Hello Kitty Mac Kabuki Brush Review

I purchased a Hello Kitty kabuki brush off of Ebay two weeks ago and received it last week. Finally after half a week of having it, I've decided to write a review.

Right off the bat I can say that I love this brush, and it was better than I anticipated. The brush is primarily used for applying blush, which is what I've been using it for every single day, and it applies the blush so well. Kabuki brushes are well known for having a blunt tip so that when blush is applied, it spreads on evenly and over the cheekbone perfectly; that's exactly what it does! My previous blush brush didn't work well and would add too much blush to one cheek while smudging blush on the other. It looked like a mess, which is why I purchased this life saver. Now my blush is completely even, the right amount is applied, and the blush doesn't remain on the brush after use so I can easily use it for something else. A little goes a long way with this brush.

The brush may appear tiny, but it's perfect for traveling and daily use, as explained above.

I also really liked the cute touch of Hello Kitty.

The brush is from MAC and was part of their Hello Kitty line, however because they no longer carry that line, I had to purchase it on Ebay. Truth be told I was hesitant at first because the brush hairs evidently are made of wool, which I am allergic to, however I had a feeling that if I gave it a try it wouldn't hurt. I was correct, the brush doesn't irritate my skin at all. Perhaps things are looking up for my allergies as well?

Aside from that small tangent, this is the bag that the brush came in. It's just..perfect, honestly, because of its teensy size! I love it.

Would you consider using a kabuki brush, or have you used a kabuki brush before? Would you necessarily buy from the Hello Kitty brand?

Hip Hop Candy Haul Review Part 2

(THIS STORE IS NO LONGER OPEN.)

Hello!

So, I took a shower tonight to try the new body wash that I'd purchased from Hip Hop Candy, "Frosted Cupcake".

I must say that the body wash slightly disappointed me because it made my skin rough after I washed it off, but honestly what soap isn't rough? The only soaps that I've found soft after washing off are Bath and Body soaps, therefore it's difficult for me to be super pleased with any soap or body wash that isn't from Bath and Body Works' line.

The pros to the body wash include the label not coming off (! I was super happy about that!) and the smell. It smelled so fantastic in the shower. However, I can't smell it on my body at all right now, so it doesn't linger.

All in all, pretty good body wash. I'll use it in the shower I think when I want to smell that yummy cupcake smell, but otherwise I won't use it as my definite body wash. It lathers on well, may I add, which was another plus!

Thank you again, Hip Hop Candy, and although this wasn't one of my more optimistic reviews, I still deeply appreciate the products you make and am satisfied with the body wash. It just smells too good for me to be begrudging towards those minute cons.

Would you be willing to try one of her body washes? They certainly would make wonderful party favors or gifts, I think! As I said before, I am super picky with my soaps. Not even Lush's soaps could impress me, and that's saying something.

Hip Hop Candy Haul Review Part 1

(THIS STORE IS NO LONGER OPEN.)

Hey, guys! Okay, this is "part one" because I am too excited to post a review about the products I bought from Hip Hop Candy to wait on the body wash and do a review after I've tried it.

So! Hip Hop Candy is an online store run by a woman in New York who makes her own products! And I must say, she is talented, and her products are fantastic!

The first set of products I bought are shown below, and they include "Blue Raspberry Fizz" body spray, "Raspberry Lemonade" body spray, and "Frosted Cupcake" foaming body wash. First off, they all smell amazing, especially..well, all of them! The Frosted Cupcake is SO yummy smelling, as is the Blue Raspberry Fizz, and the Raspberry Lemonade is sweet. They all smell pretty much like the real deal, which surprised me and delighted me to no end.

I loved them so much that I HAD to share them with my close friends and family, and they were in love with the smells as well, especially the Blue Raspberry Fizz (which is my personal favorite).

My package also came with a button that I ordered for my very good friend, as well as a cute business card and wonderful freebie gift, the whimsical and equally cute bookmark! The bookmark happily surprised me because I had really liked it when looking on her site.

Overall, I was EXTREMELY happy with my purchase. Not a single product let me down, and my friend loved her bunny button-it was super great because it came on a day when she wasn't feeling too well and needed a sweet surprise.

The products were well made and encased in appropriate containers, and almost seemed like real products one would buy off the shelf at a beauty store! They have a paper coating which advertises the name of the product and shows ingredients on the back. One thing that I'm concerned about is the paper melting off in the shower for the body wash, but that really isn't a problem. The bookmark and business card both are laminated in super thick lamination (?), which assures me that they won't bend or tear easily-or at all! The button is just like a professional button one would buy from a store like Claires-I just pulled a store from the top of my head, but it really is well made, to get to my point. If I'm not mistaken, she also does all of the artwork for her stationary, bookmarks, business cards, buttons, etcetera herself, which shows how creative and multi-talented she is as a business dealer and artist.

One last thing that I appreciated was the fast shipping! I had read she wasn't feeling too well but still shipped my products despite feeling under the weather! That shows a wonderful characteristic of a great business dealer. My products arrived in four days!

Thank you, Hip Hop Candy, for the amazing products and free gift, I deeply appreciate it! Your business is great and didn't disappoint me one bit-I was confident it wouldn't though! Keep up the fantastic work that you do.

Tell me, bloggers, have you shopped at her store before? If so, what did you get and did you like the product(s)? If not, would you consider it? Her products are perfect when wanting to stay on budget as well, so I recommend her all the way.

Happy Cosmos Review

I consider this review "beauty" related because I recently ordered a, what I would consider to be, makeup bag from an Etsy store called Happy Cosmos.

I had had my eyes on this particular item for about a year now, and I noticed that she was having a sale in her store, so I decided to finally purchase it. I didn't want anyone else snagging it!

What I ordered was a makeup bag/pencil pouch of a Kappa. The Kappa is an, in my opinion, adorable Japanese mythological creature.

Isn't that adorable?! The pouch was wrapped in that pretty pink tissue paper, a sweet touch if I do say so myself.

The package also came with a kind note from Wendy, the maker of this product, which is seen below alongside a couple business cards. I think it's smart on her part to put two business cards in because now I can give one to my friends! I love advertising self-owned businesses, they deserve love; especially hers because it's so cute!

Finally, I found a little surprise! It literally made me coo aloud, it was so-let me find more synonyms for cute, haha-precious!

Isn't that cute?! Such a tiny surprise. The little things in life literally make me happy. Thank you, Wendy!

IN CONCLUSION, her shop is great, you guys should go check it out here: Here!

Thank you again, Wendy, keep up the fantastic work!

Burt's Bees Review

Yesterday I purchased two Burt's Bees lip shimmer balms because I'd been curious to try them out and they were half off.

The two I chose were Champagne and Guava, as seen below.

After trying the products, I was a bit disappointed because I didn't really know what to expect as far as smell and flavor. Both are minty and smell minty as well. I'm not a huge fan of mint, simply because it's too boring for me, but the outcome of color and the way it applies is wonderful!

The lip balm applies very smoothly, even over dried lips, and leaves lips smooth for a long while after use. The color tints are impressive as well, because I was skeptical that they would leave any color at all.

On the left is Champagne, and on the right is Guava. I'm really partial to Champagne because it's sparkly, as is Guava, but it's sheer and looks more natural.

Overall, pretty good! Better than most lip balms and chapsticks I've had. I only wish it came in flavors with better scents. I feel great though knowing that I'm applying an organic lip balm, so that helps me get past the hard feelings.

Have you tried this lip balm before? How do you feel about it if so? Would you be willing to try, or is there another lip balm you prefer?

Lush "Haul" Review: Part 2

Hello, everyone!

Today I FINALLY used the Big Blue bath bomb. I decided to make today a pamper day, and that was first on my list.

I literally squealed with excitement as I dropped it in the water, and I tell you, the overall results nearly made me faint-not really, but it was *awesome*.

My water looked like the ocean, and it smelled so amazing. Seaweed filled my tub-not a whole lot, but just the right amount-and made it all the more relaxing. I literally felt like I was in an ocean. As I relaxed from the warm water and aroma, I began to feel like I was floating in the sea, my Yiruma playlist playing somewhere off in the distance. I have never felt as relaxed as I did during the moments I was in the tub.

I would one hundred percent recommend this to everybody, it is fantastic. Great smell, wonderful size, the seaweed is great for skin and softening skin, and it was a wonderful price. I will definitely be buying another one of these as soon as I can!

Candy-Delicious!

Hello, girlies! I've been traveling a lot this week, so forgive me for not updating my posts.

While in one of the areas I was visiting, we decided to go to an imported foods store. The store was full of delicious looking Asian food, including an odd Japanese ice, Popsicle treat. However, I didn't buy those. What I did get are the following:

Shown here are the front and back of a Rice Candy pack I bought. The candies were wrapped in rice paper, which dissolved in my mouth once on my tongue and revealed a fruity, chewy candy in the middle. It was quite odd, especially the rice, however I sort of liked it! The rice became a little old after a while, and I really just wanted the chewy gummy, but that's what makes it worth eating. There was also a free sticker inside of a Japanese child on top of a turtle's back.

The second candy pack I got was a pack containing a bunch of gum. There are four balls of gum in each Strawberry, Melon, Grape and Orange pack, and then one single piece for the other three special pieces. I have tried the Strawberry and Grape, which released their flavor too quickly and lasted about five minutes before tasting a little bland, however the Peach gum I tried was delicious and lasted much longer. All in all, I will be going back there again when I get the chance to buy this gum pack again. I also purchased Banana milk, however I haven't tried it yet.

What is your favorite oriental candy? Is there a candy you love that isn't sold where you live?

Lush "Haul" Review: Part 1

Okay, so this is "part one" because I haven't tried the bath bomb yet. I'm saving that baby until I buy more, haha~!

I did try the Honey I Washed the Kids Soap sample-cut a bit off as suggested by Melanie of Beauty and Bows-and I must admit that I am halfway okay with the soap. It smells *amazing* and *delicious* and wondrous, however it's very rough on the hands after washed off...Not too soft. Not too delightful. But hey, the smell's great, so that's a plus! I'll be buying more, regardless. Who cares if soap is rough, eh? Not me.

The second and last item I shall be reviewing is the famous Dream Creme. Oh my goodness, that stuff is heavenly. It is SO soft and goes on the skin well, and only a little bit at a time at that! My best friend used it for her eczema and the results were almost instant; it took away the red bumps, made her arms smooth, and stopped the itching a little bit. It really is a miracle worker. Not only does it help eczema, or dry skin, but I put it on my face last night over my normal, cheap-o acne creme, and it literally took away some of the acne. Okay, bear with me on this when I say that, but I will try it again for the next week and come back to say whether it seriously helps or not. If it does, it will literally be a gift sent down from Heaven. Also, the smell is delightfully cool and herbal, very nice in my opinion.

What is your favorite Lush product? Which product do you REALLY wish you could have?

Pretty Jewels, Pretty Finds

I was ecstatic to receive in the mail today a ring from Charlotte Russe. But not any ring..the same ring, albeit chunkier, like the one I lost in the airport!

This baby cost me $12.00 with shipping, which isn't too bad, but is quite a bit more than I paid for the replica of this from Claire's which I lost in the airport bathroom last month. My father actually found this online for me, and bless him because I'd been moaning and groaning over the loss of my other one. This, among other things, brightened up my day today.

My mom was going through her sterling silver jewelry today, and happened across a few bracelets she didn't want. These aren't sterling, but I still think they're cute and classic.

And finally, I found buttons today that looked gorgeous and classic as well! Aren't these beautiful? I don't know what I will use them for, but I know that more crafting is in store for the future!

Pardon my lazy blogging today. I will hopefully share more makeup related reviews tomorrow or later on this week.

What bracelet do you wear the most? Are you for gold or for silver?