Unboxing The January BoxyCharm Box

It's always exciting when there's something other than bills in the mail. We always enjoy getting our BoxyCharm box. If you want to receive a box full of beauty products for under $30 each month, you need to check out BoxyCharm! 

 

Here's what was inside this month:

Do Not Age With Dr Brandt Triple Peptide Eye Cream MSRP: $82--I took this one because I always have puffiness around my eyes. So far it seems to be helping with my dark circles. 

Deep Sweet 2% BHA Pore Cleaning Toner MSRP: $28--We haven't tried this yet, but it's supposed to exfoliate and deep clean pores. Natalie says she'll be trying this soon in hopes that it helps with pimples.

Olive You Forever Eyeshadow Palette from Violet Voss MSRP: $34--these are such amazing colors. 

4-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer from PUR. We love that this is all in one--there's SPF 20 included and it is natural looking. MSRP: $35

Trust Fund Beauty Lipgasm Lip Gloss MSRP: $18. This was a favorite in the box because of the color!

You can order your own BoxyCharm box here. There are different options. We're on the regular monthly BoxyCharm box which is $25 a month and as you see, the items we got are worth so much more than that.

What is awesome is that you fill out a form before you get your first box on what you'd mostly like in it. For example, Natalie wanted mostly makeup, so I made sure to write that down. You also can pick what colors you prefer.

If you want your own box click here or use the code Amber-AREMLXCK at checkout! We'll get charms if you do this so we can shop at the store on the BoxyCharm site with them. You can cancel whenever you want.

What was your favorite item in the box this month? We loved the lip gloss, but were also a fan of the palette! 

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

Hey, It's Okay.... 

.....to hope Natalie does okay going back to virtual learning. Cases have been rising so the superintendent of her school has asked if it's possible, for people to switch to virtual learning for 2 weeks. It's not mandatory, but after the announcement I felt it was best for her to learn from home for the 2 weeks requested. (She returned to in person in October without any issues.)

.....to hope Tommy does well for his second semester of college. It starts this week. The first semester was virtual only so he did all his college classes via Zoom. This time it's mostly all virtual with one being hybrid POSSIBLY if cases go down in February. (It's for his Digital Video class.)

......to be excited for the inauguration on Wednesday. I am ready for the change. 

......to think this Plague Doctor from Squishable is adorable. And appropriate for these days. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Books I Loved In 2020

I love to read. It's what I do for self-care 90% of the time. (The other is shopping at Target.) People ask me how I find time to read and it's really simple: instead of scrolling on social media for the 10th time that day, pick up a book. 

Here are some books that I loved in 2020. 

Grown Ups by Marian Keyes cracked me up. It's about different members of a family. One of those members gets a concussion and is unable to keep her thoughts to herself--chaos and hilarity ensues. I've always loved Marian Keyes books and this one didn't disappoint. I highly recommend reading her others. You can buy Grown Ups here. 

A couple moves into a home from the 1950s. Alice finds the cookbook that belonged to the previous owner of the house and learns some pretty intriguing secrets on what happened. I thought this was interesting read. I wanted to know what went on with the couple from the 1950s. You can buy Recipe For A Perfect Wife by Karma Brown here. 

Mia is happily married. But she keeps having dreams about another man. Then she runs into the man from her dream--and oh gosh, he's been dreaming about her as well. How will this play out? You'll have to pick up You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley here. 

I have read this book many times since I'm intrigued by Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife. It goes into more about her life and yes, it's non-fiction. Alison Weir has written a bunch of books about The Tudors so if you're infatuated by the crazy family as well, I recommend all of them. You can buy The Lady In The Tower by Alison Weir here. 

 

Isobel Johnson is a teacher in a school full of wealthy students. Julia Abbott is a helicopter parent. Yup, they butt heads. I was riveted by this book and it made me feel sorry for teachers who have to put up with parents like Julia. You can buy Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West here. 

I enjoyed The Hunger Games series so I knew I wanted to read this. Ever wonder how President Snow became the way that he did? This book talks about his life as a teen and how he was a mentor for one of the players in The Hunger Games. You can buy The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins here. 

I've read many books by Emily Giffin and enjoyed most of them. I always look forward to her new books. This one was about Cecily, a woman who needs Grant in a bar. They fall fast for each other and then Grant goes missing after 9/11. Soon after, Cecily discovers he was married. Da-da-DUM. You can pick up The Lies That Bind here. 

So Dom can't seem to stop repeating a day--the day that he witnesses his ex-fiancee Mia dying. He keeps trying to save her life and continues to fail. How can he get it to stop? Will he ever stop living teh same day over and over? Pick up How To Save A Life by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke here. 

Daphne is shocked with Drue calls and asks her to be in her wedding--mostly because she hasn't spoken to Drue in years. Daphne agrees and all sorts of crazy things occur. I've been reading Jennifer Weiner books for years, and this one was a great read. I loved how Daphne was plus sized and unapologetic for it. You can pick up Big Summer here. 

Ah, Jodi Picoult. I just adore her books and always get excited when I know she has a new one coming out. This one was about Dawn who survives a plane crash. She decides to head to Egypt where she used to study with Wyatt--oh, and she used to love him too. Problem? She's married with a kid. While I liked the premise of this book (I love drama when it doesn't involve me), it described Egyptology almost too much. I find it fascinating, but not THAT fascinating. Still, Jodi writes so well so I got through it. You can buy The Book Of Two Ways here. 

Jessica and Emily are mother and daughter. They are about to head on a college tour for Emily--Jessica is hoping it'll help bring the bond back. But will it? I have a teenage daughter so I know how this relationship can go. I was amused as I read this since I know all about teenage temperaments. I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman can be purchased here. 

**Trigger warning** Rose and Lily are twins--but Rose has an eating disorder. She's in a rehab facility and has been there for over a year. But then Lily gets into what seems like an abusive relationship so Rose strives to get better so she can help her twin. Can she? This book broke my heart a few times. I don't know what it's like to have an eating disorder. After reading this, it gave me a small insight. Be prepared for up and downs as you read this. You can buy Thin Girls by Diana Clarke here. 

So there you have it. These are the books that kept me thinking after I read them in 2020. Have you read any of them yet?