Nature's Box April 2013

Hey All -

I'm back with another what I got in my Nature's box post! This is a monthly subscription service that costs $19.95 a month for 5 full size bag of snacks. I never canceled my subscription from last month so I got another box a week or so ago. You can read about my March box here. The theme for this months box was The Spice of Life.  Here is what I got! 

The first item I got was Lemon Meringue Waffles. Serving Size is 22 pieces and this bag is only 1 serving. 1 serving is 120 calories. 

Taste Test: Not my cup of tea. I am not a fan of lemon meringue pie or anything that really tastes like lemon that you can eat.  I like the crunch factor these have but that's about it. I do not like them. 

The second item in my box was the Whole Wheat Raspberry Figgy Bars. Serving size is 1 bar and there are 5 servings in the bag. 1 bar is 130 calories. 

Taste Test: These are good!! The bars are pretty small for the calories I think. But they taste just like a nutri-grain bar with a thicker crust. The fillings is really nice, you can really taste the raspberry flavor. 

The third item I got was the Taj Mahal Snack Mix. Serving size is 1/4 cup and there is 3 servings. 1 serving is 210 calories. Some of the items in the mix is sunflower seeds, almonds, raisins, dried mangos

Taste Test: It's not what I thought it was going to be. It's not bad, but that's not the kind of snack I like. It does have a lot of flavor but something that I don't usually lean towards. If you like snacks that are savory and have a bite to them, this would be for you! 

The fourth snack I got was the Banana Bread Granola. Serving size is 1/2 cup and there is 2 servings in the bag. 1 serving size is 230 calories. 

Taste Test: This stuff is delicious!! I'm not really a fan of anything banana. I love eating bananas as is but that's it. This doesn't have an over powering flavor of them which is good. It's hard to describe what it tastes like, but dang it taste good! haha 

The last thing I got in my box was Italian Bistro Pretzels. Serving size 9 pieces and there is 4.5 servings in the bag. 120 calories per serving.

Taste Test: These aren't bad. They aren't what I thought they were going to taste like. I was thinking more along the lines of what gardetos taste like. They are good, I've now eaten a few and they have grown on me. They have a nice flavor to them. I taste a lot of garlic and onion flavors. 

They all say on the back:

*No High Fructose Corn Syrup

*No Partially Hydrogenated Oils

*No Artificial Sweeteners

*No Artificial Flavors

*No Artificial Colors

*0g Trans Fats

Overall, I'm not impressed with this months box after trying everything out. I know, I'm not going to like what I get in every box because everyone has their different tastes. This months box just didn't do it for me. I will probably be trying to give out these snacks to people that I know will enjoy them. 

If you use the code REFER25 you will get $5 off your first NatureBox!! 

Go here to there website to get more information and to sign up!! 

Thank you so much for reading!! 

-Jill 

Random pics from my phone!! (3/29-4/18)

Hey All -

Here are some random pics I took on my phone from the last couple of weeks!! Enjoy!! 

                   Spoiled kids!!! 

 Cake on our noses!! 

Forgot how good this stuff is!! 

Starbucks Refresher!! 

Trying on hats!

Get it!!! :) 

This stuff is delicious!! 

Let me know if you want to borrow anything!! 

Pinterest inspired craft!! Love it!

Beautiful sky while driving home! 

Hope you enjoyed this!!! :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 

-Jill 

Products I've used up - April 2013

Hey All - (I keep wanting to write ya'll, but I just can't pull that off!! haha )

I finished up a bunch of products since my last post and thought I would share with you what they are and if I would re-purchase or not! Hope you enjoy!! 

Starting from the left side 

Lady Speed Stick deodorant in Shower Fresh

Thoughts: Love this stuff, I've been using this same kind of deodorant since probably high school! I just am a little afraid to branch out and try something else. I know this works so what if something else doesn't, I don't want to be smelly!! The scent was nice. 

Repurchase: Already have! 

FYI by Arbonne sugar slush body scrub

Thoughts: I found this in my cabinet and it was rather old, but I used it up anyway. The smell was OK, and the scrub was nice but since mine was old I'm not sure it was suppose to be the consistency it was. 

Repurchase: No, I would not. 

Jordana Fabuliner in Black

Thoughts: I love this stuff. It's a great, inexpensive liquid liner. It lasts all day , doesn't smudge and easy to work with since it's a felt tip. 

Repurchase: YES!!! A great liquid liner for about $2. Currently using the brown one. 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil 

Thoughts: Love this!! Once I figured out how/what to do with this stuff, I didn't stop using it. This bottle took me a long time to go through. The smell was really nice and helped with acne spots. 

Repurchase: Yes, I would re-purchase. I am currently using just Tea Tree oil I got in a larger bottle from Walgreens but the smell is just not the same. This product does have other ingredients in it besides Tea Tree Oil which I believe it's that way. I'm just waiting until I get a good deal on it from The Body Shop! 

Sample size of the Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara 

Thoughts: I have used this before and I liked it. The brush is really big on this mascara, which doesn't bother me. Once it starts to dry out it would start flaking on my face 1/2 way through the day. It was time to re-tire it after it started doing that. 

Repurchase: No, I wouldn't purchase a full size of this product. It was nice, but not worth the price when you can get drugstore mascaras that do a great job for 1/2 the price. 

Sample size of the Tarte Clean Slate 360 creaseless 12-hour eye primer

Thoughts: I got this in a small kit with 2 other Tarte primers. It was ok primer, but not great. There are other primers out there I would purchase over this. I don't think it really holds up to the standards they put on the bottle. It did make my eye shadows last all day, but depending on the shadow I would see some minor creasing after a full day. 

Repurchase: No, I would not purchase the full size of this product. As I stated above there are far better primers out there for me. 

Neutrogena Shampoo 

Thoughts: This is a great clarifying shampoo. I use this stuff once a week to completely clean my hair and I really think this does the trick. Clarifying shampoos can be rather expensive but this one is only about $5 or so. I don't find it drying and my hair feels really clean after using it.

Repurchase: Yes, I would! This probably is my 2nd or 3rd bottle of this. I'm currently trying out a different clarifying shampoo but will probably return to this when I'm done, based on price alone.

Equate Exfoliating Cleansing Towelettes

Thoughts: I have already talked about these so much! I love them!! Read my night time skincare routine post where I talk more about them! 

Repurchase: Already have, just the other day! They have new packaging now but the product inside is exactly the same! 

Simple cleansing facial wipes 

Thoughts: They were OK. Not the best makeup wipe I've ever used. They did a decent job at getting off my makeup but they certainly did NOT remove my eye makeup. I felt they were a little rough on my skin but they did have a nice scent. 

Repurchase: No, I would not re-purchase these. I just love the Equate exfoliating ones to much. But I'm glad I tried something new. 

Vitafusion Omega 3 Gummy Vitamins

Thoughts: I love gummy vitamins, so this is an easy way for me to get Omega 3. They don't have the best taste in the world but I would rather have these than take a fish oil pill everyday. They get the job done. 

Repurchase: Yep, I already have! 

Hope you enjoyed reading this post on the products that I've used up! I kind of feel more accomplished knowing I'm actually using products up! This is a great way to keep track of all the things you have used and what you did and didn't like.  

Thank you so much for reading!! :) 

-Jill 

Night time skincare routine - April 2013

Hey All -

I'm back with my night time skincare routine. A couple of posts/weeks ago I talked about my morning skincare routine which you can read about here. There are only a few products that are different from my morning routine. Before I talk about my night time routine I want to talk about how I remove my makeup. As much as I love putting makeup on every morning, I love coming home and taking it off. It's one of the first things I do when I get home and workout. Since I workout at home most of the time, I take my makeup off before I do it. I suggest you do the same and the best way to do it is with makeup remover wipes. I use the wipe to clean off any face makeup and always use eye makeup remover for my eyes since I tend to wear shadows, eyeliner and mascara on a daily basis. 

I am currently using the Equate Oil-Free Eye makeup remover from Walmart. This is NOT my favorite eye makeup remover and I haven't even found one I love yet. If you have any suggestions, please leave them below.

I love the Equate Exfoliating Cleansing Towelettes from Walmart to remove my face makeup. I have tried multiple kinds of removing wipes and by far these are my favorite and always come back to them. They also are a great price!

(They have since changed the packaging) 

**As reference  I use the wipes when I get home from work (6:30pm) and wash my face with the routine below right before I go to bed (10/10:30pm).

The Clarisonic, Tea Tree face wash, Tea Tree Toner, Tea Tree oil are all the same products from my morning routine. 

I want to talk about really quickly before I got over the products I use on my face how I remove my makeup. As much as I love putting makeup on every morning, I love coming home and taking it off. It's one of the first things I do when I get home and workout. Since I workout at home most of the time, I take my makeup off before I do it. I suggest doing the same. I always use an eye makeup remover for my eyes since I tend to wear shadows, eyeliner and mascara on a daily basis. 

I love all of the products that I mentioned above and here are the links to where you can purchase the products and read additional reviews. 

Clarisonic Mia 2 - QVC or Sephora

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearning Facial wash - The Body Shop

Lush's Tea Tree Toner - Lush

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil - The Body Shop

First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream - Sephora

I use a different moisturizer at night. This one is the Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion from The Body Shop. Because I have a lot of acne scares on my face, I thought I would give this a try a year or 2 ago and at first I didn't think it was working but I defiantly have seen a difference in my scaring after using this. They have faded. They haven't gone away, but they have certainly faded and are less visible. This is actually my second bottle of this, that's how much I like it. I only us a small amount of this and put it all over my face, focusing on the areas where I have the most marks. This is enough moisturization for my skin, but if you have dryer skin this probably wouldn't be enough because it's pretty light. I would recommend using a small dot of this for your problem areas and using a different moisturizer to go over it. I have actually been doing that lately with a heavier moisturizer that I recently bought to try out. It's been doing the trick. I also only like to use a small bit of this because it's pretty pricey for how much you get. It's $18.50 for 1 oz of product. I do pretty much always buy it when it's on sale though so I've probably paid 1/2 of that. I think it's worth a shot, if you have some darker spots on your skin from acne. Go here to read reviews and purchase on The Body Shop's website. 

I don't use the Clarisonic all days of the week at night. 2 or 3 days a week I use a exfoliator. The one I have been using for probably the last 6/8 months is the Ocean Salt face and body scrub. I LOVE this stuff. I received a sample at one of the Lush stores and after using up the sample I went and purchased the full size product. Now, this might be to abrasive for people with sensitive skin. I don't have any issue with my face when I use this. It makes my face feel soooo smooth, like baby butt smooth!! It also smells amazing. You can use this on your body as well, but I honestly have only used it on my face. I really love this stuff, but it's pretty pricey. The 8.8 oz that I purchased costs $35.95 and the 4.2 oz is $21.95. BUT, you don't need a lot for your face and this has lasted me months and months. It will probably be over a year before I am able to get through of it, and also gave out a generous sample to my friend. Click here to see it on Lush's website.

This is what it looks like. There is a layer on the top of salt that I mix in with the mixture before I scrub my face with it. 

You can always go to Lush and ask for a sample of it to try. I am looking to try some new exfoliators, so if you have any suggestions please let me know! 

I also use a mask when my skin starts acting up or feel like my face needs a pick me up. I really love the Lush face masks. The one I currently have is the Mask of Magnaminty, which I like. It smells amazing and makes my skin look and feel good. But I really love the Cupcake mask. The cupcake mask smells amazing but is great for oily and acne prone skin. I have purchased this mask multiple times. You can only buy this mask in stores because it is a fresh face mask. You also have to store this mask in the refrigerator and gives you a nice cooling effect when you use it. The mask of magnaminty is a deep cleaning mask that's intense but not harsh or abrasive. I really enjoy this mask using this mask. This mask can just be left in your cabinet. The amount of times you can use it, depends on how much you put on your face. This mask I probably have used 5 times or so and I still probably have 2/3 uses left! 4.4 oz container retails for $12.95 and also comes in a larger size. Click here to read more about the mask of magnaminty. The cupcake mask is $6.95 for 2.1 oz and I can usually get 4-6 uses out of it. Click here to read about the cupcake mask! I love using these lush masks because you know they are fresh and the ingredients are more natural. 

If you have a face mask that you love, I would love to hear about it!! 

Hope you enjoy this post, let me know if you have any questions! 

Thank you so much for reading!!! 

-Jill 

GlossyBox - March 2013 Overview

Hey All -

So I recently received my March Glossybox. The theme this month was Spring Fling. Well, I can't wait for it to be Spring around here! The weather temps/rain is not helping anyone's mood in this neck of the woods!! But anyways here's what I got in my box! 

1) ModelCo Cheek and Lip Tint in Rosy Red. 

This cheek and lip tint provides the right amount of color for a natural rosy flush, just in time for spring! The gel formulation leaves you with "just pinched" cheeks and sexy, lightly stained lips. Full size $24.00/10 ML. 

Here is a swatch of the stain. It's a nice color, but this kind of product scares me. I'm not sure I would ever put it on my cheeks but I will try this on my lips! This is a full size product of 10 ML for $24.00. 

Value: $24

2) Sebastian Professional Shaper Fierce

From unkempt bead heads to high-fashion chignons, this shaping spray provides buildable, flexible hold while maintaining a high-shine gloss - a definite must-have for keeping your fashionable 'dos in place. Full Size $17/10.6 oz. I tried this the other day when I curled my hair and did NOT like it. It made my hair so crunchy and it did not feel good at all. It held my curl pretty well, but not enough for me to get over the crunchiness of my hair. I don't really enjoy any kind of hairspray and this was no different. My mom and I have tried other Sebastian products and neither of us care for them.  

Value: $2.40 - Total Value: $26.40

3) Elite Models Liquid Liner in Matt Brown

This liquid eyeliner from France is waterproof, long lasting, and comes in rich colors. The brush applicator allows you to create the most precise line, whether you prefer yours thin and delicate or think and dramatic. Full Size $15.00/2.5ML. 

I really like the applicator on this product. I think it will be easy to use. I haven't tried this yet, but the swatch on my hand is great. The color is a very dark brown and I've been enjoy using brown liquid liner so this will be great to try. I'll give an update on it soon! 

Value: $15 - Total Value: $41.40

4) Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen in Graphite Glint.

This chubby crayon glides onto lids, leaving them smooth and glowing all day long. It is super easy to apply and can be  used as an eye shadow, liner or even highlighter, depending on the shade. Full Size $18.00/0.16 oz. 

Here is what Graphite Glint looks like swatched: 

It's a graphite, dark grey color but it also has some shimmer in it. I love these kind of pencils to use as a base for eye shadow as it makes colors pop and last longer. I probably wouldn't have purchased this color to use, but I'll try it in a look! I haven't tested the lasting power of this yet but I'm hoping it lives up to the things it says. 

Value: $18.00 - Total Value: $59.40

5) Prestiche Essential Oil Bar Soap in Rosechella

This bar soap is made from the highest quality all-natural ingredients, which are hand selected by seasoned botanists, herbalists, and cosmetic gurus. It will soothe even those with extremely sensitive skin, as it contains rich essential oils and vitamins that work to leave skin soft, refreshed, and aromatic. Full Size $16.99/125 grams. This soap smells really good! I never thought I liked the scent of rose, but I've been enjoying a few things that have that smell recently. This says it's rose soap with plumeria, hibiscus, shea, and a pure blend of beneficial oils. I don't enjoy using bar soap but this smells so good. Not sure if I'm going to try it or gift it out.  If I use it, I'll update you on if I liked it or not. I do like the fact that it's all natural products. In the box, I also got a $40 gift certificate to use on anything on there website. I did give it a look and a lot of there other products were pretty pricey. This is pretty expensive price for a small bar of soap. 

Value: $16.99 - Total Value: $76.39

Overall, I was pretty happy with this box. I got quite a few makeup products to try, which is why I signed up for this box to begin with. 

Glossybox is a monthly subscription service where I pay $21.00 a month to get this. So I paid $21 but the total value of the box was over $75.00 with lots of full size products. I would say this months box was a GREAT value!!! 

You can sign up for Glossybox here or get more information about the service here.

Hope you enjoyed this post! Thank you so much for reading!! :) 

Have a great rest of the week! 

THANK YOU!! 

- JILL