Can you believe this year is almost over? A new year is dawning and with that comes new opportunity, hope, and the excitement of change. This year, especially the past 7 months, have been so incredible for me. So many things, both good and bad, have happened and I have grown because of it. Here is a list of my 2017 in review…
I have lost things and I have gained things. I’ve lost friendships, weight, and patience, but I also gained some of those things as well. I’ve learned to love my body and remember how truly amazing it is. Women can grow life within them and nurture that same life with their body. We are strong and independent. My body houses my soul and spirit, the most beautiful things about me. I have met new people, called some of them friends. I have lost people and felt heavy confusion. I have learned my value. I reconnected with an amazing friend and I am so happy she is in my life again. I’ve set goals and know that I will work toward them.
I’ve been sad, doubted my existence, and wanted to quit it all, but at the end of the day, I continued on the path of life, hoping that the next day would be better. I went through a while with my eyes closed and blindly grasping for hope and serenity. Anxiety, stress, and their friends came back and I tried to defend myself against them, at some points claiming victory and other times retreating to then wage battle again.
Loving and losing, but realizing what I deserve and what I don’t deserve has been hard because I have had to ignore and walk away from things I didn’t want to have to. That’s where I learned my self-worth and the value of a good friend, one who will stay with me throughout my life and bring down the retirement home with. She has been a bright star in the night sky and I love her to pieces.
I took a huge leap of I don’t know what and started a blog. Glitz & Glitter became more than an idea and a dream, it became a reality and I have gone so many places because of it. Every single person who follows me, interacts with my work, and supports me has been a beacon along the way and has helped me continue on when I think I have hit a block in the road. We don’t stop the journey and turn back, we find a different route.
Has everything been easy? No, absolutely not. There have been a lot of tears shed, patience run thin, and stitches in the heart, but I made it. We have made it a year and we will make it through the next. I don’t know what 2018 holds but I pray for only goodness, peace, hope, and happiness for all of us.
This is my last post until the new year and I can’t wait to see you all back here in 2018.
Lots of love, blessings, and hugs from me to you….
Hi, babes! Welcome back to Glitz & Glitter, the best little place on the internet. Here at Glitz & Glitter, we (and by “we”, I mean me, myself, and I) stand for happiness, uniqueness, and all things lovely. If you want to be a part of the Glitz & Glitter Tribe, hit that follow button and you are automatically a part of the tribe!
Today’s review should have been up a while ago, but Blogtober called and then things in my life blew up, so the schedule was thrown out of whack. A while back, a lovely gal named Laila sent me two sample packs of Jamberry nail wraps to try out and review and I can’t wait to tell you about them. You have probably seen nail wraps before (they are also called nail stickers) in your local shop, but if you haven’t here is a picture of them!
Nail wraps are nail stickers that apply to your nail and seal with heat (I used my hair dryer). They last for a while and they don’t chip like nail polish does! There is no drying time spent worrying about accidentally denting a nail and redoing anything; just apply, heat, press, and voila! I heated the wraps multiple times while they were on my nails and while I shaped them so I would get the best seal I could. I did have problems with the wraps lifting, but that was my own fault. I am a novice at applying the wraps so they definitely weren’t perfect. There were creases at the sides and I picked at them throughout the week (I know: BAD. Piece of advice: don’t pick at them, no matter how tempting it is!) so that did factor into the short wear time.
The nail wraps are great and I still have some left over! The next time I use them, I am certainly going to have a nail station with everything prepared in front of me so I won’t be scrambling for anything!
I stupidly forgot to take photos of when I wore the wraps, so I don’t have a picture of me wearing them. I do plan on trying the nail wraps again and hopefully perfecting them, so when I do, I’ll be adding the images on this post!
Thank you so much, Laila, for sending me the nail wraps and for being so understanding about my late posting! I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart!
Laila’s links will be down below, so make sure to check them out!
I hope you have a fabulous week and don’t forget to smile and listen to amazing music!
Today’s post is a review of a product that was sent to me by Maple Holistics. You may have heard of them from Marielli (thelatinabeautyfix), a friend of mine who has an amazing blog! She has reviewed some of their products before and I am happy that I get to review one of their products for you guys!
I was sent the Hair Superfood Thickening Conditioner to test out a month or so ago, but due to the backup of blog posts and some crazy things in my personal life, I am just now getting to post this.
Let’s start off with a bit of factoids about the conditioner!
It is a thickening conditioner, so it is meant for thinning hair. Granted, I don’t have a problem with thinning hair, as my hair is quite thick naturally, but I still wanted to give this product a try!
It has a special tingling effect from the menthol and tea tree oil that are in the product. There are a lot of natural ingredients in this conditioner and I love the tingle!
It has Volumizing and Oil Therapy.
The conditioner is great and I really think it will be a great product for you if your hair is starting to thin out a bit and you want to get the volume back into your hair. Again, my hair is very thick, so I really can’t tell you if it made my hair thicker or not. My hair did seem to have a bit of volume to it, though, so that is a plus! The tingle is also great, especially since I used the conditioner with my Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo! Double the tingly clean effect!
I couldn’t find an exact price for the conditioner because I couldn’t find it on the website, but the conditioners on their website retail for around $12. If you are looking for a more natural conditioner that also combats thinning hair, I would suggest you give this a try!
Thank you to Maple Holistics for sending me this product!
I hope you guys have an absolutely fabulous week and don’t forget to smile!
We are so so close to fall and I am already feeling the fall vibes! I’ve been trying new makeup looks for a fall collaboration coming soon and I am so excited to show it to you guys! It will be out sometime this month, so be on the lookout for that! Also: I am going to be doing a small Blogmas series in December and I am already have a few ideas going for that! There is already one collaboration planned out for that, BUT I am looking for more bloggers to collaborate with! If you would like to collaborate with me for a Blogmas post that is all things festive and glitzy, please leave a comment below with your information or send me an email at glitzandglitterblog@gmail.com! I would love to work with you!
Okay, now that the announcements are out of the way, let’s jump into the reviews!
I went to Ulta this past Thursday and I was looking for a few things that were affordable and good quality. Granted I have never tried any products from Essence before now, so I had no clue if their products were great, but when I saw the display and how affordable the products were, I knew I had to give them a try! I picked out the Essence Cover Stick in “10 Matt Naturelle” and the gel nail polish in “53 Rock My World”. The cover stick was around $3 and the nail polish was $2, so they are really affordable!
The cover stick is fantastic! I was in desperate need of a good concealer and while I am not really a huge fan of concealer sticks, this one is one of my favorites now. It has great coverage without feeling super heavy and it is buildable. I just put some on my under eyes, nose, chin, and some on my forehead and blend out for great coverage and a good look. I don’t wear foundation much anymore, so a good concealer is great for me. Essence has done a marvelous job! The formula is really creamy and smooth, not streaky or too thick.
The nail polish is a dark grey/charcoal color that I am now in love with. I do recommend using two coats and not just one, like I did. It does cover really nicely, but there are a few streaky spots. If you are in a rush and only have time for one coat, be generous and you’ll do fine!
Next up is the Lip Amplification lip gloss from Makeup Revolution! The Makeup Revolution glosses were on sale for $2.49 that day, so I figured I should pick one up! I purchased the shade “Conviction” and while it looks like a dark brown in the package, it is actually a dark berry shade. When you build it up, it almost looks brown/black, but I rather like it. The formula is pretty good and it goes on smoothly. I had to apply it twice to make sure I had an even look and zero streaks. I’m a big fan of Makeup Revolution and I loved this gloss!
All of the products are absolutely awesome and I hope you check them out the next time you are at Ulta!
Have a great weekend, my loves! Don’t forget to smile and take your fabulous sass wherever you go!
Hello everyone and welcome back to Glitz & Glitter!
Last week I was sent a package of samples from Perfectly Posh and I took the week to try them out! The absolutely lovely Brandy from Perfectly Posh sent me the products and she has been an absolute dream to work with! All of her links will be below and there are a few deals for you guys, too! Stick around to the end to see them!
Top Row: (black circle containers) Apricots Overnight, Honey Honey lotion, Rio scrub, Dive In Chunk Bath Bar, Gender Bender Chunk Bath Bar. Bottom Row: Night & Day facial moisturizer, Pineapple Pick Me Up face mask, Skindelicious Snarky Butter, Bare It All Micellar Tonic, Rico Guave Chunk Bath Bar, Field Better Soon Chunk Bath Bar.
I was so excited to try out these products that I took pictures of them right after I opened the package! When I took a shower a few hours later, I tried out using the Chunk Dive In bath bar. It has been a week later and I am still using it! I love this soap bar so much and I feel super clean after using it in the shower. The product description says “This sea spray and musky amber bath bar moisturizes skin with argan oil and algae extract, while kaolin gives you a deep clean.” Dive In is definitely one of my favorite products from the bundle of samples that I was sent!
After I got out of the shower, I washed my face and tried out the Pineapple Pick Me Up face mask and the Night & Day Natural Facial Moisturizer. The mask is packed with pineapple scent and made me feel like I should have been sitting on the patio of a paradise resort! Ten minutes later, I washed off the mask and applied the Night & Day moisturizer. The moisturizer smells amazing and reminds me of something medicinal in a natural way, if that makes any sense. The moisturizer has organic olive oil, lavender, and aloe vera, and I love the way they combine. Both of the products I adored and I will certainly use again!
I used the Rio scrub and the Snarky Butter products together and my hands have never been so soft! This product combo will be absolutely amazing in the winter time to keep your hands super soft and supple!
L to R: Apricots Overnight, Honey Honey, Rio scrub.
Honey Honey lotion smells so good! I just put some on, actually. Honey Honey reminds me of two things: lemon (yellow) Starbursts and Chuck from Pushing Daisies. It is sweet, citrusy, and the best summer scent! It is staying on my desk until I run out of it!
Apricots Overnight….what can I say about this product other than it is my favorite and I am so heartbroken that I used up almost all of it! Apricots Overnight smells so good and I can’t get enough of it! I truly think that my skin has improved after using this product, too, so that is a major plus! You are supposed to apply Apricots Overnight and let the moisturizing mask do its work so you will wake up with soft skin, and it works! I love this product and I plan on buying the full size product soon!
The Bare It All micellar tonic was the first micellar water type product that I had ever used. What I loved the most about this product is that I could just apply it to a cotton ball and swipe it over my face to cleanse and remove makeup, and that was it! No washing or extra cleanser required! If you are a busy and on-the-go kind of person, this product is great for you!
Gender Bender is another one of my favorites! I have used this for the past two days in the shower and I can’t get enough of it! “Detoxing charcoal gives you a deep clean. Plus palm oil and shea butter leave your skin soft with a citrus and woodsy amber scent.” Gender Bender is great for guys or gals. The woodsy scent is masculine but the citrus scent adds hints of femininity, creating the perfect blend. I have always loved cologne and other masculine directed body washes, so Gender Bender quickly became one of my favorites!
Field Better Soon is a lovely lavender soap that I have actually been using to wash my face in the morning and at night. It’s light and summery scent is great for my face and it isn’t drying, so I have had no problems with using it as a face wash. I do recommend using a moisturizer afterward so your skin is perfectly soft!
Rico Guave is a tropical beach party in a bar of soap! It’s fun and summertime scent is absolutely glorious and I can’t get enough of it! The collection of Chunk Bath Bars I was sent are all amazing and I hope you give them a try!
I can’t wait for the fall/winter collection to arrive! Perfectly Posh is a great company and with friendly representatives like Brandy, you won’t want to stay away from their products!
Are you ready for some awesome deals?
Anyone who orders more than $50 will get a free lip balm!
Orders more than $75 will get a free hand cream!
Orders of $99 or more who either sign up to be a kit-napper or join my team will get a 6 pack fizi bath bomb (limited edition) and a free face mask!
Your first order ships for FREE! How cool is that?!
If you live in the US, Brandy will ship you some samples for free!
Brandy has been a joy to work with and I am so happy to be working with her! Perfectly Posh is a great brand that has affordable yet high-quality products that are all NATURAL, free of parabens, paraffins, sulfates, and fillers, and they are cruelty-free! Woohoo! Perfectly Posh products are all made in the USA and I am always happy to support an American business!
You can find Brandy on Twitter, Facebook, and Perfectly Posh! Her email is brandybrown.posh@gmail.com so feel free to email her if you have any questions! I know you will love her just as much as I do and I am so excited to purchase from her in the future!
I hope you have a great weekend and don’t forget to check out Perfectly Posh!
Hi there! Thank you so much for checking out my blog! I truly appreciate it and I hope you enjoy!
For the longest time, my feet were pretty rough looking because I go barefoot all the time when I am at home. I wear sandals or flip flops when I go out, so earlier this year, I looked at my heels while I was out and I didn’t like how they looked. My feet were dry and needed to be pampered. A couple of days and a few dollars later, I had a two sided foot file and I was ready to tackle my feet. On one side of the file, you had a metal grater and then on the other side was a regular file. The only problem with this was after the first time I used it, the metal side (which came off so you could empty the catch) never fit back into place after I took it off to empty out the bottom. Anytime I used it, I would have to hold on to the metal part so it would stay on. The metal grate was not easy to clean at all, so it stopped working efficiently. I stopped using the foot file and it sat abandoned in a crate of other random products in my bathroom.
A few weeks ago, I went to the store and purchased a new foot file and a foot scrub in hopes of getting nice feet again. I bought the Freeman “Bare Foot” Exfoliating Foot Scrub in the scent Peppermint and Plum (smells amazing!) and a new sugar foot file from ONYX Professional. Let me tell you, these products together are amazing! The file takes all of the dead skin away and the scrub helps soften everything up!
Here is how to get your feet into tip top shape again!
First I like to soak my feet in some warm water and body wash. My current fave is Rosé Champagne body wash from Bath and Body Works- smells so good and makes me feel refreshed and kind of feminine! Then I will take a little of the Freeman “Bare Foot” scrub and massage that all over my feet.
Second, I pat dry my feet with a clean towel and then I use the ONYX Professional sugar foot file on my heel, around the sides, the ball of my foot, and on any callouses that are on my feet. Once that is done, I take a little water to wet my feet and then go back in with the Freeman “Bare Foot” scrub to remove any dead skin particles from the foot file.
After I scrub my feet again, I’ll pat them dry and then take some lotion and rub that all over my feet and ankles. I massage and rub my feet and get some of the lotion soaked in, then I take a pair of socks and put those on for a while.
A few hours later, I will grab whatever color of nail polish I like and give my toe nails a fresh coat of polish to add a touch of color to them. Since it is summer, I like vibrant pinks and blues, periwinkle, reds, and some nude shades.
There you go! Filing and scrubbing your feet really make them feel fresh and look nice. If you wear sandals, flip flops, or open toed shoes, I recommend that you try the steps above! Your feet will thank you!
Next week’s post is going to be all about self love, confidence, and how to love your body! I am so excited to upload next week, as it is a topic that I am truly passionate about!
All of my social links will be down below, so feel free to check them out! If you liked this post, please make sure to give it a like and comment your thoughts below!
I hope you have a fabulous week! I will see you next week with a brand new post!
Welcome back to Glitz and Glitter! Today’s review is over a few sample products from a fabulous company called Gigi’s Beauty Haven. The lovely Brittni sent me a packet of samples and I reviewed them over this past week.
(I apologize for the lack of photos! I totally forgot to take any after I opened the package and I got so excited that I tried out a few products immediately!)
The first product that I tried was the Energy soap. The small bar of soap lasted me a long time, in fact, I still have some! It smells really great and doesn’t dry out my skin, so major plus!
The lotion bar (“I Put a Spell On You”) is really great! It leaves a oily shine on the skin but it absorbs quickly, so there isn’t a lot of residue. I would use this product during the winter when I get dry skin and apply it to the back of my hands.
The Manchurian Dragon whipped body cream is a really light lotion that is moisturizing and smells awesome. It’s got a fruity and feminine scent to it and it would be perfect for spring.
The next product is the watermelon shower jelly. It has to be my favorite product that I received! It is a sweet watermelon scent that is exactly what I like in a summer type body wash or product. I had never used shower jelly before so I was quite surprised to use one. If you haven’t used shower jelly before, just imagine using Jello in the shower. It’s actually really fun to use!
Also in the packet was a mint sugar foot scrub (Pedi-Mint). If you are looking for a hard scrub, this isn’t the foot scrub for you. The minty scent is great and the scrub works well if you have just used a foot file and want a softer and more polished look. But if you just want to use a scrub and not a file, I don’t think this would work well for you. My tip is to use a foot file, then use this scrub, and then moisturize. That worked really well for me. Overall, I loved this product!
The only product that I was unable to try was the Black Magic fizzy bath soak. I only use my tub to shower in and the plug leaks, so I can’t really take baths, unfortunately. But the product smells amazing and I am sure that it would work wonders!
Gigi’s has also added a lot of new products to their shop, so go check out all of their awesome products! They are a cruelty free brand, made by hand, and 98-100% natural.
The website is linked below and Brittni’s social medias will be linked also. If you are wanting to order from them, order through Brittni! She is a wonder to work with. Tell her Mimi from Glitz and Glitter sent ya!
Gigi’s sells salves, shower jellies, bath products, lotions, shower steamers, and so many more amazing products, including jewelery! They have also added a ton of new products! I am definitely going to keep Gigi’s in mind the next time I am ordering products. They quality is superb and the prices are affordable. You can’t beat that!
Mimi In Motion 