J'Adore VoxBox.

Seriously, if you want to get me excited about receiving something in the mail, make the package pink. How can I not be excited after getting this box?

There's just so much good stuff in there! I was like a kid on Christmas when I opened it. Here's what I think about all of the awesome stuff that I received from Influenster:
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses

When I think of happiness, I think of Hershey Kisses. Seriously, they're the perfect sizing, and they're absolutely tasty. Hershey's brand in general is just amazing. I was so happy when I opened this box and was greeted with this ginormous bag of kisses. The pink ones tasted the best. Totally kidding since they all tasted the same, but everything is better when it's wrapped in pink, right?
Red Rose Black Tea

Even though I'm from the south, I don't drink a lot of tea. I don't drink sweet tea at all. I like chai tea though. I was excited to try these teas since I had never heard of the brand. They sent me two different flavors - Lemon Chiffon and Creme Caramel. I tasted them with Jon because he loves tea, and if I didn't like them, I knew he would drink them for me. We enjoyed our cups of tea on the porch. It was such a beautiful weekend. 
I ended liking both of them. I didn't think they were amazing, but again, I'm not a tea drinker. It's not my cup of tea, if you will (cricket cricket). Jon, however, loved them. 
Bionics Ionic Clay Mask

I love face masks. I just love how my face feels after taking them off. I've never heard of this brand, so I was excited to give them a try. When I first opened the bottle, this madness happened in my sink:

Make sure you open it over the sink, ladies. Otherwise, it's going to end up all over your floor. Not okay. After I rinsed off the mask, my face felt really soft. Compared to other face masks that I've tried, I don't think this one was any better or worse. It was pretty average. My face didn't have the tingly, light feeling that I usually get after rinsing the mask off. It didn't feel fresh and clean or anything like that. My pores didn't feel clear. The bottle says to use the bottle once a week, so we'll see if my face improves as I continue to use it.

  John Frieda Frizz Ease

I straighten my hair about twice a year. No exaggeration. It takes about an hour and a half. I have to be watching TV or a movie or something. Unfortunately, my first hair straightening of the year happened literally the day before I got this box, otherwise I would have been allllll over trying this stuff out. I'm sure I will try it in a few months though, so if/when I do, be looking out for a product review!
Lash

I don't actually wear fake lashes, so I'm not sure that I'm actually going to try these. 
Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster.

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Have A Good Morning with Raewyn! {Guest Post}

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to introduce you to one of the first blog friends I've ever made, Raewyn. She blogs over at Be A Warrior Queen, one of the most empowering and positive blogs I've ever read. She's truly an inspiration. I'm pretty pumped to have her guest posting today. I'm sure you will enjoy her positivity! Happy Thursday!

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Are you a morning person? Because there is absolutely no way I am. I've been a night owl for as long as I can remember - and I often got in trouble as a kid for secretly reading after my 8:30 p.m. bedtime.

Falling asleep is so hard and as a consequence waking up before the sun comes up is even harder. Enter good morning [365 Positive Ways to Start Your Day] by Brook Noel.

On a serious note, I bought this book for my mom a few years ago but I've commandeered it. It's too good to let only one person get its daily wisdom in my house!

Here's a breakdown of the amazingness:

"None of us will ever be 'perfect.' But we can actively be 'living the challenge' through daily improvement."

Your Turn:
Work on not judging yourself [I rephrased this, it is a long paragraph].

Today's Affirmation:
I am getting better every day in every way.

I really enjoy that there are reflection questions and an affirmation. Not only do I wake up and read these positive words that motivate my day, but I can choose to reflect further in a journal entry. If I don't have time in the morning, then I can just repeat the affirmation to myself throughout the day.

I don't usually read these entries as soon as I wake up. I would probably benefit even more if I did but, like I said, I'm not a morning person. To beat traffic, I leave for work at 5:45 and, to be honest, I get out of bed around 5:30. I do arrive at work a half hour to hour early, and sit in my car reflecting on these daily passages.

And then, I take a nap.

How do you beat the morning blues?

Raewyn started Be a Warrior Queen, a lifestyle blog and movement, in 2009. She someday hopes her positive and do-good-centered blog will blossom into a magazine that will empower young girls to be confident in themselves. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr. 

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Nerd Alert. {Firmoo Sponsored Post}

I have worn glasses since middle school. I remember when I first heard that I would need glasses, I wasn't very excited, but then I went shopping for my first pair, and I was ecstatic. I sauntered into school the next day with my glasses feeling like a million bucks. I've gone through several pairs of glasses since then, but I eventually switched over to contacts in high school. I was tired of wearing glasses all the time because they slid off of my face and got in the way when I was trying to sleep in class lie my head down. Now I only wear glasses at night because my glasses aren't super comfortable or very cute.

Middle school me. Cute gap, Tiffany.

When I was contacted by Firmoo to review their glasses, I was pretty pumped. I mean, I love free things. I had so much fun browsing the different styles on their website. What's great about their site is that you can upload a picture of yourself, and try on each pair digitally. I had a lot of fun with this.

Not only that, the check-out process was so simple. You just plug in the information from your prescription, and voila! Easy peasy. Pretty much anyone that shops online will be able to figure this out. I ended up picking these:

I've come a long way.

I'm in love with them. They made me feel super nerdy, so I paired them with my new Hogwarts sweatshirt that I just bought for only $9. I haven't worn glasses all day since high school, because, like I said, most glasses I've had in the past are uncomfortable. I loved these so much that I wore them all day on Saturday, as I'm sure any of you following me on Twitter or Instagram witnessed.

You can get a free pair of glasses or sunglasses too! Firmoo has a program called "First Pair Free." The program is only open at certain times, so be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter to find out when you can get your free pair! If you're impatient and want your glasses now, you can go to their site and use the 50% off code that they're currently running. They're prices are very reasonable, and I definitely plan to visit their site in the future when I'm in need of another pair. Disclaimer: I received these glasses complimentary from Firmoo. All opinions are my own.

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February Love in a Box Swap!

As y'all have probably noticed, I love love looooove blogger swap boxes. Not only do you get a lot of awesome stuff, you also get to meet and bond with a blogger that you may not have known otherwise. Kimberly from Kimberly's Chronicles decided that she wanted to start a blogger swap box, so with the help of Megan from Lush to Blush, aka one of my fave blogs/bloggers, the Love in a Box Swap was born!
Kimberly was my partner this month, and it was so lovely getting to know her. She is super sweet and we have a lot in common, like we're both older sisters (and both our sisters are 6 years younger than us), we both love the beach and we're both bookworms! Kimberly sent me a really awesome (and super thoughtful) box this month:

I tore into those Starbursts pretty quick. And I must say that my scarf collection has grown tremendously since I've become a blogger, and I love it. I get so many awesome scarves from these swaps, and Kimberly's is no exception. It's so cute and makes me want spring right now! She also got me a really cute make-up bag. So perfect because the one I have right now is huge! I've been meaning to downsize.

I never told Kimberly this, but I love candles! She got me two candles - one that smells like chocolate. Yum! And the other smells like the beach because, like I said, we both love the beach, but I live a long way from the beach, so this candle will be the closest I get for now. The beach candle is currently burning, and it's making my room smell amazing.

She also got me a ton of nail polish! I love to sparkle, and all three of these do! I can't wait to use them!

She also got me this adorable bow that I couldn't wait to wear! It's one of my favorite colors and it SPARKLES! I wore it to work the day after I got it in the mail. I was way too excited about it. 

She even got a little toy for Molly!
I'm so happy that I got to participate in the first month of the Love in a Box Swap. For more information about the swap, visit Kimberly or Megan's blogs and sign up! You won't regret it.

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Motivated Mondays: Creating a Bucket List.

I've had a bucket list for as long as I can remember. We're talking middle school here. Of course, my middle school bucket list had things like... 

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...and other silly things of the sort, but the point is, I had a list. Over the years, I've added things to the list, taken things off of the list and crossed things off of the list. As I have grown and changed, so has my list. I've always been a list person. I make lists of potential future gifts for people, things I need to get at the grocery store, tasks to finish in the next week, books I want to read, blogs I want to write. I just love lists, and it all started with the creation of my bucket list. My bucket list is my favorite list, because I've had it for so long. Some people don't see the point in making a bucket list, which is cool and all, but the reason I love my bucket list is because it is a tangible thing that I can hold and look at and cross things off of when I finish them. It gives me a sense of purpose in life, like I can't die unless I do these things. The thing about my bucket list though is that I will never complete it. I'm constantly adding to it, which, in my eyes, is awesome, because if I just had a list, stuck to it, and crossed everything off, then what else am I supposed to do? Watch Netflix? I'll probably be doing that anyway.  I think everyone should have a bucket list. If you don't have a bucket list, you should go make one. Right now. And if you need some inspiration, you can look at sites like BucketList.org or even Pinterest inspiration boards! There's inspiration everywhere. I'm pro-bucket list because... 1. Bucket lists will give you motivation. There are a few things on my list that make me cringe at the thought of doing them, like skydiving, which I'm thinking will give me the world's largest headache. Even though I think that, I still want to do it. Just once. If I hate it, I never have to do it again, but it will be a good story, and hopefully a good experience.  2. Bucket lists hold you accountable. If I'm given the opportunity to do something on my bucket list, I'm going to feel obligated (in a good way) to take the plunge. A lot of things on my list are things that I don't get the opportunity to do just every day. They are unique instances, and if the opportunity to cross something off of my list is right in front of me, I'll have to hold myself accountable and make myself do it, even if I'm a little nervous. 3. Bucket lists give you an excuse to travel. A good portion of my list involves traveling. There are so many places in the world that I want to go, and my list serves as a guide to show where I want to travel to next. 

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4. Bucket lists can help you think of things to do when you already have travel plans. If you already have a trip planned, and you haven't already come up with an itinerary or list of things to do on your trip, take a look at your bucket list and try to accomplish something on your list while you're traveling! Vacations are the perfect place to cross things off of your list. 5. Bucket lists get you excited about life. It's so easy to live your day-to-day life just going through the motions. Sometimes, just looking at your bucket list will get you excited about life again. Knowing that there are so many things out there that you want to do, and you will do, can help motivate (see #1) you to refocus and start living your life in a fun way again. 6. Bucket lists will make you legendary. Last week I talked about how others will tell your story after you're gone. Crossing things off of your bucket list can help make you legen-wait for it-dary, depending on what's on your list. People will talk about how you live(d) your life with so much spontaneity and fun, and this will inspire people to create a list and do fun things too. A few things on my list:

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And I'll be doing this this summer! Can't wait!

We were meant to live life with purpose, and if you're still struggling to find your purpose, or if you just have a lot of cool things that you want to do before you kick the bucket, then right down your list, and try to accomplish something from time to time. Not everything has to be something huge like bungee jumping or swimming with sharks; it can be smaller stuff like have a spa day or cook a five-course meal. Everyone's bucket list is personal. Obviously. And your list should reflect the things that you want out of life. So start making your list nowwww.

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