What's in My Makeup Bag? + a cash giveaway!

Good question- I don't wear makeup on a daily basis but when I do wear it I have some set staples that I'm not sure I could ever replace...

Garnier BB Cream- this stuff is amazing, it works as a moisturizer, foundation, and so much more. It covers me up and evens me out without feeling heavy or gunky.

I usually layer a blush (from The Body Shop) and a bronzer on top.

The Clinique eye-liner is great, goes on smooth and the cap has a built in sharpener- perfect for on the go. 

And we can't forget about the eyebrows! The Anastasia Brow Wiz helps keep me looking sharp and defined.

My sister gave me this Urban Decay palette several years back and I really need to buy a new one- I've used a good chunk of it up and it never lets me down.

In a Birchbox several months ago I received a sample of Benefit's They're Real Mascara and seriously haven't turned back. Hands down the best mascara out there.

And Bite Beauty lip gloss- I discovered this at Sephora about this time last year and am in love with everything they offer. The gloss up above is a great shade of red that pops, doesn't stick and lasts forever.

Chapstick- have about 20 sticks of this laying around, in bags and pockets. Caudalie's lip conditioner is my go to especially at this time of year.

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And on to the good stuff...
With the holiday's coming up faster than fast, 

this giveaway is really perfect!

145 extra dollars to buy something totally rad for your hubs, or kids, or yourself! 

Yes. Definitely spend it on yourself. 

What I am trying to say is that you HAVE to get entered to win this money.

Because when is free money a bad idea?

The answer...if it's drug money. Bad idea.

This however is clean.

Extra clean free money for you... for following these beautiful ladies:

Mary | Lindsay | Renee | Chelsea | Chelsea

Amy

Karli | Trish | Megan | Karissa | Rebekah

Seems like a win all the way around. 

Get on it. Show them some love.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy

Today I have a great post for you from the lovely Ash over at The Grits Blog. She's hanging out on my sidebar this month and she wanted to share with you the biggest differences between the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy. If you haven't checked out her space yet, you need to ASAP. She has some great tutorials, some tasty recipes and is an excellent designer (for example- she did my newest layout!) Go say hello!

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Hey! I am Ash from The Grits Blog. Today, Rebekah is letting me take over her awesome space. I thought it might be fun to talk about the ten biggest differences I noticed when I made my switch from an iPhone to a Galaxy (a choice that I am still glad I made). If I am missing anything get at me on twitter! I would love to hear from you!

Not sure if you know this - BUT I made the big switch from an iPhone to a Samsung Galaxy S5 a few weeks ago. I am sure that some of you are like - TRAITOR but I had to make the switch. My iPhone was dying at 50% and there was no way I was going back to one after that crappy experience I had with my iPhone5. Do I plan on going to back to an iPhone ever? Yeah, probably - I miss the picture editing apps and the iTunes.

That being said, I really do love my Galaxy. There are a lot more things that I can do on my Galaxy that I couldn't do on my iPhone...like for one video editing, scheduled night mode. So today, I am here to layout out the ten biggest differences that I noticed right away between my iPhone and Galaxy s5.

(1) Night mode

I used night mode all the time with my iPhone so when I switched to a Galaxy that was one of the first things that I searched for. The problem was, I couldn't find it - that's when my good friend google came into play.

Night mode on the galaxy is called blocking mode. Blocking mode is actually found under settings, then personalization.

What makes blocking mode so unique is that I can set it to only run during certain times, only allow certain people (contacts) to break through blocking mode, and that I have the option to block incoming calls, turn off notifications, and turn off alarm and timer. I like having these options - options that weren't available on my iPhone (and if they were I didn't know about it).

(2) No FaceTime

This is a feature that I really miss and am learning to get over. Helllloooo more snapchatting and gliding. Have you heard of the Glide app? It's video text messaging - it's pretty awesome, check it out if you haven't already. My Uncle Mark thinks it's lame but whatevs, I like it.

(3) Fast menu from top instead of bottom

All I have to do is swipe down from the top and I instantly have access to wi-fi, location, volume options, screen rotation, bluetooth, and settings. I also have an ear phone jack at the top - I like that a lot more too.

If I remember correctly, there was a fast menu at the bottom on the iPhone. Just wanted to point out that there was a fast menu on the Galaxy too.

(4) Water Resistant

Do I even need to write anything here? I mean water resistant says it all.

(5) Swipe Messaging

Sacrificing face-time was well worth it when I figured out I could swipe text. This means that I don't actually have to type anymore, I literally just glide my finger across the letters I am wanting to type and voila text is written.

Love.

This.

To be honest, I am amazed at what it translates. For example, I will be trying to swipe dog food but will start my swipe on a s and just kind of run my thumb all over the keyboard and it magically knows exactly what I am wanting.

Magic.

Harry Potter style magic.

(6) Led light indicator for new activity or messages

I love, love, love, love this little feature. Every time I had my iPhone on silent I never knew, without clicking the round button, if I had text or not. Now, I can tell by just my looking at the front of the phone. There is a different color light for different kind of alerts - text, email, etc.

(7) Free Ringtones

I like to have songs for my ringtones. When I had my iPhone I was limited to whatever came on the phone unless I wanted to pay for a custom ringtone. Wellllll with my Galaxy I don't have to deal with that anymore. I downloaded this free music app called Ocean Music Pro, download whatever song I want, and set it as my free ringtone (I will be posting a tutorial on how to do this).

In case you are wondering, my current tone is sitting on the dock of the bay by Otis Redding.

(8) SD Card

This is my all time most favorite feature of my Galaxy.

I can add storage space to my phone.

FINALLY.

When I had my iPhone I was ALWAYS running out space - whether it be due to pictures, apps, music - what have you. Now, that's no longer a problem. I just install a little micro SD card and wabam! MORE STORAGE!! Yes, you guys it's as simple as that. 

Another cool feature that I like is that I can move storage from my phone storage to my SD card storage. I can do this with pictures, apps, whatever. Cool right?

(9) Photo Apps

I see all of these posts by bloggers about these amazing apps but when I go to download them, I find out that I can't use them on a Galaxy. #DEPRESSED

(10) No podcast on Samsung Galaxy

I love to listen to Podcasts but I can't figure out how to do that on a Galaxy. My favorite were Fresh Air (an NPR interview type podcast, it's awesome0 and Dave Ramsey.

Have you switched your phone lately? 

If so, what's been your favorite feature?

Do you know of any podcasting apps that are available for the Galaxy?

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And on a different note I'm participating in a pretty awesome giveaway that you all should enter!

 With the holiday's coming up faster than fast, 

this giveaway is really perfect!

145 extra dollars to buy something totally rad for your hubs, or kids, or yourself! 

Yes. Definitely spend it on yourself. 

What I am trying to say is that you HAVE to get entered to win this money.

Because when is free money a bad idea?

The answer...if it's drug money. Bad idea.

This however is clean.

Extra clean free money for you... for following these beautiful ladies:

Mary | Lindsay | Renee | Chelsea | Chelsea

Amy

Karli | Trish | Megan | Karissa | Rebekah

Seems like a win all the way around. 

Get on it. Show them some love.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Dream Job + Michael Kors Watch Giveaway!

#Blogtober14 going strong!

Day 2:  Dream job when you were little/ what is it now?

I talked yesterday about if I won the lottery I would totally pursue my dream job- that is being a casting agent.

When I was younger I had several dream jobs, for a while I wanted to be a director of movies, then I wanted to be a scientist (vague, I know) and I heavily considered becoming a winemaker in high school. I even looked into going to colleges in California and getting a degree in it. Then junior year I decided I wanted to be a director again. I knew I didn't want to go to an art specific school so I did a google search for universities and college with film programs and Hollins (my alma mater) was on the list. I decided to go to the school but didn't even start in their film program because I disliked one of the professors. I ended up majoring in Business and Communications, it seemed to be a safe choice and an idea of a dream job kind of fell out the door.

I've always been a huge fan of entertainment though and would absolutely love to work in the industry. When I first moved to NYC I applied to a lot of talent agencies to become an agent but honestly that area is way to cut-throat for me- I would have either ended up stabbing someone,crying everyday, or both.

But casting a part is something that I think/know I would enjoy. I love watching young actors grow, change, adapt, and the parts they can successfully play. And I can't even try and count how many men,women and children I've seen on a commercial and knew were going places. I'm not quite sure how I would label that talent but perhaps one day entertainment is where I will be.

And if you have any more interest in learning about casting and what a casting agent does- you should watch this super cool documentary called Casting By. It is an incredible look at the first real casting agents- those who cast by talent, and the part, versus looks/type casting (meaning once a doctor, always a doctor). Also about how the whole industry is a bit wonky, casting directors get very little recognition of their work and should totally be getting Oscars. Anyways- watch it, it is very good!!

And now to the fun stuff- a giveaway! I teamed up with Simple Clarke and a bunch of other awesome bloggers to give away a Michael Kors watch.. enter below and good luck!

 

Simply Clarke | Olive & Ivy | Wearable | The Samantha Show

Kelcie Talk | The Southern Thing | Life With Grace | A Deecoded Life

Simply Free | Dancin' With A Dolly | Living For His Glory | The Ashley Maria Blog

Blue Giraffes & Concrete Jungles | Sincerely, Brianna Leigh | Rad Maverix | Two Miracles

My Little Sunshines | That Southern Mama | Blogs Like A Girl | 34 Magnolia Street

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Birthday Madness! + Giveaway

Well... it's here. The big 27. I officially feel old now that I've made the transition from mid-20s to late-20s. AHH. At around 8:30 ish this beautiful morning, 27 years ago, I decided to bless the world with my madness.

I've heard my birth story a few times, but I was about 2 weeks late- on Friday my mother went to the doctor and he told her that if I didn't show up by Monday then she was going to be induced. Determined to be a Leo (I'm right on the cusp) my strong-minded baby self decided to appear bright and early on Saturday morning. You're welcome world, I know, I'm awesome.

So Happy Birthday to Me! I'm getting myself a calorie-free day, the ability to fly, and maybe a new couch when I get back to the usa? Who knows- the possibilities are endless!

 I'm going to attempt to reflect on this past year- it's been overall a pretty good one..

1) I can feel my independence growing, and that I've pushed myself to learn who I think I am . I've always had strong feelings about women's rights and this year I felt like I actually talked about it more, made an effort to inform myself, educate others and love me for me.

2) For the first time I've actually set goals for myself, and ones that I feel I can actually keep. The Appalachian trail may still be a year and half away but I know that I will be doing it- the goal is set, and it will be completed.

3) Strength in my friends- for the first time in a while I have a solid group of friends that I know I can turn to, some of them I know will be friends for a lifetime, whether we eventually live in different states, countries, or still down the block. Is it weird to say I'm in love with all of them? They are all reading this and laughing now- but thanks for being awesome.

4) My emotions have changed so much- more so over the past few years and not just the past one and obviously it's because I'm getting older but I couldn't even express how grateful I am for it- I never cried about anything when I was younger and really almost all the way through college. Now though I am happy I can be okay to tear up at a commercial, sob over a book. I'm still not as great as expressing those emotions to other people, but I'm doing better. And I appreciate that I was able to change.

5) I appreciate the chances I've had to travel- not that I always get to see a ton when I travel with work, but I love the fact that I am still visiting foreign places, trying new cuisines and seeing different lifestyles. I look forward to traveling further, and just traveling in my own country this year.

Onward to another year- I think 27 is going to be even better than the last 26!

And on that note...summer is coming to an end (whomp whomp) so what better way to drown our sorrows than in $150 cash. sounds more than a little fantastic to me! I've joined up with Karli, from September Farm and all these other lovely ladies to bring you a nice treat to end the summer with..

 ...just check them out...aren't they dolls-faces?

get entered below. visit their super, fun blogs. thank me later.

soup of the day | beautiful things | p. s. my name is madeline | September FARM
east willow grove | elizabeth loves
harris heart to hearts | a life like mine
blue giraffes + concrete jungles | simply love | the farmer's wife | ribbon in the sky

a Rafflecopter giveaway

and I'm linking up with the regulars! with my new favorite song... seriously I've played it about a thousand times already..

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's Off to Work We Go..

Yep- it's Monday and my week off has officially come to an end. Boo! I am actually excited to see the kids, because yes I did miss them- but I am also missing the relaxing vacation I was participating in down in Florida.

 After a wonderful time at Harry Potter World I drove over to the Tampa area to visit with my Dad's family. His parents, siblings, and all of my cousins are there. I spent some time hanging out with all of them which was super nice because most I hadn't seen in quite some time. Tuesday I mostly sat around at my Uncle's place with my little cousin (who is almost 5!) and my aunt. We played in the pool, enjoyed many Angry Orchard ciders and just relaxed! That's what vacation is for!!

On Wednesday we got up early and took my Uncle's boat out to do some fishing. But in their typical fashion we got out later than we wanted too, became distracted by some abandoned crab traps and didn't get as much fishing in as we could have. I caught lots of bait fish but didn't really have time to catch anything better. Next time, next time.

I headed back to Orlando that afternoon to pick up my friend from work and then I went on my first blate! I was super excited to have the opportunity to meet both Kate from Green Fashionista and Emily from Martinis and Bikinis. They both work in my old neighborhood so we met up at a great little wine bar called, The Wine Room, and chatted for awhile. It was my first time meeting other bloggers face to face and it was super fun! Can't wait to meet some more of you in the future...

delicious cheese plate we had

Thursday was super chill- I went and had breakfast with my dad, shopped around at the mall with my friend and got pedicures. Thursday night I just relaxed and watched a movie.

 As Friday was the fourth (Happy 'Merica Day! ) my friend, her fiance and myself headed to a pool party my brother-in-laws family was hosting. We enjoyed the sun, the food, the drinks and the company (my super adorable nephew included!) Friday night we headed back to their place and watched Disney, Universals and some nearby lake parties fireworks on the balcony. Beautiful as always.

Then on Saturday I did something I have never done before. Before I get into this adventure I want to let you all know that I have family members that work for Disney and I always get tickets from them. We had always planned to go to Disney on Saturday but until Friday evening I was under the assumption that the ticket I possessed was blacked-out from the Magic Kingdom, meaning I could go to the other 3 parks but would be unable to see the new fantasyland and try the new snow white ride. News flash when all of a sudden I am told Friday evening that I am actually able to go to Magic Kingdom. This changed our entire plans.

So we woke up super early (my friend L, her fiance and myself) and decided that we were going to get to Magic Kingdom before it opened and be one of the first people into the park. I have literally in my entire life never done this before. We watched the opening ceremony, and walked through the entire park (with a large crowd behind us) without anyone in front of us. The place was empty! After the mad dash to the new Snow White ride, The Mine Train, we were one of the first 20 people on it for the day. By the time we got off the ride, which was super cute but very short, the wait for the ride was already at 60 minutes!! Crazy- I know. After that we walked on to almost every other ride we wanted to do, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion and Buzz Lightyear. All favorites of mine.

We wandered over to MGM (or Hollywood Studios these days) played the new Toy Story Mania and then just kind of hung out. We ate lunch (or funch - fun lunch) at the 50's Primetime Cafe, attempted to watch the Indiana Jones show before it got rained out and bought some cute stuffed Olaf's for my munchkins.

After that I went to the airport and flew back to good ole' NYC. Sadie and Phoenix were ridiculously excited to see me- which mostly means they harassed me all night and Sunday.

Phew- it was a great trip, but I'm happy to be home, not so happy to be working... Hope everyone had a great fourth!!
And last chance to enter the $110 PayPal Cash Giveaway I'm participating in- IT ENDS TONIGHT!!

Vivian | Rachael | Kelly | Kiersten | Ashley | Kay | Becca | Rebekah | Jenn | Hannah

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

This is My Life

Currently I am....

Reading: The Lorien Legacies series (first book is I am Number Four)- on book 3 now, The Rise of Nine. Reviews to come!

 

Lusting: How cute is this bib and medal holder from the York Sign Shop on Etsy? I really want it- but can't decide which size, color, or font to get it in! Too many decisions- and thank you to Erin over at Love, Fun and Football for introducing me to them. She had a giveaway a few weeks ago (unfortunately I didn't win) but I added it to my wishlist!

Excited About: Winning some giveaways! A few weeks ago I won this awesome basket from Emily at Martinis & Bikinis, and then yesterday I found out I won 250 custom business cards from Rachel at Life Unsweetened- #winning. And.... not sure if its officially switched or not for all of you but I finally broke down and bought the domain bluegiraffesandconcretejungles.com- no more blogspot!

Watching: Rise of the Planet of the Apes- yep I still haven't seen it, and the new one comes out soon!

Planning: My sister's bachelorette party! We are spending a four-day weekend in the Poconos near a beautiful lake at the end of July. I bought some adorable favors (yay!) and now have to figure out all the great games we are going to play, any suggestions!?

Feeling: Happy! It is so nice to see all my friends and family here in Florida. Many of which I haven't seen in almost a year and half!!

my super cute cousin- she's the baby of the family and definitely gets what she wants..

Eating/Drinking: Full disclosure- this was written last night and scheduled- which means I'm fully appreciating some Angry Orchard Hard Cider and the spicy tuna roll my cousin just brought me.

 Life is good, vacation is great! 

Don't forget to check out the awesome giveaway I'm participating in right now with some awesome bloggers- $110 in Paypal cash, like who couldn't use that?!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

I need a Butterbeer Machine in my Kitchen- pronto

On Sunday, I spent a wonderful day at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in the most ridiculous heat. Welcome Back to Florida!

Mostly this experience happened because I wanted to set my beautiful eyes upon the magical world of Harry Potter again in my life. An old friend of mine graciously gave us a discount to get into the park, in which I exchanged a piece of red velvet cake from my favorite bakery in NYC for. That's a side note- sorry.

We got to the park nice and early and surprisingly enough even though that it is a) the summer and b) the weekend before a holiday, the park was pretty empty. First we rode some silly Dr. Seuss world rides- Cat in the Hat and then this train thing that I'm not sure what it is called but I've never done before. And then the magicalness happened- we entered the world of Hogsmede.

look ma! I'm a star-bellied Sneetch!

I had been here before but it was several years ago when the area first opened. I forgot how beautiful it all was.. We did the single riders line for the Hogwarts ride, didn't die of motion sickness (yay!) and then just mozied about the area. Some Hogwarts students sang us some fun songs with giant toads- that was pretty cool.

Moving on we hit up Jurassic Park area and became mildly wet from the drop in that ride. At this point the friend who let us in told me (via text) that if we wanted to go to this other water ride, Popeyes and Blutos, that we should just walk up the exit ramp and tell them that she had sent us. Sure enough we walk up and get right on. Basically we walked into a shower, because when we came off we were legit sopping wet. This made for an actual pleasant experience with the heat of the day.

I checked my phone again and had another message from my friend- when we finished, we were to find a certain employee and he was going to give us access to any other ride we wanted. Day made!
He let us onto The Hulk roller-coaster. We left the people after us a very nice surprise in their seat- a puddle of water. I hope they enjoyed it!

After the roller-coaster we headed back to HP world to eat lunch. The food there is quite delicious and I appreciated that they do not have soda, because obviously HP didn't drink soda either. I did try this pretty delicious fizzy Pumpkin Juice. Yes, fizzy Pumpkin Juice.

Pumpkin Juice Fizz- you get my vote

We did some shopping afterwards, mostly consisting of a bunch of candy for me to bring back to my friends. The day ended with a tall, delicious glass of Butterbeer, which I savored for as long as possible.

Next time I visit the new Diagon Alley section will be open- and you bet your bottom dollar I will be there absorbing it all.

train to Diagon Alley

peace out homefries, now I'm headed to the beach 

 Happy July! Don't forget about the fantastic $110 paypal cash giveway I've got going on with Becca, from Becoming Adorrable, and other awesome bloggers! Find the entry here.