a little of this and a little of that

It's a blustery cold winter day here in the midwest and I'm so excited. I love snow! I know it's almost March and the Spring melt should be days away but, this storm is awesome! I've been waiting for it since November. I have a list of things to do today - some not so fun things like laundry and cleaning the bathroom but, the snow makes it ok. So, if it's blustery in your area - enjoy it rather than hate on it. Hating on it won't change it so embrace the storm.

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Did you notice my new blog header? My lovely husband created it just for me! I'm so excited because he's not finished. He is going to revamp my sidebar too. I can't wait! I love it! I couldn't put into words exactly what I wanted but I knew I wanted simple and clean with a touch of green. It's perfection. Stay tuned for upcoming improvements.

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Now, on to my bonus Birchbox review. I don't know how I was chosen to receive this bonus box but, I'll take it! The box was sponsored by Vichy a skincare company from France. I was excited because the French have amazing skin. I wasn't expecting miracles because I've only been using it for four days and, honestly, I like what I currently use. I was pleasantly surprised by both the price and the products.

www.birchbox.com

Aqualia Thermal Cream  

This is the daily moisturizer. I like it because it's thick but not greasy. It has a light fragrance that is almost nonexistent. Moisturizer is important to me because I live in the cold midwest and the winter weather is tough on skin. I was very impressed with this moisturizer and I plan to keep on using it in place of my Olay moisturizer that I adore. The price is reasonable. It's only a few more dollars than what I currently use at $29.95 (1.7 fl oz).

Lifactiv Rhamonse Night

This night cream is Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Care - exactly what my 35 year old skin needs. It contains Rhamonse a plant-derived ingredient that helps skin renew itself. This night cream is thick. I mean really thick. I was scared to lather my face with it because I had visions of waking up in the morning with a face covered in pimples! That's not what happened. After using it only four nights I honestly see a reduction in my pores (which weren't that large to begin with). My skin feels and looks great with no sign of acne on the horizon. This product is more spendy at $49 (1.7 fl oz) I think it's worth it (so far).

*I should mention that when I try something new I know within two days if it's going to work for me depending on the acne factor. I don't have acne - a pimple here and there but that's it. If a new product isn't going to work I wake up with a pimple or two.

Purete Thermal 3-in-1 One Step Cleanser

 This cleanser is a cleansing milk, toning lotion, and makeup remover all in one. You smooth it on dry skin and rinse with water. As I was smoothing it on my dry skin I was getting worried because it was very moisturizing if you know what I mean. I knew there would be no lather but when I rinsed it off it felt as though my skin was already moisturized. It was as if I couldn't rinse it off. I'll be honest, I kinda freaked out that first time because I didn't want any pesky pimples to pop up. But, after calming down (it really wasn't that dramatic) I just went with it. I rinsed and patted my face dry. I was surprised because my face didn't feel like there was any cleanser residue on it - you all know what I mean. I moved on to moisturizing and the rest is explained above. I don't know if this would be great in the summer but, for now it's working for me. I'm going to continue to use this in place of my current product. I'm so impressed with these products that I want to continue to use them to see if they really are as great as I think they are.

The cleanser is very reasonable and less than what I currently use at $19.50 (6.7 fl oz.).

Pruete Thermal Eye Makeup Remover For Sensitive Eyes

First of all, I need to begin with saying that I've tried many, many different eye makeup removers and been disappointed by the oily residue that's usually left covering my eye area. I swear by Amay eye makeup remover pads and have been using them for years. 

So, moving on to my review of this product. I was hesitant to try this because as I said before I didn't want a oily mess covering my eye area. Guess what? I didn't have a bit of oily residue. It worked great. Actually it worked the same as my Almay eye makeup remover pads. No better or no worse. The same. I probably will save this for travel and continue to use what I have. This remover is spendy at $16.50 (5.1 fl oz.). 

Celludestock

This is for the appearance of cellulite. While I have cellulite I didn't even attempt to use it. I know it would only be a temporary fix as all caffeine lotions are. Sorry guys, I just didn't care to try it. I believe the only way to help the cellulite problem is to exercise. Although I do think cellulite is hereditary and can't always be prevented...that's a different topic for a different day. Anyway, this lotion is $39.50 (6.7 fl oz).

All in all, I like this skincare line. I'm very impressed with the results after only four days and I'm going to continue to use them until they are gone or my skin starts rebelling against it. I'll keep you posted on what I find after using for more than four days. 

If you got the bonus box, what do you think?