Vegas, Baby!

Aside from Christmas, I'm really looking forward to December 17th this year. I booked a room at Treasure Island in Las Vegas in celebration of the boyfriend's birthday. Said boyfriend is turning 29 on December 30th, but instead of battling out New Years on the strip (something we have done twice now), I decided to give him his present a little early this time. I'm so excited! We used to go to Vegas often because we had a friend that lived there. Now that friend lives down the street from us, so we don't have anymore excuses to go visit.

Of course in typical Noelle -OCD madness, I'm already planning out my clothes. I ordered a dress from Forever21.com and it has already apparently sold out because I can't find it on the site! It is a white, jacquard dress that has cap sleeves and is more of a sheath style. I think I may have to get it tailored a bit because it is large in the chest area. December can be chilly in Vegas, so I do plan on wearing little jackets during the day while we walk around.

We stayed at Treasure Island about two years ago for a friend's wedding and we fell in love with our room!

I love visiting Ceasar's Palace. The shopping! I want to splurge on something while I'm there.

Does anyone have any fun Vegas recommendations? Any must-do shopping? We will be there Friday through Sunday so I'm hoping we can get a lot in.

♥ Noelle

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Sparkles Are A Girl's Best Friend

Vera Wang Lavender Label (Nordstrom Rack)

I know what you're thinking! But they are so sparkly and oh so eye-catching. And COMFORTABLE. I wore them wine tasting with friends yesterday and I couldn't stop staring down at my feet. They're my version of princess shoes.

Happy Sunday!

♥Noelle

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Mini Product Reviews

I received my Sephora Friends & Family order about two weeks ago and I have been playing around with the products I bought ever since. I thought it might be helpful to some of you if I let you know my initial impressions. I'll call these "mini" reviews. I am still testing things out and deciding if I will re-purchase certain items and keep them as staples in my beauty aresenal or if I can live without them.

First up, a total must-have in my beauty drawer: Urban Decay Primer Potion. I fell in love with this eyeshadow primer about two years ago and I have re-purchased it several times now. The one complaint many have about the product is the packaging. The little genie type tube is cute, but the wand applicator can be difficult to maneuver all the way down the tube. Enter UDPP Pro, which comes in a massive sqeeze tube and will hopefully last me eons. So far, so good! Same wonderful product that keeps my oily lids from sabotaging my shadow throughout the day. My only concern is that it will dry up before I get a chance to use every last drop. Oh, and it's limited edition for some unknown reason.

I have to rave about the next product, Lancome's ArtLiner. Let me preface this by saying that I am a mess with liquid liner. I blink and the next thing I know I look like Tammy Faye. I don't mean to be rude, but you get the picture. I remember when I was in the midst of my Lauren Conrad obsession, I tried and tried to recreate her gorgeous subtle cat-eye. I failed miserably each try. I wish I had known about ArtLiner sooner. The wand offers so much control and the liquid applies so smoothly and evenly. I have been wearing this constantly on my upper lash line and I have received many compliments on how thick my lashes look (something I have never been told before!) I know it's because of this liner.

I also ordered Bare Escentuals Buxom mascara and I am still on the fence about it. I love the plastic wand. Plastic wands are my favorite because I feel they grab my lashes a lot better than typical mascara wands. The only thing is, I still would take my Holy Grail CoverGirl LashBlast over this, and LashBlast is half the price! I do like Buxom, but I don't know if I'll be re-purchasing it once I run out. It just doesn't live up to it's name. It does thicken, but you have to apply several coats to get the full effect. Maybe once the formula dries out a bit I will appreciate it more. Have any of you tried Buxom? What are your thoughts?

The last thing I purchased from the sale is a tube of Smith's Rosebud Salve. When I was in high school, the first thing I ever bought from Sephora was Smith's Rosebud in a tin. First Sephora purchase ever! I think I just bought this again purely for nostalgia. I love that it smells like roses. I love that it's in a tube so I can carry it in my bag and whip it out whenever. But I personally don't think it's all that moisturizing and the formula is incredibly thin.

I have to include a couple of swatches of my new MAC blushes. I am in love with both colors and have them on rotation - one day I use Pink Swoon, the next My Highland Honey. They look very bright in their pans but apply a lot more sheerly. Of course, they can also be built up to intensity very easily if that's what your going for. I have lighter skin these days and I think both colors could work on lighter skin like mine as well as darker skin tones. I also like the fact that they are pretty matte and not shimmery at all.

Pink Swoon (permanent)

My Highland Honey (part of the Tartan Tale collection and LE)

I hope this was somewhat useful! If you have any questions about anything, please let me know. Happy Friday !

♥ Noelle

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Bahama Mama!

I was looking through my posts the other night and discovered that it's been awhile since I last featured a nail polish I love. I'm such a polish addict, how could this be?

For my friend's wedding, I decided on an old-standby: Essie's Bahama Mama. It is a beautiful creamy wine color. Nothing too incredibly unique, but this is definitely a prime example of "good Essie." Two opaque coats is all you need to achieve a beautiful crimson look. In fact, nine times out of ten Bahama Mama was on my toes last Fall and Winter. On the rare occasion I got a salon pedicure, I still was sure to bring my own bottle with me for the nail tech to apply. I have Bahama Mama to blame for my Essie obsession because it was one of the first polishes I ever purchased from the brand. I wish all of their colors could be this easy to work with!

I highly recommend this particular shade.

On another note, I was super excited and humbled when Andi of Saltwater Dreams asked me to do a guest post for her. She asked some of her fellow bloggers to write about their Holiday wish lists to be featured on her blog for the month of November while she participates in National Novel Writing Month. I love her blog as well as her writing and I wish her all the best!

♥ Noelle

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