40% off Paula's Choice Serums Today!

Hi guys, just a quick post to let you know that PC is running a special promo today: 

40% off of the Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum with Retinol (great for dry skin - I use this every day) 

and 

40% off of the Skin Balancing Super Mattifying Concentrate Serum with Retinol (great for oily or combination skin).  

Use code SERUM27 at checkout to get the 40% off!  
You are allowed to get up to three, so I am stocking up while they're on sale.
You get to choose 3 free samples with your order as well.

I am not affiliated with Paula's Choice in any way - I just love her products!

UPDATE:  This promo ran on Monday February 27 and is now over - I'll post again when I get a new promo code!

Guest Post from my sister, K! K's Grove Haul

Hi everyone! I'm K and today I'm guest blogging for TypeAPetite and I'm SO excited to share all the great things I bought today at The Grove in Los Angeles! 


First, I found these great 3" Chino Shorts at J.Crew in Neon Pink: 

Bright colors are in right now and I can't wait to pair these shorts with a cute top! These will be perfect for the cruise I'm going on in 3 weeks.  

Next, I picked up the Nike Free Run+ Running Shoe in Tide Pool Blue/Pro Platinum-Mega Blue  

from Nordstrom. The light blue is VERY bright (clearly I'm in favor of this trend!) and the shoe is way more stable than I imagined! This is my first Nike running shoe... for the past six years I've been extremely loyal to the GEL-Kayano by Asics but I think I'll be happy with the switch. These shoes will be more for walking, strength training, and various FITiST classes (comment below with your email address if you want an invite to FITiST) than distance running, but hey.. maybe I'll be inspired! 

Finally, I had to make a return at Gap and I found the perfect summer shoe! It's the Gladiator Wedge Sandal in Black. 

I had a Gap Rewards credit for $40 so these shoes ended up costing me only about $40! They are so comfortable and versatile, I can't wait to wear them on the cruise at night! I saw a girl trying these on the store and knew immediately I had to get these sandals.


Since this is my first guest post I'll leave you with 3 NARS products I'm dying to try!


1. NARS lipstick in Funny Face (semi-matte) 

2. NARS lip gloss in Angelika 

3. NARS blush in Gaiety 

Have any of you tried these products yet? Let me know what you think :)


-K


Please comment and subscribe!

Tag: 7 Deadly Beauty Sins

This tag has been going around YouTube and the blog world, so I thought I'd do it!  If you're not familiar, a "Tag" is a list of questions prepared by someone, and then it gets shared with other bloggers and YouTubers to complete with their own answers!  

QUESTIONS:

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?

Inexpensive:

CVS-brand travel nail polish remover  - $1.47

Nivea "A Kiss of Moisture" Lip Balm - $1.69

Expensive:  

Sensationail gel manicure polish starter kit - $49.99 (review coming soon!!)

Conair BE47SNT Double-Sided Illuminated Oval Mirror - $35.67

Urban Decay Naked Palette - $50.00

MAC Strobe Cream -$46.99

2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?

Love/Hate:

False lashes - I love the way they look on other people but I can never get them to look right on me.  Plus, I can FEEL them - too creepy.

Curling my hair - I love the way it looks on me when my hair is wavy or curly but it just takes forever.  I'm not a hair girl.

Hardest to Get:  

hmmm... I guess I'm lucky because I have a Sephora, Blue Mercury, CVS, Rite Aid, Target, etc by me... and there's always the internet!  It was hard to find refillable liquid flip-top pumps in person for a reasonable price, so I found some on PrettyAndCute.com for only $5 here

3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?

Revlon Lip Butters!!  These lipstick / lip balm hybrids feel so good on and come in the prettiest colors!  They don't have much of a scent but do smell nice.

4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness?

Anything hair-related.  I typically just use shampoo & conditioner, brush it out, and sleep on it wet.  I'm so lazy because my hair is straight!

5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?

Foundation and concealer - it really helps me to know that I've done my best to conceal any blemishes, fine lines, under eye circles, etc.

I am currently rotating between: 

Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Foundation SPF 18

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation SPF 20

Revlon Photoready Airbrush Mousse Foundation without SPF

L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation SPF 17

and L'Oreal Visible Lift Serum Absolute Pro-Retinol A + Vitamin C Foundation SPF 17

For concealer, I'm currently rotating between: 

Laura Mercier Secret Concealer 1

Benefit Cosmetics Erase Paste concealer 02 

and Physicians Formula Concealer 101 Perfecting Concealer Duo Yellow/Light

6. LUST: What product did you lust after before you bought it?

The Beauty Blender sponge (click the link for my review!!)

7. ENVY: What beauty items would you most like to receive as a gift?

Anything from Benefit Cosmetics, MAC, Tarte, or Sigma....especially:

Benefit Cha Cha Tint

Benefit Silky Finish Lipsticks  

Benefit Hervana blush

Benefit High Brow

Benefit Powderflage

Benefit Watt's Up

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW Foundation in petal or champagne

MAC paint pot in Painterly 

MAC powder blush in Blunt

MAC cream color base in Pearl, Shell

MAC eyeshadow in Seedy Pearl, Phloof!, Shroom, Brule, Satin Taupe

MAC lipstick in Myth

MAC 129 blush brush

Tarte Amazonian clay full coverage foundation in the shade Medium

Tarte Matte Waterproof Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hr blush in Exposed        

Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara

Tarte lash curler

Sigma E20 Short Shader brush

Sigma F05 Small Contour brush

Sigma F86 Synthetic Tapered Kabuki brush

I keep a running list on my Evernote app for iPhone and iPad about products I see that I want to try out, so it didn't take me too long to make this list haha.  Hope you are all doing well, xoxo!

Please comment and subscribe!  I'll be doing a giveaway for subscribers soon :)  Let me know in the comments what type of products you are lusting after and maybe they'll find their way into my giveaway!

New Ann Taylor Perfect Pumps!

As I mentioned in this post, Ann Taylor Perfect Pumps are my favorite heels ever.  So, when I saw these on sale on Ann Taylor's website, I knew I had to get them.  They are always $155 online, but about two or three weeks ago, AT was having a 30% off full-priced shoes sale, making these girls only $108.50.  I don't have any nude pumps anyway and knew I was going to eventually purchase these, so I just went for it because I didn't think my size would still be around if I waited for a bigger sale.  Here's the reveal!

 

Lucy wouldn't leave me alone - guess she likes these heels, too!
What a little diva...

   

This shoe has everything I was looking for in my go-to nude pump: 

- almond toe (not round or pointy)

- no platform

- leather sole, leather interior, leather upper

- fully padded footbed

- covered heel (not wood)

- 3.25" heel

These will be awesome for work, nights out, grad school events, and more.  I think they look so polished and really match up well with my skin to create that leg-lengthening look.

And guess what?  These are on sale TODAY at www.anntaylor.com - AT is having a 30% off full-priced purchase sale with code "FRIDAY."  I highly suggest looking at their shoes because they are made well and are really comfortable.

Would you guys like me to do a tutorial on how I clean and polish my shoes?  Let me know in the comments!

Have a beautiful day!

Sigma - New Product Alert!

There's a new Sigma Beauty product on the market that looks pretty cool, especially because it comes with a cute pink carrying case:  The Sigma Beauty Spa Solutions Kit!  I haven't tried this yet but it looks tempting.

The Kit contains the Sigma Cleansing and Polishing Tool and three attachments heads.  It seems like the perfect item to give someone as a gift this spring so they can freshen up after the winter blahs.  Here are some details from the Sigma website:

• The extra-soft brush is a silicone attachment that is perfect for gentle cleansing for extra-sensitive skin.
• The unique silicone massager attachment maximizes absorption of skin care products and stimulates skin circulation.
• The exfoliator attachment is a pumice stone, best for removing dead skin cells to reveal healthy looking skin.

Sigma suggests using the Beauty Cleansing and Polishing Tool for facial polishing, cleansing and body exfoliation.  For $39 you receive the tool, three removable brush heads and a storage case.  That is about a FOURTH of the cost for similar products on the market like the Clarisonic!  Does anyone have this yet?  If you buy, let me know what you think!

Disclosure:  I am affiliated with Sigma and get a 10% referral commission of purchases made through my affiliate link, included above and below.  All posts, as always, are my honest opinion.  I do truly love the Sigma brushes I have (which I'll review soon), so I expect that this will be an awesome product as well!

Beauty Blender Makeup Sponge Review

ITEM:  The Beauty Blender Sponge

The Beauty Blender sponge is one of the best beauty inventions ever.  It's a latex-free, hypoallergenic pink waterdrop-shaped reusable sponge.  I've been seeing it all over the blogs, in Birchbox reviews, and in magazines for months.  So I decided last weekend to ask my dad for it as a late Christmas present while he was in town visiting.  We got one for me and one for my stepmom at an Aveda salon near me!

PRICE:  

It's usually $39.95 for two sponges, or $23.95 for a one sponge + cleanser kit, or $19.95 for one sponge.  Sometimes they are cheaper on Amazon:

Normally I would cringe at the thought of paying so much for a sponge that you would have to toss after 3 months of use, but I figured it was worth a try.  As soon as I got it, I put some liquid foundation on the back of my hand, bounced the bigger flat end of the BB sponge on the foundation, and stippled (bounced) it on my face.

WOULD I BUY AGAIN?  YES!

The results of the BB?  The most perfect, streak-free, airbrushed finish ever.  This thing is amazing!  It gave my face a dewy, fresh finish.  If you want to sheer out your foundation, add water to the sponge before using, and if you want a full-coverage look, squeeze out most of the water before using or use no water at all.

The round flat end of the sponge is used for the majority of the face, but there is also a pointy end that can be used for around the nose, mouth, and under-eye area.  All you have to do is bounce the sponge around your face, and by using that technique you can blend it all out and avoid streaking.

The Beauty Blender Cleanser - is it worth it?

I have only washed my sponge once this week, about two days ago.  I used the sample of the cleanser that came with my one sponge, and noticed that a TON of pink dye came out in the sink.  I suggest washing it thoroughly before your first use to wash out any loose pink dye in it.  After using up ALL of the sample cleanser, there was still pink dye coming out.  So, I used some of my gentle fragrance-free
Paula's Choice All-Over Hair & Body Shampoo on it.  I have also heard that
Johnson's Baby Shampoo
or Dr. Bronner's Magic Pure-Castile 18-in-1 Soap
are good for cleaning the BB too.  As a note, the round plastic box that the sponge comes in also serves as a pedestal to dry your sponge on after cleansing (and with the lid on it, it's an effective deterrent for a kitty who likes to nibble on my beauty supplies).  The company (www.beautyblender.net) also offers to recycle your old sponges for you if you mail them in.

In summary, I highly recommend the Beauty Blender if you want to achieve a perfectly air-brushed finish with your foundation, but I don't think the BB Cleanser is worth it because it's so expensive and there are plenty of gentle liquid cleansers out there.  I hope this review helps!  Do you have or want a Beauty Blender?  Let me know in the comments, especially Jess & Tracye!

Edit:  I used two different cameras for the pre-use and the in-use pictures, so that's why the photos don't exactly match.  Also, here is a great video by BB explaining everything you need to know about the BB sponge!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qGwYbUz8ps&feature=player_embedded

After One Week of Blogging - Thank You!!!

Hi darlings, just a quick post to say thank you so much for checking out my little blog!

It means the world to me that I was able to share my new hobby with you.  In just one week (Jan 13-20), the blog has gotten 892 page views!!!  In Rachel Zoe's words, BA NA NAS!  This is crazy, thank you so much!

I would love it if you would please comment on posts and subscribe to the blog via RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, or Email - the icons are on the right hand sidebar of my page :)  Let me know if there's another way of following the blog that you would like me to create a button for.

Finally, please let me know if you have any ideas for my content or layout!!  I want to make the blog fun for me AND my readers, so let me know what I can do to improve!

Have a great week!

CVS Mini Haul

I had a great time shopping at CVS this afternoon, primarily because I ran into my good friend Becca and was able to recommend a huge hand mirror for her :)  I was mainly shopping for milk and laundry detergent, but you know how CVS shopping trips go! 

These are mostly things that I heard about from other bloggers that I've been meaning to pick up:

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup SPF 18 - I was sort of skeptical of this foundation because it has a sponge attached to it, but Elle Fowler's video convinced me to give it a try!  Since there's not sufficient UVA coverage (see Paula's review here), I'll be sure to keep using my normal daily face sunscreen underneath it.  I also plan on using my Beauty Blender sponge to blend it out after dotting it on with the attached sponge applicator (Beauty Blender review to come!)

Blue Magic Coconut Oil Hair Conditioner and Organic ROOT Stimulator Hair Fertilizer - These hair masks were CHEAP!  Check out Rachel Talbott's video for the review + how-to.  I just slapped a bunch of both in my hair according to Rachel's video so I'll let you know how it turns out!

Arm & Hammer Advance White Baking Soda + Peroxide Toothpaste - Rachel Talbott also recommended this toothpaste and I'm kinda bored with mine so I thought I'd pick it up

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in 35 Tough As Taupe - all the bloggers were raving about Maybelline's Color Tattoos a few months back.  I have and like the shades 05 Too Cool, 25 Bad to the Bronze, and 45 Bold Gold, which are all shimmer shades.  35 Tough as Taupe is a matte neutral shade, which I don't have many of, so I thought I'd try it out!

Finally, I got the Naked Green Machine and Halls Defense Sugar Free Vitamin C drops because I was feeling a little blah today - hopefully these perk me up!  Hope you are all doing well, xoxo!!

DVF Suitcase on Sale

Stumbling around the internet, I recently found this beautiful Diane Von Furstenberg 24" rolling expandable suitcase for almost 50% - it was originally $300, now marked down to $159.99 on Zappos Couture.  

It is a beautiful black and white print, with red interior.  As a bonus, it comes with a really cute removable pouch.  Anyone have spring break coming up??

EDIT:  The 24" appears to be sold out on zappos couture; here is the 20" on sale, marked down to $174.99:  http://couture.zappos.com/diane-von-furstenberg-camargue-20-rolling-expandable-black-white

President's Day Sales!

Hi Lovelies, I just wanted to quickly let you know that Corporette has rounded up a bunch of the promo codes that are good for today's sales, check out Corporette here and let me know what you buy!

What's In My Purse? (Weekend Edition)

This is one of my favorite types of blog entries to read so I hope you enjoy this peek into what I carry every day.  It may seem like a lot but I do use most of this each day and feel lost if I reach for one of these things and its missing.  I really recommend all of these products!!

I'm a grad student so I do switch my things between my backpack and my weekend tote bag, and then I'll pare it all down and bring only the essentials in a smaller purse or clutch for a night out. 

The bag is the 2008 Juicy Couture Canvas Premier Shopper Tote:  a coated canvas tote that is a little Goyard-esque.   I would die for a Goyard bag, but for now I'm loving this Juicy tote.  It's big enough to handle magazines or other paperwork, but its very light because its coated canvas with leather only on the straps and trim.  The print on the bag is little scottie dogs :) Unfortunately, I don't think its still for sale anywhere.

And inside:

 Jonathan Adler for Barnes & Noble Love Dove Fuchsia Folding Umbrella,

Vera Bradley Double Kiss Coin Purse in the pattern "Very Berry Paisley,

Brown vegan leather wallet - no brand, gift from my mom a few years ago,

Black stretchy cotton mittens,

Tic Tacs in Wintergreen flavor,

Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy PLUS Intensive Repair Hand Creme,

Sephora Pop-Up Travel Brush,

Stephanie Johnson Katie Folding Clutch in the color "Lima Pink,"

Milly for Clinique brush/pencil case (part of this set),

Fiber One bars in "Oats & Caramel" and "Oats & Chocolate,"

Essence of Beauty (CVS store brand) antibacterial hand sanitizer in "Sunblossom" scent,

Awesome little purple folding mirror - no brand, gift from my grandma this past Christmas,

CVS travel size Cleansing & Makeup Remover Towelettes (similar),

My kitty Lucy (no I don't tote her around all day haha),

16 oz. Nalgene water bottle (this one was a free giveaway at an event I went to recently),

Moleskine Reporter Pocket Ruled Notebook,

Forever 21 black claw hair clip,

Assorted pens, pencils, and highlighters,

Post-It 1" Flat Tabs (yeah I'm a nerd - these are the only tabs I'll buy for my school work)

I use the little Vera Bradley Double Kiss Coin Purse to hold an extra necklace & bracelet in case I need them for a quick day-to-night switch, and I also use it to hold my headphones and SD memory card USB reader

So this may be TMI, but I use the little Milly for Clinique brush/pencil bag to hold tampons, an extra pair of undies, and a ziplock baggie.

And here's my favorite thing in my purse, my "purse pack:"   

I use my Stephanie Johnson Katie Folding Clutch as both a makeup bag and a first aid kit. This little baby is easy to move to whatever purse or backpack I'm using each day, and it holds a TON:

I love it because it has two zippered compartments inside...

And the compartments are clear!  So I can actually see what I need before I reach in and shuffle everything around.  I know exactly where everything is in there.

First, I'll show you the "makeup side"

Nivea Kiss of Moisture lip balm - I love this but it doesn't have SPF, so I usually also have the Paula's Choice Moisturizing Lipscreen SPF 15 in my purse, but I just ran out.  I switch to the Shiseido Sun Protection Lip Treatment SPF 36 for the summer.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter lipsticks in 025 Peach Parfait - a perfect peachy pink, and 085 Sugar Plum - a beautiful light mauve.  These new lipstick/lip balm hybrids have taken the blog world by storm this past year and for good reason!

Tarina Tarantino Fleur de Lash mascara in Black Opal,

Mary Kay NouriShine Lip Gloss in Gold Rush (color isn't made any more),

Juicy Couture Original rollerball and spray travel perfume,

Harvey Prince Yogini spray travel perfume,

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl highligher travel sized,

Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in color "Birchbox Pink" travel size,

Benefit Erase Paste in shade No. 2 medium travel size,

bobby pins, nail file, and cuticle trimmer stick,

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in color "Lionfish,"

Milani Liquif'Eye metallic eye liner in color Black,

Beautiful little Vera Bradley mints tin given to me by my bf's grandma (they're not sold on the Vera Bradley site anymore but there are a bunch on eBay), which I use to hold my pills,

CVS nail polish remover pads (usually I carry Deborah Lippmann's Stripper to Go pads, but I just ran out)

This other side is more of a first aid / for-emergencies-only kit:

This side is not as fun so I'm not going to link to everything.

I carry a dryer sheet (top of the picture, folded) to rub on my hair if it is static-y, Mini lint roller, Tide to Go pen, Band-Aids, extra contacts, mini Revlon tweezers, earplugs, one little backup dose of my everyday medicines in case I forget to take them in the morning, a Larabar, ShowStoppers fashion tape, Tums, cough drops, Visine, Band-Aid Friction Block Stick (the bandaid brand one is a lot better than competitors for avoiding blisters), and extra hair ties.

Close up shot of the adorable mini Revlon tweezers

So that's what's in my purse!  Let me know what's in yours :)