Phew! Finally, I have a little time here to do a wrap-up!

I haven't forgotten about the wrap-ups, but summer gets a little crazy around here. Since I did the last wrap-up I've been to 3 graduations, thrown 2 birthdays complete with either day trips or overnight trips, totaled my car :( and have been dealing with the insurance company on both that and the roof replacement and our mortgage company as well on the roof. Is that all? I don't even know at this point. *sigh*

#1 graduations. My daughter graduated from elementary to middle school and both my son and his amazing girlfriend graduated high school and are getting ready to go to college together. I am so proud of all of them and can't wait to see what the future brings.


We're getting ready for college and are doing a lot of dorm room moving prep. If I get the time I really want to do a post about moving your kids into a dorm because it is a journey for sure. If you've learned anything about me, it should be that I like to find ways to make things as easy as possible and I've gleaned a few tricks in that area. :) Does anyone have any tips they've picked up?

#2 birthdays. My daughter turned 11 and we had an early birthday party at home and then went on her actual birthday for a day trip to a nearby lake with a nice beach. We had a blast swimming and grilling/picnicking and when we went home, I was the only one not sunburnt a little, lol. It's usually the other way around. :)

For my son's recent birthday (the big 18!) we went on a camping/hiking trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee. It was truly an amazing trip and we had a deer wander into our campsite. I was pretty sure it was going to be my Snow White moment, but the deer didn't think so. ;)

We went on some crazy adventures there, like hiking to the bottom of the falls in flip-flops (not a good idea) and following the creek at George's Hole for the day. Overall it was one of our best family vacations and I want to do it again right now. :)



If you want to see more of those photos, check out my Instagram. Has anyone else been there? What did you do?

#3 not my beautiful car! I was in an accident right before the last trip and it totaled my car. My baby. The crash wasn't that bad but the angle bent the frame so it couldn't be fixed. Currently driving a terrible rental and shopping for her twin. :(

#4 the roof, the roof, the roof is not on fire. It has been raining pretty steadily here, so we haven't been able to start replacing the roof yet. It's been over a month, but the majority of that delay has been because of our mortgage company. They decided to get in on the action and we've had to mail them the checks from the insurance company so they can dole out payments to us like we're children. I get the reasoning, but it is truly a pain to schedule the roofers and let them know they can't get paid for the job until our mortgage company can inspect it. *sigh*

#5 I've been saving my Play boxes for you. :) I knew I had to squeeze in a wrap-up when my Play boxes started piling up on my desk. I'll share May's box here and June's in the next post.


As always the box comes with 6 good-sized samples, a cute drawstring bag, and a fold-out product sheet with a PlayPass attached.

I was super happy that this one included a fragrance. I'm big into perfumes and love trying new ones.


I can't compare this with the original Opium, but this YSL Black Opium smells divine. It's a deep vanilla-y musk that smells lovely and warm once on, but I was disappointed in its staying power. Just a few hours in I had to reapply it.


I've heard good things about Drybar products for hair and their Detox Dry Shampoo didn't disappoint me. I gave it a try on 2nd-day hair during a hot summer day and it did really well. It did go on pretty white, but after working it in it was fine and honestly performed better than my current dry shampoo that doesn't leave a residue.


I haven't tried this Sephora purifying & mattifying Mud Mask yet, but plan on having a relaxing self-care night tonight. I dearly love face masks, so I'm looking forward to getting the gunk out of my pores from the recent sweat-fest called camping. ;)


I also received another primer from Benefit: The Porefessional. I've actually heard good things about this one, too, but disappointed about getting yet another primer in my box. I think that's 4 in a row now?

Primer isn't something that's a usual part of my makeup routine because I just haven't been able to tell enough of a difference to justify the price tag and the trouble. I'll give this one a try the next time I do a full face of makeup and let you know.


Now, this I was the most excited about trying. Have any of you seen the post on Facebook or Twitter about the girl who left a review for this Kat Von D Tattoo Liner with a photo of her in the hospital?

She was in a car wreck and through the whole ordeal she cried off all of her other makeup, but in a hospital bed, in a neck brace, she shot a selfie of her still-perfect liner. This was that liner and it really doesn't budge. One downside is that you really have to take the time to get it perfect because there are no quick fixes, lol. Love it.

The last sample in the box was this Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara. Just look at that fluffy brush! I really liked the way it performed and the brush grabs every little tiny hair, but is it just me or does anyone else end up looking like a raccoon when using a super-fluffy brush?

There was some q-tip cleanup afterward, but it wiped off of skin pretty easily and the volume was great. It reminded me of the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara from a previous box that I really came to adore.

That was the May box and I have June to show you next time. Every time I start thinking I have too many samples, I get a reason to use them. They're actually perfect for traveling so I try them out and save the basics for the next trip. Still haven't found a good use for all of the little drawstring bags that they come in. Maybe a quilt? Lol.

How has your week been going? Has anyone gone on vacation? Where to and what did you do? I need some ideas for our next trip!