NYC Sparkle Eyedust Eyeshadow

New York Color Sparkle Eyedust

Inside my #ParadiseVoxbox was a NYC Sparkle Eyedust eyeshadow in "Smoky Topaz". It is a shimmery light bronze with a hint of purple. The eyeshadow itself is super pigmented and at first I felt like I had applied too much. The color is bright and shimmery, and definitely popped. I added some green to it because I felt it really went well with it. Of course I hadn't realized my eyeliner was messed up until after editing the photo, doh! my bad. As you can see though the color looks great and blended really well. I used the applicator and a regular make-up brush. While the applicator worked alright, I still really prefer a brush instead. The applicator is like the type you'd have on a lip gloss. I found it to be a bit messy when pulling it out to use it. It would get a little bit too much eyeshadow onto it which cause a bit of fallout. No matter how I pulled the applicator out (slow, fast) it still ending up dropping eyeshadow all over the place. It wasn't too big of a deal at the beginning, but I had to be careful when reapplying it because I didn't want it to get all over my clothes. Speaking of reapplying, it actually was hours before I had to touch it up a bit. It definitely would last the whole night if you had a date or ladies night out, and you wouldn't have to mess with it.

There are a total of 10 shades

1. 879 Opal Sparkle: Shimmery White
2. 880 Golden Champagne: Light Shimmery God
3. 881 Pink Topaz: Very Light Pink S
4. 882 Smokey Topaz Light Purple Shimmer with brown undertones
5. 883 Amber Glitz: Darker Shimmery Gold
6. 884 Bronze Shimmer
7. 885 Amethyst Dazzle
8. 886 Aquamarine Sparkle
9. 887 Brilliant Sapphire
10. 888 Diamond Dust

The best thing is that they're super affordable so you can get every color and not have a huge hit to your wallet. They're only about $2 a piece so why not try them all out? You can find pictures of all the available colors on the NYC Color website: Click Here.

Disclaimer: I received this product in the Influenster #ParadiseVoxbox for the sole purpose of reviewing it. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received. 

Hormel Rev Wraps

I was excited to try out the new wraps from Hormel courtesy of BzzAgent. They're called "Rev" Wraps and there are 8 different varieties:

• Pepperoni Pizza
• Ham & Cheese
• Peppered Turkey
• Meat Lovers Pizza
• Italian Style Ham
• Hot Pepper Ham
• Italian Style
• Spicy Italian Style

They come packaged in a plastic container and are really easy to open. Sadly my area grocery store only had four of the varieties - Ham & Cheese, Peppered Turkey, Meat Lovers Pizza, and Pepperoni Pizza. Of course I bought all four of them so I'd be able to try them all out.

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 The first one I tried was the #3 Peppered Turkey. The wrap uses one large round piece of cheese, three slices of turkey, and wrapped around that is a wheat flat bread that reminds me of a tortilla. It has 220 calories, 90 Fat calories, and 18g of protein. I was a little alarmed with the sodium in the wrap, it was 41% (950mg). Right now I am watching my salt intake so I changed up my dinner as to not go over my limit. I decided that I could make it my own by adding some of my favorite ingredients - spinach, mixed greens, and avocado. The result was super delicious and really filling. I wasn't sure that I would be satisfied with just one wrap, but I really was. The flatbread didn't hold up very well and did start to tear a bit when I started working with it. It held up enough for me to finish my meal and in the end it wasn't that big of a deal.

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The next wrap I tried was the Ham and Cheese and again I wanted to be a little creative. I figured I'd have this one for lunch so I got an egg, some spinach, and the Rev. The Ham & Cheese has 240 calories, 110 fat calories, and 17g of protein. This wrap too had a lot of sodium in it: 990mg to be exact. I didn't want to use up too much of my daily intake so I took out two of the slices of ham. Each wrap comes with three small round slices of meat, and one large slice of cheese. I separated the egg white from the yolk and poached it. The spinach I left alone as I don't care much for cooked spinach. This was a fantastic late breakfast for me and really held me over till I had my small lunch later in the day. I didn't feel hungry in the least and didn't feel tired afterwards.






Sadly I wasn't able to get pictures of the last two wraps as they mysteriously disappeared from the fridge. I don't know if the nobody ghost visits your house, but it practically lives in mine. You know the nobody ghost, right? Something gets eaten and nobody touched it in the house, even when you have 5 suspects they of course push the blame onto the nobody ghost. Either way I'll do my best to give you some info on the last two: Pepperoni Pizza and Meat Lovers Pizza. When I went to the store they didn't have any in stock so I may do another post featuring these two wraps as I actually had some great ideas for them.

Obviously they're both pizza wraps and I wanted to turn them into pizzas. I planned to unwrap them and throw the flatbread into the over to crisp up a bit. Then I would have taken it out, put a bit of pizza sauce on it, cut the cheese and pepperoni (for the regular pepperoni wrap) into small shreds to evenly coat it. I think doing it this way would be a totally fun way to get the kids involved in their own lunch making. You could also cut down on the ingredients so the sodium isn't too high. The pepperoni pizza has 300 calories, 180 fat calories, and 16g of protein. It has 990mg of sodium in it, so you can obviously see the trend. The last is the Meat Lovers Pizza, again I wanted to make it into an actual pizza and think it would have turned out awesome. It has pepperoni, spicy salami, genoa salami and mozzarella cheese. The nutrional value is: 280 calories, 160 fat calories, and 15g of protein. The sodium is 950mg making it a 41% dv.

I would love to see some low sodium varieties hit the market because these are really great. They're convenient, tasty, and relatively inexpensive. The cost about $1.98 for each wrap and while they do look small, they will definitely fill you up. I also would have liked to have seen some condiments inside because I normally don't eat a ham and cheese sandwich without mustard. I don't know if that would cost more to add, but I think it's something they should definitely look into.

You can find Rev Wraps at most grocery and supermarkets, although you might not be able to find all varieties at first. So if you see them in your store don't pass them up because they have potential to be a great meal. Don't be afraid to customize it either!



Disclaimer: I received 1 free product coupon and 9 - $1.00 coupons to share. I was not required to write a review. All opinions are my own and no further compensation was given. 

Remedy Skincare Review

REMEDY SKINCARE 

I was very fortunate to get the chance to try out a few products from the Remedy Skin Care line. They so generously sent me four different products: lip balm, nourishing skin cream, hydrating cleansing gel, and hydraguard skin cream. All the products have phytoplex in them, and to be honest I didn't really know what that was or what its benefits were.

So what exactly is phytoplex?
- Phytoplex is essentially a combination of all-natural, plant-based ingredients, including soy, algae extracts, green tea, and cloves.

- It’s free of ingredients that might cause an allergic reaction, such as aloe, sulfates, parabens, petroleum derivatives, and phthalates.

- Because of its unique blend of gentle ingredients, Phytoplex is perfect for people with sensitive skin.

- The marine-based algae extracts in Phytoplex provide an intense dose of vitamins, proteins, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants - all of which nourish skin and protect it from signs of aging.

- Phytoplex has more antioxidant capabilities than olive oil, apples, or red wine!

- When used in skin care products, Phytoplex works to reduce redness, soothe skin, prevent moisture loss, reverse signs of aging, and
protect skin from radical damage.

So now that we have a grasp on what phytoplex is, how does it really work in the products?

The first product I tried out was the lip balm. It doesn't have any weird smells, and it is petroleum free. Some of the ingredients include sunflower oil, beeswax, and mango seed butter.  It did tingle a little when I put it on, but it wasn't unpleasant. It left my lips feeling soft and moisturized, no chapped lips here.

Next was hydrating cleansing gel  which can be used as a regular liquid soap in a typical shower or it can be used as a soap for a sponge bath. I liked that it was also no rinse because my mom, who can't stand in the shower long, was able to use it easily. It isn't meant to get sudsy so it definitely wouldn't make for a great bubble bath. There isn't much of a scent and it's pretty non-evasive so people with sensitive skin could use it daily . I mainly let my mom use it as she has skin issues. She really liked it and was sad I didn't have more. It made it easy for her to get in and get out because she didn't have to worry about not rinsing off correctly. It left her skin soft and there was no skin irritation.

You then can use the nourishing skin cream after your shower. Like the other products there isn't much of a smell, well untill you spread it out. The smell almost reminds me of cookies and honestly it can be a little overbearing. Now a lot of lotions say they absorb into the skin quickly, but Remedy's Skin Cream really does. The cream is a bit stiff, but quickly breaks down to an almost watery consistency.  Now remember that smell well it lasts for a few seconds and then goes away. I'm sure anyone can deal with the smell, and if you do you'll definitely be rewarded with some super soft skin! Seriously I don't think my skin has felt softer with other lotions. The smoothness lasts for hours, longer than some of the leading brand lotions.

The last product I tried out was the hydraguard lotion. This was the lotion I was most excited to try. It's a water-resistant, nourishing hypo-allergenic lotion for dry and cracked skin. I first thought of my horribly dry cracked feet. I have to be honest, I walk around bare foot a lot. I'm normally never in shoes at the house, even if I step outside. Yup I will walk outside on the hot concrete and asphalt which does nothing for my feet. Years of doing this had left them gross and calloused. With one application I was already feeling smoother, not so rough skin on my feet. If you try any of Remedy's products this is the one I'd definitely recommend. I really wanted to try this out for a while to show a great change in my dry heels, I wasn't disappointed with the results.

You can head over to the Remedy SkinCare Website - where you can find more general information on all the products they offer.



Disclaimer: I was sent products from Remedy Skincare for the sole purpose of reviewing them. No further compensation was given. All opinions are my own.

Influenster Paradise Voxbox

INFLUENSTER PARADISE VOXBOX

I was so excited to hear that I had been chosen to get a voxbox from Influenster. I am always finding new great products through them. They always have great reviews by other users to help give you an idea of what products are best for you. Included in my voxbox were five awesome products: NYC shadow, Suave Moroccan Oil, Dr. Scholl's Heel Inserts, Olay Shine Shine Go Away Cleanser, and a Goody's TangleFix brush.

I think this voxbox has a great variety of products for a woman on the go to pamper herself. So look for some great posts coming up on all these great products.




Product Reviews:

• Dr Scholl's High Heel Insoles: Coming Soon
• Suave Moroccan Oil: Coming Soon
• NYC Eyeshadow: Click Here
• Goody TangleFix: Coming Soon
• Olay Shine, Shine Go Away Facial Cleanser: Coming Soon

Disclaimer: I received these products from Influenster to try out. Reviews were not required, no compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.

Noxicare Natural Pain Relief Cream Review & Giveaway

NOXICARE: NATURAL PAIN RELIEF CREAM 
REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

So I was very fortunate to work with Noxicare and try out their Natural Pain Relief Cream. Noxicare's natural pain relief cream is specially formulated to target three types of pain: muscle aches, nerve pain, and inflammation. I hate always having to take medicines in order to get rid of my pain. It sort of worries me that I may take too much over time and end up worse in the end. So being able to use some cream to get rid of my chronic pain is a definite plus. One of the biggest pluses for me is that there is no smell. I hate how some of those pain creams have an offensive odor. They may work just as well, but that smell keeps me from using them. Well you definitely don't have to worry about that with Noxicare because its completely odorless!

The cream is really smooth and rich and not greasy at all. It absorbs super fast which means its reaching your aches that much quicker. It's really convenient for me especially now that I'm watching my nephew for my brother and sis-in-law. I don't want to have to wait for a cream to work before I can pick him up. Which is another reason why I love that its natural. I don't want a whole bunch of harmful chemicals around him. Especially now that he is teething and putting everything in his mouth - especially my hands. It never seems to fail, I pick him up and before I know it his mouth is biting down on my hand. Can you imagine if he did that and one of those other creams were on my hand?

So what natural ingredients is Noxicare Pain Relief Cream made of - tumeric, willow bark, ginger, holy basil, rosemary extract, alpha lipoic acids, and boswellia extract. I know some of those spices are in your spice cabinet right now, as they're in mine. I knew they tasted good, but didn't know that they also helped take away my aches and pains.

Here is a more extensive description of some of the ingredients and what they are used for.

• Tumeric: With Tumeric studies have shown that it may help reduce the pain with its anti-inflammatory properties help to naturally relieve pain associated with arthritis by reducing inflammation in the joints. 
• Willow Bark: Willow Bark is an herb that I don't know much about, but did you know it has been used for natural pain relief and inflammation since the time of Ancient Egypt and Greece. 
• Ginger: Helps relieve muscle pains, arthritis and rheumatism, and is a catalyst for improving the effectiveness of other herbs. Ginger is also great in a lot of recipes, honestly its just a great herb. 
• Rosemary Extract: The Ancient Egyptians knew to relieve musculoskeletal pain by rubbing rosemary extract oil into their skin. If its been used for that long, then they obviously are on to something. 
• Holy Basil: Holy Basil's properties include anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral. 
• Boswellia Extract: Boswellia extracts is something I've never heard of and was surprised to know that they have been used to treat back pain. 
• Alpha Lipoic Acids: Alpha Lipoic Acid is a natural pain relief antioxidant made by every cell in the body, can't get more natural than that.

While Noxicare may be a little more expensive than your regular pain cream - you can't beat that its all natural. With people worrying more and more about what they put in and on their bodies, you can rest assured that Noxicare won't make you sick while making you better.

If you want to find out more information about Noxicare and their great product then check out their website: Noxicare.com. You will definitely be happy that you did because it is a truly natural product that really works. You can also head on over to the Noxicare Facebook Page and follow them. They sometimes have their own giveaways so you can try their product out for free. 

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Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Book Review: Finding Monsters

Finding Monsters

                       By Liss Thomas

Book Description:
Monsters are real but they're not what we'd expect. Their realm lays hidden only to be found in darkness. They watch their humans, the little ones and keep them from the dark portals leading to their world. To touch is forbidden... but not all follow the rules.
Missy has been fighting to live her entire life, but when she finds herself in a realm of unique and sometimes deadly monsters, she discovers just how much of a survivor she really is. Accidentally transferred to this mysterious realm by her monster and only friend, Charlie, he finds himself weak and unable to protector her. The only way she can defend herself and him, is to become a monster herself. But an unknown dark stalker watches her progress and if he steals her power, he will unleash a scourge on both his world and the world she left behind.

My Review:
Finding Monsters is a Young Adult novel, but don't let that discourage you from reading it. It's well written, has great characters, and the story is a great one. Liss Thomas definitely hit it out of the ballpark with this story. It's well written, has a great plot, and the characters are really like-able.

 I can honestly say I've never read anything like this before. We are taught all our lives that monsters are scary, bad, and evil. All they want to do is come steal us away from our families and take us to who knows where. Well in "Finding Monsters" Liss Thomas changes that perception with one of the main characters, Charlie. Charlie is a sweet monster who is in charge of the portal linking earth to the monster world hidden under Missy's bed. He watches over the portal, but of course also watches over Missy during that time. Missy has had cancer her entire life and just has one wish...to be a normal teenager. When her time comes Charlie thinks he can make that dream come true. Sadly, with one kiss Charlie seals both of their fates. With that one kiss Charlie and Missy become bonded and when Missy starts to die so does he.

The first half of the book was a bit slow, but there was never a moment where I felt I was bored with the story. I still wanted to know what was going to happen next. The second half definitely went a lot faster when Missy is pushed into the monster realm. Missy has to fight for herself and for Charlie, and who knows if she can do it.

Well actually I know, but if you want to know then you'll have to read the book for yourself. If you'd like to buy it for yourself then check out the link below. At $0.99 cents you can't pass it up, it's such a great read that is totally safe for your young teen.

Amazon.com: Finding Monsters




Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Butter London Polish Review

You see the boo boo

So was super excited to get my first three butter london polishes. At $18 a pop it was very hard to take that plunge and purchase them.They were on "sale" for $14 so thought okay let's see what all the hype is about. I'm always a little wary about purchasing more expensive brands because how different can it really be. When you have a huge market with very inexpensive polish brands does that make the more expensive brands better?  Well I found out for myself.

I got three wonderful colors: Knackered, Bluey, and Wallis. I immediately reached for Knackered as it was my favorite one. Knackered is a duochrome polish with flecks of tiny glitter that looks pretty in ever light. It has a purplish-blue base with flecks of silver glitter. It is very sheer and needs at least 3 coats to cover the nail completely. This polish is beautiful, but is it $18 or $14 dollar beautiful? I'll answer this question later.

Next was Bluey, its a dark blue base with tiny flecks of dark glitter. Because the blue was so dark it only took two coats to cover my nail. The color wasn't too different than what I've seen before. It didn't wow me and kind of reminded me a lot of other brands. It was just too similar to other polishes for my tastes.

Last was Wallis which is a dark black base with greenish yellow glitter in the forefront. I really liked Wallis, the color is pretty unique. It took only two coats to cover my nail and it went on really easily.

So is all the hype worth it? In my honest opinion... not really. Now it is a 3 FREE polish which means No formaldehyde, toluene, and no DBP. So it is better than regular polishes, but it doesn't last as long. By the second day they were already chipping. Now I did notice when I used my top coat that the polishes acted differently. They sort of started to run and took way longer to dry than normal. So I'm guessing you may need a 3 FREE top coat as well. In the end its up to you whether you want to spend the money for the 3 FREE polish. The colors are kind of in the middle with some being amazing and others being sort of meh.


Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was given.