Herbal Essences Naked Voxbox

A few weeks ago, I received the Herbal Essences Naked Voxbox from Influenster (if you want to join, let me know and I'll send you an invitation).  It included samples of the Herbal Essences Naked Shampoo and Conditioner, as well as a full size bottle of the Naked Dry Shampoo. 

I've had time to use all three products, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you.  I LOVE the scent of all three of these products.  I really like the shampoo and conditioner, and would purchase them in the future.  I actually normally use Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner, but I really like this new Naked line.

I've tried a few different dry shampoos, and this Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo is one of my favorites.  It doesn't leave any residue at all, it's really light, but still gives some texture.  I don't know that it really adds much volume for me (which could be my lack of styling skills), but I like that it's light, adds texture, and smells good too.  I would definitely purchase this dry shampoo too.

Now, I'm not normally one to take selfies, but I took this in the car before I left for work yesterday.  I didn't wash my hair yesterday morning, so I just used some dry shampoo at the roots and curled it.  I washed it the day before and used the Herbal Essences Naked shampoo and conditioner when I washed it.

side note: my teeth look really white in this pic...if only they always looked like that!

Have you ever tried any of the Herbal Essences Naked products?  What do you think?

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

April Glam Bag

April's Glam Bag was pretty in pink.  I was quite pleased with this month's Glam Bag.  Here is a picture and my review of the products I received this month.

Be a Bombshell Blush - This was a full size blush and I like the color.  It's not as dark as it looks in this picture.  It's lighter pink, but it is bright, so I didn't need to use much when I wore it.  I love the size of the sample, and I liked the color of the blush too.

Two Cosmetics Duo Eye Shadow - This was also considered a full size sample.  It has two different shades of pink eye shadow.  I don't wear pink eye shadow that often, but I did like the colors.  I think once I get a little more tan, I'll like it better.  It was just a little too pink for my pale skin right now.

Sation Nail Laquer - This was a full size bottle of nail polish and I love the color!  It's perfect for spring.

Sexy Hair Soy Renewal - I've never used this product before, but I love it after trying it!  I used some on my damp hair on Monday morning and it made my hair super soft after blow drying.  It also says you can use on dry hair to help tackle frizz.  I haven't used it on dry hair yet, but I bet it will be amazing!

Like I said, I am very happy with this month's Glam Bag and look forward to what comes in my May bag.

March Glam Bag

I received my March Glam Bag last week and wanted to share it with you.  I liked last month's products better, but love the cute bag this month!

Isn't the bag adorable?!?

The products I received were:

Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist - I've never used a hydrating mist before, and quite frankly  I'm not exactly sure how/when to use it!  The product description says "hydrates and refreshes your face and hair while on the go, anytime of the day."  I did spray it on my face the other day and it was kind of refreshing, but not exactly sure what the benefit is?  Maybe it would be something good to keep in my beach bag (if summer ever gets here) to spray on when I'm at the beach.

Glam RX Mini Freestyle Palette - I was a little disappointed when I first saw this because I thought I'd never use it, but now I'm starting to like it.  It has a magnetic base, so it stays closed, and has space to store something inside.  It also has a mirror on the inside.  It would be perfect to put little blushes, eye shadows, gum, etc. in and keep in your purse.

Yaby Eye Shadow Refill - I received the seashell and rose colors and I like them both.

La Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes - I was really excited about these, because I use makeup remover wipes every night to remove my makeup.  I thought this little pack would be perfect for traveling, so I don't have to bring my big pack of wipes.  I haven't tried them yet, so I'm not sure how they will be on my skin, but I have a friend who tried them and said they dried her face out...and the reviews seems to agree with that, so I'm a little nervous about trying them.

Overall, I liked the products, I just felt like they were products that I won't use as much as some of the others I have received in the past.

So with that, Happy Friday!  I hope you have a great weekend.  I'm looking forward to Kevin getting home Saturday night and my bridal shower on Sunday!

-Ericka

February Glam Bag

Today I received my February Glam Bag.  If you remember, I used to subscribe to Birchbox, but last month, I decided to switch to Glam Bag.  I'm happy with this month's samples, but I haven't actually tried any of them yet. 

The Lash Card by Lash Card - I've never heard of these before, but I like the idea.  You hold one behind your eyelashes as you are applying your mascara, and it supposed to help prevent mascara smudging and clumping.  I don't know that I would ever purchase these, because it just seems like one more step to my daily makeup routine and I've got my mascara applying skills down, but I'm happy to try them :)

Shadow Palette Sample by Coastal Scents - I usually wear some type of eye shadow every day, so I know I'll get some use out of this.  I'm not sure about the yellows, but I like the other two colors.

Smokey Lash Kapow Mascara by Pop Beauty - I LOVE mascara.  If I could only wear one type of makeup on my face, it would be mascara.  Since I like it so much, I'm kind of picky about my mascara, so I hope this one is good.  I haven't worn it yet, but I did open it up check it out.  The brush looked good, didn't look like it would get clumpy, so that's a plus!

Flawless & Poreless primer by Pixi - I've never used primer before, so I'm excited to try this!

Gel Eyeliner by MicaBeauty - I've never used gel eyeliner before, I've always just used an eyeliner pencil.  I actually don't wear eyeliner very often, usually only for special occasions.  I'm not very good at applying it and I feel like it takes too long for every day wear.  Anyone have any tips on applying eyeliner?  Is gel eyeliner easier or harder to apply than a pencil?

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this month's Glam Bag.  I'm excited to try a couple of new items that I've never used before. 

Have you ever used any of these items?  What would you be most excited to try? 

- Ericka

Birchbox v. Glam Bag

You've probably seen one of my posts about my monthly Birchbox.  I've been receiving Birchboxes for about six months now, and I've always been happy with them.  I recently heard about something called Glam Bag from Ipsy.  It's the same concept and price as Birchbox, and I've heard people say they really like it, so I thought I'd try it out.  I received my first Glam Bag a couple weeks ago and I LOVED it!  Great samples, and big sized samples too.

Comparing my January Birchbox and Glam Bag, I would say I liked my Glam Bag better than my Birchbox this month.  I think I received bigger and better samples in my Glam Bag.  On Ipsy's website, you can see past glam bag's, and when I compared those to my past Birchboxes (here, here, here, and here) I felt like the samples in the Glam Bags were better, so I decided to cancel my subscription to Birchbox and just receive Glam Bag.

Here are a few of the differences I've noticed between the two:

- Birchbox gives you points for various things such as referring friends, posting reviews of products, and buying products.  You can redeem the points for $$ to spend on Birchbox's website.  From what I can tell, Glambag does not do anything like this.

- When you sign up for Birchbox and Glambag, you fill out a short survey/profile about yourself.  Birchbox tries to send you samples that fit your likes, skin type, etc.  It seems like all Glambags are the same (for the most part), so they aren't necessarily created to your specific profile.

- Birchbox comes in a box each month and Glambags come in a little makeup bag each month.

Overall, I think it's just personal preference about which one is better.  For me, I decided on Glambag, although I've always been happy with Birchbox too.

Do you subscribe to Birchbox or Glambag?  What do you think?  Do you subscribe to anything else like these?

January Birchbox

Another good month with my Birchbox!  Here's what my box looked like and a description of each product:

Deborah Lippmann the Stripper to go - This are nail polish remover wipes. They would be great to take with you on vacation or leave in your purse in case you want to take your nail polish off and you aren't home. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm excited about it!

theBalm® cosmetics Hot Mama Shadow & Blush All-in-One - I don't know about using this as a shadow, but I love it as a blush!  It's just the right color.   Not too bright, but gives just the right hint of color your cheeks.

Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo - I haven't tried this shampoo yet, but I'm happy I got it.  It's supposed to help clean up all of the buildup of products in your hair.  It's a good sample size too, which is nice.

Aerie Shimmer Fragrance - I really like this fragrance.  Light and girly.  The sample size will probably last me a few days.

Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè (24-Hour Miracle Cream) - I used this instead of my daily moisturizer in the morning and I really liked it.  It was light and did a good job moisturizing my dry face.  It also says it can be used as a makeup remover if you add some water to it.  The sample size will probably last me a week or two.

Do you have any "box" subscriptions?  What are they?  Have you been happy with it?  Do share :)

December Birchbox

December's Birchbox was another good one!  Here's what I received this month and my thoughts on each item:

ModelCo SHINE Ultra Lip Gloss - I received the full size lip gloss!  I love it!  The lip gloss has a little mirror on it, which is great for applying on the go.  The gloss gives a little color and great shine.

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream - You've probably heard of BB creams (which I love).  This is a CC cream.  I haven't tried it yet, but the sample size is decent, and I'm excited to try it.

Nick Chavez® Beverly Hills Advanced Volume Shampoo with Expansion Technology® - I haven't tried this yet either, but it is a large sample size, so I'm excited to try it out.

Cartier Déclaration D'un Soir & Cartier Baiser Volé Eau de Parfum - This is the men's cologne and women's perfume fragrances.  I really liked the perfume and have worn it a couple of times.  Kevin said the men's cologne smelled like bug spray.  I didn't think it smelled anything like bug spray, but it was not my favorite men's cologne.

Frownies® Eye Gels - I haven't used these yet, but maybe I will over one of the long holiday weekends.

Overall, I was very pleased with December's Birchbox.  Can't wait to get my next one in January :)

November Birchbox

More great products in my November Birchbox!

These are the products I received:

Miracle Skin Transformer™ Vanish Instant Imperfection Corrector - I used this product this morning and I liked the feel/texture of it.  I'll see if I notice any improvements as I continue to use it.  The sample was big enough to probably use for a couple of weeks.


Chuao Chocolatier Assorted ChocoPod - This was actually really good!  I wasn't sure about a chocolate covered potato chip, but it was just the right amount of salty and sweet.  They are pretty expensive, so I'm not sure that I would buy them, but it was tasty :)


Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme Petite Cologne Absolue - I love getting perfume samples!  This one is not something I would have picked out for myself, but I do like the smell of it and I will wear it.  I probably wouldn't buy it for myself, because it's just not "my scent."


Oscar Blandi Pronto Texture & Volume Spray - I love this stuff!  I used it the other night on my "dirty" hair (I washed it the day before).  It gave great texture and volume to my day old hair.  I think I used too much though, because when I sprayed it, I didn't "instantly" notice the texture or volume, so I sprayed more.  About a half hour later, I could really notice it and I think I over did it a little.  But I have enough in my sample to use it a few more times.  I would totally purchase this product!


stila all over shimmer liquid luminizer - This is a fun product.  It looks like lipgloss, but it has a little brush applicator so you can apply the shimmer all over!  I've only used it on my cheeks with my blush and it gives it just a little hint of pink and shimmer.  Not something I would buy for myself, but it is fun to wear!

October Birchbox & Cute Dog

Yayy for my October Birchbox!  This was my third box I've received and it might be my favorite one so far!

In this box I received:
Kiehl's Aromatic Blends: Orange Flower & Lychee - Liquid Body Cleanser  (I haven't tried this yet, but it's a large sample which is great)
Joanna Vargas Daily Serum  (I like this, but I don't love it...I like an actual moisturizer better than a serum)
Naked Princess Naked Shine Luscious Lip Gloss  (LOVE this lip gloss)
LUNA Fiber Chocolate Raspberry  (I haven't tried this yet either)
essie fall picks Nail Polish Collection  (I received the "power clutch" color and I love it)


I also wanted to share some pics of my cute dog.  Ok, I'm a little biased, but you have to admit he is kind of adorable :)

Kevin and I usually get home from work right about the same time each day, but Kevin worked late the other day, and Admiral just did not like that.  Every time he heard a noise, he hoped it was Kevin coming home from work. 

So then he finally realized it wasn't him, and sat down on the couch and stared at me, like "hey, where is he?"

So then I told him that he wasn't going to be home for a little while and he laid down and pouted.

I'm pretty sure he might be part human :) 

Oh and the TIGERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!! Yayyyyy!!!

September Birchbox

Some of you may have seen my photos on facebook or instagram of my birchboxes.  I've had some questions about it, so I thought I'd explain a little here and tell you about my experience with it.

Basically, you sign up to get box each month.  It's $10 a month (or I think you get a small discount if you do a year subscription).  It's a great way to try new products without the huge investment.  The products are typically sample size, although some samples are larger than others.  For example, last month I got a sample of DDF Brightening Cleanser and I use it every day, and I still have a little over half left, and it's been about a month since I got it.  Other samples I use up in a few days or a couple weeks.

I get so excited when I get my box in the mail because I never know what's inside!  It's a surprise every time!  I've only received two birchboxes so far, but I've been happy with what I got so far.  I like the fact that I can try new products, without paying full price for a full size bottle, in case I don't like it.  For example, last month I received a sample of Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm and this month a sample of Jouer Matte Moisture Tint and I learned that I like these types of products.  I like the idea of using a tinted moisturizer instead of a moisturizer and a foundation or cover up.  And they include an SPF which is a bonus!  I never would have went and bought a full size version of something like this in case I didn't like it.  I was able to use the sample size products to try it out and decide if I want to purchase the full-size version.

If you are curious, you can check out birchbox's website here.  If you decide to sign up, let me know your thoughts on your first box!

Here is an instagram pic of my September Birchbox: