Ole Henriksen Voxbox Review

Note: I received these products free from Influenster. All opinions are my own. If you want to find out how to get free products from Influenster click here.

The Ole Henriksen Voxbox came with:

• Power bright system
• Facial crème
• Truth serum collagen booster
• 2 cleansing sponges

Keep reading for the individual reviews of each product.

1.) Power bright system (Full product- $55)

The Power bright is a professional 3-step brightening system. It comes with a truth sugar glow polishing mask, truth 25% vitamin C concentrate, and pure truth melting cleanser.

Steps in order from left to right

Here are the directions:

1. Step 1: Apply truth sugar glow polishing mask to clean, damp skin, and leave on for 5-10 minutes. Add warm water and gently massage in circular motion, then rinse and pat dry.
2. Step 2: Apply truth 25% vitamin C concentrate to dry skin. Leave on for 2-3 minutes. Treatment will begin to dry down slightly. Do not rinse off. Follow with step 3.
3. Step 3: Apply pure truth melting cleanser directly on top of step 2 evenly over face. Do not add water. Expect a tingling feeling as the treatment is activated. Leave on for 10-15 minutes. To remove, dampen complexion sponges or wash cloth with lukewarm water and wipe gently to remove all product.

My opinion:

The first thing I thought when I was reading the directions was that it seems weird that using the facial cleanser was the last thing you do. It is also not so convenient if you don't have a lot of it, but it is definitely worth it. The Power bright system smells amazing- like oranges. The first step exfoliated your face, and it does a good job. Step 2 makes your face feel so soft. I could see an immediate difference in my face. It made my face smoother and brighter. I can honestly say I've never seen a product that gives me a healthy glow without making me oily, and this did just that. It also seemed to minimize some of my larger pores. I probably won't be buying it because it's a lot of money for me, but if you have the money, it's definitely worth investing in.

2.) Facial creme (Full size-$38)
.5 oz. oil-free moisturizer that evens skin tone, moisturizes, and fades dark spots.

Directions:

1. Apply evenly to face and neck day and night.

My opinion:

At first it seemed like it was greasy, which is not ideal for an oily-skin gal like me. However, I waited it out to see how it would do. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it seemed like my skin absorbed the product instead of just sitting on the surface. It wasn't greasy anymore, and my skin felt amazing. It doesn't really have a smell. My face never got oily, but retained just the right amount of moisture. AND it's vegan. I highly recommend the Ole Henriksen facial creme.

3.) Truth serum collagen booster (Full size-$48)

.5 oz. vitamin C serum that helps collagen and evens skin tone.

Directions:

1. In the morning, apply to face and neck.
2. Follow with moisturizer.

My opinion:

My original thought when I saw that it was a serum was, "Oh great. That's gonna make me oily." These products feel like they will make you oily, but they really don't. They absorb into your skin pretty fast. This seemed to tighten to my face up and make some of my pores smaller. It smells good, like the other products. However, it didn't seem to brighten my face as much as the
Power bright system. It says that it helps lighten dark spots, but I will have to update you on that because I've only used it 2 times. You can probably find something that tightens your skin like this for cheaper, so I would probably go that route. The full size is only 1 oz., so I definitely don't think it's worth the price, although it does work well.

4.) Ole Henriksen Complexion Sponges ($7)
2 complexion sponges used to exfoliate and can be used for 1-3 months.

Directions:

1. Run under water to expand sponge.

2. Use as needed with daily cleanser or special treatment.

My opinion:

To be honest, there is not really a lot to say about these sponges. They are just normal sponges. It is cool because they come completely compressed, but when you soak it in water, it expands. It claims that it is used to exfoliate, but I don't feel like it exfoliates. It's a good cleansing sponge; don't get me wrong, but it probably should be used on the days you don't need to exfoliate. I personally like using facial brushes better than sponges.

My opinion overall:

All of the Ole Henriksen products did just what they said: brighten, boost collagen, and even skin tone. Although they did improve my face tremendously, there are still probably cheaper options out there that are just as good. The Ole Henriksen products are a little more on the expensive side, but if you're willing to invest some money into products that actually work, I would go for it.

How to Get a Voxbox

If you're reading this right now, you may have heard of Influenster or of a voxbox. Influenster is a product discovery and reviews website. Influenster gives FREE products out to so many people who qualify, which is known as a Voxbox. Yes, this is a legitimate website. I received two free products just two weeks after I signed up. Keep reading to find out how to qualify for a voxbox.

Whether you receive a Voxbox or not depends on your social impact score and your completion of badges. Hang on and I'll explain. Your social impact score is determined by how many followers you have on social media On Influenster.com, or the Influenster app, you can access your social impact score and connect all of your social media accounts to Influenster. You can also boost your social impact score by adding an Influenster widget to your blog or inviting a friend. Some campaigns, which are opportunities to get a Voxbox, will require you to complete badges. Badges are a varying number of tasks you must complete. An example of tasks would be to write a review, create a list, or answer a question.

Now lets get into exactly what you can do to increase your chance of getting a voxbox.

1. Connect all of your social media accounts. Remember, the more followers or friends, the merrier.
2. Fit the demographics. This is something you can't really help, but some campaigns require you to take a survey to see if you would be a good fit for the product.
3. Be active on Influenster. Some things you could do would be:

• Complete badges
• Write a review
• Complete snaps
• Create a list
• Ask questions
• Answer questions

That's all, folks. The best thing you can do that will boost your impact score is having a decent-sized social media following because that's what Influenster is about: getting products out there. Good luck!

Fourth of July Nails

If you're like me, it's a struggle to paint your nails. I can barely get a coat of plain nail polish on, let alone paint a design. However; I found that I could do super cute 4th of July nails without all of the difficult designs. With these nails, all it takes it two coats of paint, but it still incorporates red, white, and blue.

First, I chose to paint all of my nails except my ring finger this red color. This nail polish is by Sinful Colors and the name is Ruby Ruby (#369).

Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby (#369)

Next, I painted my ring fingers with this gorgeous blue color by Pure Ice. The color is French Kiss (#538).

Pure Ice French Kiss (#538)

Lastly, I covered all of my nails in this gorgeous glitter clear coat by Revlon that has different sizes and shapes of red and white glitter. The name of this nail polish is Daring Graffiti (#678).

Revlon Daring Graffiti (#678)

That is all I did to get these 4th of July nails. Most of the holiday designs are complicated, but it doesn't have to be. This nail idea is perfect even if you don't have a lot of time.

Best Drugstore Lipsticks

      Decent drugstore lipstick can be hard to find. Most of it wears off within the first hour and just doesn't have a good formula. I have created a list of my favorite drugstore lipsticks that are almost or just as good as the high-end lipsticks in my favorites shades. These lipsticks/ lip glosses do not dry out my lips and stay on for a long time considering the price. Keep reading to see what they are.

The swatches and lipsticks are in the same order as the list from left to right

1.) "Elf Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick" in the color Movie Star ($2.00)

2.) "Wet n' Wild Silk Finish Lipstick" in the color Dark Wine ($4.99)

3.) "Elf Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick" in the color Pink Umbrellas ($2.00)  

(Note: I realize that I already mentioned this exact product in a different color, but I think this is another perfect color for summer, so I just wanted to throw it out there.)

4.) Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Mattes Lip Color in the color Touch of Spice ($5.22)

5.) Elf Matte Lip Color in the color Praline ($3.15)

Does Color Correcting Work?

    

The answer is yes, if you was wondering. I was very "iffy" about trying it because I am not into looking like a clown. Or the wicked witch of the west. In order to test color correcting out, I used Physicians Formula concealer twins, which comes with green and a yellow/orange colored concealer.

My whole face is tinted pink, and I have several red patches all over my face, so I used the green concealer beside my nose, in between my eyebrows, and on acne. My under eyes are a blue purple color, so that is where I applied the yellow orange concealer.

Before makeup

With concealer

The green concealer I used seemed like a bit much at first, but I put it on under my foundation so it evened out. Although I would like for it to only have a green tint, it did do the job of covering up the redness on my face.

Concealer blended in

Finished makeup

Yes, I can say that overall it worked, although the concealer I had been using worked just as well because of its tint. It was kind of like color correcting, but not full out, which really gives you coverage.

Want to know how to color correct? Do you want me to review a specific drugstore product? Comment down below!

Best Drugstore Eyeshadow Palette

Here lately, I have really been wanting an eyeshadow palette with more of a pink tint. I would love love love to get the Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay, but I really wanted to try something a little less expensive. I decided to try the Wet n' Wild Au Naturel Eyeshadow Palette in Nude Awakening. The price was $5.99.

Let me just say, I was pretty worried about the pigmentation. Other times that I have tried drugstore eyeshadows, I had to keep putting it on and keep putting it on, and it still would not show up. This, however, has great pigmentation. This may be my new favorite palette. Here are the swatches of each eye shadow:

The lighter colors are hard to see because of my pale arm (sorry about that). However, when put on an actual eye shadow primer and next to a darker crease color, they show up very well on the lid. I washed my arm a couple of times and took a shower, and the four darkest colors WOULD NOT come off of my arm. That's how good it stayed on. My favorite color out of the whole palette is the mauve color. That's actually why I got it. Some of the colors are matte and some are shimmery. Most of the light colors are shimmery ones, and the darker ones are matte.

Now, onto the cons of this palette.

A couple of the colors were a little too orangey for me, and they washed me out; however, this does not mean it will be like that for everyone. Here is a close up of the colors:

I can say in all honesty, that the orangey colors was the only con about this palette, but it is not a con for everyone because warm colors suit other skin tones better than mine . Overall, I really think this palette is worth looking into it. I suggest you give it a try!

Maybelline Fit me Review

Let me start off by saying that the Maybelline Fit Me! Matte and Poreless has been my go-to foundation for about 7 months. I have always struggled to find a foundation that suits my oily skin. If you have oily skin, this foundation is AWESOME. I am in the shade 120- Classic Ivory. Although it is my favorite by far, there are some cons as well. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:

• Although the formula claims to be light-medium coverage, this is a very buildable foundation, so it can even be used as a medium-full coverage. The foundation builds without being cakey-with an exception that I will discuss in the cons.
• I tested this foundation out when I first got it by wearing it for a full day. I had it on for about 11 hours at work, where I got hot and a little bit sweaty. I kept checking the mirror thinking it would look like an oily mess, which is what happens to me with other liquid foundations, but it wasn't. This foundation stays all day, and it only gets a little oily. Some days it gets more oily than others, because my face is more oily on some days than others, but overall, it keeps my skin looking matte.
• This foundation is so easy to apply. I use a damp beauty blender, and it does not take much product. It blends out easily.
• It's cheap! At Walmart, you can get it for $5.94, and it looks as good as the more expensive brands.

Cons:

• The colors to choose from are not all that great. Most of the colors have either a strong pink or yellow tone at first, but after a few minutes, it evens out, so the color matches better than it did when you first put it on, so don't freak out! Even so, there still aren't many colors to choose from.
• Like I mentioned earlier, the foundation builds without being cakey, with an exception. I started out using the foundation with a stipple brush, and it looked a little cakey. I started using a beauty blender, and it didn't look cakey anymore, but be aware of what you are using to apply the foundation and how it affects it.

The Maybelline Fit Me! Matte and Poreless is overall the best foundation I have ever tried. If you have oily skin, try it out!

I hope you enjoy the post, and have a great day!

Cheap Skincare for Acne

Everyone once in a while, I break out pretty bad. Especially being a college student because I stress out so often. I also break out really bad when I am about to start my period. I have always struggled to keep my breakouts under control when they do happen, but I recently came across a routine that helps prevent it to some extent. Actually, it helps quite a bit for me. Of course, everyone's body isdifferent, so I don't know if this will help YOU or not, but you can at least give it a go.

First things first. Here are the products I use when I am not broke out:

• Equate Beauty Refreshing Cleansing Towelettes- I use these to remove my face makeup. To remove my eye makeup, I use baby oil.
• Neutrogena Original Formula Face Wash- I use this on a daily basis when I am not broke out.
• St. Ives Oatmeal Scrub and Mask- Guys, this stuff is seriously awesome. It is the best exfoliator I have ever had, it smells fresh, AND it doubles as a mask. I use this 2-3 times per week.
• Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream- I use this every time after I wash my face. I probably should not have bought it because I have oily skin, and this is specifically for dry skin, but it still gets the job done.

Now, for what I use when I am broke out. Please keep in mind that it is usually only mild breakouts that I have. This product works miracles, so maybe it will for you too. When I am broke out, I use the Equate 3-step Acne Treatment

This treatment comes with a cleanser, toner, repairing lotion, and mask (not pictured).  You use them in that order, except the mask (obviously). The cleanser is an exfoliator, so it will remove dead skin. All of the products have the same chemical that is supposed to help with breakouts, so it continues to work after you wash it off. It is compared to proactive, but for about half the price.

Another product that I use to help is Equate Spot Treatment. I just put it directly on my breakout, and it dries it up.

Lets say, you don't want to use these specific products (even though you should). I'll give you a little secret. The chemical in all of the products that actually help my breakouts isn't salicylic acid, which is what is in most skincare products. Salicylic acid actually makes it a lot worse for me. What DOES help is  benzoyl peroxide, so be on the lookout for that.

Hope you enjoyed the post, and have a great day!

Grow Long Hair

Ways You Can Grow Long Hair

1.) I know you have heard it from everyone else, but in order to grow out your hair, you need to stay away from heating tools. Curling irons, straighteners, and even hair dryers. If by chance, you do need to use one of these, use some form of heat protectant. I use Biosilk Silk Therapy before I use any heat products, but I have seen the biggest difference in the health of my hair just from strictly limiting hot tools. Along with not using hot tools, also try not to dye or bleach it; all of these chemicals dry out your hair and causes breakage.

2.) This is so hard because you are also trying to keep from using heating tools, but try not to wear your hair up as often, or at least where it in different spots. If you wear a ponytail or a bun a lot, it can lead to breakage. I tried to stop wearing my hair up so often, and it even made my hair look smoother.

3.) I believe that cutting your hair does not help it grow, although a lot of people believe that. Your hair is dead. The hair at the top of your head does not know that the bottom of your hair is damaged. If your aim is to make your hair look healthy, then I suggest hair cuts, but if you are just trying to grow it out, I wouldn't get my hair cut often. The best way to make your hair grow isn't from what you do on the outside though, it is the inside. Living a healthy lifestyle and getting the nutrients you need is the best bet for making your hair grow. Taking some form of hair, skin, and nail vitamins is said to help a lot as well.

4.) Scalp massages are a great way to get the blood flowing. The more blood that circulates and can get the nutrients to your hair follicle, the better.

5.) I tried out waiting as long as I could before washing my hair, because I saw that it helped. To be honest, it made my hair feel and look worse. I could have swore it stopped growing there for a while! Don't be like me and ignore your body. If your hair is starting to get pretty oily, wash it. Although I say this, try your best to not wash your hair every single day. Stripping your hair that often is terrible for it. Listen to your body because it knows best.

6.) Try the no-poo method. I personally have not tried it, but you could always try it out and see how it works for you! There are all kinds of articles online that tell you about the no-poo method and if it worked.

Happy growing! Have a great day, and I hope you enjoyed the post.