23 April 2014

ALMAY Liquid Lip Balm!

About a week ago I was looking through the newspaper catching up on current events, okay you caught me I was just looking for beauty coupons…  And I stumbled upon a really good one! 

I was lucky enough to have a $4.00 off any ALMAY product! I later found out that not every body got one of these in there section of ads/coupons that comes with the newspaper… so I was super happy!  I haven't tried many ALMAY products apart from a couple eye shadows here and the a year or so ago, but I had been wanting to try the color + care liquid lip balms that they have out. 

I got mine at Target (of course ^.^ ) and they sell them for $4.49. So when I used my coupon I got mine for just $0.49!! It was a huge steal in my opinion. 







                    























I got mine in the color 'Blooming Balm' because I hadn't used these before and didn't know how sheer they would be one I put it on my lips. In the picture on the right I built the color on my hand quite a bit, so that you could kind of get a feel for the color out of the tube, and so that you could see that it is somewhat build able. But I personally do not use this much when putting it on. It is very sheer and matches pretty closely to my natural lip color, but it adds a richer color and gloss to them (if that makes any sense at all … ) 

I was also expecting this to be like any other lip gloss. You know the ones… they feel kind of sticky and heavy on your lips. But this one is nothing like that! It does truly feel like I've just put on a moisturising chap stick/lip balm, only it adds a bit of color and shine! 

Over all I am super happy I found that coupon and tried this product. It is now the lip product that I reach for when I am getting ready, or when I need one to toss in my bag and use through out the day!

I hope you all enjoyed this post, and if you have already tried or are going to try this product I want to know what your favorite shades are and what you think of it! You can tell me what you think in the comments or tweet me @PhotoBeautyBlog ! I respond as quickly as I can, as long as I am not driving  or a professor is walking around the class room at school :) 

Hope you all are having a good week!


Ashton
               x

17 April 2014

The Frankly APP

This is not a beauty post, but it is an awesome post about an app that i think is super awesome! I found it in the APP store one day just scrolling through the free section of the store and found 'frankly' . 

I decided that I wanted to tell you all about it because I don't want to be just another blogger sitting behind a computer at home, and not have any sort of interaction with you guys! Yes, I have twitter but I am going to be honest here… I normally only check twitter when I tweet or get a notification. These times when I do check it, it is normally for 15-20 minutes at a time but thats not a lot of time when you look at the day as a whole… 

If you want to get this free app you can find it here
   Once (or if) you get it you can find me by going to the friends tab and select add by pin. This is a short code that the app assigns to you…

My pin is: sarahash  
My name should show up as my first and middle name   …   Sarah Ashton

I will always respond! It may take a few minutes for me to if I am in class, or if I am driving I will wait until I get wherever I am going… 





I'm guessing that a lot of people that read this blog have heard of or have Snapchat. And this app is kind of similar, but not entirely. You can still send pictures and video and they still disappear after ten seconds, but you can also just send text! 

You also have the ability to change the size of the text… 



and the background color!! 




And when you get a message it is 'coded' so it just looks like these little squares on the yellow color below! All you have to do its tap it to see the message! After you have read it and the ten seconds is up it disappears from the senders chat and yours so make sure you keep up with the conversation, or else it could get confusing lol! 


This is just a super small look into the app, but I hope you give it a try and add me so we can chat about beauty things, blogging, or anything really! 

You can even add a pin number password so only you can get into the app!!!

I hope to add you, and hear from you soon!


Ashton
            x

16 April 2014

Maybelline Baby Skin vs Benefit POREfessional

This is a pretty 'behind the times' post. Benefits the POREfessional has been out for quite some time, and other companies have slowly but surely been introducing their dupes for the primer. 


Over all these two products are fairly (in a very general sense) similar. Baby Skin is a clear primer and feels slightly more oily in texture (if that makes any sense at all). The POREfessional is a very neutral skin toned primer that feels oily but it is a sort of dry oil texture (I really need to get better at describing things! lol).  While these products are made to do the same thing and can be compared in that regard, they can in no way be compared price wise; The Maybelline Baby Skin is $6.99 on the Maybelline website, but I got mine at (you guessed it…) Target for a little less.  Benefits the POREfessional is $31 dollars. I suppose it all depends on how much you are willing to spend on make up, I am just now starting to break away from the 'drugstore' brands and have been overwhelmed by some of the prices I have seen! 


Never having tried anything by Benefit I figured that this had to be the first thing I tried since everyone was raving about it! I set out on a search for a mini of the product because I didn't want to spend the $31 on the full size not knowing if I would like it or not. My search lead me to Amazon where I quickly found the primer advertised as a mini for half the price as the full sized product. Atleast thats what I assumed based on the word mini and the price…

When I got it in the mail it was apparent that it was a SAMPLE. I spent roughly $14 on something I should have gotten for free, and feel really stupid about that. But I didn't return it since I really wanted to try it and figured I could make it last a while… 



Honestly I am not sure what all the hubbub is about when it comes to this product; maybe I just had really high hopes or I just have really weird skin … but I was really disappointed by this product. Part of it could be my slight resentment towards the fact that it is a sample and I paid way more than its worth for it but it didn't do wonders covering up my pores. Im not even sure I can tell a difference in the appearance of my skin after I have put it on!

I have tried it numerous times to give it a chance, but after I apply it if I even slightly touch my skin or begin to apply a setting powder it comes off in little flecks. It reminds me of the part on sunscreen bottles where some of the product gets left behind and dries (ew!)  … and then my skin just gets so dry even wham I have used moisturizer before hand. 

Maybe I just have really weird skin, or I am just really oblivious and missing a huge key in how exactly to apply this, so if you have any tips please let me know down in the comments!! 



I am in love with this primer! In my opinion this dupe blows the original pore eraser out of this galaxy. A lot of beauty gurus are probably not going to like m saying that but this product just works a million times better for my skin.  My face looks so much smoother and softer than before I apply it. AND I can actually tell a difference in my pores looking less pronounced!

It doesn't come of if i touch my face or begin to go through my routine of foundation, bronzer, blush, and highlighter. Also while I mentioned earlier that in texture it feels oily, it does not make my face look or feel oily! 


If you have any other dupes for Benefits the POREfessional I would love to know what they are and how they work for you so I can try them out! 


Ashton
                   x

12 April 2014

Super Easy DIY Lip Scrub!

As a Pinterest addict I am always looking up fun and easy beauty DIYs that (as a student) will save me money too!  Recently, even though winter is over, my lips are still fully recovered from the cold dry wind that winters bring.

I already knew that a lot of people make their own lip scrubs, and I debated whether I should buy one or try to make my own from things I already have in my house … I decided to go this route (as you can probably tell by the headline of this, hehe )



There are only a few ingredients :
1 Tbsp brown or white sugar
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey or pure maple syrup

and you can add a couple of drops of flavoring or essential oils if you'd like :)

But it tastes pretty good without any too!
             



You will also need some kind of container to keep it in as well. I found mine on etsy.com for $8.00 including shipping. It is a lot bigger than the little sample pots you can order off of other websites and  really unique!

 



There is no specific way of combining the ingredients, all you have to do is combine and mix!! I doubled the amount of ingredients because of the size of the jar - Once I got everything mixed up it was a little more liquid-y than I wanted so I just added in a small amount of sugar and mixed until it was a good consistency.

This is by far the best sugar lip scrub that I have ever used! I was worried it would make my lips sticky because of the syrup, but it didn't. My lips are super soft and feel amazing!! Ill keep you updated on how long it lasts without going bad, and how long it lasts!




I hope you guys liked this DIY! If you decide to give it a try let me know how it turned out in the comments! Or tweet me pictures @PhotoBeautyBlog !


EVEN IF YOU ARE ALREADY FOLLOWING ME ON TWITTER OR BLOGLOVIN OR COMMENT ON THE GIVEAWAY  POST YOU WILL NOT BE BE ENTERED UNLESS YOU  ENTER IT INTO THE RAFFLECOPTER ON MY 100 TWITTER FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY POST  ONLY 12 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER!!! 

Ashton
                    x

08 April 2014

Spring Break Haul! 2014

EVEN IF YOU ARE ALREADY FOLLOWING ME ON TWITTER OR BLOGLOVIN OR COMMENT ON THE GIVEAWAY  POST YOU WILL NOT BE BE ENTERED UNLESS YOU  ENTER IT INTO THE RAFFLECOPTER ON MY 100 TWITTER FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY POST  ONLY 16 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER!!! 



As you may know I went to the mountains for spring break last week! I was so glad to have a break from school (but it was not long enough!) I had a really good time while I was there and even took a long day trip to Georgia (the state not the country) just so I could enjoy that amazing Georgian heat! And while hiking to the top of a mountain to see that amazing view in the picture above
 was fun I couldn't help but take a day to go into the small downtown area
 of Franklin, NC to do some shopping!

you can find and buy most of the things I talk about in this post and on my blog here > SarahAshton_PBG  on Luvocracy!!! 



 reg. $25.00                   found on clearance/sale for $17.00 

My first 'mission' was to go to any near-by vera bradley retailers to see what they had left in the pattern Marina Paisley. I fell in love with this pattern when it came out last summer, but now they are retiring it and I am trying to get everything that I have traveling related to match. Luckily the first place I went to had the heat resistant straightening/curling iron holder, which I had been wanting for ages! I would have also gotten a giant cosmetic bag, but did not find one in this pattern so I will just have to keep making all my things fit into the large one I have already. 



$18.00

The next thing I got at the same shop is this planner. Even though we are in April I still had not gotten one for the 2014-2015 year! I have no clue how I have been even slightly organised the past three months … and with yet another quarter starting of school today
 (7 April 2014) I was in need of a planner!



not sure of the price, my receipt wasn't in the bag and i don't remember what i did with it … 

This next item I got at a small shop called Anna Bedelle's. Now you are probably thinking 'Why would she need a squirrel pillow?' well it wasn't a need but more of a personality type thing… When I was younger my nickname was squirrel because I was always super energetic and running around. I just use this as a little decoration in my room by setting it in my desk chair when I'm not using it. 




$10.00

This next item I got in a little shop that sells antiques and homemade things like soaps and candles. I already have three candles that I have not used any of them enough to justify getting another candle, but when I smelled this I had to get it! It smells just like fresh baked blueberry muffins and will be perfect for early weekend mornings while I'm working on 
editing photos or putting together some posts!

 Then I went to a store called Peebles. They are a pretty common store but I don't have one where I live so I go in just to have a look around every time I'm in Franklin. I normally only find just a couple of things but its still worth while going in. 




$17.98

This shirt was too cute to pass up, I got it (technically) two sizes bigger than what I wear normally a) because the difference in a medium and large was not that big and b) I thought it looked better more oversized be cause it it a sheer tunic like shirt that is really flow-y. 



Then on my drive back home I couldn't resist stopping at a Target, mostly because I wanted Starbucks, but to look around as well to see what was different than my local Target.  
And I am glad I did! 



reg. $6.99        sale $2.08

I have wanted to try these for a while, and couldn't decide on a color until I saw the clearance sticker …  it is super moisturizing and looks like a gloss after you put it on! This shade on me doesn't add too much color because it is very similar to my natural lip color. 



I like to look at the travel size section to see whats 
there and if there are any products that I want to try.




 $1.47

I haven't tried this yet, but partly because it has a heavy rose floral smell that I am not too sure about putting on my face… if anyone has used this let me know what you think about it in the comments! 





Jergens : Natural Glow daily moisturiser for fair to medium skin tones - travel size

$1.99

This was more of a curious purchase. While my face does get tan, it also fades after about a day and according to this moisturizer it helps give a tan look without using fake tanner. 
I have used it once and I cannot really tell a difference but then again 
Im not expecting one until I've used it a few days in a row.




Covergirl : lash blast volume mascara in very black

reg. $6.99            with coupon $4.99

I bought this because I am still testing out mascaras that work for me, and I had a coupon. I would not consider myself to be a 'couponer' but I do go through the Sunday paper and look 

for beauty product coupons, I am in college and on a budget lol. 
I haven't used this yet so if you have let me know what you think about it in the comments!!! 




reg. $3.49         with coupon $2.49

And last but not least, I have been wanting a heat prtectant for a while, and haven't 
used this yet but I had a coupon so I figured I would give it a go! 
If any of you have tried this let me know how you like it in the comments!



Well thats all for my Spring Break Haul! I hope you enjoyed this post and don't forget to enter my 100 Twitter Followers giveaway! 



 Ashton
                    x

04 April 2014

100 Twitter Followers : Giveaway! -CLOSED-

I cannot believe this has happened! I never in a million years thought I would get any followers or readers of my blog, and now there's 100 of you! First of all I just want to say a GIGANTIC Thank You! I love that I decided to give blogging a go after much deliberation, and I love creating content for you guys!


EVEN IF YOU ARE ALREADY FOLLOWING ME ON TWITTER OR BLOGLOVIN OR COMMENT ON THIS POST YOU WILL NOT BE BE ENTERED UNLESS YOU  ENTER IT INTO THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW



So here is some information about the giveaway: ONE WINNER of the
 Indian Coconut Nectar Take Me There Set by Pacifica!



- Starts April 4, 2014 at midnight! (in just a few hours!!) 

- To enter you must be at least 18 years old and a legal resident of the United States or UK (Sorry international readers!)

- No purchase is necessary to enter this giveaway!

- Everyone has 1 'free entry' but you have the option of 34 more entries ;  10 entries for following me on twitter (if not already doing so, but if you are you just have to provide your @ name!) , 10 entries for leaving a comment on THIS POST about what you would like to see in the future on this blog (if you comment you still have to say you have and provide the information on the Rafflecopter) , and 10 entries for tweeting about this giveaway , and 4 entries for following me on Bloglovin! TOTAL OF 35 ENTRIES!!!

- Giveaway will end on April 24, 2014  at 11:59 PM EST

- Winner will be chosen randomly 

- I will contact the winner personally via Twitter DM and the winners name will be put on this post when the giveaway has ended. The winner then has 48 hours to respond before another winner is chased to replace them.  PLEASE CHECK THIS POST BEFORE YOU GIVE INFORMATION TO ANYONE VIA DM! SOME PEOPLE COULD TRY TO SCAM YOU INTO THINKING THEY ARE ME.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you again so so much!!  & GOOD LUCK!!!

Terms and Conditions:
Giveaway ends April 24 11:59PM EST on April  . The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. To enter you must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the United States or the UK. Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to me and me alone. I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner. I will contact the winner via Twitter DM and put their name onto the blog post about this giveaway. The winner then has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen to replace them. The winner is chosen randomly via Rafflecopter Widget. The prize will be sent out after I have a response from the winner.


Ashton    
                  x

02 April 2014

First ever LUSH Haul and Review!

As my first post for the month of April I thought it would be nice to try out a new brand at the start of a new season!

I just want to mention this briefly, I am in no way trying to show off or brag about products that I buy and how much money I spend on products. Specifically, so far, in this post because this is most likely (apart from furniture) the most I have spent at one time in one store. I am simply just wanting to share products that I like (as friends do :)   ) because I am excited about them!

If you couldn't tell this is my first LUSH haul, but it is also my first LUSH purchase ever! I heard about the company through some YouTubers that I watch (SprinkleofGlitter, Zoella, Tanya Burr, and MissGlamorazzi) so I had to take a look at their website and see what all the big hub-bub was about!  


Before I start going over what I bought I want to let you in on a little secret

If you, like me, don't live near a LUSH store and the closest one is close to six hours away then you are most likely to order products if you look into the company and decide to give it a try. So thats what I did, only after I looked through the site and then paid attention to my shopping carts price I was stunned! I know that the products are as close to 100% natural as they can be, not tested on animals,  and that the products are handmade but I didn't think that my total would be as high as it was (but I did have a lot in my cart hehe!). And as this was my first order I wasn't sure I was willing to commit to the price so I started trying to find coupon codes, with little luck. 

However I did find out that if I ordered from the UK Site and not the USA Site some things were considerably cheaper when I converted the pounds (money in the UK) to US dollars! The only down side of this is that it takes a few days longer to get to my house then if I ad ordered from the USA Site, but to save some money I was willing to wait.  Another thing you have to consider when ordering from th UK site (if you live in the US) is that banks take out an extra fee as a currency conversion or international fee charge. So before ordering I would suggest that you contact your bank to see what the rate that they charge is.



As per-usual the product names will take you to a link for that specific product, and the brand name will take you to the over all website! I will also include both UK and US prices :) However these will not be the UK prices converted into dollars, just what each site has as the listing price!


Sorry the pictures are a little smaller than my other posts, but if you click on them you can view them a lot bigger, and read the ingredients and labels!



 





The first product I am going to talk about is my new everyday facial cleaner called Angels on Bare Skin and I got it in the bigger size which is 250g! (£ 15.87  &  $ 33.95) And it is LUSHs best selling cleanser for all skin types …   I fell in love the moment I started washing my face with this for the first time. Well, no I lied, I fell in love with this the second I opened it and got a whiff of one of the most amazing scents that I never knew a face wash could have! 

It is lightly exfoliating thanks to the ground almonds and lavender flowers that are in it, which helps get rid of those dry flakey patches (if you have them). It also has lavender oil and rose absolute which helps soothe, balance, and calm redness! My skin was so soft after only using this once, and the next morning (I used it before bed the first time I tried it) a couple of blemishes I had on my chin and forehead were hardly noticeable anymore!



                       


The next product I want to share with you guys is the Dark Angels facial cleanser I got this in the smaller size of 100g because I will not be using it daily! (£ 6.35  &  $ 12.95)
I cannot decide which face cleanser I love more! The smell of this just makes me happy, and even if I am not cleaning my face at the time and I am just walking by my bathroom I will walk in just to open this and smell it. (is that weird?)  

It is more exfoliating than Angels on Bare Skin because it has black sugar crystals and charcoal in it, so I only use this about once a week. The charcoal also helps absorb any extra oil on your skin without stripping it completely and making it dry. And even though it has these ingredients that are exfoliating it also has essential oils that help calm and sooth your skin! The base of this cleanser is rhassoul mud which helps get rid of and control breakouts! (And who would complain about that?!?)





So this next little item is a shampoo bar tin (£ 2.50  &  $ 3.95), this is pretty easy and simple to explain. Basically it keeps your shampoo bars safe from the hot water in your shower and from melting away. This is sold separate from shampoo bars, but is recommended to get because a lot of products do not have packaging, which is another unique thing about this company and one of the many ways that they are environmentally conscious. 

So by now, if you haven't heard about LUSH until now you are probably thinking 'What the heck is a shampoo bar?!' 

I was skeptical at first as well, but just hang in there and stay with me … You can use these by either rubbing it between your hands to lather it up, or you can rub 
it straight into your hair!  


The blue bar is called Seanik (£ 5.50  &  $ 11.95), it has things in it that come from the Sea -Hence the name- like sea salt which is very volumizing for your hair, irish moss seaweed and nori seaweed (yes, that is what those green bits are); these help make your hair super soft!, lemon oil that gives your hair that amazing shine you are always looking for, and mimosa and jasmine oils to make your hair smell absolutely amazing (which they do!!). 

I lather this one between my hands, for fear that a piece of sea weed might get tangled up and still be in my hair later in the day… which might be weird and embarrassing if someone noticed lol! This lathers nicely, its not a huge poofy kind of lather but you can still tell that you are getting product onto your hands and into your hair.

The green bar is called Karma Komba (£ 5.50  &  $ 11.95), and this is what LUSH has lab led as their signature fragrance so I just had to try it out! This shampoo bar is a miracle worker if you have super tangly hair like I do! it has tons of essential oils in it like orange, pine, and patchouli that help keep your scalp soothed. These oils are what help this shampoo bar tame your locks so that brushing your hair after you get out of the shower does not seem like a painful chore any longer! 

Before i used this one I pulled off the cute little clover so that It didn't get left behind in my hair because with this bar I rub it right into my hair. It lathers amazingly and I only rubbed it a few times across my scalp! 

Being a shampoo bar in and of itself makes this product unique but so does its life span! depending on your hair length and thickness it can las anywhere from 60-90 washes! I have even seen reviews on youtube that say these bars last even longer! So you really get a bang for your buck when you invest in a shampoo bar.  
Just be sure to keep it in a tin and pat it dry after using it!

One thing I saw that came up a lot in reviews online was that if you use a conditioner after these bars than the scent from them disappears, I found that once it is almost or completely dry you can just rub it  through the ends of your hair (this does not use up any product!!) and your hair will smell amazing for hours!


Oh and one more thing about these bars that I cannot believe I almost forgot to mention! Since these shampoos don't have all of those nasty chemicals in the that regular shampoos have, they don't completely strip your scalp and hair of natural oils! Which means second day hair still looks like freshly washed hair without having to use any sort of dry shampoo!



The last thing that I ordered is the Tea Tree Water which I got in the smaller 100g bottle 
(£ 3.95  &  $ 9.95). I use this after each time I wash my face, it not only acts as an astringent (a really good smelling one!)but also as a makeup remover at night! Its ingredients like tea tree water, juniper berry water, and grapefruit water help this product to control blemishes and helps reduce redness and remove excess oils wit out drying out your skin! 



All in all, yes you guessed it, I would 100% recommend not only all of these products (which is weird for me to say because it has been a really long time since I have found something that clears my face up this good and fast) but the LUSH brand as a whole!

If this post introduced you to this company go check it out! You will not regret it, and if you make any purchases I want to know what you got and what you think of the products! And if you have been a LUSHie for a while I want to know your recommendations as well! So be sure to let me know in the comments! 

I cannot wait to see what your favorites are!!

Ashton
                        x