Calvin Klein Reveal VoxBox from Influenster

As you all know by now I'm sure, I love Influenster and I love VoxBoxes! It was exciting to get a designer fragrance to test for this box, especially from Calvin Klein since I already love a few of their fragrances as does my boyfriend. This box contained a sample of their new Reveal for Men fragrance as well as a card holder (think a mini wallet, but flat.)

This came in right before Valentine's Day and my boyfriend was able to wear it out for a few days and test it for me. He really liked it and said it's something he would wear again. I liked it on him as well. It's a bit woody and a very sexy fragrance. I'm intrigued and now I want to try the women's version for myself.

Want to get awesome free products to test and review? Click the Influenster button to the right of this post to get started. It's free and all you have to do is give your honest opinion.

The products reviewed in this post were provided free of charge through Influenster and Calvin Klein through the Influenster VoxBox program. Receipt of these products does not guarantee a positive review.

Sample Sunday: Escada, Juice Beauty, First Aid Beauty

This Sample Sunday I wanted to avoid trying any new makeup because I just had a chemical peel and so my skin is a little dry and starting to flake. Today's three samples were Especially Escada fragrance, Juice Beauty organic Oil Free Moisturizer and First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream.

The Especially Escada perfume is lightly musky and floral, but subtle and not as long lasting as I would have hoped. The official notes are Pear, Rose, Ambrette Seeds, Ylang Ylang, and Musk. It is a pretty fragrance and as I mentioned, not strong, so it's good if you like a subtle fragrance. It wouldn't be my first pick.




The Juice Beauty Oil Free Moisturizer was lightweight and smells slightly fruity. My face felt moisturized without a heavy thick feeling or any residue. As someone who has combination skin I like to have moisture without feeling greasy. I really like this product and I think it will be great in the warmer (and more humid) weather.

When I first picked up the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Sample I thought it was a moisturizer for the face, but it's for the body. I really needed this one today, my hands and feet were both really dry and this really did the trick. It is a little thick and I liked it on my feet more than my hands. It didn't absorb as much as I wanted and my hands felt a little greasy for a while. I think this would be good to put on right before bed so that it has plenty of time to absorb and work. I also think it would be better for the body than the hands. I really like that it is allergy tested, fragrance free, dermatologist recommended and good for eczema and sensitive skin. My boyfriend has horrible eczema head to toe and I think this would be great for him. I do like this product for me too though and it's something I'd probably use again.


Have you tried any of these?

Sample Sunday: Fresh, Stila and Bite

Here in New England it seems like Spring is desperately fighting to come through. So my first sample today was chosen to try to bring a little bright freshness and ward away winter. I chose the fragrance Sugar Lemon by Fresh since citrus always reminds me of warmer days. I'll be completely honest with you, the initial impression I got was lemon scented cleaner, not quite lemon pledge, but in that neighborhood. But I gave the fragrance a little time to open up and it turned into a lightly sweet lemon scent, reminiscent of a lemon tree on a warm day, not like lemonade. It's a very light fragrance and smells very clean and is great if you just want a hint of fragrance.

Next up I chose Stila CC Cream in the shade Light (since they don't make Casper.) I've had a hard time with some of the double letter products, i.e. BB, CC, and DD creams since often they are too dark for me, even though most people complain they don't come in dark enough shades. It's hard being this white sometimes. Initially I was surprised because it comes out of the tube a slightly grey shade and I thought it was going to be pasty looking and unnatural, but as soon as I swiped it with my finger the color transformed.  It has a really lightweight texture and feels like nothing is on. It did help to even out my skin, but wasn't able to give me as much coverage as I was hoping for on the under eye area and some small blemishes. I did try to apply a little more since it is a buildable coverage and that a helped a little, but I would still use a small amount of concealer on those areas. Overall though a good CC cream that matched my skin very well (shocking really) and would be great for days when I don’t want to be bare faced, but am feeling too lazy for full makeup.

Not a huge difference on camera, but I noticed some improvement in person.

Last but not least on today's lineup is Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Musk. The only thing I did to prepare my lips was a lip scrub. This lipstick has a really beautiful texture. It is very creamy and feels hydrating on the lips which is often difficult in a lipstick. The coverage is opaque and even. This color was very close to my natural lip color however, but I actually really like that. It looked in the tube like it might be a little darker as you'll see in the photos. I really like this color for day to day.

Free Olfactif Box thanks to Refinery29

It's as if Refinery29 knew of my recent obsession with subscription boxes and my lifelong obsession with perfume (and my penchant for free stuff.) Thanks to Refinery29 you can get a free month's box from Olfactif. They specialize in niche fragrances which means discovering new unique scents on a monthly basis, all for just $18! Plus if you subscribe and fall in love with a scent, Olfactif will have it available and you'll have $18 towards your purchase. I love trying new fragrances and I've worked with them for about 3 years.  The most important part of buying a new fragrance is truly trying it, wearing it for a few days to see how it works with your skin's chemistry. This is such a great way to try some unique fragrances before buying them and getting a discount. Want to try a month free? Use code REFINERY29ARTOFFRAGRANCE.

See the original article here.