A Few of My Current Favorites

I've been on a mad crazy shopping spree, which of course it killing our vacation budget (currently less than 3 weeks away!). However I've been discovering some new and old loves.

Here are a few of my current favorite products and/or product lines in no particular order...

1. Boots No.7 ~ If you're a Target addict like me, you may have passed this line by thinking it's just some obscure brand. Well it's not! Boots is a pharmacy in the UK that sells both low-end and high-end beauty products along with everything else sold in a pharmacy.  I'm completely obsessed with the skin care line and because it's a UK brand it's cruelty free. I currently have the Micro-dermabrasion Exfoliator,  Protect & Perfect Eye Cream (although I want to get the Lift & Illuminate Eye cream because there is an ingredient that is suppose to be amazing at getting rid of dark circles), and the Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser for Normal/Dry skin (I use it to remove all my makeup and after I use the Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator). I can't wait to run out of some of my other skin care products so I can buy more!
2. Tarte  Cosmetics ~ I only have a few things since I can't afford a lot but what I have I love! I was in Ulta and picked up a sample set of their skin primers. For $9 you get generous size samples of their Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hr Smoothing Eye Primer, Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hr Perfecting Primer, and Clean Slate Brightening Primer. I'm in love with both the eye primer & brightening primer. I plan on buying full sizes of these products once I run out of the sample size. I did like the Perfecting Primer but it's silicone based and feels too heavy by the end of the day for me. I feel like the Brightening Primer gave me the same look without the heavy feel. I also picked up from QVC the Treat Yourself Gorgeous 28-pice collection. It's very similar to the holiday set being sold at Sephora and Ulta. It comes with 4 full size lip glosses, 4 eyeliners, and 20-piece eyeshadow palette. I'm being completely obsessed.
3. Stila Cosmetics ~ Stila recently had warehouse sale & products were up to 80% off. I purchased their Natural Finish foundation for $8 (now $19), four pan eye shadows, and a refillable 4 slot eye shadow pan holder for only $5.50. The selection has definitely dwindled down since the sale, but you can still find some great deals. Of course I've fallen in love with the foundation now that it's being phased out. I'm hoping to grab a couple more bottles in my shade before they're all gone.
4. Wet N Wilds Mega Liner in 863 Turquoise. It's such a fun way to amp up pinup makeup, which sometimes I feel looks the same everyday. I often get so inspired by makeup looks I see on YouTube but when I try them I don't feel like myself. The color looks amazing on, I love the formula, I love the brush, and I love the price $2.99! I use all matte colors on my eyes since this color has a little shimmer in it. It seriously amps up pinup makeup and would even look amazing with a thin line of black liquid liner on layered on top.

So that's what I've been obsessed with lately. Hope you all are doing well!

Fun Life of an Influenster!

So a YouTuber I follow got me hooked on Influenster. What is Influenster?

Well it's an amazing online community of you can join where your opinion on products can be heard. Once you join the website (which is free!), you'll take some surveys and unlock "badges." All of this helps the good people of Influenster match you with VoxBoxes filled with products for you to review. The companies want to know how you feel about these products, sometimes before they hit the stores!

The VoxBoxes are filled with either full size or generously sized sample sizes. Again all of this is for free! You will have some steps to follow in order to good standing with Influenster and continue to be chosen for future shipments.

Easy peesy right?

So if your interested why not check them out and let your voice be heard. Just go to www.influenster.com and sign up! Plus they've just redesigned their website so now it's better than ever.

I love going through the pages of products and seeing other Influenster member's reviews of products. You really get a feel for how well a product works or doesn't work and all reviews are honest. This isn't about just saying somethings great so you can be picked, it's really about consumers making their voices heard.

Another great part of the website is the Happenings pages. This page keeps you in the loop about the current VoxBox programs and what each one is about. Maybe you didn't get picked for that VoxBox, but you can still stay in the loop about the product/promotion.

I Really Want Some New Pinup Pictures!

My first goal for 2013....no I don't do New Year's Resolution but I do Goals for the New Year....is to have new pinup pictures done.

I had some done as an anniversary gift for my hubby two years ago....has it been two years already? Wow time if flying by.

Anyhoo

Yup, new pinup pictures shall be goal #1 for 2013!

How about you? Too soon to think about 2013 or are you a "plan everything way in advance" person like me?

Where in the where has this year gone?!

Okay so we're hurling towards the end of  November and all I can say is....

Where in the where has this year gone?!

I cannot believe this year is almost over. So much has happened and so many accomplishments for our little family.  I've officially been back to working part time for a year, my son started kindergarten (and is doing amaze-balls!), my daughter is potty trained (woo hoo we are a diaper free house!), went to Kauai, celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary, and there still a big vacation for just the hubby & I at the end of December. Plus a bunch of other stuff along the way.

All of this leaves me very thankful for what we have and our amazing families. Sure there have been plenty of hiccups along the way this year, but I those events are water under the bridge and long forgotten. I hope you all are having a lovely end to your year.

I'm truly excited to see what 2013 will bring for our family!


P.S. - If you haven't checked out my YouTube channel, please do. I'll have some more videos soon & I plan on doing a giveaway (hopefully I'll have that video up by the end of this week)! Just look for my channel VintageinSC.

Palmolive Fresh Infusions

So a while back I joined this fun little community called Influenster.  You go through a ton of questionnaires and can get picked to be sent full size or trial size products that companies are getting ready to or have rolled out. Part of the program is doing reviews on blogs or videos and also completing reviews on their website.

I was recently sent three FULL SIZE (how awesome is that?!) bottles of the new Palmolive Fresh Infusions liquid dish soap. The scents they created in order of my preference are:

• Lime Base ~ To me the perfect blend of citrus and herb.
• Lemon Thyme ~ I smell more Thyme then lemon. Now lemon is my favorite cleaning product scent so I was hoping for a little more balanced scent.
• Ginger White Tea ~ Maybe I just don't really know what these smell like individually but it kinda smelled nondescript to me.

I was so excited & surprised to have three full size bottles to choose from. The instructions are for me to choose my favorite....Lime Basil all the way, let a girlfriend choose one....hopefully I'll see my bestie by Monday, and the third keep as backup.

These will or are available at Target & Walmart. I was also sent five coupons to give out to friends! Pretty sweet deal right?!

So how does it work? I think exceptionally well. I actually like it better than what I had before & definitely better than Dawn (hate that stuff). This is definitely a product I plan on repurchasing and recommend making the trip down to your Walmart or Target to check it out.

Check out the Palmolive website for more info on this new product at  http://www.colgate.com/app/Palmolive/US/EN/HomePage.cwsp.

If you happen to find it let me know what your favorite scent is!

*Disclaimer ~ I did receive this product complimentary through Influenster.*

e.l.f. Cruella Evil Everday Eyes

So at long last I finally found it!! Well I've had it for a couple of weeks now :)

But it took a lot of patients and a lot of searching and I almost made an expensive eBay purchase just to get e.l.f.'s Cruella Evil Everyday Eyes palette.

I have to say it's by far my favorite of the three palette's.  Overall the blend-ability and range of looks that can be done with this palette is what makes it so amazing to me. I had almost zero issues getting the shadows on smoothly and blending was a dream.

I found the more I used the Maleficent palette the more I realized just how difficult the eye-shadows were to blend. Not so with this palette. I'm not sure if it's because this palette is full of more neutral cream/brown/moss green tones and for some reason makes them easier to use or what but they are far superior to the other two palettes.

Obviously because the colors in this palette are more neutral it will appeal to a wider audience especially when doing more retro or pinup makeup looks than the smokey purples, blacks, silver, lavender, and bright purple of the other two palettes.

Out of the three if you're trying to choose just one to hunt down or possibly spend the extra money on to buy one from eBay, this one would get my vote. Right now you can still find them all on eBay and the going price is around $20 up from the $9.99 they were retailing for in Walgreen's.  At this point I highly doubt you'll find a Walgreen's that still has any in stock. It looked like they only got about three of each palette in a store & I haven't seen any lately.

The only downside to the palette I purchased is that instead of giving me one day cheek/lip duo and one night cheek/lip duo, I received two night cheek/lip duo's. It looked like the day color was a pale peachy/nude color. I instead received two red's....like I don't have enough red lipsticks!

Haha...there are never too many red lipsticks for this girl :) Which on a side note, I've almost completed my collection of truly retro lipstick colors!! Stay tuned, hopefully in another week or two I should have them all. Three will definitely be a blog post & video on my YouTube channel with more details on brand & the colors themselves!!

So without further ado, if you're interested in a closer look on what I feels is the best of the three e.l.f. Disney Villains palettes here's Cruella's Everyday Evil Eyes.....

It's the Friends & Family Sale at Urban Decay time again!

Yup it's sale time on the Urban Decay website again!

High fives for 20% off the entire website. This includes the entire Naked line and the new holiday palettes!! To shop until your wallet drops just stop by the Urban Decay website....www.urbandecay.com and use code FFHOLIDAY12 and you'll get 20% off your entire purchase.

Oh yes and the 20% off is also good on the sale items! Yippee!!!!!! That's the deal I took advantage of. I didn't have a lot to spend and really shouldn't have purchased anything BUT....I just couldn't help myself or pass up eye shadows for $4.80 with the 20% off. We're going on a 10 day road trip at the end of the year, so I'm only suppose to be buying necessities right now.....

But isn't the Urban Decay sale a necessity?

The two eye shadows I picked up are from the Vintage Eye Shadows line in the sale section. I purchased "Midnight Cowboy Rides Again"

It's a golden beige with bronze, gold, and silver glitter.

and "Midnight Cowgirl"

This one is a subtle golden-beige with gold glitter.

I really wanted "Midnight Cowboy" but they are sold out already even though it doesn't show until you get to check out which annoys me....sorry about the long rant.

There is a slight difference in color between the shades in the Vintage Eye Shadow collection and the regular Eye Shadow collection. The Vintage seem to have a ton more glitter in them. I don't mind it, I love having some heavily glittered shadow for highlight in my collection. I think they're also amazing to have around for night looks.

At some point I'll buy the regular versions of Midnight Cowboy, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, and Midnight Cowgirl but for now I'm excited to get the ones I bought in the mail.

The sale runs between 10/09-10/13 so don't miss out!!!

Want to win a years worth of dresses from Shabby Apple?!

I thought that might catch your attention!

Shabby Apple is doing, in my opinion, the most awesome giveaway right now! They are giving away a years worth of free dresses...one dress a month from October 2012-October 2013. Now I looovvvveeeee me some Shabby Apple dresses!!!!

There are a few ways to enter so I will list them out. It's possible to have five entries into the contest. I will also post a link to the blog post that gives all the details too.

To enter:
1. Follow the Shabby Apple blog.
2. Like the Shabby Apple Facebook page.

For extra entries you can:
1. Tweet about the contest using the hashtag #shabbyapple
2. Blog about the contest
3. Share the contest on your Facebook wall.

You have to go to the blog contest page and put in separate entries for each way to enter the blog contest.
http://blog.shabbyapple.com/2012/10/why-because-we-love-you.html

The winner will be announced on the Shabby Apple blog on Monday October 15th so you better get your entries in right away. Oh and this is only open to US residents....their rules, not mine!

e.l.f. Disney Villianious Villians Makeup Books

So when I first saw these on YouTube I was sold! I could really care less if they were from e.l.f., there were Disney and I HAD to have them!!

You see I'm a huge Disney/Disneyland fan. Completely obsessed....if they would let me live there I would! If I could afford the membership for Club 33 I would (if you don't know then you don't really love Disney). In fact Disneyland is where my husband proposed to me...right in front of Sleeping Beauty's (NOT Cinderella's) Castle. It was suppose to be at Snow White's Wishing Well (my favorite Disney movie) but it was closed for cleaning.

Okay I'm getting way off topic...I'm just a little excited over this :)

Anyways, I just had to have them so the hunt was on. Thing is, you can't buy them at the e.l.f. website. They are only being sold in Walgreen's and not at every Walgreen's only certain Walgreen's. You can do a search on the e.l.f. website so see which, if any, stores in your area are carrying these makeup books. The kicker is, I had to search three local stores before I could find them. I was only able to come across the Evil Queen's Devious Dramatic Eye makeup book and Maleficent's Sinister Smokey Eye's. Oh yes, there is also Cruella's Evil Everyday Eyes. I'm really hoping not to have to end up getting this one off eBay and paying more than the $9.99 price from Walgreen's. The hunt is still on....

Now I know the quality of e.l.f. products so I wasn't expecting like Urban Decay, TheBalm, or say Too Faced quality makeup. Really when buying this, it's for the Disney obsession. I was really impressed with the illustrations inside. I thought they were amazing and true to the original illustration of these characters. Each set comes with 4 day time look shadows, 4 night time look shadows, 2 cheek/lip colors for day/night, a eye primer, an eye liner, lashes, and glue. There are also directions and illustrations on how to achieve the day and night look.

What I do like...the eye shadows really aren't that bad if you use a good eye primer. The payoff for color would be better if you use a color pencil underneath for a more dramatic look. The packaging itself is easy to use and again I love all the illustrations. I feel like they did a great job putting the shadow colors together that really embody each character. Nothing out of left field. I was surprised at how creamy the cheek/lip color pencils were. I really thought they were going to be chalky and hard to blend. I was very impressed how well the colors worked together because at first glance I was a little unsure, but once on the final look is very well done. I think the colors could work well on just about any eye color/skin tone combo. I also feel like with some finessing, you could really take these colors from more sheer (which some already tend to be) to very dramatic and amazing with the right products to help boost the colors.

What I don't like...the eyeliners. Mainly the brush...not sure if it was just my set but I think the bristles on the brush were glued together. If not, it is the weirdest liquid liner brush I've ever seen. Also for the two makeup books I have, the illustrations shows a rather heavy liner but the written directions only address the eyeliner in the night time look. Now obviously you can do what ever you want with the liner but it seemed a little strange. Plus for the Maleficent look, they give you a clear liquid liner with glitter which is confusing considering the illustrations show her with very heavy black liner. Again, I realize you can add liner how ever you choose but I'm looking at this from a purist standpoint and there are zero pic's depicting Maleficent with glitter eyeliner. I may use it on top of my black liner though ;) Now on to the the eye primer, I have this stuff already...bought it for $1 and that's about $0.99 more than what it's worth. The first time I ever tried it, it creased before I even got my eyeshadow on it. I highly recommend either Palladio eye primer or Urban Decay's Primer Potion. Lastly, I just with the cheek/lip pencils were bigger. They are very tiny and I'm sure will be used up far sooner than the eye shadows.

I would give these makeup books a solid B overall. I think the $9.99 is the right price point considering the brand producing them. Any higher and I would have to take a second thought. I will definitely be on the hunt still for the Cruella makeup book. I'm still hoping to find it before they go away...when that is set to happen is unclear. I don't know if this is seasonal or something they plan on keeping around.

Before adding the pictures, just as a side note, I was checking out Sephora's website today. They have a new line out called...Cinderella! It is makeup and perfume line. Products start at $20 and go up. I'm sure the quality of product is better than the e.l.f. and I'm curious to get my hands on a few products and test them out.

So without further ado, here's The Evil Queen and Maleficent...enjoy!
 

Celebrating 10 Years....

My hubby and I just had our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary on the 7th! Sometimes I still can't believe we've been married that long or that I'm old enough to have been married 10 years!!

To celebrate we hosted our own Old Hollywood themed anniversary party.  It was such a fun night to celebrate with so many friends and family who have been with us along the way and even a few we picked up more recently.

We had our party at a local restaurant in one of the harbors in Santa Cruz.  They allowed us to use their dock unattached to the restaurant.  We went crazy and rented a red carpet for everyone to walk down as they arrived.  We even hired a photographer to be the "paparazzi" to take pictures of everyone walking down the red carpet! 

Our friends parents were so awesome.  They made up an "Oscar" speech and included a lot of our friends, who they named famous celebs from the 40's and 50's.  Then they announced the Oscar for Best Couple...

Us!

It was so cute and fun and really made the whole night complete.  

My hubby was so awesome going along with all my shenanigans!! He loves that I'm so into vintage/retro/pinup stuff, but he still pretty much dresses like he did when we met....in 1999. Haha still wearing his Dickie's, band t-shirts, and chucks.  I wouldn't have him any other way!

Here's a couple of pics I got from the night.  I haven't gotten all the pics from our photographer yet, once I do I'll try to post a few.

Receiving our "Oscar"

Thank you speech

My bestie & I!! I love her more than words could ever describe. 

 I loved her dress, it was a 50's prom dress she borrowed!

Our awesome friends!

One final pic before the sun went down! Can't wait to see all the official pics from the photographer :)

The Very Best of Shabby Apple

Hello everyone...sorry for my absence but with my oldest starting kindergarten this year life has been busy!

Enough about that, let's get to the point! Shabby Apple as you may know is one of my favorite companies right now. I was so excited last year to win their "Professorial" dress from The Bobby Pin blog. I absolutely love this dress and honestly feel like the picture on Shabby Apple website does not due this dress justice on just how amazing it is.....

Every time I wear it I get tons of compliments and no one can believe it's NOT vintage! This dress is such a perfect transition dress for fall and winter. It's fully lined and looks amazing with flats, heels, or tights with boots. I really can't explain how much I love this dress.

But as much as I love this dress it did not make Shabby Apples top six best selling dresses so far this year. So here they are and a little discount code, favorite10, good until September 14th for 10% off the entire website...

1. Alice- Mad Hatter Collection
2. The Red Queen - Mad Hatter Collection
3. I'm Late, I'm Late - Mad Hatter Collection
4. Ingrid - 1943 Collection
5. El Capitan - Yosemite Collection
6. Elizabeth Islands - Lighthouse Collection

Don't you just love all the names of the collections?! So to check all the amazing styles out just click on the Shabby Apple link on the side of my page & remember to use "favorite10" to get 10% off until September 14th!

Sometimes It's Okay to Say No

So I've had tons and tons and tons going on lately. I've been feeling incredibly guilty for not keeping up on my videos and blogs. I've come to realize this week that I've taken on too much and something has to give for my own sanity.

I have certain events coming up that are no brainers....my son's first day of kindergarten, my 10 Year Anniversary Party, and my anniversary trip at the end of the year with my hubby (just the two of us)!

Along the way, I tried to take on other smaller events but I've found that it's all too close together. I've decided instead of stressing myself out to get everything done, I'm going to say no to certain things I committed to.

Now I DO NOT like letting people down when I've made a commitment, however I realized that I've been making myself sick with stress over the past month. Too much is going on and for my own sanity and health I'm having to say no. This has been very freeing and I realized that sometimes it's okay to say no after you've said yes.

Sometimes situations change and life throws you a curve ball. When this happens, it's better to back off from non-essential commitments and regroup. People who really care about you will understand that in these instances, you're not "flaking," you just can only take on so much at one time.

So now I'm in my regrouping mode and hope to be posting more blogs and making more videos as I get my schedule reorganized.

Influenster Summer 2012 Beauty VoxBox

I received the Influenster Summer 2012 Beauty VoxBox for free in exchange for my honest opinion of the products included. You can click on the video below to see my review on YouTube and get a preview of the products I reviewed.

Below is a list of the products I received, a brief description, and whether or not I would purchase again....

Hawaiian Tropics Silky Hydration in SPF 30
$8.99 for 6oz
Comes in SPF 12, 30, or 50
Overall I'm always happy with Hawaiian Tropics products. It's a tie for my favorite sunscreen, the other one I really like I mention in my blog about my skincare routine. It's the only "non-natural" lines of sunscreen that doesn't bother my skin & actually keeps me from burning every time I use it. This is a product I will definitely keep in stock!

Tampax & Always Radiant Collection of pads & tampons
Price varies per box
It came with a pouch to put the products in to take on the go. It's a really good idea if you're going out for the night or just a couple of errands so you don't have to bring a big purse to "hide" all your stuff in. They've redesigned to packaging to try and make it look nicer, but if you pull it out of your purse it still looks like a pad/tampon. Changing up the look of the product doesn't change what it is.

I usually keep some panty liners on hand, but I've started going to more natural lines because they don't have chlorine in them. YES most commercial brands use chlorine in their pads/tampons. Kinda gross. Plus due to the birth control I use, I almost never have my period so I don't keep a lot on hand.

Quaker Soft Baked Bar in Banana Nut Bread
$3.29 per box
It was super yummy! A plus is you can eat it out of the box or heat it up...super cool. I honestly probably wouldn't buy again. It claims to have high protein with vitamins and minerals but upon inspection of the ingredients it also has quite a bit of sugar. Having a son with ADHD I don't normally keep a lot of this kind of food in the house. It tends to feed his negative behaviors so I have to be careful what I feed him.

If you don't have any issues, they are definitely delicious and I would highly recommend but in moderation. Whole food is always better for you than processed!

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Polish in Ionic Indigo
$9.99 per bottle
This type of nail polish is super cool & becoming super popular. You an create patterns in your nail polish using the magnet included without having to use a separate nail polish!

Sally Hansen Nail & Cuticle Cream
$5.99 for full size
I LOVE THIS STUFF!! I will definitely buy again. It lasts through at least one hand washing which is great. Don't you hate when you put lotion on & not long after have to wash your hands off only to wash off the lotion?! This products works pretty good at not washing off. Plus I love the fresh citrusy scent!

Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy
Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner
$4.99- $5.99
This is suppose to treat your scalp first to give you healthier hair. They claim the secret to great looking hair is a healthy scalp. It seems to work like any other shampoo & conditioner. They claim after 7 days you'll have less breakage & healthier hair. I gave it the 7 day challenge & did not notice any remarkable difference in my hair. I also didn't particularly love fragrance, kind of a generic shampoo smell. It is a great value & would probably purchase the trial sizes I've seen at Target ($1.99 each) to take with me on trips so I don't have to pack my regular shampoo & conditioner. My only real gripe that would keep me from being a regular customer is that the shampoo has sulfates in it. I find that no matter the formula, if it has sulfates it dries out my hair more than sulfate free shampoos.

So that's it! If you want, check out the video below to see the actual products I've listed above. Have a great day out there!!

My Cruelty-Free Skin Care Routine

I've recently posted about my dismay with beauty lines still using animal testing. Since starting my research on this matter, I've recently overhauled my skin care routine so I'm only using lines that are cruelty free. So far I've been very happy with the products I've chosen and thought I would share them.

I'd like to note that my skin goes from painfully dry during winter to somewhat dry during summer and I've chosen products according to my skin care needs. My routine is also not as complete as I'd like it. The eye cream I'm using is okay and have not found an anti-aging serum I'm in love with yet. Yes my skin has gotten to the age that anti-aging products need to be part of my regular routine.

With that said I start with Sephora's Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover. This stuff is amazing, it really gets off all my eye makeup without having to wipe and tug at the delicate skin around my eyes.

Next I remove the rest of my makeup with Lierac Paris Demaquillant Purete (Purifying Cleanser). I found this at CVS Pharmacy. It's on the wall with the more expensive lines of skin care. It's $24, but I only use it when I'm wearing makeup and I only use 1 1/2 pumps to take my makeup off. I do want to note that I have not found anything definitive that states this company does or does not engage in animal testing so I'm comfortable using it. This cleanser is suppose to be for more oily skin but since it's sulfate free I find I can use it on my skin and it doesn't dry me out.

To clean my skin, I use Derma E Glycolic Facial Cleanser with Marine Plant Extracts. This is a natural body care line that I also found at CVS Pharmacy. I love this line because it's free of anything that is really bad for your skin. So much crap goes into skin care lines nowadays that doesn't need to be there. Your skin has no use for fillers and preservatives. I love this product because it's so creamy, kinda the consistency of Cetaphil so it's not drying even though it's designed for oily skin. It has gentle exfoliation because of the glycolic acid without being irritating and my skin can be extremely sensitive.

 So my eye cream works well at keeping the skin around my eyes hydrated but I don't feel it has enough anti-aging power to counteract some of the signs of aging that I have going on. However, it is a very nice eye cream for someone who has dry sensitive skin around their eyes. I'm currently using TimeBalm Cranberry Invigorating Eye Cream by TheBalm. It's a rather large container so it's a great bargain for the amount you get. Once I've finished it, if I can last that long, I want to try one from the Sephora line and will do a review on that.

Lastly my moisturizer I use is by a company called ACURE. I found it at Whole Foods and is an organic skin care line. I use the Day Cream for Dry Skin. This isn't the cheapest, at $18.99 for 1oz it does hurt a little but my skin LOVES this stuff. I want to add in the night cream to my routine also.

On a side note, my favorite sun protection comes from Jason Naturals skin care. It's SPF 45 and I never burn using it! Plus the scent is amazing and exactly what sun screen should smell like!! I usually find this at either Whole Foods or Safeway (Vons if your SoCal).

July & Sigma Keeps Getting Better

As if 10% off for the entire month of July isn't fun enough, Sigma just announced it's July free gift with $30 purchase!! You'll receive three samples of eye shadows from their Dare, Bare, and Flare shadow palettes! Just check them out below.....

These hues are absolutely gorgeous and will be so fun to incorporate for summer! Remember to use code AP2012 during the month of July to receive your 10% off. Also remember that in order to receive your free gift with purchase your cart total must be $30 before shipping/tax & 10% off discount.

To start shopping click http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=266519 or the Sigma ad on the sidebar!

Sigma July Discount!!

So I am posting this a few days early so you can get ready for Sigma's July discount. During the month of July click on the link below, use discount code AP2012 & receive 10% off your purchase!


Easy right?! Start saving and July 1st - 31st start shopping!!!

http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=266519

Beauty Industries Ugly Secret

Or not so ugly secret depending on how you feel about it.

What am I talking about?

Testing beauty products on animals.

I was honestly shocked when I started looking into how many companies still use animal testing for their products.  When I started researching this on the internet I was even more shocked at how confusing it is to really know if a company tests their products on animals. I've read several sites, blogs, and supposedly informative websites that all contradict each other as to specific companies.

So how is a girl, who feels like animal testing is wrong and unnecessary, suppose to know if the products she's using are cruelty/animal testing free?

First I would start with Peta.org. They can be a little intense so I would be cautious how deep you go into their website to do you research. You may see something you weren't prepared for. The great thing about Peta.org is they have a very comprehensive list of companies that DO test and DO NOT test. They also have a list for the in-betweeners. After that you can try out the companies website itself and even email them to find out.

What is an in-betweener?

These are companies who do no test on their products being sold in the US but due to governmental regulations and laws, have to test on products going into specific counties.

Here is a quick list of, in my opinion, the more known brands who do test on animals:

L'Oreal
Maybelline
Cover Girl
Aveeno
Estee Lauder
MAC (I still find conflicting reports)
Avon
Mary Kay
Olay
Shiseido
Urban Decay

Some great brands that DO NOT test on animals:

Revlon (although they show on Peta's list of companies that do test, I have found several posts dated from this year that state otherwise)
Almay
Physicians Formula
ELF
NYX
MakeUp Forever
Wet 'N Wild
Forever 21 Beauty Brand
Bare Essentials/Minerals
Tarte
Sephora Brand
Bomber Betty
Mally Cosmetics
Laura Geller Cosmetics
Stila

This list for both are much much longer. I encourage all of you to do your research and see if you feel comfortable using or not using products that test on animals. A companies empty pocket book does more than angry emails. If we show companies that we don't see the need for animal testing whether we are passionate animal lovers/rights activists or not by not purchasing their products at some point they will have to listen.

This is not intended to be judgmental of anyone who continues to use or not use any products listed above. It is simply meant to inform those who may have not been aware of what was going on in the beauty industry. Some of you may have been using these products not realizing they test them on animals...and not wanting to be someone who condones animal testing.

If you've found some great cruelty/animal testing free products not listed above I encourage you to comment with them below. Sharing on these platforms is a powerful way to show these companies who we really feel!

Blog Affiliates

I wanted to welcome my blog affiliates. I have been very selective in the companies I chose to do blog affiliates with.  I did not want to fill my blog page with just any companies, but ones that I really love and think you will love too.

The first is Shabby Apple.  They make the most beautiful and amazing vintage/retro inspired dresses, skirts, swimsuits, and accessories.  The reason I really love this company so much is their fit system.  They make and cut dresses for the real woman.  The fit guide is so easy to follow and you never have to worry about the garment not fitting correctly.  They give a full description of how each part of the garment will fit, this gives you a more educated decision of what size to order.  I am the proud owner of one of their dresses and I have to say the pictures online DO NOT do it justice!! It's absolutely gorgeous and so comfortable.  I get tons of compliments whenever I wear it and most people are convinced it's vintage and cannot believe when I tell them it's new.  I highly recommend you click on the link on my blog page and check them out!  Their dresses and prices are to die for!

The second affiliate and brand new to my page is Sigma Beauty.  They truly make amazing makeup brushes that rival the higher end, popular companies you see being used in almost every guru video on YouTube.  I think they make amazing and affordable products.  From buying individual brushes to travel sets to full sets, you really can't go wrong with the craftsmanship, quality, and price.  Again, I encourage you to click on the link on my blog page and check them out.   Whether you're looking for a couple of new brushes or want to invest in an amazing new set, Sigma is definitely a great choice!

Help me fundraise. It's fun and it makes you feel good.

Help me fundraise. It's fun and it makes you feel good.

A Review Coming Near You!

I have so much to review and so little time.  I plan on getting myself organized this weekend that will include a laundry list of product reviews.  A few are on my YouTube channel...VintageinSC....and some I have yet to find the time to video my reviews for.

There will be lots of makeup reviews, some styling book reviews, and skincare reviews to round things out.  I also plan on doing some history fashion lessons (some interesting & frustrating facts I found out while researching things on the internet).

So if you've taken a look here & there at my blog, please take this opportunity to follow so you don't miss out on any goodies coming up!

Also make sure you check out my previous post about the Shabby Apple sale, it ends January 31st!!!

Stay tuned....

Shabby Apple Sale!!

If you don't know by now I ABSOLUTELY adore Shabby Apple's clothing.  They are having a super special sale of 20% off EVERYTHING!!! Yippee!!

The sale is going on through the end of January 2012.  Simply click on the link below & use code NEWYEAR during check out to receive 20% off.  How easy is that?!





Oh & and by the way...I promise to start keeping up with my blogging again.  Lots of fun stuff to tell you all about!