Reviews and DIY

I love Mario Badesco products, generally, and am writing about this whitening mask today. This is a 2 oz container which lasts quite a long time.  I bought it for about $24 at Ulta. As of today, March 13, 2018, this product has a 4.3 / 5 star rating on Mario Badescu's website, with 41 total reviews. I'm not sure that I could rate it that high.  If anything, I'd give it a 3/5, but as I'll discuss, this probably isn't fair because I never should have bought this product.  Although I wanted to love this product, I wouldn't say it did much for me.  I already have light skin, and thought this would make my skin a bit lighter over time but it did not seem to do that. According to the website, this is what the product does: "This is a skin-perfecting mask specially formulated to address discoloration and dehydration. A unique blend of Kojic Acid and Extracts of Licorice Root, Mulberry, and Grapeseed helps minimize the look of uneven skin to...

Hey Guys! I've always had a problem with blackheads on my nose, so have tried several options over the years and none have really worked. I hadn't tried anything recently and saw a new product- Biore Charcoal Pore Strips.  I have seen their strips in the past but not these charcoal ones, so decided to give them a try.  I uploaded a picture below where you can see some of the strip stuck to my nose after I removed it.  To be fair, this happened when I added a tiny bit of water to make taking off the strip more bearable.  If you remove the strip without adding any water, you will notice less residue.  Either way, it comes off pretty easily. Six strips come in a box.  After using them I noticed that they seems to irritate my nose more than the regular ones.  But, the regular ones always left my nose very red as well...  If you look at my picture below, you can see my irritated nose. And, for most of the strips, it really just looked like I wa...

Hey everyone!  Here are some steps to follow to make sure you are being safe on social media.  Some of these are extreme, but if you want your privacy while still being connected with select people, this is what I recommend. Facebook 1.) Make sure all your information is viewable to friends only.  Nothing should be viewable to the public.  I even recommend having a profile picture that doesn't show your face or at least is not a close up of you. 2.) Delete any friend requests you have sent to people you don't know.  (Even if you think you haven't sent any friend requests, double check this!  You never know if someone has logged into your account and sent requests on your behalf or have access to your password.) 3.) You have the option of letting EVERYONE send you friend requests or limiting this to only people who are friends of your existing friends.  I recommend changing this setting to only allowing friend requests from friends of friends. ...

Here is a list of numbers who have called me and are sales or spam calls.  If you now own this number and don't want your number on here listed as spam, please contact me.  I am making this list because I want to help others not get scammed. 213-805-5947 Los Angeles, CA 310-906-2605 El Segundo, CA(Repeatedly calls and does not leave a message.) 585-902-2553 Alden, NY

I'm writing this post today because on my journey to minimalism I have realized I need to cut out Starbucks from my life...  Now I sound like those people that roll their eyes at me when they see me with a Starbucks cup in hand 😕 To be fair though, they usually roll their eyes because they claim other local coffee shops are better.  And, maybe they are... Point is, they aren't really thinking of the environment.  But, back to the point of this post... Not only is Starbucks  expensive for certain drinks, but I personally feel bad about adding all these items to the landfill.  While some of their cups are recyclable, it seems a vast majority are not.  Keeping in mind that Starbucks reportedly goes through 8,000 cups a minute (source: https://earth911.com/business-policy/starbucks-cups-recycle/), that's a ton of cups that end up in the landfill.  Annually, 1 million trees must be cut down in order to produce all of these cups - this is just craz...

First, there are so many 'dollar' stores.  Here, I am only talking about Dollar Tree .  I will be writing other posts about great buys at Family Dollar and 99 cent stores :) #1 - Greeting Cards  Greeting cards are so expensive!  But, an affordable option is at your local Dollar Tree!  They have birthday cards, get well cards, and so much more.  You can't go wrong with picking up a card here.  And, yes, they do come with an envelope as well.  They are plain, so don't expect to find a ton of glitter, ribbon, lace, and extras.  If you're looking for a simple card though, this place is great. #2 - Glasses, vases, and mugs  Recently, my husband and I received a gift of kitchen utensils which was great.  Unfortunately we didn't have anywhere to store them so I used a big cup until I could find a replacement.  Coincidentally, I was at the Dollar Tree shopping for something else when I ran across the perfect glass vase for onl...

I am a former distributor for It Works.  While I recommend some of their products, I don't recommend the wraps. I tried the wraps myself and didn't see any results. My husband tried them and didn't see any results either! My sister-in-law tried them and said it helped, but only temporarily! MORE DETAILS TO COME....

Hi everyone! So, I learned about these eyelashes in Cosmo, I believe.  I thought it was such a great idea that I almost immediately ordered now one, but two pair of these.  I will say I was confused about never receiving an email confirmation of my order or any type of tracking number, but sure enough, my packages were delivered in just a couple of days!! Today was my first day wearing them and they were easier than I expected to take off, but a bit harder to take off.... I'll have to see how taking them off tomorrow goes.  As far as putting them on, I first tried the tweezer-like devise they came with and while this wasn't incredibly difficult, I think it's easier just to put one on your top lash and then put the other lash on the bottom of your top lash. Like I said, taking it off was the harder part for me. When I put them on it felt like my eyes were being peeled up a bit.  I'm not sure how else to describe this.  Perhaps I put the eyelash extension...

Hello Everyone! This review is about an exfoliating facial peel by Erno Laszlo.  I did receive this product for testing purposes, however this is an honest review of the product.  If you want to read more about the product, here is the link to their website: https://www.ernolaszlo.com/collection/white-marble/white-marble-dual-phase-vitamin-c-peel.html October 23, 2017 I have used the peel twice now, along with the translucence cream.  When you first put on "Step 1" it feels a bit grainy, but not too tough on your skin.  You are supposed to rub it in, gently, for 3 minutes, then add "Step 2".  When I put on "Step 2", which is the activator, I get a warm sensation that I was taken back by at first.  You then rub it in for a minute and gently wash off. After two uses, my impression so far is that it is a nice, relaxing peel to use.  I was afraid at first because I thought a 'peel' might include some harsh process.  I hadn't used a peel bef...

Hi Everyone, today I'm reviewing this air freshener: As usual, this post is an honest review.  I haven't received payment or any free products for writing this review. If I had to rate this product from 1-5, I'd go with 1 stars.  I would really hope to be able to give 0 stars if possible.  This is a very low review, but I'll expand upon my reasoning for this below. I was surprised to find the ratings for this product is generally high across several websites, but the reason I give it a low review and won't buy it again is because it lingers in the air.  You may take that to mean the scent stays in the air for quite some time, but that is not what I mean.  By 'lingering', I mean, you can actually see the spray in the air and it quickly falls over everything, everywhere.  Even after only spraying this for a second as high up in the air as I can, you an see that it slowly drops to the floor.  If you spray for 3-4 seconds, let's say in a bat...

I cannot seriously say enough great things about ItWorks! WOW product. "WOW" is short for Wipe out Wrinkles. I first tried this because a friend of mine was selling wraps and gave me a sample. The sample she gave me was one little pouch. When you buy it, it comes in a box with a bunch of packets inside. I was able to use the package about 3-4 times. A little of the product goes a long way. Be careful not to apply too much product however, as this will cause a chalky-type film on your face. Only use a little. I definitely recommend this product and several other It Works products. I loved the products so much that I became a distributor for a while. I didn't want to just sell the products without trying them first. As I try each product, I am writing a separate review on each.  Ultimately, I do recommend this product.  I don't recommend other products though, such as the wraps.  Read my review about the It Works wraps here  (will open in a new window).

I ordered this online from Julep. This color is very pretty ("Oscar") and vegan! The only bad thing is this particular color is a bit hard to take off- ok, REALLY hard to take off, especially if you apply multiple coats. Although it is very  pretty, to me it is not worth the hassle of taking it off. It's just too hard. I love the color and how it looks, but won't buy this glittery version again :(

This mask smells amazing and lasts a long time. I definitely recommend trying this product!

Doesn't this color look so pretty? It is! It actually works really well too, not like other nail polishes where you sometimes have to put several coats on! I have written some less glowing reviews of other nail polishes but don't have anything bad to say about this one. I love it!

 This past halloween I finally carved my own pumpkin and since I love pumpkin seeds so much and try to waste as least as I can, I decided to try making my own homemade pumpkin seeds. It worked out really well and was really easy! While you are gutting your pumpkin, just save the seeds (and the pumpkin gooze) in a bowl. After you're done with your pumpkin carving, you can roast the seeds later. Just try to get as much goo off the seeds as you can. Then dry them, add some oil and salt, put them in the oven at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes, and that's it! About halfway through, turn the seeds and mix them around in the pan. Here's a before and after: The taste of homemade seeds are way better than store-bought seeds in my opinion. If I carve a pumpkin next year I will definitely make some homemade seeds again! 

Green beans! Yum. I am planting these tomorrow (2/21/16) and will be updating this as they (hopefully) grow! I don't have a huge backyard so am planting just a few and giving the rest of the seeds to a friend. First, Per the instructions, although I am tempted just to plant these right away, I put them in a small bowl to soak overnight. I planted yhe seeds on Sunday, February 21st here in San Antonio, Texas. __ Update: unfortunately, these never grew!!!! :(

1.) HEB Quick and Easy Steel Cut Oats These are really good and healthy for you! I know a few people don't like the texture but I do! You can add granola, raisins, a little brown sugar, cinnamon, and so many other things to make it taste better if you don't like the taste alone. I personally like the taste alone but will also add things to my oats every now and then. 2.) HEB Quick Oats I made these and they only take ONE minute to make and I really did not taste a difference between the steel cut oats and the quick oats. I think it was just a tiny bit more watery and the texture was not as great as the steel cut oats. Overall, the trade off of saving the time is well worth it and I will likely buy quick oats from now on because they are so quick, easy and healthy.

Top Golf has been open for quite some time now in San Antonio and I figured I would finally write a review! In short, it is fun but a little pricey and on the weekends, you can almost surely expect a two hour wait for a bay! They do have some activities available while you wait as well as a bar, but even those can be hard to get access to because of the sheer number of people! I recommend going during the week, or if you want to go on the weekend, go early. You can't expect to go on the weekend later in the evening and play right away!

I decided to try It Works! Ultimate Body Applicators because a friend was selling them. I had seen them for a long time but always thought it was a silly product and a scam. But, I decided to give it a try and remain optimistic. This review was written after trying the wrap 3 times. I am on an auto ship plan for 3 months, which It Works! has you sign up for, unless you pay a cancellation fee. Below is the box I received in the mail which is really cute. In the end, I did see results but it took 8 wraps or so. I can't be positive if it was the wraps, my workouts, or a combination of both. One thing I can say though, is the wraps motivated me to workout! While I cannot say POSITIVELY it the wraps is what did it for me, my friends and family have tried the wraps also. One family member said it helped minimize a bulge she had on her leg. She didn't work out so the bulge on her leg was just from the wraps. I also have another family member that reported res...

I had seen the Dollar Shave Club on Facebook for a while and thought it was such a great value! My husband spends about $18 for 4 of his razors and mine are about $15 for 4, but Dollar Shave Club gives you 4 blades and a handle for only $6 ! This includes shipping. I finally took the plunge and ordered from Dollar Shave Club. If you want to sign up, you can visit the link below and check out their different packages/plans. dollarshaveclub.com/ref/3hmw6/E74F3C http://shaved.by/dtg0o Right now, I am getting 4 blades per month with a handle for $6, but you can change the frequency at any time. I may end up changing this to every other month. When I signed up, my box was here within 3 days and came with a neat little box and this member handbook below. The blades work extremely well and I am so glad I joined. It saves me money and time. Now this is one less thing I have to worry about purchasing at the store. I loved my $6 pack so much that I...