L'Oréal Extraordinary Oil

This post is sponsored by L'Oréal Paris and Crowdtap. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. All opinions are 100% my own. 

    So, the products I received were the L'Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Extraordinary Oil Nourishing shampoo & conditioner, plus the Lustrous Oil Serum. 

I must say that this is the best shampoo and conditioner I've EVER used. I've been using another brand and formula for years but this has completely won me over. My hair was instantly softer, shinier, and more manageable after one use. 

Frizz? What frizz? With the Lustrous Oil Serum my flyaways and frizzy hair is a thing of the past! 

With the complete set (or even just the shampoo and conditioner alone) my hair is completely transformed and is even easier to brush with less tangles and knots! This has replaced my old shampoo and conditioner and I'll never look back! 

Price is $3.99 + each for the shampoo and conditioner & $5.99 + for the serum.

You can find them at your local Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and online at Amazon.

Mr. Sketch

This post was sponsored by Mr. Sketch as part of a sampling activation from Crowdtap. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. All of my opinions are 100% my own.

    Honestly, before this I had never even heard of Mr. Sketch but I can say that we are definitely fans after receiving a box. My daughter adores them, she would sit there and sniff them all day like some kind of 5 year old coke addict if I would let her. (Please note: They're non-toxic!) 
    Moms everywhere can rejoice! It's a huge problem when companies make markers aimed at small children, knowing they will, at some point, and much to their parents' dismay, scribble on the walls, or maybe their own sibling and when you go to clean up the mess, oh, look at that, it won't budge. So, I'm very pleased that these are washable and non-toxic, just a quick wipe with a wet cloth and you're done! 

This photo is inaccurate, the licorice marker is black and the colors are more vibrant.

   The scents are really nice, except the licorice one. Come on, Mr. Sketch, you could come up with something better than that. I think our favorites are cherry, tropical punch, and blueberry, and of course the scent carries over to the paper when you color with them. These are also watercolor, so grab a small paintbrush and some water and voilà! A watercolor masterpiece. 
    Now, the only downside I've noticed is that while they claim these do not bleed through paper, they actually do, but let's be real, most markers are this way. Either way, they are still really fun!

    Mr. Sketch offers an array of markers: 10 pack, 12 pack, ice cream, movie night, and more. This particular one was the 10 pack and retails for $10.89 at Amazon, here.  Enjoy!

Marco Raffine Pencils

One of my passions is drawing and painting, I may not be the best at it but I love it. It's a huge stress reliever and very relaxing. So I'm always on the lookout for new and fun art supplies. I'd been searching for a nice set of watercolor pencils when I stumbled upon this set. While they're not exactly marketed as watercolor, they are definitely water soluble. 

As anyone who draws or paints knows, art supplies can be pretty expensive. I had an opportunity to try these out at a heavily discounted price for an honest review. Awesome, right?! I couldn't pass that up. 

So, first thing is this one is a set of 36 pencils and their Amazon page states it comes in a convenient tube  but mine came with a handy little wrap/case to store them in. The colors are not written on the pencil itself but instead there is a block of color at the bottom of each pencil so you know which shade you're grabbing. The company is in China so I'm assuming this is to avoid any language barrier that would possibly a problem with selling the product in other countries. They're also nontoxic. 

When drawn normally with a dry pencil, naturally the shade is fairly light and when applying more pressure it will be bolder. Not bad.
My favorite thing to do with these is use them as watercolors. Here is a photo of the different techniques I used to do this. There are so many ways to have fun with these pencils! 

These are currently $18.99 and you can find it here. 
Have fun and enjoy! 

Cassani Fogless Shower Mirror Review

I received this product for free for an honest review. These are 100% my own opinions and thoughts. 

The claim:

Well, this one is pretty obvious, that the mirror will not fog up during hot showers. They even have a 30 day money back guarantee. 

The price

$19.99 but currently as of 03/27/2016 it's on sale for $11.99 via Amazon at this link.

The contents:

One oval shaped mirror

One stainless steel hook 

One stainless steel razor hook 

The verdict:

The Cassani Fogless Shower Mirror passed my steam test with flying colors, my regular bathroom mirror did not. This thing is pretty amazing. I love that I can take it off of the hook to see hard to reach places when I'm shaving my legs and I also love that they included a bonus razor hook. These things don't budge once you have placed them onto your shower wall, which is one thing I was worried about because of so many other products I've tried in the past that fell down after about three showers. Not this one! So make sure you position it in the spot you want it to stay. 

In the end, it does exactly what they say it will, it's a great quality mirror, and I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a shower mirror for their own bathroom!

Snickers Crisper Review

*** I received this for free courtesy of SheSpeaks for an honest review. I am not affiliated with Mars or Snickers® in any way, nor was I paid for this review. These are 100% my own honest opinions. ***

When I read the email inviting me to try and review the new Snickers Crisper bars I was stoked! Who doesn't love Snickers? It has been one of my favorite candy bars since I was a little girl. Snickers Crispers have the usual peanuts and caramel but instead of the soft nougat like that of the original bar, this one has rice crispies in its place. 

The verdict? Meh...

Honestly, there's really not a lot to say about it. It doesn't taste that much different than the Snickers Xtreme, but doesn't have as much peanuts and caramel, and the crispies are pretty unremarkable. I'm unimpressed, it's not terrible but it didn't "wow" me. I will stick with my Snickers Xtreme.

If you want to give it a try, you can find them at your local Walmart or click the link here.

Time, Please Slow Down....

    My daughter is about to turn 5 next week and I am feeling quite emotional. Where has the time gone? What happened to my chubby cheeked little baby? Soon, come fall, she will be in kindergarten! It blows my mind and I wish I could freeze time. No, I am so not ready for this. Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not a helicopter parent, I do not hover over her and follow her every move. However, my baby is....no longer a baby and that is tough.

Where did this adorable baby go?

    Gone are the days of being able to carry her everywhere on my hip, cheering excitedly at every tiny milestone, kissing her little face repeatedly without her being the slightest bit embarrassed, now it will be homework, more tantrums, boys, ack....boys! I dread that day. No, Miss A, you may not date until you are 25! (In case you didn't pick up on it, breathe, I'm joking) One day she will be embarrassed to be seen with me instead of rushing up to me with her arms outstretched like I am the greatest thing since sliced bread, or in her case, Hello Kitty.

    I may miss the baby stage right now, but I know we are in store for many wonderful years together full adventures, hugs, laughter, and fun. I will get to watch her grow into a beautiful young lady and eventually a beautiful woman. She is smart, funny, and super creative with a love for painting, drawing, photography, clothes, and pink. So much pink. Seriously it looks like a bubblegum factory exploded in her room. She even insisted on putting a pink lightbulb in there, which makes me twitch but she absolutely loves.

    So here is to my beautiful, smart, hyper little girl. Happy birthday, sweetie! We all love you very much.

Gel Eyeliner Showdown!

Gel Eyeliner Show Down! 

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner vs L'Oréal  Paris Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner

Time for a beauty product show down! Today I'm reviewing and comparing Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner and L'Oréal Paris Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner. Points will be awarded on a scale from 1-5 for how long they last, how smoothly they can be applied, pigmentation, smudge factor, and water line potential. 

First up:

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 

Claim:

24 hours

Smudge proof 

Waterproof

Safe for sensitive eyes

Safe for contact lenses

Comes in 4 shades: Brown, Charcoal, Eggplant, & Blackest Black.

Price: $8.34 - $9.99

Available at Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Ulta, and Amazon.

Okay, so I chose this eyeliner in brown for my more neutral and natural looks. It is what I would describe as a muddy brown shade. It glides on pretty smoothly at first, and the brush is fantastic. However, the pigmentation is lacking and after a few days it dried up fairly badly , even with the lid screwed on tightly and it develops a clay-like texture and consistency. I wouldn't say that it lasts 24 hours, and it definitely isn't smudge proof. It is pretty waterproof though, so that is a plus. It didn't last long on my waterline. That was pretty disappointing.

Here's a photo of it applied onto my eyelid and waterline:

Score Card

Long lasting: 3

Smoothness of application: 2

Pigmentation: 3

Smudge proof: 2

Waterline potential: 1

Total: 11/25

The verdict:

I'll pass on this one. There's room for improvement and they need to change up the formula of this eyeliner before I'll ever give it another go.

L'Oréal Paris Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner 

Claim:

24 hours 

High shine lacquer finish

Smooth application

Safe for contact lenses

Safe for sensitive eyes 

Comes in 5 shades: 

Blackest Black, Bronze, Dark Slate, Espresso, & Navy

Available at Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Ulta, and Amazon.

Price: $7.20-$9.99

This one I chose in the shade Espresso. It's a nice, rich, brown-black color that definitely has a sheen to it. It glides on very smoothly and the pigmentation is wonderful. I love the brush that comes with it and it's easy to clean, I wipe them with baby wipes to get rid of any product buildup. I even like to use these brushes for my eyebrows, they're the perfect size and shape! This particular eyeliner doesn't dry out in the pot as easily as the Maybelline counterpart, no clay-like cakey mess. This one truly lasts for hours on end, even when I accidentally slept in it. (I know! Bad, bad!) I woke up with it mostly intact. It doesn't smudge that badly, but if you rub your eyes hard, it will naturally smudge a little. It's fairly waterproof but I don't think I'd go swimming with it on. It works amazingly well on your waterline, at least it did for me, and that is what impresses me the most. I have always had issues with eyeliner on my waterline smudging and just gliding off, but not this one! 

This is my all time favorite eyeliner.

Here's a photo of my other eye with it applied: 

Score Card

Long lasting: 5

Smoothness of application: 5

Pigmentation: 5

Smudge proof: 4

Waterline potential: 4

Total: 23/25

The verdict:

My absolute favorite eyeliner, it goes on smoothly, lasts for hours, and is gorgeous. There isn't really anything I'd want to improve. 

WINNER:

L'Oréal Paris Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner