BBW Semi Annual Sale Haul

Well hello there everyone! Long time no talk. Sorry about that, that's definitely my fault. I've been spending my days working long hours (and baking in the sun on my days off) which hasn't left me too much time to blog. One of the reasons I've been so busy is because it is officially the Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual Sale. As an employee, it is simultaneously my favorite time of year and the bane of my existence (there's nothing like spending 2 hours putting together a table of handsoap!).

Lucky for me, I got to pick up some of my favorite products for super cheap! And lucky for you, I'm going to give you the inside scoop on what I got. 

For those of you who don't know, Semi-Annual Sale happens every year in January and June and if there's ever a time to shop at BBW those are the times to do it. Not only are there crazy discounts (75% off anyone?) but they also bring back discontinued products that aren't available during the regular year. I didn't stock up on too many of those, but I did find quite a few things to add to my growing collection.

(Note: I am not getting compensated for this post and I only used my employee discount on one product which is marked below. All opinions are my own!)

Forever Midnight Fragrance Mist // Forever Midnight Body Cream

How excited was I to see that the full size fragrance mist and the body cream in Forever Midnight were only $8?! So excited! The Forever Collection are the most expensive products in the store (and they are slightly higher quality) but for me it's hard to justify a full priced purchase. The Forever Midnight is definitely a stronger fragrance and I know a lot of people feel it's more night time appropriate because it's more of a traditional perfume. It's vanilla orchid, plum nectar, and carmel liquor which I absolutely love and it wears really nicely on my skin. If you like Twilight Woods try this!

Oahu Coconut Shower Gel // Cashmere Glow Shower Gel

Our shower gels are my latest obsession, and when they're knocked down to the same price as what I normally buy for drug store body washes, how can I say no? (Answer: I can't). So I picked up the Oahu Coconut Shower Gel which is coconut scented but also has bergamot and lily notes in it, so it's a bit floral. I also grabbed the Cashmere Glow Shower Gel which I'll probably save for winter time since it's a bit warmer of a scent made up of peaches and vanilla.

Ever since I've been pairing the shower gels with the loofah my life has changed. The lather is phenomenal, which unleashes the fragrance and it fills my whole bathroom which is awesome! Not to mention the loofah lathers so much better than a wash cloth so I get to 3 times as much use out of the bottle (a broke girl's dream!).

Endless Weekend Body Scrub // Apricot and White Tea Face Scrub

These two products I'm a little less familiar with. The company came out with the Endless Weekend Body Scrub while I was away at school, but I got to try a few other of the pink sand scrubs when I worked over spring break. I've played around with this product a little bit in the store and I did use it earlier this week in the shower and let me tell you, I'm obsessed. The pink sand in the scrub is a great exfoliant because unlike sugar, it doesn't dissolve when it hits the water. For someone with really dry legs (me) it's just what the doctor ordered. This product is currently full price so I was able to apply my employee discount to it, but I totally would have bought it anyway.

The Apricot and White Tea Face scrub is something that I've only used once BUT it comes highly recommended from my coworkers who practically forced it into my bag when they heard I'd never used it. I'm planning on using it twice  a week as a gentle exfoliant and hopefully it will help keep my skin soft and clear. Unfortunately you can't get it online, but if you can find it in your local store I think it's worth giving it a try!

Do you have any Bath and Body Works favorites? Did you stock up during this month's sale? Let me know in the comments!

Summer Skin Care Must Haves

Hello friends! I'm happy to report that it has been consistently sunny and warm in CT! Unfortunately, I got a little too adventurous with my sunbathing and I'm slightly lobster-like at the moment. As I was rummaging around my bathroom in desperate search of some much needed aloe vera, I thought I would pull out some of my favorite products for when my skin needs a little extra love in the summer time!

When I'm a little low on cash, Pond's is my savior. The Classic Cold Cream is perfect for removing make-up and it comes off so easily! I just put a little bit on my eye area with my fingers, rub it in, and then wipe it off with a tissue. My favorite part is that it doesn't irritate your eyes so you can actually open your eyes without fear of it stinging.

The Dry Skin Cream is a great moisturizer which is super important for me since I have dry skin, which gets even worse in the summer from all the sun exposure. A little bit of this stuff goes a long way and I also find that it's really gentle. I've never had a problem with it breaking me out and I've been using it on and off for about 2 years now.

This Lush combo also works great for me, but much to my dismay the products are much more expensive than the Pond's products from the drug store. I use the Ultrabland as a cleanser, but it also completely removes all of my make-up. It's an oil based cleanser so it's almost the consistency of a lip balm type deal. I usually just apply it to my face before I hop into the shower and it just chills there until I wash it off with a wash cloth. It is perfect for me because it doesn't give me that tight and dry feeling that a lot of cleansers (especially those with salicylic acid) do.

The Eau Roma Toner Water is literally going to last me a life time. I just mist it right on my face before I moisturize. I actually thought the sales girl was just getting the best of me when I bought it, but it's actually my favorite part of the trio. It has a cooling effect that is perfect for dry skin (and it's just fun in general).

When I bought Skin Drink, I had asked the sales associate to show me something that would really help with my skin because it was getting so dry it was actually flaking a little which is not cute. So she showed me the skin drink and I liked it a lot! Not super keen on the scent (it has sesame oil in it) but it did help and the smell didn't linger more than a minute or two. This product in particular is pricey though considering the amount of product you're getting (that's why it does help to use it with the toner), so it might be awhile before I can replace mine.

The main reason I wanted to include my foundation in this post is because for me it's really important that I wear sunscreen on the daily. I've never been super picky about foundations, but I do always look for ones that have SPF and the Revlon Photoready has SPF 20. I'm not someone who avoids foundation in the summer and I tend to go for lighter coverage year round (I mean I've never really found something from the drug store that wasn't light coverage...) but I think the Photoready is light enough for summer. 

The Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder doesn't have SPF in it, but it leaves me with a good finish when paired with the foundation. I've never really worn powder before though, so I don't really have too much to compare it to. I think when I finish this one I'm going to try out the Rimmel Stay Matte because I've heard great things about that one!

What are your go-to summer skin care products? Anything you think I need to try? Let me know in the comments!

Friday's Fashion Finds: Messy Up 'Dos

So I was watching The Fabulist a few weeks ago, and they featured a trend that I absolutely loved! If you haven't seen The Fabulist (I would consider yourself lucky to be honest...) it's a show on E! that rates top trends each week. It sounds promising, but I assure you if I can't even appreciate it then that says something about just how awkward it is. The panel seems a little stiff so the show can be a bit hard to get through, BUT they did teach me how to do this messy bun look that I'm currently obsessed with. 

(Source)

The look that they did on Kristin Cavalari is super simple! It starts with a pony tail on wavy hair, then they split the pony in half and twist the two pieces together, then you just wrap it around the base and pin it. They have a picture tutorial and a video tutorial so their instructions will be way better than mine!

(Source)

And I couldn't do a messy up 'do post without giving my girl LC a shout out. Sorry if you're sick of seeing her show up on my blog (just kidding, not sorry at all!) Clearly growing up in the real Orange County means having perfectly luscious locks since both Laguna Beach leading ladies are killing their hair game. By the look of this it's just a loose dutch braid on the left side that ends at the nape of her neck and then she adds it to the rest of her hair in a messy bun. 

If you want to learn some cool braiding techniques I highly recommend Cute Girl Hairstyles on YouTube. I used them to learn lots of basics as well as some fancy tricks!

Let me know if you have any hair tutorials you think I should see!

Target Make-Up Haul

It's been a few days since I came back to school after spending a week at home for Spring Break. While I would have loved to have been lounging on the beach last week, being at home means having access to a car which also means shopping!

I hit up Target before heading back to campus for some affordable new make-up finds and I wasn't disappointed!

Sonia Kashuk Perfecting Luminous Foundation in Creme

First off, let me just say my skin has NOT been my friend lately. I've been desperately looking for a foundation with more coverage than the other drug store brands I've been using. Unfortunately they were out of what probably would have been my color for this foundation, but I really wanted to try this brand! I decided to go a shade darker as opposed to a shade lighter, but it is definitely too orange for me. I've been blending it with a lighter shade of the Revlon Photo Ready and it makes it match my skin better. It also has more coverage which I am very pleased about! Definitely needs a setting powder though, it leaves me pretty shiny without.

E.L.F. Studio Small Stipple Brush

I wouldn't say this is the best brush ever made (the top is already a separating from the handle, nothing a little dot of super glue can't fix), but I guess that's what you get for $2.99! Overall I'm a fan of the brush though. I think the new foundation combined with the new brush have definitely made a difference in the coverage I've been getting. I stipple it on and then blend it in by doing circular motions which works out quite nicely.

Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder in Ivory

I've never used a powder that really provided real coverage on it's own before and I love it! It advertises build-able coverage and I would say that that is pretty accurate. I have dry skin in general so I don't need a lot of mattifying, but the foundation does leave me a little shiny as I mentioned and this takes care of that. I'm used to translucent powders so I didn't realize that a little goes such a long way in terms of color payoff, which as nice but be sure to use it sparingly! 

NYC Sun 'n' Bronze Bronzing Powder in Fire Island Tan

I love this as an affordable bronzer. NYC is notoriously inexpensive even within the drugstore realm. This particular bronzer works pretty well, but if you don't like shimmer than you won't like this. It definitely has a little bit of sparkle to it (not glitter) but I think it will look awesome in the summer when the sunlight catches it!

Let me know your favorite drugstore products and if you have any secrets to clear skin!