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.

Crowdtap Unilever (14) Box and NYX Lippie Countdown Day Six

*It should be noted that the products provided by Crowdtap were provided to me free of charge for promotional purposes. Outside receiving the products for review, I have received no compensation from any of the companies involved*

I recently joined Crowdtap after hearing about all the fun sample offers that are available through them. One of the first "sample" surveys that I filled out was for the Unilever (14) sampling. Much to my surprise I was accepted into this sampling and received my box today! **As a side note, I totally forgot to set tracking reminders for this package so I was honestly surprised when it appeared in my mailbox!**

The Unilever (14)  box included samples of the Degree Clinical Protection Anti-Perspirant in Summer Strength, Degree Dry Protection Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant in Fresh, Suave Essentials Body Wash in Mango Mandarin, Suave Essentials Lotion in Wild Cherry Blossom, and Suave Volumizing Mousse Max Hold.

Out of all these products I'm most excited to try the Wild Cherry Blossom lotion. The bottle compares it to the Bath & Body Works Cherry Blossom scent, which I love, so I'm interested in seeing if this has the same lasting power as B&BW. If this works well then it would be a great replacement at a cheaper price!

Overall, all these products are super useful and will be super fun to try. I look forward to possibly reporting back on my impressions of them!

As I neared the end of my first six days of the NYX Lippie Countdown I was excited to see that today was another pink. This time what looked like a nice soft pink as opposed to the bright bold pink of yesterday.

After opening the tab I was surprised to see exactly how soft this pink appeared. Today's color is from the NYX Butter Lipstick collection.

The shade is seashell, which seems like a bit of a strange name for a pale pink. The color is extremely pale, ranging almost to a frosty pink. It's not exactly the most flattering color for my skin tone but it honestly isn't horrible. With the right eye and contour, I feel like it could be an interesting statement color. It applies like butter and wears like you would expect butter to wear. Overall, I don't hate this color but I don't know if I'll replace it when the color wears out.

After the first six days of the NYX Lippie Countdown, I can honestly say that this has been a lot of fun. I've tried a few shades that I normally wouldn't dare to try and a few that I have been extremely excited to try. My least favorite color would be from day three, the Simply Vamp Lip Cream in She Devil. My favorite shade from this section of the Countdown would be from day two, the NYX Liquid Suede in Soft-Spoken. I can't wait to see what the next six colors have in store for me!

Climbing Our Way Up That Dressage Pyramid and NYX Lippie Countdown Day Five

One of the things I love about Cupid is her willingness to please me. When I asked her to walk through water she did after realizing I was asking her to do it and I wasn't leading her into a bad situation. When I moved her to our current barn she loaded onto the trailer like a dream because she trusted me. Most recently Cue has learned the start of a turn on the forehand. She still needs to learn that both front feet can move but she picked up the general idea extremely quickly.

Because of her willingness to please and her intelligence, my trainer and I are currently working with her on dressage basics. Last year I had inquired about trying dressage with Cupid but nothing ever came of that. I quickly discovered that my current trainer is a dressage fiend. Not because she wants to see her riders compete and win in dressage, but because she's a strong believer that all horses should know basic dressage. This is a belief that I have held for a long time so there were no complaints from me when she laid out the plan to work Cupid through some of the dressage pyramid.

Cupid's eagerness to please, combined with her quirky nature and my haphazard riding style have made this journey interesting. We started our lessons with getting my saddle taken away. My trainer instantly realized that I was relying too much on my stirrups and not enough on my legs to support myself. I was handed the vaulting saddle and instructed to do as much walk trot work as I could to strengthen my leg. Thankfully, I was allowed to use two of the school horses until I figured out my balance without the saddle. Because Cupid is fairly levelheaded she didn't seem to mind the use of the vaulting saddle after I transitioned back to working her.

After almost two months of "bareback" work, we have finally transitioned back to using the saddle but still maintain the use of the vaulting saddle once a week. My balance has gotten so much better and Cue has finally figured out that darting out of the arena is not the goal of riding in the arena.

While working without a saddle, Cupid and I began working on the dressage pyramid. Cue quickly picked up that her walk and trot need to be adjustable. With the right instructions from me she has begun to perform a working walk, and a free walk in addition to a nice working trot. All three of these are performed consistently and with a nice rhythm. I would love to see her gain the endurance to maintain the working trot longer but she truly tries to give me that nice consistent rhythm. In addition to the walk and trot, Cupid has also started to perform a nice consistent canter.

Picture credit: http://www.fccds.org/the-scale-of-training.html

Our current focus is teaching Cue to engage her hindquarters and round herself properly, as opposed to picking her head up like a giraffe and hollowing her back. She has figured out that stretching down at the walk is much more enjoyable than sticking her nose in the air, but this has come with its own disadvantages. Cupid has started to hold herself on the bit, at the walk, even when I am riding on the buckle. Our trot work still starts with her pretending to be a giraffe but after a few minutes, she relaxes into a rounder, more engaged frame. We're still working on the trot but once we've mastered that I hope to start working on the canter and encouraging her to use her hindquarters more.

It's hard to believe that we're on day five of the NYX Lippie Countdown! If you're wondering why I'm talking about then please see this post. Yesterday featured the reemergence of a great color from last year so I was excited to see what today's color would be. The preview showed a bright, bold, hot pink shade which is always a good choice in my book. 

After opening the tab I was thrilled to see that this color was part of the soft matte lip cream collection. I had eyed these at Ulta but wasn't sure if I liked all the colors in the collection or a select few. The hot pink was one that I definitely wanted to try though! 

This shade is called Paris, which seems totally appropriate because it's bright, sassy, and a classic fashion statement. 

This shade does need a bit of a heavier application than other NYX colors, but it applies nicely and mistakes clean up easily. This shade was super easy to wear and lasted a long time. It complimented my skin tone nicely, it wasn't too bold but it wasn't too flat. Overal, this will be a color that I purchase once this sample runs out. Paris might join the ranks of my signature lip colors!

Book Review: The Almost Sisters and NYX Lippie Countdown Day Four

One of my favorite experiences is picking up a new book and falling so in love with the story that you can't stand to put it down. The book fully consumes your mind and all you want is to see what happens to the characters. The most recent book that consumed me was The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson. This was a book that had frequently popped up in recommend reading lists so when looking for a new lunch time read I decided to give it a chance.

Picture Credit: Goodreads.com

Initially, I didn't think I would like the main character of Leia. She makes her living as a graphic novelist which is a genre that I have never been interested in. The story immediately opens onto Leia talking about her pregnancy and debating about how to break the news to her stepsister, Rachel, and other family members. On the day Leia has decided to break the news to her family she is suddenly informed of a possible health crisis with her Grandmother, Birchie. Leia rushes to a small Alabama town, almost like Mayberry, where Birchie lives with her childhood friend Wattie. This story follows Leia, Birchie, Wattie, and Rachel as they deal with family secrets, and discover the meaning of sisterhood.

Like I stated above, I initially didn't like Leia because I didn't feel like I could relate to her. But as the story continues I discovered that Leia is actually likeable and a strong character. The author, Joshilyn Jackson, brings each character to life, from minor to major, and gives them each a distinct personality. This really helped draw me into the book because it brought the characters from being on a page to people I could have actually known in real life.

Not only are the characters well done but the story surprised me. I was expecting "fluff fiction" about a family that's full of happy endings and lacking any deeper meaning. Ms. Jackson takes what could have easily been "fluff fiction" and turns it into a thinking piece. The character of Wattie is an African-American and a large portion of the book is dedicated to something Ms. Jackson has dubbed the Second South where Wattie has experienced discrimination simply because of her race. The picture that is painted of this Second South makes you stop and think. You suddenly start seeing that despite it being 2017 many of these issues are still alive and well.

Overall, I am a complete fan of this book and have already recommended it to several friends and family members. I look forward to hunting down other works by Ms. Jackson and devouring those as eagerly as I devoured The Almost Sisters.

Today is day four of the NYX Lippie Countdown! If you're wondering why I'm talking about a random lipstick then please see this post. Yesterday was a bit of a flop. It wasn't a bad color but it wasn't a color that I would normally wear, so I was excited to see that today's color looked like it was a nude shade.

Upon opening the box I was happy to see that this color was from the NYX Lip Lingerie line which had been the entire advent calendar last year!

Once I pulled out the color I was even more excited to see that this was the Push-Up shade which is a nice, soft peachy nude.

This is extremely easy to apply with the doe foot applicator and because it is almost a perfect nude shade for me I don't  have any issue fixing mistakes. You do need to be careful with the Lip Lingerie line because occasionally they do get a bit clumpy so check your wand before applying. This color lasts a long time, there will be some flaking onto glasses and things but for some reason it always looks fresh on my lips until around lunch time.

Now one fun thing that I did notice was that this shade is a touch lighter than the one I received last year. They both look the same when applied but in the tube they're a bit different.

Once Upon A December and NYX Lippie Countdown Day Three

Almost every December for as long as I can remember I've played in a Christmas concert or played Christmas music with a small group. With the exception of last year.... I missed the music and being the one playing it, but hadn't found a group that I fit in with. It took finding Central Florida Community Arts for me to get back my Christmas concert! On December 7th, 8th, and 9th I'll be joining the CFCArts Community Choir as a member of the orchestra for the Once Upon A December show.

As you can probably guess, the song Once Upon A December is going to be featured which makes me super excited. The flute part is so amazing and so much fun! I can't wait to share this and all the other songs with my friends and the community. There will be songs featured from both Christmas selections and other holiday music. I'm excited for the variety of music and the opportunity to accompany a choir. I've played in musicals, I've had fun with friends playing while they sing, but I've never accompanied a choir in a formal setting. 

Unfortunately yes, this is a formal setting where I have to pull out the infamous "Amazon concert" dress. I love dressing up and picking out the right heels and accessories for each concert but I am getting soooooooooo sick of that Amazon dress. It might be time to hunt down a new dress. 

Anyways, off of my little dress issue and back to the concert! If you're interested in attending then information and tickets can be found at this link. According to friends who have attended past Holiday concerts this is one of the biggest and best events that CFCArts hosts all year! I look forward to seeing everyone who attends!

Today is day three of the NYX Lippie Countdown! If you're wondering why I'm talking about a random lipstick then please see this post. The past two colors have been pretty neutral and my style so I was a bit nervous when I saw that the preview of today's color was purple and looked dark. I tend to be intimidated by dark lip colors because I don't believe that I can pull them off. 

Upon opening day 3 I was not surprised to see that the line this color belongs to is Simply Vamp. I was surprised to see that this is a Lip Cream seeing as the past two have been dedicated lipsticks. 

This specific shade is She Devil and honestly the name fits the the color. This is a deep purple almost plum shade. This looks highly pigmented but didn't want to apply evenly. The edges of my lips applied nicely but the inside was much lighter and needed two passes with the stick. It applied nicely and cleaned up nicely, but was extremely easy to smear. This color did not hold up to drinking and needed multiple applications through out the day.

Overall, I like the color but it's not for me. The color suited my skin tone but is completely wrong for my personality. It's too bold and too dark. If I go towards bold and dark I prefer the reds because they're more in line with classic colors, purple is much too strange for me. Despite my dislike of the color I do plan on keeping this and possibly using it for a costume or fun event down the line. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun purple lip color but I would not recommend this for someone looking for long wear. 

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.