Dollar Tree beauty essentials haul

I popped into Dollar Tree again (because really, there are so many and they all have magnets inside them that draw me to them).  I knew I needed to get gel for my boyfriend since we somehow misplaced the bottle that I picked up at Walgreen’s a few weeks ago.  I also knew I wanted to get some clarifying shampoo to stick in the shower.  I use to use clarifying shampoo all the time when I was using Pantene shampoo because it would leave a film in my hair after a few washes.  I since stopped using the Pantene so I stopped purchasing clarifying shampoo.  My scalp has been annoyed as of late, probably with me using different shampoos, so I want to just clear the gunk out of my hair and start from fresh.  I also want my boyfriend to try it since he does use gel in his hair and I swear he just needs to strip his hair follicles clean.

Here’s what I picked up:

-          Vo5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Shampoo – Kiwi Lime Squeeze

-          Vo5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Conditioner – Kiwi Lime Squeeze

-          Xcess – Styling Gel

FREEBIE: Aveeno Ultra-Calming Make-up Removing Wipes

I was offered a Klout Perk by Aveeno, so I opted in.  I ended up receiving this full-size package of Aveeno Ultra-Calming make-up removing wipes.  I was surprised by the size of the pack as I was expecting to receive a deluxe sample pack, but the package contains 25 wipes.  I have seen these at Target for around $7 a package.  I personally have not tried these yet, but they do have a nice subtle scent to them.  I do happen to like scented makeup removing wipes, but sometimes I find the scent can all together be overpowering and linger on your skin.

Are you interested in what Klout is?  Well, Klout is a website that measures your social networking influence.  You link your facebook, twitter, google+, linkedin, etc., to it and it measures the rate of individuals you influence on a daily basis.  Based on your Klout score, you are offered certain perks which fall under categories (food based, beauty related, extracurricular activity, etc.).  You are then selected to participate in perks based on your score.

Disclaimer: I was given a free product or sample because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

REVIEW: Avon Care Silicone Glove Protective Hand Cream

I purchased this Silicone Glove protective hand cream through Avon a few weeks ago in their catalog while it was on sale for 99 cents.  Believe me when I say this, I wish I would have ordered 4 or 5 tubes of this stuff then.  I only purchased one because I had never tried it before and if it was horrendous I didn’t want to own 4 or 5 tubes of it.  Now I’m kicking myself in the behind because this lotion is just plain awesome!  I’ve since left a message with my Avon representative asking if she could somehow back order this for me so I can get 4 tubes to last me thru the upcoming months.

I am quite a lotion aficionado if I must say so.  I work with paper at work all day long and I’ve noticed over the last 6 months my hands have become increasingly dry. I used to only get dry hands in the winter months due to the harsh change in weather – but it’s continued onward.  The backs of my hands aren’t dry, but my fingertips are especially dry.  I purchase lotions like crazy in hopes to cure my issues, even use Vaseline at night with gloves and after a few washes its back.  I used this lotion and it was literally magic.

It does not leave a greasy residue, but it does leave a slight texture to your hand. Nothing annoying or anything like that but it’s slightly noticeable.  The lotion itself does make your hands INCREDIBLY smooth and the greatest part is that it does not wash off after you wash your hands. You can wash and dry and afterwards you can still feel the smoothness in your hands.  The lotion itself lasts a good 3-4 hours when on, even after a few hand washings.  I feel it fills in any of the grooves in my fingertips where it’s rough because it completely smooths the skin surface out.

The one thing I do notice is the lotion seems to pull the dead skin off my hand and balls it up on my skin.  I’m assuming that’s what it is, but I can’t say for sure.  As shown in the picture, I do get a bit of beading on my hands which I can wipe off and it does not effect it in any way.

Overall, I just completely love this lotion and feel it’s one of the best lotions I’ve used in a long while.

Haul: Colormates Nail Art

 This is a little quick Dollar Tree haul featuring the Colormates Nail Art polishes.  I’ve been wanting to try nail art on my nails, but I admit I’m not the most steady handed so we’ll see how it turns out once I do get around to it.  I’ve been seeing a lot of gorgeous manicures and was hoping to give it a shot.  I did buy these because the black glitter and the purple glitter polish were really unique and I had not seen them before, or at least not noticed them until now.  I do admit I would love to paint my nails in just those two colors alone I think they’re that gorgeous.

The 3 shades I picked up are as follows:
-    White (a pure white shade)
-    Glitz (a purple based glitter with pink, blue and silver glitters)
-    Black Glitter (a black shade with mini gold glitters)

Mary Kay – Thanks a Million Facebook Sweepstakes

About a month or more ago I entered a Facebook sweepstakes hosted by Mary Kay.  They were thanking those million followers who had them liked on Facebook and by thanking the followers they offered up a giveaway to those who were selected.  I apparently was selected and wasn’t aware because I received a package in the mail.  I opened it and inside was a 1 fl oz. of the Mary Kay Foundation Primer!  I have used this in the past at a Mary Kay party and it’s a pretty nice product.  I think I may have a full-size bottle buried in my makeup container.  This does give your face that flawless finish and a blank canvas to apply your foundation (liquid or powder).  It works well with both and I feel it does make my makeup stay on longer.  Since I do have oily skin, my makeup tends to wear off over the day (especially if I’m touching my face which I have a horrible habit of doing).  But I feel the primer helps keep it in place a little longer.  Another great thing about it is, it does have SPF 15 in it so that does reduce a step in your skincare routine by using this.

Steal! $3.99 Raspberry Crocs!

I made an “emergency” trip to Kohl’s this afternoon because yesterday I had received an e-mail from Kohl’s alerting me that my Kohl’s cash was set to expire on Monday.  Well, we can’t have that!  So I made a trip to the store to see what I could find.  I hit up the shoe section first because I needed to get a larger size in the sneakers I picked up prior, I got a half size and needed to push it up to the full size.  But before I could get to the sneaker section, I made a b-line for the clearance shoe section.  The first thing I noticed was this bright/hot pink pair of sandals, I blinked and realized they were Crocs and grabbed them rather loudly proclaiming “Ohhh!!”  The greatest part is THEY WERE IN MY SIZE -- which is a complete shocker because finding a size 11 anywhere is pretty difficult.  I tried it on and they fit perfectly.  Crocs can run pretty narrow with some of their shoes and this was an 11W so it was perfect.  The only negative?  There was only one shoe there.  I scoured the entire area and could NOT find the second shoe.  I knew the possibilities of them selling one shoe to a peg legged pirate was pretty slim to none, so after going down and getting my sneakers I returned to the clearance section. Scrouching down on the floor I began looking thru boxes (I was determined to find that damn shoe whether I had to tear Kohl’s apart or not), when I pushed one box back, it wouldn’t budge and I realized something was behind it. Ta-da, the missing shoe!  I squealed and quickly ran away from the shoe section LOL.

The style I picked up is called Thea and the color is Raspberry.  The shoes themselves were originally $39.99, but on clearance for $13.99.  I had $10 Kohl’s cash, which dropped the price down to $3.99!  Not bad, not bad at all!  This is like the … er, maybe 8^th pair of Crocs I own.  Yeah, I’m obsessed but I LOVE them and I think they’re adorable.  But to each our own J.

My first Shop Lately Haul!

I blame this initial purchase on boredom.  I was surfing the web one day and somehow stumbled upon the Shop Lately website just because I was looking for a q-ray bracelet.  Not sure how q-ray and shop lately intertwined but they did and off and running I went.  I started browsing through the website for what felt like forever and ended up with a few items that I thought were totally adorable and that I had to have.  Now I’m not much of a bracelet wearer in general.  I don’t know – I put them on but then take them on to go to sleep and if I’m rushing in the morning (which is usually the case) I tend to forget to put them back on.  But I saw this bracelet that was similar to a q-ray (without the magnetic piece inside of it) but it was adorable and I HAD to have it especially since it was a gold color.  Then the shopping bug bit and into the cart went more and more items.  I then found a coupon code on retailmenot where I got $5 off my $30 purchase so I threw the heart/key bracelet in and got it for like $2 after the savings.

So here’s what I picked up:

-          Cut the Cable Spike Cuff in Antique Silver (you can purchase it here: https://shoplately.com/product/13338/cut_the_cable_spike_cuff_antique_silver)

-          Love Unlocked Bracelet in white (you can purchase it here: https://shoplately.com/product/12491/love_unlocked_bracelet_white)

-          Cool Crossing Bracelet in blue (you can purchase it here: https://shoplately.com/product/13566/cool_crossing_bracelet_blue)

-          Cut the Cable Spike Cuff in Gold (you can purchase it here: https://shoplately.com/product/13634/cut_the_cable_spike_cuff_gold)

If you have not purchased anything on Shop Lately I suggest you take a look at the website.  They offer such cute things for great prices and the greatest thing is they have items which go on sale every day (the sales last for 3-days).  After your first purchase you get a $5 credit for future orders which is fabulous.  Also if you’re buying something and it’s over $30 look up the coupon code on retailmenot – but do take note you can only use it once.

Also I would hope if you’re going to purchase anything shown above and you do not have an account, you would do so thru my referral link: http://shoplately.com/?u=xdfnsh0p .