Happy New Year!

Our countdown to noon on New Year's Eve day!

And our low key first day of 2013!

Best of Beauty 2012!

These were my top picks for 2012 for makeup & beauty items!

My best beauty finds in 2012! Products mentioned are listed below:

Best Lip Products:
- Dior lipstick Cherie Bow (Sephora.com)
- Dior lipstick Pink Cherie (Sephora.com)
- NARS Cruising (Sephora.com)

- Dior Lip Gloss in #257
- Dior Lip Gloss in #576 Sari Pink
- Dior Lip Gloss in Nordstrom LE #582 Draped Lilac

- MAC Lipstick in Blankety
- MAC Lipstick in High Tea

- MAC Lip Glass in Nymphette
- MAC Lip Glass in Prrr
- MAC Lip Glass in Cultured

- NARS Velvet Lip Pencil in New Lover

Best Face Primer:
- Tarte Poreless Primer (Sephora.com)

Best Foundation:
- Make Up For Ever Hd Foundation (Sephora.com)

Best Face Powder:
- Tarte Amazonian Clay Powder in Fair (Sephora.com)

Best Blush:
- Dior Blush in Strawberry Sorbet
- Dior Blush in Sugar & Spice

Best Tools & Applicators:
- Beauty Blender Sponge
- Sigma F80 brush
- Sigma E05 brush
- Sephora All Over Eyeshadow Brush

Best Eyeshadow:
- Urban Decay Sin, Urban Decay palette
- MAC palette

Best Mascara:
- Tarte Light's Camera Mascara
- Lancome Hypnose Drama

Best of Hair care:
- Bumble & Bumble De Mode Hair Spray

Best of Skin Care:
- Mario Badescu Special Cucumber Lotion (Ulta)
- Mario Badescu Drying Lotion (Ulta)

Best Perfume:
- Marc Jacobs Daisy (Sephora.com)

** I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own, this was not a paid review.

Christmas at our house!

We finished up Vlogmas at our house by vlogging Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Holiday gift guide for her - all gifts under $150!

A fun little gift guide for the lady in your life, whether it is an older teenager or young adult, like a niece or a friend - to an older adult like an aunt or mother... there are a number of ideas that might suit anyone for Christmas 2012. All gifts in this guide are under $150!

All items in this guide are under $150! I'm hoping to have a handbag & accessory specific gift guide up later this week! :)

Korres Lip Balm, from $12, Sephora.com
Chanel Polish, from $26, Saks Fifth Avenue
Dior Polish, from $23, Saks Fifth Avenue

Tarte Carried Away Palette, $54, Sephora.com
Sephora Fragrance Sampler, $50, Sephora.com
Henri Bendel Goddess Memory Keeper, $48, HenriBendel.com

Henri Bendel Bow Stud Earrings, $58, HenriBendel.com
Henri Bendel Heritage Buckle Bracelet, $148, HenriBendel.com
Tiffany & Co Cosmetic, $125, Tiffany.com
Tiffany & Co Notes Necklace, $125, Tiffany.com


* I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. This is not a sponsored video. All opinions are my own.

2012 Toddler Girl Holiday Gift Guide!

It's that time of year to think of what gifts would be great to give for Christmas 2012, or other holidays that you may be celebrating this time of here! I put together a holiday gift guide for toddler girls (1 year old & 2 year olds), to give my opinion on what some of the best gift ideas out there this year may be!

Gifts under $20:
Melissa & Doug Puzzles, from $9.99: Target, Toys'R'Us, and other toy retailers
Book gift sets, from $12 - Barnes & Noble or your local book retailer
Holiday books, from 5.99 - Target, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, and other book retailers

Gifts for the young toddler:
Fisher Price Magical Music Vanity, $:www.fisherprice.com
Fisher Price Zoo Talkers Zoo, $:www.fisherprice.com
Fisher Price Zoo Talkers Animals, $3 & up: www.fisherprice.com

Gifts for older toddlers:
Fisher Price My First Dollhouse, from $49: www.fisherprice.com
Dollhouse accessories, from $7: www.fisherprice.com

Joint Toddler Gifts:
Fisher Price Disney Princess Castle, from $39: www.target.com
Fisher Price Disney Princess Gift set, $17.99: www.target.com

Pretend Play:
Princess dresses, from $10: www.toysrus.com
Hand puppets, from $1.99: www.ikea.com
Fabric food, from $6.99: www.ikea.com

Stocking stuffers:
Fisher Price Wheelies, from $3: www.fisherprice.com


** This is not a sponsored video. All opinions are my own, all items were purchased by the reviewer.

Memorable Gifts 2012 Holiday Guide

Check out this great gift giving guide by MemorableGifts.com, for great personalized gifts for friends and family!

I reviewed a personalized heart ornament that was personalized with my girls' photo, with their names and year on the back. It makes a great keepsake and is an excellent gift idea for grandparents - or for your own tree!

These ornaments are of good quality and packaged nicely, ready to be given as a gift. They have a classic golden strand attached to be able to hang it on the tree and go nicely with any traditional decor Christmas tree!

Check out these great holiday items and more at: MemorableGifts.com

* Items in this review were sent by the company for an independent review. This is not a paid product placement, all opinions are my own.

My 2012 Sephora Friends & Family Sale Wishlist!

Here are a few things that I have my eye on for the upcoming Sephora VIB/Friends & Family sale (what will this be called?) - and I'm hoping that it is announced soon before my list grows any longer!

Korres Radiance Revealed Wild Rose Brightening Duo:

At $48, this set is a steal! You basically buy the cream and get the wash for free. I've been enjoying my Wild Rose eye cream by Korres, so I'm looking forward to trying other items from the Wild Rose line!

Bobby Brown Creamy Concealer Kit:

I've been needing a replacement concealer for my now discontinued Sephora creamy concealer that I use under my eyes since I've almost run out - and this seems like it should do the trick!

Tarina Taratino Fuschia Brush set:

They're pretty! They're pink! They seem functional! Need I say anymore?

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes eyeliner in Shimmering Plum:

I've been wanting a nice purple shade eyeliner for quite a bit, and this seems like it will be perfect!

Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lipstick in Antique Pink:

My favorite lipstick by Too Faced (Lip of Luxury in Free Love) has now been discontinued as well, so I'm on the hunt for a suitable new favorite. This may take some searching, but this Laura Mercier shade does look lovely.

Philosophy Full of Fortune Cookie Shower Gel:

My all time favorite Philosophy shower gel, which is limited edition and I'm just waiting for it be discontinued since I love it so much! I might have to get two just in anticipation of it no longer being available!

And that is the general gist of it! There always seems to be a few changes right before I submit my yearly sale order - but these are the things that I'm thinking about the most right now!

Sephora VIB Friends & Family Sale - VIB 20% off!!

Well, with the confusion that was the Sephora October Friends & Family sale over... (Which was limited to "actual" friends and family this year, unlike previous years where it was a free for all and anyone could use a code...) VIBs are axiously checking their mail boxes and email inboxes for the rumored 20% off VIB sale (comparable to past public Sephora F&F sales that were held during this time of year) to begin...

It is rumored to start around November 8th for VIBs only and I'm not sure where that leaves regular Beauty Insiders this year, although as a VIB myself I do feel it would be nice to have our own reward or slightly higher percentage off like they have done in the past. (For instance VIBs 20%, regular BI 10-15%...)

I'll be sure to post here and on Facebook once the sale is officially announced, but fingers crossed that November 8th is the day - because I have a Sephora wishlist a mile long that is growing by the day!

Our rainy day at the pumpkin patch!

We attempted to check out a pumpkin patch this week... but unfortunately it was rained out. We were supposed to be meeting a mom's group there for a fun kids day and the day that was blocked out in our schedule happened to be the worst day weather wise to be outside! (Isn't that always the way?) I already had the kids loaded up in the car and ready to go - when the mom's group event was canceled... but I decided to still go over and check it out, to see if we should plan a family day there on a weekend when Daddy could go with us.

Here's our day in the life, of pumpkin patches (sort of), and running errands!

Cupcake got to pick out some cute small pumpkins for Peanut and herself!

At least I got a few fun indoor pictures of their matching Halloween outfits!

A 2 year old version of "Cheese!"...

Our week of adventures!

This is a fairly week for us, going from one adventure to the next! This past Sunday, we visited Thomas the Tank Engine at the Illinois Railway Musuem in Union, Illinois! It was a great time, and Cupcake thought it was the coolest. (Peanut was pretty fond of the train ride as well!) The girls took their first train right, and it was a fun day.

We also did a quick vlog during the day to recap our visit:

Tomorrow we are headed into Chicago, our first shopping adventure in the city! We've been to the museums downtown, but this will be our first time hitting Michigan Avenue while we meet some friends that are visiting from Michigan. (The state!)

Wish us luck, I feel like at least for parking... I will need it!

Pre-Fall Fav Look #3!

I've dubbed this one the "Dior look"....

Makeup products used:
- Bare Escentuals Foundation & Mineral Veil
- Bare Escentuals Foundation & Full Face Brushes
- Dior Awakening Blush
- Too Faced Pink Leopard bronzer
- Too Faced Candlelight highlighter
- Dior Golden Savannah eyeshadow palette
- Urban Decay Sin eyeshadow
- Dior Wild lipstick
- Dior Addict Gloss #157
- Diorshow Mascara
- Fairy Drops Scandal Queen mascara
- Ulta Charcoal eyeliner

Gymboree Red Balloon Sale Haul!

Gymboree's Red Balloon Sale is going on in stores NOW and you can save up to 70% off the retail prices! All items from their winter lines from last year are being clearances out and some stores even have some great summer finds as well! This year's summer lines are marked down as well (although not as deeply discounted, they are around 30% off) - and there are a lot of great bargains to be found!

Here's our RBS haul from this year's sale:

Check it out at your local store now, each store has varying stock and once they run out of stock the sale is over... so the earlier you get there, the better the selection!

Pink polish Wednesdays! Zoya Rory

This week's pink polish is from Zoya's summer collection, "Surf"! I love this color and couldn't wait to share it. It is very unique from the other pinks that I have in my polish collection - shimmery and reminds me of my favorite lip glosses!

Zoya "Rory" from the 2012 Surf Collection:

Updated Louis Vuitton Collection video! 2012 HD style!

I finally did an updated Louis Vuitton collection video... my first ever in HD! Hope you enjoy the update!

Thanks for watching!