Wantable Unboxing May

Here it is! My May Wantable subscription box. Wantable is a monthly subscription service but where it differs from some other services, is that it costs $36 dollars a month or you can buy just one box for $40 and you get 4-5 full size products as opposed to deluxe samples. Wantable also lets you return your box for a full refund if you don't like your products. This is what I received in May's Wantable box. 

Vincent Longo Eye Trio in Harem, FACE Stockholm Brow Shadow in Myrrah, Mirabella Lip Luster Liner in Nude, and PlaBeauty Superwear Gel Eye liner in Noir. I am really loving the shades of all these products. The brow color is a bit dark but I just use a light hand and it works. I hate when I get tons of reds and bright pinks in boxes. I am not a red kinda gal! So overall retail value is $94 worth of products for $36. My May Wantable box is definitely a winner. What did you get in your box? If you want to try Wantable you can here.

Glossybox Unboxing May Bergdorf Goodman

It's Glossybox time! Ok so I might have an addition to subscription boxes but it's like Christmas in my mailbox every month! I had seen Glossybox around but I had never tried it and decided I would give it a go. This is my first box and my initial impressions are wowzer! The nitty gritty is its $21 dollars a month and this month I got 6 deluxe samples. Now these samples are really good sized and some of them are very high end. The absolutely amazing thing is I paid for the box and samples AND I got a $25 gift card to Bergdorf Goodman. Yep. I made 4 bucks on the deal. And can I just say how hard it was to choose something to buy with my gift card? I'll show you what I got when it comes in. 

So here's the skinny on the box. The packaging is amazing quality and super cute. The sample sizes are very generous and some of the samples I am super excited to try simply because the full sized products are so expensive I would never buy them. That sounds odd I know. A big part of subscription boxes is the ability to try products and purchase ones you love. While some of these I would never purchase simply because of the price (unless it like gave me brand new baby's skin overnight. A girl can dream right?) I am just like any girl and often wonder how the product is. The sizes of these samples are big enough I can get good use out of them (unlike some services that give you *gasp* foil packets!). Let's look inside and stay tuned until the end for some exciting news. 

  Inside the box: Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer Full Size $45, Revive Intensite Volumizing Eye Serum Full Size $350 (SAY WHAT??), Atelier Cologne in Rose Anonyme Cologne Absolute Full Size $140, Chantecaille Luminous Gloss Full Size $34, Alterna Caviar CC Cream Full Size $25, Lancer Eye Contour Lifting Cream Full Size $95. 

Since it's my first box I can't tell you this is how it is every month but I can say it's enough to have me excited for next month. Which brings me to my exciting announcement. Since I nor you want to be in subscription box overload, I am going to do a Battle of the Boxes at the end of the summer and let my readers help me choose which boxes I get to keep. Yep. If you want to live vicariously through my subscription box addictions you'll have your chance! Stay tuned. If you want to try Glossybox for yourself you can sign up here.

Beauty Favorites May

1. Face Cleaning - Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Oil and Garnier Clean+ Smoothing Cream Cleanser for Dry Skin are staples in my bathroom. I have tried a handful of high end makeup removing oils and nothing works as well as this Garnier Oil at removing my makeup including waterproof mascara and not drying out my skin. I like to clean my face even more with the smoothing cream cleanser. This one is for dry skin. It is so hydrating, doesn't leave a residue and smells yummy. Both of them you can get at Target for 5.99. They are my holy grail drugstore cleansing favorites.

2. Serum - Paula's Choice Resist Intensive Wrinkle Repair Retinol Serum . I'll be perfectly honest with you. It wasn't until I hit my thirties that I really started paying attention to my skin. I wish I had all along because I have been battling all the wear and tear I put on my skin from sun to smoking (It's been almost a year since I quit! Yay me!) I started using this serum about a month ago and my skin is in the best shape it has been in. It took a week or so for my skin to adjust. It dried out because I was overusing so I cut down from an every day application to an every other day use and the change is amazing.

3. Primer - Eddie Funkhouser Luxlight Hydrating Primer  I recently did a review of this line of cosmetics by Eddie Funkhouser and I love them all but a few of the products have made it into my May favorites. The first one is this primer. It does what a primer is supposed to do in that it readies your skin for makeup and prolongs the wear of your foundation but the brilliance of this primer is that it makes your skin look so smooth that sometimes, especially in these hot summer months, I wear this alone. I love the way my face looks when I wear this.

4. Foundation - Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer  On days when I do want a little more coverage, this is my go to for the summer. It is light to medium coverage, perfect for my dry skin, has a little SPF and lasts. It blends into my skin and doesn't look like I'm wearing a ton of makeup.

5. Eye Shadow - Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eye Palette  I have been using this a lot in May. The is a good variety of colors and finishes. They are all really pigmented, blend easily and don't crease on my eyes. What's even better? It smells like chocolate!

6. Concealer - Benefit Cosmetics Fake Up Concealer I have been using this for ages but I didn't realize how much I liked it until I stopped using it to try other concealers. I come back to this one because it lightly covers my dark circles and it is the only one that doesn't settle into my lines or look cakey. My under eyes are very dry and the moisturizer in this helps a lot.

7. Blush - Clinique Cheek Pop  I have so many blushes but I have been reaching for this one alot this month. It is pigmented but with a light hand, applies nicely, gives just the right amount of flush and for a powder, it looks nothing like a powder. It's hard to explain unless you try it for yourself. Bonus points for super cute packaging.

8. Mascara - Maybelline the Rocket Volume Express This is my favorite mascara of life. I hate my lashes, I hate putting mascara on. I hate when mascara looks clumpy. This makes me like my lashes. I don't mind putting it on and hardly ever looks clumpy unless I put like 4 coats on which I never do. Second would be the Cover girl Clump Crusher but the Maybelline holds a curl in my lashes way better.

9. Bronzer - Eddie Funkhouser Ultra Definition Bronze & Sculpt Powder  This might just wiggle it's way into being my favorite bronzer of all time. It is never orange on me. It has a little sheen to it that I don't need a highlighter. I can control the intensity and it doubles as an eye shadow palette when I'm in a super hurry. It is just gorgeous and I highly recommend trying it out.

10. Lipgloss - Nars Lip Gloss in Orgasm I got a deluxe sample size of this lip gloss with my Sephora points and the full size is now on my list. I have always love the shade of blush but translated into a lip gloss it is just stunning, especially during the summer. I don't wear much dark lipsticks in the summer  but I do like a little color and shine when I'm going out and this is just perfect.

Life Favorites - May

1. Book - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. This book. Everyone that I know and everyone that I don't know is reading this book. To be perfectly honest the synopsis didn't interest me in the least but everyone was raving about it. I got suckered in. Worth it? Yes, Yes, YES! It's an absolutely fantastic book. It's witty, funny, romantic and sad. It's a real tear jerker in some places but the brilliance is the emotional connection the author is able to get you to make with the characters. I definitely needed a box of tissue. The short is a young girl with cancer meets a boy at a support group and falls in love. It screams box of tissue but the journey is captivating. And in case you didn't know, it is also a major motion picture due for theatrical release June 6, 2014.

2. TV Show - Orphan Black  Can I just say...wow. Amazon Instant Video kept insisting I watch this show. I hadn't even heard about it but I decided to try it. Most shows I watch on BBC end up being pretty good especially Sci Fi ones. Those British know how to make shows. I was hooked in the first 10 minutes of the first episode. The acting in brilliant. The story line is different and intriguing. It keeps you on your toes. You can't look away or you might miss something but you don't want to ever look away. Watch it if you haven't! I don't want to give anything away but it is just good.

3. Song - Chandelier by Sia I had never heard of Sia and the only reason I watched the video is because Maddie Ziegler from Lifetime's Dance Moms stars in it. The dancing is brilliant. The song is powerful and catchy and after one listen I had bought it on iTunes. Definitely my favorite song this month.

4. Food - Nutribullet Pro. Ok it's not food but it let's me make my favorite food of the month which is green smoothies. A typical smoothie consists of spinach, kale, frozen mango, peaches, strawberries, banana, coconut water, chia seeds and Vega Protein Smoothie powder. I have successfully gotten everyone in my family to drink them and love them. Even my husband who thought he couldn't drink or eat anything that was green in color.

5. Jewelry - Infinity Necklace It's a little weird to have a jewelry favorite especially for me because I have lots of fashion necklaces. One of my favorite quotes from The Fault in Our Stars is 'Sometimes infinities are bigger than other infinities' - John Green. Thus the infinity necklace. It's simple and pretty. I love wearing it with summer tshirts.

6. Music Album - Karmin Pulses I know my favorite song isn't on this album but to be fair, Sia's album isn't out yet. Karmin's Pulses is the first album I listen to entirely on repeat since Carrie Underwood's albums. That's saying alot because I usually change the song on the radio before it ever finishes. The beat is nice and the talent is awesome.

7. Movie - Maleficient We haven't actually went and seen this movie yet but I put it on my list because it is the one movie release we have been looking forward to all year. With a deployment imminent, the girls and I probably won't be able to sneak away and see it until next week but the anticipation is enough for it to make the list. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

8. Electronic - Macbook Pro with Retina display  This is a big one for me. For 3#%# years I have been a Windows PC girl. I was in the market for a new laptop for starting at Kansas State University this fall. I wanted it to be light yet powerful. All the reasons aside, it was worth it. The display is amazing, The power is amazing. The quality and construction is amazing. The ease of use is amazing. I can't say enough good things about it. I don't think I'll ever get rid of my Windows Desktop because I am an avid computer gamer and you can't beat PC's for gaming but my Macbook has now replaced my laptop.

The One with Eddie Funkhouser Cosmetics

This story started in April when I received my April Wantable* box. Inside was an eye shadow palette by Eddie Funkhouser. I had honestly never heard of the brand before but the colors were gorgeous, were the perfect shades and they were so nice on my eyes. I was intrigued so I started looking around for more information on the product line. Here is a little of what I found. From EddieFunkhouser.com:

EDDIE FUNKHOUSER® is a game-changing cosmetics brand created by veteran makeup artist, spokesperson and expert product developer, Eddie Funkhouser. With its refined, minimalist packaging and world-class, studio-grade formulas (created predominantly in Italy), the EDDIE FUNKHOUSER range has the look and performance of prestige cosmetics delivered to customers everywhere at an unprecedented value.

Wantable hosted a twitter chat with Eddie that I went to. It was also my very first twitter chat like that. Admittedly I am new to the world of social media outside of Facebook which I typically use to just keep in contact with friends and family. The experience was fun and it was nice getting to know a little bit about the man behind the brand. At the end of the chat the participants got a coupon code to use and use it I did! I knew I loved the product I did own and wanted to try more! 

Two blushes I received were the Ultra Intensity Cheek Color's in Sidestreet Blossom (top left) and Peep Show (bottom right). These blushes are stunning. They are very pigmented, smooth and buttery. Because of the pigmentation, a little goes a long way. I have very dry skin and they did not cling to any dry patches nor did they appear powdery or cakey. The colors are gorgeous for my light skin tone and I think with how pigmented they are would be great for any skin tone. 

       (Ultra Intensity Cheek Color in Peep Show)

        (Ultra Intensity Cheek Color in Sidestreet Blossom)

         (left Peep Show, right Sidestreet Blossom)

The eye shadow quad I received is the Hyperreal Eye Color Palette in Ultimate Smoky Eye (left) and the bronzer is the Ultra Definition Bronze & Sculpt Powder in Pyramid Bronze (right). 

The bronzer is the perfect shade. Depending upon how you swirl your brush in the colors you can get a lighter or darker tone. Sometimes I use bronzers as my blush and this would be perfect for that as well. It has a slight glow to it that the swatch just doesn't pick up. It's not quite a shimmer and it's definitely not matte. It has a slight sheen and it is just stunning on the face. I typically use a cheek bone highlight as well but instead I just picked up a little of the lighter color to use. Overall, I love it. I love the versatility and I love the finish. It has quickly become my new favorite bronzer. The swatch below I went a little lighter because I have a very fair complexion but the intensity is definitely buildable to darker for darker complexions or just a more intense contour.

        (Ultra Definition Bronze & Sculpt Powder in Pyramid Bronze)

The eye shadows in the palette are top: Headliner, Center Stage and bottom: Archtype, Femme Fatale. These eye shadows are very creamy. Headliner is not as pigmented as the other three but I used it as a base eye shadow shade and it worked well. My favorite in the quad is definitely Center Stage. It has the perfect amount of shimmer to it that makes it a gorgeous lid color. I did find myself wishing there would have been a highlight shade. I typically like a white highlight for the brow bone. Since I didn't have one I used the lightest shade from the bronzer which by itself is a gorgeous warm highlight and worked ok. Eddie Funkhouser also has single eye shadows though there isn't any shades that I would typically choose as a highlight. The closest would be Silver Lining but I'd have to see a swatch or try it out to know for sure. There is a really pretty shade in the Bedroom Eyes eye shadow quad called Coy that is described as a shimmering frost white. They also have a product called Chromagraphic Eye Gloss that looks like it would be stunning as well. I have added all three to my shopping list to try! There are also pigments, eye liners and mascaras.

        (Hyperreal Eye Color Palette in Ultimate Smoky Eye)

        (left to right, Headliner, Center Stage, Archtype, Femme Fatale)

Now the lippies. I wanted to try the formula so I chose two colors that I would wear daily. I tend to like mauve toned nudes. You know, the your lips but better colors. So for the lipstick I chose the Hyperreal Nourishing Lip Color in Innuendo. For the lip gloss I chose something a bit more coral toned for the summer. The lip stick is so buttery. It feels good on my lips, almost like a lip gloss but it looks like a lipstick and the color was exactly what I was looking for. The quality is amazing. With the gloss on top it added a very pretty shine. The gloss is the Hyperreal Hydrating Lip Gloss in Love Rush. It isn't too thick, tacky or glittery. There is also a Chromographic Lip Color  that I want to try. 

        (Hyperreal Hydrating Lip Gloss in Love Rush)

       (Hyperreal Nourishing Lip Color in Innuendo)

       (left Innuendo, right Love Rush)

The last two products I got to try were the Luxlight Hydrating Primer in Candlelight and the Luxlight Revitalizing Foundation in Fair. Let me just say that I was pleasantly surprised by both of these products. The primer itself smoothed my skin and I might actually wear this alone this summer with a little translucent powder to set it. The foundation I would say is medium coverage but buildable. I built the coverage up and it was not cakey. It didn't cling to my dry spots. I used a foundation brush to dab it on and then a beauty blender type sponge to smooth it out. With my dry skin I don't typically use a brush for most foundations so I can't say how it would apply with a brush but with my blender it was  flawless. It blended right into the skin. I don't know about the lasting power yet. I did not set it with a powder today so I could test it out. I'll get back to you on that. 

So here is a complete look with the products. I used a mascara that I had already from Maybelline and an under eye concealer also from Maybelline. Everything else i used was the products mentioned. (It's hard to see the eye makeup because of my glasses but it didn't occur to me to take them off!) If you follow me on Instagram  I will be sure to upload a photo sans glasses next time so you can see the beautiful eye shadow. 

On a side note, the very few times I have messaged a brand on social media, the responses (if I even received one) were slow and scripted. When I received my order one of the products had been affected by the heat and shipping. As with any new company, they are still working out a few kinks on the website and I reached out to Eddie Funkhouser and Eddie responded personally and put me in contact with someone that could help. The problem was resolved immediately and Eddie Funkhouser cosmetics went above and beyond. On the website under the About Eddie section it says

#ASKEDDIE represents the EDDIE FUNKHOUSER message of accessibility and Eddie’s personal mission to connect directly with his customer as often as he can so that he can continue to do what he enjoys most about makeup–teaching, sharing, and exploring.

From my personal experience, this is absolutely true. Every time I have contacted Eddie Funkhouser, he has personally responded. Overall, I absolutely love the products in the line that I have tried and look forward to trying and reviewing more products. I am very impressed by the customer service experience I had and the personability that Eddie has. I will most definitely be trying more products in the future and highly recommend them! 

 These opinions are my own and this post is in no way sponsored nor did I receive any compensation for my review. 

*Wantable is a monthly subscription service. 

The One with the Move

A side effect of being a military family are the moves. My husband is working on 15+ years as a soldier in the Army. It's a life that none other share except other military families. Friends and family not affiliated with the armed forces will pretend to understand, sympathize and offer often times unsolicited advice with the best intentions but the truth is, they can't really understand. I'm not saying its better or worse than any other scenario out there. I'm just saying it's different and like with anything it comes with its own somewhat unique challenges and one of those is the possibility of hearing the words "I've come down on orders" and you know it's PCS time (that's permanent change of station).  This time we were moving from Joint-Base Lewis McChord which is in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest about 10 minutes south of Tacoma, Washington...to Fort Riley, KS. Kansas. Really?!?! (Spoiler: Dorothy was there to greet us after our long trip from The Emerald City).

Now I realize we don't know each other that well but a little tid bit more about me is that I am from Texas. Born and raised in a small country town north of Houston that is about 2 miles from one side to the other. The "suburbs" of that town has Prairie in its name. I'm not joking. If we wanted to go to anything resembling a mall or a decent restaurant even, then it required a thirty minute drive so I am familiar with the concept of living in the middle of nowhere. That is why I dreaded the move to Kansas. I need civilization. I need a Starbucks on every corner. I need malls and shopping centers. I need more than vast plains and tornado's.

 Nevertheless, I am always up for an adventure. You have to be with my life. Packing up three kids, two cats and a husband to drive halfway across the country is still exciting no matter how many times you do it even if a little daunting. Weeks and months of planning and anticipation and its all over before you know it. If you get the chance, enjoy the ride. Share the experience with your family. Take lots of photos. This move was bittersweet because I fell in love with Washington. It's indescribable. The views, the culture, the outdoors. Now that we are in Kansas I am trying to make the most of our time here and not dwell everyday on how much I miss it. Because who knows? In three years we might get to hear those words one more time.

We drove through Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado on our way here and the drive was breathtaking in some places and incredibly dull in others. We moved at the beginning of April and still drove through a snow storm in Utah. It was amazing. I can't remember where each of these photos were taken. I wish I had documented it better but I'm glad I got to stop and take them along the way. It was a pretty smooth trip and our arrival at Fort Riley was even smoother. It's just one more experience we can add to our ever growing list. Here is a few shots we were blessed to be able to take and now share with you. Enjoy!

Ipsy May 2014

The best thing about subscription boxes? It's like Christmas when you open your mailbox once (or twice, or three times) a month! Today I received my Ipsy bag. Can I first just say I LOVE this month's bag? Just the bag. I haven't even tried the samples in the bag yet but it's already one of my favorites. It's so fresh and bright. Perfect for spring and summertime.

Ipsy is a monthly subscription service. For $10 dollars a month you receive 4-5 makeup and beauty samples like other subscription services but what makes Ipsy unique is that each month your goodies arrive in a makeup bag. They are fantastic to pop in a few essentials and throw it in your purse or bag. Ipsy also rewards its subscribers with points for reviews, etc. that you can use to redeem goodies. Each month the products offered in subscribers bags also come with often deep discount codes for the products sampled. So what is in my bag this month you ask? 

Lots of goodies to get you ready for summer including a Therapy Session Hair Mask by Eva NYC, Classic Sport SPF50 by Hang Ten, Mineral Eyeshadow Duo by Pacifica, Microdermabrasion Scrub by derma e, and The Olive Lip Balm by Olive Natural Beauty. 

I am always impressed with the sample sizes that are in my Ipsy bag. I can't wait to try these products! What did you get in your bag?