Changes to blog....

In addition to my inspirational posts I will be using my blog from now on to also write reviews for sites such as Influenster, Smiley 360, BuzzAgent, etc. I have been very fortunate to get many products from these sites to test out and review. The first post, this post, is to highlight the sight Influenster and mention the VoxBox I recently received from them. If you are interesting in joining any of the sites I mention please leave me a comment and I will be more than happy to relay additional information to you!

"Influenster is an exclusive community for trendsetters to share news,products, and reviews with the opportunity to be rewarded by brands." The site is invite only but you can often find people posting on Influenster's Facebook with available invites. The site itself is easy to navigate and extremely easy to get started with. The goal on the site is to increase your Influenster score by earning badges, writing reviews, inviting active members, and being active on the site. The higher your score the better your chances at receiving one of their amazing VoxBoxes. A VoxBox includes several items for the person receiving it to check and review. All items are yours to keep and most are full size products.

Recently, I was able to become a lucky recipient of Influenster's Rose VoxBox. This VoxBox was packed full of incredible products including:

• Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara $5.99, 
• Dr. Scholls For Her Cozy Cushions $12.49, 
• Kiss Gradation Nail Polish avg cost $6.99, 
• Vitabath In Bloom Beach Blossoms lotion avg. cost $7.99, 
• sample of Belvita breakfast bisquits, & 
• one yummy Lindt chocolate!!! 

The Vitabath lotion was only sent out to 1,000 oh so lucky Influensters so I am very happy to see I received a bottle.

I will be reviewing some of these products individually and have already posted my review of the mascara on here. Thanks for checking out my blog and posts and hope you like some of the changes I'll be making! I am also contemplating on posting about freebies, deals, and other things as well as I am a huge fan of getting free samples in the mail! 

Influenster Rose VoxBox Part 1...

For this first review I am going to give you my review of the Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara!!! This mascara just hit shelves this month (November) so you guys are in luck!!

I'll admit I am pretty addicted to mascara but I have a really hard time finding a kind that works well with my eyelashes. I have pretty long eyelashes already and I find that with most mascara turns them into a massive congested traffic jam of lashes that eventually causes a head on collision with each other. In other words, the lashes all clump together and just do not look pretty. The Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara claims to give you a bold, wide-eyed look with no clumps so I was excited to receive this to try out. The brush is shaped like an hourglass and it's stated on the back of the container that the brush is "shaped to the lash line to plump lashes, fanning them up and out" and "coats lashes individually for a big, false lash look in one simple stroke. No clumps"! Sounds perfect, doesn't it? Even better the mascara has been tested and approved for sensitive eyes. Not sure who would put this stuff in their eyes but more power to you if that's your thing! I'm glad I wasn't a test subject for that. Ok, yes, I was being a tad bit facetious about that. I do have sensitive skin but have never had problems with mascara. Either way it is nice to know that it is fine to use on sensitive eyes if you have had bad reactions to mascara before. 

Again the brush is an hourglass shape and can be seen in the picture to the right of this. It is also quite large and chunky. I thought at first that this was going to be a sign of bad things ahead. I don't know about all of you but I have a hard time not getting mascara on the top of my eyelids and below my bottom lashes when applying mascara. I thought for sure that having a bigger brush was more likely to cause this to happen. Surprisingly, when I first used the mascara I did not get mascara anywhere but on my eyelashes! Talk about earning extra brownie points for that! 

When I completed putting on the mascara I was even more surprised to not find a total eyelash pile up. No need to call in the tow truck to pull them apart and get them all lined up in an orderly fashion (fyi, tow truck = eyelash comb I usually have to use to separate them). One coat equaled perfection. I'll give the mascara 100 brownie points for that! 

Last part was waiting to see how it dried and if it lasted throughout the day. A lot of mascara will begin to flake off the second it dries and nobody likes that! This mascara dried and stayed put. On top of that it lasted throughout the day and did not create a disastrous massacre on my face when I rubbed my eye. Unlimited brownie points for both of those amazing feats. 

All in all, I would say I think I have found my new favorite mascara. While these were my results and may differ from person to person, I highly recommend trying the mascara out for yourself. You have nothing to lose but wasted minutes from using another brand of mascara that takes a lot longer to use or several coats to get the look you want!

Here are pictures of each eye where one has no mascara and the other I used Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara. Sorry they are not the best quality but I think you can tell just how amazing this mascara from them! 

without mascara :(

with mascara :)

**I received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster! This review is my personal opinion of the Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara and I was not compensated or paid for this review. 

Links:

Influenster Webpage

Influenster Facebook Page

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara

Be Kind, Be Generous, Be You...

"It is important from time to time to slow down, to go away by yourself, and simply be."

"Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution."
 

"All of the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on."

 Dream~Wish~Believe

"Anything worth having is worth fighting for."

 "Adventure is worthwhile in itself."

 "You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too."

 "A hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people."

 The power of positivity.
“The day is what you make it! So why not make it a great one?”

"Believe in yourself! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."

 "Always be a little kinder than necessary."

 "There is no end to the adventure we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."

 "Aim above morality.  Be not simply good, be good for something."

 Lift others up!

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations in this life that no one can sincerely help another without helping himself."

Be generous!

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

 "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall." 

 Commitment!
"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."

 Make time for play!

"If you make friends with yourself you will never be alone."

©http://dreamcometruecareeradvice.tumblr.com/

Dare to be unforgettable.

In life, we think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem. The real truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together for a time, then they fall back apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. Let the hard things in life break you. Let them affect you. Let them change you. Let these hard moments inform you. Let this pain be your teacher. The experiences of your life are trying to tell you something about yourself. Don’t cop out on that. Don’t run away and hide under your covers. Lean into it.What is the lesson in this wind? What will you learn if you face it with courage? With full honesty, and – lean into it.

Screw what the world expects. Think about all the things you’ve faced. You cracked, but you didn’t break. You’re still standing. I’d call that fearless.

Dare to be unforgettable. The time to be bold is now. What lights you up? Do more of that. There’s no one like you. You have a big, bold, bodacious idea inside you- unleash it now. View the world like an artist: make great art. Amaze yourself. You are the platform. The world awaits your magic. AUTHENTIC TRUMPS FAKE. Every. Single. Time. Be your own deliciously irresistible self. Make it juicy. Procrastination is just another word for fear. Fame is not is not the goal. Doing work that matters on the big stage is. Step into the light. Celebrate every day. It’s fuel for the spirit. Fear is a signal that you are alive. Respect it, but don’t be ruled by it. Smash the status quo. You don’t become a hero by being like everybody else. Light your flame. Passion rules. If you don’t feel it, don’t do it. Be ridiculously reliable for what matters most. Make it happen. Be unforgettable.

 The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risk, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.

 Being tender & open is beautiful. As a woman, I feel continuously shhh’d. Too sensitive. Too mushy. Too wishy washy. Blah blah. Don’t let someone steal your tenderness. Don’t allow the coldness & fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart. Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to be truly affected by things.

You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest, and if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining.

Is it better to take silly chances, than it is to regret making silly mistakes?

 And if I could tell you one thing, it would be: you are never as broken as you think you are. Sure, you have a couple of scars, and a couple of bad memories, but then again, all great heroes do.

Dating doesn’t have to be hard. People are just so scared. We say things like “it’ll find me,” but that’s just our excuse to stay semi-closed off and not appear bitter or afraid. The truth is, we need that romance, we all long for that connection, and the opportunity to be with somebody we don’t have to hide from. When the world is coming at you from all kinds of angles, it’s nice to have a refuge. Someone you can only go to when you want life to feel “right”, even if it’s only for five minutes. There is no perfect timing: you’ll never experience enough, make enough, or know enough to be “ready”, so find somebody you can grow with. The more your fears control you, the less authentic your love will be. People can’t find and connect with parts of you that you aren’t willing to show. Opening up won’t kill you. Don’t ruin the potential good thing by being stuck on the bad ones from your past. Show some effort, and act  like you really want to be happy. Step outside of that comfort zone, but don’t take too long. Always remember: a chance is a terrible thing to waste.

Don't stop looking...

People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descend like fine weather if you’re fortunate. But happiness is the result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it , and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly.

Some day, we will find what we are looking for. Or maybe we won’t. Maybe we will find something much greater than that.

There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroad, afraid, confused, without a road map. The choices we make in these moments can define the rest of our days. Of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back.

We get bored with childhood, and rush to grow up, and then long to be children again. We lose our health to make money and then lose our money to restore our health. By thinking anxiously about the future, we forget the present, such that we live in neither the present or the future. We live as if we’ll never die and die as though we’ve never lived.

I’ve learned that you can’t fight for anybody else. You’ve got to fight for yourself and hope like hell that you survive.

Just when we think we figured things out, the universe throws us a curve ball. So, we have to improvise. We find happiness in unexpected places. We find ourselves back to the things that matter the most. The universe is funny that way. Sometimes, it just has a way of making sure we wind up exactly where we belong.

You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world. But you do have some say in who hurts you.

Wait for the person who pursues you, the one who will make an ordinary moment seem magical, the kind of person who brings out the best in you and makes you want to be a better person. Wait for the person who will be your best friend, the only person who will drop everything to be with you at any time, no matter what the circumstances.

But once in awhile, people push on to something better. Something found just beyond the pain of going at it alone and just beyond the bravery and courage it takes to let someone in. Or to give someone a second chance. Something beyond the quiet persistence of a dream.

Chasing the Sunlight...

Sometimes, we are so busy chasing the sunlight, 

that we forget that the darkness is chasing us.

You are loved. You are valuable. 

You are crafted with beauty and purpose. 

 and this world needs you. 

There is no one like you. 

You don’t need to look like the rest, 

or talk like the rest, 

or be like the rest. 

There is no truth in the lie that you don’t matter. 

The world needs you as you are. 

You are loved and you were put here for a reason. 

You were not an accident. 

You are not a mistake.

Never forget what you are. 

The rest of the world will not. 

Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you

Yes, I am a Christian. 

Yes, I can be the biggest hypocrite ever. 

 I backslide, I stumble. I fall. 

I stray onto the wrong path. 

But God is working in me. 

I may be a mess, but I’m His mess. 

And He is slowly straightening me out. 

And the day will come when I will be by His side,

 His work in me completed. 

And until that day, 

I will take His hand, 

and let him do in me whatever needs to be done,

no matter how painful it will be for me. 

When He is finished, it will be all worth it.

You’re going to come across people in your life 

who will say all the right words at all the right times. 

But in the end, 

it’s always their actions you should judge them by.

It’s actions, not words, that matter.

In spite of everything, 

I still believe that people are really good at heart.

People think that being alone makes you lonely,

but I don’t think that’s true.

Being surrounded by the wrong people

is the loneliest thing in the world.

Our lives are storybooks that we write for ourselves;

wonderfully illustrated by the people we meet.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, 

and don’t put up with people that are reckless with yours.

Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made

or dark images you hold about yourself. 

They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; 

your wholeness when you are broken; 

your innocence when you feel guilty; 

and your purpose when you are confused.

Make each new day count by helping someone 

or just making someone smile.

~~~~