Subscribe to IPSY for $10/month.
What I received (from left to right):
1. Be A Bombshell Blush in 'Beach Please' - .17 oz (full size), $16
2. Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Styling Treatment - .85 oz, $4.44
3. Two Cosmetics Eyeshadow Duo in 'Heartache' - .04 oz (full size), $6.99
4. Sation Nail Polish in 'Love At First Byte' - .5 oz (full size), $5
Total cost of bag: $32.43

Everything was full size except for Healthy Sexy Hair, which costs $21.95 for the full size (4.2 oz)

Lovin' the Be A Bombshell blush & Healthy Sexy Hair Styling Treatment (it really does speed up drying time!) I don't care too much for the Two Cosmetic Eyeshadows nor the Sation nail polish. It's still a pretty good bag though, considering the products I do love in the bag already cost $20.44!

What I didn't get / the 'other' items:
1. Be A Bombshell Blush in 'Sweet Cheeks' (full size)
2. Big Sexy Hair Powder Play (deluxe size)
3. Mica Beauty Shimmer Powder (deluxe size)
4. Sation Nail Polish in 'Of Corset I'll Call You' (full size)

Closeups & swatches

Be A Bombshell Blush in 'Beach Please'
Blended on the left, unblended (3 swipes) on the right


Two Cosmetics Eyeshadow Duo in 'Heartache'
Lighter pink has shimmers in it, the darker pink is matte


Sation Nail Polish in 'Love At First Byte' (2 coats)
Goes on so smooth like butter!
Great as a base for French manicure


Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Reneal Styling Treatment
Super loving this stuff. I put this on my wet hair and let it air-dry. Hair looks and feels silky smooth, and tamed! Usually when I let my hair air-dry, it comes out looking all crazy and frizzy (AND BIG!)
I put it on before blow-drying too and my hair came out so soft, silky, and smooth. Feels lightweight. Not sticky at all. You only need a little bit for a huge difference!

I cooked this today and hubby really loved it. It's really easy to make! If anyone is interested, here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
10 raw shrimps (peeled)
2 large eggs
1½ tomato (the oval kind)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
¼ large onion (cut into long slices)
1 cup Kale leaves (cut into 1-inch pieces)
1½ cup cooked rice
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tbs cooking oil (I use vegetable oil)

METHOD:
1. Cook the eggs in a wok with cooking oil. Scramble them and cook until egg whites appear opaque. Take it out of the wok and set it aside for later.

2. In the same wok, add more cooking oil, then fry the minced garlic. Stir for 20 seconds before adding the peeled shrimps.

3. When all the shrimps have cooked (DO NOT cook until garlic turns black), add in sugar and the rest of the sauces. Then add tomatoes and onions. Stir them all together for 3 minutes.

4. Add the rice. Stir until everything is uniform. Then, add the previously cooked eggs. Stir again.

5. Lastly, add the Kale leaves. Stir until the leaves get flattened and moist with the rest of the ingredients.

Yes! They do exist!

I had the misfortune of buying a fake Clarisonic Mia last year on eBay (what I get for trying to be cheap!) It was my fault for not checking for clues or asking for more pictures. But at least it taught me a lesson to be more cautious now. I thought I'd share my story and some tips to avoid buying fake things on eBay.

What I learned:

• ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS!
  
• Be suspicious when seller uses stock photos! (real life items can look very different from stock photos)
  
• If the seller is using stock photos, ask them to take their own picture of the product.
  
• Look for signs on the picture/s provided. If you're not sure, ask for more pictures or ask more questions.
  
• Look for words like "authentic" or "real" in the description. If there isn't any, ask if it's real (be polite about it).

It's always best to be sure! You don't want to regret it / be disappointed when you get the product and it's not what you expect it to be. If something looks off / you suspect it to be fake, it is best not to buy it - no matter how cheap it may seem! It could be worthless. I bought the fake Clarisonic ONLY relying on a stock photo, and I never asked questions. I looked at the seller's credentials and she had positive feedback ratings. I was sold on that fact alone and quickly bought the item. BIG MISTAKE. Just because a seller has good feedback rating doesn't mean you can trust them! I should have asked for more pictures, and asked if it was authentic. She probably would have told me it was real, but it makes them look bad when you open a case with eBay. And that kind of stuff gives you an automatic win in an eBay case, especially if you can prove that the item is fake and the user assuring you that it's real (which I eventually did). Thinking about it now, it was pretty suspicious that the seller had more than 10 in stock of the fake Clarisonic Mia, and she didn't provide any real pictures of the product.

Anyway, this is the FAKE Clarisonic Mia I got:


On the box, the Clarisonic Mia is WHITE but the label is in pink. RED FLAG!
The box for the REAL pink Clarisonic Mia looks like this (courtesy of MsGlitzy).

I contacted the seller about it, and she assures me it's real, saying "this is the old packaging."


Everything looks normal right? BUT . . . I still wasn't convinced. Why?


NO Clarisonic label on the back !
Real Clarisonic Mia's have the "Clarisonic Mia" label on the back.

As if that wasn't enough dead giveaway, I found even more proof of its fakeness:

Take a look at the phone number on the box (feel free to click the photo to enlarge it). It says 888-585-2747. This is a FAKE number. I even tried calling it, and it went to some random corporation.

The OFFICIAL Clarisonic website listed their customer service number as "1-888-525-2747", which I called and is the right number (obviously). The real Clarisonic's of course come in boxes with the RIGHT customer service number on it. I checked at Sephora to confirm this.
So there you have it !

After I sent these pictures to the seller as proof, she stopped responding to me. I opened an eBay case, sent her stupid fake Clarisonic back, and eBay refunded me my money. I did lose out money to ship it back to her. . about $8. Don't make the mistake I did! And if anything, I hope this was at least entertaining for you to read. lol.

PS. I did give the seller a negative feedback, but was sad to see that people were still giving her positive feedback on the Clarisonic Mia after my negative feedback stating it's fake. She was selling them for $95 ! :(

YAY ! If you can only imagine my excitement when I found out that I was pre-qualified for the Sugar 'n Spice VoxBox! I quickly took the survey and in a few days, I got another e-mail confirming that I was getting the box! Tres happiness!

After a whole week of longing and waiting by the door, my Sugar 'n Spice VoxBox is finally here!
I must admit I already knew what was in it before I opened the box. I just couldn't resist looking at spoilers -.-

For those of you who don't know what Influenster is: It is a free to join community where members share and review products to get the opportunity to be rewarded by brands. It is invite only, but you can easily request an invite. I didn't wait that long for mine. Once you get in, I recommend getting active right away. Start taking surveys and/or review brands/products that you have tried. You will get rewarded with badges for your activity.

FUN FACT. I qualified for my first VoxBox in November 2012. It was the College VoxBox :)

On to the box . . .


All sorts of goodies !


Splenda's Nectresse Natural No Calorie Sweetener - $3.48 @ Walmart
Influenster seems to always know what I need. I make coffee every morning and feel guilty every time I pile on the sugar. Hopefully I wouldn't have to feel guilty anymore with this no calorie sweetener :3

Dickinson's Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes - $5.74 @ Walmart
I am most excited about this product. I have Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner, which I love so much. I've always wanted to try more of their products. And now I can!


Colgate Optic White Toothbrush, Mouthwash, & Toothpaste
All aim to noticeably whiten teeth. None of these things have ever noticeably whiten my teeth in the past, so I'm not too hopeful about these either. I do like the taste of the mouthwash since it's the most pleasant tasting one I've ever tried. Might be because it is alcohol-free. I might repurchase the mouthwash.


Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer - $5.94 @ Walmart
Oh my goodness, this thing is so moisturizing and convenient! Smells really good too! I was never a huge fan of Vaseline but this is now one of my favorite moisturizers. The packaging has a lock on it, super nifty & great for on-the-go. No longer have to be afraid of leakage in your bag. Seriously all products with nozzles should have a lock option.

&


Belvita Breakfast Biscuits - $2.98 @ Walmart
These tastes SO GOOD. I'm always on a lookout for a tasty breakfast that I can take to go. I like these much better than the granola bars I usually eat. One Belvita packet comes with FOUR biscuits, and they're HUGE! (I ate half of the biscuit in the picture). Fills my hunger right up! And it's healthy.

Mary Kay Signature Luscious Lipstick 'Pink Twilight'
&
MAC Lipstick 'Pink Plaid'