Make Up For Ever Voxbox!

I recently received a Make Up For Ever Voxbox from Influenster, to test out for a review. The review is for Make Up For Ever's new Matte Velvet skin blurring powder foundation which retails for $38.

The packaging of the foundation is really nice, it comes in a metal tin with a pop open latch. Inside you'll find a good sized mirror, the foundation and a sponge applicator. I really like the applicator they sent with this, one side feels like a beauty blender and the other feels like a soft velvet.

The foundation itself is silky smooth and light weight, you can barely tell you are wearing it. It applies smooth and evenly, one layer is just right. You can use it by itself or use it with a primer, either way it is bound to look great. I've used this on three different occasions so far and it doesn't seem like I've used a lot of the product so I think this will last me quite some time. I am pretty happy with this product and look forward to using it more. You can instantly see it working as you are applying it, however if you have any dark color spots you need covered I may apply slightly more than one coat, otherwise it gives you a nice complete foundation look. Want to get Voxboxes of your own? You can sign up using my link found HERE, you do not need to be a blogger to receive boxes. You just need to fill out your profile, and complete surveys given to you, if you match a future campaign they will send you invites to qualify for a box.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Influenster for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Groove Life Rings Review & Giveaway!

Depending on your occupation wearing a traditional metal ring may not be the best option, some allergies also make it impossible to wear certain metals, which is where silicone rings come into play. My husband works in a field where he works with his hands often and rings we've tried in the past dig into his hand leaving behind a bump where a callus starts to build, so we started to look for a new ring. Since his ring is his wedding ring that he will be wearing all the time he wanted something that is comfortable and doesn't rub his finger raw so we decided to test out a silicone ring from Groove Life. The wedding ring I had lost two of the side stones over the last two years so I decided to replace it with a ring from Groove Life as well.

Groove Life has over a dozen beautiful rings to choose from, some have a single color and others are more detailed. For the review I picked out the women's Aspire - Aurora silicone wedding ring and my husband selected the men's Black pearl metallic ring.

The Black Pearl Metallic ring ($29.95) really does look metallic in the light, it has a little bit of a sheen to it which looks lovely. I did notice on the ring my husband received that it did have a small ring of what looked like extra silicone around one ridge of the ring, it has slowly been coming off on it's own. You can see it a little in the first photo above, however I think it is just the way it came out of the mold and it should be easy to file off the extra. Otherwise there are no issues with the ring, my husband says it is comfortable to wear, it dries quickly when it gets wet and it stays in place thanks to the helpful grooves on the inside of the ring which also make it breathable so your finger doesn't get all sweaty under the band.

My Aspire - Aurora ring ($34.95) is gorgeous, the photos of it look pretty great but it looks even better in person.One side of the ring has a bit more blues and the other has more greens, so you can turn it to look different each time you show it off. The ring features mountain ranges and a night sky that resembles the aurora borealis. I know I should have my ring faced the other way so when I show it off the person looking at it can get a better view, however I love admiring the ring so I point it towards myself. I agree with my husband that these rings are extremely comfortable to wear, you can't even tell you are wearing it! If you do need to or want to remove it, the ring comes off with gentle wiggling, otherwise it stays in place with the inside grooves. I also like how flexible the ring is. If anything ever does happen to your ring they offer a lifetime warranty, plus if you order the wrong size they offer free exchanges.

PRIZE ALERT:
One lucky winner is going to win a ring of his or her choice from Groove Life.

This is open World Wide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME and is not associated with any of the brands mentioned above.

This giveaway ends on 06/15/2019
 
Giveaway entry question: Which ring would you select if you won?

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Groove Life for the review + giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Terminator 2 Escape with Escape Westgate!

Have you ever wondered about what would happen in the case of an emergency situation such as the end of the world or a zombie apocalypse? Out of your friends and family, who do you think would be the best to have with in your survival group for the best chance of survival? We may never find out the answer for the two scenarios mentioned above, But you are able to find out who is the best at solving puzzles to help you escape being locked in a room together. Every year Escape rooms are becoming more popular and for good reason, not only are they exciting,but they are a great team building exercise and you can push yourself to your limits as well. If you aren't familiar with what an escape room is, it is a immersive clue finding game where you and a team of your choice are locked inside of a room for one hour. In order to escape and beat the room you have to search for clues, figure out puzzles and complete missions to get out. If you don't complete it within the hour time frame, you lose!

Earlier this week my husband, four of our friends and myself were able to check out Escape Westgate, which is located at 6751 N Sunset Blvd Suite E-108, Glendale, AZ 85305. They offer three themed rooms: The Hidden Tomb, Bill & Ted's Excellent Escape room and Terminator 2 Escape. Their website allows you to book the room ahead of time or you can walk in and see what the wait time is for one of the rooms. Each room allows up to ten people, you can all go as a group or you are able to join other small groups. Although they allow ten people in a room, we thought a group of six was the best size otherwise it may have been slightly cramped inside of the room. Tickets are $30.99 per person for the one hour game room. Don't completely rely on google maps to get you to their location, it will give you a general area but it doesn't lead you right to it. You will need to park and walk into the shopping center, Escape Westgate is located next to the Yard House. We all decided to go with the Terminator 2 room. The room really made us feel as though we had stepped into the Terminator movies with how they decorated the room and how they placed clues for getting out.

Before heading into the room you get to meet your game master who is watching you on camera for the hour you are in the room, our game master was named Jacob. Jacob did a wonderful job explaining the rules, letting us know a bit of what to expect and let us know if we needed help he could give us a clue on the screen in the room. Once inside we set to work figuring out the clues of how to beat the room before the hours is complete. You would think an hour is plenty of time to find clues and figure everything out, however you'd be surprised at how intricate everything actually is. Some escape rooms have it set up to where you have to work on one clue at a time in order to compete the room but then what is the rest of the group doing? This room allowed all of us to be working on various puzzles both together and separate to try to figure everything out, so it really was a team effort. Get stuck and need a hint? You do not get points or time removed if you ask for a hint from the game master, and the hint/clues don't give anything away they just point you to the general direction of where you need to go. We thought everything was extremely well done with how they provided clues/hints.

I can't give away any of the puzzles that were in the room, however I can let you know that they did a wonderful job setting up the room with ample amounts of details both in how they hid clues, set out puzzles and included references from the movie into the room. I was amazed at a few of the things that seemed to be right in front of our faces yet we didn't realize it right away. Each of us contributed towards the room as a whole and none of us felt is if the others weren't doing anything to help out. We had a lot of fun doing the room and the hour went by extremely quick! The hour was up before we knew it. I do not think that a solo player would be able to complete the room as at least one puzzle needed two people, so you would need at least two people to complete the room. So how did we do?

We completed the room with milliseconds left! Our game master told us it was one of the closest games he had seen. The entire car ride back we all were talking about the various details in the room and how impressed we were with the room as whole. All of the staff members we interacted with were friendly, happy and quite helpful with any questions we had about the facility. After our room was completed Jacob came back in and let us ask some questions about the rooms, and puzzles. We learned that two of the puzzles we managed to complete without even needing any clues! Prior to leaving we were able to pick out some signs to take a photo with including a sign to show off our game time. Do I suggest checking out Escape Westgate? Yes, I think you'd have a lot of fun whether you lose or not. Do you need to know about/be a fan of the Terminator movies to do this room? No, you don't.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Escape Westgate for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

The Crayola Experience is now open in Chandler,AZ!

Guess what Arizona residents? We have a brand new tourist attraction at Chandler Fashion Square. Crayola has just opened the first ever Crayola Experience here in Arizona and it is packed with fun things for you and the kids to do. My family and I went to a media opening day on Wednesday and we all had a blast,  I felt like a child again. It officially opened to the public on Thursday May 23rd,2019 tickets are $14.99 per person which can be bought online or in store, so head out to see the new location for yourself.

Above: Create your own Crayon label


Above: A few of the crayons we labeled.

What do they have to offer? They have a ton to do and it isn't just the kids who can participate and enjoy the activities, adults can participate too. When you first enter the attraction there are two machines with six stations where you can create your own crayon label, first you pick which station you want based off the color of crayon you want then you insert a coin into the machine. (Coins are not included in the price to get in,they have vending machines where you can buy coins with cash. Note: only two areas require these coins). After inserting your coin it will ask you to select a symbol, name your crayon then ask if it is how you want it so it can print. Next it will pop out a naked crayon and a label that you take over to a second station where you will add on the label yourself using the machines they have. I am hoping they change out the colors every few months so those with annual passes can get different colors. They currently have yellow, two shades of green, pink and two shades of purple available to label.

The next area you can use coins to purchase bags of play foam so you can build your own creations using the cutting tools and markers they have available at each table. Each baggie of play foam cost one coin (which I believe equals out to $0.50 each), there is enough in each bag to make one small figure, my daughter bought a bag of purple and turned it into a small teddy bear. There is also an interactive floor in this area where the kids can play games on the projector.

Following the three areas mentioned there is also an area where you can color in a animal or critter then hand it to the attendant to watch it come alive and dance on stage, They had frogs for us to color, it was neat watching them dance. A giant coloring station sits in the middle of the front with dozens of bins filled with crayons and coloring pages, where you can sit and relax while coloring. If you aren't happy with the coloring pages they have at the coloring section you can make your own with YOU as the star! They have two stations where you can snap a photo in front of the camera on the background of your choice then hit print to make a coloring page with your face on it. The create your own coloring page machine was simple to use and it took less than a minute to create a coloring page. The kids each made one together and we did one as a family. The images are black and white, they will make you look slightly cartoonish.

Above: Melted Max Spin Art

They can't fit anymore into this building can they? They sure can! Aside from everything I have already listed there is a station where you can color a picture then scan it to make it come alive on the screen, you have a choice of snapping a photo on one of their backgrounds or take a photo with your creation and email it to yourself,. Above you can see the dragons my son and I drew plus a photo of mine alive on the screen, each image actual moves for example the dragons and fairy flap their wings and move their bodies. Speaking of your creations coming to life, you can color a dress, shirt or vehicle and make it come alive on the race track or at a fashion show where you can see your creation on the big screen. Next to the creation stations is a giant light peg board, a area where you can make a 3D turtle or monkey, a station where you can make a wax hand (extra charge) and a spot where you can mine for gems.

If that isn't enough for you there is still more to enjoy! There is a molding station where you can mold your own crayon keepsake to take home, our location had either a car mold or ring mold available. They had a melted spin art area, a silly selfie station, a chalk area where you could write all over the walls, a station where you could color with melted crayons as they are melting, and a area where you could run across the screen and interact with the melting crayon rain. Almost everything here is do it yourself and very simple to use, if you do need any help there are several assistance walking around the building who are more than happy to help assist you.

Hungry? No problem, they have a cafe where you can pick up drinks or food items and if you are craving desserts they have a sweets shoppe with cookies, ice cream, fudge and more! You are bound to spend at least two hours here if you want to stop by each station so I would food plan if you'd like to eat snacks here or eat lunch in the mall food court. You can get your hand stamped before leaving so you can go eat and come back if you wish. They do have a nice clean restroom to use so you do not need to leave the store to use the bathroom. Before leaving they have a large gift shop where you can shop for crayons, markers, and crayola inspired goodies. They have a giant wall completely lined with different crayons where you can build your own pack.

So what did we end up coming home with? Each child came home with four custom label crayons, a clay model, a race car crayon they created, a custom coloring page, a melted wax spin creation and several coloring pages/creations from the other stations. I also made three of my own labeled crayons, which I had a lot of fun with. I also received a goodie bag as part of the media day which features several products from their gift shop! You can see that image above.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Crayola Experience for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Three interesting reads for summer!

My kids and I always get so excited when we see a new Candlewick Press package at our door at the end of the day because we know it means we have new books to explore. Candlewick Press has so many amazing books, their books capture our imaginations, satisfy our curiosity and leave us yearning for more. I have another bundle of three books to share with you that would make a great addition to any summer reading list. All three are brand new publications that just became available for purchase this month.

Sea Glass Summer

Written By Michelle Houts

Retail Value $16.99

This sweet book is about a little boy who goes to visit his grandmother at her seaside cottage for the summer. On his trip there he is given an old magnifying glass that belonged to his grandfather and he discovers the beauty of finding sea glass. His grandmother explains to him that over the course of years at sea the glass that once held a different past, gets shaped into a beautiful piece of seaglass. Each night after finding new pieces of sea glass the little boy dreams of what the items may have been in their past life. I thought this book was quite lovely, and it reminded me of my own grandmother. The artwork in this book is stunning, I love how on one page you'll find a beautiful sunset and on the next it will be a black and white image of the past.

Waiting for Chicken Smith

Written By David Mackintosh

Retail Value $16.99

This is a story about about childhood friendships, anticipation, and magic moments that happen while you’re waiting for something else to happen. Follow along with a little boy who is visiting his summer cabin, waiting for his friend who always stays next door to arrive and come play with him. This year things are a little different and Chicken Smith hasn't shown up yet, where is he? While the little boy is remembering the times the two shared together in his past, his younger sister keeps trying to get his attention. In the end of the book you are able to figure out what his sister was trying to show him. I thought this was an interesting book, it was easy to follow along with and it made you picture relaxing near the beach.

The Good Son

Written By Pierre-Jacques Ober

Retail Value $22

This book is a story about the first world war told in miniatures. I think this book is perfect for both history lovers and those who may not like history as much, because the miniatures are so well done that you could just sit and look at the photos while still feeling the ambiance the book wants to achieve. The story is short and the book is loaded with photos that are very realistic, I highly enjoyed reading the book. I am amazed by the amount of work that went into each of the miniatures! In the back of the book you get a behind the scenes look at how the book came to be and it is mind blowing.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by CandleWick Press for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

50+ Awesome Birthday Freebies you should sign up for!

* This is not a paid or a sponsored post, this is just a fun post I put together for my readers. I have included links directly to the sign up page for each birthday treat.

I posted this list last year letting my followers know about all of the birthday freebies that are out there to claim, this year I decided to give it an update because I've found several more places that offer birthday freebies. If you are single or use some of these places for breakfast/lunch you can go almost a week with a free meal per day. Most of these places are food related but there are a few makeup freebies as well. My birthday is on the 6th so I will include some photos of the freebies I scored!

Here is a list of lots of different places that offer freebies on your birthday! (Note: Several of these will require you to show ID to prove it is your birthday). In order to get all of these freebies you need to be signed up for the newsletters/birthday club/rewards program with your updated birthday, none of these places charge to be part of their programs. You need to be signed up for these programs at least two weeks before your birthday to get some of these.

Ace Hardware - A $5 coupon

AMC - Free Large popcorn, but if you are a STUBs member ($12 a year and completely worth it if you watch a lot of movies) you get a large popcorn and a large drink.  

Applebee's - Free Birthday Dessert 

At Home Store - Offers a 10% off coupon for your birthday 

Auntie Anne's - Free Pretzel  

Aveda - Free facial or mini spa treatment

Baja Fresh - Free burrito

Baskin Robbins - Offers a free scoop of ice cream plus a coupon for $ off a cake.

Benefit Cosmetics - Free brow arch. Valid during the week of your birthday, at any non Ulta benefit cosmetics browbar.You'll need your ID and I recommend calling ahead first to check if your store offers this.

Caribou Coffee - Free Coffee 

Cold Stone - A Buy one get one free coupon

Dairy Queen - BOGO coupon

Dave & Busters - Offers a free $10 in game play for your birthday (must register one of your cards)

Del Taco - Offers a free milkshake. 

Denny's - Offers a free Grand Slam on your birthday! This offer is only valid on your birthday and requires ID but you do not need the coupon to claim this just tell your waitress and show your ID at the restaurant. 

Disney Movie Rewards - Offers a free 100 points for your birthday!

Disneyland/Disneyworld - If you happen to be lucky enough to be at either Disneyland or Disneyworld around your birthday you can request a birthday pin to clip onto your bag or shirt. (ask any of the shops for the pin) plus you might get lucky and have one of the cast members offer you stickers, free front of the ride passes and more from showing off your pin but remember to be in a happy/nice mood :)

DSW Shoes - Free $5 coupon

Dunkin' Donuts - Offers a free coffee in your choice of size, you'll also get a free coffee just for signing up for an account.

Edible Arrangements - Free 12 count chocolate covered fruit

Einstein Bro Bagels - A free egg breakfast sandwich with any purchase. (coupon is valid for a week after your birthday)

Famous Dave's - Food Freebie but it doesn't state what it is.

Firehouse Subs - Offers a free medium sub of choice. (Coupon good for 7 days, you won't get sent this coupon until the day of your birthday)

Fuddruckers - Free birthday burger

Godiva - Free birthday chocolate

Hottopic - Sign up in store. Get a coupon on your birthday.

IHop - Offers a free breakfast on your birthday (I believe the coupon is good for the week of your birthday)

Ikea - Birthday dessert + $15 coupon as long as you've purchased something from them in the 12 months prior to your birthday.

Islands - Free dessert with purchase

Jamba Juice - Offers a free small smoothie. (coupon valid for 30 days)

Jason's Deli - Free $5 coupon

Jersey Mike's Subs - Offers a free regular size sub + a med drink.

Krispy Kreme - Offers a free doughnut plus your choice of a coffee or a soda, you'll also get a free doughnut for signing up for an account.

Landry's Select - $25 Restaurant Gift card during your birthday month

LongHorn Steakhouse - Free dessert with purchase

Macaroni Grill - Free dessert with purchase

Medieval Times - BOGO coupon

Melting Pot - Free dessert

Moe's Southwest Grill - Free Burrito 

Olive Garden - Free dessert  or app

Panera - Free Birthday Pastry

PDQ Restaurant - A free meal on your Birthday

P.F Chang's - Free small plate, dim sum or dessert

Pinkberry - Free yogurt

Pita Pit - Free pita

RA Sushi - $20 Gift card during your birthday month.

RedBox - Offers a free one night rental on a DVD or game.

Red Robin - Offers a free Burger. (valid anytime during your birthday month)

Ruby Tuesday's - Free Birthday Burger or Garden bar Entree

Sauce Pizza & Wine - Free dessert

Sephora - Offers your choice of two birthday gifts which will stay the same year round.

Seasons 52 - Let the waiter know it is your birthday, you'll get a free dessert.

Smashbox - Birthday makeup freebie

Smashburger - Free side or shake with any purchase

Sprinkles Cupcakes - Offers a free cupcake.

Starbucks - Offers a free coffee  (you need to have a starbucks gift card linked to your account for them to load this freebie)

Torrid - A coupon for $10 off a purchase of $10 or more

Wafflehouse - Free birthday waffle

Wingstop - Free fries with purchase

Ulta - Offers a different freebie depending on which quarter of the year it is, currently they are offering a travel size NARS blush. This reward can be claimed at anytime during the month of your birthday.

Urban Decay - Free birthday gift with purchase of $35 or more.








I hope this list was helpful and that it helped you find some birthday freebies near you!

Legoland Discover Center 4-pack of Tickets Giveaway!

This last week we've had some unusual weather for being mid-May in Arizona, but we've all been loving the gorgeous weather and have been enjoying it while it lasts. Once the temperatures do start to rise, many Arizona residents will be looking for activities and events to keep them cool indoors to avoid the summer heat. If you have small children, Legoland Discovery Center AZ is a wonderful place to take them to escape the heat.

The Arizona Legoland Discovery Center is an indoor Lego play place specifically designed for children ages 3-10 (adults need to be accompanied by a child, unless they attend a special Adults only night). They have two fun rides, a 4D cinema, a large playground, several build stations, and more. Tickets are $19.95 per person which can get a little pricey, depending on how many times you plan on going this summer I highly suggest going for the annual pass which is $60 per person (with the family pass). With the season pass you get 1 year of admission into the center, 20% off in the cafe/gift shop and more. They do have a cafe but I would suggest eating before hand or heading to the food court in the mall for food, the cafe has movie theater quality and is a little expensive, we were a bit disappointed the last time we went and opted to have lunch there.

Overall it is a great place to escape bad weather and have some fun! You can stay an hour or you can stay several hours, there is plenty to keep young children entertained and there is plenty of seating for adults to sit, relax and watch their kids play. If you have the extra time they usually have deals where you can get a discounted ticket for the Sealife Aquarium right next door. Before leaving if your child wants to pick something up from the gift shop, I suggest checking out the corner of the gift shop on the right hand side as soon as you exit out of the center. This small corner usually has clearance products that can be as low as $1.

The Legoland Discovery Center in Arizona wants you to be able to stop by and enjoy the day so I am giving away a pack of FOUR tickets to visit the center. Tickets are good until next Feb.

PRIZE ALERT:
4-pack of tickets to the Arizona Legoland Discovery Center.

This is open to Arizona Residents!! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME and is not associated with any of the brands mentioned above.

This giveaway ends on 05/31/2019
 
Giveaway entry question: Tell me something you do to beat the heat during the summer. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by The Arizona Legoland Discovery Center for the giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

May Beauty & The Book Giveaway!

What's new with me? I recently celebrated my birthday, I've been keeping busy planning activities with my family and I've found several wonderful new products to review. I'll have some fun reviews coming and there will be several great giveaways as well, speaking of giveaways it is time for the May Beauty & The Book giveaway. This month's theme is "my favorite things", I decided to put together a giveaway of several of my favorite products.

So what are some things I love? Well I love books, puzzles, makeup brushes,makeup,skincare, bathbombs, and sweet treats among other things. If I took all of my interests and put them together this giveaway would be massive so I've narrowed them down to the products I mentioned. Everything you see in the photo is what you'll be winning in this months prize pack.

This month's book is called "NYPD Puzzle: A Puzzle Lady Mystery", as you are reading the book you'll have to solve several different puzzles in order to help solve the mystery that lies within the book. Included in this giveaway are several masks: 1 lip, 1 nose, 1 face and 1 hair along with makeup brushes, several makeup goodies, a set of false lashes, a bath bomb, a Ulta lip shaped makeup bag (the last one I have!) and a thing of Pocky.

This is open World Wide!! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME and is not associated with any of the brands mentioned above.

This giveaway ends on 06/11/2019
 
Giveaway entry question: What are three of your favorite things?

a Rafflecopter giveaway