No Buy Month: February 2014

Good afternoon everyone!

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for posting so late in the day - I know my posts usually go up in the morning, but I was far too tired to work on a post last night due to some extreme insomnia I've been having, and last night I was actually able to sleep so I slept as much as I possibly could! 

Anyway, moving on. I'm really glad that I decided to try out more beauty products and expand my horizons, but that isn't always easy on the budget! So I decided a No Buy Month was in order. What does that mean, you ask? Here are my rules:

1. No buying new products unless an essential runs out (like if my makeup remover gets all used up before the end of the month, I am allowed to repurchase that)

2. No buying new clothes

3. No eating out (my one exception would be plans I made about two weeks ago before I decided on a no buy month - I feel it would be rude to cancel now, and I'm going out with a friend who can get 50% our meal, so... I guess it isn't too bad?)

4. I am allowed to buy groceries, but only if I absolutely need something (so I'm trying to use up all I have first)

5. I am allowed to pay for my bunny's vet bill (since it's essential, of course) and buy him things he needs, like litter and food

What do I want to accomplish?:

1. I want to better appreciate the products I do have, and learn to use them well

2. Help cut back on impulse purchases

3. Use up some of the product I have (hopefully)

So there you have it! I still have lots of things to renew and to talk about, and one of my goals for this month is also to try and go through all of my nail polish and really decide what I want to keep and what I don't (it hasn't really come up on this blog yet, but I have a TON of nail polish). 

I'll report back at the end of the month!

Have you done a no buy month before? Are you planning on it? What were your reasons, and did it work out? Let me know!

Cheers!

Ps - I snagged the picture from Alice's blog - she's doing six months! Wow!

Sonia Kashuk Shimmering Sands & Showstoppers Review

Good morning everyone!

As some of you may know, it was my birthday on the 25th. While I didn't end up going out, I did break out these two quads to do some makeup. I also managed to forget to snag a picture of myself (I know, boo on me). Anyway, I thought I would review these eyeshadows and let you know what I think.

Firstly, I had to apply all of these with a wet brush. I mainly used the lightest brown/tan in the upper quad and a mix of the light colors on the lower quad (and used the black up top for an eyeliner). I tried with a dry brush, and the glitter didn't apply evenly and basically none of the color transferred. 

There was some problem of fallout, I found (even though I used a primer and pat the color on) and it was really hard to manipulate, blend, and control once on the eyelid. 

But worst of all... Clean up was a mess. Usually with my towelettes I can get everything off my eyelid, but for the life of me I couldn't get all this glitter off. :/ And that was honestly a big let down for me.

While I think these colors are pretty, I think there's also a reason these have been sitting in my makeup box for so long with such little use. Showstoppers got mixed reviews on Makeup Alley, and I have to agree with the people that didn't like this quad a whole lot. To be fair, I did get these a bit ago, so maybe in the newer renditions (with black packaging) they've changed the formula? I'm not sure.

But as it stands this isn't something I'd recommend and something I'll only try again in the future if I'm daring.

Do you own either of these quads? What's your opinion? Let me know!

Cheers!

Weekly Window Shopping: OOTD Collection on Storenvy

Good morning everyone!

It's super cold in the Twin Cities right now (about -50 with wind chill!); so cold, in fact, that my Uni cancelled classes! So because it's so cold outside right now, I was drawn to this OOTD collection on Storenvy because it features a lot of summery clothes. It's funny that I want it to be summer right now, because I know that as soon as summer hits I'll be complaining about the heat!

Anyway, here are the items that I liked the most!

Kitty Kat Crop Tank, $15

Medium Wash, $38

Birds Ruched Headband, $10

Protection, $42

Aquamarine Gold Leaf Faceted Dome Ring, $55

Well there you have it! I never know if I'm putting too many things in one post or not, so please let me know if I should be adding more or less (I feel like I could very easily get carried away, haha). 

Did you like any of these items? Have you been hoping for warmer weather or have been doing some window shopping of your own? Let me know!

Cheers!

Ps - If you are in MN and have to go out today, please stay warm. With the weather as cold as it is, you can get frostbite in under five minutes! Please make sure to wear hats, gloves, mittens, coats, and scarves (and all other winter gear) for treks outside. Stay safe everyone!

Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask Review

Good afternoon everyone!

Today I'm going to review this Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask which I bought from Ulta, but a quick google search shows some other places (like Walgreens) carry this item too.

If you haven't noticed yet (I'm sure you'll catch on quickly though!) I love facial masks. There's something so gratifying about slathering some product all over your face, letting it set, and rubbing it off to reveal ultra smooth skin. Oh yes, I like my facial masks indeed. I picked this one up at my local Ulta after doing some research online (where it got 4.5 stars), and it has yet to disappoint me!

Firstly, the packaging. For some reason I was really drawn to its simple yet somehow pretty design. I really like the sort of matte texture of the packaging as well (most bath/skin care products are kinda slippery, if you know what I mean). 

Secondly, the product itself. On the packaging it says, "This super-cleansing detox mask cleanses impurities for a cleaner, brighter complexion. The energy of orange recharges, while sea salt cleanses and bergamot balances. Your face will notice the difference." While I'm not sure about all the frilly details of recharging and whatnot, I have noticed a difference in my skin over the few times I've used this, and it leaves my skin very soft. I also really like how this product smells - I was a bit worried at first because I have had facial masks that are a little overwhelming in the scent department (which is unfortunate, since you slather it on.. y'know... your face), but this smells very nice without overpowering me. This is one of the longer facial masks I own (meaning longer sit time), as the directions call for 10-15 minutes. So I usually put this on at the start of my bath and soak up for a bit before taking it off.

I highly recommend this product to anyone who likes using facial masks, or who has skin that sometimes won't behave. I also find the scent to be relaxing (along with facial masks themselves; there's something about the application, the waiting, and the removal that's calming to me), so I like to use this to help me unwind at the end of a long day.

Have you tried this product? Are you excited to try it? Let me know what you think!

Cheers!

Revlon Lipsticks to Return!

Good morning everyone!

Very recently I saw a post about this on MUA and I had to share because oh my word these shades are amazing and gorgeous and I need them all! In all seriousness, I saw these and did a little girly squee of joy because these shades are so fantastic, and I'm really big into retro colors (I have to say that Icy Violet and Fifth Ave Red are my favorites). I'll probably buy them all when they come out, because... Well, we know me - I love a good lippy and I love a piece of the past.

Unfortunately I don't have any details other than they'll come out sometime in 2014, probably this spring. I can't wait to try them out!

Are you excited for these returning shades? Have you been planning which you'll get? Let me know!

Cheers!

Weekly Window Shopping: Ted Baker

Good morning everyone!

So if you tuned in last week to my A Look I Want post, you know I was lusting after the Ted Baker skirt Cordelia wears in the latter half of the episode (which is sadly sold out online, boo). Well, afterward I started to look around Mr. Ted Baker's website (particularly in the sale section) and found some really lovely pieces that were beautiful and things I'd love to have in my wardrobe. I got very excited over some of the pieces, and really wanted to share them with you all, so the idea for the Weekly Window Shopping post was born! While I love makeup, and that's really been the focus lately, I initially started Good Morning Minneapolis as a fashion blog (believe it or not). So I thought... Hell, why not share what beautiful or quirky pieces I find? So I decided that since I do so much online oogling, I could share each week a bit of what I find! I'm really excited to look around more, even at things I might not be able to buy right now, and share them with everyone. A little window shopping never hurt!

All right, let's get down to business (to defeat... The Huns *dun dun dun*). Here's what I found that I liked on his website's sale section:

DIEMOND - OIL PAINTING TROUSER, $117

ETTIA - LACE DETAIL CARDIGAN, $138

NINEA - VELVET BLAZER, $237

DANELLE - TEA PARTY PRINTED DENIM, $117

NITCHA - BOW COLLAR DRESS, $192

There you have it! Just a few things that I found and I loved. I really enjoyed browsing through all the beautiful clothing on his website - I'm a big fan of floral prints, so I was glad to see them on some pants and blazers (as well as the skirt I originally fell in love with). What do you like best out of what I picked, or what you saw on the website? Let me know!

Cheers!

Sephora 2014 Birthday Gift

Good afternoon everyone!

Last night I went to my local Sephora store to pick up some things for me and to get my birthday gift! My birthday isn't until the 25th of this month, but this was the only time I would have been able to stop in, so that's exactly what my roommate and I did.

This year's gift is a small box containing some Makeup Forever products. I received a lipstick (in the shad Rouge) and a small tube of mascara. 

I think the lipstick is very pretty, and it's actually only a little bit darker than my lips (my lips are semi-dark for lips, I think) and it applies smoothly. I tried some on last night without lip liner/primer, but I am wearing it with my Bite Beauty lip primer/liner today. 

The mascara wasn't clumpy at all, and I found it easy to apply (even though I was a little intimidated by the wand - it's a completely different shape than I've ever used before!) and I really like the way it sits on my lashes and makes them look.

Overall I think this was a great little birthday treat, and I'm glad I was able to pick mine up!

Have you gotten your Sephora birthday gift yet? And if you haven't, are you excited to try it out? Let me know!

Cheers!

Butter London Sale, ends 01.23.14!

Good afternoon everyone!

So I was first tipped off about the sale going on at Butter London thanks to one of my favorite bloggers - Gianna over at Nouveau Cheap! There are a TON of lacquers on sale right now, along with some of the gift sets, as well as some other items (both of the heel products were originally $30, and if you look on other sites they still retail for that). I was already thinking of getting the Tops & Tails set  when I saw that it was on sale (I've had those two items, separately, on my Amazon wishlist for aaaages), but since the heel products were on sale and lawd knows my heels are dry as a bone in the winter, I thought I'd give them a try (especially since if you spend $50+ you get free shipping!). All you have to do is check out the Last Orders section to see what's on sale.

The sale ends January 23 (two days before my birthday!) so check it out if you're interested! I'll make sure to review these items after I've received and used them a bit.

What would you get to get from Butter London? Are you planning to get anything during this sale?

A Look I Want: Cordelia's Floral Skirt in AHS S3E11

Good evening everyone!

I haven't mentioned it on my blog before, but I am in love with the fashion on this TV show! Especially with what Cordelia wears. Her style is so similar to what I'd like to see in my own wardrobe in the future. Tonight I watched episode 11 with my SO and I told him that I was absolutely in love with the skirt she wore tonight in the latter part of the episode (shown above).  

Eventually I was able to find a post about it on wornontv, and here were their suggestions:

Ted Baker Full Skirt in All Over Floral Print, ASOS, SOLD OUT

Cotton Spandex Jersey Double U-Neck Long Sleeve Bodysuit, AA, $38

PERFECT-FIT BALLET BUTTON TEE, J. Crew, $29.50

Now, I think these are GREAT suggestions. And the skirt is the exact same one used in the show, in fact. If it weren't for the pricetag ($142.60, yikes!) or the fact that it was sold out, I probably would've bought the skirt. I love floral patterns, and especially ones that look like beautiful oil paintings. So since this skirt is sold out, I thought I would go on a little internet adventure and see if I couldn't find something similar (or at least something that I liked as much). It's important to note I wasn't only so found of the pattern (pretty flowers on a black background) but that I also really loved the high-waited fit, the pleats, and the fullness of the skirt (I'm also a sucker for zippers, so the zipper on the back was indeed a nice touch).

As it turns out, nothing was "good enough" for me (so not close enough in design, structure, or colors) other than a different Ted Baker skirt:

which was also about $200 and sold out everywhere I found it. Sigh. I guess Ted Baker is my new favorite designer? I had really hoped to find a similar skirt online, since it's one of the prettiest I've seen! I guess I'll have to keep my eyes pealed (no spoilers, no spoilers!) and hope to find something similar in my searching!

Have you found a skirt similar to these you like? Are you also a fan of Ted Baker or of American Horror Story? Let me know! I'd love to hear.

Cheers!

Model Behavior

Good evening everyone!

When I ordered my Revealed palette from Coastal Scents they also sent me a sample of this pretty quad of shadows called Model Behavior (unfortunately a quick search on their site yields no results, but I do rather like these colors). I thought I would try them out today, along with my favorite lipstick, MAC's Twig. 

I did "Reef Sand" in the inner corners of my eyes, "Petal Peach" for the lighter color on my lid and "Deep Cider" as the darker color and my crease. Overall, I'm very happy with this pigments and I love the way they look! I also attempted a winged eyeliner look, but since I mostly do makeup by feel it was fairly hard to accomplish, sadly. Oh well. 

Ps - I hate the effect my glasses have in pictures... Oh well. I think I look silly without them!

Do you have these shades? How do you wear them? Let me know!

Cheers!

Say Yes to Cucumbers calming facial mask review

Good afternoon everyone!

My plans for today had to be changed due to various reasons (one being the massive amount of snow we're currently getting), so I decided to make today a "me" day, and part of that is using this Say Yes to Cucumbers calming facial mask. Normally I would include a link, but I can't find a link to the single use facial masks anywhere (leading me to believe they must be only in-store); for reference, I picked this up at Target for around $2.00. (And I'm not crazy, here another blogger mentions them too. :P) 

I ripped off the top on the perforated line, but found that it actually didn't open the product (boo, this is one of my least favorite things in life). Luckily for me I own scissors (you'd be surprised at how many fellow college students I know who don't) so I cut down a little further and was able to then squeeze the product onto my fingers. It's quite a bit lighter than other facial masks I've used, and it went on smoothly and didn't dry so fast that I had to race against the clock to get it on my face.

My biggest complaint is that there is way too much product for a single use. I only ended up using about half the bag/rectangle/container/thing. So I had to fold it over and stick it in a plastic bag, hoping that it'll be good for at least one more use (since I hate to waste product). I left it on for the recommended five minutes, and it was easy enough to wash off, which is always a pleasant turn of events (I'm recalling one facial mask I tried where I felt like I was battling a parasitic alien which decided to take up residence on my face and refused to leave even with the most vigorous of scrubbing). My face was smooth and soft, so overall it was a good experience for me.

I have, however, read several bad reviews for this product, and some people did not have very good experiences (lots of complaints of this product leaving the skin red, blotchy, and irritated). To be honest I picked this up on a whim, and I probably wouldn't pick it up again. While I gave it a 4/5 on MakeupAlley, it wasn't all that great for the price and I'm disappointed that there was so much extra product (I really hope it doesn't dry up before I can use what's left). I'll definitely try and use up what I have, but I think I'll try something else next time.

Have you tried this product? Have a facial mask to suggest? Let me know!

Cheers!

Cleaning Closet

Good afternoon everyone!

One of my New Year's Resolutions (I promise I'll do a blog post about that before the end of the month!) is to finally get control of my wardrobe. Here's what I mean by that: I want to get rid of the clothes I don't wear, buy a few things to revitalize and freshen up my look, and then be happy with what I have.

For the longest time I worked in retail, first a thrift store and then a consignment store, and so I amassed A TON of clothes. A lot of them were impulse buys, I'll be honest (and it didn't help that at the consignment store if an item had a blemish and the consignor didn't want to take the item home, we as employees got dibs) because the clothes were just soooo cheap (at least that's how I rationalized it).

At my old apartment my closet stretched from one end of my room to the other, so I had tons of space to store all my clothes, so I didn't really focus on getting rid of any of them. This didn't work out so well for me, however, because over the summer I had to move home for a month before moving here, and there were clothes EVERYWHERE. So I actually already went through all my clothes once, and get rid of about half of them.

But I still have a buttload of clothes that I never wear. Some of them I wore frequently three or four years ago, but don't really fit my style anymore. Some of them I haven't worn ever, either because they don't fit or they don't look right on me or frankly I just don't like them. And that really isn't a good way to shop or a good way to have a wardrobe.

So now I'm stuck at a point where I have only a small handful of clothes I actually like wearing, a slightly bigger handful of clothes I grudgingly wear, and a bunch of clothes I don't like at all (and what's worse is I still have clothes back home as well that I need to sort through). So one of my big goals for 2014 is to get my wardrobe to a place where I like the things I own and that I wear the things I own. The first step, then, is to get rid of what needs to go.

So there you have it, the first wave of the 2014 donates (here I present you with 13 pieces of clothing, ranging from what I wore in high school, to higher end items I got last year, to a reeeeeeaally old Gap fuzzy orange sweater I wore in high school to football games since our colors were orange and black). I'll keep everyone posted as I buff up my wardrobe and get rid of more things.

Do you have a wardrobe-related New Year's Resolution? Tell me about it!

Cheers!

88 Original Palette

Good afternoon everyone!

Today I thought I would share a bit about the biggest palette I own, and the one that really got me "in" to makeup again after a long hiatus. I bought it last year sometime before I really knew about the Coastal Scents website, and in fact got it as a deal from somewhere else. The most used color for me is the brown I use to help fill in and perfect my brows, but I've started to expand into some other colors lately, and it's a great feeling to finally be using up this palette!

Right now it's on sale for $11.95, and while it isn't the best shadow I've ever used, I do enjoy the variety of shades. It comes with two applicators, but I've really grown found of my ELF "C" brush so I don't really use them. I have noticed some fallout problems after a long day of wear, but nothing too shocking that would make me not want to use this product. 

Honestly, for the price I think it's a great starting point for someone who's new to makeup and color and really just wants to experiment a bit. That's what I've been doing, and I've really liked the outcome! It's also so cheap you don't have to feel stingy when using these shadows, so you could devote an entire day to trying different colors and looks and not feel bad about "wasting" the product. I've actually thought of doing a post dedicated to my explorations with this palette (because I'm still learning the ropes too!), so maybe that will crop up one of these days!

Do you own this palette? How do you feel about it? Have you created any looks with these colors? Let me know!

Cheers!

A product I am excited about: Revealed Palette

Good afternoon everyone!

So I must confess, as I've gotten more into makeup and have been browsing around, trying to find new things to add to my arsenal, I've started to lust after the Naked 3 palette. I've seen some absolutely beautiful looks done with this palette, and the more I looked the more I wanted... Until I saw the $52 USD price tag. and while I have waaaay more than $52 worth of stuff on my makeup wishlist, since there are so many other things I want to get right now (like a good primer and a clear lip liner) I decided I'd just have to wait. 

Then I did some digging, and I saw a lot of people recommend this Coastal Scents Revealed Palette as a good dupe. Normally it's $19.95, but I just ordered it for 25% off, making the total for the product (not shipping) $14.95. It's got 5 stars on the website's reviews, and I've heard so many good things I think the price and the steep shipping cost (it was $6.95 at the cheapest) was worth it. I'll report back as soon as it arrives on my door step! What are you excited for? Have you tried this product, or Naked 3? Let me know!

Until then, cheers!

A product I am excited about: Maybelline Baby Skin

Good afternoon all!

Today it is quite cold here (around -50 Fahrenheit!) and while my SO tried to leave the apartment, his car wouldn't start so we were forced to stay in instead (and wait for my landlady to come and see why there was no heat in our apartment...) so I decided to lift my spirits I would post about a product I'm dying to try!

The item is Maybelline's Baby Skin Primer, which is fresh to the US market.

It's been on the Asian market for a bit now, and the few reviews I've seen (mostly from reddit's MUA subreddit) have been quite good, and for $6.99 it can't really be beat! I was thinking of getting Sephora's Primer but since this has gotten good reviews and is cheaper, I think I'll start here.

As a note, Amazon and Target online didn't have this product, and I could only find it at CVS's website! As far as I know it's very new, so I hope I can order it soon (before it sells out).

I'll report back as soon as I order one of these babies for myself! Have you tried this out yet? Let me know!

Cheers!

Winter weekly/daily hair care routine

Good evening everyone!

Today was one of the (few) days that I let myself wash my hair in the shower, and it gave me the idea to share my hair care routine. Firstly, red is a very hard color to keep, and since I can only really afford to get my hair dyed one every other month, keeping it as bright as possible is really important to me. If I washed my hair even every other day or every two days, it would wash out in no time and I would be left with pink hair (and I really don't like it when people comment on my hair being "pink" :c). So instead I use dry shampoo, and wash with water and shampoo/conditioner about once every two weeks.

Yup, you heard me: once every two weeks.

When I say that a lot of times people are rather shocked. And truth be told, it wasn't easy to transition from washing my hair more regularly to stretching it out as long as I possibly could. But it is doable, especially with dry shampoo (for anyone with dyed hair, it soon becomes your best friend).

I also use aloe vera, and it's super great because my hair becomes very dry from the dying and from the weather (and it's always been a bit dry anyway). I rub a little into my scalp and hair every night before going to bed. Here's a good blog post by someone else as to why aloe vera is so great for your hair!

I also use a really nice hair lotion that sits on your hair for five minutes before being washed out,and it works wonders. I can feel the difference immediately! I really like the effect it has on my hair.

Product List:

• Blousey Shampoo from Lush
• American Cream Conditioner from Lush
• Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment Lotion for Fine/Normal Dry Hair
• Aloe Vera (Savila) Moisturizing Beauty Cream
• Suave Dry Shampoo Spray

I have a few other hair products I use from time to time, but this has been my routine more regularly. I also have palm oil, a hair mask, and a protective spray (that I use more in the summer since I'm outside and in the sun more then) that I also use sometimes, but those are all at my dad's house so for now, this is what I have to work with! I'm sure my hair care routine will change eventually, I do like to try out new things now and again.

What's your routine like? Let me know!

Cheers!

Kate Moss for Rimmel Haul

Good afternoon everyone!

I hope everybody had a fun and safe New Years celebration (or if you didn't celebrate that you still had a good night and a good end to 2013); I spent the first part of the night with my SO's family and then my SO and I went to a friend's place to play Cards Against Humanity and drink bubblies. It was a good night indeed that ended with Star Trek.

Unfortunately this morning I woke up feeling less than stellar (curse my luck), but I did get the joy of having my Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipstick haul arrive! I ordered four lipsticks from Walmart, sort of on a whim. I say sort of because I wanted 107 because I saw a post on this blog and fell in love, but the other colors I decided to try, mostly because I tend to stay in the same color range and never try anything new. And for under $5 a tube, why not?

I was a bit disappointed that a few were a bit smooshed at the top when they arrived, but other than that they arrived safely at my door. I'm also a little hesitant about the lighter, more coral colors, but I can't decide if that's just because I'm not feeling well and am deathly pale or if I will always feel cool toward them (if so, I'm sure my roommate would like some new lipstick).

I also have to apologize about the squiggly lines for my swatch picture - I'm left-handed so drawing straight lines with my right hand is nearly impossible, haha. 

107 is by far my favorite; I'm a huge fan of the dark colors and it seems to go well with my skin tone. (It's much darker when I apply it to my lips, by the by). To be honest, however, I'm not a huge fan of the formula. I tried both different formulas with both lip balm underneath and no lip balm, and both ways the application and color distribution wasn't nearly as smooth or even as I'd like it to be (so sadly, it doesn't stand up to my MAC lipstick and L'Oreal lipstick). I'm willing to experiment and see if maybe when I feel a bit better it looks better, so maybe I'll report back then (and include pictures of these lovely colors on my lips!) which may be later in the week or in the month.

Has anyone else tried these lipsticks? Were you a fan or no - and why or why not? Let me know!

Cheers!