Take a Trip to St. Tropez

Hello lovelies,

Take a trip with me to the gorgeous beaches of St. Tropez and gaze into the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean off the coast of southern France..... (le sigh)


Or we can at least look like we did.

May I introduce you to....

This is the St. Tropez bronzing mousse.

It is the ONLY self tanner I have found that is completely streak free. I've always been very weary about self tanners because of all the strange colors I have ended up or the tell tale white blotches that I missed. In the past I have opted for gradual tanners, like the very so popular Jergans gradual tan lotion. But it never had the color pay off I was looking for. Also I would frequently forget to put it on, so the gradual-ness was lost on me.

So for the past year or so I have been looking for an affordable self tanner. And after a bit of research I decided to try out the St. Tropez bronzing mousse. The mousse has such a light and airy texture. The formula glides on to your skin.

It has directions on the back that are easy to follow.

1) Exfoliate

2) Moisturize rough areas such as hands elbows and feet

3) Protect hairline and eyebrows with additional moisturizer

4) Apply from top to toe (it even hints to use generously to ensure no missed areas)

5) Air dry (aka: run around naked) for 60 seconds

6) Keep on for 4 hours then shower the excess away.

When I got mine, I didn't realize there was an option to buy the mitt that they sell. I really wish I had bought one. I just use my hands for now. The first time I used it, my hands were a bit discolored because I didn't wash them quick enough. The second time I used it, I washed my hands too well and ended up with stark white hands. The mitt is supposed to eliminate this problem. But for now I make do.

This is my arm and hand BEFORE St. Tropez bronzing mousse.

It looks a little more pink than white, but you get the idea.

This is after! This is only one coat of the tanner. It can be built up to be much darker as well.

I took these pictures outside so you can get the best idea of the color in natural light.

Well, that seems to be all for now!

Lots Of Love,

Alyssa







For all of the "fat" skinny girls

Hello lovelies,

This post I dedicate to all of us "fat" skinny girls. You know what I am talking about... the dreaded C word...... No not that that one (I know what you're thinking!) I'm talking about cellulite.

Even some of the tiniest girls out there have those awful little dimples on the back of their legs. Even worse, bikini and shorts season is here. Never fret, I have done some research and have personally tested a product that gives serious results!

Now I feel that I am pretty self confidant, but I am not confidant enough to post the back of my legs on the world wide Internet. So I apologize for not doing a before and after photo.

But I WILL show you my new summer essential.

This little duo by Bliss is their fat girl slim and fat girl sleep creams. If you cant already tell, one is for the daytime and the other is for at night. Working together, they give you smoother trouble areas. Now I'm not saying this will make you skinnier. It uses caffeine along with a multitude of other products, to make your skin firmer. Essentially "puffing up" the dimpled skin that has collapsed.

I started off using this product every day twice a day. And it worked really well. But it is a pretty pricey item to continually use. Now I use it before I know I will be in a swim suit or short shorts. Like any cream, it doesn't deliver permanent results. But after I quit using it every day and started using it two or three times a week, it seems to be enough to maintain a look I can live with.

Well, that seems to be all I have to share for now.

'Till next time lovelies,

Alyssa

Sephora Love

Hello loves,

The other day I received my little order from Sephora and thought I would share with you what I got.

This nail polish is called Slushied by Sephora by OPI. It is from their Glee collection, but when I put it on, all I see Smurfette haha. It is soooooo blue!

I also got this mask from Origins. It is the Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores. On the back it says "Active Charcoal acts like a magnet to draw out deep-dwelling pore-cloggers". The mask its self is black so it looked a little silly lol. But after I washed the mask off, my skin felt kind of dry and tight. So I felt like it really did dig deep and draw out all the nasty-ness in my face. I just had to be sure to moisturize well.

The last thing I bought was this Too Faced Chocolate bronzer. I loveee how this makeup smells like a mug of hot chocolate. It is a pretty dark bronzer, fair skinned makeup lovers beware. I like it a lot, but I think I still like NARS Laguna better.

Lastly, Sephora is having a 15 days of beauty thrills contests/giveaways. I placed an order on the very first day which featured Make Up For Ever. With any purchase of more that $25 they gave away a free, FULL SIZED black aqua eyes eyeliner. My MAC eyeliner is quickly dwindling, so I jumped on this because it is regularly $20 for one of their eyeliners.

Welp, that concludes my newest Sephora loves :)

See ya next time.

Lots of Love,

Alyssa

A Case of the Monday's

Hi there,

Have you ever had one of those days where it hard to roll out of bed to start your day, then you look out the window and see a grey, gloomy, cloudy day?

It's called a case of the Monday's.

This morning I woke up with a bad case of the Monday's. I pressed the snooze button three times on my alarm. The weather is icky, dark and rainy. And I have to start my day off sitting in math class.

Insert now, my cure-all for a case of the Monday's

I ran over to Safeway for a hot bowl of Mac and Cheese, M&M's and Elle magazine. I poured myself a cup of hot coffee and wah-lah! My day is instantly better :)

Now I am going to watch the season 7 premiere of Keeping up with the Kardashians and turn my day around.

Everything in life might not be going perfectly, but right now, I am happy.

Lots of love,

Alyssa

e-nuf is e-nuf!

Hello lovelies,

Hope today has been nice and relaxing for you. If not, take time to kick of your shoes, put your feet up and chill with a cold beer and some trashy T.V.

When I was at the grocery store the other day, this nail polish immediately caught my eye.

It is called e-nuf is e-nuf by essie.

Its a bright red-coral color perfect to accent your (spray) tan skin this summer. I figured I would thow this on my blog because I'm feeling inspired by pinterest at the moment.

It is very bright, so I toned it down with some silver glitter as an accent nail on my ring finger.

(not pictured)

Are there any other colors you think are your go-to summer nail polish colors?

Love,

Alyssa

A Day in the Life...

Hello everyone,

One of the things that has always drawn me to blogs, is that you are getting the chance to look into someone else's thoughts. Some express how they feel, others talk about the things that they like, and others talk about their families. What every single one of them has in common, is that you are getting the chance to glimpse into the life of the person behind the key board.

So I decided to let you guys into a typical day in my life.

You may like it or find it devastatingly boring. Either way, enjoy.

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012.

This morning I woke up before my alarm (ugh). I am NOT a morning person. So instead of getting up and starting my day off productively, I slip in and out of a sort of half sleep. I was actually able to remember one of my dreams too!

I was transported onto the Titanic as it was sinking. I was running across the ship with Brooks searching for a life boat. But only women and children were allowed on. I was tossed on to the boat and it was being lowered down. I was screaming for Brooks, scrambling to try and get off to get to him (in a very rose-esque kind of way).

Then I woke up to Abu whining and barking to be let outside to go potty. Generally this is Brooks' job since he is closest to the sliding glass door we have in our room. This makes it very convenient letting him out in the morning.However, my roommate Bryce is babysitting his brothers two dogs. One is a big Doberman Pincher.

 He may be as dumb as a box of rocks and the biggest coward I have met, but he is a lover none the less.

The other is a Golden Retriever/Pit bull mix.

 This poor thing was badly abused before Bryce's family adopted him. As a result, he is an assassin to anything smaller than itself (they learned this with some neighborhood chickens). So needless to say, Abu isn't allowed to play with them. So Brooks meanders over to the door and checks to make sure the yard is empty, watching him the whole time. While I roll over and try to fall back asleep.

Suddenly I am jolted away by the endless screeching of my alarm. In a grumpy way I throw my covers off and make my way to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. At my closet, I choose a loose flowey white tank top, a jean vest to go over it, my blue tribal print maxi skirt. I continue getting ready slathering sunscreen on my face and neck (it is a 75 degree day today! Woo hoo!). I apply my makeup and put my hair half back. I have an exam in my first class. So I get my coffee started and sit down to go over my notes one last time. It is for Psych 362 which is stats in psychology.... sounds fun doesn't it.

The clock strikes 10:50 and I am off. I feel pretty confidant during the exam, but we will see when I get my grade (I got an 80% :) not too shabby for me). I return home for a two hour break. Hungry, I decide to go get lunch from the local Thai restaurant. Chicken Pad Thai yummm.

To kill time before class I turn on Netflix and finish watching season three of The United States of Tara. Bryce wakes up (like a hibernating bear) and joins me without complaint. I know I like to watch some pretty weird shows, but I have sat through what feels like endless hours of MLB on the PlayStation.

Two-O-Clock, time for Family Studies 235.

 It is about communication. The first half was pretty typical. Lecture mixed in with a few class activities. It is a two hour class, so we take a break half way through. Once we return, one girl speaks up asking if we can finish class outside since it is so nice. None of us expect our professor to take the bait, but surprisingly he agrees! So we head out side to a courtyard just outside of the building. We spend the last 45 minutes there, gathering stare from passing student (of obvious jealousy :) ) and chasing away the occasional bee. It is a slightly breezy day, making my maxi skirt all the more fun to wear.

I go home again, this time for an hour break. My friend Dani comes over and we shoot the shit for awhile before I have class again at 5.

At five on the dot i sit down in Psych 473, Psychology of language. Another long class. It can have some pretty interesting class discussions, but because of it being between 5 and 7 my tummy is almost always rumbling.

After class is over I drive over to Fred Meyers in search of a particular DVD, the Titanic. But they didn't have it in stock, so I settled for Moulin Rouge instead. I got a few groceries, shampoo and conditioner, and a sandwich for dinner.

At home I settle in to enjoy my sandwich, flaming hot Cheetos and A&W root beer while doing homework for my FS 234 class. This class is about family and marriage. Moulin Rouge is playing in the background. Dani comes over again and we have a little homework party in the family room. I finish my homework about 20 minutes before midnight. Brooks is already in bed. He got a concussion at football practice the other day, so he has had a headache that has been bothering him.

I turn on my side lamp, wash my face, brush my teeth and change into pj's. I pop a melatonin to wind down from my homework brain. And drift off to sleep a little after 12.

It may not have been a particularly exciting day, but hopefully you guys have read this far.

Lots of Love,

Alyssa

New Brushes!!

Well Hello!!

A couple weeks ago I received a package in the mail that I have long been waiting for.

It was from Sigma brand makeup brushes. I have needed new makeup brushes for awhile. I will buy one here or there. But honestly, I have needed a new set. I didn't take good care of most of my brushes from high school and most leave me with a "beard" from all of the fall-out.

So I did my research and MAC brushes seem to be the best on the market. However there was also a lot of hype about these Sigma brushes. Not to mention they were much more affordable than a set of MAC brushes. So one day I found myself online (weird I know) and decided to just go for it. No more putting off the inevitable and I got the Complete kit as well as the dry n' shape holder-thing.

This is the complete kit. The pink brush to the side is the free gift that they sent me! While I am grateful, I had already bought this same brush except full size in the kit. Anyways, the kit comes with 4 face brushes and 8 eye brushes.

I wanted to try them all out for awhile and decide how I liked them before I did a blog post about them. I must say I am pretty impressed!

But out of all 12 brushes, 1 has severely disappointed me. After I spent a butt-load of money on makeup brushes, I expected them all to be at a certain standard. But the F50 brush leaves more stray hairs behind than my old brushes! (it is the second on the left in the top row)

I am determined to make it work though, I use it exclusively for stippling on foundation and then spreading it out with a different brush (which is from Costco and is better quality)

Hmmpphffff.

(Me pouting)

Other then that, I love the rest of them. Especially the F30, E70 and E40. I use these daily.

Well, now that I have invested in my brushes, I need to take better care of them.

I am very impatient when it comes to washing my makeup brushes because I feel like they take forever to dry. Then I can't use them the next day because they are drying and my whole makeup routine is just off.

Insert the sigma dry n' shape system.

It has 12 different slots that come in different sizes for different brushes. Then at the top there are individual elastic bands where the bristles of a brush slide into. I have used is a couple times and so far lives up to its claim of drying brushes in 4-6 hours. However I usually wash my brushes at night and leave them over night to dry.

Well I am off to Olive Garden with my Hunny for our four year anniversary date :)

As my Nana says, LOL

or

Lots Of Love,

Alyssa