World According to Shia

So I've received Birchbox  and I've tried all the samples so I thought I would share my thoughts. Before I start, for those of you who have never heard of Birchbox , it's a monthly subscription, for $10 you receive 4 to 5 deluxe designer products.  You can sign up monthly (which is how I signed up) or pay for the year in advance for $110 (one month free) {I might go the year route at some point if I continue to like the samples.}  Also you gain Birchbox points {10 for every box and more when buying items ~ to be cashed it for money off} So here's my November Birchbox.... 1) Anastasia Beverly Hills HydraFull Gloss in Sugar Pink TOO STICKY!!  Great color though but it's TOO STICKY!! 2) Borghese Fango Brillante Brightening Mud  Works well ~ I don't really need it but if you are looking for a brightener definitely try this one! 3) Guerlian Shalimar Parfum Initial If you love Christian Dior Miss Cherie like me TRY THIS! ...

I hate this mascara!  I've been wearing it for about a week and today I stopped and my eyes feel sooooo much better.   The mascara gets crumbly throughout the day so if you rub your eye for any reason it feels like you have dirt in your eye all day. I totally hate the new plastic applicators...in my opinion they just don't work as well as the old school ones.  Also, the cone shaped applicator is pointless it just causes more work...you have to angle it this way then that way, etc.   So in my opinion stick with.... The original!   Great Lash has own tons of awards and I've seen it as a best pick in many magazines.  I've also used... Great Lash BIG and.... Great Lash with the Curved Brush All of these worked great! So it was really disappointing when I tried Lots of Lashes ~ it just doesn't live up to the Great Lash standards. What do you think?  Have you tried Lots of Lashes?

This massive ship went by! Lil Lighthouse Okay my fall vacation...duh obsessed with fall!! Leaves and Light Stone lock? Even though it was fall...still some pretty flowers. More fall foliage! Weird fountain ah so pretty more pretty I just want to let you know I sat on this porch for like an hour...imagining how it would have been back then...how peaceful and how inspiring. I could have written a million blog posts on this porch...well you know the equivalent to a blog post in 1904. Now for the hilarious.... They had a continuous video playing about the history of the house. Since Paul and his mom watched it while I was out on the porch I went in after and was the only one in the room.  While I was waiting for the movie to restart I thought I would do some Ghost Hunter photo tests. I mean all this love and heart break it just HAS to be haunted. Right? These pics we...

So while we were on our Fall vacation, one of the attractions we visited was Boldt Castle in Alexandra Bay, NY.   It was one of the most beautiful spaces that I have ever seen not only because of the architectural but the history behind it as well.  I thought I would share the saddest love story before showing you my pics. From Boldt Castle's website Beginning in 1900, the Boldt family spent summers in the 1000 Islands at the Boldt Families Wellesley House near Mr. Boldt’s Wellesley Island Farms while 300 workers including stonemasons, carpenters, and artists fashioned the six story, 120 room castle, complete with tunnels, a powerhouse, Italian gardens, a drawbridge, alster tower (children’s playhouse) and a dove cote. Not a single detail or expense was spared. In January 1904, tragedy struck. Boldt telegraphed the island and commanded the workers to immediately “stop all construction.” Louise had died suddenly. A broken hearted Boldt could...

Thank you to Suzie @ !Suzie Makes You Up! and Melina @ Only A Flight Away for giving me this blog award! I really appreciate everyone that reads my blog and comments! I've been blogging for what now seems like FOREVER and for awhile it seemed like only my Aunt,  my Mom and co-worker ever read it.  So the fact that I am now teetering at hitting 100 followers chokes me up at times.  (imagine Sally Field acceptance speech... "You like me....you really like me") As for who I nominate ...  I nominate ALL OF MY FOLLOWERS AND READERS! (Yes, that means YOU!! ) You all are amazing and you all have great blogs!! I'd like to give special thanks to a few.... Candace @ Lovely Little Rants She designed my button and all my labels! She's amazing...check out her blog!! Melina @ Only A Flight Away You couldn't ask for a more devoted follower! I love how she always has something going on and right now she's doing...

I was invited to participate in a Secret Santa by Only a Flight Away . Click on the link above and check it out and sign up! You never know...I could be your Secret Santa =)

So I am in charge of making the desserts for our family Thanksgiving feast.  I'm making.... Pumpkin Pie of course...it's like a Thanksgiving staple! Pumpkin Cheesecake It is super yummy! and.... Chocolate Dream Whip Pie There is nothing better on this Earth...lol. What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?

It's okay... ~to stay up until 4 am watching American Horror Story on Hulu....have you seen this....it's AWESOME! ~to then wake up and frantically think of some plausible excuse to call in so you can sleep more. ~to wear tights under your dress just because you don't feel like shaving...isn't that what they are for?? ~to think...what am I going to blog about today...wait it's Thursday...HOLLA!! ~to feel like Andy is totally trying to be Michael now on The Office. ~to be sad that Tosh.0 season is over....what will I laugh at now??   ~that I cover my eyes like a child when the clips on Tosh are super gross! ~to Google yourself ! ~to want the people petitioning the Kardashians off E to go away....if you don't like a show...don't watch it....low ratings = cancellation...duh! ~to not care if Kim Kardashian faked her wedding....it doesn't affect my life in anyway! What do you want to add to the list? Don...

This is how I am feeling at work today...then I remembered this post I did awhile back and I thought I would re-post it to maybe lighten my mood and possibly  feel better from your comments on HORRIBLE co-workers!! So I really need to come to grips with my work environment. Stress levels are always at an all time high here and the people just get SUPER annoying to be around. It just always seems like when one person lightens up then the baton is handed down the line to the next annoying person. So I did a quick little Google search regarding Annoying Co-workers and sadly I felt comfort in the fact that others share my same pain. According to Forbes.com you should confront the annoying co-worker and explain to them politely that whatever they are doing is interrupting your work. The example that they give is a loud talker, someone who talks on their cell phone or speaker phone and discusses their personal business. What a shocker... I sit across from a jer...

Amy Adams!! { Instyle - Look of the Day } WHAT SHE WORE Amy Adams walked the green carpet for the Hollywood premiere of The Muppets in an off-the-shoulder Roland Mouret dress, Irit Design jewelry and nude Jimmy Choo pumps. WHY WE LOVE IT Who says redheads can't wear red? The strawberry blonde proved otherwise in a stunning scarlet design. I just love Amy Adams!  She's one of my favorite actresses!  I just love her red hair.  Even though she can be cute and quirky in chick flicks ~ she's also played serious roles.  One of my favorite movies of hers is Sunshine Cleaning ~ if you haven't seen it...check it out...it's really good!  What's your favorite Amy Adams movie?

So recently I tried the new rage in nail polish...shellac! {a gel nail polish set with a UV light}  Instead of posting a beautiful pic of how they looked on Day 1, I thought I would wait and post a pic of how they looked when they finally started to get nasty.  Well today is Day 17 since I've had them done and here's the pic..... So as you can see at Day 17 I'm having the usual issues that you get with a French manicure at Day 5 {if you make it that long}. Here's what I like about shellac... ~there's no waiting for them to dry...by the time you're done...you're done.   ~you don't have to be super careful not to chip them {especially the white part}...I used my nails like regular...opened soda cans, etc and nothing came off. ~IT LASTS!!! ~also...it didn't cost anymore than when I got the black, white and yellow design on my nails....$30! Here's what I didn't like.... ~the UV light/dryer....I really felt like I was...

I bought this product on Friday.  I got the clear one {blue and pink second one to the end shown above} to see if it could help my dry lips.   Pros: ~I love the packaging....it's more like a lipstick case than chapstick. ~Even though I bought clear...I love that you can get it in a wide range of colors.  I almost bought a color one  as well but thought I'd start with clear to see if it works. ~It's not sticky or thick. ~It gives you a slight glossy lip...so it looks more natural. ~I can see real changes and I've only used it about 4 or 5 times.  My lips are getting softer - dryness is going away. ~It doesn't smell. Cons: It has baby powder or baby oil taste to it. :(  The taste isn't super strong and goes away but it is noticeable. All in all I would say this stuff is a definite must for you bag this winter.  It's pretty cheap as well...$3.99 at Ulta and Maybelline was buy one get one 1/2 off...I think CVS i...