Olay Fresh Effects [BB Cream!]

Okay so here's the thing. When I first started to get heavy into makeup, I wanted to try out a BB Cream instead of wearing foundation. But the problem was, my acne scars were way too dark and none of the BB Creams seemed to do anything for my skin tone and problems.

Fast forward a year to now. In my Influenster box I received the new Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in "Light to Medium". Being a sista, I didn't know if the shade would match my skin tone and I was also a bit upset that they only had two different shades with the other being "Fair to Light" (Step it up Olay, Women of Color would love to use this too!) . But I digress.

I swatched the BB Cream onto the back of my hand and it blended pretty well. I've been using this BB Cream for about a month now and I don't have bad things to say about the product itself! It's moisturizing and matches my skin tone. It also reduces the appearance of redness which I usually have because I have dry skin around my nose and I end up peeling it til it turns red. I know that's not good it's a bad habit, I won't judge you for biting your nails LOL! But anyways, I also like that it has SPF 15 in it. I end up having to spend time outside with the youngins with my job and I like knowing that the product I'm using to beautify myself is also protecting my skin!

Olay claims that the Fresh Effects BB Cream:


• Refreshes skin instantly
• Brightens for a radiant glow
• Evens tone with a splash of sheer color
• Hydrates for 24 hours
• Smoothes for softer feeling skin
• Protects against UV damage with SPF 15




I can attest to the fact that it does all of these things!

As you can see I have pimple which was red at first but with the BB Cream it is  nearly invisible!

It runs for about $11 and you can find it at their website Here and/or at Amazon where they have it for $10. 

Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles!

Once again, I'm here with a review on a product that Influenster selected me to test out! This time, it's the Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles!

I've been familiar with the brand and some of the products and have actually used the inserts for heels for the ball of your foot but not the whole shabang!

So Monday, I went to see the Queen B perform here in Houston! So of course at a Beyonce' concert it's a must that you're on your feet, dancing the entire night! I decided to wear a new pair of wedges and thought it would be the PERFECT time to test these insoles out!

They really do the get job done. Now, I don't believe that you can wear heels and not EVER feel it in your feet but this definitely alleviated the pains of being a woman in heels! The next day, I didn't feel as if I had heels on for six hours!

Take a look!

Thanks for reading!!!

Sunkissed Vox Box.

NEW INFLUENSTER VOX BOX!!!!!!

This is the new Sunkissed Vox Box for Summer 2013. This is definitely my favorite VoxBox to date because it has things that I actually use! Some of the pictures are blurry but there will be better pictures when I do the posts for each product! 

Broadway imPRESS Press On-Nails!

Growing up, I used to dream of the day I could finally get my nails professionally done. But until then, I was begging my mother every month to take me to Eckerds and Walgreens so I could purchase press on nails. It was everything for me to pick out the cute designs and pull the tabs off or place them on the nail and give myself a manicure. I used to think I was hot stuff.

Now, Broadway has made press-on nails fashionable, easy and affordable. When I received these to test out from Influenster I was on the fence. I mean using press-on nails was a thing of the past for me. But one night I got bored and decided to finally test them out. I laid the nails out and figured out which ones fit each of my nails. Then, I peeled the paper-backings off and began to apply. Simple. I was done within 10 minutes. The best part was I didn't have to leave home for salon style nails.

The fit was great. The color was bright and loud--just like I like my nail polishes. The nails actually stayed on for a long time (about a week) which is what really surprised me! The ones I had used prior to usually popped off by the end of the day. Some of them were a little loose at the cuticle by the third/fourth day but they hadn't come off completely and even when I decided to take them off, they were still holding on for dear life which to some people may be a con but I decided to look at it as they were long-lasting.

Bottom line, I recommend if you're in a hurry and need a quick nail fix, for under 10 bucks go to the nearest drug store and pick up a box of Broadway's imPRESS Press On Nails!

Follow them on Twitter: @BwayNails, go directly to their website to see different styles and more product info at: imPRESSManicure.com and don't forget to check out Influenster

A few flicks:

I think the packaging is cute. A whole manicure in the shape of a nail polish bottle. Which is also great if you want to store the extra nails for those just-in-case emergencies. 

Nice length and they fit perfectly to my small nails!

I thoroughly enjoyed them. 

Spring Fever Influenster Vox Box!

Hey to all my beauty lovers! I recently got to be part of another Influenster VoxBox program and this time it's the Spring Fever program! I was super excited when I was selected to try out these new products. Now if you haven't heard of or seen any of my other posts about Influenster, here's what it is. Influenster is a company that provides a platform for consumers and companies to test and review products. It's totally free! The only thing you have to do is provide them with a review of the product!

Now to the good stuff...

This is the OSiS Dust It. It is a multi purpose mattifying powder that adds incredible root lift, texture and control. It retails for $23.50.

Secret Outlast Clear Gel Antiperspirant/Deodorant. It leaves fewer white marks on clothes that the next leading invisible solid! And, with 48 hour odor and wetness protection at such a low price, why pay more? Retails for $4.59

Tastykake Kandy Bar Kakes. They are light and fluffy chocolate enrobed cakes with a delicious creme filling in a unique kandy bar shape. Available in S'mores, Peppermint and Peanut Butter. It retails for $4.49 a box.

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure. This featurese advanced nail technology, so you can get a salon-perfect manicure in seconds-- simply peel off, press on, and you're done. There's no drying, a killer shine and a manicure that lasts up to a week! This retails for $5.99-7.99

NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm. These deliver color, shine and moisture in one single swipe! The unique apple-shaped core is filled with Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E and Avocado Oil to give lips a healthy, irresistible look. These retail for $2.99. 

So this whole box retails for about 43.56 give or take. 

New IPSY May Bag!!!

So last Monday I finally got my May Ipsy Glam Bag. I must say I was super excited and I am thoroughly enjoying the products.

 This is what the bag looked like this month. I love it. I love fun patterns like this zig zag print.

An overview of the products.

 Okay,  this product right here is the one I was most excited about receiving. I'd first heard about the Macadamia Oil products on YouTube and wanted to try but the price was a huge turn off. Recently, from Ulta's website, I purchased a travel sized version of the deep conditioner. I love this Healing Oil Treatment! The smell is divine. It's very strong though, I can still smell it on my hands after hours of putting it in my hair. I feel like it does a good job of making my hair feel soft and smoothing it out.

 A nail polish by Zoya.

 A concealer which I can't wear but I might be able to use a base for my eyes. It's by yaby.

 Juice Beauty's lip gloss. Now this isn't the best lipgloss I've used but it might be the best smelling. It smells like the cake batter of a 7 Up Pound Cake! So lemony and sweet! But it goes on pretty bare and looks like I ate some chicken.

This smells sooooo good. I'm rolling it on at every chance! 

RiRi Woo!

So everybody in the makeup world has been buzzing about this new lipstick that was created by Rihanna in conjunction with MAC. The story is, Rihanna loves the coveted "Ruby Woo" matte red lipstick by Mac and decided to put her twist on it. They came up with "RIRI WOO". It's a retro matte red lipstick that is a shade or two darker than Ruby Woo. It's a blue tones red that has been said to look nice on every skin tone. 

I was one of the lucky people to get my hands on it because it sold out completely in three hours and won't be back on the market until June. I actually like this. I'm not a red lipstick type of girl but I'm really, really liking it. 

Her signature is engraved into the lipstick. 

First try with it on. 

Aveeno's Positively Radiant Night Cream!

Hey y'all!

I know I've already reviewed this product but I wanted to do a fun post about it as well. You can see me applying my Aveeno Positively Radiant Night Cream that I received through the coolest thing ever, Influenster.

Of course I had my nifty eye mask on waiting for me to take my beauty rest!

Here's a picture of me the next day after using the Aveeno Night Cream. Not to toot my own horn but I looked and felt positively radiant! 

Bonus: Influenster asked, "What is your radiant dream for 2013?" My answer to that is to keep moving forward in my life and getting closer to my greater goal of finishing college, getting a good job and maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle. What about you? #RadiantWithAveeno

Don't forget to go to www.influenster.com to learn more about Influenster! Also, next time you're out shopping, pick up a jar of this Aveeno Night Cream and see what it does for your skin! 

Bonus: Nails!

Also last week, I painted my nails with Essie's "Navigate Her". I will never say that I'm a manicurist, but I do love having my nails painted. Plus, I'm going through this whole "I can do it myself to save some money" phase so I've been doing at-home manicures. I love the formula that Essie has. The only con is since exploring different nail polish companies, I've realized that I prefer the wide brush rather than the more conventional sized brushes. I can get my whole nail polished in two swipes which makes the whole process shorter and easier!

I used the Essie, "No Chips Ahead" top coat as well. It's a pretty decent top coat but I'm looking explore the others in their collection.

New Revlon Lip Butters!

I could live and die by these Revlon Lip Butters. Depending on the shade they can be so pigmented like a lipstick or sheer like a nice lip balm or gloss. Either way, they have shades for all skin tones and the formula is great. It goes on smooth and creamy and you can't beat that!

Recently while at Target, I noticed that they had them on sale for $6 so I picked up a few. Three from the new Spring collection and one older one. I know that places like Walgreens and Ulta have better deals but hey, when in Rome...

From left to right: Juicy Papaya, Wild Watermelon, Sorbet and Candy Apple.

From left to right: Candy Apple, Sorbet, Wild Watermelon and Juicy Papaya.

As you can see the pigmentation varies but they are buildable. They have mixed qualities of a gloss and balm which is what I like the most about them. I can appreciate a good matte lipstick every now and then but I love my lips to have a shine about them!

Hope you guys enjoy this post!

Influenster!

Okay guys, if you havent heard of this website you are absolutely losing in life. It's for people just like you and I. You receive free items to review and talk about on social media. I mean hello, that sounds amazing to me!! The best part about it is everything is completely FREE! No seriously, there's no way they could charge you, they don't ask for any type of personal information except for your interests, likes and your address (so they can mail you the stuff duh!)

I've participated in three of their programs so far. The first one was the Holiday VoxBox which was mailed out in December of 2012.

I got a Goody Brush, Quaker "Real Medleys" Oatmeal, Kiss Nail Art stickers, Montange Jennesue Chocolate Face Mask, NYC lip gloss and a sample of EBoost. 

Just recently I was invited to be a part of two separate but equally great programs. The first was the Sony program. All I needed to do was go to my local Sony store, snap a shot of the new Bluetooth speaker in the store and post it to social media site. 

Here's an example of what you had to do. You just send this screenshot in to Influenster and BAM! You've just been selected to receive a new speaker retailed at $69.99

Lastly, the most recent program I was selected to be a part of was the Aveeno POSITIVELY RADIANT Intensive Night Cream program. First, they sent an email with a survey to ask you a couple of questions about your skin and then if you're selected you get another email letting you know. Within a week or two your package arrives and you can begin to indulge in your newest addition to your bathroom. 

This was retailed at $16 bucks and it's function is to even out your skin tone, fix blotchiness, brown spots and to of course moisturize it. They even added in this little sleep mask. So far I've been using it and I like how it makes my skin feel. I do have a few acne scars which are brown so I don't know if they are counting that as a brown spot but I sure do hope so because I would love to see those fade. For some reason I hate using fade cream because it's an extra step and I'm already lazy so if this can do it along with all the other things it claims, they've got a winner. Plus, I've been a fan of Aveeno products for a while anyways. Their products always seem to have a calming affect on my skin. 

Something to remember when signing up for Influenster is that your activity is key. You should make sure that you stay active on the website by doing reviews and making sure your Influenster score goes up and up! Invite some friends, take pictures of your products, post them on social media and reap the benefits of having a voice in the consumer world! 

Influenster

Check out some of my reviews and give them a thumbs up while you're at it :) : My Reviews!

My First Ipsy Glam Bag!

So due to YouTube, I've recently discovered the whole subscription box life. I did my research, looked up all of the different subscription services and finally decided on the Ipsy Glam Bag. For $10 a month you get a bag sent to your doorstep full of deluxe and full sized samples enveloped in a cute little travel makeup bag. This April was my first time receiving a bag and I was uber excited to see what was inside.

This months theme was Pretty in Pink.

This is the packaging it came in. How exciting??

 These are the cards that are enclosed in the package. One of them shows you which products you've received with discount codes for the products and brands while the other one was a discount code for a ticket to "Generation Beauty."

 This is an overview of the products I got...minus the speed stick in the back. LOL.

The first product I opened was a full-sized blush from Be A Bombshell Cosmetics in the shade "Beach Please". If you know me, you know I love the name.  

 This is a swatch of it with the flash on.

 Here's a swatch with the flash off.

The next item was a duo eyeshadow by Two Cosmetics in the shade "Heartache"

These are the swatches of those two colors. One is a really shimmery pink and the other is a darker pink. Neither one of them show up well on my skin tone though. 

Here is another full-sized product: Sation Nail Lacquer in "Of Corset I'll Call You" I'm really excited about using this color because I'm a fan of the soft pinks for nail polish. 

Here's another line I've been pining to use. I've always seen these Healthy Sexy Hair or the Big Sexy Hair products in Target or Ulta but I never actually picked them up to use. So I'm really anxious to slap some of this on my hair. 

Hope you guys enjoyed seeing what came in my April Ipsy Glam Bag!