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. 

Top 5 Tuesday: January Favorites

1. B&BW Slatkin & Co Winter Cabin Candle

Both my roommate and I love this candle! I'm usually all about the sweet/foodie scents, but this one is much different. I can't think of any other way to describe it except that is smells like a boy...a very attractive, cologne wearing boy haha!

2. Crystal Light Peach Iced Tea

I have been trying to cut WAY back on my Diet Coke consumption (I'm talking one or two a week!), and while Crystal Light Peach Tea has always been a staple in my house, I have been going through a ton of this stuff! I have a big Pampered Chef pitcher that holds 2 packets of this and it takes me about a day and a half to go through one. It makes drinking water much easier!

3. my365 iPhone app

I found this app after a blog I read did a post about it (can't remember which one...sorry!) and immediately went to download it! It's a really cool way to look back on the month and see what was going on. Some pictures are completely random but that's the fun of it! If you're on my365 please let me know so we can follow each other!

4. Dance Moms

This show is the most PERFECT example of a reality trainwreck! I can't really say much more but if you're looking for a tv show to get hooked on on Tuesday nights, here ya go!

5. Tiffany & Co. Return to Tiffany Heart Ring

I've had this ring since my 17th birthday, but it has always been the once piece of jewelry I can never keep track of! I can't tell you the number of times I've lost it. It's even fallen down my tub drain and I spent 30 minutes trying to fish it out with a hanger. I lost this ring for over a year and when we were deep cleaning my apartment, my mom found it in the old Vera Bradley bag I used for school! I was SOO excited and it hasn't left my finger since!

What are you top favorites of January??

xoxo

Natalie

Versatile Blogger!

Adelaide over at Sweet, Sassy, Southern, and Classy awarded me with The Versatile Blogger award! I received this award WAY back when I first started blogging, so I thought it would be fun to revisit and award it to some of my new favorite ladies!

 Rules:

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers or however many of your choosing

2. Inform the bloggers of their nomination

3. Share 7 random things about yourself

4. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

5. Add the Versatile Blog award picture on your blog post.

7 Random Facts

1. I did not lose my first tooth until I was 8 years old. The teeth in my mouth are 'slow-developing' so that meant I had to pull 4 teeth just to get braces, and then it took over a year for those teeth to grow in! I'll have to get my wisdom teeth taken out eventually, but at this rate my 18 year old brother will be getting his out before me!

2. I have never dyed my hair. The only chemical process I have done is a perm when I was in 5th grade...which fell out 2 days later! :(

3. I spend so much money and have so many different skin care products, but I HATE washing my face at night! By the time I force myself to go to bed (usually around 2 or 3am), I am so tired all I wanna do is take out my contacts and pass out! PS- this is why they invented make-up removing cloths!

4. I am quickly becoming addicted to Bath and Body Works! I've always had their products in my cabinet from back in high school but never were my "go-to" items. But then came the candle obsession...and everything developed from there! I wish I was at home and could take pictures of my B&BW collections...I'm talking 15+ little PocketBacs (gotta have clean hands), 10+ candles, and countless bottles of lotion and body cream! Here is what I purchased at B&BW last week over a couple days....

If you aren't signed up for their emails, I definitely recommend it! They are always sending out coupons (which you dont even have to print off...just show them the email in the store!!) or $1 shipping codes. 

ANYWAYS....back to the random facts!!

5. I eat a Publix sub at least once a week! I am a lover of almost all sandwiches, but there's something about  Publix that is just so delicious! Plus it's super convenient considering I live just across the street from one!

6. I have decided to take a couple retailing classes in January, and I am SOO excited! All i have known my college career is biology, biology...and more biology! Like a total nerd, I was on Blackboard the other day and the lecture notes for my principles of retailing class were already uploaded, so like a total TOTAL nerd I was looking through the first lecture, and I can already tell I am going to be much more interested in this stuff than what I got my degree in! Here's hoping I may be one step closer to figuring out my life?!?!

7. This past week, if I'm not a work, this is the outfit I've been rockin...

Lazy Day Outfit by swtcarolinagrl featuring michael kors jewelry

...sexy right?!?!

I give this award to the following FABULOUS bloggers...
1. Turtles and Pearls
2. Just Peachy
3. Everyday AEM
4. Coffee at Nordstrom
5. Keep it Classy, Alabama
6. Let's Be Preppy!
7. Peaches & Pearls

Top 5 Tuesday: October Favorites

I'm linking up with Rachel @ Just Peachy again for Top 5 Tuesday, and this week's theme is Top 5 October favorites. Let me know if you link up because I would LOVE to read!

1. Bath and Body Works Paris Amour Triple Moisture Body Cream

I started using this before October, but I used up this last little bit of it this month and have had to resist buying more! I'm only resisting because I have SO many different body lotions and creams that I need to use up others, but I swear none of them moisturize like this body cream, even B&BW's lotion isn't as good. And  if I can remember correctly, this is the first Bath and Body Works product I have finished COMPLETELY!!

2. Davines Love Lovely Curl Enhancing Shampoo & Conditioner

I will admit that I was having a total fan-girl moment when I purchased these 2 products. The guy who does Mariska Harigtay's hair on SVU is on twitter and was getting so many questions about what they were doing to her hair this season and what products they were using, and he mentioned that this was the shampoo/conditioner pair they were using. I had never heard of Davines before, and it's a little more pricey than what I usually pay, but thanks to eBay I got the 2 for a decent price. 

I've only been able to use these a couple times since I got them in mid-October, but each time I've used them I have LOVED the results! I can't tell you how many products I have (shampoos, conditioners, styling products etc) that I used to attempt the "tousled, effortless" waves/curls with no luck. I use these at night and stick my wet hair up in a bun while I sleep and when I wake up, I have the tousled look!! 

3. Dr. Pepper 10

I may have found a new soft drink fave! I had a coupon for a free 2-liter of the new Dr. Pepper 10 and when I got it home I almost drank the whole thing in one night! It's much sweeter than Diet Dr. Pepper without all the calories of regular Dr. Pepper. Don't listen to the advertising campaign ladies, this drink is NOT just for men!

4. Gamecock Football

College football is one of my favorite things about fall in general, but October is when things really start to get interesting. At this point all the games are important, tough games that have the "we have to win" mentality. And for the most part the Gamecocks have done their job! It hasn't been pretty, and we've definitely had our struggles (our QB suddenly being dismissed, star RB getting injured and being out for the season, etc) but the important this is that we're 7-1!! Here's hoping the month of November is kind to the Gamecocks as well!

5. Fall TV

Just like football, fall television gets into full swing during the month of October. It's when you can see what new shows are actually going to make it and you need to keep in your schedule and which ones you need toss aside (and you hope the network feels the same)! I'm hoping to have a post up soon about my new fall TV faves and my tv 'schedule', but until then...

Fave returning show: Law and Order SVU (duh!)

Fave new show: Revenge (SOO good!)

BONUS: Birthday month

October will always and forever be my favorite month since it is my birthday month!! I just couldn't write a post about October without mentioning it haha. I had a fabulous birthday and can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store!

xoxo

Natalie

Top 5 Tuesday: Purfume

In an attempt to get back into blogging, I've decided to link up with Rachel at Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday. This week's theme was perfumes, and this way more tough than I thought it would be since I'm obsessed with all things beauty! Nevertheless I was able to come up with the 5 scents that will always have a spot in my collection. Let me know if you link up as well...I would love to read your top 5!

1. Viva la Juicy by Juicy Couture

I was on a mission to buy another perfume just for the sake of buying when I came across this AMAZING scent! I was in Kohls and spritzed this on my wrist and immediately fell in love. As I was shopping the rest of the day I couldn't stop smelling my wrist!! So I had to go back and get it! I got the smaller bottle and used up almost half in the first month that I had it. I don't wear perfume everyday (see favorite body sprays next) but when I do this is the first one I grab!

2. Bath and Body Work Twilight Woods

When I initially smelled this scent in the store I was not a fan. But one balmy Saturday in the South my friends and I were sitting in Williams-Brice getting ready to watch out Gamecocks play, when my friend whipped this out of her purse and sprayed it all around us. I was in love! Its definitely a more sensual scent but since it's in the body spray form it is light enough to be wore during the day. I have the mini version in my purse at all times and spray it a couple times if I rushed out the door without a fragrance or need a refresher throughout the day. 

3. Bath and Body Works White Citrus

This was my signature scent this summer! I had a coupon for a free Signature B&BW item and my mom suggested this scent. I usually go for more girly/florally scents so something fruity was a bit of stretch, but I used over half of the full-sized bottle in about 3 months! While it is more of a summer scent, I still find myself reaching for it when I need an energizing pick-me-up. 

4. The Beat by Burberry

This was my perfume discovery last summer! I got this scent as a sample when I ordered from Sephora and couldn't help but wear it everyday. Like I said I tend to gravitate towards girly scents, so this one caught me by surprise! It almost smells uni-sex but it has just the little something that makes it girl-oriented (they do have a men's version). Next time you're in the store definitely give this one a sniff!

5. Very Hollywood by Michael Kors

And were back to the girly scents! I only have this one in a rollerball but I still love it! If you're uncertain about a scent I definitely recommend grabbing it in a rollerball and seeing how you like it before splurging on a full bottle. Plus they're really easy to carry around in your purse if you don't feel like hauling around a mini body spray. ANYWAYS...this scent is SUPER girly and floral smelling! Some say its a scent more suitable for nighttime, but I think it's perfectly fine for daytime as long as you don't get too heavy handed! Plus the bottle is so pretty (and we all know thats half the reason we buy perfume!)

Here's hoping I'm back to a more scheduled posting!

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

What I did this weekend

Met the parentals for breakfast here...

...did more damage at the sale here...

...went to dinner here...

...to watch some of this...

(Gamecock victory! game 2 tonight!)

And of course a typical weekend would not be complete without some studying here and there.

What did you do this weekend??

June 10 haul video

Today was an awesome day. As of right now I am in full swing with my first summer class, and needless to say these first two weeks have been filled with class, lab reports, online homework and tests :( not much time for relaxation or retail therapy! Thankfully today (after I did some homework of course haha) I was able to meet up with my cousin for a late lunch at Olive Garden and headed over to do some shopping. And thankfully I was FINALLY able to upload a video and have it actually work! Every time I've filmed with my webcam and uploaded to Youtube, my sound and picture would not be in synch (a HUGE pet peeve of mine when watching). But I uploaded this one to vimeo and thank goodness it worked!! So here is a haul of what I purchased today from Ulta, Bath and Body Works, and Victoria's Secret.

June 10 Haul from natalie hames on Vimeo.

***Links to Items Mentioned***

• The blog sale where I bought OPI Teenage Dream no longer has any, BUT if you search for it on amazon it brings up many sellers with some available (and cheaper than I got it!)
• Benefit Movers & Fakers kit - at Ulta
• Benefit 6 piece skincare kit - at Benefit (was not on Ulta's website)
• TRESemme Tres Two Extra Firm Control Hairspray - at Amazon

**visit Pink Lou Lou's FABULOUS blog here!!**

Bath and Body Works Items

• Tahiti Sweetie Body Lotion
• White Citrus Lotion
• Heel of Approval Cream
• Need a Margarita Citrus Body Scrub
• White Citrus Wallflower Bulb
• Sparkling Mojito Candle (small size linked)

Victoria's Secret Items not online. check stores for availability!!

Hope yall had a great week and start of a FABULOUS weekend!!! xoxo

***all items were purchased by me. I am not being compensated for mentioning any products***

This weekend my family took a trip down to Charleston. We originally planned this trip months ago so that we could do the Cooper River Bridge Run, but last week just drained us all (me: school, parents: work) that we ended up sleeping in Saturday morning!

Around noon we decided to head downtown and just walk around a do a little shopping. Of course I had to spend some time at the new Forever 21 on King Street! It was mid-afternoon when we went so it was jam packed with teeny-boppers and the fitting room/check-out lines were insane! So I stuck to the jewelry section and picked up some great things! I can't wait till the Forever 21 opens here in Columbia...I'll never buy accessories anywhere else! (I hate spending money on jewelry I will wear every once in a while or is such a statement piece I can only wear it so often)

I didn't mean to stick to the same color palette, but you can't go wrong with black, white, and gold!

This ring might be my favorite piece! I wore it shortly after we left the store and realized it matches my Michael Kors tortoise watch PERFECTLY!! I thought it was such a neat piece with the black and brown stones.

This bracelet set was a great find! I would have spent $5.80 on the top bracelet alone! It's hard to tell from this pic but its 2 strands of pearls, a couple chains, and a black ribbon all intertwined into one bracelet with a black bow! I tried to find both of these pieces online but they aren't listed :( I would definitely check out your local store though!

Sunday we got to sleep in again (first time in forever!) and my mom and I got to shop at the outlets in North Charleston before heading home. These outlets are only a couple years old, but from each time I visit it has gotten a couple new stores and seems to be well on its way to becoming an outlet worth making the trip for! Some of the stores I will ALWAYS visit when going to an outlet are:

1) Coach: I used to be a HUGE Coach fanatic (not so much anymore) but my mom loves their leather purses and they ALWAYS have either 20% or 30% off the entire store, so it's worth going in to look for a steal.

2) Cosmetics Company Outlet: I always used to go in here to stock up on my Clinique skincare items, but now that I have fallen even more in love with makeup, it's so much fun to browse this store and see what you can find. Often they have items from MAC's previous collections, but also have items from Bobbi Brown, Origins, Bumble and Bumble, Estee Lauder, Prescriptives, and all kinds of fragrance. Definitely a must for any makeup junkie!

3) Ralph Lauren Polo: Like with Coach, I was a HUGE Polo fan back in high school and early years of college. I have realized that unless I catch this store with a really good sale (think Thanksgiving or Christmas time), they are still kinda expensive. But if you need to replace a certain color polo or one of their oxfords, this your place!

4) Nike: I will ALWAYS go to Nike and pick up at least one pair of my tempo shorts! This trip I restricted myself to just one pair, but it was hard! Unless you find them on clearance, they are typically $3 cheaper than in retail stores ($25 vs. $28). The outlets also have their own 'style' of the tempo shorts, so if you want the exact ones you see in stores, just looks closely.

I ended up buying the light blue pair on the left and have already worn them :)

Unfortunately the outlets as a whole just weren't having that great of sales, and I was getting kinda bummed I wasn't buying anything, so I headed over to Bath and Body Works. This was just a regular store, but I knew I could pick up some of my lovely PocketBacs for cheap and get myself outta my funky mood! The ones I bought are below...

The first 3 are from their new collection of scents in honor of the royal wedding. There are 3 different scents to choose from, but I only picked up 2 because I wasn't too fond of how the other one smelled (I believe it was a berry one or something). They also have a couple lipglosses with the royal wedding theme as well, so make sure you check them out!

Hope everyone else had a good weekend and start to the week! I gotta go study for a spanish test now :(

xoxo

N

Bath and Body Works Haul

B&BW Haul by swtcarolinagrl on Polyvore.comA couple months ago I got a coupon from Bath and Body Works where I could get up to 5 of their 3-wick candles for $10 each. I held onto the coupon until the very last day! FYI they have another one of these coupons on their smaller candles at the store that will be good until April I believe.


What I picked up:

Frosted Cupcake: A decadant combination of rich buttercream frosting, sugar and fresh vanilla bean, finished with the essence of cake batter.

Peach Bellini: A light, delicate blend of white peach, sweet orange peel and yellow mandarin, finished with jasmin and sweet black currant.

Kitchen Spice: An inviting aroma that blend hazelnut, marzipan, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla notes.

Stress Relief Vanilla Verbena: Relax, unwind, and infuse your home with the scent of Vanilla Verbena. Vanilla Absolute has a soothing effect on body and mind.

Carried Away body lotion: key fragrance notes are lush raspberries, white jasmine, and whipped vanilla

**Photos and descriptions from Bath and Body Works***

Haul: Bath and Body Works, TJ Maxx, and Target

June Favorites!

My *mini* Summer Oasis

I bought two of these Bath and Body Works candles when they had them on sale 2 for $20. I absolutely LOVE the smell. The Island Margarita scent is just so clean and fresh smelling. Now its not exactly like a margarita, but its pretty similar. I've had one of the candles sitting on my kitchen bar and for the longest time wanted to burn it but I quickly came to realize I didn't have a lighter! So on one of the MANY trips to Target, I picked up and lighter and got to burn my candle for the first time...and it is AMAZING! It is triple wicked so it doesn't take long for the top layer to become liquid (they say that candles have a memory and the first time you burn them you want to make sure you burn the first layer clean. **does this make sense???**) ANYWAYS...since it is triple wicked it only took about an hour for the top layer to burn, which is perfect for me since I lit it later at night and didn't wanna stay up for hours waiting for the layer to burn.

So long story short...I love this candle, will probably be repurchasing another 1 or 2 before they retire this scent for the summer **sadness!** and highly recommend these candles. They give me just a little bit of a summer oasis!! Now all I need is a real margarita and I'll be all set!!!