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)

Are you an Influenster?

Some of you may have heard about a website called influenster. It is a community which usuers can review products, share information and find new products. On some occasions, qualifying recipients are sent a complimentary box of products to test, review and share. Influenster gives you different tasks to complete. Tasks may include blog posts, Instagram pictures, or even videos. Completing these tasks increases your score, and makes it more likely for you to receive more products to test!

So far I have received one box of products, and it has been a lot of fun to test and complete the challenges. If you are interested, check out influenster HERE!!

I you would like an invite, and plan on being active on the site.. Let me know. It will improve both of our scores!

Xoxo

Maybelline Color Whisper

Hi everyone. Today I'd like to tell you about a fairly new product...Maybelline Color Whispers. This product is Maybelline's long awaited answer to the lip butter craze. The website describes them as "pure color pigments suspended in a weightless gel. No heavy waxes, or oils. Soft, sexy gel-color" Wow, that sounds great, doesn't it?

After a trip to Target I was able to find them. My target had a limited supply, most were light very baby pinkish colors ( not something I'm interested in) but I did find one mauve/ berry color. I picked up my color whisper in shade 80, Made-It Mauve. The package is super cute, and reflects the color inside. The tube is skinner than products like the Revlon lip butters, which I actually like. I find that a skinner product gives me more control during application, and I can get in to the outer parts of my lips without it ending up all over my face.

Now,on to performance. The formula applies super smoothly. It felt silky on my lips, and I found myself rubbing them together, just because it felt nice. It was very light weight, not sticky at all, and left a sort of shiny finish. The pigmentation was as I expected. It was not the color payoff you get with a lipstick, but hey, it's not supposed to be a lipstick! I would say the color whisper has about the same pigmentation as the Revlon Lip Butters.

Another property I liked was that there was absolutely no shimmer or glitter in the product. I find that glitter or shimmer tends to stick to the lips, even after the pigment has faded. That isn't an issue with this product.

Overall, I LOVE the Maybelline Color Whispers. The formula is amazing and feels great on my lips. Keep in mind that if you are looking for all day staying power, or opaque color... This product isn't a stain or lipstick and will not give that to you. On the other hand, if you are looking for hints of color, moisture, and a lightweight formula go get this product right now!!

Have you tried any other shades?? Which is your favorite?
Xoxo

Glamoflauge!

Hi everyone! Today I want to introduce you to a great heavy duty concealer. Glamoflauge is made by Hard Candy, and let me tell you, this stuff can cover jut about ANYTHING! It is so pigmented that even tattoos are no problem for this product.

The formula is very thick, and it comes in a little sanitary squeeze tube. To use this, I squeeze the tiniest amount possible onto my finger and pat it under my eyes to hide those awful dark circles. I will warn you, if you use a lot of this product it will start looking cakey. Start with the smallest amount you can and go from there.

I was surprised to find that the coverage did last all day, despite my bad habits of running my eye area.

I have also mixed a tiny bit of the product with my moisturizer and applied it all over my face for some coverage. It worked well, but I would get a darker shade than your under eye area if you plan to try this.

This product is super affordable (got mine for $6) and it comes with both the liquid and pencil. It has great coverage, you hardly have to use any, and lets be serious.. It has a cute name!

If you've tried glamoflauge, let me know what you think!

Xoxo