northern lights

Roadtrip

2011-03-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

As i mentioned briefly in my previous post, my family and i took a road trip from Texas to Colorado (while passing through New Mexico.). It took us 2 days, and we're finally here. I decided I'd post some of the pictures I look while we were on the road -- the scenery was really pretty! :)

Texas

New Mexico

Colorado

Denver, CO

Hope you enjoyed the photos, might post some more later :)

Off to Colorado..

2011-03-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Off to Boulder, Colorado for a week with my family! Not for a skiing trip or anything, but my parents are planning to move up there so I decided I'd join and get to see the place. Thinking of transferring to one of the Universities up there as well, after I complete my Associates in Psychology. Will see what happens :) Don't know if I'll be able to post on my blog while I'm there, but I'll try!

Excitedddddd!!!!!!

Essence Haul

2011-03-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

Last summer, I stumbled upon the Essence cosmetics brand after reading several blog posts about their products, as well as seeing them pop up in several YouTube videos. I realized that they were sold at my local Ulta store, so I decided to give them ago. Recently, my local grocery store has also started selling Essence in their cosmetics area, and when I was there yesterday, I decided to pick up a few of their items. Not only is the packaging cute and colorful, but the products are cheap -- and as far as I can tell, their quality is very, very nice for the price. I picked up 2 polishes and 2 face products, a bronzer and a face highlighter.

L to R: Shimmer Powder in 01 Prettylicious and Bronzing Powder in 02 Love to be Matt

Here they are swatched. The texture and color payoff is very nice in my opinion.

L to R: #32 Gold Rush and #33 Just in Case

On my nails I'm wearing the #33 Just in Case shade. Love it!

I'm definitely going to be purchasing more Essence products in the future. The nail polishes are only $0.99 here in the US which is super cheap! Their quality is very nice too. The two powder products were only about $2 a piece which is amazing.

Hope you're all having a nice day!

xo Emma

NOTD: St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies,

Thought I'd do a short post today on the nail color I'm wearing for St. Paddy's day today :) Since I don't particularly like wearing green clothing I thought I'd just wear green on my nails and on my eyes today. The nail shade I chose to wear is from the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line, in shade #430 Grass Slipper.

With Flash

Without Flash/Natural Light

Personally I think green is a super fun color to wear on ones nails, regardless of what day it is! :) And I'm also a big fan of the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line. I feel that the colors go on nicely, don't chip easily and the wide brush makes application flawless (in my opinion)

Anyway, hope you're all having a lovely St. Patrick's day! Maybe I'll put up my green eye look too, later on.

xo Emma

Revlon - Pink Nails :)

2011-03-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Shade: #168 Temptress

with flash

without flash

Picked up this pink Revlon nail polish in shade Temptress #168 yesterday as well as the lipstick I mentioned in my previous post. Felt like I needed a new pink color to brighten myself up a bit! Plus, pink is a great color for spring and summer, so what's not to like about it?

In the pictures I'm wearing 3 coats without a top coat. So far I'm really liking it! Nice application and seemed to dry very fast. There is a slight silvery shimmer to it as well, which I find very pretty.

What are your favorite nail colors for spring?

xo Emma

Revlon Colorburst

2011-03-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

Picked up a new lipstick today. Decided to try out the Revlon Colorburst lipstick in #070 Soft Nude.

I know the swatch isn't the greatest but you get the idea. It's a bit of a darker nude in my opinion but still a nice, wearable color. Have any of you tried out this shade in Soft Nude? If so I'd love to hear your opinions on it :)

-Emma

GOODBYE, BLONDIE! :)

2011-01-19T01:14:00.000-08:00

Hello blog world, its been a while.

The last few months have been super hectic and crazy, not so much with work or school, but with myself. I just haven't been feeling...complete, lately.. if that makes any sense. I just seemed to lose all energy and positivity for a while, and just went through a bit of a rough time emotionally. A new semester has started though and I decided that I need to put all the negativity aside and just focus on the good stuff.. or at least try to. SO..with this being said, I did something drastic the other day which really brightened me up :D ...I got rid of my platinum blonde hair and dyed it a dark reddish-brown. I. LOVE. IT.

My hair has been blonde all my life... 21 years. Naturally it is quite dark blonde, but I had been bleaching it for about four years... which really took a toll on it. Not only was it not as shiny from all the bleaching, but it broke off, fell out, and just looked cheap after a while...especially when those dark roots decided to show up -.-

BEFORE:

As you can see, my hair is really bleached here...and the roots are clearly showing and don't look all that appealing -.-

I started bleaching my hair when it was right above shoulder length... I'm AMAZED that I was able to grow it so long!! Luckily I didn't need to have much of it snipped off :)

Right before getting the filler & color put in! Please excuse the weird face/pose lol. So glad I got rid of that color, look how washed out it made me look!! yuckkkk.

AFTER:

Result: reddish dark brown color. I'm completely in love with it :)

My hair once again looks somewhat thick and shiny :) :)

I'm so happy with my hair "transformation"!!! It definitely made me feel I got a mood boost :) I dunno about you but I think the darker color suits me a lot better... and I don't plan on going back blonde any time soon!!

Have any of you done any fun hair changes lately? :)

xoxo

Emma

21st Birthday :)

2010-10-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

So this past Sunday... I turned 21! I decided I didn't want a huge fiasco so.. I opted for a nice evening out with my family and my best friend instead. We went to my favorite restaurant here where I live, the Steiner Ranch Steak House. They have SUCH good food -- and the atmosphere is wonderful. I wanted to sit outside, as the weather was beautiful.. as well as the sunset. Plus, there was entertainment too. I decided that I wanted to share some bits and pieces of my evening with all of you, so below I have attached some pictures :)

hehe, I love waking up to pink champagne!

delicious raspberry/chocolate cake :)

my best friend and i, on our way to the restaurant

outside the restaurant

us blondes... my dad didn't want to be photographed haha

my first "legal" drink haha. Wildflower Martini -- SO GOOD!

gorgeous sunset

...that waiter randomly gave me his # hahaha.

katie and her cake

Me and Drew

Overall I had a wonderful 21st Birthday!! I'll definitely always remember it :)

Drugstore Haul

2010-10-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies,
I have been picking up some drugstore items lately at various places, such as Ulta, Target, Walgreens and the grocery store, so the products below are by all means not from the same place, however..I just wanted to share them with all of you :) I'm really excited about these products as I've heard some fantastic things about some of them! So...here we gooo --

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in 001 Ivory

Rimmel Colour Rush Quad in 001 Smokey Noir

L to R: Wet n Wild coloricon eyeshadows in Nutty, Brulee, and Sugar

Swatches L to R: Sugar, Brulee, Nutty

NYX Eyeshadow Base in White

L to R: NYX Round Lipstick in 504 Harmonica, Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in 020 Baby Pink, Neutrogina Moisureshine Lipcolor in 32 Spring Blossom, Neutrogena Moisureshine Lipstick in 100 Angel's Blush

L to R: NYX Round Lipstick in Harmonica & Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Baby Pink

L to R: Neutrogina Moistureshine Lipcolor in Spring Blossom & Neutrogina Moisureshine Lipstick in Angel's Blush

L to R: NYX Round Lipstick in 504 Harmonica, Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in 020 Baby Pink, Neutrogina Moisureshine Lipcolor in 32 Spring Blossom, Neutrogena Moisureshine Lipstick in 100 Angel's Blush

As you can probably tell, I have a slight obsession with pink lipstick lol!! I really think that pink lipstick is an important part of anyone's cosmetics collection, as it is such a great lipstick shade that is so girly and fun. Have any of you tried any of these products before? What did you think?!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

xoxo

September Favorites!!

2010-10-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Once again... I am super duper late to do my favorites post, as well as write a post in general. I can honestly say that the past couple of days/weeks.. I've just been feeling lazy. School and work have been super hectic and I've just wanted to relax, so I took a little break from blog posts and yadda yadda etc.. but, I came to realize that I really missed it so I'm back! And this time I'm going to try and update regularly, I promise!!! SO...onto my favorites of September...

L to R: Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Foundation, N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Loose Powder, Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Bronzer

1) Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Foundation in Classic Ivory: This foundation is one of those that I completely stopped using after a while and quite simply forgot about. And the weird thing is... I have no idea WHY I forgot about it!? I started re-using it again in September and have nearly used it up, as it makes my skin look absolutely FLAWLESS. I'm amazed by it, honestly. It gives me great coverage and feels/looks great.

2) N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in Translucent: I picked this up at Target for about $2, not really expecting it to be fantastic, just needing something ASAP to set my foundation with. Boy was I wrong, it works wonderfully! It really helps with keeping the oils from coming through my makeup for most of the day, and I think it's a great thing to buy if you don't really want to spend a ton of money on a setting powder.

3) Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Bronzer in Light: Let me just start by saying that this has got to be my favorite bronzer EVER... as you can probably tell because I've clearly hit pan on it hahaha. This is my 3rd one of these, and I'm just completely in love with it. Being that I am so pale all year round, this bronzer is perfect for me as it doesn't go on too dark, although it is very build-able which I like. Has just the right amount of shimmers so the pearly effect isn't too overpowering. Great for a very natural look!

L to R: Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Mascara in Blackest Black, Loreal Lineur Intense Carbon Black Eyeliner

4) Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Mascara in Carbon Black: I got this mascara for free when I worked at Victoria's Secret, and honestly didn't think it would be all that great, so i put it in my makeup drawer and forgot about it, UNTIL last month when I found it again and thought, oh why not give it another shot? So I did, and I. Am. In. Love. Makes my lashes long, volumized and NOT stick together which is a plus! 2 coats and it looks absolutely lovely on the lashes.

5) Loreal Lineur Intense Carbon Black Eyeliner: I have been using this for months, but took a bit of a break during summer as I just didn't feel eyeliner was very necessary during the super hot Texas weather. Now that it's fall, and the temperatures are a tiny bit cooler, I feel like the black eyeliner works beautifully. Used it practically every day last month and it is SO easy to use. The felt tip makes application flawless, quick, and easy. Perfect for a winged cat-eye :)

L to R: Rimmel Colour Rush Eyeshadow Trio, Wet n Wild ColorIcon eyeshadow

6) Rimmel Colour Rush Eyeshadow Trio in Maritime: Bought this on a whim last month as I thought it looked pretty, and it was on sale for $3.50 at my grocery store. Now... the colors are not super pigmented but that is precisely what I love about it, I LOVEEE the sheer, HINT of color that these give you. Great for a pretty, mermaidy look. Will definitely continue using this for a long time :)

7) Wet n Wild ColorIcon Eyeshadow in Nutty: For I think... 1$ or so, this eyeshadow is a steal. It works SO WELL. Pigmentation is awesome. And it feels silky and lovely. This eyeshadow is great for wearing alone with no other colors, as it is super duper pretty blended up into the crease, and kind of gives the appearance of having a darker crease/outer corner color. Lovely eyeshadow indeed. I have used so much of it this past month that I need to go back and buy more :)

L to R: Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick, Revlon Matte Lipstick, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss

8) Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Twinkle: This lipstick smells lovely, a bit like cotton candy or vanilla. It goes on quite sheer, but adds a lovely shiny, sparkly effect to the lips. Definitely will be repurchasing. What I love to do is wearing it over nude lipstick, to give it a bit more...flair, I guess you could say lol!

9) Revlon Matte Lipstick in Nude Attitude: Ok, I'll be honest, when I first got this and tried it out, I hated it. I didn't think it made my lips nude enough. But I gave it another shot last month and I actually started to love it. The nude color isn't too light, so it just gives my lips a HINT of a nude shade, which is quite pretty. Very wearable color for everyday. I love wearing the Maybelline Color Sensation Lipstick in Twinkle over it as well.

10) Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Shine City: The pretty light pink color of this gloss was what caught my eye in the store, and I'm really glad I bought it because it gives my mouth a pretty shine with just the right amount of sparkle. Also kind of smells like lemon cookies in my opinion which quite frankly, is wonderful x100000.

Well.. those are all of my favorites for the month of September. I'm sorry I posted them so late!! I'm working on a little haul post as well, as I recently picked up a few items from Ulta and whatnot.

Have a lovely rest of the weekend everyone,

xoxo

Drugstore Haul

2010-09-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

'Ello lovelies,

Thought I'd share some of the goodies I picked up at the drugstore earlier today when I was out shopping with my mom. There isn't too much, but I have already tried everything out....because as soon as I got home i opened everything like a loon, and so far I like everything :)

From left to right is the eyeshadow trio by Rimmel in #700 Maritime, and on the right is Wet n' Wild eyeshadow in #252B Nutty

Here they are swatched, (more pigmented in real life, but the picture turned out crap)

On the right is Wet n' Wild lipstick in #901B, and on the right is Rimmel #640 Summer Angel

On the left is Maybelline #705 Twinkle and on the right is Maybelline #500 Pink Sand

I apologize that the swatches are a bit rubbish, but from left to right is Wet n' Wild lipstick in 901B, Rimmel #640 Summer Angel, Maybelline #005 Pink Sand and Maybelline #705 Twinkle (which hardly shows up in the picture)

I have recently become a bit obsessed with lipsticks and honestly...I feel naked if I dont' wear any. Hahaha. Have any of you tried any lipsticks lately that you recommend?! I'm still on the hunt for many more :)

xoxo

EOTD - Smokey Eye

2010-09-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
I'm so sorry for being away for so long, I started back at uni four weeks ago and my life has been filled with nothing but school and work. I just took my first exams in all my classes so I should have a couple of weeks that aren't as busy, which I will definitely use to my advantage and blog :)
Since this is my first evening off from work in a while in which I'm not completely exhausted, I thought I'd post the look I wore on my eyes today, as I quite like how it turned out.

*please excuse the creepy close-up of my face

As you can see, it's a darkish, somewhat dramatic smokey eye with a bit of silvery color. Since I was just going to class, I didn't want to make it look TOO dark, so I skipped the eyeliner and just went with some mascara.

Now as for the products used, there weren't many at all.

For the eyeshadows, I just used my $5 E.L.F Beauty Encyclopedia, Eye Edition (the smokey eye booklet).. I used 4 of the colors -- silver, on my lower lid, the dark grayish shade in the crease and black in the outer corner and blended out. The matte white shade I used as a highlight and in the inner corners for a bit of brightening.

I'm really liking the smokey eye look for fall, do you guys have any specific eye looks you like to wear now that the weather is getting chillier?

xoxo

Haul & Ramble

2010-08-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
I apologize for my lack of posts the past few days, I've been really busy working & getting ready for my classes which started on Monday. I feel like summer just flew by -- and I didn't even do much...besides work, hmph! Anyway, my classes today went alright. I was a bit stressed earlier this morning as I still felt like I was in "summer mode" and going to class just seemed completely out of the question. I'm in my 3rd year of college at the moment and honestly, I wish I was done already. I'm only going for an Associates degree in Psychology right now, which I COULD have had completed last year, but because of a health issue, I haven't been able to go to school full time, so it looks like another year :\ oh well. I'm not even sure what I want to do with my life yet so....I'll see.
Now... I'll stop rambling on about boring things and get on to the fun stuff --- my haul! I've done some shopping here and there over the past week and thought I'd share with you all the things I've gotten from Marshalls, which happens to be one of my favorite stores here in the US :) They always have amazing deals on everything, so you don't have to worry about things being too expensive, which is nice.

Gray & Black striped long sleeve shirt -- $12.99
Light gray circle scarf -- $7.00
Black cardigan w/ white lace detail -- $12.99
Gray long sleeve top -- $12.99
Red leather bag -- $24.99

Hope you're all having a good week :)

xoxo

I love getting packages in the mail :D

2010-08-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Yup, getting a package in the mail is one of those things that will always make me smile. Whether I've ordered something or it's a complete surprise, it's always fun opening a new package :)
A few weeks ago I ordered two items from eBay and they both arrived a few days ago. ALSO, I received a surprise package from my best friend who lives in Minnesota, and when I opened it I was SOOOO happy as she had bought me something I had been wanting since I saw it in an ad. Now...onto the pictures!

First off I ordered this H&M grey/black leopard print top from eBay. I absolutely love it!! I think it'll look really cute with leggings, as it is quite long and slouchy :)

Next...I ordered this Hello Kitty purse off of eBay as well...as I'm a Hello Kitty fanatic! Seriously, I've always loved this character. I can't wait to use it :D

The inside of the bag..isn't it cute!?!? Eeee! I love it :D

AND...last but not least, my best friend sent me this AWESOME dress from H&M!!! Since I'm unfortunate enough not to have an H&M in Texas, I was SO happy that she sent me this, as I saw it in their fall/winter ad and practically fell head over heels in love with it as I'm obsessed with anything that has black & white stripes. THANK YOU YEN!! <3

As I'm already blabbing about things I've ordered from the internet, I went ahead and placed an E.L.F order earlier...which I shouldn't have, but I honestly couldn't resist. I love the products...and really think I've become addicted to online shopping....not good. hahaha. Oh well. Have you guys ordered anything fun lately? :)

xoxo

Charming Charlie & World Market

2010-08-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies :)
Took a little trip yesterday to a shopping mall that I haven't been to before, as it is a bit far away from my house. However, I came across a store that I've never seen before, called Charming Charlie, which let me tell you, was absolutely heavenly. They carry jewelry, handbags, clothes, shoes, hair accessories.. you name it. Every section of the store is color coordinated too, so it's easy to navigate and find what you are looking for. I did manage to pick up two things from there which I absolutely love.

I also stopped by World Market as I adore that store -- especially their food selections, as it is all from around the world, and sometimes I manage to find Swedish food items which I miss from when I still lived there. For once I stopped by the accessories section though and came across an adorable pair of earrings. I will post pictures of all the stuff below!

Gold Chain Necklace from Charming Charlie -- $14.97

Fabric Leopard Printed Button earrings from Charming Charlie -- $4.97

Gold Heart & Arrow earrings from World Market -- $6.99

I apologize for the rubbish picture quality but I just wanted to show the little things I bought :)

Hope you're all doing well!

xoxo

Target Purchases

2010-08-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone :)
I just got home from a quick little trip to Target with my mom. It's one of those places we always seem to go to at least once a week, as it's so convenient -- not only for all the different things they carry, but because it's literally 2 minutes away from our neighborhood. Anyway, my mom needed some household things and wanted to look at curtains, so I decided to pop over to the cosmetics isle and the clothing section where I did, in fact, find a few goodies :)

In the background of this photo is a great plastic container/organizer thing I found for about $5. I've been looking for one for quite some time, as I'm tired of my makeup drawer being a mess.

These makeup removing cloths are my absolute favorites, as they don't irritate my eyes, smell really nice and are only $3, compared to other makeup removing cloths I've seen or used in the past. I decided to just get the last two packs that were left :)

I've NEVER tried the E.L.F all over color stick before, but my friend told me that she really liked the one in Pink Lemonade, so I decided I'd try one out. The Target I went to only had the shade in Golden Peach though, so we'll see how it works out! Only $1 too :)

I decided to pick up these concealer and foundation brushes (both for only $1 as well) as I needed some new ones and they're sooooo cheap.

I love anything with zebras or zebra stripes, so when I saw this I fell in love with it hahaha. They didn't have my size in stock so I bought one 3 sizes too big =\ BUT...I tried it on, and I think it would be cute with leggings :) It was on sale for about $7 or so.

I've been looking for a shirt like this for sooooooo long. And this one actually fit me for once :)

I think I've become slightly obsessed with Target. Every time I drive by, I feel like I need to stop and go in hahaha. I am very happy that they sell E.L.F products though, the prices are absolutely unbeatable, and I don't have to wait weeks for my order to arrive... although the website still has tons of products that Target doesn't carry which I would loveee to get my hands on. Oh well, I'll place an order at some point :)

Have a lovely rest of the weekend everyone!!!

xoxo

random tidbits =)

2010-08-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies!

Felt like putting up a little post to show you some random little things I've picked up from work recently! The store I work at sometimes has weekends where the employees get 20% off the store merchandise, so I found a few goodies that I couldn't pass up :)

I'm completely obsessed with bags that have really long straps, and I've been looking for a black one for a really long time, so when I saw this one for $12.99 I had to buy it :)

Also came across this tan cross body bag which is quite similar to the black one, and this one was also $12.99!!!

Last but not least, I stumbled upon this unicorn wallet. Hahaha. I'm a bit of a weirdo and like things that are a little bit odd and different, so this caught my eye right away. I just thought it was so cute!! Plus it has my favorite colors...and for $3.00 I didn't really have a choice but to get it...heh.

I'll admit I've been on a bit of a purse rampage lately and purchased another one yesterday, but I haven't gotten the chance to photograph it yet, so I'll put it up in another post soon =) Anywho, I'm off to watch a movie and enjoy my last free evening for the next few days, so I'll update again soon when I get a chance. Hope you're all having a nice end to your week!

xoxo

my new obsession :)

2010-08-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you who read my latest post, you'll know that I recently purchased some Essence products from Ulta. Well......I tried one of the nail polishes..and let me just say, I'm completely in looooveeeee with it. It has become my newest obsession, and it's absolutely gorgeoussss! Therefore I decided it deserved its own blog post.

As you can tell, it's just a lovely light purple color. It goes on very nicely, and two coats makes it look perfect. I have yet to try my other one, which I purchased in a orange/pink color, but I'm sure I'll love that one just as much. All in all, I highly recommend the Essence nail polishes!! For only $0.99, they're a steal! And although the bottles are very small, they are very very good polishes. Will definitely stock up on some more colors as soon as I go back to Ulta :)

xoxo

Ulta Haul

2010-08-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Last week my mom and I went on a little shopping trip to Ulta, which is one of my absolute favorite stores :) I didn't plan on spending a lot as I was only really looking for one thing, that I've heard a lot of great things about, but I ended up buying a lot more things than planned -- without overspending, and that is because I stumbled upon a brand I've NEVER seen in the US before, called Essence. I had only heard about it from watching a video on YouTube by LizYArtur , who is wonderful by the way! :) What caught my eye about the products was the colorful and cute packaging, but then I realized how wonderfully priced they were! SUPER cheap!

The Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse is what I initially went to Ulta for, as the Target and Walgreens near my house don't carry them. I haven't tried it yet but am really excited to, have seen/read some really good reviews on it!

Sorry about the crap picture, but this little Liquid Eyeliner by Essence caught my eye simply because of the color, it's like a metallic teal, and I love it! I wore it the other day and really liked it, thinking of doing a FOTD with it. Only $2.49!

This Mosaic Powder by Essence in shade #2 - Adorable, grabbed my attention as well because it was mentioned in LizYArtur's video, and she mentioned that she really enjoyed using it. I haven't used it yet, but I'm really excited to try it! Priced at $3.49

This Essence 3-in-1 concealer only cost $2.49, and as I'm always on the hunt for a good concealer, I decided to give it a go. So far so good! -- I esp. love the pink shade for my under eye circles :)

Last but not least, these lovely little nail polishes by Essence only cost $.99 !! I suppose that's understandable, considering the sizes are really small, but so far I've tried the pinky-orange one and I thought it worked really well! Will definitely go back for some more :)

Have any of you tried the Essence products? What do you think of them? So far I'm really liking them, especially considering what you get for the price. I'm definitely going back to Ulta soon to stock up on some more of the Essence items! Be sure to check out this LizYArtur July Favorites video, she talks a bit more about some of the Essence products as well as additional ones that I wasn't able to find at the store.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

xoxo

July Favorites (a bit late, sorry!)

2010-08-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies :)

I apologize that my July Favorites post is a bit late, but I've been quite busy these past few days so I'm finally getting around to it! The products I've been loving this past month are pretty basic, nothing too exciting, but oh well.

I have recently "re-discovered" my 88 Shimmer Palette by Coastal Scents. I used it nearly every day during the month of July, and I love the fact that it offers so many options. Being me, I stuck mostly to the neutral colors though..as you may be able to tell from the picture.

My E.L.F. Golden Bronzer has been my best friend lately..as you can probably tell hahaha. It offers 4 different shades, however I prefer just blending them all together, then using the lightest one (bottom left corner) as a highlight. It's quite shimmery, which I LOVE during the summer, & blends really well into my skin.

I bought this Body Shop Warm Sunset Blush last year and never really used it, as I thought it was WAY too orange for me. However I decided last month to give it a go, and it turned out to be a favorite. As long as you don't use too much, it can be quite a nice but subtle shimmery bronzer/blush.

Yes.. it is an eyeshadow -- Vanilla by Maybelline, but all throughout the month of July, I used it as a highlight on my cheeks. It looked quite nice and shimmery without being crazy looking.

My L'Oreal Lineur Intense Eyeliner has become my obsession once again. Goes on SO nicely, and is really easy to work with. Great for doing the 'cat-eye' look too :)

I bought this L'Oreal De-Crease Eye Primer last month because my UDPP ran out, and let me tell you, it works just as fabulously. I've become obsessed. It's half the price of UDPP as well, and you can find it at the drugstore. Lasts alllllll day.

Yes.. I realize that the Max Volume Flash Mascara by Rimmel was in my June favorites as well, but it's such a great every day mascara!! Not too dramatic, but makes my lashes look very nice, and doesn't clump at all.

This Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Foundation has been hiding in my makeup drawer for a while, but I found it a few weeks ago, tried it, and I love it. Gives my skin good coverage, doesn't make me break out, stays on nicely all day, and gives a dewy appearance.

This nailpolish in Minted by Revlon is LOVELY!! The color is beautiful, and it stays on my nails for a long time without chipping. Have been wearing this color on my toes all throughout July :)

I've really been liking this Pond's Dry Skin Cream under my foundation lately, makes it last a bit longer than usual :) And it works really well for me, although my skin is actually quite oily...

Last but not least....(don't laugh at me)...is this Suave Detangling Spray for kids.. heh. I've been using this as well as the L'Oreal kids detangler since I moved to the US eleven years ago, and let me tell you, no other detangler has made my hair smell so lovely and tangle free. Plus, at around 2 dollars, it's definitely worth it :P

I'm already getting excited about posting my August favorites, as I recently purchased some new stuff that I'm absolutely LOVING so far, but those will have to wait :)

xoxo

Forever 21 Haul

2010-08-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

As I mentioned in my last post, I got a package from Forever 21 on friday with some things that I'd ordered about 2 weeks ago. SO, I decided to post a little haul of the things I got! :) Forever 21 is such a fun store, and I love their cute items and how cheap they are :)

Studded flats -- $21.99

Black & gray striped tee -- $5.80

Perfume bottle tee -- $15.80

Black & white striped top -- $12.80

Feathery tank top -- $13.80

Black & white striped form fitting dress -- $11.50

Black & green geo print form fitting dress -- $11.50

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this haul, and perhaps found something you like? I've recently become a bit of an online shopping addict *sigh* ...which is probably not a good thing... but it's so much fun getting a package in the mail, which doesn't happen very often :)

Hope you're all having a wonderful week!

xoxo

Today's Makeup

2010-08-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies :)

I had a long day at work today and am super duper tired so this post will be a short one, but before heading to work today I came to the conclusion that I really quite liked the way my makeup turned out, so I decided to do another little FOTD post!

Face:

CoverGirl AquaSmooth foundation in Classic Ivory
E.L.F. concealer in Light Beige
E.L.F. Complexion Perfection
E.L.F. Studio Line Golden Bronzer

Eyes:

L'Oreal De-Crease eyeshadow primer
Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette
L'Oreal Lineur Intense felt tip liquid eyeliner in Carbon Black
Rimmel Max Volume Flash mascara

As you can see I kept it quite neutral with a hint of a smokey effect and some liquid eyeliner to add a little bit of drama. I hadn't used my 88 palette for quite some time, so I decided to put the colors to some good use once and for all. Overall I'm quite pleased with the look and will definitely continue doing it :)

I received a box of goodies on Friday from Forever 21 that I'd ordered a couple of days ago, so expect a little haul of those things sometime this week!

Hope you all have a good start to your week :)

xoxo

Tag: 8 Questions!

2010-07-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies! I was recently tagged by the wonderful Mariam to do this tag with 8 questions! The rules are simple -- answer the questions of the person who tagged you, and then make up 8 questions of your own for others to answer!

1. What current style do you think will end up being a fad? Denim dresses -- perhaps its just wishful thinking, but i'm absolutely in LOVEEE with this trend.

2. What's your guilty pleasure? I'll be really boring and say... chocolate. But really, I'm addicted!!! If i don't eat chocolate at least once a day, I'm really grumpy >.< I should probably stop eating so much though..heh.

3. What made you decide to start a blog? I fell in love with the blogging community after I discovered the world of fashion blogs and youtube fashion/beauty gurus, so I decided "hey, this seems like fun!" and it is! :)

4. Favourite Past time I shall let my nerdy side kick in and say....reading :P Especially mystery/suspense/crime. My favorite series would have to be The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson :)

5. Do you have a job or are you a student? Full time student and have a part time retail job.

6. Favourite Chocolate Bar/Candy? Plopp and Pigall! For those who don't know, they are Swedish chocolate bars. Plopp has caramel inside and Pigall has some type of truffle filling, but I've been eating these since I was little and miss them SO much -- wish they were available in the US!!

7. Money/Love? Love, without a doubt.

8. Favourite Music & Movie Genre? I'm a HUGE fan of 80s music..although I wouldn't say I have a favorite music genre as I listen to a little of everything, depending on what mood I'm in. I'll listen to anything from Enya... to ZZ Top.. hahaha. My dad's music tastes have clearly rubbed off on me. As for movies, favorite is suspenseeee!!!! Or anything with Clint Eastwood, let's just say I'm slightly obsessed. I do enjoy romantic comedy type films as well.

rawr.

My questions

What was your worst makeup mishap?
What is one thing on your wishlist?
Hypothetical Situation: you're stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere and you could only bring ONE makeup item, what would it be?
What is your favorite film?
What is your favorite thing to do during your free time?
What is one place in the world you really want to visit?
What is your favorite brand of makeup?
If you could only shop at one clothing store for the rest of your life, which one would it be?

I tag all of you!!! I'd love to read all of your answers :)

xoxo

FOTD

2010-07-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Today is a bit of a lazy and uneventful day for me, so I decided to go really simple and neutral with my makeup, but I liked the way it turned out so decided to post it on here :)

I'm really into neutral makeup, as I think it's suitable for nearly any occasion and always looks pretty, so that is what I wear most of the time. All of the makeup used for this look are from the drugstore, with the exception of my blush which I purchased at The Body Shop. Here is the list of products used --

FACE:

CoverGirl AquaSmooth foundation in Classic Ivory
Almay line smoothing concealer in Light - 100
E.L.F. Complexion Perfection
The Body Shop blush trio in Warm Sunset

As you can probably tell, my E.L.F complexion perfection is used allllll the time.. :)

EYES:

L'Oreal De-Crease eyeshadow primer
Rimmel eyeshadow quad in Smokey Brun - 002
L'Oreal infallible never fail eyeliner in Black
L'Oreal Double Extend mascara with Lash Boosting Serum

These products have become everyday go-to things for me and I really like using them.

xoxo

Marshalls & Target Haul

2010-07-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been on a shopping frenzy lately. Wherever I go I can't seem to NOT buy anything. This habit should probablyyyy stop. However, I did go to Marshalls and Target the other day really quick and found some cute things for reasonable prices, so I thought I'd share them with you all :) I think that the pieces I found are great for summer and/or fall, so I'm quite excited about the buys.

Light pink/gray striped slouchy top from Marshalls -- $14.99

Gray slouchy long-sleeve top from Marshalls -- $12.99

Simple black Oxford shoes from Target -- $16.99

Denim dress from Target -- $21.99

I can't wait to wear my new things :) Especially the dress, now that it's still really hot outside. I just love denim dresses, they've become my newest obsession lately, methinks. They're just so simple, yet feminine and really summery, and can be dressed up or down, although I prefer wearing mine a bit more casually. Anyway, hope you enjoyed my little haul!

Have a lovely weekend everyone! :)

xoxo

2010-07-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hello loveliesss :)

Decided to just write a super quick little post as I haven't in a couple of days. Earlier today I popped into Target for a bit with my mom to pick up some things, and as I was in desperate need of a concealer, i decided to try the one by e.l.f. as it was only $1!! Never in my life have I stumbled upon such cheap make-up products. Now I have absolutely no idea how well this concealer works, as I've never tried it, but I've tried several other products by e.l.f so far that I'm a big fan of, so we'll see how it goes!

Another product that caught my eye was L'Oreal De-Crease, an eye primer. I had no idea L'Oreal had an eye primer, so I was quite happy to see that they did, as my Urban Decay primer is almost gone, and I didn't want to drive all the way to a Sephora to pick one up. I'm really hoping that it works well, but once again I have no idea as I've never tried it. On the bright side, it was about 1/3 of the price of Urban Decay Primer Potion :)

Have any of you tried these products? What did you think?...are they worth purchasing again or no?

There will be a new post up tomorrow so stay tuned for that :)

xoxo

Marshalls Haul

2010-07-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize..aaaanother haul, but now that it's summer, I've had more time to shop for random little fun things, so I thought I'd share the things i picked up at Marshalls within the last few days :) If any of you don't know what a Marshalls is, it's basically a department store that sells designer and name brands for discounted prices, and they sell everything from clothes to homeware. It's just like a TJ Maxx, or for those of you in the UK area I think TK Maxx?

Navy/White patterned off the shoulder dress -- $12.99

Strapless denim dress -- $14.99

Tan colored wrap-like dress? (Don't know what to call it) -- $24.99

Little black dress :) -- 14.99

(tried to get a more detailed picture of it, but none of them came out well)

Slouchy zebra top -- $12.99

(it's actually really long too, think it might look cute with leggings?)

There you have it! When I was posting this I realized that....I buy way too many dresses. But I can't help myself, as they are my favorite things to wear :)

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

xx Emma

Dress Obsession

2010-07-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about summer is that the weather is (usually) perfect for wearing dresses! Since moving to Texas 3 years ago, I've really been taking advantage of this, as the temperatures here are quite hot, and dresses are the PERFECT thing to wear. I just love wearing them, they're so summery and make me feel really feminine. Over the last few days I did go shopping and splurged on a few dresses that I couldn't resist.. so I posted some pictures below :)

Blue & White strapless polka dot dress from Target -- $21.99

Blue striped strapless dress from Target -- $21.99

Black multi-color print sundress from Francesca's -- $40

Black and White striped long-sleeve dress from Francesca's -- $34

Have a wonderful day everyone, and hopefully you enjoyed my little mini haul of dresses ;)

xx Emma

June Favorites!

2010-07-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 days since I posted something, so I thought today was high time for something new. BUT, all for good reason -- I've been busy with celebrating my dad's birthday, working and spending time with one of my best friends who is back to visit for only a few days.

Anyway, I thought I'd do a June favorites, simply because I'm a huge fan of the monthly favorites posts :) I think they're fun, as it kind of gives you an idea of the things other people like to use and what they recommend. SO heeere it is!

1. L'Oreal EverPure Leave-In Conditioner -- my hair has been quite dry at the ends lately, especially after i re-dyed my hair super blonde about a month ago, so after every shower, i put some of this on my ends when my hair is still damp and it REALLY helps to make it at least FEEL healthier. I definitely recommend this product, and I'm going to keep using it!! PLUS, it smells really good too, in my opinion!
2. Victoria's Secret Body Spray in Lemon Paradise -- I got this body spray on a whim one day while shopping with my friend, as it said I could get 3 for $25, so I decided to give this one a go since I'd never seen it before and the name sounded tempting as I really like lemony things. Anyway, I've been wearing it now EVERY single day for the whole month and i LOVE it. The scent is Lemon Sugar and Vanilla, and it's quite sweet, so it may not be for everyone, but when I wear it I just feel really summery. The only downside is that the scent doesn't stay very long, but overall, definitely a June favorite.
3. Urban Decay Primer Potion -- Okay, so this will probably ALWAYS be in my favorites as it is the best eye primer I have tried. It gets really hot and humid where I live now during summer and with this, I can go the WHOLE day without my eyeshadow going anywhere.
4. CoverGirl TruBlend Blush in Pure Romance -- I'm a really, and I mean REALLY, fair complexioned person, and for as long as I can remember, blush has always been a bit tricky for me because I always used to feel like it made me look clownish with my pale skin. However, I found this a couple months ago but first started using it at the beginning of June and let me just say that I. Am. In. Love. The color is really really light pink with a hint of shimmer and I just feel really pretty when wearing it, and it even suits my super duper pale face =P
5. Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation in Porcelain Ivory -- I recently featured this in my FOTD post, but it's the ONLY foundation I've been using the the past two months and I really really like it. It gives me really good coverage and it never feels too 'heavy' on my face. It's also the only shade I've found that actually suits my skin tone, without leaving me with an undesirable looking foundation line :\ --yikes
6. Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Light Bronzer -- This isn't necessarily a brand that I usually go for, but my mom actually gave me this bronzer after not liking it so I decided to give it ago. I, unlike her, love it. It's light enough for me to wear without looking..well...strange, and gives nice color on my face.
7. Jordana Easyliner in Black -- So i bought this at Walgreens one day because I was in need for a black eyeliner that was cheap. I do prefer my Urban Decay eyeliner, but I've really only been using this one during the last month. It stays on pretty well and it never gets all smudged around my eyes, which is a plus. The cheap price doesn't hurt either :)
8. Pixi Eye Zone Brightener -- I tend to get really ugly under eye circles, so I found this little gem at Target a while back and at first I was a little skeptical, but it REALLY does brighten up my under eye area, and it feels really cool on the skin too which helps make me feel more awake. I'm definitely purchasing this again!
9. Rimmel Max Volume Flash Mascara -- I can't stop using this. I even went and bought 2 more. It makes my eyelashes look separated, longer, and there's no clumpiness!!
10. Rimmel Eyeshadow Quad in Smokey Brun -- I've been using this as an every day look now for a couple of weeks, as it is very wearable. I esp. like wearing it to work as it is very natural and looks quite nice.
11. Body Shop Trio in Sundown Glow -- LOVEEEEE this. Shimmery and pretty with super nice colors. Makes me feel kind of goddess-esque. Need I say more? Only bad thing is that it was limited edition :(

Sorry for the excruciatingly long post, but there you have it, my June favorites! :)

xx Emma

Small Target Haul

2010-07-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to make a quick little stop at Target today, and as always, I end up leaving with a couple of goodies =P It's not much, but I figured I'd just post a quick little haul of the things I purchased.

Simple turquoisey-seafoam colored tshirt, $7 on clearance

3/4 length sleeve white/pink striped top, $7.50 on sale

Leopard Flats, on sale for about $8.50 (i can't find the receipt! :( )... and last but not least....

I gave in to my mascara obsessed self and bought the new Maybelline Falsies Volume Express mascara... I couldn't resistttt!! I've heard and read some pretty good things about it, so we'll see! I haven't opened it yet though, but as soon as I've used it, I'll write a little review and let you now what I think! Has anyone else tried it out? What do you think of it?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my random little haul!

xx Emma

First FOTD post!

2010-07-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today has been one of those days that have just been plain lazy. Well.... at least until late afternoon, when I DID drag myself out of lazy-mode and threw on a sundress, put on some makeup, and went..... to the grocery store, of all places. Fun huh? =P

However I did kind of like the way my makeup looked today, so I thought I'd do my first ever FOTD post! All the products I used are from the drugstore, and I stuck to just neutral colors today.

MAKEUP USED:

FACE:
1. Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation in shade Porcelain Ivory, Light #1
2. Almay Line Smoothing Concealer in Light 100
3. ELF Complexion Perfection (LOVEEEE this product)
4. Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Light Bronzer
5. CoverGirl TruBlend Blush in Pure Romance #425

EYES:
1. Urban Decay Primer Potion
2. Eye Shadow from the ELF Beauty Encyclopedia, which I randomly decided to pick up at Target and am surprisingly pleased with! Pigmentation is quite good, and the whole thing was only $5!
3. Loreal HIP Eyeliner in Brown #955, used on upper water line
4. Rimmel Max Volume Flash Mascara, which has become my favorite lately :)

On the lips I decided to just go with my Nivea Lip Balm. Didn't feel like putting on anything else today!

I realize the picture quality here is a bit on the blah side, but I'll try to work on that. Aside from that, Have a very happy 4th of July (for those who celebrate it), and I'll put up another blog post soon! :)

xx

Eclipse + Cupcakes = wonderfulness :)

2010-07-03T22:23:00.001-07:00

Okay... this is a bit of a random post, but let me just say that I went to see Eclipse today, and it. was. wonderfullll -- I'm a bit of a Twilight nerd.. just throwing that out there =P

Anyway, there are these great little trailers all around Austin () that sell Cupcakes, and I think I spent nearly all evening just sitting there with my friend, devouring cupcakes like loons. SO, if there are any more cupcake lovers out there such as myself, ever visiting TX, find a Hey Cupcake :D they're delightful.

I decided to have a bit of a lazy day today, so i just paired up some denim shorts with a white off the shoulder slouchy top, black gladiators, and a black leather wristlet thing, plus my anchor ring.. I didn't get a full outfit shot though, unfortunately.

Again, sorry for the randomness post, but as a cupcake addict, I felt the need to share it with you all ;)

MPLS HAUL! (H&M, Urban Outfitters, etc..)

2010-07-01T18:35:00.001-07:00

As i mentioned in my short post yesterday, I spent last week in Minnesota. I was there to visit some friends and my best friend on her 21st birthday, and I'm so glad I got to see them all :)

While I was there, I DID manage to pick up a few goodies, which I've posted some pictures of below. I'm most excited about my H&M purchases as we don't have one in Texas (sadly,) and I haven't been to one in YEARS. I love their clothing, as it is so affordable, comfortable, and cute :) I just love the style of their items.

I'm really happy with everything I got on my trip, and the WONDERFUL thing about Minnesota is that there's no clothing tax. Texas, why can't you be as awesome?!

The two dresses and white shoes were my H&M finds. I'd been looking for shoes like that for a while, and a simple summery denim dress as well. Plus it's SO soft. The other dress, black with flowers, I actually wore to my friend's birthday dinner and received quite a few compliments on it, which never hurts ;)

The striped anchor shirt I found at Urban Outfitters, and i fell in love with it the INSTANT I saw it.... as I'm a bit obsessed with anything nautical. I think it would look cute with some skinny jeans, what do you guys think? The anchor earrings I actually found in a store right after that, called Heartbreaker? I think.. I'd never heard of it before. On my last day before going to the airport my friend and I did a last stop downtown Minneapolis where I found my I <# MPLS shirt ANDDD the cupcake air freshener which I think is ADORABLE. I'm absolutely in love with cupcakes :D I haven't put it in my car yet, but it's going up tomorrow.

Hope you enjoyed the post :)

I have returned...

2010-06-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize that I started this blog in March, and have since then not posted anything. However, I plan to change that, and want to start posting things regularly, so please bear with me as I get used to this thing :)

:)

Welcome :D

2010-03-09T23:19:00.000-08:00

Ellooo, and welcome to my blog! It took me some time to actually make this blog, as I have been toying with the idea for quite some time. I thought "who in the WORLD would care about the nonsensical rubbish I have to say?", but....well...someone might, so, here it is :P

What inspired me to do this? well, that's easy...all of the wonderful youtubers and bloggers I have following lately!

Anywho, to introduce myself -- my name is Emma, I'm 20 years old and I'm of Swedish nationality, but am currently living in the US. I'm just a typical girl, who loves everything fashion, makeup and beauty related.... and Clint Eastwood of course ;)

Expect some hauls, random reviews, ramblings and perhaps a few OOTD posts.