Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Giveaway and Review: Montagne Jeunesse Manuka Honey Peel Off Mask

Hey everyone!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day! I am here to review one of the lovely face masks that Montagne Jeunesse sent me to try. If you didn't already know, Montagne Jeunesse is hosting an exclusive blogger giveaway for you guys! I will have the directions on how to enter at the end of this post. If you would like to see my previous blog post of all the masks that Montagne Jeunesse sent for my review please click HERE!. Or, if you would rather watch my YouTube video click the play button below!



Today I tired the Manuka Honey Peel Off Mask!


Here is the description of this mask:
Manuka honey is a famous natural cleanser and this mask is infused with Manuka honey and Jasmine. This mask is a peel off mask, so you leave this bad boy on for 15-20 minutes and then peel it right off. The back of this mask reads, "Busy Bees have collected nectar from the Manuka Bushes of New Zealand creating Manuka Honey- a natural cleanser. They source pollen and we add the flower power of fragrant Jasmine." Suitable for combination and oily skin types.


Here I am looking lovely with the mask on! 

My thoughts on the Manuka Honey Peel Off Mask: 
This mask has the exact same consistency as honey and it smells absolutely delightful! I did experience a  tingling feeling all over my face, it being strongest around my nose. I am assuming that was because that's where most of the larger pores on my face are, so the mask was working extra hard to clear those out. I also felt a slight warming sensation all over my face that only lasted a few minutes. You are supposed to leave this mask on for 15-20 minutes, but the mask started drying and peeling around my mouth after about 10 minutes. When I peeled the mask off it didn't hurt in the beginning, but once I started getting closer to my nose it became a little uncomfortable. I would compare the feeling to a Biore pore strip, it's never painful just a bit odd feeling. After I peeled the mask off, I washed my face to get any extra residue off. My face was left feeling soft, clean, and balanced. I also felt like this mask took off all of my dead skin cells and even reduced redness in some breakouts. I really enjoyed this mask and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to deep clean their face. 

Want to see me apply this mask, peel it off, and find out my first impressions?
Click the play button below for my YouTube video! 




Montagne Jeunesse website: http://www.montagnejeunesse.com/


Click the link below to enter the giveaway! Make sure you are entering on a computer, a few people have told me that the link does not work on phones. 



Thanks so much for joining me!

xoxo,
Jackie 




Friday, April 25, 2014

Montagne Jeunesse Giveaway!!!

Hey everyone!
 I am here with another super exciting giveaway opportunity for my favorite people, that of course being all of you! Montagne Jeunesse, an amazing cruelty-free and vegetarian face mask company sent me four of their face masks to try and review. They are also holding an amazing exclusive blogger giveaway and they have 50 face masks to giveaway to a bunch of lucky ladies and gents. Let's see what goodies we have here, and then I will tell you all about how you can win a lovely mask! 

Here are the 4 masks that Montagne Jeunesse sent me to try! 





Aloe Vera Face Spa Mask
This is a soothing and cleansing fabric facial mask that is infused with aloe vera and green tea. This is a sheet mask, which means it is made out of fabric and you just lay it over your skin and relax for 5-10 minutes. The back of this masks reads, " Is your skin in need of a quick boost? Burst to life with our refreshing blend of juiced Aloe Vera and invigorating fresh picked Green Tea. The ultimate pick me up leaving your skin soothed and cleansed." Oooooh la la! 



Creamy Coconut Mask
This mask promises a hydrating vitality boost for tired skin and it is infused with coconut water and shea butter. The back of this mask reads, "We've harnessed the hydrating goodness of fresh Coconut Water and added lots of lovely ingredients to moisturize and hydrate, including super smoothing Shea butter." I cannot wait to give this mask a good sniff, I absolutely love any and all things coconut! 



Manuka Honey Peel Off Mask 
Manuka honey is a famous natural cleanser and this mask is infused with Manuka honey and Jasmine. This mask is a peel off mask, so you leave this bad boy on for 15-20 minutes and then peel it right off. The back of this mask reads, "Busy Bees have collected nectar from the Manuka Bushes of New Zealand creating Manuka Honey- a natural cleanser. They source pollen and we add the flower power of fragrant Jasmine." This mask sounds lovely... I kinda can't wait to peel if off my face. ;)



Super Fruit Mud Mask
This mask cleanses and nourishes pores to the core and contains Goji Berry and Pomegranate. I have a love, love relationship with pomegranate, so I have a feeling this will be very much enjoyed! The back of this masks reads, "Goji Berries are one of the most powerful super fruits around so this mud packs a punch when it comes to protecting against the drying effects of environmental stresses. We've added nutrient rich Pomegranate too -POW!" This mask will be perfect for use after a long, rough day outdoors. 

I will have individual follow up blogs and videos on my YouTube channel (linked below) letting you all know how each mask performs. So keep on the lookout for that! 

Here is my YouTube channel! Watch me talk about all of these lovely face masks there. I will also have individual videos on each mask where I will apply the mask, take it off, and let you know all about it. I would love for you to stop by, click that like button, and subscribe!!! 




Now onto the giveaway! 
Click the link below and you will be redirected straight to the Montagne Jeunesse facebook page for this exclusive blogger giveaway! 




Gooooood luck! :)

xoxo,
Jackie 

Monday, April 21, 2014

Products we've used up and reviews!

Hey Everyone! I hope you all are having a great day! Today my good friend Jessica came over with her two adorable daughter's Aria and Lorelei. We played for a while, had some yummy mac 'n' cheese for lunch, and made chocolate covered strawberries! It was a lot of fun and now Eva is taking her nap.  I decided I would pop on here to write a few blog posts, and start looking for photographer's for my wedding! If you didn't know I am getting married in December and I am so excited! Anyways, I really love writing, it's something I have always enjoyed doing. It's therapeutic somehow, even if I am writing about silly things like empty products. My blog is going to be taking some twists and turns in the near future and I hope you guys enjoy the ride! I plan on talking about a lot more topics other than beauty, couponing, and freebies. So stayed tuned for that! 

Let's get on with these reviews! 


Household Cleaners 



Softsoap Raspberry Foaming Handsoap- I really only bought this because it was free after coupons and I needed another foaming hand soap dispenser for my kitchen. The smell was amazing but I really like to use my Dr. Bronner's Magic Castile Soap in all of my foaming hand soap dispensers. Regular hand soap actually contains some pretty nasty chemicals so we like the to use the organic stuff around here! 

Finish PowerBall Dishwasher Tabs- These are great! I get them for free all the time after coupons and I like how easy they are to use! You just throw one tab in the washer and you are good to go! No pouring gooey gels or messy powders! I will continue to get these when they are free but I am looking for a good homemade dishwasher detergent. If you have a recipe please leave it below in the comments! 

Dawn Original Unconcentrated Dish Soap- I LOVE Dawn dish soaps, they are my all time favorite brand of dish soap because a little bit goes a long way, it's super sudsy and you can even use it to wash your dogs! That being said... I hate this form of their soap. This is the unconcentrated version, it's pretty watery and you have to use a lot to get your dishes clean. I will stick with the concentrated version! 

Kiss My Face Peace Soap 100% Castile Soap in Grassy Mint Scent- I got this at Ross for $3.99, which was a steal! I love Castile soap for my foaming hand soap dispensers, homemade cloth wipe solution, bathing my pets, cleaning around the house, and for body wash and shampoo for Eva. This product is organic, smells amazing and is extremely versatile! Best of all this products is not tested on animals! 



Beauty Products 


Almay Eye Makeup Remover Wipes- I really like these, they are really wet which I prefer and were only $1.00 after coupons. These take off all face and eye makeup, but they can sting your eyes a bit if you scrub your eyes too hard... but you shouldn't be doing that anyway! 

Green Apple Chapstick- A chapstick is a chapstick... but I liked that the scent was Green Apple! It smells pretty delicious, but don't eat it. ;)

Mario Badescu Toning Lotion- This was just a small sample but it lasted me almost two weeks! I used this as a toner after I washed my face and it took off any remaining makeup. This was soothing, helps close your pores after washing, and gets your face ready to accept your facial moisturizers more effectively. This is pretty pricey, so I doubt I will buy it. 

Suave Moroccan Infusion Conditioner- This smells amazing and de-tangles really well. I feel like it may be a little too heavy for my hair, it seemed to weigh it down, and I only liked to use this when I used a clarifying shampoo. If I used the shampoo that goes in conjunction with this conditioner my hair was super greasy and weighed down. 

Schick and Venus Razors- I loved these razors! They both had 5 blades and I was able to shave my legs super fast with these. The refills for these are a ridiculous price so I will not be repurchasing them, but they are always nice to try when I receive them for free!

Lush The Olive Branch Body Wash- I totally thought this was shampoo. My friend, Jessica gave this to me and I definitely washed my hair with it... not going to lie it works pretty darn good as a shampoo. But really... it's for your body, it smells amazing, and if you a ton of money to spend on Lush products I suggest you check this out!  

Colgate Optic White Toothpaste- Finally, I am done with these darn toothpastes! I got a 3 pack at BJ's because they were super cheap after coupons, but these made my teeth SO VERY sensitive. I was convinced I had a cavity every time I used this because my teeth would ache like mad. This took us forever to use up because we only used this every few days to avoid tooth sensitivity. I will never buy these again. On the bright side, this did whiten my teeth, but it's not worth the pain. Sorry. 

Baby/ Toddler Products 


Comforts Lavender Baby Bubble Bath- I received this complimentary from Bzzagent.com. I usually don't use products like this on Eva because I try to avoid putting yucky chemicals on her. But Eva LOVES her bubbles so I figured a bubble bath once in a while wouldn't hurt her. This smells delicious! 

Hylands Baby Cough Syrup- This is an all natural cough syrup for babies and toddlers and I am kind of on the fence about it. I received this sample from cottonbabies.com when I ordered a diaper cover for Eva. Eva was really sick with a terrible cold that lasted about a week and we used this for about 3 days before it ran out. Every time I gave it to her I felt like she coughed more for a few minutes. Then her cough would go away for a few hours. I don't know if this really worked, but I wasn't too thrilled that it made her cough so much after taking it. 

Seasame Street Fizzy Tab Colors- Eva loved theses! You just drop one or two into a bath and it changes the color of the water! The ingredients are so-so, but sometimes you gotta make an exception so your kid can have a little fun! These are super inexpensive too, its $1.00 for this trial packet that has 9 tablets or about $5.00 for a pack of 150 tablets. 

Pet Products


Pet Head Life's An Itch Passion Fruit Itch Soothing Wipes- As most of you guys know my dog Crash has terrible, terrible skin allergies. He itches ALL the time, his skin gets red and raw, and he's pretty smelly most the time. I know he sounds gross, but he is one of the most handsome men I know! We've just recently started giving him allergy medicine twice a day and it seems to be helping him so much! His skin is a lot less red and itchy and he seems a lot happier! Any-who, these wipes smell really great but they honestly do nothing for itchy skin. Every time we used these on him they made him smell a wee bit better, but the itching didn't subside. I think you can pass on these. 


What empty products are you happy to toss?

xoxo,
Jackie 

Saturday, April 19, 2014

CVS, Dollar Tree, and Target finds!

Hey guys! 
I feel like I haven't written a blog post in forever, it feels great to be back! I have finally started my very own YouTube channel, and I really couldn't be more excited about it. I don't know what took me so long, probably the fact that sometimes I can be a wee bit of a chicken. I actually have a video that goes along with this blog post, so if you are interested the link will be down below! I did a little shopping yesterday and like always I found some pretty amazing deals. Of course I have to jump on here asap and let you guys know about everything I found! I bought everything from Dollar Tree, CVS, and Target. Let's see what I found this week! 

Dollar Tree

I absolutely love going into Dollar Tree every few weeks just to see what new items they are selling. I found a whole lot of good stuff this go around! 



Physicians Formula Brow-Tweez in Dark Blonde- I had one of these already and I specifically went into Dollar Tree to buy a back up. I absolutely love this eyebrow pencil, it is the perfect shade and makes grooming your brows super easy. I really would like to buy a few more but I am sure by the time I go to use them they will be pretty dry... so I will try my hardest to resist. I am assuming Physicians Formula may be disonctinuing this since it is being sold at the Dollar Tree. They also had a lot more Physicians Formula products including blushes, liquid eyeliner pens, and baked eye shadows trios, it was hard to resist but I really need to cool it on the makeup shopping. (yeah right) 

ELF Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose- I have been goggling this lip color for a century it feels. I try to stay away from the ELF website because it just never ends well for my wallet. ELF is one of my all time favorite makeup brands, they are super inexpensive, their products are amazing, and they are cruelty-free! This lip color is absolutely beautiful, it comes in a roll up pencil so it's a breeze to apply, it is opaque and 100% matte. I will have a picture of swatches and a picture of this and the gloss I bought on my lips at the end of this post.  



Fur Real Friends Dizzy Dancers- Eva was such a good girl shopping with me so I decided to buy her a little treat. I was going to save this for her Easter basket, but she already broke into it as soon as we got home. It's just a little toy that spins really fast when you pull out it's pull-cord, Eva loves it! 


Sponges- Sponges are not super exciting, but they can actually be pretty expensive at regular big box stores. I saw a 2 pack at Walmart for about $1.50 and this pack of 7 was only a buck... so yeah, I will continue to buy my sponges and most other household items at the Dollar Tree.

Laundry Detergent- I am not super picky about laundry detergent, I just do not like my clothes to have any scent when they come out of the wash. I figured I would give this laundry detergent a try since it was only a buck and claims to have 32 loads in it. I already used this to wash Eva's cloth diapers and it worked great! I will continue to use this and see how it performs on all of our laundry and I will let you know more. I am keeping my fingers crossed because laundry detergent can be pretty expensive. 

Morton Natural Epsom Salt- I actually heard about Epsom Salt from one of my favorite YouTuber's, Summer, CLICK HERE!, to visit her channel. She mentioned how taking a bath with Epsom Salts was really relaxing and good for the body. I have been interested ever since she first talked about it but I kept seeing bags that were around $5 each. As most of you know I am extremely frugal, being a stay at home mom I try to save more money than I spend, so when I saw this for only $1 I grabbed it! I will let you guys know what I think as soon as I get some time to take a bath.

CVS


Colgate Max White toothpaste- THIS SALE ENDS TODAY! 
Scan your CVS card at the red machine located inside your local CVS store and you will get a $2.50 off coupon for select Colgate toothpastes that are on sale for $3. This makes the toothpaste only $0.50, which is a great stock-up price! We have already tried this toothpaste and it foams up a whole lot and tastes really great! 

Target

OoOoOhhh do I love me some Target! I swear I could go into that damn store every day and find something wonderful every single time! 


Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Perfume Roll-On- Originally $12, on clearance for $1.84! This smells ahhhhmazing and I am NOT a citrus type perfume person at all. This is the prefect amount of sweet and citrus and it's in a convenient roll-on, perfect to throw in your bag!  I love Pacifica brand products because they are more natural that main stream products, and this was a steal at less than $2! 

Avalon Organics Vitamin C lip balms- I am unsure of the retail value of these but they were on clearance for $0.87 each! These are organic lip balms and I am UBER excited to try these. I have been dying to try the Avalon Organics brand but they are pretty pricey, so I was thrilled to find these balms on clearance. 

Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths- $2.99
Use TRY ME FREE any (1) Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths coupon (up to $3.99) value 
= FREE + $1.00 Money Maker! *This means that an extra $1 was taken off my total transaction, in addition to this product being free!*
These cloths would be great to throw in your bag for a day at the park, or after the gym when you need a quick cleaning up. I have not tried them yet, but I will let you know what I think! 

Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Sultry Smoke- Originally $6.99 on clearance for $2.08
Use $2.00 off any Loreal cosmetic face product (exp.5/7/14)
= $0.08 
$0.08 for an eyeshadow? Yes, please! I have been wanting to try the Loreal Infallible eyeshadows for a while not but I was not willing to spend the $7. This is a matte, smoke color, and will be perfect for creating the perfect smokey eye! Swatches will be down below. :) 

Almay Liquid Lip Balm in Just Plum Good- $4.49 
Use $4.00 off any Almay cosmetic product (exp.4/27/14) 
= $0.47 :)
I just LOVE getting makeup for such a great price! This is a beautiful medium coverage pinkish-plum color, it's not sticky and it smells wonderful. It goes perfectly with the ELF lippie that I got above! Swatches will be down below, as well as a picture of me wearing it.







From top to bottom:
Almay Liquid Lip Balm in Just Plum Good
ELF Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose
Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Sultry Smoke




Here I am wearing a combo of the ELF Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose and the Almay Liquid Lip Balm in Just Plum Good. I quite like the combination if I do say so myself. ;) 

Here is my video on everything I purchased, guest staring Miss Eva B! I would love for you guys to go check it out and give me a thumbs up! 


Thanks so much for being here guys!

xoxo,
Jackie 

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Pull-Ups Party Kit Compliments of HouseParty.com!

Hey everyone! 
I am here with another exciting opportunity that my family has been chosen to take part of! I signed up for the website www.houseparty.com and I finally got my first party pack! House Party is a website where you can be chosen to "Host" a party at your home with some wonderful free goodies supplied by houseparty.com. These party supplies can range anywhere from board games, baby and children's goods, movie and t.v. viewing's, food, beauty products and so much more! All you do is throw a party with all of your close friends and family and HouseParty.com does the rest! I was super excited to be chosen as a host for the Huggies Pull-Ups brand house party because my daughter had started potty training! As many of you know we cloth diaper our daughter Eva and I was not planning on buying cloth training pants for a few reasons. They can be quite expensive, they will only be used for a short period of time, and I am stubborn and thought we could make her regular cloth diapers work. I personally love cloth diapers and all the benefits that come along with them, but anything that can make potty training go a bit more smoothly sounds brilliant to me! 

Here's everything that came in my Huggies Pull-Ups party pack!!! 



2 packs of Huggies Pull-Ups Training Pants in the size 2T-3T
1 pack is for the little ladies and 1 pack is for the handsome sirs :) 


Party Favor packs for all the people who attended the party, including:
Potty Progress Charts 
Stickers
Coupon Booklets
Noise Makers 


The party pack also came with this adorable basket to house all the party goodies! 
I love baskets, so this will definitely be used for some sort of storage around my house. 


I just want to say a HUGE thank you to HouseParty.com and the Huggies brand for giving us the opportunity to try out Pull-Ups training pants for our children who are potty training! This is going to be so incredibly helpful and we can't say thank you enough!

Go sign up for HouseParty.com! It's pretty stupendous! 

xoxo,
Jackie