Review: St. Ives Skin

I guess this blog has become my review blog...don't really sit down to write anything personal anymore.
Well, I'm still here, still pregnant, very tired, sore and moving tomorrow from apartment to house!  Yay us, right?
Well, today was spent cleaning ALLLLLLL day, and let me tell you, as if my hands weren't dry enough before, they're killing me now!!!  Luckily, a couple weeks ago I got this great box in the mail from St. Ives Skin and Influenster!  Perfect time to use and review, eh?

First up for review, the St. Ives Nourished & Smooth Oatmeal Scrub & Mask.  On a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give it ***
It arrived just hours before my regularly scheduled soak in the bathtub, so I decided to check it out immediately.  The instructions say it can be used as a scrub, or you can leave it on as a mask.  As I was going to soak in the tub, I figured a mask would be more beneficial.  I'm used to a nice mud mask, which gets dry but washes off rather easily.  This dried even faster, but was not easy to wash off (I'm 8 months pregnant, so leaning forward to drown myself in the tub is not easy, and this was not something a couple splashes would take off).  Also, the oatmeal scent is true to form...having the mask on sent me through flash backs of oatmeal baths for poison when I was a kid!  It did make my skin feel soft at the time of rinse, but did nothing as far as moisture or deep-cleaning was concerned.  Decided a few days later to try it as a scrub, leaving it on as I shampooed my hair and then rinsing it quickly...still had the soft feeling, but again nothing to help long-term moisture effects.  It's a decent scrub (I used to swear by the apricot scrub growing up), just not the best product from St. Ives!
Would I recommend it?  Probably not.

Next up?  St. Ives Even & Bright Body Wash.  On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this one *****
This body wash is amazing!  I love it!  Normally I purchase Dove body wash with the exfoliant beads to help scrub away dry skin and make me feel refreshed.  St. Ives did the same thing, but with an amazing scent of pink lemonade with a slight hint of orange.  It awakens your senses as you bathe, so it may not be the best choice for a late-night shower before bed, but definitely helps wake me up in the morning and leaves me feeling clean and refreshed!
Would I recommend it?  Absolutely!

Lastly, the St. Ives Refresh & Revive Pear Nectar & Soy Body Lotion.  On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it ****
For a lotion, it is decent.  The scent is definitely more pear, which I'm not sure I like for a body lotion.  As far as moisturizing, it does an ok job for normal skin, but right now my hands are really dry and this lotion just isn't cutting it, I feel like I'm applying another layer every 10-15 minutes.  It goes on creamy, not greasy, and it doesn't make me itch like some scented lotions do.
Would I recommend it?  As an everyday lotion, sure, unless you've got really dry skin!

Get Unsafe Chemicals Off Store Shelves!

Tweet & email the U.S. Senators from your state to let them know that you want meaningful change to the chemical regulation standards last set in 1976.

Step 1 - Email your Senators NOW to tell the senate we want strong TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act) reform!

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Step 3 - Copy and paste their handles into the Twitter Sharing tool below with your message and tweet them to show how much you care!

Sample tweet: @senatorsname I'm a mom who wants toxic chemical laws fixed! Support stronger TSCA reform, please!

Welch's Refreshingly Simple Juice

As most of you probably know, Schylar (my 4-year-old) is a juice-a-holic.  I try to find nutritious options for her because that is literally all she will drink.  We were chosen by BzzAgent to try Welch's Refreshingly Simple free for our honest opinions, and were given the option of what flavor we wanted.  I decided to try the Strawberry Raspberry flavor.
Schy was quite excited when the bottle arrived of "strawberry" juice and once it was chilled, she got to break out her sippy cup!  She chugged it down quick, just as she does her normal favorites and said it was yummy and tasted like strawberries.  I was nervous about the raspberry addition being there, but she made no mention of flavors besides strawberry, and has been asking for more since.  It's a nice replacement for her normal favorites.  It doesn't seem to be too sugary, there's not a sugar rush and crash that occur with other brand name juices.  All in all, we love Welch's Refreshingly Simple!
If you'd like to try some out, I have some coupons for $.75 off to share!

YSL Black Opium

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I was lucky enough to score TWO Influenster Vox Boxes in the last couple weeks.  The second one I received, I'll be reviewing today.  The second box was from Yves Saint Laurent, their new perfume Black Opium.  Even the name of it had me intrigued.

This perfume boasts of scents of vanilla bean, white flowers, and black coffee.  Upon reading that, my nose hesitated.  Not a coffee drinker, so just the thought of smelling like a coffee shop had me nervous to try it.  Don't hesitate like I did!
The "coffee" scent is minimal, I wouldn't have even guessed that's what it was.  I do love the combination these scents make together.  It's a very feminine, sexy scent.  Perfect for special occasions or romantic nights out.  If you get those, that is.  As a mom of 2, soon to be 3, date nights usually consist of "Netflix & Chill" as kids these days are calling it (and by chill I mean literally, pig out on junk food and fall asleep).
A small bottle runs $25, which is equivalent to what I'd normally pay for a small bottle, so this may be on my list next time I need to replace perfume!

Apple & Eve Review

As most of my readers know, I am a part of one of the coolest sites out there, Influenster!  This site offers great products for free, in exchange for your honest review.  In the past couple weeks, I've actually received TWO VoxBoxes from them.  The first, what I'm going to review today, is the Apple & Eve VoxBox.
My two daughters are always happy to be my guinea pigs, but when they found out this box was all for them, they were ecstatic!  My 4-year old even helped me film the unboxing video!

With our box, we received three Quenchers (the size of a normal Hi-C juice box) and a one-liter bottle of Apple & Eve Organics (ours was Tart Cherry).
The girls impatiently waited while we put the juice in the fridge to get cold, and were quite pleased that they were ready to drink at dinner time.  They each grabbed a Quencher, and shared so the other sister could try her juice.  They said they could not pick a favorite, but based on how quickly it was chugged down, I'm thinking the Razzberry Apple Splash was definitely the winner!  

Sorry for the dark picture...
The tart cherry juice went quickly as well, the whole liter was gone within a day (I did mention my 4 year old loves juice, right?).  I personally wasn't a fan of the flavor, but my daughter was, and has changed her ways of picking juices at the store now.  I was a big fan of the after party of Apple & Eve juice drinking...there was no sugar rush, and therefore no sugar crash!  And because it was 100% organic juice I don't feel bad about it being all my 4-year-old insists on drinking!
Apple & Eve juice is a great choice for moms with kids who are picky and won't drink milk or water, like Schy.  It's also a great treat for kids who constantly choose milk to be able to have a drink of juice and still be healthy!

It's Not Photoshop, It's Airbrushed!

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out a new product available in stores, Sally Hanson Air Brush Legs.  Most of the products I receive to review I receive free, this product I did have to purchase at a reduced price.
The original product was listed in my local Walmart store at $11.74 for a 4 oz bottle.  Financially, this a lot better deal than the Bodyology bottle of tanner I have that costs $27 for 2.8 oz.
There were many different airbrush products in our store:  legs or face, lotion or spray, 5 shades for each (Fairest, Light, Medium, Tan, and Deep).  I chose the Medium Leg Lotion to try out.
I normally stray away from self-tanners because I dislike the orange-glow that they usually give.
The first thing I noticed about this airbrush tanner was the smell.  It did have a rather unpleasant smell to it.  Something I didn't experience with my Bodyology tanner.
The bottle says to use a quarter-sized amount and rub in to legs.  When I squeezed some out, I had my doubts; the color looked dark.  As I spread it out on my legs it seemed to lighten and ended up being not much darker than my tan is now (you know, the tan that I'd been hitting tanning beds and sitting outside for hours since April!).  It spread easily without getting clumpy so my legs ended with a nice even tan.  Dried quickly, within a minute or two.
I was concerned with smearing so I have been checking my black leather couch and my shorts for marks (I applied a few hours ago) and so far no rub-off!!  I also want to note that the original odor out-of-the-bottle went away after application..
I'm pleasantly surprised by the tanning effect of this product.  It doesn't make me look orange, and it's less than half the price of my favorite tanner!
As you can see in the picture, the colors aren't too far off.  Leg on the left is au naturale, I've been tanning since April leg.  Leg on the right is the airbrushed legs.  Nice even tan and it seemed to fade some of my scars!

If you'd like to try this product for yourself, I've been given permission to share this coupon with you for $2 off.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!
Leaving tomorrow early morning to go on our mini-vacation for my birthday.  We finally decided on a destination.  Bushkill Falls in the Poconos.  We originally said about Niagara Falls, NY but Bushkill is half the distance for us and is considered the "Niagara of Pennsylvania."  We're staying at the Budget Inn overnight tomorrow and then coming home sometime Saturday.  Plan on having a nice full day of hiking through the waterfalls, mini golfing, paddle boats, mining for gems, yummy food.  Perfect birthday!!  Full review with pictures at a later date, promise!

July Ipsy Reviews!

So the results are in folks, for those of you that were just dying to here how my extra-special birthday bag goodies were.  In total I'd give my random bag (not including the two items I picked out and purchased with my points):

First up for review:  Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics 2-in-1 Shadow/Liner in Bronze.  So their website description of this product is:  "A uniquely formulated crayon that doubles as an eyeliner for thick, precise lines as well as a perfectly-blended eye shadow.  Creamy texture with long-lasting hold, made with pure beeswax."

Well, it's a nice product.  I wasn't a fan of it as an eye shadow per say, I like shadow that goes on easy, either roll-on or in powder form.  This was definitely crayon form and I had to "cake" it on as an eye shadow.  However, when using it as just an eyeliner, it went on rather easily and had a nice copper tone to it.  I normally rock black eyeliner, so it made my look more subtle than normal.  With a $16 price tag, I don't believe I'd order it, but I still give Jelly Pong Pong a B+

Next up for review:  Eau Thermale Avène Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleanser.  This product...nervous upon receiving it.  The entirety of the bottle text was in another language, what appears to be French.  The ingredients all seemed to be normal in cleansers so I tested it anyways.  This product made my face break out like crazy!  I don't know what it was, but it was like hitting puberty within hours of using it.  It did have a great cleaning quality to it; I was able to painlessly wash off mascara and black eyeliner with it.  A full-sized bottle is $20.  I definitely would not purchase!!

Overall, I gave Eau Themale Avene a D.

Next:  Coolway Beachy Salt Spray.  On their site, this product boasts:  "Perfect for creating beachy waves and natural styles, for a non-sticky matte finished look."  The bottle says to use on damp or dry hair.  My first attempt using this product I used on damp hair.  The plus side was that it didn't have that typical hair spray smell.  The minus side was that it didn't really help make my hair look beachy or hold waves.  I decided to give a second attempt on dry hair the following day.  Day #2 attempt...well, I had a hair spray feel.  My hair was quite sticky, and it made it very frizzy (although, I guess that's true to their statement...when I go to the beach my hair normally does frizz!).

I'm not a big fan of hair spray in the first place, and the stickiness this product left in my hair after the dry usage is precisely why.  $12.95 per bottle, I would not purchase.  But, because they did hold true to some of their claims, I gave Coolway a C-.

Next up:  Aurora Gel Effect Nail Polish in 4 Alarm Fire.  This product I'm impressed with.  On their site they state they deliver the salon-quality gel manicure without UV-lamps or professional equipment.  Now I must confess, the directions recommend using a base coat, apply 2 layers of color and then top coat, and it should air dry within 3-4 minutes.  I didn't have a base coat, and my top coat is kinda blah, so I just put on one layer of the polish to see how it would do.  It was quick-drying, didn't even take the 3-4 minutes (although I didn't have 4 layers on, so that could explain it).  It's been on a week, and even with my nail chewing (you can see the tips gone in the picture lol), the polish is standing strong.  Even with an entire day out swimming, where the chlorine normally would eat polish away.  I haven't been to a nail salon in so long that this polish feels like a $50 manicure!  Plus:  I used it on my daughters (because they love having their nails done as well).  It has been 4 days, and somehow this polish has survived my 4 year old, who normally has hers chewed off within the hour!
These bottle are normally $12, but are on sale right now for $7.99.  Even at full price, I would purchase a few other colors to mix up my mani.  It's a great product.
I give it an A+.

Finally, the last item in my actual glam bag:  Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Lip Balm in Ruby.  Their site boasts:  "Hydrating formula to leave lips feeling silky smooth with a hint of color."  I must admit, when I heard ruby lip balm, I thought of my previous matte balms and got excited for a nice bright red.  That wasn't the case with this, the color is very faint.  And although it's listed as ruby, it's more of a pink shade by the time it shows up on your lips.  It was, however, true to form.  It hydrated and made my lips feel amazing while it was on, and it lasted several hours before I had to reapply!  Be a Bombshell is known for good-quality products and this did not let me down.  $14 per tube.  A little more than I'd be willing to pay for a lip balm, but I still grade it with an A+.

Lastly, my two purchases:  Bodyography Natural Finish Face Bronzer.  On their site, they describe this product as "a product that will give your skin that Caribbean glow...naturally!  Created with minerals for every skin tone, this buildable formula is packed with powerful anti-aging ingredients.  Natural Finish Face Bronzer imparts a revitalized feeling to the skin while providing light coverage and a gorgeous, natural looking tan!"  Not a lie.  This is the first bronzer that I didn't have to worry about shade-matching with.  It blended right in to my skin tone and left a nice "extra tan" (since my face isn't quite as tan as my body somehow).  I also loved that the formula is sparkly.  My fiancee was going to test it out (he's very fair complexion) until he saw that...apparently sparkles are only for male vampires?

Anywho, at $27 a bottle, I'd say it's definitely worth it.  I think this one may last me some time, but it's possible I'll be purchasing another one when I run out!  A+

Always save the best for last, right?  Buxom Eyeshadow Bar Single Eyeshadow in Gold Status. I realized while writing this that the link in my last post for this amazing product wasn't working.  Honestly, I'm not trying to keep it all to myself!   But seriously, if you haven't guessed it, I love love love this eyeshadow!!  Such a gorgeous gold shade, with just the right amount of sparkle.  Sephora shows 40 shades for this brand (although some are sold out online).  I believe I'll be picking up some more my next trip out there!  They're $12 per shadow and $2 for an empty compact case (I'm sure you don't need the case, but mine came along with my purchase from Ipsy).  Long-lasting color.  Definitely an A+.

So that's it, that was my amazing July bag.

Keep an eye out for the end of the week or early next week.  Our Loot Crate subscription box should be in the mail and we'll post all our cool gadgets as well (hubby gets to keep most of the stuff, although I steal the T-shirts and managed to get the super-hero ice cube tray and Game of Thrones magnets away from him!).
Also, since it is my birthday this weekend, we'll be disappearing Friday and Saturday, taking a day trip up to Niagara Falls (although we have to stay state-side because of the passport requirement now).  Then Saturday we'll be coming home and going to the Hotel we're having our wedding ceremony and reception at, get that all squared away financially and make the final arrangements with the caterer...plan decorations and seating charts with my maid of honor.
Our invitations are being printed as we speak, custom-made by a friend's wife and boy, did she do a fantastic job!!).  I've subcontracted the baking of the cake and cupcakes (I know, lazy me!) to a young lady I saw on facebook.  She's a baker at the local Walmart and goes to the local community college for culinary but does her own baking on the side.  Her work is quite impressive, and for a cake to feed 30+ and 50 cupcakes she's only charging $125, which isn't bad at all considering the original place we wanted to make the cake, the cake alone would have been $175!
Oh, did I mention...only 102 days until my wedding?  :D
And for those worried about the blogger behind the blog:  I'm doing good, just dealing with this pregnancy.  This child does not like most of the foods that I eat (it's not mine, it doesn't like stuffed crust pizza!) and it seems impossible to be able to swallow my own saliva because if any little bit of phlegm goes down, I'm running for the toilet.  I'm 9.5 weeks right now.  Hopefully this subsides with the end of the first trimester and I'll be back to normal.
I am back to work...officially as of tomorrow.  Only took them a month and a half, but they finally got my restrictions figured out.  Amazingly, I still haven't received the 176 hours of disability pay I was supposed to be receiving while I was out.  Smh...the way their employee resource center is set up...well, it's not to be a resource for employees, that's for sure!!