Review: Julep Maven January 2013 Box and Add-On-Neons and Nudes

This is a review on my Julep Maven January 2013 box and Add-On that came in the mail today.  I didn't get a shipping notice but knew that it was probably shipped on the 27th and that it would come on the 31st.  It normally takes 3 days to get to me.  I met the mailman in the hallway of my apartment building and he handed me my packages-my box and my add-on.  I got my normal style box which is Boho Glam and added on the nude polish Amelia which I am wearing on my nails right now for New Years.  I opened my box and the usual cards were the first things I took out of the box.  Then I took out the extras that came in the box-a sheet of the new swatch me stickers.  I was going to get these as an add on but decided against it since I make my own out of clear address labels but some of the homemade labels were coming off the bottles so I put the swatch me stickers on them and they stick really well to the bottles.  I will save these in case my homemade labels don't stick on future bottles.  I noticed that with the polish that came in my box and the add on polish already had swatch me stickers on them-I thought that was a nice touch.  Another extra that came in the box were 3 twistbands for your hair.  I have short hair so these don't work on my hair unless I grow it out.  Nice touch though.  They came in the neon colors pink, green, and orange.  Now on to the polishes!  The first one I got is the neon Fiona, which is a lime green neon color.  I got this box because I hardly have any greens in my polish collection except Hoch which I got in my New Years mystery box and which I love by the way.  I'm going to paint my toe nails with Fiona as soon as my finger nails dry.  Next polish was the nude Teresa, which is a opaque pink pearl frost nude color.  I swatched this and it's a beautiful pink frost color which I'll wear in the next week or two.  Finally in my box was the new hand and cuticle stick which I'll try as soon as my nails dry.

My add-on this month was the nude Amelia, which is a light champagne frost nude color.  I have that on my nails now and it's such a pretty gold looking color.  It's perfect for New Years.  I'm starting to get into champagne and gold colors since I got Vivien in my December Julep box.

Well, that's my January 2013 Julep Maven box and add-on for the month.  Hope everyone has a great New Years, stay safe out there and have a great rest of your day!

Maggie

Influenster Holiday Vox Box 2012

This post is on my Influenster Holiday Vox Box 2012 that came in the mail yesterday.  This is my second vox box shipment so far and I joined this past July so if you're new and still waiting to get picked for a vox box don't lose hope.  Now let's get into what is in my holiday vox box shall we?

First item I pulled out was the biggest item in the box and it was the @GoodyHair #Quikstyle hair brush.  I got the half round shaped one and the first thing I noticed about it were the big blue microfiber bristles that are supposed to remove the water in your hair by 30% so it dries faster.  I can't wait to try this brush out tomorrow after I wash my hair and will do a complete review on it then.

Second item I pulled out was the @Quaker #RealMedleys Oatmeal.  I got the Apple Walnut flavor.  I don't normally eat oatmeal but I'll try this for breakfast sometime this week.

Third item I pulled out was the @MontagneJeunesse #FaceMasque in Raspberry and Mango.  The package says it's a deep pore cleansing masque.  I have big pores and am prone to breakouts so this will help a lot.  I'll try it tonight before I go to bed.

Fourth item I pulled out was the @EBOOST #NaturalEnergy powder that you mix with water and drink to give you an energy boost.  I'm really not supposed to drink any energy drinks of any kind due to the fact that I'm on psychiatric medications but since it's natural I'll give it a try.

Fifth item I pulled out was the @nycnewyorkcolor #LiquidLipshine in the color Nude York City.  I've tried this out and I love it.  I'm smells good and feels great on my lips.  This color is totally nude and gives a hint of color on your lips.  I'm supposed to receive another #LiquidLipshine soon from Influenster for being the first 250 to get the @nycnewyorkcolor brand badge so I hope it's a different color but if it's another Nude York City I'll still take it.

The last item I pulled out was the @KissProducts #KissNailDress in the design Chemise.  It's a black with gold and silver jewels on it and some black ones with gold diamond jewels on them.  I tried them on already and I'm an instant fan of these.  I used the black with gold and silver jewels ones on all my fingers except the ring finger and the gold diamond jewel ones on my ring finger as an accent.  They stay on really good and are supposed to last 10 days.  It was hard for me to find the right size nail dress to fit my nails but I finally got them to work on my nails.  Will definitely buy these again.

That's everything in my box.  I hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas and I'll talk to you all later.

Maggie

Review: Julep Maven December 2012 Box

Hi Everyone,
Sorry I'm late with my December 2012 Julep Maven Box review but I had a ton of homework to do before the end of the semester which was this past Wednesday.  Now I have a month off to do whatever I please before school starts again on January 14th of next year.  Anyways, back to the review.  I got my Julep December box the 30th of November and opened it right away.  I'm normally the Boho Glam style but I switched to It Girl because I fell in love with the colors in the December It Girl box.  So I opened the box and first pulled out the cabochon ring diy kit that I did do with one of the It Girl polishes(Vivien) but it looked so big on my finger that I threw it on the floor and the cleaning lady found it under my bed and threw it away.  That's okay, it was too big for me anyways but it did looked good after it was finished.

On to the nail polishes.  The first one is Vivien, a champagne bubbles full coverage multidimensional glitter.  She is so pretty looking on my hands.  I love the big chunks of glitter as well as the gold micro glitter base.  Then came along Ivy, a sapphire blue metallic with purple micro glitter.  I'm wearing Ivy on my nails right now for a Christmas Party I'm going to tomorrow and she is so beautiful on my hands.  I love the purple micro glitter.  It shines so bright and makes the nails stand out.  Finally I got Harper, an opalescent mermaid blue full coverage multidimensional glitter.  Harper does look great on my nails but did come off easily for no reason at all(maybe I didn't prep my nails before I put her on, maybe that's why).

The December Julep Maven box gets two thumbs up from me because I love glitters and micro glitters they're so pretty and sparkle and shine everywhere you go.  I just subscribed to the ipsy glam bag so my first review of the glam bag will be in the middle of January of next year.  Today's Julep Maven Preview Time and next month's box is Nudes and Neons themed.  I stayed with Boho Glam because I don't have a lime green neon in my collection as well as any nudes or even neons.  Talk to you guys later.

Maggie 

Last chance at a Julep Intro box for a penny with Code PENNY2012

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to let everyone know that it's the last chance to use the penny code PENNY2012 to get your Julep intro box for a penny.  If PENNY2012 doesn't work anymore try JULEPVIP.

Look at my past Julep posts for my referral link and manual code(if you want to use it).

Maggie

My First Julep Referral

A quick thank you goes out to Elise S. who used my referral link to setup her Julep account.  Thank you so much for using my referral link and I hope you like your intro box.

If you want to try Julep yourself or know someone who does you can use my referral link: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/43858/   or you can type in this referral code at sign up: 3377066.  Use this promo code JULEPVIP at checkout to get your intro box for only a penny.  How cool is that?  I got my first box for only a penny by clicking on an ad for the Julep Maven program in Yahoo Mail.  I don't think they do that anymore it's just by using coupon codes.

Review: Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips

This is my dedicated review on Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips.  My 20 day treatment has come and go and now I want to give you my honest opinion on these Whitestrips so here goes.

When I first put the whitestrips on my teeth and left them on for the recommended time of 30 minutes my tongue was tingly which I suspect was a side effect and a sign that the whitestrips were working.  After the 30 minutes I took the whitestrips off and my smile was a lot whiter and brighter just with one use.  After 10 uses my smile was even whiter and at the end of the treatment it was bright, white, and simply stunning.  My experience with these whitestrips has been nothing but amazing.  They not only made my smile whiter but they have helped my self-esteem and boosted my confidence as well.  If you want a whiter smile then you need to try Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips.  You can't go wrong with a whiter smile.  Remember, "If You're not Whitening, You're Yellowing".  Here is the link to the Crest 3D White website so you guys can learn more about these amazing whitening products: http://www.3dwhite.com/

Disclosure:  I got this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Review: Cooking Light Selects Cravebox

This review is on the Cooking Light Selects Cravebox, which I got in the mail yesterday.  For those of you that don't know, Cravebox is a product discovery service that used to be a monthly subscription service until a couple of months ago when they did away with that service and now offer themed boxes through a lottery system, meaning that you have to enter a drawing for each Cravebox you're interested in.  Anyway, my box arrived inside another cardboard box to prevent people from stealing it.  After opening the cardboard box I saw a huge blue box with a white bow on it.  I opened the blue box and inside were eight full sized products.  The first products I pulled out were the McCormick Garlic and Herb seasoning.  I got two full sized bottles.  I usually use salt to season my food but will give these a try.  Next, I pulled out three Dole Fruit Crisp packages.  Each package contained two containers of fruit each with their own container of crunchy oat topping.  I got three different flavors-Apple Cinnamon, Apple Pear and Peach.  I already ate the Apple Cinnamon flavor and boy are they good!  The fruit is nice and soft and the oat topping is crunchy and sweet.  Next, I pulled out a 40 count package of Nectresse an all natural sweetener made from the monk fruit.  Then I pulled out a bag of coffee made by Tully's Coffee.  I probably will give this away because I don't drink coffee.  Lastly, I pulled out a full size bottle of Torani's Salted Caramel Syrup.  I can't wait to try this in hot chocolate.

All in all, this was an excellent box.  I will definitely be using the products in this box and can't wait for future boxes from Cravebox.

Review: Crest Products

It's time for another review, this time it's on Crest products.  As you know Crest is all about oral care, starting with toothpastes, toothbrushes and all the way up to Whitestrips for whitening your teeth.  Let's start with the toothpastes.  I like the flavors of toothpastes Crest has out there and they get and keep my teeth clean.  I use them above any other toothpaste out there.  On to toothbrushes.  Crest toothbrushes clean really good and get into the nooks and crannys all around my teeth.  Plus they're durable.  Finally their whitening products.  I recently received in the mail from Influenster some Crest 3D whitening strips.  I have them on now and they make my tongue tingle, which is a good thing.  I'll see what they can do for my teeth in the coming days.

Update:  So far so good.  My teeth look brighter.  Thanks Influenster!

Updated Julep Maven Referral Link and Referral Code

Here's my updated referral link for Julep Maven for those of you interested in joining the program: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/43858/ and the referral code you type in at checkout is: 3377066. Thank you.

Subscription Box Review: Julep Maven

<p>This review is on the Julep Maven program.&nbsp; This is the first subscription box I subscribed to and I love it.  Julep is a nail polish and beauty product company in Seattle, Washington.  They introduced their subscription service last year and so far it's doing pretty good.  For $20 dollars a month you get $40 dollars worth of product.  That is 2 nail polishes and a beauty product or just 3 polishes if your profile is ItGirl.  Once on the website you can take a style quiz where you can find out what style profile you are.  Then Julep picks out a box for you based on that profile.  If you don't like the box chosen for you then you can pick a different box.  After you get the intro box you get the next month's box.  Each month on the 20th you get an E-mail previewing the next month's box.  Between the 20th through the 24th you can switch your style, send your box to a friend or skip a month.  You can choose to add on up to three products on to your box.  Every so often Julep has mystery boxes that you can purchase that have anywhere from $60-$200 worth of product in them.
This program is one of the best out there and I recommend it to anyone who wants to pamper themselves and feel great doing it.

Interested in Becoming a Julep Maven?

Hey Everyone,
If you're interested in becoming a Julep Maven and getting $40 in nail polish and beauty products monthly, then you can sign up via my referral link: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/43858/.  If you use the coupon code "2FREE" you get the box of your chosen style (or your choice) for $9.99 and two free nail polishes of your choice.  It's easy to sign up.  You take a style quiz and then Julep shows you your box.  If you don't like the box that they chose for you you can pick a different box.  They also have mystery boxes once in a while which are $19.99 and include anywhere from $60-$200 worth of product.  Julep has great nail polishes and they are also the safest because they're 4-free which is free of the 4 most common chemicals found in nail polish.

Review: The Original Pet Bowl Mat

I got this pet bowl mat in one of my Craveboxes and I have to say I'm impressed.  I accidentally spilled water on the mat and it soaked it up in seconds and didn't leave any water on the floor.  My cat eats her food messily and the mat keeps it off the floor and on the mat.  The mat can hold two bowls, one for food and one for water.  It holds up pretty well to any kind of mess.  I probably should throw it in the wash, it's gotten pretty dirty so I'll post an update after I wash it.

I recommend this to anyone that has a cat or dog who spills their water or makes a mess with their food.  This mat will tackle any mess and keep it off your floor, making you happier and your pet happier too.

Review: Influenster Program

Here's my review on Influenster.  For those that don't know Influenster is a program that sends boxes called voxboxes to qualified people called Influensters, based on individual demographics and interests.  Once on the website you can unlock badges relevant to your lifestyle.

Influenster relaunched on September 27, 2012 with a new points system.  You can earn points towards your badges.  The Influenster badge is what matters the most.  The higher the badge score the more qualified you become for programs like voxboxes and never released products, as well as brand challenges.

I think this program is unique and I'm always checking my Influenster profile to see if my badge scores updated.  It's like a contest to see who can get the highest score and who can qualify for the most programs.  I like to test out products and review them in various places.

If you're not a member of Influenster you're missing out on a lot of fun.  You're missing out on opportunities to test out and review products, win brand challenges, and get to try new things.

Right now Influenster is by invite only for new members so what are you waiting for?  Sign up today!

Soda Battle Review: Pepsi vs. Coke

This review is what I call a soda battle between Pepsi and Coke. First I'll review Pepsi.  Pepsi's taste is nice and sweet and you know I like sweet.  It's smooth and clean and goes down just right.  Pepsi's taste is a lot sweeter than Coke's.  Now on to Coke.  Coke's taste is a lot more sharper than Pepsi's and more darker tasting.  It goes down smooth but sticks to your taste buds longer.  Pepsi and Coke are similar in price and Pepsi's can is blue and Coke's is red.  I prefer blue myself.

So who wins?  Pepsi does.  It's the taste I grew up with and prefer.  I'll still drink Coke like if it's the only choice in restaurants and other places or if it's cheaper at a certain place but I still and always will prefer Pepsi over Coke.

Review: Julep Leslie Nail Polish

This review is on Julep October add on Leslie.  It's a black with silver shimmer.  I put two coats of Leslie over Julep Basecoat and finished it off with Julep Topcoat.  You really can't see the silver shimmer when it's on your nails but if you put your nails under lighting you can.

This nail polish is perfect for Halloween and I can't wait to use the orange crackle polish Sabrina with it.  It's going to look awesome.

Contacts Review: Acuvue Oasys Contacts

This Review is on the Acuvue Oasys brand contacts.  I got these contacts on September 13, 2012.  I started wearing these contacts the Sunday after I got them and I have no complaints.  I like how they feel when I have them in.  It feels like I don't have them in at all.  I like that they have hydraclear plus technology and that they block uv rays.  I have clear vision with these contacts.

I would definitely recommend these contacts to anyone wanting clear vision and comfortable contacts.

Soda Review: Toronja Sol Grapefruit flavored Soda

Another review again you're saying!  Yes, another review.  This one's on Toronja Sol Grapefruit flavored soda.  It's a Mexican soda that I got at the food pantry.  It's similar to Squirt but it tastes great.  I thought I wasn't going to like this soda but once I took the first sip I was hooked.  It comes in a two liter bottle and one side has Spanish on it and the other side has English on it.  I think it's less strong than Squirt and has that refreshing taste that refreshes you.

If you come across this in the international aisle of your local grocery store consider giving this soda a try.  I would recommend it to anyone wanting to try Mexican soda and try a cheaper alternative.

Drink Mix Review: Mio Water Flavorings

Here's a review on my go to water flavoring mix, Mio!  When I was at Target picking up a few groceries I came across a sale for the Mio water flavorings.  It was buy 2 get 1 free so I picked up 6 bottles.  There small in size but have 24 8 oz. servings in them.  I use them for my 16 oz. tumbler.  Just three squirts and it gives me enough flavor to take away the boring plain water flavor that I so dislike.  You can throw these in your purse and take them with you wherever you go.  You can put these in bottled water too.

If you're a water drinker like me who hates the taste of plain water then Mio water flavorings will bring you a boost of flavor to make your water more exciting and tasting great.

P.S.  Mio is 3.79 a bottle :( but if you're looking for an alternative to it there's the Wal-Mart brand and it's probably half the price of the brand stuff.  My mom told me about it so next time I'm at Wal-Mart I'm going to stock up.

Review: The Body Shop Seaweed Skin Care Line

Here's another review for your enjoyment, this time it's on The Body Shop's Seaweed Skin Care Line.  I have combination skin and I was searching for a skin care line that was gentle but not too strong.  Then I came across The Body Shop and their Seaweed Skin Care Line.  After I used the cleanser for the first time my skin felt squeaky clean, you could actually feel the cleaness.  The toner makes your skin feel tingly and it really helps clear your pores.  The day cream made my skin so smooth and oil free.  The night treatment I've only tried in sample size but it takes care of any blemishes on your skin.

I would highly recommend these skin care products for anyone with combination skin and who wants their skin to be clean and clear.  I am sticking with these products because they work for me and they keep my skin clean and clear as well.

Shower Gel Review: Bath and Body Works Shower Gel

Review Time!  This time it's on the Bath and Body Works shower gel.  I think I got the raspberry vanilla one.  I like the smell of it it smells so fresh and clean and keeps my skin clean and soft.  I like that it has shea now infused in it to keep skin even softer.  Only problem I have with it is that it's pricey unless you come across a semi-annual sale.

I would recommend this shower gel to everyone that wants clean, good smelling and softer skin.  The bottle is nicely sized and a little goes a long way so use it sparingly and you will still get softer, cleaner skin.

Hair Care Review: Dove Shampoo and Conditioner for Color Treated Hair

Here is another review, this time it's on Dove Shampoo and Conditioner for color treated hair.  I usually buy what is on sale and Dove Shampoo was 2 for $6 at my local grocery store so I got both the shampoo and the conditioner.  I've tried 2 other brands of shampoo and conditioner, I think they were Loreal and Garnier and they were a little on the heavy side conditioner wise.  I personally love the Dove because the conditioner is a little bit on the lighter side and the shampoo cleans really well.  I like the fact that the conditioner rinses out pretty well too.

I think I'm going to stick with Dove sale or no sale.  I wouldn't mind paying four something a bottle knowing that my hair gets cleaner using it than any other brand I've tried.  So the verdict is two thumbs up for Dove and I would recommend it to anyone.

Julep Maven October Box plus Add On!

I came home from school today to find my Julep October Add On in my mailbox and my Julep October Maven Box on my doorstep.  I opened my Maven Box first.  I took out the usual literature and then found two glitter pots, one orange and one black.  I also got a bag of candy corn which I will split between my niece and nephew.  Then came the fun part; opening the little black bag with the product and polish in it.  First I got:

 The Quick Dry Polish Drops, my add-on Leslie, black and silver polish, Sabrina, the orange crackle polish and Eloise, smoky blue polish and is also similar to Michelle, which is a little darker.

   I will try out these polishes plus the quick dry polish drops and tell you how they went so stay tuned for more.