Goddess Garden Pool Party

I was first introduced to Goddess Garden a couple years ago through their essential oils which are awesome! Last year I had head that they were making natural sunscreens but hadn't come across any in my local stores.

When Tryazon launched their Goddess Garden Pool Party I knew I had to get in on the action and try this stuff out! 

They have a whole line of sunscreen products including Everyday tube, Everyday spray Sports Kids spray Facial tube, Kids Sport tube, Sport tube, Kids Sport stick,

Face the Day Daily Moisturizer

& Aloe Spray.

Goddess Garden sunscreens are made from minerals so they are effective immediately and are safe for my sensitive skin. Traditional sunscreens absorb the sun’s rays and take 20 minutes to work and break down quickly. So ditch the cocktail of unpronounceable chemicals in your traditional sunscreen and discover Goddess Garden! 

Mineral sunscreens, like Goddess Garden’s contain zinc and titanium. These are simply tiny rocks that work like mirrors to reflect the sun’s ray. They aren’t absorbed so they won’t irritate your skin or get in your bloodstream. They’re effective immediately and won’t break down in the sun. Best of all, you aren’t coating your body in chemicals! Since they’re natural minerals, they’re just as safe for the earth as they are for you, and they don’t affect the reefs! 

We all tried out a whole variety of goddess garden sunscreen products this weekend and they worked great for everyone, even my nephew approves! 

~Crystal Vicious

Find more Goddess Garden

 Tips for Applying Natural Mineral Sunscreen 

Start with moisturized skin. Goddess Garden’s sunscreen lotions contain nourishing ingredients your skin loves. If your skin is very dry, it can absorb the lotion faster than you can spread the minerals, resulting in a whitening effect.

Cover small areas of your skin at a time. Because the lotion spreads the minerals, apply mineral sunscreen to small areas at a time so the lotion isn’t absorbed before you get it rubbed on. Applying too much in one place can result in the minerals layering up on your skin’s surface. An even application of mineral sunscreen will provide sheer, yet thorough protection.

If it’s white, you’re not finished. Minerals aren’t absorbed into your skin or bloodstream, so if the minerals are not spread evenly and dry white on your skin’s surface, they’ll stay white.

Try the Facial Sunscreen. If you have a darker skin tone, or if you’re still having trouble, you may want to try Goddess Garden’s Facial Sunscreen. It’s made with a unique polished zinc that creates fewer reflection points that contribute to the whitening effect. Minimizing reflections results in a sheerer look, while offering the same protection. While it’s a facial sunscreen, your arms and legs will love the extra benefits.

STRICTLY BRIKS

Strictly Briks play nice with other toys and are 100% guaranteed to be compatible with all major brands like LEGO, DUPLO, Mega Bloks, and K'NEX brand sets.There are so many options and colors and at a great price. You can let your imagination run wild!

I was able to try out a bunch of different products from Strictly Briks and passed them on to my nephews, except for the small briks. Those are for me. 

The Bag of Small Briks I received were in the basic colors. These are so fun, they have pink and purple. There are many other color options, the clear ones are super cool.

I was also given a pack of Flat Bottom Base Plates. These are way sturdier than I expected. Perfect fit for classic sized bricks a great to build off of.

The Bag of Big Briks are great. Just like Duplo blocks. Great for the little ones. Such an awesome option. These go great with the Big Brik Trap & Gap. Super fun playing with cars and the trap doors. 

A small Trap & Gap 4 Pack to go with the classic sized bricks is so fun. You can build a parking garage and drive your cars up and down. Super study and easy to build.

My favorite product is the AlphaBriks. These tiles are a little tough to pop on an off and they are small, so I didn't pass this on to the 3 and 4 year olds. I like using it as a message board. I think it looks really cool and will probably use it for hashtags. It's so fun.

~Crystal Vicious 

InstaNatural Vitamin C Moisturizer

I've used InstaNatural in the past, the Acne Cleaser. It was amazing! It was gentle on my skin, worked perfectly and smelled of oranges. I couldn't wait to try out another product.

Unfortunately this product was a total miss for me. It comes in a nice pump bottle, but the moisturizer is so thick it makes a bit of a mess. The lotion also goes on your face very thick. It takes a long time to absorb and leaves a filmy feeling on my face hours after application. My face is left oily and tight feeling. I haven't even attempted to apply makeup over it. 

It also burns my skin. I sit here now, an hour after applying and my face still stings. I've tried this for several days to see if I could get used to not only the sting, but the very unpleasant scent of the moisturizer. Neither of these things are getting better, so I am probably just going to toss this product. 

I would only give InstaNatural Vitamin C Moisturizer 1 out of 5 stars. I'm not going to be able to use it long enough to see if there are any true benefits. The greasy feeling, the burning and the odor are all too much for me to continue using this twice a day.

I'm pretty bummed because their cleanser was fantastic. I'm going to go wash my face.

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own.

~Crystal Vicious

Super Markers

U.S. Art Supply always has the coolest stuff, so I was super excited to try out their Super Markers Set! 

The set comes with 100 different colored markers. They are twin tipped, which means each color has a 3.0mm tip and a tiny 0.7mm fine liner tip.

The set comes packaged in a box with a neat idea for storage. However, it only has a flap, so the two sides are still open. Another downside; almost every time I pull out a marker, the cap stays stuck in the bottom of the box. The box keeps all the markers color coded and easy to find, but it's a pain to slowly lower each marker back into the slot in order to get the cap back on.

I tried to solve one of these issues by removing the outer part of the box, and lowering the slotted section into a box I already had that came with a lid. It's a neat storage idea, but the caps are still getting stuck. I don't know how long I'll keep it like this. I think I'll eventually just dump them into a box. It's a bummer because they look so nice organized.

I sketched out something to color on a nice piece of drawing paper. I colored most of it, but then the flesh tone marker instantly tore a hole right through my paper... 
This is paper I use for painting, pencils, pastels...but the marker ate through it and destroyed my piece. 

I tried the markers on three other types of paper. The markers collected a lot of buildup. What a pain it was to have to wipe the tip off every few seconds or it would ruin my lines. This happened on all types of paper I used, so I think it's a problem with the markers and not all of my paper. 

There was also a problem with a few of the markers arriving broken. The fineliner tips where pushed in, and the bigger tips pushed out with no way to keep them in place.

I had better luck filling in with the fineliners than the bigger tips. The markers seemed to dry out so fast. Even using them for the first time, the coverage was pretty rough. The pieces I colored were much smaller than any coloring page. The ink flowed much better from the tiny tips.

Available on Amazon.

The variety of colors are great, but that is pretty much the only thing I like about these markers. 

I give them 3 out of 5 stars. I think they would be alright for adult coloring books and children, but I would not recommend these for artists. 

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own.

~Crystal Vicious

Spirit Naturals Face Moisturizer

I have dry, sensitive, acne prone skin. I am always trying new lotions to see if I can find one can that makes my face look and feel better. Spirit Natural Face Moisturizer seemed like something I would love to try. It has some awesome natural ingredients: Aloe, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Cocoa Seed Butter, Lavender Oil, Shea Butter, Pomegranate Seed Oil, Soybean Oil, Jojoba Oil,Hemp Seed Oil, Algae Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract and Grape Seed Oil.

This moisturizer comes in a tall, thin bottle. I really love the packaging. It doesn't take up much space, it's nice to look at, and the pump works great. The lotion is a thick, creamy consistency. It feels pretty heavy on my face. It makes my skin feel cool and takes a very long time to absorb despite rubbing it in well. I'm not a huge fan of the scent. It kind of like cocoa butter, but a little "off". After a while, the smell will finally dissipate. The lotion does do a good job moisturizing my skin. You can feel it sitting on your face for hours, but once it's finally absorbed my skin feels soft. 

This lotion has not helped with acne. My acne has actually gotten worse since I've started using this. I also don't notice my skin feeling any tighter. I give this moisturizer 3 out of 5 stars. The smell isn't great, it takes a long time to absorb, and it feels heavy. The only benefit I have received from it is my skin is a bit more hydrated. If that is all you are looking for, I would recommend it, but otherwise I would pass.  

Available on Amazon.

I received this product at a discount. This review is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own. 

~Crystal Vicious

2PM Essentials Frosted Cobalt Blue Roller Bottles

These Frosted Cobalt bottles from 2 PM Essentials are just gorgeous! I have recently delved into the world of essential oils, and these bottles make mixing, storing and applying my concoctions both convenient and pleasant.  

First things first, you need to get the roller balls into the glass bottles. This was basically impossible for me. The force I had to apply ruined both of the plastic toppers that I had. The edges peeled off, from scraping against the glass. 

I sent 2 PM Essentials an email with my problem and they mailed out some replacement roller balls. These ones were a lot easier the get in, and out, on the first try. The ones I had must have been defective, but the company was quick to resolve my issue. A+ for customer service.

The bottles stand up on their on, and the mouths of the bottles are large enough to easily fill up with oils. I fill them with carrier oils and then a few drops of the essential oils I would like and shake them. No leaks! I love that they are made of glass because the oils will not degrade, and the rollers are made of stainless steel so they will also hold up well. 

The replacement balls fit perfectly into the bottles. I have stored them right side up, inverted. and sideways with no leaks! The oils I have mixed, roll out wonderfully. Not too much, not too little. These work great and look great.

These roller bottles were a great addition to my collection of essential oil accessories. I give them 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend them. 


Check out 2pmEssentials.com.

Or find them on Amazon.

I received this product at a discount, in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. 

~Crystal Vicious