Merry

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

C and I have a tradition of getting new pajama's each year for Christmas, so of course we had to get matching ones with our little man this year!

I honestly didn't take but 2 pictures the entire day, so I don't have much to share.  Noah was loving crawling on his presents and he ever ripped into a few.  It was so much fun watching him. Of course, Grandma spoiled him which was exciting too. Mommy and Daddy got him all sorts of new foods and snacks to try now that he is becoming a big boy :)

How was your Christmas?  Did you have a wonderful time with your friends and family?

Noah - Month 6

Noah's 6th month of life brought so many exciting firsts!  He went to his first concert (Garth Brooks!), took his first flight and trip to Maryland, dressed up for his first Halloween and ate his first real food! He is still such an incredibly happy baby and is moving right along in his development. His was 12.9 pounds and a bit over 25 inches at his 6 month appointment.
He loves our cat October and gets so excited when he sees her.  His feet are always in his mouth (resulting in wet socks half the time) and he drools like a crazy man.  Teeth are imminent!




5 Months



First concert....Garth Brooks!

Yum toes!

First flight....off to Maryland we go!

First time crabbing under the pier in Maryland



First pedicure with mommy

First time visiting Grandma Dukes :(

Mommy had to buy new clothes so Noah would stay warm in Maryland!



Drool face!

Smiley

Airport traveling in jammies is the life



Fell asleep with his bottle haha



Petting the kitty

He was over his costume....

Halloween dreamin, We wore him out!



First food....avocado!

Best I could do....he is such a wiggle worm now!

Ipsy Review - November

Ipsy time!

This is one of my favorite times of the month….I love getting this bag in the mail! For the cost, $10 including shipping, it is such a great deal. If you are looking to start a beauty subscription, I would try Ipsy first. You can’t really beat that! Getting makeup in the mail is just so fun!

The theme of this month’s bag is “Beauty Blast” and relates to space I believe, judging from the galaxy looking makeup bag that came along with it. The bag is so totally not my style. I don’t really see how the actual products relate to them theme, but oh well.

Next up…the November Ipsy bag! 

1) Cool Way Strong Hold Spray – .5 oz.

This seems to be another brand that I am starting to get a lot of in my beauty boxes and unfortunately it’s a brand I’m not particularly fond of.  This product is just a hair spray though, so hopefully I like it! I can say, one of the things I don’t like about this brand is how their hair products smell. My hair is near my face, so I get whiffs of it often! This doesn’t smell terrible, but it is still an odd smell, almost like….oranges?

Full Size: $19.95 for 3.3 oz. My Value: $3.02

2) Model Co. Highlighting Trio in “Champagne, Peach Bellini & Bronze ” – .04 oz. each (FULL SIZE)

I’m not much into highlighting creams, but if I did use them this one doesn’t look very appealing. It actually looks pretty greasy to me. I like the idea of the three different colors though; I think it helps to match various skins tones.
Full Size: $22.00 My Value: $22.00

3) INSPR Eyeshadow in “Carnival”  – .05 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I don’t really have any reaction to this product.  The color isn’t ugly by any means…but I guess it just bores me. I prefer shadows in palettes honestly, so I don’t see myself getting a ton of use out of this. Full Size: $13.00 My Value: $13.00

4)  Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara in “Jet Black” – .14 oz

I am excited to try this.  For the past several months I have been using different mascara samples, so this one will be next! I hope it lives up to the hype!

Full Size: $20.00 for .32 oz. My Value: $8.75

5)  Crown Pointed Crease Makeup Brush – (FULL SIZE)

I got a similar brush in my Boxy Charm box this week, though it is marked as a concealer brush.  I already have a few shadow brushes I like (though none are for my “crease”) so I won’t get a lot of use out of this.

Full Size: $4.95 My Value: $4.95

Final Cost: $10.00

Final Value: $51.75

I don’t love this month’s bag.  The only thing that saves it for me is the mascara! At least that and the value of the hairspray add up to what I paid for the bag, so no waste here.  The total value of the bag is, as always, great!  You always get your money’s worth with ipsy.

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.)

Boxy Charm Review - November

Boxy Charm time!

Boxy Charm is $21.00 a month with shipping included and is a “beauty box subscription that surprises you each month with the best beauty products from popular and chic brands. Each box contains full size and luxury size beauty samples from preferred well-known brands.” They aim to cover a whole look from makeup to nails, which I really like.

The theme this month is “Beauty Par-Tea” which is a cute idea.  It seems more like a spring idea, but cute nonetheless.  

Here is the November Boxy Charm!

1)  Luxe Rose Gold Concearler Eye Brush #211  – (FULL SIZE)

I don’t use concealer too often (gasp) but I think I might start soon, my face has been breaking out. Boo.  This seems to be the perfect brush for that.  I also think it would be a good brush for using any cream shadows.  The description says it is “coated with antibacterial solution” which sounds a bit odd, but hey, it can’t hurt right?

Full Size: $12.00 My Value: $12.00

2)  Pur~Lisse Pur~Eye Adore Quandra Benefit Eye Serum - .5 oz(FULL SIZE)

I have gotten several products from this brand in past beauty boxes.  I do like them, but they aren’t magical enough to pay the price they charge for them, so I won’t ever be buying them.  At least this will last a lot longer than the small, equally high priced moisturizers I’ve received since you don’t use much at a time! The description says it contains “French marie plants to bring 4x the power in antiaging” Ooo La La!

Full Size: $65.00 My Value: $65.00

3)   Manna Kadar Liplocked Priming Glass Stain in “All of Me” – .18oz.  (FULL SIZE)

I thought this might be a nice color for me, but it turns out it is too bright for my taste. It was too drying for me as well.  My lips seem to be quite picky.  I do like the packaging for this though.

Full Size: $24.00 My Value: $24.00

4)   Coolway Leave-In Treatment – 2 oz. (FULL SIZE)
I can’t believe this is considered a full size product for something you are supposed to “spray generously” into your hair.  I feel like I would only get a few uses out of it! The product itself is a pretty thick consistency, kind of like lotion.  I honestly can’t see myself spraying this on dry hair for fear that it would look greasy!  It does smell really good though, so I will give it a try on damp/wet hair.
Full Size: $19.95 My Value: $19.95

5)   Studio Makeup Soft Blend Blush Sahara in “Wildflower” – .17 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I love the color of this!  It is so perfect for me.  What I don’t love is how drying it is.  I wore it alone for maybe 30 minutes and had to add a gloss over it because it felt too dry.  2 hours later my lips were peeling.  Lame. I don’t do well with the “long-lasting” lip products.

Full Size: $17.00 My Value: $17.00

Final Cost: $21.00
Final Value: $137.95

I can’t say I love this month’s box, but I don’t hate it either. I will be using everything but the lip stain.  I’m not an eye serum person, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to use it! I am excited to make use of the concealer brush and the blush though.  Again….I like it….but love it.  Oh well.

What are your thoughts?

If you’d like to get Boxy Charm, you can sign up here!

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

Happy Thanksgiving from our Little Turkey!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

We gave Noah little pieces of avocado and sweet potato and watched him try to get them into his mouth....kept us entertained the entire meal. He made a huge mess, but he loved it!

I am so thankful for my little family and this little man...he has brought so much joy into my life!

Boxy Charm Review - October

Boxy Charm time!

The last few boxes I got were pretty much amazing….can this month keep up?

Boxy Charm is $21.00 a month with shipping included and is a “beauty box subscription that surprises you each month with the best beauty products from popular and chic brands. Each box contains full size and luxury size beauty samples from preferred well-known brands.” They aim to cover a whole look from makeup to nails, which I really like.

The theme this month is “Faces of the Moon” which has a dark feel to it.  I guess that makes sense with the Fall/Halloween stuff going on this month.

Here is the October Boxy Charm!

1)  Palmetto Derma Rejuvenating Antioxidant Mask  – 1.75 oz. (FULL SIZE)

Wow…this is another one of those products that must work crazy miracles based solely on the price.  This container is so small….I would NEVER pay that much for a mask! I rather go get a full on facial complete with a hand and foot massage!

Full Size: $64.00 My Value: $64.00

2)  Doucce Punk Volumizer Mascara in “Black”  - 13.5 mL (FULL SIZE)

I can’t imagine this mascara is much different from any other mascara I have tried but hey, maybe I will be surprised.  Either way, I am always like trying new brands and this is for sure one I have never heard of!

Full Size: $24.00 My Value: $24.00

3)   Bellapierre Cheek and Lip Stain in “Coral” – .176oz.  (FULL SIZE)

I am getting tired of getting items from this brand.  I feel like it has popped up many times in both my Ipsy and Boxy Charm mailings….as well as other beauty boxes I used to get.  The brand must get a lot of business from the boxes though?  I’m not really wowed by the brand, so I this doesn’t thrill me.  Their lip products are too drying for me and I feel like this is too greasy to put on my face as a cheek stain.

Full Size: $19.99 My Value: $19.99

4)   Lord & Berry Line/Shade Eyeliner in “Dark Black” – .03 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I am excited to try this.  I have been testing different eyeliners since I finally learned how to use them. I have only found 2 brands I really like though, because they have to be really soft or “gel” like for me to use them.  Fingers crossed this one is soft!

Full Size: $18.00 My Value: $18.00

5)   Cult Cosmetics Nail Polish in “Boneyards” – .5 oz. (FULL SIZE)

Welp this is way too dark for me if I were to even use nail polish.  That’s all I can say about that.

Full Size: $12.00 My Value: $12.00

Final Cost: $21.00

Final Value: $137.99

Well after two fantastic months from Boxy Charm I have to say I am slightly disappointed, though not much.  There aren’t any products that I love and am really excited about, but I still think I will get use out of everything but the nail polish. As always, the value is fantastic, but I think it’s a bit high because the price of some of the products is ridiculous in my eyes.

What are your thoughts?

If you’d like to get Boxy Charm, you can sign up here!

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

Noah - Month 5

Well folks I am finally almost all caught up on pics of my little man!  He turned 5 months old on October 11th over a weekend stay in a cabin with his Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Shay. I can't believe he is 5 months already.

By the end of the month he weighed 12.9 pounds and I am guessing is somewhere around 26 inches. We will have an official weigh in next month. When we last went to the Doctor he was in the 3rd percentile for weight which is worrisome, but he was in the 85th for height....so he is just growing up and not out! Hopefully this month he will gain a bit more weight and be good to go for his exciting 6 month checkup.

This month he started sitting up for a few seconds on his own (he is getting better and better at this daily) and he LOVES to put his feet and anything else he can grab onto in his mouth! He is a terrible nap but sleeps fantastic most nights. For a few weeks we got 9-10 hours straight which was amazing.  Then we went out of town and screwed it all up! Hopefully we can get back to that soon!

Beginning of the month...



Watching football with daddy



Foot in mouth....check out that finger too hehe.  Made me crack up!

First baseball game! Go Dbacks!

He's been holding his own bottle too for awhile

Just taking a stroll sporting Rattlers gear!

Nakey baby!

My fav picture of him made it onto the Carters website!

In his submarine outfit in honor of Uncle Shay in the Navy!

Pile O' Pumpkins!

Love that smile

Caught this right before he fell over haha

Had to get snuggled up for our cabin trip up north in Pinetop!

Fishing with daddy

Go Spartans!

With Uncle Shay

Terrible hand daddy....what are we going to do??