Mini Vacation~ San Diego [picture heavy]

So, I guess if you follow me on my other social networks, you might know my friends and I went on our yearly San Diego stay for a small summer vacation type thing.

It's the one trip I look forward too since, a bunch of us gals pile into a car and pretend we're room mates for a week and just relax at the beach and pool.

This year, we had a bit more of an adventure, and it was well worth it.

Updated Room Tour

 Well, it's another room tour! Recently, I got a new couch and bed and it changed the feel of my room to a more mature girly feeling.

 My same shelf desk~ which I will be replacing hopefully before school starts in fall... I'm looking in antique stores for a 'gossip table' or 'telephone desk' that I want to update to match my aesthetic<3 But, I still make due with the desk I have.

 From the last room tour [link] I got rid of and replaced a lot of my stuffed animals, not only for more space, but to coordinate with the rest of my room. Also, my collection of molang plush is growing.

 My side table, equipped with my morning necessities..

 Detail of my 'new' bed... Honestly, it's not actually new, it's just my bed from my mum's other house.. During moving, the bed was missing parts so I had to make my own bed slats and use a box spring to ensure my mattress would be secure so my bed is a bit over 4 ft tall... I have to use a stepping ladder to get up on it since I'm just about 5'3" in height;; I'm still getting used to the height of it, but it kind of feels like a throne~

 My ever growing vanity.

 I have a new edition of shelving since I needed a place to organize all my books, magazines and little bobbles that were cluttering up my room.

 My plat de résistance, my new couch and canopy.
I'm so glad I finally replaced my couch from the unformfortable wicker throne which kept snagging my hair,  to my lovely plush settee.
I then threw together a diy canopy made from ikea curtains on an embroidery hoop and hooked it up to my ceiling. 

 It's also been my 'go to' place to take pictures for blog posts and even my selfies.

 My final wall, that has my closet. Not seen are my bathroom and body mirror, that I usually use for ootds.

I'm still in the process of organizing my closet, but it's getting there. Also, if you can't tell, my clothing is very ill suited for California summer weather. I really have quite a growing collection of sweaters haha.

Hope you enjoyed my updated room tour!
[if anyone's curious this is my initial room before and after]

<3CarisseIris

Disney's Ariel Makeup and Acessories, Walgreens Exclusive

'Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?'

 Through a trickle of pictures I've been seeing pop up online, I found out that Walgreens [a US based drugstore] has now released an exclusive Disney's Ariel, the little Mermaid, line. The products come from multiple and well known brands to create a full set of beautiful and magical products for summer.

There are hair care, perfume, makeup, bags and accessories available in store. [website link]

Happily, I went straight to my local Walgreens, but products weren't available in store yet... SO, I journeyed to four other shops to fill up my treasure trove. Most stores I visited just had their shipment arrive in this morning, so I was able to see all the products available in bulk since they took out what they had in the stock room for me to peruse... I'm happy to say, I was able to find all the items in the collection I wanted to get my hands on!

Disney Ariel Lash Kit, by Ardell 

This kit is the piece that drew my attention to this series! The packaging is AMAZING, like I'm in love with the shell shape it's in, plus, it seems like it can be reusable since it can fit Ardell's standard lash stands.. It's actually pretty sturdy and plastic, so I know I'll be using this as my travel lash case.

The kit comes with two Ardell lashes, the case and some glue. There are three different kits available, all of them come with one pair of Ardell's 'Demi Wispies' and a pair of their 'Double Up' lashes...  I believe I purchased kit #1 and #2, that come with lashes 203 and 204~ For in store and online, kit #3 looks like it has lash number 205, but I can't confirm that;; 

 The next product I purchased was the Ariel Nail Polish 5 piece set.

 I actually didn't notice till I brought it home that the polishes are scented! Truthfully, the scents are kind of gross to me except for the 'vanilla' scent which is the colour 'For Shore'.

Above, the colours in order:

High Tide, Blueberry

Sea Breeze, Cherry

For Shore, Vanilla

Surf's Up, Strawberry

Tropical Wave, Grape

e.l.f Disney Ariel Lip Stain and Super Glossy Lip Shine Set.

The packaging is very cute, with the monogram 'A' and shell that goes with the theme of all the products. It's very classy and looks really pretty. The colour of the stain is Petal Pink and the glosses are Sunrise and Sunset~ Both are the same colour but one is sheer, and the other opaque with gold shimmer bits.

e.l.f Disney Ariel Eye Collection set.

In the kit, it comes with a waterproof black eyeliner and two eyeshadow duos. The teal/gold set is called 'High Tide', while the pearly muave/bronze duo is titled 'Coral Reef'~ both duos are different colours from the other shadow kit in the series. I really like all the colours except the muave shade, so it was a bit anti climactic. On another point, I was pleasantly shocked at how nice the liquid liner in this kit is! It's smudge proof and pretty darn opaque for the price.. 

 e.l.f Disney Ariel Treasure Within Beauty Book set.

 This book is the neatest thing in the collection, hands down~ I guess it would be the key item to get...
It comes with 9 eye shadows, two blushes, a lip gloss and two brushes~

 Following the example of other Disney inspired sets, the names of the shadows are really cute~
Sand Dollar~ a light cream shadow with a very fine dusting of shimmer, it could almost be matte.
Coral Reef~ a frosty light lemon shade
Tropical Wave~ shimmery aqua
North Star~ shimmering light grey
For Shore~ frosted gold
Siren Song~ metallic copper
Seaweed~ pearlecent green
Seashell~ electric purple with a light dusting of shimmer, which is more on the matte end
Brilliant sea~ shimmery blue

Conch Shell~ Dark tan blush
Tan Lines~ Golden blush

Go on and Kiss the Girl~ baby pink lip gloss

I'm not so impressed with the eyeshadows because all the shimmer and pearl is a bit too much for me~ But I absolutely love Sand Dollar and Siren Song. They are so pretty blended with the Conch Shell blush used as an eyeshadow~
I really like both the blushes, and they make a pretty decent contour if you can get past the shimmer. They both blend amazingly too so it made the purchase of the booklet worth it!

The book comes with an instruction/guide on how to create a day and night look using the palette, and both looks are very pretty and the advice can be used as an outline for beginners with eyeshadow because the guide is quite easy to follow.

e.l.f Disney Ariel Bronzer and Kabuki Brush set

Hands down my favourite purchase from the collection! I adore the packaging and the bronzer makes a beautiful contour shade!!! Wow, I'm in love~ The only downside is there's a LOT of fall out if you use the provided kabuki brush~ The brush might be a bit too stiff for the product I think, so it was a big mess until I switched to my normal contour brush.. 

e.l.f Disney Ariel Crystal Brush Set

I bought this out of curiosity on how e.l.f brushes fare in my kit.. Also I lost my blending brush on vacation;; The brushes are pretty decent and look quite pretty~ So it's all good. I really like the travel pouch it comes in, it'll be great for trips and bringing in my makeup kit.

Conair Disney Ariel Wrapped Headband

It's such a pretty headband! When I wear it, it looks like I've donned a tiara! Like, a crown fit for a mermaid princess~ It's really subtle.

 I used all the products for fun, and loved the result~ I used the wispy lashes, blush, provided eyeliner, contour, liptint/lipgloss and Siren+Sand Dollar+ Conch Shell for my eye shadow. I'm mighty impressed with how good it all looks especially for drugstore brands.

I love the Disney Ariel collection, and it was my day and money well spent scouring the seas for~ Haha, or along the 605 freeway at least... 

<3CarisseIris

Fionna the Human, Cosplay~ Ears and Tee Review

In celebration of 'con- season', which we are in the midst of in California, I put together this cute Adventure Time, Fionna, inspired cosplay that I wore recently to a local comic themed bar crawl.

My outfit was loosely based on this outfit Fionna the human wore in this above sketch.

This was my outfit looks together~

Tee from Skreened

Skirt from American Apparel

Ears from Tinytangerines Etsy

Socks from American Apparel

Shoes from Bakers

 Pink haired Fionna, haha~ But, I decided to go for a more 'everyday' wear look than a full on mimic of the outfit. It fit my style much more, but to do that, I needed a pair of ears that would still give the iconic Fionna silhouette but not as bulky, to keep it more on the subtle side~
Keeping that in mind, I contacted tinytangerines, on etsy, to see if it were possible to order a custom pair of her well known crochet ear warmers.

 And after the most pleasant conversation, it was easily and quickly finalized!
It's actually a modified version of a pair of ear warmers in stock based on Finn the Human [located here].

The ear warmers were completed and shipped out within a week!

They came beautifully packaged and in gorgeous condition! The ear warmers are so very well made, and I can see why I see so many reviews raving about her products~

The ears stand up beautifully, and the whole piece feels very secure, no slipping around my head at all. The band is tied near the nape of the neck, and can fit any sized head or accommodate around any hair style, which is just wonderful!

Like, really, I can't sing enough praises on how great the customer service I received was though~ It just really stood out over any direct seller contact I've had over the years.

 On to the tee shirt for the look..
I got it from Skreened, an online retailer that enables users to upload their own images onto shirts for orders to anyone interested.
The design I found was a good replica of the top I needed for my costume [located here].
The print is well done, and very crisp. The shirt itself is SUPER SUPER soft, seeing as it's from American Apparel. The fit is a bit boxy, as it is a unisex tee, but though I feel a boxy tee can be unflattering it does look pretty cute tucked into a high waisted skirt!
For those who are interested, I normally wear a size medium [6-8 US] dress and I ordered the shirt in a size small. The fit is quite good, pretty loose and breezy, but enough fit to keep the tee from looking too baggy on my frame. I actually love using the top as a pajama because it's just so comfortable. Though, if it were available, I would probably wish for an extra small size..

Overall, I am super satisfied with all my purchases, and it all together gave me such a cute look!

I was happy to finally be able to dress as one of my favourite characters of all time, and to do it in a way that looked fresh and fit my personality quite well!

[Just a small add in, the American Apparel socks are REALLY long/high. They go all the way up to my butt with room to fold... I am 5'3". If I plan to re-wear the outfit, I will be looking into another brand of over the knee socks, so if anyone plans to buy a pair, keep in mind they might fit someone taller better..]

<3CarisseIris