Check out elf Cosmetics!

Hello everyone! Just a quick little post today. Since I was in middle school, I loved elf products! I mainly enjoyed them when I was younger because I was a newbie with makeup and I had a small budget. Now that I'm more into makeup, I still appreciate the AMAZING prices but the quality of elf products is outstanding. Take some time to go check out elf with the link below.

e.l.f. Studio is the luxurious and professional line of cosmetics for the makeup artist in all of us. Shop e.l.f.'s Studio Collection today!

I love the blushes and eye brushes and will definitely keep shopping for more elf, now that it is becoming available at more stores! 

Have a fabulous Wednesday! 

XOXO

Hannah

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a very happy thanksgiving filled with love, family and delicious food! I have so much to be thankful and even though I don't always say it, I appreciate everyone in my life. 

Brandon, my amazing boyfriend, has made me into the person I am today and for that I will always be thankful. I am also extremely lucky to have an amazing guy like him in my life! I love you so much! 

There is so much to be thankful and don't ever forget how lucky you are!! 

Xoxo 

Hannah

Naked 2 Palette

So I know I'm a little slow on the Naked bandwagon...but I finally got the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette! My lovely boyfriend got it for me for our 6 year anniversary and I am so happy that this gorgeous palette is in my life! 

The packaging is very well made and pretty sleek. It will definitely be good for traveling! I like the plastic snap closure as opposed of the felt magnetic packaging that the first Naked palette has. I still want to get it though :)

The colors are just perfect and exactly what I love and wanted. I'm a huge fan of neutrals and these are all so pigmented and gorgeous! 

This picture isn't too clear but I'm sure everyone knows what this amazing palette looks like! I will definitely upload some swatches cause they are just too pretty and I love to play around with them. I can't wait to create some new and pretty looks with this great palette! 

Taylor by Taylor Swift Perfume

After lusting after this perfume for months, smelling it each and every time I walk into Ulta, I finally got the Taylor by Taylor Swift perfume for Hanukkah! 

It comes in a very interesting looking bottle; it's like nothing I've ever seen! It's very chic and cute and I love the top with the cute pearls. Most of all, the scent is amazing! I am horrible with scents but it's pretty sweet smelling to me and I absolutely love it! 

Just some Monday evening chatter

I'm sitting in my bed at the early hour that it is itching to write a blog post, although there is really no rhyme or reason to this post. I'm just in the mood to write and share. I remember always keeping a journal as a kid and I still do to this day at the fine age of 21. Yes, I am 21 and in bed at 9pm. But somehow, I love it. Writing in a journal was always a way for me to let out my feelings, worries, secrets, and desires without ever being judged or questioned. A pen and paper will never judge or be biased, which is why writing was always important to me.

At the present time in my life, I have quite a lot going on. At times, it becomes overwhelming and it can be hard to express how I feel in an accurate and meaningful way. My multicolored peace sign journal that my boyfriend gave me probably 3 years ago sits on my desk. It just sits there. I see it everyday when I am going through the motions of each and every day. But why is it that I have not been picking up that journal to write? I ask myself that question often.

I came to realize that I am sometimes afraid to pick up that journal and write. I am fearful of letting out the hard things. That is not to say my life is full of woes and sadness. I actually have a lot of good things going for me and I am one of the luckiest girls in the world. However, when I am dealing with a particularly difficult struggle, I am the kind of person who would rather brush it under the rug rather than talk about it.

My growing interest in blogging and YouTube has inspired me to write more and slowly become part of the world that I became so enamored with. To write about anything. Any silly, sad, uplifting or stupid thing that might pop into my head. I want to write about them all. I think back on the times where writing in a journal was therapeutic to me, even at the young age that I was.

Today, I rediscovered the power of written word in conveying emotion. I have been experiencing many different emotions, and many of them can't be put into a single word. I am graduating at the end of the fall semester. I'm thinking about pursuing a Masters in Social Work. But I don't know if I should find a job first. I wonder what the future will hold for my boyfriend and I. We are coming up on 6 years this December. I don't know where the time has gone. We are in the midst of an important step in our relationship; his grandparents from China are here for a visit. This is a bigger deal than one may think. I won't go too much into detail and bore you all to tears, but this has been a pretty rough patch for us. We are making it through, and I am excited for what the future holds for us, although I still harbor a lot of stress, worry, and anxiety. 

All in all, there is a lot going on for me at this moment, and I am vowing on this day to start writing again to help me through the hard times. I don't know how many people will read this blog. Maybe no one will. But I hope if anyone does, that people will be able to relate and hopefully see the therapeutic powers that writing can have over us. I plan to use this blog, as well as the rainbow peace sign journal that stares at me from my desk. I hope to become a more internally peaceful person, and I appreciate that you are joining me on this journey. 

Stay beautiful and be happy! 

XOXO,

Hannah

Clinique Freebies

Hi everyone! Happy Tuesday! Today I have a little overview or some Clinique extras that I have. Luckily for me, my grandma always gives me her free-with-purchase Clinique items and I must say for freebies, these are pretty decent! 

First we have this pretty dual-ended lipstick/gloss. The lipstick is the Clinique Different Lipstick in the color Raspberry Glacé. 

It is a beautiful shimmery raspberry color with a light pigmentation. 

The swatch on the left is the lipstick. It isn't too pigmented but I'm definitely a natural lip kind of girl so I'm liking this color! 

The lip gloss is the Clinique Long Last Glasswear in the color Fireberry. This isn't a color I would normally go for but it is definitely very pretty! 

I think I was most excited about this gorgeous eye shadow and blush palette! It's a pretty decent size for a freebie and the colors are very nice! Here are some swatches of the Clinique Color Surge eyeshadow trio and the Soft-Pressed Powder Blusher.

The blush is a matte mauve-pink color and it's right up my alley! The dark matte shade I believe is called Slate and the shimmery golden pink and darker pink-bronze color are from the Strawberry Fudge duo. Very pretty and I can't wait to try these out! 

These products have certainly made me want to check out some more products from Clinique so I will definitely be doing that soon! 

Thanks for visiting Curls and Cupcakes and I hope you all have a beautiful day!

XOXO,

Hannah

September 2013 Birchbox!

Hi everyone! So I know I have been MIA from this blog, but I'm here today with a mini post about the September Birchbox! I've been pretty pleased lately with what they have been sending and I've gotten the chance to try some products I've been interested in as well as some new ones! 

I was probably the most excited to see this little baby! This is a mini Benefit Sugarbomb Ultra Plush (I think) lip gloss. I have been in love with Benefit Cosmetics, solely based on what I have seen on YouTube. This is a pinky nude lip gloss with gorgeous golden shimmer. It has a yummy smell too and the best part in my opinion is that it isn't sticky at all! Overall, a very good Birchbox sample. The Benefit Ultra Plush lip glosses are $16 at Ulta, Sephora and other high end retailers. 

Here we have a pretty typical Birchbox cardboard sample of the Yes to Carrots CC Cream in light and light-medium. I will definitely be trying it out in hopes that it doesn't break me out.

Another Yes To! My box came with the Yes to Blueberries Cleansing Facial Towelettes in a travel size package. I am new to makeup remover/cleansing wipes so I was excited to try these. Unfortunately I found the smell to be a bit yucky! I'm sad because I wanted to like them! I will probably throw them in my travel bag just of have for convenience but unfortunately, this was a miss for me. 

Don't you just love when Birchbox sends nail polish?! I immediately get excited! This is a Ruffian nail polish in a shimmery red-orange color. This isn't exactly a color I would normally go for but I will definitely use it soon! 

Well, there was a quick (well maybe not so quick) overview of the September Birchbox! I must say I love having this subscription even though there are some misses here and there. I hope you all have a gorgeous day!! 

XOXO,

Hannah

A Recent Fashion Haul

Hey everyone! So this is my first official blog post! I pondered all week what my first post should be about. I wanted to make it perfect. But then I realized that it doesn't need to be so perfect and formal. As I was putting away some new clothes I bought recently, I thought, hey! Why don't I snap a few pictures and make my first post. So here it is!

I am definitely a frequent but unsuccessful shopper. I often see items that I like very much, but I am discouraged when I do not like how they look on me. Because of this, I try to stick with styles that I know I am comfortable with, like button up shirts. Yes, they can be extremely boring, but they are a great way to make an outfit look polished, while still feeling trendy.

This pink studded blouse is from American Eagle Outfitters, which is one of my favorite stores. Their prices are reasonable and their clothes always seem to fit in with my style, which is pretty basic, but with a few cute and fun touches. This is a pale pink blouse with studded detail on the collar and along the shoulders. It has 3/4 length sleeves and I just think it looks very nice on! Excuse my bad pictures. I need to find a nice background. 

Here is a closeup of the studs. I just love blouses with cute little details. This top was on sale for $24.99 at American Eagle but with my AE Rewards coupon, I got it for only $19.99. What a steal! If you like American Eagle, sign up for the AE Rewards program! 

This next top is also from American Eagle and it is a simple chambray button up shirt what is very soft and comfortable! On the mannequin in the store, the top was tied up (like I tried to do in this picture) and I thought it looked cute and versatile. I purchased a size small, which is usually what I wear from AE, but this shirt is a bit on the larger size. I found that the extra small was a bit tight in the arms and did not tie up as easily, so I decided to go with the small, with the idea of tying it up or wearing it tucked in for a more professional look. 

Here is a snapshot of me with the top on. The black t-shirt underneath is of course, not how I would wear this top, but you can kind of see how it would look on. I just have a great love for these chambray tops, and I want to expand my collection! Again, this top was on sale for $24.99 and came to $19.99 with the AE Rewards coupon.

My last purchase from American Eagle was this pretty silver stacked ring set. I had originally seen this at an American Eagle outlet store, and thought it was really pretty. I sadly walked away from it that day because I felt that $15.50 was too much for a ring that I didn't exactly need...So I found myself at the regular AE store and the ring that I so very much wanted happened to be on the 30% off table and I knew right then that it was fate! Being 30% on top of the AE Rewards coupon I had, lets just say it was another steal! 

And please enjoy my sparkly manicure. I used OPI Black Onyx, Polka.com and Can't Find my Czechbook.

Since watching tons of beauty gurus on YouTube, I became very curious about Brandy Melville. There is a Brandy store in NYC, which is basically 10 minutes from my house, but I couldn't find time to get there. So when I heard that a Brandy was opening at Garden State Plaza, again, it was fate! My sister Hailey and I made a trip there (we have since made a few more) and I picked up a few things. I got the typical donut crop top and some black high-waisted shorts but I also got this cute tank top. It a soft and breezy for a nice warm summer day. 

I've mastered being stressed and depressed but I'm still working on the well-dress part. LOL. This top was $21 at Brandy Melville stores. 

And last but not least, I am a common white girl, not only for shopping at Brandy Melville, but for buying the quintessential maxi skirt. I am trying, and I mean really trying, to branch out in terms of my style and a maxi skirt with a slit is definitely out of my comfort zone, but like I said, I am always seeing things on other girls that look SO cute, and I am a copy cat and want to try out those pieces for myself! So I took a leap of faith and I bought the darn maxi skirt and I will say it is very cute. It is very boho and it is actually as comfortable as everyone says. It might take me a while to feel good about wearing things that are out of my element but I embrace the challenge! 

 Taking selfies is also out of my comfort zone but I wanted you all to get a good sense of what this cute and comfy skirt looks like. Please enjoy my Angelina Jolie leg pose. This skirt was $30 from Brandy Melville stores.

So that concludes my little collective clothing haul post! I hope you all have a great day and enjoyed looking at some of the pieces I have picked up recently. Stay beautiful!

XO,

Hannah

Welcome to Curls and Cupcakes!

Hello lovelies! My name is Hannah and this is my new blog site! You have just feasted your eyes on one of the best new blogs in town. Just saying... This blog will be about SO many things; beauty, fashion, health, FOOD, and so much more! Pretty much anything I can come up with! Over the past few years, I have had a love for makeup, nail polish, and clothes. I also love to cook and bake and I finally decided to do something more creative with the things I love. I want to share my loves with all of you! I hope you enjoy this blog, because I know I will enjoy blogging! Check back soon for my latest posts! Indulge yourself with some Curls and Cupcakes! :) Have a gorgeous day!

XO,
Hannah