Pen Out

A few days ago I woke up to my brand spankin' new white duvet cover colored on...with pen. I freaked out. I think that's needless to say if you know me. This is our fifth or sixth bedding set lost to the destruction of sneaky children. Ok some of it was us.

But I refused to be beat by this!! My husband came over and ever so sympathetically held me and me that it was going to be ok. So I immediately went online and found a bunch of solutions for getting pen out of fabric. 

Some of the solutions were using rubbing alcohol. Others claimed that foam shaving cream worked. And others suggested hairspray. But to be careful because hairspray may ruin some fabrics.

So this is what I did:

Upon seeing the catastrophe I screamed my head off.

I snapped a pic(of course duh!) and then I let me husband comfort me. Then I got to work.

I chose to use Zoya's 3-in-1 Remove nail polish remover first. It's acetone free and they are a safe nail varnish company. You know vegan approved and all.

I soaked the cotton balls in the solution. Then with a towel under the pen marks started to dab and hold the cotton ball in place. What really freaked me out was the fact the the pen spread first before being absorbed into the towel.

After treating all the areas, I diluted with water. The remover is purple and I didn't want it to dye the duvet cover. Not all the pen came out with the nail polish remover, so I used shaving cream. That did nothing.

And in a last ditch effort I used Tresemme's hairspray. I sprayed it directly onto the pen marks and then immediately after soaked the area in water. I didn't even wait.

This was the result.

Pretty impressive huh? There are no left over marks. At all. Then of course I had to peel the pain-in-the-butt duvet cover off of the comforter and wash the whole thing and then put it back on. That was extremely hard considering 1, it's heavy and 2, it's hard to lift things because I'm pregnant.

But when all is said in done I am extremely happy with the results of this home made pen out solution.

Have any of you had any seemingly impossible stains that have been removed successfully? Or even unsuccessfully? Share your stories!! I would love to hear from you!

January Birchbox

Today couldn't have come fast enough!!! I feel so spoiled to get little presents in the mail every month. It's like my birthday!! :-) I got so used to Christmas and signing up for Birchbox and Julep Maven all in one month, I kind of expect it now. I am not let down with this month's supply of goodies let me tell ya!! One of them I ate already(just blame the pregnancy cravings lol). 

Now I just, like just got this in the mail. The only thing that I have tried was the edible sample lol. But I'm going to go through what I have received as my dedication to the service.

From left to right:

Juicy Couture: Juicy Couture

Just tried it. Smells very flowery to me. It reminds me of spring time. With all the blossoms coming to life and the warm rays of sunlight. Mmm I could imagine this forever...

VMV Hypoallergenics: Re-everything Eye Serum

This as described is the type A overachiever eye serum. It packs a punch to knock out puffiness, dark circles and fine lines. Use in the morning and evening under your eye for best results. 

Befine Night Cream

This is, you guessed it, a night cream. It contains rice bran and cocoa. The rice bran in this moisturizer increases the elasticity in the skin. And the cocoa has caffeine which increases the circulation in the skin.

Zoya Nail Polish in Megan

This nail color is part of the Feel Collection by Zoya. Zoya is a special company in that it produces without formaldehyde, toluene or dibutyl phthalate. Formaldehyde as we know is used mostly in preserving specimens for dissection. But here is a link explaining the many everyday uses of formaldehyde. Uses of formaldehyde.

Toluene is a clear, water-insoluble liquid with the typical smell of paint thinners. It is a solvent used in most common nail polishes. It is also used as an inhalant drug for it's intoxicating properties. But if inhaled can cause severe neurological damage. 

Dibutyl Phthalate is a plasticizer. It also serves as an additive to adhesives or printing inks. More information on Dibutyl Phthalate.

After reading up on all of this information. I think I'm going to stick with Zoya nail polish lol.

LARABAR Mini Bars

These yummy bars come in a variety of flavors and they really are tasty. The one I had was called Cherry Pie. These bars a healthy and nutritious for you too. Each bar has nine ingredients max. There are no nasty additives and they are vegan friendly too. The additional flavors are: Blueberry Muffin, Carrot Cake, Peanut Butter Cookie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. They're the perfect size to toss in your purse and grab to munch on when you're in a hunger bind.

Julep Maven Mystery Box

Good morning everyone!!!! Have you ever had one of those days where you just wanted to go into a deep sleep for a a day or two to rejuvenate yourself? That's how I feel this morning. 

 It was a late night last night and a rough morning. Hubby was out playing games with his friends, and my mom was over which was cool. But then she left lol. And I was stuck with a groggy 2 year old who doesn't like to sleep if there is any light or noise. Maddalaena, my youngest, has this thing where when she's tired, instead of carrying a lovie she HAS to hold your hand. If you move she freaks out crying and screaming. Non-stop too. And there's no substitute at all!! If you have an itch or a boogie or something, she just won't let you get to it. Not on her life. I transferred her to our bed and went to get some water and she was O-U-T. You could slap her and she wouldn't budge. So now here I am 12am alone in my dark house with my thoughts. And let me tell ya that's some pretty scary stuff lol. I texted my hubby and essentially made him come home. And now he's out helping a friend move into their first house!!! 

Congrats to Mike and Clarice Boardman for purchasing your first home!!!

IMPORTANT!!! Zoya.com is having an amazing deal for the next two days. You can get any two nail colors for free!!! You just type in the code: ZOYA2012 and pay the shipping which is only $6.95. The polishes retail for $8 each. So hurry up this offer expires on January 9th. You only have a couple of days!! Zoya Nail Polish Giveaway. I ordered mine and it's on the way!! 

What's also great about this brand is that it is planet friendly and safe for you to use. 

  Ok onto the better stuff.

About the Mystery Box. It came down to the decision of whether or not I was going to get my monthly Julep box or this super cool mystery deluxe box. Since both were the same $19.99 I chose the bigger gamble. I could receive a box that had up to $200 in merchandise or I could get the regular box which had between $40 and $80 in merchandise. It was a no brainer. I'm going to show the individual items with my review on all of them. I also added links incase you all wanted to become a Julep Maven or just purchase the products.

First up I got the Beautiful Hands To Go Gift Set

Included in this set is a: 30mL or 1 FL OZ of the Julep Facial For Hands Glycolic Hand Scrub

and the 30mL or 1 FL OZ of the Julep Glow On Age Defying Hand Brightener

I love the this set, especially in the winter time. Not only does it smooth your hands by getting rid of the dead skin cells but it also brightens and moisturizes your hands for a youthful glow and appearance. This is originally retails for $22.

Julep Nail Crystal File

This nail file is like no other that I've seen. Honestly for a stay at home mom who doesn't get out much, this was an awesome surprise. A Crystal nail file? Come on!! I mean how cool is that? It's so cute and chic I love the way it feels and it works great. This retailed for $12. Now marked down to $5.99!

Julep Nail Venis in Carrie

It is the epitome of spring and carnival rides. It is a bright, cheery cotton candy pink that goes on smooth and creamy. I love the color but even with a base coat and top coat(2 layers!) it still has a tendency to chip. It's super cute with a navy blue outfit!!

Julep Nail Vernis in Jodie

Jodie is currently not for sale. But I love the maroon-esque of this color. It is subtle and dark with a bit of a metallic fleck. For me this is perfect for those casual days where doing nothing is always an option.

Julep Nail Vernis in Christina 

This has to be my favorite color so far from the Julep line that I have tried. I always thought that I would hate this kind of color. But in reality it is super fun!! It's a great way to add a pop of color to an outfit. It is a deep shimmery orange color that really shimmers when you step into the light.

All of the nail colors retail at $14. And they are awesome!! Go check out the website and a skin care product and nail color that are perfect for you!!