Summertime Sweety

So I decided to try a new Subscription Box... Remember when that was all I did??  I'm sure most of you have heard of the company Fragrant Jewels.  They create candles, bath bombs, and other fun products, all with rings hidden inside! The first box I received was a present for a friend, and I liked hers so much I decided to try it out as well!  I really wanted a candle though, and sadly this box didn't contain one.  But regardless, this is the Sweet Retreat collection.  The scent is described as "Cool Marine Breeze, Fresh Lavender, and Soothing Chamomile."  It is a bit to floral and fragrant to be especially soothing, but it is very nice and bright for spring. The first item in the box were mini bath bombs.  I actually prefer this size of bath bombs to the big ones!  I was, however, afraid that since they were mini that this product wouldn't come with a ring, which kind of defeats the purpose of Fragrant "Jewels" doesn't it?  But no...

We are back again with an old classic!  I have had Ipsy for years and paused it on and off from time to time, but it is definitely still my favorite subscription by far.  If you would like to sign up,  you can click here ! I had planned to review this one, but I have to say, I was pretty disappointed with the contents of this bag!  The last few have been great, so I was pretty shocked!  The actual bag however is glittery and gorgeous ! The first thing in this bag that I was most excited about was this full size Ofra liquid lipstick in the color Versailles.  The color is ok in the tube, but on the lips it is very shimmery to the point of having a frosty finish with no color whatsoever.  Also, when I took the wand out of the tube it looked separated... Somehow simultaneously oily and chunky.  I tried to mix it a bit, but as a result it felt more like a gloss than a liquid lipstick.  Disappointing...  This is the Innisfree ...

So last year I was lucky enough to receive a Marc Jacobs Beauty VoxBox from Influenster!  I was by far more excited about this VoxBox than any other I had yet to receive.  But... I got lazy, and even though I took the pictures, I never ended up making a full post about it.  Well, flash forward to 2019 and guess what I get a notification about?  I am going to be getting ANOTHER VoxBox from Marc Jacobs Beauty!  I was ecstatic.  And this time, I was determined to let you all know about it.  But while we're here, why not show off what I got last year as well! If you have any interest in signing up for Influenster so you can also receive free products to try you can  sign up here ! So this is how the boxes come packaged.  Black box, black packaging, black paper, all very dark and sleek.  This lipstick claims to be 16 hour long wear with a liquid matte feel in a crayon.  I don't agree with that statement completely, but it does h...

I am all about my Sangrias, and last week we were having a big cookout, so that basically begs for a sangria!  So for this week on Wine Wednesdays I am letting you all in on the perfect tropical, sparkling, sweet but not too sweet white sangria to accompany all of your summer cookouts!  I received high complements from this one, even from the guys who don't normally drink "party juice."  According to them, it was quite dangerous, and was the first drink gone! Ingredients Four Lemons Two Oranges Two Limes Frozen Melon (Cantaloupe and/or Honeydew) Frozen Mango 1 Double Bottle (1.5L) Riesling 1/3 cup Triple-sec 1/2 cup Bacardi Mango Rum 1 can Mango Nectar 1 can Diced Mango in Juice 1 bottle (750 ml) Extra Dry Sparkling Wine 1 bag Frozen Berries (or more frozen melon/mango) 1 Orange, thinly sliced 2 Lemons, thinly sliced Directions From the first set of ingredients, juice four lemons, two limes, and two oranges.  No fake or bottled juic...

I'm considering a new series on this blog... How would you all feel about wine Wednesdays?  Not every Wednesday of course, but just to mix things up sometimes!  Most all of the drinks I make end up being something I concoct from various ideas and recipes I see online, and then add wine to it, and voilà, wine punch!  And I see a distinct lack of wine punch or creative sangria recipes on Pinterest, so look no further; I'm coming to the rescue! I made this drink recently for a party in which the color theme was purple, so of course we had to have a purple drink!  It was met with much praise, and I highly suggest giving it a try!  It is a very sweet drink, but can be toned down based on your preferences.  It would be the perfect way to bring in Spring!  (If it is actually Spring where you live, we just pretend here, it is still snowing) Ingredients Blueberry syrup: Bag of frozen blueberries (minus 1/3 cup.) 1 cup sugar 3 cups water ...

So, I finally bit the bullet and became one of the crazy essential oil people... Yeah, it's bad.  I have too many and have spent too much money on them.  But in all I have bought and blended and diffused and applied, there have been some that stood out above the others.  Today I have made my top ten list of essential oils, five being the single oils, and five being purchased blends.  I am not loyal to any one brand, though there are a few that stand out in my collection as the most purchased; I simply do my research and buy what is avalible at that time. My Top Five Single Essential Oils Tea Tree This has been a long time favorite.  Before the oil craze ever hit, I was using this one daily.  I make my own toner, a mixture of apple cider vinegar, witch hazel, and essential oils, and this has been a staple in it for well over five years.  It keeps acne at bay and treats the spots that are already there.  It is also good for sinus conges...

Straight from the source, the Wonder Swipe Eyeliner's claim's are as follows:  "SWIPE TO TRANSFORM! Breakthrough formula you can transform with the stroke of a finger.. 2-in-1 formula: a bold metallic liner that can be transformed into a sparkly shadow with one swipe 16 ultra pigmented shades Layer and combine the formula to create unique, show-stopping looks Up to 10 hours wear Smudge-proof, transfer-proof, touch-proof" I received mine in the color 006 My Bae (fourth from the left), which is very... pink.  I love pink toned eyeshadows, but you've got to be careful!  It is sometimes difficult to walk that line between sunset eyeshadow look and child who broke into their mom's makeup.  Using this as a standalone eyeliner almost takes it a step further to, my child stole used my makeup and the gave me pink eye. Sorry, extended metaphor, moving on. It is like a paintbrush style applicator, but it is hard like a silicone tip instead of b...

(Stick around until the end for a surprise announcement!) In my past two posts this week I have been focusing on the past year; what I did, the things I accomplished, the places I visited, etc.  You can find the links here if you would like to see my 2018 Recap, Part One (January-July) , and Part Two (August-December) .  But now, it is time to focus on the year ahead of me. For the first time in my life, I have no homework due.   No tests to prepare for.  No projects I've been putting off until the last minute.  I'm done with all of that! But that also means I have a new set of responsibilities I'm supposed to to be taking on. Where am I going to work?  How am I going to make rent?  When can I make time to get groceries?  I have to make my own doctors appointments?  Should I be applying for more jobs? It's... It's definitely different. At the current moment, my plan is to stay at the school in which I did my stud...

(If you missed Part One, January-July, you can find it here! ) August We kicked August off with a bang and dove right into another vacation, this time to the Outer Banks of North Carolina!  We started our trip with another aquarium, and a few nights at this gorgeous little Bed and Breakfast in Manteo. While there we also had the opportunity to see The Lost Colony outdoor Drama.  I highly recommend, it was amazing! But be warned, Manteo breeds a different kind of mosquito than everywhere else, and they WILL just pick you up and carry you away! My mom and I were just dying to see the Ocean even though the island we were currently on was landlocked and Dad had just told us to be patient and wait until we got to our Condo a few days later.  We didn't listen, and after shopping one night we took the car down to a public entrance to see the sunset and feel the sand between our toes.  It did not disappoint!  Until I got squared by a wave... Dec...