Memorial Day

I would just like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day! While alot of us are glad for the day off, and consider this to be the beginning of summer, we sometimes forget what this day is really about.

So, in the spirit of remembrance, I want to say THANK YOU to all the men and women in the military, past and present, who have given their lives so we can continue to enjoy our freedoms in our country, and many others. You will never be forgotten. Also, thanks and prayers go out to all those currently serving in the military who have given up their comforts and freedoms so that we can keep ours. We all hope and pray for your safe and speedy return home.

Thanks for reading, and please give your family and friends a big hug today!

xoxo







Disclaimer: Photo is not my own; credit goes to: http://www.collegefootballresource.com/blog/2008/5/26/memorial-day.html

Indian Vanity Case Is Having A Birthday Giveaway!

I absolutely adore Indian Vanity Case's blog, and in celebration of her upcoming birthday, she is doing a spectacular giveaway that includes items from Inglot and Sleek Cosmetics.

http://www.indianvanitycase.com/2011/05/birthday-giveaway-inglot-eyeshadows.html

She is giving away three prize packs, and the giveaway is open internationally, so go to the link above and enter now! You've got until June 12th :-)


Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

xoxo

*Photo credit goes to Indian Vanity Case; I am not affiliated with any of the brands/companies mentioned, and all opinions are my own. Thanks!

The Great "NYX 12-Hour Sale" Debacle of 2011

Oh dear, oh dear.

If you were anything like me, and had heard about NYX's 12-hour sale that was to happen yesterday, you were ready and waiting at your computer with a credit card, a hand written list of SKU numbers, and excitement bursting when that clock hit 12pm PST (or 3pm EST for me). A sale that NYX was doing in appreciation of their loyal customers; where most items were only $1.20 each! Too good to be true?

Well, if you were at your computer yesterday, the answer is yes, too good to be true. Why? Because as of press time (for this girl, at least), NYX's website is still not loading. Sixteen hours later, and very few customers have been able to complete orders for this wonderful sounding sale, much less have the website actually load for them. All I get is the "Internet Explorer could not load this page" message, but some people have been able to get onto the site only to not have product pages load or for the lucky few who get items in their cart, the checkout screen will not load or their items disappear altogether for no reason.

I've been checking NYX's Facebook page (where I originally heard about the sale), and let me tell you that there are some angry cosmetics junkies who feel very violated by the company's handling of this "sale". Honestly, I can't blame most of them. I mean, there is no reason to get as worked up as some have gotten (cursing, and general nastiness all around), but I can completely understand their disappointment. A company advertises a sale that is meant for loyal customers, and after extensive site maintenance, people aren't able to partake in the sale, or even get a page to load? For sixteen plus hours? It's poor business management.

Now, I realize that it is only a cosmetics sale, and there are far more horrible things happening in this world. It's true that it is a generous choice on the companies part to provide the sale (if it actually was up and running), and that is a completely individual choice on whether you want to roll the dice and try and enjoy the savings, or sit by your computer hitting that refresh button thousands of times. However, it is sad that because of this, people lose their faith completely in the company, and the company in turn has lost many of the loyal customers they were trying to celebrate. And while NYX's customer service team has been trying to quell the fury and keep their fans updated, that sentiment only goes so far when you're heading towards twenty-four hours of not fixing the problem.

Personally, there was nothing I had my heart absolutely set on from this sale, but the way this situation is being handled has resulted in my turning to other avenues to buy their cosmetics, if at all, in the future. There are several sellers on EBay that provide better customer service, and better prices for NYX's cosmetics than NYX does, and I think I'll just stick with them and possibly Cherry Culture or some of the other websites that offer NYX.

Unfortunately, I too have been disillusioned by the handling of this "sale", and even with the promise of a 50% off code and free shipping in the coming week, my money will not be spent on their site.

What do you lovelies think? Have you tried ordering from this sale? Did you actually get through, or did you just give up and buy your Tarte 12-hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful like I did ;-) ? I'd love to hear your comments on this!

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day!

xoxo




*All opinions are my own, and I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned.
Photo credit goes to: http://phyrra.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nyx.jpg

Teaser: Cosmetics Haul!

So let's get this out of the way:

Happy Friday the 13th!

Be careful, and stay away from a place called Camp Crystal Lake, alrighty? ;-)

Ok, now that we've covered that, I just wanted to share a few delicious images of future haul posts I will putting up. If you're anything like me, cosmetics hauls (whether I am the one who purchased the items, or I am sharing in someone else's joy) make my heart go a pitter-patter. So, I hope you'll enjoy the teasers, and stay tuned as I review and swatch my haul items :-)

Without further ado:

These are the items I got from Cherry Culture, during their 50% off NYX sale...I went a little nuts on the cream blushes, as you can see. I'm a little obsessed with those at the moment. I also picked up a Milani LiquifEye eyeliner because I've been hearing lots of good things about them, so I thought I'd give one a try.

And:

I also made my first purchase off of All Cosmetics Warehouse, and scored some goodies from Too Faced, Stila, and items from MAC's Limited Edition "Venomous Villains" collection (which I missed out on a few months back).

Like I said, I'll be doing posts for these hauls sometime soon, as I want to give you all thorough swatches and reviews of all the items.

So, thanks for reading, and sharing in my joy with me! If you have any questions or comments, leave 'em below! :-)

xoxo




*Credit for the "Friday the 13th" photo goes to: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/horror-movies/images/7262035/title/friday-13th-part-4-wallpaper

*All other photos are mine, all products mentioned were purchased with my own money, all opinions are my own, and I am not affiliated with any of the products/brands/companies mentioned. Thanks for reading the fine print, you troopers :-)

A Blast From The Past: Returning to Sweet Valley!!!

Ok, so I know this is not beauty related per se, but I know that I can't be the only one who grew up reading about the mischief that went on in Sweet Valley, CA involving those infamous Wakefield twins! I feel like those perfect size six, shoulder length blonde haired, blue-green eyed sisters, driving their Fiat Spider, and wearing their lavalieres, were friends to me. From the time I learned to read up until high school, I'll readily admit that I immersed myself in the world that Francine Pascal so brilliantly dreamed up; whether the incarnation was Sweet Valley High, Sweet Valley Twins, or Sweet Valley University...and maybe even a Sweet Valley Kids book or two.

However, life went on, and I realized that everything wasn't so perfect and couldn't be resolved in the span of 200 pages, so my poor Wakefield twins fell by the wayside. Until, that is, now. Ms. Francine Pascal has been so kind to release the next chapter in our beloved twins' lives, and let me tell you, it is nothing like we're used to!

Without giving any of the story away, this book picks up ten years after the twins graduated from high school and college (they are now twenty-seven years old), and takes place in modern day Sweet Valley, CA and New York City. The twins have had a falling out like no one has ever seen, and the situations are a bit more grown up. I, of course, got the book as soon as I heard it had been released, and I thoroughly enjoyed it...although I have to say that it is so different than the regular series, that it unsettled me a bit. But nonetheless, I do hope this turns into a series (which there have been rumblings of yay!).


For a synopsis of the book, or just so general Sweet Valley fun, you can go here:
http://www.sweetvalleytenyearslater.com/


So tell me, have you read the book? Were you a fan of the Sweet Valley series? Or do you think it was a bunch of malarky, and preferred The Babysitter's Club...or maybe even something more dark like the Fear Street books? Leave a comment and let me know! :)


Thanks for reading :)
xoxo












*All products mentioned were bought with my own money, all opinions are completely my own, and I am not affiliated with any of the brands/companies mentioned. Photo credit for Sweet Valley High books goes to: http://childrenofthenineties.blogspot.com/2010/03/sweet-valley-high.html

Who Wouldn't Want Free Or Discounted Cosmetics???

I know I do!

If you want to get the chance to win some awesome prizes, go check out the lovely Danielle's blog giveaway here:
http://sweetashoney2.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-giveaway.html

I mean, just look at all the wonderful things she's giving away:

Doesn't it all look scrumptious??? ;-)
Follow her blog, enter the giveaway, and spend some time on her site...you won't regret it!


And, don't forget to go over to Cherry Culture and stock up on NYX Cosmetics; they are having their 50% off sale! Sale ends May 8th, so hurry over!

http://cherryculture.com/index.php

Happy Shopping, good luck on entering Danielle's giveaway, and have a wonderful day!!! :-)
xoxo







*By the way, I am no affiliated with any of the brands/companies mentioned, and photos are credited to: www.sweetashoney2.blogspot.com and http://cherryculture.com/index.php

Review: Lush Sweet Lips Lip Scrub

So, even though I see no end in sight for this cold, gloomy weather, I have to say that this Winter has really wreaked havoc on me and I really am looking forward to Spring. For me, Winter brings nothing but too much cold, chapped lips, dry skin, and the obsessive need to wear ten layers of clothing (literally). I get so frustrated because every year I try to find something that will take away some of the horrible dry skin and chapped lips, but nothing proves worthy (story of my life!). While I'm still looking for something that will heal my hands, I am happy to say that I think I've found a product that can cure my unfortunate winter lip situation:

I have been a fan of Lush products for awhile, and I tend to try to convert friends into becoming as fanatic as I am, but up until recently I had only used their Bath Bombs. A couple of months ago, I was in my local Lush store (after having applied some lip balm for the umpteenth time in an hour) when I spotted this little gem. Immediately, I began to hope that this might relieve me from my chronically chapped lips but I wasn't entirely convinced I wanted to spend the $8.95 on it.

After shopping around the store a bit and coming back to the Lip Scrub for the fifth time, the girl working asked me if I wanted to try the scrub...I said yes before she could finish her sentence. She explained how to use it, and that it was actually edible (it tastes sooooo yummy), so I slathered what I thought to be a tiny bit on my lips and waited for a miracle to happen. Well lovelies, a miracle did indeed occur.

After wiping away the scrub, I found that the layers and layers of dry skin that I was using lip balm to try and heal on my lips were completely gone. My lips were so smooth and soft that I thought they transplanted another pair onto my face. It was unbelievable! Needless to say, I snapped this up right then and there.

I've had this now for a few months, and I have barely used any of it up. Literally, a minuscule amount is all you have to rub on your lips, and after washing it off (or eating it, whichever you prefer lol) and applying a little lip balm to keep your new smooth lips that way, there is really no need to use it more than maybe once a month. This, coming from a girl whose lips were flaking every other day (yes, with continual use of moisturizing lip products). Even though I was leery of the $8.95 the scrub was in my store, I'm glad I took the plunge and got it because it will last me forever.

This lip scrub comes in three different flavors, and is all natural (like all of Lush's products). If you want to know more about Lush and their products here's the link:
http://lush.com/

I highly recommend this product, but I would love to hear your thoughts as well. Have you used this product to smooth your dry lips, or do you use something else? Let me know what works for you!

Thanks so much for reading!!!
xoxo




*As always, all products mentioned were bought with my own money, and I am not afficilated with any of the companies/brands mentioned. All opinions are my own*