A love like this

I always thought it was so annoying when people would say "oh he's my best friend" when referring to their significant other. I now know what that means. The moment Vance comes in the door I can't wait to hear about his day and tell him about mine. The most fun I have ever had is just laying in bed talking, joking, and laughing. He makes me so happy. I truly am a very blessed lady.

What a wonderful life.

The title says it all. For the first time I am exactly where I want to be in life. I have a wonderful man who works his butt off and loves me with all he has and a very beautiful baby boy who makes me smile inside and out. Life is good.

Lips for less with e.l.f

   Well hey there! It has been far too long since I have updated last and I do apologize. I only have about seven more weeks left of my pregnancy so I have been a very busy woman. I have lots of new products that I have been reviewing but I really wanted to get this one out there first. I just recently started wearing color on my lips every day and I have came across some cheapies but GOODIES (lol). So lets get started...

e.l.f. Studio Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15- Peaceful Pink and Mellow Melon. Okay let me just start off by saying these are so amazing. These are very smooth and not sticky at all. I can't help but rub my lips together when these are on. They have spf 15 which is a very big bonus especially for the warmer months. These go on slightly sheer but are very buildable. The only con that I would have is these do not last very long. I think after three hours I found myself reapplying. I would recommend that at everyone give these a try and at $3.00 a piece you can try them all.

e.l.f. Essential Lipstick- Classy, Seductive, Sociable, Flirtatious. Look at how pigmented and pretty these are. Guess how much these are going to cost you? $1.00 amazing right? I started out with the color classy with one swipe it goes on very pretty and it's pretty close to a better version of my lip color. I bought this color as a dupe to MAC's angel although I don't think class is an angel dupe I still love this lipstick. These are not drying and very pigmented. They have a faint fruit smell but no horrible taste. I can't wait to try more colors.

e.l.f. Essential Luscious Liquid Lipstick- Pink Lemonade, Raspberry, Perfect Pink, Baby Lips. e.l.f. Essential Hypershine Gloss - Flirt.  I love using these on top of a lipstick or even by themselves they are very sheer but very nice looking. They do have a very light stick to them which is to be expected with a gloss. They are not too thick and my husband did not cringe when he kissed me with this on (he hates anything sticky). These last a very long time and found throughout a days period I only had to reapply after eating. My favorite is baby lips. I have a very pigmented natural lip color and this color really allows me to play up my own lips. These are from their dollar line as well.

e.l.f. Studio Lip Primer & Plumper- clear/natural- This is one full stick. One side is a nude primer and the other side is a VERY cinnamon plumper. I am not really sure if I like the primer side on my lips because I usually use a lipstick as a primer but for those of you who would like to cancel out your lip color to add another on top this would be great for you. The other side is the plumper and my oh my does this stuff work. It has a very strong cinnamon smell and right after the application I feel it start to burn (not painful but  a tingle). If you have used a plumper you know the feeling. About one minute later my lips are noticeably plumped. Now I usually don't want my lips plumped because I like the fullness of my lips already but when I am going for a sexy look I feel the plumped lips look great. I think if they just sold the plumper alone I would buy lots of it but the primer serves no purpose to me. This is $3.00 from elfs studio line.  

Here is me wearing flirtatious as my lipstick and baby lips as my gloss. I purchased all of my e.l.f products from www.eyeslipsface.com you can also purchase some of the products from their essential line from target but they don't always have the best selection. If you pick any of these up let me know how you like them. I love hearing peoples opinions and well as sharing my own. I will try to update as frequent as possible as well. Take care and I hope everyone has an amazing day. 

Xoxo, Catelin

Elf Makup Mist & Set Spray

   For those of you who use a finishing spray I have a cheap alternative for you to try. What is a finishing spray you ask?? It is a moisture based spray that you can mist on your face after you apply you makeup to help it last longer. Also it can be used as a mist on a hot day to keep your makeup from running and I also like to spray it on my eye shadow brushes to give my eye shadow a nice boost. If you like to use a loose powder eye shadows this is perfect to spray on your brushes to keep the shadow from having fallout and ending up on your cheeks. I have been using Urban Decays all nighter spray for about a year now and before that I was using Mac Studio fix +. Here is the the product info for elf's studio makeup mist " Wish you could have a product for your makeup like Hairspray is for your hair? Well…keep your makeup staying in place all day with a radiance boosting invisible hold with our new Makeup Mist & Set. The invigorating mist moisturizes and soothes the skin with key ingredients Aloe, Green Tea, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C & E. The lightweight, comfortable and alcohol free formula improves makeup wearability and prevents color from running or fading." That all sounds GREAT to me. I decided to get some considering it was only $3.00 and compare it to my Urban Decay all nighter spray which for a 4 oz bottle is $29.00. When I apply setting spray I always make sure to hold the spray at least 12 inches from my  face and spray in an X formation. The pump  for the elf spray doesn't get as much coverage as the urban decay spray I noticed I had to spray my lower face again (it could have been the way I applied it lol). I like the Urban Decay spray bottle a lot more, I feel like it gets the product on a lot better. The second thing I noticed was the smell. The Urban Decay spray has a bit of a stronger smell than the elf which I don't like. I don't really want my face to have a scent so that is definitely a plus for the Elf spray. As far as the wear there is almost zero difference. By the end of the day using the Elf spray my makeup was still in place and not splotchy or faded. I honestly feel like other than texture these give me the exact same results. Who can beat a $3.00 finishing spray?!  I am thinking about switching out the pumps though if they fit just because I like how nicely the Urban Decay sprays but hey packaging isn't everything! This will be really nice to have and keep in my purse in the upcoming summer months when I get sweaty and gross and for the price I can afford to use it as much as I want. Have you tried this product? Let me know what you think. Xoxo, Catelin.

E.L.F Studio Makeup Mist & Set

Urban Decay All Nighter

Broken Makeup? Not a problem..

So your favorite new makeup breaks into a million pieces what do you do?? Cry? Toss it out? Of course we could all use a good cry every now and then, but now is not the time. We have some makeup repairing to do. A lot of you already know how to do this but it actually has shocked me how many friends and family members I have seen throw out perfectly good makeup because they never knew how easy and quick it was to repair it on your own.

Here is what you need:

• Isopropyl alcohol - The higher percentage the quicker your makeup will dry but I just usually use 50% if you have higher or lower that is perfectly fine. 
• Butter knife or Popsicle stick for mixing- A table knife will work just fine. 
• A piece of fabric such as an old shirt, paper towel, or saran wrap any of the three will do.
• Some sort of hard object that you can wrap the material around and flatten out the makeup. I used my powder makeup container. 

Here is what you do:

Warning this could get a little messy so always perform this with a towel underneath ( I learned the hard way.. I will never get the brown out of my bathroom tile lol ).

• Take your broken compact or eyeshadow and with your stick break the makeup into a fine powder. If you make a mess just try to push it back into the compact with a blush brush of some sort.

• Depending on the size of your makeup start by adding just a small amount of your alcohol. For instance I used a full size compact so I used about one cap of alcohol. If your repairing a small eyeshadow just start by adding a few drops. With your knife or stick mix in the alcohol and make a thick paste. If it is a little runny don't worry it will evaporate.

• Place saran wrap, paper towel, or old t shirt material over the compact and form the paste to the bottom of the compact. Try to flatten out any air bubbles. I laid  tshirt material over my compact and flattened it out with the bottom of a powder makeup pot that was about the same size. Please note it does not have to be pretty just try to get it as flat as possible. It should start to look like it's original intended form.

• Now all you have to do is clean up the edges of your compact and let it sit and dry for about 24 hours! NOTE: Do not use this product while wet. Please make sure that your makeup is completely dry so the alcohol has time to completely evaporate. If you do use this product wet it WILL dry out your skin. Once it is dry you will not need to worry about this drying out your skin because the alcohol will completely evaporate leaving little residue. 

CONGRATULATIONS, your makeup is good as new and you will never have to throw out your favorite makeup ever again... unless you run out... then, well I lied lol. If you have any questions about these steps or you have any new suggestions please feel free to comment or shoot me an email. The palette used in the picture above is the contour and blush palette from BH Cosmetics I will soon be posting a review of what I think of this palette once it dries and I have had some time to give a good test. So stay tuned (: Xoxo, Catelin.

Drugstore Foundation??!

  Finding a foundation that suits my skin type and needs has always been a constant struggle for me. I need something that goes on light but has a medium coverage that I can build with. I have tried it all; Mac studio sculpt, Mac selected moisture blend, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Nars.. well you get the point. I always have this problem with foundations being a little too cakey or not blending very well and if I got a lighter textured foundation it usually never gave me the coverage that I wanted and would usually wear off in a few hours. I have never liked drugstore foundations and would usually gawk at the idea of even putting drugstore foundation on my face. Once I stopped tanning due to my pregnancy I realized it was time to buy a new foundation because my others were too dark. I was using Mac Studio Sculpt at the time and was not very happy with it. It dried very quickly and it felt like a layer of clay on my face. I went to walmart to pick up some blush (I have been using Covergirl instant cheekbones &contouring blush since high school and it is absolutely amazing) I figured while I was there I would look at a few foundations and see if there was any I wanted to try. I ran across the Revlon Photoready display and decided to give it a try. At the time of my purchase the foundation was pretty new and a little expensive for drugstore foundation (about $17)  so I figured it must be good. The next morning I did my daily face routine; wash face, apply moisturizer, and prime. I then began to apply my new foundation. I absolutely loved the pump mechanism and because I usually use my fingers to blend I found that it is a lot less of a mess. Also you have complete control of how much comes out by how much force you put on the pump and for my application I use a little under a full pump. While applying the foundation I noticed the texture was pretty thin and I wasn't sure how I would like it. It is very smooth and silky and reminds me a lot of Makeup Forever's HD foundation. The coverage is amazing and blends very easy and I can wear it all day without it wearing away. One bottle literally lasted forever as well, I guess the pump mechanism keeps you from using more than you need. I am now on my second bottle and I will never turn back. If your looking for something that gives you a beautiful glow, excellent coverage, feels light on your skin and light on your pocket then I highly recommend this foundation. I found that if I apply Revlon Photoready first and then blend in Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse I get a very beautiful airbrushed look for those of you who are interested in that kind of finish. So yeah I never thought I would say it but I am in love with a DRUGSTORE foundation and I am sure you will be too (:

  In this picture I am wearing Revlon photoready in 004 Nude. This picture is taken with flash and is not edited. I usually have never worn a foundation this light in color but due to my pregnancy plus lack of sun I am as white as a ghost lol. If you decided to purchase this foundation I recommend you purchase it  at walmart because they will accept returns if  you grab the wrong shade. Stay tuned to catch my review of the 6 color contour and blush from BH cosmetics along with a few products from the E.L.F line.  I hope everyone is having an excellent new years! 

Xoxo, Catelin.

88 Shimmer Pallet update

So I know I said I was going to post some swatches of the 88 ultra shimmer from coastal scents.. Well I didn't quite have enough arm space for 88 colors but I did however swatch out a few of my favorites. I just want you guys to see how pigmented and beautiful these colors are.  I didn't swatch any of the colorful ones for the fact that these colors stay on very well and I was nervous about having a purple or blue arm so if there are any colors that you would like to see specifically please email me ramblesandrattles@gmail.com

I did not use any primer and the color on my arms is only from one swipe from my finger and onto my arm. In case you missed my last post about this pallet here is a full image of all of the colors

You can purchase this pallet and other pallets alike at www.coastalscents.com or for you BH cosmetic lovers www.bhcosmetics.com  The pallet shown in this post is the 88 shimmer pallet. If I could rate this pallet I would give it 5 out of 5 stars. There are many diverse and also neutral colors to work with. The pigment is absolutely  beautiful and as you can see one swipe goes a long way. I am hoping to get a few other pallets like this to my collection and I will be sure to review them for you as well as provide some swatches. I hope you guys enjoyed! Xoxo, Catelin.