Aveeno Positively Radiant Night Cream Review!

I am in LOVE with this Night Cream!! Now that might be quite a dramatic statement to make however I feel as if it transformed my skin for the better :-D

I received this night cream to try via Influenster. If you don't already know, Influenster is a fantastic program! It's free to join, you fill out surveys to earn badges, and based on your interests you can become eligible to test out great products (for free) in exchange for an honest review  Awesome right?! Sign up here: www.influenster.com  I'm really happy I was selected for this test & review because I have found a great Night Cream that I might have otherwise neglected while browsing the aisles at the drugstore. 

What makes this Night Cream special?
I love the fact that it is light yet very moisturizing without making my combination skin greasy or oily! It goes on like a dream, my skin soaks it right up, and the consistency is lovely! The Aveeno Positively Radiant line claims to give you an extra boost on all 5 factors of Radiance (Tone, Texture, Dullness, Blotchiness, and Brown Spots), and the Total Soy Complex boosted with tone-evening vitamin B3 to help keep you looking fresh and luminous. Sounds great right?! Does it live up to the hype? From my experience YES! My face looks for a lack of a better word- Radiant, glow-y, and healthy :-D It is an oil free formula, yet moisturizes to perfection. I highly recommend this Night Cream especially for the low price (compared to others) of approximately $16-17. It's worth giving it a whirl because just like me you might discover a new holy grail Night Cream!

Any cons?
I think this moisturizer is lovely, the only negative aspect (but it just might be me, since it has to do with preference) is the scent. The cream smells very "clean" like a soap, or a cleanser. This doesn't bother me, or make or break the product, but I would prefer a different scent (I personally like anything citrus-y). However this clean, fresh scent might be something that you absolutely love especially if you have heavily scented products.

I love Aveeno as brand! They make fantastic skincare products that are easily accessible at the drugstore for a price that can't be beat. I have been using the Aveeno positively radiant skin brightening scrub for years and I'm excited to try more products from the line in the future.

What's your favorite Aveeno product?

Thanks for Reading & Following!
XO-Angelika

*Thank you Influenster for selecting me to try & review this product!
-The review is my honest opinion and was not influenced in any way.

SweetHeart Influenster Beauty VoxBox!

Hi!

If your active on social media then you all have probably heard of the wonderful company Influenster! In turn for an honest review you get to test out a bunch of amazing products! What more can we ask for? I was one of the lucky individuals who received the Sweetheart VoxBox and I am excited to share my thoughts about the items included! Let's get started...

Olay Fresh Effects Va-Va-Vivid Powered Contour Cleansing System & Shine Minimizing Cleanser:

-This was the items I was most excited to try out when I opened the box! I really enjoyed testing it out and I hoped it would be a good dupe/replacement for a Clarisonic. Now, I have never tried the famous Clarisonic however I would imagine the effects I got with the Olay Va-Va-Vivid to be extremely similar. This product might seem like a gimmick at first and some might not want to incorporate a cleansing tool into their skin routine, but I think it's a nice luxury feeling step that your skin will thank you for and the best part is that it is only $12.99 compared to the $100+ Clarisonic. As for the Shine Minimizing Cleanser, I admit it is a good cleanser however I think people with oily skin would benefit from it more than me (I have combination dehydrated skin.) My skin felt stripped after trying it out and I prefer more moisturizing cleansers. 

Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response:

-As unbelievable as it might sound, I was quite excited to try out this deodorant because I tend to sweat...a lot (TMI?) Anyways, this seemed to work much better than the deodorant I was previously using (Dove) because not only did it smell lovely but it reduced my amount of sweat. I really love the fact that I was not sweating as much and avoiding the embarrassing sweat stains however I am concerned about the fact that this deodorant among many contains Aluminum as its main ingredient and I won't go into details right now but   essentially it isn't good for you. Another concern I have is that yes while it's good to not sweat buckets, is it really good to keep the sweat trapped? Sweating is a form of ridding the toxins from your body so in a way it can be seen as a positive. Hmm... let me know what you think but I will do more research and maybe get back to you on this in a future blog post. 

Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray:

-I seriously squealed when I saw the sample size of the sea salt spray because I wan't to try it forever but never got around to it. I love beachy waves so I was very exited to try this product out and I was not disappointed! With a few spritzes my natural waves became more defined and it added a nice texture. This product is great for lazy days because I can just spray this in, scrunch my hair and be good to go. I love the effortless yet put-together effect this has on my hair. I am very impressed with the brand as well, for the price ($6) I think this sea salt spray is fantastic and I am excited to try out a few more products from the line in the future. 

Skinnygirl Daily On-The-Go Bars

-I am a big fan of any type of bar that I can throw in my purse and eat later when I don't have time to get lunch, I run out the door without getting breakfast, or as a yummy yet relatively healthy-ish snack. The flavor of the Skinnygirl bar I got was "Greek Yogurt Blueberry Crisp" and to sum it up in one word, it was delicious. I think the flavor is really unique, it was a good size, and it satisfied my hunger/sweet tooth :-) The ingredients aren't horrible for you, so no reason to feel guilty in indulging as well. 

Are guys Influenster members? I hope you enjoyed my mini reviews!

*I received the Influenster VoxBox for free

Let me know if you have any questions about the products or the Influenster program!

Thanks for Reading & Following! Make sure to check out my YouTube Beauty Channel :-D

XO-Angelika

♡Spring Beauty Wishlist♡ 2013

Hi!
So... I thought it would be super fun to share the products I am lusting over! I love looking at wishlists because they are a great source of inspiration :-D Let me know what products your eyeing this Spring!

In no particular order, these are the products that have me drooling :-D

♡HourGlass Ambient Lighting Powder "Diffused"

♡YSL "Le Orange" Rouge Pur Couture LipStick

♡Lorac Pro Palette 

♡Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask 

♡Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara

♡Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer

♡Maybelline Vivids "Fuschia Flash" LipStick

♡St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse

♡Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter

♡Mac "Stars N Rockets" EyeShadow

I hope you enjoyed seeing the products I am dying to test out! Should I do a Spring Fashion Wishlist? Let me know along with your beauty wishlist! 

Thank you for Reading, Following, & Subscribing!

XO-Angelika

Worth the Hype: Buxom Lip Creams!

Hey Everyone!

Recently I have been obsessing over the Buxom Lip Creams which you can find at Sephora for $19. It might seem quite pricey for a lip-gloss especially since there are so many great drugstore lip products nowadays but this one is definitely worth the splurge! I currently own 2 but I am itching for a 3rd (however I am going to try to restrain myself for as long as possible because I really need to save my $.)

I first heard about the Buxom Lip Creams from Michele1218 (love her!) She raved about the lipgloss specifically in the color White Russian (a beautiful nude shade) and almost always loving her recommendations i knew I had to try it out! After a little bit of research, I discovered that "White Russian" has received a lot of hype and was hard to get a hold of because it supposedly was always sold out. I luckily managed to find one in my Sephora and it was love at first try! 

These lipglosses don't have any shimmer which I personally prefer (and as you can probably tell by the name of the product being lip cream.) However they make up for the lack of shimmer in the beautiful high gloss shine they provide the lips! Absolutely gorgeous in my opinion! The consistency is amazing, ultra smooth and not sticky. The staying power is quite good considering it's a gloss and they feel very luxurious. A possible con that I would say about the lipgloss is that it is supposed to be plumping and thus leaves your lips with the cooling/minty feel, which personally does not bother me but I know that not everyone is a fan of the "plumping" feature. 

The other day I was exploring Sephora as I find myself doing every so often and unintentionally I found myself next to the Buxom lipglosses. I couldn't resist the temptation to play around with the other colors in the range which unfortunately is limited to only 7. I first tried the shade "creamsicle" a very pretty peach sorbet color, but than I was intrigued by the red "cherry flip" because it looked as if it would be a softer red (if you know what I mean) I tried it on and I adored the way it looked! If you are not comfortable wearing red lipstick but love the idea of red lips than this product is for you! It tints your lips to a beautiful natural looking red, the shine is incredible, and after the initial gloss wears off you are left with a extremely subtle red tint! It was perfection and I could not leave the store without purchasing it! 

I highly recommend you try these lipglosses out the next time your in Sephora! The Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Creams have become one of my holy grail lip products and I am very excited to get a few more colors in the future. 

Have you tried these glosses? What did you think of them? What color is your favorite?

Thank you so much for reading, following, and commenting! 

XO-Angelika

Party Nails! 10 Ideas for New Years Eve :-)

Hey everyone!!!! Happy New Year! I hope you all have a wonderful night ringing in 2013 :-D I am working on editing a fun nail art tutorial featuring 10 design ideas that are perfect for any glamourous party occasion (or for whenever you want to add a bit of sparkle into your day :-))  As you all probably know editing takes a lot of time and I am not sure if I can finish and upload by tomorrow (blame my job!!! HaHa) Anyways it is going to go up asap (better late than never) and since these designs can be used for any fun event you can refer to the video anytime of the year :-D I wanted to give you guys a sneak peak of the tutorial, and since these ideas are super easy you can most likely recreate the look (just by looking at the pictures) without my explanation in the tutorial or step by step instructions :-D

I hope you like the designs as much as I do :-D
What are you going to be rocking on your nails for New Years Eve?
XO-Angelika

Naked Nail Polish?!

Naked Nail Polish?! When I first heard that Urban Decay was coming out with a Naked inspired nail polish set I couldn't help but be excited since I adore the Naked 1 and 2 (some of my favorite eye-shadow palettes!) The promo pictures look gorgeous however when I saw the set in-stores I was a little disappointed. You get 6 neutral polishes for $26, which seems like a pretty good deal but... the bottles are tiny (baby nail-polish size,) and from the reviews I read the formulation is not great (chips fast, goopy.) On the other hand the colors are opaque and look gorgeous on (as seen in the pic below.) The color on the ring finger looks fantastic (my favorite from the set!) 

I personally cannot give you my opinion on the quality of the polish because I did not test them out. If I do, I will update the post :-) The colors are all neutral tones and the finish ranges from glitter, metallic, cream, and shimmer. The 6 shades offered in the kit are: Hustle, Naked, Smog, Toasted, Creep, & Sidecar (all inspired by colors from the Naked eye-shadow palettes!) The original Naked palette was so popular (with good reason because it is superb) however I feel as if Urban Decay is using the fantastic best selling eye-shadows to market other sub-par products because they will sell due to the hype around the Naked products. It's a good marketing tactic, and hey, they are making $$! However I don't feel as the newly released Naked Basics and Naked Nail Set are must haves (they are nice products, but not revolutionary.) If you are a fan of neutral polish colors then check the nail set out next time your in Sephora, Ulta, or at a Urban Decay counter! I personally prefer bold, fun, bright nail colors so this product is not a must have for  me and my nail polish collection. However I must admit, I am tempted to try the kit out since I adore the Naked shadows! I am a sucker for hyped up products so we shall see...

What do you guys think of the Naked Nail Set? Did you try it out? What color do you like best? Let me know via comment or email :-D

Thank you so much for reading, following, and commenting!
Please check out my YouTube videos!

XO-Angelika

Relax & De-Stress!

The holidays can be a hectic time of the year, especially if you are a student and have to deal with finals on top of holiday shopping, and festive activities! It can drive anyone crazy so in my opinion it's a good idea to give yourself a pat on the back and reward/treat yourself for a job well done! Today I finished my holiday shopping and finals, and I wanted to share a few of my favorite ways to unwind (you can apply these ideas to anytime of the year and not just for finals week and holiday craziness!) So without further ado, idea #1 is...

 Have a Spa Night!

I adore spa nights! Take the extra time to pamper yourself from head to toe. Light a few candles, apply a hair and face mask, and relax with your favorite magazine. I recommend the Bath and Body Works candles (especially if you can get them with the 2 for $20 deal!) These will make your room smell amazing! My favorite face mask of the moment is the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask, it will draw out all the impurities from your skin, and make it feel baby smooth! (Let me know if you want a more in-depth review on the mask, because it is amazing!) Lastly the hair mask I have been loving is the Macadamia Deep Repair Mask.  It has a super thick consistency, it will nourish and revive your hair, make it feel super soft and healthy! I adore having my own spa nights!

Luxurious Mani/Pedi!

You might paint your nails a few times a week but it probably does not feel like a salon experience. I love taking the extra time every once in a while to go the extra mile in terms of a mani/pedi! Meaning I exfoliate, moisturize, massage, buff and shape my nails, and paint them a fun color. Right now I am loving Essie Aruba Blue (a beautiful shimmery royal blue shade.) As for a step by step procedure, check out my "Get Sandal Ready Feet: A How To Pedicure" video, where I show you the products I like to use and how I use them to achieve amazing at home results!

Calming Bubble Bath!

I love taking bubble baths (especially when I get to use Lush products) however it's hard to find the time to have a relaxing bath when you have a hectic schedule. Make it a mission this week to take an extra 30 minutes and have a spa worthy bubble bath! Light a few candles, get your favorite bath products ready, as-well as a fun book (optional) and RELAX! I am loving the Lush Cinders Bath Bomb, and the book I am currently reading is  Pretty Little Liars: Stunning. After your amazing bubble bath, apply a rich body moisturizer such as The Body Shop Body Butter (my favorite scent is coconut) and enjoy the rest of your night!

Movie Night!

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I love movie nights! I am a huge movie buff, and watching a good movie is one of my favorite things to do (that makes Netflix my BFF.) Pick the movie you are interested in, I adore comedy, adventure, and romantic movies (all time favorite is Titanic!) Make a bowl of popcorn (or your favorite treat,) put on a pair of pj's or your favorite "comfy" lounge clothes and enjoy! Option: invite your friends over and have fun watching the movie together!

Having a little "me" time is important, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post on how I like to relax and unwind after a hectic week. What do you guys like to do to treat yourself? A night out with your girlfriends? A new makeup item? Let me know in the comments so we can all share our ideas with each other :-D

Thank you so much for reading, following, and commenting!
Please check out my YouTube channel for beauty videos :-D

Happy Holidays,
XO-Angelika