book review | Love Me, Crazy by Laura Burton

 

Brief Summary:

School teacher Audrey … is a young, innocent romantic looking for Mr Right. A chance encounter with the charmingly charismatic Tom AND the handsome and brooding Jack on the same day suddenly leaves her seemingly spoilt for choice.

But then a single kiss turns a pleasing quandary into a troubling dilemma. As her feelings for the two men begin to grow, it becomes clear that one of them is not quite what they appear and love quickly turns to obsession. Can she see the truth before it is too late?

This exciting romantic thriller will take you on a rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns, but will Audrey find the one, or will love be the death of her?

Review:

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I think a good chick lit read needs a few things-romance (duh!), a likable main character-you'll think of Audrey as a friend by the end, and some twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. Well Love Me, Crazy has all of these things and more. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next to Audrey and where she would end up. Love Me, Crazy is the perfect winter weekend read, you can cuddle up and be in Audrey's world waiting to see what's next!

Purchase:

Amazon

What kind of books do you enjoy? Leave me your recommendations in the comments

beauty | cake dry shampoo review

I'm a big believe in dry shampoo and I'm always in the market for the next best one. I was almost out of the Kristen Ess one (which is 19 gold stars out of 5 for me!) and didn't want to go allll the wayyy to Target-okay, it's only 20 minutes away, but still I was at Rite Aid and this pretty pink bottle caught my eye. So I said "yup, I'll give this a whirl" and it was about $4 less than the KE one.

What it says it'll do:

Based on the cakebeautyusa website; 

Does your dry shampoo leave your hair lifeless and dull? Do you dream of a second-day hair routine that gives you that freshly blown out look every single morning? If you’re totally over formulas that weigh you down with unwanted residue, it’s time to meet The ‘Do Gooder. This quick cleaning confection cleanses, refreshes, and revives your locks all while completely brushing out at the end of the day – meaning you can go ahead and enjoy those third-, fourth- and fifth-day hair goals.

The superb scent: warm vanilla, caramelized sugar, and a gorgeous hit of lemon.

What I thought:

I had high hopes for this dry shampoo for a few reasons, one the packaging is adorable. Two I could grab it at Rite Aid & don't have to worry about going to Target every few weeks (hello-trying to be good and avoid the Target Temptation!)  But it really just fell short. I tried using it as I always do-at night before bed-this lets it really soak into my hair, but the next morning my hair didn't seem any less dirty than it did before I went to sleep. I tried it another time in the morning and that worked a little better, but it didn't really do a dry shampoo trick like I normally expect.

Smell: Ummm no, it doesn't smell anything like the bottle says it does. To me it smells like fake vanilla like they tried to hard to get it to smell like a dessert.

Feel: Not sticky or heavy. It's a pretty lightweight dry shampoo compared to others I've tried.

Would I buy again? No :( I just feel like even in a pinch it's not the best that you can get for the price point with Batiste being $1-$3 dollars less.

What dry shampoo do you love? Leave me your recs inthe comments, 

beauty | top 10 of 2018!

I still can't believe it's 2019, but yet here we are rounding up the best of beauty for last year! These are the products I was constantly reaching for the most last year. I've got some skincare, some makeup, some tools, and a little hair care. I've also teamed up with some of my fave dolls on the internet to share links to their lists as well and I already have carts full of their goodies. 

Morphe's M501 for highlighting is the MOST perfect brush. It puts on the right amount of highlight to really step up your glow game. 

Morphe's M444 foundation brush has been a game changer for me. I was in the market for one for a while and grabbed this towards the end of the year, but it still totally counts because I'm no longer using my fingers to apply every morning. 

Clean & Clear Night Relaxing Detox Clay Mask is the best way to end the day. Whether you have 5 minutes or half hour to spare, this really cleans out your pores. 

Kate Somerville's Exfolikate helps my dry skin so much! It really gets rid of all the dead skin and helps my skin glow. Pro tip, put this on dry skin and rub in and then hop in a steamy shower and let it sit for about a minute or so and then rub in circles again! Your skin will be SO smooth!

Wet n' Wild's Megaglo Highlight in Blossom Glow is the best highlighter in the game. Seriously, it's my fave product of the year and you can tell how well loved she is-hitting pan :(

Dry Face Razor has been another skin saver. This gets all my peach fuzz off as well as every little bit of dry, dead skin. The hair that grows back isn't darker or thicker than what you shaved off-promise! I was skeptical, but now I swear by it. My skin is glowy and makeup glides on like a freaking dream. 

Kylie Cosmetics Koko Kollection palette has the second half of my fave highlighting duo and the best summer blush of all time. I use the highlight and then use the Wet n' Wild one on top and glow to the Gods. The blush is perfect for the warmer months on it's own and then a great base to layer a more mauve shade (like Tarte's Exposed) on top in the fall & winter.

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black gives my lashes SO MUCH LIFE. I used this in the past and went back to it in the summer and it's honestly the best. And the Carbon Black color is the best to get my lashes nice and dark.

Morphe's Matte Lip in School Girl okay, I'll be honest, I toyed around with getting this for a while, but honestly this matte formula is PERFECTION. It's not drying on, your lips will feel so freaking smooth all day long. I can't wait for them to expand the shade range cause I will buy them all.

Redken Color Extend Blondage has been the best purple shampoo for me. I've tried them all (no seriously, I have...) and I keep reaching to this one out of the 4 in my shower at all times. Bonus, it smells like my high school crush's cologne (Polo Sport...I went to HS from 98-02, it shows...)-serious yum!

check out the other ladies posts;

 

Jocelyn 

blog | https://thebargainbeautyandbarr.com/top-10-beauty-products-of-2018/

instagram

 

Jordan

blog | https://www.teensytinypetite.com/blog/top10beauty

instagram

 

Jasmin

blog | https://www.loessindiaries.com/top-10-beauty-products-of-2018/

instagram

Brooke

blog | Http://rosesandrouge.com/2018-top-10-beauty-products

instagram

Be sure you check out my girls' posts and leave them some love! What did you love in 2018? Let's chat about them in the comments

 

ps-some of the links up top are affiliate links, so I'll receive a small comish if you use em. You'll also give me the biggest smile, so then there's that :)

books | my top three thrillers!

A while ago, I posted on stories about how I got my best childhood friend 3 books for Xmas and I joked that it was like the "Kayla Paine Thriller Starter Pack" & I promised I'd share them with you, so here they are!

I loved each of these books because they kept you on the edge of your seat and you couldn't put them down. Two things, I think every good book should have especially thrillers (my fave type to read!)

You by Caroline Kepnes 

My fave book I read in 2018. It's also a series on Netflix too, but start with the book cause you NEED TO FEEL THE CREEPS. The show is amazing. Oh, I would be doing you a major injustice if I didn't warn you...DO NOT READ Hidden Bodies the sequel. It's not worth it, you can't get the wasted hours back.

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

I love all of Chevy's books, she's a must read for me. But this one is my all time fave of hers!

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

This book pulls at your heart strings while you try to figure out exactly what will happen next.

Winter Wish List!

Here's a list of a bunch of things that I've had my eye on! All of the links are affiliate links meaning if you want them too and use the link below to purchase, I'll get a v small commission! 

teddy bear pullover

book review | Verity by Colleen Hoover

Brief Summary:

Sexy. Twisted. Consuming. 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling and award winning author Colleen Hoover comes "A standalone romantic thriller that is tragic, creepy, and brilliant!" -Mel Reader Reviews

beauty | interview with my hairstylist Claudia Cruz from The Great Studio & all the info on my hair!

This is probably the MOST requested blog post from back in p&b days and I finally got around to doing it. Last time I got my hair done, I interviewed my hair dresser to get to know her more & so I can finally share how we get my hair color with all of you!

Welcome 2019! | goals, words to live by in the new year, & what I'm leaving behind

Woah, it's 2019! It's crazy writing that, but here we are day one of the next chapter (which also if you're an avid reader like me a chapter being 365 pages (days) long is INSANE-ha!) Okay, I know you aren't here to hear me ramble, but here's my goals & words I will be living by this coming year.

goals;

-drink more water

-follow ww correctly; I actually had a conversation about this in The Sassy Club on fb (it's a grp put together by fashion influencer Dani Austin & I like all of the inspo it provides.) ww works if you work the plan and track everything. I will be giving my all to this again and will be posting weekly (okay, biweekly, monthly, who knows...) updates on here. When I do post, I'll include my weight and what I ate during the week. 

-commit to blogging again; I tend to lack motivation cause I'm truly layz, but I will give this a real go and go back to the mindset "even if no one reads it, I'm doing this for me."

-read 52 books; I lowered it from last year cause I didn't meet that 2018 goal

-stop comparing my life to those online & remember everyone just shares a highlight reel; this is a huge one for me because 2018 taught me how short life really is when my blogging friend Leslie passed away 

-put myself out there in the community as a blogger 

words to live by;

-present; as in be more present: as we all do, I spend a lot of time on my phone. So even if it's just sitting down to watch a show I like, I want to watch the show and not browse IG while doing it

- bold; as in be bolder: I just want to put myself out there more in any capacity possible (I don't necessarly mean dating or anything like that, but I want to do more videos on IG and maybe start YT again.)

what I'm leaving behind;

-self-doubt! This goes hand in hand with a bunch of what I already wrote & people who know me in my every day life will probably be confused by it cause I come off as the most confident person in the room, but my life motto is fake it til you make it. So this year, I'm ready to actually believe in myself!

What are you hoping for in 2019? Anything you're leaving in 2018? Let's chat in the comments so we can support one another!