Sephora 2016 Birthday Gift: Marc Jacobs

This year, Sephora offers two different options for your birthday. Signing up for their Beauty Insider program is free and their birthday gifts are one of the perks each year. The two available this year are a Fresh skincare duo and this Marc Jacobs duo. I chose the Marc one, because A) I already have lots of skincare items I am trying right now and I have already tried one of the items in the duo and B) I have yet to try anything from Marc's line and both items have pretty good reviews.

The set comes with deluxe samples of the Blacquer Highliner Gel eyeliner and a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Le Marc Lip Creme lipstick. Here are my thoughts and swatches!

The eyeliner: It is so smooth and creamy. I actually think it is smoother than the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners. It is pretty opaque on first swipe, but I did not find it to be as opaque as Urban Decay's Perversion liner. I noticed little smudging and it does not come off easily. I've kind of gotten away from black eyeliner. I just happen to prefer taupes, but this is great for a smoky eye or a night out. It is retractable, which is an added bonus.

The lipstick: It goes on opaque in one coat. I normally put on  a lip balm before lipstick and I forgot when I did the swatch. And honestly? I did not even notice the difference. That is a rare occasion! This is a great creamy formula. No sinking into fine lines and my lips stay hydrated. And the color is gorgeous. I can see why they chose this one for the set.

Verdict: I would definitely buy both products in full-sized versions, but personally would pick a different color of the eyeliner.

Hitting it out of the ballpark as usual, Sephora! And Marc Jacobs continues to not let me down. Fangirl for life.

Travalo Classic HD Perfume Atomizer

Ok, let's just jump right into this. The Travalo products are not new to me- I already owned two! All are different models. I have the Travalo Pure (not pictured), the Classic (the pink one), and now the Classic HD. And while having the other two, I don't think I have ever given them a proper review. Spoiler alert: I obviously love them.

Here are my thoughts on the Classic HD model and how to use the Travalo atomizer!

Keep reading!

A Few More Things About Me

Because why not? It has been since 2014 that I did my last post like this. Literally two years to this day and I didn't even plan that. I just noticed! If you're anything like me, sometimes you enjoy knowing more about the person behind a blog. And while I try to give you an idea of who I am on here and my other social media sites, you still only see certain things. So here are some random little tidbits!

1. I have mild OCD and anxiety. Both can get pretty bad, but I have them under control most days. Yoga has been a huge help for me.

2. I'm really shy and nervous during a first meeting. It takes a little while for me to get out of my shell. Once I am, good luck at getting me back in it!

3. I am an avid list maker. I even have a list called "Lists I Still Need to Make". I really do.

4. I used to hate shopping for shoes, because my feet are big, flat, and wide. Now, there are such cute options out there and most brands seem to cater to those needs. I only wish the same could be said about plus-sized clothing. Christian Siriano gives me hope in both categories!

5. One of my favorite parts of the week is getting up on Sunday morning, cranking one of my Spotify playlists, and dance and sing while I make our breakfast. 

6. It's summer and my favorite reality TV show is on- Big Brother! Anyone else a fan? I am so happy the teams twist is over. 

7. I've mentioned it before, but I play the flute and piccolo. I started in sixth grade and did concert band until high school and marching band in high school and college. I still love playing, but don't as much as I would like to. Band geek forever!

8. I like supporting other bloggers. I always try to retweet links of at least two bloggers a day on Twitter and choose a featured blogger each month on here. I try to follow back bloggers on all of my social media and interact. Showing support and kindness is easy and worth it! 

I'd love to hear if we have any of the above in common! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Physicians Formula Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl

I'm all about that summer glow this year! And I have two exciting reviews coming up on highlighters and this is one of them. I picked up the Physicians Formula Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl the other week when I also bought the Physicians Formula Bronze Booster. I'm still kind of new to the Physicians Formula brand, I can count on one hand how many of their products I have tried. But with these recent purchases, I definitely would not mind adding more to my collection!

 Keep reading to hear my thoughts and see my swatches!

Keep reading!

CoverGirl + Olay Simply Ageless 3-in-1 Foundation in Shade 205 Ivory

Well, that title was a mouthful! It has been a long time since I have tried a drugstore foundation, much less one that I like. Heck, it has been a while since I have fallen for a foundation. Powder, BB, and CC cream formulations, yes. Straight up liquid foundation? I can't remember the last time. So I was really excited to get the chance to try the CoverGirl + Olay Simply Ageless 3-in-1 foundation!

When the BzzAgent foundation campaign started, they gave a choice of a few different ones but you had to check the shades first. Having the fair skin that I have, there was only one option that not only was available but looked pale enough to work. If I researched correctly, there are twelve shades and this is the lightest. I would go a little lighter if I could, but this works once it is blended in.

Long live foundations with pumps! This one has a nice tension and does not pump out more product than you know what to do with. The serum swirl is great for my dry skin. My skin really does feel hydrated while wearing it and it lasted at a cookout the other week in hot weather. The 3-in-1 can refer to it hydrating skin, reducing wrinkles, and improving tone and also toward it being a primer, concealer, and foundation in one. Not bad for a bottle of foundation!

While it is targeted toward aging skin, it has been great for me. I can't say that it reduces wrinkles, as I don't have any yet. But my dry patches aren't nearly as noticeable, my skin feels soft, it doesn't feel heavy, and I noticed no oxidizing. Coverage is pretty decent and covers a bit of my redness, but I do still use a concealer.

For me, I found my preferred method of application to be a wet sponge applicator. That is just how I prefer to do it. I have also been mixing liquid highlighter in it lately and it works wonderfully for that. If you have dry skin, I think this is great. The formula works like a charm. It does have a scent, which I assume is from the Olay serum. It can be a little overpowering, but it does dissipate during the day. Something worth noting if you are sensitive to heavily scented products.

All in all, I like this foundation a lot. The pros outweigh the cons for me. A little goes a long way and I don't wear foundation everyday, so I think this bottle will last me quite a long time. Would I repurchase? I think so. Unless I try something else that knocks it off of the pedestal. You know how us beauty bloggers are. We're always looking for that holy grail! I don't know that I would say this is HG status, but it is pretty close. Even better that it is a drugstore product!

Left: Heavily swatched // Right: Lightly blended

Have you tried this foundation? Which foundation are you currently loving? Hope you have a great weekend!

**I received this foundation from BzzAgent for testing and reviewing purposes. Thoughts and pictures are my own and there are no affiliate links in this post.

InstaMonth for June 2016

I'm a little late on sharing this. I wanted to get a post up yesterday, but it just didn't happen. Yesterday was my birthday and I just couldn't bother! I'm spending today catching up and getting a few things done. It was a nice long weekend for me and I enjoyed the break. I'm still in the midst of celebrating my birthday, because we're doing a cookout this coming weekend. So I guess it is a birthday week for me! I'm not always big on birthdays, because I've had some pretty rotten ones. This one wasn't that bad, so yay for that! Thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday among my social media sites. I truly appreciated every message!

Here are a few recent pictures from my Instagram. I'd love to connect on there, if you would like.

1. Easy looks to get me out the door. // 2. Loving my LovePendant!
3. I always leave B&BW sales feeling like a hoarder. // 4. A summer OOTD.

5. Newest makeup additions. (Bronzer review is here. Highlighter one is coming. // 6. Pretty flowers.
7. A few of my favorite applicators and brushes at the moment. // 8. Anti-pollution face cream!

9. Me and the hubby. // 10. Reaching a year after my tibial plateau fracture.
11. The only good thing about mornings. // 12. Beach essentials with my handy bottle of Coppertone!

Hope you all are having a fabulous week so far!

June 2016 Favorites

TGIF! It's another long weekend for me, because my husband is taking Monday and Tuesday off to celebrate my birthday with me. I'm not that big on birthdays, especially since I've had some real clunkers in my time. BUT this year has to be better than last year when I was eating my dinner in a wheelchair and not able to walk. I've come a long way since then! Take that, tibial plateau fracture. Ha!

I don't have anything major planned. I plan to finally see Finding Dory over the weekend and go out to our local Chinese buffet for lunch on Tuesday (because I eat free on my birthday and who says no to free food?). And my most extravagant plan involves me going to get my health card renewed. Good times, right?! Honestly, I just look forward to just enjoying some quiet time with my husband and dog. That sounds perfect.

Here are my favorites from last month. I would love to hear what captured your own love and affection recently!

• Physicians Formula Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl - Review and swatch coming! Such a great drugstore highlighter.
• Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light to Medium - A great bronzer for pale skin.
• CoverGirl + Olay Simply Ageless 3-in-1 Foundation in 205- Review and swatch coming on this, as well. It has been a long time since a foundation (excluding BB and CC creams) has captured my heart. It works great on my dry skin.
• Aqua+ Skincare PM-Zero Cream - This is great for when I know I am going out and I do notice a difference when washing my face at night. It protects your skin from pollution.
• Ole Henriksen Nurture Me Cleansing Cloths - These have stayed moist in the packaging for longer than a lot of other brands I have tried. I love Ole's Nurture Me line. If your skin is really dry, these are great at giving you a hydrating boost.

Blog of the Month: July 2016

In June, Jayne from Cosmetic Proof was my featured blogger. You can read that post and see other past featured blogs under the "blog of the month" label! Being my blog of the month gets you a designated blog post, a sidebar button, and a mention on my Twitter account. The sidebar button stays up all month long. I don't believe in necessarily making bloggers pay for advertising and I'd much rather show you blogs that I really enjoy reading. And I hope you end up enjoying them too!

This month's featured blogger is Renee from See the World in PINK. She focuses mostly on beauty and shares a lot of her manicures. Her recent post is about empties and who doesn't love those?! I just recently started following her blog and social accounts and she is a real sweetheart who won me over. Feel free to let Renee know I sent you! :)