December Resolutions

Can you believe that it is already December? It is the last month of 2012! CRAZY! I've been thinking about New Year's Resolutions, but over the last few days, I came up with a few goals/resolutions that I wanted to stick to for December.

Spend Less. As you probably saw from all of my November spending, I couldn't possibly need any more more things, nor should I spend any more money. So, I am sticking to my very strict budgets in just about every category. Specifically, $25 for beauty and $25 for personal care, which could include shampoo, soap, moisturizer, etc.

Wear Makeup Everyday. With all the stuff I've accumulated, I really ought to wear some of it. I think I must've only worn makeup not even 5 whole days in November, yet I bought more makeup than any regular (non-blogging) person would need. Plus I really want to discover new looks and practice my skills!

Wear Perfume. Again, I have so many pretty fragrances and never seem to use any. I don't know if I could manage everyday, but I'd be happy with just wearing it more often.

Blog Daily. This could be hard, although I was close to blogging everyday in November. What will be even more remarkable is if I could manage to share my daily looks for the month!

What do you think of my December resolutions? Any tips to help me stick to it? Happy December!! :) 

Give Your Eyes Natural Definition with Becca Eye Tint in Baroque

In October, I was really excited to purchase the Best of Becca set from Sephora. One of the full size items in the set was this Eye Tint, in the shade Baroque. I wasn't entirely sure about the shade, but Lisa Eldridge recommended it in one of her older videos, so I knew I had to try it! I think this shade is a really nice brown/beige. It is described on Sephora's website as a mushroom beige, and I'd say that I agree with this description completely! In terms of the packaging, I think the tube style really allows you to control how much you squeeze out. I do sometimes need to shake or lightly knead the packaging, as the product seems to sometimes separate in the tube, but otherwise I have no complaints. (Those of you who have more experience with Becca, is this just a fluke or typical of Eye Tints?)

I really think this is such a natural shade, as you can see from my light swatch in the center of the photo above. This gives my eyes some light contour and depth, and I love that. (I have flat Asian lids, and this adds dimension that I didn't think was possible!) It really looks as if I'm not wearing anything, and it lasts all day on me too. Woohoo! I can definitely see this being an everyday staple for a lot of people. :)

I love the uniqueness of the tube and creamy formula of Becca Eye Tints, and I highly recommend that you try one! What do you think? Are there other shades of Becca Eye Tints that I have to try? :)

November Beauty Purchases

November was a TOUGH month when it came to staying on budget. All of the sales were hard to resist, and sadly, I didn't make it. Don't judge me! :) I started off ok, despite purchasing a gorgeous Tom Ford Lipstick Set and the Aphrodisiac lipstick from the current collection. I managed to fit these in by readjusting some of my other (less important) budgets for the month! And then came the Sephora VIB sale. UH OH! Fortunately, I had a ton of store credit from earlier returns, but I still purchased a bit more than I originally planned. Here's what I grabbed: Becca Beach Tint Duo, Origins Make a Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Moisturizer, Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tanning, Benefit Watts Up 100 point perk, Caudalie Divine Oil mini, Bobbi Brown Long Wear Even Finish Foundation (which I ended up returning a few days ago),  Guerlain Rouge G Lipstick in Gemma, a $1 glass nail file, and my all time favorite, Dior Diorshow Maximizer. At the drugstore one day, I grabbed some nail polish thinner for the first time, and a pretty pink shade of CoverGirl Lip Perfection in Verve.

At this point, I was doing moderately ok. If I didn't spend ANY more, I would have stayed around the budgets I had allocated, by a few dollars... And then came Burberry!! I heard about a GWP at Nordstrom San Francisco, and I jumped on it! I purchased Burberry's new Complete Eye Palette in Pink Taupe, and the Sheer Eyeshadows in Almond, Pale Barley, and Midnight Brown. Here's the GWP. There was also a very large makeup bag! :)

The other day, I went to Sephora to make a return, and I left with a whole pile of goodies. For my boyfriend, I grabbed First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Concentrate and Anthony Logistics Grooming to Go.  Tempted by all the pretty bloggers wearing Guerlain Rouge G in Gigolo, I picked that up as well. I also wanted a nude liner, so I grabbed Tarte Emphaseyes Inner Rim Brightener. I also grabbed a few things on Cyber Monday - and look at all the samples I got from Kiehl's with my little tube of Ultimate Strength Hand Salve!

My Nars Pure Radiant Tined Moisturizer in Alaska (for winter!) is scheduled to arrive today, (wohoo!) and my two Sephora orders are estimated to arrive Monday or Tuesday. In those lovely Sephora boxes will be the Fresh Umbrian Clay Foundation that Claire and Taylor rave about, Clinique All About Eyes Concealer, a $3 sale Sephora eyeshadow brush, Becca Bronzing Skin Perfector, and Becca Radiant Skin Foundation. I'm so excited to try out everything, as  my local Sephora stores didn't have any of these available to test.

So, how did I do? I clearly blew any attempt at a budget this month. :( BUT in the end, I seem to have ended up with close to $300 of gift cards and store credit from Sephora, so that definitely helped.

Grand Total Spent: $488 (of my own $$ AHHHH!)

I calculated what I had set out with when I rearranged budgets, etc, and I could have spent about $228... So... I totally went over. Don't hate me! I love my pretty things. :) And who knows, maybe I'll end up not liking one of the products I ordered and save a few bucks. :)

What fun pretty things did you purchase this month? What tips do you have for staying on budget when it comes to beauty? Please share - I'm a girl who could use some help! :)

Brighten Your Bath with Lush Party Popper!

I didn't want to use this pretty pink and blue bath bomb, as it was far too pretty and smelled amazing... Last night, I finally bit the bullet and threw it in the bath! bergamot, tangerine, rose This bath bomb colors the bath a deeper shade of pink, and smells SO good. Bergamot, tangerine, and rose, make this a really nice citrus floral. I seriously love it. To me, it also sort of smells like Pez candy, but a million times better! HAHA!

As the bath fizzes, honeydew scented paper soap flakes emerge - I forgot this was going to happen at first, so I was pretty excited when it happened. You can grab the soap flakes and use them, but I just let them float around in the water until they dissolved.

I seriously love this scent, and it nicely (and lightly!) scented me and the bathroom. It was a great, relaxing bath that I didn't want to drain! Also, this scent is more delicate than some of their others, and in my top 3 Lush scents along with Calacas/Fun and the Enchanter bath bomb! :)

In case you're curious, here are the ingredients. :) I love this, and I NEED to pick up another one before the holiday collection disappears from stores! What do you think about this bath bomb? Will you be grabbing this or something else from the Lush holiday collection? :)

This product was provided for review.