Monday, August 31, 2009

Review on AMIClubwear.com

I've been hearing SO MUCH about this fashion site called amiclubwear.com & at first, I was very hesitant to buy anything even though the trendy clothing and affordable prices were very tempting! Plus, I've never been an online shopper...If I can't try it on and pay cash for it, then forget. However, being married to an online shopping addict, I caved in. After seeing so many reviews about this site on YouTube, I decided to try it out.

I like so many things on that site! But I didn't want to get everything I wanted all at once in case they decided to scam me. I picked out two "2-fer" tank dresses and that was it. These types of dresses are very popular and very cute on! Here are the two dresses I got (pictures are straight from the site):

$29.99

$25.99

I LOVE my new dresses and I can't wait to purchase more items from this site. The material isn't super high quality but it's just as good as the material from Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, etc. In my opinion, their sizes run kind of big but maybe it's because I don't have big boobs like the model HAHA! Shipping was free since it was over $50 and the best part is, there's NO SALES TAX!! I love that! One thing I love about Florida is that sales tax is next to nothing compared to California. Whoo Hoooo! Well I hope you ladies all find something for you at amiclubwear.com and share about what you think! Have a good week! xoxo

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Products I'm Using Right Now

I saw this tag on Miss Natty's Beauty Diary & just wanted to do it too to share the things I'm currently using. I am currently trying to step away from expensive brand name products because I find that some of them don't work. And I am happy to have found cheaper drugstore products that worked better for me! I wanted to take pictures of everything but I just moved, the bathroom is a mess and I'm running out of memory space on my camera (thats what happens when you have a baby haha he takes up everything!) I'm sure you can look up pictures for these products. Anyways here are my products:

Shampoo: Enjoy sulfate-free (with cleanse sensor) & Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar volumizing shampoo for extra clarifying.
Conditioner: Pantene Pro-V Full & Thick
Treatments Enjoy Leave-in Conditioner Spray
Styling Products: Got 2 B Guardian Angel flat iron heat protector spray, Enjoy Shine n Smooth serum, GVP volume booster spray (dupe for CHI volume boost) from Sally's, Enjoy Extra Firm Hold hairspray
Styling Tools: Conair Pro Gold series hair dryer, Corioliss leopard flat iron, and my curling iron has no brand.

Shower Gel: Dove Beauty Body Wash
Body Moisturizer: St. Ives Vitamin E Moisturizer
Deodorant: Lady Speed Stick in Orchid Blossom
Fake Tan: Tanwise Self-tanning Mousse from Sally's
Facial Cleanser: Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser, Olay Deep Cleansing Foam wash to remove make-up

Primer: Boots No. 7 Mattifying Base
Foundation: Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse in light/medium
Concealer: Revlon Colorstay Blemish Concealer in light (for my under eyes) and Revlon Age Defying Spa concealer for blemishes and red spots
Powder: MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus
Blush: MAC Pink Swoon and MAC Fleur Power
Bronzer: MAC Golden bronzer
Highlighter: MAC Iridescent Powder in Verve-Vacious from the Fafi Collection

Eyeshadow Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion
Eyeshadows: MAC Sable, MAC Satin Taupe
Eyeliner: Max Factor Crayon Traceur in Night Club (does not smudge!)
Eyelash Curler: Shu Umera
Mascara: L'oreal Extra Volume mascara
Brows: MAC brow set in Mink and Ardell brow powder in Taupe

Lip Conditioner: Lypsyl lip moisturizer stick (the best!)
Lipstick: MAC Way to Love, MAC Plink & Victoria's Secret Perfect Lipstick in Satin Sheets
Lipgloss: NYX Mega Shine in Beige, Clinique Kitten Pink lipgloss

Nail Color: China Glaze Shocking Pink Neon (very bright neon pink)

I would love to read about what everyone else is using!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Update & Upcoming Posts


Okay so I haven't been on here since I moved to Florida. I've been busy settling in and just spending time with my husband before he leaves to Japan. He leaves tomorrow and I've obviously been a weepy mess just thinking about it. I'm sad that he will miss out so much during Jason's first year. And it's just hard, in general, to be apart from my husband. He's my everything.

Well, other than that, I'm just loving life in Florida. The weather is very hot and humid. It's hurricane season so it's been raining hard everyday but there's something about the rain that's very calming to me. This place is very different from Orange County California...people are soo much nicer, it's quieter here and very simple. I've spent a few hours at the pool with my little baby boy and he's even gone into the pool for a little splash.

I did go shopping with my husband in Tampa and Orlando and bought a few things from CCO & Arden B so I'll be doing a post on that. Then I ordered a few items from AMIclubwear.com--my new favorite online store! They have a really cute trendy selection of clothing and the prices are fairly cheap. I'll post some of those pics up too. I've also started getting back into the gym. Before I got pregnant, I started doing CrossFit in California and of course, as soon as I lost weight and got my bikini body, I got pregnant. Well I'm back in action at Crossfit Lakeland and it's been going great. I'll definitely be blogging more about fitness.

Well I hope everyone is having a better week than I am. I'm going to savor every minute with my husband before the Marine Corps takes him away. Good night, ladies!



*picture is from http://www.theodoresworld.net/pcfreezone/MarineImage2.jpg *

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Good Bye California

Memoirs of a U.S. Marine Wife


Well, my bags are packed and I'm ready to go...


My husband is driving his car to Florida tomorrow, so he can leave it there while he's in Japan. And the baby & I are flying to Florida too. I'm so nervous. I've heard many horror stories about bringing newborns on planes. I just hate how people give you dirty looks as if the baby is crying 'cause it's your fault. Whatever...

I'm going to say this once and once only. I hate the Marine Corps!! They really do try to screw families over. They only gave us a month and a half notice that my husband's leaving so we had to try and sell all our furniture. Some things we didn't even get a chance to sell so we just gave it away. What a waste of money.

And what's with check-in baggage fees? Sheesh! Here I am trying to save money by cramming all my clothes into 2 bags. And the baby's stuff is in my carry-on. Plus, I had to ship the rest of my stuff by UPS. That costed a good $300.

I hope this year goes by fast, because after that, we'll be Marine Corps free! Well, good bye California...Florida, here we come!

Monday, August 10, 2009

High End Products I Regret Buying

I hate how products promise all sorts of great results and then when you try them, you find out they're actually horrible products. I know not everything works on everybody the same way but there are some products that just don't work on anyone! And it's such a waste of money. Before I knew the goodness of makeupalley.com, I used to be such a sucker for expensive brands that promised all kinds of good things. Now, I always make sure to read reviews on products before shelling out my hard earned money on things that will let me down. Here is a list of a few high-end products that were a total waste of my time.

Pureology Volume Shampoo:There's something about sulfate-free shampoos that I hate. In my opinion, they suck at cleaning hair. They leave my hair very greasy after a few hours from my shower and even when they promise volume, it's just a lie. This was about $25 and for $25, I expected a lot of volume. This product was just a huge letdown. My hair felt sooo dirty that after 3 days of using it, I was practically begging for a shampoo that contained sulfate!

Sephora Brand Primer:This also did nothing for my face. My shine came back in less than an hour and by the end of class, my face was super oily. Also, the way it felt on my skin was just uncomfortable. It comes in a teeny tiny tube and costs around $18.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash:For $19 dollars, this is probably the worst mascara I've ever tried. I was tempted into buying this because of the sexy name and I thought it was going to give me sky high lashes and thick volume. It did nothing. The color wasn't even dark enough to make my lashes look like they had mascara on. Total waste of money.

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation Primer: The MUA at Sephora recommended this for me and said it was a best-seller. I don't know why it was a best-seller when I literally did NOTHING for my face. Having this under my foundation was just as good as having NO primer on whatsoever. And for the $42 (including tax) that I paid for this product, it really sucked.

Thank God for makeupalley.com, right?

xoxo
JOSIE

Friday, August 7, 2009

July Favorites

It's kind of late in the month to be doing July favorites (time flies by when you're married with a baby!) but I've always wanted to do these favorite blogs. I see the gurus on YouTube do it all the time and it looks so fun to see what other girls like to use.

The picture I took doesn't give you a good idea of the colors of these products but trust me, these products are BEAUTIFUL!!!

1. Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse Foundation. This is still my fave everyday foundation. I've gotten tanner so I need to update on the color but I used to use Light/Medium. The coverage to medium to full. It goes on matte and I just love how it feels on my face.

2. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Plus. This is the perfect powder to set my foundation. The color is great is in between light and medium so I feel like I can wear this in winter and summer. I like just buffing this on my foundation with my kabuki brush.

3. MAC powder blush in Fleur Power. I've been using this color for years and although it seems frighteningly bright in the package, it's very pretty on. Its a coraly pink and perfect for everyday looks.

4. MAC powder blush in Pink Swoon (not shown). I didn't take a pic of this one because it's in my palette, but it's also a great color for all skin tones.

5. Lypsyl lip moisturizer. My cousin introduced me to this chapstick. It's all natural and its such a great lip moisturizer with the cooling effect after application. I have dry lips and most lip conditioner brands (Chapstick, Nivea, MAC, Palmers) don't do the job. THIS ONE DOES. I even use this on my baby's lips and it works wonders! I also love the cute packaging it comes in.

6. NXY Megashine lipgloss in Beige. Very shiny and smells great. The price is great too ($2.50 at this clothing store in San Diego!)

7. Clinique glosswear in Kitten Pink. This has been my favorite for a long time. I don't know where else they sell it except for CCO's. I've tried NARS Turkish Delight and even Neutrogena's Groove, but neither one looked cute on my skintone. This Clinique one is so much better. I use it to add mega shine to my nude/pink lipsticks and my lips look very glossy. No other lipgloss has topped this one!

8. Sinful Colors nailpolish in Beautiful Girl. A cute barbie pink color. I found this at Walgreens for $2.

9. MAC lipsticks in Honeylove & Way to Love. Currently my two favorite MAC lipsticks right now. Way to Love is limited so I'm thinking of buying a few more before they run out! Honeylove is in the matte collection. It's the perfect nude color for me. Kinda drying though.

10. Enjoy Super Hold Hairspray. My favorite brand of haircare. This hairspray adds shine, volume and it smells so good. People think I'm wearing perfume. I wish they sold it in more stores though. I can only find this at professional salons.

11. Aldo aviators. I know this isn't a beauty product but I just love aviators right now. I got mine at Aldo (on sale for buy 2 for $20) and I can't leave the house without them!

What are your summer favorite beauty products?

Mario Badescu: My New Acne Facial Cleanser



After hearing so many good things about Mario Badescu's products, I caved in and decided to give it a try as well. I am not a fan of shopping online so it took me 3 different stores to finally find this cleanser! Don't you hate that?? ULTA carries their line but they were OUT (of course!). The nearest Nordstrom to my house didn't carry it and so I had to go to a Nordstrom 30 minutes away just to find this thing!

I'm going to try it out for maybe a month to see how it works. I've used it for two days and I haven't seen a difference in my acne but I do notice that my skin is tighter. After having a baby, my skin is trying to get back to normal with all the change in hormones, my diet and my sleeping patterns. I used to break out a lot more when I was in high school and I tried ProActiv, Murad, prescription stuff, even Clean & Clear Advantage (which surprisingly, was the one that worked the best!). During my pregnancy, I didn't break out at all. Lucky me. Now that I have my baby, I'm getting small zits here and there. Nothing big. But I still dream of clear, less oily skin. Hopefully this will help!

I also want to try the drying lotion and cucumber lotin, which looks more like a toner. Anyways, I'll update on this bad boy in one month :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo
JOSIE

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

VS Perfect Lipstick--Satin Sheets



Victoria's Secret finally got their make-up back and today I had to go check it out. They have a few new lipsticks and lipglosses & they were sooo gorgeous. This one--Satin Sheets--caught my eye. I swatched it at the store and fell in love. It's such a great color on my olive skin-tone. The shimmer is very pretty...not overly-cheap looking. And I was surprised that their makeup was so affordable considering the fact that their bras and panties are freakin' expensive (in my humble opinion, VS lingerie sucks. They rip in the washer and don't even last long) ANYWAYS, I am in love with their makeup. I want to try their foundation primer and eyeshadow primer too. The concealer palette also looked nice. It reminded me of MUFE's camo palette.

I'm definitely going back to get more goodies. This is my new fave lipstick next to MAC's Way to Love l/s.

Monday, August 3, 2009

20 Questions

I was watching YouTube and all my favorite gurus were doing this 20 Q's tag so I thought I'd do it too. I wasn't tagged to do this but it looks fun, so whatever :-)

1. Thing you cannot leave the house without:
Besides the obvious like car keys, wallet, purse/diaper bag, cellphone etc...I can't leave the house without my day planner, a pair of sunglasses and hand sanitizer (I can't live without hand sanitizer!)

2. Favorite brand(s) of makeup:
Of course, MAC and my other favorite is Revlon

3. Favorite flower:
It's a cross between stargazers, orchids and alstroemerias. I used to work at a flower shop in high school so I just love flowers in general

4. Favorite clothing store:
Definitely Arden B but I sometimes find cute stuff in Charlotte Russe.

5. Favorite perfume:
Versace Bright Crystals. I also loooove Pearberry from Bath & Body Works. And the Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Now from 2008 Spring collection. I only wear the Victoria's Secret one when I'm on vacation though.

6. Heels or flats:
I live in California so I love wearing flip flops. I own a few pairs. I also like high-heeled boots for fall but I hardly ever wear heels (pumps, stilettos, etc)I'm too clumsy to be walking around in heels.

7. Do you make good grades?
Yes, I think so. My grades were better in high school but now in college, I'd have to say my grades are pretty good too.

8. Favorite colors:
Turquoise and yellow. I love wearing yellow. Turquoise is just my all-time fave color

9. Do you drink energy drinks:
Nope. Never have, never will.

10. Do you drink juice?
Yes, my favorite is grape juice.

11. Do you like swimming?
Definitely. I hate competition swimming but I love swimming as long as it's in a pool. I don't do beach/lake water!

12. Do you eat fries with a fork?
I don't eat fries.

13. Favorite moisturizer:
Palmer's Cocoa Butter for my body & Olay age-defying, plus a little bit of Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen for my face. All 3 of those products smell soooo good!

14. Do you want to get married later on in life?
I'm already married, but when I wasn't married, I always knew I'd marry someone someday.

15. Do you get mad easily?
I get irritated by stupid people (bad drivers, gossipers, politicians and those annoying sales reps that walk up to you in the mall) but I get over it. I don't go crazy mad or hold grudges.

16. Are you into ghost-hunting?
Who is?

17. Any phobias?
Many! Spiders, worms, bugs, fleas...basically any kind of creepy crawler...big dogs, needles, ghosts, aliens, the dark, being alone, octopus, germs and speaking in public.

18. Do you bite your nails?
I used to. But when my husband & I first started going out, he helped my quit.

19. Have you ever had a near death experience?
I've been in a few car accidents that weren't my fault, but they weren't near-death experiences.

20. Do you drnk coffee?
No, I drink tea occasionally but never coffee. I'm boring. I drink milk and water a lot.

Thanks for reading! I hope you guys take the time out to do this tag too! xoxo