Beauty Chat: Spring Polishes

 Welcome back Beauties!

It's finally Spring Time and you know what that means... new nail polish colors! From the beautiful pinks to the mint pastels, there is a color for every girl to rock.

Recently I have been loving the brand Essie. Essie retails for $8 in stores. I knew about the brand prior, but never owned any polishes from the brand, simply because I have been an OPI girl for a long time; well that's all about to change! With the price increase for OPI going up to $9.50 a bottle (yes, you read that correctly), I had to put a halt to my obsession. OPI has a gorgeous range of crazy named colors, but there is one thing I have noticed more and more with each new polish I bought from the line: the colors are chipping way too easy now.

Getting back on topic, I was in a Walgreens about three months ago when I noticed two Essie nail polishes sitting in the clearance section for $4. Now since they go for $8 a bottle normally, this was a steal in my opinion, and if they didn't live up to my standards I at least was able to purchase two for the price of one. Low and behold, Essie is my absolute go to brand now! The colors apply to my nails so well needing two coats at most, and the best part... the color doesn't chip after a few days.

I guess the saying, "Out with the old, in with the new" is true for this beauty blogger!

Chit Chat: I want to know what your favorite brand of nail polish is! Where do you normally shop for it and what's the average amount of money you're willing to spend? Share your beauty information in the comment section below!

Disclaimer: The products listed above that are bolded will redirect you the Essie, OPI, and Walgreens website.

Rave: Perfume Deals

Happy Sunday Funday Beauties!

What better way to spend your Sunday than hit up the mall for sales! I managed to snag two great deals, in my opinion, on some much needed new fragrances.

My first stop was Victoria's Secret. I really had no specific perfume that I was looking for; I mainly wanted to perfume something with a $10 minimum, so I could receive a Secret Reward Card (if you're not sure what that is, I recommend clicking here!). Near the checkout line at my store, there is a display full of $10-$15 perfumes and body mists. As I mentioned earlier I wasn't looking for any specific scent, so I decided to try the Dream Angel's Desire body mist.

Retail: $10.00

Next stop was Kohl's because were having their Kohl's cash sale. Basically for every $50 worth of stuff you purchase, you will receive a $10 Kohl's "cash" that is good on anything in the store (pretty much $10 "free" dollars). I picked up some non-beauty related items that happened to be on clearance (my favorite!) and ended up in the makeup section afterwards... what a shock. Today was the last day of the sale, so a lot of the fragrances that were on sale, were already picked over. First let me start off by saying I am in no way shape or form, a fan of Paris Hilton, but oh my god her perfumes smell so good! I would have never purchased the gift set for the retail value or suggested retail value, but for a clearance price of $12... oh yes! The set contains three rollerball perfumes: Paris Hilton, CanCan, and Siren.

Retail: 12.00

I love catching sales, so needless to say I'm very happy with my beauty "steals"... and the money left over in my wallet!

Chit Chat: I want to know what perfumes you beauties are loving! Where do you normally shop for your perfumes? What's the average amount of money you spend on a fragrance? Share your beauty information in the comment section below!

Disclaimer: All photos in this post are mine, and captured with the iPhone 4s. The products listed above that are bolded will redirect you the Victoria's Secret and Kohl's website.

Review: MAKE UP FOR EVER "Mist & Fix"

Happy Friday Beauties!

Alright, every girl has their "holy grail" makeup item and I have definitely found mine! If you're like me, you want your makeup to stay put for the rest of the day, regardless of the weather. After all, you did take the time to beautify yourself.

MAKE UP FOR EVER has the perfect setting spray that will keep your makeup in place all day without smearing! Now you may be thinking to yourself, "$28 for a setting spray is a lot!", but trust me the 4.22oz bottle will last forever (...okay maybe not forever, but a good amount of time!).

I first stumbled across this while browsing Sephora online after Christmas in 2011 to snag a few deals. Naturally I was on the hunt for another item to qualify my order for the "free shipping with $50+ purchase". That wasn't very hard for me to do... if I could buy the whole store, I would in a heart beat. I somehow stumbled on over to the travel/trial size items and found the MAKEUP FOREVER Mist & Fix. For only $10 they were offering a 0.84oz bottle, which was okay in my opinion for never trying the item prior. Why not start out with the smallest size, just in case it was some god awful product.

After going through and reading the reviews listed on the product page I was sold. I attend a lot of concerts and lost count of how many times my makeup ends up looking like a crime scene by the time the show is over. Last August, I attended a week long festival in the Midwest and that week I knew this was my holy grail. I was in the 90 degree heat for hours, watching act after act, and my makeup didn't smear or wipe off my face one bit. From the morning until the wee hours of the night, my makeup looked like it had just been applied, or even touched up. My eyeshadow colors were still vibrant, my black eyeliner hadn't smeared, and my foundation was still in full coverage mode. I was beyond amazed that a simple product could make my makeup look this good!

My first bottle ran out this past January and has since been repurchased and replaced with the larger size. I have seen other makeup junkies rave about similar products such as Urban Decay's version: Chill Makeup Setting Spray and the more widely known Skindinavia version: The Original Makeup Finishing Spray.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone who has an active lifestyle or just wants to keep their makeup looking great all day!

Retail: $28.00

Disclaimer: All photos in this post are mine, and captured with the iPhone 4s. The products listed above that are bolded will redirect you the Sephora and Skindinavia website.

Mini Haul: CVS

Hi Beauties!

This past weekend I stopped in CVS to pick up a few beauty essentials. I have been in dire need of purchasing a new powder to set my foundation with, ever since my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish hit pan. While I absolutely love how the MAC powder sets perfectly, I'm not too in love with the price tag ($30).

After going up and down the beauty aisle a few times, I finally decided on Maybelline's Shine Free Oil Control Pressed Powder. I also believe CVS was having a Maybelline sale (buy 1, get one 50%) which prompted me to try a new mascara as well. I've heard mixed reviews about the Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara, but decided to give it a try anyway.

I absolutely hate everything about winter, from the snow to the freezing cold. I hate the fact that it drys out my skin even more, so I knew it was time to start repairing my skin with Aveeno's Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion. This is the only unscented lotion that locks the moisture back in my skin.

Overall this mini shopping trip was successful. I'm looking forward to trying out some of these new products. Happy Wednesday beauties, the weekend is almost here!

Overview

Retail: $6.49

 

Retail: $7.49

Retail: $3.79

Disclaimer: All photos in this post are mine, and captured with the iPhone 4s. The products listed above that are bolded will redirect you the CVS website.

Behind the Beauty Blog

Welcome! 

My name is Samantha. I am currently a junior at West Chester University majoring in Secondary English Education. Instead of doing my normal "cliche" English blog, I have decided to venture out and share one of my hobbies: cosmetology.

For the last five years I have been a part of the beauty industry working part time as a receptionist at a hair salon close to my home. While I'm not a licensed cosmetologist (nor claim to be!) I am here to share my reviews, tips, and tricks with all things related to that field (makeup, hair, skincare, nails, etc) that I have learned a long the way from professionals and my own trial and error. 

I love learning and sharing my girly tips, so I hope this blog will interest a few beauties out in cyberspace!