Live Lavishly with Groupon Coupons

FTC Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

If you don't know by now, I am a fan of Groupon! They have coupons that work for all of my hobbies and lifestyle preferences. From dining out to spa days, wine, clothes, books, and electronics. I could go on and on about what I've purchased from Groupon.  I enjoy the coupon side of Groupon because I'm able to get services and products that I love without breaking the bank.

The thing that I love the most about Groupon Coupons is that it's completely free. No fees or membership dues to partake in the savings. That’s right – it’s FREE!

If you choose, you can get alerts based on past purchases and for local stores in your area which is really convenient. Personally I've purchased lots of massages, body wraps, nail services, and other luxury services this way. I do tons of online shopping as well and searching for coupons on their site is a huge time saver. Even with other coupon sites out there, I find myself coming back again and again to Groupon.

My husband shops on Groupon as much as I do (shocking, I know!). He uses the Groupon app on Android exclusively, and he finds it very easy to use and finds some great tech savings. Be sure to check that out if you're a fan of mobile shopping.

Here are some of the stores where you can find great deals with Groupon Coupons:

Ulta

Target

Macy's

Swarovski

Pier 1 Imports

Lane Bryant

Hotels.com

Check out this user tip for you: Groupon has exclusive coupons that you can’t find anywhere else. Some of the deals I found for myself include:

• FandangoNOW: Now $1.99 Movie Month
• Starbucks: Get a FREE Red Stainless Steel Tumbler With Any Order $50+

What are your favorite coupons from Groupon Coupons?

Want to see new deals posted regularly? Follow Groupon Coupons on Facebook and Twitter.

Lush Bath Bombs | Love it or Leave it?

Over the past years I've heard tons of YouTubers and bloggers talking about all that is Lush, especially the bath bombs. With the price tag on these products, I was curious to see what I thought of them.  After months of skirting round it, I finally had a reason to take a $7 bath. I recently went on a business trip to LasVegas where I was standing for 10+ hours a day at a trade show and by the end of it, by feet were killing me. So, I decided to make that evening a pamper night in the hotel.

After the trade show, I ditched my coworkers and I stopped at Lush. I picked up a Big Blue bath bomb that boast about it's seaweed and sea salt that are geared toward sore muscles. I made a second stop to grab a bottle of red wine, and a a Artisan (ie. expensive) small pizza and headed back to my room at the Bellagio.  I had a book on stand by as well as Netflix on my tablet.

From Lush.com: "...For a truly oceanic experience, we've added in some of nature's finest ingredients: sea salt and seaweed. These mineral-rich gems soften the skin and ease tired muscles. Lie back to sail away to a clear head and a revitalized body."

I should note that while the store was a bit overwhelming for a first timer, the retail staff was just awesome. They were ready to help the minute I started reading the tags under the products. As I wasn't sure which bath bomb to go with, I took the sales persons advice and I was glad that I did.

I was ready. I grabbed the Big Blue bath bomb and my cell phone. I just knew that I was going to try to catch this magic on video.

I was pleasantly surprised by the bold color of the water, the nice fragrance, and the amount of actual seaweed in it. Top that with the fact that the bath bomb actually worked! After about 40 minutes of soaking and the water was no longer warm, my skin was smooth, and my muscles felt the difference.

The verdict is in...love it!  I'll be buying more bath bombs from Lush in the near future. I look forward to trying out several others. It's an expensive bath, but it's a total worthy treat when you're feeling a a little indulgent and you want to pamper yourself.

Save Money on a Pamper Day or a Girls Night with Groupon

I've been a long time buyer of Groupon Goods. I've bought tons of products and services at reasonable prices over the years that help me live my lavish life for less!  I encourage you to give Groupon a try, no matter what you're looking for, you're sure to find something to suit your needs.

I purchased two of these cardigans and I absolutely LOVE them. Of course I got them in grey and black - my go to colors. They've held up very well with washing on the gentle cycle and line drying.  Not only are they comfortable, they are perfect for a business causal office and for a casual night out.  Pair these with slacks, a camisole, cute shoes and you're good to go for a work day. Pair it with leggings or skinny jeans, along with a camisole and calf high boots and you're good to go for a casual date night or girls night out.  I decided to wear this exact outfit on a girls night that we had with Paint Nite. 

Beyond products and services, there are even fun local events and classes that can be found on Groupon Goods. My book club friends and I wanted to change it up a bit, so we opted for a Paint Nite.  It was a great girls night out and we all took advantage of the Groupon price. We had a blast painting and drinking cocktails.

On other occasions, I've purchased spa services like massages and shellac nail appointments. Make a pamper day for yourself and safe some money while doing it.  I also had the opportunity to try out the Lipotropic Fat-Burning Injections and Vitamin B12 Energy Injections that everyone has been raving about. I'd heard lots of hype around these injections so, while this is something that I wouldn't have ever tried at full price, I was open to it at a largely reduced price. 

I could go on and on about things that I've purchased for myself, but I'll stop there. It's time for me to start getting into the Christmas (yep, I said it) zone.  My two nieces and nephew are high on my buy list, so of course I'm looking for them early. I spotted refurbished ipad airs, perfect for all three of them.  A tablet with enough bells and whistles for them to play all their fun games, watch their shows and movies, but cheap enough for me not to cry should one of the kids spill juice on it. I saw some other fun tech items perfect for my teenage niece and nephew that are cool options as well.

Whether you're looking for items that make up a pampering afternoon for yourself or gifts for the kids, friends, and family in your life, head on over to Groupon Goods and see all they have to offer.

How do you save money on Groupon?

Want to see new deals posted regularly? Follow Groupon Goods on Facebook and Twitter.

FTC Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

FabFitFun Fall 2016 Unboxing

This is my 3rd box of the year and my favorite. The Spring and Summer boxes were okay this year, but the Fall box...Just amazing! I felt that this box was 100% worth every penny.

There is a very cool variety of items in the box. Some beauty, some body care items, even a scarf and toe sock! A really cute mug and a fun mini coloring book with color pencils. All fun usable things that are on trend.

I love that this box includes full size products so that we can really try everything out.
I've had the box a few days so I was able to try more than a few of the items. The very first item I tried were the toe socks. I pulled them right out of the box and put them on. I'm actually wearing them now as I type this post. They are really comfortable, more than I expected

The mug is especially cute. I posted a photo on my bookshelf on my Instagram page, feel free to take a peek. While it's very nice, love the black and gold, I was slightly disappointing that it was hand wash only plus it didn't keep my drink warm for very long. It's really more of a decorative travel mug rather than functional. There isn't even a plug or cover for the mouth part of the mug. Tip that over and coffee, tea, or whatever your choice of beverage is is leaking everywhere.

The next day was a work day, so I decided to try out a few of the bath, body, and makeup items. First up is the Spongelle Beyond Cleansing Body Wash Infused Body Buffers. I must admit the scent that I got, Bulgarian Rose, is nice but I don't love floral. I like how it lathered up and how the body buffer exfoliated, so I'll be purchasing this in another fragrance once I've used this one. The instructions say that you can get up to 14 uses out of it, so far I've used it all week and I can tell there is a ton of soap still inside, so I suspect that is accurate.

The next items I tried were the Secret deodorant and the brow gel. Both excellent products. The brow gel is a full sized product.  It was right on time and worked like a charm. It held in place the tiny hairs that just want to stick right up even when they are shaped nicely and trimmed.  The Secret deodorant is travel size, but perfect to throw in a carry on luggage or your gym bag. I liked that it went on clear and stayed clear all day. The smell was nice as well.

Toe socks anyone?! Yes, please! I've never tried toe socks before, but I'm loving them. I'll be getting more of these. They have grips on the bottom so you don't slid around hardwood floors and still manage to keep your feel warm even when your toes are out. Who would have though?

The coloring book and color pencils were a fun addition. I recently did a coloring book review on my YouTube channel, and I really enjoyed it, so I'll be using these for sure.

I don't use makeup often, so I'll be giving the pallet away as a gift. It's full size and the colors inside are just beautiful.

I wasn't able to try the Night Serum or the Body Oil yet, but I'm looking forward it. I'm sure they are awesome products.

I 100% feel that this Fall box was worth the subscription price.  You really got your money's worth with quality products. Want to try out Fab Fit Fun? Click here to sign up!

Box includes:
The Created Co. To-Go Coffee Mug
Nature or Things Coloring Book
Color Pencils
Spongelle
Pure Cosmetics Pallet
Toesox
Skin Laundry Night Serum
Mullein & Sparrow Body Oil
Modcloth Scarf


**This subscription box was purchased with my own money. This is NOT a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Should you sign up with my link, I will earn a small credit toward my next purchase.

Tech Obsession | Huawei Smart Watch Review

Thank you Amazon Prime Day! Thanks to this event, I was able to pick up a Huawei Watch Stainless Steel with Stainless Steel Mesh Band watch on July 12th.  Regular price is $399.99, I picked it up for $199.99 plus tax.  Of course I have Amazon Prime, so this beauty was in my hands 2 days later.  I’ve been eyeing this watch for a very long time. Debeating with myself if I wanted to go with the more expensive Huawei or a Moto360 Gen 2, and I’m so glad that I went with Huawei. I went back and forth on if I wanted mesh or leather; would it be to masculine, too heavy, etc. When it comes down to it, it's truly unisex and I just adore my watch.

Opening the box was a experience. The packaging feels high end and the watch feels well protected, Clearly Huawei wants to reinforce that you've purchased a luxury item. Right out of the box I turned the watch on and began the syncing process. It was a very easy and intuitive process. The watch's operating system is Android Wear, and I found that it works seamlessly with my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. The great thing about this watch is that if you're of the Apple camp ...well you're not left out. This watch will work for you as well.

I'm posting this after 30 days of owning the watch because I wanted a significant amount of time with the watch to really put it to the test and see if I like it weeks after the purchase.  I do, I really do love it and let me tell you why in three points.

First the design. It’s a show stopper. I’ve been asked about my watch many times since I’ve been wearing it daily for the last month. Then when I turn my wrist and it lights up, the reaction from n both men and women is “Wow, that’s a smart watch?! It doesn’t look like it.” Followed by “What brand is it?” It’s truly stunning.  It is a little large, but if you’re accustom to wearing larger chunky watches like myself, then this won’t feel heavy, or too large.  If you have really tiny wrists or hands, this may be a bit much for you, but if you (as a woman), have average size hands, then this will look stunning on you. It looks equally good on men. My husband tried it on and he rocked it too. I abruptly made him remove it!

Second is how smooth the user interface is. It took about a few hours to get used to the swiping up for one thing, down for another and left or right depending on what you want to get done. The screens move fluidly and don’t seem to lag at all. There are some great features like theater mode (perfect when you don't want your bright watch face drawing attention while trying to watch a movie. The ability to set your notifications from sound to vibration, even the type of vibrations.  It's also very cool that I can accept a call on my watch and use the speaker to talk! I don't even have to pull my phone out of my purse to answer the phone or make a call. Plus the there are lots of free apps in the Google Play Store that let you be even more productive on the watch. Like checking your messages, replying using voice, and more!

Third, I like that the band is so easy to remove and change out with other aftermarket bands. I love jewelry and like to accessorize, so it's nice to have options.  You can get lots of looks at a pretty inexpensive price. Just search Amazon and you'll see the vast amount of watch bands at the click of your mouse!

My one and only issue with this watch is the charger...Seriously Huawei...this charger needs a revamp.  While it is magnetic, the pins never line up perfectly on the first attempt. Sometimes not on the second or third attempt either. But once you get the hang of it, it's not terrible, but it can be greatly improved. I'd prefer if I could place it on my wireless chargers instead of using pins to attached it.

Besides my issue with the charger, if I could add one thing as a “wish list” for the next version, that would be the ability to use the watch independently of the phone being synced, and possibly use LTE on the watch itself.

If you're in the market for a smart watch, get this one. You won't regret it.

NAIAS 2016 | North American International Auto Show

The North American International Auto Show is held at Cobo Hall in Downtown Detroit. I remember attending the auto show every year when I was a kid with my parents and my two little sisters. Year after year we go. My Dad is an engineer and has worked in automotive since before I was even I glimmer of a thought in my parents world. Thanks to that, my sisters and I were (at the time) tortured with hours on top of hours of walking around looking inside and scrutinizing (what felt like) each vehicle. While we had a long day of walking, I remember it fondly. The yummy and bad for you food that we'd ingest all day in between sitting (aka playing) in cars we had no clue how to drive.

While we no longer do this event as a family, as we've all grown up and times have changed, as of the last few years, my Dad and I have started what seems to have become a new tradition of sorts, me and my Dad walking the NAIAS on the last day of the show. Dad and daughter day is what I like to call it. As an adult also in the automotive industry, I really enjoy it. I had a great time sitting in all the luxury high end vehicles, dreaming of what I'll next have in my garage. 

Over the years my taste in cars has evolved. This year I was really swooning over the 2016 Lincoln MKX Black Label edition luxury crossover, it's spectacular. I also drooled just a bit over the 2017 Cadillac XT5 crossover intended to compete in the same market. Unfortunately, this vehicle was up on a stage, so I couldn't get in.

This year, the auto show seemed smaller than it usually is. I suspect that it's shrinking little by little each year. Which saddens me, but I'm glad that the attendance remains strong. Even on the last day, tons of people everywhere. We didn't see Land Rover/Range Rover vehicles anywhere, which was unfortunate because my Dad loves those! We looked for at least 30 minutes, consulted the map and still no go.

   

Me and Dad...don't we look alike?!

Did you attend the NAIAS? If so, what cars caught your attention?

I didn't bring my camera to take serious photos, but I did use Snap Chat a few times while I there. I decided to share some of those Snaps that I took throughout the day - if you weren't able to make it to Detroit, here's a small taste of what I experienced at the NAIAS this year.

Live Lavishly,
~Tamara

  

 

 

 

5 Christmas Movies Worth Watching

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, it's officially the holiday season! You're probably already starting to see Christmas decoration everywhere you look, our fall TV shows go on hiatus, and ABC features their 25 Days of Christmas programing. Top that with all of the movies, TV specials and music all about Christmas every day for the next month and that's a lot of Holiday Cheer! Don't have time or not into watching that many hours Christmas? No worries, I've got a short list that will slim down your Christmas movie viewing hours.  

Every year I find myself watching these same several movies, it's become a tradition. I grab a glass of wine, pop some popcorn, cuddle up on the couch with a blanket and enjoy.  I've been known to watch a few of these during my cookie party prep when I'm baking dozens on top of dozen of cookies. Even when time is short running tons of errands leading up to Christmas, I always make enough time to watch my top five!

5.  Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) | It's fun, it's light, and it's a cute story. This is one of my favorites, but really, almost all of the 1960's and 70's stop-motion-animation specials are really great. If you have a bit of time, watch a few of them.

4. Home Alone (1990) | The first movie of course. Nothing is better than the original, it's what I'd like to call a modern classic. I never get enough of watching Kevin defending his house against the loser "Wet Bandits". It's really hilarious.

3. The Polar Express (2004) | I just love this animated movie all about a magical train ride to the North Pole featuring Tom Hanks. It's all the things that we love about an animated Christmas movie.

2. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) | I just adore the remake of this movie featuring Jim Carrey. I like all the vibrants colors and how whimsical it is.

1. A Christmas Carol (1984 & 2009)  | Christmas just isn't Christmas unless you watch at least one version of A Christmas Carol, and these are my favorites. Both the 1984 and Disney 2009 adaptations are a must watch.  If you watch nothing else, make time to watch this gem.

Before I go, I'll leave you with a few more honorable mentions (in no particular order):

A Christmas Story (1983)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987)

The Mistle-Tones (2012)

What about you? What's on your must watch list for the holidays?

Live Lavishly,

~Tamara