Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara

I receive Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara, as a complimentary sample for being a member of Influenster for reviewing purposes. This product is not yet available to the public in the US, but will be hitting shelves soon.

Facts:
Available in Black and Extreme Black
Contains Procapil®, Keratin and Antioxidants

What they say: 
Rimmel's first mascara and lash treatment in one that works both instantly, and overtime With Grow-Lash Complex. Instantly up to 80% visibly longer looking lashes. Up to 117% visibly longer looking lashes after 30 days of use.

What I say:

I have sensitive eyes when it comes to mascara so I am always hesitant to try new brands. After a few times of wearing this I am sold, it didn't make my eyes itch like other brands I have used and it looks great. There was no clumping and my lashes were not as hard as nails after applying. 
The applicator brush seems to cover most of the lashes without having to get into awkward positions that I have had to maneuver myself into in the past.  I look forward to continuing to use the product so I can vouch for its promise of visibly longer lashes due to its new grow formula.


Would I recommend:
Yes, it's a great product and it should be hitting the US market soon. 

New York Color Clear lip gloss

I receieved a complimentary tube of New York Color Liquid Lipshine from Influenster for testing and reviewing purposes.

Facts:

• ~$2.50 for a .24 fl oz tube available in 10 shades
• Vitamin E formula provides shine and moisturizing feel

What They Say:

Pure pigments, 3D-effect shine

Lips feel moisturized

Creamy and soft texture

Non-sticky

 

Have you heard the gossip? There’s a new gloss in town! NYC New York Color Liquid Lip Shine is getting headlines with seriously high-drama color at a seriously low price. Pure pigments give a 3-D effect that’s off-the-charts glossy. Tons of hot new shades, from preppy nudes to bold statement hues – all for less than your weekly fashion magazine.

 

What I Say:

I got #574 City's Clear, Liquid Lipshine so I guess as far as color reviewing goes there is not much to say. except that I probably would have choosen an actual color if I had gone to the store to pick this out myself. I like Big Apple Spice as the color I would have most likely bought.

The application was smooth and easy and the gloss had a faint scent of vanilla.

Since I tested clear there is really no need to post a picture as the only thing you might notice is the shine and gloss on my lips anyway. 

I would recommend this to women or girls that want to add a color to their lips without using an actual lipstick or are just looking for a tint of color instead of an overall coverage.

  

Julep

First Maven Box

Painting my nails is one of the few girly activities that I engage in on a normal basis. So when I found Julep, which is an online and free standing brand of beauty products (mostly nail polish), I was in love.  

Maven- a subscriber to Juelp's monthly goody box.

Facts for non-Mavens:

• Julep Nail Color is “4-free” and does not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, or DBP. Our professional chip-resistant formulation is fast drying and highly pigmented.
• $14 a bottle
• Even Oprah recommended Julep on her Favorite Things list for 2012

Facts for Mavens:

• Earn Julep Jules that you can redeem for products.
• Enjoy 20% off all products plus free shipping.
• Satisfaction Guaranteed
• $11.20 a bottle after discount
• They run specials ~ every month that can be as much as 50% off

What They Say:

Becoming a Julep Maven gives you exclusive access to COLOR. Each month we hand-pick trendsetting new nail colors, cult faves and cutting-edge beauty products that are just right for you. Commitment shy? No problem. YOU decide how often to receive your Julep Maven box, and you can cancel at any time.

Styles change, and you can too


Bonus Box for Signing Up



We'll send an email previewing your upcoming Julep Maven Box on the 20th of each month. Love what we've chosen for you? Do nothing and your box is on its way. Want to try a new style, send your box to a friend or skip the month (and the bill)? Just log into your account between the 20th and the 24th to submit your request. We start shipping your Julep Maven Box the same day you're charged, on the 27^th of each month.

What I Say:
I decided that I would go ahead and get a Maven membership after reading through their FAQ and taking their free style profile to see which items they suggest to fit with your style (there are five profiles, mine is: Classic w A Twist).

I was easily able to look through their online website and order products, which arrived from Washington in 2 or 3 days (I live in the mid-west so thats really quick). When I signed up they had a special that allowed me to get 3 items for $14 on top of getting my first Maven box for only a penny! So for a little more than $15 I got all the items seen in the attached pictures.

Color:  Jodie

I love this stuff and the fact that almost all the polishes are women's names. I know that it cost more but it is also more durable then the $3 a bottle nail polish that I am used to wearing.  As a Maven I get points and discounts when I make a purchase and if I do not like the offering that they have for the next month or my pockets are shallow I can opt to pass.

If you are interested but not sure if its something you want to join I urge you to check it out.

• Take their fun quiz. Take the Julep Maven style quiz. It’s quick, free and helps us pick the colors that are SO. YOU.
• Discover your style profile. Then check out the current Julep Maven Box with at least two gorgeous polishes and other beauty favorites chosen just for you based on your style profile.
• Sign up as a Maven. If you are still interested, sign up or place an order and in a few days you will get your new items in the mail.

If you decide to join please enter my Unique Invitation Code when you sign up: 6865397 so that they know you were sent on my referal.
Thanks ~A

 

 

 

Unreal Peanut Butter Cups

I love chocolate and if you add peanut butter to that then I will sit at your feet and beg you for one until you relent. So when I saw Unreal Peanut Butter Cups at my local CVS onsale and I had a coupon I decided to give them a try.

Facts:

• Usually ~$5 for a 6.3 oz bag of individually wrapped cups.

• Contains no artificial flavors, preservatives or hormones; no GMO’s (genetically modified organisms); no hydrogenated oils; and no corn syrup. Instead, they use real sugar, natural oils, and real milk.

What they Say:



Unreal is even stamped into the chocolate

UNREAL™ is starting with candy, because it’s the worst offender when it comes to “junk” – corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, GMOs, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. To “unjunk” means to replace all these ingredients with real cane sugar, real milk, more peanuts, and more cacao.

You don’t need to travel to a fancy health food store or pay a premium to buy our candy, it’s only available where junk food is available.

What I say:

Though its not a taste that we are used to, because we are used to all those preservatives and such, they are not bad. Just have to get used to not having as much sugar and such. I think that this would be a great alternative to give to my kiddo when she wants candy, so that she gets used to not having all of those "extras" and thus does not crave them as much.  

Recommend: Yes. You should go and try this yourself, the worst that could happen is that you don't like it and pawn it off on someone else who might.



 

Nook HD

My hubby loves sports and video games, which is great... for him but I often get bored while he has the TV tied up with something that I am honestly not that interested in (save a few exceptions). Thus I generally use this time to read a book, which up until recently I had borrowed from my local library. After wanting an ereader for well over a year, my awesome hubby broke down and got me one as a Christmas present (probably so I would shut up about it more than anything else but that's fine with me).

He gave me a Barnes and Noble Nook HD which is my review for today.

Facts:

• Available in 2 colors: Smoke (gray) or Snow (white)
• 2 memory sizes $199 for 8 GB and $229 for 16GB with slot for additional memory card
• Highest Resolution 7" HD Tablet with touch screen
• Stunning HD 1440x900 display for rich color & deep contrast
• Web Browsing & Email - powerful 1.3Ghz dual-core processor & built-in Wi-Fi
• Parental controls & personalized experience just for kids
• Available at Walmart, Target, Barnes and Noble and many more places. 

What They Say:

• Apps & Games you love - Angry Birds, Pandora, Netflix, Twitter & thousands more
• Movies & TV Shows to rent or buy - download or stream instantly
• Books & Magazines - millions to choose from
• Expandable memory and free unlimited NOOK Cloud storage for all your content
• Light & Thin - easy to carry everywhere

What I Say:
The beginning setup of the device was apparently pretty simple as my hubby did it by himself only stopping to ask me questions regarding my Barnes and Noble account.  While he did that I perused the paper guide that came with it. Once he handed it over I also looked at the user guide that was on the device.

After going through everything I was interested in I was ready to start downloading some books and get my read on.  I logged on using Wi-fi (we have it at home) and found a few books that I was interested in. Having already put my gift cards on my store account I was able to download the books instantly and start reading. 

I have since downloaded many more books for me and a few even for kiddo, often searching for books that are Free or currently discounted ($2.99 and under) so that I can get more. Apparently my library even lends books via Nook but I have yet to use this feature as they don't have much of a selection. There is even an option to lend certain books (labled Lendable in the store) to any friends that have Nooks (I searched my facebook and found a few NookFriends, but it seems we have different reading preferences).

I carry my Nook everywhere because I never know when I will have a few minutes to read, case and point I read 19 books in January this year, which makes my goal of 100 total for the year that much closer.
With nearly 90 books downloaded I have only used 10% of the available space on my 8GB device.

Palmolive Fresh Infusions

I received Palmolive Fresh Infusions, which is a liquid dish soap, as a complimentary sample for being a member of Influenster for reviewing purposes.

 

The Facts:

• Comes in three naturally inspired fragrances: Lime Basil, Lemon Thyme, & Ginger White Tea

• ~$3 a bottle at local stores

What They Say:
Just like the best recipes, the freshest scents & elegant simplicity are what inspire us in the kitchen. Taking cues from nature, we created inviting, naturally inspired fragrance blends - and combined them with the sparkling clean you've always trusted from Palmolive® dish liquid. Infuse your kitchen with freshness.

What I Say:
First thing that I noticed when I got these was the nice looking bottle that shwed the nice colors of each of the three new soaps off beautifully. I opened each bottle to inhale the new scents to see if they were as fragrant and natural as they have been hyped to be.  Each one was nice in its own way, though I liked one a bit less than the others. But the real test was not how each soap smelled but if it could clean a sink full of dirty dishes.

Let me just say that I HATE to do dishes by hand but as you might know some things just cannot go into the dishwasher, I have no idea why I have items that fit that description but it seems that I do and that they are the dishes that for some reason get used the most often (agitated sigh). In any case I fill my sink with hot water and add a little bit of one of the soaps, causing some fragrant bubbles to appear. I load a few dishes in and let them sit for a minute while I attend to my kiddo. When I finally make it back to the sink and dive into the task the grime comes off quick and easily leaving behind only a great smell and a happy woman.

I have since tried the other two scents as well both with similar results.  My favorite is the Lime Basil though it seems my hubby is partial to Lemon Thyme when he does the dishes. Lets just say his bottle is a lot fuller than mine is.

Kiss Eyelashes

I recieved Kiss Ever Pro Lashes as a complimentary sample in my Beauty Blogger Voxbox 2012 for reviewing purpose from Kiss for being a member of Influenster and fitting all the criteria in a VoxBox challenge.


The Facts:
~$5 for everything you need.
Adhesive included!

• Kiss utilizes same top quality natural hair as premium priced department store brands

• Suitable for contact lens wearer

• Best if used with Kiss Strip Eyelash Adhesive

What They Say:

Be sure to use the included applicator to hold the lash while applying
Wait at least 30 seconds for adhesive to become clear and tacky before applying

Use applicator to “pinch” lashes to natural lash line; this ensures that there are no gaps between natural and artificial lash

What I Say:

So I have never used fake eyelashes before, mostly because I am scared of getting glue or something in my eyes which are already sensitive. That and I remember the scene from "Yours, Mine and Ours" (the original), where Lucille Ball loses her eyelashes in her beer while at a party.

But these were supposed easy to apply and last a long time. Bonus points because they are reusable. Unfortunately I am not good at this type of thing even though I tried several times they wouldn't stick and I couldn't line them up properly. Eventually I gave up. Perhaps if I had someone helping me. See the picture if you don't believe me.

Click here to get a coupon and try it for yourself.