My Influenster Holiday VoxBox!

Heyyy folks!

How was everyone's December 25th? I hope you had fun hanging with your family, loved ones, friends, eating unnecessary amounts of food, or whatever it is you do!

I had a blast just spending time with the people I love. Christmases get better every year! 

This year, to add and multiply all the Christmas merriment, Influenster sent me my Holiday VoxBox! I've been anxiously waiting for it since I got the email that I was gonna get one! 

If you haven't heard of Influenster, go check them out here. They are, for right now, invitation only but once you get in, boy, are you in for a treat! This is the 3rd box I got from them. The first one was the Blogger VoxBox which was AMAZING! I enjoyed everything they sent me and even fell in love with a couple of items! I'm doing a giveaway soon and it'll include my faves from my Blogger VoxBox. Yay! 

The second box I received was the Holiday Surprise Treat and if you follow me on Twitter, you'd know how excited I was about it! Wanna know what I got?

How lucky am I? I finished the whole box in a day but ya know, what's a girl to do?

So anyway, last week, I got my Holiday VoxBox and I thought I'd share with you the stuff I received. 

First thing is this card from Sole Society for $25 off on my first pair of shoes. The best part is, I get to share this with you guys! They offer free shipping both ways so that means we can get a pair of fab shoes for as low as $25! I've heard great things about Sole Society and I've been wanting to sign up. Good thing this came in! There's so many fun pairs, it's so hard to pick! 

What do you think? What should I choose? Do you have your favorites from the site yet?

And as for the rest of my box:

I received:

(1) Quaker Reel Medleys Oatmeal (MSRP: $1.79/cup)

(2) EBOOST Pink Lemonade, 20-Count Pouches (MSRP: $28/20) Find it cheaper here

(3) NYC Liquid Lip Shine Nude York City(MSRP: $2.49) Find 2-pack here

(4) Kiss Nail Dress, Fashion That Sticks, KDS10 #56708 (MSRP: $6.99)
(5) Goody Quick Style Paddle Brush (MSRP: $11.99) Cheaper with Amazon Prime here

I have to admit, I haven't tried most of the products but let me talk about the one that I did, shall we?

In my Blogger VoxBox, I received Spin Pins from Goody and I was floored! I've been using them too much ever since!

Goody did it again this time! This, my friends, is the Goody Quikstyle Paddle Brush. I'm not gonna lie, the first time I saw it, I thought it was weird. Just look!

Creepy looking, right? 

It's a mix of regular brush bristles and worm like looking absorbent microfiber things. It claims to reduce water by 30% to dry your hair faster.

I used it the night I received it and it works!!! It detangled my hair and dried it a lot faster! I towel dried my hair and went about my pm skin care routine and then used the brush and it worked really, really well. I would say it took off about 20-30 mins of my regular drying time. I have yet to use it on fresh out of the shower hair but I bet it does a lot on that too. 

Another thing I'm loving about it is that it didn't pull out too much hair. Even wide teeth combs tend to pull out a lot of my hair and this brush def didn't do  that. 

I'm loving it and I highly recommend you try it out!

I'm probably gonna try out the Kiss Nail Dress next. Animal print nails for NYE? Why, yes, please! I haven't tried any nail products that you stick on so that would probably be a challenge. Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, what product do you want to hear about next? Did you pick out a pair from Sole Society yet? Let me know!

Talk to you guys soon!

<3

Halloween 2012

It's shameful how my last post has been a month ago. It's even worse that this isn't even gonna be a full length post. 

Just wanted to share what Aldene and I decided to dress up as last Halloween. I know everybody's over Halloween and their costumes by now but whatevs. I'm proud of what we worked on. I've never seen him so eager to do something crafty before so I don't think I will ever get over this! haha

Lego people Lois and Peter Griffin!

Tell me we're not uberly awesome and not at all dorks? Haha

And PS. Have you seen this video? 

Ya. If you love Family Guy as much as I do then you'd understand how hilarious this video is. And to pay tribute:

HAUL: My First IPSY/ My Glam Bag!

Hallloooo eb-ri-ba-dy!!

I know I've been MIA (again) but I swear I'm working hard. I'm also trying out this new and VERY exciting thing that I can't tell you guys about just yet. It's something I've been wanting to do forever but just mustered up the courage for. Once I feel more comfortable, I'd tell you all about it!

And so moving on.....

I've recently subscribed for a couple of (subscription) beauty boxes and I've been sooooo excited for them to come. I honestly can't remember how many I signed up for because a lot of them would let you register but tell you that you're on a waiting list and you'd have to wait before you can purchase a box. Boo! 

But on Friday...... this little baby came and I was so freakan' happy! 

It's the sparkliest mail envelope ever!

Now if you don't know what Ipsy is, it's basically a monthly subscription started by youtube sensation, Michelle Phan where you'll pay $10/ month and they'll send you products to try out. Some are sample sized, some full sized. It gives you the opportunity to try out a product before you commit to buying it full size..or lets you try new products that you wouldn't necessarily come across with otherwise. Learn more here.

Here's what's inside my glambag for this month:

awww, shucks!

Don't you just love the bag it came with? I am obsessed with chevron! This little clutch is just perfection and is probably my most favorite of the whole package!

And the products:

Pequi Oil Treatment 5fl oz. (reg price- $12)

Be A Bombshell Eye Liner in Onyx (reg price - $14)

The Balm "The Body Builder" Black Mascara (reg price - $19)

Mirenesse Lip Bomb No 9 (Nudes) (reg price - $28.08)

Coastal Scents Eye Shadow Palette

Honestly, I don't know if I love the product choices for this month. I definitely got my money's worth if you look at the regular prices but they're not necessarily products that I would pick up.

I'm definitely happy about the mascara and eyeliner since these are two of my make up essentials. I used the eyeliner today and I'm pretty happy with it. I have yet to try it for a few days before I decide if I love it. Like pay-14-bucks-for-it love it.

I'm also excited to try the hair treatment. I don't use a whole ton of products on my hair but I've heard good things about the Pequi treatment so I'll def try that one out.

The lip stain is also okay. It's not my color choice since it's too nude but it's alright. I tried it on top of my regular lipstick and it seemed to hold up well. I think I'll end up using it as a lip highlighter.

And as for the eye shadow.. hmm... meh. I've tried coastal scents eye shadows before and I'd say they're average. They're alright for normal everyday use and their pigmentation's okay but I'm not crazy about this palette in particular. I would use neutral eye shadows since I don't put make up on everyday but this one is just too light, even for for me. It's actually a lot lighter in real life than in the pictures and when I swatched it on my hand (2nd picture), it took me a few strokes before they showed up. One of them barely showed up even after a few applications. 

Additionally, I looked down on my hand just now and it's all gone. The sparkles are all that's left. It looks like I put glitter lotion on.

So there you go, my first glam bag! Woot, woot! All in all, I'm not too crazy about this one but I'm still satisfied. I'm don't regret signing up for it and am looking forward to next month! I'll use all the products and see what I think about it and I'd definitely let you guys know.

Wanna sign up for Ipsy? Head over here.

Are you an Ipsy subscriber? What do you think? Which product(s) are you excited to use? Let me know!

<3,

Scarf Love

Skipping Trendy Thursday for the 2nd week today. Boo. :(

I've been feeling excited for scarves lately. I don't know why. It's been fall-ish in my part of the world. Some mornings, I've been needing to wear a sweater and then it gets really, really nice by the time my class goes outside for playground time. So I guess that's why I've been daydreaming about my fall/ winter wardrobe. 

If I have all the money in the world, I'd but all these scarves. (They're all handmade by the way.)

1.   Yellow and White Black Striped Scarf by ozlemdesign - $18
2.   Cowl Scarf by mmhm - $26.47
3.   Infinity Scarf by BabersOnEtsy - $25
4.   Pink and Seafoam Green Infinity Scarf by handmadehabitat - $49 
5.   Team Scarf by JoLindsDesigns - $16
6.   Chevron Scarf by MegansMenagerie - $20
7.   Bird Infinity Scarf by fairstore - $18
8.   Bird Scarf by sheyma - $7
9.   Somewhere Over The Rainbow Scarf by JunkinJulies - $24
10. Maroon Circle Scarf by ForgottenCotton - $20

Aren't they just gorgeous? How about you, what fall/ winter clothing item are you daydreaming about?

Uhmm....

So I missed Trendy Thursday yesterday.... 




 I'm sick. :(





......but I'll be back.



<3,
Mary

Trendy Thursday DIY: Kiss Me Smoking Slippers

I made it to week 2 of Trendy Thursday! Yay! 

If you missed week 1, I did a Lynn Ban inspired statement necklace here and I just HAVE to share this: 

replied and retweeted.

ME = STARSTRUCK. haha

Pretty great, huh? :)

And so moving on...

Smoking Slippers have been making the rounds in the fashion scene since fall last year and it's back for fall 2012! It's perfect for people like me who are always wearing flats. They come in so many designs!

Some of my favorites are these glittered ones by Jimmy Choo, cute printed ones by Betsey Johnson, and super spunky ones by Steve Madden.

While I was browsing through the Neiman Marcus website, I found these gorgeous pumps that I'm waaay too cheap for. I love the lips detail and it reminded me of this really fun bag that I've seen on one of my favorite fashion bloggers, Kryz Uy. Here and here

I rarely get to wear pumps but I knew I had to DIY this detail in some way so when I was thinking of ways to jazz up our trendy Thursday item, I knew this would be perfect.

All you need are:

(a) scissors, (b) marker, (c) scrap fabric (d) plain smoking slippers (e) adhesive

note: I used Jersey fabric because it's all I have at home  it goes well with the texture of my slippers (that I found at Wal Mart for $14.99) but I bet leather would also work well. You can also use e6000 to glue on your fabric, I just had some cloth adhesive lying around so I used it.

Steps:

Let dry... and done!

So simple but so fab! I don't know about you but I tend to dress in monotone and neutral outfits during the fall season so these would be great to add a pop to my usual get ups. 

What do you think?

I hope you enjoy this edition of Trendy Thursday. Please let me know if you have questions or if you try out this project, I would love to see what you did! 

See you at week 3 of Trendy Thursday! :)

<3,

Mary

Photo A Day Challenge September Week 1

Hallooo, loves!

So I've decided to try (for the nth time) to do the Photo A Day Challenge hosted by Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim. I missed the first few days since I was waiting for my new phone and I have the crappiest phone camera before that so I started on Day 5. 

Here's what I have for the last week..

Day 5. Bright

Day 6. Every Day

Day 7. Natural

Day 8. At Night

Day 9. Something You Do Most Weekends

Day 10. Black & White

So far, so good. I even got Aldene(@mercium) to join in too.

If you want to do the challenge, please do so. It's a super fun exercise. It helps you see beauty in everyday things and lets you practice your photography skills as well. Follow me in Instagram (@hippiegypsy00) and let me know if you're doing it, I would love to see you photos!

Here's the complete list from Chantelle:

<3,

Mary

Trendy Thursday DIY: Leather Statement Necklace

Hey, folks! 

So, this week, the teachers go back to school. The kids don't come in till next week but I'm already so tired! I had forgotten how it feels like to be working at 8am. I miss sleeping long hours. Haha Seriously though, I still feel a little bitter about summer ending but I've met most of my to-be Rainbows and they're such a sweet bunch! So excited!

Anyhoo.. starting this week, I'm gonna start a new blog feature called TRENDY THURSDAY DIY where (hopefully) every Thursday, I'll post a DIY project inspired by the season's hottest trends.

Let's start easy, shall we?

One trend that's not going anywhere are statement necklaces. I saw this Lynn Ban Necklace in the September 2012 Harper's Bazaar. I absolutely adore geometric statement necklaces and this one immediately caught my eyes. But for a whooping $900, no, thank you. It's so exclusive that I can't find details for it anywhere. The magazine just gave a phone number where you can order. 

 And so, inspired by this piece, let's DIY!

What you need:

leather scraps: I got mine from AC Moore, 3 different sized sheets for $4.85, OR get it here.
jump rings: I used 3/8
closure, chain: on hand. entirely up to you what you want to use. I just used whatever I can find first.
leather: I drew the shape I wanted on construction paper and used it on the leather as template
whole puncher: I got mine from a local dollar store for $1

And in 4 easy steps......

Voila!

Not bad, eh? And remember, you can modify yours to the shape you want. I wanted to make mine a little more rounded than our inspiration piece.

Please let me know if you decide to do this project! I would love to see what you've come up with!

<3,
Mary