Liebster Award!!

I have recently been nominated for the Liebster Award. What an awesome honor! I’ve come across this award on other blogger’s sites but never thought I would get the chance to actually become nominated! As goofy as it is, this makes me excited! This award helps new blogs with under 500 followers gain exposure.

Here are the rules for this award:

Rules:

1. Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you.
2. You must answer the 10 Liebster questions given to the nominee before you.
3. You must pick 10 bloggers to be nominated who also have 500 subscribers or less.
4. You must create 10 questions for your nominees.

First things first, the awesome gal who nominated me is BubbleWrappedBlog. Her blog as she mentions, has a bit of “ADD.” There isn’t a topic that is off limits to this girl. This is one thing I love about following her…something new and different all the time!

Below are the answers to the questions she asked me:

1. What is your favorite piece of art?

I don’t have a favorite piece, however a girl I used to work with always posts her drawings on Facebook. I am in aww every time she posts a new one!

2. If you could go back to school for another degree (or a first one), what would it be?

I currently have an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. At my current job I am an Accounting Coordinator. I think if I went back to school, I would get my Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting; possibly Finance Accounting.

3. What is your favorite sweet treat?

This is such a hard question to answer! I originally went to school to become a pastry chef. After about a year, I realized that I enjoyed baking more as a hobby than a career. I have tried quite a few different treats but my favorite has to be tiramisu. The creamy, coffee flavors are just delicious!

4. Name the #1 song you’ve been listening to lately.

Carolina by Parmalee

5. Are there any books that you regret reading?

I’m not a huge reader so this one is kind of hard to answer. Of all the books I have read, I don’t believe I regret reading any of them.

6. What’s the #1 beauty product you would recommend to others?

I would have to recommend Garnier Moisture Rescue Moisturizer. It’s my holy grail of face products. I can’t continue my day until I’ve applied this…crazy!

7. What was the last movie that made you cry?

This is so sad…but I literally cry at everything! My fiancé always rolls his eyes at me because he know when I’m about to burst into tears at a movie or television show. I know this isn’t a movie but just last week I cried at the TV show Chicago Fire. I think I’ve honestly cried at least once during every one of those shows. It’s pathetic but I just get so involved in the shows!

8. Do you have any tattoos? 

I don’t! I contemplated getting a small cartoon owl on my wrist but have chickened out. I feel that the older I get the more the want disappears. 😦

9. Hulu or Netflix?

I’ve used Netflix more than Hulu so I’d have to go with Netflix.

10. What is your spirit animal? 

I took a small quiz to see what my spirit animal was…I am a Wolf. Here is what the results said: “Family comes first” could be a Wolf’s motto. You form deep connections with close friends and family members, and they know you’d do anything to protect them. You’re loyal, devoted, and passionate. Your worst fear is being alone, but be careful not to drown your loved ones in too much emotion.

Now it’s my turn. I have enjoyed following these beauty bloggers and hope you will also! Check them out.

I nominate the following bloggers for the Liebster Award:

1. ninarossbeauty

2. The Amateur Indian

3. WhatSheDoesNow

4. Legally Redhead

5. Destanesfab

6. Bubbles & Blush

7. Aishas Beauty Blog

8. Coconut and Cotton

9. Clicks Beauty Blog

10. BeautyBarginsBlog

(I’m sorry if any of you have been nominated before!!)

Here are my 10 questions for the nominees:

1. What is a current trend that you will be glad to see disappear?

2. If you had to wear one color of nail polish for a year straight, what color would it be?

3. Which season do you get excited for?

4. What do you look forward to on your weekends?

5. Do you prefer high-end make-up or cheaper versions?

6. What inspired you to begin blogging?

7. Lip Gloss, Lip Balm, or Lipstick…which can you not leave the house without?

8. How often are you willing to try out new beauty products?

9. What is your favorite post that you’ve posted?

10. All time favorite beauty product is….?

 

You all have such awesome blogs and posts each day that I’m super excited to read your answers and encourage everyone to check out each of their pages!

 

 

 

 

 

March 2014 Birchbox — Should I Continue?

It’s that time again, Birchbox arrival! Man, I wish I could be as excited as I sounded in that line.

I have officially been subscribed to Birchbox for a year this month. I get so excited when I see that cute little pink box in my mailbox; but more so recently the contents have really been disappointing! The last couple of months I’ve kinda been like “Ok well this isn’t so bad.” But I think this month has been the final straw. Let me reveal what I received this month and tell you why it isn’t all that great.

Agave Healing Oil Treatment: A lightweight oil used to hydrate and protect hair.

Supergoop City Sunscreen Serum: Antiaging serum; able to be worn year round.

Air Repair Rescue Balm: All-natural salve to repair dry, cracked skin.

Stila Lip Glaze: Vitamin loaded, lip gloss with pen-style applicator.

*Added sample*: Jergens BB Body Skin Cream: Hydrates, illuminates, evens, firms, and corrects.

So that’s just a quick overview of the products. Alright, I’m trying to be completely positive with Birchbox since I have been a member for so long, but it’s becoming increasingly hard! I feel that this box did not offer any excitement to it. I’ve received sunscreen before and honestly how new and fun can that be? I will admit I am looking forward to trying the Rescue Balm since I have had really dry skin due to these winter temperatures. Everything else I could take it or leave it. It also saddens me that the theme this month is “Spring Forward.” I can’t honestly say I feel any part of this box gets me in the “Spring” mood. =(

I’m contemplating looking into other monthly box options. Are there any that you recommend? How have your experiences with Birchbox been recently?

Colgate Optic White VoxBox

I was recently selected to receive the Colgate Optic White VoxBox from Influenster. This included the Colgate Optic White Toothbrush + Built-In Whitening Pen.

I have always been a fan of Colgate products so when I found out I would be able to try a brand new product I was elated. In addition to the new toothbrush, a whitening pen made me even more excited. I’ve tried so many different kinds of whitening products and continue to try and find a great one.

So far I have been using this toothbrush combo for 4 days; brushing morning and evening. With that being said, my rating is currently a 7 out of 10. Keep reading to see what I like and dislike about this product.

Like I mentioned, I have only been using this for 4 days. Below is my comparison of Day 1 compared to Day 4.

As you might be able to tell, or not tell, I can’t quite seem to feel that I see much of a difference. Labeled on the box it says “Whiter teeth in 2 days.” I will mention that my lighting is quite bright when I took the photos so it might be deceiving the image a little. However, in my day to day routine, I do not feel that my overall whiteness has really changed. Usually with any of the whitening products that I’ve tried it takes a good 2 weeks before I can really notice a difference; this is why I’m disclaiming it’s only been 4 days. I plan to continue to use the whitening pen and see if my mind changes, but 2 days for me was not the case.

The good part about not seeing results in 2 days is that it was my only major con to this product! There are many positives that I enjoy with this. The first obvious plus is the toothbrush itself. The whitening pen is kept nicely in the bottom of the toothbrush!

What a plus to be able to keep everything in a nice little package. The pen is storage neatly in the bottom and helps keep the applicator tip covered.

My next plus and this is a big one, the whitening gel does not leave my teeth sensitive. I’ve tried whitening strips that after 3 uses have left me unable to drink cold beverages without using a straw! After using this a total of 8 times in a row, I have yet to feel any sensitivity to cold items. What a great advantage!

My next and last plus to the whitening pen is that the gel applies easily and does not leave a sticky, messy, residue on my teeth. When first applied it can be a little “gooey” but within a matter of seconds the gel is gone. The box recommends to use 2 clicks each of top and bottom, which seems to be the perfect amount. Now, I am still a little on the fence about this fact as this may be the answer as to why I’m not seeing a difference in the white of my teeth. This is the first whitening pen I’ve tried as I’ve always been skeptical of if they actually work and don’t just get absorbed by my saliva. I’m going to continue to use the pen and see if I can be proved wrong.

Overall like I mentioned earlier I give the Colgate Optic White Toothbrush + Built-In Whitening Pen a 7 out of 10. I love taking care of my teeth and smile and if gaining whiter teeth is just a matter of Brush, Whiten, and Go then I’m more than willing to try!

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.”

It’s Beginning To Look A lot Like…

It’s that time of year again! The holiday season and by far one of my favorites. The Christmas music, falling snow, great family gatherings, and of course a reason to wear boots! Although it’s still November, today we received our first big snow. In addition I ventured out to a local craft bazaar. With all the decorations ready for the holidays, it definitely put me in the spirit. I’ve got to share this adorable reindeer statue I bought. It was so affordable and way too cute to pass up! I like to wait until after Thanksgiving to put up Christmas decorations but luckily I’ll only have to wait a week before I can display this guy! These craft shows are always so much fun and so amazing to me. The talents of some people are incredible. Makes me wish I were more crafty! I’ll stick to supporting the local talent. =) Today was a great day that put me in the mood for the holidays. I’m excited to be spending them with family and friends. Oh and of course I had to have a little red cup of joy along the way! Hope you’re all looking forward to the holidays as well!  

Birthday Rewards!

As my birthday is slowly approaching (Sunday to be exact!) I get to look forward to turning another year older…yeeee! (Insert sarcastic smirk here). I’ve started receiving various birthday gift redemption’s via email. Being apart of different point programs or store related clubs has its perks come birthday time! Since I’ve received quite a few of these, I thought I would share  with you guys and maybe they will spark your interest to join. Click the attached links to find out more information.

Beauty:

 Ulta: By joining Ulta Rewards, you will receive 2x bonus points during your birthday month. Each time you make a purchase, points will be added to your account to redeem for other great products! Free stuff..yay!*Free to Join*

Sephora: Being apart of Sephora’s Beauty Insider, you will receive a free birthday gift with any purchase. One year I received a “Happy Birthday” body wash. Smelled like cake! This year it looks like it’s a small kit of mascara and concealer from Benefit. *Free to Join*

Clothing:

Maurices: $5.00 off any purchase with a Maurices credit card. This requires a little more “applying” but if you love Maurices as much as I do this would be no problem! *Requires credit card application & approval.*

Victoria’s Secret: Similar to the Maurices birthday gift, Victoria’s Secret requires the use of their Angel Card Credit Card. They will give you $10.00 off any catalog or online purchase with the use of the Angel Card. $10 off Victoria’s Secret?! Gotta love that! *Requires credit card application & approval.*

Vanity: Vanity Rewards offers 20% off an entire full price purchase. Vanity is a fairly inexpensive store as is, so add an additional 20% on top…oh yea! *Free to Join*

Food:

Wings Etc: I believe this is just a Midwest restaurant, but hopefully it will make you think of other restaurants that are near you that might offer a birthday meal! In case you do have a Wings in your area check out their Email Club for exclusive offers. *Free to Join*

Carrabba’s Italian Grill: Carrabba’s Amici Club offers many great things! In addition to their normal offers, for a birthday they give $5.00 off an entree with a purchase of an entree of greater or equal value. Fill me up with pasta! *Free to Join.*

Panera Bread: If you haven’t already joined Panera’s My Panera club, I highly suggest it! Not only will you receive a “special surprise” for your birthday, but throughout your membership you will also receive great discounts as well as free items! I swear I could eat Panera everyday! *Free to Join.*

Baskin Robbin’s: Last but not least, ice cream!! Baskin Robbin’s offers a free scoop by being apart of their Birthday Club. Who wouldn’t enjoy a free sweet treat! *Free to Join.*

These are just a few of the great birthday deals that I’ve received. If you have any that you are apart of, please be sure to share! Everyone loves a good present for their birthday!

Engaged!

About 3 weeks ago I got engaged. 😊 My now fiancé had such a creative proposal.
Monthly, I receive Birchbox. Check it out here if you haven’t! 😃
Waiting an extra 2 days, I still hadn’t received it. I figured it was just running a little late. Not thinking of it, my fiancé went outside to check out one of our windows (we had an incident earlier with one), came back in and said “this was on the door step.” I figured our mailman decided to put it by our door instead of in the mailbox. I sat it on our coffee table and continued to watch Tv. About 30 minutes went by and my fiancé asked if I was going to open it. I made some snide remark like “Why? You never care when I get these.” So he brought me scissors and I proceeded to open it. (Still having no clue!) As I opened the box, I saw a smaller box that honestly I first thought was just a container of lipgloss! Opened it to find my gorgeous Neil Lane sparkler. Of course I immediately began crying as he got down on one knee and proposed.

I was elated..obviously, as I said yes! 😊 I couldn’t believe he crafted up this awesome idea. He knows me to a tee and I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else.
Oh and my Birchbox came the 2 days earlier; he stole the box and perfectly added the ring then covered up his tracks. Sneaky sneaky!
And the wedding planning begins!

Scentsy Overload

Just received my order of Scentsy! Man I have fallen in love with this stuff! It’s easy to use and you’re able to control how much of the scent you’d like. There was a great deal going on..so I couldn’t pass it up!

Above are the newest scents I purchased; Autumn Sunset, Honeymoon Hideaway, Simply Apricot, Christmas Cottage (what I’ve got melting right now!), Camu Camu, and Perfectly Pomegranate.

Had to include my owl burner.
Great alternative to candles!

It’s November!

Only 16 more days until my birthday. Getting older..oh geez!