Loom Knitting

This month I took on a new project - learning to knit a scarf using a loom! I had never knitted before but I decided to give it a shot.

I've been using the long rectangular looms for this but there are also circle looms as well. They're all pretty inexpensive. You can check out all the looms HERE

I was surprised at how fast and easy looming was. There are lots of different patterns and helpful videos online too. Most of the time I work on my scarves while sitting in from of the tv. I'm really enjoying this!



First scarf I made with the 19" loom

Second scarf I'm currently working on with the 10" loom

Clarisonic Mia Review

I wanted a Clarisonic ever since I first heard of it a couple years ago while browsing videos on youtube. I had the Clarisonic Mia on my wishlist this past Christmas and I was lucky enough to receive it as a gift.

The Clarisonic is a skincare brush that deep cleans your skin, removes makeup better than other products, and reduces the appearance of pores. The Clarisonic Mia does the same job but is slightly different. It's considered the travel version so it's smaller, cheaper, comes with a different charger, etc.

After using it for awhile, I can confidently say that I'm in love with this thing!
I have had great results. My pores appear smaller, my skin feels smoother and my makeup applies better. My skin was oily in the t-zone with dry areas on my cheeks; now my skin is much more balanced - no excessive dry or oily patches!

I use my Clarisonic Mia 3-4 times a week (at night) with a basic cleanser and I love how fresh and and clean it makes my skin feel before bed. I used to be one of those people that couldn't be bothered with washing their face at night and now I can't imagine not doing it. This is definitely an investment at $119, but over time you will see a major difference in your skin.


You can find more info here Clarisonic Mia(TM) Skin Cleansing System

Disclaimer: This is not a paid or sponsored review. No affiliate links were used in this post.

Flower-Pot-Painting

Lately I've been wanting to do more artsy type things since haven't for awhile and I was sitting around wondering what I could do that would be a little bit different. I was in the mood to explore new areas I could go with art. So I thought it would be a fun idea to paint some flower pots.
The flower pots were very inexpenisve at Lowe's and I already had a ton of brushes from painting classes. I had to buy some paint and that was the most expensive part of the project. I got 6 fun acrylic colors for about $30 from an art store and I bought a bottle of white acrylic paint from Walmart for really cheap. Walmart has a bunch of inexpensive acrylic paints in tons of colors. I also noticed Michaels has a section dedicated to this type of project as well. You can basically get all the supplies there although some things might by slightly more expensive.

For the first one I used fun bright colors and painted a leopard print pattern.

For the second one, I painted a more abstract design in bold colors.

They didn't take much time (especially since I used the white paint as a base) and it was a fun little project. I plan to do more of them using different designs and if they turn out good enough I might sell them if people are interested but for now I'm just having fun with it.

You can find a set of arcylic paints to start out with here Basics Acrylic Paint-8 Color Set

Liquid Eyeliner Tip

Liquid eyeliner is tricky to master. For the longest time I wouldn't wear it because it was so hard to apply. My lines would always be choppy and uneven. I wanted to be able to wear liquid liner though because I liked the intensity and the staying power of it.  Eventually I figured out a way to apply it more easily.

First I would apply a thin line using my pencil liner like normal. I used this as my guideline. Then I traced over it with liquid liner in short strokes. It was easier to see where my line should go and how thick it should be.  It also looked smoother since the pencil liner acted as a base.

After I got the hang of it, I stopped needing to use the pencil liner altogether and my eyeliner came out flawless (most of the time!).

Note-worthy Fragrances

Wearing perfume makes me feel girly and sexy. It can even make me feel more confident or just out me in a good mood in general.  My perfume collection isn't very big (yet!) but I can certainly say I'm in love with the perfumes I do have for various reasons. I wanted to make a short post showing you my 4 favorite fragrances. I also looked up the notes of each fragrance on Ulta and Sephora  so you can get a good idea of how they smell.

Ralph

Ralph was my first perfume ever. This scent is so classic and fresh!  It's light and crisp with just enough floral quality to it.  I love wearing this perfume for a fun day of shopping or lunch with a friend. The notes include apple, mandarin, magnolia, and musk.

Incanto Shine by Salvatore Ferragamo

This perfume = amazinggg. I love everything about it. It's such a fun fruity scent. The notes include pineapple, passion fruit, and peach. I would wear this for a casual date or a day out in the sun.

Flora by Gucci



Wearing this scent makes me feel gorgeous and feminine. It's a more elegant floral scent. I would wear this one for an event or special occasion. The notes include rose, sandalwood, peony, and cirtus accord.

Escada Marine Groove

Fruity and fresh! I adore this perfume. It's definitely a great scent to go out dancing or for a night out having drinks. It's such a fun scent. The notes include  passion fruit, peony, jasmine, and musk.

Lastly, whenever I get a perfume sample I keep it and place it in a cute dish I got from target that I keep in my guest bathroom for anyone who wants to freshen up.

So those are my most-loved fragrances. What are yours?

Introducing......Me!

So far I've made posts about shopping, some organization ideas, and my favorite makeup products but nothing too in-depth about me or my life. I figured now would be a good time to tell you a little more about myself.

The Basics
My name is Ashley and I'm 23-years-old. I live with my boyfriend, Mark who is 24. I am currently going to school for my AA in Business and babysit Mark's niece twice a week. Mark works full time and does school when he can, also working towards an AA degree. We've been together for over 3 years now and live in an apartment in California.
We met online on myspace back when it was popular and added eachother since we lived in the same area and attended the same college. We talked here and there on messengers but never had intentions of meeting even though we both wanted to. Then one time we ran into eachother at school, which awkwardly broke the ice and after that we saw eachother more and more and eventually started dating.



My Interests/Hobbies
As you can already tell but my previous posts, I enjoy girly things (shopping and makeup!) but I also have other interests. I am very passionate about art and I always have been since I was a kid. I enjoy drawing the most and I've done some painting as well. I also like doing crafts and recently I've started quilting. In a future post I will include some of my work.
Activity wise, I like bowling, boating in the summer, taking walks whenever the weather is nice, and enjoying the sunshine whenever possible. I love to be outdoors. Winter is not my season!



I'm also a big family person so any chance I get to spend time with my family is great for me. I'm super close with my parents and we do a lot of different things together. I would consider my mom my best friend.

Anyway, there's plenty more about me that you'll learn in other posts but if I'm willing to answer any questions you may have. Otherwise, see you in the next one!



My Top Makeup Picks

Makeup is a big part of my life. I love playing around with it and trying different looks. I'm always trying new products and my makeup collection has expanded a lot because of it! I wanted to share some of my favorites...

Face

Moisturizer
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel


Foundation
MAC Studio Fix Fluid - (liquid) perfect for my combination skin
Benefit Play Sticks - (cream stick)

Concealer
Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer  - (liquid)

Blush
Too Faced Papa Don't Peach - perfect light peachy color
NARS Madly - great nude pink for a natural look

Eyes

Mascara
Lash Blast Fusion - volumizes, lengthens, separates (Love!)
Benefit BADgal Lash - volumizes & separates


Eyeliner
Urban Decay 24/7 liner - (pencil)
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline - (cream)
Loreal Hip Cream Eyeliner - (cream)


Primer
Urban Decay Primer Potion - Eden (matte) formula


Eyeshadow
MAC Deep Truth - (frost) deep blue
MAC Carbon - (matte) black
Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister - pure purple
Urban Decay Half Baked - bright shimmery gold


Eyeshadow Palette
Urban Decay Naked Palette - great for natural everyday look to dramatic night out
Stila Color Palette - from Costco; 30 eyeshsadows, 15 lips colors, 3 cheek colors, etc.

Lips

Lipstick
Benefit Silky-Finish Lipstick in Skinny Dip - nude rose color that feels great on the lips!
NYX Ceto - peachy nude color
MAC Angel - (frost) gorgeous pink

These are just some of the products I really enjoy. Obviously these aren't the only products I use but I thought it would be fun to post my most-loved products. Care to share some of yours? I'd love to know!