Hiatus and an explanation

I am so sorry but I have to put this blog on a (hopefully) brief hiatus until I can get my computer fixed. Theoretically that should occur about the middle of June, but I can't guarantee anything right now. I will try and borrow something but the mobile/tablet updates aren't really working anymore, my posts are to big and they keep crashing the system. I will keep updates posted here on my repairs/borrowing progress. Again I am so sorry, this is completely out of my hands. Never buy a Chromebook guys, my ownership has been a nightmare to say the least.

Weekend Tips and Tricks

Wow, May sure went by quickly didn't it? This week's tips and tricks will focus on nail polish, enjoy!

Tip #1: Need to remove polish on your toes but your mani looks perfect? Use a tampon instead of a cotton swab. The applicator will keep the acetone well away from your fabulous finger.

Tip #2: Those fancy scrapbooking scissors you have sitting in the closet make creative paint jobs a snap! Use them on tape to make interesting patterns, apply to nails, paint, then remove and voila! An easy yet fancy looking polish job.

Tip #3: Nail polish isn't just for your nails you know. Apply it to keys to help differentiate them at a glance or apply to bobby pins for a pop of color in your hairdo.

Tip #4: Mix some cornstarch into clear nail polish to give you a matte finish top coat without having to pay a fortune.

How Much Product Should You Use?

Do you ever have a product, like conditioner, that seems to run out waaay to fast? Chances are you're using too much of it, or not enough in the case of sunscreen.Hopefully this handy guide can help you out a bit. Now keep in mind these are averages, so you may need to adjust for your size and hair length.

Shampoo: for shoulder length hair you need about a strawberry sized dollop to completely cover your hair.

Conditioner: for shoulder length hair you only need two raspberry sized dollops. I was surprised by this, I always used waaaaaay to much I guess. Now I have long hair so I do two blackberry sized dollops and I use a wide tooth comb to make sure it's worked all the way through.

Hair Masks: depending on the mask, you will need between a ping pong ball and an egg, but again use a wide tooth comb to work it all the way through.

Sunscreen: if you are just doing your face you need a teaspoon, but if you are doing your whole body then a whole shotglass worth of sunscreen is needed. And of course always apply it at least ten minutes before you go outside so it has a chance to absorb in.

Face serum: you only need a dollop the size of a pea, which is good since serum can be very expensive.

Facial cleanser: you only need about the size of a grape, though this can vary depending on the cleanser of course.

Eye cream: a tiny amount, about the size of a pine nut, is all you need per eye.

Hope this little guide helps you save money by not over using the products. What are you using too much of?

Thursday Thoughts

It's that time of week again for the Thursday Thoughts link up with Jen of Ramblings of a Suburban Mom, I had such a good time doing it last week I thought I'd make it a weekly feature. That means my usual thursday post will be either on Wednesday or Friday, which would you guys prefer? I will be posting tomorrow so we'll see how that goes. So without further ado, here are my Thursday Thoughts.

-My laptop died, again, so I will be working from my tablet for the next week or so assuming Chromebook replaces it. Any other Chromebook users out there who have had nonstop trouble with theirs? If they replace this it will be laptop number 3 and charger number 4 since December, crazy right?
- Allergy season means I'm discovering which of my eyeliners/mascaras are smudgeproof, so far I'm the most impressed with my CK One mascara I got free for my birthday. It survived the pool, allergies, and a nap without making me look like a raccoon. I'll have to do a full review of it later.
- I must have missed the announcement, but all June Ipsy subscribers will receive a NYX butter gloss. All 3 of the color options are great, so I'm super excited for my June bag already. Hoping June is more makeup heavy than May, or will at least have more makeup I can use.
- Speaking of makeup, there have been a ton of super cute products released lately! I'm dying to go splurge on some new items but I set a no buy rule for May and June so I can save some money. Oh well, there's always Christmas time specials right?
- Father's day is coming up and I have no idea what to get my husband. Maybe a travel mug with pictures of him and our son? And some skin care stuff for sure, summer is rough on his pale skin.

What's in My Makeup Bag

So often we talk about what products we love but not what products we actually use, so I thought I'd take a moment to talk about what's in my makeup bag and why I chose it.

First, the bag. It's the January 2014 Ipsy bag, I actually traded to get this bag since I hadn't joined Ipsy yet. I love it, the silhouettes are super cute and it's a great size to hold all of my stuff. I'll probably swap it out next month if the June Ipsy bag is super awesome (currently the April bag holds my cords and the May bag holds my sunscreen in my purse), but right now I'm digging it.

The tools I keep in my bag are simple and cheap in case they get destroyed. There's a mirror compact I got from Sephora for free (my favorite price), an eyeshadow brush that's so old I'm embarrassed to even thing about it, and an E.L.F essentials angled blush brush I've had for years and years. I'll probably replace the brushes in the next year or so when I replace my everyday ones with nice new brushes. Then the old ones will go in my bag and these ancient brushes will be gifted to my spawn to play with.

I keep two different types of lip balm in my bag, the Malin+Goetz one I reviewed here and a cheap one I picked up at Kohl's because I'm a sucker for cherry lip balm in cute packaging. The cherry one is pink and shimmery so it gives my lips some nice color as well, which is a nice perk.

My eyeshadow is a quad palette of neutral colors from Wet and Wild, I picked this up at the Dollar Store for a buck and I love it. I like to keep neutral makeup in my bag so I don't have to worry about clashing with my outfit. The second color from the bottom is my favorite, a nice beige color that almost matches my eyelids. I use it as a base, then I put the top color along my crease. The second from the top makes a great highlighting color and the bottom I'll use from time to time when I want a little more oomph to my look.

The eyeliner is a black automatic pencil from Covergirl, I like it specifically because I don't have to sharpen it and it has a smudging sponge on the other end. The lasting power is decent enough and the price is low enough I'm not going to cry if I lose it.

The mascara and lipstick are the free birthday gift from Sephora. The lipstick isn't my favorite and I'm actually debating throwing it away. It smells....cheap, like the play makeup you'd get as a child. The color is fine, a nice neutral reddish color. But it just feels and smells cheap, and I know the brand (Make Up Forever) is not a cheap one at all so I'm perplexed. The mascara is nice, the brush is just HUGE so I tend to get it everywhere when I'm applying it.

I like the E.L.F. Shimmering Facial Whip because it's a multitasking machine. I use it for blush and highlights, but you can also use it for lip and eye color. It smells super good too, like lemonade. And it was a dollar, you can't beat that! I don't know what color I have, the sticker came off, but it's a pinkish shimmery color.

There's a Mary Kay lip gloss mini I'm trying to use up, but it sucks so I'm not going to spend any time talking about it. And the lotion is just a Neutrogena lotion I picked up from a hotel room, nothing special there. Lastly, a Pixi bronzer in the shade summertime. It's light enough I can add some color to my face or do a little light contouring on the go.

What's in your makeup bag? Do you change it up all the time or keep things the same year round?

Weekend Tips and Tricks

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, which means a 3 day weekend for most people. Amide all the BBQ's you'll be attending be sure to pause for a moment and reflect on the men and women who gave their life in the service of this country. I'll be making a trip Monday to visit my father's grave for a little while. Here are some tips and tricks to help your 3 day weekend run a little smoother.

-Holiday weekends mean BBQ's and long days outdoors so pick an outfit that can be easily layered for when the temperature finally drops in the evening. A light cardigan or jacket makes the perfect accessory to take you from warm days to cool nights.

-Sunscreen is a must for an all day outdoor event. Layer your sunscreen under your makeup, but make sure you give it time to soak in before you apply anything else. I like to put my sunscreen on then do my hair while I wait for it to dry and soak in. That way I get the maximum benefit in both sun protection AND time saving.

-Over do the sun? Invest in an aloe vera gel with some sort of numbing agent in it, like lidocain. I buy the big jugs of it at Rite Aid every other year and I store it in my fridge on days that I know we'll be outside all day. My husband is super pale and burns easily so I know I'll be needing it when we get home. Take an anti-inflammatory as well to help with the pain and swelling typically associated with a nasty sun burn.

-There is skin on the top of your head too, so either spray sunscreen there or invest in a nice sun hat. There is nothing more painful than a burned scalp, and peeling skin can make any dandruff you have ten times worst.

Thursday Thoughts

Greetings! This is a new feature I'm test running to see if I like it enough to make it a weekly feature, so please chime in with your thoughts down below in the comments. Ramblings of a Suburban Mom is one of the few blogs out there I read (go check her out, she does reviews of EVERY subscription program out there) on a daily basis and Jen does a weekly feature called Thursday Thoughts that I've been enjoying and I though you guys might enjoy as well. Basically it is a place for me to talk about what's been on my mind lately, maybe give you a peak into what my life is like and how I go about picking stuff for this blog. This will be the first link-up I've participated in so please excuse me if I make a mistake.

-I can't believe May is almost over, did this month go super quickly for anybody else? Between this blog, my actual job, and the family it is just go go go all the time here it seems.
-I'm working on getting adsense added to this blog, which is turning out to be harder than I thought it would be. Anyone out there have some pointers for me? And what kind of company doesn't have a "contact me" section, seriously? So frustrating.
-All of this nice weather is making me more adventurous in the makeup department I've noticed. Seeing some beautiful emerald eyeshadow in my future I think to go with some red lips. Anybody else stepping outside of their comfort zone?
-My son and I are doing a little veggie garden this year and for once it looks like I've managed to grow something and NOT kill it! Very excited to have some fresh tomatoes later this summer.
-I joined Instagram! Come and find me, I'm BestBeautyForMyBuck. I'll post FOTD (face of the day) posts, product review sneak peaks, and things I draw my inspiration from.