Bon's Book Club - Eleanor and Park

This month’s book for Bon’s Book Club was Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I was kind of excited to read this book because I have heard so many great things about it.  It seems to be one of the “it” books of the year!  Here is the description from Amazon:

“Bono met his wife in high school, Park says.
So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be, she says, we’re 16.
What about Romeo and Juliet?
Shallow, confused, then dead.
I love you, Park says.
Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be.

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under.”

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Well, this book fell pretty flat to me.  I read it, but I didn’t love it.  In fact, about 25% into it I decided to put it down and read a more interesting book.  Only once I was done with that book did I pick this back up and plow through it.  Thankfully I was on my honeymoon and had lots of porch time overlooking the beach to read.

I think the main reason I didn’t like this book was that it almost seemed to be going nowhere.  It was the same old thing for almost its entire 335 pages.  His point of view, her point of view, his point of view, gasp they held hands, how he felt, how she felt, blah blah. Over and over again.  A teenage relationship can only build so much and this one wasn’t any different.

The couple themselves seemed so very awkward to me and I spent a good part of the book cringing. I guess I never had an awkward teenage romance….or at least that I remember!

Also, I hated the ending. So there’s that.

I’m honestly not sure what people see in this book.  It wasn’t terrible by any means, I guess I just need more excitement in my books??

Next up for Bon’s Book Club is Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler.  I’m honestly not sure what to think about this book.  I hope its good!  I mean, she was friends with Gatsby in real life, its got to be interesting right?

Have you read Eleanor and Park? What are your thoughts?

Ipsy Review - September

Ipsy time!  

It was lovely to come back from my Honeymoon with all sorts of awesome beauty goodies waiting for me!

I really think this is the best bag out there, especially for the price…just $10 a month!  If you are looking to start a beauty subscription, I would definitely try Ipsy first.

The theme of this month’s bag is “Street Style.” Again, the theme is a bit odd to me.  At most, 2 of the items match it!

Anyways…. Here is the September Ipsy bag!  

           1)     Nourish Organic Face Cleanser – 1 oz.

            I am curious to try this. I have seen this brand at Target, so I know it’s not too difficult to 

            find.  I like that its actual a tube with multiple uses too and not just a single packet, that 

            makes it a lot easier to get a point of view on the product!

Full Size: $13.99 6 oz. My Value: $2.33

           2)    Mitchell and Peach Luxury Hand Cream – 1.1 oz.

            Eh, not a fan. For some reason, I have never been a lotion person. I just don’t use it. 

            Especially if it smells like grandma’s like this one does! 

            Full Size: $27.83 for 2.1 oz. My Value: $14.57

            3)    Pacifica Eyeliner in “Gun Metal” – .026 oz.

             I really dislike Pacifica brand for some reason.  I have gotten two of their other products in 

             my monthly beauty subscriptions and they were terrible.  Just so….cheap feeling.  No more 

             pacifica!

 Full Size: $11.00 My Value: $11.00

4)  Crown Brush Crease/Shadow Brush – FULL SIZE

This looks just like a brush that has come in several of my eyeshadow palettes.  I never use them because its really difficult to keep a dual ended brush looking decent! I will be giving this one a try though, maybe the “crease” end of it will benefit me!

Full Size: $6.99 My Value: $6.99

      5)  Cailyn Tinted Lip Gloss in “Love Affair” – .14 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I hate this!  It is sooo far from my color it isn’t even funny. I wish I had gotten the other color, which was more of a coral.  Bummer.

Full Size: $19.00 My Value: $19.00

Final Cost: $10.00

Final Value: $53.89

Well I guess since I was overly excited about the last bag and loved everything in it, I should have expected to be bummed by this bag? I really only think I’ll get use out of the face wash and maybe the brush. 

What are your thoughts?

If you’d like to give it a try you can sign up here!

(As always, I swear I’m not a review blog….I just like sharing these things in hopes that other people will get to have the same fun that I do!  I am not compensated in any way.)

So.....

This happened while I was away :)

I am still trying to get caught up on life and work and everything in between, but I will be back soon with lots of details.  I can't wait to get the pictures back from our photographer!

Our wedding day was amazing, and even though there were a few minor snafus (and even one I would call major) it was perfect to me.

Our honeymoon was awesome too, though it also included a snafu :)  By the end of our 11 days in Maui we were definitely ready to come home!

Be back soon!

Netflix For Clothes?

(I am away for my wedding and Honeymoon so I am re-posting some of my favorites)

It's been a little since I have talked about one of my favorite things in life right now....Le Tote.  I have been getting this subscription since July 2013 and I am still as in love with it as I was on the first day!  No, I don't get compensated for this post, I just love it so much I want you all to know about it!

What it is:  For $49 a month Le Tote sends you a box that includes 3 clothing items and 2 pieces of jewelry.  You wear these as much as you want and then send them back using a prepaid envelope and then they send you another box. You can keep the items as long as you want or you can send them back as soon as you wear them all.  You get unlimited boxes each month, they just send you a new box once they receive yours back.

Makes an appearance here (seriously, check out this post too, its hilarious!)

Its like Netflix for clothes!!!  It's so awesome!  Once you receive your first box, you can go on to the site and pick out items from their inventory that you love and they will be placed into your "closet." Once it's time to send you a new box, they pick from these items so you will get something you love! If you really love it once it arrives, you can keep it!  They just charge your card the price of the item.

Also, you don't even have to wash the clothes before you send them back.  How great is that?  I had way less laundry this week than normal.

Makes an appearance here

I really love this because it gives me the opportunity to try items of clothing I probably wouldn't buy.  Same with jewelry.  I am not a huge fan of statement necklaces, but I can get one every once in a while through this service to wear.  That way I don't have to fork over a bunch of money for a necklace I would rarely wear.

I also get at least 3 new outfits to wear a week.  How can you not love that?

I did a few posts on it here and here.  Both of these actually include an outfit picture too....which is not the norm for around here!


Here are a bunch of my other favorites that I have worn! 

 

If their prices to keep items weren't so high, I would probably keep several of the items.  I just don't like spending that much on one item though.  Yes, I am cheap and I don't care who knows it!

I have seen lots of things about Stitch Fix and honestly it sounds really cool but I hate that their clothes are so expensive! I like this because instead of 3-5 high priced items a month that I can buy, I can wear 15-20 different pieces and then ship them back for more!

Have you tried Le Tote yet?

How to Transfer a Single MAC Eyeshadow to a Palette

(I am away for my wedding and Honeymoon so I am re-posting some of my favorites)

When I was in high school I became addicted to buying MAC makeup.  Actually, it was their eye shadow to be exact.  I loved going into the store and picking out a new color from their lineup. I would stand there for what seemed like forever testing all of the colors on my hand before deciding which one was going to come home with me.

When I started to dabble in some modeling in college, I noticed that a lot of the makeup artists had palettes of MAC eye shadow.  They seriously looked awesome.  I wished I could put all of the single shadows that I had into one of their palettes, but I was told you have to buy them that way.  

I found out you can buy the eye shadows as refills which don’t have the outside plastic casing and then buy an empty palette that holds 15 refills to put them all in. Each refill has a magnet at the bottom as does the case, so that’s how they stick in there.

The problem was, by that time, I had over 45 single shadows in their big ole plastic cases!

Then one day, I met the greatest makeup artist ever.  She told me she had started with a bunch of singles too and had figured out a way to get them all into palettes. Que the Hallelujahs! I was so excited.

She taught me how to do it and after perfecting it….I thought I would teach you all how to go from this:

To this:

You will need:
MAC Eyeshadow
Lighter
Safety Pin
Magnet Tape
Scissors

(I did this to two different shadows and chose the best pic from each. C helped.....how nice of him)

Step 1: Slide a safety pin in the tiny crack along the front of the top part of the shadow case (once its open). Sometimes it takes a little work, but you should be able to jimmy it in there.

Step 2:  Once you get the safety pin in, you should be able to pop the two pieces apart and separate them. 

Step 3: Take a lighter and hold it under the bottom of the shadow plate to warm it up. I do think for a good 15-25 seconds. It slightly singes the bottom of the plastic, but you don't need to worry about that. What you are really doing here is loosening the glue that is keeping the two pieces together.

Step 4: Once it is good and warm, take a safety pin  and gently slide it along the outside of the metal part to loosen it. Gently try to stick the pin under the metal piece and pry it up.  Be careful with this, is you are too harsh, the shadow will crack and you will have a mess!

Step 5:  Pop out the metal piece with shadow in tact!

Step 6: Cut a piece of magnet tape the size of the metal piece and stick it on the bottom. 

Step 7: Place into palette!

Voila! Now you have your very own MAC palette :)

I took the time to label the lids of my palettes so I would know what the names of the shadows were in case I wanted to purchase refills (which clearly I need to do). Now, obviously, when I go into MAC I don’t purchase the single plastic containers, I purchase the refills.  They are actually $5 cheaper.  Can you imagine how much I could have saved had I known this a long time ago?!?

Hope I at least help a few of you out! 

My Top Three Makeup Must-Haves!

(I am away for my wedding and Honeymoon so I am re-posting some of my favorites)

I know I talk about beauty boxes all the time but today I thought I’d make it a little more personal.

I wanted to share with you guys my top three makeup must-haves!

I have been using two of these since high school and I see no sign of stopping :)

1

First up……MAC Cosmetics Fluidline in Black Track ($16)

I adore this gel eyeliner!  It wasn’t too long after I started wearing makeup that I learned that I can’t use a regular eye pencil. I tried and tried but I was just terrible at it.  It wouldn’t really draw on my eyelid and pressing too hard caused a problem with my contacts. So I moved on to liquid eye liner. But then….I found this little pot of amazingness!  It glides on so smooth and I can control the width of the line so easily.  I highly suggest it.  I use it every single day. They also have other fun colors too, if you are adventurous.  At one time I was….but I haven’t used my purple, gold, or bronze colors in a very long time. I’d say it lasts me maybe 8-12 months and I wear it every day. Totally worth the price.  By the way, I still can’t use an eye liner pencil!

You can find Fluidline here.

A good brush to use with this can be found here.

Next up……MAC Cosmetics Paint Pot in Bare Study ($20)

I love this product as well and have been using it for many many years.  It is supposed to be a creamy long wear eyeshadow but I actually use it as a primer.  It gives me such a great base and my eyeshadow sticks to it great. I never have any creases.  It makes eyeshadow colors really pop too. Another great thing is it looks fantastic by itself!  If I am in a hurry or going with a more natural look, I just wear it alone.  This product also lasts for quite a while with every day use, I’d say 6-10 months.

You can find Paint Pots here.

A good brush to use with this can be found here.

Finally……Coastal Scents Prism Palette ($10.00)

Ok you all know my love for eyeshadow….so this one should be no surprise!  It has 88 gorgeous colors for only $10!  I have been using this palette for about 2 years now and I’ve barely made a dent. Yes, it’s not a fancy expensive brand, but the pigmentation is great and I get to play around a lot with colors I never would use. In fact, on weekends I ask C to just pick a color and I force myself to create a look with whatever color he chooses, which isn’t always easy! I seriously love this and cannot recommend it enough…especially for the price!

You can find the Prism Palette here.

A good brush to use with this can be found here.

Ok those are my top three favs that I use almost every day….what are some of your favorite beauty products?

A Transvestite Did My Makeup

 (I am away for my wedding and Honeymoon so I am re-posting some of my favorites)

So, C and I have this neighbor.  We were almost positive that he/she is a transvestite, but weren’t quite sure. Well, I’ve confirmed it. 

Last Friday night we were standing outside talking after coming back from a friend’s birthday party at a bar.  We had definitely had a few drinks so our judgment may have been slightly impaired. While we were out there our neighbor and a few of his/her friends were coming back from who knows where.  They were all done up in super high heels and tight dresses.

As they walked/stumbled by they invited us in for a drink.  For some unknown reason, we were like sure why not? First mistake. I thought it would be fun and adventurous, because I don’t usually do stuff like that. We went in and did a shot while chatting with her (I am just going to start calling this person a girl….that’s what she wants right?) and she mentioned she was afraid of me because I am so professional and she always hears my heels in the morning as I am leaving for work.  She’s intimidated by me?!?  The whole time she kept having nip slips. Her dress kept sliding down. You guys, it’s still awkward to see that from a woman that you know is actually a man.

So as we are standing around the kitchen she invites us out with her.  For some reason, we were like what the heck. Second mistake. All the sudden the house is in a tizzy and she shouts, “Ooo let me do your makeup!” You guys, I let her. I mean, how could I say no? This chick was bigger than me and quite scary. Third mistake.  She runs to the bathroom yelling “transvestite makeup party!” So yeah, that confirmed it for me.

She takes me into the bathroom, which is full of great makeup and makes me wash my face and sit down on the laundry basket. Then she proceeds to put my bangs up all weird and put a rhinestone headband on my head like a tiara. Then she shuts the door. Um?  Please don’t kill me.  She starts doing a full face of makeup.  She tells me that even though I had makeup on it wasn’t good enough and I’m not that pretty but she can make me pretty. Ouch.

She takes a break from doing my makeup to pee.  She sits down on the toilet while I am still there (and facing that side of the room).  Where the heck am I supposed to look?

By this time it’s probably about 1:15am and her friends are getting antsy and want to go out. She tells them to shut up.  Then she tells them to just go home if they aren’t happy.  She scares me. I keep trying to open the door to talk to C and she keeps shutting it.

She decides I will obviously need clothes, so she opens the door and tells C to go get me something to wear.  I’m silently praying the entire time he is gone.  When he comes back with an outfit she tells him it’s terrible and not good enough.  I felt so bad, because I thought he did a great job. It’s exactly something I would have picked and he knows it.  I just don’t have the kinds of clothes she was looking for.  So C sets down the heels he grabbed (fourth mistake) and goes back for a second try.  I try and direct him to something she might think is appropriate.

While he is gone, she asks if she can “wing me out” with the eyeliner.  I mean, I am not gonna say no to this chick.   Fifth mistake.  She started doing the eyeliner and I’m still silently praying. Why in the world did think it would be fun to let this slightly intoxicated man dressed as a woman near my eyeball with a pencil?!? I can feel her drawing the lines on my face and it feels pretty ridiculous.

Soon C comes back with a new dress, also not acceptable. She thinks she may have something for me to wear.  Now I have to go to the bathroom.  I try to get her to leave.  She won’t.  Um? I take off the headband, run out the door and grab the house keys from C and run to our house. C quickly follows.  He tells her it’s getting late and we will have to go out some other time.  The whole time she is screaming about how she wasted her makeup on me and who knows what else.

When C gets home I ask him where my heels were. Obviously, they were still on her bathroom floor where he left them.  So we have to sneak back into her house to try and get them.  Thankfully she was distracted and we were so quick that we got away easily.

I get home and finally take a look in the mirror.  She has completely destroyed my face. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I wasn’t thinking at the time.  The wings of the eyeliner extended about a half inch on one side and a full inch on the other side!  My hair pretty much looked like a quail. Good stuff.

The only evidence....

I have to say, even though it was scary it was quite hilarious. We laugh for quite a while when we got home and I know we will laugh about this for years to come!

Also, I am deathly afraid to see her again. C and I were walking to our door the other day and saw her going the other way. We completely stopped in our tracks and shut our mouths hoping she wouldn’t see us.  Thankfully, we were successful.  I just know I am going to run into him/her again soon though, he/she’s our next door neighbor!

Lip Factory Review - August

It’s time for a Lip Factory review!

Lip Factory is a monthly beauty box that is $22 a month (S&H included) and comes with 5-7 products each time.  The box aims to give you a “full face” of makeup, but its main focus is on…lips of course!  This is one of my favorites, and though more expensive than ipsy, they always send full sized products which is great!

Sometimes this box has a theme and sometimes it doesn’t. I guess this month is a “doesn’t.”

So here it is….the August Lip Factory box!  

           1)     LASplash Mineral Blush in “Beach Party” – 2.5 g. each (FULL SIZE)

I think this blush would be beautiful….if it actually had color.   I mean, this stuff would barely show up on a ghosts face, let alone mine! It’s got a beautiful shimmer to it though, so maybe I can use it on top of something I already own.

Full Size: $15.00 each My Value: $15.00

           2)    LASplash Lip Lacquer in “Underground” – .2 oz. (FULL SIZE)

This reminds me of a nail polish that I got a few months ago….which I felt was better suited for a ten year old.  Orangy pink with chunks of glitter? I think I will be gifting this to my junior bridesmaid!

Full Size: $9.00 My Value: $9.00

           3)    Medusa’s Makeup Stick It Eye Primer - .02 oz (FULL SIZE)

There are a lot of eye shadow primers out there and I have a hard time thinking that this would be one of the better ones.  I will give it a try, but shadow primer is one makeup item I definitely have a favorite of and I’m not sure anything can sway that.  (BTW if you are wondering, it’s the MAC paint pot in Barestudy!)

Full Size: $8.00 My Value: $8.00

          4)    Cult Nails Lacquer in “Nakizzles Shizzle” – .05 oz. (FULL SIZE)

           There is not a single thing I like about this.  I barely use nail polish and if I did it 

           definitely wouldn’t be this color.  I really hate the name of the polish too.  They really 

           must have run out of ideas!

          Full Size: $12.00 My Value: $12.00

           5)    Pink Powder Parlor Lipstick #720 – ?? oz. (FULL SIZE)

            I know this sounds weird, but I am not sure I really trust this lipstick!  There is not a 

            single piece of identifying information on the tube except for the numbers 720.   

            There is no brand, no color name, no product weight.  Nothing.  It’s not my color 

            either so I won’t be using it!

           Full Size: $10.00 My Value: $10.00

6)  Red Cherry False Lashes #16 Black – (FULL SIZE)

These aren’t too bad actually.  I tend to stick to more natural looking lashes, so these are right up my alley.  Once I stop filling my lash extensions, I will be putting these to good use!

Full Size: $2.50 My Value: $2.50

Final Cost: $22.00

Final Value: $56.50

I’m not totally impressed with this months haul.  The products all seemed “cheap” to me.  I think the only things I will get use out of are the blush and the lashes.  The rest just aren’t my style.  Bummer.

What do you think?

If you’d like to sign up…..use my referral number? Pretty please?  It’s 385223.

(Also, I swear I’m not a review blog….I just like sharing these fun things! I have not been compensated for this review.)