Target Beauty Box

I'm sure many of you have already read reviews and have seen what comes in the Target Beauty Box, but I wanted to post about it anyway. 

The Beauty Box was released back in May. I jumped at the chance to get one. As you all know by now, I love Target and I was excited that they decided to put together this box full of health and beauty products. And for only $5, I had to get one. 

This box was just a test for the company. They had no idea that so many people would order this box. They sold out very quickly and many people are hoping that this will turn into a monthly subscription box. 

Here is how the box looks like. It's a paper cover with a white box inside.

They wrapped the items with red tissue paper.

Here is what I got in my box.

List of products:

• La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo.  This is a small sample of their duo acne treatment. It was in Allure magazine in 2012 and is now available at Target. I'll probably put this to good use. I'm still prone to breakouts here and there. And I do try to change up my acne treatments/cleansers so my skin doesn't get too use to one. Currently, Target sells their 1.35oz tube for $36.99. The sample is .17oz.
• Fekkai Glossing Cream. It is to add shine to your hair and keep the frizz away. I don't usually have frizzy hair and my hair tends to become greasy, especially my bangs, so I might not use this at all. I'm afraid it will weigh down my hair and make it even more greasy. If anyone would like to try it, let me know. I'd be willing it to give it to someone who would put it to good use. They currently sell the shampoo and conditioner at Target. The 2 oz. glossing cream sells for about $10 at other stores and online.
• Gillette Venus and Olay Razor Pack. It has one blade, the handle, and a holder. I actually use Venus and I've been wanting to try the ones with Olay in it so I was pretty excited to see this in the box.  This one also has 5 blades and is a new scent, Sugarberry. These packs are currently valued at $8.99.
• L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream is a sample size, .025oz., in Light. I'm not sure how this will look on my skin since I'm a medium. I did get tan this weekend too so it might be too light for my skin. I'll have to try this and post an update about it. BB cream is just so easy to put on and saves me a lot of time when I put on makeup. A 1oz. tube is $7.99 at Target.
• Last but not least, Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. I got Lust-rous, which is a black gloss with flecks of gold and silver in medium hexagons and fine glitter. It's definitely my style of nail polish. I've used these strips before. I think they are a little thick, but maybe they improved them (We shall see). Also, I have very tiny nails and I have to cut these strips down a lot to use. But the benefit is it can be time consuming to make some of the designs these strips come in, by hand. I tend to have left overs so I can usually cover a nail or two again as an accent nail. These sell between $7.59 - $11.99 depending on the style.

This box also came with a $3 off a $15 purchase, online or in-store. Also I heard from some other bloggers that Target extended the coupon because it should have expired the 22nd of June but many people received the box late. I hope they go forward with these boxes and hopefully expand on the products or maybe different category boxes.

Subscription boxes/bags have become a big hit. There are a lot of different types with all kinds of products at varying price points. I just recently signed up to become a Maven on Julep. Julep is a beauty company that mostly sells nail polish. They do have other products, such as for hair and skin. With this subscription box, you can get beauty products or nail polish in different colors. They also have a survey to place you in one of their style categories but you can choose one as well. I like that with Julep, I can skip a month or so if I don't like that month's products or just have to conserve my finances. Also being a Maven, you can purchase their products at a discounted price.  If you are interested in becoming a Maven, I'd appreciate it if you'd go through my refer-a-friend link - click here.

Also I just signed up for My Cotton Bunny, a subscription box for when you are "waving the Japanese flag" (I just like that saying. Tee hee) I think it's such a cute idea. I know as a woman, you just need to treat yourself around that time. I'm going to give it a try and see how I like it. 

Point is...

It's a growing trend. There are so many choices, it's hard to decide which ones are the best. There are plenty of blogs that review all kinds of subscription boxes so you have a chance to see what it's like before you commit.  I think it's a great idea and really helps you try different products without spending a lot of money on them first. 

What do you think?

What subscription boxes do you currently subscribe too? What are some you have subscribed to and cancelled? What do you like/don't like about them.

Weekend Fun: Irving Plaza

So this past weekend was super busy but so much fun! 

My weekend started on Friday. I got to take the day off from work because my boyfriend and I had tickets to see Say Anything at Irving Plaza. We slept in and enjoyed the day. We had a light lunch at The Argyle Grill & Tavern in Babylon Village. I got the Sesame Seared Tuna and my boyfriend got the Rustic Marinated Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Both were very delicious, so if you are ever in the area, I recommend going to The Argyle. Sorry I don't have a picture of our food. We were on a tight schedule to get to the train. After our meal, we headed for the train.

My boyfriend makes silly faces all the time. :3

We got to the city around 5 PM. We decided to eat again so we aren't hungry during the concert. We headed into K-town to our favorite restaurant, The Mandoo Bar. This would be our third time going to this restaurant. They have the most adorable and juicy dumplings. We usually get the Baby Mandoo, 16 tiny steamed pork dumplings.  

Look how little they are!

Also we ordered the Combo Mandoo, which was 4 of each type of dumpling they have; Pork, vegetarian, & seafood. I like the pork ones better.  Also they serve kimchi as an appetizer. I love going to Korean restaurants and using metal chopsticks. 

We were super hungry!

After we ate, we took the Subway to Irving Plaza. There were so many people waiting on line already. It wrapped around the block twice. We were so excited! We haven't seen Say Anything since The Paramount last year. Best part was one of my new favorite bands opened for them, Eisley! Anyway, there were four opening bands that night. I the Mighty, Northern Faces, HRVRD, and Eisley. 

I didn't really get into I the Mighty. They didn't exactly announce who they were or talk to the crowd as much. They also played their music while a video of clips and kaleidoscope effects played in front of them on a see-through sheet. The music was pretty good but I thought the video was distracting from the music and it was kind of funny when their Time Machine wanted to back-up during their performance so they had to fix that.  I listened to their songs online and I'm starting to get into them more.  They are more explosive rock with really amazing guitar riffs and powerful drums.

I The Mighty

Here is their Official Music Video for "Failures"

Also another great song, "These Streets Are Alive"

Northern Faces was second to play and I'm in loved with their music. Their music is a mix of blues and rock with deep bass rhythm and amazing vocals. Most of it was mellow and I really enjoyed it. I bought their EP too. 

Northern Faces

Here is their Official Music Video for "Under My Skin"

Check out their Facebook for more music.

Next HRVRD played, which is basically Harvard without the A's, as the lead singer explained. They were different. I'm not sure how to explain their music. It's very rhythmic, mellow and out there. The lead singer had this tiny keyboard synthesizer that sounded like recorder and a kazoo. You can hear it in the song below. His voice reminds me of the lead singer from Coheed & Cambria. It's definitely music I could see people listening too while they are "high". He ended up climbing up to the balcony in a weird mask. I do enjoy listening to their songs online but live was just a little too strange for me.

HRVRD

Here is their song, "Flaming Creatures"

Then Eisley went on. I love them! They are amazing. The band is made up of 4 siblings and 1 cousin or family friend. Their vocals and piano are amazing and I just love all the songs.  They just released their new album, Currents.  I love the art on the cover too. I'm debating on getting the fish as a tattoo. 

Eisley

Just take a listen to them:

Here is their song "Ambulance" from their last album.

Here is one of their new songs, "Blue Fish".

Say Anything came on after them. They were amazing. They are a mix of punk rock with fun, lyrical songs and memorable melodies. They've been playing since 2000. You just have to listen to them to understand.

Here is the Official Music Video of "Say Anything"

And here are my two instagram videos from the concert. Sorry for the poor quality.

Part of "Do Better" & Part of "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too"

Side note: Sherri from Eisley and Max from Say Anything are married and they recently had a baby named Lucy. Here's a blurry picture of them all together on stage as a family. Lucy was wearing these gigantic noise-resistant headgear that matched her pink outfit. She was adorable! Also a picture of the cute couple singing together on stage.

Point is...

I had a blast and so did my boyfriend. We didn't get home till 1:30AM. And as we laid in bed, we dreaded the next morning when we had to be up at 6 AM. But I'll have to tell you all about that in another post. 

Let me know who is your favorite band and a favorite song of theirs. Also, have you heard of or listen to any of the bands mentioned above? What do you think of them all?

I'm Feeling Wicked...Nail Polish Review [#2]

Hello viewers and fellow bloggers! It's been a crazy weekend, so sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I'm currently relaxing, eating white cheddar popcorn, and watching my boyfriend play Borderlands 2. I hope to get more post out this week. I have a few topics/reviews I've been wanting to write about and a post about this awesome weekend. Without further ado, here is my latest nail polish review. 

As you know, I've been writing reviews about these inexpensive nail polishes. I'm currently wearing Covergirl Outlast Glosstinis Appletini and Maybelline Color Show Twilight Rays. Also I got a chance to use my Mt. Moon by Rainbow Honey. Mt. Moon cost $10.00, which is on the high-end side, but Appletini and Twilight Rays only cost $2.99 each. Though Appletini is a smaller bottle (3.5 ml), it's still a great price.

Sorry for the blurry picture.

The color of Appletini really pops and only took 2 coats.  It's a very yellow-green color and slightly neon. Not many people like this color or don't think they can pull it off but it's a great base for any themed manicures or nail art.  The color actually grew on me as I wore it for the past week. Plus, it matched my phone case which I did by accident.

I use Twilight Rays for my ring finger. It's a nice black color with a fine gold glitter. It reminds me of New Year's Eve. It covers in about one coat, but I wanted the richness of the black, so I used two coats.  The glitter is very fine so you can only see it in certain lighting. When you look really close, you see the speckles sparkle. 

My manicure really reminded me of Wicked, the broadway musical about the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good from the Wizard of Oz.  It's one of my favorite musicals. So far, I've seen it twice and I'd go again if I could afford it.

I felt like I was Elphaba with my manicure, but I wanted a bit more sparkle. I decided to coat Appletini with Mt. Moon. I think it looks awesome with it. You see all these blues, purples, and pinks and chunks of silver glitter. It's very out of this world. (tee hee) This reminded me of how much Glinda touched Elphaba's heart and how their friendship and love for each other grew. (If you haven't seen Wicked, I highly recommend it.)

I topped it off with my Essie Good to Go.  I did not do a matte coat. I really wanted to keep the pop of color and sparkle of the glitter. My manicure has defied gravity (sorry for my bad puns) and has held up for the past week. Minor chips on the tips of my nails, but still very solid. 

Point is...

I'm very happy with the quality of this nail polish and I recommend it for it's price and color if you are looking for a fun summer color or a great party/holiday color. I hope you enjoyed my review and more to come! 

I forgot to ask! What do you think of the color and have you tried any of these nail polishes? Anyone else feeling the Wicked-ness? And any other colors you think are great?

Target Haul - Review [#2]

I'm back to give a review on the items from my Target haul. You may have read my previous post about Simply Balanced Popcorn Chips Sun-dried Tomato, and how I was sorely disappointed in them.

I have found out that Simply Balanced is part of Target's Archer Farms brand and is developing organic snacks and healthy drinks that will be released over the next 6 months. This is part of their launch to get more organic foods on their shelves.

I also bought Simply Balanced Sea Salt & Pepper Baked Potato Crisps. I bought this 8oz. bag for $2.99. (For a 5oz. back of the Popcorn Chips was $2.99) 

And I'm in love with these. The brand has kept with the same colors except for the circle in the middle. They took the color from the bowl as the accent color. These are also low sodium and fat compared to other brands.

Here is a picture on the front

Here is what the crisps look like. Don't they look delicous!

They look just like the picture on the bag. It's peppery & salty and very crispy, so I feel they have the name down pat. Great to munch on as a snack at work, but you just have to keep an eye out on how many you start eating. Some chips can be really salty or peppery. I've had my moments where I'm inhaling them too quickly and start to choke up a bit as the pepper gets stuck in my throat.

Point is...

I'm enjoying my new snack and I look forward to see what other types of food they come out with. I give it a 8 out of 10.

Target Haul - Review [#1]

So as I stated before, I'm going to start a review some items I buy from Target. 

Here is a few items from my latest haul.

So far, I've only eaten the Simply Balances Popcorn Chips, Sun-dried Tomato and honestly, I was disappointed.

The bag and the design looks great. It's colorful and  it makes you feel like you are about to eat something a little healthier and is light and crispy. Nutritional wise, low in fat and sodium compared to other snacks. It also is resealable to keep it fresh. And that's where it went downhill. I poured them out onto my plate and I was welcomed with a sad sight. they were very, very flat and the seasoning on them was unbalanced.

If you look at the image on the bag, these chips look flavorful and full of texture. 

Here is a side by side comparison of the chips found in this bag.

One clearly a little crunchier with more texture and seasoning on it. And the other very concave, flat, and lacking in any seasoning. They do have a crunch to it and taste like popcorn and tomato basil, but it wasn't the most delicious snack I've eaten. I mostly just ate them to just munch on something. 

Point is...

I give them 4 out of 10. Great crunch and flavor when you bite into a great chip, great packaging, but uneven seasoning and chips make this a snack that you are only eating because you are trying to be healthy or boredom eating.

Nail Polish Review [#1]

A few of my friends and a few of the blogs I follow do reviews on nail polish and I wanted to give my opinion. I'm going to try and focus on mostly nail polish that are inexpensive but hopefully has great qualities and great colors in some different but fun combinations. 

I'm going to be reviewing these nail polishes in the next few posts. So check back often!

I had mentioned in my thrift store adventure with my boyfriend, I Only Got $20 In My Pocket, that I bought two Essie nail polishes for $5.50 each. I'll be reviewing Smooth Sailing from that post and Revlon's Celestial FX. I got it for $4.99. These aren't the cheapest nail polish but for someone on a budget, this is not as much as some other well known brands.

Smooth Sailing is from Essie's 2011 Summer Collection, Braziliant. This polish has a rich indigo color with tiny bits of silver sparkle throughout. It only took two coats for me. I really like the sheen and the color is really pretty.

Depending on the lighting, there are these purple hues in it. It's a very fun color. I figured since it had this silver sparkle to it, I'd top it with Celestial FX.

It has large holographic diamond, star, and moon shapes along with tiny glitter pieces. It also is fast drying, so you have to work fast or keep the bottle capped.  

It was really difficult getting the larger pieces of glitter to stick to my nails and stay. If you want to coat your nails in fine glitter, you could do it in one coat with this but It took a lot of dabbing and placing to get a star or a moon. 

It was nice that it dried fast, but I started noticing that the bigger pieces of glitter would stick out a bit or you'd feel the pointy parts of them not sticking all the way down. 

I figured I'd put a coat of matte on it and that would seal those bits in.

Sadly, it did not. I could still feel them poking me and sticking up. I'm the type of person to pick at things like that when I'm thinking or bored.  And it just is a pet peeve of mine, so I removed the nail polish after a day.

Sorry I can't say how long it could have lasted or how well it held up to daily use and any chipping. 

Point is...

I'm going to give Celestial FX another try. I think it'd look great on a darker color. I'll keep you posted. Happy Polish Hunting!


UPDATE

Tried Celestial FX again. I'm much happier with the results. Just a lot more patience and took my time getting it right.

Target 101

So I have been a customer of Target for some time. I love shopping there and tend to find myself there many late nights with friends or when my boyfriend is at the gym and I wanted to get out of the house too.

The one by my house is open till 11PM or midnight, so when everything else is closing, I usually end up there. I try to just peruse, but I mostly end up spending money. I buy clothes, accessories, food, movies, beauty supplies, random items, and gifts. I go there so often, it was a benefit for me to open a credit card with them just to save 5% on everything I buy.

I do love a lot of their brands and the brands they sell. I love that I can go there to shop for clothes and food all at once. It's super convenient. (There is two by my job as well.) So I go there on my lunch break when I need to resupply my snack draw.

Point is...

Since I go there often, I would like to  write some post about what I get there and how the products fair. Whether I love or hate, I'll give my honest opinion.

I will talk about some of the items I bought today in my next post.

Sand It Down

I've noticed that the trend in nail polish has turned from crackle, to neon, to caviar/beaded and now sand/texture. I've read some reviews on these types of nail polish. Some people love it, some get use to it, some dislike it completely.

 

  

I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I have seen it at my nail salon with samples of the color. It felt so gritty and the possibility of it getting caught on certain clothes or cotton balls doesn't sound pleasant. I'm a color girl, so no matter the brand, I usually buy nail polish based on color. The colors of some of these are really pretty and some have hints of sparkle.

I'm just curious if it weighs down on your fingers more and just the feeling of that texture. I might find myself picking at it or cringing when it rubs against certain things.

What do you think? Anyone try out these types of nail polish? If so, what's your take on it?

Me, My Macbook Pro, and Adobe CS 6

So I mainly started this blog to talk about my creative side. As a graphic designer, all I do is use my imagination and my skills to create beautiful graphics. But before I showcase my work, I should talk about myself, where I started, and where I am now.

I started getting really interested in art while I was in middle school. I started on Paint Shop Pro 7 and use to make fan art for actors or musicians I loved to create pixel dolls, too. By the time I hit high school,  I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go for college.

In my Senior year, I was still making fan art, learning about web design. I was already coding websites, myspace layouts and blog layouts all on my own. I realized that I could do this for a career. So, I dropped math and science and started art classes that year.  It was tough, especially since I had no experience before then; I was mostly self-taught. But through hard work and practice, I was able to gain skills, create a portfolio and I applied to SUNY Farmingdale.

I got into the Visual Communications program there, met great friends that I still have today and graduated 4 years later. I'm now working as a graphic designer; Learning new skills, gaining more confidence and just showing what I can do with my creativity and imagination. Best part is that I get to have a lot of fun. I work for the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County. I'm sure most of you know who the Girl Scouts are, but here is just a short explanation:

"We are a non-profit youth organization. We are helping girls become great people who change the world with their courage, confidence and character. We don't just sell cookies, we go camping, we learn new skills, we help our communities, and aspire to be successful in whatever we choose."

It's a lot of fun, but its hard work and we volunteer with our spare time. And I get to design different things for girls, adults, volunteers, and much more. It's all about being eye-catching and really connecting with a younger generation. 

But back to the main subject...

During college, I started to freelance under "Anise Design".  The name is kind of a hommage to my ethnicity. Anise is a type of seed similar to Star Anise, Fennel, and Licorice. It's use as a medicinal herb and it's very a simple, white flower plant. I thought it was pretty and I liked that idea that it was different, even exotic, but helpful in some way. That's how I wanted to represent my design. It's simple yet creative. I also like to consider myself a very technical designer and a perfectionist. 

Here is where my freelance brand started and where it is now. 

My First Brand Design - 

I started with this design half way through college. I chose aqua and brown as my base colors. I also chose a very fun font with rounded edges and customized the logo with stars as the counter (the space inside certain letters, such as "o" or "b"). My business cards were a custom size; much smaller than standard size cards.  Also the business cards and even my letterhead had one rounded edge. I basically wanted to make it fun and I thought it was awesome.

Obviously as time went on, I took more classes and learned more about design. And I realized that it wasn't the greatest design.  Also it was a hassle to cut the corners to round them. I started to hate it and wanted to change it up.

Second Brand Design - 

My palette of colors became darker. This one has yellow-green, light yellow and dark gray. I chose a new font with more of an edge and was a script. I actually created this in my final year at school. This was what I gave out during interviews. It took some time for me to find a job; about 6-7 months. 

Thankfully, I was hired at my current job. I've been there for 2 1/2 years. And I've grown as a designer since then. I have been given more responsibility in my organization and I started to broaden my ideas and find other inspirations. 

You can visit my website, www.anisedesign.com, to see some samples of my work and the second brand design. I never really got to finish my website. The page up there now is just a one-page website just to have my resume up there and some of my portfolio pieces.

My Final Brand Design (for now) - 

Currently, I have changed the colors again. I went for a turquoise color and standard black and white. Also kept the with gray to compliment the turquoise in my website. I changed the font of my logo again to a different script font that is smooth, connected and girly.  My last logo had too many hard edges and points that I really didn't like. It's a little whimsical and reminds me of a old-school bakery but that is my retirement dream, to open a bakery.

Besides that, I haven't had a lot of time to spend on making this brand complete. I'm hoping to get that urge to finish it and have it for whenever I do decide to look for another job. 

Point is...

This is my story and the journey I'm on to become a great designer and be successful and happy with my life.

I Only Got $20 in My Pocket

Recently, I went to the Tri-County Flea Market with my boyfriend. I haven't been there since I was a baby and I've been wanting to go to a flea market for a while. I just love walking around to all the different shops and aisles and see what they are selling. It brings back a lot of childhood memories, especially when you see old VHS tapes of Disney movies and Playskool toys you use to have.

It's also hilarious to see what they are selling and for how much.  I don't know what it is but it seems like a lot of people had rooster related items. We saw several things, from trays with rooster imprinted on it to salt and pepper shakers. 

This one was my favorite.

"What up, I am a big cuckoo!"

We also found some other items.

A cute glass dog with one ear up and one ear down.
(My boyfriend attempting to copy him, too)

The creepiest ceramic mask. :heebie jeebies:

And the cutest dinosaur book end who was missing his pair.
I really wanted to buy it but I took a picture instead.

After walking up and down and all around, I got tired. But before we left, I went into the beauty supply store they had there.  Since I was itching to buy more nail polish, I figured I'd check out what they had.  I found two Essies that I really liked and they only cost $5.50 each. That's the cheapest I've ever found for Essie.

I purchased these two.

Smooth Sailing and Haute As Hello

After that we went to the mall. I got to finally go shopping for Spring/Summer clothes. I have been doing good at not spending all my money and shopping for clothes and pretty things. Also, I've been working out with a Personal Trainer and going to the gym regularly to get more fit and in shape.  I've been skinny my whole life. I'm not complaining and most people would probably say I'm lucky.  I am but I'm not. I've been a skin and bones since I hit puberty.  I've been made fun of for how sickly I looked and that I had no butt or boobs. I've been asked several times if I was anorexic. I could never find clothes that fit me. I wore children sizes up until high school.

Now that I'm older, I've had enough of it.  I'm eating more but healthy.  I'm working out to become stronger and I'm happy. I've gained 10lbs since last November. I'm actually considered normal weight for my height and age. But now, most of my clothes don't fit. I have a lot to clean out and donate, but until I find more time to sort, I got to purchase some fun clothes that fit my body and make me super happy. Especially since my lovely boyfriend bought my clothes for me. He is an amazing! 

Then we went out for all-you-can-eat sushi at Minado. It was super delicious. I wasn't being "Asian" enough that day. We were super hungry so I don't have any pictures of the food, but I have a cute picture of my boyfriend being silly.

I'm a walrus!

Point is...

I'm starting to realize that I do a lot with my life. I work hard and play hard when I can. I'm really starting to take more enjoyment in my life and the time I get to spend with my boyfriend and everyone else. And just starting to feel less anxious about where my life is going to take me and just let that day come when it's ready.

And the fact that I get to doodle at work is pretty fun too.

Working on a magazine and sketching out the photo idea for it.

I hope I get to post about my design work soon; So many projects, so little time!