Florence a name with meaning

I decided to test out Florence as an accent nail to a Veronica and Otte skittle mani. I wonder if Grandma would approve?

Another look from last month uses Reece and Padma. These don't scream purple to me and Reece has such depth to it.

I believe I failed to post Madeline and Kai when I received them. They both have sea salt finishes and work great alone or as a pair for a baby shower. I will try to use Madeline next

First Ipsy Bag

I received my first Ipsy bag today, but sadly most of it is going to my niece this month.

The bag is blue and black and it came with two Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, a Pop Pouty Pop Crayon in Rose Romance, It's So Big Volumizing Mascara, Nyx eyeshadow in Golden Poppy, and a Starlooks eyeliner pencil in Obsidian. 

The lip pencil will look pretty on my niece, which is one consolation for not having it for myself. I will be keeping one of the eye gel sets. I can't wait for next months.

September 2013 Birchbox

This month is Birchbox's 3rd Anniversary. To celebrate 100 subscribers were sent 1000 point worth $100 on their website. Sadly, I was not one of those chosen. My box arrived in time to add the Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel for sensitive skin to my spa day. It was less about relaxation and more about those pesky details like waxing my legs, removing callouses on my feet, and I wanted to doing finger waves on a day no one had to see me. The peel worked right into the routine. I could feel it working, but it left no redness. I will keep trying to see if it improves my skin.

The other products were: Beauty Protector Shampoo and Conditioner, Soak Rinse-Free Wash, and Ruffian Nail Lacquer in Fox Hunt- red orange shimmer.

I sampled the polish over my existing polish in a Ruffian style. It coordinates nicely with the red to orange gradient and looks better in person. It has good coverage and dries fairly quickly. It is a great color for fall. I can't wait to try it on its own.

The waving attempt did not go very well as I currently have too many layers. I did get one good wave at the top. Maybe next time I will just roll it, or maybe pin curls for something different. 

First Booty Bin

I signed up for Booty Bin after seeing the Steampunk themed box. The reviews for the following box were disappointing. I needlessly worried about staying subscribed, I'm glad I waited it out. The theme was Fantasy, one of my favorite genres.

Elves, fairies, and pixies- well the ears would work for all three anyway. Pixie stix and Link evolution sticker. We have eaten almost half the pixie stixs before I could get pictures taken. Danny has claimed these.

Card and figurine games- Magic the Gathering (Charles collects these cards), The Hobbit Heroclix, and World of Warcraft miniatures game (I will have to google these)

Lords, knights, and warriors- Game of Thrones the Imp, pimp sticker, viking and knight rubber duckies, and weapon eraser tops. This grouping is my favorite.

Booty Bin costs $10 more than Loot Crate, but the last two months were comparable. We will have to see this months Loot Crate to compare but I really like this box. 

September 2013 Upgraded Julep Maven Box

My maven box came today as well. I had upgraded to the full Cityscape collection. The colors are great for fall. I had to get Florence as it was my grandmothers name. It also came with the matte primer and an oil cleanser. I will try them soon, I just have to find somewhere to go. I added on Reese and the polish remover wipes. The extra was a sample of the wipes. I had received some before, but did not realize the purchased packs were so much bigger. The sample has one pad, while each purchased pack says it has ten pads, one for each finger. My camera went missing while I packed for the wedding. Until it finds its way home I will be using my camera.

Florence- a nude creme, Candace- brown micro glitter, Catrina- golden yellow, Tatiana- burnt orange micro glitter, Karmen- red micro glitter, Reese- purple to green micro glitter, Padma- dark eggplant, Kristy- deep midnight blue, Josephine- dark gray, teal, and Daria- charcoal gray creme. I just can't get a decent pic with my camera.

 My Julep collection so far

I have Glenn on my toes from the wedding and put Karmen over it on the big toe. It reminds me of ruby slippers. I can see myself wearing any of these colors this fall. I put on Stephani last night and tried a design inspired by Robin Moses. I will have to try one of the new colors later this week. 

September 2013 Birchbox Man

This was our first month to receive Birchbox Man. I don't think the boys were too thrilled with it. The travel guide is for somewhere we are not likely to go to, Los Angeles, and it is not exotic and interesting either. I have a travel guide for Budapest and it is an interesting read. The passport case was not as bad, I have always wanted to go to Ireland, until then it will hold registration and insurance card for the car.

While I lost the fight getting the boys to shave, I do like the shave cream. Ernest Supplies is a 3 in 1 shave cream. It conditions, protects, and soothes. The packaging is great with its reclosable cap and small travel size. It has a nice neutral scent so I could use it too. It will go to my nephew. I'm still fighting the hair styling battle. The Hanz de Fuko Quicksand sample would be great in Charles hair. It absorbs oil like a dry shampoo and adds a beachy texture like a sea salt spray, all rolled into a clay based balm. I'm tempted to try this on myself. Danny has said he will use the face and body cleaner, finally some progress.It is a nice sized sample too.

I'm not sure if the boys will read the magazine, it is not on the computer after all. I will send the card in and maybe read it myself.

Weddings and everything that goes with...

Joyce, my nieces, and I drove down to Missouri for my cousin's wedding. It was emotionally charged as I had not seen any one from my dad's side in 25 yrs. Joyce had seen Grandma a few years back and had her feelings hurt. I also did not have the fondest memories of her growing up. Before I go any further, I should say that that has changed.We showed up early and visited with Crystal while she got ready. I'm sure it was awkward for her as well. Not only had we not seen her since she was two, but she was nervous about the wedding. My nieces did get to help the wedding party with their make-up.

The mother of the bride standing in blue

 the father of the bride, love the hat Uncle Tom

 Uncle Mike, some of the ladies in front were Grandma's sisters

 bridesmaides

 Grandma Deloris Damewood

 Mother of the bride and groom

 can you see the groom on the right?

 trying to get drinks served, it was a hot day

I have to admit, I did have a melt down at one point and had to go and collect myself. Grandma recognized me right away and hugged me, I'm not sure if Joyce got upset. We are both very sensitive and it doesn't take much for us to feel rejected. That comes with having an absent father. You might note that he is not in any of the above pics as he did not come. His mother is the only one who has been able to maintain a relationship with him. Joyce was not thrilled with being introduced as Donnie's girls, to her it seemed too impersonal. 

We did enjoy our visit we stayed with Tom and Shirley after the clean-up that felt like it would never end.* Mike and Grandma came to lunch the next day. I will have to make an effort to keep in touch. Especially with so many not doing the best. 

* Note to self plan a clean-up crew with muscles when planning for a wedding. Take home containers for all the leftovers are also helpful. Who drops off a cake and doesn't leave a box to take it home.