VLOGMAS Day 16 & 17|How I Clean My Makeup Brushes|First Impression: Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps

Hey ya'll!!

So.... I've now missed two days of VLOGMAS unfortunately. I didn't get a video up on the 16th, even though I very well intended to, but that's just not how the cookie crumbled my friends. As most of you know, I am a proud mother and wife and we had a lot of stuff going on this past Tuesday so I was unable to work on both my channel and blog.

Now that that's out of the way, today I'm going to be sharing with you how I clean my makeup brushes. I have tried Johnson & Johnson's Baby Wash, Dial Soap + Olive Oil, and the Blender Cleanser Solid. Out of all three my favorite hands down is the Blender Cleanser Solid. It is so easy to work with, is less messy, is very effective at removing all traces of makeup, and makes washing brushes much faster. I had heard that there was an inexpensive bar soap called Dr. Bronner's that was a dupe for the Blender Cleanser Solid. I had ran out of mine, so I figured it was a great time to test out that rumor.

I found mine at Target and there are a few different scents to choose from, and each scent has a different colored packaging. The scent I chose is the Hemp Tea Tree. It is very fragrant and smells very minty and spicy, which I happened to enjoy very much. I decided to go about it the same way I would the Blender Cleanser Solid. I wet my brush and the bar of soap itself. I then swirled my brush onto the soap, and once I felt like I had enough product, began swirling the brush into the palm of my hand to really work the product into the brush and get a good clean.

The first thing that hit me was the smell, it was very strong but not overpowering. The second was how much the soap lathered. When a soap lathers and foams really well, I know it's doing it's job. After swirling the product-filled brush into my hand, I rinsed it and all of the makeup melted right off. Some of my brushes I go over twice with soap, specifically my foundation brushes because those tend to hold on to more product. After washing and rinsing, I wring out my brush, shape and fluff where it's needed, and lay it on a towel to dry overnight. I continue this same routine with all of my brushes.

The Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps are 100% a dupe for the Blender Cleanser Solid. I'm going to go as far to say that it's actually better! My soap smelled so good, and I couldn't believe how much I was able to lather my brushes, and how clean it was able to get them. Once they were dry, they looked brand new. The were completely clean, and were moisturized. The soap did not dry them out in the slightest, which I was worried about. They were very soft, fluffy, and conditioned.

I will not be repurchasing the Blender Cleanser Solid and am now converted to the Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. If you love the Blender Cleanser Solid, or just haven't found a good brush cleaner, I highly recommend Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. You can find them at Target, and even at some grocery stores.

I hope you enjoyed today's post!

xoxo,
Casey

VLOGMAS Day 15: Product Empties|Would I Repurchase?!

Hey ya'll!!

Holy moly, do I have a lot of empty products to share with you. I have been saving up for for a while now, and have been meaning to do this for a while, but literally couldn't wait anymore because my bag was overflowing. I have everything from hair care, to skin care, makeup, and a whole lot of candles per usual. Some of these empties I have already repurchased, some I plan to repurchase, and others I unfortunately will not be repurchasing. Check out my video below to see what I have used up recently.

PS: Ariel photobombs me big time in the video. I had no idea until I started editing and I literally laughed out loud haha!

xoxo,
Casey

VLOGMAS Day 9|Beauty & The Books: Holiday Gift Guide

Hey ya'll!

I decided to put together a gift guide for book lovers and for people who may just be getting into reading. Makeup, skin care, and fashion are some of favorite things, but another is reading. It's a safe getaway for me and it's one of my absolute treasured hobbies. I have a little bit of everything on this list from contemporaries, to paranormal-fantasy novels, as well as picks for fashion and beauty lovers. Just a little FYI - almost every book is from the Young Adult section because that's my favorite section to read from.

Contemporary
Two really great reads are The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (TPOBAW) by Stephen Chbosky and The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. They are perfect for someone who is wanting to read a coming-of-age story. FanGirl by Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite books of life. All of Rowell's books that I have read have been pure magic. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green is a tear jerker, and it's so amazing. You really cannot go wrong with anything John Green, his books are so real and raw.

Paranormal/Fantasy
If you, or the person you are buying for, has not read Harry Potter, it's a must. I truly believe that kids between the ages of 10 to 12 should start this series. It will always be adored by me and millions of others. Anything Cassandra Clare is absolutely fantastic. The Mortal Instruments Series and The Infernal Devices trilogy are both wonderful. A series that doesn't get enough love, in my opinion, is The Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia. The first book was turned into a movie, and they did not do it justice AT ALL. If you have seen the Beautiful Creatures movie, please do not let that deter you from reading the books because there is no comparison. It's one of my most enjoyed series that I have read and I was really disappointed in the movie.

Fashion & Beauty Lovers
If the person you are buying for is a Fashion or Beauty Addict, these next books are must haves. I have read and loved each one of these. Living In Style by Rachel Zoe is a pretty large book, so it could double as a coffee table book. The cover is gorgeous, there's amazing pictures inside, and everything from fashion to beauty, skin care to style, and home decor are discussed. For personal style and building your wardrobe, From A to Zoe by Rachel Zoe and That Extra Half An Inch by Victoria Beckham are must haves.

If you are wanting to give a bit of a bigger gift, a boxed set or series is a great route to go. Target has really great deals on boxed sets, as well as alternative covers for some of the most popular series'. There's a Harry Potter paperback boxed set that I am lusting over. Each book has a new cover and when the spines line up they create a picture of Hogwarts. Any Harry Potter fan would adore it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins also got a makeover. Each book boasts a new, aluminum type cover that is really fun and sleek. You can find them individually with these updated covers, as well as in a boxed set.

Like I said earlier in this post, you cannot go wrong with anything John Green. If you are buying for a book lover, but you're not sure what genre they enjoy, give John Green a shot. You can find a boxed set with four of his best selling books that would make any book worm happy. In the set you will find The Fault In Our Stars, Looking For Alaska, An Abundance Of Catherine's, and Paper Towns.

Another idea for a larger gift, is to create a gift basket surrounding a book. For example, say you are interested in purchasing a book that has been turned into a movie. You could purchase both the book and the movie, put them in a basket along with a bag of popcorn, some candy, a soda, and maybe even a candle. This would create a really nice gift that any book lover would appreciate for a comfy night in. I know if I received that as a gift, it would probably be one of my favorite ones!

I hope ya'll enjoyed today's Beauty & The Books and found it helpful. If you have any books that are similar to any of the ones I mentioned here, please leave them in the comments below. I love adding books to my TBR and getting suggestions for others!

xoxo,

Casey

VLOGMAS Day 5: Holiday Makeup Tutorial

Hey ya'll!!

Today I'm sharing with you my first Holiday Makeup Tutorial in my Palette Series for VLOGMAS. During this series, I will be uploading one Holiday Makeup Tutorial each week until Christmas, using a different palette each time. The palette I am featuring today is the Urban Decay Naked 3.

I started by priming my face with the Smashbox Photo Finish Dark Spot Correcting Primer, and primed my eyes using the Urban Decay Primer Potion.

I started with my eyes first. Using a fluffy crease brush, I picked up the shade Limit from the Naked 3 and applied that all over my crease. Next, I applied the Loreal Infallible Cream Shadow in the shade Amber rush to my lids with my finger tips. I picked up more of Amber Rush with a Real Techniques Shadow Brush, and blended the color on my lids evenly from inner corner to outer corner. Going back to the fluffy crease brush, I applied the shade Nooner into my crease and on the outer corners of my lid to start darkening the look up. Next on a Sigma E35, I took the shade Liar and applied it on top of Nooner on the outer corners of my lids and in the crease. With that same brush, I applied the shade Factory on top of Liar. The point of this technique is to gradually layer the colors to smoke out the look and to make sure the shades gradually blend together. Going back to the Real Techniques brush, I applied the shade Trick to the center of my lids, blending toward the inner corner to make the Amber Rush shade pop even more. Lastly, I applied a thin, winged liner using the Loreal Gel Liner in Blackest Black.

After cleaning up any fall-out, I applied the Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under-Eye Primer to prep the area for concealer. While that's settling in, I dotted the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation all over my face and blended it in using a Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki. Next, I applied the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in a triangle shape underneath my eyes, down the bridge of my nose, on my forehead, cupid's bow, and chin, then blended it out using a Real Techniques Sponge. To set all of my concealer in place, I lightly dusted the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light in the appropriate areas. Lastly, I'm going to fill in my brows per usual with the Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade in Soft Brown.

I didn't do any heavy contouring, and instead bronzed my cheeks, along my hair line, down the sides of my nose, along my jaw line, and down my neck with the Becca Shadow & Light Bronzer. For blush I chose NARS Sin, it's perfect for the Naked 3 and one of my favorite blushes. To highlight, I applied the MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle to the high points of my face.

Going back to the eyes, I applied the shade Strange from the Naked 3 to highlight my brow bone. To line my lower lash line I applied the shade Factory to the outer half with a flat liner brush, then blended it out with a clean pencil brush. To highlight the inner corners of my eyes, I lined them using the Loreal Infallible Silkissime Eye Liner in the shade Highlighter. For mascara I applied two coats of the Maybelline The Falsie's to my top and bottom lashes.

Lastly are the lips. I lined my lips using the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Pencil in the shade Enchantment, filling in the outer half of my lips. For lipstick I chose Kat Von D's Studded Kiss Lipstick in the shade Lovecraft.

And that complete's this look! I hope you guys enjoyed it and I will see you again next week for VLOGMAS Week #2!


xoxo,
Casey

VLOGMAS Day 3 - Mommy Minute: Kason's 11 Month Update

Hey ya'll!

Welcome to VLOGMAS Day 3! Today is all about Kason's 11 Month Update. I cannot believe we are less than a month away from his FIRST BIRTHDAY. It blows my mind that this year has gone by so fast, it makes me miss having a brand new little baby! (Baby fever in warming up...!)

Kason experienced his first Halloween and his first Thanksgiving since the last update. He was a lion for Halloween and was so cute! But he absolutely hated his costume, especially the headpiece. We trick or treated around the neighborhood with the whole family which was a lot of fun. Thanksgiving was really nice as well. Kason got his fair share of our two Thanksgiving feast's and pigged out, both lunch and dinner, on turkey, stuffing, and mac n cheese.

Kason is still not properly crawling, he still scoots around on his butt. He got a new nick name with some of my family members on Thanksgiving, "Scooter". I'd say it's pretty fitting. He's not standing or walking yet, which is the hot ticket question right now when we see people. I think I have a little bit of a late bloomer on my hands, but that's ok, he still has plenty of time to figure out the kinks and will do it when he's ready.

He JUST cut his top two teeth yesterday. What's crazy is that they weren't there when he woke up that morning, and literally sprouted over his afternoon nap, with two little white caps breaking the skin. Yes, BOTH top teeth are ascending at the same time, which explains the Beast Mode he's been in the last few weeks. I'm so happy that he will finally be getting a little bit of relief for Christmas and his Birthday. But that relief won't last long unfortunately, because he still has a lot more teeth to grow.

Kason has been obsessed with Ariel's dog bowls. Any time he gets the chance, he makes a bee line for them and gets food and water everywhere. I have to remember that when he's roaming to put the bowls up on the counter so he doesn't get into them. He's also been having a ball screaming at the top of his lungs, at the highest pitch possible. It's 100% a game to him, and currently his favorite one. He does it when we are out to eat, grocery shopping, and when we are at home. This kid has some serious pipes. He definitely is giving Mariah Carey a run for her money with his ear splitting shrieks!

Kason only say's one thing, "Gah". I've been practicing with him on getting hime to say other consonants like "Ma", "Da", and "Ba", but all he's interested in saying right now is "Gah". It's really cute too because he will repeat you, and will say it if you ask him to. I'm hoping this next month I will be able to get a "Ma" out of him. Maybe that will be his first birthday present to me! He also learned how to clap and say "yay" this month and it is the cutest thing ever. He doesn't actually say "yay", it's more like "aaahhhhh!". He knows when it's appropriate to clap, which is even funnier. If I say "good boy!", he starts clapping. It's absolutely adorable.

Over the next few weeks, we are gearing up for Kason's very first Christmas. We are super excited and can't wait to see his awe and wonder at everything. He's going to be so fun! A few days after Christmas we will be celebrating his First Birthday, which is absolutely insane! I'm so excited for his birthday party. His birthday falls on a Monday, so we are having his party on Saturday the 27th. We decided to do something at the house with our family and friends. I really just want to be comfortable, and be surrounded by loved ones for his special day. His party theme is going to be epic! I'm so excited for you to see what theme I chose and how I'm decorating!

xoxo,
Casey