My Cyber Monday Faves

Black Friday? Blech... so four years ago. The new fad is Cyber Monday! Shop from your bed in your PJ's and no interrupting your Thanksgiving. Don't pretend like your inbox isn't blowing up with crazy good sales right now. Get on it, girl!

Here are my favorite Cyber Monday sales!

Sigma Beauty

Sigma only does 20% off once, maybe twice a year so use this opportunity to try their brushes. They are OUTSTANDING. I don't know how I lived without them before. I ordered a few things I have been dying to get my hands on, but had to have a sale of course!

Converse

25% off nearly everything! That includes custom designs. You can bet your sweet little tush I designed some radical Chucks at about 6:30 this morning. Can't wait for those bad boys to get here!

Target

Love me some Target furniture. Don't love me the Target shipping prices. Today is the day, my friends, to order whatever you may desire from Target!

American Eagle

I live in American Eagle jeans. Are they worth their on average $45 dollar price? Yes but I like getting things on sale so 40% off is the prime time to buy!

Go get'em ladies!

Buy This Not That!

I've been wanting to write this post for quite some time now! Just now getting around to it but that's alright! Let's get to it!

A little back story on this... I LOVE Jaclyn Hill. She is a makeup artist that has a channel on YouTube. She is more than a makeup artist, she is a makeup GENIUS. I have been a huge fan of hers since she started making tutorials on YouTube. I have learned soooo much from this girl. One of the biggest things I have learned from her is how to highlight.

Let's talk about her highlight here... she is GLOWING underneath her eyes. It looks amazing so I bought the powder she uses to set her under-eye concealer... Mac Shaping Powder in "Emphasize". This powder is off-white with very fine pearl.

She uses the Sigma F35 Tapered Highlighter brush to apply this powder. This brush is $24.00 dollars. WHAT!? I am not paying $24.00 for a brush that only does one thing on 1/8th of my face.

Well much to my surprise (not) Jaclyn and Sigma are affiliated and she created her own "expert box" with all of her favorite Sigma brushes... for $90.

I justified purchasing this in that I didn't have any brushes that were similar in shape or use and buying the set saved me a little money instead of buying individuals. And these brushes have great reviews and are very high quality. So I got this set and I love all of the brushes!!

Now with that being said... The F35 is not my favorite brush to set my under-eye concealer. My old ELF Studio Blush Brush is my favorite.

The brush head is a bit larger and the ferrel is pinched so it is flatter on two sides unlike the F35 which has a round ferrel. I feel like the ELF brush sets the powder better because it presses the powder in to the skin thanks to its flatter sides. It also covers a larger area and gets the job done quicker.

Did I mention it's only $3.00 DOLLARS!? I have had the ELF brush for about 3 years and it is still good as new. The quality is great and it has a plastic handle vs the Sigma's wooden handle so it should technically last longer and look new for longer.

One thing the Sigma F35 does well is highlight your cheekbones. But if you are like me and your cheekbones highlight themselves after a few hours, this brush is unnecessary.

All-in-all, get the ELF Blush Brush if you are looking to set under-eye concealer. It's $3.00 and does the job better than the Sigma F35 which is $24.00.

Have you found any products that are less expensive but do the job better? Please share!

Recent Chanel Makeup Purchases

Recently I purchased a few Chanel makeup items that I wanted to share with you. I had some gift cards for Macy's and I have been eyeing a few items on their website for the past few months. I knew I wanted to spend the money on something fabulous that I would never spend my real money on. (I get Macy's gift cards for doing online surveys.) I decided I wanted some Chanel items because the packaging is beautiful, and well, I wanted to treat myself! I have never bought any Chanel makeup, although I used to have an eye shadow quad that my aunt gave me a long time ago but I lost it. Sad face.

After watching a girl on YouTube who uses eBates, I signed up and saw that Macy's was giving double cash back. 6% to be exact. So that night, I bit the bullet and bought the products. What's great about eBates is that they give you cash back on your total purchase, as long as you click the link through their website. I got $6.03 back from my Macy's purchase. I also got a free $10.00 gift card for Target! If you do a lot of online shopping, I definitely recommend signing up for eBates. It is seriously cash back in your pocket for a lot of stores that rarely have sales such as Ugg, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Sephora, Nordstrom, etc. Just wait until they send you the email for the store you want to shop at, click the link through their website, and then make your purchase. It is so easy and secure. I wish I would have known about this before! If you are interested in signing up just click this link to get started!

Check it out quick because right now they are offering 15% off to some great stores for their 15th birthday. Most offers are between 2-6% so this is a really great time to shop!

So after a lot of online research deciding on which products and which colors would work for me. I decided to get the Chanel Double Perfection Lumiere compact powder and the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel bronzing makeup base.

I got the Chanel Double Perfection Lumiere in Beige Rose 22. I could not get matched in a store so I had to search online to see which color would be right for me. I ultimately went with this color based on what a Nordstrom representative suggested for me. This color is just a little bit too dark for me right now. I'm in between my winter and summer color but this will be perfect for summer. As a reference, I am a MAC NW20 Studio Fix Fluid in the winter and in the summer I wear Loreal True Match in W3 or N3.

The bronzer is a perfect color from all over bronzing and contouring. I use my Real Techniques blush brush and swirl it around in the product and then place it underneath my cheek bones, by my ear, and on my forehead by my hairline. I use a powder bronzer for my neck. It is not muddy or orange. It transfers beautifully and actually provides a little bit of coverage.

If you are concerned about trying a cream bronzer, don't be! This bronzer is so easy to work with and is a beautiful, natural color. It doesn't melt off my face in the heat and never looks cakey. Also, a lot of people compare this Chanel powder to the Mac Studio Fix Powder + Foundation. I was going to purchase that until I read so many reviews about how people say it looks cakey on the skin and starts to feel heavy after a few hours. The Chanel powder does not do either. It looks so natural and gives a light to medium coverage depending on how you apply it. (With a powder brush or with the sponge.) I have very oily skin and both products work very will. I do have to blot in the afternoon in my T-zone but that is normal for me.

All-in-all I am very  happy with both products considering I had never seen them in person. I based my purchases solely off what I found on the internet so it was basically a shot in the dark but it worked out great!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Current Favorite: Hot Pink Lips

I have been loving hot pink lips for about a year now. I love the way they pop with a neutral eye and give you an extra fun twist on a daily makeup look. Check out some of my favorites!

with flash

Colors from left to right are:

Milani Color Statement Lip Liner 05 "Haute Pink"

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 220 "Showy"

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 205 "Elusive"

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain 001 "Honey Douce"

Milani Lipstick 14 "Rose Hip"

Maybelline The Elixir 075 "Fuchsia Flourish"

MAC Amplified Lipstick "Girl About Town"

Maybelline Volume Seduction Lip Gloss in "Proud Pink"

Maybelline Vivds Lipstick in 870 "Shocking Coral"

NYX Butter Gloss BLG01 "Strawberry Parfait"

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss LG160 "Tea Rose"

without flash

Some of the colors aren't very opaque. The Revlon Kissable in Honey Douce is a very light mauvy-pink that goes well by itself. The NYX "Tea Rose" gloss works well over Revlon "Elusive".

My top three favorites of this group are the Milani lip liner, Milani lipstick, and the MAC lipstick. The Milani lip liner is great for an all over lip color with a light gloss on top. It stays on really well throughout the day but I usually have to freshen it after eating. I'm wearing it here:

Here is "Girl About Town"

So if you want to try something new this spring and summer find a fun hot pink lip stick and rock it out, girl!

Photo An Hour

A link up with Stephanie at Southern Mess blog and Meg at Meg O. on the Go blog.

I have been so utterly excited for this link up since last week when Steph did her post. I was so excited I didn't even know what I was supposed to do!

Thank you, Steph, for clarifying.

So I totally should have done this last Saturday on Tyson's birthday because that would have been way more exciting. Oh well. You get yesterday. Wednesday. A good ole Wednesday. Let's begin!

Just sat down at my desk to catch up on my blogs and go over the daily computer stuff. (Reading Style Me Swanky here.) Which if you are wondering is:

Check my five different email accounts.

Facebook.

Blogger.

All bank accounts (company and mine).

eBay.

YouTube.

Instagram.

And lastly check on the four forum sites I frequent.

This leads me to my 10:30am picture...

Still sitting here... Riveting, I know. But now I am writing my own blog post and eating yogurt instead of drinking coffee.

At 11:30am I had just got out of the shower and finished my makeup. Here I am picking out which lipgloss to wear and watching some YouTube.

Come 12:30 I was waiting for the guys to finish testing the engine so we could go to lunch. This is an engine that my boyfriend Tyson completely designed and engineered on his own. There is not another engine like this in the world.

FINALLY! Lunch time and MEXICAN FOOD!

Just brushing my teeth and putting my Invisalign back in. After every meal I have to floss, brush my teeth, and clean my aligners. That means three times a day! You were bound to see one of them.

Come 3:30pm I was back at the ole desk. Doing paperwork, making phone calls, perusing Pinterest and watching PinkSoFoxy on YouTube.

Pulling in to Walmart here. Yay for buying household items!

Bustttteeeddd. I got the 20% off coupon for Ulta so I had to do a little makeup shopping. I finally got the Naked 2 palette! I bought the Lorac Pro last year when the Naked's were so popular and bought the Naked Basics last year but I just could not decide which big Naked palette to get. I thought I had my mind made up until the Naked 3 came out. GAME CHANGER. But alas, I decided it was too rose toned for me. Naked 2 it is!

At 6:30 I had literally just got to the gym and jumped on the treadmill. (Hence why I had only made it nine-tenths of a mile.)

Me after a little sweat-sesh. No shame in my gym bathroom selfie!

Dinner and post-workout meal. An apple with peanut butter, celery, some pretzels, and some apple cinnamon Fig Newtons.

Winding down and getting ready for bed here. I picked up these Peter Thomas Roth peel pads at Ulta earlier so I was pumped to try them.

So that was my day! Not all that exciting but pretty typical for a weekday.

If you like, head over and read other's Photo a Day posts. I really hope this turns in to a weekly or monthly link-up. I love seeing what people do each day.

Thanks for reading!

NYX Eyeshadow Haul

Hi ladies! I know this isn't exactly a "makeup blog" and I am by no means a "makeup artist" but I am a girl who loves makeup! I wanted to share with you all that right now at Ulta all NYX products are 40% off. This makes their single eyeshadows $2.69! I love the NYX single eyeshadows. They are easily comparable to high-end brands and their color selection is very fun!

Here are the shades I got.

Sahara, Flamingo, Deep Bronze, Purple, and Lagoon Sparkle

I attempted to take some pictures of the color swatches.

All five of the shadows are shimmery. Lagoon Sparkle does have some glitter in it, but not overboard. I use primer underneath my eyeshadow and these colors last me all day. There is no fall out and the pigmentation is great. Also, they don't crease and they are not chalky.

I had a $3.50 off coupon to Ulta so technically I got one and a half of these shadows for free! GO check out the colors and let me know what you think.

This was not sponsored. All opinions are my own.