Items Worth Trying

Sometimes you go to the store and see a product, and you wonder, "Is this any good?" You might notice that I love sharing products to you, the readers, when I find something I love. Sometimes I will read about them or decide to try it myself. Below are some of my favorite products I use. They are amazing and well worth trying.

1. Tree Hut Brazilian Nut Sugar Scrub - This body scrub is amazing. I typically use it about once a week, since I daily wash with a loofah. There are several fragrances available. It contains a lot of natural ingredients, and it's cruelty-free. I got mine at Wal-Mart.

2. Aveda Chamomile Shampoo - I love Aveda products. Their shampoos and conditioners are the only ones I'll use. I love pampering my hair. This shampoo smells amazing, and it's designed to enhance your natural color. I have brown hair with natural golden highlights, and this shampoo and conditioner have worked well to bring out the color. They have one for each color.

3. Victoria's Secret Pro Airbrush FX Perfecting Primer - Long name, but excellent product. This is the best primer I've ever owned. I also use it on my lids, and my eyeshadow never goops. It also has an SPF in it: bonus!

4. Too Faced Kabuki Brush - Every lady needs a kabuki brush. I use mine for face powder and for bronzer. It's soft and applies the right amount.

5. Neutrogena Body Oil - I had my doubts about this. I thought it would be slick and unappealing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it absorbs into the skin very quickly and without a slickness to it. My skin feels so soft, and the oil smells so good. It's better than lotion.

6. Bliss Fabulips Sugar Lip Scrub - We all need to exfoliate our lips, and Fabulips is a great choice. It goes on easily and washes off easily. Plus, it smells and tastes good.

Outfit Creation

I love wearing neutrals with touches of color. A moss green shirt is a favorite in my closet. I wanted to create a comfortable outfit inspired by the colors of nature. Casual chic, if you will. I really want this outfit. I created this with Polyvore, my go-to site for outfit inspiration.

Etsy Haul

Guess what?! I got a job!! Yeah! And, best of all, it's in my field! I'm finally working in a library. Now I can see my dream of being a full-time librarian being a real possibility. This was my first week at work, and I'm in love with the job! Hence, the long absence, again.

About two weeks ago, I decided to buy some jewelry from Etsy. I'm not sure if it's a coping mechanism for me while my husband's on deployment or what, but I've been finding some great items! I've been focusing more on unique jewelry, items that could be my signature pieces. My name means "Ash tree" in Old English, and since I love trees, I've been focusing on acquiring jewelry with tree themes. Here are some of my items I bought!

Small Sparrow by Iaonato

Tree necklace by Through the Eyes of the Mrs.

Acorn necklace by Roundabout

Leaf bracelet by Meital Toledo

Tree of Life pocket watch necklace by Villa Sorgenfrei

Flower Cosmetics Review...again!

My husband started his first deployment last week, so I have been missing due to adjusting to life without him around. Not fun.

As a way to feel the void, I went on a makeup buying spree. I'm in love with Flower by Drew Barrymore. I bought a lip butter and just adore it. I've been coveting some eyeshadow, and I decided to get some. I'm really big into eye makeup; I love playing up my eyes because they are my best facial feature.

I chose the Foxy Browns palette. I first start with the pink and cover my entire lid from brow to lash line. Then, I layer the other colors over it, blending them as I add. I've never done this before, but I have to admit, the layering effect works wonders! I would show you a picture of my eyes, but my husband has the camera.

The last step was adding a cream shadow. I was hesitant to do this. Shadows tend to crease on my lids, so I didn't think a cream would be ideal. Turns out, if you add a face primer to your lids, coat with normal eyeshadow, and then add the lid cream, it works!

 The Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadow I chose is Mum's the Word. It can be either a strong or soft pink, depending on what you do with it. I love this look with the layers. It's soft, natural, and boy does it bring out the blue in my eyes. It really is perfect.

These are great products that you should really try.

Valentine's in Style

I adore Valentine's Day. I always have. My love for this day goes all the way back to elementary school and the wonderful parties we would have in class. Oh, it was so much fun to make the bags and have classmates drop in the cards. I miss those days.

Every year, I celebrate the day. Many, many years I was single, but I never felt sad or alone. I always looked at the day as a day of loving myself. I would treat myself to something - candy or a novelty item. Now that I'm married, I get to spend it with the love of my life. This year, I wrote a poem for him and uploaded it to his Kindle. His deployment is Sunday, so I wanted to give him something very personal that is easy for him to have and carry. He gave me a beautiful bouquet of white roses; white roses are one of my favorites. They are my favorite type of rose.

 I like to create a feel and mood on Valentine's Day. With that in mind, I have some great finds for you to use to celebrate the day of love. Who says every day can't be Valentine's Day? It's all about love, and loving  yourself should be at the top of your list.

• Essie Nail Polish
• Kate Spade Handbag
• Kate Spade Studs
• Estee Lauder Lipgloss
• Full Tilt Tank
• NARS Blush