26 December 2016

HandPicked Beauty Box

Welcome back, little birdies!

I have an exciting post! I've subscribed to my first subscription box! I've been on the hunt for some really good boxes to receive when HandPicked Beauty Box contacted me to check them out. It's a fairly new box that was started by a fellow blogger, Los Angeles Mamma . Now, other beauty boxes are $10 - $20 for 4 - 5 sample sized products depending on the which one you go for. This box is slightly more expensive paying $40 a month. The reason why this box is a bit more expensive is because Alexia (Los Angeles Mamma) includes FULL sized products. So for full sized items for $40 is a great deal. I received my first box just the other day and I was absolutely ecstatic to see everything that was inside.



First thing I pulled out was this Biossance 100% Natural Vegetable Fiber Face Sponge. It looks so interesting that I'm actually so excited to use it and see how it works out for me. It's a hard sponge in the case that says you have to soak for 15 minutes the first time you use it. It's supposed to exfoliate, refine pores, remove makeup and apparently can be used without cleansers. I'm so excited to try this out and see how it works out for me. I've not seen anything like it before.



The second thing I saw was another Biossance product. To be honest, I've never heard of this brand before. It looks like a great plant based brand. This product that I received is a full sized Biossance cleansing oil. I've never really heard of a cleansing oil before. From what I'm reading, it's supposed to be a cleansing oil that dissolves makeup and impurities. What attracts me to this brand is how organic it seems to be. It claims that the formula is plant derived. I'm looking forward to seeing how effortlessly and smoothly it removes my makeup.



Next thing I saw in the box was a Lipstick Queen lip gloss. I was SO excited to see this in the box because I only recently discovered this brand as seen on my previous post. So I was stoked to see that I was able to add another product to the one that I had. I'm not quite sure how Lipstick Queen works but I noticed there "catergories" that the certain product belongs in and then there's the name of the product. My other LQ product says it's "Cupid's Bow" but that the name of the product is "Arrow". This one that I received in my box is a "Seven Deadly Sins" category in the shade "Avarice". When I took it out of the packaging I was in awe. This is a stunning color and right up my street because it's a pinky nude. I'm so excited to use this and see how the formula feels and how well it lasts.



Next, I grabbed the Pur Cheek Stain in the shade Peach Bellini. I've never had a cheek stain before and I can't wait to see how well this works. I hear great things about the brand so I have high hopes for this cheek stain. It looks harsh on camera for some reason but it's definitely more of a peach tone.



The last thing in the box I couldn't believe was actually in there. It's probably my favorite thing in the box. It's a Urban Decay Naked Flushed Bronzer / Highlight / and Blush palette in the shade Native. This looks like the perfect trio for summer. But of course, I will be using it plenty before then!



Overall, I'm VERY impressed with my first HandPicked box. I was just ready to take pictures of it all so I could hurry up and use the products. If you're looking for a subscription box to try out and don't mind dishing out just a little bit more for excellent products I'd give this one a go. Although, I know she just started out a couple months ago so I'm not totally sure if this is international or just a subscription box just for the U.S. for now. If you are in the States I'd recommend looking into this more. I'm so excited for this box and can't imagine the goodies that will be in next months.

Mini Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. I purchased this subscription myself.


Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Jay

22 December 2016

Lipstick Queen

Welcome back, little birdies!

Today I have a grand discovery I've made recently. As you may or may not know, I've made some purchases over at Ulta during Black Friday and Cyber Monday for Christmas shopping. I did however get my hands on something that intrigued me. I got myself a little chubby lip pencil by the brand Lipstick Queen.



I'll be honest and say I've never heard of Lipstick Queen before. I don't really know what they have in terms of products - besides lipsticks of course. They were selling it at Ulta I figured I would just give it a try. The shade I bought is Cupid's Bow Golden Arrow. Can I just start off by saying how much I love that name!? Super cute! The shade is a very dusty mauve color. Perfect for the nude trend and my go to lip colors. I swatched it on my hand and was instantly impressed at how creamy the formula was. I figured it would be perfect seeing as my lips can get a bit try at times.

The packaging of this product I felt was unique and that is a bonus on purchasing something. Something that I found useful was, when I opened up the packaging, they included a pencil sharpener that fits the size of the chubby stick! How thoughtful of them to add and at this rate I'll need to use it quite quickly.



The application was smooth and seemless and the color is absolutely beautiful. It does go on very creamy. The only thing about this is that it sticks to dry patches on my lips if I don't exfoliate before using. But that doesn't go against it seeing as it's a great product.

I'll love to find out other colors and products of theirs to try out as I've fallen in love with this one. Would definitely recommend if you're looking on Ulta for something new to try out. If you have used this brand before, what's your favorite shade?

Thanks for reading!
Until Next Time,
Jay

07 December 2016

The Blogging Friends I Christmas Q+A Tag (2016 Edition)

Welcome back, little birdies!

I have some exciting news. For the past month I've been in a blogging WhatsApp group called The Blogging Friends. TBF was founded by non other than Peta from Pe-ta. She is so talented, goal driven and such a great friend to all the girls in the group. I'm BEYOND happy that she thought of this idea and added me along to it! There's about 19 of us all together and I couldn't be more excited with everyone involved. With speaking pretty much everyday and them becoming a norm in my everyday life, they've become some of my closest friends. The love and support (and banter) that goes on in our chats are some of the best. I'm so glad to be involved. So to Peta, thank you again for your brilliant idea and bringing us all together.


One of the girls from the group, Emma from Emmalanglands came up with the idea to do a TBF Christmas tag. All the girls in the group pitched in to come up with questions for the tag. Although I'm not sure how many questions were originally involved, I think it is condensed down to 30 questions.

Grab your hot chocolate and let's get into the questions, shall we!?

1. What is your favorite Christmas song?
My favorite Christmas song has to be Santa Baby :)

2. What is your favorite Christmas film?
Elf! For sure. Either that or Home Alone 1. Classsic.

3. When do you start feeling festive?
Normally right after Thanksgiving, but this year I started feeling festive on November 1st!

4.What is the best Christmas present you've ever received?
I'm not to sure which is the best. I'm thankful for anything I receive. :)

5. What is the worst Christmas present you've ever received?
The worst present I've ever received was when I was like 5 years old and my sister gave me COAL! The worst thing about it is she wrapped it in a box and bow. We laugh about it now ;) haha

6. Do you prefer traditional or modern Christmas decorations?
Can I have a mixture of both? What I grew up with and some new ones as well.

7. What is your favorite Christmas Advert?
I don't think they're as big here in the U.S. but I have been watching the much hyped John Lewis ones that I can find on YouTube. :)

8. White, muliti-colored or something completely out of the box when it comes to Christmas tree lights?
We've always had multi-colored lights on out tree. I leave the white ones for my room :)

9. Have you ever been on a Christmas holiday? If so, where? If not,where would you like to go?
I don't know if I'd call it a Christmas holiday. I did go to Puerto Rico for Christmas one year to visit family. It was so weird being somewhere where it was hot for the holidays!

10.  Do you prefer going out or staying in at Christmas?
Definitely staying in unless we're going out to see more family. Nothing is open on Christmas anyways :)

11. Who cooks Christmas dinner?
My mom! It's always very delicious.

12. When did you stop believing in Santa?
At a very young age. Don't remember the exact age but believing in Santa didn't last long haha.

13. How did you find out Santa wasn't real?
When I was younger when I saw my dad and uncle bring in my Christmas present that said "from Santa" on it haha.

14. What is your favorite thing to do to get you in the Christmas spirit?
Wrap presents while listening to festive music. Never fails!

15. When do you put your Christmas decorations up? When do you take them down?
Usually beginning of December to the end of December. 

16. When do you start Christmas shopping?
I started kind of late this year but I like to start slowly in September so I'm not broke by December haha

17. Do you go see a pantomime?
I'll be honest, I didn't know what that is. I had to google it. From the definition on google, I think it's safe to say I've never seen one. So I certainly haven't this year :p

18. Basic or patterned wrapping paper? or gift bags because #GirlHasNoTimeToBeWrapping
Patterned! I love cute designs on wrapping paper. Sometimes I'll wrap it AND put it in a gift bag.... #ThisGirlHasTOOMuchTime hahaha

19. What is your favorite winter tipple?
I did have to ask the girls what this was haha it was explained to me that it's like a Christmas-y drink? Well mine would have to be hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmellows. YUMM..

20. What is your favorite Christmas smell?
Hmm, good question. Well, I like my Bath and Body Works candle in Roasted Marshmellows. Smells delish!

21. Do you have any festive family traditions?
Unfortunately, we don't have any! Maybe when I'm older I'll have a festive tradition with my future husband.

22. What has been your favorite Christmas so far and why?
I don't think I have a favorite. Any Christmas I spend with my family is a good one :)

23. What is your favorite Christmas food?
That's a tough one because we really don't have a traditional Christmas meal. Whatever mom decides to make I guess haha

24. What's your favorite part of Christmas Dinner?
Just like Thanksgiving, my favorite part of Christmas dinner is spending time with the fam! Like I said before, we don't have a certain meal we eat every Christmas so Family and whatever the food is on that day :)

25. What is your favorite Christmas product?
My favorite Christmas product would have to be a bath bomb... does that count?! I tend to love it much more during these cold holiday months rather than the summer.

26. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
We don't really have a tradition. I guess just as everyone else, waking up in the morning to exchange gifts together.

27. What is your most treasured Christmas memory?
I treasure every memory spent with family and friends on Christmas. I really love when I spent Christmas in PR with my brother. I also love my group of friends, we have Friendsmas. Just a couple out of many.

28. Did you ever look for presents before Christmas to see what your parent's had stashed away for you?
Absolutely!! All the time when I was younger! I would pretty much always find it. My sister and I once, we very carefully removed the tape to open the presents to see what it was and then would re-tape it. Haha that was the sneakiest I've been to have a peek at presents haha.

29. Online, highstreet shopping or handmade?
I'm not very good at handmade gifts. This year it's pretty much all been online! It's made it THAT much more simple for me!

30. What time do you wake up on Christmas Day?
Probably around 7am. It's the only day that I wake up that early and can't fall back to sleep! haha.


So those were all the questions! I hope you've enjoyed and that it put you in the festive spirit of Christmas! I'll link the girls that are part of The Blogging Friends that took part in the tag down below so you can check out their answers to these questions. I recommend that you take part as well!

Peta - Pe-ta
Emma - Emmalanglands
Holly - A Branch of Holly
Char - Maltesers and Mumblings
Jenny - Beauty Behind Illness
Emily - EmiMarie
Em - Emmjoy
Shannon - ShanyLou
Elena - Elena Isabelle (YouTube)
Claire - Claire Petersen (YouTube)

Go check out their fun answers to the questions!
This girls are amazing and I can't wait to continue to grow in friendship with them!
If you're reading this, I tag YOU to answer these questions as well. :)

Thanks for reading!
Until Next Time,
Jay

(Sorry if you notice the color on the wording got weird. Don't know why they won't go normal haha)

09 November 2016

Box Swap with Ashley Nicole!

Welcome back, little birdies!

Over the past few months I have been in cahoots with another lovely blogger, Ashley. We became friends on twitter and quickly started bonding over the fact that we are American bloggers in a mostly British dominated blogosphere. We've gushed over the beautiful country of England in which she now lives, and a country I'm excited to visit someday and I've followed up with her posts that deliver a variety of content.

We quickly started talking over the idea of doing a small box swap together seeing as the U.S. and the U.K. do have different makeup that aren't easily accessible in each others countries. We took maybe a little over a month to plan everything out and gather our goodies before shipping them off to each other. I found it funny that our boxes arrived both on the same day.



I opened the box to find a very sweet card (which by the way, Ash. Your hand writing is FAB. Sorry for my chicken scratch haha.) and my goodies that were all wrapped up like little presents to open.

The first item I unwrapped was a Revolution makeup palette. It instantly became a favorite seeing as it is an exact dupe for Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette. It's small and compact so it'll be easier to travel around with rather than the UD palette.



The next thing I opened and was SO excited to receive was the Sleek Highlighting Palette in Solstice. Sleek isn't easily accessible here in the States, so I was nearly bursting with joy when I opened this up. The gold mirrored packaging of this itself got me excited let alone the beauty that was in it! There are 4 shades in this Highlighting palette. They're called Ecliptic, Hemisphere, Subsolar, and Equinox. It does come with a small little dense brush to apply the product which I think I'll use until I get myself a proper fan brush. This palette also includes what's got to be the best mirror ever. This palette is definitely travel friendly.



When I looked into my box there was this kind of thick box thing all wrapped up. I couldn't put my finger on what it could possibly be so I was eager to open it up to find out. This is like, the coolest thing ever. It's Seventeen Instant Glow Pink Bronze Bronzing Rocks. Yup, you read that correctly. Bronzing ROCKS. Whhaaat!? It says in the back to "Dust these beautiful rocks over face and body for a shimmering bronzed glow". I am ALL over the sound of that. Ashley is trying to make me into a beautiful little disco ball. :)



I then opened up what I knew to be a lip product seeing as how it was wrapped. It was Sleek's Matte Me in the color Birthday Suit. I'll be honest and say that I didn't read what type of lip product it was before I quickly swatched it on my hand. What I noticed after I swatched it was that although it went on really creamy, it dried and became very matte. I kid you not, I had to wash my hands SEVERAL times before it could come off. Very long lasting. I am super excited that Ashley decided to send me this as well. It's great.



The last product that I received was another lip product. It's by the brand GOSH, a brand I've never heard of before. Ash, picked out 134 Darling, it's an absolutely beautiful nude shade which is a staple in my collection at the moment. It is just sligghhhtly drying so I do put a light nude cream on top of it. Makes for the perfect nude combo.

(I'm not sure why the pictures make it look like two different colors. It's the same lipstick :) )


Big THANK YOU to the beautiful Ashley for wanting to do this swap with me and for the absolutely beautiful gifts that were sent. I love each and every product and have even more fun doing my makeup with them. I look forward to our next swap next year. Please check out her blog and send her over some love because her and her blog surely do deserve it!

Thanks for reading!
Until Next Time,
Jay

07 November 2016

Confidence, Self Worth, + Love

Welcome back, little birdies.

This is something that I wanted to write for a while. I realize that my blog is beauty and fashion focused but Blissful Beauty Bird is still my creative outlet. So with it being an outlet, I decided I wanted to write down how I was feeling and publish it for my readers to read if they so pleased. In all honesty it's just something I want to let out and put into perspective for myself to see how I'm feeling and hopefully to look back at this years from now, when I no longer feel this way and realized just how much I've conquered. This will be very informal as I don't know how to let out my feelings properly. I'll just kind of ramble. Sorry about that.



I don't really know where to start with this so I'll start with how I feel confidence wise. I have never really been a confident person. I've always been really shy and would often doubt my capabilities. Confidence as in how I look, I've never really felt "pretty". What's "pretty" anyways? I've had low self esteem about my looks a lot. I never felt I was pretty enough to be loved by a good man. I never left the house without make up. No matter how badly I used to do my makeup during my teenage years. I always found flaws in my looks and if it wasn't one thing, it was the other. Not that long ago on the #PrettyLittleChat we had a talk about confidence. It made me realize how I view confidence now that I'm a bit older (because you start thinking a little more clearly when you're 23 apparently). It made me realize that I don't just see confidence as how someone looks. How I view a truly confident person is someone who loves themselves for what they've got, for what the Lord has given them. (No matter the shape nose or ears, or what color eyes they have ect.) Someone who is independent, they could get things done and haven't a need to depend on others. Someone who is kind. They love to help others physically and mentally. Someone who is humble and thankful to the Lord for what He has provided in their life. Someone who is genuinely happy and not just because of money. Someone who is happy with the little things in life like quality time with their friends and family all the way down to just happy to experience the day. I feel as though I'm slowly growing into that kind of person how I envision a confident person to be. Although I still have a lot of growing up to do when it comes to that and with life in general. It's just to know I've taken those first few steps towards it. That in of itself is motivation to keep going.

Self worth is something I still struggle with. Something I have to find in myself. I know I shouldn't be defined by the things I can't do. I always seem to not try things because of fear of failure. I never felt I was very good at anything which hinders what I do. When I think of "talents" and think of how some people can sing, some can dance, some can speak multiple languages. I feel like because I don't really have a talent that there isn't much great with me. I used to draw a lot but even with that I didn't feel good enough. Even with my writing. I love my blog but I don't feel as though I'm a good writer but maybe that's something I'll learn to do better in time. The sense of self worth ultimately makes me think of relationships. I have a tendency to feel as though someone wouldn't want to be with me because I can't do this or I can't do that. Sometimes it even ties in with my looks and I feel that no one would ever look at me as someone beautiful from the outside in. I've always been a hopeless romantic. I wanted the happily ever after with the prince charming and to just feel that unconditional love for someone. That we would grow old together and still fall in love with one another like if it was our first day. What scares me is that with everything I've mentioned before I feel like I will never find that person or if I do that it wouldn't last long and they'll eventually get tired of me and find someone else. Sometimes I find myself pretty down in the dumps because I haven't found the "one" when I watch everyone around getting together or getting married or having babies!

I don't have the answers to my feelings towards all this. And to be honest, this isn't everything I'm feeling. I just didn't want to get in too deep. The only thing I can do for myself right now is to stay focused on the Lord and try and stay positive about things. I'm only 23 which means I have plenty of years to figure myself out and sort out all these feelings to hopefully, eventually, update that I see myself differently. Hopefully I'll be able to update you on how I truly see myself a confident person who is happy with absolutely every bit of myself and my talents and maybe even at that point, have found someone I deeply love who loves me too.

It feels really good to just let out how I'm feeling about things. Just to let them out and not have them all bottled up inside is definitely worth it. With that being said, if you finished all that, I applaud you. I am sorry for the ramble and how disorganized it was but I was just writing things down as they came up. I didn't make bullet points for this. I also apologize if you read this all hoping I have found my way past these feelings and haven't yet. I'll get there.  Thanks for reading and if you're feeling the same way I am then I hope you find out much quicker than me just how amazing you are.

Until next time,
Jay

14 October 2016

Lorac GIVEAWAY!

Welcome back, little birdies!

I hope you're all doing well. I bring you a VERY exciting post today. I feel like I've come a bit a ways with my little space here. To celebrate that and my new and improved layout. I wanted to be able to say "Thank You" to my readers who have supported me with "Blissful Beauty Bird". I have been truly loving my blog and my goals towards it have skyrocketed! I love every thoughtful comment that goes into these posts and all the blogging friends I've been making from Twitter because of it. And because of that, I'll be hosting my very first giveaway! This is so exciting for me and I wanted to make sure it was the right time to do one. I made a Twitter poll a few weeks ago asking if you guys wanted a few drugstore items or one high end item as a giveaway. The majority of you voted for one high end product. Luckily, I found the perfect gift!



When I saw this gift I knew it was the perfect one to grab to give away to one of you lovely readers. Not only did I just recently review a lip gloss from this collection not that long ago, but these colors are stunning and are just the right shades you need for this Autumn weather. I'm giving away this Lorac Alter Ego Dynamic Duo Set! It contains two lipsticks in the shade Dominatrix and Socialite and their matching lip gloss! What a treat to be able to get FOUR items for one. :) I'll be honest and say I was so tempted to keep this for myself haha. They are stunning shades and literally the best shades for this season. The box also states that these are two of their best selling shades. I figured it would be the perfect giveaway gift. Check down below to find out how to enter!



Here are the rules to this giveaway:

1. You must be following me on Bloglovin'

2. You must be following my Twitter

This is open INTERNATIONALLY seeing as a lot of my readers are from other countries. :)

You may enter on Rafflecopter down below.

Any Giveaway Accounts will be disqualified

Winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter.

I will be checking all entries before choosing a winner.

The winner must reply to the email within 48 hours of me choosing or a new winner will be chosen

Giveaway ends on Friday, November 4th 2016

Mini Disclaimer: I am not working with Lorac for this giveaway. I purchased this with my own money.
a Rafflecopter giveaway





Thank you again for all the support you've shown! I'm so happy to be able to do this giveaway for you guys. Good luck to all those who enter!

Jay

10 October 2016

Liebster Award #3 & #4

Welcome back, little birdies!

Well I think it's safe to say that third time's the charm! I've been nominated for my third Liebster Award by the absolutely beautiful Shannon from the blog Shannon-Marie. As I've said many times before, I love doing / reading these types of posts because I'm a bit of a nosey bugger (No, we don't use the term "bugger" here in the States. Yes, I thought it was cute and fitting seeing as Shannon is from the UK. And yes again, I did just use you (Shan) as an excuse to use the word.)
While getting this post ready, I was nominated again by the lovely Jen from Beauty Life Mom ! I'll be adding her questions to this post as well! Thanks so much, ladies!

  Anyways, if you didn't already know what the Liebster Award is - it's just a fun way for bloggers to get to know each other and to help you discover other blogs. It's a great idea really seeing as I love finding other blogs and even getting to know a little bit more about the person who runs it.



The rules to this tag are as followed:

1. Thank whoever nominated you
2. Post 10 facts about yourself (optional) 
3. Answer the 11 questions given
4. Nominate at least 5 but no more than 11 bloggers and let them know they were nominated :)
5. Create 11 questions for your nominee's to answer.

(For the sake of doing another tag that requires me to post facts about myself that should be up soon, I will only be answering the questions that Shannon and Jen has asked. Let's face it, it's really hard to think of facts about yourself!)

Grab a cup of tea, we're going to be a while ;)

Shannon's questions:

 1. What is your favourite TV show?
My favorite TV show at the moment is definitely between The White Queen, and Reign! 

2. Name three things you could never live without?
My family (that's a give in), My Bible, and Seafood :)

3. Do you have any tattoos? If so, what are they and what's the meaning behind them?
I don't have any tattoos, actually! I'm not a needle person. No pain tolerance what so ever.

4. How long have you been blogging?
I've been blogging on and off for 2 years now. Although I don't really count it as that long seeing as I've only posted 5 times in the year 2015 haha. I've gotten much more into it this past year.



5. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

That's a tough one seeing as I'm a BIG foodie! I looove my seafood but to bring it down to one meal.. I would have to say the meal I had the other day at this restaurant - it was English Pea Ravioli with Salmon. It was actually SO delicious and I'm already thinking of the next time I can go back and have some more.





6. If you could go anywhere on holiday right now, where would you go?
That's such a hard question because there are so many places I'd like to visit! I feel like my first travel spot will definitely be England. I have friends there that need visiting and the country is absolutely beautiful. I'd like to see the rest of the UK and the rest of Europe as well!

7. What's your favorite quote?
Good question! There are so many, so I went to my Pinterest board "Quotes I love" and picked out one of my favorites, it's "A ship in port is safe but that is not what ships are built for."

8. Favourite book?
Honestly, the only book I've been reading has been my Bible. Apart from that and blog post I don't really remember the last time I read a good book! Any recommendations?

9. Who is your beauty inspiration?
Ah! Again there can be so many good ones! There are so many inspirations on YouTube and Instagram and even from other bloggers! I'm really loving lupescuevas  on Instagram. Her makeup is always on point!

10. Favourite YouTuber / Blogger?
I can't choose just one blogger there are so many and it's always growing! I'm always finding more that I just love to follow. I feel same goes with YouTubers. Can't pick one!

11. What's your best feature?
I would have to say for myself, my best feature (looking outwardly) are my legs. I'm only the grand height of 4 foot 11 but I do really like my legs. Is that a strange one? Haha.

Jen's questions:

1. Have you figured out your life calling or is it something you're still discovering?
It's definitely something I'm still discovering. I'm still finding my way with life so I don't think I'll have it figured out this soon.

2. Name one thing that you're proud of that you did this week?
Well I'm quite proud that I went through my clothing items and figured out what I want and what I don't want / need / fits and that I'll be bringing it to a shelter soon enough so they can be given to someone in need. It makes me feel pretty nice to think about it.

3. You just won a million dollars! What are 3 things you would do or get for yourself?
I would help my parents pay off bills, I'd move and I would go travelling!

4. What song are you really feeling right now? Any special stories or significance behind it?
I'm really loving the song called "He sees what we don't". It's a Christian song and it hits me right in the faith feels haha.

 5. Name your one strength as a blogger and one thing you'd like to improve.
That's a bit of a tough question haha. I'm not really sure what my strength is as a blogger just yet. I feel as though I'm still getting a feel for everything. As far as improving, I feel I can definitely improve on making and keeping to a schedule.. It's just so daunting knowing you have a deadline for posts and have to get those creative juices flowing!

6. What does a really good day look like to you?
I would say a really good day looks like me being productive. Getting things done and achieving goals. Along with being with family and friends. Sounds perfect!

7. When life gets crazy, what's your favorite way to de-stress?
I would definitely need ME time! Whether that's a nice bath with some Lush bath bombs, or cuddling under my heated blanket and watch Netflix. It could even be going out for a walk and enjoying nature.

8. You've been given the opportunity to travel back five years to visit yourself! Name something about your life now that your former self would be happy to learn.
Jen, you make me laugh. Can I just say that some of your questions remind me of the Monopoly game haha. - Well 5 years ago I was 18 years old and my whole mindset has changed since then. I think my former self would be happy to know that at 23 years old, I'm happy. That I can achieve things, I am worth it, I have great friends, family, church family ect. and I'm doing well. I've become a stronger and more independent person and it feels great!

9. Describe your favorite piece of jewelry.
To be quite honest, I'm not much of a jewelry wearer. I KNOW... the horror, right!? I feel like the only pieces I actually wear are statement necklaces - and even those are rare lately.

10. Name one thing you're looking to buy.
You've limited me to only one thing?! But there's so many.. :( In all honesty, right now, the one thing I'm looking forward to buying is my corner writing desk. I really need my own work space because doing things from bed just isn't cutting it anymore haha.

Thanks soo much again to both Shannon and Jen for nominating me for this. Both set of questions were great and really had me thinking! I really enjoyed them and had fun answering them. I highly suggest you go over to their blogs and show them some love! Now onto my nominee's.

I Nominate:
Robyn - midnightandlace.blogspot.co.uk
Nicole - nicolecorbettblog.co.uk
Tania - whentaniatalks.com
Elly - ellymitchell.co.uk
Shannon - pinklemonadeandpaperbacks.blogspot.com
Chloe - chloetommo.co.uk
Rebecca - staticnova.blogspot.co.uk
Summer - theblondecafe.wordpress.com
Guilianna - guiliannamarie.blogspot.com

Here are your questions:
1. What is something you feel strongly about?
2. What is something you feel proud of?
3. What are three words or phrases that make you laugh?
4. What's the meaning behind your Blog name?
5. What inspired you to start a blog?
6. How would you describe your style?
7. Where do you see yourself in 3 years?
8. What are you most excited about for the upcoming season?
9. Is there a vacation (holiday) spot you would visit again?
10. How would you describe your personality?
11. How would you like to inspire others?


Good luck to all my nominee's! I look forward to reading your answers and getting to know more about you! Please remember to check out all the other amazing ladies I've mentioned. It's always nice getting to know a little bit more about the person behind the blog.

Until next time,
Jay




03 October 2016

Lorac Alter Ego Lip Gloss in "Goddess"

Welcome back, little birdies!

This is just a quick post to show you what I've been loving recently! I made a purchase not too long ago at Ulta (something you'll find out about soon enough) and while I was checking out, they said I was eligible for a mini free gift. So when I got home I saw that the gift was a mini Lorac Lip Gloss! It look super cute and not just because the lip gloss can fit in the palm of my hand. I was really excited as I've tried Lorac's eye shadows before but never got the chance to try out any of their lip products. I was just a tad bit skeptical seeing as I'm definitely a nude shade on lips type of girl and I never would've thought I would own a shade like this. It's a very soft Lilac color.

28 September 2016

Boutique of Molly Haul*

Welcome back, little birdies!

I'm very excited to make this post seeing as the wonderful online clothing shop Boutique of Molly contacted me to collaborate! I was beyond happy to accept seeing as their site has a beautiful range of clothing for affordable prices. Boutique of Molly is a UK based online clothing shop that provides top quality clothing and may I say, customer service. The people who work there are super lovely and helpful. I believe shipping is much quicker in the UK because they're based there but seeing as I'm based in the US I can say that it came in a timely manner. I'll be honest, once you see the #PrettyPinkParcel it comes in you see it's definitely worth the wait. It. was. FAB. I couldn't wait to get home and try everything on!



I was a little bit nervous when it came to sizing. On their site it does come with sizing conversions but because the "number" on my clothes changes between what it is I was worried I'd grab the wrong size and the items wouldn't fit. Luckily, I took my chances with the size and everything came out PERFECT! I am beyond happy with the look and the fit of them.

Mika Badge Bomber Jacket

The first item I knew I needed to get was this Mika Badge Bomber Jacket. It's going to be perfect for the month of October when the cooler air starts settling in and I'm going to want that light weight edgy cover up. This will be my go to. Plus, it goes down to the perfect length on my arms just where I like it. I'm quite the jacket hoarder but I didn't have any like this and just knew it was a must for my autumnal wardrobe.





Parie Cold Shoulder Playsuit

The next item I bought was this absolutely STUNNING playsuit / romper (as we say here in the US). Going through the many beautiful options to choose from I knew this one had to be mine! It's gorgeous and to be fair - I don't have one like this at all! I'm expanding my horizons. ;) It reminds me of a hot summer day on a glassy poolside. I did purchase it at the end of summer so I'll have to take this bad boy out again next year.



Cold Shoulder Blouse

Last but not least I grabbed this beautiful top. I fell in love with the Cold Shoulder, the flowy-ness of it, and the zipper detailing. To my surprise, it even has an open back! I never had a top so unique. The first day I wore it I got SO many compliments on it. It's definitely one of my favorites and one I can wear all year round!



I love absolutely everything I got from that site. The kind Boutique of Molly team collaborated with me and gave me a discount on all my items I purchased. If you want to do a little shopping over on their site you can use my discount code JAY20 when you checkout for a percentage off! Wahoo! Be sure to tag #BOMSelfie when you do so I can see the great stuff you got. I'm excited to see what they have in store in the future seeing as this won't be my last time purchasing from them.

Thank you again to the wonderful people over at Boutique of Molly !

Until Next Time,
Jay

*This was a collaboration with BOM. They did give me a discount for these items that I purchased.

16 September 2016

8 Things I'm Looking Forward to this Autumn

Welcome back, little birdies!
(I think that may be a set greeting!)

I know this is not like my usual makeup posts but I thought it would be fun to round up some things I love about Autumn (or Fall as we say here). By the time it's September 1st I'm already in "Autumn mode" even though it really doesn't start until mid September. I love the season of Summer because we have a good 9 months of cold weather here and only 3 of heat but I highly dislike that "in between stage" of Summer transitioning into Autumn. It's so awkward. Do I wear shorts or not? Will it be hot or chilly today? I just do not like it. Although it might bug some people that it hasn't officially started yet, I'm going to say it has and tell you what I'm most excited for this season.



Reason 1: Fairs
Whenever I picture the season of autumn, fairs are always in it. I absolutely love the coziness of it. It's kind of like an autumn version of a summer festival. Except instead of big bands that play - there's pig races and instead of cotton candy there's apple fritters. It just a very chill day when you spend it at a fair. Cannot go wrong.

Reason 2: Food
Let's be honest here - food is a major factor in the autumn season. Who doesn't love fried dough/oreos and caramel apples!? And don't get me started on the wonderful meals we have on Thanksgiving. Yaaaasssss.

Reason 3: Apple Picking
This one is self explanatory. Apple and/or Pumpkin picking is the epitome of the wonderful little cozy season of Autumn. It'll also be nice for a date with that special someone.

Reason 4: Jumping in a Pile of Leaves
Comm'on now. Don't tell me I'm the only one looking forward to this at some point or another. I think I've only ever done this properly once in my life - and I think the leaves were wet so they weren't lightweight and flowing about. I'm guessing you can say it's not what you see in the movies. This year I'll eye down that perfect pile of fluffy lightweight leaves and have a little Disney Princess moment.

Reason 5: Hay Rides
This can fall under the epitome of Autumn category along with Apple / Pumpkin picking. Hay Rides are just a beautiful way to enjoy the scenery and the gorgeous color changing leaves. I must say, here in New England, we have the most beautiful scenery with all the different color leaves. One of my favorite things.

Reason 6: Dark Lip Trend
I never really liked dark lips on me because I'm so pale but there's something about dark berry shades in the Fall that just work. All the Autumn outfit tutorials and layering can only be fully complete with a nice dark shade on the lips. I'm definitely digging it this upcoming season.

Reason 7: Fuzzy Socks
Are you finding a theme here? It's one of the COZIEST times of the year and that can only be complete with a nice pair of warm fuzzy socks. You know that feeling when you get home from work, there's a chill in the air - you put on your fuzzy socks and comfy pj's, grab some hot cocoa and turn on your fairy lights... ahh..... what were we talking about again? OH yes, reason 7.. Fuzzy socks. ;)

Reason 8: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving has got to be one of my favorite major holidays here in the States. Between spending time with your loved ones and the delicious meal we get to share. It's absolutely wonderful. Now I know it's not celebrated everywhere but any day spent surrounded with family and friends is a great day to me.


And there you have it! Just a few things I'm looking forward too this upcoming season. What are you most excited about? Is there something Autumn themed I missed out on? Share your thoughts!

Until Next Time,
Jay

09 September 2016

NYX Vivid Brights

Welcome back, little birdies!

I went out on my day off and decided to do a little bit of gift buying - if you catch my drift ;) Since I was already in the great makeup store of Ulta I decided to grab a little something for myself. I saw a video on YouTube of a girl doing her makeup and she used this NYX Vivid Brights liner as a thin line over her regular black liner. I always see makeup artists do this look but I never thought about trying it out until I saw this gorgeous color!

(Don't mind the destroyed box. It was hard to get it open and I REALLY wanted to try it..)



This is a liquid liner in the shade "Vivid Sapphire". It states directly on the box, "Make a bold statement with our hyper - pigmented Vivid Brights Liners. The super precision brush is perfect for adding a pop of color to any artistic look!" and I believe that to be very true! Just by swatching it the color was definitely bold. I'll be honest and say I'm not really good with liquid liner. I've used gel liner for so long that liquid seems like a whole other level. It's packaging is a little funny seeing as the handle is much larger than the tube the product comes in but I figured I won't run out of this product very fast.



I would just like to add on how quickly this product dries. I swatched it on my hand for the photo which wasn't long at all. I thought it was still wet so I went to wipe it off on a napkin so I didn't get bright blue liner on my clothes and it was already set and dry on my hand! That's amazing.

As I use it more I'll let you guys know how I get on with it. May even post a little photo of how it came out seeing as I'll be trying it out today for work. Disclaimer: No photo means I still need more practise! Haha!

Have you tried these Vivid Brights from NYX? What colors are your favorite? Do you have a favorite fun colored liner from a different brand? If so, which one?! I'd love to know!

Until next time,
Jay

03 September 2016

Product Empties

Welcome back!

I've been thinking of what I can bring to my blog lately that is a little bit different. I always see Empties videos on YouTube but never thought I could write a blog post on mine because I don't use many products and I can never seem to finish them close to another to be able to gather them together. Today, I have some products that seem to have finished all around the same time.



This is probably my favorite drug store foundation.. ever. It's the L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation. Don't be fooled by the look of my used foundation. This baby is EMPTY. I've even tried to open it and scoop some out. Unsuccessful on that, I decided I'd feature it on my Product Empties post. It's definitely something I will always repurchase. It's a great medium to full coverage drugstore foundation.



I know you've seen me talk about this before so it's no surprise that I would have finished it just in time to buy another! It's the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind. I love this concealer. It covers so well and doesn't crease as much as other concealers I have. The only downfall to it would be the sponge at the top. I'm not sure if that helps or if it's just home to many bacteria that's bad for my skin. Regardless, I'll be purchasing it again. Haven't found one I've loved as much yet!



I was a bit skeptical about this product. I did receive it free in a little free bag when I went to a Bare Minerals meeting. I wasn't too crazy about it until I actually used it. It's such a great finishing powder. It's a loose powder so it does get a bit messy but it gives just the right amount of finish for a look. Doesn't leave you too matte just enough to have that dewy glow. I actually feel like this is a product I'd repurchase sometime soon.



This is one I hate to see go and it's down to the last bits that eventually I'll have to scrape to be able finish off completely. Don't mind how grubby it looks - this is the makeup real world. I'll definitely be buying this one again. It's my first ever Too Faced lipstick and it has to be my favorite lipstick in my collection. I love nude shades and this is just perfection. The combination of the color and the formula which, by the way, is moisturizing to the lips is just amazing. It's a bit on the price-ier side than other lipsticks but it's well worth it and there's no doubt I'll be buying it again.



This last one is a skin care item. It's Philosophy's When Hope Is Not Enough serum. I've never had a skin care serum before this one. They are said to help tone, firm and prevent wrinkles. I've been using it for quite a while now and I do feel like it's helped tone and firm my face. It really does help keep it moisturized that's for sure. I've put it on morning before makeup and at night before bed. In terms of repurchasing, I'll have to do some deep thinking between this one and one from Origins.




And that's it! I hope you enjoyed finding out what I've been using lately. If you have tried any of these products before, let me know how you like them. What products have you finished up for the month of August?

Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Jay

30 August 2016

The Versatile Blogger Award

Welcome back, little birdies!

I have another tag for you today. I love reading these because I love getting to know people more. I always found it interesting learning about others so when the absolutely lovely Lily from Lily Rose tagged me to do this I knew I just had to hurry home and start my facts. The point of this tag is to share 7 facts about yourself and nominate others to do the same. It's a way to support your fellow bloggers and to learn and connect with them a little deeper. What's better than building strong friendships with others who share the same passion!? Let's get started on my 7 facts about me.



1. My favorite shows are The White Queen - mostly because English History fascinates me and partly because I'm in love with Aneurin Barnard. Insert heart eyes emoji here! And Reign.. so juicy! Those are must watch shows!

2. I'm very much an introvert. I keep to myself a lot of the time. I'm very shy and quiet when you first meet me. Once you get to know me, though, I'm very much loud and energetic. I just have to be comfortable with you first.

3. One reason I love the season of summer is to be able to fall asleep during thunderstorms. We had
a week here that was record heat and the thunderstorms we got because of it were lovely! Puts me right to sleep.

4. I change my hair color a lot. You can probably tell by the photos I take for my outfit posts. They're always a different color. Right now I've opted for a plum, and I'm loving it.

5. My favorite type of food is Seafood. All - kinds - of - s e a f o o d. Shrimp being my fav.

6. I love art. I used to sketch all the time and even did a bit of painting. I love my messy sketches more than the crisp cleanness of drawing. I haven't drawn for fun in a really long time and would love to get back into it.

7. I'm not much of a sports person at all. The only sport I like to play and am actually pretty good at is badminton. It's a lot of fun to mess around with with your friends.

And that's it! Those are my 7 facts about me. It's really hard to think of facts about yourself for some odd reason. I encourage you all to check out the blogs of the people I'm going to nominate! They're wonderful people and have just as wonderful blogs so I'm excited to read what they share!

I nominate:

Ashley : Ashley Nicole





Go support your fellow bloggers and give their blogs a read! I'm looking forward to getting to know them a little better! Also, a big thanks again to Lily from Lily Rose for tagging me in this. I always have a great time writing out tags. 

Thank you for reading!
Until next time,
Jay


27 August 2016

September Spotlight: Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue

Hello, lovely!

Welcome back! I had an idea - (probably not so original. I'm sure I've seen it done some where at some point just don't remember where) - to spotlight a product I've been loving the month before. I realize it is not yet September but close enough to it to be featured as the Sept. Spotlight - and it sounded better let's be honest. This month I have chosen Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream.



I bought this cream the end of July so I could take it with me on my vacation up at Sebago, Maine. Which by the way, was an amazing relaxing week. Lake activities during the day, and bon fires every night. It was magical. - Anyways, I needed something that was pretty light weight that would cover up my every day redness of my skin but was still breathable. I couldn't have opted for a better product. I've used it as a sheer cover over my skin since.

I have the shade Opal, which I'm sure is the lightest one they have. On their website they claim to have 16 different shades to choose from which is a pretty wide range so everyone will be able to find the shade that works best for them. It is a light to medium coverage cream. I use just one dab over my whole face to give it enough to lightly cover but if you would like more coverage, just add another dab as it is buildable. It also has an SPF of 30 which will help protect your face from the damages of the sun. This has to be a new favorite if you're going for that "no makeup" makeup look which has been my go - to for the summer. It's definitely a must have for your collection even if you're a makeup beginner. This is the perfect "your skin but better" type of product.



I'm really enjoying this product at the moment. Have you tried anything from Bare Minerals? Do you have a product like this that you love? Let me know! I've to try out new things.

Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Jay