Review: Playtex Sport

I received a box of Playtex Sport tampons with my Influentser GoVoxBox. There are a couple of things that I should probably tell you before I review this product:

1. Because I have an Implanon birth control stick in my arm, I don't usually have a period, and when I do, it's very light.

2. I generally don't approve of scented tampons because I don't believe that my (or anyone's) lady garden has an unpleasant odor, period or not.

Moving on:

As it happens, I was having a sort of period right at the time I received this box, so that was lucky, since it could be months and months until the next one.

I've had some bad luck with tampons being uncomfortable in the past. These seem to be a bit of an exception, since they expand in sort of a circular motion instead of lengthwise. For some reason this seems to be a difficult thing to make other tampon companies understand. My lady bits don't suddenly become extra long when I'm having my period.

I mentioned some concern about the scent, and really, it was mild, and I didn't actually notice it. My primary concern with a "deodorant" tampon was that it would cause a yeast infection, but it didn't and all was well.

As I said, I'm not really the best test subject for this sort of thing, but overall, it's a product that I would use again.

Review: ESalon

Ok, I've been excited to review this product for a long time, but I wanted to wait until close to our vacation to actually use it, and so the review is somewhat delayed.

There is a new company on the beauty scene called eSalon. The basic concept is that they customize professional level hair color just for you, and send it to your house so that you have the convenience and affordability of at-home color with professional results. I always color my own hair, because I'm cheap, but I'm getting more and more gray, and my usual hair color doesn't seem to be cutting it anymore.

Their website asks a variety of questions about what you are looking for in a hair color, as well as your natural color and how much gray you have, etc.

Then it asks you if you'd like to upload a photo of yourself so that the chemists have some reference for what they are working with. A few days after you order, you'll receive this very exciting box in the mail:

It comes with a two step hair color process, a color brush, shampoo and conditioner, as well as a packet of stain guard to put on your skin before you color, and a stain remover for those spots where you drip (in my case, all over my chest and shoulders).

I had a little bit of trouble applying the color, primarily because I'm used to a much less involved process. The biggest difference is that when you're ready to rinse, you apply the excess color to your hair in the shower, THEN rinse. This is supposed to make the color extra shiny, and it seems to work.

I'm very happy with this color, I ended up with a super dark brown, as usual, with a bit of golden undertone which is perfect for summer. The gray coverage is perfect, and my hair looks shiny and swishy. Do recommend.

The kit is typically $20, but click here for 1/2 off your first order. I will definitely be reordering this product, the results are great and the cost is totally worth it.

Review: MIA Bun Ease

I told you I'd have another review today! Ok, I just bought this product, and I was somewhat skeptical because I'm not very good at doing anything very complicated with my hair. This was cheap, and I've been really wanting a gigantic bun without having to wear fake hair (because fake hair is awesome, but it gets HOT during the summer). I happened across this at Ulta today, and tried it as soon as I got home.

Because I really am going for BIG I bought the extra large version. I haven't tried any other bun doughnuts, but I think this one is somewhat different because it sort of turns into a sleeve around your ponytail, which makes it easier to roll up, and seems to hold it more secure than products that work more like this:

I also have this thing, and it works, but it doesn't always catch the shorter layers of my hair, and it usually takes a few attempts to make it work. (But it was only $0.49, so...)

The Bun Ease works more like this:

                                                           (Actual Instructions)

You can see that it keeps all the hair together and guides it into the bun. This thing is also much lighter than the plastic product because it's basically mesh. So, did it work? Absolutely. Here is my actual bun, one try, and not even in front of the mirror:

You can see how huge the bun is. I LOVE it. This bun doesn't even have any bobby pins in it, since I just pulled it up while sitting on the sofa. (You can see that I missed a strand when I pulled my hair up, but that's user error, not a design flaw.)

The Bun Ease was $8 at Ulta, and it came with a hair tie, and 4 bobby pins. It also comes in blonde, and a smaller size. The smaller size is $5, I think. This is also available on Amazon, but it is slightly more expensive. If you want a fab summer up do without a lot of work, GET IT.

Review: Remington Smooth & Silky Hair Remover

Ok, I've been gone awhile. School this semester is all over the place, but I'm back, for now, and I've got some reviews for you! The first one is this Remington Smooth and Silky Hair Remover. I bought this because I tend to get blonde peach fuzz over my lip and around my jawline. My husband says it's not noticeable, but I know it's there, and I hate it. I've been waxing this pesky hair, but it makes my skin break out, and seems to make my skin look older for some reason. Remington to the rescue!

This comes in several colors on their website, but I have this pink and orange one one, because it's the one they sent me, and also because: pink and orange.

I love this thing. It totally works on the peach fuzz and works as a quick fix for out of control eyebrows. It also cleans up the hair that comes out of my husband's ears, even though he's not actually an old man yet, AND I used it to clean up the baby hairs that grow at the back of my neck against my hairline. It's easy to use, painless, and cuts the hair super close without causing stubble on regrowth. You probably need one of these, especially if you have sensitive skin like mine, and can't tolerate waxing.

This is $23 on Remington's website, but I've seen them at Target, and you can probably get them on Amazon, or at Wal-Mart too.

(As always, this is not a paid review. Remington sent me the goody, but didn't tell me what to say, or pay me to do this.)

Puff's Plus

So for a few weeks I've been pretty snotty. As in, filled with snot. My husband brought home a cold, and then it turned into bronchitis, and after a few days of using toilet paper to blow my nose, it was completely red and raw and disgusting. I sent him a text in the middle of the night (he was at work) and requested he bring me some tissues with lotion on his way home.

Puff's to the rescue! He brought me a small box, butI ran out after just a few days. Luckily, that very same day, I got my Jolly VoxBox from Influentser, and it included a to-go pack of Puff's Plus!!

Hallelujah! Even blowing my nose the same disgusting amount, my nose returned to it's normal, non-scaly state. I'm a convert for life.

(This was not a paid review. Influentser did send me the product specifically to review it, but by the time it got here, I already loved it.)

NYC HD Color Trio: Long Beach Sands

Another review from my Voxbox!

Influentser also sent me NYC's HD Color Trio eye shadow in Long Beach Sands. This is a pretty neutral color palette, which is good, because we all know that I'm not particularly skilled with this sort of thing.

It looks like this:

I like this product, because it's pretty neutral, but also because (and you can't see this in the picture), it comes with an insert that tells you where on your eyelid to put each color. Obviously this is something that I wouldn't have figured out for myself. It's also good because it lasted all day. I touch my face a lot, and typically my eye makeup disappears long before I wash my face at night, but when I got ready for bed after using this, there was still enough makeup to show up on my makeup remover wipe. Excellent.

I don't know how much use I'll get out of this, since I usually just do mascara and lipstick, and possibly some cream blush if I look particularly pale, but overall it's a good product, and I'd recommend it if you're a regular eye shadow user.

(This was not a paid review, but the product was sent to me for free by Influentser specifically to be reviewed. They did not require that the review be positive.)

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer: Aurora

So, I'm bad at the makeup. I was raised by women who aren't the girliest of girls, and while they're strong, and smart, and beautiful, they aren't much for the lipstick. And because of that, I'm really bad at knowing what to put on my face to make me look like something between a porcelain doll, and a drag queen. Enter: Influentser and the Jolly Voxbox. They sent me a nifty box of stuff to review, (see previous post) and luckily for me, they were all winners.

The best thing in the box was Rimmel London's Show Off Lip Lacquer in Aurora. I've been trying for most of my life to find a lip color that looks right on me, with mixed results. They managed to choose just the right color without even knowing what I look like. Clearly the lipstick gods smiled on me that day.

Please disregard my fuzzy hair. I'm out of hairspray. So yeah, as you can see, this color is perfect. I also love it because it doesn't have the sticky texture that so many lip glosses have, and the color seems richer, and shinier than regular lipsticks. It's a perfect lovechild hybrid of the two. Three cheers for Rimmel and Influentser!

(Editor's Note: This review was not paid for, however I did receive the products for free through Influentser under the condition that I review them. They did not require that the review be positive. That's all me. I would have told you if I hated it.)