July Favorites


I went a little spend-crazy June and July, so there's been quite a few new things for me to try out. This collection of items are things that I have been really loving and reaching for a lot throughout the month of July. 

Body...



Red & White Tee-I absolutely cannot stop wearing this white and red striped shirt, I have been pairing it with as many outfits as possible. It's by Abercrombie and Fitch, but I found it at the thrift store on sale. It doesn't get much better than that. 


Argan Magic Body Butter- I picked up this body butter at TJ Maxx and it quickly became my new favorite lotion. It is really moisturizing, the texture is whipped and reminds me of Fluffernutter. The best part is that it smells like Piña Colada. It's hard not to want to eat it.

Marc Jacobs Dot- I have always believed that I was the kind of girl who would never buy perfume. That changed after I got a little sample of Marc Jacob's Dot. I really love the scent. It is so light and refreshing, it smells a little like strawberry and watermelon juice. I love it. I'm saving up to buy a larger bottle.  

Formula X polish in Incandescent- This is a really pretty shade of cantaloup-coral-orange. It's been a really good summer color. I've been using some polish with tiny flecks of gold glitter over it for my accent nail and I think it pairs really nicely.

Sinful Colors polish in Endless Blue- This is a really striking, intense shade of bright royal blue. I absolutely love it, I can't get enough of it.

Face/Makeup...




Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12 hr Primer- I love this primer. I have tried many different primers from various brands, but I really love the way this one feels on my skin the best. It does not cause me to break out. I don't feel like I'm wearing a mask when I have it on. It really does an excellent job keeping my makeup from melting or disappearing from off my face.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Fearless- I have many colors of the Tarte blushes, but I seem to be reaching for Fearless the most. I really like the natural flush it gives my cheeks. Some of the other shades I have tend to be too bright, but this shade always looks perfect. 

Lorac Pro Palette 1- I use this palette pretty much everyday. Every shadow color is absolutely beautiful and they all work so well together. The color payoff is fantastic, and I love how easy it is to blend these shadows out.The colors I probably use the most are Sable and Mauve.

Kat Von D. Tattoo Liner in Trooper- This is my new favorite, absolute-must-have eyeliner. The price is reasonable, the formula is really pigmented, it is water resistant, and the brush applicator is THE best thing for liquid liner ever. This liner has made cat-eye flicks so much easier and precise for me. I will never go back to a felt-tip applicator.

Sephora's Mineral Powder brush (#45)- This brush is so soft and gentle, does an excellent job helping build up to really good medium-full coverage with mineral foundation. It has been so much nicer to apply my makeup everyday since purchasing this brush.


Books...



Sherlock Holmes by Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle- I started reading Sherlock in June, but wasn't able to devote as much time to reading it as I would have liked to. I only just finished it about a week and a half ago. It's quite a large book, with several novels and many shorter stories. I absolutely loved it! I started reading Sherlock expecting it to be engaging and well written, mostly due to my love for the hugely successful BBC series, with it's modernized retelling. I was not disappointed whatsoever. The wit, mystery, and characters of these stories are so enthralling and entertaining that I feel a large void in me now that I've read them all. I'm going to have to purchase the complete collection for myself to read again and again at my leisure. 


Food...



Ramen- I have been craving ramen non-stop. It doesn't matter how hot it is outside, ramen is always appropriate. 

That's quite a lot of favorites! I will not be spending nearly half as much as I did in June and July, so hopefully the list will be a bit shorter and easier to compile.

Love, Little Mouse



Face of the Day 02



Today was pretty laid back, we were simply going to run a few errands and what not. I kept my makeup pretty light. I recently purchased the tinted moisturizer from e.l.f. and so far it's been working out nicely. The coverage is very light, but it evens out my skin tone well and it definitely works for those days when I want relatively natural makeup. It's not pictured, but I also used the matte black shadow from the Lorac palette to line my upper lashes. The Anastasia dip-brow pomade is also a new purchase for me, and I am surprised by how much I really love it. It is really easy to use, takes a lot less time to apply and looks a lot more natural to me than my previous method of filling in my brows. I'm really glad I purchased it because it really does live up to the hype.
  
e.l.f's tinted moisturizer in Beige 
Sephora's 8hr wear correcting concealer in medium
Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind concealer in medium
Physician's Formula talc-free pressed mineral powder in Beige 
    (I use this to set my concealer and t-zone)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip-Brow Pomade in Chocolate
Tarte's Amazonian clay blush in Tipsy
Maybelline's Color Tattoo cream shadow in Bad to the Bronze 
Maybelline's the Falsies mascara in Black Drama
Yes to Carrot's Lip Butter in the flavor Melon
Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey

Wow, when it's listed like this, it sure seems like a lot of products on my face just to go run errands...



Love, Little Mouse

Shorty Styles File 01


I've had very long hair, I've had extremely short hair, and everything in between. That being said, I would have to say that my personal favorite length is right about where my hair is at now. I love having a little bit of length to play with and style. 

My favorite thing to do with my hair lately has been to style it into loose, textured waves, which requires a little bit of work being that my hair is naturally stick straight. First, I use a heat protecting spray throughout my hair. Then, using a 1" curling iron, I separate my hair into small section and curl each little section in the opposite direction of the piece before it. This is so that none of the curls settle in to each other. Lastly, I give it a good shake out, a few generous spritzes of hairspray, followed by sea salt spray for a little extra texture. 

I love this style because it makes me really happy when my hair is piece-y and (purposely) messy looking. Anything too polished and perfect makes me feel like I'm done up way too much for what my day entails. Till next time.

Love, Little Mouse

This Week's Nails

Bahamian Escape by China Glaze

I picked up this new (to me) shade from China Glaze a few weeks ago, but hadn't actually tried it out until yesterday. In the store, it looked like it was a periwinkle-purple-like blue, but it turned out to be closer to baby or powder blue. It's a very pretty shade, and even though I don't typically go for pastels, I really do love this for summer. I think this will be perfect for next spring as well. 

 Love, Little Mouse

Face of the Day 01


These are the products I use pretty much everyday. I am really enjoying the new Lorac Pro 2 palette.
Sephora's Baked Mineral Foundation in Sand
Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer in Medium
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder (this smells AMAZING)
Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush in Fearless
Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Trooper
Maybelline's Falsies Mascara in Black Drama
Lorac Pro 2 Palette (today I used Cool Grey and Chrome)
Love, Little Mouse

When You're in a Pinch...

We've all experienced the anxiety that comes with running out of a much needed product when we absolutely need it the most. For me, nine times out of ten, that product is dry shampoo. A few times it happened to be a brand new bottle of the aerosol dry shampoo that went flat after only four or five uses. It was exceedingly frustrating, especially when I was in a hurry. 

I made a dry shampoo mixture out of products I had around the house to keep on hand in case of future emergencies. I really love the way it turned out, especially the way it smells. The only downside to a DIY dry shampoo is that it's not in the convenient form of a spray can. Despite that, it is quite handy to keep around and use in place of the aerosol versions when I want to give my hair a break from chemicals.

This is what I used:
  • 2 Tablespoons baking soda
  • 2 Tablespoons baby powder
  • 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (for dark hair)
  • 3-5 drops Lavender essential oil (for scent, not a necessary step)
  • measuring and mixing spoons

I mixed all my dry ingredients in first, then add the few drops of Lavender oil (this was in order to minimize the strong scent of baby powder) then stirred and mixed some more until there were no clumps. I keep my mixture in a little Tupperware container, and it's stayed well over the last three months. 

In order to apply this, I use a fluffy makeup brush to press and dust the powder into my roots. I allow it to sit for two or three minutes, then I brush it through my hair until it's distributed well. 


I feel like this does a fabulous job of absorbing oil, and the combination of scents is surprisingly refreshing! Till next time...
Love, Little Mouse

15 Little Facts...(Get to Know Me)


Hello there, and thank you for visiting my blog! 
Here's a little background information for you, in case you were wondering (if not, sorry, it's happening anyway):
  • My name is Samantha, or Sam as most call me. 
  • I am 28 years old and I live in Southern California. 
  • My height reigns in at a meager 5 feet. Exactly. I am quite short.
  • I am happily married to my wonderful husband Jake. We are at 5 fantastic years now.
  • I work with special needs students for the local school district. I absolutely love what I do, and love the kiddos and teachers I work with. 
  • I am involved in volunteer Bible teaching work, which gives me much more fulfillment and joy than any other hobby or career could.
  • I love crafting and diy projects. I actually have my own Etsy shop, where I sell handmade jewelry and accessories.(click this link to visit: etsy.com/shop/lovelittlemouse)
  • I am a thrift store junkie. Hardcore.
  • I play the guitar and write music in my spare time.
  • I am an avid reader. I especially love science fiction, mystery, and psychological thriller books. I also really love reading comics. I'm a super huge Batman fan.
  • I sometimes Cosplay. It is epic. (not)
  • I really like fashion and makeup, to a reasonable degree, of course. ;)
  • Despite the fact that many people think I'm extroverted and very social, I'm quite introverted, and I get overwhelmed when in large groups for lengthened periods of time. If you're familiar with the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types, I'm an INFJ. 
  • This blog is called Love, Little Mouse because one of my very dear friends calls me her little mouse and I just always thought that it was so endearing. I loved it so much in fact, that I decided to take on the name Love Little Mouse for my instagram, Etsy shop, and now blog, because everything I write, create, ect. is done with lots of love and passion for everyone from me. Aaaand my lack of height makes me quite the little mouse.
  • I am very passionate about my family, friends, these listed things and many more, and I feel like having so much passion is what makes life beautiful, rich, and meaningful. It makes everyday a new adventure.
You'll realize what a huge, overly enthusiastic nerd I am as time goes on (if you don't have an idea already)...

If it pleases you, I would be ever so grateful for your return to this wacky blog that will be filled with super fun DIYs, beauty and fashion...things, recipes, and various topics that I quite love and wish to share with others.
Thank you so much for visiting!
Love, Little Mouse

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