Essie's Penny Talk (Mirror Metallics) & Stroke of Brilliance (Luxe Effects) Review

For the last few years, I have been really into nail polish. I think even more so after my twin boys were born in 2009 because it's something small I can do for myself at home, even when I don't have a lot of time. I love trying new colors and new brands (provided that they use a 3 free formula- have to keep things toxin free for my boys and their older sister AND my husband and me as well!)

Essie has teamed up with Klout several times this year to hand out some of their polishes to Klout users who are influential in beauty. I wanted to share some of those polishes with you- because I am pretty impressed!

I have seen Essie in the stores and I love the bottle they come in. It is just easy to pick an Essie bottle out from across the store. I have been a pretty devoted Zoya fan and haven't really stepped outside of that box until this year, so I was very happy to be able to try Essie without having to buy it.

A while back Klout & Essie sent me Stroke of Brilliance- a fun blue glitter polish from their Luxe Effects collection. Today I received Penny Talk- a copper color with a tiny hint of pink from their new metallics collection. I am usually not a fan of copper nail color because I am pretty much ghost white and it washes me out and looks odd on my nails. Not so with Penny Talk, it is a lovely light copper that shines and looks awesome on my nails. Something I really love about Essie is it's pretty much the fastest drying polish ever. I am always impressed out how fast it dries! That makes it easier for me to not mess up what I've painted and easier to paint my daughter's nails!

Penny Talk from Essie's Mirror Metallics collection.

I will definitely use Penny Talk as a go to for every day polish. It's just gorgeous!

I thought it would be fun to layer Stroke of Brilliance over Penny Talk so you could see both of my Klout perks from Essie in action together!

It looks much better in person! I like the combo of colors!

I will say Essie definitely has me as a fan! I can not wait to try more of their gorgeous colors from their great collections. Thank you to Klout & Essie for allowing me to try both of these great polishes and share them with you! If you are not on Klout yet, what are you waiting for? I have got to participate in so many cool perks from some many different categories! Check it out and start getting your own free perks!

Connect with Essie on Facebook

*Disclaimer- I received both of these Essie Polishes through Klout perks. I was not required to post a review.

Dallas (2012) on TNT- Series premiere review

I'll admit, I have never seen the original Dallas series. The show ran from 1978-1991, which means it started before I was born and ended when I was 9 years old. I have always heard plenty about it though, my mom was 18 in 1978 and I am pretty sure she watched the entire series. I also live near Dallas, so Southfork Ranch is kind of a big deal here! I have always wanted to go visit it...but I am getting off track...

I was lucky to receive the GREAT Klout perk to be one of the first to watch the series premiere of the Dallas tv series reboot. That's right,  there is an all new Dallas about to start and introduce a whole new audience (my generation) the the scheming of the Ewing family. The 2 hours season premiere of Dallas is set for tomorrow June 13th at 9pm Eastern time.

I thought at first that I might have trouble following what was going on since I hadn't watched the original series, but that doesn't seem to be the case at all. The beauty about the new Dallas, is that many of the original cast members like Patrick Duffy and Larry Hagman are back reprising their roles, which is a great incentive for fans of the original series to watch, but the actors playing their adult kids are some pretty awesome actors that I quite like, such as Jordana Brewster and Jesse Metcalfe- the ladder of whom many soap opera fans will recognize from the very popular soap opera Passions. I was glad to see him in this cast- almost enough incentive on it's own for me to watch, but there was so much more I enjoyed about it. I liked that right away, I had strong feelings for many characters- whether it be that I liked them or couldn't stand them. I was drawn so into it, that I feel like I should try to get my hands on the original series, or at least the most popular episodes, to familiarize myself with the characters-although I don't feel that is entirely necessary.

What I gathered from the series premiere is that there was a huge rivalry between JR Ewing (portrayed by Hagman) and Bobby Ewing (portrayed by Patrick Duffy) that is now surfacing between  JR's son John Ross (portrayed by Josh Henderson) and Bobby's son Christopher (portrayed by Metcalfe). It also seems that the old rivalry between Bobby and JR is also going to resurface soon, much to Bobby's chagrin. This is a rich Texas family that is involved in the Oil and Cattle industries.

I highly recommend tuning in whether you are an old fan or someone who has never seen the original series and you enjoy a good drama.

Don't forget to tune in tomorrow night!

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Want to help me win an all expensive paid trip to visit Southfork Ranch? Give me +K in Dallas (TV Show) on Klout. I will happily return the favor in any category you chose! I am currently influencer number 69 (being in the top 100 got me this awesome perk) and I need to be in the top 10! If you are not on Klout yet, GET ON KLOUT, I can not tell you the massive amount of things I have received from them, just from being on there. It is free and lots of fun!

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*Disclaimer- I received the early copy of the Dallas Premiere for being in the top 100 influencers in Dallas on Klout. I was in no way compensated or required to post a review of any kind.

This is GUD stuff!

Recently, I discovered Klout.com. I had heard of it previously and knew that it measured how influential you are through social media, but I signed up for an account and learned that there are other benefits to Klout as well.They have a pretty cool "perks" program that allows users, depending on their Klout score and influence levels on certain subjects (the qualifications are different for each perk) to try new products. As luck would have it, the first "perk" I qualified for was for a box of Gud products. I have already been using some of Gud's products since I first discovered them at Kroger about a month or so ago, so I was not about to turn down an opportunity for more smell gudness. There is so much I love about Burt's Bees new line of bath and body products, the main ones being that they are free of harmful chemicals and still manage to smell fantastic!

I was so excited to receive my box in the mail.

When I opened the box from Klout, there was another box inside with the Gud products inside. 





I am pretty sure this is the prettiest product box I have ever seen. Of course, that is not surprising, it seems that Gud prides itself on being fun, modern and CUTE!

Here is what was in my box:

Body Spray in Floral Cherrynova
Body lotion in Orange Petalooza
Body wash in Vanilla Flame

I was THRILLED to see the body spray. Admittedly, I am not usually a body spray kind of girl, but these Gud products smell so good! The second I sprayed it, I could not stop smelling my wrist. I have been an orange petalooza devotee, but since getting this box full of Gudies, I am definitely split between these two scents!

I am IN LOVE with the Lotion. As I just mentioned, I love the orange petalooza scent, I have been using the shampoo, conditioner and body wash for as long as they have been available. The lotion is icing on the cake. It smells good, of course, but it also feels awesome. I have found myself putting it on multiple times a day, just to feel that lotion-y softness. I would say it is the best lotion I have ever used!

I really like the Vanilla Flame body wash. I was afraid I wouldn't care for it, because let's face it, there is vanilla in every single bath and body line that ever did exist. There is something a little different about this vanilla, and mixed with my orange petalooza shampoo and conditioner, it kind of smelled like a great orange dreamsicle in my shower! :)

Gud is all of the things I love wrapped into one fantastic product line- fun, flirty, feminine and free of harmful chemicals. Do yourself a favor, go to your local Kroger, Ulta or Target and try these products imediately!

**Disclaimer** I was given a free product or sample because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.