Category: product review

Herbal Essences Wants To #BanBoringBodyWash

That’s right! Just say NO to boring body wash!
That’s the new thing and it’s what’s new at Herbal Essences! It’s definitely not a boring body wash that’s for sure! The fine people over at Herbal Essences have a new body wash and it smells sooooo good!
Usually known for their fun and fruity hair products like “None of Your Frizzness” which is infused with mandarin crème and pearl. It fights frizzy hair and flyaways (clearly one of my faves.) Their body wash won’t disappoint either!
Starting with three absolutely intoxicating scents: Body Burst, Happy Go Lather, and Hello Hydration 
They want us all to get hooked and so far, I’m almost there!
I had the pleasure of getting a “perk” from Klout (because I clearly tweet way too much lol) and Herbal Essences provided me with TWO travel sized versions of the new body wash in Body Burst and Hello Hydration. There was also a bonus Walmart gift card in the box, helloooo mini shopping spree!
I was definitely skeptical because my skin is more sensitive than a newborns bottom so I’ve gotta be extra careful when trying new products on my bod. Figuring that I’ve used their shampoos and conditioners sans any problems, I went for it! After using the Hello Hydration and Body Burst body wash wash about two to three times a week for a full month, definitely no breakouts or post-shower regret. The fragrance left my skin surprisingly sweet smelling throughout the mornings. It wasn’t a strong smell but a soft subtle scent…I found myself sniffing my wrists and arms at random moments. Maybe it should come with a disclaimer: “Warning, may cause random body part sniffing!”
Overall, I say go for it beauty buddies!
Disclosure:  I was given a free product or sample because I’m a Klout influencer. I am under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

Saturday Surprise!

There’s nothing like getting surprises…the good kind of course!

 

If you stylish sweets remember, I’m an “Influenster” and Influensters get goodies (sometimes not so good) things to test, try out, use and review. I received my first Influenster Voxbox a few months back and enjoyed testing out every product. Check out my reviews here, here and here. Since then, Influenster notified me that I was one of the top reviewers for that Voxbox (goodies) and was selected to get MORE goodies!!

 

Well, that was a month or so ago and I totally forgot all about it, until today! Surprise! More treats! My wonderful mail lady shocked me by ringing the bell and announcing I had packages! Now, me being me, I was worried that maybe I was the proud new owner of a big fake check from Publishers Clearing House but not this time. Anywho, ripping into the packaging and pulling out beauty products was way better!

 

Here’s the loot I snagged:

 

 

 
 

Huge thanks to Kiss and NYC Color!!

 

I’m not obligated to use OR review these products but you guys know me…….I’ll share the deets!

 

Stay tuned!

 
 

Let’s Go au naturale! #AllNaturalStyleSecrets


If you know me in the real world, you know that I rarely wear makeup everyday. Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE MAKEUP but showing a fresh face to the world is a thing of beauty. It shows confidence and your natural features. So when Lucky Mag and the Lucky Mag Community reached out to do a post featuring a new natural product, I jumped at the chance!

 

 

Disclosure: I received a free sample of this product from Lucky and Seventh Generation for use in connection with this blog.

 

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And here’s what I received! Seventh Generation Boosts: Firming

 

 

 

I’ve been using this product for 3 days and my skin feels ahh-mazing!

 

 

As my style is already fairly natural, I figured what way to show that off than in my “natural” habitat?! At home, relaxing on the couch while enjoying some tv! Natural is comfortable for me. A chambray shirt from Old Navy and curls are all I need for a relaxing evening. Keeping it simple is my secret to effortless style.

 

#AllNaturalStyleSecrets

 

 

Trust me, you’re going to love it!

Dasani #Flavorfy Your Day!

I have to mention that this is a sponsored post, courtesy of the Lucky Mag Community and Dasani Drops!

 

Now head over and VOTE VOTE VOTE!

 

 

 

The challenge: Show Your Summer Color!

 

Challenge: Accepted!

 

I’m a tad late to the party but here to have fun nonetheless! During a day trip to Ann Arbor’s Gallup Park, I managed to squeeze in a little relief by dreaming of the tasty Dasani Drops! Trying to stay cool under the summer sun was a task but that dream kept me going! I chose two of my favorite flavors for inspiration…see for yourself!

 

These just happen to be two of my favorite colors too!

Thank you pure Michigan for these gorgeous views of the Huron River!

 

I Can See Clearly Now


How many of you stylish sweets wear glasses?

 I’m betting it’s a lot.

Even if you don’t wear glasses, one of the major trends of 2013 is the “nerdy look.” Add a pair of non-prescription black rimmed glasses to any look and you’re “in-style,” amazing! Well, I’m here to tell you…I’m a wearer of glasses. I’ve worn them since high school. Tried contacts but with astigmatism…that can become a task.

 

Glasses it is!

 

It’s time for me to get a new pair and I usually purchase two pair at a time (for fashion purposes of course.) For that reason, I’ve been looking at more “affordable” places besides paying several hundred dollars per pair. My current pairs are DKNY…with that designer price plus the cost of lenses, I’m definitely looking save some coins while updating my look.

 

So, I was watching tv one day when this commercial aired from Glasses dot com

 

 

 

 

Totally had me confused!

At first, I was thinking…this can’t be a real commercial. You’re telling me that I can get 5 pairs of glasses delivered to me, keep them for a week, try them out, and then send them back…FOR FREE?! Seriously, for free? This is genius! It definitely has to be too good to be true. So I clicked on over to Glasses to see what the site was all about, low and behold, it’s pretty legit! It also helped that their verified Twitter account tweeted me to confirm their realness. After that, I was down with the cause and picked out five frames that I liked and had them sent to me.

 

Here’s how the frames arrive (non prescription)

 

SEE THE PAIRS I PICKED AFTER THE JUMP (click “READ MORE” down below)

And here’s the five pair I picked.

(I have a round face so I tend to stick with squared frames and stay faaaar away from round ones)

How cool is that?!

Amazing presentation too! Kudos to Glasses.com! Sleek black box with white satin interior is simple but perfect for seeing any and everything in the box.

Now, I bet you’re wondering…how do the glasses look on my chubby little face? Well, let me give you the rundown on HOW this came about: I seriously forgot all about taking pics until my mother (shocker!) asked me Friday night “when do you need to send those glasses back?” Of course, I knew they needed to be back within seven days but for some odd reason, it skipped my mind!

*insert mini panic attack*

I wasted NO time and grabbed the box of frames pulled my hair up and started snapping away! I grabbed some lip gloss and my makeup brush for a quick touch-up so excuse any flaws in my technique.

 

Even though Curves And Coffee is a “judge-free zone”  I still feel the need to give you guys a warning: these aren’t my best selfies LOL! 

Thank goodness for a photo filter that reduces shine, HA!

Time to vote!

Which frames are your favorite from this group?

 

There might be another five frames soon since the availability of certain frames were limited. Figuring, I’ll take the three or four choices with the most votes and put them against each other and by 2015 we should have a winner! Just kidding! Should only take a couple of weeks.

 

Tasty Tuesday with TastyKake Kandy Bar Kakes


Yes, that was definitely a mouthful…literally and figuratively!

 

Soooo…. Influenster has a good thing going here! Not only do you get beauty products but sometimes there’s a treat or two in the box!! Thankfully and luckily, this little sugar-peanut butter-aholic got her hands on a TastyKake!!

 

 

 

A Peanut Butter & Chocolate TastyKake to be exact! Just what I needed to have a complete and total diet fail lol but a cheat day was in order! I took one little bite and entered heaven…seriously, heaven guys! I’m going to work out extra hard tonight, I promise!

 

These treats are a part of a new product line from TastyKake’s Kandy Bar Kake which includes; S’mores, Peppermint and Peanut Butter. Each “Kake” is made with a candy bar in mind. The peanut butter Kandy Bar Kake is made with real Reese’s Peanut Butter (which by the way is absolutely delish on its’ own!), peppermint is made with real York Peppermint flavors and the S’mores Kandy Bar is made with real Hershey’s cocoa!

 

Just go out and get one already!! I’m salivating just thinking about it!!

 

Mani Monday

Welcome to Monday stylish sweets! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend.

 

 If you already LIKE my Facebook page then you already got a “sneak preview” of the things inside my Influenster Spring Vox Box! One of the cool products were imPRESS Press-on Manicure by Broadway Nails. This post is in review for the free testing goodies from Influenster!

 

Check them out in action below…

 

 

 

They actually turned out pretty CUTE! I added a touch of glitter for my accent nail but they’re cute without the extra touch! Who knew press on nails could be this cool. Surprisingly, they lasted more than two days too! Leery is the word that comes to mind when I think of press on nails. With doing so much stuff with my hands everyday like tweeting, I didn’t think they’d last but they did!

Peel and stick. Peel and stick. Peel and stick.

That’s all I had to plus I pressed each nail down firmly and rub the nail to warm up the adhesive (because stuff sticks better when it’s warm…this is science) The color is “Tweetheart” which is absolutely fitting, looks purple-y pink-ish…I love bright colors so the color was a bit off to me. Besides that, everything else was great! They lasted me about 3 days before I started seeing the thumb nail rise up near the cuticle. I didn’t feel like removing them right that instant so I did it the next day. The directions inform you to peel the nail right off or you can add polish remover around the edges. I started with peeling which was pretty easy then after two nails I decided to use remover with a Q-tip to the edges. That technique made it even easier!

Final thoughts, definitely a do! They’ll work great for a weekend vacation, special event or a night out!

Spring has Sprung!

 

Figured I’d get this week started off right and welcome myself back to you stylish chicks and dudes!  I had to take a quick break from blogging and tweeting everyday to get back focused. Going through real life stressful events like relationships or family stuff can take its’ toll on a chick and “ain’t nobody got time for that!” Gotta keep my mind fresh so I can bring you guys some of the dopest and not so dope styles for us curvy chicks! This week will be filled with a few product reviews and maybe an outfit or two.

 

Product reviews are fun! You get to tell a company what you like and don’t like about their product and they HAVE to listen/read! I’m not a big name blogger but sometimes a company rep will acknowledge what I write about and that’s the best thing in customer service right now! Speaking of products and their companies, a few months ago, I received an invite via email to become a member of a “product review” community. Now, if you know ANYTHING about me by now, it should be that I absolutely hate signing up for stuff!! Sites always want you to sign up, register, create an account, add another password to the hundreds you already have. Well, I don’t like doing that so when I opened this email from “Influenster” to sign up, I wanted to punch my laptop screen (not really but ya know)

 


Anywho, after diving into the deep end of another user account to manage, I quickly realized, Influenster is pretty damn addictive AND dope! You complete online tasks, get badges and rack up as many points as you can while commenting and reviewing products! Tons of items I already have in my bathroom so those were easy but then somehow, if you get enough points you’re chosen to get a “Vox Box.” A box delievered via USPS filled with beauty products, snacks and other goodies!! There’s tasks to complete once you get a box, like reviewing, taking pics, YouTube-ing, tweeting, and other ways to test the products. Doing all of those things earns points and extra badges and qualifies you for other promotions!

 

So umm I say a BIG hells yeah!

 

Here’s the “Spring Vox Box” that I received:

 

 

Includes:

Secret Outlast Clear Gel Antiperspirant Deodorant ($4.50)

NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm ($2.99)

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure ($5.99-7.99)

Schwarzkopf Professional OSiS Dust It ($23.50)

Tastykake Kandy Bar Kakes ($4.49)

 

Yep! All of those goodies are mine for the testing thanks to Influenster! Of course, I don’t have to write about the products but I’m digging this so stay tuned for more updates!

 



Naturally In Motion

Wow, it’s Wednesday already! I seriously had to at look the calendar on my lappy (laptop) to double check! If that didn’t blow your mind, the end of April is near. Next thing you know, we’ll be going to pool parties and walking out the door with wet hair again. Ahh the joys of spring and summer. The only thing I’m not looking forward to…bugs! I will scream, jump and act like a complete crazy person until someone comes to my rescue. Let’s just skip over and not even think about those horror stories, shall we?!

 

Hair, is what we’re talking about today. During the fall and winter months my hair is usually bone straight. That means, I’m washing, blow drying AND using the flat iron or pressing comb to get it done. Of course, those are the days that I don’t go to the salon. In the spring and summer it’s a totally different ballgame! I let my natural hair flag fly high! It’s all about washing, slathering a leave-in conditioner on and walking out the door, wet hair and all!

 

Having mostly “black chick hair” I’m always searching for new products to try and keep on my counter for everyday use. The grade of hair I have is pretty hard to describe…think “mixed” or interracial is the easiest way to explain it in its’ natural state. So when I was wandering the “Twitter streets” I lucked up and won a free sample size conditioner from Motions! If you missed that post simply track back and read it here: Motions Hair “Product Review”

 

Well, since writing that review, the lovely people at Motions and their PR firm (Siren) contacted me about sending over some goodies. Needless to say, I hopped on the chance to get some free hair products! I mean, what girl is going to turn that down?!

 

So, here’s what the lovely ladies shipped over:

 

 

The Entire Line of  Naturally You

 

Includes:

Moisturizing Cleanser

Smoothing Conditioner

Radiating Gloss

Define My Curls Creme

Hydrate My Curls Pudding

Deep Conditioning Masque

 

Hmm…I couldn’t WAIT to dive into all those jars! There was only ONE teeny-tiny problem…I JUST GOT MY HAIR DONE! Not a complete bummer because I was able to use one of the products which I’ll share with you another day. Soon as it’s time to wash my tendrils this weekend, I’m grabbing these yummy smelling delights!

 

Now, when I started this blog, I never in a million years ever thought I’d get freebies. I do this because I love it not for anything in return. Having a voice out in the blogosphere for a shopaholic curvy chick that rambles and loves sports is important! Anywho, neither Motions or Siren asked for anything in return. That doesn’t mean I won’t give you guys the dish on how good or bad these are in hopes that it helps someone out there.

 

Friday Faves

We made it to Friday stylish sweets!!
It’s almost like a Christmas miracle in April! This really did feel like one of the longest weeks in a while to me. Not sure about you guys but I’m DEFINITELY happy to see the weekend. It might just be time for a little whine *oops* wine…for all us over 21 of course. In the meantime, it’s still early in the day on Friday so we’re going to stick with “daytime” topics…like a few of my favorite things! No, I will not pull a Oprah on you or dig in my bag of “you get a car” tricks, I will, however, tell you about my faves!
Since I started blogging on a regular basis about beauty & fashion, people always seem to ask me if I can recommend any good skin/body products for them to try. The best product advice I can give is, a list of items I use every single day. My Friday Faves that you see below are absolute life savers for me. If I run out of any particular thing (which happens a lot because I always get down to the last drop and totally forget to swing by Target sometimes) but if it’s gone, my world crumbles…just a little.
Here are those favorite things:
1. Pink Fragrance Mist ~ $25 ~ PINK Victoria’s Secret
 
Let me start off by saying this: ladies (and gentlemen) VS has always been known to supply us with great smelling products for EVERY woman. Whether you’re into fruity scents, strong musky scent, perfumes, or body sprays/mists…Victoria’s Secret has it all. I love the PINK scent in both perfume and body spray. I use the spray religiously because it gives me that same perfume scent but it’s not as powerful and it allows me to use as a refresher later in the day.
2. Refreshing Lip Balm w/ Pink Grapefruit ~ $3 ~  Burt’s Bees Lip Balm 
The pink grapefruit concoction is usually ONLY available during the spring and summer months so if you’re going to try it…buy it now and buy A LOT! Not only does it smells like you’re eating the juiciest grapefruit on planet earth but it seriously puts tons of moisture into your kisser! Plus, you’ll have just a hint of shine which is perfect for those who aren’t looking to wear anything heavy like a gloss. I love it so much that I practically buy in bulk! There’s one in every bag I carry, the car, and I even found one in a pair of my jeans before I went to wash them haha! Amazing!
3. Eye Liner in Dark Black/Black Ebony ~ $26 ~ Le Crayon Khol by Lancome
Ok, I know you’re looking at that $26 price tag for “just an eyeliner” but hear or read me out. This Lancome liner goes on so incredibly smooth every   single   time  I    use   it! Bonus, the black pencil that I use is super duper black. Sometimes I find myself going over my top lids more than once with an ordinary liner but not with Le Crayon Khol! One swipe and done. Little shopping tip…buy when a store is offering bonus buys i.e. Saks. You know, when you spend $65 you get a goodie bag filled with TONS of stuff! This helps ease the pain of paying that $26.
4. Richly Replenishing Cocoa & Cupuacu Butter ~ $10 ~ Burt’s Bees Natural Body Lotion
Back to Burt’s Bees! I have the most sensitive skin known to man or woman. It’s awful and it’s been this way since I was born. Anything can break me out, make me itch or send my skin into a tizzy so I use EXTREME caution when it comes to body creams and lotions. For example: little known fact about me….I’m allergic to Neosporin…Neo-sporin! YES! The ointment that’s meant to heal cuts, I’m allergic to it *sigh* So, when it’s time to choose a body lotion, it’s either trial and error or stick with something thick and cocoa buttery. Burt’s Bees Richly Replenishing lotion does it all without breaking me out or feeling sticky. Rub it on and it absorbs practically instantly!
5. Sensitive Skin Moisturizer ~ $9.99 ~ Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture
Speaking of sensitive skin, Neutrogena has me covered, literally. This facial moisturizer is great for those of us with the sensitive gene and those with combination skin. It’s thick enough to get rid of those dry blotches yet light enough to absorb without clogging your pores. Absolutely worth it.
There you have it! My favorite beauty and body products that I cannot live without. If I knew the secret recipes and ingredients for making these products at home, I’d hustle myself into a sweat everyday making me a lifetime supply of everything! So, I hope this helps a few of you stylish sweets out or even gives you an idea to try something new. Til later…have an outstanding weekend!