Current Favorite: Lipgloss

As is evident, I LOVE trying new products. On a trip to Sephora in April,  this anti-aging lip tint was on SUPER clearance. Typically I would not spend $20 on a lip gloss, so due to the clearance I thought this was worth a shot.

First off, this formula seems like your average lip gloss. It is sticky and thick. It doesn't do any of the "tingly" stuff that sometimes happens with corrective products.

I purchased this product in "Plum" and I think the color is phenomenal! I love how it seems to be a deeper shade of my natural lip color, which is essentially what I am always looking for in lip color.

To be honest, I have not noticed any changes in the overall appearance of my lips. Perhaps my lips aren't aging quite yet, and therefore I did not see any changes? I do not know… I DO know that I love this lip gloss for now and that it feels moisturizing as well as provides a great tint!

Will I buy it again? No, unless it's a super clearance product.
Would I recommend this product: Yes. But primarily for the tint, not the formula.

Review: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On: Perversion

First of all, hi! Sorry for the blog hiatus. I don't even know. I have no excuses, really.

I've been wanting to do this review for awhile now, and after using this pencil for close to 3 months, I feel like I have a few things to say. Not long ago I did a post on using eye shadow as liner. I still love this method, but some mornings, I do NOT have time for it. Hence… eyeliner. 

I will start by saying I have been a LONG time user of Revlon color stay eyeliner. I started using it sometime in high school and really never stopped. I love how a) its cheap and b) it doesn't budge. Really, that's all you can ask for in an eyeliner, right?

Well, as it turns out, even when i'm satisfied with a product… I'm not. I love hearing about the new stuff and EVERY time I went into Sephora or Ulta, someone would recommend this eyeliner. So finally I said, whatever, let's do this. 

And here is what I have to say…in the form of a list. 

1. Is UD better than Revlon? No. Not better. But different. 

2. Does UD stay on better and longer than Revlon or any other eyeliner I have experimented with? No. But it stays on exceptionally well, especially when used with a primer. But when I come home from an 8-hour work day, I have to touch up the smudges underneath my eye. 

3. Is calling it a glide-on accurate? YES. YES. YES. If there is one part of this product I would like to brag on, it would be the application. This stuff is so smooth. I have never used anything like it. It gives you the freedom to apply it in a thick line or do dots to make a very thin, natural line. And effortlessly. I love that. 

4. What about the color? Well, funny you should ask. I am a black eyeliner girl. I don't understand the point of brown eyeliner, and I have reactions to blue or purple. So, I am a blackest black kind of gal. UD has a color called "Perversion" which is absolutely gorgeous. It is the RICHEST black. I don't know how to explain it, but it's fantastic. And, in my opinion, a much prettier shade than Revlon's "Blackest Black."

5. Will I continue to buy this product? Well…. I'm not sure. It depends. At $20 a pop, it IS significantly more than Revlon ($4). So, yes, I will buy it again. But… every time? Probably not. 

So, there you have it. A mediocre review if you will. I can't get TOO excited about this product, but I do like it. And that's about all.

Not everything can be scream worthy. 

I hope to be back sooner rather than later, but I can't make any promises!

XOXO, 

Review: The Husband's Secret

Okay, I guess I took a little bit of an accidental blogging hiatus. Time flies when you are having fun (and trying to find new living arrangements, working, taking care of a puppy, etc etc.) I have somewhat settled down as of recent and I was itching for a good read. 

I heard through several other bloggers that Liane Moriarty's books are great reads, and so the other day I randomly selected "The Husband's Secret."

…..and I'm officially on the bandwagon. I absolutely could not put this book down. I don't know how to explain it (and who wants someone to explain a book to them, anyways?) but I highly recommend it. It has a little bit of suspense, a little bit of romance,  a little bit of drama… all of the ingredients for me to get sucked in. 

Sorry that my "return" post is lacking in substance. 

I am off to read more of Liane's books. 

And I am testing out a new eyeliner. Stay tuned. 

Have a happy Easter weekend!

Show Us Your Singles (heart emoji)

Happy Friday and Happy Valentines Day weekend! What a perfect weekend to link up with Kelly's Korner blog for Show Us Your Singles.

As I have said in previous years, I absolutely love this blog and this idea. I think it is so fun- and, why not?

I had to do a little bit of begging to get my "single" back on board this year. For those of you that have participated before, you might recognize my cousin AJ!

You can reference old posts to hear me brag on him, but I am more than willing to do so again this year.

AJ is one of the best and funniest guys I know. In short, I am lucky to have him as my cousin AND friend.

Name: Austin (AJ)
Age: 28
Occupation: Design Engineer
Location: Lincoln, NE

AJ is very family oriented and cares a lot about his friends and family. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

 

If you are interested in learning more about AJ, send an email to sweetandmodern@gmail.com OR leave a comment!

xoxo!

The Current Post

I stumbled on this "currently I am…" challenge and thought I would give it a go. So, here it goes.

Reading…. Unbroken. There isn't much to say as I just started, but, so far so good! I wanted to read it in case I decide to see the movie.

Playing… what? I'm not playing anything. Sometimes I play trivia crack. I actually feel like the constant trivia is making me smarter. Maybe.

Watching… Parks & Rec. Need I say more? Greatest show. And the Bachelor, unfortunately. What a mess.

Trying… I was trying to come up with the greatest cinnamon roll recipe ever, but making 1-2 batches per week became tiring and I am breaking on that effort.

Cooking… nothing lately. I have really been slacking.

Eating… a lot of girl scout cookies. Too many. Embarrassing amounts. I wish the peanut butter patty and thin mint didn't exist. This season of life needs to end, stat.

Drinking… a lot of water.

And I am going to wrap this up by combining the loving, thinking, discovering, feeling, going, smelling, listening to with this fun new life event:

Baby Brick was born on Christmas day and he is the sweetest little bundle of love. Pretty much since he has been here he is topping the charts on all of those things and we are so happy to have him.  And right now he is helping me write this blog.

I sure do love this sweet baby and it's probably time for us to cuddle up together. Goodnight everyone!

Love,

Current Favs: Healthy Snacks Edition

I, like many others, try my hardest to eat healthy snacks during the day. I cannot, repeat, CANNOT, get meal to meal without snacks. I can, but I also become angry. Hangry, as they say. No thanks.

The following are a few of my current favorite health(ier) snack and meal options:

1. Van's Gluten Free "Say Cheese" crackers

My sweet bf had these at his house and introduced me to them. Immediately hooked. I included this little ditty so you can see for yourself..not bad! These are SO good if you have the cheesy, salty cravings going on.



2. PB2 with Chocolate

I love this stuff. I have used it off and on for a while now- I think the chocolate version is delicious though. My favorite thing to do is to make it with slightly more water than suggested and dip apples in it. Such a treat!

3. Caulifower rice

I don't have a photo example of this, but I have been reading a lot about various uses of cauliflower and my favorite (quick) meal substitute is using cauliflower for rice. I process it until it looks rice-ish (the blender also works well) , microwave for 8 minutes or so, and then make it into my favorite rice flavors. Most recently, I added honey, soy and some garlic for a delicious teriyaki "rice." This goes great with chicken!

That's all for now.. give these a try when you have a second!

Kevyn Aucoin Review

I am super excited to finally start reviewing some of the products I have been experimenting with over the past few months.

As always, mascara is a hot topic and I am (and probably always will be) on the search for the PERFECT mascara. The good thing about the idea of the perfect mascara is that it is usually different for everyone. For that reason, it's hard to take the advice of others, because sometimes it wasn't what you were personally looking for.

I really love Lindsey Regan Thorne's blog , she is a make up artist in North Carolina (and a native Nebraskan girl!) with a lot of awesome product reviews and beautiful make up (and style) creations. In short, check out her blog.

Anyways,  a couple months ago I read a post she had written about mascara (read here). In the post she talked about her mascara journey…. Better Than Sex, They're Real, Sephora brands, drug store brands… on and on. Same story over here, so naturally I was very intrigued when she said that she tried the Kevyn Aucoin mascara and it totally blew the previous products out of the water.

So a few weeks later I was hanging out with my sister and blabbing about make up and products and new things I want to try. Being the ever so attentive sister she is, she somehow remembered this mascara I mentioned on "some blog" I was talking about (good listening skills!) and went ahead and ordered me the mascara. She gave it to me on Christmas and I was SO pumped to try it. I've been using it since then, and I feel like I have enough data to work with at this point to talk about it.

Before I review it from my perspective, here is what I look for in an ideal mascara:

1) Length. Extreme length. 

2) Moderate volume. Thicken things up. 

3) No clumping!

4) Somewhat firm bristles on the brush for a smooth application.

5) Doesn't flake off halfway through the day.

There are a few other qualities that can be helpful, but these are the nuts and bolts of a good mascara (in my opinion).

So, here it is. I am SUPER disappointed to say I don't feel like it met my expectations. One of the things Lindsey mentioned in her blog was how long the travel size tube had lasted her. I have had the regular sized tube for just over a month and I feel like it is already drying up and really difficult to apply.

My first few applications were good. I felt like the formula was decent, application was "ok," and I got enough volume. I was unimpressed with the length (I still feel like nothing compares to the length I can get from "They're Real.")  The more I have used it (which has been almost daily) I feel like it gets harder and harder to apply, and there is not much left on my eyelashes by the end of an 8 hour workday.

I wanted this to work out SO badly… but it just didn't. Unfortunately Kevyn Aucoin and I will be ending our short affair after this tube is officially out. Bummer….

BUT, it doesn't end here. There are a million mascaras out there that I haven't tried yet! And believe me, I will keep hunting.

As always, if you have any favorite mascaras that you would like to recommend, send them this way!

XOXO,