Return of the Blogger + What's In My Summer Bag

Hi, friends.

It's been quite some time. Meep.

I wish I had some good excuses, but honestly I don't think there's such a thing as good excuses. I will say this: I kind of lost my vision for this blog when I got my new job, because I found that once I started working for a specific line, I was only wearing products from that line. I narrowed myself down and I didn't want this blog to look like a walking advertisement. It's not! I like variety in my products, I promise. It's just the new job thing, I swear.

Now I've been at that job for six months (tomorrow!) and I'm back, baby - broadening my makeup horizons and being good about this blog. If I'm not, feel free to hunt me down, okay?

As I'm writing this I'm getting ready to take a trip tomorrow; the girlfriend and I are headed down to New Jersey for three days and I'm attempting to condense. This included my handbag, as I carry a massive, gorgeous Kate Spade tote most of the time and that's not exactly practical for travel. Therefore, I give you...

YES.

This is actually my favorite kind of post to do - I'm so freaking nosy about what's in other people's bags, honestly, and for some reason I think people are just as interested as what's in my bag. Whatever, I LOVE IT.

The bag I'm planning on using is my Steve Madden Bkenzy Crossbody. I got it on sale back in Marcy and haven't hesitated about my love for it since. It's so perfect as it prevents me from overstuffing; the only thing is it doesn't fit my massive planner, but that's okay - in situations where I need it (mostly work) I can just carry it in.

See? Crazy spacious. I basically fit everything from my tote in it - which is a lot - so let's begin.

Starting top left and going clockwise, we have where my keys would normally be, on my Vineyard Vines lanyard. I do take my keys off to drive and leave them in the car when I'm at work, so they're currently in my glove compartment as I didn't use them to drive home last night. Irresponsible, I know. It does currently have my car remote, though, as well as a Bath and Body Works Pocketbac in Perfect Beach Day. I'm not sure if it actually smells like a perfect beach day (to me that's like... Coconut sunscreen, salty air and watermelon) but it still is super nice and not too sweet. The last things on there are kind of hard to see but they're a small tube of Origin's Sensory Therapy Peace of Mind On-the-spot relief and a small tube of Make a Difference Rejuvenating hand treatment. Honestly, I mostly got it for the Peace of Mind - when my anxiety flares up I really feel like it makes a difference.

Next up are my headphones, the basic ones you get from Apple when you get an iPhone. I did get a 5s this past month, but I hate the headphones that came with it. These are from my old phone and definitely have been through the ringer. I'm surprised they're still in one piece, though they are incredibly tangled, but that's really a given with headphones I think.

The Victoria's Secret PINK Fresh 'n' Clean hand cream is my go-to when my hands are dry and rough, even if I have the Origins one on hand (ha). I looooove the smell (I know I've talked about it on here before) and the cream is so nice and thick but really absorbs into the skin well. The travel-size is so cute and convenient for my handbag I'm never buying anything else.

My sunglasses are hardly ever in my purse as I tend to leave them laying about in the car and therefore losing them, but when they are they're in this cute Double Eye eyeglasses case by Vera Bradley in the pattern Lilli Bell. I like this way better than a hard case because a) it takes up less space and b) I can put both pairs of glasses in it at once! The flexibility makes it way more convenient. The sunglasses I have in there now are Betsey Johnson wayfarers I bought back in 2010.

In the summer I like to keep a little travel deodorant/anti-perspirant in my purse just because it's a sweaty, smelly time of year. This little Dove one in cool cucumber I picked up at CVS but I'm pretty indiscriminate about my deodorant.

I have my Vera Bradley Zip Around Wallet that I oftentimes carry just on it's own because it's got a handy strap and it is big. I can fit my phone and a lipstick in there in addition to all of my cards and a small tin of Altoids in the change pocket. It, like my umbrella in the next picture, are also in the pattern Lilli Bell. After being caught in the rain one too many times, I make sure to have my umbrella with me because being soggy sucks. The Vera Bradley ones are nice and sturdy so they're perfect for the kind of weather I deal with.

My iPad Mini is probably the best investment I've ever made. I use this way more than my laptop these days as it's much, much easier to just grab the iPad and look things up. I use it at work to compare the company website promotions with our promotions, look up price adjustments, check on products and just kind of surf around if it's really slow. My favorite thing though is the iBooks app where I keep all of my reading. Currently I'm trying to get through the second A Song of Ice and Fire book, A Clash of Kings. And, of course, I keep the screen safe with a SmartCover by Apple.

Everything left in my bag is small and pretty much all beauty related, with the exception of my inhaler (only for emergencies). I have my Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder in Stay Buff for when I am shiny and oily (about ninety percent of the time) and my Sephora Collection Retractable Kabuki Brush in pink for application; my Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Grapefruit; a Hello Kitty Band-Aid; the Clinique Advanced Concealer in Matte Light; my Travalo filled with my favorite perfume, Chloe; the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Plushest Punch which I've definitely talked about here before as it's my absolute favorite thing ever; and a hair tie. Pretty basic things you'd find in anyones bag - lip products galore, perfume, powder and concealer. The concealer isn't my absolute favorite but it's handy on the go, but the lip gloss is really nice for moisture even if I've been told multiple times that it looks like my lips are dripping wet when I use it. Whatever, it's such nice shine! I love it.

So that about wraps up my Big Blog Comeback - about ten years later, right? Like I said, I love these kinds of posts and would absolutely love to hear what your essentials in your handbag are, whether they're summer essentials or all the time essentials or just things you like to have sometimes. Let me know in the comments below what you're loving!

As always, thanks for reading and I love you very much!

x Kristin

The Great Makeup Cleanout of 2014

I don't know how many of you watched Degrassi: The Next Generation in the Paige Michalchuk era, but she used to have this saying: "New year, new look, new Paige."

Well - I'm using that as inspiration for 2014, just in a different way. For Christmas I was fortunate enough to get a Vera Bradley Grand Cosmetic case which is absolutely perfect for storing makeup without taking up a lot of space, and as I was filling it up I found a lot of products I never used, never used more than a few times, empties, and really old foundations. At the time I just lumped them in because I was like, "Oh, maybe I'll use them later," but as I put myself on a makeup ban I realized I have way too much product and was in desperate need of a cleanout.

New year, new storage, new rules for how long I keep products.

Last night, I sat down with my new storage and two shopping bags - one for makeup to be trashed and one for makeup I've never used that can be donated - and got to work. Honestly, most of it had to be trashed; there was a lot of old, turned foundation that never really matched my skin tone and therefore were barely used, and a whole whole bunch of concealer. (It's probably my least used product after bronzer.) It was kind of painful to throw it out because it's money in the trash but I should've used it! It's really a lesson in money management as well as not being a makeup hoarder, aka the important lessons in life.

In the end, I still have a lot of makeup.

But I'm going to be better about varying what products I use and finishing up what I have before I buy anything new. Even if there are products I want to try or a lipstick I feel like I absolutely have to have, I can't get them until I finish something else! It's a practice I'm going to extend to other parts of my life, like with clothes (whether I donate or throw them away), perfumes and fragrances, and bath and body products.

Today I tackled my shower products and tomorrow I start on my vast - vast - amount of clothing. Hopefully by the end of the month it really will be a whole new year, new look for my makeup, shower, and room!

As always, thanks for reading and I love you very much!

x Kristin

My Hair Dilemma, part 2: Electric Boogaloo

As it's been a few months since I posted this super fun post, I thought I'd give you an update on the state of my hair.

I wish I had more exciting news for you on that front, honestly.

I know this picture is more of my face than my hair, but it's also one of the few selfies I've taken in the past couple of months that I've saved and also am not wearing a hat. I think that right there tells you a lot about how I'm feeling with regard to my hair, honestly, as I've not done anything to it since August. 

Seriously.

Not a single thing I talked about doing.

Am I just a huge chicken? Probably. For a good chunk of time I was one hundred percent sure I wasn't allowed to do any fun colors for my hair because of work (I think I mentioned that in my previous post) but that was squashed in early October so I literally have no excuse other than being a big fat scaredy cat when it comes to my hair. Well - that and not making concrete plans on what to do with it with one of the girls I work with. I've talked about all sorts of things with her: ombre, pink dip dye, dying it all dark, cutting it all off - we just haven't done it yet. 

Now we're at the point where it's the holiday season and I'm going to be seeing people who may or may not be pleased with funky hair colors, so that wipes out the pink for awhile, unfortunately (which is probably a good thing or I'd have a cotton candy pink rinse in my hair right now). I still want to do an ombre, but I'm really loving Jade from Little Mix's hair right now and would love to do something like that even more.

You are my hairspiration, Jade Thirlwall. (And makeupspirtation. And fashionspiration. A lot of spirations, basically.)

So now I'm stuck. I'm limited on what I can do because whatever I do is going to be immortalized in my grandparents' Christmas pictures and while I don't care about that, they do, and I want to make them happy because I haven't seen them in basically a year. I mean, I don't think they even know about my tattoo yet, so pink hair would be a lot for them to handle, you know? 

Sigh. Someday, I will do something about this mop on my head. Hopefully sooner rather than later before I end up just shaving it all off because I don't think that would be a good look for me, especially as I have a little bump on the top of my head.

As always, thanks for reading and I would love to hear about your hair dilemmas!

Love you lots!!!

x Kristin 

What's In My Bag - Fall 2013

If the contents of my bag look like they create an incredible disaster area, that's because they do.

I'm well-known for carrying everything under the sun in my bag. My mom's called it (it being whatever bag I'm carrying at the time) a suitcase on more than one occasion, though I have gotten a lot better about traveling light... If you consider the picture above traveling light.

The bag itself is a Kate Spade Sophie Kennedy Park tote that I picked up a few weeks ago at the outlets. It's actually exactly what I'd been looking for when I was first trying to pick a new bag for a birthday present, but I didn't even know about this one so I got something else. Luckily this one was still out there waiting for me because it's actually perfect. It's nylon so it's not heavy to carry, but the straps are leather and sturdy. It's black, of course, and there are two open pockets and one zip pocket on the inside. (I know everyone says they love pockets in these things but like - seriously. I love pockets. Organization, guys, even though everything ends up falling out of the pockets anyway but I can definitely pretend.)

The contents of my bag are pretty straightforward: 

• keys with multiple keychains (I have two One Direction keychains. TWO!!!) and an ID case in Vera Bradley's Lilli Bell pattern
• a wallet, also in Vera Bradley's Lilli Bell pattern
• multiple kinds of mints and candies
• lip products - currently a Rimmel Apocalips/Show Off in Celestial and a Hello Kitty lip balm I received for my birthday
• tissues
• earbuds
• sunglasses - this pair by 7 for All Mankind
• hand lotion in, surprise surprise, PINK fresh 'n' clean
• a travel sized fragrance spray also in PINK fresh 'n' clean in the old packaging!!!
• my inhaler decorated with a Spider-man sticker
• a little sailor Hello Kitty flash drive
• a pen that has ink that smudges all over you but for some reason I adore it anyway even if I end up with ink all over my hand like it's the 1800s or whatever
• my emergency kit, of which you can find the contents here 
• my checkbook in Vera Bradley's Make Me Blush pattern (which was my favorite forever and I've only just started buying things in Lilli Bell, but that's another story)
• a standard black beanie as it's getting chilly out and head covering is important in the cold!!!
• my iPad, of course, because my whole life is on that thing for the most part (do you see the little Mrs. Liam Payne sticker in the corner, because of course)
• and finally my One Direction planner that my mom bought me for my birthday, because it's not like I turned twenty-two or anything.

There are some things I generally carry that aren't pictured like, you know, my phone - which was being used to take the picture - and my umbrella as it's still in my suitcase from my trip. On days where I have Chemistry you'll find a calculator, but I don't need that all the time so I definitely don't want to just be carrying it around for funsies. Same goes for my Nintendo 3DS; it's only in my bag when I feel like carrying it or need it or something. Is that nerdy? I don't care, I love my 3DS.

(Speaking of Nintendo 3DS, I just beat Pokemon Y and I'm so pumped because it's the first Pokemon game I've ever beaten without any help. Also if you have a 3DS we should be friends! Just leave a comment with your friends code and I'll reply with mine. :)) 

I wish the stuff in my bag was more interesting but really, it's super basic. I try not to overstuff it anymore, and I don't carry around a huge thing of makeup because really, how often do you find yourself needing to touch up your whole face while out and about? Just keep the necessities in your emergency kit and you're good to go, I'd say. 

As always, thanks for reading! Leave a comment below telling me about what you keep in your purse, or just your handbag must-haves; I always think it's so interesting to see what people have to have with them.

Love you guys and I'll see you in my next post!

x Kristin

Back To School Survival Kit

Hello everyone!

I've been back in school for two weeks now. Two weeks! I can't even believe it. I'm already taking on a ton of coursework, but I've got in under control for now. Today I want to talk about a "survival kit" - things you may need for any situation at school. I originally made mine for work, but it works perfectly for school as well. I've actually been using it more now in school than I did when I was working so I think it's pretty good to just stuff in your locker for emergencies.

There are a few things that I always have with me yet aren't pictured, just because I used them up and haven't been able to get more yet. Colgate Wisps are amazing if you're afraid of coffee breath or garlic breath and you can't have gum, or if you just like to clean your teeth after lunch. They're little toothbrush things that don't need water but come with toothpaste in the brush and they have a toothpick at the end. Very handy. Also not there are hair elastics and bobby pins because the ones I normally keep in there are actually in my hair. Both very important.

Now, onto the pictured stuff.

I don't carry much makeup with me, just a face powder (L'oreal True Match powder in soft ivory) and kabuki brush (Sephora Collection Retractable Kabuki Brush) at all times because I do get very shiny during the day. I also tossed a mini mascara (Benefit Bad Gal Lash in Black) in there today as that's the only makeup I'm wearing today. Sometimes I have a concealer with me if I am particularly spotty.

My powder actually has a mirror with it, but before I used one that didn't, so I keep a mirror compact with me as well. This one is from Forever 21 and they have tons of cute designs. I have the matching tweezers, mostly because people kept asking for tweezers at work! But they can be super handy if you're having a brow emergency or get a splinter.

I keep some first aid type things in here as well, like band-aids (Hello Kitty!!!), gauze, and cleansing wipes, which, sure you can get them from the school nurse, but will they be Hello Kitty? Nope! Tampons and the like are obviously necessary not only for yourself but for your unsuspecting friends. That's actually what normally happens to mine; I give them away at work when someone needs one. I do keep a small travel case of ibuprofen and Midol, but be sure to check your school policy on medications before bringing it with you!!! The last thing you want is to get in trouble for having medication at school.

Glasses cleaner isn't exactly first aid, but it is life aid; I can't speak for everyone who wears glasses but mine are regularly filthy, so keeping this with me is incredibly important. The difference cleaning your glasses makes is incredible.

Finally, I'm going to talk a little about the most beautiful product on the planet, Aquaphor. It's great for really chapped lips or a chapped nose when you have a cold which is what I use it for now - I originally bought it for my tattoo. I also will put it on my heels if they're getting blisters from uncomfortable shoes. It's so handy and I adore it. It can be substituted for Vaseline but I like the packaging of Aquaphor better, as it's in a tube and not a tub.

I hope this is helpful and everyone is having a successful time back at school!

As always, thanks for reading!!!

x Kristin

Birthday Wishlist!

disclaimer: in no way do i actually expect any of this stuff, let alone all of it. i am very very fortunate to receive any gifts for my birthday and am really just happy if i get a message from someone hoping i have a good day. these are only examples of things i mention when asked about gift ideas and hopefully will help other people get ideas for things they want to ask for on their birthdays as well. cheers!

The nice thing about birthdays is that they're an excuse to ask for things you'd feel bad asking for normally. 

Don't get me wrong - I always feel bad asking for extravagant things, but with birthdays it feels a little less extravagant and a little more reasonable than usual. I'm turning 22 in two weeks (turning 22 on 9/2 is exciting to me???) and people have already been asking me what I want so! This is a little post of some of the things I've come up with - with the exclusion of two items, both of which I know I'm getting so I felt a little silly putting them on here. For reference, they are this gorgeous Steve Madden handbag and for my girlfriend to come up and stay with me for my birthday (aka the best possible gift I could've gotten, I promise)!!! I'm very excited for both. Anyway, on to the actual list!

The first two things I want to talk about are the fragrances, philosophy's field of flowers orange blossom and Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift. At work I spend a lot of time at the philosophy counter. It's part of the five I tend to pick up the most shifts for, and because of that, a good portion of my day is spent smelling all the wonderful goodies philosophy has to offer. My very first day of work, the philosophy counter manager at the time had me smell this fragrance and I fell in love. It's citrusy but not overwhelmingly so; my friend at Laura Mercier hates citrus fragrances but she actually likes this. I put it on whenever I go into work and I would love a bottle for when I'm not working. Wonderstruck is an old favorite that I have an itty bitty bottle of and would absolutely treasure the full size. I have very distinct memories of a times I wore it to my World History class last fall and everyone said the room smelled nice because of it. I obviously don't need both and if I had to choose the philosophy perfume would be it, but I thought I'd give people the option! I don't normally wear perfumes, just body sprays, so I thought these would be a nice gift.

The butter London Tops and Tails set has been on my radar for awhile. I'm in love with butter London polishes (most of the polishes I own are butter London) and really feel like they're worth the splurge, so the base and top coats are probably worth the splurge too. I'm not a huge fan of the OPI top and base coats I'm using right now, so it would be a good time to try something new! 

The clothes I've included are really just a general clothing request. I can be a little picky about what I wear but I do like seeing what people think I'll like. Lately I've been loving pretty much everything by Victoria's Secret Pink line, especially their essentials and their sports lines! I'm wearing a pair of their MLB leggings right now actually (go Mets!). I'm a fan of quite a bit of their Giants gear so hopefully I can pick up some of it and wear it around school and work as a reminder to all of the Patriots fans I work with that the Giants are a better team. :)

I have two pretty far-fetched and unlikely gifts, but I always like to throw stuff like that on a list. I don't know why, but it always happens. For this birthday it's a Michael Kors rose gold watch - I'm not sure what the model I have pictured above is, but I'm a huge fan of the Runway style - and a pair of tortoise-shell Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. I have a working watch that I love and was considerably cheaper so that's hardly necessary, but I've been looking at Michael Kors watches for awhile and I think they're so incredibly lovely that it never hurts to just throw it out there. The sunglasses are probably more likely than the watch to ever actually come to fruition, even not as a birthday present. I currently wear Ray-Ban Wayfarer prescription glasses and I love the way they fit and feel on my face-head-area. They're really comfortable and I take good care of them, so I feel like I would actually do the same with my sunglasses if I had the same kind. I picked the tortoise shell frames just because they're a bit different? I have the black in my regular glasses and it never hurts to change them up. Of course, I really expect neither of these (I say that but I honestly don't expect any of it), but it's still fun to think about!!!

The California Republic snapback has been on my Amazon wishlist for awhile simply because of the pink brim. As a lot of people know, I'm a big lover of the snapback trend as I'm a big lover of hats in general, and these fit over my massive hair a bit better than the fitted hats do. I already have a few and though I love them very much, I don't think it hurts to have more - especially when one has a pink brim, which is my absolute favorite color. I could absolutely see myself wearing this hat on many an occasion.

The last thing is kind of odd but it's more of a birthday treat to myself. As I talked about in my last post, I'm super bored with the current state of my hair, so I thought why not treat myself to a salon day and get it done for my birthday? I'm thinking that if I go through with it, I'll get my ends evened out and an ombre and splurge a little because you only turn 22 once! And then I will go back to my responsible saving that I've been doing for the past few weeks (I'm very proud of myself).

That about wraps it up! I'm so thankful for the fact that people might even care what I want, it absolutely astounds me. I hope you all have a wonderful day and, as always, thanks for reading! 

x Kristin