[Influenster] E.L.F. Vox box

I have been doing Influenster for almost two years and love it. I get to try out all types of different products and occasionally get stuff that I really like! I was THRILLED to find out I got in on the E.L.F. vox box and was getting to try out a bunch of really cool products in it! This box came with 5 full sized items to try and I am absolutely ecstatic about some of them!

First item up is the e.l.f. Hydrating Bubble Mask. This stuff was so fun! It comes out as a gel and you rub it on your face, and it bubbles/foams up, It has that tingling feel to it. You keep it on for 10 minutes, or however long it takes the bubbles to go away, and then wash the access off with a warm wash cloth. This stuff left my face feeling clean and soft. 

e.l.f. Mineral Infused Facial Primer. This clear gel goes onto the skin before you apply makeup as a barrier on your skin to help foundation and powder go on smooth. It has a silky feel once you have rubbed it into your skin and feels great. The feel reminds me of the Smashbox face primer I normally use. There is also a lot in this little bottle to last you for many makeup applications!

e.l.f. Baked Highlighter and Bronzer in "Bronzed Glow". I love highlighters so much, this one was ok, At first you have to rub a lot off to get it to come off, but after that it worked great. The colors tones were great for my pale skin and the bronzer wasn't crazy dark on me, which is always a problem I have with bronzers. Not sure if I would continue using this like the other products I received but it would be a good, in a crunch item, if i absolutely needed a bronzer and highlighter.

e.l.f. Lip Color in "Wine". This color is lovely and the lip color went on very smooth and had great coverage. I love the pencil style tips on a lot of these lip colors and it makes them so easy to apply. This wasnt a color I would wear all the time, but i would definitely be interested in seeing the other colors offered since this was a nice quality lip color. 

Out of the five items I received, the bubble mask and THIS RIGHT HERE were my absolute favorite items. The e.l.f "Mint Maniac" lip conditioner. This stuff is amazing! It conditions and exfoliates your lips and leaves them so smooth. It has a subtle mint scent and taste to it, but it is not overpowering at all. I absolutely love this stuff and will most likely purchase it again. I also noticed they had two other types, not sure if they are exactly the same just different scents/tastes but definitely something to check out if you like lip moisturizers.  

Influenster is a great program where you review products and occasionally get sent free stuff to review! I love it and if you like reviewing products then you should check it out. 

I received all these items free to try, but as always I write my honest opinion on products. So all written is my honest review of the items sent. 

[Beer Review] Boulevard Brewing Company – Funkier Pumpkin

A new Beer review from Josh! 

Election Night beer review, no really that's why I'm drinking a full bomber...for the review...

Yup, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So this week I grabbed one of the bombers I bought. This is a sour pumpkin ale. That whole idea intrigued me. I like sour beers (hate sour candy, not sure why I like sour beers so much). I like pumpkin beers. A sour pumpkin beer? Sign me up. The added bonus of it being brewed by Boulevard? Let's do this.

I undid the muselet (the word for the wire thingy around a cork, it's French, thanks Google) and popped the cork. The first smell you get when it's opened is a waft of the yeasty aroma you get off a fresh ale. Letting the aroma waft and breath gave way to the pumpkin spice smell you get with many pumpkin beers.

The ale pours with a good head and a beautiful golden orange color. It's well carbonated and you can see the bubbles rising after you finish the pour. It has a light and fizzy mouthfeel that is easy to enjoy.

The first mouthful gives you a forefront taste of the sourness, that moves to an earthy flavor and then to strong nutmeg when you swallow. Then the cinnamon comes out and it lingers in your mouth. The earthy funk (it's a good thing, trust me) in the middle is likely due to the Brett yeast Boulevard grows in house. The taste of cinnamon, nutmeg and sour mix quite well and stays on your lips as you drink.

I like this beer, it's smooth and tasty. Lately I've grown fonder of sours and this one is a new favorite. If you aren't a huge fan of sour ales, give this one a try as the nutmeg and cinnamon lend a good balance to the sourness.

Boulevard Brewing Company – Funkier Pumpkin

8.5% ABV

15 IBUs

[Beer Review] South Street Brewery - Twisted Gourd

Hello all, it's been a week. How are you all? I know I'm ready for a beer. I have been looking forward to this one. The label caught my eye (yes I will buy a beer for a good label design and give it a shot) and then I saw the brewer.

I like South Street. When I first tried them the last huge blizzard hit, and the neighbors, my roommate and I dug each other out. Mine was the first car cleared so I ran to the store real quick and grabbed a six pack. Got back started helping more and handed out some beer. It was a good basic ale and it was a South Street, so I noted the name and now keep an eye out.

Enough of story time, let's get to this week's beer!

This beer pours with a good head (I poured it vigorously) and the aroma of pumpkin comes off of it. Not pumpkin spice mind you but actual pumpkin. The color of the beer is a muddy brown with a tinge of bronze.

The beer is lighter than I thought it would be for such a dark colored ale. The carbonation is good and I believe that is what made the mouthfeel so much lighter than I thought it would be.

The first sip gives a slight taste of chocolate with a bit of pumpkin that flows into the chai spice right before you get the tiny hit of the hops. The hops are bitter but not overly so and they do not in any way overpower the other flavors.

As you drink the chocolaty flavor and a bit of the chai spices linger in your mouth.

It's a weird concept to combine these flavors, but it works and...I want more.

South Street Brewery's Twisted Gourd

8.37% ABV

31 IBUs

[Beauty] Ipsy October Bag

I have been doing Ipsy for almost two years now and really enjoy all the different makeup and facial products I get in it. October was a really awesome month for Ipsy, I was so excited to see that they did a themed bag for the month with ghosts, witches hats and crystal balls on it.

The "Theme" for this months is "Black Magic" and had a lot of darker colors in the bags. I was really happy with all I received this month, but I generally can use everything Ipsy sends me. 

I have received a few different tre'Stique products in Ipsy, from lip colors to eye shadow colors. They have all been great and I really liked the quality of them. This is a lip color called "Fig". It has a matte finish and the packaging turns so more product can come out when you need it too. This is a delux sample size. the full sizes retails for $28.00 on their webpage. 

Ciate' London flick eyeliner in black. I have seen Ciate' London's nail polishes before but have never tried their makeup line. I was really excited to get a black eyeliner in a format I really like. I love the felt tip liners because they are so wonderful to apply and stay on compared to the pencils in my opinion. This liner makes a nice smooth line and it goes on smooth. It retails for $19.00 on their webpage. 

Ipsy loves to send out natural and brown eye-shadows. I was happy with this set because the brown is almost a black color. but would love some variety in their eye-shadow shades... This is by Vintage by Jessica Liebskind. It has a creamy vanilla shade and a dark brown-black shade (colors are called Vanilla and Espresso). The shadow itself is easy to apply and has a decent amount of pigmentation. This is a sample size. the full size retails for $30.00 on their webpage. 

Patchology FlashPatch Eye Gels. I love getting face masks style products in my ipsy bags. I already get Mask Maven each month, but love face masks so much (especially during the winter when my skin gets dry.) These are gel eye patches that go under your eyes to help moisturize and make your skin look awesome! This company makes all types of masks for face, hands, and feet. This is a sample size for two uses a full size retails for $50.00 and can be found here. 

My last item is an item I already use in my regular makeup routine, Make Up Forever's Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation. I love this stuff, it goes on smooth and covers up blemishes, redness. It is one of the best foundations I have found in my journey to find something that works for my skin! This is a sample size, but fits great in my travel bag so I was really excited to get it. The shade is one darker than I would normally use, so will have to see how that works out for me since I generally use the lightest shade they make. This retails for $43.00. It can be purchased here.

I love how Ipsy is starting to do more themes with their bags. This months was awesome, and I am so happy with all the products I received. Ipsy is $10 a month and you can find out more here. 

[Teaware Review] David's Tea Nordic Mug Review

I have been wanting a Nordic mug from David's Tea for some time. I really wanted the Cat one they released a few months ago, but sadly missed it, So I grabbed the Haunted Castle Colour Changing one before it disappeared with the season. The Haunted Castle Nordic Mug changes colour when you put hot water in it, which is very fun.

All the Nordic mugs come in a very sturdy box that has all the pieces packaged wonderfully so nothing breaks. 

The mug itself comes with three parts. The lid, that also seconds as a saucer. A wonderful tea infuser, that has tiny holes for water to get through, so even if you are using teas like rooibos, the tea will have a harder time escaping. And then the mug itself, which is great, it is ceramic, so it is sturdy and holds a lot of liquid. 

The infuser is a wonderful size and fits right inside the mug. I have a lot of infusers where the holes in them are way too big for a lot of the tea I drink, so having one with tiny holes it works for all those teas with very small leaves.  (like you could probably put coffee in this thing.) 

The Nordic Mugs retail for $23.00 (they do have some designs on sale on their webpage and in stores.) I really like this mug, and for what you are getting (infuser, mug, lid.) you are getting your monies worth with the purchase. Cleaning is easy and all pieces ash up well. Want to check them out? Here is the link to the mugs on David's Tea webpage.