Beauty Box Five August 2014 Radiant and Remarkable @beautybox5 #BB5bright

Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of the product for review purposes. The opinions are my own, based on my personal experience with the product.

Wow, did summer seem to race by this year? I can't believe summer is heading to an end soon...we are into August already!  BB5 is shining right into fall with a carefree attitude.  Think about all the little things that make you radiant and make you remarkable....whether it is your positive thoughts or your smiling face.  I know for me it is my Can-Do Attitude no matter what comes at me.  Sometimes, it is a whole bunch of stuff!  All these little aspects make each of us remarkable so don't be afraid to shine a little brighter with a little help from your friends!  The heat wave of Summer is still here so enjoy it while you can but protect your skin! Embrace beaming skin, shiny lips and magically smooth hair to keep the glow going.

I like trying new beauty products from sunscreens to lipsticks and find that I often find new faves.  That is one of the great things about BB5.  You can try lots of new things and sub in new favorites without being stuck with a huge bottle of this or that. I know you know what I mean. Sometimes I look at a product in the store but I worry it might not be for me and I don't want to spend all that money if I don't know that I really like it.  Who needs something else to sit on the bathroom shelf or take up more room in a drawer? Every once in a while you get lucky and the store has a sample or perhaps a beauty company sends you a sample and you get to try it first. 

The ideal solution for all of us is brought to you by Beauty Box 5. They understand  and created their great sampling box program. Beauty Box 5 is an amazing subscription beauty box sampler that is delivered right to your doorstep (or mailbox) filled with a combination of 5 brand new cosmetic samples monthly, quarterly or annually. You can start out at just $12 a month or save more by getting a longer subscription. Signing up to receive Beauty Box 5 each month is a great new way for anyone from teens to moms to sample new cosmetic products and see what works for you.  Each month they include tips and tricks for the products on the back of this little card below to help you get the most out of your beauty samples each month.

Beauty Box 5 is always on the lookout for the latest new items to make the best matches for your own personal taste and lifestyle.  The prices are reasonable too. You can get a Beauty Box 5 monthly for $12, quarterly for $30 or annually for just $99.  Shipping is always free.  A fun way to check out lots  of the new beauty stuff out there without a whole lot of $$ investment. The great part is that if you like something, you can just up and buy the full size item, right?  Much better than buying a full size you-know-what-beauty-item and paying a fortune and then it sits in the makeup bag gathering dust because it doesn't work for you.

Beauty Box 5 mixes it up with their brands and keeps things adventurous. They source from a mix of niche, luxe, regular drugstore, vegan and eco-conscious brands.  One month you might get hair care, nail care, makeup, skin care, fragrances or even beauty accessories or a mix of any of the above.  I love the suspense!  You will get a carefully curated blend of travel, full-size and deluxe samples from their most current collection.
  

I just received the August Defining Moments Box this week.  The team at Beauty Box 5 wants to help you celebrate the events that made you the amazing woman you are today. Maybe it was a big ole milestone like your college graduation, a first job or even a small victory like  wrangling that first big client or seeing that first paycheck get direct deposited into you bank account.  Perhaps it was a triumph finally nailing the cat eye liner look.  Treasure your accomplishments big and small and find joy in each and every one! Beauty Box 5 is here with a few special treats to help you along the way.  Here is the scoop on the amazing treats that were in this sweet sea blue box:

As always It was chock full of amazing goodies that I could not wait to try. There were goodies for my nails, face, body and hair tucked in there.  Lots of special items to keep me looking fresh and glam wherever my summer or fall  days take me.  They take me all over too....from the Adirondacks to the Jersey shore to Florida. I am one busy mama!

The first treat in this exciting August box is a sample of Novex Brazilian Keratin deep conditioning hair treatment.  I am wondering if this was tucked in the box special for me with my dry damaged hair?  My hair solution pretty much knocked on my door... okay,  so the mailman did the knocking.  I tried this intensive treatment on my  summer beach weekend keratin-treated hair and liked the way it looked and felt. I took the BB5 tip and left it in for almost a half-hour. Wow, it had a light scent and this professional treatment left my hair so soft and shiny!  It felt and looked like I just had a professional shine treatment without even leaving the house.  Already added into my To-buy list. Retail: $19.50 2lbs

The next product in the box is right up my alley. Purlisse Pur~protect SPF 30 facial sunscreen. Ideal for all day summer fun.  An easy solution to shield your skin from the harsh rays without causing irritation or breakouts.  It feels lightweight and the SPF 30 is the perfect level for me to feel confident I am protecting my skin.  I plan in picking up the full size one at less than two oz it is a great size to stash  right into my makeup bag ready for a week day or a late summer weekend away.   A smart splurge at $55.00 for 1.7 oz

La Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes is a smart option for ladies on the go like me. I travel often for work and these are the perfect solution to get all that makeup off at night after a long workday.  I have used these before and can tell you they even make quick work of waterproof eyeliner and mascara.  A few wipes and poof, all gone!  Make your life easier with else little pack-easy wipes. Even  the price is reasonable at $19.99 for 48 packets. 

You know how much  I love lip gloss. I think it is the combination of color + moisturizer that makes gloss like this sleek Nanacoco one a winner for me.  This one is a beautiful, light sheer moisturizing color in Carmel Latte. It is a lightly sparkly pinkish tan color. It has just the right touch of color and shine for anytime. It even smells yummy like a caramel latte coffee. I love the added Vitamin E to keep my lips soft and kissable.  I tucked this right into my makeup bag after I tested it out...ready to wear on Monday!   An amazing deal at $3.99.

The last item in this exciting August box for a final treat is the Style Essentials Nail Polish in this amazing and totally trendy sea blue-green shade.  It has flecks of sparkly white blue and green to give your mani or pedi a glam finish. You can say goodbye to your boring nails and let your style shine through starting today. You not only get an amazing shade but you have the added fun of a sparkly finish.  The brush is unique and makes it easy to do a pretty mani or pedi and look like a pro.   Retail: $7.00  

So, are you ready to get in on the fun? The ladies from BB5 have put together another really amazing box full of beauty fun perfect to take you straight into Fall. Don't forget to join Beauty Box 5 and get in on the goodies to keep you looking fab all four season.  You can even spread your good fortune via Instagram and have an opportunity to win full-size versions of these products too! Don't forget to tag @beautybox5 and #bb5fave so they know that it was you spreading the love around!

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe would be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255:  "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Legoland Discovery Center Westchester Review @USFG

Disclosure:  I received this information through my relationship with US Family Guide. In exchange for sharing this information I had the opportunity to receive 4 free tickets to visit LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester.  

Maybe you are like me and totally did not know that the LEGOLAND Discovery Center had opened up last year in Yonkers, NY.  Even more exciting, this is the only LEGOLAND Discovery Center on the entire East Coast of the United States.  Who doesn't like Legos? Well then, welcome to one of Westchester's top kids attractions and one of the world's biggest boxes of LEGO bricks! This isn't just Legos though, this new family friendly spot offers tons of indoor fun, even cool rides, interactive stations and this huge play structure for kids to get some energy expended for a good nights sleep (heh, heh, heh...that is always the plan!)

If you have boys or girls that are Lego fans then you might want to consider a little trip to this fun spot.  Who knew that it was just literally a hop, skip and a jump from the GW Bridge in this beautiful walkable outdoor Westchester Ridge Hill mall.  After you spend a morning or afternoon at the Legoland Discovery Center, you can take a nice stroll through the mall and do some shopping or window shopping.  Great stores and even nice restaurants. So jealous since we have nothing like that by us but at least I know this is a fun option for a special day. Meanwhile, the whole Legoland Discovery Center is an amazing play space that for Lego lovers of all ages from tots to tweens. They even have special deals for annual memberships if you live locally. 

The kids don't need to be Lego obsessed to have a fun day here either. My little one loved it! From the Lego building stations to the rides you can spend an hour or a whole day here. When you walk in you can have an immediate photo op with the huge Lego creature in the right by the door.  Of course she pointed that one out and how cool he was. I was so surprised how interested she was in the Lego Factory tour as an older kid...she thought it was really cool to see how they were made and all the fun stuff to touch and explore. We loved the rides like the Kingdom Quest.  You ride through and shoot all the evil ones and gather points.  Of course I grabbed two guns so I could finish off more of them....she thought that was hysterical. 

We saw all the little ones just loving the colorful Lego Fire Academy play structure. There were tunnels and nets and lots of places to climb and explore in a safe environment including a pit full of soft Lego bricks.  No shoes allowed for safety.

We just LOVED the Lego 4D Cinema. We both agreed that alone was worth the price of admission. Very cool and the special effects were something else. Lots of fun for the adults and kids and I recommend you do not miss this one! It is a short movie but worth the time. When we were there it was A Clutch Powers 4-D Adventure.

Don't miss the Lego Racers: Build & Test area. You can build and then race your Lego vehicle with other visitors. This was popular and she loved it. Not a long wait though which was good. 

One of the first things we hopped on was the Merlin's Apprentice ride.  It spins around in a gentle circle and you pedal fast to make your car go higher.  Ahhh, of course I had woken up super early and pounded my beat up self through a grueling boot camp regimen at 7:30am so my legs were crying even though the pedaling was easy.  You-know-who kept shushing my moans and groans and urged me to pedal faster.  No sympathy but it really was fun.

The detailed and amazing lifelike NYC landmarks in the MiniLand are made entirely from Legos.  You really must take a walk through and see the GW Bridge and all the other spots.  Some of them even move and light up.  

We really wanted to sit in on a Master Builder Academy workshop but we kept missing the session starts. No ones fault but ours really.  There were a ton of time slots and we decided we are doing that on our next visit.  You get to learn from a Lego pro which is pretty neat especially since the classroom is small. 

She was wishing that Legoland Discovery was around was she was a toddler as she watched the little ones play in the adorable Duplo Village.   Cute, cute, cute!

She could not be torn away from the Earthquake Table area.  She was having a ball building these Lego skyscrapers and then turning the knob to the max to see if the structure could still stand.  She was a good builder and all of her structures stayed put. Maybe architecture is in her future?? It would be good if there was a second little unit. This was popular and my daughter mentioned it got kind of crowded.  Kids were squeezing in on one another. It was that cool!

One other fun thing for the younger ones is karaoke at the Lego Friends Playhouse. It was cute to watch. She liked the Lego Friends playhouse. Cute, cute cute!

One option if you know you are going is to buy your tickets in advance. Yup. You can buy your tickets ahead of time.  There is a small service fee, but if it is busy you can avoid the disappointment of being turned away. It does sell out on busy days.  There is a cute little cafe inside but it is not gourmet. We ate before in one of the yummy restaurants in the Ridge Hill mall.  Plan ahead either to eat in their cafe or at one of the restaurants because you cannot bring your own food or drinks.

On a 2014 note, for safety sake, adults aren't allowed to visit Legoland Discovery Center alone. An adult must have a child under the age of 13 with them to enter. It sounds kind of weird but as a mom I totally get it. This makes me feel safer and I like that rule. Legoland Discovery Center is targeted for children ages 3 to 10 and that seems reasonable. My 10 year old enjoyed herself.  Three year olds would love it just as much.

Legoland Discovery Center is so close to the GW bridge so NY, NJ and CT drivers will find it a snap to get to. I am so awful with directions but my GPS got me there no problem at all.  It is even easy via public transportation. You can hop on the Metro-North Hudson Line to Yonkers and transfer to a Westchester County bus that will take you right to the Ridge Hill mall for a day of fun.

Admission is a reasonable $22 for adults and $18 for children ages 3 to 10. If you are making a day of it then the price is pretty reasonable. If you think you'll visit more than a few times in a year, an annual pass is the way to go. Have fun, we sure did! 

5KTape from SeventyFiveDegrees Review #FiveKTape

Have you heard about kinesiology, also known as the science behind muscular and skeletal movement?  kinesiology taping, Japanese chiropractor Dr. Kenzo Kase, a Japanese chiropractor is the inventor of kinesiology taping. He developed it as a muscle treatment back in 1979. He named it the Kinesio Taping Method. It gently lifts the layer of skin and attached tissue covering a muscle so that blood and other body fluids can move more freely in and around that muscle.  A really fascinating but so simple idea and it really works for athletes and even everyday peeps like me that workout a lot. The fact is that we know that keeping muscles active helps to improve circulation, reduce pain and speed healing. 5K Tape helps you do that. Kinesiology tape is designed to stick beautifully but it takes a few times to get it just right. If I can do it, so can you. You can shower with it on and leave on for a couple of days too which is super convenient.

The 5K Tape is effective because it works in multiple ways:

• Supports muscle-Correct taping improves even damaged or weakened muscle's ability to contract. It reduces pain and fatigue and protects muscle from cramps, over-extension and over-contraction.

• Allows body fluids to flow freely-Kinesiology tape improves blood and lymphatic circulation and drainage.  The lymph drainage also reduces inflammation and promotes elimination of chemicals.

• Activates the endogenous analgesic system-In other words this activates your own body's pain relieving system. The tape helps your body to heal itself. 

• Aid joint problems-Improves range of motion and adjusting issues that result from tightened muscles.

5K Tape is really easy to use too.  If you have muscles that are injured or overused, and you need relief and healing from pain and tightness you just apply the tape with no tension. You start at the tendons that hold the muscle to the bone and extend out towards the origin of the muscle.  If you have chronically injured or weakened muscles and need support and full range of motion you just apply the tape with light tension. You start at the origin of the muscle and extend out toward the tendons that hold the muscle to the bone.

After you've placed the tape in its final position, you rub the tape for a few seconds to activate the adhesive and ensure it stays put. Always rub the tape for activation. Do not forget this part.  After an hour, the adhesive sets and seals, and should be adhered enough to stay put for three to four days through all your daily activities, including exercise and showering.

5K Tape is premium kinesiology tape. You can find it conveniently on Amazon and it comes in two shapes too: Black 2 in.X16.4 ft pre cut, I and Y shape.  It is waterproof and latex free as well as hypo-allergenic.  It is the perfect sports and athletic tape for anyone. It provides some serious stability and support to the muscles but it is easy to use and I like that there are no pills involved. I prefer to do things naturally if I can and allow my own immune system to do its job whenever possible. Of course if something was serious or not improving after a day or two, I always head to  my doctor pronto to check things out. I find 5K Tape really reduces pain, inflammation and promotes circulation especially for my calves where they get super tight. It has made a huge difference for me and I am going to keep using it.

Kinesiology is something that is beneficial for everyone from teens to grammas. Many people besides athletes use it. It is ffective for the elderly, children, and everyone in between!  5KTape can be used on shin splints, back pain, shoulder, knee, and ankle injuries, plus many more sports and everyday aches and pains. Works great on sore muscles and bruises too!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Oleavine Konjac Facial Sponge 100% Plant Based infused with Activated Charcoal Review #beautysponge

Whatever your age, it is always good practice to take care of your skin properly. How can you do that naturally and make sure you are really cleaning your skin?  You could spend a bundle on one of those ultrasonic cleansers but that isn't always a reasonable or eco-friendly option. Oleavine is a leading Anti-aging and Skincare Beauty Company that just launched a 100% natural, eco-friendly and biodegradeable Konjac facial sponge. 

There are other Konjac sponges out there and Oleavine did extensive research prior to placing their name on this little magical item.  The Konjac fiber for the Oleavine facial sponge is grown on the pristine volcanic plains of Jeju Island in South Korea, free from chemicals, pollution and irritants. The sponge hydrates quickly, and lasts longer with proper care than others that they tested extensively.

This Konjac Sponge is my little beauty secret these days. It is luxuriously soft and comfortable to use. It is unbelievable how gently it exfoliates and cleanses.  Oleavine shared with me that it is naturally pH balanced as well.  They also revealed that the secret is in the activated bamboo charcoal.  It absorbs toxins, fights bacteria and excess oils. I find it leaves my your face looking refreshed and radiant each time I use it no matter how little sleep I got the night before. Trust me, the past few weeks I have have had so much on my plate sleep is the last thing I am getting. Thank goodness for this little helper! I find that it cleans so well that my skin really absorbs my creams and serums.  Every little bit helps.
 
Oleavine tells me that their Konjac Facial Sponge is even soft enough for a baby's skin while still providing effective exfoliation. This is a beauty tool that you can comfortably use every single day even on the most sensitive skin. No more irritation caused by harsher rough exfoliation or those expensive electronic scrubbers.  You can even save because facial cleanser is optional with the Konjac Sponge. I find my skin looks clearer and I have not seen any breakouts recently...even though it has been so hot and sticky here...no zits.

I have petite hand and I find the teardrop shape is easy to hold.  You can use the Oleavine Konjac Facial sponge on the face or body. The ergonomically designed teardrop shape easily fits in the palm of your hand and you can use the soft rounded point to gently exfoliate sensitive hard to reach areas around your eyes. This sponge is the ideal shape for the contours of your face but still large enough for your body.  I find it works great to clean my body after I have been outside all day with my sunscreen. My skin feels so clean after.

The Oleavine Konjac sponge is:

• Free From Chemicals, Pollution and Irritants
• 100% Biodegradable and Sustainable (You can even plant it in your flowerbed or compost when you want to retire it)
• Not Tested on Animals, and Vegan Friendly
• Has NO Added Dyes or Colorants

I buy more and more on Amazon just for the pure convenience from my paper goods to my beauty tools including the Oleavine Konjac sponge. Let me know what you think.


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.