Wednesday, February 25, 2015

The Knot Little Books of Big Wedding Ideas

    Winter is almost over, and many couples recently got engaged with Valentine's Day not too long ago. There will probably be a buzz soon of everyone you know who knows someone whose cousin's sister is getting married. If that is in fact the case, they NEED this handy set of book from The Knot!
    There are four little books inside the sturdy cardboard housing. Each one chock full of ideas.
Whether you're writing your own vows and toast speeches or going for a more traditional route, the first book has you covered. Writer's block? With this little guide, you'll be on your way to writing Shakespearean sonnets for your betrothed.  
The vows/toasts book is probably the best out of the set. We all get nervous when we're marrying, but this guide allows us to know what works and what doesn't so we avoid putting thing into our vows or speeches that would be inappropriate for a wedding ceremony. And we all want to sound brilliant!
Details is another book in this set. Everything from invitations to place settings, even thank you cards for afterwards. You'll find so many ideas to make your day unique! 
Bouquets and Centerpieces are generally stressed about as well. Will the flowers match the color choices that were chosen, with they clash with the Bride's jewelry or makeup colors? All very important things, since the Bride needs to be the center of attention when she's walking down the aisle. The centerpiece ideas range from simple, to quirky, and even elegant decor. 
Lastly, the book about CAKES! Yummy, I love a good wedding cake. My husband and I actually made our own and it was beautiful. The cakes in this series all look as if they're done with fondant, which is lovely, but it doesn't taste all that great. Luckily, a lot of them can be replicated without fondant if you choose a design from the book.
There are over 200 photo ideas in this set of books, and each one is worth its weight in gold if it makes your big day easier to plan! If you'd like a little more info on this book/books click here!
A little more on the author (Carley Roney and editors of The Knot) click here!
   All in all, I think this is a handy set of books to have and I highly recommend them.

**I recieved these books from bloggingforbooks for review purposes. All opinions are my own.**

Perfectly Posh Anyone?

    I had never heard of Perfectly Posh up until a month or so ago, but a company promising products without harsh chemicals? I was caught hook, line, and sinker. I was invited to try a few of the products from a Perfectly Posh Rep-Kim Gaudi. She was nice enough to send me a few samples to try and offer my opinion on here on my blog. So here goes!
Beautiful to look at, isn't it? But would these products do what they say they will?
First up is MakeOut Magic Lip Scrub. It smells super sweet and tastes even sweeter! My lips needed a good scrubbing with all this winter weather, and this scrub was easy to use and yielded wonderful results. No more chapped flakes, and we all know how irritating those are! Basically, you rub it onto your lips, and it does away with the dead skin. No fuss, no messy clean up. You can wash it off, or lick it off since it is sugar based.
Next up is The good Morning Beautiful Bath Bar!It's made with Green Tea, Lemon, and Caffeine and smells divine. It's used like regular soap bars, but this one is made from healthy ingredients and helps to wake the skin up and feel refreshed! It made my skin super soft just after using the sample one time. 
The lotion/balm that I received didn't have the label name with it, but it smelled of subtle peaches and was very moisturizing for my hands. It didn't leave them all greasy either (I hate greasy lotions.) I highly recommend this for dry hands. 
Now for my favorite part!! The Sea Witch Mud Mask. Mud masks are all the rage these days, and for good reason. They detoxify the skin and leave a radiant glow. What's not to love. This one did not disappoint at all. It dried fast and didn't break my skin out. When it dried, it was almost a robin's egg blue color. Not sure if it's supposed to, but that made it more fun for me. The mask is made with algae, and there are no harsh chemicals so you can use it up to 2 times a week! It can be used on the face and neck. 
If you're interested in purchasing some of these goodies for yourself or someone you love (Mother's Day is fast approaching!) You can order directly from Kim Gaudi here! Whoever you order for will love you for it! 


**All opinions are my own**



Saturday, February 14, 2015

Q&A a day by: Potter Style Journal!

     What can be said about the Q & A a day journal by Potter Style? I will start off by saying this is NOT your ordinary boring journal. This book has a page for every single day of the year, with 5 different spaces for 5 years of writing! The edges are gilded (gold leafed) and just beautiful to look at. The book is smaller than I imagined (think palm to fingertip), but it is a good addition to any home library. It's adorning my shelves as I type.

Isn't it just the cutest little book you've ever seen? There are 365 pages of writing surface in this journal, each one dated and asking a pressing question to write about. For instance, February 17th (my birthday!) poses the question: "If you could change something about today, what would it be?" It will be interesting to see how my answers have changed over the next 5 years. Below is an excerpt from Valentine's Day, respectively.
This journal will allow you to follow your own journey through life. Maybe you will surprise yourself, when you look back and read old entries.  If you would like a little more information about the book, you can find it here. Want more info about the brilliant author? Click here. The Q & A a day journal retails for $16.99 and would make an amazing gift for anyone in your life. I hope you buy the book for yourself or someone you love, and if so let me know in the comments below how much you loved or hated it!

**I received this book for an honest review from Blogging For Books. All opinions are my own.**

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Old Factory Candles

     A girl can never have too many candles! I mean that wholeheartedly. Who doesn't love a good scent? Am I right? I was lucky enough to try the Old Factory Candles "Winter Wonderland" in the scents First snow, Hot Cocoa, and Roasted Chestnut. Each candle is 2 oz of natural soy and comes in a glass jar. They are heavily scented, and heavenly I might add. I wanted to eat the Hot Cocoa candle it smelled so nice. 
   
The glass is sturdy, so if you drop it chances are it isn't going to shatter. It has a good weight to it for it to be 2 oz. Each scent is crisp, and lingers in the air after the candle is snuffed out. They really are amazing candles, but don't just take my word for it. Get yourself or your valentine their own set of Old Factory Candles. You won't regret it! The packaging itself is adorable.

 All of their candles are hand poured in the USA, which is rare with most products these days. They burn for 20 hours evenly and the scent will remain intact for just as long. They have so many scents to choose from, it is hard to just pick one. 
Here is a list of all of them via links to check them out and even purchase your own!
New Born Baby  -Baby Powder, First Blanket, Baby Shampoo
Coffee Shop  - Coffee Bean, Hazelnut, Chai Tea
Fall Harvest - Pumpkin Spice, Cranberry, Autumn Leaves
Fresh and Clean - Lemongrass, Olive Blossom, Fresh Linen
Happy Holidays -Christmas Tree, Candy Cane, Gingerbread
50 Shades -Leather, Jasmine Bubbles, Vanilla Sex
Romance -Rose Petals, Champagne, Dark Chocolate
Spa Day -Cucumber, Lemongrass, Green Tea
Vacation -Sea Breeze, Hawaiian Lei, Awapuhi
Winter Wonderland -Hot Cocoa, Roasted Chestnut, First Snow
**I received these free for my honest opinion from Brandbacker**

Dead Sea Mud Mask By Insta Natural

   It seems these days facial masks are becoming all the rave, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Companies are competing for consumers by brilliant marketing and rock bottom prices. Smart I'd say. Well, today I am testing out the Dead Sea Mud Mask by Insta Natural. It comes in a 16oz container, and premixed so you can use it instantly! It smells like your everyday mud, but it has a silkier texture and it is quite pleasant. 
And in case you're wondering about what's inside this lovely container full of beauty...
This mud comes directly from the Dead Sea, which in itself is pretty amazing. It helps to detoxify and purify your skin of all the impurities that may be lurking on or in it. You can use this product on your face or body, but never use it on your eyes, or too close to them! For obvious reasons of course.  You can use the Dead Sea Mud Mask once a week, no more than that or it could dry out your skin and potentially break you out. My skin has never felt softer. :) 
It doesn't dry super dark either, but basically you apply it in a thin layer all over face (or body), let it dry (no more than 15 minutes!) then wash it off with warm water using warm circular motions. It is really simple to use, and the results are fantastic. Your skin will thank you for using it! If you want to get some for yourself, you can order it here: Get my own Dead Sea Mud Mask! 

**I received this product free for an honest an honest and unbiased review from Brandbacker.com.**


Monday, February 2, 2015

Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes by Younique-yay or nay?

     I'll start off by saying this, I'm a cynic. Anytime a company guarantees a product to do a certain job, I feel it is my personal challenge to prove them wrong. Younique is no different. I LOVED their lip glosses, but that could have been a fluke, not every company sells products that are all amazing, do they? Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes are on the proverbial trial today.
     Each set costs around $29. They include a sturdy case, a tube of "transplant gel", and a tube of " fibers". Basically you apply the transplant gel just like a regular mascara and immediately follow with the fiber wand. If your lashes normally clump with mascara, have your lash comb on stand by just in case. I surprisingly did not need mine when I tried this product.
     A lot of people say that Younique 3D lashes give you spider lashes, think Bride of Frankenstein. I did not have this unfortunate experience with this system. 
     As you can see in the photo above, I applied Younique 3D Fiber Lash mascara to my right eye (left in the photo). I angled the camera so you could clearly see my lashes and how they stood out against the Tarte mascara on my other eye. This was one coat! In the photo below I applied 2 coats.
     There is an obvious difference in the length of my lashes. I decided to do both eyes to see if I could replicate the length on both eyes. See below.
Holy cow the fullness of my lashes! And these are post chemo lashes, thanks to this amazing mascara! I highly recommend this product to anyone wanting full lashes with minimal effort and at an amazing price! Not convinced? Here's one more photo.


You can order your own here Janet's amazing younique lashes! 
You can also follow Janet on Facebook here Follow Janet, Give her page some love!

*I received this mascara for review purposes and all opinions are my own!*