Glossybox Haul/Unboxing

I’ve come into a slew of pretty great Glossybox boxes in the past month. I’ve received the June box, the Special Edition Tony Box, and the July box. They’re all really good. I had a Glossybox subscription about a year ago, and started to receive the same products month after month. So I stopped my subscription. But I kept following them and noticed some awesome reviews in the last few months. So I restarted my subscription. And I’m glad that I did. So let’s get started.

In the June Glossybox I received Teeez Cosmetics Oasis Gem Lipstick in the color Heat Wave Ruby. This gorgeous berry colored lippie is $22.00 on teeezcosmetics.com The little tidbit on the info card says that in ancient Mesopotamia women ground precious gemstones to wear on their lips. I guess some people will go far for beauty.

I love all of the GlamGlow products! I have my fair share of them, as I assume some of you do too. I’ve actually only tried the masks that came in the pots. I haven’t tried any of the cleansers of eye and lip skincare product. I definitely need to get onto this bandwagon.  You can get 30% off on GlamGlow.com with the code GB30.

I love to use a great self tanner a couple of days before I go swimming. I don’t know if it’s just me but I don’t like to look my pale self when I’m out showing off my skin. So this product is genius! You can get a set of 10 for $27 on tantowel.com. And get $20 off of your purchase when you use the code GLOSSYBOX

I would be interested in this hair oil if it was the size of a perfume sample.

I haven’t had the chance to try this out yet.

The Sebastian Professional Whipped Creme and Hair Oil come as a set, though obviously one is more of the star than the other. The Whipped Creme is, for all terms and purposes, a hair mousse to lock in waves and curls. The oil is said to work will when mixed in with a conditioner. You can get the full sized product at $20 at Sebastianprofessional.com

This Glov Quick Treat by Glov is $5 on Glov.co. Yes, on wipe for $5. I’m so hesitant to open this. You wet the wipe then use it as a regular make up removing wipe. You the wash it with soap, hang it to dry, then reuse. I’m excited/nervous to see how this turns out. And if i’ll be swearing off all other wipes for good!

I LOVE jumbo eye pencils of every color. And I don’t have very many Eyeko products so it makes it even better! I apologize for the picture. I guess it got hot, then shifted and smudged all over the lid. Oh well! The color is in Satin and has a metallic shine to it. Buy this for $12.

Another sheet mask! This time moisturizing! After removing the mask pat in the serum before it dries. This mask can be found for $7.00

 

Next in the box was the BioRepublic Pomegranate Crush Illuminating Fiber Mask. I’m a huge mask junkie and even more so a sheet mask junkie. They are so easy to apply and take off and you can wear them any time of day. Depending on the type of mask, I like to put one on when I wake up and go through my morning routine. When time is up, I take it off, dab in the serum, let it dry, then put of my makeup. I usually use a moisturizing or caffeinated one to help my skin look better for the rest of the day. Score! You can find this for $5.00 on biorepublic.com

I received the Pore-fessional face/skin primer from Benefit Cosmetics. This is honestly one of my favorite primers. I’ve bought it multiple times in the past few years and I even have a full tube at the moment. It’s a great product, but like I said, it’s been around for years  I would have been happier with a new product that I had never tried before. At least this is a good one.

Next was the Caviar Eye Gel Golden Skin Roll-On serum by Être Bea. This serum is supposed to be great for de-puffing and brightening the under eye area. The ball is metal and therefore cold, perfect for those groggy mornings. Also, the serum is tinted so it acts like a CC cream and adds a little more coverage. This is $45.00 on étrebellecosmetics.co

 

Sinful colors came out with a Kylie Jenner Collaboration. The first collection were matte colors that I was definitely not a huge fan of. Off whites, beiges, etc. But I like this color collection much butter. And it’s only $3.00

For $18.00 this LA Splash Lip Lacquer is absolutely gorge! It has a cream to matte finish and it doesn’t budge. My only tip is to make sure you exfoliate your lips before applying!

This is the Caolion Premium O2 Bubble & Cool Pore Pack Duo for $31.00. I am ecstatic about this mask duo. I’ve heard so much about it on the internet and I’ve seen tons of videos. I can’t wait to try it myself. The first mask releases bubbles that detox and cleanse pores. The second mask cools, tightens, and refines.

Sadly the Leighton Denny Miracle Mist speed drying spray for nail polish was a dud. I assumed there was a problem when I first read the instructions and it said to put nail polish on, a drying top coat, let dry, then spray on the mist. If I gave a super glossy finish or what not I bet quite a few people would enjoy this product, but it made my nail polish bunny and gross. And it made my polish last half as long as it usually does! I’ll be sticking to Seche Vite. I was hoping this was going to work out

This Kérastase Nutritive Masquintense Thick is a deep nourishing mask that helps damaged locks from root to tip. You can even leave the mask on over night. This is not liquidity at all. It feels like really thick homemade whipped cream.For 6.8 FL. OZ. it is $63.00

Finally we get to Tree Hut Bare Moisturizing Shave Oil. Oh my goodness, this stuff smells so good! my legs are so soft and moisturized, and it’s only $10.00!

There was also an Icona Milano Emotion Allowed Mascara for $19.00 that is already lost in my makeup. It has a thin wand and the formula is waterproof! Win win!

So these were the items I got in the June, July, and Tony Awards Boxes. They were all absolutely great. I cant think of a bad product! I can’t wait to see what August’s Glossybox holds!

For Now

~Kaitlin

 

July POPSUGAR Must Have

Hello, you beautiful people! I’m trying to get back into the swing of things with my blog. My mother had knee surgery at the beginning of this month so I’ve been at the Retirement Home that she runs, filling in for her. Geez is it hard work and long hours. I’m not really enjoying it to be honest, and I haven’t had the chance to read as much as I would like to. All this accumulates to me being a stressed out hot mess. But I’m trying.

So let’s jump into this month’s POPSUGAR Must Have Box and Must Have Mini. I didn’t get the chance to review last month’s but I really loved all of the items. I even rocked the NCLA Nail Polish Born On the Fourth on the 4th.

There’s a pretty wide arrangement of items all pertaining to Summer.

This adorable inflatable swan drink holder is from Sunnylife. It can hold 4 cups while floating in the pool and looking pretty stylish at the same time. I need to decide on a name for her. Bella Swan? I’ll keep thinking. She retails for $18.00.

This Michael Stars Porcelain Skinny Scarf in White is so cute! But I definitely will not be wearing it as a scarf. Its not a full length scarf, more like an ascot. I’m going to try it out in my hair. Maybe double it up and tie it over my bangs. You can find it here for $30!

I haven’t tried the Sachajuan Hair In the Sun yet, so I feel a bit underwhelmed just looking at it. And the smell is nothing to be favored. You’re meant to use the product as an everyday styler. It protects hair color from UV rays which can fade in a snap. Sadly I re-dyed my hair from pink a few months ago so it’s at it’s natural dark brown and I don’t think I’ll be able to see the results. I’ll give it to my mom. I just dyed it Platinum Blonde for her (I am an pretty much an amateur hair dresser) so I’m not wanting it to fade any time soon. It can be found on Barney’s for $32.00.

I’m pretty excited about this highlighter. The Oh My Brow! Brow Highlighter in Pearl by European Wax Center for $19 is like an eyeshadow pen. It says that it’s for the brows, but I’m going to apply it anywhere I can, brows, cheekbones, cupids bow, you name it. I love that it’s not a powder so it will probably last longer in the summer heat. And the packaging is gorge!

Look at these Emoji Cocktail Napkins from House of Pom!  This set of 6 retails for $25. They have a great feel to them and they seem to be hand embroidered. Not entirely sure if they are, but they have that look. I just wish they were a different color. I don’t want to set anything on them. The second the drink sweats you’ll see it on the napkin.

The one thing in every POPSUGAR box that usually disappoints are the food selections. Last month we received Sriracha flavored bagel chips. They weren’t anything special, at least to me. The same goes for these Joe Chips for $1.49. For less than two bucks it doesn’t take away from any other item, but I’d rather see another item in my box.

The POPSUGAR Must Have Mini included this Let It Block Sunscreen. I’ve misplaced the info card for my MINI box so I’m not sure how much this item costs. But sunscreen is kind of underwhelming.

These super cute Pineapple Ice Trays are from Sunnylife as well. You don’t even want to know how many times it took me to pop out a whole pineapple. Because the trays are silicone they make it easier to pop the ice out, but for me nothing can be easy.

Oh no! I just noticed that there was a Pineapple Pin from Pintrill. It is only $12.00 for a great quality item. If only I could find it. Subscribers also received a Trove $20 gift card.

I’m pretty happy with this Must Have Box. And the MINI was 50/50 for me yet again. Not enough to not get it again, but it could always be better.

We shall see what next month brings!

Always,

~Kaitlin

June Bookish Box

A great book related box that is for book lovers of every age is Bookish Box by Appraising Pages. Each box includes a t-shirt (made by Apprasingpagesshop.com), and 3-5 book related items for $29.99. There is also the option to not get a t-shirt for $18.99. But you totally should, because they’re awesome.

This month’s theme is “Classics” as you can see from the information card. I think this quote is rather true, though I must admit that I am not the biggest Jane Austen fan. The only Jane Austen book I liked was Pride and Prejudice.

The little green illegible rectangle is actually a magnetic bookmark that says “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.” Which is from Persuasion by Jane Austen. What a coincidence! It took me forever to read the bookmark. But I do love the new influx of magnetic bookmarks. I now have my fair share of them in different characters and quotes and I love them.

This is a small notebook with recycled paper with a quote from The Great Gatsby by Bugaboo Bear Designs. This will fit perfectly in my purse.

This Alice In Wonderland t-shirt in honor of the upcoming movie is made by Appraising Pages. Their shirts are so unbelievably soft. And the designs are absolutely beautiful. I like to get them in a bigger size to sleep in.

These Alice In Wonderland socks are made by Out Of Print. They are soooooo soft! They’re tube socks and absolutely adorable. I got a pair of the “Banned Books” Socks in another subscription box a couple months ago.

Look at this ampersand ring! I absolutely adore it! I love simple, dainty jewelry. Combine that with bookish inspiration and it’s absolutely perfect. This is made by A Cute Geek, but i can’t seem to find a website for them. I’ll update if I do.

That’s it for this box. This is only my second month receiving this subscription but I’m already addicted. Last month they had bath salts that smelled like Butterbeer! Go check out their site and visit them on social media using the hashtag #bookishbox and their accounts @thebookishbox and @appraisingpages on Instagram.

Until Next Time,

~Kaitlin

The King Slayer Review

I absolutely loved this book. I read it in less than a day. I received it an arc of the book a couple of months ago and I just got around to reading it! IM SO SORRY!!

I usually find that I’m not the biggest fan of books set in a different era. Either the words don’t flow or the story has many limitations because of the century (i.e women have no rights, or it always takes 30 pages to travel somewhere). I did not feel that with The Witch Hunter or The King Slayer. Nothing was missing, and I wasn’t wishing for the plot to speed up.

I was also pleasantly surprised with the second book. You know how sequels usually run slow and are never as good as the first? The King Slayer definitely hurtled over that ledge. By the end first chapter Elizabeth was already gearing up for a fight. I absolutely love her character. Even without her stigma she completely threw herself into everything. I also found how the stigma treated John and how it interacted with his healing powers interesting. The change in his personality was gradual and the feelings between him and Elizabeth were real. No one was entirely right. They both had their flaws and their stubbornness.

I’m always sad when the main relationship in the book separates. But Boecker seamlessly bridged the gap between what Elizabeth wanted and what she needed to do. With a good chunk left in the book I had no idea what in the world was going to happen. I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.

I won’t spoil anything here. But I will say that the action, passion, and all around bad assery from the first book was multiplied by ten here. This duology is definitely one that I will come back to read again and again.

BeautyCon Box: Summer Essentials

BeautyCon is a quarterly/seasonally subscription box that works with popular Youtube “Beauty Gurus” to curate a collection of makeup, skincare, and other cosmetics. BeautyCon is also beginning to host Beauty Conventions. I was invited to attend BeautyCon Dallas in February which included many beauty brands and meet-ups with popular Youtubers. I really enjoyed myself, and was given a HUGE goodie bag (and by bag I mean large tote) of hundreds of dollars in beauty products. BeautyCon is hosting their next convention next month in LA on July 9th. The day after my 22nd birthday! I’m entirely jealous. It’s going to be double the size of BeautyCon Dallas and even more amazing people to meet.

Any who, let’s get into the Summer BeautyCon Box. This box’s curator is Kandee Johnson, one of the first popular “beauty gurus” on youtube as well as a celebrity makeup artist. Even if you don’t watch her on youtube I imagine you’ve seen one of the many makeup transformations she’s done. She’s pretty amazing. And she’s a pretty awesome person as well.

First of all let’s talk about their amazing packaging. Each month they mix it up a bit. I love the cute cardboard insert, it just makes me smile. The inside wrapping i.e. the stripes, is always different. The Spring box curator Bunny Meyers had wrapping tissue with babies printed on them. And if you know Bunny, it’s not strange at all. Just little details like different tissue paper shows how much time and effort the creators of the subscription box put in. I’m a sucker for awesome packaging.

The information card with all of the items included in the box is always an amazing fan drawing. As you can see Maria (@bokkei) used an actual photo as her inspiration. And you can see the reflection in the sunglasses. I’m extremely impressed. I have absolutely no skill in drawing, painting, cutting in a straight line, etc.

The first item is the Garnier Skincare Clearly Brighter Daily Moisturizer. It contains Vitamin C & E, Pine Bark Essence, and Lipo-Hydroxyl Acid (LHA). All this means is that it controls oil, moisturizes, then brightens skin. I’m looking forward to using this. I’ve been on the hunt for a lightweight moisturizer with skin brightening properties.

WAIT!!! No!! I just remembered I bought the Neutrogena version of this the other day. Oh well…

Next is the Smashbox Brow Tech Shaping Powder. Sadly I got this item spoiled for me when I got an email about a video tutorial of Kandee using this. But I saw powder and though it was going to be a loose powder. This is actually a pretty nifty creation. It looks wet, and you would apply it the same way, but it’s powder. I swatched it and it didn’t budge at all. Super cool. The only problem is that everyone got the same color. And as you may know (total sarcasm here) not everyone has the same color of eyebrows! Mine are blackish brown. So usually in eyebrow products I use the second to last color option. I’m still going to try use it (just sparingly) but it’s depressing knowing I won’t get as much use out of it as I could.

This NYX Ombre Lip Duo is supposed to make creating a ombre lip much easier. I think this is pretty cool. The directions say to line your lips with the red then use the orange in the middle. I wish that instead of orange it was pink. I haven’t tried it out yet, but orange and I just don’t suit each other. 😦 And like I said earlier I am not an artist. The example on the packaging is really pretty and subtle. I already know that there is no way I’ll ever be able to make a subtle ombre lip.

There is nothing about me that is subtle. I’m 5’10, have tan skin (my parents are both vampires. No, I’m not adopted), and I have a twin sister. No subtlety what-so-ever.

I’m pretty pumped about the Redken Fashion Waves Sea Salt Spray. My hair is finally getting to the point where I can do different kind of curls and waves. It’s supposed to have a medium hold and to had a bit of texture. I’m looking forward to trying this out. My curls tend to fall within the hour if I don’t hose myself down in hairspray. Hopefully this works.

I’m rather sad about the inclusion of the Neutrogena Ultra Light Cleansing Oil. It’s not a bad product and I understand why Neutrogena brought out the waterproof version. But I have more makeup remover than I need. It’s not a cool cleansing balm or something a lot of people may have never tried. It’s just a regular liquid makeup remover. At least it has a pump attached.

The Benzac Acne Solutions Blemish Clearing Hydrator made me even more sad. You know how I said I got a great goodie bag at BeautyCon Dallas? Well everyone received the Complete Acne Solution Regimen. 

And I have two sets because my sister came with me and we share our makeup and skincare. It’s a great product, but I know that the hundreds of others who attended BeautyCon Dallas and received this box are thinking the same exact thing. Not to mention there was another moisturizer in the box already! I would rather have a different product.

Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara is my favorite mascara. So I’m pumped to try the waterproof version. And the packaging is awesome! The box has bumps where the water is, and so does the tube. Every little spot is raised. Yep, total sucker for packaging.

The Cover Fx Contour Brush is a pretty great addition. Kandee is a huge user of cream products so if she’s recommending a contour brush it must be good. I’ve also been looking at all of the cream contour palettes that have recently come out. So now it seems that I MUST get one. I have no other option. If you have any recommendations of your favorite palette please let me know!

I already own a couple NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils-wait… I got them from BeautyCon Dallas. 😥 Luckily they were two different colors and I actually love them. I’m also going to use this as a highlighter. It looks a bit pink in the picture but the color is Cashmere, which is a bit bronzy. Definitely perfect for summer.

There were also some samples. My sister and I agreed that we would have liked a bigger size of the VersaSpa Face Moisturizing Gradual Tanner rather than the Benzac moisturizer or the makeup remover. And I’m excited to use the two La Fresh Beauty & Personal Care wipes. It’s rare that I’m happy with foil packet samples (I know I’m not the only one!). I’m just said I only have one of each.

All in all I did enjoy this box. For only $29, this is a pretty great value. I really like BeautyCon Box because you really don’t know what is going to be in the next box or even who the next curator is. This is definitely one of my favorite subscription boxes.

Definitely go check them out on Social Media. For being as busy as they are their super genuine. On twitter they are @BeautyConTweets, Snapchat is @BeautyConSnaps, and Facebook and Instagram is @BeautyCon.

Until Next Time,

~Kaitlin

 

Beauteque BB Bag: May 2016

Beauteque.com is a Korean Beauty brand. If you didn’t know South Korean’s have absolutely beautiful skin. They make sure to stay away from the sun and if they go out they’ll use umbrellas. They use serums and face masks religiously. And they go to their dermatologist at least once a month like we go to the doctor for a check up. I can’t imagine how much that would cost here, but I definitely like the idea. Who wouldn’t like getting a good facial and laser peel every month?

Beauteque.com has it’s own website where you can buy products directly , but they also have two different beauty subscription boxes. I have the BB Bag which is an assortment of different skincare, body, and beauty products, and costs $24.00. The other subscription box is the Mask Maven, which I think costs the same amount. I’ll give you one guess as to what this contains. Ding ding ding! Masks! Congratulations you get…my undying love…yeah.What is cool about the Mask Maven box is that its not only face masks, there are feet and hand masks as well. And they are pretty amazing.

This month’s box came with a pretty adorable chevron patterned makeup bag. I’m trying to remember if last month’s had a bag as well. I don’t think so. But I’m pretty stinking happy with this cutie pie.

Inside of the bag was Nail Polish. There wasn’t even a brand name. While the bottle is gorgeous, and look at that handle! But green (especially metallic) does not look good on me. Luckily my mother can pull it off so it won’t go to waste. The information booklet claims that this, “$7.00 Shade is perfect for spring and summer festival style. Formula is long lasting. Polish offers a high-shine finish”. No I did not copy that down wrong.

Next was a cute $6.00 nail kit by Kinepin Beauty Nail Company. It comes with foam separators (which I always seem to lose track of). A nail brush, a cuticle stick (for pushing your cuticles back), and a four-sided nail buffer. For only $6.00 I’d say it’s a pretty good deal.

Next is The Saem Healing Garden Tea Cleansing Tissue that comes in at $8.00. These are makeup removing wipes. I was worried about the smell. I’m never one to like floral scented perfumes of skincare. But this actually smells very good. It’s fresh but kind of warming if that makes any sense. So I’m happy with this one, and the packaging is so adorable.

The Milky Dress SOS Blemish Cream for $9.00 is a fast acting blemish corrector. I’m pretty curious about this baby. It’s supposed to brighten as well as getting rid of acne. Which is great. I can find blemish gels that attacks the blemish, and I can find brightening cream (whitening as it says on the package), but I can never find both. I’m definitely looking forward to using this baby.

Look at this!!! It’s a bamboo stick! How adorable is that? This is the Tony Moly Pure Eco Cool Water Soothing Gel.  You might be already acquainted with Tony Moly and their amazing packaging. They have sheet masks that are incredible. You should go check it out. This soothing gel is more of a lotion, or at least that’s how you would apply it. When I first read it I assumed it was a shower gel but it’s not. It’s a great size for $15.00.

This item is most definitely the most curious. It took my sister and I quite a while to figure out how to make it work. The Prelab Toning Peeling Tap at $20.00 comes with fifteen one-use capsules. To make the serum release onto the white puff you have to constantly bend it back and forth for about an hour. Okay maybe that’s dramatic. Thirty minutes tops. So once you get this thing to work you use the plastic to direct the white puff (I know, not very scientific words, but I’m not sure what else to call them), in circles around your face which cleanses, exfoliates, and hydrates.

It’s a pretty great box in my opinion. I like this box because I would never get the chance to try many of these cool products out.

You can find Beauteque @Beauteque on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Snapchat. They are @beautequeofficial on Instagram.

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Next time,

~Kaitlin

Time to Get a Little Personal

I’m going to get a little personal into today’s post. I feel inspired, don’t ask me why. But I thought I would share my story for those of you who care to read it.

I grew up relatively quickly. My father was in the Marine Corps for sixteen years and retired when I was 12 years old. Twelve years doesn’t seem like a long time, but when it’s the first twelve of your life it is. Up until September 11, 2001 my dad was a Recruiter. Meaning he went all around finding young men and women (at that time mostly men) that might not have had the best upbringing, or weren’t on the college path, and helped them bring their skills to better use.

You may not know but a lot of the men (and now women, Hoo Rah!) were not always the best people. Quite a few had a juvinille record and weren’t heading down a good path. My dad included. He enlisted at 19 years old after growing up without a father (who died when he was a baby) and the youngest of nine. When his mother married his stepfather he began to rebel. He started drinking heavily and got into not so good situations. Even I don’t really know the specifics. But he was depressed. And righfully so. But somehow he found the Marine Corps, and I believed it saved his life.

He worked his tail off through bootcamp and every position he was put in. And he finally found his calling as a Recruiter. He was one of the best the Marine Corps had ever seen. Literally. He got multiple awards for Recruiter of the Year and others for the quality of those he recruited.

Unfortunately I didn’t see him a lot, pretty much only on Sundays. He would go to work before I woke up, and he would return after I went to sleep. So I grew up helping around the house, more than a normal child. I also suffered from a lot of anxiety and a bit of OCD.

My mom was going through Surgical Tech school, then Nursing School a few years later, but still found ways to keep raising money while raising twin girls practically on her own. Military personnel DO NOT GET PAID ENOUGH! They work extremely long hours (as I mentioned before), put their lives at risk, at yet a lot of them are on food stamps because they can barely afford the cost of living. They are assigned housing based on the amount of members in the family. For four of us we usually had only two rooms. Luckily we had pretty good medical insurance. The problem is that because one spouse works pretty much 24/7 the other spouse has to take care of everything else. And if you have children, working is impossible. That’s why the majority of military spouses are unemployed. And living with only a very small income is very hard.

So my mother was stressed. Rightfully so. But I took it hard when she would get upset about things like our messy bedroom ( I blame my sister). I wouldn’t be able to sleep and would start cleaning in the middle of the night, much to my sisters chargin. I also stopped eating meat and pretty much everything else. My hands would start peeling in between my finger and my thumb and I was put on a prescription strength hand cream. I’d learn years later there were even more problems than met the eye.

Then came September 11, 2001. We were living in Oceanside, California (a bit south of San Diego) at Camp Pendelton. Probably the best Marine Corps base, and after the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, a very likely target for terrorist attacks. Even at 7 years old I was very aware of the danger we were in. We were called into school that day as it was the safest place for us. We had to be ushered by the schools guards from the school bus to the building. Unfortunately our school was an outside school. So as we moved to our classes we had to press along the walls to avoid being seen in case we were being targeted. If we had to be so careful I couldn’t even imagine what my father was going through.

When the war started my father told us that there was a very small chance he would be deployed to Iraq. But in 2002 he was given his orders for the first time. There’s no way to explain what it feels like to have someone you love in immediate danger across the world for an extended amount of time. Unfortunately he went on three tours (demployments) within the next few years.

My anxiety got worse. I was obsessed with getting straight A’s. Which honestly wasn’t a problem. I was put in kindergarten less than two months after my 5th birthday and the school officials asked my parents to wait a year because ” I wasn’t socially ready”. The school then tested my IQ and I was put in an advanced course club. So even though I found school too easy, I was still stressed about my grades. And with my father gone and our financial situation precarious, I shut my feelings down. For the next ten years.

When my dad retired at 35 years old we moved to Texas where my mother’s family lived. The town we moved to had a little over 7,000 people. Way smaller than any place we had ever lived.

I was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina. We then moved to Irvine, California until I was 4. Then St. Paul & St. Joe, Minnesota until 7. We then went back to Oceanside, California for two and a half years. We were in Beaufort, South Carolina until my father’s retirement.

At 12 years old and in 7th grade I was starting puberty and my teenage feelings were coming in. I didn’t have a good relationship wth my father. Unbeknownst to my consiousness, I resented him for not being around more. I felt unloved and like he was putting his job before me. He would mispell my name and didn’t really know anything about my likes or dislikes, like food or my hobbies. And he didn’t really care. Honestly sometimes I still feel that way. I think I always will.

As I grew I was relatively lucky in the beauty department. I’ve always been tall. I’m 5’10”. I rarely got acne and didn’t really need makeup. But I always felt jealous of the other girls. My mom never wore makeup (she really doesn’t need it) so I was never taught how to wear. It was pretty much the same for anything femenine-like. Her mother never taught her.

I went through high school with a very low self-esteem.

Then my sister became extremely interested in makeup and skin products, and in turn got me interested. It was definitely a learning curve. I have somewhat tan skin with yellow undertones. You would not believe how hard it is to find foundation that matches our skin. Even with so many companies expanning their foundation colors it’s still pretty much impossible. But I’ve learned. I’m still learning.

Beauty has given me something to be passionate about. I love playing with makeup. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with needing to put makeup on to feel prettier. But remember that beauty really does come from within. I’ve had a lot of struggles with this, maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime.

Thanks for reading my rambling and making it all the way through!

                                                                                                                                    Next time,

~Kaitlin

Book Case.Club May & June Review

Another great Book Subscription box I’m subscribed to is Book Case.Club. You get two books for only $9.99 a month. I get the Teenage Dream Case which is young adult. There are seven other categories which include the Blind Date Case, two paranormal romance novels. There’s the Strange Worlds Case which is for Sci-Fi/Fantasy books. The Thrill Seeker case Mystery and Thriller lovers. The Read to Me Case is four Children’s picture books.The Booking for Love is obviously romance novels. There are two quarterly cases that come out every three months that includes a Cookbook Case and the Military History book case.

The May Teenage Dream Case included Feuds by Avery Hastings and Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin.

Feuds is set in a future where babies are made genetically perfect before they are  even born. The ‘perfects’ are called ‘Priors’ while those not genetically “pure” are ‘Imps’ short for ‘Imperfects’. We follow a Prior named Davis Morrow who has been made out to compete and win the Olympiades just like her mother. She does not expect to meet and begin to fall for a mysterious boy named Cole who has his own agenda.

Small town girl Rory McShane gets the chance to spend her summer in the Hamptons working as an errand rule for the Rule’s family. She befriends Isabel Rule who has a secret she can’t tell her parents. For both girls it’s a summer to break rules.

June’s box included Wildflower by Alecia Whitaker and The Prince of Venice Beach by Blake Nelson.

Wildflower follows Bird Barrett, a girl who grew up singing in the background of her family’s bluegrass band until she is spotted by a scout and becomes a country star.

The Prince of Venice Beach is a bout a teenage runaway named Robert “Cali” Callahan who knows everyone there is to know at Venice Beach. A private investigator asks Cali to help find a rich girl who has gone missing. We follow him as he as he explores a world of mysterious and dangerous people.

I haven’t gotten the chance to read any of these books. I have a huge TBR pile and this month has been crazy busy. But I vow to put a huge dent into my book pile as soon as possible. I’m thinking about taking a vote on which I should read next. Warning, there’s at least 10 books.

Anyways, I really love Book Case.Club. I get to read books that I may not have picked out but end up loving. And you can’t beat the price!  And they are super nice too! Go check them out on Twitter and Instagram @bookcaseclub. And on http://www.bookcase.club.

Owlcrate-May 2016

Owlcrate is a monthly young adult book subscription box. Subscribers usually recieve 5-6 book/theme related items along with a book. Each month also usually has a theme. May’s theme was Steampunk. My twin sister literally (and I do mean literally) squealed when she heard the theme. And when she saw the adorable bird airship illustration pictured above, she was downright giddy. If you didn’t know, the bird-ship supposedly hails from a video game called Bioshock Infinite which coincidentally (not coincidentally) is Steampunk themed. Don’t worry, I didn’t know this either. My sister is a new kind of nerd. She was the person who introduced me to the art which is makeup while finding out what was the best rated game from the year prior. And she has the looks and the brains to back it all up. She’s a pretty awesome person.

Anywho, the front of this month’s information card is a rendering from one of her favorite games. May I direct your attention to the first item up for auction? And by “auction” I mean just to look at.

With my sister hovering over me (which she does not do nearly as much any other month. I think she was using me…) I unvailed this ring from Sparks Emporium. The info card says that it is from The Infernal Devices trilogy (which I haven’t read. I apologize) and my sister thinks it looks like an Angel from her game. I just think it’s pretty. But really, Owlrate consistently impresses me with their accessory game. Every month is hugely evident the effort they’ve put behind finding the items they want and in the quality they want.

Next is this super detailed dragonfly pin from Elope. There were five different pieces of accessories sent out. Sadly I cannot find their website of any kind of social media. I’ve seen an owl (or it may be a pair of aviator wings. None of the pictures are very clear), a key, and another with two birds flying. If anyone can tell me what the fifth is they’ll be my new best friend. I’m a pretty good best friend to have. I’m not sure if every piece is a pin. I’m going to make it into a hair clip. It’s pretty heavy so I’ll be strapping this puppy in with a zillion bobby pins.

These nail wraps  are pretty amazing. I know I’m going to destroy them as I try to put them on my nails, but they look good so far. The company that makes them is Espionage Cosmetics. Here is the video tutorial if you would like to see them in action.

Owlcrate partnered with Crystal Compass Designs to create this skeleton key pendant necklace. It is so pretty, and very well made. This will definitely be worn frequently and you can use the code OWLCRATE for 50% off. They have some pretty cool things going on over there.

Creative Daffodil Studios conjoured up this J.M. Barrie tribute poster, which gives you a hint at what the book could be about. I’ll give you three guesses.

Finally the book is revealed! The book cover is actually matte and super soft. I love when book covers go out of their way to be a little different. I’m a sucker for ones that feel cool. I love that I’ll be feeling that for the duration of my reading. See? Total sucker. I should probably tell you what the book is about.

Wendy Spinale has spun the classic story of Peter Pan into a steampunk inspired tale about a girl named Gwen and a strange boy named Pete. Along with Bella and The Lost Boys Gwen Darling will have to face Captain Hook and his army to save her sister and the rest of London.

Dun. Dun.Dun.

Also inluded in the box was a letter from Wendy herself and these customized gold flash tattoos.

Owlcrate has been a favorite subscription of mine for months now. It’s reliable in the fact that it’s creators put their all into these boxes and you always end up with a good book.

Don’t grow up too fast,

-Kaitlin

Starbox Subscription Service

I’d like to start out this post with a confession. My name is Kaitlin Gillespie and I am a makeup addict. My addiction has spread to Beauty Subscription Boxes, and has exploded from there. I am sharing this with you because I know the first step is admitting you have a problem. Well I admit I have a problem. Am I going to do anything about it? Probably not.

Starbox is a subscription box (or bag-depends on the month) from the makeup brand Starlooks. There are two different boxes you can choose from. There is the Monthly PerfectSize Starbox Subscription that costs $12.00 per month for 3-4 “Perfectsize” samples from the Starlooks collection. The Monthly Full-Size Starbox Subscription costs $17.00 for 3-4 full-sized Starlooks products.

I have purchased the Full-Size subscription and this is my second month to receive it.

In my first package I received an Eye Pencil in J201 White, and a 5 shade eye shadow palette in 5es1 Morocco.

The eye pencil is creamy, goes on smoothly, and is incredibly pigmented. My eyes easily water so I tend to have a hard time keeping any color in my waterline, but this puppy lasted the entire day.

I was pleasantly surprised by the pigment the eye shadows had. As you can see I’m Medium-Tan with a yellowish tinge and cool undertones. If you don’t speak makeup it means, “good luck finding a foundation that matches, or eye shadow that shows up on your weirdly-colored eye lids”.

I love every color in this palette. They’re shimmery but don’t have huge specs of glitter and they apply smoothly. The colors go great together, or could be worn separately on their own. My favorite is the last color to the right (in pan) and last color to the left (on my arm). The only problem with this palette is that the shadows don’t have names.

In May’s box I received a Lip Pencil, a gloss, and a mascara.

The Luxe Longwear Lip Pencil in “Sultry Sangrita” (MLP2) is muavey-pink and absolutely gorgeous. It applies smoothly and while obviously matte, isn’t too drying. Sadly I can’t pull it off. Like with most other blue-based pink lipstick, stain, pencil, etc. it shows up too bright and exposes the yellow in my skin, giving off a pale and frosty makeup look. If it was 1996 instead of 2016 I’d have absolutely no problem, but sadly some makeup looks are meant to be forgotten.

The Lip Gloss is in LG38 Pearl Necklace. I have quite a few problems with this product. First, as you can see, the Gloss doesn’t even show up on my skin except for the little shimmer is gives off. Even when put over the lip pencil it doesn’t do much. While a clear gloss has it’s very important place, I’m very sad to see that it’s in my Starbox. The quality is fine, but when paying to try out new products every month I think a lot of us would be quite disappointed with a barely there product. And to add to everything else, when added to the lip pencil on my lips, my inner 90’s child came bursting out. No to metallics! It was terrifying.

The last product was the VWAS01 Volume Mascara. The packaging looks like a test tube, so that’s pretty cool. It’s in black, also a plus. And it claims to give you volume, which is always awesome. But unfortunately with the rest of the box being as disappointing as it was, this perfectly good mascara didn’t have a chance.

So that’s it. I don’t know if I’ll be keeping this subscription. Last months box was exciting, and I was carefully optimistic, but this month’s box brought me down.

We shall see. I’ll keep you posted.

Also I’m playing around with what days I’ll be posting. Maybe Monday, Wednesday, and Friday? I’d like to at least have one book post and one makeup/beauty post each week. We shall see. We shall see.

Thank you for following along with my babbles.