The Frosty VoxBox

Hello Lovelies! 

It has been quite awhile since I received a package from Influenster, but it is always awesome when I do. This particular box is called the Frosy VoxBox, and it was filled with quite the variety of items. I want to start this off with just issuing a public thank you to Influenster for once again sending me some fun stuff to try.  If you would like to join, just follow this link, and you too will have the opportunity to receive a box. 

Rimmel London Just Let It Go Eye Makeup Remover, and Scandaleyes Waterproof Eyeliner 

I always excited to receive full size samples, and I am especially happy that they are from a company like Rimmel, because they are good budget friendly brand. Although I personally prefer liquid eye liner, I am quite impressed with Rimmel's Scandaleyes liner, it has good pigmentation, glides on smoothly, and it is quite lasting. (It also comes in 10 different shades!) To be honest I was a bit more hesitant to test out the Just Let It Go makeup remover as I have sensitive skin, and I worry about them irritating it, so instead of testing this on my face I applied a variety of products to the inside of my wrist for a test run. I applied swatches of Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara, a black glittery eye shadow from the NYX Smokey Palette, Kat Von D Autograph Eye Liner, Benefit's Boiing Concealer, Bh Cosmetics Eyebrow Pencil, Mirenesse's Lip Bomb Lip Stain in the shade of red, and of course the Scandaleyes Eye Liner in Black. I followed the directions on the bottle, and actually used cotton balls to remove them, and the only products I struggled to remove were the lip stain, and of course, the Scandaleyes eye liner. 

NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum

NYC is a brand that I use to use when I was just learning how to use makeup, mostly because it's super cheap, it is of an okay quality, but there are much better budget friendly brands out there (E.L.F Cosmetics, and NYX) Now that I have established my view on the brand I thought the Sugar Plum lip color was okay, it isn't something I would ever purchase though. I do not like the super fruity scent, the lack of pigmentation, and it is not long-lasting like the name states. On top of all that this particular color does nothing for me. 

Eco Tools Sleek + Shine Finisher Hair Brush 

Eco Tools is a brand I have been using for quite awhile, and I definitely would recommend the brand to anyone out there searching for an eco friendly, affordable, and good quality product. I personally own a couple of their cosmetic brushes, and the Smoothing Detangler Hair Brush, and I use them on a regular basis. This brush is a wonderful addition to my routine as it works wonderfully to finish off any style, and a brush like this is also happens to be a must-have to create vintage styles. 

Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced Serum and Coupon

All I can really say about this sample is that I am not fond of receiving samples of this size, there is no possible way I can accurately review the product this way. I do like that Influenster included a coupon for the people that do end up being intrigued by this product, but it is regularly sold for $30 at Target, and there is no way I am spending that much money on something I have no previous experience with, but I will add that I have seen a couple positive reviews for it. 

Red Vines Fruit Vines Bites in Strawberry

Unfortunately this bag didn't even last long enough to make it's spot in the Frosty VoxBox overall photo, because they were completely addicting. They are the perfect chewy, sweet snack, and I love the strawberry flavor. I definitely want to get more of these, like right now. 

Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Green Tea and Coupon

My cupboard is filled with a variety of Celestial Seasonings teas, but I have never tried this before, so I was quite intrigued. As soon as you open the package you can smell the distinct peppermint scent, and the tea is exactly what you would expect, it tastes like a peppermint candy cane. 

McCormick Gourmet All Natural Thyme 

This is actually a pretty awesome thing to receive as I do actually love to cook, and a good variety of spices is key to achieve good tasting food, and there is nothing better than saving a bit of money due to samples from awesome companies. My all time favorite way to use Thyme is for roasted vegetables, try it yourself! 

Roasted Herb Vegetables

You Need:

Thyme

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Garlic

Zucchini 

Red Potatoes

Carrots

Onions

Green Beans

All you do is chop the vegetables up, toss them in oil, and then toss them in the seasonings. Cook at 450 degrees for 30-45 minutes, and you have an amazing yummy array of vegetables.

Overall, this was a wonderful Voxbox, and I am extremely appreciative for receiving it. I would recommend most of these products, especially for someone who is seeking out items that are budget friendly. 

 Here is a look I created using my Frosty Voxbox products ( NYC Lip Color, Scandaleyes Eyeliner) pairied with products I received in my Ipsy bag. 

 

#frostyvoxbox #getadvanced #influenster 

Transparent

Hello Lovelies!

Today I come to you with something completely different, this won’t be my typical fashion/makeup related piece, this will dig deep into my persona and give you the most honest, and in depth view of who I am. For the past couple months I have not been inspired, and that has caused me to not create, and explains my lack of social media presence. I feel I need to be honest not only with myself, but the people who care, so I am just going to write until I can’t anymore, and from here on out I am going to try to get my stuff back on track, and create content, and be happy, no matter what life throws at me, but before I do that I need to confess what I am feeling, and figure out what I want out of this life.

I have been battling with myself, because I want to create and share my art with everyone, but I feel like when I do I work so hard to get little recognition. I don’t need to be popular, or make it in anyway; all I want is to know that people care, that I am not wasting my time. Every piece and creation that I come up with takes so much of my time, and I don’t have a lot of that as a working mother of two. I don’t live the typical fashionista lifestyle, I am a hard working shell of a person I once was. I battle an anxiety disorder, and depression that comes and goes, and when I am in a slump it takes every bit of ambition and positivity out of my life.  I am not happy with my real job, and I hate living in my apartment, and those things eat at everything in my life. I know I deserve better, my family deserves better, and I work so hard to provide, just to never get anywhere. I am thankful for every single person who takes up moments of their life to interact with my passions; I just wish I could contribute more, because those passions are what make me feel like me. I am also thankful for what I have been able to achieve with life so far but, I just need to find myself soon because I feel like I am drowning.

Every day for me is a struggle, I struggle to get out of bed, and make it through the day, because I am mentally exhausted. I am under too much stress and anxiety to be able to live like an actual human being. I am so emotionally scarred, and confused that I have become a shell of a person, I hide behind my anxieties, and I rarely move out of my comfort zone. My weaknesses have taken over my whole life, and when I really think about it, I have lived in my comfort zone my whole life, I have let my anxiety control me, and I have never let myself truly live.

I have always felt like the odd one out, the misunderstood, and I have tried so hard to be a person that people could like, a person that I could like, but I always feel like I am messing up. To be brutally honest, I have only one friend in life, and that is my wonderful boyfriend, Aaron. I have been struggling my whole life to be friends with people, but due to my circumstances at home, and my anxiety I haven’t been able to make a real friend in years. I have also worked so hard within my life to keep my family close, but as of now everyone has drifted, and I only have Aaron, and my kids left. I honestly cannot recall a time where I had a good friendship or family relationship (besides the kids and Aaron), where I could be myself, and trust them, so, I live inside of my bedroom, behind a camera, a computer, or I just exist in silence.

I don’t know what I want out of this, but I feel like a little bit of weight has been lifted off my shoulders, like everyone now has the opportunity to understand who I am, and maybe this will help me move forward, as I want to become better. Just another little note and you can be on your merry way. My website shall become a home for me, not just a place to come to check out my photos, or skim through my creations; I plan for it to become a place where I don’t have to be afraid to show myself. A place that has a little bit of everything, I might share my emotions, and my struggles, I will share my creations, and here and there I might show you something completely out of the ordinary, because I have so many passions, and so much personality that I cannot be confined to one description.

Love, the real me…

Brianna

Kiss InstaWave Automatic Curling Iron Review and Tutorial

Hello Lovelies!

Today I bring you a little "how to" video for the Kiss Automatic Tangle-Free Curling Iron. 

Overall I believe this curling iron is easy to use, hair friendly, and it definitely cuts down on curl time. I like that I can easily get that beachy, wavy look many women desire in a matter of minutes, but it is hard to get tighter curls on short hair. The automatic shut off function is very logical, considering many women forget to shut off their irons, including me sometimes. I also like the sleek appearance, and the swivel cord, which makes it easier to use.

Kiss InstaWave Quick Guide Directions 

Step 1- Hold InstaWave vertically and place it parallel along a section of hair. (approximately 1-2 inch section)  

Step 2- Press button to begin rotating the curl barrel. InstaWave will automatically begin catching and curling hair. 

Step 3- Continue pressing button until hair is fully around barrel. Once hair is around barrel, release button, and allow barrel to heat hair for 3-10 seconds- depending on the style desired, and the hair type. 

Step 4- Once hair is curled, guide InstaWave down to release curled hair. Do not pull diagonally.

For more information check out Kiss's website- 

http://www.kissinstawave.com/

You can find your very own Kiss InstaWave Curling Iron at Target, Ulta Beauty, and Amazon.com

Sponsored By Brand Backer 

Makeup by One Direction

Hello Lovelies! 

Today I am here to review the Makeup by One Direction Limited Editions sets, which consists of the Electro Glam Mascara, Liquilights Glow Gloss, and the Rock Me Nail Kit. The Makeup by One Direction was released on November 15th, and can be found at Macy's, Dillards, Boscov's, Stage Stores, Beauty Brands, and Lord & Taylor. 

ELECTRO GLAM MASCARA

The Electro Glam Mascara comes in three fun shades, and can be used not only for eye lashes, but for hair, and even eye brows. Pictured Below are all of the shades, and a sample of each against my red hair. My personal favorite was the blue, as it showed up the best in my hair, but all the colors are fun and highly pigmented. 

 LIQUILIGHTS GLOW GLOSS

Liquilights Glow Gloss is the perfect gloss for a fun loving, sparkly person. By day it's a simple sheer glitter gloss, and by night it transforms and illuminates under UV black light. The gloss can be worn by itself, or for even more of a pop, it can be worn over a vibrant shade of lipstick, you could even purchase the One Direction Creme Lipstick to pair with it. The gloss is long-lasting, and full of sparkle. Below are pictures of the shades by themselves, unfortunately I do not own a black light to show off the way they illuminate. 

ROCK ME NAIL KIT

The Rock Me Nail Kit consists of three colorful UV-Reactive nail polishes, and UV-Reactive glitters.  

For each nail I did two coats of polish, as you can see the blue polish named Happily, is a bit more sheer than the others, and may need another coat. Moments, the pink shade, is by far my favorite, it looked great even with one coat, and Diana is a fun glittery polish, the more coats you do, the more glitter you get. 

Overall I was pretty thrilled with these kits, they are fun, colorful, and the perfect gift for One Direction fans. 

Before you run out to buy these kits, they are actually having a giveaway (I am not involved with the giveaway.) so follow the link below and check it out for you chance to win.
https://promosimple.com/ps/5bda

#makeupby1D #thelookscollection #markwins 

https://www.facebook.com/MakeupbyOneDirection

Sponsored By Brand Backer 

Blast Off!

Hello Lovelies! 

If you follow me on Facebook  you may know that I have been assisting Mr. Grim with a music video for a song off of his latest album Life Support. Well, here it is! 

I not only did the makeup for this video, but I directed and filmed it. 

My Boyfriend Does My Makeup

Hello lovelies! 

So, I don't know if you have ever seen one of these challenges before, but basically my boyfriend, Kemical, tried to apply my makeup for me and make me look pretty, but failed miserably. 

He knows nothing about makeup, he chose the products without my help, and he applied them the way he thought he should. 

Check out our shenanigans! 

Aveeno - A Brand I Love

                                                 

An important factor in beauty is skin care and I just wanted to stop a moment and talk about a certain brand that I like to use a lot of, Aveeno.  

I suffer from patches of eczema on my face and arms, and my skin is quite sensitive so when it comes to choosing skin care products I have to be careful, otherwise I could end up having very irritated skin. I also am not the only one in my household with skin concerns, my significant other suffers from psoriasis, so as a family we try to choose products that are good for all of us. 

To start off I want to highlight a product I recently received complimentary from Influenster, Aveeno's Positively Radiant Targeted Tone Corrector. This particular product is suppose to help fade the look of dark spots and uneven tone, as well as moisturize and provide you with a broad spectrum SPF 30. I personally did not see much of a change using this product, but I also don't think this product is particularly right for me as my skin tone is quite even, besides for my tons of freckles. Although I didn't see much tone correcting going on, I did notice that this left my skin quite moisturized, and of course I always need a great product to protect my skin. I honestly can't provide you with a great review, as this product isn't the best choice for me, but I have seen many wonderful reviews from this product, and I love Aveeno, so if this something that you may be intersted in, I would say to give it a chance. 

On a regular basis I do use the Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, the Eczema Therapy Moizturizing Cream, and the Ultra Calming Foaming Cleanser. 

I love Aveeno because they offer great products for pretty much everyone out there. They have products dedicated to people with sensitive skin, such as their skin care line for Eczema, they have a wonderful line of children's and men's products, and they even offer products geared towards protection from the sun. Aveeno also chooses to use natural ingredients such as Oat, Soy, Feverfew, Wheat, Shiitake, Seaweed, Southernwood, and Lotus. A lot of other skin care companies put a lot of focus on preventing aging, while Aveeno seems to focus on just taking good general care of your skin on a daily basis. I fully believe that you can not prevent aging, there is no miracle cure, it is all about taking good care of yourself from the beginning, and if you are not taking good care of yourself, you should definetly begin now. 

#radiantwithaveeno

Beauty Schooled- August 2014 Ipsy Bag Review

Hello Lovelies! 

I have been subscribed to Ipsy since May of 2012 and over time there have been good months, and bad ones. This particular month I do like the theme, but I am not overly thrilled with the execution and choice of products, but for the price I pay I am always pleased.  For only $10 a month I get the opportunity to try new products and test out new brands that I wouldn't normally purchase on my own. Sometimes I can tell as soon as I open my bag that their are certain products I wont like, those products I collect and give away, but sometimes I find products that I fall in love with. 

Let's start by discussing the bag that came this month. I am a huge fan of polka dot print, and I think this is adorable, although it really doesn't fit the particular theme. I would have preferred to see a bag with a cutesy book print, maybe something a little more colorful and artistic. I also detest the material of these bags, I much prefer when they use fabrics. 

I always love when I get to try out new lip balms, as they are one of my essential beauty products. I love this tin, although it is a little big to be kept in my makeup bag in my purse on a daily basis. I am glad I received the Green Apple Absolute Lip Balm not only because I love the scent, but the light pink tint is very complimentary to my skin tone. I am impressed with this balm as it is moisturizing, but it doesn't leave that sticky feeling like some lip balms tend to do. I also am super excited about this balm because stamped directly on the bottom of the cute tin is a little bunny symbol that says "against animal testing" and that always makes me happy to see. I definitely could see myself purchasing this in the future, and I would love to try out the other flavors (grape, strawberry, and bubblegum) especially since they are only $5.99 for a two pack. 

This here is the Dr. Brandt Pores No More pore refiner primer for oily/combination skin. I myself have combination skin,  my cheeks and parts of my forehead tend to be dry, while my t-zone can get a bit shiny. This pore refiner says it will minimize the appearance of pores, blur imperfections, erase shine and mattify skin, absorb oil, and even act as a shield to prevent makeup from clogging your pores. The product directs you to apply either under or over your makeup, and throughout the day as needed. I decided I would wear this under the makeup as I would a typical primer, and I was impressed with how smooth my face felt and appeared. I continued to work on my makeup and realized I didn't feel the need to apply as much foundation or see the need to apply my Makeup Forever finishing powder as I normally do to get the matte look I like. I am thoroughly impressed with this product, but I do find it to be a bit pricey ($45 for 1oz.)  

If you have followed me for a bit you may know that I am a huge fan of Coastal Scents products, so its always great to get stuff from them. If you have never tried products from them they are definitely a great company for all sorts of makeup enthusiasts as the products are high-quality, but affordable. I have made many purchases in the past from Coastal Scents, especially since they frequently have sales, and they are one of the main brands I recommend to people. Although the  brown shade of blush isn't really fitting to my pale skin tone, the pink shade works quite well for me. These Forever Blushes are highly pigmented and come in various different shades, and I guarantee you can find a shade you will adore also. 

Every so often I get the opportunity to try a product from a brand I have never heard of before, and this liner is one of those products. This mini kajal kohl-liner in black is from Lord & Berry and I was quite excited to try it out as eye liner is essential to me. In the past couple years I have grown to love marker-like pencils, or liquid liner, but I am always willing to test out a pencil. Unfortunately, this particular one kind of fell short for me, I didn't think it was dark enough and it smudged quite easily, so, it doesn't work well for me personally as I typically rock a cat eye, but I think this could be a good liner to use when creating a sultry smokey eye look. 

Last, but not least, is the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and I must say I love UD products. I love receiving mascaras because I wear them on a daily basis, even when I don't exactly feel like wearing makeup. This mascara is exactly what it says it is, it's bigger, badder, and blacker, I have no complaints. 

Here is a simple look using all of the Ipsy bag products along with: 

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Light 

Pacifica Natural Beauty Eye Shadow Duo #2 (Received in a past bag) 

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium

Pantone's Spring Color Trends

Hello Lovelies! 

 

I know it's not spring yet, it actually feels like spring will never come here in Michigan, but I am way behind in "fashion time" when it comes to discussing the Spring 2014 trends, so here we go....

I typically blog about the clothing trends here, but I figured this time I would do something a little different and base my post all around Pantone's Spring 2014 color report for women.  

Radiant Orchid

According to Pantone, Radiant Orchid, was chosen for the color of the year because it intrigues the eye, and sparks the imagination. The director of the Pantone Color Institute also said that it is an invitation for innovation, Radiant Orchid encourages expanded creativity and originality, which is increasingly valued in today's society. Read the press release about the color of the year here.

This particular hue certainly makes a bold statement and within the next couple of months the shade will be popping up in a lot of stores just in time to mix into your spring wardrobe. Above you will see a selection of pieces showcasing the shade, and below is an example of the hue in outfit form. 

Placid Blue

Violet Tulip

Hemlock

Paloma 

Sand

Freesia

Celosia Orange

Cayenne

Dazzling Blue

And those are all of Pantone's colors for spring...

What color is your favorite?

My personal favorite is Cayenne, I love the vibrant shade, and I think it is perfect for this spring. I also believe that pieces in this hue could easily be worked into your future summer wardrobe.

My least favorite color in general is freesia, because I honestly detest all shades of yellow on my skin tone. I also do not like the idea of Paloma for spring, to me spring is about fresh vibrant hues, and this neutral color seems more fitting for winter to me.

Feel free to leave feedback on my Facebook page, message me via my contact form on my website, or comment directly on my blog.