I tried it ... MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara

This mascara got a 4.6 out of 5 rating on MAC's website ... and I couldn't agree more!!

Haute & Naughty is the perfect name for this dual purpose mascara. Two brush options give 2 amazing looks ... simple and sweet, or dramatic and bold! I am a girl who loves the look of false eyelashes, but hates the hassle (and the glue) of putting them on. So when I look for mascaras, I try to find the formulas that are going to give me the results of falsies.
I had never used MAC's mascaras. I know they have a few formulas, but I had never thought to try them out. I happened to be at a MAC counter one day peeking in on the latest collections when I remembered my current mascara at home was starting to smell a little funky. I asked one of the artists which mascara she recommended to give me the look I desired, and she pulled out this lovely tube.

Check out how thick the brush is and how much mascara it hangs on to!!

Perfect for that dramatic, full-lash look!!

Here's where your 2nd option comes in ... say you are having a day where you wanna look a little more natural than made up - simply un-twist the pink wand ...

... pull the brush through the purple opening ...
... and watch how the brush is wiped free from the extra product! Now you have a lighter application for your lashes!! Fabulous!

I hardly ever use the lighter wand for it's sole use, but I love to use it after I have applied a thick coat and need to seperate my lashes a bit.
Overall, I am loving this mascara. My only caution is that this formula can get a bit goopy around the tube, but is easily remedied with a little swipe of a make-up remover. Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara retails for $18, a bit more spendy than your average drugstore brand, but considering the dual uses, definitely worth the extra $$.

Music on Monday

Miss Britney ... she looks amazing!! Not sure how much of her is edited, photoshop'd, or airbrushed in her latest video, but she is pretty h.o.t. in 'I Wanna Go' from her current album, Femme Fatale.

♥

Fashion Friday ... Anniversary Date

♥

Thank you so very much for the sweet anniversary comments!! My hubby and I had a great night out celebrating with dinner and some shopping! He knows me so well - ha ha!

My outfit came right outta my closet ... I love when I don't have to stress about buying something new!
Top: Nordstrom Rack ($14)
Shorts: Forever 21 ($7)

Shoes: Shoe Dazzle ... Kim Kardashian's shoe club ($39.95)

~

Of course, I didn't rock the heels while shopping. This girl has had enough blisters on her feet to learn her lesson in life. I brought along my Roxy zebra flip flops to run around in. Tune in each Friday to see some of my cute finds!!

10 years ago today ...

... I married my best friend. He is my rock, my love, my heart and soul. I could not have been more blessed. ♥

The song I dedicated to my hubby on our wedding day ...

Summer Manis ... lovin' the brights!

How gorgeous is this teal polish?!? Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Marine Scene. I used Essie's Fill The Gap base coat, 2 coats of this polish, and topped it with Essie's Good To Go top coat. My mani took all of 10 minutes, and I got the polish at Walmart for $2!!
What are some of the fun colors you are rockin' this summer?

I tried it ... Korres Basil Lemon Body Scrub

I snagged this body scrub at Sephora ... one) because Korres gets high ratings for their natural skincare products, two) the scent sounded refreshing, and three) I am always looking for a good body scrub.
Priced at $21, this scrub failed to 'wow' me. First of all, the scent wasn't very fresh. It was kinda dull and bland. I love me some aromatherapy while steaming up in a hot shower, and this one didn't cut it. For an all over body scrub, the granuals weren't very coarse either, not exfoilating very well. It did leave behind a light oil, which was nice for a little extra moisture. The Lemon Basil Scrub was gentle enough to use on your face, but even at that, I prefer St. Ives Apricot Scrub to this one.
I wouldn't say that I am disappointed in this scrub, but I definitely wouldn't purchase it again. I prefer a little bit tougher of an exfoiliant, but for those who like just a little bit of a scrub, this is your kind of body buffer!
I bought a couple of other products by Korres, so stay tuned for those reviews! Have you used anything by Korres? What were your thoughts? What is your favorite body scrub that you recommend I try??

Summertime Drinks on the Low-Cal

Slimmed-Down Strawberry Daiquiri

(Per serving: 121 calories, 0g fat, 10mg sodium, 4g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 2g sugars, 0g protein)

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1 teaspoon sugar-free strawberry powdered drink mix

1 1/2 ounces rum

3 frozen unsweetened strawberries, slightly thawed

1/2 ounce lime juice

1 cup crushed ice

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Combine drink mix with 4 ounces of cold water in a glass and stir to dissolve. Transfer to blender, add all other ingredients and blend at high speed until slushy. Recipe makes 1 serving.

Watermelon Frojito

(Per serving: 154 calories, <0.5g fat, 3mg sodium, 15.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 8g sugar, 1g protein)

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3 to 4 mint leaves

1 lime cut into 4 wedges

2 no-calorie sweetener packets (Splenda)

3/4 cup watermelon chunks, seedless

1 1/2 ounces rum

1 cup crushed ice

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Place mint leaves, 2 lime wedges and sweetener in a tall glass. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lime wedges into the glass and discard those wedges. Crush and muddle the contents of the glass and set aside. Blend watermelon, rum and ice on high speed until smooth. Pour into glass with mint-lime mixture and stir well. Recipe makes 1 serving.

Peachy Cream Dream

(Per serving: 179 calories, 0.5g fat, 60mg sodium, 17g carbs, 1.7g fiber, 9.5g sugars, 3g protein)

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4 frozen unsweetened peach slices, slightly thawed

1/4 cup fat-free vanilla ice cream

2 ounces light vanilla soymilk

1 1/2 ounces vanilla vodka

1 ounce sugar-free, calorie-free peach flavored syrup

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

2/3 cup crushed ice

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Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Recipe makes 1 serving.

Recipes from Hungry Girl Happy Hour.

Omit alcohol for the kiddos, and please drink responsibly.

It's almost time ...

... to pick the winners for the Summer Beauty Tour!! There are a few more days to enter this amazing opportunity for three CASH prizes!! How would you spend $50? $100?? $200??? Be sure to get your entries in by following me and the other participating beauty bloggers!!
I am at the beach again this weekend bustin' out some fabulous posts to share with y'all this week ... recipes, product reviews and giveaways up ahead!! And speaking of giveaways, when dot...dot...dot... reaches 500 followers, I will personally be giving away gifts from my favorite products list (which will be posted soon)! So, if you love my blog, please share with others!!

Have a wonderful weekend, peeps!!

xoxo

Summer Beauty Tour!!

7 Beauty Bloggers have gotten together to bring you one fabulous CASH giveaway!

You could win one of 3 amazing cash prizes in the first Summer Beauty Tour!

Grand Prize: $200 Cash
First Runner Up: $100 Cash
Second Runner Up: $50 Cash

Want your chance to WIN some cash??

How to Enter:

1. Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect (new and old followers are welcome to enter!) and leave a comment here on this post telling me you follow my blog with your google username and email address.

Bonus Entries:

Visit each of the other participating blogs below, follow and comment on their Summer Beauty Tour posts and you've got yourself a bonus entry for each blog you follow!

Details:

This giveaway is open internationally, however you must have a Paypal.com account in order to collect your prize. Winners will be drawn using random.org and your chance of winning is based on the number of entries. This giveaway closes at 11:59pm EST on June 21st 2011 and winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize once notified or a new winner will be selected.

Good Luck and thanks for stopping by!

The Summer Beauty Tour goes live tomorrow here on dot...dot...dot...!!

7 beauty bloggers offering 3 cash prizes - you won't wanna miss this!!

xoxo

The Jersey girls are back ... and I am not talking about Snooki's crew.

The girls of New Jersey ... these housewives are full of sass! This year the husbands are more involved ... slamming tables and throwing punches. My kind of Italian drama! Teresa's family have signed on for this season's train wreck, her brother Joe Gorga and his wife, Melissa, and aunt Kathy Wakile. Teresa and her brother have had an ongoing feud that seems to stem from Joe's hatred of Teresa's husband, Joe Giudice.

Melissa is simply gorgeous ... always decked out to the nines, struttin' her stuff. Her and her man have 3 beautiful kids and a house to die for. This doll has a nasty little attitude though. So far, I am not liking her a whole lot. I really hope her mouth calms down a bit as the season progresses. She is not helping the family feud at all when she is running her mouth.

And good ol' Teresa ... love, love, love her, but her hard-headed, stubborn Italian mentality ain't gonna fix her relationship with her baby brother. Trust me, as an Italian girl myself, I know this. When we Italians don't budge and get set in our ways, nothing good comes of it!
As for the rest of the group, I am kinda bored with them so far this season. Jacqueline is still battling with her daughter, the Manzo kids are grown up and moving out, yada yada yawn!! I still love Caroline though. She is one tough momma who loves to the fullest and stays loyal to her family! She ain't taking crap from no one, including from newbie cast member Kathy who tries to stir up drama with Teresa.
This season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey should be full of fun and entertainment! I even got my hubby hooked and we watch it every week! Are you watching? Thoughts??

Breaking Dawn I ... first trailer!!

Oh my .... my heart is racing!! I can.not.wait!!!

I tried it ... Coconut Water

O.N.E. Coconut Water with a splash of Pink Guava ... yum!!
O.N.E. Coconut Water is 100% natural and has five essential electrolytes (calcium, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium and sodium), which is more potassium than a banana, with no added sugars and no preservatives. The water comes right from a young green coconut and is excellent at fighting dehydration! From kids to pregnant or nursing mommas, athletes to elderly, coconut water is packed with so many nutrients that it benefits all ages. It is fat- and cholesterol-free and contains no wheat, gluten, soy, corn or other food allergens. And it helps with alcohol hangovers!

I tasted the original O.N.E. Coconut Water without flavoring, and it definitely has a required taste. It is a hard flavor to describe, but I highly recommend trying a water with a splash of juice first. I love guava, and the variety I mentioned above is pretty darn tasty!

Have you tried Coconut Water yet? What are your thoughts?

I was not given a sample or paid by this company for this review. I was intrigued by other reviews I have heard of coconut water in general, so I bought one myself. I picked the package that looked the prettiest (cuz I am girly like that), and because it had my fave flavor guava available, I chose this brand.

Summer Beauty Tour Sneak Preview!!

Summer is coming soon and we have a special way to celebrate with you. 7 Beauty Bloggers have initiated a Summer Beauty Tour for you, our readers, to win some fabulous CASH prizes!!

In our very first Summer Beauty Tour, you are in for:
Grand Prize: $200 Cash
First Runner Up: $100 Cash
Second Runner Up: $50 Cash

Prizes were contributed by us, no sponsors, our genuine way to show our gratitude to your readership over the years. And cash prizes give you the most flexible way to reward yourself, either with some beauty products, or spa treatment, or summer clothes shopping. You don't want to miss this!

The giveaway will be very easy to enter and is open internationally so keep your eyes open on June 14, 2011 when this event goes live!

Make sure you follow our blogs for more info.
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Faces By Farah
(http://facesbyfarah.com/)

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Everyday Makeup
(http://www.everydaymakeupblog.com/)

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Toronto Beauty Reviews
(http://www.torontobeautyreviews.com/)

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Emily Loves
(http://emsloves.blogspot.com/)

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dot..dot...dot...
(http://aprilbaker23.blogspot.com/)

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Sparkled Beauty
(http://sparkledbeauty.blogspot.com/)

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In The Pink Of Things
(http://inthepinkofthings.com/)

Untitled ... cuz I'm cool like that!

Off to the beach again this weekend to celebrate hubby's birthday! The bad news is that I sucked at posting here this week. Boooo! The good news is that I always get lots of great blogging time at the beach house, so next week will rock! Monday will be all about the Summer Beauty Tour ... if you wanna win $$$ prizes, then I highly suggest you come check me out here to get all the details! Have an awesome weekend ... see ya Monday!!

♥

Muah!!

I tried it ... China Glaze Crackle

Sugar High from China Glaze's Up & Away Collection

Fault Line Crackle Glaze
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I am going to start this review by saying I am a bit biased when it comes to nail colors. The one brand that stands tall above the others, in my book, is China Glaze. I have always thought highly of this color line ... the pigments are striking, the enamel goes on smooth and rich and the wear life seems to be longer than most others. The shine and luster of these products are amazing, and the durability is outstanding! My nails always seem a bit stronger when I wear China Glaze. Plus, all China Glaze colors are free from DBP, Toulene and added Formaldehydes.
~
I was so excited when the fabulous people at China Glaze sent me these two colors for review. To be honest, I have not liked the look of the crackle trend. I had never tried it on before this review, but was excited to try it out, especially since these colors were bright and girly! I applied a base coat to my nails first (Essie's Fill The Gap) and then applied 2 coats of the bright pink shade of Sugar High. This color alone is gorgeous! I then gave about 5 minutes for the coats to fully dry, then applied one layer of the purple crackle Fault Line.
For those who have never applied a crackle glaze before, it is kinda cool to watch. You gotta be quick, paint a layer on, then within seconds, watch it separate! If you go too slow, or add too much, it can get goopy.
I waited a few minutes for dry time, then added a top coat (Essie's Good To Go) for extra shine. My overall review ... I kinda like it! Would I do this color combo again? Probably not. Only because the bright pink base with grape purple reminds me of the 80's. However, I am excited to try this crackle over some of my other favorite colors!
~
What do you think? Are you a fan of this nail design? What are your favorite colors and brands that you adore?

Fashion Friday ... Vegas Edition!!

Hey there!! Long time, I know! Vegas was awesome, as usual, although the weather was COLD in the desert! Most days were in the 70's, which is chilly in my book! Hubby and I had a great time though ... we met up with some friends while we were there, went to see Tony and Tina's Wedding (HILARIOUS!!), O by Cirque du Soleil, and Criss Angel's BeLIEve. We also hit up my favorite nightclub, Pure, so I could get my groove on, and on our last day in Sin City, we laid out at the Rehab pool at the Hard Rock (thanked the weather gods for the 90 degree heat that day)! I left the diet in Portland and ate tons of amazing food!! My feet survived walking the strip in wedges, but blistered the 2 nights I went with the strappy heels.
I came home to a new work schedule with added hours, so I have been trying to re-adjust. I promise to have lots of fun new posts coming up ... in fact, you will definitely wanna be here on June 1st (next week!!) for a HUGE event that will be launching!! Have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend ... see you on Tuesday!!

Dress borrowed from my friend, Rachelle ... hot, right?

Thank goodness for safety pins!
Night one with the strappy heels ... ouch! Worth the pain though - wedges could not hang with this dress!
Simple black skinnies with a top I got at the Hurley outlet, paired with the comfy wedge sandals I brought from DSW.
Chained neckline with open back ... loved this top! Hair in a pony with a sequined headband and clips from H&M and added a silver bracelet.

One-shoulder sequined dress from Nordstrom ... $58!

Basic black shorts from Forever 21 ($7) and a cute top from Nordstrom Rack (b-day gift from my hubby), paired with my wedges. These shoes were awesome for all the walking we did!!

Spacing issues = frustrating! Ugh!!

Click on the pics to see them bigger.