Summer 2015 FabFitFun Reveal

This post is a little late. I feel like I have been slacking on my blog posts lately, but I've been super busy! I have a few unboxings/reveals coming up to make up for it though, so stay tuned.

What is FabFitFun?

FabFitFun is a quarterly subscription box that costs $49.99. I am in love with this subscription box because it is jam-packed with over $200 worth of full-sized, premium products. There are fashion, fitness, and seasonal products included in the boxes. I have ALWAYS felt like I've gotten my money's worth with the FabFitFun subscriptions. Interested in trying it out? Sign up here to get $10 off your first box!

Summer 2015 Reveal

The Everyday Wireless Speaker by FabFitFun ($29.99): I am super excited about this speaker. This is such a great item for the summer! We live in an apartment and have a community pool, and I will definitely need to take this down the next time we go to play some tunes. This speaker would also be great for a backyard barbeque (if we had a backyard that is - deck barbeque?)!

Inkling Scents Sultry Roll-On Oil Perfume ($25): I really like this scent. I have some other perfumes that I am making my way through, but I will definitely use this down the road. I do prefer regular spray perfume rather than a roll-on perfume though. They also include a code to get 15% off your total purchase of other Inkling Scents products online.

Gorge "I'll Make You Look Amazing" Daily Spray ($24.95): I have never heard of this brand before, but I will be giving this product a shot. This is a leave-in conditioner that is supposed to restore moisture and repair hair damage. My hair is somehow ALWAYS frizzy, so hopefully this product will help with that a little bit without making my hair appear greasy. I'll keep you updated on that!

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss ($19): I am such a huge fan of Tarte products. They are one of my favorite makeup brands because they have such high quality products. This lip gloss has amazing pigmentation and is not really sticky. I think my lips are in love!

FabFitFun x CosmoBody Jump Rope ($14): I got a jump rope from a PopSugar Must Have box last spring/summer (2014), but I am pretty sure that it got lost in our most recent move. I am really happy to have a new one! I haven't had a chance to test this out yet, but the handles feel like they will be really comfortable. Jumping rope is such a quick and easy way to burn calories while still getting a KILLER workout. This will be good for the days when I am unable to make it to my workout class!

Scratch Nail Wraps ($12): I'm not necessarily a huge fan of the design that I received for these nail wraps, and I really prefer Jamberry wraps in general, but I will probably give these a try once I finish the Jamberry wraps that I have on hand.

Headspace 3-Month Subscription ($38.85): I had never heard of Headspace before, so when I first opened my box I assumed that it was a music subscription. However, it's a mediation app. I think that this will be a really good product to try out in about a month when the fall semester starts up, and I am really busy at work. Mediation will be the perfect way to relax!

Hello Konjac Cleansing Sponge ($12):

Wren 14kt Gold and Black Sapphire Necklace ($100): I am such a HUGE fan of this necklace. Typically I don't like the jewelry that comes out of subscription boxes because they tend to be statement pieces and I prefer really delicate pieces, but this necklace is just my style! It is super cute and the black sapphire breaks up the solid gold. Granted, I would prefer this piece if it was in silver since most of my other jewelry is silver, but it is still fantastic and I will get a lot of use out of it. Definitely a 10/10 and probably my favorite item from the box.

Sponsored: Vaseline IntensiveCare Aloe Soothe Spray Moisturizer ($7.99): This was the sponsored product included in the box this month, and the moisturizer itself is easy to use and does not really feel greasy. However, I almost prefer regular moisturizer from a bottle. The spray bottle does not really reduce the amount of time that one might spend applying the moisturizer.

All FabFitFun boxes come with a card that says the edition of the box on the outside with detailed descriptions and retail prices of all the products inside. This is such a great way to see the retail value of the box. In case you weren't keeping track as we went, the retail price of this box was $275.79!

 Interested?

Interested in trying it out? Sign up here to get $10 off your first box!

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. I am not being paid by FabFitFun to promote their service, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I do receive a referral credit if someone signs up through any of the affiliate links on this page.

#43: run a half marathon

In January I decided to do something a little crazy--I registered for a half-marathon in my city even though I had not been consistently running (or running at all, really) for months. You might notice that in my 101 Tasks in 1001 Days challenge, many of the tasks under improve are related to health and/or fitness. Despite challenging myself to complete each of these goals though, I have not made a whole lot of progress in the past year. I am the type of person who is generally unmotivated to do something unless I have invested time/money/effort into it--which is particularly why I decided to register for the half-marathon. I knew that I wanted to get back to consistently working out, and I figured that the best way to do that was to put money towards my half-marathon registration fee. Then I COULDN'T let myself back out.

Even though I registered in January, I did not start officially training until mid-February because the race was at the beginning of May and my training program lasted 12 weeks. (I did spend January working my way back up to comfortably running 3 miles without stopping.) I used the Hal Higdon Novice 2 Training Program as a guide while training, and really liked it. If I do a half-marathon again, I will most definitely be using this guide.

Training went really well, and I actually began to enjoy running. Weird, right? When the day of the half-marathon rolled around, it was ridiculously HOT. If I had to change one thing that I did, I would have lied about my anticipated finish time when registering (I picked the 12:00min/mile or above category) so that I could have finished earlier. The heat definitely impacted my performance, and even though I completed the race, I did it much slower than I anticipated or wanted.

Despite the heat, the experience of running in the Lincoln National Guard Half Marathon was terrific. The community came out in full force and lined the streets as nearly 12,500 people ran between 13.1 and 26.2 miles. Let me just say--the signs that the community members held up were AWESOME! Some of them made me laugh out loud, and others just made me shake my head because they were ridiculous. My son and husband were waiting for me around the 6.5/7 mile mark since it was near our house. Hearing them cheer me on and getting a high five from my little guy made my day!

My mom ran the half-marathon too and she ROCKED it. (She's over 50!)
This was us pre-race.

The CS@CBA team showed up in full-force.
Having the support of these wonderful co-worker/friends while training was so important!

My mom and I after the race in our Lincoln marathon shirts and with our medals.
WE DID IT!
#finishers

Family picture after the race.
(Yes, Hayden did steal my mom's medal.)

Overall, the half marathon was a great experience, and I could see myself doing it again. I am considering registering for the Lincoln Halfsy in November... so we'll see!

June 2015 Stitch Fix Review (Fix #5)

It's that time of the month... my June Stitch Fix box arrived in my mailbox yesterday and I could not be more excited! This is literally my favorite part of the month. What is better than someone picking out five pieces of clothing and sending them to you in the mail? Answer: NOTHING!

What the heck is Stitch Fix?

I honestly do not remember the first moment that I learned about Stitch Fix, but I would guess it was when I was doing research into what type of subscription service to try next. For those of you who might not know what Stitch Fix is, it is essentially a subscription box where you pay $20 for a stylist to send you 5 pieces of clothing in the mail. Then, you get to pick out which items you want to keep or return (if you keep all 5 pieces, you get a 25% discount). Your $20 styling fee is deducted from the price of the items that you keep. And don't worry about price points - you get to indicate which price range you are comfortable with!

Here's how it works:

• You sign up for Stitch Fix and fill out a style profile. Your style profile gathers information like your height, weight, bra/dress/pant size. It asks how you like your clothes to fit. Then you get to choose what styles of clothing you like, ranked from hate it to love it. You can choose if there are any clothing or accessory items that you do NOT want to receive, and then set your price range for different items of clothing.
• Schedule your fix and include notes to your stylist. (Try to keep your notes positive. Example: I really want a good pair of colored jeans. Avoid saying that you do NOT want something in your notes - that's what your style profile is for!)
• Your stylist will pick out five items for you based on your profile and notes that they think you might like.
• Try everything on and decide what you want to keep and send back. Stitch Fix includes a return bag, so all you have to do is checkout on their website and drop the bag of clothes you aren't keeping in the mail within three business days. Don't forget to leave your stylist feedback about why you loved an item or sent it back so they can improve future fixes. BE HONEST!

Disclaimer: I have noticed that my Fixes have gotten better as my stylist learns what I do and do not like. Also, once I got a really great fix, I requested to keep that stylist in my feedback/notes. This helps because then you have a consistent stylist who knows you and your style.

June 2015 Stitch Fix Review

This is my fifth fix, and this is my third fix with Sheri as my stylist. She just kicks it out of the park EVERY time. I'm so excited to share what I got!

All Fixes come with a note from your stylist. Generally these note cards comment about why your stylist picked particular items for you. Here's my note from Sheri:

I had requested a number of specific Stitch Fix items that I have seen pop up on some other blogs that I follow. I had also requested more of a casual fix for this month because it's summer and I do not have as many casual summer tops as I would like.

Next up is the style card. This shows a summary of what you received in your box and some potential ideas about how to style it:

This card is great for me because I am not always the most creative person when trying to pair clothing pieces!

First up, the Ezra Bell Dress [$58]: Okay, I love, love, LOVE this dress. Sheri hit the nail on the head when she said that she thought this would be the perfect casual dress for me. It is SO comfortable and fun. The fabric is really soft and flowy, and the lace detail on the bottom makes the dress something super unique! The past few days, it has been super hot here... and despite the fact that it is a casual dress, I could definitely pull it off at work. I'm also contemplating wearing it to my best friend's bachelorette party since it will be a laid-back and casual event.

Verdict: KEPT (Duh!)

Honey Punch Layla Striped Elbow Patch Detail Cardigan [$48]: This was an item that I had specifically requested, and Sheri delivered! I am always cold in my office and around the house, so cardigans are my go-to attire. The fabric of this is so soft and the cardigan is really comfortable--perfect for layering! I also really love the elbow patches on the sleeves (a big reason why I requested the piece in the first place). Even though this is a small, it seems a little big on me, so I will probably contact customer service to see if they have an extra-small to exchange.

Verdict: KEPT (will try to exchange for a smaller size, but will keep the small if CS does not have an extra-small)

Romolo Sylvie Double Crescent Collar Necklace [$28]: I had requested a delicate necklace that another Stitch Fix subscriber had posted to their blog. Unfortunately, they were out of that piece, so Sheri sent me this one instead. It is plain and simple (which is my jewelry style!), but the double crescent seems to make the necklace not as delicate as I would have liked. I do not hate it, and I could definitely wear it with the cardigan as Sheri suggested, but I am just not sure that I would reach for this necklace on a consistent basis. 

Verdict: KEPT for discount (willing to sell!)

Loveappella Barths Contrast Yoke Knit Top [$54]: Originally, I had requested the Rowson Colorblock Striped Sweater but I had also put in my stylist note that I was looking for t-shirts. Sheri did a great job finding something similar in style to the Rowson sweater, but still light enough to wear during the summer! Again, this shirt is super soft. You might find it hard to see in the picture (excuse the bad lighting and the blurriness - that's what happens when a 5-year-old is taking the pictures), but there are a few buttons on the top of the left side of the shirt. Really cute! I feel like I could easily dress this shirt up or down depending on my mood--versatility is always great.

Verdict: KEPT

Renee C Iman Crochet Strap Top [$48]: What is more perfect for summer than a top with crocheted details? The colors of this shirt aren't necessarily my favorite - I generally like more vibrant colors and these are a little dull - but I loved the way this shirt felt when it was on. It was very light and flowy - SO important for summer! Also, I could just die over how much I love the crochet back of this top. 

Verdict: KEPT

Were you keeping track? This fix ending up being a 4/5 as far as pieces that I really loved and just didn't want to part with for various reasons. The only piece that I was not originally sold on was the necklace. If I just bought the three shirts and the dress, my total would be $188 ($208 minus the $20 styling credit that I already paid). But if I kept everything including the necklace, my total would be $157 when taking into account the 25% discount. That's a savings of $31 - which is $3 more than the necklace even costs!

If anyone reading is absolutely in love with the necklace, let me know and I would be willing to sell it to you for $26 ($28 minus a 25% discount of $7, plus $5 for shipping). Otherwise I'm sure that I would wear it occasionally with some of my plain tops.

Interested?

Are you interested in signing up for Stitch Fix? Feel free to use this referral link!

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. I am not being paid by Stitch Fix to promote their service, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I do receive a referral credit if someone signs up through any of the affiliate links on this page.

Influenster Review: Reese's Spreads

Remember a couple months ago when I mentioned that I signed up for Influenster? It is a super cool website where you can be selected for campaigns based on your interests and how active you are on social media. I was selected to participate in the Reese's Spreads campaign. Even though I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

 Honestly, I loved this product. I just don't know what else to say about it. It is delicious. I've paired it with a variety of foods including, but not limited to the following:

• Apples
• Saltine crackers
• Celery
• Reese's Spreads & jelly sandwiches

My favorite combination is to have Reese's Spreads with apples. My son will eat it with absolutely anything! At least three times a week he asks to have the "chocolate" peanut butter. And that's exactly what it tastes like. Chocolate and peanut butter combined into a spread. It is absolutely terrific!

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

ipsy bag - January 2015

I recently signed up for ipsy and today I got my first pink bag in the mail! I am super excited to share with you all what I got. In general, I'm pretty happy with all of the products.

I received three full-sized products and two sample product. The bag this month is pretty awesome too. One side of it is blue, one white with a coral zipper. Their theme this month is "fresh start" and the message said: A kickoff so clean the possibilities are endless. Get ready for a fantastic and flawless 2015. All of the products seem to match up with the theme pretty darn well.

Bellapierre Cosmetics Eyeshadow: This is a full-sized loose shimmer eyeshadow in the shade Celebration (SP017). It is a pretty brown/gold shade. I LOVE neutral colors, so I think that I would get a lot of use out of this shade. The only thing I do not like about this product is that I am not typically a fan of loose shadows.

Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eyeshadow: Another pretty eyeshadow. This one is in the shade "ethereal" and it is literally a super nude shade. It looks like it has a little bit of shimmer in it as well. I can go one of two ways with this eyeshadow: 1) I'm really pale, so I am not sure if this shade will show up very well; 2) I do like to be fairly natural, so this could be a nice shade for those days when I don't want to look like I'm wearing a lot of makeup.

Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow Brush: I'm very excited for this brush because I do not have a ton of makeup brushes! It will definitely get a lot of use.

Probelle Nail Polish: This nail polish is in the shade Into The Blue. It's a super pretty color that will look great in the spring. I have not tried a Probelle polish before, so I can't speak to the quality. The color is gorgeous though!

Eco-Beauty Moisturizer: One of my sample products. My skin is always ridiculously dry in the winter months and this year is no exception. I'm stoked to try out this moisturizer because I'm always looking for a new product that will hydrate my skin well.

Overall thoughts? I'm quite happy with my first ipsy bag. I will get use out of all the products that came. The only thing that would have made this bag better was if one of the eyeshadows had been replaced with an eyeliner. Are you subscribed to ipsy? If so, what did you get in your bag this month?

Interested in subscribing? Use my referral link to sign up: click here! I get some points for you signing up and you get to try 4-5 beauty products for only $10 per month.

Welcome to 2015!

What is a new year without having some new year resolutions? I feel like this is a fairly common type of post for the beginning of the year, but I want to hold myself accountable to my goals this time around.

Goal #1: Be healthier.
Typical... I know, I know. I could go on forever about the excuses I make, but that's not the point. I really want to start focusing on myself. Making myself a better me. I want to feel better about myself. There are a couple of steps beneath this goal that I specifically want to focus on:

• Train for a half-marathon. I signed up for a half-marathon in my local community that will take place in early May 2015.
• Eat healthier. Ideally, I want to work on reducing the amount of processed foods I eat. While I recognize that this goal might be challenging to achieve for the first half of 2015 since I am finishing up my graduate program, one main thing that I would like to do throughout the year is drink at least three Nutribullet drinks per week.

Goal #2: Be more intentional with my time.
I have a difficult time staying in the moment with my tasks or free time. I really want to focus on making 2015 a year where I manage both my professional and personal time. I think the commitments I have for the first half of 2015 should help me with this a little bit since I will be training for a half-marathon and writing a thesis to complete my final semester of graduate school.

Geesh. Remember when I said I suck at posting? I suck at posting. However, I am super excited to write this post today. A couple of months ago, I signed up for a website called Influenster. It is an awesome site where you can be selected for campaigns based on your interests and how active you are on social media. I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in the #ClearProof VoxBox campaign which is regarding Mary Kay's Clear Proof Acne System. Below is my honest review of Mary Kay's Clear Proof skin line. Even though I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes, all opinions of the products are my own.

#ClearProof VoxBox

The Clear Proof Acne System has four components to it: 1) Clarifying Cleansing Gel, 2) Blemish Control Toner, 3) Acne Treatment Gel, and 4) Oil-Free Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin. I will review each of these products one by one and then give my overall thoughts on the skin-care line.

Clarifying Cleansing Gel: I really enjoyed the formula of the cleansing gel. It was very smooth and foamed quite nicely. The smell seemed a little off to me, but in general, I was a big fan of the cleansing gel. I originally used the cleansing gel once a day in the evening because I was worried about abruptly changing my skin care routine and having it dry out my skin. Even though I was only using the cleansing gel once a day, my skin still had a somewhat negative reaction and became really dry.

Blemish Control Toner: Honestly, I absolutely LOVE this toner. I'm a big toner person in general, but I really like the effect this toner had on my face. It was very cooling and refreshing. Just like the cleansing gel, I only used the toner once a day in the evening because, despite my love for them, toners dry my face out if I use them more than once a day.

Acne Treatment Gel: This treatment gel is pretty darn amazing. Unlike the cleansing gel and the toner, I only used the treatment gel when I noticed zits emerging. I would simply put some gel on the zit and in a day or two it would be completely gone! Great product.

Oil-Free Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin: The moisturizer helped quite a bit with the dry skin that I was experiencing from the rest of the Clear Proof skin line, but it did not completely alleviate it. I did really like the formula of this moisturizer. It was smooth and lightweight. My skin didn't feel greasy after putting it on, which is a big deal for me.

Overall Review: I'm actually quite a big fan of the Clear Proof Acne System. I don't think I could ever switch solely to this product because of the fact that it was very drying on my skin, but using it in conjunction with my normal morning routine had great results. My skin is super clear. I couldn't be happier to have been introduced to this product!

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."