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 ! 

Goodies by Mrs. Vondank

Mrs. Vondank can be found on Instagram  and big cartel, here is the direct link www.mrsvondank.bigcartel.com 

Her products are medicated and made with home made hash. Don't get all kinds of excited you will NOT get high !!

Recently I was sent free of charge a lemon lip balm, an Island Paradise scented bath bomb and coffee butter eye lotion. I wasn't expecting all this, she had offered the eye lotion and I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the package. I am definetly a customer now. 

Let's start with the lip balm shall we: I was sent lemon which tastes exactly like lemon heads to me ! Unlike other lip balms there is no need to reapply a million times, it keeps your lips nicely moisturized. These are a must buy.

Next up is the coffee butter eye lotion. It's used for bags and dark under eye circles.  I started using this about 5 days ago, it immediately made my eyes silky smooth and day by day my bag upon bags are looking better and better.  Did mention my skin feels silky smooth ?!

Last but certainly not least was this powerhouse bathbomb. The scent was fruity goodness, I added a little bit of AvoWash by Lush Cosmetics for bubbles which complimented it nicely. The bomb was a fast fizzer but that was fine by me, the scent stuck around and made my skin feel great, I wish I could think of a better adjective because I truly loved how it made me feel. I cannot wait to get some more bombs, bigger ones !!! I will end this with some pictures of said bath and just know I was not paid for this review it's my honest opinion.

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. 

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. 

Chocolate and Peanut Butter...enough said

Seriously that is the best combination, in my eyes at least. Influenster recently  sent me the Reeses Peanut Butter and chocolate spread to try and review. It was good timing too, I am FINALLY feeling better after months of morning sickness and sluggishness. 

Naturally the first thing I did was stick a spoon in it and gave it a good taste, it is so delicious plain on it's on. Then I headed to Pinterest to see what other peanut butter chocolate concoctions were being done. I had it spread on an english muffin with cut up banana, I used it on top of a waffle instead of syrup, I also spread it on fruit such as strawberries and of course bananas. And are you ready for it....I used it to make an ice cream sundae ( that was my favorite use for it ) It's good on graham crackers and next time I make bacon I am going to dip it in this spread. 

This is a fantastic spread and I highly recommend you seek it out especially if you love the chocolate and peanut butter combo ! 

Home made goodies made in NY !

I was recently sent some amazing hand made soap and roll on perfume. I was super excited to receive them and now review them. And the sweet woman named Minnie who is the woman behind it all is generous enough to give you, my readers 50% any regular priced item using the promo code RAMBLING ! 

With that being said I was sent soap chips in the "Satin Berries" scent. I adore the scent it was sweet and not over powering. The chips are a great size for showering and I feel like I am not wasting soap, for some reason I feel like cutting off smaller pieces of a bar of soap makes it last longer ! The soap did not dry out my skin nor did it make it feel tight like some soaps can do to you. My toddler liked the chips, I gave her one to play with in the tub and she had a blast with it, perfect size for her ! I highly recommend the soap chips. 

In addition to the soap chips I was sent roll on perfume in " Sage Dream ". I like that it is in roller ball form, so easy to apply and a great size for your purse. I applied this scent in the morning and it stayed strong all day long. As for the scent itself it was quite calming and light, my nose is really sensitive at the moment and was a little iffy about wearing any kind of perfume ! I cannot tell you how much I adore the scent and wish I could spray some on your pulse points through the computer so you can sniff for yourself. 

I love the fact that there is an actual person behind the company and making these things by hand and made right in New York. If you are looking for quality products which include body butter, lip and body scrubs as well as soap subscription boxes in addition to the soap chips and perfume go check out www.nycmetrogirl.com and do not forget the 50% any regular priced item just use promo code RAMBLING

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.

Emile Noel Artisan Oils

Right before I left for my travel to Pennsylvania I was sent some Emile Noel Artisan Oil for free to taste and review, I had received the Toasted Sesame Oil. I never worked with toasted sesame oil before so I did what any other person would do...I went to Pinterest. 

I found a ton of things to make with this, I started with sesame seasoned spinach  which was oh so good and of course good for you, it was a win win. I also used it to make a dressing for a simple salad and to get a feel for the flavor I simply dressed some zucchini and squash with it. The taste is amazing, I was quite pleased with it really. Next time I go to the grocery store I will be sure to pick up some salmon, I came across a recipe for toasted sesame and ginger salmon...that just made my tummy growl. Such a versatile product and if you know me I am ALL about a versatile product.

What else do I like about you ask ? Well it is organic and Fair Trade, obviously since it USDA Organic its free of GMOs which is a biggie with me. The company has been around since 1985 and in case you were wondering the oil is a product of France...oh la la ;-)

All in all it's a nice light tasting oil, very nice and easy to work with. Cannot wait to make that salmon ! 

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.

TLC VoxBox

I got a surprise in the mail this month from Influenster, it was the TLC VoxBox for Moms ! How excited was I ? Yup super excited, I love getting mail especially when it's not bills. I love packages even more. 

Want to know what was inside, of course you do otherwise you would not be reading this. I got the following;

Neosporin to go- Anyone that has a child needs this in their purse, diaper bag, car, bicycle basket, you catch my drift you just need it. Kids fall and you need to clean their scrapes, give it a little squirt of this, slap a band aid on and call it a day.

A coupon for Breyers Gelato Indulgences- The coupon was to get any flavor of my choose, I went with tiramisu and oh my word this is the BEST gelato I have had in a long time. It was the perfect texture, the flavor was spot on. I am hooked. It was just as good at the stuff you can get in the North End of Boston ( aka Little Italy ) 

Ivory Bar Soap- Personally I am not a bar of soap user so I used it on my toddler. It was gentle enough for her and she loved the fact that it floated. She actually thought it was a boat ! It was cute. And she does have real toy boats in the tub, I do not want you thinking I make her play with soap only or something !!

Avon Anew Reversalist Express Wrinkle Soother- Hmmm I do not have much to say about this. I really with I loved it but I am indifferent about it really. I tried it a couple times but did not notice a difference really.

Puffs to go with Lotion- Great tissues to have in your purse. They do not break and can take a beating. They do not leave your nose raw, trust me they were put through the ultimate test at a wake/funeral. 

Shell Fuel Rewards Card- This little card is going to come in handy when we go on our road trip. You use it at Shell gas stations to save money at the pump however you can also rack up points while dining and shopping online, how many other gas reward cards do you know of like that ?! 

Overall I am VERY happy with this VoxBox and so glad to be part of Influenster Nation ! 

Disclosure: I received all of these products for free and 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.

A girl has to do what a girl has to do

As a lot of you know I am a " Lushie ", no I am not an alcoholic I am just obsessed with the store Lush Cosmetics. If you have never heard of them please do yourself a favor and run to the closest store or pop online and check out what they have to offer www.lushusa.com. They do not test on animals and work with natural ingredients. They are amazing. 

Out of all their things I adore their bath products to make bath cocktail ( they coined that phrase ) they have bath bombs, bubble bars, bath melts. Said bombs have roses in them, seaweed, sparkles, some fizz, they all smell amazing and most of them turn your bath a gorgeous color. Of course all of this comes with a price, a price I cannot afford at the moment !!

With all of this being said I went onto Etsy recently and searched "bath bombs " and saw the cutest one from Mountain Madness Soap Company named Funky Monkey, the scent sounded heavenly and the price couldn't be beat. It was also all natural. Then I came across a bubble bar named Rock Candy, it sounded like it would smell like my favorite Lush bubble bar named The Comforter which to me personally smells like bubble gum. I went ahead and ordered both, with shipping total cost was only $12. That is a steal.

I waited eagerly for my package arrived and it finally came the other day, I busted open the package ( nothing was broken it was packed up nicely ) and sniffed both items, upon cold sniff I loved the Funky Monkey, the Rock Candy bubble bar was similar to my beloved Comforter bubble bar kind of, well maybe not !

That night I gave my daughter a bath and was nice enough to share some of my bubble bar, it was soft so it was easy enough to break off a piece for her which in a way I liked but it was a bit crumbly. We got lots of bubbles but not loving the scent the way I hoped I would. I am happy with the amount of bubbles I do get.

Tonight I used the Funky Monkey bath bomb, the smell is yummy, reminds me of a pina colada ! It lingers on the skin nicely after the bath afterwards and it's not overpowering. The bomb didn't change the bath water any color and it did not last long at all, pretty much over in two minutes- three tops. And it was super oily however my skin feels nice and soft. 

It is not Lush but I am pretty happy with what I got. I will still shop around Etsy and see what else they have to offer, it's fun to shop around :-)

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.

My locks are grateful

Once again I was chosen for an awesome campaign from www.bzzagent.com, it was for the Nuetrogena Triple Repair Hair Care System. The system included shampoo, conditioner and leave in conditioner. It protects your locks from heat for up to 400 degrees, which is perfect for me since I am pretty much attached to my flat iron since getting my hair cut ! I know it's terrible for my hair but I love the way it looks. 

I am also known to color my hair every couple of months since is again not fantastic for my hair but this is needed, lol I have grays that need to be covered ! Since starting the system my hair has gotten softer, and shinier. It also claims to help prevent split ends and I agree so my friends put the scissors down. 

There were some things that I did not love such as the scent, not a huge deal since I do spray stuff in my hair after using the flat iron so the shampoo/conditioner scent really doesn't matter. Also I feel like I have to use a lot of shampoo because it doesn't "spread out " well, it lathers fantastically but just wanted to stay in one spot.  Other than that I am a fan.  

I am glad I was chosen for this campaign because I never would have tried this Hair care system considering Nuetrogena is known for their facial cleansers, etc. I am a happy mama, with good hair :-)