Getting a Birchbox every month has really spoiled me. I’m addicted to a box of surprise samples being delivered to my door. For those of you looking to up the ante, the NewBeauty Test Tube is where it’s at. Same as the Birchbox, you will automatically be billed for each box until you cancel. The Test Tube comes quarterly and is $29.95. Plus, you have to pay for shipping, about $8. I enrolled in May and just received my third one.

The Test Tube arrives in a pink box. Inside is the newest issue of NewBeauty magazine and a tube filled with goodness. The magazine is thick, glossy, and all about plastic surgery. The cover of this quarter’s magazine features Courtney Cox. The last two covers featured Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow. I always flip through and toss it pretty quickly. The contents of the tube are what I want!

The Test Tube samples are usually deluxe size, but they always throw in a couple full size products, too. (Yay!) The products range from luxurious to middle of the road, and sometimes they throw in a drugstore brand. (Boo.) Each tube comes with a booklet detailing the products and how to use them. These are very well done, in my opinion.

They also give you a gift card towards a purchase on Spalook. My first two tubes included $20 cards towards a $100 purchase, but this tube had a $50 card towards a $200 purchase.

In this tube:

• AHAVA Extreme Day Cream. This promises to reduce wrinkles and firm skin. It contains active Dead Sea minerals. $68
• Kerstin Florian Foot Balm. This is part of a European line of products (made in California) and I’m a fan. It smells of menthol, rosemary, pine and lavender and repairs dry/cracked feet. $32
• Kneipp Lavender Herbal Bath. This contains essential oils to help combat fatigue and is a natural stress reliever. $19
• Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Corrector. This was a full size product. It’s a daily moisturizer that uses Vitamin C to fade discolorations in skin tone. $17-$20
• Hydroxatone Instant Wrinkle Filler. Another full size product. It utilizes silicon microbeads to fill in fine lines and wrinkles. $80
• Dr. Brandt Pores No More Anti-Aging Mattifying Lotion. An oil-free lotion that uses apple stem cells to preserve and smoothe the skin. $60
• Lashfood Eyelash Conditioner. Another full size product. Conditions, strengthens and grows your lashes. $95
• Moroccan Oil Glimmer Shine Spray. Argan oil spray attracts and reflects light to enhance highlights and shine. $26
• Hydroxatone 90-Second Wrinkle Reducer. This was just a little foil packet sample, a wrinkle-reducing serum. $80

This was a fun tube, although I’m not sure that I’ll use everything. You may be seeing some of these products in some giveaways in the near future!

It’s over. Are you happy? Sad? Indifferent?

I am pretty indifferent. After nine seasons, I feel like we have run out of talented people to compete. Everyone is just okay. I mean, the winner barely knows how to sew! Spoiler alert: Anya won.

Now, I’ve liked Anya all season. She was by far the coolest contestant with her charming accent, shaved head and giant earrings. She had a good eye for fashion and despite her lack of experience she made some beautiful clothes. But I have to wonder if she was only moderately good in a lackluster cast. Had there been a Christian Siriano, a Seth Aaron, a Jay McCarroll, a Santino…would Anya have even made it to Fashion Week? Probably not. It was the lack of any real competition that propelled her forward each week.

Favored to win was the peevish Viktor Luna, whose sewing skills were better than everyone else’s. Design-wise…meh. Shockingly, the likable but boring Kimberly Goldson also made it to the end. Let that be a lesson to future contestants: Make some good pants to win the favor of the judges. And to round out the final three four, bitchy Joshua McKinley brought his gaudy overdesigned creations to fashion week.

The runway shows were not too exciting. If Viktor hadn’t ruthlessly edited his own collection and added several black chiffon dresses, he would have won with his homemade prints and highly tailored looks. He was his own worst enemy.

I believe that the only judge who matters is Nina Garcia. Anya was her favorite all season, and if last year’s Gretchen vs. Mondo argument was any indication, it is Nina who decides the winner.

Will this dull season be the end of watching Project Runway for me? Maybe. I’ll see how I feel next season. I might miss Tim Gunn too much.

It’s winter squash season and butternut squash is the king! I made one for dinner the other night, and thought I’d share it with you. It’s awesome. Make it. Eat it.

The ingredients:

• One butternut squash
• Pasta of your choice (I used tortellini)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 TB curry powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (less, if you aren’t into spicy…you big wuss.)
• Salt/Pepper
• Parmigian0-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
• Handful of pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and cube the squash. You’ll have to scrape the seeds and stringy stuff out of the bottom part. Prepping the squash is the hardest part. The rest is easy!

Place the cubed squash in a baking dish and coat with olive oil. Toss with curry powder, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. Cover with foil and roast. After 20 minutes, add minced garlic and continue to cook covered for another 15 minutes. Take off the foil and cook for 5 more minutes, to give the squash a brown, nutty flavor. (Total minutes in the oven, 40.)

I recommend serving with an equally easy salad of mixed greens, figs, green onions, goat cheese and pecans. Enjoy!

Most people aren’t aware that when Madonna was singing Holiday, it was about the awesome seedless grapes. Holiday Grapes come out around this time and are gone by the end of the holidays. They are round, and extra plump, like little globes. And their sweetness is far and above any other type of grape. They cost more than other grapes, too, but they are worth it!

Have you had Holiday Seedless Grapes let this season?

I’ve always loved going to movies. I love the excitement of the large screen, the over-priced popcorn and candy, the quiet of the theater just before you are about to be entertained…I love the whole thing. Remember when Daddy Warbucks rents out the whole theater for Annie’s first movie? How awesome was that?! Plus, she got to bring her dog.

Those who live in Austin are spoiled for many reasons, and the Alamo Drafthouse ranks high on the list. I probably see double the movies I normally would, just because I love going to the Alamo so much. What’s so special about it? I’m glad you asked.

First, they have a fun menu. That’s right. You don’t have to eat a bag of popcorn for dinner. (Although they have fabulous popcorn and it comes in a bowl.) Lots of great beers on tap, burgers (I like the Royale with Cheese), salads, fresh baked chocolate chips cookies that arrive hot and melty, really good pizzas, spaghetti squash, creme brulee…yes, this is a diverse menu.

You sit in the dark theater in rows with long tables in front of you. The menus and tiny little lights are cleverly hidden under the tables, so you can order anytime during the movie. Write down your order and a dementor silently flies in to take it, and then flies back later with your food and drinks.

But the Alamo is so much more! They do all these special screenings like quote-alongs to cult favorites like Spaceballs, Beetlejuice, The Big Lebowski, This is Spinal Tap, The Goonies! And they do sing-alongs, too. They do girlie nights and show Mean Girls, Troop Beverly Hills, The Cutting Edge. And Hey Homo! night shows things like Top Gun, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Party Monster.

They do lots of other special screenings, but I love the marathons. Every year the Alamo holds an all-day Lord of the Rings trilogy screening and feast. In true nerd hobbit style, we dined on breakfast, second breakfast, hearty soups, mead, those little hobbit cookie things they eat while running away from orcs, and many other delights. By the end of the third movie, we felt happy, full, and sad to see it end. Also, we needed to stretch. Ten hours in a movie seat is a long time, you guys.

The Party Down marathon featured less hobbit food, but was no less exciting. Hanging with the cast beforehand, during and after made us feel like old friends. Yup, I’m friends will Megan Mullally and Adam Scott. Full disclosure: We are not friends. But I am friends with Alamo Drafthouse…best friends.

I’ll leave you with this warning from the Alamo:

A couple weeks ago I saw 50/50 starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. Full disclosure: I am a huge JGL fan. 500 Days of Summer was so delightful. It takes someone really special to outshine Zooey Deschanel, but he totally did it!

I loved him in 3rd Rock from the Sun, but he really won my heart as the gay prostitute in Mysterious Skin. Oh, you haven’t seen that one? Watch it! It’s crazy disturbing.

Anyway, with acting chops like these, I knew 50/50 was going to be good, and I was not wrong. JGL plays a 20-something who is diagnosed with cancer. He’s a regular guy with a regular job and regular girlfriend, who’s life is turned upside down by his failing health. He commanded every scene with a quiet intensity that spoke volumes. Seth Rogen, who I normally find annoying (it’s the laugh, people) gave a touching performance as Levitt’s best friend and main support system. A lovable doofus with a heart of gold. But seriously, that laugh needs to go.

Nuanced performances by Angelica Huston, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Anna Kendrick rounded out a sad, heartwarming, and at times very funny movie. Highly recommended!

Another month, another Birchbox.

In October’s mail came one of my favorite boxes yet, due to the extra. I am a mint lover, so I was delighted by the Tea Forte Minteas in matcha chai. They are so good, I will definitely buy these!

Also included in the box: AHAVA Mineral Foot cream, Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel, Sunday Riley Modern Skincare Juno Transformative Lipid Serum, and Number 4 Lumiere d’hiver Reconstructing Masque. This is some fancy stuff, y’all.

You are wondering why there are always cats in the Birchbox pictures. No, I’m not a cat freak. I have two young cats, Chloe and Vanessa, who just seem to love beauty products. And boxes. They really, really LOVE boxes.

This post is a month late, but I thought it was important to talk about the September Birchbox because it was the one year box. The theme of the box was “Celebrating You” and included a few extras.

Included in the box: A Lash Card mascara shield, blinc Mascara, Jouer Lip Enhancer, Incoco Nail Polish Strips, and LIV GRN perfume. A cute little string bracelet that looks Kabbalah-chic topped it off.

My favorite was the lip enhancer. Smooth, moisturizing, plumping and just a hint of pink, this could be a new go-to product for me.

I’m also a fan of the mascara. The heat of Austin, Texas, does very bad things to make-up. Tubing mascara is my best friend in the summer. The lash card is probably great for beginners, but I am a pro and can apply mascara while windsurfing.

I was thrilled with the nail polish strips and really liked the glittered teal zebra pattern I got. I’m waiting for just the right occasion to try them out. (This is where you’re supposed to invite me to Dubai.)

The perfume was my least favorite item. I like LIV GRN and what they do, this particular sweet scent was just not for me.

Happy first birthday, Birchbox. Here’s to many more!

Will someone please help this poor girl with her makeup? 

I love the trend that Mad Men unleashed. We need more shows set in the early 60s. Shows that feature style, decorum, and precisely applied cat eyeliner. A quick note on what we like about Mad Men. This show truly is about the men. The gender inequality makes us laugh, Ha ha. Remember when secretaries used to sleep with their bosses and barely made any money? Hilarious.We also love the pregnant ladies smoking and drinking, waiting for their philandering men to get home and be mean to them. Ah, the good old days.

The Playboy Club had a great premise with the bunnies, the Chicago mob, murder, intrigue, but they junked it up pretty quickly. Alas, after three episodes it was canceled. RIP.

Pan Am might just be as good as Mad Men, and this one’s in favor of the ladies. They’re smart, beautiful, and bring home the bacon. These stewardesses have glamorous jobs, cute outfits, and travel the world. Sure, they have to deal with rude passengers making passes at them and have to weigh in before their shifts. But do we envy them anyway? Damn straight! Huffington Post did an interview with six former Pan Am stewardesses and those ladies really seemed to love their jobs. A month vacation time and 90% off travel? Sign me up.