Joy, Life and More

My latest box from Influenster  came with a product from a company I have used other products for many years. In fact, if you are woman, I would guess at some point in your life you have used a product from this company.  Carefree has come out with a thin body shape pantiliner with acti-fresh, which is supposed to leave you with a fresh feeling! I received a pack of 20 liners to test. These liners are so thin, I didn't even notice I was wearing anything at all. Plus I didn't worry about any yucky smells. C'mon now, we all worry about those things that time of the month and just about any time we need to use a pantiliner. I admit with age and after giving birth, my bladder muscles aren't the strongest. So in addition to the other Carefree products I have used in the past, I'm liking this new product. Another great thing is it doesn't take a lot of space in a purse! I'm not sure the retail price of these but I imagine it would be in the range of...

One of the first beauty box subscriptions I purchased a few years ago was Birchbox . To be truthful, I ended up canceling my subscription after three months because I didn't find the samples compelling enough to want to use any of them. After a couple of years, I decided to sign up again last August. I started watching videos on YouTube of beauty vloggers unboxing their beauty subscription boxes. I also got interested in makeup again and wanting to feel better about myself. I used to use makeup regularly when I worked but after I got married and started having children, I put that part of myself aside. It was just easier to get up in the morning and not have to bother with makeup. Now that my boys are a little older and don't need as much concentrated attention, I have time to primp in the mornings. Birchbox costs just $10 a month and comes with at least five samples. I wouldn't categorize all the samples as deluxe sized samples but you can usually get at least 2-3 ...

So I popped into my local Marshall's the other day to see what kinds of beauty products were available. You can find some makeup, skincare and hair products at prices much cheaper than retail. I used to think some of the products were discontinued or slightly damaged. But lately there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason why you can find certain products there. Be aware, many times there are only a few quantity of each item, so don't go expecting a large beauty section like in a drugstore or big box store. The biggest disappointment for me is when I find something I might like and it looks like someone has already "tried" the product be it a swatch or actually trying it on themselves! That is unsanitary and completely gross! On the other hand, I found this little gem which was nicely sealed with no way of someone getting in the box. It is a collection of three salves (balms) from the company Rose & Co. out of the UK. It is a company created by a mothe...

Wet n Wild Mega Slicks, Wet n Wild Natural Blend Lip Shimmer, Jordana Modern Matte I found two Wet n Wild lip products and one Jordana at my local Walgreens which looked interesting, and I wanted to try them. All these lip products are inexpensive and probably available at most Walgreens around the nation. The two Wet n Wild products were regular $1.79 each or 2 for $3 with the Rewards Card, the latter which you could also earn 500 Balance Rewards points. The Jordana product was $2.49. The Wet n Wild Mega Slicks  lip gloss was just okay for me. It smelled fine but when I put it on my lips, it was just too shimmery for me. Maybe if I was 30 years or more younger :) this would have looked just right for me. On the other hand, I may try to wear this over some lipstick. But this really isn't as sheer as what I would like in a lip gloss. The Jordana Modern Matte was in the color Matte Tease. It is a pretty color but other than that, I thought this was awful. It had a vanil...

Here are a few products I'm loving at the start of 2015!  Stila In The Light Eye Palette, on sale $20 Stila  Stila's In The Light has been my go-to makeup palette this month! It is not new and has been around for awhile. I think that is why it's being phased out on the  Stila  website. I received this as a Christmas gift, and as someone getting back into makeup, it has been a great starter palette. There is a lovely mix of mattes and shimmer eye shadows, the latter which is fine for day wear when combined with the mattes. It also comes with a booklet showing different looks with the eye shadows. I definitely recommend this palette especially if you are using makeup for the first time or getting back into makeup like I am! Equate Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, $3.97 Walmart I picked up this eye makeup remover after watching YouTuber JulieG. mention this as her go-to eye makeup remover. It is affordable and works well removing makeup. I use this makeup ...

Aside from makeup, the tools you use can be rather expensive especially if you are looking for long-lasting and quality brushes. I'd been hearing about the e.l.f. Studio line of brushes which are a higher end to their regular brushes. The Studio line of brushes are black handled and metal whereas the regular line is white and plastic handle. Of course the price for the Studio line is higher at about two to three times the cost of the regular line. Now before you throw up your hands and say, "I can't afford it," let me put it into perspective. The regular line costs anywhere from $1-3 while the Studio line is $3-6 on average. I had never tried any of the e.l.f. brushes but had heard wonderful things about their Kabuki Face Brush . The Kabuki Face Brush is one of those staples you need especially if you want to apply face powder flawlessly or as flawless as you can get. It is usually short with a wide soft head. According to the e.l.f. website, this brush is a synth...

I couldn't help but stop in at my local CVS again to pick up a few more L'Oreal Infallible products last week. This time I got Pro-Matt Foundation in Shell Beige and the Pro-Last Lipcolor in Timeless Rose . I have not tried out the foundation yet but I have heard great reviews so I'm excited to try it out soon. L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Last Lipcolor On the other hand, I couldn't wait to try out the Pro-Last Lipcolor. This lip product is really a 2-in-1 with the lip color on one end and a moisturizing balm on the other end. I picked the Timeless Rose which is a rose color with a little bit of sparkles. I have used similar colored lip glosses, so I knew this would work for me and it did! To use the product, apply the color to your lips and let it dry for a 2-3 minutes. Then take the balm (white side) and apply it right over the lip color. I loved how the color applied on my lips and it didn't take long to dry. However, my lips felt pretty tacky and d...