Travel Packing

      Two of my favorite passions are organization and travel. Put those together and you'll find me spending hours scouring the web for DIY travel notebooks and planners, packing list inspiration and the smallest toiletry containers I can find. I love figuring out exactly what products work best, how much I need for different trips and the best ways to organize it all.

Tartlette Amazonian Clay Matte Eye Shadow Palette by Tarte Cosmetics

You guys. I can't even tell you how excited I am to show you this palette. First off, I spent like an hour in Ulta trying to decide whether or not to get it. I heard of it when it was first announced back in November and it disappeared from my thoughts until this blog post showed up in my email. Now I know Rachel is beautiful on her own but that palette just looks so good on her that I had to get it and try it for myself.

February Ipsy Bag

   
     This bag has been sitting in my "to be reviewed" pile for far too long!! I got a little behind and out of the habit of blogging recently and I'm trying to get caught up. I didn't receive my bag until almost March and although I was slow in trying the products, I'm glad I did.

Extending your beauty products life span!

     Pinterest and the web are chock-full of helpful tips and advice on how to make your makeup products last longer both on your face and in the bottle. Many of these tricks I use currently or have used in the past. Here are a few of my favorites and some general make up related tips I think are useful!

Smashbox On The Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe Palette Review

     For my last birthday, I received this super awesome package in the mail as a present from my sister in law and the first thing I thought when I opened it was that scene from Despicable Me. You know the one...

I don't have the original source for this image but I found it here. 

     My first thought was "It's so beautiful!!!"" And yes, I was just as excited as Agnes. The packaging on this eye shadow palette is truly gorgeous.  The box and palette have the same prismatic diamond design on them and I played with for it for a good ten minutes just admiring the sparkles. I need to learn how to make a GIF or at least be better at videos so I could show you just how pretty this is. 

LASIK

     Those of you who know me personally know that I have been in the "eye business" for 7 years now and you know I'm kind of passionate about eye health. I started as an optician selling glasses and prescription lenses. I always tried to help patients order frames that suited their lifestyle and genuinely looked good on them. I also made an effort to order prescription lenses that would last and that were the best combination of materials and coatings for their needs, specific prescription and budget. After that, I began working for an ophthalmologist learning all about the medical side of the eye care industry. I have seen more infections, abrasions and injuries than you want to know, many of which were 100% preventable. I have also had the chance to assist in procedures and observe surgeries.

And on Thursday I had LASIK.

Physician's Formula Youthful Wear Spotless powder

     A while back I received a surprise package in the mail with a full size sample of the new Physician's Formula Youthful Wear Spotless Powder. I'm still not sure how I came to receive this, whether it was part of a coupon group that got my name or one of the Allure free stuff giveaways I tried to win. Since I wasn't sure and couldn't find it in stores, I waited awhile to review it. I recently spotted the full Youthful Wear line at Fred Meyer so I thought now would be a good time to tell you about it!

DIY Makeup Remover and Eye Serum

      I'm not gonna lie. I have such a hard time remembering to take my makeup off at night. It's a terrible habit I know. It's just such a pain! Long wear eyeliners, mascaras and primers really make a mess when you go to take them off. I have to almost trick myself into washing my face.


     The two things that really help in removing my makeup are makeup remover cloths and DIY make up remover/eye cream. I started using this eye cream as a serum for the tender eye area but then I discovered how amazing it was at liquefying my eye make up. So without further rambling, here it is!!

What you will need:

Coconut Oil
Rose or Rose Hip Oil
Sweet Almond Oil or Vitamin E
Rosewater (Optional)
Beeswax (Optional)


     All you have to do is warm up the coconut oil so it can mix with the other oils and stir it all up until it's thoroughly combined. I sometimes like to add lavender or castor oil as well, but they are completely optional. Pour or scoop the mixture into a container of your choosing. Use a dab or two on your eye area before or after you wash your face to loosen and remove your makeup and simply pat off any excess. And that's it!! Super simple and very effective.

     Sometimes I add beeswax to give it a thicker consistency, usually needed in the summer. The rosewater is a nice touch as well, and less expensive than the rose oils. But you may have to shake it up a bit if the rosewater doesn't mix with the oils.

     One of the other things I love about this is that I don't have to worry about what will happen if I get this in my eyes. No stinging or burning for me and it actually helps with my dry eyes. If you do get this in your eyes, the most that will happen (from my experience) is that your vision may blur. That should clear up after a few minutes. If you are a contact lens wearer, (like myself), you will want to remove your lenses before you use this as it could cloud the lenses.



What would you add? Are there any essential oils you like to use for your skin?










***Disclaimer: All items mentioned in this or future posts have been purchased by me, at my own expense unless otherwise noted. I am not affiliated with or sponsored by any company or brand so you can be assured my opinions are mine alone. My opinions are based on my own experience and independent research. 

Happy new year!

     Hey look, a blog post!!  (Finally!..) It's okay. You can say it. I've been in and out for a bit now. The holidays really killed my time for blog posts. Between my birthday, traveling. breaking my phone and not having one for almost a week, Christmas and New Years, It's been crazy! I always include November in "the holidays" because of my birthday and all and since we delayed celebrating Christmas until New Year's it really stretched out the season. Now that the decorations are packed away and I'm moving on I'm ready to get productive again! I missed a lot of fun stuff while I was "gone" but I wanted to make sure I shared with you a few of my favorite things over the past two months and some of my plans for the next coming months.  

     Are you ready? Because this is going to be long...