My first IPSY Glam Bag

Okay, I mentioned in my previous post that I love the idea of Subscription boxes. However, I find it expensive. So, why do I have an Ipsy bag? Simple! I got it for free! One of my friends in Instagram always offers to give five free glam bags and fortunately, I got the chance to claim one (or let me say 2)! Yay!

Okay, so, as many of you know, Ipsy was one of those popular beauty product subscriptions, but instead of a box, it comes with different cute little bags each month called Glam Bag. This Glam Bag includes deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products that will be based on your preferences and profile. And it's all for $10.

Even though I heard of Ipsy before, I was not a fan of spending money for subscriptions (yes, even though $10 sounds cheap). But, when I had the chance to try this for free, I got excited! (you know me, I love freebies!)

I am not really impressed of the bag that they have for the month of April. However, I still find it cute and useful of course! I actually do not have any purse for my makeups as of the moment, so this bag came in handy.

I received 5 great products too! My Glam bag include the ever sought after Lisa Frank brush! I guess it's really cute! 

I also received the following sample size products:

Overall, I love all these products! Haven't had time to try them yet, but I can tell that I am most excited to try the nail polish! One or two items on this bag will go to my upcoming giveaway! So stay tuned!

Are you already a member of Ipsy? What can you say about it so far? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

If you are not a member yet and would like to try this Ipsy Glam Bag subscription, click here: https://www.ipsy.com/new?cid=ppage_ref&sid=link&refer=2wwkq

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My 1st Walmart Beauty Box - Spring Edition

I am a person who loves free and cheap things. Subscription boxes sound interesting to me, but I also find it quite expensive (because most of them you'll get for $10 and above, yes I know, $10 is already expensive for me). However, I came upon this Walmart Beauty Box going on on Instagram, and I saw how others post about the interesting products they find in their boxes and the best part of it? It's free! Well, technically, the box is free, but you have to pay the $5 flat rate shipping fee. Not bad, huh? Here's what I've got on my first box!

So I received about 7 sample products in my pretty box, 2 of which are sample sizes that you can sometimes get in a magazine, and the rest are travel sizes. I love the variety of the samples inside my box, and I believe it's worth more than $5.

It's also nice how they add a little extra boost for you such as the card (and the carton) that says "Embrace Your Beauty." You can also share your thoughts about your box in your social media channels with their hashtag #walmartbeautybox.

So these are the beauties I received inside!

I love surprises, so I was excited opening the box and was happy to see what's inside! Below is the list of the products I received:

Travel Size Products:

**Colgate Optic White Toothpaste

**Gliss Ultra Moisture Shampoo

**Gliss Ultra Moisture Conditioner

**Dove Advance Care Deodorant

**Biore Baking Soda Acne Scrub

**Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Sweet Tooth

Sample sizes of:

***Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation

***Aveeno 60 second in-shower facial

***Aveeno overnight hydrating facial

So these are the individual photos:

I haven't tried all of these products yet, and some of these will go to my upcoming giveaway. But, as far as I know, these are awesome products! I can't wait for my next Walmart Beauty Box - Summer Edition! Oh yes, this subscription box only comes 4 times a year, a seasonal box that will only be released every Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Spending $20 a year ain't bad! Plus you'll have the chance to try products before you buy them! I will highly recommend this!

Are you already subscribe in this beauty box? What are your thoughts? Share it in the comments below!

If you are not subscribed in this Walmart beauty box yet, you can subscribe here: https://beautybox.walmart.com/

You can also watch my first Unboxing Video below. Please follow me on my social media channels and subscribe to my YouTube channel too.

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Review: iMustech Car Mount

Photo courtesy of iMustech at Amazon.com

Tired of holding your phone while navigating the GPS? Sick of trying to choose your music while driving and holding your phone on the other hand? Now you can relax by using this car mount by iMustech!

My husband and I have no sense of direction at times, so we are pretty much dependable with our phones' GPS. Most of the time, I will hold the cell phone while trying to show him the GPS. Yes, at times, it is really tiring! I bought us a cheap car mount before that can be attached to the wheel. However, that did not work.

Then, I came upon this Car mount being sold by iMustech on Amazon. After reading the specs and some reviews, I decided to buy it. Since I am an Amazon Prime member, the delivery was fast!

 It came in a decent box and 2 tools that you have to connect and attach to the air vent of the car.

Installing it to the car was relatively easy. It is very well designed with a swivel ball for full360-degreee rotation and a flexible arm for vertical adjustment that make it very easy to find optimal viewing. Since it's medium size and light weight, this phone holder ensures no burden to the car air vent and gives easy to access to the buttons, charging port and headphone port.

Photo courtesy of iMustech on Amazon.com

The reliable adjustability was one of the key features of this air vent phone holder. The anti-slip rubber of this car mount air vent holder can hold length from 4.55 inch to 6.6 inch and width from 1.73-1.97 inch, perfect for my phone and my husbands' as well. It is compatible with most models of Cell Phones, GPS, Smartphones and other handheld devices.

This phone mount was perfect for our needs and made our travel easier. 

Sorry for the dusty car of my hubby.

You can get this #iMustech car mount here: https://www.amazon.com/iMustech-Universal-Adjustable-Compatible-Devices/dp/B01D12MKCY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489734467&sr=8-1&keywords=car+mount

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Review: CSHope In-ear Stereo Earphones

Sneak-peak: Wired Earbuds In-ear Stereo Earphones with Heavy Bass Stereo, Loud Sound Earplugs, Noise Isolating Headphones with Answer Calling Control (White and Black)

Closer view:

• Gold Plated 3.5mm Jack - Compatible with all 3.5mm audio jack smartphones.

• Light-weight nylon braided 3.6ft cord - soft, heavy-duty and tangle free.

• Multifunctional earphones - with durable silicone earbuds to provide you a comfortable wearing experience. With built-in microphone for hands-free calls or music control for your smartphone, also works with online voice and video chats on a smartphone.

Pros:

• good quality sound
• extra ear buds for a comfortable choice
• nylon braid cord for tangle-free
• volume controls
• built-in mic
• fashionable design

Cons: 

• lack of bass quality

Overall, these earphones are great. They are comfortable to wear and to use. Plus they are affordable too.

You can get yours here: https://www.amazon.com/CSHope-Earphones-Isolating-Headphones-Smartphones/dp/B06XSDP571/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492426908&sr=8-1&keywords=In-ear+Stereo+Earphones+with+Heavy+Bass+Stereo+Loud+Sound+Earplugs

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2017 Liebster Award: Marionette "No Strings Attached" First Award Nomination

I was thrilled to be nominated for my blog's first award, the Liebster Award, by one of the nicest and very supportive persons I know in the Instagram world - Paula of Her Life is Love. Being a newbie in the blogging world, I constantly find myself lacking inspiration and giving up, but moments like this somehow lifts my spirit. By the way, I've been drawn reading her blog lately as I found it interesting to read about her motherhood journey and how she creates a happy home in a frugal and minimalist perspective, so I suggest checking her blog out.

So, some of you might wonder, what is this Liebster award? Well, after an hour or so of Google-ing, this was what I found:

1. Liebster is a German term. And the top 2 meanings I found for this word are Beloved and Sweetheart. So, in a blogging sense, it means showing some love to your fellow bloggers by helping them be known to others. It's a great way of promoting not only your blog but others too!
2. Liebster Award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers. It's an award that only exists on the internet for bloggers by bloggers. What a nice concept, isn't it? 
3. When you choose to accept the award nomination, you have to write a blog post about the Liebster Award and abide by the following rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you, and posts a link to their blog on your blog post. Try to include a little promotion for him/her. They will thank you for it, and those who you nominate will also help you out as well.
• Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget.” You will need to save the image to your computer and then upload it to your blog post.  There is no one set image for the award.  You can save the pictures I used and use it on your blog or find many others at The Global Aussie.
• For the 2017 Liebster Award, write a 150-300 word post on your favorite blog that is not your own. Explain why you like the blog and provide links.
• Optional: Provide ten random facts about yourself. If you wish to engage with your readers, it's an excellent idea to include random facts about you.
• Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award. The blogs must have less than 200 followers. Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!  Then, create 11 questions for them to answer.
• List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here or simply link to this post.)
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster Award and provide a link for them to your post or mine if you don’t have all the information so that they can learn about it.

If you have been nominated before at any time, please share the love! Liebster award is more than a chain email/letter! Its main idea is to help promote each others’ blogs.

Before I get started answering Paula's questions, here is my favorite blog as of the moment: Everyday Tia. Like me, Tia is also a beginner. However, she easily found her way on how to monetize her blog at an early stage and the best part about her blog? She's sharing everything about it so other bloggers can benefit too! I learned a lot from her post Monetizing Your Blog: For Beginners By A Beginner. She encouraged beginner bloggers to stop thinking that they can only start monetizing their blog when they reach thousand of page views because in fact there are affiliate marketing companies who are willing to work even with beginner bloggers! She even listed all those companies with each associated links to help bloggers start out! I am trying to intake everything I learned (and continuously learning) from her right now so I can start monetizing my blog too. I think it has long been overdue. Tia was an amazing blogger who loves sharing her success with others, and she's pretty good in interacting with her readers. I encourage you to check out her blog, I know for sure you'll learn a lot from her too.

Questions from Her Life is Love

So, here are the 11 questions Paula has asked me to answer:

1. What is something you vividly remember being afraid of as a child, but no longer fear now? I think I used to be afraid of the dark (I can't sleep when the lights are off) but now, I can't sleep when the lights are on. 
2. What is one thing you use every day but could live without? My laptop? I use it every day, but I think I can live without it. (Because I know I will always have my phone, haha)
3. If you had to plant a garden full of lettuce, basil, or random flowers, which one would you choose and why? I don't have a thing about gardening at all, but if I have to choose between the 3, I'd rather choose the lettuce! Why? I can make a salad out of it, and that's one of the few vegetables that my husband eats! Hahaha.
4. If someone was going to visit your hometown, where would you recommend visiting and why? So, I am from a small town in the Philipines called Sto. Tomas, Batangas and if I am going to recommend a place to visit there, it would probably be.....Malvar Shrine! A historical landmark of General Miguel Malvar, the last general who surrendered during the Philippine-American War. Why? It's the only interesting place I can recommend to someone there, plus it's just a few minutes walk from my parent's house (where I used to live). And did I mention that it's free to visit? 
5. You must have a roommate with the personality of Dory (forgetful, but positive) or Marlin (logical, rational, negative) from Finding Nemo/Dory.  Who would you rather live with? I would rather live with Marlin! Because, it will contrast my personality being more likely Dory, forgetful but positive. Balance in life is important! Complementing each other brings the best out of you.
6. Would you rather chase bears or bees (under the assumption that no harm will come to you, the bears, or the bees during the chase)? I love bears, so I would rather chase them and give them a big bear hug afterward.
7. Sunny or rainy? Sunny sunshine! Rainy days makes me sad (for some reason).
8. Can breakfast be skipped?  Yes or no. Yes (I'm guilty of doing it).
9. What is one thing on your bucket list you haven’t done yet? To tell you the truth, I don't even have a bucket list yet! Maybe, I'll start with making one.
10. Is there a 2D world you would want to live in?  If so, what is it and why?  (2D world can be comic strip, animation, paintings, etc.) I wanted to live here:

Taken from God's Promises a Paradise in jw.org

Yes, I wanted to live in Paradise earth! And for me, this is not only a 2D drawing. It is something I look forward to in the future that for sure will become a reality! 

11. What is the one song you can’t resist dancing to? I'm one crazy person; I dance to any upbeat song or music whenever I hear one, even when there are people (I don't know) around.

10 Random Facts About Marionette

1. I am a sleepy head. I enjoy sleeping more than anything else (yes, more than eating).

2. I am a freebie junkie. I love samples, cheap things and anything free.

3. I am a good researcher (I can sometimes be a detective).

4. I know 3 languages. My mother tongue is Tagalog, my second language is English, and I am currently learning Spanish (I am now slightly conversational).

5.  I know how to sing, and I used to play guitar. I sold it when I was about to leave the Philippines for the US.

6. I met my husband on Facebook. We're friends for 4 years before being an official couple. Now, we are 2 years in marriage.

7. My favorite anime is Detective Conan (Case Closed). I sometimes spent a whole day watching it. (I am currently on episode 400 something, and there's about a thousand more to go.)

8.  My dream vacation place is Palawan, Philippines.

9. I love Monterey, California. Beside of it being a beautiful place, it's where I first met my then boyfriend and now husband in person.

10. I love cooking, and I am looking forward to finally learn how to bake.

I hope you enjoyed learning some things about me! Please feel free to ask me anything that you are interested to know about me, leave it in the comment below. I am looking forward to finding out more about you!

So here's the list of my fantastic nominees:

1. Tia of Everyday Tia
2. Marga of The Modern Belle
3. Cassie of Cassies Freebies
4. Chrissy of Blooming Beauty Bites
5. The Cheap Subscriber
6. Jessica of Simply Jezral
7. Cassie of Stay at Home Cassie
8. Maria of Reviews on free voxbox's from influenster
9. Vivi of Freebie Critic
10. Jacinta from Jump Start your Biz

To my nominees, here are my questions:

1. What is your greatest childhood memory?

2. If you were given a chance to be someone else, who would you rather be?

3. If blogging can be a full-time job, would you consider it?

4. Would you rather have a baby girl or a baby boy?

5. Sing or dance?

6. If you can travel the world now, where would you go first?

7. If you can change your nationality, what would it be?

8. What food do you hate most?

9. What is your favorite post in your own blog? Why? (Provide us a link so we can check it too)

10. Reading a book or watching T.V.?

11. In my 10 random facts above, which one did you find interesting? And why?

Comment on this post with your award acceptance post link and I’ll visit and comment!

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