OMG EYESHADOW

So if you have ever watched make-up reviews/tutorials or even just browsed youtube, you may have heard of Coastal Scents 88 color eyeshadow palettes. No? Well, YOU MUST KNOW!
Coastal Scents makes this palette of 88 eyeshadow colors (among other things)..and let me tell you, its amazing! You can purchase matte or shimmer (I have matte), and they are under 20 dollars! Some colors in the matte are completely flat, and others have a more satiny, but not quite shimmery, appearance. It's love. Here's the picture from the website:

You are probably thinking what I first thought: my grandma gets me one of these every year for Christmas. Well, this is really good quality makeup, unlike the colorful baby powder eye shadows they sell at CVS during the winter. Each color is about the size of a dime, but they go a long way. They are reallllly highly pigmented and last all day. In my opinion a majority of the colors wear true to their appearance, but others are more or less vibrant when you wear them. They aren't messy either: they don't become powder-like when you take a brush to them, so you don't waste some product just by using it. This product is amazing, hands down. For the price, you cannot beat it!

Another note: I just dropped mine on the floor and none of the colors cracked or broke. AWESOME.

go to coastalscents.com and snag one of your own!

Forever 21: Cheap or Chic?

Soo many bloggers love to write about Forever 21. Half of the time they're preaching "never shop there! You get what you pay for!" while others show off the "steals" and designer look-alikes (some even do both!). Well, here I am to give my two cents as, of course, a list!

• Forever 21 sells clothes at a very low price. My motto: you get what you pay for. BUT there are so many reasons why this doesn't apply here.
• With that said, I'd like to point out that F21 is not for investment pieces. Want to try a new trend? Great...spend 5-10 bucks on that new statement necklace/motorcycle jacket. It's not going to be popular in two years anyway. IMO, trends usually do not become investment pieces. 
• Wait..your new perfect v-neck t-shirt got a hole in it? And you've had it for only 3 months? You should have bought two since they were only $3.50! I personally have never wanted to keep a plain black or white T-shirt for over a year or so, since no matter what the price, they become discolored/stained/etc. 
• Hold on, what was that? Last season's trendy leggings are here to stay? Okay, simply upgrade to a $40 pair of INC's. Just make sure you head back to F21 when you want a pair with studs, zippers, or other embellishments.
• In September I bought a pair of dark skinny jeans at F21. Just wanted everyone to know that they are still dark, skinny, snug, and in tact. they were $7.50. I'll buy three more next year and spend less than I did on those True Religions that don't even tuck into my boots nicely.

So, there you have it. Forever 21 is legit because even the cutest/ longest lasting trends have to get a test-run,
and there's no need to invest so quickly. What do ya think?

Whitening Your Teeth (on a budget!)

We've all been there: you are getting ready to go out. Hair? Perfect. Clothes? Lookin' like a model. Smile? ...At least you got a new lip gloss because those whites are not as pearly as they used to be.
I personally do not have yellow teeth, but definitely do not have noticeably white ones, either. But, if you ask me, I definitely think that a white smile is one of the sexiest things a girl can have. It just screams natural and healthy which in the long-run are more important than tan and glamorous.
At the moment, I'm currently using crest whitestrips advanced seal (I'll post pictures when I'm finished the pack). These suckers are great and really stick to your teeth. I honestly think at $35 these are a steal since you only need to reapply every 6 months, but if you aren't down to shell out a few tens, fear not. I've seriously come up with something genius...and you'll only need to buy two things (under $10 total!).

So the first thing you'll need is a mouthguard like the one pictured above. At walmart you can snag one of these guys for under 3 dollars, trust. You'll actually want two though. So here's the deal. While my BFF spent all of her time in highschool saving up for custom whitening trays, I spent my time playing contact sports. Consequently, we ended up with the same thing: A clear plastic thingy for your teeth. Only difference was mine cost like one millionth of the price. You boil water and put a mouthguard in it for about ten seconds, just enough to see if soften up and lose shape a little, then take it out (use tongs!) and put it in cold water for just a moment. Then, stick the guard in your mouth and, well, suck! get all the water out and press the plastic to your teeth as you bite down. After doing that for about 5-10 seconds repeat but mold the guard to your bottom teeth. Taaada! Custom trays.

Next, you'll need some sort of whitening gel. I prefer anything by pluswhite because 1. it's cheap and 2. it doesn't give my teeth any sensitivity. All you need to do it apply some of this to your teeth with a q-tip or even directly into the trays. I typically wear my mouthguards in the shower because I can spit out any excess gel that gets in my mouth. This is not the most fun way to whiten your teeth, necessarily, but it's cheap and it works! do this once or twice a day and you'll notice a fresher smile! Good luck!

7 (Random) Make Up Products I Can't Live Without

I LOVE make-up. I don't always wear a lot because I spend most of my time at work, but if it were appropriate, I'd look like a movie star every day. These are just a few of the products that I find amazing for both everyday looks and going out looks. (Clockwise starting with CG smoothers)

1. CoverGirl CG Smothers Tinted Moisturizer
Thank you CoverGirl, because my bratty, snobby self almost forgot how wonderful drugstore beauty products can be! When I purchased Lancome's $46 TM, thinking that I could hydrate my skin while also evening out my skintone...well, I was wrong. Maybe this is what everyone else is looking for, but department store brands make this stuff think and creamy just like concealer. My idea of a tinted moisturizer was a light, tinted covering that wouldnt necessarily feel like make-up. At $6 dollars, I don't care what everyone else needs. I love CG smoothers!

2. Diorshow Blackout Mascara
Without makeup, my eyelashes are average. With Diorshow, I get compliments almost every day on my long, thick lashes. Trust. While my first use was overwhelming and a little too clumpy, the second try was perfect along with every use thereafter. This masacara is WELL WORTH the 25 bucks. For me, its not that big of a deal to shell out 25 every few months on something I use happily every day.

3. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Palette(s)
All of the Urban Decay colorbooks are awesome, but the one pictured above is my favorite. The two colors on the end go perfectly together. I do the dark brown in the corner and crease of my eye with the gold on my lid...fabulous! I do warn you, though. They are very shimmery and sparkly so I would not recommend using them after you have applied the rest of your make-up because you might look like you're stuck in the 90's with glitter all over your cheeks :). Though I don't use the blue color as often (I have brown eyes), I could write pages on the uses I've found for most of the colors. Its around 30 dollars, but I use this a LOT and I've had it for over a year!

4. Benefit High Beam Face Highlighter
First of all, if you are not familiar with highlighter, check this article out. College Candy's Caitlin is beautiful and knows a thing or two about makeup. Though she uses a powder which can be applied a little differently, but her video shows how and where to put on highlighter. It can really brighten up your face! I seriously recommend this product for so many reasons. It can brighten you up with just a dab anywhere from your brow and cheekbones to right in your inner eyelid next to your nose. It even fixes dark circles! If you aren't convinced enough to buy benefit brand, almost every drugstore brand makes a similar product. I won't make any suggestions because I can't think of one I have tried.

5. Sephora Brand Smokey Eye Palette
If it's night time and I have plans (or not), you can bet I'm wearing a smokey eye look. If I had a better social life, it'd be my trademark. I used to wear smokey colors, but never did I know how amazing a shit ton of eye make-up can look when applied correctly! The Sephora kit colors are great, and you actually get a highlighter as one of the colors (you could skip number 4). The colors blend really easily, but they don't rub off at all. The only thing I can say that makes the product a little less worth the price (I think $38?) is that it comes with a little stubby brush. You DEFINITELY need your own brushes for this, and you really need to have good ones! I also would only recommend this to anyone that is experienced with applying makeup (perhaps i'll make a video sometime) or someone who doesn't mind practicing this look first.

6. Stila Smudge Pots
Oh. My. God. Not a stick. Not a liduid. How can this be eyeliner?!!! Well, it is, and I'll tell you its the best freaking eyeliner ever. I bought the pictured sample pack which costs about the price of one pot and gives you 4 colors. Yeah, they're smaller, but you get a variety of something that lasts forEVER. I've been using the black for months and have barely made a dent. So here's the deal, this stuff is a creamy matte eyeliner in a little pot. You can use a thin brush or an angled brush to apply it, and you can wear it either smudged or in a clear, thin line. This stuff is soo incredibly easy to apply, and it takes 2 seconds, so it's great for everyday use. PLEASE if you try any of these, make it this one!

7. Mac Black Liquid Eyeliner
Liquid eyeliner, why do you have to look so beautiful when you are so hard to apply? Although it always takes me like 453 years to apply liquid eyeliner, I love the way it looks. It's super defined for night looks and can be really chic by its self for an everyday Lauren Conrad-esque look. This eyeliner fom MAC makes it a little easier because it's a fine-tipped pen that is simple and easy to hold. It doesn't do that funky smudgy nasty thing that cheap felt tip pens do either. Because I usually use number 6 as eyeliner, this liquid will last forever for me.

And there you have it! Anyone ever tried these? What'd you think?

how to not be as pale as a ghost while still hating hard on cancer

It's January. Most white girls (I don't mean to offend) like me feel pressured to get a tan one way or another to avoid looking like they are covered in Elmer's glue. While I will admit that I am enrolled in a yearly tanning package at my gym, in an effort to be slightly less cancer-ridden, I have tried a few self-tanners just for kicks. I tried one of everything: one lotion, one spray, and one brand of tanning towelettes. I also did not want to spend a fortune on something that most likely wouldn't work, so all of these are drugstore brands. Exfoliated and ready, I tried these products one by one. Here are my results:

1. Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

My mom bought this one home for me. It's available at Drugstore.com for about six dollars right now, but if you learn anything from this post, its that you shouldn't buy this stuff. I also have the face lotion version, but the results are exactly the same: streaky and orangey. This lotion smells awful, too! I mean, even no scent is better than a bitter, chemical-like scent. It smells like rotting food. Hate. But anyway, if you can get past the smell, you won't see any results the first day because you are supposed to gradually develop your tan, right? Wrong! When I went to apply this the next day, I noticed horrible streaking on my inner thighs and upper arms.
Trust me, I am an obsessive freak and there is NO way I applied this tanner sloppily or incorrectly. Save yourself a few bucks and wait until June to get tan if this is your only self-tanner.

2. Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Spray Micro Mist

Perfect! I can spray this crap on and it will only take seconds to achieve that lovely summer glow! Oh wait, thats a LIE. This stuff is even worse than Jergens! After spending like 4345 hours naked waiting for this spray to dry, I ended up looking like a straight up TIGER. This was a complete waste of time, pride, and eleven bucks. How could you do this to me, Neutrogena?!

3. L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Towelettes

Sublime Bronze, you are too legit to quit. I cannot say enough good things about these little towels. A box of six costs ten dollars, but don't let the direction's that tell you to use this daily fool you. I used this once, the next day I could see a glow in my face. As a tanning addict, I used this again two days later. Even better color! And, a miracle! No streaks! A warning, though: be careful! I used this twice and waited about a week to use it again. This stuff is powerful, and am assuming that if used too often, the tan will start to look too unnatural. I recommend this tanner to anyone looking for just a subtle tan to get through the winter months. If you feel the need to be super bronze in January, my advice is probably not helpful, but you may be able to get some tips from the cast of Jersey Shore.

Hope this helps! Does anyone out there have any tanning tips for cancer haters?