the Balm

Hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday! The weather is getting colder and I am looking forward to finishing up the semester. Can't wait until break! At the moment, my short-term goal is to survive the next two weeks. If I make it, then I should be home free...at least for a little while... However, I am taking a break from paper writing at the moment because I wanted to put up a product post for you all!

After hearing much hype, I gave in and purchased some "the Balm" products from Hautelook. I had originally seen some of the makeup products at Marshalls, but I didn't take the bait then. However, I only purchased three items including: Shady Lady Eyeshadow Palette ($19.50), Frat Boy Blush ($10.50) and Down Boy Blush ($10.50).

 I really love the packaging. Yes, for some it may be viewed as being flimsy since it is predominantly paper and not plastic based, but I really like it because it is very slim and portable. Plus, I love the cut pics!

 There were three different palettes on sale, but this one appealed to me most. I think these shades are very wearable.

 I think the eyeshadows are really pigmented. These swatches were only created with one swipe! The swatches match their place on the palette above.

 Along with the eyeshadow palette, I purchased two blushes as well. One is more peachy toned and the other is a more cool toned pink.

 

I have very fair skin as you can see via the picture, so both blushes show up pretty well. I swatched them in the order they are shown above.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchases! Have you tried the Balm products before? What did you think?

 ♥ Joy ♥

Note: Products were purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For those of you that celebrate the holiday, just wanted to wish you a...

Happy Thanksgiving!

 ♥ Joy ♥

Mini Haul: Drugstore Lipsticks

Hello Hello! Hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday! I wanted to put up a quick post before I headed off to work. For the past six weeks, I have been working with some high school students on a magazine project relating to substance abuse prevention. It was very rewarding to see the change in these students over the course of the program and hopefully I'll get an opportunity to do it again in the Spring! The program finished last Saturday and on the way home, I decided to treat myself. Here's what I picked up!

 I picked up three lippies. Two are from Rimmel and one is from Revlon.

 From L to R: Revlon Lip Butter in #085 Sugar Plum, Rimmel "Kate" Lipsticks in #14 and #09

Revlon Lip Butter - $8.00

Rimmel Lipsticks - $5.50

From L to R: Revlon Lip Butter in #085 Sugar Plum, Rimmel "Kate" Lipsticks in #14 and #09

I think out of the three, my favorite is Rimmel #09. It is a very versatile pretty berry red and you can go light or heavy on it to create the look you want. I think it is really pretty for Fall/Winter! However, I do love the other two colors as well!

 ♥ Joy ♥

Note: Products were purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

Get the Look: Jenna Dewan

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! I got some work done over the weekend, so I'm pretty excited that I have a little bit of downtime. We have had pretty mild weather lately, so I thought this look would be something perfect for the fall. 

I used items from both Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe to recreate this look. No, it is not exact, but I tried to get as close to the look as I could. At the moment, you can still find all the items I used via the links. Hope you like!

Items Used

Flounced Abstract Print Dress w/Belt ($22.90)

Epaulet Utility Jacket w/Belt ($34.80)

Scrunched Platform Boots ($39.80)

Leatherette Cross-Body Bag ($16.50)

Aviator Sunglasses ($5.80)

Rhinestoned Bow Ring ($3.80)

Let me know what you think below!

♥ Joy ♥

♥ Fall Nails: Brown & Gold ♥

Happy Friday everyone! Yay! The weekend is almost here. So much to catch up on, but on a positive note, I don't have anymore assignments for my one of my classes ^__^ woot woot! Since my schedule is so crazy, I normally don't really do much in terms of painting my nails, but I decided to actually make the effort to do so and wanted to share how they turned out.

I used, Essie nail polish in Decadent Dish (2 coats) and Revlon Colorstay polish in 140 Fall Mood. Decadent Dish is a brownish red. I did also add one coat of Seche Vite top coat. Let me know what you think. Hope you like!

♥ Joy ♥

Note: Products purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

City Travels: Artopolis Bakery

Hello hello everyone! Happy weekend!

After a long day yesterday, I mentioned to my friend that I was having dinner with my cousin in Greektown in Chicago. Upon mentioning Greektown, he excitedly suggested that I should consider visiting a bakery he frequents called Artopolis after dinner. Of course, I did just that and brought my cousin along (yes, I am an enabler)!

He had recommended...

Mango Yogurt Mousse

And I had decided to also pick up...

Pumpkin Tarts

I definitely recommend stopping by this bakery if you are ever in the Chicago area. Now I have a new detour destination to take the next time I visit Greektown! What are some of your favorite fall sweets and do you have little gems like Artopolis in your town? Let me know below!

♥ Joy ♥

Note: Products purchased with my own money and the reviews are 100% my own.

Fall Accessories!

Alas! No outfit is complete without accessories! I am loving jewel tones for the fall and what better way to wear them, then in the form of accessories.

Things have been getting crazy again with school, but I am looking forward to the holidays and a nice break. Forgive me for not being able to post as much as I'd like to. Hope everyone is having a beautiful Sunday!

♥ Joy ♥