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.

Sunburn Remedies

Hey everyone! I started a new blog over at Thriving Wonders. Please go check out my blog! I have this exact post (but much better) over there! :)

I'm sure almost everyone knows the dangers of getting a sunburn. Sometimes that just isn't enough to keep it from happening. Whether you're trying to tan, or just got exposed to the sun without thinking about it, here are some ways you can heal your sunburn fast.

1. One obvious way is to use sunscreen in the first place. Yes, this doesn't actually HEAL sunburn, but the less burnt you get, the easier it will heal. You may tend to skip the sunscreen in order to tan, but you don't need to. You can tan with sunscreen without getting burnt so bad.
2. Apple cider vinegar is a great remedy for sunburn. Take a washcloth or paper towel, put some apple cider vinegar on it, and gently dab it on your burn.
3. Coconut oil is another amazing remedy for sunburn. Dampen your skin with a cool washcloth and apply coconut oil to the burn.
4. Black tea also helps sunburn. Put 3-4 tea bags in a glass of lukewarm water, dip your washcloth in it, and apply it to your sunburn.
5. Aloe Vera provides instant relief for burns. I buy an aloe Vera gel in store, but you can also apply it directly from the plant.
6. If you don't have aloe vera, just remember to keep your skin moisturized. Your skin is damaged, which tends to dry it out.
7. Take cool showers. Never take a hot shower with a sunburn! The cool shower will help soothe the burn.
8. Don't use harsh soaps. Soaps with a lot of chemicals will dry out your skin even further. Try finding a soap with natural ingredients. I use Neutrogena naturals.

With all of these remedies, you should definitely be able to heal your sunburn. Some of these take a little more time than others, but some will heal your sunburn overnight. Good luck!

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!