Influenster Holiday Vox Box

I was chosen to receive a Influenster Holiday Vox Box.  Influenster is like a Birchbox, but it's free.  It is a website community and the more influence or reach you have, the more likely you are to receive the boxes. The idea is to use the products and then review the products via a blog, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, or word of mouth. You can sign up to receive their boxes on their website and the more "badges" you earn, the more likely you are to receive the boxes.  I have no idea why I was chosen to receive the Holiday Vox Box....I don't have a broad reach or much influence :).  Nonetheless, I was excited to receive the box. 

The contents of my box included:
* Larabar in Chocolate Chip Brownie (not pictured)
* Montagne Jennesse Mud Pac Mask (anti stress)
* Softsoap Coconut Scrub bar soap
* ImPress Press On Manicure in WinkWink
* New York Color (NYC) Liquid Lipshine in Nude York City
* Mentos Chewing Gum

Larabar
I tried the Larabar as soon as I opened the box.  I hate to say, I took one bite and spit it out.  I've had other Larabar products and liked them, but I didn't care for this one.

Softsoap Coconut Scrub Bar
This soap has a subtle, sweet smell.  It has crushed coconut extract that is infused into the soap.  It produces a good amount of suds and left my skin feeling soft and smooth.  The scent did not last on my skin, which I like.  I don't like my bath soaps to mix with my perfume.  I liked this soap, but I don't really care for bar soaps.  I prefer body wash in a bottle. 

ImPress Press On Manicure in WinkWink
I can't review this product because I didn't use it.  I have naturally long nails so I had no need to use the press on nails.  I gave the nails to my 16 year old niece who was thrilled to have them.  (Below is a picture from their website)

New York Color (NYC) Liquid Lipshine in Nude York City
This is my first NYC Liquid Lipshine product and I really like it.  The color is a sheer peachy nude with a hint of shimmer.  The only small negative is that it got a little sticky on my lips after awhile.  But, I will most likely buy more in other shades.

Montagne Jennesse Mud Pac Mask
I haven't tried this yet, but I am looking forward to trying it.  I have used other Montagne Jennesse masks and they are easy to find (drugstore) and very affordable.

Mentos Chewing Gum (Pure Fresh)
This gum is awesome....if you like strong flavored gum, which I do.  This would be perfect if you're on a dinner date and had spicy food, or a lot of garlic.

Sorry this post is so long, but I hope you enjoyed all the reviews.  I was really happy to receive the Influenster box and hope to receive more in the future.

Happy New Year to you all!  I wish you a 2012 full of joy, peace, health and happiness.

Kat

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment Review & Rave!

I was a bit hesitant to jump on the hair oil bandwagon because my hair tends to be on the oilier side, but since it is winter where I live, and my hair is much less oily during the winter time, I thought this would be the perfect time to try one.  My main reason for wanting to try a hair oil is because it reduces the drying time.  I have shoulder length, curly hair, which is chemically relaxed, and very thick.  It's been almost a year since I had the relaxer treatment, so most of it has been cut off and the new growth is curly.   It takes a long time to blow dry my hair, pulling and tugging as I dry to get it smooth from the roots to the ends. By the time I'm finished, the ends of my hair are frizzy.

There are a lot of hair oil treatments to choose from and after watching a lot of YouTube videos on several brands, I decided I would try the Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment.

Macadamia Heating Oil Treatment

 I washed my hair and left it wrapped in a towel until it was damp.   I put about a nickel size of the product in the palm of my hand, rubbed my hands together and distributed the oil throughout my hair, working from the ends up.  It doesn't need to be applied to the roots. Remember, I have really thick hair, so adjust the amount you use accordingly.

This Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment is AMAZING!!  I dried my hair as usual and it actually did take less time to dry.   It made my hair feel super light, silky, soft and smooth.  It didn't weigh my hair down or leave a greasy feel.  I couldn't stop running my fingers through my hair after it was dry.  I am so impressed with this product.  

I purchased the Macadamia Heating Oil Treatment at www.Ulta.com. Not knowing if I'd like the product, I bought the small 1.0 ounce size bottle for  $13.00.  Yes, it's a bit expensive but totally worth it and I will definitely repurchase this once this bottle is used up.

If you want to learn more about different hair oils, I highly recommend you visit Tammy - uppiesbeads50 channel on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/uppiesbeads59). She did several videos comparing many different hair oil products. Her videos are great, and very informative!  I recommend watching all her videos!

Let me know if any of you jump on the bandwagon and try a hair oil product!  I'd love to hear your comments on it.

Talk to you all soon,
Kat

Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam Review

Happy Monday!  I hope you all are having a good start to your week.

"Ahhhhh"! Can you hear that? That is the sound the skin on my face makes after I cleanse it with the Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist 24 Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam. This is my new favorite cleanser and I absolutely love it!!

This cleanser is very mild, but removes my makeup completely, including my eye makeup. Normally, a creamy cleanser tends to be too creamy and doesn't give me a clean feeling but this cleanser becomes a foam once you apply it to your face. It has small, orange exfoliating beads that melt into the foam as you lather. After using it, my skin feels clean and quite soft without any hint of dryness. The smell is very pleasant as well.

Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam

It's a little more expensive, but a little goes a long way. I use about a dime size each time, so I imagine this tube will last me quite a while. I also only use it in the evenings to remove my makeup and daily grime. I use the Philosophy Purity Cleanser to cleanse my skin first thing in the morning.

I will definitely purchase the Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam again.  You can find it at any good department store, I purchased mine at  http://www.macys.com/ or you can purchase it from http://www.sephora.com/.  The cost is $35.00.

What's your favorite cleanser?  Am I the only one to use two different cleansers?  I'd love to hear what you use. 

Take care and have a good week!

Sephora by OPI A Little Bit Dangerous

Hi Everyone!

I hope you're all having a great day.  It's a beautiful Fall day in the Ohio area.  

This polish is from my Sephora Friends & Family haul. It's the Sephora by OPI A Little Bit Dangerous. The polish is a gorgeous, dark purple color.  Initially, I thought it was too dark, but once you get it in the light, it looks amazing!  It goes on smoothly and has a beautiful, even surface. My colleague, who is a 51 year old male, even commented on how nice my nails looked.

I'm posting this six days after I painted my nails with A Little Bit Dangerous, and it's just now starting to chip. I applied two coats of polish and one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

Sephora by OPI A Little Bit Dangerous

Take care and I'll talk to you soon.....

Coupon Codes and Free Gifts with Purchase

OK, here is my first coupon code post. I might have to take advantage of the Estee Lauder gift with purchase. The free gift would make a nice Christmas gift for someone and I love their Double Wear Stay-In-Place Eye Pencils. They are the longest lasting eye pencil I own. Love them!!

Coupon Codes

Clarisonic
Save up to $55 when you mix-and-match two sonic skin care systems.  Free gift with purchase, free shipping, and free engraving.
www.clarisonic.com

Eyes, Lips, Face
40% OFF HOLIDAY GIFT FAVORITES! Limited Edition.
With any $25 order when you use code GIFTFAVES by 11/7/11.

40% OFF BRUSHES..Rush To Brush!
With any $15 order when you use code BRUSH40 by 11/9/11.
Shop Now at: http://www.eyeslipsface.com

ULTA
Free shipping on all orders over $25.00.  Use online code HOLIDAYSHP25. 
www.ulta.com

Nordstrom
Get an exclusive Tracy Reese for Clinique cosmetics-bag duo filled with beauty greats with your $25 Clinique purchase—a $75 value. Online and in store. One per person, while supply lasts. Gift will be added automatically in Checkout and can only be shipped to the same destination as your order. This item cannot be shipped to international addresses. 
www.nordstrom.com

Estee Lauder
Free gift with any $42.00 purchase.  Two gifts to choose from: Warm & Sunny, or Cool & Fresh.  Gift includes a deluxe eye palette, coordinating lipstick and mascara.  You also get your choice of 3 deluxe skincare products and a beautiful purple cosmetic bag.
www.esteelauder.com

Elizabeth Arden
Free shipping on all makeup.  Use online code MAKEUP4
www.elizabetharden.com

Vera Bradley
20% off everything in the Sale section. No coupon code needed. Sale is good through Sunday, November 6th.
www.verabradley.com

Please let me know if you want me to continue to make these posts. Hopefully they can save you a little bit of money.

Sephora Friends & Family Haul

I love a good sale - especially on cosmetics.  Sephora had a Friends & Family Sale that I had to take full advantage of.  I spent hours on their internet site looking at a lot of different products and reading reviews. When I decided on everything I wanted to purchase and actually looked at what all was in my shopping cart, I about choked at the dollar amount.  So, I spent hours narrowing down my items. Here is what I settled on:

Top: Urban Decay Lush Lash System

Left to right: Sephora for OPI Just a Little Dangerous Nail Colour, Givenchy Mister Mat Mattifying Foundation Primer,

Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen

As you know from my previous post, I use LiLash Eyelash Stimulator. I like it, it does make my lashes longer, but it makes my eyes so bloodshot that it just isn't attractive. So I'm really excited to try the Urban Decay Lush Lash System. I've read some good reviews on it. I'll post the results after two weeks of using the product.

I also use the Chanel Stylo Eclat Lumiere Highlighter Face Pen and love it, but ran out of it. Sephora doesn't sell Chanel, so I thought I'd try a different brand since I would be able to get a 20% discount on it. I chose the Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen. I've only used it once but my initial thought is that I liked the consistency of the Chanel product better than the Dior. I need to keep using it though before I make a final decision.

I'm almost out of my Smashbox Light face primer, so I purchased the Givenchy Mister Mat Mattifying Foundation Primer. The main reason I decided on this product was because it's a mattifying primer. My skin gets oily and shinny in the afternoon, so we'll see how this one works. This product had a lot of good reviews, especially from older women in the 50-54 age group. Unfortunately, I'm 11 months from being in that age group. :(

Lastely, I've been searching for a beautiful purple nail polish and bought the Sephora for OPI July a Little Dangerous Nail Colour. The color is lovely and I can't wait to use it. I'll post a picture when I do.

If any of you have used these products, please leave a comment and let me know how you liked or disliked the products!!

You can purchase all of these products at www.sephora.com

Hope you all are doing well and are having a wonderful day!

Zoya Nail Lacquer in DEA

Happy Halloween!

I used the Zoya Nail Lacquer in the color DEA this weekend. It is a warm, milky, light brown color with an orange overtone. I applied Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat for a glossy finish.





Results = BEAUTIFUL!!!

I wish you all a great day!