Colgate Optic White Toothbrush + Whitening Pen

I recently received the Colgate Optic White VoxBox for free from Influenster for testing purposes! Included in the box was the Colgate Optic White Toothbrush, which came with a built-in whitening pen, a small tube of Optic White toothpaste, and 6 coupons to pass out to friends. I love anything that whitens my teeth, so I was super excited to try this product! The toothbrush was very unique with its design, and it worked really well. I was most excited to try the whitening pen. I had never used one before, so I was looking forward to seeing if it would really make my teeth whiter. The pen is filled with whitening gel, and it fits right inside the toothbrush, which makes it really convenient to use! You turn the bottom of the pen, which makes a small amount of gel come out. Then, you apply the gel right to your teeth. The package says no rinsing required, but I usually do anyways because it feels weird leaving the gel on my teeth. I've only had it for a few days, but I really love this product so far! I have noticed whiter teeth, and am excited to keep using it to see even more results! The only downside to this product is that it is $12, which sounds really pricey for a toothbrush, even though it includes the whitening pen. However, whitening strips are usually $40 or more, which makes this toothbrush + pen look like a steal! I would recommend that everyone tries this product at least once!

Tone Body Wash

I received this item in the mail a few weeks ago from BzzAgent. Like I mentioned before in my last post, BzzAgent sends you free items to try and review, and this is one of them. The only body wash I have used for the last few years has been from Bath and Body Works. I never buy any other brand, because I love Bath and Body Works so much! However, this body wash is wonderful! The scent I received is Pink Peony and Rose Oil. A lot of flowery scents smell gross, but this one is just right! It isn't too powerful or overbearing. What's even better is that it lathers up really great, and makes my skin feel amazing! I checked the prices and it's only around $3.50 per bottle, which is much cheaper than Bath and Body Works! I highly recommend this to everyone, and you all should definitely give it a try!

<img src="https://img.bzzagent.com/image/tone.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=4557910485&Campaign=5937789903&Uid=1589157&token=ad220ba2560b60c0d9a8d7f5f2e4e040" alt=""/>

How to Get Free Stuff!

Everyone's heard the phrase, "Nothing is ever free." Well, that's not entirely true. There are actually a lot of ways to get free stuff! With a little effort, one can get lots of items for free. A few of my favorites are:

• Influenster.com
• Influenster is a site that allows anyone to sign up and review thousands of items. The more items you review, the more your score goes up. And the higher your Influenster score, the higher your chances are to get free stuff. Each month, Influenster will send out what they call "Vox Boxes". Each box is filled with several items, and all you have to do is review the items and talk about them on social media. To get qualified for these boxes, you have to have a good Influenster score, and also be in the target market they are looking for. I joined in September 2013, and have gotten two Vox Boxes so far! Some of the items I got have included NYC eyeshadow and lip gloss, Tide Pods, Revlon lip gloss, Airheads candy, Skinny Cow candy, and more!

• BzzAgent.com
• I just joined this site last week, and have already qualified for a free Glade wax melt kit! Much like Influenster, members are rewarded with programs based on their score and if they meet the target demographic. But instead of sending out boxes full of stuff, they send one item and brand at a time. I haven't had much experience with this site yet, but I'm looking forward to receiving my Glade kit in the mail, and for getting even more free products!

• Simply asking for free samples
• A lot of people don't know that some companies will give you free samples if you just ask for them. Sephora is a great place for free makeup samples! All you do is ask a sales associate if you can have a sample of whatever product you want, and most of the time they will make it for you! This is a great way to try out foundations, BB creams, moisturizers, and more before you buy the full size. And I've found that the sample usually lasts for a few weeks! Many stores will give out samples too, all you have to do is ask.

• Give out your email address and home address to retailers
• There are many retailers that send out coupons for free products. I work at Victoria's Secret, and they often send customers coupons for free panties through the mail. They usually retail for around $10.50, but with the coupon you get one absolutely free, no purchase necessary! Bath and Body Works will sometimes send out coupons for a free hand sanitizer or travel size body wash/lotion. You can sign up for offers through most retailers' websites, or give them your information next time you make a purchase at a store! 

With a little effort on your part, you can in fact get lots of free products! Give one of these suggestions a try, and see what happens! :)

My top 5 favorite moments in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I will forever be grateful to my dad, who took me to see the Lord of the Rings in theaters when I was 8. Because of this, I grew up loving anything involving Lord of the Rings or Middle-Earth. So of course I went to go see the second Hobbit film at midnight last night! And I am so glad that I did. It was so much better than my expectations. Peter Jackson is such a great director, because he really knows what works. He knows this world so well that he is able to add so much more to the Hobbit. There were so many scenes in the movie that weren't even in the book, but they all flowed seamlessly together, and made the story even better. For example, Legolas wasn't mentioned in the Hobbit, but he is in the movie in many scenes. As an elf, he lives an extremely long life, and as the Hobbit takes place about 60 years before the Lord of the Rings, it makes perfect sense that he is shown. Also, the book never really discusses the evil that is shown in the Lord of the Rings. In the movie, there are several scenes that mention that there is a dark evil force growing. This is later shown to be Sauron regaining his power because of the finding of the ring. Here are my top 5 favorite moments in the movie:

1. Anything involving Legolas
Seriously, any scene that involved Legolas was amazing. But that comes as no surprise, given that Legolas is such an amazing character in all of the Lord of the Rings movies. The moment he first made his appearance was one of my favorites. My 8 year old self was freaking out the entire time. Legolas has always been my favorite character, and for the first time in 10 years, there are new scenes with him!

2. The reference to Gimli
If you know anything about the Lord of the Rings, you know that Legolas and Gimli are pretty much best friends by the end of the series. Gimli's dad, Gloin, was one of the dwarves in the Hobbit. There is one scene where Gloin and Legolas are interacting, and Legolas asks whose picture is on Gloin's locket. And of course, it is Gimli. It is an awesome reference to what happens later on down the road in the Lord of the Rings.

3. Sauron's appearance
Sauron was never mentioned in the Hobbit, but there is an amazing scene with Gandalf approaching the evil that is growing stronger through the movie. In this scene, Sauron appears in complete armor, taunting Gandalf because he has returned. You also see several glimpses of the eye, which of course plays a huge role in the Lord of the Rings. Gandalf knows exactly who he is, and realizes that great danger lies ahead. This scene is great because you're starting to see how it all started, and it works as an amazing backstory before the Lord of the Rings even takes place.

4. The barrel riding scene
I can't even put into words how great this scene was. It was both hilarious, action-packed, and amazing. You just have to trust me on this, and see it for yourself. So much happens within the span of a few minutes, and it is so fun to watch. And yes, this is one of Legolas' best moments.

5. Smaug
I wasn't sure how Smaug was going to look, given that he is CGI, but he looks amazing. The production team did such an amazing job creating Smaug, that he is totally believable. There is so much detail to him, and he really is terrifying.

Obviously, there were so many other great moments in this movie. All of the Hobbit movies make such a great addition to the Lord of the Rings, and make the entire story that much richer and fuller.

The end of the semester is finally here!

After a very busy semester, the end is finally here! It's hard to believe that I'm halfway through Junior Year already! And after that, I only have one more year. I remember someone told me my freshman year, "Each year in college goes by faster." And they are definitely right! In a little more than a year, I will be done with college, and moving on to the next phase of my life. Sometimes thinking ahead is scary, because I have no idea what lies ahead. But then I remember that God is always there with me through every step of my life. My favorite verse is Joshua 1:9, which says: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Reading this verse really comforts me and reminds me that no matter how scary the future can be, God will be with me through everything. Knowing this, I can look to the future and not be scared anymore, and instead be excited for what God has in store!

NYC Big Bold Gloss

I received this product from Influenster in my Varsity Vox Box. I have never really tried plumpling lip gloss, but I ended up loving this product! It tingles once you put it on, because it is made to plump up your lips. And it actually works! The color I received is a very pretty light pink, and looks great on all skin tones. It retails for $3.99, which is so affordable for lip gloss! I would highly recommend this product to anyone!

Influenster Varsity Vox Box

If you haven't heard of Influenster, then you're missing out. Influenster is a site that is free for anyone to join, and rewards you by writing reviews. The more reviews you write, the more your score goes up, which can result in you getting a VoxBox. A VoxBox is a box filled with various products and samples, and is send out to the Influensters who qualify. I qualified for the Varsity VoxBox since I'm a college student and my score was high enough. In this box, I received:

• 1 package of Airheads Xtreme Bites

I absolutely love the Airheads Xtreme Bites! They are so good! It's a sweet and sour candy, and it tastes great. It's hard not to eat the whole bag at once! Another good thing is that they are only $1.69 a bag! 

• Samples of Clearasil Superfruit Acne Wash

The Clearasil Superfruit Acne Wash is amazing. It smells great, and doesn't irritate my skin. It cleanses and helps prevent acne, so it's a great product overall! The sample I received came with a coupon, and I actually went out and bought the full size. I definitely recommend this one! This product retails for around $5.50 in stores.

• 1 package of Kiss Nail Dress

The Kiss Nail Dress was a decent product. What I like about this is that they come with many different designs, which you could otherwise not do with polish. However, it took me a good 20 minutes just to put all the stickers on and make them fit my nails. While they looked really cool on my nails, they only lasted for about a day before the tips started peeling back. While I really like the concept of this product, they need to be made to last for at least a week. They are also kind of pricey at $6.00 per pack.

• 1 Tide PODS

I love the convenience of Tide PODS! As a college student, they are a lot easier to use than carrying a huge container of laundry detergent around. However, they are pretty expensive, at $17.99 for 66 PODS. They do a great job of washing my clothes, but I'll stick to less expensive detergent for now.

• NYC Big Bold Plumping Gloss

The NYC Big Bold Plumping Gloss is awesome! It comes in a lot of pretty colors. Since it's a plumping gloss, it feels tingly once you put it on, but it makes your lips look great! The only bad thing about the gloss is that it has a weird taste. But, at only $3.99 each, it is a great deal!

Overall, I LOVED my first VoxBox! It was filled with great products, some of which are my new favorites! Hopefully, I can get some more VoxBoxes in the future :)