Shannon’s Influenster Beauty Blogger VoxBox Unboxing!

I was invited to see if I’d qualify for the Influenster Beauty Blogger VoxBox.  After submitting the requested information, I was emailed about a week later letting me know that I was selected and that my box was in the mail.  I received it almost a week later and was excited to see what products I got to sample.

If you’re not familiar with Influenster is (www.influenster.com) it is a website which provides samples of products to participating and eligible individuals.  You qualify for badges by submitting reviews, etc., on products and based on your information, your activity, your score and your information you are selected to participate in particular boxes.

Here’s what I received in my voxbox:

-          Kiss Ever Pro Lashes – Starter Kit

-          Goody – Spin Pins

-          N.Y.C Individual Eyes eye shadow palette – Dark Shadows

-          Not Your Mother’s – Smooth Moves

-          E-Boost – Dietary Supplement – orange flavor

-          Bath & Body Works Mini Candle – Mahogany Teakwood

-          Coupon: $10 off a full-size 3-wick candle

I’m looking forward to trying out all the goodies I received and sharing my experience with you as I try them!

DISCLAIMER: I received these products from Influenster for reviewing purposes.  I am not affiliated with these brands.

Shannon's $1.13 Copious Haul

A number of weeks back, I received an e-mail for a $10 credit which was applied to my account for the weekend.  While surfing the web, I decided to check out what Copious had to offer.  Since at that time I was on a "don't spend any money unnecessarily" kick (which I need to get back to...) I opted to spend as close to the $10 without going overboard unnecessarily since I truly don't NEED anything and I should really sell some of the stuff I have.  Anyway!  I've heard a lot of things about Kleancolor nail polishes and since I have never tried them -- I decided to get two of the colors that interested me the most.

Here's what I picked up:

Kleancolor Chunky Holo Bluebell.  I picked this up because I love blue polishes and with this being a holo polish, it'd be a great top coat over it.

Kleancolor Black Out.  I picked this up because I have been lusting over the Revlon Runway collection polish - Sparkle Aplent.  Granted it's not an exact replica, but it's pretty close.

So there you have it, my $1.13 Copious haul!  Can't go wrong for 66 cents per nail polish.

My $40 Mistake -- JustFab Law Handbag

This is what happens when you purchase things online without reading fine print and/or reading e-mails that are sent to you and simply deleting them.  I wasn't aware I had to opt out of the month last month for JustFab so when I noticed a $40 charge on my credit card I called to inquire and was advised I had until the 5th of that month to cancel and since I didn't cancel in time -- basically tough .... yeah, you can finish the rest of that sentence.

So I had a credit on my account for almost two weeks and I kept going back and fourth in the shop.  I don't typically purchase shoes online because I have large feet which run wider and I have a heck of a time finding a pair of shoes that are comfortable enough to wear all day without limping around and/or having o take them off immediately.  I am a handbag lover so I'd been staking out the selection and decided I was going to go ahead and just order the Law bag in black for myself.  I had looked up reviews online and everyone said the same thing -- sturdy bag, adorable and GIGANTIC.  I love a big handbag.  I carry a lot with me so to have a bag with a little more room to allow for all the stuff I carry, it's a blessing in disguise -- while also a curse once things start to get too heavy.

The bag itself is quite adorable.  It's a black almost "puckered" pattern which repeats itself all over the bag.  It has a golden locket on the front with an adjustable removable shoulder strap which was stashed away inside the handbag for traveling.

Avon Calling...

This is a very late Avon haul. I ordered two things out of the catalog that interested me the most as they were being advertised as new products to the catalog. I got both on sale as well -- but I can't recall what I paid. I want to say $3 for the lip product and $8 for the illuminator. Avon catalogs always suck me in and I'm a goner before I know it.

Here's what I picked up:

Avon MagiX Illuminating Face Perfector
Avon Ultra Color Rich - Lip Exfoliator

Shannon's Amazon Haul: Skin MD

This was a haul which was triggered by MakeupbyTiffany on YouTube.  She had been talking about this moisturizing lotion which could be used on hand, face and body.  The fact that she said it worked so well is what triggered me to purchase.  During the winter and occasionally during the summer the backs of my hands get terribly chapped due to the weather.  Lately I've been having issues with my fingers so I figured that could help -- while this could also work on my face when I get into an intense routine of my Retin-A which tends to make my skin flake and somewhat dry in certain areas.  I went on the SkinMD website and noticed it stated they sold the product at CVS -- so I called the few CVS' around me after going to two of them and found no one really carried it -- not even the one CVS the companies website listed.  I then looked it up on Amazon and purchased it that way -- while it was also cheaper to purchase on Amazon than it was direct.

Shannon's The Body Shop Haul!

This is a belated The Body Shop haul.  After work one day my boyfriend and I went to the mall to pay a phone bill and my stipulation was I needed to run into one store – The Body Shop because I had a $10 off $20 coupon.  When I went into the store the girl that I typically deal with at this particular store was working.  She has acne so we talk about our acne and she’s really honest with me about products.  She leaves me be so I can look around, but when I start asking questions she’s honest with me.  She’ll tell me what she recommends, etc., and since we have some of the same acne issues and she knows what medications I take that are prescribed she kind of guides me in the right direction without telling me what to get.

The fabulous part was I let her know I had a $10 off $20 coupon and I had $40 worth of stuff in my hands.  So she told me she’d give me the $10 off and then give me $15 off $40 (not realizing I already had that amount in my hand).  So she essentially gave me $25 off my order.  She then recommended I spend $4 more so I could get another point on my rewards card – so I did that.

Enough of the rambling, here’s what I picked up:

-          Tea Tree Oil

-          Tea Tree Face Mask

-          Camomile Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover (Travel Size)

-          Seaweed Clarifying Night oil

-          Sample: Hemp Hand Cream

-          Sample:: Tea Tree Pore Minimizer

I received my Target Beauty Bag!

 About a month or so ago, Target was offering up a select number of beauty bags to those who opted into receiving on on their Facebook page.  When I heard about it, I logged into the page, signed up and got my bag.  Soon after the bags had "sold out" so there definitely wasn't as many as there have been in the past.  I actually forgot I was getting this bag - so when I got home from work I was surprised to see a little Target box.  I assumed it was one of the free samples I tried signing up for on Targets website, but since their sample portion of their website never processes for me I wasn't sure what I got until I opened the box.  I saw the leopard bag and did a little screech - it's SO cute!  I love it!  Then again I am a total leopard freak.

The samples within my beauty bag are as follows:

- L'Oreal EverCreme Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner & Deep Nourishing Masque
- Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy Total Care Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner
- Jergens Daily Moisture Lotion
- Tekkai Glossing Shampoo & Conditioner
- Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer
- Booklet of Target specific coupons

Shannon's Combined Beauty Essentials Haul

This is my combined haul from three separate stores -- Walmart, KMart and Big Lots.  I attended a trade show nearly two weeks ago and tried out this Dial lotion there and instantly fell in love.  My hands have been shot for the past 6-months (we have hard water at work, plus I work with a lot of paper, etc.).  It smelled fabulous and instantly hydrated my hands.  One thing I liked was that it went on smoothly, like water, and left no greasy residue.  I immediately went on a hunt to different stores to find it -- couldn't find it anywhere and when I nearly spent $12 for it on Amazon I checked Walmarts website and saw it was sold there!  The other two items are a product of walking around the store and seeing things.  Lately, my body chemistry has been changing, where my body is straight up rejecting some deodorants (I honestly think I've been using some brands too long) so I've been finding clinical strength deodorant has been doing the trick.  I then saw the body wipes in the check-out line at Kmart and grabbed them because when I go for a walk at work and come back, I sometimes wouldn't mind wiping down my arms or back after a vigorous walk - so yay for body wipes!

Here's what I picked up:

-Dial NutriSkin Replenishing Lotion - Shea
-Degree Clinical Protection Deodorant
-Playtex Sport Body Wipes - Travel Size

Shannon’s Target Haul!

This is my Target beauty haul from last week. I had gone away to a trade show and upon returning (I went down on a bus provided by the company that hosted the trade show) I was dropped off in the Target parking lot. My boyfriend was set to pick me up after work, so since I got back around 4 – I headed into Target to do some much needed browsing. These are the beauty related items I ended up picking up for myself and one thing for my boyfriend.

Here’s what I picked up:

- Old Spice – Champion Body Wash w/ a mini travel size deodorant.
- Dove – Go Fresh Cucumber & Green Tea Deodorant – Combo Pack. I got this for free as I received a coupon from Dove for a free deodorant.
- Up & Up Facial Moisturizer – SPF 15 Sensitive Skin. This is the Target version of the Neutrogena Sensitive Skin SPF Moisturizer
- Vaseline Lip Therapy – Cocoa Butter. Seriously?! The most ADORABLE container ever.

Shannon’s Free CVS Haul

 

Sometimes I’m quite astounded as to how CVS stays in business with how much money they give away to customers.  By money I mean product, and even ECB’s.  I checked out my Extracare card online and noticed I had a few coupons pending – one was for a few dollars off a Clear shampoo, $3 off a CVS brand shampoo and $3 off a CVS brand face care product.  I went browsing around the store and found a 2-in-1 shampoo for $2.99 making it free after my coupon, a travel size pack of exfoliating face wipes for $2.99 making them free and the Clear shampoo was on sale 2 for $5 the week I went in.  I had a $2 CVS coupon and on the bottles was a $3 off manufacturer’s coupon.  The coupon had expired but since CVS employees did not remove the coupons from the bottles I was told they had to honor it – therefore making it free. Score all around!  Thanks, CVS!

Klout Perk - Essie - Stylenomics

I received this Essie nail polish in Stylenomics from a Klout Perk a few weeks back.  I admit this is a very overdue post, but a late post is better than no post!  I opted into the perk and received it 3-6 weeks after the perk was closed.  I wasn't sure what shade I would be awarded as colors are just randomly chosen and sent off to those selected.

Stylenomics is from the Fall 2012 collection.  According to Essie, Stylenomics is a very dark green creme polish.  The polish appears slightly green, but it really looks more grey/brown-black than anything else.  I admit I have not worn this on my nails as of yet.

Target Haul!

This is a few week old Target haul as the pictures have been sitting on my camera waiting for me to post them – so I figure it’s about time I get around to that!  This is really a dollar section, clearance section and random “it’s on sale so I must buy it” sort of haul.  When I had popped by the dollar section I noticed they had a lot of coffee related items – signs, coasters, stirrers, note pads, key chains, etc.  I decided to get the stirrers since I’m always grabbing for a big spoon to stir up my coffee in my travel mug.  I also got an 8-pack of coasters because I bring drinks into the bedroom with me and when I put something down that’s going to sweat, I don’t want the sweat to in turn ruin my bedside table or leave water rings on it.  So I figured I’d grab a pack to just throw under my drink wherever I decide to set it down.  But before I keep babbling, onto what I picked up:

-          4 pack stir sticks

-          8-pack Coaster that reads “I am only as strong as the coffee I drink & the hair spray I use.”

-          Aveeno Positively Radiant Antioxidant Infused Body Wash in White Peach + Ginger.  I seriously have been lusting over this body wash FOREVER because I LOVE the smell and it was on sale $4 so I grabbed it. I wish these were cheaper because I would seriously ONLY buy this body wash I love the scent that much.

-          Sally Hansen Nail Nutrition Green Tea & Soy Cuticle Oil

-          Nivea Intense Moisture Medicated Lip Repair

-          Goody Simple Hair Style – Modern Twist

-          Goody Simple Hair Style – Pony Pouf

Aveeno U-BB-1446 Active Naturals Positively Nourishing Smoothing Body Wash Pomegranate + Rice by Aveeno for Unisex - 16 oz Body Wash (Google Affiliate Ad)

Review: Freeman Facial Anti-Stress Mask Dead Sea Minerals

I picked up this Freeman Facial Anti-Stress Dead Sea Minerals mask at CVS a few months back.  I actually got this for free because Freeman had little rebate offers on the product, which allowed you to get your money back for the item.  All I had to do was fill out the little bitty form and mail it in with my receipt and I got a check for the balance ($3.99) within 6-8 weeks.

PACKAGING & PRICE:

The product comes in a bright blue squeeze tube that holds 6 fl oz. of product.  The color of the packaging is the same color of the product.  The tube is actually quite eye catching, which is one of the reasons I picked it up – I was looking for the Mint Julep mask, since they didn’t have it, I noticed this and grabbed it.  As mentioned briefly above, this retails for $3.99 at CVS.  The price is pretty standard in all selling locations, but you may be able to get it on sale during select weeks depending on what stores are pushing in ads for the week.  There are also single use foil packages available with .5 fl oz of product in them, but in my travels I have only seen them at Walmart – those I believe sell for $1.40.

PRODUCT:

The product is a bright blue shade and is a rather thick cream – think really thick body lotion.  It’s creamier in consistency when rubbed onto the skin and applies easily.  As the product starts to dry it can be a little harder to work with because it dries into a clay consistency.  You may also find certain spots on your face dry faster than others and if you want to go back over a thinner spot, some product will rub off, so you have to try to cover all skin on first application.  There isn’t a real scent to the product but I would say it’s got a “clean” scent to it.  It’s nothing obnoxious and nothing even remotely overpowering.  It’s advertised as a product to aid in purifying and clearing pores.

PURCHASING:

The Freeman’s Facial Anti-Stress Dead Sea Minerals can be found at your local pharmacy – Walgreens, CVS, or Rite Aid.  It’s also available at Ulta as well as on Drugstore.com & Amazon.  The mini single-use packages are available at Walmarts.  Outside of the handful of these locations, I’m not sure where else they would be sold.  The regular 6 fl oz. bottle is a better bang for your buck, especially when comparing $4 vs $1.40 and the amount of product you receive (6 oz vs .5 oz).

OVERALL:

I quite enjoy this mask.  It goes on smoothly and dries quickly – within 5 minutes or so your mask will be completely dry.  As it dries your face will feel tighter but it’s not uncomfortable, even if you are talking while it’s dried and/or drying.  The texture of the mask gets harder on your skin after dried – which makes sense since the product is made of clay.  I thought it would be a lot harder to wash off but with a few handfuls of water, it rinses off with ease.  You could even put this on before taking a shower and easily rinse it of while showering.  The water and a slight rub of your hands remove it with ease.  I found after use, my skin feels much smoother and softer after use.  I quite enjoy this mask and the results obtained from using it.

RATING:

4 stars

My First Lush Haul!

I’ve been into Lush a few times in the past but have never purchased anything from the store.  One time I went in there, tried out this hand cleansing/exfoliating system and when I told the girl I’d love to buy it and was informed the full set was $90 I quickly ran out of the store (well, not quickly, I told her no thank you and left).  So what got me back into Lush this time?  My hands.  We have hard water at work and I’m constantly washing my hands, which is drying them out beyond belief.  On top of that I deal with paperwork all day long which is also helping in drying them out. Regardless of how much lotion I’m using it’s not doing anything for them, particularly a few of my fingertips. I’ve been buying different lotions, etc., and they help for the time being but they haven’t truly been curing the underlying problem – just masking it for the time being.  Of course when I got into Lush I explained my hand scenario and we started off by testing out two different products on two different hands, followed by the lotion, etc.  Then while talking, I started babbling about my skin (face) and we dove into products for that.  Needless to say, before I knew it, I had a boatload of products to purchase and was asking to pick up a few extra that I had seen talked about in YouTube videos. I spent  a lot more than I anticipated, but so far I am really enjoying some of the stuff I’ve purchased – particularly my face mask, soap [both face and body], toner and hand lotion (minus the scent).  I do love the toner and I find it’s really helping with the oiliness of my face – and I’d like to test this against the Body Shops tea tree toner (since it is cheaper, just not in a neat spray bottle).  I realize Lush is really pricy in their stuff, but if you find something that’s working for you, there’s always a price that comes with beauty.

Here’s a break down of what I picked up:

-          Helping Hands hand cream

-          Cupcake face mask

-          Fresh Farmacy Face Soap

-          Honey I Washed the Kids soap

-          Putty For Your Hands

-          Tea Tree Toner Water

-          Toothy Tabs in Dirty (Spearmint flavor)

I also got some samples, for myself and for my boyfriend to try out (which he hasn’t because he says it’s “makeup” LOLOL!!):

-          Imperialis Facial Moisturizer

-          Ocean Salt face & body scrub (x 2)

-          Grease Lightening

-          Cosmetic Lad

I will be doing a review on the Cupcake face mask at some point.

Big Lots haul!

I popped into Big Lots last week to get some water flavoring packets and of course picked up a few things up.  Browsing the beauty aisle I grabbed the Green Tea cleansing towels that I have seen time and time again but just have never purchased.  I have used these since purchasing and I can say these are pretty stand-up wipes.  I don't usually like face wipes because they tend to leave a "film" on my face, where I feel I have to go and splash water on it, but with these it feels very soft and clean.  As I use them more I'll get a true feeling for how much I like them.  I then grabbed a hair drying cap because I thought it was the wraps -- but I was wrong.  This is literally a cap, that you put your hair in after you've squeezed the water out into a towel and it absorbs excess water.  It's not what I expected it to be and I wished I didn't purchase it because it's just an extra (unnecessary) step.  I then grabbed a mock-Rocawear cologne for my boyfriend.  He drives me crazy leaving the expensive cologne I buy him in the car (he's a smoker) so I told him bring the expensive cologne in the house and if you want to smell decent for strangers, spray on this stuff LOL.  I did smell it before I purchased it, and it does smell pretty good so it's okay in my book.  I then grabbed a Maybelline lipstick in Must Have Mauve (which I think is still in stores?) for $3.  The color wears a lot brighter on my lips than it is when you wipe it off onto a tissue.  Hmph.

Haul: Garnier Skin Renew

I picked up a tube of Garnier Skin Renew at CVS last weekend to try out on my face.  I've been super annoyed with my skin lately and since I'm waiting to see my dermatologist (hopefully this week) I'll have some better advise as to how to move forward.

I originally went into CVS looking for the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Eventone Dark Spot Corrector BUT I've been highly unsuccessful in locating that anywhere.  Since I couldn't find the Palmer's I went in search of the new Olay CC Cream BUT CVS didn't have that either.  So that left me meandering through the skincare aisle aimlessly and I stumbled upon the Garnier section.  I noticed the Dark Spot Corrector so I pulled it off the shelf.  I went back and fourth as to if I should get it or not and I finally decided what the heck, it won't hurt to try it.  This was $17.99 and I was able to get $2 off using one of the coupons taped up near the product.  They also have an overnight peel, but since I do use Retin-A I figured that may be doing more unnecessary things to my face and/or it may just have a huge couter-reaction to my Retin-A and cause me even more skin troubles.  Anyway, I haven't noticed any results as of yet, but then again it's only been a handful of days.  But one thing I do notice is if I don't use a toner on my face before applying this, I get SUPER shiny and oily and just gross within a few hours.  If I use a toner underneath this and then apply a moisturizer over this, it's not terrible and I don't notice the oil.  But as I use it more, I'll be able to pinpoint certain things and hopefully (fingers crossed) see some results.

Tasty Favorites Cravebox!

As some of you who have been following my posts know, I am a subscriber to the Cravebox service.  Cravebox is similar to a Birchbox (I think they are run by the same company – but don’t quote me on that) but the boxes are geared more towards healthy eats and occasionally beauty.  This month’s box was titled the Tasty Favorites Cravebox.  This is the 3^rd box I have received from Cravebox and I will admit, this month’s box was rather lackluster.  There wasn’t anything I was excited about getting and the few things I have tried already I wasn’t a big fan of.

This particular box included samples and select coupons of the following items:

- Mini Energy Bars from Balance Bars

                        Mini 100 calorie bars that pack a 7gram protein punch as well as 23 vitamins and minerals.

- Soy Nut Trail Mix from Crum Creek

                        The snack is a perfect mix of organic slightly sea-salted soy nuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and chocolate chips.

- Purple Corn Tortilla Chips with Sea Salt from Mystic Harbor

                        All-natural guilt-free substitute to snacking

- Plentils crunchy lentil chips from Enjoy Life

                        A “better for you chip” that delivers protein packed crunching

- Caramel Apple filled Werther’s Originals candies

                        Provides a smooth caramel casing with a rich, apple filling, giving you the impression of eating a candy apple.

I have tried the Plentils and they were just funky and not my thing.  I’ve also eaten some of the Werther’s candies and they’re alright.  They do sell these at the Dollar Tree.  They’re nothing spectacular – but then again I’m an original Werther’s fan..