Chemex is code for awesome

I love coffee. Love love love. I could live on coffee. I'm not even joking. I run on coffee. 

Now, normally, I use my keurig. Because its easy. Its quick. It requires very little effort or thought, which is a very good thing when I wake up in the morning with the kids and need my caffeine asap. So, when I heard of the chemex, I was a little hesitant. Why would I bother trying something that required more energy? Why deviate from my current routine???

But I did it. I bought one. Because part of me really needed to know what the hype is all about. I needed to know if it really could make my coffee taste any better. I needed to know if I was missing out on something amazing. 

I went with the small 1-3 cup pint sized one. 

The chemex its self looks pretty neat. I love the steam lined look of it. And the wood piece around the neck works really nicely as a handle. 

The filters were a little strange to me. Having to fold my own filter seemed like a pain, and the type of filters you buy at the grocery store won't work. You have to buy the fancy filters, but they aren't really that much more expensive it just means you have to order them ahead of time. Its possible that they sell them in stores, but none of the ones around me don't. 

So I followed the directions and I folded the filter up and put it into my pretty new chemex

You then put the coffee in, and then enough water to wet the grounds, and then you wait 30 seconds before adding anymore water. This apparently lets the ground bloom, whatever that means. 

Then you add more water, keeping the water level an inch or so below the top of the chemex. 

That little bump on the glass is supposed to be the full mark. 

I always seem to fill mine a little higher than you're supposed to, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

I found that in my normal coffee cup the chemex makes me about 1.5 cups of coffee. With all the effort I wish I had gone with the bigger size. It would be nice to make more cups all at once.

The chemex claims that it makes great coffee, without any bitterness. And its true. My coffee really does taste fantastic. I love it. 

I don't know that I will be replacing my keurig completely, because honestly I don't have the time to make coffee with the chemex every day, and there is no way that Im going to get up earlier just to make it. I do love it though. My normal coffee tastes better in it, and its worth the effort. 

Until Next Time,

Sara

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick

I had seen the Melted lipstick by Too Faced ($21) and wanted to try it for the longest time. It just looked fun, and who doesnt love a fun lipstick? I finally gave in and purchased one from Ulta.

The packaging is nice. It doesnt really look like lipstick, more like a lip gloss, but still. I love it, the packaging that is. 

The applicator is a nice velvet tip. Its really soft. This goes on easily. Its really easy to get it precisely where you want it to be. 

There's no smell, or flavor to this, which seems pretty normal for a lipstick. Though the glossy formula had me expecting something. 

I picked Melted Berry for my shade which is described as a berry red. To me its not really red at all. Its got more of a purple color. 

The description on Sephora's website states "The shine of a gloss, lasting power of a stain, and pigment-packed color of a liquid lipstick, all in one high-impact formula. Bold, long-wearing color glides on cleanly with the precision tip applicator, delivering rich color with staying power." 

It is definitely shiney, and has a ton of pigment. I found that I was able to put a thin layer on for lighter color, or I could layer it on thicker and end up with a deeper color, which is really nice. I didnt find that it was long lasting at all though. I found that it wore off extremely quickly, even when all I was doing was talking, not eating or drinking. My lipsticks that dont claim to be long lasting wear better than this.

I also had a lot of issues with feathering, and always seemed to end up with lipstick on my chin. I'm not really sure how the lipstick managed to migrate all the way down my face, but it seemed to. 

I wore this lipstick several times because I love the color, and I love how quickly I can put it on. But I dont think that I will be buying it again, which has me kind of sad. I really wanted to love this lipstick but it just didnt wear well at all. I dont have the patience to constantly check if there's lipstick on my chin. And I dont want to go around all day looking like either I dont know where my lips are or like a clown. 

Maybe my next lipstick test will go better. I really want to find a liquid lipstick that I like, if only because the liquid seems to apply easier. And generally requires no liner.

Until Next Time,

Sara

Working Out Is Hard

I'm finding that working out is a whole lot harder than I had thought it was going to be. I has assumed that I could write down a plan and then I would just do it. But I have found that its really not that easy. It should be, and it would be great if it was but it really isn't. My list of excuses is pretty long, and it seems that every day I add more to the list of reasons why I just cant do it.

Lets see here I cant workout because:

1. I just ate.

2. I'm tired.

3. I just showered.

4. I'm hungry.

5. I have chores to do.

6. I have to check my e-mail.

7. I have work to do.

8. I need to check the mail.

9. The kids want to go to the park.

10. The cats want to play.

11. I have to clean out the fridge.

Ive even chosen to fold laundry over working out, which says how far I go to avoid it. Normally I will do anything to get out of having to fold laundry. Its the one chore that I really really don't ever want to do it, but Ive chosen it over working out. It seems extremely easy to come up with reasons why I should just skip my workout and do something else. I always promise myself that I'm going to do the workout the next day, or that Ill do it later, and I almost never follow through. Its just so much easier to do anything else. 

I still haven't figured out why I keep avoiding it. I just do. Its hard work. I want to be in shape. I want to take better care of myself. Theres so many reasons why I want, and need to work out and get in shape. I'm so over weight and I need to take better care of myself. I want to do this. I hate that I always get side tracked. I hate that I always say that I'm going to do it and that I always let myself down. I'm not proud of the fact that I don't do it. 

I'm starting over, again. This probably wont be the last time that I fall off wagon and then have to start over. I'm learning that the failure is part of the journey though. I have to keep trying and I have to keep moving forward. I have to do this. This time I already have my schedule made, and Ive already thought of my excuses and the reason that they aren't valid. I'm hoping that Ive done a better job of setting myself up for success this time. 

So heres to starting over. 

 

As of July 30th my measurements were:

Waist- 49inches

Chest- 39 inches

Left Arm- 14 inches

Right Arm- 13.5 inches

Left Thigh- 27.5 inches

Right Thigh- 27.5 inches

Hips- 48 inches

Weight- 187.8lbs

Until Next Time,

Sara

Kat Von D Monarch Palette Review and Swatches

I recently purchased the Monarch Eyeshadow Palette by Kat Von D from Sephora ($46). I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, and this one definitely caught my eye. Its just so pretty.

The palette itself feels very sturdy. Its not flimsy at all, which is a good thing. I feel like I could drop it and it would hold up pretty well. I dont have to worry about it getting bumped around if I put it in a drawer, because its solid and wouldnt end up broken. 

See how pretty it is? Its just eye catching. 

The back of the box that the palette came in has the names of the eye shadows listed. I do wish that the names were also printed on the inside of the palette, since I know that I wont keep the box. 

The inside of the palette has a mirror, in case you need to fix your makeup on the go, which is a nice feature. I rarely seem to use the mirrors that come on my makeup products, but its nice to have the option in case I need it. 

The shadows are all richly pigmented, and have a nice creamy formula. When I applied them they went on with ease. It didnt take more than a swipe to get a solid amount of color. They also blended with ease. 

From top to bottom: Entomology (matte), Telepathy (super shimmer), Tiny Death (slight sparkle)

These three colors are extremely light base colors. They were intended to be used as bases, and they work great for that.

Top to bottom: Wrath, Papilio, Summerfly, Killing Jar, Delaney

These five shades are all shimmer shadows. They're light, but easily layered if you want a more intense look. 

Top to bottom: Vanish, Disintegration, Shadow Box, Deadhead

These shadows are all matte, except disintegration which has a slight shimmer to it. They're more pigmented than the shimmer shadows. 

Overall I love this palette. It has some great colors, and they all go well together. I love that they seem to stay on pretty well, and they are easy to blend. They also dont seem to flake the way other shadows do. 

Until Next Time, 

Sara

IPSY Review July 2015

Ipsy is a monthly subscription where you receive 5 full size or deluxe sample sized products in a cute make-up bag each month. It costs $10. You can get yours by clicking here.

When you first sign up you take a style quiz, which helps determine what variation of the bag you'll receive each month. Once you get your bag you can review the items, and that also helps determine what you will get in each of the following months. I dont know how much I believe this. My bag seems to be random. I seem to get products and colors that I've repeatedly said that I dont like. My personal belief is that the bags are more random than they tell you. 

And yes, I've been told that if I dont like what I get in my bag I should just cancel, but I love the surprise, and I do enjoy trying out the new products. Sometimes I get something that looks like I'd never use it and then I end up loving it. Also, I chose to pay for my full year upfront, so there's no point in canceling when I've already paid for it. Anyways, done with my rant and on to this months bag!

The theme was Summer Lovin', which is pretty fun.

The first product that I received was HD Powder by City Color ($3.49). It's a loose powder thats meant to be put on after all your other makeup. It sets it, fills in lines, and just gives you more matte look. I'm excited to see how this turns out. I have pretty oily skin, so it might be good to have on hand.  

The next item I received was Cleanance Gel by Eau Thermale Avene ($2.48). This is a soapless cleanser thats supposed to help minimize blemishes. I'm not normally one to switch up my skin care regiment, mainly because I have acne prone skin and I've finally found the right combination of products to help minimize that. I'll probably pass this along to my sister, or a friend who will use it. 

Thirdly I received was Beachy Salt Spray by Coolway ($2). I wont be using this product. At all. I'm just not a fan of salt sprays, or the coolway brand. I've told Ipsy this the many times theyve sent me coolway products, but here I am getting another one. Not cool.

My fourth item was a 2 in 1 eyeliner/ shadow by Jelly Pong Pong ($15.95). I like this. Its a very pretty dark brown / copper shimmer. I dont know if I will use it as an eyeshadow, but I will be using it as a liner. I know that I've said I'm tired of brown eye shadows but this was very pretty, and very pigmented. 

My last item was lip balm by Be A Bombshell ($14). Its not a bad lip balm, if you like lip balm, which I dont. I think I would have liked this product more if I had been sent Ruby instead of French Kiss. French Kiss is a pale pale pink shade, that leaves next to no color once applied. I'm a big fan of bright over the top lipsticks, so this missed the mark for me. It is a decent quality though. 

Overall I think this bag missed the mark completely for me. There's only 1 product that I will actually be using, which is kind of a let down. I keep leaving my reviews and hoping that next month will bring me better results. The overall value of my bag was $37.92. The makeup bag this month was completely adorable. 

Until Next Time, 

Sara 

Jewelry In Candles

I'm sure that most of us have heard of candles with jewelry hidden inside. They seem to be a pretty big deal lately. And personally I love the concept. Who doesn't want to get a special surprise and a home that smells great all at once?

Not too long ago I went through and looked at all the different companies, and there are a lot of them. I found that Jewelry In Candles was one of the best deals. Mainly because the candle size is either larger or equal to other companies (normally larger), and they have a great scent. When you go to buy they have an icon on each product that tells you the intensity of the scent. This is great because it allows you to buy less intense or more intense, depending how which you prefer.

The other great thing that I found about jewelry in candles is that you get to pick what type of jewelry you want (ring, necklace, or earrings), and then you get to pick which size ring, if you choose ring. I didn't find that any other company did it this way. I think its great because then I will actually get something that I can wear, not something thats either too small or too big. The candles burn for at least 150 hours, which means you are getting your money's worth.

So after trying them and loving them I decided that I was going to sign up to sell them, mainly because I love them, and it gives me a discount. The discount means that I get to save money on a product that I was going to buy anyways. Which is awesome.

I'm honestly impressed with this company, and with the product that they put out. They are a fairly new company (just over a year old), which means they have some growing to do. But they already have a great system, and a great product. I am really excited to see where this company goes, and am glad to be a part of it. I want to share these candles with everyone, because I know that they are worth every cent you spend on them. If I didn't believe in the product, and the values of the company, I wouldn't be able to endorse them. Luckily, I do believe in these. And I want everyone else to as well. :)

Interested? Leave me a comment, or send me an email so I can give you more information! You can also visit my website at any time to order your own candles, or wax tarts!

Walgreens VoxBox

Recently I received a VoxBox from Influenster. This to me is pretty exciting. I love getting mail. And I love free stuff. That makes a voxbox perfect! For those of you who don't know, a VoxBox is what influenster.com calls the box of free goodies that they send out. Influenster is a review website where consumers (you and me!) can go an leave feedback on all the products that we use. Randomly they send out surveys that you take, which then allow you to receive voxboxes. In order to join you have to be invited (leave your email in the comments if you'd like an invite).

I've been part of influenster for 2 or 3 years now and have received some pretty cool boxes. I think the Mary Kay was my favorite. Anyways, back to my latest box. This box is called the Walgreens box, and inside there were two full sized products. When I was emailed that I was getting the box I didn't know which products I would be getting. Once I got the box I was excited because I got 2 products that I actually want to try, instead of one I can't use (there was a shampoo / conditioner for wavy hair, which my pixie cut doesn't need).

 

First I received Dove go fresh Revitalize Body Wash in mandarin and tiare flower scent. The smell is a little over powering when you first open the bottle. Its definitely orange. I don't know that I would pick this scent in the future just because its really strong when I'm showering with it. It doesn't seem to leave much of a smell after you rinse off, which is good. This body wash lathers extremely well, which is always a good thing for me. I love having a nice bubbly lather. I felt nice and clean after using this, which is always important for a body wash. 

It claims to be moisturizing, and it wash, but not as much as I had been hoping. I still felt dry afterwards. Of course this could just be because I have crazy dry skin. It did make me slightly less dry, but not to the point that I would buy the product for the moisturizing effects. Overall I like this body wash, and would most likely buy it in the future. 

The second product that I received was Vaseline Intensive Care Healing Serum, Advanced Relief. Now this I loved. Seriously its a great product. It leaves my skin feeling soft, and not dry at all. Best of all, it lasts. I can put it on after my shower and I'm done, good to go till the next shower. It doesn't have a strong odor, or really one at all. I like that there isn't a scent because I like to smell like my perfume, not all sorts of other things mixed in. I used this lotion on both of my kids and it left their skin soft as well. Also, a little bit of it went a long way, which means that one bottle will last me for a while. I know that I will be purchasing this in the future. Its a 5 out of 5 for me. Love it.

Overall I loved my Walgreen VoxBox from Influenster. I received 2 products for free, and liked both of them.