Monday, March 26, 2012

Kiss Nail Dress

Another great product I received FREE in my Love VoxBox from Influenster to test and review was a package of Kiss Nail Dress.  Not being someone who does her nails all the time, I wasn't sure about this product at first.  Would it be difficult to apply? Would it come off easily? Would it peel off too easily?

For my testing pleasure I received Kiss Nail Dress KDS11, a silver and black leopard design. There are 28 strips per package, enough to do toes AND tips if you so choose.   The application was far easier than anything I would have imagined! I had a small manicure set on hand, and that was all I needed to be sure I pushed down the edges properly and trimmed the pieces to fit my nails.  Total time it took me, maybe 10 minutes since I'm pretty much a novice at this kind of thing.  Good thing there was NO drying time!!!  I do wish I had watched the How To Apply Kiss Nail Dress video prior to trying this since it would have made it even easier!

As for peeling off when I didn't want it to, no major issues there.  The only problems I did have were self inflicted since I play with my nails.  I would recommend putting a layer of clear coat nail polish over top of the Nail Dress for longer lasting effect.

When it came time to remove the "stickers", it was so simple! They literally just peeled right off, leaving very little residue, which rubbed away. I washed my hands, and it was like they were never there!

Definitely a product I would recommend to anyone wanting to dress up their nails, but who doesn't like the mess of nail polish.  I'll certainly use them again!

Truvía® natural sweetener Product Review

I've been a Splenda girl for a few years now, but since I heard about Truvia I've been wanting to try it. When I learned that I'd be receiving a few packets to test out and review in my Love VoxBox from Influenster, I was pretty excited for the chance!

My first chance at using it was on my morning bowl of Cheerios.  Usually I mix some Honey Nut Cheerios in with the plain for a little sweet, but I skipped that in favor of Truvia this time.  At a glance it was different than other "sweeteners" I had tried in the past because it actually looks like sugar.  The crystals are sweet to taste on their own and not just when mixed in something as some sweeteners are.  I used less than half of a packet since I didn't know the potency of the product yet, and for me, that was just right.  I was quite pleased with my touch of sweet to my morning cereal :)

The second time I used some Truvia was on a bowl of strawberries that weren't quite ripe.  I don't typically put sugar on my fruit, but these berries were a little too tart for my taste.  What better time than now to try some more Truvia!  Again, I was not disappointed in what the little white and green packet had to offer.  I have also tried Truvia in greek yogurt, which was fantastic!

Truvia has definitely gained a new fan thanks to Influenster!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Becoming an Influenster

Something VERY exciting happened this week... I received my first Influenster Vox Box! For anyone who is unfamiliar with Influenster they are, and I quote, a "community of trendsetters invited to share their lifestyles and show their influence to qualify for personalized product shipments, special rewards and exclusive deals from the brands they love. Members love testing the latest products, giving insightful feedback, and spreading the word on their favorite finds!" This box is the Love Vox Box from Valentine's Day and includes a sampler box of Stash Tea, individual packets of Truvia sweetener (with a coupon), a Gillette Venus & Olay razor, a package of Kiss Nail Dress, and a Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Bar (with a coupon).  I cannot wait to try ALL of these wonderful products and review them! There are EIGHT different herbal teas in the box of Stash, all of which sound amazing, I plan to brew up a cup of chamomile tonight, in fact!    


Today, UPS delivered the Ozeri Touch Professional Digital Scale I won on Mandy Cakes & Company's blog last month!  I'm anxiously awaiting the Soda Stream Fountain Jet start up kit I won from the same giveaway!  It will be so much fun to review both of these products!!! All of these fun things mean that it's time to really crack down on the blogging...

I have just under 2 weeks to get in as much as I can since I'm going in for surgery on March 27 and will be out of commission for a little while.  The actual surgery will be a fusion of my cervical spine at C4-C5 and C5-C6.  Here is a picture of the plate that I will have in my neck:


If all goes as planned I should only be spending one night in the hospital then spend the following 4 to 6 weeks in a neck brace.  I'm not too keen on this, as I'm sure not many people would be, but I will do anything my surgeon says if it means that even some of this pain will dissipate.  My ultimate hope is that my headaches will lessen, or go away completely.  Living with a headache that is always there is something I would not wish on anyone.  So, in the days leading up to the 27th, I will amuse myself by trying out my new goodies and filling in my friends and fellow bloggers on all their merits!  I hope you will all follow along!!! 



Tuesday, February 7, 2012

These are the days I like getting mail!

I've had a good mail day today :) First UPS brought me a fun package from Total Beauty and NYX Cosmetics.  This lovely black lace bag contained a 5 Color Shadow (The Caribbean Collection), a Bronzer & Blusher Combo, Collection Noir Liquid Black Liner, La Amoureux Black Mascara and Xtreme Lip Cream in Strawberry Jam.




I can't wait to check these out! Of course my daughter has already used the lip cream, and wants to know if she can keep it all to use for her dance recital in June... I told her that the blush is hers since I never wear any ;) But the rest is mama's!

In the regular mail box I had FIVE envelopes! A Flick My Bic T-shirt from their Facebook contest at the beginning of January, my Macsurance (a free box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese!),  Garnier Fructis Color Shield samples, a sample of a Fit Mixer protein shake, and a booklet of some quality Febreeze coupons! So over all I would say it was a good day... for the mail...

Miss Heidi, however, is another story.  My baby girl has a nasty cough.  She was up on and off all night.  I kept her home and called the doctor.  Her lungs are clear, so I'm very grateful for that. He when the cough sounds "croupy" and seal-like it's more in the throat and around the voice box, and not in the lungs.  So we came home with some cough syrup and instructions to keep the rest of her medications for asthma as normal.  At least her ears and lungs are fine.  That's what I always worry about.

So that was my day, I had to talk about the good things to put off talking about the not so good.  I received one of those dreaded phone calls last Wednesday night from my father.  My Uncle Kenny died Tuesday, alone at his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He had been suffering from lymphoma, and had undergone a treatment earlier that day.  Sadly, no one found him until Wednesday.  As of right now my grandfather is still in Pittsburgh getting his "affairs in order", so we don't have a date for a memorial.  I'm dreading that day... for so many reasons. I just pray that people can hold their tongues and mind their manners long enough to show some respect for a man who deserves it.  If they can't, they'll be shown the door. Promptly. Amen.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Doctors Drive Me to Drink

   Ok, so maybe not necessarily the doctors themselves, but most certainly the staff that surround them.  Today I had the joy of dealing with the office staff at my PCPs office (for those unfamiliar with the abbreviation it stands for Primary Care Physician, or your family doctor, general practitioner, etc).  I never enjoy calling there to begin with, they have a telephone system from the stone age, the phones just ring and ring until someone answers, and when they do, they are inevitably rude.  "Dr's office, with you in a minute." They do not wait for you to respond.  Ever.  Then you wait for at least 5 minutes, listening to the lovely sounds of the worst Muzak station known to man, for the same cantankerous woman to come back on the line.

   When my call was finally answered, and I asked my simple question if a fax was received, it was answered with a very abrupt, "Well I wouldn't know that, hold on".  I thought to myself, "Wooow. If I ever had that tone with a member when I worked for the insurance companies I would have been written up in an instant.  She came back on the line and advised me that the fax was, in fact, not received.  This was the second attempt at sending it, I explained. Oh my, it got worse from there. To shorten the rest of the story, she became even more exasperated, and I must say that I enjoyed putting her in her place.  In a very sickeningly sweet voice. Of course! ;-) Kill 'em with kindness!

   I've decided that when I call back tomorrow to check for the third time, I will speak directly to my doctor's assistant, whom I adore, and fill her in on the disaster. To say the least I'm looking for a new primary.  I've had enough of them.  It's been nothing but a mess since my old doctor's office joined with this one, and I'm sad.  I love my doctor and her assistant, but the staff is ridiculous.  I was really hoping to delay the change until after all of my legal issues were resolved, but the less stressful situations I have to deal with the better off I am.

   On a good note, I received my Stella Artois Chalice in the mail yesterday! I am very pleased with this as I have been anxiously awaiting this beautiful masterpiece. I love the card they included with beauty, which includes "The 9-Step Belgian Pouring Ritual" along with photo directions to follow. It is fancy indeed!  I also received my sample of Clinique Moisture Surge Intense, which feels fantastic! Then when I arrived home from shopping today I found my FREE Schick Hydro Silk Razor! Can't wait to try that one out!

   I will be sure to start posting photos of all of my goodies shortly!  For anyone who has been stopping by, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to read and feel free to comment if you like. This is just what happens when you become a hermit! HaHa!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

My New "Hobby"

With all of the "free time" I have on my hands these days I've taken to entering just about every contest, giveaway, free sample offer, "raffle copter", instant win game, etc, that I can find. In this daily search I've met up with a pretty awesome group of ladies on Facebook.

Our "little island" , as we like to call it, is a reprieve from the daily stressors that must be dealt with. We help each other find things that we need, or want. We can vent to each other. Lean on each other. Make each other laugh. And chances are most of us will never meet in real life. But that's ok, because we're still friends. That's the wonderful side of the internet.

Today I came across a giveaway in my email for a car seat. It's a pretty incredible one if I do say so myself.

This fancy little gadget comes in a variety of colors, converts from a rear-facing infant seat, all the way up to a booster seat that is rated up to 120lbs! I find that incredible and wish I had one when my 6 year old was born! I could literally gush about this dandy of a seat!
But I'll keep myself from writing a novel for now since I've never had to chance to see it in action.

So for today it's back to my cup of coffee, watching "Ghost Rider", entering giveaways and chatting with the ladies!