Current Favorites

Hi Everyone!

Wow it has been tough to get back on track since returning from vacation. Once I get settled in with Grad School and my job and getting organized, I might try to migrate into a more concrete posting schedule, such as posting on Wednesdays and Sundays, or MWF, or whatever works best for my schedule.

I love blogging, and I am so thankful that my followers reach out and tell me that they enjoy my blogging. I think to switching to a more concrete posting schedule will help me stay accountable, and also allow you guys to know when to look for new posts.

Today, I'm going to round up my current favorite products. I usually do a monthly favorites post, but August got away from me, and it's too early for September favorites. I also am not going to take personal pictures of these items, my camera battery was dead when I went to start this post and I really wanted to get it up, so sorry for no real pictures!


1. Loreal Collection Privee - The Perfect Nudes Collection

This collection came out a month or so ago, and I love it so much. All four of those lipsticks up there look so different in color, and you might not consider them all a "nude" lipstick, but they are. This is the perfect nude collection and it is designed to find that perfect nude lip for all skin tones and undertones. I bought the color "Jennifer's Nude" which is the one on the far right, J Lo's perfect nude.

It works so well with my skin, and I love the creamy matte finish. I have been wearing it almost daily, as it truly is the perfect nude for my skin tone! 

2. Victorias Secret Eau So Sexy Body Spray

This is a newer scent to VS, and I am so obsessed. I lean toward body sprays more than perfumes, but I'm honestly considering purchasing the perfume in this scent. I prefer a lighter fragrance, and I don't really like having a heavy scent on all day, I'd much rather reapply a lighter fragrance. I have one bottle of this, and it is almost gone! They are only $10 for the body spray, since they don't last as long. I am going back to buy a few more so I can keep one in my car!  The notes in this fragrance are

Bergamot, paradise apple, and chantilly cream. yum. 

3. Essie Nail Polish in "Watermelon"

This has always been one of my favorite nail polish picks. My friend and I both applied this on our nails before we left for Hawaii and it held up so great. It is a really bold pink color, without being neon or too "little-girly". It is a very sophisticated hot pink, if that is even possible ;) 

4. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

When I returned from Hawaii, none of my makeup matched my skin. I got pretty dark, pretty quick. This was a great sign, since it also cleared up my skin amazingly! Since I've been back from Hawaii, I haven't worn foundation. I have just been dotting this concealer over any dark spots that I have, and blending it out, setting it with a light coverage powder, and then doing my blush and bronzer as normal. I really love this concealer, mine is almost empty, but I'm definitely going to repurchase it! I know they also have it in a brightener shade for under the eyes, I definitely need to try that.

5. Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner

I have been killing this shampoo and conditioner lately. I used an entire bottle on my own before my vacation, this is what we used on vacation, and I'm using it still after I return home!! I usually switch up my shampoo and conditioner with every purchase, so this is a pretty big deal for me. I love how soft this leaves my hair, I feel like I can get a really good wash with minimal product, and it smells amazing! It is a very natural coconut smell, so don't expect this to smell like a fruity pina colada, more like a true coconut milk smell, I love it so much. I would highly, and confidently, recommend ANY shampoo and conditioner from the Organix Line! 

Well there you have it, my current favorite products. Like I said earlier, I am hoping to get on a more scheduled way of doing things around here. I will for sure keep you updated on what I do end up deciding, but I think it will take a few weeks of Graduate School to see what I'm really getting myself into! Also, would you guys want any lifestyle posts about grad school? I had a thought of sharing my interview process and giving some tips for a graduate school interview? 

As always, thanks for reading

xoxo, Jaimie

Recently Read : Chapter Two

I got sent a free copy of this book by Birchbox in exchange for my review. As always, anything written on my blog is 100% my true opinion and beliefs.

Onto my second installment of my recently read books! I only have one book to share this time, because I have been SO busy. On top of all of that, I just got accepted into Graduate School, so my pleasure reading might take a hit. I will still make sure to review any books that I do finish though!


I recently read "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)" by Mindy Kaling.

It is a collection of short stories from the famous actress from The Office. I love Mindy Kaling, she is so hilarious. Since I have seen her as an actress, it is a little easier to breeze through this book while picturing her voice and personality shine through her writing.

Like I said, it is a collection of short stories, which makes it extremely easy to read it on the side. You can really set down the book whenever, and pick back up pretty smoothly. The whole book is hilarious, down to earth, and easy going. She talked a lot about her experiences before becoming a successful actress, which was really fun to read about. Often we see successful actors/actresses and assume that they just grew up famous and had it easy, that wasn't the case with Mindy. She shared her struggles, and the crappiest moments in her life, but then shared how it all worked out for her.

After reading this book, it made me laugh, smile, and love Mindy Kaling so much more! It was a little hard to finish just because of that short story concept. Right when I would get into what she was writing about, the topic would completely change into a completely different time in her life. I found myself putting this book down a lot because I was bored, but if you have extra time and need a good laugh, I highly recommend this!! :) 

What should I read next? I am lusting over "Big, Little Lies"! 

As always, thanks for reading

xoxo, Jaimie

Beauty Tools Worth The Splurge

There are some products that come out on the market that literally make my jaw drop when I see the price tag and I can never justify spending my hard earned money. There are also those same products that draw me in, cause me to spend the money, and I have never been happier to spend that stack of cash. Today I am going to round up some products that seem absurd to spend money on, but I have personally bought and LOVED. 

Please keep in mind that everyone views their money differently and I am not recommending that you go spend money on these products if you don't feel it is worth it, I'm simply sharing my thoughts and experiences. 

1. Clarisonic

The most important thing when it comes to applying makeup, is your skin. It is the base for your everyday life, and whether you are choosing to wear makeup, or go sans free, your skin is so important. I used to only use a makeup wipe to remove my makeup. Then I progressed into using a makeup wipe, and a facial cleanser. I thought I was absolutely cleaning my face as much as I could, and thought the Clarisonic might be a waste of money. I ... WAS ... WRONG

On a completely normal makeup day, with just foundation and powder, I will use a makeup wipe, and then cleanse with my clarisonic and be STUNNED with how much makeup and dirt was still trapped in my pores. When the Clarisonic is used consistently it has been extremely effective for me with clearing up my skin. I definitely notice that when I get off track with using mine, my skin will get clogged up. 

I also think it is important to note that if you decide to try out a Clarisonic, expect your skin to break out for a few weeks. This is a good sign, don't give up! A skin care specialist once explained to me that all the bacteria on your face is on a "conveyer belt" and the blemishes on your skin have really been underneath the skin for a few weeks getting ready to come to the surface. When you start to use the Clarisonic, you will be clearing up that conveyer belt, which is going to make those blemishes come to the surface. This is often referred as your skin "purging". 

The Clarisonic I have is the Clarisonic Mia 2. It runs for 1 minute, with four different pulses which indicate to move to a different section on your face (10 seconds on each cheek, 20 seconds on nose/chin, 20 seconds on forehead). You can also buy different brush heads for your Clarisonic, I use the one for sensitive skin because it is the softest. 

2. Beauty Blender

This isn't as expensive as the Clarisonic, coming in at $20. But when you really just look at it and see that it is a sponge, it seems a little ridiculous that it is $20. I have tried a few different sponges for applying foundation, and nothing compares to the Beauty Blender. I have purchased three of them over the years, but have never regretted my purchase. Whenever I decide to switch it up and apply my foundation with my hands, or a brush, I instantly grab my Beauty Blender and fix it. I feel like my makeup is just sitting on top of my face, and when I use the sponge, it really meshes with my skin and makes it look 10x more natural.

To use a Beauty Blender, you run it under water and it will double in size. You then ring it out in the sink so it is just left damp. I apply a pump of my foundation right onto the big end of the sponge, and then disperse it around my face making "bouncing" motions to really blend it IN to the skin. I use the pointed end of the sponge to apply my under eye concealer, it is great at getting in all of the small spots.

3. Makeup Brushes

The definition of "splurge" can mean different things for different people. With that being said, I think it is important to get good quality makeup brushes. I will link some sites down below that I have tried brushes from and have loved all of them. I will list them from cheapest to most expensive, but I would confidently recommend any of them. I believe there is a definite difference in your makeup when you use a good quality makeup brush. Especially when it comes to an eyeshadow blending brush, that is my absolute must have for good quality brushes. Blending out your eyeshadow is so important!!

1. Eco Tools (found at Target, Walmart, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens)

2. Makeup Geek

3. Real Techniques 

4. Sedona Lace (majority of my brushes are from this brand, they have great deals during holidays)

5. Sigma (if you're willing to spend, they have amazing sets that have everything you need)

4. Hot Tools

Good hot tools for your hair is very important. I love having healthy hair, and having good quality hair tools is just as important as my daily care to my hair. I mainly use a straightener, and a curling wand, and they are each a splurge, but could definitely be worse. Having good ceramic tools that disperse heat evenly, heat up quick, and stay nice over time, are essential.

My straightener is from GHD, it was actually a Christmas present from my boyfriend three years ago and still works like it is brand new! This is the model I have, and I would highly recommend it. They have cheaper models, and other brands definitely sell flat irons that are similar for a lower price. I can highly recommend this one though, it has held up with daily use and lots of traveling for three years! 

For curling wands, I use a set I got from Nume about three years ago as well. The set I bought came with four different size wands that all attach to the same base, and I absolutely love it! I feel the same on a curling wand, it is important to have a nice ceramic wand (or iron) that will distribute heat evenly, warm up quick, and stay high quality over time. This is the set I have. 

The OCD person in me really wishes that I could make this post 5 items, but this is all I can come up with, without straying from what I truly believe! I am completely comfortable splurging on items, because trying out new products is so fun and exciting for me, but at the same time I make sure I have read a lot of review from bloggers I trust before swiping that card. I definitely have other items in my stash that I have splurged on, but these four right here I could recommend to anybody and truly say that it is worth your time and money to invest in these items (if you are comfortable with it ;) ). 

As always, thanks for reading

xoxo, Jaimie :) 

Maui, Hawaii - September 2014

As some of you may know, I just got back from vacation! I went to Maui with my best friend and her family for a week. We stayed in Napili, Maui and it honestly was such an amazing, relaxing week! I still have a lot to catch up with at home with my Etsy shop, work, laundry, and the blog so I figured today I would just round up my vacation and share some photos with you all. I would love to have all of my vacation summarized in one place, and if any of you are interested, here you go ;)

Saturday September 6th

We flew out of Seattle, Washington at 10:00 on a Saturday. We were up super early to head to the airport, drop the car off, and get ready for our flight to Hawaii. We flew on Hawaiin Airlines, and I would highly recommend it to anybody traveling to Hawaii. It really added to the experience having that Hawaiin music playing on the plane, can't really explain why, but it was fun! Each seat thankfully had a screen in the head rest so you could buy movies to pass the time. My friend Karli and I watched "The Other Woman" on the way there, it is so funny!

We arrived in Maui at 12:00pm (Hawaiin Time), so we still had plenty of time to enjoy our day. After getting our rental cars, and groceries for the week, we immediately hit up the beach. Like I said earlier, we stayed in Napili, and Napili Bay was literally right outside our condo, so it was so nice to be able to walk to the beach. It was so beautiful, we couldn't stop saying "is this real!?".

After we swam in the ocean for a while, we took a dip in the pool and then got ready for dinner. We ate at The Hula Grill, which was really good! It was right on the ocean, with a live band and we got a front row seat to watch our first sunset. 

Sunday, September 7th 

Sunday was such a fun day for us. We didn't do anything extravagant, but it turned out amazing! We started off the day getting coffee from a little coffee shop called "The Coffee Store" in Napili. We then hung out at our beach, Napili Bay, and then we went and rented snorkel gear and boogie boards from Boss Frogs. We went to D.T. Flemming Beach and tried boogie boarding. The waves weren't that great, so we didn't get to truly boogie board, but it was a great beach to hang out at! We went back home and had dinner at our condo and then went to downtown Lahaina for the night.

*this is a cool tree downtown Lahaina that is one tree that is all connected, all of these trunks and branches intertwine together and it's really cool! I think it was called the Banyon Tree.

Monday, September 8th

Monday, Karli and I woke up pretty early, and immediately saw purple and orange shining through our window. We shot out of bed and ran outside to catch the remainder of the sunrise. It was so gorgeous, I can proudly say #nofilter on all of my pictures! We then took a nice walk to the coffee store again, and then hung out at our beach for the morning.

Part of our group went and explored the Venus Pools, and a Blow Hole that were nearby Napili. I stayed back and took a nap because I felt pretty exhausted this day. I was extremely sunburnt from the day before and I think it was finally catching up to me. I am bummed I missed out on the venus pools, but I definitely needed that nap! After they got back, we again just hung out at our pool and our beach for the day! We had a big day planned for Tuesday so just had a relaxing night at home.

Tuesday, September 9th 

Tuesday, we went snorkeling! It was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever done! We snorkeled at Molokini Crater, which is in the middle of the ocean, and we took a charter boat over there (approx. an hour boat ride), and then got right in the water! It was so crazy to look down and perfectly see so many different types of marine life right below you. I saw an octopus, and eel, and SO many different, beautiful fish. I really wish I would have brought my boyfriend's GoPro camera, because I could never describe how pretty it was on the ocean floor!

It was about a 5 hour trip, and we visited two different snorkeling locations. If you are planning a trip to Maui and considering a Molokini Crater Snorkel Tour, I HIGHLY recommend taking some motion sickness pills (I took Dramamine). Even if you don't think you will get sea sick, it won't hurt you to take something. About half of our boat was sea sick the entire trip and never even got to get in the water to snorkel.

After snorkeling, we took some naps, and then went out to dinner at Bubba Gumps! We caught the most amazing sunset right outside our dinner window, and had an equally amazing dinner. It was such a fun restaurant, with trivia, fun drinks, and a great atmosphere!

Wednesday, September 10th

We had an amazing breakfast at The Gazebo in Napili. It has a huge line before the place even opens, it was so good! I forgot to take any pictures there, but I had white chocolate chip pancakes (they are famous for their banana macadamia nut pancakes). 

After breakfast, we went rock jumping at a place that the locals call "The Cliff House". It was again, walking distance from our condo which was really nice. I am a little baby, so I didn't jump off the rocks but I sat in the water giving everyone floaties once they jumped, I was the official Noodle Girl :) 

We then went back to D.T. Flemming Beach to try boogie boarding again since the previous time we went wasn't the greatest waves. We had great waves for boogie boarding! It was my first time trying it and it was extremely fun. We hung out there for the afternoon, went home and had fish tacos, and then went to downtown Lahaina to do some shopping.

Thursday, September 11th 

We took a little trip to Honolua Bay to go snorkeling. You had to take a beautiful walk through this canopy of trees, which was such a site to see. A local who owns the property recommending us not snorkeling, because the water was murky, and murky water can sometimes mean sharks will be around, so we decided not to snorkel. We took a walk completely through the trees to see the water, but then turned right back around to head to a different beach. 

We ended up going to a bay right outside Napili Point and ended up swimming with SO many sea turtles. This is referred to as Turtle Bay in Napili, and I can see why. We saw so many turtles, both above the water and below. Snorkeling is truly one of the coolest things because you can see all of these animals in their natural habitat. It was so amazing swimming right alongside a huge sea turtle, seeing how they back themselves up into their homes underwater, and seeing how they come up for air. I officially am a sea turtle lover! 

 After snorkeling at Turtle Bay, we took the drive (about an hour) to Big Beach. Big Beach is a famous beach on Maui known for its huge waves. It was extremely cloudy on our way there, but actually turned out to be a beautiful day. We hung out at this beach all afternoon, and I people-watched for hours. So many people try so many crazy things out in the waves, and I just sat back and watched!

 After Big Beach, we went downtown Lahaina again and ate at Cheeseburger in Paradise. There was a live singer, and an awesome atmosphere again. Great food too, I would highly recommend it!

Friday, September 12th

We woke up to go grab our coffee for the day, and ended up running into an extremely nice guy Jesse who let us take pictures with his parrot, Apache! It was so cool!

Our group took the trip to do The Road to Hana on Friday, but Karli and I stayed at our condo. We really wanted to stay by the beach on our last day, and not in the backseat of a car. Our group said that the road to Hana was gorgeous, but it truly took their entire day to do the trip. Karli and I didn't have a rental car, so we were limited on what we could do. 

We hung out at our pool for a while, then went to our beach. We went to a restaurant called The Sea House which was right on our beach for happy hour. After that, we went back to the pool to soak up the last bit of sun that was left of our vacation. We took our beach chairs down to the beach to watch our last sunset, which are always BREATHTAKING. 

We initially planned on meeting with our group for dinner, but they were gone later than expected. We didn't have many restaurant options so we walked down the road to a place called Iron Imu. It was southern BBQ food, and it was actually really good! 

Saturday, September 13th

We went home this day... :( I still don't want to talk about it... 

Overall, this was an AMAZING vacation. So relaxing, but equally fun and exciting! I loved going with my best friend, we made so many fun memories! I will always remember this vacation, if you have any questions about my vacation that I didn't cover here feel free to leave them down below in the comments. I will be back to normal beauty posts after this ; ) Thanks for sticking with me.

As always, thanks for reading

xoxo, Jaimie :) 

VACATION!!!

Happy Friday to all of my amazing readers!

I just wanted to get a quick post up to let you all know that I am heading out tomorrow for Vacation! I'm heading to Maui tomorrow and won't return until Saturday, September 13th. This will mean no new blog posts for the week. Hopefully this doesn't disappoint anybody too much, but it will be nice to have a break from reality for a week ;)

I wan't to give you all a little teaser of what to expect when I return.
- All about my trip to Maui
- August Favorites
- August Bulu Box (health and fitness subscription box)
- Ipsy vs. Birchbox for September
- Book Review (2!!)
- Skin Care Essentials



Can't wait to return to my little corner on the web, but also extremely excited for 7 days in the sun with my best friend!

Talk to you all soon,
xoxo, Jaimie :)

How To Repurpose Candle Jars from Bath and Body Works

Hey everyone! So if you have caught any bit of drift from this blog, you probably know that I'm obsessed with candles, specifically, Bath and Body Works candles. They burn for a decent amount of time, the smells are so strong and accurate to the description, and they are always coming out with new scents and collections! The jars that the candles come in are really big and they are AMAZING once cleaned out, you can repurpose them for multiple things. The candles leave about a half inch of wax at the bottom, so today I'm going to show you how to clean that wax out and make your candle jar clean and ready for repurposing!

There are multiple ways you can do this, but I believe this is the easiest way!

Oh, and let's just look past the chipped nail polish in this blog post, I'm not proud...

STEP ONE:
Put your candle in the freezer. I let mine sit in the freezer overnight, but it really only needs 4 hours or so. I put my candle inside a large ziplock baggie so that it didn't smell up my freezer, but I don't believe it would have anyway.

STEP TWO:
Once your candle is out of the freezer, you need to get a good work space on the counter and a butter knife. You will want to create a few "stabs" in the wax, it takes a good push since the wax is frozen, but just make sure your candle is on a flat surface and you are holding onto it firmly with the other hand.

After a few stabs, you should see that the wax starts breaking apart into pieces on it's own. To ensure that my wax was breaking apart, I would insert my butter knife, and twist it a little to crack the wax. After you have created a few cracks in the wax, it will be able to be picked up with your fingers and removed with no problem! 

STEP THREE:
Once you have removed all of the wax, you will be left with an empty candle jar (maybe a little wax residue left over), and the labels.

The front label (of a Bath and Body Works candle), should peel off with no problem. The bottom label is a little harder to get off, so start by just peeling whatever peels off on it's own.

STEP FOUR:
After you have removed as much of the label as you can, make your way over to your nearest sink. You want to use warm water, but be cautious that hot water on frozen glass can often bust glass. It doesn't need to be boiling hot, and your candle should have warmed up a bit by now, but be cautious. Run your candle under the warm water, and you can either peel off the remaining with your fingers, or use your butter knife to gently scrape the remaining label off.

If you are still left with some sticky residue after this step, then you can go in with a cotton ball and some nail polish remover, or vinegar. Either of those will remove the remaining sticky residue with no problem! After all of your label is completely removed, and the sticky residue is gone, feel free to give your jar a good wash with warm water and soap!

STEP FIVE:
Repurpose! That's it, you're done! You can lay your jar out to dry, or hand dry it with a towel and it is immediately ready to repurpose it. The possibilities are endless, they make really great makeup brush holders, organization for the bathroom (q tips, cotton balls), toothbrush holder, and so much more! I am actually using mine to hold my favorite lip products that often get lost in my makeup drawers and I'd like them to have their own special spot.

Wondering what the black stripes on mine are? My mom has an Etsy Shop where she makes Vinyl wedding signs and decals, so she made me two quick black stripes to help mine match my bedroom. You can decorate it with glitter, paint, stickers, or just leave it clear!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, I enjoyed writing it!

As always, thanks for reading
xoxo, Jaimie