The Autumn Tag

I have been out for the past 2 weeks because the place has been a mess and things are barely getting back on track but now we are heading out to New York for my very first time ever and I still have to pack. I am thinking of doing a "what's in my travel makeup bag" type post and will share some photos from my trip. I have also received my new sewing machine and will be making some new throw pillows for the couches and I rally want to post the end result if it turns out good. I decided to participate in this tag because I really love fall and thought you'd like to see a sneak peek into what I like and whatnot. I was tagged by Shiraz of http://misunderstoodprincesses.blogspot.com/

Favorite thing about autumn ?

Finally being able to use the oven. I really love to bake even though I don't usually eat what I bake, strange I know! On my "to bake" list is a lemon thyme loaf, banana bourbon nut bread, chocolate chip cookies, any scones, Russian tea cakes, biscotti, anything that requires cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves in it because I'm really obsessed with those Flavors at the moment, I'll try one more time to make a pie completely from scratch, and definitely a whole dang chicken. I'll eat the chicken, all of it because that's how delicious I make it. I also love boots and blazers. That should have been my blog name lol you can take it if you want it though! 

Favorite drink ? 

Mulled wine, apple cider both hot and cold, and coffee. I just tried a recipe out for hot buttered rum with pumpkin and that was too good for words. 

Favorite scent/candle ?

I love getting the candles that smell like a fireplace and anything apple and cinnamon. I've also been hoarding the scent summer wish from yankee candle and I think I'll start burning that again. 

Favorite lipstick ? 

Right now I have two favorites but each one has it's place. If I'm going for a smokey eye I will apply NYX lipstick in the color Doll because for me it looks like a "my lips but better" type of color. It's perfect for day, night, work or play. My other favorite is the Red Velvet Velvetine from Lime Crime. I love matte lipsticks and this one is super matte without over drying and smudge proof until you get gloss or eat something super greasy or soupy. I really never thought a "blue based red" would make a red lipstick believer out of me but this surely did and cant wait to venture there a little more. 

Go-to moisturizer ?

I use SPF on my face year round because  I have issues with acne scars and I don't need them getting darker. My go to that I've been using for almost 3 years now is the Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer. It moisturizes without being oily on my combo skin and I slather it all on my neck too because I don't want to look like a chicken when I'm old. I'm still looking for a suitable eye cream and day cream. Yes, day cream for under my sunscreen because I really don't want wrinkles. 

Fave go-to color for your eyes ?

I love my naked pallet and for a more classic smokey eye I use the Love in Rio trio in No tan Lines Allowed from NYX. But for this fall I'm on the hunt for the perfect forest/emerald green. 

Favorite music to listen to ? 

Anything from Lana Del Rey or The Smiths and This song from The Kooks

Favorite outfit to wear ? 

Skirt or dress with black stockings, cute flats, and a blazer or cardigan. It never gets too cold during the fall in LA. Or on a lazy day I'll wear my thrifted red flannel shirt with leggings and boots. 

Autumn treat ?

Apple cider! New black boots! Heavy black cat eyed liner! Red and purple lips! Those will be my treats for myself this fall. 

Favorite place to be ? 

At home, watching my favorites shows or a classic movie while crafting or blogging. If its really cold my favorite place will be the kitchen making dinner or baked treats. On a Saturday or Sunday I think a coffee shop would be great to sit around in and people watch. 

Okay, so that's it! All done! Now here comes the hard part because I really feel so awkward about tagging anyone but here it goes...

Spohie Rose of  http://www.sophierosee.com/

Tori of http://www.aztecmess.com/

Celia of http://celiasantics.blogspot.com/

Bryany of http://bryanyellen.blogspot.co.uk/

And because I am feeling a little ballsy from my wine I choose YOU Estee of http://www.essiebutton.com/

So there you have it! I feel sorta awkward writing now after my hiatus but I'm sure I will get my head above water again. Hopefully you enjoyed my very first tag and hopefully I will get tagged for a different one. Let me know if you do decide to take part in the tag because I like reading other's responses. 

Julep Maven Sneak Peek - October

I really get excited to see sneak peeks of my subscription boxes and usually determines how excited I get for the next months box.

All I can say is that I am truly underwhelmed with the sneak peek for the October Julep maven box. I mean, really?!! A double ended eyeliner pencil? Maybe I'd be more excited if I still have not found a good eyeliner in black or brown but honestly I already have. I mean, nothing can replace my budge proof black eyeliner and the only thing I use brown liner for is for a cheater way to do a smokey neutral eye. I have dark hair and black lashes so a brown really doesn't seem to translate well on my top lash line.

Hopefully the nail polish color selections will make up for the sneak peek or I might just skip out in this month altogether. How do you feel about the sneak peek?

Hey?!! What's the Hold Up?!!

Hey everyone! I know I have been a bit MIA and all but would like you to know that the renovations on my boyfriend's condo are almost done. The floors have been ripped out, the walls are still in process of being painted, we a squished into the tiny spare room with everything. Needless to say, blogging conditions are not so great. I really didn't think it was appropriate to be blogging about all the construction that has been going on as this is a beauty blog but then I thought, "what the heck?" and here I am giving you an update on what's going down.

I really, really hate plain white walls and no matter how much someone tries to convince me otherwise you will not sway me to believe the look is "clean". Do you know what looks clean? You cleaning the place up, not the walls. Plus, every time growing up with my dad saying we would paint the place I got super excited at the color possibilities and every single time he picked out white for every single wall in the house. So I was happy to agree upon another color to paint the living room walls but neither my BF or I could decide a color. We both were looking up something darker since he had someone install some recess ceiling light and that would make the room well lit and the room was large enough to handle the darker color. We both finally agreed on a slight blueish dark grey called Shining Knight from Dunn Edwards paint. it is already painted in the living room right now and we got so excited and laid out a plank of the flooring to get a sneak peek of what to expect and I'll say it looks grown up and really sexy. I never thought a room could be sexy until now.

But then we had to decide on a good color to go in the dinning and kitchen area that you can clearly see from the living room. He was looking at some stupid color chart that suggested a brown and I almost barfed in my mouth a little. Brown walls conjure up bad 70's brown refrigerators with avocado green walls or even worse...a boring snore worthy beige. I really love a welcoming warm color that would scream "come in and see what I am cooking now" and looked at different shades of coral, orange and yellow. I felt coral wouldn't fly with him too well so did a lot of swatch searching and found the perfect bright yellow with some slight orange undertones. All I had to do was show him the color chips right next to each other and he agreed that It was the best choice. So now my favorite room in the house is going to be bright and sunny which will be perfect for the upcoming short winter days. The color is called Apricot Glow and is being painted on the walls today. I can't wait to get home and see it all done.

 I was really excited to pick out some colors and help my boyfriend pick out his flooring. He likes things to look a little more modern and I am okay with a more rustic kind of look. We found the perfect mix of the two in a dark brown laminate with texture. When I was looking around it was the very first one that caught my eye and was on sale. It didn't take any convincing on my part because it was exactly what he was looking for as well.

I really cannot get enough of this color floor. I am still obsessed over it and I'll take that as a good sign. 

Sorry the picture is so dark but here is the mess we are living in right now, really no space to sit and blog and really concentrate. So please, I really hope you do stick around and see what I have in store next after everything is good. The guy who is installing the floor is supposed to be here Friday and we hope it will only take one day to get it all in. If he isn't he's available on the weekends to finish the job. We are also going to be busy dog sitting this Saturday and Sunday for his friend's puppy. She is such a sweetheart and a love bug I really can't wait to spend a weekend with her. 

I have also gone a little pinterest crazy looking at how to jazz up the place once its all done. I plan on just making pillow cases for the throws on the couch but am having a hard time deciding if I will sew them by hand if I can't get my paws on a machine or look at some no sew ideas. But I also want to make some curtains for the living room and get rid of the ugly vertical blinds in there so I will need a machine if I don't want to be sewing until next spring. I know I will figure something out and I think it will look great. He always wanted me to add a woman's touch to the man cave and he's going to get it! 

Also, a small announcement, I will be heading to The Big Apple at the end of this month and will be my very first time visiting. I really am excited and will try to document as much as I can and maybe do a post on what I packed. Like a what's in my bag travel edition. I think the one thing I am most excited about is visiting the Alice in wonderland statue in Central Park and just seeing Central Park in general. that should be a blast. Hopefully I have an update for you next Monday or Tuesday. If I do make pillows and curtains I would want to show you the DIY in it's own post. But I think it would be another few weeks before I can start that project. 

So there you go! I am alive, the place is a mess, and I'm obsessed with picking accent colors. What's new with you? 

My Fall Must-Haves Fashion Edition

Yesterday was the first real cold day in a very long time and it jogged my thinking...what else do I need to survive the cold winter that is ahead. So I have been examining my closet and taking inventory and made my list of Must have items that will keep me warm while still looking cool.

I swear, I have an addiction to blazers and I really cannot stress enough that when its cold out it really pulls everything together and makes me look and feel less frumpy. I will admit that I have 7 hanging up in my closet as I speak in all sorts of neutral colors and most are bought from the local thrift store.

But the one thing I do not have is a nice leather/pleather jacket. I have had a difficult time finding one in the thrift store that doesn't look too outdated or even fits so that means my only option now is to just move on to other retailers. One store in particular is one I used to religiously shop at until recently, Forever21. When I stopped shopping there the taste level was getting a little questionable and too juvenile but I remember well that I do love the affordable outerwear.

Spiked leather moto jacket
Picture from Forever21 website

So searching on the site I think I may have found something along the lines of what I'm looking for, a classic shape with the tough girl edge. I could see myself wearing this with my many dresses over some leggings. I love to look like a contradiction when I wear my clothes. Sweet and tough, sexy and casual, grungy and pulled together and yes I try to pull it off and sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. It all depends on the piece you pick out for your closet and I think this would help me accomplish a lot more than I can now.

The Jean vest in storm cloud wash
picture from madewell website

I think I really digging on the cool biker chick look lately because my next must have is a denim vest. Sometimes I want to wear outerwear but don't think I will need the extra warmth and a vest really fixes that issue for me. I always have this need to top my outfit with something. I wonder if any of you feel the same way?

Cheapie Target stockings
picture from Target website

Because it doesn't get too cold outside I will be stocking (haha! did you get it?) up on these bad boys at Target. i don't know why they show up as $8 on the website though because they sell them in the store for $5 each. Maybe I will get a cool colored pair and definitely will be looking for some with polka dots on them.

Qupid RELAX-114X Quilted Riding Boot
picture from zooshoo.com

I have bought a couple times from Zooshoo and have enjoyed getting the items ahead of the delivery estimate. I have been eyeballing some of the boots on here since my first boot purchase over the summer. I have not had a pair of black boots in years and I had to retire them because they were way too well loved to wear them any longer. I can really see myself loving these as much as the last maybe even more so because of my infatuation with quilted items. i should probably get to ordering them asap if i want them in my size. It seems like everyone and their mother wears a size 6 and are the first size to run out it seems.

Purple Infinity Scarf
picture from Sweetsassylove on etsy

I really need to get my butt in gear because an infinity scarf has been on my list of must have items for 2 years now and I still do not have one and I can crochet! For those of you who cannot crochet or knit you can purchase handmade scarves from Etsy. I really do love everything in Sweet Sassy Love  and found them because I was looking for cute scarves. Maybe I will even start up making scarves myself again.

pearl ring
Picture from Jewlsremix on etsy

I really don't have enough accessories and the one thing I don't loose or break are rings. I really have been loving pearls since mid high school and continue to love the classic beauty now. I don't ever think I will stop buying my pearl earrings  no matter how many times I loose them.

I guess that's all I have on my list of must haves that keep on sneaking into my mind. As the season goes I will probably have a couple things that will pop up. What are your must haves as the seasons change to cooler weather?

Makeup setting sprays NYX vs. Urban Decay

I had fallen in love with the Urban Decay Setting sprays in 2010 when I went on a Vegas trip and needed something to make my makeup stay on while partying in hot, humid clubs and walking around in 100 degree weather. I swear, I sweated all night long and passed out with my makeup on and woke up with a perfect face still on me. That was the last time I partied like that but not the last time I used that spray.

If I want my makeup to stay on me I will do a couple sprays and go about my day. There is very little color transfer when I rub my face, and when I get home from work, all that is required is a small touch up around my nose area and go out for the evening. But the one drawback of using this product is the price, at 29 for 4oz. dollars a pop it can get pricey. There is a travel size option for $14 dollars and it is only one ounce.

So I have been on a search for something a little more affordable to stand in and give the old girl a break every once in awhile and I stumbled upon The NYX makeup setting spray and decided to give it a try. I had the choice between the matte finish or the dewy finish and decided that for my skin type I should get the matte formula because my t-zone can get pretty oily. The price for this is $8 for 2oz. and you can easily get the same amount of a full size urban decay for only $16.

I recently used it during an especially hot Saturday night and little did I know I'd be walking a marathon and breaking a sweat, more than anticipated. So I was wiping my forehead, and trying to get rid of any shininess from our impromptu bar crawl because I worked pretty darn hard to get my skin  to look perfect and flawless. Well, by the end of the night my feet were so sore and my consolation prize was *perfect looking makeup*. Well, I was one happy camper but this time I didn't leave my makeup on overnight...NOT! I still have not learned my lesson ladies. That, and I couldn't find my makeup wipes. So I woke up with perfect makeup as well.

I learned two lessons that night, this stuff lasts just like my Urban Decay but for a lot less $$. I plan to use this for day wear at work because I don't waste my good makeup on them, let alone my good setting spray.  If you are looking for something that will make your makeup stay on, this will do the trick but at a cheaper price. If you're looking for something that doesn't make you sweat while you work out then I really don't think you will find anything and you should stop fighting nature. The other lesson of the story is, i should put my makeup remover wipes on the counter so I don't end up sleeping in my makeup ever again.

Hopefully you all enjoyed my review and comparison and I feel for my skin type it is a dupe. You may or may not agree and if you haven't given it a try maybe you should. For half the price of Urban Decay I got something that works just as well. Once I use up this product I will let you all know if i think if it requires a repurchase in a future empties post. Until then, stay beautiful!

August favorites

Well, August is gone and went by super fast. The biggest thing that happened was my boyfriend's big birthday party. I treated myself to a blowout at the Drybar and really enjoyed it. I got a glass of bubbly while they did my hair and I left the place feeling super girly and a little bit sexy/saucy. Other than that night I didn't feel that it was really necessary to wear too much makeup so that is why I really only have 2 to go over.

1) NYX Mosaic Powder in Cafe I really love this bronzer because it doesn't have too much shimmer which is something I have been needing in my arsenal forever. If there is shimmer in this it is undetectable and if I don't notice it nobody else will. I also love the mosaic patches because the tiny middle square is perfect for contouring my nose. I don't contour much, just a little bit on the sides of my nose and then buff away any excess because I don't want to look like a cross dresser.

2) E.L.F Smudge Brush I have about 4 or 5 of these because they work and they are only one measly dollar. I really love using it for smudging my black eyeliner and giving myself the "I'm too bad ass to care" look. I keep one for just adding the right amount of contour on the sides of my nose. I don't always contour and I am pretty new to it so I do my best to add a little at a time and blend, blend, blend! this is thin and fluffy enough to help me achieve the look I want.

3) Burt's Bees chap stick  I have been using this chap stick forever. this has saved my lips so many times and I have been needing to rely on this more and more as the weather gets really hot and my lips need more protection. I love the fresh minty flavor and how it makes my lips soft and moisturized.

4) Lime Crime Opaque Lipstick in Centrifushia  I am in love with the color as this gives me the perfect puprley fushia color that lasts. I tend to go towards more plumy colors because somehow they show up like a red on me and I still have not found the red for me just yet. When i finally wiped this off it stained my lips the perfect flushed color I desire and looked natural.

5) Nook HD Yes, I know this is not a beauty item but I have been using it so much this month its a sin to not include it. I have been using it to look at magazines, browse the web, and most importantly, keep up with everyone's blog posts. I wake up and first thing in the morning I turn on this bad boy because it's easier to see than on my phone screen and I don't have to turn on my huge clunkin' laptop. Plus the battery lasts for a couple days without having to worry about charging it.

So what have been your August  favorites? You can link me your blog url in the comment blog if you'd like me to read yours. Hopefully you enjoyed my post and hope you stop by again soon!

My three day holiday weekend

This weekend was a nice long and relaxing one and I have been needing one for quite awhile. The boy friend and I got some breakfast early morning Saturday at Gus's BBQ in South Pasadena for some magical tasting chicken and waffles. I swear I love this fried chicken more than any other fried chicken in the area. It is never too greasy and has the best crispy batter outside and they also have this homemade vinegar hot sauce that goes so well on the chicken that adds the right amount of spice. 

Then got in some shopping and splurged on the brand new urban Decay lipstick and got a couple of other things from Ulta that I have been wanting to try. I even found a new dress at Ross for only $12 in a bright blue cobalt WITH pockets! I have already worn it out recently and in love. 

 Then the boyfriend and I went to the home improvement store and I saw these foxtail ferns that would be perfect for his front patio area that gets no sun but insists on finding flowers that grow in the shade. Maybe I'll convince him to give for these because they look like a beautiful green forest and I think its perfectly fine to not have flowers everywhere. I will plant my inception seeds and hopefully come out ahead with some awesome looking shrubbery. 

 Then I headed over to the herb section and added this purple basil to my herb garden wish list. 

 We already have sweet mint growing wild in the back patio area but this seems a bit more exotic than regular old mint. Maybe this could do well in a small indoor container to keep it from spreading all over the place. 

 Last on my list is this hot spicy oregano which would be perfect for making spicy Italian red sauce or even for soups. I would enjoy drying the sprigs myself and keeping them for later.

I have absolutely no pictures from Sunday as I was in the pool all day and I have made a huge accomplishment. I have always been deathly afraid of pools and the deep end but for the past several years I have been making myself get more comfortable and even learned how to swim with my head above water in the shallow end. This Sunday I have finally swam in the deep end which happened to be about 10 feet deep (I'm only 5'3") but still had to stay close to the edge of the pool in case I got afraid last minute. I am really proud of myself and hopefully I will get over the fear completely. 

 Then Monday morning we went to try a new coffee shop that opened up in Old Town Pasadena. I got a cappuccino and the boyfriend got a latte and we shared a blackberry thyme muffin and a pistachio kumquat croissant.

Afterwards we headed to a really fancy home decorating store and took a look at all the Christmas items they had. It is funny how I really love the look of snow but I hate how cold it is. 

I really got excited for Christmas because it just feels so romantic around that time of the year. 

I really enjoy arranging flowers even though I am still a beginner. I thought these carnations made them as a flower more appealing. To me carnations can seem cheap and cheesy but somehow the coloring on these made me think otherwise. 

 i also spent a couple hours to myself writing up a couple blog posts. I also tried birch beer for the first time and I really do like it. 

On the way back from visiting one of his friends I took some pictures of the beautiful sunset. This is proof enough for me that summer isn't quite over. The weather will still be hot for another month and a half and hopefully I will get to go to the beach before it does start getting too cold. Overall the weekend was pretty awesome full of laughs and relaxing. Hopefully all of you had a wonderful time as well and have enjoyed my post. I try to throw in a couple non beauty ones so you can get a sneak peek at my life. Thanks for reading and hope you keep on reading!

Julep Maven Box - The September "Classic With a Twist"

I LOVE how fast this particular box gets to me but I hate how I missed the window to change my profile so I could get a different box from what is scheduled for my profile. I swear, I missed it by one day. I should be more on top of this but at least the colors I got weren't that bad. 

 The inside packaging this month reminds me of the golden eggs from the old Willy Wonka movie. I was hoping to find a giant baby goose inside. Omg I love geese! 

 This month we got two nail polishes and a beauty care product. My colors are creamy nude color and a dark light shimmery eggplant  color which I love. 

 The name of the plum colored nail polish is "Padma"  and will be perfect for the fall transition. 

I used to love nude nail polishes so much but lately I have cooled off on the nude trend. But this fall nude is the "it" color of the fall season and I guess I will be a little bit on the trendy side and sport it. I do like how this is pretty neutral on me and doesn't wash me out and just looks pretty and natural. Now that I think about it more I feel it it will be great to have a low maintenance color that people won't notice any chips that come with washing dishes. 

 I have already given this a try and admit this is my first time of ever hearing of a cleansing oil. I was very skeptical about "washing" my face with an oil as I do have combination skin. I had put on a "party night out" look complete with smokey eyes, blush, powder and setting spray. This got everything off except for my heavy duty eyeliner which I had to use a cotton swab and eye makeup remover to get that stuff off. Amazingly I didn't break out either. 

 The back of the box. Did I mention this company doesn't use harmful chemicals, is cruelty free and donates a portion of sales to organisations that support women? Every time I think about that I feel less guilty inside about the splurge. 

 Here are the color swatches on my nails and please excuse my bad cuticles ( I always have bad cuticles) and my horrible paint job. Over all I am very pleased but still am disappointed because I wanted to get the box with Karmen in it but I can always get it when they offer it on special later. Karmen is like no other color I have because it has the beautiful dark crimson color mixed with a little gold. 

So I cannot wait to see what is going into next month's box and get it in my hands. I will also be keeping an eye out to see if they put my Karmen on sale so I can snatch it up! What colors are you excited to grab for the fall season? 

August Glossybox

Yay! It's that time again where I get to find out what is in my Glossybox and report back to all of you guys all about it. I really used to can't wait to see what is in the boxes so I usually take a sneak peek by looking up the hastag "#glossybox" on instagram to see what has been recently posted and what I should expect. Yes, I know I am such a  cheater but whatever, I think we all do it at some point. But this time, I  forgot and when the postman came I was really surprised and couldn't wait to see what was in my box.

All the goodies sitting in the box together.  I was pleased with the extra Guess cosmetics bag and looks pretty retro looking. I would never wear light wash jeans but i will be glad to carry it around in my purse. 

 I am a little tired of getting so many nail polishes now and I think I'll give some away to my coworker or someone I know because I am getting waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy too many nude and neutral colors than I know what to do with. 

 I really cannot wait to try this bad boy out and honestly this is what I have been looking for because it is barely starting to stay hot even though it is the end of summer. I think it normally gets cold towards mid October so I got another month to use this. I hear good things about this facial mist and I cannot wait to take it with me on my upcoming trip. 

I am a little dissapointed because I feel this might be a little too light for me right now and I will have to wait a couple months for my tan to leave me. I get tan easily because of the 1/4 Mexican in me and it's great because then I don't get sunburned like my fairer skinned little sister. It is true, the oldest always ends up darker than the youngest. I did like the texture and hope one day it will be suitable for me. 

 Does anyone else feel silly saying "Jelly Pong Pong"? I sure do! I do like how this feels so light on my lips and am the biggest sucker for lip crayons. Into my purse it goes!

 I have already used this Novex Brazillain Keratin treatment once and am already falling in love with it.This just came in time because I think I just destroyed my hair by dyeing twice in one week and then getting a blowout. >.< ouch! we all make mistakes and I will be using this weekly as a deep treatment to get the strength back into my ends. 

So that's it! That is everything and overall am very pleased with the value as every item was full sized and the combined value is about $70 and got my money's worth. some items were a miss but I can make them work and will make the best of everything. I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek inside my box and maybe it swayed yo to get your own subscription for yourself. Thanks for stopping by! <3