PopSugar's September 2013 Must Have Box

*press sample*

Hey everyone!

I'm playing catch-up with this post today. I am showing you the contents of PopSugar's Must Have Box for September. Even though we are now halfway through October, I think it can give you a good idea on if you would want to subscribe or not...so let's take a look!

The first item in my box was a super cute book- P.S You're Invited, containing all kinds of fun, girly DIY projects. Not only is this a fun coffee table book, but the ideas are totally easy to recreate.

Next up is a set of stretchy headbands from Kitsch. These have become a staple for me because they don't crease my hair. I checked out the Kitsch website and there are lots more design options to choose from as well.

Another practical yet cute item, coasters! There are 8 that came in the box...very generous!

My box had 2 snack items...those never last long. ;) The first was a fruit bar made solely of an apple and pear and it was surprisingly really good...and guilt free!

The other item was this pack of energy chews. I don't know if they really affected my energy level at all but they tasted great.

A $25 gift card to use at Shoptiques.com. I check out the site and it's pretty pricey but every bit counts!

And finally, my box came with a diffuser set with a yummy vanilla-y scent. I'm moving soon and can't wait to use this in my new place to make  it more home-y.

I was super impressed with this month's Must Have box, definitely worth the monthly cost. All of the items are useable and apply to my everyday life yet are still fun and special to get in a box each month. Since I took a while to get to blogging after baby #2, this offer is only valid until Oct. 20: Get $10 off a 3 month Must Have Box subscription with code: SEPTSELECT. I'm sorry about the delay on that!

Do any of you already subscribe or plan to subscribe to the PopSugar Must Have Box?

You can also see my review for the August Must Have Box here.

*Product sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

I'm BACK!

You guys! 

It's been almost a month since I last posted...I cannot believe how fast time has gone. 3 days before my baby was born, my laptop's hard drive died. It took me 3 weeks to finally feel like I was my normal self again after he was born to go out and get it replaced. And now I finally have it back! I am so excited to get back to blogging...I have so much to show you!

For now I will leave you with a pic of baby #2...his name is Brody and he was born with a full head of red hair! 7 lbs 14oz and 21 inches long. He has grown so much in the month since he has been born and I am so happy to not be pregnant anymore! haha

Thanks for sticking with me and I plan to have some sort of giveaway to celebrate my return to blogging with you guys...hopefully sooner than later. :)

Loreal Miss Pixie + Jordana Lunar Lights

Hello readers!

I recently went through a phase where all of my polish choices were failing and nothing was translating from my head to the nail successfully. This mani is one of those. I have a love/hate relationship with iridescent glitters. They look really pretty in the bottle but I don't like them over just any color. The combo has to be perfect and this one wasn't that to me. This was supposed to be a jelly sandwich but for some reason I wasn't getting any depth even with repeated layers.

The final product isn't terrible, just kind of meh to me. ;) This is Loreal Miss Pixie and Jordana Lunar Lights.

Do you ever have "mani fail" phases?

Maya Cosmetics: Hyperbole

Good afternoon!

Just a quick recent mani today. This is Hyperbole from Maya Cosmetics. They seem to have fallen off the radar for a few months but are planning on making a comeback soon with a sale! 

I layered one coat over China Glaze Ride the Waves. I like the funky, unexpected glitter combo that Hyperbole has.

Do you own any polish from Maya Cosmetics?

Pop Culture Cosmetics Swatches and Review

*Press Sample*

Hi lovely readers!

I have a post full of eye candy for you today! Have you heard of Pop Culture Cosmetics before? This is an indie brand with a TON of polishes to choose from...it's glittery goodness to the max! I have 5 of their newer polishes to share with you today...let's take a look!

First, is Piñata Killer, part of the Anniversary collection. Holy cow, there is a LOT going on here! I am pretty sure that I didn't even get every glitter on my nails that is in the bottle. So many different kinds! I had the best luck getting a blob of this and swiping it on some paper and then picking and choosing which glitters I wanted to place where. That way I got a nice variety. I did one coat and then the pick and choose method over Zoya Elodie. I really like the iridescent glitters in here, they really complement the matte glitters.

Next up, is Beyond the Fence from the Factions collection. I did 3 coats here and placed a few of the larger glitters. There are moons, stars and circles in this one!  This one has a lot of depth to it and I really love the shimmer in the base...a perfect fall shade!

Another polish from the Factions collection, this is The Peaceful. The cherry red base is richly pigmented and I only needed 2 coats to cover. I placed a few of the larger circles but most of them came out well on their own as I was painting. I like this spin on a classic polish color...who said red polish had to be boring? ;)

Next up is a personal fave of mine, Purple Holo-versary, also from the Anniversary collection. I layered 2 coats with a few larger glitter placements over Sally Hansen Grape Escape from the Insta-Dri line. This could be built up to cover on it's own in more coats as well. Everything works together so well in this polish...just gorgeous!

Last but not least, a polish from the Pop Culture Seasonal polish selections called Be Mine Frankenstein. This is such a creative twist on the typical colors we see in most Halloween polishes. The shape glitters really contribute to that but I am also loving the tiny metallic glitters as well. Those really bring it all together. This is 2 coats over a black creme. Some larger glitters placed.

I want to note that the fact that I had to pick and place some of the larger glitters in these polishes is not a problem with the polish itself, just a characteristic of the large, shaped glitter in general.

 I would love to know what you think of these!

I am a huge fan of Pop Culture Cosmetics  (I have yet to post some of my personal purchases here on the blog!). One look at their site and I know you'll be hooked too! SO much eye candy to be had! Another thing I like about PCC is that they offer minis. I can pretty guarantee I will never use an entire full size indie so I like having this option.

*You can purchase Pop Culture Cosmetics polishes on their website, popculturecosmetics.com, or on Etsy.

*Follow them on Facebook and Twitter as well! Need incentive? You'll find a giveaway going on that ends in 2 days!

*Polish sent for review in exchange for my honest opinions.

Pink and Green Skittlete

Hey everyone!

I am still working through my past manicures in between review posts. This is a summer look for sure! I know it's technically all about fall right now (I just bought an awesome fall scented candle that I can't wait to use!) but it's like the hottest it's been all summer this week, sooo it's still summertime for me! ;)

My base is Nabi Rainbow Effect in Green. Zoya Ali is my accent nail as well as what I used for the chevron stripes (made with some french tip guide stickers). I added Darling Diva's Bonnie Lassie to my accent nail too.

This isn't my typical picture hand because I liked how the chevron turned out better on this one...hence the different hand poses!

This bright mani was fun to wear and definitely screams summer!

Is it becoming fall where you live yet?

New ShopStyle Product Review Feature + Giveaway!

Hello again!

As a POPSUGAR Select blogger, I got to try out the new review system on the ShopStyle website. This site is kind of addicting, if you haven't visited it yet, there is anything and everything to browse through and I found myself looking at way too many cute things!

Anyway, so the review system was super easy to use and really gives you the chance to give a thorough review that will be helpful to others. I decided to be positive and leave reviews only for items I really loved, but you can leave any rating you wish on any product. I focused mainly on beauty products but there are lots of other categories as well. Trust me, you won't have a hard time finding something you own or have used before!

Once this site gets lots more reviews on it's listings, I can see how it would be a very helpful one stop resource to aid in making decisions on purchases or to get real life feedback on a product.

So, if YOU give this new feature a try, you could win $1,000! Hello, shopping spree! There are more details *here* that will tell you exactly how to enter and win. Good luck!!