Loving Lately

Oh man...it has been nearly a month since I posted! Been so busy and caught up in the newborn bubble, trying to get in a new groove, but I'm back and want to share some of the new cruelty free makeup that I have been loving.

Recent Empties

Happy Monday friends! 

I wanted to share some cruelty free beauty products that I have recently finished up using. There were quite a few things over the past month that I was not really impressed with, but that's part of the game isn't it? Trail and error. Of course, just because something didn't work for me, doesn't mean it will be that way for everyone! I definitely believe in trying things out for yourself ;)

Things I'm Loving

Picked up this makeup mist and the lower lash mascara from Pixi and they are both now must-have makeup items in my daily routine. 

Grabbed this Free People cardigan on sale after loving it many times on The House of Sequins Instagram page. 

Love this blush dress that was featured on Somewhere, Lately - and it is only $55!

I got this awesome brass mid-century inspired lamp for my nightstand recently. I also love this one, but we don't really have anywhere to put it right now!

Eyeing this BIDKhome square glass perfume tray for my dresser - think it would go so well with the new brass lamp!

Korres - The Best Of Gift Set

I received this Korres gift set for Christmas and haven't had a chance to start using it until recently! I wanted to use up some other skincare items first, so that I could use all the products in this gift set at the same time.

I have been using everything for about two weeks now. I am really enjoying the products and like the results that my skin is getting from them! I don't think this specific gift set is still available, but there are similar ones and I've linked to each individual product below too. 

April Empties

I can't believe it is already May! April went by so quickly - and throughout the month I held on to all the products that I finished up so I could share them with you. Some of them were awesome, and I plan to repurchase (or already have repurchased) and some were, well pretty "meh"...so I'll be trying out other things this month.

Target Treasures

Happy Friday ladies! Do you all have fun plans for the weekend? We have a couple things on the books...Damian's high school musical tonight and a couple of Aubrey's soccer games to go to...but other than that, I want to spend Saturday and Sunday getting a few things checked off the "Before Baby To-Do List". We will see how much I actually get done though... ;)

Thought I would pop on today and share some of my favorite finds from Target that I have picked up recently. You all know my love of Target by now, and I am always amazed at what great things can be found there - and in so many different categories (clothes, cosmetics, shoes, home decor...etc, etc.) These are all things I've purchased over the past two weeks and am loving so far!

Loving Lately

 Happy Friday my friends! Hope you have all had a nice week and have some fun plans for the weekend. 

I am traveling up to Akron for my maternity pictures with Bethany Zadai (same awesome photographer that did our engagement pics)! The pictures are Sunday, and I am SO excited - the weather report looks good and we are hoping to get some really pretty outdoor shots. I'm actually headed up a day early, on Saturday, to have a girl's night sleepover with one of my besties!

Sharing some things that I have been loving lately - have my eye on all of them, but haven't taken the plunge and purchased any yet! xx 

Current Wish List

Happy Friday my friends :) Are you excited for the weekend? I have my second baby shower tomorrow, which I am really looking forward to! I know many of you probably have some fun Easter weekend plans with your friends and family!

Popping into Blogland today to share some things on my wish list - some beauty items, some fashion pieces, some randoms! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend xo

Skin Care Tag

image via

I found this tag circulating around YouTube the other day, and even thought I don't make videos, I thought it would be a fun one to do a blog post about! 

Skin care is so important. It is something that I didn't pay much attention to when I was younger - but as I've gotten older, I've taken the time to learn more about it and invest in products that are good quality and that actually work. I always feel that less is more, and consistency is important - and those are principles I try to bring to my skin care routine as well.

All Over Glow // 100% Pure

Happy Monday my lovelies! 

I wanted to start the week off by sharing a cruelty-free product that I have been loving lately! This is All Over Glow in "Lightly Sun Kissed" by 100% Pure. 

This is a natural and vegan bronzing illuminizer, that contains light reflective pigments. I heard about it through Logical Harmony and loved the way it made her skin look, so I quickly went online to pick one up for myself.

Battle of the Cruelty Free Cleansers

I have been trying out a few different cleaners lately to try and find my favorite, or the one I want to continually use on a regular basis. I had a favorite, but when I discovered the brand was owned by a parent company that tests on animals, I decided to switch it out.

Cleansers are obviously important, as I wear makeup nearly every day and I need a strong but gentle product to make sure my skin is getting totally cleaned. You know when you wash your face and then go to dry it off, and there is makeup left behind on the towel? Yeah, I wanted to find something that keeps that from happening ;)

Over the past couple months I have focused on three different cleansers and have given them each a "rank" ...and found one that I fell totally in love with! 

Charlotte Tilbury Wish List

I was shocked when I found out that Charlotte Tilbury's make up line has only been out since 2013. Her products are such high quality and there are so many people raving about so many of them, you would have thought they had been around for years and years!

I have tried (and loved) a few things from the line, and made one purchase so far - the Legendary Lashes mascara (which I will do a full review of here soon). Recently, I realized my wish list kept growing & growing...so I thought I would share some of the items that I have heard great things about, seen used in gorgeous makeup looks, and want to get my hands on soon!

Valentine's Day Gift Guide

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I would throw together a little gift guide of some items that would be great gifts for the ladies in your life.  All these great items are linked below! 

100% Pure

I'm very excited to share a new cosmetic brand with you all that I've tried out recently, and really been loving! 100% Pure is an organic beauty company that is dedicated to providing skin care, cosmetics, and bath and body products that are cruelty-free and completely free of any harmful toxins.

Every single thing they offer is 100% natural and 100% cruelty-free,100% free of artificial colors, artificial fragrances, synthetic chemical preservatives and all other toxins.

I recently placed quite a big order with them to try out a variety of things, and their products did not disappoint! Keep reading for a break down on everything I tried out, along with my honest opinions, swatches, and more...

Drugstore Beauty Haul

Recently, I've rediscovered how great some of the cruelty free "drugstore" brands can be! There is something to be said for higher end makeup, however, I think you can always find great options in most product categories at more wallet-friendly prices too. 

I wanted to share some of the items I've picked up over the past couple weeks from places like Target, CVS, and Walgreens. Some of the products I am loving and using daily, and some of them have fallen a bit flat - but it's okay because it is much less heartbreaking to be let down by a $4.00 lipstick rather than a $20 one! ;)

Pixi Beauty

One of my favorite cosmetic brands right now is Pixi Beauty. It is a newer discovery of mine, after finding out it is a cruelty free brand (thanks to Logical Harmony) and picking up a few items from my local Target. This line was developed by long-time makeup artist, Petra Strand and, in my opinion, is very high quality, especially for its availability and affordability. 

If you have read some of my previous posts, you know I love the Glow Tonic by Pixi and have been using it regularly for a few months now. It has helped me really cleanse the dirt and makeup off my face each night (and sometimes morning) and has helped control my pregnancy breakouts!

After falling in love with the Glow Tonic, I decided to try out some other Pixi products. I picked up the Skintreats Glow Mist, H2O Skindrink, and Multibalm in Watermelon Veil. 

New Makeup Hits & Misses

Hello lovelies! Hope you are all having a good week - I am starting to get back into the swing of things after the holidays and the new year. I was sick for awhile over Christmas and finally starting to feel better again.

I wanted to kick off 2017 on Beauty Blether with a post about some new cruelty free makeup items that I have tried out. Some I have loved, and some have been super disappointing...so wanted to share my thoughts and experiences in case you were looking to try some of these products! 

cruelty free shaving

I thought I would do a quick cruelty-free post today and share some great products related to the glorious task of shaving. It can be a pain in the butt to keep up with...but if you have some great products to use, you can turn your shaving time into a pampering session instead of a chore. 

winter skin care routine

I don't know about you, but my skin really takes a turn for the worse in the winter. I have naturally dry skin anyways, but when you add in the cold temps outside and heat blasting all day inside - it makes for a really uncomfortable season. 

Every year I've tried new products or methods to combat the feeling of tight and flaky winter skin, and this year, I think I have finally found some winners to add to my routine.

Makeup Geek // Manny MUA Palette

I recently picked up the Manny MUA Palette from Makeup Geek and I had to share it with you guys because I am SO impressed. It is my first experience with the Makeup Geek line, which is a cruelty-free online company started by Marlena, who has an awesome Youtube channel you can find here. 

I heard about MG through the vegan/cruelty free makeup community and loved the look of her products, especially the eye shadows. I really like that you can buy individual pans and make your own palettes. For my first purchase though, I decided on the Manny MUA palette because it had some amazing looking shadows that I really wanted to try out.