Fly High, Angel.

Talia Joy Castellano

As I'm sure many of you have heard, Talia Joy has passed away.  For those who don't know, Talia Joy Castellano is a 13 year old girl with a very impressive YouTube channel that had almost 1,000,000 followers. She also had two types of cancer. Sadly, on Tuesday she was called home by God. You can view her YouTube channel at youtube.com/taliajoy18. She also has a Facebook page called "Angels For Talia" that is updated by her family members.

This amazing little girl was only on this earth for 13 years and she was fighting cancer for 6 of them. Most girls start experimenting with makeup around age 13 but she was extremely talented and loved what she did. She started experimenting with makeup at age 7 when she decided that she didn't want to wear a wig. Makeup gave her confidence and she told people "makeup is my wig".

Not only was she a popular YouTuber, she was also an honorary CoverGirl, made an appearance on the Ellen Degeneris show, and she was a spokesperson for kids with cancer. Talia was such a strong little girl and even when she was sick she was busy raising money for her favorite charity, and would film beauty videos and cancer updates. She held on for as long as she could and fought a long, hard battle. Heaven definitely gained an angel and the world lost an amazing, strong, and beautiful little girl. Rest In Peace, Talia. I know your legacy will continue on through your family.

xo, Sarah

Adventures in Self Tanning. . .

Hey girl heyyy ;)

As you all know, I'm very into tanning and enjoy maintaining a sun-kissed glow year round. Normally I go tanning in a tanning bed (and occasionally spray tan) but since it's summertime, I froze my tanning membership and opted for natural sunlight and at home self-tanning products. Not only is it saving me money, but it's also giving my skin a break. While I was in Walmart the other day grocery shopping, I took a detour to the beauty section (typical) and saw two products that had been recommended to me by a friend. I ended up purchasing both products; Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer and Jergens Natural Glow FACE Moisturizer. I've actually used the original Jergens Natural Glow lotion but I've never used the foam and heard it worked a lot better. Now that I've used both a few times, here are my thoughts on both products:

Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer (Medium-Dark)

$8.64 at Walmart

 This was my favorite of the two products. I bought the basic latex gloves pictured above to use with this so the inside of my hands/palms wouldn't be stained during the application of this product. I highly recommend exfoliating and shaving before using this product. It will give you a smooth, even surface to apply this on and it will make the color come out much more evenly. Also make sure your skin is clean and lotion free. The application was super easy. It's fast drying foam so you just squirt a golf ball sized amount into your hands, apply, and rub it in. You need to make sure you rub it in well so you don't get blotchy. I applied it carefully using circular motions and had no problems with blotches or uneven color. Most self tanners have a really gross scent to them but this one literally smelled like nothing. I was pleasantly surprised. I applied the foam right before bed, slept with it on, and showered in the morning. When I woke up and looked in the mirror I was very happy with the results. I definitely got at least 2 shades darker even though I had only used it once so far. I'm usually pretty weary of self tanners and only use products that I've personally seen people use with great results or products that have tons of positive reviews. Some self tanning products that I've used in the past have made me less than impressed with blotches and turned me an ungodly shade of oompa loompa orange for a day or two. The Jergens Foaming Daily Moisturizer actually gave me a nice, dark, deep tan. I wasn't pale white when I used it but it still very noticeably darkened my skin.


Jergens Natural Glow FACE Moisturizer

This one was okay but I wasn't as impressed. It gives a very subtle tan and in my opinion I had to use way too much product to notice a decent change in my skin tone. This would be good for someone that is primarily looking for a moisturizer and doesn't mind a very subtle color change. Another thing I noticed is that if you use it frequently it can make your face a bit oily. It's also the same price as the full size bottle for your body which is ridiculous. This bottle is tiny compared to the body moisturizer bottle. One positive thing about this product is that it contains SPF to protect your face. I think I might return this because I'm not impressed at all. I actually ended up putting the body foaming moisturizer on my face and it worked much better than the facial lotion. I have semi-sensitive skin and it didn't bother my skin at all. I was pleasantly surprised.

Also $8.64 at Walmart

Once again this is just my two cents. If you have any questions about these products (or tanning/self tanning in general) feel free to ask in the comments section. :)

xo, Sarah

Nails Done, Hair Done, Everything Did...

Oh you fancy, huh?
Lately I've been getting more and more into nails and nail designs. I used to get my nails done every two weeks and get a full set of acrylic or gel nails but it started taking a toll on my real nails. I noticed them becoming more and more weak and brittle. I finally conquered my lifelong habit of biting my nails and they've grown out very nicely. The other day Lexi and I went shopping with a friend and I picked up some new nail polishes that I've been eyeing. I also ordered a bunch of nail gems/decals/etc. online from Amazon but they haven't arrived yet so that will be a separate post.

5 New Polishes and My Favorite Nail Polish Remover

 I couldn't decide which nail polish to pick so I just added 5 new polishes to my collection. #NailPolishAddictProblems ;) ONYX professional nail polish remover is my favorite remover and I continue to repurchase it because honestly nothing else has beat it. Like I've mentioned before, it takes off glitter polish so easily, no hard scrubbing or scraping required. It will take off normal polish with just one swipe.

Sinful Colors

Unfortunately the bottom sticker was ripped off this bottle so I'm not even sure what the color is called. It's the perfect nude/beige color. I like to use it to fill in the spots when I do my signature leopard print nails. If you use it by itself on your nails, two coats will give you a gorgeous opaque nude.

Rimmel London 60 Second Nail Color- 210 Mintilicious

When I saw this beautiful minty color I fell in love. I've been super obsessed with mint, turquoise, and teal EVERYTHING lately; clothes, accessories, nail polish... you name it. I had to add this minty baby to my collection. One of my favorite things about this polish is that it really does dry quickly so if I'm in a hurry I can paint this on quickly and go without having to worry about smudging it off.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear- Coral Reef

This is a really pretty neon-ish coral color. It is pretty opaque after just one coat and I noticed that it lasts a little longer than most polishes I use. I'm a mom and I have a pretty busy day-to-day life so I get excited when a nail polish lasts for more than 2 or 3 days without chipping or me having to redo it completely.

Sinful Colors- 830 Pinky Glitter

Now this beauty was definitely one of my favs of the bunch. It's all different sized glitter with a pink tint. I would always wear this over another pink or coral color because its a bit too clear by itself. That doesn't bother me though because I wanted a different pink colored glitter to use on top anyway. This also dries pretty quickly.

Another pic of the Pinky Glitter polish.

Sinful Colors- 952 Hazard

Hazard is more of a true coral color. It's on my thumb nail in the photo above. I used two coats and I think it came out looking great.

Have you purchased any new nail polishes lately? If so, which one (s)? Are there any polishes that you love and think I should add to my collection? Let me know in the comments section below. :)

xo, Sarah