From My Vanity

Beauty, Skincare, and a bit of Lifestyle

Erasable pens and chocolate! (Influenster Review, Part 3)

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Just in case you missed Wednesday’s post…or Friday’s post…here is a recap…



I’ve joined a new program called Influester. (If you want an invite to it, just let me know in the comments below {and leave your email address} and I’ll send you a personal invite and instructions on how to sign up.)

Anyways, I just got my very FIRST box from Influenster that was called the Cosmo VoxBox. What did I get? Well…

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor
Venus & Olay Razor Refill (I forgot to include it in the pictures! Oops!! :-/)
Forever Read Eau de Parfume by Bath & Body Works
Ghiradelli Gourmet “Milk Sea Salt Escape” Chocolate
2 FriXion by Pilot Pens



Review…

Alright, i’m going to do the last two together for this final post. First of is…

Okay, so this review is an easy one. I mean, who doesn’t like a pen that will let you erase if you make any mistakes? According to their website, FriXion pens “….have the freedom to write, erase, and write again with every color of the rainbow”. And these pens work exactly as they said!

Of course, I tried this pen out several times, just doodling on scrap and then erasing it. Such fun to see it disappear so perfectly! And I even used these pens when I filled out a scholarship application–good thing I did, since I accidently marked the wrong box! And—poof!—I was able to erase it completely away.

The FriXion pens have a unique thermo-sensitive gel ink formula that allows the ink to disappear with erasing friction—which is how you are able to erase pen ink! 😉 The pens come in a large variety of colors—black, blue, red, purple, pink, lime, orange, and brown. I have both the black and red FriXion pens. 🙂

I think everyone should have one of these pens handy — I’m sticking mine in my school bag. It will come in handy, that’s for sure!!

Okay, the last item I got in my Cosmo VoxBox is…

I am a big lover of chocolate, so I was ecstatic to get this in my VoxBox—what a treat!! 🙂 This chocolate has “…creamy milk chocolate…combined with bursts of sea salt and roasted almonds.” Now, I know first off it might be kind of weird that this chocolate has sea salt in it…but it doesn’t taste bad at all, trust me!

It does have that slighty salty taste, but I think it really adds to the flavor. I can’t remember how many times I want a chocolate/salty snack—like chocolate covered pretzels—and that is what this Ghirardelli chocolate gives you. A bit of sweet and a bit of salt.

Definitely a chocolate bar any chocolate lover will want to try out!

I received the ITEM complimentary from Influenster. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Forever Red Exclusively at Bath & Body Works! (Influenster Review, Part 2)

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Just in case you missed yesterday’s post, here is a recap…

I’ve joined a new program called Influester. (If you want an invite to it, just let me know in the comments below {and leave your email address} and I’ll send you a personal invite and instructions on how to sign up.)

Anyways, I just got my very FIRST box from Influenster that was called the Cosmo VoxBox. What did I get? Well…

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor
Venus & Olay Razor Refill (I forgot to include it in the pictures! Oops!! :-/)
Forever Read Eau de Parfume by Bath & Body Works
Ghiradelli Gourmet “Milk Sea Salt Escape” Chocolate
2 FriXion by Pilot Pens

Review…

Okay, so the next thing I’m going to review is the (super-yummy smelling!) fragrance…

Yes, you heard right. This (YUMMY!) perfume is sold only at Bath & Body Works. Pretty exclusive…and pretty cool!

I was really excited I got a fragrance in my VoxBox, as I love them and am always on the hunt for another good one that will smell delicious! 🙂 As you can see from the picture, this one is called Forever Red.

And it smells A-MAZ-ING!!

What, exactly, is in this Forever Red? Well, this fragrance is from their signature collection and is a Fine Fragrance Mist. To quote them, “…radiate our passionate blend of pomegranate, red osmanthus, and a sexy surprise of vanilla rum.”

I’m honestly not sure what red osmanthus is  — haha! — but put together with pomegranate and a bit of vanilla, it smells great! I noticed the fragrance doesn’t last a super-long time, but it does linger for a while and since I have I got it in this little sample size, I can stick it in my purse and reapply whenever I feel like smelling fresh and yummy.

I got into the habit of spritzing some on after I got home from school. After a long day, it really was a great pick-me-up and I would get many compliments at how good I smelled. 🙂

How could you ask for anything better in a fragrance than that??

I received the Forever Red perfume complimentary from Influenster, to test. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Have you ever tried the Gillette Venus Embrace? (Influenster Review, Part 1)

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So I’ve joined a new program called Influester. Ever heard of it? (If you did, please do let me know! I just discovered this and think it is TOO cool! If you want an invite to it, just let me know in the comments below (and leave your email address) and I’ll send you a personal invite and instructions on how to sign up.)

Anyways, I just got my very FIRST box from Influenster that was called the Cosmo VoxBox. (Totally cool, since I have gotten CRAZY interested in anything beauty-related. 🙂 So, anyways, I thought it would be fun to do a whole review-post on all the things I received in the box. And to make it more interesting, I’m going to break this VoxBoc review up. I’ll review one thing from the box each post. Not sure how often I’ll post…proabably once every day…but maybe more often. Sound like fun? Well, then just keep reading! 🙂

To the right is the box that showed up at my door a week or so ago. It’ was SO much fun to open the box and discover what they had sent to me (you don’t know what they send you until you get it!). So, I opened the box and had fun taking everything out and give each of the items a once over. I am really happy with everything that I got sent and have been enjoying them all ever since! What did I get? Well…

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor
Venus & Olay Razor Refill (I forgot to include it in the pictures! Oops!! :-/)
Forever Read Eau de Parfume by Bath & Body Works
Ghiradelli Gourmet “Milk Sea Salt Escape” Chocolate
2 FriXion by Pilot Pens

Review…

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the first thing on our list….

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor!

As you can see, I got a $2 coupon for when I purchase my next refill for the razor. Pretty sweet!

Okay, so what is the Gillette Venus Embrace? Well, according to Gillette Venus, this razor features 5 different blades that help give you the best shave you can possible get—with 5 blades, it’s not going to miss one single hair!

There are ribbons of moisture surround the blades so that it glides effortlessly and smoothly over your skin while giving the newly-shaved area a bit of moisture to leave it feeling velvety soft.

I’ve used this razor several times and I am REALLY liking it! I’ll be honest and say I usually just get the cheap, disposable razors in the past, but I have a history with nicking or cutting myself with those. So, this Gillette Venus Embrace razor is pretty sweet as it glides smoothly over my skin, The moveable head on this razor acts as a protector against nicking yourself when you go around those hard to reach areas—like your knees or ankles!

And—the best part—is that the Gillette Venus razor handles will fit ANY Venus blade refill!

Totally sweet! And very economical so that I can try out all the different types of blades Venus sells, find the one that works the best for me, and never have to purchase the whole razor! I really do love this razor!! I’ll be using that refill for sure…and then that coupon to purchase more refills from now on! 😀

So, if you haven’t figured out yet…I really like this razor! Sorry I didn’t have the Venus & Olay razor refill in the picture, too. I totally forgot about it until after I had uploaded everything and was putting my new things away. But, since it is a Gillete Venus, I know I’m going to like it. 🙂

I received the Gillette Venus Embrace razor and Venus & Olay refill complimentary from Influenster. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Win a necklace with a coded message! (Giveaway)

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Okay, I’ve got another post for today. But, since this does have a giveaway at the end of it…I’m hoping you won’t mind. Yeah, I know…who wouldn’t want to enter a giveaway, right?? Especially when it is a jewelry giveaway! (I love getting new jewelry!!! ;-D

Today I’m on Etsy once again, this time showcasing Jen’s jewelry business, Arbotique Designs. If you’re looking for beautiful, dainty jewelry…this is the place to check out!! In her own words, Arbotique Designs “…is full of wearable, whimsical art! Every girl deserves a little sparkle, so while my finished pieces are made with only sterling or fine silver and gemstones, you will love the prices almost as much as the jewelry itself! Email me for custom orders and happy shopping!”

My Fringe Earrings!!

For this review post, I got her Modern Sterling Silver Fringe Earrings. I always love this style of earrings, so was very excited about getting them in the mail. From the picture, I personally thought they looked a little on the big side, but when they came in they were pretty dainty and delicate-looking. Which was what I was hoping for! Big earrings are always fun, but sometimes I just want something small, get sophisticated and pretty. 🙂

The earrings came attached to this cute little ‘holder’ that has the Arbotique Designs logo on it. Very unique and cute!! She included three of her business cards, which will come in handy when people ask me where I got my earrings. 😉 And not only that, but the earrings were placed in a velvet pouch. Loved

As you can see from the picture (above), the sterling silver is very bright and pretty. Dainty, too–the chain and beads are pretty small! I like how the beads break up the dangling chains, giving it dimension and style. All the chain, links, and beads feel pretty secure. No visible ‘weak-links that I could detect. 

All in all, these earrings were very well made! They are the kind of jewelry that will last. I love ’em! Thanks Jen for designing and making quality jewelry!!

And my little fringe earrings isn’t the only thing that Arbotique Designs offers. Just check out this necklace (left) that I found today. Too pretty!! I LOVE the light blue with the sterling silver. Very pretty!!

As I said, there are lots of other pieces of jewelry available — earrings, necklace, bracelet, rings…she even has a “destash supply” folder filled with pretty cool-lookin’ rock pendants.

Okay, before we get on to the giveaway…if you are (like me) unable to wait to see if you win the giveaway. Or if you found something else on Arbotique Designs that you just LOVE. Be aware that Jen has offered a 20% discount for all my readers for the month of September. 

Yep! That’s right! Get 20% off your order from Arbotique Designs by using the code “legacy20” at checkout and–BAM!–it’s cheaper. But make sure you use this discount soon–it only lasts until the end of September!!

Places you can keep in touch with Arbotique Design…

So! Now that you’ve read about Arbotique Designs and seen my thoughts on the jewelry…it’s giveaway time!! Jen has very kindly offered her Sterling Silver Morse Code Necklace (customized with up to 6 words) to one winner! 
Follow the instructions in the rafflecopter below to enter! The giveaway ends 9/17 at midnight.

Jewelry from a lady of many talents! (Giveaway)

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I’m a little late getting this post out, but no matter the time, you’ll want to listen up! If you’re a book-lover of Christian fiction and haven’t heard of Casey over at Writing for Christ, then there’s something wrong! Casey was one of the first Christian fiction book bloggers I stumbled upon and the girl who inspired me to begin blogging! So I owe her a lot! 😉

Casey is a girl of many talents, as not only does she blog about books and is in the process of writing her own Contemporary Woman’s fiction, but she also has a jewelry-making business on the side! Yep, she’s the owner of Bug’s Beads on Etsy.

If you’ve been following Casey’s book blog, but have never looked into her jewelry, I highly recommend that you do! There are such beautiful pieces over there! Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets…and she even has a new product line. It’s called “Mother and Me” and right now she has a pair of identical bracelets fit for a mother and her daughter. SO cute!! 😀

My package from Casey’s Bug’s Beads!

For this post, Casey send me this gorgeous bracelet you see on the right. I don’t own anything so delicate-looking and dainty–I just love it! The colored beads are brown, but it’s such a light shade that you can wear this bracelet with many different colors and it’d still go. And just in case you can’t see from the picture, the other beads are a white-pearl color and has silver separators on each side of the brown beads. Very simple, but beautiful, design!

As I said before, it’s a delicate, dainty looking bracelet. But don’t let looks fool you–while it looks delicate, it’s very durable and made with quality items. You can tell just by looking at it. The beads are small, and strung onto a strong and bendable wire.

A up-close look at my bracelet!

The clasps are very securely fastened to the wire. Very clean, too, I might add! No extra wire hanging out anywhere. There’s a little pendent on mine that, I think, says ‘booka’. Not sure what that means, but it’s cute and I like it!

(And, hey, it almost says “books” and since I’m a book-lover…yeah, that’s another reason why I like it! 😉

What else is there to say? Hmm…nothing much, except that I highly recommend Casey’s Bug’s Beads to everyone both for the beauty and quality of the jewelry. This bracelet I received is perfect for adults and (because it’s so ‘dainty’) it would even look great on a young girls arm.

Casey has a lot of other pieces of jewelry over at Bug’s Beads, so I recommend you checking them out. And if you do, keep an eye out for these earrings on the right. I just discovered them…and realized how well they would go with my bracelet!

Hmm…now all I have to do is find a necklace to go with it, and I’m set!

Places you can keep in touch with Casey’s Bug’s Beads…
Etsy  /  Blog  /  Facebook

Guess what?! It’s giveaway time! Yep! Casey has generously (and sweetly!) offered to host a giveaway for one of her bracelets. It’s this pretty brown, pink, and pearl beaded one below. Isn’t it lovely?! Follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter below in order to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stones (or brass plates! ;-) on string…and you could win it! (Giveaway)

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I apologize for how late this post is! Had a busy morning taking my siblings to see a movie, then the sunshine just called to me…and I succumbed and spent a few hours enjoying it’s rays. 🙂 But! I’m here now, and with a fun jewelry review and bracelet to giveaway, so keep reading!!

Today (or, more accurately, tonight) we are taking a look at Melissa’s Etsy shop, Stone on String—Style for the Body, Beauty for the Soul. Her hobby for making jewelry developed into a business in 2005 and she’s been doing it ever since. Stone on String sells earthy, natural pieces of jewelry that can also be personalized with inspirational words and quotes.

For review (and giveaway!) Melissa sent me this beautiful leather corded bracelet with the words “Faith” inscribed next to a cross. Isn’t it so cute??

As I said, the bracelet is made from a cotton cord. The size is changeable, so it’ll fit many sizes. The brass plate with the word etched into it is good quality and looks great alongside the tan cord. While the bracelet is simply made and adorned, its beautiful and is something you can wear with just about anything. A comfortable and relaxing style, in my opinion.

And bracelets aren’t the only thing you can get at Stone on String! There are necklaces, earrings, and even a some men’s jewelry! And all of the men’s things have a really laid back, comfortable look to them–so something that special guy of yours would wear everyday, everywhere!

Just check out this picture to the right. It’s a “Men’s or Unisex Black Cord Necklace with Hand Stamped Brass Tags & Silver Leaf Jasper Gemstone Charm”. Melissa has it available right now over on Etsy!

As I said, she’s got a lot of really neat jewelry! Have you seen those wrap-around bracelet that make up a nice, thick bracelet once you’ve wrapped it around your wrist several times? It’s over at Stone on String, with several different types of colors/types to choose for your bracelet.

And, as I promised, there’s also a giveaway! 😀 Fun, fun, ehh?? Yep! Well, just enter this rafflecopter form below in order to enter. And be aware–some things you can come back each day to do for additional points. Wrack those entries up. This bracelet is one you’ll want to own!!

Of course, if you can’t wait, feel free to have a shopping spree over at Stone on String. And if you mention to Melissa that you heard about her store through here, just so she knows…that’d be cool, too! 😉

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Leather jewelry made just the way YOU want it! (Giveaway)

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Okay! I know I usually don’t post giveaways on Wednesdays, but this
was supposed to go up yesterday and I wasn’t able to post it. Ah well,
today will work just as well, and I know you won’t care its a day late
when you discover what you have the opportunity to win.

Oh yeah, keep reading! If you at all like the leather/rustic jewelry, then this is the giveaway for you! Michelle V, owner of Custom Leather Jewelry
specializes in leather cuff/bracelets that has messages etched into the
metal plates. Totally cool and makes for such special and unique
jewelry.

And the perfect gift to give someone!!

Michelle sent me a bracelet to review for y’all and give my opinion on the quality, style, and service of Custom Leather Jewelry and, after a lot of thought, I finally decided what I would have etched into my cuff.

My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me

Sweet
quote, isn’t it? I loved it the minute I read it, and so had Michelle
etch this into the bracelet she send me. I was so excited when it
arrived in the mail! 😀 The leather is thick and nice quality, as is
the metal plate with the saying etched in. The little ‘nails’ (or
whatever those things are) that keeps the plate affixed to the leather,
adds such a special touch.

In order to get a correct fit, Michelle had me measure my exact wrist
size and give to her. I was a little nervous if it would fit or (as is
often the case with me, since I have small wrists) it would be too big. I
was thrilled when I put it on for the first time and it fit on
my wrist perfectly. Not too tight or too loose. Just enough room for it
to move around on my wrist, but never even get close to slipping off.
Love that!!

The font used was perfect, in my opinion!
Perfect sizing for the letters, too. It’s been over a month since I’ve
received this bracelet and it still looks great. No wear marks and the
words are as clear as they were when I first got it — and I’ve been
wearing this cuff almost daily!!

And cuff’s
aren’t the only thing Michelle has to offer over at her Custom Leather Jewelry Etsy shop! Just check out these other things she makes!

Pretty cool stuff, huh? And there is more at her Etsy shop, so after you get done here, you should go over and check it out! But first, it’s time for that giveaway! Just fill in the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win a custom made cuff for yourself and YOU get to decide what gets etched into it! 🙂

Ways to stay up-to-date on new designs/jewelry…
Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Etsy

a Rafflecopter giveaway