Influenster Uni Vox Box

 I just received my Uni Vox Box from Influenster the other day. I got some cool stuff in this one. :) Everything is free and sent for review from Influenster. Check out their site for more information. ;) Some items may have separate reviews later.

Here are all the products that I got:

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-On Manicure: $5.99 for colors/$7.99 for patterns. imPRESS Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails is the revolutionary way to achieve a flawless manicure in seconds. Just peel off, press on, and you're done - NO glue needed! High-shine colors, trendy designs and glam glitter nails that last up to a week!

Expert Last Lip Color in Forever Fuchsia: $1.99 Ready to take your lips to the next level? Try our NEW Expert Last Lip Color in twenty tantalizing shades. Get intense amplified color and shine that lasts up to 6 hours. Our moistrizing formula glides on easily for a silky smooth, velvety finish for all day wear.

Pilot Acrobal PureWhite: $4.59 - $7.49 Acroball PureWhite combines a glossy white barrel with Spring Pantone inspired grip colors and smooth writing advanced ink, which combines the vibrant color of gel with the quick drying benefits of ballpoint ink, so you can write effortlessly.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation: $4.99- $5.49 Lightweight liquid mousse texture leaves skin shineless, yet feels weightless & cakeless. The weight is over - finally, shine has met its matte. Available in 8 shades.

Red Rose REAL TEA Premium Water Enhancer: $4.49 Finally - a water enhancer with no dyes or coloring that's made from real brewed tea. Make boring water taste tea-rrific with REAL TEA from Red Rose!

Mall Haul

I had a lovely girls day out with my mother and some friends! After a late lunch at Olive Garden, I got some great deals at Deb and Claire's. I also received the gift of undies from my mom's friend Becki. lol Enjoy my little mall haul! ;)

 Claire's had their usual 10 for $10 sale going on! Always fun!

I got a minty blue bow barrette, a black bow claw clip, a black wrap bracelet and some adorable 3-D nails! They are blue with cute white bows and little gems. I also got six pairs of earrings! Some dangling keys, long arrow heads, gold bows with pink roses, tiny black horses, little gold skulls and some coral colored chain ones. :)

Once we arrived at Deb I noticed a pink sign that mentioned that their clearance items were buy one get one free. I bought a $15 dress and got the other dress for free! They are similar layered ruffle strapless styles with stretchy belts. One is a cute blue, purple and white flower pattern. The other is a teal, orange and white kind of tribal tie dye pattern.

And lastly, I was given the gift of two pairs of undies from Lane Bryant as well. lol My mom's friend had some special LB money to spend. You can't go wrong with some quality cotton hipster undies!

Bringing Home Gerbils!

I've recently decided that it would be a good idea to get some gerbils! I have a 10 gallon tank that used to have fish in it. They were too much work and not all that fun, to be honest! The tank sat empty in my room for ages, but after starting work again at a small local pet store,  I remembered how much the little gerbils intrigued me. It took about a week or so to collect all the supplies I needed to make a neat little habitat for them. The most expensive part was the wheel! The actual tank and stand were a gift, so lucky me. lol

So, meet my cute little men! Smitty and Tater are dark eyed white gerbil brothers that were actually born in the store last summer. :) Being a hockey fan, they are named after two of my favorite Red Wings players. One being Brendan Smith who most of us fans call "Smitty" and Tomas Tatar who some of us affectionately call "Tater". lol They are curious little monkies who love to chew and climb. They seem pretty happy in their new dwellings! Here are all the things I bought to help me get started on my new gerbil adventure! I've included some links so you can get a better view of some of the products. Check local pet stores, Amazon, Ebay, Dr. Foster and Smith, and other online pet products sites to find the best deals. :)

(1). Making the Platforms

To make these platforms, I mostly used unfinished craft wood from Hobby Lobby. The "legs" are made of 1 1/2 inch wood cubes. The bottom level has three sets of two cubes that make the legs. I did this to make it tall enough for it to double as a hiding area. The top level is separated from the first by one cube. The first platform is a 6 x 6 inch square and the top one is a 9 1/2 x 3 inch rectangle. I used some non-toxic glues to keep the pieces together. The wood was a little over $4 at Hobby Lobby. I used this piece and this piece. I had the cubes laying around. They were meant for a scrapbooking project. They came in a pack of nine and I bought them for only $1.47 at Merchandise Outlet!

(2). Other Supplies

I bought a Super Pet 8oz plastic water bottle and holder from the store I work at. I might later invest in a nice glass one! Together, these cost around $8. I also invested $14 into a Super Pet Silent Spinner Wheel from another pet store since we were all out and I didn't want to wait. lol I got the "regular" size, which is 6 1/2 inches and supposed to be for hamsters and gerbils. I have been making wood chews for my own rabbits for a while, so I decided to hang one by a paper clip in the gerbil tank. I bought my supplies from this lovely seller on Ebay. I also have rainbow colored wood chew sticks that I bought at Walmart for around $2. I am saving up toilet paper and paper towel rolls for them to chew up as well. I decided on the aspen bedding (packaging is a bit different than that link, mine is blue) made by Alfa Pet. It is finely chopped and looks great for burrowing. It's very safe for them, unlike pine and cedar. The 9 liter bag cost only around $2 compared to the $8 Carefresh and Critter Care bedding.

(3). Room for Growth!

I also plan on getting a tank topper! That will give them even more new levels to explore. I found this Chew Proof tank topper by Ware that seems to quite nice. It comes out to around $30 where I've been looking online.

(4). Exploring Their New Home

They seem really happy and they just love that wheel! It is now officially worth that $14. lol I hope they continue to enjoy their new home and I can't wait to see them become more comfortable here.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara

I recently received a package from Influenster/Rimmel London for being a runner up for a Rimmel badge from one of my Vox Boxes. Inside I got the new Retro Glam Mascara! I love trying out mascaras because I find my lashes so hopeless and boring. I'm always looking for something to make them more fancy and dramatic without using falsies (which I hate to use)! So thank you dearest Influenster and also Rimmel London for providing the products for them. :)

So, let's read up on this baby!

It’s Retro Mania! Bold, Wide-eyed false lash look!
Bold, wide-eyed false lash look.
Hour-glass brush shaped to the lash line to plump lashes, fanning them up and out for bold, wide-eyed volume.
Coats lashes individually for a big, false lash look in one simple stroke. No clumps!

* * * * * *

This mascara seems to have very good ratings on their website... let's get a closer look.

Here is that hour glass shaped brush. I will admit that it can take a little practice with such a large brush. I got it on my eyelid a bit. lol The large end really helps coat and separate your lashes in one swipe. I noticed no clumping and I didn't have any of that panda eye action going on later in the day either. I can't even imagine what this could do for people who already have the long, beautiful lashes that I dream of.

Here is a comparison. You can see my lashes with nothing on them, and then with two quick coats of the mascara. I am quite satisfied with the results! My lashes look much longer and a bit fuller. They certainly do seem to flare up a bit too. I don't tend to apply thick layers of mascara, so this might even be improved with a 3rd coat, the way I apply it. lol

Retro Glam retails for around $6, so it's pretty affordable. I have been loving more and more Rimmel products lately. This one hasn't disappointed me! lol I think Maybelline and Rimmel are my favorite drugstore brands out there... and we can't leave out Wet n Wild... they make some killer eyeshadow. ;P

TMI Tag Video

I forgot to post my TMI tag video that I put up the other day. There are random 50 questions! Enjoy!

If you watch the video on YouTube, you can visit the original video to get all the questions and do the tag yourself. You can also see the video that RemusReads did.

I have a couple other videos in the works too... subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up with them. :)

March 2014 Julep Maven Box

This month I decided to change up my Maven box style from "It Girl" to "Boho Glam". I really wanted to try out one of Julep's lip glosses and I liked the nail colors better in this box. :) I also got a candy stick that was cotton candy flavored. lol Thanks for appealing to my sweet tooth this month, Julep!

Being a Maven also gets you free shipping and 20% off all your orders! You can also earn points called "Jules" and once you get enough, you can use them for other products. :) Julep doesn't just do nail polish, they also have makeup, skin care products and more. The monthly subscription is $20 for a box with $40 worth of product in it. If you'd like to sign up, please use this link! By referring friends, you can earn Jules for a free Maven box! Without further ado, here is what I got in my box!

 In the Boho Glam box for this month, it was two polishes and a lip gloss.

The lip gloss I chose was Enchanted and the two polishes are called Elisa and Harriet.

 Here are the swatches for the nail colors! They are very pretty colors for spring... which I hope arrives soon!

Elisa is described as a soft wisteria shimmer.

Harriet is described as a guava coral creme.

 This is the Julep lip gloss in the color Enchanted.

"Featuring subtle color, unstoppable shine, luscious hydration, and our age-defying Power Cell Complex."

Enchanted is described as a sheer watermelon colored gloss.

It could be a great every day, go-to kind of gloss. It smells so good... like a yummy cake or some other similar sweet treat. lol It goes on light and smooth and is hydrating. I really like it!

Here is a comparison of bare lips and with a little gloss.

Wishing for Spring...

It is March 4th, 2014. There are still no signs of spring. I fear it will never come.