Carry On Bag - Beauty

I'm ever so slowly packing. Very, very slowly. But, since one of the products I ordered off of Amazon came in, I decided to start packing the lotions, shampoo, moisturizer part of my luggage. The bigger containers went into one of my suitcases that will be checked,  but for the carry on bag, I had to raid my stash of hotel and beauty counter supplies.

via Amazon

Yes...I have a stash. And I'm not ashamed, when I travel anywhere, that's what I end up packing from. It's just easier, and cheaper, than running out to Walmart or Target and raiding their $1 section for the mini-sized products.

And tonight, I suppose I'll start packing some of my measly number of clothes that will translate over to the weather in Scotland. There's about a 25 degree (Fahrenheit) difference in temperature at the moment.

Or, put another way...that has made everyone but me laugh. The average summer temperature over there is about the average winter temperature here (if it's a cloudy and rainy day).

I've bought a huge coat. And gloves. And glove warmers. And a snuggie. Don't judge.

Cos Bar at Target

Target's newest collaboration is with a bunch of boutique shoppes. I've been trying to curtail my shopping habits so I didn't rush out right away and get any of the new stuff.

By the time I managed to get around to perusing Target, most of the stuff had been pretty picked over, but I still got some cute things from the Cos Bar "shoppe".

I've only managed to play with the two nail-polishes so far but I'm quite excited about the rest of the stuff.

Target.com foot file, eye mask

Target.com tweezers (purple) and (green), body butter and body scrub

From Target.com, purple (L) and bronze (R)

I'm not a massive fan of all the colors and packaging though. It's kinda strangely Halloween-ish. Not that it stopped me on the tweezers. But it's why I didn't get any bags or mirrors--not quite my style. I think it had to be a lot of other's peoples because the line was mostly sold out.

From GirlyBubble

Additional Websites:

1. Target.com
2. Cos Bar Website
3. Cos Bar on Pinterest.com

beauty...on the cheap

I LOOOOOOVEEE Pinterest. Sure, I spend most of my time on the site convincing myself I have the domestic superpowers of Martha Stewart instead of admitting the fact that I get easily distracted and would probably NEVER finish that DIY earrings holder.

But I'm a step up from some of my friends. I have never set a toilet on fire (true story) nor I have burned the kitchen in the dormitory with easy mac (also true story...). In comparison, I'm a domestic genius!

But that's besides the point. So...favorite thing on Pinterest has to be the beauty pins. Which is how I happened upon the Real Simple website. Some of these aren't new to me (lemon in hair, sugar as a scrub) but some were super interesting, although I don't know if I could bring myself to slather my hand in cooking spray.

• Cooking Spray as Manicure Setter 
• Cornstarch as Makeup Setter

• Baking Soda added to Shampoo to remove product buildup in hair
• Baby Powder as Dry Shampoo
• Lemon juice as hair lightener (flashback to the 80s right?)

• Vaseline as Mascara/length enhancing shine by Petroleum Jelly
• Sugar as a Lip Scrub

Beach Essentials

It's April...which means it's warm enough for the beach! Yay!!!

I love going to the beach--as long as I can sit under an umbrella, slathered in sunscreen with a good book and plenty of water.

My beach bag is packed (with lots of books) and I'm thrilled to have a lax day with one of my girlfriends (who's visiting from up North).

1. Big floppy beach hats are a must! Skin cancer is nothing to be lax about. This is a pretty one from Sears.

2. Cute sunglasses help with the glare from the sun. Plus, they protect your eyes. I love retro ones!

3. Flip flops are made for the beach! P.S. You don't want searing hot shoes after being on the beach all day. Turn them over and put them under your towel. The soles won't burn your feet then.

4. Do you know the best time to buy bathing suits? Winter. Victoria's Secret always has the cutest bikinis.

5. Lacoste Beach Bag (I LOVE this bag. It's so summer-ey!).

6. I've read this book twice. And I still love it. I saw it had won an Edgar Award when I was browsing around Borders during it's closeout days (sadness). I don't even know what an Edgar Award is, but Tana French so deserves it. In the Woods was so titillating! It's a murder mystery in the present with a murder mystery from the past all set in Ireland.

7. Staying hydrated (from non-alcoholic drinks) is important. You would not believe the number of people I've seen drop because of lack of hydration. And if you use eco-friendly water bottles it's better for the environment. Plus these are super cute. I have one in purple that I love!

8. Sophie Littlefield's A Bad Day for Pretty. Which is another crime novel (but it has a romance in it!). AND she has great titles. A Bad Day for Sorry, A Bad Day for Scandal.

9. Chapstick. Or any moisturizing lip balm. But I like Chapstick (with SPF)

10. Picnic baskets! Even if you hit up one of the great seafood places on the beach, having snacks is always  a great idea. Be ready to fight a seagull.

11. Elizabeth George's 17th Lynley novel called Believing the Lie. I love her series. I might not know any British royal things...but I know who Lord Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton is (don't tell me it doesn't exist). It's a murder mystery too. There's a theme here...

12. Sunscreen. I don't know how to say it without sounding like a crazy person. Wear sunscreen. ESPECIALLY on the beach. Skin cancer is horrible. And yes..I wear SPF 100. I own that bottle.

13. While browsing TJMaxx last week I saw a medium sized bundle of beach mats. I didn't really give it much of a thought until I passed by again and saw that the pile had dwindled down to about five mats. Obviously they were selling fast. I moseyed on by and saw the cutest things ever (they had been rolled up). They were Tommy Hilfiger and the price was really low (reeeeally low). I have the pink flamingo and green mat. I love it already and it's going to the beach with me.

14. Fun leopard beach towel. Ah-mazing

15. Ok. I'll admit this is a bit extreme compared to my TJMaxx deal. But this is a beach mat for more than one person. Plus is has pockets for drinks and your phone. It's brilliant! AND it was designed by a SCAD (great school) graduate named Julie.

Another BB Cream post

So I've been playing with the Garnier BB Cream I bought in light/medium. After perusing through about ten different beauty forums looking at reviews and suggestions, I found a post that suggested mixing it with foundation.

Image from here

My camera charger cord is MIA, so I'll have to post pics later but now I'm only slightly orange-ish (hardly noticeable really).

Anyways, the whole point was to link to this thing I found via Pinterest (which is sooooo highly addictive). The site's called Total Beauty, and their editors made a list of their favorite BB Creams. Garnier's version makes their cut because it's affordability.

I'll put the link below. I'm seriously considering the Boscia or the Dr. Jart after I run out of the Garnier (and all my other tinted moisturizer). It'll be awhile...I'm a tad bit addicted to make up.




Links:

http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/best-bb-creams