From My Vanity

Beauty, Skincare, and a bit of Lifestyle

Finally! The Big Update! :-)

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Greetings everyone! Long time, never see, ehh?

I know I really disappeared from my blog and the whole book/blogging world for the better part of this year, and I do apologize for that! And that is the whole reason of this post—to explain what has kept me so busy for the past 7 months!

Right now I am trying to sort through backed up emails (talk about a headache!) and begin to start planning posts for my blog. I’m not sure exactly what my schedule will be like on my blog—I know I won’t be posting as frequently as before or with as many book reviews, but as soon as I get a feel for how often I’ll be posting, or maybe even have a weekly schedule, I’ll be sure to let y’all know!

So, I might as well dive right into my update. 🙂 In the middle of December last year, my life took a very big and a very unexpected turn! I don’t know how to say it to build up any suspense (lol!) so I’ll just saying it like it is.

A single Navy guy who was being stationed here for a few months was visiting our Church…and in the middle of December he asked my dad if he could court me.

🙂

We started slow–since neither my parents or I were very familiar with the guy (he’d only been visiting our church a few months), and we called it the “get to know each other” stage. Or, for more simplicity, it was like a “pre-courtship”. He came over and visited with me and the family on a weekly basis, and I got to know him more. Then in the middle of March we began “officially courting”.

😀

Here’s a picture of us, if you’re curious. His name is Dan (which is funny, since I have a brother named Danny, and Uncle named Danny, and three cousins who have names beginning with “Dan”). Since he’s in the Navy, we had a lot of ups and downs around the time that he got his orders. For a while we thought he’d get stationed in my home town, then we thought he’d be just a few states away…it was really crazy for several weeks. There were many, many prayers for God to work in our situation and place Dan where HE wanted him to be.

And when the dust finally settled, we found out he was to be stationed in California.

And for those of you who may not know, I live in Florida.

It wasn’t what we had wanted or hoped for, but after some time to adjust to the whole idea, we both agreed that it shouldn’t be what we wanted for us, but what God wanted for us. And, if you knew the whole story with all it’s crazy twists and turns, you would agree with us that God really wanted Dan out in California.

So, as you can imagine, with the reality facing us that he would be leaving very soon, we spent as much time together as we possible could. And while I am unspeakably thankful for that time we had….it seemed to pass far too quickly!

It’s now been 16 days since Dan left, and while sometimes I think I’m getting used to the whole “long distance” relationship….there are still days that I wish there weren’t over 2,000 miles separating us.

🙁

But, I keep looking on the bright side of things — while we are separated now, it’s only for a season. 🙂

So! Yeah, this whole courtship has been the main reason I have not had time to blog or read at all the last few months. We were spending a lot of time together before we found out where he was going to be stationed–because we knew the possibility of him being stationed somewhere far away. (Though neither of us ever imagined California!) So then when we found out it’d be in CA, we spent every spare moment together.

Cosmetology has also been taking up the rest of my time the last few months. This year I’ve been going to school all morning, coming home around 1 o’clock or so. It’s been a really fun experience and I’ve been learning a lot! I’ve discovered I love doing hair styles, cutting hair, and even coloring….but don’t enjoy highlighting, perms, or relaxers as much. But we learn everything and, hey, even if I don’t particularly enjoy it, I still need to know how to do it well. 🙂

I’m set to graduate out of Cosmetology school in December, Lord willing. It’s exciting that I’m more than halfway over–it seems I’ve been going to Cosmetology school for ages! But it’s been a great experience and one I will look back on with fond memories. 🙂

Well, I think that’s about it. Those are really the only two things that have been engulfing my time this year. I hope y’all forgive me for disappearing on you this year. Lord willing, I’m back and will soon be in the swing of things. I can’t wait to get back to visiting all the blogs I used to read on a daily basis. While I won’t be able to commit the time to it that I used to, I will be doing as much as my time will allow. 🙂

So! with all that said, I’d love to hear from y’all! Especially if we used to communicate last year before I disappeared. 😛 How is your blog doing? Any big changes in your life? Can’t wait to hear from ya!

A pen that makes writing easier! (Review & Giveaway)

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I know, I know, it’s been a while! Wish I could stop and chat with y’all for a bit, but right now I’ve got a review and giveaway to bring to you. (I promise, a “chatting” post with an update on my life IS coming! 😉

Have you ever heard of the “UGLee Pen” before? Well, I certainly hadn’t! But they are pretty darn cool! According to them, an UGLee Pen—created by Dr. James Lee—helps people who “…experience pain and discomfort when writing, for example those with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc…”

I was given some of the pens to try out. While it isn’t the most sleek and attractive pen I’ve ever seen, it is definitely very comfortable to write with! I had a little trouble, in the beginning, with getting the ink to flow evenly, but I think that was just a “new pen syndrome” and once I started using it, it worked great.

I don’t know what kind of “case” is around the pen, but I really like it. While it isn’t sticky at all, it is made with this kind of gel-ish pad that almost seems to stick to you…almost. If that makes sense at all. It’s really hard to explain, but once you see one and try one, you’ll understand what I’m getting at right away!

The UGLee Pen is said to be the best writing utensil for children who are learning to write and are developing fine motor skills, as well as helpful for special-needs children who find it hard to hold a pen or pencil properly.

And, hey, this is ESPECIALLY good for those of you who write a lot. As it helps keep your hands and fingers from cramping!

What’s not to loose by using these pens, right?? 🙂

So you ready to try to win some for your own?? All you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below, and in two weeks I will select a winner and these pens will be sent right to your front door. 🙂

Giveaway ends at midnight on May the 30th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Have your name personalized with inspirational Bible verses! (Review & Giveaway)

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I know I have been very, VERY absent on here lately, and I apologize for my silence. A lot is going on in my life right now, and just trying to straighten it all out. It looks like the main purpose of my blog will be changing in the near-ish future, but I hope all of you will still continue following me and checking out my blog. I still plan on keeping up giveaways and other fun posts, so don’t miss out! 😉

But, anyways, that isn’t the reason for this post. I’m coming to you today with another review/giveaway. So stay tuned until the end to see how you might win a special little something for yourself. 🙂

Ever heard of BibleVerse.org? I hadn’t, either, until I was selected to review their product for them. I was really excited to get to do this, since I think the idea of having your name spelled out with Bible verses is crazy-cool!!

My certificate!

What are they exactly? According to them, “Your Name in Bible Verse certificates are beautiful, custom-printed certificates personalized with your loved one’s name. Each letter of their name begins an inspirational Bible verse.”

So for my review of this product, they let me get my own Bible Verse Certificate. How neat, huh?! As you can see on the right, I had them put my full name, Katie Marie McCurdy, and it turned out really beautiful!

When I went to place my order, I was able to pick from several different backgrounds for the certificate and—of course—write whatever I wanted on it. They were really quick at getting my order to me, and everything was in perfect condition. The paper feels like really good quality and there was even a protective, foggy-looking page that was over the certificate and a hard cardboard behind it to help protect it in shipping.

BibleVerse.org not only has these certificates available in English, but Spanish also. Each certificate is sure to be different an unique and there are over 30 different styles to choose from. And for only $12.95, these Bible name certificates would make the perfect gift–and a great encouragement–for a special someone in your life. 🙂 And this is the type of gift that’s not just for birthdays, either. It would be perfect for weddings, baptisms, Mother’s Day, Christmas….or just about any occasion!

You ready to find out how you could get your own Bible verse certificate?? Well, now’s your chance! BibleVerse.org was kind enough to offer one of the followers on my blog to get their own certificate personalized exactly how they would like it!

In order to get your name in for a chance to be the winner of this prize, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Make sure you are a follower of this blog—both to make sure you get a chance at winning this giveaway, and so you will stay informed of future giveaway I host here. 🙂

The giveaway runs from now until April 25th at midnight. 🙂


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Received my “Sweetheart VoxBox” just as February comes to a close! (Influenster, First Impression)

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So excited to discover yet another Influenster box at my doorstep the other day. 😀 As I did for my last box, this first post will just be my “first impression” post. I haven’t yet tested anything out (though I am itching to get into them!). So, let’s get started without delay!

As I’ve said before, if you’d like to be a part of Influenster and receive your own great products to review, let me know in the comments below (and leave your email address) and I will have a personal invitation sent your way ASAP! C’mon, you know you want to join —- who doesn’t like trying out new stuff, right? 🙂

Okay, so getting back on track. Let’s take a look at what I got! This time I am part of Influenster’s Sweetheart VoxBox 2013. What goodies did I discover within when I opened the box??

Olay Fresh Effects Powered Contour Cleansing System

Olay Fresh Effects Shine Minimizing Cleanser

Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response
Skinnygirl Daily On-the-Go Bars
Not Your Mother’s Volumizing Hair Spray

I am really excited about trying out these products! Especially the Not Your Mother’s hairspray and the Olay cleansing system. I have been having a lot of problems with my face and acne recently, so I am curious to see if the Olay system helps me exfoliate my skin more thoroughly. And I’ve heard a lot of things about that brand of hairspray, too!

The other two products — the deodorant and the bar — I am also looking forward to trying out, don’t get me wrong. The entire box was a delight to receive—each one! I plan to post a review for each item I received in the box in the coming weeks, as I test them out and see how they hold up. 🙂

Until then! 🙂

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Let’s talk about makeup! (Product Review & Giveaway)

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I have really been looking forward to writing this post. Over the months last year, I’ve really become interested and invested in make up, and have been itching to get an opportunity to begin reviewing it on my blog. What are your thoughts about me introducing all these different reviews on my blog?? I hope they are helpful, and since I have such limited time to read these days, it allows me to still be active on here bringing you my thoughts on things…just now I do more then just book reviews. 🙂

Okay, on to the purpose of this post. Oh, and do keep reading till the end — there will be a giveaway!! 😉

I’ve never heard of the company Mai Mariu before they contacted me about reviewing a few of their makeup products on my blog. I was thrilled at the opportunity, and eagerly selected three items to be sent to me to review.

 And they were…

1) Perfecting Finish Mineral Primer
2) Perfecting Finish Mineral Liquid Foundation
3) Perfecting Finish Mineral Cream Concealer

And as you can see from the picture on the left, they also sent a few samples from Mia Mariu‘s skin care line and a sponge for applying foundation. It was quite a fun and exciting package to open up!

My thoughts on these products? Well, first of all let me say that I was a little disappointed that the foundation and concealer color I selected were a bit dark for my skin tone. But while that kept me from wearing the foundation out and about, I was still able to get a good impression of how the foundation felt, blended, and lasted throughout the day (when I stayed home all day! ;-). I just wanted to let you know that before I began, so you wouldn’t be confused when I make no mention of how the color blended into my natural color in my review below. 🙂

First off, every good foundation application needs a good primer to prep the skin for a long-lasting and even-toned application of foundation. I have been on the hunt for a good primer (tried ELF’s primer, and didn’t like it very much) so was eager to give Mai Mariu‘s primer a try. And I really, really like it! It does on a wet-liquid consistency  but in just a few minutes it dries to a very matte and smooth finish — just perfect for applying foundation over. I’ve also noticed how it helps control the oils in my skin from seeping through my foundation. I have really oily skin, so any product that can do this, is wonderful! I’ve been using the Perfecting Finish Mineral Foundation Primer almost on a daily basis and thinks it works wonders! I highly recommend this product!

On to the foundation! I liked the feel of this foundation. It’s a bit of a liquidy foundation—in that it’s not a mousse kind of liquid foundation. It went on really well and, as I said, had a good feel to it. I was a bit disappointed in the lasting power that this had. I would apply it in the morning, and then by noon-ish I felt like my face started getting “splotchy”….as if the foundation was melting off some portions of my face and grouping up in others to give a very splotchy, cakey look to my face. So while I cannot recommend this product for long wearing, I would be willing to say it’s a nice foundation for short occasions. But not one I would recommend to go all day in. Especially if you will be sweating  I wasn’t even doing anything strenuous when I wore this, but just the natural oils in my skin really showed through and, as I said, gave me a splotchy look.

Another plus to this foundation is that it’s mineral. For that reason alone I really wished I had gotten his foundation in my color so I could wear it. I really would prefer to wear makeup that is good for my skin and doesn’t tend to clog my pores. If you are the type who is careful of what you use on your face, I would recommend looking into Mia Mariu‘s Perfecting Finish Mineral Foundation.

Last, but not least, is the concealer! This was also too dark, but it actually wasn’t that bad, and I use it on a daily basis when applying makeup and have acne to cover up. I just have to be careful not to use too much and cause a dark spot on my face. But it works very well at concealing the redness of my acne. It has a sticky consistency which comes in handy when you set your concealer—the powder sticks right to it and it doesn’t move…for a while. Like the foundation, the concealer didn’t have a very long-lasting hold. It tended to wear as the day goes on. Though not as quickly as the foundation did, I was happy to see. I will definitely be using this Perfecting Finish Mineral Cream Concealer until the last bit of it has disappeared from the container!

Well, there you have it, my thoughts on Mia Mariu‘s line of face products. I think the quality of these products is pretty good (besides the foundation not being as long-lasting as you would think, for the price). I would definitely recommend you look into this line of makeup—especially the primer!

So, you ready for your chance to win one of these products? Yep, Mia Mariu has instructed me to run a giveaway on my blog and the winner of the giveaway will get to pick one of the products that I reviewed. So, if you won, you’d have to decide if you’d want the primer, foundation, or concealer. (And, of course, you would select your shade before the gift was sent to you!). Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for free makeup—sign up in the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends midnight on March 5th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

A delightful new fragrance to add to Palmolive’s soaps! (Influenster, First Impression)

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If any of y’all saw my post a few weeks ago on my first Influenster voxbox, you knew I was pretty excited about getting to receive and review those products. I am still a newbie to the whole Influenster program, so I was really surprised (and totally thrilled) when I was contacted a few weeks ago to participate in another voxbox. So, you ready to discover what this box held?? This post will just be a “first impressions” post, and in a few days/weeks I’ll come back with my review of the products. 🙂

As I said in my first post, if you want to be invited onto the Influenster team, just let me know in the comments below (and leave your email address) and I’ll send you a personal invite and instructions on how to sign up. 🙂

The picture on the right shows you the box I received, as yet unopened. I should have taken the bubble wrap out before snapping this picture, but I forgot. Ah well, you can see from the information card that I propped up on the box—and the coupons that came with it–what the bottles look like.

If you are still unsure what is inside the Influenster box, let me explain! It’s Palmolive’s new Fresh Infusions Dish Liquid soap—“Naturally Inspired. Sparkling Clean Dishes”. These new Fresh Infusions are designed with elegant simplicity and the freshest scents in mind.

“The clean you’ve always trusted from Palmolive blends with naturally inspired fragrances for the freshest kitchen around!”

Sounds pretty sweet, huh? And they sent me one each of the new fragrances that they are coming out with. The naturally inspired fragrances are…

– Ginger White Tea
– Lemon Thyme
– Lime Basil

I am SO excited about trying these out. I have no idea how well they will work, but I know that they smell really good! Make sure to keep watching my posts—I’ll be updating you with a review on how well these work.

So! Until next time! 😉

I received the Palmolive soaps complimentary from Influenster. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Don’t miss out on this wonderful radio drama!! (Audio Review)

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Check out Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre’s website.

Les Misreables – Victor Hugo – Audio Drama

Release Date – April 31st, 2007
Publishers – Tyndale House
Read the full description here.
Les Miserables is one of the world’s masterpieces. It enthralled audiences worldwide as a great novel…as a major motion picture…and as a blockbuster musical play. Now, this mighty drama has been adapted as an epic production staring some of Britain’s finest actors. True to Victor Hugo’s original novel, this grand production follows the tale of Jean Valjean as he encounters first the savage injustice of the law, and then the gentleness and grace of God.
My Review…

I enjoyed Les Miserables when I first watched the movie several years ago. I haven’t
had a chance to watch the newest musical/movie that just came out, but who
needs to when Radio Theatre comes out with such a wonderful dramatized presentation
of Victor Hugo’s classical novel.

I had forgotten how many wonderful life
lessons there were in Les Miserables!
It was wonderful! While we first meet Jean Valjean being released from prison
after 19 years, it isn’t long before God changes his life completely around.
What a wonderful example of Christ Valjean was to those around him! I grew
encouraged and inspired as Valjean tried to live every aspect of his life, for
Christ.
The dramatized side of Les Miserables was awesome! The voices
and music kept everything moving along quickly and you get completely swept
away in the tale. I will say, this radio production is an abridge version of
the book. While I haven’t read the book, a relative of mine has, and they said
it is a bit abridges. I noticed a few things just from remembering the movie.
But, you also have to take into consideration that this is only a so long. I
can’t imagine how long it would have been if they’d done it unabridged!
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed
listening to Les Miserables. It was
wonderful, from start to finish! It’s a radio production that you can listen to
and got lost in over and over. Don’t miss out on claiming this little jewel to
add to your collection!

I reviewed this audio drama for Tyndale House Publishers. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.