I Will Blog!

August 30, 2016Mary4 Comments

I’ve been missing from here all month. I forgot that I have a post I can do on Nashville, my overalls, and my August Birchbox. Or maybe I didn’t really forget, maybe I just didn’t do it. I mean they will get done, for some reason it’s just taking time.

My biggest mistake this year was not making myself a blogging schedule. I need to set myself a schedule at the start of the year otherwise I do nothing. I would say this year has been a failure of a year. If anyone has any suggestions for 2017 I am more than willing to take them!

I also want to a September challenge, so be on the look out for that (hopefully).

I don’t know. All of my blog posts have been whiny “I don’t know what to write” or Birchboxes. I just don’t know what to do.

I will blog. I really will. Hopefully it will be quality and it will be soon.

Please leave your blogging struggle help suggestions in the comments!

July Birchbox

July 27, 2016September 21, 2017Mary3 Comments

So I know this about the same time I posted the June Birchbox, however, I’ve had this and have been suing the products for quite sometime. I haven’t been good at keeping up with much of anything but here we go.

So this month I actually had six items in my Birchbox, and I’m not sure if it’s because two of the items are like a duo or if because I chose which mascara I wanted. I guess I’ll find out next month because I did choose one of the items for that as well.

The first thing in the July box is the amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo. It is supposed to have an Obilphica scent, to be honest, I don’t know what that means and I’m too lazy to Google it. However, I do think it smells slightly better than most dry shampoos. It says full size ranges from $10 to $24 and I don’t know how to do that conversion to how much this one is worth. It’s a good travel size and if I go anywhere it’ll be good for that. I already have a dry shampoo though so maybe it’s something I’ll consider in the future after that’s gone.

This is COOLA SPF 50 Sport sunscreen in the scent mango. It smells not like sunscreen, but I don’t know if it would be a mango scent. Anyway, it’s organic so that’s cool. I only used it once and not when I was at the beach because there isn’t enough for my whole body. So I’m going to say it works, but the full size is $32 for 5 oz, which in my opinion is not worth it for sunscreen, like Target brand is good enough for me at that cost.

So I think these are meant to be like a duo, but I don’t know. The bottle on the left is the Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate which is supposed to protect against signs of aging for a radiant complexion. You only really need a very small amount of it so it really looks about the same as it does in the picture. I’m at the age where everyone says you need to start using anti-aging products because appearently women aren’t beautiful if they don’t look young so you have to start fighting when you are young. Anyway, it’s fine. I don’t have any strong feelings for or against it. The full size is $67 for 30 mL.

The other item is the Shiseido Ultimune Eye Power Infusing Eye Concentrate which helps blur out wrinkles and dark circles and it really did help get rid of the dark circles, however the sample was so small and not good for multiple uses. I was really surprised. The full size is $65 for 15 mL. I will probably not purchase either of these items because they are just too far out of my price range.

This was definitely one of my favorite items of the box and I did pick it. It is the Smashbox X-Rated Mascara. The mascara I have been using separates my eyelashes really well but this one adds so much volume that I didn’t even realize could improve my eyelashes. I’m always afraid of them being too long since I wear glasses everyday but this is perfect for me. The full size is $22 and I honestly might purchase it. I can use my Birchbox points so I will really consider it. My only complaint about the product is that it’s very liquidy but I think that helps it stay on better and even out over the lashes.

This is the last product in the box and also one of my favorites. It is the Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream SPF 35 in light medium. I’ve actually gotten so many uses out of this product. The full size sells for $32 which is slightly above my price range for such products so we’ll see if I decide to buy it ever. It’s definitely like on the back burner for one day when I have money to spend on things like this. It has a lot more coverage than I would’ve thought.

That’s what I got in my July Birchbox! What did you get in yours? I’m pretty sure I like this one more than June. Also, if you’re interested in subscribing for $10 a month for some great high quality products, check out this link https://www.birchbox.com/invite/marysavrgadventures!

My First Birchbox!

July 1, 2016September 21, 2017MaryLeave a comment

So I’ve been trying to get more into beauty and makeup recently. I also like to get things in the mail, so I thought maybe I should sign up for a subscription box, what’s the worst that could happen? I hate it and cancel. I did my research, and signed up for Birchbox. Birchbox is all sample sized products, however, for someone like me who is allergic to a lot of products and who doesn’t do their makeup everyday this is honestly kind of perfect. I am always using products way past their expiration date so I think that this is really just a great option. Also, if I love the products, I can review them, get points, and then use those points to buy the full priced versions.

I was actually surprised how pretty the box was itself. However, I later found out that I did not have tissue paper in mine like most people do, so I found that interesting.

If you are interested in Birchbox for yourself use my code!

These are the contents of my box (individual reviews below). I personally did not recongize any of the brands, however, I don’t have expansive knowledge on these things so I don’t know if they are really big brands.

This dr. brandt PoreDermabrasion in 0.25oz. The full size is just over 2 oz, which sells for $58, meaning this sample is about $7.25. However, I think this is about one use, maybe I’ll get two out of it. The purpose of the product is to unclog pores and refine the appearance of them. It can only be used twice a week max. That detail alone concerns me. However, I did use it. My skin felt softer. I didn’t notice that my pores seemed any smaller though. I would not purchase it though. It was a nice sample, not worth $58.

This is the LOC One & Done Shadow Stick in Peachy Sheen, which is from the Birchbox brand. It’s ceaseless and waterproof, and it’s definitely both of those things. This is the full size and sells on the website for $10. I would probably purchase this. I really like how it feels and how it lasts. It’s waterproof, however, it didn’t require a lot of effort to take off at the end of the day. I didn’t need an eyelid primer or with this, it’s a great product. Personally, I would probably pick a different color though. (Swatch at the end)

This is the PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing & Repairing Shampoo. The full-size retails for $22 at 8 oz, the sample is 1 oz, making it worth $2.75. It’s sulfate free and it’s supposed to soften and strengthen your hair. It smells like a hair salon, which is fine by me. I’ll use it if I go away on any weekend trips, but I wouldn’t purchase it. I like it less than my regular shampoo. There was nothing wrong with it, but also nothing special if I’m being honest.

This product is the Supergoop! Defense Refresh Setting Mist SPF 50. The three-in-one setting spray sets makeup, controls oil and has UV protection. The full-size retails for $28 at 3.4 oz. The sample size is 0.5 oz, making it worth about $4.12. I think I need to use it again before I make a real review. I think I needed to get a better coverage of my face and not walk a mile in 90 degree weather. However, inside it worked great even when I was sweating a little bit. I’ve heard complaints about the smell, it didn’t bother me at all and I’m usually really sensitive to smell.

This is the last product in my box, and it’s The Beauty Crop PBJ Smoothie Stick in the color Raisin the Roof. This is a full-sized product worth $14.95 for 0.009 oz. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it does twist up. I thought that when I swatched it that it was going to be very sheen and a dark shade of pink. However, for me it’s almost like a nude lip as well as pretty matte. I really like this product and I would consider buying it in other shades.

Here are the swatches in case you were curious, the shade on the left is the LOC and on the right, the PBJ Smoothie Stick.

What are your favorite subscription boxes? Or what did you get in your Birchbox this month?

Average Adventure: Sevilla, Spain

January 3, 2016September 21, 2017Mary1 Comment

Well, this has been well over due. I went to Sevilla back in November to visit my friend Molly who was there for the semester. I would say that this is easily one of my favorite trips and most memorable trips that I made while I was away. I think it’s probably because I was going to visit one of my really good friends and it was the first time I was with someone who knew me really well for the first time in months, it was great.

There were orange trees everywhere. This was something that really puzzled me. They aren’t eaten. I don’t know why that bothered me so much, it just did. I just thought it would be so innovative if there was just food all over the city. I don’t know.

We did a lot of sightseeing on the Friday that I was there. We got there Thursday but our train form Madrid left super early and we were exhausted so we saw more of the city and then looked at more stuff the next day. This is the view from the top of a church. A church. I believe it was the Cathedral de Sevilla. It was a Catholic church too, which was cool for me. The top picture was taken in this area that had a lot of holes for me to trip in, which I tripped in most of them, but it was in the church. The church was absolutely massive.

This was the wall tile in a building somewhere, I thought it was pretty.

That evening we went to see the sunset on the top of the Metropol Parasol. It was absolutely amazing. It was one of those sunsets, or maybe even moments that you can’t even believe is real.

I believe this is the Plaza de España. This was an area of a lot of wedding pictures. It was very pretty. I love this last picture of Molly and I because I’m like totally ready and already posing, but I have no idea what she’s doing haha.

One more post from my trip coming eventually!

Lush Rant

December 27, 2015Mary4 Comments

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Lush. I could easily spend all of my money there, very very easily. When I go into the store I love their customer service and friendliness. However, online it is not the same.

We all know how excited I was for the online sale yesterday, well, the website was essentially a piece of crap and didn’t work. At all. It took me over two hours just to buy six things. I would add something to the cart, it would crash, I would go to checkout, it would crash. It was a piece of crap. What I have gathered from twitter is that this happens ever year, which that should probably be thought about every year then, in my opinion.

So anyway, after two hours, I put my computer away, cleaned my room and went to work, thinking my order was on it’s way. Well, today I’m on the phone with Eric and he’s looking at the sale to see if he wants anything, and I realized that I never got an email confirming my order. So I go to my account, nothings there, so my next instinct is to check my bank account. I was charged twice, one of the times was when it crashed during check out, I didn’t confirm the order, the order was never presented as confirmed to me, so I assumed it didn’t go through, so the second order was just a repeat of my second order. Nope, I got charged twice. So of course, I hung up the phone with Eric and called.

So of course I caught this too late, that’s my fault for not checking sooner, so of course they already of tracking numbers so if they’re on the truck, I can’t get a refund until I get the package, I can call for a shipment label because for some ridiculous reason they can’t send that until I have the package in my hands, get the shipping label, call UPS, send it back, and once they get it back I can get my $50 refund. Ask me how happy I am about it, not at all. And it all comes back to it wouldn’t have happened if they would have had a properly working website. I wouldn’t be out 50 bucks for approximately the next three to four weeks.

Lush- SEND EMAIL CONFIRMATIONS OF ORDERS. Honestly, the conversation needs to be better when ordering. My order didn’t even show up in my account until I was on the phone with customer support person which is actually ridiculous. Work on your website orders, there’s obviously some major issues with it. I won’t be using it again, I’ll suck it up and go to a store. Luckily you have good products otherwise I would be long gone, as soon as some other cruelty free, more affordable shop comes along you might have some major competition, at least in my eyes.

Did anyone else have problems with the sale? Or was it smooth sailing? If you’re following me on twitter you probably saw my extreme frustration. Was I the only one in this boat? Let me know.

12 Days of Christmas: Day 11- Christmas Eve OOTD

December 24, 2015Mary1 Comment

Christmas Eve OOTD

Now I’m not a fashion blogger but every now and then I like to do a fashion or beauty post. Today is one of those days.

What I’m wearing:

Dress: Zara

Shoes: Payless (in black)

Bracelets: Alex and Ani CLADDAGH and SAILBOAT (both in silver)

Necklace: Pearls from my grandparents

On my face:

Lipstick: Milani

Eyes: Benefit They’re Real Liner, Almay black liquid liner, ELF Eyeshadow, Ulta mascara in the silver tube, Ulta Glitter

Earrings: My Mom’s

Glasses: Walmart

If you want more specifics I can give them to you. Obviously I can never take these posts too seriously.

And here’s just a few more snaps of my Christmas Eve. First we have all of the cousins (minus Sean) trying to take a group picture. Then we have a close up of the tree, and then we have an out of focus shot of the tree as well.

Hope you are all enjoying the holiday!

Average Adventure: Madrid, Spain

December 13, 2015September 21, 2017Mary5 Comments

First things first, whoops on the post that was supposed to go up tomorrow. Anyway, after going to London, my next stop was Sevilla, but it’s to expensive to go straight there. I was going to try and work out the bus from Madrid to Sevilla, but they don’t accept American cards online so instead, I chose to take the train the next day and spend the night in Madrid, because that was still cheaper than flying straight to Sevilla, plus I got to see more of Spain. While I’m super glad I went to London and Brighton, I kind of wish I got to spend more time in Spain, but that just means that I’ll have to go back one day.

Part of the problem about going to Spain was that I remember very little Spanish. I knew very little of what things said. This was some type of museum, of what I’m not sure.

I found it really interesting that so many of their street signs were covered up with stickers. I thought it looked really cool but also it might be confusing to drive around if you don’t know your way.

Here’s some treetops.

My favorite thing about Spain was that everything was so intricate and there was so much attention to detail. This was just the Metro but the gate was detailed, the sign was detailed, it was just nice place.

Then finally just a few more snaps of Madrid. It’s just a very pretty place. I took a lot of pictures but unfortunately most of them were not in focus or I hated them, so this is it for now.

12 Days of Christmas starts tomorrow!

Lush Oxford Street Haul!

November 19, 2015September 21, 2017Mary4 Comments

I’ve never actually done a real haul on my blog before because I’m not that kind of blogger typically, but I went to the Lush on Oxford Street in London and I couldn’t resist doing one. I also I feel like every female blogger has like an obligatory Lush haul… Okay probably not, but it feels natural so it’s happening.

I was so excited to go, this was honestly like one of the biggest things I wanted to do in London, it was worth every penny I spent.

This is the “Melting Marshmallow Moment” bath melt. The one thing I really wanted to try were the bath melts since they only have them at the Oxford Street store or online. It has a super sweet smell and it’s very glittery as you can probably see from the pictures. These are supposed to make the bath extra moisturizing, which will be great since my good lotion is at home so my skin is starting to feel the cold here. I’m probably looking most forward to baths once I get back home.

This is the “Snow Melt” bath melt. This is a special one for the holidays obviously. It has a very clean smell, and again glitter. I think this one was mint and lemon if I remember correctly. Honestly, all the smells start running together when you start to smell so many things. You have to be really careful with these because they can melt with just body temperature.

This is the “Golden Handshake” hot hand mask. To be honest, this was quite the impulse by. I’m a sucker for glitter and it was the first glittery thing that I saw as soon as I walked in and it wasn’t ridiculously expensive so I put it in my basket and forgot about it until check out. I think it is going to be more work than what I had originally thought. I don’t really think it has a strong smell, and I’m super sensitive to smell if that means anything to anyone.

This is the “Milky Bath” bubble bar. It got a little smashed in my bag since I had been travelling with it for over a week by the time I got to take the pictures. Again, I got this mostly for the softening aspect that it’s supposed to have for my dry skin in the winter. This also doesn’t have too strong of a smell which is something I really appreciate.

This is the “Start Dust” bath bomb. Unfortunately this one got completely smashed in my bag so I didn’t even bother to open it and try to take a picture because I could just feel that it was going to be a mess. It has a slight vanilla smell, which I always find really comforting, especially in the winter months.

If you have heard about the Lush Oxford Street store, then you know what this is, “The Experimenter” bath bomb. This is the one thing that I was just like “I have to try this!!!!” because I just kept hearing about it, it’s so many colors, I need to know what color it turns the bath in person. It says online that it has a sweet smell, but I honestly feel like there are so many combinations in the smell that it’s not entirely sweet, it’s a different smell. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it, but I am so excited to try it anyway.

So yeah! Here’s my first haul. I’ll definitely do an impressions (okay won’t say definitely but I’ll try) once I use the products, especially the bath melts. I’m so excited to try all of these things once I get back home (one month!!!) and to a bath tub.

Get ready for me to be back because I have so many ideas and posts coming your way!!

Average Adventure: Cliffs of Moher

October 1, 2015September 21, 2017Mary5 Comments

As you know, if you read my Week Average Adventure Log on Sunday, I went to the Cliffs of Moher on Saturday. This was so beautiful and breathtaking that it deserved a post solely dedicated to it.

So the land to left, which you don’t know which is the left and which is the right, but the land to the left of the Cliffs is actually private land, but I still took pictures of it. It’s such a pretty landscape. I’m actually curious if people have tried to pet their cows or anything. The Cliffs alone are amazing. There is a tower on the right side and a castle on the way end of the left side, sadly I didn’t get to either because I tried to get to the castle but it was too far and our bus tour only allowed for an hour and a half stop.

So this set of five all happens to be of the right side of the Cliffs, but I don’t care because I like them all. It’s so cool. I still can’t get over that I’ve been there twice now. It’s the place of beauty, but it’s also very sad, a lot of people have died there.

I took so many pictures. I feel like a lot of these are the same picture and I should care about how much space they’re taking up in my media library (eventually I’m going to have to suck it up and upgrade), however, I love all of these pictures and I find them so mesmerizing. I love them all and they will all stay up.

Okay this is it, now you can see the cows I mentioned in the first paragraph. It’s sheer beauty in my opinion. I don’t think I overlapped any pictures either, so if you didn’t see Sunday’s post, be sure to check it out!

Weekly Average Adventure Log: Week One

September 20, 2015September 21, 2017Mary4 Comments

Week One

This week I arrived in Dublin, Ireland, while I’m here and maybe afterwards, I will be doing a Weekly Average Adventure Log, where my average adventures will be documented.

Sunday

On Sunday I started my journey to Ireland. It was odd because to save money on the flight my family and I drove to New York, so I could fly to Philadelphia, which happens to only be an hour from my house.

This is actually one of the prettiest flights I’ve been on, it was so short the plane couldn’t get the whole way up in the air so the scenery was pretty the whole time.

Then I flew from Philadelphia, a very speckled picture of the overview of the city. I watched one movie, put on The Big Bang Theory and fell asleep.

Monday

Monday I arrived in Dublin. I wanted for a little bit in the airport in some of what I would call a very disorganized fashion. When I finally got to campus, we had less than an hour once we finished paperwork and everything to put stuff in our room and start a walking tour.

After the walking tour I got a quick lunch with some people in my program group.

Tuesday

Monday was short lived on pictures because I was exhausted. Tuesday was packed filled with more walking tours. Well one walking tour and then trying to find basic supplies needed.

We went to see a castle, just see it. It was very strange because it’s old and then it looks like a lego building.

Wednesday

On Wednesday we walked to Marsh’s Library where you couldn’t take any pictures, so I have this one from the outside.

Then we went on a bus tour, there was a lot of tours this week. I took this opportunity to see more of the city, and then finally get some hangers after my clothes had been hanging off the top of my wardrobe all week.

The city is huge, like I’ve been here twice before and I’ve only seen parts of the city. It’s a lot bigger than I had originally thought.

The view outside my room is amazing. Here it is at sunset, it’s simply gorgeous.

Thursday

Thursday was filled with orientations and such. Things that are supposed to be filled with information but really weren’t. There aren’t any pictures because the most I did was go to the grocery store.

Friday

In the morning we met up to go to Croke Park. It’s where they play Gaelic Football and Hurling, today was the biggest game so they were all getting ready for it.

Also pictured is the chandelier of different sports balls that can no longer be made and the fancy box seat table, the fancy parts of the sports arena essentially.

We got some really good views of the city too.

Then on the walk back I saw a sign for the Guinness Tour, which I actually don’t plan on doing because for someone like me, I think it’s a waste of money. It does seem cool though.

Friday was the annual Culture Night. We got lost trying to find the Chocolate Factory, but it’s definitely something I will be looking for again in the near future, in general the chocolate is much better here, even like the kind you just get at the store. I also don’t have any decent pictures from that night because I forgot my camera. I did get my bus pass, which will be nice and easy to use to get around the city.

Saturday

Saturday was my birthday. My roommate and I went shopping in the morning. I saw a little flower stand, well actually a lot. I just think they’re so cute.

We then met up with some other girls in our group for dinner. It was a little more crowded in the city than expected so we couldn’t get into our first few options, but that was actually kind of lucky. I had the best pizza and garlic bread. The garlic bread, which I thought had mozzarella on it, turned out to be chunks of garlic, it wasn’t bad, just different.

Conclusion

So that was my week this week! What did you do? I had a lot of fun, however, the disorganization is getting to me. I am ready for a schedule and to get into the swing of school. Next weekend I’m going to the Cliffs of Moher and I’m so excited, I think it’s one of the prettiest places in the world.

Mary's Average Adventures

suburban soccer mom minus the kids

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