Oh Hey...

Hello there!

So I disappeared from the blog-o-sphere for a little while. Life is a funny, busy little thing. Blogging regularly may not be my thing, but I do plan to stop in here once in a blue moon and update and maybe eventually get better at it. I think it is safe to say I did not stick to most of the goals in a previous post... No worries, no stress...so here is what's goin on!

 

My Etsy Shop? It now exists! I bit the bullet and opened up shop with some items I had piling up for a while. I've made a few sales, I'm seeing what people are mostly interested in, I'm motivated, excited and getting into my groove. I absolutely love preparing items to be shipped!

 

I'm currently working on some new things to add to the shop very soon. I will definitely post new arrivals as they come. Stop by the Shop, have a look around. 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/mandatorycreations

Oh, and there's a coupon code available!

*~FREE MIRROR~ With purchase of ANY bag in the shop! Use COUPON CODE FREEMIRROR1 during checkout!~* Offer ends August 31st!

:: Other happenings ::

- Life without a working camera is tough. I miss photography, I miss my camera. I still can't decide if I want to find out the cost of fixing my shutter or just save up for a new much more updated camera. The latter is very tempting. We'll see!

- Family time has been abundant, especially this month. August is full of birthdays and this year will be mine and Cody's 11 year anniversary. I still feel overwhelmed by how lucky I am.

- My sewing room has slowly been getting a make-over. I have some new furniture editions including an old sewing cabinet that I cannot WAIT to paint! I will surely be sharing before and afters when that project is under way!

- My bathroom, which has been my bathroom for over twenty years, is getting a make-over too. This is the first time in all the years that I'm the one decorating it. I cannot express how exciting that is for me... a girl in her very own bathroom that finally suits her? It'll be so dreamy.

- Friends and family members have been having babies, falling in love, getting engaged and starting new adventures in life. I'm honored to have witnessed and be a part of such wonderful things happening for people.

- I still love cats, my cats, your cats, all the cats in the world.

So! I'll wrap this up. Thanks for stopping by and not minding how neglectful I am to this little space of mine on the interwebs... I won't make any promises but I can still say I enjoy when I do make a post and am reminded that I should do it more.

xomando

Birchbox Review ~ January 2013

Birchbox - sign up here.

My camera is still on the fritz, so no individual product photos or examples of me using them this time around. But! That won't stop me from reviewing these products!

What I Got:

• Number 4 Clarifying shampoo - sample size
• theBalm Cosmetics Hot Mama shadow & blush all in one
• Harvey Prince Skinny Chic - perfume sample
• Lashem Measurable Difference - Lash gel serum sample
• Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face cream - two samples

What I thought:

I love trying new shampoos and I was stoked to get this nice sized sample in my box. The Number 4 Clarifying shampoo smells great, I like the way it lathers and while I wish I had a conditioner to pair with it after using, it still seems to make my hair feel squeaky clean and soft after rinsing. It definitely takes care of product and hair dye build up and  it very gentle on my dried out hair.

I only just recently started wearing a little bit of blush on my cheeks, November's box came with Stila all over shimmer liquid luminizer, in a pink blush color and I love it. I was excited to try this shadow and blush all in one from theBalm Cosmetics. The packaging is adorable off the bat, featuring a cute pin up style beach girl and it has a magnetic closure. The color is a peachy-pink which I was a little stand offish for my skin tone, when I wear it on my cheeks I have to put it on very lightly as this stuff goes on strong, as for wearing it as an eye shadow...I LOVE IT! It's so pretty and stays on all day, it goes great with a smokey brown or a summer bronze. I am surprised how versatile the color is as an eye shadow and it is more than welcome in my extensive collection of eye shadows.

I seem to have an ever growing collection of perfume samples which I quite enjoy. I get tired of scents after prolonged use, so being able to switch it up without committing to purchasing a full size is great. The Harvey Prince Skinny Chic perfume has a cheerful package and I love the way it smells. It claims to have a scent to help you feel energized and curb your appetite. I unfortunately have misplaced this small sample bottle over the course of the month, I hope to find it cause I truly did love the way it smells and I'd like to test out this appetite curbing theory...

I would like to assume that I don't yet need "youth preserving" for my face, but I always am open to try moisturizers on my sensitive and picky skin. The Fresh Lotus face creams smells absolutely amazing, very clean and botanical. I love the way it feels and it certainly brightened my face and evened out my skin tone. I've already used up both samples and am considering buying a full size. 

And last we have the main thing that stood out in the box. Lashem gel serum. I have looked into ways to make my lashes longer and fuller, I have always disliked how short and fine mine are. I have very sensitive eyelids and have been weary about trying a serum after hearing about them drying out your lids. I was still willing to try this stuff. I took a before picture to document if there has been any change, unfortunately I haven't been very good at applying this stuff every night. I can say however that it has not dried out my lids or caused any irritations, and I could swear that after a week my lashes seemed to be a BIT fuller, but not longer. I hope that this tiny sample has enough in it to keep trying it and see some results, although I almost hope I don't because a full size of one of these is pretty pricey...

So there it is! I will stick to these reviews whether or not I have nice camera photos to share along with them. I love getting a Birchbox every month and look forward to new things to try. If you want to sign up, click here, it's only 10 bucks a month!

See my first and only Birchbox review I've done here.

xomando