A Modern Twist // Outfit Post

Hey loves! Today I am posting one of my favorite "ootd" posts yet! This outfit was just so fun to wear, as well as goof-off and twirl around in! Not too long ago I was contacted by eShakti to do a possible review of one of their items...seeing that many bloggers before me had worked with the online woman's clothing company, I kind of couldn't say no, and I am so glad I didn't! I am taking it upon myself to let you all know a little bit about eShakti, because I am honestly very happy not only with the product itself, but the company as a whole. On their website, you can see that they will customize items according to your height, size and style, which is awesome for those of us that are picky with things like that, or just have a hard time finding clothing to fit perfectly. Their motto is, "eShakti believes that all women have the right to wear affordable fashion that is made for them and makes them look their absolute best". So true! I don't think customization and good style should be unaffordable or out of someones price range, which is why I am so happy to write a review post. I chose a midi skirt from a link of many options that they gave me to choose from...I couldn't resist this skirt because I knew I could take a modern approach to styling the 50's inspired skirt!

The fit of the skirt really is great. I was kind of worried that it would be too big around my waist, because of often have issues with skirts that lay higher on the hip or waist fitting me correctly. The actual quality of the skirt seems to be VERY nice, and I mean that. I am glad I picked this style of skirt because I think it is a very classic style that I will be able to wear for years, and with the quality of the material, I don't think I will have to worry about it being worn out too soon!

I received the skirt not too long after I ordered it, so I would say I am pretty happy about how fast they are at shipping out products. It's worth taking a look at the many different styles of clothing eShakti has on their website; I was torn between this skirt and a gorgeous blue dress, but ultimately, I couldn't give up the idea of a modern twist on a 50's look!

Details: Skirt: c/o eShakti // Top: Urban Outfitters // Shoes: Forever 21 // Bracelets: pearl (old); arrow--> Altered State //

Connect with eShakti on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!

Thanks for reading!
XO, Kelsey

*Linking up with: Rachel the Hat // Two Thirty-Five Designs // Style Elixir // Life's A Party Dress Like It! // Transatlantic Blonde // Living in Color // Musings of a Housewife //

** I received an item of clothing from eShakti for consideration of review. However, my opinions are not influenced by anyone else other than myself. I formed these honest opinions on my own after receiving the product. 

Call Me "Squints"...Oh, and an Outfit Post.

Hey lurveliesss. I hope your weekend is going amazing right now! I am currently home for a few days, to work as a waitress at my hometown job (and to see family of course!) while I have a few days off work from the hospital. It never ends-always on the go! The weather right now is literally perfect and I wish I could just soak it all up today, but I work tonight at the restaurant sooo...it's you, me, and this blog post right now! Something I have been loving lately is maxi skirts. I mean, they are so easy to wear... and hello! So comfortable. I am all about comfort if you can't tell! I recently put together an outfit that made me pretty happy inside. It wasn't over the top, it was still casual, and most importantly, it allowed me to wear this embellished crop tank that I have! I wasn't really sure what to wear the crop top with, so I just said, "oh hey maxi skirt, I'm putting you to work". So here we are. New blawgy post! P.S: I'm pretty sure my eyes are just squinted little slits in two of these pictures...thanks sun. #iforgotmysunglasses


Outfit Details //  Top: Express // Skirt: Last Season, Charlotte Russe // Sandals: Old, Walmart // Bracelets: Forever 21 and The Loft (similar) // Earrings: Charming Charlies, Old //

What are your plans for the weekend?  
 I hope it's a good one!

Thanks for reading!
XO, Kelsey

Linking up with: Lena B, Actually // Maybe I Will // Style Elixir // Her & Nicole // Lipgloss and Crayons // The Pleated Poppy // Stylin' in St. Louis //

Bright Eyes // Three Favorites For Waking Up Tired Eyes

Hey lovelies! Today I wanted to let you in on a few of my current favorites for not only my everyday makeup routine, but for waking up dark, tired eyes in general. Dark under-eye circles tend to run in my family, so I am constantly trying to come up with ways to brighten the area. Pair that with some seasonal allergies causing redness in my waterline and we are just a hot mess in the morning! This post will feature the Rimmel Volume Accelerator Mascara, the Rimmel Scandaleyes Nude Eyeliner, and the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye  Under Eye Brightening Concealer. A few posts ago I wrote about my favorite combination for concealing my under-eyes, and I still LOVE that combo; I will never take it out of my beauty routine probably! However, this concealer I would like to review packs in the same brightening and long-wearing properties without having to mix two different concealers!

No makeup...scary!
In those photos, I am makeup free and bearing my dark circles in all their glory, as well as my reddish/pink waterline. In the next picture below, I have applied the Rimmel Scandaleyes Nude Eyeliner

Taking this one step already makes such a difference! The lighting is a bit off throughout these photos, but hopefully you get an idea of how just a few steps can wake up your look!

Mini Review: This nude liner is the perfect shade for brightening your waterline, without looking like you tried really hard. It has the best creamy consistency and glides on with no problems, sort of setting itself in less than a minute so it doesn't come off. I would say it lasts 6 hours or so before needing to be touched up, although most of the time I don't worry about that! Price: Less than $5 at most drugstores.

The next product I use is the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Brightening Concealer. This stuff will pretty much wow you if you ever decide to try it!

Review: The color I use is "Neutral Medium". This product has a pretty thick consistency; when I say that, I don't mean it feels cakey on your skin (although if you use too much, that very well could happen) but it almost has a thick whipped texture to it. When applied, it is noticeable how pigmented it is, which is why you need to use so little. It is long wearing, which will be awesome when I have to work 12 hour shifts at the hospital (I start today!) I don't have a dry undereye area, but I do find this concealer to feel a bit moisturizing, so I am sure those who look for that in a concealer would appreciate that characteristic of this product! I haven't had any issues with it irritating my skin or causing breakouts, which is always a plus. Speaking of breakouts, sometimes I use this for just that; I think it does a really nice job of getting rid of the redness and concealing the pimple or redness. I always set my under eye area (or any are on my face for that matter) with a setting powder. I think that this is a foolproof way to add extra wear time to almost any makeup. Price: $24.

My application technique.
So much brighter! Concealer will always be one of my favorite beauty products-ever!

Review: The last product that really opens and brightens the eyes in the morning is mascara. Trust me, you can see a huge difference just by swiping on one coat of your favorite mascara. My current (and maybe all-time?) favorite mascara is the Rimmel Volume Accelerator Mascara. I'm not going to lie-I didn't love it at first. It was quite "wet" in consistency, which made me think it wouldn't do anything for my lashes. Because of this, I left the cap partially unscrewed one day during classes, which made it dry out a bit, thickening up. Now I am 150% in love with it! It doesn't clump up or  flake, but it does add length and volume. Trust me when I say I used to be the girl with 6+ mascaras on rotation, using a different one each day. I only reach for this one now. Price: One of the best parts about this is that I believe it performs like a high-end product, yet it is less than $10 at most drugstores.
One coat...I don't like to layer on mascara!
Awesome length from the mascara! :)
I hope this post is helpful in some way to someone out there! It is amazing how certain products can awaken your whole face! 

Since this post just needed a few more photos...haha.

What are your tips for brightening up your eyes in the morning?
Thanks for reading!
XO, Kelsey


**The IT cosmetics concealer was sent to me for free for consideration of review. I am in no way influenced by a company when I am sent a product; all opinions are my own and formed after using a product for longer than a few weeks!

Born to be Plaid [Transitioning to Summer Outfit]

Hello lovelies! This week has been so busy! I am in between my co-op job orientations, so for the past few days I have been in my hometown, working at my old job. Today is my last day there for now, and I will be heading back to Cincinnati tonight or early tomorrow...SO much driving! The free time I have had has been dedicated to hanging out with the fam and preparing blog stuff. That means I am kind of proud of myself, haha. I told ya'll I would try to be a better blogger once classes were over with! For now, I wanted to share a very casual but fun outfit for transitioning from Spring to Summer. We all know how crazy the weather has been, but it seems to be staying pretty warm now....but windy. Holy crap. I would be just fine without the plaid shirt in this post if it weren't for the wind! (See what I mean in the picture below-wahhh!)


Outfit Details: Plaid shirt: c/o Haute Juncture // Love Potion Tank: Charlotte Russe (old) // Shorts: American Eagle // Shoes: Keds // Chain Bracelet: Forever 21  (old) // Pink Bracelet: Loft (very similar) // Necklace: So old, I can't remember! // Purse: Possibly older than the necklace...no idea where it came from!

How will you transition from Spring to Summer fashion?

Thanks for reading!
XO, Kelsey

Vapour Organic Beauty Review

Hey gorgeous! Today I am going to take some time to review a brand that I came across about two months ago-if you are interested in more organic beauty products, this might be right up your alley! According to the Vapour Beauty website, their products are described as being:
"100% natural with 70% certified organic ingredients and 30% minerals and vitamins. There are no toxic chemicals, no parabens, no phalates, no gluten, no animal testing, no nano particles, and no irradiation".

To be honest, I don't know a ton about every single thing these products are made without; however, I know enough that I don't want those things in my products! This has led me to branch out and want to try to use better products in my everyday life. If you have been around this blog for awhile, you know I tried a bunch of mineral makeup products over the past year, nearly all of them being pretty pure in formulation, without any extra fillers or chemicals. I continue to use these products as I move forward in my quest for what I think is best for my skin!

The products I received for consideration of review are the Elixir Plumping Lipgloss, Aura Multi-Use Blush, and the Elixir Lipgloss. I can't seem to find the link for the plain old Elixir Lipgloss, which is why I didn't provide a link! Just as a general piece of info, I have had these products and have been using them for over a month! Now that all that is out of the way, let's get to the individual reviews!

 From top to bottom: Multi-Use Blush, Elixir Plumping Gloss, and Elixir Gloss. Swatches below.

        
Elixir Plumping Gloss:
In the shade "Coax", this product is described as offering "versatile color, dimension, and shine. Hydrating botanicals and organic plumping liposomes lock in maximum moisture for ultra-hydrated voluptuous lips. Never sticky or tacky, Elixir delivers superior body and shine". 

Personally, I love the formulation of this product. It is one of the most moisturizing glosses I have ever used, which might be surprising as it promises to plump! Many name brand plumping glosses I have used actually dry out my lips, which probably is due to the ingredients in them. Compared to plumpers like Too Faced Lip Injection Color Bomb, the Vapour lipgloss doesn't cause a burning or tingly feeling as it plumps. I don't mind the tingly effect...in fact, I kind of like it (does that make me weird?!) Either way, I think the plumping actually comes from all the moisture this gloss packs...I could be totally wrong, but it's almost like it makes the most of what your own lips can achieve from being moisturized! I don't find this to be sticky or tacky, which could be  a downside to some as this usually makes a product last longer. I would say it wears for a good hour before you start seeing the product fade; this includes drinking and eating! I would say the pigmentation is very sheer, at least in the shade I was sent.The taste isn't the best (not like the typical mint or fruit flavor many glosses offer), but for what the gloss does, I don't mind how it tastes.

Elixir Gloss:
In the shade "Sultry", this gloss is very similar to the plumping gloss, although you may not see the same plumping effects with this of course! Unfortunately, I can't find a description of this on the website, and I don't have the original box with me. Taste wise, I find this to have more of a flavor; one I can't exactly describe but it is better than the plumping gloss flavor! This gloss has a bit more of a tacky texture to it, but it isn't sticky...does that make sense? I want to say that maybe it's better explained as just adhering to the lips more effectively! This gloss wears about 2 hours before I really want to touch up. I adore the shade I was sent; it's more pigmented than the plumping gloss and I found it to pair well with many pink-toned lipsticks. I am actually wearing this gloss with a small amount of the plumping gloss in the picture below.

Aura Multi-Use Blush:
In the shade "Spark", this product is described as giving "a natural flush of color. These universally-flattering core colors work on all skin tones and all ages. Give the Vapour glow to cheeks, lips and eyes with one convenient stick. Aura blends like a dream for a polished look in seconds".

I think this is my favorite out of the three items I was sent. It really is very versatile! I have used it on my cheeks and my lips, but I am excited to see how it would work as a cream eyeshadow. I have pretty oily eyelids, so it would be interesting to see the lasting ability. The way I apply this is directly to my cheeks in an upward slanting motion. After this, I buff it out using a stipple brush. I find that doing this makes me look like I have a natural glow, and really makes it foolproof to apply! For lasting power, I would say that this lasts all day on me. I have pretty oily skin, but mostly in my t-zone, so I am not sure how this would work on someone with extremely oily skin everywhere. I do set it with a translucent powder, as I set all of my makeup, so I think with powder the lasting power should be no issue! I haven't had any problems with breakouts from this product. On my lips, it seems to be pretty moisturizing, although lasting only as long as a chapstick probably would.
Application technique! You can also see the shade on my lips in this photo.
Buffed out.
Voila! End result!

You can find more Vapour Organic Beauty products HERE.

Hopefully you find this review helpful! If you currently use natural, organic, or vegan products, I would love to hear about them! Leave me a comment below or email me at kelseylenay@hotmail; you can find me on twitter @kelseylenayyy or instagram @kelseylenayy

Thanks for reading!
XO, Kelsey

**As started before, I did receive these products free, for consideration of review. Vapour Organic Beauty has no influence on my opinion of these products, as no brand or company ever will! I genuinely enjoy these products and am offering my honest opinion of how they performed on me personally!