Victoria's Secret Sports VoxBox + Victoria's Secret In-Store Experience

FTC: I received these products as a part of the Influenster VS Sport VoxBox. All opinions are my own truthful thoughts.

The other day, I received a very pleasant surprise in the mail: The VS Sport VoxBox from Influenster!

Fresh out of box!

I'm super grateful for this opportunity to get to try this new product that Victoria's Secret launched.
Here's what it looks like!

Nice packaging

Unboxing

Individual parts

Sports bra + pants

Awesome coupons to be shared with friends + fam

What did I think of the products?
Sports bra:

• Super comfortable
• Provides good support during exercise
• Like the racerback style on the back
• Material wicks away moisture (sweat) from the body, keeping the wearer cool

Pants/leggings:

• A bit itchy!
• Too long for my petite figure :(
• Very good material for wicking away moisture from the body, keeping the wearer cool 

I also went to the Victoria's Secret store in an effort to try to exchange the pants for a pair that was shorter. The staff was very nice, but unfortunately they said that they could not exchange it because it was "purchased online" and thus could not be exchanged lest it came with a receipt (which it did not, since it came from Influenster). Oh well...

Bottom line:  I really like the sports bra, but the pants? Not so much - not necessarily because of the inherent design of the pants, but because I am just too short. They were not designed for a 5' 2'' person. Oh well...

Bottom line - I would definitely recommend the sports bra for anyone looking for a comfortable sports bra to work out in, and the pants for people 5' 6'' and taller!

~Lucy

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

Review: Beauty Blender

Yes, I gave into the hype. The Beauty Blender is known for being an awesome, fancy-schmancy sponge for applying foundation, BB cream, etc.

I don't use foundation. However, I had been going through a period of time where I was using BB cream, and I wanted to try something that would help apply the product more smoothly. I definitely understand that there are lots of Beauty Blender dupes, but from the reviews I had seen, the dupes did not seem to absorb as much water or other blend as well that the original did.

Thus, I decided to get it. Yes, the original price is $20 for a single sponge at Sephora (super expensive). However, on Amazon, I found the product as $23 for two. Not too bad of a deal! I decided to try it out, given the nearly 50% discount.

Upon soaking one of the beauty blenders in water, the sponge swelled up to twice its size. Wow. It was quite crazy.

 

Application was quite easy - I simply stippled a bit of bb cream onto my face, bouncing the sponge and easily blending it into the skin. It actually felt kind of fun working with the product.

Finished look

Pros:

• Smooth application of makeup
• Water-absorbing, so not wasting as much makeup as other sponges
• Pretty pink color

Cons:

• Must wash out after every use in order to prevent gross gunk from building up
• Must be careful with nails, else will rip the sponge
• Pricey

Bottom line - if you have some dough to spend and don't like using a foundation or stippling brush to apply makeup, I'd suggest this product to you (regardless of skin type). Yay!

More blog changes

Hey y'all,

Currently I'm trying to work on the blog layout and getting rid of its bugs/kinks. For example, I know that the search function doesn't work very well and stuff, and dpod_the_owl and I will be working to correct these problems. Please bear with us as the site changes!

Note - the overall aesthetic of the blog will not change - I think I've settled (finally!) into a blog style that I feel is both minimalistic and classical. It's just working out the technical bugs that my "tech-ness" (or rather, lack thereof) will work on (actually, it'll probably be dpod's tech prowess).

Toodles!

Lucy

Mally Beauty on Hautelook now!!!

Mally Beauty products are on sale at Hautelook now!

In case y'all don't know, Mally Beauty is a medium- to high-end brand of makeup that was created by Mally Roncal, a celebrity makeup artist. Her products are usually sold at Ulta, QVC, and the Mally Beauty website itself.

Mally Beauty products are generally known to be very high quality and are reviewed by Emily Eddington from BeautyBroadcast.

Currently, a lot of stuff is sold at a very good discount (40-60%) on Hautelook. Here's some snapshots of the stuff sold:

If y'all are interested, please use my referral link. (I'd really like a $20 credit - which is what a referral gives me - so I can get more stuff to review for y'all, and allow me to buy stuff despite being on med school loans, gar).

Swimsuits for the competitive swimmer

One of my favorite hobbies is swimming, and lately, with my new gym subscription (LA Fitness rocks!) I've been getting back into the life of my old swim team life (many many years ago).

Today I'm going to give some advice for people who want to purchase clothing/equipment for competitive swimwear (not going to the beach). This is for people who want to swim on a swim team, swim in a pool several times a week, those who want their body parts covered while swimming (not a two-piece or something).

Here ya go!

In general:

• The best swimsuits to buy are those that are made with 100% polyester. This is because swimming pools are usually disinfected with tons of chlorine or bromine. The swimming suits sold in most stores are made of lycra, spandex, nylon and polyester. Lycra and spandex suits get eaten up pretty quickly by the chlorine and bromine (trust me, I've ruined several swimsuits this way). The ones that are sold in most stores (e.g. Walmart, Target, even Academy and Sports Authority) are made of lycra/spandex. This is because those made with these fabrics usually feel nicer/softer to the touch, and give a great fit as well.
• The ones that last the longest are usually made of polyester. As this website details, polyester suits are super resistant to chlorine and will last longer. Nylon-Lycra suits are also super popular, but the lycra in those suits will break down/fade more quickly than a polyester suit, and the nylon will break down with sun exposure.
• Cotton swimsuits - these are rare to find nowadays, and they are not form fitting and will weigh a person down. (Think about it - when you're running/exercising, cotton socks and clothing become weighted down with sweat. What about all of that water that the swimsuit becomes drowned in when it is submerged full-on in water?)
• Polyester is a super durable material that will last a long time. Even with prolonged exposure to chlorine or bromine, it will retain its shape and color. It is a good material for everyday training.
• For a very comprehensive comparison of swimwear materials, go to this link.

I'm currently in training to get myself back into my old fit self, and I wanted to invest in a good swimsuit for everyday/multiple day training. For those who wish to purchase a swimsuit for lots of swimming practice, I'd recommend:

Women's:

1. Speedo Women's Race Endurance+ Polyester Flyback Training Swimsuit - this is an excellent swimsuit that is made of 50% polyester/50% PBT  (polybutylene terephthalate). As seen on the Amazon link, it's super awesome for resisting chlorine damage and fading. From personal experience, it also dries super quickly. The only caveat is if you want to order a Speedo suit, you need to order a size up - for some reason, all Speedo suits are known to size smaller than most other brands.
2. Speedo Women's Solid Logo Flyback Swimsuit - This is also a good option for those who occasionally swim. It is made of 85% polyester/15% spandex, so keep in mind that the spandex will break down faster than the polyester. Of course, keep in the mind of the sizing up caveat.
3. Speedo Women's Geo Diamond Actionback Pro LT Swimsuit - similar to #2 in fabric, this swimsuit offers more patterns for those who may want more of an aesthetic appeal.
4. Speedo Women's Quark Splice Pulseback Endurance Lite Swimsuit - similar to #1 with more patterned colors and color blocking.
5. Dolfin Aquatard Womens - for those who want more coverage (swimsuit with a "shorts"-like bottom), this suit is made of 100% polyester and is great for competitive swimming.
6. TYR Sport Women's Solid Durafast Maxback Swim Suit - made of 53% polyester/47% polyester PBT, this is a great suit with wide straps that fits well and provides lots of support for the chest (high-cut).
7. TYR Women's Fusion 2 Aeroback Swim Suit - similar to #6, but with 79% polyester/21% lycra.
8. TYR Sport Women's Alliance Durafast Splice Diamondback Swim Suit - lots of different color block options, made with 53% polyester/47% polyester PBT.

Men's:

1. TYR Sport Men's Solid Durafast Jammer Swim Suit -  Made of 53% polyester/47% PBT, this swimsuit is a pair of fitted shorts that will be very durable in chlorinated/"brominated" water.
2. Speedo Men's Quark Splice Endurance Lite Jammer Swimsuit - made of 51% PBT textured polyester/49% polyester, this swimsuit will also be very durable and also comes in several colors.
3. Nike Team Techno Camo Brief - Competitive Swim - I don't know too much about the stereotypical "Speedo thong" (so-goes the slang) but this brief is made of 81% nylon/19% spandex and comes in lots of patterns.
4. Speedo Men's Kinetic Zag Endurance Lite Brief Swimsuit - also a brief but made of 51% PBT/49% polyester, so more resistant against chlorine and bromine.
5. Speedo Men's Male Solid Lycra Bathing Suit - again, similar to the two above, made with 78% nylon/22% lycra
6. TYR Sport Men's Poly Mesh Trainer Swim Suit - this swim short is made of 100% polyester and is considered to be a drag suit (swimsuit that adds more drag, aka more friction/fluid resistance in the water).
7. TYR Sport Men's Square Leg Short Swim Suit - similar to the other swim shorts but made of 80% nylon/20% lycra.
8. TYR Sport Men's Alliance Splice Jammer - lots of color blocking options, made of recycled fabric(80% recycled nylon/20% Xtra life Lycra®). Lots of color-blocked options available. This is the eco-friendly choice?

Bottom line - pick whichever swimsuit best fits your needs. I personally really like one-piece swimsuits of this sort (yes, even to the beach, yes, I'm boring) so see what you like!
P.S. In general - remember to size up for swimsuits!