Haul: Butter London Nail Polishes

Hello!  I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and is enjoying the Holiday break.  So far I haven't been doing much but sit around, eat, watch movies, read blogs, and online shop all day.  I don't go back to work until after New Year's so I'm definitely going to be relaxing to the max.

I purchased some Butter London nail polishes on Hautelook awhile ago and they came in the mail a day before Christmas Eve so it was almost like a little present to myself hehe.  I have never tried Butter London before but have heard good things about them.  They are usually pretty pricey for a nail polish so it was definitely a good deal getting them through Hautelook.

The main concept of Butter London is that they don't use harmful chemicals in their formula, which is definitely a plus.

The three colors that I picked up (from l to r) are Union Jack Black, Minger, and Eastender.  They also had the cuticle away oil that I wanted to try but got sold out before I got there :(

I really adore the sleek square glass packaging.

Minger is a gorgeous true orange color.

Union Jack Black is a really nice simple go to black nail polish.

Eastender disappointed me a little bit because it's super sheer.  It almost has little to no color and is just basically a nice clear gloss coating for your nails.

Overall I really like Butter London Nail Polishes.  Minger and Union Jack Black have a very smooth, creamy, and pigmented formula.  They also don't have any harsch chemical smells so I would definitely purchase more!

Christmas for Two

My BF usually goes home to Minnesota for Christmas and I usually tag along with him but this year we both decided to stay local.

We made homemade egg nog which was delicious!  Making it fresh definitely gave it a lighter and smoother texture than the store bough egg nogs.

My BF got a recipe for garlic lemon chicken with potatoes, onions, and carrots on the side.  There was also lots of butter involved.

The chicken turned out really delicious and moist!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  Anyone doing some after Christmas shopping?

Outfit - Rainy Day Blues

Day 5 of nothing but constant rain.

bag: Aldo

jacket: GAP

striped long sleeve: H&M

shorts: H&M

leggings: F21

boots: H&M

 

I've been loving the shorts/legging/boots combo lately.  It's just super comfy and casual.

 

Got these boots from H&M last year, they are by far my favorite pair of shoes!

 

I finally got my hands on the Urban Decay Naked Palette from a tweet sale, so decided to play with it a little today.

 

I used the lightest color (Virgin) all over the lid and then attempted to define my crease with the 2 blue shades (last 2 on the right), then lined my lower lash with the dark blue.

 The look is fairly simple but I like how it brightens up my eyes.

Just a few more days until Christmas!  My last day at work is Thursday so I can't wait for vacation :)

New make up organization

When it rains, it pours!  It's been raining here in Los Angeles since Friday and the weather forecast predicts it will rain all week up until Thursday.  I have nothing against the rain if I could just stay at home in my pajamas all day and lounge around.  Going out, especially driving in the rain is not fun.

So yesterday I made a quick stop to this store called Tuesday Morning, it is basically like a Ross, Tj Maxx, or Marshalls where they just have a random mix of items at a discounted price.  I was actually looking for a full length mirror but ended up finding some organizing stuff for my beauty products.

This tray organizer looked like it should fit in my vanity drawer and I figured it would be perfect for make up organization so I picked up 2 of these.

I also found these cute little containers that had the same color scheme as the tray organizers so I figured these would be good for small stuff.

  So this is how my vanity table drawer looked like before.

This is after some organization.

I ended up moving the divider and making a small section to fit all the blushes.

 The tray organizer was a little bit too long and didn't quit fit my drawer vertically so I had to put it in the middle horizontally instead.  There was extra room so I put in the little containers that I got and to my surprise they fit in perfectly!

I tried to group similar products together for easy access.

The little containers are perfect for single eye shadows, and probably pigments too!  I'm thinking of getting some more.

I also moved the divider on the other side to make a smaller section like I did for the blushes.  On this side I put all my eye shadow palettes.

So this is how everything looks as a whole.  Please disregard the top of the table, I have yet to clean that area yet! 

As for the other tray I used it to organize my lip products.  I separated them by drugstore, high end, and miscellaneous brands.  At the moment since this doesn't fit in my drawer I am just putting this tray on top of some boxes underneath my vanity table until I can find a permanent home for it.

*Random Filler*

Rainy Day Slow Cooker Porridge

So since it was cold and raining I was craving for some porridge.  I got the recipe from Cat (http://www.strawberrymochi.com), she tweeted about making porridge in the slow cooker so I asked her how she made it.  The instructions she gave me were super simple so I had to try it!

I basically put some uncooked rice with water and let it cook for about 3-4 hours.

On the side I seasoned some ground pork with fish sauce and white pepper and stuck in the fridge until it is ready to be put in.

After the rice is cooked to the desired texture, I started adding in the ground pork and slices of ginger.  Then I let it cook for another 1-2 hours.

When it's finish cooking I put in some chopped up green onions and seasoned it some more with fish sauce, soy sauce, and white pepper.

As a little treat I also put in some preserved duck eggs!  I know not everyone likes this stuff and it's an acquired taste but I love it.  I can eat it alone, but it taste pretty yummy in porridge.  Overall I'm really happy with the way it turned out.  I think I made too much though, so I might be eating porridge for a few days haha

Hair Shears : Kamisori Shears

So after getting a chance to try out the Karmin Hair Iron on my hair for the first time and seeing how amazing it worked on my hair it sparked my interest about high end hair tools.  Usually I would only spend about $20-40 on hair tool items such as blow dryer, curling iron, flat iron etc..  But nowadays I am kind of on the look out for a really good blow dryer and some hair shears!

I can't remember the last time I got a hair cut in a salon, it's probably been over a year?  I've been trying to grow my hair out so I really had no reason to go to one besides maybe just for the usual bangs and end trimmings.  But recently I noticed after watching some youtube videos that trimming my own bangs can easily be done at home with the proper tools.  So I haven't yet splurged on some cool hair shears yet but I really want one by Kamisori!  Their shears have the cutest and sleekest looking designs.

You can find them here:

http://www.salonhive.com/hair-tools/hair-scissors

 Cahira Swivel Shears

Love the color and design of this one.

 

Storm Texturizer Sheers

I'm guessing these are amazing for layers!

 Thinning Shears

I remember I use to hate it when salons thin out my bangs because they always over do it lol

Hair Shears

It's pink, need I say more?

These babies are not cheap and start around $100 or more, but if you know how to use it right I am sure it can save you much more money than going to a salon.  I remember going into a high end salon one just for a trim and it costs me around $80.  

The website is having a 10% Holiday promotion going on, I might just splurge on one if I'm not too poor already by the end of this month!

FTC Note:  This is a sponsored post.  All things stated in this post are of my honest opinion and I was not given any products mentioned.

Random Filler...... 
Since I usually have random stuff to share at the end of my actual posts, I just decided to call this section random filler.  This section is mainly dedicated to random things which could be about food, life, or any other things that pop in my head.  Sometimes it's just small little things that I don't feel like I can do a whole post on it but I still want to share! 


I collect Starbucks Cards 


Some people collect stamps, stuffed animals, baseball cards etc., but I like to collect Starbucks Cards.  This started out in Junior High when one my friends showed me her Starbucks Card Collection.  She told me she started to collect them in hopes that they would be worth something one day, since she had seen some people putting some of the past and rare designs up on Ebay for good money.  This seemed like a good idea since Starbucks always comes out with different designs depending on the season, certain special days and holidays.
When I first started collecting them I use to be avid about going into different Starbucks to see what designs they have because sometimes different locations will carry different kinds.  Nowadays I just grab some if I see a cute design but I definitely don't put too much effort in collecting them these days.  It is definitely interesting to go through and look at all the different kinds I have collected!
I will have to take a picture of all the cards that I have collected and show you guys one day but today I'm blogging from work so I just have the newest cards from this season that I just grabbed to show you guys.

Christmas Designs!

Designed by Jonathan Adler a well known designer

I'm loving the pattern and the black/red scheme

I've also noticed that Starbucks Cards are different from around the world so if anyone would like to swap cards please let me know!  I would love to have some from around the world.


It's Friday! Hope everyone has a good weekend.  It's rainy and cold over here, so I will most likely be staying in and trying to keep warm :)


Until next time....toodles!

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Review: Josie Maran Argan Hair Oil Serum

Hi everyone!  I've just recently noticed my haul posts definitely out weighs my review posts, so I'm going to start to try and review most of the products that I buy and have been using.  I have also been insanely addicted to playing Cityville on Facebook which has taken my time away from blogger but if anyone is playing add me as a neighbor! LOL

Enough with the filler on with the good stuff....

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum

I purchased this during the Sephora FF sale in hopes that it will help my damaged hay-like hair.

My hair stats:

Long, thin/fine, oily scalp, split/dry ends

Been colored numerous times

The ends of my hair literally feel like dry hay unless I do some deep conditioning treatment then it's tolerable.  I have always been curious about Argan Oil and Moroccan Oil but since Sephora only carried Argan Oil I decided to give this a try.

Description taken from Sephora website:

Argan Oil Hair Serum
What it is:
An anti-frizz treatment that creates exceptional shine.

What it does:
It's the shine of the times! Argan Oil Hair Serum delivers instant shine and long-lasting rejuvenation. Argan Oil naturally penetrates the hair to help moisturize each layer of the hair strand for long-term hair repair so your hair actually looks and feels healthier, silkier, and extraordinarily shiny. Subtly scented with geranium and bergamot fruit oils, the ultra-light, never-greasy, non-alcoholic formula penetrates the hair shaft to seal split ends and deliver intense moisture to each layer of the hair strand. All hair types will instantly look and feel healthier, silkier, and shinier.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

I love that it comes with a pump dispenser which makes it easy to control how much product comes out.  The oil is clear in color and is a thick gel-like consistency.  From what I can tell there is really no strong fragrance to this product.

You can use this in different ways and on both wet and dry hair.  Since my problem area is dry and damaged ends I only use it for that part of my hair.  I have oily scalp so I don't put any of this near it because I don't need any more oils to weigh my hair down.  So far I have been using this daily for close to a month now.  I use about 2 pumps right when I get out of the shower so my hair is still wet and I rub it all over the ends of my hair.  After that I either air dry or blow dry my hair.

Results:
After using this my hair became manageable, felt healthy and lively again.  My ends no longer felt like hay, although they didn't become super soft they just felt touchable once again.  If I air dry my hair the oil seems to give my hair a nice bouncy airy feel.  I have also noticed that I have less breakage so this stuff might be making my hair stronger.


Overall I really like this product and will continue using it.  However, this stuff is not a miracle worker and you won't notice crazy results to your hair right away.  After I wash my hair it will feel dry again until I put the oil on and do my hair routine all over again.  So this stuff definitely works in helping improve the appearance and feel of your hair but it doesn't reverse the damage.


I think this will take me awhile to finish since a little goes a long way but after this I want to try the Moroccan Oil, but I can definitely see myself re-purchasing this stuff again in the future.


What I can eat on a weekly basis:
All you can eat KBBQ


I just can't seem to get enough of this stuff....you can call me a KBarb addict!

I just got hungry now after posting all these food pics.....grumble grumble