July 2013 Favorites! | Victoria's Secret, Benefit, & More!

Hello everyone, and happy (almost) August! How was your July? I spent most of it going to Physical Therapy (my knee has gotten a lot better!), and taking piano lessons. I've accumulated quite a few favorites this month (maybe to make up for the fact that I didn't do a list of my favorites for June? whoops), so let's get down to business, shall we?

SWATCH-OFF: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin VS Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Champagne

I recently found myself running out of eyeshadow primer, so I picked up some Too Faced Shadow Insurance, my favorite formula out there, in Candlelight. I was interested in trying this out because I have used Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin, and I thought that they might be dupes for each other. Unfortunately, they weren't: Candlelight is more of a light yellow-gold, while Sin is more pink. However, I realized that there was a Too Faced eyeshadow primer that was closer in color to Sin: Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Champagne! Here they are, swatched side by side:

Above, TFSI in Champagne; Below, UDPP in Sin

Target Haul! | makeup, shoes, and more!

I'm not sure that you could call this much of a "haul" in any sense of the word, but my mom and I made the trek to Target the other day and picked up a couple of things. It was the first time that I left the house for something besides doctors appointments and physical therapy sessions since my surgery, so I really enjoyed getting out for a while! It really wiped me out, though, so I was glad to get home afterward.

We only picked up a few important things (and a pair of shoes... because those are important too), but I still wanted to share what we got!

Essentials for a Lazy Afternoon

There comes a point in the day when you just need a little pick-me-up. For me, it means cozying up on the couch in the living room in front of a big window and my favorite coffee table and taking some time to myself. I've been appreciating time to myself more and more these days, and I like to think that I've come up with a few good guidelines for a great recharging session. Here are my essentials for having a wonderful lazy afternoon of your own.

July 2013 Birchbox Unboxing!

After a little snafu with last month's box (being mailed to the wrong address, never to be seen again,) I was elated to find the July 2013 Birchbox in my mailbox this afternoon! My sister actually gave me a subscription for my birthday (Thanks, Jo!), but I've purchased from Birchbox before. In fact, this makes my first Birchbox since my Freshman year of college… three years ago!

It definitely exceeded my expectations. Be warned, there are LOTS of pictures... so click through to see what's inside! 

Top 5 Bath & Body Works Fragrances of ALL TIME!

I've been going into Bath & Body Works for as long as I can remember. My sister and I often went with each other and spent countless hours just smelling everything! Don't even get me started on the damage we'd do going in during the Semi-Annual sale. One of my fondest memories was driving home from the mall with my sister after we hit up Bath & Body Works and drained our wallets--we stopped at a red light and my sister asked me to take the items she bought out of the bag for her to smell before the light turned green again.

Because I've been pretty much obsessed with this company for most of my life, there are certain fragrances that I return to time and time again. So, whether you're looking for something new to try, you're curious in what my favorites are, or you're in another country just longing after what you can't get your hands on... I present to you my Top 5 Bath & Body Works Fragrances of ALL TIME! (Picture-heavy, so click through to see if your favorites made the cut!)

UPDATE 02 January 2014: Looking for more wintery scents? Check out my top winter picks from Bath and Body Works here!

Wishlist Wednesday #7: Maybelline, Benefit, Marc Jacobs

I was inspired to pick the following choices this week after combing through my makeup collection and vowing to try new things. As a result, it's another Wednesday, another wish list. You know how it goes by now! Click through to read more about this week's picks and why I've chosen them.

Indie Perfume Oils by Haus of Gloi! | review

When you're as bath and beauty obsessed as I am, there's something so refreshing about stumbling across a brand that you've never heard of. That's exactly how I felt when I discovered Haus of Gloi, a small vegan bath and beauty company. I'm not vegan myself, but I think vegan-anything is fascinating. While browsing through Haus of Gloi's website, I caught myself drooling over their luscious fragrances, intricate bars of soap, and other luxurious products (I'm looking at you, body emulsions!). 

Perfume oil samples! L-R: Zazz, Satyr, Beguiled, The Brier Path, and Elevenses. 

As I mentioned in my post about my favorite Etsy finds, I really like ordering from small businesses not only because of the new products to try, but also because of the personal connection. For this reason, I didn't hesitate--I ordered a handful of perfume oil samples in hopes that I could wrap my head around what kind of fragrances they made before I jumped into buying any of their more luxurious items. The  Satyr, Beguiled, The Brier Path, and Elevenses. The owners, Matt and Britton, also threw in a sample of Zazz, just because. (At least I hope it was just because... if it was a mistake, I'd feel bad about it.)

Are you making these skincare mistakes?

When it comes to perfecting your skincare routine, there is a lot of trial and error. The main idea is not only to pamper, but to protect. There are plenty of skincare faux pas floating around on the internet, and sometimes it's hard to know what is actually good for your skin. 

I don't mean to sound superior when it comes to skin care. I've definitely made some mistakes in my day. One of my darkest skincare moments was a time in which I washed my face in a public bathroom with that foaming soap from the dispenser on the wall just because I thought my face felt oily and dirty. What's even more shameless is that I've done that more than once. How embarrassing is that? (To be fair-I was a freshman. That explains it, right?)

Since then, I've made more of an effort to learn how to care for my skin better as well as the science behind skincare itself. So, for this blog post, I decided to tackle three skincare mistakes you're probably guilty of making as well as how to fix them.