Beauty Box 5 Review

*I was provided with a press sample to review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are solely my own.*

We all know I have an on-going love affair with Birchbox and last month I talked about my new found obsession with beauty army. Well I have another one for y'all.

Beauty Box 5. 

How it works: for $12 a month (or less if you increase your subscription length) you get 4-5 deluxe beauty samples ranging from drugstore to high end, some cult favorites or some vegan products. The folks a Beauty Box 5 are committed to introducing you to your new favorite products. 

What I got:

MODEL Co Illusion Lip Enhancing Pencil - Full size ($20) - This is a nude lip liner allows to to create the perfect lip shape i.e the perfect pout. Super creamy, long wearing, and it comes with a sharpener on the lid! Genius. 

Blinc Mascara - .02 oz  ($3.68) - I've actually already tried this product and I loved it! "Tube your lashes" don't paint them. This mascara basically wraps your lash in a tube that not only lengthens your lashes, but the mascara stays put all day and night! No flaking or smudging. I love it! But you definitely need a good eye makeup remover at the end of the day. 

Bodyography Foundation Primer - .53 oz ($15.90) - I received the clear primer and I have to say it's awesome. So silky smooth, great at reducing shine, odorless. All around great primer. 

Jean Pierre Oil Absorbing Facial Tissues - full size ($1.99) - These help absorb that dreaded summer shine, and they do a great job. They definitely are more absorbent that other brands I've tried so I like that I only need 1 sheet for my whole face. Not 2 or 3. 

Brazen Eye Shadow Full size ($7.49) - This is a loose mineral eyeshadow. My sample is in "birthday suit" which is a tad dark for me, but has great pigmentation and is a gorgeous matte lid color. I've never really used loose eyeshadow, but I like it! 

What I thought: Great box! I was really happy with everything I got. I thought it was a good mix of low and high end products, and the sample sizes were great! If you do some quick math my box was worth $49.06 so not a bad return on a $12 investment. 

Bedroom Workspace

First of all, don't forget today is the last day of google reader's life. I'd love for you to keep following along with me and this little blog as I take on law school and life in Louisiana. All you have to do is click here!



A few things have changed since we last chatted about my New Orleans plans. I was 110% set on living by myself, but after a trip down there I realized that wouldn't really be the best plan for me moving forward, so I ended up finding a fabulous three bedroom right next to campus. I can't tell y'all how excited I am to get down there and enjoy having a grown up walk in closet (first time in my life!) and my own brand new bathroom.

But, this now means that instead of locating my home study space in the living room,  I'll need some sort of desk situation in my bedroom.  That is where y'all come in. I need some opinions.  Should I just make a cute little corner of the room into a pretty desk space like this?

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Or do I devote more of the room towards a work space? Really make sure I have space to spread out, put up shelves to hold books or other pretty bobbles? 

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I love this last look especially. That desk is amazing! Anyone in Louisiana know where I can pick one of those up? 

Friday's Fancies: Beach Day Essentials

Unfortunately I don't have any beach trips lined up this summer, but you never know I might throw in a day trip somewhere. Growing up we spent weeks ever summer at my family's little beach cottage on St. George Island on the Florida panhandle. We have some fantastic memories there with some good friends and family, and beach trips haven't really been the same since my parents sold it.

GANT slim shirt / Pleated maxi skirt, $23 / Miu Miu bow bandeau bathing suit, $155 / River Island gold handbag, $38 / GUESS hat / GUESS by Marciano sunglasses / Sun care / Turquoise Teshvikiye Linen Turkish Towel

What's a beach day with out a little touch of glam right? I typically try to cover up as much as I can when traveling to and from the shore, I always seemed to get the worst sunburns walking home. Seriously I love oxfords to lounge around in and they provide tons of coverage from those intense florida rays. To keep the look from veering too far into prepster-ville I added the sparkly bag and the white maxi skirt. Then add a floppy hat, some cute sunnies, oh and the perfectly classic girly suit. Perfect beach wear.

Life Lately

Sorry for all of the radio silence lately. All of my crazy travels have caught up with me and I've got some kind of nasty chest cold that makes me hurt everywhere every time I breathe. It's horrible. Anyways, here's a little life lately recap according to instagram. Hope y'all have a fabulous Thursday! 

Congressional Baseball Game \\ Cocktails at Zeba 

Loving Leopard \\ Philly Cheesesteak at Reading Market 

Colonial Brews in Philly \\ Gorgeous Weather in DC 

Rainy Weather in DC \\ Emerald Colorblocking

Currently

Happy Tuesday Folks! Unfortunately my trip home from Arkansas last night was less than smooth and I didn't get home until 3:00 am. Fun times let me tell you. So this morning I don't have much for you so I'm going to do a little life currently.

Listening to the 9:00 hour of the today show. I'm just not ready for hard news this morning.

Loving that I have a four day week this week and next week. So much better than five day weeks.

Drinking coffee, diet coke, red bull? I need caffeine, and I don't have any right now. What should I get.

Reading way too many emails. After that, I'm about to start Simple Rules for a Complex World. Fun right? Got to love that pre-law school reading list.

Wearing a soft floral skirt, a cami and a cardi. Not my best but I got 4 hours of sleep, what do you want from me.

Thinking that it really sucks that I still don't know where I'm living in 5 weeks.

Feeling sleepy, stressed, bored.

Wondering if today will go quickly so I can get home and take a nap.

Realizing that I only have 40 days left in DC! Ahh!!!

Friday's Fancies: Summer Wish List-- Target Maxi Dresses

Greetings! As you read this, I'm on the road to New Orleans for a little weekend visit with my Mom. So far my little vacation has been lovely (minus the crazy early mornings two days in a row). Today marks the first official day of summer, and let me tell you it feels like it! DC has still been cool, but Arkansas and Louisiana are quite warm, let me tell you.

For this week's Friday's Fancies theme we are discussing our summer wish list. Mine is long, but since I'm moving I've put myself on a spending freeze! I don't want to have to move anything extra! Whatever doesn't fit in my Jetta isn't going to make it with me to NOLA.  I have been lusting over one piece... and I think I could make an exception to the spending freeze. The Target Jersey Maxi Dress.

Mossimo petite dress / Mossimo pocket dress / Mossimo see through dress / Mossimo petite dress

Are they not killing it lately? That black and white one, first introduced to me by the lovely Alissa, I'm obsessed. 

Wish me luck house hunting this weekend, and please excuse me for potential delayed posts next week as I'm traveling Sunday and Monday! Have a great one gals!

Four Things: Floral

I had so much fun with last week's four things link-up I decided to come back for more. This week's theme is "Floral: Anything Goes." Now normally I'm not much of a floral person when it comes to my wardrobe. I just checked my closet and found 3 things. woops. But, since florals are so trendy right now, I've been trying to broaden my horizons a bit.

Lipsy flower print shirt, $44 / Accessorize satin ballet flat / FOSSIL floral tote / Diptyque Roses Scented Candle

I'd love to add this cute top to my collection. Or a fun tote, or even hide my florals inside my shoes. But if I don't accomplish any of that, rest assured I'll always have gorgeous floral candles around. Don't forget to come join the fun with Ashlyn and Kristin.

Fun note, I'm heading to the deep south tomorrow for a little relaxation and to get ready for a big move in 6 weeks! Yay! Both Little Rock and New Orleans are on the agenda! I'm even hoping to maybe get in a little pool time while I'm at my parents! So here's to it being my friday! Woohoo!

Quoted: A Colorful Life

I just wanted to leave y'all with my lovely blog motto today. I hope you'll join me in making an effort to incorporate a little color into your life today.  Check out my instagram feed for colorful updates through out the day. If you feel so inclined join me with a little hashtag party #colorfulworld so we can all enjoy some pretty colors together. 

Philly Fun

This weekend my roommates and I randomly decided to take a little day trip up to Philadelphia and play tourists. We've been wanting to go explore for a while, and since it's only two and a half hours away why not! I've never been, but I can tell you already I'm dying to go back! We had such a great time!

Since Friday was flag day there was tons of Americana fun to be had.  We started off at Love park then made our way down market street towards Independence Hall. We checked out Reading Market for Philly Cheesesteaks and some Amish treats. Since we were only there for the day we decided to be cool and hop on one of those tourists buses. Living in DC I'm often annoyed by the swarms of tourists flowing in and out of my city, so it was a little strange being on the other side. I'm so glad we did it though. We were able to save our feet and walk around the cool neighborhoods in town. 

We couldn't have asked for better weather! It was 80 degrees, no humidity and absolutely gorgeous. 

We wrapped up our day with a few colonial beers (which were awesome btw) and some gelato, then hopped back in the car and headed south to DC. If you need a weekend getaway I'd can't recommend Philly enough! 

Friday's Fancies: Weekend Weddings

We made it again! Happy Friday y'all!  For this week's Friday's Fancies we are talking wedding wear. Shockingly I don't have any weddings to attend this year (though with quite a few engagements I'm sure next summer will be very busy). But if I did have a wedding to attend I would certainly love to show up in this little pretty.

Dress,/ ankle wrap sandals / Leather clutch /  cuff bracelet / Wire jewelry

I'm still loving all things metallic, and bronze seems perfect for summertime. Pair it with a golden makeup look? I'm thinking it's summer time perfection right? Now since it's Friday I won't keep you here too long, but y'all seriously need to check out some of these posts below. Can I just say it was a pretty epic week around the blog-o-sphere.

Link Love

• I want my new apartment to include all of these pretties Erin curated.
• Julie wrote beautiful and thoughtful post about being real or fake in blogging. I couldn't agree with her sentiments more.
• Ashley shared her top five photo editing apps. Shocker. Instagram DIDN'T make the list.  
• In the mood for a yummy cocktail? Laura's got you covered with this Orange Ginger Mojito. 
• Betsy introduced us to beer pasta this week. Need I say more?
• Finally we talked brows with Meg, definitely something I need to work on. 

Cocktail Hour: Bump Up Your Beer

Assuming the rain doesn't cancel it, today is the annual Congressional Baseball game here in Washington, D.C. If you've never heard of this event, Members of Congress get together and put any partisan sqwable aside to fight over what really counts, a win on the baseball diamond. For those of you in DC or if your even remotely political you need to get your butt down to Nationals Park tonight. Tickets are $10 and it's general seating, get them here!

Anyways, since this is a night where the Washington elite kick their feet up and relax, I figured a little cocktail hour is in order? Tell me what goes better with baseball than a cold beer? Besides a hot dog or a little shake shack? Well this cocktail is perfection for summer and the ingredients are pretty darn inexpensive, so you've got to love that!

I actually discovered this drink at PS 7 when it was still open, but alas, the drink lives on with us! 

Ingredients

• 5 oz light lager beer (i.e. Bud Light, Miller Light, PBR, etc.)
• 1 oz Ginger Liqueur
• 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger thinly sliced (for garnish)
• Ice

Directions
Simply combine the ginger liqueur, beer and lemon juice in a tall glass. Add the ice and garnish with ginger. Enjoy.


It seriously couldn't be much simpler than that folks? Let me know if you try it! Happy Thursday!

Four Things

Happy Wednesday! Seriously, I feel so much better on Wednesdays because I know the weekend will be here before we know it, and this weekend promises to be wonderful. So today I wanted to join some of my favorite gals in a four things link up, and share four things I'm loving today.

gelato / havaianas / fathers day / lulu and georgia 

Is there really anything better to cool you off during the summertime than some ice cream? I popped in to pitago gelato over the weekend, and I haven't been able to get the stuff out of my head. DC area folks. White Grapefruit Sorbet. If you want to get crazy add it to the Chocolate Noir sorbet. It's beyond amazing. 

I picked up a new pair of havaiana's at south moon under a few weeks ago, and oh my gosh I forgot how comfortable they are. If you've never tried them, go get you some ASAP. 

Father's Day is this weekend! What are you getting your dads? I love getting to celebrate a day of Dad's, but let me tell you... mine is SO hard to shop for! If you have any awesome dad gift ideas please send them my way!

I'm sure by now y'all have heard of lulu and georgia but as I'm apartment hunting I can't help but dream of a new place decorated entirely with their gorgeous pieces.

What four things are you loving today? Don't forget to link up!

A Little Gap Love

Since it's been raining pretty much nonstop for days I'm dreaming of some warm sunny summer fun. So what's a girl to do, obviously a little online shopping right? Somehow I wound up at the Gap and was actually super impressed with the selection this season.

Gap tall maxi dress / Gap dress / Gap flip flops / Gap platform wedge shoes / Gap leather tote bag / Gap straw fedora / Gap Tortoise Bamboo Sunglasses

I haven't really perused their website in years, but I'm loving all of the maxi dress options, fun sunnies and even some cute shoes.  What do y'all think? Have you visited the gap lately?

ps. don't forget today's your last chance to enter to win a $50 Shabby Apple Giftcard here!

Wonderful Walls

As we get closer and closer to moving day I'm continuing to dream about what my little apartment will look like in New Orleans. You already know about my bar cart, but there's a whole lot square footage beyond that. I know that I want a very clean ascetic. No clutter and tranquil colors, while still soft and feminine. While I love a good gallery wall (this one is fabulous), I feel like they can be overwhelming at times. If they aren't done correctly it makes a room look shorter and utterly cluttered.  No thank you. So instead of buying or creating some big artwork to fill up a wall, I'm thinking of going another direction.

Have you heard about this new product? Wallpaper for renters.  Amazing right? The mild adhesive keeps the walls safe, and then it saves you from having to re-paint before you move out. Love that.

So I'm thinking an accent wall in the bedroom, maybe in the kitchen as a backsplash? Or in a dinning area to make it feel like a separate room.  I can't decide.

What I am certain of is my love of gold wall paper. I found the most perfect chevron cream and gold adhesive paper this weekend (at Union Market, haven't found it online yet).

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I just love how decadent and sophisticated it makes a room feel. I love this one and these.  There's just so many options out there!!! What's a girl to do.

So what do y'all think? Metallic wallpapers, yay or nay? 

Quoted: Dolly Parton

Friday's Fancies

Is it just me, or did that week just fly by? Time seems to just keep moving faster and faster. While it's overcast and rainy thanks to that pesky storm Andrea. While I don't mind the cooler weather and rain, I would like to break out my sunglasses this weekend.

summer sunnies by bluedogbelle featuring stella mccartney

I need them all, obviously.  Don't forget to come link up with Alison so you can see some other fabulous shades to last you through the summer and beyond.


Link Love

• In need of a fabulous cocktail? Natalie's got you covered with these cute printables. 
• I loved this board of four favorites. Definitely thinking about this color scheme for my new apartment. 
• This is SUCH a good idea for decorating an apartment! Who doesn't love Washi tape?
• I've been on a quinoa kick lately. Definitely going to attempt to make this little cake. 
• Shay had a great list of books to read in your twenties. I had better get a move on if I want to get it all done!

Since it's supposed to be rainy tonight I may just stay in and do a little reading in bed. I went to the library yesterday and picked up a few books to read to prep be a bit for law school. I doubt I'll make it through all of them, but I'm just feeling so antsy about all the upcoming change, I felt I needed to do something tangible.

Anyways, have a fabulous weekend dolls! Oh... and don't forget about the Shabby Apple Giveaway!

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Currently

*So, I'm a bad blogger and completely took the night of yesterday because I forgot to fill a hole in my editorial calendar, so truly... this is what I'm doing currently*

Listening to CNN. What else is new? Trying to catch up on the morning news before I run over to the Senate for a hearing.

Loving that it's Thursday, and tomorrow should be a very relaxed day heading in to the weekend. Plus, I'm really excited about all the rain we're about to get. I love warm rainy days.

Drinking diet coke. I just bypassed coffee this morning. Though I may grab a quick latte on the hill.

Reading emails. CQ. Politico. National Journal. I spend entirely too much time reading the same stories over and over again in different publications. At least I'm in the know right?

Wearing slacks. What? That never happens. Added a blue cami and a black cardigan. Super stylish over here, let me tell you.

Thinking about how ready I am to get to law school.

Feeling anxious about leaving DC.

Eating egg and cheese on wheat toast. Regretting it already.

Wondering if anyone actually likes these blog posts?

Realizing that I have 58 days left in DC. 40 days of work. Yay/Ahh!!!

What are you doing, currently?

A New Subscription Box: Beauty Army

I shared my May Birchbox yesterday, so today I wanted to share my my experience with Beauty Army. I should note, this post is completely un-sponsored. I simply want to share my honest opinions with y'all about these two services. So let me introduce you to 

Unlike most subscription boxes out there, Beauty Army allows you to actually choose what products you want to sample in your box. You take a fairly extensive profile quiz about your beauty preferences, then a slate of 9 products is presented to you. You can choose up to 6, or try re-taking the quiz to see what the other options are. 

One of the best parts is you you actually get to see what size the sample is. Because lets be honest, I'm going to be a whole lot more excited about a 1.5 oz sample of shampoo as opposed to a little .2 oz packet. 

I will say, when I got the box I didn't get quite the same thrill of "oooh what'd I get?" as I do with birchbox, but you know what? I'm 100% happy with my box, so no disappointment! 

The cost is $12 a month, but you can easily opt out of a box month to month which is great if you're overwhelmed with samples, or just want to test the waters to see what else is out there. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, it comes in the cutest little pink box that is pretty enough to use over and over again (mine just happens to coordinate perfectly with my bedroom and is proudly displayed on my vanity). 

Now, here's what I got this month.

Nelson J Argan Oil Non-Foaming Shampoo- This shampoo promises to cleanse your hair with out harsh detergents that dry out hair, meaning it should in theory be great for my dry color treated hair. Well, it actually did make my hair look great, but I was an oil slick within 8 hours. Thank goodness I had some dry shampoo with me. Maybe I used it wrong? Or not enough? But I thought it was kind of hard to tell if my hair was clean or not after using this, and I'm not going to lie, I missed the lather. 

GG Gatsby Raise Volume Conditioner- This conditioner smelled great and definitely didn't weigh my hair down when I tried it. I don't know that it left my hair quite as bouncy and voluminous as promised, but I don't really have anything negative to say. 

Say Yes to Daily Pore Scrub- I tried the grapefruit version a few weeks ago, so I was happy to test out this "tomato" version. I definitely love this line, and this version left my skin feeling fully scrubbed and a little tight (in a good way). I do think I prefer the scent of the grapefruit scrub, but this one is great too if your looking for something a little less scented. 

Mark. Scanda-Lash Black Mascara- I was actually really surprised with how much I liked this mascara. Lengthening like woah, and even a little volume to boot. I would compare this to the iconic Maybelline Great Lash in that iconic pink and green tube. Definitely a great option at only $6.50 a tube. 

New York Streets Dry Shampoo- This dry shampoo is probably one of the finest mists I've ever tried. Lightly scented, but still enough to make your hair smell great. For you darker haired ladies, this is one of the "clearest" powders I've tried. Plus its sulfate and paraben free, who doesn't love that! 

 

Addiction NV Gel Liner Pot in Gold Digger- Oh my gosh y'all. This is hands down the best gel liner I have ever tried (moment of honestly I've only tried like 3-4 others). The consistency is super duper creamy, tons of pigment and dries quickly. I've been wearing it every single day since I received it. I've also tried it as a cream base shadow, and it works perfectly. 

So that's my experience with Beauty Army. Any other subscriptions out there I need to try? 

May Subscription Boxes

Alright y'all, this month I added a new box to my repertoire and let me tell you it was a good one. So, I wanted to link up with my favorite texas gals for....



Now, I have a lot to say about these two boxes, so I'm actually going to make this a two day link up (keeping you on pins and needles I'm sure). First up, my standby, Birchbox! I actually just celebrated my 25th Box! I can hardly believe how much $$$ I've given them it.

COOLA Sunscreen- This it seriously the best feeling/smelling sunscreen I've ever used. It smells like cool cucumbers and isn't thick and gloppy like so many other sunscreens. It goes on lightly, but still provides 30 SPF? I'm completely obsessed. All my pale girls out there (well really all you girls out there) you need this.

amika Nourishing Mask- This is a deep conditioning hair mask that seriously smells amazing. But I'm not going to lie, I don't think it was as nourishing or deep conditioning as I would want from a product being sold as a mask. I left this on my hair for almost thirty minutes and I still had some tangling issues. I have long damaged

Pilot Acroball PureWhite- This is a seriously great pen, and it's even pink. But guys...  this is such a strange thing to include in a box.  I'm just not feeling it. But thanks for the pen.

Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner- This eyeliner impressed me right off the bat. Quite possibly more than any other eyeliner I've ever tried. It just glides on with seriously no effort and is instantly set. You have mere seconds to blend it (my favorite eyeliner technique at the moment), so thankfully I have a steady hand! Seriously though, the staying power is amazing. The color power is awesome. Birchbox seems to be low on color options at the moment, but for a while they had a 4 mini pack for $21. Seriously y'all... I think this is my favorite eyeliner, ever.

Fabulous by Isaac Mizrahi- This perfume is definitely fabulous. It just screams "I'm a girl" It's sweet and floral, but light at the same time. I really don't have anything bad to say about this scent, but I'm not sure. I guess it's just not "me."

Marvis Toothpaste- This toothpaste is awesome. It is just a middle of the road perfect toothpaste. Not too flavored or scented or foamy. But I'm more of a whitening toothpaste gal so I'm sticking with my sensodine white.

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow! Don't forget to link up with the fabulous ladies above!

Life Lately and a Giveaway!

This is what life has looked like lately according to instagram.

Summer weather has officially made it's way to Washington (though I'm thankful it took it's sweet time). I've been celebrating with lots of time wandering around the hill, watching baseball games, and partaking in a few yummy cocktails.

Even more baseball, late nights with good friends, a few pretty flowers and some new beauty goodies to sample c/o Birchbox and Simple Skincare.

Finally shopping for some baubles at South Moon Under, pretty flowers in my front yard, Cheese Shop deliciousness in Williamsburg, and taking in the breathtaking views of the tidal basin while I still can!

Now, the lovely people over at Shabby Apple would like to give one of you fabulous ladies a $50 giftcard! Great way to start the week, right? If you don't already know, Shabby Apple is an online dress boutique that specializes in vintage and retro dresses.  Click Here: vintage dresses to see the selection! Winners will be announced on June 12th.

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Quoted

Friday's Fancies: Winning in White

Are four day weeks not the best? I can hardly believe it's Friday, but I'm certainly not complaining! This week's Friday's Fancies theme is very appropriate, as summer time weather has officially arrived in DC.

winning in white by bluedogbelle featuring stainless steel jewelry

Flower dress / Topshop leather shoes / Accessorize evening handbag / Kate Spade earrings / French Connection stainless steel jewelry, $145 / San Diego Hat Co. wide brim hat

Honestly I'm still way behind in my reader... so I haven't gotten to troll through as many posts as I would like, but I certainly still have some link love to share with you all.

• Pugly Pixel had this great post about free downloadable art from the  Rijks Museum. I may have to nab a few for my new apartment!
• Alyssa from The Glossy Life wrote such a beautiful and poignant post yesterday. It's definitely worth a read. 
• This trick from The Beauty Department is genius, and actually works! Who knew?
• I loved Allyssa's summer reading challenge, and think I may play along. Anyone else?
• Now go make this deliciously southern summertime cocktail and start the weekend off right. 

Have a great one gals!

Bar Cart Beauties

With only two months left as a Washingtonian I'm beginning to dream about what life in New Orleans will look like. I'm foreseeing some long nights in the library, lots of warm weather, late nights on Magazine Street, and cocktails on the porch of my new New Orleans abode (that I have yet to find). Sounds pretty good right?

Since I'm planning on living on my own for the first time I'm thrilled to get complete and total control over the decor. Yay!!! So in the coming weeks I want to get y'all's oppinions on a few decor options I'm considering. I've come to learn you folks have the best taste around. 

First up, the ever important bar. I'm not sure what it is about having a "bar" in my house that makes me so happy (beyond the obvious bottle collection), but I just love the sheer decadence and sophistication of devoting a chunk of your living space to pretty glasses, bottles and trays. Whatever it is, I've decided that a bar is a must in my new abode. 

Right now I'm using a massive Ikea bookshelf turned on it's side for storage/ bar wares, but I'm thinking of switching over to a pretty bar cart. 

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I mean, come on. Don't you love them all? While I'm still debating if I want to go for a cart, ooh... or maybe a tray or two on top of a buffet? I'm pulling all of the elements together.

bar cart by bluedogbelle featuring beauty products

Beauty product, $38 / Waterford Crystal Lismore Ice Bucket & Tongs, Cobalt / Riedel Ultra Decanter - 225mm 1230ccm, $340 / C. Wonder Neon Lucite Serving Tray / Casa Couture Platinum champagne box of 4, $53 / Tabla by Mikasa® Circumference Shooter Glasses, Set of 4 / Worlds Away Bar carts

What would you put on your bar car?

May Beauty Favorites

Holy Cow! How is it the last Wednesday in May? Seriously, when did that happen? After a wonderful long weekend and a very stressful start to the work week I'm feeling slightly dazed this lovely Wednesday. But you know what makes me feel better? Being able to share my May beauty favorites with you! Monthly favorites are some of my favorite posts to write, so I hope you enjoy reading them!

I have to say, this month was pretty epic. I did a little birthday shopping at Sephora, so I had lots of new goodies to play with!

1. Benefit They're Real Mascara- I am officially a believer in this mascara! If you want LONG and defined lashes you need to try this mascara. I will say the formula is probably the wettest one I've ever tried, but after a few coats I've never quite seen my lashes look as good as they do. I will say this isn't the most volumizing mascara (i.e. thickening), but my lashes are definitely longer and more defined than with any mascara I've used... ever.

2. Suave Dry Shampoo- I've gone back and forth on this product a lot since I've discovered dry shampoo, but I have finally decided this one is the best deal on the market. First of all, it's the least expensive one out there, it smells amazing and it works! I think that I have to use a little more of this product than some of the higher end dry shampoos I've tried, but for the price it's still worth it.

3. Simple Soothing Eye Balm- I have a full review of this and a few other simple products coming soon, but I am loving this eye balm after only a few days. When I turned 25 I decided it was time to start taking care of the skin around my eyes a little better and I can't tell y'all how much better my eye area looks already. If you're guilty of not taking off your eye makeup way too often every now and again, you need this product. It soothes the tired eyes you didn't know you had, plus it helps keep those dreaded bags at bay!

4. Benefit Watt's Up! Oh my goodness. Hands down the best highlighter I have ever used. I love this creamy little stick of glowing perfection. Mendi and Jayme of HLNC did a highlighter review recently and I couldn't agree with their assessment of this product more!

5. Juice Beauty CC cream- Okay, I'm eating my words a bit with this one. In my last birchbox review I didn't exactly give this product glowing reviews, but oh have I changed my mind. I guess it's something in the product but my skin has been absolutely glowing with this product! I stand by the fact that it's on the light to medium side coverage wise, but it has definitely improved the condition on my skin. PLUS my baby sample lasted me almost 4 whole weeks of daily use! Love that!

6. bare Minerals in Warmth: Remember when we all used bareMinerals for everything? I never used up that container of the matte warmth powder, but I'm loving it as a bronzer lately. Since I've switched to liquid foundations I've forgotten about how great this brand is. Definitely loving this as a bronzer to finish out spring.

7. Sephora Pro Lesson Palette: Blue Eyes in all honesty I quickly added this palette to my shopping cart so I could get the free shipping, but I'm so glad I did. First of all 6 shadows for $9? Great deal. Plus it comes with instructions for 2 different looks. On top of the good deal the shadows are extremely rich and very smooth. Only one is matte, with the rest shimmery, but no glitter. My favorite shade is the coppery color (they call it soft beige), it had such pretty pigmentation that is very build-able.


In other big beauty news I've decided to add another subscription box to my beauty buying regimen. I may be going a tad overboard but when I found out about Beauty Army I couldn't help it.  Unlike most subscription services you actually get to pick your products (love that)! You start by filling out a pretty extensive beauty profile then you get 9 options to pick from (you can order up to 6). If you don't like the options? Just re-take the survey! It's $12, but I have to say this month I'm getting 3 full size products and 3 more large samples. While I still haven't received the box, I have to say I'm loving it already! If you want to learn more or sign up yourself just click here. 

Alright girls. I think that's about it for my May beauty favorites! What have you been loving this month?  

Instagram and Vine Blog Hop

Welcome to the Instagram + Vine Blog Hop! If you're new here, the Instagram + Vine Blog Hop is a party where you link up your Instagram and/or Vine accounts, find and follow new friends, and be continually inspired by what you see in your feeds! No need to have a blog, just an Instagram and/or Vine account!

How to PLAY:

1. Follow your HOSTS:

Kimberly | Instagram: @anightowlblog | Vine: anightowlblog 

Emily | Instagram: @mrsemshhh | Vine: emily emshwiller 

Angie | Instagram: @blogali | Vine: Little Inspiration

2. Follow your CO-HOSTS:

Jaime | Instagram: @momstestkitchen

You can find Jaime here: 

Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

 ***

Emily | Instagram: @empri88

 You can find Emily here: 

Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

3. Link up your Instagram Web Profile:

Just link up your new Instagram Web Profile (http://instagram.com/username) -OR- your web viewer of choice in the linky below!

Note: this URL will not let you choose a profile pic from your feed, so be sure you have a picture you can upload from your computer if you use it! If you get a "Error: The requested URL returned error: 500" error that just means it can't find a picture to use NOT that your link is bad. Just click on "Direct Image URL" if you have one or "Upload from Computer". If you still have trouble, try sticking with Followgram or Webstagram to upload your profile.

4. NEW! Link up your Vine Username and/or Video!

Add your Vine username (so folks can find you) to the list below! Or link up a Vine video so we can see your cinematography at work! This is new, so there aren't web profiles just yet, but hopefully they'll be out soon! How do you find your video link? If you post your video on Facebook or Twitter, you will be given a URL that looks like this: "http://vine.co/v/bJegq22datT." Just link that up below with your username so we can find you! If you don't have a URL to one of your videos, simply link up your blog URL, but make sure the title is your Vine username so we can find you!

5. Check out and follow a few fellow Instagram or Vine friends.

Tell folks you follow that you found them through the Hop!

6. Spread the word!

Tweet about it, share it on Facebook or post about it on Instagram!

Tweet

Now let's link up!