Happy Halloween

For those of you who don't know, I'm an elementary teacher. Holidays are fun at school but very exhausting for teachers. We had our Fall Party today and all the kiddos dressed up in their costumes. My team dressed up as scrabble tiles but I don't have a picture of us yet. 

One if my parents brought cupcakes from a bakery for our party. Normally we have cupcakes from Walmart. I'm not the biggest fan of cupcakes from Walmart so I don't typically eat them. I was curious about these cupcakes so I had to try one. 

She bought these from Bizzy B's Bakery in Bentonville. They were so cute. The kiddos absolutely loved the decorations. I was pretty impressed with the decorations too but was very curious about the taste. I was so busy during the party I didn't get to try it until after the kiddos went home. Oh my goodness!  That was one of the best cupcakes I've ever tried. The cake was very fluffy and light. The icing tasted almost like it had cream cheese in it. That was some of the best frosting ever. 

I've been debating on where to get my birthday cake from this year and now it's an even harder decision now that I've found another great bakery. 

Thanks so much to the parent who brought these. One of the best treats from a school party. 

Bizzy B's Bakery in Bentonville

October Favorites

Here are a few items I've been loving this month. 

Lorac Stylist Pallete

I've been using this almost everyday. The colors are perfect for fall. 

theBalm Blush:  Down Boy

The picture looks more red than it actually is. I love the pink color of this blush and it actually shows up on my dark skin. It adds the perfecte flushed color. 

Aveda Lip Saver

My lips have been so chapped and this was recommended to me by a friend. It works great. I can put it on and I don't need to reapply for a few hours. 

Style Sexy Hair Spray Clay

I've been using this on 2nd or 3rd day hair. It really helps the hair look matte instead of shiney. 

Sinful Colors Nail Polish:  Black Magic

This is such a great Fall/Halloween color. I've actually worn this color a few times this month. 

What are some of your favorite products?

Thanks for reading!

Manicure Monday: Halloween Edition

Here are several Halloween manicures I've done over the last couple of weeks. 

These worked great. They were only $1.99 at Walgreens. The skeletons are also the same brand. 

I got this Zoya nail polish on sale at Ulta. 

I put this glitter over the black Zoya nail polish. This glitter is one of my favorite polishes I bought for Fall/Halloween. It's by Sinful Colors and I paid just $1.99 for it at Walgreens. 

I hope you enjoyed these manicures. I would love to see pictures of yours on my Facebook page asmithlovesbeauty. 

Thanks for reading!

Tip Tuesday

Have you cleaned your makeup bushes? Ever?

Cleaning your brushes is really important. Germs can build up and actually cause breakouts. Also, colors tend to blend together and can seem a little muddy. People suggest you clean your brushes weekly but let's be real. That doesn't always work out for me. I try to clean my brushes as often as I can. I normally clean them on the weekend when I have a few extra minutes. 

Brush Shampoo

I have been using the Mac Brush Cleanser for about the past year. The girl at the counter talked me into it (that happens a lot when they are super nice and helpful). It cost around $13 (I think) and she said they dilute it with water to make it last longer. There are cheaper options out there so when I'm finished with this bottle, I'll definitely need some suggestions. 

Clean your brushes with your cleanser and make sure you rinse them in water. 

Drying

When you are drying your brushes, do not store them up and down with the brushes at the top. I just lay them down on their sides. There is a device I think called the brush tree. You can hang your brushes upside down for the best option to dry them. I don't have one so I just lay them by the sink overnight. 

Do you have any tips?

Thanks for reading!

Sephora by OPI (HauteLook)

Sephora has a line if polishes by OPI but they are discontinuing this line. You can find pretty good deals in this brand. I found these on HauteLook for $4 a piece (I think). 

I've been really into these cream colors and couldn't pass them up. I also love the name of the purple one. 

I can't wait to try these out. 

I have another color from this brand and really enjoyed the formula. If you find these for a good price you should pick them up. 

Thanks for reading!

Manicure Monday

This week I played around with some nail art. 

I painted my nails two different colors from essie. 

I used the white to make the stripes. The brush is super skinny so you can make lines or any nail art. 

I also used tape and a heart shaped punch to create the heart on my middle nail. 

I got this punch from Hobby Lobby. 

It was pretty easy to do this nail art. I didn't do anything fancy but I got tons of compliments like I did. 

Thanks for reading!

theBalm Blush (HauteLook)

I've been wanting to try a blush from theBalm and have been waiting for them to show up on HauteLook. A few weeks ago theBalm was in HauteLook and I finally snagged one. The color is Down Boy. 

All of their packaging has this vintage vibe to it. It's a cardboard type package. 

It has a huge blush and mirror in it. The package closes and stays with a magnet. 

The color is so pretty on my dark skin. I have a hard time finding blushes that show up without looking clownish. I am in love with the color and formula. It's very smooth and very pigmented. I highly recommend blushes by theBalm. These retail for $21 and I paid around 50% off on HauteLook. 

Thanks for reading!

IPSY October 2013

IPSY is a subscription service that costs $10 a month and you receive 4-5 samples or full sized products. Every month they mail the items in a makeup bag which is a nice little bonus. 

Nourish Organic Body Lotion

OFRA Lipgloss Plumper

H2O Hydrating Treatment (I use this at night. It's a cooling gel formula.)

Style Sexy Hair Spray Clay

Zoya nail polish in the color Mason

The Zoya nail polish is my favorite item in the bag. Here is a link if you would like to subscribe. 

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hjt7sdl3go561vgy

I'm doing a giveaway on my Facebook page including two of these items and the bag. Check out Asmithlovesbeauty on Facebook. 

Thanks for reading!

Birchbox October 2013

Birchbox is a subscription service that costs $10 a month and you receive 4-5 samples of beauty products. My October box came in this week and it was pretty good compared to the last two months. 

DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum (This sample costs around $25. The full size is $85. Pretty nice value for a sample.)

Avene Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleanser (It feels like a lite face soap. It makes my skin feel soft after I use it.)

Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper

Chapstick

theBalm Stainiac in Beauty Queen

(Lip and Cheek stain). 

The value of this box is well over the $10 I paid for it. I love trying new products and this is a great way to discover new things. 

Here's a link if you would like to subscribe. 

http://birch.ly/18ZSBo8

Also, I have a giveaway on my Facebook page including one of these products. 

Check out Asmithlovesbeauty on Facebook. 

Thanks for reading!

Fall Pedicure

I bought a set of mini Orly polish from Marshall's. The set I got had fallish colors. I used two of them for this fall pedicure. 

Rusted Luxe

Rapture

I used the dark brown first and then put a layer of the copper color on top. 

What color are your toes?

Thanks for reading!

Tip Tuesday

Do you have any felt tip eye liner pens?  

You should store these kinds of liners on their side. Most of my other liners are in a small glass vase on my counter but these shouldn't be stored up and down. I just store them on their sides. 

The Jordana FabuLiners are great and super cheap. You can find these at Walgreens. I really like the brown one and that says a lot from me. I never like brown liners but this one is amazing. 

What's your favorite eye liner?

Thanks for reading!

Manicure Monday

Here is another Lime Crime nail polish. It's called Once in a Blue Mousse. I think it's so pretty. 

These polishes are such amazing quality. They are $8 a bottle plus you have to pay shipping but I think they are worth that price. I've actually ordered a purple one so I can't wait to show you that one. 

What's your favorite brand of nail polish?

Thanks for reading!

Elf Baked Eye Shadow

I found these baked eyeshadows at my local Target for $3 each. I tried one and loved it so much I decided to get a few more colors. 

These baked eyeshadows can be used wet or dry. You'll see that some eye shadows work wet. That means you can lightly spray your brush with water and dip it into the shadow. It makes the shadow more intense and if it has a metallic sheen in it, the metallic will show up even better. 

Here are the three colors I use. 

Burnt Plum

Toasted

Enchanted

I love these colors. I use the Burnt Plum all over the lid and it's a beautiful fall color. These are really cheap and a great quality. 

Have you tried these?  What do you think?

Thanks for reading.