One Direction Makeup kits - Review

Make up kits by One Direction are a great gift for any teen!  I received three kits in exchange for an honest review.  I may not be a teen anymore but I was super excited to receive these three kits.  These make lipgloss, mascara, and nail polish so much more fun.

(left to right) "Story of My Life", "Shock of Blue", and "Does He Know?"

ELECTROGLAM MASCARA

This was one of the kits I received and the first one I tried!  This mascara is so much fun because not only can it be used as mascara but you can also use it in your hair for some added fun and color!  This kit came with three colors, "Does He Know?" -Pinkest hot pink, "Why Don't We Go There" - Shock of blue, and "Story Of My Life" - Amped canary yellow.  As you can tell from using these in my hair the mascaras come out very bright.  My camera and lighting didn't do the mascara much justice when using the mascara on my eyelashes but in person you can definitely notice and the pink does not look red in person like in my photo.  I was really excited to receive these not so much to use on my eyelashes but to put in my hair!  I mean who doesn't love adding crazy colors to their hair?  You also don't need to add regular mascara before the colored mascara because it shows up great on its own.

(top to bottom) "Kiss You", "Taken", and "Through the Dark"

LIQUILIGHTS GLOW GLOSS

This was the second kit I received.  These glosses are really neat because during the day they sparkle and a night they illuminate under a UV black light!  I wasn't able to try them with a black light seeing as I don't own one, but if you do that would be a fun and exciting extra to the glosses.  This kit also comes with three shades which are, "Through the Dark" - Electric glitter poppy that glows to neon red-orange under UV light, "Kiss You" - Orange glitter rush that glows to neon yellow under UV light, and "Taken" - Powerhouse glitter pink that glows to neon pink-orange under UV light.  These can be worn alone or can be paired with a lipstick for a bolder look.  Their lip glosses are made with natural oils and vitamin E so that your lips stay soft and hydrated.  These glosses are very pigmented although "kiss you" showed up more clear with glitter on my lips. The other two showed up pretty much as pictured.

ROCK ME NAIL VARNISH

Last but not least I received nail polish!  Out of all the kits this is the one that will get the most use.  I was really happy with these nail polishes, they did need about two coats for the opaque look, but they also dry really fast. These can also be used with a UV black light.  This kit also came with three nail varnishes and three glitter toppings which include, nail varnish: "Happily" - UV iced blue glitter, "Moments" - UV neon pink, "Diana" - UV 3D holographic, and glitter toppings: "Kicks" - UV snow cone blue, "Not Afraid" - UV electrified pink glitter, and "Star" - UV holo glitter.  These are so much fun! The varnishes look great by themselves but it's so much fun adding glitter on top for added sparkle.  In my photo I used Happily on my thumb and pointer finger, Diana on my middle finger and Moments on my ring and pinky fingers.  The blue pointer finger also has Kicks glitter on top, middle finger I added Star on top and my ring finger I used Not Afraid on top.

These can be purchased at these stores: 

 Macy's
Dillards
Boscov's
Stage Stores
Beauty Brands
Lord & Taylor 

Also check out there facebook here:

Makeup by One Direction (FB)

This post was sponsored by Brandbacker for my honest review.

Yoga Design Lab - Zoto Bottle - Review

I received this bottle not too long ago and I love it!  I've always wanted one that I could carry around with me to either keep something hot or really cold and I must say I'm really happy with this product!  A few nights ago I used it for hot chocolate and it actually kept it warm the whole time until it was empty!  This bottle will keep a drink hot or cold for 12 or more hours!  A really great thing about this water bottle is that it has a safety lock so if you were to accidentally knock it over or if you were driving on a bumpy road it will not spill out.  I can tell you that this feature definitely works.  This water bottle is double-walled stainless steel which is what helps it keep your liquids hot or cold for such a long period of time.  The product is also certified free from BPA, phthalates, hormones, lead and other harmful toxins. 

I also love the design of this water bottle.  For starters the blue triangles logo on the bottle make it not look boring, and when you open up the top the mouth piece sort of dips in so when you start to drink it you can pour in just the right amount you want to drink.  This is great especially for hot liquids such as hot tea, coffee or hot chocolate so that you don't burn your mouth/tongue.  It also makes it where you can blow off the liquid before drinking.

This product can be purchased from their amazon page from $19.95-21.95.  This product can be purchased with the blue logo, that I received, which is 12oz, or with the stainless steel logo which is 17oz.

These can be found on there Amazon page here: Yoga Design Lab - Zoto Bottle

or from their website: Yoga Design Lab

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Acure Organics - 2nd Review

I was so excited when I found out I could try out more of Acure's products in the exchange for an honest review.  Once again their customer service is amazing!  I was given the chance to choose again what I'd love most to try and was also given a detailed description of what each product is for and how it works.  I would definitely recommend their products!


 

 Lemongrass + Argan Stem Cell Shampoo Clarifying Keratin Boosting
& Lemongrass + Argan Stem Cell conditioner
Organic Argan Oil, Argan Stem Cells + CoQ10


This time I wanted to try out one of their shampoos and conditioners.  I decided to watch a few YouTube videos first to find out which would be best suited for my hair and which most people loved.  The ones I ended up choosing were the Lemongrass ones.  I'm very happy with my decision in these two because they make my hair feel great and smell amazing as well.  The lemongrass scent is very strong, more so with the conditioner but I love it so much because the scent actually lasts in my hair longer than just a few hours.  The main reason I ended up choosing these instead of the other two shampoo/conditioners they have is because the lemongrass shampoo is clarifying and since my hair gets oily by the end of the day quickly I thought this one might help best with my hair, and it surprisingly does!  I can wash my hair in the morning and by night my hair is definitely not oily like it would be with other shampoos such as suave.  My hair just feels way healthier than normal. You can use the shampoo and conditioner daily or it can also be used in rotation with your regular shampoo.  "The lemongrass and rosemary essential oils are great for stimulation and circulation.  CoQ10 helps boost the production of keratin and argan stem cell helps strengthen the connection between the hair follicle and the bulb of the hair, which improves moisture, balance, and hair regeneration."

The shampoo has Organic Avocado Oil which provides vitamin B12 and moisture while lemongrass cleanses and clarifies and the conditioner has Organic Fair Trade Certified Cocoa Butter which provides moisture.  These products are also safe for color-treated hair which is also great.  Both shampoo and conditioner can be purchase on Acure's website for $9.99 each.

Facial Toner 
balancing rose + red tea

I also wanted to try out their facial toner.  I've noticed a lot of people use this in their daily skincare/makeup routine and that made me really interested in trying one out for myself.  I chose the rose one, because it sounded best for my oily skin.  I've never used a toner before so I wasn't really sure what it was supposed to do at first exactly, but I'm really glad I chose this product.  I really enjoy this, it makes my skin feel very soft after application and made my skin not so oily!  This product smells really nice and refreshing, the scent is not overly powerful which is great since you are spraying it on your face.  This toner is alcohol-free and certified organic.  It uses organic witch hazel to purify, organic vegetable glycerin to moisturize and organic rose and chamomile to soothe, calm and restore the skin's own protective layer.  This product can be purchased on their website for 15.99.


If you'd like to check out what other products they have you can go to there website here: ACURE or if you're interested in the products I've used you can click the product name and it will send you directly to that product on Acure's website!

November 2014 Birchbox - Review

So to start off if you don't already know, Birchbox is a monthly beauty and lifestyle subscription service which costs $10 a month.  Each month you receive 4-5 deluxe sized samples and occasionally a bonus item as well.  The past few months Birchbox has been letting subscribers choose their own sample out of a few products they've chosen, a curated box, or a box that they choose specifically for you by using your beauty profile.  For each product you receive you can review on Birchbox's website for 10 points apiece.  Once you have 100 points that will equal to $10 you can spend in the Birchbox shop!  Once you accumulate 500 points you become apart of their Birchbox Aces program which will give you free shipping on all items in their shop.

Each box comes with a card telling you the items you received in that months box.  Under brand name it tells you the specific product and how much it costs.  Under that it also tells you what the specific product is and how to use it.  Also, if you received a bonus item that month it will be at the very bottom on the card under BONUS.

This month's theme was GIVING, and Birchbox teamed up with RED to raise money and awareness for the global fight against AIDS.  They chose to donate $1 every time someone shared a picture of their box and tagged it #shaRED.

Amika - Perk Up Dry Shampoo

This was the first product I received this month and was really excited to try!  I've heard a lot of people talk about how great this dry shampoo is and I just had to have it, so I was really happy when I saw I was getting the sample to try out.  The full size of this product in the Birchbox shop is $21, but they also have a 1 fl. oz. bottle in their shop for $9.  I absolutely love this dry shampoo! It smells great and it also makes my hair feel great while also looking clean.  I definitely plan on buying a full size of this product once mine runs out because my hair does tend to start getting oily towards the end of the day and this product is a great way to help soak up the excess oils.

Dr. Jart+ - Ceramidin Cream

This was the second product I received in this months box, I have used it several times since receiving and it is very hydrating especially if you get dry skin during the winter time.  This product will be great when my skin starts becoming dryer from the cold weather.  Only thing I don't really like about it is that it doesn't smell very nice at all.  A 1.6oz tube of this product can be purchased in the Birchbox shop for $48.

Gilchrist & Soames - Spa Therapy Body Wash

This was the third product I received this month and when I first saw it in my box I wasn't very excited to try.  I've received two different Gilchrist & Soames body lotions from Birchbox in past boxes and I was really disappointed with both products so I just was not happy in receiving their body wash.  I have to say though I was pleasantly surprised with this one! This body wash smells amazing! I'm not sure what to compare it to but it smells very sweet and it lathers up really well which is nice.  I hate when a body wash doesn't lather because it makes me feel like it's not doing it's job.  You can purchase this product in their shop for $15.

Juice Beauty - Green Apple Peel - Sensitive

This was the fourth item I received in my box and also my sample choice.  I was really looking forward to trying out this product, there is only one thing I did not particularly like about the green apple peel.  First off it did not feel drying on my skin, my skin felt soft and refreshed after using, and it did not leave my skin red or irritated.  The one thing I didn't like was how this product was a liquid, I did not expect that when I first used it and it seeped through my fingers. I will continue using this product but don't plan on purchasing the full size.  The full size of this product can be purchased in the Birchbox shop for $39.

theBalm Cosmetics - Cindy-Lou Manizer

This was the last product I received in my box this month and one of my favorites.  Wish the sample size was bigger, but the packaging is just too cute!  The peachy color is really pretty, pink with a shimmer of gold.  I tried to get a picture of a swatch of the product but my camera and lighting wouldn't capture it properly, nor did it capture the correct shade of the product above.  I love that not only is it a highlighter, but also a blush and can be used as an eyeshadow as well.  So far I've only used this as a blush/highlighter, but I plan on playing around with it for an eyeshadow as well.  The full size for this can also be purchased in the Birchbox shop for $24.

Justin's - Chocolate almond butter- squeeze pack

This was the bonus item I received in this month's box.  I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it was nice receiving an extra this month.  A pack of 10 -1.15oz pack can be purchased on Birchbox's site for $11.99.