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Starbucks Summer Star Dash

muffinchanel summer star dash starbucksThis post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

The Starbucks Star Dash is back; May 14th – 27th. If you have a registered Starbucks card, check your email to see if you’ve been invited to participate. As always, each offer will vary by participant, but for me, for 7 stars = 10 bonus stars and 11 stars = 20 bonus.

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Did you get the Summer Star Dash offer? What are your favorite summer drinks? I know I’ll be making my own Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers, but you can earn stars for food items too. Hello, chocolate chip cookie!

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The First Star Dash of 2014 | Starbucks Rewards

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

It’s that time again — Star Dash time at Starbucks that is. This Winter Star Dash is a little different than the ones we’ve seen in the past. Rather than earning a $5 or $10 gift card upon reaching your star goal, this time you’ll just earn more stars.

starbucks star dash muffinchanelCheck your email or your Starbucks app to see if you’ve been selected to participate in this offer. If you don’t have a registered Starbucks card, you can sign up here and start earning stars for your purchases.

The Winter Star Dash is running from now until February 9th 11th. If you earn 25 stars, you’ll receive 10 bonus stars, and if you earn 40 stars, you’ll receive 20 bonus stars.

What do you think of this Star Dash? Do you prefer a gift card or bonus stars?

UPDATE: The Star Dash ends on February 11th. And Rewards will be distributed by February 18th.

I am nowhere near completing my Star Dash goal! Hopefully, I get an easier offer next time. How are you doing with your Star Dash? Check where you are by logging into your account. Did you reach your goal?

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Top 10 – November Favorites

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Landon Austinlandon austin muffin chanel muffinchanel once in a lifetime

When I first heard about Landon Austin on Youtube, I thought he used auto-tune on his voice. He has a really unique sound, accompanied by an acoustic guitar and his songs are pretty mellow. I am really liking Once In A LifetimeEven though it’s a slower song, I like to listen to this when I’m running.

The Hunger Games – Catching Fire

catching-fire1This movie was much better than the first. The Capitol establishes new rules in order to surpress a rebellion encouraged by Katniss Everdeen’s breaking the rules in the last Hunger Games. Peacekeepers are enforcing more rules on the different Districts and Katniss and Peeta must fight again in the 75th Hunger Games. If you liked the first movie, you’ll really like the second. By the end, I was holding up my three fingers and whistling the Mockingjay tune!

Chipotle

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I’ve been loving Chipotle so much in November. I get a burrito with: white rice, fajita vegetables, sofritas (only served in select states/locations), the green salsa, corn, sour cream, and guacamole. MMMmmm. So good. I’ll sometimes get the chips and guacamole on the side, but only if I’m super hungry.

Nike+ Running

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I’m still training for a half marathon, and I’m using the Nike+ Running App to track my runs. Just the other day, I logged my farthest run – 7.25 miles! Yay. I’ve still got a ways to go and a lot more conditioning, but I really like how the Nike+ Running App lets you create goals how you can “race” with your friends. Add me (MuffinChanel) and we can race!

Lush Baths

photo-1photo-21I love Lush baths; especially during the colder months. Relaxing underneath a blanket of bubbles is so perfect. My favorite combination at the moment is The Comforter bubble bar and Think Pink bath bomb & to make it extra amazing, I add a dropper of Josie Maran’s Argan Oil! With this bath ^, I used Sandstone soap to exfoliate and Sweetie Pie shower jelly. Amazing!

Starbucks Holiday Star Dash

screen-shot-2013-11-29-at-8-27-45-pmI’m so excited that I was selected to participate in the Starbucks Holiday Star Dash. As you can see, I earned my 16 stars and will get the $10 eGift! Yay for those Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers!

Photojojo Macro/Wide Lens

I got this lens for my birthday and it’s awesome. If I have to choose from the three they offer, this is the one I choose. I love it because it is both Macro and a Wide angle lens — just unscrew it to get the Macro.

Rainbow Loom

rl-heroMy little cousins shared their Rainbow Looms with me over Thanksgiving! They taught me how to make the Starburst and Fishtail bracelets! You can get the Rainbow Loom at Michael’s for $17 and each Rubber Band Pack of 600 bands is $4.

photo-2Grand Theft Auto 5

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I recently bought GTA 5 and it’s so much fun. I have GTA 4 (but I never even finished the story mode), but GTA 5 is so much better. You play as three different characters in story mode & the online mode is so much fun; I’m already on level 16!

Living Proof – Restore

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I bought this in my Sephora VIB Rouge haul to try it out and it’s awesome. My hair looks and feels softer and healthier. I’ll repurchase the larger sizes when I run out. I do like these small bottles though; perfect size for traveling.

What have you been loving this November? Let me know in the comments.

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Top 10 – September Favorites

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

  • Skillful Means by Tarthang Tulku

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This book is all about improving your life by being mindful of what is happening right now. I first read this book a couple of years ago and it’s great. How many times are you walking to class or your car or at the mall and you’re on your cell phone? Or how often are you thinking about the XYZ you have to do tomorrow or next week instead of paying attention to what you are doing right now? All we have is the present — this moment. Skillful Means is all about living in the moment you are in; being mindful about what is going on around you. No distractions — just really being self aware and clearing your mind. It’s a great book that will help you focus and appreciate what’s happening all around you.

  • Starbucks Star Dash

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From now until October 1, Starbucks is doing their Star Dash. Basically, it’s another incentive for you to go to Starbucks during certain times of the year in order to accumulate stars to earn a gift card. This “Star Dash” is different from the stars you earn with the Rewards Card, although, you do need a rewards card to participate. Separate from the regular stars you earn with the Rewards Card, these “Star Dash” stars will give you $5 or $10 gift cards depending on how many you get before the deadline. Each transaction will ear you one star. I’m on my way to earning the $10 gift card!

  • Mediterranean Veggie sandwich (Panera)

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New favorite sandwich for sure. I was looking for some meatless options at different restaurants and a friend suggested I try this sandwich from Panera. It’s amazing —  lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, red peppers, cilantro/jalepeño hummus, and feta swiss cheese (I prefer swiss) on tomato basil bread. I bought ingredients today to make my own version at home! YAY!

  • iOS7

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I love the clean look and feel of the iOS7 update. I have the iPhone 4S and my camera app is faster and I really like having the “live filters”. Command Center is great and I really like all the new ringtones/sounds. It’s neat to have the option to block contacts and to be able to multi-task between apps.

  • Clear

Clear is a simple task management/list application. It’s clean and easy to navigate with lots of color schemes to choose from.

  • iTunes Radio

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iTunes radio is basically like Pandora. I prefer it because it’s already integrated into iTunes and it remembers the songs I’ve listened to and makes it easy for me to purchase them if I choose. You can create your own “stations” and mark that you like certain songs. There’s even a Top 100 iTunes radio and you can listen to a shuffle of all the Top 100 songs on iTunes. I think this is awesome for getting high quality audio for more than just a preview of a song you might be interested in buying.

  • The Killers – Shot At The Night

It was actually through iTunes Radio that I first heard “Shot At The Night”. ^^^

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The Killers songs are always a little vague, but this one seems to be about taking this once in a lifetime opportunity to get out of a situation that is stale and move on to a life that is exciting and full of happiness. I love this. Plus who doesn’t love a nice 80’s synth ballad! Yay for new music from The Killers! I’m excited for Direct Hits to come out in November.

  • Lighted Makeup Mirror

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This mirror is great for applying makeup or tweezing your brows. With 8xs magnification and 360 degree rotation, you’ll be sure to see exactly what you are doing!

  • SEPHORA COLLECTION – Pro Stippling Brush #44

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I’m surprised this brush doesn’t have better reviews online. A lot of people are saying the brush sheds, but I’ve never experienced any shedding. I really like this brush. I use it to apply my Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Foundation. The brush gives my skin an even, airbrushed yet natural look. The natural and synthetic fibers work together to give a streak-free application that looks great all day.

This dress is super cute. I bought it for a friend’s wedding next month but I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it. The lace design is really pretty, but durable — this isn’t some dainty-be-careful-or-it’ll-rip lace. The A-line makes it flattering for all body shapes and it’s very comfortable on.