Birchbox October

Katie November 30, 2012 0 Comments

I recently signed up for the site Birchbox.  Birchbox is the best way to discover new grooming, beauty and lifestyle products. Sample top products from high-end brands, get expert advice, buy new favorites and earn points with every purchase.

For $10 I got October’s box to try it out.  There were 6 sample items in the box and the birchbox website allows you to purchase full sized items if you are interested in them after trying the samples.

Lulu Organics Lavendar + Clary Sage Hair Powder ($30)

theBalm cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer ($24)

twistband HairTie ($18 for 12)

tili Bags Small Collection ($8.49 for 12 quart sized bags)

Mox Botanicals Lip Butter ($16)

Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy Le Fleur ($70 for 2.5oz)

(The link above is my affiliate link. I get 50 points for each person I refer to the site and every 100 points I get $10 to use in the Birchbox store)

I haven’t had the chance to try everything out yet, but look for some product reviews in the future if I really like (or dislike) any of the products!

The XFactor – Top 10

Katie November 23, 2012 0 Comments

Wednesday night’s show was Thanksgiving themed and each contestant dedicated their song to someone they are thankful for.  Two acts will be going home again tomorrow! That I wasn’t expecting.

Tate – I’m Already There – I really can’t get in to him and I’ll be honest. I fast forwarded through most of this performance. (The perks of starting the show a few minutes late)

Diamond – Because You Loved Me – I think she could have done better with this song, but it wasn’t bad by any means.

Emblem 3 – Secrets – Im a sucker for harmonies and I think they did great with them this week!

Arin – Hero – I think that he really improved on this song. I really liked it and going in to tonight I thought that he may be in the bottom if he didn’t improve, but I think that he might hang around a bit longer after that.  (Although now that they just said 2 are going home, I may need to re think a bit. We’ll see once everyone goes)

Cece – Wind Beneath My Wings – This is the first sob story tonight that made me cry.  Unfortunately, I am still not a fan of Cece or her singing.

Fifth Harmony – I’ll Stand By You – Really loved this performance! Perfect song choice and it was probably my favorite of theirs in the competition so far.

Beatrice – Chasing Cars – Still not a fan of Beatrice. Still can’t quite put my finger on it.

Vino – God Bless The USA – Amazing performance and I think that America will eat it up. Definitely agree w/ Simon that he could be at #1.

Paige – Everytime – Brave of her to tackle a Britney song but I think she did really well with it!

Carly Rose – Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Another solid performance from Carly Rose. But I was expecting nothing less!

–

I’m going to pick a bottom 4 – Beatrice, Arin, Cece, Paige

With Beatrice and Cece going home.

And I’m going to be SO wrong. As usual 

–

The show started with a bunch of filler. Which was nice because I had a lot of blogging to catch up on 

We find out the lowest vote getter (is that a word? lol) this week was Arin! Well, I had him in my bottom but not a pick for going home. That’s got to count for something. Half a point to me! 

Safe to top 8: Diamond, Vino, Carly Rose, Fifth Harmony, Tate, Paige

3 left – Emblem 3, Cece, and Beatrice.  So far I’m liking these odds for getting at least 1 right!

Emblem 3 goes through to the next round which leaves the 2 I had picked to go home as the bottom 2 and guarantees me having one pick right!

Demi sends home Beatrice
Britney sends home Cece
LA sends home  Beatrice
Simon sends home Beatrice which seals her fate to go home.

8. Cece
7. Fifth Harmony
6. Paige
5. Diamond
4. Emblem 3
3. Vino
2. Tate
1. Carly Rose (!!!!)

The XFactor Season 2 Premiere

Katie September 15, 2012 0 Comments

You might remember back in June, I went to see the XFactor Auditions in Rhode Island.  This week the show premiered on FOX.  Unfortunately, my lovely cable company – CABLEVISION – is in a dispute with the company that provides FOX (and the CW) and because they can’t reach an agreement over money, they have pulled the channel from our cable services.  Pretty awesome, huh?

Fortunately, TheXFactorUSA has a channel on YouTube which posts what I believe to be all the clips of the show (or I should say, what I hope to be all the clips from the show) so I was able to catch up after the fact online. (Cablevision – consider yourself lucky or you’d be getting WAY MORE nasty emails from me…)

On night 1 – Jillian Jensen was on from our auditions.  I posted that I thought at least some of her audition would probably make it to air and I was right! She seems to be getting a lot of press too.

Night 2 had Carly Rose – another one who I mentioned in my recap. She is definitely one of my favorites and I hope that she does well and makes it far in the competition! They didn’t show when Simon made her sing acapella because he didn’t believe it was really her and she also said she had a birth certificate when they were teasing that she coundn’t be 13.

Also from my audition was Patrick Ford.  If I remember correctly he had also auditioned for Idol and said that he had 2 words for Simon which prompted Demi to should out WHERES WALDO! Although I might be getting him confused with someone else who had on a striped shirt. (I kind of wish I took notes because I don’t remember too much now of the minor details)

I’m still undecided if I will be blogging about this show more (If more auditions show up in later episodes I’ll mention that I was there for them) but we will see!  The live rounds start up in November!

Some updates on my favorites!

Katie August 30, 2012 0 Comments

I didn’t want to spam you all with multiple posts so I figured I’d consolidate it here in a one stop shop post.  Some updates on some of my fave bands…

Honor Society have put up a free download of their new single “Serendipity” which you can download by heading over to their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/honorsociety and clicking the “FREE SINGLE” icon.  They’ve also announced that their new album, also called Serendipity will be released on September 18th.  They are doing a CD release party September 19th in LA and I hope that NYC release party details will be coming soon 🙂

Action Item‘s new single “Last Day of Summer” had its music video premiered through MTV’s Buzzworthy blog today.  Feel free to check it out here: http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2012/08/30/action-item-last-day-of-summer-video/ and if you really like it – buy it on iTunes!  They are heading out on the road this fall as support for Owl City.

One Direction has announced their new album will be out on November 13th and it is called “Take Me Home”.  I absolutely LOVE the album art!

PR by the Book’s “Escape to Austin” Contest

Katie August 1, 2012 0 Comments

To celebrate its 10^th Anniversary, PR by the Book will award one literary lover a trip to the home of storytellers like O. Henry and Willie Nelson: Austin, Texas

AUSTIN – Now in its 10^th year of operation, with a growing pool of star literary talent and media personalities, PR by the Book has become a go-to firm in the book publishing industry for innovative publicity campaigns and top-tier media placement.

Founded in 2002 by Marika Flatt, PR by the Book has grown from a one-woman operation to a team of 10, representing everyone from The Berenstain Bears series to Rex Pickett, author of the beloved book-turned-movie, Sideways.

Now, PR by the Book has decided it’s time to share the love. And what better way to do that than to award a trip to the town where it all got started: Austin, Texas?

“Austin has burgeoned into a bustling literary community. When I started in book publicity here in 1997, I’d meet people who would be surprised I wasn’t from New York or Los Angeles,” says Flatt. “Now, when I travel for work and people ask where I’m from and I tell them Austin, the response is something similar to: I adore Austin and what a literary town that is!”

The contest is called “Escape to Austin” and will be a truly one-of-a-kind trip for the lucky winner. The prize package includes round-trip airfare for the winner and a guest, a two-night stay at The Hilton Garden Inn downtown Austin, dinner for two at TRIO in the Four Seasons, a $50 gift certificate to historic Hyde Park Bar & Grill and a couple of bookish perks.

Drawing the likes of Susan Orlean and Chuck Palahniuk, the Texas Book Festival is one of the premiere literary fests in the country. Last year, the festival featured 243 authors and attracted 40,000 attendees. The winner of the “Escape to Austin” contest will be granted two VIP passes to the weekend-long festival October 26-28, as well as a pass to one of TBF’s invitation-only author parties.

“We are very excited to partner with PR by the Book for this contest package,” says Lidia Agraz, TBF’s Executive Director. “We’re still early in the talent line-up process, but I can say that this year’s festival will offer attendees a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to commune with true literary icons.”

To enter “Escape to Austin,” contest hopefuls must simply “like” PR by the Book on Facebook and fill out the entry form. The contest runs August 1 – August 31, 2012, and a winner will be selected by September 7 (open to U.S. residents only.)

PR BY THE BOOK is a boutique publicity firm specializing in literary media relations campaigns, publishing consultation, small business publicity, and publicity tours for authors and experts. Our team of seasoned publicists has worked on books in nearly every genre, and with dozens of major publishing houses and small presses. Visit prbythebook.com to learn more.

Book Review: Colors Like Memories

Katie June 27, 2012 2 Comments

Colors like Memories by Meradeth Houston is about Julia, a child who died before her first breath and that became a Sary, sent to keep an eye on Marcy a suicidal girl dealing with the loss of her mother and her alcoholic father.  Julia is distraught by the loss of her boyfriend/companion Derek, and believes that he died at her hand and can not stop thinking about him.

Julia believes she is making progress with Marcy – she got her to dump her abusive boyfriend John, but now John believes Julia is out to get in between him and Marcy and swears he will get his revenge on her.

Meanwhile Julia meets Edison and finds out that he is also a Sary that she met once years before – and that he knew Derek and had a message from him for her.

She gets distracted with the job at hand (keep Marcy safe) due to her own inner dealings with thoughts about Derek and now Edison.  Marcy finds an old picture from years past and swears that it is Julia in the photo.  They have the same name, the same necklace (given to her by Derek) and even the same mole on her hand.  Marcy is not convinced that she is delusional and wants answers.  If Julia being a Sary comes out, Julia will lose her assignment and lose her ability to be a Sary, or so she thinks.  She told Derek she would never lose her position in the Sary and so she isn’t sure what to do.  Edison tries to guide her in the right direction but Julia has an idea of her own about what she should do.

While Julia is off telling everyone that she has been found out – Marcy is once again attempting to take her life.  Will Julia be removed from the Sary? Will she be able to complete her assignment and rescue Marcy?  Will John get his revenge on Julia like he says he will?  Why did Edison appear?

All this and more – explained in Colors Like Memories!

While the idea of this book is far fetched (or is it? hmm) I really enjoyed the books and the characters.  I was convinced for a while that Edison saying he used to know Julia meant that he was actually Derek back in another person’s body but I guess that was a bit too far fetched even for this story 😉   While Julia had her own struggles to work through and didn’t think that she would be a good role model for Marcy – I think the two of them dealing with their grief helped each other more than they actually realized.  They both had to stay strong for each other.

I received a free e-copy of this book from the author in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lUpK68bYFI]

About The Book

Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of.

Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this ‘breath of life’ she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It’s a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren’t enough, she’s now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia’s not exactly the best role model for. If she can’t figure out a way to help her, Julia’s going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.

meradethhouston.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/#!/MeradethHouston

www.goodreads.com/book/show/13030422-colors-like-memories

http://www.facebook.com/ColorsLikeMemories

http://pinterest.com/merbear95695/

RetailMeNot iPhone app!

Katie June 16, 2012 0 Comments

Now, you all know I just got a droid. And I am kind of kicking myself for that now because one of my favorite sites, RetailMeNot, has a new coupon app that is out for iPhones.  The best part is this app is FREE and will help you save money.  If you don’t have an iPhone and you haven’t heard of RetailMeNot – be sure to head over to the website www.retailmenot.com so you can start saving money when you shop!

The RetailMeNot Coupons app helps you find the best coupons to your favorite places to shop so you can save online or in the store directly from your phone. It’s never been easier to save when you want, where you want!

Kia Rio Scavenger Hunt

Katie June 9, 2012 0 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kia Rio for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Kia Rio is having an awesome scavenger hunt – teams of best friends have to “Zip and Dash” around Los Angeles while participating in it – I wish it was me! I love scavenger hunts and actually participated in one a few years ago to meet one of my favorite SuperStars – Mets Third Baseman David Wright . For the Kia Rio Scavenger hunt, these best friends will be running around LA in an effort to solve clues and find none other than musician and The Voice correspondant Christina Millian!  The Kia Rio will be helping get them to their destination!

Check out this video:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MtnMAMEviY]

The contestants will be hitting up 5 locations:

The Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round – to solve trivia while riding the merry go round for their next clue! They got led to a Kia Rio and had to put the car in reverse to use the rear camera display to get their next clue. Rear camera display is a great feature of the Kia Rio! It makes it easy to see if anything is going to be in your way when you are backing up – this is definitely a blind spot on most other cars.)

Amoeba Records – to find a hidden Christina Millian CD. After they find it they use the USB jack (love this!) in the Rio for their next clue  – heading to Rodeo Drive to count Palm Trees!

Rodeo Drive – Using the BlueTooth capabilities of the Kia Rio, they call a number based off the number of palm trees that they found. Once they call the number they are told to drive to the most famous hot dog stand in the world (I am sure that the Kia Rio navigation came in handy for this!)

Pink’s Hot Dogs – After eating a hot dog and clearing their plates, the team find a QR code and a clue from Christina! They check in their Kia Rio’s trunk for the next clue.  With each team having won 2 challenges – who will make it to the penthouse first?

The Roosevelt Hotel – One of the more well known hotels in Hollywood it is home to a ton of history and some really great parties as well.  It seems both teams had no problem using their navigation to get there.

Well that was a ton of fun to watch – and hey Kia! If you ever need someone for your next scavenger hunt – you know who to call! (Me!) I’d love to check out one of these Rios, they have such amazing features on them that I’m sure I’d love!

I have to say that I think that my favorite feature on the Kia Rio has to be the rear camera display.  Backing out of my driveway I never know if the neighbors car is going to end up parked closer than usual or if one of the neighborhood kids is going to scoot by at the last second on his bike or scooter – the rear camera display would definitely be helpful with figuring this out!  The USB jack is also pretty cool as well – I love techy things 🙂

Find out more about UVO Technology and the Kia Rio at the Rio Explorer Page.

After you’ve checked out the video – let me know your thoughts! Would you take on the challenge to meet your favorite Hollywood Celebrity? Who would you want to meet?  Instead of Los Angeles, where would you want to Zip and Dash?

Help out The Voice contestants!

Katie June 1, 2012 0 Comments

Two of my faves from this past season of The Voice are trying to raise funds to work on an album – and YOU can help!

Pip is trying to raise $26,000 through Kickstarter : http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/713719482/help-pip-make-his-debut-album?ref=history and is at almost $8,000 and has 15 days to go.

Tony Vincent is trying to raise over the next 30 days through Pledge Music and is at 75%: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/inmyhead?utm_campaign=project4761&utm_medium=activity&utm_source=twitter#

Both have “perks” and gifts available depending on how much you are donating.  I have donated through both sites before and can say that they are legitimate.  Kickstarter does not take the money from your account unless the project is fully funded.  Pledgemusic takes the money up front and refunds it if the project is not funded.

I have donated to both projects and hope that you will consider it as well.

Denver Outlaws Action Item show Postponed

Katie June 1, 2012 0 Comments

Due to extenuating circumstances, the Action Item concert that was scheduled to take place before the June 2 Denver Outlaws game has been postponed. Regrettably, unforseen logistical issues have prevented this concert from happening and both Action Item and the Outlaws apologize for any disappointment and inconvenience. Both parties will work on trying to reschedule this event for 2013. If you have any questions, please contact the Outlaws Front Office at info@DenverOutlaws.com