Happy Halloween

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Halloween is my favorite holiday.  I think the reason is because I have a dark and morbid side.  I love scary movies and gore and I really enjoy mystery novels.  Although death does scare me a bit, I find it very intriguing.  Maybe it's a fascination with the unknown.  I hope you get to dress up and go out and enjoy the night or stay in and watch a scary movie or snuggle up with a good mystery novel, whichever appeals to you.  Enjoy Halloween.   

Random Friday: A story

Instead of five random tidbits from the week, today I have one random story.

On Wednesday night the husband and I are sitting at our dinner table, eating dinner when I hear a faint, pathetic whimper.  I notice that Lola is not under our table as usual looking for random crumbs, so I get up and find her laying in the kitchen shaking like a little leaf.  I immediately start to panic.  I ask her if she is okay, she replies with watery, over sized doe eyes.  I gently pick her up and start gently pressing on all of her appendages.  She does not cry out, so I'm still very perplexed as to what is wrong.  I did ask her to use her words, but we all know how that turned out.  So, I put her down on the rug in the living room and created a line of dog food to see if she would walk and eat each piece.  She walked a little, limping and then gave up and sat down.  It was apparent to me that she hurt her front left leg or paw.  I demanded that we go to the vet (ours is opened 24/7) and see what is wrong with her, but my rational husband said we should give it some time and see if it gets better (or worse).  Fine.

Lola is injured

All night she does not move from her bed.  In the morning she walks around a little, but not much and she is still limping.  She usually greets me from the top of the stairs when I get home in the afternoons, but that afternoon I was only greeted by Sheldon.

Sheldon: Lola's BFF

I went upstairs and she is laying in her bed.  I had to carry her downstairs, since she would not even attempt to walk down them.  When the husband gets home she looks up at him with her big eyes, but does not run to greet him at the door.  Then the husband and I both go upstairs to change into casual wear for an afternoon walk (we do this every day after work).  Lola does not like for us to be in a room together without her and after a few minutes she comes running down the hallway and runs up the stairs.  We both stop what we are doing and look at her.  You can see the 'oh shit' in her eyes as she realizes she is no longer injured and will no longer be treated as such.  Since then she has been as good as new.

Have a great weekend!

Popsugar: September

I'm pretty far behind on doing reviews for my monthly box.  I've actually already received October's box, as well.  September's box was delivered very late in the month and I really wanted to give myself some time to try out the products.  Just a small side note, starting in November the price of the Popsugar Must Have box will increase from $35 to $39.95.  Find out more HERE.

Barr-Co Original Scent Reed Diffuser
Description:  This reed diffuser comes in the original scent, which is a blend of milk, oatmeal and viveter.
Price: $46.00
Review:  This really made the entire box worth it.  The scent is fabulous without being overbearing.  It's very hard to have a consistent scent in our loft, since our ceilings are so tall, but I placed this close to the door and I smell it every single time I come home.  It's one of my favorite box items.

You'll have to tilt your head.  I noticed too late that I didn't flip this picture.  

Sharkies
Description: Organic energy chews
Price: $17.80 for a box of 12 (about $1.48 each)
Review:  They definitely are VERY chewy. (Like stick in your teeth chewy)  I'm a gummy bear addict, but I honestly didn't really care for these.  I also did not notice any change in my energy level.  Of course I wasn't being active when I ate these, I was sitting at my desk.  So, there you go.

That's It 
Description: It's an all natural, vegan bar with only two ingredients - fruit and fruit.
Price: $19.99 for a box of 12 (about $1.66 each)
Review:  This bar was pretty amazing.  I thought it was absolutely delicious and am pretty amazed by the ingredients.  I would definitely buy this in the future.  It was a great, filling (healthy) snack.

This is a $25 gift card to Shoptiques.  I briefly looked at the website and they have a few cute pieces.  

Rifle Paper Co. 
Description: Botanical Coaster Set
Price: $16.00
Review: I'm not a floral person and I will never use these in my home.  They would make a good hostess gift for someone who likes floral patterns.

P.S. You're Invited
Description: It's a DIY book.
Price: $18.55 (Amazon)
Review: I'm not big on DIY.  I'm not a crafty or patient person.  I flipped through the book thinking I might try something and honestly I didn't like anything that was DIY'ed in the book.

My Kitsch Headbands
Description: These are just like the crease less hair ties, except they are head bands.
Price: Around $15.99
Review: I've been using these headbands to pull my hair off my face when working out and when I wash my face.  They work better if most of you hair is already in a ponytail.

There you have it, that's the September box.

Random Friday

1. Just in case you haven't heard, Amazon now has a beauty store.  Yes, you could buy some beauty products on Amazon before now, but this is a luxury beauty store, meaning more high end products.  Plus you can still use Prime.  My Amazon addiction continues.

2. Let's talk about Project Runway, shall we?  Spoiler Alert.  I haven't seen the last final episode so I don't know who won, but I have seen all the other episodes.  Some randoms: I was so glad when Ken was eliminated.  He spent most of his time in the bottom three and his attitude was too much.  I am glad that Helen did not make it to the runway show.  I am shocked that Alexandria did.  Who do you think will win?  I honestly think Dom will win.  I guess we will see (unless you watched the finale already and then, well, you know.)

3. I came across THIS blazer on the Target website.  It seems like a 'save' version of THIS blazer that I posted not too long ago.  I've added to my wishlist.

Target Version

J.Crew Version

4.  My friend Kim sent me this pin via Pinterest the other day and I am determined to make it.  The only problem is that I'm not really that crafty.  I showed it to the husband and he kind of snickered.  Still, I am determined and am going to attempt it this weekend.  That or I will give up.  One of the two.

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5. The weather was rather dreary in Dallas earlier this week.  I love dreary.  By dreary I mean that it rained off and on for about 3 or so days.  The downside is that the temperatures stayed in the 70s.  So it was warm and very humid.  This pin on Pinterest describes my hair during this time.

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Have a great weekend!

Beauty Spotlight: Real Techniques Brush Set

A month or so ago I bought a real Techniques brush set from Ulta.  I had heard a lot about these brushes on different blogs and saw them pinned on Pinterest a lot.  So, naturally I was intrigued.  Ulta had them as part of their 21 days sale for 20% off.  I combined that with my $3.50 off coupon and got this set for quite a steal.  I originally wanted just the foundation brush, but could not pass up the deal for the set.

My brush collection before this purchase consisted of random brushes I received with product purchases.  I have one from Prescriptives, Mark., and a few from bareMinerals.  All very random and used randomly for different things, which creates a lot of product transfer.  I'm very happy to have the start of a set at a reasonable price.

I actually don't even use the foundation brush for foundation, but I'll get to that.  This is the buffing brush.  After I moisturize I put on concealer and a layer of foundation.  Then I use this brush to apply this pressed powder to my T zone.  This is my favorite brush.  It allows me to put the product where I want it (none of the product flies haphazardly off the brush) and I can easily layer on the amount of product that I desire.  The bristles are soft and do not irritate my skin.  This brush is very plush, so I don't feel like I'm using a wimpy brush at all.

This is the contouring brush.  I use it to apply bronzer.  The shape of this brush allows me more control over the product application.  It's also shaped to easily apply product right under my cheek bones.

This is the foundation brush.  In my opinion it is a bit small to use to apply foundation.  That or I have a ginormous face.  I like full coverage, so I apply foundation over my entire face.  So instead of using it for foundation, I use it to apply highlighter.  It's a smaller brush, so it's perfect to apply a small amount of product right on the top of my cheekbones, down my nose and on the front of my chin.

This is the detailer brush.  It's very small and works perfect to apply lipstick or even concealer.  It has a small point, which makes detailed application easier.

Overall each brush is easy to use.  The handles allow for a nice grip and so far none of them have started to shed.  They are easy to wash, as well.  I would definitely purchase more brushes from this brand in the future.

Random Friday

Hey, welcome to the end of the week.  It's been a pretty long week and I am very much in need of a nice, quiet weekend.  Let's get to the randoms.

1. Marc Jacobs is leaving Louis Vuitton.  When I read this I was actually taken aback, but then I realized that it was so he could focus on his own brand.  I heard a rumor that he left LV to work at Coach, which really just made me laugh.  But no, it was for his own brand as it heads towards an IPO.  He has definitely made a name for himself and I can't wait to see what else he brings to his brand.

2. Tom Clancy died.  He was a best selling author.  I am a huge book nerd and this news really bothered me.  I've fallen into one of Clancy's books many times.  That's the sign of a good author.  If I feel like I'm in the story experiencing what the characters are experiencing and if I think about the characters for days after reading the final page, then it was an excellent book.  He definitely wrote excellent novels.

3. Guess who is having a mascara sale again?  Some brands are over 50% off.  It might be worth checking out.

4. Have you heard of KillSwitch?  It's an app that deletes your ex from your Facebook profile, without defriending him (or her).  It's a lot like 'ignoring' someone on Facebook, but this will also delete posts where your ex is tagged, etc.  There's an app for everything, apparently.

5.  My birthday is this month and I'm starting the celebrations early with a girls night tonight.  Some friends and I are going to one of those paint and drink type of things.  It's one of my very favorite things to do and I am so excited about it.  My paintings don't always look so great, but it's a really fun experience.