My Birthday (with KeraStraight details) + End-of-the-Month Haul: July

   Hello.

                          

   So, yesterday was my birthday. Hooray! With that birthday came festivities, and with those came presents.
 What did I get? Well, aside from Katy Perry concert tickets + meet and greet passes(you’ve read about it here), I got a ukulele(with maracas!), a “World’s Greatest Sister” trophy(hehe), and a gorgeous little ruby ring. My cake was made out of cookie, I saw Crazy, Stupid Love, ate a Mexican dinner, and had a great time.

 
     Also got my all-time favorite Sabriel and cheap shoes at Target (:
 
    The day before my birthday, I went to Ulta. Not to buy any products, but to get a KeraStraight Smoothing Treatment. What is a smoothing treatment? It’s where your hairdresser basically paints your hair with special product. This product is supposed to make your hair smoother, shinier, and straighter for the next 3-5 months, as well as make it easier to straighten(which is part of my daily routine when school kicks in). My mother had a coupon, and offered it to be part of my birthday. Anyway, WARNING! This is not for the tender-headed! This pulls, yanks, and tears your hair when being brushed at the salon. It’s incredibly painful and time-consuming(THREE AND A HALF HOURS! Of  just sitting there! My hair isn’t even damaged or color-treated, too). I’ll document the wins and fails of this treatment for the next 3-5 months.
    So, maybe I should’ve made a post exclusively for my birthday, but it would’ve been awfully small. So here’s my End-of-the-Month haul for July, made of various little groups of things.
 

     Sephora
   
      
    
   
     What you see here: a StarterKit Brush Set by Sephora(sale: $10 originally: $25); Happy Birthday: Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath by Philosophy (free: Beauty Insiders birthday gift), a MiniMergency Kit for Her(no sale: $13); CLEAN Perfume 3-pc set (no sale: $10) 
        I was originally excited about the idea of a TokiDoki sale in the Sephora store. Sadly, it’s online-only, apparently. Figures. However, I did do some major scoring in sale with the Starter Kit Brush Set–I’ve been needing a new eyeshadow brush, and I’ve wanted to try a foundation brush, too (definitely sick of sponges). After more browsing, I found the CLEAN brand of perfume. Oh my gosh, it smells like it sounds. To my surprise, there was a $10 three-piece set. Just what I was looking for!! I can try it without the splurge. Oh, happy happy happy. As we(my mother and myself) were looking through the Beauty-on-the-Go items in checkout, I picked up the MiniMergency kit. It had sixteen little items in it! Whaaaa?! I stared at it blankly for a few moments (trying to decide if I was going to buy it or not), when my mom volunteered to pay for it, stating it was a back-to-school item. It was quite the “Awwww! MOM!” moment. I got my free birthday gift at the cashiers’ desk before we left.

    Ulta

   
    What you see here: Almay Blemish-Heal foundation, Revlon Siren lipstick, Ulta charcoal automatic eyeliner, Ulta camel eyeshadow.
     So I’ve been dying for new foundation, but since I just started using it, I’ll have  to review it later. I got the Ulta-brand eyeshadow in Camel, because I needed a highlighter. I had a coupon, so the Revlon Siren (orange) lipstick was a must. The eyeliner was on sale for $1, so I got it in charcoal. Using it for the first time: It’s the best eyeliner I’ve used to date. No kidding. 

     Other little things I’ve purchased recently:

• Seventeen’s Guide to Style
• Rimmel 084 Amythst Shimmer (purple) Lipstick
                     
• U by Kotex wristlet + tin (on sale at Target); the tin is ideal for my iPod.
                      
• Forever 21 Online -Clothes & Accessories, has yet to arrive
• Target shoes on clearance (in birthday picture with ring & trophy)

  That concludes this glorious post.

   xoxo,
       Zoe
 

 Products mentioned were bought by myself, my family, or gifted from my family.  I am not getting paid by any companies mentioned for this post, nor am I affiliated with them. Any opinions are honest, as always.

Good News, Bad News, Haul, Must List, and Book Recommendation

   Hey.

 So, the good news? My webcam is fixed. The bad news? My too-legit-to-quit camera is still quitting, which means no high-quality pictures, no pictures from somewhere that isn’t my desk, and no photography-like pictures. Aw, shucks.

    On the bright side, HAAAAUUUULLLL! Out of all the stuff I’ve gathered and collected since my last post, I’ve made a small(not really…) pile to show you the highlights. Upon seeing the massiveness of such a pile, I dissected it. Below the pictures are the somewhat detailed captions. And away we go…

           
 That’s right, baby! A 3DS! SCORE! Anyway, it’s really a magnificent piece of technology. I have French Bulldog + Cats, waiting on Animal Crossing and Mario Kart, which are scheduled for release in June. Um, yeah, that’s how much of a hardcore gamer I am. Anyway, also pictured: RAD stationery set from Target; Dollar Tree piggy bank with Europe! painted. Just two more years…

    
  I got this Squishable Narwhal for Easter. It’s the only stuffed thing you’ll ever need…(unless your like me, and need to be surrounded by plush at all times).  Link it? Sure, why not? Click here to grab.

   
 From left: Throne of Fire; 1 Mix, 100 Muffins; Red Riding Hood
  I adore LOVEFOOD cookbooks. Click here for a previous review of a book very similar to this one. As for Red Riding Hood? I already have it, but received it in the mail. The “bill to” was to Hachette Book Group(the publisher), and after extensive research, I’m assuming I won it. Let’s hope…

 
 I’ve been dying for some Keds! These are simple black ones, on sale. Holla!

  
  Two knew crossbodies! The front-most one is actually a light purple, but like I said earlier, don’t expect high-quality pics from my webcam. From Target, $10 on sale. Next: SUPERSCORE! Indiana Jones-esq bag from Charlotte Russe, $10 on sale as well. I’ve been searching forever for an adventurer bag, and I’m ecstatic about this soft, perfect bag.

       
 These are two AVON Perfect Wear extra-lasting products. Standing up is Forever Pink. Honestly, the shade is tackytackytacky when first put on, but kiss a tissue and it’s just right. Laying down is absolute perfection! It’s a lip gloss, unlike its neighbor, and the color is Constant Coral. It lasts forever, until you eat something, that is.

 
 This free sample is super large for it’s free-ness! Love it. It was a text-in. I got the code from Teen Vogue, I think. Beside it lays a Biore pore-strip sample I got in Seventeen. I think I should plan a spa day.

 
  You can’t see it, but these marigolds have two blossoms!! It only took two months and 11 days, but we’re finally growing here. This Dollar Tree(man, I talk about that place a lot..)-generic, mini Aqua Globe saved my plant from a slow, dry death.

  
 An inspiration folder! I want to re-do my room over the summer, and I feel like this is a way to plan ahead. It’s filled with things I like..

   …Which brings me to this week’s

          FAVORITES LIST!

• Death Cab for Cutie – They’re releasing a new album soon, and I can’t get enough of that Tourist track.
• Arthur – Saw it at the $1.50 theater, too cute!
• Butterflies – Stationery, desktops, the real insect…I think I should get a henna tattoo of a butterfly swarming my wrist. You dig?
• Free-Gift Birthday Clubs – My birthday’s not till July, but it’s never too early to sign up, right? Favorite so far: Sephora’s!
• Threadless.com – They have the most killer T-shirts.
• Anthem by Ayn Rand – Read the little article below.

     This rounds out this week’s favorites-list. Moving on…

                             
                                Anthem by Ayn Rand
     Upon an obsessed conversation with my brother(of all people), I was recommended this book. The tiny thing gave me little expectation, but it was like WHOA! This book is utterly fantastic. I absolutely recommend this book to everyone. Check it out.

   In other news…
  I’m headed to the overrated sunshine of Florida in June. What will I be doing there? Geeking out at the Harry Potter part of Universal Studios! Can’t wait. While in Orlando, I’m hoping to visit their Chinatown and H&M. Maybe even swim with a manatee or two–who knows?

  That concludes this post. I’m hoping I’ll have time to go overtime up in here, after my absence. We’ll see, I suppose.

     xoxo,
        Zoe

 

 Products mentioned were bought by myself, excluding Red Riding Hood, which was won, and the Squishable narwhal, which was a gift from my parents. I am not getting paid by any companies mentioned for this post, nor am I affiliated with them. Opinions are honest, as always.