Darling Vox Box

Ah yes, Influenster included me in their Darling Vox Box and I am so happy they did ! This box was truly fantastic, one of my favorites really. Ready to read about the products ?!

First I will start with the Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask
It retails for $14.99 at CVS or Ulta. It can be used as a deep conditioning mask,you would leave it in your hair for 20 minutes if you were going to use it this way OR you can use it as everyday conditioner. I chose to use it as every day conditioner. This stuff made my hair incredibly soft, easy to comb even when there are lots of knots from when I let the kids play with my hair. a little bit goes a long way even in with my thick hair. The only thing I do not like is the scent, it's not a big deal since it does not linger. 

Next up was a chocolate treat for me. It was the Duncan Hines Perfect for 1- Chocolate Lovers Cake.This retails for $2.50 for a box of two cakes. The cake was so easy to prepare, you could choose your liquid, I opted for milk and you just mix it with the already packaged dry ingredients. Be sure to mix in the mug you plan on using so there is less mess and dishes. Oh and let's be safe and use a microwave safe mug !! A minute later you have a warm cake. You can then top it with whatever your cake loving heart desires.

The next items were for my girls; We got Baby Gentle Moisture Tearless shampoo and wash - retails for $5.99 along with the Baby Gentle Moisture Baby Lotion which also retails for $5.99 from Live Clean. What I love about these two products here are the amazing ingredients which include certified organic botanicals of chamomile, lavender and aloe. It was nice and gentle on their skin which is quite sensitive especially Gina's. And it smells so good and it is soothing. The lotion was not greasy at all and sunk right into the skin. I used both the shampoo and lotion on myself I was pleased with how soft my hair was, it felt like I never ever used product in it.


I also received a coupon for a free 15oz Country Crock Buttery Spread. Retail value is $1.81-2.99. Now I used to buy Country Crock all the time and use it in everything. Then I learned about a terrible ingredient called palm oil, which is used in this spread. It is not gross or a chemical but it puts Gorillas at risk of becoming endangered, by harvesting palm oil it destroys their habitat and they are just left to die. I cannot buy a product not just this one but any product knowing it has palm oil in it. I did use my coupon so I could complete my tasks for the vox box though. I have always bought the calcium one but stumbled upon the "churn style "so that is what I went with. It is delicious, creamy and packed with flavor. It even makes toast taste good. It is especially good on veggies and for cooking fish with.

So far I have liked everything out of this box right ? Well there is one thing that did not go over too well with me; Nature's Bounty Energy Gummies retail for $7.99. They are supposed to converse the food you eat into energy with it's unique blend of herbs. I took it in the morning with my coffee followed by breakfast and felt no different so I tried taking them with breakfast. Honestly I feel like it was just a gimmicky thing. I did try posting an honest review on their website and it was not approved ! 

I saved the best product for last..drumroll please......Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Face Moisturizer retails for $29.50. The texture on this is like velvet and sinks right into my face. It gives me this lovely glow which is great since I do not wear makeup often during the week. And it still works great when I do wear makeup acting as a primer. A little goes a long way, this tiny vial lasted about 3 weeks. I do plan on getting a full size bottle. I have boughten many moisturizers in my day, from Indie vendors, to drug stores to department stores and this right here is a winner. 

I am truly thankful to be part of the Influenster community. Every product you read about I received for free, and all the opinions and thoughts are mine and only mine ! 

Sweet Dreams

I know I haven't been here lately, and once again I apologize ! But I have not been sleeping. And ironically enough the name of this post is Sweet Dreams, lol. The baby is still waking up at night to eat and my goodness it is catching up with me. At this point my eyes are suck in and my bags have bags.

I am getting off track here. Recently I was selected by Influenster to test out the Vicks Sweet Dreams Cool Mist Humidifier. Good golly I love this thing !! I have been using it for a week straight now and it replaced my old humidifier. My house is drafty so I have to keep the heat up around 70 which makes the air so dry, which means I need a cool mist humidifier every night. My old one made a lot of noise, well not a lot it just sounded like a fan, a little white noise if you will. Also the old one required a filter that required to be changed a lot which got expensive. With the Vicks humidifier there is no filter required, it's quiet ( although I like white noise but I run a fan as well, again off track ) it turns off by itself when the water tank is empty, and the feature I personally love the absolute most besides being filter free is you can use Vicks vapor pads in this bad boy. When you get sick and all yucky and stuffy there is a slot to slide a pad in and you get that comforting and familiar Vicks smell that opens up the good ol nasal passage. 

My daughters' favorite feature on this humidifier is the pictures it projects on the ceiling. There are three scenes to choose from; jungle, ocean or stars and lets say you chose stars every 30-60 seconds ( I never stopped to count how long ) the colors or scene changes in the theme ) it makes a nice night light. I only wish it had a timer on it. 

All in all I am in love. There is nothing to dislike. I fill up the water tank about every 2-3 days and there have been no leaks whatsoever. I was given this humidifier for free in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Ready for another Voxbox ?

I was lucky enough to get chosen for another Voxbox by Influenster, this one was the Wellness Voxbox.  There were lots of goodies and they were full sized, well most of them were. The best part it was all free all Influenster wants is my honest to goodness opinion.

I received the following:
Olay Active Botanicals Refreshing Gel Cleanser retails for $5.99
I really liked that cleanser, it removed my makeup nicely made my skin feel fantastic. I had my daughter 4 months ago and since then my skin has been oily, after using the cleanser it seemed to help calm that issue down a bit. A little bit of the cleanser goes a long way. Just be careful when using this, it hurts if you get it in your eye !

I also got Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer retails for $7.99
I really wish I could say I loved this or even liked this product but I didn't. To me it was messy. You use it after you get out of the shower before you dry off. Maybe I was using too much who knows. I also feel that it is a bit greasy and sits on your skin. Just not a fan sadly.

Next up is Attitude Hair Care retails for $9.99
I received the Color Protective shampoo and a small sample of their dish soap. I will start with the shampoo: It is made without any cancer causing chemicals which is wonderful so the price tag is low in my opinion. I am not thrilled about the scent but it does it's job. My hair feels clean, it has nice bounce to it and it's not dull looking. Will I buy this after I am done the bottle, yes I will.
I mentioned I received a sample of Attitude dish soap...OH my ...I love this stuff !! It cleaned grease off a pan with ease, the scent was pleasant and it bubbled up nicely. It did not make my hands dry either. I will be hunting this dish soap down for sure.

Now up is Colgate Enamel Health Mouthwash retails for $2.99
I am already a fan of Colgate, I think their products are well priced and work well. I like this mouthwash because of the taste, it is not too harsh tasting like certain other brands ( you know which I am talking about, right ?? ) I was also informed that my enamel is wearing down so I need all the help I can get.

Last but not least I got a packet of Urgent Ache and Pain Relief to go retails for $1.39
This is a great product for on the go, perfect to keep in your purse, wallet, diaper bag..you get the picture. You do not need water in order to take this since it's not a pill it's a powder which dissolves quickly. It is aspirin with a shot of caffeine, that is perfect for headaches. It worked quickly for me.

I was really happy with this box, and enjoyed reviewing it. I hope to get to review more boxes soon !

Having my pie and eating it too !

Once again www.bzzagent.com sent me a yummy coupon, this time  to try a Mrs Smith's pie for free. I went with cherry with the original flaky crust. I really intended it to be for the family for Easter as one of the desserts, no really. However knowing the pie was in the freezer and knowing I had whipping cream in the fridge just weighed heavily on my taste buds. Give me a break I am pregnant !!

It was easy to prepare, just pre-heat your oven and pop the bad boy in till the crust is golden brown. If for some reason the edges cooked faster than the rest of the pie then cover the edges with foil ( I really should have done that but meh ) While the pie was going I whipped that cream into well whipped cream goodness. I was not very clever when it came to pairing it with something but it was still so good.

I did burn the edges of my crust ( I really should have covered the edges ) but it did not matter. It smelled so good. I covered our slices in cream and dug in. The cherries were nice and tart, the crust so buttery and good. It was nice and easy to make and could pass as home made. Next time I will try apple and share with the extended family ! 

Disclaimer: I did receive this product for free and I was not compensated for my opinions which are all mine. 

Let's get cooking

Now that there is a chill in the air I like to make soups and cook a whole lot more. Recently I was selected to try out a Garlic Press from Priority Chef, prior to this I was using a KitchenAid on that I adored let's just say she has been since replaced ! 

The first time I used my new press I made enchiladas Suisas ( recipe can be found on www.allrecipes.com ) I only used two cloves so it was just a little test. I like that it does not come apart into pieces like my other one, it's one cohesive piece. Night number two I made a kale,spinach, bean, potato, quinoa soup I have concocted up and I use LOTS of garlic in that and the press stood up to the test. Not once did any of the garlic skins get into my soup or enchiladas, I did not have to use a ton of muscle and I like that it is stainless steel there will never be any flaking/chipping of paint. Perfect size garlic for me every time and no need to risk my fingers with a grate, mandolin or chopping. It was easy to clean too, very easy to get into every nook and cranny. 

Overall I am quite happy with this addition to my kitchen ! Today we are making a lemon chicken orzo stew I found on Pinterest ...yummy !! 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Personalized hair color delivered to your door ?

Yup it's true ! I was recently offered an opportunity to try our a service called esalon by bzzagent for free. It came at the perfect time, I swear the bzz agent bees saw the state of my hair and threw this campaign at me, lol. 

I logged onto https://www.esalon.com/ and filled out my profile which included uploading a photo and choosing a color. I actually had a good time doing this, maybe I do not get out enough ( shrugging ...) I went with Mahogany Red, after choosing my color I got to choose some extra goodies, up to $60 worth as part as my campaign; I went with Shampoo, Conditioner, Clips, bowl and brush so I can feel like hair dresser while coloring my hair. Shipping was super quick, took a matter of days and it was tracked. 

To my surprise when I opened my box, which was so nicely packaged inside I got a free bottle of hair color, stuff to put around my hairline and ears (essentially Vaseline ) and stain remover for the places I missed, whoop whoop ! After I got my tot to sleep I busted out the old towels and slipped on the rubber gloves...I did the usual mixing like a mad scientist and then for the first time ever I clipped my hair into sections and used the hair dresser bowl and brush to paint my hair, well that did not go so well it's so much harder than it looks doing it to yourself especially the back of your own head. I ended up just using my hands like I normally would with a box from Target or someplace similar. I hate to say anything negative but I must be honest, the smell of the dye was horrible it made my eyes water for the whole 30 minutes it was in my hair, I could not wait to rinse this stuff out. After rinsing and conditioning the smell was gone thank goodness. 

The color was more mahogany than red until the sunlight hit my hair THEN it was red, red, red ...I LOVE it. With esalon you never have to worry about running to the store to buy more dye they will deliver every 4,6 or 8 weeks and charge your card accordingly and you can cancel anytime or just order here and there. It's all up to you. It's all reasonably priced as well. Please check out my before and After pictures as well as my box of goods. 

Boring disclaimer: I received esalon products for free, I was not compensated in any way. All opinions are mine :-)

Argan Oil Hair Treatment and Elixir

First I would like to apologize for being MIA, I had been going through a difficult time and have been meaning to review this product for some time now. 

With that being said I was sent Insta Natural Argan Oil Hair Treatment and Elixir. It's a great product that has many uses. Before writing this review I used it a few times in a couple of ways to get the full effect of it. Even after a few uses it doesn't even look like I touched the bottle, this product will last a long time, which is great because my hair soaked it up ! 

The first time I used it, I used it as a two hour repair treatment; rubbed some oil in the palms of my hands and coated it through my hair, through it in a bun and let it sit for two hours then shampooed it out. My hair was so soft afterwards. There was no greasy residue. It looked so healthy. I waited a couple days to use it once again, this time as a protective treatment when flat ironing my hair, since there is no spay nozzle on the bottle and you have to rub it it your hair then wash your hands in between ironing your hair it was a little bit a pain in your balls but it is worth it in the end. My hair was not fried because we all know the flat iron is terrible for your hair ! The shine I got was incredible...shine not greasy look ( big difference ) All in all I am quite happy with this product. Argan oil is great for your hair in general anyway :-) 

I would like you all to know that I did receive this product for free, and was not compensated in anyway, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

A little mud goes a long way

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I have gotten the pleasure of receiving and reviewing Pure Dead Sea Mud Mask. I decided to use it the other night since I have been under so much stress with planning a birthday party on a VERY limited budget, lack of a job, family stuff,soon to be ex-husband stuff, lack of a job and feeling like a burden on people weighing on my shoulders. I needed to relax ! I also had a sinus headache going on so a mud mask and bubble bath it was....wish it was a Lush bath cocktail but sadly it was not. 

As soon as I opened the top the smell of eucalyptus hit me in a good way, I really liked the mousse like texture of the mask as well it gave an even spread and felt cool. I noticed relief of my headache a few minutes after putting it on my nose. I settled into the tub and relaxed, the mask tightened, which gives me pleasure for some strange reason guess because I know it's time to remove it but even better my headache was gone and sinuses were felt 100% better. That was an added bonus. 

After gently removing the mask my skin had a nice glow to it, and felt so soft. I felt so much better and relaxed. If my sinuses bother me again you better believe this mask is going on immediately ! I love this stuff, great pick me up.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

It's like a spa in your shower

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Dead sea mud shampoo is kind of an oxymoron if you think about it, really mud is supposed to clean your hair was my thinking. Then my next thought was eww wonder what it will smell like. I love trying new beauty products so this was right up my alley and it was odd, least for me it was, definitely up my alley then ! The company must know me that chose me for this campaign ;-) 

With that being said when I got the package I tore it open I was very curious as to what this was going to smell like and look like. Looks wise well it's a pretty black color, nothing like what I expected. LOL I think I was expecting well mud ! Scent wise it smells floral, not my style really but it's pleasant and not overpowering. 

The day I used it my scalp was really itchy, I have been taking 3-4 mile walks in the sun and not applying sunscreen to my scalp and do not wear a hat, I am assuming that is what is drying out my scalp. I squirted a whole palm full into my hand, why I have no idea, keep in mind I have in my mind I am working with mud when I am in fact not !! So I had a load of shampoo in my hair which lathers extremely well, thank goodness it rinses out easily. That was a couple days ago yesterday I took it easy and used a normal amount and it still lathered and rinsed nicely. My scalp is no longer itchy. My hair is looking fabulous. Another added bonus, they do not test on animals.

I am quite happy with this product and confident that you would be as well just do not go using a palmful of shampoo !

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Want a versatile product ?

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Then try this Emu oil..you read correctly, I wrote Emu oil as in the bid adorable bird with the huge eyes. I was selected to try this oil and give my thoughts. I was a little eh at first, I mean what in the world was I going to do with it ?! 

I used it several ways before writing, first I used it as a moisturizer. It did work well, although it was a little greasy in feeling when going on it did not look greasy at all. It does not feel heavy on your skin at all and another plus is there is no scent to it.

The second way I used it was in my hair. I read that it is good for dry hair, so I gave it a whirl. It gave my hair nice body. Made my hair look like I spent the day at the beach which I didn't of course ! This is where I wish it had a little bit of a salty scent, lol.

Another way I used it was on my legs. They were Sahara Desert dry, gross dry like white flaky dry ( I think you get the idea by now ) I figured hey it worked nicely on my face and hair why not my legs. I was right glad I went with my instincts ! My legs are lookings fabulous now, no more dryness what so ever and that is from one application. I am loving the emu oil. 

I also read that it works on stretch marks, guess where this oil is going next ..... I will keep you up to date ! 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Glowing Skin

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Now that I am in my mid thirties I have been taking even better care of my skin, in addition to cleansing, moisturizing and toners I have added an antioxidant serum. The chosen one is Valentina Even Glow Serum. I did received the serum for free to review and give you my readers my honest opinion ! 

Here are the benefits which are written on the box, in a second I will let you know what I thought when I used it.

It's alcohol free, paraben free, reduces wrinkles and fine lines. Evens skin tone, increases glow and radiance, absorbs quickly and last but not least it is made of 98% of natural ingredients (more than most food on shelves now a days, lol ).

I know the part you all have been waiting for.....Here are my thoughts. I thoroughly enjoy this serum. The dropper applicator makes it easy to apply to fingertips and apply.  The smell is intoxicating, it's a citrus smell - nice and light. It really does absorb quickly, I start at my forehead and by time I get to my chin it's already been adsorbed. It makes my skin look healthy and radiant not greasy at all. I wore it alone and under makeup. It is not heavy at all. Once it is on you do not feel it. I have sensitive skin and I had no reaction. I have started getting little lines ( not many mind you but some ) and they are vanishing with this serum. LOL maybe I need to gift this at Christmas ! Now family and friends are going to be paranoid I am referring to them !!

 I highly recommend The Valentia Even Glow Serum. You do not need to use a lot so the bottle will last you awhile. You can get it on Amazon, here is the link http://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-Serum-Antioxidant-Brightening-Absorption/dp/B00HJD8NLY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398285575&sr=8-1&keywords=valentia%27s+even+glow+serum.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Redbox

 If you all remember I had told you about my being a bzz agent, well my most recent mission was Red Box....score !!! Red Box kiosks are literally everywhere and are super cheap. If you do not want to go out into the cold or it's too snowy and yucky out just BOOM instantly download a movie onto your computer. Can you tell I am loving this mission ??? I literally get to watch movies for free because I am a bzz agent on this mission.

There are many movies to chose from, including kids movies and tv series. You can even reserve a movie online and it will for sure be at the kiosk when you go there to pick it up. It's quite affordable too, check it out www.redbox.com

Vocal Point has been good to me !

I recently received a coupon in the mail from Vocalpoint to try Clairol root touch up for my hair. Since I normally do not shy too far away from my natural hair color roots was not a problem, gray hair however was ! I went to my local Target and picked out my color, and redeemed my coupon with zero problems.

When I got home I decided it would be a great time to cover up the problem area since I had a surprise party to go too in a few days. The kit came with smaller than usual amount ( for your roots only not the whole head ) I had plenty and then some. The brush was my best friend; normally hair dye ends ups everywhere in the bathroom..I have no flipping clue how I do it. Anyway with the brush I was able to apply the dye exactly where I wanted it with no issues.The only issue I had was the smell, it was a bit strong but I dealt with it. Ten minutes later and it was rinse time. Easy peasy. 

Vocalpoint also sent me another free surprise.. Secret Clinical Strength deodorant. I want to start by telling you how much I love the scent of it, it's light and fresh, actually it would make a nice body spray. I put it to the test by wearing it to physical therapy the first day and it kept me dry and smelling awesome ! The next day I tested it's "will not leave marks on your clothing " claim...it's true it left zero marks on my black top, that makes me happy since I tend to get deodorant on the bottom of my black clothing when putting it on, again please do not ask how ! All in all this deodorant will be replacing my current one since I am so in love with the scent and because I was kept dry all day long ! 

Both items were free to me, thank you Vocalpoint for being fabulous !




Before

 

Goyalicious dinner !

Tonight I used my bzz kit from bzz agent to make dinner. Included in the kit was yellow rice, low sodium black beans and Abobo seasoning. I received everything in the kit for free !! I provided the chicken.

The rice was simple to make, just boil water and let the rice simmer for twenty minutes or so. It was very flavorful and adding the beans pushed it over the top.

As for my chicken, I rubbed the Adobo seasoning all over it and pan fried it in some olive oil. Again lots of flavor.

I was always a fan of Goya but never tried the rice in the past, I am cettainly glad bzz agent picked me for this campaign because now I will be buying the Goya rice !!!

Needless to say the meal was a hit with the family. Thank you Goya and thank you bzz agent !!