Stripes and polka dots

Stripe top Charlotte Russe
White top Old Navy
Sweater Forever 21
Jeggings Charlotte Russe
Necklace and shoes my own
Rings Frock Stock, Charlotte Russe & Forever 21
Nails Nailene falsies

These photos were taken in my new art room at the apartment! :) I'm still getting used to shooting in a new area so excuse the less than perfect photos. I wore this ensemble yesterday moving things into our new place.

Probably not the most practical outfit for carrying boxes up three flights of stairs but at least it's cute. Anything for fashion, right? I know I've said it before but I am currently obsessed with stripes! I think these ones photograph weird because of their size. In person they don't look strange, I swear! This top is a cropped so I had to pair it with a cami. Definitely not the right weather for such a shirt. But soon enough! The best part of our apartment complex is the fitness center. I'll be able to get back into shape for summer! I wore my newest knit sweater, as it's also a current favorite. I've had these jeggings forever! I prefer jeggings over regular jeans. They're perfect for when you want something slightly more warmer than leggings. The necklace and shoes I'm wearing are both DIY. You can see how I made the clay necklace here. The flats are basic black ones that I've added small gems to with a hot glue gun, very simple!

Today was also spent moving things into the new apartment. It's so empty right now, it's a little sad. I can't wait until it feels more 'home-y.' We had to spend last night on the floor because our bed was still in storage. Tonight we've gotten some happy hour drinks and are going to hang out with friends now that we are in the city and closer to everyone. :)

Don't forget to enter my blog giveaway, here.

Ask me anything

Collared shirt Forever 21
Purple top old
Shorts DIY cropped jeans
Shoes eBay
Necklace Old Navy
Rings Charlotte Russe & Frock Stock

Yet another ugly yard picture. My apologies. These pictures were taken right when the sun disappeared behind the clouds. I miss it so much. Rain, rain go AWAY! I guess I should get used to this, you know living in Portland and all. It is one of the rainiest cities, aside from Seattle I guess.

I'm absolutely in love with my outfit here! I love the look of a collared shirt paired with a sweater blouse. As you already know if you've been following my blog for a little while. The lace detail on this top is so pretty. Aside from pinks, purples are my favorite color too! Such a girly girl I am. And the lace is the cherry on top. Oh look, I even have it on my shorts. *grins* To add a proper balance of girly girl and I suppose 'bad girl,' these booties are great! With their help I don't look too much like five. Thanks booties! I don't understand why I get so attached to wearing the same jewelry over and over again. I think I'm going to hide the pieces I wear all the time. I need to mix it up a bit.

I do wish this sweater top was a little bigger. It's a tad too tight for my normal taste but it's not terrible. I'm middle heavy and I don't like to wear clothing that enhances that. I guess I should just learn to put down the candy, huh? Hmm....not gonna happen.

Today I am featured on the Frock Stock blog! :)) Go check out my post on DIY Clay Jewelry!

If you live in the States please enter my giveaway, here.

Love & Beauty by Forever 21 Eyeshadow Palette

Love & Beauty by Forever 21 Eyeshadow Palette in Brown/Multi, $3.80

As you can see, when I first purchased these eyeshadows from Forever 21 I couldn't wait to use them. That is why these photographs aren't that pretty. I wasn't sure if I would love them enough to want to do a review on them. But since first using them, I've been using them ever since. I love the natural browns when it comes to my eyeshadows.

This palette has a nice balance of matte and shimmer colors. Both of the darker browns being matte and the lighter colors have the shimmer. Unfortunately my camera didn't pick this up in the pictures of the pan. The swatches I did on my arm show the colors very well. I would consider the quality of these as average. The same quality you could find in a selection of drugstore makeups. But I didn't write them off here. I knew when I was purchasing them they were not going to be the best makeup out there. I fell in love with the palette because it's such a pretty selection of colors. In the top swatches I used a primer underneath. In the bottom swatches I did not. You still get good coverage without a primer. Most of the time I do not wear any primer on my eyes. I've never really had a problem with my eyeshadows fading too much or creasing. And I still don't have that problem with these. The longest I've worn these was about 8 hours. They did fade slightly but wasn't too bad. You can see me wearing them here. I hate saying you get what you pay for because it sounds like a such a negative description. So when I say you get what you pay for I mean it in the most positive way because I really do love these shadows. And a plus, there is quite a lot of product for being under $4. The pans are pretty deep. I would definitely purchase more Love & Beauty products.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway, here. And don't forget to check out my Frock Stock guest post tomorrow, here.

Evening sun

Dress, Sweater & Necklace Forever 21
Shoes eBay, here

Managed to get in some photographing yesterday while it was gorgeous out! Now it's back to the rain. Agh.  Summer can't come soon enough. Oh and please excuse the shaggy yard, haven't had much good weather for up keep.

I've been wanting to find some way to wear this dress again after I wore it New Years. It's cute and comfortable. But I wasn't sure how I could make it look like an 'everyday' dress. But I think I managed to pull it off here. Just add: tights and sweater and voila! The print on this dress didn't photograph that well. It has a gorgeous rose lace with gold shimmer. It's one of my favorite dresses. This sweater I purchased recently is already getting a little shaggy. But I kind of like the look. The booties are Jeffrey Campbell inspired Litas. I got them at a fraction of the cost on eBay. They are actually pretty good quality. They've had a good beating already and are still in great shape.

I have broke down and used hot tools on my hair. *blushes* It was the addiction that broke me. But I do have to say that my hair is in pretty good shape after about two weeks of purging myself of curlers and flat irons. I really like the look of these curls, they're so pretty. A little frizzy from the winds we had yesterday though. It bugs me I still look pasty in these photos, even though I am quite brown from my self-tanner I've been using. I did brighten my photos a little, maybe that's the culprit. Doesn't do the tanner justice! I'll be doing a proper review soon.

My blog giveaway has gone live as of yesterday. But I haven't had one entry. *sad face* And I know it's because most of my readers are international. I apologize that the giveaway isn't. I wanted so badly for it to be available to all my readers but shipping carriers are rude. They want to charge an obscene amount of money for a small box. I promise I will have an international giveaway soon. To my US followers click here to enter.

Blog giveaway

Here it is, my 100 follower blog giveaway!

Contents:

The Color Workshop Ultimate Beauty Portfolio - 77 eyeshadows & 77 lip glosses

Petites Nailpolish in Pretty in Pink

Petites Nailpolish in French Pink

Nailene So Natural Nail Everyday French glue on nails - includes glue

DIY Kitty flats - US size 7

*All items have been purchased by myself. They are brand new and haven't been opened/used.

Terms and Conditions

- The giveaway ends on the 20th of April (four weeks).

- You must be living in the United States (I'll be doing one for my international followers soon)

- You must follow my blog either via GFC or Hellocotton

- To enter, comment below leaving your blog link and email address so I can contact you.

- The winner will be chosen at random, by random.org

- Winner will be announced 21st of April.

Good luck lovelies! Thank you for following my blog! :) xo

 

Chatterbox week 8

Always painting my nails | Made business cards for when I open my shop online | Reached over 100 followers! | My new shoes that I loveee! | Pictures from the lake by my house | Jeffrey's that I want | My bf surprised me with a new laptop | I am saving to go to IMATS in Canada | Enjoying these sunny days | Downtown Portland looking gorgeous

I had another amazing week of life and blogging. Highlights including: my bf surprising me with a new laptop and reaching 100 followers on my blog. Most of the days were filled with sunshine and it's only making me more and more excited for the warmer months coming. I'm also looking forward to adding more summer clothes to my wardrobe. But who isn't right?

This week I started getting things ready for my shop I will be opening online. I've mentioned a few details before but for anyone who missed them: I will be starting a jewelry shop soon and if all goes well I'll be adding dresses. I have so many great ideas for it. And I cannot wait to get started.

A friend and I have made the decision to save up money to go to IMATS in Canada this summer. The tix are not expensive but we need to save up for gas and room money. And she also has to get a passport. And of course, I'm sure we will be shopping as well. I'm hoping they don't sell out first! *crossing my fingers*

I've got my giveaway ready and I will have it posted and live tomorrow. I will tell you what it is then, as well as details on how to enter. I hope you guys like it! The rest of today will be spent getting posts ready for later this week. Talk to you guys tomorrow! :)

Best for last

Shirt Target
Skirt H&M
Necklace Forever 21

I can already tell this summer my hair will be piled atop my head in a top knot. Look at the mane that is my hair! *agh!* I've always had thick, curly, long hair. I remember when I was younger how much it drove my mom nuts when she had to brush and braid it every night. I would cry and scream because it was always in horrible knots. Thank goodness I now know how to take care of it myself!

And of course MORE pink this week! And the ever ever popular leather pleat skirt. Wasn't sure how a plain long-sleeve shirt would pair with this skirt, but I really like it. I paired this outfit with a black blazer to venture out into the cold. I wish it would be sunny and warm already!

I'll have my giveaway up after this weekend and of course how to enter, sorry for the wait lovelies. Thank you for being patient with me.

March Birchbox Teen Vogue Edition

All products can be purchased at Birchbox.com

It's a little late for this post as it's almost to the end of March. So I wanted to quickly share with you what I received in my March Birchbox. This was actually my first Birchbox, I signed up for this after I was disappointed by my Julep Maven box in February. I received an email at the beginning of March from the Birchbox team asking if I wanted to get the Teen Vogue Birchbox this month instead of the regular March Birchbox. They had a limited number so I was intrigued and opted in. I'm happy I did so because I am quite happy with what I got.

1 Essie Luxeffects Polish in As Gold As It Gets, $8

2 Twirl Kate Spade New York, 3.4 fl oz $80

3 Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint, $24

4 Kérastase Elixir Ultime, 125 ml $54    

5 Twistband hair tie, 6 for $16

6 Vouchers to Modcloth.com and Teen Vogue Subscription

The Essie polish is one of my favorite products in this box. As with all of Essie polishes it goes on great. The gold glitter is subtle and looks very pretty atop matte polishes. I also received a sample size of the Twirl perfume by Kate Spade New York. This scent is wonderful! It's a girly musk scent. I'm quite terrible at describing scents. But I would recommend this! I'm thinking about purchasing the full size of this perfume. My other favorite product in this box is the Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint. The color is gorgeous. It is a nice matte soft pink color. I'm thinking about doing a separate review on this soon as it's supposed to be very moisturizing and I haven't had much time to try it out. The Kérastase Elixir Ultime is a wonderful smelling hair oil that doesn't leave you hair feeling sticky. Instead leaves your locks feeling soft and looking shiny and healthy. I fell in love with this product after the first use. It's definitely going on my wish list, maybe I'll get it for my birthday this year. *crosses fingers* I'm going to make this sample size last as long as I can! The Twistband hair ties are probably the only thing that didn't intrigue me in this box. My hair is extremely thick, when I tried to use this I couldn't wrap it around my pony-tail more than twice. It was too loose for my liking. When I took down my hair it didn't pull on my hair or snag though. I think if you have thinner hair this would be perfect. But it's just not for me. My box also included some nice vouchers to Modcloth and a Teen Vogue two year subscription. I might be using the Teen Vogue one for my magazine addiction. This Birchbox makes me very excited for the ones to come!

I found a boy

Top H&M
Skirt & Cardigan Forever 21
Necklace my own (post coming soon)
Ring Charlotte Russe

Excuse the messy curly hair. I had just taken it down from a top knot. Me and my curly hair probs. This outfit is classified by me as the super comfy outfit.

I'm loving the high-low skirts and dresses that are popular at the moment. They make me feel like a mermaid. I love this top from H&M it goes with so much. The cardigan is new. It's one of those big slouchy ones that have a grandma-vibe but are very cute. This one is medium-weight with cropped sleeves. It will be perfect when the weather warms up a bit. Can't wait to show you guys how I made this necklace, I have a post coming soon for Frock Stock!

Who else is loving the high-low trend with skirts and dresses? How do you wear them out?

Nailene acrylics

Nailene Acrylic Sculpture Kit

I have the worst luck with my natural nails. I'll grow them out to the perfect length and they will look pretty for about a week. But for some reason after that they get brittle and break. All my efforts of not biting them off, go down the drain. I've even tried a number of vitamins that claim they will strengthen your nails, as well as make your skin and hair look nice. But that lasts for a couple of weeks and they start breaking again. I feel my fingers look stubby when I don't have a little length to my nails. In the past to get lasting nails, I've gone to the salon to get acrylics where it costs more than $25 for a full set and about $15 for a fill. It adds up when you need to go in every two weeks.

I found this Nailene kit a few weeks ago looking for glue on nails. I liked the idea that it was acrylic too and not just fake plastic nails. The 40 tips package was about $8. They had a larger package that was $12 with more nail tips. I had heard a few good things about Nailene before so I purchased these.

The set includes 40 various nail tips in different colors (white and clear) as well as sizes. And of course: nail glue, acrylic liquid and powder, a file and not shown a small brush. The nail lengths are quite long so I did cut them down for myself. This set is quite versatile and would satisfy most every one's preference for length.

I really do love these nails. The nail glue is so strong. In the several weeks I've been using this set, I've only had one nail fall off. I've also only had one nail break. But there are things that I didn't like with this kit. First, the directions tell you to pour out the acrylic liquid into a container but it doesn't come with one. So I spent ten minutes trying to find something I can dispose of afterwards. Another thing I did not like is when you are applying acrylic you need to leave your brush in acetone to make sure the acrylic doesn't harden on it. It ruins the brush if it does. No where on the directions did it say this, so by the time I figured out what was happening it was too late. I should have known. But I had to toss the brush.

The finished results are quite nice for being an amateur at doing acrylics. However, it was a little lumpy for my taste. Since I'm right handed my right nails had the worst lumps. If you can have someone else do them for you each time these would be great. But for myself that isn't the case. I have ended up just using the tips and they look great alone! You can see them here. I think I will be sticking with the glue-ons from now on. Nailene also sells them by themselves.

Crazy for you

Blouse Forever 21
Pants H&M
Necklace my own (post coming soon)
Ring Charlotte Russe
Nails Wet n Wild Tickled Pink & OPI Nicole Rainbow in the S-Kylie

Pink has been in almost everything I wear lately. Obviously it's my favorite color. I absolutely love this outfit! Someone told me I looked like Barbie with the pink pants. I don't know about that.

I'm loving polka dots and stripes at the moment. And of course black and pink. This top is sheer as you can see, so I had to pair it with a basic tank. I'm not one of those girls who can pull off just a black bra underneath. I don't think I want to. Both tops are quite long so I decided to tuck them into my pants. I like the look of the high rise pants like this. My pink obsession at its finest, even my nails are pink! *grins*

Saturday I purchased a self-tanner mousse that I tried last night. I'm in love with this product! Will be doing a review on it soon.

Chatterbox week 7

Instagram @jagsmitty
Bought only necessities | Made a golden Peter Pan collar | Got a free drink | Eating healthy again! | My March Birchbox | Studded flats I made | My kitty flats | Redid my fake nails | Obsessed with Sbucks gold card | My monkey onesie pjs | Enjoying the sunshine | Very cool clouds | St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse | New flatforms | Pretty eyeshadows

Another successful week in the blogasphere for me. I've stuck to posting everyday in a timely fashion, gained a few more readers and I'm enjoying blogging more than when I first started! I also had a great week outside the Internet. Spent time with my wonderful boyfriend and had a much needed shopping trip. I have quite a few products I'm reviewing currently, and some new ones I purchased just yesterday. Expect my Birchbox review in a couple days. I've finally had the chance to use everything in it.

In other blog news, I have reached 99 followers! One more and I will be doing a giveaway! Any suggestions on the giveaway? Thank you lovelies! You are all so sweet, the giveaway is to show my appreciation.

I'll be moving shortly and I am so excited! The bf and I finally decided we are going to wait on buying a house. We are going to look for an apartment and will probably be moving into the city in a few weeks or less. This just means more shopping for moi!