Influenster Spring Fever VoxBox May 2013 Unboxing

I got my Influenster Spring Fever VoxBox a couple of days ago. Below is  a video of everything I got in the box.
I received this box for free from Influenster! It is an invited community. I have a few invites-let me know if you want one.  Here is little info from the site:

"Influenster is a free -to-join community of invited trendsetters who live to give opinions of products and experiences. Influenster creates links between brands and members to reward participation and influence future products."

Influenster Spring Fever VoxBox May 2013

Secret Outlast Clear Gel Antiperspirant/deodorant
retails at 4.59

NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm
retail for $2.99

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-On Manicure
retails for $5.99-$7.99

Osis Gelastic gel
retails for $18.00

Tastykake Kandy Bar Kakes
retails for $4.49/box

Beauty Bargain Find: Sophyto Phytotherapy Anti-Aging Care Kit

I love a good bargain! Don't you? And I recently found a fantastic bargarin at Marshalls. I was checking out their beauty aisle, as I always do,  and came across Sophyto Phytotherapy Anti-Aging Care Kit. If you have not heard of Sophyto, it is an all natural and organic skincare line free of artificial fragrance, color, fillers, and parabens.
Here's more info about Sophyto* via their website:

   " All Sophyto products are based in the advanced science of phytotherapy. This holistic approach 
     to skincare harnesses the healing power of botanicals and other powerful bioactive ingredients to 
     naturally nourish and restore skin's youthful glow. Every Sophyto anti-aging product delivers 
     professional results, yet is formulated with pure, natural ingredients."

I was already familiar with this line before picking up the kit. In fact, I've tried the products before thanks to a small sampler that I got from SaffronRouge.com (they no longer carry Sophyto). And I liked what I sampled but never bought full sizes because the prices were more than I was willing to spend. So when I saw this kit in Marshalls, I picked it up immediately. And then I saw the $12.99 price tag; I couldn't believe it was so inexpensive. You can't even buy one of their travel-sized items for under $10. And the kit is currently selling for $34.45 on Amazon.com. So this was a steal indeed. Glad I picked it up.

Oh, and I must say that I understand Marshalls sells some (not all) products that are overstock, irregular, discontinued, nearing expiration, etc,... The items in the kit expire next year and I just noticed a typo in the ingredients list. So that might explain the discount.

The kit contains the following:
Ph optimizing restorative toner (100ml/3.381 fl.oz) currently sells for $15 on dermstore.com
Anti-aging Antioxidant Serum (30ml/1.014 fl.oz) currently sells for $49 on beautysage.com
Marine Peptide brightening treatment (30ml/ fl.oz)  currently sells for $30 on beautysage.com

*The Sophyto website is based in the U.K. so prices are in pounds which is why I referred to Beautysage, Amazon, and Dermstore for U.S. pricing.

Out and About: Green Festival Chicago 2013

On Sunday, 19, 2013, the beau and I went to the Green Festival which we've done for the past 4 years. It was held at Navy Pier and we were having lovely weather that day. So it felt great on the pier. When we entered the exhibit we saw one of the beau's former co-workers at the Nature's Conservancy booth. We chatted with her for a minute and then we took a photo for their All Hands On Earth Movement and got a free t-shirt afterwards.

The dry erase board says we're eating less meat to help the environment

Next, we just walked around checking out all of the booths. Especially the food/snack booths which were all sampling their products. And I, of course, had to see all of the health and beauty exhibitors. And there were quite a few but only one of them really captured my attention. And my wallet. Browsed the photos below to see what we checked out .

                                                                                 

There were plenty of food/snack items to sample but the one I enjoyed the most was from Luna & Larry's Organic Coconut Bliss which is an alternative to ice cream. I've tried this product before but they had some new flavors. I sampled the Mocha Maca Crunch variety and it was delicious. 

Manitoba Harvest was there with samples of their Hemp Hearts and their new Hemp Pro 70 protein powder. I picked up a couple of samples but I also bought some Hemp Hearts which I have had before. They also had a twitter contest going on which I entered. And guess what? I won! Yaaaay. I got a twitter mention this morning letting me know that I won. The prize is a $100 gift certificate for Manitobaharvest.com. So, I'll be doing a little shopping soon. 

I won?!

As I mentioned earlier, I checked out all of the beauty companies and only a few captured my attention; Shea Terra Organics was one of them. I was familiar with this brand before the show and have always been intrigued by their products. This was my chance to sample and sniff all they had to offer. 

As I made my way around the booth, I saw the sign. 50% off of body creams and oils * faints* so I instantly grabbed the items I wanted most (below) and checked out. 

l-r Marula Whipped Shea Butter, Frankincense Meditation Whipped Shea Butter, Honeybush Peach Body Nectar Spray. FYI, use the code May2013 to get 30% off of your Sheaterra.com order thru 5/23. I think I'll  use that code to get a few more items. 

We needed to break for food and decided on this veggie chili and kale salad. It was from a restaurant called B' Gabs Goodies. We had never heard of this place before though it's near the beau's place. We'll definitely check out the restaurant soon. After finishing our salad we walked around a little more to see if we missed anything. Then we headed out to enjoy the rest of our day. Overall we enjoyed the festival and I'm sure well attend next year. 

Here are the samples that we picked up. l-r clockwise

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro 70 protein powder, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts, 

Shea Terra Organics Rose hips Black Soap

Shea Terra Organics Moroccan Argan Oil

Raw Revolution Live Food Bars

Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Cane Sugars and Agave Nectar

Dr. Bronners Lavender Coconut Lotion, Shikakai Soap, and Castile Soap

May 2013 Birchbox Unboxing

I got my Birchbox a few days ago but am just getting the chance to open it today. Check out what I got and let me know what you think.
Join Birchbox HERE

Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle Leave-in conditioner (1 oz spray)
full size retails for $21.95

LA Fresh Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wet Wipe (2 wipes)
full size retails for $9.99/30 wipes

Cotz Face Balanced Mineral Complex (3gr sample tube)
full size retails for $20

Cargo Lip Gloss in Route 66 (full size)
retail for $14

Acroball Pure White hybrid ink pen (1 pen)
$6.24/4pk

Out and About: Free Makeup Class At Sephora #2

In another post I mentioned how I attended a free makeup class at Sephora. Well, I went to another free class on Sunday, 12, 2013 at the same Sephora (Watertower).  This second class was called Lashes, Liners, and Brows,  though the main focus was applying false eyelashes. And please note that I have attempted false lashes many times but I'm still getting the hang of it. Having the instructors there to guide made me feel more comfortable about applying lashes again. They were very helpful and gave me a few more tips such as shaping the lashes by gently wrapping them around your finger (or pen, pencil, etc...). Another tip was to place the glue on the edge or top of the band instead of the actual band/band. These tips made the lash application easier for me but I could still use more practice. I suppose I will keep trying until I get better.  I don't plan to wear them often. I just would like the option for days when I want to glam up a bit.

After class, one of the associates showed us their store's new toy, the Sephora Skincare IQ. This machine matches you with products that are perfect for your skin based on your skincare concerns. You're asked a series of questions and the machine uses your answers  to suggest several products. Then it prints out detailed information about the products including ratings, regimen, and suggested usage.

Note: Pictured in first photo is an instructor and a class participant

Sephora Skincare IQ

Detailed Skincare Match

I really enjoyed the class and learned some cool new tricks. And since it was Mother's Day so there were fewer participants and more one-on-one instruction. There was also another goodie bag and some other treats which are pictured. I will definitely be signing up for the next one. And I'll also be back to play around with the Skincare IQ.

 

 Left: Sephora lashes they gave me in class

Right-Goodie bag contents: Living Proof Restore Targeted Repair Cream,

                                                        Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream 

Free item I got with Sephora Insider Points

Two free fragrance pouches. I think they passing these out for Mother's Day.

I gave them to my sis-I'm more of a solid perfume/oil girl. 

Mother's Day 2013 Love With Food Unboxing

Hi all and Happy Mother's Day to tall of you moms out there! I filmed a short video of me unboxing the Love With Food box which is a subscription service that sends gourmet food samples for $10/month. I purchased this box via Fab.com for $7.20. Plus I had a few Fab credits so I ended spending only $2.20 for this box. Though this is a subscription service, I have not decided if I will keep the subscription. I will keep you posted. Check the video to see what I got!
Click HERE to join Fab.com
Click HERE  to join Love With Food

Influenster Palmolive Unboxing

I received this box from Influenster and dedcided to do a short unboxing video!
There's more info about Influenster in the description of the video.
Feel free to rate, comment, and subscribe!

Wordless Wednesday!

My Week in Photos, Instagram, and Vine!

I've seen several bloggers do this kind of post so I thought I would give it a go. Though, honestly, I don't do that much on instagram or vine. I have been trying to post more. So check it out and let me know what you think. And if you're not familiar with Vine, it's a social network where you post short (about 6 seconds) videos. It seems to be catching on very slowly but I've seen a few really cool video. Even some short creative films. There's a lot of potential with Vine. We'll see if get catches on any faster.
Vine only allows you to share posts to FB and Twitter but it does save the video to your phone.  So for the sake of this post I've uploaded my Vines to vimeo.

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4/26 - Ok, so these two post are technically over a week old but I wanted to include them anyway. They were from the Howard Art Market last Saturday which was pretty great! It was at Sol Cafe located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. I sold jewelry, met some nice people and the coffee was really good. All of the employees seemed really happy to be there too. I hope to do another market there soon.

                                      
5/2- This was an unusually warm day in Chicago this time of year. I think we reached about 85 degrees. I was riding along with my sister and nephew and the wind was whipping through my hair. It felt really good. especially since we've been waiting forever for warmer temps. My hair can get pretty tangled when the wind is high, but I didn't care on this day. 

5/3 - These are a few crystals that I picked up at a local bead shop. I have become obsessed with them.  I've made some earrings and plan to make some necklaces. I'll be getting more soon.

5/3 - This is a photo of my cousin and I at a Kris Kross concert. I think the year was about 1992. My older sis took us and we too excited to go. R.I.P. to Chris Kelly  (member of  Kris Kross) who was found dead on May 1, 2013. 

5/4- Trader Joe's Gluten Free Granola for breakfast

5/4 -This is the tea I had this morning. It's Vanilla Bean by Mighty Leaf Tea.