Joyetech eGo AIO Experience + Review

Hi! I don't believe I've mentioned this before, but I don't have many vices. My biggest and most detrimental vice, however, is smoking. It's a nasty habit and I hate it. There aren't many things or days that I regret, but the day I picked up this habit is near the top of the list. But I digress. I've been trying to wean myself off, and I've been hearing that a good transitional method is to try vaping. I'm new to vaping, so there's an entire world I don't know about. I've talked to a few vapers, however, and all of them are former smokers who credit vaping with helping them stop smoking cigarettes altogether. Of course, there's still nicotine in vape pens but not quite as much as in cigarettes, and it still satisfies the visual and physical urge to smoke by having a similar shape. Smoking is partially an anxiety crutch for me, as I smoked a lot more during my relapse and the habit of smoking more when I'm going through an anxious period has stuck with me. I was hopeful that vaping would help, so I checked out a local vape shop. The owner recommended the Joyetech eGo AIO model to me, as he said it would be a good pen for beginners. I'll walk you through my experience in case you too are considering vaping.  

Quick Deets:

What is it? Joyetech eGo AIO vape pen

How much does it cost? I paid $40 for that and a bottle of juice as part of a bundle but every site online that I came across has it listed between $15 and $25

Where are these sold? Your local vape shop, but if you'd rather buy it online, there are quite a few shops who sell it

Setup + Usage:

Once you remove the top, this--minus the little filter I left out--is what's inside the container. I keep the pen in here for safekeeping and I'd recommend you do the same unless you have a little bag to keep it in. I have my pen's filter on already in this photo, but both filters are actually kept in the little container off to the left.

So once you open the little container inside the box, you'll get two little filters and a USB charger cord. If you have a Nexus or virtually any Droid phone, this port is the same size so it's not difficult to find a way to charge it. The seller poured my juice into the tank when I bought it but otherwise the window is clear. The light-up function is inside that little window. Each time you click the button, the color of the light will change, indicating whether you are turning the e-cig on or off. I believe that it also has a light for when the cig is dying and needs to be charged, or when it has charged completely. So when you're ready to use the pen you just put on whichever filter you want, press it down into the slot and you're ready to go. 

What I liked:

--Small, lightweight and easy to carry around

--Doesn't require a specific brand or kind of liquid

--Doesn't use a lot of liquid quickly

--Easy to turn on and off

--Childproof juice tank that is easy to refill

--Easy setup and usage; ideal for beginners

Okay, so a little more detail on the pros. The pen, as you can see in the photos above, is small and lightweight. It's not heavy and the size makes it ideal for clutches, small purses and pockets in larger bags. I personally would keep it in a bag specifically for the pen, but it would still be good for smaller bags. I wouldn't let it roll around loosely in a large purse, though. 

I appreciate that the pen doesn't require a specific type of liquid, which I was concerned about because I wanted to try other companies' vape liquids but didn't know if it would be compatible with the pen. I think it was just a case of beginners' misinformation but I'd read that certain pens and vapes require a certain brand/strain of liquid and since I know next to nothing (and I mean next as in right next to nothing) about vapes and e-cigs, I wasn't sure if that was the case with mine. That isn't the case with the eGo, so you can try a variety of juices with it. 

For someone trying to switch over from traditional cigarettes to electronic ones like myself, you have to figure out how much you prefer to smoke. Some people smoke the equivalent of their regular nicotine intake, and others smoke less. A lot of that depends on the strength of the nicotine in your juice and I'm going to get into why that's important in a minute, but if you smoke less, your juice lasts a lot longer. The pen doesn't suck up tons of juice with every puff, which I liked a lot. 

Everything about it is simple to understand, which brings me into my largest thumbs-up for this product, which is its easy usage. The button on the pen triggers a light in the pen, so you'll know whether you're turning it on or off. The juice tank is childproof and the caps don't come off of the pen easily, both of which I appreciate because I tend to be a little hard on my stuff.  It doesn't require a bunch of complicated fiddling (except for when you're changing the coils, something else I'm about to get to), overall is easy to charge, use and refill, so for beginners this would be a good pen to try. If only the cons weren't the deterrent that they are.....

What I didn't like:

--Faulty coils 

--No way to alter the nicotine levels

--No cap to keep liquid from seeping out if pen is laying flat

--No real support or warranties about how to fix these issues

These coils. These coils are faulty as shit and are the primary reason why, as of this posting, I am already no longer using this product after buying it just last month. I got maybe three or four total days of usage out of it and it's been sitting in its box ever since. When I first bought it, the coils burned out after two days. I thought I'd broken it, so I took it back to the shop I got it from and that's when I found out that my coils had shorted. I hadn't been told anything about them beforehand so I wasn't aware that I needed to look out for that. So the owner of the shop fixes the coils and I take the pen home, only for it to go back out two days later. If you Google this pen, one of the auto-fill entries is "joyetech ego coils" and trust me, it's already registered with Google search for a reason. I found out that a ton of users had an issue with this product because of the coils and the lack of support from Joyetech with fixing them. I wish I'd done a bit more research instead of trusting the word of the person who sold it to me.

Another thing I learned the hard way was that there is no way to alter the strength of the nicotine. When I was in the vape store buying this pen, one of the deciding factors for me was that the person who sold it said that if my initial batch of juice was too strong for me, I could come in and have the pen adjusted. Because I took his word for it, I went on and bought the pen. The juice ended up being too strong, so when I went to get the pen fixed he let me know that actually, this model doesn't allow for adjustments. Here's an article from Mt. Baker Vapor about lowering your nicotine, and another on adjusting it gradually and safely.

Even though the pen has a childproof tank to keep the liquid from falling out (and it works, for the most part), sometimes leaving the pen on its side can cause some liquid to seep out. I noticed this the most after the coils burnt out. Once the coils burn, the minute you press the button to turn it on liquid comes up through the filter, and if you try to take a drag off of it, the hot liquid bubbles and pops out through the filter. I burned my mouth a couple of times when the coil first burnt out.

Finally, the primary reason why there have been so many searches for this particular product on Google is because there's not much support for it. The company has not addressed it having bad coils on its website and the forums I checked out either mentioned a lack of communication from the company or no communication with/from them at all. As for me, I knew nothing about this pen or how it worked when I bought it except for the basics on how to use it. The first time the coils burnt out, the guy I bought the pen from said he'd fix it for me. He said the issue should be corrected since the coils don't often go out (lies) so I wouldn't have to bring it back in, but if it happened again he'd have to charge me.

Now that I know this is a product defect and the seller was, at very least, uneducated about his products, I wish there'd been more in place to help people replace the coils since the issue isn't due to the customer. But because the sellers either aren't aware or don't care that this is a product defect, customers like myself are basically stuck with two options: keep paying to repair something we didn't break, or call it a loss and pick a better e-cig next time around.

Overall:

Overall, even though the number of pros outweigh the cons for this pen, its the cons that would prevent me from being able to recommend this pen to anyone else or use it again. I was not happy with the Joyetech eGo pen and I wish I'd known more about what to research beforehand so that I didn't fall victim to the classic upsell bullshit by a seller who either doesn't know his products or cares more about making money. I would also suggest checking out pens that are specific for beginners because then you can figure out what you'd like and go into the vape store already knowing what you want. Check out this article from Vaporizer Views; it has a lot of educational advice for beginners.

I've learned the hard way that being a beginner may cause some to come out of the woodwork with helpful tips and product recommendations, but it can also put a target on your back for those who want to sell you some bullshit. Because you don't know you're being sold some bullshit, you'll end up believing whatever they say, which will (if your case is like mine) be that the defects are somehow your fault and therefore your financial responsibility. If there was more support on Joyetech's end to resolve this issue or help users to salvage their money somehow, then I probably wouldn't feel as negatively. But from the forums I saw, there's been next to radio silence from them on the issues users are having. For a beginner, in theory, this is a great pen. But there seems to be a large amount of defective units being sent out and this can deter newbies from vaping entirely.

If you'd like to read a bunch of user reviews, both good and bad, check out the reviews at My Vapor Store. I've reorganized this from low to high ratings so you can get an idea of both the pros and cons of dealing with this pen. If this model is improved the next time around, I wouldn't mind trying the pen again. But this defective unit I have now is the pits and a complete waste of money. 

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Summer Bucket List 2016

Hi! Even though it's July and summer officially just started, you know I'm already getting e-mails talking about how summer's almost over? Dafuq. Talk to me at the beginning of September about summer almost being over. Anyway, I didn't do a bucket list for any of the other seasons (and don't know if I will just yet), but I had to do another summer one, just to see if I couldn't get more done now that I know how to create one that I like. So what's on the list this time around?

Quite a difference from last year's "I want to do ALL THE SUMMERY THINGS AT ONCE" bucket list, isn't it? lol Even though last year's list was quite the exercise in ambition, I'm glad it was so overwhelming. It helped me separate what I really want to do from the things that would sound nice to do, if that makes sense. So this year's list is much--much--smaller, much more low-key, and most importantly, doesn't make me feel quite as overwhelmed. I won't explain all of them, but I did want to detail a few. Let's go!

1. Build a fort--That was a big reason why a hula hoop fort was on my Summer Inspiration list a couple of weeks ago. My anxiety levels have been on the shelf above outta control lately, so I've really been craving a small, safe space. Even though I have my room, there's something comforting for me about a small, enclosed, comfy space. I'm slightly claustrophobic so nothing tiny, but just something private and enclosed so I can read in peace. It'll be too cold for forts on the floor before long so I'd like to take advantage while I can.


3. Change hair color--This is another thing that was mentioned in the Summer Inspiration post (BTW, I'm sorry again for the overexposure in the photos; I'm going to have to start looking for new apps to use. I wasn't having the problem as badly back when I did the "Favorite Photo Editing Apps" post in April, but it's ridiculous now so maybe it's time for a new rotation of apps). Anyway, sometimes I just get bored and want to switch everything up. Hair color, nails, get new piercings or tattoos, whatever. I went with the easiest one and changed my hair. My new hair color is the first thing I was able to strike off the list; as I mentioned in the post my hair is usually black, but I recently switched it up to a red ombre that is similar to one of the photos in the hair collage. I'm loving it. 

5. Make s'mores by fire--This is another one that I was talking about in my Inspiration post. Last year I was really set on doing some kind of bonfire in the backyard, but I found the personal s'mores pot tutorial and now that's what I'm stuck on. It'd be cheaper to do, easier to do, and legal. lol


6. Get a tan tattoo--I tan extremely easily. It doesn't take my skin long to tan, I don't burn often, and it fades rather fast. I think a tan tattoo or some kind of design would be a different but cool look on the skin, so once I find what I'd like to do and where I want to put it, I'm on it.


7. Go to one local meetup--My hometown isn't exactly a hub for entertainment and fun times. I keep trying to find meetups and social events to attend, but they just aren't my bag. There are a couple of meetups scheduled on the Meetup site that are up my alley, so I'd like to try going to at least one this summer.


9. Participate in Sunday Funday--I never get to partake in Sunday Funday. I guess football Sundays could be seen as SF days but honestly, even though I like football I'm not one of the fans that needs to catch every game. Hold your tomatoes please, but I'm not. I have both the NFL & Green Bay apps on my phone, so I catch all the good stuff. But sometimes I'd rather go do something fun and active (or work on blog posts lol) instead of staying inside so I'm determined to have at least one Sunday Funday this summer. It's also better to get it over with now since it's only pre-season and I won't miss anything important. lol 

11. Keep saying yes to the good stuff--This one is a lifetime bucket list item for me. Because I spend most of my time feeling like I'm being controlled by either my physical or mental issues, I end up saying no to a lot of things, some of them good things. And once you get in the habit of saying no to some things, it's easy to say no to everything and terribly hard to start saying yes again. I'd like to experience more of the potentially good stuff, so I'm trying to open myself back up to those experiences. 

14. Get another piercing--I've been thinking about getting another piercing for quite some time now. When I'm not playing the faithful role of anxiety's bitch, I'm actually pretty spontaneous. I would have no issue waking up one day, deciding I want a piercing, then going and getting it done. This is where being poor is a good thing, because my pockets always win the war against my spontaneity and force me to wait even when I don't want to. So when I want another piercing I'll figure out where I want it, if my clumsiness could potentially get in the way of the recovery time, then I'll sit on the idea for no less than 3 months. If I still want it as badly by the time I get the money for it, I'll go get it done.


15. Go on more solo adventures--This is a goal that ties into the 'saying yes to the good stuff' item; saying yes to the good stuff may be something as simple as agreeing not to stay at home, hopping on the bus and spending the day as a tourist in the city. There's no telling what sort of adventures I can find on my own, but I'd like to start trying to go on a few more of them.


17. Go to an outdoor show--Another thing I don't do very often, if at all (especially considering the danger level that seems to be at those things nowadays), is attend outdoor events. They're good for my anxiety by not trapping me in a building with tons of other people, but I also can't get a good read on my surroundings if they're very large so I shy away from them. There's a rockabilly fest next month that's outdoors and I'd love to go.


18. Pitch at least 1 idea--This year hasn't brought me many things, but one thing it has brought me is renewed ambition. I have so many ideas I forget them all if I don't immediately write them down, and it's been my goal to get one at least pitched, if not in some sort of development by the time the year is over. If I have to bring in year 30 as broke as I brought in years 20-29, I will die. LOL

So that's my bucket list for this summer. Much more understated than last year's, and I realized that this is more my speed. I've already gotten a head start at crossing a few of the items off, which I'm enjoying. I haven't made up my mind whether or not to mash the completed items in a blog post later, or if I should use that as an excuse to revive my Instagram yet but I'll figure it out. Are you working your way through a summer bucket list? What's the item you'd most like to do this year? Hope you enjoyed and I'll talk to you soon!

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Sample Roundup #1

Hi! A lot of times when I get new things to review, they're pretty small samples, which I don't believe provide enough material to warrant full individual reviews. I don't often know what to do with them, so they just sit until I either finish them or throw them out. Most of these samples are from former SBS companies that I gave my initial thoughts on but never followed up with, and others are samples that I ordered or was given. I decided to start a new series called Sample Roundup instead, where I get to give my thoughts on those samples and whether or not I'd purchase a full-size of the products based on my experience with the sample. I'm going to do this periodically so that I have enough time to collect a good amount of products and try them all out. This first Sample Roundup has quite a few on the list courtesy of a care package my Twinsie sent me a couple of weeks ago, so let's get started!

1. Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Creme, $9.00/4oz.

I've never used a Burt's Bees product before but a good place to start was this coconut foot creme. I believe this is a full-size product, so I was able to get a better idea of what the foot creme does. I'm loving it so far. It's a very thick consistency since it's supposed to be worn with socks overnight but it makes my feet feel incredibly soft whether I wear it overnight or not. It does leave a bit of a greasy sheen behind so if you wear sandals, this isn't the product to apply before putting them on. lol This would probably be best when applied fresh out of the shower because it'll help keep any dry skin softened. I usually use the Carapex foot cream I reviewed last summer, but this is right up there.

Full-size purchase: Yes!

2. Obliphica Professional Seaberry Hair Serum for Normal to Coarse Hair, $38.00/2oz.

I used this the last time that I washed my hair because it's meant to nourish, repair and protect it, which I thought would be a good follow-up to the conditioning mask I'd just used on it (#10 on this list). This seems to work best when I apply it to damp hair. For those with different hair textures than I do, this would probably boast a few more benefits. Per usual with me and hair products, the scent is probably my favorite part of this product. I like it, but it doesn't seem to be doing anything life-changing to my hair so I can live without it.

Full-size purchase: No

3. Briogeo Curl Charisma Finishing Creme for Curly to Wavy Hair, $20.00/6oz.

I used this after washing my hair a couple of weeks ago and I guess this creme is supposed to help define curls and hydrate the hair. You can air or diffuse-dry after applying it and since I only heat treat my hair when I'm straightening it, I opted to let it air dry. Unlike the Curl Keeper, which is #16 on the list, this didn't leave my hair frizzy, crunchy or hard. The Curl Charisma left my hair a little harder than usual, but a lot curlier. My hair, which is transitioning from chemical relaxers, has been struggling to find its way a little bit and this creme brought a little consistency to the uneven curl pattern I've been dealing with. The curls are still figuring out their lives so I'm still having issues, but this creme brought out what I believe to be my true curl pattern, which I liked. I'm about five months post-chop so because it's so short, I didn't need a lot of product. A full size of this product would be worth the $20.

Full-size purchase: Yes!

4. Nuxe Multi-Purpose Dry Oil for Face, Body and Hair, $45.00/3oz.

This product is quickly becoming a holy grail when I apply my foundation. I haven't used it on my hair or body yet because the sample size is too small, but it's been great on my face. The fragrance is a bit strong, but the potency doesn't linger and mellows out rather quickly. Because I wear matte foundation, my face sometimes looks a little ashy or dried out. Ever since I've been adding a drop of this oil to the foundation, my skin has a bit of a glow, the foundation applies easier and blends out faster, and my skin doesn't look ashy anymore. I'm really enjoying this dry oil so far. But would I pay $45 for it? Probably not. lol

Full-size purchase: I love it..but no. 

5. Nourishing Argan Oil of Morocco 3-Day Smooth Perfect Blow Dry Smoothing Cream, $8.99/6oz.

I usually air dry my hair because I 1-don't like applying heat to my hair if I don't have to; and 2-don't own a blow dryer so I don't have a choice. LOL Because the effects of the product depend on blow drying the hair, I didn't expect to receive the optimum results by substituting the blow dryer for air drying. My hair was much softer while it was drying and now that it has completely dried, it's a bit softer than normal but isn't behaving any differently. It smells great though. For those with hair textures that aren't as coarse, this would probably work really well.

Full-size purchase: Yes!

6. Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum Broad Spectrum SPF30, $42.00/2oz.

Supergoop is an accurate descriptor for this sunscreen, which was quite goopy and messy because the formula is a bit watery. It smells a bit like beach sunscreen (which is what I call the typical sunscreen smell) but thankfully it doesn't linger. It wore pretty well underneath my makeup and didn't leave a greasy sheen on my face, which I liked. Other than that, there wasn't anything particularly notable about it for me. For $42, I'd rather stick to one of my other favorites; I'd get much more product for a cheaper price.

Full-size purchase: No

7. Eucerin In-Shower Moisturizer Body Lotion for Dry Skin, $12.99/13oz.

I tried a sample of Nivea's In-Shower Moisturizer when it first came out, and I wasn't super impressed with it. I kept reading all of these rave reviews and while the Nivea wasn't a bad product, it didn't live up to its hype for me. I don't have many expectations for in-shower moisturizers; I just don't want them to leave my skin greasy. This one didn't leave my skin greasy, but it confirmed that I don't see the hype behind in-shower moisturizers. This one worked well enough; the formula wasn't watery, my skin wasn't greasy, and it felt moisturized for awhile after my shower. I still don't really get the hype with these though, so I'll pass.

Full-size purchase: No

8. Shea Moisture Sensitive Skin Mud Mask, $14.99/6oz.

I don't think I've ever tried a Shea Moisture product before but I'm familiar with and have heard good things about the hair care line, so I was ready to try this out. It looks a little like cement paste and applies like a thick lotion, but it burned the skin between my nose and mouth for the first few minutes. I like the scent; the rose is strong but not overwhelming. The mask doesn't take long to dry but isn't super stiff once it dries completely. It had a slight cooling effect on my skin, which I liked. The mask is supposed to make the face feel smooth and moisturized afterward but my face felt a bit stripped. My skin is more dry than oily, but summertime is usually when the surface is the oiliest so I was hoping this would strip the excess oils and I'd get the full benefits of the mask. I'd recommend this for people with sensitive + oily skin, because for sensitive + dry skin like I have, it felt pretty dry afterward, not moisturized.

Full-size purchase: No

9. ZzzQuil Nighttime Sleep Aid, $6.99/6oz.

I bought some ZzzQuil a couple of years ago to combat my ever-present insomnia, but because of how bad my asthma was, I never took it. I've tried melatonin pills and they worked eventually, but eh. I'm actually not sure why I included these; I struggle with taking large pills that I can't crush so the minute I saw these I should have known I wouldn't be taking them. So this one was a fail on my part. LOL

10. Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask, $9.00/1oz.

I'm not super familiar with the Briogeo line but from what I understand, this particular product is meant to reduce breakage, enhance shine and repair dead ends. I've used this a couple of times now and I'm enjoying it so far. I haven't noticed a significant difference in the texture of my hair after it dries and I haven't noticed a difference in the shine or dead ends, but the shedding has significantly improved. Usually when I comb my hair, my shoulders are covered by the time I'm finished but after using this a couple of times, the shedding has almost completely stopped. No complaints.

Full-size purchase: Yes!

11. Number 4 Fluoro5 Elixer Restore & Repair Oil, $26.00/1.5oz.

I tried the Number 4 non-aerosol hairspray during a subscription to either Birchbox or ipsy and I'm still raving about it to this day because I liked it so much. Okay, I've been raving about how good it smelled. It was also a really good hairspray but if I'm being honest, the scent is what comes to mind first when I think about it. With that in mind, I had positive expectations about my experience with this oil. And it totally delivered. The smell isn't as fragrant as the hairspray, I actually didn't detect much of a fragrance at all, but it did exactly what it said it would do. It's supposed to protect color while restoring smoothness and shine, and it did both. My curls softened, were much easier to manage, and my hair didn't feel crunchy or hard once it dried (you're supposed to apply the oil to damp hair first, then sparingly once it dries). After my hair dried, it wasn't really greasy or oily; the softer texture remained and made my curls much easier to comb. I can't justify the price for such a small size, but I'd buy it if it was a bit cheaper.

Full-size purchase: For the size...no. 

12. Jersey Shore Spa Anti-Aging Lip and Hand Polish in Vanilla Bean, $25.00/2 1oz. containers

This is an exfoliant for the hands and lips and while I haven't used it for my hands yet, I've used it on my lips a few times and it works great. Even though it says it's vanilla bean scented, I got a brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal scent from it instead. It kinda looks like the brown sugar and cinnamon filling for cinnamon rolls too. lol The consistency of this exfoliant is thick but not goopy and the beads aren't too rough on the skin, so it does its job but is gentle enough for both the lips and hands. It's easy to use, easy to clean off when finished, and leaves the skin soft and moisturized.

Full-size purchase: Ehh. 

13. Whish Revitalizing Cleansing Oil, $30.00/3oz.

This is another product that's quickly become a holy grail product for me. Like I've said in other beauty reviews, the majority of my makeup is on my eyes so I need makeup removal products that are too legit to quit on my ass. I know removal oils and micellar water products are a thing now, but I didn't really expect a product that doesn't require water to work for me because of the amount of warpaint on my eyes. But lemme tell you how wrong I was. Within 30 seconds, a good 85% of my eye makeup was completely gone. It's a bit messy so have your makeup remover wipes on hand, but otherwise this product is a godsend. If you wear light makeup, this will likely be all you need, followed by a good rinse. I love it. My decision not to purchase a full-size is entirely because of the price and my inability to justify it for my budget, not at all because of how well it works. Because this cleansing oil is boss.

Full-size purchase: Ehh...probably not for that price.

14. Not Soap Radio Liquid Freud in Coconut Milk Mango + Vanilla, $18.00/12oz.

I'm not really into aromatherapy products; I've tried a few of the aromatherapy/calming-based lotions and washes before with no effect. This "liquid Freud" is supposed to help promote emotional well-being via the shower. I don't know if that was the marketing scheme behind the product or if it's really supposed to help you relax, but it didn't work for me. lol I'm not crazy about the lather payoff (I like bubbly shower gels) but I like the scent. It does remind me a little of the fancy soap in doctor's offices, though. lol I guess I wouldn't mind using this as a hand soap but I didn't have a notable enough experience to want to purchase a full sized product.

Full-size purchase: No

15. Arrow Boost Color Enhancing Lip Balm, $14.00

This lip balm is purely meant to enhance existing color or natural lip color; it is not meant to be a substitute for regular Chapstick at all. I tried this alone when I couldn't find my Chapstick and while it did enhance the natural color of my lips, it's a bit waxy by itself and dried completely within an hour of applying it. When I apply it on top of colors, there is quite a bit of transfer from whatever lip color I'm wearing onto the balm but I don't notice a massive difference in the pigmentation. It does help revitalize the color when colored balms or stains are starting to wear off, but otherwise it's not a life-changing product for me. Gloss does the same thing, so meh.

Full-size purchase: No

16. Curl Keeper Original Total Control for Frizzy Hair, $9.99/3oz.

I don't like giving negative reviews because I always feel bad, but I really did not like this product. This product is geared to tame frizzy hair, but it didn't work for me. I tried it after getting out of the shower a few days ago and it made my hair tangle so badly. I will say, if you're looking to make the texture of your hair more coarse or are actively trying to rock a fro, this is good. For me though, it tangled my hair something serious. Every ten minutes I had to go back through and comb my hair back out, which I don't normally have to do. The texture of my hair was much more stiff and felt a lot rougher to the touch in addition to the constant tangling. It actually looked a bit frizzier despite being made specifically to combat it, so for me this was a nope.

Full-size purchase: No!

17. LeeAnni Eco Go Away Gloomy Day Serum, $29.98/1oz.

The first thing I noticed about this product was how watery it was. It's almost like skim milk, in both color and consistency. If you don't read the instructions properly, like yours truly here, you may initially try to treat this as a face wash and spill a bit. After reading the directions and applying a toner, I tapped this on and applied lotion afterward, but didn't notice a significant change to my face. My skin felt like it does when it's humid outside; I felt like there was a bit of a film on my face and my cheeks were a bit sticky to the touch (I'm an immature perv and I'd like to apologize for finding this sentence so funny). I didn't notice anything about it that would make me want to purchase it.

Full-size purchase: No

18. The Beauty Crop PBJ Smoothie Stick Creamy Lip Crayon, $14.95

This is a very pretty magenta shade that applies really smoothly and leaves a velvety finish on the lips. It's buildable and would work well if you were going for a stain effect. I would not advise this for shades darker than mine as even on mine, too many layers make the color too bright and start to clash with my skin. This would also be a good base for deeper colors that you can wear on top but for those who don't wear a lot of makeup, this lip crayon is sufficient by itself. I really like it for low-maintenance makeup days, but a stain or colored gloss would do the same thing for a cheaper price.

Full-size purchase: No

19. Malin + Goetz Clarifying Clay Mask, $48.00/3oz.

This mask is also an exfoliant for the skin, with much more abrasiveness and larger granules than the Jersey Spa exfoliant I reviewed above. It actually hurt my skin a little bit but I only had burning between my nose and mouth while it was drying. It doesn't take very long to dry and what I thought was cool was even though the exfoliant had large granules in it, once the mask dried the granules stayed on the skin. I guess I expected them to fall off because they were larger pieces and weren't being held down by the mask once they dried. The problem with that is that while I was rinsing off the mask, I noticed that said granules were the hardest to remove. I had to do a couple of extra rinses to get the rest of them off. After I was done, my skin felt very sensitive and irritated. It wasn't red or itchy, but my face felt stripped and kind of raw. I could tell it probably wasn't a good fit for my skin. 

Full-size purchase: No

This was a mixed bag, but I had a lot of fun trying everything out. Big thanks to my main trick (lol) for sending me all of these products; even though she sent them because she knows I love samples, she also gave me the motivation to start this series. The next edition of this series includes samples from former SBS companies that I never gave a follow-up review on. As always, I hope you enjoyed this post and I'll see you soon!

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June Favorites

Howdy! You know what time it is; I don't even have to say it. I tried some new things this month that I'd like to share with you, but I've got some items on here that you've definitely seen before. Let's get started!

Lady Speed Stick Invisible Dry antiperspirant, Australian Gold Broad Spectrum SPF30 Sunscreen, Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun Lotion

With summer on the way, I need a good deodorant and my previous one just wasn't cutting it for me. This one hasn't completely eliminated sweating, but it's improved the problem substantially. To my surprise, I realized that I'm in the market for a natural deodorant. I don't normally give them too much thought as they're usually out of my price range, but with the gap between eco-friendly and regular products starting to close, I'm ready to start testing a couple of them for myself. The Lady Speed Stick has worked better than the Suave and Secret deodorants for me, but I'm still looking for something that's too legit to quit. 

I've mentioned the Australian Gold a couple of times since I received it in a VoxBox last summer, and I'm still digging it today. Works well, smells good, doesn't require too much maintenance when I wear it outdoors. Not much else to say about it. 

The Hawaiian Tropic after sun lotion is another product that I received in a VoxBox and it's worked quite well for me. This summer has felt much hotter than previous years and I've been in it a bit more than I expected so my skin's been peeling when I come inside. The after sun lotion soothes my skin, helps repair the damage done to my skin and smells good to boot. Again, not much else to say about it. 

A Life Intended by Kristin Harmel

It's been awhile since I read a book that pulled at me the way this one did. I read this book a couple of nights ago and there was a sense of urgency because it was only available on XOXO After Dark's Free Reads section for a week so I had to read it in one sitting. I didn't mind at all though; this book was amazing. A Life Intended is about a woman named Kate who, years after losing her beloved husband Patrick in an accident, is in a new relationship with a man named Dan. Dan seems fine enough, but Kate knows something important is missing. Despite that, she agrees to marry him. At night, however, she begins to be plagued by eerie dreams about Patrick. In these dreams, Kate gets a brief glimpse at 'what could have been' with Patrick, but these dreams begin to have increasing importance over her actual life and relationship. These dreams, however, have more importance than Kate initially intended, and the answers may not be the ones she hoped for, but they guide her in the direction she needed to go. This was a beautiful heartbreaker of a book and I loved every minute of it. I don't often re-read books, but this is one I'd love to revisit and I recommend you giving it a go as well. 

Author's Website | Amazon ($10.99) | 

Breaking the Magician's Code: Secrets Revealed

Magic, in the sense of illusions and the like, has never had a serious pull over me. I have always been more interested in how the trick was performed rather than the fact it was performed. So when I saw this show on Netflix, I was all for it. The fact that the magician revealing all of the secrets took great care to conceal his identity helped to amp up the hype factor, and I loved it. The typical tricks you see from your street magicians were revealed, as were the high-tech, elaborate illusions you see in Vegas magician performances. I started to make it a game with myself and try to figure out the trick before it was explained and actually became irritated with myself when I got something incorrect and the answer ended up being a simple one. If you enjoy magic shows for the illusions, I probably wouldn't watch Breaking the Magician's Code because once I know how something works, it kills the mystery. If you're a fan of the 'behind the scenes' part of illusions, however, then I think you'd like this show. 

Megapolis

If you've read a few of my Monthly Favorites posts before then I'm pretty sure you're tired of me including this game, but there have been a lot of recent additions to the game and I've been loving them. A lot of the game's missions are helping to introduce new permanent features that I've really been enjoying, so I've had more fun lately than I have for the past couple of months. I know that Megapolis and many games in that genre are money traps. I know this and up to this point, hadn't even considered spending any money on it. I've had a change of heart. lol I think I've officially hit full on addict status. 

Photosuite

Photosuite isn't a new addition to this list, but it's become one of my favorite apps. As I've said before, Photosuite is the closest thing to GIMP that you'll get in mobile form and it's been a godsend to me. I wish that the app allowed for font customization because this would eliminate me needing to use Phonto entirely, but oh well. Nothing's perfect. 

LibraryThing, Bloggers Required, TCM

I've been using LibraryThing for a few years now; it's actually where I get the majority of my book reviewing jobs (which I have severely been slacking on and I'm sorry). After I realized I had way too many books to review but hadn't reviewed them yet, I stepped back from putting my name in for new books for a few months. I went back in June and won quite a few for review. I'm working my way through them now so I apologize in advance if you suddenly see an overload of book reviews on the site. LibraryThing is largely what kickstarted my 'job,' if you want to refer to it that way, as a book reviewer. I really need to start giving that back and doing what I'm supposed to do. I've read most of the books I won this past month, so the reviews are on the way. 

As for other types of products, Bloggers Required is still the primary source for me to get my reviewing jobs from. Admittedly, it's not the best source as many of the jobs are for bloggers based in the UK and those with larger audiences, but it's the main site I know of that caters specifically to bloggers in need of reviewing jobs. 

Summer Under the Stars is coming up in August and I cover it over on ATV every year (my preview post for the festival just went up today!) so I have to spend quite some time on TCM getting the month's schedule written down. If you're into old films but either don't know what type to start watching or don't often have the time, I strongly recommend checking out All Things Vintage during SUTS. Shameless promo I know, but seriously. For a beginner to retro films there's no better time to start watching them, no better platform for variety, than in August.   

Summer decor, DIY For Cheaper project inspiration

The main DIY-related things I was looking for over the past month concerned summer decor for the 'Touch' portion of my Summer Inspiration post. I try to mix it up a bit every summer because it can be easy to do the same things, look up the same types of projects, for a season and I didn't want to do that. I wanted a healthy mix of both easy and ambitious decor projects, which I hope came across in the Inspiration post. 

DIY For Cheaper is a series I've been looking to start for over a year now, but in order to start it I had to start pricing projects. Even though it's summer, I'm already looking ahead to Halloween because I came across a plethora of DIY For Cheaper inspiration projects last year. I want to get a collection of projects together so that I have a variety to choose from, but I'm also trying to start pricing them so I know where to start. 

Blog improvement articles, used vehicles, summer trends, vlogging, 4th of July clothing, summer inspiration

I've been at the blogging game for a hot minute now (this blog's anniversary is this month!) but I've only been blogging as a career of sorts for a couple of years. I usually didn't pay attention to the various blog improvement articles because I was blogging for fun. Now, though, I'm trying to be as sponge-like as possible because I've realized I really do want to grow my audience and make the best of this platform. I actually think that I've always wanted those things but was too afraid to go after them. Fear will convince you of some crazy shit, friends. 

I feel like I've mentioned used vehicles on a Favorites list before, but I'm still looking so I'm talking about it again. lol It's of the utmost importance to get some reliable transportation in my neck of the woods soon. So if there's a car company out there who wants to pay it forward outside of the Christmas season, I'm game. LOL I kid. 

Summer trends were on the list for a pretty obvious reason; my Summer Inspiration post just posted a few days ago and I wanted to make sure I had enough material so it's one of the main things I've been researching. My list is a mix of things that I like for the season and a few media trends. Same goes with summer inspiration; I find myself inspired by a number of things for each season but it was important to me for the Summer post to be different from the Spring post. I was trying to find things that inspired me in a slightly different way from the Spring post, so I was all over the place. 

For some reason, one of the things that spikes my productivity is watching vlogs. I have my list of favorites to watch, but they always help me when I'm trying to get a blog post finished. I also like the camera tricks and angles; while I've been into photography for quite some time I didn't always pay the same attention to the effort that went into creating videos. If my life was more interesting I might consider doing them myself. My philosophy on it is that those who can't vlog just watch instead. 

Everyone who knows me well knows that the 4th of July is one of my all-time favorite holidays. I go all out most of the time, if not with my outfit than with decorations or how I choose to celebrate the day. I was looking for some inspiration on what I could wear but I couldn't find what I was looking for, so I'm probably going to go to my fallback of a crop top and cutoffs. 

What did I watch this month?

A Girl Like Her, The Life & Crimes of Doris Payne, Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?, Tab Hunter Confessional, Hot Coffee

I watched quite a few documentaries this month, all of which were pretty intriguing. I'll try to give a short synopsis of each one so that I don't keep you here longer than normal. 

A Girl Like Her was my tearjerker docu-film for the month. A Girl Like Her stars Lexi Ainsworth as a high school sophomore named Jessica Burns who is the victim of some pretty intense bullying at her school. The culprit, a popular sophomore named Avery Keller, was once a friend of Jessica's but began to bully her relentlessly once they reached high school. A film crew who was at the school supposedly to capture the life of an everyday high schooler captures the fallout from the drastic measures Jessica takes to end the bullying. That's where the film goes from good to great. What could largely be described as a 'typical' high school scenario (and the film could have taken that angle and still been a good film) is explored from a totally different perspective than I'm used to with these films. As a kid who was bullied by a group of boys, sometimes just for being alive, this film resonated with me so deeply it made me uncomfortable. 

The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne is a firsthand retelling of events by famed career criminal Doris Payne. What I liked about this film was mainly that rather than being told by other people, Doris Payne herself explained how she pulled off her early heists and the psychology in getting her marks to trust her. She was undergoing a trial at the time of the documentary for something that she was adamantly claiming innocence on, so it shone an interesting light on career criminals getting accused for things they actually didn't do. Her trial and innocence claims were juxtaposed with her telling the stories behind the crimes she did admit to. But was she lying about the case she was claiming innocence with? That was the question throughout the doc and I enjoyed the ride.

Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon? is pretty self-explanatory. I love a good conspiracy theory but it has to be just that, good or better. I had never even considered the possibility of landing on the moon being a hoax, but I've been seeing it mentioned more and more lately, then I came across this documentary. Landing on the moon was one of those things that, for me, was a given in American history. It had never occurred to me to even consider that it could have been faked. Evidence, some convincing and some a little shaky (imo), was presented to back the theory that the moon landing was faked for a variety of reasons. It's a documentary that is clearly slanted towards the belief that the moon landing was fake, but it also encourages you as the viewer to make your own conclusions.

Tab Hunter Confessional is a documentary that appealed to me as a retro film lover because it got into the hush-hush society surrounding Old Hollywood stars and the gay taboo at the time. The policy with gay actors, especially the debonair, commercially marketable male actors, was very much a "Don't ask, don't tell" situation because an openly gay actor at that time was committing career suicide. They couldn't successfully be marketed as being a heartthrob for women if the public knew they preferred men, so it was more of an open secret amongst the actors themselves. Many of yesteryear's biggest names were suspected of either having same-sex encounters or of being gay, so most of them were given 'studio relationships,' mainly to market films but also to cultivate the actor's image. Many actors suspected of being gay were in what is referred to as 'lavender marriages,' to keep the press off their backs and their secrets safe. I explained all of that to say that the former is what happened to Tab Hunter, a heartthrob of '50s movies. Tab takes us back through his life and career, to the scandal surrounding his sexuality that could have ended his career, to his openness about his sexuality now as an older man out of the public eye. It was an interesting look into the mystique of Old Hollywood and the lengths people had to go to to keep their secrets concealed.

And finally, Hot Coffee is a documentary that explores the various lawsuits that people have filed over time that for the most part, are dismissed by the public as being 'stupid' or 'greedy.' The lawsuit driving the documentary is the case of an elderly woman who ordered a cup of coffee from McDonald's and successfully sued the company afterward when the cup of coffee spilled onto her lap, causing severe burns to the lower half of her body. I have to admit that when I came across this documentary in my Recommended feed, I blew it off too. And I'll be the first to say that you'd be making a mistake if you do the same thing. Not only was there just cause to sue McDonald's for the hot coffee incident, but there are so many other cases within this documentary that deserve attention. This was a good doc to show that you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

So that's what I was digging for the month of June. Honestly, the most interesting part of this month's edition is the last section, where I talk about the documentaries I watched over the past month. There are some new goodies dispersed throughout this month's list, but as always, there are quite a few oldie but goodie entries. I'm having some trouble financially so I'm not sure when I'll be able to add even more new things to the list, but I'm working on it. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this post and were able to find something new to sample for yourself. What were some of your favorite things in June? See you soon!

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