Mumsie Lifting and Firming Night Cream Review

I just got an opportunity to test the Mumsie Lifting and Firming Night Cream for free thanks to Influenster and Mumsie Naturals. 

This is meant for pregnant or new moms (like me). It is a natural skin care line that improves skin elasticity, reduces the appearance of hormonal aging often associated with pregnancy. This night cream lifts and firms the skin by producing natural collagen. A lot of these things can be done by other products in the market. The part that excites me and is the thing that makes it special is that, the Mumsie Lifting and Firming Night Cream is one of the few night creams that are safe during and after pregnancy. It has no parabens, sulphates, pthalates, dyes or TEA, making it safe for pregnant and nursing moms. What could be better than skin repairing and regeneration with natural products, right? 

I am still nursing my infant son, so the Mumsie Lifting and Firming Night Cream has been a great help. I wish I had it when I was pregnant. I feel the market lacks enough skincare choices for expectant moms. I was always on the lookout for safe facewash and creams but was almost always disappointed. 

The Mumsie Lifting and Firming Night Cream has a very mild and pleseant scent. So, if you have become sensitive yo smells, this night cream might work for you. It is not too thin or runny in consistency. It is a little on the thicker side. However, it is not greasy or does not block the pores. It has impressed me by not breaking me out (my biggest concern). 

The Mumsie Lifting and Firming Night cream has replaced the mousturizer in my (mommy-like and brief) night-time routine. I am looking forward to using other products by Mumsie. Any brand committed to just moms makes me feel happy and important at a time when my life is all about baby products. 

ZzzQuil Review

I received the ZzzQuil Nightime Sleep Aid from Influenster for reviewing for free in exchange of my honest opinion. 

I have never had any issue with sleeplessness till I had Sciatica. It all started with me trying to pull a heavy bag. And the next morning I just could not move out of bed. Lots of medical examinations and physical therapy later, I have reached a place where it is dormant. I have an on-and-off relationship with my sciatica pain. 

So when it is on, the pain gives me sleepless nights. My lower back just refuses to cooperate and sleep eludes me. At such a time I came across ZzzQuil from Influenster. It has been a life saver. It helps me fall asleep faster. It does not ease the pain just helps me get a good night's sleep. It made me sleepy in 10 minutes. It did not give me a headache or leave me groggy in the morning. 

The best part is that it is a non-habit forming sleeping aid and non-prescription. It works wonders and is worth a try. 

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid lipstick Review

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Sometimes I find myself wondering how people change, or to be precise how I have changed over the years. Back in the day, I was a lip gloss person. I did not like using lipsticks at all and found comfort in the subtle and more natural-looking lip glosses. I just did not like the idea of having any color on my lips, instead I opted for sheer or nude lip glosses. 

It has been a decade since my lip gloss days and now I just don't like them anymore. I find them sticky and I hate that feeling on my lips. My hair gets stuck on my lips, adding to my discomfort. I have slowly steered clear of lip glosses and delved deep into the world of lipsticks. I really love adding color to my lips now. And most importantly I feel I have made the switch because of my love for all things matte now. From being a student then to being a mom now, I have come to the other end of the spectrum of lip products. I love my lippies (lipsticks) and have quite a collection to boast of now. 

When Influenster sent me the Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks to test and review for free, I was more than happy. Anything that is matte has my attention. I received 2 shades out of the 10 that have been launched by Maybelline. The shades range from the nudest nude to the darket plum. Influenster has chosen 2 very different and versatile shades for testing - Nude Flush and Rebel Red. 

Formula:

The Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks are very creamy. These glide on smoothly on the lips. Unlike its name these liquid lipsticks do not have a very matte finish, rather they have a more stain-y finish. But they do not have that shine or glossy finish and so I love them. The colors can be built up, so if you want you can leave them a little sheer with one coat or reapply another coat for a more pigmented look. 


Shades:

The 2 shades I received are very versatile. The Nude Flush shade is a very pretty pinkish nude that is perfect for daytime wear. It went very well with my skin tone. It did not wash me out so I liked the color. As for thhe other shade, Rebel Red, it is a classic 90's red lipstick. It is bold and super pigmented. It is perfect for jazzing up any look or any nightime event. 


Wearability:

The Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks stayed on for a very long time, almost 6 hours. Yes, I had to reapply after meals, but just one coat was enough. 


Scent:

A special mention about the scent, these lipsticks just smell delicious. The scent is almost like cupcakes or any such sugary baked goodness. Brownie points for the lipsticks smelling so awesome. 

Overall, I am very impressed with the 2 shades of Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks. I love the formula, although not completely matte. Like a lot of the other matte lipsticks these Maybelline Vivid Matte lipsticks did not dry out my lips or make it look flaky. The shades are great and the smell is my favorite. These retail for about $7.99 at Ulta and for about $6 at Amazon (an add-on item). These are totally worth it and I would love to try out some of the other shades. 

Thank you Influenster! 

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries using Country Crock

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A few hours after lunch I always have a snack attack. Consequently I am always making little snacks and storing them for those ravenous moments. Today while I was raiding the refrigerator, my eyes settled on the tub of Country Crock sitting in the corner. 

Just last week Influenster had mailed me a coupon of Country Crock for free for sampling it. I redeemed my coupon for a tub of Country Crock Original from my nearest grocery store. There are other varieties of Country Crock like Calcium, Light and Churn Style, Sticks etc but since this is my first time trying Country Crock I went for the original buttery spread. 

I had two sweet potatoes staring at me, and since I was craving something savoury I decided to put them to good use. I wanted to use the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and give a spicy twist to it. So, I came up with the idea of Spicy Sweet Potato Fries. 

Here is how I made it. 

1. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes. 

2. Soak them in water for 1 hour. 

3. Coat them in corn starch. 

4. Add garlic salt, brown sugar, ground black pepper, and smoked paprika to the sweet poratoes and toss it in a bowl. 

5.  Add a spoonful of Country Crock original and mix well. 

6. Arrange them on a baking tray. 

7. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.  

Serve hot. 

Use any dipping sauce of your choice. 

Country Crock is so buttery and smooth that it just added a new dimension to the sweet potato fries. I like Country Crock already. It is so creamy and tastes just like butter but without the artificial preservatives and flavors and transfat. It can be used in so many ways. You can check out Country Crock's website for a whole bunch of recipes to be inspired from. Or, you can Make It Yours. 

Let me know in the comments below how you use your Country Crock. Share your recipes too. As and when I make something else (hopefully something sweet) I will keep you guys posted. 

The Amuse Bouche VoxBox

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Just when I thought I couldn't be more excited about my new obsession, Influenster, I got to know that I was getting my first VoxBox. And not just any VoxBox, it was the much-awaited and highly-coveted Amuse Bouche VoxBox by Bite Beauty. It had only been a month since I joined Influenster and here I was with my first VoxBox. Can't be more thankful. 

To know more about Influenster, you can checkout my review of the site here. 

Bite Beauty has launched 34 pretty shades of their new line of lipsticks, Amuse Bouche, for this Spring. Influenster's VoxBox came with three of the prettiest shades. 

1. Pepper - Dusty rose - This natural shade is perfect for day wear.

2. Gazpacho - The true blue red - This will give you the perfect red lips. 

3. Beetroot - Bold berry - This bold shade is for any night out, with anybody. 

The first thing that blew me over was the lipstick case. The Amuse Bouche lipsticks come in a matte black casing with Bite's logo in shiny letters etched at the bottom. The head of the case is designed at an angle to give it the shape of the lipstick. This kind of packaging is just so unique and draws curiosity immediately. 

The lipsticks are very pigmented, signature style of Bite Beauty. They are very creamy and hydrating, making application easy with just one stroke. These lipsticks have a citrusy flavor, keeping them in sync with the freshness of Spring.

The Amuse Bouche Lipsticks have been made with fresh pressed fruits and edible oils. 

The Amuse Bouche lipsticks have already made it to my list of favorites. I am planning to try out some of the other shades soon. They are a great investment if you are want a great-looking, great-smelling lipstick that is naturally made. 

You can get them for $26 at Sephora.  

I received these lipsticks as complimentary products for testing purpose, but that has not affected my opinion in any way. 

Pinch Me Review

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What is PINCHme?

Do you want to try free products by leading brands before they hit the shelves? Then get ready to be pinched. PINCHme lets you  do just that. Test products before they are released in the market to get consumer reviews. 

How does PINCHme work?

You have to sign up and complete a member survey to let know PINCHme know you, your likes and preferences. 

You get to choose the samples you would like to try and PINCHme will ship them to you for free. In return just give them your valuable feedback. You just have to complete short feedback surveys which PINCHme in turn will share with the brands. Yes, it is really that simple. 

Anybody can join and get these samples. What is the catch? None. Just share your experience. 

The best part? You will get full sized products to use for months unlike other sampling services that send sample sized products that can only be used a couple of times. 

Some samples go live once every month while others are available every week. You have to add them to your cart and checkout. Some of the products are available in limited quantity, so you have to be fast. PINCHme also restricts the number of samples you can order like choosing 1 out of 3. This is just to understand what you prefer over the other. 

What kind of samples do you expect?

You can get product samples for your pets, your baby or yourself. You can get skin and hair care products, make up, snacks, health and hygine products etc. Brands that are about to launch a new line of products often go through services like PINCHme for reaching out to consumers. So, be ready to receive any sort of products.

Some of the boxes I have received so far:

If you want to give me a boost you can sign up using my referral code. 

You might also like to read about my Elite Deal Club Review, Lip Monthly Review, Skipping the Ipsy waitlist, Being a BzzAgent or Hauls. 

PINCHme has not sponsored this post.

Influenster Review

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What is Influenster?

If you want to receive free samples in exchange for your valuable reviews, Influenster is the right place for you. Influenster is a site that uses the power of social media to reach out to people and promote products. They send free products to your doorsteps and want you to review them. Yes, you read it right, I did say free.

As the name Influenster suggests it wants its memebers to influence others through word of mouth or through their social media accounts. The more friends or followers or subscribers you have, the better I say. 

How to be an Influenster?

Firstly and obviously you need to sign up. You will have to complete some surveys to complete your profile. Influenster will try to get an idea about your likes and preferences through your surveys. 

You will also have to unlock some badges. Now, there are 3 kinds of badges, Expert Badges, Lifestyle Badges, and Campaign Badges. You can write reviews, ask questions or answer questions to unlock these badges. 

• Expert Badges will test your expertise on a variety of things like technology, food, drinks, make up, fashion, travel, natural products etc. You get the hang of it, right?
• Lifestyle Badges can be unlocked by showing your prowess in areas like being a Mom, a bookworm, pet lover or wedding planner etc. 
• Campaign Badges come and go depending on their ongoing campaigns. These activities are time-based and you have to do what they ask for within a limited timeframe to qualify for campaigns. 

What is Impact Score?

Once you become a member, Impact Score is something that will become your obsession. Or rather how to increase your Impact Score. 

Let's just say the higher your impact score the better are your chances to receiving a VoxBox. 

There are a few things that you can do to amp up your Impact Score:

• Link all your social media accounts to Influenster.

                         

• Be very active in all your social media accounts.

• Check for Snaps regularly. These are little qualifying surveys.

• Be involved and infleunce people. Write product reviews, ask questions about products, answer questions by other members, scan products, upload photos etc. 

 

• Get as many badges as you can.

• Make Lists of products, like wishlists, must-haves, likes etc. 

• Invite your friends to join. It will give you brownie points.

• Log in to Influenster using their app and spend sometime on it.                                           

How will you know you have qulaified for a VoxBox?

If you have made the cut, you will get an email saying that you have qualified for the semi-finals. You take the survey and if you match their needs, you just might be one of those lucky people getting a box full of free goodies! And what do you have to do in return? Spend some time testing the products and write reviews.

In conclusion, the VoxBoxes are not easy to get anymore. With members increasing like crazy, and a limited number of VoxBoxes, you have to work hard to earn it. Although Influenser VoxBoxes are free per se, you have to invest time and energy (instead of money) to get them. Here is wishing you all the luck!

If you want to give me a boost, you can sign up using my referral code. 


This post has not been sponsered by Influenster. 

You might also like to read about my Elite Deal Club Review, Lip Monthly Review, Skipping the Ipsy waitlist, Being a BzzAgent or Hauls.