MASKERAIDE REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

These have to be my all time favourite sheet masks to date.  I love the simplicity of unwrapping a sheet mask, applying to my face and chilling out for 20 to 30 minutes to some nice soft music.  This is my home spa treatment and it totally relaxes me.

If you are trying to use only Vegan and Cruelty Free products, these masks are for you!

EACH MASK IS FREE FROM:

• Parabens
• Harsh Dyes & Pigments
• Mineral Oils
• Artificial Fragrances
• Benzophenone
• Glycerins

Surprisingly, alot of noise in the beauty world about Korean Face Masks...well, girls, these masks are made in Korea! Imagine that!

WHY I LOVE THEM:

1. Easy to use

2. No mess

3. Instant hydration

4. Vegan Friendly

5. Canadian Company

6. Affordable - only $5.99 each

7. Eco-Friendly - Production plant emissions and water usage are significantly lower in the production of these masks.

REVIEW:

Check out my Review on Youtube of "I DON'T WANNA GROW UP":

I DON'T WANNA GROW UP - Lift, Firm & Soften Fine Lines

This mask is ideal for very dry skin, especially during the winter months or shortly after winter right before Spring.  Also a fantastic mask for more mature skin types that are starting to experience the signs of aging,  this is the mask I would recommend to use.

This is an intensive, multi-action mask that helps to prevent and combat the signs of aging while nourishing your skin.  It provides deep hydration and delivers a healthy dose of age-defying ingredients including natural Ylang-Ylang Oil, Argan Oil, Vitamin E., Hydrolyzed Collagen and Elastin to help dimish fine lines and bring out your youthful glow.

MY EXPERIENCE: My skin felt instantly hydrated. I did notice fine lines were softened. This was such a simple mask to apply, no mess and you could just lay back and enjoy the benefits of all the oils and nutrients offered in the mask. I did not experience any lifting what so ever. But still enjoyed the mask.

WEATHER WARRIOR - Calm, Soothe & Heal

This mask would be a fantastic mask to apply after a day at the Beach or when your skin is severe dry, flaky and screaming for some help!  This mask contains Aloe, Green Tea, Witch Hazel and Argon Oil to help soothe, calm and heal your skin.

DETOX DIVA - Cleanse, Exfoliate & Detoxify

The Detox Diva mask is formulated with natural Geranium Oil, Seaweed and Green Tea Leaf Extracts which helps minimize pores, absorb impurities and protect from toxins and free radicals without removing your skin's essential natural oils.  Chinese Plum, Strawberry and Lemon Fruit Extracts go to work to gently exfoliate and lift dead skin cells revealing clear luminous skin, while Argan Oil and Honey keep your skin happy and hydrated.

BEAUTY RESTORE - Restore, Regenerate & Repair

We lose essential moisture and nutrients each day in our skin.   This is a perfect mask to put on before sleep while your skin is replenishing it's cells.  This mask is infused with Argan Oil, Super Fruit Extracts, Green Algae and Vitamin E, to work together to restore, regenerate and repair the skin leaving it silky, smooth and supple by morning.  The cooling effect of the mask helps to relax facial muscles easing the signs of stress and fatigue while natural Lavender Oil relaxes your body and mind.  

PRE PARTY PREP - Brighten, Prime & Energize

Everyone wants to have the perfect face for that special event, party, wedding or date night.  This is the perfect mask for when you want to have your skin to be the perfect canvas!  This mask is a silky, lightweight blend of natural Argan Oil, Orange Peel Oil, Super Fruit Extracts, Rice Extract and Honey to energize, hydrate, brighten and prime your skin for a flawless and velvety smooth finish!  Afterwards, you have the best canvas for your foundation, powders and makeup!

ALL NIGHTER - Awaken, Replenish & Refresh

Ok, ladies we all have had those all night benders! The next day..."hello coyote ugly"...well now you can apply the All Nighter Sheet Mask to awaken your tired skin!  This mask awakens, refreshes and replenishes the skin. The cooling effects of the mask will help de-puff and awaken your eyes, while natural Peppermint Oil awakens your senses. Aloe, Argan Oil, Heartleaf (a powerful detoxifer), Honey, Super Fruit and Cactus Extracts work together to erase the signs of the previous night.  NOW I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANY OF YOU....BUT I'D LIKE A CASE OF THIS MASK PLEASE!

OVERALL

Well ladies, there you have it.  Maskeraide has something for everyone, weather you suffer from dry skin or have signs of aging or stayed up all night gossiping with your girlfriends and drinking one too many glasses of Chardonnay, Maskeraide has you covered.

I personally, am a big fan of this product.  I highly recommend them! I love to describe the masks as a Spa in an envelope.  

THANK YOU TO MASKERAIDE

I would like to thank Maskeraide for sending me these products.  I was already a huge fan, and I feel grateful that they sent me a few of their fabulous masks to share with my subscribers so they can also experience this amazing product.

DISCLAIMER: I am not being paid for my review. This is my personal thoughts and I am always truthful with my reviews and how I feel about products that I use.  

GIVEAWAY VIDEO ON YOUTUBE:

Two Lucky Subscribers will be able to experience some of the masks in this blog!

RULES TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

1. You must be Subscribed to my Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/PebblesFlintstone67

2. You must be Subscribed to my Blog and make a comment on the Blog as to why you want to try out the MaskerAide Sheet Mask.

http://pebbles1633.blogspot.ca/

3. You must LIKE this video and make a comment that you want to be entered in this Giveaway.

4. You must comment on my video reviewing the MaskerAide Sheet Mask telling me why you want to try out the MaskerAide Sheet Masks. My link is below, and LIKE that video.

http://youtu.be/rczCk4xK-MQ

5. You must LIKE MaskerAide's Facebook Page and make a comment that pebblesflintstone67 sent you.

https://www.facebook.com/MaskerAideBeauty

I will qualify the winners based on the criteria above.  You must meet all criteria to be eligible to win.  Winners will be chosen at random.  You will have 48 hours to contact me with your contact information. If I do not hear back within 48 hours, I will chose another winner.

♥♥Giveaway ends on May 30, 2014 at midnight!♥♥

INFLUENSTER VOX BOX - CANADIAN EDITION - imPRESSManicure

I just received my Influenster Vox Box.  I was really excited when I received the email notification advising that I had been selected to receive a Free Influenster Box to review and try out.

This box is all about PRESS ON NAILS.  BwayNails - imPressManicure

The are self-adhesive nails that are preformed and have a removeable strip on the back that when you peel off, they will automatically adhere to your nails.

The colours and nail art selection are endless, and they are so adorable.

I received two packages:

BLACK AND SILVER CRACKLE

NEON ORANGE

MY THOUGHTS
I have tried alot of press on nails in my day. Unfortunately, I'm no so "imPRESSed" with this brand.

PROS: 
Lots of colours and designs to choose from.
Easy to use.

CONS:
Did not fit my nailbeds. They were way too short and my nail tips protruded beneath these press-on nails.
When I applied these to my fingers, the area that should be flushed to my cuticle area, did not lay flat, and therefore left a gap..it would get caught on clothing and moisture would get into the area. It just did not look attractive. Lastly, I'm not a fan of the tacky sticker/glue on the back of these nails....I feel that they are tough on your natural nail and when trying to remove them, if you are not careful, you can remove layers of nail from your natural nails.

WHO ARE THESE FOR:
I am sure these nails would be ideal for a tween or young teenager. I feel they are at a manageable length and are ideal for those who have a smaller nailbed.  My nailbeds are not super long, so I was surprised at how small these nails are.

I will be giving these nails to my 14 year old niece who I think will enjoy them and at least they will have some fun with them.

WOULD I PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT:
I would not purchase this product, nor would I purchase these as a gift. I don't find the quality really there.

HERBAL ESSENCE NAKED HAIR CARE LINE

I have often been skeptical of "affordable" haircare lines.  We are conditioned by our stylists that you should never colour your hair with a box colour, or you should never use store shampoo and conditioners because they are so bad for us.  Sometimes, I feel it's a BIG CONSPIRACY just to get us to invest in a $30 bottle of shampoo, which promises us the world and most often falls extremely short of our expectations.

Who are these people that make us believe this?  Well, I have to tell  you, I've been conditioned to believe that I need to over spend on my hair care, and honestly, all these expensive salon shampoos and conditioners have left me short on change, and not just in the monetary sense, but also in the way of NO RESULTS. My hair, in a nice way of putting it..."looked like caca/shit/merde/crapoola" you get the drift.

I recently have been fortunate enough to be accepted in a BuzzAgent Campaign for Herbal Essence Naked Line Shampoo, Conditioner and Mousse.

Although I received these products for free from BuzzAgent to review, my experience with the products and my review are completely my own opinion.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT AND WHAT THEY ADVERTISE

Why are they called "Naked"?
They are FREE from silcones, parabens, and dyes. This product does have Grapefruit and Mossa Mint Oils.
The above line does come in the following formulations: SHINE / MOISTURE / VOLUME
The formula does not strip the hair of it's natural moisture and cleanses the hair leaving it at it's natural state

MY EXPERIENCE

SHAMPOO: Left my hair manageable, shiny and I had less tangles after cleansing. I do suffer from alot of tangles, so no shampoo that I've tried has ever not left me with some tangles.  The scent has a fresh, mint and citrus fragrance, which was pleasant. However, the Shampoo, after further inspection on the ingredients does have sulfates in it....not sure how "naked" this really is. If you are trying to go completely natural, read the label to ensure you are good with these ingredients.

CONDITIONER: Surprisingly, this is the true test for me, I need a good conditioner that will detangle my hair and give it a nice conditioning.  This conditioner did eliminate some of my tangles, not completely, I did have to use my conditioning spray "It's a 10", but then again, I have to use that with any product that I've used.  However, I liked the conditioner and it did compliment the shampoo and did condition my strands.  The conditioner does contain "Dimethicone", which is a type of silcone.  Again, I question the "Naked" truth about the label.

SOUFFLEE / MOUSSE:  It is a medium consistency, not watery, and it indeed added volume to my hair.  It is a little difficult to get out of the container, you really have to press down hard onto the tip to get the product out.  I am a little concerned that I may experience issues with getting the product out of the nozzle down the road, however, for the time being, all is good.

OVERALL CONCLUSION:
My hair was left with incredible volume which actually lasted for about 3 to 4 days in my hair.  I don't wash my hair everyday, typically every 3 days, and my hair still has alot of fullness after the 3 days going onto my 4th day. I love the results that these products have provided my hair, however, the "Naked Truth" about these products, is that they are truly NOT COMPLETELY NAKED.  So read the label, decide for yourself if you can live with the ingredients.  I honestly am happy with the results, and I can live with few ingredients still in these products.

Surprisingly for a volume shampoo, it did leave my hair soft, shiny and manageable. Typically, volume hair care lines tend to dry out my hair. Thus far, I'm doing great!

RECOMMENDATION:
I would recommend trying this line out. It is an inexpensive line and the results that I have experienced are worth a try.  Below are a couple of photos after two different times using this line and how my hair turned out....

WET N WILD MEGALAST LIPSTICKS - REVIEW AND SWATCHES

The Wet N Wild MegaLast Lipsticks are one of my ultimate favourite lipsticks.  There are so many reasons why I love these lipsticks. First off, I'm so loving the semi-matte finish is right up my alley.  I love that even though these lipsticks are semi-matte, I find them still creamy and non-drying on the lips.  I know that some people out there are not fans of a matte formula, however, a lipgloss ontop would help those who aren't the biggest fans of this type of finish.

There are 26 colours in this formula.  I am happy to own 14 of them.  I still am on the quest to get all of the shades that are available.  You can purchase these at most drugstores in the USA, and just recently, I have discovered that the Canadian Superstores carry Wet n Wild cosmetics and these lipsticks are available in some of the stores.  I was super happy. They retail for $3.39, at the Canadian Superstore.

I've attached a link to a site where they can be purchased for any of you that may be interested.
www.drugstore.com

This is how Wet N Wild describes these lipsticks:
This 4 hour, longwearing lip colour leaves a semi-matte, cream finish in one stroke.  Glides on easily with rich, velvety colour that doesn't cake, feather, or bleed.  Made with hydrating skin-care ingredients: Hyaluronic Microspheres provide extraordinary adhesion to lips, an exclusive polymer complex offers cushion-like feel and texture, and natural marine plant extracts Coenzyme Q10 and Vitamins A & E help smooth lips.

CON TO THIS PRODUCT
These lipsticks do contain parabens and unfortunately, they are made in China.

So I'm sure you are wanting to see some swatches as how these colours that I own look on the lips.  Below are my shades for you to view.  Enjoy the swatches!

 Above is the packaging of the Wet N Wild Megalast Lipsticks

 901B - THINK PINK

 

 902C - BARE IT ALL

 905D - SMOKIN HOT PINK

 907C - MAUVE OUTTA HERE

 906D - WINE ROOM

 908C - SUGAR PLUM FAIRY

 965 - CHERRY PICKING

 966 - DON'T BLINK PINK

 967 - DOLLHOUSE PINK

 970 - PURTY PERSIMMON

 969 - 24 CARROT GOLD

 914C - MOCHA-LICIOUS

 916D - RAVIN RAISIN 

 918D - CHERRY BOMB

On my recent travels I purchased another Wet n Wild line, the Fergie Lipstick. These are great as well, and are more moisturizing than the MegaLast lipsticks.  They also are very pigmented with medium to full coverage and very creamy.

Packaging of the Fergie Wet n Wild Lipsticks

Wet n Wild Describes these lipsticks as follows:

Perfect Pout Lip Colour

• Anti-aging technology
• Vitamins & minerals to keep lips soft and smooth
• this longwearing formula is specially formulated with anti-aging technology, as well as vitamins and minerals to keep lips soft, smooth and kissable all day

My Opinion:

• Creamy, pigmented, glides on smoothly on the lips, long lasting, non-scented
• From what I could see there was no parabens in this formula

 A033 - FERGIE DAILY

A040 - D-VINELY CHILLED

Final thoughts about these lipsticks...GO OUT AND GET YOURSELF SOME! They are an affordable, amazing product. Who knew that these could be as good as a highend product.  MAC watch out, WetnWild will give you a run for your money!

Thank you for reading my little Blog!

COFFEE TIME WITH LAVAZZA AND BUZZAGENT!

I'm happy to be a part of the LavAzza campaign with BuzzAgent!  If any of you are not familiar with BuzzAgent, it is a website where you sign up and complete a series of surveys.  From the surveys, they determine if you qualify for certain campaigns.  This is my second thus far and I am happy to participate in the LavAzza Coffee campaign.

The premise of a campaign is that BuzzAgent will forward you the campaign kit filled with it's goodies for free.  You have approximately 2 months to complete activities associated with the campaign.  These activities basically are meant for you to review the products and share your thoughts about them on social media, such as facebook, twitter, blog posts, youtube, etc.

In this campaign, LavAzza and BuzzAgent were super generous.  We received 2 full size coffees, Gran Aroma and Gran Selezione, these are 2 of the newest blends from LavAzza.  They actually have come out with 4 in total.  We received a travel mug, a magnet for our fridge, a game of Italian hand gestures and 7 - $4 coupons to share with family and friends so they too can have these delicious coffees in their lives.

There are 4 Brand New coffee blends from LavAzza....above are images of what they are. 

GRAN AROMA
This is a medium blend roast coffee with a mild flavour that is smooth and doesn't leave any bitter taste. Surprisingly the grinds are fine and do not drip into the coffee when brewed.  It almost reminds me of an espresso ground.  This coffee when I tasted it on it's own was fabulous, but when I did a blind taste beside the Gran Selezione, this was surprisingly not my favourite.  However, my boyfriend did enjoy this blend much more than the Gran Selezione, so it definitely is based on personal preferences.

GRAN SELEZIONE
This is a full bodied, dark roast with chocolate flavour. Well first off, there was no taste of chocolate in my opinion.  I have reviewed other peoples comments and they seemed to taste a hint of chocolate, I guess their palettes are much more heightened than mine, as I didn't taste any.  I definitely enjoyed this blend much more than the Gran Aroma.  It was a richer, more aromatic blend with full body and also left a smooth non bitter taste.  The grinds are also very finely milled, again like an espresso coffee.  Hands down this was the winner for me!

PARENTAL UNITS TASTE TEST
So being that this coffee comes from Italy, who better to try it out and do a blind taste test than the parents who are actually from Italy!  A wonderful Sunday pasta lunch at mom's wouldn't be complete without a cup of espresso afterwards!  However, this Sunday we made an exception, we brewed both LavAzza blends and did a blind taste test side by side.  Images below will let you know who was the winner...HANDS DOWN....3 TO 0!

STARTING THE TASTE TESTING

TOASTING THE TASTE TEST

REVIEWING AND CONTEMPLATING WHICH BLEND IS THE BEST - THIS REQUIRED DEEP CONCENTRATION...LOOK AT MY MOTHERS CONCENTRATION FACE

THE BIG REVEAL - WHICH BLEND IS THE WINNER? HANDS DOWN 3 TO 0

LAVAZZA'S GRAN SELEZIONE!

In true Italian Parent Form they think I'm crazy to do this, but they were fabulous sports in partaking..and were supportive and into this blind taste test.  As a big thank you, I awarded them with the $4 coupon off their next purchase of one of the new LavAzza blends.

In the end, all were happy and it was a great Sunday afternoon activity!

Hope you all enjoyed sharing this coffee moment with me and my family!

Pictures were compliments of my beautiful niece Trinity, who did an amazing job taking the photos of all of us...since she is only 9 years old, she couldn't really partake in the coffee challenge, but she did an amazing job documenting our day!  Thank you Trinity! I love you!

Influenster and L'Oreal Canada's Mystery Box Revealed!

The wait is finally over, L'Oreal and Influenster have finally revealed the Mystery Brand! It is Garnier Fructis' "Damage Eraser" line.  I received the full line of the "Damage Eraser"...complete with Shampoo, Conditioner, Split-End Repair Serum and Reconstructive Butter.

SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER: 
The claim is that the shampoo and conditioner reconstructs strength and helps repair hair. Protects hair from future damage.  The formula contains Phyto-Keratin complex, with plant-based proteins and active fruit concentrate, cupuacu butter with natural lipids.

SHAMPOO RESULTS: 
After using the shampoo, my hair felt shiny, bouncy, full of volume and healthy. I honestly can not believe how impressed I am with the results.  I have tried many salon brands and they have always fallen short. It's nice to try out a product that really gives me the results that I love, which is shiny hair with lots of bounce and volume.  The only con I had with the shampoo is that it did leave my hair somewhat tangly.

CONDITIONER RESULTS: 
The conditioner was a nice thick formula that left my hair smooth and soft and tangle free. What I love about this conditioner is that it detangled my hair, and did not weigh it down.

SPLIT ENDS BANDAGE SERUM: 
Helps to prevent split ends and reconstructs and preserves hairs strength.

RESULTS: 
The Split-End Bandage Serum is a nice thick creamy serum which I applied on towel dried hair.  Although, I do not feel that split end serums get rid of damage...only a good pair of scissors can do that, it did lessen the frizz of the hair and smooth my ends, which I did notice after blowdrying my hair.

STRENGTH RECONSTRUCTING BUTTER: |
Rich, indulgent butter is designed to intensely reconstruct hair's strength for strong, rejuvenated and shiny-looking hair.  Use weekly for optimal results.

RESULTS:
This is a great hair mask that leaves my hair extra conditioned. I have fine, wavy hair and it was nice to use a product that did not weigh down my hair.

OVERALL:
I'm really enjoying all the products that were sent to me through Influenster and L'Oreal Canada/Garnier Canada.  I always find products that are either for damage repair or volume and I have to compromise one for another.  Surprisingly, these products actually provided me with both volume and shine. I'm talking big, bouncy, shiny, healthy looking hair! I really recommend these products to anyone who is dealing with damaged hair due to styling products, age, colouring and blowdrying.

Another bonus, you will get salon results with drugstore pricing! Imagine that, affordable and helps with damaged hair!

The scent of these products have a slight banana/mango scent that is light and not overpowering.  A note: I have fine, wavy hair and my personal results were amazing.  If you have thicker, course hair, your results may be different than mine.

Disclaimer: The above are my honest opinions and although the products were sent to me for free to review, I have provided my honest experiences and opinions, as always!

If you have tried these products, please feel free to leave me your thoughts!

INFLUENSTER AND L'OREAL CANADA'S MYSTERY VOXBOX

I'm so happy to be participating in this Influenster campaign. For anyone not familiar with Influenster, it is a FREE website in which you complete several surveys, afterwards, they may qualify you for campaigns to participate in based on your surveys.  Campaigns vary. If you are chosen to participate they will send you products to try out and review on social media for FREE!

Being a beauty guru of sorts, I was super excited to have been chosen to participate in their latest campaign. Influenster and L'Oreal Canada partnered up and sent a Mystery VoxBox, which comprised of a shampoo, conditioner and split end remedy treatment.  I have used this product for about a week and thus far the results are fabulous!  The formula is for distressed, damaged hair! Oh, and yes, that would scream my hair right now! I suffer from damaged hair due to age, colouring, curling, teasing, and so much more!

The product that was sent to us is one of L'Oreal Canada's 25 global beauty brands.  We are supposed to guess and what the brand could be.

MY GUESS:
After using these products, I feel that this could be one of L'Oreal's professional line products.  The BIG REVEAL will be in about 1 weeks time, when Influenster will send out the second box with the brand and it's full product line! I can't wait..in the meantime, below is my review on each item I received in my Mystery Vox Box.

SHAMPOO:
The shampoo is lightly fragranced.  It is creamy and lathers very nicely.  A little product is required.  After shampooing my hair, it rinsed off nicely, however, my hair, being fine does have a tendency to get tangled and this shampoo did still leave my hair tangly, but not as bad as other brands I've tried.

CONDITIONER:
The conditioner smells slightly like bananas. I love the scent.  It is creamy and thick and really leaves your hair silky soft.  I loved that it did remove the tangles from my hair and rinsed off nicely.

SPLIT-ENDS SERUM:
Split ends are every girls nightmare. Have you ever gone to the hairdresser and they say, lets just trim of the split ends, only to have an inch chopped off! Sadly, there isn't any miracle cure for the ever so dreaded split end, but this serum did bind my ends together, leaving a nice shiny finish.  I still did experience some frizz, but not nearly as bad as I normally experience.

OVERALL:
My hair after styling was left shiny, soft, but with huge bounce and volume.  I'm so excited to see what the BIG BRAND REVEAL will be.

THANK YOU INFLUENSTER for allowing me to participate in this campaign.

If any of you wish to join Influenster and participate in future campaigns, please go their website...it's all FREE!

www.influenster.com

Thanks for reading my blog!