Video & Review

   Or, the 'Box that I never reviewed properly because it came as a surprise when I had no time to post my regular content, let alone extra reviews.  Oh, Influenster.  I do feel bad about this.  I managed to get my unboxing video done, did the Twitter party (blah), and had poked at Pinterest activities, but my plans to do anything more than that fell by the wayside.  I haven't posted anything here in a month.  Ouch.
 

   Here is my first impressions video, in case you missed it:

   The TLC VoxBox was sent to select Influenster Moms, and is actually my first "mom" box to review.  Pretty cool, but also a bit difficult because I don't blog about "Mom things".  My blog is 95% nail polish and what I share on public social networks generally leans towards fashion, beauty and art.  Not practical Mom stuff.  But let's look at it anyway!

Influenster Prizes!  ·  Craft Projects  ·  Spring, is that you?

   Oops, it's already April!  I don't know exactly how it happened, but I haven't been the only one to say this: March went by just as quickly as February.  (Was it that way for you, too?)  Perhaps because it had the same cold, dreary blur that the days of February had.  I don't really know.  I do know that I was very disappointed 1 week ago when I realized how close April was.  Alas, now it is already here.  Let's see how I did this month.

March Goals

   Not too bad, I guess we could call that 50-60% completed?  I left my list of goals pretty bare because I expected to be busy, and indeed I was.

Review / Video

   I've made another YouTube unboxing/overview video for my most recent VoxBox, which was different from my past boxes because it included something specifically for my other half to try.  This post gives an overview of all the products and links to some of my stand-alone posts.  You can check the video out, too!  Keep reading for the quick run-down of what products are winners, and which ones are, well, not so much.

Vaseline® Men Spray Lotion

This spray-on lotion was sent for my husband to use and give his opinion on.

What he thinks:  It was a little weird at first (it really does spray a fine mist of lotion) and you have to be careful of where you're aiming it so you don't end up with slippery overspray on the floor.  Sometimes you have to spray into your hand and then apply it as you would a regular lotion, so what is the point of it being a spray..?  But it works well, absorbs quickly, and is non-greasy.

What I think:  I don't like the smell!  I sprayed some on my arm and I agree, it absorbs quickly, leaves your skin nicely softened and non-greasy, but I had to wash it off my arm!  It's just too strongly scented for me, with what I feel is a nondescript cheap "men's product" aroma.

Our verdict:  He says it works well enough but having spray-on lotion doesn't seem necessary, so once it's gone he probably won't buy more.  I say he can use up what he has so long as he only uses a small amount at a time.  Not a winner for us.

Influenster Review

    Tonight I'm sharing a great product from my J'adore VoxBox from Influenster.  I was really excited to get this product to test, in a full-size bottle, no less!  I really enjoy doing face masks but I don't use them often enough.  Read on to see what I think of the Boots Ionic Clay Mask and how I fit this mask into my schedule!  Oh, and did I mention I'll have a coupon code to share with you?

Hair Care - Video / Review

   Hello Princesses!  I was sent two complimentary Goody hair products in my Violet VoxBox to test & review.  This is how they are both fitting into my hair care routine, and I've made a video that gives a closer look at the QuikStyle hair brush.

  I have an every-other-day hair washing schedule.  On the days I don't wash my hair, I get to use the headband.

Swatch & Review / Nail Art

   This was one of the items provided for review in my Violet VoxBox from Influenster. They would like us to share a "shining moment" we had while wearing the polish.  I didn't actually get to wear this for very long, but I did dress Sparkling Water up with some pearl-chain nail stickers.  As I was finishing my manicure, I had a realization...

   Are nail stickers "cheating" when it comes to nail art?  Should they even count?  Yes.  Just because you make a cake using a box mix instead of from scratch, will someone claim that you didn't bake a cake: you cheated?  No, you just made what you currently had time and ability to do.  We all admire the hand-piped frosting flowers, the mind-blowing 3D fondant creations that make their way to Pinterest collections... but sometimes you have to be content with sprinkles.  In the end it's tasty, you did make cake.
    With nail stickers and decals... they are quick and easy to master, but do take skill to apply in a creative, eye-pleasing way.  So what if I didn't sit down with a tiny brush and make each dot myself.  I still chose where I wanted the design, carefully cut them to the proper length, and carefully applied them with tweezers.  That's all I had time for.  And you know what?  It was pretty, I enjoyed the look - I did nail art.

   Now, let's get to what we're really after: a proper swatch and review of Sally Hansen Sparkling Water!

Video

   Woohoo!  Another box from Influester, and another video showing what was inside it!  The contents of the Violet VoxBox were customized depending on who they were sent to.  For me, this is the best box yet - it includes nail polish, and a hairbrush!!  =D

   I was sent these complimentary products in exchange for my opinions; you can learn more about Influenster here!

Review

   Good evening, Princesses!  How has your weekend been?  We've finally gotten some rain and cooler weather here.  Today I'm sharing my thoughts on two lash products that I was sent for review via Influenster by the Mary Kay brand, their new Lash Love Lengthening Mascara and Lash Primer.  Here they are being worn together on my curled lashes!

   Like most ladies, mascara is one of my favorite cosmetics!  So I was really excited to get to try these.  (Fun fact: my first ever mascara was a Mary Kay tube given to me by my mother!  Revisiting this brand's lash offerings is quite nostalgic.)  Read on to see how I like them!

 Mary Kay Lash Primer:

   I will admit, I was feeling very apprehensive about this pearly white tube!  A few years ago there was a boom in lash primers, and brands are still releasing them fairly regularly now.  I tried several samples from big name brands and didn't like any of them at all!  The primers always seemed to be goopy and stick my lashes together, which made my lashes turn into "spider legs".  So when I opened the tube and saw that it was a barely-there clear formula, I was intrigued.

Here are Mary Kay's claims taken from the product page description:

   "Add dramatic definition to your eyes to create fuller lashes when used as a basecoat under mascara.  Or wear the clear formula alone for a natural look.

• Instantly intensifies lash volume and creates longer-looking lashes.
• Lifts lashes and helps them stay curled longer.
• Coats without flaking, yet removes effortlessly.
• Helps mascara wear longer." 

    The formula includes conditioning ingredients such as glycerin, aloe, and a few other conditioners.  Other features are the unique brush - the black and white swirl of bristles aren't just for looks!  The white bristles absorb and deliver the primer, and the black bristles should comb and separate your lashes.

   Application is easy and straightforward.  The brush is average sized and easy to maneuver.  I curled my lashes prior to putting the primer on, and only primed my upper lashes.  I did have some lashes sticking together so I used a lash comb to get them back to feathery fullness.

   I wouldn't call this a wonderful clear mascara on it's own.  I don't think my lashes looked any different wearing only primer, besides holding a curl.  As for helping my mascara to last longer and not flake, well, I didn't notice either of those things happening without using the primer, either.  It may help, but I don't think the Mary Kay mascara needed the help.  I did notice that it made my lashes look thicker once I applied mascara; fortunately not spider leg thick!  Other good things about this primer are that the formula is lightweight and it doesn't make removing your mascara any more difficult!

  Mary Kay Lash Love Lengthening Mascara:

   This mascara was provided in the "I ♥ Black" color; it is also available in brown.  I didn't use any other eye make-up in my photos (besides the primer) so you can see how it makes lashes pop!

Here are Mary Kay's claims taken from the product page description:

    Other features are the inclusion of fibers to physically add more length to your lashes, conditioning ingredients and the spiffy brush head.  It has a slight curve and slightly longer bristles on the convex side.

   Application was easy, with the brush being average sized and having bristles that could reach all my lashes - even the tiny ones! - by turning it the right way.  I really like these molded rubber mascara brushes, I feel like they give better application than the traditional bristly wands (look at the Lash Primer brush, I'm talking about those).

   My lashes were already curled before applying, and the curl held just fine whether I applied the Mary Kay Lash Primer or not.  This mascara does need a few minutes to dry before you open your eyes wide or it will transfer to your lids.  Once it is dry I have not had any trouble with it smudging or flaking, with or without the primer.  The lengthening fibers are subtle and I don't really notice them much.  Overall I find that the only difference using the primer makes to this mascara is that with a primer under it is seems more volumizing.  Lashes appear thicker, and want to stick together more.  This mascara also removes easily!

   Here are a couple pictures of me using these products!  First I used the Lash Primer on my curled upper lashes.  Then I applied the mascara to one eye's lashes to see the difference.

   It's pretty obvious which side has the mascara, isn't it?  I then finished applying the Lengthening Mascara...

   Much better!  Now we can see all those lashes!

   In conclusion, both of these products are solid performers.  Mary Kay's Lash Primer is the best I've ever used, simply because it isn't gross!  It is not a must for me, though.  I don't feel that I need the extra volume it gives, and the good mascaras I use don't flake or smudge anyway.  I will continue to use it on my upper lashes, and I'll try it with some lower-end mascaras to see if they benefit from the primer boost!  I wouldn't bother wearing it by itself; I reach for brown mascara when I want a subtle look!

   Mary Kay Lash Love Lengthening Mascara is very nice.  It doesn't usurp my current favorite, but it is also cheaper per tube.  I will definitely keep using it!  The lengthening fibers don't make a mess of lashes, and it does a good job of grabbing little lashes thanks to the wonderful brush.  It's only fault is a slight tendency to stick lashes together, and the dry time.  I prefer mascaras with a drier formula.  What I like best: it doesn't flake off!

   Many thanks to Influenster and Mary Kay for selecting me to try products in the Glamour Look VoxBox!  These two are definitely my favorite out of the bunch!  Of course, who doesn't love to try new mascaras?  ;)

Video

   Hello everyone.  Guess what I did?  I made another YouTube video - finally!  And this one is extra special because it's a video of me, including a bit of baby belly!   I made the video to show what came in my Mary Kay VoxBox, and talk about my thoughts on the products.  I'm trying them out this week, so you'll be hearing more about them soon!

   I was sent these complimentary products in exchange for my opinions; you can learn more about Influenster here!

   Here is my last haul post for 2012!  I'm looking forward to the content I have planned for next month, some of which has to do with what I found this month.  Not very much to show in this Haul post, so here we go...

   I managed to snag some more of the Pure Ice limited edition colors, which sold out at our local Walmart very quickly.  Last month I picked up Treasure Hunt, and I should have grabbed a few more of the pretties that were on the shelf then...  Oh well!

   Top Row: Vintage Glam, Internationally Known, Monte Carlo

   Bottom Row: Blue Midnight, Ruffled Sheets, Get Low, After Hours

   Of course I also snagged a few of these polishes for my giveaway, which will be running until January 11th; did you see that post?

   I picked up Sinful Colors Hazard and Mint Apple, and Salon Perfect Silver Sparkler.

   My Sephora haul was made possible by a coupon given to VIBs.  I picked up Dior Crème Abricot and two of Sephora's glitter liner-and-mascara combos.  I started using the Crème Abricot right away, and will be officially trialling it next year!

   And of course there was my special CosmoVoxBox from Influenster, which I've been having fun with testing and reviewing.  So far I've gotten to post about the Gillette razor and Forever Red perfume.

   Finally, I wrapped up my expenditures at Sally Beauty, where I grabbed a container of Bubble White and Orly polishes Green With Envy and Miss Conduct.  Green Wtih Envy seems to be one of those polishes that doesn't want to photograph accurately.

   With all the awesome end-of-year sales that are happening now I'll probably have a more exciting haul post next month, though for budget's sake I'm trying to resist!  As always thanks for reading and I'll blog to you all next year!  ;P

Review

   Time to share another Influenster goodie!  Included in my Cosmo VoxBox was a mini bottle of Bath & Body Works most luxurious new fragrance: Forever Red.  I love trying new perfumes, so I was excited to see the bottle in my box.  As far as reviewing goes perfumes are easy to test, yet they can be tricky to describe - I'll do my best!  Let's start off with the official description from the website:

    Right away I was happy to see that one of the notes is vanilla - I'm a huge fan of vanilla scents and was optimistic that this would be something I'd like, yet different from what I already have in my collection.  I also really like the look of their full-sized bottles.  The dark red glass accented by a flourish of red ribbon is a nice balance of stylish appeal and sturdiness.  My mini bottle does not have the cute little ribbon tie, but I love how easily it stows away!  And I love the atomizer on it.  This perfume sprays an ultrafine mist that exactly covers the decolletage the way a luxurious fragrance should!  I only need one spritz.

   But does it smell any good?  My vote is a big yes!  What does it smell like? is where my answer starts to get fuzzy.  I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly what it smells like, maybe in part from the floral notes which I'm never good at identifying.  Mostly it never has an overpowering, fake perfume smell.  I'm sensitive to chemical odors and will get a splitting headache from anything too strong, but have had no issues with this fragrance.  Forever Red sticks pretty close to the skin.  I don't notice it all day when I wear it, but if I try to smell it I can tell it is still there.

   While I may not be able to place the exact scent, this perfume works well with my chemistry.  It will last all day and sometimes into the next morning.  It never turns powdery, so the floral notes aren't too strong.  It never turns sticky-sweet, meaning the fruity notes don't come across as fake.  It does a have a certain warmth from the dry notes, with the rum vanilla and marshmallow being the most noticeable.  It's like the best aspects of the 'floral fruity' genre combined with a subtle gourmand.

   Here is what I really love about wearing it.  It might just be my chemistry, as a perfume will smell different when sprayed on someone else's skin, but this happens when I wear Forever Red.  When I work hard enough to warm up but not quite break a sweat it develops this fantastic aroma of freshly made cotton candy at the fair.  It must be from the vanilla and marshmallow base notes combining with the fruity ones.  I wasn't expecting that but it is totally me and I love it!  I can't stop sniffing when this happens.

   Importantly, my husband really likes the smell of it.  When I ask him what it smells like his answers have been "sort of fruity?" and "like berries".  Whenever he does notice it he comments positively.  So I also like this fragrance for the fact that he does.

   Honestly I haven't shopped at Bath & Body Works in ages, so when it comes to their claims of creating their most luxurious fragrance ever I don't have much to judge by.  It's more expensive than their usual offerings but Forever Red's price falls into what is usual for me.  This does smell like a quality perfume, but I think the whole idea of what smells rich is totally subjective.  I will wear this and even repurchase it because I genuinely like it, not because of what the ad says.  Have you tried it?

Review

   When my Influenster Cosmo VoxBox arrived I was happy to see that they included a razor.  My last razor had been serving me faithfully only to have its refill cartridges discontinued.  I knew I was going to have to either hunt down refills for it Online or... be brave and try something else.  So thank-you, Gillette! for giving me a new razor to try!  In fact, I have two razors to test.  A new Venus & Olay blade cartridge was included with the Venus Embrace blade and handle.  So, what did I think of these products?

   First off, the handle.  As you can see in the first image it works very simply - a nice grippy stick with a glittery plastic button that you push forward to pop an old blade off.  Then you can put any new Venus blade on because they are all interchangeable!  As for the overall comfort and ease of use, it's good.  The button stays well out of the way of my hand while using it and the entire handle has a jelly grip.  I've seen a couple other colors this razor comes in, where the jelly grips are purple, blue or pink.  Being the girly-girl that I am I would have chosen one of those colorways instead of green and blue, but that's a small thing.  Razor looks are probably the least important part of shaving, but I love the idea that if you're going to shave with Gillette you can track down whatever handle you like best, and then put your desired blade on that handle.

Venus Embrace

   The Venus Embrace cartridges are 5-bladed and surrounded by moisturizing strips that produce their own sort of shave gel in the shower.  It's actually dubbed "Ribbon of Moisture" by the company.  As soon as the blue ribbon gets wet it starts leaving a slickness on anything it touches and has a stringy consistency.  If you don't rinse your razor off after use this will hold onto any bits of hair or fuzz that land in it.

   I found that this razor gives a very nice shave.  The 5 blades make for a close shave while protecting your skin from nicks.  But I'm not loving the Ribbon of Moisture feature.  It adds a lot of bulk around the blades, and apparently I'm the type of person that would rather have to deal with lathering up before shaving.  Because the moisturizing gel doesn't show up on skin I also had to be extra thorough about rinsing.  When I went to touch up a few spots out of the shower the wet moisture strips left stringies of goo on my skin.  I dry shave with a wet razor, so this doesn't work for me.

Venus & Olay

   On to the head from Olay.  If I thought the Embrace cartridge was bulky this one seems absolutely massive compared to anything else I've used previously!  This is another 5-bladed option, and rather than just a ribbon it has what I would dub "Pads of Moisture", haha.  These are on flexible plastic wings that angle down towards your skin, and you press the razor's head down to get the blades against your skin.  This isn't noticeable while shaving, and it's nice that they designed it in such a way that those moisturizing pads should stay against your skin as they are being used up!

   I like the above photo because it shows how open the blades are from the top side.  The Embrace cartridge is the same way.  This makes it super easy to rinse the razor blades clean!  The Venus & Olay cartridge produces a light lather as you use it which has a faint scent.  Once again this falls into the "not good for dry shaving" boat, but the 5 blades do give a very nice shave in the shower.  Another thing to note about both of these blades is that they need to find a home in your shower where the blades won't rest against anything else.  I've ended up with little chunks of dried gel on whatever happened to be within reach of my Venus razor!

   I will use both of these razor cartridges until they are dulled and actually need replacing, because while I'm not a fan of the "no shave gel needed" feature it isn't horrible.  It does make for a smooth shave and I do believe they left my legs a little softer, so they are fine for use in the shower.  They just aren't cutting it for dry shaving touch-ups.  Gillette included a $2 off refill coupon with this Influenster trial kit so I've used that to pick up some of their basic blades.  Once I get around to trying them I'll post my findings on the blog!  I expect that they will be more to my liking.

   These razors should be perfect for someone who likes their shave gel to come with the razor.  I also think that they would be good for beginners because the 5 blades are gentle to your skin.  I'm loving the fact that everything can be swapped between handles and cartridges.  I'd say that this is an eco-friendly move, and as someone who hates waste and would never go to disposables it's nice to know that I shouldn't ever be left with a handle that I can't get any blades on!  Even though this hasn't become the perfect shaving product for me yet, I have high hopes that it will be.  I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to try something different and hope that you found my review helpful.  Thanks for reading!

   Hiya everyone.  Sorry for the unexplained absence from the blog.  I underestimated how busy I would be last week.  This week should be business as usual but I will be taking another week off for the end of December.  =)

   Today I'm sharing the products I was sent to review from the site Influenster.  They showcase reviews and reward good bloggers with products to test.  And it's way more than just girly beauty products with them, too!  They have pretty much every category covered so any type of blogger can join.  It was exciting to be picked to receive one of their boxes, and then very suspenseful as the contents are a surprise!  Without further ado I present my Cosmo VoxBox!

   Straight off one thing that was both surprising and refreshing: no frou-frou packaging.  Everything arrived in a compact, plain-white box.  They include a card introducing the products they've sent, that is all from their company!

   I was really surprised, and happy! with the variety in this box.  I mean, they sent me chocolate!  To review!  A razor I had been expecting based on past boxes, and it even included a coupon for more refills.  The Forever Red perfume is a mini size, though I will admit I think it should have been wrapped somehow for safety during shipping.  And then there are two pens - FriXion gel pens from Pilot Pen.  I was really happy to see these because I knew just what they were and have almost bought them before.

   I'm not going to list the full descriptions in this post as I will be picking each item apart by itself later on, but I will talk about the razor here a bit.

   So, you can look forward to seeing my reviews of these items over the next few weeks.  You can find my profile on Influenster here!  Right now Influenster is invitation-only, and I have a few invites to share with my fellow reviewers.  If you're interested in joining leave a comment or send me a message, I'll help if I can!