Influenster //Viva Vox Box

This time around I was chosen by Inluenster to review the products in the Viva Vox Box. This was a pretty fantastic box. The items were all beauty products with the exception of the Shell Rewards Card. 

1// Vaseline Spray and Go moisturizer Cocoa Radiant-- I really like the Spray Concept for the lotion bottle. It much easier to apply than just a regular "squirt out" lotion bottle. However I wish that it would spray out more at a time. It doesn't moisturize as much as I would have liked it to. 

2// Pure Ice Nail Polish-- I loved the colors I got this nail polish in! Typically I dont like my nails too "busy". I'm more of a solid color girl on all my nails. But I tested the glitter out and it wasn't too bad. It was fun! The Quality was pretty good for an inexpensive nail polish. 

3// Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths-- I LOVED these! They leave your skin feeling fresh and clean. It removes makeup and doesnt leave your face feeling like you still need to wash it like other makeup removing wipes! This is definitely an A++ product!

4// NYC New York City Proof Twistable Intense Lip Color-- This was another product I LOVED!! This is a lip crayon--a mix between a lip balm and lip stick. It's fanatastic! It stays on pretty much all day and keeps your lips moisturized. 

Prior to receiving this Vox Box I had tried the Revlon version of this product. It wore off quickly and made my lips really dry. But this one is excellent and for $2.99...you can't beat it! I went as far as going to buy it in a lighter shade for everyday wear!

5// Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spas-- This face mask was amazing! I received the honey with jasmine mask and I loved it! It was soothing and relaxing and was so easy to apply! It left my skin feeling wonderfully soft and smooth! I loved the fact that all of their face masks are vegetarian and Eco-friendly. I need to stock up on these to use at least once a week!

**Disclaimer: All of these items were provided complimentary by Influenster  for testing purposes. 

Top 5 Favorite Baby Products

yayyy for me! I'm on a roll this week...this is my third post this week! This rarely and I mean RARELY happens!!

I would not say I am a baby expert by any means but having a second child who is already a year old...makes me think I've been in the baby world long enough and have tried enough baby products to be able to recommend my faves and have enough knowledge to do so! After two babies, I am sharing my top 5 essential baby products and why I think they are fabulous!

First of all, let me just say that I am not a fan of Babies R Us what so ever! I had my baby registry there with Gus and the babies r us brand products are very low quality and completely over priced! I have found so many baby products significantly cheaper at target, Walmart and even Amazon.com

The big things, yes, I think it is smart to go gender neutral, if you're planning to have more children down the road. Babies are expensive, they come with a lot of "stuff" so it's nice to be able to use some things again with the second child, if it comes out to be a different sex. The high chair, swing, bouncer, and Jumperoo are all things that babies use for just a few months and then you're done with them! Well, I take that back...the high chair you get a lot of use out of but it can still be gender neutral to get more bang for your buck!

1- Gender Neutral Crib-- We have the Fillmore Crib by Pottery Barn Kids. It's white, a classic style and if you just change the bedding it could work great for a boy or for a girl. A good crib, in my opinion is a good investment to make. We didn't make the investment when Gus was born and bought a Graco crib and by the time he was done using it...it was all banged up. not worth it. 

So when Olivia was born we figured we would just make the investment and purchase a quality product. I've loved it! Pottery Barn cribs are excellent quality and completely worth the investment!

2- Pottery Barn Kids bedding--PBK has the best bedding in the world!! The quality of materials they use are amazing. Gus only used PBK sheets when he was a baby and then when Olivia was born I bought the bedding set minus the sheets and found the cutest printed sheets at Target, so naturally I got them. After washing them a couple times they got too rough for her skin. I had to go out and get PBK sheets for her! I saw such a huge difference between PBK and target sheets! (Sorry Target! I love you for everything BUT baby sheets) 

Olivia has the Scalloped Pink Pique Bedding Set and Gus had a Nautical Set that they

don't make anymore. 

I know there's a lot of researchers and baby experts out there that say not to use bumpers. There's "breathable" mesh bumpers which I think aren't very cute. But I have never had a problem with the babies and crib bumpers! 

Gus transitioned from a bassinet to a crib at like a month and a half because he didn't fit in it anymore. And Gus was about 14 months when Olivia was born and had just started walking. I was absolutely terrified he would knock the bassinet over with the baby in it so Olivia never slept in a bassinet! When she came home from the hospital she went directly to her crib!

3-Britax B-Ready Stroller + Britax Chaperone Car Seat Travel System -- I love Britax! Honestly, when I was pregnant with Gus I didn't really do much research on Strollers and car seats but I knew that Britax was pretty up there safety wise. I really just got this system because my sister-in-law had the exact same one at the time and my in-laws wanted to get it for us as a gift!

 Later, I came to find out how important it is to have a good travel system and how convenient it is with a newborn! We would just open the stroller frame up and the car seat would just pop right in! When I got pregnant with Olivia, we bought the second seat adapter for Gus to be able to sit in the stroller as well. The best part is we can use it as a single stroller or a double stroller. 

It is a little larger than most strollers and takes up quite a bit of room in your trunk but it is quality. But for a double stroller it is acctually a pretty decent size! We have used it non-stop with two babies and it still works great!

This is another thing that would be better to get in a gender neutral color! Yes, the pink is super cute for a little girl but if you have a boy after that, you're kind of stuck with a pink stroller, unless of course you can buy a completely new system!

I think this is the product that has saved my life having two babies under 2!! 

4- Avent Bottles-- I have only used Avent bottles with my two and have LOVED them! I used the older model with Gus, that had the ring inside! Several times, I ran out of the house with just the bottles and not the rings and that was just disastrous--stories of a first time mom! I would always have to end up buying bottles wherever I was or replacement rings! Motherhood fail!! but other than that I loved them! 

When Olivia was born, they had already come out with the new model (Thank God--No more rings!!) and I loved it even more than the older model!

5- California Baby Sunscreen-- I will confess I just started using this on my little ones and I love it!! My children haven't gotten a sunburn, living in Miami! Olivia's skin is sooo fair and sensitive and this sunscreen didn't irritate her skin and she didn't get a sunburn! It is a little more expensive than regular sunscreen but it works miracles!It is mineral based and gentle on babies' sensitive skin! I definitely recommend it for beach trips! 

You can order it on their website or Target carries it in the store!

**Disclosure: This is completley my honest opinion on all of these products and I have not been compensated to write a review!

What are your favorite baby products?? 

Kinder Companie + Hippity Hoppity Giveaway

Awhile back, I found Kinder Companie through another blog and fell in love with her designs, products and most of all her ability to customize. This Etsy shop dedicated to making and selling children's bowties and hairbows was right up my alley! 

 I love matching Gus and Olivia. I should really say color and print coordinating because there is only so much boy/girl matching you can do! So I asked Christy to make them Easter coordinating hair bows and bowties with the same fabrics...eekkkk! I was soooo excited with this possibility!!! 

Before I go any further about how excited I was about this shop has excellent customer service....when I say excellent I mean 110%. That makes giving someone business a hundred  times better!

So anyways I was sooo pleased with these fabulous products that arrived at my doorstep, once again! (This is not the first time I custom order from Kinder Companie.) The quality is amazing, they don't fall apart! The color choices she offers are so so cute! 

I love that the alligator clip liners on the bows are scalloped...it gives it a little feminine touch ;) And  the size of the bows was just perfect! We love our bows nice and oversized...the bigger the better!

The bowties wrap around the neck and close with velcro, making it adjustable as your little ones grow! 

Here is how I styled and color coordinated the bowties and the hair bows on Gus and Olivia...

In honor of Easter being right around the corner, we are giving you a chance to win $30 store credit to Kindercompanie to get some cuteness for your little ones! 

The giveaway will go until Monday, April 7th at noon! 

Good Luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway