Monday Morning Coffee: April Ipsy

Hi lovelies!  Ok, so I know, this post is SUPER late! Time has just been flying by with everything going on.  So... better late than never, right!? 

Hikari Cosmetics Blush in Tango

What Ipsy says: 

"What it is: Vibrant, easy to blend color that highlights the cheekbones.

What it does: Designed to highlight your complexion, this weightless blush can be used lightly for a fresh look or layered for a dramatic look. An effortless application to the cheekbones that lasts all day!"

I LOVE THIS!!  Seriously!  This is a gorgeous shade! I have pretty much been using this since the day I got it.  The blush is super pigmented and you have to use a light hand when you are applying it.  Otherwise you will end up looking like someone out of the 80’s! I have found that a stippling brush is the best to apply this blush!

LATHER Ultra Face Lotion

What Ipsy says: 

"LATHER’s most popular facial moisturizer, this gentle nutrient-rich botanical lotion is perfect for normal-to-oily, combination or sensitive skin. This lotion has a lightweight texture, absorbs rapidly and does not leave an oily film on the skin. Special ingredients, such as borage and grape seed oils, make this lotion especially effective for damaged or problem skin. Those with sensitive skin will find it gentle and non-irritating. Paraben-free."

Ok, being honest, I haven't tried this one yet... I get nervous trying new moisturizers because my face can be so sensitive and super reactive when I try new skin care...

theBalm Cosmetic NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single in Flirty

What Ipsy says:

"Introducing theBalm's latest addition to the Nude series... Nude Dude! Get a quick look using any combination of these triple-milled shadows or dress up your look by adding water to transform your favorite shades into loyal liners. The shadows can be worn wet or dry and alone or layered for added intensity, so go ahead and cover (or uncover) your eyes."

Ipsy describes this color as a shimmering golden violet and that is the perfect way to describe this shade.  It is really cool! I'm not sure my picture even really does it justice.  The shade can really change depending on how the light hits it.  

I do think this is one that you have to apply carefully because of one reason.  when I first got my Ipsy bag, I always instantly swatch everything I can.  I swatched this one on the back of my hand, much like I did in the picture above.  Later that day, I still had this on the back of my hand and when the light hit it just right, I thought, when did I get that bruise. Then, after further inspection, I remembered it was just the eyeshadow!!... So, be careful! You don't want to have people thinking you have a black eye!!!

MicaBeauty Eye Primer

What Ipsy says:

"MicaBeauty Eye Primer is perfect for everything from sealing in eye shadows and foundation, to enhancing your all-day look. Go from shimmer to matte in just seconds. This waterproof formula provides the perfect foundation for a long-lasting, smudge proof look that is designed for your active lifestyle. This eye primer helps even out skin tone as well as extending and intensifying your mineral eye shadows, without creasing, smearing, or fading."

I have tried this product once and that was enough for me! This is by far the worst eye primer! It is super dry and cakey!  I had a hard time getting it to smooth out on my eyelid.  The whole time I was applying it, I felt like I was tugging at my eyelid. Then, my shadow didn't evenly apply and it creased like crazy!!... This one is definitely going into the drawer of misfits to never be used again!

Mullein & Sparrow Mini Lip & Cheek Tint

What Ipsy says:

"The Mullein & Sparrow Mini Lip & Cheek Tint is an all-natural, sheer, tinted balm that gives your lips and cheeks a slight flush and dewy finish. Apply desired amount to lips for nourishment, protection, and color. Dab a small amount on cheeks as a light cream blush. It’s perfect for beauty on-the-go; it brightens the whole face with a sheer rosey flush for the cheeks, gloss for the lips, and a sweet orange scent!"

When I opened this and saw the color, I was super excited... for a second and then I could smell it! I can't put my finger on what it smells like, but it is awful!!  I am so disappointed that the smell is so bad because this is such a beautiful shade!

Cost break down!

Hikari Cosmetics Blush in Tango (link) - $15.00

LATHER Ultra Face Lotion (link) - A 2oz bottle is $21.00. The bottle it got was 1oz = $10.50

theBalm Cosmetic NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single (link) – this is a single of a big pallet that costs $36.  The single breaks down to $3.

MicaBeauty Eye Primer (link) – The full product sells for $44.95 and the one I got in my bag is half the size - $22.00

Mullein & Sparrow Mini Lip & Cheek Tint (link) – This is a full size product - $10

And the grand total is .......... $60.50!!!!! 

Ulta and Walmart Haul - Beauty Must Haves!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope that everyone survived the weekend in one piece! I am currently frantically preparing to be out of town this weekend.  The boyfriend is off to play in a tournament.. such is the life of a softball widow!! It's going to be a busy weekend!! 

Last week as I was getting ready one morning and realized that I was starting to run low on a few of my must have beauty products.  You know what I'm talking about, the products that you always have to have in your collection at all times!  This was also about the same time that I got a notice from Ebates that some of my stores were running a higher percent back.  I decided to take full advantage of this and pick up some things.

Want to take a peak at what I picked up....?

I picked up a few things from Ulta.  I have found that when I am ordering things over and over again, it's so super easy to just order online.  The order will just show up at my door step and it's just super easy!!  Here's what I got

• Olay Daily Face Cloths in Combination to Oil - I love these! I have been using these for years!  They take off all of my make up.  Eye make up encluded! It's awesome.  They are also really good for traveling because the cloths come pre loaded with cleanser and all you need is to add water and it will suds up.  Plus, with my sensitive ski, the fact that they don't irritate my skin is a major selling point!!
• Almay Get Up & Grow mascara in Black Brown - This is one of three, yes three, mascaras I use every day! It's got a brush that is full and separates your lashes
• Ulta Eye Shadow in Au Naturel - This is the PERFECT blending shade!!
• Ulta Eye Shadow in Bermuda Sand - I use this absolutely every day!  I use this as my base under every single eye look I do!  Plus! Ulta was running a buy two get two deal.  So, since I was already ordering two, I just ordered two more of these staple shades and now I have backups! Score!
• NYX HD Concealers in CW01 and CW04 - I am officially out of concealer so I have been on the hunt for some new ones to try.  I have seen a few good reviews for NYX's and thought I would have to try it out.
• Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer - This stuff is awesome and it's at the drug store, does it get any better?!?!
• Samples - Redken Hair Treatment and Ulta Lip Color

Ok, so I did some researching and I compared what I needed at both Ulta and Walmart and found the best deals at both.  This is what I picked up at Walmart

• TRESemme Anti Breakage Shampoo
• TRESemme Volume Conditioner
• TRESemme Hair Spray - I have been using this for years years years!!! I don't forsee that changing
• Real Techniques Beauty Blender - This is awesome! It applies everything so nicely.  
• Revlon Lash Potion in Black Brown 
• L'Oreal Voluminous
• Tree Hut Scrub in Coconut Lime - Ah! This smells soooo good!
• Olay Fresh Effects Makeup Removing wipes - I got these in a sample box not too long ago and they are great and I thought they would be good for the upcoming traveling I have planned!
• Olay Daily facial Cloths - Ok, I needed just a little more to get free shipping.. so I added something that I will always need more of!

And there you have it!! Some of the must have products I just recently stocked back up on.. These are things that I always have to have and if I'm starting to run low... I immediately have to make sure that I have a back up ready to go when I do run out! I just can't live without it!

Monday Morning Coffee: Random Facts

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Close
2. Do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? Nope. It never fails my hair hates the hotel shampoo/conditioner.
3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Only tucked in at the foot of the bed.
4. Have you ever stolen a street sign? Nope! I can't say that I haven't wanted.
5. Do you cut out coupons and then never use them? I'm a non starter on that one, I don't even cut them out! 
6. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? Both of that sounds miserable, but I would have to say swarm of bees.
7. Do you always smile for pictures? Not always. I'm known for making weird faces.
8. Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Yep! Is that weird?
9. Have you ever peed in the woods? Heck yes! I grew up in Montana, I think it's a requirement!!
10. Do you still watch cartoons? Not recently.
11. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Probably my grandparents' cabin.
12. What do you drink with dinner? Ugh, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but, diet Pepsi... I know! It's so bad for me! But it tastes so good!
13. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Ranch! 
14. What movies could you watch over and over and still love? Pitch Perfect (so excited to see the second one!!), Wizard of Oz.. Hmm, I'm sure there's others. I love movies!!
15. Were you ever a girl scout? Yep! For many years. I was a cool kid like that.
16. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? No! I am not comfortable enough with my body.
17. Can you change the oil on your car? No! Car stuff freaks me out! I want to learn thou.
18. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Yes :-(
19. Afraid of heights? Not of heights, but of falling.
20. Do you sing in the car? I sure do!
21. Is Christmas stressful? It's my favorite holiday, but sometimes balancing all the family can be.
22. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid. Teacher or lawyer.
23. Do you believe in ghosts? I sure do!
24. The first concert you ever went to? Pearl Jam!
25. Walmart, Target, or Kmart? Target! That place is a black hole for my money!
26. Nike or Adidas? I use to be obsessed with Nike Shocks, but apparently those are not good for my feet after an injury. So now I guess I would have to say Adidas.
27. Can you curl your tongue? Yes.
28. Have you ever cried because you were so happy? I sure have! I cry over the most stupid things!
29. The last concert you saw? Rascal Flatts.
30. Can you swim well? Yes, I'm a fish!
31. Can you knit of crochet? Definitely not!
32. Are you a dog person or a cat person? Dog all the way! And because my dog doesn't like cats, I don't have an option. Ha!

Friday Favorites: Jiffy Professional Greenhouse

Good morning lovelies!! We made it to Friday!! Woohoo.  I don't know about you but I always feel like I have accomplished something when I make it to Friday in one piece! Ha!

This year I have been super motivated to have a garden.  I'm not sure why because I have never done one before.  I had thrown around the idea of starting some veggies in pots at my old place on the patio, but it never happened.  This year however, I have a yard and access to a garden and I've decided, this year, I will have a garden!  I'm so excited at the idea of growing veggies and having lots of pretty flowers!

The gardens I have access to were a hot mess! I'm not going to lie, I'm about two weeks into trying to get them cleaned up and I still have some work to do!  It's been a job for sure! I'm not going to lie though, it has been so relaxing!

Fun little side note: Wednesday night after I was done doing some work in the garden I decided to check the sprinklers and make sure that they were all angled to cover the garden.  I have this super cool PCP pipe sprinkler set up and I needed to make sure all spaces were getting water.  Needless to say, I unintentionally ended up soaked! It's was kind of funny!!

After a long conversation picking my mom's brain about gardening I decided that I was going to start my plants/flowers from seeds.  My mom had done a lot of gardening, they are currently starting grape plants!  I'm not that adventurous and I am just doing simple veggies.  I picked carrots, beans, and cucumbers.  I also picked up two cherry tomato plants and some sunflowers that had already been started.  I decided to start the majority of my plants and some flowers as seeds is because A - it's cheaper and B - I found this super easy inside at home greenhouse.

It's called the Jiffy Professional Greenhouse.  Basically it is a plastic black container with a clear plastic topper.  Inside there are 72 pods of soil.  To start planting you take warm water (about 10.5 cups!) and pour it into the container, wait for the water to obsorbe and then put 2-3 seeds inside the soil pods.  Water when the soil turns a light brown, and keep out of direct sun until all seeds have sprouted.  Prop open the top with the first sprouts and then completely remove when all have sprouted.  Once all of your seeds have sprouted you then place them in a sunny location.  Once you are prepared to plant the pods, the directions say to place the container outside in the shade for several days, bringing in at night, and gradually introduce sunlight.  The directions say that this will harden the pods and prepare them for planting.  Once you're ready to plan, you would plant the pods just how you would already started plants that you purchase from the store.

It's that easy!!

So, I came home last Friday (5/8) and planted all of my seeds and then placed the containers on the freezer in my basement.  It's a warm space that is out of the sunlight.  The tops steamed up a bit for a little while.  Actually, I think for the first day, I noticed there was a fogged look to the top. 

Here's a picture of the night they were planted:

Now, this is Thursday 5/14.  I already have sprouts!!!

I will have to do a follow up blog when I finally transplant the pods but I am super excited! 

I am super disappointed that I didn't do a before picture of the garden before I started cleaning it up.  Once I have everything planted I will have to do a follow up and show you what has transpired.  Fingers cross I have some living plants! ha! 

xoxo
Mikal-Anne

Monday Morning Coffee: Liebster Award

Good morning lovelies!  As you can probably tell, I had taken some time away from the blog.  If you follow me on twitter (link) you may know that I had a family member have some medical issues.  I spent some time with them and had to get back into the swing of things.  When I logged back into write today's Monday Morning Coffee post, I found a comment on my last Monday Morning Coffee talking about my mini weekend away (link).  The comment was from Janine Hill, writer of A Beautiful Whim (link),  nominating me for a Liebster Award! 

I'm not going to lie, I had to do some investigating because I wasn't sure what this award was! The award is given to bloggers by bloggers.  First, the person receiving the nomination answers eleven questions chosen by the person who nominated them. Second, you nominate other bloggers.  Lastly,  you come up with eleven more questions for the people you nominate to answer. 

This is such a fun concept! Connecting bloggers and giving them kudos for what they are doing it! I love it! This was such an amazing thing to find today! I write this blog because I enjoy sharing and I wonder if anyone is actually reading and gaining something from it.  Finding this comment from Janine was so heart warming!!  Please stop by A Beautiful Whim.  I hadn't read her blog before my nomination, but if only one thing comes out of this, I have found another blog to read! 

Now off to the questions!

1.  What is a cosmetic brand that you have always wanted to try but haven’t yet?

I must say I have to go with Make Up For Ever.  Everyone raves about the HD foundation and I really want to try it!  

2.  Do you wear false lashes and if so, what are your favorite lashes to wear?

I don't wear false lashes on a regular basis, but yes, I do wear them occasionally.  The ones I currently have in my make up drawer are the Ever Ez Lashes.  These are a combination of individual lashes and full strip lashes.  They are small clusters of lashes.  Way easier to apply than individual lashes but you have more control of the look then you do with a full strip false lash.  Easy to apply and easy to work with!

3.  What beauty product do you have in your collection right now that is your absolute favorite?

This one is a hard one! There are so many things that I love.  I actually had to go to my collection and look through it to decide. But I would have to say the Cover Girl 3-in-1 foundation.  It's truly amazing.  I can use this foundation to created both a medium and full coverage look.  Plus it's such a natural look!!

4.   What makeup brand has always been a disappointment to you?

I don't think I have ever had a brand where the whole brand has disappointed me.  I think that every line has it's amazing products and it's duds.  For this questions, I would have to pick Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation.  It was a major disappointment for me.  I had seen many bloggers and YouTube vloggers rave about this product and it just didn't work for me!

5.   What is your favorite food?

Do I have to pick just one thing!? Haha, I come from a family of food lovers and there are so many options.  Anything that my Grandmother makes is truly amazing, but specifically she makes this BBQ chicken that is AMAZING! It practically falls off the bone.  Man, my mouth is watering thinking about it!!

6.  What is funniest or cutest question a child has ever asked you?

I can't currently think of a question I've been asked, but I can think of a statement.  Does that work? ... I was in a shoe store in our local mall and one of the sales associates was helping a lady and her son.  The boy was probably around 5.  This was right after Kung Fu Panda came out and he caught my attention because I heard him make karate noises.  As soon as I look over, he says to the sales associate, "Watch Out! I know Kung Fu!" It was so super cute! I love kids!

7.  What is the best liquid foundation that you have ever used?

Ok, so I think I should have read ahead and read all of the questions because now I'm going to duplicate my answer to #3.  This has to my the Cover Girl 3-in-1 foundation! I honestly think that everyone should have this in their collection! Plus, it's a drug store foundation. Can you say SCORE!?

8.  What is a smell that immediately reminds you of your childhood?

This one is easy! It's usually the smell of something cooking.  My mom makes a dish that we call Ranch Chicken.  It's chicken cooked in ranch and served with mashed potatoes.  Ugh, it's so good! Not healthy, but how many of the true comfort food dishes are?!

9.  How do you take the photos for your blog (camera, iphone, type of lighting, etc)?

Since I am a newbie at this, my photos are taken on my Iphone 5 and any lighting I have is usually natural lighting.  I should probably take the leap to a more professional set up, but for right now it's working.  I hope! :-)

10.  What is the next cosmetic product on your wish list that you are going to buy?

I am actually going to complete an Ulta order once I am done with this blog!  The new thing on my list to buy is the NYX HD Concealer.  

11.  What is an interesting fact that people would not likely know about the city or country that you live in?

I live in a fairly small town, Missoula, Montana. It is an amazing town. I love it.  If you ever have the opportunity to visit, please do.  There are a few things that are fun about this town, but for the football fans, it would probably have to be that John Elway lived here and played in our football program for young kids!

For those of you who are reality TV fans.  The Real Housewives of New York actually visited a upscale resort, Paws Up, that is just outside of Missoula in season 6 (I believe).  The town that they fly into is Missoula!

Now on to the blogs that I nominate! 

Sara McNultt (saramcnutt.blogspot.com)

Pores for Thought (poresforthought.com)

Living with a Boy - (http://www.livingwithaboy.com/)

Freckled Fox - (http://www.freckled-fox.com/) 

My Questions for you:
1. What inspired you to start blogging?

2. When you have had a bad day, what is the comfort meal you make?

3. What is a random or unknown fact about you?

4. If you had one day with unlimited funds, what would you do?

5. What make up product could you not live without?

6. What is one make up tip do you think everyone should know?

7. What is your favorite way to relax and unwind?

8. What is your most favorite moment (or moments) of your life so far?

9. Where do you find the inspirations for your blog posts?

10. What would be number one on your bucket list?

11. What is one thing you want readers to walk away with after reading your blog?

I am so excited to see the answers to my questions!  Thank you again Janine, this was so much fun to do!!

XOXO,

Mikal-Anne