"But I Can't Afford To Replace My iPhone Over One Broken Button"

These are the words I'm sure several of you iPhone owners have said before, and if not, maybe one day you will. iPhones are notorious for buttons breaking and things going wrong, but for some reason, we keep going back and getting the latest and greatest Apple product. Maybe it's just me? I'm not sure.
Well yesterday the top lock button on my iPhone stopped working and I really did not think too much of it...until later on that day when I couldn't turn off the screen on my phone. Keep in mind, this button jam was completely out of the blue, in fact, it isn't even jammed down into the phone, it looks perfectly normal.
Any way, today I was about two steps away from throwing my phone out the window of my moving car and never turning back. I was sick of walking about holding my phone screen up waiting for the screen to automatically shut off, praying that no one would text me and make the time start over. Also, I was at school so I was listening to the music on the phone therefore the screen timer must be longer or something because it was the absolute longest minute of my life. Most days of my life I don't feel like two hands is enough, let alone having one of those hands dedicated to babying a cell phone who's screen will not shut off. Ugh, just THINKING about it is upsetting me.
Desperate, I was searching the web for quick fixes; I was using force, I was prying at the button with tweezers, I was seconds away from removing the backside of the phone. Nothing was going to unjam this button. I was so frustrated. I reached out to all my Facebook friends when somebody commented and told me how her iPhone is broken in the same way and how you can get a "circle thing" to make it better. What does that even mean?
I looked further into it and this is what she told me to do:
Go to Settings
Go To General
Go To Accessibility
Under the "Physical & Motor" option click AssistiveTouch
Turn the "off" to "on"
A little circle will now appear on your iPhone.
In my case, I have to go to Device and click Lock Screen, but there are several options. You can use Siri, the Home Button, Screen rotate, screen shot, volume, pretty much anything. So even though it is annoying, it is a temporary fix that I'm extremely happy about. I never thought I would appreciate putting my phone in my pocket so much.

So I hope if anyone is having issues with this or any of the buttons this can help them out. I know I certainly don't have the money to go buy a whole new phone just because one button broke so I'm thrilled about this feature that I previously had no idea even existed!!
Also, I realize this doesn't have anything to do with beauty and the usual topics that I talk about...but the stress of a broken phone can cause break outs, so this feature of the iPhone can prevent that! ;-)

Beauty Blender Thoughts...

First off, let me begin by saying I want to cry because I let eleven days slip out from underneath me without blogging about anything. I'm at this point where I have so much to post about that I'm having a hard time narrowing down what to talk about first. On top of that, I'm working on getting a YouTube channel up (soon, like, soon soon) and everything is just all so crazy! Also, quick note, how is September almost over?! I literally just wrote a post about how hectic August is and now it is nearly November. Oh my goodness, time is just going too fast and pretty soon Sephora, Ulta, and the drugstores are going to start releasing Holiday collections and then the reviews and blog posts are REALLY going to be flowing.
But until then, let me tell you my thoughts on the extremely popular and well known Beauty Blender.

This little pink egg of squishy goodness is like nothing I've ever experienced. I've never been a fan of using a brush or a sponge to apply my foundation. I'm more of a blend-with-my-fingers kind of gal. I have never found a brush or sponge that I found to do an amazing job that was worth ditching my extremely convenient hands behind, until now!
What I really love about the Beauty Blender is that it is small and compact and really precious and pink...until you squeeze some water into it and it expands to nearly twice it's size. At that point, it has no more room to absorb any liquid, so when you dip it into your foundation, it doesn't all get sucked up and end up being a huge waste of money. It truly does blend foundation like a dream, and it doesn't end there! I then go in with my concealer and brightener (down my nose, under my eyes) and blend it in quite quickly with the pointed tip of my Beauty Blender. Within seconds my face is covered with a natural finish that I absolutely love. It's unreal.
I also love that after I use all my powder products like bronzer and blush and highlighter, I can take the large rounded side and just go around the outline of all my contouring/blushing/highlighting and make all my lines look totally seamless. I even take the extra time to contour my bridged nose because the Beauty Blender can quickly fix the extra product that I've applied to heavily or darkly.
Cons to the beloved Beauty Blender would definitely include cleaning. OH MY GOSH, it's like having a child or a pet, you cannot just ignore it and hope it gets cleaner or you'll get used to it because it does not happen. It just keeps getting grosser and dirtier and soon I'm sure the stains are probably irreversible and then you have to go out and buy a whole new $20 sponge. 
Also, truly think about it...you are putting a sponge all over your face, getting it wet, putting it all over your face, getting it wet, and repeating over and over again without cleaning. Um, talk about a breading ground for bacteria. No Thank You. So you really do have to clean your Beauty Blender every single day, which is quite the responsibility, especially if you are anything like me and absolutely dread the thought of even cleaning one cosmetic brush.
Also, another obvious con is the $20 price tag...yikes! I had a really difficult time coping with the price issue of the Beauty Blender because breaking it down you really are spending a whole Andrew Jackson on a sponge that is neon pink. I figured "it can't be worth it". For me, my Beauty Blender was worth it. It gives me something to look forward to each morning when I apply my make up and I use it every single day. I also did not let it be an impulse purchase. It sounds silly to say I saved my money to buy a $20 Beauty Blender, but I really kind of did. I actually returned something I had sitting in my collection for a few months that I never used and exchanged it at Sephora for my Beauty Blender.
Final Thoughts it you are looking for a refreshing change to your make up routine, I would highly recommend looking into the Beauty Blender. I could live without it, but at this point, I wouldn't want to. It blend out foundation so nicely and comes in handy all through out my make up application process. It really is unique and quite useful, but not an immediate necessity.


Quick Tip: I clean my Beauty Blender with the Mac Brush Cleanser (thats what I use and have laying around, when I run out I may look for a cheaper alternative). The greatest Beauty Blender tip that I can give is to clean it when it is dry. I clean mine in the morning before I apply my make up, not after. The reason this works better is because the sponge is not full of liquid, so all the foundation in it is pushed towards the surface thus making getting it out of the surface much easier than if the sponge was already filled with water. I pour some cleanser on it and massage the whole Beauty Blender in my hands and then run the water. I continue squeezing and drenching the BB in cleanser/water until the squeezed out liquid is not the color of my foundation and is clear water instead. I do this process every single morning before I take my shower. 

How Benefit Brow Bar Redeemed Themselves...

As some of you may remember, in August I wrote a review on my Benefit Brow Bar experience (if you didn't read it, you can catch it here). My review was clearly unimpressed by the service that I received (or lack there of, actually). I'm not a fan of bad customer service and certainly am not one to give second chances often. I don't believe doing your job well and being kind to customers is difficult, and if you find that it is then you probably should consider finding a less interactive job. *End Rant* 
So the other day I found myself in Ulta walking around and looking for a few things I wanted to pick up. Both the items I went in to get were sold out and since I was in the mind set to spend some money, I started talking to one of the sales women. She was in the high end section of the store and was really casual and comfortable to talk to; she was giving several customers personal opinions on products and being extremely helpful. I knew from that moment I wanted to buy something from her because she was such a proactive employee. Do these types of impulses happen to other people? Just me? 
I approached her and was asking some questions about products and mentioned my horrible customer service the last time I was at Ulta to get my arches done at the Benefit Brow Bar. She totally agreed with me on my feelings of how they should still do a free Birthday Arch service and how dumb it is for them not to. She then mentioned how she does brows and since it wasn't busy, I asked if she had time to do mine that I would really appreciate it. She was happy to take me in and give me a shaping. She took her time and walked me through the whole process with the measuring of the arch, beginning, and tail of my brow. Then she filled them in to show me what they are going to look like. She was sure to mention that I would probably need to do the process at least 3 times to get the exact arch that I want because some areas need to grow in before we wax other areas. She would do a section and then show me in the mirror and make sure everything was looking good to my standard.

• I loved how sterile the process was; a new stick of wax for each section
• The wax is MUCH more gentle than what I'm used to at the nail salon
• She was chatty but not rude; she didn't mention how badly I needed to get my brows done, what a mess they were, or how sensitive my skin is
• She made sure I wasn't allergic to anything that could be in their products
• Most importantly, she didn't let me leave looking like a mess. She applied make up over the waxed area, filled in my brows, and fixed up my make up. I was able to run errands after my appointment without my face being bright red and oily. It was AMAZING.

So this experience was MUCH better. I was even told that day by some friends that my brows looked really nice and more arched (which is what I've always wanted!) Everything about my second time at the Brow Bar was so much better. I plan on going back once I'm due for a touch up. If you are unsure of your local Brow Bar, I suggest looking up reviews on Yelp. Usually I wouldn't just hop into a seat and let someone alter my face without checking other people's experiences, but this just had a really good feeling about it. 
I'll put it this way...I plan on buying this woman a Christmas present because I'm so happy with the way my brows turned out. 

I hope this helped some of you guys out!

Have a great week, XOXO

My HOLY GRAIL Break Out Product

I have suffered from acne and break outs since early-mid high school. I am now in my 4th year of college at 21 years old and still have problems with acne. It can be so frustrating getting break outs when you are essentially an adult in every other way. I've gone to dermatologists and tried just about every product on the shelfs to prevent and reduce acne. Some have done nothing while others have literally burned the very skin off my face and left me with peeling, red, bleeding skin. Trust me, there have been some nightmares, including taking prescription pills that were supposed to help but instead just caused me the sun burn so painfully that I couldn't even sit in the seats in my car. Ugh, thinking about all these horrible events is making me cringe. Acne is emotionally, socially, and physically painful. Ain't that the truth, though...

The best product, hands down, that I have ever found is the Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Stress Control Toner. You guys, I swear, I rave about this product to absolutely everyone. Anyone that says they are breaking out or have problems with acne, I literally get so excited to tell them all about this product. I use this every single night after I wash my face and on mornings when I'm dealing with a break out. It has significantly reduced the amount of break outs that I get and I have repurchased it over and over again. I'm pretty sure this is my 4th bottle. I've even got my brother and my best friend hooked on it. She even told me that she stopped using it and when she went back to it couldn't believe that she stopped using it in the first place. The active ingredient for this is salicylic acid, which seems to work better for my skin type as opposed to benzoyl peroxide. The bottle will last you a few months also, and it has never dried out my skin to the point where it is peeling. Sure, it will make your skin feel drier, but I haven't had any severe dryness since using this product. If Neutrogena ever discontinued this, I literally think I would die. I've even stopped using the acne medicated gel that I've been using for the past 4 years because this has worked so many wonders for my skin. The best part? It's under 5 dollars! Perfect for teenagers and acne strugglers on a tight budget. 

CalNaturale Svelte Review (It's Protein!)

Anyone who knows me knows that i'm borderline Vegetarian. Not because of any health reasons or beliefs, but because I just simply do not enjoy chicken and other meat sources. I love carbs like pasta and rice and would chose either of those over a steak any day. 

Another way many people make sure they get enough protein in their diet is by drinking protein shakes. I absolutely hate the idea of a protein shake; it is mostly the consistency of the actual shake that gets me. If I can move past that, I start to notice the smell and that alone is gag worthy. Again, this is all personal preference. 

I also do not drink regular milk as it makes me sick, instead I always drink soy milk or coconut milk. Many store bought protein shakes and beverages are made with low fat milk so I can't drink those even if I wanted to. 

With all that said, I have found something that is new to me and I am absolutely in love! As with cosmetics, I am a huge sucker for packaging so when I saw these precious shakes at Whole Foods, I knew I had to try them. 

The CalNaturale Svelte Protein Shakes are made with soy milk and contain 16 complex carbs that help keep you full and energized all day. They come in 4 flavors, chocolate, vanilla, cappuccino, and spiced chai. 

The first flavor that I tried was just the chocolate one. I love how it says "Hello Beautiful" on the front, it can really brighten your day by seeing a simple message on your protein shake. This shake tasted like your standard chocolate protein shake; not really my cup of tea, but it wasn't horrible. I prefer dark chocolate flavors too so this was a little "sweet" as far as chocolate goes. Again, not great, but not bad. 

I then tried the spiced chai flavor. Contrary to this quote, this shake was most definitely not my style. I love chai and it is one of my favorite flavors. I love the spice and the sweetness all mixed into one delicious beverage. Unfortunately, this was not the case here. This tasted horrible, I'm not sure if it was too sweet or too spicy, but it was just not a good flavor. I would never EVER repurchase this one.

Now, onto my favorite (and the one that I'm currently sipping on). The cappuccino flavor quoting "enjoy yourself" is exactly how I feel when I drink this. It does not seem like a protein shake at all, it's more of like a thick coffee beverage that is actually enjoyable to drink. I continue to buy this flavor over and over because it is by far my favorite. 

These Svelte Protein Shakes keep me energized much like how a cup of coffee does, so on mornings when I'm feeling anxious and the last thing I need is caffeine, I like to grab one of these. They also do not need to be refrigerated (although I do keep mine chilled) which can be handy for work or school to just keep in your bag. The packaging is sturdy and very quality. They also keep me really full and really energized! I love these before or after a work out, or in between meals when I'm at work. 

The places I have found these is at Safeway in the Nutrition Isle and at Whole Foods, so the next time you're there, be sure to check them out! Also, you can find out exact locations where these are sold by going here!

Favorite Fall Lip Products

Hey There! Today I want to get a post up about all of my favorite lip colors for fall. With August ending and Autumn quickly approaching, I figured now is the perfect time to to post this so if you see anything you like you can run out and get it and feel well prepared for fall. Also, I find that Fall (as well as Winter) are the best months to take advantage of lip colors because it isn't so dreadfully hot that you have to keep it light and minimal in fear of it literally melting off your face.
Personally, I prefer deep and dark colors much more than nude or subtle colors. I tend to wear very minimal eye make up so I like to play up my lips a lot. Also, with a lipstick collection as extensive as mine, I might as well get as much use out of all of it as possible. So lets dive right in and talk about some of my favorites!

The first color I want to talk about is not featured in my swatches because I've actually been wearing it these past few days. I picked this up last winter and was devastated when the hotter months got here because I wasn't ready to put it away for fall. It's still summer and I cannot wait any longer; I've decided to just start wearing it during the lead up to Fall because I cannot contain myself any longer. I think this color is great for this awkward transition period because it is a deep plum color, but it isn't too dark or too pigmented to wear you look scary

Revlon Sugar Plum

I ADORE this color. It would look great on anyone. This is my number 1 fall recommendation for lipstick.

Now for the rest of them...

Mac Lipstick "Rebel"

Mac Lipstick "Viva Glam III"

Mac Lipstick "Up The Amp"

Mac Lipstick "Twig"

Revlon Lip Butter "Red Velvet"

Revlon Lip Butter "Fig Jam"

Clinique Almost Lipstick "Black Honey"

Revlon Kissable Balm Stain "Crush"

Revlon Kissable Balm Stain "Honey"

Mac Lipglass "Russian Red"

Revlon Colorstay Lipgloss "Sun Baked"

It's pretty clear I like to gravitate towards the darker neutrals and plum colors for fall (I prefer to save reds for winter, with the exception of the Mac Russian Red Lipglass). Out of all these, I wear Revlon Lip Butter in "Sugar Plum" and Revlon Balm Stain in "Crush" the most, the literally live in my purse in the fall. I think glosses are a fun for days when you wear your hair in a high pony to give a really polished look. Also, the great thing about fall is that deep lip colors work really well on a variety of skin tones and they can be much more wearable than bright reds and pinks. The drug store has many wonderful options so go check some of these out!