BBBC August: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

BBBC: Beauty Blogger Book Club

I cannot believe how quickly this summer flew by!!! It wasn't until the last week of the month that I realized I hadn't picked up the book for August, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (picked by Lisa from Blush and Back Roads) and realized I needed to get on that! 

August BBBC pick: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train is the story of an unlikely friendship that develops between two women, Vivian and Molly, who have both faced hardship and struggles in life due to the fact that they became orphans as young children. The book toggles between past and present telling both women's stories in a seamless manner. Molly, a teenage foster child, is sentenced to community service. Her boyfriend pulls some strings and she ends up at the house of a rich elderly woman, Vivian, to help clean out her attic. In the process she learns about Vivian's past and how the two of them are not so different after all.

As soon as I picked this book up, I got into it. I read the whole book in one day. It was THAT good. And if I'm being completely honest, I wasn't expecting it to be. The story intrigued me, but I didn't expect it to consume my day the way it did. Lol. I was amazed to learn that orphan trains actually existed and took children from cities in the east, like NYC, to the midwest for "adoption". The thought of what some, if not most, of what these children went through and survived amazes me. Some children were adopted by families that wanted a child, others went to family that wanted "indentured servitude" or, for lack of a better word, slaves. It makes me grateful for what I have and for what my kids have. But what truly captivated me about this novel was the friendship that developed. Even though Vivian is in her 90s and Molly is a teenager, they become friends. It just goes to show to you, age really ain't nothin' but a number!!! ;-)

Excellent pick, Lisa! Even if you are not into historical literature, this is an excellent read and I'd recommend it. Check out what the others thought:

Michelyn at Brains, Beauty & Basketball

Ashley at If You Give A Girl A Ring

Heather at Love To Be Busy

Lisa at Uncommon Wife Life

Lisa P. at Blush and Back Roads

Next Month:

I had the distinct honor of choosing our book for September... So I had to go the YA route. Because that's what I love to read. I chose the book, I Was Here by Gayle Forman. I have read her books If I Stay (now a major motion picture) and it's sequel Where She Went. They were amazing. I'm (almost) ashamed to admit I read them both in ONE day. (I really am a book nerd.) I'm looking forward to I Was Here. Let me know if you have any recommendations!!! xoxoxo

August Subscription Services: Birchbox!

August 2015 Birchbox Review ~ The Wonky Brow

So this month was my first month with just ONE subscription box. And it was probably one of my most favorite boxes ever! But before I show you what I received, I want to let you know that this post will be shorter than usual because I am changing the format of how I write my subscription reviews. Instead of using the products for a week and reviewing them, I am going to show you everything I got this month and then NEXT month I will review this month's items so that I have more time to test them out. Then at the end of the review, I will show you what I received THAT month and it will be reviewed the following month... Get it? Good.
So here is what I got from my Birchbox!!!

August 2015 Birchbox Contents

Items received:

1. Air Repair Complexion Boosting Moisturizer (Deluxe size- $2.40 Retail Value). Initial reaction: "Cool, I'll try it."
2. TheBalm Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush (Sample size- $2.61 Retail Value). Initial reaction: "YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"
3. Coola SPF30 Organic Makeup Setting Spray (Deluxe size- $7.20 Retail Value). This was the item I choose for the month. Initial reaction: "Yay!"
4. St. Tropez Gradual Tan In-Shower Lotion (Travel size- $5.97 Retail Value). Initial reaction: "Niiiiiiiiice."
5. R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo (Travel Size- $7.37 Retail Value). Initial reaction: "Cool, I'll try it."

Birchbox Total Value: $25.55
I can't wait to use it all and give you my feedback next month!!!! 
What did you receive from Birchbox this month? Let me know! xoxoxo

Finish 5 by Fall Midpoint Check-in!

Finish 5 by Fall ~ The Wonky Brow

We are about half-way through the Finish 5 by Fall project so it's time for an update! I am pretty happy with most of my progress, so let's get started... The Beginning:

The chosen products and their starting points.

The Progress:

Midpoint Check-in

Thoughts Thus Far...

1. Starting in order... Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation. IT'S ALL GONE!!!! I'm super happy about this and have already picked out some new foundations to try out. I did love this foundation while I was using it, but I want to explore the world of foundation so I will not repurchase this any time soon. If you like a light-medium, natural finish foundation, you should definitely check this one out. 
2. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. With consistent use, I've made really good progress on this. While I like the thin, silicone-y feel of this primer, I don't think it plays well with others. It's a very picky primer... The jury is still out.
3. Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-on Eye Pencil. OMFG. NO. I will no longer continue to use this. It flakes all over the damn place!!! It got into my eyes. It was terrible. No. Just NO. 
4. BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick. I like this lipstick. The only reason I haven't used much is because I have been wearing "Berry Lips" for work. This formula is also really soft and the minis I have tried tend to move around in the tube. That makes me crazy. Am I the only one???
5. M.A.C.'s Mineralize Concealer. Ummmmmm... I may have been a little over ambitious with this one. It's hard to really tell how much progress I have made, but I'm using it daily. I think the only way I'd be able to finish this by Fall would be if I used it more as a foundation... Which I might try just for shits and giggles...

Urban Decay Velvet Pencil Fail. Do you see the flakes?!?!?! Not a good look. IJS.

This is what I mean when I say the formula is soft and the lipstick moves around in the tube. When I apply it, it hits the side of the tube and mushes, for lack of a better word.

So... I am okay with having one item in this project be a complete fail. The Hourglass primer should be done fairly soon. So it's really just down to the lipstick and the concealer. If I don't end up finishing them, at least I tried!!!! Xoxoxo.

Dragon's Loyalty Award

Dragon's Loyalty Award

Hello Hello!!!! I took a quick little break from posting but I am back, and today I come to you with the Dragon's Loyalty Award. I am not sure exactly where, when, or how this award was started so I tried to do some research and the best explanation I found was from Vintage Book Fairy (who hasn't posted since January 2014), she said "the Dragon's Loyalty Award is an award for the loyal fan/commenter, whether the recipient is a fellow blogger or just someone who follows and comment regularly." I was nominated by the awesome Janine from abeautifulwhim.com. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, here is a link for a giveaway she is having. Follow her and watch her journey as she delves into all things beauty!!!
The Dragon's Loyalty Award Rules:

• Display the award certificate on your website
• Announce your win with a post and link to whoever present your award
• Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers
• Drop them a comment to tip them off after you've linked them in the post
• Post 7 interesting things about your self

7 Interesting Things About Me:

1. I am a diehard Apple junkie. Once you go Mac, you never go back. Rofl.
2. I have had the same best friend since I was 11. That bitch is stuck with me. FOR-EV-ERRR.
3. My favorite TV shows are Teen Mom and Real Housewives of New Jersey. And now that Bethenny is back, Real Housewives of New York. Do not try to talk to me while any of them are on. You will get ignored.
4. I do not understand SnapChat for the life of me. It's the first time an app has made me feel like an old lady. I. Just. Don't. Get. It.
5. If you do not like dogs, we cannot be friends. Period.
6. Every morning I dress solely based on my mood. Not the weather. Or activities planned. Just my mood. Mood dictates everything in my world. (Thanks, Mom.)
7. I prefer to wear black socks. If I have to wear socks at all, that is. (In Florida, we live in flip flops. We get buried in them too.)

Well I don't know how interesting that was... But that's what I've got!!! Thanks again Janine!!!
I do not know 15 bloggers but this is for the ones I do know... I nominate:
Lisa (http://blushandbackroads.blogspot.com) Heather (http://lovetobebusy.blogspot.com) Jayme (http://herlatenightcravings.blogspot.com) Chelsee (http://prettyandputtogether.blogspot.com) Michelyn (http://brainsbeautybymichelyn.blogspot.com) Ashley (http://ifyougiveagirlaring.com) Lisa (http://uncommonwifelife.com)

July One Month, One Palette: Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist's Palette

July One Month, One Palette ~ The Wonky Brow

It's time for one of my favorite posts again!!! It's July's One Month, One Palette update. I love doing this series because it really makes me use my eyeshadow palettes. I love palettes, I love buying palettes, and I seem to love storing palettes... Because unless I force myself, I will just use what I'm used to, instead of trying out all the different things I have. 
So for July I chose to use Laura Mercier's Eye Art Artist's Palette. I chose this palette for one main reason, Dalen314 on YT (the creator of this series), used this palette back in May (check out her video, here) and she ended up not being a fan of it. So I wanted to used it and see if my view/opinion was different from hers. So let's get to it!
The Deets: Just in case you don't know the story behind this palette, it was originally released during the holiday 2013 season as a limited edition palette. People raved and raved and raved about this palette, however, I still chose not to purchase it. But then Laura Mercier decided to bring it back AND make it permanent (as far as I know). So I finally caved and purchased it. They did change the packaging since the holiday edition and I have also seen some YT'ers comparing the old version to the new one (check out this review by Cora from Vintage or Tacky, here) to see if there are differences in formulation or application. This palette retails for $55 and you get 12 shadows in a variety of finishes. Also, the top half of the palette are cool tones and the bottom half are warm.
The Palette:

Laura Mercier's Eye Art Artist's Palette

The Shadows: Let's start with what I loved. I loved how the shadows were separated with the top half being cool and the bottom being warm and how they were arranged from lightest to darkest. For whatever reason, it appeals to me visually when shadows are arranged that way. These shadows were great. They were creamy and blended well, they were easy to use, and I had no complaints about their functionality. My absolute least favorite shade was African Violet. No matter how I tried to use this color, it just didn't work for me. I also didn't really care for Bamboo. I just thought this color was so bland (is it just me?!?). My standouts from this palette were Vanilla Nuts, Guava, and Fresco. OMG, Fresco. I loved that shade. It's the perfect crease/transition shade. All that being said......

Close up look at Vanilla Nuts, Guava, and Fresco from Laura Mercier's Eye Art Artist's Palette

The Conclusion: I may be in the minority, but this palette bored me to death. I have brown eyes, and so I thought this would be a great palette for me. But I just didn't love the purple shades in here and so I never really used them. And if you aren't going to use the purples, then this is just another neutral palette. And I have enough neutral palettes... I really just got bored this month (so bored that I started using the palette I chose for August a week early). Luckily, if I find that I can't live without the three shadows I enjoyed most, they can all be purchased individually. But the truth of the matter is, they are all shades you can find in almost any eyeshadow line and I'm sure I won't be needing them. Now don't get me wrong... I still love Laura Mercier products. And if you don't own a ton of neutral eyeshadows, or a ton of eye shadow palettes, you might love this palette and it may be all you need. But seeing as I am an avid makeup collector and have other things like this... This palette is going to be returned. 
Have you used this palette? What were your thoughts?? Let me know!!!