NEW X Out Wash-In Treatment Review

I had the opportunity to receive a fabulous Holiday VoxBox from Influenster earlier this month filled with quite a variety of awesome, new products and I've been testing out these products all month long - and here's a review for one of them: the NEW X Out Wash-In Treatment!

"The unique, one-step X Out™ Wash-In Treatment is formulated to help kill the bacteria that causes breakouts, help banish existing pimples and help leave the skin feeling smooth and looking healthy.

X Out™ works to lift away the dirt and grime that can clog pores. The Wash-In Treatment also leaves behind powerful medicine to help keep pores clean. Learn more and purchase at XOut.com. X Out is sold as a 30-day supply and comes with a bonus Shine Control product to help you fight oil all day for $19.95." - Influenster

 

This is a new product from the makers of Proactiv, which I have tried and liked but had to stop ordering because it is pretty expensive, and I was so excited to try it out after seeing it in my VoxBox! Yes, I think it might be my favorite product out of the everything that I received to try! But enough about my love for this amazing product, I need to tell you why it is so amazing!

First off, the packaging totally got me again. I've never seen a "face wash" (because it is so much more than just a face wash and needed the quotation marks) packaged like this, with a pump, and I love it because I keep it in my shower and this prevents water from getting into the product! I just like the way it looks too, and it stands out from my array of face/skin products in the shower.

The reason why this isn't a normal acne treatment/face wash is that it's supposed to stay on your face and keep fighting pimples long after you rinse the product of - something that I'm usually skeptical off. But this product really works so well that I just might believe this claim! This product is supposed to take the place of your normal acne treatments as well as your face wash and mask so it's very multipurpose and from what I can see so far, it lives up to its claims! It's been effective in controlling my acne but I've also been using my normal moisturizer from Clean & Clear with a bit of salicylic acid because I didn't want to stop using everything and start breaking out really badly, in case X Out didn't work for my skin. But it did!! I have yet to try it as a mask/leave it on my skin overnight but I will try that soon for really big pimples... Gross, I know. That's why I need this product to get rid of it.

Something else that I really love about X Out is the exfoliation that I get with this face wash, because there are little exfoliating beads in it and they're not harsh at all, so you can really use this product daily. It leaves my face feeling soft and clean and I love that feeling!

imPRESS Press-on Manicure Review

I had the opportunity to receive a fabulous Holiday VoxBox from Influenster earlier this month filled with quite a variety of awesome, new products and I've been testing out these products all month long - and here's a review for one of them: the imPRESS Press-on Manicure!

"Introducing imPress Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails, the revolutionary way to apply polish! Featuring advanced nail technology, you can get a salon-perfect manicure in seconds – simply peel off, press on, and you're done. There's no drying, a killer shine and a manicure that lasts up to a week! And, imPress is so easy to remove, you can change it up to match your mood as often as you want. Check out all 36 colors and patterns, including trendy brights, classic darks and animal prints. With imPress, your nails will always be your best accessory.

imPress Manicure retails for $5.99 for colors and $7.99 for patterns, and is available at CVS, Rite Aid, Duane Reade, KMart, Walgreens, Walmart and more. For a full list of online and in-store retailers, visit imPressManicure.com, where you can download an exclusive coupon and virtually try on all the colors and patterns!" - Influenster

These press-on nails were definitely very easy when it came to application - took me less than 10 minutes and there's no drying time at all, which is something that I HATE with normal manicures! These nails looked great but my only complaint is that they were a bit longer than I would've liked for them to be. I usually keep my nails short but didn't want to cut these fake nails and then ruin them, so I worn them at their original length but it did feel kind of uncomfortable for me the whole time I had them on.

The imPRESS Press-on Manicures are a bit pricy but I would say worth it if you're someone that usually gets manicures anyway! They have really pretty patterns and I believe there are coupons for them out there, I think I even saw a little tear-out pad at my local Walmart? Anyway, they live up to their claim and can definitely stay on for a full week - which is awesome - but I had to take them off after 5 days because I wanted to try a new nail color that I'd gotten the day before!

Overall, great new product and I forgot to mention the cute packaging! It looks just like a nail polish bottle! How cute!! Packaging really gets me sometimes... :)

NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine Review

I had the opportunity to receive a fabulous Holiday VoxBox from Influenster earlier this month filled with quite a variety of awesome, new products and I've been testing out these products all month long - and here's a review for one of them: the NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine!

"A beauty-editor favorite is Liquid Lipshine ($2.49). It has pure pigments that created a 3-D gloss effect. Vitamin E provides shine and a moisturizing feel. The formula is non-sticky, super shiny & soft. Available in 10 on-trend shades from neutral nudes, to berries & fuchsias. Start shopping for NYC at these stores nearest you: Walmart, Target, Rite Aid, CVS, Family Dollar, Duane Reade, Kmart, HEB, and others.  Visit newyorkcolor.com to check out all shades and fun products from New York Color!" - Influenster

The shade that I received was Nude York City - as suggested by the name, a nude, slightly peachy, skin colored gloss. It is an awesome shade and very light - will look good paired with any other lip color.
I love this nude shade - it's actually my very first "nude" lip gloss! It feels very nice and smooth on my lips - NOT STICKY! - and has barely any color, so I do wish that it was a bit more pigmented! But some people might like that, especially when layered over other lipsticks.
It is very shiny though and looks awesome for a "natural" look!

Review of Young Love (The Album)

Mat Kearney came out with his third album very recently, and I was lucky enough to get a copy from One2One Network to review! First off, I am so in love with his album cover! The bright color comes off as exciting, new, and youthful, and I would say that pretty much describes his whole album, to a Tee! His songs are upbeat and catchy, and they never fail to boost my mood when I'm feeling a little down and blue. "Hey Mama" from Young Love is the story of Mat and his wife, and it's so sweet. Definitely a good, happy song, that I think everyone will love! I really like how he sounds and his music video for the song was also pretty cool - check it out on YouTube if you have time! "She Got The Honey" is also another one of my favorites and I like to sing along to it and sometimes dance along...as embarrassing as that sounds! But yes, it's that catchy!!! I think his album is great for people who like country and/or pop!

Here, Home, Hope Book Review

A couple of weeks ago, I received a copy of Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda to read and also to review from One2One Network. Here's a book trailer of it (from YouTube) for those of you who are interested, just to get an idea of what the book is about! It's awesome as I have never seen one before and this one was really cool!

"Kelly Mills Johnson becomes restless in her thirty-ninth year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her ordinary middle-American existence and her neighbors’ seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding but exhausting. Meanwhile, Kelly’s own passions lie wasted. She eyes with envy the lives of her two best friends, Kathryn and Charlotte, both beautiful, successful businesswomen who seem to have it all. Kelly takes charge of her life, devising a midlife makeover plan."

This book has constantly reminded me of Desperate Housewives when I was reading it because of the similar neighborhood setting and all of the gossip and drama that is involved, which I think was a good thing! I used to be addicted to the show when it first came out so I really do like how the book is written with so much vivid detail so I was really able to imagine the setting of the book.

Kelly Mills Johnson, the main character of the book, decides that she wants to make several changes to her life in order to help her get over her "midlife crisis". The book is very well written and is both funny and sad at times, and the story is truely poignant at several points indeed.

I have really enjoyed this book and it has encouraged me to think about some changes that I might even want to make in my life!

NUTELLA PARTY & Cupcakes !!!

Hmm.. Chocolate AND Hazelnuts in a jar.. If you haven't tried it yet, then you are probably missing out on the most perfect chocolate-y spread in the whole world! It's Nutella!!! My family has been eating Nutella for as long as I can remember and honestly, it tastes better than any kind of chocolate that you can buy in a bag.
So when I got selected to host a "mommyparty" sponsored by Nutella, I was ecstatic and even more so when I received my party kit from MomSelect! I invited my friends and some of them were moms of my daughter's friends so it worked out great because I wanted the kids to have fun at the party too, in case they've never tasted Nutella before.

My party was last Saturday around noon, and I told everyone to bring some fun sprinkles so we could make fun cupcakes and try to spread Nutella on top of them, since I've never tried that before and it sounded like a great idea!

The whole process was a bit messy and all but totally worth it at the end - everybody got to eat their own cupcakes, decorated beautifully with rainbow sprinkles and of course, with Nutella on top! I LOVED IT!!
I think that I will definitely be making more Nutella cupcakes in the future! But it's good with everything so maybe I need to try something else new...

Well, there are endless possibilities when it comes to using Nutella spread and you can find it at just about every drugstore/market here in the U.S., so pick one up and try it if you haven't yet!

FTC: I received the products mentioned from Nutella/MomSelect. Thanks for providing my party kit!

Progresso Soup Contest!

To help kick off a new outlook on the New Year, Progresso is excited to announce the return of the "Souper You™ Debut" contest! From now through March 16th, you can visit Progresso on Facebook to enter for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City.  


Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 20th-22nd. The prize includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in an NYC hotel, a full makeover, a guided wardrobe shopping spree with a personal consultation at a New York City department store, and $1,000 in spending money.

To enter, you’ll need to do the following:

• Go to Progresso on Facebook to learn more and enter the contest
• Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love their soups that contain 100 calories or less, and why you deserve a chance to win a trip to NYC for a full fashion overhaul
• In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay

Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visit Progresso on Facebook from March 30th through April 13th to vote for your favorite. 


Available in 40 delicious flavors with 100 calories or less, Progresso® Soup can help curb your hunger, making it easier for you to stick to your weight management plan all year long. With hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, corn and rice, and flavor-packed vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and peppers, Progresso Soup varieties with 100 calories or less offer a good source of fiber and a full serving of vegetables.
 
I received 5 different varieties of Progresso Soup and I have tried all of them out by now! It was very exciting to open every single can, since their pictures looked so good and it smelled absolutely amazing as soon as I opened them! Each can actually contains a lot more product than I would've expected, and the soup and a biscuit would feel like a real lunch to me! It was definitely very fulfilling and I know that they're healthy for me, which is another plus!



FTC: I received a prize pack and the information from Progresso through MyBlogSpark.

Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent - Experiment!

Did you know that the laundry detergent you may be using could contain little-known chemicals called optical brighteners?
According to scientific research, these can cause allergic reactions, are toxic to small fish and other aquatic life, and can pollute your waterways.

When ultraviolet light hits optical brighteners coating your clothing, the brighteners convert UV rays into visible light to create an optical illusion. This tricks the eye into thinking the clothing is whiter and brighter, and therefore cleaner than it really is.

So how can you avoid these optical brighteners? Seventh Generation makes it easy because their laundry detergents are not only free of optical brighteners, but they’re also non-toxic . In addition, because Seventh Generation liquid laundry detergents are both hypo-allergenic and biodegradable, you can rest easy knowing you made a considerate choice for your family and the environment. I have been using Seventh Generation products ever since I discovered them online, and I currently use their disinfecting wipes, which work great! In my (about) 6 months of using them, I have never experienced any problems so I would definitely recommend this brand.

When washed in a conventional laundry detergent that contains optical brighteners, clothes appear to glow under a black light. When you use Seventh Generation liquid laundry products, you won’t see the same glow on your clothing. I tried this out myself using a black light and that is exactly what happened with the two different shirts that I washed! One looked a lot brighter and whiter, since they were originally a cream color, but now I know that my old detergent is actually bad for my clothes.

(This is MyBlogSpark's experiment!) 
Take a look at our experiment in the photo below (also attached). We took two identical organic cotton shirts and washed one in a conventional laundry detergent that contains optical brighteners and the other in Seventh Generation laundry detergent which does not use optical brighteners; we think you’ll see similar results!



Additionally, you can click here to save $1 on the purchase of any Seventh Generation Laundry Product. 

FTC: I received the prize pack from MyBlogSpark for me to review and conduct this experiment but these opinions are my own and are not influenced.

Fiber One Favorites!

With guilt-free and indulgent choices that now taste even better than before, Fiber One helps make it easier than ever to increase your daily intake while leaving your taste buds jumping for joy.

When hunger strikes and you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, Fiber One has you covered with at least 35% of your daily value of fiber in every serving of their cereals and bars. Check out the great new taste of three Fiber One favorites.

• Fiber One Honey Clusters have a brand new flake! Every one-cup serving is full of tasty honey clusters, antioxidant vitamins A and E, and 13 grams of fiber.
• Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters now contain crispier, lightly sweetened whole grain flakes. With plump, juicy raisins and crunchy clusters it packs 11 grams of fiber and antioxidant vitamins A and E into every serving.
• With rich chocolate chips and a new and improved taste, Fiber One Oats & Chocolate chewy bars are a good source of calcium and contain 9 grams of fiber in each bar.

Your Fiber One favorites, including Fiber One Honey Clusters, Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters, and Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bars are all available at your local Safeway family of stores, so be sure to stop by your local Safeway (or Dominick’s, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, and Genuardi’s) to try the great new taste of Fiber One today! 



The one that I like the most are their chewy bars, because I actually find that the other bars that they have are a bit too hard for my taste, so I enjoyed the oats & chocolate chewy bars a lot.

FTC: I have received all the information from Fiber One through MyBlogSparks and received a prize pack so that I could try out the cereal myself, but all my opinions are honest and not influenced by the company whatsoever!

Hamburger Helper: Show Your Helping Hand Campaign

To raise awareness about the national issue of hunger, Hamburger Helper^® is partnering with GRAMMY^® Award-winning singer, songwriter and actor Tim McGraw to help Feeding America deliver millions of meals to local food banks through the Show Your Helping Hand™ campaign. Tim McGraw will lend his voice to the campaign through a Public Service Announcement which will be distributed nationwide. Click here to view the PSA. I have seen this on TV and thought that it was a great cause to support, and how nice of Tim McGraw to be the spokesperson for this!

You cupport the campaign by simply submitting codes from specially marked boxes of Hamburger Helper at www.showyourhelpinghand.com or by logging on to make a donation. Hamburger Helper has already donated more than half a million dollars and will contribute up to an additional $100,000 to Feeding America through this program. Don’t think one code will make a difference? The 17 cents Hamburger Helper donates per code is enough for Feeding America to deliver one meal to a local food bank.

And you can also have a chance to win an autographed copy of Tim McGraw’s “Southern Voice” CD by visiting www.showyourhelpinghand.com! How cool is that! I have listened to it myself and I love country so of course, he's one of my favorites!

FTC: I received a prize pack and the information from Hamburger Helper through MyBlogSpark.