My Swimsuit Collection

 I am a bit obsessed with swimsuits which is odd, since I very rarely swim. I don't live near any bodies of water. Well, any nice bodies of water. I really only swim when I go on vacay maybe once a year. When I do swim, I love it! When taking these photos, I realized I have way more swimsuits than I thought. I bought 3 new tops and 1 new bottom this year. I would like a few more bottoms options, but that's for another day. I am quite content with what I've got.

 This is one of my new tops from Ardene. It's quite Triangl inspired. It is most similar to this one but not quite an exact match to any of them which I enjoy! This fits me perfectly and was only $10!

 This is also a new one from Ardene. This fits me amazingly as well and was $10 too! (2 for $20). I love the neon purple and the Victoria's Secret inspired style.

 Finally the last new $10 top from Ardene. This one doesn't fit as perfectly but it fits well enough. I love the pattern but don't really have bottoms to match.

 Here's two more from past years. The striped one it from Simon's. I got it on major clearance for $1.99! I clearly got what I paid for since it started major piling after only 3ish times of wearing it. It's really cute though!

The black top is from H&M and it is much too big for me. I remember it being around $20 I believe, not completely sure.

 The navy top is from Walmart and actually fits quite nice, I like it!

The ruffled one is from Target and it's cute! It comes with a strap but it can be strapless.

 These are my absolute favorite bottoms from Target. They fit so well and are a stunning bright mint green shade.

 These one's are from H&M. They are slightly too big but not really noticeable. These ones are okay, but not my fave.

 I have this black pair from Target. I got it during their liquidation and didn't try them on. They fit except they are super baggy in the butt, which isn't flattering.

 To replace those, I got this simple black pair from Walmart for like $5.

 These are also from Walmart but I'm a bit nervous to wear them since they are cheap, white and quite possibly see through. maybe I'll wear them if I'm not in public.

The final pair are also from Walmart. I don't like these, they are a very awkward rise and just don't fit right.

Those are all of my swimsuits! As you can see, I like to go for the cheaper options.

Blogmas 2014: Day 5 ~ My Vanity Set Up & Makeup Organization!

I have never shown my makeup setup on my blog since I've been looking for the right time, and I wanted my vanity to be perfect. I realized my vanity would never be perfect and there was no better time to show it than the present! My setup isn't anything special yet I'm very pleased with it. I tried to de-clutter it as much as possible however with my small room, there's not many places I can put things. I do have quite a bit of makeup, but still not as much as some. I really love makeup and it's my favorite thing to do in the morning. I also really enjoy organizing so I change it up a bit every so often. I feel I must say, I'm not trying to brag at all, just thought I'd share my setup! I hope you enjoy and can gain some inspiration from this!

I don't use an actual "vanity", I've just transformed this plain desk into my very own makeup station. I don't remember where I got this desk, I believe it was a hand-me-down. However I do remember that it used to be grey with black handles. I repainted it white and added some silver knobs and it began to look a little more girly & classic! It's really old, and starting to fall apart so I've been looking for a new one!

I try to keep the top clear, but of course that's impossible for me! I always end up piling on little notes, and things like that.

On the left, I keep my necklace tree with all of my necklaces hanging on it. I think I purchased this from Homesense a few years ago. I've accompanied the jewelry tree with a flame-less candle equipped with a little cover I made from an old sweater!

In front of that, I keep more of my jewelry (rings mostly & my watch). The pink ring holder is from the dollar section at Target and the tiny, silver bowl/tray was a gift.

Beside all of that, I have my 3 drawer acrylic container from The Container Store. I must say, I am very glad that I purchased this. It goes with the whole theme, and gives me a lot of extra space. I store all of the products I use most often in here.

 The first drawer holds my everyday face products: Foundation, concealer, powder, blush & bronzer

 The second contains most of my eye products: Mascara, eyeliner, brow products, primers etc...

The third drawer is for my favorite lip products: Glosses, stains, lipsticks etc...

 To the right of that, I have a few cups holding my makeup brushes, as well as a smaller cup holding cotton pads & swabs. I also have a small mirror with a regular and magnified side. I use the magnified side to apply mascara. I DIYed the pink and blue cup using a dollar store glass, and the blue pail is from the dollar store as well, filled with filler beads. The mesh cup is from Ikea and the mirror was a gift however I've seen them at Winners.

I keep miscellaneous products in a black box that my hair straightener came in. In here I have hair products, skin care, deodorant, hair ties, hand sanitizer & more. 

 I got this little candy dish from the Target dollar section and I keep my bobby pins in it.

I keep my hair brushes and combs in this large cup from a set of drawer dividers from Homesense. 

Above my desk is a large mirror, also from Homesense, and above that are a couple of paintings that I painted.

In the drawer on the right of my desk, I keep more of my makeup in these dividers also from Homesense. In here I have other face products I don't reach for, Baby Lips and other lips products, eyeliners, pigments and few other odd and ends.

In the very top drawer on the left side of the desk, I store all the rest of my makeup. In here I mostly eyeshadows (singles & palettes) as well as a few blushes and what not. I also keep my makeup wipes and a couple of Walmart cloths in there.

That's about it! I didn't show the actual mirror since the rest of my room is a bit messy, however you kind slightly see the edge of it right about the desk.  

Maybe sometime in the future I'll do a makeup collection, who knows! That would definitely be a very long blog post. I hope you enjoyed this and I hope your day is great!

Lip balm hoarder: Lip balm collection

I would definitely say lip balm is my favorite beauty product. I apply it at least 10 times a day and buy it way too often! As you can tell, Nivea is probably my favorite brand but I love trying a ton of new brands. I keep it in my purse, by my bed, at my vanity, everywhere! Anyways this is a collection of all of the lip balms I could find in my house!

I've got 6 Nivea stick lip balms. I don't like the sun balm, it makes my lips look a little too white and pale. My favorite lip balm of all time is the essential one! I also really like their Lip Smoothie, it's slightly tinted.

I have a coupled of eos balms, I used to have way more but naturally,  finished them. I prefer the coconut milk visibly smooth one to the sweet mint but overall eos isn't my favorite.

More Nivea balms, I have all four lip butter and I love them all! The original one is my favorite!

I don't really like either of these since they're both extremely thick and sticky. And the carmex one has an odd scent that doesn't appeal to me. 

The lemon lip cream is from Bath and Body Works however I don't use it since it separated or something and now is very thin like a liquid. I also haven't really used the vitamin e lip therapy I purchased at Daiso. 

Lastly I've got a vanilla lip smacker and a clear Baby Lips. I have WAY more Baby Lips but I thought I'd only share the colorless one.

Those are all of my lip balms! I definitely used to have more but I've cut down a bit. Lip balm will always have a special place in my heart! haha, bye now!

My Maybelline Collection! Best & Worst

Hello Everyone!
My mind drew a blank trying to brainstorm ideas for today's post. I ended up coming up with the idea of doing a makeup brand collection and showing the best and worst of my collection. I decided to start with Maybelline as it's one of my favorite drugstore brands! I hope you enjoy this new little segment/idea!

Starting with face, I've got 3 products!

Dream Fresh BB Cream: Around $9.99 This product has an amazing SPF of 30 and it's very lightweight! It doesn't provide much coverage but it blurs the skin and has moisturizing benefits. 8.5/10

Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser: Around $9.99 This wasn't one of my favorites from Maybelline. I feel like it very slightly blurred the appearance of my pores, but I could definitely still notice them. I was a bit disappointing and I regret purchasing this. 

6/10

Fit Me Concealer: Around $6 This concealer is amazing! It's very affordable and gives amazing coverage to under-eye circles! I use this daily and it blends so easily!

10/10

Onto eyes!

Master Precise Liner: Around $7 This is very precise and gives a great winged look. It's very easy to use and lasts long too! 

9/10

Eye Studio Gel Liner: Around $10 This is amazing! It is so intensely black and is so creamy and smooth. It's very easy to apply with a thin brush and it last all day without fading and smudging! This is definitely one of my favorites from Maybelline!

10/10

Eye Studio Baked Shadow: Around $6 This is not a bad product but it's nothing special. It's fairly pigmented but doesn't last a super long time.

7/10

Single Shadow: Around $4 I didn't really like this product as it's not very pigmented and it doesn't last. It just doesn't do much for me.

5/10

Lastly, Lips!

Baby Lips: Around $4 These are another favorite of mine! They are so moisturizing and give a light splash of color. They last a while and smell great too!

9.5/10

Color Whisper: Around $8 This is also fairly moisturizing and has great color payoff! It gives off more color than Baby Lips but less than a lipstick.

8/10

That's all for my Maybelline Collection! I've also tried many of their mascara but I don't currently have any. I hope you enjoyed!

Bye!

xx Ella

Blogmas 2013: Day 15! Makeup Brush Collection

Only 10 days 'till Christmas!

 Today I have a post that's a little out of my comfort zone. I'm going to be doing my makeup brush collection! 

Please excuse my messy brushes, I forgot to clean them in time.

I don't have a ton of brushes but I do hope to build my collection because there are a few brushes I've got my eye on. ;)

Anyways, enjoy!

I keep them in this blue pail that I got from the dollar store as well as some vase filler to keep them upright. 

From left to right: Powder Brush, Large Concealer Brush, Blush Brush, Foundation brush

I purchased a Quo brush set at the beginning of the year when it was on sale for $30 and I didn't love it. The brushes shed and they aren't very soft :( it came with 4 face brushes, 5 eye brushes, and a lip brush for a total of 10 brushes. It also came with a cute sequined makeup bag.

Left to Right: All Over Shadow Brush, Eye Smudger, Crease Brush, Definer Shadow brush, Liner/Brow Brush, Lip Brush

I use the crease brush, definer shadow brush, and the liner/brow brush the most. I love the definer shadow brush for focusing shadows on the centre of my lids!

I have 3 ELF brushes. I have the Small Stipple Brush, Eyeshadow "C" Brush and the Essential Blending Eye Brush.

I love all of these brushes! The small stippling one is great for blending concealer.

And lastly, I have 1 M.A.C. brush that I splurged on earlier this year and I love it! I'm so glad I bought it. It's the softest brush I've ever used and it's super versatile! I usually use it for blush.

Well, that's my makeup brush collection.
Thanks for reading, Bye!