Beauty and Fashion Bloggers Blog Hop

I haven't been a part of many Blog Hops, but am excited to announce that I'm a co-host for the Beauty and Fashion Bloggers Blog Hop started by Laila at Townhouse Palette. Check it out tomorrow morning and make some new friends! I can't wait to meet some new blog friends.

Click this link below for all of the fun!

A Haul Because I Finally Went Shopping

Today was one of those rare days where I had very few things to do and had some extra cash laying around. As a college student, this is a glorious occasion. I always have a list of things I'd like to check out if I have some money so I knew right where I was heading...Sephora, of course! 

I've not heard too much about the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee because it has only come out recently, but I felt like it was my duty as a blush obsessed girl to check it out. I grabbed the "Poppy Paradise" color because it looked quite natural when I swatched it on my hand. It was hard to decide between this color and "Pink Escape," but I went for the shade that seemed most different from shades I already own. I didn't know much about Josie Maran until I wandered through the aisle at Sephora today, but I was happily surprised to find out that it is a socially and environmentally responsible company. Josie Maran says herself, "I believe in balance. I believe that doing the right thing is glamorous. I believe in beauty without the baggage." This is the kind of company I want to support. A company that uses organic ingredients and doesn't believe in animal cruelty. So it's needless to say that I'm the newest Josie Maran enthusiast. 

While I was in my Josie Maran cloud of happiness I also grabbed the BEARNAKED nail wipes because a portion of the sale goes to Polar Bear SOS Initiative, a project of the National Resources Defense Council. These nail wipes are also made with no acetone and smell like grapefruit instead of nasty nail polish remover. 

With my purchase I was also given a Bumble and Bumble Surf shampoo and conditioner sample. I'm super excited about this because I've been wanting to test out the Surf line from Bumble and Bumble for a long time, but have just never felt like shelling out the 30 bucks to try it. 

In the check out line I quickly grabbed these two ribbon hair ties because my hurling teams are green and pink. It was meant to be!

As with any mall trip, I had to stop by Lush to see if they had anything fun to test. I have read rave reviews about the Ocean Salt Body and Face Scrub (and it smells like summer) so I figured it was necessary on this random beauty day. I am excited to try it out and I'll be sure to report back with my opinions.

Because I'm a frugal and responsible citizen of the earth I turned in five Lush pots today to receive my free Fresh Face Mask. I struck up a conversation with one of the girls working and asked her which face mask was her favorite. We discussed which face masks I'd tried and my skin behavior before she settled on BB Seaweed. It's similar to Catastrophe Cosmetic which I loved, but different enough to make it fun for me. I'll be sure to compare the two and decide which one I'd recommend.

What have you purchased recently? Anything new I should look out for at the mall? 

Meeting Laila Ali

I had the incredible opportunity to hear Laila Ali speak at my school this week. She's a legend and she's only in her 30s! Obviously, her father is a boxing legacy, but she has accomplished so much on her own that she will be a legacy as well.

From a very young age, Laila decided she didn't want to be known as Muhammad Ali's daughter, she wanted to be independent. She spoke about her inspirations, her training regime, and how a healthy lifestyle wasn't always a part of her plan.

Her outlook really resonated with me as an athlete because there I was sitting in the audience listening to a 24-0 world champion. I know to be successful in anything I need to be motivated and inspired by people like her. When asked about staying motivated in the gym she replied, "If I'm lagging or dogging it and not doing my best, I ask myself, 'Why am I here?'" This is true of all things in life. Why do something if you're only going to do it halfway? Do everything 110% to be successful.

Laila Ali is tough, beautiful, and inspiring. I want to be like her because she's a member of the Women's Sports Foundation working to motivate and get young girls excited about sports. This is an organization that is special to me because I've had such great experiences in sports growing up and I want to share that with others. I wouldn't change it for the world and being an athlete has sculpted me into the woman I am today. She a fighter, a role model, and a beautiful person. I hope I can be as successful as she is someday.

April Favorites 2013

Well I'm going to sound like such a girl right now and say that this month went by so quickly. I'm not joking. It feels like just yesterday I was on my way back home for the half-marathon that took place the first weekend in April! Here in Minnesota it didn't start feeling like April until last Friday, so I am very happy that spring has decided to come out of hiding! Here are a few things I've been loving the past month!

I talked about the Pink Fresh and Clean body spray in my collection post, but the lotion is equally as amazing. I love that when you pair fragrances with the matching lotion the staying power is tripled! This is a great lotion and I've used it for years. I only recently started using it again as a daily lotion and I'm so happy I did!

If you've already read my post raving about the Neutrogena Hand Cream then it wont be a surprise to you that it is showing up in my favorites! I love that this is a multi-use cream and it is the best chapstick replacement ever. I don't think I'll ever buy chapstick again.

I bought this Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner awhile back because I had forgotten my Bioderma at my house in Wisconsin and needed something gentle to take off makeup and refresh my skin. I definitely believe this is a dupe for Bioderma and if you've ever purchased Bioderma in the states you'll appreciate the $4.00 price tag on the Boots version. I still love my Bioderma as a number one product, but since it's so expensive I've been happy using this as a substitute.

In my Bursting with Blushes post I mentioned the Revlon PhotoReady Coral Reef Blush and ever since that post I have been wearing this blush everyday. I'm so glad I found a coral/orangey blush I can pull off.

This Revlon Fearless nail polish is a perfect bright spring red. I don't usually go for reds in spring time, but I wore this for a week and a half and almost wanted to repaint my nails the same color because I loved it that much. I paired it with my new Essie Strength base coat and was very impressed with how long it lasted.

The Essie Fiji nail polish is the perfect baby girl pink. I think of a baby shower when I wear it because it is so creamy and cute. It does need two coats to be opaque, but I don't mind an extra coat for a perfect pink.

I've had the L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Brown for a long time and it lasts forever! I love that it is a creamy eyeliner that just glides right on. It doesn't drag my eye and you can smudge it easily to get that "smokey" eyeliner look. I've been wearing it only on my bottom lash line to create a darker look

Now for some Non-Beauty favorites of the month:

For the first part of April there was still snow on the ground here in Minnesota, but once the sun came out I finally got to test out my new Birkenstocks in the style Gizeh. I purchased them because of my plantar fasciitis and they have been amazing. I will be living in these shoes this summer. I won't need anything else. Ever.

My favorite song of the month has been "I Do Adore" by Mindy Gledhill. I love the ukulele and the happy upbeat lyrics. It feels like summer and I love to belt it out when I'm in the shower.

What are some of your favorites from this month?