J'Adore VoxBox

When I received an invitation from Influenster to complete a survey to qualify for a voxbox I was super stoked.  I never hesitate to complete one of their surveys because I know if I qualify, I am in store for something good!

The box that I received was the J'Adore VoxBox.  In the box, I received the following items complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster:

 

Boots Botanics Ionic Clay Mask with Willowbark -  I have been focusing a lot on skin care lately and looking for natural ways to help improve my skin inside and out.  Lately, I've been using another clay mask on Sundays but when I received my voxbox on a Thursday I couldn't wait to try this mask.  I really liked the way it may my skin feel.  It is a great alternative to the other clay mask.  I've only used it once so far but I think I will rotate between the two.  

The boots botanics ionic clay mask retails for $9.39.

Frizz Ease 3-Day Straight Flat Iron Spray - As you all know I am a kinky chick :-) The first time I straighten my hair in over a year was last November.  I haven't had the desire to straighten since then.  So I wasn't able to try out this spray.  However, I may flat iron my hair for my sister-in-law's wedding.  If I do I will update you all on how this spray worked.  I did read some of the reviews online about this product and they were all pretty good. 

Hersey's Kisses Milk Chocolate - As soon as I saw this big family bag of kisses, I knew I had to take a few out for myself before my family devoured it.  Everyone is familiar with the Hersey brand so there really is no reason to review this.  Just go out and get you some KISSES!

Vaseline Men's Fast Absorbing Spray Moisturizer - I told my husband there was something in the box for him too but my son got to it first.  Now my son hates putting on lotion but he loves this spray.  He couldn't wait to go take a shower so he could spray on his lotion.  I don't think my husband even had a chance to use any of it.  The scent of the spray can be a little overbearing if you use to much but over all it works great.

On the card it says this spray retails for $7.99 but you can get it at Target for $5.99.

Red Rose Simply Indulgent Teas - I received 4 individual tea bags, one was lemon chiffon and the other three were creme caramel.  I am not a big fan of favored teas unless it's mint or ginger so I was a little hesitant to give these a try.  I have to admit, I still have not try the creme caramel favor yet but the lemon chiffon flavor is really good.  I would definitely purchase it in the future.

Kiss Looks So Natural Eye Lashes - I'm not a huge lashes fan but these really do look natural.  I haven't had an occasion to wear these yet but I can't wait to give them a try.  The lashes come in different styles, I received the Shy style.

I was in the mall recently and saw this young lady with a pair of fake lashes on, they were so full it looked like a fan.  I wanted to stop her and recommend this brand to her but in this day and age I didn't know how she would respond so I just kept it moving.  

Thank you again to Influenster for selecting me to review these items for free.  If you are interested in reviewing and sharing your opinion on various products from beauty to health sign up on Influenster's website, it's free to join.

Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap

This is hands down my favorite all purpose soap.  I started using Dr. Bronner's a year or two ago and it has helped out with my eczema.  This soap does not leave that residue feeling like some soaps do. 

I purchase my Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree Pure Castile soap from MOMs Organic Market.  They sell the 32 oz for $9.99.  

Check out their website for more information.

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay

First, I would like to start off with saying how mad I am that I am just now finding out about this product.  The Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay is the business!  It is 100% natural calcium bentonite clay. 

I've used it three times as a face mask and once on my hair in place of shampoo.  This clay has helped to bring all of the white heads and black heads to the surface getting the impurities out of my face. When I used it in place of shampoo, my hair felt really soft.  Some people on YouTube have said that their hair felt dry and they had to deep condition afterwards.  I didn't feel like I needed a deep condition but I did anyway.

Another bonus of the clay is that it is cheap!  I purchased my container from MOM Organic Market for $6.49.  You can also order it online with prices ranging from $4-$7.

For my facial, I mix 1 tsp of the bentonite clay with 1 tsp of Bragg's ACV and a few drops of tea tree oil.  I apply the mixture to my face and let it sit for about 20 minutes.  I will warn you, your face will get extremely tight and after you rinse, you may experience reddening of the skin.

For my hair: I mixed the bentonite clay with Bragg's ACV, olive oil, honey, 4 drops of tea tree, lavender, and rosemary oil and 6 drops of lemongrass.  After I cowashed my hair, I applied the mixture to my hair and scalp and let it sit for 20 minutes.  Then I rinsed it out with warm water and followed with a deep conditioner.

Lip Exfoliation - DIY

Last week I noticed my lips were starting to peel. There is nothing I hate most than to get that dreaded dead skin on my lips, especially because I love to wear lipstick.

I figured we exfoliate our skin why not our lips. So I went on a google and YouTube search.  After going to numerous sites and YT clips, I came up with a good recipe.

For my lip exfoliation, I mix the following together:

2 tbsp of sugar (white or brown)

1/2 tsp of olive oil

1 tsp of honey

I applied the paste mixture to my lips then rub it in a little. Then I took a toothbrush (new) and brushed my lips in a circular motion to remove the dead skin. Make sure you are being gentle when doing this step, you don't want to cause your lips to bleed.

Once I removed the dead skin, I rinsed my lips off, dried them off and applied a lip balm.

My lips were/are super soft. I will definitely add lip exfoliation to my weekly routine.

Conditioner

If you are looking for a good conditioner that does not break the bank, try Aussie Moist. I use it and let it's my hair soft and well hydrated. You can get the 13.5fl oz bottle at Walmart for a little over $2

Give me a bold lip

I am not as into make up as most women, however, I do love a bold lip.  My color of choice happens to be a matte red.  Some think a woman with a darker complexion can not pull off red but I differ.  There are different tones of red, it is about finding the one that works for you and wearing it with confidence. 

Here is a picture of me wearing my favorite lip color Ruby Woo.  My makeup artist friend introduced me to Ruby Woo back in 2009, I have been hooked every since.  I've even gotten other women hooked on it.  Which makes me think, MAC should be giving me commission.

In this picture I am wearing MAC Red. Trying to break my addiction to Ruby Woo, I went to the store to find another lip color.  Most of the colors I already have and the others I just was not feeling.  So I told the sales lady just give me the ruby woo.  Can you believe they were out?!?!?!  Not wanting to lose a sell, she tried to get me to try other shades of red.  The others either had too much orange in them or too much brown.  The MAC Red is very much like the ruby woo but with a shine.  So of course I got it and I am very happy with it. 

BTW please don't judge the bathroom picture or how huge my hands look....lol

This bold purple lip is giving me LIFE.  I am not sure what brand of lipstick this is but I need to find it ASAP. If anyone out there can tell me where to find it, I will be forever grateful.

5 things your skin needs daily

Antioxidants 
Super foods, that you mostly likely already eat, that are rich in antioxidants:

• Apples
• Broccoli
• Onions 
• Red Grapes
• Mangoes
• Greens (collard, turnip and mustard)
• Sunflower Seeds

Check out http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/antioxidants-your-immune-system-super-foods-optimal-health for a more detailed list of super foods that contain antioxidants.

Sun Protection
Everyone must protect their skin from the sun regardless of your ethnicity.  Try using a moisturizer with SPF in it and then top it with sunscreen.

Essential Fatty Acids
Certain foods you can find essential fatty acids in are:

• Fish
• Flaxseeds
• Canola Oil
• Cantaloupe
• Kale
• Spinach
• Pinto Beans

Water
I really need to drink water, if I don't it shows in my skin.  My face will look dry, dull and greyish and my eczema flairs up.  It is very important that I drink 6-8 glasses of water a day.  I would suggest you drink as much water as possible.  If you don't like the taste of water, try flavoring it with fresh lemon.

Cleansing
In the morning washing your face with H2O is good enough.  In the evening use your favorite face wash to remove the day's buildup.

Once a week try a face mask.  I like to do an oatmeal mask: ground oatmeal, add honey and lemon to form a paste.  Apply to clean skin, I usually leave the mask on for 15 minutes sometimes longer if I am in the middle of something. Rinse with warm water then follow with your favorite moisturizer

You can also try an egg mask: mix together one egg white and lemon juice, apply to clean skin, let it dry then rinse with warm water then follow with your favorite moisturizer.

I prefer to make my own face mask, if you don't a store bought one will do just fine.

Holiday VoxBox 2012

My first post that is not a transfer from Tumblr!!!

I received the Holiday VoxBox from Influenster on Christmas Eve.  I get so excited when I get a new VoxBox, it's the anticipation of seeing what is in the box (they don't tell you) and getting free stuff! With the holidays I was not able to post until now.

In the box was:

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal - $1.79 per cup

NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine - $2.49

Kiss Nail Dress - $6.99

EBOOST - $28 for a box of 20

Goody QuikStyle Brush (Paddle) - $11.99

Sole Society $25 off coupon

The first thing I saw when I opened the box was the Goody QuikStyle Brush.  I must say I was really excited about this brush.  I have natural hair and I need to use something to help detangle my hair but not pull my hair out.  I haven't been able to test out the brush yet because I have box braids in but as soon as they come out I will test out this brush.

If you look closely you can see the microfibers bristles that will help with drying your hair faster.

My youngest daughter was excited about the Kiss Nail Dress, I received the cheetah print ones.  And I will NOT let her put them on her nails, she is only 9. Because I have a huge gash in one of my nails, I only tested the nail dress on my pinky nail.  The application was easy enough.  However, I did file it down too far and I didn't really size it correctly.  We'll blame my errors on the kids being home lol. I've had the nail dress on for a few days now and I have not experienced any peeling.

I've used the NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine a few times since I have received it.  The lipshine is a nude color that really gives my lips a nice shine.  You can still tell I have on something other than chapstick.  I like it for days when I feel like rocking a natural look.  I would most likely restock when I run out of this lipshine.

Generally, I only eat Quakers brown sugar oatmeal and I eat it really fast before it gets cold (gross).  I tried to get my oldest daughter to taste test the Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal in summer berry for me.  She didn't want to so I had to suck it up and try it myself.  It was actually pretty good.  This oatmeal may be added to the grocery list.

 

I've tested and reviewed the EBOOST before with the same results, it is not to my liking.  This time I was sent the pink lemonade flavored powder and it was still awful.  The price is also too high which means I will never purchase this product.  Sorry!

The Sole Society coupon will expire at the end of this month which means I will not be able to use it.  I will have to pass this goody off to someone else.

 

Special thanks to Influenster for sending me these VoxBoxes to test and try new products for free.  Some of these products I probably would have never picked up in the stores if it was not for Influenster.

Beauty Blogger VoxBox 2012

I received the the Beauty Blogger VoxBox on October 18th for free from Influenster to test out the products.

I was able to test each product except the Spin Pin, which I gave to my sister-in-law.  She loves the spin pin and said she was able to achieve the perfect bun with it.

I have used the NYC Individual Eyes Compact a few times.  I am still learning how to use eyeshadow and I like the fact that this compact had semi-instructions on how to use it.  I think I've been doing a pretty good job wearing eyeshadow.

The Not Your Mothers Smooth Moves was OK but did not work well on my hair type.  I would say it would be better on someone with fine hair.  I may have to passed this on to my sister-in-law too.

The KISS ever pro lashes, I like the length of the lashes.  The only negative I have about these is the glue, it doesn't work as well.  Or it could have been human error...ie I didn't know what I was doing lol.  I used another eyelash glue I had and were able to get the lashes on.

I put the Eboost natural energy powder in a bottle of cold water.  I took one sip and was not feeling it, I tried taking a couple of big gulps but I was not able to finish the bottle.  The taste was not to my liking.

I also received a mini candle from Bath and Body Works in a pumpkin cupcake scent.  I love love love this candle.  It was actually the first thing I tested out of the box.
s/n They also sent discount coupons for the candles.