Goody Simple Styles Spin Pins

These are actually my favorite items from the Beauty Blogger VoxBox from Influenster! It's so simple to just throw your hair into a bun, twist, and go.

They do have different colors to more easily blend into your hair color and for $7.29 you can't go wrong. In my opinion, that's a semi-high price for only two pins but you really don't need more than two! To use, I just simply gather my hair like a pony tail, swirl around into a bun, and place both spin pins on either side of the bun and twist in (1 at a time) and there you go, your hair is all locked in. They even held through a 1-hour pilates session!

I highly recommend :)

*I got this item for free to review in my Beauty Blogger VoxBox from Influenster

NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Compact

I was lucky enough to receive this product in my Beauty Blogger VoxBox to try out for free and write a review on. It comes with a little double ended sponge applicator, eye primer, illuminator, and 4 shades of eye shadow ranging from white to black, all shimmery.

illuminator

I really actually love this illuminator. It blends out so well and matches my skintone perfectly. It adds a nice highlight but doesn't make you look like a disco ball which is really nice! Plus it's sooo creamy.

primer

The primer is okay, nothing super extravagant. I'm always going to be biased by Urban Decay's Primer Potion but this primer is okay for the price you pay. It's kind of cakey to me, finishes a little too 'dry' to me and doesn't really lock in the color as well as it could.

shadows

 For a cheaper compact of shadows the payout is decent. These swatches were without primer so they might show differently with some primer underneath but I just wanted to show the initial payout from silver, silver-grey, dark grey, black. Surprisingly the dark grey is darker than the black, which is actually two layers while the dark grey is only one. The silver is nice, very shimmery but not overly glittery. I definitely approve of the silver.

All in all, it's a decent compact/palette for the price you pay ($4.99) but I'll always be biased and lean more towards higher end brands for the color payout you get. It's a lovely starter compact for someone just getting involved in the makeup world.

*I got this product for free in my Beauty Blogger VoxBox. These images are my own.

Beauty Blogger Voxbox 2012

Recently I was lucky enough to be selected to receive Influenster's Beauty Blogger Voxbox. No lie, this box was filled with AMAZING goodies!! I was so excited!

The box included the following:

• Vitabath Fragrance Mist in Ivy & Lily 8 fl oz worth $9.99 (full size received)
• Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream 1.5 fl oz worth $2.25 (full size 4 fl oz worth $5.99)
• Bath and Body Works Mini Candle in Mahogany Teakwood worth $3.50 (or 2 for $5 in store)
• NYC IndividualEyes palette in Dark Shadows worth $4.99 (full size received)
• Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit worth $4.99 (full size received)
• Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin worth $7.29 (full size received)
• E-boost sample packet
• 2 Bath and Body Works coupons for 3-Wick Candle for $10

This mist smells so delicious. It's very clean and fresh and not over powering at all! In all honesty I probably won't use it as a body spray since I tend to stick to my perfumes but it will be a GREAT bathroom/room spray.

After taking me forever to figure out that there was something covering the opening I finally got to try this cream out. Not only does it smell amazing but it didn't leave my hair quite as "crunchy" as other curl creams have. My hair was left very soft and it wasn't weighed down by a whole bunch of gook. I have a feeling I'll be buying some more of this as Christmas presents!

This little candle is so potent it smelled up my entire mailbox! Now that it's out in the open I don't even have to light it for it to get an entire room smelling like it. This candle is a part of Bath and Body works new line of White Barn candles. I don't even want to light it and waste it it smells so yummy! Maybe I'll give it to my mom at Christmas?

I was shocked to find such a big eye shadow palette in this box. It was something I wasn't expecting at all. I actually already have this exact one so I may use it for a giveaway or a Christmas gift. Maybe I'll just keep it until my other runs out? I'm not sure yet. The colors blend VERY well together and have a minimal fall out. The primer is okay, I'm still biased to my Urban Decay ;) I'd recommend this as a great starters palette though! Fun to experiment with.

I haven't had a reason to try these out yet and I don't want to waste them but they look very pretty! I'm a bit afraid they'll be so thick I'll look like I have caterpillars on my eyes but who knows, they could look 10x better on! I'm going to a concert tomorrow night so maybe I'll give them a try then! If I do then I'll take a picture and update this with how they look!

These are the coolest things ever. You just twirl your hair into a bun, swirl one clip at a time into the base of your bun and voila! Your hair is stuck snug. I may have to pick up a few more of these.

I'm not a huge fan of the E-boost packets so that'll probably go in my trade bag but the coupons will most definitely be used. A 3 wick candle for only $10? Yes please!

So what'd I tell ya? This box was so full of amazing goodies! If you'd like an invite comment below with your e-mail and I'll invite you, otherwise go on over to the Influenster website and click 'request invite'!

www.influenster.com

Influenster

What is Influenster? Influenster is a website you have to be invited to in order to join where you can earn badges based on your likes and interests. The more badges you have, the more of a chance you have to earn a Voxbox! Voxboxes are like little kits filled with products based on which box you get that you can review and share with Facebook and Twitter. They have varying boxes based on interests. I've received the Spring Beauty Voxbox and the Beauty Blogger Voxbox both in 2012. Voxboxes are free and filled with awesome goodies, you just have to earn them!

www.influenster.com

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Review

One of the products I received in my Spring Beauty VoxBox from Influenster was the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish in Kitty, Kitty. The style isn't exactly what I would have picked for myself but it was fine for a trial.

   

The kit comes with a wooden cuticle stick, a 3 textured nail file, instructions, and two air-tight packettes of the nail polish 'stickers'.

   

The set up and application process is really simple once you get the hang of it. First you get your nails ready just like you would prior to any at home manicure. File and shape your nails, push back your cuticles with the provided wooden cuticle stick, then smooth out the top of your nail with the white side of the provided nail file. Lastly, wipe clean the tops of your nails with nail polish remover to remove any stray dirt or dust particles. That part is very important to make sure the polish sticks correctly!

Now, you're ready to adhere your nail polish. Go ahead and open one packette and size out all of the strips you'll need for each nail. When you have all of the correct sized lined up in front of you, peel the clear plastic backing off of one, place it on the appropriate spot on your nail (I like to start with the pinkie and work my way to my thumb) then smooth out the surface to make sure you get a custom fit. Be sure not to pull too much, though! You don't want too much stretching and warping. Once the polish is secured, use the orangey part of the nail file to bend the polish over the edge of your nail and file the excess off. Do this for the rest of your nails. Voila! You're done.

This product is pretty nifty if you're looking for a complex design and don't want to pay big bucks at a salon. Would I pay the $10 for a regular wear any old day of the week? No. Would I pay the $10 for a special event? Sure, why not. I was pretty impressed by the fact that I could use my hands immediately after putting these on. That was a mega bonus.

My nails grow pretty quickly as it is so in about 4 days time the polish had grown out a considerable amount and the part near my cuticles was catching on my hair/clothing so I had to go ahead and take it off. I was pretty impressed with the fact that it only had minor chips in it considering I work with my hands at a dry cleaners and am constantly tagging, typing, and using soaps. 

The tricky part to this product was the removal. If anything kept me from purchasing it again it would be the removal process. I tried using a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover but it wasn't taking it all off no matter how long I left it on for. I even tried scraping parts off with the wooden cuticle stick. I eventually broke down and soaked my nails in a bowl of nail polish remover. After probably a minute or more of soaking each nail I was able to use a clean cotton ball and scrape most of it off but the texture was very gummy and sticky. It got ALL over my other fingers and didn't want to come off. It probably took me about an hours time to get it all off; way longer than it should have to remove nail polish.

If you want to give them a try (why not? it's a pretty good, lasting product!) then you can order them here :

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Website

I may end up buying a box of these again for a special occasion but I just don't have the financial means to spend $10 every time I want to change up my nail polish. (which is pretty frequently)

*disclaimer: i got this product for free as a part of influenster's voxbox program. i reviewed this product for a badge on their website. all opinions are my own. all pictures belong to me.

  

Sheer Cover Duo Concealer Review

Recently I received a mini Sheer Cover Duo Concealer in my Spring Beauty VoxBox from Influenster. Some of you may know of Sheer Cover from infomercials on late night TV or from MyGlam (they sent out a full size a few months back). I actually decided to give this one to my mom since I already had a full size but nonetheless, here's my review! :)

*disclaimer: this is not my image. i got it from google images.

At a first glance I absolutely LOVE the packaging. The clear case really gives it that sleek, elegant look at to me personally, it doesn't feel cheap at all. The concealer comes with two shades, a lighter and a darker shade so you can wear one, the other, or mix! Since I got the 'medium' toning I actually have to mix the light and dark together to get a color that works well with my skintone. That's not a big deal to me, that's why they give you two shades!

The concealer is actually very creamy. A tad bit too creamy for my taste. It works well enough on under eye circles but I had a pretty difficult time getting decent coverage on any blemishes. It's pretty hard to 'build up'. It more or less just blends into your skin rather onto it. It got a little frustrating at times when I would try to put my liquid foundation on top of it and then the two would just blend together. What's the point in a concealer then? Perhaps it would work better with a powder foundation. Also, I have one fine crease under each eye and the concealer took no time at all working itself into that crease making it very prominent and bright. I constantly had to blend my foundation and concealer together through to day to ensure I didn't have a bright line under each eye. (I wouldn't recommend wearing on a hot or humid day)

Another thing that kind of bothered me is the fact that this product is part of a subscription program. In order to buy this product you have to sign up for a monthly shipping program that automatically charges you and ships out your products like Pro-Activ.

A 30-Day Starter Kit is $30 for a full size Duo Concealer, Bronzing Tan Minerals, Mineral Foundation SPF-15, Studio Foundation Brush, Studio Concealing Brush, Extra Length Mineral Mascara, Base Perfector Primer, and an Ultimate Makeover Kit.

Buy Sheer Cover 30-Day Supply Kit Here

All in all, it's a pretty OK product to me. I have a few other favorites that top this product but it's a nice backup to carry along in my purse.

*disclaimer: influenster is a free program where i take surveys, earn badges, and am occasionally sent a box of free products to review for more online badges. all opinions are my own.