Song Sunday

Somehow this morning I woke up finding myself facing SUNDAY already!  I'm way behind on posts I'd intended, but that is mostly due to unexpected yet welcome company who stayed the night Friday and never left until last night. So I had company from 3pm Friday til midnight last night, which threw me way off track.  I'm an introvert, I need a lot of 'down/me' time to recharge. I love my friends dearly, but I was ready for some quiet time!   Needless to say, all my plans, chores etc got neglected so today I'm trying to play catch up. I got a few things done, but I have to work at 2pm so I'm on a time crunch.

With all that out of the way, on to Song Sunday!  This song is very haunting (to me), it's beautiful and seems totally fitting after this weekend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  Please share your thoughts on this song/artist in the comments!

Have a great day!

Grace Potter - Things I Never Needed

Makeup Dupes

Some makeup items we've come to love and rely on can be pricey. I've found and use these 'dupes', so i can vouch for them personally. There are tons of dupes out there, so if you are looking to save a bit (and honestly, who isn't?), and still look fantastic, I encourage you to do some research and find your own dupes!


 Makeup Primers make your face smooth and flawless.  Your makeup will stay looking fresh and 'just-put-on' all day when wearing one. I wear mineral makeup and it's works wonderful for those of you that also wear minerals. Smashbox primer is well known, but it's also well known to be quite pricey, coming in around  $17 for the travel size! The full size runs about $36.  Granted, primers last for a long while because you only use a tiny amount for your whole face; approximately the size of a pea.  What I use?
Lanacane Anti Chafing Powder Gel which comes in at around $6 for a full 1oz.  You cannot beat that. It works just as well, is made for the skin and is fine to use anywhere on your body, face included. Why pay more for the same thing? 

 People love and rave about Nars The Multiple sticks..and with very good reason, they are gorgeous!  But the price? Ouchie. They run around $39.  What I use instead?  NYX Tango With bronzing Sticks  which run about $9.  Big difference for same thing. Shimmery, gorgeous glowing skin with a few swipes and you're out the door! I can't say enough good things about these. NYX carries these in a few colors, the one I use is Tango & Highlight.  Try it,  you won't be disappointed!

Eyeshadow Primer -- Urban Decay Eyeshadow primer is legendary and very well known. They run around $20.  Tubes are small, and they are just a base to ensure your eyeshadow stays in place all day with no creasing or fading.  Primers are wonderful if you are interested in longevity of your makeup.  What I use?  E.L.F Eyeshadow Primer  which runs around $2.  Works fantastic and you can buy a few, keep one in your makeup stash, another in your purse, etc.  

Clarifying Shampoo  -  DIY version:  squirt normal amount of any shampoo in your palm and add a spoon full of baking soda.  Wash hair as normal.  No special pricey shampoo required!

I hope this post has helped you save a few bucks, or inspired you to find your own dupes for things you use everyday.  Keeping more money in my pocket always makes me happy, and i hope I've encouraged you to do the same!  

What are some of your favorite dupes? Share in the comments below!

Song Sunday

Every Sunday I will post my favorite song of the week (or an old fav. of mine!) and i apparently had a brain fart at 1:17 a.m and couldn't come up with anything better than 'Song Sunday'. I won't be winning any awards with that one, now will I?! :)

Enjoy some good 'ole Matchbox Twenty!




So tell me what song that you could listen to over and over again? What song would always be on your list of favorite songs?

Doll Eye Mascara (Review)

NYX is a line of affordable, quality cosmetics that can be purchased via their website or in all ULTA stores. (Also the normal other places such as eBay and amazon).

I will fully admit here for the world to see that I am a mascara junkie. Yes, I said it - there is a 12-step program for mascara junkies isn't there?! I can't live without it and there is a never-ending quest to find the perfect mascara for me. I currently have 11 mascaras in rotation if that tells you anything!

I've had this mascara on my list of beauty items to try, as I've heard a lot of great things about it. I finally ordered one last week and received it within 2 days, so the service is fantastic! I paid less than $8 for it including shipping, which is a steal.

The mascara arrived promptly and was packaged exactly as you see in the pic. The box is cute and the tube is cuter. It's narrow on the top and bottom, and wider in the middle, if you lay it on its side, it is eye shaped! The brush is actually opposite of the tube shape: It is narrow in the middle and fatter on the top and bottom end. The brush appeared to be coated well, and is a dark glossy black color.

I couldn't wait to get this on my lashes and have gorgeous, fluttery, long lashes. Sadly that was not to be. The formula applied well, the brush separated my lashes well and it went on with no issues and dried in a normal amount of time. What was missing, however, was the DOLL EYE look. It didn't do anything special, or make my lashes especially long, fluttery or doll-like in any way at all.

In fact, this mascara was unremarkable in every way. Don't get me wrong, its not a bad mascara at all, it just doesn't do what is advertised. Well, off I went with my mediocre lashes to face the day, and though this mascara does nothing extraordinary, it DID last all day and it didn't flake or sweat off. I had no issues with the wear factor - It stayed on until I took it off that night, so that is a definite plus.

Removal was no fuss as it came off easily with my normal makeup remover/cleanser (olive oil).

Overall, a decent mascara but I wouldn't buy it again. The price is great, it coats well and doesn't clump and seemed to have good staying power. But if you are looking for mascara to give yourself incredibly long, fluttery WOW! lashes, keep looking.

Welcome!

Whew, it's been a very long week and late nights getting this blog  set up but it's finally ready to roll, so Yay!

I'd like to introduce myself, my name is Kelly and I manage a Motel in PA.  I can be a bit shy, I can become obsessed with new things easily, I love makeup and nail polish, my kids and my cat.  I watch insane amounts of reality tv and I'm an information junkie.  I love easy (and cheap!) DIY projects and I adore cooking.  I'm a bit of a tech geek and an internet fanatic (there simply isn't anything you can do/find online!). 

I hope to do plenty of reviews of products I purchase and use everyday, mostly health and beauty products, and I'd love to share tips, thoughts and ideas. I sincerely hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride.  With my mind, you'll never know what it may conjure up, so stay tuned!

 I hope along the way you will find something here that makes you laugh, makes you think, or you find interesting or useful.  

Please don't be shy :)








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My Favorite Reward Programs

GPT (Get Paid To) programs are here to stay and these are the ones that I have the best luck with and the most fun at the same time! I have actually received payment from these programs, so i can vouch for them. They are not affiliate programs - meaning that I only make money or earn when I sign people up. I hate those programs. Yes, I can refer people to the program but I can and have used them and earn with NO referrals. These are all legit and ones I have personally cashed out of (either cash or gift card) While I was searching for GPT programs to make a few extra dollars, I came across some that were almost impossible to cash out because you either needed thousands and thousands of points or they just made it so difficult it was fruitless. However, I found a few that are easy, fun and really pay you — not only does one of them pay you, you can get paid DAILY. These are free to join and participate in. You never ever have to pull out your credit card to earn money!

You certainly won’t get rich with any of these, but you will put a few bucks in your pocket for being online and doing things you already do. Why not get paid to do it too?!
Always read the FAQ page of any GPT program you are interested in. It covers important topics such as payout dates or amount needed to request a payout, and a lot of them offer tips and help also.

Paid the Fastest - Daily payouts with only $1.00 needed to cash out! Paid the Fastest - Truly is FAST. You earn cash by viewing or completing offers, watching short video clips and searching the web. This is the best GPT program. You probably won’t get rich, but you can cash out as little as $1.00 and you get paid INSTANTLY. My first week I cashed out $7 which isn’t going to get me rich, but it’s money I didn’t have and every little bit helps.

Helpful Tip!

Make sure to check your email and/or spam folder regularly if your completed offers don't seem to be crediting. Most offers that require an email address (don't they all?!) will send a confirmation email with a link that you need to click on. So if you don't seem to be getting credited for all your hard work, check your mail!

Swagbucks - What a fun and easy to navigate site! It’s easy on the eyes and laid out well. Again, you will be clicking on offers or watching videos or completing other tasks. You also can win Swagbucks for searching the web (that is where I earn most of my bucks from). They often run contests and other things to win easy bucks too! There is an hourly contest, where if your name/pic is on the front page, you win 1000 Swagbucks! If you get any referrals (NOT required in any way) you earn what they win when they search the web! Cashing out is straightforward and you can cashout to paypal cash or many many gift cards with amounts as small as $5. There are contests and what they call Swagstakes, contests where you use your Swagbucks to enter and win bigger prizes. They also have games you can play which are fun and addictive.

Jingit - Jingit is fairly new but it's awesome and easy as can be. You sign up and watch ads, and the money goes into your account instantly. The great thing with Jingit is that you can request a debit card (you need $3 in account to get card) and have your money sent to your debit card to spend anytime, anywhere. The greatest thing about Jingit is they have an app for your phone (ios and android) and you can open it up and it will show you products you can SCAN IN STORE and get paid to your account instantly, and you don't need to buy the product. Jingit is cool, easy and FUN!

Pro Tips: 

• Make a separate email address, you  will receive spam from signing up for offers.
• Have patience
• Searching the web? Use one of your GPT programs and get paid to do it!
• Clear tracking cookies regularly
• Have or make a paypal account, a lot of the programs will pay directly into paypal