Influenster Love VoxBox 2012!

HELLO LOVIES!
Super excited to be doing this post for you guys! So if you have not read my previous blog post I was picked to receive the Influenster Love VoxBox. For a little more info on influenster you can read my blog post on it (click here) or visit Influenster (click here) and see if it is something that interests you. Influenster is completely free to join. So lets get onto the goodies!!!

So like I mentioned before the theme for this VoxBox is Love/Valentines Day. Although I did get this box after Valentines day it was a good theme and the products fit it to a T. So lets get onto the products!

Gillette Venus & Olay Razor-Gillette Venus & Olay are coming together to deliver a gold standard in shaving with the new Gillette Venus & Olay razor! Olay Moisture Bars help lock-in moisture to your skin, while Venus' five blade shave you close. $8.99-$10.99

This was a pretty sweet surprise! The color is a gorgeous shimmery gold and the packaging just adds the gaudiness of it all. I love Gillette for their great products that truly deliver what they claim to. Now to see them partnering with Olay is pretty awesome! On the packaging it does say that you will love it or get your money back x2! This means they are super confident in the product and that you will love it! I have not tried out the razor yet but I will and I will surely let you guys know my thoughts on it.

Kiss Nail Dress-Fashion That Sticks- Introducing Kiss Nail Dress, the ultimate nail fashion for tips and toes! Just peel, apply, and shape for a manicure that lasts up to 10 days. Available in 18 different styles! $6.99

Yes! Finally someone who decided to do the nail stickers but sell them for cheaper! Super excited about that. The ones I received are super cute! I will say I am not a big fan of prints but these are so cute! One thing that I noticed they did different and it actually a good thing is how the shaped the nail stickers. The top part is squared off which is perfect for using on your toes and the bottom part is rounded with is ideal for fingernails. This is something that I have yet to see other brands do. The packet comes with 24 nail stickers and a nail file. I am thinking about using these next so I will post a picture soon.

Stash Tea Herbal Tea Sampler- This sampler features some of Stash Tea's most popular herbal teas All are naturally caffeine free and made from 100% natural ingredients. Steep for 3-5 minutes at 190-209 degrees, and enjoy! $3.50

First off I will say that I am not a big fan of tea! However I think this is one of the items I am most excited about trying out! One of my new year resolutions was to expand my palette and try out new items, so, this is one to help me out with that resolution. It comes with 16 bags of tea in 8 different flavors. The flavors are Acai Berry, Blueberry Superfruit, Chamomile, Cinnamon Apple Chamomile. Lemon Ginger, Licorice Spice, Mango Passionfruit, Peppermint, and Wild Raspberry Hibiscus. I am very very iffy on the licorice spice but I will try it out. It is a very good variety of teas and a very reasonable price. I also love the fact that it is caffeine free which is perfect for me since I am on a no caffeine "diet". I will see how this goes but I will keep you guys posted!

Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Creamy Devotion Bar- The decadently rich and creamy 32% cacao milk chocolate in Creamy Devotion delivers an epicurean chocolate experience. Experience a moment of timeless pleasure with all natural Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Chocolate. $2.99

OMG! When I saw the chocolate bar I was in heaven :) This chocolate is so delicious and creamy! I must say it is my favorite out of the entire Ghirardelli chocolate family. I was also surprised at the price. That is a very good reasonable price for a big bar of chocolate. I have nothing but good things to say about it. Along with this new Gourmet Milk Chocolate line they have one that is called The Sea Salt Escape. Sounds very delicious and different. So I will be going out and purchasing more of the chocolates in this line and trying them out and letting you guys know what I think. I also noticed that on their Facebook page they are giving out $1 off coupons (click here to get one!).

Truvia Natural Sweetener- Truvia natural sweetener is refreshingly uncomplicated. made from the best tasting part of the Stevia plant. Sprinkle this no-calorie sweetener on your grapefruit. Spoon it in your coffee. It won't end up on your conscience or your thighs! $3.99 (40 ct)

I have heard of Truvia before but have never tried it out. Guess now is the perfect chance for it, right?! I will say that their advertising does kind of bug me a little. I don't think anyone should feel guilty for enjoying a little sweets and sugar once in a while. Anything in moderation is good for you. Other than that little tiny complaint I am looking forward to trying out this product and maybe trying it in my tea. I will fill you guys in as well.


Overall I love the box! Great products and amazing new things to try! I can't complain one bit! Like I mentioned before I will be going into more detail on the products I received as I try them out and get a better feel for them, so keep checking back for that. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and will go check out the products I mentioned and check out Influenster as well.


** Disclaimer:  These products were sent to me for free to test and review from Influenster through their  VoxBox program.**

My Haircare Routine (And Mini Reviews)

HELLO LOVELIES! So this month I was super busy with work that I didn't write much of anything. Sad day! Everything is back to normal, or as normal as it will ever be. So yeah. For this post I decided I wanted to share with you my haircare routine.

A little background info on my hair before we get started it is coarse, dry, and color treated. I have breakage and split ends, and well its not the most healthy hair out there. It is shoulder length. My hair is also naturally wavy. As for my current color it is a dark brown with ombre technique using a caramel color (which needs touched up bad ). So lets get right into my hair care routine.

I like to switch around my haircare products often. I cant stick to the same one for a long period of time. Technically you want to switch up the products so that you don't get too much of one all the time. Too much protein (found in anti-breakage products) can be harmful to your hair. Even using too much moisturizing products are harmful.

CLEANSING:

I like to wash my hair every other day. You don't want to wash your hair daily because you will be stripping your hair of daily essential natural oils that it produces. These natural oils help your hair grow, shine, and stay healthy. Currently for my daily shampoo I am using the TRESemmé Anti-Breakage shampoo. I chose this product line because I have some of their other hair care items and thought I would give their shampoo a try. I am not completely in love with the shampoo but I don't hate it either. Sure it cleanses my hair but I don't feel the anti-breakage part of the shampoo working. Seems to me like it does not have enough protein in it to strengthen my hair. I ended up purchasing a big bottle of it so as soon as I am out of it I will be switching to something that helps a little bit more. Before using TRESemmé I was using Paul Mitchell Instant Moisture Daily Shampoo. It was a super gentle cleanser and it left my hair smelling clean and fresh. I did feel it moisutrized my hair. Like I mentioned before, I like to try out new products.

I also use a clarifying shampoo twice a month or less, depending on how my hair feels. A clarifying shampoo is good to remove the hair of build up of products and impurities. Bonus of it is that if you have an oily scalp this shampoo helps control it over time. I have been loving Paul Mitchell's Shampoo Two. For the blonde hair women out there that go swimming and their hair turns greenish Paul Mitchell also has a Shampoo Three that is perfect for that. Shampoo Two is okay to use every other day or even once a week but I prefer twice a month. Once again I don't want to strip my hair of its natural oils. It leaves my hair feeling super clean and lightweight. It does not weigh my hair down at all. Best of all I enjoy the lemony scent of it!

Now onto my conditioner. Usually people like to pair moisture with moisture, color treated with color treated but I like to mix them up. For my conditioner I am using another TRESemmé product. I am using their Remoisturize Conditioner from their Classic Care line. Once again I am not too happy with this conditioner. It makes my hair feel waxy and super oily. I made the big mistake of buying this in a bigger size as well so I am just waiting to finish it up to switch it up. When something claims it remoisturizes it should not make your hair feel waxy. Soft and silky is ok but waxy is a big no no! Before this conditioner I was a huge fan of Paul Mitchell The Detangler. If you ladies are fans of teasing your hair but don't like the whole washing out process because it may still be super tangled, try this baby out. You don't need a lot of product to detangle the most tangled of hairs. It lets your comb glide through your hair and leave hair super silky soft. I love this conditioner!

HAIR MASKS & DEEP CONDITIONER:
I will say I use to be super good about doing a deep conditioning every month and a hair mask too, but recently it has been whenever I find time for it.

All my hair masks are D.I.Y. masks. I have several recipes from family members. My most used one is blending one egg with mayo. Sounds disgusting but this recipe is perfect for moisturizing hair. Great if you have super dry and brittle hair. Just leave it on for 15 to 30 mins and wash it out. My other favorite hair mask is a honey and avocado mask this is another moisturizing hair mask.

For deep conditioner I have been using and really enjoying the Joico K-Pak Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor. This was recommended to me by a fellow cosmetologist. She uses it religiously and swears it helps strengthen her hair. I have really been enjoying how conditioning it is. I cant really speak much on the strengthening part because I have not tried this product all by its self, as in not putting in more products in my hair after I use this. I put this in my hair while in the shower and leave it in for 5 to 10 minutes. The steam from the shower helps it penetrate the hair shaft better i feel.

STYLING PRODUCTS:
This is where I kind of cocktail lots of products together. I love love mixing products! I have quite a few things that I use in my hair to help with various issues my hair has.

Once my hair is towel dried I like to spray in a leave-in conditioner. This works as a detangling spray as well. I have been using Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner Spray. It smells amazing! It was one of the only leave-in conditioners that I found that had ingredients that truly do help your hair. To me it was the closest thing to natural that I was able to find and I love it. I only do 3 to 4 sprays.

Next step is to apply my hair oil to my split ends. I have tried the morrocan oil from the brand MorrocanOil and from Organix. I cant really say I complain of either of them really. However I didn't feel I was getting the full effect. Morrocan Argan oil is great for damaged hair, gives shine, strengthens and nourishes hair, and it helps prevent hair from frizzing. Like I mentioned before I felt like neither on of the products was helping out with the full list of things it was suppose to help out with. In one of my Birchboxes (my first one) I received a small sample of a hair oil. I tried it out and it has been working amazingly for me! I have even purchased the full size one and I am not even done with my sample size. The sample size had even spilt in the box, so I was out 1/4th of the product to start with and I just hit the half way mark of that small bottle, and this was in December! So my favorite hair oil is the Amika Obliphica Oil Treatment. This baby smells amazing! Very very floral but not overpowering at all. Makes applying it enjoyable. This oil treatment has morrocan oil in it along with vitamin C. I apply this only to my split ends because they need a lot of love! I take a small amount, probably a pea size if not smaller, into the palm of my hands, rub my hands together and spread it evenly from the middle of my hair strands to the ends, focusing mainly on the ends. Whatever is left over on my palm I put on the rest of my hair, avoiding the roots of course. I absolutely love this product! My only complaint is that there is no pump to dispense the product so you have to be careful when you pour the oil into your hands.

Finally before I blow dry my hair ( if I decide to) or before any heat touching my hair I use a heat protection spray. This is very very important if you curl your hair, blow dry it, or flat iron it. Any sort of heat that touches your hair can damage it if you don't apply the proper hair care product to it. For the past year or more I have been a fan of the TRESemmé Instant Heat Tamer Spray. It is super inexpensive and a great dupe for the Chi 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protection Spray. I like to spray this all over my hair and once again I focus on the tips of my hair. I usually do 2 to 4 sprays. I then use a wide tooth comb (detangling comb) to comb it through so that my hair is covered evenly. I then proceed to style my hair how I want.

NO WASH DAY PRODUCTS

So for my dirty hair days I have a dry shampoo from TRESemmé as well to help clean my hair a little. I like to use the TRESemmé Dry Shampoo in both formulas, for straight hair and for curly hair. There are days that I don't want to flat iron my hair at all so I will use this to give my natural wavy hair a boost. For days that I want to keep my hair straight and just retouch I will use to dry shampoo for straight hair. The formula for straight hair is an aerasol bottle. Just shake the can vigoursly before every spray. Leave it in for about 2 minutes and with a brush brush it through. For the curly formula it is a foam type. So just dispense a dime size amount and distribute through hair evenly. With a towel gently remove any excess product and oil/dirt from your hair.

So that is my daily/every other day routine! Long, I know, but I love my hair and I want to keep in semi decent. What do you guys use on your hair? Any products you absolutely love?

XO,

Espy