Thursday, April 17, 2014

Farmhouse Fresh Whoopie! Cream Shea Butter - Review

When it comes to body lotions, there's only a few things I ask for: keep my skin nice and soft, keep my skin moisturized, smell amazing, apply nicely and make me question if I can eat said lotion.


Yup. That happened. Farmhouse Fresh Whoopie! Cream Shea Butter actually made me question it and see if it was edible. In fact, the conversation with my fiance went a little like this:

Noelle: Holy crap (in actuality, it might've been a different four letter word). Ant. Come here. Smell this!
Ant: Wow. That's nice.
Noelle: It looks like frosting. Wait. Is this frosting? 
Ant: I don't think they'd send you frosting to rub on your skin.
Noelle: This smells exactly like frosting from a cake. Do you think it's edible? 
Ant: No. No, I don't.

A day in the life, huh? Needless to say, it's not edible guys and no, I didn't test that out. I just know. Hmph. Farmhouse Fresh wanted to create a body butter creme reminiscent of home baked Whoopie Pies. Nailed it! Did you know that Whoopie Pies get their name from when farmers would shout, "Whoopie!" when they found out these yummy desserts were in their lunch pails. How cute is that?



Onto the cream: Whoopie! contains a blend of shea and cocoa butters, jojoba seed oil, soybean oil, aloe and vitamins A and E. This moisturizing mix softens and smooths dry, chapped skin and improves your skin's elasticity. Paraben and sulfate free. Vegan. Gluten-free. 90% natural.


The consistency is a light lotion that I could've sworn was frosting (but smoother and easier to work with than I imagine smearing frosting on your body would be like). I swear. Even the scent when you first pump it out is a sweet, vanilla buttercream scent. Once you rub it onto your skin, the scent turns into a yummy cake scent. It's a scent transformer, y'all! Surprisingly, a little goes a long way. Two small pumps cover my entire arm in moisturizing goodness. The lotion melts into your skin within a minute, leaving behind no greasiness whatsoever and left my skin feeling nice and soft all day. I've actually been using this on my tummy to keep stretch marks at bay and *fingers crossed* so far, so good!

Farmhouse Fresh: Buy | Price: $30
Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Makeup Tutorial | Bronzer and Blush Eyes

One of my favorite parts of beauty blogging is coming across and trying new looks that I wouldn't otherwise think to try out. It really takes you out of your comfort zone but it's always fun to see what works for you. I'm totally looking at you, cat-eye liner.



I recently watched a video where the girl used bronzer and blush to create a total eye look and thought, "SO genius!" So naturally I had to try it out.



Unfortunately, I don't know the girl's name but she explained everything SO perfectly. All the products she used are drugstore so if you don't have a bronzer, blush or highlighter at hand, she has awesome choices that won't break the bank! Also, I don't know about you guys, but sometimes when I watch a makeup tutorial video, I have to pause and rewind a million times to catch up or re-watch something but with this one I didn't have to so YAY!

And here's my take on it!
(Crease: NARS Laguna | Lid: Deep Throat | Outer Lid: Goulue | Inner Corner: Devotee)

To be honest, I wasn't so sure how blush would look as an eyeshadow but surprisingly, it worked fabulously! I was afraid it'd give me the "red eye" look but instead I got this total "summer girl" vibe. Love it! It was basically like using a pink eyeshadow but a bit more sheer. I definitely recommend using a white base to really make these blushes pop.

What beauty products do you use in different ways? Would you try this look?

*This video is sponsored and provided by EXPOTV.com.
Monday, April 14, 2014

Baby Update | 18 weeks!

Hi dolls! It's baby update time! We had a pretty busy weekend. Saturday, we went to the casino for my dad's birthday / a firefighters fundraiser. We had to rush to eat as soon as we got to the casino because we had tickets to see Jeff Foxworthy so we hit up Hash House A Go Go. My tummy was still feeling yucky so I ended up just getting eggs and potatoes but everyone else got insane dinners. Their portions are HUGE! After we went and watched Jeff Foxworthy who was hilarious and gambled a little after.


Sunday, we had our gender reveal party for Anthony's side of the family! We found out last weekend last minute. My mom was begging us to go for an elective ultrasound so we scheduled one and found out what we're having early. The 21st, we have the anatomy scan which is where we would've found out the gender so now that'll be our "just to make sure" scan as well as checking out the baby.

Anywho, the gender reveal party was fun but I felt sick the entire time. Wahhh. Anthony made the cake since it was little last minute. How precious is he? He's SO excited about the baby! He made the cake so when you cut into it, the frosting is either pink for a girl or blue for a boy. Ready to find out?


It's a boy!
We're so excited! Everyone thought it was either boy or twins. Hahahaha. My mom is still convinced it's a girl and I could've sworn it was girl as well but we're so happy. We already have the name picked out for him!


How far along? 18 weeks | 3 days (Picture is from 18w1d)
Total weight gain: 5 pounds
Maternity clothes? A good mix of both. Maxi dresses are the best right now.
Stretch marks? None. Hoping that stays until the end.
Sleep: Over the weekend, not so much because my stomach hurt but last night was okay.
Miss Anything? Nothing really.
Movement: Sometimes I think I feel something but I'm not sure.
Food cravings: Nothing really. I could go for a smoothie though.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Over the weekend, everything was. Nothing right now.
Gender: It's a boy!
Labor Signs: -------
Symptoms: --------
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: The anatomy scan on 21st to see how baby boy is doing! 
Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Kat Von D Everlasting Lipstick in Bachelorette - Swatches & Review

FINALLY! I may or may not have said I'd review this lipstick "next week" which was about a month ago. Possibly two months. Yikes. I don't know why I waited because these (the other lipstick will be up soon!) are ah-mazing! I'm talking about the Kat Von D Everlasting Lipsticks - this post is about Bachelorette!

Kat Von D Everlasting Lipstick in Bachelorette

Bachelorette is described as a dark reddish fuchsia liquid lipstick. I know in my Sephora haul video I had the hardest time coming up with how to describe this (I blame it on pregnancy brain!) but "reddish fuchsia" is perfect. 


The consistency is a smooth, creamy and easy to apply. The applicator is doe foot which is sometimes not ideal when applying a super pigmented and opaque lipstick but it works and I didn't seem to have any issues using it. The formula is infused with vitamins A, C and E for added hydration which is nice because this has a matte finish. Personally, I didn't expect a huge difference with the infused formula but this didn't dry out my lips in the long run so maybe there's something there. I also recommend exfoliating and applying a lip balm before applying a matte lipstick just to be on the safe side.

Let's talk wear time - and how awesome it is! This lasts forever, guys. About 8 hours. Through the day, through countless glasses of water, downing a cheeseburger and fries (um, pregnant cravings?) and well into the night with barely any fade and no transfer whatsoever. It's seriously one of the best longest lasting lipsticks I've ever come across. Every time I wear this my mom fumes because it always outlasts her lipstick and she has to re-apply and I don't. I'm heading to the casino this Saturday for my dad's birthday and plan on wearing this (or Mau5 - I haven't decided) because I know I won't have to reapply throughout the entire night. 

Kat Von D : Buy | Price: $19
* Currently, they're sold out online. I had better luck going to the store to buy them. I've heard that Kat Von D is relaunching them with new packaging July 24th.
Wednesday, April 09, 2014

A Beautiful Bond Between Fashion & Charity

I absolutely love finding out that designers work with charities. Almost makes that $350 price tag hurt a little less knowing some of it is going to a good cause. A little.

“The
Presented by ChanLuu / Sponsored post.
Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Beautisol Medium Self-Tanning Mousse - Review

Hey dolls! We all know how much I love self tanning and today I'm back with another self tanner to show you: the Beautisol Self Tanning Mousse in Medium! I've heard so many amazing things about this tanner from fellow beauty bloggers and have been dying to try it since.


The tanner comes with a card that has a handy "Mousse Application Guide" on one side and "Tips and Tricks" for before application and after on the other which is really nice. Before tanning, I exfoliated and applied some body lotion to my elbows and knees so the tan won't get super dark in those areas due to super dry skin.

Depending on your body type, this mousse application guide will help. Since I have a belly and am gaining weight, I used a bit more then recommended.

The consistency needs to be shaken before applied and is a super dark foam mousse that thins out nicely once you apply to your skin. I actually love working with mousses so much more than lotions now. They're just easier to spread out with less product to use. 

This tanner does have a light tan guard which is always nice so you know exactly where you're putting the product. Unlike other tanners I've used, the tan guard is an actual brown (no reddish tones, no orange tones) and that's due to the color correcting pigments in the tan that ensure a natural tan every time. Lastly, the scent. Ah, the scent. Using their "Pure Scent" technology, there's no gross odors during application nor during developing. The scent legit smells like fresh laundry. No joke. How do they even do that? It smells SO good, guys. For application, I 100% recommend buffing this tanner in small sections (ie: forearm first, then upper arm instead of tackling your entire arm with one go). It just seemed easier and I experienced streaking when I tried to do a whole part of my body at once. It might be more time consuming but it's definitely the best way to go.


Along with the tanner, I was sent one of their Beautisol Application Mitts which I used to apply the tanner. I was unsure about it because I'm so used to applying tanner with my Fake Bake mitt using the velvet side while the Beautisol mitt calls for using the thick foam side to apply. At first, I didn't like it. It was leaving my arms super streaky with the way I apply (to the foam and then rub it out on the body) and was super frustrating. I went to the Fake Bake mitt and smoothed out my arms. I decided to try out the Beautisol mitt one more time on my belly and tried a different method: more buffing in smaller areas and that seemed to work way better. It gave an even and smooth application from then on. The one thing I was bummed about was that the tanner did leak through and start to tan my palms but I caught it in time before it got crazy.


Dry time was about three minutes although I noticed my under arms felt sticky for a few minutes longer. This tanner is definitely one of those that you put on before you go to bed since it takes about 6-8 hours to develop. I don't recommend wearing white or tight clothing with this on but rather dark, loose clothing until it developed.


The morning after, I woke up to a nice dark tan (from the tan guard). I noticed a couple of spots I missed like my knees (how do I do that!?) and in between a few of my fingers which is no biggie because hey, my fault. After taking a shower, I was bummed to see that a lot of my tan went down the drain. I was left with a still nice tan, just not as dark as I thought it was going to be. I also noticed I looked a bit splotchy, like my tan didn't develop in some areas. I'd like to say I've been doing this for a long time and wouldn't make that mistake of not tanning myself in those areas so that was weird.  I also checked my body before going to bed to make sure everything was even. Lasting time was about 3-4 days. If you exfoliate often, it'll be even shorter.


PROS:
- A lovely fresh laundry scent when applying.
- Foam makes application easy-peasy.
- The tan guard is a nice brown with no reddish/orange tones.
- The color (although not as dark as I thought it would be) was very flattering and nowhere close to orange. YAY!

CONS:
- Time consuming because you should buff in the tanner in small areas instead of trying to conquer a whole body part at a time. If you don't, streaks are unavoidable.
- Showering took off a lot of color.
- Left my legs splotchy like the color didn't develop in some parts.

Overall, I'm left feeling 50/50 on this. I did like the color I got after showering but was left scratching my head on how some parts developed while some didn't. It's really nothing that I can't fix by just going in and applying more tan to them but it was definitely odd. The scent was amazing and even in the morning (while you're sweating and all that fun stuff overnight), I didn't wake up smelling like DHA. I also love that this contains no parabens, propylene-glycol and is vegan and cruelty-free!

Beautisol: Buy | Price: $39
* Use the code BBLOGGER for 15% off any purchase at Beautisol.com (valid until 6/15/14)