Bloom Vox Box

 I received the BloomVoxBox earlier this week. These products are complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

 Not Your Mother's Plump For Joy: I have enjoyed other NYM's products. I like the packaging of this and other NYM's products. This is a great size to sample.

 Cutex nail polish remover pads: I have tried other brands that claim to remove polish from all 10 nails with one pad. This product actually lives up to that claim. I probably could have taken polish off 20 nails if needed. The pads were very saturated and easily removed all the polish from my toe nails within a couple of minutes. I will definitely be purchasing this in the future.

 Nuxe multi purpose oil: I have tried this product thanks to Birchbox in the past. This is a multi purpose oil that can be used on hair or body. It smells lovely. It added shine to my hair, however did not tame my frizz as I had hoped. It is hard to apply because it runs between my fingers once I pour it out of the bottle. If the packaging could be changed to make application easier and if this did more to tame my frizz, then I would be sold on this product.

 Sinful Shine nail polish: I just started seeing this product in stores (Target). The color is brighter than one I would have picked out on my own, but it works well on my toes for the summer. I needed two coats to get an even application. Now to wait and see how long it lasts.

 Secret Outlast Xtend Deodorant: I usually alternate between Secret deodorant and Dove, depending on whats on sale/available and my mood. I prefer solid deodorant, so this works well for me. It doesn't leave a white residue and is easy to apply.

 Sunbelt Bakery Fudge Dipped Chocolate Chip: This granola bar tasted fresh and delicious. I definitely want more! My only problem is that the chocolate had melted while sitting on my doorstep for a couple of hours before I brought the box inside.

Influenster Product reviews: #HairThatMoves

I recently received another complimentary box of products to test from Influenster: Nexxus Oil Infinite Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hair Oil. The products are full size and will last me a while since I don't shampoo my hair daily.

My hair felt clean, soft, and moisturized after one use. The shampoo and conditioner smell really luxurious. I found myself smelling my hair often while using these products. The oil did a nice job of smoothing out frizz. I would have liked to see a cream for curly hair that could be used to compliment these products. Overall, I liked testing these products and interested in trying more products from the Nexxus brand as a result of my experience. Another great VoxBox for me. 

XOVoxBox From Influenster

I have started to notice I have a bit of an online shopping problem. So it was a nice surprise today to receive a box of FREE stuff from Influenster.

Here's a picture of all the products I received and I will review them below.

Adore Me: I received a coupon code via e-mail to get a coupon code for a free lingire set when signing up for their VIP program. I opted for this comfy, pink robe which I love. It is very well made and is so comfy. I love that it has a hood!

Tide Febreeze Pods: I like the scent of these pods, however the old washers in my apartment building don't always dissolve these all the way. I'm sure I won't have trouble passing these along to someone else.

Colgate Optic White Toothbrush with built in Whitening Pen: I like the idea of this, but not the product itself. The bristles of the toothbrush are too hard for my liking and the toothbrush itself feels like it's made of cheap plastic. I felt that the combination of this and the toothpaste did whiten my teeth. I have a hard time figuring out when to use this product as I would normally use mouthwash after brushing my teeth. Not sure how to use this AND mouthwash.

Colgate Optic White Express White Toothpaste: I like the toothpaste and have used it in the past as well. It does slowly whiten my teeth which I like.

Skinfix Hand Repair Cream: This is a thick hand cream that soaks in well. This is a great fix for dry hands this time of year. There is no perfume to this cream for those of you who don't like scented lotions/creams.  Even after washing my hands several times, my hands still felt moisturized.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Frizz-Immunity Shampoo & Conditioner: My hair felt clean and soft after using these products, however my frizz remained.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Frizz-Immunity Primer: This product may have smoothed my frizz a little, but not enough for my liking.

Coupons: $3.00 off two John Frieda Frizz Ease Beyond Smooth Products. Lands End coupon to be e-mailed "in the coming weeks."

Overall, I thought this was a good variety of products and it's always fun to test new things for free. 

Bummer

I might have a torn labrum in my right hip. Major bummer. I am trying conservative treatment (PT, stretching, foam roller) and hoping for the best.  Starting dry needling later this week. That should be interesting.

Joined the Y this weekend and am going to start swimming. Most cardio, including walking and biking, bother my hip. I'm hoping swimming will be pain free.  Time to get back into shape by trying new things. 

Vitality Vox Box Review, including Flawless Future Powered by Ceramide Caplet Serum and more

This box arrived the same day I was notified it was on it's way. These products were complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster. This is my third Vox Box since becoming a member of the Influenster community. I was familiar with a few of the items in this box and had previously heard of most of the brands.

Pure Leaf. I discovered this brand over the summer during our road trip home. During the trip I decided not to drink soda and was looking for a non sugary drink. This hit the spot! This tea is very refreshing (especially when it is hot outside). My only problem is being able to find it unsweetened in stores where I live (Welcome to The South!). I like that this is a natural tea without preservatives or added colors. I would definitely recommend this tea to others. #loveofleaves

Softlips CUBE: I just started noticing this in stores this week and was curious about it. I was surprised and excited to see it in my Vox Box. I got the pomegranate blueberry flavor. It is very addictive as are all softlips products in my opinion. It goes on smoothly and feels great. I love the cube! What a cute way to package this product. #GetCubed

Elizabeth Arden Flawless Future Powered by Ceramide Caplet Serum: This product is slightly sticky initially after application. After it dries it makes my skin feel soft and silky. I do not plan on buying this due to the price ($60 for 1 oz!).  It has made my skin feel smoother over the course of using it and the sample was enough for me to use twice daily for several days.  http://www.elizabetharden.com/Flawless-Future-Powered-by-Ceramide-Caplet-Serum

Bikini Ready Energy Gummies: I hadn't heard of this product nor the brand prior to receiving this sample. I think the two gummies I had were grape flavored. They tasted good, but left a grapey after taste. I did not feel any extra energy after eating the gummies. #bikinireadylifestyle

First Degree Advanced Burn Cream: I didn't have a burn to test this on, so I tried it out on some mosquito bites. This cream goes on smoothly and is not oily. It has a very light smell. I would be interested to see how this feels and works on a burn. #burnshappen

Playtex Sport Fresh Balance: Have not used these yet, but am excited for a free box of tampons- they aren't the cheapest things, are they? #playon

Traveling

As I have mentioned, The Best Man and I did a "quick" 3 week trip to Europe. We went to London, Paris, Barcelona, Salzburg and Munich.

Many people have asked us to pick just one favorite city. I can't do it. I can narrow it down to 3, but that's cheating, isn't it? My top three would be Paris, Salzburg and Barcelona. I loved the art and pastries in Paris (and probably would have loved the wine had it been more reasonably priced for me to try the good stuff). I love, LOVE, L.O.V.E. The Sound of Music and thus loved our short stay in Salzburg. We did a bike tour and got to see over 20 of the sites from the movie. The food was also fabulous. And finally, Barcelona. Ah. The food, the culture, the architecture. I loved it all. While there we took a train down to Sitges, a beach city south of Barcelona. In the future, I would love to stay there and enjoy the beach and food.

We just started our "long drive back to Virginia" last week. We will be going to around a dozen national parks. So far, we have explored Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park. We did a one night trip into the backcountry in Sequoia. The only time I have backpacked was our Grand Canyon REI trip with Tod and Tom in 2012. The logistics were crazy, especially, never having done it on our own before. The hike up to Twin Lakes took about 5 hours with about 3,000 ft of elevation gain. Part way up, we started seeing patches of snow.  Thankfully, we knew there would be some snow up and had packed several extra layers. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would camp in the snow. What an experience!

I will try to post more as we continue on this trip, however internet is hard to come by up here in the mountains.

We are currently staying at at KOA just south of Yosemite and will head into the park tomorrow.  Then its off to the San Francisco area (hello, wine country!) at the end of the week.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day!

Edit: I will try to post pictures when I have a faster internet connection. 

Mary Kay VoxBox from Influenster Follow Up

Got home a week and a half ago from a whirlwind trip in Europe (5 countries in 3 weeks) and was finally able to finish trying all the complimentary Mary Kay products I received from Influenster the day I left for the trip.

The two products I took with me on the trip where the cream eye shadow in apricot twist and the lip gloss in mango tango. I wore the eyeshadow almost every day. The color is perfect for summer and can easily transition into fall.  The same goes for the lip color. 

I was hesitant about the gel eyeliner as I am not that great with applying regular eye liner. It was very easy to use with the applicator brush included. I normally do not go with black eyeliner (I use a gray or dark brown instead), so I was surprised to find I liked the jet black. The mascara looked great with only 1-2 coats, however took longer than any other mascara I have used to dry. This left my lids speckled with mascara after one blink.

The translucent powder would work well to set a foundation. Using it alone did not provide me with enough coverage.  The blush and bronzer completed the look and both are great to add a summer glow.

Overall, I really liked the products. The sizes of the samples were great and the products are of high quality. In the future, I would consider purchasing the cream eyeshadow and/or the lip gloss. I do think the prices are a bit high for what I would prefer to pay. 

Here is a picture of the finished look: