As promised: BIRCHBOX :)

Alright blog friends...let me just start by saying subscribing to Birchbox was one of the best decisions ever. I mean it's 10$. It's make-up. And yeah they're sample size...but they are GOOD sample size. Plus, to me, that almost adds MORE fun because I love things that are mini!!

So let's peek in to February's box...







First we have "Befine", an exfoliating cleanser with brown sugar and oats. First of all...SOUNDS like you could eat it. And smells like it too. The texture of this exfoliator is so lovely...it doesn't feel like its going to scrub your face off! Full size retails for 25$.

Next, NARS Illuminator in a pretty-peachy-bronze. It is just enough to highlight those cheekbones, browbones, and the bridge of your nose giving you a light glow with a nice sheen in the sun. LOVE the way it feels too- weightless. Retails for 29$ full size.

Pomega5 Green Tea Moisturizer...Green tea is just good for you. This doesn't smell strongly of tea but it's definitely soothing. This stuff is the real deal...it retails for 58$ full size!

Bare Escentuals volumizing mascara! I haven't gotten to try this yet because I didn't want to open it and then let it go to waste since I am in the middle of a tube of mascara at the moment...but the stuff they make is usually great and I am REALLY excited to try it. Retails for 18$ full size.

Finally, they included what they call a "Birchbox treat" which was perfect just in time for Valentine's day. They are called "Sweetriot Chocolate Covered Sweet-nibs." I mean literally, little bits of rich decadent heaven. Plus, the tin that it comes in is SO CUTE and made from recycled materials! Lovelove!!

So, there you have it folks.


A sweet delivery with so much fun inside! Don't you want to get one?? ;-) For those of you that I know have signed up--- the March box is coming up soon! Ships usually between the 7th and 10th of the month. Can't wait for you to enjoy it too :)

Monday, Back to Reality

Time for my favorite post of the week.......BACHELOR.

And y'all, this is one of the best parts of the Bachelor too-- HOMETOWN DATES. You can learn SO MUCH about someone from watching how they interact with their family.

One quick interesting side note before we get started breaking down the dates: There wasn't as much jaw-dropping drama since Michelle was sent packing last week...I know I am turning into a reality TV fan when I start MISSING her because of the antics she brought to the show. All I can say is I *hope* she comes to the "Women Tell All" little show they will inevitably have the week before the finale....

OK. So.
Chantal O.; every week this girl gets more and more on my nerves. I am sure, deep down, that she is sweet and all...but to me, she just looks and acts like she grew up getting everything she wanted if she just pouted those big ol' lips of hers. Oh wait...pan to a shot of her parents' house and our suspicions are confirmed. Now, listen, I don't have anything against wealthy peeps...in fact, I like to look at and drool over their beautiful homes and divine interiors, so without them I'd have a lot less to entertain myself with. But in the context of the show it was just kind of like...ACK...she's got money..and she works for daddy...meh. The whole date was kind of lame, even though her parents did seem nice enough. There just wasn't a whole lot going on. Besides mom's botox.

Ashley; Contrary to Chantal, Ashley is growing on me every week. She acts a little neurotic sometimes, but she's cute and has a really natural spunk. She takes Brad to her dreamy little town where they still use the "honor system" to pay for fruits at a roadside stand. Presh. Also, she treated him to gravy-and-cheese covered fries and Maine lobster. MY KIND OF GIRL. This date was by far my favorite. Her and her family were just awesome. I would want to hang out with them. And I'm not normally a fan of tons of tattoos, but Ashley's sister had somethin' good goin on. She was just a sight. All of their personalities were FABULOUS. I think Ashley has her head on straight and I can see why- a great family makes a big difference.

Shawntel N...oh Shawntel. I really like you. I think you're one of the most naturally pretty, sweet girls that may have ever been on the Bachelor. And honestly, it's wasn't the taking Brad to the funeral home that really did him in...it was the fact that he was going to have to be "the one who stole you away from the family business causing a huge familial rift". That's a lot of pressure for anyone to bear. But girl, you held it together when you got eliminated which made me like you even more.
Yeah, her job is weird. But you know what? It takes a really special person to face what she does every day and be positive and helpful and kind. For that, I respect her.

Emily; You just can't not love Emily. Like literally...it's not possible. She looked so dang good in her blue dress at the cocktail party it just wasn't fair. But back to the date. Did the producers or did they not lead us to believe that her date was a disaster because Ricky wouldn't talk to Brad and was being shy and mean??? EDITING. Gets you every time. No, in fact, Ricky warmed very well up to Brad for a 5 year old, I think, and he didn't want to leave "weird" because HE didn't want to disrespect Emily by kissing her but she definitely wanted him to. Who'd have thunk it!? I am now thinking she may make it into the top two...but I don't know. Us girls were having an argument about whether he's ready to be a dad....

Kudos:
-Ashley's family. Cuz they're awesome.
-Shawntel, for leaving with grace.
-Chantal's dad's purple shirt...what?? Purple is my favorite color and it was a nice shirt. But he also gets a "K,what?" for trying to look to young.
-Emily for letting Brad meet Ricky. That's a big deal, but I think it was the right choice in this context.

K,What?:
-Shawntel, for making Brad lie down on the embalming table. That's just weird.
-Chantal, for the ridiculous haircut her dog had.

We're closing in on the answer, blog friends. It's only a matter of time...
Thanks for reading. :) COMING UP THURSDAY: Birchbox Show and Tell!!

Quickie Update

Guys, I have been slacking on the blog! NO BUENO!

This is what I have planned for the week:

Tonight's Back to Reality post, of course. HOMETOWN DATES!!!

A review and photo shoot from my FIRST Birchbox!! It was sooo fun! I can't wait to show it off.

Another installment of "things we like".

And whatever else pops into my lil old head!

Lookin forward to it, blog friends! :)

Monday, Back to Reality

Well, loves, yet again we were not disappointed with the Bachelor. This show just gets WORSE and WORSE (by which of course I mean BETTER and BETTER). First of all, 3 out of 4 of us had not ever heard of Anguilla. Antigua, yes, the Antilles, yes, but Anguilla? Well, no matter because it was freakin' beautiful and now we all want to go there. I'm just sayin, if I ever do, I'm totally going to go to a concert by that Reggae band! That was cool.

Let's get right to the most important part of this blog post: WARNING SPOILER AHEAD.
Micheeeeeeeeelllleeeeee is goooooooneeee and we can all be happyyyyyy!!!....wait except....now, the crazy is gone! This positive may actually be a negative in terms of the drama-meter. Hmmm...nah, we've still got Chantal O. who is plenty dramatic herself (but in a much less evil-stalker way).
But here is something special for you blog readers. It has been pointed out for the last couple of weeks that our dear Michelle resembles a certain character from an old Disney animated classic....feast your eyes.

The first picture, is of course, our dear Michelle. But doesn't she resemble the snake from Jungle Book a little bit!?? Kaa was hypnotic, manipulative and evil....we had quite a laugh over this one.
Wasn't it strange and ironic that the girl who said the most couldn't say one word when she was eliminated? SO WEIRD.

Now I will address the other moments in the show in the weekly "Kudos&K,what?"
KUDOS:
-Emily, for really trimming down the number of times she mentions her background...of course, that's partly a kudos for the production peeps because they're the ones who repeat it all the time. We already like her, so we don't need anymore of the heartbreak!
-Ashley, for saying how she felt to Brad- that she really wanted to be chosen, but that ultimately if she wasn't she would be OK. Good girl!
-Britt, for taking her awkward date/send off rather well. That was a tough one.
-Brad, for not dragging things out with Britt. He realized that it was not gonna work, so he did something about it. Yeah, it hurt, but I guarantee you Britt will be happier in the long run. AND for FINALLY WAKING UP TO MICHELLE!!!
Shawntel- for being the most natural, every-day kinda girl on the show right now. She's got none of the hyperactive neediness and lots of natural charm!

K,WHAT?
-Chantal and Ashley- you should know better than to take your top off for anyone that asks!
-Chantal, for crying for the 6,000 time...and that ATTITUDE. sheesh.
-Chantal (you're on a roll girl) for the swimsuit that was just too much and too little all at the same time.
-Ashley for calling Brad "babe" constantly. Too soon, Ash.
-Brad, for telling Ashley that what she said about being okay eventually if she wasn't chosen was not what he wanted to hear/asking "why would you say that?" How conceited do you have to be to not understand her position???
-The producers, for the creepy stand with the girls' pictures before the rose ceremony. The wind and the stones and all that stuff in the windy darkness made it look like someone was going to be executed or something!!

Well there you have it folks. Next week, it's the hometown dates...in my opinion, some of the best!! Although editing made it look like two things: Emily's daughter does NOT relate at all to Brad, and that Shawntel goes WAY overboard discussing and showing her career....but as usual, we shall have to see if what they show is really how it goes! Stay tuned, blog friends. We're not out of the Bachelor woods yet!!

Monday, Back to Reality

I am terribly sorry that this is coming a day late...I watch the Bachelor with my mom and some woman-friends and we were just having too much fun last night and I got home way late!!!

This week's ep on The Bachelor was definitely not without its drama! As the pool of women gets smaller, the drama just seems to get bigger- add an insane manipulator to the bunch and you've got yourself a drama-bomb! Hmm, I think I just created a new term.

So let's see here...*warning, spoiler ahead!* I just KNEW, once Brad was down to Michelle and Jackie, that he was going to pick Michelle even though she has got some serious mental disorder tendencies. She's got him with the sex appeal, and I mean come on, that's like dangling a carrot on a stick in front of a starving rabbit. He's gonna take the bait! It was truly sad to see Jackie go because I thought she had a lot of class.

Side note: WHO WANTS TO GO TO COSTA RICA? Everyone should be raising their hands. It looks so unbelievably awesome there (while also looking extremely humid). I would have repelled down that waterfall in a heartbeat and went down that zipline as fast as they could get me hooked in.

Okay, so back to the drama. I was thinking last night...I wonder if the producers/people who work on the show feed little whispers into the bachelorettes' ears in between takes? Some of the things they "latch onto" like all of the "deep thinking sleuthing" Chantal O. was doing was a little far fetched to me. I'm kind of like...are they really that observant and deductive to figure out such things as they did with the whole Michelle-giving-Brad-grief issue? My best guess is that yes, the little drama queens are spurned and churned into "critical thinking."

Alright, time for this week's "Kudos&K,what?"!!!
KUDOS:
-Emily, of course, for being so cute in that maxi dress she was wearing on the cocktail party night. She is just so freakin' adorable! Who can stand it!??
-Jackie, for not throwing herself a sob 'n snot party when she got sent home. She was respectfully upset, and still classy.
-Britt, for hangin' in there man. She hardly gets any time, but she lays low and you gotta love that. Looks like from the previews that she gets some date time next week!
-Costa Rica, for being beautiful and awesome.
-Shawntel, for pulling that sneaky little "quiet game" move...it was actually pretty cute!!

K,what?
-Michelle. Again. For everything. But especially for contradicting herself about everything she says..."I'm telling you to make this decision." "I didn't tell you to make the decision...I said make it on your own." "I'm not trying to give names." "SEND CHANTAL HOME!"
-Ali, for throwing that glass with admirable force when coming within 5 feet of a beetle about 3/4 of an inch long. She is REALLY afraid of bugs.
-Ali, again, on her date, for responding to the question "Do you think you'd ever live in a big city?" with, essentially, "Oh no, people in big cities think they're all that and they are totally not. Big cities are stupid." Do you even know ANYTHING about Brad? Have you ever HEARD of Austin, TX?
-The cameramen, for your awkward close ups of big 'ol tongue kisses. Gag me.

There you have it, folks. Another week closer to the big day. Who will Brad choose?!??! And does anyone really care??? We all know that the drama-filled-journey is better than the anti-climactic destination!

Til next time, blog friends.

Sunday {Style}

Look at these shoes.
First of all, you'll notice that they're FABULOUS and SPARKLY.
Then you might notice that they are very tall.
Which might lead you to believe that they are not very comfortable to haul yourself around in. And you would be right.

HOWEVER, I happened to stumble upon some little cuties called "Foot Petals". They actually come in a variety of shapes to fit your needs, but for me, it's always the ball of my foot. By the end of 1 hour, my feet have slid forward, toes crammed in the front, all my weight going to the balls of poor skinny lil feet.


This product, which I tried out last night on the pictured Steve Madden's, helped so much with all pain and discomfort that I may actually start wearing pumps on a more frequent basis! It solved all the problems I previously listed. If you love heels but are afraid to wear them because of the agony you face...try these out!! I found mine at Dillard's, but I bet you can find them in other shoe-selling shops.

Happy Heel Wearing, blog friends!

things we like, iced in edition

We are on a HISTORIC day 3 of snow days (well, technically, ice days) here in Plano, TX. Seriously, this is unheard of. Then again, the ice is pretty bad- and here down in the good ol' south, we don't know how to handle that!!
I have had a few days to sit around and think about all these great things I've discovered recently, so I wanted to share it.
A neighbor and I trekked over to the JCPenney by our house and spent some time wandering around...there is a Sephora in there and I am so excited about something I found there:
The PERFECT lip gloss!
Benefit just introduced some new colors in their line of lip glosses called "Ultra Shine Lip Gloss"; if you're familiar at all with Benefit cosmetics, you know how fabulous they are. So naturally, I shouldn't have been surprised by this find BUT- I love sparkle, and I love color, two things that you can't necessarily wear as a teacher. They found a way to make a color that is both glam-sparkly and beautifully colored while still being understated enough for a conservative job! Mine is coming soon, and while I wait YOU should check it out! (The color I'm getting is So Frisk Me...haha)
Next, and I am SO EXCITED about this one too...

I have discovered BirchBox. What is it, you ask? Well, for 10$ a month, you get sent this CUTE box of deluxe samples of high-end cosmetic brands (like Benefit, but including Nars, Kiehl's, Cargo and more). It's basically like a present every month! They have two sign-up options; a full year (discounted so its basically like getting a free month) or month-to-month. The February box sign-up has already passed, but you can definitely go ahead and sign up for March box! I will let everybody know how the box is when I get it :)
Beauty, beauty, beauty...love it!
I will throw in one more thing we like...READING!
Right now, I am reading The Uglies by Scott Westerfield. I love non-reality books! I'm only about 15 pages in, but I can tell it's gonna be a good one! Also, I love series because you can really get into the characters :)

Happy discovering, blog friends!