Funko Pop! | Hot Topic SDCC Exclusives + More

Hello all! This is my first time doing a Funko Pop post but basically my boyfriend and I are crazy Pop collectors. It is a huge part of our lives so I thought I should share the newest editions to our family with you!

A couple of weeks ago we were able to get our names on a call list for SDCC Exclusive Pops at Hot Topic. We had a hook up at SDCC but they weren't able to get all the Pops we wanted so we were relieved to hear that Hot Topic was going to be getting the exact Pops we missed out on at SDCC. They were having a BOGO 50% off sale and a buy three for $30 deal on Funko Pops so we also stocked up on some figures we were missing from our collection.

We picked up the SDCC Exclusive Anna and Hershel Greene. We also picked up Kristoff, Cogsworth, and Tywin Lannister. We actually picked up two of the Annas and my boyfriend is planing on selling it on Ebay.

I just recently started collecting the Game of Thrones series so that's why I barely have Tywin (or as my boyfriend like to call him "Tylose"). Cogsworth and Kristof are from recent sets and we are close to completing them. Here's some close up pictures of our new babies.

I hope you enjoyed my little haul and have good luck tracking down your own SDCC exclusives! Happy Hunting! ~ Alissa

Check out our Pintrest Board that catalogs our collection:  http://www.pinterest.com/rsoroten/funko-pop/

My Journey | Hot Rollers Part II

Hello all! This is the second par of the journey in trying to master hot rollers (Check out part one here). I'm still using the Conair Xtreme Instant Heat Jumbo And Super Jumbo Hair Setter with Super Clips, this is just my second time trying to use them.

This time I was going to an all day, special event and I wanted to do something nice with my hair quickly. It only took me about eight minutes to put all the rollers in my hair this time. I wasn't wasting a lot of time fumbling with really hot rollers this time because I only waited the recommended 85 minutes for them to warm up. I also used my trick where I would remove rollers two at a time from the heaters so that way they weren't too hot when I put them in.

It was a lot easier than last time to place them and set my hair. I gave them around 15 minutes to cool down completely in my hair as I got ready. When I carefully unrolled my hair I twisted the curls away from my face to define and guide them how I wanted them to look.

The only ones that turned out kind of funky where the ones around my face. They had little creases by the root (I ended up smoothing these parts out with a straightener). I think that this was user error because I didn't put them in right so I'll be more careful next time.

I ended up with a really wavy, volumized look that was much more tamed and polished than the last time. As you can see, the top layer of my hair wasn't curled too well but I had volume. I think this happened because I used the larger rollers on the top. You can also see that the right side of my hair doesn't look as curled. I started with that side of my head first so maybe that had something to do with it.

On this day I was pretty active in the 95 degree weather, I played ran around with my friend's dog, played tennis, barbecued, and stayed out around 12 hours. The curls lasted quite a long time with some hair spray. I used Tresemme TRES Two Extra Hold Hair Spray

Around four hours into my day I noticed that my curls were falling quite a bit so I put my hair in a bun and when I took it out I noticed that my hair had got some of it's shape back. I did this trick a few times during the day if I felt I wanted to put my hair up. After 12 hours of fun my hair still had some volume and slight wave.

All in all this was a good test of these hot rollers and I see myself using them again. Thanks for coming with me on this journey! ~Alissa

Deal Watch | Tarte Cosmetics Friends and Family Sale COUPON CODE!

I must be late to this party because today is the last day to take advantage of the Tarte Cosmetics Friends and Family Sale! If you use the code FANDF at checkout you will receive 30% off all products. The sale lasts until 11:.59 pm ET tonight August 4th. (UPDATE: The sale has been extended to 11:59 pm ET August 5th)

There is also a deal going on at the same time that if you spend $40 or more after discounts then you get free FedEx Ground shipping and a free sample. Check out their promo page for more promotions and their loyalty program for extra savings. There is also 4% cash back if you shop through Ebates!

If you stack all these deals you should end up with great savings in the end! Some items that I think are worth checking out during this sale are:
Amazonian clay 12-hour full coverage foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Sunscreen
Amazonian clay full coverage airbrush foundation
airbuki bamboo powder foundation brush
limited-edition lights, camera, splashes™ 4-in-1 waterproof mascara
smooth operator™ Amazonian clay finishing powder
Amazonian clay 12-hour blush

If you are scared about buying a foundation online and getting the wrong color try Findation.com (and check out my post about this site) to find your match! They also accept returns in case you got the wrong shade (check out their FAQ page for more info).

I hope you can finally get those Tarte products you have been lusting after! Happy shopping! ~ Alissa

Better Habits | Nail Polish Storage

My nail polish addiction started 2 years ago and since then I have acquired a ton of nail polish. Different storage solutions became unhelpful as my collection grew. I began searching for a way to store my nail polish so that I could see what I have without taking up a ton of counter space.

I got my storage idea from MissGlamorazzi in this video (Again, YouTube made me do it!). I got my clear shoe organizer on Amazon (Whitmor 6044-13-CTF White Crystal Collection Over-The-Door Shoe Organizer, Clear).  It's such a cheap, organized storage solution! I love it.

I hang mine on my closet door. It is great because I don't need to make any holes in my wall to hang storage or take up counter space for a nail rack. And, again, you can't beat the price! I get a lot of complements from it. When someone walks into my room it has a wow factor. :)

I have mine organized by color. Some colors take up more than one pocket, others don't. I have some open space at the top because I am too short to reach up there (Haha!) and I like to keep track of some nail polishes I've wanted to use. I also keep recently purchased polishes up there.

On the bottom, I keep my top and bottom coats plus some other nail tools: toe separators, mixing trays, hand and nail cream, nail files, etc.

This is just the storage that I'm using right now, maybe I'll find something better in the future but I love this for now. I try to keep all the nail polishes upright but it can be kind of hard with this storage.

I hope you find this post helpful and enjoyed reading. Hope to see you back soon. ~ Alissa

My Journey | Hot Rollers + Mini Review

Today I tried the Conair Xtreme Instant Heat Jumbo And Super Jumbo Hair Setter with Super Clips for the first time. I bought them off of the recommendation of itsjudytime (One of those times where YouTube made me do it! Haha). I bought them off of Amazon when they were on sale for $17.99 earlier this week.

I know using hot rollers is sort of a learn-as-you-go sort of thing and I didn't expect a great look the first time. I was really curious and had nowhere to go today so I put them in.

As soon as you plug it in it starts heating up. Make sure that all the rollers are in there snuggly.

It took me around 15 minutes to put them in. Most of this time I was fumbling to place them correctly and not burn my fingers. The rollers were actually very hot and kind of hurt my fingers. Also, when I put them in they were really hot on my ears and neck. I actually dropped a few rollers on the floor because they were so hot.

The box says they warm up in 85 minutes and I left them to warm up for about three minutes. I eventually started taking the rollers out to cool down a bit before I used them and that seemed to help but I'm not sure if that will effect how well they work.

Today was also a really hot day; I think it was 90 degrees Fahrenheit so having hot rollers in wasn't very comfortable. I was planning on keeping them in for 20 minutes but it was so uncomfortably hot that I took them out after 10 minutes (which is the recommended time).

I know my hair and I know what it's like so I figured that I needed to leave them in for a really long time but I didn't. I should have at least left them in until they were cool but I didn't. :(

There were some results when I took them out. It looked really soft and natural with lots of volume.  I knew they wouldn't last; my hair was still hot when I let it down so I knew they would fall. I still liked the look though. It was what I was going for.

Here's me natural faced with some wavy, volumized hair. It didn't last long and I eventually put it in a ponytail.

It looked like this. I liked that it still gave my hair some volume and wave to spice up my ponytail. Thanks for coming with me on this journey! ~ Alissa