Shopping Haul! ALDO Handbag, Forever 21 Shoes & More!

Hey Everyone!

I did a little shopping Friday with my bestie and thought I'd post a haul to share what I got! I didn't buy any clothes though, with the exception of a couple items. I am happy though, I now have a spring/summer bag and a pair of heels to wear.

ALDO Tellis Handbag (in the color bone) $40

(click here to view on the website)

I always know that Aldo has cute handbags that aren't very pricey. I typically get my bags from Marshall's/TJ Maxx or retail stores such as Macy's and Lord & Taylor, but I didn't have enough to splurge on anything too expensive. I thought this bag was adorable. I love the color- at first sight, I thought it was pink, but at a closer look it's a light, blushed tan. I'm also a sucker for tassels. I think they are totally chic. Also, you can wear this bag on your shoulder with the longer, detachable strap, or on your arm like a satchel.

This is my BFF modeling my bag last night.. haha. Her shoes, pants, and sweater were all purchased from Forever 21 yesterday. I love the pants.. I was going to buy them as well.. but she said she'd share hers with me whenever I want to wear them. (Sure! Let me lose 20 pounds first.. haha)

Forever 21 Distressed Leatherette Cutout Heels $28.80

(view here on the website)

I loved these sandals at first sight. The laced up front automatically made me think of the gorgeous Christian Louboutin "Miss Fortune" Sandals that are often seen on the Kardashian sisters. I also love the "distressed" brown faux leather and the platform heel. Faux leather shoes never usually work out for me, but I have pretty good luck with Forever 21 shoes. 

Forever 21 Accessories

Jeweled Retractable Makeup Brush $3.80 (here), Dimpled Knuckle Ring $3.80 (here) & Filigree and Rhinestone Teardrop Earrings $2.80 (here).

I thought the brush would be useful for tossing in my handbag without worrying about staining the lining. The bristles are actually very soft (not very dense) and it works well for powder or blush/bronzer.

It's actually surprisingly comfortable and doesn't bother me at all after wearing it all day.

 Clearance zip hoodie $5.99.
I can always use a plain hoodie for lounging.

H&M Accessories

Polka Dot Umbrella w/ Ruffles $9.95, Necklace $3.95

It was raining terribly, so I decided to purchase an umbrella. I thought the ruffles were totally cute and girly.

Cami $5.95, Cotton Stretch Mini Skirt $5.95

The cami is my favorite color.. it's like a pale tan-pink. It looks very pretty with the black trim, and I can probably get a lot of use from it. The skirt was a great deal, and I figured it's a good thing to have. I will have to exchange the skirt though, because I (and my friend) found that it runs large. I purchased a med, and I need a small - and my friend purchased a small and needs an x-small.

That's it for my haul! Have you purchased any goodies lately that you're excited to wear?

NOTD: Color Club Revvvolution (OPI My Private Jet's Fraternal Twin) + Comparison!

Two (2) coats of Color Club Revvvolution & One (1) coat of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat.

Two (2) coats of Color Club Revvvolution & One (1) coat of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat.

Color Club Revvvolution is a glossy gunmetal with a fine holographic shimmer. Indoors (in dim lighting) the color appears as a gunmetal-black with fine silver shimmer. The holo is definitely noticeable, but it's when your nails hit the sunlight, the rainbow holo shines in all it's glory. What I love about this polish is that it's not your mediocre black that contains holographic glitter. When this color is painted on you nails, it paints a sheet of holo on your nails. Your whole nail has the holo effect, not only just the glitter. (Hard to explain, but do you know what I mean? Basically, the glitter isn't the star of the polish. The polish is the star.) Also, the formula is great. It's a little thick though, but dries fairly quick and is opaque with one coat.

Some compare this to the very difficult-to-find OPI My Private Jet, the ORIGINAL version. The original "MPJ" was a beautiful black/gunmetal filled with holographic shimmer. Then, the formula changed to the one I have. Many reviewers hated the new formulation of MPJ, but it's actually one of my favorite polishes. Of course the original was amazing, and I've hoped for over a year to score a bottle at some point, but Color Club Revvvolution comes as a close dupe.

Comparison

Left: OPI My Private Jet, Right: Color Club Revvvolution

Top: Color Club Revvvolution, Bottom: OPI My Private Jet

Swatched on clear tape, Left: OPI My Private Jet, Right: Color Club Revvvolution

What's obvious about Revvvoluion in comparison to MPJ is it has a true holo effect, while MPJ falls short. MPJ has less shimmer, and has a combination of micro-fine glitter and chunkier glitter. Revvvolution has purely micro-fine glitter. Revvvolution also appears a bit lighter in color - more pewter, whereas MPJ appears more black. Also, MPJ has that funky reddish purple pearl to it in the sunlight. 

I purchased my bottle of Color Club Revvvolution on eBay for around $6.

Final Thoughts: Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator Treatment Gel! + Photos!

This past Monday marked my fourth week of using the Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator Treatment Gel. Each week, I've posted photos of my progress and wrote about the changes I've noticed in my lashes.

I was pretty consistent throughout the weeks of applying the treatment generously to my lashes before bed. It never seemed to irritate my eyes until I reached my final week. By that time, the product had turned gray from any mascara residue that may of been on my lashes and there was barely any left in the tube. My eyes started to water as soon as I applied the product and as soon as I would wash my eyes in the morning. This didn't happen till the final week, therefore in my final week I wasn't consistent with applying it. I applied it maybe 3-4 days out of the week. The previous weeks I was applying it 5-7 days, sometimes twice a day. Possibly because I wasn't as consistent, I saw little changes. But, I'm still very happy with the product overall.

Week 4 Photos:

COMPARISON

Week 1 Photos: 

Let me briefly go over the changes I've noticed week to week.

Week 1: At the end of week one, I noticed a definite change in the length of my lashes. It wasn't anything dramatic, but I could tell when I applied my mascara that my lashes looked longer. 

Week 2: At the end of week two, I am noticing more and more that my lashes did indeed grow in length. I couldn't tell if they were any longer than they were at the end of week 1, but I could tell they were indeed longer than when I started using the treatment. I also am noticing that I have a lot of new growth - and areas where I had lashes missing, are filling in nicely.

Week 3: At the end of week three, I didn't notice any further lengthening than the previous weeks. I do notice that both my top and bottom lashes are thicker from the new growth. I also noticed that my bottom lashes are more sparse.

Week 4: At the end of week 4, I didn't notice any further lengthening than the previous weeks. I can't tell if I have any new growth of lashes, but I think there are little changes since week three. Any new growth has grown out now, and I'm very happy!

Overall, using the Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator Treatment Gel helped bring my lashes to the condition they are supposed to be in. They have a little "give" now when I touch them with my finger tips, so I'm convinced it helped strengthen my lashes. I was hoping my lashes would be a bit stronger, but perhaps they will with continued use. I would be able to push another week or two out of the tube, but like I mentioned, because it was near the end, it started irritating my eyes. My lashes are slightly longer and I have many more lashes than I had prior to using this product. I do believe this product is a great lash conditioner to keep your lashes in good shape. I would recommend this product if you use harsh makeup removers on your eyes, if you use waterproof mascara, if you wear lash extensions or wear false lashes often - anything that can damage or cause your lashes to fall out, and you need a product that will help grow your lashes back & keep them conditioned. This product isn't anything like Latisse, as my lashes haven't grown much in length, but my results with mascara are SO much better than they were before. I literally use to apply my mascara for 5 minutes to build my lashes to the desired length/volume. Now, I can apply my mascara in about a minute, with better results. This is a fantastic product for the low price!

Now that I'm finished with this product, I'm going to try something new. I'm thinking of picking up the L'Oreal Lash Boosting Serum. Thoughts??

MAC Coppertone Blush Review, Photos and Swatches!

MAC Coppertone Blush

MAC Coppertone Blush is described as a peach-brown with a matte finish. It's a blush that you really don't hear much about, and I'm not sure why, because it's such a gem! 

Coppertone and Me go way back - in fact, it's the first MAC Blush I ever purchased. I remember walking into Macy's and swinging by the MAC counter when I was around 17 or 18 years old. I was pretty obsessed with self-tanning at the time, and was looking for a shade that would compliment my faux bronzed skin. Coppertone immediately caught my eye and I knew it'd be a perfect match for me. I wore it daily for quite some time (it's probably my most used MAC blush) and years later, I'm still loving it.

On my cheeks, it's such a natural slightly rosy, deep peach. It gives my face such a natural sunkissed color.