Mini Drugstore Haul

I am really late on this but I bought a few things at the drugstore and I wanted to share them. I've gotten to use some of it so I can at least give you a review on some of it.

I was super excited when I saw the body lotion by Organix because I adore their hair products. I jumped all over the body lotion especially because it is one of my favorite scents. I don't know why but their Argan Oil products smell heavenly. This stuff is so great for dry skin. My legs are particularly stubborn and get red bumps on my thighs from being so dry and sometimes shaving. This just felt nice to the skin. I believe this was about 9 dollars and the bottle is a pretty big one at 13 fl ounces.

Ingrid or Miss Glamorazzi on YouTube was raving about these Nivea lip butters. I have to say I don't blame her! I am a hoarder when it comes to lip products and I had to buy two out of the four of these. They smell insanely good and just like the label describes. Which is rare sometimes because the scent doesn't always match its' description.

These are a little thinner than an actual butter but the moisture level is fantastic. My lips have been really chapped with the recent surgery and I accidentally bit my lip somehow during recovery in the hospital because it was swollen and lost feeling. This was great for healing my lips. These were about 4 to 5 dollars which is totally awesome for how much product you get (16.7 g).

Finally, I had to grab a make-up remover because I was running out. I usually grab the purple version by Almay but decided to try the blue. It doesn't say on the package but I think this one has a different formulation but we'll see.

Recovery

Well guys I will be the first to admit that recovery from any surgery sucks. This one is pretty much the same as the rest. The difference is with this recovery, I've taken a lot more of the pain meds then any of the other surgeries. Usually I just tough it out, because I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but when it is my throat, it is a whole different story.

As my luck would have it I had a bunch of snow drop down the night before so my dad took me in to the hospital in the morning. I had to have been one of the first patients for my doctor because I was barely in the waiting room two minutes. If you're new to surgery then I'll tell you it is redundant and boring because you literally get changed into an awful hospital gown that you're bound to trip over and then you sit for an hour while five different people come in, make sure you are who you really are, ask the same questions, and tell you the same stuff.

They all mean well and it's so they are all on the same page but it isn't what someone anxiously awaiting scalpels in their throat wants to hear. Anyways, the last thing I remember is being moved to a room and getting in a bed and they put an I.V. in my hand and next thing I knew I was struggling to wake up out of the anesthesia.

It is amazing how quick that stuff will knock you out, it is no longer the breathe into a mask and count down from ten...literally needle in the hand talking one minute to out the next. It took me a long time to really come around, I'd wake up a little and fall back asleep but once I was up it was straight to drinking water and eating something.

That's the problem with simple procedures, they kind of rush you out the hospital. As long as you can eat, you're good to go. I was up and at'em though, I dressed myself and I actually took a shower when I got home!

Since then it has been rough, I couldn't sleep in my bed the first two nights but in the recliner in the living room. Drinking and eating is still a pain and honestly I'm hungry I just am not allowed to eat anything that isn't soft. So I'll lose a few pounds no doubt (not the worst thing in the world :-D ) but my mom has been so great making sure I'm okay and mostly I've been sleeping. I can't really speak so well and knowing me it'll be a while before I'm back to hollering kids names at work but that's alright by me.

If I can give any advice to getting your tonsils out when you're older, it's be prepared with ice packs. I cannot tell you how sore my jaw is and putting an ice pack on my neck where you feel the pain is a life saver. Also, no matter how much you brush your teeth, it is gonna be a little weird in your mouth for a while. It really isn't as bad as people make it out to be, it is almost day 4 and I feel good minus certain occasions.

P.S. word to the wise - no matter how hungry you are and how tiny of bites you take and how much you chew - pizza on day 3 is a terrible mistake. Stick to jello. Lesson learned.

Tonsillectomy Recovery

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Update 3.19.13

Hey everyone

I just wanted to write a post about this upcoming week and some things I've been thinking on doing. I'm having this post Tuesday morning and by then I should be in the hospital awaiting my tonsils to be kicked out of my throat :) I'm pretty excited but it is surgery so there are some cons to it. Hopefully, everything will go swell and I'll be home before noon!

That being said, I won't really be posting this week because I know me and I know I'll be miserable and sleepy all week. Recovery after surgery is not my forte...I have horror stories from past surgeries! I'll spare you though and I'll post an update later this week on how I'm doing.

I'm really hoping I'll be fine by the weekend.

As far as upcoming stuff here, I had a thought. I started a collection of essays/stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald who is one of my favorite writers of all time. I thought it might be cool to do a review of each story and give a reaction to them. Talk about the message, the characters, the story etc. It's sort of the discussion we would have in English class but without the judgement and without the teacher telling you what to think. Let me know if anyone is interested in that and maybe has anything else I should read. I was thinking of doing this with my favorite book "The Sun Also Rises", by Ernest Hemingway (my other favorite author).

I will do my usual book reviews on here and I have a few I need to work on but what I described above would be more in depth - not just if it's good or not.

Anyways, I'm off to eat birthday cake for my mom! Happy Birthday Mom!

Beauty Haul 3.16.13

So in preparation for my upcoming surgery I had to go shopping for food that I could actually eat. I'm having my tonsils out so that means popsicles, Jello, and soup. So I made a trip to Target and obviously, I couldn't help myself when I walked by the beauty aisles. I swear it is like an addiction of mine.

I found a lot of good stuff and I'm happy to share them with you! The first thing I want to talk about is this brush set from EcoTools. I love synthetic brushes and I think they work wonderfully with liquids, creams, and powders. Also, I hate to think I'm brushing hair, animal or human, all over my face. I think this is a great little set and I will get a ton of uses out of them. There is a blush brush, a concealer brush, an all over shader brush, an eyeliner brush, and a brow and lash comb. They all come in a very cute pouch that will come in handy. This was about $12.

I had been using the razor I had gotten in one of my Birchboxes for a few months now because I had bought the replacement heads to it. However, it just reminded me how much I hate women's razors. They don't get close enough and the "moisturizing strips" just make a huge gloppy mess. So I decided to pick up some men's razors that were disposable and some new shaving cream. I don't use anything special but I thought I'd throw these in here anyways.

I passed the nail polish and I couldn't help myself because I need more bright colors in my life. I found these two colors from the new Spring collection and I'm in love. I had to paint my nails right away when I got home :) On the left is a bright orange with red tones. I can't really call it red because I just see orange but it is beautiful and it is called hip-anema, which I don't really get but oh well. The other color though is a gorgeous blue called avenue maintain it reminds me a little of Bikini So Teeny but a lot darker. I adore it.

I did a terrible job painting my nails but I actually have to take this all off Monday night for my surgery Tuesday :-/

It simply isn't a beauty haul if there are no lip products right? I saw that Target had a few of the Color Whispers by Maybelline. So I picked up two new colors - number 75 Rose of Attraction and number 95 Mad For Magenta.

The top swatch is Mad For Magenta and the bottom is Rose of Attraction! I adore them and they will be perfect spring/summer colors for sure.

Finally, I picked up a new bottle of shampoo. I've been using the Clear Therapy shampoo for a while and though it is nice, it hasn't done anything magical to my hair. I went with the intention of getting the Argan Oil version by Organix but they only had the conditioner! So I decided to give the coconut milk one a try. I love Organix's shampoos and conditioners (I have the Macadamia Oil conditioner) and my hair does too!

March Birchbox!

This hands down has to be the best Birchbox I've ever gotten and I saw that for a number of reasons. I had been not very impressed with the boxes in the last few months so I had had that in the back of my mind. However, this one went beyond what I had expected. This month was March Madness which was about veteran products we love and new products we will.

First thing I saw was a nail files from Madewell the sister brand to jcrew. It is pink on one side and floral of the other which is adorable, and this is the kind of stuff I like to see. Practical items that any girl would need on a daily basis. It goes for $5.

Then I saw a foil packet and you know how we feel about those. However - I like this one a lot. This is the Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque. Now I did a review ages ago about macadamia oil and a product from Organic and I love it. Unfortunately , since I cut my hair it is too short for any oil without being greasy. But I love me some hair masques so add in the macadamia oil and I'm sold. There is a ton of product in there so I'll be able to get a few uses out of it. Full size is $36.

In my cardboard gift box there was another Macadamia Natural Oil product! This is the healing oil treatment which can be used for styling or as a treatment. I was blown sway in particular because it is a full ounce but it is in a glass bottle. That small touch makes such a difference and I cannot wait to use this as well. Full size sells for $39.95. So all in all this is going to be a great month for my hair.

Also in the gift box was a fragrance by SAGE + fasten a brand I had never heard about. It is a New York based brand and the fragrance is free of parabens, sulfates, and synthetics! Not just that but it is a beautifully packaged sample, in a mini rollerball that comes in this pretty cardboard tube. It smells amazing and I might just buy a full size I love it that much. It sells for $29 - $50 and the name of this scent is Common Sense - the notes are lotus flower, peach and lychee.

Just when you thought that was it - there was even more! There was a small white bag with MAKE on it and inside were two products from that brand. First is MAKE's Dual-Phase Eye Makeup Remover. You shake to use and there is oil but also chamomile and cucumber infused water. The full size is $18 and it isn't highly scented. This sample was also an impressive one fluid ounce.

Finally, also by MAKE is a sample if their lipstick! It is a tiny sample but enough where I'll be using for a long while. I got a beautiful red called Maraschino Cherry. It comes off a little blue toned and maybe even swatches a little pink. But there is a ton of color payoff and it feels very soft. A full size is $18. One more note is that this brand donates one-third of all sales to charity - very admirable.

The last thing in the box was an advertisement for Benefit's new Fake up Concealer which I personally would love to get my hands on. It also gives the code bbheartsbenefit to use at checkout in Birchboxes's website when you spend $25 or more to get a deluxe sample of Benefit's BADgal Lash. Very cool.

So there you have it! A great month but I do hope it continues and isn't something we see only after months of just okay boxes. Keep it up Birchbox!

My Dream Office Setup

I was thinking about how I would set up my home/work office when I have my own place. I know that my work is going to come home with me and I know that I'll want to do some stuff on my own using my work programs. So pretty much I could use my web design stuff all the time.

So what would I need? Well I know that I would get a lot of benefits from a desktop and one that is large and has amazing screen quality. So the obvious choice is an iMac. I am a Mac OS girl through and through. I would probably pick the 21.5 inch screen option because I am a bit of a minimalist.

So then I thought, well if I had the desktop at home, would I need a Macbook? Economically, it doesn't make a lot of sense. So for a personal computer I would choose a Chromebook. Many of you probably don't even know what that is. Some don't think Chromebooks are worth it. I am in love. It's Google's take on the operating system and a number of companies including Samsung, Acer, and HP have come out with computers for it. My favorites come down to two - the HP Pavillion 14 Chromebook and the Chromebook Pixel. These are two very different Chromebooks but both have their pros and cons.

HP Pavillion 14 Chromebook [top right] - website

It comes in at 14 inches for the LED screen which is awesome considering it sells for $329.99 on HP's website. Unfortunately, it is currently out of stock and it's unclear when they'll come back. It comes with 2 GB of memory but is upgradable to 4 GB. Knowing me I would upgrade it because I'd probably need the space. It also has a 16 GB hard drive, not large but honestly for what a Chromebook is meant for it should be enough. Considering you're given free space on Google Drive with the purchase of a Chromebook, it's okay with me if the hardware isn't as suped up. However, you need to be relatively on "the cloud" in order to really function with any Chromebook, so keep it in mind. You're working on a browser based operating system which is unlike anything really out there. So it should take some getting used to.

Weight: 3.96 lbs

Battery Life: Varies based on what articles you read but HP says about 4 hours 15 minutes.

Ports: There is a headphone/microphone port. An HDMI port which is awesome and 3 USB 2.0 ports. For today's technology there should really be the USB 3.0 ports on there.

Chromebook Pixel [bottom right] - website

Now this is a very enticing Chromebook because it was made by Google themselves, and the hardware is very impressive. What isn't is the price which is between $1299 and $1499. There are two versions: one that is wi-fi only and one that is data capable. It is a 12.85 inch screen with an amazing view - pretty much on par with the Retina display MacBook Pros. Not only that, it is TOUCHSCREEN. Yeah you read that right. Not that is seems entirely logical for a laptop, but it's been out there and people do use it. Google is offering 1 terabyte of storage on Google Drive for three years which is an incredible offer. There is a 720p HD web camera, backlit keyboard, and trackpad which mimics the feel of Apple just a bit. It also has a fancy light bar on the top that flashes colors - no real use but looks awesome.

Memory: 4 GB DDR3 RAM

Storage: 1 TB of storage on Google Drive, 32 GB SSD (64 GB on the LTE version)

Weight: 3.35 lbs

Battery: Up to 5 hours

Material: anodized aluminum (versus the macbook air it doesn't wedge in shape)

Ports: 2 USB 2.0 ports, SD card reader, mini display port

LTE: If you buy the LTE version you will get 100 MB/month for 2 years of mobile broadband from Verizon Wireless

My only question is what about being able to travel and work? I can't run the programs I need on a Chromebook, so there is the matter of that. My obvious choice would be a Macbook Pro (13 inch) or the MacBook Air (13 inch). I did a little extra research today and if you're worried that the Air couldn't handle running Adobe Creative Suite - fear not. A lot of people said the programs ran just fine and had no problems whatsoever. They loved it actually! So honestly once my MacBook that I have now craps out I know my next go to is probably going to be the 13 inch MacBook Air.

Like I said - this is all a dream of what my office setup would be like. I don't have the money to do any of it right now but if I get the chance I want to be able to make an office that I'll love and be comfortable working out of :)

Soft Brown Make-Up Tutorial!

So here it is! The big reveal of my first video tutorial! I am super excited but a bit nervous because I kinda felt lost doing it. I think in the end it turned out really well and even Charlie had a few things to say at the end ;)

The lighting in my room hasn't been great, especially because we haven't seen the sun around here in ages!

Here's the product list if you're interested!

Products:
Revlon Colorstay Whipped Makeup in Nude 220
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Naked, Buck, Smog, and Virigin)
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Medium Bisque
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Warm Ivory and powder
Stila Waterproff Eyeliner in Intense Black
Buxom Lash Mascara
Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in Deep Brown
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Benefit Hervana Blush
Maybelline Baby Lips in Peach Kiss

[caption id="attachment_1975" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Virgin is the first on the left, Naked is the third from the left, Buck is fifth, and Smog is seventh.[/caption]

I show the other products in the video so go there to see them all!

I have to say I look pretty good for someone who's been fighting a chest cold the last two weeks. But with a little time and make-up you can work wonders. I love this look because my eyes still pop from the shades I use and they look sculpted. Of course I was going to work so the only people really seeing it was the kids but oh well!

Here is the video! Enjoy!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qOa7Zfx5Lo&w=560&h=315]

Going Back To School: Adult Edition

If you told me about 6 months ago that I'd be back in school after getting my Bachelor's degree I'd probably laugh. I threw around the idea of grad school but knew it probably would happen. Lo and behold it's about 3 months after getting my degree and I'm back in school!

I decided to get a certificate in Web Design! I couldn't be more excited about it either. I had been looking at different possibilities and I knew the one thing holding me back was the fact that I'd have to apply for another loan. However, I bit the bullet, and I know in the end I will be glad I did.

I'm getting my certificate through Sessions College For Professional Design. Which is headquartered in Arizona which I thought was funny because I got my degree from Arizona State University. I really have loved working with the school so far. As someone who's transferred schools a few times and been through the admissions process over and over; I know how frustrating it can be. My advisor was switched but other than that it has been a pretty flawless entry.

So here's how this works:

Admission is monthly so you can start a certificate at the beginning of any month. The first two weeks are considered orientation and there are a couple of lessons to go through that will get you acquainted with the online classroom. Then at the end of those two weeks you begin classes. You take two classes at a time and each class is made up of lessons. So for example, I am taking Photoshop and Color Theory. My Color Theory course is three lessons, one lesson per week. My Photoshop course is six lessons, also one lesson per week. So in six weeks I will have completed both courses.

Heres the twist though - you can technically work as fast as you'd like. You need to have passed the courses by the school's guidelines and if you do then your advisor can open up the next courses to you!

[caption id="attachment_1939" align="aligncenter" width="499"] Lesson 1 Exercise - Photoshop[/caption]

I lucked out because I had finished my admissions back in February and that meant orientation opened up for me back then. I let my advisor know I finished and I was able to start the last full week in February! So I am very ahead right now, already into lesson two of each class. And classes don't even start until the 15th!

I love it though. Each class has a lecture and an exercise to do. You go through the lecture and work on something along with it, while learning concepts and techniques. The best part though is there are video and audio clips laced throughout so no matter what type of learner you are you will get all the information you need. Once the lecture is done, you can move on to the exercise which incorporates what you learned in the lecture.

Sessions offers certificates (9 months or less - 7 courses) in:

Web Design

Graphic Design

Multimedia Arts

Digital Arts

Marketing Design

Game Art

Fine Arts

They also offer associate degrees (six semesters in two years - 29 courses) in:

Graphic Design

Web Design

Digital Media

[caption id="attachment_1937" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Lesson 1 Exercise - Color Theory[/caption]

So no matter what you can get what you want out of this school and you can even take single courses! If after a while I decide I want to go back and get my associates in web design, all the courses I took in my certificate will transfer over! Also one more note, if you go for a certificate you can choose from a professional level one or an advanced one. The only difference is the advanced one allows you to pick a concentration and it adds an extra course or two.

The only costs are the tuition and the cost of the software, there is financial aid available only for associate degrees. However, there are very flexible payment plans offered for the certificates and you can use a private loan with them. They also have deals sometimes, for example when you registered in the month of February you were able to waive the $200 fee to apply and you were able to pick from a few 6 lessons courses and take one for free! So I picked Internet Marketing :)

[caption id="attachment_1938" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Lesson 2 Exercise - Color Theory[/caption]

Here is my schedule of classes for the next 9 or so months:

Color Theory - 3 lessons

Photoshop - 6 lessons

HTML/CSS Essentials - 6 lessons

Fundamentals of Typography - 3 lessons

Dreamweaver I - 6 lessons

JavaScript for Designers - 6 lessons

Web Design I - 6 lessons

Drugstore and Birchbox Haul!

Oh my goodness it has been forever since I've done a haul, let alone a beauty haul. It I have to say I've been very good about spending my money on make-up. I took an unconscious break from it and just used up what I had and what I received for Christmas and I'm glad I did.



However, while I was at the grocery store running errands for work I found myself in the beauty aisle and I couldn't resist. What caught my eye was that all the shades of the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream were in stock! Everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE I went the only shades I could find were the darkest. I did manage to find the shade I thought I was so I am super excited to try it out. My only hope, is I don't get an allergic reaction to it like the last drugstore BB cream I tried out!

The consistency is slightly watery but it blends out like a dream; plus there was no breaking out on the place I swatched it so we're good!



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="710"] Not blended all the way so you can see the color[/caption]

Then as you can see above I just picked up a new stick of deodorant. I love Dove's deodorant and I like trying the new scents they come out with. I saw their newest commercial about going sleeveless... and like most I'm sure, we girls would love to have smooth unshaded underarms. Am I right?

The most exciting part of this haul, if you know me and my affinity for lip products, is the three lip colors I have here! I love the Revlon Lip Butters but I have found recently, they are a little heavy for your lips. Especially when you are combating dry skin in the Winter. So when I these in my grocery store I jumped on it quick. I've heard lots of hype about the Maybelline Color Whispers so I said why not and got two of them. According to the company, it is, "Pure color pigments suspended in a weightless gel. No heavy waxes or oils. Soft, sexy gel-color".

My first thought isn't gel when using these but you could have fooled me about no oils because these are 100 times more moisturizing than anything I've used! They are fantastic. The color payoff is actually incredible for what they are. I have the colors, 25 Lust For Blush and 55 One Size Fits Pearl.



[caption id="attachment_1922" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Lust For Blush - shows up as a sort of lilac pink on the lips[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1924" align="aligncenter" width="560"] One Size Fits Pearl - Is a sheer baby pink but brighter. It doesn't give a lot of pigment but you can see your lip color perk up quite a bit![/caption]

The other lip product I had to try was the Colour Riche Balm by L'Oreal. This isn't as slippery and moisturizing but it comes in a close second to the Color Whispers. I got the color 418 Caring Coral, and what I like about this is the color isn't too pigmented and after a while it settles into this beautiful better than your lips color. It is perfection. This one I keep in my purse, it's that good.

Finally, in this haul is what I bought from Birchbox. Now I got a few foil packets in one of my recent Birchboxes of the Embryolisse Milk Cream Concentrate. The name is actually in French but its easier to type in English ;) I loved this and I had to have a full size. It is so moisturizing that my skin actually felt plump after using it which is incredibly rare to find. I'd heard of this stuff before all over YouTube, in particular from one of my favorite beauty gurus - Miss Glamorazzi or Ingrid! I love her videos so you should go check her out. She makes me wish I could be best friends with her!

What is nice is this stuff is actually pretty inexpensive, I had wished I bought the bigger version but I bought the $16 tube which is 1 fl ounce or 30 ml.

So there you go! A bit overdue but I hope you enjoyed my beauty finds!

 

 

Getting your tonsils out!

Every kid knows the drill about getting your tonsils out. As kids all we can focus on is the fact that all our friends would be in the hospital with all the ice cream they wanted. The silliest part? We'd be jealous! Hey, when you're a kid all you focus on is that they are eating all the ice cream and jello they want and you aren't.

Well, as time goes on it is a much less desirable procedure. The older you get the more recovery is needed from a tonsillectomy. Of course, at 23, guess who's getting her tonsils out?

Yep, this girl.

I'm am actually looking forward to it though, because I've been riddled with strep throat and other infections all Winter and pretty much my whole life. The doctor told me that once I have my tonsils removed that should all be behind me. I was pretty much sold.

I have a date set, March 19th, and now I just have to go get some pre-op work done and stock up on Jello, juice, soup, and ice cream :)

Have you gotten your tonsils out? As a kid or as an adult? Let me know!