I <3 U Influenster!

Oh Influenster.  I never thought I would be so involved in a site, but I am. I love the community of ladies and gents on here. I spend hours reading reviews and tons of  articles on the new Hub page. Some people may have joined just to try to get the VoxBoxes, which is a great perk, but the sense of community is what I enjoy. The team is always on Instagram and Twitter, staying engaged with us. Who dosen't love a Twitter party! Yes, I have snuck off at work to watch my Twitter feed, you know you have too:)

So, you're probably wondering what in the world I'm talking about. "What is Influenster? " Well, it's a free community of people that share reviews on items. "What's so special about that?" You might be saying. I tend not to trust many reviews. You never know if it was a paid spokesperson. These are true, real deal reviews that help me make purchasing decisions. Plus, I like sharing my point of view on items and places. And to know that the companys are listening to my voice, makes me feel like a valued consumer.

There are perks to being part of the community too. Sometimes you qualify for what is called a VoxBox. A VoxBox can be big or small. Sometimes it is only one item that you are being asked to review or the bigger boxes where you recieve many items. I have recieved VoxBoxs that were simply a coupon for free cheese. Yes, I was extremely excited about free cheese. I would not shut up about how excited I was. It was some darn good cheese too. When you get that extra special email saying you will be part of the next VoxBox, it's amazing! It truly makes me giddy. The weeks of waiting and waiting then that moment you walk  up the stairs after a long day at work and you see that beautiful box at your doorstep. Ahhhhh! You turn into a kid at Christmas. "What treasures will be inside?" You carefully open the box, holding your breath as you lift the top to reveal the wonder inside. I feel like it's shining gold, kinda like the scene in Pulp Fiction when Sam Jackson shows Tim Roth what's inside the briefcase. Influenster simply asks that you try out the items sent and post honest, unbiased reviews on the items on the Influenster site. Spread the word even more by blogging, tweeting, post to Facebook and post a video on your YouTube channel. I have done a couple YouTube videos and they are not great, pretty painful to watch, but I feel that if Influenster was kind enough to include me in the VoxBox program, I should share on every social network that I use. I was bummed when I first joined that I would never receive a VoxBox because I don't have a lot of social pull like many of the others in the community. They really won me over when I received one about a month after I joined. My favorite VoxBox was the Sugar n' Spice box. I still use all of these products to this day.  I post my reviews on items that I love and don't love so much. I try to engage in all the Twitter parties. If I'm included in programs, that's cool, if not that's cool too.

The site has gone through some changes over the years but I feel this is my favorite update. First of all , The Hub is great. So many tips and articles on based on what you are interested in. I tend to stick to the fashion and beauty section. Just learned today how to fight dry skin in the winter. Who dosen't need to know that! Thanks Influenster,  you got your girls back:) I really get a kick out of Word of the Day. I try to use it at least twice a day lol.  Second, VoxPerks. This a new part of the site and it's super sweet. They load coupons and offers for you to use. Umm...coupons, yes please. I belive that these are based on past VoxBox programs that you have taken part in and based on your interest. So, if you join, and don't have any yet, don't worry, I'm sure some will be on the way.

I use my phone for most of my needs like most of us. The Influenster mobile site is easy to navigate and is user friendly BUT!! Now they have an InfluensterApp out. Sadly, it's only out for Apple right now but the Android version is on its way soon. I can not wait!!
I hope this wasn't too much of a ramble but it really is a great thing to be part of and I encourage you all to check it out. It is an invite only site but don't worry, I have some or you can look on their Facebook page and many others are willing to share theirs. If you would like and invite, please leave your email in the comments and I will send you one:)

CVS clearance haul

It's been awhile but I thought a CVS beauty haul would be the perfect comeback! If you didn't know, CVS is running their beloved beauty clearance sale now. If you're looking for a nice of items on sale now, check out G 's post over at her amazing blog, Nouveau Cheap

I spent $30 (including a good deal on some Tide:)) I purchased some Excedrin, and some clearance wine, before my beauty purchase, and received $2 ExtraBucks.  That made my nails only 2.99. SWEET!  Remember, not all items will be marked. The Physicians Formula was not marked but they scanned clesrance. Also, make sure to scan your rewards card to see if you have coupons or ExtraBucks.  This is a great time to pick up some holiday gifts or just try some new products.

My mobile is not letting me add text to the pics but here's a run down of the savings. 

Sally Hansen Insta Gel starter kit in Red My Lips- Sale-$7.49 Savings- $22.50

KISS Everlasting french wrap kit- Sale-$4.99 Savings-$5.00 (plus another $2 from extrabuck)

SH hand creme- Sale-$1.99 Savings-$6

SH foot creme- Sale-$1.99 Savings-$6

SH cuticle pen- Sale-$.75 Savings-$6.74

PF Happy Booster bronzer/blush- Sale-$3.69 Savings-$11.10

PF Happy Booster blush- Sale-$3.19 Savings-$9.60

PF Happy Booster powder-Sale-$3.57 Savings-10.72

BAM!!!!

Duck Dynasty nail polish and beauty items

Who would have thought Duck Dynasty would have come out with a polish/beauty accessory line. I mean, they do have just about everything else, so it was due to come eventually. After seeing the spotted pictures on a fellow blog back in November, I freaked out and had to find them! But.......working in retail and commuting during the holiday season made my search very hard. I only got started with my search last week:( The line is only found at Walmart and is very HTF. Most has gone to clearance and some stores never received it. I have gone to 7, yes 7, Walmart's in 5 different cities to find  these guys. There's 2 I didn't get to, and believe me, I will find the time to complete my collection. I'm missing 5 colors and it's driving me crazy.  If you are on the search for these, look everywhere in the beauty department. I found many colors just thrown on random shelves, on a clearance endcap in beauty, on bottom shelves of in aisle displays and in boxes in the regular clearance isles.

I'm a huge fan of the show, and think the beauty line is a really cool idea. There's nothing DD that I would ever want to buy but now, I have my piece of the DD craze. The line including 15 nail polish colors, nail stickers, nail files, purse manicure kits, glue on nails, nail decals, temporary tattoos, tweezers, bath scrubbies  that has their head on it ( imagine showering with Jase, oh boy!!!) and Chapstick. The only pieces I really had to have was the polish of course  but I needed up grabbing nail decals, nail stickers , tweezers and a mani kit. I would fell kinda creepy using something that had the guys head on it to bath myself even it was Jase. 

Overall, the formulas  of the polish are pretty great. Equal to OPI or China Glaze. It's a wide selection of  pretty and unique colors. Not to mention the pretty cool names. The Si tweezers work good too. Along the line of the Revlon slanted tip tweezers. I would prefer for them to be thinner like Tweezerman but hey, as long as they get those pesky hairs, that's all that's important. I haven't tried the nail stickers yet, but I hope they will stay at least a couple of days. The nail decals I have used , and worked great! Just remember to use a top coat for a long lasting design.

If you across any of these items, especially the polish, grab it up quick!

Duck be a Lady

Fancy Denim Overalls

Good Duck Charm

Shake your Tail Feather

Redneck Tree Stand

Uncle Si's Beard

Thank My Ducky Stars

Just Ducky, I Guess

Duck On

Color-Changing Mallard'

Cindy Crawford Meaningful Beauty Creme de Serum review

It's been a crazy few months. I've finally had a chance to blog! I received a sample size of Meaningful Beauty Creme de Serum complimentary from Influenser for testing purposes a couple weeks. Yay! Another VoxBox! I have seen the infomercials about this line many times and was always interested. Meaningful Beauty claims that the Creme de Serum "helps protect, increase hydration and prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles" I usually don't buy into these claims, but after using MB Creme de Serum, I really see a difference in my skin. The formula is very creamy, applies smooth and is very lightweight. The only drawback for possible users is the fragrant smell. It's a bit strong for a face treatment. It does bother me, but may for sensitive persons. My skin feels so soft and keeps my skin looking fresh and illuminate. My fine line around my eyes and lips seem less noticeable only after 2 weeks. I'd love to try the whole program, and see how it improves my skin. Overall this a great product that I will buy but feel that the price ,$64.00 at beauty retailers, is a bit high for the serum. I would probably just purchase from the Meaning Beauty website here and get the system for $39.99.

small vent

is it just me or are you all tired of seeing the same ol' collections year after year for the holidays? Or the same color/glitter/texture/whatever hot craze from different brands. Sooooo frustrating. Where is the creativity! China Glaze seems to be the best at switching stuff up and OPI the worse. So expensive and so boring!!! Need them to get on the ball. !!!!

MAC Prep + Prime BB cream compact

I have tried so many BB creams looking for something that will give me decent coverage without a heavy makeup feel but no luck. The closest I have found were Loreal Youth Code and Physicans Formula Super BB. Both had decent coverage and long wear, but settled into my lines and the colors just didn't match my skin tone.,I don't like the fact that a lot of these BB creams have only 2 shades to choose from. It really singles out millions of women who want to try BB. I saw MAC a cream too and I was super curious about it. But after reading the reviews and playing around with the tester, it was another no go for me. Pretty much, most BB are for teens and people in their 20's that have nice, pretty skin. Not older women with wrinkles, red blotches and saggy skin. Sigh. But I believe I have found a perfect one for us! I dropped by the MAC counter to see if they were getting Rick Baker line ( no they are not:((() and spotted BB compacts. The formula was nice and creamy and came in 9 shades! I asked the lady working to help me chose a shade and she applied light plus to one side of my face and light to the other. Light plus was abut darker than my skin tone and still showed all my flaws and did not blend well with my jaw line. Light worked out perfect. It came me enough coverage and I feel it really brightened my face up. It did not settle in my lines and pores and dried to a nice semi-matte. I'm just looking for a nice, lightweight everyday foundation and this is such a winner!!! You can find it for $30 at MAC counters/stores and of course online and yet again, it's available in 9 shades. I just looked at the wed site and they only had the fair skin shades up which is weird, but I'm sure they will all be up soon. Quick tip too. I prefer to use a small stipple brush to apply instead of the sponge provided. It gave me more control of my coverage. 

Day 12- stripes

I wanted to get a little creative so I tried  to do some texture stripes. I used Sinful Colors Orange Cream as a base then for my stripes, Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in Cotton Candies, Sour Apple and Bubble Plum. I think for my newbie ways plus I was high on cough medicine, it came out ok. I used a small brush from my bundle monster brush/dotting tool set. If I had slowed Dow and payed closer attention, it would have been more epic. But I'm with the results and toe it is pretty cute and unique:))