Pin a rose on your nose!

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. "
~Audrey Hepburn

The next product I am going to review is Smith's Rosebud Salve.

I had heard some people talking about this salve so when I saw it in Sephora I knew it was a sign that I needed this product. It comes in a really old-timey tin that reminds me of something you would see in like an old western general store or something. It is pretty cute though. 

The little container tells you that this product has a multitude of uses: chapped lips and skin, diaper rash, blemishes, detergent burns and rough cuticles. The only thing I actually use it for is my lips (and what the heck is a detergent burn.....?!?). I think they put all of those uses on there so they can call it a salve. I guess that is fancier than just lip balm. However since it was originally formulated in 1892 maybe they know something I don't. 

Regardless of all that, this is a superb lip balm.I use it every night before I go to bed and when I wake up my lips are perfectly conditioned. It stays on for a long time and it feels so good. I have said about a billion times how picky I am about what I put on my lips because they are so sensitive, but this did not irritate my lips at all. On top of all that I am completely in love with the way it smells. It definitely smells like roses but it is a little sweeter and less flowery than most rose scents. It is not so in your face that you can walk around smelling the stuff on your lips all day. In the pot it has a nice pink color but on your lips it ends up colorless.

All in all a very very good lip balm. It will run you about seven dollars at Sephora. Cccheck it out.

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

Lauren

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I got pink chiffon on!!!!

"Beauty is truth - truth, beauty - that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

~John Keats

Hi my name is Lauren and I am a Bath & Body Works addict.

. . . No but seriously I pretty much am. I have enough body spray to fill a kiddie pool. So of coarse when Bath & Body Works or BBW as the cool kids call it, put out their new Pink Chiffon scent, I knew that I must get my hands on it. 

Over Spring Break I was finally able to purchase some Pink Chiffon and I could not be more excited about it. The description BBW gives is "a light-as-air pairing of pink petals and vanilla chiffon icing". I really love this scent and that description is dead on. However they are not kidding when they say light-as-air. This scent is waaaaay lighter than what I am used to, but I love it so I am trying out this subtlety thing.

I actually ended up purchasing one of the sets in this scent. I almost always will buy sets just because they are always such a good deal. If I am going to buy a scent I think I will wear all year round I will buy the perfume instead of the body spray. My experience has been that the formulation of the perfume is just better and it stays on much longer. However BBW has just reformulated their body sprays to be more concentrated and stay longer so I may change my opinion when I try out the new formula. The full size bottle of perfume is around $40 but when it is in a set it is a slightly smaller bottle for a much more reasonable price.

The set I ended up buying it called the Mini Pink Chiffon gift set. It came with a perfume and a small body lotion. I really like the little lotions because they are the perfect size to put in my purse. I love the perfume and the lotion but I AODRE the packaging. The set came in the cutest little round box with polka dots all over it and a little pink bow on top. I now use the little box on my counter to hold my q-tips. All of the sets for Pink Chiffon were in the most adorable girly packaging.

If you are looking for a new sweet scent, check out Pink Chiffon!!!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren

Dare to Dream

"A person starts dying when they stop dreaming."
~Brian Williams

Another product in my spring break reviews is Maybelline's Dream Bouncy Blush. There has been so much hype about this blush. I read up a lot on this product when it first came out and I couldn't decide whether people as a whole hated it or loved it. The reviews ranged from best product ever to the worst product ever. This honestly just made me want to try it even more to see who was right.

The shade I purchased is called Pink Frosting. It is a really pretty pink color that I thought would be perfect for spring. The whole gimmick of the blush is the texture. When you touch it you can compress it and it bounces back. It reminds me of those stress reliever ball things that are balloons filled with flour. It is a really strange texture but the finish is very similar to a whipped blush or mousse blush. On the back Maybelline describes it by saying, "feels lightweight like a powder, yet melts into skin like a cream". I would say this is pretty accurate.

I was not blown away by this product. It is a fun concept and the color is pretty, but I generally don't like cream blushes.... and that is all this really is. The color is really pretty but it is really pigmented. I prefer blushes where you build up coverage because I feel like you have more control. The bouncy is part is honestly sort of irrelevant to me. I find myself agreeing with the class of people complaining about the hype. It may feel cool in the container but its not like it jumps up and down on your face or something. The color is nice and the finish is nice but I wont be repurchasing and I can't say that I recommend it. Not terrible but not great either. Perfectly ehhh.

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren

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Purple Shampoo!?!

"Beauty is a fragile gift." 
~ Ovid

 Purple Shampoo seems to be trending right now in several of the beauty blogs, so I thought I would try it out and see what all the fuss is about.


For those of you that do not know what purple shampoo is(which used to be me), basically it is a toning shampoo for light hair. It uses the color wheel logic to counteract brassiness.  So if you have gray hair or blonde hair that gets sort of a yellowish tint to either from chlorine or other products you use, this shampoo will take that away. Now I am a blonde and while I do not color my hair, I will use Sun-in from time to time to reinforce the highlights I get naturally in the summer. This means that I have pretty much like a million different colors of blonde in my hair, ranging from platinum to almost brown. I do notice a lot of brassiness in my hair especially when I am at school. I think the water at school might have something in it that boosts the brassiness. Now you can use just a regular clarifying shampoo to strip and product build up off your hair, and if you have darker hair this is a good option for you to get really clean shiny hair that is not weighed down. However since everywhere I looked I was hearing about purple shampoos I thought I would try it out.

The one that I bought is called Sterling Silver Toning Shampoo by AG Hair Cosmetics. Just as a caution this product is pricey. I bought the little bottle which is 8 ounces and it put me back $14.00 but the regular bottle is 33.8 ounces and $36.00. I did look and you can get is much cheaper on Amazon. There are several different varieties of purple shampoo, don't be scared if it says for gray hair or bleached hair; you can still use this type of shampoo if you have naturally blonde hair like me. What you are looking for in a purple shampoo is a really dark purple color, the darker the better, and for it to say it contains no coloring elements to further make your hair blonder. John Freida also makes a purple shampoo that is much more affordable but it is not as deep purple as the AG one and that is why I chose the one that I did.


I was super excited about this shampoo and I was not disappointed. Honestly though at first I was terrified of the dark purple color because I knew that the whole point was to leave some purple to counteract the yellow. I pretty much thought I would come out with lavender hair like Katy Perry, who I love, but I don't want purple hair, I want blonde, that's the whole point. Luckily I do not have Easter egg hair, a plus in my book. It smells great, sorta like coconut, and it lathers very well. It is a little drying which I knew is characteristic of this type of shampoo so I did compensate by leaving my conditioner in longer. I first noticed the effects when I took my hair out of my towel. My hair was in little tiny ringlets and I was horrified. I have curly hair that I straighten everyday and over time is has straightened out a lot. Since this shampoo has some clarifying properties it made my hair curl right back up. Not ideal but that is not the shampoo's fault, I blame it on my mother. After I blow-dried my hair all the curliness went away. My hair was very clean and more shiny than usual. I didn't really notice much difference after the first wash. But after about 3 washes I started to notice some difference in my color. The brassiness was definitely gone and there was a more distinct contrast between my natural highlights and low lights. All in all I am now OBSESSED with this shampoo. I don't use it everyday because it is so expensive, but I have noticed I can maintain it's effects with only using it twice a week.


If you are noticing any brassiness in your blonde I ABSOLUTELY recommend this product

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,
Lauren

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ooh Baby love my baby love

"I don't like standard beauty - there is no beauty without strangeness."

 ~Karl Lagerfeld

The next product I am going to review from my Spring Break Shopping Spree is the Baby Lips lip balm from Maybelline. I really do like this product, however it is not at all what I expected.

Here are some things you should know. First of all these lip balms are actually quite pigmented. When I saw these on another blog, the girl had bought the blue one which is actually clear. A fact I was unaware of. I of coarse bought the pink once called Pink Punch. The packaging is hot pink and so is the balm... and so is the tint it leaves on your lips. I had no idea it left a color so I put it on really thick without even thinking and without looking in a mirror. When I got home I was a little horrified at the bright pink smear all over my face. If what you want is a moisturizing lip balm like a chap-stick go for the clear one in the blue tube because this product does feel really nice on your lips. I actually really do like my pink because after playing with it, I was able to put the right amount on to have just a pretty wash of pink. I put a swatch below so you can see the color. It does actually show up a little darker on your lips.

All in all I do like this product. I don't know if I am going to repurchase it just because I am more of a gloss girl. However I wearing it today and it does stay in my purse!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings

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It might even be greased lightening!!!!!

Frenchy: Doody, how do I look?
Doody : Like a beautiful blonde pineapple! 

~ Grease

So over Spring Break I purchased several new products that I absolutely love. Over the next few blog posts I will be reviewing them!!!

The first product that I bought was the Clean and Clear Mattifying Moisturizer. I bought this product because I needed a moisturizer and I saw this one on sale and just thought what the hey!?! Um I swear this is like fate stepping in. This is one of my new favorite products. I have slightly oily skin that is concentrated in my T zone. It gets slightly worse when it starts to get hotter. If you have skin like me or even pretty oily skin this product is a must. After I use this product my face is not shiny at all, it's like it just zaps away all oiliness or shine. It is AMAZING! I have stopped using a foundation primer because this works just as well. My makeup stays on better through out the day and I need absolutely no touch ups. Life changing stuff here ladies and gentlemen.

There are some weird things I think I should talk about. For one it does leave a sort of whitish cast on your skin. It doesn't really bother me because I put it on under my foundation so I cant see it. Another weird thing is is dries really really fast. So the first time I put it on, I used the normal amount I used with other moisturizers and as I started trying to rub it in, it felt like I was pulling my face off because the product already dried. Now I use more and my facial skin stays intact.

So there are some weird things with the moisturizer but they are seriously overshadowed by the greatness of the product. I totally recommend it GET YOUR HANDS ON SOME!!!!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings
Lauren


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don't go chasing waterfalls

Only great minds can afford a simple style.

~Stendal

 

OK so my newest hairstyle that I have perfected is the waterfall braid. I love this hairstyle for so many reasons. First it is super easy and fast, yet it looks like it took a lot of effort. This is a good braid for me because while it pulls hair back from my face it still leaves me volume in front instead of pulling it all back. I have tried this braid with my hair curly, wavy, and straight and I like all the results. Also it really looks cute jazzing up a pony tail!

If you don't know to braid this way,  it actually is super simple. For more detailed step by step instructions look on YouTube, but I figured out how to work it just from written instructions. Basically it is just like french braiding. On the top side you pick up just like normal but on the bottom side you either drop half the section and continue braiding with the rest of the section or you drop the whole section and pick up a new section right behind it. There are two different ways of doing this braid and they do look slightly different. If you want a big braid I would drop the whole section because it needs more hair to fuel the braid. If you want a smaller daintier braid I would do the half section route. Also if you have really fine hair that will slip easily I would go for the half section braid because it is tighter and will probably stay in your hair better.

Try the braid, it looks amazing!

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren 

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soo NOT hot

Fashion fades, only style remains the same.
~Coco Chanel

I am one of those people who silently in my head evaluates the outfit of every single person who walks by. Sometimes my internal commentary is not so nice and sometime I really like someone's outfit. I have discovered during these little mind judging sessions that there are some things that girls wear that really really grate on my nerves. I am not sure what these poor girls are thinking but someone really needs to help them out.

Here are my top outfit pet peeves.

1. I can not stand it when a girl obviously spent time getting ready, doing her hair, make up and picking out an outfit, and then tops it off with tennis shoes, like cross trainers. Those are made for working out, not just everyday use. In fact wearing them all around on all terrains will actually damage your shoes and wear them out faster. Now I so understand that for different health reasons people do need to wear supportive shoes and that is fine, however I know not everyone I see doing this has a health reason. If you want a sporty comfortable shoe THEY MAKE THOSE and they are not your run of the mill athletic shoe. Athletic shoes are for athletic events. Last time I checked going to class is not an athletic event....

2. CROP TOPS ARE OUT PEOPLE!!!! Seriously like waaay out. If you are wearing a midriff baring shirt you better be going to the beach. It is entirely inappropriate to wear a shirt that shows your stomach to class. It is disrespectful to your professor and makes you look unprofessional. An extra two inches of material is not gonna smother you.

3. Brown and black. Yea yea yea I know people are thinking but on what not to wear they said it was fine. However if you actually listened they said, it was fine to have the colors in the same outfit. This is true think of leopard print. BUT you cannot wear a chocolate shirt with a charcoal pant. You look like dirt... who wants to look like dirt?....

4. Short shorts. These were incredibly popular at one time. Micro shorts and micro minis were literally everywhere. LOOK AROUND PEOPLE they are not popular anymore. Actually longer shorts with a little volume to them are what is popular at the moment. Even the celebs are wearing longer shorts. We don't need to see your but cheeks. These are also super inappropriate for class. Again the extra inch or two wont kill you.

5. Boots in the summer. Now I do not mean all boo ts cowboy boots and some riding boots are acceptable in in summer months. However if you are wearing a tank top and shorts and fur lined anything your gonna look weird. If it so hot that you need to wear as little clothing as possible why are you wearing boots made for cold temperatures. Why not just wear a parka yall.

6. Flip Flops. Now some flip flops are still totally fine. If your flops have a fabric strap or if they are pretty dressy your fine. But if you are trying to rock the kind we all wore in middle school with the foam and the rubber straps, you probably look like you are heading for a dorm shower. If you want the same feet free feeling try and of the gladiator sandals. You can get them for just as cheap but you wont make that annoying squeaky noise when you walk.

7. Backpacks and short skirts. Hello that breeze you feel on your but is actually a breeze on your but. The motion of your backpack when you walk makes your skirt rise up in the back. We can all see and you cant. So stop telling yourself its just wind going under your skirt or through it or whatever... it is literally your but hanging out in the wind. Try a over the shoulder bag for those days.

8. After you get off your bike please roll down your pant leg... that's really all I have to say about that.

9. Chipped nail polish is never cute, however I know how hard it can be to keep your nails from chipping during the day. However your TOENAILS should never ever be halfway chipped off. It looks disgusting and like you don't take care of your feet. Wear close toe shoes if you don't have time to fix it or just take the polish off. do something!

10. It is never cute to be wearing the same color all the way from your head to your toes. There is such a thing as too matchy matchy. You don't want to look like a member of the blue man group... unless you actually are a member.

Love, Laughter and God's Blessings,

Lauren

Eye Spy...

"No eyes that have seen beauty ever lose their sight. "

~Jean Toome

So if you are alive and breathing you have probably heard the catch phrase for the latest trend "a pop of color". I feel like this phrase is haunting me. However seeing as how the other trend of the moment is color blocking and I would rather cut off my right hand than block colors, I am stuck with this pop of color idea.


Honestly the whole pop of color thing is very pretty. It keeps people from looking crazy by letting them have their bright color but in one special focal point. Its a pretty good idea. I have been experimenting with ways to incorporate this trend and a new favorite I have stumbled upon is in your eye liner. Fun colors of eye liner make your eyes cool to look at and also are a really fast way to get a new look and pull out your eyes.


Here are some does and dont of bright eyeliners and then some examples I think are beautiful


DO pick colors that are complimentary to your eye color
DONT wear anything from the pink or red family because it will look like an eye infection... not cute
DO try metallic liners or liners with shimmer
DONT use straight glitter liners for everyday. those are for clubs and cheer leading competitions.
DO use gel liners, liquid liners, or pencil liners
DO play down your eyeshadow colors when wearing a bright liner color

Love, Laughter, and God's Blessings
Lauren