Little Black Bag June

I was excited this month because I really wanted to find a crossbody bag and I found one I really liked on LBB. For those of you who do not know what LBB is, it is a monthly subscription service or one-time shop for high-end purses, accessories, makeup, household items and cell/laptop accessories. The monthly cost is $49.90 and the one-time purchase is $59.90. You chose one item to open your 'bag' with and then the site matches you up with 2 other items. Then the fun begins! You have 7 days to trade with other customers and see what you can get with the items in your bag. You can ultimately end up with 4-5 items at a time!

The item I chose to open with was actually the Danielle Nicole Leather Clutch but then I realized it was a shoulder bag instead of crossbody so I traded for this adorable beige colored BCBGeneration - Snake Embossed Mini Crossbody.

I love the contrasting chain and the leather strap on the top so it won't hurt my shoulder. I have another envelope crossbody that has just all chain and it leaves marks all over my shoulder when I wear tank and tube tops. It looks really funny. The bag is around 6.5'' x 6.5'' so its not large but its perfect for a day out or to dinner. Because of the color and snakeskin print on the bag, its good for all occasions. The turn lock also keeps everything in just in case if over turns.

The other items in my bag:

 Kenneth Cole New York - Small Drop Earring
 Gorjana - Snowflake Charm Necklace 
ZAD - Owl Necklace 

My total retail price was $170 and I paid $54. I am overall satisfied, however, I thought the images made the charms on the necklaces seem a lot larger than it actually is. That was quite deceiving. I hope that in the future it will be more to scale.

Till next time :)

Target Haul

I wanted to share some essentials that I picked up at Target this weekend.

-Nivea Touch of Sparkle Body Wash- Has diamond particles to exfoliate and make your skin glow. I haven't tried it yet but i love the blossom scent and I've used other Nivea body washes before. They definitely moisturize and soften your skin.

-Scunci Hair Ties- I like these ties because the last a very long time. The only bad thing is their start off very tight and over time the stretch to very large. The coral and black colors drew me in though cause I've been buying a lot of coral clothing lately.

-Sonia Kashuk Pencil Sharpener- My single sharpener from Sephora finally broke on me and I needed another one but I have a few larger eyeshadow pencils now so I like the duo sharpener of this. It was super cheap too.

-Tweezerman Mini Travel Tweezers- I hate when I have a few stray hairs under my eyebrows and I'm going to a nice formal event. These tweezers are so adorable and compact, its perfect to throw in your purse and it even comes with a case. Tweezerman is as good as it comes with tweezers, very sharp and precise. I definitely recommend this!

-Revlon Nail Polish in Forest- I wanted a darker color for my nails but not black. This has a nice dark green tint and very fine glitter particles, perfect for a night out.

-Kotex Thins- I think these are the perfect thin liners. The single packaging and bright colors also sold me. They have wings that fold in and they actually stay. It curves well to your body and works well for those light days that you girls need some light protection ;)

This is the free summer sample bag Target sent out a while back for liking their Facebook page. Their sample bags are always amazing! The pouch is totally cute and reusable. The Aveeno scrub, Tresemme shampoo and conditioner and Neutrogena sunblock are deluxe samples and great for traveling. So make sure to keep your eye out on the next sample bag offer!

Till next time :)

May Hits and Misses

I know its a bit late, but I've been so caught up with school and doing some freelance design projects on the side. I still wanted to share some of my favorite products from the last month with ya'll cause there's some things I really liked!

Hit #1 

An Estee Lauder product that I've been really enjoying is the Advanced Night Repair. This serum can almost serve as a night time moisturizer because it rejuvenates my skin so well. It absorbs very fast but it seals in so much moisture. The morning after my skin looks so dewy and glowing, its like I slept for 10 hours when I've really only slept for 5. It doesn't have a strong scent. Its a yellow clear liquid and at first it might be a bit sticky but once its fully absorbed, its very silky soft. It comes in a big bottle that will last a long, long time. The dropper is very easy to use as well.

Hit #2

I got a deluxe sample of this Estee Lauder Resilience Lift Firmng/Sculpting Eye Cream in my gift set last month and I started using it immediately cause I was out of eye cream. I loved it since day 1. It goes on very smooth and soft, its creamy but not oily and doesn't make my eye puffy the next day. It applies with a cool feeling but for an added effect, you can put it in the fridge and it'll become even cooler on your skin. It smells very light but a pleasant floral scent. I do see some results with lightening my under-eye circles, but not so much with firming my skin. This could also be because I haven't gotten to the point where that is needed yet. 

Hit #3

Now that the weather in Florida is almost 100 degrees all the time, I wanted to get a toner spray that I can use throughout the day to remove some shine and oil. I found this Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater on Nordstrom.com for $7 and I thought it was a pretty good deal for 4oz.  After my first time using it, I noticed my skin was immediately refreshed. The mid-day shine was faded and my skin was supple and moisturized. I love the light, fresh rose scent too. I started using it as a toner before moisturizer as well because it saves the time I spend pouring my other toner onto a cotton pad. This I can just spray on, pat in and move on. I plan on putting some in a smaller bottle to carry around in my purse and leave the big bottle at home. Overall, definitely worth it to buy!

Hit #4

LUSH Seanik Shampoo Bar has become my new holy grail for shampoos. I adore it! It smells great, like the ocean but better. When I first heard about LUSH's shampoo bars, I was very skeptical. I thought how would a bar of shampoo become sudsy and wouldn't it over dry my hair? No to both. It has so much foam and suds, even more than my old John Freida shampoo. It doesn't over dry my hair cause I still use a volumizing conditioner with it but it leaves it feeling super clean. I use it every other day and I've noticed that the oil in my hair is slowly getting less on the 2nd day. I have very oily hair to begin with so I can't go through more than 2 days without washing my hair but I've been able to back off on the dry shampoo more with this bar. The seaweed particles in it don't really affect me and it doesn't clog my drain at all but I'm sure its not everyone's cup of tea. I'm planning on trying the Jumping Juniper next, but this should last me a long time. I've had it a month and its still only 1/4 used.

Misses

I ordered from the e.l.f. website and got 3 items I needed, a lip brush, a stippling brush and a HD Finishing Powder. I have been using the Make Up For Ever HD Powder and I've been loving it but it's quite expensive so I was looking for a replacement product. The powder works alright but it goes on a lot more white than the Make Up For Ever one, which is light and sheer. It blends in better on top of makeup so the e.l.f. one was a miss for me. The stippling brush is soft but it is a bit too soft and doesn't apply my bb cream very well. The lip brush is horrible and the bristles fall out and stick to my lips every 5 seconds. I see it balding after a few uses. So even though there have been some e.l.f. products that I love, like my slanted eye liner brush, these 3 were all misses for me. Better luck with other products hopefully!

Till next time :)

OOTD #3: Summer Flare

Since the weather has been getting hotter in Florida, I've been wearing a lot more shorts and sheer tops. This is what I wore to a sister brunch at Eleplant Bar

Top: H&M printed sheer tunic

Shorts: Hollister white shorts

Shoes: Guess nude pumps

Bag: Danielle Nicole Mini Jelly Satchel from LBB

Necklace: eBay

Congrats on the baby, jiejie!!

On a side note:

My best friend went to Japan and brought me back all these goodies! I've been loving the matcha and cherry blossom flavors!! Why can't they sell these in the States?!

Till next time :)

Little Black Bag

My new current obsession is Little Black Bag. I've been addicted every since I opened my first bag. LBB is online shopping site where you take a style profile and then get matched up with 2 items on top of the one item you choose to open your 'bag' with. It is a monthly subscription service if you want to pay $49.95 and it comes out to $54.95 with tax/shipping. You can also choose to buy single bags without any obligations and will not be charged monthly. The price for single purchase is $59.95. 

Once you open a bag, you have 7 days to trade with other customers. You can trade 2 or 3 things for one item and trust me, its so addicting!! If you don't find anything you like, you can simply skip that month. Their customer service is very good and they're willing to work with you on any questions or concerns.

Their packaging was lovely and everything was tissue paper wrapper and sealed with their logo sticker. I started out with 3 items, however, I didn't particularly like the earrings that I started out with so I traded my original handbag selection along with a pair of earrings for this $98 Steve Madden Hobo Bag. The 3rd item I had was a set of Robert Rose orange woven earrings.

I absolutely love the bag. Its a very soft high-quality leather bag and it's huge. I use it every time I travel on the plane cause it carries everything I need included a jacket or coat. It comes with a single shoulder handle and a long detachable crossbody strap. The earrings were bigger than I thought but I really like how they add a pop of color to any outfit.

Here's how the hobo bag looked with my OOTD, along with an adorable froyo mascot :)

This is how the earrings looked.

Till next time :)

NYC Fashion Haul: H and M

On a humid rainy day, what better way to avoid the rain than to go shopping inside a big store. That's exactly what I did at H and M. I've noticed that styles in these stores are slightly different when you shop in a different region. I like the fashion in the SoHo district in NY so I had to stop by this store. I bought some summer outfits for the oncoming heat.

The first set is patterns. I bought a sheer leopard button-up top. It has fold up long sleeves and its slightly longer in the back than the front. Its just long enough for me to tuck in my high wast shorts. I love the color of this leopard print, its not too dark and overbearing for a casual day outing. The other pattern top I bought is a sheer blue-green tunic. Its something I can wear over a bathing suit at the beach or over a white tank top slip as a dress with some stockings. I ventured out of my typical comfort zone with patterns on this one but I wanted to try something new and this is a start. It has a drawstring in the middle and little gold ends on the string.

The 2nd set is white tops. I got a white, stretchy sheer button-up long sleeves. What I love about this top is the cut on the bottom. Its split and cut so you can actually tie the ends in the front and tuck in the back because its longer in the back. I'll have to do an OOTD to show ya'll. I can wear it with a tank top and skinny jeans or over a bright colored dress. The tank top is just an essential sheer white tank, very basic and easy to throw some accessories on. It'll be good with a pair of blue jean shorts or colored skinny jeans.

The 3rd set is fun colors. The bright yellow dress is definitely something I wanted for the summer. I wanna pair it with a coral woven belt instead of the sash it came with. The material is sheer but the underlining is actually pretty think. Its not see-through at all. The color is just so inviting and sunny. The teal shorts are a flowy and light material. It sits right on my hips and the loose feel makes my thighs look a lot smaller than they are. I'm thinking of color blocking with these shorts or pairing it with a neutral top and heels for a casual date.

As I wear these pieces in my OOTD, I will update again with pictures!

Till next time :)

NYC Skincare Haul: THEFACESHOP

I went to NY this past weekend and completely overspent on hauls from different stores. I bought very useful things and mostly products that I know I will use because they are essentials. So without further ado, let's jump into my haul from THEFACESHOP.

I fell in love with this company on my last trip to NY. I bought some of their skincare products last time and I've seen my skin slowly getting rejuvenated with each use. This time I bought some more skincare products.

#1 Smart Peeling White Jewel Exfoliating Scrub - I picked this up to replace my St. Ives scrub.When I tried this at the store, I liked how it felt like a microdermabrasion scrub on my skin. The fine particles in the creamy cleanser was soft enough not to make my skin irritated but just enough to take the dead skin off and smooth out my skin tone. I plan on using this once a week before using a sheet mask.

#2 Herb Lip & Eye Remover - Sadly, the makeup remover bottle broke in my luggage on the way home so it spilled a bit. I really like the aftermath of this remover. It leaves the skin around my eyes very soft and refreshed. Its not oily at all and it doesn't require shaking to mix. It works very well on my eye makeup except for my waterproof eyeliner, that takes a bit longer to take off. Overall, I like the light scent and liquid of this remover.

#3 Herb Day Cleansing Tissues - It smelled very refreshing with a hint of cucumber. I had ran out of my Yes to Cucumbers wipes on this trip so I picked this up. The smallest package it came it was the 20 sheets which is still a bit bulky to carry around but I liked the feeling of freshness it left on my face so I decided to buy it anyways.

#4 Lovely ME:EXMini Pet Perfume Hand Cream - It was completely adorable and just sat on the shelf staring at me. I just fell in love with it. I bought the 02 Summer Floral scent and its a lovely light scent. The cream itself is non-sticky and highly moisturizing. The packaging is small enough to carry in a purse.

#5 Lovely ME:EX Nail Polish Remover in Pink - Haven't gotten a chance to use them yet but it smell fruity and lovely.

#6 Cereal Mask Sheet Walnut and Pine Nut, #7 Cotton Squares, #8 EcoTherapy Emulsion - These were all samples the store gave me to try. I've used masks from THEFACESHOP before and the results are pretty good but I didn't like the thick texture of the sheet. It was also a lot larger than my face is. The cotton squares are soft and doesn't leave cotton hairs all over my face but its thin. It doesn't soak too much liquid and gives off a lot onto your skin which is good because you're not wasting product on the cotton pad. The emulsion bottles are so cute! They're small and easy to carry for travel. I plan on using it on travel and on the plane.