Beauty products and everything they use is edible. Not that I'm going to start eating my lip crayon but it's all natural. I really like that about this brand. 

Too faced melted peony, such a pretty pink...I gotta figure out a way to make it work!

Nars Amour 

Hoola by Benefit 

Bite Beauty in Glace. 

Over all I think I found some keepers and a disappointment...too face melted! Come on! Lol. But I can't wait to try out my elf eyebrows kit to see how that goes. Wish me luck!