From My Vanity

Beauty, Skincare, and a bit of Lifestyle

This is ‘Not Your Mother’s’ Clean Freak Dry Shampoo! (Beauty Review)

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The first product I’m going to review (from the box of products I received from Influenster) is the dry shampoo from Not Your Mother’s.

About Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak….

Get that perfect hair (and the perfect guy!) before all the other girls. Expect more room on your social calendar because this salon formula dry shampoo will have you and your hair ready for a night out on the town.

Absorbs excess oils
Cleans without water
Light matte finish






My Review…

First Impression…
I like the packaging of ALL Not Your Mother’s hair products, and Clean Freak
is just as eye-appealing. I love how the can is mostly white but with the grassy look at the top it really adds something unique. I just think the packaging looks so high end. 🙂 As I said in my post yesterday, this product was the one I was the most excited to try…so, of course, it’s the one I’m going to review on here first. 🙂

The Product & Application…
The nozzle on this can is really perfect — I love how it sprays out and really gives you a strong stream, but not too much product, in my opinion. It’s very misty and, when I used it, it didn’t leave any white residue in my hair. Which I was very thankful for! 🙂 The smell for this product is really hard to put a finger on…(I’m really bad at naming scents)…but it’s kind of close to an air freshener scent….but not the kind of air freshener I like. Haha! 😛 It is pretty strong when you first spray it, but it goes away very quickly and doesn’t linger in your hair at all. So not a big deal for me. I sprayed it at my (very oily) roots and after letting it sit for a minute, I used a brush to make sure it was dispersed throughout my hair. The oily-ness was instantly gone! It gave my hair a very matte, fresh look that I want when I have 2 or 3-day old hair.


Major Likes…
The best part about this dry shampoo was that it didn’t make my hair feel all cakey/dirty. Usually, with the dry shampoos I’ve used in the past, after I use them my hair feels really heavy, cakey, and…just all around yucky. It’ll looks clean, but it’ll feel dirty. But! With Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak
, it doesn’t do that! Even now — a day after I used the dry shampoo in my hair — my hair still feels great. Not really oily, either! This is a great bonus for me, since I personally don’t like washing my hair every time I shower — it’s healthier to let your hair several days before washing. So, all that said, the fact that this Clean Freak
not only made my hair look clean, but feel clean to, made me fall in love with this dry shampoo!

Major Dislikes…
It would have to be the smell. While it isn’t bad…it is pretty weird when you are using the stuff on your hair. I am really thankful that it doesn’t linger more than a minute or two. With this kind of smell, though, it might not bother some people. It might just be a quirk of mine. But even though it doesn’t smell the greatest, I still plan to use this bottle up and purchase this for my use in the future. The smell doesn’t last long and the results of this product is awesome and does last long. 🙂

Final Thoughts…
If you haven’t guess — after reading all my remarks above — I really, really like this product and highly recommend it! The smell is the only slight draw-back to this product — if Not Your Mother’s fixed that, this would be an instant holy grail of mine. 🙂 In comparison with my previous experiences using other dry shampoos, Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak
is the best I’ve ever used!

I received this product from Influenster for free in order to review. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this product, which I have done. I only recommend products and/or services that I have personally used or experienced and that I believe will be good for my readers.

Another Post Featuring Grace Unplugged Today! (Review & Giveaway)

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Remember when I posted the giveaway for the book Grace Unplugged by Melody Carlson? Well, today I have more exciting things to bring you from Grace Unplugged! (As well as another giveaway! 🙂

For those of you who don’t know about Grace Unplugged, Let’s talk about the book/movie…

About the Movie:


A talented young singer and aspiring songwriter’s Christian faith and family ties are tested when she defies her worship-pastor father and pursues pop-music stardom in GRACE UNPLUGGED, a moving and inspiring new film that explores the true meaning of success.

Grace Trey has just turned 18 and aspires to do more than sing in her church’s worship band, which is led by her father, Johnny Trey, a one-time pop star who gave up his life in secular music when he became a Christian. Grace longs to escape his shadow and make a name for herself singing songs about something other than God, but Johnny warns her that fame is not as glamorous as it looks and reminds her that serving and worshipping God with the talent she’s been given is a far more worthwhile goal.

When Johnny’s former manager, Frank “Mossy” Mostin shows up 20 years after the two parted ways to offer him another shot at the big time, Johnny declines the opportunity. But Grace takes it – without telling her parents. She records a cover version of her father’s old Top 10 hit, runs away to Los Angeles and, under Mossy’s guidance, begins to taste the kind of success she’s always dreamed of, landing on the charts herself, attracting the attention of the entertainment press, even dating a popular TV star.  But with each rung of the ladder she climbs, Grace feels pressure to compromise her Christian values, and her relationship with her parents gets further strained. Even as plans move forward for her to record a follow-up album, Grace learns not everyone who says they’re on her side really is. The one exception is Quentin, an intern at her record company and a fellow Christian who urges Grace to reassess her choices and put God first again in her life. Will everything she experiences lead her to reject her faith … or rediscover it?

Starring AJ Michalka, James Denton, Kevin Pollack, Shawnee Smith, Michael Welch, and Jamie Grace, GRACE UNPLUGGED arrives in theaters October 4 from Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. Inspired by a true story, GRACE UNPLUGGED is directed by Brad J. Silverman and produced by Russ Rice, the team behind NO GREATER LOVE.

Information on the movie…

Website  /   IMDB  /  Facebook
About the CD:

Sounds pretty good, huh? I thought so! I was so excited and thrilled when I was given the opportunity to receive the Grace Unplugged CD
that features the music from the movie! Totally, cool, right? I always enjoy reviewing music CD’s, but don’t usually get the opportunity. The neat thing about this CD is that it features songs from several different artists! I’m going to run down the list of songs that come in this CD and also include which artist sings them. 🙂

Please Note: AJ Michalka is the main character in Grace Unplugged (Just in case you are unfamiliar with the name. 🙂

All I’ve Ever Needed – AJ Michalka
Desert Song – AJ Michalka
You Never Let Go – AJ Michalka (with James Denton)
Misunderstood – AJ Michalka
Holding On – Jamie Grace
Our God – Chris Tomlin
Steal My Show – TobyMac
In And Out Of Time – Colton Dixon
The Void – Nine Lashes
The Space Between Us – Shawn McDonald
Welcome To Daylight – Luminate
Amazing Grace (Instrumental) – Josh Wilson 
I’ve had a few weeks to listen to the CD and now I’m bringing you my thoughts on this CD! 🙂
My Review:

AJ Michalka has such a beautiful voice! I don’t know if she is a new artist, but I know she was new to me! After listening to four of her songs on the Grace Unplugged CD
 CD, I’ve really grown to like her voice. It’s very clear and sweet and gives an innocence and beauty to the songs that I absolutely love.

Depending on your denomination and doctrine, you may like or not like the words in the song. I found them to be okay – I wouldn’t call them deep, but I wouldn’t call them bad either. My favorite song from AJ Michalka would have to be All I’ve Ever Needed. It’s a very moving song and one I hope will touch people in their personal lives and drive them back to Christ.

There were several other songs in the CD that I really enjoyed, such as Holding On by Jamie Grace. The opening to In and Out of Time by Colton Dixon was kind of loud and hard — when I pressed play before going to bed, I’d end up being jolted awake when this song started! — I did like the song. Pretty catchy tune/words, too! 🙂

My least-favorite song would have to be The Void by Nine Lashes. I personally don’t like that hard music — when it sounds like the artists are on the verge of yelling or something. And the music wasn’t restful or peaceful. Some people might like this type of music, but it’s just not my cup of tea. 🙂

All in all, I really enjoyed listening to the Grace Unplugged CD
! There were many artists in the CD that I know and enjoy listening to, and getting introduced to AJ’s beautiful voice was great, too! I’ll be on the lookout for future songs by AJ, that’s for sure. 🙂

I reviewed this CD for Grace Hill Media – special thanks to Briana for setting this up! It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.

Giveaway!

Okay! So today I have the CD for 12 songs from the movie, Grace Unplugged
, that I’ll be giving to one winner. 🙂 All you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below in order to get a chance to win the CD! This giveaway will run until October 21st at midnight.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

A facial wash free of chemicals and full of natural goodness! (Product Review)

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It’s been a little while since I’ve done a product review, but I am slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things. I’ve been discovering and looking into a lot of fun things for my blog, so be prepared as I work to take Legacy of a Writer to a new level and broaden its scope a bit. 🙂

I was given the opportunity to review Citrus Clear‘s Gentle Cleanser face wash. First off, let me explain what Citrus Clear is. This company is a “…natural and holistic treatment for acne, sensitive skin and all skin types.” Citrus Clear offers natural acne products such as face washes, moisturizers, and acne treatments that are targeted to meet the needs of those looking to get rid of acne. On their home page they say, “We are known for being the most ‘natural acne treatment’. We value each of our unique formulas, and ensure that only the most potent citrus juices, extracts, tinctures and peels are used in our acne products. Our natural skin care is made for all skin types.” They have a line for both Acne Control and Sensitive Skin.

I was very excited to get the opportunity to review this, as I have recently become very interested in facial products – especially for cleaning my face. I have struggled with acne for as long as I can remember. It has been really, really bad the past 6 or more years, but recently – with a lot of research about acne and the products that help fight against it – I am almost acne free. Almost. I have a lot of scaring and dark pigmentation from when I used to break out really bad, and I still get one or two every week or so. But compared to how I used to be – it’s like night and day for me!

Now that you know a little bit of history about the company and about my dealings with acne, we can continue on with this review. 🙂 I don’t consider myself to have sensitive skin – though since beginning my acne regimen my skin tends to be more dry than oily. But since Citrus Clear’s gentle cleanser was for sensitive skin, I thought it would be a perfect fit.

Well, I had a very interesting experience with the cleanser. To begin with, when I first tried to pump some of the product in my hand, it wouldn’t work. I tried for several minutes, but no matter how many times I pumped the nozzle, nothing came out. I finally unscrewed the top and discovered that the straw that brings product up from the bottom and into the nozzle was way too long and had been bent in order to fit it into the bottle. Because it was bent, there was no way for the product to squeeze through the straw and get to the top, so that’s why I wasn’t able to get any product out. This all was really odd! Because it was bent and prohibiting the product from getting out, I am thinking that this was just a malfunction during the making of the product, so I cut the straw enough to allow the product to get into the straw, and tried again.

For some reason, I still could barely get any product out when I pumped the nozzle. Maybe the whole nozzle was broken or had a malfunction during processing, but in order to use the product I had to unscrew the cap and just swipe the product that clung to the straw, onto my hand. Not very sanitary, I know, but…I was out of options! 😛

The sensitive face wash smells delicious! Just as they describe it, it smells like tahitian lime. Yummy! The face wash had little white beads inside that worked to gently exfoliate my face, which I liked. I hadn’t used an exfoliate for some time, and I missed using it and knowing that it was helping get all the dead skin cells off my face. The only thing I was well aware of while using this product is that I should NOT get it in my eyes. I made the mistake of swiping it over my eyes and I guess my eyes weren’t closed enough…regardless, they started  to sting! After that, I made sure to keep my eyes closed and not use the wash around my face, and I never had it get in my eyes after that.

I used it for about a week or more, and was really enjoying it. I always love trying new things! But then I started to notice that the skin at the corners of my eyes were getting really dry. I thought this was really weird, since I’ve never had a problem with dry skin on my eyelids. As the days progressed, I started seeing more dry patches on my eyes until basically my whole eyelid was dry, flaky, and painful to the touch. They were noticeably red and my mom asked me what I was using that was different. That’s when I realized that I had switched up my usual night time facial wash with the Citrus Clear one.

I stopped using it after that, and after a few days, my eyelids were back to normal – not dry, flaky, or anything. So weird! I find it hard to believe that something that’s so ‘natural’ would have such a negative effect on me….which makes me think maybe there was a product that I was allergic to – since I started getting dry lids almost as soon as I started, and it stopped immediately after I stopped.

All in all, I have to say that I did not like the face wash. I wanted to like it – I really did! But there was something in this product that evidently did NOT like me! So I am not able to use this or give it a positive review. The only thing I can say is that maybe I was allergic to something in this product, and maybe you won’t be.

There are a lot of positive things about Citrus Clear products – from their not using chemicals in their products to their line for acne treatment. But, just for me personally, I will not be using these products in the future.

If you are interested in looking into it (maybe you know what you are and are not allergic to, unlike me), there are many ways to connect with Citrus Clear.

If you decide to look into Citrus Clear, let me know. Or if you already have your facial regimen down pat, feel free to share what you use in the comments below. I love learning what regimens people use to control acne – or any other skin problem you might have!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

A pen that makes writing easier! (Review & Giveaway)

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I know, I know, it’s been a while! Wish I could stop and chat with y’all for a bit, but right now I’ve got a review and giveaway to bring to you. (I promise, a “chatting” post with an update on my life IS coming! 😉

Have you ever heard of the “UGLee Pen” before? Well, I certainly hadn’t! But they are pretty darn cool! According to them, an UGLee Pen—created by Dr. James Lee—helps people who “…experience pain and discomfort when writing, for example those with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc…”

I was given some of the pens to try out. While it isn’t the most sleek and attractive pen I’ve ever seen, it is definitely very comfortable to write with! I had a little trouble, in the beginning, with getting the ink to flow evenly, but I think that was just a “new pen syndrome” and once I started using it, it worked great.

I don’t know what kind of “case” is around the pen, but I really like it. While it isn’t sticky at all, it is made with this kind of gel-ish pad that almost seems to stick to you…almost. If that makes sense at all. It’s really hard to explain, but once you see one and try one, you’ll understand what I’m getting at right away!

The UGLee Pen is said to be the best writing utensil for children who are learning to write and are developing fine motor skills, as well as helpful for special-needs children who find it hard to hold a pen or pencil properly.

And, hey, this is ESPECIALLY good for those of you who write a lot. As it helps keep your hands and fingers from cramping!

What’s not to loose by using these pens, right?? 🙂

So you ready to try to win some for your own?? All you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below, and in two weeks I will select a winner and these pens will be sent right to your front door. 🙂

Giveaway ends at midnight on May the 30th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Have your name personalized with inspirational Bible verses! (Review & Giveaway)

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I know I have been very, VERY absent on here lately, and I apologize for my silence. A lot is going on in my life right now, and just trying to straighten it all out. It looks like the main purpose of my blog will be changing in the near-ish future, but I hope all of you will still continue following me and checking out my blog. I still plan on keeping up giveaways and other fun posts, so don’t miss out! 😉

But, anyways, that isn’t the reason for this post. I’m coming to you today with another review/giveaway. So stay tuned until the end to see how you might win a special little something for yourself. 🙂

Ever heard of BibleVerse.org? I hadn’t, either, until I was selected to review their product for them. I was really excited to get to do this, since I think the idea of having your name spelled out with Bible verses is crazy-cool!!

My certificate!

What are they exactly? According to them, “Your Name in Bible Verse certificates are beautiful, custom-printed certificates personalized with your loved one’s name. Each letter of their name begins an inspirational Bible verse.”

So for my review of this product, they let me get my own Bible Verse Certificate. How neat, huh?! As you can see on the right, I had them put my full name, Katie Marie McCurdy, and it turned out really beautiful!

When I went to place my order, I was able to pick from several different backgrounds for the certificate and—of course—write whatever I wanted on it. They were really quick at getting my order to me, and everything was in perfect condition. The paper feels like really good quality and there was even a protective, foggy-looking page that was over the certificate and a hard cardboard behind it to help protect it in shipping.

BibleVerse.org not only has these certificates available in English, but Spanish also. Each certificate is sure to be different an unique and there are over 30 different styles to choose from. And for only $12.95, these Bible name certificates would make the perfect gift–and a great encouragement–for a special someone in your life. 🙂 And this is the type of gift that’s not just for birthdays, either. It would be perfect for weddings, baptisms, Mother’s Day, Christmas….or just about any occasion!

You ready to find out how you could get your own Bible verse certificate?? Well, now’s your chance! BibleVerse.org was kind enough to offer one of the followers on my blog to get their own certificate personalized exactly how they would like it!

In order to get your name in for a chance to be the winner of this prize, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Make sure you are a follower of this blog—both to make sure you get a chance at winning this giveaway, and so you will stay informed of future giveaway I host here. 🙂

The giveaway runs from now until April 25th at midnight. 🙂


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

“Ultra” Palmolive’s new Fresh Infusion Dish Soaps! (Influenster, Review)

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For those of you who saw my previous post about getting another box from Influenster to review, today I am sharing with you my review for the products I got!

What did I get? Well, you can check out the first post, skip on ahead to the review and discover as you go, or just keep listening! 😉 Influenster sent me three bottles of a new soap line that Palmolive is coming out with—Fresh Infusion Dish Liquid Soap. I really enjoyed trying out the products and seeing how they preformed compared to the original Palmolive soap that we have tried in the past.

The first thing that I really liked about the Fresh Infusion line was how good the soap smells. (haha, I know, maybe an odd thing to start my review out with…but that’s the first thing I always look for in a soap!) It isn’t just a “nice” smell—it really is kind of yummy! I received three different kinds, which were…

– Ginger White Tea
– Lemon Thyme
– Lime Basil

 

And they all smell good! My favorite would have to be the Lime Basil (all the way on the left, in the picture). It reminds me of a type of hard candy I had a long time ago…can’t remember exactly  but that’s what popped into my head the moment I smelled it! If I had to pick a “least favorite” scented soap, it would have to be the Ginger White Tea. Nothing wrong with it–it smells pretty good–just not a favorite. 🙂

As for how they clean, I didn’t notice anything majorly “Wow, see what it cleaned!!”, but on the other hand I never had a problem scrubbing off food from the plates. It didn’t leave any kind of residue on the dishes, which was good. And while I didn’t see my dishes “sparkling”, they were really clean! What more can you ask for in a dish soap?? 😉

I plan on looking for this dish soap next time I go to my Wal-Mart and using the coupons that Palmolive/Influenster generously sent me. Who doesn’t like a soap that is “Naturally Inspired”?? (And, just to throw this out there, they are phosphate free! 🙂
I received the Palmolive soaps complimentary from Influenster. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Let’s talk about makeup! (Product Review & Giveaway)

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I have really been looking forward to writing this post. Over the months last year, I’ve really become interested and invested in make up, and have been itching to get an opportunity to begin reviewing it on my blog. What are your thoughts about me introducing all these different reviews on my blog?? I hope they are helpful, and since I have such limited time to read these days, it allows me to still be active on here bringing you my thoughts on things…just now I do more then just book reviews. 🙂

Okay, on to the purpose of this post. Oh, and do keep reading till the end — there will be a giveaway!! 😉

I’ve never heard of the company Mai Mariu before they contacted me about reviewing a few of their makeup products on my blog. I was thrilled at the opportunity, and eagerly selected three items to be sent to me to review.

 And they were…

1) Perfecting Finish Mineral Primer
2) Perfecting Finish Mineral Liquid Foundation
3) Perfecting Finish Mineral Cream Concealer

And as you can see from the picture on the left, they also sent a few samples from Mia Mariu‘s skin care line and a sponge for applying foundation. It was quite a fun and exciting package to open up!

My thoughts on these products? Well, first of all let me say that I was a little disappointed that the foundation and concealer color I selected were a bit dark for my skin tone. But while that kept me from wearing the foundation out and about, I was still able to get a good impression of how the foundation felt, blended, and lasted throughout the day (when I stayed home all day! ;-). I just wanted to let you know that before I began, so you wouldn’t be confused when I make no mention of how the color blended into my natural color in my review below. 🙂

First off, every good foundation application needs a good primer to prep the skin for a long-lasting and even-toned application of foundation. I have been on the hunt for a good primer (tried ELF’s primer, and didn’t like it very much) so was eager to give Mai Mariu‘s primer a try. And I really, really like it! It does on a wet-liquid consistency  but in just a few minutes it dries to a very matte and smooth finish — just perfect for applying foundation over. I’ve also noticed how it helps control the oils in my skin from seeping through my foundation. I have really oily skin, so any product that can do this, is wonderful! I’ve been using the Perfecting Finish Mineral Foundation Primer almost on a daily basis and thinks it works wonders! I highly recommend this product!

On to the foundation! I liked the feel of this foundation. It’s a bit of a liquidy foundation—in that it’s not a mousse kind of liquid foundation. It went on really well and, as I said, had a good feel to it. I was a bit disappointed in the lasting power that this had. I would apply it in the morning, and then by noon-ish I felt like my face started getting “splotchy”….as if the foundation was melting off some portions of my face and grouping up in others to give a very splotchy, cakey look to my face. So while I cannot recommend this product for long wearing, I would be willing to say it’s a nice foundation for short occasions. But not one I would recommend to go all day in. Especially if you will be sweating  I wasn’t even doing anything strenuous when I wore this, but just the natural oils in my skin really showed through and, as I said, gave me a splotchy look.

Another plus to this foundation is that it’s mineral. For that reason alone I really wished I had gotten his foundation in my color so I could wear it. I really would prefer to wear makeup that is good for my skin and doesn’t tend to clog my pores. If you are the type who is careful of what you use on your face, I would recommend looking into Mia Mariu‘s Perfecting Finish Mineral Foundation.

Last, but not least, is the concealer! This was also too dark, but it actually wasn’t that bad, and I use it on a daily basis when applying makeup and have acne to cover up. I just have to be careful not to use too much and cause a dark spot on my face. But it works very well at concealing the redness of my acne. It has a sticky consistency which comes in handy when you set your concealer—the powder sticks right to it and it doesn’t move…for a while. Like the foundation, the concealer didn’t have a very long-lasting hold. It tended to wear as the day goes on. Though not as quickly as the foundation did, I was happy to see. I will definitely be using this Perfecting Finish Mineral Cream Concealer until the last bit of it has disappeared from the container!

Well, there you have it, my thoughts on Mia Mariu‘s line of face products. I think the quality of these products is pretty good (besides the foundation not being as long-lasting as you would think, for the price). I would definitely recommend you look into this line of makeup—especially the primer!

So, you ready for your chance to win one of these products? Yep, Mia Mariu has instructed me to run a giveaway on my blog and the winner of the giveaway will get to pick one of the products that I reviewed. So, if you won, you’d have to decide if you’d want the primer, foundation, or concealer. (And, of course, you would select your shade before the gift was sent to you!). Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for free makeup—sign up in the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends midnight on March 5th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.