Essie Obsessed - My F/W 2013 Wishlist

I am completely obsessed with any and all Essie colors but it has been awhile since I have bought any new colors. I know I need any and all glitter top coat from them because they're just the best. It is sparkle and glitter without any clownish or child like elements. It really changed my stance on them because they feel so whimsical and yet so grown up. The neutrals are also just to die for as are the reds and anything just fun and bright.  Even though i fell like I have to have them all I think these are my top ones that I must have to suit the cold winter months ahead. 

A Stroke of Brilliance 

For The Twill Of It 

Mind Your Mittens 

Sable Collar 

Set In Stones 

Shearling Darling 

Trophy Wife 

Vested interest

Cashmere Bathrobe

I notice that I really have a love of blues, grays and greens for winter and you can never go wrong with glitter to cover up any rookie mistakes that I may have made. I also use them to prolong the manicures I get from the salon as well. I do work with tons of paperwork to file and my hands get super dry and the nail polish seems to chip off within days so I swipe some glitter on the tips and voila! it's a brand new manicure. 

So do you have a wishlist of nail polishes you need to survive through these cold months? Do you gravitate to moodier colors or do you try to perk up your mood with a pop of bright pink or maybe something trendy like a white or pastel? I hope you enjoyed my list and if you have any other good recommendations or if you're having a twin wish list moment I'd be happy to hear about it in the comments below!

XOX

My Vintage Clutch Find

Okay I really feel like I have struck gold on this one. I decided on a whim to hit up the local Goodwill on my lunch break in hopes of finding a dress or maybe an ugly Christmas sweater to wear to this years ugly sweater party. Somehow I *magically* ended up in the purse section and ended up rummaging through the wallets and found this beauty. 

It was the buttery soft suede body that really drew me in and the color was so warm and really feels like it would go great with any fall outfits. I also love the fact that it came with the daintiest of shoulder straps in a very shiny gold color. I hate when I am walking around and I just get tired of having something in my hand or i need to clear them to double fist my morning coffee. I really think this was a well thought out feature. 

Honestly, how could anyone not fall in love with the tiny gold seashell either? This is the only embellishment and honestly this is all I need because its cute as a button. It still shines and doesn't really show any huge signs of tarnish from wear and tear.

I had to do some research at home on this brand and apparently the Crown Lewis brand stopped producing in the 1960's which to me is amazing because someone really took care of this thing to be in this shape. the lining is a ridged chiffon and has no stains. Over all I really feel that this was the luckiest purse find to date. It may have not been a big designer name purse but I have never been a label fiend to begin with an dI think for six bucks its even more of a steal.

I really cannot wait to style a couple outfits around this piece and hopefully be brave enough to do an outfit post. I am way too much of a chicken and I hat taking pictures anyways. I think with a little of more courage I will do it, and maybe a helper to actually take some photos would be awesome too. I hope you liked today's post and let me know if you have had good luck thrifting as well in the comments below or you can email me if you prefer. 

XOX 

Drumroll please!

This post...this very post you are reading is my 50th post EVER! I didn't really realize this until I was trolling through my own blog and saw that I have only posted 49 posts and then it hit me that maybe I should say something. I am normally a humble person and I really don't like drawing attention to myself but I feel this occasion is a cause for attention and celebration. 

So what does one write about for their 50th post? 

a) a wishlist of winter coats   

b) a review of a new mascara 

c) Subscription box review     

d) A yummy drink recipe     

If you wrote in your own answer then you know me better than I thought or I am a very predictable person. Either way what today's post is going to be about is well, me. I really don't write much about who I am as a person and thought it would be nice to post five quick facts. 

Quick Fact #1

I used to play guitar 

Back when i was younger my grandparents used to take me to guitar lessons were I learned to play classical music on a Spanish style guitar. After one year I quit because I felt restless. I had discovered a different music taste and foolishly quit instead of saying that I wanted to try something new. Lately I have been feeling nostalgic and I feel maybe I should pick up where I left off. The last time I picked up a guitar I had remembered some of the sheet music and played it from memory and even though I did mess up a bit I feel I could improve with more practice. 

Quick Fact #2

I used to take golf back in high school 

In an effort to feel like I belonged and to do something I probably would never really get a chance to do after I left my high school years behind me I decided to sign up for girls golf class. This was the first year they ever offered it at our school and before that it was only the team and you had to know how to play. My parents kind of laughed at me but I absolutely loved it. It was the best thing I ever did my senior year and I always look back fondly at those afternoons. At the end of the year banquet for the class I ended up getting a trophy and it has been my only trophy for a sport ever. 

Quick Fact #3

This is not my first blog

I have tried to attempt another blog before this and it was more personal like a diary. The more I wrote about my feelings the more depressed I became. Maybe it was just the content of what I wrote that made me depressed. I decided to quit because I am trying to get over that whole past I have had and the only way to move forward is to look forward. So here I am, writing about things in my life that make me happy. 

Quick Fact #4

I don't know how to swim 

I had a bad experience with swimming ever since I was younger. I had almost drowned once and ever since then I had a fear of swimming and getting my head wet. Recently since my trip to Fiji this past January I kind of got over the fear of being in the water and even swam a little but with my head above the water of course. I still have to be able to touch the floor with my feet or I do freak out a bit but nothing like I used to. I think its awesome that I am slowly getting over this fear. 

Quick Fact #5

I have developed allergies to some of my favorite fruits

Cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, honeydew and mango. I never really used to be allergic to anything at all but now I get an itchy throat if I eat any of these items. Even though I am not supposed to eat any of these items I still do because none of my reactions have been very serious and I figured that if I wasn't allergic before I can become "unallergic" by exposure.  

So I really hope I didn't bore you guys too much and scare you away for good. I swear I will try not to do two list posts in a row ever again but I had to make an exception just this once. So do any of you out there celebrating any milestones? Any milestones coming up? I know I have one more milestone coming up soon, my 25th birthday. I would like to say all you youngins complaining about turning 18 and 21...just hush! if you guys feel old how thee heck am I supposed to feel? Ancient? Stone aged? I mean I have already been thinking about lying about my age and I'm not even 30 yet. How long do you think I can get away with telling everyone I'm 23? Not very long. So stay classy until next time! 

XOX

Nicel Daily repair Vitamin A and Retinol Cream (Review)

I found this product while cruising around the dollar store and as I am always on the lookout for good and inexpensive creams and for a dollar, I thought what is the worst that can happen? I had just finished my holy grail jar of day cream and decided to give this a whirl. 

The cream is very thick and moisturizing and has a very soft floral scent to it. I find that it is very moisturizing and has a non greasy feel on the skin but is a little too heavy to wear on my face. As it does not have any SPF I do not recommend using this as a stand alone and definitely needs to be layered with a light moisturizer with SPF. Under my sunscreen it felt way to heavy and I felt it just got that weird heavy lotion feeling that I usually get at the end of a hot summer day almost like you can feel the layer sitting there on your skin waiting to be removed. Not wanting the stuff to go to waste I have been applying it on my neck and chest because it doesn't have the heavy feeling lingering all day long. I think it is perfect for that use because my neck always seems to feel dry no matter how much lotion I put on. 

So unless you have super dry skin I do not recommend this for the face during the day because not only is it heavy but also because the heaviness makes it impossible to layer with a lotion that does contain SPF. Yes, I am serious about moisturizing before I moisturize. I realize it does sound redundant and maybe unnecessary but I do feel that for my skin it is necessary to be proactive about keeping my skin looking fresh and young. Now that I think of it I don't think I have tried this as a night face cream and since I currently do not have one in  my skin care routine I might try it out for that purpose as well. 

Have you found any great dollar store beauty products lately? I know we all are suckers for great deals and at $1 for 2oz of product that does moisturize well is a real steal. I you have any recommendations for me I would be more than happy to take them. 

Halloween Spirit - Things I am afraid of

So Halloween is just around the corner and I have completely dropped the ball on getting a costume together in time yet again. This is the second year in a row and I am disappointed in myself but its okay because I can just kind of wing it if I really need to. As I will not be going out or partying I don't really see the point in doing something intricate as I wished to do. I still wanted to get into the spirit because it is a fun holiday that brings me back to being a kid and having a simple life where I could just go out, trick or treat all night and fall asleep guarding my Reese's cups. So I have constructed a list of things that scare the crap out of me. In all honesty I love being scarred and I like the small adrenaline rush I get from being scarred. It keeps you young and I really wish to never grow up. These are the top ten in no particular order at all. 

1) Fuzzy Cactus

Yes, it is a very silly thing to be afraid of but surprisingly I am afraid of touching them. I mean, who knows what little creepy crawlies are inside this thing waiting to spring out at me? I am not willing to stick around and find out! 

2) Holes in the skin

I refuse to post a picture up a picture of this because last time I saw pictures I had nightmares. I think I might have nightmares just thinking about what I have seen. whatever you do DON'T GOOGLE IT! This might be my biggest fear out of all of these listed. 

3) Ghost stories

 I don't get scared from any other movie type than ones with hauntings or anything supernatural about the afterlife/possessions. After a good story I will have nightmares for a couple days. I can handle gore surprisingly. Too much blood though and I get a bit squeamish. I can in all honesty watch something about haunted lighthouses in the middle of the day and be scarred senseless. 

4) the Snuggle Bear

Watch some old commercials of the Snuggles bear. I swear he is my version of the Chucky Doll. He's evil I tell you! EVIL! If you don't believe me you should watch this.

5) Roaches

Seeing bugs, I am fine but once they get on me they get squished. The only house bug I have a hard time with  are roaches. Once a bully back in Middle school threw a dead roach in my hair in the gym locker room and I totally freaked out. After I got it out of my hair I pulled that chick's hair and whipped her around and hit her head into the locker. I am not a confrontational person and I have always been quiet and nerdy (I played in a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament in school during lunch)  so everyone went quiet when that happened. Nobody told on me, she stopped bullying me and that was the only time I have ever got that confrontational with somebody in my entire life but I am still afraid of roaches. 

6) The Dark 

I have always needed a nightlight because I have always been afarid of the creepy crwaly things I can't see in the dark. And afraid of hitting my knee on the damn coffee table. I think my favorite nightlight was the lava lamp my mom got me. it was soothing and was cool to watch when I couldn't sleep. I also have to sleep with music going on in the background if I am home alone. I don't like hearing the noises houses make in the middle of the night. 

7) Babies 

So cute but yet not so cute. I think of the possibility of picking up somebody's newborn and getting all googly eyed over how cute they are and then OOPS! The baby squirms and I drop it. They're just to precious for someone as clumsy as me to touch. I am also afraid to touch a pregnant person's belly while they are pregnant. I get the urge to touch because it's such a unique and curious thing to carry something living inside you but then I get scarred that I'll touch the belly too hard and somehow hurt it inside the mother or that it will hurt her. I think my mind is being a bit silly about this one. 

8) Really crowded places 

I hate small places with waaaaayyyyyy too many people, I hate large places with waaayyyyy too many people. Concerts, malls, cities, movie theaters, gyms, coffee shops, theme parks and others of the like. I am afraid of the mob mentality that comes with being in a large group of people. I am afraid of a disaster happening and being trampled under someone's shoes while they run to save only themselves. I am afraid of all that body odor. I can't think of a worse way to die than having multiple people clamor for an exit over your body as their sweat runs from their body onto your face. or maybe I am being over dramatic? 

9) Squirrels 

I really have a love/hate relationship with these cute killers. On one side They're cute, fluffy and just look at those paws at it's mouth. On the other end, they scurry so fast if they wanted to attack my jugular they would. I know it. Look at those evil beady eyes, you can see the thirst for blood in those soulless black pits of despair.  But at the same time I try feeding them, chasing them and trying to pet the tame ones everyone has fed at the park. I feel like Evel Kenivel jumping the Grand Canyon every time I feed one a slice a bread from my bare hands. 

10) Dying from a freak accident

I think most people would like to pass on after a full life when they're 120 years old in their sleep. I hope that is what happens with me because I don't think I (nor anybody else for that matter) would be able to handle dying from a freak or gory death. I mentioned only ghost movies really scare me but I am also a bit freaked out about any and all the Final Destination movies. Not because of the blood or gore but because it reminds me that my life could come to a freakish crashing halt.

So there you have it! Those are some of the things that I fear and hopefully I didn't scare you guys with all of these things. I know some of these are silly things to be afraid of but hey, I do get freaked out about them. I hope you enjoyed the post and hope to see comments about things that you fear as well. If you have a similar post on your blog be sure to link it to me because it's always interesting to read about others fears are. 

October Glossybox 2013

Ahhh...I can hear the slam of the mail, carrier's door and him walking up to the door when he brings me this baby. Seriously this is the joy of my month every month. I love having Christmas come to me every month because I am that person who just asks for a gift card or slippers. 

This month's box was the Byrdie collaboration which comes from the founders of Who What Wear. Byrdie is full of celebrity style, makeup, skin care and hair guides. If you have not checked it out you should take a peek for yourself. 

As I have been looking on past entries I see that I have felt rushed to try out all these products as soon as I receive the box. I think it would be better to try out just getting the box and letting you know if it was worth it this month then review products I love from the box in individual posts. This way you all don't have to read a novel every time I get a box. 

I love receiving the product card to see which are full sizes. I love getting things that really pay for the whole box itself. This month the new Lights, Camera, Flashes was a full size wowzer which I would never normally buy for myself because I really don't believe that you need to pay top dollar for a mascara to see results. I will end up doing a full review on it because I believe it was only released a couple months ago and I don't see many reviews up. 

I think the only thing I was not really excited about was the lip gloss. I'm really scarred to try out the color because it just looks too dark and brown. Everything else I am excited to get to use them. Yes, even the perfume. I actually like the Bulgari green tea scent. I remember in one of my first boxes I got a bath tea bag and just loved the scent. I think this bottle might go in a favorites list some time in the future! I will also be throwing in the Fresh Anti aging cream into my daily mix to see how it does on my skin. I do not really have wrinkles but it is never too early to start preventing them. Also, the next facial day I will use my little Sesha exfoliating gel and give you and update on how it worked on my skin. 

So how excited are you for this month's selections? I am excited to see what they do next month and the surprises that are in store for me in the future. 

XOX

October Ipsy Glam Bag

I think I skipped out on writing last months bag review. I really don't know what happened with it but its okay because now I have this month's bag to review and it WILL go up online. So if you are read this...*TA-DA!* It is up online! 

I honestly don't like this months outside of the bag. It just feels like they recycled the bag from a couple months back and put a kiddie playground print on it. Plus I am totally going to get it all dirty and gross full of dirt and makeup on the outside. I know me, white will never be my color. 

But the goodies inside make up for the disappointment of a bag. I think the only thing I don't like in the bag is the  Nourish Organic Coconut and Argan Oil lotion. It smells strongly of coconut and while that is a good thing it really isn't appropriate for a fall scent. The texture is very thick for a lotion and is great for my dry ashy elbows I get when the weather gets colder. I guess I can dream of being on a tropical island sipping pina coladas. 

I have so many face wipe packs and I just need to plow through them all. I think I will throw them in my gym bag but I usually take a shower at the gym when I go so it might be just a little bit pointless. Nevertheless I will use them...eventually. 

I am a fan of the Sexy Hair products and anything voluminous is gold in my book. I'm excited to try the gel the next time I decide to blow out my hair. I have been pretty darned obsessed with big bouffant-ish hair when I go out to the local bar along with a little thick cat eyed liner and dramatic lashes. I really hope this helps to achieve what I am looking for without feeling sticky or have residue. 

I really wanted to squeal over the mini Buxom lip gloss because it is so tiny and just too adorable for words. The color I got is Dolly which I would describe a pinky-purple mauve with gold looking flecks. I have stolen a few from my mom from this brand before (if you're reading this ma, I'm sorry) and liked the way it feels on my lips. This one really smells like a house full of Christmas. Like peppermint, cookies, cinnamon, sugar. I want to eat it Time to add it to my purse with the other 15 lippies I got in there. Yes, I can have that many in my purse at one time. 

Finally we have a Zoya brand nail polish in the color Giovanna which I would describe as a light emerald green which is something I almost just bought for the fall but now I don't have to! Life is just great sometimes. I love how this time I got a color that I don;t already have. A girl can only receive so many unflattering pinks before she explodes and I was getting to the bursting point. 

So that is it for this month's bag. It always feels so anticlimactic when I get these things because I wait and wait and wait and before it gets to me I just HAVE to see what everyone else has been getting and then I spoil it for myself. I really got to learn to love surprises. So what did you guys get in your Glam bags? Let me know in the comments below. 

Until next time lovelies! 

XOX

Nioxin Diamax First Impression

I have been subscribed to Glossybox for awhile now and have never done a full review on one single product in any of my boxes. When I get my box there is always some brand I have never heard of and with not that many blogger reviews talking about the product. So when I got a hair thickener I had never even

heard of in my entire life I naturally wanted to research it. All I have found were the quick reviews and all over the place. Having everything all spread out about a product really irks me, so why wouldn't it irk someone else? So here I am trying my best to have all the info you need in this one place.

And here is my hair profile:

My hair is medium length, the hair is thin but I have a lot of it and damaged from using permanent dye and over washing. I also had a dry scalp from the over washing but now that I wash my hair every other day and the flakes have reduced and it doesn't look like snow on my shoulders anymore. Another way I have been helping to get rid of the flakes is reducing the amount of alcohol based products in my regimen. I do occasionally blow dry my hair but I mostly have been air drying during this past summer to reduce any drying effects. I do also need a trim because it has been months since my last one and I have split ends than I know what to do with. 

The claims for the on their website are that it helps thicken the strands, make it fuller and more manageable and strengthen it against breakage. With my hair being thin but more than enough of it wouldn't that make my hair less manageable? I can barely get a pony tail right without a mirror so I don't think I would be able to really handle MORE of what I already have. Manageability? I just need someone to give me tips and tricks to do my hair right because I am really hopeless in the hair department. I mean honestly I was happy to get a topsy tail  so I can do something more than a ponytail or bun. Anti-breakage? I feel split ends are a natural occurrence and it just means you need a trim and a hot oil treatment every now and then. I hardly get those mid shaft breaks where it just cleanly just snaps off without any split end frays. But when I do get them I always think where the heck did I go wrong? 

But hey, why would I pass up on thick and strong hair other than the fear of not being able to handle it? Just one ingredient really struck me hard...alcohol. Plus its one of the first 5 ingredients in the stuff so that only means my hair might get dry and I have been trying to get lusciously soft locks for a good while now. Will it spoil the work I have done? I hope not. Will it make my scalp dry? Oh sweet baby Jesus I hope not. That's the last thing I want right now because that's the issue that is taking the longest to clear up. 

I have only been using it for this week and so far it has been a good substitute for mouse. I had read a couple reviews where they said it makes the hair sticky if you apply it on dry hair so I have been applying it to damp hair, combing it and then blow drying as I normally do. I do feel it gives some lift and body but I also feel that a week of use will never get you were the product promises. So I will keep on trying it out and give an update when I feel it is necessary. So yes, I did notice a difference in my hair but not enough to give you any conclusive results can be made just yet. maybe I will use it for a couple more weeks before I schedule a hair appointment with my hairdresser and see if she notices a difference in the thickness of my hair. 

So that's it for now! I f you have any questions feel free to comment down below or contact me via email if you prefer. I do love fan mail and enjoy reading any comments you leave behind! 

XOX

Pinteresting DIY project - The Yarn Wreath

Sometimes while cruising through Pinterest I really wonder if some of these craft projects are created by everyday people or if they're possessed by Martha Stewart's crafting spirit. I really love a craft project but to create some of the awesome things I see I think I would need more skills. How do you get those skills? You make these craft projects even if they end up looking a little more like a 3rd grade students science project.

 So off I went to the craft store to pick up a few items to make a yarn wreath. 

Here are some examples of what it should look like if you're a crafting pro.

But since I'm definitely not a pro of any sort here is my wreath

I have heard of others using a pool noodle to make the circle but what a pain that would be! We don't even have a pool let alone a spare pool noodle laying around to make a wreath so I bought a foam form from the store. I was really glad I did too because it took me 2 hours to even wrap the whole thing in yarn. I don't think spending another hour trying to get the circle to stay would have been fun. I really recommend making a night in of it with a nice glass of wine and a classic 80's movie going on or something holiday feeling if you want.

 It was hard getting the yarn to wrap around because the whole skein was in the way and it made my arm tired so what I eventually did was cut off the yarn at whatever point I wanted,  then wrapped until I reached the end and then tied another cut piece of yarn to that end until I reached the desired effect I wanted to. The thicker the yarn the easier and faster it is to wrap. 

As for decorations, you can do whatever your heart fancies. I cut out  simple leaf shapes from felt then glued with all purpose glue which I found was a complete waste because it really didn't help the fabric stay. So I had to scour the house for my trusty hot glue gun and even though I burned myself it was worth it to see everything in it's place. 

The fabric "poppies" I made by hand a long time ago and just fixed them onto my wreath so it was great having one less thing to worry about. You can buy silk flowers and glue them on  or totally nix the flower idea altogether if you are not a flower person at all. 

i think making the flags were the biggest pain in my butt for the project. I really don't know how others do it but I still think it came out pretty cute. My advice on that is to keep practicing or just forget about it altogether. Please keep your sanity or you'll end up a little kooky like moi. 

So I know mine doesn't look professional or expertly done but hey, like I said, I am no expert. I am just someone who likes to try to make things for the satisfaction of seeing a finished project and the ability to say "Heck yeah I made that lopsided cup!" So I hope this inspires you to go out and make something you saw on Pinterest and if it doesn't end up perfect just remember to tell yourself this...

 "Martha Stewart can suck it!!!"

XOX

A Little Diy Project - Candle Stick Holders

Before the paint job

I have been trying to add a little bit of a woman's touch to the place and just make it feel less...manly. 

One thing I am a huge sucker for is candles. I really have an addiction to candles and I think they add a nice touch to any place. I had been eyeballing pretty candle holders but I am not willing to pay full price if I don't have to. I found these two beauties at the local thrift store and with a sale for half off all home items I got these babies for less than $4 for both of them. I did feel that with the table they just blended in and just didn't any anything to the whole feel of the room. I really wanted something bright and fresh to go with the new yellow walls. 

After the paint job

I made my way to the craft store, bought some Martha Stewart acrylic craft paint in a satin finish. The colors I chose were sea glass and wedding cake. I used a sponge paint brush and I must say it took quite a few coats to cover the wood underneath. after covering the whole thing in the sea glass color I used a clean sponge brush lightly dabbed into the white color and lightly dabbed the color over the blue. Having some crumpled newspaper on the side to blot excess and wipe makes it look really pretty. If you feel it gets too white, layer over some of the sea glass color. Just get creative and have fun. 

So that's my first DIY of the season and have already completed one more project I will post sometime soon. I made a yarn wreath that came out pretty good for my first time so I think it;s suitable to show you. I am also going to work on my throw pillows for the couch but I am still lagging on pre-washing the fabric but hopefully that will be done soon. 

Hope to see you next time! 

XOX 

The one thing you must do for yourself

We all have things that we spoil ourselves with, just one gesture that says that you're worth the extra effort. Every single persons "must do" is different but mine is very basic but still packs a huge punch of confidence. Every 2 weeks I try to make sure to have my eyebrows threaded. Yes, my brows do grow that fast and they get pretty dang hairy.

But I swear each time I get my caterpillars torn off my face I instantly feel beautiful and confident. I am that person who loves makeup but is completely fine with going completely bare so I can sleep in an extra few minutes. I do feel like the eyebrows are frames to the windows on your face and having them shaped, trimmed and clean makes me look more put together. I swear all I really have to do it brush them up, set with a clear mascara and go out the door and I really do feel pretty. I know women out there who really put others needs and wants before their own but we all should have just one basic grooming routine that just makes you feel special. It is small, sure I can do it myself but just getting it done makes me feel well, girly.

I hope each and every one of you at least attempt to go to a salon or do something at home and do something nice for yourself, may it be your nails, hair, facial or even a fancy dinner out once in a great while. It is all about whatever floats your boat to do something for you because it really shouldn't be about vanity or impressing others. My beauty routine is for me to feel good about me. It is for me to say to myself that I deserve to feel good and so does everyone else. 

I hope you enjoyed reading my first kinda personal blog post. I just really feel like as we get older as women we will forget to treat ourselves to nice things. I know my mom and grandmother put their own needs last for a good cause but I now enjoy treating her to those nice things every once in awhile and she appreciates it as much as I appreciate getting those things done for myself. I really hope I don't come off as offensive or like I'm saying your only way to self worth is through vain beauty rituals. You can feel like your worth it by going to the library, taking a walk, reading a book from your favorite author and even just by relaxing in the bath listening to music. 

Just do that ONE thing for YOU. 

You'll feel pretty dang fantastic. 

XOXO - Robin