Caudalie Magic Skin Potions

Who would have thunk I would win two Facebook contests in a weeks time but it happened!

I won the Caudalie Anti OXBox contest!! This of course has given me the motivation to enter any and all contests that I come across :)

I wasn't exactly sure what the kit would include.  Until about a month ago, I had never heard of the brand Caudalie before.  Partly, I am sure, because it is a bit pricey.  But I am finally to the age where I do realize that when you pay a bit more for certain products, they help you pay less on other products.

Basically, these skin care products help your face become an even, smooth, clear canvas for your makeup. And who doesn't need a bit of that??

Here are some of what you will and won't find in their products.  And they are against animal cruelty and that is very important to me.

Now, the Anti OX box comes with three products that have antioxidants and anti wrinkle properties in them. It also came with a stress ball and a note pad :)  So now let's review the Anti OX Box from Caudalie :)

Guess who wanted the ball??

First item up for review is the Anti Wrinkle Defense Serum.

I had gotten this item before in my Birchbox and I fell in love.  Its main ingredient is Vitamin C and it brightens, moisturizes and plumps my skin.  It doesn't clog my pores and keeps my skin clean and protected. It has a very lovely natural scent, too. Get It Here.

Next, it came with the Anti Wrinkle Protection Fluid.

This is pretty much the same product as the serum, but is more of a lotion type consistency.  This also has Vitamin C and sun filters in it.  It is never too early to start the war on wrinkles either!  Get It Here.

And lastly, it came with the Anti Wrinkle Eye & Lip Cream.

This is a doubly duty product, for both my eyes and lips.  Vitamin C and Witch Hazel are the star ingredients.  Instantly tightens, smooths and moisturizes.  I have been using it on and off for about 3 days now.  No dramatic results, but no negative feedback here either.

The one thing that I was really hoping would come in this box was the Overnight Detox Oil.  Oh. My. Gosh.

Again, another sample I received from Birchbox and it is truly a magical product! It clears and brightens your skin OVERNIGHT.  Literally, the only product I have ever used that instantly showed what it can do.  I have not read any negative reviews on it, either!

This is what it looks like and you can Get It Here.  I plan on placing an order with my points and 20% off code (FIRST20OFF) soon, as I have used up my sample.

Don't get me wrong, I was terrified as I have never put oil on my already oily face.  Despite my one girlfriend (who does it all the time and her face looks perfect) telling me to do so! But I charged on and did it and I was so glad I did.  It is pricey but yes, a little goes a long way and the results are worth it and it keeps my skin pretty.....yes that is what I told my husband about spending $52 on oil.......

Are you a fan of Caudalie?

Do you use them all at once or finish one product and then use the others?

What other products of theirs should I be using?

Do you use a better detox oil that you recommend?  I'd love to know!

Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great day!!

Ciate Feather Manicure Tutorial

So a few weeks ago, I won a prize pack from Ciate.  It was incredible!  All I did was enter on their Facebook page and then they emailed me that I won.

Here is what I got:

Two velvet manicures, chalkboard manicure, denim manicure, caviar manicure, neon manicure, foil manicure and a feather manicure! OH MY NAILS!!

So exciting :)  So let's look at the feather manicure and do a tutorial :)

Some of these I will need some help doing my left hand, but this one was easy!

I love how all of the kits not only come with the tools but with coordinating polishes too!

This kit has the feathers, speed top coat, purple polish and scissors.  There are enough feathers to do several manicures.  And the feathers are SO pretty and fancy too :)

First, you want to start with clean nails.  On the nails you want to do the feathers, paint two coats of the purple polish and let dry for five minutes.

Then take a feather and lay it on the nail so that some of the color peeps through by the cuticle.  You don't want to cover the entire nail with the feather.  Then lightly pat the feather on the nail to ensure it is sticking to the nail.

Cut the excess feather off, but leave a bit hanging off your nail as you are going to file the rest off.  So you want to make sure that there is enough to file without ruining the part attached to your nail.

Paint with the speed top coat, going with the grain of the feather.

Wait two minutes until it is fully dry and file that excess off.

The speed top coat makes the feather hard so it is easy to file off.

Then do the same on your other hand and paint your nails whatever color you want.  I thought the purple it came with was so pretty that I used that on all my fingers :)

I used two different feathers on each hand as I liked how they looked but you can of course use the same feathers.

It is so funky and pretty at the same time. How many times did I say pretty? Jeesh....

I see these kits at Marshall's sometimes on sale or you can Get It Here.

Believe it or not, I had never used Ciate before it came in my Glossybox and I love the polish now.

It lasts forever and I can get away with one coat only if I wanted to.

What Ciate kits have you used?

Do you have any tricks to application?

Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day!!

Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken & Potato Salad

Happy Monday, ya'll!!  Hope everyone enjoyed the first weekend of Summer 2014!  I sure did, it was busy and full of friends and fun.  But yesterday, it was so hot that I did not want to cook inside or outside, so what's a girl to do???  Use the crock pot! Or slow cooker, depending on where you're from :)

Today I am going to show you a super summery meal that is FULL of flavor and anyone can make!  Here is my recipe for Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken & Potato Salad.  This is also a meal that can be tweaked with whatever you have in your cupboard, because that is basically what I did!

I am a HUGE fan of fresh herbs but this recipe doesn't call for them as again, we want this to be super simple.

Now you can use breasts or legs for this recipe.  You will just need to adjust cooking time if your chicken has bones in it.  I had chicken legs, so I cooked them in the oven for 30 minutes at 325 to help get them cooked since I am only going to put them in the crock pot for 4 hours on high.  If you use boneless chicken, you only need to cook them for 4 hours on high in the crock pot.

Now I was raised on directions that include a "pinch" of this or a "dash" of that...were you? But here are the actual measurements for the chicken seasonings to make it easier.

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons dried minced onion

I didn't have minced onion, so I improvised! I love being able to do that in recipes :)

Mix all of the spices together and rub them on both sides of the chicken.

Take 4 garlic cloves and mince them (or use minced like I did) and mix it with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Spread on the bottom of the crock pot.

Place the chicken in the slow cooker and cover with 1 cup of your choice of balsamic vinegar. 

This is what it should look like!  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.

Now while that is doing it's thing....lets prepare the potato salad!  Another super easy, flavorful recipe!

 Okay, so for this we will need:

2 1/2 lbs red potatoes
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1/2 cup of sliced pickles (I like sweet ones for this recipe)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups of corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1/2 cup of sliced scallions

Now of course, depending on how many people you are feeding, you can double or triple this recipe.  I just wanted a small batch as this really only holds well for about a day in the fridge (IMO).

Cut up the potatoes in chunks (make them smaller then mine here as my husband even said they were huge HAHA).

Put them in a pot of water and add a dash of salt, get water boiling and then reduce to simmer.  Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until potatoes slide off of fork when pierced.

Clean off your ears of corn and cut in half and boil on the stove (in separate pot) until tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Drain potatoes and corn and put on the side to cool.

Chop up your scallions and pickles.

Then cut your corn off the cob.

Now, take your spicy brown mustard and mix it with your garlic and your sugar.

 

Now mix your sauce with the potatoes and add in all the chopped up vegetables!

TA DA!!

Now, of course, I started this about half an hour before I knew the chicken would be done so that it is all ready at the same time.

Once I took the chicken out, I sprinkled some fresh parsley from my garden on it.

I hope ya'll enjoy this recipe and if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below!!  Keep in mind, you can add almost anything to this salad! I know my cousin would have loved if I added bacon to it :)

Have a great day!!

BeautyBar.Com Sample Society Box Reviews

The beginning of this week marked a special where BeautyBar.com was offering past mystery boxes to be purchased at a lesser price.  I took advantage of the 2 for $15 special.  The boxes are normally $15 a month and all come with 5 deluxe samples, a mini Allure magazine with in depth product reviews and a $10 gift card for a $50 purchase on their website.  All of the items that I received are on the website so that helps towards the purchase of a full size product.

I have not read many reviews on this subscription so of course curiosity got the best of me!  Plus the website lists many popular brands that they work with and so that sealed the deal for me.

I placed the order on Tuesday and got it last night, that was IMPRESSIVE!  So here is what I got and I am going to provide feedback and BeautyBar.com Sample Society Box reviews.  If you have been thinking about getting this subscription, please use my code:MIAN969688 and GO HERE to sign up.

As you can see Paisley is just as excited as mama is!!

 Here is the 1st box.  Let me preface by saying that there is no beauty profile to fill out so it is kind of a guess as to if what they provide will actually match your coloring, skin tone or hair type.

My first impression of this box was a good one!  Right off the bat, I can see names of companies that I really like.

Now let's break it down by item, aka the FUN part!!

 I love the Philosophy brand, although it is expensive so these are times that I love my beauty subs!  This is an overnight cream that is supposed to deliver magical results....not unicorns in your bedroom, but hydrated, smooth skin with diminishing fine lines.  Sounds great!  I am excited to see the results with this and it is a nice sized sample.  Get It Here.

Next is Dermalogica's daily microfoliant. So basically, it is a cleanser.  It will exfoliate dead skin, leave skin brighter, and evens skin tone.  Love it!  Again, a nice sized sample.  Get It Here.

I recently just wrote a post on How Not To Have An Oily Face and featured Murad as my first product, so I was very happy to see another product of theirs in my box!  Plus since my pores keep getting bigger as I get older (thanks Mom!), this may be a product I will purchase.  Witch Hazel and Kombucha are the stars of this product!  Get It Here.

I was a fan of dry shampoos before my friends even knew what they were, which made them think I was crazy :) Now almost every brand has them.  They are incredible!  Since I have color treated hair, it is suggested to not wash my hair every day.  Well, I still shower every day so something has to go in my hair!  Dry shampoos take out all the oils and freshen up your hair.  Think of them as the modern day baby powder, without the nasty white residue.  Again, another great brand but the sample is so small I don't even know if I will get a one time use....Get It Here.

Lastly, this box came with a Stila lip glaze, in color Starfruit.  I love glosses and have not yet tried this by Stila so I am happy with is.  But it has also crossed my mind to give it away with an upcoming giveaway I will be doing as it is full size and valued at $22!!.  Get It Here.

Although the Stila more than covers the cost of the box, the first box got a 4 out of 5 for me, due to size of Alterna sample.

On to the next one.....

Now just as I knew all of the brands with the first one, I only know 1 of the brands with this one!

I have tried SuperGoop before but it was in CC cream. The color didn't match so I wasn't really able to get a feel for the product.  But again, this is eye cream and I am happy with skin care products as it saves me a lot of money :)  This claims to give the eyes a well rested look and is firming, cooling and moisturizing.  Of course, I forgot to use it this morning and I am not bright eyed and bushy tailed haha!  Also, this is a small sample so I am hoping a little goes a long way.  Get It Here.

Here is my trying to take a picture of the next product and Paisley wanting attention :)

Take 2...

This is another full size product of Lollia's shea butter hand cream.  These hand creams always make me think of my grandmother so I am very happy with it.  The tube itself is beautiful and it smells of rice flower, magnolias and mimosa.  Beautiful and luxurious.  Get It Here.

Now this is super fancy!!!  Tres Pure's face tonic.  I have always wanted to try a face tonic.  They are said to promote skin cell growth, make skin smooth and supple, firm skin, minimize fine lines, and purify the skin. It goes on after cleansing and before makeup. I REALLY want this to work :) And a nice size sample.  Get It Here.

Clueless to this brand, but it smells like lemons and springtime :)  That is IMO, the product page actually says Notes include Sicilian lemon, citron, grapefruit, green mandarin, cypress, aldehyde and ylang-ylang.

It is a unique smell but I think it really is lovely. The price is a bit CRAZY but I will be consistent and say Get It Here. :)

Lastly, a FULL SIZE eyeshadow trio by Vincent Longo.  This is a $30 value, so with this being the second full size product, it more than covers the cost of the box.  I know I said this is a new product to me, however I did get a trio in lighter colors in my Wantable box before.  These are CAMO colors to me!! I will definitely use them.  I recommend using an eyelid primer to get it to last all day.    Get It Here.

So for this box, I will give it a 5 out of 5!!

Overall, I am very pleased with what I got for $15.  My subscription to Beauty Box 5 is almost over ( I only tried it for 4 months) and I am in the market for another comparable sub.  Right now it is between BoxyCharm or BeautyBar.com.

Are you currently getting the BeautyBar.com monthly subscription?

Are these boxes comparable to what you always get?

Please let me know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!!