I'M BACK

...and I've got a plan.

Remember 6 months ago when I started promising you that big changes were coming to my page? Well it took awhile but...HERE IT IS, YAY!!!! I know, I know, I know but better late than never right? 

So What's The Plan?

Way back in December the New Year had me thinking about my life and what direction I wanted it to go in this year, because in March I turned 39. 39! I am officially in the last year of my 30's and my life isn't exactly where I thought it would be by the time I reached this age. So I decided to try and do something about it, to get my life "together-ish" by the time I turn 40. Look I'm no miracle worker, I know I can't magic my dream life into existence in a year, but I can do more than I'm currently doing to get it (which is nothing) and I can definitely be in a better place and on a better road by the time 40 hits. Hence the new name "Girl40Project." I feel like to date I have lived my life in reaction to things that happen to me, but I'm turning 40 and I don't want to live like that anymore I want to live my life purposefully. I intend to be proactive not reactive, but doing that is going to be a project (heh. heh. you see what I did there?) It is going to take work and I've decided to document it here. I also hope that this and my FaceBook page will be a place where WE (that's you and me) will have an ongoing discussion about our lives and how we live them to the fullest each day.

What Are We Going To Talk About?

LOTS OF THINGS!

I will continue to talk about the fun stuff:

BOOKS - I love reading and discussing good books, so that will continue.

MAKE-UP/NAIL POLISH/HAIR - I also love make-up and continue to receive my Birchbox and Ipsy Glambag subscriptions, so I will continue doing openings, reviews, hopefully some tutorials and manicures. I do want to slant this toward the new page though. I watch YouTube videos like everyone else and I love them, especially the beauty gurus but have you noticed that all those guru girls are like 12 (alright more like twenty-something but still) and gorgeous. Well I ain't 20, and I'm not model perfect, so I'm going to talk about the make-up and looks that work for me. For instance I will not be reviewing the latest red glitter eyeshadow because 1) Red?! Really, this is a color we're putting on our eyes? No lie when Wet and Wild came out with an eyeshadow trio last summer that included a red, silver, and black glitter shadow I asked a guru that had given it rave reviews how practical it was and where she planned to make those colors seem wearable. She replied by saying that people just have to have an imagination and be daring. Needless to say the look that turned up in her tutorial looked like a clown did it, but hey if you're 20 and doing it in the club maybe clown is what you want, but I can't hit up the local Stop and Shop looking like that so...NO. 2) Glitter. You know what happens when a 39 year old puts glitter on their eyes. Sparkly crows feet. NOPE. However, I will discuss things like St. Ives' collagen elastin facial moisturizer which is supposed to add elasticity and youthful fullness to your skin, because 1) These are things I care about. 2) I have yet to find anyone over the age of 25 reviewing it on YouTube.

RECIPES - Occasionally I might try things. If I do and they are yummy I'll let you know. Why? Because I love a good recipe swap.

BEAUTY ON A BUDGET - I'm going to continue that because I love make-up and want to look good but I'm also frugal and believe in saving. I don't want to throw money away and I think this really helps me examine my spending.

GENERAL REVIEWS -  I buy things. I like to talk about them.

TV/VIDEOGAMES - I'm junkie. Things need to be discussed. Mostly via Facebook I'd say.


I will start talking about the things I want to "fix" in my life:


OVERWEIGHT - Must start to get this under control. They say losing/maintaining weight is harder as you get older and 40 is the official mark for older right? Ugh. I am not going to enjoy tackling this one but at least I know how it's done. I lost a lot of weight in college, smallest I ever was - so want to go back.

STYLE-LESS - I've already begun working on this one. I needed new clothes for a new job recently so I looked at those style things on Pinterest and tried to come up with a "look" but I feel like shlub is my default. I like comfort and for some reason comfort always seems to equal my pajama top and some sweat pants. Pinterest and the need to go to work looking like a professional adult should help with this.

MESSY - So my apartment is almost never clean. It also nothing that can be called "decor" in it. This I have no idea how I'm going to deal with.



I will start talking about the serious stuff (but hopefully in a fun and interesting way):

Like the title says this is a project. In order to be the me I want to be I have to do the heavy lifting and heal the old me. If I'm going to get to where I want to be I have some hurdles to go over and I want to do it with you. I plan on mustering up the courage to be open about some of my demons and I hope you will share how you deal with or have dealt with yours. This one frightens me. There is potential for chickening out.

So do I expect my life to be perfect by my 40th? No. But I do expect me to be a better me and I don't want to go on this journey alone.

Kiss Ever Pro Lash Starter Kit

Kiss Ever Pro Lash Starter Kit ($5.99), another product from my Influenster Voxbox (<- click to find out more). 

Now I am far from a lash beginner Boos. I have been wearing lashes for a very longtime. I wear light demi lashes to boost my natural lashes and draw attention to my eyes for a day look, and full thick lashes for more drama at night and on special occasions. 

Still I love this kit. The lashes in the kit are thick and dark,  if you are looking for something for daytime this isn't it, these are definitely full drama. Kiss lashes are high quality; if you take care of them, clean them with a decent eye make-up remover, and store them properly you will get quite a few uses out of them (certainly plenty to feel like you're getting your 6 bucks worth).

The glue that comes in the starter kit is latex free so no worries if you have any allergies and lasts all day. The lashes don't slip or come off at all.

The only downside for me was the applicator. It is just a pink pair of plastic tweezers that you are meant to grip the lashes with, but I prefer to use my fingers. I feel like using my hands gives me more control and isn't as scary as poking at my eye with a large piece of brightly colored plastic.

All in all, these lashes are well worth the $5.99 the lashes and the glue are both of high quality, the applicator is alright if you're into threatening your eyes with a good poking. The one negative I would say is that these lashes are full drama and if you are a young beginner you might want something a bit more natural.

Full Disclosure: I received these lashes free from Influenster and Kiss for the purpose of review.

Do you wear lashes Boos? Tell me about them.

NYC New York Color Individual Eyes Custom Compact

The NYC Individual Eyes Compact in Dark Shadows ($4.99) was one of the items I received in my Influenster VoxBox follow the link to see my unboxing video. I love NYC products, they make great quality cosmetics for drugstore prices. I already owned 2 other Individual Eyes compacts (Union Square and Central Park) that I purchased on my own. The palettes come with 4 complimentary colors and their own primer and illuminator. They are a frequent go to for me because I like to stay in bed as long as possible in the morning and having everything I need for a variety of eye looks in one compact saves me a lot of time (these work well for travel too). The custom compacts are also great if you are a smokey eye beginner because the insert clearly labels what colors are meant for your lid and which are for contouring in your crease.

Breaking it down:

The Primer - I am a brown girl and my eyelids are a darker complexion than the rest of my skin, so even when I'm not wearing make-up it looks like I have on brown eyeshadow. As a result I always wear a primer under my eyeshadow so that the color stays truer to the package color. I really only use drugstore primers and this is as good as any of the others I've tried. It evens out the color of my eyelids and helps keep my shadow in place all day. 

The Illuminator - Like the primer the illuminator is as good as any other drugstore illuminator. I pop a tiny bit of the white shimmer onto the inner corner of each eye just to keep them bright, especially when using smokey colors.

The Quad - NYC eye colors are VERY PIGMENTED. I love this because it doesn't take much product to get great color on the eye, especially when used in conjunction with the primer. Sometimes inexpensive eyeshadows can contain so little pigment that I have problems getting them to show up on my skin tone even with a primer. That is never the case with NYC. Usually with NYC eye shadows I have to make sure to use a light touch and build up color in order to get the natural look I like, otherwise it's easy to end up with too much color on. 

The colors in this particular compact were much darker than I am used to wearing, but are great for a night time smokey look. All for colors are shimmery with the heaviest sparkle being in the darkest black color. Again it is really easy to go overboard with this palette so tread lightly, but if you are going out for a night on the town and don't want to spend a lot on your smokey eye this is definitely the way to go.

Full Disclosure: I received this product free from Influenster and NYC for the purpose of review.

Do you own any NYC products? Tell me about them below.

Lip Balm Face Off Week 6

Round 1 Recap:

Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch- It sells for $3.99, has a really nice fruity scent, good color that isn't too harsh, and lasts 4-6 hours. 

ELF Moisturizing Lip Tint in Nude- Sells for $3.00, it's minty, has a beautiful natural color, and lasts about 4 hours.

Choosing between these two brands is difficult. They sell for about the same price provided you buy the ELF in Target, if you have it shipped it will cost more.  They each deliver beautiful flattering color and each come in a wide varieties of colors so you are likely to find something that suits you. The ELF has a nicer texture going on, it's creamy a lot more like a lipstick than a lip balm. I prefer the scent of the Maybelline to the scent of the ELF, for me fruit punch trumps mint every time. The conditioning effect of the Maybelline is better. My lips felt softer and conditioned for longer with the Baby Lips than with the ELF. Honestly though no matter which of these you purchase I think you'll be happy. That being said I have to choose one so here it goes: 

So why did I choose this one? Fruit punch over mint, the longer lasting conditioning, and the availability. ELF is only sold online or in Target, but the Maybelline is available at any drugstore and even some super markets. 

Next Week: The Final Round Maybelline Baby Lips vs. Bonne Bell Lip Blush

Have you tried either? What do you think?

Lip Balm Face Off Week 5

This week starts round 2. Each of these tinted lip balms won their first rounds so here is a little recap about the details of each:

NYX - Retails for $3.00 and has a sweet strong fruit punch like scent. It is extremely pigmented and glossy more like a full on lip gloss than a tinted balm, it was a little heavy for my taste but the stain left behind is quite pretty and lasts a long time. Here is a link to the round one review for more detail if you'd like.

Bonne Bell - Retails for $2.69 and smells of sweet peaches. Has a soft but noticeable color that is really pretty and isn't overly shiny. It also leaves my lips soft and moisturized for hours. Here is the link to it's round one review for more information.

I have to go with Bonne Bell again! The NYX was too pigmented for my taste. When I wear a tinted balm instead of lipstick or gloss it's because I am looking for subtly and the Bonne Bell delivers that gentle hint of color. The NYX was also way too glossy, again a tinted lip balm should be subtle in my opinion and the NYX doesn't deliver that. Also the Bonne Bell is a great moisturizer. I hate the feeling of dry lips and will apply most lip balms frequently throughout the day, I didn't need to do that with the Bonne Bell. The moisturizing effect of the Bonne Bell lip blush lasted for hours my lips felt great the whole day. One thing that is disappointing is that neither the NYX or the Bonne Bell is labeled as containing an SPF which is something I do look for in a balm. For the purposes of testing I wore each balm alone, but normally when wearing a tinted balm that doesn't mention SPF I will also wear an un-tinted one that does contain SPF. Overall I am loving the Bonne Bell though.

Next week it's ELF vs. Maybelline.

Do you have a favorite tinted lip balm? Let me know in the comments below.

Lip Balm Face Off Week 3

THE NEUTROGENA - Right off I didn't care for the texture of this. It has a really greasy texture that smudges easily like it needs a lip liner. The texture also means that when I ate or drank something it got all over my face, straws, napkins, whatever came near it. The scent and the tint can be described in a similar way; it's there and it's noticable but very light and subtle. This is a decent nice quality lip balm, but for $8.99 I would expect more. Similar quality stuff can be purchased for much less.

THE ELF - Mint isn't my favorite scent for a lip balm but a lot of them are doing the mint thing now. Other than that I really like this lip tint. The texture is very creamy and applies a lot more like lipstick than lip balm and this shade of nude is the perfect one for me (which I know doesn't really mean it will be a great color for you, but if you know how hard it is to find a flattering shade of nude you will know why I had to mention it). This comes in 5 colors plus clear so hopefully they will have a cute shade for you.

THE OVERALL - I'm picking ELF this week because while I like the Neutrogena it is not a $9 lip balm. ELF is a quality product for a reasonable price. The only drawback to the ELF is that the company is mainly online, which means that you can't just decide "Hey I want to try that $3 lip balm" because it would still cost $6 to ship it. Ordering from the only makes sense if you want to order enough stuff to justify shipping charges. On the upside Target does carry a limited range of ELF products and this just happens to be one of the items you can get there.

NEXT WEEK MAC VS. MAYBELLINE

Have you ever tried ELF? What do you think?

True Blood Cosmetics on HSN

Thursday August 9th Deborah Lippmann is launching a True Blood inspired line of cosmetics at 8pm on HSN. I love True Blood and I love a good tie-in product, I spent most of the summer in Ulta staring  longingly at NYX's Dark Shadows palette and China Glaze's Hunger Games polishes. I am interested in the polish collection, and will definitely watch the presentation but don't know if I will make a purchase. Deborah Lippmann's other polishes cost about $16 a bottle which is a little steep for my drugstore tastes. Here's a peek at the collection:

Whether you are going to buy or not you should have a look at these hysterical trailers HSN has put out to promote the line. I'll put up links because for whatever reason the videos won't let me embed them. 

Scratch and Bite

Embrace

Are you a True Blood fan? Will you buy?

Beauty on my Budget #1

July 2012 - The Budget

BUDGET GOAL: $50-$100. Spending only $50 would mean I had an excellent month full of self-restraint and self-confidence. I could live with spending $100. Spending more than $100 would mean I let the insecurities get the best of me and wallowed in them at Ulta.

THE PURCHASES: 

$10 Glam Bag subscription

This is born out of that YouTube guru fascination I mentioned. The thing I don't really like it that much and should cancel, but I'm afraid I'll miss out on something good if I cancel. Check out my unboxing post.

$10 Birchbox subscription

Check out my unboxing post.

$11.86 Physicians Formula  Happy Booster Blush in Warm and

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips in Nude Eyes

Notice the cost $11.86 that is because CVS had a sale $7.00 off all Physician Formula products. So I only paid $6.29 for the blush and $4.79 for the eyeshadow. A sale has the ability to make me lose my reason. Also, the blush...OMG! Mood boosting blush. In my article I mentioned sadness and the desire to feel better as a reason I and a lot of women spend so much on cosmetics. So PF cut to the chase and went straight for a blush that claims to make you feel better. I'll let you know in a later review if it works. The nude eyes I bought because everyone is obsessed with Urban Decay's Naked Palette but I refuse to spend $50 on 1 eyeshadow palette so I have been looking for a dupe. Again I'll let you know what I think about this one in a review later.

$0.85 Flower Fimo Sticks for nail art

Youtube strikes again. I am so on board the nail art trend, but at least supplies like these can be purchased really cheaply on ebay.

$50.53 1- 16oz. Pomegranate and

1- 16oz. Sweet Almond WEN by Chaz Dean

OK, so much for the $50 end of the budget, but at least these won't need to be purchased every month. Why this purchase? I, like everyone else in America, have seen the infomercial. Hands down though this is the BEST beauty purchase I have ever, ever, ever made. Keep watching this blog for a future rave review. This stuff is amazing. 

FREEBIES - New products that didn't contribute to my monthly bill, but I still want to mention.

$0.00 Influenster Box

Influenster is a company that provides free samples to people for the purpose of testing and promotion. Check out my post for more details.

$0.00 .24oz sample of Estee Lauder Perfectionist CP+R

If you follow me on Facebook then you saw my post about Estee Lauder counters giving this freebie away. I update my blog every Monday but I post beauty news, contests, and announcements about freebies throughout the rest of the week on my Facebook page, if you don't already follow me then click the link at the side and like my page.

$0.00 Nail Tatoos

I love nail art and I won these great nail tatoos on a nail blog I follow called Glitter She Wrote. I'm sure there will be a tutorial in the near future.

THE TOTAL: $83.24 Not bad. I feel like this was a good month, especially since $50 of that was spent all at once on the WEN.

Beauty on my Budget #1

July 2012 - The Why?

The cosmetics industry earns a huge $160 billion dollars a year and in America we spend more on cosmetics than we do education. You would think that when times are tough, like our current economic recession, women would tighten their belts and spend less. However, a recent study shows that actually the opposite is true. During financial lows women spend more on cosmetics. The study also showed that the average woman age 16-24 has $108 worth of make-up in her collection and the average woman age 25-34 has $111. 

My exact thought when I saw those numbers was that I don't even want to know how much my collection has cost. I know it is more than $111 but I don't know exactly what and I am not sure I want to. The study proved that contrary to expectations women actual spend more on cosmetics during a recession, those conducting the research have theorized that it is because women spend money on things to make them look better, so that they will feel better. I know that is my problem. Sometimes I lack confidence, and I just don't feel attractive, or successful and I want to. So I "fix" myself by doing my nails or make-up and buying the latest trendiest thing. At the end of the day I know that I could buy L'Oreal's entire line but that none of it would make me look like Beyonce. I know it, but it doesn't stop me from trying. It is as if somewhere inside I believe that one day I will pick up that one bottle, or palette that will magically transform me into the woman I have always wanted to be. Watching Youtube gurus also hasn't helped. Most of them are about 15 years younger than me, reinforcing my delusions about finding youthful beauty at the bottom of a make-up pan, and they all have huge cosmetics collections that would put even my bloated one to shame. Unfortunately, I do not however posses and endless stream of cash and I need to put limits on my spending. I restrict myself to mostly drugstore cosmetics which allows me to make frequent "feel better" purchases without breaking the bank and lets me try out the latest trends without much risk. I also try to limit my spending. 

So one of the things I want to do on this blog is really examine this issue for myself. Try to curb my spending habit and try to examine what keeps me on this cosmetics hamster wheel when to be honest I have enough. So at the end of every month I will publish a "beauty and the budget" log, a list of purchases made that month along with how much I spent. Along with that log I want to publish a monthly article like this one, examining the reasons behind the spending and issues of women's confidence and self esteem and how the cosmetics industry cashes in on and in some cases can cause our insecurities. 

SOURCES: 

Recession Makes Women Spend More

The Economist

Do you know how much you spend on cosmetics? Have you ever examined your spending habits or the reasons behind them? Do you have any beauty insecurities that you struggle with? Share your feelings in the comment section below.

The British Are Coming!!

The Olympics started this weekend! Have you been watching? I normally don't care about sports at all. Football...huh? Soccer...what? Baseball...meh. But for some reason J'adore the Olympics. So I was really excited to watch the opening ceremony Friday. Watching it made me miss living in London. So I decided to share some of my favorite Brit things with you here.

1. The V&A Museum

If you are in London GO. Just GO. Admission is always free (admission to all of the national museums is free) It is my favorite museum. The European Sculpture room is AMAZING. In one room you can see plaster cast reproductions of all of the greatest works of sculpture from across Europe. Standing there surrounded by all of that beauty and history is literally breath taking (and I do mean literally I suffered Stendhal Syndrome the first time I saw it). Plus there is a fashion room...CLOTHES & SHOES!!!!

2. History

3. The Scenery

4. The Television

Doctor Who, Downton Abbey, Misfits, Being Human, Ab Fab, My Family, Rosemary & Thyme, Midsomer Muders, Keeping Up Appearances, Last of the Summer Wine, The Good Life, House of Cards, Poirot, Ms. Marple. There are so many good shows, in so many different genres, I could make an entire blog about noting but British television.

5. Beauty Products! (Pictured: The Kate Moss Collection for Rimmel)

Getting back to the overall theme of the blog. My fave Brit cosmetics. No. 7 by Boots, Butter London, Rimmel, Soap & Glory, Lush, and The Body Shop.

Do you have any faves from Brit culture? Let me know.

Birch Box Unboxing

Birchbox is a subscription service, for $10 a month you receive 4-5 deluxe samples. Occasionally the boxes are sponsored by different companies, July's box was sponsored by Glamour magazine. The theme for the box was the 5 senses.

See it

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

Hear it

Neon Ear Buds

Taste it

Tea Forte Minteas in Ginger Pear

Touch it

Color Club Nail Polish in Blue-Ming

Smell it

Harvey Prince Eau Flirt Perfume

Bonus!

Supergoop Sunscreen Serum

I have had a Birchbox subscription since March. I have to say I love it. I have never opened a box and been disappointed.

Do you have a beauty subscription? Tell me about it?

Glam Bag Unboxing

I subscribe to My Glam Bag. For $10 a month you get a bag filled with 4-5 deluxe sized samples. Every month the bags have a theme for the products, July's theme was beach beauty. 

The bag and inserts

Nu Me Hydrating Conditioner

Yes to cucumber Facial Towelettes

Buxom Lip Polish

Juice Beauty Green Apple SPF Moisturizer

Circus by Andrea's Choice Nail Polish in Somersault

I have been a subscriber to My Glam since January. It is ok, but I'm not convinced I'm going to keep it.

Do you have a beauty subscription? Do you like it? Let me know in the comments.

New at the Drugstore

Most of my cosmetics are drug store brands. So from time to time I go by my local stores (Ulta, Harmon/Face Values, CVS, Rite-Aid, and Walgreens) to see what's new.

I haven't been in awhile so I found a few new things. You may have already seen them around but like I said, it's been awhile since I've been out. Also I didn't get to Ulta, it is the one furthest from me and I just didn't have the time =(

Liberty Belle and Study in Style by Sinful Colors

Also at Walgreens, Wet and Wild Fergie nail polishes.

A word about Harmon/Face Values: I LOVE this place. Between this place and the drugstore side of Ulta I could spend a small fortune if I didn't control myself. So know that when I was taking these photos I was going crazy. I didn't purchase anything but I wanted everything!

Essie Metallics $7.79, China Galze Safari $6.49, OPI Minnie Mouse $7.49, NYX Bohemian Chic Pallette $17.99, Wet and Wild Magnetics $4.49, Wet and Wild Chrome $3.59

The Wet and Wild magnetic polish seems like a great deal at $4.49 since other magnetics can be $10.00 or more. The only reason I didn't pick one up is because I have a Sally Hansen one I received to test, so I want to try that one first. I've never used magnetic polishes before and don't know if I'll like it. 

The NYX palette is all matte colors. I LOVE matte colors for everyday wear. This may end up getting purchased, especially if I can get a Harmon's coupon somewhere.

Have you tried any of these? Are you looking forward to trying them? Have you spotted anything new in stores near you? Let me know in the comments below.

Lip Balm Face Off

I have a small collection of tinted lip balms. I love the colored lip balms because they give me a quick and simple way to add a touch of color to my face. When I don't want to or feel like I don't need to put on a full face of make-up I can put on some tinted lip balm and feel like I am pulled together and pretty.

So, what I have decided to do is take my collection and have a lip balm face off.

How it will go down:

Every week I will pair off two lip balms from my collection and spend the week testing them.

The following Monday I will post a review of each of the balms I tried and pick the one I preferred.

After round 1 is complete I will match up the "winners" from each group and start testing again, repeating the process until I have named a favorite.

This Week BonneBell vs. Simply Shine

Have you used any of these lip balms? What do you think? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments.

Hawaiian Tropic Review

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion Sunscreen.

The Claims:
With its ultra-luxurious hydrating silk ribbons, Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration lotion sunscreen nourishes and pampers skin while providing broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection and 12 hour moisturization when out in the sun. Water resistant for 80 minutes.

Let me start by saying that SPF is IMPORTANT, even if you're a brown girl like me. Sometimes I forget that. I always remember to use SPF if I am going to spend any prolonged amount of time in the sun but it never occurs to me to use it if I am just heading out for an ordinary day (although I always, always, use a facial moisturizer with SPF. I am going to be 80 one day and I plan on having the skin of a 60 year old). Then recently I began to notice a pain and irritation on my left arm. We have been having a heat wave and the sun has been really intense, intense enough to give me a driving sunburn (that's why only the left arm - the one that hangs out the window). So even before my influenster box showed up I had placed a bottle of SPF by the front door, so I would forget to apply it on my out. When I found this in my VoxBox I replaced my drugstore SPF with this one.

1) The smell is the first thing you notice about this lotion. It smells like coconut and every time I put it on I could picture myself sitting on a beach. I don't know why that tropical scent immediately brings the beach to mind, but it does and it's divine. The smell doesn't linger too long though, which for me is a good thing. I hate when I am wearing a lotion or cream and I can smell its scent on my hands while I am eating or drinking.

2) As a 12 hour sunscreen its good. It was effective. I put it on everyday on my way out, the heat wave persisted but my burn didn't get any worse. In fact thanks to the protection of the sunscreen it had a chance to heal. The one I was sent is an SPF 30 but it also comes in SPF 12 and SPF 50. SPF 30 is plenty for a brown girl (the melanin in brown skin provides its own protection from sun damage) but if you're pale please choose the 50. My hubby is very pale and we normally keep an SPF 45, 70, and 100 around the house so he can choose one appropriate to our plans for the day. Stay healthy and keep your skin looking young by choosing a high SPF.

3) As a hydrating lotion it was surprisingly effective. I didn't expect much from the login aspect. Most SPFs are creams, but they don't absorb like lotions or offer any moisturizing effects. This one does. When I rubbed it on, it acted just like a body lotion. It was especially nice on sunburn. The skin on my arm was painful and had started flaking, the lotion aspect of this was instantly soothing to it. The lotion also left a beautiful light shimmer on my skin, that I imagine would look amazing on the beach with the sun glistening off of it.

4) $8.99 for a 6 oz. bottle. This is a good lotion for a good price. Most drugstores carry it, so it is easy to find and won't break the bank.

*Note: I didn't have a chance to hit the pool with the SPF so I can not make any statement about the water resistance claims.

OVERALL:
I really loved using this product. For me the selling point is the smell. I looked forward to putting it on everyday. I will definitely be buying a full size bottle once this one is empty.

Disclosure: Hawaiian Tropic and Influenster provided me with this sample for the purpose of testing and review.

What do you think? Leave me a comment below.

Sally Hansen Nails & Cuticles Hand Creme Review

According to the package this is a manicure creme, made with shea butter, that provides 24 hour moisture to soften hands, smooth cuticles, and condition nails. 

Right away I liked this product for 2 reasons: 1) Shea Butter. Shea Butter is my second favorite lotion butter (after cocoa butter). It both moisturizes the skin and seals in that moisture so it lasts. 2) Multi-tasking. I love that this is one creme for your hands, nails, and cuticles.

The claims:
1) 24 Hour Moisture that lasts through hand washing - Honestly, when I saw that written on the bottle I didn't believe it. I wash my hands a lot. My hands get washed after using the bathroom, while cooking, while cleaning, washing dishes, showering and more. My hands get very dry throughout the day, as a result I keep a bottle of lotion in my purse, on a table in the living room, in the bathroom, and in my nightstand. So to test the 24 hour claim I put away all my usual lotions and put this one on the table. When I put it on before leaving in the morning I was so tempted to throw the bottle in my purse, just in case. Surprisingly, 3 hours later my hands felt great. 5 hours later still good, 8 hours later I am still amazed, I went to bed stunned. The next morning, 24 hours later and my hands still felt soft. They were not as soft as when I first applied the creme but I definitely didn't have that dry, uncomfortable feeling that usually drives me to reach for my lotion. I re-applied but I didn't need to.

2) Soften Hands - This is one of the nicest hand lotions I have used. It has a fairly thick texture that absorbs quickly and left my hands feeling really soft to the touch but not oily. More important than soft my skin felt thoroughly moisturized.

3) Smooth cuticles and condition nails - As I mentioned I love that this is a multi-tasking product. I use my hand lotions as nail and cuticle creams anyway, so this product makes perfect sense to me. As a cuticle creme it is good. It worked to soften my cuticles but didn't seem to last as long as it did as a hand creme. I really wanted to put more on my cuticles before the 24 hours was up. It was the same as a nail creme, it was good in that it worked. My nails still feel strong and aren't peeling, but I for regular use I would re-apply it to my nails before the 24 hours was up.

Other points:
The smell is great. It smells of oranges when you first put it on, but the smell isn't overly strong and doesn't linger long enough to become irritating.

The price. $5.99 for a full size bottle. Sally Hansen products always offer great quality for a great price so this isn't a surprise, but it is good news.


Overall:
I love it and will definitely purchase a full size bottle. It is a wonderful hand creme, a good nail and cuticle creme, and for $5.99 it does the work of three products.

Disclosure: Sally Hansen and Influenster provided me with this sample for the purpose of testing and review.

What do you think? Leave me a comment below.

Summer 2012 VoxBox from Influenster.com

Influenster is a market research company. They send out free boxes of samples every  few months to people who fit into specific categories. Some of the categories I noticed on the site are moms, students, brides-to-be, and pet owners. What do you get from them? Like I said a box of free samples. What do they get from you? You promote and review the products you receive on your social network, blog, or vlog. Everybody wins!

I received the summer beauty voxbox. 

Inside:

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion Sunscreen

Tampax and Always Radiant Collection

Quaker Soft Baked Bar in Banana Nut Bread

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color

Sally Hansen Nails and Cuticles Hand Creme

Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy

I am really excited about these products (especially the Sally Hansen nail polish!!!). I will be trying most if not all of them out this week and posting reviews next Monday. Stay tuned Boos!

Have you tried any of these products yet? Let me know what you think in the comments below.