November Ipsy Review

Hello again everyone!

Every month I get a Glam bag from a site called Ipsy (ill have a link at the end)

This is a bag that comes with four or five sample size items (sometimes full sized!) 

These items include makeup, nail polish, skin treatment, lotion, hair care items and much more! 

Usually every bag will come with a higher end makeup product also which is amazing!

They all will come in a really cute makeup bag also!

Well all that is great but how much?!

all of this is only $10 a month!!!!

It is so worth it for only that amount! 

Usually these bags are worth way more than that! But you can see that for yourself because I will be posting the prices or estimated prices with the review! :)

So here we go with my November Glam Bag! 

Here is a picture of the bag and the items all together

I am loving this bag! it is perfect with the galaxy print and the material feels like a rain jacket material I would say! So perfect!

Now the important part the goodies inside! 

Lets start with the best part the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara!

This sample size is a bottle with .14 fluid ounces! Thats way bigger than normal samples! 

I finally got the guts to try this mascara because I am EXTREMELY picky when it comes to what kind I use and normally hate anything I try other than my Voluminous Lashes! 

Well this one was AMAZING! 

It made my lashes look so long and full, I was extremly surprised! 

This is definitely a product I will be buying full size and full priced! 

The price for the full size is $20 with .36Fluid ounces 

So estimating would be about $7

Next up os the Beauti Basics navy gel liner with brush

Ill start out by saying I am not a huge gel liner fan and not a huge navy fan so keep that in mind

with that said I am not a fan of this product not just because of that but it doesn't make a nice solid line.

By this I mean to make a good line you would have to put a few coats on! 

Heres a picture of a line on my hand!

Other than that the formula is easy to get out of the pot which is trouble I usually will have with other products!

This product is a full size product and retails for $9.99 on there website! 

Thats the price of the bag!

Next product is Dermelect nail gel!

So when I got this I had never tried this product but was very excited I got it just by seeing others reviews and pictures! 

Well I got it and tried it and OMG I'm in love!!!

The color I got was Sophisticate! 

Its a light mocha looking color (picture below)

I'm terrible at doing my nails haha

Goes on so well and great coverage! 

Also is long lasting on me which is not normal at all! 

This is also a full size and is $14 on there site!

Next is the Figs and Rouge Primer!

When I first got this I thought it was a cream or face soup and was kinda like eh probably will not get used (I'm picky and don't like new things!)

Well I looked closer and got SO excited because it was actually a mattifying primer! I needed a new one so bad!!

Well then I tried it and well I LOVED IT! 

It worked with my skin so well! 

I usually start to get oily after awhile (specially at work) but with this my makeup looked perfect all day! 

Definitely would think about buying the full size!

For the full size the price would be $37.40 which is 30mL 

The sample size is 15mL so would be worth about $18.60!

thats not to shabby!

Last but not least is the SL Miss Glam Blush Brush!

This is the cutest looking brush I have ever seen this company did so well with the look, I would have bought it just off that just look at the picture you'll say the same thing!

Aside from that this is an amazing brush it is very soft and the perfect shape for blush or even some contouring and highlighting! 

I haven't used it a ton but so far there has not been any shedding which is great!

I would love to get more of the brushes as a set because they are amazing and soft! 

This brush on its own will sell for $14.50 on there website! 

So there you have it all the goodies I received this month in my glam bag! 

I am very happy with everything I received this month which is great! They will all be used almost everyday!

If you didn't keep track of the total here it is for everything!

Drum roll please.....

$64.09!!!!!

WHAT?!!!!! all for only $10!!!!

like I said it is so worth it! 

I love it every month when I see my bag in the mail!

Definitely something everyone should try if even for a few months! 

If you want to sign up for the glam bag here is a link below so you can sign up!

https://www.ipsy.com/new?refer=2rofm

Hope this gave you some inside on Ipsy Glam Bag!

XOXO Carissa Ann

3 Ways to Make Extra Cash

If you are like me then you have a huge list of things that you want, but do not quite have the budget for those things. 

Well along with my previous blog about bargain shopping I will let you in on a few secrets I have when it comes to making a little extra cash. 

You can do along anything online now a days and making money is one of those things. 

Now not all of use have the time or are old enough to have an actual job so I would recommend going online to a few different websites that may not give you a ton of extra money but they will give you some extra money to put in your pocket or to spend. 

First one is one of my favorite sites its called SwagBucks!

This site (or app) is a site where you can take surveys, watch videos, play games, shop online and even browsing the internet all to earn what they call swagbucks. Once you hit 500 swagbucks you will be able to get a $5 gift card to a place of your choice! 

How easy is that?! 

I have been using this for the past few months and have been racking up a ton of target gift cards that I can use whenever!

What I love about this site is you are not obligated to do a certain amount at any time, so I do the surveys whenever I am extremely bored and just want to pass time.

If you are interested in this I will link the site below!

www.swagbucks.com/refer/Caraluvsu93

Option number two!

This is a sit called ShopKicks!

It is an app where using your location it will tell you what stores around you will give you points for walking in!

So you can go to places like target, american eagle, walmart, etc, and just press that you are there and it will give you points.

With those points you can rack up gift cards that you can use!

That may be the easiest money you could ever make!

Specially if you are at a mall a lot! 

Here is the link for this site to register!

http://get.shopkick.com/hydrogen43065

Option number three!

This is a app called gRateFriends

With this app it will use your location to find businesses around you that you can rate.

When you rate them you will earn points which will turn into actual cash!

This is an app that it will take a lot of ratings to get a decent amount of money so what is fun is you can have your friends join and that will help you boost your amount of earnings faster! 

So you get to grow your group so everyone keeps earning more and more! 

How awesome is that?! 

If you are interested in this app just download the app and in the sponsor code section put

Cdelraso93

Unfortunitly none of these are going to be get rich quick schemes but they will help you easily get some extra money! What is also great about all of these is you can get more from inviting people to join you! 

If you have any questions just let me know!

Please use the links I have provided only because it will help our groups grow which will in turn help you out!

XOXO Carissa Ann

Pick me up :)

While I was shopping today for new room decor I came across this picture and frame when I was at Homegoods. I was so excited about finding this because it went perfectly with my vision of colors I want in my room!  

Black and Gold so classy right?

Well I got home and started thinking about life and everything thats been going on the past few days  and realized ..

"this quote is something I need to live by" .. scratch that this quote is something everyone should live by! 

Always Believe that Something Wonderful is About to Happen! 

Why you ask?

Well let me tell you!

Everyone is going to have their bad days, but when you think good thoughts from those bad ones more likely it will turn into a good day. 

Easy way to put it 

You got a bad grade on a test? .. Well using this saying you could think maybe he will give extra credit or a retake! Well that would be something wonderful! 

It works in so many different situations and is just a quote I wanted to share with everyone and maybe it will make someones day just a little better! 

XOXO Carissa Ann

Prep for Fall on a budget!

Trying to find all those cute Pintrests looks but on a budget? 

I know I am a broke college student always looking for cute looks for less so I will share a few things I have come across to get those trendy looks! 

My first tip is going to be shop out of season! 

I know who wants to buy this seasons clearance when you can't wear it for a year and they're will be something new by then! 

Well I look at it as if you love it now who cares what the "new look" is next year, be you and love that item next season!

If that isn't a option for you then go to overstock places like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Burlington, etc. You can find some great deals for way cheaper than you would anywhere else! 

On that same note you can also go to my favorite place to shop .. 

OUTLET MALLS!!! 

Yes again last seasons or overstock clothes but those Jcrew chinos may be factory but id much rather pay $25 over $50 or however much they are at Jcrew, but hey that may just be me! 

But seriously outlet malls are like the best place ever!

I got my favorite Kate Spade Large Loden there for 50% off then another 20% that baby came to $150! how does someone pass that up! I know I didn't! 

Ok enough of my outlet mall obsession another place to check is Poshmark! I love this site so much its like Ebay but not Sketch! You can find so many different things and yes most of it is used but its normally a great price and most of the time looks brand new! I got my favorite Fossil cross body that was originally $160 for $25 and it was in perfect condition! 

You also could use eBay but again you need to watch what you are buying because some things are sketch on there! 

Another place I have recently fallen in love with is a site called aliexspress.com! It is a site that literally sells everything! I bought a herringbone vest on there for $25!! I get so many compliments on it and everyone thinks it from Jcrew! 

But ill let you all be the judge of that! 

With this site you have to be careful and read through the reviews before buying an item because sometimes you are getting something different than what is pictured but there are some really amazing deals you can get! 

I also got two knock off triangl bikinis on there and they look amazing! I will insert pictures and a link below! 

http://best.aliexpress.com/?aff_platform=aaf&sk=BaauNnI2j%3A&cpt=1446962243448&bz=300*250&aff_trace_key=ed77be8155cf4f7f9724576af05fe7be-1446962243448-05429-BaauNnI2j

But this site is also amazing for accessories that you won't wear a lot or even for one occasion!

Just again read the reviews before you buy please!!

Another tip is save those pictures you find of cute outfits and keep them on your phone for when you go shopping! 

You should see the amount of pictures I have on my phone of random outfits I want! 

Now when you go shopping at places like forever 21 or H&M look for pieces you can use that look like the ones in those outfits! 

You should be able to find things very similar if not identical for half the price! 

Lets be honest yes those bean boots are adorable but I love my madden girls duck boots just as much and they were over half the price! 

Heres a tip that may contradict my last statement but it is something my mom has always told me ever since I was little that now I am starting to agree with ..

When buying something you are going to wear a lot it is ok to splurge!

The reason is yes those boots may have cost you $200 but they will last five years unlike those ones you got for $40. Which means you'll have to probably pay over $200 in those five years because you replaced those boots so many times! 

Another HUGE tip is ..

COUPON, COUPON, COUPON!

Like I can't even count the amount of apps I have on my phone for couponing!

Yes I am a crazy coupon lady!

Like I mean get all the apps possible! 

Ill probably do another blog on those another day if anyone is interested :)

Well for right now those are my tips to save you some money and still look amazing! 

Hope this helps! 

Any comments or want to see something in another blog comment and let me know! 

Also I have started a instagram so add me at @Lifewith_Carissa 

XOXO Carissa Ann

Is it to late to change ..

Ive always been an indecisive person .. like seriously one of the most indecisive people on the planet most people would probably agree. This was true when it came to sports, schools, clothes, pretty much anything to do with my life I could never choose what I wanted. 

Ill let you know this is probably what makes my life so stressful but when I finally decided what I would want I usually had a breakthrough moment and everything turned out the way I would want them to. 

This is no different now that I am in college .. 

many people go through high school knowing exactly what they want to study when they move on to college, I was no different. I went through a career tech program during high school in hopes to help with my dream of becoming a sports reporter for ESPN. That was until my senior year when I realized that wasn't for me, although I still had a HUGE passion for sports it was not something I could see myself spending my life doing. 

Flash forward to choosing colleges. I decided going to a community college would be the smartest approach to planning what I wanted to do (not to mention the cheapest). I went through an entire year doing general classes figuring out what I liked to do. I decided that I loved planning events and especially loved weddings and thought this could be a perfect career for me to go into! After finishing a year and a half of classes and only having one semester left I realized I'm not sure if this is what I want to do. That means onto deciding what to do next.. 

Throughout my life I have always had a love for the ocean, so with that I decided marine biology would be perfect for me! I found a school that offered marine biology and decided to go through with it. I loved everything about this school and the program the only downside was 50,000 dollars is way to much to be paying for one year of school. Plus I was so far behind I would have been there for three or more years.. not something I wanted to do on the price. So with that I started looking into other schools that had marine biology programs. This was hard seeing as I did not want to leave the state and we are no where near a beach. 

I ended up at a school that was right by my house and WAYY less than the price of the last school and ended up working for my degree in biology. After a year and a half of going through this program I hit a road block. 

Your probably thinking to yourself "why is she rambling on about her life, where is the tip part of this whole speel?" Well to get to that you have to see what changes I've been making to get to this point. 

Now I am a semester behind and all my friends have graduated and have "big people jobs" and I am still struggling through college..

I decided to talk to my counselor about what is all going on and here is where the breakthrough happened .. 

I started crying in his office because he made me fill out a paper of why I am struggling so much, he then showed me and I realized I am not doing what I want to be doing! I don't want to do biology I wanted to do marine biology or anything to do with the ocean! THATS A HUGE DIFFERENCE! 

Well as soon as next semester starts I will be a business student! 

Again your saying "and this has to do with anyone else because... " 

Well let me tell you ..

People get so far into something then realize they do not like doing that anymore. They think I spent so much money and time on this I can't just quit or move to something else.

YES YOU CAN AND YOU SHOULD!! 

I say this because I know from experience that yes it will push you back but 

ask yourself this .. 

"Would I rather be save money and time but be stuck doing something I hate for the rest of my life?" OR "Would I like to spend the money and time finding out something I love and love what I'm doing!" 

PICK THE SECOND ONE!! PLEASE 

You should never make a decision that will make you go through life thinking is this really what I want to do. Because if your asking yourself that then your probably making a bad decision. 

It took me finally breaking down to make an appointment with my counselor or advisor to then go and have him show me I was making the wrong decision. 

If you have any doubts TALK TO SOMEONE it may show you that you are doing something wrong! 

Also don't let anyone pressure you into staying where you are at (IE PARENTS). My mom told me I was making a horrible mistake every time I changed what I wanted to do .. Well NEWS FLASH its your life not theres! 

All I hope is that this post helped one person change there lives for the better when it came to school or even a career! If anyone has further questions I would love to help them!

XOXO Carissa Ann 

A snip about me

  Hello and welcome to my blog! I am so excited to start sharing my life and things I have learned with everyone who wants to read! 

  

  There is no specific topics that will be talked about in my blog and I am very excited to hear from my readers what they would like to read. So lets get started and ill let you all know a little about me...

My name is Carissa but I go by Cara. I am 22 years of age and am currently a college senior (by credits) and just recently changed my major from biology to business ... Crazy I know! I currently have two different jobs outside of school and live on my own with my amazing boyfriend and roommates. I was a college cheerleader and also am a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and am loving every second of it. 

   My life is not the most out of the ordinary life but it does have some unique twists and turns that have been recently going on. So if you are willing to stick with me and want to get to know me more keep an eye on my blog and all my posts to find out so much more! 

XOXO Carissa Ann