Hey Friends,
So I've gotten quite a few questions on Instagram lately about a lot of the items I'm gonna share with you today, so I decided to do a big round up of new products I've been using and loving! Some are Christmas gifts I received this year, and others are just products I've been using and loving for awhile now. Hope it helps you to have everything linked here in one place for easy reference! Let me know if there's anything I've missed linking for you here, that you've been wondering about!
1. Ardell Magnetic Lashes - So the thing I've definitely gotten the most questions about lately, is my lashes! I got some new magnetic lashes and I really like them. These are the most "realistic looking" ones I've tried, so this particular model is key. Be sure and grab the ones I linked, if you want them to look a bit more natural. Straight out of the box, they're still a bit longer than I prefer, so I trim them down just a bit, to make them a even more realistic. Easy peasy!
2. Two Faced Sugar Cookie eye shadow palette - This was a Christmas gift from a sweet friend, that I'm loving. All of the colors work well together, of course, but I also love to use some of these colors in conjunction with other eye shadows in my stash.
3. NYX Gloss in this color, this color and this color - Ok, so we've talked about these glosses before, but I got a couple more colors because I love them so much! I have one in my bathroom and a couple in my purse. They're great alone or over a lipstick! All three of the ones I have, even though they look pretty different in the tube, are great every day colors that go with most things, since these are a gloss and not a super dense lipstick. Of course, there are lots of different colors to pick from, so you can grab whatever colors work best for you, but these are the three that I have in case you want those specifically. The nice thing is, you can get more than one since they're soooo affordable!
4. Athleta leggings - So this next recommendation is for some items from Athleta that I've gotten over the last year-ish....I got my first pieces from Athleta at Christmas time last year. As I was recovering from the transplant and needing leggings to wear (...because jeans and their wastebands and zippers were not conducive to allowing a footlong incision down my belly, to heal. Wink!), I was gifted several pairs of leggings from Athleta and I have to say that I love them. Yes, they definitely cost more than some other brands, but I have some that are in a more medium price range, as well as some that are downright cheap and the Athleta ones definitely FEEL like the most quality of them all. That's as it should be, of course....since you're paying for that quality. I just wanted to attest to the fact that compared to my less expensive leggings, these definitely feel like the Cadillac of them all in terms of quality and getting what you pay for! The nice thing about this particular pair that I've linked for you above, is that not only are they beautiful and so comfortable, and not only do they feel like luxury on your skin, but they're also on clearance!! I only have the one color I linked, but I've seen the other colors in the store and would be happy to have them all! Haha. Run and grab some while they're cheaper if you can!
5. I also have these super comfy leggings in gray, but I think we all know that if I were to buy any more (because I love them), I would for sure buy that fuchsia or teal pair! Gah! WANT. Aren't they so preeeeeetty??? Another nice thing about these is that the pockets on the legs are large enough to hold a cell phone!
6. This sweatshirt is another that was a Christmas gift that I'm LOVING! Not only is it crazy comfortable but it's ridiculously soft. You may have seen me wear it in my Stories on Instagram recently. I got several inquiries about it, so here you go! I have it in the gray but it's on clearance now, too, so hopefully you'll be able to find the size and color you prefer. Also, since this doesn't completely cover my booty, I do wear a longer t-shirt under it, if I'm gonna be going out in public! ;)
7 & 8.I'm wearing this long sleeved tee today because....well, because it's PINK and RED!! Haha!! I snapped this one up for myself, the second it went on sale! Haha!! I also got this pink & red one, too. They're both soooo soft and stretchy and crazy comfortable! Seriously, if it's pink and red AND stripes, it's a pretty sure bet I'm gonna love it! I went up to a stranger in a store a few months back, to ask her where she got her pink and red striped sweater! LOL! (It was old and she couldn't remember!)
9. I'm also wearing one of these sweaters today, too, over my striped tee! So when I first saw these, they were not on sale so I kept watching. Then, they went on sale but they were $32 so I waited. And THEN, one day I got an email that all their sweaters were $10 & $12!!! So I grabbed this sweater in ALL the colors, because.....$12!! Plus, I'm happy to report that they're crazy soft! And because they're long enough to cover your hiney, you can wear them with leggings and a long tee and feel like you're wearing your jammies all day, only you're not! Haha!
10. My sister got me these floral earrings in pink for Christmas, and some of you have been asking for a link! They're so cute in person and super lightweight. She found hers from a different online source, but I found some look alikes for you at Amazon, to make it easy for you! Anyway, I love them and apparently some of you do, too! Lots of questions about them, so here you go...!
11. We have these sweet mugs from Target and we LOVE them! I got Bartley his for Christmas, because I wanted him to be able to take it to work and have a sweet little message from me every morning as he drinks his coffee at the office! But of course, I had to get the girl one to match, and I'm so glad I did! We've both discussed how substantial these mugs feel, even though they're very inexpensive! They just feel kind of heavy and like they're a quality piece, for not a lot of money. I love that! And a set of them (or even a single mug) makes a great gift for others! I've given away several to friends, as well! They sell them in the set or as singles. Just as an aside, we've been washing them in the dishwasher (because they're dishwasher safe) but my shiny gold handle is getting a bit of a patina on it. So if you want to keep it pristine looking, you might consider hand washing.
OK, so let's talk craft supplies, shall we????
12. Brush Pens - So I have a new favorite large brush pen! I love, LOVE these brush pens. Holy moly, they're juicy. I've got three sets in different color groupings. I've been using them in one of my Kelly Creates practice books on the tracing paper in the pad (I linked the practice pad HERE.). These pens are so juicy that they make the thin tracing paper warp some, so obviously, you'd need a sturdier paper if you are going to use these to create some artwork. But I don't mind the warped pages inside my practice book, since they're just that. Practice. And I don't plan to tear them out of the pad for any reason. I have three packs of these pens that come in a set of five, but would eventually like to add more colors. What I linked for you above, is a variety pack of 10, but you can buy them in bigger or smaller packs. The ones I have are these, these and these.
13. Liquid Watercolors - So these liquid watercolors are the same brand as those brush pens, which is probably why I'm so pleased with their quality! I got three colors of these liquid watercolors for Christmas and I am in love. In LOVE. I don't know how many different colors they actually make of this stuff, but in a perfect world, I'd have them all! What I linked for you here, is a multi-pack of ten basic colors to get you started. Not only is the color sooo saturated and gorgeous in these watercolors, but I have to mention the bottles and droppers themselves! These are glass bottles and even the little dropper tube thing inside the bottle is GLASS! Not plastic! I can't even explain to you the joy I get from squeezing the dropper to suck up a little ink, and then giving it a little tap-tap-tap on the edge of the glass before squeezing the watercolor into my paint palette. LOL! There's just something amazingly satisfying about the clink of glass on glass, when I tap the little dropper stem on the edge of the bottle. Hahaha! Obviously it's not a make-or-break thing when choosing your watercolors - lol! - but I'm telling you, it's deeply satisfying to use a glass bottle and dropper! You'll have to take my word for it if you haven't tried it before!
So, now we get to talk alcohol inks. As you know, I've only just begun to dip my toe into the world of alcohol ink art, but I'm LOVING it so far! So I got some new goodies for Christmas gifts, and have since had to order a few more ink colors to add to my stash.
14. I've been using these refills for the color on my alcohol ink backgrounds. I have around 20 colors now, but there are a gazillion colors to choose from. When you pop over to check them out, just click the drop down menu and there are a TON of colors, so you can grab which ever ones you prefer. I'm having SO much fun creating with these!!!
15. 91% isopropyl alcohol - To work with the alcohol inks, you need some alcohol to get the reaction you're after. This is the one I'm using.
16. I've also been getting lots of questions about the gold additive in the backgrounds I've made. I use THIS INK to get those pops of gold! It's GORGEOUS in real life. And again, you use this with that same alcohol above, to create some really gorgeous movement.
17. Yupo - As for basic supplies, I have mostly been using this heavy weight yupo paper because you can use your heat tool on it a LOT and it doesn't warp much at all. I've also got some of the Tim Holtz yupo, but it's maybe half the thickness of the heavy weight stuff, so it will warp pretty significantly if you use too much heat on it. The Tim Holtz paper works great, if you're just blowing the ink around with your mouth or a straw, without a lot of heat. With this heavy one I've linked, you can do it all with no issues.
18. I use these plastic mini cups to hold the alcohol. I've heard if you use paper, the alcohol can eventually eat through the cup, so you want to use a plastic cup.
19. And with the cups, I also use these pipettes. I pour a bit of alcohol into a cup and use a pipette to drop it onto the artwork. Same with the brass ink above....I pour a little into another cup, and use another pipette to drop it onto the artwork.
All right, friends, I hope all these links are helpful to you and I hope you find some new things to love and as always, feel free to leave a comment below and tell me about some of your favorites! They might need to become some of MY favorites, too!!
Have a great day, Dearies!
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