January ipsy bag review

Hi Friends,

Well here we go, I am a tough critic. I admit it, if I am allowing you to take $10 from my bank account every month I expect good to great things. I expect undamaged samples. I expect great smelling - undamaged samples no less. If I click that I like to "try new things" in my survey or choose a picture to look like Nicki Minaj as opposed to Meryl Streep, I expect to find something colorful in my bag/box/card/purse/etc. Ya feel me?

Imagine my amazement when I opened my ipsy bag and it was full, so full that one item wouldn't even fit! Full of fun, colorful, new, and exciting products!

1. London SOHO New York Concealer Brush

2. Pacifica  Tuscan Blood Orange, Body Butter

3. bigsexyhair Spray and Play, Volumizing Hairspray

4. Nailtini Nail Lacquer in Bloody Mary

5. Josie Maran Argan Oil

ipsy is a company that KNOWS its customers. They understand my high expectations. I love my monthly bag and I adore the high end, quality products!  I have been wanting a concealer brush and I have been wanting to try Josie Maran's Argan Oil! I hear you can use it on your hair, cuticles and face! It is great to have yet another great bag full of things I will use and could even take on my business trips that I have coming up! Check them out at http://www.ipsy.com/

They do have a wait list but believe you me, it is worth it! I also hear that it moves quickly! You can also try it out for a 3 month period which is great for people who might still be in love with their other beauty subscriptions, or a great birthday gift for your favorite beauty gal!

xoxo

M 

Sick Day

Hi Friends, well I have been down and out but I promise next week I will have an update on the ol' hair products and another beauty find! Talk to you soon.

xoxo

M

New Beauty Finds

Hi there!
I am going to start the New Year off WRIT-ING. ;)

So I decided that I have a ton of beauty products and I need to start using them up and hold myself accountable. Until I start finishing up products, I won't buy anything new. So to start off I will show off the newest members of my Beauty family. I will also add a section (once I figure out how) that if I have a sample product that I don't like and you love, maybe a perfume or something that isn't weird to "share" we can figure out how to get it to you!

So my current favorites are:

1.      OPI "I brake for Manicures", I recently got this color on my toes and while I refuse to post pictures of feet (yuck!) I will tell you this is a beautiful smoky purple gray color. I love a good purple and a good gray so this little bottle is my new favorite!

2.      It's a 10, Miracle Leave-In plus Keratin. This product is something I tried with a hairstylist friend and I loved! But it comes with a hefty price tag. Here is a secret of mine; my boyfriend’s mom has her beauty license and shops at all sorts of fun beauty supply stores! She recently took me and we had a ball! It was $9 and some change? Normally this product would be around $25. Find a hair stylist and buy him/her a Starbucks on the way!

3.      Aquage, Texturizing spray. This cute little bottle is filled with magic. Yep, I said magic. It is the best product for that perfect beachy, piecey and volumized hair! Sure you can make your own, but if you don’t want to, grab this little bottle! 

4.      L'Oreal Advanced Hair care Color Vibrancy Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner. I picked these up on our Christmas trip to Indiana, I hate taping, bagging and saying a prayer for my shampoo to fly and make it to my destination. I also hate those travel bottles, paying half the price for the tiniest bottle is not on my to-do list. So I don’t pack it, I don’t worry and I buy some when I get there. This shampoo is great! My hair color has some red in it and it definitely brought out more red but I love it! The conditioner smells great, is light weight and non-greasy. My hair feels smooth and has a beautiful shine to it. I am really happy that I liked it for our week away and happy to safe it made its way into my suitcase back to California!

Have you tried any new beauty products that you adore?

xoxo
Maya

*All reviews and opinions are my own*

High Five for Friday!

1. I work at a University and get the amazing perk of enjoying our student life! This week our students put on an amazing Polynesian Festival on campus! There was food, music and these beautiful dancers! We also enjoyed a cultural dancer from Samoa, he was a great speaker/dancer/entertainer!

2. The boyfriend chose this trek mix from Trader Joes. It is crunchy/soft and salty/ sweet! Perfect mix to take on a hike or to the movies!

3. Barnes and Noble has so many adorable little finds, this sign is perfect for Halloween!

4. Speaking of Barnes and Noble, have you seen these decorative books they have!? I die. I graduated with a Literature and Writing degree and kept all of my books. There is something so special about children's books and their beautiful written tales, when I have children, they (I) will own these :)

Lastly, a picture at one the 5 high schools I get to work at, this was at a back to school night. Its campus is over 100 years old and sits less than a mile away from the Pacific Ocean. Oh the perks of living in California :)

High five for Friday!!

1. Childish Fun at work!
2. Birchbox arrivals!! (Anyone want to trade nail polish colors?)
3. New watch from... Kmart!! Thank you Sofia Vergara.
4. Nails that match my office supplies
5. Good hair days/ waves

Frugal Find: T.J.Maxx

While I have been on my work adventures and life/moving adventures I found a few frugal finds, but the past is the past you know what I mean? I could post all the pictures but why? Let's focus on the present! Today I forced asked my sweet boyfriend if he wanted to go to T.J. Maxx, he jumped for joy ;) and out the door we went!

 

While I found a lot of adorable bags, I didn't capitalize on them. One Steve Madden was on clearence for $20, but I saw a flaw and decided if it sat on the shelf for that long and it somehow got messed up...then I was going to pass on buying it.

 

After walking thru the entire store and only finding a Camelbak water bottle for $12, I walked sadly up to the registers. I love T.J Maxx's sneaky way of putting all of these cute little things that you HAVE to buy right before you get to the register! Luckily for them and me, that is where I found the stash..

 

Colorful, bright, pastel, neon and sparkly. Like little bottles of instant happiness. Yep Essie Nail Polish. While I have explained my addiction to nail polish before, I must confess that last weekend in a moment of weakness necessity, I gave half of my nail polishes away, to my amazing older sisters. So I didn't feel too bad for buying these three, how could I pass them up at only $3.99 a bottle! I bought the shades: Very Structured, Absolutely Shore, and Soiree Mauve.

Quick Frugal Tip: I have this habit of getting my phone out and googling shades of nail polish, lip glosses, eyeshadows etc while in stores, it helps me cut down on my spending and I get what I will really use and want.

 

 

 

 

While I was out I got this lip gloss (I also gave away a bunch of makeup!) It is by Maybelline and called Baby Lips, the shade is 25: Pink Punch. It is a lovely pink shade, baby lips are very similiar to Revlon Lip Butters, very moisturizing and colorful. I like that it is light and buildable, not as pigmented as Revlon Lip Butters but I like it for a nice quick lip and day to day moisture.

 

Well that's it for this trip to T.J. Maxx. 

 

Lovelovelove

M

 

 

-- I was not paid for my reviews of these products, they were purchesed by me and all my opinons are my own (clearly) ;)

 

 

 

 

High Five for Friday

Hello my dear friends!
I am going to start off with a High Five for Friday.

There are several things I love about From My Grey Desk.
First off, Lauren is adorable and hilarious, if she lived a bit closer to California I am sure we would be best friends. You know when you read a blog, and just start cracking up like you know the person and exactly how they would say what they typed? See #10, this is where I knew we needed to be friends. I was dying in laughter.
Secondly I want her hair, I can't for the life of me figure out the center part. Hers has volume, is cute, isn't in her face...hopefully she does a little tutorial wink-wink.

Alright now time to link-up!

 

 

1. My sweetheart and I headed to the ballpark for a Alumni game planned by my Alma Mater.

2. This cardigan is heaven on earth, I have already planned out several of my fall outfits around it, so hopefully I purchase it soon! Yes this California Girl is a Bama fan! Roll Tide! (My brother in law is from Alabama and I love him so...it just makes sense right?)

3. Pho Ga is amazing, even on unbearably hot days.

4. L'Oreal Voluminous, I get asked about my lashes a lot. I can post a before picture if you want that too. I have long lashes as it is but they aren't very full, so this plumps them up a bit.

5. Lindsay at http://www.delightedmomma.com/ and I grew up on the same street when we were little girls and I went to her house with my best friend, maybe two years ago for a Christmas party. It was then that she told me about Tea Tree Oil and since then I have used this on every little pimple since, it is magic. I use it after I wash my face, one tiny dab, then head to bed and when I wake up it is drastically decreased in size, in pain etc.

 

lovelovelove

M