Mary Kay Botanical Effects Skin Care Review

Courtesy of Mary Kay Website

Ok, this last Saturday I went and did a "Free" makeover and of course, being a blogger, I ordered some Mary Kay products. My representative is Athena Cook from here in the valley. She was really knowledgeable and helped me out pretty well. Saturday I had gotten my skin care product line, Friday I will be getting the makeup products.

So far, to be honest, I am only liking the mask and the freshen spray, which is much like the Mario Bedescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. BUT, I don't like the hydrating lotion and the face wash. Within a couple of days, I started breaking out. So immediately, I stopped using the face wash and lotion. With a history of massive acne breakouts, I was not going to be chancing anything.

While the face was is really nice, it's for normal/sensitive skin. Not oily/combination skin. The only thing I didn't realize when I got them. I bought what was recommended to me. Lesson number one in buying Mary Kay. Make sure it's for your skin type.

The face lotion is nice too, but.....it's too oily for my skin. Wanna talk about pore clogging city, this is where this product is from. Something that is completely NOT for me. It would be great for those that are not acne prone and don't have oily/combo skin.

The mask, though, completely is the redemption of this line. I LOVE IT! You can use this 2-3 times a week and only for 10 minutes or less! I love it. When I take it off, my skin feels softer and so much tighter afterwards!  When I think of masks, I always think of those ones that you feel like you have to leave on for 30 minutes or so. With this, you don't have to. It's 10 minutes or less. With being a mom, time is of essence when you are trying to do skin care with all little feet running around.

The freshen spray is another redeeming factor. You spray a little bit on a cotton ball and gently wipe it all over your face. I use it twice a day, in the morning to wake me up and at night to help me relax before bed. Tell you what. I will continue to be using this spray. I really enjoy it.

So overall thoughts? While I do enjoy a couple of the products, there are other's that I wish I hadn't had gotten. But, I will pass them on to my foster daughter because it works for her skin. But, I will continue to use the mask and the freshen spray.

If you are interested in getting Mary Kay and you live in the Boise Valley, Idaho, you can contact Athena Cook at 208-409-1305. She is a wonderful representative that will help you get what you need and is a wealth of information. You can also check out her website at : www.marykay.com/athenacook1.

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Acne Proned Skin

Me in my ugly mask by Freeman

As I sit here in my ugly mask as it dries, I feel my acne. At 33, I am proned to some of the most hurtful, ugly, scaring acne there is. Cystic Acne. If I do not take care of it the way I usually do, I break out like crazy. And this last week? I didn't do my job for my skin. So I naturally broke out.

While I did drink a ton of water, I didn't wash and moisturize everyday like I normally do. I always wear a mask about 1-2 times a week. I have my face wash with Benzoyl Peroxide for in the mornings and my purifying cream cleanser for at night when I'm taking my makeup off. Then, of course, I have my moisturizer with Salicylic Acid in it.

I don't go to a dermatologist for my facial cleansers and moisturizers. I actually use the Neutrogena line. I use their Oil-Free Acne Moisturizer, the Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Cleanser and Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Cream Cleanser. Then add my mask I use, I usually stay zit free.

My face BFF's.

For a month of facial cleansers and moisturizers, I spend less than $20. I have never used any of the more expensive brands, but I am looking into them. But, there's the fear that my skin will once again rebel and break out and cause my whole face to just hurt. Does anyone have any great recommendations? Let me know, please! LOL.

Macy's Impulse Beauty Artistry Palette

Ah, Macy's. I love going there. Rarely do I ever buy anything. But, for once, I did. I got the Macy's Impulse Beauty Artistry Palette- a Macy's exclusive, of course. For $39.00, I got 77 assorted eye shadows in matte and shimmer, 3 eyeshadow trios, 8 blush/bronzers and 7 lip colors! The makeup lover in me is in LOVE! They are pigments, easily blendable and many colors to do just about any eye look that you are wanting. The hard case I love too. I love the quilted pattern on it and the shiny dark grey? Love it.

This in a way reminds me of the Smashbox Masterclass palette, but way more sleek. But, a lot bigger. But I like that I can open it up and see everything so easily and not have to lift a lid like in the Masterclass palette.





This would be something that anyone just learning makeup or just loves to do makeup on everyone else would love to have.

Random Eyeshadow Swatches

Random Blush Swatches

Lip gloss Swatches

The swatches are wonderful and just so buttery! I actually decided that I'm going to wear this palette tomorrow and surprise my husband who's coming home tomorrow!

Urban Decay Naked Palette VS. Crown Brush Unexposed Palette

Two palettes that are so similar in color, packaging and depending where you go, price. Urban Decay Naked palette is $54 at Sephora, Ulta and the Urban Decay website. Crown Brush Unexposed palette is around $22-$55 DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU BUY IT. I got mine for $16 with a discount code from www.crownbrush.us. I was comparing them side by side and even though it seems some of the colors are off, they actually match up in swatches extraordinarily well. While I haven't actually WORN the Unexposed palette yet, the shadows are soft and buttery like the UD Naked Palette.

I do like that there is a cheaper option for the Naked palette, but there are many dupes out there. More recently, the LA Palette by L'Oreal. But, that's another post. I do feel though, that the Unexposed palette from Crown Brush is by far the best dupe out there.

I did notice that the Unexposed palette tends to be more powdery than the Naked palette if you are not careful. But, with a light hand, it's a very workable palette. As you can see from swatches, the colors are so close that it's uncanny.






To the left are the swatches and if you are like me, you will be amazed at the closeness of each swatch.







I was in no way paid to do this review. I spent my own money to do this review.

Garcinia Cambogia Pure Extract 75HCA Review

We all know that I've been trying out a lot of different Garcinia products, but I have yet to get a favorite. I do know that this product works. I do know that if I stop taking this product, I gain weight back and then some. So when I was sent this one that has 75HCA, I was kinda skeptical. But after a week of trying it, I found that I still have the energy I was getting before, but not the nausea. For me, that's huge! So what I decided is this, I will keep taking this for now until another comes in the mail, and then in 4 months, we will have a throw down on which one I feel is the best. Stay tuned!

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Garcinia Cambogia Supreme 80% HCA Review + Giveaways

Know when you gain the baby weight and you start looking for the miracle pill or drink. Most experts state that if you do diet and excercise you can loose the weight. Well.............so not true. There are some of us that need the extra help. That's where the Garcinia Cambogia  comes in. I find that this gives me the extra boost of energy that I need to get started in my day. Granted coffee does the same thing, but it wears off way too fast! This last me through the whole day! To me, that's everything! I like a supplement that will last me all day and not wear off to where I have to keep retaking it. Cause I hate taking pills. I just take 2 of these with my daily medication in the morning and I don't worry about it until the next day.

Now this supplement is made up with Calium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Chromium, and Garcinia Cambogia Extract with 80% HCA ( hydroxycitric acid). Now, I've heard of Chromium, because of the Erin Brokavich movie, but I also happen to know that there are good Chromium and bad. This supplement used the good. That does make me more confident, as I was doing my research. Yes, I do research on any and all pills that I take. I want to know what's going into my body.

Now, I've been taking this for about 2 1/2 weeks and lost 10lbs. Pretty cool, right? Well, I gained it all back after not taking it for 3 days! Completely shattered my complex that maybe it wasn't the Garcinia helping me out. It was TOTALLY the Garcinia helping me out, because I didn't change anything in my diet, my routine, nothing. So am I going to continue taking this? You bet your sweet ass I am! No way am I going to gain back weight that I lost! Well, after I loose the 10lbs. that I put back on!

As with any kind of supplement and medication, I recommend speaking with your doctor to make sure that it will go with any medication that they have you on. But, I do highly recommend this product. I like the energy, the weight loss and the confidence that it did help me achieve with being ok with my body.

You can get this on Amazon.com for $28.00. Not too bad if I say so myself. If you have Prime, it's free shipping of course. You can also get this at their website http://www.lifefoodpro.com/garcinia-cambogia-extract-80-hca-maximum-effect-1400-mg-180-capsules-third-party-tested-approved-hca-concentration/#description.

There is supposed to be a giveaway, but they didn't send me any kind of information on it, so please be sure to check back for information.

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Lauren Brooke's Cosmetiques Review

     I got sent some samples from Lauren Brooke's Cosmetiques and I felt so honored to have tried them. I really like everything they sent me except the liquid foundation. To me it had a funny smell to it, but, it did hold up well, especially when working outside.

They sent me samples of Three different kinds of foundations, powder, Two eyeshadows and three different kinds of lip glosses.  Now, the color system for the foundations do remind me of MAC. I was sent Cool No. 10, 20 and 30. Now, #20 and #30 were close to my skin tone, so all I did was mix a bit of the two to get my skin tone. Other than the smell, which did go away after about 30 minutes, the wear lasted 9 hours on me. This is with working outside, doing errands, even taking a nap with the baby! I was pretty dang impressed! These retail for $27 for the creme foundation and $17.50 for the powder foundations on their website.

They eye shadows I was sent are Sandalwood and Toffee. These are suppose to be pressed powders, but I got loose form. I don't mind at all, but for me, loose powder shadows are tricky for me to work with. These blended very nicely and evenly. I like how they worked perfectly together and they last though sweat, baby puke, dog slobber, and basically anything else that challenged you throughout the day! These retail for $12 for the duos. Not bad at all if you ask me.


The glosses are very nice. Very creamy and moisturizing. I received the colors Apricot, which is like a light peach/coral color, Mauvelous, a pretty mid-tone pink, and Winterberry, which is a gorgeous berry red, perfect for the fall. These didn't last as long as the eye shadows and founations, but they were really nice to wear. For $8.50, I would use these all the time over a matte lipstick just because they feel so nice!

I do recommend these to everyone. I really believe you will like how they feel on you, and

honestly? I didn't get any clogged pores from this or a blemish, which I love! You can get all of this at http://www.laurenbrookecosmetiques.com/.

Would love to hear what you think of this brand in your own opinions, and hope to hear from you soon! Enjoy!


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Exfolimate Review

Ok, this is by far the weirdest thing I have ever reviewed so far, and I thought the poop pills were weird! Anyways, these are triangle shaped exfoliators that you hold straight up and down to exfoliate. Now, it wasn't bad on the legs and feet, but my face was another thing. I did not like using it on my face. It felt too weird for me. While I can see how they are trying to do this, I am going to say it's so not for me. I do like the body one, but I won't be using the face one. I just feel that for my face I would rather just use an exfoliating wash.

Here's what the product promises (as per their packaging and Amazon.com):

• Provides deeper cleansing, enhanced exfoliation and superior moisturisation
• Cleanses, refreshes and revives skin
• Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Leaves skin feeling softer and looking brighter
• Improves skin tone and texture
• Reduces dry spots and oily patches
• Increases the absorption of skin care products
• Safe for all skin types
I think it does revive the skin, and leaves my skin softer, but I am not seeing as to how it will reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I am going to have to work with it longer to see on that. Be sure to check back in a couple of weeks for an update.

If you want to try something different, than this may be up your alley. You can of course, find this on Amazon.com. The price isn't bad either, $30, and if you have Prime, of course you get free 2 day shipping!

Try it for yourself and form your own opinion.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Children's Ebook Review: Terry Treetop Finds New Friends

This little book is by Tali Carmi and it's a great read for understanding being lonely and making new friends. Being a hero isn't so bad either. I love that he made friends with animals and even though at first they were busy, he kept in the pursuit of friends. When Terry rescued the kitty stuck in the tree, he understood that he did make a friend for life. You know without a doubt, that always happens when you do rescue a kitty, lol.

I also liked that Terry was polite when asking the animals to play with him. I feel that a child knowing that being polite will get you further in life. I like that even though the animals were busy, he didn't despair until Kitty needed help.  I also liked that Terry sprang into action because the animals were all afraid to climb up and get Kitty the kitten.

Little man did like this book. He listened, but I know that he didn't comprehend it right now. He's a little to young to comprehend the meaning behind the book, but I will definetely keep reading it to him cause the rescue of Kitty and Terry meeting the animals got him excited. This is a book I would recommend for the age group of 4 or 5 to 10. I feel this would be a great age group to really teach kindness, compassion and being helpful to others.

You can get this book on Amazon and Amazon Kindle at: http://www.amazon.com/childrens-book-adventure-environment-collection-ebook/dp/b00d6nsboa . It's a $1, but for the Kindle Unlimited, it's FREE! So head on over and grab this wonderful book and have fun reading it with your kids!


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Children's Ebook review: Leo Superhero

 This book is written by The Brothers, and it's called Leo Superhero, A Sunday Morning Adventure.  To read a wonderful adventure of a boy and his kitty to help a lost little mouse warmed my heart. I felt that this book was a great example of showing compassion to others and showing that helping is always a great thing. I downloaded this on Amazon to review and I am going to be buying more from The Brothers. My little man loved being read this book, mainly cause of the animation of it. The animation was spot on for this. I liked that it had an "Old School" feel to it.

I do believe that this would be a great beginner book for those learning to read and you are trying to get them hooked on a series. I also believe this book will help open up the imagination so that there are less kids inside and more kids outside. I HIGHLY recommend this book to all children under the age of 10. 

You can get this book on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/b00eux4c70 . It's only .99 to by or if you have prime, you can read it for free! Have fun reading this with your kids and enjoy!

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My Konjac Sponge Review

I have to admit, I've tried a lot of things in my time to help with oil control and acne, and none of them worked really, until I tried this sponge. The Konjac Sponge is not what I thought it would be. Now, I wasn't sure if I used soap with it or not, so I tried it both ways. For 2 days, I used just water. I liked how it was working, but then I did 2 days with Adovia soap. I instantaneously loved the results! The combinations together is like the sky opening up and the angels singing! 

Now, the sponge is made out of biodegradable material, which is a plus. The materials are Pure Konjac Powder, water, and Bamboo Charcoal. That's it! Three ingredients to help with your face. I love it.  I love it's everything I feel it should be. Cruelty Free and Vegan, so those that don't use products that are iffy, this is for you!

I have never heard of the Konjac plant until I got this, and so I had to do some reading up on it. As per Wikipedia, my favorite place, it's a plant known in Japan, China and Indonesia. They use it to make  konnyaku (yam cake). It's used in many dishes basically as a filler. Now I don't eat much asian foods, but what I have tasted has been wonderful! This is also known as a diet food! While I'm not going to try it for a diet, I know it's in many types of foods as a filler.

So it make sense to put this into a sponge, because it can be molded into a sponge in jelly form.  So with the research, I do recommend this sponge to you. I use it with soap, but you can use it alone also.  You can find it on amazon.com for a great price of $10.00 and it's worth it, that's for sure! If you have prime, it's only 2 day FREE shipping! 

So I dare you to try it and not fall in love with it, cause I know you will!


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 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Review: Healthy Now Nutritionals Colon Cleanse Detox

Ok, I'm a person that usually has no problem talking about anything, but when it comes to poop, it's a little different, but when I agreed to try the Colon Cleanse Detox, I was seriously at a loss. How do you talk about poop? Well, I guess we just plunge right in, right? Literally, plunge right in. LOL.

I got cleaned out, quickly, I might add. I was literally grabbing my butt rushing to the bathroom to go. I swear I had a 5lb. baby out of my butt. But, honestly? I feel better. I feel better than I have in years. How is this possible? Well, I will give credit to this colon cleanse. It better be squeaky clean.

Would I recommend this? YES. I feel everyone needs to detox once in a while and this is one way to do it. From what I've read most of the ingredients are all natural. So, for me, that's a huge plus. You can take up to 4 capsules a day, but I only needed 2. I think I would have a broken butt if I took more than that. I will definitely do another review when the hubby gets home so I can have him try it. I do recommend that if you are on any prescription medication to consult a doctor. You don't want it to interfere with your meds if there's a chance for a reaction.

You can buy it on Amazon for $19.97 and is Prime eligible. You can go straight to the product through this link:  http://bit.ly/healthynow_cclax .

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So go get a bottle and take a detox......just be sure to be by a bathroom. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Ebay Selling Vol. 1

Well, I have been for the last month or so, lurking Ebay. Figuring out the ins and outs of selling and buying. Now, people tell me that it isn't rocket science. They're right, it isn't. But, to sell and to buy, you need to be aware of rules and how they want things done. To me, it was confusing at first, simply because you had to learn to navigate your way through everything. They linking Paypal. Then figuring out shipping labels. Yes, I'm still working on the shipping labels. There have been times where I've been way off. So now, I just do Flat Rate. No way to go wrong there! Unless you know that it can fit into a padded envelope with easy.

One thing that I am investing in is a mail scale. I found one that will weight packages up to 140lbs. So I feel this will help in getting correct postage in the future.  I've also invested in bubble wrap and packaging tape. Some of my best friends! Another lesson I've learned is to do 2 invoices. One for yourself and another for your buyer. I also make sure that I save the label records. This way, if there are any disputes, you have a paper trail. Virtual and physical paper trail. I have two books where these go. I have them all meticulously labeled. For a hobby, sure sounds like a full time job, right? Well, if you sell on Ebay, it is!

I believe after you sell $10,00 or $5,000, I'm not sure which, you do have to report to the IRS. You have to make sure that if this happens, you have the taxes for it. I know when you invoice people, you can add your state taxes or theirs. Choice is yours. Now, I could be wrong, I am not saying that everything I say is absolutely correct. I am stating that this is MY experience with Ebay. Yours could be entirely different. I will definitely keep you updated on this journey, that's for sure! There is always more to learn and more to read up on. If you have anything that could help with this journey, please let me know!

Have fun, I'm going to go troll Ebay again!

**Ebay logo courtesy of Ebay.com**

Search for "Unicorn Piss", the search for Past Collection Cosmetics PT. 3

That's right, I finally found a website that isn't EBAY or AMAZON to get cosmetics from the past. It's http://www.allcosmeticswholesale.com . I love this site! Granted, the website does have current cosmetics, but the Unicorn Piss that I've been looking for? They had it. At a REASONABLE price no less! From this website, I've found limited or discontinued edition cosmetics way below what you would expect to pay for it. I found current items that were 5-10 dollars CHEAPER than in store! Now that's my kind of store!

Now, on my quest to find my "Unicorn Piss" cosmetics, I've found many, many, many websites that offered fake brand name stuff, such as Urban Decay, MAC and so forth. But this site write a guarantee that everything you receive or that they advertise is 100% authentic. Seeing something like that makes me at least want to try the site out, to see if it's true. Well.....I took the plunge. I tried out their products, and I took them to Ulta, Sephora and MAC to be sure that they are 100% authentic as ACW (All Cosmetics Wholesale) claimed that they were. I was so sure that at least half of it would be fake, that if anything, I got some cool stuff, right? Nope. It was all real.

I do have to say, as I looked over the website, and started looking at prices, I will once again state, had some amazing prices and some of the prices were over priced to MY taste on some of it, and right on target to the department store prices. Now, I do get that their harder to find products will have a bit higher prices, so I wasn't bothered by that at all. I didn't have a problem with any of the prices actually. I was content to see the prices and know that with those prices comes great customer service, fast shipping and exceptional products.

Yes, I of course have pictures of the site and of the products that I've received.