Monday, June 28, 2010

How To: Homemade Magazine Holder

Here's something cheap & chic to hold your magazines. It's the perfect size for holding magazines, it's a way to recycle, it can make for a fun craft project, & once it has been painted or decorated, it also looks great.
Get an empty, large powder detergent box(other boxes might work, as well) & paint or spray paint the outside. You could also glue pictures all over it or paint an image or design on it. You could make it match with your favorite bedspread or paint it to look like wood. Use your imagination! If you're like me, you have waaayy too many magazines and will need a lot of these magazine holders, so you better start saving your boxes!

How To: Dry Flowers

If you've received flowers as a gift, simply bought some pretty ones yourself, or if you've been lucky enough to grow your own and would like a way to preserve them, then drying them is the perfect solution. One of the easiest ways to dry flowers, including roses, is to first arrange them how you would like them and then hang them upside down in a place that isn't warm or moist. I usually put a rubber band around the group of stems & then put another rubber band around them & use it along with a clothes pin to connect them to a clothes hanger to leave hanging in my closet (after I've cleared an area of course. And my closet doesn't seal completely so it gets some fresh air in it). It usually takes about a week for most flowers to dry, but it does vary so just check them and use your own judgment. Once they're completely dried, carefully hold or place them right-side-up and make sure they're still arranged the way you want. The final step is to spray them with aerosol hairspray, which will help to kind of "set" them, just as it would your hair. Now they're ready to be used to decorate with or simply preserved to save the memories. Just remember, they are still very delicate so handle them with care.

Ouick Tip: Longer Lasting Lip Color

For lip color that really lasts and can be super cheap as well, try using lip liner as the main lip color. Simply line and fill in your entire lips with a lip liner in the color of your choice, then use your finger to blend it all together (If you like a really crisp, lined looked this isn't necessary). Let it sit for a bit to make sure it is completely dry and set in, and then dab some lip balm over it to moisturize if desired (just be careful not to wipe off the lip stain when doing this). This is also great because it also works like a lip stain so you don't get that lipstick-y look but still get color that lasts a long time. Some lip liner brands I like include the super cheap Wet 'n Wild and New York Color (NYC), which only cost about $1. I also really like Rimmel's 1000 Kisses Stay On lip liner, which costs more but is long lasting and smooth.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Review: Beall's Outlet

My local, tiny, little mall (aka: "the small") got a Beall's Outlet store a little less than a year ago(I think). After checking it out & shopping at it numerous times, I'm ready to do a personal review on it. The main thing that Beall's Outlet offers is clothes. According to their website(click on the link below to go to it), "Customers can find brand name apparel and accessories for the entire family at up to 70% off department store prices." They even have where every Friday you save 10% off of everything and other special discount days for seniors. So, basically, this type of store is perfect for bargain shoppers like me!
As far as their clothes go, I haven't been that impressed with what they have to offer to people in my age range(almost 23, kinda at that in between stage between being a young 20-something and being an actual adult). I have been able to find some good basic khaki and brown pants for work at great prices. I've also found some cute little skirts. But, for the most part, I feel the clothes they have are more for older women or younger girls. They also have children's and men's clothes but I haven't looked at them. But, I have an almost-23-year-old boyfriend that has looked at the clothes for men, but wasn't impressed and didn't find anything.
Though I'm not too wild about their regular clothes, I do like what they offer for pajamas and lounge wear. I've seen lots of really cute pajama pants, pajama sets, pajama shorts, robes, and cute little night gowns in a variety of prints and styles at terrific prices. I've gotten a couple pairs of silky pajama shorts for only about $3-$4. (FYI, see my future post about the amazing use for silky pj shorts!) I have also gotten some nice night gowns and robes for my mom from there.
They also have shoes for men, women, and children. They have a decent selection of shoes. I was able to find a cool pair of boots that I wear as rain boots for only about $12, which is cheaper than any rain boots I had looked at. I think with their shoes, at times you might luck up and find cool shoes, but other times you might not.
Now, on to my favorite thing that Beall's Outlet offers, jewelry and accessories! I love jewelry and Beall's Outlet has tons of marvelous jewelry at unbeatable prices. They don't really offer any "real" jewelry (like the kind in fancy little boxes that stays locked up in glass cabinets and cases), except for some sterling silver stuff. But, what they do have is great beaded jewelry, costume jewelry, and most all other kinds of jewelry that doesn't stay locked up. For example, they have a lot of jewelry that would be sold at Target or Belk for $10-$20, but they have it for anywhere from about $3-$10. I can ALWAYS find some kind of jewelry there that I would like to have. Their other accessories, including scarves, purses (including brand name purses), sunglasses, hair accessories, etc, are also pretty good.
Beall's Outlet also offers a variety of other things including makeup and fragrances, home decor, books, small kitchen appliances and tools, some small electronics and electronic accessories.
...Overall, I think Beall's Outlet store is a pretty great store. Though it is lacking in some areas, the other areas that I like make up for that. It is one of those stores where sometimes you'll have to really look to find something, but if you luck up and do find something, it'll probably cost a fraction of what you would pay elsewhere. And, it can be hit or miss at times (except for the jewelry section to me!). So, if there's a Beall's Outlet near you, you should definitely check it out, you might be surprised at what you can find!
Link to Beall's Outlet website

Cheaper Daily Self-Tanner/"Natural Glow"

With summer here (and if you are in my area, miserably hot weather, as well), most of us are showing more skin and would like a little bit of a tan. And since we all know that we should NOT lay out in the sun & especially NOT go to tanning beds, then we need a way to achieve a nice tan or at least a nice "glow". Fake tanning lotions are perfect for this! Using a daily or gradual self-tanner can be one of the easiest ways to achieve a natural sun-kissed looked. If you love how all the gradual or daily self-tanners (which are just self-tanners diluted with lotion so it takes longer to actually get to the tan color), like Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer, give your skin a subtle tan & glow, but think the price for them is a little too much, or, if like in my case the tanner in them isn't quite dark enough for you, then you might want to try this. ***To make my own version of a gradual self-tanner, I simply mix up regular fake tanner with lotion. Since I'm basically diluting the fake tanner, whenever I apply it, I don't have to worry about streaks as much. This works just as well as the store bought daily tanning lotions, allows me to get just the right darkness, and it's cheaper. (If you're wondering how it's cheaper, you can buy a whole bottle of regular self-tanner for usually the same price of a bottle of the daily tanner, & once you mix it with lotion, which is cheaper, you get way more product & more for your money.).....One of my favorite self-tanners is Banana Boat Summer Color Self-Tanning Lotion in the dark color. It costs about $7-$9 at most stores.

More Loose Face Powder for your Money

If you want to save money on loose face powder, simply buy it in a darker shade, & then mix in baby powder (or whatever kind of cheap pale powder you choose) in it until you get it to the right shade. Make sure you only add a little bit at a time & test it on your face as you add more. You could also put part of it in another container, & only mix part of it with baby powder, so you still have the darker shade if you get tanner in the summer. Also, as you should with any product you put on your face, make sure you check the ingredients on whatever powder you use, & make sure will not have any kind of reaction with it, especially on your face.

Introduction

Hey y'all! I just wanted to do a little introduction post first with some information about your's truly. Sooo, here it goes...
~I'm an almost-23-year-old.
~I'm a college student and a pharmacy technician.
~I love my family, my boyfriend, my friends, my Labrador, and my cats.
~At most times(we all have those bummy, I-couldn't-care-less-what-I-look-like-days, right?), looking good is important to me. I feel better when I know(or at least think!) I look good.
~ I have short hair(usually around 1 inch long) that's generally in a pixie cut that I cut myself, or with the help of my boyfriend. And No, neither of us are hairdressers or have had any kind of training. (Yes, I am brave when it comes to hair!)
~Though my hair is so short, it's amazing the many different ways I can wear it. I like to change it up practically everyday!
~I like experimenting with makeup, but on a daily basis I try to look natural and makeup-less.
~ I love jewelry and accessories. My boyfriend and family think I have way too much, but I just can't pass them up!
~I love unique fashion and not following trends.
~If everyone else around me is wearing it, then I most likely will not want to wear it.
~Pretty much everyone where I live and go to school all look way too similar(all wear similar clothes, similar hairstyles/color, similar makeup, etc).
~I love decorating and pretty much all things relating to art and crafting.
~I'm very thrifty and like to recycle and save everything, especially money!
~I love finding awesome stuff that's really on sale.
........Well, I think that's enough info about me for now! Keep checking back for more posts! :)