Happy Birthday Vincent Van Gogh

i really love van gogh.

he’s one of my favorite painters of all time. i was introduced to his work in the 5th or 6th grade. something about him, his story and of course his art stuck a chord in my heart strings.

my favorite is of course the starry night, i think everyone likes that one.

we share the same ringing, i also have tinnitus. been living with that incessant, never-ending reminder that i am among many who will never enjoy the silence again, but i don’t think i’ll be cutting off my ear anytime soon. 

so in celebration for my friend vincent’s birthday i wanted to post my 2 van gogh inspired nail art.

these are my starry night inspired nails

and here are my almond blossoms

Sindulge March 2012

Sindulge recently launched in February 2012 and MY first Sindulge box has arrived! 

I like the idea of having a team of beauty experts at my fingertips, there to answer my questions about the products I’ve received. I was unable to keep my appointment for my consultation, but next month I may put that to use ;)

My first Sindulge package included:

Sedal Color Creations Color Vital by Rita Hazan  -  a single use sample of shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair. The packaging is in Spanish (product made in Mexico) and is formulated for color treated hair. 

YoungBlood  Mineral Primer (sample size)  -  smooth into skin before foundation

YoungBlood  High-Def Translucent Powder (sample size)  -  finishing powder

pixi endless silky eye pen in black/ noir  -  I can always use another nice black liner! It really goes on silky smooth!

Shu Eumura  Essence Absolue  -  nourishing protective oil for dry hair

Want to Indulge yourself too? Subscribe to Sindulge at http://www.sindulge.com/

Julep St. Patrick’s Box 2012 ~extra!

Are you feelin’ lucky?  Well, I sure am. I might not have gotten the “big $200 box” from Julep’s St. Patrick’s Box extra this month, but I think I have the luck o’ the Irish on my side. 

This month, Julep offered an additional surprise box to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. For $19.99 subscribers were guaranteed to receive a minimum of $60 in the green Julep box.

This is my first time an “extra box” has been available, so of course I HAD to get one! Everything was neatly packaged in the trendy black Julep cosmetic bag. I think the style and shape of the bag is really cute, and it’s well made, so I’m going to throw it into my Coach bag and use it as a make up bag! winwin ;) 

In this haul I received:

The Julep crystal nail file  -  This is my first experience with the crystal file, I like it and Lizzy liked that it didn’t make that “scary sound” the metal files make.

Julep Everyday SPF 30 Hand Cream  -  a non-greasy hand cream, that’s unscented and has SPF 30 (protects hands from UVA and UVB sun damage)

Julep Essential Cuticle Oil  -  Formulated w/ vitamin E and all natural essential oils. What I love about this is the application, a nifty roller ball, and it’s not messy or greasy to use… even Lizzy can do it all by herself!

Julep Nail Colors in:

• Emma  -  seashell pink shimmer
• Sofia    -  sheer spring green w/ a flash of aqua sparkle glitter
• Maya    -  pearly peachy pink shimmer

Julep Nail Appliques  -  Peacock  colorful nail appliques that look like spotted peacock feathers

…and an extra special treat for us, Julep chocolate coins! Lizzy was so happy about these since we looked for them for St. Patty’s day.

DO THE MATH!

Here’s the $ breakdown of this box!

file=  $  6

handcream=  $  28

cuticle oil=  $  18

nailpolish 3 @ $14 each =  $42

appliques=  $14

GRAND TOTAL  =  $108

not too shabby! I got it all for just $19.99 

Want to become a Julep Maven too? Follow my referral link http://julep.com/?r=18266057

Use coupon code PENNY and get your first month for one cent! LMK if you do sign up and what you get in your boxes!! ;)

PINTEREST, FACEBOOK & TWITTER oh my!!

i love pinterest, FB and twitter. 

pinterest is my new obsession. i use it for inspiration, finding new recepies and cool DIY ideas and things to create with my daughter, who’s almost 5.

On pinterest I post all sorts of stuff.

So follow me here, follow me there, heck follow me anywhere and everywhere!!

I follow back  and re-post things that I find interesting ;)

Let’s be friends!! 

pinterest:   http://pinterest.com/thatgirljen/

pinterest beauty:  http://pinterest.com/thatgirljen/i-love-makeup/

pinterest nail art:  http://pinterest.com/thatgirljen/nails/

FB page:  http://www.facebook.com/BoxAcross 

twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/boxacross

EBOOST Pink Lemonade

I don’t drink energy drinks all the time.

Maybe I should start, because I felt like I got a lot done today (I washed all 3 pugs!!) maybe because I was super energized thanks to the EBOOST all natural pink lemonade flavored drink thanks to my Conscious Box from March 2012.

Add the EBOOST packet to water (make sure if it’s a bottled water you take a few sips out- this drink effervesces so you won’t want it to overflow like a volcano!) then shake and drink to mix it up with the water.

With 1000mg of vitamin C and 2500 mcgs of B-12, sweetened with stevia, this low sodium supplement really does the job.

I was really energized all day, didn’t feel all shakey or hyper and didn’t crash at the end of the day!

I didn’t finish the drink, I drank more than half of it… it was tart, a little too tart, but since I don’t really do energy drinks I wasn’t sure what to expect! 

Want to try out new products? Check out Conscious Box by following the link http://www.consciousbox.com

Indie Lee Coconut Citrus body scrub

This is the Indie Lee coconut citrus body scrub that I received in the February 2012 box.

The great thing about these box services is the opportunity to try new products. I love body scrubs, especially sugar scrubs!

I found this scrub to be a little on the dry side, it wasn’t drying to the skin, just didn’t have a good amount of oils in it. Because of that reason, I only used the Indie Lee scrub on my feet. It felt really nice, and the tub wasn’t overly slippery since it wasn’t an overly oily product (great for when you’re in the shower and not wanting to slip). The scent was really nice and perfect for chasing away the winter time blues, you can’t go wrong with coconut in my book!

If you’ve tried any other Indie Lee products- LMK!

If you haven’t joined Beauty Army yet, for $12 a month (free shipping) you can get started here by following my referral link:  https://www.beautyarmy.com/account/registration/?referral_id=ef28fec648cbce9e1b399de3d7d7dc15

goodebox March 2012

goodie goodie goodie!! 

My first goodebox has arrived.

Inside the goodebox, you’ll find eco-friendly and innovative beauty and personal care products  and occasionally, samples of natural & organic health, wellness and beauty products. 

This month was a sampling of natural beauty and skincare products.

Here’s what was inside:

Clairvoyant Beauty  Cucumber & Cranberry Eye Gel  -  helps to relieve puffy eyes

Clairvoyant Beauty  Rosehip Oil & Hibiscus Facial Serum  -  balancing hydration for all skin types

alima PURE  Luminous Shimmer Blush  -  color= Freja  pretty rosy color

alima PURE  Luminous Shimmer Powder  -  color= Belize  bronzer powder

Josie Maran Cosmetics Bear Naked Wipes  -  biodegradable facial cleansing wipes

Stark Skincare Grapefruit Cleanse + Hydrate Balm

Stark Skincare Green Tea Detox Clay Mask

I’ll be reviewing products as I use them- so check back again! ;)

If you want try goodebox for $16 per month check them out at http://goodebox.com/

Conscious Box March 2012

Here’s the March 2012 Conscious Box

Inside there were lots of goodies. This was a box with all edible products, and many were natural and gluten free.

MixtBag  -  stone ground yellow and blue tortilla chips. These were delicious, all natural and gluten free. I’ll be looking for these at the store!!

Tea Forte Mints  ginger pear  -  made with fair trade and organic ingredients

EBOOST  -  all natural pink lemonade flavored energy and immunity drink

Crunch Masters Multi-grain crackers  -  gluten-free multi-grain crackers, made with 100% whole grains, cholesterol free, saturated fat free and low in sodium

Olbas Lozenges  -  Herbal throat lozenges drop

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds  -  Yellow Wonder Wild Strawberry

Java Juice  -  Original liquid coffee extract  USDA Organic  anti-oxidant rich, sugar free and fat free, made in the USA

Good Kind  Natural Coffee Creamer  -  free of: GMO, gluten, trans-fat, artificial color or flavor and no preservatives

Olivella  bath and shower gel  -  made with 100% Italian virgin Olive Oil

Healthy To Go!  Acai Energy Boost  -  Instant energy drink, add to water

Want to get a Conscience Box too? http://www.consciousbox.com

MixtBag tortilla chips

For lunch today, we made nachos with some leftover taco meat, cabot sharp cheddar cheese and MixtBag tortilla chips.

RW Garcia makes a special recipe tortilla, the MixtBag that we received from our March 2012 Conscious Box has yellow and blue tortilla chips.

What makes these chips different is that they are all natural, contain no trans fats and are gluten free. We don’t have any food allergies but we always like to try new things.

The real test is asking Lizzy (she’s almost 5) what she thought about the chips.

Lizzy says, “The chips are tasty and really crunchy, and not too salty.”

What I liked about them is the list of ingredients- everything can be pronounced: stone ground yellow corn, stone ground blue corn, sunflower oil or corn oil, sea salt, water and a trace of lime.

So thanks to the Conscious Box, we had a yummy addition to our homemade nachos!

Green Grab Bag March 2012

Looking for natural eco-friendly beauty and skin care products? Try some great products for just $15 a month! Check out Green Grab Bag.

http://greengrabbag.com/

Here’s what I received in my March 2012 GGB:

Coupon for $15 of product from Mineral Hygenics

Tsi-La Perfumes - Ilang Ilang, a blend of Ilang Ilang, citrus, coconut and vanilla perfect for Spring and this product is made with certified organic ingredients.

Shea Terra Ultimate Moisturizing Body Cream - Pink Guava & Pomegranates This is made with natural sustainable shea butter.

Revolution Organics Freedom Gloss - Color called INTEGRITY This gloss is free of synthetics, chemicals, parabens, mineral oil, artificial ingredients, petrochemicals and no animal testing, 85% certified organic and 100% natural … full sized produce $28

Skin Perfection - Seven Seas Mist anti-aging skincare mask that helps to restore a youthful glow.

Delizioso Skincare Elderberry Hair Smoothie - my sample wasn’t sealed all the way at the bottom, (luckily it didn’t get all over any of my other products) and there isn’t enough product to try it out…

Mineral Hygenics Sheer Perfection Silk Translucent Powder - I have tried this powder and really really like it a lot… I’ll be using the coupon to buy more of this powder!!