Perfectly Imperfect: Garnier BB Cream Review

The Garnier BB cream is a product I've been excited to try. The reviews online are split, either you love it or you hate. Not everyone is looking for same look, so I think you should first ask yourself, “How do I want your foundation to look?" My answer would be; I want a flawless looks that covers and brightens. I personally tend to go for a more full coverage foundation. I have occasional breakouts, redness, and discoloration. My face can be a hot mess, especially during the colder months since I’m lighter and have no tan. A tan helps to hide these imperfections, so I can wear a lighter coverage foundation. I don't always have to wear full coverage foundation; I have no problem leaving the house without make-up. For this reason, I love the Garnier BB Cream.

Now that I'm a working mama, the weekends are all about family. If we aren't taking a walk, at the playground, or running errands, we're at home chasing Baby B around the house acting like kids ourselves. I like to be comfortable and not have to spend much time getting ready. On the days that I go to work it takes me about 1 hour to get completely ready. I try not to take that long on the weekends I can instead be spending time with my little maniac (nor will be allow it). I like to apply my usual MAC prep and prime, Garnier BB cream, concealer, powder, mascara, and sometimes eyeliner. That's about half of what I wear during the week. It takes about 15 minutes to do, it looks natural and effortless

The pros: Gives your skin a bright and radiant glow

                Lightweight

                Inexpensive

                SPF 15

                 Can double as a primer.

The cons: The smell is too strong

                Can start to look oily and little dirty by the end of the day

                Needs at least 1 more color option

                

The coverage does what it says. It evens out your skin tone, brightens, hydrates, and I'm not too sure about the renewing. 3 out of 4 ain't bad! The product is light weight, so you feel like you’re only wearing moisturizer. While it still evens out your skin tones and gives a healthy glow. If you have some areas where you feel like you need a little more coverage, just apply a little concealer over top. It retails for around $12.00 at any drugstore. To me that’s a reasonable price, plus you can always find deals and coupons. The some higher end BB Creams can retail for more than $25.00. In my pros I said that you can wear the BB cream as a primer. I didn't know about this until a girl on The Nest said it (Thanks GoDawg). I tried it, and really liked it. It gave my skin a radiant glow, which my foundation doesn't normally do. So if you’re not a fan of the product, try it under your foundation, you might like it.

As for the cons, the smell is way too much! I'm not sure if all the Garnier skin care products have this, but I tried one of their moisturizer and it had the same exact smell. I would prefer anything going on my face not to have a fragrance. By the end of the day I started to notice that the products started to make my face look dirty. I don't know if it oxidized weirdly on my skin, but let me know if that happened to you. If you have oily skin, you are going to have to touch up with powder.  Since the product hydrates, it can over hydrate us ladies with oily skin. Now to the shades, or should I say lack thereof. The color matched fine with my complexion. I have an olive complexion, so anyone darker then me might have issues. I know the Asian BB creams come in even lighter shades, and they don't make darker shades, but I wish Garnier would have tried to accommodate everyone.

So to wrap up this extremely long review, I like the product for what it is, a drugstore BB Cream. It's priced well, works well, but isn't made for all skin tones. If you want to try this product, keep in mind that you aren't buying something to mask all your imperfections. It's meant to even and brightens, but it lightweight and has sheer coverage. I think women with aging skin will love this product because it won't set into any fine lines or wrinkles. It's hydrating is women with dry skin will love what it does. If you have discoloration, it will give you more even skin tone. 

It's perfect for the gym, the beach, moms on the go,  younger girls who are just starting to wear make-up, days when you don't want to do a whole lot, or women with aging skin.

I took pictures to show you how it looks from start to finish. I hope I don't scare you too bad with the lovely no make-up shots! I'm perfectly imperfect :)

The left side has the BB cream. The skin without any product. Can you see how red and blotchy my skin looks.

BB cream on the left/ bare skin on the right (eeek I look TERRIBLE)

Here I wearing BB Cream on the entire face. I also filled in my brows

Same as above

This is the final look. I added concealer to my under eyes, around my noses, and to my spots.  I have bronzer and blush on my cheeks, Light sweep of eyeshadow, Liquid liner, and mascara. I did a pink lip as well.

You can still see some imperfections, but it only takes me about 15 minutes and I'm done.  

It's up to you how much extra make-up you want to add. I suggest you add something so your face so doesn't look as flat. if you add color to your cheeks and mascara to your eyes, those features will pop.

*** I was given this product to review. This is 100% my honest opinion. If you want to review products like this, become a bzzagent like me. Here's the link if you'd like**

Bobby's Easter Photos Are Here!

We took Bobby to have his Easter pictures taken a couple weeks ago. Bobby loved the girl taking his picture; he wouldn't stop flirting with her. I'm telling you, this boy can flirt! He smiles and plays shy, it's hysterical. This was the first time we went to a studio to have pictures done. I was so happy with the experience. The staff was awesome and the price was great. The only negative was the wait time was long, we had an appointment and it still was an hour wait. You have to wait about a week and a half to get your pictures, but they're to die for! The suit is Nautica, brought at Marshall’s and his shoes are from BRU. I can’t wait to have him wear it again on Easter Sunday at a local Easter egg hunt. We’re getting ready for Easter here we started dying eggs. That was fun with my rough 1 year old! Now I need to do our baskets and finish the eggs.

I scanned the pictures onto the computer, so they look a little grainy. I was thinking about sending Easter cards, do people do that? 

Let me know what you think, and if you have pictures posted of your LO's Easter outfit I would love to see. Also what does your family do for Easter and what do you have left to do? XoXo

Trend Alert Tuesday: Chunky Gold Chains

Welcome back to another Trend Alert Tuesday. I hope everyone is having a great week. Today I want to share my thought on the Chunky Chain trend. I've seen more and more girls wearing this statement piece, and I love it. I know some of you might be thinking your going to look like Mr. T, but I promise you won't. If you don't feel comfortable wearing a necklace, then try wearing a chunky chain bracelet. It's still trendy and cute, without being such a statement piece. Chunky chains were popular years ago, so might be able to snag some vintage styles at your local thrift store. You might have to give them a good cleaning, but you'll save a ton and have a piece most won't have. If you don't want to do that then here's some other options.

HRH collection makes handmade pieces that are amazing. I've heard so many good review about her pieces that I had to mention her. Each piece cost around $50.00 and is hand crafted by Alex in LA. She's super sweet and has a YouTube channel where you can see how she styles her pieces.

The Shiek
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The Original Cuff
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    Etsy has so many sellers that make beautiful necklaces as well. I came across Worldof Tashii, this seller has a large variety of pieces. I loved all of her bracelets and she had some really cute head pieces. I also look at each sellers feedback before I buy. This shop had 17 posts and 100% satisfaction. Also look to see how many sales the shop has made. The necklaces at this shop were about 32.00 but shipping cost $12.00.

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Even though I think all these options are great, I decided I wanted to see what I could find at my local craft store. I went to Joanne Fabric and saw they had chain handles in the aisle for purse making. They had a variety of thickness, but the length was pretty standard. They were on sale for 4.00 each. I was happy with the way it looked, so I brought it. I found this website  that sells different chains so you can make your own chunky chains. Your going to need some supplies if you want to make the double chain, you can always find a how-to on Google. I plan on doing a tutorial once I practice and get it perfect.

My necklace I found at Joann's 

How I styled my necklace.
Mind you I took this picture at work to post for my OOTD post on The Nest, I look like a freak!

These pieces look great a collard shirt or a blazer. You can dress up any casual outfit and give it that extra sparkle. 

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I love the way it looks with this simple black dress
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I hope each and everyone of you try this trend! It can be small link or big, but at least try it and see how it can change the look of your outfit. Until next time, thanks for reading and please support by blog by becoming a follower! Hugs xoxox

We Love Spring Weather

We've been enjoying warm weather like so many others, I'm sure! Thankfully winter wasn't too bad, but I'm happy for it to be over. I've always loved summer but as I get older I tend not to like the extreme heat and humidity. So spring and fall have grown on me. 

The feeling of spring brings back memories of being a kid. Being happy to have more time to play outside while my mom and dad worked in their garden. I try to pass on the memories that I had with Baby B, in hopes that he has a great childhood like I did. So with all that said, we having been spending as much time outside as possible. Either we take a walk or go to the park, either way B loves it.  Here are some pictures of our day at the park.

 

 

 

                                   

This little maniac kept trying to climb up thee slide. And the best part is he did pretty good on his own. He's so strong, and I love to see the determined look on his face!

 

 

Our Happy Family Gallery Wall

 

I, like so many others, find the gallery wall to be a great feature to add to any home. This is one feature that I had in our old place, and really wanted to do it again in this apartment. So when we packed up our apartment, and I neatly peeled off my decals and put them on cardboard in hopes that they would be able to re-adhere to the wall. Well, they don't! I had a hot mess on my hands. Everyday a new flower would fall off the wall. It was pretty pathetic. I almost went out and brought spray adhesive, but luckily I didn't have to. We decided to take a trip to IKEA for the Expedite, and my decal was there! 2 years later they're still selling the same exact one. Let that have been Target, they'd be gone the next week! I was so happy to have them stick properly, and add the touch that they once did. Here is the way I did our gallery wall.

:side note:: After seeing the pictures, I think I need to use all matted black frames and add more variety in size. What do you think?

 

Most of the frames are from Ikea, Marshall's, or Target. The cross candle holder was a gift from my sister.

  

 

These are fresh flowers that I think look so pretty. Who doesn't like flower!

 Here is the piece that we purchased at Ikea. I said before that we are turning the dining room into the playroom for Baby B. So the bottom rows are all toys are the top is decor stuff, to make it look nice. So far I like the way that it's styled, but I'm sure I'll change it again. As for the room, we have much more planned to make it kid friendly, so be sure to watch out for that post!

 

Martha Stewart Glitter Glue Manicure!

If your like me and love to wear glitter polish on your nails, then here's a tip that I've found and want to share with you.  Go to your local craft store and purchase the Martha Stewart Glitter Glue, it cost about 12.99 for the one I purchased, but they have a larger one with a ton of colors for 29.99. I know that sound a little expensive, but right now Michael's has a 40%off coupon as well as a 20% of your total purchase including sale items. This will cut that price in half and make it much more affordable.


I used Essie Brizillant, Lemon Drop Glitter Glue, and Essie Good to Go top coat.



Paint your nails like you normally would. I did 2 coats of the Essie polish.



Now your going to pick out the color glitter glue you want to use. This set doesn't have any gold or silver, which I wish it did, so I'm thinking about going back to get those colors. I don't have a picture but I applied the glue to the whole nail, then took my top coat and smoothed it all out.
** Every time I touched the glitter with the top coat brush I made sure I wiped it off, so mot to get glitter in my top coat**



Here's the finished product! Having the Martha Stewart Glitter Glue is like having a bunch of different glitter polishes, for half the cost! I can't wait to play around more with them and see what color combos I can come up with!

Trend Alert Tuesday: Maxi's

This weeks trend alert isn't super new, but a trend that I think every lady should try. Maxi skirts and dresses are a great summer trend for every body type. I know shorter women tend to stay away from them, but all you have to do is get it hemmed. Here on the east coast summer is hot and humid, so loose fitting clothing is perfect! Maxi skirts have become very trendy and can be dressed up for dinner, or down for running errands. Accessories are going to make or break the outfit. If you pair your maxi skirt with a leather belt and great jewelry, you'll have a killer outfit. When it comes to what body type can wear a maxi, I believe that not one body type is limited to wearing this trend. It's flowly enough, so that if you have a little pouch, like I do, you'll feel comfortable wearing the skirt. The dress is the same way. Here are a few examples

Here is Lauren Conrad, she's dressed up  this mid-length maxi with a tucked in flowy top, blazer, and booties. This would be perfect for dinner with the hubby. It seems effortless, but put-together

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This is the perfect example of the casual maxi skirt outfit. Even though the long sleeved shirt, might not be practical for summer, you could wear this now as the weathers getting warmer. See how the shirt is tied at the bottom, this has become a very trendy way to wear a button up with the maxi shirt.

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This Anthro maxi dress is gorgeous! I love orange and think this will looked great with a brown braided belt, a long gold pendant necklace, and brown sandals.

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I like the bold pattern of this dress, but what I love is the straps! Having large boobs, means strapless bras aren't that practical. Being able to wear my, not so pretty bras,is important. This dress lets even the ladies with the large lady lumps, participate in this summers maxi dress trend and most importantly feel comfortable.

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 I hope each one of you try this trend, if you haven't already. I sure am, and can't wait to show you what I come up with. If you have any tips for styling a maxi I would love to hear them!