Update, Upcoming Reviews & Referral Links!

Hi guys!

I just wanted to hope on really quickly and give a quick update. The break that I have taken from blogging has really been fantastic but I cannot wait to get started again! I am going to start reviewing a fair few products in the upcoming weeks, products that I have purchased myself and products that I have been able to score as Freebies from companies and Freebie websites. As with all of my reviews, I will state if I received the item free or not but rest assured that my opinions will always be from myself as I want to give good and honest reviews for my blog readers.

Not only am I going to be reviewing products but websites as well, such as Yerdle; which is a website that is similar to eBay but instead of using paying with money you are given Yerdle Cash to buy from other sellers and when you sell your own. There is a referral link system to this website, where you can refer people to it and earn Yerdle Cash for not only yourself but the people who join via your link. I have just recently joined this website and I haven't had the chance to purchase anything from this site. I want to review this site later on in January after I have had time to look through it and order from it. If I like my experience then I will post my referral link with my review and whatnot. If you want to try it out for yourself, then feel free but I have noticed that if you use a referral link then you not only get Free Shipping but you also seem to get more Yerdle Dollars, so in this case I feel that patience will indeed work to one's favor.

Also I have a Voxbox from Influenster to review that I have recently received so keep an eye out on that. Not only that but a few things from Crowdtap, which is a site similar to Influenster, Smiley360 and PinchMe. I have also decided that I will list all of the sites that I belong to in which I am able to score my free products as well as the Facebook group that I have recently joined!

Well I think that's it, so until next time!

Update & Great Changes on the Way.

First off, let me apologize for not updating this blog like I should be doing. But rest assured I do plan on changing that with the coming up year.

I want to make this blog successful and in order to do that I need to up my game and get my mind back into reviewing. Cause I'll be honest, this year has been a bit hellish for my family but things are finally looking up so I feel that I can now give this blog the concentration that I feel it deserves.

However, in the month of December I am not going to be posting any reviews but rather I will be going over my technique of reviewing and seeing how I can make that better. I want to change the layout of this blog and I want to make it more enjoyable for those that read it.

I want to be able to look at this blog at the end of next year and be proud of what I accomplished. I want to give good and honest reviews that go into great detail and not those that last only a sentence or two.

Not to say that I won't be busy in December as I do have a couple more blogs that I post on and if anyone is interested, I will link them at the end of this update. I want to gather some good products so that I can start January 2016 off right by posting several reviews a week. Now I'm not sure if I can do this every week but I am going to try my best. I'm also going to go out of my way to email companies to see if they would be willing to send samples so that I can review them for my readers. I am going to be more outgoing with this blog and enjoy it more than I did this previous year.

So I guess it can be said that I'm starting my New Years' Resolutions list a bit early this year but I know that I will need the time to be prepared. I hope that I can make this blog into something that others will enjoy and I want my readers to know that they can help me as well. If anyone has a product that they want to see reviewed then please feel free to leave a comment on this post! I would love to hear from you guys to see exactly what you would be interested in seeing. And I will try my best to review each requested product :-)

I guess that's it for this update. Until Next Year...which is only a month away, seriously am I the only one who thought this year just seemed to fly by?

Weight Loss Journey Blog: http://southern-girl-weight-loss-journey.blogspot.com/
Daily Zen Quote Blog: http://dailyzenscape.blogspot.com/

Review - Etsy Shop: Sweet Bean Plans

I have never reviewed an Etsy shop before but when I came across this little shop, I just couldn't help myself. I love everything about this shop and I wanted to share it with others.

The name of the shop is Sweet Bean Plans and the shop specializes in original planner stickers that are just so Kawaii (cute) and adorable for words to even describe them. They are based in the US but they ship internationally and if you don't see a sticker design that you personally would like then the shop also does custom orders, which is just awesome.

Anyway I discovered this shop about a month ago when I decided to start getting into decorating my planner as I had watched a few videos of others doing so on YouTube. So I decide to browse Etsy until I came across this new store that hadn't been on the site very long, so I decided to see if I could help them out. As I looked through what the shop offered, I found myself wanting everything! Every sticker was just so cute and felt so personally made that I couldn't decide on which ones to get. But after looking for about an hour, no joke here folks, I literally spent an hour trying to decide on planner stickers lol; I finally narrowed my choices down to seven; which I will list below along with the quantity and the price of the stickers.

1. Tiny Water Bottles/Workout Stickers - 100+ Stickers for $3.50
2. Pencil and Paper Kawaii Stickers - 80 Stickers for $3.00
3. Tiny Colorful Kawaii Cell Phone Stickers - 80 Stickers for $3.00
4. Colorful Dog Paws Stickers - 72 Stickers for $3.00
5. Reading/Book Dots Stickers - 78 Stickers for $3.00
6. Colorful Yoga/Stretching Exercise Stickers - 60+ Stickers for $3.50
7. Tiny Kawaii Scales/Weight Loss Stickers - 54 Stickers for $3.50
**The names of the stickers are how they are listed on the shop as well as the quantities and the prices.

Out of all the shops that I browsed through, this is one store that caught my complete attention and I cannot wait to order more from her.

The pricing is perfect for the quantity that you get and the quality of the stickers are amazing. I found out that every sticker is designed by her completely as she draws them out by hand. I absolutely find that amazing for someone to be able to design to many cute things. And here is the best part, her store is always updating! Everyday it seems like she adds more stickers to her shop, which makes me even more excited knowing that holidays are going to be arriving soon, which means holiday themed stickers for Halloween and Christmas. I can't wait to see what she creates.

I also have to commend the shop on how fast they ship orders out as well as how cutely they are packaged. When my first order arrived, it was only a few days after I had placed my order which impressed me for sure. I was also awed at how cutely the stickers were packaged inside the shipping envelope. She had placed them in a colorful bag and closed it with a tiny amount of Washi tape to keep it closed. Not only did I get my order but I also received a couple of sample stickers as well which only made me want to go back and buy more.

I can tell that she really loves what she does and now that I follow her on Instagram, I get to have sneak-peeks of any upcoming stickers as well as notice of any sales that she has going on. And her sales, they are amazing. Her most recent one, which is going on until the end of this week 8/29/2015 I believe, is 25% off of $20! I can't believe what good sales she has and I can't wait to get in on them myself. But I am waiting until I request from custom designs from her, which she does take for the price of $3.50 I do believe.

Now I want to go ahead and place a disclaimer here before I end this review. I do not know the owner personally at all, nor am I getting paid to do this review. I just wanted to be able to help her business grow because I feel that she deserves it as I can see her hard work through her stickers and shop. She doesn't even know that I'm doing this review and won't know until I post this on my social media; so I hope she doesn't mind but I just can't keep the greatness of this shop to myself. I want this shop to be successful for her so that she can keep doing what she obviously loves. And yes before anyone asks, I purchased all the stickers that I listed above with my own money, except for the two sample stickers that she sent; which I believe she does with every order but I am not sure. I will also be making another purchase from this shop so I will be doing another review on how much I like the custom stickers, which I already know I will if any of her other designs have to say for her talent.

Also for those interested here is the link to her Etsy shop as well as her Instagram name. I urge everyone to check her out!
Etsy: SweetBeanPlans
Instagram: @SweetBeanPlans


Well that's it for this blog review, I hope you guys enjoyed it!

As always if you have any product that you would like me to try out and review then please let me know via the comment section below!

Until Next Time!

Japan Candy Box Giveaway!

Now as many of you don't know, I have a subscription to Kawaii Box.

Now Kawaii Box is a monthly subscription where you get 8 to 10 Kawaii (cute) items sent to you. These items are from Japan and South Korea. This box cost $18.90 a month and has free shipping. I'll link the website at the end of this post in case anyone wants to check it out for themselves.

Anyway, the company that produces Kawaii Box is coming out with another monthly subscription box called Japan Candy Box. And if the name of the box isn't clear, its a subscription box that is completely dedicated to Japanese candy. Each box includes 8-10 delicious, special and quirky Japanese candies and snacks. This box is $19.90 per month and I will also be linking the website at the end of this post for those who want to check it out for themselves.

Now the reason behind this post is to give anyone a chance to win a free Japan Candy Box! That's right! Completely free! Who doesn't love getting something for free? Especially Japanese candy. Anyway to enter all you have to do is go to the link that I will provide at the end of this post and fill out the form. That's it! No purchase necessary, no jumping through hoops, just fill out the small form and you're entered! But hurry the giveaway ends in 10 days!

Also I would like to note that I am not receiving anything from Kawaii Box, Japan Candy Box or Blippo.com for this post. I wanted to share this great giveaway with others and I am not being compensated for my views and opinion. Also I might be subscribing to Japan Candy Box myself to see if I like it as well as I do Kawaii Box. Let me know what you guys think!

Here are the links as promised.
Kawaii Box Website: Kawaii Box
Japan Candy Box Website: Japan Candy Box
Japan Candy Box Giveaway: Giveaway!

Good luck!

Australian Gold Sunscreen Review - Influenster Blossom VoxBox

My Go-To Sunscreen from now on!

Finding a good sunscreen that not only works amazingly but doesn't break out my sensitive skin has always been a hard task for me. However after trying the Australian Gold Sunscreen I believe that I have finally found a sunscreen that is just perfect for me! 

It goes on smooth and doesn't leave a greasy or oily residue. It doesn't have a bad odor and actually smells, well the best way I can put it is that it smells like sunshine and summer. And one of the most important things is that it doesn’t break me out at all! So yay for that! 

Since I live in the Southern US, humidity is always a hazard that comes along with summer, so finding a sunscreen that protects you but also doesn't melt off of you when the humidity gets really high seems to be a yearly struggle. However my yearly struggle is over with now that I have this sunscreen and I can't wait to go out to the lake and just enjoy the day. 

Since getting this product I have been outside daily just walking about my neighborhood which gave me the perfect opportunity to test out this product. I placed it on my face, neck (front and back), shoulders and arms. I am more than happy with the results, not only has it protected me from the sun on all of my walks but it has helped me get a tan. FINALLY! 

Until Next Time! 

 

**Please note that I received this product free for the purpose of testing and reviewing it. 

Nasoya Pasta Zero Noodles Review - Influenste Blossom VoxBox

This is a product that was interesting to begin with as I have never heard of this brand before receiving it in my Influenster Blossom VoxBox. But I am always up to trying something new and expanding my palette so I was more than willing to give it a try.

Now the noodles did come with a recipe but I decided that I wanted to try out a recipe that I make all the time with egg noodles. The recipe that was included in the noodles can be found on the Nasoya Website along with many other recipes. I will link the website down below as well as the recipe that I used in order to make my noodle dish.

The first thing about these noodles that I noticed was that the package came with liquid inside of it, soaking the noodles. So per the instructions, I opened the package and rinsed off the noodles with water. When I opened the package I noticed that the noodles had a very earthy smell, now usually that would not be appealing to me at all but for some reason it seemed to work with these noodles. Also I will be adding pictures at the end of this post to show the noodles and the base ingredients that I used in the sauce.

Now I'm not going to say that I feel in love with the taste immediately because that is not the case. I can't really describe the taste like I want to but I can already tell that it will not be everyone's favorite. Not to say that its bad, because its not at all but that everyone has particular taste when it comes to noodles and I feel that these noodles would be an acquired taste. And I will be honest, it took me a few bites before I found the taste to be tasty rather than over earthy. Because even with the sauce and the other ingredients, it still had an earthy taste to it that did take some getting used to.

However I do like the taste and can't wait to try out more recipes with these noodles and to try out more products by Nasoya really soon.

Well that's it for this review and I will be linking Nasoya's Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Website below so feel free to check them out.

Facebook: Nasoya
Google+: +Nasoya
Twitter: @Nasoya
Website: Nasoya

Recipe that I used. I simply replaced the noodles with Nasoya Pasta Zero Noodles: Easy Lo Mein Recipe
More Nasoya Recipes can be found on their website linked above. Check them out and try them for yourself! 

Until Next Time!

**I was sent this product free for review and testing. I am not being paid for my review

This picture includes the Pasta Zero Noodles as well as the base of the sauce that was used in my dish.

This picture is what the noodles looked like after I mixed it with the sauce base but before adding the rest of my ingredients. I forgot to take a picture after adding the rest of the ingredients.

NYC Color City Proof 24HR Eye Shadow Review - Influenster Blossom VoxBox

Hello all!

In my recent VoxBox from Influenster which was the Blossom VoxBox, I received a full-size product of NYC Color City Proof 24HR Eye Shadow...yeah that's a mouthful isn't it. Anyway I decided that I would review it for you guys and give my honest opinion of it and also tell you why I think NYC makes me look NYC City Proof.

My look is pretty much city proof to begin with thanks to all of my NYC products. I am just in love with their products and I personally feel that they are one of the best drug store makeup lines around. They are always on trend and have the latest looks for a good decent price that won't break the bank so to speak. I love the quality of their makeup, the packaging and pretty much everything about them. This makeup is not only good for beginners but experts as well. I pretty much think everyone should have a least two or three NYC products in their makeup collection at all time.

But anyway let's get on with the review!

The color I received was Brooklyn Mocha and it is a beautiful mocha color. Also can we please mention how nice NYC makeup products smell? I mean I have never smelled anything that resembles chemicals or dyes in their makeup at all, they all just smell so nice to me. I know that's weird but I really wanted to mention that. Anyway, the eye shadow comes in a jumbo eye shadow stick and twists at the bottom in order to extend the stick. Now I'm not a big fan of eye shadow sticks honestly and this is the first one that I have ever tried and now that I have tried it, I can't wait to go out and get more.

The application process is very smooth and the product doesn't clump at all when placed on the eyelid. It is also easy to blend out for a lighter look, which is pretty much what I'll wear. However, even though it is easy blend out, that does not mean that it wears off easy. Since I live in the Southern US, it tends to get very humid here especially during Summer, so having a makeup product that doesn't melt off of your face is an awesome find. And so far this eye shadow has done nothing but impress me. It has stayed on my lids all day, no matter how humid or rainy it became. I have already suggested it to a few of my friends and they are excited about trying it.

Well I think that's all I can say about this product. I will be linking the NYC Facebook and Twitter below so feel free to check them out!

Until Next Time!
#NYCCityProof
Facebook: NYC
Twitter: @NYCNewYorkCity

**I was sent this product for free for review and testing. I am not being paid for my review.