The ladies on Makeup Talk were able to find Silver's (owner of posh pod) account on ebay. Thats some fine detective work! It appears that she (posh pod) is buying everything on ebay. Its not illegal to sell items you buy on ebay but ebay is notorious for selling expired, counterfeit, discontinued & old health/beauty items. I have been the victim of buying expired products too many times to have not learned my lesson.
I emailed posh pod Friday & requested a refund for Mays pod. I emailed her again Sunday night since she never got back to me. Yesterday, I filed a paypal dispute. She finally got back to me today & said she would issue a refund by morning. We will see about that. Its unfortunate that she wasn't upfront about where she was getting her samples. I would have never signed up had I known I would be buying crap from ebay. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". Well said
Glossybox announced today on their fb that they would be posting an exciting announcement very soon. Stop teasing us!
Birchbox - April
Posted in april, befine, birchbox, expired, zoya on by
My April box came a few days ago. While this isn't the box I really wanted (I wanted the revolution blush stick), I'm still really happy with it.
The face mitt is something I would never buy (especially @ $28.50). Thats why I love birchbox, I keep getting introduced to things I've never seen before. Though sometimes its a love/hate relationship :) You just can't beat $10 a month & all the perks that go with it.
I tried the face mitt. First of all, the thing is huge. Whose face is that big that needs such a large mitt? I had to keep checking to make sure it wasn't the body mitt. I can't imagine how ginormous that must be. Its for all the ladies w/ the junk in the trunk. Maybe that could be a marketing campaign for them :)
Anyway, be careful with this thing, it really scrubs. It was odd not to use any cleanser but my face felt really clean. I find it odd that you can't wash it. What about all the nasty stuff in your skin? Seems like it should be cleaned somehow just they say to rinse it.
The orofluido smells really good but it doesn't do a thing for my long, frizzy, thick wavy hair. Argan oil is the only thing that does. The zoya polish is too pale for my tastes but I know plenty of people who like it.
Box Contents:
Befine skincare sampler - exfoliator & moisturizer duo $0*
Orofluido - beauty elixer .17 oz (FS 3.4 oz $29.99)
Wonderstruck by taylor swift .4 oz $.70 (FS 3.4 oz $59.50)
Zoya mini polish in bevin .25 oz $4 (FS .5 oz $8)
Micromitt - face mitt - FS $28.50
Total Value - $33.20
I paid - $10
My personal referral link
https://www.birchbox.com?raf=3srj4
*I put these as no value as they were expired. Not cool bb! I'm glad I got the face mitt at least. They are supposed to give us 100 points for the snafu.
I was able to get the revolution blush stick using my points so I didn't have to pay anything :)
Posh Pod - April
Posted in april, pod, posh pod, review, samples on by
Posh Pod is yet another (so many of these popping up lately) monthly subscription service. Each month, you will receive a "pod" full of 10-15 deluxe beauty samples. It costs $29.99 a month. I was able to get their inaugural "pod".
*stila - floating eyeshadow in white mist -FS
*astor - nail polish remover wipes x5
*prada - reviving bio-firm concentrate, moisturizer & lightening concentrate (deluxe & sample packet sizes all packaged together)
*bare minerals - volumizing mascara - deluxe size
*fyi - lip gloss in diva - FS
*savvy - eye brilliance creme eye shadow quad
*weleda - skin food .32 ozbare minerals - faux fox eye shadow - FS
*opi-caramel cream skin quencher - 1 oz
*creative scentsations - black currant & fig lotion .5 oz x2
*rusk - calm shampoo 1.25 ozcq2 - nail polish x2 - FS
*stila - petal infusions moisturizer .24 oz
*arbonne - daily cleanser 1oz
*nars - potent efa cream .24 oz
Single Use Packets
*jeunesse - placenta pentavitim eye & neck cream
*arbonne - cleanser & toner
*alterna - shamp & cond x2 each
*arbonne - serum
*stila - tinted moisturizer in medium
This is the first time I felt heard by a sub. I asked for no pink, perfume or primers & I didn't get any! I do like what I got but is it worth $29.99 a month? What do you think? Most of the monthly beauty subs are in the $10-$15 range.
There is also some speculation as to whether these are expired and/or discontinued products. I honestly don't know. Are all the products high end? No, but it was a great variety in my opinion. I do still feel a little leary. I guess time will tell as I've already been charged for May.
This is the first time I felt heard by a sub. I asked for no pink, perfume or primers & I didn't get any! I do like what I got but is it worth $29.99 a month? What do you think? Most of the monthly beauty subs are in the $10-$15 range.
There is also some speculation as to whether these are expired and/or discontinued products. I honestly don't know. Are all the products high end? No, but it was a great variety in my opinion. I do still feel a little leary. I guess time will tell as I've already been charged for May.
Let me know what you think. Think I should keep it?
UPDATE: Unfortunately, all or most of Posh Pod's samples are bought on ebay. I canceled. Still waiting on a refund as I had to file a paypal dispute against her to get my money back for May's pod.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, all or most of Posh Pod's samples are bought on ebay. I canceled. Still waiting on a refund as I had to file a paypal dispute against her to get my money back for May's pod.
Free Mario Badescu Samples
Posted in free, mario badescu, samples on by
I took a skin care questionnaire on Mario Badescu's website. Afterwards, they suggest products to help you determine your proper skin care regimen.
A few days after completing the questionnaire, I got a email from them, asking if I would like samples of the items they suggested. This is what I got!
Sample box contents:
Orange tonic mask
Almond & honey face scrub
Enzyme cleansing gel
Cucumber cleansing lotion
Buttermilk moisturizer
Hyaluronic eye cream
Seaweed night cream
Here's a link to their questionnaire
http://www.mariobadescu.com/questionnaire.aspx
A few days after completing the questionnaire, I got a email from them, asking if I would like samples of the items they suggested. This is what I got!
Sample box contents:
Orange tonic mask
Almond & honey face scrub
Enzyme cleansing gel
Cucumber cleansing lotion
Buttermilk moisturizer
Hyaluronic eye cream
Seaweed night cream
Here's a link to their questionnaire
http://www.mariobadescu.com/questionnaire.aspx
Sample Society - April
Posted in allure, april, beauty bar, sample society on by
Sample society is yet another monthly sample box by beauty bar. It's $15 a
month for 5 deluxe samples of makeup/perfume/hair skincare, etc . Every month, you get a
$15 off a $50 purchase of a brand featured in that months box.
This is their second box as they just launched in March. I do like last months better (full size skyn eye pen, dermalogica microfoliant, ren glycolactic mask, fekkai glossing cream & oscar de la renta rollerball perfume). Its still a great value for $15 a month & gives you the opportunity to try high end brands inexpensively.
Box Contents:
Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel - 1.69 oz $8.78 (full size $26)
Murad Hybrids Skin Perfecting Primer - .17 oz $5.95 (full size $35)
DDF Amplifying Serum - .5 oz $18.52 (full size $63)
Oscar Blandi Jasmine Hair Serum - .169oz $3.70 (full size: $35)
By Terry Creme De Rose - .14 oz $13.72 (full size $99)
Total Value - $50.67
I paid - $15
http://www.beautybar.com/samplesociety
month for 5 deluxe samples of makeup/perfume/hair skincare, etc . Every month, you get a
$15 off a $50 purchase of a brand featured in that months box.
This is their second box as they just launched in March. I do like last months better (full size skyn eye pen, dermalogica microfoliant, ren glycolactic mask, fekkai glossing cream & oscar de la renta rollerball perfume). Its still a great value for $15 a month & gives you the opportunity to try high end brands inexpensively.
Box Contents:
Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel - 1.69 oz $8.78 (full size $26)
Murad Hybrids Skin Perfecting Primer - .17 oz $5.95 (full size $35)
DDF Amplifying Serum - .5 oz $18.52 (full size $63)
Oscar Blandi Jasmine Hair Serum - .169oz $3.70 (full size: $35)
By Terry Creme De Rose - .14 oz $13.72 (full size $99)
Total Value - $50.67
I paid - $15
http://www.beautybar.com/samplesociety
Julep Spring Mystery Box
Posted in easter, julep maven, mystery, nail lacquer, surprise on by
Julep is a monthly nail polish subscription. Typically you get 2 polishes, a mani or pedi item & a bonus item (like a nail file) every month. They have 5 different color schemes you pick from. every month.
I've been a member since January & I love it. At first, I thought $19.99 a month was too much but after receiving my first box, I was hooked. I wasn't expecting such high quality items. And you can skip a month which is great if you don't have the money that month or you don't like the colors.
In addition to the monthly boxes, they also produce mystery boxes. I LOVE the mystery boxes. They usually have more items than the monthly box. They are guaranteed to be worth $60-$200. The cost the same as the monthly boxes - $19.99
Box Contents:
Basecoat - $14
Melissa polish - $14
Sienna polish - $14
Anne polish - $14 (on my toes now)
Cuticle oil - $18
Total value - $74
I paid - $19.99
Total value - $74
I paid - $19.99
I'm sure the nail file is worth something but didn't include it in the total value.
My personal refferal link
Blissmo Box - March
Posted in blissmo, blissmobox, march, natural nibbles on by
Whats a blissmo box? Blissmo boxes are organic & eco friendly food & health/ beauty boxes. It costs $19 a month plus $3 shipping. Each month you get to pick from 3 themes.The March boxes themes were spring into beauty, chocolate lovers or natural nibbles. I got the natural nibbles box. This is my favorite box so far. The caramels are my favorite. I hogged them all & did not share w/ the boys. The apple chips & tortilla chips are really good too. I haven't tried anything else yet but it all looks good :)
Box contents:
Food should taste good tortilla chips 1.5 oz $1.49
Oren's kitchen wild rosemary almonds 4 oz $6.99
The salty dog Balinese sea salt caramels 1.5 oz $4.89
Yoga vive fuji apple chips .35 oz $1.50
Rapunzel extra dark chocolate 3 oz $3.79
Rapunzel milk chocolate bar 3 oz $3.79
Yummy earth lollipops x3 $.75 each (not pictured)
Total Value - $24.70
I paid - $22
I paid - $22
My personal referral link
I'm back
Posted in endometriosis on by
Goodness its been a long time! I've been through hell & back.
In January 2010, I started having pain the day after spending the evening w/ my hubby. I will leave it at that :) It felt like a bladder infection so I took antibiotics & it seemed to go away. The pain came back with a vengeance about a week later. I had severe abdominal pain & bloating, pelvic pain, leg pain & back pain. I had these horrible stabbing pains that felt like someone was inside my stomach cutting their way out with a knife. I had severe contractions (like the ones you have in labor but on steroids). I couldn't get out of bed & I could barely walk. I also didn't have health insurance. I did have insurance before but things got so tight, I told hubby to cancel it. He fought me but ended up canceling. We had no idea what was to come.
I went to a urgent clinic & was diagnosed with a kidney infection. I took anti-biotics that made me very ill but felt assured I would be better soon. I finished up the meds & still felt the same. I was then referred to a urologist. Let me tell you, they treat you like shit when you don't have insurance even though I was paying up front. The urologist referred me to get a CT scan. HOLY MOLY, are those expensive! Luckily, they had a payment plan. The urologist did a cystoscopy. Do not ever get one of these if you don't have to. It was very painful, I was screaming. The doctor acted so surprised I was in so much pain & he really didn't seem to care...what a asshole. They don't numb anything, they just shove it up your urethra. I still feel traumatized by it.
The CT scan found some cysts & a ultrasound was recommended. So then, I was referred to a GYN. I wasn't thrilled about the possibility of having surgery (to get cysts removed) but at least we knew what we were dealing with. During this whole time, I was running 3 shops on etsy, creating new pieces & shipping out orders. I had obligations to wholesale accounts & local shops I did consignment with.
Back to the jewelry in a bit, don't want to get off track here. Anyway, I made a apt w/ a GYN & took my ultasound results w/ me. Turns out the cysts were too small to be causing me all the pain. The GYN said she had no idea what was wrong w/ me & to go see a doctor. See a dcotor? What the hell did you think I was doing? I was beyond frustrated. So, I started going online & researching. I talked to all kinds of people, my mom did too. We found 3 people that had the same exact same pains & symptoms that I had. They had endometriosis.
I called the GYN & told her about how their symptoms & pain were the same as mine. The GYN agreed w/ me. She gave me a few options but she said my best option was to get a injection of lupron every month. It would stop my periods from forming new endo though it couldn't treat any endo that was already there. Just typing the word lupron makes me shudder. Lupron is its own "hell in a cell". What it does is puts you into "medical menopause". But it slams you right into menopause rather than a gradual onset like natural menopause. Let me tell you, you all need to be nice to your moms. Menopause in no joke-its worse than you could possibly imagine. I feel like I need to apologize to my mom for not being more supportive while she was going through that. I gained a lot of weight & became really depressed.
The lupron did nothing for my pain. I would have rather just had the pain. Lupron made everything worse & it caused me more pain too. It was never a treatment & I feel that I was lied to by my doctor. I stopped taking it January, 2011 & I am still having daily hot flashes. Some people are still having side effects 5 years later. I could go on & on about the demon that is lupron - just know its bad stuff!
After about 2 months of being on lupron, I finally was able to get health insurance through my hubbys work (they only have sign ups 2x a year). A big weight felt like it had been lifted from our shoulders. My new GYN wanted to continue w/ the lupron. I just got worse & worse. There were times that I couldn't get out of bed. That really scared me. I did not like feeling completely helpless like that. I talked to my GYN about stopping lupron. She insisted that I stay on it. I talked to my primary care doctor & she told me I could do whatever I wanted as its my body. So, I stopped & bled for a month. It was brutal. My GYN suggested I go on depo birth control injectable shots every month. She was giving me mega doses at a time so I had alot of crazy hormones. My hubby has been so patient w/ me. Through all my crazy mood swings, he's been right there w/ me. How he can take care of me & boy , work full time, do his photography stuff plus cook, clean & do the laundry, I will never know. I picked a good one :)
Anyway, the depo was great for awhile. I was still in bed alot but felt like I was able to get out here & there. I couldn't do much-go to a farmers market for a hour or wunderland w/ Apollo but it was better than the lupron & seemed to treat the endo some what. The horrible sharp stabbing abdominal pain was mostly gone & the bloating had gotten alot better. I was also able to sit in the car (before it was very painful). Anything around my waist was/is painful...like pants! Yeah fun stuff.
The depo isn't working for me anymore. My GYN had to switch me to a lower dose (I had those mega injections for over a year) & the horrible stabbing pain is back again along w/ the bloating. . I probably will switch to another birth control. I need something that will stop my period w/ the least amount of side effects. I mentioned earlier that meds made me feel very ill - its that way with all meds for me. I can't take pain pills & the anti nausous meds either make me feel really hyper or really tired. I talked to my GYN about having a hysterectomy & she told me that I have a less than 10% chance that the endo would go away & that all my pain would come back in less that 3 months. Surgery is not even a option. She told me that I will be dealing with this for the rest of my life. If we would have discovered this in my 20's, I would have had a chance to get better. When its diagnosed in your 30's, you usually have other pelvic issues as well (I found out I also have adenmyosis & fibroids). I thought having horribly painful periods were normal because that's what my mom had. I think I've had endo for awhile (10+ years) but thought that the symptoms were normal.
Back to the jewelry. I closed my etsy shops last year. I couldn't keep up with orders & creating jewelry wasn't fun anymore. I never would have ever thought I would walk away from it. I miss it. I miss the community, I miss trades w/ awesome artisans. I miss my customers!! I had the best customers. I became friends with almost all of them. In saying that, I don't think I will ever go back. I'm not the same person anymore. Getting sick like this, changes you. It changes you for the better. It becomes blatantly obvious who & whats important. My family has been so supportive. They have all helped with taking care of Apollo. When I first got sick, he was 6. Now he's 8 & doesnt need constant supervision at all times so he's home w/ me now. That was really hard, I couldn't take care of him so I didn't get to see him as much.
So, while I've been laid up I've become addicted to monthly beauty subscriptions. Getting goodies in the mail is fun especially when your in the situation I am in. I started off with birchbox & then it got out of hand from there. I will be turning this jewelry blog into a beauty blog. I'm going to do fun things like have giveaways & reviews.
In January 2010, I started having pain the day after spending the evening w/ my hubby. I will leave it at that :) It felt like a bladder infection so I took antibiotics & it seemed to go away. The pain came back with a vengeance about a week later. I had severe abdominal pain & bloating, pelvic pain, leg pain & back pain. I had these horrible stabbing pains that felt like someone was inside my stomach cutting their way out with a knife. I had severe contractions (like the ones you have in labor but on steroids). I couldn't get out of bed & I could barely walk. I also didn't have health insurance. I did have insurance before but things got so tight, I told hubby to cancel it. He fought me but ended up canceling. We had no idea what was to come.
I went to a urgent clinic & was diagnosed with a kidney infection. I took anti-biotics that made me very ill but felt assured I would be better soon. I finished up the meds & still felt the same. I was then referred to a urologist. Let me tell you, they treat you like shit when you don't have insurance even though I was paying up front. The urologist referred me to get a CT scan. HOLY MOLY, are those expensive! Luckily, they had a payment plan. The urologist did a cystoscopy. Do not ever get one of these if you don't have to. It was very painful, I was screaming. The doctor acted so surprised I was in so much pain & he really didn't seem to care...what a asshole. They don't numb anything, they just shove it up your urethra. I still feel traumatized by it.
The CT scan found some cysts & a ultrasound was recommended. So then, I was referred to a GYN. I wasn't thrilled about the possibility of having surgery (to get cysts removed) but at least we knew what we were dealing with. During this whole time, I was running 3 shops on etsy, creating new pieces & shipping out orders. I had obligations to wholesale accounts & local shops I did consignment with.
Back to the jewelry in a bit, don't want to get off track here. Anyway, I made a apt w/ a GYN & took my ultasound results w/ me. Turns out the cysts were too small to be causing me all the pain. The GYN said she had no idea what was wrong w/ me & to go see a doctor. See a dcotor? What the hell did you think I was doing? I was beyond frustrated. So, I started going online & researching. I talked to all kinds of people, my mom did too. We found 3 people that had the same exact same pains & symptoms that I had. They had endometriosis.
I called the GYN & told her about how their symptoms & pain were the same as mine. The GYN agreed w/ me. She gave me a few options but she said my best option was to get a injection of lupron every month. It would stop my periods from forming new endo though it couldn't treat any endo that was already there. Just typing the word lupron makes me shudder. Lupron is its own "hell in a cell". What it does is puts you into "medical menopause". But it slams you right into menopause rather than a gradual onset like natural menopause. Let me tell you, you all need to be nice to your moms. Menopause in no joke-its worse than you could possibly imagine. I feel like I need to apologize to my mom for not being more supportive while she was going through that. I gained a lot of weight & became really depressed.
The lupron did nothing for my pain. I would have rather just had the pain. Lupron made everything worse & it caused me more pain too. It was never a treatment & I feel that I was lied to by my doctor. I stopped taking it January, 2011 & I am still having daily hot flashes. Some people are still having side effects 5 years later. I could go on & on about the demon that is lupron - just know its bad stuff!
After about 2 months of being on lupron, I finally was able to get health insurance through my hubbys work (they only have sign ups 2x a year). A big weight felt like it had been lifted from our shoulders. My new GYN wanted to continue w/ the lupron. I just got worse & worse. There were times that I couldn't get out of bed. That really scared me. I did not like feeling completely helpless like that. I talked to my GYN about stopping lupron. She insisted that I stay on it. I talked to my primary care doctor & she told me I could do whatever I wanted as its my body. So, I stopped & bled for a month. It was brutal. My GYN suggested I go on depo birth control injectable shots every month. She was giving me mega doses at a time so I had alot of crazy hormones. My hubby has been so patient w/ me. Through all my crazy mood swings, he's been right there w/ me. How he can take care of me & boy , work full time, do his photography stuff plus cook, clean & do the laundry, I will never know. I picked a good one :)
Anyway, the depo was great for awhile. I was still in bed alot but felt like I was able to get out here & there. I couldn't do much-go to a farmers market for a hour or wunderland w/ Apollo but it was better than the lupron & seemed to treat the endo some what. The horrible sharp stabbing abdominal pain was mostly gone & the bloating had gotten alot better. I was also able to sit in the car (before it was very painful). Anything around my waist was/is painful...like pants! Yeah fun stuff.
The depo isn't working for me anymore. My GYN had to switch me to a lower dose (I had those mega injections for over a year) & the horrible stabbing pain is back again along w/ the bloating. . I probably will switch to another birth control. I need something that will stop my period w/ the least amount of side effects. I mentioned earlier that meds made me feel very ill - its that way with all meds for me. I can't take pain pills & the anti nausous meds either make me feel really hyper or really tired. I talked to my GYN about having a hysterectomy & she told me that I have a less than 10% chance that the endo would go away & that all my pain would come back in less that 3 months. Surgery is not even a option. She told me that I will be dealing with this for the rest of my life. If we would have discovered this in my 20's, I would have had a chance to get better. When its diagnosed in your 30's, you usually have other pelvic issues as well (I found out I also have adenmyosis & fibroids). I thought having horribly painful periods were normal because that's what my mom had. I think I've had endo for awhile (10+ years) but thought that the symptoms were normal.
Back to the jewelry. I closed my etsy shops last year. I couldn't keep up with orders & creating jewelry wasn't fun anymore. I never would have ever thought I would walk away from it. I miss it. I miss the community, I miss trades w/ awesome artisans. I miss my customers!! I had the best customers. I became friends with almost all of them. In saying that, I don't think I will ever go back. I'm not the same person anymore. Getting sick like this, changes you. It changes you for the better. It becomes blatantly obvious who & whats important. My family has been so supportive. They have all helped with taking care of Apollo. When I first got sick, he was 6. Now he's 8 & doesnt need constant supervision at all times so he's home w/ me now. That was really hard, I couldn't take care of him so I didn't get to see him as much.
So, while I've been laid up I've become addicted to monthly beauty subscriptions. Getting goodies in the mail is fun especially when your in the situation I am in. I started off with birchbox & then it got out of hand from there. I will be turning this jewelry blog into a beauty blog. I'm going to do fun things like have giveaways & reviews.
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