My Ferrero Rocher USA Golden Gifting Moment

I had such a flipping long day at work today.  Not because of anything stressful or mundane.  No, I just didn't get to sleep until 5 freaking 30AM.  That left me with about three good hours of sleep before work.  My alarm went off and I begrudgingly got up, showered, and somehow managed to find my way to the college... by 10:00AM was in my office.  I still don't recall how or what I did to make that all happen.

Lunchtime involved some festive merriment in the way of singing carols around our newest baby grand that was donated to the college by a sweet elderly couple.  A good time was had by all.  My bestie forced me to get in the car and sludge my way into the hall.  I propped myself up against the wall in the corner so I wouldn't pass out from sleep deprivation.  I sounded like an old clucky hen that had seen her day in the sun when I was singing.  LOL!!

Once that was over, it was off to a conference call on the other side of campus.  I managed to find the office it was being held in and slumped down into a cushy chair.  That professor's office was filled with every book imaginable and I couldn't help but notice the heat had warmed the room to "toasty".  Between the soft chair and warm atmosphere, I'm amazed I didn't conk out right there.

A long afternoon back in my office made me decide my brain had gone to mush and so I schlepped out to my car.  Somehow, I managed to stay on the road and made it to my home in one piece.  (Thanks God)

I got up to my front porch and saw a little white package sitting on my neighbor's bench under our mailboxes.  As I squinted, I saw my name and for the life of me, couldn't remember ordering anything online that would've gotten to my house that fast.  That's when I saw that it was from Influenster!  Suddenly, all traces of exhaustion dissipated and I couldn't unlock my door fast enough!  After apologizing to my cat for stepping on his toe for what seems to be the ten millionth time (why he never learns I can't see him in the dark is beyond me), I sat on my couch, turned the light on and began to open the box...

DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH!

I found inside, a beautiful golden box with a bow from Ferrero Rocher USA!  It was a HEAVY little sucker too!  I read the side wrong and thought it said there were only 6 chocolates inside.  Well, the box just begged to be opened so I could sneak a peek.  That's when I realized there were 18 chocolates in there! WHAT??  At this point, I'm wide awake because dude... it's not every day you get to enjoy a complimentary treat of divine hazelnut chocolately goodness from Influenster that IS Ferrero Rocher!!!

Yes.  Yes that is me.  Yes, I have no make-up on.  I'm still impressed I know my name at this point.  In the past 48 hours, I've had under 6 hours of sleep.  That will NOT stop me from enjoying one of my all-time favorite treats before hitting the pillow.  I cannot wait!  I can already taste the many layers of chocolate and hazelnut :) The best is when you get down past the chocolate/crushed hazelnut outer layer and make it into the wafer.  Once you snap your teeth in past the wafer, that's when you're rewarded with the amazing one-of-a-kind hazelnut chocolate creme that melts on your tongue.  Oh and as a parting "thanks", you're left with a whole hazelnut swimming in the creme!  It's amazing how all those layers are so well placed in that one round piece of chocolate!

Thank you, to Influenster, for allowing me to test and review this delicious product!

Thank You, to Ferrero Rocher USA, for helping me get through this marathon-like day!

Apple FTW

If you had told me ten years ago, I'd be an apple addict, I would've laughed you out of the room.  But here I am with not only a MacBook Pro, iPod, iPod shuffle, AirPort, iPad, but also an iPhone.  I love them all!!!

The best part of being an apple owner is the simplicity of the products.  I like that I don't have to think very hard for what I'm looking to do.  When I'm at work, I have to use a PC.  I'm not opposed to them at all, but I do find that things that normally take me 5 minutes at home end up taking me twice as long because of how difficult it is to find what I'm looking to do on the computer.

Pricewise, they're well worth the cost.  Genius support makes "mistakes" not as scary.  I like that they all work well together :)  Heck, I just got a new car and the phone and car are now best friends.  The music from the iPhone plays through the speakers without having to be plugged in which makes me super excited!

The downside?  I'm not the wealthiest person and now I really want that cute little iPad mini.  Dangit!

Twisted!

Love the Goody Simple Styles Spin Pins I got through Influenster.com's Beauty Blogger's VoxBox!

All you do is make a ponytail (no elastic band needed), twist the hair into a bun and twist the pins in from two different angles!  It's so cool how these small little twisted bobby pins hold your hair in perfect place!  

You can try other styles too!

Not Your Mother's...

I've been using Smooth Moves Frizz Control Hair Cream for a few days now and I must say I'm impressed!  I got it for free from Influenster's Beauty Bloggers VoxBox.

It's certainly not as expensive as the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum.  It does weigh my hair down a little bit, but not enough to make it feel dirty.  It could be that I have blonde hair which tends to be lighter and more prone to getting oily.

The scent is really nice, reminds me of summer.  Warm coconut :)  I blow dry my hair every day so this product helped by cutting the drying time!  I don't know how but it did!  Pretty cool.

I'd give it an A-/B+ overall

My First VoxBox!

I can't believe it was just a few days ago that I said I was so excited about looking forward to being chosen for a voxbox...and here it is!!

"OK, so what's inside??"

I already have the Spin Pins by Goody in my hair.  I was the most excited about them because I eye them every time I'm in Walgreens.  I couldn't muster up the $6 and change to get two twisty pieces of metal I thought for sure wouldn't work... but, they do!  I still think the price is way too high, but they really do work!

And my little Timmy approves... I think. LOL!

I'm saving the eyelashes for a more special occasion.  I don't want to just put them on and waste them... but how cool is that!?  Falsies have come a long way since I last used them in the 90's :)  This pair from Kiss come with a latex free adhesive which I'm interested in since the last time I used falsies, the glue irritated my eye lids.  It also comes with a small applicator (sort of like a small pair of tweezers).  No more clumsy sticky fingers!

Going into Bath and Body Works is one of my favorite "spend-all-your-cash" stores.  You can quickly find all your go-to scents and explore some new ones!  Their seasonal products are always a hit.  For me, I love keeping my home smelling like spices during the cooler weather.  There's something about the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin that scream Fall is Here!  The Slatkin & Co. have candles that rival Yankee when it comes to longevity and potency.  In my opinion, I like the S&C candles better because they tend to burn longer.  My Yankee candles are strong in scent, but burn too quickly for the money.

Of the scents that influenster.com sent out in their VoxBox, I got Cider Lane.  It smells like a caramel apple to me.  It's quite sweet so when you burn it, make sure you are into sugary scents.  ;)  I already have one of their Fall scents, "Leaves" burning in my house and it makes my whole house smell so good!!  I've had it for a year now and only use it during the cold months.  It's back out and though it's been lit for hours at a clip, it's only halfway done!  (I have the 3-wick candle size).

I'm looking forward to using Not Your Mother's Smooth Moves when I do my hair in the morning... I smelled it and it's amazing!  It says it's infused with coconut and silk extracts.  I think that'd be a nice smell all day long; to remind me of warmer weather (though I LOVE the Fall the best!).  The verdict isn't out yet on how it will manage my finicky hair.  It's supposed to smooth out the frizz but allow for soft, natural curls.  We'll see!

Next up, NYC Individual Eyes "Dark Shadows" which is a limited edition palette.  I like NYC for their nail polish because they're not over-priced and come in lots of colors.  I can't say I've used NYC before on my eyes because I tend to be spoiled by using my Lancome products.  But, I did like how the smoky effect came out when I used these colors!  Maybe I won't be spending so much on my eye makeup next time I'm shopping for some? :)

I'm not sure how I feel about trying this last one.  EBOOST says it's a "Daily Health Booster" packed full of  green tea, vitamin D and B-12 with a tangy citrus burst.  The problem is, I don't like effervescent things.  It reminds me too much of "Airborne" which essentially  tastes the same and has similar qualities to it.  The package is about the size of a teabag and if purchasing  the full sized box of 20, will run you a hefty $28 dollars.  That's over a dollar a drink!  I don't know if I'd spend that much on it.  The color is actually natural though which is a plus in my book.  Beta Carotene and Beets give this drink  it's coloring... it's also lactose and gluten free.  Huzzah.  Verdict is still out on this one until I try it!

Jenn's Chicken Pad Thai

INGREDIENTS:

• Thai rice noodles (enough for 2-4 people)
• Cooking oil for stir-frying
• 1-1½ Tbs. minced garlic
• Boneless, skinless chicken, sliced (enough for 2-4 people)
• 1 block of firm tofu, cubed
• 2-3 Eggs, scrambled
• 3-4 green onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup crushed peanuts

PAD THAI SAUCE:

• 2-3 Tbs. Lime juice
• 2-3 Tbs. Fish Sauce
• Brown Sugar (enough to balance out flavor/tartness)

DIRECTIONS:

1.Bring a large pot of pot to a boil and remove from heat. Dunk in your rice noodles. Allow noodles to soak while you prepare the other ingredients. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2.Make the Pad Thai Sauce by combining the sauce ingredients together in a cup. Stir well to dissolve the brown sugar. Set aside.

3.Warm up a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant.

4.Add chicken and tofu. Stir-fry until chicken is done.

5.Add the noodles, and pour the Pad Thai sauce over. Using two spatulas, or wooden spoons, immediately stir-fry the noodles by folding carefully so as to not break the noodles.

6.Add scrambled eggs and work through noodles

7.Remove from heat and add onion and crushed peanuts.

Influenster's Relaunch

So I had recently joined influenster.com to read about new products and whatnot... A few months later, the website was relaunched with a total makeover.

Now, you can see a lot more detail about each of your badges and how you rate.  What's fun is coming back every few days and finding that my numbers have increased simply for answering questions, writing reviews, posting photos, etc.

I've yet to be invited to be a part of a voxbox but I will relish that moment when it comes!!  Who doesn't enjoy getting a first hand look and trial of new products on the market? :)  I totally can't wait!

You should get in on the action by signing up yourself! www.influenster.com