Online Shopping that Won't Break the Bank

For all you shopaholics out there, you are going to want to pay attention to this post because this is for you. I myself am a bit of a shopaholic, however my bank account doesn't always support it. For me, it is all about the deals and I hate to brag but I am a pretty awesome bargain shopper. I often find a lot of clothing items under or around just $10! My conscious always feels better about buying something when it's that cheap and hopefully yours will too. Here are a few of my secrets.

Living in Cedar City there is not much to work with as far as shopping goes, however the addition of TJ Maxx has improved that rep. You can always find steals there. Even so, I have become a huge online shopper since I moved here and have learned the ins and outs of it as well. The sites that I am about to share with you all are sites that have insanely low prices and low shipping so that you are not killing yourself to afford that new dress. One thing I do have to say about these sites is that you MUST do your homework. A lot of these sites make cheaper versions of other clothing and accessories and so some of it may not look the same as it does on the website. However, customers upload pictures of themselves in the items so you can see what it looks like on the actual customer and they also leave reviews. They even give you exact measurements of the items and you can ask questions and they will respond. If the item you are looking to buy doesn't have good reviews and the picture looks completely different, then keep looking. Another tip to these websites is that the shipping time may be longer than expected. Sometimes they ship from different countries so you will need to plan ahead of time in order to get the item on time or you can just pay extra to get it expedited. It may actually be worth it since the products are so cheap :). I have made numerous orders from these websites and I have to say that as long as you do your research it is worth it. I am completely satisfied with my purchases and I continue to utilize them. Sammy Dress has an app that I actually prefer to use instead of the website and it is usually cheaper as well so you can give that a try if you would like. There are three websites and one app so here they are:

http://www.sammydress.com
http://www.trendsgal.com
http://www.shein.com
Wish app

I hope you find this post helpful and that you fall in love with online shopping again like I have. If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will be happy to hopefully answer any questions. As I said before it doesn't feel as bad when you are not spending so much! Happy shopping!

The Perfect Lashes

I don't know if you ladies are like me, but I am always striving for the best mascara or the best way to  get my eyelashes to be the longest as possible. I am also a mascara lover so I am always throwing on an extra coat before I leave the door. When I do, however, this is when eyelashes get clumpy and you just end up looking worse than better. This wasn't until I discovered my secret weapon. This secret weapon looks like this:

It is called ELF duo wand of clear mascara and brow gel and it is a life saver! The best part about it is it was only $2! I love all of the ELF products and I'm thinking that I might even do a whole post on just ELF products because every body needs to know about them so that may be an upcoming post. I actually use the brow gel everyday as well because it's nice just to keep those hairs in place, however I will just be talking about the mascara side today. All you do is brush a little coat of that on your lashes before applying mascara and it gives them an even spread and makes sure they don't clump! I like to put it on before I curl my eyelashes but you can do it before or after curling as long as it is before your mascara. Here is a before and after picture of my eyelashes before anything and then after this process. I can definitely see a difference!

It's all About the Details

When it comes to fashion, no one person knows everything. It's all up to interpretation and confidence, I think. For me, it's the little things that can really put together an outfit or at least make it look like you know what you're doing. That can either be jewelry, scarves, shoes, headpieces, and etc. Sometimes I will use statement necklaces or sometimes a scarf to accent my outfits, however I don't wear jewelry very often and so I like to choose other details that stand out more. This weekend I used socks and a hat as my accessories. This past year I had become obsessed with over-the-knee socks either paired with boots, dresses, skirts, or even just to wear with a night gown or a long sweater around the house on comfy days! I now have high socks in light grey, tan, black, and dark grey. I actually get tons of compliments every time I wear them.

My boyfriend and I took pictures in the mountains this weekend so here are a couple pictures of my outfits. I had to think of a couple of outfits really quick because we were rushing out the door and I really wanted to use this hat for both of them because I absolutely love hats. I also don't really get to wear them very often because I am usually inside and I think they are more of an outdoor look; so I thought this was the perfect time. Hats add SO much to an outfit and I think they make you look more stylish. I wanted to use the socks as well because they add a little something to any outfit and you can't go wrong with black. The rest of the outfits fell together and these are the final results. As for the men, I love hats on guys as well and I always tell my boyfriend to wear that hat if we go out. It just adds a little something extra and makes him look like he has style (or is on vacation).



All in all, I don't think it takes much to spice up any outfit. Whenever I feel like my outfit is boring I just add a little accessory, whatever it might be, and it does the trick! Fashion is what you make it so mine as well have fun and be daring. Try something new or outside of the box and be confident about it. Most of all, be you.

Coconut Oil

I know we have probably all heard about this coconut oil craze that everybody has been talking about, but hey, you can never hear too much. This past year I was constantly hearing and reading about it and all of the wonders it has to offer, but I just wasn't sure if it was worth it or if it was something I needed. Mind you, that college budget doesn't give you much room for splurges. My roommate came up to me and told me about this teeth whitening trick called oil pulling using coconut oil and she said that we had to get it. We would be splitting it so I was on board. We purchased a jar of organic coconut oil (as seen in the picture) from the health food store here in Cedar City. This is when I realized that you could use coconut oil for almost anything. Here's a list of what I use it for, how, and the benefits:

• Hair treatments
• Oil pulling
• Chapstick
• Shaving cream
• Moisturizer
• Cooking

1. Hair treatments- Take a small handful of the oil and spread it around your unwashed hair. Try to cover as much as possible focusing more on the ends and put it in a bun. Wait about 30 minutes or an hour (depending on how long you have or just how long you want to wait). Then you can rinse it off in the shower using shampoo and conditioner. This helps keep hair healthy and I noticed that mine is shinier after doing this. 

2. Oil pulling- Take two fingers and get a scoop of the coconut oil (it should dissolve once in your hand from the warmth) and put it in your mouth. Swish it around and keep it in there for up to 20 minutes. It is a bit of a jaw workout and you feel like you want to spit it out but just keep doing it. After 20 minutes you can spit it out but try to avoid spitting it out in the sink so it won't clog. Oil pulling helps whiten teeth as well as making gums strong and helping with bad breath. 

3. Chapstick- Simply putting a little bit of coconut oil on your lips can act as a chapstick replacement. I noticed that my lips were so smooth and hydrated when I used it. 

4. Shaving cream- I had never had the smoothest legs until I used coconut oil instead of shaving cream or soap. All I do is grab a little handful and rub it all over my legs and shave. Now this might clog up your razor a little bit so just tap it out ever so often to clean it out and continue shaving. I noticed that my legs were seriously so soft and I feel like the shave lasts longer as well!

5. Moisturizer- I use coconut oil sometimes after I shower and just rub a little bit all over my arms and legs like a moisturizer. I feel like it keeps my body hydrated and it even gives off a little glow! 

6. Cooking- Instead of butter, Pam or other oils, you can use coconut oil for cooking. Just place a little spoonful on the pan as it starts to heat up and begin cooking! It is so easy and it is considered a super food and a "good fat" for you body when digested. Just make sure you are not allergic! 

There are many other uses for coconut oil and many more tricks, however these are just the tips and tricks that I like to use and what I think works. I hope this list is easy to follow and that it even gives you all the inspiration to try it! I do recommend that you find out whether or not you are allergic to it before trying it.