April Faves

It's been a while since my last update and I've been trying different products in hopes of finding new faves to share with you guys!  In April, I didn't find any new beauty products that I couldn't live without, but I did find other items that are new (at least new to me) that I highly recommend to all of my friends.  

Downy Unstopables scent booster for $5.99 at Target

First, while I hear my laundry flipping around in the dryer, I have to suggest getting these scent boosters.  I've tried so many from Gain to Downy and almost everything in between.  I just picked up a new tub, this time in Downy's scent Shimmer, and I had to share.  These are great, especially for gym clothes and blankets.  I love lying down at night and wrapping up in a fresh scented blanket.  They're great and come in many different scents.  My only issue is I wish they would have a scratch and sniff sticker on the front.  I had no idea what Shimmer was supposed to smell like, but it's not bad.  Pretty fresh and lightly floral.  

Oak & Rye wax cubes in Ambered Lavender for $2.89 at Kroger

I don't have the website for this, I tried to find it and I had no luck.  Either way, I found these wax cubes at my local Kroger and I've been loving a number of their scents.  The one that I've repurchased three times is ambered lavender.  I'm obsessed with lavender scents, especially when I'm having trouble sleeping and needing to be up early in the morning.  These wax cubes are great because I find the scents last a lot longer than other brands I've used (ranging from the wax cubes found in Kohl's to the ones sold at Walmart).  This particular scent is just so comforting and not sickly floral.  I even picked this up for Mother's Day and my mom loves it as well.  Next time you're at Kroger, see if your local Kroger sells Oak & Rye wax cubes.  Even if you don't like lavender, they have other great options, this one just happens to be my personal favorite

Oatifix fresh face mask for $7.99 at Lush

The skin on my face has gone through a drastic change since I started going to the gym and sweating off the weight.  Now, my cheeks are so dry and flaky, I've had to change up my entire skincare routine.  One of my favorite face masks is Oatifix.  I will warn you, some people loathe this scent.  I personally think it either smells like cookie dough or vanilla banana, which would make sense since it's made of vanilla, banana, almonds, and oats.  The exfoliation it provides is sufficient to erase flaky skin, but not too harsh.  My skin is so sensitive, I can't use Ocean Salt or even the famous Apricot Scrub without literally having spots of blood show up.  This face mask is gentle enough that it doesn't irritate my skin.  This is one of the fresh face masks, so it's only available in stores and not online.  So smell the metal bowls of it before you buy it so that you know the scent isn't too much for you.

White and Elm rose and argan oil for $28 at White & Elm
Aura Cacia Argan Oil for $11.02 at Amazon


As I said in the face mask review, my skin has completely transformed from being combination to being entirely dry.  I first decided to go the facial oil route after watching Tati on youtube.  She doesn't ever recommend these exact products, but we have different skin and I thought these would be great for me.  I originally went to my local Rainbow Blossom and picked up the Aura Cacia Argan Oil.  It's not the greatest smelling thing in the world, but I do love the pump.  I pump it straight onto my cheeks before bed and before my moisturizer after the gym.  Then, one of my subscription boxes sent me the White and Elm rose and argan oil and I fell in love with it.  It smells like roses, which I usually don't like, but for some reason it's nice.  The rose reduces redness, which I also have on my cheeks and I've actually found this to work really well at minimizing it.  The price I quoted for the White and Elm is for the full sized product.  The product pictured is my sample from one of my subscription boxes.  The great thing about both of these products is that they can also go onto your hair.

French Lavender and Honey body spray for $14 at Bath and Body Works

I picked up this body spray during a sale a few months ago.  I've used it once or twice and really liked it.  I wanted to use up my perfume first.  This scent lasts longer than perfume.  By the way, while searching for the product to link it above, I found it also comes in a perfume! The madness! I need it!!  I love it so much, still obsessed with lavender scents!  The honey sweetens it up so that it's not obscenely floral.  I've gotten compliments every time I wear this.  With me, scents don't stay for an extended period, so for this to last as long as it does is wonderful.

Diet Snapple Peach Tea for $2.39 at Google Express

Welcome to the world of cold tea.  I've been thinking of buying an iced tea maker but then I'd have to give up this diet peach tea Snapple and I'm just not ready to commit to that yet.  This tea doesn't taste like a diet at all.  I'm not a huge tea drinker, sometimes teas give me heart burn, but this one doesn't.  It's so refreshing and will certainly be my summer drink of choice.  Besides, who hates peach tea?

Simple Solution Platinum--Pet Stain Eliminator

Price: $4.83* at Chewy.
*Note: This is the price as of the time this was posted.  It's on sale, it may go back to list price of $12.99

If you own a furry pet, or even in some cases a not-so-furry pet, you are eventually going to deal with stains on the carpet.  Whether that be stains from number 1 or 2, or stains from vomiting/hairballs. Cats throw up a lot, and dogs honestly throw up just as much.  Whether you're house/litter training your new family member or they're revenging vomiting at you for feeding them 5 minutes later than they're used to, we all struggle with stains.  How does this affordable option pan out?

Benefit Roller Lash

Price: $24 at Sephora or Ulta

I know, I know, $24 is a lot of money to spend on mascara.  But just hear me out.  This is unlike any mascara you've ever used. Ever. Trust me. Since using this product, I haven't curled my lashes one time.  After hearing rave reviews of this product from such beauty vloggers as Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter, I decided to treat myself and in turn, give you my own take on this product.

Lush-Lord of Misrule

Price: $6.95 at Lush.

Everybody hold onto your loofas, Lush has released it's Halloween and Christmas collection.  I'm hoping they release more for Christmas (why no melted snowman bath melt?!) but for now we have so many products to get through.  Let's focus today on a fan favorite, Lord of Misrule bath bomb.  As many of you know, I was introduced to Lush this past January so you're going to get a newbie's impression of their holiday collection this year.

Halloween Decorations

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays for decorations.  I love going to craft stores and looking at all of their spooky and fun jack-o-lanterns, vampires, zombies, etc.  From glitter to graveyard, I love decorating this time of year.  I have a few tips for making your home trick-or-treat ready, so keep reading.

Cat Tree

Price: Depends on tree, cheapest at Chewy

Cats are meant to climb, but living in an apartment can make it difficult for a cat to perch high up.  A cat tree is a great option to get your cat to that confidence-boosting space, but it can be an issue when it comes to your bank account.  What to do what to do...

Fromm's Cat Food

This is my cat, Chubby.  While I love her, she does have an issue with food that can bother me.  She likes to inhale food as if she's been starving for a month and will never see food again.  Because of this, she would always eat her food and then throw it right back up.  I struggled finding a food that would work for her until I came across the brand Fromm's.  What's good about it??

Don't Look At Me

Price: $10.95 at Lush*

*Note: Only sold in stores

Lush fresh face masks are usually good.  I've tried probably four different ones with my favorite so far being either BB Seaweed or Oatifix.  Now that Lush is coming out with many new products, they introduced two new face masks.  I've only tried Don't Look At Me, but how does it stack up?

Lush Toothy Tabs

Price: $4.95 at Lush.

Lush has many great products and a few busts.  Their toothy tabs are basically solid toothpaste in the shape that is most similar to Altoid mints.  If you look up reviews of this product, it's really polarizing.  People either love them or they want to burn them in a pit filled with rage.  To find out the pros and cons of this product, keep reading.

Candied Caramel Pecan Candle

Price: $3.97 at Walmart.*
*Note that this is only available in stores (ie not online) and prices may vary.  Follow the link and add your zip code to find out the cost at your store.

I love candles, I really do.  I also love matching candles to the seasons that they work best in.  I love peppermint candles in the winter and lilac candles in the spring and melon candles in the summer.  In the fall, there's so many different candles to choose from.  I kid you not, I found 6 different types of "pumpkin" candles at Walmart.  Six!  Who knew pumpkins could smell so different!  But if you aren't into the typical pumpkin scent yet still want your home to smell like fall farted all over it, this may be the candle for you.

Nude Lipsticks

It's that time of the year again.  Time to break out the nude lipstick and rock it like the fall will never end!  But finding the right shade is torture (figuratively, I hope).  I've felt the struggle and I've found some products on my own and with some help that are great.  I'm going to focus on my three favorite nude lipsticks that range from expensive, affordable, and downright cheap.  They're all relatively similar colors, but if you'd like to see the swatches, read on!

Cheap Cat Toys

All cat owners know the struggle.  You put a lot of thought into what toy your cat will like and you spend time in the cat aisle just to find the perfect toy mouse or rattle ball.  You bring it home and your cat stares at you like you're stupid.  There goes $5 on one toy that they'll never play with.  However, I have found a very cheap toy that you can get at any store that sells craft items.  Read on to find out more.

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush

Price: $7.99 at Ulta.

I've tried so many blushes trying to find one that looks natural and blends well.  I heard some great things about the Dream Bouncy Blush by Maybelline, so I thought I'd try it out.  I bought this product years ago while I was in college.  I still remember the day I bought this because I also bought the mousse version to see if the different textures would be better than powder blush.  Is it worth spending the money on?

Lush Haul August 2015

Do blogs even do Lush hauls?  Well, this one sure does.  If you know anything about me, you know that I am obsessed with Lush.  I spend probably three full hours a week watching Lush hauls on youtube and shopping online before realizing that it wouldn't be financially smart to spend $150 each week on beauty/bath products.  I only had a few leftover products on my Lush plates so I knew I needed to replenish my Lush supplies.  Read on to find out my first impressions on my haul.

Nails Inc Victoria

Price: $14 at Sephora

Normally, I would never spend more than $8 on a nail polish.  Actually, normally I'd spend less than $5.  So why am I reviewing a $14 nail polish?  It must be a bad review, right?  Wrong. This product is my most favorite beauty product of all time.  This is the only nail polish color that I've had to repurchase because I used up all of my original product.  What's so great about it?  Read on!

Elf Studio Bronzer

Price: $3 on elf

For those of you who haven't heard of elf cosmetics, let's take a minute to explain why I love browsing their website.  Elf stands for eyes lips face and it's a cosmetic and skin care line that is ridiculously affordable.  I mean, my absolute favorite eye shadow is a product from elf that costs $1. That's insane.  Now do their products reflect their cheap price?  Absolutely not.  I have favorites from elf that I haven't been able to find in higher end shops.  But how does this bronzer shape up?

Angels on Bare Skin

Price: $13.95 for 3.5 ounces 

                         or                            

          $33.95 for 8.4 ounces

                     at Lush

Lush is known for making cruelty-free, natural products, but do they actually do any good?  Angels on Bare Skin is a face and body cleanser sold by Lush that promises to even out skin tone and leave a healthy glow.  I have tried multiple facial cleansers from Lush (in sample sizes) and this is the only one I've actually paid for...twice.  Find out the good and the bad below.

Not Your Mothers Sea Salt Spray

Price: $5.99 at Walgreens

After having heard so many good things about the Not Your Mother's brand, I had to pick this up.  The full name is Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray and it is infused with dead sea salt and sea kelp.  So, is it worth it?

Beyond the Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo for Medium-Dark Hair

Price: $7.59 at Sally Beauty

I typically trust any product I get from Sally Beauty.  I dyed my hair with products from there, I used their hair masks to repair damage, I bought my shampoo from Sally's.  Sally's is like my Sephora for my hair.  This product changed my opinion almost entirely.

Temptations Snacks Mouse Update

I have voiced my concern about the Temptations treats in the past. I think my cat voiced her own concerns with silent but deadly farts. Nothing had changed except I had added these treats.  So, after a quick trip to petsmart, my cat now had Greenies hairball formula cat treats. They fit in the mouse toy perfectly and my cat loves them.  We've been on Greenies at my house for about a week and the terrible cat farts have stopped. Definitely use Greenies if you buy the snacky mouse treat puzzle.