Monday, October 28, 2013

Influenster's Varsity Vox Box: NYC New York Color's Big Bold Gloss

Me wearing the NYC New York Color Lip Gloss over an orange lipstick


I was lucky enough to be chosen to receive one of Influenster's latest VoxBoxes: The Varsity VoxBox.  I love this box.  It has products that are aimed towards college students, which is perfect for me!  It contains NYC New York Color's Big Bold Plumping and Shine Lip Gloss, Kiss's Nail Dress Nail Adhesives, Clearasil Daily Clear Refreshing Superfruit Wash, Airheads Xtreme Bites, and Tide PODS.  


 As you can see, all of the products are very reasonably priced, which is great for college students!!









One of my favorite products in this box was the NYC lip gloss.  It is very sheer in color, but still adds a little pigment, which is great for people like me who are very pale.  It adds some color to me so that I look healthy, instead of dead.  It goes on with a slight tingle, but it isn't uncomfortable like some plumping lipglosses.  
  It really is a gorgeous color.  It isn't too big or too small of a tube.  You definitely have a lot of product in there, but you can put it in your pocket.  I have worn it on its own, as well as over lipsticks and I love it for both! For being a pretty thick [but comfortable] lipgloss, it really isn't sticky like you might imagine it to be.  
 Here is a picture of the applicator, which I think is quite nice.  It's soft but effective.
 Another angle of the applicator.  It really is huge compared to other lip glosses.  This makes it very quick to apply, another appealing factor to college students!
& here is the tube once more.  

If I would have to rate it I would definitely give it 5/5, or in Influenster terms, an A.  It's easy to apply and really spruces up any looks.  I am definitely going to buy this lipgloss in other shades.  
I recently wore it to a family party and found the color to be very complimentary with my skin color and very comfortable as well.  In this picture I am wearing it over an orangey lipstick.  
Ignore my kind of odd expression here.  The lipgloss is quite long lasting!  It held through my lunch and apple juice!

 Here my lipgloss is still on after eating cheese and crackers with my cousin.

 Seen here is my apple juice, and rather odd tights. 


Thank you to my boyfriend Dave for taking my phone and snapping at least 150 pictures of our family get together! Without that I would not have any of these pictures.  

& Thank you to you, too, reader! 
♥Riley




P.S. Have you tried this lipgloss? Which shades do you have it in? What is your favorite way to wear it? :] ♥




Saturday, October 5, 2013

Halloween Crafts for Dogs: ty Beanie Baby Tags!

Halloween is quickly approaching, and for many that means finding, picking out, and/or making Halloween costumes.  Here's a quick craft that costs less than $1 and an hour of your time.  I chose to make one for my dog!!

Here is my chihuahua-yorkie mix Jasper in his beanie baby costume! I know if he had been a beanie baby he would've been my favorite!

Here's what you'll need:

  • scrap of red felt
  • scrap of white felt
  • white thread
  • needle
  • scissors
Optional:
  • leather punch
  • white puff paint
First thing's first, make a pattern! I folded a piece of paper in half and cut out a perfectly symmetrical heart.  Then I opened up the heart and folded a separate piece of paper in half.  Then I put the open heart over the folded paper, leaving a little of the heart over the side of the fold.  
 Here's what the paper pattern ends up looking like.  You'll need to trace and cut out one in red and one in white, the same size.
 Tracing and cutting out the white, and a better picture of the heart stencil.

Then pin the two together and blanket stitch them together, the whole way around!  I realized I didn't have a picture of me sewing the "ty" on.  To do this, I traced the letters t and y into a piece of white felt, and cut them out. Then I stitched them on to the red part.  I highly recommend you do this before sewing the red and white together.  Hindsight.
Then you'll need to poke a hole to be able to attach it to things.  I used my leather punch [which was actually kinda difficult] because I have one and never really get to use it.  I bought it from Michael's when I was making my purse, so that I could attach the chain.  It was somewhere between $10-15 before my 40% off coupon.  Pretty good deal! I really recommend getting one that has metal tips though.  The plastic ended ones won't cut through ANYTHING.

Just look at his creepy little smile!

Then just attach the tag to yourself or your dog or cat or anything else you can imagine! I used a hair tie to attach it to my dog's collar.  He hated it. But he gets really worried when we do anything to his collar.  I think other dogs, especially those who like dressing up, won't mind it.  


Here are some more pictures of my hunny bunny in his tag.
 He's so adorable,  how could I not take a million pictures? :)
Another way I mentioned is to puff paint on the letters, instead of cutting them out and sewing them on.  I prefer this method, but don't have pictures. The "ty" turns out much brighter if puff painted and is somewhat shiny.  It takes a lot less time than sewing, but it's totally up to you! 

You can also write their name and info inside! Jasper's will say "Jasper Q!" and his birthday :)


Thank you so much for reading my blog post! See you all soon!
♥ Riley

P.S., if you like this blog post and would like to see more, please subscribe :) If you try this or any of my other tutorials, please send me your work, I'd love to see it!