Friday's High Five

I might have fibbed just now. Okay, there's no "might".... I did. I don't have a High Five today. I'm going to keep today's post really small and just give you a

And if you missed any of this week's posts, click on these links and catch up: Mon // Tues // Wed //

I'm linking up with Lauren Elizabeth and The Good Life blog. Visit their pages to find out how to do the same!


Much love,

Leather Lady

Blazer: TJ Maxx (similar) // V-neck: Old Navy // Boyfriend Jeans: Old Navy // Heels: Charlotte Russe (old) // Necklace: Maurice's // Purse: TJ Maxx (similar, similar, similar) // Lipstick: L'Oreal-Mulberry

influenster #RoseVoxBox

It's been said that every rose has its thorn, but we dare you to find one in the Rose VoxBox! Romance yourself with beautifying goodies that will keep you in bloom all winter long...

Influenster is another subscription service that I signed up with a few months ago after a reader suggested it to me. I had never heard of it before. You log on to the site, take a few surveys about different products and receive "badges" for doing so. The more you do, the more of a chance for free things. In the fine print it mentions that not everyone receives a VoxBox so I was not expecting anything. In early September, I received their Sargento VoxBox -- yes, I know it sounds weird, but I got this cool cheese stick cooler container thing and free cheese coupons! 

And now this month I got an email saying I would soon be getting this Rose VoxBox. I wasn't sure what was going to be inside but the initial questionairre was all about mascara brands. Mascara is a weakness of mine. Friday rolls around last week and the pretty pink box was sitting on my front porch. And it was HUGE in comparison to the last one. I'd say the box is probably 8x12. I shook it with excitement to see if I could guess what was inside based on the noise it was making.

We had plans to meet my family for dinner so I had to rush straight to the train station to pick up J. After I parked, I couldn't wait any longer so I grabbed a key and ripped the tape free to reveal the contents of the box. There were five products.

[one] Dr. Scholl's For Her Cozy Cushions | $12.49

[two] Kiss Gradiation Polishes | $6.99

[three] Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara | $5.99

[four] belVita crunchy Breakfast Biscuits | $3.69 for a box of 5 packets of 4 biscuits

[five] Lindt LINDOR Milk Chocolate Truffles | $3.99

What I first thought:

The first thing I noticed was the foot cushions. They were massive and taking up the entire diagonal space of the box. I didn't even know Dr. Scholl's had this in their line of products but they looked promising. You can cut them according to your shoe size and are to be worn inside any type of boots or casual shoes to help keep your feet warm. I'm not sure if I'll like them because I have one other pair of boots with the same lining and my feet get pretty sweaty by the end of the night.

The second thing I noticed was the gold nail polish. Aaahhhhh (sung like angels in Heaven). I've never heard of the brand, Kiss, but I think this product is pretty genius. It comes in a set of three bottles and you're supposed to layer them to look gradiated from regular gold to gold glitter. We've done this DIY so I highly doubt I would have bought this on my own. But hey! Now that I've got it in my possession, don't mind if I do.

The third thing I noticed was the massive tube of mascara. It's a Rimmel product and, honestly, I haven't bought their mascara in a very long time. My per-youzhe (usual, silly) drugstore picks are Maybelline or Covergirl. But the fact that the packaging says that it's "retro glam", all I can picture is Twiggy and her huge lashes. It says it'll plump and fan out the lashes giving you a bold, wide-eyed look. AND there aren't any clumps. I love Benefit's They're Real mascara but with the fibers in the ingredients, it clumps and falls to my cheeks a lot of times, especially when I wear it all day.

The next thing I noticed was the belVita biscuits. I don't think I've ever seen these in the stores but my brother feeds them to their daughter. I tried them the last time I visited and they're pretty delicious. Supposedly they are baked to release steady energy that lasts all morning. If that really works, then great! But it sounds like marketing bullshit to me. I love the fact that there is no high fructose corn syrup in them, but the releasing of energy thing has me a little skeptical.

And the last thing in the box was a tiny bag of Lindt truffles. These I have had before and they are AMAZING! My sister works in an outlet shopping center and the Lindt store there was going out of business. So she was getting boxes and boxes and boxes of free chocolate. We came home with so much that it filled both cabinet doors above our microwave. My personal favorite is the white chocolate, but these milk chocolate truffles are definitely in second place. I'm not a huge chocolate person so I'm not sure if I'd buy these on my own, but if they're free, I'll take them!

I like every single thing in this box, and that's pretty rare for the Birchbox or Ipsy bags, so I just need to remember to keep taking the silly surveys so that I can try their stuff! On another note, I do really like giving my opinions on these products. So if you're interested in trying one of these out, stay tuned because I'll be reviewing them soon!

Makeover Madness: Drama, Baby.

It's been a little while since I've done a makeover post and I'm very excited about it! My co-worker, Alex, brought me a picture from this month's issue of Real Simple and asked that I apply that look to her face. It was a very dramatic cat/smoky eye and I was a little nervous with the outcome because it's not her usual look. But, of course, I jumped at the opportunity. And I can feature her on the blog. Duh.

Luckily I had brought my makeup with me to work and we were able to play on break. The browns almost had some purple and/or black to them so I pulled several colors from my makeup bag and just blended on her eyes until I achieved the desired look.

BEFORE

AFTER

[one] Swipe a medium to dark brown eye shadow over the entire lid.
-- I used Victoria's Secret wet/dry shadow in Espresso Lane. (currently no longer sold)

[two] Blend a lighter brown in the crease from side to side.
-- I used Mac eye shadow in Haux.

[three] To achieve the drama, swipe the same medium to dark brown color under the eyes and up towards each outer corner towards the brows. Make that line as a starting point.
-- I used the same brown from Victoria's Secret in step 1.

[four] Once that is made, blend the outer corner to that line with a darker brown/purple-ish color.
-- I used a color called Hustle from the Urban Decay Naked palette.

[five] If you want even more smokiness, you can blend black in the outer corners as well.
-- I used Covergirl shadow in Shimmering Onyx.

[six] Line the eyes with a black liner and if you want it smudged, that still works with this look. Also line the lower lash line but only the outer two-thirds.
-- I used something from my September Ipsy bag. It's a Kohl liner by Starlooks in Obsidian.

[seven] Use a smaller brush to dab a lighter, shimmery color in the inner corners of the eyes.
-- I used a color called Sidecar from the Urban Decay Naked palette.

[eight] Apply two coats of mascara to the top and bottom lashes.
-- I used Benefit's They're Real mascara.


Alex used a rosy lip color but a nude color works beautifully as well.

I love makeup on people when it is not their norm because it's so much fun to change it up every once in a while. Since I've always featured the eyes on Alex, I might just have to try something different next time. Maybe barely-there eyes and a colorful lip? Or maybe smoky eyes with no mascara for more of a Bohemian look? Orrr maybe cat eyes?

high five for all saints' day

I hope each and every one of you enjoyed your Halloweens! All of us in the Middle TN area got pounded by a storm so most neighborhoods postponed trick-or-treating until tonight. I guess for those who didn't postpone, I'm sure parents strategically planned it because now their kids can get candy two nights in a row!

The past few Halloweens, we all went out as a group. Most days I DESPISE the bar seen, but it's so much fun dressing up on this night. And to kick off my High Five for Friday, here are my last few costumes.

[ONE]

Halloween 2011--Grecian goddess

Halloween 2012--Hugh and his bunny

Halloween 2013--Sexy astronaut

--and sexy skull face

[TWO]

Drawing--I used to draw back in the day. Annnd I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned that to anyone. Not even to my husband. I mean, yeah, I can doodle, and by all means I wouldn't title myself as an "artist". But after drawing this piece a few days ago, it makes me want to get my sketch pad out and begin drawing again. One of our friends drew the piece on the left and I drew the one on the right. Introducing Fappy and Schlicky.

[THREE]

We celebrated a friend's birthday last weekend and we were out by the firepit all night. It makes me want to find a spot in our yard to build one. Like bad.

[FOUR]

I don't know if I just don't remember as a kid or if it was that my parents thought it was Satanic (like most uber-Christian parents feel about Halloween activities), but I have come to LOVE carving pumpkins. So which picture did I pick to carve? The one with a cat. Duh. She's wearing a witch's hat and there is a jack-o-lantern and bats flying around her head. Adorbs.

[FIVE]

And last but not least, remember the storm I was mentioning earlier? The sky was breathtaking this morning. I just had to snap a picture. HAD to.

And those are my top 5 moments from the week! You should tell me about your weeks/weekends because I'd love to hear. I'm linking up with Lauren Elizabeth and The Good Life blogs for today's post.