Challenge Wrap up

So today is the last day of my Blog-A-Day challenge. I blogged each day this month in order to give my blog a little boost. I must admit, I wasn't sure if I would be able to stick with it; but I did!  I've been wanting to post more often and get more creative with my topics. I think that doing this challenge has motivated me and made me work harder. I've put more effort into research and have done more brainstorming about my content. Since I had to publish a post each day I had to come up with a lot of new and different material and in doing that, I created topics/series I can use on a regular basis.

 If you're a blogger and you feel like you're in a writing rut, I highly recommend giving yourself some sort of challenge or goal for a period of time. Examples - a daily post, a certain number of posts per week, posts based on a theme, a photo a day, etc. You can join blog challenges with other people or create your own. I just created my own challenge that I would post daily and expand on the topics I already cover.

If you don't think you'll be able to stick with it, sit down and plan out your posts. Use a calender or make a list. Write down the key points of each post you want to create. It's not easy coming up with material on the spot everyday. Remember, not every post have to be super in-depth or serious - make it fun!

I promise it will feel good at the end of the challenge when you have accomplished your goal! You may even gain more traffic, acquire new followers, and add new ideas into the pool of posts you're already used to writing - all very valid reasons to get on it immediately!

Need some inspiration? Here are all of my posts for the month:

My Challenge Posts

Day 1: Intro to Blog-A-Day

Day 2: Party Pink Nails

Day 3: La Mer Review

Day 4: Spring Makeup Trends

Day 5: FOTD

Day 6: 3 Hair Oil Treatments

Day 7: Current Favorites

Day 8: 3 Beauty Items

Day 9: Spring Nail Trends

Day 10: Sunscreen Guide

Day 11: Doll Eyes

Day 12: Hair Update

Day 13: Where to buy

Day 14:  Waterfall Braids

Day 15: Favorite Lipsticks

Day 16: Beauty Questions Tag

Day 17: Products to try

Day 18: Pinterest Finds

Day 19: Neutral Smokey Eye

Day 20: April Birchbox

Day 21: Bath & Body Works + DSW Haul

Day 22: A History of Skin Care

Day 23: Payless Shoes

Day 24: Blue Eye Look

Day 25: Best Beauty Tip

Day 26: I'm Featured!

Day 27:  No-Miss Cosmetics

Day 28: Drugstore Haul + Swatches

Day 29: Sample Storing

Day 30: Wrap up

Sample Storing

Sample products have started to accumulate around my apartment. They get thrown haphazardly into drawers and makeup bags but I tend to forget about what I have. With subscription services like Birchbox and being able to pick samples when ordering with Ulta or Sephora, I assume others are finding themselves amongst a mountain of samples as well. I really want to remember use these products so I searched for a simple solution. I found a small box I already had and set it up with a handful of samples to be used (shown above) and set it next to the sink. I stored the samples not in use in a small set of drawers that I keep in my bathroom. I'll rotate them out when I'm done with the current samples. 

You can find other ways to display your samples as well, like in a soap dish or a small bowl.

I have my perfume samples in a dish (shown below) that I keep in my guest bathroom. It looks cute next to the sink.

Do you use all of your samples? How do you store them? 

Drugstore Haul

The other day I was at Walmart picking up my contacts and I decided to scope out the beauty section. I found some things that I've been wanting to try and this is what I ended up with...


Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss in Rosetto (08) 

I had a $1 off coupon for this product, which is what led me to it. I love the color on me and it's a pretty smooth lipstick; not drying. It doesn't wear off too easily and I really like the packaging. There's a red one in the collection that I really want to get too. 

Wet n Wild Lipsticks

Just Peachy

Mauve Outta Here (907c)

These are super affordable lipsticks (around $3) and they have major staying power. Just Peachy is a nice light apricot color and Mauve Outta Here is a rosy pink. A little brighter pink than I'm used to.  They are a little on the dry side but you really can't beat the price. I want more!

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

Nude Beige

I mentioned this powder in my Products to Try post. I liked that it's supposed to give your skin a matte finish that lasts all day. I wasn't sure how well it would work but given that it was less than $5, it was worth trying. I happen to love this powder. It really does keep my skin looking less shiny and it doesn't give me an orange glow like some powders do. It looks natural on me. I will definitely repurchase!

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails

Tough Chick (240)

I haven't had the chance to try this yet but I was really drawn to the color....and the price (around $2). I love this shade of pink and it has a little shimmer to it too. 

No-Miss Cosmetics

No-Miss is a cosmetics company that creates natural products which do not contain harmful ingredients. They offer products for nails, eyes, and lips and they do not test on animals.

I was lucky enough to pick out a product from No-Miss for review awhile ago. I chose the NoTears! Eye Make-up Remover.

No Tears! Eye Make-up Remover

This eye makeup remover works really well. It removes eye makeup effortlessly and is safe to use for contact wearers (that's me!). It wasn't harsh on my eye area and best of all, I didn't feel like it left any product on my skin after using it!

In addition to trying the eye make-up remover, they also sent me other goodies to try (which was totally unexpected!). They sent 3 of their nail polishes, a lip gloss, and an eye shadow.

No-Miss has over 150 nail polish colors that protect your nails from the sun. They have tons of beautiful shades!

"Bikini Pink"

a pretty pale pink color

"Callaway Cerise"

a gorgeous rich red 

"Vero Beach Violet"

a soft iridescent purple shade

Here's a swatch of the lipgloss.

 I noticed it was silky smooth and very pigmented. They come in a variety of colors.

A swatch of the eye shadow

"Callaway Cerise"

A beautiful shimmery shade of pink. 

I thoroughly enjoyed these products. I would definitely try other things from this company and I love that they really care about using natural ingredients. 

Check out these products and more on their site: No-Miss Cosmetics

Follow No-Miss on twitter: @NoMissLtd

"Like No-Miss" on Facebook: No-Miss

Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for review. I am not being compensated for this post and all opinions in this post are my honest opinions.

I'm Featured!

When I woke up and checked my email this morning I discovered that I had been picked as an Editors' Pick of the Day on Bloggers.com. I was so surprised and excited to find this out. This is my first time being featured anywhere so it truly is an honor! If you go to the Bloggers site right now you'll see me on the front page! Today's blog post also marks my 100th post ....talk about a day of milestones!

A screencap of  me on the front page

Best Beauty Tip

There are a handful of beauty tips I find to be important and that should be included in your daily routine. Among them is one you hear often but probably don't practice enough....

Always remove your makeup before going to bed!

Ok, here we go - collective groan. I know it's not the most fun task and when you're ready for bed it's hard to force yourself to go do it but it really is important. I used to go to bed with my makeup on all the time. It seemed like cleansing my skin at night would only aggravate it and I couldn't be bothered when I was already tired and ready to relax. I grew tired of waking up with  leftover remnants of mascara around my eyes and a grimy feeling on my face. I had to remove my contacts every night  anyways so I figured I'd add one more step to my routine. Then when I got my Clarisonic Mia I really made the effort to remove my makeup every night and deep clean my skin. Now I wash my face every single night and it doesn't seem like such a chore. I go to bed feeling clean and wake up feeling fresh and I've also noticed that my skin looks healthier just from taking that extra step at night. I can't imagine not removing my makeup now.

Going to sleep with your makeup still on can clog your pores and damage your skin. You don't have to use fancy tools or cleansers - just form a habit out of removing your makeup. It only takes a couple of minutes and makes a huge difference (in your mood and appearance!).

Wearable Blue Eye Look

This is a colorful blue look I did last week on myself. I'm normally not super daring with my looks. I stick with neutrals most of the time, but when I do decide to use color I like to use blues. I used a light silvery blue on the inner corner and a deep jewel-toned blue on the outer corner. I swept a cool dark brown into the crease and blended it out with a matte black. I applied black gel liner and a few coats of mascara.

What do you think? Do you like colorful dramatic looks?

Payless Shoes

This weekend we went to go recycle our bottles and cans but we had to kill some time while the recycling guy took his lunch break so we ended up at Payless to look at shoes. Well of course I fell in love with a pair of wedges...

You can find them here:

Women's Miles Espadrille Wedge

Aren't they adorable? There are other colors I wish I had too but I knew I didn't need a second pair. This was the pair that would match most of my clothes and I'm very happy with them. Can't wait to wear them!!

A History of Skin Care

Do you have beauty goals? I do, and the biggest one I have is to maintain healthy, beautiful skin. Do you have the same goal?  You're not alone. People have sought after perfect skin for a long time. Throughout history people have used many different methods and products to reach the same goal and since its our largest organ there's no reason why we shouldn't take care of it. Did you know Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk in order to exfoliate her skin?! Maybe we don't need to go quite that far! Take a look at the diagram below from Tanda to discover more history of skin care methods as well as some other facts too.


Via: Tanda Skincare

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. 

Bath & Body Works + DSW Haul

Today I went shopping with my mom a few places. We went to Costco, Target, Bath & Body Works, and DSW.  Here's what I got...

DSW

Guess wallet. I have a similar purple wallet but it's worn out now so I got this pink one.

Teva Wedge Flip Flops. Nothing too special, I know. I have a hard time finding shoes that fit well so I wear flip flops a lot in Spring and Summer. These are comfortable  and simple.

Bath & Body Works

Market Peach Candle. Candles are on sale 2 for $20 so my mom got one and I got one. The scent is like a refreshing smoothie - fresh picked peaches, a touch of red raspberry and citrus, and notes of rich vanilla.

Anti-bacterial deep cleansing hand soaps. These hand soaps are amazing; I use them exclusively. The 2 scents I picked - Fresh Picked Tangerines and Peach Bellini. We like fruity scents in the household, can you tell?

Wild Citrus Sunflower lotion. This is one of their new scents. I had a hard time choosing which one to get because all 3 smell great but this is the one that really drew me in. It's "a sunny blend of sparkling clementine, cheerful sunflowers, and luscious white nectarine".

So that's what I got. The weather today was like a warm summer day. It was a good day to be enjoying the sun (and obviously to do some shopping!)

April Birchbox

It's finally here! My April Birchbox arrived today. It seems like it got here a little late but I'm not upset about it or anything. This months theme is Natural Wonders - just in time for Earth Day. The products in this month's box are made with natural ingredients and even though I'm not familiar with most of the brands I'm liking what I see!


What's in my box this month?

Alima Pure Organic Nourishing Lipbalm 
Full size $7 (.07 oz)

I tried this lipbalm immediately. It has a fresh minty scent and applies a light wash of color. I was given the color Rhubarb which is a nude pink shade.  It feels really smooth on my lips. It's made with Cocoa butter and Shea butter.
My sample size:  .07 oz (full size)




Benta Berry G-1 Exfoliating Facial Cleanser
Full size $16 (30 ml)

This gentle exfoliator from the Parisian brand, Benta Berry, is made of lots of natural ingredients including apricot seeds and blueberry. The scent is a refreshing fruity fragrance that I love. It's made to purify the skin and remove dead skin cells.
My sample size: 3 ml







Willa Clear Face Moisturizer
Full size $11.50 (1 fl oz)

This moisturizer is actually a clear liquid so it won't clog pores or leave a greasy look. It's made with aloe, mango extract, and eucalyptus. Upon applying this product I could smell a slight fragrance that reminds me of sunscreen and then it the scent faded away after it was absorbed into my skin. It made my skin feel hydrated and soft and it's made in the U.S.A.
My sample size: .05 fl oz






Wonderstruck Taylor Swift
Full size $49.50-59.50

Taylor Swift picked the notes for this fragrance based on her favorite memories and scents. It "embodies the beginning of something magical". I actually like it a lot. I can pick up on fruity notes (especially berries) as well as floral notes. It's a feminine and very "magical" scent.
My sample size: .04 fl oz





Extra

Le Palais des Thes Tea Bags
20 bags $12.50
These teas are also from Paris. They are 2 different green tea blends with a mix of flavors. One has green date pulp, orange blossom, rose, and berries. The other contains white peach, kiwi, and watermelon. YUM! They both can be served hot or chilled.
My sample size: 2 bags





Overall, I like the contents of my box a lot. My favorites right away would have to be Wonderstruck and the Alima Pure Lipbalm. I also think I'll like the Benta Berry Cleanser a lot once I get to use it a few times. There wasn't anything I disliked in the box and after looking over everything, I added my samples up to be worth about $25 in product! Not bad for only paying $10 and I'm definitely sticking with Birchbox  for the Gossip Girl themed box next month!


Join Birchbox
Find more Birchbox reviews here.


Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. A referral link was used.

Neutral Smokey Eye

Today I did a smokey look on my eyes with a matte black and a honey golden shade. It gave my eyes a sultry look so I used  a nude lipstick and subtle blush so that the focus remained on my eyes.

For my hair, I straightened it and pulled back sections on each side, securing them with pins.

I see other ways I could have gone with the cheeks and lips but that's the beauty of makeup! It's all about experimenting and you can do something different every time.

I selected this post to be featured on Make Up Blogs. Please visit the site and vote for my blog!

Beauty Questions

I found some this tag online but there were so many questions I narrowed it down a bit. Feel free to answer these questions on your blog too!

-How many times do you wash your face daily? 

Twice; Once in the shower and once at night.

-What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)
Combo. Oily in the t-zone, dry on the cheeks

-What is your current facial wash?
I use two. Clean & Clear Morning Burst Detoxifying facial cleanser or Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-free Cleanser

-Do you exfoliate?
Yes, in the shower with Clean & Clear Morning Burst facial scrub

-What moisturizer do you use?
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel.-Do you use eye cream?

No, but never too early to start.

-What foundation do you use?
M.A.C. Studio Fix Fluid (NC25).

-How about concealer?
Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer.

-Do you know your undertone color?
Yellow, unfortunately.

-What do you think of fake eyelashes?
I never wear them. I'd have to get long dramatic ones to make any sort of difference.-What brand of mascara do you use?

Right now it's Maybelline - the Classic Volum' Express-Do you have a MAC Pro-card? 

Nope, wish I did

-What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
All types of brushes.

-Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
Yes, always.

-What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?I like light champagne colors the most

-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
I like gel liner and pencil as well.

-Do you use mineral makeup?

No never have. It's not right for my skin type.-What is your favorite blush to use?

NARS Madly.-Do you buy your makeup on ebay?

No, I wouldn't trust it.

-Do you like drugstore makeup?
Yes

-Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)
Have only been once :(

-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
Yes, I would love to!

-Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?

Both but neutral on an everyday basis

-If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?
Eeek! I would probably fill in my brows.

-Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
I like to have at least a little bit, so probably not.

5 Favorite Lipsticks

Did you notice that I'm half way through my blog challenge? Yay for me!

Anyways, today I want to share with you my favorite lipsticks that I'm currently wearing. I included pictures of the lipsticks and their swatches.

So let's get started....

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color
"Pink Peony" (035)
A pretty medium pink shade with a slight sheen. Somewhat creamy.

NYX Lipstick
"Goddess" (613)
A very smooth light mocha pink with a major sheen. Glides on easily.

M.A.C. Lipstick
"Angel"
A perfect light link in a frosty finish. Creamy but not moisturizing.

CoverGirl Lip Perfection
"Darling" (395)
A smooth pink that applies in a solid opaque layer. Very creamy.

AVON Shine Attract Lipstick
"Fuchsia Flare"
A solid gloss with color in the middle. A very build-able and bright pink.

My skin tone might look different in a couple pictures due to using 2 different cameras but I think you get the idea of how the colors look.