Influenster Summer Beauty VoxBox

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Influenster! I think it is such an amazing program! A few months ago I received a VoxBox and discovered some really awesome brands/products I would've never tried! For those of you not familiar with Influenster, it is a free program that you sign up for and if you're chosen, they send you a box of goodies to try out for free! I loved this VoxBox! A few of the items I received are products I've had my eye on for a while :) 

First up, Quaker Banana Nut Bread Soft Baked Bars. I literally grabbed this out of my box and shoved it in my mouth...and then I remembered I wanted to take pics for my blog...fail. Well, this turned out to be such a delicious treat that I went out that same day to buy a box! I purchased another flavor as well. I stick them in the microwave & have been enjoying them in the morning. They have 6g of protein, high in fiber & low in sugar! Winning! These retail for $3.29 a box

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in Ionic Indigo.  I wasn't too excited about this color, I'm more of a pink & purple girl.  This retails for $9.99 which I do think is pretty expensive for a drug store nail polish.  I haven't had a chance to try this out yet, I will update when I do.  

 Tampax & Always Radiant Collection.  I was surprised when I saw this in my box, since Influenster is a program where you are supposed to use social media to talk about the products, I thought that was strange because some people may not be comfortable blogging or talking about feminine care products. I personally don't mind but I'm pretty set in the products I use.  The bag it came with is adorable! I will definitely be using it.

 Inside are "womanly" goodies.

 Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion with SPF 30.  I kept seeing this in the store and really wanted to get it but I just have so much lotion, I couldn't justify it.  I really like this because of the SPF, it comes in SPF 12, 30 & 50.  I'd probably pick up the 50 when I buy the full size. The scent is super tropical and the formula is very moisturizing. This retails for $8.99 for a 6oz bottle. I will be re-purchasing.

Sally Hansen Nails & Cuticles Hand Creme was one of the products (along with the Tampax/Always bag) I pushed to the side at first.  I remembered seeing this product in my local Big Lots one day and trying it out in the store.  When I got around to testing this out the other day, I felt it really didn't wow me.  Just a basic hand moisturizer.  I didn't really notice too much difference with my icky cuticles.  This retails for $5.99, I won't be repurchasing.

 2nd most exciting item for me! Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy. I've seen the commercial with Heidi Klum advertising this about a bazillion times so I've really wanted to try this.  I am going on a mini vacation in a bit so I will be taking these with me for the trip! I did open them and smell them and they smelt very clean, not too "perfumey" which is great. I will update when I try them out :)

Sign up with Influenster by clicking here.

Until next time,

*I received these products for free for testing purposes, these opinions are my own*

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Essence Cosmetics Review

First post since getting back to reality...ahem...I mean, back from vacation :) I was sent 3 items that are new to Essence Cosmetics to try out about a week before my trip.  I decided to save them and take them with me to use during our vacation! I hadn't heard of this brand before and did some research, I was LOVING their prices and especially loving the fact that they DO NOT test on animals!!!!!!! I just wish my small little town had a place that sold them! You can purchase Essence Cosmetics products from Ulta, HEB & Fred Meyer! 

First item is their new Get Big Lashes Volume Boost Mascara ($3.49)...I was skeptical. I don't usually wear waterproof mascara because it's so difficult to get off AND the formula never seems to be as great.  

 Look at the size of the tube compared to the NYC tube! Wow!

 This brush reminds me soo much of Benefit's Bad Gal Lash, it's a very full THICK brush.  

 I was really surprised with this because I'm so picky with mascaras.  First thing I did was get it on my eyelid (DOH) the brush is massive...I usually place the brush at my lash line and wiggle it up, I can't really do that with this brush because it will get on your lid.  You have to be very careful with it! This makes my lashes look very dark & thick.  I didn't notice much lengthening but that's okay with me since I've got the length, not volume.  I used this all week and not once did I notice any flakes (YAY!) I wear glasses 50% of the time so my lashes are constantly touching the lenses causing mascara to flake off.  Removal was just as simple as any other mascara, I used my Indie Lee The Cleanser and it came right off! Another thing that I wasn't used to is that this formula is considered a "wet" formula.  I usually like "drier" mascara formulas, I feel like it helps give me more volume so I was excited that I was able to try a new formula and actually like it!

Essence Cosmetics also has 2 other new Get Big mascaras: Volume Boost $2.99 (non waterproof) & Volume Curl $2.99 (non waterproof) 

I plan on purchasing the Volume Curl to try out when I need a new mascara! Best of both worlds :)

Second item that was sent is their Colour & Shine Eyeshadow in Trip To Venus. This was right up my alley! I love me some shimmer & shine! This leans more on the silvery, frosty side which was perfect because it made an absolutely gorgeous highlighting color! I used it on cheekbones, brow bone & on the inner corners of my eyes. The formula is super smooth with very little (if any) fall out. These remind me of little mini MAC Mineralize Skin Finishes! The pricing makes this easy to obtain all 8 shades! These are at Ulta for $2.99!!!!

 Look at that gorgeous veining! 

Here's a swatch directly on my finger, you can see it does have pink in it, but it's very frosty...almost silver!

 This is swatched onto my hand. When the light hits it right you can see the bit of pink in it! Gorgeous!

The last item is their new Colour & Go Quick Drying Polish.  I was sent the color A Lovely Secret...perfect for spring! It's a really fun creme lavender with hints of dark purple/pink sparkles! I needed two coats for this to completely cover and it did exactly as the name says; dries fast!  These are only $0.99!!! Crazy right! They have some really great colors to add to your collection.

Such a flattering color!

All in all, I am very impressed with this line, the price points make it that much more enticing to me.  It's not often you can find a line that has such affordable prices with amazing quality! I even placed an order online at Ulta so I can try out some more from this brand! 

Until next time,

Marina - mCubed Makeup

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Influenster Love VoxBox Video Review!

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Julep Maven, sign up for $.01!

I was browsing on Twitter and discovered a company called Julep Maven that is all about nail polish & nail care products.  I've always been an OPI & Zoya girl so I haven't really branched out and tried too many other nail care brands.  There was a posting I saw that you can sign up for the month for $.01...that's right, ONE PENNY!  Their monthly service is $19.99 so that's a huge savings.  I thought, "what the heck, for a penny, why not?!"  I took a style profile quiz and at the end was presented with 3 nail polishes and 1 top coat.  The colors looked awesome!  Lately I've been in a ballerina slipper pink or grey nail polish phase so it was awesome to be able to try some new fun colors for pretty much free.  Shipping was very fast and the customer service was great! The box was packaged SO cute and pretty! 

Seriously, how stinkin' cute is that?!

It came packaged with a postcard style letter that described what was included in my box.  There was also a letter from Jane Park, CEO & Founder of Julep Maven thanking me for signing up, it also said that they donate $1 from every nail color sold to organizations that support women through their Powered By Girlfriends Program. Very nice!  I love companies that give back.

So onto the gorgeous colors...

The first color is Megan which is a Mediterranean aquamarine shimmer, it's so gorgeous! It reminds me of glittery ocean water (if there was glitter in the ocean, haha) It went on really smooth and covered in one coat.

Megan

Second is Hayden, a bold and bright neon peach creme.  This color stood out immediately because this is the type of color I usually end up picking. I thought it would be more of a neutral...the name says "neon" doh! It's soo bright! It is very creamy and opaque.  My nail was covered in one coat and there weren't any streaky marks at all! This will be FAB in the summer to show off tanned toes!

Hayden

Third is Leah a grass green with a hint of shimmer.  I love this color!  It is something very out-of-the-box for me, but absolutely stunning!  I love this for the holidays! It will be perfect for Christmastime :)

Leah

It also came with a Julep Fast Dry Topcoat which I really liked! It made my nails uber shiny and really did help speed up the drying time.  

Fast Dry Top Coat

Now, I loved the way these look on but I didn't take pictures with it on my nails, I don't want to scare everyone away from my blog!  My nails look hideous! Hopefully I can go get them fixed up soon.  I can say that the color on my nails is exactly what is in the bottle.  They aren't those colors that look like a certain shade and then end up being completely different once you put them on your nails.

When you sign up at Julep Maven you get plenty of awesome monthly perks (taken from welcome letter included in my box) 

• Over $40 worth of products each month customized in a gift-able beauty editor Sneak Peek Box
• Featuring new, never before released colors & treatments first to you, before anyone else
• Also includes hits & cult favorites - the products we like to keep on top of editor's minds
• Invitations to exclusive Julep Maven online events
• Receive 20% off all Julep purchases (not valid on gift certificates or Maven subscriptions)
• Free Shipping  

There you have it! My first Julep Maven box and a little bit of info about this neat company!  You can sign up for the monthly Maven Box here. I hope you try it out and like it as much as I do!  Be sure to come back and let me know which colors you tried.

******Use promo code: NEWYEAR2012 to sign up for just $.01 until Tuesday, January 24th******

Until next time,

Marina - mCubedMakeup

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