Unboxing....Beauty Joy January 2016

My January Beauty Joy box arrived in my mailbox last Saturday. It came in a gold bubble wrapper & the products were packed inside of this cute polka dot makeup bag. This is the 2nd month that the products have come in something besides a box. If this is going to continue, I like it!

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:

Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Some Beach - Full Size $16

A glossy lip crayon with a smooth texture! 

Bombshell Application: Apply to top and bottom lips for full coverage. 

For sheer coverage, apply to lower lip only and blot lips together. 

BeaBombshellCosmetics.com

Be a Bombshell Lip Liner in Afternoon Delight - Full Size $14

A smooth long lasting lip liner! 

Bombshell Application: Apply to the edge of top and bottom lips, 

starting in the center and working your way to the corners. 

BeaBombshellCosmetics.com

Vichy Idealia BB Cream - Deluxe Sample Size $2.50

A BB creme that does it all! 

Made with kombucha, an active tea concentrate that soothes and brightens 

skin and Vichy Thermal Water with soothing and softening properties. 

Hypoallergenic and Paraben free. 

Vichy.com

Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss in Reliable Red - Full Size $5.49

A new high-gloss nail polish formula that combines a base coat, 

high-gloss color and a chip-resistant top coat in one simple step! 

CoverGirl.com

Glass Bean Necklace - $10

Our designer brings these special in-house creations to life just for you! 

BeautyJoyBox.com

Another great box! I love the makeup bag & I hope this subscription box will continue shipping in cute bags. I love the crayon & nail polish. I don't usually wear lip liner but I'll try it. Who knows! I might decide I can't live without it! And I can't wait until Spring because I've got the perfect dress & sandals to wear with that necklace.

The total value of the items in this box is $47.99, not including the cost of the makeup bag. 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 January 2016 #januaryglambag #ipsy

The theme for the Ipsy January Glam Bag is All Eyes On You. "Keep your eyes on the prize! From must-have products to prettify your peepers - like theBalm's cult-fave eyeliner - to on-the-go beauty essentials. January is all about a seriously standout look."

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

City Color Cosmetics Eyeshadow Trio in Falling Leaves

theBalm Cosmetics Mr. Write (Now) in Jack B. Bronze

Beau Gachis Paris Smudge Brush

Hey Honey Skincare Open Your Eyes Eye Contour Lifting Fluid

Mitchel and Peach English Leaf Body Cream

My favorite products this month are the eyeshadow trio & the body cream. I love eyeshadow & this trio of colors are what I would normally wear and the body cream smells amazing!

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....Beauty Joy December 2015

My Beauty Joy box for December arrived on Christmas Eve! This month the packaging is very different from any other that I've received. Everything was shipped in a gold bubble wrapper & instead of the Tiffany blue box, the products came in a cute little bag & the jewelry came in a velour drawstring bag!

This subscription box comes with 1 hand-curated jewelry item, 1 full-size beauty item & 2 - 3 deluxe samples. There was no info card this month but this is what came in the box:

 

Laura Geller Baked ImPRESSions Eye Palette in Espresso Yourself - Full Size $30

Ultra wearable and highly pigmented shades for everyday fabulous wear!

Use code JANBDAY25 for 25% off of any purchase at LauraGeller.com until 1/31/16!

Maybelline Super Stay 14 Hour Lipstick in Wine and Forever - Full Size $8.99

Super rich color with super staying power in one amazing weightless formula. 

No dragging. No drying. No letdowns at all. Maybelline.com

Beautiful Face Makeup Brush - $1

Made with a soft synthetic nylon material for easy application.

Peter Thomas Roth Mega Rich Conditioner - $3

This vitamin-infused conditioner nourishes with a mega-luxe Biotin B-7 Complex 

while Vitamins C, E & Pro Vitamin B5 leave hair soft, smooth, stylish and touchable. PeterThomasRoth.com

Swarovski Crystal Earrings - $10

Brilliant Swarovski crystals set in 18k silver of gold plated over brass studs. 

Made in-house just for you!

This is another great box! I love the graphics on the little zipper bag & I hope this subscription box will continue shipping in cute bags. I love the lipstick & eye shadows because they are all shades that I already wear & the earrings are very pretty so they will be worn a lot. I have a lot of makeup brushes but can always use another because I can't seem to find one when I need it & I always love trying new hair products.

The total value of the items in this box is $42.99, not including the cost of the bag. 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 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.