September Favorites

I completely missed August Favorites last month. With so much going on in my life, not only did I not get a chance to try any new products, but I also found myself too busy to even put together a somewhat small list.

But because of the month without doing favorites, that means that this month I have a few more to talk about, which is great.

CG Toasted Almond, Stila Kitten, Pumpkin Cupcake Handsoap, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Shower Gel, Macadamia Healing Oil Spray, Tarte Dazzled Blush, Pumpkin Cupcake Candle, Cider Lane Candle

Cover Girl Toasted Almond Nail Polish

I picked up this polish last winter, so I was super excited to wear it again this fall. I absolutely adore this color. Where Chinchilly is kind of gray and neutral, this polish is more of the brown spectrum, which I think looks amazing with my skin tone and perfect for fall. I love the lasting power of these polishes. My one complaint: Cover Girl needs to put names, not just numbers, on their products!! This is one number 220 if you're wondering!

Stila Kitten Eyeshadow

I've talked about this so much, but I truly love this eyeshadow. It's perfect for all over the eye and I can't get enough of this pinkish champagne color.

Pumpkin Cupcake Foaming Handsoap

I love the Pumpkin Cupcake Scent from Bath and Body Works. So I was super excited this year to see it was extended into handsoap and car scentportables (you know I stocked up on everything!). This handsoap is great! It smells heavenly and leaves my hands soft and clean.

Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Shower Gel

This month I definitely invested in any and all things pumpkin. And that includes my shower gel. While I prefer the home fragrance version of Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin more, I adore this shower gel. It's spicy and sweet and perfect for cooler nights. I've been obsessed with this soap this month.

Macadamia Healing Oil Spray

My friend Maggie purchased this for me last spring and this month I've fallen in love with it again. Since I've been curling my hair more often, I find that I need to be as kind to my hair as possible. With this spray, I spray it first about two or three times in my hand, then rub it over both hands, and then really focus on my ends. It's made my hair so much more shinny, smooth, and healthy looking despite the awful amounts of heat I use on it.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dazzled

I bought this blush during the summer, but felt it was more of a fall color. Well, during September I pulled it out and fell in love. It's described as a soft rose, and it definitely has  a subtle purple color to it. It looks amazing with my green eyes and perfect for fall and winter.

Pumpkin Cupcake Candle

As I mentioned earlier, this is my favorite fall scent from Bath and Body Works. I've had the Wallflower and candle going for most of September, making my room smell like the most amazing fall bakery ever.

Cider Lane Candle

When I ran out of Pumpkin Cupcake, I decided I wanted to try something different. What I love about Cider Lane, is the strong notes of caramel! That's what makes this scent irresistible for me. I love the sweet mixture of apples, spices, and caramel!

First Impressions of Benefit's They're Real! Mascara

So thanks to Sephora's free birthday gift, I recently got to try out Benefit's super popular They're Real! Mascara.

I've heard so many rave reviews about this mascara, but because I thought the $23 price tag was a little steep, plus my hesitancy to try Benefit products (just because I've never tried any before), I just avoided it.

When it comes to higher end mascaras, I find it so hard to justify using them. It's something that I go through super fast, like usually it takes a month or so for me to finish one, and I can't justify spending that much money on something that dries out so fast or gets used up so quickly.

But I love free samples, so I'm excited to tell you guys my thoughts on my first couple uses of this mascara.

On Sephora's website, it says: "A jet-black mascara that lengths, curls, volumizes, lifts, and separtates for a spectacular 'out to here' look."

Basically, it's supposed to be long wearing, black, and very dramatic.

So what do I think about They're Real!?

I really like it! It definitely defines and separates my lashes big time. And at first I kind of scoffed at the dramatic look it claims to have. But after building t up, it was a clean dramatic look. You know how many bold drama mascaras are super gloopy, clumpy, and messy? This isn't.

It doesn't smudge, flake, or budge at all during the day. It's even kind of difficult to take off for a non-waterproof mascara. Which isn't a positive, but you know.

So would I purchase this mascara once this insanely small sample size runs out?

Ugh, that's so tough. If I had an extra $23 laying around, then yes. I loved the way it makes my lashes look. I'm all about volume and length, and this definitely provided it. It's an easy mascara to use. But the price is so hard to overcome.

Have you tried this mascara? What are your thoughts? When it comes to high end products, what are ones that you will buy and others you don't think are worth splurging?

Sorority Picture Frame Craft

So I know for many sororities, it's getting close to big-little week, so I thought I'd share a craft with you that I made my Pearl last week.

This was such a simple, inexpensive project, and I absolutely love the way it came out. I bought the picture frame from Walmart (I think it was $5 or less). It already had all the frames connected.

I just painted each frame a different color, using the middle frame with one of those circle sponges to make polka dots (I was tempted to try chevron too, which would be super cute). Then once all the paint dried, I use puffy paint to write and tied a small bow out of ribbon and attached it to the top frame.

If you are giving it as a gift, I'd recommend either putting photos in it, or using scrapbook paper that matches the frames (like I did) to give it a complete, finished look.

Happy crafting!