#RaiseYourArms for Dove with @Influenstervox

I've been a member of Influenster for several months now, and I finally qualified for my first voxbox. I have been super excited while waiting on my voxbox to get to me in the mail.

I got it today!!! :)

Inside was the new Dove advanced care nourishing beauty 48 hour deodorant. And let me just tell you, it smells AMAZING!!! I put it on this afternoon, and my daughter came home from school, gave me a hug, and said "What is that smell? It smells like honey suckles. It smells soooooooooo good!" I responded with "It's my new deodorant that I received from Influenster today" and then she proceeded to beg me to buy her some.

The card/flier that came with it says "36% of what you remove while shaving is SKIN". I believe it. Lately, my underarms have been so dry and itchy. Quite honestly, I don't know how to properly moisturize my underarms, and before trying this deodorant, I have been using a $9 deodorant, so I thought it would do the trick. Wrong. Even in the few short hours that I've had the Dove advanced care deodorant on, I can tell a HUGE difference. I'm definitely a believer. 

So.... #RaiseYourArms for Dove Advanced Care Nourishing Deodorant. I know I will be! :)

If you'd like to join influenster, leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send you an invite. I have five invites to give away. 

NEUTROGENA® NOURISHING LONG WEAR MAKEUP {BzzAgent}

I was invited to try the Neutrogena Nourishing long wear makeup, for free, thanks to BzzAgent. 

I have been wanting to try it ever since I saw the first commercial for it, but it's all sold out in my color, at my local drugstores, so when I got the email from BzzAgent, I was excited to say the least!! 

So I got my box in the mail, and it came with the makeup and several coupons for $2.00 off, that I will be sharing with my friends. 

Let me just tell you that this makeup does everything it says it will do! I have a very uneven complexion... red spots as I get older... and this foundation completely evens out my complexion and smooths my skin so you can not see a single blemish. It's long wearing (I wear my makeup for 8-10 hours a day and this stays put!), and it has a matte finish so it's perfect for my oily/combination skin. I am absolutely in love with this foundation and I am pretty sure I have finally found the "perfect" foundation for me!!! 

Thank you, BzzAgent and thank you, Neutrogena! 

I am in love!! 

CVS Haul (learning how to use coupons!)

So..... don't laugh but I'm finally learning how to use coupons... effectively. I'm finally feeling better and over that nasty stomach bug that I had, so my daughter and I went to CVS last night to pick up a few things that I needed, and it turns out, that I had coupons for 90% of everything I got. I've never really paid attention to coupons before (to be honest, I'm not organized enough for couponing lol) but I was in CVS a couple of weeks ago and the cashier was telling me about how she paid $72 for $189 worth of stuff.

I walked in to CVS, scanned my card to get the CVS coupons, and got what I needed.

This is my haul:

It doesn't look like a lot, but these items are not cheap. I had a coupon for everything except the hair color (which was for my daughter....) and that was on clearance from $10.99 to $2.47 so I let her get it. Everything else either had a manufacturer coupon or a CVS coupon. 

And this is how much I ended up saving:

I saved $51.92!!!! 

So, I think I am going to continue to learn more and more about this whole coupon thing. I'm all about saving some money when I can and I think $51.92 is a pretty good amount to save. 

In other news, I finally broke down and bought some Rimmel London products. I've been hearing/reading a lot of raves about them from other bloggers and vloggers, so I finally broke down and got a couple of things. I am wearing my Rimmel products today and so far so good! I'll give an actual review of them in a couple of weeks when I've used them enough to actually have an opinion on it. 

But yeah... if you use coupons and have any tips to share with me, I'd love to hear them. Just leave a comment below :) 

I wouldn't even wish it on Satan himself.

I wrote my last blog post on Sunday night. In case you didn't read it, I was complaining about having to do homework. Monday morning, I woke up with a really bad case of the stomach flu.

I will never complain about having to do homework again. Okay.... I can't say that. I will not complain about having to do homework for a really long time. lol.

It is now 3:30am Wednesday morning, and I'm still sick with this mess. It has been HORRIBLE!!! I honestly have not been this sick, and this weak, in a really long time. From Monday to Tuesday night, I couldn't get my fever down below 100. It had been lingering between the 101-102 mark. Last night before I went to bed, it finally got down to 99.7 and is steady lingering there.

I really should still be sleeping right now, but I've slept so much in the last couple of days that my body literally hurts from laying down too much. And it's hurting me to sit up right now. I'm weak and nauseous and just really want to be over this mess already.

To be honest, I wouldn't wish this stomach flu on my worst enemy. I wouldn't even wish it on Satan himself.

In other news, I must say that I have the greatest husband on the planet. He always does a wonderful job at taking care of me, the kids, the pets, the house, etc... when I am sick. I couldn't ask for a better man.

Hopefully, the next time I blog, I will be over this mess. Lord knows I'm ready to be over it!

"But I don't want to!!!!" {RANT}

In case you didn't know this about me, I am a college student. This is my third go around with college. First time was as a nursing student (I did home health care for several years), second time was an associates in health information technology.... yeah... I'm not a sit behind a desk all day type of person though.... and now, I have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up!!! I am in my last semester as a undergrad senior at Liberty University. I am getting my Bachelor's of Science in Psychology specializing in addiction and recovery counseling with a minor in Christian counseling. In May, I will be starting my Master's in Addiction and Recovery Counseling.

So anyways, this semester, I am taking one of my final math classes (I have one more to take after this, but since I have less than 9 credit hours, I can go ahead and start my grad classes next semester), and my last undergrad psychology class which is abnormal psychology. The reason why I have to take another math class after this one is because I hate math. So I procrastinated (because I am the queen of procrastination) and put off math until last, not realizing that I had THREE of them to take when I decided to put off Math until last. Yes, that's right... three... I took one last semester.

I hate math. Have I mentioned that? And it's not that I am not good at math, because I am. I finished my last math class with a 96/A. I just don't like to do math, and I have absolutely NO desire to do it, especially since I will never use it as a substance abuse counselor or even as a counselor in general.

So yeah... I hate math.

And tonight, while I want to just veg out with my husband and relax before we start another Monday, tomorrow.... I have to stay up and work on.... you guessed it.... MATH homework. And I am NOT happy about it. Not one little bit. *POUT*

Call it what you will... I call it "Senioritus"... but this is my "BUT I DON'T WANT TO DO MATH HOMEWORK" face....

If I could get away with throwing a hissy-fit like a 2 year old, right now, I would. 

Okay.... end rant. I've got homework to get to now. 

Pray for me.

Contouring? Nailed it! ;)

Hahahahahahaha!!! Seriously, I doubled over in laughter. How many of us truly feel this way about contouring? TOO FUNNY, yet so very true!

Revlon Colorstay Foundation {review}

To be honest, I don't normally wear drugstore foundations for the simple fact that I never can find one to match my skin tone. I have a yellow skin tone (Mediterranean background - you can probably look at my pictures and tell! lol... anyways...) so I never can find a good drug store brand foundation to match me just right. But when I bought the Revlon Colorstay Photo Ready Primer (that I did a quick review of here), the Revlon products were buy one get one half off, and let's face it... I can't resist a good sale. So I picked up the Revlon ColorStay foundation in 250 fresh beige for combination/oily skin. I had to go a little lighter for the winter months because I don't have a tan during these months. The 250 was the one that had a yellow/goldish tone to it, so that's the one I picked. Surprisingly enough, it matched pretty well; especially once I used my Too Faced foundation powder in Honey beige over it ;) During the summer months, I am a lot darker so I would use the color Golden Caramel. The foundation itself is light weight, has great coverage and does stay on until I take it off. I haven't tested it to see if it'll stay a full 24 hours, but it does stay until I take it off. Another reason I don't use drugstore brand foundations is because they tend to slide right off after a couple of hours, but this one did not! And as you can tell, I used every last little bit of it. I am a firm believer in getting in there with a Q-tip and getting my money's worth! lol. But overall, I am impressed. I'll definitely be purchasing this again, especially since I can find a right shade for me in this brand.

DEAR SINGLE LADIES!!

This isn't beauty related or anything of the sort, but I'm going to jump on my soap box for just a minute so bare with me..... 

I see a lot of man-bashing and man-hating from single ladies on facebook, twitter, etc... and then they wonder where all the good men are at. So I'm going to share a little secret with any single ladies that do this. Are you ready for this? Here it goes..... 

ALL OF THE GOOD MEN ARE HIDING FROM YOU!!! ... yes hiding.... because they don't want a "woman scorned" or someone that is going to make them prove something. If you want a man to prove to you that they aren't all the same, then stop thinking that the male species owes you something and stop hating on them. It's not cute and it's definitely not attractive, and it makes you very unapproachable. Just because one man, or even five men have done you wrong, or your relationship didn't work out, doesn't mean that it's going to be the same with every man. All men are not the same. And........... stop bashing your ex(es)!!! Just because things didn't work out with you does not necessarily make him a bad guy, it just means that the two of you weren't meant to work out. He might be great for/with someone else. Just chalk it up to him not being the one God has in store for you. But seriously, the ex bashing gets old, fast. Guys don't want to hear how bad your ex was, and they don't want to be compared to your ex in the least little bit either. 

All guys are NOT the same. Stop putting such unrealistic expectations on men, and you'll start realizing that. 

And guys.... that same holds true for y'all too. If you're single, stop the woman hating/bashing. Women don't like that mess either.

Stop holding on to the past and let go of the bitterness. It's not becoming of anyone, and no one wants to hear the same sad song played over and over again.

Ok.... I'll get down off of my soap box now. It's just something that I see a lot of, so I just wanted to share a little advice, take it or leave it.

Love y'all! 

Ps. please know that this comes from me speaking out of love and experience. I have been married twice before. One of my exes is now sitting in federal prison for crimes he committed while we were married, and after we divorced. He literally put me through hell on earth. But I refused to let that break me or make me bitter, and I moved on to find true love and am now very happily married to the love of my life. If I would have chosen to be angry and bitter, I definitely wouldn't be happy now. So I am speaking from experience. It's not easier said then done because I have done it. I know. So I just wanted to share what I know, with you. 

Beauty Products - #Empties + #ProductReviews {January 2014}

I've decided that I am going to start reviewing all my empties, here on my blog. This week is the first time in a long time that I've actually had several empties all at once, so I figured that now is as good a time as any!

So here goes... here's the little collection of "empties" that I have as of right now.

Matrix Biolage color care shampoo

Softscrub vineyard escape scrub

Philip B self adjusting hairspray

Nelson Argon Oil 7 in 1 non-foaming shampoo

Revlon Photo Ready primer

Michael Todd pumpkin nutrient rich facial mask 

Soap and Glory face soap and clarity 7-in-1 daily detox vitamin face wash

ColorScience face primer sunforgettable 

Matrix Biolage color care shampoo

my thoughts: 

I bought this shampoo because my stylist (who is also a personal friend) suggested that I use it on my hair. It's what she uses in her salon, and I'll admit, my hair looks and feels great when I leave there. But this shampoo isn't for me to use on a regular basis. I have very thin hair and it get oily easily, so I have to wash my hair daily. After a week of using this daily, my hair felt stiff, like straw for some reason. It was super weird. I could use it a couple of times a week, but that's it. It did last me a really long time (about 5 months), but that's not enough of a plus to get me to buy it again. 

repurchase?

Nope!

Softscrub vineyard escape scrub

my thoughts: 

this stuff smells and feels great! It's very thick and a little bit goes a long ways. 

repurchase? 

Eventually! I'm the type that likes to mix it up when it comes to body washes though, so it'll be at a later time. Last night I bought the sostsoap coconut island quench. 

Philip B self adjusting hairspray

my thoughts?

This was something that was introduced to me in one of my blush mystery beauty boxes. I don't remember which month it was, but it was toward the end of summer. Anyways, this stuff is AMAZEBALLS!!!!! it literally self adjusts to not only your hair, but the climate that you are in also. This is the first hairspray that I have used that didn't make my hair stiff or sticky, but really held my style - all day! 

repurchase?

Most definitely. Already did. I just wish it came in a bigger bottle. 

Nelson Argon Oil 7 in 1 non-foaming shampoo

my thoughts?

This is a little sample size that a friend of mine sent me in a secret santa swap I participated in. I was able to get 6 uses out of this little bottle (which is a good sample size!). I have never used a non-foaming shampoo before, but after using this, I AM SOLD!!!!!! I absolutely love this product. It made my scalp tingle in a minty fresh good way, and after blow drying, my hair has never been so soft and clean! Absolutely LOVE it!

Repurchase? 

DEFINITELY!!!!!!!!

Revlon Photo Ready primer

my thoughts?

For a drugstore primer, I'm in love. I think I paid like $12 for this at rite aid or cvs (i don't remember which one). I bought it with the foundation (which, I am almost out of), and I wasn't sure what to expect since I was used to using my high end primers, but I have to say, this stuff is wonderful!!! It smoothed out my skin and made it super soft. My makeup held up all day. I love it!

Repurchase?

Most definitely. 

Michael Todd pumpkin nutrient rich facial mask 

My thoughts? 

I used this down to the very last drop. At first it was fine on my skin, but then it would burn. a lot. but I never had a reaction appearance-wise to it so I kept trying it. Honestly, I'm not even sure what the purpose of this mask is, but it did absolutely nothing for me (or my sensitive skin for that matter). 

Repurchase?

Nope.

Soap and Glory face soap and clarity 7-in-1 daily detox vitamin face wash

my thoughts?

This is my holy grail of facial cleansers. I can't even begin to express how much I love this stuff!!! There is NOTHING on the planet that cleans my face better then this! And this little tube lasts me 3 months, and it only cost me $3 (from Sephora). Seriously, there is nothing better!! I use it daily, along with soap and glory's greatest scrub of all. 

Repurchase?

Absofreakinlutely!

ColorScience face primer sunforgettable 

my thoughts?

I don't remember where I got this sample from, but I had really high hopes for it. It goes on very smooth and is super soft.... it has some color to it so it would be perfect on days that you don't want to wear any makeup but still want to sort of soften your face up. The only drawback I found to it is that it made my face super oily :( 

Repurchase?

no. if it didn't make my face feel oily, i would, but no.

So there's my first ever empties and product reviews! Hopefully I'll have enough empties each month to be able to make this a monthly thing. I know my blog is still new and all but I'm trying to start up some recurring things here :) 

Have you tried any of these products? If so, tell me what you think!

Beauty box subscriptions for 2014??

In 2013, I was subbed to Ipsy, Birchbox (for a few months), Blush Mystery Beauty Box, Glossybox, and I did one box of Sample Society and a few boxes of Beauty Box 5.

For December and January, I have been doing a very low-buy (spent too much money on the kids for Christmas and I'm trying to help us recover faster lol) and I've only been subbed to Ipsy for the past two months. In the next couple of weeks I will be redoing my subs for the year, and I have decided to only do subs that will let me do 3-12 months at a time (to save money).

I've decided that I will not be subbing to Ipsy for a while. This has been a super hard decision for me because I have not missed a bag in over a year, and while I love Ipsy, let's face it, their products have been the same brands over and over again, and this month's bag isn't looking too promising so far. Regardless, I think it's time for me and Ipsy to part ways for a little while.

So here are my choices for 2014 so far:

Birchbox (I am going to give them one more try).
Glossybox
Beauty Box 5

That's it. THREE definites. I have room for a couple of more, so if you know of any other good ones that will do 3,6,12 months at a time, PLEASE let me know. Just comment below and leave me a suggestion. I'd love to hear it!

Hello 2014!!!

Wow! I can't believe it's literally been over a month since I have had time to blog. The holidays certainly have a way of keeping people/families busy. 

I will say that we have had a wonderful Christmas and I hope that everyone else did too. I will be back in the next few days and will start actively blogging again, but for now, I will just post a few of my favorite Christmas and New Year's Eve memories from 2013 :) 

Christmas Day

my brother came home for Christmas!

my sexy hubby on New Year's eve :)

my silly family

I love my family <3

me and my main squeeze on New Year's Eve. Love him!

my hubby and my brother being goofy lol

We got caught under the mistletoe, Christmas day.

me and one of my best friends - New Year's eve. 

all four of our littles, the night we put up our Christmas tree <3

my papa and my brother. Christmas day {tradition}

I hope everyone has a safe New Year's eve!!! Can you believe that it's actually 2014 already? 2013 literally just flew by!!!! 

Here are a few of my resolutions for 2014:

What are your resolutions for the new year?