QM BOLC

Hey everyone, I know its been a while but I have been transitioning from Las Vegas to Virginia. I am currently doing my BOLC (Basic Officer Leadership Course). I am a QUARTERMASTER (logistics) officer and our schooling is held here in Ft. Lee Virginia. I arrived here last week and will be here until early next year. So far the in-processing has been long and tedious but I have meet some pretty cool people. We will start having real classes this week and we will get into our routine as well. Our days will be long since we have to get up and do physical fitness for an hour and then got right into our day of school. After we finish school we will have the nights off and the weekends as well. Its basically like college all over again just with uniforms :D anyways I will keep you all posted on the how it goes but just know that I am well and settled in.

ELF Minty Lip Gloss/Lip Stain

Last month I snatched up two new lip glosses from ELF. I was looking for something new besides what I tend to always get which is the E.L.F. luscious liquid lipstick. While I was looking I found a ELF minty gloss and an ELF lip stain both retail at $3.00 dollars. Although the price is is cheap the product is nothing like that. 

Lip Stain in Birthday Suit

 REVIEW: At first I hated this lip stain. I only bought this color because they didn't have any others and I was dying to try a stain. As soon as I put on the lip stain by itself I hated it and left it alone but a few days later I picked it up again and tried the two step process. Once I added the gloss on top of the stain it looked ten times better. Im not in love with it but the bright pink really tones down and it is a workable color. Its nice but the color would go better with a lighter skin tone. Overall I would buy the stain again I would just choose a different color.

Minty Gloss in Nashville

REVIEW: This gloss is so refreshing and the color is so beautiful with my skin tone. When you put the gloss on you automatically feel the mint sensation on your lips which is so lovely. The gloss is not sticky at all and you dont need very much on your lips either. Over all I am in love with this gloss and cant stop using it. 

TRAVALO

Finally after months of hearing about TRAVALOs I finally got around to acquiring one. I was so excited to get this in the mail. I have been wanting one for a really long time and when I saw these one Amazon for 2 for $15 I had to grab them. My husbands cologne top stopped working and I felt so bad about throwing away the bottle when there was still a significant amount of cologne in it. My solution to this was the TRAVALO. My husband was so impressed that it actually worked flawlessly. Needless to say, I am very HAPPY with my TRAVALOs.

Travalo 

How to use it

Look how handy

Sleek & Effective

My first freebie

I got a nice surprise when I opened my mailbox today. I know I just told you guys yesterday that I signed up for this cool freebie site a couple of weeks ago but to my surprise I got my first freebie today! Oh yeah!! I know that the freebie will be sample size but hey who can complain about a freebie! This freebie  was from Walmart and it included a mini scope, a sample of the new crest deep clean toothpaste and some coupons. Here is my mail goodness

My coupon book, the mini scope, and deep clean toothpaste

Apologies

Oh my goodness! Where does time fly?! I have been so busy with family, husband, and ARMY time that I have totally abandoned this blog :( And to add to all of that chaos my computer totally shut down on me. After 4 long hard years of college work it finally crapped out. Good news: I got a new one! So no more excuses. well peoples im back in action! SO again I apologize for the delay. On another note I recently started "sweeping" which is basically me filling out sweepstakes forms in hopes that I will win something. So far no luck but I have only been at it for 2 weeks. Also I found this great new page where you can get free samples. My cousin would call me a "cheap scape" but I hate the connotation to that word. I am quite the bargainer and I love me a good clearance or sale! My mom taught me how to stretch my dollar! So when I stumbled onto this free sample site I had to jump on it. The samples usually arrive between 6-8 weeks so I should be getting some good stuff soon. I'll keep you all updated. As for now look out for reviews on of course BBW and I recently purchased some ELF things as well. Well I hope you guys arnt too mad at me. I promise I will be back! Stay tuned on EL OCHO!

BEATS!

My husbands work gives them points that they are able to redeem for items. He has been wanting a set a Dr Dre Beats headphones for a really long time but never wanted to pay for them. He finally saved enough points to get them! I havnt been able to fully get a good review on them just yet but I wanted to share with you all the cool news. I wills how you guys the headphones once I can get a good review on them. Here they are:

Front of the box

Back of the box

ELF Brushes

I was never a girl that was obsessed about make up because I was a big tomboy growing up but as the years go by I seem to be getting more into my own personal style. I didn't wear any makeup until I was 15 and from then I gradually started my collection. A while ago ELF was having a 50% off all brushes sale and I decided to purchase some. I was a bit skeptical at first because 1) I have never owned a "set" of brushes and 2) the cost of them threw me off. Being that I am fairly new to makeup all I had was misc. brushes that I have accumulated and I wanted a complete set of brushes. So when I was doing my weekly youtube browse I stumbled on alot of makeup gurus that were raving about these brushes. I have heard great things about ELF and there prices are killer so when the sale came about I grab myself a set of ELF 11 piece studio brushes, Originally the brushes are $30 but with the discount I got them for $15 which I thought was a great deal! The shipping was fast and I had no problems except for one. The set includes the following brushes: complexion, blush, powder, angled foundation, fan, concealer, contour  small precision, eye shadow, small smudge, and a small angled brush. My problem was that ELF sent me two complexion brushes and didnt send me the powder brush. I cant really complain about it because it actually worked out for me cause now I can keep one with the case and keep one in my travel case.

11 piece studio brush set

Brushes (ELF sent me two complexion brushes on accident)

REVIEW: You always hear that saying "you get what you pay for" but ELF is not true to this statement at all. You get WAY MORE then what you pay for with their products. I am seriously in love with this company. Being a girl on a budget ELF gives me complete freedom to get what I want without breaking my bank. These brushes are extremely soft and great quality. I was surprised that something so affordable could be so good. The bristles are dense and thick yet soft. From the foundation brush to the eye shadow brush, these bad boys do their job. Since getting these brushes I have recommended them to so many people because of how good they are. I also have picked up some additional brushes that didn't come with the set which again are wonderful. If you are looking for an affordable and good quality brush that dont hesitate on these. Go for it! And if after all you dont like them then you can happy that you only spent $3 on one instead of more. One thing that I must say is that I don't recommend anything from the regular $1 line for the face because the bristles arnt as soft and they feel very cheap.

Paris Amour Fragrance Event

I was able to attend the BBW fragrance event this weekend. In my honest opinion I was really disappointed. There was so much hype for this event and when I went it was the complete opposite. It was a one day only event that lasted from 11am - 4pm. I went to the mall around noon and to my surprise the store actual had a couple people. When I walked in I knew exactly what I wanted to get and didn't waste time on that but then I took a moment to look around and see where all the "special events" where happening. To my surprise they had NOTHING! The only thing the had out was a spot where you could enter to win a romantic getaway to Paris. The voucher (featured below) said that they would have an area where you could learn how the new Paris Amour scent was created, they didn't have that. There would also be a spot where you could vote on the next Signature Scent, they didn't have that either. It was so disappointing! I was so excited to get in there and enjoy my moment but instead I just wanted to get my free gift and get out of there. The exclusive deal was if you purchase any signature collection (at least $10.50) you would receive a free cosmetic bag and a full preview lotion of Charmed Life. I am glad that I was able to pick up the exculsive gift because you really do get a great deal. You pay a little over $11 and you get two full size items and a cosmtic bag that is valued at $6.50. I really love the cosmetic bag. Its cute and has just enough space to keep my essentials.

Free Charmed Life & Cosmetic bag

REVIEW: When you first smell Charmed Life it has a very subtle clean scent. It reminds me of laundry sheets and baby powder. When I smelled the fragrance at the store I absolutely hated it because I felt like it smelt like straight up baby powder but a I continued to smell it I started to like it. Once I actually got to try it on and work it into my hands I loved it. Its not one of my favorite scents but I definitely am into it. It reminds me of a soft less strong scent of Secret Wonderland. It has that same clean scent as Secret Wonderland just not a powerful as that scent. And for some reason I feel like the lotion is very soft. It says it has vitamin e in it but i don't know it makes my hands feel really fresh. I'm glad I was able to pick it up before it comes out. 

BBW SAS #2

I was going through my stuff and remembered that I hadn't finished putting up all the goodies I got at the semi annual sale at bath and body works. I did the same thing as last time which is using my survey coupon to get $10 off my $30 dollar purchase. Here is I got and the price break down. Everything I bought was 75% off!! All of the anti bacterial hand soaps are originally $5.00 but with the SAS discount they came out to $1.25! Yes I said a dollar and one quarter, I just couldn't pass up that deal. The shower gels and lotions are originally $10.50 but will the discount it came out to $2.63! What?! Yeah nit even $3.00 a piece. The fragrance mists are originally $12.00 with the discount they came out to $3.00. And lastly, the travel size items are originally $5.00 a piece (which is kind of a rip) so I never buy them unless they are on sale. With the discount they were $2.00 a piece. The total came out to a little over $30 dollars but with the survey coupon I had it was all just $20 dollars.

Fresh Picekd Apples, Peach Bellini, Mango Margarita, Apple Pie

Twillight Woods Complete set

Signature Vanilla CHERRY (Discontinued)

Travel Sizes: Coconut Lime Verbena (Discontinued) Signature Vanillas BERRY (Discontinued)

More pics of PR

I was able to upload some more photos of Puerto Rico. Here are more pictures of my awesome adventure in Puerto Rico! Thank you Army!

Some of my Soldiers working

ROWPU (Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit)

Purified water!

LMTV (I am licensed to drive this)

LHS (Im licensed to drive this too)

Local plantain chip mix

El Morro (250 year old spanish fort)

View from the fort

Sweet Plantains

Masitas de Cuerdo (fried pork = local PR favorite)

BBW SAS Hual #1

FINALLY! Now that I am completely recovered from the 2 week long Puerto Rico trip and the 1 week visit to my parents home in California I am FINALLY able to show you guys my BBW SAS Haul #1. I was albe to purchase all of this for just $20 bucks. I had a coupon that took $10 off any $30 dollar purchase! These are all travel sizes and they were on sale for $2. I grabbed as many complete sets as I could. I bought 13 travel size items = $26 dollars and then the self tanner for = $4 which came out to $30. With my survey coupon I was able to get it all for just $20 dollars which is quite a deal. Hope you enjoy my Haul, I sure did!

Semi/Complete Sets

 I was able to grab the shower gel/lotion for the signature coconut but no spray :( I was fortunate enough to get the complete set of the cherry blossom. I was able to get the spray/shower gel for the signature lemon. And lastly I got the spray/shower gel for sensual amber. Reviews will come later.

Non-Complete Sets

 These scents I picked up even though they did not have the complete set. I have sample sizes for Dark kiss that I will match up. The sea island cotton was a random one that I want to complete. The sweet pea is a favorite so I had to get the shower gel. And the berry was a limited edition that I wanted to get before it goes away forever. Reviews on scents later.

Self Tanner = $4

This bad boy was something that I have been wanting for a while but never wanted to cash out the money to buy. It is a daily moisturizer and gradual self tanner with SPF 15. Its originally $15 but with the 75% off I got it for about $3.75. Now that I am back from Puerto Rico its not something I need because I have a beautiful natural tan going on but I will hold onto it for next summer or maybe even winter. So unfortunatlly since I wont be using this for a while I will not be able to do a review. Sorry (maybe I will make my sister use it and see how it works out)

Off we go

We finally landed in Puerto Rico! Yes I said it, PUERTO RICO! This place is amazing! We get to work right on the beach filled with coconut trees which I almost got KO by one that fell from the tree. While we get to enjoy the scenery are mission in PR is very essential. We are doing great training and learning the proper standards and procedures. I personally am learning a ton about how to be a better leader. Being a LT gives you a different aspect of the military but when it comes down to it, we are all soldiers. Enough about the ARMY, check out the beautiful pics!

Getting ready to take off

C-17

Driving in San Juan

Where we worked, EVERYDAY

Fresh Coconut

Our training site

Coconut trees

The coconut that almost killed me!

2 weeks

Hey everyone sorry I haven't been posting as much. I just got back from seeing my family in Cali and boy did we have a busy weekend. I will post all about it when I get back in two weeks. If you didn't already know I am a 2LT in the ARMY and I have to go on AT (annual training) for two weeks. I can't say where but it will definitely be worth the wait. I will post some beautiful pictures when I get back. Thank you for following and showing me love. See you guys soon. Keep me in your prayers.

Moonlight Magic

Last summer BBW came out with special edition fragrances that were discontinued. My Tia gave me one of the scents last summer that I just fell in love with. I was so bummed when I found out they no longer carried it. I loved it so much that I held on to the travel size lotion for as long as I could. When I went on base to buy some essentials I happened to wander into the body area of the store. I could not believe my eyes when I spotted my beloved discontinued fragrance. I had to buy it and for the price I was getting it at I couldn't pass it up. I later found out that they brought Moonlight Magic but they called it something else. We now know this fragrance as Secret Wonderland. The packing is so groovy! It reminds me of the 70s.

Package

REVIEW: This scent has a mix of berry and flowers. It says that it is inspired by BBW scent moonlight path but to me they dont smell alike at all. I personally cant stand moonlight path but Moonlight Magic has the most wonderful scent. I wouldnt really consider it a summery fragrance because it does have a musky flowery scent. When I say that it has a mix of berry and flowers I refer to blueberries/blackberries and deep rich flowers. This scent is great for summer nights and I would even wear it in the fall. I dont like wearing this in the day because it doesnt give me that summer sweet smell that I need but at night this scent is perfect. I cant tell you enough about how much I love this scent. If you want to get a dupe of this scent since it is no longer avaibale then check out Secret Wonderland. Unfortunately I never got to get a hold of the shower gel and I no longer have the travel size lotion but what I can tell you about it is that it was just as lovely as the Perfume. 

Bottle

The Citrus Collection

I finally was able to go to the BBW SAS today! I was in heaven! There were so many great deals going on that I  was able to take advantage up. I'm kind of upset that I didn't get more :( even thought I know I got plenty. I went with my husband who was kind of in a hurry so I wasn't able to really look at everything and calculate everything right. Now that I have been able to look at my receipt I want more! The prices were beyond cheap. I don't have all the product that I purchased at the SAS because I left it in my husbands car and he is off at work. So what I decided to do was share with you guys the new Citrus Collection that comes out July 4th. Currently they are offering the 2 oz. travel size lotions for just $1 each. This collection includes (from left to right) Apple Blossom Citrus, Pomegranate Citrus, and Peach Citrus.

REVIEW:  Apple Blossom Citrus is a mix of fruity floral scent. If you have ever smelled cherry blossom from BBW then you will agree that it smells just like that but with a hint of apple. It is a very soft sweet scent that makes you feel so clean. Pomegranate Citrus is sweet and sensual. While the pomegranate does come out very sweet it has a little musk that controls the sweetness. It is very tart and has a beautiful exotic flower scent. Peach Citrus is a mix of peach and orange. This scent does not have that strong smell like the other two. Its very light and soft. This scent is not comparable to any other scent I have smelled before. The fruitiness is not overwhelming and the peach is just lovely. OVERALL: These scents are very fruity, sweet, and tart. They are all pleasant to those who enjoy sweet floral fruity scents. If you do not like sweet, fruit, or floral then you will not enjoy these scents. Do not let people fool you and say that the pomegranate doesn't smell good because the scent because much better once applied on. This line does not come out until 4th of July so I can not review the spray or gel but the lotions scream summer and are something to look out for. 

DIY Lip Scrub

Summer has a tendency of making my lips get super chapped. I put on lip balm every night before I go to bed but I wanted something that was going to give me some extra moisture before I apply the lip balm. So I decided to look up what could give me that extra step to soft lips. The answer was lip scrubs so I decided to head to YouTube to see what people recommended. As I watched the videos the one product everyone was raving about was Lush lip scrubs. They described them as decadent and luxurious. I have never been to Lush personally but I have browsed their online store. While the products seem great I honestly cant see myself spending that amount of money for so little product. They offer the lip scrub for $8.95 plus shipping. This alternative will allow you to make way more than what they have. I found this recipe online and decided to give it a go. The scrub is easy to make and very affordable. I had most of this stuff lying around the house. The only thing I need to go out and buy was the container and I got that at the dollar store. Here are things you will need:

Container with Lid to hold product

Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)

Sugar

Lip Gloss/Chapstick

INSTRUCTIONS: The first thing your gonna want to do is grab your container and add the petroleum jelly. The amount of how much you put in is up to you. I like to fill mine up halfway so that that way I use it up quicker and experiment with a different batch. Once you have put the petroleum jelly in the container its time to add the sugar. You want to add enough so that the jelly becomes less greasy and more gritty in texture. In my small container I added about 3 packets of sugar and that gave me a consistency that I like but again you can add as much or as little sugar as you please for your liking. The next step is to add your favorite scent. You do this by adding a couple drops or a slice of your favorite lip gloss/chapstick. I had this yummy lip frosting lip gloss laying around and decided to try it out. Finally, you mix it all up and presto you have your own homemade lip scrub. Once you have tried it out and find yourself unhappy with the texture or scent just add more of the sugar or lip gloss to get it to the right consistency. If you wanna see a good demo of this recipe then watch this DIY LIP SCRUB YouTube video. This video gives you a good demo to what I have just explained. Here is my final product. Enjoy!!

Final Product

Fiji Passionfruit

About 2 months ago I spotted the resort line at BBW. I was immediately drawn to it because of the bright colors and the beautiful packaging. I ended up picking up 2 of the 3 scents from this line which I kind of wish I would have got them all but at the time they were sold out of the Hawaii Coconut one so I decided to get the Bali Mango and this lovely scent. Fiji Passionfruit has become one of my new favorite summer scents. I used the free body care item of your choice when you spend $10, so basically I got a buy one get one free.

REVIEW: This scent is a mix of sweet and fruitiness that totally lets you escape into a tropical escape. Usually BBW lotions have a strong sometimes even overpowering smell but this scent is the opposite. When you first smell it, it doesn't hit you in the face with sweetness. It has a way of giving you the sweet with fruitiness. If you don't like passion fruit don't worry this scent does overpower you with just one scent of fruit. It has a mix of mandarin orange, apricot, and lime zest which definitely comes out. The shower gel is so summery and vibrant. I have already used a whole bottle of it that I had to go back and get some more. In this summer heat this scent is perfect to lift your spirits. The best part about this purchase was that my husband was the one who  picked this scent out.

BBW steal of a deal

So if you didn't already know, the Semi Annual Sale is going on at Bath and Body Works. It ends on the 3 -5 of July depending on you store. Here is a great deal that I got at my store. Usually the pocketbacs (mini hand sanitizers are $1.50 each but usually you can find the sale for 5 for $5. I found this sweet deal for $2.50. Yup, all 5 pocketBacs for under $3.00. This is the special edition Mothers Day pocketbacs which includes (from left to right) Rockin Cotton, Sweet Pearls, Sexy Cherry Blossom, Hot Vanilla Sugar, and Studly Apple. They have different bundles but I snagged this one because of the scents it included. I'm planning on going to BBW sometime before the SAS so stay tuned for my haul on that. Reminder: the SAS ends between  3 -5 of July depending on your store. If you want to see the current discounts check out Bath and Body Works <- click me

REVIEW:  Rockin Cotton is simliar to sea island cotton. It has a fresh laundry scent and is very strong when you first put it on. It has a wonderful scent of fabric softner after a couple hours whcich some people may or may not like. Sweet Petals is exactly as is sounds. VERY sweet with a hint of floral. which reminds me of sweet pea. Sexy Cherry Blossom is a musky floral scent that reminds me of sweet baby powder. Its strong when you first smell it but once applied on skin it settles to good summer scent. Hot Vanilla Sugar is hands down the worst pocketbac of the series. It smells like a vanilla gone bad! I dont know why some one would even want this to sanitize their hands. Lastly, Studly Apple is delicious. I love green apples and smells exactly like a fresh ripen apple. It is so yummy and the scent is great summer scent. Once I put this on I got some many compliments. My husband even asked me if I had eaten an apple. OVERALL: this special edition collection is filled with great scents. The pocketbac are pretty strong when you first open them so be warned but once you apply them to your skin they really take on the scent they are portraying. Let me know which pocketbac is your fav.

Phenomenom

I recently purchased the new LADY GAGA CD at Target. Which by the way is my favorite store of all! They were having a sale on the deluxe edition so I decided to buy it. For 11.99 and 22 songs I thought it was good deal. The CD itself is AMAZING! I'm not a die hard GAGA fan but I do love her music. The front cover is kind  scary but hey its GAGA so what can you expect. Also, the photos that are included in her brochure are kind of ridiculous and not in a good way but none the less it doesn't take away from the album at all. She currently has 3 singles out Born this Way, Judas, and The Edge of Glory but in my opinion there are way better songs than those that she should have chosen as singles. The deluxe version includes 5 remixes which are all around 5 minutes except for the very last remix which is almost 10 minutes. The CD breakdown is my opinion on what the songs symbolize. I did see an interview that she had on MTV that kind of explained some things but these are just my person thoughts on the CD. I suggest you all buy, borrow, or steal this album because it is a astonishing album that you will fall in delight with.

CD BREAKDOWN: The CD start with the song Marry the Night which starts the CD off with a BANG! It gets me in a dancing mood for sure. The next song we all know is Born this Way and its a song that reminds you to love who you are and the life you have. The The third song Government Hooker which kind of jabs at the government owning us and we are the hookers of America that feed into it all. The 4th song is Judas and boy did this video stir some controversy. If you haven't seen it yet please follow click the song title to see for yourself and decide whether or not you think its controversial. The next song is Americano which is one of my faves. It has the dance beat but adds the Spanish flavor that I love. 5th up is Hair which is a tribute to her life. In an interview she states that this song is a personal song that  expresses how she felt when she was younger. Her hair symbolized freedom and how she could change it whenever she wanted. Pretty deep song with the GAGA flair. Next is Scheibe which is supposedly German for Satin. When I translated the lyrics it translated into some pretty scary lyrics but that's GAGA. Love it or hate it she is who she is and the lyrics obviously symbolize something strong for her. The beat is really catchy is another song that just makes you want to dance. 8th up is Blood Mary which I am still trying to figure out what exactly it is about but its definitely a slower tempo song that has a catchy tune that makes you sing along with it. The ninth song is Black Jesus + Amen Fashion which is about her finding her voice as an artist and what influenced that. 10 is Bad Kids which is another one of my faves. It has the right blend of tempo that makes you bob your head when you hear it. This song just says that its OK to be a bad kid and do things your own way. Fashion of His Love is pretty much dedicated to her real love Lüc Carl. She expresses her love for him in a clever way and has another song that is dedicated to her beau which is called You and I which is 16 on her album. Its quite lovely to see GAGA showing love for her man. After all he did support her through it all, even when she was a nobody. Next up Highway Unicorn (Road to Love) which by the way her tattoo of the unicorn she has on her thigh is inspired by this song. Its a good song that goes deep in the tempo and then back to the up tempo chorus. The 13th song has to be my favorite song on the whole album. Its called Heavy Metal Lover and I think it has the best beat and the most catchiest lyrics to it. I just cant get enough of this song. After that is the song called Electric Chapel which symbolizes a place that women can be free and safe. The Queen is another song that I need to listen to more closely to understand what she is talking about but none the less its a slower tempo song with a great rip of guitar at the end. The last song before the remixes is The Edge of Glory and this is dedicated to her Grandfather that just passed away this year. She dedicates this song to him by saying that he is free from the edge of life and can now live in his glory in heaven. 

Overall: The CD is AMAZING! It has alot of the same style of music but its a rave worthy CD.  I really enjoy listening to this CD. I listen to it while I workout, drive, or am just surfing the web. Its filled with really catchy songs that make you want to dance and sing along to. Its filled with alot of controversial lyrics and also lyrics that will make you wonder what the heck she is talking about. I would definitely rate this album 5 out of 5 stars for sure. Go check it out and tell me what you think.