beauty blogger fall voxbox 2012: first impressions

If you haven't heard of Influenster before, it's about time you did. It's a great company that helps social networking extraordinaire get their feet wet in the public relation part of "blogging." Whether you're a bride-to-be, beauty guru or tech obsessed, there's an Influenster program for you. 

Your credibility on the site comes from the badges you earn. Your expert badges will eventually qualify you for free things to review and provide feedback for on the website. Here are my badges:

Beauty Queen • Fashionista • Gadgeteer

I was recently given the opportunity to review a Beauty Blogger VoxBox, which is pictured below. If you're interested in what I got, individual pictures or first impressions, just hit the read more and continue on!

E.l.f. gold snakeskin polish review + GIVEAWAY TIME!

As you all know, e.l.f. is one of my absolute FAVORITE brands of makeup. What you may not know is that they also make really awesome nail polish! After picking up a bottle of this line in Target the other day, I had a revelation. What better way to show my appreciation (and hopefully welcome new readers/viewers) that host a giveaway?!

Here are some photos of the colors you'll be receiving if you win, since they are not available online and don't have names:

 

(to see them bigger, click on them!)

RULES & INFO:

• You MUST be 18 or have your parents permission to provide me your shipping address in the event that you win
• Invalid entries (such as a link to a blog post sharing the giveaway that does not exist) will be scrapped
• Winner will be contacted within 48 hours of the end of the contest and have 24 hours to respond via email provided through Rafflecopter.
• No PO Boxes, sorry!
• Continental United States only, since this is personally funded (and I am in college, after all)
• This contest is not funded by any company. All prizes were purchased and will be shipped by me. 

The entry form is below! Have fun and good luck everyone :)
I look forward to sharing some awesome nail polishes with the lucky winner

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE:  if you complete the "Leave a Blog Post Comment" portion on Rafflecopter and are selected for that entry but there is no comment, I will move onto the next winner :( So make sure you're completing the action that you submit!  

Also, if you are sharing the giveaway via Facebook, be sure to change your post's privacy settings so I can see it! Make it "Public" if it is not already.

beginner's guide to buying glasses online: coastal & zenni optical

So you're in need of new spectacles but don't want to shell out $150 for a pair from Lens Crafters? Well, this is a blog post that will definitely benefit you!

Before you order from an online retailer, you NEED to make sure you have the following:

• A prescription no older than 12 months old (note: contact lens prescriptions are not the same!)
• Your PD, or "pupillary distance." Everyone's is different, but your optometrist will be able to tell you this.
• Any special instructions from your eye doctor (mine told me I needed a polycarbonate lens due to my eye conditions, so I had to look for that especially when ordering my glasses)

With all that, you're ready to start picking out your new glasses!

I ordered from two online retailers for a few reasons. The first being I haven't gotten new glasses in a while, so I was in desperate need of an updated pair. Aside from that, each pair ended up costing me around $30 each, so I really wasn't limited (my previous pair were part of a 2 for $88 deal) since I gave myself a $100 budget.

Let's compare the companies now, shall we?