My NY IMATS Experience & Meeting New Friends!

Hey guys, welcome back! Soooo...it looks like I never posted my pics from NY IMATS! For those of you who don't know, that's the New York International Makeup Artist Trade Show.

This past April, I was so excited to be able to finally go and browse the great beauty deals and more importantly meet some good friends I've made through YouTube. It has been such a blessing to get to know these women and form true friendships that go beyond just commenting on videos and blogs.

We talk on the phone, text, email, send packages...it's so uplifting and they have genuinely enriched my life!

Want to read some more great blogs? Please check out my good friends

over at Katherine's Corner, I promise you're in for a treat!

XoXo,

A

10 Things I'm Thankful For!

Oops, I forgot to do this last week! But that's okay right???

1. My beautiful garden. Tulips, hyacinth, and azaleas are blooming!

2. Sunshine, it has been so sunny (sometimes chilly but the sun is out) and might even hit 80 in a few days!

3. Massages every month, I wish it was weekly but beggars can’t be choosers!

4. Exclamation marks!!! They so adequately express how I feel about things I’m grateful for.

5. Gatorade – an integral part of getting me back into a healthy state.

6. Skincare! After being sick all last week my skin needed a serious mask and this Coconut Ultra Hydrating Shae Butter Mask was just what the doctor ordered.

7. Icy Hot – yes, icy hot. Hubby has been playing a lot of sports and that’s the only thing keeping him moving.

8. Long walks…in the woods…with my dog!

9. A hot husband…literally. I’m always freezing at night and he’s just the opposite. After some grumbling he always lets me cuddle close to steal his warmth.

10. My momma…she was on vacation and coming home today. I missed her so much!



So what are YOU thankful for?

Let me know in the comments down below! And
while you're at it, check out A Kaleidoscopic Dream and Sewlicious Home Decor for
amazing posts, amazing friends!

XoXo,

A





FOTD: Fresh Spring Look

Here's my FOTD...Spring is here!

What are some of your favorite products to use when you want a bright fresh look? Let me know and comment down below! And don't forget to check out my friends over at Housekaboodle and meet some new neighbors!

XoXo,
A





April IPSY Bag Review with Demos!

Hi guys! Each month I get a bright pink padded envelope in my mailbox and I know what time it is...IPSY time! Booyah!

For those of you who don't know what IPSY is, it's a monthly beauty subscription where for $9.99 you recieve a cute little makeup bag containing 4-6 full size or deluxe sample sized beauty related products. This is charged on a monthly basis and you can cancel at any time without any hassle.

Very rarely am I disappointed in a bag, and I've been subscribed for aobut a year and a half now so that's really saying something!

Not everyone was excited to see MaryKay or a squeeze gloss. But pleasantly surprised! This is a really thick, sticky bright PINKish red gloss that literally stays on my lips all  day, at least 6 hours! The color itself fades but my lips are hydrated for hours which is rare.

The Urban Decay black velevet eyeliner is about half size worth $10. Super rich, black color and waterproof! However, Urban Decay claims this eyeliner doesn't smudge and after putting it to the test...it smudged!

City Color's White Gold eye shadow mousse is the least expensive ($3.99) item in this month's IPSY bag but one of my favorites. Not something I would typically purchase on my own, I was able to test it out several times and fall in love.

The white gold color is pigmented, creamy, and doesn't crease. I used NYX's Milk Shadow Crayon as a base to really make sure the color popped and it did. Stunning!

St. Tropez is definitely a pricier self tanner but one that I really like. I have the mousse which is intended for the body but not the face. So I was really excited to see this gradual tanner for the face. It's a white cream that easily blends and has a bit of a funky smell to be honest! But as far as tanners go, it's awesome, I promise!


I've been usuing the Dr. Brandt microderm abrasion exfoliator for almost two weeks and love it! The granules are super fine, giving my skin a great scrub without being too harsh. I don't have super sensitive skin so you may want to test this out along your jawline before going to town on your whole face. I immediately noticed softer brighter skin after use. I have several face scrubs but this is one that I will definitely purchase once I finish a few!

If you want to see my review/demo check out the video below!

Do you have IPSY or any kind of subscription service? 

There are so many, beauty, food, clothing, pets! 

Let me know in the comments below!

And check out Pam's Party and Practical Tips, 

a blog a recently came across and LOVE! 

XoXo,

A





10 Things I'm Grateful For!

A few years ago, a friend of mine and I would make a list (or try!) every day of 10 things we were grateful for. Now this seems like a pretty easy task right? It's crazy how difficult it was day after day to find 10 different things. But it was a challenge and I loved that in the midst of drama or sad times, I was forced to focus on the positive lovely things in my life.

I stopped doing this over a year ago but I thought it was time to start up again. I know I can't honestly commit to doing this on a daily basis but I'm hoping to do it on a weekly basis at least. Let's shoot for Tuesdays, Tuesday's 10 Things maybe? What do you think?

1. The sunshine! It's finally spring here!

2. My house. We get annoyed at all the home improvements we have to do but we have a home to improve and I'm SO thankful for that.

3.The fact that we can afford to do these home improvements.

4. Long walks in the woods with my wonderful lab!

5. That my husband is being acknowledged at his job for his hard work.

6. That I'm in a new position at work that pushes me...constantly!

7. That my beauty blog/instagram/ebay sale is still going strong (whew!)

8. To work every day with one of my best friends. It makes the day go by that much faster.

9. That I have so much Spring cleaning to do, because it means I've been blessed with an abundance of things.

10. For leftovers! They make work lunches so easy and yummy!

So what would make your Tuesday 10 list? What are you grateful for? And if you can't come up with 10, maybe start with 5. Comment down below and let me know what you're grateful for! And while you're at it check out Redo It Yourself Inspirations for some...you guessed it...inspiration and my friends over at Sew Crafty Angel for some of the most amazing blogs!


XoXo,
A





NOTD & Review: JulieG Santorini & Freshley Squeezed

I'm so loving this pairing right now!

I actually got to meet JulieG (well known YouTuber and nail polish guru)

while at IMATS NY this past weekend. She was one of the only

people I actually cared to see. I watch her videos and follow her

vlogs and after meeting her, can honestly say she's truly a genuine and

loveable person. She's beyond real and just so nice!

And of course I had to grab a few polishes while I was at IMATS...right?

Santorini is this beautiful periwinkle from her new Summer Cruise collection.

It glides on smoothly, two coats creates a perfect opague application

(althought one thick coat would do the trick but I prefer thinner coats).

Freshly Squeezed is an apricot sherbet color with the prettiest pink

shimmer. Absolutely stunning! Now this color was a bit trickier. I applied

three coats but I'm sure over a white base you could use one or two. But

the final look is completely worth the hassle of three coats.

I did use the JulieG Jet Set top coat and loved that also. The formula is

nice and thin but dries so quickly.I felt like within 60 seconds I was free to

actually live my life! Imagine that!!!

Now this isn't the most flattering picture of me but I had to include this

for obvious reasons. I just love this girl! She made me feel appreciated as

a follower and believer in her brand. She's beautiful but not overly done up.

Totally relateable, which is what I loved most about her.

I'm so glad I got to meet Julie and had the chance to pick up some

unique colors to add to my vast collection!

What are your dream nail polish colors? And if you had the chance

to meet a beauty blogger/vlogger who would you choose?

Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to hop on over

to Katherine's Corner for some inspiration, DIY ideas, recipes and so much more!

XoXo,

A





The Beauty Scenario Tag!

I've been tagged and so have you!

Here's a quick fun tag called The Beauty Scenario Tag. I was tagged

by the beautiful Maria aka Agape Love Designs. Check out my video below:

Here are the Tag questions, feel free to answer a few in the comments

below  or post a video/blog and let me know about it!

Now it's your turn!!!

TAG QUESTIONS:

1. You have to get rid of all your foundations and you can only keep one high end and one drugstore, which do you keep?

2. You go for an interview and the lady interviewing you has lipstick on her teeth. Do you approach the subject or ignore it completely?

3. You're not feeling yourself and need a pick me up. Which lipstick do you put on to make yourself feel beautiful?

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years, how would you do your hair and makeup differently?

5. You ask your hairdresser for a shoulder length Pixie Lott hair cut, but they hear wrong and give you a pixi cut. Do you a) Smile, say thank you, leave and call your mum hysterical b) Cry in the chair and things get awkward or c) Complain to the manager and demand a refund.

6. Your friend surprises you with a 4 day city break and you have 1 hour to pack. Which 'do it all' palette do you pack in your makeup bag?

 
7. Your house has been robbed, don't worry everyone is safe, but your beauty stash has been raided. What's the product you really hope is safe?

8. Your friend borrows your makeup and returns it in awful condition. Do you a) Just pretend you haven't noticed b) Ask them to repurchase it or c) Secretly do the same to something of theirs?

XoXo,
A