Sephora/Drugstore Haul

February 8, 2016Leave a comment

Man oh man. It’s a mouthful guys.

Much like this delicious CWS from T.Bell. Srsly go to Taco Bell right now and order one because your mouth will be the mayor of tasty-town. (Did I just say that?)

So. Did I get some GC’s for xmas/my bday this year! Money to Sephora, Lush, Bath & Body Works and Ulta is ALWAYS money well-spent in my book.

Ok. Here’s all the new goods!

Sephora

Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer in Alabaster

I heard about this foundation from Kandee Johnson’s YouTube channel. Her recommendations are usually spot-on for me, so I decided to give it a shot. The color is a really great match for me and the price was good at $27.

Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold Blush in Obsessed

This was a TOTAL impulse buy for me. I had convinced myself that I wanted to get the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Captivating but as I walked by the Marc Jacobs section, this little sucker was like, “hey girl heyyy”. Annnnd I caved.

GlamGlow Plumprageous Gloss Lip Treatment

I have the gloss on in this pic! Annnnnd my lips look the same…

I believe this is a newer addition to the GlamGlow family. I have been wanting to purchase a lip-plumping product for quite some time now and was debating whether or not to get the Too Faced Lip Injection. That one is $28 so when I saw this stuff at $24 from a reputable brand like GlamGlow I knew I had to try it. The verdict is still out, but I will of course keep you cats updated.

Nars Lip Crayons (Sephora Birthday Gift)

I actually like the consistency of these, but neither colors are really my thang. Give me a pinky nude or an orangey-red any day!

Stila Lip Glaze in Fig, Cream Blush in Peony and Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner in Intense Black

I received this gift with purchase from Ulta while I did some Christmas shopping. And lemmejustsay this is a LEGIT gift with purchase. The eyeliner, (which is full size) is worth $21 alone and is amaaaazing. The Stila Lip Glazes are really my thing but the cream blush is absolutely beautiful.

Drugstore Items

L’Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation in W2

Yes, I jumped on the cushion bandwagon! I have used this foundation a handful of times now, and I can definitively say that I like it! Plus, once again, we have vurry nice packaging.

Wet’n’Wild Blushes in Pearlescent Pink and Apri-cot in the Middle, Makeup Wipes

You guys, these blushes are so great. If you aren’t already privy to the AMAZING Wet’n’Wild eyeshadow trios (i.e Walking on Eggshells) then like, WHAT are you doing? But anyway, the blushes are also great and when the brand released a new formulation, I had to grab a couple of these. Pearlescent Pink is absolutely beautiful and very pigmented. You have to be pretty careful with this color because if you don’t remember to shake out your brush before applying it to your face, you WILL look like a baby doll. However, the Apri-cot in the Middle color….is just WONDERFUL. I srsly cannot wait to wear this color in the summer when I have a tiny dab of a tan because the color is everything. It is a wonderful, kindof deep peachy color with a bit of luminosity. Oh my gosh I am obsessed. Here’s another close-up of it:

Alright that’s it guys! Comment down below if there is something at the drugstore that I need to try because I am all ears!

Little Haul

December 11, 2015December 10, 20152 Comments

I grabbed a few things from Sephora and Macy’s that I am very excited about!

Ariana Grande Bubble Bath + Rollerball

I nabbed this duo on Thanksgiving Day at Macy’s for $25. It was a good deal, considering the rollerball alone is probably about $25 on it’s own. As I mentioned in my Christmas list post, this perfume isn’t exactly the classiest, but I love the way it smells (it has bottom notes of MARSHMALLOW) and am really excited to take a bubble bath!

Tory Burch Perfume Duo

Meg and I saw this at Sephora when we were shopping with sweet baby Tate and were pretty excited that this was only $18. The bottles are pretty legit and I am in LOVE with the standard Tory Burch original perfume.

Tony Moly Pocket Bunny Moist Mist

I feel like this whole Korean beauty fad is quickly taking over. One thing I LOVE about this trend is the cute packaging. And as we all well know, I judge books by their covers. I could not resist buying this moisturizing facial spray for $15. I meannnn, just look at it!

Weekending & T-Giving 2015

December 1, 20151 Comment

Hello mini-seahorses!

What wonderful weekends I’ve been having! A couple weeks ago, Nan, Megan and Mr.Tate decided to come for a visit and I was beyond excited to have this tiny human back in my life.

Girls weekends with Megan and Nan usually involve shopping from about 11 am to 9 pm, with lunch, wine and maybe some fro-yo sprinkled in. Us gals can go go go. We usually start out at a mall, throw in Nordstrom Rack, some consignment stores and then to appease Nan, we’ll hit up a Goodwill right before closing time so she can contemplate a book on CD entitled “The Jewels of Tessa Kent”. But now. Things are a bit different having a tiny gentlemen in tow. We decided the safest option was a straight-up shopping mall and what better place than stroller-ridden Washington Square?

First, we woke up and had play time:

Then we walked down to Jim and Pattie’s for brek:

Then we hit WA Square and Meg gave the Ergo Baby a whirl.

Tate was a champ for the first couple of hours, happily snoozing in the pram and periodically opening those eyes (lined with LONG eyelashes now!) to stare up at these crazies subjecting him to horrible techno at H&M. We went to all our faves, like Pottery Barn Kids and Nordstrom (places I can definitely afford).

Of course I did this.

I found one of those cheesy-ass signs that actually makes perfect sense:

Then, we stumbled upon what could very well be the CUTEST and most magical place in Portland, Lolli & Pop’s!

Look what the employees wear. OMG.

Aside from the fact that everything at Lolli & Pop’s costs $14,000, I am totally a fan.

We had lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe and then I grabbed a Candy Mountain Bubble Bar from Lush! We knew Tate wasn’t going to last much longer, so we all got in the car and made an attempt at Nordstrom Rack before quickly realizing Tater Tot was done. The weekend wrapped up with the three of us watching movies and trying to get Tate to smile (which I am SO good at).

And then of course, it was T-Giving! I drove home after work on Wednesday and spent 3 glorious days at my parents new digs.

The first night, I partook in the following activities:

Playing with Gare’s new label-maker:

teehee

2. Eating gingersnaps

3. Looking at the butter sculpture Nan bought:

4. Taking photo-booth pics of Nan while she was asleep on the couch eating butterscotch disks:

baahahahaaaaaaaaaa

The next day I watched the parade in my jammies and got mad that I missed the Hello Kitty balloon. Tate and Megan came over and I played with him and fell even more in love.

Then, we put hims in his OOTD:

Then I combed my hair and put some makeup on and a headband to go to my grandparent’s for T-Give:

Thanksgiving dinner was spent at my grandparents, which meant we were all sweating from the permanent 80 degree setting on their thermostat.

If that wasn’t enough, my grandma also got out her scarf collection and had me pick out a few for myself (I currently own about 40 of these already), but I was a sport and acted completed delighted to sport a thinly knitted bit of periwinkle! We stupidly only brought one bottle of wine over, so I was reduced to sipping from an old bottle of Disaronno I found behind my grandparents’ 2008 Mall Walkers participation plaque. At this point, I was lookin’ purty good:

Then Ben and Megan brought Tate over and ta-dah!!! Instant distractions and something to stare at for 2 hours! I did snap a few adorable pics though:

Four generations!

Reasons why this is the cutest ever: 1.) They are matching 2.) Tate’s smile 3.) My grandpa’s giant hand 4.) They are matching

And thennnnn we did the unthinkable. Nan, Megan, Tate and I went to Macy’s. This year, they opened their doors at 6 pm and I was really jonesing for the $25 Ariana Grande bubble bath. After grabbing a few deals, we mozied by BBW on our way out and I was terribly disspointed at their half-assed sale. Buy 3, Get 3 Free!?!? WTF. That is, like, NOT a good deal. Give me $8 dollar candles or 75% off of something! GHODddd.

Anyweeeez – the next day was spent hanging with Amy and Shannon, playing cards, drinking Svedka and 7’s and me having perpetual bed-head, which was making Megan actually mad at me. Excuse me if I don’t want to comb my hair for 24 hours.

I made it back to Portland safe and sound and immediately jumped (ok stepped) into my bathtub for a candy mountain soak. NOT A BAD END, my friends.

The Sports Fan

November 19, 2015November 19, 2015Leave a comment

There are basically two kinds of girls.

Girls who do not like sports
Girls who do not like sports but pretend to like sports

Okaaaaaaaaaaay I know there are some girls who would claim they love to watch sports. But to those girls, I say this: Would you pick a football game over Kardashian marathon? – OR – How much of what you like about sports is the attention it brings you? How much of what you like about sports is the fact that guys may think you are a “cool chick who can hang with the guys”? REALLY tho. How much?

I have basically always been Girl 1. Kinda like Amy Schumer in Trainwreck…

“I don’t know why we treat these athletes like heroes just ‘cause they can skate fast or kick a ball in a net. I just think it’s weird. No offense. I just think that sports are stupid and anyone who likes them is just a lesser person.”

HA. The Schums. So funny.

But anyways. I hate to say it guys, but I am kinda Girl 3 now! I KNOW. I like sports. I like several different sports. I like watching the pros. I like watching college. I like to watch those Curling guys in crazy pants rub the ground with that sweeper thingy. I just do. And I’m not hiding it.

I will admit there are several caveats to this bold proclamation, however. Just like selecting the perfect color of blush, I am PICKY. And really, I only care about certain teams. And heeeeeeeeeeere they are (cue Jock Jams).

Portland Timbers

Who knew soccer could be so action packed!? Lord almighty. I used to always be able to count on three things to put me sleep: This Old House, graham crackers and milk and soccer games. Since moving to Portland, it has been hard to avoid the Timbers fans, or ARMY as they’re locally known as.

And after going to a game (which was AWESOME) and following them on TV – yep, I’m, hooked. These trim young men in green and gold have captured my heart. And really, anytime SINGING is encouraged at a sporting event YOU KNOW I’m there.

Portland Trailblazers

This one was inevitable. Unlike soccer, basketball is played indoors and y’all know how indoorsy I am. Going to my first Blazers game a couple weeks ago was just EPIC. I had my shirt, hat, bag-o-Skittles and an absolute HUGE grin on my face the whole time. The Blazers have been around FOREVER and it is just too fun to have a pro basketball team in the city I live in!

THE SEAHAWKS

photo (8)

But of course, I am a Seattlite, and a Hawk thru and thru. This season has been a bit interesting but nothing and noone could take away the love I feel for the Hawks. I actually get excited for Seahawks games and feel very real anxiety during high-pressure situations. Portland is fairly supportive of the fact that I bleed blue and green and it feels just great to be in such a Seahawks-friendly place.

SO there you have it. I like sports. It’s real. And I’m proud of it.

Halloween 2015

November 11, 2015Leave a comment

SO..I never really dress up for Halloween.

I’ll admit, it is partially because I’ve never had anything cool to do. Never gone to a big halloween party, never really “gone out” too much. So aside from the odd, thrown together cowgirl or 50’s Pink Lady – I’ve never really done anything special.

BUT THIS YEAR. You guys. This year, I actually made a plan!

So for work, I teamed up with a couple of my pals at work and we did Frozen characters and DUH – I was Elsa!

I had the best time doing Elsa makeup and throwing in some extensions to get the elusive Elsa braid. A bunch of my co-workers brought their kiddos in and it srsly melted my “frozen” (haha) heart because they all really thought I was Elsa. I now have a taste of what it must feel like to work at Disneyland and be a princess and all I gotta say is – I could totally get used to it!

The next day, I opted to go the POLAR opposite of Elsa and be…a walker. I would like to clarify this because I was not a brain-eating zombie. I was a walker, ala Walking Dead.

My first time with liquid latex!

If anyone wants more detail on how I did this makeup (for Elsa or the Walking Dead) just let me know and I can do a step-by-step tutorial!

Sephora + Ulta Haul

October 28, 20151 Comment

Hello and g’day to you all!

I am back with a cheeky little haul that I just had to share with y’all (rhyming!).

Things from Sephora

So here’s the thing with eye-creams: Do ANY of these really work? As I looked through alllll the options at Sephora, I realized how much I didn’t want to spend the $60 on a super reputable eye cream with tons of great ingredients. Then again, I didn’t want the $10 option that is chalked full of straight-up glycerin.

I chatted with a Sephora girl for a bit and decided to try this one for $26 by the Sephora store brand. This particular one is for eyes AND lips and the girl assured with it had plumping properties for both. Lately (for whatever reason ~~Kylie Jenner~~), I have been craving fuller lips. mine are just so puny and boring. So we will see – I will report back on how this stuff fares.

Secondly, my beloved Marc Jacobs gel-liner has turned out to be a complete dud :(. It worked awesome for awhile but then it dried out and became completely useless to me. When I went into Sephora, I brought along this liner which was all banged up and scratched and not pretty as a lesson to anyone who is afraid to return things to Sephora. THEY WILL TAKE IT BACK. I have done this many times when I’ve been unhappy with a certain product and I have never had an issue. Heck, you pay $35 for a measly eyeliner – it should bloody work! <- why am I turning into a brit all of the sudden?

Anyways, the kind lady informed me this liner had been recalled due to it drying out on everyone! Fiddle dee dee! I opted to go for the Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes Waterproof in black and so far it has been great.

Things from Ulta

My dry shampoo stash from a prior haul had already run out so I was overdue for a couple bottles of Batiste. This time I opted for the “Strength & Shine” and “Exotic” formulas. I have already started using the exotic one and it smells like coconuts!! Man, am I an idiot for buying the pink one all this time! This one is probably my favorite of the bunch, based on smell alone!

I also picked up this one for strength and shine because DUH – I want strong, shiny hurrr.

And lastly, but certainly not leastly – I nabbed this body wash from Soap and Glory, which Ulta now stocks! I WISH they had the perfume but for now, I’ll have to wet my whistle with their insanely delectable scrubs and lotions.

I already own the “Clean on Me” body wash, which comes in the original S&G scent but when I sniffed this one in the store…OH LAW. I literally passed out from all that is good and holy. It smells absolutely AHHMAAZZZING you guys. Put this on your Christmas list. Your Hanukah list. Hell, pretend it’s your birthday and tell everyone to buy this for you. It smells THAT good. And after a couple a’showers under my belt with the stuff, I can confirm – it is a perfect body wash.

If this scent comes in any other product form – PLEASE do let me know. WHY doesn’t the U.S get the entire line!? It is a travesty.

But that is all my friends. What should I try next?

Happenings!

October 14, 2015October 14, 2015Leave a comment

I went to a charity event that my work was a sponsor for and had the rare opportunity to dress up in Portland, Oregon! For once, wearing something nicer than jeans in public felt acceptable! I didn’t take a good picture of how I did my hair for this event, but I used the following tutorial and it worked like a charm!

You can kinda see my hair better here:

The event had an Arabian Nights theme (basically if I had Princess Jasmine pants I WOULD have worn them) and there was a hookah bar!

And alas, I had to give little Henry back to his mom and dad. It was a bittersweet day because I was sad not to see his little tiny wagging body at the door everyday, but happy to see him reunited with his humans. The last day I had him, I took him for a nice long walk and wore a heck of an outfit:

I found these hilarious illustrations on Instagram the other day from @ohdeer. Just SO perfectly applicable and user-friendly.

And my personal favorite…

Here are some recent Tates:

And lastly, my eyelash game has been on point! As have my car selfies apparently…

And also. I’ve been havin alot of days on the couch lookin’ like Kermit the Frog:

And walking down to get the mail like dis:

Big Patagonia coat, jammy shorts and veiny feet in ballet flats

And lastly….anyone else love Phoebe Snow? My LORD do I love her voice! Nan and I share a real love for Poetry Man.