November Birchbox Review

Well, it's been awhile to say the least. I'm not proud of my laziness...I apologize and it won't happen again.

That being said, I have a lot to catch up on. I did get my first Birchbox in the mail a couple of weeks ago, so here is my review.


I was so excited to open the package and see what goodies I would get this month. I had been reading the reviews from other bloggers' November Birchboxes, and theirs looked awesome!!! Alas, when mine came, I was kinda disappointed.

I received the following. Please remember, this is not a paid review. Birchbox does not know me. These are honest and unbiased reviews.

Jouer Lip Enhancer: I have seen this item in previous birchbox reviews, however, no one actually gave a review on it. I really like this product. I don't find that it "plumps" lips as it claims, but I have relatively full lips anyway and that is not something that matters to me. It does moisturize them very well. I'm somewhat of a chapstick connoisseur, and for me to like anything other than plain jane lip balm says a lot.

Kate Spade Twirl: Okay...I have heard a bunch of mixed reviews on this. I didn't care for it at all. I do not have any scent aversions. I can go into Bath and Body for hours and smell everything they have and be fine. But, one little spritz of this immediately gave me a headache. Thumbs down, Ms. Spade.

Thymes Body Lotions (eucalyptus & Kimono Rose): Disgusting. Old lady scent that stayed all day. If only the REALLY good smelling lotions could have this staying power.

Zoya Nail polish in Noel: I was really excited about the nail polish. I love nail polish and this is a shade I probably wouldn't have bought myself. I only slicked on one little stripe but that one coat goes on a sparkly cerulean blue. I'm betting if layered, it will turn a beautiful midnight blue. This is my first experience with Zoya, so I'm not sure on it's staying power. My only complaint is that it has a very strong smell indicative of cheap nail polish. But, hey...it's free.

This month's "extra" was an Alex and Isabelle hair tie: This was an ironic addition to my box. Everyone else got chocolate...I got a hair tie a week after I cut off all my hair. Fortunately, I can still wear it...just not in public. This is a hairdo for the privacy of my own home only.


So, that's my review of my first Birchbox. I really hope the December box is better. If not, I may have to cancel my subscription and give another service a shot.

Woohoo, it's FRIDAY!

Wow, what a week! I am so glad it's finally Friday. The hubby and I are piled up on the couch catching up on our DVR...fire in the fireplace. Oh, I do miss a wood burning fireplace tonight. This is our first house with a gas fireplace. It's nice to not have to lug wood in from outside...all covered in nastiness like mud...spiders...that sort of thing. But, there is absolutely no replacement for the smell of wood burning...the crackles and pops. But, I'm grateful that we have a fireplace at all.

We're now just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving. There is a finally a groovy chill in the air...the signs that we are indeed in the midst of fall. The south can be confusing like that. The calendar may say October or November, but the temperatures are reminiscent of a balmy summer evening. To be quite frank, I can't stand the summer. I suppose I would like it more if I lived somewhere that had a fine balance... Actual distinction between the seasons. However, we start to warm up significantly in late March and into April and continue to stay warm until November and December. We only get a couple of months of solid cold weather...and hardly even a month of solid crisp weather. Today has been absolutely lovely. Overcast and mid 50's for a high. The gray skies a stark contrast to the gorgeous reds and golds of the trees. We are peaking over the next couple of weeks with our fall foliage. I plan on getting out with my camera tomorrow to get some good pictures before all of the leaves are gone.

I have been reading other blogs to draw some inspiration for this one. One of the things that I've been reading a lot of is the "12 Things by 2012" challenge. Basically, it's like end of the year resolutions to accomplish by 2012. I especially love this idea because I'm a "crunch time" type of person. I know...this is a nice way of saying I procrastinate. But, I really do much better at things when I'm looking at a rapidly approaching deadline. So, I thought I'd jump on this bandwagon.

12 Things by 2012

1) Quit Smoking ( Okay, this one is kind of cheating as I've already started the process, but hey...we gotta start somewhere.)
2) Make this blog awesome.
3) Make more of an effort in my appearance. (While I'm a big advocate of inner beauty, I think that you feel good when you feel you look good as well)
4) Have my car, purse, and house clean at the same time. (This is a feat in itself. I don't think I've EVER been able to have the trifecta)
5) Start creating more. I have so much creative energy that gets suppressed by day to day life. It wants OUT!
6) Work on my photography
7) Get all my laundry caught up and KEEP it caught up!
8) Cook more (I love to cook, but I don't ever seem to have the time...I need to make the time and stick to it)
9) Pay more compliments
10) Get my closet reorganized. I need it to function as more than a closet.
11) Do more nice things for my husband
12) Enjoy the holidays without stressing out...

Hopefully these stick! Now, I think I'm going to head to bed so I can get a head start tomorrow on the list. There is a lot to do and less than two months to go! What will your 12 by 2012 be?

Hallow's Hangover

Well, we survived Halloween night. It was a fun evening. It is our first year in our current house and we had no idea what level of trick or treat traffic we would incur. I was the lady handing out one piece of candy per kid. *face palm* We had so much candy left over! Now, I have to figure out a way to dispose of this candy. I'm guessing the only option I have is to eat it. ;)

Now, I can get my house back in order and start preparing myself for the next holiday designed to make me break out the elastic waistbands. Mmmm...Thanksgiving. This is the most awesome time of the year for me. Aside from loving anything that has to do with food, I just love the holiday spirit. I love getting together with all of my family and cooking the most amazing meal. After we eat...before the turkey coma...we always sit down to watch "A Christmas Story" for the first time of the season. That movie is my family's version of "Miracle on 34th Street." It's just not the Holidays until we watch it. The day after, my sweet husband and I will go pick out our Christmas tree, and have the best (free!) hot cocoa at the tree farm. We come home, crack open a bottle of wine and decorate the tree and the rest of the house. It's those moments of bliss before the insanity. Of course, we have the biggest football game of the year on while we're at it. Hogs vs Tigers...Arkansas vs LSU. Woo Pig Sooie! (Okay, the secret is out...we're Razorback fans)

I should really start on my Christmas shopping now. I hate feeling as though the season rushes by me, all the while I'm struggling to keep up and get everything done in time. This year (I say this EVERY year) I want to get my shopping done early so I can sit back and bask in the glow of it all.

For now, I'll just sit back and try not to glow green from too much Halloween candy.

Happy Halloweenie!!

Happy Halloween, y'all! This is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I was really hoping to do a cool Halloween hair/makeup tutorial yesterday, but I was fighting a ravaging headache with no meds in the house. I'm really sorry that my first Sunday video blog didn't happen!

As much as I love Halloween, by the time it rolls around, I'm a bit over it. I blame the retail industry. I remember when I was a kid, Halloween stuff didn't hit the shelves until the beginning of October. Now we are bombarded with costume choices, decorations, and giant scaretastic warehouses as soon as the kids head back to school! By the time All Hallow's Eve is here, I'm all hollowed out and ready to put away the fake cobwebs. But, I refuse to be a zombie grinch about it and will leave everything up just these last few hours. Tomorrow, however, all the ghouls go back to bed for the year, and my scarecrows can breathe again without the giant spiders crawling about them. (Well, anyone who has ever been out to my house can tell you that the fake giant spiders won't be on them, but the real ones will be. ew. ew. ew.)

Now, I'm feeling all bah humbug about the whole day. This is no good for getting amped up to pass out candy. So, here's a real life ghost story for you...first hand experience right here.


Every state has it's version of "The Light" story. You know the one... go somewhere dark, flash your headlights three times, kill the engine, and wait. Rumor has it that a light will surround your car and drain the battery and so on and so forth.

Well, my state is no different. A few years ago, I was up in my mama's hometown visiting family for the week. It was the week of my cousin's high school graduation, so of course us kids were up to no good. We decided one night to pile up in my convertible (*sigh* may she rest in peace....the car, that is) and head out to "The Light." Now, the whole Northeast corner of the state is fields and woods...and very rural. It was pitch black that night. No moonlight, no headlights. We drove down the dirt road, trees filling the spaces to the left and the right of us.

I stopped the car, turned of the engine, and flashed the headlights three times. We waited five minutes and...nothing. Now, I'm no skeptic. I've seen things in my life that cannot be explained. However, I also don't look for things that aren't there. I decided to give it one more shot, wait five more minutes and then head back to my aunt's house. Three flashes...all of a sudden, a green glow emerged ahead of us. Slowly, the light got bigger and brighter. I could see the outlight of a man carrying a lantern. It was getting closer. I wasn't about to wait for it to get to the car and drain my battery. We had no cell phone service, we were in the middle of nowhere. I knew how that story would end. I flipped on my lights and started the car and drove towards the light...which was now getting away from us. The dirt road ran into the highway and the light was gone. No one was there. We hightailed it back to where we came from and never returned to "The Light" again.


Happy Halloween!

The Introduction

Hey everyone! This is my first post with my "Which One's Pink?" blog, so I wanted to introduce myself and kinda give you all an idea of what kind of blog this is going to be.

My name is Astin and I am a devoted wife, mother to 4 furbabies, sister, and daughter. I've got the most interesting family unit and I am so grateful for them. They always can make me laugh and will probably be material for some of the stuff that you read here. I'm a child of God, and I rely on my faith to get me through life's little challenges.

This blog will be a sounding board for me as well as a creative outlet. I love all sorts of things, so don't be surprised to see everything from day to day life stories to hair and makeup tutorials to favorite recipes. There may also be a how to in there for random maintenance. Some people say I'm a jack of all trades. I say I just stand around being awesome. :)

I will try to post beauty tutorial videos every Sunday. I think we all need some pretty inspiration to start the work week. I'm a beauty product junkie, so I will also post various reviews and opinions about beauty items that I come across. I do these out of the goodness of my heart, and I do not (currently) get paid or compensated. Every item that I review will be paid for by me, unless otherwise stated.

I always feel a little weird with introduction posts, so forgive me if this seems awkward and unorganized. My subsequent postings should be much more fluid. I can't wait to hear feedback from any and all readers, so feel free to post comments and let me know what I'm doing right, what I can do better, and anything else that you want to know!