Blame It On The Deal

Blame It On The Deal / July 6, 2017

KKW Beauty Contour Kit Review

As embarrassed as I am to admit it, I’m a huge reality show junkie and lover of the Kardashians. So, when Kim Kardashian (the contour queen herself) came out with makeup line featuring contour sticks, I knew I had to have it. Naturally, as any obsessed Kardashian junkie would do, I positioned myself at my computer at 12:00 on the dot to be one of the firsts to snag this contour kit. The kit retails for $48 + $8.95 shipping and although the shipping cost was a killer but I really didn’t find $48 unrealistic for a kit like this.

The kit came with two contour sticks. One stick has a darker contour shade and a lighter contour shade. The other stick has a matte highlighter and a shimmer highlighter. The kit also comes with a dual ended brush for blending. I’ve seen a lot of complaints over the packaging (which is just a bag) but I’m always more interested in what’s actually in the packaging than what’s on the outside.

First, I took the lighter shade of the contour stick and applied it to my jawline, cheekbones, forehead, and a little on the corner of my nose.

I, then blended that in with the brush side of the dual ended brush that was included in the kit.

Next, I used the matte side of the highlighter stick and applied it down the bridge of my nose, chin, forehead, under my brow bone, and below the area where the contour shade was just applied. I then blended it all out.

Lastly, I added the highlighter on top of my cheekbones and this was the final product:

VERDICT: I was actually pretty disappointed with this kit. I felt like it didn’t blend very well with the blender brush or even when I tried with a beauty blender. These products also rubbed off a lot of my foundation while attempting to blend and exposed the redness under my foundation. Plus, to be quite honest, it didn’t look much different from when I was only wearing foundation.

What do you think? Has anyone else tried this kit?

Blame It On The Deal / June 28, 2017

One Lovely Blog Award

I was nominated by the wonderful, Lauren of Not Your Average Girly Girl for the One Lovely Blog Award – thank you so much! I love reading Lauren’s blog for her beauty reviews and fashion ideas. I also think she looks a little like Chrissy Teigen, and what’s not to love there?

Here are the rules for the One Lovely Blog Award:

Thank the person who nominated you and link their blog
Share 7 facts about yourself
Nominate (up to) 15 fellow bloggers
Let your nominees know you’ve nominated them!

Here’s my 7 facts!

I’m scared of wrists. I can’t look at mine, touch them, wear bracelets, or even look at anyone elses.
N’Sync is still my favorite band of all time.
My favorite animal is a sea otter.
I am obsessed with playing the Sims.
I’m still upset over the way Lost ended.
I am the oldest of my three siblings. I have two brothers, and one sister.
I’ve lived in Boston my entire life but would love to move to California.

So, those were my super random facts! Now, I would like to nominate the following bloggers:

Beccy from BeccysBlogs
Leanne from Style by Leanne
Kelsey from Maybe Tomorrow
Emily from Emily X Online
Courtney from Curly Anomaly
Steph from Picking the Day
The Unsubtle Tuttle

I apologize in advance if I’ve tagged any of you and you’ve already been nominated for this award a bazillion times!

Thanks again, Lauren!

Blame It On The Deal / June 27, 2017

Stitch Fix Review – June

This month’s Stitch Fix started off with a very sad note. I learned that my favorite stylist, Jojo is no longer with the company. *sniff sniff. I was given a new stylist who did a pretty good job filling some big shoes. I didn’t ask for anything specifically and feel like I get the best fixes when I leave it up to the stylists.

In case you’re not familiar with Stitch Fix, here’s a quick rundown:

1. As soon as you sign up, you fill out a quick style profile with your preferred styles and measurements. It helps if you have a pinterest board linked so your stylist can see all of the pretty clothes you have pinned.

2. Schedule your first fix here (This is my referral link…if you use this link, I will get a small credit.) You will be charged a $20.00 styling fee, however this fee gets used towards anything you purchase. For example, if you keep a $48.00 shirt, an additional $28.00 will be charged to your card.

3. Five days within your scheduled fix date, a pretty little box will arrive with 5 items (clothing, scarves, jewelery, handbags, and now SHOES!) You can pick which items you would like on your profile, so if for example, you don’t want shoes, you won’t get shoes.

4. After you’ve tried on all your goodies, you have 3 days to decide what to keep. Log on to your stitchfix account and checkout. Return the items you didn’t keep in the pre-paid envelope. Then order your next fix and so on and so forth!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure.

Skies are Blue Krystine Layered Tank Top – Size XS ($44)

(Jeans, Shoes)

This tank top was probably my favorite piece in the bunch. It can be easily dressed up with a black blazer for work or some fun heels for a night out.

VERDIT: Kept

Skies are Blue Swanley Knit Tank – Size XS ($38)

(Shorts)

Man, did I want this top to work! I figured it was a perfect 4th of July look with my red shorts and white sandals. Unfortunately, it was just too big on me and didn’t look right.

VERDICT: Returned

Market & Spruce Sam Hi-Lo Short Sleeve Tee – Size XS ($38) &
STS Blue Neve Fray Hem Distressed Skinny Jean Size 2 ($48)

(Sneakers)

This shirt is probably the softest shirt I have ever felt! However, I already own the same shirt in gray that I bought off the Stitch Fix board. So, sadly I said buh-bye to this softie.

The jeans were also a bit too distressed for my liking. I’m all for a good distressed pair of jeans but this pair looked like the jeans I wore when I was a kid after I’d fall and skin my knee.

VERDICT: Both Returned

Nine Britton Frankelyn Open Back Knit Top ($46)

I’m usually a sucker for a good dolman top and I loved how this one showcases my tinkerbell tattoo but I couldn’t bring myself to spend $46 on a long sleeved top in the summertime. I think I’m going to regret sending this one back.

VERDICT: Returned

The total price of this box was $214.00 or $160.50 if I kept all 5 pieces for the 25% off discount. I think my new stylist did a fantastic job at keeping this affordable without sacrificing quality.

What do you think? Did I keep the right pieces?

p.s. Don’t forget to check out my facebook where I feature many deals on Stitch Fix brands!

Blame It On The Deal / June 23, 2017

Ulta Haul (the good, the bad, and the ugly)

I recently went to Ulta to buy my sister a birthday gift but ended up with a basket full of makeup for myself. #whoops.

First, let’s talk about the GOOD:

NYX Dual Ended Eyeliner – I have read many great reviews on NYX products being dupes for some high end brands, so I decided to give them a try. I found that the liquid eyeliner was comparable to Kat Von D’s Tattoo liner. At its $10 price tag, this eyeliner is definitely the better buy! However, the kohl liner just didn’t go on very smooth and I could barely get it to stick. Next time, I will just buy the liquid liner.

NYX Concealer Wand – I also wanted to try this concealer because I’ve read a lot of good reviews. I liked this concealer but it takes a couple layers to be comparable to some of the higher end concealers. Overall, I thought it was good for the $4.99 price tag.

Real Techniques Brush Set – I was in need of a couple good and affordable brushes so I opted for this 3-pack that also came with a brush holder. Not gonna lie, the pink handles may have influenced my decision a little bit 🙂 I bought this set for $20 but found it cheaper at Target which is what I linked above. This set came with a sculpting brush, a fan brush, and a setting brush. The sculpting brush didn’t work too well but the fan brush and setting brush are pretty good. I’ve been using the fan brush for highlighter and think it does a good job of evenly displacing the product. I also found the setting brush good for putting powder in places like under my eyes and around my nose.

Now, for the BAD:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Stick (shade Mink) – I bought this because I saw a fellow blogger’s review and it looked really great. However, I think I’m waaaaayyyyy too pale for this shade and ended up lookin’ dirty. In all fairness I’m not sure what I was thinking buying this shade. I would give it another try in a lighter shade but sad to say this one is being returned.

And the downright, UGLY:

Benefit Galifornia Blush – I also bought this product because I love Benefit and have been seeing some good reviews on this blush. The pictures I’ve seen show a sun on image on the blush but mine didn’t have that for some reason. I did find the packaging very cute and it smelled like a tropical vacation, BUT it made me look like a creepy clown. Not only did I look like a clown, it kind of looked like I had a rash. I decided that as much as I want to smell like a beach vacation, it’s not worth looking diseased and clownish. This was a big disappointment.

Does anybody else have any of this products? What do you think of them?

Blame It On The Deal / June 21, 2017

Spend v. Save

If you’re anything like me, I tend to have caviar taste on a ramen noodle budget. So, I decided to put together this spend v. save post showing cheaper alternatives to some high end clothing.

This blog post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure.

These Marc Fishers are all the rage in the blogosphere these days and they clock in at a whopping $169.95. But, if you’re interested in a cheaper alternative and not spending half your paycheck on a pair of shoes, these Steve Maddens look almost identical and are less than $60!

Cross front tees have been very popular this season. You could opt for this $72 version made by LNA or save yourself some simoleans and go for this PST top for less than $10!

You could spend your food allowance on this BB Dakota Dress that’ll set you back $185 or you can save yourself at pretty “penney” with the JcPenney version that’s priced at $34.99 or 50% off if you spend over $40!

This pair of Steve Madden Slip Ons retail for $59.95 but, the cheaper alternative from Target cashes out at just $24.99! Can you even tell a difference?

I’ve been lusting over this Kate Spade Bathing Suit but once the reality of the $106.50 price tag set in, I knew I had to find a cheaper alternative. This almost identical version is only $23.99 from Cupshe!

Gingham and off-the-shoulder tops have been all the rage recently. You could opt for this one from Nordstrom that goes for $59.00, or you could choose the less expensive alternative from Loft at a great price of just $20.99 (at checkout!)

Well, there you have it! Now the only thing left to do is decide how to spend the money I saved. Maybe, I’ll go do something crazy and pay the electric bill.

p.s. For more sales and deals, be sure to check out my facebook page.