Anastasia Beverly Hills

I love makeup. I'm seriously having a love affair with it these days. I picked up the original Anastasia Beverly Hills contour pallet when it came out and loved it, though if I had it to do over, I'd probably build my own pallet with just the 2 colors I use most. Oh well, next time for sure. Then, I heard about the cream counter pallet, only sold at Macys and at the Anastasia site. It was out of stock every time I looked for it, I was getting ready to just pay and extra few $$ on eBay, and then I found it on the Anastasia site! To make that find even better, if you sign up for their email list you can take 10% off your first order. So I added the Brow Wiz I was hoping to try to my cart and ordered both pieces up. I figured my package would arrive later this week since I went with the free shipping rather than the 2 day shipping. To my surprise, the package was in my mailbox today!

So the service was great, the products I have mixed feelings about. The Brow Wiz was amazing. If you're not using this or another of her brow products, you're seriously missing out. It completely changes the way your face looks, in a good way. The cream contour pallet, well I'm not so sure about. I ordered it in the light shade (it comes in light, medium & dark) just like the powder pallet, which I love. The colors that come in the cream pallet are different though. The banana is still there, which is good because it's my favorite, but the darker colors look a little funny to me. Now, it's possible that I just need to play with it a little more to find what works best, so I'm not counting the darker shades out just yet.

Next time I order, I think I'd like to try the Dipbrow Pomade. I've heard good things and if it works as well as the Brow Wiz, then it should be pretty great!

EDIT: So after using the Cream Contour for a little while, I have to say that I am totally in love! Even though it wasn't sold as a product that would improve my overall skin tone, I swear it has! I can't imagine why I would ever give this awesome makeup up. It has some serious staying power, water doesn't seem to effect it at all. I don't use all the colors in the pallet, so I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to buy the individual color refills like I can for the powder kit.

Swagbucks

One of my 2 favorite sites that offer rewards for searching the internet is Swagbucks. I've been a member practically since they first came on the scene and I've received lots of great gift cards over the years. I generally save my Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards, but there are lots of other stores to choose from as well. It's free to join, and they don't ask for any personal info or credit cards. I really cant think of may reason not to join and start getting something for nothing.

Disney Store Deals!!

I took my daughter to Build-a-Bear last week, and on our way there in the mall we detoured into the Disney Store. I love Disney! So it's super exciting for me that my daughter is at the age where most of their characters appeal to her.
Even more exciting, is the great deals I found! Right now the Disney Store has all their plush toys BOGO for $1. Here's what we chose:

My daughter chose Donald, and Sorcerer Mickey is mine.

In addition to the plush toy sale, they also had some amazing deals in their clearance section. I love clearance sections, as a rule, and this one certainly didn't disappoint. I got a beautiful Sophia the First atop her flying horse Minimus Christmas ornament for next year. It was a $16 ornament that I paid $1.99 for. I also picked up a couple cute Disney princess winter hats, each originally $15, also for $1.99 each. I don't know about you, but I can always use extra winter hats around here. It seems like one is always going missing, or wet from snow, or left at school. So I like to have some back ups.
All in all, I was really pleased with the deals we found and I'm hoping to make it back soon without my little munchkin so I can really spend some quality time with that clearance section.

Leo's Pad

I'm not crazy about my 4 year old spending tons of time playing on my iPad. Even I have to admit though, there are times when it's a nice distraction and mommy needs to get something done without my little helper. However, for daughter, it's hard to find any app that will keep her entertained for any length of time. Then I found Leo's Pad. I was lucky enough to get to try it out for free in exchange for reviewing it, however my opinions are all my own.
It's a cute app. The graphics are really well done. A young Leonardo DaVinci guides kids through the activities, which while educational, are also a lot of fun. You can check it out for yourself on the Kidaptive website and I have a promo code for you to receive 20% off if you decide to buy! Just enter TRYLEO at checkout!
The pic below is my daughter playing with one of the many activities on Leo's Pad.

300 Free Things For Entrepreneurs

I actually came across this list on my Facebook News Feed. It's a pretty great list for any mamas out there who are starting businesses. Click here to check it out!

Money Back For Online Shopping with Ebates

This is one of my favorite sites. I have been using them for a few years now and I can absolutely say with certainty that they pay out. I appreciate the cash back now more than ever! I know lots of people are skeptical of sites where it seems like you're getting something for nothing, but there really is something to this. Basically, if you're going to shop online, go to Ebates first and find the store on their website. That will tell you the percentage of your purchase that you'll be getting back. Go to the shopping site through Ebates. The site pays them for your business and Ebates shares the profit with you. The picture below is an actual screen shot of my account page. You can see what I've earned and all the shopping trips I've gotten cash back on. Joining Ebates is 100% free and they'll even give you a small gift as a token of thanks for signing up! Click here to check it out!

USPS

I know I just posted about the United States Postal Service recently, but my annoyance with them is just never ending. I often ship packages from home. I sell my kids' clothing on eBay, so after a string of auctions end I have packages that need to go out. Usually I schedule a pickup on the USPS website. Yesterday however I was getting out one package to a straggling payer, and just stuck it in the box with the flag up. Now this was a small yellow envelope, very light weighing just over 2oz. Realistically, no heavier than a thick letter.
Do you think the mail man took my envelope?
No. No he did not. Now I know I probably should have scheduled a pick up. I will take partial blame. However, until recently I didn't even know you could schedule a pickup, and would just stuff outgoing packages in my mailbox. Our former mailman took them every time. No complaints. No excuses. Today, my mail was delivered, including an incoming package, but my envelope was left behind. I did also have one instance where I did schedule a pick up and it was still left behind, so perhaps it doesn't really matter if it's scheduled, it just depends on the mood of the postal employee.
I am so fed up with USPS. I literally just paid $10 more for UPS shipping on a recent online order, just so I wouldn't have to deal with waiting on USPS.
Gone are the days of "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds".