My Ulta Haul motto

Vintage tee / Zara Shorts / Birkenstocks

My shirt says ‘Go for it’ which is exactly my attitude towards Ulta Hauls. Hahahah. I will gladly walk out with half of the store. I got a lot but the lady shoved it into the smallest bag like doesn’t she know the big bags make for better photos!?! PS if you look closely you can see all the swatches on my hand. Am I the only one?!

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Batiste Dry Shampoo in Bare. My 20th can, I use this stuff day and night. This scent smells like high end perfume! I am obsessed.

Clinique Take off the Day makeup remover. HOLY MOLY. Since using the waterproof L’oreal mascara, I’ve never been able to fully remove it from my lashes! I’ve tried washes, wipes and makeup remover. This stuff finally did the job! Its INSANELY good. A little goes a long way and I 10/10 recommend it.

Dry Bar Triple Sec. I started using this again after I cut my hair and I love it for a beachy texture with my shorter hair. I love that it doesn’t make your hair feel sticky or tangled. Since its Drybar it smells dreamy and it works as a texture spray/dry shampoo/hair refresher! I use the Batiste solely as my dry shampoo for greasy roots and then this more so for texture, refresher and scent.

It’s a 10 miracle leave in. I love leave in sprays and I have heard nothing but good things about this so I’m excited to try!

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. I love using an eyeshadow pot because it’s stays put, is easy and is done with the swipe of a finger. I have the Revlon version so I wanted to compare it to this one! I really like a subtle smokey eye and I think this will be perfect and easy for the day!

NYX Plush Lip. I saw this on instagram and it’s basically a glossy lipstick and I’m always on the hunt for an easy gloss. The color is a nude / pink and you can never have too many of those. 😉

For next time! I sprayed this Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess perfume on my shirt/ hair and I keep getting whiffs of it and I am OBSESSED. It smells warm, sweet and sexy and I want it rn.

Green Silk Cami pt 3

outfit, Staple pieces

unNsale Cami, similar that I love / UO Shorts / OTK Boots

Here is my last post on the cami + cut -offs duo! (Here’s how I styled the white and black one.) But not promising that this duo won’t be on the blog again. 😆 I love the way OTK boots just take an outfit to the next level. They make a big impact so I like to keep them paired with simple outfits because then they make them not so simple. I love this outfit for going out! I would totally wear it and you don’t have to shave you legs with the boots. 😏 I really love the green color of this cami too. Definitely a good buy.

This picture is before I cut my hair! I have a few long haired pictures left. My hair looks deceptively good in the 1st picture but don’t be fooled it was bad. So bad I don’t even miss it. I’m so happy I cut it because it feels so healthy and I honestly like styling a beachy, long bob. Lastly, sorry this post is a tad late! If you saw on instagram I was at the Dodger game last night and got back super late. I love the Dodgers and I rarely miss a game on TV when I’m home so I LOVE being able to go to the game and watch! It was such a good game last night and I honestly ate baseball food the whole time so it was a win, win. Literally! 😊

We’re talking hyped palettes…

Beauty, beauty review, makeup, Uncategorized

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Oh hyped makeup palettes!!! One of my biggest weaknesses up there with restaurant bread. BIG. Hyped palettes are palettes that are highly talked about in the beauty world. They’re popular on social media, they have a set release date and time, they’re LIMITED EDITION and everyone oohs and ahhs over them. At the moment the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture palette fills all of those boxes and actually comes out today! Label something with limited edition and I swear I will be all over it in a hot second. God forbid I miss out and have FOMO! I will stay up all night for the release time and buy it right there! I missed out on the Anastasia Beverly Hills Mario palette and I still get sad about that because the colors were so perfect for what I love.

Hyped palettes are often better then they look! At least for myself I fall for the hype without even really thinking about whether I 1) really need it, 2) have something like it already or the biggest one 3) will want something better later! The worst is when you buy it and you’re sad cause something better comes out a week later and you wished you saved your money for that! I’m trying to get better at this because I’ve gotten some new makeup lately that I haven’t really loved because I bought it just because it was hyped and I didn’t want to miss out. There is also something about just holding a makeup palette that makes me giddy.

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Here’s 4 palettes I’ve gotten in the last 5 months. Almost all of them hyped palettes.

Too Faced Natural Love. I was a little late to the party with this one. It’s almost brand new because I’ve used it like 4 times. I wear eyeshadow when I go out and I go out when I’m at school so I haven’t found much use for it this summer. The shadows are pretty and pigmented. The colors are my jam because I really only wear golds and bronze colors on my eyes. The fallout isn’t terrible and I love the variety because I can create a number of different looks with this palette! Overall, I think this purchase was worth it!

NARS Bord de Plage. This is the BEST thing I’ve bought in a long time. I haven’t been this excited about makeup in a while and I have used it nonstop since I got it. You can tell it’s been used a little bit by the picture and I honestly can see myself hitting pan in the near future. Nars quality is just so good! This palette is beautiful and I love having one palette for bronzer and highlighter. The highlighter makes you glow but not in a fake way! I was so into intense, in your face highlighter and I’m starting to tone that down and this highlighter is a great everyday glow for me! I use the two middle shades the most and I love the top left shade for inner, corner, eyelid highlight. This wasn’t the most hyped palette but I saw it many a times on instagram.

ABH x Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit. Ahh. I saw this on the Sephora app and I knew I had to own it. It was $45 which is really good considering you get 6 shades. I got this early access on the Sephora app so I had no reviews on it before I got it. Honestly, I haven’t used this since I got it in March. I like the formula: it’s very buttery. The highlighters are VERY intense.. again sort of leaning away from that. And it has chunky glitter pieces in it that stick out on your face. This leaves a nice glow but I think it’s better suited for night time. I just have other highlighters that I like better and reach for before this. It’s a photogenic palette but I haven’t used it in 3 months. I fell for the hype and if I could exchange this palette for something else I would. Hopefully I can find a way to incorporate it into my makeup routine!

Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glowkit. I LOVE Chrissy Teigen and Becca highlighters so before I even saw what this looked like I knew I was going to get it. I stayed up till 4 am during FINALS to try and get this palette on the Sephora app! Come to find out this palette didn’t even sell out! (Why am I like this?!?!!) The shades aren’t really highlighters to me. They also don’t pop like my Champagne pop or Opal does! The bronzer really needs to be built up to show and the blush shade is so bright and so not my jam I haven’t even attempted to use this. (I do think this palette works better with medium/olive skin tones.) I definitely fell for the hype with this palette. Recently, I discovered that Chrissy mixes the highlighter and bronzer and applies it to her cheeks as a blush and I started to do that and I have done it everyday since I discovered that! I love it like that and I am very happy that I found a way to use this palette because before that I wasn’t.

I almost succumbed to the hype of the UD Heat palette and the ABH Subculture palette but I stayed strong! As someone who only wears neutrals I probably don’t palettes with reds, yellows and blues in them! Haaa. Its hard because you see all this new makeup thats so pretty and shiny and you get distracted by wanting it all! (Maybe a me thing?) I need to do a better job of evaluating what I buy before so that I make sure I’ll love it and use it. I like waiting for new items to release so I can get reviews, tutorials and input on them and then buying them the on the 2nd round of releases if I really want it! Right now I’m really wanting a Huda Beauty Highlighting palette and the reviews I see makes me want it more! I also need more highlighter like I need a hole in my head. 😆

Staple Pieces pt. 2

Nordstrom, outfit, Staple pieces

Another lace cami and cut offs combo. I’m rolling my eyes too but I feel like both items are such great staple pieces that I get so much use out of! And wouldn’t I be a bad blogger if I didn’t show you ALL of my Nordstrom Sale pieces! Because you’re not already sick of that, right! 😂 I love staple pieces and this combo has honestly become my summer uniform. I change up the colors/ accessories so that it doesn’t look like the same entire look all the time. Hahah. I just love throwing on something cute on and being able to go! I’m lazy and wearing a Catholic school girl uniform for 12 years has obviously left its mark! Here’s the white cami in a more casual way, here!

These shoes are my staple ankle boots! These are Rag and Bone and I absolutely love the way they look and how many different things I can wear them with. So worth it and I have no shame in wearing them all the time! I think they look better with wear and I love that because I don’t feel like I have to be gentle with them!

Nsale cami, sold out 😦 maybe in stores! similar. / shorts / boots.

When you find a lucky penny. 😂 It was actually a quarter and I’m so not against picking those up!

Band tees and fur slides!

Lists, outfit

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My friend and I just drive around looking for cute walls to take pictures in front of! We spot a cute wall and its like pull over, turn back, there, go!! Hahah. Finding lots of pinks walls lately. I want to do a post of instagram worthy walls in LA so I hope to have that in a month or 2!

1) It’s obvious now that cut-offs are my summer staple. I shamelessly wear them on repeat and just switch out the shoes and top.

2) These shoes are my favorite ever! I also own them in pink and black so I’m just really good at buying stuff I don’t need. 😜 Haha. These are my favorite though they have a platform and are a little more dressy then the locker slides. They’re by Sam Edelman!

3) I love band tees but don’t ask me to name a song. 😫 I am a poser.

4) My hair is practically brown now and I’m going to have to dye it back to full brown instead of getting the roots done because so much has broke off. 😢 It makes me sad thinking about it, I love my blonde hair.

5) I haven’t seen much sun this summer but I’m using this St. Tropez in the shower wash off tan and it works so well! I’m obsessed. But it oddly smells horrible when it goes on and leaves you smelling amazing when it washes off. Still trying to figure that out.

6) These are my brother’s sunglasses that he left in my car and I’m sorta hoping they stay there and end up making there way to MA when I leave for school. Does that make me an asshole? hahah. I’ve had them for a month and he hasn’t noticed!

Brandy Melville Tee . UO shorts. Sam Edelman Shoes. Topshop sunnies.

7) Trying to switch up my outfits for the blog. Thinking more dressy? Also wanting to expand on beauty. Maybe tutorials?

8) Nordstrom Sale is live for everyone today! Here’s my picks.

9) HAPPY FRIDAY! 💗

20+ best online shops for cute/trendy clothes!

Lists, outfit, Shopping

I love online shopping!! Especially for big stores like Forever 21 and Topshop because navigating the store is overwhelming and they’re usually messy and crowded. I much prefer lying in bed with the tv on and browsing! I mostly online shop for dresses, rompers and going out clothes like bodysuits. Being in college, I wear these pieces a lot and I don’t have to splurge on them because they’re trendy and aren’t pieces I’m going to be wearing a lot! I have a list of stores that are always my go-to and are the perfect stop for all my clothing needs!

The one-stop shops: Buy jeans, t-shirts, bodysuits and date night dresses.

This dress is from Asos.

ASOS. Asos has lots of good stuff to pick from. It’s overwhelming how much they have! They do student discounts that you sign up for with your school email. It’s currently 20% off and they have everything from going out clothes to job clothes!

River Island. This British based brand has a good variety of trendy clothes that will cover all your bases!

Topshop Bodysuit

Topshop! I love Topshop and if you’re not near one the website is great. I prefer it! It has a great variety of basics, festival clothes, dressier pieces and going out clothes that are always on trend. They have a 10% student discount if you show your ID.

Lulus. Cute, casual day time clothes!

Forever 21 dress

Forever 21. I have to add this to the list! It’s consistently stocked with trendy, cheap clothes that work for a number of different occasions. Every girl owns something from Forever!

Loveculture. Similar to Forever 21. This website has super cute clothes for casual and going out situations!

Nastygal. Great day to night options and statement pieces. Nasty gal is little bit pricier but I like it personally because I think it’s a little bit more unique!

The party clothes: The go -to for bodysuits, body con and stuff that’ll make you look hot on the gram. 😉

Pretty Little Thing Bodysuit

Pretty Little Thing. This store is great for going out clothes! It’s super trendy and offers a great selection of bodysuits and bodycon dresses! I describe it as the edgy, street, Kylie, Kim, Khloe, trendy sort of vibes/ looks. Even if that isn’t what you like, they have a great selection of stuff that can work for a number of different styles! They almost always have 40-50% off the whole website! I’ve ordered from there and I was really impressed with what I got. It just took a long time to get to me.

Missguided. Again, this is a trendy shop with good going out clothes. Think backless bodysuit. Matching sets. Bodycon dresses. They have 40-50% off stewed often too!

Necessary Clothing. Sexy, trendy clothing. Very similar to Pretty Little Thing and Missguided. This is on the more casual side. Think cute instagram outfits!

Fashionnova. Ahh. I’ve never ordered anything from here! It’s big on instagram and they definitely nail very trendy, sexy, going out clothes. This store is what instagram baddie outfits are made of.

The almost too good to be true. Like too cheap and too cute.

Shein. This store remakes trendy, expensive clothes and sells them for super cheap. I haven’t ordered anything from here but I’ve heard from bloggers who have had good luck with it! The clothes look like what you would find on the Revolve website honestly. Super cute and trendy. Not so sure about the quality. I recommend that if you buy something, stick to the ones that are reviewed and backed up with pictures of the products from customers. It ships from China so I’ve heard that it takes a long time to get here. I wouldn’t recommend shopping here if you’re going to want to return what you don’t want. It ships from China and won’t be worth it!

Romwe. Very similar to Shein. Your first order is 60% off which is insane. This is super similar to Shein. Remakes of expensive clothes that ships from China. Amber from Barefootblonde.com got an order from Romwe and she was happy with what she received. If you want to return what you don’t like this is probably not the store for you because it ships from China.

Tobi. Tobi sends out 50% off you entire order emails like it’s no ones business. My roommate loves to shop here! The clothes are super cute and you can find stuff to wear to class or to a party.

The Higher Fashion Picks.

Princess Polly. I LOVE this online store. The pieces here are trendy, unique and not what you’re gonna find at every store. Its Australian and a little bit more expensive then the other websites. Like $60 for a romper. Youtubers and bloggers have coupon codes for it that’ll bring the price down. Legit every thing on the website is so cute.

Zara top and shorts!

Zara. Great for high fashion picks and runway dupes! If you saw an Alexander Wang top that you must have but don’t have $600 for, look here. You’ll be happily surprised.

Pixie Market. This stuff is what you’re going to be seeing on fashion girls. They dupe designer goods. Think Chloe-esque tops and chic vacation wear for $100 that are still classic looking. Some more so than others.

If you want something high quality for a special occasion I love Shopbop and Revolve. They have amazing selections with beautiful clothes that you’re gonna see on top bloggers and instagram girls!

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Bumble & Bumble Dupe Alert!

Beauty, beauty review, dupe, Hair

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I really wanted to find a dupe for this Bumble and Bumble primer! I like it. It made my hair smooth for blow drying but that’s about it. It’s labeled as a heat protectant and I really don’t find it to be that protecting. I have a lot of breakage going on RN. (thank you blonde hair and heat) The only thing I have to go off of is I went blonde in December and I started using this primer in December. From December to now I have had a lot of breakage so whatever I was using wasn’t really working for me. I understand I’m hard on my hair but I rely on good products to help keep it strong! The Bumble and Bumble spray is $28 and while I like it, I didn’t want to repurchase something that obviously wasn’t helping my hair in the way that it was said too.

I saw this Verb Leave in Mist at Sephora! I’ve had really good luck with every Verb product I’ve tried and after reading the description of the product it sounded like it could be a good replacement for the Bumble and Bumble primer. The Verb leave in mist claims to be a leave in spray that de-frizzes, detangles, conditions and protects from heat. The Bumble and Bumble spray similarly is said to do the same thing!

I’ve been using the Verb Leave in mist for about 3 weeks now and it does a tremendous job of de-frizzing hair! I can blow dry my hair w/ no brush and will have 0 fly aways. When I use a round brush my hair is super sleek and smooth. I can air dry my hair with no frizz and as someone who has finer and damaged hair… no frizz is honestly a miracle. I did not experience that with the Bumble and Bumble primer!

OVERALL, The product is very similar to the Bumble and Bumble spray. The Verb mist is thicker but I add a little water to it and that gives it a similar consistency to the Bumble & Bumble primer! The Verb spray is 8 oz for $14 while the Bumble and Bumble is 8.5 oz and $28. The Verb spray is way better price wise and it does more for my hair then the Bumble and Bumble primer did.

I lovvveeeee finding good dupes for products I use all the time. It’s even better when the dupe you find is cheaper and better than the original product! I’m super happy with this Leave in mist, I’ve gotten my mom hooked on it too and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a good leave in conditioner/ spray / de-frizz / heat protectant! You get a lot out of this product and it is 100% worth it!

My new fave top and shoes!

outfit, Shopping, Staple pieces, Uncategorized

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These silk camis are my new obsession! They look good with so many different bottom/ sweater / jacket combinations and they can be dressed up or dressed down! They’re honestly so versatile. I love them with cut-offs for summer and I can dress them up with heels and a smokey eye when I go out. They create the perfect base for a super easy go-to outfit!

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Top from Nordstrom sale, sold out 😦 but similar, here. / Shorts / Shoes

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So on to my shoooessssss! Meet my new favorite pair of summer sandals! These are from Olive and June. It’s a nail salon in LA that does super cute manis. (here’s mine) I absolutely love these because they are pedicure friendly! I’ve only ever worn rubber slippers to a pedicure so I really love how chic these are and how many outfits they’ll look amaze with. They can be tied a number of different ways. I’m excited to see how else I can tie them but I really love them the way I have them tied. They’re super comfy and they don’t need to retied constantly. I went a good 7 hours before I retied them only because I was shoe shopping and trying stuff on. Hahahahaha, too typical.

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Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Buys!

Nordstrom, outfit, Shopping

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is a holiday for fashion bloggers. I’m sure you’ve seen a ton of instagram posts and blogs posts about the sale! You either love it or are sick of it at this point. In my humble opinion, I feel like the sale is so overhyped! I feel like people just buy the stuff because it’s on sale, not because it’s actually what they truly want. Maybe I’m guilty of that and fall for the hype, though! I’ll own it.. Its overhyped but I do get excited to shop it! I love Nordstrom and this year I will say is the best luck I’ve ever had with the sale. In years past I would go to shop the sale and would get sucked in into buying the full priced stuff! I really love the stuff that I got and I know its 100% stuff I’m going to wear and love.

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Rag and Bone Tee / Zara Shorts / Catherine Malandrino shoes – similar

Looking down lovingly at my purchases!!

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I had really great luck with the BP shirts this year! I got this navy off the shoulder one for $22!

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Okkkkk so I love cardigans like this. I always find them at the Nordstrom sale! I got one last year during the sale that I wear a lot so I was happy to get another one. This color reminds me of oatmeal! Theres a good selection of cardigans at the sale! This one was $49 and is by Leith. I looveee / may need this one.

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I love this top! Its BP, it was $22 aannnndddd I got it in all 3 colors! Black, the white one I’m wearing in the previous picture and this really pretty emerald color. I love these layered with a long cardigan and I know I can wear these tops with a bunch of different things! They’re a great staple piece.

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I’m obsessed with this bell sleeves sweater! I want it to be cold so I can wear it! Haha. I love the grey and yellow color. It also comes in a navy/white combo but thats too nautical for my taste. Again this was BP and was $31.

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As I was walking out I spotted this leather jacket and its my favorite thing I got! Its by Blank NYC and it was such a steal. I got it for $64 and I’m SO excited to wear it. It makes me feel more grown up, hahahahahah. So corny.

I also picked up this thermal for $24. It reminds me of the Free People ones. I’m excited to wear it with leggings in the winter!

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Tips for shopping at TJ Maxx!

Lists, Shopping

I love going to TJ Maxx and just browsing around the store. Don’t get me wrong, Nordstrom will always be my fave but there is something to be said for looking around and finding hidden treasure for a good deal! It’s one of my guilty pleasures that doesn’t even have to be guilty!

As of lately Marshalls and Tj Maxx have really stepped up there beauty sections! I’ve seen Youtube videos and instagram posts about the high end beauty products people have found there! I can attest to that because Tj Maxx is my GO – TO for St. Tropez self tanner. It’s the best self tanner ever but it’s pricey! I only get mine at Tj Maxx and it’s $7-12 depending on which one they have. It’s around $40 if you buy it full price! I make a note to always pick some up if I see it just incase I never find it again. I’ve also seen MAC, Too Faced, Bite Beauty Lancome, Stila, Smashbox and Kat Von D products there!

Here’s my how-to for navigating around Tj Maxx!

It’s gonna be hit or miss most of the time. You may have a few misses before you get a hit but that’s sort of how it works. This is why I like looking there for mostly beauty. I’m usually not patient enough to look through clothes or even shoes but they’ll have racks of designer / contemporary clothing which is a good place to look without having to dig through a bunch of meh things. I got a Rag and Bone v neck there for $20 and I wear it all the time!
If you see something you want – buy it! It’s not gonna be there next time you go.
You’re gonna have to dig through the makeup / beauty products. Often times the good stuff will be the only one there. Some of the makeup stuff you see will be obvious why its there. I’m talking to the purple and orange MAC lip sticks I saw today. But you have to keep looking for the good one hiding in the madness!
If you’re gonna buy something beauty, make sure it hasn’t been opened / tested or tampered with. Sadly lots of the makeup there is tampered with, opened and used.
It’s gonna be messy, honestly. You have to get over that.
The brushes are a hidden gem! I find real techniques and eco tools for under $5! Those are great brushes that retail for $10 +.
I like to look up the hashtags on instagram to see what people are finding so I get an idea of what to look for! I look at #tjmaxxfinds

I picked up a St. Tropez self tanner for $12, a Bite Beauty lip cream in Caramel for $6 and these Catherine Malandrino Slides during my last trip to Tj Maxx! Wish I could link them for you but it doesn’t work that way! May your next TJ Maxx trip be a good one!

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