Lynn’s Lovely Life: Keurig Love

            If you are a reader of my blog posts, you know I love interior design. Throughout my college years, I loved reading Domino magazine. Sadly, it went under in college. One of my favorite things to look at was the Tassimo ads that were in each magazine. It just seemed so “cool” to be able to brew one cup of coffee whenever you wanted. I desperately wanted one, but I am glad I waited it out. My mom was the first in our family to get a Keurig. Nowadays Keurigs are everywhere. They are in offices, schools, and in so many homes.

The functionality of the Keurig has made it perfect for everyone. I got my first Keurig when I lived in my small studio apartment. While I was one who did not like clutter, I forced myself to leave out my Keurig on the counter because I used it so frequently.  I had a Keurig that was much smaller than most. It only brewed 8 ounces and took 2 minutes to brew. However, I still had the functionality of brewing one cup of tea. My mom got me a K-cup filter that I used to brew teabags in. I liked this feature because I could brew my PG tips tea in it easily. However, I go back and forth between using it. The only con with this is you have to remember to take out the bag or it can get moldy if you are not careful. I never let that happen but it was always a worry.

 

You can partially see my first Keurig!

 

 

Our New Keurig! Love at First Sight!

Later, when I moved in with my boyfriend, we decided to invest in a new Keurig that has three different choices for sizes of beverages. I absolutely love it. It takes a few minutes to heat up but then you’re good to go. When I brew a big cup for work, I use a K-cup twice. We have the spinning carousel full of English Breakfast tea. I don’t really like the carousel because it annoys me when a K-cup is missing. This is the obsessive compulsive tendency in me. I would love to get the drawer that goes under the Keurig, but I must resist as I have a perfectly usable storage container.

                I am a very big stickler in using only tea in my Keurig. Luckily, my boyfriend and I drink tea or we would have WWIII in our home. I have had tea from Keurigs that are used for coffee and I hate it! I can taste the coffee in it and it makes me sick. I know you can run a Keurig through with just water, but still, I feel like I can taste the coffee. I would like to branch out to do apple cider or hot chocolate (they have better brands nowadays), but my fear of it messing up our precious Keurig stops me.  For now I will happily use my Keurig as I brew my next cup of tea. The sound of my Keurig energizes me and makes me feel happy to be in my routine each day.

                Do you have Keurig? What do you brew in it?

Lynn’s Lovely Life: A Cup of Tea Solves Everything

                When I think of tea today, I think of comfort, relaxation and safety. My tea addiction started during my teen years. I stayed with my grandparents a lot and my grandfather would brew a pot of tea every morning. Ironically, my grandmother was from England and would have a cup of coffee in the morning. No matter what, my grandfather would have tea with honey and creamer in it.  As the years went on, they would make me a cup of tea in the morning. It was heaven. It was PG Tips tea and I loved it. It was the perfect drink for me.

 I fondly remember my college years when I would spend time watching Friends sitting on my floor in front of my makeshift table drinking a cup of tea. It was perfect. No matter what I went through in my life, from eating ramen noodles to having a full cabinet of food, I always had tea readily available.

                They say that a cup of tea solves everything; this cannot be truer. It wakes me up in the morning, energizes me and makes me feel comfortable and safe. At night, a cup of Sleepytime relaxes me and gets me ready for bed after a long day at work. I love reading a nice book and drinking a cup of tea.

I would not consider myself a tea aficionado at all. I love tea, but I am very picky about my favorites.  I drink Celestial Seasonings English Breakfast in my Keurig (stay tuned for a later post ).I drink sweet tea and have been slowly finding a love for unsweetened tea (or slightly sweet tea). I love Sleepytime tea (the extra version and the vanilla are my favorites).  I do not drink chai tea, green tea (maybe once or twice cold) or many herbal teas. However, when it comes to the teas I like, I drink them frequently.

I have often been to places like Teavana where you can sniff the tea and those places make me happy. Like a library, you are open to a world of options. I love smelling all the varieties of tea. Sadly, I do not like to drink them. I know that someday my tea loves may branch out. Right now, I am content with writing this blog post as I happily sip my Sleepytime tea.  What are your favorite types of tea? Whatever it may be… ENJOY!

 

Beauty Boudoir: Julep Maven Nail Polish

               Who doesn’t love a nice bottle of nail polish? As I mentioned I am an avid nail polish addict.
                Up until recently I did not have any Julep Nail Polishes until I joined the Julep Maven program for .01 (and $4.95 shipping). I decided to join the program because I love nail polish and loved the idea of the program. I recently cancelled a subscription service and several magazine services so I decided my budget could handle it. The colors from Julep are absolutely gorgeous!

Colors from Top to Bottom: Petra, Lisa, Anne, Janel, Ally, Lena

                My first box was an introductory box where I received two nail polishes and a cuticle product. Sadly they are not spring colors but I definitely plan on wearing these colors when fall and winter approaches next year. I got the colors Lisa and Petra from the Boho Glam collection. Lisa is a grayish color and Petra is a burgundy shimmer color. They offer you a suggestion for colors that you can get and then you can change them as needed. I decided to purchase my most favorite color from Julep that I have seen everywhere Anne (a beautiful purple color). It reminds me of Anne Hathaway (which may be the namesake?). I absolutely love this color. I bought it full price but I didn’t mind since I got two other nail polishes for such a low price.  I also got a cuticle product that is absolutely wonderful as well! I love the smell and how well it works. I keep it in my nightstand to use as needed when I give my nails a break from nail polish.
                My next box is all about the bright colors. On the 20^th of the month you are given four days to select new nail polishes. I decided to go for the colors from the Bombshell collection and ordered Ally (royal bluish color) and Janel (burgundy color) and then did the add-on polish of Lena (a tealish color) for $4.99. I love the colors and am content. One of my favorite aspects of this program is if you are not a fan of the nail polish colors you can skip a month and come back when you really like a box. I wish I had been a subscriber during the pastel collection month but I can always order then later if I decide to. I really want the America the Beautiful polish for the 4^th of July so I will be adding that to my wish list.
                I can’t wait to see what is in store for my next box. I definitely am much more content with this subscription service then others. What subscription services do you use? What is your favorite?

Beauty Boudoir: Makeup Cutback April Update

Beauty Boudoir: Makeup Cutback April 2012 Update: The Balm Jovi Palette

                Makeup cutback is not going as well as can be expected. Sadly, I have purchased more than one makeup item a month over the past few months, but I’m determined to get back on track. 

              I decided to make one purchase a little early for my April item this year. I purchased the Balm Jovi palette on Amazon for around $30. Again, as stated previously, I want to have quality products rather than quantity. I purchased this item based on the recommendation of Emilynoel83. She talks about this palette and the benefits of it. One of the best aspects of this palette is that is offers you a variety of eye shadows, a highlight, blush and two lip products all in one slim package. It is about the size of my Kindle Fire. The quality of the product is also amazing and pigmented. I’m quite impressed with my purchase and am not disappointed.  I feel I really got the most bang for my buck. 

                I am contemplating my next purchase for the month of May. I may allow myself a second makeup purchase or two as it is my birthday month, but I’m still debating. I’m thinking about purchasing a YSL or Chanel Lip Product or the Laura Mercier Silk Cream Foundation. All three types of items are much more expensive than normal, but since it is my birthday month I want to splurge just once on a product. I’m definitely going to do some research before making such a purchase. What high end items do you recommend? What items do you feel allow you to get the most bang for your buck? 

Lynn's Lovely Life: Cell Phone Collection

                I love my cell phone.  As a child I used to go around and talk on my toy phone so the day that I got my own cell phone I celebrated. However, I firmly believe in manners with using technology. For example, it truly pains me to see people using cell phones at dinner! Dinner is a time to talk about the day, so it makes me sad when I see them being used. I also think that when people join social gatherings they should put their phones away. I almost think people should have a collection basket for phones at parties and gatherings, but sadly that will not happen. It just takes some time for people to follow  cell phone netiquette.

                I was not a big fan of the iPhone, but I love it now thanks to my boyfriend. He had the iPhone first; I decided to go for it after I got rid of my Blackberry, which turned up being a big bust. I am glad I changed over to my iPhone. It still takes some time to text, but I’m getting better. Plus, Siri is my best friend. Stayed tuned for a post on what’s on my iPhone.

                My cell phone collection started off with a few covers, but has grown over the course of the year. I just got two cell phone covers for $1.50  recently at Michael's so I thought it was a perfect time to post.

                My cell phone collection includes:

• A cell phone cover that looks like a credit card (see the pink one).
• A cover that looks like a mini tape.
• Two polka dot cases (one in purple, one in blue (perfect for Spring)).
• A penguin cover (perfect for winter).
• One zigzag case  (I got it for $1.50)
• One pattern case. (I got it for $1.50)
• One damask case (for $3.99 at Michael's!!!). I have wanted a Damask case for quite a while, so I’m happy I found one at such a good price.
• A "Keep Calm and Go Shopping" case.
• A Blue Speck Case from AT&T

 I think I’m about covered on cell phone cases for a while.

My favorite would have to be the penguin cover in the winter. What cell phone cases do you have? Which is your favorite?