Sarah's OOTD

I'll start this post by saying I have a love affair with Old Navy. Their prices are good, their quality is good, and I can always find something that works for me when I go to their stores. This so why over half of my outfit today came from there and why I felt I should express my love for them. We've also has a couple days of amazing spring weather so I was so happy to not have to wear a coat.

Shirt :Old Navy (old)

Jeans: YMI

Shoes: Old Navy (similar here they're sparkly and here)

Necklace: Old Navy (little different but i like it)

Headband: Target

Also i did a little shopping and picked up a couple things from the MAC Archie's girl collection, which by now i'm sure most people have at least seen swatches of. I picked up a lipgloss in Kiss and Don't Tell, which i absolutely love! It comes off on your lips like a bright coral color and it is perfect for Spring. I also picked up two of the pearlglide eyeliners, in Petrol Blue, a dark navy, and in Designer Purple, a dark purple. I love these eyeliners, the colors are vibrant and they literally glide right on and stay on all day. I really wanted to pick up the lipstick in Betty Bright, but alas it eluded me because it's amazing and sold out in a day. Oh well. And also i must add the packaging for this  whole collection was adorable.

This or That: Lexi's Edition

Hey guys, sorry it has been a while. I was sick for a week and a half and then I have been dealing with some personal things. I haven't been able to write a post but hopefully things will be getting back to normal and I can post more regularly now.

I was watching YouTube videos and found this one from Stilababe09. I thought to myself, "that looks like fun" and thought I would do it as a post since I don't make videos... yet.

Makeup:
Blush or Bronzer: Blush
Lip Gloss or Lipstick: Lipstick
Eye liner or Mascara: Mascara
Foundation or Concealer: Foundation (I don't even use concealer)
Neutral or Color eye shadow: Neutral
Pressed or Loose eye shadows: Pressed
Brushes or Sponges: Brushes

Nails:
OPI or China Glaze: OPI
Long or Short: Long, but not too long
Acrylic or natural: Natural
Brights or Darks : Brights
Flower or No flower: No flower

Body:
Perfume or Body Splash: Depends
Lotion or Body Butter: Johnson bedtime baby lotion (only one I use)
Body Wash or Soap: Wash
Lush or other Bath Company: Bath and Body Works

Fashion:
Jeans or Sweat pants: Yoga pants
Long Sleeve of Short: Short
Dresses or Skirts: Dresses
Stripes or Plaid : Stripes
Flip Flops or Sandals: Sandals
Scarves or Hats: Scarves
Studs or Dangly earrings: Studs
Necklaces or Bracelets: Neclaces
Heels or Flats: Flats
Cowboy boots or Riding boots: Cowboy
Jacket or Hoodie: Jacket
Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe: Forever 21, but really neither (Target for cheap clothes)
Abercombie or Hollister: again, neither
Saks 5th or Nordstrom: Nordstrom

Hair:
Curly or Straight: Curly
Bun or Ponytail: depends
Bobby pins or Butterfly clips: Bobby pins
Hair Spray or Gel: Spray
Long or Short: Long
Light or Dark: Depends
Side sweep bangs or Full bangs: what are full bangs?
Up or Down: Down

Random:
Rain or Shine: Shine
Summer or Winter: Summer
Fall or Spring: Spring
Chocolate or Vanilla: Both
East coast or West coast: East

Sarahs January Favorites

Since January is coming to a close I thought I would share some of my favorite products I've been using this month.

First off is my makeup remover face wipes. I've been using the brand simple wipes for a long time but when I was at CVS the other day I saw these which seem to be new. They have more benefits and nutrients that are good for your skin than the original ones do. This brand is sold everywhere from Target to drugstores to Ulta but they are usually cheaper at places like Target and Walmart. I love these because they easily get all my makeup off and they don't leave my skin feeling dry like some other wipes have.

Purchase online here (these are the original, didn't see mine here)

My next favorite is my Ecotools slanted eyeliner brush purchased at Ulta. I love the Ecotools line of brushes, their quality is amazing, they have a wide selection of brushes, but the price is what makes them amazing for me. I just recently in the past year got away from using stick eyeliners and now i use more cream and darker eyeshadow as my liner and this brush makes it super easy. The slant makes the line go on your eyes at the perfect angle and the bristles are soft enough not to hurt your eyes but firm enough not to lose their shape as you're making a straight line.

Purchase online here (Ulta)

Next up is the Salon Secrets nail polish thinner from Sally's Beauty supply. I have a lot of  nail polish and some of my favorite older bottles and some of my top coats were getting thick and hard to apply. So i bought this nail polish thinner at Sally's and all you do is apply a few drops into each bottle you want to fix. It restores your polishes consistency to the original easy to use thinness. It does work wonders too for my thickest oldest polish it worked and i can happily use my favorite older colors again.

Purchase online (Sally's)

Next up is my Lorac Unzipped palette. I love  neutrals and tend to always buy them over bright colors. I debated between this and the Lorac pro palette but ended up with this one, which i love. The colors are highly pigmented and there is a mix of matte and shimmer shadows and a good mix of light and dark shadows. The staying power on its own is pretty good, but with a primer the shadow lasted all day for me without creasing.

Purchase online here (Ulta)

Last but certainly not least is one of the new Maybelline Color Whisper lip sticks.I picked up the shade One Size Fits Pearl, which is a lighter shade of pink, almost baby pink. The consistency of this leans more towards a lip butter, and it didnt dry out my lips like some lipsticks are known to do.  This shade is a little light but for everyday when you don't want a bright noticeable color this does the trick. The staying power is also pretty good and lasted through me drinking through a straw, which other lip products in the past have not.

Purchase online (Ulta)

So there you have the five products I've been using this month and can't get enough of.

Lexi's Makeup Storage Tips

Here are some tips and tricks on ways to store and organize your makeup.

Tip #1: Keep your makeup out of the bathroom. The steam and heat from your makeup can damage and change the composition of it over time. We all know makeup is pricey. That's why we want to keep it top condition for as long as possible.

Tip #2: Keep makeup away from light. Don't store it under a lamp or in front of a window.

Tip #3: Keep paint pots and cream eyeshadow stored upside down, with lids screwed on tightly. This keeps them from drying out.

Tip #4: Find a way to organize that makes you happy and find containers that you really like. Even if it's unconventional, if you like it, you are much more likely to keep it neat and organized.

Tip #5: Throw out those mascaras. If it has been more than six months, or they have dried up, your mascara needs to be replaced. Even the mascaras that are still going strong after six months should be tossed. The formulas can break down into chemicals that are harmful to your eyes.

This is how I currently store my makeup:

Makeup drawers can be purchased at Amazon or Container Store

These are just a few tips I have picked up along the way from endless browsing of the web, from watching YouTube videos, and from reading books and magazines.

Disclaimer: Photos are my own unless otherwise noted. 

Sarah's OOTD and NOTD

This is what I wore to work today I try to get as many layers as possible because it was the teens when I left this morning and my job tends to stay cold.
 

Shirt: Ralph Lauren- thrifted  (similar here and here)

Black Jeans: Levi's (here)

Gray open cardigan: Old Navy (old) (similar here)

Belt: came with a dress

Tiger Necklace: Ebay

Boots: Kmart (here on sale)

 Also while at Ulta the other day I picked up some new Revlon polishes which I used on my nails. This is two coats Minted with two coats of Whimsical on top. I am seriously impressed with the staying power. I've had this polish on since Friday and only today has it chipped a little. That's better than some of my more expensive polishes. 

Disclaimer: All pictures are mine unless stated otherwise.

Lexi's Beauty Inspirations

I love searching for new beauty looks and tips. I pretty much use my free time looking for new beauty looks - I know, get a life. Hah. Seriously though, I want to make sure that my makeup looks good and that I'm not wearing the same look everyday. So I am here to show you where I get my inspiration. BTW, I like a more natural look, I believe that everyone is beautiful and makeup should enhance what is already there. You should still be recognizable when you are not wearing any makeup.

My number one beauty inspiration is: Lauren Conrad

 I find her to be a truly beautiful and classy lady and her makeup always looks flawless. Her makeup wasn't always flawless though, she learned as she grew up and got older. If you don't believe me go back to the first couple seasons of  the Hills. She was still beautiful and still looked amazing, but her makeup could have used a little improvement.

The Bobbi Brown book is excellent for anyone just learning about Makeup.

Best of YouTube: Macbarbie07

Source: Her twitter

This is Bethany, or Macbarbie07. I absolutely love her she is so bubbly and so much fun to watch. She also does amazing looks that are very easy to recreate. Her channel.

Honorable YouTube mentions: beautybaby44, StilaBabe09, and breelovesbeauty

Magazine inspiration:
 
I also draw a lot of inspiration from magazine covers, I love to try and recreate the looks from many magazines. My favorite magazines are PeopleStyleWatch, INSTYLE, and Self (but that one is just for health tips not beauty).

Celeb Favorite: Blake Lively

Source

 

Holy cow, how gorgeous is she? There is just too much amazingness in one package. Her makeup is always flawless, and she is hot as h-e-double hockey sticks. On top of all of that, she seems to have an amazing personality.

Disclaimer: Photos are my own unless otherwise noted.

Sarah's Beauty Inspirations

I was always interested in beauty/fashion, but i was always looking for more inspiration or looks to recreate. I then found blogger and Youtube, and watching beauty videos and reading blogs became one of my favorite past times. These are some of  my favorites.

Favorite Youtuber - Beautybaby44 

Source: her twitter

This is Beautybaby44 or Lindsey. She was one of the first people i followed on Youtube. I love her channel because not only does she beauty she also does fashion and tutorials on hair and other various things. She is very upbeat and you can tell she loves fashion and makeup and doing her videos. I have learned about a lot of new products from watching her videos. This is her channel 

Favorite blogger - Veronikas Blushing 

 

Source: her facebook

This is Veronika from the blog Veronika's Blushing. Again she was one of the first blogs i found and she has remained a favorite. I love her blog because she mixes her blog with doing videos and eventually that it what i would like to do. She also has a very well rounded blog covering lots of different types of products including skincare and haircare. Her blog

I also love looking at various magazines and websites for inspiration. My go to website for beauty reviews is  http://www.musingsofamuse.com/ She literally reviews every new product from drugstore brands to Chanel and YSL. I love finding out about upcoming collections from this website and it is very well organized and readable.

I could go on listing all the blogs and videos i love, but that would take all day, so i'll just stick with these and hope to continue finding more to add to my ever growing list of favorites.