New Jordana Stuff!

     Hi Everyone! I went to my local Walgreens today with the hopes that they would have some of the new Jordana products that everyone's been talking about. They did! The display was fully stocked and had everything that I had in mind to try. Here's what I got:

• Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Sweet Pink  - this is so beautiful! Just like the name says, very moisturizing and staining.
• Fabuliner - the new Bold one - sorry about the weird swatches. I was playing around with it, trying to get it darker, and then laying it more flat to get the bold line. The first two swatches I built up to get a darker line, the third swatch is just one swipe. I'm kind of disappointed that it's not jet black without going back over it.
• Two 12 Hr Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencils - Endless Emerald and Prolong Purple - these are absolutely gorgeous! Awesome pigmentation with a little shimmer. I haven't worn them on my eyes yet, but the swatches on my hand did not come off with hand soap, so that's a good sign!

     This little haul is just another example of the awesome benefits of being a part of the beauty community. I can't tell you how many times I've walked past the Jordana display with barely a second glance, until I started watching videos and reading blogs where so many of their products are raved about! It just goes to show that price doesn't always matter when it comes to quality!

     Have any of you gotten any of the new products yet? Are there any other Jordana products that I should try? I'm thinking about doing a future post of a look featuring all four of these products!

     Have a wonderful day!

<3 Vanessa

Bath and Body Works Haul

     Hi Everyone! It's getting to be my one of my favorite times of the year! I love it when summer starts winding down, the nights are a little cooler, and you can see just the slightest tint of color starting to come to the leaves. Another favorite of mine - Bath and Body Works hand soaps. There is just something about that bottle of good smelling cuteness sitting on my sink. :) Bath and Body Works is really in the full swing of unveiling their fall scents, but I'm not quite ready to dive into all the pumpkin and spice. As much as I adore autumn, it is still August after all! So I got on the website (armed with my free shipping code) with the goal of getting stocked up on late summer/early autumn scents. I think I did pretty good. :)

     From left to right:

• Vermont Sugar Maple - the name says it all, it really does smell like sugary maple.
• Seattle Hazelnut Latte - this smells like a really creamy hazelnut. I wish I could smell the coffee/espresso more, I can't really detect it at all. Still like it though!
• Aspen Autumn Day - I'm not usually the world's biggest fan of yellow, but I really love the color of this! It really reminds me of a bright fall day. :) The smell is kind of hard to describe, it's almost like a very bright earthy scent. I was kind of hoping it would smell like fall leaves, but it definitely doesn't. Still a fan though!
• Heirloom Pear - Love this!! I think it's my favorite of the bunch. I really have a thing for pear scents done right, and this is! If you picked up or got to smell the Fresh Picked Pear scent from earlier in the summer, this smells a lot like that, only sweeter. I have this one in my bathroom right now.
• Heirloom Cranberries - this is my least favorite. The only scent I'm really getting from it is an artificial cherry.
• Honeycrisp Apple - this is one of my favorite varieties of apples to eat, and the scent didn't let me down! It's a nice slightly sweet apple scent.
• Scarlet Pumpkin - this smells just like pumpkin cake - delicious!!
• Farmstand Apple - a lot like the Honeycrisp, only a little stronger and not quite as sweet. This one's currently at my kitchen sink. :)
• The leaf in front is a Wallflower plug in. I currently have three Wallflowers scattered throughout my house, and absolutely love them!! They have so many scents to choose from, both permanent and seasonal. They make my house smell so good! I got this beautiful bronzey maple leaf to change out one of my other plug ins, I'll probably switch it at the beginning of September. They also have a pumpkin one, I plan on getting that one to use further into fall.

    
     Overall, I am so pleased with everything I got! Bath and Body Works rarely lets me down! They have such awesome products, wonderful scents, and good sales going on all the time!
    
     If you're a fan of Bath and Body Works, I would highly recommend signing up for their email newsletter. Not only will they alert you of sales, but they'll also frequently send out coupon codes for free or $1 shipping, or a percentage off of your order. Usually there's a $25 minimum for the codes, but don't ever find it a problem with getting my total to that. :)
    
     What are some of your favorite scents from Bath and Body? Have you stared transitioning your scents into Autumn, or do you use ones you like year round, regardless of the season? Have a wonderful day!

<3 Vanessa

*I am in no way affiliated with Bath and Body Works, and bought everything with my own money.

Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots

   

   
     Hi Everyone! I wanted to share with you a little gem I found a few days ago - the Maybelline Color Show "Polka Dots" line! These are awesome! I'm not sure how new they are - I don't usually linger too long over the Color Show polishes, as I've only ever had one and was disappointed with it. But as I was scoping out the makeup aisle, this polish in Pretty in Polka really caught my eye! One of my go-to looks for my nails is to accent either my ring fingers, or my ring fingers and thumbs, with glitter or designs. When I saw this, I knew it would make the perfect accent! :) The polish itself is a very sheer pinky-purple, but the stars of the show are the little polka dots through out - they are just so darn cute! The dots are matte black and matte white, and they come in tiny circles, medium sized hexagons, and a few larger hexagons scattered through out.

Worn over Wet n Wild Megalast in Through the Grapevine

     The formula of this polish is so easy to work with. I was able to get the look you see in the pictures with just one coat, and I didn't have to go fishing around, trying to place the dots just right. They just kinda naturally fell into place and looked great!
    
     If I remember right, I think there were four other shades in this line - there could be more, though. I remember a blue and a teal, which were beautiful, but probably not ones I'll pick up just because I tend not to wear those colors too much on my nails. There were two others that I definitely am going to get, one had little black and white dots, and another was browns, tans, and whites if I remember right. I think that one will be perfect for fall!
    
     I seriously am in love with this polish! Hopefully they all have the same beautiful formula as the one I have. If they do, they are well worth trying out in my opinion.

<3 Vanessa

Almay Liquid Lip Balm Review

    

Top to Bottom: Blooming Balm, Apricot Pucker, Rosy Lipped

     Hi Everyone! I wanted to pass along my review of the new(ish) Almay Color + Care Liquid Lip Balms. I love these things! To me, they are just the perfect lip gloss. They're slightly on the creamy side, not as glassy and super super shiny as other formulas. (Although they still pack a lot of shine!) Here's what Almay has to say about them:

A lifesaver for your lips! NEW Almay Color + Care™ Liquid Lip Balm combines the lip conditioning care of a balm with the shiny color of your favorite gloss. Shiny color drenches lips with 2X hydration* as lip-loving conditioners provide 194% more moisture for softer, smoother lips over time. Non-sticky. gluten free. Hypoallergenic. Dermatologist tested.
*vs. bare lips

Source: Almay.com

 

     I would have to say that I agree with about everything that they said! They definitely feel very moisturizing on the lips (although I always think it's kinda funny when they come up with numbers like 194%...so specific!). The texture is very creamy and not drying at all. Even though these balms/glosses (whatever you prefer to call them:)) aren't sticky, I still think they have pretty good staying power. Be aware though, they won't really stay on through eating, and there's no staining effect, so reapplication is necessary throughout the day. That's what I expect with most lip products though, so it's not a problem for me. The website describes the color as sheer, which I agree with, especially on the lighter shades. They can be worn alone, and also look great paired with a lip liner. Another plus about these is that they are really quite inexpensive compared to other drugstore glosses. They are priced at $4.48 at my local Wal-Mart, and quite a few times I've been able to get a $1 off coupon, making them only $3.48! I haven't priced them at drugstores, but my guess is that they're a few dollars more there.

 

     There are ten colors in the collection, and I have three. I really want to own the whole collection! Maybe I'll do another blog post when I reach that goal! :) The three I have are Blooming Balm, Apricot Pucker, and Rosy Lipped.

     Here are the swatches in the same order as above.

     Overall, I am very impressed with these glosses! If you're like me and prefer your glosses a little on the creamy side, I would definitely pick one or two up to try!

<3 Vanessa