Proactiv + Review #MC #Sponsored

- brandy3

Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Influence-Central for Proacitv+. I received samples of Proactiv+ to facilitate my review and a thank you item for participating.

I have suffered from acne for the past 18 years. It has not been as bad as a adult, but I still suffer a great deal. Although there is no cure for acne, there are ways to prevent and control breakouts.

Proactiv + helps fight
breakouts and makes your skin look and feel healthier through a range of skincare ingredients.
There are three steps in the core system:

  • Skin Smoothing Exfoliator

    • Pore Targeting Treatment

  • Complexion Perfecting Hydrator

    I started using Proactiv + a month ago and I am already seeing improvements in my skin. I still get a pimple here and there, but it goes away pretty fast and my skin looks healthy and glowing.

    When I first started using Proactiv + my skin really burned and my face turned red. I had tried Proactiv a few years before and now that after a few days it will pass. It got better but my skin was still a bit irritated so I started using it only once a day instead of morning and night. I use the 3 step system every night and in the morning twice a week. My skin has been fine since.

    My favorite product is the smoothing exfoliator, it really gets all the dead skin and dirt off your face making it feel refreshed and vibrant. It really opens up your pores. I started noticing my face looking smoother and softer, most of my acne was fading away. I still get a small pimple from time to time. The system has been great to use, but is a bit time consuming.

    I’ve noticed that the past couple of days my face has been very dry and flaky, so I have been using the complexion perfecting hydrator throughout the day and it has been helping some.
    Here are my results:
    Before:

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    Photo on 3-13-14 at 8.02 AM

    After 1 week:

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    Kind of dark, but a lot of redness in my face

    After 4 weeks:

    Photo on 10-25-14 at 8.58 AM

    Make Up

    Photo on 12-1-14 at 8.17 PM

    Makeup free:

    I still have a few blemishes and tons of scars from previous acne, but my skin seems to be healthier and just looks better than it has in a long time.

    Have You tried Proactiv +? Let me know your thoughts on the system. Haven’t tried it yet, you can read all about it here.

    • Holiday: Frozen’s Olafs In Trouble Game From Hasbro #HGG14

    - brandy3 2 Comments

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    Pop the bubble to save Olaf in this Disney version of the classic Trouble game! You can play this game as your favorite Frozen character, and your job is to travel around Arendelle to save Olaf. But watch out for the avalanche! Pop all around the board in the Olaf’s in Trouble game – it’s a game worth melting for!

    *** Every weekend we try and have family time/game time. It’s our way of spending time together after busy week. The last few months our family time has been watching the movie Frozen over and over again. My children love that movie. So I started doing some looking around for Frozen themed games and toys.
    We received Olafs in Trouble from Hasbro to try out. It is just like the original game trouble but with a frown theme. My kids couldn’t get enough of it.

    The game is fairly simple my 6 year old is beating us all. The board features Olaf as well as Frozen characters,a nd so does the playing pieces. The game comes with stickers to put on the pieces featuring all your favorite characters.

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    You can find Olafs In Trouble at HasbroToyShop.com

    Winners For November

    - brandy3 1 Comment

    Winners to announce. All winners are chosen through a random plugin and are emailed.

    Butterball Turkey checks- Rust, Erica Best

    Premama Vitamin- Brandy W

    Pirate Booty snacks- Shelly Leatham

    VTech Innotab 3S- Ellen Beck

    Stay tuned for more giveaways.

    Capital One 360’s Black Friday Sale

    - brandy3 1 Comment

    The holidays can be a really stressful time, specially for us. We are a young couple and my husband is persuing his PHD, so we are on a tight budget. I budget our bills every month and make sure every thing is paid on time and we don’t insure any late fees.

    Staying on budget can be very tricky there are so many pleasures I would love to indulge in, but making sure we have enough to live is more important.
    My budget consist of:

  • Getting all bills together and adding them into budget. *Paying your bills is the most important factor in your budget. If they are late or not payed in full, ou run the risk of late fees or added expenses.

    • Factoring your rent *depending on how often you get paid, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly. You need to factor how much to put aside to pay your rent.

    After you have gotten the bills paid and out of the way. the rest of your budgeting should be easy.

  • Factor how much you/family eat on a monthly basis. For example I set aside $700 a month for my family of 5. Sometimes we may go a little over but then that money would come out of the misc. budget.
    You’ve got all your necessities covered now, comes the Misc. budgeting. This can contain money for gas, toiletries etc.
    Anything extra is spending money. You can take your family out for a fun day, or a nice dinner.

    The last year we have started a emergency fund, with Capital One 360. We want to make sure if there is ever a emergency we have it covered. Car problems, medical bills, or just prices being raised.

    Capital One 360 products are designed to save consumers time and money. From online to our mobile app, Capital One 360 is with customers 24/7.
    Capital One 360 Checking and 360 Savings are fee-free and earn interest.
    Capital One 360 offers remote deposit capture with Capital One 360’s CheckMate tool and make savings a snap with the Automatic Savings Plan.

    Capital One 360 wants to help you get ready for Black friday and the holidays. This holiday, to encourage consumers to stay on track with their finances, Capital One 360 is decking the halls with deals you can bank on, including new account bonuses, referral bonuses and closing cost credits. When your done shopping head on over to Capital One 360 and sign up for the their incredible deals on banking and mortgages. Some deals include:

    Screen Shot 2014-11-28 at 1.28.46 PM

    Will you be adding Capital One 360 to your Black Friday list?

    I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

    • Gearing Up For Thanksgiving #HormelFamily

    - brandy3 2 Comments

    Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Hormel Foods as part of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. Throughout the year I’ll be receiving product, coupons, giveaways and promotions. However, no payment was given or expected for posting about the program, and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own.

    We always have Thanksgiving at home, as we don’t have any family really close. It’s better for us as we get to choose what to make. Every Thanksgiving we usually do a medley of different foods, my kids are really really picky.

    This year we are having a prime rib roast, as well as a Hormel Cure 81 Ham. Then of course all the trimmings, potatoes, veggies etc. I love having a small ham every year, because leftovers go great with breakfasts.

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    Hormel Cure 81 hams come in all different sizes, we usually just get 1 lb or 2. The ham comes pre-sliced and makes it so much easier to serve.

    Have you planned your Thanksgiving meal?

    Why I Will Not Be Shopping On Black Friday

    - brandy3 1 Comment

    No it’s no because of Thanksgiving traditions or boycotting stores anything like that. Black Friday has become somewhat complicated for the millions who love to shop, as stores compete and the openings get pushed earlier. Old Navy is opening at 4PM on Thanksgiving. Kmart at 6am and stay open 48 hrs. Thats a bit crazy! It’s technically not even black friday anymore.

    black friday photo: Best Black Friday Deals For Android BestBlackFridayDeals.png

    The reason I will not be shopping on black Friday is simple, I am a mother. That may sound silly, and it has nothing to do with spending tim with family. We don’t host Thanksgiving and by 4pm we are usually in a turkey coma.

    I will not be shopping because I enjoy being able to shop with no worries. When stores opened at Midnight, I could go out by myself knowing my husband and children were asleep in their beds, and I could sneak everything in the house before they were awake.

    Now that stores are opening early on Thanksgiving I have to choose between shopping and our nightly routine which is helping my kids bath and get ready for bed, and then tucking them in.

    No deal is worth me not being able to say goodnight and tuck those sweet faces in. I could go out after they fall asleep, but by then everything would be a mad house and not worth the time.

    Do you think retailers will ever go back to opening on just Friday? Who knows maybe next year they will move it to Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

    Holiday: Get in the Spirit with DohVinci #HGG14

    - brandy3 2 Comments

    Disclosure: No formal compensation was received for this post. A product was provided for my review.

    DohVinci is the newest craze from Hasbro. From the makers of play-doh, DohVinci is a 3-d design kit for kids.

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    I received the DohVinci Deluxe Styler tool to share with my kids. The deluxe styler tool come with 4 different design tp, to help you create the perfect design. Design tips include a star, heart, flower, and butterfly. Plus with the styler tool you get 3 deco pop colors.

    My kids have been wanting DohVinci since I showed them pictures rom Toy Fair. They love Play-doh, but it’s to messy and they rarely ever get to play with it.
    DohVinci is Play-doh made easy, as it is in a tube. It comes out through the slyer gun for easy designs, and litte clean up. The DohVinci compound will dry overnight, and you should be able to hang your picture on the wall. My daughter just loves it.

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    Some downsides to DohVinci: The Deco Pop tubes are very small, and my kids went through them in less than a hour. We also noticed that the designs we made started to crumble after a week, not to bad though.

    You can see the different crafts and products at HasbroToyShop.com

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