Fox Bash 4 - Party for The Smile Train

Whew.... I am finally returning to a world of normalcy after the successful completion of our 4th fundraiser for The Smile Train. It's a lot of work but we are really making a difference for so many kiddos!

The Smile Train repairs cleft lip and palate for children in the US and abroad and is one of the most cost efficient charities out there. They are able to complete an entire surgery for only $250. If you take the time to look at some of the before and after pictures, it's truly amazing what this surgery does for people. 45 minutes and $250 can absolutely be the difference in leading a normal life or not. 

I've mentioned it before, but our oldest was born with cleft lip and palate. When she was diagnosed in utero, we began to research the condition and discovered how widespread - and how treatable! - it is. We've been personal donors to The Smile Train now for 10+ years and a few years ago we decided to combine our loves of Halloween and this charity to host an annual fundraiser. The first three years raised a combined total of about $30,000. This year's party raised about $13,400! That means that a few hours of a goofy house party will pay for complete procedures for 53+ kids. The event in general has now raised $43,000+, enough to cover 173 surgeries. That number is humbling and hard to believe but seriously, amazing. So blessed and thankful to be able pay it forward.

She's always been gorgeous!

Such a beautiful young lady, inside and out!

So, I thought I'd share a few pics from the event! We tent in our driveway (and put in a heating system, it was below freezing this year!) and hope that the neighbors are tolerant of the noise. Hey, it's for da kids!! :)

Part of the setup crew, taking a break!

Our costumes! We love dressing up! LOL!

One of the things that's SO much fun is that everyone dresses up! Seriously. There are always so many people that go ALL out and we always look so forward to seeing what everyone wears!

Our neighbors that dressed as us! LMAO!

The hubs in his trunks assaulting my BFF! LOL!

Nappy Roots on stage to close out the night!

We do a complete silent auction and have live music, a photo booth (the pictures are here!), snacks and drinks, etc. Each year we learn SO much about hosting an event like this and I'd be so happy to share my knowledge - and mistakes! - with anyone who is wanting to do something similar. Please feel free to email me any questions! I would be so so so happy to help!!

If you are inspired and want to make a completely tax deductible donation on our fundraising page, that would be amazing! If not, that's fine, too, but please be sure to find some way to give back. We are all so blessed in so many ways if we take a minute to look at our lives objectively. There's some way you can reach out that can seriously be the difference in a person's life! Find it!! :)

Birchbox "Beauty Buzz" October 2013 Review + Coupon

So excited for my first Birchbox box! And excited to share this awesome coupon stacking deal with you! I hope it still works!! 

Birchbox is a women's subscription service that costs $10/month but I have the details on an INCREDIBLE deal. I purchased a year subscription for $110, which is  a savings of $10, and with that you get 110 points worth $11, making boxes $8.25 each. 

If you use code GLAMLATINA15 I think you should be able to get 15% off $50 or more, making a year's subscription of boxes about $6.90 each. After reviewing products each month ($1 per product) each box would actually cost less than $2! I think if you add the one of the gifts in the "bonus shop" to your cart before you check out, that you get that, too, which would wind up making this a complete steal!! Hope the whole deal still works! Let me know if it does (or doesn't!).

October's Birchbox is all about buzzworthy products that have the Birchbox staff obsessed! Sounds good to me! 

Here's first looks:

And the breakdown:

Avene Soapless Facial Cleanser, $2.50 - This is made with calming French spring water! Fancy! It is going in my travel bag to make my next out of town stay a little more luxurious! ;)

DDF Wrinkle Resistent Pore Minimizing Serum, $25 - The full size of this is $85 and this .5 ounce sample is such a generous size! Definitely enough to get a real feel for an expensive product, which I love!! I just finished a Bliss serum a few days ago and have been trying to decide what to use next. This will be in the rotation soon!

the Balm Stainiac tint, $2.25 - I love Benetint and this looks similar! It's a cute little size that will be perfect for travel!

Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper, $3 - Over the years I have perfected curly hair. I want semi-defined curls and tons of body/volume. I am pretty picky about hair products but this is the second one of these I've received lately and now I'm curious! 

ChapStick Hydration Lock, $2 - this is a bonus item, a mass-market discovery that doesn't count towards one of your samples. It's officially dry lip season around my house and we are all about stashing lip balms everywhere!! Happy to have it and I'm sure I'll use the $1 coupon to buy another one! 

So I came up with a total value of $34+ for this box. With a year subscription I paid $8.25 for this box (I had already used the above deal to order the men's subscription and couldn't get it to work again) and, after reviews, it actually only cost me $3.25!!!! 

If you want to try Birchbox and have any questions at all about all of the crazy math in this post, please please please shoot me an email! I'd be so happy to explain it all to you. I really feel like this is the best deal going to try some awesome products for a ridiculously low price! And, if you use one of my referral links, thank you!! I really appreciate it!! :D

Sunday Social Linkup - Halloween Edition!

Time again to linkup for some fun Sunday Social questions! I've always LOVED Halloween and can't wait to see everyone's spooky answers today! :D

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?

OMG, well, I was a "kid" 0-10 from 1976-1986. The thing to do at this time was wear store bought costumes, which were almost always made of this horrible plastic sheeting stuff and usually came with a cheapy mask. Totally stiff, totally started to crack and break as soon as you started wearing it, totally awesome and loved them every time. I was all kinds of girly things like Smurfette and Strawberry Shortcake!

2. If you could go back to your childhood and dress up as something, what would it be?

Looking at vintage costumes, I wish I had a pic of tiny little me in a full punk rock queen Jem costume! Does anybody remember her??? LOL

3. What was your favorite Halloween costume as an adult?

Oh, hubs and I love to dress up! I've got one of my favorites on my blog home page - Frankenstein and bride from a few years ago! I also love our pics from a non-Halloween dress up for a KISS concert! 

4. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Eh, I'm not much on candy at this point. For a long time, though, I looked forward to fall because it was the only time I could find Caramel Apple Pops and I bought bags and bags of them!! 

5. What is your favorite Halloween memory?

For years and years my dad hosted a big free Halloween haunted house and hot dog roast at his grocery store in Arkansas. The neighborhood was kind of rough and it provided a safe and fun Halloween activity for hundreds and hundreds of kids who would otherwise have been out getting in trouble. It was such a huge production and one of the many things that instilled a deep need in me to give back! Now my husband and I host an annual Halloween party for charity, kind of continuing the tradition! 

6. What is your favorite scary movie?

I'm kind of a wimp and I pretty much hate to be scared (and my imagination is crazy enough on its own).... I've never watched most of the classics (Friday the 13ths, Halloweens, Blair Witch, Paranormals, etc etc etc). I did thoroughly enjoy the Scream movies (which affects the way I hear "what's your favorite scary movie?" in my head) and I got a few fun screams out of Joy Ride! 

Hope everyone has some super fun Halloween plans this week!! Can't wait to see all of your answers - and especially your favorite costumes as an adult!! :D

FabFitFun VIP Box Fall 2013 Review + Coupon Code

FabFitFun is a quarterly subscription box curated by Giuliana Rancic. Each box costs $49.99 with shipping included and is supposed to include the hottest seasonal items in beauty, fashion, fitness and wellness with a retail value of over $120. 

The inaugural box launched in the spring and had tons of issues (out of date items, missing items, wide range of values). I had a few issues with the Summer box but was totally happy with how customer service handled everything. I've been looking forward to the fall box and couldn't wait to see what was included! 

Here's first looks:

And the breakdown:

Gorjana & Griffin Scarf, $57 - This was the spoiler item for this box and I was super excited! I love the G + G scarf that was included wayyy back in the PopSugar June box and I've loved several other things from them since. This scarf was a little thinner than I was hoping, but I think the print is super cute and will be nice to brighten up dreary winter days!

Standing Slim Workout DVD, $20 - I've never tried barre and, honestly, have never had much interest in it. I definitely like fast moving cardio and my impression of this is more like slow, stretching yoga or something? No idea if that's true! LOL! I'll give it a try for sure!

Starlooks Eyeshadow Palette in St. Tropez, $41 - These colors are pretty. Would I ever have paid $40+ for this?? Probably not! LOL! I am currently obsessed with the Pink Diamonds eyeshadow in my Stila palette from PopSugar Fall Style and am already freaking out a little bit about where to get more once it's gone. I'm hoping one of these pinks (or a combo of them!) might be a replacement!

Surface Hair Treatment,  $26 - At first I was like, eh, another hair treatment, but the 10 reviews on Amazon average 5/5 stars which gets me excited!!!

Spa Ritual Nail Polish, $8 - Such a pretty, sparkly grey. I really don't think we have anything like it, which is nothing short of miraculous! LOL!
 

Orville Redenbachers Popcorn, $2 - Well, we LOVE popcorn around here. I know response to this item has been mixed but I think it's great!! I even have this gourmet naturals line in the pantry already, so happy to have some more!

Chia Bar, $1.50 - Hubs eats a ton of snack bars like these, always happy to get them in boxes!

Drinkwel, $2.50 - These are supplement packs for when you plan to, ahem, party a little hardy. You drink these pre-fete to ease the aftereffects. These will definitely get used! ;)

Various coupons and a little card game. $25 Gorjana  + Griffin gift code gets valued at $15 for review because their shipping rates are so ridiculous! 

*** The other spoiler item was a full-size facial cleanser from Bliss. I guess there was some mixup and these are being shipped out separately. I'm going to go ahead and include the $28 value in the value of the box because I figure it will get here eventually! :D


I came up with a total value of $201 for this box. A great deal for $49.99!! I was really happy with the assortment of items. Let's be honest, I was going to be happy with the scarf alone, so everything else was really just gravy! Haha! 

If you love this box, you can sign up now and still get this exact one before they're all gone! Use code LASTCHANCE to save $5 and please use one of my referral links! Thank you!! :)

Nails of the Week: Julep Chevron Stickers Experimentation!

I knew what my nails of the week would be as soon as I opened my Julep Zigzag mystery box! I was in love with the orange polish and couldn't wait to try out the chevron stickers! Here's what I used:

China Glaze base coat
Julep in Marjorie
OPI in Lincoln Park After Dark
Julep top coat
Julep chevron stickers

I read reviews of the orange polish on Julep and was worried about how sheer/light it was going to be. Because of that, I decided to use it as a base, apply stickers, then paint on darker stripes! 

First step: Orange base coat. Let dry.

One coat gave pretty great coverage! Looks perfect for fall and the countdown to Halloween!

Second step: apply chevron stickers and paint over all with second color. Let dry. 

Then it was time to peel off the stickers. Eek... I was worried about how this was going to turn out. I let the orange dry for 15 minutes in a nail dryer, and then the purple dry for 15 minutes in a nail dryer and yet....

Everything peeling off. Fail.
But looks spooky, no? Haha 

What went wrong? Who knows. I cleaned that mess off and reapplied a coat of the orange. This time around I used a sticker cut in half on each ring finger as an accent nail. Much cleaner and actually super cute! 

I'm so curious to see if anyone else has had better luck than me with these! I'm usually fairly impatient with watching paint dry but I was extra patient this time and still my multi-color stripes were a bust! :(

If you'd like to try Julep, please use one of my links and code FREEMAVEN to get your first box for only $3.99! Thank you! :D