February 2017 Ipsy Bag Review

I want to try something different with my blog and review my Ipsy and other subscription boxes I receive. I want to give everyone an idea of what I think of the bag and the products that were included in this months bag. I wish I would have started this in January but I chalk that up to laziness. Ipsy is a $10.00 a month subscription service where you can try 5-6 sample beauty items. These items can be makeup, hair care, or skin care products. Sign up here at ipsy.com. Also make sure to fill out your questionnaire so you will get the products you want to try. So lets get started...

This was the bag design for February. I personally didn't like this months bag print. It felt like it was made with blue jean like material and had orange trim around it. I did like that the Ipsy pull was in the shape of lips, but I felt like they could've really went all out with the design for February with being pink or red, and having hearts, lipsticks, or other fun designs. I get that I won't like every bag print but I felt like this was just a disappointment. But I know it's not always about the bag but rather the samples they send you.

First up is this tiny bronzer

by Elizabeth Mott called Whatup Beaches. While it looks like it might be a nice bronzer it is too tiny to be used as one. I did use this as an eyeshadow for a crease shade and it was nice. I would've liked to have tried it as a bronzer but it was too small. Now I understand Ipsy gets these products from companies and that is what they want to send out so consumers can test them. I just think they need a better way for bronzers to be sent out. 

Next up are

face mask by the brand SOO AE. Both of these are hydrating mask and I can use all the hydration I can get as I suffer from dry skin. I enjoy facial mask (and posing for my #maskselfies on Instagram). I thought both of these masks where pretty good and I know you an find these at Walmart for around $2.50 a piece. I think I liked the purifying charcoal mask a little better. 

Next item is

this NYX butter lipstick in the shade lifeguard. Which the shade is right up my alley. I love my reds. I thought this was an OK lipstick as it was moisturizing but I did find that it had some slip and would have to be reapplied after eating, drinking, or talking for long periods of time. 

One of my favorite items in this bag

was this Luxie Beauty blush brush. The bristles are so nice and it applies products beautifully. I used this brush to apply both blush and highlight. I highly recommend this brush and love that I got it in my bag.

Last but not least

is this highlighter by Luna Cosmetics. This highlight was so pretty and my 2nd favorite item in my bag. It has an almost purple shift but I believe would be great with any skin tone. Plus you can wear this lightly or layer it on for that beaming glow. 

Here is my bag with all the products

Overall I'm very happy with the contents of this months bag and think it is totally worth the $10 price tag. 

Suave Professionals Avocado Oil Range

Thanks to Crowdtap I was able to participate in a sample share from Suave. I will link Crowdtap for any one who is interested in joining as it is an awesome platform for all kinds of brands and possibly getting to sample (for FREE) all kinds of neat products. 

They sent me The Suave Professionals Avocado Shampoo, Conditioner , and leave in conditioning cream.

I love getting shampoo/conditioners to try out. Now I'm not big on a lot of hair products but I can always use shampoo and conditioner. First off notice the green packaging. I really like it and I think it stands out. I think Suave is really changing their marketing and trying to make their products seem higher end. I've used Suave products before and have liked them (particularly when I'm on a budget). The shampoo and conditioner retail for around $4.99 at Wal-mart and the leave in conditioning cream around $2.98. Which in this day in age is pretty decent. 

So how does this product work you are asking?? It works AMAZINGLY. The smell of all 3 products is almost salon quality. Both the shampoo and conditioner are a just right consistency not too thin or thick. Now I use my conditioner first then my shampoo (purely for more volume). When you are using the products you can tell how soft it makes your hair. So once you are done washing your hair it is so easy to comb through. This product is for dry frizzy hair and if your hair suffers from that you need to check out these products. 

Look how soft my strands look in this picture (please ignore the bad lighting)

If you are interested in checking this product out you should be able to find this in most major retailers such as Wal-Mart and most drug stores. 

Read more about this product and other products at Suave.com

Curel HydraTherapy Wet Skin Moisturizer

Thanks to being a member of crowdtap (which anyone can join just click the link and sign up for FREE to discuss all kinds of brands) I was able to participate in the Curel brand and was able to sample a new product from that brand for free. Crowdtap did not require me to post a blog this opinion is entirely my own.  This is the Hydratherapy Wet Skin Moisturizer. Yes that does say wet skin moisturizer. Let me show you what the product looks like

Which the sample size came in a 2Fl OZ bottle but it looks like the full size comes in a pump bottle. You use this product right after you get out of the shower or bath while your skin is still wet (yes while skin is still wet) as it is water activated to work deep within the skins surface. It claims to help repair the moisture barrier with ceramide complex and it absorbs immediately into skin without being a greasy formula.

Here is my with the product (I was skeptical because I thought using this while my skin is still wet yeah right). It does feel odd on the skin when you first use it but it does absorb very quickly and YES it does moisturize your skin. It does not have a scent/fragrance so men who are looking for a good moisturizing product without the smells would benefit greatly from this product. I couldn't believe how smooth my skin felt after using. With the weather changing over to the fall season my skin tends to dry out and I need something moisturizing and this stuff is amazing. If you suffer from dry skin I say give this a try. 

My smooth arm

I wish you could feel how smooth my arm is (or the rest of my skin from using this product). Another great product from Curel. You can pick this up in most major retailers or drug stores for around $7.99-11.00 (depending on size of bottle). Read more about this product here http://www.curel.com/products/hydra-therapy.aspx

Zzzquil Review

Thanks to Influenster they sent me the Zzzquil box to me for FREE to review. The box which looks like this 

 

So it came with a sample of the Zzzquil liquicaps which are small easy to swallow pills. Zzzquil is a sleep aid that is non habit forming and to use on those nights when you are having trouble falling asleep. I believe this product come sin the liquicaps and also in a liquid form. This is a product by Vicks which makes many great products from vaporub to Dayquil/Nightquil.

I also just want to mention you should always check with your doctor/pharmacist before taking any new type of medication or supplement just in case it might interact with any other medication you might be taking. 

I've used this product once before receiving it from Influenster and I used it again when I got it from them as well. I had good results with it. I wanted to use it when I had a 3 day weekend and knew I would have trouble sleeping and getting back into the regular workweek routine. It worked for me as I fell asleep in about 30 minutes and stayed asleep until my alarm went off. I'm not sure if this product will work for everyone but if you are having trouble sleeping I would try this route first as opposed to other medications.

#ReverseYourRoutine Tresemme Full Volume Shampoo & Conditoner #VoxBox-Influenster

Thanks to Influenster they sent me the TRESemme beautiful volume collection to try for FREE! That's always fun getting to try and review stuff for free! If you are interested I'll put my referral link at the bottom of this post. This box got me so excited I even uploaded a Youtube video which I will put in the link at the bottom (my sound quality is not the best but wanted to voice my opinion on how great product was). So here is what the package looks like before you open

I really love how marketed these boxes were for the product. Usually the voxboxes just say Influester on them (and yes I love those) but I just thought this was a nice touch for the product itself. Now lets open the box shall we...

Inside we have 2 full size bottles of the conditioner and the shampoo with inserts from Influenster and some pretty tissue paper! Now I love getting any sample in the mail but when you get a full size product you can really get down and test and see how well you either like or dislike a product so that is just one of the many reasons I love Influenster. It is all about people who use products and voice their honest opinions on them. OK lets see another photo...

Here is a picture after I tore into the product and I had to smell it because with most shampoo products or hair products I want to see what it smells like. It smells lovely! Almost salon quality but not too strong which is what I like as I suffer from frequent headache/migraines and certain smells can be a trigger. Now learn all about how to #reverseyourroutine which is using conditioner 1st and shampoo 2nd! I love how the bottles have a 1 and 2 on them (yes bottles give me directions)

The first (1st) part of the #reverseyourroutine is to use conditioner on your hair (how many of us have accidentally grabbed the conditioner first and used it...yeah I know we all have). What I loved about this was the pump on the bottle. Why can't all bottles just have the pump? (I know I know sometimes they get clogged but easy enough to unclog) next up is you can tell after using that it is softening the hair. Now I do like to add volume to my hair as it sometimes just wants to lay flat no matter what I do to it. So easy to use just use as you normally would and leave on for a minute and rinse out. Then...

Step 2 shampoo! Which the shampoo is to wash away the weight of the hair. Bonus on the shampoo is it smells incredible. I love it. I also air dried my hair and used a blow dryer and saw volumizing results with both. Not sure if this would work on all hair types but I have normal to dry chin length hair.

These products retail for around 5.00 for each product and are carried in most major retailers.

Here is my youtube video https://youtu.be/7C84BQH4Lk0

Influenster referral link- influenster.com/r/260254

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotions Sunscreen SPF 30

Thanks to being apart of Crowdtap.com I was sent a bottle of Hawaiian Tropic to review and test for free! Crowdtap is a community of different brands where people can do questionnaires, surveys, and sometimes even test/review products free.

This was for the Hawaiian Tropic Crowd and they sent me a bottle of the Silk Hydration Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 30. Was super excited to try this as I always love getting freebies (who doesn't)!

YAY! Its me with the product. I was so glad this was not a spray. While I know the spray SPF sun screens are a big hit with some people they are just not for me. I love that this was in a pump bottle so its easy to get out of the tube. Another thing that I just love love love is the smell! It's not to strong or wants to smell like a bug spray or something medicinal. It actually has a nice light tropical smell but not something that just smells like coconuts. The smell reminds me of something from my childhood but I have yet to remember what it is. The best thing about this product is it moisturizes. As someone with dry skin I need something that gets down in there and moisturizes. Big plus for me is SPF 30 you need your SPF! If you are going in the water remember to reapply! It retails for around 8-10 depending on the retailer.  Great product and I will purchase in the future.

Learn more about product here http://www.hawaiiantropic.com/sun-care-products/hawaiian-tropic-silk-hydration-weightless-sunscreen

Reynolds Cookie Baking Sheets Parchment Paper

Thanks to Crowtap and the Reynolds Crowd I was invited to test out these Reynolds Cookie Baking Sheets for free. I'm a big cookie lover so it was nice to be able to make cookies with the husband and see how well we liked the Parchment paper and how we will incorporate it into our routine of baking. I loved these for no bakes as well as for chocolate chip cookies as these are probably my two favorite cookies. I love how it doesn't leave a mess on the pan, and it makes storing the cookies that much easier.Great product I will continue to use.