Christian vs. Christ-like

I've struggled with this for most of my life. I want to be a "good Christian." I look at other people that I consider "good Christians" as role models. 

Mrs. so-and-so gets up early to have quiet time with God every morning. 

That guy volunteers at a homeless shelter two evenings a week. 

She holds small groups at her house for the young women in church. 

He hasn't missed a Sunday service in years. 

Not that role models are a bad thing. I have learned a lot of ways to get to know God better through my brothers and sisters in Christ.

But when I am looking for a role model, I don't often look to Jesus, the only perfect person to walk the Earth. 

Why do I not look at the guy who loved everyone, even (or especially) his enemies?

Why do I not look at the guy who died so that one day I can fiesta with him and his dad up in heaven?

Why do I not look at the guy who ate with sinners, tax collectors, and lepers?  

I'm not sure. I don't know if it's because that seems unrealistic to me. Or maybe it's easier for me to feel like a good Christian by adding an extra bible study in instead of by by loving EVERYONE, including those who seem unlovable. 

But this is my declaration to try and live as a Christ-follower instead of a "good Christian". Maybe if we tried to do this, Christians wouldn't get such a bad (and most often rightly deserved) reputation. 

End rant. 

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Jordan

Influenster College VoxBox Review

I am a member at Influenster, which is a site that sends out complimentary items for people to try out, share their thoughts, and review. It has been a good experience and has exposed me to some incredible products!

So this time they sent me a Uni VoxBox, which was filled with all things college related! I'm going to give you the good, the bad, and whether I would repurchase each item. Let's get started!

Love the cute packaging!

1. imPress Press On Manicure
I was surprised at how much I liked these! I am used to the ghetto fake nails that have messy glue and pop off right away. These nails had a tab that you pulled of to expose the stickiness, and then you pressed them on and are good to go!

They are the perfect length for me!

The instructions said to file your nail bed a bit to help the nail adhere more. I did that to a few nails and it did help. The nails that popped off the soonest were the ones I did not file.
Overall, these are great for a special occasion. I would not where them everyday as they do not stick as well as acrylics and would need to be replaces fairly often. But for a wedding or special date, these are affordable and look amazing! I am contemplating buying another set just to feel pretty for finals week...(Don't judge!)
Repurchase: Yes, for special occasions.

Mmmmm tea :)

2. Red Rose Real Tea Premium Water Enhancer 
This was a lot tastier than I thought it would be! It works like many water enhancers, where you squeeze the bottle into a glass of water and can control how much flavor you'd like. It has a nice tea flavor that is on the sweet side (sweeter is always better for me!), is only 5 calories, and is very portable.
My only complaint is that I am not a huge fan of the ingredient sucralose, which is in many "diet" products. It's the way they keep the taste good while still keeping the calories low. While this will not be my tea of choice, as I'd rather sweeten my tea with sugar or stevia, I may keep it on hand when I'm feeling lazy and craving some tea.
Repurchase: Maybe if I'm feeling lazy...but most likely I'll just use this bottle up and be done.

They did their job...

3. Playtex Sport Fresh Balance
I won't go into too much detail about tampons on this blog, but I will say that I liked these and they did their job well. I would repurchase them if they weren't more expensive than my usual Tampax Pearl, but I did enjoy the scent and experienced no leaking.
Repurchase: If the price is right, then yes.
Okay, moving on...

Love and Blessings to my readers :)

4. Pilot Pen Acroball Pen
While I have to say I am not very particular with my pens, I did like this one. The grip was nice, it wrote smoothly, and left a nice and dark mark when I wrote. I've been getting my use out of this pen during the busy end of semester work I've been up to my eyeballs in!
Repurchase: No. It was a great pen, but I usually just buy the cheapest ones I can find.

Yay for full size lipstick!

5. NYC Expert Last Lipstick in Forever Fuchsia
 This lipstick really does last! I put it on before we cleaned our apartment (and this was right before my parents came, so you know I was doing some deep and busy cleaning!), and it did not fade after the end of the day! It goes on smoothly and is very pigmented.
Actually, a little too pigmented for this color on me...
Repurchase: Next time I need a new lipstick, I may try out this one in a different shade. 

A little much for my face...

But after blotting it a bit, it isn't too bad. I'm sure another color might be more flattering on my pale skin.

And lastly, my favorite product of this box...

This is the holy grail of drugstore foundation!

5. Revlon London Stay Matte Foundation
I am in love with this stuff! It is my new go-to foundation, and I thought I found my favorite drugstore foundation years ago! It is almost a mouse consistency, and is fairly full coverage. I apply it with a damp beauty blender sponge, and it comes out like this:

Left is before, right is after plus translucent powder and blush

I love how well it matches my skin tone, and how natural it looks with just the foundation and a little blush. I will definitely be repurchasing this one! My only complaint is how is accentuates my dry spots, but that is a problem with every foundation, so I digress.
Repurchase: Yes, yes, a billion times yes!

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Faye