Ulta, Bath and Body Works, and Claire's HAUL + mini review!

Instagram @sksinatra

Hello Friends! 

I've had an itch to shop lately and so I went this morning! I really didn't get too much but I thought I'd share because everyone loves hauls right?!

ULTA

First I stopped in to Ulta mainly for NYX because there were some things I wanted to pick up and they had a buy one get one 50% off sale! Woo Hoo!

From Left to Right I picked up:

Earth Therapeutics Tea Tree Oil Foot Repair Balm

Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla and Macadamia Kiss

Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Corrector 

NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray

NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Liquid Foundation in Nude

NYX Lipstick in Minimalism

NYX Lipstick in Paparazzi

NYX Nude Matte Shadow in Leather and Lace

NYX Shadow in Flamingo.

I watch Casey Holmes on YouTube and she RAVES about NYX all the time. She especially loves the Stay Matte Not Flat line because of her oily skin. I too have oily skin and decided to give it a shot. I wish I would have picked up the powder also because I'm wearing the liquid foundation now and I AM IN LOVE. My face has not looked this good... I don't think EVER. My face is super matte and not shiny at all. I walked in to my sisters room this morning and she imediately noticed I didn't look "sick". The pigmentation of my skin when I don't wear makeup or even when I do but not enough leaves my skin looking "sick". I look healthy and glowy and I uploaded this photo to my Instagram this morning. The pictures don't do my face justice. She also RAVES about the Stay Matte Setting Spray. I also used that this morning and it has a STRONG vinegar smell but it fades quickly and just helps my face stay matte and keeps my makeup in place!

I seriously need to run back and buy the matching powder.

The rest of the NYX items I just wanted to try. I've been wanting some light nude/ pink eyeshadow and the lipsticks looked pretty.

The Garnier Dark Spot Corrector I got because of the "dark spots" my acne has left behind. I don't have serious acne I just have a problem picking at the bumps when I get them leaving behind a dark spot or an acne scar. This serum says I should see improvment in 4 weeks. I think I already do though! It immeditately brightened up my face and made everything more even toned.

The foot cream I picked up just because it's summer and I wear a lot of sandals so my heels get super dry and cracked so I wanted a good cream to help keep them soft and moisturized. 

I also watch Ingrid or MissGlamorazzi on YouTube and she's mentioned the Nivea Lip Butters a few times. I looked at my local drugstores (Walgreens and CVS) but had no luck. When I spotted them in Ulta I grabbed the Vanilla Macadamia one and it smells good and makes my lips soft and shiny :)

CLAIRES

I gave my sister a gift card for Claries for Christmas and she never used it so she gave it back to me :) While at the mall I stopped in and picked up a pack of earrings. A cute 6 pack with owls, bicycles, keys, flowers, the Eiffel Tower, and cameras! I took the bikes and put them in my ears..

and my sister took the owls...

and the rest are hanging up in my bathroom... :)

BATH AND BODY WORKS

Bath and Body Works has been coming out with a butt load of candles recently and the international line has been calling to me. 

I stopped in yesterday to check out their new candles and fell in love with a London inspired and Greek inspired candles. The first one I picked is the London Calling Tea and Lemon. Whoa baby is it good. It literally smells like a tea with lemon. The bottom description says "A royal blend of tea, lemon, and sugar. Great traditions from across the pond!" The second one I picked is the Sea to Santorini Blue Water and White Sails. This one is hard to describe. It kind of has a florally but earthy kind of smell. The description reads "A refreshing mixture of Neroli blossoms, seawater, and sparkling orange inspired by a day of island-hopping! Ready for an amazing odyssey!"

They really did good with these new candles and I want to go back and buy more! The lids are cute too!

I already want to get back to all of these stores and buy more things! unfortunately I must wait until pay day!!

Please visit my Instagram @sksinatra and follow for pictures that don't make it on to the blog!

Until next time- 

Samantha 

DIY Weekend!

Hello Friends!

I've had quite a few 3 wick candle jars from burnt up candles sitting around and I finally decided to do something with them! I visited my nearest Michael's Craft Store, picked up some scrapbook cardstock, Elmer's craft glue and had a super awesome time adhering and creating pretty jars for things! The one thing I FORGOT was some type of marble to put in the bottom :( 

First I had to firgure out a way to get the left over wax out of the jar. I quickly googled the best ways to get candle wax out of jars and one way was to put the jars in the freezer and wait a couple hours. When you pull them out you pop out the wax and BAM they're ready to use! I wanted to save some pieces to use in my Scentsy warmer so I put some in Ziploc bags and put them in the freezer :)

Then it was on to the crafts!

Once they were all done I set them up in my bathroom and added the things I wanted. I know I wanted to use a couple for makeup brushes and they look wonderful but I definitely need to pick up some marbles ASAP to make them stand up right!

One I used for Q-Tips

And one I used for my Tooth Brushes!

Definitely can't wait to get marbles! 

My sister took the other feather jar and is using it for her tooth brushes :)

Has anyone else repurposed their Bath and Body Works 3 wick jars?

I'd love to see what you have done!

Until next time-

Samantha

Bath and Body Works: Candles

Two blog posts in the same weekend?! YAY :)!

As many of you know, Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles are expensive. $19.50 each! So when they have a 2 for $20 sale and every one after is $10, you jump on it! That's basically buy one get one free and then if you're buying more than 2 you get those $10 dollars off! They don't have these sales very often but they have been recently. Probably because of the holiday season fast approaching but they just had one of these sales 3 weeks ago and are having another RIGHT NOW! Go! Run to Bath and Body Works :)

They have just launched their Winter season candles and I saw a few online I thought I would like. Here are pictures and the description of the candles I picked up this morning and then the candles I picked up in the sale 3 weeks ago-

3-wick:

'Tis The Season: "Deep green pine, rich red apples and a touch of golden cider blend to create a timeless and heartwarming holiday scent" This candle smells really cinnamon-y but really sweet. You can definitely smell the sweetness of the apples. I'm excited to burn this one!

Snowed In: "Spend the day indoors, away from the cold wind, decorating for the perfect holiday with the inspiring fragrance of fresh juniper, sugared sap and sage" This is a powerful scent! I can seriously smell this one over every other candle here next to me and the top is on it! It's hard to describe the smell. I suppose it's kind of musky and exactly what it says "fresh juniper, sugared sap and sage." While smelling all the new scents I smelled this one and it immediately went into Ryan's arms. This one was a definite. 

Leaves: "A fragrance that embodies the richness of fall - with all of its colors and pleasures - featuring notes of golden nectar, ripe delicious apple and red berries" 3 weeks ago when I was shopping I smelt this one and passed it up. This time I couldn't! I love the rich fruity smell when you take off the top. I watch a few beauty gurus on YouTube and this is a very popular candle among those girls. That is another reason I wanted to give this one a try!

Minis: 

Twisted Peppermint: "A fragrance featuring merry and bright peppermint with touches of vanilla and sugary musk is the perfect companion for a very snowy day" Let me start off by saying, I hate peppermint. I told Ryan he was allowed to pick out a candle of his choice because I pick out so many of ones I like. He loves peppermint. He picked out this candle because of the name. Obviously a peppermint scent, but decided on just getting the mini because he wasn't sure about the vanilla and sugary musk it also has. He says it smells too sweet and would rather it have a more peppermint-y smell. 

Fresh Balsam: "The invigorating aroma of evergreen woods on a clear winter morning features crisp eucalyptus, fir needles and cedarwood musk notes" I bought this candle in a mini because I really love the Christmas tree smell it has but not too sure how it's going to smell while burning. The fir needle smell is seriously over-whelming and I just want it to be Christmas already! 

Pineapple Mango: "Luscious tree-ripened mango and sweet tropical pineapple are complemented by crisp lotus and a hint of warm vanilla" I actually bought this one a while back. Like not even during the last sale. I bought it during summer when I was testing out candles and this one was very summery and fruity. I love the mango smell. It overpowers the pineapple, you can't even really smell anything other than mango but I have burned this one a few times and I love it!

Candles I bought in the last sale:

Cider Lane: "As sweet as the trip to the local apple orchard each year, a delicious fall blend of mulled cider, warm caramel and sweet cinnamon" This is one of the 3-wick candles I bought 3 weeks ago in the last sale. I burn it a lot because I enjoy the cinnamon smell it has. I do wish though that it had more of the apple or caramel smell. 

Autumn: "On the brink of sweater weather - this inviting fragrance blends dark pomegranate with red apple and notes of fir balsam" If there was a candle that had my name written all over it, it is this candle. It has just the right amount of the pomegranate, apple, and fir balsam. I love the fruity/pine smell so much that this is the candle I've burned the most recently. I also have this in a mini and I think I'll go get a couple more of these 3-wicks before the sale is over. I can't live without this candle! 

I really want to get back to Bath and Body Works before the candle sale ends but we'll see! If you have an Instagram please follow me: sksinatra. I post a lot of pictures that don't always make it onto the blog! 

Until next time,

-Samantha