Wednesday Review

So Sorry that I am getting this post up a little late today.  Brooks finally went to bed so now I have time to write it.  I have been thinking all day about what product I wanted to do for my Wednesday review.  I have been using a lot of great stuff lately so it was hard to find just one thing that I wanted to share.  We have been trying to get so much stuff done before we leave for vacation so I haven't had a lot of time to blog

Wednesday's weekly review is......

Make Up Forever- Ultra HD Concealer

This new concealer from Make Up Forever has been getting so much hype and for good reason..it really is the best.  I used to use the MAC studio concealer for years and I still do use it on my face from time to time but I really don't have a whole lot of use for a true concealer anymore.  I like to use concealer for my under eye area as a bit of a dark circle corrector and also as a brightener.  I was finding that my MAC was a little to thick and would settle into my creases by the end of the day.

It took me a little bit to get my hands on this product. I was so so excited to try it and I wanted to make sure that I got it just right.  I didn't want to buy it online without trying out the different shades in the store.  Make Up Forever has the BEST shade range, I am always able to find my shade perfectly.  Last week I went to the mall and had assistance picking my most perfect shade.  The shade that I was color matched for was actually the shade I thought I was going to match into.  I think I am finally figuring out my perfect shade with Make Up Forever.

My perfect shade was the R22 for light to medium skin tones,  it is a little light on my skin but perfect for an under eye concealer and brightener!  I hope this helps if any of you are looking at this product and trying to decide what shade to get.  I would go with something that you think is a little lighter then your foundation if you intend to use it like I do.

I have been applying the product using a small beauty blender under my eye but honestly dotting it on and then using my finger to blend it in gave me the same results.  I bought the little beauty blenders thinking that it would make a difference and they really don't but I will continue to use them with it so that I feel like I bought them for a purpose! 

The formula is really pigmented so a little bit goes a long way, like all Make Up Forever products.  All you need to do is squeeze out the tinniest amount and dab it on the area you plan to use the product.  I like to do my foundation first and then touch up my under eye area.  So far this new product has exceeded my expectations and once again deepened my love for Make Up Forever!

I am really really looking forward to getting the new sculpting palette! 

Make Up Forever- Sephora

February Favorites

February is almost over and that means we are one month closer to springtime and nicer weather!  

The end of February also means that it is almost time to leave for Costa Rica!  My countdown is soon getting down into the single digits.

Last month I felt like it was a little hard to just pick 5 things that I have been loving but this month it took me no time at all.  When I sat down to start thinking about my favorites blog I knew right away everything that I wanted to include.  Maybe its because this month is the shortest so I have had fewer days to use things or I have just been using some really great stuff this month that I'm excited to share.

February Favorites!

#5- Sweet Onion Salsa from Target
Ok I know this isn't a beauty item,,, but it is beautiful to my stomach!  I am addicted to this salsa and will literally eat all of it in one sitting if I wouldn't be ashamed of myself for doing that.  Actually I don't know if I would be ashamed I just don't have the time to sit and eat an entire container of salsa.. I wish I did though!  Pick some up you will love it.

#4- Beachwood by Yankee Candle

Beachwood candle

Probable one of my favorite scents from Yankee.  It is soft but not subtle you can definitely tell throughout your house that you are burning this candle.  Perfect for pre-spring with its light floral and sandalwood scent.  For me this is my comfort smell candle.  I have so many wonderful memories associated with this scent.  When Morgan and I first started dating his apartment smelled SO BAD from whatever he left in the fridge so I bought him this candle because he didn't want anything that "smelled girly".  He loves this scent.  Him or I would burn it all the time in his apartment and whenever I smell this candle burning in our house that we own together now it just brings back all those happy memories from our beginning.

#3 Lululemon headband

Lululemon

I am in love with everything Lululemon and its not just because of the brand name... their stuff is just really good quality.  My hair is not super thin but its not very thick and maybe my head is just a crazy shape but normal sports headbands just don't stay in my hair.  I wear the lululemon headbands to Aerial yoga and they still never fall off.  

#2 Dandelion Shy Beam Highlight from benefit!

Benefit Liquid Highlighter

I got this as a deluxe sample from Sephora and already have the full size in my cart to purchase.  What an awesome product from benefit! I also am a fan of the Watts Up highlight but this one is just subtle and beautiful.  What I really like to do with this is use it right along my brow line and even in the creases of my eye.  It looks beautiful when paired against eye shadow.  I haven't used it as a highlight for my face.. I'm sure it would be perfect but I still can't go a day without using my Laura Mercier highlight.

#1! Tony Moly Eye Brightening Base

Brightening Base

So I definitely bought this product because of the packaging.  That panda is so stinking cute and looks adorable sitting with my make-up on top of our vanity in the bathroom.  This stuff is really awesome for perking up your under eye area.  Its a light white color when you rub the stick on but then quickly blends into your skin.  I just use my finger to rub it in on my under eye area.  Its like magic... like you have slept for 8 solid hours plus!  Perfect for those days when your late for work..or up all night with a toddler who refuses to sleep.

Happy End to February! Here's to hoping that March brings more happy memories and good weather!

Stella Dot Jewels

Ready for my new favorite obsession that I'm just getting started on.... Stella Dot! A friend I work with sells for this company and introduced me to their amazing jewelry.  This brand I feel is really my style based on everything I have seen.  Everything they have is very fun, classy and in style.  There is nothing over the top, all their pieces are just so wearable.  They have a lot of really great accent necklaces that definitely stand out but in a way that you could really see yourself being able to pair them with many different outfits.

My Favorite Accent necklace!

I recently had a cute little chocolate fondue and wine theme jewelry party that was so fun I am already thinking of doing another in the spring.  Everyone seemed to really have a good time and were really into the jewelry.  I think it really says a lot about this company when you have a large group of girls and everyone is able to find multiple things that fit their style.  

I just wanted to highlight on a few things that I really loved from Stella Dot and also show you some things from the party and things that I have purchased.. so far.. there are still a lot of things on my list that I need to buy.  I will link to everything at the end of this post and also a link to my party that is currently going on for a little bit longer if you would like to order now or anytime through my friend!

One thing that I really like to do right now is layer my necklaces.  Its not that I want to wear everything all at once but I think this is a really good way to dress up a plain outfit.  I like the look of jeans a plain t-shirt paired with a fun necklace or necklace combination.  One great thing about Stella Dot is that they sell necklace's that can be worn many different ways.  Its like buying 7 different necklaces for the price of one.  They have the same concept for some of their earrings as well which I think is the absolute best idea I haven't seen a lot of other companies doing this yet!  Its great for packing because they you can pack only a few pieces but have plenty of different options.

Here is a 4 ways necklace that I really really like!

Just for your viewing pleasure :) Here are some pieces that were at my jewelry trunk show that I hosted!

Fun and Unique rings!

Thank you Jessi for being my gorgeous hand model!

So far I have gotten 2 clutches and 2 bracelets,,, I'm waiting until the party is over to order many many more adorable items!  I originally thought I was buying these as gifts.. but then when they came I decided that I was going to keep them.

I'm obsessed with these clutches, the monkey will be perfect for when we are in Costa Rica for traveling to throw all of our passports and itinerary in also for a quick grab bag when we are headed out to hold a camera, phone and lipstick ;)  I love how there are slots for cards also because I hate when I have a clutch and all my cards get lost to the bottom of the bag.

I really am loving this bracelet combination also! I have really tiny wrists so I feel like when I wear one bracelet alone it doesn't really look right on me but pairing it with another seems to be my perfect match.  Also don't they come in the cutest little boxes!
Can't wait to share what else I buy whenever I decide...too many choices!

If anyone sees anything they like or is interested in ordering here is the link below!
Stella Dot!

January Favorites

Hi Everyone! So since we are almost done with the month of January...Thank goodness I am ready for warm weather already!  I thought I would share my top five things that I have been using and loving this month.  It was extremely hard to just choose 5 things but I didn't want this to be a long post so I kept it limited.  Plus I am writing this during nap time which means I only have 1-2 hours to write this, shower and clean for the day haha.  Let's start the countdown!

#5

Naked Flushed by Urban Decay

Shade- Naked 

Lately I have found myself always reaching for this palette on a daily basis.  As you can see I have really put a dent into it.  I think I have had this for almost a year now and it is really lasting me a long time.  Right now I am loving the bronzer in this.  It's the most perfect color to just warm up your skin a touch in the winter.  The highlighter that comes in this is very comparable to the Matte Radiance by Laura Mercier.  I haven't used a lot of the blush yet because I have a burberry blush that is very very similar to this color that I find myself using more.  As soon as I run out of the bronzer I think I will repurchase this again but with a different shade of blush, maybe something a little lighter.  

#4

Hunter Boots

I got these for Christmas and already I think I love them more than my Ugg boots!  Reason 1- I really think these keep my feet warmer- I also have the inserts that go with them, but even without the inserts just normal socks keep my feet warm in these. Reason 2- Obviously you can get them wet thats what they are for.  I have been wearing this almost every day since we got all the snow I am so thankful for them!  I have not slid on the ice either, the traction on the bottoms is so great! Reason 3- I really think these look a lot nicer then the Uggs.  In black these just look so classy even paired with jeans or leggings.  They also come in really fun colors, I think I will invest in a light blue pair for the spring!

#3

Make Up Forever- Mat Velvet+

Shade 30 & 35

My favorite foundation!  I have been using this stuff for 2 years.  I try other foundations and always am either disappointed or just think Mat Velvet is better.  Make Up Forever has the best shade ranges that I have ever seen in foundations.  My perfect colors are #30&35.  Its the most perfect combination for me because in the winter when I am at my palest #30 is perfect, throughout most of the year I mix them together to get my exact shade and in the summer #35 is perfect with my tan.  I keep wanting to try the Ultra HD but I really just can't get away from this.  A little bit goes a long way so you really need just a little dot on the top of your hand then use your brush to really blend it into your skin.  It blends really nicely with contour products also.  Overall A+++ foundation!

#2

Mahogany Teakwood Candle

Bath & Body Works

One of my best friends got this for me about a month ago and I have burned the heck out of this thing ever since.  I literally would light this candle every night.  It says that it is supposed to smell like "fine woods" with lavender and geranium but honestly this scent reminds me of walking into an Abercrombie store.  Its not as overpowering as that Abercrombie scent but its the same idea.  It makes my whole house smell nice and clean, just a really comforting smell.  This would be the perfect scent for having company over,  I think its something that just appeals to everyone.  

#1

Mudslide by Drybar

Resisting the urge to use this hair mask everyday is a real struggle.  Holy Fantastic!  The scent is that really clean/sweet drybar classic smell.  It reminds me of expensive shampoo with a little candy mixed in.  Use your shampoo and then use this mask from roots to tip.  I leave mine in for about 10 minutes while I am doing all my other showery things.  My hair looked, smelled and felt fantastic afterward.  The softness lasted at least 3 days after I used this product and that was with rewashing my hair every one of those days.

TaDa! Got this all done and still have time to spare with nap time.  Thankfully the month of January has flown by and we are on to one of my favorite months, I absolutely love Valentines day!  So for the month of February my little goal is to get at least 10 more followers... so follow away!

Here are the links to everything I mentioned in this post

Naked- Urban Decay Hunter Boots  Make up forever Foundation  Candle Mudslide by Drybar

Hello.. My name is Megan and I'm a LUSH addict

I don't know how I never discovered this store sooner but over the past 2 months I have been a total LUSH addict.  It is seriously like an addiction.  I hoard products and get upset when my stock pile starts depleting then I get anxious about when I am going to find time to go buy more!

Here is the link for those of you that have been deprived and have not heard of this great company 

www.lushusa.com

LUSH sells the most amazing all natural body products.  Their products only use the freshest ingredients without any testing on animals.  Everything is hand made to perfection.  I love the fact that LUSH buys its products from Small-Scale producer groups all over the world to ensure that they are only buying from producers that have a great environment and fair conditions for their workers.

I have Many Many bath products from LUSH.  I am really excited to try their fresh face masks as well but every time I am at the store they always seem to be out.  I am headed to a store tomorrow so fingers crossed they are in stock!

To not make this so overwhelming I thought I would break down my LUSH reviews into easier to read and follow blog posts.  I truly love this company so you will see a large amount of LUSH reviews on my blog. So here are 3 products that I used over the past 2 weeks. (With a small toddler its hard to find alone time to take a bath).

Father Christmas- Bath Bomb

$6.40

This large Bath Bomb is one of my holiday favorites and I so so hope they decide to bring it back next year.  When it is dry it appears to be red and white with the cutest little Santa Face.

But when you drop it into the bath, it begins to spin and red/green wonderful frothy goodness is released.  The smell is the best part. This bath bomb has the sweetest sugary smell that is just the perfect amount and is not sickening sweet.

It will leave your water the perfect color of Christmas green and leaves your skin silky smooth.  This is such a great product for moisturizing.  I never use a moisturize after using products like this.  The bath bomb does the job of a moisturizer and why would you ever want to cover up the wonderful smell that is left on your skin.

A French Kiss- Bubble Bar
$8.95

Now this is another type of bath product by LUSH.  A bubble bar creates the most perfect bubbles in your bath while still having a great smell, fun colors and leaves your skin smelling amazing.
A French Kiss is made with Lavender, Thyme and Rosemary essential oils from Provence.  I like using this Bubble Bar before going to bed.  The lavender scent is subtle and provides the perfect smell for a really relaxing experience.  I found that after using this product I got a great night sleep. Plus+ I could smell the lavender on my skin throughout the night.

Along with its calming and moisturizing effects, this product turns your water a very pretty color pink with the perfect amount of bubbles.  I find with the bubble bars from LUSH that they really do produce just the right amount.  You are not going to have bubbles overflowing from your bathtub.  They produce more of a comforter of bubbles that will last until the end of your bath.
Big Bang Bubble Bar
$7.95

I am on a Bubble Bar kick at the moment.  The Big Bang from LUSH is one of their newer products. Now if you saw my LAVANILA blog post you know I love the lemon scent, so naturally I was drawn to this product.  Big Bang is made with Grapefruit oils and Lemon myrtle oil which gives it a really fresh and zesty scent!  To make your skin feel so silky and moisturized, avocado butter is used in this product.

I love the light color blue that this product turned the water into.  It is the perfect blue that you would love to see at the beach.  I found this product to be very revitalizing and uplifting.  I felt my mood improve while relaxing in the bath after a stressful work day.
Now this bar was large and I could get two uses out of it.  What I do is I cut the bar in half with a knife and keep the other half I don't use sealed in a ziplock bag.  Then you just crumble the bar under running water and Ta-Da! Instant relaxation!
Again here is the link for the LUSH website or find a store near you for a really fun shopping experience!  All of the LUSH employees are so knowledgeable about their products and give some really good recommendations depending on your skin concerns or wants.
You Deserve It

I hope everyone enjoys there weekend! We are supposed to be getting some snow here.  This would be great news if I wasn't working the weekend.  First snow of the year and working in the Emergency Department is a disaster.  But that is good news for you because my stressful days turn into great blog posts or relaxing bath reviews!

Take time to do what makes your soul happy

Just about a month ago I started really getting into aerial yoga and just plain yoga in general. I had done yoga before my son was born but gave it up after due to obviously no time after having a baby.  Now that he is almost 2 I have really gotten back my love for yoga that's to my wonderful boyfriend for giving me the time and my fantastic best friends for going with me! 

   We take aerial yoga at a studio in Harrisburg called Om My Yoga. The studio is gorgeous! It is in an old building with exposed beams and sits right on the river.  We have only been to classes in the evening and the atmosphere there is so relaxing and comforting.  The instructors are also fantastic, they are so helpful and friendly.

  This week Debbie and I were the only ones from our group who had the evening off and could make it to a class. We tried Aerial 2 for the first time and had a private class.  Now we had only ever taken Aerial 1 classes before so this was our first 2 class.  We were thankful we were the only ones in the class because at times (a lot of the time) we had no idea what we were doing.

  Now I'll share some of my favorite poses from last night. 

Vampire with toe taps

In this pose we started in vampire which looks like this 

With one leg always in the fabric we worked on taking the free leg up, over and down to tap on the floor for a intense core workout.

Flying Butterfly

A new pose learned tonight but definitely a favorite for hip stretching and turning into a fun hip hang that gives a good stretch and is relaxing!

flying butterfly turns into a hip hang with a simple flip forward turning it into an inversion 

Now the first time we did this was absolutely hilarious.  We were positioned in flying butterfly when the instructor told us to hinge forward and turn this position into a hip hang.  I was so petrified that I was going to fall out of the wrap and right onto my face on the mat.  I looked over at Debbie and saw her just completely go for it, pretty much just diving forward.  Of course Debbie is fantastic and not only did not fall on her face but she totally mastered the move.  I closed my eyes and just went for it. After that I figured, if that position change didn't make me hit the floor then I was pretty good for whatever else we would do.

Warrior 3 Combination

My third favorite move from the night (sorry no picture of this one) was using a hand wrap to do a deep warrior three position.  We then took the warrior three down to a Three Legged Down Dog and then up into plank.  This combination gave a great deep stretch and also really engaged the core for a great ab workout!

Now everyone knows the best thing about doing yoga is the fun outfits you get to wear!  One of my favorite parts of going to yoga classes is deciding what I am going to wear to class that night.  So here is a little peak at our wonderful outfits from last night.

                                        

Debbie in the Wonderful LuLuLemon Free to Be Tank

                                  

I wore this super fun colored matching top and yoga pants that I recently purchased at Express.

No girls night is complete without Margaritas!  After every yoga class we decide on a new bar to try and go for a drink! Last night we went to El Sol downtown and had the best margaritas and appetizers.   Debbie tried the strawberry marg and mine was mango.  Both were extremely delicious and much needed for some girl catch up time!

                                        

 Hope everyone had a wonderful Friday and enjoys the weekend! 

La Vanila I love you

LAVANILA is a wonderful wonderful brand that I discovered while following the Vlog by Make up By Tiffany D (everyone should check her out she is so great!)  This brand got my attention because it is all natural and full of amazing ingredients that are so healthy for your skin.

 I have only tried one scent so far because I am obsessed with it but when my current deodorant runs out I am excited to try a new scent.  I am in absolute love with the LaVanila scent Fresh Vanilla Lemon.  The most popular scent that they have is Vanilla Coconut and I wish I could try this it has gotten so many great reviews and my best friend uses this scent and loves it.  Unfortunately I am allergic to coconut (awful I know).  I really do love lemon scented things, doesn't matter if its bath products, cleaning products, whatever, it just smells so fresh and clean to me.  My favorite color is yellow so naturally I was drawn to the Vanilla Lemon.

I remember the first day I wore this deodorant.  I was so excited when it finally came from Sephora.  Side note- if you order from the LAVANILA website, they sell the deodorant in a 3 pack and multi-scent packs!  That way you never run out (I have a horror story about that later).  I started using the deodorant last June.  The first day I wore it was extremely hot outside and my friend and I decided to take my son to the zoo near us.  I was nervous at first about being outside with a new deodorant that I had no idea if it would work or not.  I'm pretty sure my friend thought I was insane at first because the first thing I said to her when she came over was "HERE SMELL MY ARMPIT".  Naturally she loved the scent, how could you not.  For the remainder of the day I casually would fix my hair so I could smell my deodorant.  I know this is weird but if you have tried this brand before you can't deny that you have done the exact same thing!

I have never had an issue using this deodorant with sweating through it or smelling bad.  I do use it twice a day like directed from the container but it still lasts you for awhile.  

Let me tell you about the time I ran out of my deodorant.  It had been a really busy week and I hadn't noticed that I was getting to the end of my deodorant.  Needless to say I did not order another in enough time to hold me over from when I officially ran out.  I did everything I could to get every last bit of the deodorant out, to the point where I was literally scraping it out of the container.  Eventually I had to resort to using a drug store brand I got at target.  I had used this brand forever before so there is nothing wrong with drug store deodorant by any means.  My skin was just so used to the LAVANILA and I think the harsh ingredients in the drug store brand really irritated my skin.  I had used the alternative brand right before a 12 hour work shift which was a HUGE mistake. I was itchy and miserable for the ENTIRE shift. Not to mention I had been stuck in the trauma bay for 2 hours and was actually SWEATING!  I was really missing my LAVANILA in that moment.  

Never will I ever make the mistake again of running out, I am completely hooked.  I now keep a spare in the extra's bin in our bathroom.  This is also for Morgans sanity. I'm pretty sure he was so annoyed listening to me complain about my armpits that long week haha.  He likes to call it my "Fancy" deodorant. He thinks he is hilarious sometimes.  I actually got him the Jack Black deodorant for christmas in his stocking so he can have "Fancy" deodorant also.

Recently I have started using the LAVANILA Body Butter! This is the best body butter I have tried.  Of course I bought it in Fresh Vanilla Lemon because I can't get away from this scent as hard as I try. It is the perfect combination of thick and silky.  This butter absorbs so fast into your skin and lasts all day without making your skin feel oily.  Again it has all natural healthy ingredients.  I used it after I get out of the shower on days that I'm not using my body scrub.  I use it immediately after shaving my legs and never have I had any irritation or burning from this product.

Everything about this line in wonderful.  My next purchases are going to be Vanilla Grapefruit deodorant and body butter, and I think I am also going to try the sunscreen when we go to Costa Rica. 

I never was really a believer that all natural products were better before I started using this line.  My skin has really felt so much smoother and healthier after using these products.

Deodorant $14 and Body Butter $19

Let me know your thoughts if anyone has ever tried LAVANILA, I'm anxious to see if anyone else loves it as much as me!

L'Occitane....I am now addicted.

So let me just share with you one of my most favorite things in life right now.. (really its that amazing).  L'Occitane Almond Exfoliating and Smoothing Delicious Paste.  I bought mine at Sephora for I'm pretty sure it was $42.  

I had heard amazing reviews on this product (all 100% true) but at first was a little reluctant to spend the money.  I got this jar during the 20% off Sephora VIB Rogue sale not wanting to pay full price if I wasn't sure I would like it...

After just using it once I would pay full price for this 1 million x over, it is really that good!  I have barely made a dent in my jar and have used it probably close to 10 times.  This is something I would repurchase again and again.

The formula is so perfect with just the right amount of exfoliating beads and smooth creamy lotiony (if thats a word) goodness!  The best thing about this product is that a little goes a long way I can see this little jar lasting for months. I use mine about 2-3x a week.  The scent is the most perfect warm, sweet and sugary smell that doesn't wash off with the product it will stay almost all day.  I was in target the other day checking out and the women behind the counter commented on how good my lotion smelled when I reached to hand her my credit card. No lotion...It was just the smell of this scrub from my morning shower.... the next time I saw her at target she had bought it and was also hooked on the product.  I can be pretty religious when it comes to lotion after a shower but when I use this scrub I have found that I don't even need to put on lotion.  I get out of the shower and my skin feels so silky and moisturized even my elbows and heels.

Hands down the best scrub I have ever tried..I would totally be open to any other suggestions of scrubs that people rave about.  But this is good enough to eat.. and it actually smells like you could eat it...... Speaking of bath products.. I am finishing this blog in the bathtub using my awesome new christmas Bath Bombs from Lush that I'll review after I go through a few of them.. so far the first was was a huge WIN!
Alright time for an early bed time... 12 hours working in the ED on the Monday after a Holiday weekend is never pretty.
Goodnight everyone!