BEAUTY | eyelash extensions.

Hi friends! 
Today I wanted to talk about my experience with eyelash extensions. The process, the commitment, the expense, the upkeep, etc. I have had a lot of friends asking me questions since I have gotten them so I figured I would designate a blog post to answering all of those questions. 
First of all, do I think they are worth it? The short answer: yes. 

Yes, I love them, it makes getting ready in the morning much easier/quicker. I feel prettier going out without any make-up, and just overall they make my entire look look even better. I will say though, if I had other commitments (i.e. children, extra bills, etc) these would definitely be the first "luxury" to go. In the mean time, while I am young and have some extra money I am going to keep them.
With that being said, if you do decide to get them here are some things you should know beforehand. 

First - The cost.  This is definitely something that you need to know prior to making the commitment to eyelash extensions. And yes, that's right, it's a commitment. The first application costs between 100-300 depending on where you live - honestly it could get even more expensive in more affluent parts of the nation. After the first application you then have to get the lashes refilled every month (the length of time your natural lashes fall out) and that is usually between 50-100 dollars. 

Second - The process.  The first application took me about 2 hours. Here's the run down on what happens exactly. You go into the little room, lay down, the beautician puts some sticky eye things under your eyes so she doesn't have to worry about your lower lashes getting in the way, and she begins applying each individual lash extension to your natural lash with a super strong eyelash glue. It's definitely a process, so if you are a mover and a shaker - this probably isn't the thing for you haha. Some people fall asleep and others, like myself, make some small talk with the beautician. Regardless, you are laying down for an extended period of time and you can't really move around.

Third - Upkeep.  The thing that scared me the most about eyelash extensions was that it is recommended to not wear any eyeliner/mascara with a certain kind of chemical in it because it will mess around with the glue in some scientific way that I do not know how to articulate. Listen folks. I'm an eyeliner girl. I love a cat eye. So this was very worrisome to me. BUT you know what I did? I searched long and hard for an affordable all natural eyeliner that could do what I needed, I couldn't find one I was happy with, so I just used my normal eyeliner. And you know what? My lashes stayed on so crisis averted haha. BUT - I never wear mascara (ok I did on my wedding day but that was because I needed to be extra) or waterproof makeup. I also take my makeup off with a normal make up wipe as well, I am just extra careful when taking my eyeliner off so I don't tug on my lashes. So yea, I don't really follow all of the rules to keep the lashes on longer, but I've been happy with how long mine stay on, so I'm not changing anything. Also - you are supposed to brush them at the beginning and end of the day with a normal spooly brush (mascara brush) which really isn't difficult at all. Just keeps them in their place when they decide to go crazy after a night of sleep. 

My experience with the extensions has definitely been positive and worth the money I have spent. Here is a link to the lovely lady that does mine if you are from around my area - I definitely recommend her. 
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I'm sure I didn't answer them all, so if you have them shoot. 
I will leave you with a cute puppy picture. Have a great rest of your weekend. :) 

If you like this post, please make sure to follow me via GFC  or Bloglovin' to stay up to date with posts.  PS: Disregard my lack of editing of the photos - I wanted to make sure you guys saw the actual extensions without filters. My eyebrows are a hot mess and I have a zit. The struggle but that's okay.  :)

need new extensions?

Hi Lovelies! 

I really do apologize for being such a horrible blogger but this semester of school is really going to kick me in the but. It's only the 3rd week and I haven't had much time to even breath, yet alone blog. BUT-- I wanted to bring to attention a brand that had contacted me recently about a new set of extensions. 

As you already know (if you have been a loyal So, hi reader) I have been through a TON of extensions, and I have reviewed all of them here on the blog. So when this company reached out to me I was like "Eh, I don't know if I really want another set... I have so much hair in my drawers already!" But then I thought about it, and I realized, why not try them out! Let my readers know if they are a good set of extensions because I have been seeing a lot of bloggers review them around the blogosphere so I wanted to provide my readers with a good review. 

So here goes. Excuse the horrible, messy, hair. Story of my life. RATCHET. Oh well. 

Here is before Irresistible Me.

And here is after, with the extensions in. 

Again, I apologize for my ratchet hair. Bleaching it really rats it up hahaha. But you get the jist of the length that was added to my hair. A LOT. (Also, I didn't even use all of the clips and I had all of this "umph" added to my hair.)

Here's a better look at the length. And the color? OMG perfect. I ordered  the Royal Remy Golden blonde 22 inch, 200 grams set. 

So, here's the low down on what I thought about this new set of hair extensions. 

1. The quality is GREAT, you can choose your length and the weight, very versatile too! You get exactly what you want.

2. The color is PERFECT. I have an ombre, so it's always hard to match the hair color, but this really worked well with my hair color. It blended wonderfully.

3. It's affordable (prices ranging from 37 dollars to 339) and they have a valentines sale going on now (so I'd by them now if you are planning on getting a set!)

4. Everyone needs a good set of extensions in the back burner to clip in and feel like a hot tamale once and awhile. 

So, please, if you are at all interested in getting a set of extensions I would totally check out Irresistible Me. Especially with the sale that they have going on now! If you get them, I'd love to know what you think! 
Hope you are all having a wonderful week :) 
If you like this post, please make sure to follow me via GFC  or Bloglovin' to stay up to date with posts. 
*** These extensions were sent to me to review. All opinions are my own.

small business spotlight.

Hi lovelies! Sorry for the long break, I had internet issues since I was home for break. But, I am back to school and now I have reliable internet (thank the dear Lord). BUT I wanted to tell you guys about a wonderful Etsy site I have had the opportunity to collaborate. 

The shop is called Engravers Nest and the owner, Erin, is an absolute delight. She makes personalized wine glasses, champagne glasses, and beer glasses. I found her while searching for some cute glasses to use for my upcoming wedding, and once I saw her shop I fell in love! 

The stemless champagne glasses, which I LOVE, have gold print saying "Mr." and "Mrs."

Perfect for the night of the wedding, don't you think?!

The glasses are BEAUTIFUL and I couldn't ask for anything more. Please, if you are getting married anytime soon (or just want a cute gift to give one of our friends) check Engravers Nest out. 

You can find her on instagram as well her tag is @engraversnest

ALSO - You can get whatever you want for 10% off with the code NEST10! 

Don't forget to support small business! Nothing better than supporting the people that need us and actually get to put money back into small towns. 

If you like this post, please make sure to follow me via GFC  or Bloglovin' to stay up to date with posts.  *These items were sent to be to review. All opinions are my own.

monograms.

Come one, come all, future brides and sorority girls. I have a post dedicated to the most PERFECT monogrammed accessories. 
I have been loving monograms lately (I know, I'm a little behind on the trend) and I have been slowly growing my monogrammed accessories/clothing. 
I just think it's such a cute way to customize literally everything! From jackets, to bags, to cups, to hats. The list is endless. 
So here are a few of my favorite products currently from the wonderful site of Etsy (since you should ALWAYS support small business, right?!) 

These ADORABLE wine glasses. 

This cute vest. 

This necklace. 

Personalize your phone or laptop! 

Or a super cute spirit jersey? 
All of these items are available on Etsy at the links provided! So go out there and support small business and save some money while your at it! 
________________________________________________________________

PS: DEAL ALERT. 
Just in time for Christmas check out these super super SUPER adorable hats from Riley Beth Customized Shop. They are only 10 dollars and you can pick from any colors you can imagine! 

Luckily I was able to review one and I LOVE IT! So cute and unique! Plus I love the option for a sparkle monogram. Perfect! 
Perfect Christmas gifts! And at 10 dollars? How can you NOT go out and get one of these?!?

*PS: I was sent the monogrammed hat to review. All opinions are my own.

how to wear a blanket scarf.

Sorry for the small hiatus folks, I planned on blogging while on Thanksgiving break but there were so many family members to converse with, friends to catch up with, food to be eaten, and deals to catch that I didn't get the chance to focus on the blog. 

But, I'm back! And BOY do I have a treat in store for you. 

As many of you have probably noticed from my instagram and facebook, I have been LOVING blanket scarves lately. I also love small businesses and Etsy. So, when I saw this wonderful company on Etsy, I immediately thought of how much my readers would LOVE her blanket scarves. 

The shop is called Swirling Honey and it features so many beautiful scarves and very affordable prices (all of them are around just 20 dollars!). I was lucky enough to be sent 4 sets of blanket scarves and I love EVERY SINGLE ONE. The quality of these scarves are to die for and they keep you SO warm throughout the entire day. Not to mention they are so cute! 

So I have literally been wearing them everyday. And I've had so many compliments on them, and when I tell people that they are so cheap they immediately are interested in buying them! However, everyone had questions about how to wear them, so I decided that I would provide some small tutorials on different ways to wear these beautiful scarves. 

The Shaw. 

Drape the scarf around your shoulders. 

Grab yourself a big belt. 

Then belt the scarf so it's connected, making a cute shaw/shirt! 

The Classic.

Take your scarf and fold it in half so it looks like a triangle. 

Then take the point of the triangle and make sure it is facing the front, then wrap the arms of the triangle around your neck to the opposite side. 

The Donut. 

Roll the scarf up. 

Wrap it around your neck and tuck the extra part of the scarf under. 

Or just enjoy it as a legit blanket, SO COMFY!

So, now that you know how to wear it, GET OUT THERE AND BUY YOURSELF ON! 
Luckily, my readers are able to use the code SOHI20 for 20% off their order!!
Fun fact: That makes these beautiful, comfy, huge scarves only around $16!! You won't be able to find a deal like this anywhere else, and you are supporting small business! 
What could be better?!
PS: I received these products to review. All opinions are my own.

anatomical.

Lately I was given the wonderful opportunity of trying out a bunch of fun skin care products from Anatomicals and Formula 10.0.6.

They sent me so many wonderful things that it has taken over a month to review all of the items! But here we are, and all of the products have been reviewed, and now I am about to tell you HOW WONDERFUL these products actually are! 

First of was the lotions and body scrub. OH MY GOSH. THE SMELLS. 

So good. And that citrus body scrub had my legs feelin' like a babies bottom. The hand cream was great to use before bed, and the body butter moisturized like no other.

I was also sent two soaps to review. And again, THE SMELLS. Literally smells SO GOOD. And the soaps are real sudsy, so you feel super duper clean. 

These three products were my absolute favorite, however. I love masks, and fortunately I had the opportunity to try out 3 of formula 10.0.6's glorious masks. The "Keep Your Cool" mas smelled so wonderful, like there were cucumbers all over your face. The "Get Your Glow On" peel mask also had a wonderful smell (it smelled like summer) and it was so much fun to peel off the mask after it had dried. This was my ultimate favorite. Lastly, the "Pores Be Pure" mud mask left my skin feeling so clean and beautiful. 

Now these products were great as well. Unfortunately I have an issue with black heads, and from using this daily foaming cleanser and the Three Times Sublime wash my blackheads have deteriorated. Also, the Seriously Shine Free moisturizer was great to apply at night to keep my skin from getting dry during these cold winter months. 

Lastly, the So Totally Clean cleanser and Face Off make-up wipes. The cleanser was great and it felt like it was working as soon as it was applied. I could feel the cleanser extracting the impurities of my skin, and even though it stung a little, it left my skin feeling fresh. Additionally, the face off wipes were a life saver this past month as well. I notoriously forget to take off my make up at night, and having these wipes accessible helped me take off my make up quickly before bed, and then I didn't have to wake up the next morning with a brand new pimple on my face. 

Overall, not only are these products super funny and cute, but they also smell glorious and are pretty. NOT TO MENTION THEY ACTUALLY WORK. You can purchase these items at Ulta or Amazon, which I thought was pretty cool, since they are so accessible to so many people. So get out there folks, and try them out! Even if you don't like them you will have some cute colors added to your bathroom closet. ;)

*These products were sent to me to review - all opinions are my own.