Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

I finally ran out of my most recent pot of my tried and true bareMinerals powder foundation in Fairly Light. With the exception of two Clinique and Lorac tinted moisturizers that I rarely use, this is the only foundation that has ever touched my face. So that's probably about four years now. I love this foundation,  don't get me wrong,  and with my acne prone skin it doesn't break me out. Change was due though, and I purchased the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Rose Ivory. I've heard only good things about this foundation, and I'm so excited to try it out. I'm wearing it for the first time today and it looks really good. The real deal will be whether or not it stays on and doesn't break me out. Be looking for a review of this foundation within the next two weeks!

Favorites of the moment!

I thought I'd just do a simple post on some of my favorite things at the moment! I go through phases of what's my favorite and what's not way to often. These are some for right this very moment in no particular order. A few will be some of my all time favorite things.. either way, I hope you enjoy :)

So I'm a bit of a nail polish addict.. and I've been really leaning towards neutral nails lately. I've always been a dramatic nails kind of girl with super darks or crazy brights, but for some reason I've veered the other way recently. This is Essie's Allure polish, and it's one of the two that I've been going back and forth between. It's a very sheer light pink, almost white. When you put two coats it's complete.. well like the name, alluring. It really is beautiful.

 Okay, so this is my absolute all time favorite singer/songwriter! Yes, I listen to Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and all of those fun things.. but Jill Andrews is by far my favorite. She is incredible! And I've been lucky enough to see her live here in Knoxville. Her voice is so soothing, something I can drift off to sleep to, but at the same time very peppy and energetic. I honestly can't explain my love for her music. The lyrics are indescribable. Just give her a listen.. (HERE) pretty please!  On top of her incredible vocals is a truly beautiful woman. She is just naturally gorgeous, and her style is amazing.. very southern chic being from Tennessee of course :)  

This is Victoria's Secret's Limited Edition Exotic Bloom Exhilarating Body Wash. I honestly almost use a different body wash every week, but this is the one I'm really loving at the moment. I've had it for a while and decided to use it again the other day. It smells so stinkin' good. It's vanilla but not tooo vanillay. I don't know, I just love it!

I purchased this fragrance from Ulta the other weekend when I was in Chattanooga. I've had Philosophy's Falling In Love perfume before, but I ran out a while back. This is their Unconditional Love perfume, and it smells almost exactly the same. It's so sweet.. fruity yet floral all at the same time. It's just a little bottle of goodness!

I love the Surf Spray from Bumble and Bumble. I use this spray more often than not, especially if I'm on the go or running late. It gives a wavy, just been to the beach look. Spray a little to wet or damp hair and just tousle it around with your fingers. Be careful though, a little goes a long way with this stuff, and you can end up with grungy gross feeling hair if you aren't careful!

This is my other favorite hair product. It's the Moroccan Oil for light hair. I was introduced to this product by my amazing hair stylist at the Pure Luxe Salon I use this every time I wash my hair before I style it, and it is my absolute saving grace! It makes you're hair sooo smooth, soft, and healthy. I seriously can't imagine not using it.

This Caribbean Escape candle from Bath and Body Works has been burning 24/7 in my bedroom. It smells sooo good and so beachy! It reminds me of summer.. and how near and dear it is :)

A Little Pampering Never Hurts!

Bath bombs, bubble bath, bath salts, scrubs, lotions.. anything of that luxe bath nature. I love it all! So here's a few of my favorite products for those lazy, relaxing, you-just-need-to-be-pampered days and nights :)

If you like bath products of any sort I HIGHLY recommend checking out Basin or Basin White! Basin White is the more upscale version and can be found exclusively in the Venetian resort in Las Vegas and The Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World. I was introduced to these amazing products on one of my many trips to Walt Disney World about 3 years ago. My family was staying at The Grand Floridian, where they have a Basin White, and then there is a Basin located in Downtown Disney as well. The stores have the best smell in the entire world, and lure you in from a mile away!

This was the first product I ever purchased from the Basin White line. It's the Pink Sugar Bath Bomb, and it's absolute heaven! Cotton candy and sugar soothe you're senses with this incredible bomb. I honestly can not explain to you how much I love this. It is $4.99, but you can purchase Bath Bomb Barrels of different sizes where you basically buy four and get one free, and that's what I always do of course! Some of the other bombs that I love oh so dearly are Almond Coconut, Orange Cantaloupe, Tranquility, Sweet Pea and Vanilla, and Lilly of the Valley. The bombs come in three different sizes, but each scent only comes in one size. Pink Sugar is a large bomb, so you're tub will be filled to the brim with the sweet goodness!

This is another product from Basin White that is incredible! It's their Salt Scrub and it's a total skin saver! I use it on my hands regularly and every now in then I'll do my feet and legs. Rough skin will be no more with this baby! Plus it's absolutely gorgeous sitting in your bathroom!

Basin White's Pink Sugar Moisturizer is another product that I swear by. This is the same scent as the bath bomb but in this indescribable moussey lotion. It is $17, but I'm pretty sure my mom and I have been through four bottles of this.. so it's definitely worth a little extra money.  

This lotion from the Chateau Elan Spa is amazing and so luxurious! My Aunt received this as a gift from my friend's mom, and we love it so much! I use it every single time I'm at her house. As a opposite to the Pink Sugar moisturizer, this is scented with lemongrass and green tea. It smells like you're at an expensive spa, and it moisturizes soo well! It leaves you feeling soft and subtle every time, and the scent lasts for hours! 

Last, but not least, are these Aromatherapy Stress Relief Bath Salts from Bath and Body Works. They are Eucalyptus Spearmint infused and fill you're bathroom with that wonderful spa-like smell! To be honest, I completely hated the smell when I first got them, but after two or three uses I fell in love! At only $16, I consider this product pretty affordable, and they're a lot more accessible than the previous products. I've gotten about 10 bath uses out of these and still have enough for one or two more!

Sorry Charlies!

I know I've already put up two posts today, plus one more to come, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I changed this blog's url. Various reasons were responsible for this, but mainly it was due to wanting a catchier and easier-to-remember url. This is still Lulabell's Square, and make sure to check out my next post!

Thanks Lovelies!

Stylish Blogger Award!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Beth! Check out her awesome blog:  

http://blog-allthingsbeautiful.blogspot.com/ 

 

Stylish Blogger award rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who sent the award

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Award recently discovered bloggers

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

 

7 things about myself...

1. I paint my nails at least once a day. Each time a different color to suit my mood

2. I love coffee!

3. My best friend is a boy :)

4. I love Natalie Portman!

5. My favorite clothing store is Anthropologie

6. I still sleep with my momma :P

7. I write everything down in a little model Barbie calender/notepad book. I feel completely lost without this! 

 

My nominations!

1. http://sparklealways.blogspot.com/   Lizzy

2. http://vbeautydiary.blogspot.com/      Vanessa

3. http://californiaxdreams.blogspot.com/   

All three of these girls have fabulous blogs in the making! Support them, please and thank you :)

Quck Lil' Tag!

I will definitely do a bigger post of some sort later.. so watch out for that later tonight :) In the mean time.. here's a tag! I think these are super fun!

1.Would you rather go out with messy hair and nice make-up or Nice hair and no make-up?


Defiintely nice make-up with messy hair. I think that is a wholeee lot easier to pull off.

2.Would you rather shave your eyebrows or have your eyelashes fall out?
Eyelashed fall out.. That can be somewhat fixed with fakies. Without eyebrows you'd look naked!


3.Would you rather be forced to shop at only MAC or Sephora for the rest of your life?


Sephora, only because they have skincare and hair products. A whole lot more of a selection than MAC.. plus I'm not a MAC addict by any means

4.Would you rather wear lipgloss/lipliner look or 80's perm?
Hmm.. both equally bad, haha! Probably lipgloss/lipliner. I would look awful with a perm.

5.Would you rather leave the house with an obvious foundation line or overdone blush?


Overdone blush, HANDS DOWN! That's a whole lot more fixable than foundation lines.

6.Would you rather wear MC Hammer pants or biker shorts in public?


Biker Shorts. For sure.

7.Would you rather have a bad orange-y spray tan or really weird tan lines that can't be covered?
I guess a bad orange-y spray tan. At least those would go away in a few days!

8.Would you rather have a bad haircut or bad hair color?
Bad hair color! You can only do so much to fix a bad cut.

9.Would you rather have youtube or twitter taken away forever?


Eh.. I wouldn't die without either one. Probably twitter. I watch music videos a lot on youtube when I'm bored haha :) 


10. Would you rather give up using makeup brushes or mascara?
Mascara, the world would be horrid without makeup brushes. Fingers aren't always the best option for makeup application.

My New Love: DENIM BLAZERS!

I was browsing on Pixie Market's website last night and found this awesome denim blazer! I've never been a huge fan of the menswear look. It's kind of harsh in my opinion, and doesn't really flatter my body in any way. This blazer has definitely changed my mind! I want it sooo bad! It's the perfect wearable menswear item, and it is absolutely perfect for spring and summer. You could throw this on over a tank and shorts (like I'm fixing to show you) or even over a cute summer dress at night when it gets a little chilly. It's a more oversized blazer.. so you would have to be kind of careful with what you chose to wear underneath. I would stick to more fitted items or you might get lost in this look. Here's one easy way that I would rock this blazer..

Here's the beaut! I'm in love! It's a lighter denim and is a stylish alternative for a lousy denim jacket. A definite wardrobe staple! It will, however, set you back $188, but I think it's completely worth it. It would be a splurge for me for sure.. but I would then pair it with inexpensive items to offset the higher price tag.

These Forever 21Cuffed Linen Blend Shorts would be the perfect match to this blazer! They're very simple, and keep the attention on the jacket. You could wear any type of shorts.. but these are what I would choose! They kind of go along with the menswear theme.. but are still super girly. And I love the little tie belt! These will only set you back $16.90! Such a good deal!

Since I went with a solid bottom, I would probably choose a patterned top like this Tribal Print Tank from Forever 21. It's not too bright and out there so it won't over power the jacket, but it still adds a bit more fun to the outfit.This will only cost you $12.80, plus it has this seasons hot coraly-orange color!

Considering the tribal top is pretty busy, I would keep jewelry to a minimum. Rose gold is very on-trend right now, and I LOVE these Marc by Marc Jacobs Turnlock Studs in rose gold from Shopbop! These would be a great addition to any wardrobe because they're so simple, yet a lot different than the norm at the same time! These are $32, not too bad for a good quality pair of earrings that can go with any outfit!

I picked two different shoes to finish off this look. The first being these Ivory Woven Brogue oxfords from Pixie Market. These are super cute for summer, and are good twist on the oxford trend with the cutout woven look! These will also follow the menswear trend of this outfit. Unfortunately, these will set you back $155. Too expensive for me, that's for sure! But any oxfords similar to these would work! I would probably try to keep them in a cream color to lighten up this look.

These are my second shoe pick. They are the Deena & Ozzy Mixed Band Peeptoe Wedge in Ivory. I found these on Urban Outfitters' website, and they would be a good way to add a little girly-ness to this outfit. They still have the clean lines of menswear, but the light color and the fact that they are wedges make them super girly! I love these, and they will lengthen your legs.. which is good if you're a short person like me. These cost $69, which I don't think is too bad. I usually spend more on shoes.. especially ones like these that are really fun and different!

Hotttt Lips!

Today I wore a NYX lip pencil in Plush Red. This is the first full day I've worn this, and I was plesantly surprised. It's a very rich red with blue undertones. It stayed on pretty much all day.. I only had to touch up a couple times. One being after I ate. Overall I am a fan of this lippy. Its so moist.. my lips never felt dry or looked flaky. You can also wear it one of two ways, as a lipstick- thoroughly applied or as a lip stain- lightly applied and smudged around with your finger. I really do love this prouduct! I would definitely recommend giving it a try.