Forever21.com Haul/Christmas Gifts

Late on Thanksgiving night my sister alerted me to a really awesome "Black Friday" sale on Forever21.com.  All of the redline merchandise was an additional 50% off and shipping was free on all orders.  They had tons of great stuff on sale, and when all was said and done, both my sister and I had each bought about $65 worth of sale items from the site.  Since it was about to be Christmas, we decided that we would just be lazy and pay for each other's orders and exchange these items as "gifts" with my family on Christmas.  Here are the things that I chose:

Quilted Faux Leather Bomber- $9.00

This was my favorite purchase from this haul.  I love the 90's style, it fits well, and it will make a great jacket for transitioning from winter into spring.  I always get nice jackets on sale from Forever 21.

 Varsity 33 Sweatshirt-$6.99

This blue sweatshirt is comfy and cozy, but still cute.  I've already worn it a couple of times on nights in with friends.

 Faux Leather Front Top-$4.99

This was the item I liked the least from this haul.  I bought this thinking it was great for an edgier more dressed up version of jeans and a T-shirt.  It's ok, considering it cost just $4.99, but I just don't especially love it.

 

"C" Initial Cell phone charm- 50 cents

I'm a sucker for cell phone accessories.  This blinged out "C" was an awesome deal!

Quilted Shoulder Black Tee- $5.49

I was definitely on a quilting/faux leather kick that night I ordered.  I love this one.  It is a basic with a little extra pop of style.  I just wonder how well it will wash...

Striped Dolman Tee-$4.99

Another great basic piece, and while it looks bit boxy on the hanger, I really like the fit.  It lays really nicely.

Studded Cross Tee-$4.49

This is another "dressed up casual" piece with a nice fit.

Window-pane Sweater-$6.99

I love this one.  It fits great and looks so stylish on!  It will work through winter and transition into early spring, too!

Studded-shoulder sweatshirt-$6.99

This is a more fitted sweatshirt for that girly embellished sweatshirt look. The fit makes it great for with jeans or a little skater skirt.

 Zippered Floral Skinny Jeans-$8.49

These have a short inseam that fits me great.  I think the floral print will make them pretty for spring and summer.

I noticed that "Andystyle", a beautiful fashion blogger that I follow, incorporated these same jeans in two of her recent looks.  (You can check those out here and here.)

Striped Skater Skirt-$3.99

I love skater skirts, stripes, and anything cheap, so this skirt is absolutely perfect for me!

Also, I thought I'd include some other Christmas gifts I got in with this post...

The Naked 3 Palette was #1 on my wishlist! 

 I got this pretty TIGI eye shadow and liner set from a friend. 

 A cute and inspiring Tee from Old Navy.

 Some lotion.

A really cute 10 pack of OPI mini polishes in classic colors. 

So, what was the best gift that you got lately?

  

Product I love: The Ped Egg

Today I just wanted to review a product that I recently tried and LOVED!  I know that the Ped Egg has been around for a long time, so I'm a little late to the party, but this thing is so good that I wanted to share my experience with those of you who have never tried it.

I'm not exactly sure when things started going downhill with my feet...As a teenager, my sister and I used to laugh about the fact that on more than one occasion random creepy guys on the street told me that I had cute feet.  We used to joke that I should get a foot modeling job.  Back then, I used to do my own simple little weekly pedicure that consisted of exfoliating my feet and painting my toes-nothing fancy.  But, based on the reactions of the random creepers, I guess it was working for me at the time.

Fast forward a number of years later and I was living in Northern Florida.  Except for the coldest part of the winter, I practically lived in cheap Old Navy flip flops.  I had a pair in every color imaginable and I used to make treks all around town in them.  It was somewhere around that time that I noticed that I was starting to look less like a foot model, and more like Fred Flintstone's body double.  You would think I would have gone back to my old pedicure routine, but I just didn't care that much.  I always kept my toenails painted, but that was about it.  Once my sister started working in the beauty industry, she occasionally did her service to humanity by buying me "Mr Pumice" blocks at the beauty supply store. Every now and then I would give my feet a half-hearted scrub, but as a busy grownup, sitting around pampering my feet was the last thing I felt like doing.

About a week ago, though, I decided that my feet were a mess and that I needed to put some thought into this part of my appearance.  I tried to remind myself to buy a pumice stone or foot file on my next shopping trip, but somehow I seemed to forget every time.  Then, lo and behold, while at Ross Dress for Less, I happened to see the Ped Egg on clearance for only $3.99.  Who hasn't seen the commercial for this "As Seen on TV product" where women happily scrape their feet with an egg-shaped contraption that resembles a cheese grater, then open the egg to reveal piles of the disgusting powdered foot skin they remove. Ewwwww...  Pretty gross!  But, the metal blades made the Ped Egg seem like the kind of serious tool I needed.  I was debating whether the thing could possibly work, when I noticed endorsements from a number of top Beauty Magazines on the packaging.  I decided that, for such a low price, I'd give it a try.

When I took it home and put it together, the blade part seemed pretty sharp.  Not knife-sharp, but definitely cheese-grater sharp.  There were even some warnings on the package.  You should use the Ped Egg only on calloused skin that is not wet or damp, and also be careful to not press too hard.  My sister looked at the glinting silver blade of my Ped Egg suspiciously and warned me to be careful...

As soon as I slid the Ped Egg across the bottom of my heel and felt it working, I knew I had found a great tool.  The Ped Egg REALLY works!  I absolutely love it!  As I mentioned before, I have never invested a great deal of time or money on foot care, but this thing is better than any pedicure product I have tried in the past.  If you have dry cracked skin and calluses on your feet, you will amazed by the wonders this product can do!  I have been using it over the past week, and while I wouldn't  say I'm anywhere near "foot model" status yet, my feet are much softer and smoother than they have been in years.   

If you are looking to buy one, check out your local Ross store.  The classic one that I bought was on sale there for just $3.99.  They also had colorful "designer" Ped Eggs for $5.99.  This is a really good deal.  Target is currently selling their Ped Egg for $14.99.  

So, do you do your own pedicures, or do you leave it to the professionals?  Have you ever tried the Ped Egg?          

Beauty Resolutions

First of all, I would like to say happy new year to all of my readers.  I hope that this year will be your best and most beautiful yet!

Every year, I create New Years Resolutions.  I love using the new year as a time to plan, set goals, and evaluate the progress I made over the past year.  If you would like to read a post about new years resolutions in general, please check out my post from last year here.

 In the spirit of the new year, I thought I'd share a few of my beauty-related resolutions with you. 

1. Quality over quantity.
This a goal I started working on over the past few years.  In the past, I owned every trendy drug-store brand makeup item that existed.  I had piles of makeup in every imaginable color and formula.  I did use it, though.  I had fun matching my makeup colors perfectly with my outfit, and trying all types of looks.  

However, when I went away to college and was forced to scale back, I realized that I actually preferred a more streamlined makeup routine.  I noticed there were certain colors that I wore regularly, and that, when it came down to it, most of the inexpensive items that I had were pretty similar.  After being forced to toss all of my mint-green eyeliners and hot pink lip glosses in order to conserve space, I began to favor my new more neutral and natural look.  So, over the past few years I've weeded out all of the drugstore junk in favor of a few key higher-end products.  Nowadays, I'd rather have one amazing pallet than a pile of inexpensive shadows, or one really luxe foundation instead of 5 ho-hum ones.  This is one resolution I generally stick to, unless I manage to get a super-deal on the cheap stuff.

2. Take care of my hands and feet.
This goal always makes my yearly list.  I like the idea of well-manicured hands at feet at all times.  I think it looks polished and shows the world that you care about yourself and the impression you make.  But sadly, since I stopped getting salon manicures in order to save money, I don't always keep this resolution!  

 3. Add a little lip.
This resolution is a new one this year.  In my past high-maintenance makeup routine, I wouldn't have been caught dead without lip gloss.  The thing is, though, that I have horribly dry lips that flake and crack regularly.  It is so severe that  I'm pretty sure it is some type of skin condition.  As I downsized my makeup routine, I started using lip gloss and lipsticks less and less often until I finally gave them up altogether.  I decided that most lip products further aggravate the dryness and that adding color to dry flaky lips just draws attention to my problem.  These days, I just smooth on some Nivea lip balm and call it a day!  The items pictured are the last few glosses that I have yet to throw out.  I decided I should use them here and there, and then finally, toss them for good.   

4. Use up all my samples.
I request lots of samples online, and generally, I use them up as I get them, with the exception of a few that I stash for travel.  However, lately I've had some around that I either saved, forgot about, or procrastinate on writing reviews for.  So, I'm going to finally give these products a try.  Expect to see some new reviews in 2014!

5. Take excellent care of my skin.
This means using gentle face washes, removing makeup, and washing my face no matter how lazy I'm feeling, then following up with toner, lotion, and eye cream.  I want to exfoliate and moisturize my body more regularly as well.  I also believe that regular massage is essential to help circulation. 

So, do you make resolutions every year? (Feel free to post a link) What is your top beauty resolution this year? 

Outfit: So This is Christmas...

Christmas day look by artaslife featuring party string lights

A very merry Christmas to all my readers!  Hope you are enjoying this day surrounded by family and peace.

This is what I plan on wearing Christmas Day.

Home Wishlist

Home Wishlist by artaslife featuring reusable wall decals

Just a few things I'd really like for my bedroom/home...

-I need a new comforter, since my boyfriend got red ink on the pretty black, white, and gray damask bedspread I currently have.  I really like my comforter, and it fits well with my overall decor, so, I'm undecided whether to go with another damask style, or mix things up and go for a more simple gray or black quilted comforter.  Either would look nice...

-I wanted the acrylic makeup organizer when I created this set, but I actually got it today. Ross had one almost exactly like the one pictured, and it was only $4.99, which is an excellent price for these organizers! Yay.

-I want one or two Coco Chanel quote wall decals.  The one I want most says "Every day is a fashion show and the world is the runway." I LOVE that! Unfortunately, its hard to find the one I want on Ebay or Etsy that is the type of size and font I want. It seems that it is a more popular quote in England. I also like the one that says "I don't do fashion, I am fashion."

-The Chanel accent pillow would look great in my room.  I've seen a pretty good DIY video on youtube, for those of you not in that income bracket :)

-I really need a new chest of drawers.  Just simple and white is all I need.  My over-stuffed closet will thank me.

-The indoor fireplace is the coolest thing I've seen in awhile!!! I happened to see these on sale on Hautelook.com.  I never knew such a thing existed.  I'd love that for my living room coffee table!

-Finally, I'd like to create a clothesline collage like this one, and use it to hang a few fashion inspiration pictures.  But I'm not really a big DIY type, so I always neglect this project...

So, what's on your wishlist these days? What do you think would complete your bedroom style or spice up your home decor?

   

  

Christmas Beauty Wishlist

Makeup Wishlist Xmas 2013 by artaslife featuring MAC Cosmetics

These are the beauty products I'm currently dreaming of...

#1 on my list is the Naked 3 palette.

The MAC eye shadow palettes on my list seem so sparkly and perfect. They make me undecided as to whether I should go with one of these and skip the Naked 3.

I'd love to try eye shadow by Chanel.

And the polish set..well, that's just wishful thinking.  It looks awesome, but I just can't picture spending that much on nail polish since my sister gets discounted professional brands like OPI. 

So, what's on your wishlist this year?

Bargain Brag: Stocking Stuffer Edition

I recently scored this haul of beauty products during CVS Drugstore's winter beauty clearance.  CVS was offering 50-75% off of selected merchandise, so I racked up on inexpensive beauty products that make great stocking stuffers!

 After the 75% discount, these NYC eye palettes were just $1.25 each!  They even come with primer and highlighter. 

The 75% off made these NYC nail polishes only 25 cents each.  These four colors were on sale.  I bought ten bottles in all.   

These Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro polishes were a steal!  They came to $1.12 after the 75% off, but I also had $1 off coupons for Rimmel, meaning I paid only 12 cents per bottle!!!  

This entire CVS haul only cost me $5.90.  I bought these about one week ago, but, if you hurry, you might be able to find some clearance bargains still lingering at your local CVS.  

Even better than cheap beauty hauls are freebies.  All of these items in the above picture were completely free!

I got the Suave lotion for free through a Suave Facebook Giveaway.

The body spray is by "Essence of Beauty" which is CVS's store beauty brand.  I got this for free for liking the CVS Minute clinic page.

I found these Nivea lotions at Dollar Tree for $1, and I happened to have $1 off Nivea lotion coupons, making both of them free for me.

I plan to give all of these items as gifts.  I am going to make up little bags of goodies to share with a few friends who I usually don't exchange gifts with.  I like how sale items allow me to stretch my money further and show my friends I was thinking of them during the holidays.

So, what goodies are you planning on giving as stocking stuffers this Christmas?