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Monday, September 29, 2014

L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara


L'Oreal had some pretty big claims about the Miss Manga mascara with a very "stand-out" advertising campaign. It's part of the Voluminous line and is supposed to give "oversized, over-the-top volume."


I'll be honest, I needed a new mascara and I grabbed this one on a whim because it's one of the newest out. If I had remembered that it had this type of wand, though, I totally wouldn't have bought it. The brush is a cone shape and the wand is a 360 degree flexor brush that's supposed to quickly build volume.

I don't mind the cone shape, it's actually nice because I like to build up length on the outer corner lashes, the wand, however, is just plain bad. I guess because it bends with you as you coat your lashes that's supposed to help, but I find the flexibility to make it take forever to apply because I don't have control.


Above you can see the product applied to one eye and then the finished look. I find that it does give good volume and my lashes look plump with nice length. It can get clumpy as you build it, but I do like the slightly clumpy look so I don't mind. You definitely don't get the look in the advertisements and overall, I don't think this is anything special. It does a good job, but it's a pain to put on and because I accidentally bought waterproof it's a huge pain to remove.

Have you guys tried this one yet? If you haven't, I say skip it!


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Friday, September 19, 2014

Looks for Less: Home Edition!


You guys know that I moved about two months ago and my priorities have shifted to decorating! I love decorating and I've wanted to do it for so long, but we've been in apartments and didn't want to paint, put holes in the walls, etc. In addition to that, my budget hasn't been and still isn't very substantial, which makes things in decorating world a little difficult.

When I was asked if I wanted to do a post featuring Kirkland's I was SO excited. I remember my mom taking me to Kirkland's when I was little to shop for home decor and now that I'm decorating my own home, my love for Kirkland's has just grown. Last time I went home to visit family and friends my mom and I went to Kirkland's at my request because, unfortunately, I don't live near one anymore! We had a great time and both walked away with some goodies, one of which I shared in this Friday Favorites post.

To demonstrate why I love Kirkland's so much I decided to design two bedrooms. The first bedroom is made up of solely Kirkland's products and the other is of similar, more pricey products. The price difference is actually insane and while I still like the brands/companies of the pricier room, Kirkland's does not disappoint on quality. You know the saying, "You get what you pay for?" well, at Kirkland's you pay so much less than other retailers but you get pieces that are genuinely good quality.

Let's get to the fun stuff!

Room 1: Kirkland's
Kirkland's















Room 2: Competitors
Expensive Comparison


I designed these two rooms based on the look I'm actually going for in the master bedroom in my own house. If you remember from that Friday Favorites post, I actually bought that exact starburst mirror for above my bed. Pictures don't even do it justice, it's so sparkly and glamorous. It's also pretty heavy! I was surprised at the weight, it feels and looks so much more expensive than it was. I also mentioned in that post that we considered buying the sunburst mirror in the competitor room, but that when I found the one at Kirkland's with my mom my decision was instantly made!

I did my best to choose pieces that were very similar in style and color and I was really amazed at how close some of the items were. Not only that, when it came down to it, I could hardly believe the price difference between the two rooms- over $1,000! What I really love about Kirkland's is that I know I'm getting products that are stylish and keep up with current trends, they're good quality AND within my budget- all very important qualities :)

Have you guys ever visited a Kirkland's? What was your favorite piece in the room I designed? Let me know!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

A {short} Guide to Curly Hair


The reason I'm calling this a short guide to curly hair is because my hair isn't super curly. I don't have ringlet curls, but my hair is definitely textured. Before this last month, it had been years since I had actually worn my hair curly. I would try to, but end up straightening it in a hurry because I just wasn't happy with it.

As you can imagine, constant blow drying, straightening and then curling (to get more manageable curls) has done a number on my hair. It gets crazy frizzy and dry with the dreaded split ends. Well last month I was just over it. At work, my hair would grow bigger and bigger throughout the day because of all of the frizz and I knew I needed to give it a break.

So, I decided to spend an entire week leaving it curly. I wash my hair every other night, so now, after one of those washings a week I'm letting it air dry and wearing it curly for 2 days before I wash it again. 

Here's a few helpful tips for managing it controlling the frizz and looking out for the health of your curly hair.

one.
Get a leave in conditioner, whether it be a spray, as I have below, or something more traditional. Use it often. Curly hair is more porous than straight or fine hair, so it needs moisture and it'll absorb as much as possible. I use my leave in conditioner in my wet hair probably every other time I wash my hair.

two.
Use a comb to get out tangles and distribute product evenly, not a brush. Using a brush can cause damage, especially when your hair is wet and it can make it more frizzy.


three.
Shampoo less. Some nights when you wash your hair, skip the shampoo and just condition. You can buy sulfate free shampoos and all that fun stuff, but in general, shampoo strips and dries out the hair, so try skipping it!

four.
Buy a deep conditioner or a conditioning mask. In my last post, I told you guys about one that I've been loving and that I feel has made a real difference in the health of my hair. The more you can condition your hair and the more moisture it's able to absorb, the less it'll absorb when you're out in the world. Make sure to focus on the ends!

five.
As I said, I don't wear my hair curly everyday, but when I do I take a little mini spray bottle of my leave in conditioning spray and use it throughout the day. This helps provide extra moisture during the day and control any frizz that starts happening.

six.
This goes for anyone that gets frizzy hair, but try not to touch your hair during the day. I'm so guilty of constantly twirling my hair around my fingers and just messing with it through the day, but using your hands in your hair can add to the frizziness! The more you touch it, the more friction you add and it causes damage to the cuticle, resulting in..you got it- frizz!

seven.
I've read articles that say to let your hair air dry, and others that say not to let it air dry and to use a hair dryer. I let my hair air dry about 70% of the way and I blow dry it the rest of the way. If you blow dry, use a diffuser because it'll distribute the heat more evenly to your curls.

eight.
When you get a hair cut, get it cut dry. Even though I don't wear my hair curly everyday, I still need a dry cut because I do wear it curly sometimes and obviously the curls make it shrink up. A dry cut will make sure you know exactly what you're getting!

nine.
If you're out in the middle of the day with nothing to help tame it if it's getting out of control, use a little water! Like I said, curly hair can be dry and dry hair needs moisture so a little water will calm it down by providing some moisture and won't be obvious if you don't use too much.

Alright, that's all I've got. I hope this helps some of you curly haired girls, or any of you prone to frizzy hair!

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Monday, September 8, 2014

L'Oreal Deep Conditioning Mask



You ladies know that recently I got about 6 inches of my hair cut off and had it thinned slightly. However, before I decided on cutting it, I was going to try to "save" I guess is the word, my long hair. I love having long hair, it makes me feel girly, but my hair is curly, so it gets really frizzy and dry and all around hard to manage. Lately I just felt like the frizz was just out of control, during the work day my hair was just growing and I looked like a kindergartener that just got back from recess.

I bought this L'Oreal deep conditioning mask because I wanted something that would really put moisture back into my hair. The first time I used it, I took a palm-full of this stuff (seriously) and massaged it into the bottom half of my hair. The immediate difference was crazy. My hair felt thinner...in a good way if that makes sense. It felt like it just calmed it down and made is SO silky smooth. It didn't feel as big and puffy anymore. Finally my hair felt hydrated!  Since then, I've been using it about once a week and I'm very generous with the amount I apply.

I don't want you guys to think that because I bought this product in an attempt to avoid cutting my hair and the fact that I did cut my hair means this product was a fail. I still use it, I still love it and I would really recommend it if you have dry hair. I know it doesn't have the best ingredients like some higher end brands, but hey, I see results, so I'd definitely repurchase it.

If you have no humidity where you live, I'm SO jealous of you.

Happy Monday!! :)

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Friday, September 5, 2014

Five on Friday/Friday Favorites

I promise this blog isn't going to become a collection of Five on Friday/Friday Favorites posts, I just had some spare time on Wednesday and figured I'd compile a list of things for a Friday post.  And by the way, I haven't figured out if I want this to just be "Five on Friday" or "Friday Favorites" sooooo I'm combining the titles until I decide. I'm leaning more toward Friday Favorites but I think it just might depend on what kind of week I had!

NUMBER 1:

My new hair!!
 If you remember this post where I asked you guys what you thought about the "subtle long bob" you'll know that I've been wanting to try this style for quite some time. My step-sister is in cosmetology school so when I went home this past weekend I had her chop it off! This may not be "short" hair to you, but to me it was a huge step! I was sure I would regret it but I've been loving it! I may even get it cut a tiny bit shorter in a couple weeks :)

NUMBER 2:


DaVinci Gourmet French Vanilla Syrup. 
You can use this stuff in everything. We've been putting it in baked goods (like vanilla extract), coffee, hot chocolate, homemade frappuccinos and it's been a really yummy touch! Makes it taste extra special, and it comes in several flavors...I think we're going to go for hazelnut next!

NUMBER 3:


NYX Liquid Lipshine in Clear. 
In my last post I talked about how I was loving Mary Kate and Ashley's natural makeup in one of their old movies. I bought a clear lipgloss to help achieve the glossy, pouty lip look from the movie and I think it's so cute! My lips are naturally very pigmented, but I like that this looks natural but that my makeup looks "done" because my lips do have something on them. Also, I surprisingly like how flexible the applicator is. I can apply this without looking, yes because it's clear, but also because I know no matter what angle I'm holding it, it's going to hit my lips and not be a goopy mess.

NUMBER 4:


The progress of the master bedroom! 
I love the white fluffy bedding and we finally ordered and received our headboard! I was so excited to come back and see it. I feel like a headboard alone makes a bed look much more complete, but I love how lush this one makes everything look with the tufting. Also, the starburst mirror is something I've been searching for so when I went home I went to a Kirklands and when I spotted this one I knew it was the one! Plus, it was only $60 and usually starburst mirrors are well over $100 (the one we almost ordered was $160 on sale so this was an awesome deal!) We still need accent pillows and matching nightstands, but I'm really happy with the progress so far!

NUMBER 5:

hello, september
Image courtesy of Google.
It's September! 
Even though I'm not a fan of how quickly time is going by, I'm ridiculously excited that fall is on its way. That means pumpkins, leaves changing, a chill in the air, boots, halloween, Thanksgiving and of course Christmas festivities will begin!


Let me know what you've been loving! Have a great weekend!!

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