Crowdtap Sampling: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blush

I was picked by Crowdtap to sample the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blush! I don't wear a lot of makeup but blush is one of my favorite beauty products. There was a choice of shades & I chose Bronzed because I don't want pink cheeks, just a healthy natural look.

My mission kit arrived & I got my first look at the blush. I knew right away that I would love the shade that I chose & I couldn't wait to give it a try.

I think that it gives my cheeks a natural healthy glow without looking like I'm wearing a lot of makeup. It glides on smoothly & blends in nicely with my skin tone. The blush lasts all day & I love the way it looks & feels.

This blush is available in several shades: Rosy (10), Vibrant (20), Flushed (30), Bronzed (40) & Luminous (50). Bronzed is advertised as a Bronzer, but it works perfectly as a blush.

I'm very happy with this product & I will definitely be looking to purchase more when this is gone.

You can find this product on the Neutrogena website.

I’m a member of the Crowdtap NEUTROGENA® rewards program, and NEUTROGENA® sent me a sample of its NEUTROGENA® Healthy Skin Blush to review.

Stretching & flexing with the DanceCrazy Ultra Stretch Strap #stetchingstrap

I have recently begun looking online for videos that demonstrate proper stretching techniques. As each birthday goes by, I realize that my flexibility just isn't what it used to be. Stretching is a great way to increase that flexibility, keep my body strong & healthy, and just feel better. I've been using this DanceCrazy Ultra Stretch Strap & it makes stretching so much easier.

My Stretch Strap is a bright yellow & black. It is also available in orange & black (think Halloween!). The strap is made of the black strap which is about 7' long with a padded section right in the middle which cushions your foot. The yellow side is made up of 5 loops on each side of the padded section which are used as handles. I've pulled & tugged on every loop but this is very well made & none of the stitching has come loose.

This Stretch Strap is a great way to warm up before an exercise routine or a way to stretch your muscles after your workout. I use stretching as a workout alone! There is really no right or wrong way to use this strap. I like to do yoga & now I use this strap when doing some of my yoga poses. I'm feeling muscles that I had forgotten about since I've been stretching with this strap. As I said above, I'm using this to increase flexibility but my husband is using it in conjunction with his back stretching exercises to alleviate pain in his lower back. We are both loving this Ultra Stretch Strap.

You can purchase the DanceCrazy Ultra Stretch Strap on Amazon.

#stetchingstrap

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.

Unboxing....Beauty Joy Box August 2015

Beauty Joy seems to be going back & forth on packaging decisions. This month when I opened the shipping box, there was no pretty little Tiffany Blue box inside. They just wrapped the products in a piece of their Fleur de Lis tissue paper & stuck their Beauty Joy sticker on the inside lid of the shipping box.

And there was no info card again this month. I love getting the info card, especially when I receive products that I haven't tried before so I will know exactly what I'm getting. And I also like to know who made the jewelry in case I want to order more.

This subscription box comes with 1 hand-curated jewelry item, 1 full-size beauty item & 2 - 3 deluxe samples. Here is what came in the box this month:

Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Color in Dubai - Full size $22

Almay Color + Care Liquid Lip Balm in Truffle Kiss - Full size $5.99

Nabi Retractable Waterproof Lip Liner in Pink Glitter - Full size $5

NYX Eyeshadow Single in Atlantic - Full size $5

Jewelry Item: Because there was no info card this month, I do not know who made this Arm Cuff or where I can order another one or what it costs.

This month I do not know the total value of the items in this box but, without the cost of the arm cuff, it is at least $37.99. 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.

I really love the products in this box! I love lip color & am really happy to see three full-size lip products in this box! I don't usually wear blue eye shadow but I'll give it a try. You never know, it might look good! I've never worn an arm cuff but I'll wear it out one evening soon & see if my husband likes the look.

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

Unboxing....Ipsy Glam Bag August 2015 #augustglambag #ipsy

I love the black & white makeup bag that Ipsy sent this month! And I really love the products that are inside!

The theme for August is Prep School. "Hey Lovelies, ipsy here, your one and only source to the best in beauty. Who? What? When? Where? Why? All the deets are in your August Glam Bag. You know you love it. xoxo, ipsy."

This is what I got in my Ipsy August Glam Bag:

Albertini Divine Skin Hydrator In-Shower Body Moisturizer

La Fresh Group Good Night, Night Cream

Doll 10 Beauty HydraGel Blush in Flirt

Lord & Berry Ultimate Lip Color and Liner in Nude

noyah Natural Lipstick in Desert Rose

My favorite product this month is the lipstick. I love the color & I love finding lip color in my subscription boxes! I also love the blush & the lip liner. I already have loads of creams & moisturizers but I will use these because my skin can never be too soft.

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....Birchbox August 2015 #BIRCHBOX

How cute is the August Birchbox?!?! It looks like a cute little swimming pool. When I opened this box, I was really hoping that I would LOVE what I received this month because, although I like to try new products & have been trying everything that I receive, I have received far too many fragrance samples & duplicate brands so I've been thinking about cancelling my subscription.

"soak it up"....As summer peaks (temp-wise and watermelon-consumption-wise), we're taking advantage of every last minute. That means embracing air-dried hair, ensuring our skincare is SPF-heavy and keeping our makeup minimal. We hope you love this month's samples, and can't wait to see how you use them!

So here are the products that I received this month:

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle (full size $21.95)

Coola SPF 30 Organic Makeup Setting Spray (full size $36)

Harvey Prince Hello (full size $26-$55)

LAQA & Co. Cheeky Lip in Humble Brag - 

my info card says LAQA & Co. Charm School Kit (set of 3 $20) but I did not get that set.

Supergoop! Forever Young Hand Cream with SPF 40 (full size $34)

I will try the haircare product & the makeup setting spray, but these are products that I don't normally use. The perfume sample is not a fragrance that I will wear & I think I've already got samples of every Supergoop product that is available. The only thing I was excited to see this month was the lip color but the color is WAY too pink for me. The lip color that I received last month was a terrible color too so our Halloween costume/makeup box will get them. 

I've changed my preferences a few times trying to make sure that I get the kind of products that I use but it's not working so this may be my last Birchbox. I've got my eye on a few other boxes & I may choose one of them to try next month.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box which comes with 5 beauty, grooming and/or lifestyle samples. The cost is $10 each month with free shipping to the US & Canada. It is delivered via USPS.
If you haven't subscribed to Birchbox yet but want to get in on this subscription box, click here.

Until next month....

Unboxing....Another Target Beauty Box #Target #beautybox #hellosunshine #summertimefaves

On August 3rd, Target offered up another Beauty Box & since I know that these sell out quickly I ordered one as quickly as I could. I love these boxes because they come full of products that I either already use or want to try. I also love that the boxes ship quickly & this one arrived just one week later.

This is the Hello Sunshine box. It came in the black Beauty Box & the products were wrapped in bright pink tissue paper. There is a coupon for $3 off of any Target Beauty Department purchase of $15 or more plus another coupon for 20% off of Harry Josh Pro Tools at DERMSTORE.com. These are the products that came in this box:

Cover Girl Super Sizer Mascara by Lashblast - full size ($5.99)

Fekkai Pre-Soleil Hair Mist (1.7 ounce sample size)

Hair Food Moisturizing Mask - full size ($11.99)

Olay Active Botanicals Moisturizing Toner (.6 ounce sample size)

Olay Active Botanicals Day Lotion (.6 ounce sample size)

Crest 3D Whitestrips 1hr Express (1-count sample size)

(prices shown from Target.com)

Target Beauty Boxes are not a subscription box. They offer various boxes throughout the year so I always keep my eyes open for them to appear & then grab them quickly because they sell out fast. This box was $7 with free shipping. You can see that the mascara alone costs more than $5!

I will be stalking the Target website waiting for the next box. There should be a Fall Beauty Box sometime in September....

Unboxing....Ipsy Glam Bag July 2015 #julyglambag #ipsy

My July Glam Bag arrived a couple of weeks ago & I opened the bright pink package to see what the makeup bag looked like & now I'm opening the makeup bag to share with you what I received this month!

The theme for July is Summer Lovin'. "We'll have whatever they're having. Welcome Back, Summer. We've missed you."

So here is what I got in my Ipsy July Glam bag:

Coolway Beachy Salt Spray

Eau Thermale Avenue Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleaner

Aurora Gel Effect Nail Polish in 4 Alarm Fire

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics 2-in-1 Shadow/Liner in Bronze

Crown Brush Professional Tweezers

My favorite product this month is the 4 Alarm Fire nail polish. Love that color! And the Bronze shadow/liner will get a lot of use too. I've got a lot of tweezers so I wasn't especially excited to see those. Same for the cleanser....got a bathroom full of cleansers. I've never had much luck with salt sprays. I just don't think they work for my hair type. But I'll use everything because I like to try all sorts of new products.

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?

We're crazy for CoffeeCrazy's Organic & Fair Trade Blends! #frenchroast #espresso

We drink coffee every day. It is not a good day at our house if we were to run out of coffee. So I was really happy to get to review these Organic & Fair Trade blends from CoffeeCrazy! We drink all types of coffee but I generally prefer a medium to medium-dark roast & my husband likes a darker roast so these were right up our alley.

The first blend that we tried is the Organic & Fair Trade French Roast coffee. This is a blend that my husband really likes but a french roast is a bit dark for me so I usually use a bit more of my creamer to mellow it to my taste. When I opened this bag of coffee & took a whiff, I loved the scent of the beans & they had a glossy dark brown appearance. I ground them in a manual grinder & brewed them in my Keurig brewer. I was pleasantly surprised that had a milder taste than other french roast blends that I have tried. It is very smooth but full of flavor with no bitter taste. I don't have to use nearly as much creamer as I usually do & I even drank it black a couple of times. If you haven't tried French Roast because it is a darker roast than you usually drink, try this one.

Then we tried the Organic & Fair Trade Colombian Roast coffee. This is a coffee blend that both my husband & I enjoy. These beans have a fresh brown appearance & a slightly earthy scent. They smelled wonderful as I ground them & as the coffee brewed. The taste is a perfect medium-bodied taste that I consider a classic cup of coffee. Colombian has always been a favorite at our house & this blend did not disappoint.

And finally we tried the Organic & Fair Trade Espresso Roast coffee. I have never had espresso because I have heard that it is much stronger than coffee with a lot more caffeine. So I was surprised when I opened this bag & didn't get an overpowering aroma from the beans. We don't have a machine specifically for espresso so we decided to try it in our French press. When we tried the coffee, it was not at all what we expected. It did not taste like a dark roast & not as acidic as we had anticipated. It was a  nice taste & we continue to enjoy it. Maybe we didn't get the results that were intended because we used a French press instead of an espresso machine.

Each of these CoffeeCrazy blends come packaged in a 12 ounce resealable bag. They are USDA Organic & non-GMO. These coffee blends are also Fair Trade which helps farmers in developing countries improve the quality of life in their communities by getting a fair price for their product & engaging in environmentally-friendly practices. 

You can purchase each of these coffee blends on Amazon:

CoffeeCrazy Organic & Fair Trade French Roast

CoffeeCrazy Organic & Fair Trade Colombian Roast 

CoffeeCrazy Organic & Fair Trade Espresso Roast

#frenchroast #espresso

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 and are based on my personal experience and use of the products.

Unboxing....Beauty Joy Box July 2015

I got my Beauty Joy subscription box later than usual in July. The company had an issue with the lipstick that they were going to include in the box & had to wait for another product to be shipped. But it finally arrived & I could definitely tell that they had hurried to get them out. Mine had the Fleur de Lis tissue paper but it was not closed with the Beauty Joy sticker & I also did not receive the info card that is always on top of every beauty box. 

The presentation this month was nothing special with all of the missing elements, but at least the box arrived! This subscription box comes with 1 hand-curated jewelry item, 1 full-size beauty item & 2 - 3 deluxe samples. Here is what came in the box this month:

Gold Tones Layered Look Bracelets $10

Laura Geller Baked Impressions Eyeshadow Duo in Fine Wines $24

Klean Color Nail Lacquer in Diamond Purple $3.49

Sister Sky Body Wash in Sweet Grass $1.25

Sister Sky Body Cream in Sweet Grass $1.25

The value of the items in this box is $39.99. 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.

I really love the products in this box! The bracelet is really cute & I've got a couple of new summer tops that it will look great with. The eyeshadows are colors that I like so I will wear them & the purple nail polish is sparkly & a fun color for summer. I really like the sample size body wash & body cream. They smell so light & fresh! I usually toss all of my sample size products into my "Sample Bag" & use them when we travel. But I'm going to use these! 

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