Sweet 16 Jewels!!!

Continuing what seems to be an "old jewelry" series, I thought I'd include a post about a set that I'm wearing right now.

My sister gave me this when I turned 16 and it's so fun and colorful that I've been wearing it ever since. I personally enjoy wearing it with black pants and a black top as a nice pop of color.

Spotlight: "Vintage" Necklace

I found this a few weeks ago while my fiance' and I were going through our "storage" unit (aka: his parents' basement) and could not believe that I kept it all this time.

I bought this necklace back in sixth grade at my local Mandee and still love the way it looks. To me, it gives off a nice Renaissance feel and goes with anything.

I'm so excited to once again have it part of my jewelry collection!

Comfort Shower: Favorite Gels & Lotions for A Stressful Day

Yesterday was one of those days...yep...just one of those days...
There are moments when I need comfort food, others I need a glass of wine, but then there are the times when I just need some good aroma therapy and that is when I head to the shower.

I have a fairly decent sized shower collection with all different brands but my personal favorite, the one that usually hits me on a personal level, is Philosophy. There is something about the scents in their products that are just so amazing and can do anything from make my mouth water to even make me cry (yes, it's that good).

The following are the three sets that I turn to when I need a  good stress reliever:

Pure Grace

The only way I can describe this is to use the word "clean". In my opinion, it's a very simple scent but it just smells so good. I use this one a lot when I don't feel well or, like yesterday, when all I want to do is wash the day off like wiping the slate clean.

Baby Grace

This has more floral notes to it but it's very soft and is a lot like being cuddled. This gets a lot of use when I'm really tired or feel like I need a hug.

Inner Grace

This is the one that made me cry the first time I smelled it. It has a more mature scent with stronger floral notes and reminds me so much of my grandma. I got this as a Christmas present a few months after she passed and between the smell and the beautiful writing on the bottle I just broke down. I reach for this when I feel I need support or when I'm missing her.

These fragrances all mix quite nicely together and more often than none I end up doing just that. For me, using these is almost like therapy, they create such a nice experience for something so basic as showering.

NOTD: Red Red

I'd been eyeing up the Red Red polish from Wet n Wild's Wild Shine collection for a while but this was my first time trying it out. This is matte true red with the perfect amount of shine to it. It took a little bit of getting used to the brush since it's a little small but otherwise I like it a lot.

A Little Nothingness...aka Lazy Sunday

The past few days have been nothing more than a nightmare with the real possibility of having to put my dog ( who I've had since 8th grade) down. Thankfully she's still with us but the stress left me with so much nervous energy that I ended up spending all of Saturday cleaning the entire house and running around like a chicken with no head. Needless to say, the lack of food and sleep, not to mention heavy emotions, left me feeling horrible so I declared yesterday a rare lazy day full of laying bed and staying in my pjs. I'm a firm believer that our bodies tell us what they need and mine was screaming for me to STOP! which exactly what I did.

Just Release Me Dupe Failure

I love Philosophy's Just Release Me eye makeup remover. Not only does it take off my most stubborn mascara but it's also gentle and because it contains aloe, it's great for use after I do my eyebrows.

The problem is it's also $20 which isn't much but there are some tight weeks when i can't exactly afford to just run out and pick up a new bottle.

That being said, I decided to try Allmay's version which seemed like it would be the same for a fraction of the cost...I was wrong, very, very wrong. It was in no way, shape, or form conditioning to my eye area and seemed like it was all alcohol and didn't even take off my non-waterproof mascara. I tried it on my eyebrows after plucking them in hopes of it calming the area but that didn't do anything either...it just left a sticky feeling.

I would love to be able to find a dupe but this certainly was not one of them. After I tried it out I read some reviews and apparently I'm not alone. Unfortunately, this product is going in the trash.

Note: I purchased these products with my own money. The opinions expressed in this post are those of my own. I have never accepted any kind of compensation in exchage for a review. For mor information, please check out my Disclaimer.

Simply Divine

With the warm weather approaching, I switched fragrances.
I love my Betsy Johnson TooToo but, in my opinion, it was a little heavy and sweet for the Spring and Summer. Over the past few days I've been wearing Philosophy's (You Are) Divine.

I received it as a Christmas present and originally felt it was to sophisticated for everyday use but I am in love with this fragrance. It's so perfect for the warmer season as it starts sweet but dries light and very pretty.

~Notes~
I have had no luck in finding a list of notes, however, to me it starts with a grapefruit scent and works it's way down to a mixture of lemon, vanilla, and a light floral.

~Overall View~
I'm not sure if the idea of this came out before or after Coty bought the company but I am incredibly impressed. Not only is there a difference in the bottle, but the fragrance itself. It's certainly more mature than all the other Love/Grace scents. I don't know what they did differently but I hope they continue this process with the rest of the products. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore all of the fragrances but it is disappointing that they never last longer than a few minutes after the initial spraying. This one stays with me a long time, but still has the signature "clean" scent to it.

The way it's looking, I think I'll be wearing this one for quite a while.

This is exclusive to QVC until Dec. 2012 and can find more information on it HERE

Note: I purchased these products with my own money. The opinions expressed in this post are those of my own. I have never accepted any kind of compensation in exchage for a review. For mor information, please check out my Disclaimer.

First Impressions/Unboxing: Philosophy Beach Party Trio

The only time I order from QVC is when an item is exclusive or there happens to be a good deal...in this case it was the latter of the two.

Last week there was a OTO Value for Philosophy's Beach Party Island Colada trio, which I probably wouldn't think too much about, however, it was too good of a price to pass up. Normally a trio costs around $60 once tax and shipping and handling is added but this only came to $38 with free shipping.

~What's Included~

24oz Beach Party Island Colada 3in1 gel

24oz Beach Party Island Colada lotion

Beach Party Island Colada lipgloss

...and a couple of Divine samples

~My Opinion~

This smells exactly like a Pina Colada...there's a sweet scent of pineapple and a touch of vanilla and coconut added in. Simply amazing!!!!! It's such a nice scent that it literally made my mouth water...it's that good! Even my fiance' liked it!

A lot of people mentioned how it "takes them to the beach" and I have to admit that this does reach me on a personal level as well. It reminded me of sitting on the balcony of our hotel in Wildwood with my mom drinking virgin Pina Coladas together.

You can learn more about this trio HERE

Note: I purchased these products with my own money. The opinions expressed in this post are those of my own. I have never accepted any kind of compensation in exchage for a review. For mor information, please check out my Disclaimer.

NOTD: Metalic Silver

This week I decided to give Wet n Wild's Silvivor a shot and I absolutely love the way it looks on both fingers and toes.

It's a metallic shimmer, which I originally thought would be sheer, but this only took two coats. I absolutely love how this looks edgy yet still girly.
Of course, I also have to mention the low price and the fact that it's fast drying!

I think this is definitely one of my favorites :)

April BOTM: Dooney & Bourke

This month I'm carrying my cream colored D&B Mini Bubble Lucy Bag. The only thing I don't like is that it needs to be babied a little more than others because it's cotton as opposed to leather. Still, it's gotten dirty in the past and was pretty easy to clean.

I first saw this bag on QVC a few years ago and instantly fell in love with it. The problem was considering I was on maternity leave at the time I couldn't exactly afford it. Luckily, the following Christmas I received it as a gift :)

This is smaller than most of my bags but it still holds all of my stuff, ironically, as long as I don't use my purse organizer.

Right now QVC has this on clearance in yellow so if you're interested in this incredibly cute bag check it out Here

All things considered, I really like this bag...it's perfect for Spring and is small enough that it can be carried anywhere.

NOTD: Clubin' It!

I am absolutely loving the Wet n Wild Megashield polishes! The color I'm wearing right now is called Club Havana, which was actually just recommended by Emily from Beauty Broadcast as well :)

This is a matte coral with tons of shine...not to mention it's so bright! Perfect for the Spring season!

HOTD: Breakfast at Tiffany's Inspired

I originally had this look a couple weeks ago but the pictures somehow erased from my phone so the front shot is from the first day I wore this and the back shot is from my second attempt.

I have a "stacked" cut with side-bangs so I can't simply just tie my hair up. To do so, I need pins, clips, and a ton of hairspray.

This look came to be for a few reasons:
1. I wanted my hair out of my face
2. I wanted to have some fun
3. I was inspired from a combo of the last scene of Breakfast at Tiffany's and a tutorial from Eleventh Gorgeous

First, I brushed my hair back and took a handful, gave it a twist to create a small bump (I am a Jersey girl, after all), and kept it back with a couple of pins. Then I split my hair that was still down in half and tied them into pigtails. Finally, I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed...and then I sprayed some more. In fact, I actually posted on Facebook my fear of bursting into flames due to the amount of product in my hair...lol :)

This was a quick and easy way to play around with my short hair...plus, not only did it do it's job of staying out of my face but I also received several compliments on it.

On a sidenote, I want to apologize for my absence over the past few weeks. Things have been (for lack of a better word) crazy, however, I do have ideas for new posts so please stay tuned and as always, thank you for visiting my page.