Tom's natural soap review

Tom's is my toothpaste.
It's also my deodorant.
And now, it's my main bar of soap.
I've tried many bars but Tom's soap has got me sold.
I love that the soap is natural and smells like oatmeal. For some reason, I really like oatmeal-y smelling soaps. I think it's beacause the scent is mild enough to be layered with a stronger scent.
The lather from the Tom's soap keeps me feeling so fresh and so clean.
The bar cost about $5 for a two-pack but I got a dollar knocked off with a coupon, which appear regularly in my Sunday circular.
Think I've found a new soap buddy!

What about you? What's your fave soap?

FTC Disclosure: I paid for the product with my own funds.

Essie's Shine of the Times is a winner!

I’ve never been a big Essie nail polish fan because I find her polishes to be too thin and her brush too small.
But this Shine of the Times from her luxeeffects collection has me smitten!
It’s a clear base of iridescent flakies that make any polish pop.
The polish changes from green to gold to orange to yellow.
Essie needs to cut me a check for public relations because I recommended it to the ladies at the doctor's office yesterday!

Here it is over SinfulColors' Black on Black:


Shine of the Times kind of reminds me of Sally Hansen’s Hidden Treasure, which I never owned but always wanted.
Shine of the Times cost me about $8 from my local Walgreen’s and I already know that I will get a lot of wear out of this cutie!

Have you tried Shine of the Times? If not, what's currently on your tips and toes?

FTC Disclosure: I bought the product with my own money.

Time for Five: Things I'm into right now

Here are five things I’m really into right now:



1.Cupcakes: If I could be a sweet treat, I’d definitely be a cupcake. I mean, look at them! They’re just so cute and delectable and pretty and tasty! How could you not like them? There are several cupcakeries in my area, two of which competed on the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars.” Yes, I am crazy about my cupcakes. You want to make me happy, buy me one. Fortunately, most of my friends already know that!!



2.Whole Body and Soul magazine: I love this magazine. It features articles on healthy and balanced living, healthy eating and happy living. I like how the writers write their articles in a down-to-earth way. And I also love how they have natural and holistic approaches to medicine, in addition to the traditional forms of medicine. My subscription cost me about $20 a year and I’ve been a subscriber for about 3 years now. It's been worth every penny.



3. Arm Parties: I've been having lots of fun stacking bracelets on my arms! Been getting lots of use from my bracelet by doing this too.



4. Timer: This little gadget that I got from the dollar store has been keeping me from burning my kitchen. The small things in life really matter. I swear they do!



5. Flowers: This was a belated birthday gift from a dear friend. Made my day. Flowers are so underrated!

FTC Disclosure: I paid for the products with my own funds.

A convo with Santa and a giveaway!

So I recently had a long conversation with Santa (because he IS a real person:]) about what I want for Christmas and he said that since I've been a very, very good girl this year, he'll get me anything I want! Yay! I've been thinking and here's a list of some of the things I want for Christmas:

-Pacifica Magic Carpet Ride Body Butter Set



-The entire Maxayn discography on vinyl


-That new As Seen on TV Salon Express Nail Art Stamping Kit


Now, it's your turn to tell me what's on your Christmas wish list with my latest beauty giveaway!
I'll be giving away one Covergirl lipstick and mascara, three Revlon nail polishes in Powder Puff, Vintage and Pink Again and a few extra goodies. All you have to do is tell me what you'd like from Santa in the comments section so I can personally tell him myself. We have another follow-up conversation soon:) To enter in the giveaway, you must be a Google follower. The contest will end on Sunday, December 11. I'll ship to Canada and U.S. only. Thanks for entering and happy holidays!

Photo sources: www.sephora.com and www.nouveaucheap.blogspot.com.

Happy Turkey Day!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have a great holiday filled with love, laughter and fun times.

Here's one of my fave songs about gratitude from Earth, Wind and Fire. Enjoy!

The latest beauty products I've used up

Short post today. Wanted to share pictures of the latest beauty products I've used up:









That's a whole lot of products, right??!! I feel SO good when I use up a product because I feel like I got my money's worth and didn't waste anything.

What about you? What products have you used up lately?

NOTD: A very sweet, pretty Skittles mani

I've been wanting to do a Skittles mani since forever and finally got my chance!
A Skittles mani consists of multi-colored polishes, hence the name "Skittles."
Check out my colorful tips!


From thumb to pinky: L'Oreal Queen of Hearts, N.Y.C. Fuchsia Shock, Wet n wild's Inferno, Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again, Wet n wild's Rustic.

I wanted to use jewel-toned colors to reflect the season. Honestly, I think jewel toned polishes might be some of my favorite polish colors because they pop against my skin and are so versatile since they can be worn year-round.


What do you think? Have you done a Skittles mani before? What's on your tips and toes these days?

FTC Disclosure: I previously paid for the products with my own funds.

Four beauty products I will not buy

I was perusing Sephora's website recently and came across some things that I just couldn't see myself buying. They included:

1. Lip scrubs: I've sampled the fresh sugar lip scrub in Sephora and while it's nice, I just don't see why I should buy something I can make at home. Mix some sugar, honey and I have some lip scrub.

2. Body scrubs: I don't buy body scrubs at all anymore because I love concocting my own versions in my kitchen with sugar, salt, oil, spices and honey.

3. Brow gels: I try to keep my brows touched up myself and just don't see the point of brow gel. No disrespect to Anastasia. I respect her body of work, but I just wont invest in brow gel because I don't have a need for it.

4. Hair spray: Why buy when again, I can make my own? I usually concoct my own version by mixing oils and water. The mixture does my scalp and locs justice.

What about you? What products would you not buy?

Easy Dinner: Sardine Tacos

Lately, I've been obsessed with sardine-filled tacos.
They're the perfect, easy, no-mess, five-minute dinner.
I usually have mine with olives, avocado slices, lettuce, salt and pepper.
Chips and water round out the meal and as Emeril would say, "Bam!"
Dinner's done.

This Deborah Lippmann beauty is truly a 'Brick House'

Look at my nails! Just look at them, and sing with me because they're a BRICK...doot, doot, doot, doot...HOUSE!!!

That's how I feel with Deborah Lippmann's aptly named Brick House polish on my nails.
This lacquer is from the polish guru's fall line. It looks like the kind of color you'd get if a metallic orange and brown mixed together.
I think the hue is perfect for autumn and looks great against my skin tone.
Take another look:



This baby cost me $14. I got a $2 discount because the sales associate only had one other bottle in stock that she was holding for another customer.
I was NOT complaining about my little discount though!
I wore this baby for about a week, which is a LONG time for me to wear one nail polish color.
Nice formula. Pretty color. Deborah Lippmann. O what a winning hand!

What's on your tips and toes these days???

FTC Disclosure: I paid for the product with my own funds.

Meet my new blue (silk) shoes!

I recently bought these Lela Rose pretties from Payless's BOGO sale and they have been making me feel like a lady!!!
Fell in love with the white and blue graphic silk print during a visit to the store.
I did not (I swear!!) intend to buy them but kept running into them as I browsed the discounted shoe selection.
They ended up costing about $44 and you know what, I don't even feel bad about my purchase.
I love them!!

FTC Disclosure: I bought these shoes with my own funds.

Beauty Products I've Been Sleeping On

Been shopping my stash lately and coming across things I've totally ignored for whatever reason. They include (in no particular order):



1. NYX lipstick: I've been OD-ing on my Buxom Barcelona lippie for too long that I forgot how much of a beauty this Tribute to Marilyn NYX lipstick is. Geez, it's sexy, and shiny!



2. Burts Bees Cuticle Cream: OK, where have I been? This cuticle cream has been doing wonders for my cuticles. Keeps 'em soft, moisturized and nurtured.



3. Stila lip and cheek stain: I'm not a fan of this a lip stain, but it's a winner as a cheek stain. Score one for Stila!



4. Tempu illuminator: This pretty potion adds a little bit of shimmer or glimmer to anywhere you want. Highlight your face, or even your decolletage with it!



5. Jaguar Luxury liners: I've had to stop showing my Urban Decay liner some love to spend some time with these Jaguar Luxury liners. They're long-lasting, bright and contain Vitamins E and A.

What about you? Any products in your beauty arsenal that you're sleeping on?

FTC Disclosure: I previously paid for all products in this post with my own funds.

What's on my tips: ombre/gradian nails (pic heavy)

I've been wanting to try this ombre nail trend for a long time and finally had my chance!
Ombre-painted nails are when you paint your nails with the polish colors in the same color family that go from light to dark from nail to nail.
It can also involve polishes on one nail flowing from light to dark.
I’ve been so in love with the look that I decided to ombre my nails using goodies from my polish collection.
Here’s what I came up with, over the course of a few weeks:


Purples(from pinky to thumb): Sally Hansens’s Mystic Lilac, Wet n wild’s Wild Card, Sally Hansen’s Lacey Lilac, Essence’s Breakthrough, N.Y.C.’s Prince Street Purple.


Reds: Mary Kay’s Coral Stone, Sally Hansen’s All Fired Up, Revlon’s Fire Fox, Loreal’s Queen of Hearts, Sephora’s Cherry Popsicle


Pinks: Maybelline’s Mod Mauve, Borghese’s Pink Paradiso, NYC’s Fuchsia Shock, Borghese’s Raspberry Sorbetto, Borghese’s Bellisima Rose.


Oranges/Corals: Wet n wild’s Club Havana, Revlon’s Siren, Sephora by OPI’s Lost Without My GPS, Borghese’s Capri Coral, Mary Kay’s Coral Stone.


Greens: Essie’s Mint Candy Apple, SinfulColors’ Mint Apple, Sula’s Kelly, OPI’s Don’t Mess with OPI, Revlon’s Emerald.


Grays: Revlon’s Hazy, Maybelline’s Gray-T-Glamour, Ulta’s Smoke Screen, Ten Second’s Rollback Prices, Revlon’s Steel Her Heart.


Browns: Maybelline’s Iced Mauve, Rimmel London’s Dessert Beauty, Wet n wild’s Goldmine, Revlon’s Copper Penny, Wet n wild’s Rustic.


Blues: Hard Candy’s Sky, Hello Kitty’s Blueberry, Pixel’s Turquoise the Noise, Ulta’s Blue Streak, Revlon’s Midnight.

What a fun trend to try!
I saved money by using nail polish I already own and I fell in love with some lacquers all over again!
Even got a few compliments too.
I’ve had so much fun with this look and plan to do it again soon!

Have you ever worn ombre nails before? If so, how was your experience?

FTC Disclosure: I previously paid for the products with my own funds.