I'm alive! I swear! + a Haul

Disclaimer: The items from PHAMExpo and Luxury Lane Soap were sent to me. Everything else was purchased by me. I have also included my referral link for HauteLook. I would receive a $10 credit if you use that link and make your first HauteLook purchase. All opinions are my own.

Things went a bit crazy here over the past few weeks, and, clearly, blogging fell to the wayside. Sorry about that.

Over the past few weeks, I've been super busy working and preparing for teaching summer school. On top of that, I've been dealing with an ingrown hair that got so infected that it has required several trips to the doctor (enough that the receptionist today didn't even ask for my name because she already knew) and antibiotics. Oh yeah...one of those antibiotics also gave me a rash all over my body this week. *sigh*

Thankfully, the infection is clearing up, the regular school year has finished, and summer school doesn't start for a couple of weeks. Now is the time to play catch-up around the house and with blogging.

Today, I thought I would keep things really simple and just show you a few items that I've gotten somewhat recently.

I'll start with a package that was sent to me by PHAMExpo (Professional Hair and Makeup Exposition), which is an event being held June 29-30 at the Pasadena Convention Center.

I had entered a contest PHAMExpo was hosting on Facebook where they asked for people to send in pictures of how they use their Z Palettes. Although I don't think they officially reached the number of ZPalette fans on Facebook needed to conclude the contest, Cheryl emailed me and said she would like to send me a couple of Z Palettes for my collection. Needless to say, I was really excited. I love the Z Palettes that I already have. Things have been so busy though that I haven't put anything in my new ones yet. I think I want to play with my current ones first and come up with a better organization system for them before I depot more items. I'm looking forward to being able to depot some more things soon though.

The other items that were sent to me were from the company Luxury Lane Soap. I while back, I found out that the company was looking for product testers, and I filled out the application. I was really excited when I received my first tester box from them.

When I received the email stating that I was part of the testing team, I was asked to choose two products I would be interested in trying out of a list of six. I chose the Nourishing Body Lotion and the Whipped Up Sugar Scrub. Both came in the scent Blackberry Tea. Kylee also included two mini bars of soap, and yes, the bar on the left is R2-D2. :-)

I'll probably do a full review of the lotion and scrub later, but I'll tell you now that I love both of them. There was a 15% off coupon in my box as well, and I used it today. I ordered another mini lotion, a full size of the scrub, a hemp body wash, and a candle.

Aside from getting items sent to me, I made some purchases recently too because there were deals that were just too good to pass up.

theBalm Cosmetics launched their new website a few weeks ago, and they had a 24-hour sale where everything on the site was 50% off. I couldn't help myself!

I picked up the Balm Jovi Palette, two of their new InStain blushes (Argyle and Toile), Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter, and Cabana Boy blush.

Then, HauteLook (referral link) had a Spring Beauty Bag deal. They advertised it as $200 worth of product for $25 (with tax and shipping, my bag cost $35).

Here's a list of the contents (taken from the original posting for the bag):

• Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil Travel Size in Demolition-- deep brown with matte finish (0.03 oz., Imported)
• LORAC Full-Size Eyeshadow in Celebutante-- aquamarine with shimmer (0.06 oz., Made in USA)
• Crown Brush Pro Blending Fluff: This professional style Blending Fluff is perfect for blending and shading both powder and cream shadows.
• LORAC Full-Size Multiplex 3D Lashes Mascara in Black (0.143 oz., Made in USA)
• NYX Cosmetics Full-Size Lipstick in Shiva-- blue-toned fuchsia (pearl) (0.14 oz., Made in USA)
• Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer Packettes in Pink, Rose Gold, and Bronze Shimmers (0.03 fl. oz. each, Made in USA)
• Laura Geller Mini Blush-n-Brighten in Berry (0.06 oz., Made in USA
• suki skincare full-size exfoliate foaming cleanser (4.0 fl. oz., Scent: Lemongrass and Natural Sugar)
• La Fresh Beauty Wipes -- 5-Pack of Bestsellers - 2 Oil-Free Face Cleansers (6" x 7.75" each, Scents: Refreshing [Natural Yuzu Aromatherapy] and Fragrance-Free), Waterproof Makeup Remover for Eyes and Lips (5" x 4", Unscented), Anti-Aging Face Cleanser (6" x 7.75", Scent: Maqui Berry), and Instant Body Soother (6" x 7.75", Scent: Natural Peppermint) (Made in USA): This 5-pack set includes 1 wipe from each of La Fresh's bestsellers.
• Jessica Simpson Vintage Bloom Fragrance Sampler Vial (0.19 fl. oz.)
• Smile Sciences $50 Gift Certificate: This gift certificate gives you $50 towards Smile Sciences' Rx Strength Teeth Whitening Pen. It is not redeemable for cash value, does not expire, and is to be exclusively used towards the Rx Strength Whitening Pen in any quantity. (Not pictured) 
• Cosmetics Bag (10.5" W x 7.75" H x 3" D): Transport your makeup must-haves in this charming striped beauty bag. (Not pictured) 

The last purchase I'm going to feature in this post is from Stila Cosmetics. They had a 50% off flash sale (I think it lasted less than 24 hours. Again, the bargain was just too good to resist.

I picked up an eyeshadow palette in In the Moment, a Smudge Pot in Kitten, a Color Balm Lipstick in Amelia, the Positively Pink Set for Breast Cancer Awareness, and the Mini Smudge Crayon Try-Me-Set. 

So...I've had quite a few new things to play with lately, but I haven't tried everything yet. I haven't even had time to take individual pictures of everything. That's on my goal for the next few days.

What have you been hauling lately? Have you gotten any really good deals? Is there anything in particular you would like to see a review on?

Disclaimer: The items from PHAMExpo and Luxury Lane Soap were sent to me. Everything else was purchased by me. I have also included my referral link for HauteLook. I would receive a $10 credit if you use that link and make your first HauteLook purchase. All opinions are my own.

What's in My Travel Makeup Bag?

A few weeks ago, I made the 6 hour trek to visit my family and attend the annual family picnic. Being the person that I am, I over-packed. I think I had twice as many clothes as I actually needed. My fiance refers to me as a boy scout when it comes to packing because I will pack anything and everything I think I might need. I have a large duffel bag that I use to pack my clothes, and it is a rare trip when it isn't completely full. I figure that if I have the room, I might as well use it and give myself options.

The same can be said about my makeup bag. I will fill it as full as I can without straining the zippers. Here's what I took with me for this trip, which included a day of shopping and a day sitting outside with my extended family.

 This is the bag I typically use. I got it last year at Target. It is by Sonia Kashuk, and I think it cost around $20. You can maybe see in this picture that it has three zippered compartments. The reason I originally liked this bag is that the top one has an elastic pocket with a protective flap for brushes. In a dream world, I would prefer that the sides were made of something more solid so they stood up better. It would also be nice if they separated completely. Overall though, this is a great bag that works really well for my traveling needs.

The top section is the one designated for brushes. Some people might not like that it is just one big pocket for brushes, but I like it because I don't have to worry about whether or not a brush handle will fit into a designated slot. On the left, you can also see that there's a zippered pocket that is really nice for smaller, random items.

Here's what I had in the zippered pocket. I bring extra hair ties, just in case (remember: boy scout). I throw in Q-tips for blending, and I bring tweezers for any stray hairs that I need to take care of. I threw in three lip products: Revlon Kissable Balm Stains in Sweetheart and Smitten and the new Tarte LipSurgence pencil that is also named Smitten that I got in a recent QVC TSV. I threw in a couple of perfume roller balls in Pacifica Island Vanilla and Clean Shower Fresh.

Here's a better look at the brushes I took. I like to take enough eye brushes that I could use a new brush every day if I switch colors. Yes, I realize that's excessive, but there's room, so I go for it. From left to right they are: Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, Tarte Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush, Real Techniques Stippling Brush, ELF concealer brush, Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush, an Eco Tools shadow brush, Real Techniques Accent Brush, Everyday Minerals eye liner brushes (3), ELF Studio Contour brushes (3), and Everyday Minerals shadow brushes (3).

Here's a look at the second level of my makeup bag. I generally use this section for eye products. As you can see, it has quite a bit of room. For reference, my Naked palette fits quite nicely in there, and I can still throw in more products.

This is a closer look at the eye products that I took with me (clockwise starting on the far left): Laura Geller baked shadows in Sand and Sea, NYX matte shadow in Tryst, NYX shadow in Flamingo, Urban Decay Rollergirl Palette, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Napoleon Perdis Mesmer-Eyes mascara, Silk Naturals Molten cream eye liner, Silk Naturals eye liner palette, and Wet n Wild Brulee eye shadow.

Finally, this is the bottom layer of my bag. I use this layer for face products. Again, it has plenty of room, allowing me to over-pack even more stuff.

Here are the face products I took (going clockwise starting in the top left corner): Tarte Maracuja Miracle Foundation in Fair, jumbo pencil sharpener, Skindinavia 10 Years Younger makeup finishing spray, Everyday Minerals kabuki brush, Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation in Translucent Light, Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar Light Peach, Meow Sleek Siamese concealer, Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch concealer in Radiant, Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller, Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA (old formula), Milani Minerals blush in Mai-Tai, and Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose.

I didn't even get close to using everything I took, but I wasn't wishing for anything either.

What is your packing style? Do you over-pack like me or do you pack the bare minimum?