Olay Active Botanicals #HCVoxbox

If you've seen my Influenster Homecoming Voxbox YouTube video or blog post you'll know that I received the Olay Active Botanicals refreshing gel cleanser. I was super excited to try this product out, because I love all things skincare! Olay is a brand that we are all familiar with and it can be found in just about any store you see. 

According to the Olay website, "Active Botanicals Refreshing Gel Cleanser washes away impurities, leaving skin clean, fresh and looking radiant without over drying. Formulated with Snow Mushroom, the facial cleanser leaves skin healthy-looking and glowing with natural vitality.The lightweight formula cleanses, leaving skin healthy-looking and glowing, without over drying. Snow Mushroom is a naturally-derived botanical traditionally used for centuries by women in China. Snow Mushroom is known for its powerful ability to hold up to 500x its weight in water."

To use this product all you have to do is gently lather the product on your hands before massaging onto your face. Before I did that, I made sure to remove as much of my makeup as I could with my Neutrogena makeup remover cleansing towelettes. I used the gel cleanser to remove what I missed with the makeup wipes. As I was washing my face, I noticed that the facial wash was quite cooling to the skin, and it had a light, clean smell. I love facial products that have a mild smell, because this means it will be mild to my skin, which prevents breakouts. 

After washing my face with the Olay Active Botanicals gel cleanser, my skin was noticeably smoother and it felt super clean!  I topped it off with my E.L.F. Soothing Serum, and got ready for bed. When I woke up in the morning my skin felt great, as if I had just cleansed it! My nose has always been a problem area for me. It peels pretty badly in the winter, because that's when my skin is the driest. This product has made my nose feel so smooth, and it looks shinier. The Active Botanicals gel cleanser retails for $5.99, which is a steal, so I suggest you go pick one up to try for yourself!

FTC: I received the Olay Active Botanicals in the Influenster Homecoming Voxbox. I was sent this product complementary for testing purposes.

affordable

Monday, September 28, 2015

Olay Active Botanicals #HCVoxbox

If you've seen my Influenster Homecoming Voxbox YouTube  video  or  blog post  you'll know that I received the Olay Activ...

Read article

Influenster Homecoming Voxbox

I recently received my FIRST Influenster Voxbox, and I am super excited to share it with you! If you do now know what Influenster is, it is a "community for social media hotshots to share news, products and reviews." It's free to join and they have a downloadable app for your mobile device. I love this app, because they reward you for your opinions. Filling out reviews and sharing them on your social media gets you noticed on this app and builds your influence in your community. The app allows you to link all of your social media to your account so they can keep track of your analytics. I was given the opportunity to receive a Voxbox for my testing pleasure, because I filled out some product reviews on some well known products and shared them!

As you can see here, I received a multitude of items varying from beauty products to foods you can find in your local grocery store. If you want to know what I thought about some of these products, you can watch my YouTube video that I have embedded into this blog post below! There were some products that I was not able to test out on camera so be on the lookout for blog posts on those items!

FTC: I received these products complementary from Influenster for testing purposes

Homecoming

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Influenster Homecoming Voxbox

I recently received my FIRST Influenster Voxbox, and I am super excited to share it with you! If you do now know what Influenster is, it is...

Read article

Beauty Haul + SWATCHES | Colourpop, Ulta, Mac, ELF (swatches and demos)

As we already know, I am obsessed with makeup, and with new launches in the cosmetics industry it can be a struggle to stay on trend (if that's what you're into)! I have been collecting some new makeup products to enhance my collection, but I didn't buy all of these items at once! I'm still a college student you know! I knew I wanted to pick up some items from Colourpop Cosmetics, because their Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks have been all over the blogosphere! I also went into ULTA (my personal favorite), Mac, and ELF Cosmetics. Some of these products mentioned I have featured in a few blogposts (which you can find here and here), so you can see exactly how I feel about these products.

List of all products mentioned:
Colourpop Super Shock eyeshadow (Hustle)
Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick (Trap)
Mac Matte Lipstick (Matte Royal)
Mac Matte Lipstick (Stone)
Tony Moly Sheet Mask (Avocado)
It Cosmetics Tightline Mascara
NYX Brow Pencil
NYX Matte Lipstick (Maison)
ELF Mineral Infused face primer
ELF Hydrating Undereye primer
ELF HD Setting Powder (corrective yellow)
ELF Daily Brush Cleaner
ELF Brush Shampoo
ELF Crease Brush
ELF Contour Brush
ELF Soothing Serum

More reviews on these products are on the way, and make sure you subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more videos and updates from me! (subscribe here)

Colourpop Cosmetics

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Beauty Haul + SWATCHES | Colourpop, Ulta, Mac, ELF (swatches and demos)

As we already know, I am obsessed with makeup, and with new launches in the cosmetics industry it can be a struggle to stay on trend (if t...

Read article

My Michael Kors Watch

I've never been the type of person to buy or obsess over designer things, but this Michael Kors watch is well worth the purchase and infatuation! I was gifted this watch by my parents after makeing good grades last semester, and I did not see it coming! I was ecstatic to receive this watch, and I have worn it everyday since I first laid eyes on it.

My parents took me to the Michael Kors store in the Mall of Georgia, and let me pick out which ever watch I wanted. This rose gold timepiece caught my eye immediately! I love that this watch is an analogue style, because it adds to the overall simplistic vibe it possesses. I had the sales associate to remove 3 links from the wrist band, so that it would fit perfectly. The weight on this piece guarantees quality and I'm sure that it will last a long time!

This watch is so versatile in that it can be worn with any outfit. I'm trying to convert over to a minimalist lifestyle, so this means I need to buy pieces that can be paired with a multitude of items. I would ultimately like to shop less and buy smart! This watch is a step in the right direction, and I'm so glad I have it in my accessory collection. This watch was $200, which is quite expensive, but for what you're purchasing, it's well worth the price!

fashion

Saturday, September 19, 2015

My Michael Kors Watch

I've never been the type of person to buy or obsess over designer things, but this Michael Kors watch is well worth the purchase and in...

Read article

My Natural Hair Necessities: Coconut Oil

I've decided that I want to start a new series on my blog, where I write about some of my hair care favorites. The product I want to highlight first is coconut oil. I love coconut oil because it leaves my hair shiny and moisturized the entire day. This is because coconut oil is rich in carbohydrates which soaks into the hair shaft much easier than any other product. Coconut oil has a high moisture retaining capacity, since it is not easily broken down nor evaporated, being very stable. It does not let moisture escape, thus keeping hair moist and soft, which prevents breakage of hair. So, if you have dry hair coconut oil can be effective in taking care of that!

The use of coconut oil on hair helps to reduce protein loss in both damaged as well as undamaged hair. Coconut oil rich in lauric acid, has a high affinity for hair protein, and easily penetrates inside the hair shaft, which is due to its low molecular weight. It can be used for pre-wash or post-wash hair grooming.
Coconut oil is a better conditioner for hair than any synthetic one available in the market. Use of warm coconut oil helps in keeping hair shimmering and soft. Apply some warm oil at night and wash your hair the next morning. This can be repeated every few days for healthy, strong and conditioned hair.

 Coconut oil can be a good styling oil for hair as well, because it melts when heated and then condenses when cooled. Therefore, when you apply it on your hair, it thins and spreads evenly due to the heat of the scalp. Soon afterwards, as the hair comes in contact with air, the oil on the hair condenses, thus working as a styling gel or cream.

My personal favorite is the Trader Joe's Organic olive oil, because it is the most natural. As you can see, there are many uses for coconut oil, which is cost effective. I love the way that it makes my hair look and feel, so this product is definitely a staple for me!

(Facts derived from: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/oils/coconut-oil-for-hair.html)

coconut oil

Monday, September 14, 2015

My Natural Hair Necessities: Coconut Oil

I've decided that I want to start a new series on my blog, where I write about some of my hair care favorites. The product I want to hi...

Read article

E.L.F. Soothing Serum

E.L.F. Cosmetics (besides NYX) is one of my favorite affordable makeup brands. The acronym in its name stands for Eyes Lips Face, and they have a wide variety of products for these three features. E.L.F. has been around for quite some time, but they recently decided to expand their brand and come out with a skincare line. I was skeptical at first about trying the skincare line, because I have products that work for me and I wasn't sure if these products (E.L.F.) would break me out or not. After a few months of watching reviews and doing some research, I decided that i should go ahead and try out the soothing serum (just to play it safe).

The packaging if this product is beautiful and more durable than the cheaper products on the website. You also get quite a bit of product in this bottle (1.01 fl.oz/30mL). According to the eyes lips face website, the soothing serum contains purified water and essential nutrients that help lock in moisture to reduce the look of fine lines for glowing, healthy-looking skin. This silky serum infused with skin norushing Jojoba, Aloe, and Vitamin E to sooth and protect the delicate skin area. It's also rich in antioxidants including Shea Butter and Grape.

When I applied a pump of this to the back of my hand, I noticed that I couldn't control how much product comes out. I also felt that this product is very liquidy. Not being able to control the amount of product I use isn't very cost effective, because I do believe that a little goes a long way, and I don't want to run out of this product too quickly. This product doesn't really have a smell, which I don't mind, because fragrances tend to irritate my skin. 

I also don't mind the watery texture, because when it is rubbed in, it leaves my skin feeling extremely moisturized and radiant. I normally apply this to my face after I have washed and toned my skin. When I wake up in the morning, my face is noticeably softer, and some of my problem areas are diminishing. The E.L.F. Cosmetics Soothing Serum retails for $12.00, which I think is a great price, and you can purchase it at www.eyeslipsface.com.

affordable

Sunday, September 13, 2015

E.L.F. Soothing Serum

E.L.F. Cosmetics (besides NYX) is one of my favorite affordable makeup brands. The acronym in its name stands for Eyes Lips Face, and they ...

Read article

What I Ate Today 9-1-15

My best friend and I decided to start fasting for the month of September. This isn't our first time fasting for a month, and since we are going on a trip in December for our "10 Year Bestie Extravaganza," we knew that we wanted to be in tip top shape for our tropical holiday! The rules of the fast are:

1. No fast food

2. No junk food

3. No sugary drinks

4. No sweets

5. No fast food

AND.....

6. Alcohol only 2 times a week (which we do anyways)

The last time we did this fast, we felt so much better and we lost a lot of weight. However, we set ourselves up for failure when the fast ended, because we ate all the foods we missed for those 30 days in one sitting! This time we know to ease back into the foods we love, and possibly eat them less.

This is what I ate for lunch (yes, I know I forgot to eat breakfast!). I had a turkey and ham sandwich with provolone cheese and mayo. I got some peanuts on the side for some extra protein. To go with this I got a salad with cheese green onions, bacon bits and balsamic vinegar. 

This is what I had for dinner. I've got some sausage, boiled carrots, Alfredo pasta, and potatoes, which was very filling! 

I still haven't mastered this fasting thing, but I'm learning as I go, and i'm excited to see the changes in my body! 

fasting

Sunday, September 6, 2015

What I Ate Today 9-1-15

My best friend and I decided to start fasting for the month of September. This isn't our first time fasting for a month, and since we a...

Read article

It Cosmetics Tightline Mascara

I recently took a trip to ULTA with my best friend just to browse around, but being the makeup enthusiast I am, I just had to leave the store with something. One of the items I picked up was the IT Cosmetics Tightline Mascara. I was drawn to this product because of its 3-in-1 technology and the small brush.

According to IT Cosmetics, this product is an eyeliner, a primer, and mascara. It also utilizes an ultra-skinny wand, allowing you to start coating your lashes at their actual root, so you coat black along your entire lash length. If you have sparse or missing lashes, the Tightline brush lays down black pigment along your entire lash line, filling in spare spots, giving you a full beautiful lash line and the look of an eyeliner. I decided to try this mascara out, because there's nothing I love more that big lashes!

(My lashes with nothing on them)

(My lashes with just the Tightline Mascara)

(My lashes with Tightline Mascara and Maybelline Lash Sensational)

Overall, I love the Tightline Mascara! It does a great job of separating all of my lashes and coating them. It lasts all day and it is easy to remove. I purchased the trial size for $10.00, but the regular size is $24.00. I do not think I will pay that much for the mascara, but I don't mind repurchasing the trial size.

Beauty

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

It Cosmetics Tightline Mascara

I recently took a trip to ULTA with my best friend just to browse around, but being the makeup enthusiast I am, I just had to leave the s...

Read article