Back from Europe!

First of all, sorry I haven't been keeping up with this blog lately.
Secondly, I just got back from my trip around Europe about 10 days ago, and I want to go back already! It was one of the most amazing experiences I've had, and it was definitely eye-opening. I got to meet so many new people and caught up with some old friends as well. The food, people, history, and culture was just incredible and I can't wait to go back!
We were pretty good about following our itinerary, but instead of going to Prague we decided to go to Munich instead. This was a really last-minute decision, but we didn't have much trouble booking hostels, and it was at these times where I really appreciated having our Eurail pass. Here is where we actually ended up going and a list of hostels we stayed at:

15 London: Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage

16 London: Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage

17 London: Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage

18 London: Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage 18

19 Leeds: a friends place

20 London: Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage

21 Rome: Mosaic Hostel

22 Rome: Mosaic Hostel

23 Rome: Mosaic Hostel

24 Rome: Mosaic Hostel

25 Cinque Terre: Hostel 5 Terre

26 Cinque Terre: Hostel 5 Terre

27 Interlaken: Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof

28 Interlaken: Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof

29 Interlaken: Valley Hostel

30 Interlaken: Valley Hostel

31 Berlin: Wombats City Hostel Berlin

April 1 Berlin: Wombats City Hostel Berlin

2 Berlin: Wombats City Hostel Berlin

3 Berlin/Hamburg: Wombats City Hostel Berlin

4 Berlin: Wombats City Hostel Berlin

5 Munich: Wombats City Hostel Munich

6 Munich: Wombats City Hostel Munich

7 Munich: New Euro Youth Hostel

8 Paris: Port Royal Hotel

9 Paris: Port Royal Hotel

10 Paris: Port Royal Hotel

11 Paris: Port Royal Hotel

12 Brussels: 2GO4 Quality Hostel

I highly recommend all of these hostels! They were really affordable, very clean and we never had a bad experience.
Favorite hostels would have to be:
Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof (we did our laundry for free here with the tokens included with our stay, really yummy breakfast included and our Jungfrau view-ensuite dorm with wifi was amazing!), Wombats Berlin/Munich (very clean and spacious dorm rooms, good, cheap breakfast for 3.70-euro and very helpful staff at both locations), and 2GO4 in Brussels (we had a private room here in a loft, very modern with a large bathtub! Best private room we had on this trip.) I will try to blog about each city we were in with more pictures, and how we budgeted our time and money as well. But for now, here are just a few pictures!

20th Birthday Giveway: Yuklui*Style

Urban Decay Black Palette

Mystery Prize: Urban Decay Naked Palette

She is also giving away the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils 15 Year Anniversary Collection as a mystery gift. Check out her blog post for more info on how to win!

Maybelline Define-a-Lash Waterproof Mascara Review

I've never really been one to wear mascara. I've always found it awkward to apply and messy. In the past I've tried Maybelline Full n Soft as well as Smashbox Lash DNA which I got as a sample. I found the Smashbox mascara to be quite clumpy, and the Full n soft was too wet and messy, and it didn't keep my lashes curled either.
So I was doing some late-night shopping at Walmart the other night and looking through the cosmetics section. I saw the Maybelline Define-a-Lash mascara which I have heard a lot about from EasyAccessBeauty on Youtube. I was hesitant at first, but I decided to give it a try in the waterproof version since it holds a curl better. I'm actually really loving this mascara. The formula isn't too wet and it's not messy at all. No clumping, dries quickly, holds my curl well and lasts all day without flaking or smudging. It's also quite lengthening, but still makes my lashes look pretty natural, not overly dramatic. My lashes are short and straight, so with this mascara you can actually see them :)
Here are some before and after pictures:

Overall I really like this mascara. If anyone has suggestions for similar lengthening mascaras, let me know. I'm really interested in trying some other brands :)

Sephora Haul!

I finally had a day off from work today and went to Sephora to spend my $15 Beauty Insider gift card. I already had decided to get NARS Coconut Grove shadow after seeing it on amarixe's Youtube channel. I looked around for a good half an hour or so before I picked up Clinique Dramaticaly Different Moisturizing Gel and purple Sephora eyeliner, which all came to just about $40. I'm pretty excited to try out all this stuff, especially the Nars eye shadow. It's the first thing I've ever bought from this brand, but I've heard a lot of good things about it, so hopefully it doesn't disappoint.
What did everyone get with the $15 GC?

Holiday Deals!

I'm not sure if Sephora does this every year, but I just got my $15 gift card (for Beauty Insiders only) in the mail. It starts December 2, good until the 13th and can be used in stores or online. It's good on purchases of $40 or more.

Macys Friends and Family Sale starts December 1! I got my F&F passes a while ago from work, but I didn't pre-buy anything yet, so I will just wait until Thursday. It;s good for 25% off everything (except cosmetics, EDV and some other restrictions), including designer stuff! Also good for 10% off electronics as well.
Online code: MACYSFF

EOTD

Lately I've been so busy with school and work, I find myself wearing the same neutral look everyday. I've really been loving this look using Patina and Sketch from MAC. It's a nice look for fall (even if we don't have seasons here) with the burgandy and gold combination. It's really wearable and you can easily make it a night look by darkening up the outer corner.

Products Used:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
MAC Soft Ocher Paint Pot
MAC Patina e/s all over the lid
MAC Satin Tapue (sometimes I use Espresso) in the crease
MAC Sketch in outer corner
Kanebo Kate Gel Eyeliner BK2

New phone!

My wallet is hurting after buying my plane tickets and getting a new phone today. But it's been 5 years since I got a new phone (yes, I'm serious) so I got the Samsung Galaxy S for t-mobile.
It's my first smartphone so it's keeping me amused lol. I'm loving it so far :) Anyone else have this phone?