Jolly Vox Box!

I very luckily received the Influenster Jolly Vox Box full of amazing free samples to try out this December. I'm not payed to review anything but I did get everything free!

Included in it were:

Puffs Ultra Soft & Strong To Go Tissues

NYC New York Color HD Color Trio Eye Shadow

Rimmel London New Show Off Lip Laquer

Skinny Cow Candy Bar

Ducklings Mini Roll Duct Tape

NYC HD Color Trio

I very luckily received the Influenster Jolly Vox Box full of amazing free samples to try out this December. I'm not payed to review anything but I did get everything free!

One of the first things out of the box was the New York Color HD Eye Shadow Color Trio. I had seen this in stores but I had been a little weary on trying it out. I'm always a little cautious with eye shadow as I'm not great at applying it so I want to make sure I buy great quality stuff.

When I tried out the trio I was struck by how much I liked it. It was easy to apply, whether I wanted all three or just one color, and it stayed for the entire night.

The Colors were very simple, easy to blend, and went well together. The colors aren't extremely potent but they look good regardless.


I'm extremely impressed with NYC and I look forward to trying out other trios!

NYC Big Bold Lipgloss

Just a disclaimer: I received this product complimentary from Influenster and NYC. I was not paid to review this product.

I am definitely more of a lipstick type of girl but this gloss lasts a long time, so I was impressed right off the bat. It goes on smooth, and smells nice. The only downside to the product was the fact that the color didn't really show up well, but I think that may be because it was very similar to my own lip color. The shine is really nice, it's a gloss not a glittery shine. I definitely would get this on other colors for a sheer but shiny look.

The packaging is great, though a little bit clunky. I think that I'll find myself reaching for this product more in the spring and the summer because the pink color just doesn't feel very "autumn" or "winter" to me. I may however try to incorporate it if I do a really heavy eye make-up look.

I would suggest getting a color that isn't so close to your own lip color, unless of course you want a shiny sort of nude lip. I would definitely check these out because for about $4
 they are definitely worth the price!

Check out the NYC page here, and the Influenster page here!

Thanks for reading!
Samm

Lifeway Kefir Cultered Milk Smoothie

If there is something I enjoy more than a cold refreshing drink, I don't know what it would be. That is why I was so excited to try the Kefir Lifeway probiotic smoothie, it was cold, looked pretty refreshing, and I could mix it in with my favorite fruits for a delicious combination and a healthy snack, morning meal, or beverage. Thanks to Influenster and Lifeway Kefir I got the chance to try the Strawberry smoothie for free, and I was glad I did. It's a convenient mix in for my favorite fruit smoothie recipe and it's filled with probiotics. Not to mention it tastes great on it's own, if you're feeling like you want a simple snack.

You can check out the Influenster Lifeway Kefir page here for more information!

Great Expectations: Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

© Ivanov_ark | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

I've been learning some life lessons this year (most importantly that life is not fair) and this week I've learned yet another one. It turns out this saying is quite relevant to my life, and in fact I have a habit of doing this more often than I would like to admit. In some cases (like my chances of getting the last banana in the house) this isn't really a problem, I might expect to get the last banana and think about it all day, but when I don't get it, nothing bad happens. However, in other cases it matters quite a bit more, like when I expect a bit of money, and overspend only to not get the aforementioned money or when I say I've made a habit of something and then find myself not doing it.

I had been doing quite well making sure I exercised at least every other day, and I had even been trying to eat healthier more often. Unfortunately I became caught up in work and it started to rain almost everyday so I quickly stopped my regimen and fell back into bad habits. Taking my own advice, I know that I am the only one who can change my own habits, so I am certainly going to try and do that as soon as possible. For now I will spend the day inside enjoying some music with my cup of Vanilla Caramel tea and Chocolatey Chip Dunkers from Trader Joes.


Sammxoxo

Goals

Not that long ago, I decided to make goals and stick to them. My first goal was to start working out more and taking more pictures and so far I've been doing pretty well with that goal. I put up a note on my wall, so I constantly see the reminder and it really helps me to actually go out and do it!

Here's to sticking to the goals I make for the rest of the year!


How are your goals doing?
How do you remind yourself to keep going?
Have any favorite workouts?

Let me know!

Dr Scholls Massaging Gel Insoles!

I am never one to go out of my way to buy comfortable shoes. In fact, most of my shoes are extremely uncomfortable. They have no arch support and after an 8 hour day on my feet, they have definitely taken their toll on me. I've also come to notice that my patience wears thin when my feet are uncomfortable and I become a bit of a witch with a capital "B". However, that being said, after putting these in my flats for the day I was not only comfortable, I was in love. My feet no longer felt like they were going to fall off and my heels no longer felt like they were being stabbed. It was definitely a miracle. After removing my old shoes insert, I used that to cut the insoles so that they perfectly fit in my everyday shoes. Now my feet are comfortable no matter what I'm doing.

And some photos!

First I removed the insoles from my own shoe (excuse how gross they are)

The Insoles removed. MY SHOES ARE GROSS

Trimming the new ones to fit my shoes

Side by side comparison

Hello comfort!

**As a BzzAgent I get the opportunity to try new products for free, and give my honest opinions, and reviews to you. The opinions expressed are completely honest and solely my own**

Gillette Olay and Venus Razor: Goddess Worthy for Sure!

I was offered this razor through a program run by Gillette Venus and I have to say I was impressed. I love the moisture bars, they let me get a close shave while still not giving me razor burn, nicks or cuts, something I constantly struggle with. The berry scent was a little odd at first, but I kind of like it though I have to say it doesn't last and now that I've used the razor a few times I can't even smell it. The packaging (as others have mentioned) is a bit much, but as a retail employee I understand that. You'd be surprised how often excessive packaging will save a company money and products from theft. On a consumer level, while the packaging was a lot, it wasn't hard at all to open, and was actually the easiest razor I've opened in a long time. The razor itself was great, it left me feeling smooth and silky! I'm glad I gave this a shot as the only downsides are the packaging and having to remove my razor from the shower so that it doesn't melt in there (the wonderful moisture bars are definitely water soluble)!
 Here are some photos taken with my crappy cellphone camera!:

The packaging!

It came with a holder for the shower, though I don't leave it in there, it functions nicely!

I can't help but touch my legs.... EVERY TIME I CAN

**As a BzzAgent I get the opportunity to try new products for free, and give my honest opinions, and reviews to you. The opinions expressed are completely honest and solely my own**

Saying Yes and Setting Goals: How To Change Your Life

      As I sat here studying for my Spanish final on Monday and making some finishing touches on my final essays I was overwhelmed by not only how stressed out I am, but also how unhappy I am with what I have been doing in my life. I have a habit of saying no, of staying stuck in my own little bubble where it's safe and the things I have done before have become redundant tasks. I'm not happy living that way anymore, and that isn't the first time I have said that to myself. I want to make a change and the only way to do that is to go ahead and make it. So I made a list of a few things I want to do, some have deadlines and requirements but others are rather ambiguous so as to give myself more time and freedom and of course less stress as well. Rather than keeping them all general statements like "Eat healthier" I instead said something like "Eat one piece of fruit a day" or "Eat nuts one a week". Little changes in the same sentence make all the difference in actually getting things done. I left the file for this on my desktop so that it's always in view, but I password protected the file so that I can write anything I want there, without fear that someone might accidentally click it. I hope this is the start to changes in my life, and I hope that you too change yourself for the better.
       One of my goals is actually to take more photos, as that is something I used to enjoy quite a bit. Hopefully I actually do that, and hopefully I post some of those here.

Thanks for reading everyone,
Sammxoxo


P.S. The inspiration for this post is due to a wonderful blogger and Youtuber, Zoella. See her post here, and her video here. 

Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Spray

   I first heard about Not Your Mother's brand in high school, I saw the products which at the time were exclusive to Walmart and I absolutely HAD to try them. Even then I was a bit of a product junkie. Not Your Mother's products are gluten free, free of animal ingredients and byproducts (except the smoothing creme which contains silk extracts, a byproduct of silk worms), their products are not tested on animals, they are all made in the USA, and are available outside the US in limited places as listed on their website:
"NYM products are currently available outside the U.S. in:

Australia through i-glamour.com 

Canada through Amazon.ca and

the UK at Urban Outfitters stores and urbanoutfitters.com.uk.

There are more exciting announcements planned, so please check back with us periodically for updates!"

     I was sent their Texturizing Sea Salt Spray to try for free from Influenster. Although I had already tried this product a few years ago, I decided to give it another go and I remembered why I liked this brand so much to begin with! The spray leaves my hair looking like I just got home from the beach without the sand all over my car and my skin peeling off. That's something I can say I am more than pleased about. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for that tousled carefree beach look. It's a perfect summer product and I will definitely be repurchasing more.

Here's how I have used it:

Think you'll be checking it out? Let me know!

Sammxoxo

**As a member of Influenster I receive free products to try and share with readers like you**

Campbells Go (TM) Soup - Trying ti for free

So excited to try some new soup flavors! Looking forward to recieving my package!
Campbells Go (TM) Soup: Thx Campbell's Go(TM) 4 my free #GoSoup! Complete your random story 4 a $1 off coupon http://bit.ly/WhT5Sd




As a member of Smiley360.com I get to try great products like this one, for free!

I Just Joined Smiley360

I Just Joined Smiley360: I just became a Smiley360 member! Discover and review exciting brands for free, too! Sign-up at http://bit.ly/lTDqVw #smileymember *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

Garnier Fructis Hydra-Recharge

     I have to make one more short post on these because I have been so impressed by them. I used the Loreal Total Repair 5 in between using this and it made my hair feel downright awful. I was so disappointed that I even rewashed my hair using the Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge line this time instead. I am definitely impressed with this line, and I will continue to repurchase the shampoo and One Minute Moisture Plenish treatment. Those are my two favorites from the line. I'm not completely in love with the conditioner but I still like it.


Check out my first blog post on them here!

And just a quick reminder about the products:

• Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge shampoo contains mini beads that burst on impact and create a mini massage of hydration on your hair!
• Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge conditioner contains superfruits to leave hydration with weighing you down!
• Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge 1-Minute-Moisture-Plenish treatment revolutionary lightweight crème-gel formula transforms dry hair with a surge of high-performance hydration in just one minute.

Go try them out! Let me know what you think!

Sammxoxo

*While I was able to try this product completely free the opinion is completely my own*

Review: Loreal Total Repair 5

I want to start this post by saying this is not the worst shampoo and conditioner I have ever used but I will never purchase them again. I picked up the Loreal Total Repair 5 shampoo and conditioner in trial sized bottles for while I was travelling. I had yet to try this new line but I was excited because I had heard a lot of good things. I have to say I am immensely disappointed in them.

Every time I use the shampoo it pulls a lot of color out, the bathtub is literally orange when I get out. I don't have this problem with any other shampoo's I use, some pull color but it is never to this degree. It does have a nice smell, not too overpowering, slightly sweet but not childlike.

The conditioner, while it smells really lovely, is mediocre. It doesn't really moisturize my hair or leave it smooth at all; it's very frizzy and dry looking. My hair actually feels worse after I wash it using this line. Needless to say I will not be repurchasing either of these products.

 For a more moisturizing, and less stripping shampoo try Dove Damage Therapy 

Sammxoxo

Tea Time: Lipton Orange Blossom (Yes, this is as original as I could get)

I need to go back to using my real camera and not this cell camera

 
     Now, I may not have been able to come up with a fantastically cute, witty title for this review but I have to tell you I was very surprised that this tea actually tasted good. Recently, I went to the store and picked up Lipton's new(ish) tea exploration (the pyramid shaped bags) in Orange Blossom  Hibiscus Herbal tea. I have no idea why I went with this one as I really dislike Lipton tea, like always. It's cheap, tastes like dirt, and has no flavor. I will blame my lapse in brand judgement on the fact that currently I have the worst sore throat I've had in years, can't get any sleep, and when I bought this, couldn't swallow a goddamn thing without evoking tears. But you said you were surprised, Samm!?

      Luckily I was very surprised upon actually brewing this tea today. I immediately likes the packaging, not just the simple mature design of the actual box, but also the bags themselves. Everyone knows they're pyramid shaped but the material they're made out of actually feels nice. I feel like perhaps for once I was brewing some classy tea instead of the crappy paper Lipton bags. The tea itself has a really nice flavor I was concerned about it being too artificially sweet or overbearing but it was a nice relaxing flavor. The bag I left in the whole time I drank it because the flavor was good and my water wasn't very hot.This particular tea was caffeine free and herbal, which is good for before bed or just as a nice fruity drink. It definitely made my day better, as tea usually does. Also, I came to the conclusion that on a nice spring day, with a slice of lemon, and the sun in the sky, this would be fantastic as an ice tea.

     I bought this while I was in New York so it was about $4 plus tax however I found it online at drugstore.com for $2.49. I'm pretty excited to try other flavors, mostly the Red Tea with Strawberry and Passionfruit (Impossible to find in my area, which makes me very very sad) and White Tea Island Mango and Peach. Check out the Lipton site down below, there are a bunch of these new flavors. I listed my favorite three below (so far):

• Orange Blossom Hibiscus
• Harvest Strawberry and Passionfruit
• Island Mango and Peach

So, think you're going to try out any of Lipton's new teas? 

Sammxoxo

Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge

 Recently I was given the chance to try out the Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge line and I have to say I actually loved it. Previously I haven't enjoyed Garnier products, I've found them to leave my hair either weighed down or they just didn't make any difference in my hair at all. That is not the case with these. They left my hair shiny, soft, and smelling absolutely fantastic! The shampoo had these beads that were quite invigorating, the conditioner had a pleasant smell and made my hair feel soft, but my favorite of all three was the 1-Minute Moisture-Plenish. It was absolutely amazing, it was soft, smelled great, and as soon as I put it in it felt like it had absorbed into my hair. It didn't feel greasy at all just moisturizing. I loved it. The only downside to any of these was that the shampoo did pull a little bit of color from my hair, but, because I have an unnatural color I expect that every time I wash it. 
I am super excited that I got to try these three products and I will be more interested in Garnier Fructis in the future because I have to say, they impressed me with this one. The price, is of course, reasonable, just $5 most places like Walmart and Target ect. The product packaging is nothing special but it works so i'm not complaining.
Here's the description from their Bzzz page:

Infused with superfruits, the Hydra Recharge formula actively replenishes hair for silky-soft hydration that lasts. Hydra Recharge will recharge your thirsty locks and keep your hair super silky and surprisingly weightless for up to two whole days.

• Hydra Recharge Shampoo is a hydration innovation; the first to feature thousands of beads that burst on impact
• Hydra Recharge range contains superfruits goji berry, passion fruit and kiwi to actively replenish without heaviness
• Hydra Recharge 1-Minute Moisture-Plenish Treatment is a powerful deep treatment whose revolutionary lightweight crème-gel formula transforms dry hair with a surge of high-performance hydration in just one minute.

And, just for fun here is a picture of my freshly washed hair with my fantastic new products!

And after it had dried:

Check out their new line here!

Do you think you're going to try any of the new products from this line?

Sammxoxo

**As a BzzAgent I get the opportunity to try new products for free, and give my honest opinions, and reviews to you. The opinions expressed are completely honest and solely my own**

My SweetHeart VoxBox from Influenster

     I am a member of Influenster, a website where I get to try out new products for free and give reviews on them. Recently I was luckily chosen to receive a VoxBox, which is pretty much a mix of products to try and report back on. I eagerly awaited my box for a couple of weeks and excitedly  opened it as soon as it arrived so for this box I won't have an opening video but for future boxes I do plan to do so. As for the products, I'll continue now:

     My box contained a Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response Deoderant, Olay Fresh Effects Va-Va-Vivid, Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Spray, and a Skinny Girl Daily On-The-Go bar. I have included the card of descriptions below.

Check out the products below:
Secret
Not Your Mothers
Olay
Skinny Girl

You can check out my reviews of the Secret and Olay products here and here!

If you would like an invitation to Influenster, just let me know, I still have some available!

So, anything you want to try? 

Sammxoxo

Olay Fresh Effects Va Va Vivid Powered Contour Cleansing System

    

    About a week ago I got the chance to try the new Olay Fresh Effects Va-Va-Vivid thanks to the lovely people at Influenster and Olay! I am really liking this product so far, but it has only been a few days. I was breaking out when I started using it and that seems to be clearing up now but that may have been a coincidence, only time will tell. The kit I recieved came with a cute little brush and a shine minimizing leanser. The brush has a triangle shaped head, something I had not seen before but I immediately loved when I tried it. It fit into all the corners and nooks of my face. Suddenly getting the corners of my nose was a million times easier. The brush is powered, and usually I dislike that because they are too strong and just hurt my face. This brush was gentle however and I enjoyed using it. The cleanser smells lovely but I was completely shoked when I put some in my hand and it was silver! After lathering it turned a nice white soapy color and looked like my normal cleansers. I will continue to use this sample up but I really want to try the makeup removing cloths and BB cream! If and when I try those I will be sure to update this review!Find out where you can purchase Olay Fresh effects near you by checking their website. 

They are also available on amazon and drugstore.com. Be sure to check out www.olayfresheffects.com for more information on other products and what Olay can do for you.

Sammxoxo

**As a member of Influenster I get the opportunity to try new products and review them completely free, all they ask is for my honest opinion, which I give to you!**