PARIS!

I'm so bad it's been months since I've written. Funny thing is I have been keeping a list of things to blog, I just haven't done it yet. Shame! 

Anyways, I went to Paris! I still cannot believe I actually went! I live out my dream! It was incredible and amazing. It was everything I wanted it to be and everything I never expected. I definitely didn't get to experience everything...so naturally I need to go back! 

I really need to go into details and everything, but for now I'll post some pictures-so many to choose from! I'm currently working on a scrapbook from my trip. Love it! 

                                                                         The Louvre

                                                                     Winged Victory

                                                                        Eiffel Tower

                                                                        Notre Dame

                                            City of Paris (view from the Eiffel Tower)

                                                                  Arc De Triomphe

                                                        St. Chapelle. Loved the stained glass!

                                                                 Love Lock Bridge!

                                                                         Sacre Coeur

                                                                   DisneyLand Paris

                                                               Eiffel Tower at night!

More pics and my thoughts to come!
xoxo

Birchbox Catchup!

August, September, October--Birchbox!

Update with my birchbox goodies from the past couple of months! I have to say though, I'm so glad that finally they now have reviews, I can actually see, from others. Helps me decide if I want to buy a product or not. I realized some products sit in my drawer until I feel motivated to try it, but eventually I do! Ha. Anyways, here we go! 

August:

• Apothederm Stretch Mark Cream- Really excellent stretch mark cream. I wish I had more in my sample so I can actually use it for the two weeks it suggests. It seems to work well though! Too bad it's $90. Maybe, I'll buy it with all my points I accumulate over time.
• Schick Hydro Silk Razor- Everyone loved this razor. My personal opinion? I'm pretty set on my Schick Intuition Razor. (Seriously...love!) However, this razor was made well and really sharp. It gets a close shave and I didn't get as many nicks on my knees. It is a good throw away, but I wouldn't use this all the time.   
• Shu Uemura Art of Hair Full Shimmer Illuminating Shampoo & Treatment- Haven't tried this one yet. It's more for colored hair. Don't worry though I will!
• Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss- I have been dying to try this! I'm so glad I got the sample and didn't end up buying the full thing. I really loved it. The color is amazing! It gets brighter and pops more the apply it. However the taste (I know, you don't eat it but it still matters) is yucky. I still will probably buy it eventually!
• Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy la Fleur- Lovely smell! Very flowery and girly. A little much for me but I did enjoy it! 

September: 

• Nail Polish Foilish color- I cannot tell you how much I loved this nail polish and color. It was like a silvery, tin foil, tan, color. So perfect for fall. Plus this lasted on my nails for days without chipping. That never happens with my hands and dealing with money. I don't know what the color is actually called or how to order it. But I loved it! 
• twistband lace up for fall- These are the new things! I received some before and hey I still like them! The lace ones were so pretty...so not worth the price though. I'm pretty positive I can make my own. 
• Bvlgari perfume- Smells nice. Perfume has to wow me though. Ha. I'm pretty set on my perfumes but variety it nice.
• Brush Guards- This is so smart to have! Keeps brushes clean and together! I don't know why I never thought of this. They are really well made too. I probably won't buy any but I like the idea.
• Vasanti Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator- I just realized this is a face wash. Ha. The name turned me off, and I haven't looked at it since. I should try it! It has good reviews!
• WEI Sleep Over Kit- Love the idea of this! Take it with you to have a clean face and then add a little for some color in the morning when you wake up. Haven;t tried it yet either. Ha.

October: This month I had the option to get a goop box. I think I kind of got it because of the name. Ha. It was a good box.

• Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre- This doubles as a moisturizer and makeup remover. Miracle cream..not my thing. But I'll try it. 
• Karuna Hydrating Treatment Mask- Also, haven't tried it yet but it seems thick and lots of liquid in the mask. It will be different than what I'm use to. This is more like a cloth and I'm use to like liquid hardening lotion stuff. But I'm excited to try it!
• Lulu Organics Lavender + Clary Sage Hair Powder-  So excited about this! Powder fresh shampoo, it's suppose to be better for your hair. It smells lovely! Downside..I have dark hair. White and dark brown don't mix. Ha.
• Luna Lemonzest Bar- Another Luna bar! Always up for trying food! Haven't tried it yet though. ha.
• Naked Princess Shine Lip Gloss- I actually bought this in the full size. It goes on so smooth! My lips feel amazing! I don't really like the smell or taste, but I'll take that for the quality. Also, the box it came in was so classy and princess. Love it!

My November box will ship soon. I get so excited about it coming. I go online and cheat and see what I'm getting before it ships. Ha. terrible, but I love it!!

xoxo

Tour the Eiffel Tower

http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/360-panorama-paris/index-en.html

Virtual Tour of the Eiffel Tower. I'll be seeing these views in a week! GORGEOUS! SO Excited!

xoxo

Videos

Oh my gosh, why haven't I updated in forever?! 

There is a massive thunderstorm outside, and I'm typing on my blog on the computer. I'm a genius. Ha. 

Also, the little baby deer are literally sitting in my backyard-- just chillin in the storm. They are afraid of people but not a thunderstorm? (Except, I realized they are not afraid of me. I come running at them, they don't move. Silly. )

This post will be short. Just some videos I've been wanting to post. 

• This is my new favorite commercial. I laughed so hard watching it.

• Someone showed me this video, saying it's me in the morning. Hey, sleep is very precious; every minute counts.

That's all I have for now. To be continued...

xoxo

Bonjour PARIS!

Word on the street is I'm going to Paris. Oh my gosh, you didn't know? Well, dang let me tell you all about it! (Yeah, I'm bragging. I think I'm entitled to. I'm EXCITED!)

So a couple months back my friend and I were discussing how much we wanted to go to Paris. Everyone knows I absolutely LOVE Paris and the French language. I have always wanted to go. I knew one day I would go, but who knew it would happen so soon? 

Anyways, it's like the perfect time to go: I'm not currently in school, I'm just working, and I don't have any major responsibilities. My parents agreed it would be a good opportunity. So Ta-dah! I'm going. Tickets went down a lot and we were able to book and found a hotel close to everything. We're locked in, no turning back now! I can't believe it's really happening!! 

August 28th-September 4th I'll be there! What's that? You noticed it's during the same time as my birthday? Oh lookey there it is--Happy Birthday to Me! =) Ha.

Natalie and I have been planning away, but there is still a lot to do though. Word of advice for going out of the country-make a list of everything that needs to be done and start early. (Passport, international calls/texts, adapters/converters, hotel, travel, credit cards, places to see etc.)

So some of the places we are planning on seeing:

• Eiffel Tower
• The Louvre
• Notre Dame
• Disneyland 
• Arc de Triomphe
• Seine River Boat Tour
• Sacre Coeur
• Versailles
• Musee Rodin
• The Opera House
• The Wax Museum 

That's only a few on our list. So much more to see!! We are going to be go go go. Besides all the attractions and tourist sites we naturally will be eating amazing French food. Yummy pastries, and chocolate, cheese, crepes, and who knows what else! Aha so exciting!!

I'm also kind of looking forward to the long plane ride. I know I'll be saying something else a couple hours in though. Ha. I looked on the airline's website and saw the movies that they are playing. Good selections!

• The Lorax
• The Avengers
• Mirror, Mirror
• the Lucky One
• The Hunger Games

Plus, I'll have my nook with books. I'm all set!! Ha. I do have to brush up on my French some. At least the main phrases I have down: Do you speak English, Sorry, Excuse me, How much does this cost, thank you, you're welcome, Hello, Goodbye, Please, could you write that down, etc.  I can pretty much understand what people are saying, I just can't speak it as well in response. My accent is awful!

Yay! Yay!

So any advice or suggestions? Either on traveling, places to see, things to do, anything. I'd love to hear them!

xoxo

July's Birchbox

I was so excited to get this month's birchbox. Five Senses box! I was semi disappointed, not by what I received but how it came. I got a candy bar that melted and was open so it got all over my stuff. It's okay--they gave me $10.00 worth of points to buy products.

Anyways so this is what I received in my box:

• Summer Pastel Fingernail Polish- It's a light sky blue color. I briefly painted it on my nail, it's kind of crazy. Not really the color I wear, but I might try it out and see if it grows on me. 
• Eyeko Liquid Eyeliner- Liquid eyeliner. Love this!! It has like a brush but it kind of reminds me of a pencil too. I love liquid eyeliner. Eyeko goes on smooth. It's a little bit thicker but it's easy to smudge if you want a different mysterious look.I just noticed there are other colors like blue and green. I got black in my box, but blue would be fun to try. Make my eyes pop. Ha.
• Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint- I haven't tried this yet. It's suppose to be weightless and blend very well. I don't really like liquid type foundation. But I'll try it. 
• Larabar- This is the bar that melted all over the place. So I won't be trying that. I've heard good things though. 
• Hello, Hello Perfume- Harvey Prince Hello. The smell is suppose to mimic a warm summer day with the smell of flowers and sunshine. I must say it smells pretty good. Pretty citrus-ey. I enjoy trying new smells. People must love it, it's all sold out on the website. I'm still hooked on my Ed Hardy perfume though. 
• Earbuds-  Colorful and cute. They are the nice ones not cheap. I like them, they don't hurt my ears. Saves like $10 on buying new earbuds. Ha. 

Happy July!

xoxo

June Birchbox

I got my June birchbox in the mail a couple weeks ago. I always look online and wish I could trade at least one thing with something else. Too bad I can't get a sample of everything! ha. The theme this month was Travel! 

 One again the pics aren't posting so just click on the links! Here are the goodies I received this month:

• Tili Bags- These are cute patterned semi sturdy bags that are perfect for traveling on a plane, or putting your makeup in to keep in your purse, or put anything in it that make leak.
• Winks Fake Eyelashes-  They are eco-friendly! Ha. I'm not a big fake eyelash person. Personally, I think it's annoying but apparently they feel like your real eyelashes. I have great eyelashes so I may just use them for like Halloween or something.
• The Balm Stainiac- Lip and cheek stain. I tried it. It adds color to your lips. It works great if you add some gloss over the top of it otherwise I think it's a little to dry.  I was hesitant about putting it on my cheeks, but if you are having a lazy day and not wanting to put too much makeup on it works great. Just a little something something. Ha.
• Volumizing Shampoo- I tried it and honestly I didn't notice anything really that different. There was a little more volume but I wouldn't buy this all the time.
• La Fresh Eco-friendly Beauty oil face wipes- These were really nice! They left my face feeling clean and fresh. It worked great if I was too lazy to wash my face fully before bed. Also, it didn't leave my face feeling overly dry. 

Ta-Dah! June Birchbox. I'm super excited about next month's box. Glamour hooked up with Birchbox and they are doing a 5 Senses box. A sample for every sense. Pretty sweet.

xoxo

All in the family

Free Online Courses

Do you realize how many free courses one can take online? I was looking on Clark Howard and under his Free and Cheap List is education. You can take online classes from Yale, Berkeley, MIT, BYU, and some others. Some of the courses are really good. I mean obviously you don't get any credit for it but if you love to learn then it's perfect! Plus in my case some of these classes I've been wanting to take or need to take for my major so it'll help to take them. Then when I take the class for credit, hopefully I'll understand it better and it'll be a little bit easier. Every little bit helps right? Especially since in my case it is easier to learn in a no-pressure situation. I'm awful at test-taking so this may help me better. 

While the family was here, we got family pictures done by Chelsea Johnson. She did a fantastic job!! I really love how they turned out. Here are just a few of my favorites:

   

xoxo

glow glow

Do you see how much time has past since my last posting? Ridiculous! This is very sad. I need to be better. I need Dayne back to remind me constantly to update. Boo. 

This will be short and sweet. I have lots to post about, but I won't today. 

I bought a nook. Have I mentioned that? A nook glowlight! I know me of all people bought an ereader! Shocking! I did lots of research comparing which ereader to get (and why I should invest in one). Best decision! First of all Nook is better than Kindle and most ereaders out there. Plus Barnes and Noble is really helpful and reliable. Well, then it came down to which Nook to get. The tablet reminded me too much of my iphone, but bigger. I thought that was a waste. I want to read books not play games. Then I was thinking of the color because with my discount it's like $20 more, color is good to have. Again though, it had too many extra features I didn't want. Besides, the color is best for magazines. But I love my glossy pages in real physical magazines. So I decided on this one.

Pros: It is only used for reading. I feel like I'm reading a page from a book.The glowlight is fantastic for night reading. (Which I do a lot of) The light isn't overly bright and blinding. There is an anti-glare; which rocks to read while being outside. It is so little and super lightweight (easy for travel). It lasts like 30hrs. I can lend books to others and vice versa. Also, I can borrow books from the library.

Cons: It is only an ereader. It would be nice to have some internet access to get books from other websites instead of having to connect it to the computer.  It's doesn't have a good smooth transition between turning pages. Hopefully there will be an update to fix that. 

Overall, I'm so happy I decided to purchase this. It will help to download textbooks for school on it too. Plus, having an ereader is great for reading books to decide if it is worth to physically buy them. 

The thing I hate about having an ereader? Books can be expensive. I am use to buying books cheap unless they are classics. So not worth the price to just read on like a computer screen practically. Especially if I end up liking it and decide to buy the hard copy, then what a bummer to pay twice for it! 

That's why I love this website. http://the-cheap.net/ The website list deals on Nook books that are cheaper and also FREE! I have found some good ones through this site. Also, on Barnes and Noble they have FREE FRIDAYS on their blog. Fantastic!!

xoxo