A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray Book Review!

My sister introduced me to this wonderful book. I actually don't always read the back of a book to know what it is about I just jump right in and read it. The books' main character is Gemma Doyle. At first I thought this girl was king of a brat but as the story developed I began to love her! The story is set initially in India and Gemma is acting out and being a bratty teenager with her mom. Her mom ends up dying and Gemma has to go to a finishing school.

Gemma arrives to this school and has always dreamed of going to London but not under these circumstances. She does have a room mate and her room mate is a little odd but she has no choice to have her as a friend. As the story progresses Gemma makes some relationships with 2 other girls and they start realizing the magic that is with in the walls and outside the walls.

The girls begin to experience magic and witchcraft. It's a wonderful and exciting adventure. The girls become very close friends because of it.

There of course is some mystery as the girls do have to solve why the realms and magic have been shut down. Gemma learns that she is an important piece and so they pursue it.

This is a trilogy and I have already bought the second book and will begin reading immediately!!

Love the way the author developed the characters. The story moves very quickly and has a lot of exciting moments throughout the book.

I give this 5 stars and I highly highly recommend that you give this book a read. If you love magic, mystery, adventure and fun you will definitely love this book!!

Buying Prescription Eyeglasses: Online Buying Guide

I have been wearing eye glasses since I was about 8 years old. I always wanted a pair of glasses. I love how they look and I like to wear them. In high school I went through a phase where I didn't want to be caught dead wearing a pair of glasses. In college I was more comfotable with them but it wasn't until I graduated that I really enjoyed them. I really wanted comfort. Once I wore glasses more I felt that my eyes could breath and I had so much more comfort and that's when I wanted cute and trendy glasses.

I went to my eye doctor and I felt that the selection was sparse and it was also very expensive. My insurance only covers contacts or glasses and I want both. So I turned to the internet where I get all my answers. The first site that I liked and wanted to order from was eyebuydirect.com. 

Eyebuydirect gave me tons and tons of options as well as very fair pricing. I have purchased my first pair and they were about $35 or so and then I went back and purchased another pair as well.  How do I feel about this site? Overall, I love the selection and pricing. Shipping is quick. I have one pair of glasses that the glass has small cracks. It doesn't impair my vision but asthetically it's not pleasing.

The second company that I ordered from is Bonlook.com. This site offers very trendy and chic glasses. Most of them priced $95-115$. I really love this pair of glasses. The case that they come with are nice and it's a hard case. The quality of them is nicer then the eyebuydirect. The only issue I have with these is that they do leave a small red mark on the bridge of my nose. It's not uncomfortable when I wear them but I dont like having that mark when I take them off.

The most current is WarbyParker. I am most pleased with this company because they are willing to send you up to 5 pairs of glasses to try on. The price is $95 for most glasses. They also donate a pair of glasses for each one that is sold. Who doesnt love a company that gives back??!

Overall I would say WarbyParker has the best quality for their glasses. I really like the weight and look. They have great customer service and decent shipping. Bonlook also has great customer service and the glasses are great. They seem just tiny bit lesser quality but wonderful. I have had my glasses from eyebuydirect since 2008 and I still love wearing them.

Remember when you purchase your glasses online you have to have a current prescription. You have to have your Pupilllary Distance or PD. Your eye doc doesn't always write this down on your prescription. If you wear contacts and glasses make sure that they write out both prescriptions!

Check out my YouTube video for a more in depth review and happy shopping!!

Pretty Little Liars Season 4 Finale Theories!!

I'm a huge Pretty Little Liars Fan. I have read all of the books and I have watched all the shows. I think that the books are amazing but I love the show just as much!!

So with that said I wanted to recap what happened and what my theories are. At first when I began watching the show it was difficult for me to seperate the characters and what was happening but as the show went on it went in a COMPLETELY different direction from the books so it became easier, I do think that ABC family will somehow want to incorporate some big things from the book and that is where I kind of will be drawing my theories.

It's been very exciting in Rosewood lately.  We get to finally see Allie. She has been this great mystery and we finally get to see her. She helps fill in the gaps of things that happened. We learn that her and Ezra had a little thing. I was still a little suspicious of him that he had ill intentions for Allie and was using Aria. 

Aria is just so hurt by Ezra. It doesn't seem that she will forgive him for anything. I was thinking that they would not get back together. 

We get to see how Mona has played a role in this. She was the one who picked Allie up and gave her a disguise and was supposedly being a good friend. Then there was a super creepy shot of her playing with the doll!!

The super exciting scene with the girls in the coffee shop and someone shoots at them and chases them to the roof top is probably the most exciting episode I have ever seen. The fact that A jumped from one building to the next makes it difficult to figure out who A is. Ezra is shot and he says he knows who A is.

And they leave us hanging until June!

What have I concluded??!? I think that Allie's twin will come into the picture. In the books Allie has a twin named Courtney and she has a huge role. I think this may have been the person who hit Allie with the rock and Mrs Dilaurentis was trying to hide it so that she can protect her daughter. That is the only reason that I could think that a mother would bury her daughter, to protect another child.  Melissa whispers something into her dads ear and there must be something that one of the girls did because Mrs. Dilaurentis warns that you should never cross a Hastings. The fact that Ezra got shot I think that he will survive but won't remember a thing!

I'm really at a loss for who A is. I think it's a male based on how athletic he was but what's your guess?? Do you have any thoughts on it??

Perfect Planner!

So I stumbled upon a tag recently on Youtube and I thought it was really cute. I went through and I answered some fun questions about my personal planner. I love using a paper planner. I have always since middle school have been religious about using a planner. I always had my assignments and colorful pens and stickers to decorate all of my planners.

I used a Chandlers when I was a kid. If you went to grade school in the 90's you will know what I am talking about! I loved them and had them in every single color. I had the larger ones in high school. I think they were like a notebook size and I did the same thing. I colored them and used colored pens etc. In conjunction with that I always had a cute pencil case . That still sticks, I still use a cute pencil case.

I have more recently gotten into using a filofax and have become obsessed!! I love my filofax. I feel like it's a part of me now. I have it with me all the time and I love using it. It has really kept me organized and I feel like I am getting things done. It's a great way to check things off and see what you have accomplished. Changed my life in a way and I love it!

Check out my video to see how I answered the questions!

What's Your Lucky Charm?!?

So today's post is inspired by a journal prompt. I like to do a daily journal prompt and do to it being St. Patty's day I'm guessing it was the reason for the prompt. I had a hard time with this and I had to really think about this. I don't have like a lucky rabbit's foot or anything like that and so I had to think about what is it that I do when I need some extra luck for a situation. Is there a ritual that I follow? Is there something that I do??

What's the point of having a good luck charm? When I googled it I found tons of images. I found symbols all intended to bring good fortune. I found cultures have different good luck charms or the evil eye to help protect you from something.  I like the idea of good luck charms but can anything be considered a good luck charm? 
When I was a kid I remember having trolls and feeling as though they were lucky. I brought my pillow person (80's kid) with me to a lot of places and felt it to be really special. I guess I didn't really rub it's belly or have sort of ritual. I just felt like when I had these objects I felt more complete. So I guess when I was looking back I didn't really find anything that I had to have or I didn't feel right. I know some people need their lucky socks or else they can't leave the house for an interview.

So I had to dig deeper. What did I do when I was pregnant or what did I have with me when I was giving birth? I wore a Virgin Mary Medallion. I received this as a gift for my communion and I wear it when I do feel like I need a little something extra. This is it! At least this is how I felt when I was doing my journal prompt. I didn't take that necklace off the whole time. I think I wore it for a very long time even after I had my daughter. I did become kind of protective of it during my pregnancy. I felt like I needed it with me all the time. I do have a healthy and beautiful daughter. My pregnancy was wonderful and I really enjoyed it. In fact sometimes I miss it! So I guess that's kind of like my Lucky charm. The next time I feel like I need something a little extra I will wear my necklace. 

I highly suggest that you do this today. It's fun to remenice and think about what you do. It may be a ritual or it may be an object or several objects. What do you feel brings you luck? Is it something that hangs on your wall? Is it someone? Is it a piece of jewelry? What brings you luck?!?

Night Road by Kristin Hannah a Book Review

This was another choice for book club for the month of March. I thought I was going to be disappointed but I was surprised at how much I liked this book. I finished this book in 2 days and I think it's almost 400 pages long. I'm not a fast reader but I do enjoy reading books.  I was so involved with the characters and just couldn't put the book down. If all the books by the author are like this....welll I want more.

Let me begin with a summmary of the book.  I will not have any spoilers in this portion. This begins with a girl (Lexi) that has a drug addict mother and is bumped from foster home to foster home until her aunt finds her and adopts her. By this point she is already a teenager and ready for her first year of high school. Her aunt is poor but very loving. Lexi is very sweet and loving. I immediatly loved this character. The aunt has a home in a trailer park on an indian reservation that is right next to a very wealthy community on an island somewhere in Washington. It sounds absolutely stunning when the author describes it. Lexi is used to being the new girl and has learned to cope with it. She meets a girl on the first day that is just as awkward as she is. Of course her new friend, Mia, is rich and has an identical twin brother that is very popular. Before you role your eyes at this it's actually so engrossing that it doesn't feel like a teen drama. Instead you hear from the mothers point of view about her twins. How much she loves them and has protected them while growing up. It seems like a perfect friendship and perfect life until one night they go to a high school party. Unfortunate things occur and without me giving away important things that happen in the story you will just basically feel as though your heart is being ripped out of your chest. I was so deeply involved in this book I could literally feel the pain. It's an emotional roller coaster as friendships turn into deep enemies and the different challenges that each character is faced with.  The story moves quickly and has events that truly touch you emotionally. I have never felt so vested in my characters.

The character build in this book is like no other book. I usually really like my characters in books but in this book I felt so emotional for Lexi and for the twins. Somehow the author does a fantastic job with making you love all these people. You feel like you belong with them. You go through the good and the bad.  It is a page turner. Like I said earlier I had this done in 2 days. I read well into the night and found any excuse to read this book.

I HIGHLY HIGHLY reccomend this book and author!!

Project Life: How to print 3x4 Photos and add text!!

I love project life!! I found this recently and I know it's not something all that new but it is to me. I felt as though I needed a better way to organize all the photos I had of my family. I was very sad when I looked back at my daughters first year of photos and I was overwhelmed. I couldn't remember all the little things and so I went on a mission. The mission brought me to my treasure of project life!!

I love this because I sit down to do it every Sunday night or Monday morning. I have written down all the little things in my Erin Condren planner . I upload and print all of my photos for the week which really helps me stay organized with those as well. I know exactly where and how to find all those photos.  

My initial challenge was how to print out those cute little 3x4 cards without wasting photo paper and how to make the most of my space by making a sort of collage on my 4x6 photos. It took some playing around in Adobe photoshop but here is what I came up with.

Make sure to watch my YouTube video for a step by step how I achieve these cute weekly spreads!

In LOVE with my New Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

Oh my goodness!!! I am so so in love with these headphones. I have been and I almost always feel as though I am looking for the best headphones. I am not an audiophile and I am not someone where I can't enjoy music unless it's through the best quality headphones. That's not who I am at all. I just want something to sound good and be comfortable. I do own the Bose OE headphones and I really love those but I wanted something over ear. Don't get me wrong the Bose are great but I feel when I'm sitting at my computer and have the headphones on for a long time I want something bigger and more comfortable.

So here they are.....drum roll please!!

 

I had done a lot of research prior to purchasing. My husband has the Bose Quiet comfort noise canceling which I know are top of the line but also extremely expensive. I was willing to spend some money don't get me wrong but I don't love the noise canceling feature. Whenever I put his on I feel like I am having my brain sucked out!! I know that may sound weird but I don't like that feeling. They are AWESOME and the sound quality phenomenal but I was looking for something good looking and comfortable as well as sound quality. 

Speaking of comfort. These are extremely comfortable. I can have these on all day easily. I can almost forget they are on my head. The band is not tight so I don't get a head ache. I can wear my glasses and I have not found it to be an issue either. I wear these to listen to music, edit videos, listen to Youtube, watch movies, and they are exceptional!

The cushion on over the ear is so nice and soft. Beautiful to look at and to touch. I love the colors of this model. This is a special and limited edition. When I saw this beautiful tan and navy color combination it was such a great bonus!! I also love that they come with 3 cables that I can connect. They are all pretty long about 4 ft which I love because I move around at my computer and don't want to be restricted from that. There is one that is about 2 ft and that is probably the one I would use if I needed more portability.

As far as sound leaking. I tested this and would say that if you listen to music at 50% no one will be disturbed. If you go up to 75% - 100% then you can definitely hear some sound leaking. I don't normally listen to anything that loud and if I do it's for a short period of time. I feel if you were in a noisy place it wouldn't disturb anyone. As far as blocking out sound they are incredible. I don't really hear anything around me and I can get engrossed in my work and not have to worry about being distracted by outside noises.

The only thing they do not come with is a hard case. I think they are durable enough that they don't require it and it does make it less bulky when traveling. Instead it comes with a pretty tan pleather bag.

The color is absolutely stunning but if you do want a hard case then you will not find it here.

I overall am so so happy with this purchase. I rarely take these bad boys off. I love them and they are beyond comfortable and the sound is fantastic. If you are on the fence and don't care for the $189 price tag the M50 are just as great and you can find them for cheaper. The headphones come in black and white. There is a limited edition red that is gorgeous also if you like a little color!

Nume 5 n 1 Hot tool and Demo!!

I've had this hot iron since Christmas so I felt like I could review it because I've had enough time with it to have a true opinion. I do use it probably every other day or so. I decided to purchase this hot iron because I felt as though my hair had a lot of breakage. I had already changed my shampoo, conditioner and blow dryer but was still having issues. With that said I was watching one of my favorite beauty gurus and she had a coupon code for Nume. I decided to take advantage and just buy it. Even with $110.00 off the iron was $69.99. I know that it's a hefty price but I felt justified  because I was getting the 5 n 1 system. The shipping was fast and the case that it came in was really very nice.

As you can see its a gorgeous pleather case. It has slots for each of the wands and a place for the glove that comes with.
                             

I highly recommend the use of the glove if you are not use to using a clip less wand. It does take a little bit of practice but once you get it down it's really very easy!


Each of the wands can be used to give  you a different look. The largest wand I don't currently use because it my hair isn't quite long enough. If I put my extensions in it would be perfect for the gorgeous Victoria's secret bombshell look.  The medium sized barrel is currently the one that I use most. The beaded wand is when I really like to have a tighter curl. Even though it's a tighter curl the curl will last for 3 days!  The conical wand is for days when I want the Taylor Swift look.

I highly recommend that if you are having breakage or trying everything under the sun to make your hair healthier try changing your curling iron. I have more affordable choices such as Hot tools, Remmington and Conair but they all made the ends of my hair break off. I can truly feel the difference and feel my hair is definitely stronger!

The heat setting on this tool is only an on/off switch which I really like. I prefer to keep it simple so that I don't have to think about what heat setting I need. The curl lasts incredibly long and I can't say enough how happy I am with this system. I used it recently for a trip I went on and the ease of packing it is incredible along with having sooooo many different curling choices to choose from!

I can't get over how compact it is. It's great to not take up too much space either for travel or in your bathroom/vanity.

I highly recommend it!!

Check out my correlating YouTube video:

Bullet Journaling Works for Me!!

So during my huge hunt on getting organized this year and finding the filofax community and then the Midori Travelers Notebook I found Bullet Journaling. It's such a simple way to plan that it makes it genius. 

In order to get started I highly recommend that you choose a notebook that you love. If you don't love it chances are your not going to want to use it.  My choice is a moleskine. If your not familiar they are great little notebooks for basically anything you want to put in a notebook. They can be found easily online and at Barnes and Nobles and usually local book shops and places like that. The style and size is important. If the size is too large then you may not remember to bring it with you and if it's too small you may forget it so keep size in mind as well.

Once you have your notebook the fun can begin!

One of the brilliant concepts of the system is to use an index to find things in your journal quickly.   

Using an index makes it so much easier to find my notes. It's genius! How did I not think to do this. A small legend on the left side is just a helpful reminder of how I am defining tasks,notes, events etc. If you visit bulletjournal.com you can find a step by step guide to making your own. I think that this can be something that can evolve as you use your journal daily.

The next page will have you will need a full spread, so a left and a right side.

On the right side you will title your page with the month and then number your days of the month. For March you will go down to 31 and for each month you will create this spread. On the left you will list larger tasks for the month and you can of course add to it but some examples are get my sisters bridal shower organized and start to spring clean etc.  For the left side you add events and it kind of is a great way to look back at the month. Once you begin a new month you will go through all of your tasks and either move them forward, check them off, or if they are no longer relevant strike it through.  

This method isn't to make more tasks but its to help make you more productive. I no longer miss tasks and most importantly I don't start my days off feeling overwhelmed. It's really easy to get started and very easy to maintain so give it a try!!

I think this is a life changer!

it Cosmetics CC full coverage cream Review!

I first saw this product mentioned on one of the Youtube beauty guru channels and I was intrigued because I like using a bb cream on a daily basis. I was intrigued with a CC cream because of all the benefits it comes with. It's also winter time here in Chicago and anything that will help hydrate my skin I'm all for it!!

First thing the packaging. I was skeptical because I didn't want it in a tube and I would have to push it out and what if too much came out. Well....IT Cosmetics is already a step ahead. The placed a wonderful little pump on it!! It's brilliant because you can travel with this kind of packaging.

Yes mine is dirty but it's because I use this daily! I love the way that the product comes out. There isn't too much that comes out it's just the right amount. You do not need to squeeze the tube you just keep pushing the little pump.

The color selection that they have  I think can work with any skin tone. Once you put this on your face the longer you wear it, it basically becomes your skin. I can't speak about the beautiful skin that it gives me. I have people compliment my skin daily.

I apply this with an e.l.f powder brush. That might sounds strange that I would use that brush but that brush helps to move the product on your face perfectly. It doesn't absorb any of the foundation and help spread it onto your skin.

The benefits of this  product are endless. There is spf 50 in it so I don't need to worry about protecting my face while being out. Even in the winter time the rays can come through the clouds and age your skin. The product has anti-aging hydrating serum, containing anti-aging peptides, essential lips-rich oils, vitamins, extracts & soothing botanicals. I feel when I use this product daily it makes my skin look and feel hydrated. If I don't use it I can tell right away that my skin is dry.

The coverage is incredible. I would say this give a medium to full coverage. You can build this up. You will need a concealer if you have larger blemishes but if you have dark spots or redness this product will take care of that. I don't use too much on a daily basis. I use about a pump and a half and find that it gives me medium coverage.

Here are the ingredients and directions on the back of the tube if you are curious.

Overall I can not rave about this product enough. It has truly helped me this winter. I wear it every single day and I love it. I don't feel like it needs to be set with a powder. It's easy to put on your face and gives you a fresh face look. Easy to apply with great coverage I highly highly reccomend.

Travel Organizer Tips!

We are getting ready for a trip and sometimes this can cause some anxiety. I have two dogs that I have to find someone to come and watch them and I have a 14 month old that still is not motivated to walk....so it makes me feel a little anxious. I don't want to overpack or under pack and don't want to forget things that are important.

Where to begin?!?!?

The way that I begin is to start planning ahead of time. I start thinking of things I may need to purchase or replace about a month or so in advance. Things that I may need normally are for my daughter because she grows out of things so quickly. On this trip we are going to an indoor water park and my daughter has not had a swimsuit since the summer so that is something I will need to purchase and also some water shoes. Items like that are things that I need to budget for and purchase prior to the trip. I then use a list that I found on Pinterest. If you type in free printable travel list you should be able to find a few. There are some really cute ones available.

Using this travel list and my own bullet journaling style I came up with something that not only helps me with packing but also helps me on the return home!

Check out how I make this happen!

Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon ....a Book Review!

So this was a book choice for a virtual book club. The book club is a part of a blog called A Bowl Full of Lemons. I was intrigued by the title and not sure what this book had to offer but I was willing to give this a try. Looking at the cover I initially thought this to be perhaps a Nora Roberts/Nicholas Sparks type of a book. After reading it I would say that I was way off, but I would still classify it as an easy beach read type of a book.

The plot of the book without spoilers is about a woman going through her own midlife crisis. She begins to feel as though her marriage is headed towards a disaster. She questions her work. She feels as though maybe she isn't doing her job how she did in the past. Her mother had passed away when she was a child and with this upcoming birthday she will be bypassing the age that her mother passed away. The book is written in a cute and fast fashion. It's a very easy read and if you stop paying attention on a page or two you won't miss too much.  Because our main character is beginning to question her marriage she decides to take a marriage survey that she receives in her email. She begins answering the questions and reliving her relationship. As she is doing this she begins to fall for her researcher. She thinks that she may want to have an affair with this man. It's something that she is convinced will happen and she develops a relationship with this person. She shares with her close friends that she is feeling this way and they of course sympathize with their friend but don't agree with her meeting this man.

I won't tell you how this book ends because I think it starts to get obvious as you get closer to the end of the book but I'd love to know what you think if you read this book.

I overall would rate this book as something easy to take to the beach. It's not something that will challenge you or make you really have to think. The characters are likable but you won't become engrossed in the story. As easy as it is to pick this book up it's just as easy to put it down!

Please let me know if you decide to read this book!!