Colgate Optic White Whitening Pen

Courtesy of influenster I received the Colgate optic white pen to review and try out. I had tried crest white strips in the past, and while I was pleased with the results I hated that I would have to hide away for 20 minutes while I had them on. The idea of this "brush whiten go" slogan had me interested.

My first application went on very thick and almost chunky. I certainly wouldn't let anyone see my teeth like this. I also felt as though this paste was being swept off my teeth each time I closed my mouth. I didn't get much of a taste, which was good but I was still skeptical.

I used my optic white pen for two weeks and I am happy to report a brighter smile. I don't think it is as effective as the crest strips were for me, but it also didn't cause extreme sensitivity. Overall I was happy with this product and would recommend it to those looking for a in-the-go way to whiten your smile.  Thank you Colgate and influenster for introducing me to this great product!

Lifeway kefir smoothie

Hey ladies!
Sorry for my absence, but recently I have moved and it seems like my whole life got on a new track. Anyway... Influenster sent me this cool voucher to try a great brand called lifeway. The voucher was redeemable for any product in the lifeway line. Choices included yogurt, ice cream, smoothies, cheese, etc!

Finally,  after weeks of searching I discovered a lifeway product at a grocery store. Luckily, I learned to keep my voucher handy so I was able o redeem it.  I used mine to purchase  a low fat strawberry kefir. To my surprise it wasn't super chalky, and had a decent taste. Obviously, it wasn't as thought I was sipping a fresh fruit smoothie, but the strawberry flavor was mice.

Overall, I feel this product is great for those on the go; however I feel that the convenience is not applicable for my lifestyle. Personally, I prefer more couture fashion and
Lives

I cannot thank you enough for the amount of support you have showed throughout the past few months. I can only hope someone is there for you as you are for me.  Stay true to yourself!

-camp

VEET EasyWax Electrical Roll-On Kit

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been awhile, but I'm back to review another complimentary product I received from Influenster.  Since summer is here, and I have a boat.. Aka my legs are always exposed I was super excited to see I was going to test the VEET easy wax electrical roll on kit.

The actual device was cute. It reminded me of a deodorant stick, and it cam with a stand to rest in while the device was heating up. My kit also included waxing strips and after wax finishing wipes. I unpackaged everything and got to testing! After reading the instructions, I learned that the wax takes approximately 20-25 mins to heat up so I plugged it in and browsed youtube for awhile. 25 minutes later I checked it, but the wax was still not rolling smoothly, so I let it heat up longer. After about 35 minutes I decided it was good to go! As directed I rolled the wax against the direction that my hair grew. I applied the waxing strip and rubbed it onto my leg. I waited a few minutes ( really I was just mentally preparing for some pain) and pulled in a parallel direction. To my surprise it wasn't very painful, but it also was not very successful at removing much hair. I restock the wax strip, rubbed more then waited until I could tell that the wax was noticeably dry. Tick tick.. Tick tick...Go time. I pulled the srio again, and this time saw much more hair removal. It wasn't perfect, but better than my first attempt.

Personally, I have sensitive skin, so after the first strip I wanted to wait and give my skin a chance to respond to the wax.  Unfortunately, I broke out with a sort if bumpy red rash. I am familiar with the post waxing redness, but this was different. I decided that I should not test the product any further and risk this rash over my entire legs.

To sum my experience up, I was disappointed that I didn't not get to thoroughly test this product. I think with a few more try's I would have found success. I think if you have patience, and are willing to sets aside a chunk of time to wax this product may be right for you. It wasn't as painful as I was expecting, and the neat little wax roller kept the mess to a minimum. I wish my skin cooperated with me but I would love to hear about your experience with this product. Did it work for you??

I hope you are having a great summer!
Xoxo

New Jergens Natural Glow

Hey everyone! I'm back with a new review. Today I will be sharing my thoughts on the new Jergens Natural Glow.  I have used the old formula many times before, and was please with the results but I always hated the strange fake tan smell it had. I was super excited when I saw that this new formula claimed to be "odor free"

Naturally, I couldn't wait to test the new formula. I decided to pick up the light to medium shade since I'm fairly pal from the long New England winter. 

I made sure to use a body scrub in the shower to properly exfoliate my body. This helps to ensure a less streaky application, and better overall performance. My first impression straight from the bottle was that it smelled somewhat like vanilla and sunscreen. I applied it to my body, excluding my face, washed my hands and then the waiting process began. It seemed to take quite awhile (about 15 minutes) for it to dry. I like to make sure the product is completely absorbed before getting dressed to prevent any transfer of color to my clothes.

Next came the real test.. Was the fake tan smell gone?? Drumroll .....nope.  Now don't get me wrong, the smell was greatly improved from the last formula. It was much less noticeable and kept that sort of vanilla undertone. I couldn't sense it all day, but would pick up the scent sporadically. 

Needless to say, although this was not "odor free" as advertised, I was happy with the improvement and will continue to use this product. It leaves me with subtle color, and it doesn't look orange! I prefer using this every few days to give me some color before i spend my summer on our boat getting a real tan! I am also interested to see if the medium to tan shade will show the same improvements. Do you have any recommendations for other self-tan products? What are or experiences with "natural glow"

Xoxo

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner

Hey everyone! I'm back to share a review of a new shampoo and conditioner I recently picked up. While I was browsing my local Target I spotted the Moroccan argan oil shampoo and conditioner from Organix. Since I've tried out a few different argan oils, I wanted to see if this set worked as well as the actual oils I have.

Needless to say I was very disappointed with this combination. Argan oil is know for moisture, and this shampoo/conditioner seemed to strip my hair of any drop of moisture it had. I have dry hair to begin with, but usually right out of the shower It feels soft, refreshed and silky. This was NOT the case with the Organix. Even soaking wet, I could feel how dried out my hair seemed, and it only got worse as time went on. My hair never felt stringy, and it also seemed to weigh it down more than usual.

Being the optimistic person that I am, I wanted to give the new products more than one shower, so I have been using them for about a week, and unfortunately my results have not changed. I got the new larger bottles for around $5.00 each, so although they weren't expensive, I don't want to throw away full products. Slowly, I am working my way through.. Each day hoping I will get a better result. Until then, I try not to think about the sad state my hair is in due to these products :(

Have you tried this shampoo/conditioner combo? Let me know what kind of results it gave you. Also, I've heard good reviews for other lines by Organix...have you had good results with another formula??

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone gets out and enjoys the beautiful days this time of year!!

Xoxo

Sugar and Spice VoxBox

Hey everyone! So a few weeks ago I received the Sugar and Spice Vox Box from Influenster. If you aren't familiar with Influenster, it is a community to review products and share your opinions of them with others and most importantly, is a lot of fun!. Anyway, on to the products.

First, I received a box of Nectresse. Nectresse is a 100%  natural sweetner made from the extract of the Monk Fruit. It has zero calories, and is made by the same people as Splenda. Now, if you are curious like me you're probably wondering what a monk fruit is, right? Well here you go... The monk fruit 

Anyway, after seeing this odd fruit I was very interested to try out the product. Personally, I am not a regular user of artificial sweeteners but it was a great reason for me to cut up some strawberries. 

Overall, I would say this sweetner is pretty good. A little bit goes a long way, which is always nice, it dissolved well into coffee, and made my strawberries taste delicious! I also like that it comes in small single serve packages. That make it convenient to throw in your purse and instead of someone putting sugar in your coffee, you can add nectresse and save calories!

The next product I received in my vox box was the Dickinsons witch hazel oil controlling towelettes. Again, I had never heard of this brand before but I did some research and found out that it has been around for years and years! The towelettes come in individually wrapped packages, which makes them great for traveling, but I generally do my make-up at home so I think I would have preferred multiple toweleets in a pack to keep in my bathroom. The main draw for these towelettes is, as you guessed it, witch hazel. This is a natural ingredient from a plant native to new england and has many healing properties including calming skin, toning, unclogging pores, controls oils and removes dirt. 

I used the towelettes in the morning after I washed my face with my usual face wash. I liked how much product was saturated into the towelettes, they were super soft and easily large enough for my face. The only downfall was the smell. Witch Hazel has a very distinct smell, which I don't particularly enjoy. I did notice that some of the redness on my cheeks was fading with the use of this product, so I think I can handle the smell to reap the benefits of witch hazel.

Next up was the Colgate Optic White toothpaste, toothbrush, and mouthwash. I had used these products before and know they do provide a whitening effect. The toothpaste is good and minty, but I don't like how foamy and dry it makes my mouth feel. The mouthwash is different than I was expecting. It was not super minty, and didn't give the stinging effect that mouthwash with alcohol gives, but makes my mouth feel clean and refereshed. The tootbrush was nothing notable. I have been using a sonicare brush for years, so switching to a manual toothbrush was rather lackluster for me. 

Next were the Belvita breakfast biscuits. Mine were in cinnamon brown sugar flavor, and they were delicious. These were not your typical breakfast bar type thing, the are very thin and crunchy. I like that they are packed with 19 grams of whole grain ( you can actually see the grains in the biscuit!) and 3g of protein to keep you going through the morning! I was surprised that the two biscuits filled me up, and kept me happy all morning at work. I plan to purchase the apple cinnamon flavor, and see if they are all tasty. 

Finally, and probably my favorite product is the Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturizer. This product is super cool. It is a lotion in a spray bottle and it dries almost instantly! I hate when I get out of the shower, put on lotion then have to wait around before I can put my jeans on. This product eliminates all of the wait time.. you literally spray it on, rub it in and get dressed. Awesome right? It gets better, the stuff is super moisturzing, and leaves my legs silky soft plus it smells good. I got mine in the "Total Moisture" scent. I have been using this product every day and plan to repurchase once it is empty. The product is super convenient and extremely easy to use. I would highly recommend it to anyone!. 

To sum up my Sugar and Spice Vox box I would like to thank Influenster sending me these products for free, and giving me the chance to test them and share my opinions with you! If you have any questions about the products please let me know and I will share as much as I can. Thank you for taking the time to read. 

xoxo

The Taste: Tuesday at 9|8c on ABC

Hi everyone, I wanted to let you in on a new favorite of mine. Generally, this blog is about beauty related things... But I thought I would share something a little different with you today. Recently, I've discovered a new show on ABC called The Taste. It is a competitive cooking show where teams battle against each other to create the best "spoon" each week. The show has 4 great mentors, including Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Ludo Lefebvre, and Brian Malarky. 

What I find interesting about this show is that the judges/mentors really get to interact with the chefs on their team. They can give advice, critique, and sometimes even show anger to their chefs. It's not the typical cooking competition where amateurs prepare dishes, professionals taste them and a winner is chosen.  If you are worried that the food they make is strange or difficult, think again! Last week the chefs theme was a sandwich, and I've been making those for years! It was great to see all the varieties you can come up with, and learn how bread choice affects the taste. 

After two weeks, I have cleared time on Tuesdays to make sure I can watch this awesome show! It airs on ABC at 8est and I definitely recommend watching it. Not only is it entertaining, but it inspires me to cook some great meals and has a great social scene online. 

You can check out the latest episode HERE and be sure to tune in with me Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC and let me know what you think!

Xoxo
( source ABC The Taste)