3rd annual trip to the Southern Home Christmas Show

This past week I took a day off work and it wasn't a holiday! When your Mawmaw asks you to accompany her to the Southern Home Christmas Show, you go! It was just a plus that she wanted to go on opening day, which was a Thursday, and I got to have a mini breather in a crazy, crazy work week. {Of course when you take a day off work though, work piles up while you're gone! But it was so worth it to me to get to hang out with my Mawmaw, friend Tashah, and aunt Georgia!} Now, it was the first day, on a Thursday, and we got there about 11:00... and let me tell you, it was PACKED! We were trying to avoid the crowds. So much for that! But all in all, we had a great time! About 4 hours of walking around like cattle, looking at all the Christmas everything!! It was great!! Here's a couple pics from our day...

Entrance ... Preparing you for all the Christmas crazy!! :) 

Just a sign I liked :)

Here's a pic of the best jewelry cleaner ever! It's by Sunshine Products and I have seriously been thinking about this stuff for over a year! I got my jewelry cleaned there last year using the stuff, and for whatever reason didn't buy it. This year I was on a mission to find the stuff & get me some! There's actually two vendors there selling the stuff {same price, I checked} so you can't miss it! This stuff can even clean "costume jewelry" but O-M-G the polishing cream is a tarnish remover and makes a silver {or gold, or brass, or whatever metal} piece look brand spankin' new!

***Side note: There's a sweet wedding-related post coming about this stuff...Stay tuned!!!***

 And this was as low-carb as I could get at the Christmas show! I ate most of this chicken caesar spinach wrap and was STUFFED. It was alright, but hands down the healthiest thing there to eat! It was either that or a "puff," pizza, barbecue, cheeseburgers, etc. You get the idea. I don't know how many carbs this thing had, but if this was the worst thing I ate all day, I'm doing good!! :) Definitely not worth $7 though. They get ya on the food for sure!

I am so glad my dear friend Tashah got to get off work & come with us for the 2nd year in a row!! We probably said "this is cute!" a million times! Me & Mawmaw don't always have the same taste, so it's good to have another young'n there to oodle at sparkly Christmas things :)

And the award for the most awkward Christmas ornament goes to....the blingy merman soccer player with this shirt unbuttoned!!

This crazy unique ornament actually came from the December Diamonds [@DecDiamonds on Twitter] vendor, who I got a fab little blingy lanyard for my school badge for only FIVE DOLLARS!! Best deal I've ever seen on those things so now I finally have me one....go gets yours when you visit the show this year!

sorry for the bad pic..
and for the fact I threw  a blanket on top of me
instead of showing the lanyard on top of my pajama t-shirt :)

Ahhhh!! And here's the best hot chocolate ever!! It's from a little vendor out in Tennessee. They let you sample their double dutch hot chocolate, their white hot chocolate, and their other one that didn't sound nearly as good as double dutch or white chocolate hot chocolate... but nevertheless, I bought the double dutch last year & the white chocolate this year!! O-M-G.. for a coffee hater, this stuff hits the spot! You've gotta try it!

And last but not least, I got another ring this year! Every year I go and get a nice ring to wear all the time. The first year I got the white one. The vendor had free engraving on site which was amazing, and you can't tell from the pic, but there's an N engraved on the white ring. Last year I went back, looking for that vendor, and they were nowhere to be found. :( So I found myself another fab vendor, got me the turquoise ring and fell in love! You will 95% of the time see me wearing one or the other. I just had to get me another one this year! I looked at all the jewelry vendors, wasn't super thrilled, until I came across this vendor! Low & behold it was the same vendor from last year. I probably would have never guessed {just because my memory's so bad} but thanks to Tashah and her great memory for faces, she realized it was the same vendor! Also, while looking for a ring in my size, Tashah found a black ring {I had told her that's what I was looking for}in my size!! And guess what!! It's the same exact ring as my turquoise one!! I LOVE it!! :) Thanks Tashah!! I'm so glad you went!! 

We returned home with the simple reminder that it's not quite Christmas time yet. There were fall leaves all OVER Mawmaw & Pawpaw's yard!! I love it. Fall, stay forever!! But since I know you won't, Christmas coming right after makes it okay...I guess. :)

and I mean everywhere!

Sisters ~ Aunt Georgie & Mawmaw

My favorite lady!! ♥ MY MAWMAW ♥

I just love special trips and memories like that day. :) 

Paper & Dresses

So, call me crazy, but I got SUPER excited when I found a font for my wedding "paper!" I keep calling it "wedding paper" because I don't know what else to call it. I plan on designing and creating my own save the dates, programs, invitations, all that.. so, when I say "wedding paper" that's what I mean. Anyways, I found the MOST PERFECT font EVER and can't wait to see all of its fabulousness on all our wedding paper! And it was a free font I found to download! You can't get much more amazing than that.

Next up on the agenda is ordering my dress and finding bridesmaids dresses that aren't too bridesmaidsy. I'd love any suggestions for inexpensive dresses that could be worn post-wedding! Oh... I got SO excited because one of my favorite radio personalities, Taylor Strecker, replied to one of my tweets to her! I asked her for a recommendation for a store that sold dresses that could double as a bridesmaid dress, and she replied back to let me know about Chloe and Reese. Well Chloe and Reese, you aren't in my price range. I know I'm not the one buying the bridesmaid dress, but, I'm not trying to make my bffs pay a ton of money "just because."

Do you suggest me search anywhere in particular? I'd love some suggestions! :)

Wedding Dress Shopping

About a week ago, me, Mom, Alex's mom Ronda, and my bff/bridesmaid Elizabeth went to David's Bridal to do some wedding dress shopping. I was so glad they could come with me to share that experience! I had an appointment and the girl that helped me was extremely helpful. They offered the slip and girdleish thing, and the girl would come bring me dresses and help me get into them, then I'd come out of the dressing room and show the dress out and get everyone's opinion. One weird thing was was that there was no mirror in the dressing room, so I didn't know what I was looking like before everyone saw me. Ronda told me that they were looking for the expression on my face to somewhat decide what kind of face they were going to make, and every time I came out of the dressing room I was looking for their facial expression to see what I thought about the dress. Anyways, I tried on dresses I'd been dying to trying on, and tried on some dresses that I would never have tried on. Some I would have never tried on I really really liked! I also did not at all love the dress I had been dying to try on. So, apparently, I knew nothing.  I left David's Bridal with some pictures of dresses, a dress I somewhat liked, and another dress that Mom, Ronda, and Elizabeth LOVED. I wasn't loving how form-fitting it was, so, I was ready to keep looking.

Friday night I had appointment #2. This time it was at Bedazzled in the Gastonia mall. I'd been there before, looked through a catalog they let me borrow, and only found two dresses I liked out of the entire catalog and they were well over my price range. I wasn't looking forward to my appointment, but thought it wouldn't hurt to try some more dresses on. Ronda wasn't able to go this time, so it was just me & Mom! Then my sweet friend Becky informed Facebook she was going to be bored that night because her hubby was ditching her for the high school football game. I just had to invite her to join us and I am so thankful she was able to come with us! The experience was a little different at first. I had to browse through racks of dresses in the clear plastic bags. It's really hard to tell what a wedding dress looks like inside a clear garment bag. But the lady that was helping us knew what I was looking for, or what I thought I was looking for {now} and knew what to pull from the racks. We took about five dresses to the dressing room I was willing to try on and began the fun! I didn't have the undergarments, and she didn't really help me get into the dresses as much, but nevertheless, she was extremely helpful! I tried on a random dress that I would have never ever ever tried on before, but thought what-the-heck, you only try wedding dresses on "once." I tried the dress on, hated it, and with some suggestions from the employee, some future alterations, and a blingy accessory, I was able to pick out THE dress!! I literally said it.. {they made me} say "YES TO THE DRESS!" haha

I can NOT wait to order it, get it, alter it, and WEAR it on OUR WEDDING DAY! :) It's the perfect dress for an outdoor backyard wedding by the lake in Spring!! Finding "the" dress makes me feel like this is really happening!! I get to marry my best friend in 209 days!! ♥

PS: My dress was the cheapest dress I had tried on! PERFECT for a bride on a budget! :) Love it!

Target & Ulta Haul - My 1st Cosmetic Haul Blog Post

Warning :: This is a super long blog about inexpensive cosmetics. :)

Last night, me and a couple of my favorite co-workers had a girls night doing nails, hair, and makeup. I love our girls nights! It's good to know you have friends, married or not, that will always take time after work to hang out every now and then. You should never be too busy for your girlfriends! Anyways, this girls night just happened to fall the night before payday, so, I just had to make a trip to Ulta and Target to get some new cosmetics while I was in Gastonia the next day.  I'm pretty excited about my new random items, so I thought I'd share them with you! :) Let me know if you've ever tried any of this stuff, and send me any suggestions you have for next pay period! ;) I know my next big purchase is a Sigma Essentials Brush Kit. I can NOT wait for this, but, that'll be coming in a few weeks. For now, I bought 13 inexpensive items to try! :) 

#1 :: e.l.f. Studio Makeup Mist & Set - $3 

Ashley, who basically needs to just needs to become a cosmetologist, was using this setting spray. She swore by the stuff and showed us a "before" and "after" of what the stuff does. The BEST thing about this stuff was that it was a whopping $3 at Target! It's worth that just to try! I'm horrible at explaining things, so I'll copy & paste to you the website description of the stuff.

"Wish you could have a product for your makeup like Hairspray is for your hair? Well…keep your makeup staying in place all day with a radiance boosting invisible hold with our new Makeup Mist & Set. The invigorating mist moisturizes and soothes the skin with key ingredients Aloe, Green Tea, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C & E. The lightweight, comfortable and alcohol free formula improves makeup wearability and prevents color from running or fading."

She just sprayed some sprays on our friend's face, told her to keep her eyes closed, fanned her face for a couple seconds, and was good to go! I can't wait to try the stuff on myself. Remind me to let you know how I like it. [Y'all know I'm bad at following up.]

#2 :: John Frieda Frizz-Ease Shampoo and Conditioner - $5.39 each

Y'all know I'm all about trying new hair products lately, especially after my "body wave" incident. I saw this at Target for $5.39 and it had 30% more (13 oz. versus the normal 10 oz.) and each [I got the shampoo & conditioner] came with a free trial size Frizz-Ease product! That's a great deal!! Plus I need an alternative shampoo to switch up with my current K-Pak shampoo & conditioner. I got the trial sizes of the Frizz-Ease 3-day Straight Semi-Permanent Styling Spray & the Frizz-Ease Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hairspray. 

#3 :: e.l.f. Luscious Liquid Lipstick - $1

For only ONE dollar, it's worth it to try! I'm always looking for cheap lip color to stash here & there. I got two shades, Pink Lemonade and Baby Lips. 

Top: Pink Lemonade
Bottom: Baby Lips

They feel a bit sticky (on my hand) so my guess is less is best! My guess is this $1 lip color is like a gloss that [hopefully] lasts longer than usual. We shall see.

#4 :: NYC Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat - $1.99

I've been browsing the selection of NYC nail polishes when I'm at Wal-Mart or Target lately. I'm fascinated by all the NYC-related polish names and y'all know I love me some NYC. I saw this Matte Me Crazy top coat and for less than $2 I just had to try it. I've been wanting a mattifying top coat, just to play around with polish colors. Here's a blog that reviewed the polish & provides a pic to show you the difference in matte polish and...regular polish?

Here's the pic

#5 :: Lip Smacker's Strawberry-Scented "Liquid Lip Smacker" - Super cheap

This is just my to-go-to, super-cheap, make-me-feel-like-I'm-a-kid-again lip gloss. I always buy it when I see it sold individually. It's a decent gloss and smells ohhh soo good. :) Can't beat the price either!

#6 :: e.l.f. Studio Blush in Tickled Pink - $3

"The soft sheer texture blends into the skin for a silky finish. Designed to be worn alone or layered for more depth. Highlight your complexion with a subtle healthy glow!"


#7 :: e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder duo - $3

"Create a healthy and natural glow all year long. The Blush highlights the cheeks to add a flush of color, while the Bronzer accents and contours cheekbones for beautiful definition."

The only mistake I think I made was buying a blush that almost matches the blush here in this duo.  Ah well, it was $3. Lesson learned! :)

See?

#8 :: e.l.f. Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush - $3

"This new anti-bacterial, synthetic-haired Taklon brush is softer and more absorbent and can be used with wet or dry products. Be a professional makeup artist and create a flawless look with this e.l.f. Studio brush! This thin pointed brush creates even and accurate color application in one fluid movement. The perfect angled tip of the brush provides exact placement for concentrated color right up to the lash line. Use to apply eyeliner for perfect color application."

I'm going to try it with my new matte black eyeshadow (#11) for my lower lash line which is such a pain for me! Wish me luck!

#9 :: e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen - $1

"Get no smudge with no-budge eyeliner, which creates a fabulous and fresh look of precision that lasts for hours. The smooth pen applicator easily glides on color for very fine to bold lines for effortless beauty."

For one dollar, why not try? I'm always looking for a new favorite eyeliner, especially for those lower lash lines! I'll have to try this tomorrow while I'm laying out by the pool :)

#10 :: Maybelline Eye Studio Master Shape Brow Pencil - $6.99

I THINK this is what Ashley had. Either way, I wanted to try it. She swears by visible eyebrows, but I'm so afraid I'll look like I was meant to have a unibrow, but just waxed my brows! [Do you know that look?] I'll have to try it with and without my Anastasia Beverly Hills brow stencils from Ulta and see if I have a clue what I'm doing.

#11 :: L'Oreal Hip Matte Shadow Duo in Dashing - $8.49

I really wanted a matte black eyeshadow, and went straight for the single eyeshadows in the NYX brand today at Ulta, but the one that the store had was broken [dumb] so they directed me towards this product. Hey, I mean, it's two colors instead of one, and I still have my matte black, so, I'm not too upset that $8.49 was most expensive thing I purchased today. :)

#12 :: NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette - $5.99 ($4.50 on sale with the BOGO 1/2 off)

I'm not gonna lie. I accidently bought the Auburn/Red shade today, but will exchange it for the Brunette next time I'm in Gastonia. I previously got the Dark Brown/Brown shade(s) for Christmas, but the brows are just too dark and out-there-screaming for my liking, so I'm going to pipe it down a notch and see how much I like this "visible eyebrows" look.

And last by not least...

[Lucky] #13 :: NYX Collection Noir Skinny Black Liner - $5.99 ($4.50 on sale with the BOGO 1/2 off) 

Ah, what the heck? Ulta had NYX items at Buy One Get One 1/2 off and as I've said a couple times already in this blog post alone, I'm looking for the perfect eyeliner for my lower lash line! "Skinny" sounds like what I'm looking for, so, why not?

That's a lot of makeup! And the most expensive thing I bought was $8.49! I think I racked up and did well! Now it's just time to play in all my new makeup & see what I love, what I like, and what I can live without.

Thank you for surviving this long blog post...
I hope you got some suggestions of your own to try and again, if you know of anything that you love that's inexpensive, let me know! I'm always loving to try new things! :)

♥,
Nicole

My Week

Warning: This is not going to be a depressing post, but it may be long. :)

So, as you know, I had been having a pretty tough time lately.

Work has definitely been stressing me out lately.  I don't like being behind, but I don't want to commit to begin working all day, all night, and all weekend.  I know if I start doing that, I won't stop.  I've learned from my co-workers and quickly! Burn-out is all too much of a real thing in my profession and while it seems like you're just being lazy or not being a "team-player," I would like to call it actively attempting to avoid burn-out.  So, with that being said, when I'm scheduled for evaluation after evaluation, and left with little time in between each one, they quickly begin to stack up! There's supposed to be a two day turn-around for these evaluations, but if I get them scheduled one after another day after day, then that leaves a stack of them pending and deadlines out the window. And I hate that. But I think I would hate working 24/7 a little bit more.

SO- with that being said.... my sweet boy decided that I was a bit too stressed out lately and said the one thing that probably could have helped me the most. He said, "I'm going to pray for you." and then he did. He prayed that God would find a way to release some of my stress and find a way for some of my upcoming scheduled appointments to cancel, or no-show, or reschedule, or SOMEthing so I could have some time to actually sit and get caught up on work, at work. 

Let me tell you that God is still in the blessing business!!
Tuesday I don't remember what happened. But I know my 1:00 appointment didn't happen and my 3:00 did. I thought, "No biggie. I've had some time today to work. What's one more added to my list?" I was attempting to do something I've had a hard time doing lately. I was being positive! It probably helped that I woke up to a really nice text message from a friend (at 5:45 AM, mind you) and did a little work out in my living room before I got ready for work, felt like wearing a dress and fixing my hair & attempted The Double Bun from The Small Things Blog. I got lots of compliments on my hair-do & even got a tweet from Kate! :) Good sleep and good hair days really do help lift a girl's spirits!! Thanks Kate!!

Happy Tuesday!! 

Now Wednesday. Wednesday I had 3 appointments scheduled.  These appointments are a 2-hour time slot, so between that time, a lunch break, and the little things that need to be done or come up throughout the day, that didn't leave much time to catch up on my stack of evals pending, not to mention the three that were supposed to be added to that stack. (Now mind you: these evals get two hours of productivity, but are never finished in a two-hour time period.)
Well, on Wednesday my appointment times were at 10:00, 2:00, and 3:00.
Due to billing issues, it made more sense for me to switch my 3:00 appt with my co-worker's 4:00 appointment.
Then my 10:00 canceled.
Then my 2:00 came and I thought "Crap, I thought I was going to catch a break."
THEN my 2:00 got sick. All over the hallway.
Luckily I got to dodge witnessing that, and she rescheduled!! (Get well soon, 2:00!)
Then I kept working away until my now 4:00 appointment time...
Meanwhile, the 3:00 showed up! Phew! Dodged that bullet!! ;) (No offense, 3:00!)
Then my 4:00 no-showed.
I was 0 for 3 which is typically unheard of!!!
When I left at 5:00 I wasn't caught up, but I was closer to being caught up and I immediately called Alex and thanked him for his prayer, which was definitely being answered!!

Then Thursday I was scheduled for a 9:00 appointment in one city, and a 1:00 in another city.  This is frustrating when I want to get work done, but I don't mind the 30-minute drive listening to COSMO Radio!
Well, to make a long story a little bit shorter, both appointments no-showed, I took the afternoon off, and then made myself work on evals that evening while I watched American Idol.

It was a BEAUTIFUL 80 degrees on March 1st in North Carolina and I was taking 100% full advantage of it! After I waited for my 1:00 to show up late, and they didn't, I had to go run a work errand. Then two of my co-workers told me they wanted to meet for ice cream later, so, y'all know I didn't deny that. In between, I stopped by Gastonia's new Plato's Closet and found a couple little gems!

Candie's brand sheer tank for $5

Purple New York & Co. cami (goes great with my tank!) ~ $5

Another silky "work" tank ~ $5

Dana Buchman capris ~ $15

I need hours of free time to go back there & browse the aisles & try on everything. They have a TON of jeans there which I am determined to buy, but with the different brands there, I have to try on everything, which stinks! Amazing deals are worth it!! & I definitely needed some retail therapy ;)

After I headed back home I took advantage of the beautiful weather & walked a couple miles around my neighborhood. Oh and got a mani/pedi. :) It had been way too long & I am loving my dark purple shellac nail polish & bright pink toes!

Good sleep, good hair days, and mani/pedis....yep, that's the key to lifting a girl's spirits!!

Friday will be recapped with bullets because I realize how long this post is getting.

• It was an amazing work day. Caught up on work, more, but not definitely. Helped two clients and may blog about this at a later time. My clients melt my heart sometimes. ♥ 
• Alex & I double dated with Phil & Tashah to Outback to have our my usual... 6 oz. sirloin, sweet potato, and green beans. One of my most favorite meals!
• And I practiced two more hairstyles of Kate's:::

Day look

Then before we went to dinner I attempted the Double Bun again. This time I didn't get a good FRONT picture. I'll get better at this hairstyle sharing one day!!

Disclaimer: I can see how this appears to look like a messy bun.

I should have tucked that piece behind my ear so I didn't look gross. But you see here how it's a TALLER version of the messy bun, which paired with the curled bang looked halfway fancy.

So there you go! My fabulous week was definitely an answered prayer!! I am so so glad I could be more positive, get out & exercise and enjoy the beautiful days and be productive!! THANK YOU to those of you who read my previous posts & lifted me up. Y'all are angels and I love you! ♥

New Makeup!

I can't believe it...but I left North Lake mall Saturday with MORE makeup!

Homegirl did a makeover on me. I asked for an everyday look she could sort of teach me to do. Well, that's what I got! So for that, I can't complain.

I was on a BUDGET though, so I had to be sensible when doing this makeover. I brought my current most-used makeup products with me, to prevent me from buying something I already had. 


I recently got foundation and concealer at Target, so, I'm still trying them out. She used the concealer on me that I had but then tried some Make Up For Ever HD foundation and powder on me. Since I just bought foundation, I didn't purchase the foundation she used on me, but I did buy the HD finishing powder.

 It is a translucent microfinishing powder that will fit any skin tone.  It sets foundation and slightly mattes skin without changing its natural contours. It's so soft, maybe even softer than something like baby powder {but obviously it's translucent}. It just leaves a flawless look over top your foundation. I like it so far! My only pet peeve is with any type of mineral makeup or powder, I feel like it gets everywhere {all over my counter as I'm tapping it out of the container and into the lid or onto the brush}. I feel like I waste so much product! 


I am big on eye makeup, especially eye liner and mascara. If I am not wearing at least mascara, people will start to ask me what's wrong, or tell me I look sick! haha.... It's amazing how a little mascara can make your face look drastically different! Anyways, I told homegirl {who did my makeover} that I had an issue with my current eyeliner and that was that it always "came on" really thick and I looked like a raccoon! She showed me a new technique that really works to make your lines thinner! If I was awesome like Tiffany D then I would do a little video for you to show you, but.. I'm not, so I can't, so I won't. :) 

Another pet peeve of mine I have is having my bottom eyeliner or mascara {yep, just one eye} not run, but almost like smudge, or hit my cheek as I smile or something, and it looks a bit raccooney. She suggested using some primer to set the liner and mascara. I eventually wanted Benefit's Stay don't Stray because it doubles as an eye shadow primer and a concealer, but it was $28 alone so, I didn't. I spent my money on other things! :) I told homegirl about the eye shadow primer I had recently bought. I wanted to try something out before I got Benefit's Stay Don't Stray, to see if I could find something that worked, for cheaper! So I headed to Victoria's Secret of all places and bought some of their eye shadow primer for, get this, $8! I was thrilled! I was even more thrilled to see that the stuff actually works!

I've been trying to apply it to my lashes and eye line to prevent the running in that one eye, ha, but, my allergy fit at the pond last night definitely kicked my sweet little primer's butt. :/ But! It serves it's purpose for keeping my eye shadow on for a long time. So, it gets an A in my book! I've been watching some YouTube makeup reviews and it is totally comparable to Too Faced Shadow Insurance which runs for around $17! {FYI}


Hmm...what was next?? OH! So I was telling homegirl about wanting to keep my bottom eyeliner in place & wanting thinner lines. She explained to me how normal it was for people to wear one type of eyeliner on their top lid and another type on their bottom lid. That's what she did on me and these were two products she had me sold on.


The first one she used on my top lid with an eyeliner brush- which she was very helpful in assisting me master my technique! ;) She used Smashbox's cream eye liner in Caviar. Basically it looks like this --> but in jet black! It goes on smooth & lasts a long time! I've heard so many makeup fanatics rant and rave about Smashbox, and now I have some Smashbox products of my own. I hope this doesn't start a trend. :)


But, it might...because as I was checking out the "sample area" I came across another Smashbox product- their Photo Finish foundation primer. I have heard so so so many good things about this stuff. Apparently it keeps your makeup going strong all day long! Smashbox products are a bit pricey {I'm not gonna lie} so I surely wasn't going to buy any foundation primer, until I saw the sample size.

Honestly, homegirl used it on my skin and I could tell a definite difference of the texture of my skin before she put any foundation on. I liked the stuff! I just didn't want to pay $36-$49 {depending on if you bought 1 oz or 2 oz}. Since I was just trying the stuff out, I bought the sample size, which is 0.5 oz. for $16! I thought that was a good deal, considering I'm just trying the stuff out. Can I just say that I love Sephora's little sample section?! It's great for trying things out for cheap{er than usual}.


I also tried out Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara for less than $10. The guy at the counter was telling Jodi & I about how it comes off in tiny little tubes, won't clump and is weather proof. I had heard good things about Too Faced products before, so I thought what the heck! and tried it out.

I am rotating now between that and Benefit's Bad Gal mascara {which I also got in a sample size for less than $10!} My friend Amber said she used it in her wedding, so I thought, hey! That must be good stuff she trusted! It has a huge wand so I know my lashes will be big and bold using it. I'm digging it as well. :) Now that I put pictures of both of my new mascaras up, I see their packaging looks a lot alike. Don't you think?? Interesting!

But anyways...like I said, she used one type of eyeliner on my upper lid, and another type on my lower lid. She used a pencil on my lower lid. She used {and I bought} this --> 
Sephora's Keep Kohl! waterproof eyeliner. I got it in "Keep Black." Sephora's website describes it as a "deeply pigmented, richly-hued pencil that smooths on in seconds and stays put all day- even through a good cry or a quick dip." I actually did a double take when blogging about this, because all I can remember is last night, sneezing 2346345 times at the pond, and my eyes watering ALL over my face. My mascara didn't run, but {it must have been} my eyeliner that smudged a bit during my allergy attack. I thought to myself, "Man! I should have bought the waterproof, and then I looked at the eyeliner, and I DID!" Dang...I guess my allergy attack would consider to be more than "a good cry or a quick dip" haha...Oh well, while I'm NOT going sneeze-crazy, the stuff works and looks good!

The results are in!

My addictions textbook has two tests, or scales, used professionally to screen clients for compulsive buying.

Well, I took the tests and the results are in!

For test one, if your score is -1.34 or lower, you are classified as a compulsive buyer.
I scored a -2.46.

"Nicole, 'You are the weakest link. Goodbye.'" hahaha.

Next test: If you score a 42.2 or higher, you're a compulsive buyer!
Guess what I scored. A stinking 48!!

Houston, we have a problem.