Birchbox Unboxing September

Birthdays are always fun, and celebrating Birchbox's Birthday was no exception. I have been a Birchbox subscriber for one year, and September's box was filled with some pretty nice treats. The design of the packaging was my favorite of the whole year, with a confetti motif on the top  lid and black and white graphics on the bottom, the contrast made it pop with bright, cheery color!

The patio party was complete with beautiful boxes from the year, and delicious cupcakes from Nadia Cakes, which I could not wait to eat after the video taping.









I think my most favorite product in this box was the Milk Highlighter, which I use bring a glow to my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose.  I will be buying the full size ($24.00) for sure!




Next, I had the opportunity to buy a fabulous add-on from Stila:

Love, Love, Love these Stila Matte Lipsticks!

The Stila Matte About You Liquid Lipstick Trio ($20.00) comes in a pretty reusable pouch. The lipcolors are great for fall, and like my other Stila matte, they stay on all day through lecture, lunch, tea and smooches!



Birchbox is only 9.99 a month. You get 5 samples to try, and you can earn points by reviewing the products and purchasing full sized versions in the Birchbox store. I like Birchbox because I do not have to go all over town hunting for makeup and skin care products; I get to sample quality items in a beautifully wrapped box that I can keep! It's my little special something for myself each month.

     If you love birthdays and cupcakes, you'll enjoy this video! Watch my unboxing and subscribe to  my channel.

Visiting Southcoast Botanic Gardens

Salvias are some of my favorites...I especially love the purple ones!

    There is nothing like a Sunday Funday when I am alone with my camera in a beautiful, quiet place. I get an opportunity to be by myself with my thoughts, taking time to enjoy the little things in life. My visit to Southcoast Botanic Gardens was like that: rambling among the many beautiful flowers gave me a sense of calm that only comes when we say yes to allowing ourselves time for solace.

The dahlias...so many varieties...

    Purples, reds, oranges and other vibrant colors greeted me at every winding turn. I used this time to focus on practicing with my Nikon Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens, so I did not take any other lens into the park with me to insure my dedication to working to achieve the affects I've desired.  When I reviewed my shots later that day, I was pleased with what I saw.  The time by myself enabled me to focus with not only my eye, but with my attention to what I saw.  Most people say that you cannot take a bad flower picture, but I've learned you can take awful ones. There is more than one way to shoot a flower, and I think that is the most important thing I learned while I was among these stunning blooms that were the finale of the summer. 

These pretty white flowers were a challenge for me to focus, but I like the outcomes of these shots the most.

Roses always win! 

The park had a huge pumpkin patch that was growing giant pumpkins. This one had traveled out
of the gate!

This giant pumpkin rests lazily in the green of the patch. 

An orange dahlia

These were in the dahlia garden. I thought these flowers were
so unusual, and since they were purple, they became instant favorites!

Simply gorgeous!

Keeping the flowers company...

I learned something on this day: Alone time is very good for you. As a photographer, one should learn to be
comfortable with the solitary in order to achieve mental focus and to improve skills.