walmart box

 

 

Walmart  Beauty Box.

First, its $5. So its pretty darn good for that reason alone.

Second, there are always 7 products in it, so that's also a big plus.

Third, there are always useful things .... like a miniature deodorant. I put that in my desk at work.

Some of these things went straight into my suitcase- perfect little  travel size (makeup removers and dry shampoo).

This might be my favorite subscription beauty box.

A few things Im loving right now

 

Thomasville wood cream

I have no idea what this stuff is (furniture cream? like a moisturizer? for wood?) but it is amazing. You can imagine what a 1930s wood dresser looks like after sitting in five feet of muddy flood water for three days.... never mind..... You can not imagine what it would look like and you wouldn't believe me unless you saw it for yourself. But it was bad.The wood turned grey and the mud would not come off. So bad that the owner of a furniture restoration company told me to throw it away, there was nothing he could do for me. Instead I sat it in the garage. Periodically, I'd wash it down and try and clean some of the mud off. It took many serious washings sometimes with a scrub brush and wool, but it was finally free of mud but still looked bad. Really bad. Even in its condition, I decided it would be the vanity area in my guest bath.  It fit perfectly and  I planned to pass it off as very rustic, and shabby chic, heavy on the shabby. As a last ditch effort, I found this furniture cream at..... where else? TJ Maxx. I literally put half a bottle on it and let it soak in. My thinking: cant hurt anything now. The wood just soaked it in and it made the wood look 100 times better. It no longer looks old and cracked and brittle and grey. Its still old and wobbly and looks like it went through a flood, but it does look a lot better. I never thought I'd see the wood clean again! But here it is..... thanks Thomasville. Complaints.... none.

Maybelline lasting drama eyeliners

They are so smooth and creamy and  go on so easy and slick and wear forever.  I put it on about 7:30a and its still there at 9:30p when it take it off. I like them better than Loreal infallible. I like them so much I went back and got three more. Here is a youtube review (starts at 4:15). Complaints.... its hard to take off and I more often than not wake up with a little left on from yesterday. Its also so creamy you have to go slow and be careful when applying. It can get everywhere quick.

Rimmel Provolips

Everyone is wild about Lipscense ( review here). But its really expensive, and I heard this stuff was almost as good and literally lasts all day and it costs about $7.  It REALLY does last all day. You have to reapply the gloss but the color literally last all day. I always have it on when I go to take my makeup off at night, and sometimes, I even find  a little left on in the morning. We wont discuss the level of chemicals this things must have or that I'm shortening my life span, but this stuff works. I like it better than my old favorite. Complaints.... you have to go super slow when putting it on because once it is on, it is not coming off. Also, after 12 hours or so, you can really tell you have on long wearing lipstick. It is not as fresh looking. And last complaint, you have to really want to take this off and actually use makeup remover on your lips. I use this.

Ipsy and Sephora monthly box for June

Am I excited about anything? No. In fact, Ipsy just got itself cancelled....  how many black eyeliners and blue nail polish and very small samples of benefit blush or bronzer can one girl handle?   Me and Ipsy are on a break.

As far as Sephora, although I was not initially excited, I have since used the Tarte tinted moisturizer and LOVED it.  Nothing else was very exciting and I actually gave a few things away already.

tj maxx

Why did I go into TJ Maxx Wednesday night after church?

 

um.... I cant recall....

 

It was suppose to be a quick trip but ended up being over an hour and spending over... well, never mind.  It was more than I planned to spend but I justify it by saying I literally lost everything on the first floor of my house, surely I am entitled to a little joy and can go to TJ Maxx and get a few things every now and again! Its not like I was running wild at Macys or Nordstrom's for crying out loud! 

 

The flood has been very convenient to blame things on, cant sleep?  Eating too much junk? Shopping like crazy? PTSD from the flood.... We all medicate differently. Mine happens to be shopping. I could have worse habits.

 

What did I end up getting?

 

A nightgown, an expensive Lucky brand one very similar to this in a pink and about half the price. It is so comfortable. I really like it. I might go back and see if they have more of the same brand, because why? I lost all my night clothes in the flood...

 

 

 

Chloe perfume. I admit. I need no perfume. But it was on clearance and I love Chloe and I love it when I find a gift set with perfume and lotion. It was literally too cheap to pass up. I've ben wearing it everyday.

Natural deodorant, lens wipes for purse, and honey lotion all for no other reason than I needed them and they looked like good ones to try.

The same can be said of the bath bombs and the gift bag.  It was a co-workers birthday, I needed a little gift and there it was.

Electric hair brush. I actually thought I was buying a hair dryer shaped like a hairbrush but when I got it home, it was just an electric hairbrush straighter.  I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. I don't hate it enough to take it back. It was $14. I feel I can give it a try.

I took myself North



A three day weekend turned into a five day weekend turned into seeing three states. Because why not? Still not much can be done at my house right now, and this has turned into my year of travelling, as I have dubbed it.  I was in Vermont in late February, in Gulf Shores the first weekend in May. And I was in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts for the last weekend in May.  (I will be in Dallas and upstate NY later this year.)

I love Kennebunkport!  It is seriously my new favorite place and I cant wait to go back.  But it was cold. I never thought Id be bundled up in a wool coat on Memorial Day weekend. My nose was cold, my feet were cold, and I should have brought a hat!

Did some shopping.  That antique glass door knob is going on my bathroom door. The last time I was in Plymouth, MA, I went to the same antique store. I love having a regular shopping spot in Plymouth!! I collect the black toile trays  (here) and will add this to my collection. I actually bought two and they were so big I couldn't fit them in my suitcase! I had to mail them to myself. Is that a sign of a serious shopper or what? They were also a lot cheaper  and more plentiful than I find them around here.

A lot of eating. A lot of sightseeing.  (My feet were cold).

Spent some time sitting in a swing on my friend's front porch and sitting on her back deck staring out in the backyard flowers and pool.

Lets be honest, I haven't given New Hampshire much thought and wasn't sure what to expect... but I didn't expect it to look like this. Gorgeous. There are beaches in New Hampshire? Who knew? The cities at the beach look like they are still in the 1950s. They are charming.

Does my friend know me or what?! Even I was impressed to find my favorite lotion on the nightstand and an electric heater waiting in the guest room for her always cold Southern friend.  Sometime in the early hours every morning, she put her dog, Charlie Duncan, in my bed. He was excellent company.

sephora and ipsy

 

 

 

Coming off a REALLY good Sephora box last month, May was not a good month for Beauty boxes in my house.

 

For the first time in a long time, I wasn't too excited about either of them. Both were kind of.... eh.

 

I felt like I've tried all the things in the Sephora box already. I love that Smashbox primer, and they are great for travel, but I already have four or more of various sample sizes. I also have daisy perfume and the Thomas Roth. I was a little excited about the eye makeup remover, but after trying it, it stings a little.

 

Ipsy was even less exciting... 

on repeat in my life right now - Something Just Like This