*Late Post* Coco Review and NYX Lippie Countdown Day Twelve

I'm sorry for the late post. I went out to dinner and to see Coco with a friend last night and had no motivation to write my review. So, better late than never!

Coco takes place in Mexico and the Land of the Dead. It follows the story of Miguel, a young boy who has a passion for music despite his family's aversion to it. Miguel runs away to participate in a Day of the Dead talent show and suddenly finds himself in the Land of the Dead. To return to Mexico, within a specific time limit, Miguel must find his ancestors and receive their blessing. Along the way, Miguel discovers what family truly means and that idols might not always be what they come off as.

Overall, I really liked Coco. The story is fun and really makes you stop and think. Initially, I found myself disliking Miguel's family because of their insistence that music is horrible. But as the movie progressed I began to understand their initial logic and feel sympathetic for them.

This movie had a perfect balance of comedy and drama. I loved the humor provided by the dog, Dante, and the drama caused by the family dynamic. One thing that I wasn't really a fan of was the depressing build up of the storyline surrounding Miguel's family and what happens in the Land of the Dead when the deceased are forgotten.

I would recommend Coco to everyone young and old. The story was light enough for kids to laugh and enjoy it, yet deep enough for adults to think and reflect on their own lives. Plus, the music was amazing!

The preview for day 12 of the NYX Lippie Countdown showed a nice soft red. I was excited for this as it had been some time since the color of the day was red.

After opening it up I was happy to see that it was from the NYX Matte Lipstick collection.

This shade was called Indie Flick which makes it sound like a fun, cute, and edgy color.

Upon application, I was amused to see that this is a bright orangy/red color. It applied easily and cleaned up fairly nicely but did smudge slightly. This is not a long wear color but layered nicely without looking cakey. While I would not replace this when it runs out, I would happily continue to wear this shade.

For days 7 through 12, I was fairly amused by the color selection. They ranged from nude, to purple, to red, to pink. Overall, my favorite shade was day 11, Sao Paulo because it is closest to the colors I would normally buy. My least favorite shade was from day 8, Creme Brulee. This color had a lot of potential but was horrible to wear. I found myself constantly checking it and reapplying it.

Ulta Cyber Monday Haul and NYX Lippie Countdown Day Eleven

I swear this is my final Ulta haul post of the year. Late last week I finally received my Cyber Monday order which was fairly small in purchases but heavy in samples and freebies.

The first items are the Stila One Step Correct and One Step Prime primers. I had run out of my Smashbox primers earlier and decided to try these since they were on sale.

 Because I purchased the primers I also received a sample of the Stila Magnificent Metals Liquid Eye Shadow in Kitten Karma.

The second items purchased were the Mario Badescu Chamomile Night Cream and the Mask & Mist Duo. The Mask & Mist Duo includes the Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea, and the Cucumber Tonic Mask. I have loved the Mario Badescu products that are currently in my skincare stash so I'm really looking forward to trying these.

Because I purchased the Mario Badescu items I also received two separate gift bags. The first back was the Mario Badescu Holiday Bag. This bag included samples of the Seaweed Cleansing Soap, Seaweed Night Cream, and Seaweed Cleansing Lotion.

The second Mario Badescu bag was the Mario Badescu Cyber Monday White Bag. This bag included samples of the Aloe Moisturizer, Cucumber Cleansing Lotion, Seaweed Night Cream, and Enzyme Cleansing Gel. Both bags contain products that I have never tried before so I'm excited to see how they work!

The final purchased item was the Body Shop Tea Tree Anti-Imperfection Night Mask. I have already used this several times and am super pleased by it.

Like always, I selected the skincare products for my free samples. I received the Vichy Laboratories Aqualia Thermal Mineral Water Gel and the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer. 

Because it was Cyber Monday, and I have a slight Ulta addiction, I also received the Cyber Monday Peppermint Beauty Bag. 

I received samples of the Becca First Light Priming Filter and Backlight Priming Filter, along with the All Nighter Liquid Foundation samples. 

The fragrance samples were Acqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani, Sexy Ruby by Michael Kors, and Bloom by Gucci. 

The hair samples included Bed Head Screw It Curl Hydrating Jelly Oil, Sexy Hair Color Lock Conditioner, Hask Biotin Boost Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner, and Klorane Color Enhancing Anti-Fade Shampoo and Conditioner. 

Makeup included was the Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer, Dermablend Loose Setting Powder, Ulta Super Blender, Tarte Lights, Camera Lashes Mascara, Philosophy Time in a Bottle Repair Serum, and Stila All-Day Liquid Lipstick in Rubino.

For skincare, I received the Clarins Multi-Active Yeux & Multi-Active Jour, Proactive Green Tea Moisturizer, Bliss Grapefruit and Aloe Body Butter, and Cotz Flawless Complexion Mineral Sunscreen. 

Finally, I also received the Savvy Travelers Speakeazy Teeth, Lip & Mouth cleansing wipe, and Vitabath Asian Orchid & Coconut Body Wash. 

After yesterdays successful color, I was excited to see that today looked to be a reddish pink color. 

 After opening the tab, I was happy to see that this color was part of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream line I have really enjoyed the wear on the colors I've sampled from this line so far.

Today's shade is called Sao Paulo, which plays into the city theming in the Soft Matte line.

This color applies nicely and has a super pretty raspberry shade. It is easily corrected and does not settle into lines. This is a long wear color and only needed to be reapplied after lunch. I really like this shade and fully intend on repurchasing it after I run out.

Passion Planner Review and NYX Lippie Countdown Day Eight

I'm one of those crazy planner people. I live out of my planner and panic just a bit if I can't find it. If something isn't in my planner then it isn't a priority, and if something has to be erased from my planner or moved to a different time/day then I get slightly irritated.

Back in high school, we were provided planners, but my biggest issue with them was the lack of time segments. I love planning out my day minute by minute. It helps me stay organized and on top of things if they have a specific time to be worked on and time to be completed by. It took me a few years but I finally found a planner than meets my hourly requirement while still looking cute! Enter the Passion Planner.

The Passion Planner is not your typical planner, it is more of a yearly roadmap and goal map than just a simple planner. The year starts out with the Passion Roadmap which helps you map out your goals for the next three months, the next year, the next three years, and lifetime goals. I love using this roadmap because it helps me figure out where my priorities should be for the entire year.

Each month in the Passion Planner is laid out in an overall month format and a week format. The month format has spaces for the monthly focus, in both personal and work life, people to see, places to go, a not-to-do list, personal projects, work projects, and a blank space for whatever you feel like entering this month. I like using the monthly format to track when major things, like credit card payments, are due, along with figuring out what my focus should be that month with Cupid.

The week format has space for a weekly focus, good things that happen, work and personal projects, and a blank space for other items. It also includes a new quote each week, and some motivational advice. My favorite part of the weekly format is the 30-minute increments under each day between 6:00am and 10:30pm. This has really helped me stay organized between work, running, Cupid, crochet orders, and orchestral rehearsal and performances.

The final unique section of the Passion Planner is the Monthly Reflection. Throughout the month I'll use this to keep track of everything major that happens. At the end of each month, it allows me to sit down and figure out if there is anything I should change or keep the same with what I have been doing.

It's hard to believe that I'm already on day eight of the NYX Lippie Countdown. Today's preview showed a nice pale pink which is almost the complete opposite of yesterday's purple shade.

When I opened the tab I was a bit disappointed to see another butter collection item. This time the lip color was from the Butter Gloss collection.

This shade is called Creme Brulee, and I after thinking about it for a minute I suppose the name does make sense

Once applied this color is a nice, soft, pale pink. It is more of a tinted gloss than a lipstick, but it is very appropriate for almost any situation. This does retain a bit of a tacky feeling for quite awhile, but once that feeling ends it leaves behind a nice soft hint of color. This is not a long-lasting lip color, but because it is so subtle it is not one that is super obvious that it has worn off.

SmartPak Cyber Monday Haul and NYX Lippie Countdown Day Seven

So I do apologize for today's post being another "haul" post. I was planning on reviewing the virtual scavenger hunt that I participated in for a work event, but I'm not sure how to phrase what I thought of it.

So, if you haven't seen from recent Instagram photos, Cupid has begun to crib. She has had a collar put on and had her feed changed from a sweet feed type to something more fiber based. In addition, we've also discussed the possibility of ulcers. Because she does not show any other signs of ulcers, putting her on an ulcer/digestive supplement has been discussed. After much research and discussion, I decided to try Uckele Equine's G.U.T. supplement which was available through SmartPak. I was excited to see this included in their Black Friday sale so quickly threw it in my cart.

Because I try to get free shipping whenever I use SmartPak, and the deals were fairly good, I included a few extra items in this order. The first item was dewormer. Every equestrian dreads having to deworm their horses and I'm no exception. But Cupid is due soon so a tube of Quest Plus was added to my cart. Thankfully, this was included in the sale so the price wasn't as painful as usual.

The third item was also for Cupid. Because she needs to be dewormed I need to get an accurate weight on her. Enter the SmartPak Weight and Height tape. Hopeful, y this will give me a fairly accurate weight on her so we can avoid over or under-dosing with the dewormer. I like that this tape includes height measurement on one side so that I can determine if she really is 14.1 hands or if she's gone from the large pony to a small horse classification.

The final item is something that I've had my eye on for awhile. I love the Kensington SmartPink line and have been trying to gather all the items. So far I have a grooming bag, fly mask with ears, and light turnout sheet (which might be for sale soon as it's a bit too small for Cue). The tall boot bag was discounted and included in the sale which brought the price down a considerable amount. After thinking about it for a few hours I added it to my cart and hit the purchase button. Even though my tall boots are from eBay I would still like to keep them as nice as possible. By storing them in a boot bag they should hopefully avoid unnecessary scratches and bending. I like that this bag has a divider in the middle to keep the boots from rubbing against each other too much.

Today on the NYX Lippie Countdown I was a bit dismayed to see the preview as a bright purple. I'm starting to settle into the fact that purple lipstick will never be a color I can successfully pull off so I wasn' too happy to see that was today's color.

Upon opening the tab I was a bit surprised to see that I liked the purple shade that was on the tube. Between the metallic cap and the collection name, Intense Butter Gloss, I knew this would be a shiny and bright purple.

The shade is called Berry Strudel, and if this were a lipstick from the 90s it would probably be scented. One item that I found a bit strange was that the application is flat on two sides and not a doe foot like NYX typically is.

After applying the color I was surprised to see that I didn't hate it. It is more of a gloss than a lipstick, and the shade is definitely not professional. But this would be a good color for having fun or a costume. It is extremely glossy and does not dry, which means that it gets on every glass that I use and needs to be reapplied several times throughout the day.

Overall, this isn't a color that I would buy again but I do plan on using it while the sample lasts.

Jingle Jolly Jog 5k Recap and NYX Lippie Countdown Day Two

On a whim I signed up for the Jingle Jolly Jog 5k run by the West Orange Junior Service League. Some people I work with had been discussing doing this race after they run the OUC Half Marathon and after some (ok, virtually none) debate I decided to join them. While registering I looked back and realized that my last race 5k had been in December of 2015, back when I lived in Illinois, so a Santa themed run seemed like a great reintroduction to the distance!

Packet pickup ran almost all week, but I waited until the Friday before to go and claim mine. I had some concern about shirt availability because I waited until super late to register and was hoping for an extra small, which isn't a commonly ordered size. Much to my surprise there were still plenty of shirts available! Now I know I normally don't obsess over the race shirts but give me a quick second to go off my normal track. The shirts for the Jingle Jolly Jog are amazing.. They're a nice soft, Christmas green with a tear away tag which is a huge plus in my book. I prefer clothes to either have a printed on tag or a tear-away tag because I'm always self conscious that the tags are sticking up. When I say these shirts are soft I don't mean a cheap soft but more of a ready to wear, old tshirt that's been well loved, type of soft. My plan was to race in the shirt so I'm somewhat themed but this idea was quickly scrapped because I'd rather not put pin holes in something I fully plan on wearing.

In addition to the tshirt one of the sponsors also provided a drawstring bag that was filled with various goodies! Though I won't use the drawstring bag, other than maybe at the barn, this was a nice gesture that made me smile.

The bag included a few pens, a purse size bottle of hand sanitizer, a magnetic clip, and a pocket first aid kit that may or may not end up in my tack locker.

It also included pamphlets from the sponsors with coupons, and a few brochures from the charities that will be receiving the race proceeds. This was nice because I liked being able to see who is getting the money and what they do for the community.

My favorite item in the bag though was a little postcard from the West Orange Junior Service League. This postcard was a simple thank you note for supporting them and on the back it listed all the charities that will receive funding from the race. For me this instantly set the race apart from other locally run races. I like knowing where funds are going, and this showed that the WOJSL really wants to keep their benefactors in the loop. Because of their transparency I have already bookmarked the WOJSL to keep an eye out for future events. 

Arriving at the location I was a bit dismayed to see that we had to drive down a construction road and jump a curb to get to the parking area. I have a little car and just had to repair two tires from nail punctures so I wasn't excited to drive in an area that may have that risk again. Despite this the parking was extremely organized and well thought out.

Before the race I was happy to see that there were baby pools filled with water bottles and ice for the participants to enjoy. This isn't something I commonly see at races so it was a welcome gesture. The race began after a prayer led by the announcer and it was a quick start. One thing I wasn't fond of was that I didn't see any timing mats at the start and finish area so I wasn't entirely sure about when to start my Garmin. 

The first mile felt quicker than I planned but I felt like I was in a good place. I completed it in 9:13 and hoped to keep it around under 10 minutes per mile. According to my Garmin I failed at this. Mile 2 felt rough for me. There were Florida hills, which in any other place would be considered an ant hill, and sand all across the course. Because I've been running on strictly flat ground I was a bit unprepared for the hills. This is something I'll have to work on because at this point in my running "career" lack of hill training shouldn't be an excuse. Mile 2 was my slowest mile and took me 10:56. Mile 3 was similar to mile 2 but I was determined to not let this race get the best of me and completed it in 10:12. The final 0.1 mile was a sprint because I could see the finish line and wanted to power through it. The biggest issue I had with the finish was that there were cones across the course that looked like they were directing you to a side road. I almost turned down the side road then did some quick mental/visual math and decided to power to the finish. This turned out to be the correct decision and I finished the race in 31:01 which made my overall pace a perfect 10 minute mile. I'm not happy with this time but I am highly amused by the overall pace.

Overall, I''m not thrilled with with my time. I could have done better, but it was good enough to earn me my first age group award! I took 3rd in the 25-29 age group and got a cute little bronze medal in addition to the participant medal!

Overall, I would happily do this race again. The only negatives were caused by my lack of training. I know better but I didn't think while training. At least I know for my Princess training that I need to get out and do hill repeats or long hill runs to get that endurance and muscle strength back.

Now onto day two of the NYX Lippie Countdown. If you're wondering what they heck I'm talking about please see this post from yesterday. After my enjoyment of Eden from yesterday, I was excited to see what today had in store for my lips.

Today's color ended up being Soft Spoken from the Liquid Suede collection. I was excited to see this because I've been eyeing the Liquid Suede collection but have always hesitated because I already have too many full sized lip products. 

As you can see Soft Spoken is an extremely pretty shade that I initially had issues finding the correct words to describe. After looking at other blogs I tend to agree with their description of this being a mauve nude shade. This has that nice boldness of a mauve but is, like the name describes, softer and more of an everyday fall color. The application is extremely simple as this includes NYX's standard doe foot applicator. This is highly pigmented and applies extremely easily, but also cleans up easily if you color outside the lines. 

This lasted nicely through drinking my morning tea and only required a second application after lunch. Now, I did find this lip color to be a bit more troublesome than yesterdays. It retains a bit of a sticky feeling for an hour or so. This isn't bad and I didn't feel like it was going to peel off on my cup but I was constantly aware of it being on my lips. The second issue I had is one that's common with matte lipsticks. This color settled into every line on my lips and did make them look a bit drier than normal. Now, this didn't make me look dehydrated like some matte colors have done in the past, but it didn't have that healthy and plump look that I usually like. 

Despite the heaviness and the settling I would use this color again for an all day wear. It is too dark for a weekend color but I tend to prefer soft pinks and true nudes on the weekends.