A Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

9/28/14

Weekend Getaway: York, Maine















This past weekend we took a trip to York, Maine. I have gone to York many times in the past for family vacations and wanted to go back for a long weekend with my fiance. We stayed at a lovely inn about 5 minutes away from the beach. We also took a drive to Nubble Lighthouse and Perkins Cove. It is a great place to go year-round with your family and friends. There are two beaches to visit, Long Sands Beach and Short Sands Beach. There is shopping in York Village, as well as the Kittery Outlets not too far away. 

Have you ever been to York, Maine?


9/25/14

Review: Degree Motion Sense Deodorant in Fresh Energy



Thanks to Influenster, I got the opportunity to try out the Degree Motion Sense deodorant over the past couple weeks, so here is my quick and dirty review:


  • The scent is very fresh and not too overbearing
  • Last for quite a long time. I put this on in the morning when I go to work around 7:00AM and I don't have to reapply again until the late afternoon, which I think it very impressive.
  • It does not irritate my underarm skin.
  • It doesn't leave marks on your clothing, like other deodorants can do
  • It helps keep my underarm sweat at bay
  • I wear it before I go to the gym and it really helps keep me feeling fresh through a workout!
Overall, I really enjoy this product and encourage everybody to try it out!

How do you #DOMORE with Degree?

9/24/14

My First and Last Graze box


This post is not sponsored by Graze nor am I affiliated with them

This post has been long overdue and I just haven't had the time to sit down and write it up. I am going to discuss my first and last Graze box. If you haven't heard of Graze, they are a healthy snack subscription service where you get to choose from over 90 different combinations of dried fruit, nuts, etc. Each box costs $6.49 USD, including delivery. When you sign up for Graze, you can choose a nibblebox, maximum number of snack combinations, or a caloriecounterbox, the low calorie snacking box. I choose the nibblebox and you see above what I received in my box. I was not happy with what came in my box. Even though I took a survey and told them what I wanted to receive, that was not taken into consideration for what was packed in the box.  There are, however, some good things that Graze offers. Every snack you receive contains "no genetically altered ingredients, no artificial flavors or colors, no high fructose corn syrup, and 0g trans fat per serving."  You can also swap your snacks at anytime if you want to try some different options.

If you are interested in Graze, I have a special coupon to offer you.
Get your 1st and 5th boxes free by doing the following:
1) Go to graze.com 2) Enter the code: RG9X1Y2TB

Happy Snacking!

9/14/14

My First Julep Box

This post contains affiliate links

Top:  Julep Janel
Middle: Julep Padma
Bottom: Julep Stevie



Hi everybody! Today I am sharing with you My First Julep Box. 
Julep is a monthly subscription service, focused on beauty and nail products. 
If you don't know how Julep works, here is some more information:

How do the boxes work?
During the Monthly Maven Reveal (20th-24th of every month), you can log into your account to preview and customize your box, add on extras, or send to a friend. You can also wait for a surprise. If you don’t make any changes during the Monthly Maven Reveal, we’ll send you the Maven Box that matches your default Style Profile.

Can I skip a box?
You’ll earn a skip option every six months, allowing you to skip up to two boxes per year. Log into your account during the Monthly Maven Reveal (20th-24th of every month) to apply the option.

What are the subscription options?
For new Mavens, we have two subscription tiers: My Maven and Maven Luxe.
With My Maven, you’ll get $40+ worth of polish & product for $24.99/month, or $19.99/month with a three-month prepaid subscription. Each monthly box is completely customizable.
With Maven Luxe, you’ll get $60+ worth of prestige products for $39.99/month, or $34.99/month with a three-month prepaid subscription. Each monthly box is completely customizable.
If you are interested in purchasing a Julep subscription, click here
9/10/14

First Impressions: One Direction Midnight Madness Collection



This post is brought to you by Brandbacker

I got the opportunity recently to try out the new One Direction Midnight Madness Collection. This collection comes in an awesome metal tin, making this collection easy to travel with and store. I am going to discuss my first impressions of each product that comes in the kit. If you want more in-depth reviews of each product, please leave comments below.









Left - Better Than Words Eye and Body Crayon
Right - Through the Dark Liquilights Glow Gloss


4+1 Eye Shadow Palette : I thought the quality of these shadows were OK at best. They did feel very soft and smooth when swatched but I had to reapply to my arm a few times to get the colors to show up, with the exception of "Don't Forget Where You Belong".

Little Black Dress Mascara: I am very skeptical of trying this mascara. The packaging is nice but the mascara is a little too wet for my taste.

Through the Dark Gloss: The gloss swatched very nice. It doesn't feel too sticky and could be a nice additional to one's makeup collection. It also has a nice vanilla scent.

Better Than Word Eye and Body Crayon:  This crayon swatched very nice on the arm. I quite enjoy the texture. I smudged it out after taking the photo and the color just seemed to fade too quickly. This might be nice for someone who is a beginner with makeup. 

Right Now Nail Polish: I am very eager to use this polish on my nails. It is a metallic steel nail polish. It almost has a little bit of a gold shimmer in the light.

Best Song Ever Lip Stick: I cannot review this product because mine came broken on the inside of the tube but it is a very bright red lip stick. I wouldn't use this color but it would make for a nice, bold lip color.

You can purchase the One Direction Makeup Collection at the following retailers:
Macy's, Stage Stores, Dillards, Beauty Brands, & Lord and Taylor

9/7/14

Fall 2014 Wishlist


These are a few things I have been lusting over lately. I currently the Naked Basics palette and heard a lot of good things about the Naked Basics 2 palette. I am an Apple product lover and would love to add an iPad Mini to my electronics collection. I would be able to bring the iPad Mini on weekend trips with me and still be able to keep up with blogging, because let's face it, blogging on your iPhone is not an easy take! The last two items are flats. I am in desperate need of some new flats for fall and these two are on the expensive side! Tieks go for around $175 and Tory Burch flats go for about $225, both are very expensive compared to the normal flats I will buy from Target or Payless. I would really love to order these flats but I have a hard time not being able to try a pair of shoes on in the store before purchasing them, especially because I have wider feet.

What's on your current wishlist?


9/3/14

End of Summer Empties


Interested in finding out more about some of the products I have used up over the past few weeks? Then check out my end of summer empties video. It features makeup, skincare, and more!
My least favorite product I used up was the Rite Aid Makeup Wipes
My favorite product I used up was the NYX Le Frou Frou mascara



9/1/14

Summer Bucket List Final Update




Back in the beginning on June I created a summer bucket list and I wanted to do a final update you because summer has come to an end. 

My Summer 2014 Bucket List
- go to the beach
- read 5 books
- go to an outdoor concert
- get a pedicure
- have a picnic
- roadtrip. somewhere, anywhere.
- see fireworks
- go tubing
- try a new food
- see a movie at a drive-in movie theater 
- see a movie at a movie theater
- go to a zoo
- date night. lots of date nights.
- go to a waterfall

So, as you can see this was a complete fail. I completed 6 out of 14 (42%) of the tasks. 
There weren't a ton of movies I wanted to see this summer. I want to still see If I Stay but I will wait until it comes out on DVD/Amazon Prime. My finance and me did go to a park this summer but we never had an actual picnic. I also never got a pretty pedicure, I did my nails by myself all summer. I also have been a major fail at reading! Normally a read a ton over the summer but with working 40+ hours a week, it makes reading more difficult. I am hoping to back into reading this fall.

September is going to be a great month. I am going wedding dress shopping, we are going to Maine for a long weekend, and there is a local village-wide garage sale!

Did you accomplish your summer bucket list?