Louis Vuitton Artsy MM Monogram Review

The Louis Vuitton Artsy MM is a beautiful bag and I have recently purchased it. I thought it might be helpful to do a quick review. A few reasons why I chose this bag over the others: 1) I don't see it often 2) Lovely braided handle 3) Gorgeous shape 4) Good size for an everyday work bag. Only con - PATINA! The handle will darken with time, but I think this bag looks lovely with a darker handle. The great thing about monogram is that it goes with virtually any outfit. Here I am wearing it with a navy suit:

The bag is large, and it does look awkward when trying it on with nothing inside. I think this is why I have passed on it so many times in the Louis Vuitton store. With my few items inside, the really sits nicely on the side of the body. Here are some more photos:

The inside of the bag is what really sold me. SIX pockets and one large zippered pocket. I usually put my iPhones (one work and one personal) in the pockets and then put my keys in the zippered pocket. It also has a D-ring so I can attach my Louis Vuitton mini pochette (check out my mini pochette review HERE) there for added security. Apart from the organized interior, the bag comes with a gorgeous bag charm/key ring that hangs on the bag. You could attach keys or anything else on this and let it hang outside of the bag for decoration. A gorgeous bag - highly recommend.

Huge Forever 21 Haul August 2014!

This past quarter-end was a stressful one and I decided to treat myself to a little shopping spree at Forever 21. In the past, shopping at Forever 21 has been very hit or miss. Some items I have from the store have lasted years while others have fallen apart after just a few wears. Since I have so many work clothes I decided to buy some really fun and colorful clothes for going out and my upcoming vacation to Oahu.

My haul consists of:

Three bandage style skirts:

Pink: $6.80 size Medium Buy it From Forever 21!
Leopard: $7.80 size Medium Buy it From Forever 21!
Neon Yellow: $6.80 size Medium Buy it From Forever 21!

Two Crop Tops (One White & One Black) & Two Camis:

Black: $7.80 size Large (wear a 34C for reference) cannot find on the website anymore - sorry!
White: $5.80 size Large cannot find on the website anymore - sorry!
Pink & Neon Yellow Tanks: $3.80 size Medium (wear these with a sports bra to work out) Buy them from Forever 21!

One cute dress for summer:

Size Large: $6.99 ON SALE! Buy it from Forever 21!

One flirty skirt - thought this would be great for the holidays with some tights and boots :)

Size XS: $10.80 cannot find on the website anymore - sorry!

Two ADORABLE cosmetic pouches and one large shopper:

Pineapple Cosmetic Pouch: $6.80 Buy from Forever 21!
Floral Print Cosmetic Pouch: $5.80 cannot find on the website anymore - sorry!
Leopard Print Shopper: $2.80 Buy it From Forever 21!

Air Optix Colors Review for Brown Eyes

In my previous post, I went over the different color contacts I tried from the Freshlook Colorblends line. As I mentioned in that post, the colors are very pretty but they feel very uncomfortable on the eyes. I could hardly keep them in my eyes for more than five minutes. My optometrist recommended I try a new line of color contacts called the Air Optix Colors. I tried them in Blue, Gemstone Green, Green and Gray. Overall these contacts are extremely comfortable and are comparable to my normal clear everyday contacts. My optometrist said they are very breathable and are better than the Freshlook Colorblends. The diameter of these is 14.2 so it is the same as my regular clear contacts. As mentioned in my previous post the Freshlook Colorblends have a 14.5 diameter and they felt very uncomfortable on me. Here is a photo of my eye without any contacts:

Here are the four colors I tried:

My Thoughts:

Blue: This is such a natural blue that really looks gorgeous on brown eyes. I took my photos in natural light so the color actually appears more natural indoors.

Gemstone Green: My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! I ended up ordered a box of these because they are absolutely stunning. They stand out enough but when I wore them it actually looked like my real eye color was green. I think these are the most beautiful of all the ones I tried.

Gray: My second favorite are the gray. These look like the color of a wolf's eye and are incredibly fierce. Would highly recommend if you want a lighter blue color.

Green: The green are very natural and somewhat un-noticeable. I wouldn't really recommend these if you have brown eyes. Having said that, if you had lighter eyes these would probably stand out more and look really pretty.

You can try on the colors virtually here: Air Optix Website
Purchase your Air Optix from 1-800-Contacts!

Freshlook Colorblends Review for Brown Eyes

I recently became interested in color contacts and found it EXTREMELY difficult to find photos / videos of different colors on brown eyes. My optometrist gave me several colors in the popular Freshlook Colorblends contact lenses. I tried: True Sapphire, Green, Sea Green (Freshlook Dimensions) and Gray. This is the natural color of my eyes (no contacts):

Here are some pictures of me wearing the four colors given to me to sample:

My thoughts:
Gray: This is a very beautiful color that stands out without looking too un-natural. It almost appears to be light blue at first glance but blends surprisingly well with my brown eyes.
Green: Very subtle green tint. Definitely not very noticeable on the eyes. If you just want a tint of color, this would be the one for you.
Sea Green: This is one of the Freshlook Dimensions lenses. Sea Green is even less noticeable on the eye than the previous Green color. Wouldn't really recommend these, as I can hardly tell I am wearing colored contacts when these are in.
True Sapphire: These are by far the most beautiful in my opinion. If you want noticeably colored and gorgeous eyes I would really recommend trying these on. I am pretty tan (NC37) and have black hair and these still do not make me look outrageous.
Comfort Level: I must say that although these lenses are pretty they are very uncomfortable on the eye. My usual contact lenses have a diameter of 14.2 and these only come in 14.5 so they feel too large. I ended up purchasing the Air Optix Color Contacts instead. Please refer to my newest blog post to see more details!
Purchase Freshlook Colorblends from 1-800-Contacts.com!

Louis Vuitton Alma BB Lilas: Review & What Fits Inside

After months and months of contemplating and saving, I finally purchased the Louis Vuitton Alma BB in the Lilas color. This color is limited edition and the sales associate told me that there are only 37 left in the US (36 after I purchased). It is completely sold out on the online website so I would recommend calling them to see if they can mail it to you. Here is a link to the bag on the Louis Vuitton Website: Alma BB Lilas! This is such a beautiful bag and I have seen nothing like it from any other designer. The mini bag trend is one that I actually like, as I do not carry much in my purses and feel big bags don't look as nice on me (I am 5' 4" for reference). The Alma BB comes with a shoulder strap which allows you to wear it as a should bag or cross body. The strap is 44" long and the length is perfect for me (if you are short, fear not, it works!). The hardware is shiny gold and it comes with a lock and keys as shown in the photos below. The inside just has one small pocket that would fit cash / cards nicely. Although the bag is small it does hold more than expected. Here are some photos for reference:

What fits inside:

1. iPhone 5s
2. Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette
3. Small makeup / cosmetic pouch
4. Hello Kitty coin purse

If you love this bag as much as I do, and you want it in Lilas, act now! There are not that many left! Thanks for reading :) xoxo!

Revlon Frost & Glow Honey Highlighting Kit Review (On My Black Hair)

I used to get my hair highlighted regularly. Because my hair was very long at the time, it would cost around $125 and I would have to get it re-touched every 6 - 8 weeks. This became very expensive and I ended up dying all of my hair black (natural color) after a few years. My hair has been its natural color for about three years now. Since it's getting to be quite hot where I live, I decided to do something different for summer - highlight my hair at home! I used to do this in high school and it is really fun to do it at home.

After reading some great reviews online, I decided to try the Revlon Frost & Glow Honey Highlighting Kit. The kit is very reasonable. You can purchase it at most drugstores (I got mine from CVS for around $12 but Walmart sells it for much less) and the results were fantastic. I found it hard to find a highlighting kit that works well on black or dark brown hair. This is what the box looks like:

The back of the box looks like this:

The top of the box shows a preview of the results (if you have light or medium brown hair):

It comes with highlighting powder, cream developer, after-highlighting moisturizing shampoo, after-highlighting moisturizing conditioner, highlighting cap, over cap, applicator spatula, create-a-look hook, mixing bowl, protective gloves and instructions:

I followed the directions and kept the product in my hair for 20 minutes. This created a gorgeous bronze color. Here are some before and after photos:
Before:

After (yellow-light):

After (natural light):

If you are thinking about highlighting your hair at home, give this one a try! It works for medium brown hair as well!

Ebay Lashes Review

I recently purchased some lashes on eBay and wanted to share my thoughts. A little background: I wear false lashes on the rare occasion that I am going out to a bar or club. Typically, I would buy the single pairs from CVS for about $7.99 (Ardell) and re-use them (maybe get three uses out of each pair). These lashes cost a total of $6.38 for TWENTY PAIRS OF LASHES! Style 216 was $1.99 and style 156 was $4.39. Shipping was free and it only took 7 business days to arrive from Hong Kong. Talk about a steal. Below are some photos of the lashes. The styles I ordered were: 156 and 216. Purchase Style 216 from eBay.com! Purchase Style 156 from eBay.com!

Style 156:

Sytle 216:

Overall, I give these lashes a thumbs up! I will be purchasing more soon!

My Favorite Drugstore Nude Lipsticks for Tan Skin Tones

Whenever I tried buying nude lipsticks at the drugstore, they would always look too light against my tan skin. I recently found a few beautiful nude lipsticks that are inexpensive and thought I might share! For reference, I am a MAC NC40/NC37.

Swatches from left to right: Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick Delish 255, Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick Totally Toffee 215, Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick Nearly There 205, Maybelline Colorsensational Pearls Lipstick Luminous Lilac 715

Here are the lipstick swatches on my lips:

Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick Delish 255:

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick Totally Toffee 215:

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick Nearly There 205:

Maybelline Colorsensational Pearls Lipstick Luminous Lilac 715:

My Thoughts:

Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick Delish 255
This is a gorgeous peachy color that works so well with tan skin tones. I purchased this from Amazon.com for $2.97 with free shipping! What a great price for such an amazing color.

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick Totally Toffee 215
Another great nude with a subtle pink undertone. I love the Maybelline Colorsensational lipsticks because their formula is so long lasting. This is one of the more creamy shades with minimal shimmer. Purchase it from Amazon.com!

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick Nearly There 205
Nearly There is the perfect everyday lip color in my opinion. It is subtle but the golden shimmer in it gives a very elegant look. Purchase it from Amazon.com!

Maybelline Colorsensational Pearls Lipstick Luminous Lilac 715
As you can see in my above photo, I use this lipstick quite often. I wear this lipstick when I have a dramatic eye or for everyday wear. It is a pink toned nude and really compliments tan skin tones. The shimmer gives the appearance of bigger lips. Purchase it from Amazon.com!

What are your favorite nude lipsticks? Please comment below, I would love to know :) xoxo

Sedu Pro Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron Review

This is a review on the Sedu Pro Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron (1 1/2"). As shown in my previous post, I have been incredibly happy with my other Sedu purchase (Check out my Sedu Blow Dryer Post) so when it was time to purchase a new flat iron, I was happy to find that the flat iron from Sedu was even more popular and well reviewed than the blow dryer. I purchased it from Folica.com. The retail price is: $129.99 but there are always coupon codes that can be found on the Retail Me Not Website for 20 - 30% off. I found a coupon for 30% off and purchased the straightener for about $100.00 (before tax).
Here are some photos of the box and flat iron:

The box includes the straightener and a heat resistant carrying pouch. I find the pouch to be particularly useful when I travel. If I finish straightening my hair and need to pack up my things, I can just toss it in the pouch and put it in my suitcase without worry that it will burn my clothes. The straightener has several heat settings (250, 280, 320, 360 and 410 degrees fahrenheit) and heats up within 30 seconds:

It also makes my hair look very shiny and healthy after I am done straightening. I show before (blow dried hair) and after (straightened) photos below along with the time it took me to straighten all of my hair layer by layer:

Save time and buy this Sedu Straightener!
Purchase it from Folica.com!