Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Years!


Well, it's officially the last day of 2012. We've made it through the whole year despite thinking the world would end on the 21st, despite all the tragic events that have taken place, and also we've had a lot of great times!

During this last day of 2012 I want to highlight some of the best times/favorite posts since the blog was born! I don't have a whole year of memories yet...but it won't be long =)

Top Blog Moments of 2012



There were plenty of moments that were very memorable- but those were just a few that popped into my head =)

What were your favorite moments of 2012? If you're a blogger what were your favorite blog moments of 2012?

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday to the best guy I know....




my daddy!

Happy Birthday Dad! I hope you have a wonderful day- I love you! =)

Saturday, December 29, 2012

2012 Obsessions

I recently came across a Yahoo article about the obsessions of 2012.  It's interesting to see what are considered the ultimate "obsessions" of the year.

Here is what Yahoo! listed as their obsessions..


  1. The iPhone 5
  2. Nate Silver who predicted the presidential race
  3. The $656 million dollar lottery ticket
  4. The Hunger Games (!!!)
  5. 50 Shades of Grey
  6. One Direction
  7. Call Me Maybe
  8. Gangnam Style
  9. The 100th Anniversary of the Titanic
  10. Honey Boo Boo
I agree with *most* of the above. 

What have YOU been obsessed with this year?

I have been personally obsessed with getting healthy this year. I also loved Breaking Dawn Part 2 and waited all year for it! Lately I've been obsessed with Birchbox deliveries, organizing, and coupons!

Tell me about all your 2012 obsessions!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Lose Those Christmas Pounds Circuit!

Did you eat a tons of holiday food and maybe pig out on candy like I did? Probably huh?

Well hopefully this "Lose Those Christmas Pounds Circuit" will help!


LOSE THOSE CHRISTMAS POUNDS CIRCUIT

Start with 20 minutes cardio of your choice
20 lunges
10 squats
25 reverse crunches
15 burpees
10 squats
25 regular crunches
20 jumping jacks
10 squats
10 v-ups
30 seconds of plank

repeat circuit 3x for maximum results!


How has your workout plan been going? This is the circuit I did yesterday and so far my plan has been working pretty well. I like the idea of alternating my workouts and having a free day. So far it's been working very well for me! Let me know how you've been doing!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Christmas Cleanup Part 1

Well Christmas it over and guess what? It's time to clean up!

I think it's pretty obvious from this blog that..

  1. I like to clean
  2. I like to organize
I have never understood when people lay their gifts under the tree unwrapped for days and weeks after Christmas. In fact- it drives me crazy! I am probably the person in my family who takes the longest to remove their presents from the living room- and it only takes me a few hours. I know, we're crazy right? 

As soon as I get my presents into my room- I lay everything out on my bed. Every single thing. Then I sort. Candles go into my candle drawer, clothes get hung up or put in my dresser, makeup and nail products get put away, and so on.. Everything of mine has a place so there is obviously no exception with new presents. They all need a space. If I can't find a space for that item- then I take something I want to get rid of and donate it to make room for the new item. 

How long do you leave all your presents out before you put them away?

I also want to talk a little bit about gift wrap. Now, I'm not a crazy person (well maybe a little bit), but I don't go around ironing wrapping paper or anything- but I do save quite a bit of the gift wrap that I receive my gifts in. 


I like to save a few boxes, all the gift bags, tissue paper and ribbons to reuse the following year. Not only is it the "green" thing to do but it saves money! So I put these away with my other gift wrap items for the next year.

I will hopefully soon be updating my gift wrap organization- I plan on ordering this from the container store soon! Isn't it awesome? I can't wait to have it to hold all of my gift bags, tissue paper, ribbons, and gift tags! =)

What do you do with your gift wrap?


Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Christmas Recap

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and celebrated with your family and friends. It was a wonderful time at my house.

On Christmas Eve- my best friend Rachel stopped by to visit my family and I. It was so nice to have her stop by for a little visit!


Later in the evening we had a family dinner and watched my little cousins open gifts from the family. My cousin Annabel is still young enough to  be super excited about Christmas (not that many of us aren't excited at an older age!). Her face as she was opening presents was absolutely priceless. =)



I made some drinks to go around- called the Grinch! I learned about this lovely drink from my friend Doreen and it was delicious. All that's inside is Midori, lemon juice and simple syrup. My brother even had one =)


We also watched Elf which was great- everyone just relaxed and ate while we watched the movie. Then we had a chance to chat and spend time together!





My papa brought some yummy treats for us to snack on after our dinner- gotta love chocolate!


My favorite gift from my papa was this sign:


It fits my personality perfectly =)

Overall it was a great night!

Santa came while we were sleeping of course and left some gifts under the tree and in our stockings.



Christmas Day is always extremely relaxing in my family- we hang around, watch tv and movies. We open our gifts, eat breakfast and just relax! 

Roxy even had some presents to open...and then got exhausted!







I hope that you and your family had a wonderful few days celebrating and relaxing and will be able to ease back into your regular every day lives!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

I just wanted to pop and wish you all a wonderful Christmas- I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends. Enjoy every moment of your day!!! 

source


Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope everyone is gearing up for a wonderful holiday!

Tonight, family will be coming to my parents house to celebrate Christmas Eve. We'll have a traditional ham dinner and celebrate the night! Tomorrow will be much more low key. My immediate family (mom, dad, brother and I) will open gifts and hang out together. Usually we just hang out all day watching movies and relaxing. It's very nice and easy-going!

I thought it would be nice to fill out a little Christmas survey that I found- feel free to answer any of the questions in the comments section or to include it on your own blog!

1) Do you like to stay in your PJ's, or dress up for Christmas?

On Christmas Eve I like to get dressed up for our family dinner but on Christmas Day it's PJ's all the way! 

2) If you could only buy one person a present this year who would it be?


If I could only buy one person a present this year it would have to be a joint present for my parents. I would get them something to enjoy together- like a gift card for them to go out to dinner.

3) Do you open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?


We used to open one present on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas Day but now we prefer to save all presents for Christmas Day- it makes it more exciting!

4) Have you ever built a Gingerbread house?


I actually built one a few years ago. It was fun to build- I'd definitely like to do it again!

5) What do you like to do on your Christmas break?


I like to relax and spend time with family and friends. It's nice to have some time off of work.

6) Favorite Christmas meal or treat?


I would have to say the pretzel treats that my mom and I made this year. So yummy!

7) What's your favorite holiday movie?


It's probably a tie between Elf and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation- both so funny! Oh I also love The Santa Clause.

8) Candy Canes or Gingerbread Men?


I just tried Watermelon Candy Canes the other day and they are so yummy!

9) Have you ever made a Snowman?


Of course!

10) Which do you like better, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?


Christmas Day- it is so much more relaxed then Christmas Eve!

11) White lights, or colored lights?


Both! I love any Christmas lights! 


I hope you all have a wonderful holiday- enjoy every moment with your friends and family!

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

My Cleaning Checklist/Schedule

Today I'm sharing with you my cleaning checklist. I have a cleaning checklist that I have made, printed, and laminated in order to keep me on track and keep everything clean and organized. Keep in mind that  often I go above and beyond this list and clean other areas of the house but since I don't live alone I am not solely responsible for keeping the entire house clean.

I laminated this list so I can use an expo marker and check off the items as I clean up certain areas. Then I can just wipe off the checks and start again the next day or next week depending on the category. I actually got the idea from Jen's Blog and it has been super helpful!

Click here to check out my Cleaning Checklist for yourself!

My plan basically consists of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually chores that I do which helps me stay on track and know if I have completed them or not.

Daily I complete:

  • Laundry
  • Wipe Down Bathroom
  • Make Bed
  • Pick up
I bring my laundry down to the laundry room and start up a load, change the loads, or fold laundry as needed. I do a quick wipe down of the bathroom sink area. I make my bed and then do a general pick up and put away items that are in the wrong spot every day. It just helps my life run a little easier.

Weekly I complete:
  • Dust furniture
  • Vacuum
  • Clean Glass
  • Clean Bathroom
  • Empty Trash
  • Wash Sheets
  • Wash Towels
  • Sort Mail
I like to dust all my furniture weekly to keep the dust away. I also like to vacuum and clean the glass on all my mirrors. I then give the bathroom a complete scrub down from top to bottom. I empty the trashcans and bring the bags out to the garage. I wash my sheets and towels so I have nice clean linens and I also sort through any mail or paperwork that needs to be filed or dealt with.

Monthly I complete:
  • Clean out trash bins
  • Vacuum vents
  • Vacuum blinds
  • Clean switch plates/doorknobs
  • Dust ceiling fan
After neglecting all these areas, I quickly learned that they need to be attended to monthly and then there will be less work to do at a later date. Cleaning the switch plates and doorknobs also prevents any germs from hanging around and getting passed around!

Quarterly I complete:
  • Wash comforter
  • Wash rugs
  • Vacuum mattress
I don't like to wash my comforter more than quarterly because it gets worn out faster. Same with my rugs- I don't want them to get worn out quickly. I vacuum my mattress so no junk hangs around on it- I'm a little OCD! =)

Annually I complete:
  • Clean out drawers/cabinets/closets
As I've shown before on my blog, I often take everything out of a space and clean the area, sort through the items, donate some and then put the rest back in making the space more organized. Having this on my cleaning checklist just helps to remind me that I need to go through different areas throughout the year.


Some other cleaning tips:
  • Even though it's not on the above list I vacuum and clean out my car at least once a month. I am a little OCD about it and often you can find me wiping down the console weekly!
  • Starting during the new year I am going to turn around all the hangers in my closet so they are backwards and as I wear the items I will turn the hangers back to normal showing that I have worn the item. If I haven't worn the item by the end of the year then I will be donating it. A lot of times I will have a good idea of what I do want to donate but I think this will give me the push I need to donate the things that I NEVER wear but don't want to get rid of! =)
  • I should also mention that daily I do take my recycling out and don't leave that hanging around.
  • I also have revamped my Organization Binder which I will share sometime soon- this system keeps me organized and is a great place to put my never-ending supply of lists that I make...

I will be posting some organizing guides right after the holiday to help with the Christmas cleanup process so look out for those soon! =)

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Weekly Couponing Wrapup

Well, I guess we've survived the "end of the world" huh? How crazy is it that people honestly get so carried away with things like that? I just always feel like if it's going to happen- there's nothing I can do about it! Enjoy your life and time on Earth because there's no guarantee how long it will last. It confuses me why people get so worked up about conspiracy theories like the end of the world day when they could go at any minute! Oh well, end tangent!

I did two stops this week with my couponing- CVS and Rite Aid.

At CVS I picked up the following items:


2 Sensodyne Toothpastes (the only type of toothpaste I can use!), A Clear shampoo and conditioner in travel size, and a bag of Dove Chocolates.

Guess how much I paid.....




$1.61! How you ask? Well I had a coupon making the Clear Shampoo completely free. I bought the Clear Conditioner because I figured I might as well have a set of it. I had two $1.00 off Sensodyne coupons. I didn't have a coupon for the Dove chocolates but I *needed* them.

I also had $19 in ECB that I wanted to use up. They even had to adjust one down! All I paid was tax =)

Bringing down my $23.05 total down to just $1.61 is a 93% savings!!! Success!

Then I headed over to Rite Aid...



I bought two fragrance gift sets, two beauty gift sets, and an almay intense eye color palette.

and paid.....



$4.10! Plus...I got $5 worth of rewards points from the purchase- aka, I made 90 cents!!!

Here's the breakdown:

The beauty/fragrance sets were on sale for BOGO 50% off. They were also all marked down from $4.99 to $2.99. I then got $5 in rewards.

The Almay makeup was on sale for 75% off. Making it $1.99, well I had a $2 off Almay makeup coupon! Making my total $0!

Not too shabby for a two store stop!  =)


I really encourage you to get out there and shop with coupons. I now have toothpaste, chocolates, makeup and shampoo/conditioner that I will use myself anyways that I basically got for free. I also have 4 gift sets that I plan on using for adopt-a-family next year through my work. It honestly takes me no time to set up my shopping plan and get through the store using www.thekrazycouponlady.com and I am scoring some amazing deals!

I can't wait till the after Christmas sales! =)

Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday- I work until 1 and then I'm officially on Christmas vacation! Woohoo! =)

Friday, December 21, 2012

Recent Exercise Recap

Since I haven't been on a training plan lately I've felt a little at a loss. I definitely need to kick it up a notch and plan out my exercising for the next few months so I will feel motivated to actually get up and workout each day.

Lately, I've been running anywhere between one mile and two miles every few days. A lot of times I do conditioning circuits along with my classes at work so that is always helpful but I feel like I'm not improving or going anywhere with my exercise.. I've definitely been in a slump!

For inspiration I've been looking at the Tone It Up girls for different circuits and of course my favorite girl www.pbfingers.com to see what they are up to and what their workout plans are.

This is what I've come up with:

MY WEEKLY WORKOUT PLAN


Monday: Run (whether I'm training for a race or just running for fun- I will complete at least a 2 mile run. 

Tuesday: Circuit workout focused on abs. My abs are an area where I would like to work on- so I think it would be smart to plan a circuit workout once a week that works on that area.

Wednesday: Run (same as Monday-either part of my training plan or at least a 2 mile run)

Thursday: Circuit workout- working on an entire body workout!

Friday: Run (same as Monday and Wednesday- I want to make sure I'm running at least 3 days a week)

Saturday: Free day! I will be able to choose my workout- whether I find a circuit online I want to do...or a cardio workout...or a workout DVD. Any of the above will do!

Sunday: Off- everyone deserves a break! 



What does your workout plan look like? I am very interested in hearing what you do on a daily basis and if you plan out your workouts before or if you just go for it when you get to the gym! Let me know! =)

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Sending A Care Package

So, I think I have previously mentioned that I have a penpal in Madagascar...When I was in 2nd grade I was a member of the American Girl Doll Club. I applied to have a penpal through their club because I was obsessed with getting mail at that age and my parents thought it was a great idea for me to get mail from a penpal. I actually went out to California and met up with her on two different occasions which was really special. Needless to say, she is a very giving person and is a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar and I wanted to send her a package.

Here's what I sent her:


  • sour mix bag
  • 2 boxes of m&ms
  • 2 boxes of nature valley bars
  • 3 bags of trail mix
  • 3 postcards
  • 1 soyjoy bar
  • 1 chocolate criso
  • 4 airborne samples
  • a picture of snow for her students
I hope she enjoys all these goodies! It makes me feel awesome to know I'm sending a package out this time of year to someone who will truly appreciate it!!!



Hoping it gets to her soon safe and sound!


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Gift Guide 2012!

I know some people are extremely organized and are all done with their Christmas shopping and have been done since October (Hello my people!) But I do know that a lot of people are procrastinators and are just now thinking about heading out and braving the mall crowds to get presents for their friends and family. If that's you then here's a few things of my favorite things! 

Bath and Body Works Candles

If you're looking for a great Christmas candle to share with family and friends I highly recommend Tis The Season by bath and body works. It is the best smelling Christmas candle I have ever smelt! =)


I also recommend pretty much everything at Bath and Body works because there really is something for every girl in your life- moms, sisters, whatever!



Kindle


I absolutely love my kindle. I use it all the time for pretty much all the books I read. I have the original kindle but I would recommend anything by Kindle to be given a try. It is a great gift for the book lovers in your life.

Birchbox


I highly recommend the gift of Birchbox. I received this gift for my birthday and got three months worth of samples as my present! It was a wonderful gift and I would love to give it to other people in my life- and I think it would be a great Christmas gift.

Concert Tickets/Event Tickets

I think it's great to have an event to look forward to- whether it's a concert, a play, or a sporting event. I have received tickets to Wicked, and Chicago as gifts and it was great to have something to look forward to. If you're looking to buy something for someone who has everything I would definitely consider purchasing them tickets to an event. For boys who are hard to buy for too- sporting event tickets are a great option if they are into anything like that!

Lush Products

I love Lush products and think they make fantastic gifts. Whether you purchase one of their gift sets or just pick up a couple bath bombs and bubble bars, everyone deserves to take a nice bath and relax every once in awhile. Not only are bath products a total luxury but it is so nice to receive them as gifts and not have to buy them for yourself.

American Girl Dolls and Accessories


I had an American Girl doll (Kirsten) when I was a little girl and as far as I hear from the kids I teach they are still in style =) I loved playing with my doll and dressing her up- and I think most little girls love to do that too! The American Girl doll store has expanded and there are so many accessories you can now get for your doll it is incredible! I would highly recommend a doll or accessories for any little girl you have in your life!

Diamond Candles



Have you heard about Diamond Candles? Well they are amazing! Each candle has a ring inside which could either be a nice expensive ring or a costume jewelry ring! It's such a fun concept and would be a great surprise for Christmas!

Ornaments

Ornaments are always a classic gift. I love ones that have special meaning- or ones with cute Disney characters on them! If you're looking for a more expensive ornament- you could always go with a swavorski crystal snowflake! They are labeled for each year and would make a great holiday tradition.
If you're looking for a less expensive option you could check out pinterest and make your own ornaments!

Christmas Village

Lately I have eyeing the Dept 56 Disney Christmas Village. I think it would be such a sweet idea to get a different building for a Christmas Village to be able to start one of your own. I am thinking I will start my village next year and am hoping to receive a building next year for Christmas =)

Gift cards

I know I have said this a ton of times- but gift cards are not as lame as people make them sound. I LOVE LOVE LOVE receiving gift cards. It is so much fun to be able to go shopping after Christmas. I know for a fact that my parents and brother prefer to receive gift cards from me. I always get them gift cards as part of their Christmas gifts!

That's all for now! I may be back with a stocking stuffer guide soon...stay tuned!


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Elf On The Shelf Inspiration

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf? Have you heard about Elf on the Shelf?

The kids I teach NEVER stop talking about their elves and the mischief they get into! People are so creative that I have decided to create a post with some cute Elf on the Shelf inspiration I can find from around the web...here we go!

source

source
Elf on the Shelf
source


Elf on the Shelf idea - Scanner elf
source
Elf on the Shelf
source
elf on the shelf ideas
source



What cute ideas right?! If you want more ideas check out pinterest because there are tons of ideas on that website! I cannot wait to someday do this for my future kids- I wish it had existed when I was little, because I would have loved to have searched for the elf every morning and see what kind of trouble he was up to! 

Happy Elf Finding!
















Monday, December 17, 2012

Mystic Seaport Lantern Tour




On Saturday night my mom and I met up with my papa, his girlfriend, my uncle, and my two cousins to go on a Lantern Tour at Mystic Seaport. 

The idea of this Lantern Tour was that we traveled back in time and took a walk through a 1876 village. The acting was wonderful and they really had you interact with the show. We sang and danced and interacted with all the characters of the story as we visited several homes, shops and pubs. We even boarded a boat and met Santa Clause at the end of the show. It was a great time =)

If you are in the Southern New England area and interested in this tour check out their website here.


When you walk into Mystic Seaport you see a huge anchor letting you know you have arrived.

There's my family heading into check into the tour.



The decorations inside the information center were beautiful, and the best part was that I ran into an old friend during check in! My friend Chelsea was working at the information/ticket desk and I haven't seen her in about 4 years. I asked her how her baby was only to find out that he's almost 3!!! Time certainly flies by fast. 


And MY favorites "babies" who aren't so little anymore =(




We were lucky enough to ask a woman who happened to be a photographer to take our picture inside the Seaport store afterwards. This was my favorite of the pictures she took.



It was a great time and I'm so glad that I was able to spend this time with my family. This time of year is so magical and special. =)

Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Did you do anything special this weekend?

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Love

I can't blog today without commenting on what happened on Friday December 14th. I have thought a lot about what I could/should say about the situation but I'm still at the point where I cannot understand and comprehend what has truly happened.  I have been consistently thinking about the families and members of the Newtown community and pray that they are able to find peace. What has happened is a terrible tragedy and I will never understand how someone could do something so terrible to people so innocent.

I want to take a minute to talk about Victoria- a first grade teacher in Newtown. She is a friend of a friend from college. I never met her, but knowing that someone who knows her makes this hit so close to home. She heard the gunshots and hid every single one of her students in cupboards in her classroom. When the gunman came in- Victoria told him her students were in gym class. He shot her and moved on to his next target. She died for her students- saving her entire class. She is a true hero.

I started thinking about what I would do if there was an issue where I work. I work with children every day and I know without a doubt that I would jump in front of any of them and take a bullet without question. Anyone who would ever attack a child is sick, sick, sick.

This tragedy hit close to home and I have had a lot of trouble dealing with it over the past couple of days. I will resume blogging as normal tomorrow but it felt important to relay my thoughts and prayers for those affected in my little corner of the internet.

So if you were affected- god bless you- please know that I am praying for you and hope you can find peace in this difficult season for loss.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Weekly Coupon Wrapup!

I've decided to "weekly" post my coupon savings rather than pop in randomly with my coupon savings! I use quotations around weekly because I don't know if I will necessarily have anything to share every single week but you can probably expect this on a fairly regular basis!

This week...

I had a coupon for $3.00 off of Hallmark cards if you bought 3. I also had a CVS coupon off Hallmark cards- I combined them together- plus I got $3 in rewards bucks- making them free! Wee, I love free products!

I also had a coupon for a free essence of beauty lotion- the only scent they had was the sunflower scent so I picked up one of those for no cost!

Then if I bought a razor I received $6  extrabucks back- my razor cost $7.39- meaning that after rewards I got it for $1.39! Nice =)


At Hallmark this week I bought an Elf on the Shelf which I had a coupon for $5 off $20 so I was able to purchase it for $26.85 which was not bad!


Lastly on a separate trip to Walmart I picked up a container of Clorox Dual Action wipes for $2.78. I will get back all of my money because I turned in a rebate form which was offered so I also got this product for FREE!

Not a bad week for coupons!

Did you get any great deals this week? How much did you save in coupons?

I ended up saving $15.49 in just coupon savings this week! Woohoo! =)

Friday, December 14, 2012

Lunch and gifts!


On Tuesday I went out to lunch with my friend Kristin to celebrate Christmas. We wanted to have some time to chat and exchange presents so around noon time I headed over to Applebees in Westerly to meet up with her.

For lunch she had chicken tenders and I had a lunch combo with 3 cheese chicken penne and ceaser salad- so good! We had a lovely time catching up and exchanging gifts. The gifts I received were just perfect!

She bought me one of the presents in Disney World- a pillow that matches the "Once Upon A Time" pillow on my bed- but it says "Be Our Guest"

source

She also made me the cutest "pinterest" idea. It is a Christmas tree shaped jar with a nail polish, nail polish remover, and other nail items. It is adorable! I would definitely love to make it in the future for others- I will definitely have to keep it in mind!

As for what Kristin received- I gave her a $10 itunes gift card, a giraffe mug, a giraffe ornament, a giraffe loofa, and giraffe lipgloss. She loves giraffes and I found so many fun giraffe items at Pier1 so I went a little crazy!

I will be seeing Kristin again on Sunday for her family's annual Christmas party which I also attended last year. It should be a good time!

I hope you are all enjoying your Friday and have great plans for this weekend!


Thursday, December 13, 2012

December Birchbox

This week my December Birchbox came! It was my last one gifted to me so I've been trying to decide if I should continue ordering it for $10 a month or if I should save that money. However it is super fun to get a new box of things to try every month!

Do you have any beauty box subscriptions?


Here are all my products laid out in my box..


The first thing I saw when I opened it up was this gift card for RentTheRunway.com. My friend Rachel recently rented a dress from this program and wore it out for her anniversary dinner. She loved it, I'm not quite sure it's worth the money-especially since I'm trying to budget and save a little bit so I can move out and get my own place. But if I have a place to go to wear a fancy dress I definitely will be renting one! =)


I also got the Amika Nourishing Mask which I am excited to try since my hair is always so dry and damaged- it will be nice to give my hair a little treat and moisturize it a little bit!



The Mary-Lou Manizer looks really cool- I did dab it on a little bit but haven't had too much of a chance to try it out yet...


This salted chocolate crunch bar I am going to be sending to my penpal in Madagascar- she is there working for the Peace Corps and doesn't have access to a lot of things so I thought sending her a few samples would be nice. 


This fragrance sample is called Shimmer and it's by Aerie. I honestly have SO many fragrance samples that I haven't used yet because my perfume collection is pretty expansive and I haven't even made a dent in it yet! I haven't even smelled it yet so I will let you know when I do....


My last item in my box is a Lashem Lash Serum. It states that it can be used on eyebrows or eyelashes so I will be interested to see what it does...



I will be posting a review on the items I got in my November Birchbox in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned for that one.

What are your favorite makeup and beauty products lately?

Lately I've been LOVING my Naked Palette. I wear it almost every day. I also love my LUSH Celestial face lotion- it helps my skin to stay soft and not dry out!