Influenster L'Oreal Paris Ultimate Straight VoxBox Review

Hello Lovelies!

Today I will be reviewing the L'Oreal Paris Ultimate Straight Voxbox from Influenster! I recevied this box about a month ago, I've been using it since then and I think I'm ready to do a review.

In this box I received four full size products from the L'Oreal Paris Advance Haircare Ultimate Straight System.

Photo from Amazon.

L'Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Straightening Shampoo $4.99

I really like the shampoo in this set, it is my favorite and I've used it the most.  The truth is I already have super straight hair so this product isn't really for me. These products smell great and my hair feels and looks clean all day, which is hard for me to find because my hair is oily.
Normally by the end of the day my hair looks so bad it's up in a ponytail, but that didn't happen on days when I used this shampoo. 

L'Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Straight Boosting Pre-Conditioner $6.99.

Honestly I feel like this is the worst product out of the whole system. I don't think it really did anything for me, but if you have dry, wavy/curly hair it might work for you.

L'Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Straightening Conditioner $4.99.

99% of the time I don't use an in-shower conditioner, I prefer leave-on conditioners. Sadly this conditioner didn't  make me want to start using conditioner in the shower again. It didn't weigh my hair down and it was easier to brush out, but it didn't wow me.

L'Oreal Paris Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Leave-In Perfecting Balm $6.99.

I think this was my least favorite out of the whole system, I didn't see any results. 

I think that these products are for girls that live in humid climates like me would love. It's not going to make all of your hair problems go away, nothing will, but overall the products do work.

So that's all for today's post! Have you tried any of the products mentioned above?

 Let me know below!

XoXo,

Lori

Disclaimer: I received all products for free from Influenster in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Adovia Exfoliating Body Scrub

Hello lovelies!

Today I will be reviewing Adovia's Exfoliating Body Scrub with Dead Sea Salt and Natural Oils. This body scrub is 11 ounces and retails for $15.95.

Photo by Adovia.

This Adovia scrub is made with real dead sea salt, which contains an infusion of 21 essential minerals for proper skin health. 

When I received this product I was really hoping it would help with my keratosis pilaris, red bumps on my arms caused by dead skin clogging my pores. After the first use I could tell a difference in the way my arms look, sadly it's not a cure, and you have to use it every day to keep the bumps away.

My thoughts? 5 Stars!

The last Adovia product I tried I wasn't 100% sold on, but I really did love this one and I've used it everyday since I got it in the mail! I love how soft my skin is after using this product, and it smells SO good! The only bad thing I can say about this scrub is that it makes your shower/tub extremely slippery, so make sure you rinse out your shower/tub before you get in the next time.

I love that Adovia products are 100% Cruelty Free  and are NEVER tested on animals. Adovia also offers a 100%  1-year, no questions asked, money back guarantee when you purchase their products.

I will definitely be repurchasing this scrub, I love the way it makes my skin feel and the results it gives! Adovia also has a facial scrub that I'm really interested in and I think I might order soon.

What do you think about body scrubs? Will you be trying this body scrub?
Do you have any questions about the product? Let me know below!

XoXo,

Lori
FTC: Sponsored by BrandBacker and Adovia

Review: Adovia Purifying Dead Sea Mud Mask

Hello Lovelies!

Today I will be reviewing Adovia's Purifying Dead Sea Mud Mask. This mask retails for $19.99 and if used once a week can last up to a year!

I've used this product about a few times now and I've applied it and removed it differently each time, so I think I have a good idea of what I think about the product.

This product is very thick, so it does take some work to get the product on and off. I like to leave it on for 20 minutes, it takes about 5 minutes to get on, and another 5-10 minutes to take off and moisturize. I tried removing this with just water, a washcloth, and my Olay face brush.
Personally I prefer using my face brush, I started off by rubbing water on my face to get the excess product off and then I used my face brush to get off the more stubborn areas.

The mask claims to minimize pores, clean pores, and it's anti-againg. The mask also treats eczema, blackheads, acne, acne scars, pimples, and psoriasis. I really like that you can pronounce the ingredients, such as Vitamin C, aloe vera, jojoba oil, and ginseng.

I'm wearing the mask as I type this review and my skin feels like it's tingling in some places and in others it feels like it's burning. I know from the past few times I've used this, that when I remove the mask my skin is going to be red.

My skin is usually combination/oily and lately I've been dealing with lots of oil and blackheads. I haven't noticed a difference with oil control with this mask, but I can definitely say it is amazing at removing blackheads. My nose and chin were full of blackheads and now there's barely any left.

Unfortunately, from the beginning I had problems with this product. The first time I used the mask I heard a pop from the bottle when I squeezed it, it took me a few minutes to realize it, but the top of the tube had burst and the mask was spilling out onto my hand.

After that, I looked up reviews of the mask and I think it's just me cause no one else mentioned this in the reviews. I really don't think it was Adovia's fault though, when I received my box it was pretty beat up, so I'm thinking that USPS might be to be blame for this one.

Honestly, I'm not sure yet if I'll be purchasing this after I finish up this tube. I want to keep using it and maybe in a few weeks I'll notice a difference and if I do I'll definitely update y'all about it.

What do you think about mud masks? Let me know below!

XoXo,

Lori
FTC: Sponsored by BranBacker and Adovia

Review: Vita Sciences Maxasorb B12 Vitamin B12 Cream

Hello lovelies!

It's been a while since I did a review that wasn't a book review and I've been meaning to get back into them for a while now. So today's the day I bring you a review on the Vita Sciences Maxasorb B12 Vitamin B12 Cream.

 

I have a weak immune system so I have to take a lot of vitamins, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Iron, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and B12 are just a few I take on daily basis. So when I got the opportunity to try this B12 Cream I jumped at it!

At first I was skeptical, I didn't think it was going to do anything for me because I inherited my low B12 levels from my mom. However, once I received the product I knew immediately that this was going to be something that I'm going to be repurchasing for years to come!

As I mentioned my mom also suffers from low B12 levels, she's been taking shots and pills for over 10 years with no results. So after I tried this for two days, I made her try it too! She LOVES it, she even took pictures of the bottle and told her boss and coworkers about it

You can apply this cream anywhere, but I decided to use it on my hands like a lotion because I have eczema and I wanted to see if it really would help with that like the company claims. I haven't noticed a huge difference, but my skin is definitely softer in those areas, so I can't wait to see what happens as I continue to use it.

I really like that this product is hypo-allergenic and it doesn't have a strong scent. I have super sensitive skin and it gets irritated easily so I try to stay away from fragrance. Another plus is that it's anti-aging!

Overall, my experience with the Vita Sciences Maxasorb B12 Vitmain B12 Cream was great! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who suffers from low B12 levels, in fact I think I'm going to take the bottle with me to show my doctor at my next appointment.

I love that I can get my B12 now without pills, shots, or drops! Two pumps and I'm good to go for the day!

So what do you think about vitamin creams? Will you be giving this a try? 

Let me know below!

XoXo,

Lori

FTC: Sponsored by BrandBacker and Vita Sciences

Influenster Deans List VoxBox Review + A Funny Story

Hello lovelies, today I will be reviewing the Influenster Deans List VoxBox, I will also be telling a funny story about receiving this VoxBox. If you follow me on Instagram then you already know this funny story, so feel free to skip over that part.

In August I received an e-mail telling my that I had been selected to receive a VoxBox, and it finally arrived on September 26! Well, that's when all the fun began!

I'd been checking my e-mail and I saw that it had finally arrived so I decided to go out and get it. I opened our front door and it wasn't there, so I walked out onto the deck and saw that it was on the bottom step. ( Leading up to our front door is a deck with 20 steps. )

 I started to go and get it, but then something told me that I should probably take my phone with me, so I went back inside and got my phone before shutting the door and heading down the stairs.

After that I went back upstairs to go in and open my box, that's when I realized my mistake.
If you don't unlock both locks on our front door then when you go out it locks you out, can you see where I'm heading with this?

When I went to open the door I realized I was locked out!

Once I realized I'd locked myself out I had to swallow my pride and call my mother at work and tell her about the incident. I saw I had to swallow my pride because a few days earlier she locked herself out and I laughed at her.

Of course once I told her what I'd done she started laughing her head off, then she went and told her boss that she needed to leave, and once she found out why she laughed her head off too!

The whole ordeal lasted about 45 minutes and by the end of it I was thoroughly embarrassed and my legs were covered in bug bites from being outside.

So that's the story of the day I learned my lesson about leaving the house without a key. Thankfully it was a beautiful day and I had my phone with me, it could have been much worse.

                                 

Now for all the goodies...

Airhead Bites $0.87-$1.29

I love airheads, they are one of my favorite sweets, and I'm really happy that they've made them into bite size pieces. I've never really talked about in full or anything, but I do have health issues and I have to keep something to eat with me at all times.
I used to keep mini airheads in my bag, but they would always get so hard to chew, so I stopped buying them. In recent years I've turned to keeping fruit roll ups, but it's really hard to find my favorite flavor, so I've been trying to find something different to keep with me.

 After trying these I think I'll get some of these and keep them in my purse for when I need them. I really like the size of them and they're also easier to chew than full size airheads, so that's a big plus, I highly recommend these!

Pilot FriXion Clicker $5.75 for a 2-pack

 I LOVE these pens!!! I feel like I'm the perfect person to ask to review pens because I hate using pencils and try to avoid using them whenever possible. I have a pen obsession and I'm being 100% honest when I say I own at least 50 pens, it's an obsession, don't judge me!

Before receiving these pens to review I'd never tried erasable pens before, I'd always been curious, but I didn't want to buy them and risk hating them, so when I found out I was receiving these I was VERY happy! Overall I loved these pens, I even used them on my Algebra final and you couldn't even tell I had erased anything! I can honestly say that when I use up all the ink in these pens I will 100% be going out an buying more of these, heck, I'll probably buy more before then!

SinfulColors No Text Red $1.99

I've actually tried Sinful Colors nail polishes before and I really do like them, I think for the price they're really great and the colors they have are amazing. This nail polish lasted about three days before it started chipping, and I kept it on my nails for about a week before I knew I had to remove it. My favorite thing about this nail polish is the message behind it, I'm against texting and driving and so I support the message that SinfulColors is trying to share.

KISS Looks So Natural Lashes $3.99

I have naturally long lashes, so I don't use falsies, but these do look really nice and natural.

 After receiving them I got curious, so I opened the box and compared them to my natural lashes, and they were actually shorter than my natural lashes!

Softlips Cube $3.49

I love this lipbalm! I received the fresh mint cube and honestly this is exactly like the EOS lip balm. I really love that it has SPF in it, and I actually like the the packaging more than the EOS, so I highly recommend this product!

Playtex Sport Fresh Balance $3.99

I've never used tampons before, but I've recently been considering trying them, so we'll see how that goes.

COVERGIRL Ready, Set Gorgeous Liquid Foundation $6.99-$8.99

I really don't know how to tell you about this product because I didn't really get to use it. I tried to use it, but the shade was way too dark for my pale skin. I was sent the shade 115 Buff Beige and it looked awful, my skin was so orange I looked like an oompa loompa! I can say that one good thing about this foundation is that it doesn't have a heavy scent, so for me that's a big plus.
Honestly I don't see myself buying this foundation in the future, maybe one day I will, but right now I don't think I will. I think I'm going to pass this on to my mom because her skin is darker than mine, and I'll try to update y'all on that at a later date.

So that's all for todays post, I hope you enjoyed my little story! Have you tried any of the products mentioned above? Let me know below!

XoXo,

Lori

Disclaimer: I received all products for free from Influenster in exchange for an honest review.

September Favorites

Hello lovelies, I hope you had a great weekend! Every month I tell myself that I'm going to share with you my monthly favorites, but I always forget, so this month I made sure to remember!

Favorite Blog:
A Little Seersucker Sass

I love S.S.'s blog, she's so sweet so go send her some love!

Favorite TV Show: Grey's Anatomy
Before this month I had never watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy, but one day I was flipping through channels and I came across it and I decided to give it a chance, and I loved it! So this is my new obsession, I've been watching it pretty much everyday trying to catch up and figure out who's who!

Favorite Movie:  Hocus Pocus
I love Hocus Pocus, it's probably my favorite Halloween movie, and I watched it four times last week!

Favorite Food : Pickles!

I LOVE pickles, pickles always have been, and always will be my favorite food!

Favorite Beauty Product:
I love the EOS Sweet Mint Lip Balm, my lips are super dry and this has been helping to keep them moisturized.

Favorite Clothing Item:

My maxi dress from the Mark Summer 2012 collection. It's a really pretty light and dark blue color and I'm trying to wear it as much as I can before the cold weather sets in and I have to retire it. I don't have a full length picture, but here's what the design looks like.

Favorite Book: Too Friendly to Date by Nicole Helm
I will be reviewing this soon, so all I'll say right now is that I love this book!

Favorite Song: Kenny Chesney - Come Over
I don't know why, but I've really been obsessed with this song the past few weeks.

So there are my September favorites, what are some of your favorites from this month? Let me know below!
XoXo,
Lori

Beauty Products to Try

I've heard great things about these products and I hope to try them all eventually!

1. Renee Rouleau Aloe Cleansing Milk

I first seen this in a interview a few years ago where Renee talked about Demi Lovato using this and ever since then I've wanted to try it.

2. Renee Rouleau Anti-Cyst Treatment

I discovered this a few years ago while reading an article about cystic acne and I've been dying to try it. Then a few months ago, Renee did another interview about Demi where she mentioned that this is another product that Demi uses to keep her skin clear!

3. Butter London Nail Foundation Flawless Basecoat

I haven't looked into this as much as the other products, but from the reviews I've read this seems to be a really good product.

4. Clinique 'Acne Solutions' Oil-Control Mask

I've been considering buying this recently because as the weather has warmed up I've been having a lot of breakouts and my face has been getting oily more quickly. 

5.Clinique Superbalm Lip Treatment

I have super dry lips so I'm constantly trying new lip products, I haven't tried this yet, but as soon as I find a job and have money to splurge I'm definitely going to try it!

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know below!

XoXo,

Lori

My Top 5 Beauty Products Under 5 Dollars

  Today I thought I'd take a break from doing reviews and do something a little different. I'm going to show you my Top 5 Beauty Products Under 5 dollars.

                         

1. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle  $2.99 at Walmart.

 - This is hands down my favorite conditioner, it's even better than the conditioner my hairstylist uses. Normally I use this twice a week, butvfor the past month I've been using it everyday to prep my hair for the damage I knew my hair would go through last week when I dyed it. I also use this alongside my Moroccan Argan Oil, you can see my blog post about it (here)

2. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish  $2.50 at Walmart.

 - For this one I'm lumping the entire collection together because I love every single nail polish in this line. If you've been reading my blog for a while then you know that I love these nail polishes, I've reviewed many in the past, and I have more reviews coming up over the next few weeks.

3. Wet & Wild Eye Shadow Palette in C246 Greed    $1.99 at Kmart.

  -  This is my most used beauty product, I don't wear makeup often, but when I do I use this palette to do my eyes.

4.  E.L.F Eyeliner Brush    $1.00

 - This is my favorite makeup brush ever, and I use it every time I wear makeup.  I probably have three of these brushes one I use, one as a back-up, and then I cut one into an angled brush.

5. Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner  $4.49 at Walmart.

 - I cannot believe I've lived my entire life without this eyeliner, it is the most amazing beauty product I've ever used. I use this to line my bottom waterline, and I use it to tight-line my upper waterline. Once you put this on your skin it does not budge, and it will not smudge, it is the BEST THING EVER!!!

   Well that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to follow me if you want to see more.

        XoXo,

                    Lori Ann

Review: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish

   Today I will be reviewing the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in 210 Flirt. I've had this nail polish for awhile now, and I just hadn't used it, but I seen it sitting on my shelf recently and decided to try it.

First I just wanna say that these pictures suck, this was probably the hardest nail polish to photograph ever. I tried really hard to find a good picture, but I just couldn't, so the top one I used a flash for, and the second phtoto I didn't.

What Do I Think?

   I'm going to be totally honest, this nail polish was a pain in the ass to work with. The photos were one thing, but the color is another thing.
     With one coat, this nail polish is more of a dark red with purple undertones, but when you apply a second coat, it's so dark that most of the time it looks black.
      Honestly, I just ended up being totally bored, and I wanted to take it off.
  One of the positives about this nail polish is that it did last an entire week with hardly any chipping, so if that's what you're looking for then go for it.
     Overall I guess I would recommend it, it is a good nail polish, it's just the color ended up not being what I expected, but I'm sure a few months from now I'll go through a phase where I'm into darker colors again.

     So that's all for today, I'll have my usual post up a post up tomorrow, and again on Friday. Will you be buying this? Have you tried it already? Let me know what you think in the comment section.
                                                            Stay Creative,

                                                                              Lori Ann

How I Saved My Damaged Hair

In today's post I will be talking about how I saved my severely damaged hair after coloring it back in July.
    First of all this post is long over due, I got my hair colored in July, and that's when I first used this mixture of products to save my hair.

      The products in question is the Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle, and the Organix Extra Strength Moroccan Argan Oil.

     I started lightening my hair back in February, and I also went in May. During those two trips I didn't really notice much damage, and my hair wasn't dry.
    But after I had my hair done in July, it felt like straw, after I got home I started looking online, and I was going to buy a hair treatment, but then I got a brilliant idea.

    I decided to mix together my Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, and my Organix Extra Strength Moroccan Argan Oil. I love the smell of both products, and when you put them together, the smell is amazing.
     So after mixing the products I got in the shower and used it, I left it on for about 10 minutes.
      After I got out of the shower I let my hair air dry, and by the time it was dry my hair looked soft and silky.
      I had my hair done in July and then again last Thursday, during that time I only had to use this mixture once, but after getting my hair done I knew I needed to use it again.
       So Friday night I mixed it up, and hopped in the shower. Did it work? YES!
   

       Once again it worked, and I'm so happy I was able to save my hair. I've spent so much time and money getting my hair the way it is, I have a panic attack just thinking about having to cut it all off.

      So that's all for today, I'll have my usual post up Friday. What do you think of my little experiment? Do you have any hair mixture you would like to share? Let me know what you think in the comments section. Stay Creative my Lovelies, I'll post again very soon.

                                         XOXO,

                                              Lori Ann

      

Skincare Routine

   Hello there, so It's time for my newest post, today it's gonna be about my skincare routine, I'm gonna tell you all about all the products I use and some tips I have. I have a post coming up soon, probably tomorrow where I talk a little about my skincare routine, but I decided I wanted to go a little more into detail.
                                                                Face Skincare
    Okay, So I have really oily skin, mainly on my T-Zone, and over the years I've tried a numerous amount of products trying to find something to help cure my acne. I've had acne since the third grade, so I finally got committed to finding the right product, it was trial and error for a long time, but finally last fall I found the right combination.
     Clinique. Yes I know Clinique products are quite expensive, but they really do work, I use the Clinique Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser (Here) and the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (Here)
     So now you know what I use for my face, I also want to point out that with the cleanser before I wash it off I have an exfoliating face pad ($2.00) that I use everyday. I use to use a Clinique scrub once a week, it was the 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula (Here) , I just haven't repurchased, cause the one I had was a sample. Also I would just like to point out that their sample's last a really long time, I think all of mine lasted for three months.
    And here comes the unusual part about my skincare routine, I only wash my face once a day (night). But you have oily skin? I know, I have no idea how it's possible, but for me it works. The only time I wash my face of a morning is when I wear foundation, and the last time I wore foundation was in March for my birthday. Sometimes when I wanna wear a moisturizer/sunscreen during the day, I'll wet my face scrubber or just wet my face then dry it, before I apply the moisturizer.
 
                                                          Body Skincare
     Okay for my body I don't really do much, since I have really sensitive skin it's hard to find products to use. For body wash I use Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash, and as a lotion I use baby lotion.
      I have eczema on my hands, and I've tried everything to get rid of it, but nothing works, and I've had an allergic reaction to many lotions I've tried. So far I've only found three that I'm not allergic to.

1. Johnson's Baby Lotion
2. Nivea Cream lotion
3. Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream

   For number one, duh, who hasn't used it, it's amazing, especially for those with very sensitive skin. For number two, I've used for about two years, but since it's really thick I can only use at night, but it's still amazing, and helped relieve my skin. For number three, I'm in love and I've found the most amazing product in the world.
     If they ever discontinue this product I think I just might cry.. The Neutorgena hand cream has been a life saver, and not just for my hands, but also lips, knees, and elbows, the bottle says it can also be used on the face, but I'm a little skeptical about trying that.

      Now that's all I use, other than my makeup, but I'll probably do a post about my most used beauty products eventually. So have you used any of these products? And do you have any product  recommendations for  people with sensitive skin? If so leave a response in the comments or, tweet or email me.
                                                                                    Stay Creative,
                                                                                                 Lori Ann

Contact me: 

                     E-mail: loriboyd15@gmail.com

                     Twitter:@LoriAnnBoyd