I received another VoxBox from Influenster! It's a great way to try out new products and talk about new trends and opportunities!
Just so you all know...I received these product(s) complimentary to test and review for, free however the opinions are my own. Total Tease Mascara I will admit I was planning on being very critical due to past "not so great" experiences with CoverGirl. (I think they are the cheapest makeup going) But I have to admit I enjoyed the total tease mascara! The options on the brush were fun to play with and they made my eyelashes look nice and big. This is probably the best experience I've ever had with CoverGirl. Don't get me wrong, if you're just starting out with makeup CoverGirl is great to get your feet wet, but you'll never look in the mirror and feel satisfied with the results. Five Stars was given on the Influenster website... after it finally accepted my review.... Took 3 tries. I think it mainly had to do with my copying and pasting the information from HERE and there was suspicion over if I was posting original content... Annoying... But anyways I digress.
Katy Kat Eyeliner This eyeliner was.. Eh, what you'd expect from CoverGirl... I prefer a dark black liner and this one being a pencil was not overly bold and a light black/ almost grey color. The sparkles are nice though. I wouldn't buy it myself, but someone who is perfecting the smokey eye look would enjoy this product I think, especially with the added sparkle to it.
To summarize- I can get behind the mascara. Eyeliner is a dud. Below is me wearing both the mascara and eyeliner.
This will be my second Meowbox, I'm on a bi-monthly subscription right now so I only get a box every other month. $34.44 per box and it comes with soo many goodies!!
I'll start off by saying that I LOVE the personalized boxes, it takes half the month to arrive (even though they charge my credit card on the 1st) but if they're writing every single cat's name on every single box I can appreciate why it takes a bit for it to arrive.
Once the box is opened up I just simply lay it down on the floor and let the magic happen... Doesn't take long to figure out which toys have the cat nip in them!
These cards just make my day! I have started saving them on my fridge because they are just so adorable! There's detail and love in each card <3
This month's box had the festive theme down packed- there was a candy cane toy, a mitten toy and a sugar cookie toy... Then there was the chicken... He's pretty cute too though! EVERY SINGLE ONE was laced with cat nip this month... Princess Peach went wiiild.
I was worried about the treats that were coming in this month- the last box we got she was not a fan... HOWEVER these maple bacon treats are apparently to die for because she can't get enough of them!
.. Do you ever get the feeling that your cat eats better then you do?
And now without further ado... Some action photos!
Final words.... This box is great- I absolutely recommend it to anyone who has a cat!! The treats sometimes don't agree with her pallet however everything else has been a 100% success!
So I'm happy to report my internet presence is starting to ramp up again! (Just in time to take on continual learning at work of course so we'll see how good I do haha) but in the meantime I had the opportunity to sample some of Orville Redenbacher's new creations!
CARAMEL & WHITE CHEDDAR
I received this product free/complimentary for testing purposes but all opinions are my own." So far it's delicious! Loving the white cheddar for sure. The caramel is super sweet but still pretty good I must say.
My only critiques for the flavors would be that the caramel popcorn was SUPER sweet so I found myself digging through trying to find the white cheddar kernels more often then not. However that's a me thing- I'm just not big on sweets.
I also found the packaging ridiculously large for the amount of popcorn actually inside the bag. Huge bag, huge box- which got shipped Canada post? Couldn't have been cheap. I get it they're trying to look competitive next to maybe a not so premium flavor- but it was a bit of a disappointment when I opened the bag.
However overall I did enjoy the product and I would definitely buy it again for a special treat on movie night or if I'm just having people over.
Thanks Orville Redenbacher and to Influenster Canada for giving me the opportunity to try this out!
So I've been given the opportunity to do a 14 day weight loss detox with Skinny Tea Tox! www.skinny-teatox.com
It can be purchased straight on their website here which is kind of a nice change! I find a lot of products I've reviewed have only been available on Amazon, then there's shipping reimbursement and promo codes yadda yadda, much smoother transaction here I must say! Since it was done straight off their website it was so much more personal as well! The confirmation email was very personal and even allowed me to change shipping information if need be even after I'd pressed shipped! (I assume after they ship it y'know... You're done but still! That was a very nice option to have!)
The products were ordered on a Tuesday evening and I got the shipping confirmation on the Friday. Arrival was the next Tuesday. 5 business days for it to arrive- not bad!
Here is everything that came in the package!
The morning tea- loose leaf
A strawberry tea infuser (adorable)
The night tea- tea bags and an instruction pamphlet!
The daytime tea is a combination of lovely healthy herbs to boost your metabolism while the nighttime tea is where the cleansing and detox comes into effect.. Thanks to it being a colon cleanser... When I first read that I was terrified! All I could imagine was waking up in the middle of the night and my insides falling out!
I am happy to report that insides are intact! The nighttime tea has instructions to only drink it every other night as opposed to the daytime tea which is a daily routine for the next 2 weeks. Along with this tea routine it's strongly recommended to keep a healthy diet of lots of fruits and veggies, beans and lentils, good carbs, fish and protein and too avoid bad foods such as fatty meats, cheese and creams, butter, bad carbs and high sugar sodas.
One other warning that this company has put out is your water consumption, and I must say if you ignore every other instruction on this product don't ignore this one!! I am an avid water consumer already and I definitely notice a difference, I felt thirsty all the time on consuming this tea, they recommended coconut water or a sports drink to help your hydration.
So after a full 2 weeks of detox here is my report.....
I can be picky when it comes to tea sometimes. I have many many teas however a lot of them I'm not a big fan of the taste so they sit on the shelf collecting dust until tea loving guests come for a visit. This tea had a nice enjoyable taste, it wasn't too powerful so it was not a hassle to consume everyday.
I am very happy to report that my insides didn't fall out with the consumption of the evening tea however I did notice an increase in pee breaks which I know was the reason I was always so friggin thirsty! This was hard because my job requires me to talk all day and I'm already in a dry environment.
All the instructions encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle and with the energy boost with the daytime tea this was more then easy!! I was very motivated to exercise everyday (I'm hoping I can keep that up) and I kept the healthy foods flowing (I'll admit that there was a few days I wasn't a good girl and may have woofed down a burger HOWEVER I still did pretty good)
All in all I have nothing but positive things to say about Skinny tea tox, I didn't really lose any weight but my stomach is definitely noticeably flatter and I feel overall better.
I HIGHLY recommend if you want your insides to feel a little bit better to go on the 14 teatox, as long as you can dedicate yourself to the routine and schedule you will definitely feel a difference! This is not for the lazy and easily bored individual though! There is a lot of dedication involved with the teatox!
So this is my last Ipsy bag for at least a little while! With the Canadian dollar so weak it's costing me almost double the price to get these buggers every month, and even though I do enjoy my ipsy bag every month I really can't afford it anymore.
I was ready to cancel a couple of months ago however I couldn't let my Ipsy points go to waste! So I redeemed them for some Velvet Eye Liner by Urban Decay.
The last time I redeemed my Ipsy points I was a bit disappointed with the products I got.. The eye liner and mascara duo was incredibly smudgy and ran all around my eyes so I tredded with caution redeeming for another free eye liner.
Urban Decay's 24/7 Black Velvet Eye pencil is actually nice! I find I have to press down a little hard on my eye to get the shade as dark as I want it however it doesn't smudge and it lasts all day! I really can't ask for much more!
Now for the regular bag....
The bag itself is a fabric bag with "VIP Very important products" stamped on it. It's pretty cute but I don't like the material it's made out of.. It wouldn't be the first bag I go to if I needed an old ipsy bag for something.
My first sample was 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil by Urban Decay
This also came with some small samples of their ultra lip gloss.
The lip pencil is nice, it glides on smooth and helps with keeping my lips moisturized. I was however a little disappointed in the lip gloss samples...
These were it.. Difficult to open, no applicator and definitely 1 time use. It just seemed like such a waste. If you're going to send me this much at least make it so I can utilize it past the first day of delivery! Geesh! This is by far the most disappointing sample I ever received from Ipsy... It was just such a waste.
Second sample was an Eyebrow colour pencil from Chella
It's a mechanical pencil which is always very convenient however the lead part of this pencil so so flippin TINY. It hardly has any strength, I've broken off quite a few chunks out of it while using it plus it takes forever to complete my eyebrows in the morning with it.
Ipsy matched up the shade fairly well though, once it's on it goes on very natural on my brow.
Third Sample was Face Natural SPF 40 by CoTZ
This stuff looks like poop.... Literally it comes out as a thick brown matte cream... It's hard to smear something that looks like poop on your face. I've only worn this once so far. I am looking forward to testing the SPF 40 part of it because the hot afternoons at my boyfriend's soccer field... My cheeks were a little pink after Sunday afternoon....
Forth sample was a tapered blending eye brush by Luxie Beauty
This brush is very long... Both on the handle and the brissles... I tried to use it to blend my eye shadow and it just pushed it around... I ended up looking like a prostitute when it was all said and done... I don't think I will be using this brush often...
And the last sample this month is... Detoxifying Citrus C Facial Cleanser by Peter Lamas
I... LOVE this product! This is the first sample I got this month that I actually really like! The soap works really well and leaves my skin feeling wonderful. This is by far my favorite product in this bag! It has a pretty orange tint to it and smells wonderful. Definitely going to look into getting the full version of this, especially now that different samples won't be coming to my door every month anymore.
This bag made it super easy to take a break from Ipsy for awhile... I have to say except for the face wash I was really disappointed this month. When the time comes that I can get a monthly subscription box again I think I will try another brand just to see how it compares to Ipsy....
So I'm pretty excited! I finally bought a food processor! I can't believe how many recipes I've stumbled onto that needed one, and trust me... You can't use a blender in it's place... It's just a disaster.
I bought a beautiful yellow KitchenAid food chopper/ processor on sale during Bay days at The Bay! $30 off that just makes me happy. Normally KitchenAid products are way out of my price point (and frankly Cuisinart has not made me happy in the past) so I was super excited to get this bad boy on sale!!
So naturally in my excitement and bliss of my new appliance I made another lovely purchase from TheShoppingChannel.com....
This book has got to be one of the biggest recipe books I own now... It's huuuuuuge. There is everything you could ever imagine in here ! All categorized into different categories depending on what you might be craving that day. I intend to do as many of these recipes as humanly possible! The only thing I don't like about this book is each section's table of contents is just before the section begins, instead of at the front of the book all together so it's a bit of a search to find the section you want at first but when you do find what you're looking for you're set!
Tonight I was craving something with chicken... I decided on the Chicken Rockefeller!
Coat both sides of the chicken breasts with olive oil and coat in bread crumbs. Place in a prepared baking dish and set aside. Discard any excess bread crumbs and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
1 handful of fresh Spinach, trimmed
1/2 an onion, quartered
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp anise extract
In your food processor equipped with a metal blade, pulse the spinach and onion until finely chopped (approx. 20 pulses) Transfer to another bowl and add butter and anise extract.
2 slices of provolone cheese
fresh parsley for garnish
The recipe calls to spread 1/4 of this mixture over the chicken and to add the rest after it's baked... I completely forgot to do this and wasted a bit of my mixture :( next time I intend to put all of the mixture on before baking to ensure no waste
Spoon 1/4 of the mixture over each chicken breast. Top with cheese and parsley.
Bake in preheated oven until chicken is fully cooked (about 20 minutes). Transfer chicken onto serving plate and spread the rest of the mixture on top.
Enjoy!
This combination of flavors was something I had never tried before and I must say I really enjoyed this one. Gives me even more excitement to try more things in this book!
So OZ Naturals has nice again given me the opportunity to test one of their products!! This time it was a Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin C Serum which is supposed to professionally moisturize skin.
It has the same applicator as the last bottle of OZ Naturals I got! Tiny turkey basters for everyone!! Ahem.. Anyway bad jokes aside it does allow even distribution of the serum. The serum itself is very very thick this time with the intention of only gently rubbing into skin.
The directions go...
"Apply a thin layer of serum over desired area. Allow the serum to dry and apply your favorite moisturizer."
It's intention is to drive your moisturizer deeper into the skin. I will be blatantly honest I had high expectations since I just absolutely loved the first OZ Naturals product I tried. But I didn't really find this solution to live up to it's cousin.. There wasn't as much of a noticeable difference in my face, in fact things started to deteriorate back to where they were before I used anything on my face.
After looking more into this product and what exactly hyaluronic acid is I dicsovered something rather interesting... Hyaluronic Acid is something we produce naturally, especially in our joints and our eyes. It's use has been approved as medication for joint disorders and in use after certain eye surgeries. It is predominantly ingested or injected into the patient so I'm curious if it is even able to be absorbed through my skin... There are myths that it is this magical serum that will prevent aging... However there is no scientific proof at this time and I am less then convinced.
OZ Naturals has impressed me in the past and I still trust them as a consumer, however this product really wasn't for me (Maybe my skin is just too thick- who knows!) I plan to continue to use the serum until it's gone just in case it takes a few weeks to really notice skin improvement!
If anyone else gets the chance to try this product I really want to know how it works for them!! It can be bought here on Amazon!!
So my most recent Disney Movie Club purchase was "Into the Woods"
It was a combination of 4 classic fairy tales including Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood. Then there was a bit of an original plot including a baker and his wife to mold all these classic stories together.
This movie was a complete musical (something I neglected to tell my boyfriend before it began... Hehe) and I have to say it really takes still and keen directing to have almost 2 hours of pure singing! However sometimes it did feel like it was a bit forced, I mean c'mon you don't have to sing eeeverryything.
The story begins with the anticipation of the Prince's grand ball which is a 3 night event in which everyone in the village dreams of attending. Here us where the beloved Prince Charming will be looking for his bride (In true Cinderella form of course). The first night we get acquainted with a local baker and his wife (they don't have names... I even researched it after to see if I missed their names but even on IMDb the cast list just says "Baker" and "Baker's Wife"
The first night of celebration we find out that the baker and his wife are baron due to a family curse... Thanks to an evil witch that lives next door. The witch pays them a visit this night to inform them of all this and what they have to do to undo the curse so they can finally start their family.
The ingredients to reverse the curse are...
1) A cow as white as milk
2) A cape as red as blood
3) A lock of hair that is yellow as corn
4) A shoe like gold
This is how every story can connect to each other without too much force in the movie so you see all of our characters head into the woods on their separate adventures and to eventually cross paths in some way. There are a lot of twists in this movie, and even when you think things are winding down something terrible and twisted happens!
Here's a bit of a spoiler for the story...
I am personally a big fan of "feel good" movies. I like it when everyone lives happily every after (sorry just a bit of a sap!) and this movie didn't exactly do that for me... I found it very morbid at twisted at times in ways I'm not used to Disney movies being... I guess this is what happens when Brothers Grimm and Disney collides...
Little red riding hood was the story line that definitely kept closest to it's original tale. Little girl skips into the woods with a basket of goodies for Grandma... Meets a devilish wolf along the way (Johnny Depp) who manages to veer little red off her path and gobbles up both grandma and red. Thankfully they are rescued by... The baker which is a nice change of pace I guess.
Rapunzel's tale I found short and sweet- they really didn't take too much time on this one. Girl is locked in tower by evil witch (same one that lives next to the baker and his wife) - prince rescues her- witch tried to stop them but love prevails in the end and they live happily ever after! <3 (My kind of ending)
Jack and his magic beans really brought the suspense to the story. Just when you thought you'd seen the worse, another giant would show up! The classic tale of a boy selling his cow for magic beans that sprout to the heavens. He manages to steal money, a golden egg and the infamous self playing harp in which a giant dies trying to get it back. The giant's wife ends up coming after them shortly after for revenge... Nasty nasty results from this let me tell you...
And last but not least Cinderella... This story very much changed from the original one we know and love, a little brunette Cinderella gets the chance to go to the ball to meet the prince only to get nasty social anxiety and run off! (all.. 3.. nights) her outfit is laced in gold and she's very stunning but very very different from the classic. The prince searching for his bride was a very morbid part of the movie as characters were cutting pieces of their feet off ... To try to fit in the golden shoe... Gaaah I still get shivers thinking about it!!!
All in all this story was very well done, it all blended together quite well- nothing was overly forced or randomly placed so I will give credit where credit is due.. However I did not enjoy this movie.. To much sorrow for me.. Too much Grimm... Too much adultery at one point geesh...
So this is my review of my April Ipsy Bag! ... So I've been giving it some thought and I think after next month (had to redeem my points) I am going to cancel my ipsy bag subscription... I am finding I have an excessive amount of lip glosses, odd coloured eyeliners I don't use and many blush samples... I'm looking forward to having the extra $20 a month (currency exchange was kicking my butt...)
Anyway! For now I still have my April bag! The bag itself was super cute (as usual) it had this wicker feel to it.
My first sample was Good Morning- Honey Silk Facial Serum by Hey Honey
So this serum looks like thick pee when it comes out... It's this odd murky yellow in colour however I used it for about a week and really noticed a difference under my eyes.
"This light and luxurious serum replenishes and protects your skin so you are ready to take on the day! Rich moisturizers and nutrients smooth and improve tone for bright, radiant skin. Excellent under makeup, or as a day/night cream. Silky finish and smoothing properties makes Good Morning an awesome makeup primer"
Second up is a new blush by Hikari Cosmetics
I don't wear blush... My cheeks are rosy enough as it is that I generally don't like using blush. I just end up looking like a barbie. The shade is Tango so it has a bit more of a orange tinge to it instead of a pink thank goodness!
"This blush is designed to highlight your complexion, it is weightless and can be used lightly for a fresh look or layered for a dramatic look. Guaranteed to last all day."
Next up is NUDE Dude Eye Shadow by theBalm Cosmetics
First of all the packaging is adorable! Certainly even if I hadn't researched it before and saw this in a store... I'd probably buy it! Aha
I received the "Flirty" shade (shimmery golden violet I guess)
The shadow itself goes on very faint I find, I like my eye shadow to stand out personally but y'know... People who like subtle shadow will like it.
It apparently can also be used as an eye liner if you add a bit of water- I haven't tried this myself but it does intrigue me...
After that we have Satin Finish Lip Gloss by Starlooks.
So in the week that I was testing this product... I managed to lose it. Noo idea where it went... I think it's in a pants pocket somewhere... I hope I find it before I wash it...
This product to me personally wasn't that great. I am not a huge fan of lip glosses at all... I like lots of colour and prefer not having to reapply 16 times a day.. However it wasn't at all sticky when applying and it had a sweet flavor to it.
I received the shade "Cuddle" ... Or y'know brown..
"Starlooks Satin Finish Lip Gloss has a trule moisturizing, non-sticky formula available in 47 different shades."
And last but not least we have a Mini Lip and Cheek Tint byMullein and Sparrow
This was a little weird on my cheeks... It doesn't go on smoothly like a powder (obviously) but man... was it ever tasty on my lips and smelt absolutely devine!! This is definitely staying in my purse for balm purposes!
There we have it! My Ipsy bag for April and possibly one of the last bags I will be receiving. My favorite product was definitely the morning cream (pee colour aside). I really saw a difference in my complexion when I wore it and I appreciate products that have noticeable results!
So I know I've ragged on receiving anti aging products in the past HOWEVER the timing on getting this product couldn't be better. I have at long last quit my job of 8 years and will no longer be in an environment which just destroys my skin! Being a cake decorator for 8 years, working with icing and working in a hat and hairnet has done nothing good for my body let me tell you! So now the repairing can start (both physical and emotional might I add). The first step is of course bringing a healthy glow back into my face!
Thanks to BrandBacker I had the opportunity to try out OZ Naturals 20% Vitamin C + Amino + Hyaluronic Acid Serum, it is meant to be an anti aging serum (I'm hoping all these anti-aging products pickle my face to stay the same forever) however the benefits I'm looking forward to the most is more radiant looking skin!
To check it out for yourself it can be found on Amazon !
I've started a pact to only purchase products that are made in Canada just so I feel like I may be making a tiny impact in improving our economy- this product is made in the USA however there's nothing wrong with grabbing something from your neighbor every once in awhile! OZ Naturals is a leader in natural skin care. They formulate the most effective anti aging products on the market and are cruelty free, paraben free, sulfate free, mineral oil free, lanolin free and gluten free. (my goodness that's a lot of things!!)
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Yeah... There's a lot of work to be done here...
I have a 7 day window to submit my review on this product- I will be really impressed if I start to see a difference in less then a week !
The applicator on this bottle is awesome! It looks like a turkey baster!
I love it! This is my favorite part of this product. Even after the serum is gone I have full intentions of reusing the bottle again and again! Perhaps for more beauty products or perhaps I will baste the world's tiniest turkey.. I haven't quite decided yet!
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After a few days of using this serum, I do have positive things to say about it. I have started noticing small differences in my skin, I THINK I have a bit more glow going on now (the lack of backshifts is probably helping too)
See! See! We're getting somewhere now! I notice it the most difference under my eyes!
My only critiques on this product would be that my skin feels really sticky after I apply the serum, however a little bit of moisturizer fixes that problem (and it reminded me not to forget which was nice!!)
Also the regular retail price is rather steep... However I suppose that's the price you pay for the most effective anti aging products on the market that's cruelty free, paraben free, sulfate free, mineral oil free, lanolin free and gluten free!! (Phew... Again)
This review is powered by BrandBacker however I assure you I speak all truth!
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