Unboxing....Ipsy Glam Bag December 2015 #decemberglambag #ipsy

The theme for the Ipsy December Glam Bag is For You With Love From Ipsy. "Thank you for an amazing 2015. You do not know how much your love means to us. You've helped make us who we are today. For that we are forever grateful. With love from Ipsy."

These are the products that I received in my December Glam Bag:

BeFine Exfoliating Cleanser with Brown Sugar

Pacifica Power of Love Natural Lipstick in Nudie Red

tarte cosmetics Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder

Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Shadow Primer

Crown Brush C412 Brow Duo Brush

My favorite products this month are the lipstick & brow duo brush. I can never have enough lipstick & I love to get makeup brushes because I'm always losing them.

Ipsy is a monthly subscription box which comes with full-size or deluxe-sized products plus a makeup bag. The cost is $10 each month with free shipping to the US & Canada. It is delivered via USPS. I think it's well worth the money that I spend & a great way to try new products & add to your makeup collection. Ipsy sends out multiple variations of each Glam Bag so my review is the products that I received. Yours could be different & I love seeing what everyone else gets in their bag.

So. That's my Glam Bag. What did you get in yours?

Trying more essential oils: Penny Royal Essential Oil & Pine Essential Oil #simplyearth

I have received 2 essential oils that are both new to me. They each came in 15ml amber glass bottles & are 100% pure essential oils. I'll tell you what I have learned about each of these oils & how I am using them.

The first oil that I received is Penny Royal essential oil which has a nice minty scent. This oil is mainly used to scent commercial detergents so I have added a couple of drops on my dryer balls. I also add a couple of drops in my diffuser for a nice scent. It mixes nicely with geranium, rosemary, sage or citronella.

Now that I've told you the two ways that I am using this oil, let me give you this Warning: You will really need to do your research before using this oil as it is a very dangerous oil. If you are pregnant or nursing, avoid this oil completely & do not use around children. It is extremely toxic if ingested so never take penny royal internally for any reason & do not apply it to your skin.

The other oil that I received is Pine essential oil. This oil has a lot of uses but my favorites are in a diffuser & while cleaning. I love the scent of pine in my diffuser & it provides a stimulating & refreshing aroma in my home. It mixes well with grapefruit, cedar, rosemary, sage, eucalyptus or lavender oils. Another way I use this oil is for cleaning my floors. I add 1/2 cup of white vinegar & several drops of the oil to a gallon of warm water in my mop bucket. My floors get clean & my house smells great!

Both of these essential oils are from Simply Earth & I love a company that gives back! 13% of profits are donated to organizations committed to serving others.

#simplyearth

I received these products for the purpose of testing and review. Regardless, I only recommend products that I personally use and believe will be good for my readers. The opinions expressed above are 100% my own based on my personal experience and use of these products.

Crowdtap Sampling: Aveeno Skin Relief Gentle Scent Lotion and Body Wash

I am a big fan of Aveeno products so I was really happy to be chosen by Crowdtap to sample the Aveeno Skin Relief Gentle Scent Lotion and the Aveeno Skin Relief Gentle Scent Body Wash.

My Crowdtap Kit arrived & there were 2 samples of the each product so I was able to share some with friends so they could experience these products along with me.

The lotion is silky white with a fresh coconut scent. It glides on smoothly & absorbs into my skin quickly without any greasy or sticky feeling. My skin feels soft & smooth immediately & the scent is subtle but makes me think of summer.

The body wash is also white with the same fresh coconut scent. It lathers well & rinses off cleanly. My skin feels great when I get out of the shower. After my skin is dry, I apply the lotion so the lovely scent is layered so it will last longer.

I have somewhat sensitive combination skin but I have not experienced any irritation or redness while using these products. I just have soft & smooth skin!

I already use several Aveeno products & have already purchased full-size bottles of each of these products so I can continue using them.

You can find these products on the Aveeno website.

#Aveeno #AveenoAdvocates #Crowdtap #ILoveCrowdtap 

I am a member of the Crowdtap Aveeno® rewards program, and Aveeno® sent samples of these products for the purpose of testing and review.

Smiley 360 Mission: TAZO Chai #SweetMeetsSpicy

I qualified to test TAZO® Chai tea from Smiley360. I've never had the love of hot tea that my husband does. Being from the South, I drink iced tea. I've tried several varieties of hot tea but just never found one that I would want to drink again. But I had never tried chai tea so I was looking forward to this Mission.

I was excited to tear into the envelope when it arrived. I found 3 coupons for free boxes of any filterbag tea or latte concentrate. I will use one of these coupons to get a box of Tazo for myself & will share the other 2 with family or friends. I also found 3 filterbags: 1 classic, 1 chocolate & 1 vanilla caramel. There was also a Tasting Guide & a Smiley360 Sharing Guide.

I took the filterbags to the kitchen & decided to try the TAZO Classic chai tea first. I didn't want to wait for the kettle to boil so I used my Keurig. Instant gratification! While the filterbag steeped in my mug, I could smell the flavors. The most noticeable to me was the aroma of cloves & cardamom. The scent of cloves is one of my favorites! When I took my first sip I immediately tasted the cloves & a second later the taste of the black pepper hit my taste buds. I have never tasted tea like this before! I just might learn to love hot tea after all.

Within a few days, I had sampled the Vanilla Caramel & Chocolate flavors too. While the Vanilla Caramel was steeping, the aroma of caramel was prominent but when I tasted the tea, it was the flavor of vanilla that was stronger. The Chocolate aroma was strong while the boiling water was pouring into my mug. I expected a big chocolate taste but the cinnamon & cloves came through & then the hint of black pepper at the end.

Once I had sampled all 3 of the flavors that I received, I took my free coupon to the grocery store to check out all of the other flavors. There was a big selection! My photo doesn't even show them all because their were more on the top shelf along with the latte concentrates. But what I was really looking for was the Pumpkin Spice Latte since pumpkin is my favorite flavor this time of year. But my store didn't have it in stock so I went to another store looking for it.

Success! The second store that I tried had the TAZO Pumpkin Spice Latte in stock so I used my FREE coupon to get some. I also bought the Chocolate Latte and, because I didn't want my hubby to feel left out because he drinks hot tea almost every day, I decided to buy a box of the Awake English Breakfast tea for him.

I love sharing information about products that I haven't tried before with my friends & family. As well as telling them about this product & all of the choices available, I also got to share a coupon for a FREE product with 2 of my friends! It pays to stay on my good side.... just kidding!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I took my first sip but it really was unlike any hot tea I had ever tried before. It was an unexpected pleasure! I have served it to friends & family & have gotten a lot of positive responses. I may have turned some more Southerners into hot tea lovers!

If you've never tried chai tea, you need to taste this. If you love chai tea, you need to try this brand. #SweetMeetsSpicy!

Go to the website to see all of the products http://www.tazo.com/chai. Be sure that you scroll to the bottom & click on the Get Coupon button. Enter your email address & you'll get a coupon for $2 off of any TAZO Chai product.

You can follow TAZO on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tazo & on Twitter https://twitter.com/Tazo. Their Pinterest page http://www.pinterest.com/tazotea/ & Instagram http://instagram.com/tazo will tempt you with product photos.

I received this product free for the purpose of my review. Opinions are 100% my own.

Unboxing....Beauty Joy November 2015

My Beauty Joy subscription box for November arrived yesterday. This month it arrived in the Tiffany Blue box that I love & the products were wrapped in their Fleur de Lis tissue paper & nestled in brown crinkle paper. The info card this month was not an individual card but rather the info is printed on a piece of paper that is glued onto the inside lid of the box.

 

This subscription box comes with 1 hand-curated jewelry item, 1 full-size beauty item & 2 - 3 deluxe samples.

This is what came in the box this month:

Medusa's Makeup Eye Primer - Full Size $10

This is an all-natural, vegan primer for eye dust & eye shadow. 

All of our cosmetics are PETA certified & cruelty-free. MedusasMakeup.com

Burt's Bees Lip Gloss in Summer Twilight - Full Size $9

Rich, pearlized color combines with natural oils rich in nutrients to 

leave your lips soft, shiny & 100% naturally beautiful. BurtsBees.com

Beauty Joy Mineral Eye Shadow in Purple Rain - Full Size $10

We have had an all natural eye shadow created just for us! 

We use an all natural, vegan formula that has never been tested on animals, only awesome humans! Made with no fragrances, no parabens, no sulfates, no synthetic dyes, phthalates, dimethicone, petroleum, talc, bismuth oxychloride or nanoparticulates. BeautyJoyBox.com/Shop

Antiqued Pendant Necklace - $8

A little bit of nostalgia added with a whole lotta love! This antique look 

necklace was handcrafted for a retro look & feel just for you. BeautyJoyBox.com

Kings & Queens Shower Jasmin Gel Deluxe Sample - $2

Exquisite perfumed shower gel from Greece! 

Paraben & Mineral Oil free. ForKingsandQueens.com

This is a great box this month! My favorite products are the lip gloss & the necklace, but I can't wait to try them all. I always love trying a new shower gel scent & the eye shadow is really pretty even though it's not a shade that I would usually wear. I haven't tried an eye primer so I'm looking forward to loving it! 

The total value of the items in this box is $39.00. The cost of this subscription is $15 per month & can be cancelled at any time before you are billed for the following month. Billing is done on the 1st of the month. Shipping is free for the U.S. & $5 for Canada.

You can get your own Beauty Joy subscription box right here.

So....I can't wait to see what comes next month!

Unboxing....Ipsy Glam Bag November 2015 #novemberglambag #ipsy

The theme for the Ipsy November Glam Bag is Beauty Blast. "The stars are aligning. Your November Glam Bag is a universe of brilliant beauties. Twinkle, twinkle, darling. It's time to light up the sky."

 

These are the products that I received in my November Glam Bag:

Novex Haircare Brazilian Keratin Deep Conditioning Treatment

INSPR Beauty Eye Shadow in Carnival

Smashbox Cosmetics Full Exposure Mascara in Jet Black

tre'StiQue Mini Matte Lip Crayon in Chile Red

Jelly Pong Pong Liquid Gossamer Liquid Luminizer

My favorite products this month are the mascara & lip crayon. I can never have enough mascara & I love the color of the lip crayon. The eye shadow is also a color that I will wear.

Ipsy is a monthly subscription box which comes with full-size or deluxe-sized products plus a makeup bag. The cost is $10 each month with free shipping to the US & Canada. It is delivered via USPS. I think it's well worth the money that I spend & a great way to try new products & add to your makeup collection. Ipsy sends out multiple variations of each Glam Bag so my review is the products that I received. Yours could be different & I love seeing what everyone else gets in their bag.

So. That's my Glam Bag. What did you get in yours?

Unboxing....Target Beauty Box #TargetStyle #BeautyBox

Target offered another Beauty Box around the middle of last month. Their boxes always sell out quickly so I ordered one as soon as I saw them because it included a RoC beauty product. That product alone will make the box worth more than what I paid for it.

Target ships their Beauty Box in a black box with their logo on the lid. The product are wrapped in Target Red tissue paper & there is an information card that tells about the products plus a coupon. This time the coupon is for $3 off of any beauty purchase of $15 or more at Target or Target.com. These are the products that came in this box:

Goody Ouchless Silicone Lined Elastics (3-piece sample)

Covergirl Intensify Me Eyeliner 300 (full-size $6.99)

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in Flashing Lights (full-size $8.59)

RoC Deep Wrinkle Night Cream (full-size $18.44)

ACURE Moroccan Argan Oil + Stem Cell Triple Repair Shampoo & Conditioner 

(travel sample set)

Skinfix Ultra Rich Body Butter (1 ounce sample)

Hello Mojito Mint Toothpaste (.75 ounce sample)

Olly Beauty Vitamins - Grapefruit Glam flavor (2 gummies)

S.W. Basics Certified Organic Body Scrub (2 uses sample)

(prices from Target.com)

The full-size products have a total value of $34.02 and I only paid $10 for this Beauty Box with free shipping so it is a great deal because Target advertised this box as a $50 value. Target Beauty Boxes are not a subscription box so you pretty much have to stalk their website watching for the next one to be offered. I've gotten several of these boxes & so far I have really liked all of the products.

I'll be watching & waiting for the next Target Beauty Box & I'll give you a heads up!

Don't forget to Fall Back!

Daylight Savings Time ends tomorrow morning at 2:00am so don't forget to set your clocks BACK one hour before you go to bed tonight. Or, for you night owls who are still up at 2:00am, just do it then! Most of the clocks in our house reset themselves, which is really helpful, but my stove & microwave haven't learned to do that yet.

Besides changing our clocks this weekend, we'll also be changing the batteries in all of our smoke alarm/carbon monoxide detectors. Take a few minutes to changes yours too.

I'm not a fan of DST in March when we lose an hour of sleep, but I'm a BIG fan of gaining an extra hour of sleep tomorrow morning!

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend & enjoy your extra hour on Sunday!

Crowdtap Sampling: Robitussin 12 Hour Cough Relief #Robitussin #Crowdtap

I received another sampling opportunity from Crowdtap. This time I am trying Robitussin 12 Hour Cough Relief.

My Crowdtap Kit arrived & it came with a coupon for a FREE Robitussin 12 Hour Cough Relief plus 2 more coupons for $3 off to share with friends or family. I was going grocery shopping so I stopped off at the pharmacy area to look for the cough medicine.

Robitussin 12 Hour Cough Relief comes in 2 flavors: orange or grape. I chose the orange flavor.

We recently had a few days of cold winds & rain from the hurricane that hit Mexico. This is also my allergy season so the much cooler weather gave me a sore throat & cough on top of my allergy symptoms. I gathered up my favorite pillows & blanket, put some Thieves Oil in my essential oil diffuser, made a hot mug of apple cider & watched some funny moves while I was feeling crappy. I'm glad I had the Robitussin because it helped quiet my cough so that I could rest & get more sleep to feel better faster.

You can purchase Robitussin 12 Hour Cough Relief on Amazon in both the orange & grape flavors. And you can see the complete line of Robitussin products on their website.

#Robitussin #coughrelief #GotItFree #GotACoupon #Crowdtap #ILoveCrowdtap #sponsored 

Unboxing....Beauty Joy October 2015

My Beauty Joy subscription box for October arrived yesterday. This month it arrived in a white shipping box & the products were wrapped in their Fleur de Lis tissue paper & nestled in brown crinkle paper.

This subscription box comes with 1 hand-curated jewelry item, 1 full-size beauty item & 2 - 3 deluxe samples.

This is what came in the box this month:

Handmade Stone and Chain Bracelet  - $10

Made in-house here at Beauty Joy by our resident jeweler! 

A perfect blend of color and shine.

PUNKER The World's Baddest Eyeliner - Full Size $19

Quick-dry long lasting formula eliminates smudging and budging. It has an oversized felt 

tip applicator that tapers to a precise point for maximum versitality. ArdencyInn.com

Very Important Pucker Lip Gloss in Dreamy - Full Size $2.99

These high-shine, richly pigmented shimmer shades are infused with Aloe and 

Vitamin E to provide deep hydration and long-lasting moisture. KleanColor.com

Kiss Nails Limited Edition Nail Strips - Full Size $2.99

No trick, just a treat with these glow-in-black-light, Halloween-inspired Nail Strips. 

Smooth on like decals. Then file off the excess length for instantly polished nails. 

Add a clear top coat for long lasting color! KissUsa.com

The Creme Shop Blueberry Face Mask - $4.98 per mask

Moisturize and relieve stress with this relaxing face mask. TheCremeShop.com

This is a great box this month! My favorite products are the lip gloss & the nail strips, but I can't wait to try them all. I always love trying a new face mask & the bracelet is really pretty. I don't use eyeliner but I might give this one a try or just give it to someone who uses eyeliner.

The total value of the items in this box is $39.96. The cost of this subscription is $15 per month & can be cancelled at any time before you are billed for the following month. Billing is done on the 1st of the month. Shipping is free for the U.S. & $5 for Canada.

You can get your own Beauty Joy subscription box right here.

So....I can't wait to see what comes next month!

Get hearing protection & noise reduction with these FSL Decimate Safety Earmuffs #FSLDecimateEarProtection

I'm not usually in a really noisy environment but there have definitely been times that these FSL Decimate Safety Earmuffs have come in handy!

These Decimate Safety Earmuffs are designed to filter high frequency noises like you would experience in a machine shop or workshop. They aren't meant to completely block all sound so you'll still hear muffled noises but they greatly reduce a wide spectrum of noises. When you receive the earmuffs, they are in their "folded" position so just pull them into their fully open position & place them over your ears. The ear cups are padded so they fit completely around your ears. At first I thought they were a bit tight but I was able to adjust them to a comfortable position & then had no problem wearing them.

These Safety Earmuffs would be perfect for anyone who works in a machine shop, like my husband does. He tried them & said that although he could still hear the machines, the sound was muffled & not nearly as loud. I've used them to tune out our neighbors' kids when I'm trying to relax & read in our backyard & they're having too much fun on their trampoline. These earmuffs work to reduce the noise when using lawn equipment or working with power tools on home improvement projects. I wish I had owned these when we had our roof replaced!

There are so many times that these earmuffs come in handy & you can purchase the FSL Decimate Safety Earmuffs on Amazon.

#FSLDecimateEarProtection

I received this product for the purpose of testing and review. Regardless, I only recommend products that I personally use and believe will be good for my readers. The opinions expressed above are 100% my own based on my personal experience and use of the product.

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I wrote my first post on this blog! During that time, I have published 315 posts & reviewed so many great products that I wanted to share with all of you. 

I want to thank everyone who has read any of my posts & especially those of you who take the time to comment. And now....I think I'll bake myself a cake to celebrate!

#blogiversary #oneyear #alwayscelebratemilestones