Dressing Professionally with Style!

I love wearing dresses, skirts, flowers, lace, jewels, flirty tops, heels, wedges, etc. So when I started working in schools, I knew I was going to have some trouble adjusting to the new wardrobe I was about to create. I knew I was not going to completely throw away my style, but I would need some pieces that would transform my girly and flirty look into a more professional ... girly look. No matter what job you are in, I suggest asking your supervisor or coworker about the dress code or expectations. However, I have learned that these pieces really helped me transform my look without breaking the bank.


1. Cardigans
Duh! This is an easy one. Cardigans are a super easy way to cover up the shoulders (which is a requirement at most positions) without having to wear your grandma's sweaters. (Sorry, Grandma!) You can get them in pretty much any color you can think of, and some even have cute patterns or detailing. I shop at Forever21 when I need basic, solid colors. When I want something with some pizzazz (anyone else think of pizza just now?) I'll check out stores like Tommy Hilfiger, TJ Maxx, Kohls, etc. These are a staple, and they're much more casual than wearing a blazer every day.


2. Blazers
Awkward, because I just said cardigans are more casual than wearing blazers every day. Which is totally still true. However I love blazers just as much as cardigans! I think blazers can help you look put together and professional while still keeping some style. I will say this: it is far more difficult in my opinion to find a fun, stylish blazer than it is to find a fun cardigan. I frequently visit thrift stores for blazers because I have found some very interesting pieces that are fun but still look polished. Another plus? You can pair these with jeans to look totally business-casual or pair them with slacks to be completely profesh. Yeah. Profesh.


3. High Waisted Pants
For some reason, I think these look totally adorable but also very chic. You can wear them with loose-fitting blouses, which I think would be a very cute, appropriate work outfit, and then when you want to be a little more flirtatious, throw on a cropped top! Bam! Instantly cute-i-fied.


4. A-line skirts
These are also easily transformable. They can look very appropriate yet stylish for the work day, but throw on a cropped top and heels and you've got yourself an outfit for date night or drinks with the girls!


What are your favorite pieces that help you to look professional without changing your entire style?

Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out the Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara from Influenster. I received my box in the mail, not really knowing what would be inside, but when I saw YSL on the box, I was already shaking with excitement. I love this brand, but I do not really have the funds for this makeup. Broke college student...
Anyway, I was able to try this mascara for review and I have to say I am super impressed. My lashes felt thicker, longer, and more voluminous. I am the type to not want to sit there and put coat after coat of mascara on, and this mascara was perfect for me because I only needed one coat and I was satisfied. The packaging is gorgeous, as well. YSL is an all around beautiful brand. The only downside is of course, the price. The mascara is $32.00 I believe on Sephora's website, which isn't too bad if you look at some other prices of mascaras. However, I am struggling to pay my student loans like many other college-aged girls out there, and we simply cannot afford a 32 dollar mascara. Well... I can't, anyway.
I give this product an A.
Pros:
Longer lashes
Fuller lashes
Gorgeous packaging
Light-feel


Cons:
Expensive
Not waterproof


If you'd like to try out products like these, sign up for influenster here!


Disclaimer: I did receive this product free of charge, but I always give my honest opinion when reviewing products.

Colgate Optic White: Brush Whiten GO! Review!

Hey yall!

So I received a product from Influenster I'd like to review for you all. It was the Colgate Optic White Toothbrush + Whitening Pen  duo/system. I received the toothbrush, which includes a whitening pen that is inside of the toothbrush handle, and a small sample size of their toothpaste. This is what the toothbrush looks like in the packaging, just incase you would like to find it in your nearest store. (I have seen these at Walmart and Target but unsure about others)

Basically this is supposed to be a quick and easy way to whiten, and since you brush your teeth (hopefully) twice a day, you can easily whiten twice a day. So here are some pros about this product:
1. Easy access to whitening product means more likely to whiten. I have other whitening products I love, but I am a lazy college student and sometimes I do not feel like taking many trips to the bathroom or carry a large amount of products. Sometimes having a long beauty routine even gets old. This is why the pen is helpful because it is directly inside of your toothbrush, so you just whip it out and whiten and you're off to start or end your day.
2. Brush quality. The brush head is soft and did not irritate my gums and it seems to do a fine job. I prefer the toothbrushes that have a moving brush head so that it really cleans your teeth, but this would do a good job as well.

Yeah, not many pros. Onto the cons...
1. Price. I believe this runs at around 10-12 dollars, I haven't done my research very thoroughly. If you have coupons I am sure that would help, but that seems like quite a bit for a toothbrush. I bought an electric toothbrush for about 6 dollars, and the changeable brush heads are only about 3 dollars. That is a much better price for a much better product. I understand that this isn't just a toothbrush and it includes a whitening product, and perhaps if the whitening product was better and more effective, I'd like it more.
2. Quality. The actual whitening product itself does not do much with regards to whitening. Plain and simple.
3. Messy. The whitening product is supposed to adhere to teeth easily so that there is no rinsing involved and the process is as easy as possible. This isn't the case. I had to rinse after using this product, and it was very messy when I applied it. It was also messy coming out of the wand. It is definitely not a quick process, however the product tastes fine so I was not too bothered by the mess.

So my verdict is that I would not repurchase this, however this is a personal preference and I think everyone should try this out for themselves, because perhaps my teeth are doomed to a life of not being perfectly white and yours may not be forced to live this life! So give it a shot. I prefer electric toothbrushes, and that is just my personal preference.
Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I did receive this product for free from Influenster, but all opinions are my own and I do not get paid money to review these products.

My Beauty Resolutions for 2014

Hiya!

So this post is going to be about all of my resolutions for 2014 regarding beauty and some fashion. I am already a very active and healthy person so I do not typically make resolutions about working out. So here goes nothing!

1. Use a wider variety of the products I already have. I have a lot of makeup. That's no secret. This makes it very hard to use up a lot of products. I want to remember that I have a ton of favorite things I can use and I don't want to get stuck on one product. For example lately I've been trying to use a ton of different concealers throughout the week instead of just one. Sure, some of them aren't as good as others but they need to be used too.

2. Experiment with eye shadow. This is something I used to do all the time but for the past few months I've been pretty boring when it comes to my eyeshadow looks, I've been pretty keen on wearing neutral colors and I want to go back to having some color in my eye looks. I recently used an UD shadow that was very bright and green and used a brown shadow for the crease, and it looked great, so I'm going to try to continue doing this.

3. BB Cream Weekends. I'm hoping to give my skin a break on the weekends and use BB creams, at least during the day. Of course, when I have nights out or GOD FORBID a date, I'll use foundation but I want to give my skin some time to breathe and get some moisture and I love how bb creams feel. I would go completely without face makeup but honestly I think my skin feels and looks better with bb cream even after I take it off.

4. USE UP SAMPLES. I have so many samples its ridiculous. I could start my own subscription service. Anywho, I've accumulated so many because of things getting sent to me for review, Sephora purchases, Ulta purchases, etc. I just have too many and I need to start using them to make room for newer samples. I love samples because I discover products I may love or not like without having to buy the product. Let's use em up!

5. Try different hairstyles. I tend to love my hair either curly or straight but I rarely do anything fancy with my hair, and I want to just try some new things. This is going to be really hard for me because I go to the gym every day so sometimes it just makes sense to keep things simple so I don't have to fuss with my hair before/after the gym. Also, I really just love how long my hair is and I think the reason I usually just leave it down is because of my length. I wanna show it off, girl!

6. Take more time to wear a complete outfit. This is pretty simple. I want to not just think top and bottom. I need to remember to wear accessories more often. Last semester I was super busy constantly so I never really cared or had the time, but I love fashion and I love how I feel when I have a bangin outfit on, so I'm going to get back in the game.

7. Take off my makeup every night. This is something I know a lot of women have trouble with on those nights when you're already in bed and you just say ohhh I'll be ok for tonight I don't need to take my makeup off. I am guilty but I want to try to remove ALL of my makeup every single night no matter what time it is or how  I feel because skincare is so important to me.

So those are a few of my resolutions. What are yours?!

-Samantha

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Review! #CSMTKO

Hey gals! Back with another Influenster post. I received the Sally Hansen VoxBox loaded with some awesome nail polishes from Sally Hansen's complete salon manicure line. I already love these polishes so I was SO excited to receive these!

Here's a picture from my instagram! This is my favorite one called Red My Lips. It's gorgeous!

The reason I love these polishes is because it takes all the fuss out of doing my nails. The brush's size makes it quick and easy, the formula is opaque and sometimes I only need one coat! It has a base and top coat built in, so it's a strong polish, as well. Absolutely give these guys an A+!! Go get you some of these!

Samantha

-I did receive these from Influenster but all opinions are my own.

New Influenster Voxbox!

So it's time I talk Influenster again. I received the 'Sugar N Spice Voxbox' and did a full unboxing video which can be found here:

Other than that I thought I'd share some mini-reviews before I make my full review video. So here's what I got and what I think so far:

1. Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturizer: This is probably my favorite thing I've tried so far. It's a spray bottle so it is similar to the spray sunscreens that some people use in the summertime. I like this idea because you don't have to squeeze out a ton of gunk onto your hand and get messy. It absorbs really quickly and has a nice scent.

2. Colgate Optic White regimen: Have not tried any of these yet I'm waiting to finish up my current products which should be soon.

3. Belvita breakfast biscuits: Didn't think I'd like these but I did! They have 19g whole grain which is great but they don't taste like that. They taste almost like graham crackers. Very filling and tasty and also good for you. The pack also comes with 4 biscuits so it's better than getting one granola bar and still being hungry.

4. Nectresse Sugar: I used this to bake with earlier and I loved it, can barely taste the difference between this natural sugar and artificial sweeteners. Actually... you can. This is better!

So those are my instant reactions but I will have a full review video up soon!

 

I received these products from Influenster to review but I do not get paid to review them and all opinions are my own.

Goody QuikStyle Brush - A New Way to Blow Dry!

I received this brush in my Influenster Holiday VoxBox, and if you don't know about Influenster you can read all about them here. Basically, to remain a member you review products and stay socially connected to the site and if you qualify for a VoxBox you could receive goodies! I was lucky enough to receive this box that included this brush:

I believe you could have received a round brush as well, but I am horrible at using those so I am happy I got this one. Plus, I straighten my hair a lot more than anything so I don't need the roundness, although I like the volume it gives.
Here's some basic info on the brush, taken from the Goody product page on Influenster's website:
The GOODY® QUIKSTYLE™ Paddle brush works like a towel and brush in one. The super absorbent (and antimicrobial) microfiber removes 30% of water from wet hair to help speed your drying time! You can effortlessly detangle right out of the shower and continue using it while you blow dry!
Anyway, this brush is great! I had my doubts but I was very pleased. The microfibers worried me because I thought ok, if they get wet won't they start to get... gross? But they haven't on me yet! And they also really do speed up drying time. But what I was most pleased with is that I could tell that my hair was softer after a blowout. Sometimes when I blowdry my hair it gets kind of... crispy? Is that the word? But anyway, this brush doesn't do that. It glides through your hair effortlessly and I feel that it is also a great detangling brush. I've been using this on my hair even when I'm not styling it and I'm still very pleased. It's pretty pricey from what I see on the Influenster page ($12.99) but I would say it's worth it, and I'm sure there's a coupon somewhere you can find. I love how it makes my hair feel and it speeds up your blowout which means it'll save you some money on buying blowdryers whenever yours goes on the fritz. Also I've found that since this works so well, I'm using less heat on my hair. Not only is it speeding up blowouts so I'm not using my hairdryer as much but it actually straightens my hair instead of just drying it. It leaves it silky smooth and straight so I don't even need to use my flat iron. Less heat, less damage.

Thanks Influenster and Goody!!

If you'd like to see any extra info on this brush, head to the Goody's page here.