Some exciting new goodies!

I thought I'd share some things I've picked up recently:

Loreal Voluminous Mascara- I've actually NEVER tried this mascara! I've heard such great things so I thought it was time I tried it out.
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat- Probably the best top coat I've ever used, just had to buy another bottle as my current one is almost gone.
Sonia Kashuk spoolie- Boring! But I needed one as my elf one broke.

Avalon Organics Vitamin C Balancing Toner- I am almost out of my current toner (it's an Origins one) and this one is about half the price and I've heard some great things about it. It seriously smells like fresh orange juice!
CHI Keratin Mist- My hair has really been growing lately, but as it gets longer it tends to get a little weaker. I've heard this is great for keeping your hair strong because of the Keratin, and it doubles as a detangler and heat protectant.
No 7 Radiance Boosting hot cloth cleanser- I've heard this is comparable to Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish, which we can't get in the US, but I've always wanted it! This was only about 10 dollars and it comes with the cloth. 

MAC lipstick in Creme in your Coffee- I love this color so much, it's one of those that have been on my wishlist for awhile.
Topshop creme blush in Prime Time- We don't have a Topshop where I live, but one of my best friends went to the Topshop in Vegas recently and I had her get me this beauty!

Real Techniques Brushes- I apologize that these are used and not in the packaging, but I just couldn't wait to use them! I got the stippling brush, blush brush, and expert face brush and I LOVE them. Now I want all the others!


Thanks for reading!
Allison

What's in my bag?

My bag is one of those rare finds from Forever 21 that looks a bit more expensive than it was. I think this was only about $25, but surprisingly it's held up quite nicely. I love how many pockets it has, as I'm the type of person where if my bag doesn't have pockets I can never find anything.

During school(I start college in a few weeks), my bag is much more packed than this with things like a calculator, snacks, and always a water bottle. During the summer however, I don't want to lug around a heavy bag so I just try to keep the essentials: hand cream, gum, my glasses, little makeup bag, keys (with like five hello kitty key chains), phone and my wallet. 

The contrast in this photo makes me laugh. My phone case is this adorable little blue cat and then my wallet is all black with silver skulls, yet I love them both so much. The phone case I found at my local street fair and the wallet is from Brandy Melville. My boyfriend likes to call me emo when I walk around with this wallet, boys just don't understand the skull trend!

Thanks for reading!
Allison

Neon

My current nail polish obsession: American Apparel's Neon Orange

I am obsessed with this polish. This is my first American Apparel polish but this one makes me want to go buy a bunch more. I believe they are normally six dollars, but this one was on sale for three and a friend I was with a the time found one on sale for only a dollar! Obviously the color is why I bought it, but I am actually really impressed with the formula! It is super creamy and has been on my nails for a few days without chipping!
Are there any other great neon polishes out there?

July Favorites!

Is July really over?! This has been a great month for me and I thought I'd share the things I've been loving and using the most.

• Lush Ocean Salt- Oh my. This is probably my greatest discovery of the month. The smell alone is incredible. It smells like being on vacation, if that were a scent. This is a face and body scrub loaded with sea salt, lime, and lots of wonderful essential oils. It makes my skin baby soft without leaving an oily residue that a lot of body scrubs can have. This stuff is not cheap, but it's definitely worth it. 
• Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Cream- First off, how freaking cute is the packaging on this baby?! It's so old-fashioned looking and I love that it comes in a glass jar. This stuff is very thick, but incredible hydrating. I have super dry hands so it's not too heavy for me, but I can see it taking a little longer to absorb on other people. I see this as more of a night hand cream anyway, as the glass pot isn't exactly something you throw in your purse. And the smell is divine.
• Organix Coconut Milk conditioner- For a daily conditioner, this stuff feels almost as nourishing as a hair mask. It's very thick and feels expensive, but I believe it was only about seven dollars! It leaves my hair so soft. Once again, I love the smell of this and the scent lingers in your hair all day.
• Origins United States Balancing tonic- This toner is designed for combination skin, which is what I have. I love that it doesn't leave my skin feeling too tight like a lot of toners can do. This is a fairly newer purchase for me, but I am absolutely loving it so far. 

• The Naked Palette- I have had this for awhile and never got a ton of use out of it. This month I found myself reaching for it for some reason, and I'm so glad because it has been perfect for that golden, bronzed summer look. I only wish there were a few more matte shades. 
• EOS lip balms- First off, I know the hype of these has gone down but I still can't get over how cute the packaging is. I work with kids and whenever I pull one of these out I get a million questions asking what it is.  I have Lemon and Honeydew, but there is a part of me that just wants to own them all! The Lemon has SPF so it has been my go-to lip balm lately. 
• NYC bronzer in Sunny- This bronzer is so cheap, but so good! It is not too dark which is perfect for my pale skin. It is great for all over color but I LOVE it for contouring. It's very natural, not too orange and not too brown. Oh, and how cute is the sun imprint?!
• Milani baked blush in Luminoso- This blush is absolutely beautiful. It's the perfect mix of pink, orange, and just a hint of gold. This blush has a slight shimmer to it, so I use it as more of a highlighting blush. I really want to get my hands on some other Milani blushes. 
• Revlon Colorstay Brow Enhancer- I picked this up in a sale section for two dollars, and I've used it everyday since! In the summer I don't like to fill in my brows with eyeshadow, so I find this perfect. It adds a little bit of color and can be used to fill in sparse areas, but the waxy consistency also keeps them in place all day. This is so easy and quick, it makes me never want to use eyeshadow again!

If there is anything you'd like to hear more about, just leave me a comment! Here's to another great month!

Thank you for reading,

Allison 

A Wishlist

I thought a nice first post would be a list of things I've been lusting over lately. As I'm sure many of you do, I almost always have a little list going of the things I want at the moment stored in the notepad of my phone. These are some of my absolute favorite posts to read, although they often make me add to my wish list, and I thought it would be a nice way to get to know me and what I'm loving at the moment.

Without further ado-

• Korres lip butters-  I am such a sucker for lip balms, and I have been known to have one on me at all times. I especially love the idea of these as they are supposed to be super moisturizing, but also pack a punch of sheer color. These Korres lip butters aren't new news by any means, but I have yet to try them. I love every single color these come in, but I think my first will either be in Rose or Jasmine. 
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hr. blush- I never was a blush person until very recently. I have chubby baby cheeks, so I always thought blush would only make them more obvious. Recently I've realized the right blush can really sculpt your face and make you look so much more awake and alive. I don't own any higher end blushes, but these Tarte ones are first on my list. Oh and the packaging is just too cute.
• Real Techniques brushes- I won't say much about these because they have been talked about like crazy, but I still haven't gotten any. I think all of the brushes look perfect, but I especially want the buffing brush and the stippling brush.
• The Body Shop body butters- I love these body butters so much. Right now I am using some random body butter, but as soon as that's finished I will go out and treat myself to one of these babies. The hardest part is picking which scent, as they are all to die for, but I think I will go with the almond one! (I believe they are 3 for $30 right now on sale so check that out!)
• Lavanila perfume- Every time I go to Sephora, I can't leave without spraying this perfume on me.  The Vanilla Coconut is heaven!

Hello!

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my blog! My name is Allison and I'm new to the blogging world, so be nice and patient as I figure this all out! This blog will be mainly beauty and lifestyle, but knowing myself I'm sure there will be plenty of other random bits thrown in. If you have happened upon my blog and are reading this, please follow and I promise there will be some exciting posts up asap!

Have a magical day,
Allison