Influenster.com "I Do Vox Box"

@Influenster

I was lucky enough to receive the I Do Vox Box through Influenster! If you go to their site, you can sign up to be sent products to review as well! Even though I was sent these for free, all the thoughts are definitely my own, honest and true opinion!

Click to continue to the product reviews!!

Indeed Labs Nanoblur!

Buy Here!

@IndeedLabs NanoBlur

$19.99 on Ulta.com

I found this YouTube video on uses for this very useful. It's linked here. 

 #nanoblurred

I was lucky enough to receive this for free to try through Influenster. It some trial and error to figure out how to use it. My advice is to look up youtube videos on how to best use it. The one that I found is linked above. After that it worked pretty well. Still not foolproof as it can disturb your foundation under it. It is not a primer!!! Do not try and put your foundation over it. It will not look good. It clings like nothing else. 

For best results, I put a small (less than pea-size) amount on the back of my hand and warmed it up and then I dabbed it where you wish to put it. If I rubbed it disturbed my foundation. It worked very well with Revlon Colorstay but NOT with Covergirl Luminous foundation. It definitely blurred out pores and fine lines and loved the look it gave. It also worked well under my eyes. It gave a soft, powdery feel to the skin. If I use it more I feel like I would get the routine of it down better, but right now I can only use it when I am not in a rush and have a little more time to work with my makeup. 

It also works really well if you're someone who doesn't always wear or need to wear foundation. It makes bare skin look perfected! It also will keep you looking matte through the day. 

Before (without Nanoblur - using Revlon Colorstay foundation)

After (Nanoblur over foundation)

NYC's NEW Smooch Proof Lip Stains

...so the names are only on the packaging, and not on the tubes themselves. The most nude one, I rememeber was "On Everybody's Lips", however, that is not an option on NYC's website. I'm all sorts of confused.

The darker colors stain better. The fuchsia color was still on my lips when I woke up. Yes, I did the overnight test. The others don't last as long but that's okay with me.

I did not get a few of them , but I am going to pick them up next time I'm at CVS.

I paid $2.99 each!

They have a very strong fruit punch smell that lingers for a bit. They taste yummy (sweet) and the color can be built up.

They're slightly drying, but you can expect that with a lip stain. I apply lip balm over top when this happens with no issues.

I will post lip swatch pictures when my lips are in better condition.

Vaseline Intensive Repair Lotion

Apparently, uploading from my phone is just NOT going to happen! Bummer. It'd make everything so much easier! I will figure it out! Until then...

Influenster was kind enough to send me a VoxBox for Vaseline! It contained the Vaseline Intensive Repair lotion. They send you this nifty card with a little strip you put on your arm by your elbow to test how dry your skin in. Mine wasn't too terrible. But I can tell you my legs are a lot dryer than my arms!

Start

The claims are that after 5 days your skin is repaired! I am horrible at applying lotion everyday....

But I will say that it is non-greasy, non-sticky and absorbs super quickly! It is unscented. Which is both good and bad. I totally see the reasons for it being unscented but I prefer a scent (mainly because I usually forget to put on perfume and I like to smell pretty). And I just don't like how unscented products smell (yes, they still smell). 

I will post an "end" photo once I find the box with the other little sticky tester. 

My Healthier Blueberry Muffin Recipe

So I am mainly writing a post about these because I'll completely forget the recipe :) (which I already did the first time I made these. Then I couldn't find the recipe I used, so I tweaked the ingredients of another recipe I had found).

Preheat over to 325 degrees.

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt

Wet Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp. Ground Flaxseed (mixed with about 4 Tbsp. Water)
2 Tbsp. Melted Butter (this is one I might work on possibly working out of the recipe)
1 tsp. Vanilla

Blueberries (I left this measurement open ended because I tend to add what I feel like. This time I used about 1/2c - 3/4c of fresh washed blueberries and about 1/2c of frozen small wild blueberries.)
You can probably also do this with any other type of berry that you wish.

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another. For the ground flaxseed, I mixed in a separate small dish and let it sort of gel before adding it to the other ingredients. Then add the wet ingredients  into the dry and stir together until everything is combined. Stir as little as possible. You want everything combined, but you don't want to over-mix. Fold in the blueberries.

Scoop into greased or lined muffin tin. This will make 12 muffins but I overloaded mine and only got 10. Those 10, slightly overloaded muffins cooked perfect in 25 minutes in my oven. If it had made 12, I would have checked them at 20 minutes.

These muffins are dense. You can feel the weight when you hold them. That means I only need 1 for breakfast to feel full. They are just sweet enough. I do not even need butter with them.

I have pictures that I will upload soon. I will also work on a non-guaranteed calorie count.

Ipsy - April 2014 - Mini Reviews

If you'd like to subscribe to Ipsy for $10/month, please use my referral link. I'd really appreciate it!

Ipsy - Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm is NOT Full Size

I keep seeing this and I do not understand how it hasn't come up before.

The Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm you receive is not full size. I mean first off, look at it. It is only filled half way. And that's with it pulling away from the sides. If you ever paid $19 and received something half full you wouldn't be happy would you?

Second - It states that it is .14oz or 4g.
BUT
Look at the Mica Beauty Tinted Lip Balm (which is the exact same product, that's another story). The same we received was 2.5g. The Cailyn should be almost double the size. But when you compare the two, they are either the same size or the Cailyn one is smaller. It is not BIGGER than the Mica product. The full size Mica Beauty one is 4g (same size as Cailyn) and in the same package as the Cailyn.

Finally, there is the YouTube video by Nix92585 for the Cailyn Acid Pink tinted lip balm, and right in it she states the one she received in her Ipsy has half the amount. Here

[Edit] Dani from CoffeeBreakWithDani has also figured this out. Check out towards the end of her Ipsy unboxing for this month. Here

So please, understand you are not getting a full size, you're only getting half at the very most. It is not worth $19, it is worth $8.50 at the very most.

Also, these points are in regards to the April 2014 bag. I do not know what the ones in the September 2013 bags looked like.

Blush Mystery Beauty Box - February 2014

I don't know what urged me to sign up for a $26.51 mystery box...but I did. I knew what I would be getting this month since I had been looking at videos and blogs and that was part of what made me sign up. I also like to make sure that I am getting what I am paying for. I think the other thing was that I also used to get Birchbox for $10 and Beauty Army for $12. So I had at one point been spending pretty much the same amount, but on 2 different subscriptions services. I contemplated Glossybox, but I saw it was hit or miss on the value. This one seemed worth it every month so far.

I have high standards now.

But I already cannot wait for next month.

Keep reading to learn what I got!

Ipsy February 2014

This is my quick look at the products I received in my February glam bag from Ipsy. I will post an update on my thoughts on the products later when I have time. Keep reading to find out what fun products I received.

Ipsy.com

(yes, that is my referral link)

Update on Ipsy/MyGlam Products

These are the mini-reviews and updates I have on the products that I have received in my Ipsy/MyGlam bag over the past few months. I've had a chance to try out most of these products so I can give you a better idea on how I feel about them! 

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts on any of these products. Or how you liked your own products that you've received!

Ipsy - January 2014

Ipsy - January 2014

"19 Reasons" Theme

I think I missed the reasoning behind this theme. I believe it has something to do with the typical "New Year, New You". This is what I received:

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here:

Ipsy

 Keep reading for in depth descriptions and mini-reviews on these products!

#JollyVoxBox from Influenster

I literally just received my #JollyVoxBox in the mail. I had enough time to open it and see what products were sent to me to review. And let me just tell you that I am SO EXCITED to have gotten some of these things. There are a few items that I have been dying to try and some that I know I already love but am excited to have more.

Here are the brands I received:

-DuckTape
-Skinny Cow
-Rimmel London
-NYC Cosmetics
-Puffs

Huge thank you to Influenster and the companies!

P.S. I have somehow misplaced the card, so I am unsure of the prices on these items. I will try and figure them out though.

Keep reading...

Ipsy November 2013 - First Impressions

I'm not even sure if I finished or even blogged about last months bag...Sorry about that.

I don't currently have my phone on me to take pictures so I will be using them directly from the Ipsy website.

I am excited and pleased about this month's bag!

Glam It Up was this month's theme, and the products do fit into that theme.

Ipsy - September 2013 - First Impressions & Review

I'm back!!

I decided to rejoin Ipsy after seeing what they had been doing since I was last getting their monthly subscription bag. When I last received one they were still going by MyGlam. They have since switched to the name "Ipsy". They're still $10 a month. But they've also started utilizing their "quiz" or survey to help customize each person's bag each month. I don't know how well that is going just yet...but I'll explain that when it comes to one of the products.






This is what the bag looked like this month. I find it super cute. The inside isn't lined but that's okay. I've been using it inside my purse as a little bag to keep my money and important things in. I've also kept the eyeliner and mascara in it just incase I need one of them during the day.

#MomVoxBox2013 from Influenster

I am posting this on here because I did receive a beauty product within this box. Us Momma's need to look beautiful too! Haha. I received this box at the beginning of the month I believe. Included in the box were:


-Ponds Luminous Finish BB+ Cream
-Annie's Homegrown Microwavable Macaroni and Cheese Cup in
-BelVita Soft Baked Breakfast Biscuits in Oats & Chocolate
-Dr. Scholl's Inserts for Her

Fortune Cookie Soap - Black Friday Sale

I have not received my order yet. They even said it could take 14 days for them to get the order shipped out. No biggie (totally worth the wait).

They were having sales of:
50% off the fortune cookie soaps (the ones actually shaped like fortune cookies)
Buy (2) of the same type of product, get (1) free of anything else on the site for equal or lesser value

They also had a free shipping code for the first (30) customers, but I wasn't going to attempt to get that. They said last year these codes were used up in seconds.

My order:

Product
Snow Bunny Solid Shampoo Bar 3 oz - No packaging
White Elephant Solid Shampoo Bar 3 oz - No packaging
Mistletoe Mistress Sparkle Me!
Stuff My Stocking Hydrating Botanical Mist
White Elephant Bath Gift - No Packaging
Tangle In The Tinsel Bath Gift - No Packaging
Cherry Limeade Bath Gift - No Packaging
Plus: Since I ordered (2) of the solid shampoo bars and (2) of the Sparkle Me/Hydrate Me I was able to get (2) free products, so I got the matching conditioner bars to the shampoo bars. When you go on their site and click under bath products, the Hydrate Me, the Sparkle Me also shows up, so I was going on that they are the same type of product (man, I hope I am correct. I might email them just to double check....) I was able to get most of the items in the their Winter scents (not the grinch themed), although I have no idea what they actually smell like and there were little to no reviews on these scents. I am going to smell like a walking holiday party!!! Actual review to come!

fOTD

Testing

September 2012 Birchbox..

*subtitle* one month away from unsubscribing and switching back to MyGlam (yupp, MyGlam).

Since I just got this like ...5 minutes ago. I am going on my complete first impressions. Hey, maybe they will change once I try some of the products, but even trying them may not change my feelings about unsubscribing. Next month will have to be something special...if it's mediocre it will not cut it.

Pictures will come tonight once my phone turns on.

Teal tissue paper is gorgeous though lol.

my new favorite outfit :) totally fall

Yay for Fall!

I LOVE fall. October is my favorite month. Halloween one if my favorite holidays.

New York fashion week is this week and i'm attempting to keep up with it. But I don't understand the fashion seasons. Fashionishing ? Is saying fall 2013.  Or is the fashion week for spring 2013? I don't get it. or fall 2012?  Im going to post up some trends etc. I think after a few days I'll figure it out, and may not post anything
until a few days of shows have gone by.

Tootles!