Welch’s® Refreshingly Simple™

Hello everyone :* feeling muchas fabuloso thanks to Welch’s® Refreshingly Simple™ juice. Might sound a bit quirky, truth is: I am a major juice junky. My favorite was cranberry raspberry, now I am not so sure of that since trying this Strawberry Raspberry flavor of Welch’s® Refreshingly Simple™. I received a full bottle free in the mail to try along with a super cute sandwich case and coupons for more juice! It costs about the same, give or take as other brands as with the coupons the cost was definitely better so I could pick up all the juice I wanted. Always looking at labels to see which products have the best ingredients: no artificial sweeteners, preservatives, artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup—just simply wholesome deliciousness. This juice is made with real sugar. In fact, the strawberry raspberry contains: Filtered water, sugar, apple juice concentrate, grape juice concentrate, citric acid (for tartness), strawberry juice concentrate, vegetable juice (fr color), raspberry juice concentrate, fruit juice (for color) and natural flavor. What more could you ask for? Truth be told I have not come around to trying the other flavors just yet, though I still can't wait to! It also comes in Peach Mango, Concord Grape, Orange Pineapple Apple, and Passionfuit. Mmm passionfruit... I bet that one is good :D

We're all about finding the important things in life, that's relaxing with family and friends to enjoy the simply pleasant moments. Welch's Refreshingly Simply is just that. We don't have to worry about what affects there might be from what we are putting in our bodies thanks to the simple ingredient list this juice drink has. pure water with sugar and concentrated juices of deliciousness.

Christmas Celebrations

Right around the corner is New Year's Eve and thus the New Year is as well. We're all looking on Pinterest fun new ideas, yet so much has been done or is way complicated (think: Pinterest Fails 🍓🍯 💩😫😹). Just so happens Welch's has pinned some refreshingly simple ideas to Pinterest that are worth checking out. I am looking forward to freezing some of Welch's Refreshingly Simple into an ice cube tray ~ should be perfect in a glass of Sprite, sparkling  water, or new year's punch!

Spring4Wine with Club W

       Club W is an online company based out of California, they mail purchased wine in cases of three bottles to your home. It's pretty straightforward, you create your account on ClubW.com and select three bottles of wine, then check out! Club W makes it all fun with recommendations, promotional offers, and online extras.

What do I mean by that? How does it work?

       The recommendations come a few different ways. First, when you make your account for the first time they will have a little quiz to take, the first of the fun things that Club W has to offer. Based on this quiz, Club W will recommend three bottles of wine. Then you are able to choose those or any bottle of wine available on their site. Featured wines are marked down to $13 and the variety to choose from changes on the regular. Curator's Choice wines are marked $14+ and of course, the variety changes regularly. Once you have received your wines in the mail, log back in to Club W to rate them! These ratings are how Club W tailors their next recommendations, which we are not required to follow, you can still order any three wines of your choosing regardless of the recommendations. Their emails also tote:

"We want you to be happy.

Don't love a wine we recommend? That's okay, we'll replace it with another at no charge. Does your liquor store do that? ...Didn't think so."

       How they go about that process I do not yet know.

       The promotional offers seem to keep coming. You may or may not consider the displayed mark downs on the website as promotional pricing. What I am really referring to is Club W's offer to buy us all ;] a bottle of wine. They have been advertising the first bottle is free for all new members with promotional code and the promo slogans "The first bottle is on us" and "Let us buy you a bottle". The catch is that you must purchase three bottles at a time, so you still have to pay for two plus shipping. They drew my to their website with the enticement of a better offer: From Influenster free for testing purposes included in the Bella Voxbox is a promo code for a free bottle of wine with free shipping. That is with the $13 wine a savings of $20. I would still need to pay for the other two bottles coming out to about $28 after tax for all three bottles and shipping. To me that is more expensive than some cheap wine I can get at the grocery store, worth it for some new tastes in a elegant package delivered to my door? I think so! Getting mail is fun. Unfortunately I am just coming off of medical leave of absence at work, and after going so many months with no pay check due to this I just can't Spring4Wine right now.

       So I wondered, how long will my promo code last? There was no expiration date. So I signed up for the website and took the quiz, and went through all the way to the final check out to get the experience. I can say the website is a pleasure to navigate. I am no longer concerned with my promo code expiring either. Since I have made my account and opted into emails from Club W I have received many emails with the first bottle free offer, some that cover shipping too and some that don't. Promo codes cannot me combined and I do not know what they might offer after the first box of three has been purchased.

       Club W did show their patriotic side this Memorial Day weekend. To celebrate the weekend they advertised and emailed out a promo code for two bottles of free wine that could be used this passed weekend only. They may have new holiday promotionals in the future, only time will tell. For fun ideas to go with your weekend party Club W is a one stop shop with their online extras.

       Without having yet made a purchase I've been able to enjoy Club W with their blog The Juice at Juice.ClubW.com. On this blog site they have Stories, Recipes, the Tastemakers, and Jargon. Starting from the bottom, the Jargon section is full of definitions for all your wine terminology, even terms you may not have thought of, to really understand all the ins and outs of wine selection and tasting. The Tastemakers shows us all of the wine tasters that make up Club W with a little bit of their background as it applies to wine tasting. Fun to get to know a bit about the individuals that make it all work and really helps us know more about Club W in general aside from just a place to buy wine online. Under Recipes there are 27 pages of tantalizing recipes and suggested wines to pair with each one. Not to mention the recipes come with gorgeous photos.

       The final section on the blog is Stories, where they have subsections food, drink, and life. Here you will find blog posts that are fun, inspiring, informational, and full of tips. And yes, they are all wine related in some way. If you enjoy reading or looking at pictures, I recommend checking out their website for that at least. The more I see of Club W the more I like it, and I look forward to trying out some of their selection the next time I Spring4Wine!

Déjà Vu 'Do Style Extender

       We all know or have hear that one should not wash hair every day, yet it gets oily or limp and we feel that we need to. Not Your Mother's Déjà Vu 'Do Style Extender addresses this. It acts like a dry shampoo that you apply after a shower to towel dried hair. They recommend blowing drying hair afterwards, however I did not. I received a travel size NYM Déjà Vu 'Do Style Extender complimentary from Influenster for testing and review purposes. You can read other reviews for this product and more at  www.influenster.com.

       I first heard of the brand Not Your Mother's when I was working at an at home call center as a customer care representative for a beauty products retailer. NYM was a huge hit with most of the customers I spoke to, and everyone went nuts when there was a sale, these products always sold out quick. I had not personally tried any items by NYM Brand and was definite caught off by the name of it. They have a large array of products to choose from all with specific uses intended and customers that rave of them. I was excited to find out I would get to test the NYM Déjà Vu 'Do, and it lives up to the stigma. The travel size is easy to store yet you still won't run out too soon, because it only takes a nickles worth to coat your hair. That is what the directions described to use and I found it to work perfectly. I have medium-long hair that is somewhat thick. The first time I used it I was too slow and some if it dried on my hands so I had to squeeze for out of the tube. After that I made sure to apply it faster to avoid it drying before I finish applying it!


       The red apples and berries scent is wonderful. No chemical smell that many hair products have. My hair has quite a bit of heat damage as I used to straighten it regularly. In the photos you can still see my hair is a little frizzy, I used a 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner and then the NYM Déjà Vu 'Do with no other hair products to control frizz or anything of that nature.

Before

After

After

After

       Even in the rain the NYM Déjà Vu 'Do kept my hair from fully succumbing to the humidity and even after taking off my hat my hair did not go flat on me. It really does keep my hair from feeling oily so ladies we can give our hair and scalps a break from all the chemicals on our shampoos! I will definitely be buying one of these when I run out and will likely be checking out some of NYM's other much talked about hair care products. This smells so good and made my hair feel soft so that's a win to me.

Bella Voxbox

       Happy Mail Time!!!!! So excited that my second voxbox has come in from Influenster at the end of this April. I've spent the last week trying out all the products they sent, and loved them all. The Bella Voxbox was shipped to me free of charge and all items included are complimentary from Influenster for testing and review.

       The box included freebies for testing from brands Rimmel London, EcoTools, Dove Chocolate, Sally Hansen, Not Your Mother's, and Club W. The eBay card pictured is in reference to third in a set of Influenster eBay badges, the VIP Bonus eBay Badge. It has now ended, each badge would be earned by writing two eBay guides following a list of requirements. Much fun!

       Included from EcoTools is the Mattifying Finish Brush from their new Complexion Collection. As you can see it also came with a dollar off coupon for any brush in the collection. Each brush is a different price, the one they sent me would go for $8.99 normally. 

       This brush is good with pressed or loose powders. It does not pick up too much and lays it on evenly, not to mention super soft on the face. I would wear more make up just because it feels so nice to put it on with this! The bristles are made from recycled materials and the handle is bamboo. Just holding it gets me in the knit/crochet mood. Anyone that has used a bamboo hook or needle knows exactly why, it is so comfortable to hold. The band on the brush matches the package that it came in. I love that it is not disposable or waste, rather that it is a cute reusable case for this brush.

Before-- No makes up

       I managed to get a before and after photo with no other make up, just a translucent pressed powder as pictured above, applied with the Mattifying Finish Brush. The Cover Girl translucent blend powder matches my skin tone nearly perfectly, because of this I really only noticed a real color difference in the mirror and the photo around my eyes. I also noticed it does have a great matte effect, just as it claims. The powder was not heavy as when applied with the pad, I could still see the normal texture of my skin, minus oily shine. Another plus, it totally hid my acne, which I don't think can be seen in either photo (iphone photos LOL) I could definitely tell that difference in the mirror.

After-- wearing only translucent blend powder

       I mentioned that I could see the difference most around my eyes. The complexion collection does have a brush specifically for that purpose that I did not use. having always had trouble sleeping it seems I have permanent boxes around my eyes. Typically when apply a powder in a hurry, not trying to take a long time and paint my whole face, I find that I can inadvertently highlight the bags under my eyes by making the rest of my face look too light. Therefore I will try things like applying it heavier around my eyes or making use of different shadows. I don't prefer to wear a lot of heavy make up that would normally hide this sort of thing. I don't want to worry that I will look like a muppet if I end up touching my face for any reason. Or worse, have my husband trying to kiss my face while I was wearing multiple layers of different types of make up, you can imagine the scenarios for this. I definitely try to keep it simple and those are some of the reasons why. The Mattifiying Finish brush gives the perfect matte dusting on all areas of the face avoiding unappealing contrast as well as avoiding an unnatural look.

       Rimmel London included in the Bella Voxbox two new products from Kate Moss. Kate's Scandaleyes Mascara in Rocket Jet Black and Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate in shade 06. In the below picture I am wearing only the powder applied with the EcoTools brush and the two Rimmel products. The mascara was unbelievable easier to apply with the curved applicator. The item is only listed on their UK website right now, however the Scandaleyes Rockin' Mascara on the US site is very similar, has the same applicator. The Kate Scandaleyes also comes in a more subtle container, with a neutral color. I was able to get an even coat across all my eyelashes, that means no issues getting near the corners of my eyes with this mascara. I did not use an eyelash curler before applying the mascara in this photo, there is still a dramatic effect in my opinion. I think an eyelash curler would have helped the direction, I don't think that was fault of the mascara so much as it was the angle I held my head at. The outward direction makes my eyes look heavily lined, which is interesting. It definitely matches the look of the lipstick.


      I find that the shade 06 has a strong contract with my skin, I have it applied pretty lightly in this picture. The Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate has color options, including 017 which is a peachier, pinker version of this lipstick. Color contrast aside I still think the shade 06 is gorgeous and the lipstick color is so true. It does not fade off throughout the day or with a cup of coffee. After giving it a little time to set on my lips I am not worried about it coming off on my cup and when you want it to come off it does, no stain. It has a barely noticeable pleasant scent that  got used to quickly, then could not notice at all. This lipstick is not drying the way some lipsticks are, it leaves my lips feeling soft and smooth even if I do not apply a lip moisturizer or balm first. Funny story: Looking through the different shades they have available I realized that my current favorite lipstick is also a Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick. An older one though, shade 058 Drop of Sherry. Small world...

       The included Sally Hansen item is self tanner Airbrush Legs in medium. It left my legs feeling smooth while hiding spider veins. Not to mention it took the pasty-ness right out of my legs! I did not have any issues with streaking, although I felt like I had to use more than the directions suggested, I think they really mean to apply a nickle amount at a time and continue applying as needed. I am not a big person, and the nickle amount would just cover one fourth of one leg. I am rather pale and should have likely picked a shade lighter, I thought it looked nice, my husband advised me it brought an orange hue to my legs. At least he did not call my oompa loompa, I think the orange may be unavoidable with fake tan, no one wants to admit that! Over all a great product, I love that they call it leg make up. The way it hid my spider veins and felt so smooth and silky would be the biggest positives. I also felt an illusion of having more shapely legs with this extra color on. No pics of my legs here, I have one pic on instagram with the tanner on and on the Sally Hansen facebook page I have posted a before/after photo so you can really see the difference.

       Most fun to photograph was the Dove with Real Fruit. The requested a few types of photos and we were happy to oblige. I say we because we wanted to eat them. And I said no, not before my photos! LOL

       I took the first photo, Dove with Real Fruit blended. I "blended" it with Ancient Grains Cheerios. The mixture was actually really good, almost like a trail mix. Granted Cheerios are my favorite so that would be a bias. Hubby took the second photo, because he is great at getting the perfect focus and angle.The second photo theme was 'taking a break, where do you take a time out to enjoy Dove with Real Fruit?' I adore the way this photo came out. There is a before/after of the original and my Instagram edit. We did enjoy the rest of these chocolates after the mini photo shoot, and enjoyed an afternoon coffee break. In case anyone is dying of curiosity I can tell you that these are basically identical to the Brookside chocolate with fruit in the center. The Brookside appeared that it may have gone through more processing, however I think the true difference is that they come in different flavor varieties/options. So you are getting a different taste and texture experience due to use of different fruits, and of course the different chocolate brands may have slightly different texture and consistency.I did not find anything overly notable. These blueberry dipped chocolates are truly delicious and photogenic.

Side note*** The coffee in the french press is "Three Africas" a sample packet I received from Blue Bottle Coffee, and it was great with the chocolates and cheerios. 

       Not Your Mother’s® Déjà vu ‘Do™ Style Extender.Wow, this stuff is amazing. It smells wonderful, and it does what it is purposed to do. I am going to be creating a separate blog post all about this very soon with more pics and details. The separate blog post is actual a bonus task requested by the brand through Influenster, seems like a great idea because there is a lot to say about this product. For now I will tell you this: It smells amazing, leaves my hair feeling so good, and works so well I have used it every time I have washed my hair since they sent it and will likely be looking into other NYM Brand products. I have heat damaged hair, here in this picture I am wearing a hat and it is raining. Still my hair is looking its best and staying under control! (I say best and control LOL again I admit its a bit fried and heat damaged from hair straightening days of olde)

One of the "included" products was actually a promo code for an online purchase. I will also be making a separate post for this. The promo code is for a free bottle of wine with free shipping from Club W. They also gave a promo code that everyone can use, I posted it to twitter if anyone wants to check it out, the code is REFERME. It does have an expiration date, which is no longer viewable to me. When ordering from Club W you must order three bottles of wine to check out your order and have it shipped. I have lots more to say about Club W and my experience with them, I am going to save it for the separate post so that I have something else to write about. I have not actually ordered any bottles of wine from them. It was not made clear before hand that two bottles of wine would need to be purchased, and right now I just can't #Spring4Wine. Whenever I do I will be sure to come by and update my posts to reflect and expand on the topic. 

Feel free to check out my Instagram, twitter, and facebook for reviews and pictures. I also have an unboxing posted on youtube if you are feeling like a little audio ;)

End of April

       We are in the last two days of April now, and ready for May as we can be! Tomorrow is going to be a big day.... The past three or four weeks have truly been rainy, so I am expecting some flowers to bloom next week. Our sage has a big beautiful bud on it, which it did not get this year, I had been wondering if it was a flowering variety. The Sky has been prognosticating the late spring colors to come. The above picture was taken moments before the lower pink sky picture; right at sunset, which was expedient.

       Since I have been on leave of absence from work for the entirety of March and April, there has been a lot of free time to explore new things online. Trying to mimic the productive feeling and get my typing fix has been more difficult than I expected. On the bright side I have had much more time to focus on my herb garden than I would have otherwise. Although my Green Thumb husband really takes care of that and the rest of the plants. For more April photos, herb photos, and more, check out my Instagram page -- I'm always happy to see new followers on Instagram, I usually update at least a few times a week, on;y if I found something good to photograph of course :)

       I really have been spending a lot of time online, it's been driving hubby a little crazy, although I have been good to get off the electronic for the most part when we are spending time together, I need to get a little better about putting that phone down. Darn mobile internet! LOL

       Just at the beginning of March I made my Influenster account, learned I had a pretty decent "social impact score". It was not too difficult to get started as I have pre-existing Splashscore and Klout accounts, which follow similar processes. Since then I have created some new accounts one of which says I have low "social impact" so who knows? It's all fun. With Influenster I now have five campaigns active, one of being the anticipated Bella VoxBox. Talk about happy mail today, I had four freebie samples come in. The VoxBox which is complimentary for testing the products inside to review and complete the campaign activities for the product brands online. The jelly/preserve is such a cute little container! Funny to have strawberry preserve in a container the size of a strawberry! I received it for being the first of so many people to enter a Mother's Day Giveaway contest. My mother being over 800 miles away I did not mention it to her, I did not win the actual contest either. I did give it to my mother in law here, her favorite jelly is Strawberry and it was from entering a Mother's Day contest! I get so excited to get mail, its just fun and so refreshing to get a little gift rather than a bill or junk mail!!! The book there is a cook book from Australian Lamb. I signed up for it around the New Year, as well had my mother and sister (away for college so she would have her own mailing address) sign up to get one, so they should be getting their's soon! I believe my sister-in law signed up as well, so I expect she should be getting her's. The picture on the site appeared to be hard cover, which realistically would not have been sent out. This tight paperback is filled with colorful photos of the gorgeous entree recipes it reveals. All using lamb meat.

       Not pictured is a "seeds of change" coupon for one free product. Apparently they make a good sauce that I have not tried, although I have tried their rice packets. It has a bit of a distinct flavor from the spices used, I think it is good though! You just open the packet and stick it int he microwave (Please read the directions on the package first, I heated these once many months ago and might have mixed up the order of heating->opening!!!!) Its a mixture of grains including different lengths of rice and quinoa. 

       I can't wait to enter another post with details on the contents of this Bella VoxBox, I'll be trying all the products out this week and working on my other campaign activities in the interim. Heads up if you are reading this, don't miss next week's meteor shower!

Herbs in April

        We have tried getting a little more expansive on our herb garden this spring. My husband spruced up one of our corners by planting rosemary right in the ground. We covered the areas with river rocks and other flat rocks to reflect sunlight back at the plant while adding drainage.














       The rosemary came in an herb box with parsley and thyme. We replaced the rosemary with spicy globe basil and added a few peppermint cuttings to add color. It was fin too add little rocks to the box, creating a rock/herb garden.

I could not resist getting a picture of our first basil sprout and little miss chick there. I always seem to forget the name of the chicken breed, She doesn't get any bigger than that though. The basil sprout is spicy globe basil, growing from seeds that came off of last year's basil plant. 

     

       You can see my husband's hand just barely  in the above picture, working on the spot for the rosemary. The weather has been perfect for everything to grow this spring. The clover pat ches have come to life, I can't believe how many four leaf clovers my husband picked for me. That beautiful green and purple is made of some wild violets with henbit that I picked with a friend's daughter, we set them in a bowl of water. Beside the front door we have lavender and beside it peppermint cuttings; which have really been taking off. I can't wait until they bud as well, showing off their purple too!

Samples Incoming

        I have received some new free samples in the mail today, yay! To me, mail is always a pleasant surprise, and when that mail contains goodies its a bonus. If you don't already sign up for free samples it is as easy as clicking a link to fill out a form in many cases. Today I received a late Pinch Me box from March from PinchMe.com and my Welcome Kit from BzzAgent (pronounced Buzz-Agent) of BzzAgent.com.

       My Welcome Kit contained a cute info booklet and a free magnet. The magnet you can see pictured is a thin type and stronger than it looks, we already have it holding a coupon on the fridge. I will have to upload a couple photos of it and tell them about some word of mouth reviews I give people about the kit. This blog post not counting as one of those reviews. 

       Pinch Me sent me a sample of Gevalia Coffee, equal with a coupon, and a coupon for Olay Body Wash. The equal with coupon and Olay coupon I gave to my sister in law. her room mate does not do sugar and I won't use equal. We shop for body wash mainly as Sam's Club where the coupon can't be used. The Gevalia Coffee though I was very happy to get another sample of, they definitely persuaded me that it is a good quality and good flavored coffee.