Allure Beauty Box (September 2014)

Have you ever heard of The Allure Beauty Box? 

No, well let me tell you about it. If you love beauty products and a great deal you are going to want to know about this awesome box. 

This is a  box of full sized  beauty products ( hair, nail, skin and makeup etc.)  that is sold at a great price. Also a portion of the sales goes to charity. 

Allure offers these boxes usually three times a year. They always go very fast. Your best chance to get one is to be on the site when they go on sale. I was lucky enough to be able to buy the September Box.

If your looking for more information check out the site for The Allure Beauty Box here.


~amber~

March/April Favorites!! & Update!!

 I had started writing this post when it was the beginning of April and now April is over! Crazy how fast this past month has gone. So why haven't I posted in a month? Well I am working two jobs now and I have been adjusting to my new schedule. I hope to get back to posting on a regular basis soon. 

I really wanted to share my March favorites and since I have been still using and loving all the beauty favorites in April I figured I would make it a combined favorites for March and April.

Beauty

CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara- Love this mascara! It hardly ever clumps.The formula is not to wet which I like. I love the way it makes my lashes look. There are days when I don't wear any eye makeup expect this mascara. 

Burts Bees Toner- I really like this toner. The smell isn't bad and I did see a improvement in my skin as long as I kept up my skincare routine (sometimes I get lazy which I know is so bad!). The only thing I don't like is how small the bottle is and how fast I end up going through it. The price is around $10, so it is a bit on the more expensive side considering the size of the bottle compared to other toners.

Dove Detangler Spray- I don't know why I hadn't been using a detangler considering I have the kind of hair that loves to tangle. This stuff is great. It really does make it so much easier to brush out your hair. Wet or dry. Plus the smell is nice. I recently cut my hair short again so I don't need this as much as I did when I had my long hair. But I still do use it. I give a few sprays when brushing my hair out in the morning or after a shower.

 Maybelline Baby Lips in Melon Mania- This is a color I wouldn't normally get. I decided to pick this up after hearing some people talk about it on YouTube and I am glad I did. It gives just the right amount of color to your lips. I love that with baby lips you don't need a mirror to put them on but yet you still get color. This is definitely a great color for Spring/Summer.

Non Beauty (For March)

TV Shows

The Killing- I watched the first two seasons of this show in like a week or so. It is so good. Most cop/detective shows the cases get solved within a episode or two. The first two seasons revolve around one case. You may think that is drawing it out way to long but when I was watching it I definitely did not feel like it was. The third season is starting up in June (I think) and will be a different case. I am looking forward to it. 

The Walking Dead- So the ending was not as crazy as I had thought it would be.  Still this show keeps me on the edge of my seat. I actually ended up re-watching the whole first season in March. Gotta love a show that you can re-watch and its like your watching it for the first time again. 

Till next time,
~amber~

The Shopaholic Tag

Hello all! Today I am doing a tag post. I wasn't tagged but I still wanted to to do this tag because I do love to shop. WWelcometomycloset on YouTube is who created this tag.


Questions

1. Would you consider yourself a shopaholic? Yes and no. Yes because I often find myself looking around in various stores. But no because many times I leave without buying anything. 
2. How would you classify your style? I don't know honestly. I have only recently gotten back into fashion and clothes after a period of not really caring about what I wore. 
3. What store can't you leave without buying at least one thing? Target! Target has everything though. So many times I am just buying something like soap or mouthwash. 
4. Where do you find the best deals? Target has great deals. Especially their clearance items. I just picked up a tank for $2.40 (70% off). Also Old Navy when they are having sales and have coupons. I had a pretty successful shopping trip there this past week. I was able to get the shorts I needed that were on my Spring Wish List. I also love Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret semi annul sales that happen in January and June. Those two stores also send out coupons, often for a free item with no purchase necessary. Definitely sign up (I believe you can do so in store at the registers). Right now I have a coupon for a free pair of underwear (VS) and a coupon for free travel size item (B&BW). I'm excited!
5. What designer are you willing to spurge for? Honestly I don't have anything designer. I do though sometimes spurge on Lauren Conrad's clothing line at Kohls. 
6. Do you have a go to shopping outfit? Not really. I just try to wear something comfy. If I am smart I will try to remember to wear something that is easy to take off if I know I will be trying on clothes. 
7. Whats your guilty pleasure? (not including makeup) Perfumes and body sprays. However, recently I have been good and I haven't been buying any. Also I seem to have way to many t-shirts. And yet I still keep buying more.
8. What is one staple clothing you can not live without? I have these tank tops that I wear under my shirts. Even in the summer. I just feel weird when I am not wearing one. I like them because most are a bit long so they give the layered look. Also if a shirt is a bit to short for my liking I can still wear it and feel comfortable.
9. What is a trend you hope never goes out of style? Is lace a trend? I think it is. I love lace and lace dresses/shirts. 
10. What is a trend you loved that passed to quickly? I honestly don't know cause like I said I have only recently gotten back into fashion. I  didn't pay attention to the trends before.
11. Who is you fashion icon? Lauren Conrad. I love her style and her clothing/jewerly line.

 I tag everyone who wants to do this tag. Let me know in the comments below if you have done this tag, I would love to read/watch them. 

Till next time,

~amber~

January Favorites!

I haven't done a favorites in so long!  So here we go........

Beauty

 1) Bath & Body Works, Triple Moisture Cream in Frosted Snowberry.

 I picked this up half off at the semi annul sale back in December. Since we are in the middle of winter I wanted something that would be extra moisturizing. I have been using this all month after my showers (you can tell by the picture I don't have much left). This smells so good. The smell reminds me of fruity pebbles. Is that weird?  Unfortunately this is holiday scent so you can't get it in the stores anymore (as of when I am posting this, they do have the regular lotion and body wash on their website 50% off).

2) Bath & Body Works, Secret Wonderland Shower Gel.

  This is one of my favorite scents for the winter. I would have gotten the triple moisture cream in this scent but I didn't want to pay full price. I just love this scent and have been using the body wash since December.

3) Stila, Lip Glaze in Sugar Plum.

 My bf  got me the All Is Bright Stila lip glaze set for my birthday in December.  Out of that set the one I have been using the most all month and the one I have been keeping in my purse is Sugar Plum (18). This lip gloss gives a bit of color and shimmer too. For me this is a great color for when I want a hint of color and shine for my lips.

4) Physicians Formula, Conceal RX in Fair Light.

 I needed a new concealer because my last on started to discolor. So while grocery shopping back in December I decided to take a chance and picked this one up. I have to say that I ended up liking it. It has pretty good coverage.  I haven't been wearing much makeup in January but my skin has been freaking out and I have been having many breakouts. So often before going out I will use at least this concealer.

Non Beauty

5) Lipton Black Tea.

 For whatever reason I have been drinking a ton of just plain black tea this month. I have all these different flavors but this is the one I have been reaching for the most this month. With honey its just so good!

6) TV Show: The Carrie Diaries. I am loving this show. First off, I loved Sex And The City the show and the first movie (the second movie not so much). Second because its set in the 80s and its fun to remember how things were (the music,the fashion,the hair,etc).

7) Book: The Age Of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker.

I finished reading this book this past weekend. It is the first book that I have read for my challenge. I am going to do a review, look for it in the next couple of weeks. Check out my page Amber's Bookshelf, to find out about my challenge, to see the books I have read, and the reviews I have done.

8) App on Phone: The Game Subway Surfers. I have been playing this since before Christmas but I have playing it like crazy this month. Its very simple, you run and collect coins and try to get the high score (you can play against friends if you link your facebook). You also complete missions and daily challenges for bonuses. I'm addicted and so is my bf ( he is the one who got me hooked). Its free for android (not sure about iphone) so check it out.

Till next time,
amber

Products I Regret Buying

Here are some of the products that I regret buying. They just didn't work for me. These were all  purchased quite awhile ago.


1) Clearasil Tinted Adult Treatment Cream.

My biggest dislike of this product is the smell. You can put it on in the morning and smell it throughout the day. I don't know about you but I don't want to smell my acne medicine. Especially one that doesn't smell that great. The other thing I dislike about it is that its tinted. Now it does clearly state that on the packaging, I just didn't really think about it when I bought it. But because it is tinted I was afraid to put it on at night because I didn't want it to come off on my pillow. As far it working on my acne, I couldn't tell you because I only used it a few times. I just couldn't deal with the smell.  

2) Bath & Body Works Fresh Strawberries Lip gloss.

I love Bath & Body Works stuff but I have to say I did not love this lip gloss. It was way to sticky. It did not feel good on my lips at all. 

3)EOS Shave Lotion Pomegranate Raspberry & Vanilla Bliss. 

The pomegranate raspberry smells amazing. But for me these shave lotions didn't work. I prefer the ones that foam. I found that with these ones I needed to use a lot more product than the ones that are gel and turn into foam. 

4) Biore Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser.

I went out and bought this cleanser and then I ended up with another bottle because I ordered the Allure Summer Beauty Box and one came in that.This cleanser didn't really work for me I think because my skin is more oily, with a few areas that get dry in the winter rather than overall combination. A few hours after I would wash my face with this cleanser my face would feel oily again. So now I just use this as a back up in case I run out of my regular face wash. 

Till next time,

Amber

Bargain Beauty Buy: Wet n Wild Makeup Kit

This past weekend when I was at Rite Aid I spotted this Wet n Wild makeup set, originally $9.99 (on the package it said it was a $30 value) it was 50% off so I got it for $4.99. The products are all mini/travel size. The set includes two makeup looks, Hollywood Glam & Beauty Simplicity. Each makeup look comes with a eyeshadow trio, blush, mascara, lipstick and nail polish. All that plus the bag it came in for $5, I couldn't pass it up! I already own a few Wet n Wild products which I really like, and am looking forward to trying out the products in this set. 

Products:

 (top row, left to right)

Nail polish in I Red A Good Book (214C)

Nail polish in Sugar Coat (205B)

Lipstick in Think Pink (901B)

Lipstick in Stoplight Red (911D)

Mascara (Mega Length) in Very Black (C892A)

Mascara (Mega Plump) in Very Black (C893A)

(bottom row, left to right)

Eyeshadow Trio in Sweet As Candy (381B)

Eyeshadow Trio in Don't Steal My Thunder (385B)

Blush in Pearlescent Pink (831E)

Blush in Heather Silk (832E)

What are some recent beauty bargains you have found?

Till next time,

Amber

Christmas Nails

Hello all, I know its way past Christmas but I still wanted to share with you all the nail look I did.

I started off with Sinful Colors in Ruby Ruby (369). And did a accent nail with Sinful Colors in Exotic Green (1105). Then over the red I used Sally Hansen Crackle in Antiqued Gold (06). Over the green accent nail I used Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Diamonds (05).Over all of my nails I used my regular top coat Sally Hansen Strengthening Top Coat.

                                                                                       

                                                                                                             

Till next time,

Amber

Happy 2013!

Hello everyone! I know its been awhile but as I expected December was crazy with work. Now that it is January I am going to have a lot more time to blog. I am hoping to (some weeks may be more and some may be less) post twice a week. Most likely Mondays and Thursdays.

I want to mention a new Page I am going to have on this blog. It is called Amber's Bookshelf. I will explain about the challenge I have set for myself on the page. But basically I am going to keep track of all the books I read (start to finish) in 2013. I also will then link any of them that I do reviews for.

I am also excited to have joined ipsy (MyGlam) for the this year. A birthday present from my mom (thanks mom!). I can't wait to do what's in my ______ glam bag and review posts. Speaking of my birthday, look for a post all about how I celebrated and what I wore for my birthday dinner with my bf in the next week or so.

 Happy New Year everyone!!

Till next time,
 Amber

Review and Collection: Sinful Nail Polishes

Hello everyone! I have been talking about writing this blog post since the summer and I am finally doing it! Here is my review* and also collection of Sinful  Colors nail polishes. Over the summer I picked up and tried this brand for the first time. You can find these polishes at most drugstores and stores like Target and Walmart. I think they retail for around $1.99. I ended up really liking these polishes and I now have a collection of 8! I am sure it will grow in the future.

I like these polishes because:

•  How affordable they are.  You can't beat $2 for a nail polish. I only have a few higher end polishes. Not only because I am on a limited budget but you can find some drugstore polishes that are just as great as the higher end ones and cost so much less.


•  They apply very nice. I have never had any problems with applications. I  usually do two coats and I am good to go. I don't really know exactly how long it takes for them to dry since I usually give my nails extra time to dry because I get so annoyed  when I do my nails and then mess it up right away.


•  They are long lasting. I do use a top coat over them as I do with all my polishes now. Over the summer I had two colors that I wore constantly and I could go days with little to no chipping especially if I kept my nails short as I usually do.


• There is a wide variety of colors. Keep in mid though that some stores have more than others, like my Rite Aid carries more colors than my Target. So if you are looking for a particular color you may have to check out a few stores to find it.

My collection:





The colors I have are (starting at the top row left) 369 Ruby Ruby, 5162 Seaweed, 101 Snow Me white, 2 Black On Black, (second row bottom left) 921 All About You, 62 Purple Diamond, 947 Mint Apple, 952 Hazard.

Here are some of my past posts using Sinful Colors polishes:

• Mint Apple


• Hazard


• Ruby Ruby

and my latest nail post, the black polish I use under the glitter polish is a Sinful Colors nail polish:

• Black on Black

A few of them I have yet to use.

In closing I will say that I definitely recommend these if your looking for a good inexpensive nail polish.

Till next time. :)

*This is not a sponsored  post. All opinions are my own. All the polishes were bought with my own money. :)

Nails: Black On Black & Party Of Five Glitters

Hello all! Last night I finally decided to do my nails. I had on my previous polish for about two weeks (I just touched it up on week two). I had picked up another new Wet n Wild polish when I had picked up the one from my previous nail post.The polish I got is one of their fast dry ones and it is a really pretty sparkly polish called (238C) Party of Five Glitters (I think it was around $2/$3). I didn't want to just use the glitter polish though. I wanted to have a base color under. All week I had been debating what color would would go with this glitter polish, out of the colors I already own. I finally ended up going with black (inspired by this blog post).

Now I don't think I have ever worn black nail polish before. I don't know why but it kinda scares me. Maybe because it can be very intense. So I figured putting the glitter on top would help lighten it up. I bought black nail polish because I figured it would be a good basic color to have in my collection. I used Sinful Colors in (2) Black On Black. Then I used the Party Of Five Glitters polish on top after that dried. I wanted a lot of glitter so I had to go over each nail a few times. When that dried (or at least I had though it did) I used my Sally Hansen Strengthening Top Coat.

The problem I ran into was that it took a super long time for it to dry. I guess because I had so much polish on???? The glitter polish did not seem fast dry in my opinion. But then again I did like 3 coats on each nail so I would get extra glitter. I have to try out the glitter polish again before I make any final conclusions on it. A couple of my nails got  a little messed up from not being completely dry and me hitting them on something ( so frustrating!) but in the end it ended up being barley noticeable.



What do you think of this nail look?

Till next time. :)

Nails: Haze of Love

Hello all! I know my last post was a nail post but I got another one for you. Last week while I was out, I randomly picked up a Wet n Wild megalast nail polish in Haze of Love. The price was $1.99. The color is a dark berry color, perfect for fall. Also a color I didn't have. I have to say that I am very impressed with this polish. Application was good, and the staying power was also pretty impressive. I used my Sally Hansen Strengthening Top Coat  as usual. After a week of wearing the polish I just needed to just touch up a few areas that were chipping instead of having to completely redo my nails. I will definitely be checking out more Wet n Wild polishes (especially in the megalast line).



Till next time. :)

Nails: Penny Talk (my first essie polish)

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Today I have a nail post that is two weeks overdue. I still wanted to post it since it is my first essie nail polish! Two weeks ago I picked up essie's penny talk. I had been eyeing this polish since it came out. I finally broke down and treated myself to it. $8 for a nail polish is a lot for me so I was really happy that I ended up really liking this polish. The actual polish itself I found went on well and had pretty good staying power. The color is gorgeous. The actual color of pennies when they are new is so pretty(which is the color of this polish). Most of the time we see only old dirty pennies which are definitely not pretty at all. I am glad I picked up this polish. I used two coats and my Sally Hansen Strengthening Top Coat.





These pictures really don't do this color justice ( sorry about the poor quality :( ), I didn't want to post without any pictures.



Till next time. :)

September Favorites!

I was going to do this post yesterday and have it posted but I was super lazy and spent most of the day watching the first season of Gossip Girl (now I am hooked). So I am doing it today. September went by fast, but I am happy that now its really starting to feel like fall.  I didn't do a favorites for August so I wanted to do one for September.

Beauty favorites:



1)Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express waterproof mascara in very black. This is my second time buying this mascara. I ended up liking it enough that when it came time for me to get another mascara cause the one I was using needed to be replaced I picked this one up again. I use two coats as I have mentioned before and I stuck with the waterproof formula.

2) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in original. This is my first high end eyeshadow primer (I haven't tried my Benefit mini one yet). I do like this one. Even though its $20 for a small tube you  end up using very little product so I can see this one tube lasting for a very long time.

3) Wet-n-Wild Walking On Eggshells trio. Love this trio and I loved the $2.99 price. I wear this trio a lot for work since its a more neutral/natural look. I have to say I am impressed with the quality of these eyeshadows as well.

4) Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige. This is another one of my neutral/natural go to eyeshadows I wear to work. I think its a great shade to have in your collection.





5) Maybelline (can you tell I like Maybelline products?) Baby Lips in Peach Kiss. Still loving this one.

6) Revoln Just Bitten  Kissable Balm Stains in Precious. This was my first time trying these and I ended up liking them quite a bit. I got two, a darker red one which I haven't worn much yet and this more natural color which I love to wear with the Baby Lips Peach kiss layered over it  which I  think  gives it a little something extra.

7) EOS lip balm in Sweet Mint. I didn't think I would like this flavor, not sure why, but I ended up loving it. I keep this on my night stand and use it all the time before bed, in the morning, etc.





8) Maybelline Color Show polish in Impeccable Greys. I was pretty impressed with this polish and I love this color. Definitely think I will be getting more Maybelline polishes.





9) Bath & Body Works, Into The Wild. I got this scent at the semi annual sale because I think it was like 50% off and it is one of the scents they have discontinued ( you can still get it on their website). Its not necessarily a fall scent but I like it.

10) Victoria's Secret, Passionate Kisses. This body spray is cherry & vanilla. I also picked this one up at VS semi annual sale for like $4, so I don't know how you could get it now, unless you use maybe ebay or something. This one smells a little more  fallish (making up my own words) to me.





11) Remington Hair ties. I ended up really liking these hair ties. They look pretty on your wrist and in your hair. It gives a basic pony tail a little something extra.

Non beauty favorites:





12) Gap 1969 jeans. Gap had a sale one day buy one get one 50% off. I thought that was pretty good sale. I picked up two pairs the dark ones (pictured) and a lighter blue pair. I have been wearing the lighter blue ones a lot and I just love the way they look on me. I have had their jeans in the past and I have always really liked the quality of their jeans.





13) Green tea & honey. As soon as I felt the weather getting a little cooler I broke out my green tea.  Sometimes I end up having 3 to 4 cups a day. Green tea with honey is just so yummy.

For some reason I can't think of any song or movie favorites for this month. I also didn't really go to many movies this past month.

Till next time. :)

Nails: Impulsive

Kept it simple this week. I really like this dark purple polish from Revlon called Impulsive.





I also used my usual Sally Hansen Strengthening Top Coat.

Till next time. :)

Nails: Impeccable Greys & Glitz Gal

I combined the two previous weeks polish for this weeks look.  Glitz Gal on its own started to chip pretty fast so I figured it would last longer on top of another polish. I also used  Sally Hansen Strengthening Top Coat over them both. I really like the look of these two polishes together.















Till next time. :)

Nails: Glitz Gal

I ended up using a polish I have had for months but had yet to use.  Sally Hansen Gem crush in Glitz Gal. Its very pretty once on but can be a bit difficult to work with. You need at least 2 coats if not 3. I also used my normal Sally Hansen Strengthening Top Coat.







Till next time. :)

Nails: Impeccable Greys

So the other night I decided to try one of the nail polishes I have gotten recently but had not yet used. It was late so I kept it really simple, two coats and a top coat. I used Mabelline Color Show in Impeccable Grey and I have to say I love this color. It is a dark dark gray that at times looks purplish/bluish.  The polish applied pretty good but you defiantly need the two coats to really get that dark color.  I also used the new top coat I got which is Sally Hansen Strengthening Top Coat.  I did my nails Friday night and just today I noticed a few small chips. I tend to be rough on my nails, (my job doesn't help). So I consider going two full days with no chips not to bad. If anyone can recommend any other top coats that would help the polish last longer, please let me know.













Till next time. :)