Bzz Agent - Private Selection

Private Selection generously gave us a variety of food/drinks to try. When my parents showed up out of the blue, I was more than prepared.

The Coffee - it's amazing. My mom took the rest of the bag with her! She didn't even ask :)

Garlic & Herb Cheese - Awful. I love cheese but I certainly didn't love this.

Pasta Sauce - My son likes it. He is one of the pickiest eaters ever so this is a total score

Crackers - These are good! Really crispy. They went fast!

Olives - This was a fail. I don't know anybody that likes olives.

I'm a total foodie so I really enjoyed trying all these products. Another great campaign :)

Never heard of Bzz Agent? Bzz Agent is a social marketing community. You qualify for BzzCampaigns and in return, you get free products or services. You then Bzz (share/talk) your opinions on the product. Its a awesome way to try new things! http://www.bzzagent.com


DISCLAIMER - I received this free to review. My opinions are 100% my own.

Glossybox - December

December's Glossybox arrived earlier than usual. Yay!

 

 

Box Contents

Denise Richards - Volume Extend Finishing Spray Mini

Heartland Fragrances - Bath Salts in White Ginger - Deluxe Samples

Zoya Nail Lacquer in Ziv - Full Size

Pleats Please by Issey Miyake - Mini Spray

Jewelmint - Necklace

Mark - Listick in M Powermint Petal - Full Size

Wella - Velvet Amplier - Foil Packet

 

 

I have so much hair, the last thing I need is more volume...its down to my ass & it's super thick. I don't take baths often but I do use my foot spa occasionally so I will save the bath salts for that. I'm not a fan of perfume either...most of the box is going on my trade list. Also, we got a bonus this month - an accessory from JewelMint.

 

 

I really like the packaging of Mark's lipstick in M Powermint Petal. Some were irritated to find Mark in our boxes as Mark is owned by Avon. As long as it's doesn't become a normal thing, I don't really care. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep it yet. It's a pretty rosey nude color. I just have so many lipsticks/glosses. They are already in a bucket as it is - a cute bucket but still a bucket.

 

 

Zoya's lacquer in Ziv is gorgeous. It's gold with silver accents & gold flaked glitter. I'm usually not a fan of golds - I like bright colors. But this particular gold is so gorgeous, I almost ordered it from Zoya a few weeks ago. This makes the whole box worth it to me!

 

What do you think of this months box?

 

Secret Santa

I participated in secret santa exchange on MUT. It was so fun!

My secret santa requested organic lip balm & nude lipsticks/gloss. I may have gone overboard :)

Penzey's Hot Chocolate Mix

Zealand Scarf

Dang Toasted Coconut Chips

Saucebox Cosmetics Magic Highlighter

Juice Beauty - Tinted Lip Balm Trio

Sweetpea & Fay J'Adore Les Levres Liquid Lipstick in Cannoli

I went to JaCiva's to get some chocolate to tape on the present. Had to get her a small box of truffles too.

Wrapped Pretty

 

 

My mom's wrapping is immaculate. Her presents are so beautiful, I feel bad for unwrapping them. Mine pales in comparison. I only use candy to disguise my horrible wrapping!

 

 

Here is what I received:

I lucked out that my secret santa drawn is from Canada. She kindly sent me cosmetics that I can't get here in the States.

I got a mini eyeshadow palette from Quo which is a Canadian brand. I'm excited to try it!
I got blush from Bourjoi. I LOVE the blush, it's so pretty.

Bourjois Blush in Lilas (33)

 

 

My favorite candles - Slatkin & Co. And I don't have any of these! They were sold out of the Merry Cookie one.

 

 

I am definitely participating next year. Have you been a part of a secret santa exchange?

Love With Food - December

The December box is packed full of sweets. This will be my last Love With Food box. I got a really good deal on this - 3 months for $7. It's normally $12 a month. I really enjoyed getting this box but I like makeup more!

Box Contents
Nunes Farm - Honey Cinnamon Almonds
Taffy Town - Holiday Salt Water Taffy
The Big Chocolate Dipper - Chocolate Dipped Nutter Butter
Kara Chocolates - Candy Cane Truffles
Hills Brothers - Mocha Mint Cappuccino
Nikki's Cookies - Gingerbread Boy
Madecasse - Chocolate Tasting Square
479 Popcorn - Fleur de Sel Caramel Popcorn

I love the candy cane truffles - so yummy! The popcorn is really good too. I didn't taste the salt much but the popcorn itself is delicious. The nutter butter cookie is really good - shared that w/ hubby. It tasted like there was bits of toffee on top - why did I share? The tasting square isn't bad, it isn't that good either. My son enjoyed the salt water taffy while hubby liked the gingerbread boy.

November Box

 

 

Box Contents

Hagenbros Chocolate - Truffle Piglet

Inka Crops - Inka Corn

Skeeter Snacks - Chocolate Chunk Cookie

Fruit.O - Pear Pineapple Juice

Mrs. Mays - Mini Crunch in Cranberry Almond

Little Red Dot Kitchen - Turkey Baw Kawa Jerky

Aspen Mulling Co - Original Cider Spices Blend

Stash Tea Company - Pumpkin Spice Tea

 

I LOVED the truffle piglet. I wish I had more! The inka corn tastes like large cornuts. I have to confess - I already ate the chocolate chunk cookie. The bag in the photo is empty :)

Hubby liked the juice & jerky. I ate the mini crunch right out of the bag. Not a big fan of tea so I gave it to someone who is.



Bzz Agent - Gold Toe G Collection

I was so excited when I found out I was selected for the Gold Toe campaign. The ad showed pink socks so I assumed I would be getting women's socks. I was wrong :(

I was sent 6 pairs of men's socks & 3 pair of boxers. Total score for hubby. Even though I'm a bit jealous, that's one thing I really like about bzz agent - not everything is for me. I was accepted into a nerf campaign in the past which my son just LOVED.

Back to the socks. They came in a range of colors and prints. My hubby loves them. They are comfortable, thick and soft - perfect for winter. Best of all - they fit perfectly.

The boxers are a little stiff. I suspect they will soften up after they have been washed a few times. They have a plaid pattern in red, blue & green.

The new G collections features boxer briefs, briefs, tops, boxers and of course socks. You can find it @ Kohl's.

Never heard of Bzz Agent? Bzz Agent is a social marketing community. You qualify for BzzCampaigns and in return, you get free products or services. You then Bzz (share/talk) your opinions on the product. Its a awesome way to try new things! http://www.bzzagent.com


DISCLAIMER - I received this free to review. My opinions are 100% my own.

Ipsy - December

 

Contents:



Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Zero - Deluxe Sample

Mai Couture Highlighter Papier in St. Barts - 25 sheets

Mirabella Primer for Face & Eyes - Full Size

Be a Bombshell Lip Gloss in Hot Mess - Full Size

NYX - Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in Charcoal - Full Size

 

 

The bag - love it!

 

Hot Mess, Charcoal Eyeshadow, Zero Eyeliner

 

 

Hot Mess - Holy pigment! It looks red in the tube but came out a coralish color.

I like it.

 

 

Highlighter Papier - I'm not sure about this. I haven't tried it on my face yet -

it kinda looks like a mess!



 

 

November's Box

 

 

Box Contents

Nailtini Nail Lacquer in Millionaire - Full Size

The Balm - Meet Matte Eyeshadow in Matt Batali- Deluxe Sample

Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel - Deluxe Sample

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss in Daredevil - Deluxe Sample

Scarlet Intense Eyeliner in Black - Full Size

 

 

Pretty - It's a matte dark brown plumish color. I probably won't use it often

but I'm keeping it. I love the balm's products. I recently got all their blushes

and all 4 are beautiful (swatches coming soon!).

 

 

 

 

 

Millionaire by Nailitini

Bare Mineral's lip gloss is pretty but there is nothing special or different about it. The eyeliner by Scarlet is very pigmented but it's also very smeary. I haven't tried the eyebrow gel yet. This was a either or item - others got Benefit's They're Real Mascara mini. Nailtini's polish is in such a cute bottle. I have nothing like this in my polish collection. I hope we get to try more colors! I swear I took a picture of the bag - I can't seem to find it.

What do you think about Ipsy's November & December bags?

Sneakpeeq Mystery Box - Holiday Glam Girl

I started a no buy December 1st. Actually, it's a necessity only buy. I've decided that I'm done selling on ebay. We are living on one income so I sell the samples I don't want from my beauty subs. It pays for all my beauty subs & Sephora splurges. I always make more than I spend so hubby doesn't mind how many packages I have coming to the house everyday (exaggerating a little). I've made quite a few sales lately (probably because of the holidays) and it's become overwhelming. I walked away from my jewelry business to focus on my health. And now I need to step away from ebay to focus on my health. I talked to hubster and he's fine w/ me keeping Ipsy, Glossy & Goodies. All three together cost $38 a month so as long as I stay away from Sephora, we will stay within our budget.

Of course, I had to splurge, just a little. I decided to order this a holiday glam girl mystery box from Sneakpeeq. I paid $29 (free shipping). Sneakpeeq guarantees 5+ items with a value of $60-$500 per box. They also have girl who has it all & nature girl (sold out right now) mystery boxes. I was going to wait until Christmas to open it but that didn't happen. Would you wait?

This is probably the best mystery box I've ever bought. Still, I wouldn't buy it again.

Box Contents:

 

Benefit - Perk Up Artist $30

Apothederm - Acne Clarifying Treatment $32.50

Facefront - Charmed Rose Pigment $11.50

LA Splash - Pearl Lilac Lip Gloss $6.99

Total Value: $80.99

I am excited to try the perk up artist. It's described as custom complexion corrector's. It contains 3 colors - a yellow neutralizer, a beige concealer and a pink brightener. The correct one is supposed to help disguise redness, the concealer is supposed to hide dark circles and the brightener is supposed to perk up tired eyes. Yes please!

I was under the impression that this would be a all makeup box so I'm not sure why there is a acne product. It is full size though and retails for $32.50. I looked up the lips gloss & facefront pigment - both colors have been discontinued. I think they just throw whatever they have left in a box & sell it as a "mystery box". I'm not curious anymore. The perk up artist is a new product and that makes the box a little less discontinued. You may also notice that there are 4 items, not 5 that sneakpeeq guaranteed. I called them three times & left  2 messages - no reply. I'm going to email them next - will let you know what happens.

I am having a giveaway in January - stay tuned for that. Happy Holidays!!

UPDATE - After 5 phone calls, I was finally able to talk to cs. They gave me a $29 credit for the missing item. Worth the wait!

Torani Holiday Cheers

I was recently given the opportunity to try out two holiday Torani syrups through She Speaks. She Speaks is a community of women who like to try & share the newest  products. I received vanilla bean & pumpkin pie flavored syrups.

I'm sure you have seen Torani syrup at your local coffee shop. But there is so much more you can do with Torani syrup. You can use it with nearly any recipe that calls for liquid ingredients. I decided to make truffles w/ the pumpkin pie syrup. When I get lazy, I leave them in the pan (instead of rolling),  cut it like brownies and call it fudge.


Pumpkin Pie Truffles
Ingredients:
Three squares of Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Five Tablespoons unsalted butter
One egg yolk
2/3 Cup of powdered sugar- sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Torani syrup
Coconut

Preparation:
Cream butter with egg yolk over low heat and whisk until smooth
Slowly add sugar to butter
Add vanilla and Torani Pumpkin Pie syrups
Melt chocolate in double boiler (I do it in the microwave)
Pour chocolate into butter and blend until smooth
Chill butter mixture until firm

Shape butter mixture into one-inch balls and roll in coconut. You can roll these in all kinds of things. I like to use chocolate sprinkles and colored sugars - red is pretty for the holidays.
Store in refrigerator


Adding 1 ounce of pumpkin pie syrup to your hot chocolate or coffee is super yummy. Even better? Topped with Pumpkin Pie Whipped Cream.


Pumpkin Pie Whipped Cream

Ingredients:
1 pint of Whipping Cream
1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar
1 oz of Pumpkin Pie Torani Syrup.

Preparation:
Chill Beaters & Mixing Bowl First (makes it much easier)
Beat cream on high
Gradually add sugar & syrup.
Beat until stiff
Refrigerate

Torani has over 100 syrup flavors even some gluten & sugar free ones. I would love to try the bacon & salted caramel flavors.

http://www.shespeaks.com

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks & Torani. I received these products for free to review. My opinions are 100% my own.

Traveling Sample Box #2

Another awesome round! I participated in a sample box swap on MUT - like a traveling sample box. One person starts the box and puts in samples and/or products she doesn't want & sends it to the next person on the list. The next person would then take any samples and/or products she wanted & includes her unwanted samples and/or products. And she then sends it to the next person & so on.

I was up first! Here is what I took:

I didn't take much, I have too much already! Nars Orgasm Blush - Score! Pretty excited about that. I've been wanting to explore contouring w/ bronzer so was thrilled to get Hoola. I've been wanting to try Sugar Pill forever so super happy I scored 3 pigments. I can always use more brushes - love my little haul!

Here is what I put in:

 

I went through all my stash. Feels good to get rid of all this stuff!

Bzz Agent - Burt's Bees

I have to admit, I was a little bummed that I got this campaign. I've used Burt's Bees in the past. While their products are excellent, I couldn't deal w/ the smell. Their skincare line was heavily scented to the point where it made me nauseous.

With a little hesitation, I first tried the Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser. There was a smell but it smelled like grapefruit, I can deal w/ that. It left my face feeling clean & hydrated. It's super creamy but not greasy at all. It's also a great value. A 6 oz tube retails for $9.99! I use Philosophy's Purity cleanser regularly - this cleanser is just as good and much cheaper.

I love the Intense Hydration Night Cream. It's rich & creamy yet it absorbs instantly. My skin feels hydrated and I actually look a tad bit younger. This night cream retails for $17.99 - a great deal. My usual night time moisturizer costs over $50. I am so replacing it w/ this night cream.

Burt's Bees also has day lotion, eye cream and a treatment mask in their Intense Hydration line. Their new line features clary sage. Clary Sage survives & thrives (despite their harsh environment) and had the ability to adapt & retain moisture. Burt's Bees has all natural ingredients, zero waste to landfill & does no animal testing. Their  prices range from $9.99 to $17.99. I recommend it for winter when your skin is feeling parched or anyone w/ dry skin.

My favorite Bzz Agent campaign so far! Never heard of Bzz Agent? Bzz Agent is a social marketing community. You qualify for BzzCampaigns and in return, you get free products or services. You then Bzz (share/talk) your opinions on the product. Its a awesome way to try new things! http://www.bzzagent.com


DISCLAIMER - I received this free to review. My opinions are 100% my own.

Hustle Bustle

I am sooooo behind on beauty box reviews. I've been busy trying to get Christmas shopping finished & our house decorated. Actually, the house clean so we can decorate it.

Years ago, I used to decorate our whole house. When I say whole house, I mean whole house. Dining room, porch, living room, kitchen, both bathrooms & all 3 bedrooms. It took me 3 days. Now that I'm sick (endometriosis), I can't be crazy like that. I want to be crazy but my body won't let me. This year, the living room will be decorated & we will get a huge Christmas tree like usual (as big as we can get in the house). I'm fine w/ that. It really sucked to take all those decorations down every year.

Now, I let the boys help w/ the decorating. My hubby does a fanstastic job displaying my trees. I collect trees - my favorite being vintage bottlebrush trees. I don't know why I was so controlling before, I didn't let the boys help - everything had to be a "certain way". It's so much more fun w/ help, we play Christmas music & drink hot chocolate. Now, it's become a holiday tradition - something that we all look forward to.