Remember when I used to blog all the time? Yeah, me either. Anyway, it's been months and tons of things have happened, but I'll save that for another time.

Today's post is going to be about something I received in the mail: The Influenster  Paradise Voxbox. Here's what was inside:

Olay Fresh Effects Shine Shine Go Away! Shine Minimizing Cleanser - $6.99

This is my current face wash and I really like it so far. I only use it at night and the tiniest amount removes all of my makeup in one try. Also, it's very creamy, so my skin doesn't feel dry afterwards.

NYC New York Color Sparkle Eye Dust Eye Shadow in Smokey Topaz - $2.99

I have not actually tried this product, but it does look pretty cool. I usually only use one eyeshadow when I do my makeup (what can I say, I like easy) and I'll probably be switching to this one pretty soon.

Dr. Scholl's® For Her High Heel Insoles - $10.99

Another product I have not tried because I am not a heel wearer. I may try to use these with some flats I have or give them to one of my sisters.

Suave Professionals® Moroccan Infusion Styling Oil - $5.98 (3 oz.)

This is one product that I am excited to try out. I’m still trying to get through two other styling oils I currently own (that don’t really do anything for my hair, but I can’t make myself get rid of), so it will be a while before I get to this.

Goody TangleFix - $7.99

I use this for my daughter (who hates to have her hair brushed) and she loves it. I love the fact that I don’t have to listen to her scream every time I brush her hair, lol.

Ok, that is all for now. I am going to try really hard to keep up with this blog from now on.:)

 

FTC Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes (but all opinions are totes my own!)

42-Sugar & Spice

Guess who (finally) got a VoxBox? :) I've received a couple of things from Influenster before (dish washing liquid and teeth whitening strips), but earlier this month I got the Sugar ‘n Spice VoxBox. You guys, I love free stuff, so I was super excited about this.:)

So, let's get to the good stuff. In my box, I received the following products:

Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer Total Moisture® ($7.99 for 6.5 oz. can)
I have not tried this product yet, but I am curious to see how it works. I hope it absorbs faster than regular lotion.
 
NECTRESSE™ ($6.99 for 5.9 oz container, or $3.99 for box of 40 packets) 
I have to be honest. I gave this to bf's mom because I don't do artificial sweeteners. Call me crazy, but there's just something about them. Plus, I think they taste weird.
 
Dickinson’s® Original Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes ($5.99 for a 20-count box)
Another product I have not tried, but only because I am saving them for summer. I live in Texas, so these are going to be super handy.

Colgate® Optic White® Regimen: Toothpaste ($2.99 for 4oz tube), Mouthwash ($2.99 for 8oz bottle), & Toothbrush ($2.99 per brush) 
I totally needed a new toothbrush and this is the exact one I buy, so that was cool.:) I have used the toothpaste and mouthwash and they're ok, but I can't say I've noticed my teeth looking whiter.

belVita Breakfast Biscuits ($3.69 for a box of 5 packets of 4 biscuits)
I did try this and it was pretty tasty. In fact, I think it tastes just like graham crackers, which everyone likes. Right? Right.

So, there you have it. :)

 

FTC Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes (but all opinions are totes my own!)

41-Books I Read in January & February

I've had very little time to read so far this year (what with school, work, family, etc...), but I'm trying.

January: 

1. Endangered: Your Child in a Hostile World by Johann Christoph Arnold
2. Night  by ElieWiesel
3. Skipping-a-Beat by Sarah Pekkanen 

February:

1. Forgiveness Is a Choice by Robert D. Enright

How sad that I only read four books in two months. Anyway, my favorites were Night (a young boy's story of surviving the Holocaust) and Skipping a Beat (Story of high school sweethearts Mike and Julie (both from broken families) turned super millionaires. After he suffers a heart attack, Mike decides to give everything away and Julie has to decide if she loves him enough to stay).
I hate saying that Night was 'good', because it's a true story. I read it for a class and I am so glad I did. It really made me gain perspective on life and how mine is really not that bad. Skipping a beat was just soo good. I kind of knew what would happen at the end, but not to the point where it ruined the story.
Ok, I have loads of homework. Happy reading!

40-2012 Reflections

Ok, so I'm kind of late. Whatevs, here we go:

Favorite Makeup: I’m pretty simple when it comes to makeup (and everything else in life, really). Two things I used almost every day in 2012: Wet n’ Wild ‘Vanity’ palette and Mac Prolong Wear concealer.

 

 via temptalia.com

 

Favorite Book: I can’t choose just one and I’m actually planning to do a whole post on this. I’ll get to it eventually!

Favorite Song/Album: Christina Perri, Rilo Kiley, Jenni Rivera, and Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’ (don’t judge me) were my jams this year. Just for fun, these were my 25 most played songs according to itunes:

Favorite Movie: I don’t watch a lot of movies, so I’ll do TV shows instead. My favorite show of 2012 was definitely Duck Dynasty (again, don’t judge me). I just love their family dynamic.

One thing you're grateful for: Besides the obvious (like my kids, my bf, my job, life, and health) I’m super grateful that I finally have a ‘real’ job. I’ve been a cashier for many years and that’s cool when you’re a teen/young adult, but after a while it’s just sad. My new job is not the most exciting thing and it’s not my dream, but I do like it and I am happy there. (Btw, I don’t mean to offend anyone that is a cashier. I know some people really do enjoy it, but I’m just not one of them).

Greatest Challenge: I’ve been in college since January 2008. I was supposed to graduate in May 2012, but it’s really hard trying to balance family, work, and school. So, graduation got pushed back to December 2012. My schedule was pretty easy: all electives and Statistics (the last core requirement). I was so excited about graduating and had excellent grades in all of my classes except (wait for it) Statistics. I failed miserably on the first few tests and knew there was no way I could pass the class. Instead of ignoring this fact, I dropped the class. Therefore, I did not graduate.:/ Accepting this was my greatest challenge of 2012. It sucked, but I know it was the best thing for me to do. 

 What are you looking forward to in 2013: Graduating (omg, finally!), grad school, family time, and reading new books.:)

39-Books I Read in November & December

So, this is pretty late. What can I say, life happens.

November

Stolen Innocence: Triumphing Over a Childhood Broken by Abuse: A Memoir by Erin Merryn
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Free Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry by Lenore Skenazy
Untamed (House of Night #4) by P.C. Kast and Kristin Kast

The book that stood out the most for November was Stolen Innocence. I found Erin Merryn's blog one day while doing research for an essay and I knew I had to read her books. There is really no way to rate this book. It is not a work of fiction and it feels plan wrong to take someone's personal story (especially on this topic) and give it a rating. What I can say is that Erin's story inspired me so much that I basically wrote a seven page paper on her story (and got an A).

I also really enjoyed Lenore Skenazy's book. For all you helicopter parents out there (yeah, myself included) you need this!

 
December

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman
Public and Private Families: An Introduction by Andrew J. Cherlin
Heavy Hands: An Introduction to the Crime of Intimate and Family Violence by Denise Kindschi Gosselin
Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas
The Madam by Julianna Baggott
Homeland and other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver
The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil

I read so many good books in December and I can't even choose one favorite. I guess the one's I'd recommend (out of all of them) are Smashed (memoir of a young woman's alcohol use), The Madam (about a woman whose husband practically abandons her so she opens a brothel to provide for her children, also partially based on a true story), and The Beach Street Knitting Society (totally chick lit, but so good. The characters are English and I could totes hear their accent while reading this, lol).