Beauty Deals & Steals! Big Lots $1 Mini Haul

So...I had a bit of an impromptu retail therapy session today. Well, technically it was yesterday but I'm still up at 3a.m. posting this, so my day hasn't completely ended yet.

Raheem & I loaded up the babies and drove to Big Lots to grab a few household items. Now, I actually had no intention of buying anything for myself, but once I wandered into the cosmetics section & saw this whole $1 thing they had going on, I had to pick up a few things.

I picked up 7 items altogether & spent $7 total (+tax of course). I got 4 nail polishes, 2 nail polish strip kits, and a mascara.

3 of the polishes I picked up are the Julie G for Jesse's Girl polishes. If you're not familiar, Julie G is a YouTube "beauty guru" who has in conjunction with Jesse's Girl created her own nail polish line sold on Jessesgirl.com & at RiteAid drug stores. The colors I picked up are from the holiday 2012 collection. Although the color "Light it Up" has made it's way to the 2013 permanent collection.

I also picked up some sally hansen goodies! I grabbed an Insta-Dri polish and two Salon Effects nail polish strip kits.

I swatched all of the polishes (2 coats on "Gift Wrapped" & "Ornamental", 4 coats on "Light it Up" & 3 on "Purple Haste") & I have to say, I really like all of the colors. The Julie G polishes are winning over the Insta-Dri though. The Insta-Dri's dry time isn't very "insta" and it seems to be one of those polishes that doesn't harden completely once it does dry. Making it easy to chip, scratch & ding up the finish once you start using your hands. Not to mention the funky brush it has. It's one of those flat brushes, but the bristles are a bit wonky & frayed, making it difficult to get a neat & even coat. Not sure if they are all like this or if it's just mine.

And lastly, I grabbed this l.a. colors navy blue mascara. I've been wanting one for a while and just never picked one up. I did try it on one eye and it is very navy. The color is extremely subtle almost bordering on drab. I think I'll try it paired with a jet black smokey eye to see if it pops more. Future Post!

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The Magnum Gold Experience ;-)

So, while on a recent road trip, a hot...long...hot summer road trip, I decided to try something I'd never tried before...

 We pulled over at a rest stop gas station, I considered my options and decided to give in to my craving. After all, I had been cooped up in a hot van for the past 6 hours, rolling through endless miles of farmland and nothingness. I felt I deserved a bit of a treat, something to lift my spirits before continuing with the rest of the 12 hour journey.

Now that I'm quite sure I've successfully drawn most of you in...I should probably inform you of one thing. I am referring to ice cream. Magnum Gold?! ice cream bars to be exact :-)

As I combed the freezer section looking for the perfect frozen treat. I saw the Magnum bars and grabbed one. It wasn't until I opened the package that I realized this was something different. It's described as "Silky vanilla bean ice cream swirled with sea salt caramel and covered in a golden coating made with Belgian Milk Chocolate". I was surprised to see that the golden coating is actually golden. A semi-sparkly metallic-ish gold. Like it had been painted with luster dust (for all you cake decorating folks).

The gold doesn't translate very well in the photo.
Much more of a golden shimmer in person.

As for the taste, well...it is a Magnum bar. Needless to say, it was devoured down to the stick in about 5 minutes flat.

My thoughts altogether: This is officially the diva of all ice cream bars & I will probably break down during a future grocery shopping trip and buy a box.

Have you tried these yet? If not, pick up one the next time you're out and let me know what you think!

And just because I came across it, here is the commercial for these things. It's beyond completely random & kinda Mission Impossible-y. But, it's starring Joe Manganiello (Alcide Herveaux from True Blood). Yeah...Him. I don't think I need to say much more ;-)

Enjoy!

Dove Cleartone: 1 Week Update

Ok, so... I've been using this Dove Cleartone anti-perspirant for about a week and sadly I've seen NO change. I am trying this product solely based on the fact that it claims to reduce dark and uneven skin tone under the arms, which is a problem that I have.  I can't really say that I am disappointed in the results thus far, as I have only used the product for about 1 week. I maintained my normal routine of cleansing and exfoliating and only shaving about once a week and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. So, we'll see if there is any change next week!...or the week after that.

Be sure to check back for next weeks update :-)

*My last post on this subject: http://kairasworld.blogspot.com/2013/06/dove-cleartone-does-it-work.html

Dove Cleartone: Does it Work???

Ok, so I'm back. Its been a few weeks since I made my initial entry (...have to do better) but I'm here now, and with the weather warming up here in Michigan, I decided to go on a quest to find a remedy for my hyper-pigmented underarms. They've as long as I can remember been significantly darker than the surrounding skin (I've been told this is due to shaving).  I also tend to have the worst hyper-pigmentation during as well as post pregnancy and I'd be lying if I said I was't self conscious about going sleeveless in the summer.

So, I decided to try this new Dove Cleartone anti-perspirant. It claims to "visibly reduce dark marks" and leave you with "an even skin tone".

I used it for the first time 2 days ago and  I will be doing weekly updates over the next 4 weeks to show the progress. So be sure to check back!


*See my 1 week update here: http://kairasworld.blogspot.com/2013/06/dove-cleartone-1-week-update.html