Eimi Volumizing Products

At the salon where I work, we've recently converted over from being a Paul Mitchell based salon to a Wella based salon. Wella is a European based hair care company. For some reason I was beyond excited when our massive shipment of Wella products came in. They have hair care as well as hair styling products and thats what drew me the most. Wella's hair styling products are called Eimi. Cuuutteee! Eimi has products that are catergorized such as Volume, Smooth, Texture, Shine, and Fixing Hairsprays. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this in a post before but I loovvvee big hair. The more volume the better. I, however, don't know how to style my hair to give it more of a lift. My hair is quite fine, flat, and lifeless so when I have a chance to get it styled by someone I jump at the chance.

I'm highly influenced by how well a product is packaged and I'm loving Eimi's simple yet girly style. I'm slowly building a collection of the volumizing products. The first that caught my eye were the Root Shoot and the Sugar Lift; both in the volumizing category.

I have very fine hair especially on the top of my head so it's very easy to for my hair to just sit flat. I picked up these two simple products to help me during my styling process. Root Shoot is pretty self explanatory. It's a root lifting moose that you apply to damp hair and then blow dry accordingly. Sugar Lift is a... well let me explain it the way Wella does. It's a "rich flexible spray infused with sugar to provide lift, shine and touchable grippy texture". (You have to admit you'd be interested in anything called Sugar Lift!) You can apply it to damp hair or dry hair to give it some texture.

It's all trial and error as I test these out and learn more on how to style my hair the way I'd really like it to be. I'll put up an updated post on how these turned out for me.

Have you used Eimi before? What's your favorite styling product?

Thanks for reading!

-Jay

Date Night Outfit

I love to shop. When it comes to clothing, I like to shop for things that are more dressy rather than casual. So here I have a Date Night Outfit idea! This might be much for a first date (I know darn well I contemplated wearing it for one then talked myself out of it) but I figured if you've been with your significant other a while and planned a date night out to a fancy restaurant this would certainly be something to wear. It doesn't just have to be a "date night" to wear this out either, it's perfect for a night out with the girls as well! Best part about it was I didn't spend a lot on this outfit!

Special thanks to my bestie Mia who takes all of my outfit photos for me. She's an amazing photographer and I couldn't be more proud or thankful!

I bought my top at a Charlotte Russe in New York over a year ago. I think it was priced at $25 originally but it had a sticker on it that said it was $10 not once but twice on the tag. When I went to ring out, the lady at the check out said it wasn't supposed to be with the $10 items but because it was she was honoring the price. So I got this beautiful top for ten bucks. Whhhhaaat!? That's an absolute deal. I fell in love with it the second my friends showed it to me. They know me so well! ;) I've always really liked peplum style shirts but the detailed lace on this one is what I love most about it.

I got all these items quite a while ago so I'm not 100% sure when or how much my skirt was, but I'm know I bought it at Savers for a bargain! You can find many like it around, it's just a regular black pencil skirt. My heels were bought for me for $15 bucks at Charlotte Russe and they're one of my favorite pairs. They only come out on special occasions.

This outfit is easy to put together and I think it came out perfectly for a night out. 

Just a disclaimer for future outfit posts; I would like to start writing down not only what I'm wearing but what makeup I have on. Unfortunately, this photo shoot was done during the summer months and my routines and products have changed since then so I don't remember what I was wearing during this one. I will be mentioning it from here on out.

Let me know what your favorite outfit for a night out is!

Thanks for reading!

-Jay

New Year, New You

Happy 2016 everyone!

I know for the past almost 2 years, I've been off and on with my blogging which isn't convenient at all and I truly apologize about. I can sit here and list excuses but I won't do that. ;) Instead, I can tell you all about how I am setting goals for myself for this new year. I really enjoy New Years because I feel like it's a clean slate. You're starting off fresh and to me personally that thought is just really motivating. I know it's a cliche to insist on "New Year, New You" type of deal as I know I'm going to have the same habits that I've had the past year. What's really been driving me this new year is the thought of my personal achievable goals. What I mean by that is, I know myself and I know if I set the goal of working out and clean eating all year, I'm setting myself up to fail. I'm not big on working out (which I know is a habit I need to change but I'm sure I'll slowly get used too.) and let's be honest I'm not the best "clean eater"; I like my chinese food, and my fries, and my pizza. Although I can work on bettering myself and how I take care of myself, I know I won't be hitting the gym all week. The goals I'm setting myself this new year are a bunch of small things to better improve myself and my habits and even get used to making new habits.

I'd like to share a few of these personal goals that I'm setting for myself for 2016.

1. Blogging

I've made it a personal goal of mine to do better with my blogging. Even if it's a small post I want to be able to gather more content for my blog and also just get used to setting up times throughout my week to devote to blogging.

    2. Night Routines

We've all had those nights where you got home late, either from work or running errands or even hanging out with friends, and have not taken off your makeup, washed your face, or brushed your teeth before bed (Yikes!). I've done that more times then I'd like to admit. I've made it a goal to do night routines every night before bed. I have a new skin care regime that I'd like to stick too, it seems to be working so far. Hopefully that will be something I'll be working on for a post pretty soon.

    3. Budget Planning

I've been super excited about budget planning recently. Although it doesn't sound fun, it's pretty rewarding. I know there's quite a few app's out there for your phone that can budget for you, but there's just something about writing it all out. Or maybe that's just me? I went on Etsy (my obsession with Etsy lately has been unreal) and I bought a decorative budget planner and it came with all the stops. It was less than $10 bucks and all I had to do was print them out after buying it. I've also been reading some awesome blogs that have a lot of great posts about budgeting. One of them being The Budget Mama. She has great content, I would recommend a read!

     4. Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

I'm a pretty shy person when you first meet me. Once I'm comfortable with someone I'll start to break out of my shell a bit. I feel like one thing about me is I never let loose too much because I'm afraid of what people might think. It's stupid but it's true. That's something I'd like to change this year, to let loose and have as much fun and try new experiences as much as I can. To step out of my comfort zone.


That's all my goals thus far. We have a whole year to add on more amazing goals to look back on by the end of the year. Hopefully by the end of this year I can do a goals update and let you know how I did on these. I'll also keep you updated if more have been added and if I did well on those.

Happy New Year :)

-Jay

Makeup Geek Haul!

Hello again!

It's been a beautiful (but super busy) summer this year! I hope you all have been enjoying it! For me, there have been new job opportunities (which has been an absolute blessing), bridal shower planning and weddings galore! Needless to say, I've lacked in my content due to such an upbeat and amazing summer. Nevertheless, I've been inspired to get back into the swing of things when one of my friends started her amazing new blog called, The Crafty Bombshell ! Cari is one talented and super creative mother. Her new blog has given you DIY's and party tips and tricks that will surely make you want to go out and gather your weapons to be able to follow her fun ideas. Her blog is certainly a one stop shop and you'll find everything you need there. With that being said, she is a full time, hard working woman / mother who still finds the time to blog which made me want to step up my game and start getting my blog posts rolling.

I'd like to start with a haul of a makeup brand I've heard endlessly about, but never actually thought of getting myself. I've known of Marlena's channel on YouTube called Makeup Geek and have known for a while that she has successfully made her own brand of cosmetics called Makeup Geek as well. I've watched hauls and first impressions of her products that have been highly admired and even compared to MAC cosmetics. I don't know why it's taken me this long to even have a look at the website but when I did, I noticed myself hoarding things into my cart very quickly. The site itself isn't just a normal cosmetic site that you shop from. Not only does it have all the shadows, blushes and brushes you could want, but it also has tabs for other purposes such as "Education" tab which helps you achieve the look you're going for and an "Idea Gallery" which is makeup looks from other people put together to show you how they got the look. It's truly a well thought out site and I was excited to learn more about it.

The moment I was on the homepage I saw a beautiful look from another blogger who had used Makeup Geek shadows to create this beautiful, bronze goddess look. Now, if you know me, that's exactly what I would like to achieve! Neutral colors are right up my street and I seem to gravitate more towards a great bronze look. When I clicked on the photo it took me to what the bloggers used to creative the look and step by step what they did to get it. I noticed two sultry bronze looks with almost the same shadows applied and I knew that was a great start to my Makeup Geek journey.

Now, I know what you may be thinking, "Don't you have colors like these already?!" The lovely thing is, they may look the same but can be completely different formula's or finishes to them. These are my first four pressed shadows by MUG that I own and I couldn't be happier with them! The texture is definitely high quality and the pigmentation is beautiful. I've never tried MAC shadow's before but if these are compared to them, then these are certainly a steal for the price. They retail at $5.99 each on their website. That affordable price makes it hard not to just keep stashing these in your cart until you realize you have all products offered on their site - basically. I also bought a loose pigment eye shadow that I'm obsessed with and will be repurchasing again when this one runs out. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of what the pigment actually looks like (I took pictures once I received my package and couldn't wait to get to playing with them).

Along with those, I bought a Z Palette so I can put my eye shadows in. Z Palette's give your shadows a home to dwell safely, along with having them neatly in one place. They're sturdy and slim enough that you can store them easily and convenient enough to take them with you when you're traveling. They also come with little thin magnets and instructions on how to depot other makeup from other brands that you would be able to put in these palettes as well.

Overall, I love my new purchase of everything I ordered from Makeup Geek. It's an amazing brand that I completely recommend. I know I'll purchasing more from that site in the future. If you want to check it out, you can click HERE . If you've purchased from MUG before, let me know what your favorite products are!

Thanks for reading!

Jay

Where the Light is

Hello again!

So my 22nd birthday just passed about two weeks and a half ago and one thing, I did ask for, and was super excited to receive was ColourPop's quad by YouTuber KathleenLights called "Where the Light is". After watching her video about it being released I knew it was something I had to purchase. Honestly, besides the fact that it was created by Kathleen, who is probably one of the cutest, most genuine YouTubers on the internet (In my opinion), I was sold when I saw the packaging! It's absolutely beautiful, and the fact that it's girly and rose gold just made me want it that much more.

This was the first time ever that I've purchased anything from ColourPop cosmetics and needless to say I will surely be purchasing from them again in the future. The quad consists of four (obviously)  unique colored Super Shock eye shadows. Going a little in depth individually, let's start with the highlight. The highlight color in this quad is called "Glow" which gives a stunning matte finish. Kathleen did mention in her video that this is the only shadow she has that may not suit every skin tone as a highlight. The next color is called "Cornelious" and just like "Glow", it's a matte finish. Cornelious is very much a crease color shadow but I also like to pack this color all over my lid and blend out. (Also, I've already dug through it as you can tell by the way it doesn't have the creative designs like the others.) The third color is called "Blaze". Blaze is one of my favorite shadows. I don't really know how to describe it's color except for using the word "beautiful". As you can see from the photos, it has gold flex and sparkles throughout it and has a metallic finish. Last shadow of the quad is called "KathleenLights". This is a gorgeous copper color with a pearlized finish. These are a combination of eye shadows that you could have on your eyes all at once and it would make a beautiful look.

The best part of these shadows (besides that the colors are stunning) is the consistency of them! I have never felt an eye shadow that felt like these. They have kind of like a sponge-y consistency. A bit like soft clay. My description of how it feels doesn't actually do it justice.  When you buy products from ColourPop, it comes with an information card that tells you about the product along with helpful Tips & Tricks section. This is what they write about their Super Shock Shadows. "This long-wearing creme powder has an elastic-like texture that is totally party proof. Avoid the fall out from traditional powder shadows and say goodbye to raccoon eyes! This feather soft formula glides on and feels freakin' amazing. Super Shock Shadow comes in tons of kick [butt] shades, kissed with glitter and tweaked with mutiple fabulous finishes." (ColourPop).

Not only are the colors stunning and the consistency amazing, but they're very pigmented products. I'm just so impressed with quad and the brand in general. It's one of those things that you would have to try yourself. If you want to watch Kathleen talk about these, you can watch that HERE . And if you would like to purchase it you can find that HERE . (Mini Disclaimer - I am not affiliated with ColourPop or Kathleen. I am not getting paid for this post. I just really like this product.)

I hope that you've enjoyed this post. If you've tried this brand, what's your favorite product?

Thanks for reading!

Jay




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Blog Relaunch!

Hello!

It's been a while! After almost a three month hiatus and no inspiration to write any posts, I decided to give my blog a new look and a new name! A relaunch if you will. I feel this truly makes my little space here an established blog. Somewhere that's mine, that represents me and what I would like to share. The thought of it really excites me and I hope it does the same for my readers!

Name Game?

So as you may have noticed, I changed my blog's old cringe-y name to a fresh and exciting new name! Wahoo! If you read my posts before you would have already known that my blog used to be called "Jayxoxox".  Not the most creative name on the planet, I know. It is now called, "Blissful Beauty Bird". Let's face it, we knew that the word "beauty" was going to pop up in part of the name because that's what I write about most. (If you want to see daily makeup routine's or a beauty haul then this is the right place for you!) The other two don't have deep meanings except for the fact that I wanted all the word's to have the same letter. "B" was the winner! And a fun little fact is that bird's are my favorite animals so I thought it would be fitting to add that, and "Blissful" because.. well I feel like I'm just a naturally happy person. So, thus it became Blissful Beauty Bird!

Scheduled Posts?

I never developed a schedule when I posted regularly, but mentally I actually kind of did. I liked to post 1 - 2 times a week at most and on certain days. I'm not sure if I have a schedule to help me stay on track with my posts, or just bust them out as I finish them. If you have suggestions about it, that would be great!

What to expect.

You can expect more posts about makeup I've recently purchased and outfit's that I just have to show you. I would also love to throw a few occasional "Get to know me better" posts and maybe some DIY's! I look forward to watching this blog continue to grow and to see what things I can come up with next.

Well there it is! My new and exciting Blog Relaunch! I feel really inspired to start writing some new posts so hopefully those will be coming to you soon. As I've said from the beginning I welcome recommendations, suggestions and helpful critiques!

I really hope you enjoy what you see and read as this blog continues to move forward!

Jay

Top 5 Pinterest Pins: Beauty

Hello!

 

A few months late, but I'm back with my next Top 5 Pinterest Pins for a new category: Beauty! This was supposed to be a three part series on my favorite pins for three weeks but instead it took about three months to make my new one (Whoops!). If it's been too long, you can check out my last post on my first Top 5 HERE.

#1. This first pin has to be one of my absolute favorite makeup pins ever. To be quite honest, it just reminds me of a summer day. Bronze, awesome lashes and sand everywhere. (I'm sure it's glitter but the thought that it could be sand just made it that much more summer-y. Not that anyone would like to have sand in their eyes but you get the point.) This  pin is certainly worthy of my #1 pin for this category. Enjoy.

(Source: Make Up )

#2. Grecian Headbands. These beautiful headbands will definitely never get old for me. I think they're the most gorgeous accessories you can wear in your hair. With any hairstyle, just pop one of these on for that Greek goddess look.

(Source: Headband )

#3. Braids. More specifically, braided headbands or crowns. This is the kind of effortless hairstyle that gives the appearance that you spent quite some time on your hair. It will surely be my go - to look when my hair gets longer.

(Source: Braids )

#4. Smokey Eyes. Got to love a good beautiful and edgy smokey eye. Enough said.

(Source: Smokey Eyes )

#5. Nude lips. Now if you know me, you know I love me a good nude lip. I think that's mostly in my make up stash so it of course had to be in my top 5. Classic.

(Source: Nude Lips )

Hope you enjoyed my Top 5 Pinterest Pins for Beauty! I'm sorry it took so long to be posted. Let me know what your favorite Pinterest Pins are. New (and maybe last) installment of my Top 5 will be posted next week.

Thanks for reading!

Jay