The Bright Side of Being Sick

I believe there is a bright side of being sick! Yesterday, I came down with some sort of stomach bug and trust me I have done my fair share of whining in the last day and a half. Ok, so then is there really a bright side of being sick? Most would argue no, definitely not! And then they would say I was crazy for saying they are wrong! I mean yeah what is so great about a cough, fever, chills, congestion, aches, puking, and the occasional runs? Alright, well when you think of all those things, yeah being sick is pretty disgusting. Seriously, who said it was okay for this nasty little bug to take up a living space inside your body, and rent free at that? When you are sick, you probably feel your worst and let's face it look your worst, while this little intruder flourishes inside of you. It's so not right! However, I would argue that there is something amazing in the way we are built. We are made to fight off diseases. We are given this immune system that basically takes care of us every second of every day and it is amazing! The things our bodies can do, when put to the test are unbelievable! So you feel like crap. Well that is your bodies response to that little intruder. And what is the pay off? You feel miserable for a few days, and you get better because your body made you feel miserable, in order to slow you down and force you to rest. Sleep is an amazing thing and you need it to repair yourself. Think about it, if we didn't have that immune response, whatever little bacteria or virus that decided to to take up residence would probably kill us, and nobody wants that. When I find myself being a cry baby over being sick, I just stop to think about what exactly it is that my body is doing, and it makes me smile. And then I think, well I probably needed to rest and sometimes I wonder if getting sick is your body's own way of telling you to slow down and take a break. It's like your body if saying, "Knock knock take care of me so I can take care of you. Can you please just stop for a minute? I promise the world will be here for you to conquer tomorrow." Let's be real, who couldn't use a little down time once in a while? We live in a world that is so go go go all the time, and I think people forget to just stop and actually enjoy this world we live in. So the next time you feel a case of the sniffles coming on or that pukey feeling or the aches, instead of complaining about how much you have to get done and how you can so not get sick right now, maybe welcome it as a day or two of rest, because all that work will still be there in a couple days. The only difference is, in a couple days you will be well rested and full of energy from all the sleeping you are getting done trying to heal yourself. To everyone who is feeling sick right now, I do hope you feel better soon! I know being sick is no fun, but don't let it get you down, instead welcome that much needed rest openly. Without it, you are just asking to stay sick longer anyway. So why fight it? Just embrace it!  

Spring Blooms

Spring blooms somewhere in Buffalo! Well, not so much yesterday, but it will one of these days!

When I started this blog, I said I was going to write about things that I find beautiful, and it kind of ended up turning into a beauty blog about makeup and nail polish, which I find incredibly beautiful, but I am going to start throwing some other things into the mix! 

Yesterday, it was a cold, rainy Spring day in Buffalo and today it is a cold, snowy Spring day in Buffalo. Now don't get me wrong I love the snow, in fact I start wishing for it about half way through summer, but I also love my seasons. I especially love that I live in a city where I get to experience all four of them to their fullest, and sometimes all in the same day! So today on March 26, 2015 this is what Buffalo looks like:

You know what else I love about Buffalo? The fact that there are so many fun things to do here, even on a rainy, snowy, cold Spring day. You just have to know where to look! And when the seasons are changing, especially from Winter to Spring, Buffalo can be kind of drab and dreary and muddy, very muddy, but at the height of Spring, Buffalo is beautiful. The grass is green and flowers are in bloom and the the trees are full of bright green leaves and the sun is out and sometimes it is cool and rainy. The great thing about the rain in Buffalo at the height of Spring, is when it stops! The raindrops on everything just look so serene and you are almost always guaranteed to see a rainbow. It's kind of amazing! But when the seasons are changing and you haven't gotten to that point of Spring yet, and you are just really wanting to see Spring in full effect, there is one place you can go to find it and it never disappoints! That place is The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. It's a place I forget about too and I actually haven't been there in years!

Yesterday, we were hoping for a nice Spring day, so that we could go for a walk downtown. What we got was a cold, rainy Spring day, that meant we kind of had to stay in doors. So, my boyfriend said let's go check out the Botanical Gardens and that is what we did. They currently have their Spring Blooms out and it was so pretty! We had so much fun walking around looking at everything in full bloom and taking pictures. And honestly, it was just the dose of Spring I needed, while I wait patiently for Spring to actually come to Buffalo. It was so beautiful that I decided I really wanted to share that beauty here. So for everyone else who is patiently awaiting Spring, here is a little bit of it to tide you over until it actually arrives!

    

    

    

      

                                 

Falsies Without the Falsies

Want falsies without the falsies? Keep Reading! It has been way too long since I have posted anything here! And I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for the extended hiatus my fellow beauty lovers, but I am back! I don't know how often I will post, but I will try to give this blog some love more often! So you might be asking what brings me back, right? Well, I have been a member of Influenster for a while now. What is Influenster? Well, it is a site where anyone can post reviews about things they love or don't love, because let's be real, not every product you try is going to be a win. It isn't just beauty products that consumers are reviewing here, you name it, you can probably find a review on it! The more active you are on the site, in reviewing products and answering little surveys, better knows as snaps, the more badges you earn. As you earn badges, you become eligible for different reward campaigns. One type of campaign they hold is a VoxBox Campaign, where a member gets sent a complimentary full size product to test and review. And I am so excited because I just got picked to participate in my first campaign and of course it is a beauty voxbox.

So what did they send me to try out and review? I got the YSLVoxBox!! Yes, that is right, YSL!! YSL as in Yves Saint Laurent!! And what did I get you might ask? I was selected to try out the newly remastered Original False Lash Effect Mascara by YSL!! For the 15th anniversary of this mascara, YSL re-released it with a new formula that they say won't dry out in the tube and is now infused with B5 Pro-Vitamins to help strengthen and protect your lashes, while keeping them smooth and flexible while wearing this mascara. They have also added argan oil, carthame oil, sweet almond oil, and castor oil to the formula to help keep your lashes nourished and soft. They have added all of these things to the original formula, allowing it to give you the same false lash effect it always has, but at the same time allowing it to nourish those lashes keeping them strong and healthy!

If you can't tell by my excessive use of exclamation points, I am in love with this mascara!! I will start off with the packaging. I am not a packaging junkie. I don't just buy something because the packaging is pretty or cute, but if I was in a store this packaging would definitely catch my eye. It is quite possibly the prettiest tube of mascara I now have. It is so shiny and such a pretty tone of gold.

YSL Mascara

YSL Mascara Wand

YSL with No Flash

Now onto the brush. It is a nylon fiber brush that literally grabs every lash giving you a nice even coat of mascara! This is so great for me because for some reason I have a difficult time getting mascara on the lashes near the inner part of my eye. I always just miss them. It never looks bad, but I never get that really full lash look that I love on other people. With this it isn't a problem. I don't  know if I have to credit the brush or the formula for that, but I am a happy camper! Now there is one thing that might annoy some people, but it actually doesn't bother me. This mascara is lightly scented. I did read somewhere that it is infused with notes of jasmine and a few other things. If certain scents bother you, then you might not be a fan. However, all I smell is a hint of jasmine and it smells so light and fresh and I love it! I know for some people, it might irritate your eyes, especially if you have sensitive eyes, but it didn't bother mine at all. However, if you like jasmine, you will love this too. And last, but not least, the actual formula! Does it work? Well, the answer to that my friends, is yes it does! It lengthened and made my lashes look fuller, and with two coats, it made it look as close to false lashes as it could with my lashes! It is more of a wet formula, probably because of the oils added to it, but it drys quickly, which was nice, because I was able to apply a second coat right away! It didn't clump, which I have noticed is sometimes an issue with other mascaras that claim to do the same thing. At least, it is an issue I have. I prefer waterproof formulas because I tend to have a problem with the regular formulas flaking off throughout the day. The mascara that Influenster sent to me was not a waterproof formula and I did have that problem, but the flakes wiped away easily, so I can't really complain.

The big question is since this product was sent to me for free to try out, will I be purchasing it? The YSL False Lash Effect Mascara retails at $32.00, making this a bit pricey. However, that is expected with any high end mascara. And even though it is on the pricier side, I do believe it is worth the cost and yes, I will be purchasing it, when this tube runs out!

Overall, I'd say YSL hit the nail on the head with this one! The new formula is amazing and worth every cent. I love it! 

Before and After

Before and After