I received the below mentioned product in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

I’m very particular about my handbags. I need it to be functional, easy to carry, I want it to look nice, be affordable, and be made to last. I know, I don’t want much right? For the most part, I will use the same handbag until it kicks the bucket. I spend hours or even days pouring over bags just to find the right one when it’s time to replace my handbag. Sure I have a couple small handbags for date nights or what-have-you but for my every day bag, yea it’s that big of a deal for me.

When the handbag company, 88, approached me about doing a review, I checked out the site. Almost every bag in their collection would be the type of bag I’m drawn to.  Classic, functional, affordable.  88 is a vegan brand. They are a collection of bags designed by an expert creative team that works on designs for brands around the world.

After looking over each bag on 88 Handbags about 3 times I finally decided on the 88 Halina Gray Satchel.

The 88 Halina Gray Convertible Satchel is a nice size bag. Tons of pockets.  The pockets in the front of the bag are deep enough to easily hold a digital camera, phone, or wallet.  The main storage are of the purse could hold a lot…I mean a lot.  I put my dlsr, a change of clothes for my daughter, a couple extra pull ups for her, and her pack of wipes in the compartment when I took the bag to my sister’s house the other day and I could have still fit plenty more.

I was quite satisfied with the construction of the bag.  I like having the option of the removable shoulder strap or the short handles.  The bag looks like leather but it’s not.  I created a short video to show you all the storage and features of this bag:

 

Check out the bags on 88 Handbags. If you seen something you like, 88 also has a coupon code for my readers.  Use code: Angie to save 10% off your order on their already reasonable prices!

You can find 88 on the following social media sites:

88 on Pinterest

88 on instagram

Twitter: @88_handbags

88 on facebook

Which 88 bag is your favorite?

This post contains affiliate links.

 

I received the below mentioned product as part of the US Family Guide in order to complete an honest review.  Any opinions expressed are my own.

When you’re trying to pick out a piece of jewelry to give someone, what do you look for? Me personally, I look for something that I think, fits their personality.  A representation of them, so to speak. For instance, if I was going to get something for my sister I would pick something subtle but quirky.  A pair of cute bird stud earrings or a classic piece with her birthstone, maybe something a little extra to make it unique. When I do buy jewelry (or look for jewelry gifts to drop hints about to my  husband) I tend to choose from a place like Pretty Peacock.

Pretty Peacock is a small studio just north of Seattle. They create jewelry to tell a story.  Mother and child necklaces, birthdate/stone  necklaces, fortune cookie necklaces, morse code bracelets, and much more. Many of the pieces can be personalized to get just the perfect piece of jewelry for yourself or your recipient.

I had the pleasure of receiving a surprise piece to review from Pretty Peacock.  I had no idea what I was getting.  I received the Forever Always pendant. I was delivered in a pretty gift box. It contained a card that explained the idea of the pendant.

The first thing I noticed was the unique shape of the pendant. It sort of reminded me of a ribbon that had been twirled around a finger.  The outside of the “ribbon” is printed with the words “forever always” on the inside there are a lot of shape imprinted like a butterfly, spiral, flowers, and more.  The pendant is actually quite large, so very noticeable when worn.  It’s also very well made. The chain is not too thing.  There are small silver bead about every half inch along the chain.  I kind of like that because it seemed to keep my necklace in place.  I didn’t have to keep spinning the clasp back around.  Speaking of the clasp, the clasp is a lobster claw which makes it easy to take the necklace on and off. There is a small silver tag near the clasp with “Pretty Peacock” imprinted on it as well.

Based off the quality and detail of the piece I received.  I would definitely be willing to shop Pretty Peacock in the future when searching for a unique and crafted piece jewelry.

My readers get to save big! Pretty Peacock: FAMILY2015 and for 30% off the entire site valid until 12/31/15! National and Abroad

I received the below mentioned product to review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

I love my make up.  I love all the colors and the possibilities.  I love doing my make up.  It’s a form of expression for me. Years ago (pre-kids) there was rarely a time that I would leave my house without full make up on.  Right down to the lip liner.  I enjoyed it.  Then it seemed with each kid I had, the less make up I wore.  I still enjoy doing my make up for the rare date nights my hubby and I have or the events when I want to make an impression.  I still enjoy it. Every time I play around with my make up, I think “I really need to do this more often”

Pixi Beauty Limited Edition Holiday Collection is here.  It’s sure to be on the list of any beauty queen.

Pixi Beauty’s Holiday Collection has something for everyone this year! Designed for portability and versatility, all 3 kits are this season’s must-haves!
Natural Contour Kit is your one-stop solution for face and eyes! Organized in one light-weight palette, all of your Holiday looks will be fuss-free and flawless!
Endless Silky Eye Pen quartette has a colour for every one of your Holiday looks this season! With a waterproof formula, they won’t budge or smudge, and the gel texture makes them glide on with ease!
Mattelustre Lipstick quartette adds a touch of colour to your look, and they demi-matte finish wears on and on! Infused with vitamins, the hydrating formula keeps your lips looking great even after you take it off!

I had personally been very interested in contouring but had never tried it before.  I’ve heard about it and watched some tutorials.  I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do it.  Still I wanted a contour kit to try it out in the comfort of my own home.  I’m a quick study.  I figure if I had a contour kit handy and watched a few tutorials I’d get the hang of it.  So with Pixi Natural Contour Kit in hand and YouTube at my finger tips I decided to give it a try.  I dislike taking selfies. I feel like my jaw line is kind of “saggy”. I wanted to try to contour a narrower jaw line.  For my first try EVER I was happy with the results:

What do you think?  Do you notice a difference?

The other thing I’ve tried to do a number of times was the cat eye look.  I tried with my regular eye liner pencils. I just never seemed to achieve the look the way I wanted it.  I received a Pixi Beauty Cat Eye Ink liner.  I’ll be honest it made me kinda nervous. it was an angled marker looking thing.  It said it lasts for 12 hours.  The line it drew was very dark and bold.  I tried it though. It was the first time I was ever happy with a cat eye look that I did.  This stays put too.

This pic was when I initially put it on. As I played with my make up a little more I decided to go a little thicker and bolder to get the look I have in my contouring before and after pics above.

The Mattelustre lipstick quartette gave a velvety finish to my lips.  The lipstick lasted too.  Normally if I put my lipstick on to go to work or…pretty much anything…it’s gone within an hour or 2.  This lipstick lasted 4 hours strong before I needed to reapply even after drinking coffee.  AND it didn’t transfer onto my coffee cup.  I was surprised.

I have some swatches here of the Mattlustre Lipstick quartette and the Endless Silky Eye Pen quartette

The eye pens were a smooth glide.  I didn’t feel like had to drag it and go over the area again and again to get the color depth I wanted it.  The swatch in the picture is just one stroke of the eye pen.

If you’re looking to treat yourself.  This Pixi Beauty Holiday Collection is affordable and portable.  Take it with you in your holiday travels, gift it to the beauty lover you know, create your holiday look with this kit. This limited edition collection is gorgeous!  I’m so happy with every product I received.  So happy I’ll share a few more selfies with you.