Beauty Buff Holiday Wishlist 2014

Hi, friends! I hope you're surviving finals week. Today, the Beauty & Fashion Blog Community is sharing their holiday wishlists. The holiday season isn't about the presents, as well all know, but it's always a little fun to be shallow and dream. This isn't necessarily a gift guide, because we're all strapped for cash and I could only dream of being able to afford these products (plus they're really not necessary to achieve happiness or nirvana or whatever). But, if you're an older person you're looking for a gift for the beauty buff in your life, feel free to let this serve as a gift guide. This is essentially my dream list, if I had a forest of money trees growing in my backyard and it meant nothing to me. Let's get started!

Under $25

As college students, we're all strapped for cash. Even though this is my dream world, there are still some products that have a relatively low price tag but still deliver huge results.

5 Products I'm Thankful For

Hi friends! This month's blog hop with the Beauty & Fashion Blog Community is all about stuff we're thankful for. And yes, we're thankful for our family and friends and food and everything, but today we're going to be a little shallow and talk about our favorite material possessions. Because it's almost Thanksgiving, and people always forget about it in favor of Christmas, which just isn't fair. So, without further ado, here are the five products I'm most thankful for this month. 

The Lazy Girl's Guide to Halloween

Hello, friends! Over at the Beauty & Fashion Blog Community, we're excited about Halloween, and we wanted to take the time to share our ideas with you guys. I know I'm personally a Scrooge (you can call me Sammi Scrooge), so I'm always out for how to get a festive look without spending a ton of money. Really, I aim to not spend money at all--it's more fun to taking on the challenge to use what I already have. Plus, I usually wind up having to work on Halloween, so I typically have about 15 minutes to change into my costume and get ready before hurrying off to whatever plans my friends and I have made.

Hot Weather Staples

Hi, friends! It's the first of the month, and you know what that means: The Beauty & Fashion Blog Community blog hop! This month, we're sweating up a storm (isn't that a lovely image?) so we're sharing tips on how to keep looking fresh-faced. Let's get started!

I have combination skin, so in the summer months I like to switch to a lighter PM moisturizer (for my T-zone's sake). Right now I've been using EVOLOGIE's Stay Clear Cream ($62 for 1oz) to keep the acne at bay, because blackheads are loving me right now and it's just not cool. This is the sample size from their duo pack. It has 2% salicylic acid, and they don't advertise what the pH level is, but it must be somewhere around the right mark because it seems to be working. I use this everywhere else but my cheeks, since my cheeks have enough trouble staying hydrated and I never have a problem with acne there. My dry cheeks are divas and get a separate night cream. Wow, I never thought I would become the person that uses two separate night creams, but combination skin is a pain in the butt. (Read more: April Favorites, May Favorites)

EVOLOGIE's Stay Clear Cream

Something about the sweltering hot weather makes me incredibly lazy, so I use products like SOLSCENTS Angelica SPF 30 Sunscreen ($14.95 for 8oz) to combine steps in my daily routine. This is not only a sunscreen, but also a lotion and fragrance. It smells great, leaves my body feeling nice and soft, and it has SPF 30! It's affordable, too, so it pretty much fills all requirements on the checklist. (Read more: Full Review, Beach & Pool Bag Essentials)

I Love Drugstore Makeup (Tag)

Hi, friends! Today's post is all about drugstore makeup.That's right: the "I <3 Drugstore Makeup Tag"! The girls from the Beauty & Fashion Blog Community and I have taken it upon ourselves to host a mini blog hop mid-month. Because who doesn't love makeup AND affordable prices? Well, my brother Steve, who really couldn't care less (though he reads these posts because he loves me), but enough about that. Let's get on to the good stuff!

1. What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand overall? 

Hmm, that's hard to say. I love Maybelline's face products, e.l.f.'s Studio brushes, Revlon's lip products, and CoverGirl's mascaras. Though, if I had to pick one, I would go with Physician's Formula. They're pricer than the other drugstore brands, probably even a little overpriced (the medical claims are absolute BS), but they're a brand that I would feel comfortable using all over my face. I don't think they make lip products, though, so I guess I'd just have to substitute in a Revlon Lip Butter. ;) Oh, what a tragedy...

Beach & Pool Bag Essentials

It's the first of the month, and you know what that means: The Beauty and Fashion Blog Community Blog Hop! This month we're talking about our summer essentials--things were absolutely need in our beach and pool bags. The weather in New York has been beautiful lately (minus some surprise showers), so this post is only getting me more excited for summer! Woohoo!

Enough about that. Let's get on to the good stuff~

SUN PROTECTION

This is huge. The #1 thing that I make sure to have in my bag (besides the usual ID/keys/wallet stuff) is products with SPF. Here are a few of my favorites.

SOLSCENTS Angelica SPF 30 Sunscreen ($14.95 for 8oz)

I raved about this sunscreen in my Solscents Brand Overview. It's a sunscreen, body lotion, and fragrance all in one: you can't get better than that. I have the Angelica one, which is passionfruit, lily, and wild rose. Now the people who complain about the scent of sunscreen no longer have a reason to go without! It's a pretty short bottle, so it also fits nicely in a bag. 

Spring Product Picks

It's the first of the month, and you know what that means: the Beauty & Fashion Blog Community Blog Hop! This month we're talking about our favorite beauty products for spring, and I'm so excited to share mine with you! Frankly, I think I'm mostly excited because it means winter will EVENTUALLY END. I'm so over it. In Boston, winter seems to last from October to April, and it's just not fair. So far the only part of spring (which we are just starting to get, by the way) is the rain. Granted, I'm thankful that it is no longer cold enough to snow, but seriously, can we stop with all this rain? I'm over it. I haven't seen the sun in days!

Okay, enough melodramatics. Let's get on to the good stuff~

CORAL

I adore coral for spring! It looks so fresh and it's a nice change from all of the deep reds and plums. I don't tend to wear coral much in the fall and winter, but once spring rolls around, you bet your butt I am pulling out the coral in my stash. 

stila Convertible Color in Gerbera ($25 for .15oz)

Do you see my little camera in the mirror on the left? :) 

I recently purchased this from the Birchbox shop when I saved up enough points, and I am obsessed with these cream blushes! I originally got a sample of the color Peony back around Christmas time when I placed a Sephora order for my mother--they came with a free bag of 15 free samples and I had to let myself have at least one (shhh it's fine). I wasn't sure of what color the sample was since it wasn't labeled, so I ordered Gerbera by mistake, but I'm glad I did! It's the perfect cream blush for spring, and I'm excited to have it in my stash. I'm not a big fan of the Stila Convertible Colors on the lips--they make my lips look very dry--but they look so natural on the cheeks. It looks like my cheeks are blushing all on their own! When I actually blush, my whole face gets red and hot and it's just unflattering, so I prefer this method of getting some color onto my pale face. This blush is amazingly pigmented and so easy to use and blend that I can apply it flawlessly while half asleep in the morning. 

Similar / Alternative: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Just Enough Buff (because who said you can't use lipstick as blush?)

Road Trip Beauty Essentials

It's the first of the month, which means it's time for another blog hop with the Beauty & Fashion Blog Community! This month, we're going on a road trip,  and can only bring five essential items with us. Well, since we're beauty junkies, the actual "essentials" (cleanser, moisturizer, body wash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, etc) are conveniently already packed for us.

If we're going to get technical, I've never actually been on a road trip before since I tend to get carsick within an hour, but on my imaginary road trip, I can go anywhere I want! Without further ado, here are my five items that I would grab before running out the door.

My Evening Skincare Routine: February 2014

Hey, friends! Today I'm here from the Beauty and Fashion Blog Community to bring you my evening skincare routine! In the morning, I'm usually trying to get out the door as fast as I can because I stayed in bed for "just five more minutes" (x4 on a good day), so the nighttime is usually when I try to rejuvinate my skin and give it some love. Without further ado, here is my PM Skincare Routine, aka "I apologize for putting you through Boston winters every year."

First, if I'm wearing eye makeup, I'll go in with my CVS Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover (Generic version of Neutrogena) ($6 for 6.4 fl oz).

This was a 2013 Favorite, and with good reason. I pour some of this onto a cotton pad, hold it against my eyelid for a few seconds, and then wipe my eye makeup off without a problem. Usually I can get both eyes with one side of the cotton pad, and then turn the pad over and get my whole face with the other side (since I only wear light face makeup).