Handbag Heaven

I seen a post about HandbagHeaven.com on MissChievous's YouTube channel not too long ago and I'm really liking some of their bags. However, I'm always iffy on cheap bags and usually just pick up better bags at discount prices, on clearance or Tj Maxx stores. So I'm wondering if any of you have any experience with this website and if so...what are your thoughts on their products?

Here's some of my favorite styles- all under $50!

Celebrity Look A Like

One Clothing Top, Scoop Neck Cap Sleeve Striped Tee

Orig. $19.99
Was $14.99
Now $10.99

I love Drew Barrymore's style, especially lately. She beens looking amazing lately and here's a look I really liked on her. I bought a similar shirt for less at Macys.com and now you can get one too for only $10.99! Click here to buy.

In The Army Now! (Fall Trend)

I'm really loving the military trend for fall and I'm seeing it everywhere! Not everyone can afford to splurge on that amazing pair of J Brand skinny cargos though, so I thought I'd include my list of wallet friendly ways to stay in style.

Love Rocks Top, V-Neck Short Sleeve Military Button

$19.99

Macys.com

Free shipping with $50 Juniors purchase! Use code FALLFS

Fresh Brewed Top, Short Sleeve Button Pocket Shirt

Reg. $19.99

Sale $17.99

Macys.com

Material Girl Jacket, Long Sleeve Studded Zipper Utility

$38.00

Macys.com

Cotton Utility Jacket

$59.99-79.99

EddieBauer.com

Free Shipping with outerwear purchase! Use code OUTERWEAR

Stretch Cargo Skinny

$39.90

Alloy.com

Tie-front Cotton Shirtdress

$68

VictoriasSecret.com

Free shipping with $100 purchase! Use code SHIPVS10

Dollhouse Women's Rogeri Boot

$64.95

Endless.com

Free 2 day shipping!

Guess Shoes, Seeri Chain Pumps

Reg. $119.00
Sale $89.25

Macys.com

(I think the Juniors code will also work with these, but not sure.)

Amazing Deal!

I was looking around for some cheap flats and having found my favorite pairs for cheap at Target last year I decided to check out the website. I found these great looking flats for $12.99! They have several colors and designs and at this price you can have a pair of each! Plus, all the flats have rave reviews from the customers that bought them. Check them out at Target.com.

7 Things

Kae over at The Hungry Asian did a 7 things tag on her blog and said if anyone wanted to do one that she chose purple. I had to do it since I love the color purple and thought it looked like fun! Here's what's in the pic-

• My purse
• My phone and phone sock
• My psp
• Chi nail polish in Passionate For My Work
• My flat iron
• A pair of socks
• A scarf from the Miley Cyrus & Max Azria collection at Walmart- this was only six dollars but is really nice. I also picked up one of the plaid tunics in yellow. I found a Walmart with several of the tunics in a bunch of colors. I really like the shirt and will take a picture when I get a chance. If I go back and they still have more I plan on buying a bunch up! Here's a pic in case you've yet to see the shirt-

Starry Sky

I was contacted by Nailene Last week and they said they asked if I'd like some products to review. Well I love free stuff and nail stuff so I said of course! I didn't expect so much but they were really generous and it all came like a birthday present in a pretty purple bag with tissue paper. I was so excited to open it all! Here's what I got-

I tried the Acrylic Strong topcoat with some of the bedazzle decals first. The topcoat had a nice shine and dried fairly fast although the formula seemed thin. It could be that I'm just used to Seche being so thick. I really like the bottle design. It's frosted glass which makes it easy to hold on to and the shape feels comfortable to hold. The decals were easy to apply and seem really secure- especially with the topcoat over them. 

So after messing with the decals, I took them off because I couldn't wait to try the Couture nails on. 

These were easy to apply and I didn't get many bubbles at all. Plus I put decals on top to hide any flaws. I love the blue sparkly tips!

What I like about them:

• Affordable 
• Quick and easy to apply
• Seemed not to have as many bubbles
• Fun design
• Bubbled arch (I don't naturally have one but these give me one-which I like)
• No commitment (No going to the salon to maintain these. If I want nails, I just pop some on in the comfort of my own home and when I'm done I can remove them at home.)
• Looks as good as salon nails

What I dislike:

• While I found a good match for most of my nails, there was the one nail that I couldn't match well.
• No matter what there are always bubbles.
• These didn't seem to hold as well as the other nails I've used. This isn't totally a bad thing though, because this nail design isn't something I'd want for more than the weekend. 

Overall I really like these regardless of the cons. I was surprised these are made by the same company that makes Revlon's because I did not like the Revlon ones. I tried applying those and they turned out horrible so then I tried removing them which was even worse. I can't wait to try the other nails I received and will be doing reviews on them also.

E.L.F. Swatches and Comparisons

Concealers and Lip products

1. e.l.f. concealer pencil (and brush) in fair

2. e.l.f. eyebrow lifter (and filler) in ivory (ivory is the lifter color included with every brow shade)

3. e.l.f. corrective concealer palette nude shade

4. e.l.f. corrective concealer palette beige shade

5. e.l.f. corrective concealer palette green shade

6. e.l.f. corrective concealer palette lilac shade (this is listed as lilac but looks more pink)

7. e.l.f. lip definer (and shaper), definer side

8. e.l.f. lip primer (and plumper), primer side

9. e.l.f. lip (definer) and shaper, shaper side

Eyebrow Products

From left to right-

• e.l.f. eyebrow lifter and filler, filler side in medium $3

This pencil goes on very easy, maybe too easy. It's very creamy. Surprisingly though, this was the hardest thing to wipe off with my makeup remover cloth so it has amazing staying power. The shade for me is a little dark. I think this might work better applied with a brush with a powder on top. 

• Anastasia Brows in Bloom kit in brunette, color #2 $28

This powder is not so much too dark as not really brown toned. It seems grayish. Applies funny, the powder is very dry, and is the opposite of powdery, hard to explain the consistency. Very pigmented though and goes where put-not every where else. I think this shade would be good for a more mature woman whose hair has maybe faded over the years.

• Anastasia Brows in Bloom kit in brunette, color #1 

Same as the other color, only slightly better in tone.

• Rimmel professional eyebrow pencil in dark brown $3.19

Only pennies more than e.l.f., this is a great, easy to apply eyebrow pencil. The color is a little reddish for me, not everyone has reddish tones in their brunette hair. This only comes in 3 color choices- hazel, dark brown, and black. Hazel might be a better color for me. This blends really well and even has a brush on the cap. 

• e.l.f. eyebrow kit in medium, wax side $3

I love this! I like the little brush included also but I think I might need a little stiffer brush. This is an ideal color for me. No red tones, not too dark. A lot of eyebrow products go on so severely, you have to barely apply. Not with this, you can apply with normal pressure and it never looks like too much. Very natural. Doesn't hold brows in place as well as my other brow wax. Still a must have, and the price tag is the cherry on top. This will be a stocking stuffer this Christmas!

• e.l.f. eyebrow kit in medium, powder side

Again, just like the wax side, this is the perfect shade. Not overboard. You can apply like a normal product and don't have to worry about your brows looking fake. The little brush is perfect for applying this powder. Love. 

Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder

From top to bottom-

• Bronzing Powder applied with finger, 2 swipes

• Bronzing Powder applied with e.l.f. blush brush, one time

• Blush applied with blush brush, 2 times

• Blush applied with finger, 3 swipes

Eye Primer & Liner Sealer- Liner Sealer Side

I tried the liner sealer side with Loreal Hip Shocking Shadow Pigments in Valiant. It took several times to get a decent line, but I think it would work better with a mineral pigment as this shade sometimes doesn't work well in general. The bottom is the liner sealer with the pigment plus more pigment patted on top. This one was the easiest to wipe off. I will have to work with this product a little more. Also, you just wipe the brush before replacing in the bottle, there was some concerns that this might not work but so far it does and even though the brush stained the color doesn't transfer in the bottle and the brush works like new on the next color. Although I think they should package this in an eyedropper type bottle and sell it like that. 

Eye Primer & Liner Sealer- Primer sideTop is with primer, bottom is without. NYX pearl mania (not sure of color). Several swipes on each. I like how this is sticky and holds loose products well. I also wear a concealer under it and haven't had an issue with creasing so far. I don't have any experience with UDPP or TFSI so I feel unqualified to even say this product is good as a primer. I have Loreal Hip paint in secretive which is just too dry for me and makes my eyeshadows look cakey. So this works well for me since it feels oil based. It does have a weird smell though. Smells like the makeup you buy for Halloween. Like chemicals. Smell doesn't bother me though, it's the thought of what's making it smell that way that bothers me. 

New e.l.f. product! 

2 in 1 conditioning gloss 

You might be saying to yourself...this looks familiar. When I first seen this my initial thought was, lame. I mean, I'd really like to see them come out with some amazing lip gloss in an amazing package. Then this pops up on the website. I started reading about how everyone thinks it looks like Smashbox's hybrid lip gloss. But I kept thinking I'd seen it somewhere else. Well, I have. I've seen it several places...e.l.f.'s version, 2 in 1 conditioning gloss $3Smashbox's version, Hybrid 2 in 1 color and shine lip gloss $18 but on sale for $13.50 right nowTarte's version, Double Dose $21

Laura Gellar's version, Lip heal and seal lip gloss $18

So maybe e.l.f. is on to something here and theirs looks just as nice for a lower price! 

Keep it up e.l.f.! But I'm still waiting on that ultra chic lip gloss so get to working on that!

Finally...Elf Haul

I have been so excited to receive my order from EyeLipsFace.com and am really happy with everything I got, but I don't think I'll be ordering from them again after I receive my next order. I got the package a little earlier today and was getting everything together to take pictures when I noticed I didn't receive an item. I checked the invoice and it was on there but it was circled and I read on the bottom where it says basically if any item is circled then that item was out of stock and you weren't charged for it. Well, I went online to EyesLipsFace.com and checked my order on there, I was charged. I went to check my bank statement, charged. So I wrote an email to customer service. I did get a response extremely fast- like within the hour. But the rep says if I was charged then I will be refunded which may take up to 2 weeks. Two weeks from when? It's been ten days since my purchase so 2 weeks from then or two weeks from now? I don't like the idea that I won't know if I'm not receiving an item til my package is delivered, and I don't like being charged and then refunded. I kinda doubt I'll get my refund so I'll be checking. I'd rather have my product. They should really update the website where you can't order out of stock items or do like so many other places and promise to ship it at a later date. I know it's a place that sells one dollar and three dollar items but I still expect more than this. ELF says to keep checking back for my item to be in stock so I can reorder it but the item is/was/never has been listed as out of stock. Ok, enough ranting, here's my haul- even though ELF sucked all the fun out of it for me.

Here's everything I got. I have to admit, I was impressed. Packaging is super nice and first looks have seem ok. I love how they put it in a bag like you went shopping. I haven't seen anything to back up all the complaints I've read/heard. The lip plumper doesn't "burn like crazy", nothings broke so far, my eyelash curler seems easy to use-I read a lot of reviews where people said it was stiff or hard to use, no extreme smells, everything seems to do what it's job is. The lip primer could be a little dryer but I think it will work well with powder over it. I really do like the makeup remover cloths- if I do ever order from them again- it'll probably be for these. The blush/bronzer is so pretty and gives me a very natural flush glow. I haven't figured out how to put on the lashes yet, I think I need better glue. The powder brush seems nice but I'm not sure what I'm going to use it for yet- powder or liquid. I did notice the chemical smell everyone was saying about this one brush, smells like new plastic is all, nothing a little soap won't cure. The blending brush is not what it looks like on the website, it's shorter and stiffer, like a bullet. I like it though! It seems really good for $1. I had read reviews of some brushes not being crimped and I didn't really get what they meant until I was looking at the little concealer brush that came with the palette. It looked like the bristles were just standing there in the middle. Like the metal around them hadn't been "crimped" down. So I smashed it down myself and good as new! Not hard at all. Nice little brush.

 

Dollar Budget?

Short on cash? So! You can still get great goodies any day of the week. Just check your local Dollar Tree (or 99 cent store, depending on where you live) or you local Fred's, Dollar General, Family Dollar, any kind of dollar stores! You'll find Elf, L.A. Colors, and many drugstore brands for just $1! Here's my finds yesterday! All items were $1!

I got- (2) L.A. Colors Art Deco Nail Art Lacquers in colors Gold Glitter and Silver Glitter, (3) L.A. Colors Nail Lacquers in Pink Crush, Cotton Candy, and Amethyst, (2) Maybelline Wet Shine Liquid in Pretty in Peach and Rhinestone Pink (wet shine diamonds), elf dual pencil sharpener plus extra sharpener, (1)CoverGirl Shadow Squease in Lagoon, Maybelline Pure Concealer Blemish Treatment Stick in Light, L.A. Colors metallic eyeshadow palette in Eye Candy, (2) Carlo Di Roma mechanical eyeliner in Violet and Azure, (2) Elf Shadow Brushes in Eye Shadow and Defining Eye.

These polishes are really pretty but I couldn't capture the purple, think more grape. I can't wait to try these on! The brush is really small though, and the cap is really big. Awkward.

Sheer glosses with LOTS of sparkle. The pink one is over the top! These would be pretty over a lipstick.

This palette reminded me of the Mac Hello Kitty shadows! I'll wear them and let you all know how they wear. I tried some on my hand and they seem pretty good. I've paid more for worse.I seen this Elf eye shadow brush a few weeks ago and thought nothing of it since I have one and it's a pretty ok brush, but yesterday at the store I noticed it doesn't look like mine. i guess they redid it since i bought mine a couple of years ago. The newer one is bigger (bottom). It's also much more dense! Maybe I can get it to pack on some more color than the old one. 

Hope you all enjoyed my dollar haul! 

What was your best ever one dollar purchase????

Review: Revlon Colorstay Makeup

Here's my review on Revlon Colorstay Makeup Foundation w/ Softflex for Combo/Oily skin. I love reading Vanessa's reviews off of NessasaryMakeup.com, so I'm going to steal her format for this. Enjoy!

Product: 4 out of 5

Packaging: 5 out of 5

Quality: 5 out of 5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Shade I Bought: Ivory

Shades Available: 20!

Price: $13.29 at Cvs 

Size: 1 fl. oz.

Would I Buy Again? Yes!

What It Says: Want makeup that is flawless and weightless for 16 perfect hours? Revlon® has the solution - ColorStay™ Makeup with SoftFlex™.
Specially formulated for combination or oily skin, this oil-free formula helps control shine all day and gives you flawless looking skin.
Makeup looks fresh and feels great for up to 16 hours thanks to the lightweight, comfortable feel from the Patented SoftFlexColorStay™ formula.
Medium to full coverage in 20 luxurious shades, with SPF 6 protection*.
*Golden, Caramel, Toast, Rich Ginger, Cappuccino, Mahogany, and Mocha do not contain SPF.
**Will not rub off with normal use. (Taken from Revlon.Com)

What It Does: Exactly what it says! And more.

I am in love with this foundation. You always hear those fairytales of people finding their perfect foundation, their holygrail. Well here's mine. I know to some, the price is steep for a "drugstore" foundation. Well this isn't your normal drugstore foundation. I've never even found anything like this behind a counter. I would gladly pay this price or more for this product. However, I did pay retail on an impulse buy so if you're looking for this, try to catch a sale. The week after I bought mine, there was a buy 1 get 1 free sale! Ugh! I'll know next time. I just really wanted to try the makeup. So I got the shade Ivory, if you've seen my picture, you know I'm pale. I read A LOT of reviews on this makeup and everyone said Ivory was too dark or the undertones weren't right. Luckily I have pink undertones! This is my perfect shade. It matches me exactly! I have never found the right shade for my face, always muddy looking or grayish. And the line has 20 shades which is amazing for any foundation. If you can't find your own shade, try to mix two as I've seen some people doing. I've been applying this with a wedge sponge. It's the only way I've tried so far. I have heard this is the best way, although I plan on buying a Mac 187 to try also. I wet my sponge thoroughly but squeeze out the excess. This makes the makeup go on so smooth. I have heard a lot of complaints about having to work fast but I feel this extends the drying time. I love the coverage and the look this makeup gives me.It feels so lightweight. I forget I'm even wearing makeup. It takes away shine, looks angelic, hides alot, and stays put! The reason I gave this product a 4 out of 5 though is because I can't get it to cover my acne scarring completely by itself, which I have seen some YouTube gurus do. But with a little green concealer for pimples and redness, some primer and a powder on top, I have enough coverage. I have had the makeup cake on a dry spot on my cheek once or twice, but usually my makeup will cake all over with any other foundation, so this is not a problem really. I have oily oily skin that happens to be dry and flakey at the same time. I use Avon Magix under this as a primer and it really helps. I have worn it without a primer, but really like it more with one. This makeup really does stay, I work 12 hour shifts and get really hot, but this makeup doesn't budge, plus it takes a while for me to start to shine. I haven't had any breakouts from this product. I also haven't noticed any smells from this product, although I have read a lot of women complaining of the smell. They also complained about no pump on the product. I don't really need a pump, I gave the packaging a 5 out of 5 because I like the glass bottle. I've never owned a glass bottled foundation, I always use compacts or something in a tube so this makes me feel all grown up. I was going straight from bottle to sponge but decided to pour some on a plastic sheet and apply from there, I like this way better. I did pour too much though and wasted some product. I'll know better next time. The bottle is also really easy to hold with its slim round shape. 

Product Ingredients: Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide (7.3%)
Inactive Ingredients: Aqua/Water (Water), Cyclomethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Butylene Glycol, Boron Nitride, Dimethicone, SD Alcohol 40B, PEG/PPG 18/18 Dimethicone, Nylon 12, Tribehenin, Isododecane, Polyisobutene, Sodium Chloride, Cetyl PEG/PPG 10/1 Dimethicone, Bisabolol, Serica (Silk Powder), Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Malva Sylvestris Flower Extract (Mallow), Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract (Lily), Lactobacillus/Eridictyon Californicum Ferment Extract, Cymbidium Grandiflorum Flower Extract, Alumina, Polydimethylsiloxane/Polymethysilesquioxane Copolymer, Ethylene Brassylate, Methicone, Trisiloxane, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, May Contain (+/-): Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499)

Pros: Lightweight, good coverage, easy to apply, stays put, helps with shine, great price!

Cons: Spf 6 ( how is that even going to help?!), has trouble covering some things (nothing a concealer won't fix), has pink undertones in the lightest shade which is a problem for some women- especially women with an asian background (they should come out with another lightest shade with yellow undertones),  they should sell an optional pump like Mac since so many women want one, highly addictive.

Overall: I would highly recommend this foundation to anyone. It is raved about all over the web, and believe me- it's not overhyped! 

Spotted: Gossip Girl Making It's Way To Target

Gossip Girl fans want to look like the Queen B? Fret no more! Anna Sui has come to your rescue and made affordable versions of the o so stylish cast of Gossip Girl! Her inspiration came from being in Asia last year and all the young girls kept asking her about places in New York where the "Gossip Girls" lived. 

Here's the collection from Blair to Vanessa. I find it hard to imagine wearing some of these in public. But for the brave, they'll be worth a try! I'll definitely be stopping by my local Target to see if they are carrying the collection. It'll be in stores and online from September 13th to October 17th.

Blair

Serena

Jenny

Vanessa

You Know you love me, Xoxo, SparklingPinkGorilla

Images Via: The Cut