i ♥ IG

I have been loving instagram more and more since getting an iPhone 5 just before Christmas (thanks mom & dad!), and being able to play with a bunch of new apps.

some of my faves are AfterLight, VSCO, XnView Fx, and of course the new photo app from the lovely ladies over at A Beautiful Mess.

I also love, love love Chantelle's (aka fatmumslim) photo prompts. they are so inspiring and fun! not only do they encourage me to take photos every day, but they challenge me to interpret the prompt in a number of different ways, and maybe gain some new perspectives. AND to my absolute surprise, Chantelle has featured two of my photos on her instagram account in the past couple weeks. how amazing is that? twice I logged into instagram to find way more notifications than I'm used to (which is anything more than 5, ha!) to find that she had shared my photos. I'm being super nerdy about it, but I was just so excited! what an amazing lady!

if you have instagram, you should totes leave your username in a comment and I will check out your feed. or check mine out! my username is sofia_maria. happy gramming!

penpaling

I have always loved writing letters. I've had penpals since I was very young. have I outgrown it at 25? certainly not. in a world that's going all-digital, handwritten letters and printed books or magazines are on the road to becoming obsolete. I still can't read a novel on a screen, and emailing back and forth just doesn't feel as special as writing a letter, mailing it, and waiting for it to reach its destination, as the recipient waits for its arrival.

my friend kimmie (from australia!) and I have each written each other one letter, and it's already so much fun! I love finding little extras to stuff inside the envelopes as well :) I was also penpaling with my friend laura a while back. I'm not sure why we didn't keep it up, but I'm sure it was my fault. maybe I'll have to surprise her with another note soon! I'm on a letter-writing kick if anyone wants to join!

may birchbox

what is in ze box:
amika Obliphica nourishing hair mask
Sumita color contrast eyeliner, black
COOLA classic SPF 30 cucumber moisturizer
Marvis toothpaste in classic strong mint

lifestyle extra:
Runa Guayusa Tea

this month's theme was beauty diaries, so my box came with a mad lib on the reverse side of the card that lists the box's contents.

all the products this month seem pretty awesome. the Sumita eyeliner is just how it is described - smooth to apply and long-lasting. my only complaint is that I didn't get a fun color! black eyeliner is so boring! but it's a nice formula anyway.

I haven't tried anything else yet, but I can't see myself hating anything. the tea seems awesome, and I drink it at work often. I've never had or heard of guayusa, but I am hearing good things in other blogger's reviews. maybe I'll have to put it in my desk because I keep forgetting to make myself a cup!

the Coola moisturizer is hypoallergenic, so hopefully it won't make me break out, and the hair mask seems interesting; I've never used one. I know this sounds silly, but lots of people complained about a pen in this month's birchbox. I just want to say to those people... YOU CAN SEND YOUR PENS TO ME. I am so jealous. I am a pen hoarder. just last week, I ordered a set of colored Sharpie pens from amazon. le sigh. this tea better be really good ;)

if you want to receive 4-5 deluxe beauty products in your mailbox every month, sign up here. it's pretty frickin' awesome.

life lately...

...has been crazy. this new job has been very stressful, and the person who had it before me left me with quite the mess to clean up. but, I have been trying to enjoy the little things. I regret not spending more time on this blog. on the weekends, I try to think of things to write, but I always convince myself that nothing is worth writing about. I think I just need some guidance. I need a plan. if anyone has any suggestions on effective blog planning, I'd love to hear it!

things I love today: instagram faves

{via mikevfmk}

{via skyem}

{via annirezac}

 {via truelane}
ps- did you know that Chelsea was recently featured in Verily magazine? too cool!

{via myhertsgard}

{via cindyloughridge}

{via eickyeicky}

{via johanludvig}

taking a breather

I don't even have a good excuse for my absence. I have been present on the blogosphere, reading and commenting on other blogs, but I just can't seem to organize any interesting thoughts inside my own head. is that sad?

work has been crazy busy. and somehow, I feel like I keep falling further behind. I feel like I've barely got my head above water, but I'm trying.

yoga is helping. I go at least 3 times a week. I am getting so much more flexible, it's crazy. I mean, I'm just starting to be able to touch my toes, but I wasn't even close before.

and amazingly, we found an apartment that we love in an area that we love even more. half mile for Jordan to get to work/school, half mile from the farmers' market, half mile from the center of downtown. not sure how we got to it first, but it's such a huge relief. never have I been so happy about the prospect of moving. in a couple months, I'll be writing again about how much I hate moving.

I just can't wait to walk everywhere and take a billion photos live the city life.

april birchbox

this month's theme was tiny tweaks, big results. hey, I'm all for it. plus, partnering with Women's Health is pretty cool.

in ze box:

• Caudalie Divine Oil
• Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle
• Hail Merry Macaroons in choco
• Supergoop!® Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Cream
• and Mirenesse Glossy Kiss in Quick Kiss

let me first say that these choco macaroons were the best thing I've ever eaten. who knew that something raw, vegan, and gluten-free could taste so darn good?!

I also love love LOVE the Mirenesse lip pencil. mix between a gloss, lipstick and stain? good. Aussie brand? goooood. perfect orangey-red color? SO GOOD!

I honestly don't know what to do with the Caudalie Divine Oil... I don't think it's non-comedogenic, so I'm certainly not going to put it on my face, but it smells really good. I might try it on my hair, if it doesn't make it too oily. what else can I do with it?

I have not used the leave-in conditioner yet. BUT, I am growing out my hair, and with my love of driving with the windows down in nice weather, I'm bound to have to start using a comb again for the first time in a couple years. bah. dreading it, but hopefully this stuff helps. plus, is also shields the sun.

and I know the Supergoop! is supposed to be really good stuff, and I'm all for anti-aging (my friend in the industry told me that anti-aging products work better as preventative products when you're younger versus remedial products when you're older). I just hope it doesn't irritate my skin or make me break out.

want 5 amazing beauty samples delivered to your door each month? click here to learn more about Birchbox, or to sign up! it's pretty awesome.