Sunday, May 25, 2014

Favorite Lipsticks & A Coupon Code

Lately I've been obsessed with lipstick and have found a few shades that I wear all the time. Right now I go back and forth between MAC lipstick and Revlon. The MAC tubes run about $16 each but the Revlon are right at $5. If you aren't too excited about spending $16 on a tube of lipstick, read on to see how you can get similar shades for less.

Lips
Lipstick left, right

When I'm wanting a pink shade, I usually go back and forth between MAC's Please Me, and Candy Yum-Yum. Please Me is a nice muted shade of pink while Candy Yum-Yum is an electric shade. 

I recently just picked up a pretty pink shade from Target for $5. It's called 'Pink Cloud' by Revlon and it goes on super sheer and feels like a lip gloss. If you want a subtle shade for less, check your local Target store.

Pink Cloud at Target - $5

Maybeline's Fuschia Flash - $5.50 - Identical to Candy Yum-Yum

Lips
Lipstick right, left

When I'm not wearing pink, I'm alternating between MAC's Morange and Revlon's Fire and Ice. Once again there is a more affordable option for this bright orange if you are looking for one. 

I recently picked up Revlon's Siren thinking it would be a nice sheer orange that I could wear over my MAC Morange for a bit of shine. I was surprised to see that it was almost identical. It goes on matte with a strong bright look just like Morange. So if you are looking for a nice bright inexpensive lipstick, get Siren. The pictures that I found online don't look anything what it looks like in person. It definitely is identical to Morange.

What are your favorite lipsticks and colors?

* If you are doing any shopping today, make sure you stop by my online jewelry store, How Gorgeous. Save $3 on your entire order today with the coupon code SAVE3. Happy shopping!





Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Skin Savers

I tend to blog mostly about fashion but since my blog is called Fashion and Beauty Finds, perhaps I should throw in a beauty post here and there. ;)

Recently I've started to feel old and haggard. No, really. It could be that my birthday is fast approaching. It could be that the kids I teach who are graduating from high school this year were just infants when I was about 17 or 18. Yikes. Or it could be that I'm old enough to have kids of my own... And I have three. Whatever it is, my skin is starting to show the signs of aging.

                        




But seriously, there are a few things that I have been doing to counteract the signs of aging. Like using these products:

Serum, moisturizer, brush

A Clarisonic has not been in my budget so I opted for the Olay Pro-X. It only cost $30 and has been a skin life saver! My skin was feeling rough and looking uneven (even though I exfoliate with a cream once a week). Using this every night has made all the difference. My skin feels baby soft and my complexion looks so much better. If a Clarisonic is not in your budget, make a point of getting one of these brushes. Trust me, you will wonder what you did without it!

I've also been using the L'Oreal Youth Code texture perfector serum and moisturizer. I use the serum in the morning and night and the moisturizer just at night. I think the combination of this serum, moisturizer, and brush have worked wonders. Let me know if you try them and what you think!

* When I looked online at the time of writing this post, it looked like if you bought 2 L'Oreal products (specifically these two) you would get a free $5 Target gift card. Check with your local store and see if they are running that promotion. You could use the $5 toward the brush!

Have a great day!


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Sunny Stripes

Loft blouses (old), Seven jeans (option), GoJane heels (here), Michael Kors bag, How Gorgeous necklace (here), sunglasses (here), F21 bracelet (option)

The weather here has been pretty fantastic lately. The mornings have actually been cool, which for Louisiana is a pretty big deal. I'll take a cool morning in May! 

I wore this the other day to take my mom out to lunch for her birthday. I quickly changed into flats since my ankles have been hurting. I started running a few weeks ago and hurt both of my ankles. I don't have good joints so I should have known not to run. Lesson learned, I will never, ever run again. It's just not for me.



Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at @amyshaughnessy1. Have a great day!



Monday, May 19, 2014

Bright Basics

I think every woman should have a bright basic top in her wardrobe. My favorite color by far is black and I love all black but I still wear bright, bold colors on occasion.

I've worn my favorite Forever 21 pink top countless ways but was just thinking that I don't own a bright orange top. I've put together two looks, a casual and a dressy look that are both very much my style.


Just because an outfit is casual, doesn't mean that it has to be jeans. A skirt in a fun print is perfect with flat sandals for a cute, causal vibe.

Dressed Up
Top, earrings, bag, heels, skirt

A long pencil skirt that hits right at the knee or just below it looks great with a pair of heels for a dressed up look. Picking a pair of shoes with perforated leather adds a hint of modern to this look.

How do you like to style a basic bright blouse? 




Sunday, May 18, 2014

On The Go

Francesca's top (option), Seven jeans (option), ShoeDazzle heels (option), F21 earrings, blazer (option here and here), & spiked bracelet (option), How Gorgeous necklace (here), nails: Essie's Mint Candy Apple (here)
Michael Kors bag (option), sunglasses (here), hair bow from a greeting card

It seems like I've been constantly on the go the past few weeks. Not that I mind; I like staying busy. On Saturday we went to Mass as usual and then my MIL took the two older boys for the rest of the weekend. I got to go by myself to Target that night. It was bliss, let me tell you. I got to linger in the cosmetics section longer than I normally would with my two little wild boys hanging out of the cart. (Last time I went through one of the aisles in the make-up section with my two year old, I ended up with some foundation in my cart that I had not picked up).






I hope you had a great weekend! Be on the lookout for more jewelry giveaways in the near future from my online shop

P.S. - I just started using my Instagram account. Find me at @amyshaughnessy1! 




Thursday, May 15, 2014

Brush Strokes

Top, skirt (old), sandals, F21 clutch (old), How Gorgeous necklace, lips: MAC Candy Yum Yum

So, you might remember this post from last week where I styled the above dress in an outfit set. Well, the 'dress' came in and it really works more as a top. It's definitely too short to be a dress so I decided to wear it with my leather skirt instead.





Have a great weekend!






Tuesday, May 13, 2014

And The Winner Is...


Congrats to Molly from Dreams in HD! You won the necklace pictured above. Be looking for an email from me.

If you didn't win today, no worries. There will be plenty more giveaways from my online store to come! Have a great day!


Monday, May 12, 2014

Sweet Summer Dresses

I don't think there is anything easier than throwing on a dress and flats in the summer. It's fast and easy and thanks to all of the fun prints available now, you can guarantee that you will look cute. I've styled a few dresses below and now I'm itching to buy them!


I'm loving the light blue and gold accents in the outfit above. This would be cute for a luncheon or for shopping with friends.

Fun Prints
Dress, bag, bracelet, sandals

I love animal prints and the oversize purple and black print of this dress is perfect. I decided to throw in a clutch with another color for a little interest. Not everything has to be perfectly matched.

Which look is your favorite?

I'll announce the giveaway winner tomorrow. Good luck!





Sunday, May 11, 2014

Mother's Day Maxi

ASOS maternity dress (shorter length here), Nine West heels, Michael Kors bag, F21 earrings, How Gorgeous necklace (here)

I decided to dress up the day before Mother's Day. We typically go to church on Saturday evenings anyway, so it made sense. I'm actually wearing a maternity dress that I bought to wear to a wedding. I bought it way too small so it's actually just a regular dress now. There was no way my pregnant self would have fit in this dress!




I am also wearing one of my favorite necklaces from my online store, How Gorgeous. This piece is so much fun and will go with so many different outfits.

I hope you had a great weekend, and a relaxing Sunday to all of you fellow mamas out there. 

Don't forget, you still have time to enter my giveaway below!







a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Zig Zag

F21 top and earrings, Old Navy pants, ShoeDazzle heels, Michael Kors bag, River Island sunglasses,
How Gorgeous necklace (here)

I put on a normal pair of pants yesterday! Can I get a WOO HOO?! I've been working hard the past few weeks and have shed a few pounds and was rewarded by wearing a pair of my favorite printed pants. Just a few more pounds to go before I'm back down to my pre-baby weight!




Don't forget to enter below to win a necklace from my jewelry store, How Gorgeous:

This giveaway is for U.S. residents









a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

What I'm Wearing... Hopefully

I have been looking online for the past few weeks for something to wear for recital/Mark's baptism. I haven't had much luck until I visited Sheinside. I found two dresses: a casual option that I can wear on weekends and possibly for dress rehearsal, and a 'dressier' version that will work for the performance night and maybe my son's baptism. I wasn't able to get anything with a zipper because that means it has to fit perfectly. My body is still changing and I've made mistakes in the past, buying clothes that fit at the time, only to lose more weight and not be able to wear them anymore. As long as these dresses fit when they come in, I should be good to go!


Dressed Up
Dress, necklace, bracelet, lipstick, bag, heels

If you missed my announcement yesterday, I have opened an online jewelry boutique called How Gorgeous. Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win this gorgeous necklace:








a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, May 5, 2014

How Gorgeous

Well, I can finally reveal the 'top secret' project that I have been working on for the past few weeks!


Weeks before I had my baby, I started getting the itch to open a jewelry boutique. I've always thought it would be great to own a boutique but having an actual brick and mortar store has been out of the question. Then it dawned on me. Why not open an online store? And since I have been blogging for a few years, I think (I hope!) I have a good idea of what kind of jewelry other bloggers and women in general like to wear.

How Gorgeous
Shop these pieces at How Gorgeous

To celebrate the opening of my new store, I am giving away this fun necklace:


Take a second to check out the store and let me know what you think! Don't forget to enter the giveaway below!









a Rafflecopter giveaway