Been a little hectic around here lately. My husband, son and I are getting read to head back to Kentucky. We originally moved here to Washington to take care of his grandmother who was in bad health, and unfortunately she did not make it. She was a great woman and was so loved by her huge family and friends. Lately, Washington has become a different place and it just doesn't sparkle as much as it used to.
We were taking care of my grandfather who need some assistance with his daily activities, and giving my grandmother a break. He is an around the clock job of his own and I can tell that it is wearing her out. She is always tired and I can hear it when I talk to her on the phone. So we have decided to travel back and help my grandparents out.
So I have been packing and preparing a 4 day trip on the road with a 2 year old. Yea, its definitely going to be eventful. Maybe we will still have our sanity when we arrive, or we may be bald from pulling our hair out. It will be a surprise for us all to see the outcome. I have a few ideas about how to keep him calm and serene and I will try and update the nights we settle into the hotel. However, my husband is a truck driver and he plans exactly how far we will go and where and when we will stop for the night. So there are times that we won't stop until 10 or 11 at night. I will do my best to provide tips and what worked for my son and what didn't.
Things are definitely different now, last time we drove this trip, he was not walking, and was sleeping most of the time. Now he is a very adventurous, full of energy person. So I am thinking every time we fill up or stop for a bathroom break, I can take him out and walk him around for a bit. That way he can stretch his legs, get some fresh air, and not feel so constricted. I have also made a point of making sure our computer is charged up every morning and bring some of his favorite movies to keep his mind occupied. I do have to say that he is amazed with the outdoors and even driving to town makes his day. He loves to look out the window and look at the beauty of this world around him.
I have also thought about doing some tips on what to wear when you are driving a cross country trip and packing tips. I am very excited about going home to see my grandparents. They have done so much for me and my family and have always been there for me no matter what. I spent my summers in school at their house instead of how most teenagers would want to spend it. I am very excited to go back and see them, and after seeing my husband's grandmother pass, it has made me realize that time is precious and it shouldn't be wasted. I was close to his grandmother and it was hard to see such a strong, independent woman become so feeble. She was a great woman and made an impact on so many lives.
On a different note, some upcoming topics. I will be doing a review on Elevate Styles. I recently have started wearing wigs. I don't have a problem with my own hair, but I see them as a fashion accessory just like anything else. Plus, I don't have to worry about fixing my hair and I can just throw one on when I am in a hurry. I am the mother of a toddler, and primping sometimes just isn't in the picture. So I am going to review the wigs I bought and a new brand of nail polish I have purchased (which will be a different review). If you want to see a preview of one of the wigs, just look at my profile picture to the right. That is Freetress Equal's wig called Milly. I won't say anything else, even though I'm dying to. I want to explain everything in my next review.
If you would like any other traveling tips that I did not list in this, or when the trip is over there was anything I left out and I will be happy to do an updated post with everything I had left out. Wish me luck and I will chat with you later :)
Monday, January 7, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Getting to know me
I figured since its the beginning of a new year I should start out like this.
I've noticed that I do a lot of reviews but if any of you keep up with my blog, you've noticed that I really haven't gotten a chance for you all to get to know me. So lets get started. I thought it would be fun to list some questions and ill answer them, then if there's anything you'd like to know that I haven't mentioned, just comment below and I'll be happy to answer.
I've noticed that I do a lot of reviews but if any of you keep up with my blog, you've noticed that I really haven't gotten a chance for you all to get to know me. So lets get started. I thought it would be fun to list some questions and ill answer them, then if there's anything you'd like to know that I haven't mentioned, just comment below and I'll be happy to answer.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Shoplately and Glint & Gleam
I just received my order from Shoplately and I was so impressed with the site that I wanted to write a review.
Shoplately is a company that have smaller shops in it. You can find jewelry, hair accessories, bags, hose etc. One of the shops is Glint & Gleam which is where I bought my hand chain from.
One thing that I really likes about this site is the $2 flat rate shipping. As long as you purchase your items from the same seller, you pay $2, regardless of the number of items. That is a deal that you can't beat. However, if you get one item from another seller then you will have to pay another $2 because the sellers are the ones who ship your order.
I really like the selection on this site. If out want something that is going to stand out, then you will have a field day. The prices are very reasonable and when you sign up, you get a $5 credit on your first purchase.
Shoplately is a company that have smaller shops in it. You can find jewelry, hair accessories, bags, hose etc. One of the shops is Glint & Gleam which is where I bought my hand chain from.
One thing that I really likes about this site is the $2 flat rate shipping. As long as you purchase your items from the same seller, you pay $2, regardless of the number of items. That is a deal that you can't beat. However, if you get one item from another seller then you will have to pay another $2 because the sellers are the ones who ship your order.
I really like the selection on this site. If out want something that is going to stand out, then you will have a field day. The prices are very reasonable and when you sign up, you get a $5 credit on your first purchase.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Laura Geller Fresh Brewed Beauty Collection
Again, I want to apologize for the slacking off I have done lately. I have tried to update as often as I can, but it looks like I have failed miserably. With the move to Washington, I have finally settled in and have been meaning to write a review on Laura Geller's Fresh Brewed Beauty collection. I have had this since October and am just now getting to write this. Well, better late than never right.
I actually won this from Beautystat. They are a wonderful company that reviews all things makeup and beauty and it seems like they are always hosting giveaways. It is also the most random way I discovered them. I checked my twitter one day and saw that I had a follower request and it was from them. I usually don't pay attention to most requests, because of the fact that I have never heard from them and afraid that it may be a spammer. For some reason I decided to follow them and check them out. I am so, so happy that I did, because this is now a regularly visited site for me now.
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| The packaging is just awesome and I love the creativity that went into it. You can purchase this for $60 at QVC. When this first came out, they had a ton of promotional prices on it, so you may be able to stumble across this at a lower price. |
I actually won this from Beautystat. They are a wonderful company that reviews all things makeup and beauty and it seems like they are always hosting giveaways. It is also the most random way I discovered them. I checked my twitter one day and saw that I had a follower request and it was from them. I usually don't pay attention to most requests, because of the fact that I have never heard from them and afraid that it may be a spammer. For some reason I decided to follow them and check them out. I am so, so happy that I did, because this is now a regularly visited site for me now.
Monday, November 5, 2012
GIVEAWAY!!! CLOSED Winner Announced
Sorry it's been a while since I posted, but there have been some things going on and I haven't been able to update. Anyways, I have a great post and a giveaway! I'm very excited about this.
If anyone of you have read some of my previous posts. I am a member of Smiley 360 and the link is here. You qualify for certain products and if you do qualify, they send it to your home and give you a chance to try it out and share with your family and friends. So check it out if you are interested.
One certain product I was chosen to test was Sears/Kmart and I received a $15 gift card to use on their Decorate it Forward Christmas decor and such. I don't have a Kmart within a 50 mile radius of where I live, so I did my shopping online.
I absolutely love shopping online, I am able to see what there is in an organized setting which really helps. I was actually able to make the 15 dollars stretch. I will post pictures and their links of what I purchased below. The shipping was fairly quick and I was surprised to get both packages on the same day. One item I purchased was from Sears and the rest were from Kmart, so I figured I would get one package one day and the other the next. I did think it was a little waste of packaging since I only had one item shipped from Sears and the box was a lot bigger than the item itself, but I was still happy with everything. I was able to get free shipping from a trial version of Shop Your Rewards MAX. There is no commitment and it is a 90 day trial. So you can shop online for that entire 90 days and get free shipping on everything and anything. They have their own online Christmas Shop and you can either use that to get some ideas for when you visit their stores, or you can go ahead and get started by purchasing online.
Another great thing about Shop Your Way Rewards is that you get points for every purchase you make and then use those points towards future purchases. This is completely free and you get a little card, or if you have an IOS device, you can use a digital copy for your Passbook. I'm not sure what the differences are between this one and the MAX one other than free shipping, but you can check out this page and they will be able to give you more information.
Right now Kmart has a Decorate It Forward Sweepstakes and you can enter to win a shopping trip with Sandra Lee or Jacklyn Smith. The page has all of the details and it's very easy to enter. Personally, I would love a day with Sandra Lee. I watch her show almost everyday and love her decorating style.
If anyone of you have read some of my previous posts. I am a member of Smiley 360 and the link is here. You qualify for certain products and if you do qualify, they send it to your home and give you a chance to try it out and share with your family and friends. So check it out if you are interested.
One certain product I was chosen to test was Sears/Kmart and I received a $15 gift card to use on their Decorate it Forward Christmas decor and such. I don't have a Kmart within a 50 mile radius of where I live, so I did my shopping online.
I absolutely love shopping online, I am able to see what there is in an organized setting which really helps. I was actually able to make the 15 dollars stretch. I will post pictures and their links of what I purchased below. The shipping was fairly quick and I was surprised to get both packages on the same day. One item I purchased was from Sears and the rest were from Kmart, so I figured I would get one package one day and the other the next. I did think it was a little waste of packaging since I only had one item shipped from Sears and the box was a lot bigger than the item itself, but I was still happy with everything. I was able to get free shipping from a trial version of Shop Your Rewards MAX. There is no commitment and it is a 90 day trial. So you can shop online for that entire 90 days and get free shipping on everything and anything. They have their own online Christmas Shop and you can either use that to get some ideas for when you visit their stores, or you can go ahead and get started by purchasing online.
Another great thing about Shop Your Way Rewards is that you get points for every purchase you make and then use those points towards future purchases. This is completely free and you get a little card, or if you have an IOS device, you can use a digital copy for your Passbook. I'm not sure what the differences are between this one and the MAX one other than free shipping, but you can check out this page and they will be able to give you more information.
Right now Kmart has a Decorate It Forward Sweepstakes and you can enter to win a shopping trip with Sandra Lee or Jacklyn Smith. The page has all of the details and it's very easy to enter. Personally, I would love a day with Sandra Lee. I watch her show almost everyday and love her decorating style.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Girlactik Star Glosses
On to my next product that I purchased from OpenSky is the Girlactik Star gloss in Smooch.
I was a little disappointed in the shade when I received it. The picture showed a nice peachy color and I was looking forward to trying out a completely new shade of gloss, lipstick, or any other lip product. After reading the description of the color, I believe they said it was a deep pink color with gold undertones. So I'm guessing that the camera that took the picture picked up the gold making the shade look more on the peachy side.
The packaging was really nice. I wasn't expecting what it came in at all. It was in a cheap, but pretty baby pink sachet and small things like that actually make me like a particular brand better. Don't ask me why, but that's the way I am. It's mainly, because the packaging shows me how much the company cares about their product as well as their customers. Inside the sachet was the box which I really liked as well. It was a chocolate brown box with a pink design around the edges and the corners. There was also a little cut out on the box to show the color of the gloss.
I have the swatch below, but in certain light, it looked a little more on the peachy side and sometimes it looked more like a pinky mauve I guess. However, on the lip, it looked more pink and mostly emphasized the natural color on my lip. It is thicker than most lip glosses I use, but I rarely use lip gloss, so if I have any, they are a cheaper brand. The texture isn't too sticky, but if you put too much product on your lips, it will string when you open your mouth. I just rubbed my fingers over it and that fixed the problem.
It doesn't last too long. I say it lasted about 4 hours, which I don't know if that is long or not so you can comment and let me know if that's a good amount of time. Like I said before, it is a very thick consistency and was rather hard to get it off of my arm where I put the swatch. There also wasn't much transfer when I took a drink out of a cup, which I like.
The scent is a little fruity, but there is no taste to the gloss at all. Yes I licked my lips after applying it to see, but there was nothing. I actually like that a lot. I have used lip glosses that leave a metallic taste after I take a drink and cannot stand it. I also don't like a gloss that has a nice taste either, because it makes me want to lick all of the gloss off. Biggest pro of this gloss. The lid is a little hard to put back on, if you don't get it screwed on enough, the lid tries come back up and that can be a little aggravating.
I haven't tried this gloss on a lipstick yet, but seeing the pigment it has by itself, you are going to see a slight difference in the shade of you lipstick with this on top of it. Let's say you're like me and you have really thin lips. You decide to buy a matte lipstick and realize that matte just emphasizes the thinness of your lips. Don't throw it away, and don't just let it sit in your drawer. Take this gloss, or any gloss for that matter and put it on top. It turns your matte lipstick into a nice shiny finish and you are not out anything.
I might purchase this lip gloss again, but it was not as great as the hype it had with it being a celebrity favorite. I think you could find another gloss that will do the exact same thing at a fraction of the cost. I think it is more of a personal preference, but it is a good gloss all in all.
You might still be able to find this on OpenSky's site, but if not, you can find this on Girlactik Beauty where they have other products that I have actually read some really good reviews on some of their other products, but I didn't find much on this gloss before I purchased it.
The packaging was really nice. I wasn't expecting what it came in at all. It was in a cheap, but pretty baby pink sachet and small things like that actually make me like a particular brand better. Don't ask me why, but that's the way I am. It's mainly, because the packaging shows me how much the company cares about their product as well as their customers. Inside the sachet was the box which I really liked as well. It was a chocolate brown box with a pink design around the edges and the corners. There was also a little cut out on the box to show the color of the gloss.
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| With the flash on |
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| With the flash off |
It doesn't last too long. I say it lasted about 4 hours, which I don't know if that is long or not so you can comment and let me know if that's a good amount of time. Like I said before, it is a very thick consistency and was rather hard to get it off of my arm where I put the swatch. There also wasn't much transfer when I took a drink out of a cup, which I like.
The scent is a little fruity, but there is no taste to the gloss at all. Yes I licked my lips after applying it to see, but there was nothing. I actually like that a lot. I have used lip glosses that leave a metallic taste after I take a drink and cannot stand it. I also don't like a gloss that has a nice taste either, because it makes me want to lick all of the gloss off. Biggest pro of this gloss. The lid is a little hard to put back on, if you don't get it screwed on enough, the lid tries come back up and that can be a little aggravating.
I haven't tried this gloss on a lipstick yet, but seeing the pigment it has by itself, you are going to see a slight difference in the shade of you lipstick with this on top of it. Let's say you're like me and you have really thin lips. You decide to buy a matte lipstick and realize that matte just emphasizes the thinness of your lips. Don't throw it away, and don't just let it sit in your drawer. Take this gloss, or any gloss for that matter and put it on top. It turns your matte lipstick into a nice shiny finish and you are not out anything.
I might purchase this lip gloss again, but it was not as great as the hype it had with it being a celebrity favorite. I think you could find another gloss that will do the exact same thing at a fraction of the cost. I think it is more of a personal preference, but it is a good gloss all in all.
You might still be able to find this on OpenSky's site, but if not, you can find this on Girlactik Beauty where they have other products that I have actually read some really good reviews on some of their other products, but I didn't find much on this gloss before I purchased it.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Dermelect Anti-Aging Nail Color
I had recently received some credit to OpenSky and one of the few things I ordered came today. I have a previous post about my OpenSky experience, so go check it out if you're interested.
Today I received the Dermelect nail color in Luxurious which is a very pretty lavender/lilac color. I thought the packaging was really cute, but I have never purchased polish online, so I've never seen one in packaging, but I liked it.
This polish is supposed to be the first nail color that is peptide-infused and is supposed to make your nails stronger and In overall better condition. It is also dbp, formaldehyde, and toluene free. It has also stated that this polish should last for 2 weeks without chipping and without a base or top coat needing to be applied. Of course I will have to get back with you all on that one since I just applied it today.
It is a very small bottle, .4 fl oz to be exact, so there is not much. It still has that polish smell (I was thinking for some reason that it might smell different, but no such luck). It is really thin from the other polishes that I have used, almost watery even. However, that did not make a difference to how well it did.
Like I said before, you do not need a base coat or top coat for this polish. I know that is a little scary for some of you, and for such a little amount of polish, you want this stuff to last as long as possible. Here is a picture of just one coat (forgive my nails, I just did this quick an didn't even file my nails so sorry in advance)
It's not a good beginning..it has streaking and is very thin making me think that I will have to use 3 coats. The instructions on the bottle says that the first coat is supposed to instantly bond to the nails. Which makes sense because it dried really fast. Then I applied the second coat and it looked amazing. Well not the way I applied it but the polish itself.
The second coat is supposed to fuse with the first coat to resist brittleness and chipping. The second coat did really well and dried faster than i thought it would.
Would I have bought this if I hadn't had a the credit, probably not. Now if this holds up like it says it will then maybe, but I don't really splurge on nail polish anyways so I couldn't justify spending $18 on this, especially for less than half an ounce.
OpenSky might still have this, but if not then I know that Dermstore has it. Plus there is their website Dermelect if all else fails. I really like the color and how fast it dries, and having a toddler around, I don't really have the time to wait on polish to dry. If anyone has used this brand, please let me know what you think of it.
Today I received the Dermelect nail color in Luxurious which is a very pretty lavender/lilac color. I thought the packaging was really cute, but I have never purchased polish online, so I've never seen one in packaging, but I liked it.
This polish is supposed to be the first nail color that is peptide-infused and is supposed to make your nails stronger and In overall better condition. It is also dbp, formaldehyde, and toluene free. It has also stated that this polish should last for 2 weeks without chipping and without a base or top coat needing to be applied. Of course I will have to get back with you all on that one since I just applied it today.
It is a very small bottle, .4 fl oz to be exact, so there is not much. It still has that polish smell (I was thinking for some reason that it might smell different, but no such luck). It is really thin from the other polishes that I have used, almost watery even. However, that did not make a difference to how well it did.
Like I said before, you do not need a base coat or top coat for this polish. I know that is a little scary for some of you, and for such a little amount of polish, you want this stuff to last as long as possible. Here is a picture of just one coat (forgive my nails, I just did this quick an didn't even file my nails so sorry in advance)
It's not a good beginning..it has streaking and is very thin making me think that I will have to use 3 coats. The instructions on the bottle says that the first coat is supposed to instantly bond to the nails. Which makes sense because it dried really fast. Then I applied the second coat and it looked amazing. Well not the way I applied it but the polish itself.
The second coat is supposed to fuse with the first coat to resist brittleness and chipping. The second coat did really well and dried faster than i thought it would.
Would I have bought this if I hadn't had a the credit, probably not. Now if this holds up like it says it will then maybe, but I don't really splurge on nail polish anyways so I couldn't justify spending $18 on this, especially for less than half an ounce.
OpenSky might still have this, but if not then I know that Dermstore has it. Plus there is their website Dermelect if all else fails. I really like the color and how fast it dries, and having a toddler around, I don't really have the time to wait on polish to dry. If anyone has used this brand, please let me know what you think of it.
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