August 19, 2018

REVIEW of my 1st COFFEE CRATE subscription *BE STILL MY HEART!* :)


Yesterday's arrival of my new COFFEE CRATE subscription found me almost dancing out of the post office! HAHA!!

I ADORE COFFEE!

Inside of a well packaged and protected box, was this beauty!
A very thick box that protects the precioussssss!

And a special Thank You note from Miss Angie!


And, an amazing coffee aroma!





Oh, no, Miss Angie...
Thank YOU!!




Neatly & cutely wrapped in burlap was my prize!
(insert evil, giggly laugh!)




*squeee!*

THREE COFFEES!


Ooh! And a PAIR of COOKIES!? WHAT?! Yes, please!


Shortbread with cranberries!!... be still my heart!





Yep... mhmmmm!
More about that cookie later!!




*fanning myself*

These are this month's featured coffees:




BOQUETE PANAMA:
(Panama)

Boquete, Chiriquí
Town in Panama

Boquete is a small town on the Caldera River, in western Panama. The surrounding Chiriquí Highlands are home to coffee plantations and the Barú Volcano National Park, to the west. Highlights in the park include the towering Barú Volcano and Los Quetzales Trail, which offers sightings of the elusive quetzal bird. North of town, the Bajo Mono Loop drive has expansive views of the forest.
Weather: 67°F (19°C), Wind E at 6 mph (10 km/h), 95% Humidity
Population: 19,000 (2008)
Province: Chiriquí Province

Map of Boquete Panama



VEREDAS VECINOS:
(Colombia)

Nariño Department
Nariño is a department of Colombia named after independence leader Antonio Nariño. Its capital is San Juan de Pasto. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean. 
Area: 12,845 mi²
Provinces: 3
Population: 1.702 million (2013)

Related image




EL VOLCANCITO:
(Guatemala)

San Luis, El Petén
Municipality in Guatemala
San Luis is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. The municipality is rectangle-shaped and is approximately 2,915 km squared. It contains 44,903 people.
Weather: 82°F (28°C), Wind E at 4 mph (6 km/h), 74% Humidity

Image result for san luis, guatemala



Each of the coffees have a very strong, unique odor...
they are each different. It's hard to explain their aroma, but they are bold!





I am first trying the Veredas Vecinos style:








Into the grinder with you!!





SMELLS SOOOO GOOD!!
I LOVE to grind beans! The grinder I am using was my husband's mother's griner, Linda. She passed a few years ago. I was blessed with it a few years before that. I told them I was going to start buying coffee beans like they did because they smelled great and the coffee always tasted so fresh ... so Thank You, Linda and Mike!!




I bought small paper inserts for my new coffee maker to cut back on the 'sediment' that coffees sometimes leave behind. I like a clean cup of coffee.




I used a touch less than suggested on the paperwork, because I have experienced coffee that was far stronger than needed! That's not pleasurable for me. I like a 'medium' or 'breakfast' blend strength. Everyone likes theirs differently...




Into my brand new coffee maker you go!

BREW, BABY!




It smells strong and amazing!




A beautiful coffee color!




Now my heavy whipping cream...
oh, so good!





OK, now on to the COOKIES!...

Oh, Geraldine... I think you may be one of my new favorite names!

(I can only eat a half of a cookie per day because I am keto-ing,
but I will thoroughly enjoy every delectable bite!)

So soft, FRESH, and delicioussss!
AHHH! Help me, Keto-gods!! LOL






*Ahem* I must collect myself!



TIPS on how to be a coffee pro...

Wait... was I not already? *giggle*





Wonderful info from Coffee Crate about their company and how they gather their coffee beans from different companies around the world, and make them available to us!




How to get YOURS:

ORDER: coffeecrate.co

VISIT: facebook.com/coffeecrate

#coffeecrate



August 16, 2018

REVIEW of my first IPSY GLAM BAG!

IPSY BAG

August 2018

I received my first ipsy bag a couple of days ago! I am so excited to open it and share with you what is inside! I did not peek on the website because I wanted to be surprised!

INSIDE the August bag for me (they vary):

A Kale Mask




A Blackberry Mask




Volume Boost spray for your hair





"Foil" eyeshadow




Liquid Matte Lipstick/Gloss





Blush duo




I apologise for some of the photos being slightly dark or slightly fuzzy, some I had to zoom in on and that messes with pixelating. ALSO - I was told the photos were too big, so it was taking a while to load, so I have reset some to Medium and the smaller ones to Large... instead of Extra Large (I had them XL so it would be easier to view detail). Enjoy!

OK! So, I started late yesterday evening about an hour before bedtime with the Kale Mask.
This is made by Lab For You and it is called 'Juice Up' Sheet Mask. Yes, it is a mask made of a sheet, not a mud or liquid you rub onto your face. Very different!
The instructions are to clean your face and tone. I don't use toner.
So this is my before-washing face (but most of my makeup removed):


Hey! Hi there! Nice to see you! 😉


Washing my face...


After washing with my ultra-calming wash, I apply the mask sheet, I made sure the eye holes fit over my eyes, I used my fingers to hold it open, and then slide my fingers up across my forehead and on the nose to the sides of my face, and down under my chin...


It feels like it has a thin gel on it... nice and cooling...

If I move too much it starts to work its way 'loose'...
whoops! Smooth it back on!
It also drips down the neck, good thing I wore a tank top ;)




Drip
(I simply used a tissue to wipe it away, no big deal)



OK, 15 minutes and done! (You can wear it up to 20 minutes)
Time to remove it! I pulled it down from the top first
(it's not sticky, just wet):


I feel a nice, very slight tingle, nothing bad (I'm sensitive), 
and the directions say to gently & lightly smooth in the remainder - no rinsing.


Let it dry :)




I'm still happy with it today, 24 hrs later. My face is soft :)


OK, on to this morning's hair & makeup:

OUAI Volume Spray Boost for hair

I only used it on the top zone of my scalp, dried upward with with the hairdryer & brush, and laid it across the rest of my hair... you can see it actually does boost my hair volume! It lays across the hair on the sides very nicely! (photo is with partially wet hair)



Makeup time!

The eyeshadow is called "Foil" by 'the Balm'. I don't know if it is called "Locked Up" or if that is referring to the magnetic case. (by the way, if the cake of eyeshadow ever cracks or breaks, it will come out of the sides of this 'box'.)
Anyhoo, the color is great! Shiny, bright... I actually like it though it was never my style before (I'm almost 52!)
 I used two different setting for these photos, one with the overhead lamp on and one with different lighting so you could see the difference.








Also the blush duo is on my cheeks now...
pixi by petra in Peach Honey color:
I like the highlighting effect! I didn't think I would!
The color itself is very natural on my skin.






If I had on a better foundation, I bet this would look amazing!
I wear very light foundation during the day.




LIPS:

'HudaBeauty' in "Bombshell" color...
It has a unique (dare I say odd?) odor, goes on wet & thick, dries to a matte finish, and must be washed off with a makeup remover.


But I like it well enough :)



Not bad ... 😉

OK, that's it! I look forward to getting the September Glam Bag from ipsy!

WHERE TO FIND IPSY/GLAM BAG:
www.ipsy.com
www.facebook.com/ipsy

From their About section in Facebook:

Mission
We inspire people around the world to express their unique beauty.
MORE INFO
About
We inspire individuals around the world to express their unique beauty.

Watch our videos on YouTube and subscribe: http://youtube.com/ipsy

Subscribe to our monthly Glam Bag: www.ipsy.com/?sid=fp. Need help? http://help.ipsy.com
Company Overview
ipsy is the world's largest and most passionate online beauty community. We dreamt up ipsy back in 2011 with one singular goal - to democratize beauty, making it accessible and affordable for everyone and fearlessly representing individuality and inclusivity. That's how the Glam Bag came to life. With five products personalized for you - plus articles, videos, and more on ipsy.com - you're free to try new things and express who you are. ipsy Shopper takes our mission to the next level by making beauty more accessible, rewarding, and liberating than ever before. And with ipsy Gen Beauty, Open Studios, and all the creator content that we post each day, our intention has remained the same: to give every individual the tools to form their own definition of beauty.

Once you're an ipster, you're part of something big - a community that's leaving the rules behind and making unique beauty a real thing. And we'll be with you all the way.

Subscribe to the Glam Bag: http://mygl.am/SubscribetoIpsy
ipsy on Instagram: www.instagram.com/ipsy
ipsy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ipsy
ipsy on Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ipsy
ipsy on YouTube: www.youtube.com/ipsy
Products
Glam Bag
ipsy Offers
ipsy Gen Beauty
ipsy Open Studios
ipsy.com




(I was not compensated in any way for this review)