thrift haul // books

I have been avoiding the book shelves in the thrift store until I can read and move out some of my vast modest collection I currently own. However, I stopped by recently and hit the motherlode! I love baseball books, so Moneyball by Michael Lewis and It's Outta Here by Bill Gutman had to come home with me. At one point I was really into floral arranging and I think I'd like to get back into that, so I snagged a vintage The Art of Flower Arranging by Jan Hall and Sarah Waterkeyn and Designs by Nature by Terence Moore for some inspiration. Insomnia by Stephen King is actually one I haven't read, and I believe this is a first edition. The King pickings are slim since I've read so much of his work.

But my absolute favorite find was The Total Book of Houseplants by Russell C. Mott. The illustrations are gorgeous and I'm excited to glean what knowledge I can from it. Stay tuned!

What great things have you found lately while thrifting?

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link love

After hating sweet potatoes for years I've grown to like them. I think I want to try this burger or these Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Potatoes.

This story of a man nursing a hummingbird back to health is adorable.

I love not only the tutorial for air layering a dieffenbachia in this, but the great story behind this plant.

Sadly, Wet n Wild is no longer cruelty free.

This article about coriander and ladybugs helping fight aphids is pretty interesting!

Don't forget about sending your old (washed) mascara wands to Wands for Wildlife in October and February! And a note - they don't want new wands.

If you haven't read The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison, go read it like I did, and I'm so excited that the feature rights for it have been optioned!!!


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

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Art of Hoping

unboxing // ipsy march 2019

Woooo, this post is late. I've been so busy I just got around to photographing March's Ipsy box. Here we go!

The bag this month is cute, but not something I'd use. It says 'and she went off to change the world', which was fitting for National Women's History Month.

Trissola Intense Hydrating Mask // link // This mask claims to hydrate and improve manageability. I don't really have a moisture issue with my hair, but if I did this looks promising! I'll likely gift this. I can't really confirm if it's cruelty free or not, either.

First Aid Beauty Hello FAB Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer // link // Y'all. If this does what it claims, I will be a loyal patron for life. I love products that eliminate other products, and this is supposed to moisturize while minimizing fine lines and pores as a primer. I love First Aid Beauty! They're cruelty free and their Ultra Repair Cream does wonders for my eczema.

PÜR Afterglow Mini Highlighting Skin Perfecting Powder // link // I was excited about this until I realized that it won't stick to my palette*. If you're going to send something like this, put it in real packaging or put it in a pan that sticks to magnetic palettes! I do like powder products like this, so hopefully I can get past the packaging.

IBY Beauty Eyeshadow in Headliner // link // I was delighted to get this little eyeshadow! IBY is cruelty free and I had just finished up my office go to single shadow. The shade is right up my alley and it blended nicely when I swatched it.

tarte Maneater Voluptuous Mascara // link // At one point I was down to half a tube of mascara and now it seems like I have fifty. I haven't tried this, though, but I've wanted to. I like the brush and that tarte is cruelty free.

Overall I'm pretty happy with this bag (with the exception of that bad packaging by Pur). I still have April's to photograph, but I have decided to drop to receiving them every other month so I can continue to use up some older products.

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plant travels

I have a pretty extensive plant collection almost entirely comprised of houseplants. I'm addicted. Throughout RVA there are tons of nurserys, plant shops, and garden centers. Here are a few of the gorgeous plants I've encountered!

This one isn't actually in RVA, but I noticed this Hot Cocoa Rose bush in a nursery in Maryland and I love it. The color is amazing. If these did well in containers I'd already have one!

These pitcher plants were right here in my backyard! A local nursery had them and I was so impressed with how nice they looked. I could keep these inside but don't quite have the room for them.

 

These are all from my favorite greenhouse. They have such a massive selection and I love just wandering through staring at all of the amazing plants.

I hope to start an inventory of sorts here soon with all of the lovelies I have at home. ♥


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brunch & plants

Last Saturday all of us gals who work part time at the kitchen met up for brunch. Admittedly this was my first experience ever...am I last the last millennial on the planet to have brunch? That aside, we met up at the aptly named restaurant, Brunch, in Richmond and it was absolutely amazing.

Brunch is fairly new and is the morning counterpart of Lunch.Supper, which is also absolutely amazing. I'm really fortunate to live in a city with such fantastic food. I had the smoked salmon cake bennie with dill-dijon hash browns and I would happily eat that every morning for the rest of my life. That fresh house hollandaise was the highlight of my month. Of course I had to order a side of the Supper collards, which might possibly be the best collard greens I've ever eaten. I don't think I've mentioned how good the food was, have I?

The atmosphere is great and I love the painted (wallpaper?) floral pattern on the walls and (of course) the many boxes lining the ceiling that teemed with plants. After spending a few hours screeching like a bunch of hens and seeing our favorite chef, I headed over to the Lewis Ginter PlantFest with my friends Carrie and Kelly.

This was the first year I've been and it was great! I picked up a 13lb bag of worm castings, a purple basil baby, a citronella plant for my balcony (which I've already started propagating!), a purple pepper plant, a cute little ogre ear, and some yarrow. I'm almost ready to move my seedlings outside so these were some nice additions to my plant collection.

How was your weekend?

♥


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link love

I found Lauren Sumner Studio on Instagram and I have fallen in love with the leaf pottery.

The whole ordeal with Tyler Wade being called up to the majors, taking an Uber from Scranton to New York, arriving during the 7th inning, AND the Yankees picking up the fare just cracks me up for some reason.

I'm loving these succulent pots!

After seeing a viral post on Facebook, I found out that Buster lives at pretty much the best hotel ever.

There's a new species of wasp named after the Zygons on Doctor Who.

West Elm has some really amazing planters and stands!

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Belle Hunt

empties #19

It's taken me a little to gather up some empties and then I realized that I had a bunch. But here we go! As usual, I'll only be labeling the products that are not cruelty free, but always double check as I can make mistakes.

Soapbox Argan Oil Shampoo // This is the older packaging, so it's really really old. It still worked nicely up until I finally used it up, though! I like that Soapbox donates a bar of soap every time something is purchased, so I'd definitely get this again.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub // not cruelty free // I got this for Christmas. I know this is bad for your face, but it exfoliates so well. Since it's not cf I won't pick it up myself, but I'm always thankful for gifts like this.

e.lf. Hydrating Face Primer* // You get a tiny amount of product in these little containers, but they're cheap and work fairly well. I pick them up when I see them at Marshall's and TJMaxx.

Skin & Co Roma Anti-Aging Serum // cruelty free status unknown // I think I got this in a Walmart beauty box or with an Ulta order. This little sample was nice, but I didn't see how it did much for my skin.

Greenman Gardens CBD Oil // cruelty free // This was my first foray into cbd oil. I'd get this again.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA // I didn't really like the cakey consistency of this moisturizer, but it did it's job. I'm not sure I'd get it again, though.

Some hotel samples picked up.This year I've told him to only pick up the brand name items like Paul Mitchell, since they're cruelty free.

e.l.f. BB Cream* // I don't remember which shade I picked up of this, likely the lightest. I loved using this for a quick face on days I'm running behind because it blends easily and doesn't oxidize quickly.

Estee Lauder Eyeshadow Single in Cinnamon // not cruelty free // This was one of my favorite shades that I've probably held on to for years. I dropped it on the sink and it split right before panning it, so I pushed the pieces back in and used it until it was powder. I have yet to find a true dupe for this and the color has been discontinued (even though I wouldn't buy it because it's not cruelty free), but I'll keep searching.

Revlon Colorstay Shadow Stick in Atomic // not cruelty free // I've had this for WAY too long. I tried using it up, even slapping it on as a primer (which actually worked well?), but I just got sick of it and threw it in my empties box. The taupe side was a nice shimmery shade, and the other side was a sage green that didn't really work for me. Revlon isn't cruelty free, so I won't rebuy.

B&BW Body Mist in Paris Amour // not cruelty free // I received this for Christmas years ago. I used in my car as a little refresher.

B&BW Hand Cream in Witch Please // not cruelty free // This was a gift and I kept this on my desk and it was a nice hand cream.

J.Lo Miami Glow Perfume // cruelty free status unknown // I've had this bottle for years and I love this scent. I'd totally get it again if I could find out if J.Lo's line was cruelty free.

Estee Lauder Pleasures Perfume // not cruelty free // I wore this to use it up because I've had this one even longer than the Miami Glow. I got a lot of compliments on it, but sadly EL isn't cruelty free.

Samples! I've received so many of these lately it seems like. I'll just run through them quickly. I liked the 100% Pure Kelp & Mint Shampoo*, but those packets were so hard to open. I keep getting the Clinique (not cruelty free) moisturizers and don't really care for them but don't want to waste them. I liked the Ulta Makeup Remover Wipes* and would repurchase. I think the Nivea Aloe Vera Lotion (not cruelty free) sample came from a magazine and it was mediocre, and the Olay Daily Facials Wipe (not cruelty free) worked well but tests on animals. The Sephora Cleansing Cream (not cruelty free) came in an order and was just okay. The big hit here, though, was the Bliss Makeup Melt*, which worked SO WELL with removing my eye makeup! I'm definitely going to order some of that.

So there's another pile of my trash. What have you used up lately?


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

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link love

Since I can't afford that Gucci belt, I might just settle for this one.

There's now cactus flower stamps and my always favorite, dragons!

The Bearpaw footwear company now has a vegan line!

I'm fascinated by venus fly traps.

My house has been needing some wall art and I love this Pups & Plants print.

How America blew it on arugula.


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.* Steve Johnson

review // Maple Holistics Silk18 shampoo

**I was compensated for this post by receiving a free product to review from Maple Holistics. This review is my own honest opinion.

I recently received a bottle of Maple Holistics' Silk18 Shampoo and was so excited to try it out! I've received product from them before and really liked the tea tree shampoo, so when they contacted me about their Silk18, I jumped at the chance.

This shampoo is said to achieve stronger, smoother, more luscious hair with the help of 18 silk amino acids and oils such as argan and jojoba. It's cruelty free and paraben and sulfate free.

I have straight, fine hair that knots easily. I haven't colored it in almost a decade, but deal with breakage some so while Silk18 is recommended for damaged hair, which I don't really have, I could always use a boost. And I felt a difference after just one use! My hair felt silkier and didn't knot as easily. I thought it did a nice job on my scalp, too, since I have constant itchiness and flaking (ugh, gross). It soothed the skin and even helped the eczema in my hairline a bit. I'll definitely be adding this one to my repeat buy list!


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

unboxing // ipsy february 2019

I recently signed up for Ipsy, a monthly beauty subscription service. You fill out a beauty quiz, let them know what you'd like to receive, and they send you five products for you to try out and review. I'm always late to everything and wasn't really a fan of subs, but I've realized I tend to buy the same things over and over, so I thought it would be a great way to branch out. Ipsy is not an exclusively cruelty free service, so I'm going to do my best to research and try to see what is cruelty free. It seems like this month's was entirely cruelty free (with the exception of my free gift of the Clinique). As always, check for yourself as I'm human. :)

Here's what I received in February's bag!

Ipsy Pink Pouch with Lip Print // I don't really need any more makeup bags, so this will likely be gifted to someone.

Meech N Mia Pressed Eyeshadow in Taupe // cruelty free // I was hoping for the taupe shade, but now that I have it I'm not sure how well it'll fit into my collection. It swatched a little purple, but that may just be me. I'm going to give it a shot, though!

Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Flash Perfection Exfoliating Treatment // cruelty free // I'm all about some skin care and I've heard good things about this.

Pixi by Petra Glow Tonic // cruelty free // I've been wanting to try this so badly and I'm so glad I got a sample! I'm going to use this up in place of my normal toner and see how it works.

Kokie Cosmetics Be Bright Illuminating Concealer in Light // cruelty free // I really like the striped top and doe foot applicator. Hopefully it doesn't come out too light for me.

Belle En Argent Auteur Creme Lip Color in I'll Bring Dessert // cruelty free // This color is great! The formula seemed to apply smoothly when I swatched it.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey // not cruelty free // This was a free gift for signing up. It's not cruelty free so I'm not going to replace it once I use it up, but it's a nice color for the office.


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

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review // Diamond Candles pumpkin espresso

Last fall I scored a Diamond Candle for 30% off, so I thought I'd save it for the apartment. I actually have no sense of smell, so it's more a novelty for me to burn candles. However, this one offered a little prize in the form of a ring. You can potentially get a higher value ring, but typically they're just costume pieces. I chose the Pumpkin Espresso scent.

I started it one Saturday morning. It had a little frosting, but it didn't affect the candle's burning. However, it did start tunneling a few hours into burning, which isn't something you want your candles to do. I try to always burn candles long enough for them to evenly distribute wax to prevent tunneling, so unfortunately it wasn't my burning technique.

According to a friend, the scent throw of this wasn't doing too hot, especially since I live in a tiny one bedroom.

Here you can see the foil packet finally revealing itself. It took about 10-12 hours to get to this point, over a few days. I didn't reach for this candle as much as the others since it doesn't have a lot of smell to it.

 This is the little foil piece once I pried it out with some tweezers. It was attached to the side of the candle and came out fairly easily. The ring itself was well protected and was inside a small bag in the foil.

And here's the ring reveal! It's worth $10 and honestly isn't really anything I'd ever wear, but it's fairly nice for a cheap costume piece.

Final verdict? I don't think I'll be ordering another Diamond Candle just because the candle itself wasn't super amazing. It was a fun experience and the ring was an added bonus, but I can get candles with a better scent throw elsewhere. I'll likely finish burning it because we already have it, but this will be the last one.

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

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link love

Some odd part of me really wants to try this cruelty free and vegan cheese curd lip balm or maybe the pizza version.

I ordered this rug for our apartment when we first moved in and it has been a GODSEND. Mud and water doesn't stand a chance with this at the door.

Duke University is leading a study about Cuvier's beaked whales and how they are the deepest diving mammal, even defying mammalian physiology!

Here's a list of some cruelty free and vegan laundry products!

Jess has an amazing pasta recipe over on Writing in Red Lipstick!

I've always loved Stay Home Club, but I'm really liking this beanie.

Instagram confirmed a bug that has altered follower counts.

Viktor Juric

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

marshall's mini cruelty free haul

I stopped at Marshall's one day after work to pick up another dog bed for Tucker and perused the cosmetics aisle for a bit. Stores like Marshall's can have some really awesome finds, but you have to be careful and make sure the beauty products haven't been opened or swatched (because ew). I lucked out and picked up this Too Faced Melted Latex liquid lipstick in Hopeless Romantic for $5.99 and a Pacifica Cactus Revive Milk to Foam Face Wash for $4.99.

This lipstick is a gorgeous color and from how it performed on my arm, it has staying power. I had to use a lip color remover* to get it off completely after smearing it all over the place. It'll be a nice muted color for the office. I think the Latex line might be phasing out and the cleanser is discontinued, so snag the lipstick while you can!

Found anything good lately? ♥


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

review // stasher silicone storage bags

I've been trying to use less plastic in every day life and it's astounding how prevalent plastic is in almost everything. Luckily, I have a pretty awesome friend in Jess, who gave me a set of Stasher Bags for Christmas.

Stasher bags are silicone, non-porous and BPA free. They seal really well and are pliable and easy to use. Pictured is the Jade Snack and a Jade Sandwich came in the two pack as well! They were also packaged only in cardboard, which I recycled.

You can use these for soooo many things. I use them for food, obviously, but you can use them for airtight, water resistent protection for your phone or makeup as well! They're freezer and microwave and dishwasher safe, and you can even use them for sous vide cooking.

If you're looking to start eliminating plastic, definitely check out Stasher bags!


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

link love

I recently bought some Invisibobble* Slim hair ties and absolutely love them!

Tomato sandwiches are one of my favorite meals. Here are 17 ways to build one!

This vase is so cute.

I don't have many pairs of post earrings, but they'd look great in this jewelry box.

Now that Covergirl is CRUELTY FREE (!!) I've been looking at their products. I ordered their Clean Matte BB Cream* and I love it.

Here are some pleasing Harry Potter facts to cheer you up.

Sergei Akulich
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target clearance haul // cruelty free beauty

 Who doesn't love clearance scores?? While waiting for the pharmacy to open one Sunday I wandered around the cosmetics aisles of Target. I typically avoid these because I have so many products and I'm supposed to be on a no buy. Well...I broke it a little. Here's what I scored!

 I love Pacifica's products and picked up their Mineral SPF Body Butter in Blood Orange for only $4.18! It's regularly $14. This will come in handy for the baseball season. I snap up cheap sunscreen whenever I can! The Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush in Mellow Wine was the first item I found in a bin on an endcap for only $2.08, which isn't a far cry from it's original price but I take what I can get. I snagged the little Soap & Glory Peach Pout Completely Balmy Lipstick in Peach Ball for only $4.98 with an additional 25% off via Cartwheel. The last item is Profusion Cosmetics Smoky Eyes Palette for a mere $3.48! 

 The colors in this are right up my alley. I've been trying to get away from just brown looks, so I'm hoping to incorporate the grays and blues and blacks of this palette.

I love anything peach related and this lipstick doesn't disappoint! It's a pretty peachy color that isn't too overpowering and perfect for the office.

What have you scored lately? ♥


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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

2019 reading challenge

Another year finished! I almost completed my reading challenge for 2018 with 42 of 50 books read. It had initially started out as 55 books that I wanted to read, but I knew that wouldn't happen later in the year so I lowered it. You can check out my 2018 in books here!

In 2019, I'd like to read 50 books. I've managed to carve out some time a little better for reading and I've taken a different approach in recent months. I read what I want to read, not what I force myself to read to clear space. It's helped me enjoy the books I choose more. Check out my challenge progress in the widget in the sidebar or at this link.

Be sure to add me on Goodreads so we can connect via books!

Alfons Morales

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