Sample SHOWDOWN!

Hey everyone!  

I tried a few new samples today from my April Birchbox (If you haven't seen the unboxing video, here is the link!!   http://youtu.be/hZ3bKb1IbeA )  ANY WHO, I tried a few products and I just thought that I would give a quick little review of what I'm thinking about them!  

I want to start a little series, called Sample Showdown, where I try the beauty box samples, or Sephora samples, or Salon product samples or whatever, and tell you all what I personally think about them the minute I think it!  I find myself trying new products, meaning to talk about it in a video or on twitter or on here and then it just slips my mind.  So it's getting real over here and I am BOUND AND DETERMINED to get this sucker started!

SO LETS BEGIN!

Shall we start with the good or the bad?  

I think we should just get the bad out of the way!

The first thing I tried was by juice beauty and it was "stem cellular repair cc cream" in the shade natural glow.  First thing, it smells awful!  I understand that it is organic and that they do not have all the artificial fragrances added that a lot of beauty products (and any product for that matter) have.  I kinda smells like a mixture between aloe and the veggie juice I make every morning for breakfast...  I put kale in my juice and now I feel like I rubbed kale all over my face.

Getting away from the smell, it was too heavy for my skin.  It made me oily feeling the minute I put it on, even with a mattifying primer on underneath and I felt like it never did set.  I so then set it with powder and I still feel like I should be using oil blotting sheets all day long.

The coverage was so so, I wasn't expecting miracles out of the coverage, it is not a foundation after all, but it just did not WOW me, by any means.

RANT OVER

on to the good :)

The Next product I tried was called beauty protector leave in treatment.  AND LET ME TELL YOU, this sucker is amazballs.

Granted, I do not know if it does everything that it claims to do, the list is a rather lengthy one, but it did make my hair feel, and smell, wonderful.  I combed out my hair after the shower and then sprayed this little beauty on and I styled it as normal.  I could tell immediately after blow drying that my hair was already less brittle feeling, and after I straighten my hair I had no flyaways and it was as smooth as a baby's bottom.  I'm going to continue to use this little sample, and there is a great possibility that I will buy this guy off of Birchbox's website!

So ladies and gents, what are our thoughts on this months beauty boxes?  Have any of you tried any samples that you have to rant and rave about?  Let me know! 

This or That Tag

If you've seen my YouTube channel recently, you would have known that I have recently filmed the this or that tag that stilababe09 recently did.  So I thought, why did I pick this over that, or that over this?? Well, here I will tell you!!  What is my favorite this?  OR oh my geessh, my FAVORITE THAT?!?!? I'm sure you are all DYING to know :) So here it is.

MAKEUP

Blush or Bronzer?

BLUSH FOR SURE! 

 Any color, any time, any where, I love it.  THE END. END OF STORY.  Currently I am loving to pieces my Cargo Blush in Amalfi.  If is just the perfect Barbie pink and I just CANT GET ENOUGH.

Lip Gloss or Lipstick?

LIP STAIN :)

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick.  Enough said.

Eyeliner or Mascara?

MASCARA

Lorac (my do no wrong, absolute favorite makeup brand of the century) makes a wonderful mascara called Lorac Pro.  The wand is massive and curls my lashes so my lazy self can skip the scary contraption we call an eyelash curler.

Foundation or Concealer?

UNDECIDED.

I have yet to find a foundation that will cover my spots well enough to not need concealer or a concealer that can do the job on its own.  Any suggestions??  

Neutral or Colorful Eye Makeup?

NEUTRAL SMOKEY EYE

Again, the Lorac Pro Pallette is my godsend, but I do love me some Naked 2 as well.

Pressed or Loose Shadow?

PRESSED

I spill loose shadow all over God's creation.

Brushes or Sponges?

BRUSHES

Can IMATS NY come any quicker so I can get my hands on some amazing brushes?

NAILS

OPI or China Glaze?

OPI

I don't have a favorite color or anything, but the OPI just has a better formula than the China Glaze.  I love the color selection of the Sephora by OPI line.

Long or Short?

SHORT

I always say I want long nails.  Then they get long and one breaks off and I HAVE to file them all down to the same size.  I am too much of a perfectionist for long nails.  So short it is.

Acrylic or Natural?

GEL

If you know me at all its GEL ALL THE WAY.  looooove it.

Brights or Darks?

BRIGHTS :)

They make me happy.  Current favorite is Love Those Baby Blues by Red Carpet manicure.  BUT I just bought Oh So 90210.  It's a contender for the top position of spring polish.

Flower or No Flower?

NO FLOWER

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good accent nail.  Flowers are just not my thing.

BODY

Perfume or Body Splash?

PERFUME

My current fave is Viva La Juicy.  

Lotion or Body Butter?

HMMM...

I just by the whole line in the whatever scent from BBW so I guess both?  I WANT to use body butter because I just like it better, but I always reach for the body lotion because it is just more convenient in the bottle instead of the little jar thing the butter comes in.

Body Wash or Soap?

BODY WASH

Again, I by the whole line at BBW.  Currently I'm loving (and have been loving for a bajillion years) Twilight Woods.

Lush or Other Body Company?

LUSH

If there was one around me I would be there all the time.

FASHION

Jeans or Sweatpants?

JEGGINGS

Best of both worlds, DUH.

Long Sleeve or Short?

LONG SLEEVE

I love that long sleeves can be shortish sleeves just by pushing them up.  I get cold ALL THE TIME.  If it's 70 degrees outside, I'm cold.  

Dresses or Skirts?

DRESSES

I have a full closet just of dresses.  Need I say more?

Stripes or Plaids?

STRIPES

Actually Im much more fond of a floral pattern over boring stripes or plaids.

Flip Flops or Sandals?

SANDALS

They are appropriate for work when flip flops are not, so sandals it is :)

Studs or Dangly earings?

DANGLY

I'm game for anything flashy.

Necklaces or Bracelets?

BOTH

I CAN NOT PICK!! did I fail at this tag?!

Heels or Flats?

HEELS

I will kill my feet in the heels I wear just to be a little taller :)

Cowboy or Riding Boots?

RIDING BOOTS

A little more classic.

Forever 21 or Charloette Russe?

FOREVER 21

LOOOOOOOVE IT.  maybe slightly obsessed.  We don't have one where I live now so I go through withdrawls everyday of my life.

Saks 5th or Nordstrom?

We don't have either, but I guess I will pick NORDSTROM if I have too

HAIR

Curly or Straight?

STRAIGHT

 just because mine is too short to be curly.

Bun or Ponytail?

BUN

Sock bun lover forever.  And Leigh Ann's dirty princess bun of course :)

Bobby Pins or Clips?

BOBBY PINS

You can hide them!

Hairspray or Gel?

HAIRSPRAY

I havent used gel since junior high

Long or Short?

LONG

Ironic isn't it?

Light or Dark?

LIGHT

I tried dark, too much upkeep for a natural blonde

Side Bangs or Full Bangs?

SIDE BANGS

I look 12 with full bangs.

Up or Down?

DOWN

Just a little more put together I think.

RANDOM

Rain or Shine?

SHINE

She's only happy in the sun

Summer or Winter?

SUMMER

Goes along with the always being cold thing

Fall or Spring?

SPRING

Can you smell the flowers?  Can you hear the birds chearp?  Well, then it's spring

Chocolate or Vanilla?

CHOCOLATE

I would kill someone for some really good Red Velvet Cake.

East Coast or West Coast?

WEST COAST

Unless it's NYC, then East Coast.  But generally speaking, Cali it is.

THE END :)

Little ol' me?

So I have been MIA lately! 

I think that I might have gotten myself into a lot when I started this youtube/blogging/fashionista journey.  Don't get me wrong, I love all the new things that I have been doing, I just might have bitten off more than I can chew.  So here I am, picking up the cyber pen and writing the blog again.  

I have realized that I have never really introduced myself to my audience, on here or on youtube.  I must get a 'get to know me' video up soon, Charleston is just so damn gloomy and cloudy in the winter and I am so tired of looking like an orange when I film in the middle of the (what should be sunny) afternoon.  So that just might have to wait until I have a sunny day where I can film one million different videos.  

One good thing about blogging is that you don't have to rely on the weather or the time of day to get yourself out there.  So I suppose that is one less excuse I can use for not blogging.  So here is my introduction of sorts and little random facts about me that I'm sure you probably (don't really) want to know. :)

1.  My name's Katie (you knew that right?)

2.  I am 23 years old but am told that I look (and sound) much younger.

3.  I have three cats, all of whom are named after fashion designers.

This is Louis Vuitton (the large one smushing the little one), and Coco Channel, my little princess.

This is Betsey Johnson, who apparently is camera shy.

4.  I would live off of sugar and desserts if I could be healthy and not the size of a small building.  My favorites are tiramisu and creme brulee.  

5.  If I had to eat the same thing every day for the rest of eternity I would eat Panera's french onion soup in a bread bowl... and of course tiramisu and creme brulee :)

6.  My favorite color is PINK

7. I have a youtube channel.  Check it out: http://youtube.com/katiedoesfashion

8.  I love filming videos and showing everyone things I love and different ways I do makeup.  

9.  More importantly, I love the different things that I can learn and the people that I can interact with because of youtube.

10.  I have a job in retail management.  I like it, but I love this.

11.  I am very creative.  I was once told in high school, from a college professor, that I was so good at math that I was stupid if I did not major in it in college.  I then proceeded to get 115% in his class (I graduated early and took college courses) and never took another math class again.  I guess I'm stupid, but I really feel like every bone in my body is a creative one.

12. I have a fashion merchandising degree from Indiana University. 

13.  I have a boyfriend named Ken.  He's great (smitten face)

14.  I am a self diagnosed shopping addict.  I really should stop but it's hard when everything is just so damn cute.

15.  I would and could talk to anyone and make small talk with anyone if they wanted too, but I am just as happy to sit quietly and not talk to a soul.

hmm..  bored yet?  Those are just a few random little facts about me.  Stick around, I'm trying my darnedest to keep up with blogging my love of fashion, beauty... random stuff with you all.

xoxo

Katie

Drugstore Lippies :)

I made a quick stop at the drugstore today and found myself a few different lip colors that I thought I would try out!  I got 4 total, two Covergirl and two Wet n' Wild.

I decided to get a neutral and a pink from each brand.  The Wet n' Wild colors were buy one get one half off, which was such a great deal!  It averaged out to about $2 a piece, which is just crazy for lip products!

This lipstick is called Megashield lip color in Barely Legal.  In the tube the color looked more on the neutral,pinkish shade and on the lips it defiantly looked more brown to me.  I haven't decided if it is a color that I really like, but for now, and for the price tag, it was worth a shot trying.

The bright, fun color that I chose from the Wet n' Wild brand is called lolly-popstar.  This color is much brighter than the other that I chose, and it is defiantly up my alley!  I can't wait to get some use out of this one!

The Neutral that I purchased from Covergirl is lip perfection jumbo gloss balm, in the color 270 (what a boring name)!  I like this color much more than the Wet n' Wild option and the actual product reminds me a lot of the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains that I absolutely love.  The smell wasn't the greatest and it tasted like lipstick, which was kind of a let down.  I felt like there is a battle brewing between the Revlon option and the new contender, Covergirl.

The last product that I got was a Blast Flipstick Blendable Lip Duo in the color Vixen.  I really liked the two colors that came in this product!  There was quiet a bit of shimmer in both options, which I personally liked but is defiantly not for everyone!

So far I really like all the products that I got!  All 4 products came to about $23, which is about the price of ONE lip stick at Sephora, and who can complain about that!!

2013 Goals and Resolutions

Happy New Years!

I know it's already 6 days into the new year, but I wanted to take my time to figure out exactly what I wanted my goals and resolutions to be for 2013!  I didn't want to spend too much time thinking of things about myself that I want to change, but instead I wanted to think about the goals that I wanted to achieve and share them with you all.

Become more involved in YouTube

I recently started filming beauty and fashion videos on my channel, katiedoesfashion.  I spent ages watching all the great gurus and was talked into starting my own channel by my boyfriend.  I quickly fell in love with the whole experience and really feel like I am becoming a part of the YouTube community.  My hope for this coming year is to become even more involved and develop relationships with all the great people that I have already met in the beauty community. 

Develop a more healthy lifestyle

While I tend to think that I have a pretty healthy lifestyle, I tend to be all or nothing.  Its either go to the gym seven days a week or hardly go at all.  I'm really going to try to make it 3-4 days a week and not stress over missing a day or going overboard.  I am also planning on reducing the amount of processed food that I'm eating, and trying to stick to fresh fruits and veggies.

Be more creative with makeup

I have gotten my everyday makeup routine pretty down pat, but my everyday eye is pretty basic and gets old after awhile.  I have all these great palettes that have fun colors and great neutrals that I can use to create a fun, different eye look.  I really want to try and get out of my rut and use more than the same 4 colors every day.

I would love to hear about all your goals and resolutions for 2013!  I hope you all have a great 2013 and all your goals become reality!

2012's Products that BLEW MY MIND

I can NOT believe that is already January!  2012 flew by so fast and it was such an eventful and important year for me!  I fell in love with so many different products that I just had to share my loves with you all!

CLARISONIC MIA

First off, I bought my Clarisonic around July, and I don't know how I lived my life without it!  I feel like my makeup isn't off unless I use my clarisonic.. It's a life send.

LORAC PRO MASCARA

I am turning into a huge Lorac lover.  I recently found myself loving all the products in the brand, and all because of one product.  My all time favorite mascara is the Lorac pro.  I feel like the formula is just right for me and the brush is MASSIVE!  It gives me curl without having to do the extra step of the eyelash curler.

NAKED 2

On my list, as I'm sure it's on everyone else's, is the Naked 2 pallete by Urban Decay.  I like the cooler colors of this as compared to the warmer counterpart, Naked.  Now if I can only get my hands on the naked basics.

REVLON KISSABLE BALM STAINS

Leigh Ann, from leighannsays (http://youtube.com/leighannsays), has turned me into a die-hard junkie of Revlon lip products.  Particularly the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains.  My favorite color is lovesick by far.  I feel like I can't go wrong with a bright pink.

SEPHORA BY OPI GELSHINE NAIL SYSTEM

Now, I know I haven't been using the gelshine kit for very long, so it might be cheating to say that it is a top product of 2012... But I am just so amazed by how well it is working for me, that I couldn't help but put it on here.  I'm hooked.

NOT YOUR MOTHERS DRY SHAMPOO

A great drugstore dry shampoo is by Not Your Mothers.  I feel like it doesn't leave my hair that chalky white color and it actually absorbs the oil in my hair, unlike alot of the other drugstore dry shampoos that I have tried. This one's a keeper!

SUAVE DRY CONDITIONER

Finally, a SUPER cheap product that I absolutely LOVE and have gotten everyone around me hooked on, is a dry conditioner by Suave.  I didn't even know that dry conditioner existed until i saw this one day at Walmart   It gives my hair shine after a few days without a wash.  Also, great texture on clean or dirty hair.

I feel like I found such great products this year, and I hope that 2013 will bring me the same luck.  Happy new year to you all and I'll see you around!

xoxo -- Katie

Sephora by OPI gelshine nail system Review

It's been 2 weeks (which went by way too fast) since my first impression video that I posted about this at home gel polish kit. So now that the experiment is over, what do I think?  Is it worth all the hype or should I keep penciling in my bimonthly salon appointment to keep my nails in tip top shape?! 

First thing, a quick recap of the kit!

The kit retails for $159.00 at Sephora, the nail color come with the kit, otherwise the nail polish is $17.50

 Kit contents:

Your choice of color

base coat

top coat

nail buffer

cuticle pusher

nail cleanser

cleanser wipes

nail polish remover

nail polish remover "pockets"(for soaking nails)

gloves

LED light

After figuring out what all the different things were for, it was very easy to apply the at home gel polish.  It took about 45 minutes but I was definitely doing it slowly and watching shows during the whole process!

Here is the final product with the color that I chose (Mr. Right Now)

Here is after about 12 days!  You can tell that my nails grew out a TON, but other than that, the polish was looking great.  No chips or anything!

I did have to redo my left hand thumb nail because the paint peeled off.  I was doing some heavy cleaning and I think that just too much cleansers and water got to the nail?  I don't know.

Overall, I'm perfectly happy with this at home kit.  It was well worth the money, and you save time and money in the long run from not having to go to the salon. With gel nail polish at the salons costing upwards of $35 plus the additional cost of removal, this kit will definitely make up its steep price tag in no time!   LOVE IT!

If you missed the video, you can check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ja7Ukc_JIg&feature=share&list=LL3MlidNnFFL6mcZ5rzunizA