JGOB Beauty Blender...My thoughts AND A CONTEST!!!!!

I’ve written about beauty blenders before as it is my preferred method for applying my foundation, but I had been using a cheap blender and I kind of assumed all beauty blenders were the same.  I had previously gotten like a 10 pack of blenders off of Amazon for super cheap and they seemed to work well enough, so I was happy.  Recently I was given the opportunity to try out the JGOB beauty blender and not only that, they were willing to let me give one away FREE to one of my readers so I said heck yes! Sign me up!

JGOB Beauty Blender

So when the JGOB blender arrived I decided to test it out.  It’s a completely different texture than the beauty blenders I was using.  It’s softer and spongier and feels completely different and since I was so used to my other blenders, I was kind of like Meh, it’s okay.  I’ve actually put off writing this post because I was a little underwhelmed with the product.

Fast forward to about a week ago and I was talking to a friend that’s a major makeup guru and we got to talking about beauty blenders. She happened to have hers with her and showed it to me and I noticed right away it was the same texture and the JGOB and I told her I wasn’t a fan.  It turns out I’ve been using this ALL wrong!  Now, I know you need to dampen the blender, but I was apparently not dampening it enough.  The other blenders I use don’t change size regardless of how little or how much water I use, but the JGOB one almost doubles in size when dampened properly. 

Once I actually used the JGOB blender properly I realized how amazing it is!  It really is a superior blender to the less expensive ones I own.  Right now this sponge is currently $11.97 on Amazon (You can see it here), which is almost half the price of the “original” beauty blender and my friend confirmed that the JGOB is very similar in quality and results to her “original” blender.   Oh, and the neatest part about this blender is the little carry case.  This is perfect for trips or when you have to take your makeup on the go.  I wouldn’t want to leave my beauty blender just hanging out in my makeup bag as I’m sure it would collect all kinds of fun stuff you don’t want putting on your face! This case keeps my blender clean and protected. Want to see how the JGOB blender in action? Check out my video:

So, on to the fun part.  One of my lucky readers will be the lucky recipient of their very own beauty blender.  Small disclaimer:  You will be given a code to redeem on Amazon and if you are not a member of Amazon Prime you will be responsible for shipping costs.

If you would like to enter to win, leave a comment below with your favorite Drugstore Foundation and why you love it.  It wouldn’t hurt to subscribe to my blog either!  This contest begin September 23, 2015 at 9:00 pm CST and will end September 30, 2015 at 9:00 pm CST.  Be sure to fill out your contact information when commenting so I can contact the winner!

I received this product for free from JGOB for reviewing purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and are in no way influenced by the company. 

Finally! Salon Straight hair at home with the ISA Professional Straightener

I have naturally curly hair, which I love but I’ve always been jealous of those girls with amazing super straight hair.  I’ve used a ton of different straighteners and hair products, and can’t ever seem to get the same results.  When I was given the opportunity to test the ISA Professional Straightener I decided to give it a shot.  It’s price point is a little higher than straighteners I have owned so I was hoping for better results.

My hair BEFORE straightening (don't judge!)

OMG….I love love love this straightener!  Have I mentioned how much I love it?  It is worth every single penny, and I’ve learned that some things in life are worth paying extra for; apparently a hair straightener is one of them!

Did you know that the way you hold your straightener impacts how it works on your hair??  I never knew that!  The Isa Straightener is designed so you HAVE to hold it correctly and the difference is amazing.  Not only that, I’ve never been able to properly “curl” my hair with a straightener and it turns out I was holding it wrong and with the corrections made I’ve actually been able to curl my hair with the straightener and it not look awful!

My hair AFTER...isn't it so pretty??

You can set the temperature anywhere from 175 to 450.  My preferred setting is 430, but I have super thick curly hair, and I can get away with a much lower temperature on my daughter’s hair. 

I love the cord on this as well, it’s really long so it makes it a lot easier to use when straightening my daughter’s hair and even my own.  

  As you can see from my before and after pictures this straightener is the real deal!  You can purchase this straightener on Amazon Here.  I believe it currently retails for $145.00, but trust me when I say it is well worth it.  It also comes with a two year warranty!  Check out my video, and go get yourself a straightener that gets the job done!

I was provided this straightener for free in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Let your little girl get her craft on with the Hot Focus Carry Case!

I'm a huge fan of crafts and DIY and my daughter ALWAYS wants to help! This is awesome and can make for some really great mommy/daughter time, but sometimes the crafts are a little challenging for her so I like to have her own little crafts for her to work on.

When I saw the Hot Focus Decorate Your Project Carry Case I knew this would be perfect for her!

How Freaking adorable is this case??  My daughter is really into drawing and she always has a million different pictures she's drawing and coloring so for me this carry case really serves a two fold purpose.  Not only does it come with a ton of cute stickers and fun tape for her to decorate it with and really make it her own; but it's a carry case that she can store all of her pictures in!

This is currently $5.99 on Amazon so it's extremely affordable and to be totally honest I may grab up a few more to get some early Christmas shopping done! This is a great craft project for little girls of any age, and it's really great quality at an affordable price.

I made a short video of the carry case so feel free to watch it if you want to get a closer look at this adorable little case! 

I received this product for free in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Daddy/Daughter time with Maker Studio: Gear Set

                My daughter has been always been a daddy’s girl, but she’s slowly reaching that age where her interests are a little more girly and it’s important to me and my husband that they still maintain a strong bond so I’m always on the look-out for fun projects for the two of them to do together.

    

            I was recently given the opportunity to receive The Maker Studio: Gear set and I knew this would be the perfect activity for them to do together!  What is the Maker Studio: Gear Set you ask??  It’s a fun and unique project in which you can use gears to make several different projects.  With this kit you can make a race car, a cable car, a motorcycle, a pulley system, and so much more.

                The great thing about projects like this and working with gears is that you have to think ahead; what’s going to happen if you put this gear here? How will this gear affect this gear over here? How are the gears going to work together?  It’s a really great tool for critical thinking and developing their skills.

       

Getting ready to make a pulley system!

         I was really surprised because I assumed the motorcycle would be first on their agenda, but they went with the pulley system.  They ran into some bumps in the road when making the pulley system, which was awesome because they had to do some trouble shooting and they worked together to figure out the problems.

It's almost there!

 

This was a great project for them to work on together, and they both really enjoyed it.  They are already discussing ways to improve their pulley system and once they have mastered that, what they are going to build next.  This is a fantastic project for family time, and it’s also a great educational tool. 

        

        The Maker Studio also comes in a Propeller set and a Winch set. If you’d like to know more about The Maker Studio or any of the great products from Think fun, you can do so here:  The Maker Studio sets are reasonably priced at $19.99 and I’m super thankful to Think Fun for giving my family the opportunity to test and review this product!  

ALL DONE!!!

Why Turmeric Curcumin with Bioperine should be part of your daily Supplements

I have to admit that up until recently remembering to take a daily vitamin was a struggle for me.  Then I went to the doctor for my yearly check up and she noticed that I had some severe vitamin deficiencies and I had to make the effort to add these vitamins to my daily routine to improve my health.

Once I was in the habit of taking daily vitamins I began to wonder what other supplements I could be taking to improve my health. Turmeric Curcumin is a supplement that kept coming up again and again, but I didn't even know what it was, much less what you took it for so I kind of brushed it off.  Well, I've suffered from psoriasis for most of my adult life and my mom recently mentioned she's been taking Turmeric Curcumin to help improve her psoriasis.  At about the same time I was offered the opportunity by Nature's Daily Care to review their Turmeric Curcumin.  Uhmm fate, anyone??

So I have added Turmeric Curcumin to my daily supplement routine for the past month, and I'm really impressed with the results!  Not only has it helped improve the appearance of my psoriasis on my elbows, but there are a million different benefits to taking this supplement.  I've had issues with join pain and inflammation for most of my adult life, and I've noticed subtle improvements with the use of the Turmeric.  I am hoping the longer I use Turmeric, the better and more noticeable the improvements will be.

Nature's Daily Cure Turmeric Curcumin is reasonably priced at $24.95 for a 120 count bottle. These have Bioperine in them, which is a must have in any Turmeric supplement as it helps the body absorb the supplement better.  These are also Suitable for Vegans, gluten free, GMO free, no fillers binders artificial ingredients, made in FDA and GMP approved facility. 

This can be purchased here: Turmeric Curcumin through Amazon.  I always recommend doing your research before purchasing any supplement, and always consult your doctor.  

Cool T-shirts for the Entire family!

 This post is kind of a continuation of my “what’s cool to a 9 year old” series….but this is definitely a “something for the whole family” post too!

                My daughter is absolutely obsessed with Five Night’s at Freddy’s (FNAF.  This is a game that’s hugely popular, so popular they are now coming out with a movie!  She has been dying to get a FNAF t-shirt and with school coming up I figured I could go ahead and get her one.  Of course you can’t just walk into any store and buy one of these shirts; they’re definitely a specialty shirt!

                I’ve found an absolutely uhhhh-mazing website to purchase not only her FNAF shirt, but so many cool shirts for the whole family.  So what is this amazing site?  www.publiciteez.com.  They have so many amazingly cool shirts I don’t even know where to start! Ok, I lied I guess let’s start with the FNAF shirt I bought my daughter.  She was so excited to get it she insisted on making a video so check out her awesomeness here:

                I was really impressed with the quality of the shirt too.  The shirt is a nice thick cotton fabric. It’s not super thin or flimsy.  There may be a little shrinkage, but that’s pretty common with cotton shirts like this so take that into consideration when ordering.  I was really impressed with the design.  Sometimes you get screen printed shirts like this and the screen printing isn’t always the best quality and the design only continues to deteriorate over time.  I didn’t notice any issues with the design on this shirt, and the colors are super bright and brilliant.  

Here are two of my favorite designs:

How cute are these???  They also have an Amazon store which you can find here:

Publiciteez Amazon Store

So definitely go check them out and get your family some super cool shirts for the new school year...or just because they are so freaking awesome!



I was given the opportunity to receive one of their shirts for reviewing and testing purposes.

What's trendy in the views of a 9 year old....

I'd like to think that at 32 I'm still pretty young...but then I talk to my 9 year old daughter and it is CLEAR I have no idea what's considered cool or trendy to kids these days! So, my daughter has been kind enough to share some of the "coolest" things in her world today and I'm going to pass that info on to help other hopelessly uncool parents, like myself over the course of my next few posts!