I won Review and Brew's 1st giveaway!

Monday evening saw me getting the stomach flu. I've been miserable ever since and I'm just now starting to feel better, though I'm terrified of eating and drinking. One thing that brought a smile to my face during this whole ordeal is that I received my Bath & Body Works prize package from Review and Brew!

^ Heidi sent me the two candles I won and a lovely card. I have a long-standing obsession with Paris, so the card is perfect. These are two candle scents that I really liked, but I held off purchasing them. So glad to be able to add them to my collection. Can't wait to burn them! Both scents are no longer available at B&BW, as they are seasonal. You can probably still find them on eBay, Amazon, and maybe some B&BW Outlets.

^ This is the small one-wick size. Don't let the size fool you. You still get around 25 hours of burning time. Also, right now these small candles are on sale for $5. While you can't get this exact scent, all of their Christmas scents are out right now. That's 50% off!

^ This one reminds me of candy apples! This is the large three-wick size. You'll get around 35 hours of burning time with these. These are $20 US each, but wait until the 2/$20 (2/$25 in Canada) deals come around.

Thank you, Heidi! I'm so excited to have participated in your first giveaway. Your blog is wonderful, especially for candle lovers. :)

Sick. :(

I had every intention of blogging today, but my husband decided to share his cold with me. Isn't that sweet? Sheesh! :P So I'm down and out right now. Depending on how I feel, I may not post anymore this week.

Above is a picture from my Instagram (you can find me as "wendybanner") account and my plans for the day/rest of the week. Hot green tea with honey, Vitamin C, throat drops, and cold medicine. My plans also include vegging out on my couch or in bed while watching Netflix and/or sleeping. Well...at least I have an excuse to be lazy. Too bad it's because I am sick! :/

Hope you all have a great week! ♥

Vera Wang Preppy Princess Perfume

I picked up Vera Wang's Preppy Princess last weekend. I don't consider myself to be an excellent reviewer of scents, but I'll certainly try to give my take on it.

I picked up the smallest bottle size, which is 1 oz. It is also offered in 1.7 oz. and 3.4 oz. Vera always seems to make adorable packaging and bottles and this is no exception. This is covered in a girly plaid print over a pink heart-shaped bottle.

The scent is warmer than the original Princess perfume. On me, it goes on more fruity but wears down to more of a woody smell. Sephora says the fragrance notes are: tangerine, red apple, crushed berries, honeysuckle, jasmine, sensual woods, and coconut water. I definitely smell the apple, berries, jasmine, and woods. Lasting power is okay, but not great.

I'd say this is a nice perfume to wear during the day, but probably not a must-have unless you like to collect the Princess bottles.

On a personal note, I'm not sure how much I'll get around to updating this week. My husband and I have been very sick for the past few days. Luckily, he's starting to feel better. I'm hopefully on the road to recovery. Anyway, just a head's up that I may not update as much as I normally would. Sorry!

Listography

This is just a short little post to tell you about one of my favorite websites. It's brilliant if you're a listmaker like myself. Listography has been a part of my routine since early 2008 and it's a fun way to not only organize but to pass time. It has a fun feature that randomizes topics, if you can't think of what you'd like to make a list of!

So if you have an account, let's add each other. :) You can find mine here. I'm sorry for this short little text-only entry, but I'm very sick right now. My thoughtful husband likes to share, so he shared his germs with me. How sweet of him! ;P I'm not sure that I'll get to update on Monday given how I feel and that it will be Valentine's Day. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

January Favorites

First monthly favorites post of 2011! :) I think these are probably my favorite posts to make. I feel like it puts things in perspective with what you tend to grab for most each month.

YSL Rouge Volupte in #2- I love everything about this lipstick (the smell, the shade, the packaging...) except for its lasting power. It lasts a little longer with lipliner and gloss.

Smashbox Blush Rush in Flush- Heard about this on YouTube from MakeupbyTiffanyD. It is as fantastic as she says. I think this is better than NARS Orgasm, which is saying a lot since it is one of my favorite blushes.

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Binge- I'm loving navy blue eyeliner right now and this one is just beautiful. It especially looks good paired with bronze-toned eyeshadows.

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse concealer- I'll be adding this to my next Project 5 Pan, I'm sure. It's a great concealer and so easy to blend.

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base- This has really made my foundation routine easier. It's been perfect for winter. I am not sure how well it will work for me in the summer, but it definitely works for my very dry skin that winter blesses me with each year.

So...any favorites this month? Share!

Today is the day that I would be going to the MAC Wonder Woman party but lo and behold, I started to get sick yesterday evening. And I haven't shaken it off yet. My lovely husband is going as a substitute for me with list in hand. I'm actually not too excited about the collection, because I don't really care for the "supersizing" idea. And the doe foot applicator on the lipglasses is ridiculous. So I'm only grabbing two things from the collection- Marquise d' lipstick and Themyscira Opulash. I'll swatch them in my next post.

I'm off to huddle up in blankets and read. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow. There is a huge snow storm expected to hit early morning, so at least I won't be expected to go anywhere! If you're where the bad weather is hitting, I hope you stay indoors and safe! Lots of love!

Top 10 Summer Beauty Products

Technically, I'm not that behind on doing this since there is still over a month of summer weather left! These things get me through summer!

1. Body scrubs. Summer and winter are the harshest seasons for my dry skin, so I try my best to stay smooth.

2. Sunscreen. A necessity for everyone!

3. Bronzer. I haven't been using bronzer for that long, but I have become addicted to it this year. I love my fair skin, but sometimes I just want a little color for going out.

4. Facial spray. I use these to set makeup, hydrate skin, foil eyeshadows, cool off in the heat...These have been a lifesaver!

5. Tinted moisturizer. I make my own by mixing MAC's Strobe Cream or one of my face moisturizers and one of my foundations. I sometimes throw a little Eyeko Tinted Cream in the mix for added color.

6. Waterproof eyeliner. I sweat, so I need something that will last all day and not smear or rub off.

7. Cream(y) blush. I love cream blushes because I find that they work well for my dry skin. If I want to wear a powder blush, I still usually layer it on top of a cream blush as a base.

8. Lip balm. I think everyone should use lip balms.

9. Pinkish nude lipstick. I love lip colors that go with multiple eye looks, so I can just throw them on and go!

10. Body sprays. I love how light they are and how difficult it is to overdo the scent. I throw one in my bag and go.

11. Creamy highlighter. Actually, this is more like a year-round staple for me. Benefit's High Beam is my favorite highlighter ever.

12. Body butters. Again, because I have dry skin, thick body butters are a gift from Heaven for me. I slather them on behind my ankles, on my knees, elbows, and any other places that might be extremely dry at the time.

What are your summer beauty essentials? Do share! :)

P.S.- I don't really talk a lot about personal issues on my blog (only in my LJ), but I want to mention that I won't be posting tomorrow. I have an appointment with a neurologist, so I'm taking a sick day off from blogging. I'd love prayers, wishes, and positive thoughts thrown my way, if you have any to spare. ♥

Old Navy Spring Haul

This is a collective haul from my last few trips to Old Navy! They have some really cute things out for spring. The dresses they have are adorable this go-around.

First row: yoga pants, anchor lounge pants, gold rope sandals
Second row: green cabana dress, navy cabana dress

I love Old Navy yoga pants. I find that they fit really well and don't stretch out. And I adore the fit of those two cabana dresses that I want to get the other two colors that they have!

First row: yoga tanks
Second row: embellished tank, purple floral tank

I do a lot of yoga and Pilates during the summer months and these are the perfect length. And they have built-in support! The embellished tank top is a bit tribal-influenced, so it is perfect for the tribal trend.

First row: black polo, coral tee
Second row: blue reversed striped tee, purple reversed striped tee

Just to give you a heads up, I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging this week. I had to go to the doctor this weekend because I'm so sick. Turns out I have an infection in both ears and strep throat. Lovely, I know. So I'll be resting a lot and taking antibiotics this week. This is definitely the worst I have felt in a long time. Hope you guys understand the possible lack of blogging until I get better! :)

October Favorites

Currently at: my MIL's house
Currently doing: getting ready to train for work
Currently feeling: a lot better!
Actually going to show the MAC haul tomorrow! I wanted to get my October favorites out now so that they still apply to October!

1. Ecotools Travel Kabuki brush. - One of my newest purchases. A review is coming to explain why this little brush owns at life.

2. Rimmel Long-Lasting Finish lipstick in Vintage. - Another item with a review coming up! This is such a beautiful pink nude color.

3. NARS lipgloss in Orgasm.- I wear this layered on top of Vintage. It gives it a bit of a golden shimmer and makes it look a little more multi-dimensional.

4. Maybelline Mineral Power concealer. - This stuff is amazing. I might do a review of this with a comparison of my Erase Paste- pros and cons of liquid vs. paste-like consistency.

5. TreSemme Heat Tamer Spray. - I've been using this for such a long time. I'm already on my second bottle. I don't often repurchase hair products unless I really love them. This is one of maybe four things that I repurchase. It's cheap and works great! I have the CHI Iron Guard one also, but I actually still prefer my TreSemme. If you blowdry, curl, or straighten your hair, you really should invest in a good heat protector spray. And spray it after you blowdry and once again after that if you straighten it or curl it.

6. Tamiflu medicine. - Obviously, not a lot of you can relate to this favorite. And I'm happy for that! As you know, I've been sick since around last Tuesday with the wonderful flu that everyone just loves to death (sarcasm). This stuff has worked wonders. With just a five day supply, this medicine has nearly kicked all of this virus right out of me. I usually feel every side effect imaginable with medications, but I've only suffered stomach problems and drowsiness with this one. Honestly, those two things come with the flu already. So I'm going to say that I felt no side effects. Now if I could find a miracle drug for my chronic migraines...

Do you have any current favorites? Feel free to share!

PS- New layout! I thought it was time for a change from the summer one. I took the header picture myself and thought it might make for a fun header to use. :)

EOTD!

Currently watching: Rachael Ray Show
Currently drinking: Coke Zero
Currently feeling: SICK (Bah humbug!)
I've been experimenting lately. And since I've been sick, I've been having even more fun trying new looks out. I have nothing better to do while I'm stuck inside. I'm still sick by the way and I'm going out of my mind! :/ Anyway, here is a pretty (IMHO) purple and shimmery champagne look.





*TIP- I start with my crease color first. Since it's darker and can give you fallout color, I find it easier to start out with it and then blend my lid color into it afterwards.






So it's pretty obvious what I used from the pictures, but these are the products in order of use:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
Coastal Scents 88 Piece Palette in the last purple shade
Urban Decay eyeshadow in Sin
Maybelline Pulse Perfection mascara
CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus eyeliner in black

Sick leave.

Currently drinking: water
Currently eating: cough drop
Currently feeling: dreadful

Oh the fun. My husband got a cold last week and while trying not to catch it, I caught it. Honestly, I can catch just about everything but a ball thrown to me. Story of my life! This is just to say that I might possibly be absent from posting the rest of this week. I just feel the need to sleep this out, stay medicated, and not go outside for awhile. It's already starting to get chilly here and it didn't help that I got caught in the rain and heavy (and very cold) winds yesterday.

So if any of you are sick right now, I hope you feel better soon! ♥

New layout!

Currently drinking: water
Currently reading: Life & Style magazine
Currently watching: Iron Chef America...I love Mario Battali!
Currently feeling: siiiiiiick

I felt the need for a change. I told Mel that she could make me a header, but she has a lot on her plate right now. :/ And I don't want to add to it! She can make me my next header! ♥

Anyway, I love me some Gossip Girl so it seemed only natural to base my new header on the show. :) Speaking of which, I am a moderator at a Gossip Girl forum. I'm Jenny Humphrey on there! All the mods have character names, and Serena was taken. I love Jenny, though! So if you are a fan of the show, come join up, bookmark it, and chat with fellow fans! Gossip Girl Spot

My ears are no better, and if anything the infection has spread a bit to my throat. I don't know what to do. I will go back to the doctor later in the week, if there is no sign of it getting better. It's been over a week now, and the Amoxicillin did nothing for me. :( Ok...stop whining, Wendy.

That's all I have for now considering I'm running on next to no sleep. Insomnia=kill me now. There will be at least two blogs about fashion coming up. I'll bite the bullet and get around to them soon. Later gators! :)