Thursday, February 7, 2013

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal+




I recently received Quaker Real Medleys (Cherry Pistachio Oatmeal+ flavor) complimentary to try and review from Influenster. I am usually too busy in the morning to prepare breakfast so more often than naught I will skip breakfast or grab something unhealthy like a donut. This oatmeal is super easy to prepare.. just add boiling water and is very tasty to boot. Now I can enjoy a healthy, hot breakfast in very little time. No extra dishes necessary! Since trying the Cherry Pistachio flavor, I have also tried the Peach flavor. I prefer the peach oatmeal.. but the cherry pistachio is quite good too. This product retails for 1.79 per cup.

For more information check out..
http://www.quakeroats.com/products/hot-cereals/real-medleys/apple-walnut-oatmeal.aspx

To read additional reviews on the Influenster Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal + Product Page..
http://www.influenster.com/review/quaker-real-medleys-oatmeal

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Product Information from the Influenster Product Page..

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal+

- The best oatmeal ever - made to-go
- Packed with wholesome multigrains and chunks of real fruits or nuts
- Portable single-serve cups

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal+ is simply the best oatmeal ever – and you can enjoy it on the go! Whole grain oats, rye, barley and wheat are mixed with large chunks of real fruit & nuts in a convenient single-serve cup. Just add hot water or microwave and you can have a delicious breakfast anytime, anywhere. Enjoy all four delicious flavors – Apple Walnut, Cherry Pistachio, Peach Almond and Summer Berry.

Sole Society






I had never heard of the Sole Society website until I received my Influenster 2012 Holiday VoxBox* and it had a coupon inside for $25 off a pair of shoes on the website (Shoes on the website start at 49.95). I am more of a flats gal so I was happy to see that there were many flat shoes listed for sale on the website. I really like the two flats I have pictured above. I am not currently in the market for any new shoes but I will definitely keep this site in mind in the future.

To check out the Sole Society website go to..
www.SoleSociety.com

*All products in the 2012 Holiday VoxBox were provided to me complimentary.

Goody QuikStyle Paddle Brush


 
 
 
When I first saw the Goody Quikstyle Paddle Brush* I was immediately intriqued by this product. I have never seen anything like this brush before. I couldn't help thinking what an ingenious idea this was.. trying to save hair drying time with microfiber bristles. I couldn't wait to test out the brush to see if it held up to it's claims on the package.
 
Lo and behold.. this product does live up to the hype. After using the brush, I do feel I spent less time drying my hair with the hair dryer. For gals with long hair, I think they would see a noticeable difference in dry time. I immediately started recommending this brush to all my friends. Really great idea, really great product! This product retails for 11.99.
 
For more information about the product check out the Goody website..

 
 
Check out additional reviews on the Goody Quikstyle Influenster product page..
 
*I received this product complimentary from Influenster.
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Product Information from the Influenster product page..

The GOODY® QUIKSTYLE™ Paddle brush works like a towel and brush in one. The super absorbent (and antimicrobial) microfiber removes 30% of water from wet hair to help speed your drying time! You can effortlessly detangle right out of the shower and continue using it while you blow dry!

Montagne Jeunesse Face Masque


After seeing people post pictures of their 2012 Influenster Holiday VoxBoxes, I just knew that I wanted to try a Montagne Jeunesse Face Masque*. I was a bit disppointed not to receive a Montagne Jeunesse Masque in my Holiday VoxBox but I decided to go ahead and buy a masque for myself at my local Ulta. At a retail price of under 2.00, this masque was probably my cheapest beauty buy so far this year.. but don't let the price fool you.. this is one great product!!

I purchased the Fruit Smoothie (Raspberry and Mango) Masque which says it is a deep-pore cleansing masque. I have to say that this is the best smelling masque I have ever used. I liked to use a mask weekly on my combination skin. I applied the masque and left it on for the recommended 15 minutes. After rinsing the masque off, my skin was noticeable softer. The next day I could see my skin just looked much clearer. I really liked this masque and have already been recommending it to my friends and fellow masque users. I am so glad I decided to buy and try this product! I will be purchasing the Chocolate masque soon! (Look for my review in March.).

For more information about Montagne Jeunesse here is the link to their website..
http://www.montagnejeunesse.com/

If you would like to read additional  reviews on the product here is a link to the Influenster Montagne Jeunesse mask product page..
http://www.influenster.com/review/montagne-jeunesse-face-masques

*I purchased this product with my own money for review purposes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the product information from the Influenster product page..

Whether you enjoy looking after your skin, or being pampered, you will absolutely enjoy one of these "Life’s Little Pleasures"! With a huge array to choose from, our face masques are packed with the most delicious natural ingredients and are bursting with luscious fragrances. Suitable for all different skin types, there is one to suit every mood and everybody!

Try one of our featured products today!

• We all love chocolate, it’s our guilty pleasure! Well treat yourself to some chocolate without the guilt and make your skin look fabulous! Our Chocolate Masque, rich in natural ingredients will not only deep cleanse your skin by helping unblock pores, allowing impurities to be drawn out but will also hydrate and nourish your skin.

• Craving a fresh fruit sensation, try our Fruit Smoothie hydrating face masque today – bursting with healthy goodness, our thick crushed Raspberry and Mango smoothie delight will leave you with fresher, cleansed and softer skin. Lavishly apply and treat your skin to a pore cleansing, sensational awakening.

• Enliven your skin and help combat unsightly blemishes with our Aloe Vera and Willow Clean Up Mud. Our special blend of nature’s remedies naturally targets your problem areas for a clear and clean complexion.



NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine


I am a huge fan of trying any new beauty/makeup products so I welcomed the chance to test out the NYC New York Color Lipshine* from my 2012 Influenster Holiday VoxBox. My Lipshine was in the shade called Nude York City.. shade 582. I thought the name of the gloss was a fun play on New York City.

This gloss looked really nice on me and is a color I would have bought for myself (since I generally favor light nude colors). I found the formula non-sticky and it had a sweet coconut scent. It lasted quite a long time on me too. This was the first time I had tried a NYC New York Color product and I have to say I was pretty impressed. You can't beat the 2.49 retail price for this item. I will definitely be checking out the NYC Color cosmetic display the next time I am at Ulta. I am curious to try some other NYC Color cosmetics.

For more information about NYC Color products check out their website..
http://newyorkcolor.com/

Or check out the Influenster NYC Liquid Lipshine product page..
http://www.influenster.com/review/nyc-new-york-color-liquid-lipshine

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the product information from the Influenster page..

Have you heard the gossip? There’s a new gloss in town! NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine is getting headlines with seriously high-drama color at a seriously low price. Pure pigments give a 3-D effect that’s off-the-charts glossy. Tons of hot new shades, from preppy nudes to bold statement hues – all for less than your weekly fashion magazine.

Kiss Nail Dress



 
 

There isn't anything I love more than painting my nails so I was very happy to see the Kiss Nail Dress* included in my 2012 Influenster Holiday VoxBox. I got a very cool speckled black pattern outlined in silver. I work in a conservative office so my first manicure with these nail strips only involved using the strips as accent nails (I decorated one finger on each hand with the Nail Dress). The strips applied easily, looked really nice on my nail, and lasted 5 days. Since I am hard on my nails, and regular nail polish only lasts a maximum of three days (without chipping) I was amazed that these nail strips lasted so long on me. (I added a clear top over the nail strips which I believe extended the longevity of the strips). I applied the initial nail strips on a Wednesday and on the Friday following I applied the rest of the nail strips to my nails to experience wearing a full set of nail strips for the weekend.  I really liked these strips and I will continue to purchase Kiss Nail Dress in the future. This product retails for 6.99.
 
 
For more information about Kiss Nail Dress..

http://www.kissusa.com/

To read product reviews on the Influenster website..

http://www.influenster.com/review/kiss-nail-dress


Product information from the Influenster website..

Introducing Kiss® Nail Dress™, ultimate nail fashion for tips and toes! Just peel, apply, and shape for a manicure that lasts up to a week. On in minutes, off in seconds without remover. Nail Dress is available in 21 different styles, many of them featuring 3-dimensional jeweled designs. Check out Peplum, a deep silver with multi-colored gems for a pop of color, or Babydoll, for a golden and glamorous jeweled look. Skip the topcoat, Nail Dress has it built in.

With 28 strips in each package, you can cut up your extras to create designs that can be used on top of polished or artificial nails. Add some pizzazz and use with imPRESS® Press-On Manicure™ by Broadway Nails for the ultimate DIY manicure. Nail Dress doesn’t dry out the way other polish strips can, so you can save them to use on your next mani. A nail design booklet is included in each package, just in case you need a little inspiration.
*I received this product complimentary from Influenster.

Influenster 2012 Holiday Voxbox


 
 
 
I was very excited to get the email from Influenster that I had been chosen to receive a 2012 Holiday Voxbox*. This is my third time receiving a Influenster VoxBox and I can tell you that I was just as excited to receive this box as I was my other Voxboxes (and since it arrived around Christmas I looked at it as another Christmas gift!). Here are the goodies I received in this Voxbox..
 
Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal- I received the Cherry Pistachio Oatmeal flavor. Retails for 1.79/cup.
 
NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine- This is a neutral beige color. Retails for 2.49.
 
Kiss Nail Dress- In a cool speckled black pattern with silver highlights. Retails for 6.99
 
EBOOST- The packet I received was the pink lemonade flavor. Retails for 28.00 for 20 powders, 39.00 for 30 powders, and 39.00 for 12 shots.
 
Goody QuikStyle Brush- I received the Paddle Brush. Retails for 11.99.
 
Sole Society Coupon Code- The code was for $25 off a pair of shoes (shoe prices start at 49.95).
 
Based on Demographics, you could have received a Montagne Jeunesse Face Mask- I was not chosen to receive this product but after seeing people post pictures of their Voxboxes, I really wanted to try this product too so I went out and purchase the Fruit Smoothie mask (pictured above). Retails for under 2.00.
 
I was also chosen to receive an additional complimentary gift of the book Hiding in Sunshine by John and Caitlyn Stuart. This was mailed separately from the Voxbox.
 
 
 
Well, I have to say that I was excited to try all the products and this is one box where all the products were equally appealing. I had really wanted to try the Pink Lemonade EBOOST for a while but I didn't want to buy a whole box.. only to find out that I didn't like the taste of the product so I was especially thankful to see that in the box. The additional gift of the book was a really nice surprise since I love thrillers and this compelling story was right up my alley. Reviews of all products to come shortly!! Thanks so much Influenster!!
 
 
If you don't already belong to Influenster.. and you love reviewing products I would definitely recommend you sign up on Influenster.com. Once you sign up, start reviewing products listed on the site and earning badges. Before you know it, you will be getting your own Voxboxes chock full of great products to test, review, and share with your friends. Here is the link to the Influenster website..
 
 
 
*I received the Holiday Voxbox complimentary through Influenster.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

EBOOST




I was very excited to get a packet of EBOOST to try out and review as part of my Influenster Holiday Voxbox*. I had previously been given the Orange EBOOST to try in a previous VoxBox and that one tasted ok bt this one taste much better than the orange. I love Eboost as part of my morning ritual since I do not drink/like coffee and I need a little pick me up on mornings I haven't gotten enough sleep. I like everything about EBOOST.. the product is made with all-natural ingredients, it lasts a long time and their is no crash like other energy supplements/ drinks on the market. Plus, the pink lemonade flavor tastes great. Best of all it contains no sugar and is only 10 calories per packet. EBOOST comes in powder packets or liquid shots. I will definitely continue to purchase EBOOST pink lemonade in the future. Product retails for 28.00 for 20 powder packets, 39.00 for 30 powder packets, or 39.00 for a box of 12 shots.

For more information on EBOOST (or to purchase) check out their website..
http://www.eboost.com/

To see additional reviews of EBOOST check out the Influenster product page..
http://www.influenster.com/review/eboost-natural-energy

*I received this product complimentary to test and review through Influenster.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Hiding In Sunshine (Book Review)



I was very excited when I was selected by Influenster to receive a complimentary copy of this new thriller written by father daughter writing team of John and Caitlyn Stuart. Here is my review of the book..

When the Brinkley family; Gavin, Lisa, and their two daughters Becky and Jessica move into their dream home in Concord, Massachusetts it seems like they finally have it all. Gavin Brinkley; a cyber security expert, has been become quite successful professionally. Despite his professional success, Gavin and Lisa live a very low-key unassuming lifestyle. The Brinkley's idyllic life gets quickly turned upside down after a home break-in and Gavin experiences an episode with a terrifying tail-gater. After the FBI warns Gavin and Lisa that their family is in grave danger, the family quickly leaves Concord and starts a new life in the Witness Protection Program.

This story follows the Brinkley's new life where they must rely solely on each other to get through the harrowing days of life on the run. This is an edge-of-your seat thriller that had me hooked from the first page. Once I started reading, I could not put the book down (I finished it in only a day and a half). This story delves deep into the seedy underworld of cyber terrorism which is fascinating and scary at the same time. I enjoyed reading this compelling tale that kept me guessing until the very last pages of the novel.

Influenster also hosted a Twitter Question and Answer session with the authors on January 29, 2013 which I was fortunate enough to attend. The two authors offered some interesting insight into the book, how the plot was developed, and even mentioned that they were already working on a second novel together. If you are interested you can follow @JandCStuart on twitter and read the questions and answers posted at the twitter event.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the link to the book on amazon.com if you are interested in purchasing this book..

http://www.amazon.com/Hiding-Sunshine-John-Stuart/dp/1477283315/ref=cm_cr-mr-title


From the back of the book..


Living lives of quiet affluence in a historic, suburban Boston town, Gavin and Lisa Brinkley had no idea how quickly and decisively their lives, and those of their two young daughters, could be upended. A series of events - a mysterious break-in at their home, some menacing tailgating on the highway from Boston, a startling visit from an F.B.I. agent warning of an imminent kidnapping attempt - leads to the family's abrupt uprooting from its comfortable existence into a terrifying new existence on the run, under new identities. This taut thriller by a father-daughter team follows the eleven-year odyssey of an American family on the run, in hiding through the mountain states of the American west, where survival skills and living off the grid are paramount, but so are friendship, cooperation, and resilience. The enemy, always lurking just out of sight, is a foreign cyber-criminal enterprise that launches breathtaking assaults on the American banking system and physical infrastructure, but the Brinkleys also know that the threat is deeply personal, reaching ever closer to them from the shadows of the past. At the same time, Gavin and Lisa discover the perils of wandering too close to the edges of the dark side, in the murky world of cyber-security. A compelling story of suspense and treachery, HIDING IN SUNSHINE is also a celebration of a family's abiding love and courage -- and a young girl's faith in the triumph of the truth.