You know this, I love free stuff.  As a blogger, anytime I can get anything to make me feel glam & happy, I go for it.  I kept seeing photos of Influenster boxes popping up on my blog feeds and on Twitter, I saw a few other bloggers were getting boxes of free stuff… really good free stuff  and I wanted in.

Influenster is a pretty cool review service site.  If you’re a blogger who uses social media, they send you products based on your lifestyle for review.  I filled a quick survey with my interests and stats, got a few badges and forgot about it for a few weeks..until they said they were sending me goodies.  Oh, and goodies they sent!

 

The Spring Beauty VoxBox included:

• Sheer Cover Duo Concealer (sample):  Full size $29.95
• AVEENO Daily Moisturizing Body Wash (sample):  Full size $6.99
• ChapStick Lip Shield 365 (full): Retail $1.89
• Sally Hansen Salon Effects (full): Retail $9.99
• Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist in Twilight Woods (full):  Retail $14.99
• SOYJOY Bar:  $1.29 each
• Dr. Scholl’s For Her- Ball of Foot Cushions:  $5.99

 

So what’d I think?  The concealer from Sheer Cover was a bit too cakey for me- I have under eye circles and am very picky on what product works and what doesn’t..it was fun to try, but not a win.

The AVEENO Daily Moisturizing Body Wash brought back memories of being at the beach as a kid-  great, light smell that didn’t clash with my perfume and lathered well.  I also used it for shaving and it didn’t dry out my legs.  The ChapStick was good, as it always is.  I survive on Chapstick in the winter, but for  the sun exposure I get in the summer at the lakeside, I need one with an SPF- this had SPF 50 and moisturization so no sun chapping for me!

If you haven’t tried SOYJOY, I can recommend them-  if you’re looking for something that tastes sorta-biscotti without the crunch and more of the health, this might be a good fit for you.  The flavors are generally good- especially paired with tea or juice.  This Strawberry Bar from SOYJOY was nom noms.

 

By far, the two favorite products in the box were the Dr. Scholl’s gel insoles, Sally Hansen Nail Effects and Bath & Body Works Twilight Woods Spray.  These are all brands I’ve enjoyed in the past but haven’t been evangelized.  Dr. Scholl’s has saved my life several times with their gel insoles…  As a sorority girl in undergrad, I spent many recruitment days in black stilettos, without these gellies I’d have died.  If you wear high heels- YOU NEED THESE..for $6 you can swap these out in any pair (no adhesive) so it’s worth it.

Sally Hansen has knocked my socks off with their Nail Effects nail polish strips.  I haven’t put on the pink tigers strips yet, but for Christmas I tried their print in Candy Cane…  If you wondering if Sally Hansen Nail Effects are worth it, I’d say yes.  For $10 your “polish” lasts twice as long (mine looked nice for 6 days) and no annoying dry time.  I am not a pro and they apply like a dream!

Finally, there was the Twilight Woods Spray from BBW how could this not be a winner?  This fine fragrance mistis a mix of floral and berry with a smidge of silk powder.  Not too fruity, not too “grandma” either- just a good smell that’s universal. I’d never tried it before, but the bottle is gorgeous and it smells fab!  I don’t think it can replace my fave fragrance by Kate Spade, but it was fun to try.

 

(Disclaimer: I received the products reviewed above as part of the InfluensterVoxBox testing program. The products were provided free in exchange for my reviews and opinions of said products. I was not otherwise compensated and the opinions expressed in said reviews are truthful and entirely my own.)

Being frugal doesn’t have to mean depriving yourself of the fabulous essentials.  I just wrapped up graduate school so it meant my life was measured by three things:  Low on time, low on money and high on stress.   In my two years as a struggling student I perfected the art of the spa staycation- you can too!

The Tennants of a Successful Spa Staycation:

• You’re saving money already, splurge a little on pretty nail colors & good products.
• You need to unplug for a day and rent your favorite, most cheesy movies.
• Stock up on good food or order in delivery.
• Champagne (even the cheap kind) for mimosas is suggested but not required.
• Enter a cool giveaway from Frugalbeautiful.com

Read more →

So, the audio in this clip drives me bonkers (or you know, makes me want to cry..whatevs!)  It’s happened a couple of times where the recording on my MacBook pro doesn’t quite match up with the audio and in the past I’ve caught it and re-recorded.  Well, this time I didn’t catch it in time (it seems to line up in the beginning and end, not in the middle, wth.)

I enlisted the help of a friend over the weekend to fix it but to no avail- so I’d suggest you just close your eyes and let the soothing voice of your favorite frugal vlogger take you away to a peaceful place with this video review.  You can imagine me in crazy outfits or maybe doing this review while perched atop a stallion- whatever works for you.

So what’d I think about the Conscious Box?

Read more →

 

An eco-friendly beauty subscription service? Yes please! I loved the contents of my BlissMo box which was chock full of organic and eco-friendly beauty products. Blissmo also offers some food and health related boxes, but as y’all know I do love my beauty boxes!  Though the box is $19 a month (plus shipping) you’re guaranteed to get at least $19+ worth of product to make it worth your while, pretty cool!

I have since tried the body oil from Olíe Biologique and made a big mess with it (it comes in a squirt bottle), but it totally moisturized all over and really felt nice. The Sweet Chai Lip Scrub from Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques really was as fabulous as you’d think- good job Blissmobox! The rest of the samples are coming with me on my trip to NYC so I’ll keep you posted!

Huge thanks to Blissmobox.com for sending this over to review!   I was not compensated but did receive the product to facilitate the review…so you know opinions are 100% mine!

Hello lovelies! I was so excited to get this product to review from Bella Il Fiore at BellaBeauty.net I loved the lip gloss and am in love with the spa gifts. Consider my Mother’s Day shopping done, I know exactly what the ladies in my life are getting (oh wait, they read this, ruh-roh!) but seriously, their spa products are a great gift.

I’ve been so darn busy with school that these products came just in time to relax at home with during a busy, busy final semester of graduate school.    I know I have heard nothing but good things about these products and totally cannot wait to fill the cosmetics bag with goodies, isn’t it cute?

 

Bella Il Fiore is just downright fabulous..their prints are just so cute I just want it all!  I cannot wait to try the rest of their body products and cosmetics- I’ve heard lots of good things! Stay tuned to the Bella Il Fiore Facebook page for updates and new products…plus, it’s cute as heck!

Thanks to BellaBeauty.net for sending this product over for review….I was not compensated for this post and opinions are entirely my own!  Seriously, do you think anyone would pay me to be such a dork on camera?  ;)