2026 Holiday Reading Challenge | The Running Bibliophile

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Who doesn’t love a good challenge, especially when it pushes you to read outside your comfort zone or discover a new author? I’ve always wanted to join a reading challenge or reading bingo, but so many of them feel repetitive. So, I decided to create something a little different. It doesn’t mean a challenge like this isn’t out there; I just haven’t come across one myself. Introducing The Running Bibliophile’s 2026 Holiday Reading Challenge, a fun and unique way to expand your reading list while celebrating the spirit of the year. This challenge features 14 books of your choice, with one key twist: each book’s plot must revolve around the specific holiday mentioned. The challenge runs for January 1 through January 31, 2026. To keep things exciting, you may not duplicate any books on the list. By the time you've completed the challenge, you will have read 14 new books to diversify your reading list. To kick things off, the first prompt is simple: choose any holiday-themed book as l...
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Product Review: Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer by Benefit Cosmetics of San Francisco

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When Influenster.com contacted me to let me know I was receiving a voxbox with a product in it for me to review, I was ecstatic. I was even happier when I realized it was an under eye concealer because I always have dark circles due to extremely bad allergies. I'm just about allergic to everything outside!

Since I work from home, I don't always wear makeup like I use to when I had to go into an office, so one of the first chances I had to test out the Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer by Benefit Cosmetics of San Francisco was when I went to see the Broadway show Cats when it was in Atlanta. It was the perfect time to try it out because I had bronchitis, and the circles under my eyes were exceptionally dark.

The Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer went on smoothly and was cakeless as promised by Benefit Cosmetics of San Francisco. It blended well into my foundation and the concealer actually matched my skin tones extremely well. Most makeup tends to be too dark for me, even the lightest of the lightest because I'm so pale. It doesn't help me any that I don't sun myself . . . I don't tan; I burn, and I don't want all that sun damage to my skin! (And, I know way too many people who now have skin that looks like leather from years of laying out in the sun or in tanning beds, and I don't want my skin to look like that.)

Because my circles are so dark, I do have trouble finding concealer that actually hides them. Benefit Cosmetics of San Francisco's Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer is the best that I've tried so far, so I'll likely buy this product when I run out of the concealer.

Another thing I liked about this product is that the packaging is minimal, so I like that they seem to be environmentally conscientious. And, the actually container is super cute . . . it is made to look like a pencil with an eraser. It appears that their target audience is likely a much younger one than me, but don't let that stop you from buying the concealer.

All in all, I was very happy with the end result and would give Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer by Benefit Cosmetics of San Francisco 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. I received this product for free from Influenster.com for my honest review.

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