Love, Lydia - Notes from a geeky, plus sized artist.: geeks & beauties
Showing posts with label geeks & beauties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label geeks & beauties. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

October Beauty and Swap Unboxings!

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Hi folks,

So today I've got a big October unboxing post because I just got behind and haven't gotten around to posting what I got last month yet.  Unboxings are the term a lot of bloggers and YouTubers use for giving folks a peek at what they get inside a subscription box they like.  I subscribe to a couple myself and love trying new boxes in a lot of categories.  Since I know it's not everyone's thing I'll be condensing the beauty centered boxes into one post from now on.  Which is rather nice because it's easier to compare them that way.  So let's get started!

October Birchbox



When I first opened this I was a little disappointed in it and expected to like my Glossybox a lot better since they were making a big deal about their Parisian themed boxes.  I ended up liking the Birchbox better overall than the Glossybox once I really looked at what was inside each box.  I think part of what made me feel less enthused about this one was the size of everything.  The bottles just seemed smaller than usual.  Overall it was an okay box for October, but not the best I've had from them.  If you'd like to try out Birchbox please follow my link here to find out more.

I got:

Acure Cell Stimulating Facial Mask - I almost never use this kind of product, it gets a no

Well People Mascara - I like mascara and this one is all natural, it gets a yes

Dr Jart + Ceramidin - more skin treatment type stuff and even the description is kind of vague as to what it's supposed to do, no

Exo All Natural Nail Polish Remover - I always have my nails done, yes (I tested it yesterday and it feels more oily and doesn't absorb into skin or dry up as easily while you're using it.  One wipe was just barely enough to take of my Tardis blue nail polish left from Halloween.  I think it's better for lighter colors.  It takes a little getting used to the difference in feel, but I'd consider using this in the future since normally it comes from a bottle like most nail polish removers.

amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo - Sometimes these dry shampoos help my super oily second day hair, though I've yet to find one I love I'm happy to try this one, yes
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October Glossybox




This box has beautiful artistic designs on every side of its surface and I'd been seeing its excellence touted everywhere between emails and Instagram.  I was pretty excited about it, and at first I thought it might live up to the hype.  But it too had a couple things I just wasn't interested in.  I think a lot of people loved this box though.  It's great for people who like a balanced variety of products, which can be tougher for me to find pleasing.  If you'd like to find out more just go here to visit Glossybox's site.


And here's a second shot of the products that had a bit of packaging obscuring what they really look like.


I got:

De Bruyere Paris Red lipgloss - I love lip products and this is a pretty good color, yes

Lollipops nail polish - I love nail polish, but I hardly ever wear red and as such have plenty of it already, no

Phyto Phytokeratine Repairing Thermal Protectant (hair) spray - I thought this was another skin product until I went to look at the survey regarding how I liked my items.  It was there I found out it was a hair spray.  I don't use hair spray much, but I'm up for trying it, so tentatively, yes

Sabe Masson Le Soft Perfume - I don't like most perfumes, though the title for this scent excited me until I smelled it since it's Artist.  Unfortunately it was way too strong for me, and smells very spicy/musky, no

Vichy Idealia Skin Sleep moisturizer - I never use anything like this so, no
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Sweater Weather Swap


I'm part of a fabulous group called Geeks & Beauties (Join here!) that allows bloggers and YouTubers to network and encourage each other as they learn and grow in what they do.  One of the more fun things we get to do is hold swaps.  This swap was fall themed and had us pair off and send a partner a box of goodies that includes some of your favorites!  This is my box, sent to me by Cassandra Morgan.  She's a fantastic Youtuber who immediately welcomed me to the group when I joined back in September.

She sent:

Iced Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes from Tastykake - these things are great and I don't think I could have found them easily here in the south!

A set of 3 Whish Body Butters - As soon as it starts getting cooler my hand and feet get dry, so this is perfect for me!   The scents that came in this pack are Pomegranate, Lavender, and Coconut, all of which I really enjoy!

The next logical item Socks! - And not just any socks the two pairs have moisturizer in them.  There's the zebra print pair, plus a black pair too.  My feet are the first part of me to get cold, so these will be excellent for keeping me toasty.

Pocky - If you've never tried it Pocky is a wonderful Japanese snack that consisted of a cracker stick dipped in some kind of flavoring.  These are chocolate ones, which is the most common.  There are so many great kinds to try though, I think my all time favorite was a seasonal one with chocolate dipped in cocoa powder.

Speaking of Cocoa that was the last item in my box, Land O Lakes Mint Cocoa - I've never tried this flavor before, but I'm excited to curl up with a nice warm cup before bed some night this week.

I didn't bother rating these because it should be pretty obvious that they would all be yeses.  Yeses....what a strange form of the word.

If you're curious what I sent to Cassandra stay tuned and I'll post a link here soon!

Thanks for reading.  If there's a box you think I should try let me know in the comments.  I'd love to try some new ones!

Love,
Lydia

Monday, October 12, 2015

Update and Geek Tag

Hello everyone,

The week has been crazy and I'm a little behind on everything.  Sorry about that, however, I can say confidently that I've not been dealing with my normal levels if stress for many reasons.  First off I had to make a tough decision about the trip to Texas for one of my best friend's wedding, which I now won't be going at all on.  Then we got some really bad financial news, which isn't our fault, but is going to make our life hard for a while if we can't get it cleared up.  The state is wrongfully claiming we owe them taxes, and after delivering paperwork all summer including filing taxes for a year Bryan was without income besides school funds to prove it, we thought they were finally satisfied.   I suppose they forgot to dismiss the case and sent notice this week that they're garnishing Bryan's wages.  Which really stinks since we just started having to pay double the amount on student loan payments and were stretched thin from that, which resulted in canceling the Texas trip.  Lastly one of Bryan's aunts passed away over the weekend, which was rather unexpected, but due to late stage cancer that we just found out about this week.

But I'm here today for a geek tag from the Geeks and Beauties group I joined recently on Google+.  Questions and answers about fun things in geeky theme.  You can check out some of the videos from the folks who've done it already here and here.

Geek Tag!


1. First Fictional Character Crush.  This is a tough one, but probably Connor from Wren To The Rescue, I've read so many books it's hard to think which might have been first.

2. Dungeons and Dragons or Vampire The Masquerade? I want to simply change this question to "What tabletop role play system do you prefer?" and answer it with Hackmaster New since I've more experiences with alternative systems.


3. Geekiest Item You Own.  LEGOs....I own a bunch of them after working for the Columbus, Ohio store while in college.  It was awesome.  Plus Bryan and I have added to our collection since then.





4. Anne Rice or Stephanie Meyer?  Anne Rice is on my to read list, but hasn't happened yet, so I guess I default to Meyer for now.  *shrugs*


5. First Dr. Who Episode.  Love and Monsters, I caught it the night it was aired in the dorm lounge.  I didn't come back to Doctor Who for a couple more years, possibly partially having to do with the cheesiness of that episode.


6. Star wars or Star Trek?  Both, though Trek wins for being more inclusionary for women and minorities.


7. All Time Favorite Movie.  Amelie, or Pan's Labyrinth, or maybe Hot Fuzz depending on the day.


8. Best Xmas Gift Ever?  Last year hubby and I got a 3DSXL and I love it, so does he.


9. Your Theme Song - Everything by Watashi Wa


10. Name a Perfect Geek Night Out.  For my husband and I this is probably a double date with his brother Davey and fiancee Keri where we go out to dinner and a sci fi movie or to a book trivia program at a local library (we might try a pub trivia thing someday!)


11. If money was no object what would you cosplay?  Bee from Bee and Puppycat


12. Absolute must have book or series?  Harry Potter


13. First Video Game you Played; How old were you?  Well, I know I played Pac Man and Galaga when I was probably 8 on arcade machines with my dad.  As for console games we got an original Nintendo when I was 11 and I started with the classic Duck Hunt/Super Mario Bros.
Image from museumofplay.org


14. Batman Vs Superman - Batman


15. Alien vs predator - *shrugs*  This fandom isn't really my thing


16. Favorite tv show - Favorite that's currently on TV would be Heroes Reborn, my favorite overall is probably Doctor Who (yes I am dissing Moffat here)


17. Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?  Well, I like the world from Harry Potter better, but Tolkien writes so elegantly.  I still have to go with Harry Potter though.


18. Geekiest Thing to your left.  Take your pick, Japanese candy, the bluetooth shutter remote button (photo nerd!), my "Pokedex" checklist and Pokemon tokens from our tabletop role play game, and the Ravenclaw planner.



19. First video game system you owned?  Well, I shared the Nintendo with my brother, but it wasn't much after that I got a Gameboy Color and Pokemon Blue.


20. Favorite Villain of all time? Loki, though I also really enjoy Harley Quinn.

Feel free to respond with your own geek tag!  I tag you all!

Love,
Lydia