Big News

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Hello all my cinnamon Altoids.

Today I bring a bit of news that is worthy of sharing!

No, I didn’t get stiletto nails.

No, in fact I did not win the 6 foot tall Pusheen plushie from Fuego at the mall.

I did recently cut three inches from my hair (srsly best decision I’ve ever made) but that also isn’t the news.

We bought a house!

Yeah. So rent in Portland is basically like 2039409 dollars a month and while I love the fact that I don’t have to mow a lawn or fix things myself,  I hate the idea of throwing money away. Money that could be spent on more important things like:

The Elektra Cosmetics Bolt Balm in Opal Unicorn

NOT spons’d (i wish)

So, we ponied up and purchased a little place all our own. 1,500 square feet of blissful homeliness with which we can drill all the holes we want. I may even wallpaper you guys!

Anywee, here are the digs:

She’s cute, right? Gotta love a good Cape Cod. It should be noted that my black thumb will likely kill all the plant you see here. Thank God for bark. And river rock. Lots and lots of river rock.

So far, we’ve been buyin’ up a crap load of new crap for the joint. Hat tip to Ikea! We also got a new couch and chairs for the living room which I never want to NOT be sitting on. We’ve painted, hung sh*t up, haphazardly watered the lawn and tried to be organized but you know – it’s a work in progress.

Just got the keys in this blurry, tilted gem of a photo

 

The one and only presentable room, furniture tags still on!

yyyep

Paint swatch! Is it brown or grey? There was a major debate.

We have made more progress over Labor Day weekend as the Megs and Nan graced us with their HGTV-worthy presence. We decided on a paint color for the living room (which is called Krypton. WTF?), Meg chose a new color for the downstairs bath and we nabbed a Pottery Barn-esque mirror from ROSS for $24.99.

Oh, and baby Tate played in our brand new pool in the backyard!

The fact that it’s a wading pool is irrelevant.

I mean look’a that face!

Please comment below if you’d enjoy some “before/after” posts of my humble attempts at decorating this shanty. I’d be much obliged ;).

Drugstore Makeup Haul

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G’day chiclets!

Who remembers chiclets? I was all about the white and pink flaves. SO good. But today I am not here to talk about gum. Or even candy.

Today, let’s talk about some random crap I have purchased at various locations!

Ecotools Skin Perfecting Brush

Ok, who else has tried Ecotools brushes because all of the ones I’ve purchased have been amazing. They are soft, hold up well after multiple washings and are pretty inexpensive. I found the above model at Big Lots for $3. I think I’m going back for more.

Miniature Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara

How adorable is this tiny mascara? You don’t really ever see travel sized drugstore mascaras so when I saw this (again at Big Lots) for $1.50 I snatched it up REAL FAST. And a sidenote: why don’t more drugstore brands make travel-sized mascaras? They would KILL. I hope this ones still in good condish seeing as it was purchased at Big Lots.

Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara

David actually bought me this at the store! He just came home with it one day and was like “I bought you makeup!” all proud. When he whipped out a mascara I was thinking “oh dear god it’s gonna be like a brown waterproof formula”, but he ended up getting a good one in exactly the right color. GO DAVID!

Dollar Store Nail Gems

A bit tacky? Sure. But why not spice up the nail game very once and a while. E helped me pick out these two suckers for my party nail the other night.

Lash Paradise Mascara in Mystic Black

I know. It has taken me FAR too long to review this already adored mascara. I plan to do a full review as I have been using it now for awhile. I do like it, but I also have some things to say about it.

L’Oreal Blend Artist Foundation Blender

Per Youtuber Casey Holmes, I purchased this sponge. It took me FOREVER to finally find one but I really needed it, seeing as I lost my Beauty Blender a month or two ago. So far, I realllllly like this and to me, it is better than the Real Techniques one! I also want to try to Flower Beauty one from Wal-Mart but they are out of stock errrrywhere.

Wet’n’Wild Color Blast Mascara in Cobalt Blue

I’ve been really wanting to try blue mascara as of late, so I picked this up the other day at Rite Aid. It was in a Halloween-type display with lots of other colors. It is a rather bright blue, which is awesome. The formula however, is not the best.

Wet’n’Wild Eyeliner in Navy

I realized my favorite Jordana liner was about 237 years old so I decided to not risk a sty and toss it. I do want to invest in a nicer, high-end blue liner but for now this’ll do.

What have YOU purchased from the drugstore recently?

How I Deal with Keratosis Pilaris

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Hellerrr.

Today, let us delve in to the oh-so-fun world of KP!

But first! A disclaimer.

I am not a dermatologist or scientist. I am simply a girl with KP. What works for me may or may not work for you and by no means am I an expert. Ok? PROCEED.

Keratosis Pilaris or chicken skin as I sometimes call it, is defined by Google as, “a condition that develops when the skin produces too much of a protein called keratin, which can block hair follicles and cause bumps to develop”.

Tons of people have KP and the severity ranges. The areas that typically get affected are the thighs, arms and cheeks. Unfortunately, it is hereditary and I have my Dad to thank for mine. THANKS GARE.

So, you get it.

I’ve tried LOTS of treatments for KP and I am here today to report my findings…what worked, what didn’t and all that I have learned.

HANDLING

Handle your KP as you would a newborn baby or quilted Chanel purse. Be super gentle. Contrary to what one might think, exfoliation and scrubbing only irritate the area and can make the bumps worse. Also – DO NOT use super-hot water on KP, exfoliating loofahs or body scrubs. Believe me, it only makes the bumps uglier! Even when I take a bath, I keep my lower thighs out of the water…also because I’m TEN FEET TALL.

 

TREATMENTS/CREAMS

Lots of common lotions contain ingredients like glycerin, mineral oil and alcohol and while these things are not bad for your skin, they certainly are not good for KP. Steer clear of using lotions with a scent, as hard as that is, and instead go for a more medicinal option. A dermatologist can look at your KP and based on the size and severity of the affected areas, recommend a lotion that is best for you.

What I like to do is use a menagerie of lotions when I get out of the shower. I’ll use a KP lotion on the affected areas and then use smelly or firming lotions other places.

The same rules apply to body wash, powders or just about anything else that touches those areas.

If you’re more of a visual learner, I’ve made this handy graphic for you!

Here are some of the treatments/creams I have used:

Prescription Urea Lotion

Urea is basically a tissue softener, which can help soften the build-up of keratin around the hair follicle. My issue with this cream was that it felt so chalky and gross. I couldn’t stand to have it on my body.

Derma Doctor KP Duty Lotion

4 ounces of this stuff is $38 which is the main draw-back. It has a glycolic acid base but contains a bunch of other good ingredients (like urea). I did notice a difference with this lotion but you have to make sure and use it every day or even twice a day. I would keep purchasing it to have on hand but it’s almost $40 and I need other things like 348975 liquid lipsticks.

Gold Bond Rough & Bumpy Skin Daily Therapy Cream

This formula does contain urea as well as salicylic  acid but the concentration must not be high enough because I didn’t really notice a difference with this.

CURRENT TREATMENT

I recently saw a new dermatologist for a skin cancer screening (which every one of you needs to go do!) and also asked about my KP. He took a look and based on the size and severity of the affected areas, he has recommended  salycilic acid and gave me this lotion to try out. Salycilic acid is a beta-hydroxy often used as an acne treatment. According to an article I read on Allure.com,  “Salicylic acid is considered a keratolytic medication, which means that it’s perfect for supreme exfoliation. ‘Keratolytic medications cause softening and sloughing of the top layer of skin cells,'”. TOTALLY PERFECT for KP too!

He also mentioned that I could use a body wash with salycilic acid, but that using the lotion on it’s own might make a big improvement.

I’ll keep y’all updated and let you know how my KP is doing because I know you’re all dying to know.

Do you have KP? What do you use (if anything!) on it?

Subscription Box Haul

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How does everyone feel about the whole beauty subscription box game lately?

I remember when BirchBox first came out, it seemed too good to be true! A bunch of HIGH-END beauty stuff for a measly $10 per month?! But then the box came in the mail, month after month with unwearable colors, packets containing .0003 ounces of product or brands I’d never heard of.

I did Ipsy for a hot minute and while the surprise each month was fun – the products became increasingly disappointing. I have to admit that much of that had to do with the fact that I was buying more of what I really wanted and building up a really nice collection, so the random sample of sparkly purple nail polish just became blase.

I also recently dipped my toe into the FabFitFun pool and if you read this post, you know how well that turned out for me.

And while I think they are a great option for a beauty newbie or someone looking to expand their collection or try new things, they are just not for me. SO. I am a beauty subscription box skeptic and really not into spending my hard-earned dollars on chance products I may or may not love. So when my pal Holly offered to send me a box of things she personally did not want or need from her subscription boxes of  course I was totally delighted!

Sidenote: If my grandmother taught me one thing, it was a ride or die appreciation for grab bags. You know the ones. They used to sell them at the drugstore by her house and the thrill of not knowing what was inside was just titillating (that’s right).

So here are the contents of the grab bag from sweet Holly.

First of all, I was SO excited she included this lipstick set from Realher because she got the “natural pinks” where I was given the “deep reds”. These are really pretty colors and something I will definitely wear on the regular.

Contents include (from top to bottom) liquid lipstick, lip gloss and a lip pencil. Also sidenote: I am totally feelin’ the names on the packaging especially after binge-watching The Handmaid’s Tale.

I should also note that this liquid lipstick is like freaking PAINT. I swatched these early Sunday morning and after sweating, swimming and washing my hands 82743 times this was the swatch at the end of the day:

Other products she sent included:

This peppermint + chammomile massage oil from WILL  which I used on David’s calves after basketball one day and it was glorious.

A mineral peel face mask from O.R.G which I am excited to try out.

This Eau Thermale Avène Sunscreen for face in SPF 50. I absolutely love this brand (it’s french so DUH) and have tried a couple other skincare items from them. I am delighted to own this product to protect my face from developing more sunspots!

The Flawless Skin Fluid from Doctor D. Schwab.

This Skin Laundry Restoring Night Serum which I have heard great things about!

The Juice Beauty Smoothing Eye Concentrate. I LOVE Juice Beauty so I am very excited about this product.

These samples from Rodan + Fields which I already LOVE!

A Korean facial sponge.

Keratin gloves and socks from Bodipure which I will be definitely using in conjunction with a face mask!

These loose pigments from Your Minerals.

Here is the white shade (winter):

A Manna Kadar Lipstain in Lucky which is gorgeous.

Lipgloss in Flower Child from Passport to Beauty

A scarf from Michael Stars (LOVE THESE COLORS!)

Fingerless grey knitted gloves (not sure of the brand) which I also love.

And lastly, some perfume samples from Tocca which all smell amazing.

So obviously a GIANT thank you to Holly for sending me all of these goodies! I will putting them to the test and reporting back of course. Have any of you tried these products? What did you think?

P.S Holly’s daughter included this lovely piece of art for me as well…heart = melted.

Sweet Blogger Award!

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G’day my lovely plushies!

It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these fun lil’ posts so I thought WHY THE HECK NOT!? I’d like to thank the lovely Kittyp0p for nominating me!

1. What’s your biggest dream? 

To sing in a big gospel choir. With the robes and everything.

2. Favorite guilty pleasure snack? 

I love mixing different cereals together and eating it dry, out of small bowls.

3. What’s the meal you’re best at making? 

David loves these little appetizers I make and calls them California rolls. They’re really called Southwestern Baked Egg Rolls and I based my recipe off the one here.

4. How many teeth have you had pulled? 

Two wisdom teeth on my left, upper and lower.

5. What color do you hope your child’s eyes will be? 

Well first of all, I hope I am capable of having a child! If I am, eye color is the last thing I’ll care about. But if I had to pick I’d say blue, like mine.

6. Favorite book series? 

I really like all the historical fiction from Philippa Gregory, like The Other Boleyn Girl. Really great books!

7. Who is the most inspirational person you know that’s younger than you? 

For whatever random reason, I am really inspired by a ballet dance by the name of Joy Womack. She is a Bolshoi-Ballet trained dancer (one of the only Americans to train there) and her work ethic and drive is truly admirable. She also has a YouTube channel where I live vicariously through her.

8. What time is it where you are? 

6:00 pm PST

9. Where would you go to escape the world? 

Where would I? Well if I could go anywhere to escape it would be Paris or Capri. Currently, when I need to escape it is in my bed with YouTube.

10. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? 

SWEET ALL THE WAY!

Origins GinZing Vox Box

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It’s time for another Vox Box!

This time I was sent a few items from the Origins GinZing line for testing from Influenster.

*And remember, Influenster is totally free to sign up for. All you do is link up your social media accounts and you’re in! Click here to register and hopefully start getting free stuff too!

Here we have the Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturizer, the  Refreshing Eye Cream and the Refreshing Scrub Cleanser.

The Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturizer

I have actually tried the regular (non-gel version) of this moisturizer before in a sample size and I do like it. Is it THE BEST moisturizer out there? No. Is it THE MOST moisturizing? No. I like this product however, for a few good reasons. First, it is priced well at around $30. Second, it does a good job at hydrating the skin and the product absorbs quickly. And lastly, (as with the eye cream) it adds a slight radiance to the skin. The brightening effect is not too noticeable with the gel cream but I do notice a nice subtle radiance!

The Refreshing Eye Cream

I have used this product before and I LOVE it. It has a slightly pearly finish after applying which is really nice and brightening under there. I like to wear it everyday, regardless of if I am wearing makeup or not. But it does beautifully under makeup as well.

The Refreshing Scrub Cleanser

I have never used this before but it is coming at a great time since my Soap & Glory cleanser is almost out! I am anxious to try this with the entire line to see how it performs.

And that’s it! Have YOU ever tried Origins skincare?

Shows I’m Obsessed With

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Man I love TV.

I realize how shallow that makes me sound, but at  least I’m honest. The level of giddiness I achieve when thinking about curling up on the couch on a Sunday night with Ballers, GOT and a big glass of pinot gris  rivals that of  nabbing a Barefoot Dreams cardi at Nordstrom Rack for less than $20.

I also like to hike be outside, socialize with friends, read a book, but come on – JON SNOW, OFFRED, freakin’ Spencer Strasmore? Hard to beat.

Here’s what I am currently obsessed with on the ol’ boob tube.

Game of Thrones Season 7

Cersei must reallllly like her Maria Von Trapp mop-top because girlfriend has kept it going since her high sparrow “SHAME!” days. Apparently her brother doesn’t mind though, since they’re still bumping uglies on the reg. ALSO, anyone else noticed her totally putting off crazy Lady Gaga vibes? Her latest outfits have been very Gaga-esque and I aint mad about it.

ALSO.

These two fiiiiiinally hooked up and there was an IN-DEPTH conversation at our house about what Grey Worm was packing south of the border. Missandei of course is perfection and I love how he said that she was his only weakness. Omg they are too perf.

The Handmaid’s Tale

Prepare yourself if you know nothing about  this show, or the book it is based on. Because it is ALL KINDS OF CRAZY. I looooooove shows and books like this. They’re always my favorite. I love a good struggle and this actress just absolutely kills it. I mean, it’s up for like 834634 emmys and I can totally see why.

Also..

My beloved Rory Gilmore stars in the show too and she’s a lesbian and just SO not Rory Gilmore and the whole time I just want to give her a hug. Where is Lorelai when you need her!?

Prison Break

This show is an older one, but they just released a new season this year. David and I have gone through all but the final season and it is GOOD. I am halfway in love with Michael Scofield, the main character (above). Mostly because he is so calm and calculated and cool.

Ballers

This is a total man show. Major Entourage vibes and I was obsessed with that show as well. David loves The Rock (it’s actually kindof sweet how much) so we always tune in on Sundays for this show on HBO. The sex scenes with The Rock are very awkward though, like you don’t wanna look at the screen. But they don’t show his dangle or anything so that’s good.

Silicon Valley

Not gonna lie, seasons 1 and 2 were BY FAR the best of this show, but I am still loyal. Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s relationship is easily my favorite thing to watch on the show as well as the comical genius of Zack Woods who plays Jared. I mean, he is Office alum so of course you know he’s going to be good. Also, T.J Miller is of course hilar but I hear he’s off the show now. I love this show SO freaking much.

What shows are YOU obsessed with?