This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
The Starbucks Star Dash is back; May 14th – 27th. If you have a registered Starbucks card, check your email to see if you’ve been invited to participate. As always, each offer will vary by participant, but for me, for 7 stars = 10 bonus stars and 11 stars = 20 bonus.
Did you get the Summer Star Dash offer? What are your favorite summer drinks? I know I’ll be making my own Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers, but you can earn stars for food items too. Hello, chocolate chip cookie!
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Landon Austin
When I first heard about Landon Austin on Youtube, I thought he used auto-tune on his voice. He has a really unique sound, accompanied by an acoustic guitar and his songs are pretty mellow. I am really liking Once In A Lifetime. Even though it’s a slower song, I like to listen to this when I’m running.
The Hunger Games – Catching Fire
This movie was much better than the first. The Capitol establishes new rules in order to surpress a rebellion encouraged by Katniss Everdeen’s breaking the rules in the last Hunger Games. Peacekeepers are enforcing more rules on the different Districts and Katniss and Peeta must fight again in the 75th Hunger Games. If you liked the first movie, you’ll really like the second. By the end, I was holding up my three fingers and whistling the Mockingjay tune!
Chipotle
I’ve been loving Chipotle so much in November. I get a burrito with: white rice, fajita vegetables, sofritas (only served in select states/locations), the green salsa, corn, sour cream, and guacamole. MMMmmm. So good. I’ll sometimes get the chips and guacamole on the side, but only if I’m super hungry.
Nike+ Running
I’m still training for a half marathon, and I’m using the Nike+ Running App to track my runs. Just the other day, I logged my farthest run – 7.25 miles! Yay. I’ve still got a ways to go and a lot more conditioning, but I really like how the Nike+ Running App lets you create goals how you can “race” with your friends. Add me (MuffinChanel) and we can race!
I love Lush baths; especially during the colder months. Relaxing underneath a blanket of bubbles is so perfect. My favorite combination at the moment is The Comforter bubble bar and Think Pink bath bomb & to make it extra amazing, I add a dropper of Josie Maran’s Argan Oil! With this bath ^, I used Sandstone soap to exfoliate and Sweetie Pie shower jelly. Amazing!
Starbucks Holiday Star Dash
I’m so excited that I was selected to participate in the Starbucks Holiday Star Dash. As you can see, I earned my 16 stars and will get the $10 eGift! Yay for those Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers!
Photojojo Macro/Wide Lens
I got this lens for my birthday and it’s awesome. If I have to choose from the three they offer, this is the one I choose. I love it because it is both Macro and a Wide angle lens — just unscrew it to get the Macro.
Rainbow Loom
My little cousins shared their Rainbow Looms with me over Thanksgiving! They taught me how to make the Starburst and Fishtail bracelets! You can get the Rainbow Loom at Michael’s for $17 and each Rubber Band Pack of 600 bands is $4.
Grand Theft Auto 5
I recently bought GTA 5 and it’s so much fun. I have GTA 4 (but I never even finished the story mode), but GTA 5 is so much better. You play as three different characters in story mode & the online mode is so much fun; I’m already on level 16!
Living Proof – Restore
I bought this in my Sephora VIB Rouge haul to try it out and it’s awesome. My hair looks and feels softer and healthier. I’ll repurchase the larger sizes when I run out. I do like these small bottles though; perfect size for traveling.
What have you been loving this November? Let me know in the comments.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Skillful Means by Tarthang Tulku
This book is all about improving your life by being mindful of what is happening right now. I first read this book a couple of years ago and it’s great. How many times are you walking to class or your car or at the mall and you’re on your cell phone? Or how often are you thinking about the XYZ you have to do tomorrow or next week instead of paying attention to what you are doing right now? All we have is the present — this moment. Skillful Means is all about living in the moment you are in; being mindful about what is going on around you. No distractions — just really being self aware and clearing your mind. It’s a great book that will help you focus and appreciate what’s happening all around you.
Starbucks Star Dash
From now until October 1, Starbucks is doing their Star Dash. Basically, it’s another incentive for you to go to Starbucks during certain times of the year in order to accumulate stars to earn a gift card. This “Star Dash” is different from the stars you earn with the Rewards Card, although, you do need a rewards card to participate. Separate from the regular stars you earn with the Rewards Card, these “Star Dash” stars will give you $5 or $10 gift cards depending on how many you get before the deadline. Each transaction will ear you one star. I’m on my way to earning the $10 gift card!
Mediterranean Veggie sandwich (Panera)
New favorite sandwich for sure. I was looking for some meatless options at different restaurants and a friend suggested I try this sandwich from Panera. It’s amazing — lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, red peppers, cilantro/jalepeño hummus, and feta swiss cheese (I prefer swiss) on tomato basil bread. I bought ingredients today to make my own version at home! YAY!
iOS7
I love the clean look and feel of the iOS7 update. I have the iPhone 4S and my camera app is faster and I really like having the “live filters”. Command Center is great and I really like all the new ringtones/sounds. It’s neat to have the option to block contacts and to be able to multi-task between apps.
Clear
Keep track of all your different lists
Pull down to create new items
My September favorites
Lots of themes!
Clear is a simple task management/list application. It’s clean and easy to navigate with lots of color schemes to choose from.
iTunes Radio
iTunes radio is basically like Pandora. I prefer it because it’s already integrated into iTunes and it remembers the songs I’ve listened to and makes it easy for me to purchase them if I choose. You can create your own “stations” and mark that you like certain songs. There’s even a Top 100 iTunes radio and you can listen to a shuffle of all the Top 100 songs on iTunes. I think this is awesome for getting high quality audio for more than just a preview of a song you might be interested in buying.
The Killers – Shot At The Night
It was actually through iTunes Radio that I first heard “Shot At The Night”. ^^^
The Killers songs are always a little vague, but this one seems to be about taking this once in a lifetime opportunity to get out of a situation that is stale and move on to a life that is exciting and full of happiness. I love this. Plus who doesn’t love a nice 80’s synth ballad! Yay for new music from The Killers! I’m excited for Direct Hits to come out in November.
Lighted Makeup Mirror
This mirror is great for applying makeup or tweezing your brows. With 8xs magnification and 360 degree rotation, you’ll be sure to see exactly what you are doing!
SEPHORA COLLECTION – Pro Stippling Brush #44
I’m surprised this brush doesn’t have better reviews online. A lot of people are saying the brush sheds, but I’ve never experienced any shedding. I really like this brush. I use it to apply my Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Foundation. The brush gives my skin an even, airbrushed yet natural look. The natural and synthetic fibers work together to give a streak-free application that looks great all day.
This dress is super cute. I bought it for a friend’s wedding next month but I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it. The lace design is really pretty, but durable — this isn’t some dainty-be-careful-or-it’ll-rip lace. The A-line makes it flattering for all body shapes and it’s very comfortable on.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
If you enjoy Starbucks and go there often, you should definitely register for My Starbucks Rewards. For every purchase you make with your registered Rewards Card, you will earn a star. With just one star, you’ll be able to get a free drink or food on your birthday. How awesome is that?!
Once you’ve earned 5 stars, you are a Green Level. You’ll still get the birthday drink or food, and you get free refills on certain drinks during your visit.
After acquiring 30 stars within a year, you’re Gold Level — VIP! You’ll get a fancy “gold card” in the mail and, for every 12 stars you earn, you’ll get a free drink or food! Definitely a nice treat — just make sure you let them know you have a free drink/food before you show them your card. Your barista won’t know you have a free item waiting unless you tell her. You can redeem your rewards whenever you want before their expiration date for any food or drink. It’s a better value to redeem for a drink than a food item and size doesn’t matter either — I always get a trenta size when I redeem my free drink.
Sometimes Starbucks has special bonus star promotions — like earlier this year when they gave an additional star when you bought a Refresher.
It’s really easy to manage all of your stars through the Starbucks app for iPhone as well. It lets you see how many stars you have, how many you’ll need until your next free drink, and lets you add funds to your card. You can even pay directly from your phone at Starbucks or you can use the Starbucks Passbook app which I prefer.
It’s a fast and convenient way for you to get rewarded for buying drinks you’re already going to buy.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
