Ulta Haul

Ulta haul! Reviews and swatches to follow.

I got a lot of stuff, but it was a cumulative haul <33

I got some acne lotion I read good reviews of, got a backup CeraVe as it was on sale, and a face cleanser from Yes To Cucumbers.

Face masks from Freeman Beauty and Formula 10.0.06, face spray/toner, makeup remover, the pink bag is full of free samples from Ulta.

Last pic are my NYX Butter Glosses, Soft Matte Lip Cream, and NYX Vampy Lip Cream

#5hourGoesPink

Thanks to Smiley360, I received two bottles of Pink Lemonade  5-hour ENERGY® for free to spread the word.

The makers of 5-hour ENERGY® products have teamed up with the Living Beyond Breast Cancer organization.  (LBBC helps to support and educate people about breast cancer!) For every specially marked bottle of Pink Lemonade flavored 5-hour ENERGY® sold, Living Essentials will donate five cents to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. If you purchase the white 5-hour ENERGY® bottle with the pink ribbon, you can help contribute to the cause! This campaign will be ending December 31st 2014, so pick up a bottle when you need your next energy boost!

#Moda VoxBox & #refreshwithresource

So it's been a while since I've received a treat from Influenster. After participating in a DKNY event in August, I was guaranteed acceptance into the Moda Voxbox program! It arrived a few weeks ago, and I could not stop opening it and gazing at all the great products. 

Influensters participating in this campaign received a Puffs Softpack of tissues and a packet of Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa (both of which are perfect for this chilly weather), JERGENS Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer (which I've taken to slathering on my elbows before bed), and a Hair Food Moisture Hair Mask (which has kept my hair super manageable lately. It's amazing.) Also in the box was a bottle of Resource Spring Water. Since I received this box around the height of Midterm madness, this water really helped me out during my late night studying. It definitely recharged and reinvigorated me.

I don't recommend late night studying when you can avoid it, but if you got a bottle of water packed with electrolytes handy...why not?
Additionally Influensters also received three Rimmel London products: Scandal Eyes Rockin' Curves Mascara, Moisture Renew Translucent lip liner and a Moisture Renew Lipstick. Here's a swatch of the color Berry Queen.

It's very pretty berry color but a bit too frosty for my taste. I passed this on to my sister and she absolutely adores it. 

This was an amazing voxbox. All the products were great and useful to me. The way Influenster has revamped its site and campaign selection process has impressed me greatly. It's the best way to receive and review products you know will be functional for you.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

22 Trends Men Hate - Number 2: Dark Lipstick and Number 20 - Red Lipstick

Hey all, Asa here!
I've noticed a lot of posts on tumblr about this article that lists 22 trends that men absolutely hate. Most responses were from people vowed to wear all these trends (and I am definitely one of these people). Instead of touching on the issues around this article (more of a list, really) because other bloggers write about it more eloquently than I can (Maybe I'll find some links?).

The second trend that men hate is dark lipstick. I absolutely love dark lipstick. I don't care about what men think.

Men also apparently hate red lipstick. I have three red lipsticks.

You can probably see where I am going with this, but in case you have no clue .. basically I will swatch some dark lipsticks and red lipsticks (and most of them are drugstore lipsticks) and give you all a good idea of which lipsticks to buy at the drugstore. (And, like, one tinted lip balm).

But I do have to say, dark lips and red lips - these looks and other looks are really about what YOU feel comfortable in. If you don't feel comfortable in red or dark lipstick, that is perfectly fine. You do you. Please do not feel obliged to buy red lipstick if you don't feel okay with wearing it.

(From L to R): The first lipstick I actually got as a present from Cj. It was a part of a huge makeup set from CVS. I like this color but it's a cool-toned red. The second and third colors are both from Wet n Wild, but they're from different collections. Color 514A (the name was on the plastic label which I had to take off to use) is a warm-toned red with fine gold shimmer. The third is Stoplight Red from the MegaLast Collection. This is actually my favorite red lipstick because it looks great on just about everyone. I bought it after I read it was a dupe for MAC Ruby Woo. he 4th is a Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Raisin. This is a very sheer product, but you can build it up. It's not very moisturizing though. 

(From L to R): I think the brand is ColorMates and is a brownish red. Nicka K Lipstick in Bordeaux. ELF Mineral Lipstick in Ripe Rose which is a brownish red as well. 

This is actually one of my favorite lipsticks! I got this as a gift. This is from Clinique and the shade is Surprise which is a pinky brown that has shimmer. 

 L to R: CVS Lipstick, WnW 514A, WnW Stoplight Red, ELF Ripe Rose, Color Mates (no name), Nicka K lipstick Bordeaux, WnW Black Orchid

 WnW Vamp it Up, Clinique Surprise, Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer Raisin

 WnW Vamp it Up, Clinique Surprise, Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer Raisin

Swatches from L to R: CVS Lipstick, WnW 514A, WnW Stoplight Red, ELF Ripe Rose, Color Mates (no name), Nicka K lipstick Bordeaux, WnW Black Orchid, WnW Vamp it Up

 Swatches from L to R: CVS Lipstick, WnW 514A, WnW Stoplight Red, ELF Ripe Rose, Color Mates (no name), Nicka K lipstick Bordeaux, WnW Black Orchid, WnW Vamp it Up

 Swatches from L to R: CVS Lipstick, WnW 514A, WnW Stoplight Red, ELF Ripe Rose, Color Mates (no name), Nicka K lipstick Bordeaux, WnW Black Orchid, WnW Vamp it Up

 Swatch of Clinique Surprise

 I'm trying to show the pinky brownness and the shimmer.

 This is Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Raisin

  This is Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Raisin (pic without flash)

 BONUS swatch of ELF Studio Lipstain in Crimson Crush (I think) on the left and a Victoria's Secret lipgloss on the right

 BONUS swatch of ELF Studio Lipstain in Crimson Crush (I think) on the left and a Victoria's Secret lipgloss on the right (pic with flash)

A Swaggable Primer

Whenever I decide to buy a product, my number one priority is to first seek out customer reviews. I look through them, size up the majority and weigh all the individual opinions. For me, it is truly the most important feature of any site aiming to gain a mass consumer following. We as consumers cannot always trust the ads companies will often manufacture, and the Brands know this. It is absolutely essential that we have our own hub to honestly review products. This is where Swaggable comes in!

Reviews to Look Out For!

Hey guys, Asa here! I'm here to let you all know to be on the lookout for some new things that I will be reviewing. I have some tinted lip balms and some new nail designs as well! I know we haven't posted in a really long time but I'm sure you will understand the wild life of two high school students. We have had so many papers to write and college essays/supplements! Yes yours truly will be a college student in a couple of months, and in fact, in a couple of days we will be notified by our colleges! We are both excited and nervous - mostly nervous.

Here are some pictures of things I will soon review in next couple of weeks or so:

I got this Montagne Jeunesse face mask from Swaggable for free! You basically try products for free - products you actually want.

Nivea a Kiss of Berry Swirl (this I bought in a sale)

I got this from a holiday sale at burtsbees.com It was originally $50, had been on sale for $30, and then I snagged it for about $15!!

These two lip shimmers (Raisin and Watermelon) were in the bag.(Retail $5 each)

Also included: this lip balm with pomegranate oil! (Retail: $3)

A hand wash and a body spray from the Gud line of Burt's Bees in the scent Vanilla Flame. (Retail: hand wash: $5 and Spray: $6)

Gud body butter in Vanilla Flame (Retail: $12)

Burt's Bees Hand Salve! (Retail: $9)

The LypSyl Lip Balm (pictured: left,  is one of the three lip balms I won from Influenster's LypSyl Brand Challenge!) The Burt's Bees lip balm to the right is the medicated lip balm with Eucaplyptus oil. (Retail: $3)

This lip gloss I got for free (not in Burt's Bees bag obviously) because I won another Influenster Brand Chanllenege - the NYC one!

The face lotion to the left I bought with my own money and it is a recent purchase. The shampoo to the right is the Burt's Bees Super Shiny Mango shampoo (Retail price of shampoo: $8)

This is a lip tint from C.O. Bigelow in the color Plum. This was a gift from a friend!

So if you've been keeping track, the value of the Burt's Bees Grab Bag is: $56!!! I saved $41!

Influenster: Revamped!

Influenster had been promising a whole new look to its site for quite a while. They teased us with mentions of new badges, new voxbox campaigns, and points system. Guess what?

They delivered!

Influenster is a totally new site now. New look, new logo, new system! With new badges and categories, any kind of blogger can be an influenster! The site is invitation only now, with unlimited lifestage badges to earn, and 5 expert badges you can choose. The more influential on social media you are, the higher your score will be! Influensters can review just about anything now, and ask questions and provide answers to their fellow bloggers. Profiles are now public so we can explore each other's blogs and see how much of an Influenster they are!
The new site is fresh and clean looking. I love how modern it is, and how easy it is to navigate. Not to mention that they've allowed us veteran Influensters to retain our old brand badges! All in all, it was a wise and clever move for Influenster!