Forever 21 Haul + Try On

Hey ya’ll!! Today I’m going to share with you some new clothing items I picked up from Forever 21. I wanted a few new things for Spring and Summer, and Forever 21 is one of the first places I go. They have cute and comfortable pieces that are really affordable.

Rompers:

I absolutely love wearing rompers in the Spring and Summer I practically live in them! They are not only easy to wear and comfortable, but you can make yourself look great with very little effort. I get most of my rompers from Forever 21 because they have a really nice selection, and most of them range anywhere from $10-$20, and you just cannot beat that price.

Kimono’s

I am a huge fan of Kimono’s. I have a lot of basic tee’s and tank’s, and a kimono is a great way to dress up them up. This one in particular is really nice quality for the price. It’s heavy in the neck line, the colors and print and very vibrant and bright, and it’s nice and long.

Tops

For some reason, I am really picky when it comes to tops and I always have a tough time picking them out, which is why my closet is full of basics. I really like this paisley printed top. It’s got a little bit of an aztec print as well, which I really like. It’s flowy and comfortable to wear. The yellow top is also nice and flow, and has a peak-a-boo lace detail around the bottom, so you get just a little pop of skin poking through. I don’t have any yellow in my closet, so this was a nice added piece for Summer.

xoxo,

Casey

What's In My Bag?!

Hey ya'll!!

Today I decided to do the "What's In My Bag" tag. I really like these kinds of posts and videos because I like to see what products other people carry with them and what kind of bag they're carrying. Basically I'm just a nosey-rosey!

My most loved purse is my Michael Kors Selma Large Saffiano Leather Satchel in the shade Luggage. I purchased this bag about a year and a half ago; I remember it was right after Kason's Gender Reveal Party. I justified it with Kevin that I was successful in making him a boy, so I should get a present for all my hard work haha. I absolutely love and adore this bag. It's super chic and classic, and is something that I will be able to carry for a long time and be able to wear it with anything. It's very sturdy and structured which I like a lot. It's very roomy inside, making it perfect when traveling because I can fit my iPad and other gadgets inside. It has a top zipper that closes the bag, four small interior pockets, and an interior zippered pocket. It's a warm, camel brown color. This is my favorite color brown on handbags. It's the perfect brown that can be worn with any other color, even black. All of the hardware is gold, which looks great against the brown. My preferred way of carrying it, is by the small handles. But when I'm running errands during the day with Kason, that's not very practical. Lucky for me, this bag came with a detachable strap so I can carry it on my shoulder if I prefer.

Let's start with the obvious essentials; my keys, my wallet, and my iPhone. My keys are just plain obvious. My wallet is also Michael Kors. I'm not sure exactly what style it is, I got it as a birthday present two years ago. It's black with gold hardware, a gold zipper, and lots of card space inside. I have the iPhone 5 and my current case is this purple swirly one that I recently picked up from Charming Charlies. I don't plan on keeping this case, because it interferes with the flash on the camera and makes all my pictures look purple.

Next up I have a PocketBac and hand lotion from Bath & Body Works, plus a travel sized body mist from Victoria's Secret. I always have hand sanitizer with me, especially since having Kason. I carry a small lotion with me because my hands get so dry from using the hand sanitizer. I carry a small body mist with me because you never know when you're gonna get a little smelly, or feel like freshening up.

Even though we are getting into the cooler months, I've still been rocking my blue Rayban Aviators. Kevin and the kids got these for me for Mother's Day and I absolutely love them. I try to keep them in this case when I'm not wearing them, but let's be honest, they sometimes end up at the bottom of my bag.

I always carry my birth control in my purse. Don't ask me why, it's just something I have always done. I feel like if I kept it at home in my medicine cabinet, or my bathroom, I would forget to take it.

I recently got this little notebook and I'm so glad I did. I'm the kind of person who remembers things, or has ideas, at the most random times. If I write things down, I have a much better chance of remembering to do them. Having this little notebook helps me keep track of things I need to do, items we may need for the house, and ideas I have for my blog and my channel. I also have a little page where I started writing things down of what I am grateful for. Some days I feel burnt out and overwhelmed, or my feelings may have been hurt about something. Have these little things jotted down brings me back to to a happy place, and reminds me how lucky I really am.

Now we are getting to all the random goodies. In the bottom of my bag I have a couple Walmart receipts, three pens, my broken iPhone case, one cough drop, three hair ties, a hair clip, two chocolates, fifteen cents, and two bottles of nail polish. I also have a little clear baggy with extra lace from my wedding gown. I recently took my dress to get cleaned and preserved, and this little extra was attached to the original bag so they gave it to me when I dropped it off at the cleaners. For some reason I just haven't taken it out yet. I guess it's a good thing I decided to do this tag, because my purse clearly needed to be cleaned out!

Now onto what beauty products I like to carry with me. This probably is a little excessive, but I have seven lip pies in my bag right now. I don't start out with this many, they just kind of accumulate throughout the week. Right now I have two lip balms; Carmex and Nivea Olive Oil and Lemon. I also have my holy grail Dior Addict Lip Glow which lives in my purse at all times. I have two lipsticks; Maybelline Creamy Mate Lipstick in Daringly Nude and MAC's Velvet Teddy. Lastly I have two lip glosses; Gerard Cosmetic's gloss in Nude and Urban Decay's Naked gloss in Walk of Shame. I like to carry a translucent powder for touch ups, my favorite right now being Laura Mercier's Invisible Pressed Setting Powder. Sometimes after I touchup my foundation I can look a little washed out so I like to carry a bronzer and a blush with me. For bronzer I like to carry the Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer. It's a shimmery bronzer, but not glittery, with two different shades. For blush I have a deluxe sized sample of NARS Orgasm. I also carry an E.L.F. Complexion Brush to apply said products.

I wanted to let ya'll know that I was recently contacted by a new, up-and-coming editing software company called ShowBox. They reached out asking if I would like to try out their site and make a few videos with them. If you've been watching any of my videos then you will notice that this one is a little different and has a little more pizazz! Check it out below and let me know what you think!

That's it for What's In My Bag and I hope ya'll enjoyed it! Let me know any other tags you'd like me to do in the comments below.


xoxo,
Casey

September Favorites: Beauty, Books, Fashion, & Mommy Favorites

Hey ya'll!

Another month down, another Favorites post to share! I have a little bit of everything to show you today. I don't have a lot of beauty favorites this month because I've really been using a lot of the same products, especially since I wasn't being super spendy this month and buying a ton of new products. I added in a fashion favorite, my book favorite, a random "home" favorite, and my mommy favorites for the month.

Let's start with my Beauty Favorites first.

The first product is the Loreal Magic Lumi Primer. Since we are going into the colder months I wanted to find a primer that would add some radiance to my skin. I have been wanting to find a nice primer that was from the drugstore and decided to try this one. I've tried the Laura Mercier Radiance Primer before, but it was a bit too shimmery for me. The Magic Lumi is a really nice primer that adds a subtle glow to my face without making me look like a disco ball. I have used it by itself underneath my foundation, I've layered it on top of Benefit's Porefessional, and I have also mixed it into my foundation and it worked great all three ways.

My next Beauty Favorite goes along with the Magic Lumi Primer, and it is the Loreal Magic Lumi Concealer. I use this to brighten my under eye area and to highlight my face. I apply it on top of my under eye concealer, to my chin and forehead, down the bridge of my nose, and on my cupid's bow. Like the primer, this concealer add's a subtle glow that's not overpowering or super shimmery. If you are looking to add a little bit of a glow to your face, but don't want to look super dewy, I really recommend the Magic Lumi products.

The lip duo I've been obsessed with lately is the Kat Von D lipstick in Lovecraft topped with Urban Decay's Naked lipgloss in Walk of Shame. Both products look great on their own, and work wonderfully together. Lovecraft is a really pretty pinky/purpley mauve color, and it is completely matte. I was wearing it in my 90's Inspired Makeup Tutorial if you'd like to reference back to that. Walk of Shame is a really pretty, natural looking gloss with a tad bit of gold shimmer in it.

My last Beauty Favorite is my Real Techniques Sponge. I've had this for a while now but hadn't really been using it much. I did a review on it a while back, and it is most definitely a dupe for the Beauty Blender. I really like it for blending out my under eye concealer, and for blending out the Magic Lumi concealer that I use to highlight my face. It's also really great if you apply too much foundation. Just go over your face with the sponge, and it will soak up any excess foundation you may have applied.

My Fashion Favorite is my green plaid flannel. I have worn it a ton this month and really need to go pick up some more. I got this one from Macy's last fall and got it in a size bigger than I normally would. I like my button ups and flannels to be a size larger because I like the way they look when they are a bit slouchy and oversized. Flannels are great for Fall and Winter month's and can be worn on their own, or layered over a cute shirt or tank top.

My Book Favorite this month has been Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. It's the first book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy and it is so good. If you love YA Fiction and Fantasy, then I definitely recommend checking out this series. You can read the synopsis here.

My Random Favorite has definitely been my Bath & Body Works candles. I have been burning them non-stop and have already ordered, and received, another batch. I love all of the Fall and Winter scents. They make my house smell amazing and makes it feel so warm and inviting. They normally sell for $22 per candle, but they often go on sale for 2 for $22. If you go to the Bath & Body Works website you can sign up for the emails. They always send out an email blast when they go on sale.

My Mommy Favorites this month have been this Mesh Feeder and this Munchkin Sippy Cup with a straw. Not only have I been loving these, but Kason has been loving them as well. They have made my life a little easier these past few weeks. I will talk more about them in Kason's 9 Month Update this Wednesday. If you are interested in either of these, you can find them both at Target.

That's it for this month's Favorites and I hope you guys really enjoyed it!


xoxo,
Casey

Clothing & Accessories Haul

Hey ya'll!!

I've been doing a little shopping recently and have picked up a couple things that I thought I'd share with you. This is a small haul with just a couple clothing items, along with some accessories. I have some skin care and beauty items to share with you that will be in a separate haul some time next week. I will have all the links to where I purchased each item listed below so if you're interested you can check them out.

Clothes & Accessories

Pretty Little Things

I have been loving denim cut-offs this summer. These fit really well and are nice and stretchy. They look like they would be super short, but they're really not. 

Pretty Little Things

I saw these earring and was like, "Yeap, gotta have them!". I think they are so cute and I love the colors. Earrings are the one piece of jewelry that I always wear no matter the occasion. They really add an extra pop to any outfit, dressy or casual. 

Pretty Little Things

I love turquoise and gold jewelry. I think both colors look so great together. It's probably the Texas in me that makes me gravitate towards the colored combo. I swear, my eyes go straight to all things turquoise and gold. 

Canvas Slip-On Lo Pro Vans

As far as sneakers go, Vans are my favorite. They are really comfortable and hold up really well. I've been wanting a pair of lo-pro's for a while, and have had my eye on these bad boys for a while now so I decided to go ahead and get them. I absolutely love the black on black and think they will look so cute with black leggings in the fall.

 Francesca's

I love me some big hoop earrings. This is actually my second time purchasing the gold pair. My first pair had been worn so much that they were discolored so it was time for a new pair. I wear them all the time, they're my favorite everyday earrings. I found them in silver while I was there so I got both. I like to wear both silver and gold jewelry so I was happy to find them in the silver too. I really like Francesca's jewelry. Some of it can be overpriced, but they do BOGO sales a lot which is when I usually go. I have quite a bit of jewelry from there, and none of it has even fallen apart.

Victoria's Secret

I love bandeau and strapless tops, but have a hard time finding ones that fit really well. They either fit my boobs and are too big around, or fit around but are too small in the boobs. The top has underwire in it which is a first for me. I've never had one with underwire in it before because I always thought it was kind of silly. This top is in my actual bra size and it fits so well. I think I will definitely go for bandeau and strapless tops with underwire in them from now on because they fit so much better. I like to mix and match my tops and bottoms. It's really easy to do that at VS because they have so many prints and colors to choose from. I didn't have an orange pair, and these were really bright so I thought they would go well with a bunch of different tops. It also has the since in the back which i really like.

I hope ya'll enjoyed this little haul! Be sure to keep an eye out for a skin care and beauty haul next week. A lot of the skincare items are repurchases, so you will get to see what I use regularly and what my thoughts are on them. I'm heading to NOLA for a Bachelorette Party tomorrow so I will talk to ya'll again next week. Be sure to follow me on Instagram so you can keep up with all of the shenanigans my friends and I are going to be getting ourselves into!

xoxo,

Casey

GRWM: Makeup, Hair, & OOTD

Hey ya'll!!

For today's post I just wanted to do a quick GRWM with a little more pizazz than usual! Instead of going into full blown tutorial mode on my makeup, I wanted to throw in how I did my hair and what I'm wearing. Kevin's out of town for work, and the kids and I didn't do much today. For the most part we hung around the house and I went to the gym and picked up some diapers. Tonight we are going to dinner to celebrate my sister's birthday, so I figured I would document how I got ready. Here we go!

I've been using the same makeup products recently. I've really been loving my Makeup Geek palette, but I decided to give it a break and bust out my tried and true Naked Palette. This is one of my favorite palettes of all time and I have hit pan on a couple of the shades. I think it's a really great neutral palette as long as you're ok with shimmer shadows. My foundation routine has been the same for about a month now, using my NARS Sheer Glow Foundation and the NYX HD Concealers. I never venture out and try new brow products, I'm pretty happy with my BrowZing and Anastasia Brow Gel. I've been really loving the bronzer/contour routine I've been doing lately. I've been contouring with the Hoola bronzer, and bronzing with the Becca. NARS blush in LoveJoy has been getting tons of love too. It was one of my favorites for July. Becca's highlighter in Opal is my holy grail highlighter, I'm so in love with it.

I decided to curl my hair today and opted for a larger barrel than usual. Ever since I cut my hair, I had been using a 3/4 inch barrel to curl my hair. It's starting to grow out so I decided to use a 1 inch barrel today. I love the way it turned out! The 1 inch created a soft, touchable, bouncy wave. And do we see how much volume it added? I think I just found my new favorite hair style. I love wearing my hair straight, but every now and then I get really bored with it. This is a very nice change of pace. I washed and blow dried my hair like normal. I then sectioned my hair in three sections and curled away from my face. When I got to the crown, I parted my hair in the direction I want it to go before I started curling. It didn't take long to do this look at all. It was super quick and easy. To finish it off and get some extra volume, I teased my hair on each side of my part just a tad.

I love wearing rompers in the summertime. They are easy, comfortable, and keep me cool in the warm weather. This one I purchased from Forever 21 at the beginning of summer. I love the Aztec print and the added flap that gives it a dressy look. The only thing that bugs me about this romper is that it has a snap closure in the front and it is constantly popping open. It can be quite annoying because let's face it, no one wants to see my sticky boobs I have on underneath. 

I hope ya'll enjoyed today's GRWM. I really want to get a new curling wand, because all I have is a measly little old school curling iron. Let me know what your favorite curling wand is in the comments below. Ta-ta for now!

xoxo,

Casey

July Favorites

Hey ya'll!!

Holy cow, I can't believe another month has flown by. This year is going by so fast! Today I'm going to show you my July Favorites. I have a pretty well rounded set of goodies that I've been loving this month. I've got the usual beauty and books favorite, with some skin care, and a fashion favorite thrown into the mix.

Loreal Youth Code Texture Perfector
I was roaming around the skin care aisle at Target a few weeks back and stumbled across the Loreal Youth Code Texture Perfector. This has been around for a while now, but I never gave it too much thought. Towards the end of June, my skin seemed to be lacking something. I wasn't breaking out or anything, but my skin just seemed a little dull. I've been using this all month long and I really have seen a difference. I apply it morning and night, and I feel like my skin is more smooth, plump, and firm than it was prior to adding this into my daily skincare routine.

Becca Cosmetics Shadow & Light Bronze/Contour Perfector
This may look familiar because I've hauled it, reviewed it, and used it in a GRWM. I am absolutely obsessed with this bronzer. It is my absolute favorite right now and I have used it every single time I've done my makeup this month. I already have a few posts on this, so if you want to know more, you can check out my review here.

Sephora Pro Flawless Light Powder Brush
I hauled this brush a while ago, and to be honest I really didn't care for it all that much at first. It was a pretty pricey brush, so I've been trying to find the best products to use it with, and the best way to use it. I started using it to apply my Becca Bronzer, and it works perfect with it. I swear the two products were made for each other.

Nars Blush in Lovejoy
I love Nars blushes. This month the shade Lovejoy has been getting a tremendous amount of love from me, and I've used it almost every time I've worn makeup this month. It's a dusty, rosy brown shade that is perfect for summer, and it will be great for fall too. It's so pretty, super pigmented, and looks so good with a tan. This blush works best with medium to dark skin tones. If you have fair skin, it could go either way. I would definitely recommend using a light hand if you do have a lighter skin tone.

Loreal Miss Manga Mascara
I did a First Impressions on this at the end of June, and I liked it but definitely wasn't blown away by it. However, I've been using it a ton the last few weeks. I think that since it had a few weeks to sit after being opened, it was able to dry out just a tad. Ever since then it's been so amazing, and so much easier to manage and apply. I had to be really careful with this in the beginning because I had to get used to the wand, and it was a wetter formula. Since drying out a little, it's been so much easier to work with, and it builds up really well. Two coats of this, and my lashes are voluminous and lengthened.

Buxom Lip Gloss in White Russian
I was looking through my collection at the end of last month, and tried to pull out lip glosses that I hadn't used much recently and this was one of them. After pulling it out of my collection I have been using it non stop. I forgot how awesome and perfect this gloss was. This is a gloss that everyone needs in their collection. It's a gorgeous, milky pink color that would look beautiful on everyone. It's perfect for every day and night. If you don't already own this, you have to go get it ASAP.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
Since we are in full blown summer, and it's been disgustingly hot out, I've been using this a lot more to finish off my makeup and opting out of an all over setting powder. These powder's are so soft and finely milled, and they give your skin the prettiest, most natural glow. The shade I've used the most is Radient Light (the shade on the left). I dust it on my forehead, nose, and chin after everything else has been applied and it just adds the perfect finish and pop to my skin.

Carmex
I know this is super random, but this seriously saved my lips this month. At the beginning of July, my lips were so chapped. It had been three days of me applying lip balm over and over again, and my lips were still raw and hurt like crazy. I hardly ever have chapped lips, and when I do it's never that bad to wear a little lip balm can't fix it. I haven't used this stuff in forever, so I didn't already have it at home. I finally went to CVS and grabbed this guy, and my lips were on the mend within 24 hours.  This stuff works like a charm, and I've been wearing it to bed every night since. When I wear it to bed, my lips are super soft and hydrated the next morning. This is definitely going to be a regular for me now.

Eleanor & Park
My book favorite this month is hands down Eleanor & Park. I'm not going to go into detail because I've already reviewed it. If you want to know more, you can check it out here.

Steve Madden DejaVu Heels in Blush Leather
These shoes are my new obsession. They are so pretty! I really like Steve Madden's heels. They are are well made, and they are a lot more comfortable to wear than some other brands. They also fit true to size. I love the built in platform, and they are also really sturdy. You know how sometimes you will put on a pair of heels, and you just feel wobbly and like the heel could snap at any minute? Yeah, that doesn't happen with these. And the color couldn't be more perfect.

I hope you enjoyed getting a peak at some of the goodies I've been loving this month. Let me know in the comments below what your favorites have been lately!


xoxo,
Casey

Vacation Series: What I Pack - Swim Suits & Accessories

Hey ya'll!!

Welcome to Day 4 of my Vacation Series! Today I am going to show you what swim suits and accessories I am bringing on my vacation.

I used to pack one swim suit for each day I would be on vacation. Since I tend to overpack on everything else, I really made an effort to take a chill pill with the swim suits this year. My favorite thing to do is to buy swim suit separates, that way I can mix and match each piece and end up with multiple suit combinations.

I really love my new swim suit cover up! It's really comfortable, and not completely sheer, so I can wear it shopping, or out to lunch, after the beach.

I'm only bringing one purse and it's my Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C. I absolutely adore this bag, which is weird because I normally gravitate towards large totes. I bought this purse when I was pregnant with Kason because I wanted something that was small but could fit my essentials, and that was crossbody but not super casual. I was kind of nervous when I ordered it because I thought it might be too small for me, but it's honestly the perfect size. What I like about this bag is that it can be worn three different ways: crossbody, shoulder, or a clutch. I don't carry it as a clutch, I mostly wear it crossbody because I like my hands to be free. I also really like adjusting the chain and wearing it as a shoulder bag. I love the way the gold chain looks when it's doubled up, and the length the straps become because it hits in a really nice spot for my body.

I always bring a lot of jewelry with me when I travel. Jewelry is small, and can be easily packed, so it doesn't hurt space-wise to bring a lot. Since my uniform these days is on the more casual side, jewelry can really spice up my outfits to add a little glam and make me look more put together. I really love gold right now. I think it looks amazing with a tan and it really stands out against clothes. I'm also really into colored jewelry, mostly turquoise. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a really nice piece. So many stores, and boutiques, have pretty jewelry that is reasonably priced.

I hope ya'll enjoyed today's post! Let me know in the comments below what your swim suit, and accessory, staples are this summer.


xoxo,
Casey