Five for Friday

Hello and welcome to my Five for Friday! I am linking up with Bright on a Budget, Della Devoted, and BYBMG!

1. My mom wanted to do a sewing project and she made this makeup brush bag for me! It's hard to tell in the picture but there's little divided sections to put the brushes in and a nylon backing that's easy to wipe off. I've never had a bag specifically for my makeup brushes, so it's pretty nice!

2. I got a ring light kit for Christmas and it has been so great to use! The lighting in our house is absolutely terrible and it's been really hard to try to take pictures, so the ring light has been really helpful! 

3. It's been quite a while since I received anything from Influenster, so I was surprised to see I would be getting their L'Oreal Rouge Signature Lip Ink voxbox!

The colors are all pretty but it's an interesting product. The formula is really lightweight and it feels like you're just putting water on your lips-it's that light. But it's kind of weird because it's not a stain but it's not a lipstick. It dries just enough to feel slightly drying on your lips, but if I try to put a lip balm over it it just smears. 

Overall it's just okay. I wish it was an actual stain because it feels just drying enough to make me need to use a lip balm over it, but it's just runny enough to smear if you aren't careful.

4. We had a 'big winter storm' last weekend where we were supposed to get up to 6 inches of snow but we ended up barely getting a dusting. And the next day we lost power for about 3 1/2 hours which was interesting. It didn't take long to get really cold in our house!

5. In case you missed it, last week I shared my 2018 in review and on Monday I shared some of the books I've read lately. On Wednesday I shared a fun DIY on how to make a marble tile look backdrop!

Hope you have a great weekend!

I received the L'Oreal Rouge Signature Lip Ink complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes in exchange for an honest review. All reviews and opinions are my own.

Herbal Essences Voxbox

It's been quite a while since I received anything from Influenster, so I was happy to finally be selected for something! I received the Honey I'm Strong shampoo and conditioner, as well as the Let It Loose hairspray. 

I've always liked Herbal Essences shampoo, it's always worked well for me and this was no different. I was surprised to get such a huge bottle though! I wasn't expecting the Costco sized one. I guess I won't need to buy shampoo and conditioner for a while! 

The scent of the shampoo and conditioner is nice and light. I wouldn't say it really smells like honey per se, but it does smell nice.

The conditioner was nice too. It didn't leave my hair feeling weighed down or greasy. It left my hair feeling really light and soft.

I liked the hairspray, it had a nice, light, floral scent. Not too strong or overpowering. It reminded me of something from Bath & Body Works. It had pretty good hold and didn't leave my hair feeling stiff. 

Overall I was pleased with the Herbal Essences products and would continue to purchase them in the future. 

Do you like Herbal Essences products?

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes in exchange for an honest review. All reviews and opinions are my own.

Influenster Target Dry Spray VoxBox

In this VoxBox, I received one dry spray deodorant for myself, and another to share with a man in your life. Which, for me, was my brother.

My thoughts:
3/5
I wasn't real thrilled with this product. I do buy Dove deodorant, but only because I have not been able to find a natural/organic deodorant that works. 

I do not like spray-on products because of all of the propellants used in them. I don't like to use chemicals on myself! This was no better, every ingredient was some strange chemical and was pretty much unpronounceable.  

I also didn't really care for the smell. It's not too bad, just not my preferred type of scent. 

I think the price is too high for the amount of use you would get out of this product. It seems like a stick of deodorant would last much longer than this.

Now onto the good! I liked the design of the bottle. It is smooth and easy to hold onto. The design was clean and easily conveyed what it is. The spray does dry very quickly and is long-lasting. I was concerned about overspray, and it making my clothes icky, but that wasn't really an issue.

Overall, my only real complaints are the ingredients. 

Micheal's thoughts:
4/5
My brother enjoyed this product. He liked that it was easy to use and he really liked the fact that it sprays on and prefers that over stick deodorant. 

His only complaints were that he didn't care for the scent and he wasn't sure how much of the deodorant to use. There is no direction or instruction on how much is needed. I don't know if it's one of those things that is more preference or, for instance, is a 2-second spray enough? 

Thank you to Influenster for sending us these to try!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes in exchange for an honest review. All reviews and opinions are my own.

Sunshine VoxBox from Influenster

Taking a little break from the travel posts to share my Sunshine VoxBox!

I was very excited to receive the Sunshine VoxBox from Influenster! It had been quite a while since I had received a VoxBox, and I had almost given up on ever receiving one again when I got an email saying I had been selected for one! 

Here's what was inside...

I received the Sunshine VoxBox card listing the products, information on the products, and prices of all the items (which valued almost $30.)

I also received a coupon for the Bark Thins and three coupons for Dickinson's products.

Now, onto the reviews!

Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel Refreshingly Clean Cleansing Cloths

These cleansing wipes work really well. They have a bit of an odd smell to them (not sure what the smell is, it's not witch hazel, because I don't mind the smell of regular witch hazel. But it's almost maybe a plain yogurt type smell?) Anyways, it's not weird enough to not use them. I like that they use all natural ingredients, there are no chemicals, and they do not leave your skin feeling sticky! I purchased some Burt's Bees facial wipes when I was traveling in Europe, and they made my skin feel so sticky and gross! I wish I would have had these! They leave my skin feeling fresh and clean. They work pretty good at removing makeup too! I would definitely recommend these!

Infusium 23 Moisture Replenisher Leave-in Smoothing Creme

The Infusium 23 Moisture Replenisher is okay. It works pretty well the first day at controling frizz (and I do not really have a frizz problem to begin with.) but I do need to apply more the second day. The smell isn't too bad. It's not great but it's not bad either. It did leave my hair feeling smooth without that icky buildup feel. Not sure I would actually go out and purchase this product on my own, but it wasn't too bad for a free product.

Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Sooth Spray Moisturizer

I did not like this product at all. I do not like Vaseline brand products to being with (considering that they are full of really harsh chemicals). This product was not different and contained a lot of chemicals. 

This does not rub in very well, does not spray on evenly, and did not moisturize my skin at all. I live in a really dry climate and put some on and a few hours later my skin looked just as dry as it did before. I've tried it multiple times and I even tried spraying some on thick on my feet and then putting on socks before I went to bed and my feet were still very dry in the morning (as opposed to my natural lotion that will keep my feet moisturized for days.)

I also do not get the point of this being a spray-on moisturizer. If you use it in the house you have to stand in the tub/shower so it doesn't get all over. I thought that it was like spray-on sun screen where you don't have to rub it in, but you spray this on and then you still have to rub it in. I would rather have regular lotion than more expensive spray-on lotion.

The price point is too high for the amount of product you get. (Influenster values this product at $6.49.) so it is not a good deal.

The only positive thing I have to say about this is that it did have a pleasant scent to it, since it's aloe (although not a natural aloe smell.) And it used compressed air as a propellant instead of more harsh chemicals.

This is not a product I would recommend.

SinfulColors Nail Polish

I wasn't sure about the color of this nail polish when I pulled it out of the box. It's not typically a color I would pick out for myself, but, once I tried it on I kinda liked it! It is bright, but it is a nice color. It was thick enough that I only had to put on one coat and it went on nicely. Considering it retails for around $1.99, I was surprised at the quality. I would definitely purchase nail polish from SinfulColors. (The color is called "Ocean Side.)

Blue Diamond Sriracha Almonds

I had never had anything sriracha flavored, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw this package of almonds. I do like almonds and was interested in trying these. I was a little worried they were going to be really spicy, but they weren't. I actually really liked these sriracha almonds! I shared them with my sister and brother and they both liked them too! Not sure if I would buy them again, but they were pretty good!

barkTHINS

These were SO good! I received a coupon for a free package of barkTHINS (they were a little difficult to get, Fred Meyer's didn't carry them and Target had trouble getting the coupon to work. I had to go back in and they had to refund me the money because the coupon didn't work the first time.) Anyways, I wasn't sure what flavor to try (I was stuck trying to choose between the almond or pretzel.) but I ended up getting the almond.

They're GMO free (which is really great!), no preservatives or chemicals, only real ingredients. They tasted really good! Sometimes dark chocolate can have a really bitter taste and that wasn't the case with these. I am not a fan of Hershey's chocolate (it's way too sweet!) and this was neither overly sweet or bitter. I shared these with my family and all 5 of us really enjoyed them! And there are lots of great flavors! Coconut, pretzel, pumpkin seed, blueberry quinoa, and, of course, the almond.

I would definitely buy these again! 

Thank you to Influenster for sending me the Sunshine VoxBox!

If you are interested in getting your own VoxBox from Influenster, you can sign up using my referral link!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes in exchange for an honest review. All reviews and opinions are my own.

Celestial Candy Cane Lane Tea review

I will start off by saying I am not much of a tea drinker. I have some black tea from England that I kind of like, but besides that, I don't really care for it. I would much rather have a cup of coffee! But anyways, back to the tea...

There were two tea bags in this packet, so I made a cup for my sister and I.

Hannah and I did not like the tea. The peppermint flavor was way too strong. (Obviously it would be since it is candy cane lane!) Hannah usually really likes peppermint flavored things, but she agreed that the flavor in the tea was too strong and we both thought it had an odd aftertaste. Had there not been so much peppermint, I think we might have liked it. So, it was a miss instead of a hit this time.

On the positive note, I did like that it had all natural ingredients. Such as vanilla bean and orange peel.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes in exchange for an honest review. All reviews and opinions are my own.

Rimmel London product review

I had been wanting to try a kohl eyeliner, so I was happy to receive one in my Frosty Voxbox.

The color (black) is really bold and it glides on really easily, which is nice. (Isn't so great if you happen to mess up as it's hard to get off!) The only thing I didn't like about the Rimmel London Scandaleyes kohl liner is that it is hard to remove! 

I definitely wouldn't consider this makeup remover anything special. It did an okay job removing the makeup I typically wear everyday (none of which is waterproof.) but when I tried to use it to remove the waterproof kohl liner (above) I had a really hard time getting it off! It says it is a 'gentle makeup remover', but I was scrubbing and scrubbing trying to get the waterproof eyeliner off. I got a little in my eyes and it was burning. I finally used my natural face cleanser and that worked much better. I thought it was kind of dumb that this makeup remover couldn't even remove makeup made by the same brand. I definitely don't think I would recommend or buy this makeup remover. 

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes in exchange for an honest review. All reviews and opinions are my own.

Frosty Voxbox review

Hello! Today I will be sharing my first Voxbox! I was excited to be picked for the Frosty Voxbox and was happy to see it was filled with some fun items!

 

 I already use McCormick brand spices and am pleased with them. I have used the thyme in several recipes already (calzones, herb blend for my Christmas turkey, and chicken pot pie.). The thyme has a good, strong flavor and I would definitely recommend this!

 I was happy to find a hairbrush in my Voxbox because I really needed a new hairbrush! I had never heard of the Ecotools brand before, so this was my first experience trying one of their products. I actually really like the brush! The shape of the brush and the spacing of the bristles help it to not snag or pull my hair. I would definitely recommend this brush!

I have tried the Rimmel London makeup remover and it's okay. I will have the full review next week.

Review coming soon!

I'm not sure if I will try this, since I really do not have a need for any anti-aging products.

 Full review coming next week.

This NYC lip color isn't a color I would have typically picked out for myself; but I like it. It's pretty close to my natural lip color, so it isn't too bold. I would definitely buy lipstick from this brand. 

I really did not like these Fruit Vines. I like the traditional Red Vines, but these fruit ones were terrible. They were so sticky and stick to your teeth really bad! I shared them with my family (without saying if I liked them or not) and no one cared for them. I definitely would not purchase these myself.

Overall, I am pretty happy with my first Voxbox, and I hope I am picked for another one again soon!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes in exchange for an honest review. All reviews and opinions are my own.