Obsessed with Sock Buns

In case you're living under a rock and have not heard about sock buns, here's yet another post on them as I just recently decided to take the plunge and try it. I love how they can easily look casual chic or completely sophisticated!!

The first image is one I found on Hellogiggles.com. The second is moi's first attempt. Not too shabby! ;) Have you tried the "sock bun" yet?!

Love the ones your with! ❤

Since Valentine's landed on a school night this year, the husby and I opted for an evening in with our 2 boys. It was absolutely perfect! From the heart shaped pizza to the double chocolate fudge cake (decorated by them, of course!) this year was truly about being surrounded by those I love and cherish the most. Hope you all had a happy heart day!

PS: I think my oldest definitely has my creative gene. He made the card below by up cycling ones we had and even slipped in a few dollars of his own money for my daily coffee stop. Sweet boy!!

Ulta Haul!!!

Picked up a few things this week and wanted to share! A nice handful of it is by NYX, which I've never really tried but for the price I'm glad I did! Ulta had buy one get one 50% off so I couldn't
go wrong! Happy Friday! :)

Lips and cheek: NYX lip liners in Dolly Pink and Sand Pink, Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake and Creme Brûlée and Physician's Formula Cashmere Wear Blush in Rose. I thought all these colors were so perfect for spring. Can you tell I have spring fever?

Eyes: All by NYX-Eye/Eye Brow pencil in Dark Brown, Jumbo Eye Pencils in Rust and Bronze and Cream Eyeshadows in Chocolate and Suede. The pencils are soo rich and creamy! And the shadows are a no budge formula. So perfect for me!

Face: Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser, Loreal Youth Code for eyes and Loreal Magic Lumi. This is my second time purchasing this concealer which is a rarity for me but it is that good. I love how the eye cream has a steel applicator so it always stays cool which is great for morning puffiness.

Hair: Fructis Sleek and Shine. My hair was in desperate need of frizz help!! We'll see how this works! ;)

Faking it!

I have to say, I love Camilla Belle. She perfects the combination of exotic and girl next door. I am no Camilla but I think I've found the tools to fake her radiant skin.

1. Mac blush in Dollymix
2. Loreal Magic Lumi (this is seriously like magic! Love it!!)
3. Nars Schiap

A few faves: new and old

Wow! I can't even remember the last time I posted! I've been really inspired lately thanx to some friends and so I thought I'd start the new year by sharing some of my faces...both new and old!

1. Eco Tools pointed kabuki brush new fave:great for around eyes

2. String of pearls old fave: always a classic

3. Omega Chronograph old fave: wedding present to husby (think I will have it resized for me!)

4. YSL Volupte Sheer Candy lipstick new fave: LOVE the color, texture, smell! (thanks @jenn)

5. Miss Dior Cherie old fave: reminds me of my beloved Strawberry Shortcake dolls :)

6. Acrylic neon ring new fave: my niece made for me, gotta love that!

7. Philosophy Hope in a Jar new fave: after lots of trial & error, found a moisturizer I'm happy with (thanks to @jenn8again!)

8. Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine new fave: just flat out neat! So light, airy and feels like spongy! I picked this shade cause it went so well with the YSL lipstick

What are some of your faves?

A few random things...

Ok, so this week I picked up a few random things to add to my rotation. Some are from Sephora (gotta take advantage of my F/F discount!), some from MAC and some Target. Here goes!

I wanted to use my Sephora discount but there really wasn't anything that I had to have :(. I ended up with 2 colognes (one for my husband's bday and one for my little boys christmas stocking). And for me I picked up:

Makeup For Ever's HD Blush

This blush came highly recommended by a pal and YouTuber Jenn5716 and I have to say I was not disappointed! The color I choose is #12 which is a true, bright Apricot....soo very pretty. And just like I was told, the wear is phenonmenol! A little goes a long way. I only use about a half a pump for both my cheeks and still have some left over (which by the way, also looks great smudged on the lips!)

Next Sephora purchase was the Bare Escentuals Powder in Well Rested. This was my very first purchase and experience with Bare Escentuals. I've never been a fan. The idea of loose powdered makeup for me was an accident waiting to happen!! Which is why I have never bothered to try it. But like most things I've tried lately, I'd read about this particular product a few times, it just kept popping up so I figured, since I'm getting a discount, I might as well give it a shot! Well!! This product is Ah-Mazing!!!!! I have horrible dark circles and currently use Laura Mercier's concealer (which I do love) but this works soooo good to not only brighten up my eye area, but also to conceal. I was really really surprised at the coverage. I posted a pic of the powder loose and then it "applied" on the back of my hand. It is really truly unbelivable. I think I will post a vid on this particular product because you really have to see to appreciate.

Lastly, at Sephora I picked up a basic Spooly brush for my brows :)

Next, I went on down to the local MAC counter to check out their Tartan Tale Holiday Collection. I knew I wanted the Her Blooming Cheek blush but I also wanted to check out the "Fuschia" lipstick in the collection (which I learned is actually part of their pro permanent collection). I didn't quite like the Fuschia with my skin tone but I did find one I adore! Girl About Town was just the color I was looking for! Deep but not too bright and totally dead on fuschia without too much violet. Love!! As far as the blush goes, this is another must have! Its very pigmented but with a fluff brush gives you the sweetest flush. Use with a dense headed brush for full strength color that is beautiful. I've actually been wearing this blush everyday and I love it!!!

They opened a Target at our mall which is oh so convienent so I crusied on over to pick up Cover Girl's Lash Blast Fusion (Ollie Things Beautiful had previously blogged about it and loved and now it is my new fave), a few nail polishes: Revlon's Plum Nights (deep majestic purple), Revlon's Plum Attraction (a metallic fuschia) and OPI's Midnight in Moscow (a blackish garnet). I also picked up Yes to Carrots Makeup Wipes (OMG! these smell fantastic...light, clean and mildly like cucumber). These are so great! They remove ALL traces of eye makeup without tugging or pulling. Loving these and for $5 you can't beat them. Lastly, are my little brush holders! These are actually votive candle holders that they have out for the holidays but they work perfectly for my brushes.

Sorry, its such a long post but I wanted to share some of the goodies I got this week! :)

A few things I've randomly picked up...

So, my hubby and I have been "designing" our closet (our room is somewhat non-existent right now as it is in the midst for a complete do-over!). Because of the lack of closet, I can honestly say I have been less than enthusiastic about adding too much new stuff when I'm barely finding room to store what I have now. BUT....since completion is near (and it's finally beginning to feel like Fall!) I thought now would be a good time to start incorporating the pieces I've been thinking about. So here's some of my recent finds!

1. Tweed Blazer

I already have a camel colored tweed blazer with a cool herringbone pattern, but I really liked the colors in this one! Purple is a huge color for Fall and I think the overall color of this coat is perfect for a pop and will def amp up any t-shirt and jeans combo I wear. And for a night out, I think this will totally rock with a sleek pair of leather shorts!

2. & 3. Lush's It Started With A Kiss

Last week my bestie and I were in LA for Fashion Weekend and we popped into the Lush store in Santa Monica. OMG! I am in LOVE with that store and cannot wait to go back!! We both purchased this sweet little lip balm that is awesome! As you can see, it gives your lips this wonderfully stained look, kinda like you've been eating a cherry popsicle! and it smells like a yummy vanilla cupcake! Also purchased was the Buffy Bar, which is sadly already gone. It did not last me long at all but that's ok. While it was here, it was the most awesome thing ever! Use it the shower to exfoliate, rinse off and pat dry. No need for lotion!! My husband actually asked if I was loofah-ing cause he said my skin was so soft and smooth! LOL!!!

4. YSL Nail Lacquer in No. 65

Another little gem I picked up while in Los Angeles. In the pic it looks like a deep berry red, but in person it's simple a beautiful classic red. I've yet to try it but I'll post a pic when I do!!

5. Khaki Button Down (F21)

It looks kinda plain jane just hanging here, but I loved the big batwing sleeves and the generous cut of this khaki button down. The material is a lightweight sheer silk and looks effortless. I've already worn it with black leggings and black round toe heels but I think it will equally great with skinny jeans, heeled granny boots and bunchy socks! Because of it's roomy cut, I think I'll also try layering this over a chunky turtle neck sweater or a cozy flannel.

6. Black & White Cardigan (F21)

I fell in love with this cardi for 2 reasons: the classic color combo and the batwing sleeves (what can I say, I love the batwings!). I'm loving this sweater right now! It reminds me a cross between a boyfriend sweater because of the cut but the 3/4 sleeves with ruching down the sides feminize it a bit more. Needless to say, I think this will get a lot of wear time.

7. Cap Toes and Chains

I've been wanting a pair of black and white cap toes since last winter but I have a hard to time straying away from my signature boots ;). So, last week I popped into Kohl's to pick up some stuff for my little ones and saw these on the shoe's clearance aisle. Originally $56, they were marked down to $14!!! Seriously, how could I pass them up?! I think they will look so cute with my rolled boyfriend jeans, little skirt or dress! Next to them is a few "necklaces" I picked up...or rather components of. I've seen so many of these on posts and I absolutely love! My BF posted about some she picked up at Charlotte Russe but when I went in (and I did, specifically for this reason!) they didn't have any longer! Lot's of people are making these and selling so I figured, well I do need a new hobby, so I got the tools to try making my own. I haven't actually made anything as of yet because I haven't had the time but stay tuned!!! I'm really excited to try and see what I can "design"!