Black Friday Haul 2012

Watch the video to also hear about my upcoming Christmas video AND giveaway!

Lorac Sweet Luxuries Palette Pictures/Swatches:

HELP!!!! What brush cleaner or method do you use?

I need YOUR HELP to find a way or product that will clean my brushes and make them look as good as new! I've tried plenty and I'll share some of my ways with you and tell you whether or not my methods/products work.

I'll first start off with the only brush cleaning product I've ever used:

Sonia Kashuk Brush & Sponge Cleanser - $6.99

[Image source: http://www.target.com]

I would wet my brushes a little bit and then spray this onto my brushes. It kind of cleans the brushes...to me it's more like a disinfectant spray. The smell is unappealing and this cleanser makes my brushes sticky and actually doesn't remove any of the makeup from my brushes--maybe a little. I don't recommend buying this!

The next method to clean my brushes is to use baby shampoo, which usually works a bit except using baby shampoo doesn't really disinfect the brush and rid it of bacteria. It removes most of the makeup, but not all of it, which I really want all of the makeup removed. Everyone that I know uses this method. If you haven't heard of it before, you simply pour some baby shampoo onto a plate or even a little onto the palm of your hand and then swirl the dirty brush onto your hand until the makeup comes off. Rinse afterwards and repeat if needed. Also, I've tried regular hand soap and I don't recommend it. This may help disinfect your brushes a bit but it's for your hands not your brushes and hand soap is horrible at removing makeup from brushes.

Other than the two methods above, I mix olive oil and dish soap together in a plate and then dip the slightly wet brush onto the plate and then swirl the rest onto the palm of my hand. I rinse afterwards and repeat if needed. Sometimes this method works well but lately it hasn't been taking all of the makeup off. Also, I find myself adding too much dish soap or olive oil which makes my brushes too oily or else dry from the dish soap.

What do you recommend for cleaning brushes? Please comment and LMK!!!!

How I take notes for college

I've never been fond of using notecards for notes, but they've proved useful these past few semesters of college. Sure, jotting down notes in a notebook is good, but not for reviewing terms, vocabulary, or concepts for a class. Notecards are the way to go...just make sure you're organized!

First, buy yourself a coupon/notecard holder

This is a coupon holder I got from Wal-Mart for about $2 or less, but you can get them anywhere!

For the notecards they can be any size. It depends on how much you have to write. For me, I'm using the regular sized notecards and I cut them in half. There are a lot of terms to remember in my geography class so that's why I cut the notecards in half so I don't have to buy so many notecards. This proves to be helpful for psychology courses as well since there's usually a ton of things to remember.

The first thing I do when I'm writing the notecards is write down the chapter number in a different color than the actual term. This way I know exactly which chapter I'm reviewing the term for. Next, after I've written down the chapter number for every single term for that chapter, I write down all the terms on a separate notecard. Finally, I look up the definition of each term and define them on the back of the notecard with the lines. The notecard process is finished. All that's left is REVIEWing them...which is what I have to do this weekend! Good luck to everyone who has to study! 

Mini Kohl's Haul

I'm loving this lace peplum top I got from Kohl's! It is very girly and dressy! I think no matter what size you are peplum-styled clothing looks great--surprisingly! This shirt was around $22 on sale. It's a bit much but I couldn't resist not buying it! I don't shop at Kohl's too often and I had $10 Kohl's cash so I had to get this!

I'm not a huge Badgers fan but this shirt was on sale for $6.60! That's a great deal! I could see myself wearing this to sleep or for sporting-themed events and plus, it's quite comfy. Now you know where I live!

Here's a close-up of the glitter/shimmer in "catch." Can you see it?

This is the last top I got from Kohl's. Of course, it was also on sale for a little less than $12. It's kind of a see through cropped top. I'm not a fan of cropped top since I'm a little meaty so they're not flattering, but I couldn't resist the Princess Vera Wang logo/design. I wore this the other day and it looks amazing despite it being a cropped top.

Doesn't it look...fabulous? <3

Mini CVS Haul

These are probably the top two products that I always buy from CVS or any drugstore. I love the SIMPLE Cleansing Facial Wipes. They're the only makeup remover wipes I use. All the other ones sting my eyes. The Physician's Formula Eye Booster is also amazing! It's a 2-in-1 eyeliner + serum. It helps your lashes grow longer as well as line your eyes. The felt tip is super thin so you can draw thin OR thick lines. I absolutely love, love these two products! It was great that they were having a sale on both!

The SIMPLE wipes weren't on sale but I had a $1.75 off coupon and used that for it and for the Physician's Formula Eye Booster it was buy one get one half off, so I got one for me and my sister since she was sad that it was sold out last time we went to CVS.

Speaking of sold out products, I swear that everytime I go to CVS the Nuance by Salma Hayek Eyebrow Pencil in Brown is ALWAYS SOLD OUT...at the store and ONLINE!!!! I did contact CVS about them restocking it and was told that my local CVS has them in stock but that same day I went and it wasn't in stock. So, what I'm thinking is that they just said that the eyebrow pencil was back in stock...but it wasnt! There was a different colored eyebrow pencil in stock, but not the brown colored one. I'm so mad and disappointed!!!! Now I have to resort to buying a different brand of eyebrow pencils :(

Have you encountered a similar problem? What do you shop for at CVS?

Mini Wal-Mart Haul

I was running to Wal-Mart for some nail polish remover and ended up purchasing some other items. I had to get candy canes since I'm in such a Christmas spirit! But, I didn't even get to eat any of them since my nieces and nephews ate them all :( As for the nail polish remover pads I chose these over the regular nail polish remover because this seems faster and I hardly ever paint my nails often, so having something convenient such as this would be better. Then, right above the nail polish remover pads I spotted the Sensational Gel Nail Polish and was eager to try it. (If you read my past post--the one below this--you can see my short review on the gel nail polish). Next, I had to try out the new Revlon Photoready Eyeshadow. It comes with eyeshadows and a primer. I didn't try out the primer yet but the eyeshadows are amazing! I love how the eyelid color is very creamy and the eyeshadows in general are quite pigmented! I'm going to buy more as soon as I go shopping  again :)

That's it for my mini Wal-Mart haul! Below are some pictures:

I forgot to mention this one! This is Moon Dough that I bought for my niece in the clearance section for $2!!!! It's very messy and the dough isn't like regular dough. It's very soft and spreads easily. I wouldn't recommend letting kids play with this on carpet.

equate Nail Polish Remover Pads w/acetone

There are 10 pink rectangular sheets

one sheet can remove the nail polish off all 10 fingers

REVLON Photoready "quad' in Pop Art 535

SENSATIONAL Gel Nail Polish

Remember to read my short review on this gel nail polish! It may help you decide whether or not to buy this!

SENSATIONAL Gel Nail Polish Review

All I can say about this nail polish is...DISLIKE! This is my first time trying out gel nail polish and I'm just not a fan! I thought that this type or brand smudged easily and just didn't seem as great as the packaging displays. And, the actual packaging of the nail polish is quite small like the cheap $1 kids nail polish. I wasn't impressed and didn't feel like testing this out for a full 2 weeks. Also, taking it off is the hard part. You have to soak your fingers in acetone and hot water which is too time consuming to me. I'd rather just take off nail polish with nail polish remover. Please let me know how you like this or use it...otherwise I'm going to return it.

A&F cologne dupe = BBW Candle

I never used to be a candle fan until Influenster sent me a Bath & Body Works Mini Candle in Mahogany Teakwood. It smells amazing just like Abercrombie & Fitch cologne. I remember one time I mentioned to someone that I want to smell like or just smell the scent of Hollister/A&F everyday...and now I can! I have become a candle lover over the past few days. I even bought my first ever candle (with my own money) the other day. I'll post pictures next time since I didn't take them out yet. Do you guys LOVE BBW candles too? Comment below and tell me which are your favorite(s)! And, if you love A&F cologne like me...then Mahogany Teakwood is for YOU!!!!

Sty(e) - an eye infection :(

[image source: www.walgreens.com]

As you can see be the picture, a sty(e) is an infection that usually occurs on the waterline, either inside our outside, and sometimes on the eyelid. Some causes for getting this infection is improper removal of makeup, sleeping with makeup on, wearing contact lenses, and...something else about your eyes having too much wax or something. The sty(e) can appear either white or reddish and can be painful as well.

I recently got one this past weekend on Sunday, October 28th. I probably got it because I wore contact lenses that weren't worn or opened in weeks-months and I also didn't take off my makeup as well as I had hoped. When I finally realized that I had one I was freaking out! I went directly online and researched a bit on sty(e)s and how you treat them or got them. They're painful for the first day or two, but it eventually fades. I still have mine. It doesn't hurt anymore but it's still visible. I recommend skipping eyeliner or any eye  makeup in general to help the sty(e) heal faster. Also, I've heard that rubbing a warm wash cloth over the sty(e) or the eye helps...some people have popped it or picked at it, but...that probably makes it worse!!!! I hope this post of mine helps you out and remember: 

DON'T SLEEP WITH MAKEUP ON!

 Better be safe than sorry, right?