PocketBac's || A Sweet Smelling, Germ Killing Essential

What a random post, haha, but that's what I'm all about lately. If you wanna blog about it, then do (the mod mermaid-isms, coming to a fortune cookie near you) Anyway, whenever you walk into Bath & Body Works there's no way you can resist the little acrylic tubs of goodness that are filled to the brim with these little PocketBac hand sanitizers. There's a huge array of scents that'll make your nose tingle and twitch. My eye always goes to the sparkly and glitter packed sanitizers. Every time I pick a newly glittered scent, I cross my fingers and hope it smells good. Who doesn't love disinfecting while at the same time glitter coating their hands? Plus, they're always running a promotion on them, which is 5 for $5. The ones that don't get infused with glitter have little blue "bursting beads." I'm not exactly sure of their benefit but they're super distracting to squish during long lectures. The scents on all of these are super potent which is fantastic as it not just the alcohol smell. Be warned that if you're in the confines on a NYC subway you will get glared out if it's not a universally delicious smelling smell, but you do you! My favorite scent I ever got of these was a peachy smelling one that was called "I Love Shopping" which was more than fitting for me. The scents are constantly changing with the seasons and whilst I love the fruity and citrusy scents of the summer, I cannot wait for the sweet Christmas cookie smelling ones in the winter!

Do you prefer the bursting beads or glitter?

Which is your favorite scent that you've ever had?

If you're wondering why there are only 4 instead of 5, it's because I was kind and gifted one to the man friend (you're welcome, Anthony!! ;) 

Loving Lately #1

Have monthly favorites been outdated? I hardly see any on my dash when the end of the month rolls around these day! I've always been a fan of reading them but never writing them. I always felt too much pressure to 'love' certain products every month and my versions of those posts were always so lame. I still want to share products I've been loving during longer periods of time so I've created this "loving lately" series. I know, super original title, amiright? Instead of doing it monthly, I'll be doing it sporadically when I feel like I have a bunch of stuff I love that I must, must, must share. Hurr we go!

• Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist in Carried Away | Carried Away is my favorite scent from Bath & Body Works. When I worked there it was the only scent I was really good at selling and I wanted you to go home with at least the shower gel. In an attempt to ration the last bit of my One Direction perfume, I've started reaching for my large collection of fragrance mists. Of course, I reached for this one first with it's delicious notes of raspberries, bergamot, jasmine, and vanilla. MMM, MMM! Just wish the staying power was longer :/
• Benefit's gimmeBrow | I wasn't totally in love with this when I got it because I was bitter about practically being forced to buy it, but now my feelings have changed. Brows still aren't a part of my daily make up routine but on occasion I do enjoy sprucing up my brows to make them look less fuzzy wuzzy and give them more shape. It's especially great for work when I wan to look put together, but not to over the top. I don't know, I can't describe it (which is really helpful for you guys, isn't it? haha) but I do love this stuff!
• Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer | This concealer has been the only concealer I've used since I bought it! I love the coverage and brightness of all the Wake Me Up products from Rimmel. I've raved on and on about them for quite some time and still to this day I won't use anything else. I'm actually running low on it, but may refrain from buying another just to use up the rest of the concealers that are lost in the "forgotten".
• Candy Cane flavored Chap Stick | MMM, MMM! You can't go wrong with peppermint and candy cane flavored things during any time of the year honestly. It's equal parts minty and equal parts sweet which makes for a tasty combination! This crazy cold weather has just been the worst to my lips, so I'm glad this guy not only tastes delicious, but keeps my lips nice and moisturized for hours!
• NARS Narsissist Eyeshadow Palette | I've saved the best for last! I know reviews on this palette from NARS have been mixed, but just know that I LOVE it. It's all I've been using and reaching for as of late to create eyeshadow looks. My thoughts on it are coming really, really soon, I promise, along with crazy model shots of it (LOL) and swatches! It's all set up in my drafts, but school is making it rather hard to write up the dang thing! Long story short; I LOVE IT. MONEY WELL SPENT!

What have YOU been "loving lately" Har har ;)

Collective Haul | Sephora, Bath & Body Works, Bobbi Brown, and Macadamia Natural Oil

Happy, slappy Tuesday, y'all! It's the end of April today if I'm not mistaken! Which to most is a signal of 1/3 of the year coming to a close but to me it means MY BIRTHDAY IS IN 2 DAYS! I know, I know, you're tired of hearing about it. By the end of the week you won't have to hear about it again till next year ... or unless I post a haul of goodies I got, LOL. Speaking of hauls, I have a collective one to share with you all today! I've been shopping a bit here and there for some essentials and not so essentials, haha. Sephora was having their VIB sale at the beginning of the month and I took that as an opportunity to get a full-size Urban Decay Naked Skin BB after loving and squeezing out every last drop from my baby-size sample. Since I ran out of my MAC MSF a while back I figured it was time to try a new setting powder. Originally I was going to go for NARS Light Reflecting Powder but my friend Julia recommended Tarte's Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Powder, which she said is a great setting powder for drier skin as it has some ingredient that keeps moisture on your face. I don't know, but I was sold and got it! Reviews on both of these are coming to a blog post near you so stay tuned! I also got my Sephora birthday perk which is a mini sample of Benefit's They're Real (love this mascara, and I'm so glad I've never had to purchase it as it always, always comes as a sample somewhere) and a mini Benefit's WattsUp highlighter, which I actually reviewed once and wasn't a big fan of it. 

Bobbi Brown was also having a super exciting Friends & Family 20% off sale that my mom took FULL advantage of. Seriously, if Bobbi Brown makes it, my mom 100% wants it, haha! She kindly asked if I'd like anything (no doubt trying to spread the Bobbi Brown joy she is feeling) and I said no until I played with one of their lipglosses in a Sephora one night out. I ended up getting Bobbi Brown's High Shimmer Gloss in Bellini. It's such a gorgeous, everyday lipgloss with hints of silver and gold shimmers. I'm not a lip gloss gal, at all, but this one has virtually no stick to it. It's not goopy and you can barely feel it on your lips which I LOVE.

Then my ever so lovely mother surprised me with some sweet treat from Bath & Body Works after I dropped my *not-so* subtle hints about wanting some new candles. She picked up the Strawberry, Market Peach, and a baby Espresso candles (which btw, makes my entire room smell like a coffee shop!) I, like every other blogger/vlogger, love me some Bath & Body Works candles! They have the best scent throw and some of the most delicious scents I've ever sniffed! I didn't even have the heart to blow out Market Peach whilst taking these photos!

Last, but not least, are my Macadamia Natural Hair goodies that I managed to find in my Stop N' Shop (for cheaper, too!) I've been on the search for some hair products that would make my frizzy, poofy, dry, and curly hair look like I actually managed to do something with the mess. Macadamia products are raved and raved about on the blog-o-sphere and after some recommendations I bit the bullet (have you seen the price?!) and got myself the shampoo and conditioner. Well I THOUGHT I got the conditioner, turns out it's the leave in conditioner, haha! Woopsie. Still testing both of these out and the Leave-In conditioner is actually quite nice so I've decided to keep it. We'll see how I get on with them and then I'll be sure to put up my own review on the ever so hyped hair goods!

What do you lovelies think? Anything here that you've tried? What have you recently hauled? 

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Haul | Bath & Body Works and LUSH

Happy Monday! I have an itty bitty collective haul to share with you all that consists of super colorful and super spring smelling products! Bath & Body Works was having their 2 for $22 (I miss the $20, seemed like a better deal) and after having to stand in front of the candles for 5 straight hours and shoving them in people's noses, I fell in love with some of the scents. So one day my dad took my sister and I to the mall and I begged and pleaded to let me just get two candles! Here's what I got:

• Palm Beach Cooler | I love when Bath & Body Works puts out cocktail scented candles. I personally think they are the best. I liked Pink Sangria and Island Margarita, but my sister and I wanted to get a scent we both liked and that was Palm Beach Cooler. It's has notes of berries and grapefruit, but ultimately smells like a watermelon lollipop!
• Oceanside | I love the beach. I love the ocean. So I love everything about this candle. It smells like the ocean air. I don't know how else to describe it, really. Just picture your perfect beach day with the sun shining, a tiny breeze, and THAT'S how the air smells (not helpful, I know!) 

Even though I got a ton of LUSH over the holidays I couldn't resist popping over for the Valentine's Day products because they are consistently my favorite! I look forward to them every year and if they ever discontinue these two I will have to threaten them to bring it back write a strongly worded letter! So here's what I got:

• The Ex-Factor | The concept of this little guy is brilliant beyond comprehension. They created this blue gingerbread looking man with a teeny pink heart and made him a fizzy so that you could slowly and surely use him as voodoo ritual. Limb by limb, sink this guy into the bath and watch as they dissolve into nothingness. It's really funny and kind of sad cause of that cute wittle smile! I feel sort of bad when I dissolve him ): I usually get two of these but decided to be good!
• Magic Mushroom | I'm never good with these guys. I always buy at least two and I call that being responsible. This is my favorite bubble bar from LUSH! It smells of strawberries and cream and just creates the biggest bubbles with loveliest pinky/red bath water. I always seem to sit in the bath a tad bit longer when using this guy! 

That's the end of my haul. I'd love to know if you guys snagged any of the new tropical Bath & Body Works scents or at least had a chance to sniff them out! Also, if you got anything from the LUSH Valentine's Day products. They had a really lovely smelling massage bar that I passed up on but I can't stop thinking about it, haha! And I may need more Magic Mushrooms! Ahhh, the curse and pull of LUSH and shopping!

Bath & Body Works | Pumpkin Face Mask

Admit it. About 63% of you didn't even know that Bath & Body Works sold other things besides candles, pocket bacs, and shower gels/lotions! Don't feel bad ... I didn't know either, even after a week of working there! Upon working closing I noticed the 'True Blue Spa" wall that has everything to do with products that make it easy and fun to pamper yourself. It's actually really cool stuff! Then I noticed this little gem, sitting all the way on the bottom shelf in the corner. I picked it up out of curiosity and saw that it was a Pumpkin face mask. I think it smells really good! Very homey, and comforting. Very pumpkin. My coworkers cringed and wondered where I lost a few screws! It's supposed to be a renewing mask, now I'm not exactly sure what it means but it sure does smooth and soften my skin! Quite noticeably, too even after the first time I used it. The texture is a bit funny, it's described as "whipped and creamy" but it's almost gelatinous, haha! Which is not a bad thing, it's just strange. I still haven't figured out exactly where this is supposed to fit into my skin care routine and how often is too often. I mostly apply this mask before I begin my entire skin care routine, let it sink in for 10 minutes and then wash it right off. You will, right away, notice that your skin looks super smooth and quite soft to the touch which I think is thanks to the pumpkin. If you're looking for a fun mask to have in your skin care routine, I'd recommend taking a look at this! It's not the most glamorous and doesn't promise tons of benefits but who doesn't want skin as smooth and soft as a baby's bum?!

What are some of your favorite face masks to use? I also love LUSH's face masks, but am on a less strict schedule with this one! (no expiration dates ;) )

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Pumpkin Caramel Latte: From Bedroom to Coffee Shop

Did I scare anyone with this font? Haha, my goodness it just screams Halloween and melted caramel! Is it odd that I'm reviewing yet another candle? Does that qualify under beauty or fashion? Come to think of it I don't even blog much about fashion! Well, I trust you'll all let me know if candles are not something to be reviewed, but I think when it smells this delicious it must be shared! This is Halloween, Everybody make a scene!

I'm going to come right out and say that if it weren't for my sending candles across the sea to Melissa (Melissa Knows Best) I would have never sniffed this beaut. It encompasses everything that is oh so sweet about the fall. Since you can't smell through your screen, allow me to paint you a wondrous picture. You are walking along the street with the trees above you becoming bare with still some green left on them but on the floor all the lonely red and orange and yellow dried up leaves are waiting to be crunched. You're in your favorite sweater, wrapped up in your favorite scarf because of all the crisp air around you. You stumble upon your favorite coffee shop (Starbucks, woot!) and get a wiff of all the new autumn coffee's they have brought out. You can smell the strong scent of all the melting caramel being added to the warm drinks as they are then dusted off with a dash of cinnamon, that you can lightly smell through it all. But then there's the smell of the decadent and creamy pumpkin, mixed together with the caramel and cinnamon. Suddenly you are dashing off to the counter and order yourself a tall mug of the delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte which you then take with you, sit yourself on a cozy couch beside a window and watch as the season transforms around you.

BAM! Simply put, if you are a fan of the warm and sweet scents that are always so fantastically associated with autumn you will have to check out this candle. I can almost guarantee that there will be another 2 for $20 sale at Bath & Body Works quite soon so you'll have no excuse not to pick this up. I know I didn't, haha! Thanks again to Melissa for allowing me to smell the sweetness of it!

So ... are you guys intrigued? What are some of your favorite fall scents?

Bath & Body Works Haul

Stop rubbing your eyes. Stop wiping your screen. Don't go off and get a new computer. You read it correctly, a haul. Ahaha, I'm sure half of you are enjoying this! I know if I was following a blogger who was doing a "No Buy Challenge" and ended up doing a haul post in the middle of it all I would laugh and laugh and then giggle. I really, for the life of me, could not resist. I tried really hard. SUPER hard. But there was no use. Bath & Body Works was having yet another 2 for $20 3-wick candle sale and this time I had a coupon for 20% off the entire purchase and my eye began to twitch. Even better was that the candles were basically each $10! I got my ever beloved Cinnamon Sugared Donut candle that I reviewed/raved about right over here. The next one I got was Pumpkin Caramel Latte. I bought it for my blogging buddy Melissa (who blogs on Melissa Knows Best, brilliant blog you guys should check her out! She's absolutely lovely :) ) and I knew that I had to have my greedy little mits on it soon. It's so sweet and caramel-y. It also helped that I had my first Pumpkin Spiced Latte from Starbucks and I could almost taste it through the candle! The last candle I bought is the least exciting but still exciting in a way. Eucalyptus Spearmint Stress Relieving candle. I got this candle because I had the little wall flower plug-in in this scent and it really did help to sort of clear my head as I had it wafting through my house during final exams (yikes!) The last three things I got were two Pocketbac's; one in Warm Apple Cider and the other in Candy Corn (a present for my sister as she is obsessed with Pocketbac's and Candy Corn) Good grief, does the Warm Apple Cider actually smell like WARM. APPLE. CIDER. I can't stop using it! I'll need another to keep me through the winter, haha! Last was this a-freakin-supercalifragilasticly-dorable Pocketbac holder. Stop. I can't take it's cute squirliness. It just screams autumn! Take a minute. Just stare at it and try not to fall in love.

I'm quite pleased with myself even though I've broken a big rule on my No Buy Challenge which was ultimately not to buy anything for 100 days. But c'mon, would you have been able to resist a sale like this and then 20% the entire purchase? Hmmm, perhaps you all have stronger will power than me!

What are some of your favorite fall scents? Have you picked up any Bath & Body Works candles? Let me know! 

Cinnamon Sugared Donut: The Orgasmic Candle

I am going full in right now. Take your money out of your wallet, place it at your nearest Bath & Body Works and walk away with the Cinnamon Sugared Donut candle. Don't skimp on the baby one and not even the medium sized one, grab the BIG KAHUNA. This candle is so amazing that it's getting it's own review. It's burning the way you see it in this picture right this very second. Cinnamon Sugared Donuts is my holy grail of candles. I bought the medium sized candle of it last year and fell so in love with that I went back in two days to grab the big candle. Unfortunately, they were sold out! I also didn't properly burn it so it died before I even got to use half! I've patiently waited a year for this baby to come back and I've snatched it up!

There's only one way to properly imagine the scent: Picture yourself in a small baked sweets shop. The shop is small and there's no where for the scent to escape. It's snowing ever so lightly outside the window and a crisp night has just fallen. Inside the shop you become enveloped in the warm, sugary scent of it all. It literally wraps you up and every corner of the room. It doesn't suffocate you but plays with your senses.

GAH! This candle is just too die for and I swear my nostrils and eye balls bug out every time I walk into my room and smell the sweet deliciousness of it all! I realize it's still summer time and we're not ready for it to go, but this candle is too delicious to pass up! Leaves? Psh, Cinnamon Sugared Donut is more like it! (And hey, soon they'll have a 2 for $20 Candle Sale so you can get both! ;)

I'm off to soak in the scents!

Summer Picks!

Here are my top beauty picks for this Summer!

1. NARS Laguna Bronzer: I'm new to the world of bronzer and don't see myself always wearing it. But what I find is that I do love wearing this on it's own just as a contour, without blush or highlighter. *gasp Beauty faux pax I know but I feel it looks more natural like that. Bronzer is just perfect for a sun kissed face!
2. NARS Orgasm Blush: Everyone has their favorite seasonal blush and Orgasm is mine! It's the perfect blend of pink, orange, and shimmer which I think are the top things I look for in a summer blush.
3. EOS Strawberry Sorbet LipBalm: No matter the season your lips always need to be moisturized and EOS Lip Balms are the best (and funnest) ones to just throw in your bag. They are also made in awesome summer flavors!
4. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti: I find that wearing lipsticks in the summer time is just way to hard to keep up with reapplying it. I love the Lip Butters (in any color) to add moisture and color without feeling like you're wearing it at all!
5. Essie Turquoise & Caicos: If you're a lover of teal or turquoise you will LOVE this color. It's that perfect spring and summer color that's awesome for the day and the beach!
6. China Glaze Riveting: This polish is the color of the shimmering sun. That is the sole purpose of it being my summer pick. Sun? Summer? Anyone? Haha
7. Bath & Body Works Fine Mist Fragrance: Okay I'm about to go on a tangent with these Fragrance Mists. They are a wonderful blend of delicious scents and lightness to it that no one is walking passed you choking on it (too much?) There is a scent for everyone and the summer scents are impeccable! They also come with mini's that are perfect for travel!

I'd love to know, what are some of your must haves for the summer?

xo