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Target Beauty Box – April
I know, I know it’s not April anymore…but I wanted to share this with y’all anyway! I was unable to get my hands on the March Target Beauty Box, but I was able to snag an April one.

The Target Beauty Box is a one-time purchase monthly box that includes deluxe and full sized beauty products that you can find at Target and of course other retailers.

Here is a BREAKDOWN of the APRIL goodies:
1. SheaMoisture Kukui Nut Facial Cream Cleanser + Face & Neck Cream – Value for 5ml = $0.42
The full size bottle retails for $9.99 for 4 oz for the facial cleanser. The full size face and neck cream retails for $14.99 for a 2oz bottle. Delivers youth-infusing vitamins and antioxidants to help protect against aging.
1. Juice Organics Deluxe-Size Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner – Value for 1.2 oz each = $2.10
The full size, 10oz shampoo and conditioner retails for $9.99. Volumizes, thickens and promotes healthy hair growth. I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve seen those results in my hair after using these, but they smell great and my hair stays smelling good long after I’m out of the shower. I’m pretty picky about my shampoo/conditioner routine to begin with and prefer to use items that enhance my blonde hair.
1. Burt’s Bees White Tea Extract Facial Cleansing Towelettes – Value for 10 count = $2.37
This is a full size item! Removes dirt, oil and makeup for all skin types. Ok, so I love Burt’s Bees to begin with, so the fact that this was in my box was a huge plus in my book! I really like these as they’re the perfect size to throw in my gym bag. I use them to give my face a little wipe down after my run at lunch time while I’m at work.
1. Hello Extra Whitening Pure Mint Flouride Toothpaste – Value for 0.85 oz = $0.91
A full, 4.2oz bottle retails for $4.49. Whitens teeth naturally; free of dyes, artificial sweeteners or flavors, microbeads, preservatives and gluten.
1. Yes to Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask – Value = $ 2.52
This is another full size item! Made with charcoal to naturally draw out impurities, help fight and prevent acne, and remove excess oil. I love getting masks in my boxes (as long as they’re not sheet masks!). I’ve never tried this one, and I can’t wait to try it out!
1. ACURE Pore Clarifying Red Clay Scrub –Value for 1 oz= $3.25
The 4oz bottle retails for $12.99. Moroccan red clay draws out impurities while black jojoba beads gently exfoliate to reveal clearer, smoother skin. I’ve never used this brand before, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked this facial scrub and the way it left my face feeling after using it.
1. Raw Sugar Lemon Sugar Body Wash – Value for 2 oz= $0.56
A full size, 25oz bottle retails for $6.99. Packed with vitamin C, antioxidants and essential oils to cleanse and nourish skin. I’ve gotten this brand before and I absolutely love it. I was so excited to see it in the April box and couldn’t wait to use it. It smells great and leaves me feeling fresh and clean.

THE VALUE

The value of this April Beauty Box is about $12.13. Since this box was only $7 plus shipping (mine was free shipping + 5% off since I have a Target Debit Card) this is a great deal! For this particular box, I felt that the value was a little low seeing as it only had 2 full size items and the rest travel size. This is perfect for trying out a new product that you may not normally buy.

I think this box is a great deal for trying out new things and products every month! I love the excitement of opening my box every month! I can’t wait to post about my May box!

XOXO
May 12, 2017
FabFitFun Spring 2017 Box

Good Morning y’all! Ok so I know I haven’t posted in QUITE A WHILE but I’m still here and I just received my Spring FabFitFun Box. So what better way to end my little absence than with a post about my box?

I was super excited when this came in the mail especially since wasn’t too thrilled with the winter box. I am signed up for the yearly subscription, so I knew 3 of the items I would be getting. But that definitely doesn’t take any of the surprise away when I open the box!

Here is everything that came in my box including my Add-ons which I will talk about in another post.

Ok, so here is what came in my Spring 2017 box:

GYPSY 05 Beach Roundie – Retails $50

This was one of the items that I already knew I was getting and was able to pick the pattern that I wanted. It is a round beach blanket with a tassel trim and mine has a great spring time pattern to it. It is 100% cotton and has a diameter of 62.5 inches. So basically I’m really excited that this was one of the items in this season’s box! I’ve been eyeing these online for quite a while and the one time I went to purchase one, it was sold out; I guess that was fate telling me to just wait it out. These roundies are perfect for taking to the beach or for a nice picnic in your own backyard. I can’t wait to use my roundie for all my adventures this summer. Their website has so many different options to choose from and they’re all so cute!

BRIOGEO Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray – Retails $20

Does your hair need some extra love? This ultra-lightweight spray is fortified with a unique blend of rosehip, argan, and coconut oils to improve hair’s softness, strength, and moisture levels, while acting as a barrier against heat. The tip FabFitFun gives is to use this after your shower when your hair is clean and still damp and then style like you normally would. I’ve used other products like this before, and normally I’m not a fan of deep/leave-in conditioners, but I do like this one! I like that I could just spray it on and style my hair like normal. I also liked that I didn’t have to stand in the shower forever and then rinse it out. This product is a decent price and I would definitely consider buying it when I run out of the bottle I got. You can also purchase this at Sephora!

MILLY Zip Pouch in Beach Please – Retails $45

Water resistant bag! This bag is the perfect size for stuffing your wet bikini in after a day of fun in the sun. I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep this when I first opened my box, but then I realized that it is great for transporting my wet bikini from my fiancés house back to my house after a day in the pool! It is also a pretty good size (10 1/4”x 8”) and would also work well for traveling and putting all those liquids in one spot rather than in 50 million little bags. This particular one is apparently not in stock, but they have plenty of other ones to choose from.

DR. BRANDT Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator – Retails $79

Reveal radiant and renewed skin! This formula contains aluminum oxide crystals, lactic acid, and smoothing botanicals to polish away dead cells and leave you with bright, smooth, healthy-looking skin. I LOVE to try new facial cleansers and was happy to find this in my box! I love the way my face felt after using this to wash my face before bed and then again in the morning. I obviously wouldn’t pay almost $80 for a face wash, so it will be a nice little luxury to use until I run out.

KARUNA Hydrating + Face Mask -Retails $28

This is a deep conditioning sheet mask. It allows pores to fully absorb essential nutrients and nourishing ingredients for ultimate hydration. I’m not a huge fan of sheet masks because, more times than not, they are WAY too big for my face and they leave too much residue for my liking. I’m not 100% sure that I will use this product so maybe one of my mask loving friends would like this. This product can be purchased as a single or in a 4-pack and can be bought online (see link) or through places like Sephora and Ulta.

REALHER Lip Kit in Neutral Pink -Retails $48

This product is made from natural ingredients, this liquid lipstick, plumping lip gloss, and lip liner trio are so pretty you’ll be kissing the mirror before you leave the house! I got the pink set and I have to say it is the perfect shade of pink; it is really natural looking and not gaudy at all. The pigment is great and the color was long lasting, I didn’t have to worry about reapplying while I was wearing this! Definitely my new go-to item.

DEBORAH LIPPMANN Nail Polish Set in Blue Orchid/Like a Virgin -Retails $19

These two nail polishes are a light cream color and a light kind of blue color, perfect for spring time. I’m not really a huge fan of receiving nail polishes in my boxes since I only do gel on my nails or nothing at all. (Who has time to wait for regular polish to dry anyway?) When I opened the bottle to take a look at it, it seemed like it was a pretty thin formula and would probably need quite a few coats to get a good color going. Unfortunately, I won’t be using this particular product, so maybe I can find someone who loves nail polish!

EMERALD DUV “Joshua Tree” Cage Bracelet -Retails $80

Can I start by saying…Wow the price of this bracelet is crazy! I would never pay that much for a bracelet! Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, this is a cute bracelet and I’m glad this was one of the things I got to choose in my box. The other option was these crawler earrings, and I’m not really a huge earing fan. This bracelet is a super cute cage style and was made in the USA. This will be perfect for dressing up or even wearing to work. It will be cute either on its own or paired with other stackable bracelets. This item is currently out of stock, but I attached the link to the website so you can take a look at all the other jewelry they offer.

BONUS ITEMS:

Nature’s Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies – Retails $4.99

Nature’s Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies provide you with the vital nutrients your body needs to support your natural beauty from within. Vitamin E and Vitamin C are antioxidants. Vitamin E contributes to skin health, and Vitamin C is involved in collagen production and formation, which forms the basis for vibrant skin. Biotin helps to maintain healthy hair. I have used these before so I am familiar with the product, but this was a great bonus item in my opinion. They literally don’t taste like vitamins at all and I love that they’re in gummy form!

NEW Burt’s Bees Protein Powder in Vanilla -Retail $2.99 (for a single pouch)

This is a sample size of Burt’s Bees new protein powder. I can’t wait to try this out and see how it works. It contains 15 grams of plant-based protein and includes 1/3 cup of real fruits and vegetables per serving. It also contains antioxidants – Vitamins A, C and E.

The total value for this box is $377.00 including the two bonus items, which to me is such a great deal for the price of the box! I’m really excited to continue using the items in my Spring box, but I can’t wait to see what the Summer box has to offer!

To subscribe to FabFitFun AND get $10 OFF, use my referral link to get in on all the fun that FFF has to offer!! You won’t regret it!

FFF is great because if you decide that you no longer want to receive the box, you can unsubscribe at any time!

XOXO

P.S. Let me know your thoughts on the Fall Box! I can’t wait to hear about your fav product!

May 4, 2017
Weekend Getaway: New York Style

Hey y’all I hope you had a great weekend! I know my weekend was filled with running around doing errands and then an ALL day cheer competition on Sunday!

So as I’m sitting at work this morning, I can’t help but look back at my pictures and see what a great time I had two weekends ago in my favorite city – NEW YORK! I don’t have vacation time at work yet, so I have to take advantage of long weekends and off days. Since MLK weekend gave me Monday as a holiday, I had Friday and Monday off, I had planned a weekend trip with one of my girlfriends.

I know some of you may be shaking your heads wondering how on earth a girl from SoCal can make NYC a weekend trip!? You get up and go every morning that your there and you don’t stop going until your head hits the pillow at night, that’s how you do it!

But in case you’re still confused, let me break it down for you:

Thursday:

I took a red eye flight leaving at 9:30pm California time and landing at JFK at 5:30am. I personally LOVE red eye flights because I don’t feel like I’m wasting a whole day and I get to sleep on the plane! It’s like killing two birds with one stone. It’s this feeling of getting to your destination before the rest of the world is awake and I personally already feel ahead of the game.

Waiting to board our plane on Thursday night!

Friday:

Landing day: We landed at JFK at 5:30am and headed down to baggage claim to pick up my luggage (it’s January in the City, of course I needed to check a bag!). I personally enjoy taking the train into Penn Station (right by the hotel I stay at), but my friend was not on board to do that. We ended up taking a Taxi (worst experience EVER!!) and it was soo expensive!! (Side note: taking the train from the airport is less than $20 and the taxi was $60+tip) We finally got to the hotel and, if I’m being honest, was hoping that the room wasn’t ready yet (my plan was to have the hotel hold our bags, go grab breakfast, and get started on the day). Our room was ready and of course my friend wanted to nap, so I let her, but then our day got started later than I hoped and I was hungry. We FINALLY left the hotel closer to 11am and found a diner to eat breakfast at and then made our way to Central Park (there are a ton of different things you can do in the park). The weather was crisp, but it was so nice feeling the cool air on my face. We spent a little time in the park walking around and sitting on one of the many big rocks.

Such a picture perfect moment in Central Park

Then we took a little trek to The Met steps so we could sit and of course take a Gossip Girl inspired picture.

Laughing and loving the great weather in the sun

Once we were done with that, we went back to the hotel where we sat and relaxed for a while then walked down the block to get pizza. The big highlight of the day was signing up for a Paint and Sip Night at the Painting Lounge a few blocks from our hotel. It was soo much fun and definitely not something my Mr. ever wants to do! (If you have never been, an instructor takes you step by step through the painting process and you get to drink wine while you do it!) I absolutely love how my painting turned out and being from SoCal, you don’t normally get to paint the NY scenes.

I absolutely love how my painting came out!

Saturday:

Another late start… when we FINALLY left the hotel, we took the subway to the 9/11 Memorial site where we got off in this really cool mall. We made our way across the street to the Memorials where we sat and reflected for a few minutes in silence. That day had such a huge impact on so many people and when you sit and think, it brings so many different emotions to you at once. It makes you think about where you were at the moment you found out about the attack.

There are no words to accurately describe this moment

After reflecting for a few moments, we got in line to buy tickets to go to the top of One World Trade Center. It’s a short elevator ride up to the 102^nd floor where you can see breath taking views of the city below you. You could literally spend all day looking over the city (I love views like this, so I will definitely go back again).

Views from the top!!

Once we were done there, we took the subway down to Wall Street to see the Charging Bull. It was pretty crowded so we didn’t stick around long.

Grabbing life by the horns

It was getting late into the afternoon, so we headed back towards our hotel and got to Shake Shack right as it started snowing!! Lunch was delicious (I absolutely love Shake Shack, but I’ll only eat it in the city) and the view of the snow falling was like the cherry on top of a sundae!

oops, I might have been to hungry to wait for my picture

Later that evening, we headed over to The Rink at Rockefeller Center to ice skate. We had to wait a while to even get on the ice since it was between skate times. While we waited, we saw a man proposing to his girlfriend right there on the ice! It was picture perfect with the snow still falling as he got to his knee. We skated for a while until we were both tired and hungry. We took a short walk to Junior’s for dinner (they have the best cheesecake!!) and then called it a night after that.

Skating through life without a care in the world

Delicious chicken parm and veggies from Junior’s

Sunday:

The final day… I really wanted to get up early and get going, but my friend had other ideas (sleeping lol).But, I finally made it into Brooklyn and got Rainbow Bagels from The Bagel Store!! It’s this tiny little store that you will literally pass if you’re not paying attention. I ordered my rainbow bagel with confetti cream cheese and then ordered 5 more bagels to bring home with me! I enjoyed my bagel so much that I brought 5 home for my family to enjoy too (you can now order online and have them shipped to you)!

basic bagel and bridge picture

Since New York is all about great picture taking, I knew I just had to tote my bagels all the way over to the Brooklyn Bridge for the perfect picture! I made it to the bridge and snapped a picture, but I would have liked to walk all the way across the bridge. We didn’t too much the rest of the day since our flight was later that evening. We took the train from Penn Station to JFK and got there soo fast that we were way too early and ended up sitting at the airport forever!!

Literally couldn’t have asked for better weather on my last day

As always while I’m in the city, I take the Subway everywhere I go. I think that it is an inexpensive way to get around the city and get to where ever your heart desires! I also think that it helps you get acquainted with the city and definitely makes me feel at home when I can navigate the subway system without looking at a map.

This was the view from the street my hotel was on!

While my trip was a short one, I always enjoy my time in my favorite city and I can’t wait to get back there as soon as possible.

Feel free to leave your comments and let me know what your favorite things to do in the city are!

XOXO

January 30, 2017