Home

Hey everyone! I'm home for the weekend with my parents, so I'm probably not going to blog at all this weekend. I will resume postings on Monday though, so be looking out for that! Thanks!

Target Haul

I wanted to show you all another Target haul, but I wanted to talk about the reasoning behind these hauls as well. I did the college series, and I think it went pretty well, but I wasn't at college the entire time the series was going on, so I couldn't show you a lot of what was going on or what I was buying. I think these Target hauls are a good chance to show you guys what I've bought, and kind of "what do college kids eat and buy for their dorms." Hope that makes sense, and I hope you guys enjoy reading about these hauls as much as I like shopping at Target!

Now, on to the haul! Here is everything that I bought. Understand that the only things that were on my list were the detergent and the gum.

 I bought some new headbands for my hair. They were like $2 off in the clearance area. I don't why, but I bought them anyways! They are my favorite hair bands, and I lost all of my other ones.

 I needed some gum. So I tried this one.

 I blogged about these a while ago. You can find that post here. This is the first time I've ever seen these at my Target store, so I picked them up. They will make some great morning snacks on my way to class.

 I was craving some cashews. So I bought them. Whoops. And they are already opened. I couldn't even wait until the picture was taken to chow down. I was starving...

 I was craving these too. I got them in pretzel, regular cheddar, and Parmesan. I've already opened the pretzel ones, and I'm eyeing the Parmesan.

 This was actually on my list. Well, what was on my list was the mini surf detergent boxes. They didn't have that. So I got this. Which is made for high efficiency washers, so now I need to return it and get the right ones. Darn it!

This is from the Bzzcampaign that I'm a part of. I got it for free to try it out. The first one that I got was the cotton mandarin one, but I returned it because the top wouldn't spray AND because my roommate doesn't like orange scents. So yea. 

That's all! let me know what you got last time you went to Target!

Sally Hansen Nail Stickers Review

Really, they are called the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips, but that's a long name. So I'm just going to call them stickers, since that's what they really are. I've only used these once, but I wanted to do a short review on them while they were still on my fingers.

A lot of people have said that these babies last a long time, and I definitely agree. They have been on my nails for about a week and a half. They started chipping on day 2, which I found kind of ridiculous. Granted, I am probably a lot rougher on my nails than the normal girl (I work with my hands in the scenic studio at our theater...so power tools and all) but at the same time, I don't think I was just smashing them against things. I also found that the stickers weren't as stuck down at the top of the nail, so when I would go to wash my hair every morning, I was getting my hair caught in the stickers, which was super annoying.

I did like them though. I got a BUNCH of compliments on my zebra print nails, and what I liked is that you can cut the strips from one package in half, and end up being able to use these strips twice. Also, when my nails started chipping really badly, I just cut my nails, and it made them look brand new. So, if you are going to use these, I'd say let your nails grow a little bit so there is something to cut off when they do chip. That way, you can get them to stay on a lot longer!

For the money, I would only buy them if I LOVED the design. But I do think they are fun, and a lot more hassle free than normal nail polish. It was an overall good experience other than getting my hair pulled every morning in the shower. But I think they chip a lot faster than other people admit to.

Have you tried these out? What is your favorite design?

Open Box Showing: Fall Soap Box

I'm so excited for this! I got my first box from Fortune Cookie Soaps! They are called the Soap Box, and this one is the fall soap box. This is what was in there:

 Just like most subscription sample services, this one comes with a card to tell you what is in the box!

 A coupon code for $10 off your next purchase.

And this is what was in the box! More detail of what was in there in the pictures below:

 The Something Nutty Milk Bath: "We couldn't decide on just one yummy fragrance, so we threw in all the things we most wanted to smell like for fall. A mouth-watering blend of vanilla, hazelnut, maple syrup, banana, coconut, orange, lime, grapefruit, bergamot, and clove."

 Fig and Berries Eco Suds: "A yummy blend of figs, currants, cranberries, acai berries, and raspberries."

 Ripe for the Picking OCD: "Close your eyes and imagine walking down the isles of a local Farmer's Market on a Saturday morning with a basket on your arm. Yeah, That!"

 Roast My Marshmallow Fortune Cookie Soap: "An ooey gooey smell of campfire roasted marshmallows."

 Cram You Face in My Sweet Pumpkin Pie Mask: "I'm pretty sure if I didn't bring back this fragrance from last year, there would be a revolt. Smells like pumpkin cupcake."

Snickerdoodle Whipped Cream: "You've always wanted to smell like a delicious concoction of cinnamon, butter, sugar cookie and allspice, right?"

 Pumpkin Coconut Crunch Itty Bitty Gritty Lip Scrub: "What could possibly make Pumpkin better than just Pumpkin? You guessed it! Coconut!"

A Roll in the Leaves Bath Fizzy: "Prepare your nose for a roll in the leaves. It will never be the same again."

I'm so excited to try everything out! Please let me know if you are familiar with some of this stuff. A lot of these things didn't come with instructions, so I'm not really sure how to use them all. Thanks!

Reviews will also be coming soon on individual items. Some of these items I can't use until I go home because I don't have a bath tub in my dorm room. But reviews will definitely be soon :)

Monday Update: September 24th

Current Mood: Lazy.
Nail of right now? A severely chipped Sally Hansen Nail sticker thingies that I blogged about. Although, two of my nails are missing that. I just need to take it off, but I haven't yet.
What did I do this weekend? Not much. I went to two long rehearsals, and then I did a little bit of homework. But mostly I slept in until noon and then screwed around until rehearsal, and then went back to my room and screwed around until I fell asleep. Oh so productive...
What's planned for this week? Not much. Just my usual work, rehearsals, homework, classes, etc. I am going home next weekend though, so I'm really excited about that!
What am I looking forward to? CASTLE!!! The season 5 premiere is tonight, and I'm so excited! I love castle :)
What am I dreading? Getting everything done on time. I just have a lot to do :( Maybe if I started doing more on the weekend, I would actually not be so bogged down over the week.

Aveeno Active Naturals

This whole "test out a shampoo and conditioner each night" is so much fun! I have another shampoo and conditioner that I tried out that I wanted to share with you all: the new Aveeno Active Naturals Nourish and Strengthen Hair Care Collection Shampoo and Conditioner.

What they claim: This shampoo and conditioner helps to reduce breakage by 90% in just 3 washes.
They have around 4 different shampoo and conditioners in this line, and they are made for different hair types.

What I thought: They weren't amazing. Honestly, I didn't notice my hair any stronger than normal, but at the same time, I only got to try the shampoo and conditioner once, not for the 3 weeks that it claims it takes to make your hair stronger. I also didn't like the smell. It smelled like sunscreen, which is not what I want my hair to smell like. It didn't smell as bad in my hair as it did when I was putting it in my hair in the shower, though. It lost some of that sunscreen smell.

Would I buy it? Nope. Just simply because of the smell. I like my hair smelling really good, and not like sunscreen. Maybe if they changed the smell, I would try it again.

Have you every tried this before? Is this the shampoo and conditioner that you use in the shower? Let me know!

Shave Gel VS Soap

My roommate and I were discussing the fact that she uses shave gel to shave in the shower, and I didn't. I decided to pick up a bottle and do an experiment. Just call me Katie the Science Geek!

My Experiment: Does shave gel work better than soap? 

The soap I'm using: Bath and Body Works Shower Gel. This particular shower gel happens to be the I heart Watermelon Cherry that I just bought a week or two ago. 

The shave gel I'm using? Skintimate's Skin Therapy for dry skin. My legs are pretty dry usually, so I thought this one would be appropriate. I didn't know if different brands would give me different results, so I just picked whatever looked legit at the time. 

My Premise: I shaved my left leg with the shave gel. I shaved my right leg with shower gel. I'm conducted this "experiment" twice, and each time, I used the same leg, and the same razor on each leg, although I did have to switch razors between time one and two because the blade got dull on the first one. 

The result of this experiment? The shave gel wasn't any better than the shower gel. In fact, the shower gel gave me a better shave on my knees, and an equal shave on my legs. I do think however that the shave gel made my skin a little softer. I did notice that I cut myself both times on the shower gel side, whereas I didn't cut myself when I used the shave gel. Weird. 

My science teachers would be so disappointed that I called this an experiment, but I think it was successful, and a great way to test a product out against what I was already using. 

Do you shave your legs with a shave gel/cream or with soap? Let me know in the comments! 

Julep's Maven's October Box

Yesterday, Julep Maven released the new colors for their October box!

Do you like them? Hate them? What are your thoughts? 

Honestly, I'm torn. I don't know if I want to skip this month, or get a box, and if I get a box, which one I want. 

Please comment and let me know which colors are your favorites!

____

BREAKING NEWS! Apparently enough people complained about how crackles are so yesterday that Julep Maven came out with an extra box tonight:

This is the extra choice that we are getting, which I think is much better than the original choices we were given. I think I might actually get it! This is why I love Julep Maven. They listen to their customers and try to make things better.

If you aren't a Julep member, then you need to become one! Get your first box for a penny using the code PENNY by using the link here. Enjoy!

Plato's Closet Haul

Ever been to Plato's Closet? I hadn't until Labor Day weekend! The idea behind Plato's Closet is that you can go and sell your clothes to them, they give you money for them, and then people can buy them. It's like Half Price books, but for clothes. They only accept well-known label items, though, which is good and bad. It does mean that their clothes aren't dirt cheap. They are a little more expensive for already worn clothes, but if you look hard enough, you can find some treasures! Here is what I bought for $151 (including tax)!

*I apologize in advance for the picture quality. There isn't as much light as I would have liked. By the time I got back to my dorm that day, the sun was setting and I was racing against the sun to get these pictures taken!

 This is a sweater dress from Derek Heart. It's grey and navy blue stripes. I thought it would be cute for fall with some boots and tights, and it would let me keep wearing dresses in the fall without freezing.

I paid $8 for it.

 This is a pair of jeans from Old Navy. They are the dark wash Flirt style. They fit me like a glove, and since they are pre-worn, I don't have to break them in! I paid $12 for them.

This is a chartreuse yellow shirt from a store called Elle. It's got ruffles on the top and it's super flow-y on the bottom. I paid $7 for it.

 This is such a cute skirt from Express! It's just a ruffled skirt with an exposed zipper on the back. It's fits me amazingly! I paid $10 for it.

 This is a pair of jeans from American Eagle. They are a straight leg, but they fit me like skinny jeans, so I can wear them with boots. They are super comfy, which is why I was willing to pay $17 for them. This was the most expensive item I bought.

 This super cute flow-y grey top is from American Eagle as well. It's a triangle cut, with the front and back points longer than the side (I tried to show that in the first picture, but it's more apparent in the second picture!). It was $7.

 These are just two belts that I bought. The brown one is from BDG. It was a little loose in the waist, so I had my friend add a hole to the belt so that I could make it tighter. It was $5. I'm not sure where the black one was from, but it was the perfect fit. It was $3.

 This jean skirt is from American Eagle. It's the perfect fit, and it doesn't bunch up awkwardly anywhere. I love it, and it will be great for when my friends and I go country-western dancing. It was a steal at $6!

 This is just a simple top from Abercrombie and Fitch. It's a pink and grey striped shirt. This was the most-worn item that I got, but it's still in great shape, and it's super comfy and cute with shorts or jeans! It was $8.

 This shirt looks a LOT like the last one, but it's not. It was from Old Navy, and it's Pink and grey stripes on the top, then magenta and grey in the middle, and it ombre's down to purple and grey at the bottom. It's really comfy, and I think it will be great for fall. It was $5.

 This sweater is from a boutique I think, but the tag wasn't on there. It is just black and white stripes, but it was $30 on clearance. With the Labor day sale, I bought it for $15, and it's literally brand new.

 This is a grey long sleeved cardigan from the brand Dots. It has pockets and reminded me a LOT of my favorite black cardigan that I have. So I got it. It was $8.

 This is a eggplant colored cardigan, I swear. It's from the brand Pink Rose, and it was super comfortable. It was on the clearance rack for $16, but with the Labor Day sale, it was $8.

 This is another skin-tight dress that looked really good on me! It's from the brand Speechless from the line Lots of Love. It was $8.

 This dress is one of my favorites. It fits me perfectly, and literally everyone that I've shown it too tells me how adorable it is! It's from the brand Bebop, and it's a black dress on top with a grey and black flowery print on the skirt. It's adorable!!! It was only $8 too!!!

 Lastly, this is a dress that I picked up. It's from Hollister and it's a bright pink dress with light and medium blue flowers on it. It's also got a ruffle on the top and pockets on the skirt. It was $16, which is kind of expensive, but it looked so good that I couldn't pass it up!

In total, that is 15 clothing items, and two belts. That's a pretty great deal if I do say so myself! And a lot of items in there still have tags on them! I would definitely recommend checking Plato's Closet out! It's a great way to add some fun pieces to your wardrobe from brand name clothing companies without having to pay crazy cash for them!

Word to the wise: You really need to try things on there! Since the items are from a bunch of different brands, you can't assume you are the same size in everything! I was trying on anything that looked like it would fit, and the sizes that I ended up purchasing ranged from XS to a M. It really just depends. So, I would suggest just grabbing whatever off the racks that you think looks like something you'd wear, and they have some patience in the dressing rooms, trying the items on. I tried on probably about 60 things in all, and ended up getting this 15, so it really all depends.

Good luck finding some cool things! Comment below if you've ever shopped at Plato's closet, and let me know what your best find was!