2017 TSDAR State Conference

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A couple of weeks ago, I served as a page at the 112th State Conference for the Tennessee Society Daughters of the American Revolution.  I try to do at least a post or two on my blog every year about my DAR activities, so you can learn a bit more about the organization and why I dedicate so much of my time to its mission.

This year, I was honored to serve as one of our State Regent's personal pages.  The State Regent is the leader of a state's DAR society, and in Tennessee she is elected every three years.  This was the first State Conference for our newest State Regent, so it was wonderful to be a part of her inaugural conference!

Tennessee has one of the largest groups of pages in the country, from what I've been told.  Pages are typically Junior members of DAR, full-fledged members under the age of 35.   Depending on the state, you are allowed to page until you are 40-ish, but definitely until you are 40 you can page at the National Continental Congress.  I would describe us as ladies-in-waiting or handmaidens in a sense.  We are the workhorses, always ready to lend a hand and help the conference run smoothly.

As you can imagine, crazy things can happen when you've got hundreds of ladies in one place.  I've got some hilarious stories for sure!  But I get to spend the time with my best friends in DAR from across the state.

One thing that was different for me this year?  More PUBLIC SPEAKING!  I am a State Chairman of a committee, as well as a vice-chairman for another.  I presented three awards and gave two reports during this conference.  Two of those awards were presented on our Opening Night, where there were hundreds in the audience!  I prepped my scripts ahead of time, and I felt really great about how things turned out.  It was a great experience for me, and I don't think I'll be as nervous in the future!

DAR has been such a wonderful part of my life in Tennessee.  I feel like I have a family of "aunts" and "sisters" across the state!  I feel like with DAR, you come for the mission and purpose, and you truly stay for the people.  I joke with my DAR BFF that we'll be in our 80s rooming together at these events with grey hair and whatnot, but that's actually what I WANT someday.  A life full of service.

Unlike the past two years, I'm not planning to head to D.C. for Continental Congress, our national convention.  I am saving up my vacation days for my sister's wedding festivities later this year!  I do plan on heading back next year to page with my friends.  It's hard work, but I just keep coming back.

I am heading up to my home state of Indiana's state conference in a week or two to page, and I'm excited to see what a different state's conference looks like!

Curious about DAR?

Read my post on why I joined, information about paging, last year's state conference,

and my trip to last year's Continental Congress in Washington, D.C.!

Sunday Lately: Adoring, Quoting, Dreaming, Designing, Using

Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe

We e-hangout every Sunday, sharing a small glimpse into the past week of life in our own words.

I took a quick trip to Skokie, Illinois (near Chicago) for work this week, then spent the weekend pup-sitting and around town.  It was a busy one for sure!  Here's this week's Sunday Lately.

ADORING... my new Tory Burch perfume!  It's Jolie Fleur Lavande, and I love the floral powder-y smell.  It's not the strongest scent, and I wish it lasted longer throughout the day.  But it was irresistible after I tried the sample from Sephora.

QUOTING... Tolkien!  I saw a hand-painted quote sign at Franklin's Main Street Festival, and I had to take it home!  It goes so well next to the metal sign my sister bought me from Jimmy Don, the guy who does all the metal signs for Fixer Upper.

DREAMING... of more Shake Shack burgers.  Noms.  There was a Shake Shack near my hotel in Skokie!

DESIGNING... my dream home via Pinterest.  We have no intent to buy or build a home anytime soon, but that hasn't stopped me from pinning away!

USING... the Rebecca Minkoff purse that I bought in Arizona in March!  The warmer weather and the small size are just perfect.  I carried it today to brunch with my friend and then the ballet.

THIS WEEK IN SOCIAL MEDIA...

• On the Blog:  Reviewing lip color that lasts with Lipsense!
• On Twitter:  I maintain that people should walk on the moving walkway!!!
• On Pinterest:  I'm wondering if this is the dress I should wear for my sister's wedding in October!
• On Instagram:  Look at the cute pups I dog-sat for this weekend!
• Shopping:  I've been thinking an LED makeup mirror should replace the old one I have.

How was your week?

Review: LipSense Lip Color

Disclosure:  I received Lipsense samples for free for this sponsored post from an individual seller.  I promised to review the product, honestly, with all opinions as my own!

I review a lot of products on my blog that are sold through consultants or distributors in direct sales.  After all, we see our friends and family selling these things on Facebook, so we get curious!  One of the products I kept seeing pop up was LipSense, a long-lasting lip color that was getting a lot of buzz.  So when Valerie reached out to me about a sponsored post, I told her I'd be willing to give it a try, so long as I could write whatever I wanted about it.  She was game, so I gave it a whirl!

I've noticed that my face looks incomplete without my eyebrows and lips being done, but pretty much every lip color I've tried rubs off by the time I've finished my morning tea.  Oops.  Valerie helped me pick out a couple of colors, one matte and one shiny, and included lip gloss and an "oops" color removed for slips during application.  (She also sent me some additional samples to play with!  Fun!) 

LipSense isn't like your normal lip color.  There's a multi-step application process.  It helps if you've prepped your lips with a lip scrub or a warm washcloth to smooth them.  You can feel a tingle from the product, nothing painful.  You need to take the time to apply multiple coats to make it last.  You don't rub your lips together or do the normal lip gloss stuff.  You follow the instructions.

For my review, I decided that I would NOT reapply the color throughout the day, but I would reapply the clear gloss.  That way, I could see how long the color really lasts during a day of Aubrey at work, drinking beverages, exercising, you name it.  Because this stuff can be worn to swim, y'all!

You can see it was still awesome at 2pm, but after a workout by 9pm it was wearing away.
Needs one reapplication, probably after lunch is best!

I don't know if you can tell from the photos, but this stuff STAYED ON.  The only place it didn't stay were my inner lips, where I make contact with cups and whatnot.  I also noticed that those spots are usually more wet as well, making it harder for color to stay on.  That said, I know for certain that if I'd reapplied around 2pm, it would have lasted all night.  I also got a bunch of compliments on my lip color, which NEVER HAPPENS because mine normally wears off before lunch.

The next day, I tried the shiny color.  My deskmate (a dude) commented that he noticed my new lip color and liked it.  He has to look at my face every day, so it says something that he noticed!  This color stayed on even better, probably because I was also getting better at application.  Once again the color stayed around the outsides, even after working out!  

See the inner part when I pucker?  That's the only place the color didn't always stick.

Individual LipSense colors run you $25, and a kit with color, gloss, and remover run $55.  That means one color actually costs less than the NARS lip pencil I usually use (which needs reapplication), but more than the Sephora lip stain I sometimes wear (again, doesn't last to lunchtime).  So I would say that these are priced fairly, consideration the richness of color and how long they last overall.  The labeling/packaging isn't the cutest, but so what?  Valerie sent mine in these adorable little pouches!

One reapplication during the day, and I've got 12+ hours of color.  You really can't beat that, at least not with the Sephora, NARS, Clinique, Buxom, Tarte, and more lipsticks, stains, and glosses I've tried.  This is the only product I've found that has true staying power, with just a little extra application time and one fill-in during the day.

Verdict: I'm going to use these until they're empty, and I may buy some more with my own money too.  It's worth trying a couple of colors to see if you like it!

P.S.  I did play with the eyeshadows a bit, and I like that they are creaseless.  I will be using one of them as a highlighter, so I love the versatility!  The tester for foundation wasn't a good match for me, but I have nothing but good things to say about what I tried.  I rarely wear eye makeup, so I decided to really focus on the lip product for my review.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to Valerie through her Facebook page or Facebook group, as she was extremely helpful to me in choosing the right colors and products!

Disclosure:  I received Lipsense samples for free for this sponsored post from an individual seller.  I promised to review the product, honestly, with all opinions as my own!  If you wish to learn more, you can visit seller Valerie's Facebook page or join her Facebook group to ask questions!