I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and was just as stuffed as I was!  I have more things to be thankful for than I can count this year.  I was able to spend time with my entire family on Thanksgiving, which is not something I have been able to do for many years.  Spending time with the ones you love is the most precious thing in life!

I will spare you a long, whiny post about how much work making stuffing is.  But y’all, making stuffing from scratch is a lot of work!  I decided to start making my stuffing at about 2pm on Thanksgiving day.  I didn’t realize that it required about 3 hours to prepare.  It came out more like a stuffing casserole… a soufflé if you will.  It was buttery and delicious, so I suppose it was a success!

My brother was in charge of mashed potatoes this year.  It was his first time making them, but he did not disappoint.  I do recall him saying that the process somehow involved 5 cups of half and half and 5 sticks of butter.  I was thankful for fattening dairy products this year.  I am still dreaming about those taters.

I spent the next day being embarrassingly lazy in bed with my bestie binge watching MTV’s Are You The One? on Amazon Video.  This show is addicting.  SO addicting, in fact, that we finished the entire first season that day.  The sun was down by the time we finished the reunion episode.  Go watch this show.  You can thank me later.

I know that it is technically December, but I suppose it’s better late than never to review my November Birchbox!

If you are interested in subscribing to Birchbox, then please use my referral link!  You too can receive fun goodies in an adorable little pink box every month.  $10.  Totally worth it!

Chuao Chocolatier Assorted ChocoPod

I have a confession.  You may notice that this item is not pictured in the lovely Birchbox assortment above.  That is because this is chocolate.  This sample did not make it to picture day.  It was a delicious honeycomb flavor, if you must know.

(5/5 would buy)

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Dahlia

I was really looking forward to receiving this sample because I have liked all of the Cynthia Rowley products I have tried so far.  This color was gorgeous.  I was hoping it would go on a little heavier than it did. It’s much more sheer than I expected.  Also, for something that is called a “Lip Stain”, I felt that it lasted about as long as a lip gloss.  I didn’t find this to be anything resembling a lip stain.

(2/5 would buy)

Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream SPF 35+

I LOVED this CC cream!  I loved it so much that I bought some right away.  It gave me a pretty, summery glow and a decent amount of SPF protection, which is super important.  These qualities are necessary for all four “seasons” here in the heart of Texas.  It also stays put and keeps your glow glowing.  I was lucky enough to receive a couple of *bonus samples from a “Mystery Sample Pack” when this arrived in the mail.  Who can resist a pack of mysterious surprises?

(5/5 would buy)

Klorane Floral Water Make-up Remover with Soothing Cornflower

This was not my favorite makeup remover… especially not for $23.  The only thing I liked about it is that it is not oily.  It removed my makeup, but I felt like it spread it around a bit first.  I had to keep dousing cotton balls with it to be able to get it all off.  I had to waste a lot of this stuff and ended up looking like a raccoon anyway.

(1/5 would buy)

Not Soap, Radio Body Wash

I believe that my dad once told me that “Not soap, radio!” is the punchline to a joke that does not exist.  I think the joke is that there is no joke it’s attached to?  It’s just a punchline.  Does that make sense?  Probably not.  According to Wikipedia, it is somewhat of a “prank joke” if you would like some additional information.  ANYWAY, I really enjoyed this body wash.  It smelled nice and was not super girly (aka something your boyfriend would not be embarrassed to use).  The sample size will last me a while which is a major plus.

(3/5 would buy)

Royal Apothic Cuppa Cuppa Firming Tea Treatment Mask

I always love a good face mask.  They make me feel like I am doing something wonderful and luxurious to my face in the comfort of my own home.  One of the reasons this post is so late is that I have been trying to find time to slop this stuff on.  I was surprised to open this tube to find it was purple.  Based on my friends’ Snapchat reactions to my giant purple mud face, I will spare you the pictures I took of this process.  I struggle with finding a way to review a product that claims to be “firming” or “wrinkle-reducing” because it is difficult to determine the effectiveness with one use.  I am also 28 years old and do not have a significant amount of wrinkles.  However, my face felt wonderful and actually did feel firmer.  This goop is fairly pricey, so I would definitely wait for one of the 20% emails to come into your inbox before making the splurge.

(4/5 would buy)

*Smashbox Be Legendary Long-Wear Lip Lacquer in Coral

This sample was one of the treasures I received in my Mystery Sample Pack.  It’s a beautiful coral color and I am super excited to wear it!  It’s a little bright for work, so I’ll have to wear it at night.  It’s also a little sticky, but worth it for the look!

(4/5 would buy)

*Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer

One of my favorite things about Birchbox is that they sometimes send you the really expensive stuff to try out.  On second thought, this has caused me some financial distress during the times when  I just had to buy the full-size product.  This is definitely one of the instances where they sent me the good stuff, but holy price tag Batman.  I’m not sure I could ever bring myself to spend $65 on moisturizer.

Pro: This stuff smells UH-mazing.  It’s kind of citrusy.  Almost kind of Pine-Sol-ish, but in a very good way.

Con: My skin did not appear to like it.  Maybe it’s my face’s way of telling me that I should just stick with the cheap stuff.

I suppose the plus side to posting my review so late is that my December box will be here soon!

Thanks for stopping by!  See y’all next time…

Marissa