Caliente VoxBox Review

Hi! I received another VoxBox last month, but before I gave my verdict on these products, I wanted to try them out for several weeks. 

1. Rice Krispies Treats Blasted S'mores: Of course, this was the first thing I tried. It was delicious. I actually ended up buying a box of these, but they disappeared so fast that now I'm scared to bring them home. They are super tasty and I definitely recommend them.

2.Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch Sunscreen SPF 30: I liked this. It was lightweight and smelled really good. However, I have many other sunscreens with higher SPF and that are easier to apply (spray). I do recommend the product, it's just that it isn't the best out there in the market.

3.Kiss Gel Fantasy: They're not really my style (I found them quite tacky) and I struggled finding the right size for every fingernail. However, they were quite easy to apply and my manicure lasted a lot longer than just painting them. I might try to find another style that better suits my taste.

4.Dove Pure Care Dry Oil: I usually don't enjoy oils, but I enjoyed using this one. You need the tiniest amount, so this will last me a long time. Not sure I would repurchase because I have so many hair products to go through, but this is worth checking out if you're in the market for a new hair oil.

5. Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting BHA Liquid: This is the product that held me back from reviewing this box earlier. It claims to shrink enlarged pores and unclog them in addition to increasing its radiance. It also has a 2% salicylic acid. To be honest, I didn't see any immediate results from this. I've been using it once a day for the past 2 weeks and I still haven't seen a noticeable difference. I guess we'll see if my opinion changes, but so far I wouldn't recommend it.



Stay on the look out for a new post next week! I've been terrible at keeping up with this blog, but I have been posting my favorites over at my Luvocracy page. Check it out!

Review: Neutrogena Naturals Night Cream and Acne Spot Treatment

Hello again, everyone!

For the past 5 months I've been trying out two of the products from the Neutrogena Naturals line and I'm going to review them for you today.

The first thing I tried was the Neutrogena Naturals Multi-Vitamin Night Cream. I have oily skin, but before using this cream my face was really dehydrated and even had some dry patches. I decided to pick this up because the price didn't seem to bad compared to other drugstore options (it was around $13 at Walmart). In addition, I liked the claims it made and the fact that it is mostly a natural product made this even more attractive. Anyway...after the first time I used this I already saw visible results. My dry patches disappeared in less than a week and my skin felt so soft! I've seen a lot of people complain about the odor of this product, but personally I love it. It absorbs really quickly into the skin, but it's thick enough to feel the moisture. 

Bottom line is that I really love this and I am kind of sad that I only have a few more uses out of it. I won't be repurchasing this right now because I bought the L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector day/night cream to shake things up and try something new, but I know what this is a product I can count on in the future. I recommend this product to anyone, especially if you have young skin and you really just want to keep it looking healthy and moisturized. 

The Acne Spot Treatment, however, is another story. With only 1% of salicylic acid, this product was not effective at all. I would use this to treat active breakouts and to prevent some for coming out but it wouldn't really do either one. It left a white residue once it dried out and left my skin feeling rough where I applied it. You would think that the fact that it is drying is good (after all that's what we want it to do to our spots) but it did nothing to them! I'm all in for natural products, but they have to be effective. This one is definitely a skip in my opinion!

P.S. I bought the store brand of the Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 Acne Medication and it works like a dream! It has 10% Benzoyl Peroxide so it's pretty strong (but effective). Good alternative if salicylic acid isn't working for you. 

Hope this was somewhat helpful to all of you. If you have experiences with these products or have any recommendations on what I should try next, leave them in the comments!

Gabriela xx

Review: ZonePerfect® Greek Yogurt Bars

A few days ago I got my first ever VoxBox from Influenster. I was really excited because not only I was going to try new products, but also because the theme of my box is very relevant to my weight loss goals. 

Among the products included in this box was one of these ZonePerfect® Greek Yogurt Bars (in the Yogurt Vanilla Berry flavor, one of three flavors). It was a full-size bar in it's original packaging just like displayed under this text.

Now, let's get to the review. At first I was a bit skeptical because I'm one of the pickiest eaters of all time. I don't like berries and I don't particularly like yogurt. However, I decided that I needed to try them in order to pass a legit judgement on them. I do not regret doing so because these were pretty good.

They have a very strong berry flavor which was overwhelming at first but it also combines really well with the greek yogurt. The texture is not too solid, but not soft either, which I enjoyed. The appearance of the bar itself isn't the most attractive, but as long as the flavors are there, I can look past that.

Compared to the chocolate or peanut butter protein bars I like to eat, these aren't exactly the tastiest, but they are a great option if you're a fan of combining yogurt and berries. In terms of nutrition, I was pretty good. Nothing impressive, but it wasn't bad.

180 calories

12g of protein

3g of fiber

5g of total fat

22g of carbohydrate

15g of sugar

I think the calories are a bit much compared to other bars, as well as the sugar. I wish it had more fiber, too. However, this snack overall was satisfying enough to hold me for a couple of hours in between my meals, which is all I ask for in a protein or fiber bar. 

Overall, it's a much better option that eating a muffin or just a regular candy bar as a snack. These are easy to eat on the go and make you feel like you've made a smart decision by eating them. I haven't seen these at my local grocery store, but if you do I suggest you pick them up and give them a try because I do not regret trying them. Can't wait to try the chocolate one!

Rating: 8/10

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

REVIEW: Opinion Outpost

Today I got a bit of a different review for you guys. After seeing SO many youtubers mention this website called Opinion Outpost I decided to give it a try because why not? I spend most of my time on the computer so I might as well earn some money from it just by answering surveys and giving my opinions.

 My favorite thing about this website is that it lets you exchange the points you earn for the reward that better suits your needs. For example, every 50 points you earn a $5 Amazon gift card, every 100 you earn a $10 iTunes gift card or every 50 you can make a $5 donation to the American Red Cross. Personally, I get my rewards through PayPal ($10 every 100 points) because I buy a lot on eBay and you can transfer your PayPal balance to your bank account so getting rewarded through PayPal is the most versatile way to get your money.

A lot of people get scared with websites that claim to give you money for taking surveys because they think they are scams (which most of them are) but this one is very reliable and safe. I've been using it for more than 6 months and have enjoyed it a lot. Another thing that's different about this website is that you can get rewarded pretty easily. Other similar websites only pay you very small amounts of money per survey and you have to get to a pretty high amount of money before you actually get that reward. Here, I got my first $10 within the first 3 days. By now, I've earned a total of $170 which doesn't seem like a lot, but for a student who can't usually treat herself to nice things, this has been the perfect way to earn money.

In terms of the surveys, they are very varied. I have taken surveys about cosmetics, home improvement, finance, and even politics. Usually they start by asking some basic information like your age, location and employment status. If you qualify, then you proceed to the survey. Be prepared to not qualify for A LOT of surveys (especially if you do not live in the United States). They are usually looking for specific groups of people and if you don't fit into that category, you won't be able to take the survey and be rewarded.

Taking surveys can be a very time consuming task, but you at least get told beforehand how long it should take you so that you decide whether or not you want to start it (example above). I have taken surveys that take me less than five minutes, but I've also taken surveys that last more than two hours (and you are rewarded accordingly). Not all of them can be accessed if you leave the page before completing it, so when you start a survey make sure you have the time to complete it. 

This is not for everyone, but personally, I think this is a great way to earn some extra cash every month. As a student with a passion for makeup and beauty products, it is very hard to treat myself with nice things. What I've done is limit my online purchases to the money I get through this and this has helped me stay on budget SO much! I bought my Clarisonic and many other makeup products using only the money I've earned here (and of course finding great deals on eBay) so it has given me the chance to try things I haven't before. 

Let me know if you've tried this and what you thought of it. 

Rating: 9.5/10

Disclaimer: I am not being paid to review this. I just genuinely like this websites and the services they provide.

P.S. My vacations are coming to an end so once I get back to Arizona, I'll start posting more content and showing you some exciting products I've been using.

Gabriela xx

REVIEW: Loreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

Sorry I haven't updated the blog for the past couple of weeks. I'm back now with a lot of new products to try and review for you all. 

I was looking for a lighter coverage foundation a couple of months ago and came across the concept of a BB cream. I started looking into some reviews on YouTube and some blogs hoping to find the best BB cream for oily/combination skin types. This one was one of the most raved about, especially for my skin type, so I decided to give it a try. I paid less than $8 for two of them on eBay (which is an amazing deal compared to the $11 one of them usually retails for).

I dont want to make this review too long so let's get straight to the point: I really like this BB cream, but during these warmer months is not really holding on as well. As shown in the picture below, this comes out in a white creamy form and as you blend it it starts turning to a skin color. The coverage is very light, but it is enough to even out my skin tone and make it look like your skin but better. The finish is more of a demi-matte and once it has dried, it feels like a very silky powder on your face.

It lasts all day and it is pretty decent at oil control if you set it with a good powder. My problem with this BB cream at the moment is that when applying this, you should be in a comfortable temperature because the second you start sweating before the BB cream has set, it will break down.

Bottom line is that I do recommend this BB cream for people with normal to oily skin. It has a very natural looking finish and it smooths out your skin tone. It works great as a primer, but also just by itself. It is a must that you use a concealer if you suffer from undereye circles, sun spots or have any blemishes because this will not fully cover those. This is not very water/sweat resistant so it might not be the best product to use during the hot summer months, but other than that, it does what it claims.

Have you tried this BB cream? Do you have any recommendations for lighter, easy to apply foundations or BB creams for the summer time? Let me know in the comments!

Rating: 7.5/10

REVIEW: Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliner

I don't know about you guys, but finding good eyeliners at the drugstore can be one of the most excruciating tasks. Thankfully, online reviews provide great input to narrow down the options. I usually go for the cheapest pencil eyeliners and most of them end up disappointing me. I decided to spend a couple more bucks and get the Rimmel Scandaleyes in the Black and Nude shade (I got mine at CVS for 4.99 each).

Some of Rimmel's claims are that this eyeliner

• is long lasting
• will give you shocking color intensity
• the formula is ultra smooth & creamy
• will glide on easily
• is waterproof, smudge-proof, sweat-proof, humidity-proof

And I would have to agree with these claims. I am currently on vacation in Puerto Rico, which has a very tropical/humid climate, and this eyeliner did not disappoint. 

Like any product, there is room for improvement. This eyeliner has to be sharpened, and it is not an easy task the first time you do it. There is some sort of coating you will have to sharpen first, before you actually start making the point finer, but after that first time it stops being a problem (I do wish it was a twist-up eyeliner). Also, it is very hard to remove this eyeliner from your waterline at the end of the night, which is annoying because it is not ideal to rub your waterline too much. In addition (and perhaps my biggest problem with this eyeliner), this product does not work on the upper lash line as well as it does on your bottom waterline. It gives you a fatter, sloppier line, which is great if you want to smudge it out, but it's not the one for polished looks or winged out looks.

Bottom line: I LOVE this eyeliner for my waterline and I will repurchase it. After trying this, I won't go back to my .99 cents pencil eyeliners... 

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: Olay Fresh Effects Shine, Shine Go Away! Shine Minimizing Cleanser

Hello lovelies!
 I went on a little shopping trip to CVS and ended up buying the Olay Fresh Effects Shine, Shine Go Away! Shine Minimizing Cleanser. I was running out of my Philosophy Purity and for the summer that was not really working (and it's quite expensive). In addition, using my CVS ExtraCare card I got a 20% off my purchase and two additional coupons that applied to the beauty products I ended up buying. The original price was $7.99, but I only paid about five dollars for this thanks to the coupons. 

I was a bit skeptical about this product because I've tried cleansers to reduce oil and shine and they all make my face feel dry and rough. However, this product really surprised me. The texture is like a very thick cream and it has a slightly pearly appearance. It doesn't have any overpowering fragrance, but it smells really fresh.
 As I was applying, it felt really soft and creamy but my hands started to feel a bit dry as I was washing off the product. In terms of my face, it really got rid of all the oil and impurities (much better than Purity), but it didn't feel like it completely stripped off my face like some cleansers do. I've also tried it with the Clarisonic Mia 2 and it works just as well (although I prefer not to use the Clarisonic every morning). 

Now, let's get onto the verdict. The claims Olay makes about this product on their website are the following:

"Add this cleanser to your morning regimen for a fresh and deep clean:

• Removes 2x more dirt, oil and makeup vs. basic cleansing

• Kaolin clay lifts away impurities and helps minimize shine

• Deep cleansing action for a fresher feel" 

And I would have to agree. The difference in easily noticeable. This is a deep cleansing product, it has helped me minimize shine and I didn't have to use a lot of product to get these results. Since I've started using this every morning, I rarely have to retouch my makeup or use blotting sheets throughout the day. 

For my combination skin and the current hot weather this is the perfect item to help me not look like a ball of oil halfway throughout the day. However, I get some dry patches on my cheeks when the weather cools down so I am not sure this is suitable to use all-year round unless you have really oily skin. 

Bottom line: Yes, I would repurchase this product and recommend it to anyone who tends to get shiny or oily mid-day. Just make sure you still tone and use a light moisturizer before applying makeup.

Rating: 9/10