So Fresh & So Clean // More from my Sweet Heart Vox Box

I'm so in love with my Sweet Heart Vox Box from Influenster.  Nearly all of the products really applied to my life right now (catch the intro video here), how spot on was that?  After trying out all of the products for a week or so I have to say I amend what I say in the video: I will most definitely buy the Olay Fresh Effects Shine Shine Go Away Cleanser again & will probably get the Secret Clinical Strength Stress Sweat Deodorant too!  And I'd recommend them to you too!

This review was sort of weird to do.  This box involved working something new into my routine.....I love my products so setting them aside for this was really hard.  I also thought it was only fair to give these products a good, fair try and now I have to say, these are the products I go to each morning.  It's so amazing that just the simple offer to try something new can make you fall in love!  

When I first started using the Olay Fresh Effects {Va-Va-Vivid!} Powered Contour Cleansing System, I thought it might not be good to use everyday because of the brush.  I thought it might be too much exfoliation & might dry my skin out too much.  I've never had luck with these shine free/oil free cleansers.  I used them, but they still left my face oily at the end of the day.  I tried it once in the evening & once in the morning over a few days.  I looooovvveed the way it made my skin feel.  I feel so fresh, it feels so soft, & it really is shine free all day!  I've wanted one of these little brushes for a while but what I love about this is that the bristles are long but aren't harsh.  They are all made of rubber so they glide over your skin for a good clean.  I als love that it fits a long the creases of your nose.  Round brushes tend not to fit around in there!  My skin feels just wonderful, I can definitely see that my pores are clearer and at the end of the day, there is still no shine.  I am amazed at how my make up stays on through the day.

I talked a little bit about the stress of finding a new job in this post & want to let you know that my job is awesome!  I think I nearly have to go to the Secret Clinical Stress Sweat Deodorant everyday because my new job is so fast paced!  I love it but it can get a little stressful.  All day answering calls, yelling to others that the line is for them, learning the things, running around, extreme multi tasking...it's a lot!  I'm so excited for this job & excited that in the morning, my underarms are covered.  I think the thing that draws me to this deodorant too is the fresh scent.  When I first saw Clinical I thought it was going to be very steril like - no scent & went on really wet.  But it's really nice - especially in this horrible, cold winter - and I can tell it's there by the end of the day.

I ran out of my own texturizing spray sometime last year & was too lazy to pick up some more - especially as expensive as the salon brand was.  Getting the Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Spray was a great surprise.  The best part for me is the scent, but I was a little saddened as it didn't seem to dirty my hair up in the right way to hold a curl.  I might have to do some more experimenting, but my usually awesome curls fell very flat the first day of work! So sad, I'd also sprayed in some dry shampoo, so that could have affected it.  Using it on wet hair as I was blowdrying added a lot of texture & a volume.  I just love the feeling of beach hair - living close to huge fresh water lakes is nothing compared to a salty, sandy beach!  When I wear my hair straight - which, let's be honest is probably going to be often because I have to get up early now & I love sleep! - it really adds texture & dimension.  The little bit of fullness is great.  When I need a quick style to straight hair, I pull this out.

Getting back into a morning routine has been hard & it's only been four days.  I'm glad I can do things  I want now with out the worry of stability & as much as I loved working on my brand, I'm happy with the stability that a full time job holds.  I can't wait to get into a groove & keep things growing! I'm working on a few blog designs currently, working on updating the shop(s), & just working on enjoying my hobbies.  Starting off with such a fun morning routine that actually works has me ready to face the day & everything the day holds.

xoxo, Moe

**I was given these products to try out through Influenster.  These opportunities are fun because I get to try new things that I may not buy myself.  (I'm always up for something new!)  I only support products I love & everything expressed above is 100% me**

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Hair Video + Styling Product Details

So the other day in my Guilty Pleasures post I mentioned my love of beauty & styling products.  I also mentioned that I am pretty brand specific when it comes to things like that.  What you may not know is that I just recently discovered the key to curly hair.  Recent purchases of mine include TRESemme's dry shampoo for fine/oily hair & a 3/4" barrel curling iron.  

If you have about 12 minutes to spare, why don't go give a listen to me ramble on about my curly hair, a mini-review of the dry shampoo, and the products I use to style my hair.  Sorry, it's a long one & a bit of a ramble (also there is a weird glare on my face! whoops!):

Additionally here's a more detailed list of what I use, just in case you don't want to hear me ramble:

Wash & Style by fivesixteenthsblog featuring  curled hair

All of these products I mentioned in the video, but if you don't want to listen to everything I thought I'd do a little recap down here:

Pantene Classic Clean Shampoo + Conditioner // I only wash my hair once a week since I've realized that dirty hair really holds a curl.  I'll put my shower cap on & get in the shower on days I don't wash my hair, but when I do I make sure to shampoo & condition it.  With all the heat, I am damaging my hair I am sure but the conditioner puts a lot of moisture back in to it.

TRESemme Dry Shampoo for Fine/Oily Hair // This I got at CVS for about 3 or 4 bucks.  It has mineral clay & citrus in it which makes it smell really good & absorb the oil.  I assume since the clay is in there it (one) absorbs oil in oily hair & (two) gives volume to fine hair since it's actually a substance in the spray - if that makes any sense.  There is also a dry hair, normal hair, etc option & I know that CVS has a generic brand too.  I use this on the days I don't wash my hair if I need it.  I've found that with styling my hair, I don't put my hands through it as much so it doesn't get that oily.

TRESemme 24 Hour Body Root Spray + Paul Mitchell Texturizing Sea Spray // These two go on to my head before I blow dry my hair.  The root boosting spray is really helpful to give my hair body even though I already have thick hair.  The texturizing spray give it a bit of texture (obviously) & dirties it back up a bit so it's easier to style.  I loved the sea spray when I had short, because it really made ,y hair look chunky & cool.  Now it really defines my layers if I where my hair straight.  I blow dry my hair upside down with a regular old hair dryer.

TRESemme Styling Gel + Hair Spray // I don't quite use the gel too much and am not quite sure why I actually included it in here, but the hairspray is what I love the most.  I use this to dirty my hair up a bit to hold the curl, to spray the curl when it is in the iron, & as a finishing spray to hold the curl all day.  I also have a baby hairspray in my purse for shots of it when I think it's about to fall.  It's like crack!

CONAIR Curling Iron // My curling iron I got for about 10 bucks at Target.  It is a 3/4" barrel curling iron & I think that size works really well for the length of my hair.  A one inch one would be too big.  I have a 1" curling iron & I tried it but it's only good for the top parts of the right side of my hair since that side is longer. It's not worth plugging both of them in.

So there you have.  A whole 45 minutes of mine in the morning is curling my Shirley Temple curls.

What products do you use? Have any other curl tips I should try?

ps. Stay tuned, this evening you'll meet the small sponsors for May!!

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