Polka Dot Life

    Admittedly I've been using the same Mary Kay makeup brushes for a while now, along with a few other random brands thrown in. I was just satisfied with my MK brushes because they washed well and have help up for a really long time. But it was definitely time for a whole new set and I had trouble making up my mind on which makeup brushes to try. At first my plan was to snag a few from different companies to see what I liked best, but then E.L.F. Cosmetics had a 50% off sale with free shipping over $35. Naturally I had to give it a shot since I was getting so much bang for my buck. I already knew that I wasn't too fond of their cheaper $1 brushes so I opted for the Studio Line which ranges from $3-$10 and I'd heard great reviews. All together I got 15 brushes (1 didn't make it to the picture) for only $37, definitely a steal! Keep reading to find out if it was worth it.     I am extremely pleased with these E.L.F...

   I'm over half way to meeting our new little princess! At this stage in the pregnancy I'm also thinking about anything and everything having to do with a 3rd child and all the changes that will be happening in my house. Quite honestly, I'm freaking out a little. Of course I'm doing all the typical things parents do when prepping for a new arrival, but I've also decided to take the time to focus on myself while I still can.     27 weeks pregnant, which means in 13 weeks or less I will be meeting our new tiny princess. One of the things women typically worry about with pregnancy is the ever so dreaded weight gain that comes with the territory.  I can happily say that I've done extremely well with this pregnancy and so far only had a 12 pound gain. But as we all know, the 3rd trimester tends to have the largest weight gain. Since I probably won't have a ton of extra down time once the baby arrives, I've decided to go ahead and start planning to lose th...

   I have been MIA the past few months but I'm ready to get back on the blogging train. So much has happened that I just haven't had time to invest the time & energy I want into this blog. I've had some family emergencies that I needed to travel for, my grandmother passed away unexpectedly, and of course the military has thrown some things our way as well. BUT...THERE'S GOOD NEWS TO..... WE ARE EXPECTING BABY #3, and she, yes she, will be arriving in September!!!    This baby has been a huge part of me being absent from the blogging world. I was so sick and exhausted the first 14 weeks that I was completely miserable. The sickness has passed and exhaustion is still in control of my body, but my energy level is up from the previous trimester.    3 GIRLS, 5 including myself and the dog, under 1 roof...we are expecting some crazy years to come...lol! I'm not going to lie, we were hoping for a boy this time around, but the universe has someth...

   I will be reviewing the products I received in my December Ipsy bag since I've had the chance to test them out for about a month now. If you don't know already here's the spill. Instead of doing an "unboxing" type of post, I review the products over the course of a month and then let you know what I thought and all the product details. If you didn't see my November bag review you can check it out  HERE .    This post is a bit late, but we'll be getting back on track for February.    Here's what I received in my December Ipsy Bag...   DECEMBER IPSY BAG 1). December's Glam Bag - Not going to lie, this month's bag was a disappointment for sure; it felt cheap, was flimsy, and the zipper was in a weird spot. I will probably end up giving it to my daughter to keep her play makeup in. 2). NYX Butter Lip Balm in Red Velvet - Retails for $4.00 (this is the full size)    I'm not a big tinted lip balm fan, I'd rather just wear a l...

   Relaxing, peaceful, spiritual, tranquil, breathe, pose. When you hear the word Yoga, what comes to mind?    Yoga has become more popular in the United States over the past several years and there are many different types of yoga to learn/practice. Regardless of which type you choose, the basics are very much similar to one another; breathing control, mind to body harmony, meditation, and poses (or asana) that stretch the body and promote flexibility.    I used to practice yoga 2-3 times a week (why did I stop?) and recently decided to get back into it. What a great decision on my part! One day a week I attend a yoga class on base,  twice a week I yoga it right along to one of my videos, my favorite is the P90X one. Alternating between at home and class yoga is a good balance for me and gives variety to the routine.      Last week was my first time attending this class and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The instructor was amazi...

   The drugstores ALWAYS have revolving beauty deals which is the best time to get yourself new products to try or pick up replacements for items you already love. This is how I save money on drugstore brands because after sales, coupons, and store credit I can score some stuff for pretty cheap or even free...what I call "Couponing for Cosmetics."      This is going to be a pretty quick post that I do weekly, usually it will go up Sunday or Monday but with the long weekend I got a little behind.  Where I live there is CVS & Walgreens, therefore I will not typically be posting about Rite Aid. CVS:    -Almost every brand is on sale this week for BOGO 1/2 off (which is buy 1 and get the 2nd half off)! This includes Revlon, Loreal, NYX, Milani, Almay, Covergirl, Sally Hansen and more. Make sure to grab an ad at the front of the store when you walk in and also scan your CVS card at the coupon machine.    -When you spend $15 on selec...

   The weather has been viciously cold in many parts of the United States this winter. If you are anything like me, that means hot delicious soup to warm the mind, body and soul. Soup is a comfort food staple and I feel like people are more drawn to it between October and March, that's especially true for my family. With Florida weather it's just almost too hot for soup any other time of year unless is storming and chilly out.    Pinterest is my absolute favorite place to find new recipes, so I wanted to share a few of my soup pins with you. I've made all of these except one, which I'll make a note of below, and they've all turned out delicious. 1). Crab & Corn Chowder- This soup is absolutely delicious and hearty. For me, it was something different and unexpected. Growing up in Kentucky we didn't make soups like this, mom always served chili, potato, or broccoli cheddar soup because those are the southern specialties. If you make any of these soups, pl...

   I have decided to join the "Finish 7 By Spring Challenge" that Kristen Kay did on her YouTube channel. Kristen is a wonderful beauty YouTuber who does hauls, reviews, favorites tutorials and much more and I've fallen in love with her channel over these past few months! Make you that you check out her channel and her 7 By Spring video... Kristen's Channel- https://www.youtube.com/user/thekristenkchannel Kristen's Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJcP1EldFY      I am also joining Kristen in the low buy, which I've actually been on anyway for several months. A low buy is just when you don't spend a lot of money on new products. It doesn't mean that I won't buy anything...just not as much as I would like to. With that being said, I will still be couponing for cosmetics. That means that when I can get something free/super cheap at the drugstore I will, CVS & Walgreens are my favorite. When you have a lot of products in your collectio...

   I was actually saving this post for the upcoming week but then I received an email about a BOGO sale that Forever 21 was having on ALL of their already marked sale items. Of course I headed straight to the website and found some great statement necklaces for an even better price so I had to share with you all.    Jewelry is the perfect way to make a statement, bring your outfit to another level, and to express yourself visually/artistically. Throw on your favorite jeans, a plain t-shirt, maybe a muted jacket, sexy heels, and a big statement necklace...your outfit speaks for itself, classy and bad ass at the same time. It's been a while since I purchased a new statement necklace so I've been on the lookout for different pieces. Now that Forever 21 is having such a great sale, it's the perfect time to take advantage. Unfortunately, several of the pieces that I really wanted are already sold out but there's still others to choose from. And while you're shopping f...

   HAPPY NEW YEAR...here's to my first post of 2015!!! How did you ring in the new year? I went to bed at 11:00 after a long few days of everyone being sick. We were able to go to dinner, nothing special just Applebee's, and I had my midnight toast several hours early. Many people make resolutions for the new year, things they want to do, try, experience, become better at...individual goals. If you don't have a daily skincare routine, I challenge you to make that a resolution for 2015.    Skincare is very important, especially during the colder months and that seems to be when it's the hardest to care for in my opinion. I have pretty normal skin throughout the year but in the winter i have to assure that my skin stays hydrated and moisturized to avoid dry patches, flaky skin, and prevent breakouts. Luckily I can use a variety of products because my skin isn't overly sensitive, so I don't stick to one particular brand for all of my skincare needs.    Her...

   Have you seen the Spring 2015 Chanel cosmetics collection? This collection is inspired by the beautiful luxurious gardens of Paris, from the colors to the ladylike delicateness, and it shows in each of the products. I have not yet come across these pieces in stores here, but I will be keeping my eyes peeled so I can swatch everything (hopefully with pics).    Below are a few pieces from the collection that I think are absolutely gorgeous, especially the blush. Let me add that I've heard the blush looks wonderful on all skin types, but I've only see it on fair skin and it was very soft and pretty. JARDIN DE CHANEL BLUSH CAMÉLIA ROSÉ LES 4 OMBRES MULTI-EFFECT QUADRA EYESHADOW IN #236 TISSE FANTAISIE ROUGE ALLURE VELVET INTENSE LONG-WEAR LIP COLOUR IN #49 LA PETILLANTE LÈVRES SCINTILLANTES GLOSSIMER IN #194 CRAZY FUCHSIA LE VERNIS NAIL COLOUR IN #645 PARADISIO    What is your favorite item from t...

The zombie apocalypse has reached my hometown and taken over! Okay so maybe not the zombie's, but isn't the FLU close enough?    Our school systems have completely shut down the past 2 days because of the amount of staff and students absent because of sickness. My children (luckily) don't get sick often so I was hoping we'd kind of slide right by it this winter. Wednesday my oldest starting feeling bad with a sore throat and Thursday it had progressed to fever, cough, chills, headache and more. So I took her to the Dr yesterday and she tested positive for the flu. The hardest thing about this is #1- Trying to keep a 7 year old contained in a room so **FINGERS CROSSED** no one else in the house gets it. #2- Trying to make a 16 month old understand that sissy can't play because she's sick. So now I'm dealing with a sick child and a pissed off baby, isn't that fun? #3- Medicines are not meant to taste good...tell that to my daughter. If it doesn...

   November was an exciting month for me because I finally jumped on the bandwagon of joining a beauty subscription service. I choose Ipsy because I had heard the most about it and it's super cheap at only $10 a month. Let me say it again...$10 to try out 4-5 beauty products (some full size) from drugstore to high end AND you receive a small makeup bag. Really you can't go wrong because makeup bags alone are around $5-7 for a travel size. With the holidays coming up as well, this would be a great gift for that beauty lover in your life.    I've seen most beauty bloggers/vloggers do "unboxings" with their subscription services, but I've decided to do something a little different. Once I receive my bag each month I'll do a small post about what I got but nothing too in depth, basically a picture and  tiny description of each product. Over that month I'll test out each product and then give a more detailed post that will include retail prices, where to ...

   Blush & highlighters have become a recent obsession of mine because it's so fun to play around with the colors and combinations, especially during the colder months. I don't personally own any high end blushes (I know, it's terribly sad), but I do have a wide collection of drugstore brands. That will be changing very soon because I seriously lurked over the Chanel & Bobbi Brown counter in Macy's the other day like a puppy in a window. The Chanel holiday limited edition Camelia De Plumes Highlighting powder is absolutely to die for and I was trying to justify spending the $72. On one hand it is limited edition, so get it now or forever hold your peace...but $72??? UGH! However, the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks are almost half the price. So I guess I'll wait for the next Sephora % off coupon and snatch one up. So here are a few that I'm currently obsessing and debating over.  Blush Obsession by polkadotlife featuring a palette blush 1....

I recently moved from a blistering hot state to one with possible harsh winters, let's start by saying this cold is really getting to me. I don't own big chunky sweaters or even many winter coats. So for now I'm trying to improvise with what I have. I NEED NEW WINTER CLOTHES! Can we say after Christmas shopping? AND this time I actually have a legitimate reason.  Boyfriend jeans are a must have for everyone for every season, no matter your personal style. Whether you prefer a look that is romantic, sporty, boho, edgy, it doesn't matter...these jeans are completely versatile and not to mention comfortable. These jeans have been my go to this entire year and I love how easily they transition from casual to dressy.  Hope you like the outfits I've put together! What's your favorite way to wear boyfriend jeans?  Boyfriend Jeans by polkadotlife featuring a collar coat Wishbone relax shirt , $66 / Cableknit sweater / Beige top / Jigsaw sleeve le...

Every summer & winter, many stores start to have beauty clearance. These are usually products that are being discontinued, getting new packaging, or whatever other reason. If you don't know what I'm referring to swing by a CVS on your way home from work. You'll see yellow clearance price tags, pink 50% off stickers on products...it's like a beauty product heaven! And before I forget, Lumene BB Cream was on sale for $3.66!!! That's an $18 (awesome) product! Loreal Colour Riche has several different lines, but the Caress is my most recent purchase...I'm actually only 4 shades away from having all 16, and I WANT every single one.  From Left-Right: #172 Blushing Sequin, #173 Velvety Fuchsia, #176 Sunset Angora, #179 Cherry Tulle From Left-Right: #169 Pink Plush, #170 Cotton Pink, #183 Pink Vinyl, #184 Merino Mauve -Balm quality instead of a lipstick -Last about 3 hours, so not like a stain or long lasting formula -Moisturizing -Goes on very smoo...

   When we first moved to Italy 4 years ago so many people said that it would be such a culture shock and probably take some time to get used to. Adapting to this new way of life was no issue for me. Once I stepped off the plane in Venice for the first time, I fit right in & actually felt very at home. However, moving from Italy back to the states has me a little off balance.    Maybe it's because so much has happened in the past 2 months. Maybe it's because my house isn't completely unpacked, so it still doesn't feel like home 100%. Maybe it's because I don't know anyone here really...but I've luckily managed to make 2 friends so far (woo hoo). Maybe it's because I just miss everything about Italy. Whatever it is, I'm determined to make this feel like home asap...starting with hanging frames & art this weekend.    I do feel like I'm going to enjoy living in the sunshine state for the next several years, but I will always miss Italy a...