Gratitude for a new direction

Howdy folks!

I have thought long and hard about the things I love and things I'm thankful for.  As you may or may not know, I wanted to start blogging as a way to show my gratitude for all of the simple everyday pleasures I experience, and I have many things to be thankful for.  Sometimes I'm excited about a new beauty find or a tv show that I can't get enough of.  Recently I've been really excited by the opportunity to review some books and I can't wait to start.  I love reading, and in the coming weeks I'll be showing you some of the cool finds I've discovered in that area and throwing in some quick reviews of the subscription boxes that I have kept after cutting back on the extreme amount I had been lured into trying.

Most days I am extremely thankful to have a husband who reminds me that the things I see as overwhelming and impossible to overcome are really just minor setbacks.  I tend to freak out and feel like the world is coming to an end when things aren't looking up.  A perfect example: I accidentally overdrew my checking account because I didn't realize the credit card company set up my automatic payment to come out on a different day than my payment due date.  Because of that I had been double paying the minimum plus on my card for four months which was great for my card balance but crap for my checkbook  balancing and I thought I had way more money than I did as a result.  The way I dealt with it was a huge crying jag and cursing myself for my stupidity while I worried myself sick.  Andy was able to help me realize it was just a mistake, and although it is sucky and will require me to say no to some temptations to spend, it also helped me realize that I can easily do that.

There are so many ways to have fun without spending a ton of money.  I had a friend who I haven't seen in nearly twenty years visit for the fourth of July and we had an amazing day just hanging out in the backyard and taking his kids to a local playground.  I also just got an email telling me I won a contest and will be receiving a surprise package of beauty treats from Covergirl from sharing a picture on Instagram.  There are great things happening all around me and I don't need to waste any time worrying over the setbacks or concerning myself with what other people think.  I hope that soon I'll be posting several times a week and showing you the things that are making me happy and hopefully they can make you happy too.  I'd love for you to share your ideas on saving money or suggesting a great read that I can borrow from the library.  I will also be shopping my beauty stash and going back to use some products I've received from subscriptions that will help me use up the bounty of products I already have instead of buying more.

In the meantime I wish you all much love and a joy filled week.  See you soon!

This is Andy and I at an Orioles game. We had free tickets! 

Subscription Box Madness/ Buried Under the Beauty Mountain

      So - after taking a few quick pictures for my Instagram today I have realized what a problem my subscription box obsession has become.  It wouldn't be so terrible if I had a few and I actually used the products I received, but I have had TONS of subscriptions to these beauty and lifestyle sampling programs and I think that I have crossed the line into addiction territory at some point in the recent past.  It is overwhelming and it's morphed into something that makes me feel a little crazy.

      I originally subscribed to Birchbox so I could try new beauty products.  It seemed like $10 a month was a small price to pay for a box of surprises that showed up at my door and that I'd possibly find a few products that really worked well for my skin without paying full price.  I did receive a few things I loved and I did end up buying a few products in full sizes from their store with points I had accumulated over time.  Along the way and odd thing happened.  Instead of taking the products out of the boxes and using them in my routine I felt a compulsive urge to keep them in the kraft paper logo boxes they arrived in and keep the assortment of items together as a "set".  More than once I dug through previous boxes to find an eyeliner or face cream or bar soap that I knew I had but hadn't tried because I was afraid of forgetting what month it arrived in.  I don't know why it is or was important to me to know what came in each box, but with very few exceptions all of the products are still in those boxes with the card and shred that they came in.

      This is a pattern I continued with nearly all of these boxes, and I have wasted tons of money on subscriptions.  If I hadn't got so completely insane in the purchase of loads and loads of these each month I would probably have been able to purchase a few higher end items that I would've really liked to try and actually used them rather than having more products than I could possibly use before they expire or that I can't even find because of my crazy way of keeping them all in the boxes they arrive in.


      This is a list of several (but likely not all) of the boxes I have subscribed to in the past.  I say "the past" because I am trying very hard to cancel my subscriptions and limit myself to a few select ones that I actually use.  First up are the ones that I pulled the plug on and a brief reason why I don't receive them anymore.

*Birchbox - too many foil packets and perfume samples I could get from Sephora
*Blissmo - charged me for a three month renewal when I didn't sign up for auto-renew
*Wantable Accessories - very expensive box for jewelry I liked but didn't love
*Wantable Makeup - great customer service but repetitive brands and disappointing product value
*PopSugar Must Haves - I loved this box but they upped the price and then sent less unique items
*PopSugar Special Edition - WAY too much money ($100!) for a box of things that I would never use
*CraveBox - I loved this box, last May they sent an email that they were belly up with no warning
*EcoEmi - a nice natural/organic company that sent too many things I was allergic to (shea all day)
*Mirenesse VIP - you have to spend LOTS of money on their brand to use the "credits" that you receive
*Mirenesse GlammBox - completely repetitive, constantly disappointing, deceptive pricing
*NewBeauty Test Tube QVC - same brands repeatedly with tons of skincare I found too harsh for me
*NewBeauty Test Tube - starting sending drugstore brands in sample sizes and cut the product value
*Boxycharm - changed formats from their initial launch and sent unsealed products from drugstore brands
*Beauty Army - the selections offered seem to include many things I've already tried in other boxes  

 Then there are a few that I have yet to quit.  Here are the reasons:

*Julep - you can skip every month which I have for quite awhile, but occasionally there are great deals
*JewelMint - I love the mystery boxes they offer and you can skip easily which I almost always do
*Little Black Bag - I've cancelled my multiple accounts and I'm down to one which I skip often
*GlossyBox - the last few months have been really impressive to me and I'm afraid I'll regret quitting
*Ipsy GlamBag - This is the least expensive and my favorite in terms of products I use so it's a keeper.

       I guess that I am making headway by saying goodbye to quite a few of these monthly or bimonthly purchases.  I am making myself a promise that I will unbox and use or trade most of these products.  I have also begun sorting through the hundreds of free samples I signed up for last year.  It was incredibly exciting to get packages every day but at the same time it is incredibly overwhelming to look at the sheer amounts of stuff that has accumulated that I will likely never use.  There was a time when I signed up for a free sample of some product every day and my mailbox was full of an unending stream of things that I wouldn't use but felt I needed because *FREE* is a word I find unable to resist.  I stay off the freebie pages of Facebook and I don't go looking for those offers anymore.  If something pops up that I would like to try and I am certain I will actually use I go for it (like K-cups or perfume samples).  I still stay active with Crowdtap, Influenster and BzzAgent where I can get full size products for free but I actually pass on campaigns I don't need (greek yogurt?  Blech - no thanks!) which I didn't use to.

      Not working at Target (land of the 70% off must buy although I clearly have no use for items) has helped me.  I would come home with a bag of stuff every day.  I'm not even kidding.  When things went to the lowest discount price they suddenly became an insurmountable desire.  I have more kitchen gadgets and appliances than I could ever possibly use.  I have tons of decorating and entertaining items for parties that I will never throw because I am embarrassed to have people come over and see the insane piles of things I have everywhere.  Not working in a retail environment is the best decision I have ever made.

      My husband is a saint.  When we were married he said that when we had a home of our own he wanted to keep it very minimal with lots of clean surfaces and not clutter things up with lots of knick knacks.  I look around every day and think that he must regret marrying me.  I started trying to organize my makeup collection a few days ago.  You can't even see our coffee table.  It isn't just makeup either.  It is a jumble of magazines, mail, books, food and stuff I can't even always identify without opening the boxes - because it is still in the damn boxes.  He complains sometimes, and he tries to offer me encouragement with managing the mess.  Whenever I make a little headway he is full of praise and smiles but I know that it kills him that I have rooms full of boxes and that I can't seem to surface from all of the stuff I'm piled under.  I'm afraid he will wake up one morning and be so frustrated with the mess and the junk that he won't want to come back.

     We don't have many friends.  I don't really have any friends here that I would feel comfortable seeing this madness.  I tried to have a party last year and I invited several of the ladies I worked with over but ended up canceling because I had a terrible panic attack thinking that they would arrive and judge me on what a poor excuse for a hostess I am.  I put off cleaning and then got so overwhelmed with the piles and piles of things that I had to "deal with" I called everyone and told them to forget it.  If someone popped by unexpectedly I would die of embarrassment.

      I'm trying to stay positive and I'm tackling this a little at a time.  This weekend I hope to clear off the coffee table and work on finding pantry space the kitchen.  I need to do it without moving the stuff to a different room which is a trick I resort to too often.  I worked on finding the floor in the craft room over the holidays.  I'm totally not joking in the least when I say the entire room was buried under a mass of stuff.  I spent hours sorting papers and packages and sifting through boxes of everything from Christmas ornaments to clothes and bags of new stuff I forgot I have.  I struggle so much to find the discipline to pitch the things I'll never use or give it to charity.  I have to get better at it and I hope that I will.

      If any of you have advice on how I can tackle these issues I would be happy to hear it.  You don't have to tell me I'm a hoarder or a pack rat because I know I am.  I would appreciate any mean spirited comments be kept away because I obsess over them and they just make me feel worse.  I've had to take down YouTube videos because of nasty comments people have made that I am hurt by even though I shouldn't care what some random woman in Nebraska that doesn't know anything about me thinks when she decides to poke fun at my opinions.  I am a very sensitive person by nature, and more than anything I am asking for your support and guidance so if you have those pearls to offer I'd gladly make room in my crowded corner for them.

      I offer all of you much love and I hope that the updates I post here will soon be about me working my way to the top of this and waving hello.
   

I must update my blog, I must update my blog...

Holy moley.

I am crap at keeping up with my blog.

I don't even know why - I LOVE talking to people and posting pictures on Instagram, and my new phone makes it super easy to post pictures and videos, so why am I not on here more?

Probably because I am obsessed that I'm going to mess up somehow, or that people won't like what I have to say.

It's silly.

I am going to do what I love and swatch my makeup collection and post about all of the awesome things I find.  I know I am interested in it so there has to be at least one other person out there who shares my obsession right?

Yep!  I'm right.  You don't even have to tell me.

Here is a couple of quick pics so I can get started posting and talking about things I love...

Like makeup..

And subscription boxes...

And my super cute dogs...

And flowers and beautiful things that I am instantly taken with...

And most of all funny things that seem to happen to me all the time..

I'll be back soon with some reviews and chit chat.  You won't have to wait forever this time, because I have a lot to say about.... everything!

Much love to you all.

My Smiley360 Sleep Number Store experience (and a new bed for me - yay!)

My husband Andy and I visited the Sleep Number store in Hagerstown Maryland and met with Dave - a Sleep Number consultant who showed us the new DualTemp layer and the Sleep Number family of beds.

When I presented our consultant with the Smiley360 card he had never had a member visit on behalf of the program so I took a moment to talk with him about how Smiley360 empowers consumers by allowing their voice to be heard by brands and marketing companies in response to the products and opportunities we are given to test and respond to.  Within 20 minutes a second Smiley360 member visited the store with her family to try the DualTemp layer as well.  Dave was clearly excited by the opportunity to show us the Sleep Number products and let us test the dreamy, comfortable support of the 5" CoolFit Foam Contour pillow we would receive free from Smiley360 as an added mission bonus.  He said that the CoolFit pillow is what he sleeps on and what he would recommend to any guest of the store who was looking for a great night's sleep.

If you are interested in becoming a member of Smiley360 and getting to test awesome products and try new things that you often get to keep for free, click this link and sign up - I want to try Smiley360!

The bed on which the DualTemp layer was located was in the very front of the store, right in the window where anyone who was shopping in the mall could check it out.  It was a little intimidating to crawl into it, feeling like all eyes were on us, and I spent the first few minutes propped up in an awkward position while Dave adjusted each side of the DualTemp mattress pad's air flow and temperature to reflect our personal sleeping preference.  As my side began to warm up I relaxed a bit and just enjoyed the comfort of the warm air circulating beneath me and the added softness of the layer of comfort material built into the pad.

To learn more about it, you can check out the the DualTemp layer's information page here or by visiting a Sleep Number store for yourself.  If you're in the Hagerstown Maryland area, go see Dave for your own consultation - he was very helpful and gave us excellent product suggestions to get us the best deal on our new bedding.

My husband and I have vastly different preferences when it comes to sleep - I am under at least two layers of blankets all year long and love a soft pillowy mattress while he will kick off every layer even in the dead of winter and prefers a firm surface to sleep on.  For Andy's side he had cool air circulating (his side was accompanied by a special remote control to adjust the settings which was for demonstration purposes named "Sara") and mine which was being pumped with warm air (my control was named "Jason" although you can name your own remote when you purchase a DualTemp layer).  Dave also took the time to find our individual sleep numbers.  These numbers correspond to your preference of the firmness of the actual sleep number mattress.  A separate remote lets you customize the support of each side of your bed.  Andy was a 55 and I was a 45.

I was skeptical that there was a big difference between "his side" and "my side" so after several minutes we simply switched so we could see for ourselves.  Andy's side honestly felt like a totally different bed to me!  Even a ten point difference in firmness felt completely alien and he said that if his side of the bed were as warm as mine he wouldn't be able to take it for five minutes without running for the hills.

A nice thing about the DualTemp layer is that you can use it with your existing standard mattress system, and you don't need to purchase a sleep number bed if you don't wish to.  It is currently available in three sizes, extra long twin, queen and king.  My husband and I currently have a full size bed, but were so impressed with a different bed in the sleep number family that we chose to purchase it - a Flex Fit Plus model that has the capability of being adjustable and also has a massage feature.  Like our current full size mattress, the Flex Fit model we purchased wasn't compatible with the DualTemp layer although our consultant said that they may make them available in different sizes and also in a new design that are for the adjustable styles in the spring of next year.

Later on we transferred to a different bed that did not have a DualTemp layer and we saw through a video display how the variance in firmness of the mattress can help alleviate excessive pressure on your body that cause you to lose sleep.  Dave even sent us a snapshot of our pressure points taken as a "before and after"  with a special computer monitor.  It was easy to see how you could benefit by changing from a standard mattress to a Sleep Number system.


We were in the market for a new mattress and after experiencing the undeniable comfort that these beds provided and the ability to customize the firmness and also the position of the mattress we were hooked.  The model we ended up with - the P5 mattress in a queen size with a FlexFit Plus base - has a preset that is called "zero gravity" that we both loved and Andy was crazy about the fact that you could customize the mattress with targeted massage zones.  He will enjoy that immensely after a long day of standing on concrete.  He loved all of the beds we tried, but the P5 mattress was the first one where he was comfortable enough to close his eyes - I snapped a quick pic of him dreaming about his new bed...

We truly didn't expect to walk out of the store with a new bed purchase, but we had an amazing experience.  After posting a few pics of us on Instagram in the store on the mission I came to find that I have several friends and family members who are already loving their Sleep Number beds!  I can hardly wait for the two weeks it will take to be delivered and I do hope that someday I can add the comfort of the DualTemp layer to my new Sleep Number bed!

If you want to you can check out the Facebook pages of Smiley360 and Sleep Number because they often have offers available that you might want to check out.  You can follow them on Twitter at @SleepNumberSara @SleepNumberDeal or @SleepNumberGaby and @Smiley360.  They host great giveaways and have twitter parties and chats where you can learn even more about the brands you're trying and are interested in and they often have amazing prizes too.

Thanks for listening - hopefully this will be the last time I'm up posting at 2:00 in the morning instead of getting a good night's sleep!  Much love to everybody who is taking the time to read this and share my excitement - thanks!

Influenster Sugar and Spice Vox Box

Several weeks ago I received another AMAZING VoxBox from the Influenster program.  All of the products that I show in this blog entry were sent to me to sample test and review free of charge from the companies that produce the products through Influenster.  Although the items were free, the opinions are my own and even though I don't always love all of the products I adore trying new things and finding new "must-haves" for myself and my family.

This box was a little hit and miss for me.  Although there were some really fabulous finds and I did try everything out there were a few items I didn't care for.  I'm going to start with the things I thought were a bit of a dud and move through to my favorites - I'll save the best for last!  Here is a photo of the insert card that explains all of the goodies the box contained:

First up - the Nectresse sweetener packets.  Honestly I have tried this before and simply don't care for the taste.  I have spoken about it with other women and know that this is a widely liked product, but for me the monk fruit derived sugar substitute has an odd aftertaste that I can't get around.  I have tried other similar "naturally derived" sweeteners that were sourced from stevia and other plants like this one is but I don't enjoy them the way I do Splenda.  I often have a reaction to products containing saccharine which is another sugar substitute so I have to be extra careful when I am trying new sweeteners, but this one isn't my favorite.



Next - The Colgate Optic White family of products.  How wonderful to receive a whole tooth care regimen in the VoxBox!  I wanted to give this a shot although I normally use a natural toothpaste (Tom's of Maine) due to the fact that as I stated above I don't always do well with products containing saccharine and toothpaste and mouthwash seem to nearly always have it as a listed ingredient.  It has been a very long time since I have used a toothpaste that wasn't naturally derived and I forgot how incredibly sweet these toothpastes taste to me.  The mint flavor was super refreshing and tasted incredible, but after my first use I gave it to my husband to use.  I love the tingle of the mouthwash and I LOVED the toothpaste packaging.  Instead of a standard tube with a twist off cap it has a very neat and tidy flip cap.  I would love it if every toothpaste had this unique design.  I even loved how smooth and white my teeth looked, but I know that the ingredients tend to give me allergy related sinus headaches and sore throats so I'll let my husband enjoy these products.  The toothbrush is all mine though - it feels incredible.  I normally use a medium hard brush because I feel like they do a better job of cleaning my teeth, but this Colgate 360 brush has something called "whitening cups" which are curved silicone shapes that really felt good.  I also liked the textured back of the brush which you can use as a tongue scraper.  I will definitely repurchase this brush for myself and for my husband too.

I also received a package of Belvita breakfast biscuits in a new flavor I have never had before - Cinnamon Brown Sugar.  Yumm-o!  I regularly purchase these and take them to work as a snack.  I've had the Oats and Honey and Blueberry varieties but so far this is my favorite.  They are crunchy and not too sweet and they are very satisfying as a snack or as breakfast on the go.  I am happy to see that they have also added another new flavor - Chocolate!  I can't wait to try them!  They are pictured above with the Nectresse sweetener.

Last but not least there were two smashingly good beauty products in this box, the first I already owned and loved so I was thrilled to get some more and I am going to share them with a friend.  Those were the Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes.  I am prone to breakouts even though I have dry skin and these are wonderfully refreshing and help to clean and tighten pores without over drying and stripping moisture from my skin.  I also use Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner (both Dickinson's products are pictured in my tote above).  I had won it as a free product from their line last year and after trying it once I was sold and have since repurchased it and picked up these wipes to try on that same trip.  I love to stash the wipes in the fridge to cool down after coming in from a hot summer day - they help to remove sunblock, sweat and makeup and cool sunburn too.  I love their products and I'm looking forward to using one of the enclosed $2 off coupons towards one of their cleansers.

The hands down best product in the box was the Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturizer.  I had been seeing the commercials for this where the girl sprays her body and then hops into jeans and I was like "yeah, sure!"  It just didn't seem possible but it made me want to try it.  I hadn't picked it up yet because I was skeptical and thought it was a little bit expensive for something that I couldn't imagine working the way they claimed it did.  When I saw I had the chance to try it for free I cracked it open immediately!  It REALLY DOES sink in that fast.  I sprayed it on my arm to show you the texture of the lotion.  All you have to do is rub it in for a second and it feels heavenly and dries super fast and without a trace of greasy residue or the filminess that many moisturizers leave behind.  Jumping into clothes quickly is definitely possible and I do it when I get ready for work in the mornings (since I wake up at 4 am to be at work by 5, anything that cuts time is precious to me).  The scent of the Total Moisture Pure Oat Extract variety I received is

super fresh and dissipates quickly so it won't clash with any perfume or cologne you have on.  I will repurchase this certainly - I would really like to try the cocoa butter variety and I have a feeling that it will be my go-to product for the rest of the spring and summer.

There you have it - My fab Influenster Sugar and Spice VoxBox for Spring 2013!  If you want to get in on the Influenster fun and try new products while engaging in a fun community of like minded girls click here and discover what this great program has to offer -  Thanks Influenster!

Little Black Bag - Pixi makeup swatches

So if you aren't in the know about Little Black Bag, it is a shopping website where you fill out a style profile and then shop from a gallery of handbags, jewelry, accessories and home goods that are for sale at bargain prices.  You choose an item and you can either buy it outright or choose to "bundle" it with stylist picks that remain a mystery to you until purchase your selection.  They give you an indication of what your picks might be by letting you know the category (jewelry or beauty etc) and the retail price of the mystery item that is added to your bag.  The items range in retail value from $12 to $200 or more but the price you pay is always at least 40% off.  When you make your purchase the real fun begins - trying to trade your stylist pick items (or even the item you chose to initially open your bag with but often think you want to keep) with other members to create a "bag" of selections that you love.  After 7 days of trading the "bag" of items (your first choice and the stylist picks or the items that you eventually swapped with other members for) is shipped to you.

Lots of times there are "extras" that the folks at LBB with throw in for free that add to the fun.  Most times you can trade those items as well - they might throw in a free chocolate bar with your order or a sample size beauty product.  Sometimes they have great promos like the one that's going on right now where you get full size products that are tradeable as part of your "bag" of goodies.  This month their free gift with purchase for their VIP members is a full size makeup product from the Pixi beauty line.

I have used Pixi makeup before - I have a Tinkerbell pallette that I picked up when it was on sale and also a primer that I got from a beauty subscription box.  I have two bags open right now (because the jewelry was super cute in this selection window and I needed a new wallet desperately) and the free Pixi item was a great attraction for me since I normally think their makeup items are a little too pricey.  The one thing about the Little Black Bag site that I think you really have to look out for is the fact that the pictures don't always look like the merchandise you receive in terms of color.  They seem to have REEEEALLY bright lighting in their photography studio and nearly everything looks lighter than I think it will look when it shows up in real life.  They have pretty good descriptions of the colors in the text below the images, but the items themselves have deceiving photographed depictions on occasion.

I started thinking about that in terms of the makeup pictures and then I realized that swatches of the makeup on someone would be super helpful in picking something that works with your skin tone.  I am very fair but I figure that you could at least get a sense of the colors if I swatched them for you.  So... I went to Target where they have testers of Pixi products and did just that.  There are three shots of each of the swatched products - the lighting in the store (florescent), the lighting in my house (incandescent) and in bright sunlight.  Not all of the products were available to swatch - there wasn't an eye bright primer or either of the lip and line pencils there, and one of the eyeliner pencils wasn't available - I ended up swatching several because I didn't remember seeing many as a choice on the site - I knew there wasn't a basic black or teal option so I skipped those but did the other six - only two were offered on LBB though.

 I hope that this helps you make some good choices as you swap and switch the items in your bags!

First up:  the Fairy Lights solo eye shadows: these are very sheer and the first two colors (French Lace and Champagne Glow) barely show up on me.  The center color (Cocoa Haze) is more of a matte finish but all of the others are very shimmery - best pictured in the bright sunshine shot.

 

I swatched all the colors they had available - On the bottom shot of the pans in the store the bottom row right are the Fairy Lights eye shadow singles in French Lace (the middle is just a white plastic disc) and the right is Sunshine Ray.  Top row left to right is Champagne Glow, Cocoa Haze and Boho Bronze.  They didn't have pans of Antique Gold, Alluring Apricot, Glided Olive or Bronze Beam.  I looked at the packages to match up the color swatches.  The shelf also said "Nude Nouveau" but I didn't see any boxed product in that color - I think it might have gone where the white disc is.

On my hand left to right is French Lace, Champagne Glow, Cocoa Haze, Boho Bronze and Sunshine Ray.


In all cases the top photos are in the store, next is at home, bottom is in bright sunlight.


Next are the Endless Silky eye pens, the Lid Last eye pens and the Lip Blushes.  All of the Lip Blushes are pictured, I swatched several eye liners but they didn't have the Cafe Gold in a tester and they did not have the Lip and Line products in testers at all, but they did have all the Lid Last eye shadow pens that LBB offers.

Top left is the Oyster glow Endless Silky Eye Pen and the far left is Deep Plum.  The others were Copper Glow, Black Cocoa, Sage Gold and Black Blue but they are not offered on LBB, and the Cafe Gold eyeliner that is offered wasn't available as a tester.

Middle left to right are the Lid Last Eye Pens in Peach Pave', Mocha Mauve, Bronze Brilliance, Brun Beam and Graphite Glint.  That is the way they are lying top to bottom in the above shot of the pans in the store.

Finally the lip blushes were the biggest surprise - I got Purity in my bag and I'm glad I didn't switch it for Youth because I wanted a shade that was more of a berry color.  From left to right is Youth (a very pale pink), Energy (a coral or salmon pink), Luck (a mauve with a bit of a brown or orchid hue) and Purity (a nice berry).  I love lip stains and I am thinking about trading my Lip and Line in Orchid Rose for another shade of lip blush but I'm on the fence about it!  What do you think?

If you're interested in opening a Little Black Bag this month (it is a monthly service - you can buy as much or as little as you like, but there is a 9.95 monthly fee which turns into a $10 credit on the site if you don't skip the month or cancel outright) you can use my referral link to give it a shot.  I know when I first tried it I couldn't decide which item I wanted to open with and I got a pop up box after I registered and completed my profile that offered me a free extra item to start.  They run promos all the time and there might be one for new members soon - check your email after you register for a special offer on your first bag.

Try Little Black Bag!

Here are a couple quick photo of some of the adorable bags and jewelry I've purchased and received as trades over the past several months on the site - I have scored some amazing deals, made some great swaps and made some friends along the way - (I'm talkin' about you All Things Tashia!)

Brown and burgundy doctor bag: Mellie Bianco. Pink "Kaley"quilted bag: Lionel.  Blue and white spectator satchel: Elise Hope. Silver and gold studded flap over satchel: Pink Cosmo.  Berry Sedona Satchel: Big Buddah.  Jewelry from 'ZAD, Vince Camuto, Catherine Stein, 1928, Mocha, CZ by Kenneth Jay Lane, R.J.  Graziano, Ben Amun, BCBGeneration, Flea Market Girl and probably others.

My favorite pieces are the Vince Camuto choker and bracelet (heavy silver and black mirrored squares), the BCBGeneration chain bangles (I got them in both gold and silver through trading although I never had them in my bag to begin with) the 'ZAD birds (pheasant necklace and owl stud earrings on the red box top) and the fab CZ by Kenneth Jay Lane earrings in the center - they look like they are on fire with sparkles.  I am so excited that I got the CZ by KJL bow earrings coming soon.  I had a very lucky and wildly popular (to everyone but me) necklace in my bag that I traded for them!  Yay!

I hope this helps the folks who are already LBB addicted and that the quality and value of lots of the things they offer is apparent.  I am going to do a more detailed entry later on with lots more pictures - even my husband loves the website.  He opened a bag so he could buy his Mom a birthday present of an Elise Hope purse and did all his trading himself.  The Mellie Bianco bag and the Vince Camuto bracelet were actually his choices/gifts to me - what a sweetheart!

Much love to y'all - happy trading!

Sorry to have been out of the loop

Hey guys!

Sorry that I have been out of the loop for so long.  I love writing on my blog and it seems that when I get stressed out or I just have a lot on my mind that the things I like doing the best are the first ones to go by the wayside.  I wish that I could change that about myself, but so far I've only managed baby steps in the process.  That being said, I'm here and I have lots to chat about!

This is going to be a short entry because hopefully this week I am going to make up for the weeks I've been away by posting some fun beauty content.  I have my Influenster box to review - hopefully I will be chatting that up tomorrow or Tuesday.  I also hope that my Wantable boxes arrive by then so I can post some new videos.  In the meantime you can check out the ones I have posted on my YouTube channel.

Wantable is a subscription service that I pay for.  You fill out surveys that customize a box specifically for you and it is $36 per box each month.  Last month was my first time receiving the boxes, a jewelry box and a makeup box.  All the makeup items are full size and you get 4-6 in each box as well as the possibility of extra surprises (last month there was a bonus of an extra blush).  I also tried their jewelry box which has 4-6 pieces of new jewelry based on a style profile you fill out.  I was initially unhappy with the jewelry box but after emailing their customer service I was blown away by the attention they paid me and how they bent over backwards to not only keep me as a customer but to make my experience amazing.  Here are links to the three videos I posted on my YouTube channel - if you would like to check them out and subscribe to me there and also post a link to your own YouTube channels I would love to check them out!

Wantable March Makeup Box

Wantable March Jewelry Box

Wantable Fix-It Box from Customer Service!

I am also going to be posting a video for my newest GlossyBox in the next few days and I'm working on a post for my latest BzzAgent products too - the Playtex bra campaign (epic fail!) and the Lysol foaming hand soap (love it!) which I received for free to test out like I do with the Influenster boxes.

On a more personal note - A quick update on my folks - my Mom is deteriorating quickly from her Alzheimer's and unfortunately even though we just got her admitted to the same care facility that my father (who is also afflicted with Alzheimer's) she has been experiencing some very bad episodes that leave her confused and violent.  She has also tried to "break out" of the facility many times and because of this has to be placed in a special lock down unit where she won't interfere with my father's care.  It has been very difficult for me because I don't live close enough to home anymore to be there when my parents need me.  I don't know if any of you have ever experienced a similar situation but it is frustrating and scary and also very sad.  I would love to chat with any of you that have ever been in a similar situation with your parents or any family members.  I am the "baby" in our family and although I have four older siblings my brother (who is the nearest in age to me) is still eleven years older than I am.  I think that this is really effecting us all differently, but I am finding it very challenging to suddenly be without my parents in a way I have never been before.  They were always only a phone call away, and now I haven't been able to talk to them in months in a meaningful way.  It is depressing, and probably why I have been away from this for so long, so I apologize for that.

Even with all the things going on with my family I am very thankful to have my husband to lean on.  He has really helped me to sort out the things that are challenging me lately and helped me to realize the things I can change and the things I can't.  We did a fun thing this weekend and went through and weeded and put down new mulch in the flowerbeds at our home.  We are also working hard (he is doing the most part of the hard work!) on finishing our basement to make it into a rec room.

Here is a picture of part of the front and what we accomplished this weekend:

I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend and I look forward to sharing more with you soon.  Thanks for reading!  Much love to all of you