This Beauty Post is sooooo 3 Years Ago

So today I went to CVS. I had some coupons (the only way to shop. Coupons are a god-sent, use them) and I worked some coupon magic and came home with two Maybelline mascaras and a Revlon Lip Butter.

Here's where the so 3 years ago thing comes in, I got the Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara. I remember this coming out when I worked at Walgreens in 2009. And even with my store discount I never got around to trying it (although I tried every other darn thing in that store) and to this day I still haven't tried this mascara. I'm really excited to though. I love the bristles. I am SO fed up with plastic nubby bristles. For me, they suck. I like big fat HUGE brush bristles. I read that Diorshow mascara was invented because of the makeup artist using a toothbrush for mascara and I thought "a toothbrush? What a great idea!" I always get the best results with those kinds of brushes. This new plastic bristle thing ain't working for this girl.
I also got another not so new mascara, Great Lash BIG. Why? CVS has a sale where if you buy $15 of Maybelline eye or lip products, you get $5 back. So, I needed $5.01 to get me to $15 and they didn't have any Baby Lips lip balm left so I got the cheapest mascara that I've never tried. And I had a $1 coupon off a Maybelline Mascara and a $2 CVS coupon which made both mascaras $12.

And with the $5 coupon I got back, I made a second transaction and got the Revlon Lip Butter in Creamsicle. I saw the display and Emma Stone was looking all pretty on it so I was like "Well, if Emma Stone is now a Revlon model, maybe I should try this" because I think Emma Stone is pretty damn awesome. The picture says she was wearing a color called "Peach Parfait" (or maybe something else but it had Peach in the name), but it looked to dark for me. And on the picture she honestly looked like she was wearing Creamsicle. Anyways, Creamsicle was the lightest so I got that because I'm a fan of light lip colors or ones that make you look like you have no lips. And I'm glad I got Creamsicle. It's barely any color but it's a light color which I like and they are very buttery lip butters. It's like lip balm with a hint of color but no flavor. I've seen lots of beauty bloggers talking about Revlon Lip Butters and I'm glad I got one. Plus the tube with the quilted look is SO CUTE!

I also got a nice surprise on my doorstep. I was hoping it was my American Eagle sweater, but I guess I have to wait for tomorrow for that one. Instead, a shipment of my absolute favorite Philosophy product came. Cinnamon Buns 3-in-1 wash. I got this in high school when I would spend all my allowance at Sephora with my new debit card. I tried the lip gloss in Cinnamon buns after buying the body wash, but that sucked. But the 3-in-1 body wash is HEAVEN! So, the other day when I was on nomorerack, I saw the Cinnamon Buns wash and body souffle set for $23, I HAD to have it. And I bought two sets. Including shipping, it was $50. Which apparently is less than I saved (apparently I saved $58 (56%)). I was worried that the souffle would be a flop like the lipgloss (which was so gross it made me sick), but it wasn't. It smells just as good as the wash.

In case you've never heard of nomorerack, it's a deal site that has extra cheap stuff. Sometimes the stuff is free and you just pay $2 shipping. I've gotten two shirts and earrings and tons more stuff that I forget plus the Philosophy set. It's free to join. I've had a good experience with it. I saw something on Yahoo answers where some people thought it was scammy, but for me it's never been scammy and I've gotten really good deals from the site. Somedays there are dud stuff that I have no interest in, and somedays there are gems. The other day there was even a kindle for $15 as an insanity deal.
So it's worth a try.
http://www.nomorerack.com/?cr=690430


Stay beautiful, Katie xox

Birchbox!

So I had heard of these lovely little beauty subscriptions for a few months now and for Christmas I decided to get myself one. And today, it arrived. Each month, Birchbox sends you about 4-5 samples of really quality beauty products. It'll be skincare, haircare, makeup, nail polish, etc. A lot of it is from tried and true brands, but they also include up and coming brands. It's $10 for one month, or $110 for a whole year subscription (which makes one month free).

Here is my January Birchbox:

 

 

Inside I got:

A Blueberry Muffin Larabar mini-bar. I've never seen food in any of the Birchbox review blogs I've read but hey, I like food and I consider it an act of the universe that the first time I try Birchbox, I get a food sample.

A cute Birchbox logo magnet. The card says that you can use it to fasten your New Years reminders to the fridge.

A FULL SIZE Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner. This alone retails for $20! This shade is called Peacock and it's a blue with a teal tinge to it. This will be great for the new year because I am trying to be bolder and new with my makeup.

-FIX Malibu Immaculate Complexion Smoothing Serum

-Clark's Botanicals Smoothing Marine Cream (I'm VERY excited to try this moisturizer. It's apparently supposed to tingle, too)

-Miracle Skin Transformer Treat & Conceal

Plus a tip sheet on how to detox and start your year off clearly.

Get your Birchbox here

By the way, that is the Tower Bridge on my duvet. It's a skyline of London. Goes with the new London theme to my room. I love it. You can get one at blisslivinghome.com.

But I seriously encourage everyone to get a Birchbox subscription. It's totally worth it and it pays for itself. Heck, in my case with the $20 eyeliner, it more than doubly paid for itself. 

Stay beautiful, Katie xox

Back to school, back to school, to prove to my daddy I am not a fool.

I think that line is from Billy Madison, but whatever movie it's from, it's the best back to school line ever.

So I go back to school for my spring semester on Tuesday. School always means makeup. My skin always gets a break during the holidays because I like to be lazy and stay at home. But whenever I go to school, I like to have makeup on. I'm going to be honest here, I like having makeup on because I want to look nice to potential husbands and makeup helps me look alive and alert. The problem is, putting makeup on everyday is tedius. You would think that since I have probably thousands of dollars worth of makeup that I'd be putting makeup on to go to bed, but I don't. I'm actually pretty boring with makeup. I very rarely use blush, and my kind of lip wear is lip chap (aka lip balm). My main focus is my eyes. I nos use different eyeliners and I actually bought a wine colored mascara, but it's still all pretty neutral. I'm not wearing blue mascara and teal eyeliner with gold and hot purple shadow.

But, it's a new year. Mark's theme for the start of the year is a Bigger, Bolder, Brighter 2012. I'm known for being anti-change and consistent. But, I'm taking this mantra to heart. And because a new semester with new classes is starting, I'm going to mix the two together.

My classes this semester will be French 102, US History 1877-Present, World War II, Americans in Paris, Crucifix and Swastika, and Senior Thesis. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a history major.

Because a lot of my classes deal with the French or with the 40s, I've decided that I'm going to match my makeup to my course load. I'm going to try some 40s looks with a modern twist, and I will also try out some French looks. A lot of this is out of my comfort zone. The 40s had red lips which I've never done. I've never even owned red lipstick. But, about a month ago my lovely mentor Ashleigh Angelette sent me mark's Lipclick SPF 15 Color Shine Lipstick in shade Glama as a prize. What's great about the Lipclick Color Shine colors is that they're sheer. This is a perfect opportunity for someone like me (who tries to get lipstick that's almost concealer color to make their lips disappear) to branch out into bolder lip colors. My other challenge is to tone down my eyes. Luckily I can still use heaps of mascara. I found this great blog outlining 40s makeup: http://glamourdaze.blogspot.com/2010/03/1940s-fashion-makeup-guide.html


As for French makeup, they really take the natural "no-makeup" look to heart. While they do wear makeup, their goal is to look like they aren't. While this should be the goal of many people, because natural makeup always looks better and keeps you from looking like a drag queen, it's still obvious we wear makeup. This will be a challenge for me because I love my mascara and I love my liner. I go through liner extremely fast. But maybe toning it down will save $$$. But, there are also French looks that do involve more makeup. The French use red lips and there is also a look called "La Garçon." I like this one because it still involves a slight smoky eye.

How will you make your new year bigger, bolder, and brighter?

Stay beautiful, Katie xox

The Hunger Games

One of the best Christmas presents any fan could get is a new song from their favorite artist. Taylor Swift did that and omg did she deliver. She released her new song featuring The Civil Wars for the soundtrack for the upcoming movie, The Hunger Games. The song is called "Safe and Sound" and it is absolutely perfect. When I really love a song, it's on repeat for at least a week straight and I don't listen to any other song. Obsessive much? Yep.

This song has inspired me to read The Hunger Games book. I've heard of the series, I've seen the fandoms on tumblr, and I might have checked it out once before from the library without reading it, which I do a lot. I've also heard people say that it's the new Twilight (I like the movies and books alright), but "the next Twilight" is not a compliment in my book because then I'm afraid that the lead female character is going to be moody and depressing and whiny as hell like Bella and the guy will be all brooding and emotional and that just drives me crazy.

But anyways, I know the book is about this event where kids go and fight each other. I also think it's in a dystopian, utopian, future world. Those are things I'm not so crazy about. I like the past. I love historical books. If the protagonist is fighting some vampire ghost thing in another realm while in a corset, I'm all for it. But the future and dystopias/utopias I do not like. Although Brave New World was one of the only two books in high school that I read all the way through. Ok, let's be honest, it's one of two books I actually bothered to open and read (the other was the Great Gatsby).

But, since everyone seems to love the books, there's a movie coming out, and Taylor Swift wrote a song for it, I have decided to give the Hunger Games a try. As usual, like every other book I read, it's apart of a trilogy. So I'll probably end up reading all three. Hopefully I won't be disappointed.

Have any of you read the books? Going to see the movie? Let me know what you think about it and I'll let you know what I think when I'm done :)

Stay beautiful, Katie xox

Winter Skin Rescue

I LOVE fall and winter. It's my favorite time of year and honestly, I spend all of April through mid-October wishing for fall and winter (because North Carolina summers are not fun unless you live at the beach or on top of a mountain). This year I'm still slightly waiting. It's getting cold, but it's still 60 some days. After 10 years here you think I'd be used to it but I still expect a Nor'easter to come through like I'm still in New Jersey. But I digress.

But as much as I absolutely adore the cold months, the air is deadly to our skin. It dries us out and to be frank, it's incredibly uncomfortable. And to make it worse, it's flu season so we are constantly washing our hands and overdosing on alcohol based hand sanitizers. It's a sad time for our epidermis. So moisturization is KEY! In this post I'll be showing you great mark. products that protect, soothe, and heal all the places the cold air attacks.

First I want to talk about body. A lot of times when we think of skincare, we think of our face and that our faces have so many differences and our body can fit into a one size fits all. This is true sometimes, but sometimes our bodies are as complicated as our faces. What is also different than our faces is that we like to fragrance our bodies. So there are so many options.

The first option is the Body Luxe Line. It features two scents, Pear Blossom and my favorite, Lemon Sugar. It comes in a 3-in-1 wash, a moisturizing fragrance mist, and an amazing body butter.

And, in February, mark. is launching new HAND CREAMS in the Pear Blossom and Lemon Sugar scents for $4.00. I am THRILLED because my hands get so dried and I'm a hand cream addict. But, although they don't come out on the website until February, email me at katherinejvalentine@hotmail.com to order yours for $3.50 (valid until February 1).

Fair Trade products and eco-conscious products are very in right now. Everyone likes to feel good inside and out and mark. has their own line called Body Care That Cares. And right now the bar soaps are only $7.99 for three in the Last Chance section.

Mark has some really amazing fragrances. Using a matching lotion or body butter with your favorite fragrance last longer and it also helps condition skin. Here are mark's corresponding fragranced body moisturizers.

The Last Chance clearance section also has some great products. Want moisture and a glow to brighten winter skin, try Got to Glow gradual lotion. There are also a fragrance free hand cream and body lotion.

Onto our faces. Every winter my face just dries out and feels so tight.

I love Calming Effect Comforting Milk Cleanser ($9) because it's non drying and it soothes and nourishes your skin. It's also soap-free.










For moisturizers, my choices are For Goodness Face Antioxidant Skin Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30 and Calm & Composed Super-Soothing Moisturizer (both $18). My skin gets really dry and red and both of these moisturizers are very moisturizing and as with all mark skin care, they have really great super fruit ingredients that help improve your skin.





I also suggest Get A Tint Tinted Moisturizer Lotion SPF 15 ($12) for those of you who like a tint to their moisturizer.

What really helps winter skin is exfoliation. It gets all the rough, dry, dead skin off and helps purify the skin and allow for moisturizer and treatments to get in deeper. Mark makes such a great product called Berry Grand Super Exfoliating Beads ($9). The jar is shaped so it can connect to your mark cleansers and you add the beads to your cleanser to make an instant exfoliator customized to your skin type.





Now we cannot forget lips. My biggest problem. I was blessed with pretty good skin, but my lips are a different story. Mark makes some very good lip treatments. One is the Kiss Dry Goodbye Lip Smoother hookup treatment ($8) which helps soothe and smooth lips. I also love Totally Balmed SPF 15 Tinted Lip Balm ($8). It has SPF, it has sheer color (comes in 4 shades), and it is really really  moisturizing. I felt a difference after one day of using it.


And have stressed skin after the holidays? I love mark's Don't Stress Skin Soothing Kit ($18). Included is mini calming effect comforting milk cleanser, mini calm yourself hydrating mask and mini calm & composed super-soothing moisturizer. This is a great way to try an array of mark skincare products.






Finally, we need to protect our skin when we're outside. Using SPF products is a must in the winter because the sun is still out and it will get you if you're out in the snow. Moisturizer and lip balm is also important to protect against windburn. But the best way to protect is to cover up (also helps keep away those nasty illnesses). Mark has some super cute outerwear. 

Warm Wishes Scarf ($30)

Close Knit Beret ($24)

  Close Knit Gloves (also available in Blue) ($20)

Close Knit Infinity Scarf (also available in Blue) ($30)


I hope you enjoyed this post.

Everything here is available at http://kvalentine.mymarkstore.com

I hope you all have a great and fun and safe winter.

Stay beautiful, Katie xox