Mirrored Vanity on a Budget (with links!)

My husband and I recently redid the bathrooms in our home. Most of the changes were just minor cosmetic changes with new toilets and paint, but we elected to totally gut our Master bathroom and redesign. I gave up my tub (that wasn't really used very often) and we had a large tiled custom shower built, plus new flooring and new bathroom cabinets and sinks. Now I had space for my dream vanity.

Picture source - Pier1 imports

Arguably the most popular mirrored vanity is the Hayworth Collection vanity from Pier1 imports. I have wanted one since we bought our house, but because our bathroom didn't have enough room, I held off. Now that I had my own little available corner, I started doing the math.

• The vanity itself is $399.95 with a $40.00 large package surcharge.
• The mirror is $229.95 with a $15.00 large package surcharge.
• The matching bench seat is $169.95 with a $15.00 large package surcharge.

This adds up to $869.85 before tax and does not include any organizational details that I may want to add. 

I looked at ways to get the price lower. I can take 10% off the prices of each unit by signing up for emails from Pier1. I can elect to pick up in store and avoid large package surcharges, which takes my total to about $719.87 before taxes. If I go through Ebates (and you should ALWAYS go through Ebates before shopping online. I can't tell you how much money I've gotten back for nothing!) then I can get an additional 2% cash back from the total, which would give me back about $15.40... Still over $700 before tax. That's pretty pricey and I haven't gotten to the organizing elements.

So... I took a different approach. And here it is!

Stila Aqua Glow Perfecting Primer

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently picked up the Stila Perfecting Primer on a binge trip to my local Ulta and have been trying it out. I got asked for more information on how it performs, so here it is!

Summer Beauty Haul: Stila Aqua Glow

Summer is almost here! So excited for warmer weather, sunny days, cold lemonade, ice cream, and summer beauty products. Stila has a great line out right now, and I picked up some goodies at Ulta recently. Here they are!

Urban Decay Naked3 Palette and a Reasonable Recant

I admit it. I was wrong.

I said I wasn't going to buy the Naked3 palette. "It's too redundant," I said. "I don't need it," I sighed. "Too pricey and ridiculous!" I wailed.

Then I got a VIB credit to Sephora and caved. Here are my [honest] thoughts. Bear with me while I try to be as thorough as I can. There are a million reviews of this palette online right now, so I'll mostly stick to the basics and pictures (including swatches).

Great Kisser? A Lip Balm Review

I've written before about my search for a great lip balm. I need something that moisturizes, smoothes, and tastes/feels pleasant. I don't want anything too waxy or goopy. And these days, it seems like most products either do nothing, or are so thick and goopy that they make the situation worse.

I've searched high and low, and when I saw that Soap and Glory had a balm, I was excited to give it a go! Their scrub is fantastic, and I even like their Clean on Me body wash. So their balm should be good… right?

Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con Lolita Palette

Every now and then, a splurge comes along and you just can't help yourself.

This is that splurge.

Sonia Kashuk Eye On Neutral Palette Swatches & Review

Recently, I've heard some rave reviews about the Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral palette, which is sold at Target.  Some beauty bloggers and YouTubers seem to have similar taste to me, and I typically like what they recommend.  However, some gals seem to recommend things that never ever work for me.  Seriously.  I'm not exactly sure why I still follow them.  Is this one of those duds?  Click below to find out!

Maintaining makeup brushes

There are numerous reasons it's important to routinely take care of your makeup brushes.  

Just a few of my favorites, fresh from a routine shampoo!

US regulations require that makeup artists clean their brushes to reduce clients' risk of contracting diseases like pink eye.  Not only is safety a concern, but the life of your brushes can be prolonged with regular cleaning and conditioning.  If your brushes are dirty with the previous day's colors, you may get a little surprise when you go to apply today's makeup and get yesterday's dark green shimmer instead of today's nude matte!

So, how do you clean your brushes?  I'm sure there are a lot of different approaches, but my favorite one for light cleaning is by MakeupbyTiffanyD.  It's great for a daily "wipe-down" of the brushes.  Simply spray a brush cleaner (such as Ulta's brush cleaner, which is cheap and works quite well) on a tissue or paper towel, then wipe your brushes on the sprayed spot, then on a dry spot.  Use a different spot on the tissue for each brush.

For a heavier cleaning, I use the Well-Cared For Brush Conditioning Shampoo from Bare Escentuals.  I simply squeeze a little into my palm, get the brush wet under running lukewarm water, swirl the brush around in my palm until no soap or dirty water is coming off my hand, then swirl around on a soft, dry towel and lay to dry, shaping if needed.  If the brush is particularly dirty with stubborn makeup, I use eye makeup remover such as bareEyes Eye Makeup Remover from Bare Escentuals before shampooing.  You'd be amazed at how clean those brushes can get!

And speaking of brushes, I've added a new one to my collection... a MAC 217 blending brush!

Gizmo awes in its beauty.

With a white brush as beautiful as this one, I'll definitely need to maintain regular cleanings!  I also got three new eyeshadows from MAC. Swatches, reviews, and possibly my very first tutorial coming soon!