January 2012 Birchbox

So I cheated a little this month and saw what was in my box before it actually arrived at my house, but I can't say how excited I was for this month's box! After the December Birchbox was such a disappointment (so much so that I didn't do a blog post on it), I was happy to see a good one this time around.  Here's what I got:
Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy Perfum
Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash
Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Peacock
VMV Hypoallergenics Re-Everything: Face-Hand-Body Lotion
Larabar Mini Bar (extra)
Birchbox magnet

I was most excited for the Stila Smudge stick since I was actually considering buying a full-sized one in Peacock.  This is a really nice sample size and I think it'll last me quite a while.  I actually got a full-sized Origins Checks and Balances cleanser last year on earth day, but never tried it.  I think I'll use up the sample first and see how I like it.  Definitely not a fan of the Juicy Couture perfume, although I know a lot of people are, so I will probably give this one away in a swap.  The lotion also sounds promising and I'll definitely try that out too.  I'm just happy to see a box where I can get use out of all the products.  Both the cleanser and lotion are a really nice size for samples.  I hope next months box won't disappoint either.  I've also subscribed to MyGlam as well, so I will post a review on that when I receive it (should be soon!)
What did everyone get this month?

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow: Skinny Jeans Review

I'm not usually a fan of cream eye shadows because they always crease so badly, especially on my oily lids.  I first heard about this product on MakeupByTiffanyD from Youtube.  I thought the color looked gorgeous so I went out and bought it at the Benefit counter in Macys (at the time I got a 20% employee discount!)  This retails for $19 for 0.16oz. 

I've had this for over a year now, and I must say this is one of the best cream eye shadows I've used.  It's a nice taupe-silver color and is a perfect neutral to wear all over the lid.  I use this as a base all the time when I do a dark smoky eye, or if I want to keep it neutral I just top it with a light color (Urban Decay Ruthless) or a similar taupe color (MAC Satin Taupe or MAC Smoke and Diamonds).  This is really long lasting for me.  It's not completely crease-proof, but it lasts about 7 hours without creasing if I use a primer underneath.  I haven't used this as an eyeliner, only as an eye shadow so I can't say how well it wears.  Overall I highly recommend this product!  I'd love to try their other colors too.  Anyone have any recommendations for other good cream shadows?

It's Official! and a lesson learned

Applying for our civil unions license

So it's official!  We applied for our civil unions license at midnight on January 1st and had a small ceremony on the 2nd to officially complete the process.  We are supposed to get a temporary certificate online, but because of some computer glitches we have not yet had a chance to print it out yet, but it is official!
After changing our status on facebook, I got an upsetting phone call from my mom later that night telling me to hist my relationship status so no one could see it (or at least any family members I had on fb).  She said a relative had called my dad asking if I was married.  *Just a little background here: I never told my dad anything about my relationship with Alana, but I always just assumed he knew (after almost 7 years I would be surprised if he didn't).  Anyway after that incident, I was scared and didn't know what to do.  I was almost positive that he would be really angry and upset so I thought the best thing to do would be to wait it out.  Usually my instinct in a situation like this would be to run away from my problems and make rash decisions, but I'm glad I didn't.  I went to pick up a package I got at home and had a quick 2 second conversation with my dad about what had happened.  He wasn't upset or didn't react badly like I had predicted.  I was so overwhelmed and shocked by how well it went, I almost broke down crying in the car.  I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  I'm not sure how many people reading this will understand where I'm coming from, but I'm so thankful to have supportive people in my life. 
I promise more blogs will be coming soon, and I'll be sure to keep you guys updated as we plan the official ceremony later.  Hope everyone had a good new year!

Merry Xmas! and a small update

So my family celebrated xmas a day early this year since people were going to be traveling on xmas day.  It was a nice xmas lunch with my moms side of the family today and it was good seeing all my relatives again.  I feel like every time we get together for holidays I always have to leave early because I have to work.  Same deal today since I work at 3. 
I wish I could say I've been having a better holiday season, but I've never been more stressed out.  Work has just been so hectic, and I haven't had a day off since Monday.  To make matters worse, due to a series of unfortunate events we are extremely short handed at work now, and I'm seriously considering looking for another job.  I think it's about time to move on.
On a more positive note, civil unions are finally legalized as of January 1st, we we are definitely planning to get married after the new year.  We just want to get the paperwork done first, and then plan a small ceremony and reception later.  We've been engaged for over two years and we have been waiting a long time to do this, so we are so excited!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.  Merry Christmas, and have a happy new year!  Wishing everyone the best for the new year!

Sephora Haul

So yesterday was the last day to use the BI $15 gift card.  Yesterday was my day off so I headed to the Sephora store in Waikiki.  It's pretty new and I've never been there before and I have to say, I think they have the most selection and different brands here.  They have a ton of nail polish including Illamasqua and Dior among others.  They also have nail swatches of all the colors which is really helpful too.  The sales associates were really nice and helpful too, so I may be coming here from now on instead of the Ala Moana location. 
So I ended up buying a new Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($18) since I've been using my current tube for well over a year now.  I also picked up a new bottle of Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel.  I ran out of my sample size and since I'm running our of my Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser, I decided to just buy the full size ($26).  I knew I wanted to get some nail polish from their holiday collection, but after seeing swatches in store, I just settled on one which is Keep Me On My Mistletoe, a really pretty gold color.  I don't have any other gold nail polishes and I thought it was a nice festive color.  
What did everyone else get with your GC?

Warrior Dash!

Are you a Warrior?

I first heard about this a little over a month ago from my sister.  I thought it sounded pretty crazy at first, but after looking at their website I decided to sign up.  What is it?  "The Craziest Frickin' Day of Your Life", or a 5k (3.01 mile) race with 12 crazy obstacles.  It sounded fun and I really wanted to challenge myself both physically and mentally. 

The Hawaii race is on March 24, 2011 and this is the first year it's being hosted here.  At the time I registered it cost $45, but you do get a Warrior Dash t-shirt, helmet, free beer and a medal for finishing.  There is also an after-race party with live music and food.  Since it's a race there are prizes for the top three finishers, but I'm just hoping to finish the race this year. Registration is done through the Warrior Dash website and they do charge a $3 "processing fee" when you pay online, but there are promo codes online so keep an eye out for those (you can save $5 or so).  You also chose your wave time when you register, and I'm starting at 930.  On the race page they also have a map of the course with all the obstacles so you know what you're getting yourself into.

I've recently been going on runs around my neighborhood in order to start getting in shape for the race.  I've been running (and walking) about a mile each run about 3 times a week. 

Is anyone else participating in this?  Sounds like a lot of fun!  It's also motivation for me to start exercising and getting into shape. 

NOTD: Sephora by OPI Run With It!

 

 This is actually one of the first nail polishes I ever bought from Sephora.  This is more of a re-discovered color because it's been so long since I've worn it last.  When I first bought this I wasn't too fond of the shade.  I only wore it a couple of times and never touched it again until now.  I wanted to wear a nice neutral color that was appropriate for the season so I decided to give this another try.  I'm not sure why I never liked this color before, but I'm completely in love with this nail polish now.  It's a soft grey with gold shimmer and I think it's a really nice neutral shade.

 Application was alright.  The first coat was pretty streaky, but it was nice and opaque with two coats.  I'm not sure if this is available online anymore (I didn't see it on the Sephora website), but I did see it in store the other day which is what inspired me to dig this up from my collection.  Expect more NOTD posts in the near future.  I've got about 3 new nail polishes I'm looking forward to trying out :)