Friday, December 31, 2010

Simply the Sweet Life


Check out Simply the Sweet Life, the awesome online publication about all things delicious and sweet. They're having a great giveaway too with lots of goodies including a cool apron and a KitchenAid mixer. Check it out @ http://www.simplythesweetlife.com/p/magazine.html

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Holiday Gift Guide: Philosophy Melting Marshmallow and The Gingerbread Girl


I love Philosophy, their products are great and their scents are unique and fun. I always love when they release products for the holidays. Some of their gift sets are so cute. Well, not only are Philosophy products great for pampering yourself, they make awesome gifts too. So I'm going to share two of my favoirte holiday Philosophy products that would make awesome gifts for you *or* your loved ones! First up, the ultra cute and cozy looking Philosophy Melting Marshmallow Gift Set. It comes with a 4 oz bubble bath/shower gel in the limited edition Melting Marshmallow scent, along with a matching 2 oz Melting Marshmallow Lotion, and a 5 oz Melting Marshmallow Lip Shine. The packaging is great, which is pictured above. It looks like a nice toasty holiday photo, but if you lift the top of the box, it opens up to show all of products included! I like the Melting Marshmallow scent, it's not overly sweet. I'm not a big fan of smells that smell sooo sweet that you feel like you're getting a toothache just smelling it, so this scent was good for me. It offered a soft vanilla scented marshmallow cream fragrance that was clean and slightly sweet. The shower gel is rich and thick and creates a great lather, it leaves your skin smelling lightly of marshmallow. By the way, this really smells like *real* marshmallow. Not the typical mass produced marshmallow scent/flavor that we find in grocery stores, it has more of a creamy clean fragrant vanilla mallow scent. Also, it has a hint of some sort of floral note that I picked up too, but that may just be from the lightly fragrant mallow scent. The lip shine is awesome! It's a sheer milky color but has shimmer to it, and looks great on it's own over bare lips, or adds a pop of sparkle over a lipstick. The lotion is thick and smooth, it absorbs nicely into the skin, and it leaves a nice soft fragrance of vanilla marshmallow behind. This cute set would make a great gift, and at only $22 it's a good deal!

Now comes my top holiday pick from Philosophy, Philosophy The Gingerbread Girl. If you're familiar with Philosophy, you've probably heard of The Gingerbread Man scent that they off. Well they recently released the brand new The Gingerbread Girl, which is similar to The Gingerbread Man. How is it different? Well, it offers some girl power with it's name, AND it offers a gorgeous shimmer in the shower gel! This shower gel can be used as bath gel too, or even shampoo! Philosophy Shower Gels are a great multi-tasking product. The formula is rich and creates a wonderful lather, so a little product goes a long way. Now check out this packaging, how cute is that?! A fun little Gingerbread house, with The Gingerbread Girl on the front. Unlike The Gingerbread Man, the formula isn't just translucent, it offers a lot of fine shimmery sparkle. It looks soooo pretty in the bottle! The shimmer will wash away as you use the gel, and the glittery shimmer is so fine that it will wash right down the drain. It smells so awesome too! To me, it smells more like real ginger, rather than gingerbread, but that makes me love it even more! It is slightly sweet and offers a spicy ginger note, smells very clean and crisp, not too artificial or fake smelling. It's awesome, I love this stuff! I would suggest this cute shower gel as a stocking stuffer or a gift for yourself or a friend! You can buy this pretty shower gel at Philosophy.com for $16

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Holiday Gift Guide: Make Up For Ever

Lipstick and Candy Holiday Gift Guide
{Hot Holiday Pick #1} 

Here are a few of my favorite holiday picks from Make Up For Ever!



False Eyelashes in 152 

Who Will Love It: Any glamorous girl, or the girl who likes to or wants to pump up the drama!
Why She'll Love It: What an outrageously flamboyant pair of lashes! I can't think of a cuter way to frame my peepers at holiday parties! They command attention, they say "Hey, don't take your eyes off of me tonight!" **Also featured on the cover of the Sephora holiday 2010 catalog!** You can find Make Up For Ever false eyelashes at Sephora!



Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #44

Who Will Love It: The avid lover of a bold deep red lip, or the girl who needs more bold lip colors in her lipstick collection!
Why She'll Love It: Such a beautiful deep red shade, perfect for the holidays. This would be a gorgeous lip for day or night! It's so pigmented, one swipe of this lipstick delivers rich and opaque color! Very impressive staying power, definitely justifies the $19 price tag!
You can find Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense lipstick at Sephora!

Eyeshadow #4/Matte Black
Who Will Love It: Each and every person who uses makeup! It's a basic matte black shadow - how can you go wrong?
Why She'll Love It: Make Up For Ever has one of, in my opinion, the best eyeshadow formulas on the market! Super pigmented and easily blendable, ANY Make Up For Ever eyeshadow is an ideal gift...but everybody needs a basic matte black shadow! If somebody asked for the perfect matte black eyeshadow, I would recommend this before M.A.C's "Carbon". Don't get me wrong, I love me some M.A.C...but although it's a bit pricier than M.A.C, you get more product and in my experience, the pigmentation isn't even comparable! You don't need to pack it on as much to get the same color impact. Whether you're shopping for a minimalist (this would be a perfect black eyeliner), or a girl who loves smokey eyes (excellent base color), this truly is a great gift idea for even the most clueless shopper!
You can find Make Up For Ever eyeshadow at Sephora!




Rock For Ever Travel Aqua Eyes Set
Who Will Love It: Anybody! This set includes essential colors - black, grey, bronze, gold and silver!
Why She'll Love It: The packaging is really cute! When the package caught my mom's eye, she said "ooh, I like that!" The package itself is detailed, with a cute metallic raised design that is full of bronze, black and silver spheres/diamond shaped details that spell out the word "ROCK". You could even take the eyeliners out and use the container for something else, it's *that* cute!
You can find Make Up For Ever Rock For Ever Aqua Eyes at Sephora!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Crush Of The Moment: Sephora Collection Sequined Lip Clutch

How adorable is this?! It's so me!

I voiced my love for it and my dear friend Z bought it for me for Christmas!
Now I'll have a purse to match my blingin' red lips at holiday parties!
 
-Ashley

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Check out the newly designed Makeup Talk!


Hey ladies, have you heard of Makeup Talk? It's a an awesome beauty website when you can check out reviews, talk about makeup on the forums, and even check out awesome beauty product swatches and swap makeup. The site just got a new redesign and it looks awesome. I like browsing the forums, everyone seems really nice and gives good advice on product suggestions and such.





Makeup Talk also having a super cool giveaway for beauty bloggers, go check it out and you could win 1 of 3 MAC gift cards in time for the holidays! Check out the links below to get started!



Thursday, November 18, 2010

SOHO Beauty Cases


How cute are these beauty cases? SOHO Beauty Cases have all sorts of fun makeup cases ranging from small to large. Some look more like a regular makeup traincase and others look more like cases, with a handle on top. You can put all of your little makeup product favorites, skincare products, hair products, and more.  I have one of the little cases, and it's great for taking my makeup on the go or while traveling. The cases are made of hard plastic, and they lock really easily also. They range from basic colors like silver and black, to the cute kissy print collection above. You can buy the cases at Walmart and Target. Check out the entire collection and all of the different size cases at SohoBeautyCases.com!

Monday, November 8, 2010

YourzTrulyJess

The lovely makeup artist Jess from the beauty blog YourzTrulyJess is celebrating 300 followers! Go leave her some comment love and enter her giveaway :)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Everyday Southwest's blog birthday

One of my favorite foodie blogs, Everyday Southwest, is celebrating their blog birthday! Head on voer to their blog, check out their posts, such as this yummy apple chimichangas recipe, and se what they have to offer. Plus they are having a birthday blog giveaway that you can enter.  Prepare to drool over their southwestern recipes.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Allure of Cruelty Free Beauty

Check out the fantastic cruelty free beauty blog by the lovely Karen, she truly cares about showcasing brands that are cruelty-free towards animals. Her posts are definitely worth reading, and on top of all that, she is having a blog follower giveaway. Please check out her blog, follow it, and think about entering to win! :)

Monday, October 11, 2010

Shoe Lust: Irregular Choice

How amazing are these shoes?! I. Want. Them. Now. Love the colors on the wedged heel and the fun dice on the toe.


Yes that is a furry heel. Super unique and fun, I love the colors and the wooden heel.

These booties make me look forward to colder weather! Love the heel and the faux fur trim.

Check out the corkscrew heel, funky right? Love!

What do all of these shoes have in common? They're from the new Fall/Winter 2010 collection from Irregular Choice! Super cute, right? I want them all, the entire collection. Possibly the cutest shoes ever made. What do you all think? Would you wear these? I would!!

Check out the entire collection: http://www.irregularchoice.com

Friday, October 8, 2010

Arm Candy, anyone?

ROMYGOLD Stud Hobo in Black/Gold

How beyond cute is this bag? Perfect for fall!


Current Crush: R&R Celina Platform Pumps

How freaking cute are these?! Want. Them. Now. Awesome style and color. Rock & Republic Celina Platform Pumps are $295 at ShopBop.com but from now until Oct 11th they're offering 20% off on purchases for their Friends and Family sale! Enter code INTHEFAMILY20 at checkout!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Serta Mattress giveaway on Mommy PR

MommyPr.com is giving away a Serta Mattress, go check it out!
http://bit.ly/aoX0CB

Monday, October 4, 2010

Kim's-MissKC027.blogspot.com- 500 Followers Contest

1. What is your favorite brand of make-up and why?
MAC, I just love the quality, the colors, and the variety of products. Their makeup seems to work best for me!
2. So, because it is fall and it's all about the lips- What are your top 5 favorite lipstick(any brand): 
Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #21, MAC Ruby Woo, MAC Lady Danger, MAC Girl About Town, and NARS Schiap.

http://misskc027.blogspot.com/2010/09/contestinternational-500-followers.html

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Check Out AbbaMart!

AbbaMart is doing something truly amazing for The Beauty Movement and all of the women who benefit from this amazing cause. AbbaMart.com is hosting a "Match Week" starting October 1st - October 7th.

For every purchase, they will "match" the purchase in a donation to The Beauty Movement!

Isn't that great?! This is only the beginning for us! We're going to change so many lives, and I can't wait for us to continue on this journey!

Click on the banner below to start shopping for a cause! AbbaMarts a lot of great beauty supplies, makeup brushes, and more! Their prices are low and their customer service is AMAZING, check them out!

Check out Abbamart on Facebook too!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Decor by Color



I recently stumbled upon this awesome blog called Decor by Color which basically consists of various blogs dedicated to all things arrange by color. They have Pink and Green Scene, House of Turquoise, and Pop of Red among others. You can find cool housewares, accessories, and more all in each color category. Fun! I found some really neat stuff in the House of Turquoise section and the Pink and Green Scene.

Check the blog out at http://www.decorbycolor.com

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Check out Kimberley's blog!

Kimberely from More Lipstick than Sense (I love that blog name!) is having a blog giveaway for a MAC shadow! Go check out her blog, follow, and enter. Yay! :)

http://kimmiii-x.blogspot.com/

Friday, September 10, 2010

Bulk Candy at wholesale prices at ACandyStore.com



I'm a candy fiend! I love sugar, I can't help it. So for my birthday this year I decided to go for a candy theme. I got the idea for a candy themed party from ACandyStore.com, after taking a look at their selection and their prices, I thought "It would be so cool to have  Candyland themed party!" and so I did. They sell a variety of bulk candy like candy bars, rock candy, lots of yummy gummy candy, and more. I ended up choosing some party appropriate candy like Pink Rock Candy, Wonka Bars, Snickers, and these seriously delicious Strawberry Banana Gummy Rings. All of their candy comes in bulk sizes, so instead of buying candy 1 by 1, which can be expensive, especially when needing a lot of candy, like for a party, you buy the candy in bulk instead!


How yummy do those look? A Candy Store also has an impressive supply of lollipops! Their customer service was fab, and the shipping was really fast! I got my order in the summer, and even in the heat, my candy arrived just fine. The candy was packaged really well, no spillage, no real melting of products. Definitely an experience! I plan on ordering through A Candy Store for all of my bulk candy needs. Check their shop out if you have a sweet tooth or if you're planning your own party!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Erstwhile Vintage - gorgeous vintage on Etsy!


I absolutely adore all things vintage from shoes to clothing to handbags, I love it all. I love shopping for vintage pieces on Etsy, it's a great marketplace to find gorgeous retro and vintage pieces. We don't have many vintage shops around where I live, so I often browse online for hot picks, and Etsy is an awesome place to find some of these hot items. One of my favorite vintage shops on Etsy, is called Erstwhile Vintage. The shop is run by the very awesome Rae, who is super cool and hand picks every vintage item that she showcases in her shop. I received a AWESOME leather motorcycle jacket from Erstwhile Vintage, and i love it, it's one of my favorite vintage items that I own. A lot of her vintage items are in like-new condition, and she doesn't sell items that are too beaten up or have a lot of superficial damage, so I can feel confident while ordering from her shop. One of my other fav pieces from the shop is the cute handbag pictured above, the Ultimate Midnight Blue Oversize Hobo. So cute!! This would be a perfect piece for fall, and it's only $30. Here are some of my other favorite picks from Erstwhile.

A Little Bit Country leather heels / size 9


Long Winter Stormy Gray Sweater Jacket

1980's Glam Leather Jacket

Mod 80's Boxy Fuschia Dress / size 8

Super cute stuff, right? Love it! Erstwhile Vintage has great prices, most items are under $50. The shipping is fast also. Rae, the gal behind Erstwhile, has been buying and selling vintage for 15 years now so I feel like I can trust the pieces that she offers in her shop. She strives for quality pieces and she's selective about the items that she stocks in her shop. Many of the pieces are so stylish and fashionable, that it makes me not want to buy retail from stores are the mall or chain clothing stores. I love re-purposing vintage and retro items and Erstwhile totally makes that possible.

Rae is also a painter and jewelry maker, she hails from Portland OR and even has her jewelry available for purchase in the cute little Portland shop HAUNT.

Rae has her own jewelry line called Demimonde Jewelry. I love her jewelry! Here are a few of my favorite pieces.




You can shop these designs at http://www.etsy.com/shop/demimondejewelry

Be sure to check out all of the super cool vintage, and handmade jewelry pieces that Rae has come up with! For a special discount, message her on Etsy and let her know that you found her shop through my blog! Happy shopping!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Happy Blog Anniversary, Fashion Maven!

The lovely Katie over the at the blog Fashion Maven is celebrating her blog anniversary! Go wish her an awesome blogiversary, and enter to win her giveaway!

http://fashionsmaven.blogspot.com/2010/08/blogiversary-giveaway.html

Friday, August 20, 2010

Indulge N' Spoil



So I came across a cute little online shop that carries skin care products, hair care products, and cosmetic brands such as M.A.C, Bath & Body Works, and teeth whitening products for a brighter and more beautiful smile! There is a pretty impressive selection of M.A.C items available (including highly sought after MSFs like "Blonde", "Brunette", "Petticoat" and "By Candlelight" for a few examples!). There is also a nice little selection of fluidline eyeliners and discontinued paint pots! The customer service is wonderful, Tommy (the shop owner) is awesome! The shop specializes in discontinued items, and for all of my fashionistas reading this...they also carry authentic COACH handbags!! Plus they offer FREE shipping within the USA.



Frostlite Fluidline Eyeliner
This gorgeous shimmery off-white cream eyeliner is now discontinued :( But it is available at Indulge N Spoil for less than you would find it on the popular online auction website, eBay! This eyeliner is so pretty, and it makes an excellent shimmery eyeshadow base to add a soft and pearly glow to any eyeshadow added on top. I love layering Shroom eyeshadow on top of Frostlite, the result is absolutely beautiful. You can blend MAC Frostlite on your browbone for a stunning highlight, and it works wonders on the inner corners of my eyes - instantly making me look more awake and refreshed! I also sometimes use Frostlite on my waterline to complement my brown eyes. I think this is a M.A.C Fluidline that everybody should have in their collection, because it is very versatile (just like M.A.C Vanilla pigment!). In fact, Frostlite is referred to as Vanilla pigment in a creamy formula according to the customer reviews on MakeupAlley.com!


Greenstroke Paint Pot
This product is no longer available at IndulgeNSpoil.com, and it is also discontinued by M.A.C. However, a little birdy told me that this paint pot is available at certain CCO's, so be sure to check out your local CCO for this beauty! It's a gorgeous pearly minty green. Minty greens look fabulous on nearly every eye color, and it contrasts beautifully against golden brown eyes. Everything about this paint pot is absolutely perfect; the texture, the formula, the longevity of wear, the color, everything! I fell in love with Taylor Swift's eye makeup in her "Teardrops On My Guitar" music video and searched high and low for a similar color and tried many different shades but could never find the perfect shade with the right texture/shimmery finish. This is IT. This is everything I was searching for, and I can't wait to do a "Teardrops On My Guitar" inspired look!

Here are some product swatches of these two products:

Saturday, August 14, 2010

My Fit Beauty 100 followers - congrats!

The lovely Khristine from My Fit Beauty is having a giveaway to celebrate 100 blog followers:
http://www.myfitbeauty.com/2010/08/100-follower-mini-giveaway-on.html

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick Swatches (#42 #39 #28 #32 #29 #M1 #17)

I recently got a few new shades from the highly anticipated Rouge Artist Intense lipstick line from Make Up For Ever! So I wanted to share these products/swatches with my readers because I know that many of you have been looking for swatches! I previously reviewed three other shades (#21, #36, #43). You can find photos/swatches of those shades in my previous post. Here are the new shades!

Back row: #42, #39, #28
Front row: #32, #29, #M1, #17

L to R: #42, #39, #28, #32, #29, #M1, #17








Thursday, August 5, 2010

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick swatches #21, #36, #43

I received these lipsticks less than 30 minutes ago, but I love them so much that I just *had* share swatches and publicly declare my love for them. Make Up For Ever never lets us down - releasing FIFTY shades of the new Rouge Artist intense lipstick formula! The color is saturated and gorgeous, the wear is very comfortable and very impressive as far as lasting power goes. Everything I love in a lipstick is present with Rouge Artist Intense! The swatches on my hand and lips were taken with flash, but the product photos were taken in natural light to give a better view of the actual color.


[ Top: #36 / Middle: #43 / Bottom: 21]
#21 (pearly bright red)
I love the pearly finish of this shade! It reminds me of M.A.C Port Red (one of my favorite discontinued shades), it's a gorgeous red with a slight metallic look that is extremely flattering! I can already see myself needing several back-ups of this shade!





#36 (satin fuschia)
I love brights, so one can only assume my excitement to see such a vibrant bright pink! I can't get over how comfortable these lipsticks feel! This is such an amazing pink, and I'm known for my bright pink or red lips so this shade is no exception. I knew I would love it when I saw it in the tube, and I loved it even more after I applied it.



#43 Moulin Rouge (satin vibrant red)
This shade is going to be part of the upcoming Fall 2010 Moulin Rouge collection (can't wait!). It's a very flattering red and looks great with my wavy red hair. Very Satine-esque. I love love love it. I could wear this shade everyday. That's how much I love it, and I think this shade would suit a wide array of skintones. And how cute is the packaging?!



Make Up For Ever once again continues to astound me. Keep up the AMAZING work!!!

Be sure to check out Rouge Artist Intense lipstick at Sephora!

-Ashley

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Albanese Candy review - 12 Flavor Gummy Bears, Chocolate Gummy Bears, and Gummi Peach Rings


Look at this amazing assortment of yummy candies I got to try out recently. My blog *is* called Lipstick AND Candy after all ;) I have been hearing so many great things about Albanese Candy, home of the World's Best Gummies! I'm a huge fan of gummy candies, especially gummi bears. I recently tried out these treats from Albanese: Gummi Peach Rings, 12 Flavor Fruit Bears, and Chocolate Gummy Bears. They were soooo yummy. This picture does not do the candy justice, they might look fab, but they tasted even better.

The Gummi Peach Rings were my favorite! They were so fresh and soft and gummi. Not sticky, not too firm, not too mushy, just right. The rings are a yellow and orange color, with a very fruity fresh peach flavor, then coated with a layer of sugar. They are delish! Soooo yummy. I couldn't get over how fresh the candy was, so yummy, the bag did NOT last long ;) The cute little package that the candy came in was awesome too, it even had a freshness seal, so you can munch on the gummies and close the bag for later. IF the gummis last that long... :)


Next up I tried, the 12 Flavor Gummis. They offer fun flavors like Granny Smith Apple, Grapefruit, Concord Grape, Watermelon, and 8 other yummy flavors. The gummies were fresh and soft and yummy. Not "stale" or too hard like some gummy bears, these bears were moist and chewy and delicious. I also loved the bright colors, and the cute little details on the front of each gummy bear. I also thought the flavors were super cool, I've never had a banana flavored gummy bear...until now. It was hard to choose a favorite flavor, but I really liked Granny Smith Apple, Cherry, Orange and all of the rest. I shared this bag with my sister, since she adores gummies just as much as I do, and she thought they were really tasty too, and liked the Lime flavored gummies a lot.

I also tried the Chocolate Gummi Bears. Just for the record, I was already a huge fan of chocolate covered gummi bears, they are one of my favorite candies, so I was really excited about trying this variety. Usually Chocolate Gummies are hard to come by, either they taste bad because of low quality chocolate, or the gummi flavor is very artificial and the texture is too stale. This was NOT the case with the Albanese variety of chocolate gummi bears. These were SO good! In fact, these were the best chocolate covered gummi bears I've ever eaten. The soft chewy gummi bears were fresh and fruity, and the chocolate that covered the bear was creamy and yummy! It didn't taste like "mockolate", you know that fake chocolate coating used on most novelty candies. This chocolate tasted like the real thing! It's not a super thin layer of chocolate, it's a nice amount of chocolate coating the bear, not too much not too little, it's just right. These were so good! I could have eaten 3 more bags, if given the chance ;)

I definitely need to try more candies from the Albanese Candy Confectionery! You can check out their online store and order candy there, or find a local shop that may carry candies from the Albanese brand. They even have a factory in Indiana, where the company is based, where you can get a tour of the candy factory! So if you live in IN, you can even shop their candy outlet shops. They're also a family run company that has been in business for almost 30 years.

Check them out on Facebook - Albanese Candy or at Albaneseconfectionery.com


*I was provided with a sample of the products from Albanese Candy, however the opinions expressed in this review are my own!