JULY LITTLE BLACK BAG HAUL & GIVEAWAY! CLOSED!!!!!

Hello everyone! 

It has been awhile since I have posted a blog update and I keep meaning to put up some posts that I have but life has been crazy lately lol! 

I got my Little Black Bag in the mail today and I am in love with all of the items!! I opened my bag with a $35 wallet, $16 lipstick and a pair of $18 earrings. I also added to my bag a purse that was on sale for around $17 and a pair of sandals on sale for $12/$13. It only cost me $23.90 to open with the wallet! I actually traded the sale purse I got away but ended up with it again before my bag closed, which made me happy because I absolutely love it! 

Want to try LBB? Use this link and you will get 25% OFF your first bag if you are a new user, just click HERE!!!! Also, if you open a bag right now, LBB will give you a free deluxe sample of either NUME shampoo or conditioner!!

Here are the items I got in my LBB:

Dirty Laundry Loop-O-Rama sandals in black (Retail $49)! These are so adorable, I absolutely love them and they are going to be perfect to wear during the summer! These were the sale sandals that I added to bag.

Steve Madden Merlot Leopard Tote (Retail $98)! This bag is absolutely beautiful! This is the original bag I added to my bag during the sale and I am so happy I got it back! This thing is HUGE!! I will be using this for plane days since I can fit my laptop in it and still have plenty of other room for my stuff and my sons stuff! 

Street Level Studded Drawstring Bucket Tote (Retail $85)!  This bag was another sale bag but I traded for it and I am happy I did! I moved all my stuff into this bag right away it is so cute! 

Olivia + Joy Knick Knack Hobo (Retail $98)! This bag was on sale as well and I traded for this bag! Most of the sale bags were actually really cute and got amazing trades! I am so happy they had this sale, it made getting items so much easier lol.

K. Kreative Earring Set (Retail $15)! I love these earrings! I really liked the lightening bolt ones because they remind me of Harry Potter lol!

Mystique Beaded Tribal Bracelet (Retail $18)! I cannot tell you how many times I got this bracelet and traded it away lol. I decided after trading it so many times that I wanted to keep one and I'm happy I did! This is such a cute bracelet and goes great with my Street Level studded bucket tote!

Bindy Gold & Green Wrap Bracelet (Retail $24)! This bracelet is absolutely gorgeous! I'm in love lol!

T & J Designs Bold Stone Stud Earrings (Retail $18)! I saw someone post these in Traders and thought they were really pretty, so I made sure I got them!

Jardin Daisy Earrings (Retail $24)! These are cute but a little bigger than I thought they would be.

Geranium Horseshoe Stud Earrings (Retail $17)! I love Geranium stud earrings, I got a pair of little bambi ones in the past and they are just adorable!!! Plus the packaging is so cute, I love how they come in a little box!

Mystique Chain Bib Necklace (Retail $20)! Nobody liked this necklace except me I swear lol! I think it is so cute and it was one of the first things my husband saw that he actually liked in my bag!

Ruddy Water Blushed Rollerball (Retail $18)! This smells so good! It has a vanilla, lemony scent that I love!! I am obsessed with rollerballs too, I prefer them over having to spray myself with perfume because it is perfect for on the go! 

Total Retail Value of my bag $484 and I paid a little over $50 with my original opening bag + add to bag items!!!! This was an amazing bag for me! I'm so excited how much I got out of what I paid and love everything I got!!! 

Some tips I have for trading are, trade for the full 7 days! Even if you think that you love your bag, you never know what can happen, an amazing offer can come along! Even if you don't like an item if the offer is a good one (above value, multiple item trade, or popular item) you should take it because you have better chances of trading the items for things you love, get a higher value bag, and end up with more items! Use the chat feature!! There are so many great girls, and so far one guy, that are in the chat and they can be very helpful! 

Now for the GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

During my last giveaway I gave you items that I traded for in LBB, this time I'm going to do things differently! Instead of me picking item for you, I'm going to give one lucky winner a $50 Little Black Bag Gift Card!!! That's right $50!! I think it is fun to trade for yourself and then I won't have to worry about the winner liking the items lol!! You can use it once on an opening with a bag/etc., or use it for multiple openings with smaller items! It is up to you!  

Rules For The Giveaway:

You must be a follower of my blog!! (Please do not follow my blog just to unfollow it after the giveaway is over!)

You must be 18 years old, or have parents permission!

You must live in America, Canada, APO/FPO or Puerto Rico as those are the only places LBB ships to! 

I will pick a person at random (I DO NOT play favorites, I like things to be fair! Everyone has an equal chance of winning).

If you are following my blog you are automatically entered into the giveaway! 

For an EXTRA chance to win the giveaway you can leave a comment below of what item you like most out of my LBB haul! 

I will notify the winner of the giveaway the day it ends by making a blog post, posting it on twitter (HERE) and on Instagram (HERE).

THIS GIVEAWAY STARTS NOW AND ENDS JULY AUGUST 18th! I WILL MAKE A BLOG POST ANNOUNCING THE WINNER AUGUST 1ST!!!!

UPDATE: 
I am changing the date that the giveaway ends, I will be out of town when I was going to end it so I am actually going to extend it until AUGUST 18TH when I will be back home! Sorry for the date change!!!!! <3 

Disclaimer: I am doing this giveaway on my own, Little Black Bag is in no way involved or endorsing this giveaway. I am purchasing the gift card with my own money. 

QUICK UPDATE & NEXT GIVEAWAY INFO!

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to give you a quick update that if you want to continue following my blog you will have to start following it through Bloglovin' (located on the side bar to the right ----->) I will be having a giveaway in two weeks that is going to be awesome! You will have to be following me through Bloglovin' to be able to enter! More information about the giveaway will be in a blog post I have coming up next week once I get my Little Black Bag box in the mail! The reason that you need to switch over to Bloglovin' to follow me is because Google Reader is closing down on July 1st!! If you want me to follow your blog through Bloglovin' please put your blog link in the comments below =] Thank you so much everyone, I can't wait to reveal the prize for my giveaway and I know that you will all love it!! 

NEW $5 TARGET BEAUTY BOX REVIEW!!!

Hello everyone!

 Today I (finally) received my $5 Target Beauty Box in the mail! I guess that they are thinking about jumping on the monthly subscription bandwagon and started by doing a one time box. I ordered my box 6 weeks ago and it felt like it took forever to get here, but it is here now and that is all I care about! 

Here is what I got in my box!

Gillette Venus & Olay Razor Pack in Sugarberry- I am so excited about this item! I opened it up right away just to smell it and let me tell you it smells amazing!! I am a firm Intuition lover so I cannot wait to see how I like this razor! 

UPDATE: This was pretty good, my legs felt smooth but I still prefer my Shick Intuition over it. 

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo- I've heard a lot of good things about this for getting rid of acne, I break out every once in awhile so I'm looking forward to this item!

Fekkai Glossing Cream- This cream is supposed to add shine and eliminate frizz from your hair! This sample size is great at 2oz and I have as well heard many good things about this product!

UPDATE: After using this my hair did look shinier and my frizz went down a lot in the hot and humid air.

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. Cream- Finally I am getting a B.B. Cream in my color, which is light! Hopefully it actually looks light on my skin though. I have yet to find a B.B. cream that I like as well as matches my skin tone!

UPDATE: I really liked this at first, it was really light on my skin and seemed to work great. After a couple minutes my face turned orange -_- Why can I not find a BB cream that doesn't turn me into an Umpa Lumpa?!

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in LUST-RUOS- I have tried Sally Hansen's nail strips in the past and I'm pretty sure that I did like them! Although, I would never buy them in just plain colors or with sparkles added on, that seems like a waste of money to me. I only purchase nail strips with designs on them, since I am artistically challenged at nail art lol!

Also included in the box is a coupon for $3 off any $15 beauty purchase at Target! Love this!!!! 

Altogether I really do like this box, it has a great array of products with great sizes, even if there was two foil packets! The only thing I disliked was that it took so long to get to me but it was their first box and for $5 it was well worth it!!!

*DIY* MAKE YOUR OWN NAIL POLISH!

Hello everyone! 

Lately I have been wanting to do some kind of small DIY project, so I decided to make my own nail polish. It is actually VERY easy! All you need is a clear polish, I'm using an elf Cosmetics one, an eyeshadow color of your choice, I picked the Whip Hand L.E. Loose Pigment in Special Forces. This is a sample I got in a Beauty Army box awhile back, I actually received to of them so that is the only reason I decided to use this one for the polish because it is a beautiful gold! The last two items you will need is a q-tip to help mix your polish and a piece of paper to put all your stuff on top of just in case you make a mess. 

The first thing you want to do is crush up your eyeshadow if you are using a pressed shadow, you can use a toothpick for this step. Then you just pour the eyeshadow into your clear nail polish and mix it together with the q-tip or even with the polish brush! I told you it was very simple! I recommend shaking it like crazy for a minute! 

Here are some pictures I took while making my polish!

 No Flash

 Flash

This is 3 coats of the polish and I absolutely love the gold! It also gives off a little bit of a texture, which reminds me of the sand polish. I cannot wait to try this with other colors! I am planning on buying a lot of red eye shadow so I can make the perfect red polish! 

MY FLIGHT ESSENTIALS / WHAT'S IN MY CARRY-ON! + Mini Haul!

Hello everyone! 

I have mentioned in previous blog posts that I travel a lot between my home state of Oregon and my current home in North Carolina; I decided to make a post about my typical travel days and my essentials that I take with me!  I'm not going to show all of the stuff I pack for my son because it is obviously all kid items lol 
Every time I fly, I fly through Delta because I always seem to get the best deal, and the flight attendants have always been genuinely nice to me and helpful when it comes to me traveling alone with my toddler! 

The first thing that I get out when I travel is a bag! I have to have the perfect bag and a big one at that since I bring my laptop with me! The bag I decided to carry-on with me this time is my Pink Cosmo Gold Studded Satchel (retail $70), I got this from Little Black Bag! I love this bag because it has a long strap and handles, having the option to carry it either way is really helpful when carrying this, with a diaper bag while pushing a toddler in a stroller!

In my bag for personal items I brought: 
Jean Pierre Cosmetics Oil-Absorbing Facial Tissues- these are great when traveling! I got these in a Beauty Box 5 box!
Trident Gum in Spearmint- Gum is perfect for chewing when you are taking off and landing to keep your ears cleared!
La Fresh Travel-Lite Antiperspirant Deodorant Wipes- I used one of these on the flight and am currently saving this one for the next time I fly! I got these in a BB5 box as well.
Hair Tyes
EOS Chapstick Ball: This is my go to chapstick at any time and especially when I am traveling!
Aquafina Pink Sugar Roll-On Perfume: I always make sure that I have a perfume of some kind when traveling! I picked this one because the smell is light so I can make sure it isn't over powering causing people on the plane to get headaches from it (hopefully). I also like to make sure my perfume is a roller ball because it is easier and more convenient while traveling! This scent is so amazing, it smells like freshly made waffle cones! I discovered this scent through Beauty Army and ended up buying the roller ball at Ulta for $22!

I always like to make sure I take a wrist-watch with me because I am a constant time checker, especially when I am flying, and as you know, you cannot always have your electronics turned on.
My trusty I-pod! I was watching the amazing Josh Hartnett in 30 Days Of Night! 
My in-flight Coca-Cola to keep me awake! 

I love to read so flying is one of the best times to catch up on reading, and I had plenty of time on this flight to do that since it was a 4hr 20 min flight plus an extra hour being delayed and sitting on the plane at the main gate -_- gotta love LAX! I was reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; if you didn't know I absolutely love HP, especially the books!!

I always like to bring my own snacks with me and I brought some already shelled pistachios! So delicious!! 

MAKE-UP!!!

I always bring make-up on the plane with me so I can 'paint my face' before I get to my husband haha! 

3 elf cosmetics brushes, I broke off the wooden handle part for easy traveling and I actually like it a bit more! These are all from their Studio line ($3 per brush), the top brush is the powder brush that I use for my foundation, the middle brush is the small stipple brush I use for blush, and the bottom brush is the eyeshadow "C" Brush! 

(Not pictured: sample of Youngblood primer)

L'Oreal True Match Concealor Crayon

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don't Stray Eyeshadow Primer

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Honey (Gold) 

Model Co. Eyeliner (Black) 

Urban Decay Supercurl Mascara (I absolutely LOVE this eyeshadow! It is the best eyeshadow I have ever used I think!)

Benefit Cosmetics Coralista Blush

Softlips Cool Mint Chapstick

My mini-haul I got was a Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner! I absolutely love this toner, it is the first toner that I have used that does not break my face out in a rash! I actually bought this previously from Birchbox but literally after 5 uses my pesky little toddler stole it and dumped the whole thing into one of my purses!!! I have been trying to get this from Birchbox again for awhile but it has been sold out! This bottle is $16 but the awesome sales associate happened to notice my military ID and gave me a discount! I was really surprised because I never even think to ask for a military discount anywhere but this guy had like eyes of a hawk and noticed the ID super fast! So with the discount I only paid $12.80! Thank you Portland (PDX) Airport lol! The sales man also gave me a free sample of Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream! 

Last but not least here are two extra photos I took on the plane, one of the flight tracker on the little T.V.'s they have on the back of the seats, and the next one is just a picture I took of us above the clouds that I liked =] 

*NOTD*

Hello everyone! 

I thought I would share today's nails! I decided to try out the ncLA nail wraps set (Jungle Fever)  that I got from Little Black Bag! I have so far only used nail strips from Sally Hansen so I was excited to branch out and try nail strips from ncLA! 

These were very simple and easy to apply! I loved that the ncLA strips come with a full size nail file compared to the very small one that comes in the Sally Hansen packs, I actually am now keeping the file in my purse. These peel off very easily so a top coat is a must!! I absolutely love the leopard print design, I am a huge animal print person! For a top coat I used the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color. Overall I really like these and would be willing to purchase them even for the $16 price because it comes with 2 sets! 

INFLUENSTER SPRING FEVER VOXBOX REVIEW!

Hello Everyone!

I finally received my Spring Fever VoxBox from Influenster!! I was so excited to get this box and it was actually delivered to me awhile ago but I was across the country so I just got it last week! I have actually tried all the products in it so I can tell you what I like and what I don't like! (Sorry for the really crappy photo's! I literally got home at almost midnight and had to try everything right away lol!)

Here is what I got in my box!

The first item that I grabbed were these Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-On Manicure in Joyride (pink/fuchsia color). I have seen these in the store and have always been intrigued by them but I didn't want to pay for them and not like them since I am usually not a fake nail person. I actually really liked these! I put these on June 1st and they just came off yesterday and that is because I peeled them off. The only negative thing I have to say about this particular set is that I would never purchase these in a plain color since I could buy a whole bottle of a plain color and use it multiple times. I am definitely tempted to go out and buy these in some kind of print. Retail $5.99-$7.99

Secret Outlast Clear Gel Antiperspirant/Deodorant. This isn't the first time I have used this deodorant and I do really like it since it is refreshing on your armpits! The main thing I dislike about this product is that this has only been used once and look how much is left in the container! I had to twist up a little above half of the container to even get any product to come out. I hate when companies don't completely fill up their products! Retail ($4.59)

Schwarzkopf Professional OSIS+ Dust It Mattifying Powder. I was so excited to try this powder since I have recently been really into powdered hair products that give my hair volume! I was so disappointed in this! It did make my hair matte and gave it some volume but it also made my hair super stiff and sticky?! I don't even know how it produced a sticky effect but I definitely am not into this product. Retail $23.50

TastyKake Kandy Bar Kake in Smores. I love cake and so I was very happy to receive this in my VoxBox! I really enjoyed this and was even kind enough to share it with my husband! I think that these are also very reasonably priced for how much comes in a box as well as the size of each cake. Retail $4.49 per box/5 cakes per box.

NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm in Big Apple Red. I was very surprised at the pigmentation of this lip balm! I was expecting it to be very sheer but their is definitely a color payoff when you wear it! I absolutely love the packaging of this product with the cute apple in the middle of the balm! How adorable?! This was very moisturizing on my lips that have been in the North Carolina humidity! The only thing I really dislike about this product is the scent! It smells so cheap, but I kind of expected that for the price! Retail $2.99

DISCLAIMER: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.