Kleancolor 12 Color Eyeshadow Palette Review

In my recent Cherry Culture haul I purchased a Kleancolor 12 color palette in number 123 for only $4.



In contrast to my last review on the Amuse Metallic Palette, I was really quite surprised with this palette.


The shadows themselves are small, but you don't need a lot of swipes to get a surprisingly good color pay off. I especially loved the three brown shades on the left, as well as the vibrant blue in the third column. My swatches (I'm sorry for the super blurry pic and super pale hand!) were taken with out a base and were two swipes. I can't wait to do a look with this palette. I'm thinking maybe a brown and aqua eye (to match my bedroom). I definitely plan on purchasing the other Kleancolor palettes.

MiNtY mOnEy

Being broke is not fabulous. In fact, it is the opposite of fabulous. In this stressful economic time, it seems that our paychecks just don't go as far as they used to.

For young women (and men) out there, it's so important to stay on track with your finances. If you spiral out of control for just one month, you can be paying for that for years to come.

There are so many resources online to help you budget and keep track of your spending. One of my new favorite sites is Mint. You link all of your accounts to this secure website (no identity theft here) and it keeps track of your spending at any given time. It even breaks your spending down into pie charts (I spent THAT much on meals?).

This great tool can show you where some of your financial "leaks" here and help you to plug them up! The site also has budgeting advice, and advice on loans (home, school, car, etc.)

Another fabulous online tool that I love is ING Direct. I opened up an ING savings account almost a year ago and it's amazing the interest I've all ready attained. It's so simple to set up. You link to an existing checking or savings account and set up automatic withdrawls. I have money taken out of my account automatically each pay day, so I don't even realize it's gone. When you're ready to spend the money, just transfer it into your linked checking account. Voila! You never have to fill out a deposit slip or run to the ATM.

I know this wasn' the most interesting of posts, but we can't be fabulously thrifty without some money in the first place!

Amuse Metallic Eyeshadow Review

In my first Cherry Culture haul I purchased the Amuse Metallic Eyeshadow Palette in Midnight Lace. It was only $3.00 and I liked the colors, as well as the pretty lace pattern on the eyshadows.





Well, this is a definitely a case of where you get for what you paid for. I'll go color by color.
The first color (pinkish?): No color pay off at all! This was simply the sparkles and shimmer. It looks so vibrant in the palette and then nothing, and I swiped quite a bit.
Second color (blue): This was definitely the most pigmented of the bunch. It would be nice for a soft wash of color. The blue wasn't true to the color in the palette, but it was still kinda pretty.
Third color (silver): This also had close to zero pigmentation with several swipes. The shimmer this one gave off was pretty though. If you want to make a matte color, shimmery, this would probably do the job.
Fourth color (green): This also had decent pigmentation, but again nothing to write home about!
Fifth color (black): This color had good pigmentation for a soft smokey eye look.


All in all, I got what I expected out of this palette. Remember, it's not a bargain if you don't need it, or if it doesn't work!

Home Gym-Part 2

Ok, here's another work out dvd review. My home gym series won't only consist of dvd's, but since that's a huge part of my home gym, it's going to focus on these babies.

I have puhlenttyy of guilty pleasures when it comes to tv. If there's a chick-esque show on tv, chances are I watch and I dig it. One of my favoorite guilty pleasures is the "The Girls Next Door." I know, it's terrible, but it's terrible in a delicious sort of way.

Even though the Girls Next Door are now done and Hef has new gf's (have u seen them? YuKkA), Bridget, Kendra and Holly will always hold a special place in my heart.

Where is this all going and how do this deal with excercise? I'll tell you. I actually purchased the Girls Next Door work out dvd. It's a series of three 15-minute excercise segments, each one being hosted by one of the gals.
Here's the DVD's offical description:
Grab your towels and your hottest T's and shorts because The Girls Next Door are going to make you sweat! The Playboy Mansion is home to Holly Bridget and Kendra but today it's the location for your private training session with Hef's one and only Three. Whether it's Kendra's Hot Hip-Hop Romp the more demanding Bridget's Boot Camp Challenge or the sheer fun of Holly's Sexy Silhouette Shape Up you'll find each one equally exhilarating!



Now, this dvd will not get you a playboy body, but it is good if you're in a bit of a time crunch.

The dvd starts with Holly (she has to be first you know) and she does a quick toning work out using dumbbells and one of those big excercise ballie things. This isn't a good cardio work out at all, but it is great if you need a quick toning excercise. It focuses on the upper body and abs. I've incorporated some of the moves into my normal, every day work out.

Second is my personal fave, Bridget. She does a sort of "Bunny Boot Camp". This is a bit more intense and actually does work up a bit of a sweat. I do this at the end of a normal cardio work out, because I seriously feel it working in my legs. If I only have time to squeeze in a 15 minute work out overall, this one is highly reccomended.

Third is of course, Kendra. She's in KILLER shape, but her work out portion falls a bit flat for me. The first couple minutes is just her dancing. Am I supposed to dance with her or like her, or what? She finishes out the work out with some martial arts moves. Again, gets my heart rate going a bit, but I didn't need someone to show me how to do these moves. I watched the power rangers, I know what's going on.

Overall, this dvd is decent. It's not going to blast you into shape, but would be great if you only had a couple minutes to pop in a dvd and do a quick work out. However, this dvd alone will not get you Kendra's bod. Sorry!

NYX Pencils Review

My recent Cherry Culture haul (see the post I made about 2 seconds ago!) included two NYX eye pencils. The first being an eyeshadow pencil in purple and the second being a dual ended liner in black and silver glitter.



I was really impressed with the consistency and the color pay off for the purple pencil. It was a creamy consistency that glided on very easily. This could be a fun, funky liner (it is on the thick side, no tiny detail lining with this baby) or a great base for a deep purple look. I chose the purple, because I'm looking to do some vibrant looks as my normal style is a bit on the bland side.

I also liked the dual ended liner. The black is again thicker than your average liner, but this also makes a bit easier to use for newbies such as myself. The black also glided on very easily and the color pay off wasn't chalky at all. The silver did tug a bit, but I guess that was due to the glitter.



Price:
Eyeshadow pencil: $3.00
Dual ended liner: $4.00

Would I buy again:
Definitely! In fact, I plan on buying several more of the eyeshadow pencils quite soon!

Shopping Weekend Galore

This past week I thought I would do my part to help boost the economy by spending some hard earned cash. I don't want you all to think this is my regular shopping habits. I shop (as in actually purchasing items, and not just window shopping) maybe once a month, or once every other month. I've chosen to live at home for a bit longer to save money for my future, not splurge every other paycheck on clothing and stuff.

However, between working full time, classes and homework at night, as well as studying for my next state certification exam, I decided to splurge a bit. However, all of the items you are about to see added up to less than $120!! WooHoO.

First, I finally received my Cherry Culture haul. I've read a lot of complaints about Cherry Culture being slow in terms of delivery. My order was completed within a day, but than it got stuck at the post office in California for over a week and a half!

They have so many fun brands that I've never heard of, and most importantly they are super cheap! I was also able to order my first NYX products!
I ordered:
Amuse Metallic Eyeshadow palette in midnight lace
Amuse Sweetheart eyeshadow palette in blue sky
Amuse Tinted Lip Plumping in deep nude
Kleancolor 12 Color Eyeshadow Palette
NYX Concealer Magic Wand in fair
NYX Double Sided Eye Pencil in black and silver glitter
NYX Eyeshadow Trio in aquamarine
NYX Girls Round Lipgloss in cafe latte
NYX Girls Round Lipgloss in apricot
NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in purple
NYX Round Lipstick in frosted flakes
NYX Single Eyeshadow in apricot moose
...And finally two Starry Eyeshadow Kits (BOGO free, how could I resist?)

All of this comes to the grand total of: $40.50 (with free shipping!!)
(I will be doing a review of all the products starting with the two NYX eye pencils)





Next was my Target/Walmart run. I loove the Tar-jay! They not only have the cutest housewares and stationary, but the cutest clothes. I was good and the only thing I picked up were these adorable pajama shorts. It's all ready getting a bit chilly around here, but my landlords have the heat pumping constantly, so these are perfect for me! Best part- they were 75% off and only $1.75 each!
Grand total: $3.50


At Wal-Mart I bought this basic grey tee. Perfect for working out or for wearing under a sweater.
Grand total: $3.00


Finally, my boyfriend and I finished off the week by going to the mall and the outlets by us, Woodbury Commons.

I was really in the need for some basic camis to wear under some of my work shirts, but the bra top ones make the girls not work appropriate. I was so happy when I stumbled upon these basic camis from Forever 21 for $2.50 each! After seeing how they wash up, I plan on stocking up on a few more.
Grand total: $7.50


The outlets were PACKED, and sometimes it's hard to shop in situations like that, but I got through it.

In Banana Republic I bought three work shirts, all on clearance I might add. Oh, and did I mention there was an additional 30% off clearance? I love outlets!
First shirt:


I looved this shirt at first sight. It's a soft aqua, with an empire waist and tie wrap. It's forgiving in the stomach region, but also cute because it plays up the bust area. Throw on a white cami underneath (like I'm wearing at work today!) and instant chicness.
Cost: $11.99 with 30% off=$8.39

Second Shirt:


This is a cream shirt with a beige-ish rose outline pattern on it. Usually, I don't like patterns, but I liked the subtlety of this. There's a slight puff to the sleeve, and this is definitely another work option.
Cost: $21.99 with 30% off-$15.40

Third Shirt:


This shirt is a sleeveless shirt and would look perfect under a blazer for work. Again, I'm usually terrified of patterns, but I guess my fashion horizon is expanding!
Cost: $21.99 with 30% off-$15.40

FINALLY, I made my first Cosmetics Company Outlet purchase, as well as my first Mac purchase. Their prices compared to Mac are pretty good. I bought two blushes for $10.25 each! I figured since the new limited edition Revlon blushes are $12, I could justify this Mac purchase.


The first blush is a beauty powder blush (I honestly don't know the difference between that and a regular blush) and is in a color called shy beauty. I didn't notice how shimmery it was until I took out in the light, but I still like it. It's a coral color, and blends into my skin for a natural kind of peachy glow.
The second blush I bought was emote. This color is famous for it's contouring powers. Since contouring was a skill I definitely want to work on, I thought this was the perfect time purchase it!
Total: $20.50

S0o0o, my grand total for my shopping week was: $114.19!!
Not too shabby!

Now We're CoOkiN

I LoVe cookbooks. They are one of my favorite books to just spend time browsing through. Though I currently have the domestic talents of Jessica Simpson, I hope and pray that I will turn into a Martha-Stewart type domestic goddess.

Ok, back to cookbooks. Cookbooks can get pretty expensive, but why spend all of that cash when there is a multitude of free,amazing recipes you can get online??

My favorite "online cookbook" is Hungry Girl. Hungry Girl is the anti-diet, diet website. The lovely ladies at Hungry Girl transform our fave, bad for us recipes (hot wings and nachos?) into delicious recipes that won't put us into early Mom jeans. Sign up for their daily emails and get the most delicious recipes sent to you Monday-Friday. The emails also contain product reviews and diet tips. I LoOoVe this site!

Another great online resource for recipes is Food Network's site. This site has an amazing array of recipes for every ingredient, occasion or time frame. Most of the recipes that you see on your fave food network shows (you know you watch it!) can be found on-line. There's no need to run out and buy Rachel's new book, when you can find a ton of her 30 minute meals online! This site also has a feature called "My Recipe Box" you can "store" your fave recipes and have them all available at the click of a mouse!

Finally, my third most visited recipe site is All Recipes . This site has recipes organized by type, ingredient, diet, budget, etc. It also has a recipe box feature which is fantastic. These recipes are submitted from people around the world. I never know where to start when I visit this site, so I signed up for the recipe of the day . Every day I have another delicious recipe waiting in my inbox.

Happy Cooking!