[Video] Beauty Goodies!!!

I know these videos are sort of "cop outs" instead of doing actual posts, but something is better than nothing right?!?! Either way I hope you guys enjoy and if you would like to know more about any of the products mentioned please let me know!!

31 Days of SCG: Day 19 - Sephora Haul

Discussing all my favorite things at Sephora led to small purchase! I've used all the products a couple times and like each of them so far, but definitely need to use them for a couple more weeks before I form final opinions. Hope you enjoy the video!!

31 Days of SCG: Day 18 - Sephora Friends & Family

Hello lovelies! I don't know about you but I am SO happy it's almost the weekend! Tomorrow I'll be at Sephora for a small shift then Saturday morning I'll be participating in my first 5K! And by participate I mean more walking than running, which is ok since it's the Color Me Rad 5K! I'm on a team with some of my favorite twitter girls so I'm sure we'll be having a great time!

Speaking of Sephora, today was the start of their Friends & Family sale. Unlike years past, in order to participate this year you have to know a Sephora associate who can give you an online code to use. So email me if you wanna pick up some goodies!!

I've had a couple people ask for suggestions as to what to pick up during the sale, so below are a few of my favorites that I may be snagging as well in the near future!

Clarisonic Mia 2 with Josie Maran Set - $149

A Clarisonic is a great item to pick up during the sale! These almost NEVER go on sale, so a 20% discount is a great deal. If you're looking to revamp your skin regimen, a bundle kit like this Josie Maran set is a great way to go!

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - $50

Urban Decay is famous for their eyeshadow palettes, and for good reason! I use my original Naked palette every single day and get so many looks out of it. The higher price tags sometime deter people, but think about it: you're getting TWELVE FULL SIZE eyeshadows!! So in reality it's quite a bargain ;)

Sephora Draw The Line Set - $28

One of the many reasons to love the holidays is all the fun sets Sephora comes out with! I'll be picking this one up tomorrow since I am still on the hunt for a eyeliner that stays on my waterline! Three of these are full size!

Sephora In The Glow Set - $45

This is another kit I will probably end up purchasing. My all time favorite bronzer is Nars Laguna and my full size one that has lasted almost 2 years is on its last leg. This kit has a mini Laguna along with 2 other bronzers, 3 blushes, and 3 highlighters. 

Make sure to check out the rest of the Sephora sampler kits. Also a lot of the brands are selling high-valued kits since Christmas is close!

Sephora Collection Advanced Airbrush Set - $65

Another great thing to invest in while you have a discount are some beauty tools. You can have the greatest makeup products on the planet but having great tools is just as essential. They can also elevate your so-so products and make them more manageable! This is just one of the many brush kits Sephora offers, but I do own a couple of these airbrush brushes and they are fantastic! 

Bliss Steep Clean Mask - $55

I've been wanting to try this Bliss mask for a while now, but even I can admit it's hard for me to spend $50+ on a single item. But if you're anything like me having a discount code makes justifying a hefty purchase like this MUCH easier!! :)

Hope these suggestions help those of you out who are puzzled as to where to begin on Sephora's website. There are SOOO many more great things to choose from. Let me know what fun purchases you decide on!

31 Days of SCG: Day 5 - Friday {Beauty} Favorites

So I've been working at Sephora a little over a month now and have had a chance to try out *and purchase* some new products, so I thought I would share my favorites and link up with The Bargain Blonde! 

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Punjab

All summer long I used the Dior BB Creme and loved the finish and look it gave me. But now that summer is behind us and I'm getting slightly paler, I've been on the hunt for a new foundation. I tried a Laura Mercier one and it was alright, but now I'm on my second sample of this Nars Sheer Glow and really like it! It leans more towards a light coverage foundation, which I prefer, and just tonight at work I had 3 different people compliment me on my skin and how great it looked. I've struggled with my skin for years now so to hear this is music to my ears! 

Clarisonic Mia 2

Speaking of improved skin, I fully believe I owe A LOT of these improvements to my Clarisonic. I went back and forth for years on whether or not one of these babies is worth it, and believe me when I tell you it is! I have noticed differences in my acne, rosacea, and the overall texture of my skin. And apparently talking about these babies are my calling because I've been selling at least one of these babies every shift! 

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser

Purity is a cleanser that I have gone back and forth with for years. When I went through my first bottle I thought it was ok, but certainly nothing special. Tried out a couple drugstore cleansers, but when I got the Clarisonic I wanted to use a cleanser that didn't have any exfoliating properties since the brush does the exfoliating for you. Going through this second bottle I have come to terms with the fact that this cleanser is AWESOME. It has the typical 'philosophy' brand scent and really does the job of getting all the crap off your face! It cleanses really well but doesn't dry my face out and I use this twice a day. Whenever someone buys it at work I get excited and let them know they're just gonna love it! 

Nars Blush in Douceur 

I have a pretty extensive blush collection, but I'm starting to lean more towards pink-brown tones more so than the peachy-pinks. I guess I feel like the lighter colors accentuate my rosacea, and that's the last thing I want! Nars has pretty much cornered the market with fabulous blushes, so when I saw this one in store (and also found out it was used on one of Mariska's magazine photoshoots) I had to get my hands on it. It's a subtle color, even on my fair skin tone, but brings a healthy warmth to my face and gives it some depth after applying foundation. 

SEPHORA COLLECTION Crystal Gloss in Forbidden Move

I actually bought the lip gloss as a last minute sale item by the register before I even worked at Sephora. It's still available online and we have a couple left in the store, and it is a beautiful color! It's the perfect rose gold gloss that isn't sticky at all and is a great transition color for fall. I'm trying to beef up my lip gloss collection and branch out with different colors, so this was definitely a good addition! 

Hope you guys enjoyed these couple favorites of mine!! Let me know if there are any products I need to be trying!

Click here to see all 31 Days of SCG posts

What I've Been Up To

Hola chickas!! It appears I accidentally took a small hiatus from the blogging world but a couple new developments in life have been taking up almost ALL my time! If you follow me in twitter I've been alluding for the last couple weeks about interviewing for a couple jobs, and after 4 interviews and 2 offered positions, I am proud to say I now work at..... *drumroll please*

To say that I am SOOOO excited would be a slight understatement! They were only able to give me a part time position for now, so I'll still be working at CVS primarily, but this is the PERFECT job for me since I want to get my foot into the cosmetic world! So far I've had 3 days of training and today was the first day I was on the register and even though it's all very overwhelming I'm excited to learn more! 

In addition to starting a new job I've also started my online classes towards my Master's degree. Once again after a lot of thought about what I wanted to do with my life (not such a small decision people!), I decided to work towards earning a Masters in Cosmetic Chemistry! It's completely online which allows me to work full-time and is relevant to the area I want to work in while also being somewhat related to my Bachelor's degree. 

So as you can see a lot of change has been happening!! I'm gonna be honest time management is not my greatest skill so it's going to be an adjustment going from one job to two jobs and school work. But I am excited at what the future holds and being an employee of a company that encourages growth...and lets be honest, getting to play and sample all those beauty and skincare products is a blast!! Not to mention the GRATIS that comes along with the job!

This are just some of the products that I've gotten to try and already love!! I thought going into this job I knew a good bit about makeup, but I have QUICKLY come to realize that there is so much more to learn and so many brands I barely know anything about! 

So that's where I have been recently!! Tomorrow is my first day off in the past week...which I will be spending a majority of the time catching up on lectures :/ But I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend!!!

OOTD & Haul + July GlossyBox

Hello! I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for the first part of this video...it was my first time using my iPhone to film an OOTD and obviously I'm very rusty!! But I hope you enjoyed anyways and if you would like to see more OOTD's let me know! 
Below is the breakdown of price value for the items I received in my GlossyBox. I always do this when I receive any kind of beauty box to see if I'm getting my money's worth.

• ALLESSANDRO INTERNATIONAL Pedix Heel Rescue Balm: $5.55
• OFRA COSMETICS Universal Eyebrow Pencil: $10.00 (full size)
• SEBASTIAN Color Ignite Multi Tone Shampoo: $3.03
• SEBASTIAN Color Ignite Multi Tone Conditioner: $4.23
• SENNA COSMETICS Double Dose Lip Lacquer: $22.00 (full size)

TOTAL VALUE: $44.81

Even though GlossyBox is the most expensive of the beauty boxes, at least you are getting double back what you paid. 

"To Try" List

If you haven't realized by now, I have a gigantic slight Sephora obsession. I swear putting one in Columbia was like dropping an alcoholic at the liquor store...I can't stay away!!! Luckily my friend Jordan is a fellow makeup obsessed gal and between the two of us we always have an excuse to drop by and visit our favorite store. 

With a store like Sephora (especially the one as big as we have), it can be VERY easy to get overwhelmed and not know where to start, hence the reason we spent TWO HOURS in there the first time we went in. So I feel it's very important to go in there with a game plan. I usually have a list made on Sephora's website under my account of items I have seen reviewed online or mentioned in YouTube videos that peeked my interest. So once I'm in the store I can pull up the Sephora app (cuz you KNOW that is on my phone!) and can focus on those items. 

So I thought I would share a couple items that are on my shopping list and plan to check out next time I'm at Sephora. 

Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation

I was watching HSN the other night (cuz that's what cool kids do on a Saturday night) and Josie Maran was presenting. I've heard of the brand before but never tried anything from the line. When I saw the demonstration for this foundation, my. jaw. dropped! It starts out white and then when you brush it onto your skin it matches your skin tone! If someone had told me this I wouldn't believe it, but watching it demonstrated it really worked! 

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup

This foundation is the newest one from Urban Decay. Honestly I don't even know if UD has any other foundation since they're more famous for their eyeshadows (Naked palette anyone?). It had a wide range of colors so I'm interested to see how it looks once applied. 

Tweezerman Mini Slanted Chevron Tweezers

I know isn't too exciting of a buy, but all of a sudden all of my tweezers have gone MIA! I've never had a Tweezerman pair and when I was at my parent's house I borrowed my moms and holy crap I see what the hype is about! If I buy one thing during my trip it will be these babies! 

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder

This is the product that has been on my list the longest! I read somewhere that this is what Mariska Hargitay's makeup artist uses on set to set concealer and add brightness under the eyes...which let's face it this girl needs all the help she can get with her dark circles! I may pull the trigger and buy this too. 

Are there any products that are catching your eye?? DO TELL!!

Shopping in Charlotte

For anyone that lives or has ever lived in Columbia (or most of SC for that matter) knows that the shopping here can leave a lot to be desired. So naturally we go to neighboring cities like Charlotte or Atlanta when there is something we want to purchase but want to actually see the product instead of buying online. 

So on Thursday my mom and I made the relatively short drive up to Charlotte to hit up Southpark Mall and mainly Nordstrom for their Anniversary Sale. If you've never shopping Nordy's Anniversary Sale you are definitely missing out! No other store (that I know of) ever puts NEW fall items on sale at the beginning of the season! So if you're on the hunt for a new watch or pair of boots, look no further! 

So the main reason for this trip was Mom saw a watch online she wanted to buy and my Michael Kors watch that I got for Christmas a couple years ago had some of the gold plating on the clasp rubbing off. So mom ended up with a new watch, and instead of replacing my tortoise watch with an identical twin sister, I upgraded just a tad! 

Michael Kors 'Ritz' Chronograph Bracelet Watch

Michael Kors 'Jet Set' Bracelet Watch

As much as I have LOVED my tortoise shell watch, I just could not resist this new tri-tone model Michael Kors has come out with. Unless you have been living under a BIG ROCK, you know the popularity of MK watches has exploded over the last couple years, so when I saw the new tri-tone watch, I knew it was something he hadn't put out before and would be unique to have. Plus my mom also has the tortoise one she said I could still borrow ;)

BP. 'Runway' Boot

After looking at the watches we made our way over to the shoe section, where I immediately spotted these boots that I had looked at online. I have a pair of Steve Madden boots that I have worn to DEATH since I got them for Christmas two years ago and they have definitely seen better days. I have such a hard time finding boots due to my calves so when I saw these and they actually zipped all the way up, I was THRILLED! I ended up getting the black pair since my Steve Maddens are cognac and are still wearable even in their 'well-loved' state. Now I just have to wait until my birthday or Christmas when my mom decides to give them to me! 

Lilly Pulitzer Tumbler - Kappa Kappa Gamma 

We hadn't visited Charlotte in a while so we just had to stop in the new Lilly Pulitzer store in the mall and take a look around. They had a LOT of summer stuff on sale and the new fall line is full of jewel tones and just beautiful! I have been going back and forth about what I wanted to buy from Lilly's sorority line and finally decided to pick up the tumbler and I am so happy with it! I'm even thinking about adding a small pink monogram decal! Thoughts??


I technically didn't purchase these two items while in Charlotte (since we have a Sephora here now!) but they are two somewhat essential makeup items more so than new fun products I thought I would share...

SEPHORA COLLECTION Brush Protectors Set 

Since Sephora has opened I've invested in a couple of nicer makeup brushes for my concealer and face makeup. I had just been using the plastic covers that came with the brushes, but they started to crack and I didn't want the brush bristles to fan out too much, so I bought these brush protectors to keep my brushes looking brand new! 

SEPHORA COLLECTION Ribbon Hair Ties 

These type of hair ties have been getting more and more popular recently. I had received one in a Birchbox way back when but loaned it to a friend at work and never go it back :( They certainly aren't as cheap as the hair ties you can pick up at target ($8 for 8) but they claim not to crease your hair and cause as much breakage. I've only had these a couple days but can definitely say they have done the job so far. Plus they look cuter than a boring ole hair tie around your wrist! The Sephora brand of these are also cheaper than the ones I did see at Nordstrom, which were $6.50 for 3 hair ties!! 

So ultimately our trip to Charlotte was a success! Mom also managed to pick up a couple pairs of shoes, her watch, and a skirt from White House Black Market (which is pretty much the only store she shops at!). 

Hope everyone had a fabulous start to their weekend!!

Weekend Recap

**This post was meant to go up last week, but between sudden sickness and last minute prep for friend's bachelorette party life just got in the way! Hope you enjoy anyway**

I actually did something this past weekend besides work so I figured I would share! On Saturday my fellow beauty obsessed friend Jordan ventured out to the mall with me so we could experience Columbia's newest store....

**not our actual store. we were too excited to take an actual picture**

Yes. Yes. South Carolina has FINALLY gotten a Sephora!! I have anxiously anticipated this opening ever since I saw the sign go up in the mall. I even applied for a job there (which is still kind of a TBA situation...story possibly at a later date). It's definitely one of the bigger Sephora stores I have ever been too (bigger than the one in Charlotte & Atlanta's Perimeter Mall) so when we first walked in we were a tad overwhelmed. But after 2 hours (yes. 2 hours. Jordan is probably the only one that would spend that much time in ANY store with me), 2 foundation applications (on Jordan), and probably walking 20 times all around the store, here is what I ended up with...

• Sephora 2012 Sun Safety Kit (no longer available online, which is why I was VERY excited to see it in the store!)
• Dior Hydra Life BB Creme
• Sephora Collection Pro Concealer Airbrush #57 

We're already planning a second trip back tomorrow after I get off work because Jordan has to exchange the foundation she bought...plus I want to get a brush to better apply the BB creme and an eyeshadow palette that will be easy to travel with! 

After Sephora and a quick trip to Victoria's Secret to grab a bachelorette gift, I raced back home to get read for a night out with the family. For some reason my mom decided we were going to celebrate Father's Day the night before this year instead of the actual day. Once I got ready I met the family for a quick dinner at blue, which is a tapas bar & cocktail lounge downtown.

blue is somewhere I catch myself frequenting on a Saturday, but it is almost always after 10pm and NEVER for the food if ya know what I mean. I read the few reviews online and heard the food was mediocre, but since mom had bought a groupon we figured we would give it a shot. BIG MISTAKE. We told the waitress we were on a certain time frame & had a play to make later that night, but did that speed up the service?? NO MA'AM! They didn't have the first entree my brother ordered and then we waited 30 MINUTES for my wedge salad...because the lettuce had yet to arrive at the restaurant! Thankfully the groupon took care of our entire tab so we ran across the street to grab our tickets and catch a play.

Trustus Theater is a local theater company in Columbia and for as long as I've lived here (and most recently literally across the street) I've never seen a production. They did their version of the Broadway play Avenue Q and let me tell you it did not disappoint! What makes it unique is that over half of the cast is actually puppets a la Sesame Street. There are definitely some adult themes and politically incorrect humor, but our entire family enjoyed it. I highly recommend it!!

Father's day was pretty low key in our house. I got to sleep in and once all the family was home we cooked a meal on the grill and gave dad a couple gifts. My dad is a very low key no muss no fuss kinda guy so it was the perfect day for him. 

Sorry this post was majorly late. I'm not gonna lie posting may be a tad sporadic for the next 2 weeks or so until I get through my friend's wedding and family vacation. But I will be doing my best to document everything so I can have lots of blog material when I come back!!

xoxo

Natalie

Top 5 Tuesday: Finals Distractions

Once again I am linking up with Rachel from Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday! Of course this week's topic is something that is lingering on the minds of college student everywhere...finals! I am in the middle of what is hopefully my last week of *undergrad* finals EVER! My first true final is Thursday evening and then the one that I am most worried about is Friday at 2pm.

Since I have had 4+ years of finals experience, I am an EXPERT at procrastination and finding things to distract me from studying! Here are what I have as my Top 5 distractions this exam season (in no particular order)...

1. College Football

Even though the regular season of college football is over, this post-season is giving us TONS to talk about (I'm currently watching the Experts on ESPNU)! I spent all day this past Saturday watching the SEC and ACC Championship games and now there's tons of talk about the BSC National Championship game and the Heisman. I've always been a big college football fan but for some reason this year I am OBSESSED! I love hearing all the differing opinions and we all love a good rivalry or two! ;)

2. Youtube

O my goodness Youtube is a HUGE distraction!! Yall know I am a beauty junkie and Youtube does nothing but contribute to this obsession! I subscribe to 40+ "beauty gurus", meaning I have about 60 videos sitting in my subscription box ready to watch. This also does nothing for my spending problem...so many items get added to my beauty shopping list from these videos!

**Side note: I've been thinking about doing a post highlighting my favorite Youtube "gurus". Would yall be interested in that?**

3. Law and Order SVU

Yall know this had to make the list! It's not only the show itself that causes a distraction (hello Tuesday marathons!) but its going online to watch sneak preview clips and get updated on the latest news. And it doesn't help that Mariska Hargitay has been out and about all over NYC, meaning there's tons of photos to ohh and ahh over!

Sephora Wants by swtcarolinagrl on polyvore.com

4. Sephora

A beauty junkie's dream! As a VIB Sephora sent me a $20 gift card to use but you have to spend a minimum of $50. So of course I've spend hours trying to decide what I wanted to purchase and making sure that no new items have been posted that I just have to have!!

5. Pinterest

I think Pinterest would show up on any college girl's procrastination list! At first you don't really get it, but then you start filling up your boards and it becomes an obsession! Pretty soon you have 20+ boards with hundreds of pins and you can't stop! Here are a few things I have pinned over the last couple days (click here to follow my boards!)

Source: theamericanlegacy.tumblr.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: media.photobucket.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: collegefootballstore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Some honorable mentions: Facebook, Twitter (I sorta don't count this cuz I have TweetDeck so all my tweets are directly on my desktop), Tumblr, Target

What are you Top 5 distractions? How did you get yourself to focus and actually get stuff done?!?

xoxo

Natalie

Recent Hauling

While I was taking my summer class, my days were consumed with formulas and titrations and frantically fitting all I could on a notecard the night before a test. Now that my class is OVER (and PTL I got a B!) I have more time for things I love...like shopping of course!

Here are some things I have picked up over the last couple weeks...

I actually went to a different Bath and Body Works again during their Semi-Annual sale from the haul I showed in the video and picked up just a couple more things. The sale is over but I went into B&BW yesterday and they still had a couple tables with things clearanced out.

Now that we have a Forever 21 in town its so hard for me to purchase jewelry anywhere else! This was a small purchase but I have already bought 5 other pairs of earrings and a couple rings.

Can you believe all these earrings only cost $4.80! Main reason I bought these is because I needed a pair of earrings to wear to work that wouldn't hurt my ears since I'm on the phone a large part of my day. The smallest balls will probably be too little but I'm excited to try the 2 larger options.

This is the first time I have bought anything beauty-related at Forever 21. I needed a light blue nail polish because I bought the OPI Last Friday Night from the Katy Perry collection, which is a the blue glitter polish. Unlike Last Friday Night from that collection, it is a very sheer glitter, so I bought this light blue polish to use as a base. Hopefully it will be a decent enough polish!

My mom and I recently took a day trip to Charlotte for some shopping and you know I had a list prepared for Sephora!! I didn't get as much as had planned (my mom doesn't quite understand my beauty obsession and I didn't wanna give her sticker shock!) but did get a few fun things!

This is my absolute most favorite lip balm!! If you can't read it, it's the Jack Black intense therapy lip balm in lemon and chamomile. At $7.50 it is a little pricier than drugstore lip balms, but I only use it at night right before I go to bed so 1 tube lasts me almost 6 months. My lips get really dry at night, especially in the winter, and this by far has given me the best results. If you look on Sephora.com they have a special duo thats only $10 for 2 of the full sized tubes (different flavors) so I definitely suggest checking these out!

I have been on the hunt for a "waterproof" eyeliner that actually stays on my water line. I have tried numerous drug store varieties and even the famous Urban Decay 24/7 pencil and nothing has worked. So while I was in Sephora I wanted to pick up a new option but didn't want to spend a ton of money. I quickly found out that most high end brands do not sell and black-brown eyeliner! They would have black, all the crazy colors, and a rich chocolate brown, but no black-brown. (I have the UD 24/7 pencil in Whiskey and the brown color just looks weird on me) So I decided for $9 I would try this Sephora pencil. Hopefully it has put an end to my search!!

The product I was MOST excited about purchasing was my NARS Laguna Bronzer! I bought a kit from Sephora way back during their friends and family sale that had a mini size of the Orgasm/Laguna duo. I always thought that I would fall for the Orgasm blush and would just toss the bronzer aside, but O NO MY FRIEND! This bronzer is amazing!!!

I quickly found out that NARS' Orgasm blush has quite a few drugstore dupes that are almost the exact same or very very similar, but I had been having a really hard time finding something like Laguna. The awesome thing about Laguna is that it has very little to no shimmer in comparison to the other bronzers I own. If you look in the pan it does have a little sparkle, but it barely shows up on the face. It's great for an all-over face application that will give you that great summer glow as long as you use a light hand. It's also great for contouring if you use a little bit more product. It is definitely pricey at $33 (probably the most I've spend on a single makeup product! **not including palettes**) but its a pretty good size and I never need to buy another bronzer!

As excited as I was about the bronzer, my Toms were by far my most favorite purchase of the day!!! I had heard very little about Toms until about a year ago when they quickly become popular on campus. I had seen all the different glitter pairs and fell in love! I'd been debating for a while now whether or not to get a pair (are they my style? would I really wear them?) but I finally bit the bullet and got the black glitter! The black is definitely the most subtle of the glitter options, so I figured I would get the most use out of them and would be able to wear them to work.

I wore them 2 days ago running around town and have to say they were pretty comfortable! The true test will be a long work day when I'm on my feet for 8 hours, so we'll see what I say then! But I so happy I decided to get them, and it's also great that a child in need will also be getting a pair of shoes!

So those are the things I have purchase over the last month or so. I'm trying my best not the spend too much money the rest of summer so I can save for bills (ugh!) and a potential big purchase later on!

Have you bought anything recently you just absolutely love??

Any recommendations on a truly waterproof eyeliner??

Hope yall are having a fabulous week! My June favorites post should be up in the next day or so!

xoxo

Natalie