The Frosty VoxBox

Hello Lovelies! 

It has been quite awhile since I received a package from Influenster, but it is always awesome when I do. This particular box is called the Frosy VoxBox, and it was filled with quite the variety of items. I want to start this off with just issuing a public thank you to Influenster for once again sending me some fun stuff to try.  If you would like to join, just follow this link, and you too will have the opportunity to receive a box. 

Rimmel London Just Let It Go Eye Makeup Remover, and Scandaleyes Waterproof Eyeliner 

I always excited to receive full size samples, and I am especially happy that they are from a company like Rimmel, because they are good budget friendly brand. Although I personally prefer liquid eye liner, I am quite impressed with Rimmel's Scandaleyes liner, it has good pigmentation, glides on smoothly, and it is quite lasting. (It also comes in 10 different shades!) To be honest I was a bit more hesitant to test out the Just Let It Go makeup remover as I have sensitive skin, and I worry about them irritating it, so instead of testing this on my face I applied a variety of products to the inside of my wrist for a test run. I applied swatches of Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara, a black glittery eye shadow from the NYX Smokey Palette, Kat Von D Autograph Eye Liner, Benefit's Boiing Concealer, Bh Cosmetics Eyebrow Pencil, Mirenesse's Lip Bomb Lip Stain in the shade of red, and of course the Scandaleyes Eye Liner in Black. I followed the directions on the bottle, and actually used cotton balls to remove them, and the only products I struggled to remove were the lip stain, and of course, the Scandaleyes eye liner. 

NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum

NYC is a brand that I use to use when I was just learning how to use makeup, mostly because it's super cheap, it is of an okay quality, but there are much better budget friendly brands out there (E.L.F Cosmetics, and NYX) Now that I have established my view on the brand I thought the Sugar Plum lip color was okay, it isn't something I would ever purchase though. I do not like the super fruity scent, the lack of pigmentation, and it is not long-lasting like the name states. On top of all that this particular color does nothing for me. 

Eco Tools Sleek + Shine Finisher Hair Brush 

Eco Tools is a brand I have been using for quite awhile, and I definitely would recommend the brand to anyone out there searching for an eco friendly, affordable, and good quality product. I personally own a couple of their cosmetic brushes, and the Smoothing Detangler Hair Brush, and I use them on a regular basis. This brush is a wonderful addition to my routine as it works wonderfully to finish off any style, and a brush like this is also happens to be a must-have to create vintage styles. 

Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced Serum and Coupon

All I can really say about this sample is that I am not fond of receiving samples of this size, there is no possible way I can accurately review the product this way. I do like that Influenster included a coupon for the people that do end up being intrigued by this product, but it is regularly sold for $30 at Target, and there is no way I am spending that much money on something I have no previous experience with, but I will add that I have seen a couple positive reviews for it. 

Red Vines Fruit Vines Bites in Strawberry

Unfortunately this bag didn't even last long enough to make it's spot in the Frosty VoxBox overall photo, because they were completely addicting. They are the perfect chewy, sweet snack, and I love the strawberry flavor. I definitely want to get more of these, like right now. 

Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Green Tea and Coupon

My cupboard is filled with a variety of Celestial Seasonings teas, but I have never tried this before, so I was quite intrigued. As soon as you open the package you can smell the distinct peppermint scent, and the tea is exactly what you would expect, it tastes like a peppermint candy cane. 

McCormick Gourmet All Natural Thyme 

This is actually a pretty awesome thing to receive as I do actually love to cook, and a good variety of spices is key to achieve good tasting food, and there is nothing better than saving a bit of money due to samples from awesome companies. My all time favorite way to use Thyme is for roasted vegetables, try it yourself! 

Roasted Herb Vegetables

You Need:

Thyme

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Garlic

Zucchini 

Red Potatoes

Carrots

Onions

Green Beans

All you do is chop the vegetables up, toss them in oil, and then toss them in the seasonings. Cook at 450 degrees for 30-45 minutes, and you have an amazing yummy array of vegetables.

Overall, this was a wonderful Voxbox, and I am extremely appreciative for receiving it. I would recommend most of these products, especially for someone who is seeking out items that are budget friendly. 

 Here is a look I created using my Frosty Voxbox products ( NYC Lip Color, Scandaleyes Eyeliner) pairied with products I received in my Ipsy bag. 

 

#frostyvoxbox #getadvanced #influenster 

Kiss InstaWave Automatic Curling Iron Review and Tutorial

Hello Lovelies!

Today I bring you a little "how to" video for the Kiss Automatic Tangle-Free Curling Iron. 

Overall I believe this curling iron is easy to use, hair friendly, and it definitely cuts down on curl time. I like that I can easily get that beachy, wavy look many women desire in a matter of minutes, but it is hard to get tighter curls on short hair. The automatic shut off function is very logical, considering many women forget to shut off their irons, including me sometimes. I also like the sleek appearance, and the swivel cord, which makes it easier to use.

Kiss InstaWave Quick Guide Directions 

Step 1- Hold InstaWave vertically and place it parallel along a section of hair. (approximately 1-2 inch section)  

Step 2- Press button to begin rotating the curl barrel. InstaWave will automatically begin catching and curling hair. 

Step 3- Continue pressing button until hair is fully around barrel. Once hair is around barrel, release button, and allow barrel to heat hair for 3-10 seconds- depending on the style desired, and the hair type. 

Step 4- Once hair is curled, guide InstaWave down to release curled hair. Do not pull diagonally.

For more information check out Kiss's website- 

http://www.kissinstawave.com/

You can find your very own Kiss InstaWave Curling Iron at Target, Ulta Beauty, and Amazon.com

Sponsored By Brand Backer 

Makeup by One Direction

Hello Lovelies! 

Today I am here to review the Makeup by One Direction Limited Editions sets, which consists of the Electro Glam Mascara, Liquilights Glow Gloss, and the Rock Me Nail Kit. The Makeup by One Direction was released on November 15th, and can be found at Macy's, Dillards, Boscov's, Stage Stores, Beauty Brands, and Lord & Taylor. 

ELECTRO GLAM MASCARA

The Electro Glam Mascara comes in three fun shades, and can be used not only for eye lashes, but for hair, and even eye brows. Pictured Below are all of the shades, and a sample of each against my red hair. My personal favorite was the blue, as it showed up the best in my hair, but all the colors are fun and highly pigmented. 

 LIQUILIGHTS GLOW GLOSS

Liquilights Glow Gloss is the perfect gloss for a fun loving, sparkly person. By day it's a simple sheer glitter gloss, and by night it transforms and illuminates under UV black light. The gloss can be worn by itself, or for even more of a pop, it can be worn over a vibrant shade of lipstick, you could even purchase the One Direction Creme Lipstick to pair with it. The gloss is long-lasting, and full of sparkle. Below are pictures of the shades by themselves, unfortunately I do not own a black light to show off the way they illuminate. 

ROCK ME NAIL KIT

The Rock Me Nail Kit consists of three colorful UV-Reactive nail polishes, and UV-Reactive glitters.  

For each nail I did two coats of polish, as you can see the blue polish named Happily, is a bit more sheer than the others, and may need another coat. Moments, the pink shade, is by far my favorite, it looked great even with one coat, and Diana is a fun glittery polish, the more coats you do, the more glitter you get. 

Overall I was pretty thrilled with these kits, they are fun, colorful, and the perfect gift for One Direction fans. 

Before you run out to buy these kits, they are actually having a giveaway (I am not involved with the giveaway.) so follow the link below and check it out for you chance to win.
https://promosimple.com/ps/5bda

#makeupby1D #thelookscollection #markwins 

https://www.facebook.com/MakeupbyOneDirection

Sponsored By Brand Backer 

Beauty Schooled- August 2014 Ipsy Bag Review

Hello Lovelies! 

I have been subscribed to Ipsy since May of 2012 and over time there have been good months, and bad ones. This particular month I do like the theme, but I am not overly thrilled with the execution and choice of products, but for the price I pay I am always pleased.  For only $10 a month I get the opportunity to try new products and test out new brands that I wouldn't normally purchase on my own. Sometimes I can tell as soon as I open my bag that their are certain products I wont like, those products I collect and give away, but sometimes I find products that I fall in love with. 

Let's start by discussing the bag that came this month. I am a huge fan of polka dot print, and I think this is adorable, although it really doesn't fit the particular theme. I would have preferred to see a bag with a cutesy book print, maybe something a little more colorful and artistic. I also detest the material of these bags, I much prefer when they use fabrics. 

I always love when I get to try out new lip balms, as they are one of my essential beauty products. I love this tin, although it is a little big to be kept in my makeup bag in my purse on a daily basis. I am glad I received the Green Apple Absolute Lip Balm not only because I love the scent, but the light pink tint is very complimentary to my skin tone. I am impressed with this balm as it is moisturizing, but it doesn't leave that sticky feeling like some lip balms tend to do. I also am super excited about this balm because stamped directly on the bottom of the cute tin is a little bunny symbol that says "against animal testing" and that always makes me happy to see. I definitely could see myself purchasing this in the future, and I would love to try out the other flavors (grape, strawberry, and bubblegum) especially since they are only $5.99 for a two pack. 

This here is the Dr. Brandt Pores No More pore refiner primer for oily/combination skin. I myself have combination skin,  my cheeks and parts of my forehead tend to be dry, while my t-zone can get a bit shiny. This pore refiner says it will minimize the appearance of pores, blur imperfections, erase shine and mattify skin, absorb oil, and even act as a shield to prevent makeup from clogging your pores. The product directs you to apply either under or over your makeup, and throughout the day as needed. I decided I would wear this under the makeup as I would a typical primer, and I was impressed with how smooth my face felt and appeared. I continued to work on my makeup and realized I didn't feel the need to apply as much foundation or see the need to apply my Makeup Forever finishing powder as I normally do to get the matte look I like. I am thoroughly impressed with this product, but I do find it to be a bit pricey ($45 for 1oz.)  

If you have followed me for a bit you may know that I am a huge fan of Coastal Scents products, so its always great to get stuff from them. If you have never tried products from them they are definitely a great company for all sorts of makeup enthusiasts as the products are high-quality, but affordable. I have made many purchases in the past from Coastal Scents, especially since they frequently have sales, and they are one of the main brands I recommend to people. Although the  brown shade of blush isn't really fitting to my pale skin tone, the pink shade works quite well for me. These Forever Blushes are highly pigmented and come in various different shades, and I guarantee you can find a shade you will adore also. 

Every so often I get the opportunity to try a product from a brand I have never heard of before, and this liner is one of those products. This mini kajal kohl-liner in black is from Lord & Berry and I was quite excited to try it out as eye liner is essential to me. In the past couple years I have grown to love marker-like pencils, or liquid liner, but I am always willing to test out a pencil. Unfortunately, this particular one kind of fell short for me, I didn't think it was dark enough and it smudged quite easily, so, it doesn't work well for me personally as I typically rock a cat eye, but I think this could be a good liner to use when creating a sultry smokey eye look. 

Last, but not least, is the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and I must say I love UD products. I love receiving mascaras because I wear them on a daily basis, even when I don't exactly feel like wearing makeup. This mascara is exactly what it says it is, it's bigger, badder, and blacker, I have no complaints. 

Here is a simple look using all of the Ipsy bag products along with: 

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Light 

Pacifica Natural Beauty Eye Shadow Duo #2 (Received in a past bag) 

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium

HYD for Men Shave Cream Review

Hello Lovelies!

Some of you may be wondering why I decided to do a review on a men's skincare line, well I chose to review the products from HYD for men, because not only did I receive the products from iFabbo, but I love getting my boyfriend involved and we are always looking for products that work well for him. I am going to be breaking down the review of the HYD for men skincare products into four different posts so that I can give you guys a thorough review of each product, starting today with the HYD for men shaving cream.

Aaron's skin at neatly its worst.  

For starters let me introduce you to my boyfriend, his name is Aaron. Aaron is not the typical man and he does pay a little more attention to his skincare, but he doesn’t have a lot of time to dedicate to using products. Aaron also is a little different than the typical man because he suffers from psoriasis on his face and scalp, which means he has very dry, irritated, sensitive skin, which makes it a little harder to choose products that work for him. When it comes to shaving cream he has tried a couple different brands, but nothing has made much of a difference for him so he had settled on using Barbasol Brand Shave Cream with aloe paired with his Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor, which gets the job done, but he is always struggling with ingrown hairs. Now that you guys know what Aaron has to deal with, and you guys kind of understand how difficult it is to find a quality product that also happens to be in our budget I am going to just go ahead and move on to what Aaron told me he thinks about the product.

The first time he used the HYD for men shaving cream I stood in the bathroom with him and watched him open the package, listened to his thoughts, and continued to watch him shave so I could fully take in his initial reaction to the shave cream. First thing he looked at was the packaging, Aaron is a graphic designer so nice packaging always stands out to him, and we both loved how manly and simple the design is. Aaron didn’t really read what is on the box itself, just like most men, but I skimmed through and loved the fact that the shave cream is infused with oils to help moisturize, it is paraben free, and they do not test on animals, which is definitely a plus.

So Aaron went ahead and wet his face with warm water like the directions state, lathered and applied the shave cream and quickly noticed that this particular shave cream felt like nothing he has ever tried before, because it has the consistency of a lotion. Before he begun shaving he also noticed that the shave cream has a pleasant and rejuvenating light citrus scent, and that scent does linger even when the face is shaved and dried, and I absolutely loved it. Aaron continued to shave in his typical manner and when he was done revealed a smooth cleanly shaven face. Normally when Aaron is done shaving his skin looks red and pretty irritated because of the ingrown hairs, but this time it was just a tiny bit red, and looked 20x better than normal.

Aaron's skin about a week in, as you can see there is less redness, and irritation.

Aaron's skin a couple days ago, pretty much no redness or irritation. (This was taken during a video shoot.)

Aaron has been using the shave cream paired with the three other products from HYD for men for about a month now and absolutely loves them. I have noticed quite the difference in his skin, and it seems to be much more hydrated, and less irritated than normal, which makes us both happy.

A lot of times when I receive products to test we use them up if we like them, but never purchase again because typically the products are quite expensive, but this shave cream from HYD for men is only $12.99, which means we will definitely be ordering this when he is done with this package.

I also happen to have a coupon code for my lovely followers to get 20% off of your first purchase at HYD For Men, just enter SAVE20 in the coupon code section of the cart before purchase.

Next up is my thorough review of the HYD for men Buffer Stick, which is also quite amazing, so stay tuned!

#HYDForMen

www.facebook.com/HYDForMen

www.twitter.com/HYDForMen

www.pinterest.com/HYDForMen

June Ipsy Bag Review and Swatches

Hello Lovelies! 

 I came home today to find my package from Ipsy stashed in my mailbox and after opening I knew I needed to get the review and swatches done asap, so here we go!

This month's theme is "On the Wild Side" and features a lovely animal printed bag that I happen to love, and some products from brands I have never heard of before.  

To start off my review I am going to begin with the product I was most curious about, the Sparkling Cream Palette from J.Cat Beauty. I had never heard of J.Cat before seeing this product, and I don't have much glitter in my collection so I was eager to test it out and swatch it. At first glance I expected this glitter to be an eye shadow, but it is actually not safe to use around your eye so it is definitely not for everyone, but I know it will come in handy for me when I am working on more creative makeup pieces. Although it is described as cream the top layer of the glitter is just like regular loose glitter, but as I rubbed the brush in a little bit I could tell it did have a slight creamy texture, but nothing like I expected it to be. Overall I feel these palette would be awesome for someone who does a lot of creative types of makeup, or body painting, because they are quite cheap ($4.49ea.) and they come in a variety of different shades.

BONUS TIP: For my lovely readers who received this in their Ipsy Bag and don't see yourself using body glitter, you could always mix it in with some nail polish to create a lovely glittery shade of polish.

Although I think the body glitter was a bad choice to add into the Ipsy bags I do find myself still curious about the J.Cat brand so I was excited when I realized the fake lashes in my bag were also from J.Cat. At first glance these lashes are perfect to add some drama to any look, and they are a great choice for my favorite styles of makeup. Although I didn't like the lash glue that came along with these lashes I think they are a pretty good pair of cheap lashes ($3.99ea.), but you can also find the same quality lashes around the same price at drugstores.

If you have read any of my previous posts you would know that I absolutely love NYX Cosmetics and am always excited when I receive a new product from them, this time I received a blush named angel. Angel is a soft matte pink shade that looks nearly nude on my pale skin tone, and I absolutely love it. This blush is perfect to add just a little emphasis to the cheeks, but not go over the top with color. I absolutely love NYX products because they are high-quality, and affordable, these powder blushes are only $5.

I am not sure how I have never heard of Starlooks before, because if the rest of the products they offer are anything like the lip liner I received, they are definitely quality. The liner I received was in a shade called Tipsy which is a lovely shade of coral that I would more than likely never choose for myself, but I absolutely love. When I tested the liner I realized that is quite smudge-proof, and long-lasting, which is something that's very important to me. These liners are a little pricier compared to some lip liners, but at $12 I think they are still pretty worth it. I would love to test more products from this company, and hopefully will be making an order in the near future.

Last, but not least, there is the gel eyeliner from Cailyn Cosmetics, another company I have never heard of, so thank you Ipsy for introducing me to a bunch of new things this time around. Before I get to reviewing this product I must tell you that these sell for $21 each, so if this doesn't make you want to subscribe to Ipsy, I don't know what will. I received the eye liner in purple, which is an odd shade for me, but it will be wonderful when I am working on more creative looks. I love gel liners because they are easier to work with when trying to create a precise line if you use the right brush, I believe the brush that is paired with this liner is a little thick, but it will get the job done if you don't own an eye liner brush already. This liner is definitely long-lasting, smudge-proof, and waterproof, which makes it harder to take off, but if you are in the search for a good resistant eyeliner this is the one for you.

If anyone is interested in joining Ipsy, sign up here . I absolutely love Ipsy and would never cancel my subscription, the products are amazing and definitely worth the small price a month. If you have any reservations about joining just remember that most months you receive $30+ worth of products and adorable makeup bags, and you also get to try new things. :)

New Sinful Shine Polishes from Sinful Colors (Swatches and Review)

Hello Lovelies!

Now that my fashion week is over I am working on some fun things to share with you guys, but in the meanwhile I stopped at Walgreens a couple days ago and picked up some new polishes I wanted to share with you. I absolutely love Sinful Colors polish, it is cheap, it doesn't chip easily, and it comes in a lot of amazing shades. As I was browsing I came across a display featuring the new Sinful Shine which has gel tech to make the polishes appear glossy (found exclusively at Walgreens) so I decided to pick three of my favorite colors and test them out. I expected them to be amazing and of course they were. I painted my nails on Saturday with the pink shade called All the Rage and it's now Monday and they still look fabulous, no chips and they are nice and shiny. This polish is actually so shiny that when paired with my long nails they actually look kind of unreal, and they definitely look professionally done. The Sinful Shine polishes are a little more expensive then the regular ones but they are definitely worth it. I would love to have one of everything from Sinful Colors.

L to R: All the Rage, At Sea, and Rendezvous

May Beauty Army Box: A big let down

Hello Lovelies!

After this month I am unsure if I will be continuing my subscription with Beauty Army , because in the past couple of months I haven't had many good products to choose from and a lot of the products have been repeats of what I have already tried. Although there are some products that I do love to receive multiple samples of it is hasn't been worth the $12 a month. I will show the products I received this month but since I didn't receive the greatest selection I honestly won't have a lot to say.

Cotz Face is a mineral sunscreen for natural skin tones with an SPF of 40. The tube I received is absolutely tiny and only included enough for maybe five to ten applications if I am lucky. When I first squeezed the sunscreen out of the tube I was surprised to find it the same shade as my skin tone and I initially tested it on the top of my hand. At first it has an almost mousse like consistency and when blended it turns into a lovely matte finish. This sunscreen would be great for days where you want to skip a couple makeup steps because it also offers a little coverage. I may find myself having to purchase this for this summer. 

Once again Beauty Army is filling it's boxes with tiny samples such as this one, they are so small that it's near impossible to give a good review. The Wild Rose Cream is suppose to moisturize and brighten the skin for 24 hours, and it's meant for normal and dry skin types. When I first ripped open the package I noticed that it is heavily scented and kind of smells between something floral and my grandma, I also notice that the majority of the package is not in English. Although this product did make my skin feel quite smooth, I honestly  didn't have enough to really offer a good review. 

I was honestly curious about the skincare line from Own receiving this small sample has me feeling defeated. Although the statistics of the skin line seems to prove that there products are wonderful I have actually heard a lot of negative reviews recently, and they say it takes up to 8 weeks to see results and this sample definitely will not last that long. Once again I can't really say much about this product which bums me out because I want to be able to fully review everything I receive for everyone.

 Another product I can not get any use of is this gel polish from Nail Luv because I do not own a LED or UV lamp which is required and I do not plan to purchase one. Although gel manicures look fabulous I would rather not raise my chance of getting skin cancer in the long run. Using UV lamps frequently for nails has the same effects as using a tanning bed frequently. Although some people don't seem to notice that these beauty regimens are risky, I am the type to avoid things like this. Basically if you do decide to follow this trend please apply sunscreen to your hands before your nail appointment. 

Last but not least, these products are ones I have chose before and decided to choose again for lack of better choices. I absolutely love the scanda-lash mascara from Mark, it has become my ultimate favorite because it makes my lashes look fuller and longer in one quick application. Although I do like the Teen Tone Color Touch Eye, Cheek, and Lip Glow, I find myself rarely using it because I do not like cream blushes and I own so many better pink lip products, but it is a very good product for on-the-go or travel purposes because of it's multiple uses.