Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation Review!

Today I want to share with you my favorite drugstore foundation! I don't typically use drugstore foundations, however, a few months back I went to Walmart during a makeup emergency and made the best decision ever!! To top it all off, I received another one courtesy of Influenster in my Uni Vox Box!

Sorry my bottles are dirty. :D I've been using both of them religiously since bought/received. On the left is True Ivory (103) and on the right is True Beige (203). I prefer the one on the right for summer and the left for winter. 

Who's ready for a swatch?!!?!

Left is True Ivory and Right is True Beige. When you first apply them, they aren't matte right away. These are FULL coverage foundations. I generally apply them with my beauty blender, otherwise they are a BIT too much and have the potential to be a little too much on your face. However, with careful application they can cover up basically any flaw and match my skintone perfectly.

Here's another where I rubbed them in to show you their matte quality. I HATE having shine on my face and these are an excellent solution when you don't have time for a matte powder or finishing powder or whatever you like to use. They are absolutely positvely NON-GREASY which is what I look for most in a foundation. I can't STAND having an oily, dewey, nasty looking face. It is like my number 1 pet peeve. Another thing I really love about Rimmel Stay Matte Foundations is that they provide a great base for your bronzer or blush. In my opinion they make them really POP since the foundation kind of acts as a primer as well. 

Here's a full makeup look using Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Foundation!

I have acne prone skin, and generally full coverage foundations break me out, but Rimmel Stay Matte does NOT! This is awesome and I will definitely be repurchasing when I run out.

Ready for the best part!?! You can get them for only $5-$10 at most drugstores and online!!! For a product that works as well as high end, this is a STEAL!!

Who's used these foundations?? Anyone love them as much as I do??? I really want to try the powder one as well. It's next on my list!

Until next time,

Xx Ashley C.

Please Help the Combs Family

As much as it pains and embarrasses me to write this post, my family is in serious need of help. I've started a fundraiser for our family so we can save our home, our car, and essentially our lives.
 For those of you who know me in real life, I lost my job in February and only just started back working part time about two weeks ago. I was unable to get unemployment because the company I worked for took forever to put my information in the system, and I couldn't get through on the phone.
Because of these events, we now face possible eviction and losing our primary vehicle.
On top of me losing my job, my husband who was the only person working in our family lost his job two weeks ago. His boss refused to pay him and it was under the table so there is basically no way to get the money. Basically every utility I have is going to be cut off this Friday. I have run out of extensions, and I have run out of money.
We desperately, desperately need any help that we can get so I started a fundraiser so that my daughter doesn't lose her home. If anyone out there can help, even if it's just a penny we would be so grateful.  I am going to post the link for my fundraiser on GiveForward.com, just in case, because I really don't want to lose my home and I don't know what else to do at this point. If you would like to share the fundraiser on your own social media page, or blog, feel free! Anything helps at this points.

Click here to access our fundraiser

I know this doesn't go with my blog, but I don't know what else to do but to ask for your help. The last few months have been horrible and it seems to just be getting worse and worse.
If you can't help, I sincerely appreciate your time for reading this, and I appreciate every single reader of my blog and all of my followers! You guys make my day, and I love reviewing for you!

Thank you times a million for your time, and your support.
Xx Ashley C.

Birchbox April 2014 Unboxing & Review!

I got my Birchbox pretty late this month, but I'm thrilled to finally bring a review to you!
For those of you who don't already know, Birchbox is a monthly subscription program bringing you 4-5 deluxe sample size/full size products for only $10 a month based on your profile! It's a great way to test out new products and I have found MANY that I LOVE and would have never bought otherwise! If you'd like to sign up, please use my link HERE! :)

The theme for April's box is Rainy Days, which is pretty cute in my opinion. I love my box this month!
Here's a first look!

Spoiler Alert if you keep reading! 

Julep Secret Store & Link!

This month the Julep Secret Store should open on May 1st for those of you who purchased your box this month!! Here is a link for you for SUPER easy access as long as you're logged in! Once they open it I will post up some favorites and what I'm going to get from the Secret Store this month!!!!


CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK!

Xx Ashley C.

 

Cherry Blossom Nails for Spring!!!

No serious tutorial or anything for these really, but they were WAY easier than I thought they'd be!

All you need is:
Brown Polish
Base color polish(es)
Dark Pink
Light pink
Striping brush
Dotting tool and/or pen

I used:
Julep - Fiore
Julep - Bess
Julep - Denver
Julep - Carrie
Julep - Nellie
HK Girl Topcoat
Striping Brush
Crappy old pen

Basically you just paint your nails the base colors. I used Julep Bess with Julep Denver as an accent nail although you can't really tell in the photo. Let that dry. I applied Topcoat here to make it dry faster. HK Girl is my go to for nail art because it dries crazy fast, doesn't shrink, and doesn't smear.
Then you take your brown color and paint on branches. The best part is they don't have to be perfect or anything because the flowers are going to be going on top of them. I used Julep Fiore because it's the only brownish polish I have but it's a little dark.
Then randomly on the branches make dots in the shape of flowers with your light pink color. I tired to make them not all the same size, and used Julep Carrie.
Then in the middle of those "flowers"  use your dark pink to make a dot in the middle and Voila!  Cherry Blossom Nails!!!  I used Julep Nellie for the dark pink.  It's my favorite.
Top coat again and done!!!

So there's your super easy and fast tutorial for my nails of the day and HERE THEY ARE in all their novice glory!

Xx Ashley C.

**Note this post contains affiliate links**

Ipsy April 2014 "Beauty Rocks" Unboxing & Review

So I decided not to cancel my Ipsy subscription after all, and I'm actually pretty glad that I didn't. This month's bag was REALLY good compared to all the other bags so far in 2014.
If you'd like to sign up for Ipsy, feel free to use my referral link HERE!
I'm not going to go into to the story of Ipsy this time, because I've don't countless posts before but for $10 a month you really can't beat it! I love testing new products, and I've found SO many that I love because of them.

Here's a first look:

The theme for April is "Beauty Rocks". I'm not totally sure how they come up with their themes, it doesn't really seem to correlate with what is in the bags, but mostly just the bags themselves. Either way, the bag is pretty big and kind of cute compared to some of the one's I've received lately. This is my 11th month with Ipsy.

This month I received:

• Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide on Eye Pencil in "Black Velvet"
• Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion
• Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in "Champagne"
• Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Gloss in "Berry Me"
• St. Tropez Gradual plus Anti-Aging Multi Action Face

Like I said I'm pretty pleased with this months Ipsy bag. This is the first month this year that I've loved every single product. I have tried all of them so far so here is a quick overview of my thoughts.

First up, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil Travel Size Value: $15 (estimate)/ Full size $20

If you read my blog regularly, you know I don't really love pencil eyeliners. However, Urban Decay glide on liners are the exception. They are great and highly pigmented and go on with ease. They last literally all day and are GREAT pencil liners. I'd definitely purchase this in a full size version.

Up next is Dr. Brandt's Microdermabrasion Value: $9 (estimate) Full Size $78

I recently have fallen in love with this brand. They are pretty expensive, but totally worth it in my opinion. I use Pores no More regularly and love it, and tested out this product tonight. It left my skin feeling very clean, and much less dry than I started off with. It's like my winter skin just went away. It hurt a little but while scrubbing, but no pain, no gain. 

Up next: Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow FULL SIZE VALUE: $12.99!

I love getting full size products in my bags. I was excited to receive this as well, and have been using it about three days. It's a great color for your lids or as a highlight, and is highly pigmented and I love it. Elizabeth Mott is a brand that I have only received through Ipsy, and I love the mascara as well.

Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Gloss FULL SIZE VALUE: $10!

YAY for another full size product. Finally Ipsy has sent me lipgloss instead of stupid lipstick which I have way way too many of. I'd never tried Mary Kay before so I was excited to test this out. It's a pretty red sheer-ish color and I really like it. It will be great for summer and isn't overly sticky.

St. Tropez Gradual Tan plus Anti-Aging Multiaction Face Trial Size Value $10 (estimate)

I usually use the Jergens self tanner or the Walmart version, so I was happy to receive something that is specific for my face. I'd never tried St. Tropez before or even heard of it but I'm pretty pleased. I've been using it at night and can't speak for the anti-aging properties of it just yet, but it isn't greasy and has a pleasant smell. I think I may be a teensy bit tanner too.

And here's some swatches of the liner and eyeshadow for your viewing pleasure! But you can't really see the shadow on my hand, but I promise it's really pretty.

And here is an extra of my new blonde hair and what the eyeliner looks like on!

Total bag estimated value: $56.99! In my opinion that is an AWESOME deal for what I paid! $10!!!

So again, If you want to sign up for Ipsy, please use my referral link HERE!

And here are the coupons for the month of April that come with your Ipsy subscription!

• Dr. Brandt - 20% off full size Microdermabrasion kit + free gift with code MICRO20
• Urban Decay - Free gift with $35+ purchase with code UDIPSY
• St. Tropez - 25% off any purchase with code GLOW25
• Elizabeth Mott - 50% off any purchase with code IPSYPOP
• Benefit - Free deluxe sample of high beam with $30+ order with code APRILGLAM
• Cailyn - 20% off any purchase plus free gift with code IPSYGIFT
• Cover FX - 20% off $50+ Purchase with code IPSY20
• Rainbow Honey - 25% off any purchase with code IPSY25
• City Color - 20% off any purchase with code 14IPSY20WG
• Starlooks - 20% off any purchase with IPSY20
• Sexy Hair - 25% off when you text IPSTER to 33233 and provide email
• Kiss - 25% off Kiss of iEnvy lashes with code IPSY1
• Demeter - 20% off any purchase with code 20ipsydfl
• Coastal Scents - 25% off any purchase with code BRUSH25OFF
• So Seductive Lashes - 20% off any purchase with code IPSY20

So that's it people! A great Ipsy month in my opinion so make sure and sign up! Next month is my 1 year anniversary and I've gained so many AWESOME things with my subscription!

Until next time,

Xx Ashley C.

My favorite things Friday mani

Ok so technically it's still Thursday but I had to work today, so Im sleepy but felt bad about not posting last night so instead of my planned mani I pulled out a mystery polish. This is what I grabbed (do you guys pick your polish like this?) Personally I think it's pretty fitting for what Im going through right now. It reminded me of my drive home with the beautiful skyline full of clouds and the fields scattered with bluebonnets. Yes it's the little things I must keep in mind while mostly my life is great but there is a slight chance of rain. This is what I would name this polish ;)
What would you guys name it?
Ok off to bed I have to get up early and buy some eggs before everyone buys them!
~Melissa

Easter Nails take one!

So as always I've decided to do holiday nails for you guys. My nail art skills Re definitely getting better every year with more and more practice. These were a little time consuming but we'll worth it!!! 

My six year old daughter and 3 year old niece LOVE these and here is what I used:
Butter London - Cotton Buds
Julep - Bess
Julep - Carrie
Julep - Lexie
Julep - Marjorie (On sale for $2.99!!! Such a pretty orange color for summer or fall!)
Zoya - Neely
Sinful Colors - Candy Coated
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Black Out

And here they are in all their Easter glory:

Hope you like them! There are definitely more to come soon! And a post about my epic Sally's/ CVS haul!!!

Xx Ashley C.

P.S. I'd LOVE to see your easter manis!

Pretty & Polished April 2014 Beauty Box Review!

So after what seemed like waiting a century, I finally received my April Beauty Box from Pretty & Polished. Not sure what happened with the shipping, considering I prepaid for a three month subscription, but oh well, it honestly took forever. I've never had this issue with P&P before, and I'm a bit bummed about it.

However, that doesn't change the fact that I like this month's box. Maybe that's why I was so bummed, because I was looking forward to it.

For those of you who didn't read my last post, or who don't already know or subscribe, Pretty & Polished is my favorite indie brand of nail polish. In February, they announced their beauty box program, which is a box with 2 full size limited edition only released in that box polishes. It also contains at least one mini polish to sample from their current inventory. You receive various skincare samples, tools, and a coupon for that month all for only $22! You can find more information here.

First look:

Sorry this is like the most hideous photo ever, I forgot to take another more neat one for the blog when I ripped into the box! :D

My April box contained:

Mardi Gras Rendezvous - Full Size $8.50

Life is a Bowl of Cranberries - Full Size $8.50

Anamagi (Color Changer)- Mini $4.00

Citrus Butter Cuticle Cream - Sample $1?

Cranberry Fig Cold Process Soap - Sample $1?

Mini Nail File $1?

Nail Art Accessories

Coupon for $5 off $35 in April

Overall, this was not the most thrilling bag for me. I like it, but not as much as last months. Hopefully next months will bring more excitement for me. It's worth about $22 even with what I received, and I almost wish I'd just used the $22 to pick out my own stuff. I do however, LOVE Mardi Gras Rendezvous, but I do feel like the colors included in the April box are much more suited for Winter and not Spring. I also hate that I received my box pretty much after everyone ever.

See! It's gorgeous! Mardi Gras Rendezvous in all it's glittery glory.

It's a deep purple jelly packed with blue, pink, purple, and green glitters. This is 2 coats I believe for full coverage.

Life is a Bowl of Cranberries is a nice metallic purple to cranberry color depending on the light. It's okay, but pretty streaky and not what I would purchase in the Spring.

This is Anamagi, when it's warm, which I have been dying to try out. It's actually not as awesome as I expected. The color change isn't as drastic as the other P&P color changers I have, and the flash from my camera makes the purple when it's warm look way more intense than in real life. 

This is it in it's cold state. It's a really nice holo black to purple thermal, and if you zoom in on this photo you can really see the holo. I just wish that it changed like my other ones, which will change colors all throughout the day while I wear them.

One more for good measure. My flash is so messed up.

Last, the skincare products that came with my beauty box. I LOVE the citrus butter cuticle stuff. It smells amazing and goes on much smoother than my other cuticle balms. 

The soap is okay, but it's nothing I would buy or be super excited about. I don't care for bar soap as it is. It smells nice, but too Christmas-y.

So that is my April box! Did you get your yet!? I can't wait for May. Hopefully, I will get it faster this time!

Xx Ashley C.

My favorite things! Monday's Mani

Well already Monday is turning out to be busy and I haven't even got into bed yet LOL. So here we have crawfish boil. See it's red but not red but brownish red but then not really. (are you still with me?) It actually looks like crawfish boil broth ! If you need proof just make yourself a pot, but not in the house though (there is a reason they do all the cooking and eating outside LOL) this will be the perfect color to keep my spirits up while Im running around tomorrow! catches the sparkles in it :) It's just the right amount of sparkle too, defiantly one of my favorites. Ok well I need to get to bed so I can get some form of beauty sleep, will catch you tomorrow with another mani ~Melissa

My favorite things ! Down the bayou lacquer

I admit I had never really thought much about indie polish until last Dec when I saw a post of a giveaway, it was for a Christmas collection and I liked the colors so said hey why not. I guess the rest you could say was history. I ended up winning and well I was hooked on this brand like some are hooked on EP. So when I decided to do a mani a day due to not having alot of time right now and because I have a little more than a few of her polishes it was a hard choice. I mean it's crawfish season AND almost Easter! But in the end spring nails won over and I'll be rocking these at church tomorrow ;) . The base coat is a light mint shimmer from one of her mystery bags so there is no name :( but the glitter topcoat is from her newest line called Stay alive . It's pretty much my new favorite! I really like the fact that it dries fast but not so fast that you can't move the glitter around to where you want :)
And the fact that I like shiny things don't hurt either (plus I did swatch this when I got it last week and it is not that hard to get off!)
Well this is Sunday's mani. Stay tuned for tomorrow's when I show you another one of her beauties (Im thinking crawfish boil) if you want to grab this topcoat or any others in the new collection,head on over to esty and find Down the bayou lacquer and look at all the pretties :)
~Melissa

Too Faced Cosmetics Upcoming Deals for April 2014

Calling all glamour girls! Too Faced's arsenal of super-glamorous products can turn any plain-Jane into a red carpet diva'instantly. From gravity-defying lip plumpers to super-rich, highly pigmented eye shadows and powders.

So in honor of creating my Too Faced steals & deals page on the blog, I'm going to bring you the latest deals that Too Faced has running for the month of April!!! There's some really great ones coming up and I will continue to update as they are announced!! !! :D

I personally LOVE Too Faced's makeup. The chocolate eyeshadow palette they have is amazing, and I absolutely LOVE their face primer, so definitely check them out because I'm sure you can find something awesome too!!!

• April 11-12, 2014 (ends TODAY!) - Free Double-Ended Brush with purchase of Boudoir Eyes. No code necessary. Valid 4/11/14-4/12/14. Shop now!
• April 14-15, 2014 there will be a FREE SHIPPING PROMO!!! Once the 14th rolls around, make sure and come back here for the promo code!!! Until then you can ALWAYS get free shipping over $50! Shop cruelty free makeup, cosmetics and accessories from Too Faced and get FREE SHIPPING on any US order over $50 - Click Here!
• Surprise! April 15-30th - Free $25 Flatbuki Brush with the purchase of any mascara from Too Faced! Use promo code: BUKI. Offer valid 4/15/14 through 4/30/14. Shop Now!
• April 22-24, 2014- La Creme Lipstick + Lip Injection Color Bomb combo for only $30!!! Come back on April 22 for the coupon code!! Until THEN make sure and snag your free samples with every order! And check out La Creme Color Drenched Lipstick featuring lip-conditioning hydrators, it treats while it enhances lips. Shop luxe cosmetics & more now!

Stay Tuned for Updates!!

Xx Ashley C.

Zelo Brazilian Keratin Smoothing System Review!

I was recently given the opportunity by Sverve to test out Zelo Brazilian Keratin Smoothing System. They promise salon quality results for less than half the price.

I was really excited to get approved for this campaign because I have super dry, frizzy, out of control hair, that is really damaged and have been looking for a solution to fix it!

Photo property of Zelo website

I tested out this treatment the other evening and am thrilled at the results!

The process is a bit time consuming but it's totally worth it.
The first step is to wash your hair with the shampoo in the kit to make sure all the impurities are removed from your hair, and that the keratin will work the best it can.
Next you towel try and spray the step 2 keratin all over your hair and comb it through to make sure it's evenly distributed. Leave that on for 45 minutes. This stuff doesn't smell totally awesome or anything so I recommend putting a cap over your head or a bag or something. And make sure to use gloves so you don't get it all over your hands.
Then you wash it out. After you get it all out, shampoo it again and blow dry your hair. Once it is 100% dry you straighten your hair with a very hot flat iron (400-450 degrees) and the results will be amazing.

My dry, brittle hair was soft to the touch and had NO flyaways at all. This is the first time in YEARS that I have used a blow dryer on my hair and it wasn't a giant poof on my head. I love this stuff and look forward to doing another treatment very soon.

Here are the before and after pictures of my results!

This is before. See how frizzy and awful my hair is. It's a dried out mess.

This is immediately after. There is significant change in my hair. Like I said there are no flyaways and my hair is totally straight. Here's another picture of the next day when I did a little bit of styling to it.

A closer picture of how much better my hair looks.

If you're interested in trying out Zelo Brazilian Keratin Smoothing System and are looking for salon quality results, definitely head over to www.zelocare.com and check them out! It's affordable, and like $200 cheaper than a salon keratin treatment. While there were alot of steps, if you have time on your hands and frizzy dry hair, it's totally worth your time!

You can purchase a kit for only $35!!! 

Click here for their website

Click here for their facebook page

Until next time, 

Xx Ashley C.

*These products were sent to me for my 100% honest opinion and review.*

Julep Speckled for Spring 2014 Mystery Box Details!

Julep has announced their newest "Speckled for Spring" mystery boxes, just in time for the Easter holiday next weekend! These are REALLY great, and I'm sad to say I will likely be missing out on them. They follow the theme that they kind of sneak peeked with the Maven box this month of speckled special polishes!

Check out the link below to view the boxes!

As usual you can pick up a mystery box for $24.99, in which you get $100+ worth of nailpolish & beauty products. There are two boxes with LE colors, and one that is 100% mystery! I'm not sure how long these are going to be on sale, but the regular mystery box usually sells out first so if that's the one you want then hurry and purchase one!!! They're usually for sale for about a week or so!

Click here to find out more!

Without further ado:

The first box contains the LE color "Kimberly", described as a "spring inspired wisteria creme with black speckles". I personally LOVE these speckle polishes!!

Click here to find out MORE!

And THIS is "Emerson", described as a "powder-blue creme with black speckles". I'm really having a hard time deciding which of these I like more.

Click here to find out more!

So those are the new boxes! And if you want to check out the 100% mystery box, click here!

Xx Ashley C.

**This post contains affiliate links**