52 Weeks: Week 9 - Sport

Week 9: Sport

Haven't put these on since high school, but I miss it!

The only other sport I'm decent at is ping pong, and, well, I don't have a ping pong paddle.

Some of us just weren't made to be athletic. I'm more of a yoga/hula hoop/Wii Fit type of gal.

Polish Post: Frosty Pastel Rainbow Nails

For the indecisive.
I've been into pretty pastel shades lately and wanted an excuse to try my new lavender blue Milk Creamy Nail polish ($5) from Skin Food, but was too lazy to do any stamping or fancy designs.

So I decided on rainbow nails.

I used sheer shimmer polish to make them look frosted, but they look fine plain too! Have fun experimenting with mixing and matching shades.

Sheer shimmer Goldie nail polish in "Cheap"

Get the look: Pick 5 different solid-colored opaque pastel nail polishes and paint each nail with 2 coats (or until completely opaque) and let dry, then paint a sheer shimmer polish polish over each nail as well (1-2 coats). Finish with a topcoat.

Here are the polishes I used on each nail (from left to right). Some are discontinued, but I'm sure you can find similar (or even prettier!) shades to substitute.

Goldie pink lavender | Skin Food Milk Creamy Nail in blue lavender | Hard Candy in "Sky" (discontinued formula) | H&M polish in "Lovely Lavender" | China Glaze in "For Audrey"

Do you ever paint your nails with different colors?
And my favorite question: What color are your nails right now? :)

Sephora, Ulta & More Beauty Giveaway! [CLOSED]

I like celebrating milestones with giveaways, and since I recently reached 400 followers, it's time for another one! I've been experimenting more with new and unfamiliar beauty brands and reviewing products, so this giveaway is beauty-themed! I have tons of new makeup goodies for one of my readers. Yay!

One lucky reader will win...

• Duo eyeshadow in "Intense Black" (Sephora)
• Eyeshadow in "Aspen Summit" (Sephora)
• Nano eyeliner in "Silver Green" (Sephora)
• A makeup cube with 8 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 2 lip glosses & applicators (Jane cosmetics)
• Luscious liquid lipstick in "Perfect Pink" (E.L.F.)
• Duo powder eyeshadow in "Olive" (E.L.F.)
• Simply Clean anti-bacterial hand lotion (Ulta)
• Eyeshadow in "Sandstone" (Ulta)

Mandatory Entry:
Must be a blog follower (Google or Bloglovin').
Leave a comment in this blog post and let me know what your favorite beauty product of all time is! Please include your e-mail address so that I may contact you if you are the winner.

Additional Entries:

• +1: 'Like' me on Facebook (leave a comment with your Facebook username)
• +1: Follow me on Twitter (leave a comment with your Twitter username)
• +1 a day: Tweet about the giveaway: (leave a comment with your Twitter username each time you do this. Can be done once a day!) You can use the following text or write your own as long as it includes a link to this post and my username (@iamericaleigh):
• ♥ Sweets & Hearts is having a beauty giveaway! >> http://goo.gl/RcrPU Win makeup from Sephora, Ulta & more! @iamericaleigh

Entries will be accepted until

Saturday, October 8th, 2011

9 PM PST

Giveaway is open internationally. Winner will be chosen at random, notified by e-mail, and announced in this post.

Good luck! :)



Edit 10.14.11:

Congratulations to Jasmine1485! :) 

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who entered. Don't worry, I have some exciting giveaways planned very soon, so there will always be more chances to win something!

Pretty Little Things: S'mores, nail polish & other rewards

 

...because sometimes you deserve nice things.

What was the last thing you rewarded yourself with?

I go I go I go

Outfit Details: Black floral chiffon blouse (Forever 21) | Black lace bandeau (Francesca's) | Gray plaid high-waisted shorts (Forever 21) | Black faux lace thigh-high tights (via Ebay) | Bronze leather bow ballet flats (Penny Loves Kenny via Ross) | Silver bunny necklace (Anirtak via Etsy)

I think it's fun to have knee-highs and knee socks with shorts or skirts, but it's a pain when they slip down your knees and get all slouchy. I bought these sheer black tights from Ebay, and it's cool because they're made to look like lace knee-highs (and they come in white too!). I'm thinking of also maybe getting some of those tights with the faux bow garters from Asos to wear with my black dresses at work when it starts to get colder outside.

I've recently reached 400 followers (thanks, everyone!) and think we're due for a giveaway, yes? I'll put together a few goodies and post it this week. ;)

The Year of Adventurous Shoes: Bunnies & Bows

Earlier this week, Kelsi tweeted about some cute new shoes she bought.

...And somehow I ended up with three pairs in my shopping cart and on my doorstep (hey, I just found out I got promoted at work again, so I might as well reward myself). ;)

Ohhh Le Bunny Bleu, how did I not know about you?

I've been looking for comfortable, colorful, and cute flats to wear with my neutral colored outfits at work (shoes are a bit of a free-for-all, so long as I'm not wearing anything casual, like sneakers or flip-flops), and Le Bunny Bleu seemed to be the perfect option!

Le Bunny Bleu specializes in quirky, romantic, vintage-inspired flats. I liked that they had synthetic and real leather options in a wide range of colors and styles. They're cushioned and have thick soles, so they seem like they'll hold up for a long time (which is great, because I'm on my feet all day!). Each pair came in a sky blue box, with a dust bag and small packet of...oil blotting papers for your face? Okay, weird but cool. I needed those anyway, I guess.

Only thing to watch out for: sizing is a little inconsistent, so pay plenty attention to the descriptions! Most styles run a little small. If you're between sizes, you might want to size up (I'm usually between 7.5 and 8, and got them in 8. One fit fine, but two were a little snug, but still wearable).

Beige Juliet's Dream Ballet Flats - $44 USD - Buy

Mint Bunny Motive Flats - $49 USD - Buy

Red O&O Jewelry Bunny Flats - $55 USD - Buy

No, I didn't spend $148 on shoes.
They actually have this awesome promo right now where if you buy at least two pairs, you get 50% off your entire order (+ free shipping in the US)! I also got a 25% off rebate (not sure how long it will last, but they do have weekly specials going on right now).

Happy shopping, shoe lovers.

Beauty Blurb: Too Faced's Size Queen Mascara

Too Faced's Size Queen mascara - $21 USD at Sephora

I rely heavily on reviews and Sephora testing/sampling for beauty products, but sometimes I buy random things on a whim because I'm curious (or the packaging is reeeeally nice). I've been trying new products lately and going on mini beauty binges, so I thought it might be helpful to share some of my experiences with you.

Anyway, I had 10 minutes left on my lunch break, so I ran into Sephora and started frantically searching for mascara because I was running out and wanted to try a new one. Any mascara. Any new mascara that promised volume and wasn't waterproof. For some reason, this was the one time that I couldn't find a salesperson to help me (even though they always seem to be there every time I don't need them), so I grabbed the prettiest one I could find after I saw that Benefit's They're Real mascara was sold out:

Too Faced's Size Queen (Photo credit: Sephora)

The bottle itself is bigger than your average mascara, as well as the brush. It promises to curl, lengthen, thicken, and volumize your lashes with its giant corkscrew brush.

What I liked: The formula's pretty good. It's really black, lasts all day and doesn't flake. After a bit of practice, it can create dramatic doll-like lashes. It really does add a good amount of volume and length, and lashes are flexible and soft.

Clinique on top, Too Faced on bottom to show brush size

What I didn't like: Ginormous brush is ginormous. There's a bit of a learning curve when you first use it because the brush is just that large! There's plenty of potential for eye pokage and smudges near your eye, so be careful when maneuvering it. It grabbed my top eyelashes easily, but I had trouble using it on my bottom lashes, and it doesn't seem to curl much. Also, if you apply more than two coats it can get a little spider-y and clumpy.

Verdict: It's good, but I wouldn't buy it again. Too difficult to get results, and the brush is frighteningly big.

Still hunting for the perfect mascara.

Have you tried it? What's your favorite volumizing mascara? Recommendations are always appreciated! Thanks. :)

52 Weeks: Week 8 - Blue

Week 8 - Blue

(Just a little bit of blue!)

Okay, so this turned out looking a lot sadder than I intended.

Lollipops aren't supposed to be sad.

Polish Post: Pop Beauty Gold & Pink Glitz

Pop Beauty Nail Glam in Gold Glitz and Pink Glitz

I couldn't quite decide on which of my new polishes to try...so I tried both! I bought them on sale for $5/each on Ulta.

Pop Beauty's Nail Glam is one of my favorite polish brands--especially the glitters. Two to three coats and it's completely opaque and all sparkle. I want to get some of their other solid colors next time. They come in lots of pretty bright shades.

I usually post these nail photos on my Facebook, but I think I'll start posting them here too. I like DIY nail art and manicures, so look out for more posts (maybe even a few tutorials and reviews) in the future! :)

What color are your nails painted right now?

I'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance

Outfit Details: White chiffon dress with heart print (Dahlia via Asos) | Black diamond tights (Sidecca) | Black t-strap mary-jane pumps (Payless) | Bunny earrings (Forever 21) | Bunny necklace (Anirtak via Etsy)

Another work outfit. I'm just really excited that I got to wear my new Dahlia dress from Asos, my new favorite place to shop (even though it's overseas and shipping takes a bit longer. Worth it).

I've also been experimenting with up-dos in an attempt to look more put-together. I actually like how the Dutch braid thing worked out! My bangs are growing out right now, so I just combed them back. If you need a tutorial, try Keiko Lynn's (which I used). It's really easy and good for day-after hair, or when you don't have much time to style it in the morning.

Also: this has been stuck in my head lately. I <3 Kate Nash. Enjoy!

52 Weeks: Week 7 - Music

Week 7: Music

I'm more attached to this little thing than I'd like to admit. Good thing it has survived all these years!

She moves in her own way

Outfit Details: Tie-neck chiffon blouse (Forever 21) | Khaki scalloped shorts (GoJane) | Black scalloped tights (Target) | Tan pleather pumps (Payless)

A work outfit! Please excuse the wrinkly shorts. I swear I had ironed them before work, but these shots were taken afterwards.

(and I'm obsessed with these scalloped shorts from Go Jane)

I might just start posting work outfits more because I don't have many days off, but it's okay. I think having limits will really challenge me--I'll have to see just how creative I can get within reason! We're allowed to wear black, white, gray, and brown, and nothing too casual. I really miss being able to wear colors, but I make up for that with unconventional nail polish colors, accessories, and shoes.

Just because there's a dress code doesn't mean you have to be boring.