Friday High Five

I am totally doing the Friday dance! This week has dragged on and on. That being said, there were no shortage of fun things going on.

Taking a look at the best things from my week.

1. Time to come clean I guess, though by now I'm sure you're already onto us. My husband and I are expecting our first! We are both so excited. It is still really early though, I am only 9 weeks along. It was a real struggle for us to conceive this baby, so I think that makes it even more special. Of course we are still very cautiously optimistic that everything will turn out just fine. We had our second ultrasound last Friday afternoon. Everything looked good! Baby had a heartbeat of 157 bpm. The ultrasound techs thought everything looked good, so that was very encouraging.

2. Saturday evening was a lot of fun! We got to go to Chucky Cheese with some of our friends and their 7 year old son. If you're not familiar with Chucky Cheese, it is a pizza restaurant full of all kinds of carnival and arcade games. We wound up playing there for 4 hours! The time flew by and it was so much fun. We also got to share our news with these friends. They are very happy for us, and their little boy is so excited. It was pretty cute.

3. A baby on the way means a lot of changes at home. We have to move our current spare bedroom down to the basement to make room for a nursery. That also means moving Dan's "Man Cave," so that will lead to some renovations downstairs. We still have really ugly doors in our house (for whatever reason they have never been changed, even with all the renos we have already done). This week we made the decision to get some new doors. Out with the ugly flat brown doors and in with nice new white six panel doors! It was a little bit of a gong show when Dan went to order them the other day so we won't be replacing all of them just yet. A new bathroom door and nursery door are on their way! (at least that replaces the grossest doors ).

4. Yesterday was my, very soon to be, sister in law's birthday. we went over to her and my brother's place for some cake. It was a nice evening to just relax and enjoy some visiting.

5. The excitement is mounting! It is the Labour Day long weekend this weekend so we are heading out of town, likely for the last time this year, and to my parent's cabin in British Columbia. It will be nice to be able to see my Grandma before winter hits. (we don't normally make it out there once the snow flies). Kind of bittersweet though, i guess, this weekend sort of marks the end of summer. The good news is... it has been really hot out there the last week, and that is likely to continue.

Hope you all have a very fantastic long weekend, and all the best for the new week ahead!

August Beauty Box 5 Review 2012

My husband and I met up for some lunch yesterday and I was so excited when he told me my Beauty Box 5 had shown up in the mail that morning. For some reason I had totally forgotten about it and didn't realize it would be arriving right away. I had not gone online to peak at this one! (I think this is my first time for this...oops!)

I was beside myself when I was opening this baby up! I spent a little bit of time this morning checking out some other reviews online, and once again, it looks like my box may be a little different than some of the others. This is one of the greatest boxes I have ever received, and I just have to say that Beauty Box 5 just gets better and better. I was really on the fence about this box before I ordered it, and spent a lot of time hemming and hawing over whether or not I should subscribe. It has very quickly become one of the best boxes I get.

This box was packed to the brim! The little organza bag, that is always included, was so stuffed full that whoever packed the box had to put stuff underneath it as well.

Inside the bag this was the first thing I pulled out. It is Ferro Cosmetics Sheer Crystal Veil (.14 oz $19). I think this is a full sized item. It is a sheer powder that is supposed to refine the look of your skin under or over your foundation. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I am looking forward to it. 

 Next up we have a bit of a repeat. Beauty Box 5 sent me a sample of this Blinc Eyeliner a couple of months ago. That's ok though, I thought this was a really cool product. Once it's on, this eyeliner will not budge! It doesn't smudge or fade and actually slides off when you apply pressure and warm water. This will be perfect to throw in my purse when my other sample runs out. This is one of the items that was different in my box, it looks like most of the other girls received 2 packets of a Freeman mask.

  The other thing I noticed was a little different in my box was that I received two samples of this next item. It's H20 Plus Marine Calm Restorative Eye Cream (.13 fl oz/.5 oz $32) The value of these samples is roughly $16! I like that it is unscented. I think I will give one of these samples to my mom since it is fragrance free.

Next thing out of the bag were three samples of these Blum Naturals Make-Up Remover Towlettes (3 samples/30 pack $7.49). I really enjoyed the blotting papers we received from this company a couple of months ago. These are perfect to throw in my travel bag too.

And last, but definitely not least, the thing that really sets my box apart from so many of the others I saw online, was that I received TWO samples of the Ellis Fass Milky Lips (.95 oz $35). One of these is Creamy Lips the other Milky Lips. These retail for $35 dollars each! I could not believe it. I looked at the color stamp on each one and thought the colors looked really nice. However, when i managed to twist the product up onto the applicators, I noticed that the colors really don't match the color swatch. Both lipsticks are dark browns in slightly different shades. Ordinarily I really do not like brown lipstick, but I watched a tutorial that Beauty Box 5 had posted. In the video they were using these lip colors as bronzers for on your cheeks. I tried it out and they work so great for this! They are the perfect shade for bronzer. I also discovered, that if lightly applied, they really weren't that bad as lip color, either. The packaging on these is really cool and you can really tell they are high end.

This box was full of such amazing value. Beauty Box 5 is $12 /month. And this month it was certainly worth every penny!

August Glymm Bag Review 2012

Let me start by saying.... Wow, am I ever far behind! Sorry about that! I think I am missing a couple of reviews along the way, too. I'll see if I can go back and get those on for you guys.

I received my Glymm bag a couple of weeks ago now. I'll admit, I am still guilty of checking it out online before it arrives, so I already knew kind of what to expect. I knew there were a few allusive bottles of nail polish out there! A lot of girls got laundry wash for their delicates and a sample vial of vanilla perfume. I wasn't really feeling those so I had my fingers and toes crossed for some of the polish.

If you're not familiar with Glymm, it is a monthly beauty box (bag) subscription that costs $12 / month. I wasn't super keen on the July box, so I really had high hopes for this one. Let's take a look at what I had in my bag.

First of all, the bag itself was really cute this month. It's a shiny, silvery black. However, I'm still not sure how I feel about getting one of these each month. I simply do not need them. These bags retail for $12 on the Glymm site, although I definitely don't think I would pay that. 

 The next item I pulled out of the bag was this Mai Couture Blush Papier in Prettyful. These are similar to the oil blotting papers that we received a couple of months ago, but these ones add a touch of color. I actually really like the color I received. One sheet is way more than enough for one application, I think you could probably get 3 uses out of one sheet, at least.

Full size: $19.00 for 50 sheets (approx. uses: 100)
Sample size: 2 sheets
Approx. Sample Value: $0.76

 Next up was a sample of  Naked Princess Naked Shine Luscious Lipgloss. All of the colors sent out were different shades of nude. The color I received was Barely Blush. A very light pink nude, really a nice color. The sample size was pretty small on these but was in really cute packaging. The lipgloss itself is a really nice flavor and goes on beautifully.

Full size: $26.00 for 2.96 ml (approx. uses: 173)
Sample size: 0.24 ml
Approx. Sample Value: $2.11

Next we have a bit of a repeat. I received a similar sample of Vitamin & Sea face mask in one of my other boxes a few months ago. (If I'm not mistaken it was in Glymm). This is a really nice mask, however the last time I used it it started to burn my face, so I think I will be giving this to a friend who can get some use out of it. The packaging is a little different this time, but still really cute!

Full size: $62.00 for 210 ml (approx. uses: 63)
Sample Size: Roughly 10 ml 

Approx. Sample Value: $2.95

Then I pulled this really cute cream out of the bag. I haven't had a chance to try this out yet, but I thought the labeling was really cute. This is Bentaberry G-1 Moisturizing Face Cream for Boys and Girls- Regulating Line.

Full size: $22.00 for 30 ml (approx. uses: 70)
Sample size: 3 ml
Approx. Sample Value: $2.20

The thing I am most excited for in this bag is the Coccolily nail polish I received (Yay! I got the nail polish!) This is the most adorable shade (sorry forgot the name and didn't get a shot of it). All the colors sent out were different shades of pink. This one reminds me of bubblegum or cotton candy. It is great! Will be so perfect for spring. This nail polish totally saved this bag for me.

Full size: $12.00 for 15 ml
Sample size: 15 ml
Approx. Sample Value: $12.00

There you have it. I think I will be keeping this subscription for now, however I just got a note from Topbox that I will be off the waiting list and in line to receive the October edition. So I might reconsider things as that date approaches.

Friday High Five

It was a short week this week, but it certainly did not feel like it. I am exhausted and so ready to sleep in tomorrow (am I allowed to list a potential sleep in as on of my high fives? ..... just kidding!) This is tougher since i did my belated high fives on Tuesday.

1.We were able to solidify some new this week.

2. Had a very nice visit with my best friend Wednesday afternoon. We went for tacos and a chat. Always nice to catch up and sometimes it feels like we don't get to see one another enough.

3. Had a co-worker/friend over for lunch yesterday. Afterward we worked on making her a necklace. She had purchased the beads for it months ago, so it was nice to finally get to it.

It was a pretty quiet week so I am going to cheat a little and use my last two high fives as things I am looking forward to in the next couple of days.

4. Having some really good friends over for dinner tonight. We haven't seen them in about 2 months. We have been busy and they were in Mexico for a couple of weeks. We always really enjoy ourselves with them so I think tonight is going to be lots of fun.

5. I'm also looking forward to my brother coming home tomorrow! He and his fiance have been in Ontario for the last week. I miss him!

Belated Friday High Five

I missed last week's Friday High Five because my husband and I were out of town for the long weekend and we left town on Thursday afternoon. I will still recap the 5 greatest thing from my week (or slightly longer)

1. My extra holiday was approved after some fear that we might miss out on one day of our long weekend. My boss forgot that she had approved that day, months ago. But it all worked out in the end!

2. We got some very exciting news. I don't want to share it just yet but we are very happy.

3. We left town! For 5 glorious days we were out of the bustling city and into the wilderness, staying at my parent's cabin in British Columbia. The weather was fabulous. The company was great! What a perfect mini holiday!

4. My best friend, Meghan, was able to make it out to the cabin to spend one night and a day and a half with us. I was very happy that she was able to get the time off work because, last minute, it looked like she was going to have to stay behind. She was supposed to spend a few days with us but one day was better than none.

5. I feel like a little kid.... I am so excited to tell you about my new bike! Dan and I had purchased new bikes at the start of this season. I really wanted an old style cruiser bike but they were crazy expensive! So, I settled for a regular mountain bike. It has gear shifts on the handle bars which I thought was great at the time. Turns out that makes the handlebars too large for my little hands so it was just painful riding it. When we went down to the US over the weekend I saw just the bike I had been looking for, and best of all it was on sale for less than $100! We wound up having to make two trips to pick up the bike because it would not have fit in our SUV with all the stuff we had purchased and three people. I can't wait to put it back together and give it a try! It's so cute and so me!