There was SO much food, wine, and lots of shared laughs. I. HAD. SUCH. A. BLAST!
I managed not to cut myself and walked away with a super cute, flower filled Neatly Noted coffee mug.
I hope this was the first of many other craft events.
There was talk of a DIY flower crown night…
If so, count me in!
If you’re not in CT, there’s no need to be too jealous, you can get your very own mug here. Photos via the Neatly Noted blog. Except for the last one, that was me.
Isn’t it nice that there are people who actually exist, that get how crappy the world can be and then work actively to go about making life better?
They may be about as rare as unicorns, but they do exist.
Mary is one of those people.
Who is Mary? She is one of the fabulous women I met at Monarch Workshop. If you check out her blog, you will have an idea of just how AWESOME she it. Well, she sent out some snail mail and it absolutely made my day! Even though it wasn’t completely unexpected (she had to get the addresses somehow), it didn’t make getting mail that wasn’t a bill any less special.
Of course I had to share.
A sweet note, stickers, temporary tattoos, and TONS of confetti!
One year, for the manfriend’s birthday, I made the mistake of getting him a one year subscription to Birchbox Man.
For obvious reasons, I adore Birchbox, but my low maintenance gaming partner? Not so much…
Occasionally, when Andrew did decide to try a sample, he’d like it and stick with it. He’s a product loyalist like that. When his box had a cool tech product he was happy, but that was as frequent as he would have liked.
He was much more pleased when I learned my lesson and got him Loot Crate the following year.
His samples haven’t gone to waste, I found his stash and have been trying some of them. One month he got the same Vasanti exfoliator that I’ve sampled twice now, the second time by choice. I told him how much I liked it and thought he’d love it. He never even tried it. Yonk!
The exfoliator wasn’t the only product offered in both the men’s and women’s shops…
The smell of this shower gel (that also has a matching body lotion) is euphoric. He missed out.
A face and body wash? Don’t mind if I do!
With my short and now straight hair, I thought why not try some of his hair product samples. So glad that I did, I found two that I use and keep in my purse!
Majority of the products that he’d received were beard grooming products. He had the beard, and groomed it, but found one cream he liked and that was that. I was talking to a friend about it and she told me I should use the shaving cream too. I have yet to, but that’s now the plan.
Do you have any products that you borrow from your boy? If so, tell me what in the comments! Want more info on any of these products? Just let me know.
I know it’s May, and I just got my May Birchbox, which I am so freaking excited to share with you, but I figured I should probably share my April Birchbox first…
The box itself was designed by Rifle Paper Co.
Is it not the prettiest?!
A lot of Birchbox subscribers received this Beaver Professional Shampoo and Conditioner, and many weren’t happy about it. Probably because they’re sick of shampoo and conditioner sets, since they do kind of make it feel like you’re only getting four samples instead of five. This set was a decent size (anything beats the foil packets), and the fact that it hydro nutritive, makes me excited to try it. I haven’t yet, because I’m still using the Soapbox Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner.
This was the first month in a while that I’d opted for a sample choice instead of the monthly feature box. Why? Because I’m a makeup junkie and really really wanted to make sure I got to sample this POP Beauty eyeshadow palette. I’m still debating if I want to buy the full size set, I have a few points saved up, but I want to wait and see how I feel when I use up this sample.
This Cynthia Rowley illuminator was such a pleasant surprise! I’m trying to use it as sparingly as possible, but I really do love it.
My very first Birchbox included a Wei mud mask, so call me overconfident, but I truly bee-lieve (insert canned laugher here) that I’ll be obsessed with their bee venom mask. I’m saving this for the next time I want to pamper myself. I just wish the sample came with a brush…
I’m pretty content with all the products in my April Birchbox. Can’t wait to show you why I am seriously SO freaking excited about my May Birchbox!
Not sure if you noticed, but in my wedding season post, my hair had recently been done professionally. A little snip snip, a few extensions added, I was happy with the results and felt really good.
Usually, if I get extensions I have them sewn in, this time bonding glue was used.
Not a huge deal.
Then, after about two weeks it was time to take the extensions out. This process involved a lot of baby oil. It was one big slippery mess. Here’s where there was a problem, afterwards, my hair was still sticky. I washed it, tried more baby oil, dry shampoo, you name it. Nothing worked, and I was starting to get grossed out by my own hair.
Maybe washing my hair for a second time also helped, but the shampoo got the remaining stickiness out so my hair was squeaky clean. And the conditioner left my hair soft, especially considering I had just washed my hair twice.
Soapbox gave me hope for my hair and after doing a little homework, I learned about the mission of the company and my heart smiled. They “use soap to improve the world”.
For under $5 at Target (because you know you’re going to be going on a run there soon anyways), you can give the world a little hope and look good while doing it!
Do you think anyone will notice that I wore this to another wedding?
Is the venue air conditioned?
How short is too short?
Will this match the wedding party a little too much?
I try to avoid the stress by wearing two things.
Yep, two.
A dress.
And a sweater.
I know! How easy is that?
I bought this dress from T.J. Maxx when it was the day of and I couldn’t think of what to wear to a friend’s wedding. I ended up being late (UGH!) and vowed (sorry…) that I would never let that happen again.
Keep jewelry and makeup simple, remember you are not the bride.
This tennis bracelet Anjolee sent me is elegant and ideal.
If you’re looking for a more personal touch, with Anjolee, you can customize any jewelry design from designer stud earrings to anniversary rings for women.
Add matching heels and grab a clutch and you’ll never have to worry about what to wear again!
I personally don’t have any weddings to attend this wedding season. What’s really great about an outfit like this is that it can also be worn for a nice dinner date.
Before living in Vermont, I didn’t really care if a product was at all natural or if my beef was grass fed.
While, I still use products that aren’t organic or vegan, and I am not above scarfing down a process patty…it’s nice to be made aware of healthier product options.
That being said, I recently got the chance to test out a few products I was gifted from Amara Organics.
I just started using them and have to admit that I was surprised by how well they work. Adding these products to my skincare routine.
The eye cream is 100% natural and smells like cucumbers!
I love how the Hyaluronic Acid leaves my face feeling moisturized in a way that I never thought possible. The word acid scared me a little, but it’s worth it. Just make sure to follow up with a moisturizer and you should be good for the day.
And, you guys, I’m almost thirty (kind of, sort of, give or take…) so the Retinol Serum is pretty nifty, but to be honest, I’ve been using it to combat my acne scars more so than wrinkles. I haven’t been using it long enough to see any drastic results, but I’m hopeful.
A special thank you to Amara Organics for sponsoring this post AND they are giving away three of their products to 25 lucky winners! You can enter there giveaway here.
When your boss is doing something as awesome as mine is, it only makes sense to want to be a part of it. So, when Ponn Sabra shared that Blogger Babes was holding a blog tour and I’d have the chance for her to guest post on Twenty Something Plus, I wanted in…
This post is a part of a month-long Blogger Babes blog tour which began here.To read this post in-context, we recommend starting at the beginning–then hop along with us for the full journey.
While the of blogging topic is rarely touched upon on this blog, I’d like to share a little story with you, how I think it’s relevant today:
I met Bethany at one of the Blogger Babes CT meetups 2 months ago. I immediately noticed an ambitious beauty and lifestyle blogger with a ton of potential. It was because of this potential and her follow-up (great networking skills are critical in the field of blogging), that I asked her if she wanted to work on a little Blogger Babes (BB) project.
That little project eventually turned into a position working for both brands: Blogger Babes and The Ambitionista (my co-founder, Heidi’s fashion blog). My point here is: if you have a dream of catapulting your hobby blogging to the next level, then follow Bethany’s lead
(1) show up and network with like-minded bloggers,
(2) practice good follow-up skills,
(3) offer to intern, and show your skills and personality off: be trainable, personable, determined and professional, and
(4) grow and get paid while you’re learning.
I know the lessons Bethany is gaining is unlike her startup blogging peers, because we’re teaching her how to achieve multiple streams of revenue while actively building publicity and awareness to the core brand: our blogs.
No matter what Heidi and I do, our blogs are our brands, and we must constantly write posts as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Beauty Blogs are Photo Rich – Don’t Let it Bog Down Your Blogging Process
Look for photos last (or first!)
Looking for photos can become very time consuming as you search for the perfect photo to go with your blog post. Set aside the time to look for images after you’ve written your first draft.
This strategy can be reversed – find inspiring photos from some of the free stock image sites and let them inspire your blog posts!
Use a screenshots effectively.
If your post sharing that helpful information comes up short and is only 250 words long, bulk up its interest value by adding a teaser screenshot or infographic, highlighting some aspect of the resource that makes your reader want to read more.
Want to take your blog to the next level?
The above tips are an excerpt from our debut “21 Fast and Simple Tips to Write Blog Posts Faster” Guide, one of seven documents in our comprehensive Blogger Monthly Tutorials launching on May 1st. Each tutorial eKit comes with a tutorial, 21 tips sheet, worksheets, calendar, all our recommended tools, and much more!
For the price of your last unfinished premium coffee or tea, you can should invest in yourself and your blog. You know work-related educational materials are a tax write-off, right!? Yeah…taxes are still on my mind… :-/
Click here to sign up for the Limited Time Only Early Bird special release of $5 per month!
Ponn Sabra is a best-selling author and homeschool mom of three tween and teen daughters, also bestselling authors and probloggers. The Managing Partner of Blogger Babes, Ponn is a lover of good photography–but not the one you’ll find in front of the camera nor behind it. So, rather than spend time on gazing at gorgeous blog photos, she delegates this task for quicker results. What can you delegate that’s time-consuming because you either love or despise the act?
Somebody totally forgot their one year blogiversary.
OK, it was me. But in my defense, I may have completely lost track of time because this wasn’t my first attempt to start Twenty Something Plus. The first one was very basic and I didn’t really do anything with it.
Also, I’ve been working on a side thing or two. I’m really excited about my future and the potential of what was initially something I began just to entertain myself.
All excuses aside, I’m making up for missing out on what could have been a giant celebration, by doing a belated blogiversary giveaway!
All products included are by brands that I use. If you don’t believe me, feel free to stalk my Instagram.
What was originally a rather basic prize bundle, got a MAJOR upgrade thanks to Alyssa of bba bracelets.
It’s going to be SO hard giving all this stuff away. Especially this gorgeous beaded bracelet stack! I have my bba beaded tassel bracelet, which I LOVE, but these remind me of the ocean, so naturally, I’m obsessed.
SO pretty! You know you want to enter…
Begins Wednesday, April 15, 2015 12:00AM EST and runs until Wednesday, April 22, 2015 12:00AM EST. Open to U.S. and Canada only. No purchase required. Winner will be selected at random and must respond within 48 after being contacted. This giveaway isn’t endorsed or associated by anyone but me. Good luck!
Remember when I said I wouldn’t be getting my Julep Maven box for a while? Well, I may have forgotten to skip this month and was really upset with myself. That is until I got my box, or rather, until I tried the beauty product included.
I have so much nail polish that, according to the manfriend and my family, I don’t need more. I say, I don’t need that kind of negativity. And that’s what my bank account tells me. I half joke…
I have shared almost way too many brow products that I use. That’s because I really go through them. I like trying different ones, because the only way to know which one you like best is to try them all. Again, half joke.
But seriously, even when I don’t really put on a lot of makeup, I do my eyebrows.
This is my favorite, yes, favorite brow product to date. Minimal effort for eyebrows on fleek. I mean it.
And the polish colors are two that I know I’ll be using this summer. One of them is named Drew. (In case you didn’t know, the manfriend’s name is Andrew and thanks to all the college students we’ve worked with I call him Drew more often than he probably likes. Also, my niece and youngest nephew call him Uncle Drew. The other three refer to him as their aunt’s boyfriend…) Plus you can’t really go wrong with pink.
Next month I’ll go back to skipping, and set a reminder in my calendar so I don’t forget. And now I know what I’ll be using all my Jules Points for!
In case you were wondering, this month’s candy was the Everlasting Gobstopper.
