Dollar Tree Haul!

While running important errands this weekend (TJ Maxx, Big Lots... etc.) I decided to stop in to my local Dollar Tree and see if any fun beauty products had come in. Lucky for me (and you!) they had some really fun nail stuff that I couldn't pass up for such a cheap price!

These Essie UV-cured nail strips retail for $9.99 at target! What an awesome Dollar Tree find! While they had a few other designs, I got only three: glam it on, over the moon, and embrace the lace.

Nail strips are pretty hit or miss for me. Sometimes they work great, other times I can't get them to evenly fit on my nail. If you have any tips for me, please let me know in the comments!

LA Colors nail polishes are a hidden gem in the beauty world, in my humble opinion. I never see anyone write about them, but they perform pretty well and they have an extensive selection of colors. These super fun shades could not be left behind so I snatched up (L to R): Confetti, Craze, Candy Sprinkles and Purple Passion.

Fun items like these come and go quickly at Dollar Tree. Head over to your local store to see if you can find anything fun - and let me know if you do!

Ipsy | September 2014

I apologize that this post is SO late this month! Did anyone else receive their Ipsy really late like I did? Anyway... this month has some unique items... let's get right to it!

• Pacifica Natural Waterproof Eye Pencil - The color is not listed on this, but mine appears to be a dark brown shade. Just from testing it on my hand, this liner feels really soft and smooth. I don't typically like pencil liners, but I just might have to give this one a try.

• Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask - This has a subtle fresh scent, and there looks to be enough in here for one mask if you have long hair. You know I love my deep conditioners, so I'm anxious to try this out. 

• LeeAnni Eco 3-in-1 Revolution Light - You wouldn't gather what this is from the name, but it's a toner, serum and moisturizer in one. It doesn't really smell like much and the ingredients appear to be mostly, if not all, natural.

• Hikari Lipstick in Cabernet - This color is a brick red and honestly, it's not very smooth on the lips. I've never heard of this brand, but judging from this one lipstick... I can't say I'm impressed.

• Crown Brush Infinity Shadow & Crease Duet Brush - I really like all the brushes I have from Crown Brush. I think they're a great affordable alternative to Sigma or MAC, and this brush is no different. It's soft and dense and works great!

Ipsy costs just $10 per month and you get some really great items each month. If you want to sign up, just click here. I can promise you that you won't regret it! 

2 Year Anniversary | What We Wore

Photo by Juxtaphotos

Today my husband and I celebrate two years of marriage! Wow - I honestly don't know where the last two years have gone! We have had so much fun together, and I can't wait to see what the years ahead bring us! To celebrate today, I thought I'd share some pictures from our wedding day, and a little bit about something "sweet" that brings me right back to that day.

Photo by Juxtaphotos

As we prepared for our big day, I read a tip that I knew I had to try out: buy a new perfume and cologne to wear on your wedding so that the smell always reminds you of that time in your life. Scent is a huge memory trigger and really has the power to transport you back to a time or place.

We did lots of sampling to find the perfect scents for our wedding day and here is what we chose.

Jake chose Chanel Allure Homme as his new wedding day cologne. I absolutely love this cologne, and it smells so classy and formal for a big event like a wedding. The top notes are a mix of "green freshness, warm sharpness of pepper, strength and elegance of wood, and warm sensuality of labdanum, and tonka." (source)

This cologne has a warm, earthy freshness with a hint of musk. The lasting power is great - you can smell it even at the end of the day.

For my perfume, I chose Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. Flowerbomb is a well-loved scent, characterized by green tea and bergamot, and floral scents like orchid, jasmine, freesia and rose. It's a rather powdery floral scent. I think this perfume is classic and feminine - an absolutely perfect bridal scent.

Photo by Juxtaphotos

I would suggest all future brides & grooms pick a new scent for your wedding day, and keep those scents just for special occasions. Jake and I wear Allure Homme and Flowerbomb on our anniversary, Christmas, date nights... any day we find special. Each time I spray on Flowerbomb, I'm transported to the happiest weekend of my life, warm nights in Barbados (where we honeymooned), and a feeling of utter happiness. 

What perfume did you wear on your wedding day? I LOVE knowing what people chose!

Burnin' Up #4 | Diamond Candles

Remember the days of mystery bags as a kid? One dollar and you have the chance of getting something super awesome? (although normally you didn't) Really, the best part was the mystery of it all. I LOVED getting mystery bags as a child. That's what Diamond Candles remind me of. Have you guys seen these?! Because if you haven't, you're in for a treat!

Diamond Candles are a super cool concept; hidden inside every candle is a ring! Your ring could be valued up to $5,000! Can you see the little circle on the top right of the candle above? That circle marks the spot where your ring is sitting. You have to burn the candle down in order to retrieve the ring, safely secured in layers of tin foil and plastic wrapping. Luckily, these soy candles burn quickly so you don't have to wait too long to see what you got.

Diamond Candles come in a variety of scents, and it seems they are always releasing new ones. The scent I purchased is pomegranate lemonade. As you can imagine, this is a super fruity scent and it smells like fruity lemonade is drenching my home. The scent throw is incredible - I could smell it all over my house. The one thing that did surprise me is how fast this candle burned. It seemed this burned much faster than other candles I've had in the same size. 

Diamond Candles cost $24.95, and are available at www.diamondcandles.com

If you're curious what ring I got, here it is. There are no marking on the band, so I think mine is worth about $10, the minimum value.

Zoya - Odette

All hail the great Zoya! Never ever ever EVER has Zoya failed me - their nail polishes are the absolute best and I've come to love another of their polishes! Seen here is "Odette", a fairly recent polish that came out in their winter Naturel collection. 

Odette is described as a "sultry orchid maroon cream". It's a beautiful dusty purple that is perfect for the early fall season. 

This a very pigmented, opaque shade. I got great coverage with just one coat, but used two for good measure. Zoya has excellent wear time; on natural nails, I can get 4-5 days of wear with minimal tip wear and chipping, and painted over press-on nails (seen here) it absolutely doesn't chip or wear. I wore this for a week on press-ons and it didn't chip at all.. how amazing is that?

Zoya's Odette is great for every day wear, especially appropriate for a work environment for a pop of color without looking unprofessional.

If you haven't tried out Zoya nail polishes - you absolutely must! Let me know what you think of Odette!

Empties #8

So many empties this month! Check out my mini-reviews on each product below.

• Neutrogena Oil-Free Cleansing Wipes (would repurchase) - These are nice makeup removers, especially for those who are prone to acne. I think they do a good job of removing all of my makeup. I'd buy these again, but Jake hates the smell of them so it probably won't be anytime soon.

• Klorane Soothing Eye Makeup Remover (would repurchase) - I loved this eye makeup remover. It was super gentle and didn't leave any residue behind. I absolutely want to get this again as it's one of the best I've ever tried.

• Lush Prince Shaving Cream (would not repurchase) - This is marketed towards men for facial shaving, but I picked it up on a whim when Lush was out of Turkish Delight. To be honest, I didn't care for this. It had a nice, earthy scent but my legs itched so bad after I finished shaving because this wasn't hydrating enough for me.

• Organix Cherry Blossom Ginseng Shampoo (would not repurchase) - I didn't particularly care for the scent of this, mostly because it smells like a deodorant I've used. I felt like I had to use a lot in order to get a decent lather going, so I don't think I'll get this again.

• Nexxus Dualist Conditioner (would repurchase) - I got this for a complete steal when it was on clearance, and that's the only reason I bought it. This is marketed towards those with colored hair, which I don't have, but it worked just fine for my normal hair. It was moisturizing, and the dual-sided packaging is kind of fun.

• VO5 Daily Leave-In Conditioner (would not repurchase) - This did next to nothing for me. It wasn't great at detangling and I didn't notice any extra conditioning in my hair.

• HerStyler Nourishing & Moisturizing Shampoo (would repurchase) - I did a full write-up on this product here, so I'll spare you the details. 

• Organix Hydrating Moroccan Argan Oil Creamy oil Body Lotion (would repurchase) - I LOVED this stuff. It had a very faint shimmer to it (so faint it took me half way through the bottle to notice it), has a nice scent and is moisturizing. 

• love&toast Honey Nectar Body Lotion (would not repurchase) - I used this as a hand lotion, but I didn't find it moisturizing enough nor did I like the smell. Happy to be done with it. 

• Organic Surge Tropical Bergamot Shower Gel (would not repurchase) - While I enjoyed the body wash, I didn't love the scent as much as I thought I did when I purchased it. I would definitely get another shower gel from this brand, but definitely in another scent. This was fine for summer time, but it would not be moisturizing enough for me to use in the colder months. 

• Skintimate Raspberry Rain Shaving Gel (would repurchase) - Nothing fancy, just a shaving cream. It did the job.

• Aquafresh Fresh Impact Toothpaste (would not repurchase) - The toothpaste itself? Fine. The packaging? Horrible. If I hadn't cleaned it up before throwing it in my empties bin, this toothpaste can would have been CAKED with toothpaste. Just disgusting.

• Suave Moroccan Infusion Shampoo (would repurchase) - I don't love the smell, but this is a nice shampoo that makes my hair feel nice. 

• Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in1 Foundation (would repurchase) - Blah blah blah... you've heard me talk about this a million times. LOVE it. Full review here.

• Eyeko Black Magic Mascara (would repurchase) - I got this in a Birchbox a while back, and immediately thought the packaging was so cute! The mascara itself was okay, it didn't do anything magical for me, but if I saw it for a good price, I'd probably buy it again.

• Covergirl eyeliner (would not repurchase) - I don't even know the full name of this... it's not on the tube anywhere! This was a REALLY liquid-y eyeliner pen. It was really difficult to build up a solid line as the formula stayed wet so long. This was a big miss for me.

• NYC Smooth Skin Pressed Face Powder in Transluscent (would repurchase) - This was a surprising favorite of mine. I had this sitting in the back of my drawer and finally brought it out to use up. They have all new packaging on this powder now, so yeah... time to use it up. It's really finely milled and looks so natural on the skin - never cakey. Loved this.

• B&BW P.S. I Love You Shower Gel (would repurchase) - This is an old scent that B&BW doesn't carry anymore so I was sad to see this go. It has a nice floral rose scent and is one of the best scents I think they've ever made. This shower gel is by no means hydrating so don't purchase it if you need extra nourishment for your skin.

• Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream (would repurchase) - This is just a little sample, but I got many uses out of it. I used this as my night time eye cream, but think if I were to purchase it again, I'd use it in the morning instead. It's really moisturizing without being greasy or heavy.

• StriVectin Instant Moisture Repair (would not repurchase) - It could be coincidence, but I think this broke me out a little bit. It was the only thing I switched in my skincare routine, and boom - new zits. No thank you!

• Yankee Candle Beach Vacation Candle (would repurchase) - This had a lovely scent, truly reminding me of sitting beachside somewhere. It smelled faintly of sunscreen and ocean air and had excellent scent throw. Full review here. 

• B&BW Snap Peas Candle (would not repurchase) - I have a full review of this here. I liked the smell, but it just wasn't strong enough for me. 

• B&BW Root Beer Candle (would repurchase) - This is an old B&BW candle that isn't available anymore. It smells JUST like a root beer float and gives off crazy scent throw... my husband actually had to blow it out because it was too strong a couple times! (I loved it, though!)

• Better Homes & Gardens Line-Dried Linen wax tarts (would repurchase) - This gave off the most wonderful laundry scent in my home. It smelled fresh and clean without being overwhelming the way some laundry scents can definitely be. 

• Gold Canyon Ten wax (would repurchase) - My mom bought a bunch of these little wax tubs that you scoop out and put in your wax burners. Ten smells like a high-end perfume and I absolutely loved it. 

• B&BW Lemon Mint Leaf candle (would repurchase) - I have a full review of this here. This was a nice fresh scent, still available at B&BW (with different packaging).

Phew... that was quite the empties post! Have you tried any of these products? Let me know!

Fall Bath & Body Works Haul!!

I think it's safe to say fall is here in Minnesota, and I am in 7th heaven - it's my absolute favorite time of year! We were blessed with the most perfect weather this past weekend, 70s, sunny and a tinge of autumn in the air. All this fall excitement had me out the door and heading to Bath & Body Works to get some of their scents of the season (especially because their fall scents are always gone WAY too early... anyone else notice that?) Here's what I picked up...

Brown Sugar & Carrots Hand Soap - "A gourmet treat of glazed carrots warmly scented with vanilla and cinnamon." The design on the bottle is absolutely adorable, and this smells heavenly!

Pumpkin Cupcake Hand Soap - "Satisfy your sweet tooth with the scent of baked pumpkin, whipped vanilla frosting and a hint of honey." The description couldn't be more spot on - this smells just as you'd expect.

A Walk in the Woods Hand Soap - "A leisurely stroll through golden leaves, red rosewood and cool bergamot." This has more of a cologne-like scent that is just enough, not overpowering. 

Cozy Vanilla Cream Hand Soap - "Whipped frosting and sweet cream warmed with vanilla bean create a cozy treat." If you love vanilla, this is for you.

Crisp Morning Air Hand Soap - "Breathe in the invigorating scent of mountain pine, fresh juniper and pear." This soap has a more earthy, autumnal scent that is fresh and invigorating. 

 I was NOT intending to come home with body products buuuuuttttt... you know how it is!

Plum Moscato & Almond Harvest Shower Gel - This shower gel has a warm fruit scent, with hints of bergamot and sandalwood. I definitely didn't need this, but it was buy 2 get one free, so it happened.

Pumpkin Latte & Marshmallow Comfort Shower Gel - Holy crap, this smells AMAZING. I took one whiff and absolutely had to have it. I love marshmallow scents and this one spoke to me. The latte notes don't come through too strong for me, but you can definitely smell the pumpkin and marshmallow.

Pumpkin Latte & Marshmallow Triple Moisture Body Cream - I love B&BW Triple Moisture body creams because they are so moisturizing and leave my skin feeling silky and hydrated. This scent MIGHT get sickening as a body cream, but I sure hope not.


Have you tried any of the fall B&BW products? Let me know!