Random Mid-Month Favorites

While I plan to get into the routine of monthly favorites, I had a handful of things right now that I thought would be fun to share. While my final semester at Iowa State is coming to a close, I couldn't be happier about the changes ahead. Amongst all of my academic changes, I also have been making lifestyle changes with my diet and exercise for example. Spring is such a feel-good time of the year, and I'm taking advantage of it! Here are just a few fun things going on in my life and a few tidbits I'd like to call my mid-month favorites. Enjoy! 

Getting quality exercise in and
running a 5K with my good friend

Eating healthy, even at restaurants
(Grilled pitas, hummus, baba ganoush, olives, carrots, peppers)

I've been loving my new trench coat this Spring!
(BCBGeneration)

I've been on the hunt for the perfect sunglasses.
Right now I have my eyes set on this pair by Michael Kors!

Another thing always on my mind is decorating!
Picked these up at TJ Maxx, hoping to put them
in my new bathroom :)

Last but not least...BLOGGING!
I am so excited about being a "blogger" now
and feel that things are really taking off!

So yes, those are my mid-month random favorites! What are some random things you have been loving so far this spring? I'd love to know! 

Thank you all for reading! I truly appreciate it!

XO, Carrie

Banana Muffins

Something different than a beauty related post? What? ;) Yes, you read that title right. Today, I thought I would share with you the best little recipe for a batch of banana muffins. I made these earlier in the week and can't get over how great they taste. I am already looking forward to the next batch I make!

Perfect Banana Muffins

Ingredients

• 3 bananas, mashed
• ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
• ¼ cup milk*
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Mix-ins of your choice (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together mashed up bananas, melted butter and milk. Lightly beat egg. Whisk egg, vanilla and sugar into other ingredients. Add dry ingredients and stir until everything is just mixed together. Do not over-mix. Spray a muffin pan or use muffin tins and fill each cup ⅘ full (nearly full). Bake for 20 minutes. Makes 12 standard size muffins.

*I used almond milk (sweetened).

I love the way muffins fill the kitchen air with a delicious, cozy smell! You might not be able to wait for them to cool before you take bite of these babies! Enjoy! :)

New Beauties

Nothing makes me more excited than to try out new things I've purchased. Whether they have come from the drug store or a high end makeup counter, experimenting is fun. Over the last few weeks, I have picked up a few new goodies and can't wait to incorporate them into my every day routine. If you follow me on instagram (which you should, if you aren't already, my username is cbersch), you might have seen this photo I posted about a week ago. These are some new things I purchased on my trip to San Francisco and at the drug store. 

From left to right, I picked up the MAC Lipglass in Saint Germain, the MAC Prolongwear Concealer (I use the shade NW20; I use this under my eyes), the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder (thanks to TiffanyD!), the Revlon Colorstay Foundation (I am the shade 240 Medium Beige), and  the Loreal Power Volume Black Smoke mascara. From the little I have used these five products, I already love them! 

The other item I wanted to share with you is this little beauty. Wow. Isn't she gorgeous! Again, if you follow me on instagram, you probably know that I have been lusting (seriously) after a YSL lipstick. Originally I wanted the Sheer Candy, but decided I wanted something with more pigment (for the money).

This fabulous little lipstick is the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte #15 Coral Intuitive. She will be taken good care of. :)

What things have you purchased this past month or so? I'd love to know! 

XO, Carrie

{Sunday Steals}

Happy Sunday all! I hope everyone has had a fantastic weekend! This morning I woke up feeling very ambitious. I have already made a list of things to do, but wanted to start off with a fun blog post for all of you! Today I am featuring a handful of items that I would consider to be "steals". They are all things I would like to purchase as well ;)

First is this mint faux stone fringe necklace. This fabulous steal is from Forever 21 (can you ever go wrong?)As of late, statement necklaces are HOT!People are paying big bucks for neon and bright colored bauble necklaces(i.e from J. Crew for $100+). I, on the other hand, chose to buy mine for a fraction of the price. What is more exciting than that?!

Forever 21
$10.80

Next, I wanted to share this adorable neon yellow maxi dress from Lulu's. Last summer, I was all about maxi dresses! Lucky for me, they are still going to be a go-to item this summer as well. I love the idea of this bright, neon dress! So cute for the beach, or even just a day shopping with the girls! And because this maxi can be dressed up or down, I think this is a "steal"! 

Lulu's
$39

I have been hunting forever for a good pair of flats I can wear around for every day with my dark skinny jeans. But because I change my mind a lot, I don't like to invest too much into shoes like that. I've found these super cute flats online at Younkers. Why I think these are a steal is because they are real leather.

Younkers
$49.99

Next up is a utility jacket that I am loving. While I already own a olive green jacket similar to this, I love that this one is a little more trendy and can be styled a little better. I found this online at Dillard's. 

Dillards
Now: $29.99

Last, I wanted to feature something I have been doing a little bit of research on. One of my friends recently showed me her terrarium, and I immediately knew I wanted one for myself. While I have tried growing a little plant in my window, I just don't have enough sunlight in my apartment to grow it well. So I decided to search for something more low maintenance. I'd seen and heard of succulents, but after a little reading online, I am in love, and can't wait to put a terrarium together. (Terrariums hold in greenhouse gases.)Instead of going out and buying all the items separately, I've found a gal on Etsy who sells kits ready to go! So precious, I know. 

Etsy via Tina's itty bitty garden
$12

So thats all for today. I hope you enjoyed what I am finding for steals. I'd love to know what you have found for steals as well! Have a great week!

XO, Carrie

My Makeup Organization

Hey everyone! I hope you are all having a great week. Mine seems to have flown by! The weather is starting to warm up finally and I am NOT complaining. It's about 60 degrees and sunny here... something we haven't felt in quite some time. But enough about the weather! Today I want to share with you my personal makeup organization as well as some tips on how to keep your collection arranged.

For the last couple of years, I have been using this makeup "trolley" so to speak. My aunt had one, and I was getting to the point where I had more than enough makeup to fit into my small makeup bag. So, of course, I had to get one for myself. I purchased this from QVC. It is still available and can be found here. What I loved about this spinning cart is that it hold SO much!  There are so many slots and sections, each created specifically for different makeup items.

If I have one tip for makeup organization, it is to keep alike items together. (i.e. blush with blush, concealer with concealer, etc.) This makes it so much easier to locate and find what you are looking for. Also, keep alike items together in the sense of where the product is applied. (i.e. put under eye concealer next to eyelid primer...these are things you use in the same steps of your routine) Not only is it great to have your makeup organized in a system like this, but it is also great to have your makeup out on display and sorted helping you to not forget about some of the products you may have purchased a while back but haven't used in a while. I am a very "out of sight, out of mind" sort of person. If I don't have it out, I probably am not going to use it.

Because I have so many lip colors, they don't all fit in the top part of my makeup cart. (There are probably many more scattered about in my purses, school bag, coat pockets, etc.) I hope to find something different to store my lip products in soon (maybe something like this acrylic drawer), but for now I am using a tin that originally held one of my Fossil watches. Kinda cute, huh? I think so.

I used to store my brushes in the top part of the trolley as well, but there simply isn't enough room anymore. For now, I have been using these adorable and chic cups. The larger one (behind) is from Anthropolgie. I store my face brushes in that one. The smaller mirrored cup is actually the bottom of a martini shaker that I found at Target on clearance! I use it to hold my eye brushes.

I thought I would also show you what else I keep on my counter. This mirror has two sides; one is magnified, one is not. I purchased this at Walmart. I also keep cotton pads and q-tips in acrylic containers I got off of Amazon a while back.

How do you store you makeup? I'd love to see how!

Thanks for reading! Happy Thursday! :)

You've Got Me Blushing... {My Blush Favorites}

Blush, blush, blush... I love blush. After foundation, blush is my next favorite product to experiment with and try new colors. Over the past year, I have found a couple brands that I really can count on for good blush quality and color selection. 

First up is the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush. This blush is AMAZING! They have so many colors, I can't wait to purchase more! I have 3 and love them all equally. They staying power is incredible. After a long day of class and running errands, I can still see the blush on my face looking almost exactly the same as how it looked when I left in the morning. The three colors I have (from left to right) are: Blissful, Adored, & Fearless. I love the names of these blushes as well. The other two I would like to purchase in the future are Dollface and Exposed. Another thing I love is that the outer packaging is the same color as the blush.

If you have any of these Tarte blushes, let me know which ones you love! :)

Secondly, are the NARS blushes. I have two that I love. They are in the colors (left to right): Orgasm and Madly. I know Orgasm is VERY popular, so I am sure you have heard of it. Madly on the other hand, is a fairly new color I believe. It looks almost like a bronzer in this picture, but it transfers as the most beautiful pinky-nude. (Looks great as eyeshadow too!)

I also have been loving the MAC mineralize blush in the shade Gentle. Because this blush is a mineralize product, it applies very naturally. I love this shade, because it is a cool pink tone, rather than warm like the rest of my blushes. 

What are your favorite blushes right now? I'd love to know! :)

Thanks for reading & have a great day! 

My Current Must-Haves

Today, I want to share with you a few of my VERY favorite skincare and makeup items, as well as a few other various products I am obsessing over. Some of these products are new and others are old favorites. Either way, I now consider them holy grail items and will definitely be repurchasing them when I use them up. 

The mint julep masque is something I purchased about 6 months ago, and have been loving ever since. I use this mask once a month, but would like to start using it more. If you have oily skin, this is a great mask for you! It really does a great job of 'drying' up my acne prone pores. However, even if you don't have oily skin, this minty masque is great for refreshing your skin, and a great way to end a long hard day of class or work. 

Proactiv Renewing Cleanser (step 1 from the set) is a very standout cleanser to me. I'm one that prefers a good exfoliator in the shower. This allows me to get that squeaky clean feeling compared to just a cream cleanser.  I started using Proactiv when I was in 7th grade, and quit using it after about 2 years. I started up again this past summer, and have cut out the other 2 steps due to finding other products that work better for me. 

The Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ has become my new favorite foundation! I am so happy I heard about it and purchased it. This foundation leaves a matte finish and is full coverage. It is also oil-free. 

MAC Sheen Supreme lipstick in Supreme Style is SO moisturizing- better than any other lipstick I have tried. Supreme Style is the most perfect everyday pink-y shade. 

The new Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara is a new favorite that I featured in a new products post a while back. It is very similar to the Covergirl Lash Blast. I think the formula is a little less volumizing, but makes up for it in the lengthening department. I also love that this mascara has a curved brush. There a so many small little fibers on the wand that grab each individual lash, defining them all without any clumps involved!

Last, but not least, I wanted to include one of my FAVORITE candles that I am absolutely in love with. This is the Voluspa Santiago Huckleberry candle. It can be purchased at Anthropologie. They make a variety of sizes and jar styles. It can't even begin to describe how delicious this smell is, not to mention, how gorgeous is this jar!?

What are your holy grail products? I'd love to know!

Have a great rest of your week!