i know, i know

it's been a while.
this is the post after a while.

i have to admit, i haven't been doing anything terribly exciting. working. singing. we're moving tomorrow, so i've been packing. i hope this will be the smoothest move of my life. our current apartment is only 320 square feet, so we can't fit that much in it. so...yeah. almost everything is in boxes. we only have the kitchen, bathroom and a little bit of clothes/misceallaneous from the bedroom. tonight, everything gets packed up or taken apart. then we start moving at 9:30 tomorrow morning.

in any case, i wanted to point you to two sites i have found recently that I think are kind of cool.

go here

So, this site is cool if you're like me and like categorizing things. It's basically an online way to keep track of your closet. You have different areas that you can input pictures of your clothes into: tops, bottoms, jeans, outerwear, etc. They have a searchable database of clothing, but if you can't find it (because you're like me, and everything you own is like, 20 gazillion years old or on super-sale when you buy it, and no longer available online,) you can also just upload it from your phone/computer/whatevs. You can also follow profiles of people you know (or just like the style of,) define your style on your profile, make wishlists, etc.
Then, once you've built up your "closet," you say what you wore on a specific days, for specific things. You can have different outfits for work, the gym, going out to dinner, etc. all in one day. And for adding things to your closet, and choosing your outfits, you get points. And then they do giveaways! I actually won a cool pair of vintage Hugo Boss sunglasses back when it was in Beta, so this shizz is real, y'all! They aren't just pulling your leg.
FINALLY (I feel like I'm writing a middle school paper here, y'all,) it gives you stats of things in your closets. Want to know how many times you've worn purple this month? What your top brands are (as if you didn't know already, HAH!)? What your typical color pallet is? It also compares it to the "average" stylitics user.

 

 (check out how I have more items, but they cost less. That's because I'm a cheap-o!)

That's cool, right? Yeah...I thought so, too.

Any number two, is based off an idea called the 'endless closet.'

 

This was originally an Australian website that did so well that they moved it to the US to try it out here. Basically, it's a place to trade dresses (they plan to open it up to other clothing items, if it does well enough.) Have a dress you don't want? Just want a new dress, but don't have money to spend on it? This is good for that!

You list the dresses that you have worn and never want to wear again (too many posh parties, huh? fancy fancy...) and you get 'buttons' for it. The buttons are your ticket to other dresses that people feel equally as 'get it away from me as soon as possible' about, as you assign your dresses (or the website suggests an amount, based on how much you paid originally) a number of worth in buttons. You can buy buttons, but you also get buttons from adding your own dresses, so you don't ever have to actually pay any money, if you so desire. (Except shipping. You pay to ship stuff. But then, if you order things, other people pay to ship it. So it works out.)

The thing that I love about this website is that it can only get better the more people that use it. Instead of feeling like I want to be exclusive, and one of the few people on the site, I want EVERYONE to be on it! Cause ladies, let's be real here: I don't have money for new dresses for each occasion. And even if I did, not having to spend it is so much better an option. Then I can buy jewlery! Or, you know...food?

(this is a dress I want, but I have to find some other things to list before I can afford it. 

But I just kind of LOVE it, okay?)

So that's that! I'm moving, go check out those websites.

I'm also getting another VoxBox in May, which I'm excited about. And I've started using big-girl makeup (Tarte, specifically) and I freakin' love it. And I wash my face with Aveda and my body with VitaBath. It's like I'm a real person with real money or something.

Fancy.

new things, new things

I have purchased several new things in the past couple weeks:

• Waterpik Ultra Flosser
• Remington 1 1/2" to 1" Taper Clipless Curling Iron
• Back to Basics 2-Egg Sandwich Toaster

1) I bought this because it was in an open box at Bed, Bath and Beyond and was half off ($30, instead of $60!) and because I'd been thinking about trying one out for a while (and BB&B's no reason needed return policy takes all the stress out of it.) The flosser is awesome, though! It's kind of like playing dentist, cause you get to squirt water in your mouth. It has a bunch of attachments for different things (mostly different dentally things, like crowns, braces, etc.) and no lack of water pressure. I hate string floss, because my teeth are super tight and it a) hurts and b) gets string caught between my teeth, so I feel like in between my teeth are much cleaner. Nate says he doesn't notice much of a difference, but he also actually flosses occasionally ;)

Our only issue is that it would be much easier to use if the reservoir was somehow in the actual tool, so you didn't have to have it attached to the bigger, bulkier piece to use it. But I know that would be heavy and bring on a whole other slew of problems, so I'm happy enough.

2) The curling iron is also awesome. I'm hair-tarded, and the whole 'wrap your hair around the curling iron' instead of trying to wrap the curling iron up into my hair has been a life saver. The larger barrel is perfect for bigger, beachy waves. Now I just need to put styling cream in beforehand and get a better hairspray for afterwards so that they won't be blown out by the wind as soon as I step outside the apartment.

beachy!

as opposed to...

tighter ringlets from my 1" to 1/2" taper clipless curling iron. =)

3) I haven't used the toaster yet, because we haven't done our grocery order yet for this week, but when I get my english muffins and my liquid eggs in, I will let you know how it goes!



Cosmo VoxBox: Venus Razor and VitaBath!

I got my Influenster Cosmo VoxBox in the mail a little bit ago and have been using the products inside to switch up my shower routine from the norm. I'm totally a drugstore/grocery store beauty product kind of girl, but I may have been converted (or at least convinced to upgrade!)

Gillette Venus ProSkin Razor:

So, I loved this razor for my legs. The shave was silky smooth and super fast, and I felt like between the gel bars and my shaving, my legs really retained moisture -- instead of completely drying o ut like they normally do.

Unfortunately, since I have blonde body hair, the large razor head made it really hard to see if I was hsvaing in the right place in my armpits and I wound up missing some spots (well... more spots than I normally do!)

Overall, though, I absolutely loved this and will most likely be purchasing refills in the future!

THE VERDICT:

Great! I recommend it, especially if you have skin that dries out easiy and needs the extra moisture.

Vitabath Cucumber & White Tea Body Wash

I have to say that I am not as enamored with the scent of my Vitabath body wash as some other people seem to be (the Cupcake Couture scent sounds AWESOME -- I'm such a sweet scent type of girl.) BUT, even though it isn't my favorite scent, it certainly doesn't smell bad. It's a very clean scent, which matches the way the body wash makes me feel: clean. There's no residue, no heavy feeling once you wash it off. The greatest thing is that it moisturizes better than my current body wash -- which boasts moisturization as its key factor. So, after I'm done with my clean smelling body wash, I may just be ordering a sweet smelling one!

I love how natural and chemical-free it is, and knowing that the moisturization is coming from natural oils and vitamins. So fabulous!

THE VERDICT:

Do it up, girls! It may be more expensive than your drugstore brand, but it will last longer, because you need less for that lather that we all love so much! Find a favorite scent and you'll be hooked, too.

We were also given a set of ProActive in the VoxBox, which I haven't pulled out. I just started a new facial skincare routine, but I'm thinking of giving it to my boyfriend to use to see how it does for his skin or possibly using it on my shoulder and back, since I get random flare-ups there, as well. I'll let you know!

the head bones connected to the...

I came across this nifty little device on Pinterest while I was poking around the other day.

{Jawbone UP}

I thought it looked super cool. It basically is a monitor, to help you keep track of

1) what you eat and how it makes you feel, to help you see what energizes you

2) how you sleep, about your sleep cycle and incorporates an alarm to wake you up during a light sleep, so you feel less groggy

3) how much you move during the day, to help you stay active

That second bullet is really a selling point for me. It's like a mini sleep study -- something I've always wanted to do -- without having to be observed in a lab with electrodes stuck all over you. But I also love that it reminds you stay active -- to get up and strecth while you're working (something I think most people can benefit from) -- and reminds you to eat things that you know make you feel good!

There are challenges you can complete to get points which can be used for "real-life" rewards, which includes anything from donation to a charity to a discount on shoes. How cool is that?!

This is exactly what I wanted Nexercise (which is a different activity-based rewards app) to be. It takes it to the next level, and really makes you an active participant in how your daily activities effect your overall mood and energy levels.

Unfortunately, the price tag is a little steep for me at $99.99. But maybe if I put it on my Christmas list, someone real nice will get me one!

{I wasn't asked to write, or compensated in any way, for this post -- I just think the product looks cool, and I'd like to hear from people who have tried it! I doubt Jawbone will ever see this, but if they do -- maybe I could test it out? I'm a good reviewer!}

til we reach the higher ground (book reviews)

Two to be exact.

I put Game of Thrones (of which I finally finished the first book and have moved on to the second. Talk about progress, y'all!) aside for a few days to read Divergent and Matched -- two young adult books which seem to have blown up in my face the blog world recently. I am always good for new literature, so I thought I'd try them out.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth, was by far my favorite of the two. I could not put it down. It was written in such a way that I didn't feel like I was reading a young adult novel -- it actually felt very similiar, stylistically, to The Handmaid's Tale. The story moved quickly, but left room for explanation and arresting scenery descriptions. There were a few parts of the storyline that felt very predictable but all in all, it was a great read. I hope there are more books that follow in this universe.

Matched, by Ally Condie, I had a harder time getting through. The main character seemed kind of...I don't know, childish? I know she was only 16, but in a world where she is already working and being matched the person she's going to marry in five years, she didn't seem to have a very good grasp on anything. Many of the questions she posed herself and other people seemed silly or transparent. It was enjoyable, however, but I felt like I'd heard the story before -- even if it was in a different setting. (I know this opinion differs from the rest of the population who have read the book, from what I've seen, so...sorry?) I would recommend reading it, though, especially for younger readers. Maybe I'm just not the age group it's geared toward.

Have you read either of these? What did you think? Got any other good reads for me?