Monday, June 29, 2015

Life Lately

Happy Monday party people!

It is a happy Monday for this girl because I don't have to work on Friday which makes this a lovely four day week! Lately I have been having a ton of fun, spending time in the beautiful summer weather and of course working. I thought on this Monday I would share a little bit about my life lately.


A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend Tim and I headed to Mystic Aquarium for an afternoon of visiting some sea creatures! We had a blast walking around checking out each exhibit.




There was even a seriously crazy penguin that hid in a cave and chased other penguins when they came anywhere near him. It was amusing to watch and we got to see quite a few demonstrations while hanging out near the exhibits. We watched the penguins get fed as well as the beluga whales participate in play time. 

I had such a fun day and we topped it off with a walk around Mystic Village and dinner at Steak Loft (if you're ever in Mystic CT you must have a meal there!). 

Another weekend adventure we took was to Jamestown for a walk around Beavertail State Park. It was a beautiful day for a hike around the rock-filled coast. The sights were breathtaking and it was so much fun to spend the day exploring.



We also stopped by Forth Wetherill in Jamestown, a place I had never heard of before. This was an actual fort which was a little creepy, but the graffiti everywhere made it amazing. There were tons of tunnels to explore which I was too afraid to go inside, but there were staircases to climb and lots of interesting sayings to read along the way.



The coastline nearby was also amazing!

There has also been a ton of progress on the addition...




Those are just a couple of pictures I snapped recently. It's so exciting to see progress!

Last week was Brittni's 27th birthday and we celebrated in style at work...




It was a fun day at work with tons of food, presents and of course minions.

This past weekend I attended a baby shower for one of my lovely co-workers Magda and her boyfriend Jonathan. The two of them are expecting a little boy, Oliver in August. The shower was held at Brittni's family property where her wedding took place back in October. It was a beautiful yellow and gray themed shower.




The wedding predictions board was a fun activity and I enjoyed that they didn't spend time opening gifts at the shower. It was just a fun barbecue with lawn games set up, and allowed everyone to spend time with Magda and Jonathan as we enjoyed delicious food.

On Sunday when I arrived home, I found new floors in the kitchen! They are going to be completed tomorrow and I will share an after picture but I have to say that I absolutely love the wood floors in the kitchen. So much nicer then tile!



Finally, here is my little girl cuddled up next to her momma as I type up this post. She's such a snuggle bug!


So that's my life lately, what have you been up to lately?

Monday, June 22, 2015

CVS Couponing This Week!

Tonight I headed out to coupon at CVS before my Zumba class! I haven't really spent time planning a couponing trip in quite a while. This trip was just a small one but I got a few great items for cheap!



Suave Shampoo and Conditioner 
on sale for 2 for $6 or $3 each
used $3 off 2 coupon, making each one $1.50
Paid $3, received $2 back in ECB, making each one 50 cents, or $1 total.

Colgate Mouthwash $5.29
Colgate Toothpaste $3.79
used two $1 coupons, making my total $7.08
Paid $7.08, received $4 back in ECB, making each one $1.54, or $3.08 total.

Nexxus Travel Hair Spray $3.49
used a FREE Nexxus Travel product coupon I received in the mail
Paid $0.

I also used a $5 CVS Extra Care Buck.

My total before sales was $20.15.
Sale prices brought my total to $18.57
Coupons brought my total to $5.08
Tax brought my total to $6.38

I paid $6.38 in cash and received $6 in ECB to use in my next transaction! Not bad! 

Have you done any couponing lately?

Sunday, June 21, 2015

May Birchbox

Hello hello beauty lovers! I am ready to update you on my favorite and not-so-favorite products from my May Birchbox!




This months theme was Cupcakes and Cashmere and I thought the orange was a nice spring color for this months box.


I was excited to see a few bigger samples inside this box!



I've gone back and forth about Harvey Prince products, some have been great and some have been pretty lame. This Harvey Prince sea salt texturizing mist is a nice idea but I don't think it works super great in my hair. I prefer to have my hair heat styled either curled or straightened depending on my mood. I don't like my hair to be a mess and that's what sea salt spray does. I don't feel the need to purchase this in the future, but I may finish it up depending on my mood.


This Cotz flawless complexion seemed super dark when I first tested it on my hands but it actually blends in quite nicely. I love that this product has SPF in it and will use up this product in its entirety.


This is hands down my favorite product that came in my May Birchbox. Aruba Aloe's luxe foot cream is so luxurious and thick, it's amazing! I have almost finished this up entirely and would consider ordering a full size in the future because my feet feel awesome after covering them with this cream!


Benefit's lollibalm is a mango butter balm that has a very pink tint to it. The balm itself is nice on the lips but the color looks a bit silly on me. I tried it on a few occasions and I wasn't a huge fan. I will keep this in my lipstick/lipbalm collection but I don't know how often I will be wearing it.


I hate receiving perfumes in my Birchbox for two reasons. Number one, I have so many perfumes and body sprays already I really don't need anymore. Number two, When I don't pick a perfume out myself chances are I won't like it. I sprayed this once, hated it and threw it in my empties bag. Sorry Juliet has a Gun's Not a Perfume, you don't smell good!

What products have you been trying lately?

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Spring Empties!

Finally, this little blog is back up and running! I was super relieved to see my posts show up on my bloglovin feed this morning! =)

I thought today I would share my Spring Empties with you. I don't have a ton of items this season simply because I have been using up products at a leisurely pace, trying out different things and not worrying about finishing anything up right away. 

So here we go!


BBW Merry Cookie Candle- This candle is a sugary sweet candle from Bath and Body Works. I especially enjoy this around Christmas time but I ended up finishing it up after March rolled around making it a spring empty. I find that the scent fits the colder months best and it's not something I would necessarily purchase again in the future since I prefer spicy scents over sweet scents, but it was nice!

BBW Black Sands Candle- I was surprised how much I liked this candle when I sniffed it in the store. It smells absolutely incredible! It is a spicy, beach scent that isn't too strong but I would highly recommend smelling it for yourself in stores because I will be purchasing this one again the future it was so good!

BBW Peach Bellini Candle- I would never have picked this scent out for myself, I actually won it during a baby shower a few years ago and it has sat in my candle collection ever since. I did finally use it up and found it to be very nice. I don't think it's a candle that I would need to purchase in the future but I definitely didn't dislike it. I have heard that many people love it but I'm not a huge peach person so maybe that's why I didn't like it as much, who knows!

6 Yankee Candle Amber Sunset Tealights- I've been working on using up my tealights and these six were nice enough. I don't think taillights give off enough scent so I'm trying to use them up since I really don't find them necessary!

Febreeze Set & Refresh- This little gadget hid behind a few picture frames in my room and it was great to keep my room smelling fresh! When you have these up close they smell awful, but in a room they smell fresh and fine.


Lysol Bathroom Cleaner- This was one of the last products I bought before I tried to go mostly natural with cleaners in the bathroom. I liked this cleaner but it smells awful strong. I much prefer to use something that doesn't smell like chemicals.

Method Daily Shower Cleaner- I spray this little love all over my shower every time I get finished showering and it keeps everything nice and clean. I really enjoy the mint smell of this product because it doesn't smell like chemicals and instead just smells fresh. I still deep clean my bathroom, but this product keeps my shower looking fresh between deep cleanings.

Satellite Glass Cleaner- When my windshield cracked the nice guy who fixed it gave me this sample and man is this stuff amazing. It cleans everything off your car windows and I really was disappointed when I finished it up.


11 Mint EOS Lip Balms- I went through a lot of these and I want to ween myself off of lip balm/chapstick and only use it a few times a day. I'm working on it!

2 Vanilla Mint EOS Lip Balms- I used two of these, I don't like the flavor as much as I like the plain mint ones but they are still nice.

2 Burts Bees Chapsticks- You'll remember if you've been a longtime reader that I once was addicted to Burts Bees. I did not actually use these two up, these are leftovers that I had already opened. I actually tried one of them and it tasted so much like chemicals to me I was grossed out! I can't believe I used to use it as much as I did! I gave away all of my leftover Burts Bees that were unopened to a friend that I know will use them!


Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner- I love this set! Both the shampoo and conditioner are great and the scent is fantastic as well. I keep repurchasing this drugstore shampoo and conditioner because it works great on my hair.

No 4 Shampoo and Conditioner- This was a sample from Birchbox and it was just okay. My hair felt tangly afterwards but it wasn't the worst shampoo and conditioner I've ever used either.

Beaver Shampoo and Conditioner- I did like this set for the most part, but it's not something  I would purchase in the future.

Macademia Deep Conditioning Mask-  I keep buying this for one simple reason, it works! I can't let go of my little macademia tub of love. I treat this like gold and enjoy every second I use it. My hair feels so much better when I use i!

BB Shampoo and Conditioner- I didn't care for these samples either it was nothing I would purchase in the future!

2 Essentials Shampoo, Omni Shampoo, Disney Shampoo, Fragonard Shampoo- All of these hotel shampoos were just okay. They didn't work wonders on my hair but I used them up because they were free from hotels and you know I can't resist free products.

Pantene Conditioner- I love a good Pantene conditioner and this kept my hair soft while I was trying out various shampoos from hotels. A good conditioner can work wonders and I find that Pantene just seems to understand what my hair needs- moisture!

Oscar Blandi Heat Protectant- This is my favorite heat protectant it works great at keeping my hair dry enough to use a heat styling tool with but puts something on it so I don't feel completely unprotected. I will be repurchasing this ASAP!


BBW Vanilla Bean Noel Lotion- I learned about this from Shay over at Mix and Match Mama, and I'm getting a little sick of this scent since I purchased so many! It's still a great lotion and you will be seeing a lot more where that came from.

Omni Lotion-  I kept this lotion in my purse and really enjoyed it. For a free hotel scent it worked great!


Model Co Shimmer Bronxing Powder- This made my skin look orange and I do not want to look like an oompa loompa. I tried it on a couple different occasions but have finally given up on it!

Covergirl Tru Blend Foundation- This foundation is far too light for my skin, I'm not sure why I purchased this particular one. I tried it a few times but it was just too light to work for me!

Pumped Up Maybelline Mascara- I thought that this was a solid mascara and I would definitely be willing to purchase it again in the future. My lashes didn't clump and I felt like it stayed all day.

Joeur Matte Moisture Tint- Another awful color for me! I finished up most of it, but it just wasn't worth it to try to finish it all.

Sweet Science Daily Tint- I thought the concept of this foundation was great but once again the color just wasn't right for me.

Makeup Forever Mascara- I loved this mascara and would definitely consider spending a bit more for this mascara over a drugstore one. I was incredibly impressed with its quality!

Laura Gellar Mascara- While the other two mascaras in this post I gave rave reviews to, this one I cannot. This mascara was very clumpy extremely quickly. It worked just fine in the beginning but probably a week or so later the whole thing was a clumpy mess, not something I want to deal with!

Fragonard Perfume Sample- Very strong! I'm glad I finished this sample because it was not my favorite. I like my scents to be light and airy not overwhelming.

There are two other perfume samples in the photo above which 1) I did not write down in my blog notebook and 2) I have already recycled. Therefore, I do not know what they are, only that I didn't care for them! (I'm sorry I'm such a jerk for having them in the picture and not writing them down!)


Athens Heavenly Goddess Peppermint Brown Sugar Scrub- I really enjoyed this sugar scrub, although because of the peppermint it made whatever part of my body I used it on feel really cold. That was a great part of using it during warm nights but not my favorite when it was cold out!

2 Nivea In Shower Lotions- I received both of these samples and am so glad I did because this is a really cool product. Instead of using a shower gel and lotion I simply used this in the shower, rinsed it off and my skin was feeling super soft! I would purchase this in the future without hesitation and I've already recommended it to friends.

Velvet Bubbles Oatmeal Milk & Honey Sugar Scrub- This scrub came from a local store called Entwined and it was very relaxing. The scent was great and I enjoyed it immensely.

BBW Vanilla Bean Noel Shower Gel- I purchased these after reading Mix and Match Mama's blog about her favorite scents. I purchased three shower gels and three lotions and have barely made a dent in them. I do like vanilla, but this isn't one of my favorite scents of all time there are definitely other shower gels I have liked over this one. You will be seeing more vanilla bean noel in the future though!

Essentials Shower Gel- A boring shower gel stolen from a hotel. I just used it up to use it up!

Philosophy Shower Gel in Christmas Cookie-  I am not a huge fan of this sugary scent! I think I've used up these samples and am pretty happy to be done with them!

Philosophy Shower Gel in Raspberry Glaze- I didn't care for this shower gel either. I generally like Philosophy, but this scent wasn't my favorite.

Hair and Body Gel- Another boring shower gel from a hotel you will never see again!


Athena's Supreme Shave Gel in Tropical Tease- This shave gel was great! I've been using it to shave for awhile now and I've found less bumps after shaving and significantly less razor burn. It is something I would consider purchasing in the future.

Coppertone Sunscreen- A girls gotta use her sunscreen, and make sure it's not expired! This one from last summer unfortunately expired over the winter so out it goes!

Gilette Fusion Shave Gel- Not great compared to the Athena's and it made me smell like a boy..but it was free so I'll use it!

Lavanilla Deodorant- This is my favorite deodorant I learned about from MakeupbyTiffanyD on Youtube. I find that it lasts all day and I love the classic vanilla scent. I will continue to purchase this even though it's a little pricey!

Method Beach Sage Hand Soap- I liked this Method soap and it seemed to last a lot longer then the BBW soaps! The scent was light and I will definitely use Method soaps in the future.

Biotrue Contact Solution- This was a necessity during this allergy season since I was constantly rinsing out my contacts! This contact solution works great and doesn't burn my eyes at all.

Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash- I liked this face wash, it worked just fine but it made my face slightly dry after washing. This was remedied by lotion, but it still made it drier then I prefer!

Glide Floss- Just an important way to keep those teeth clean! I try to floss as much as I can remember and I really like glide floss because it's gentle on my sensitive gums!

What products have you finished lately?!

Monday, June 8, 2015

The Heir by Kiera Cass


From the moment I discovered Kiera Cass, I was hooked! Her novels in The Selection series had me enthralled from beginning to end. In case you haven't read The Selection or any of the books in the series they are about a post-apocalyptic that centers around a royal family. The royal family holds a "selection" so their son can find a wife in a Bachelor-like world. America Singer is one of the lucky few sent to the castle and eventually after three novels (SPOILER) wins Prince Maxon's heart.

This novel, The Heir, centers around their daughter Eadlyn. Princess Eadlyn agrees to host a selection for her own heart just as a distraction for the kingdom and quickly learns that having a selection was not as easy as she thought it would be. 

I love that these novels remind me of the show The Bachelor. If you've been reading for awhile you know that the Bachelor is one of my guilty pleasure tv shows. I think it's a very cool concept and anything to do with love and royalty will instantly capture my attention!

I found Eadlyn to be a more annoying main character then America was in the first three books. While America was headstrong she never was pompous which I found Eadlyn to be, maybe simply because she grew up as royalty where America grew up in the lower class. 

I really did enjoy this novel and while I was surprised to learn that there was a fourth book in this series, so I was shocked that this book finished on a cliffhanger. I hope that means that another book will be coming out in the not too distant future!

Have you read any great books lately?!

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Life Lately

Oh hello blog world! It's nice to see you again!

I have been the worst at updating this blog lately, but I am following my new years resolution of only blogging when I feel like it! I am trying to truly be present in my life instead of spending more time documenting it. So here's what I've been up to lately.

My friends Katie and Devan got married! It was a very fun wedding with lots of wonderful people. I helped set up for the wedding as well the day before and it was great to be able to help out. Katie and Devan had old time photos set up which was a fun twist on the photo booth at weddings bandwagon.













I got to meet Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots! He high-fived me as well which was pretty awesome. My friend Julie from work brought me to the camp her son was attending which was a great experience!





I participated in a local paint night! It was so much fun and our paintings actually came out super nice. I was impressed with my ability to actually paint because I am not an artist at all! I highly recommend trying a paint night at least once if you have them in your area!




 I also got to see my adorable cousins participate in their annual dance recital! Cailean participates in a boys hip hop class and Annabel is part of a dance company. They are both growing up so quickly!



I've also been spending quite a bit of time outdoors too, taking walks along the water in local areas. I also went kayaking on Memorial Day with my dad which was super fun and relaxing. I have been trying to get outside as much as possible on the weekends, it's so difficult to be stuck at a desk all day!



What have you been up to lately?!