Madam Glam and Melmphs (aka Melissa Autry)

Helloooooo!  And welcome back to Simply Pru!  Today's blog is going to feature some products by one of my fave YouTube personalities, Melmphs aka Melissa Autry.  Melissa teamed up with Madam Glam to bring to us beauty product junkies a line of lip products and one nail polish.

As soon as I saw on YouTube that Melissa had teamed up with Madam Glam for some beauty products, I immediately went online to order mine!  I certainly didn't want to miss out!  I received my box on Wednesday (mail delivery was slow due to snow) and tore into it right away.

How adorbs is this packaging???  I love it!!  Little black box, pretty red ribbon...very sleek.  Inside there were two lipsticks: Lady Haha and Plumed Out KK, both in classic matte.  There is also a lip lacquer in Love Affair and a nail polish in Found the One.

$39.48 for the 4 piece collection

Now, I must admit, I was a little intimidated by the colors when I first opened the box.  Aside from the lip lacquer, the shades are darker than I would normally pick for myself. But after doing the swatches on my arm, the shades are really pretty!  

Lady Haha, Plumed Out KK and Love Affair

I am IN LOVE with the lip lacquer in Love Affair and I've been wearing it everyday.  It is a beautiful rose/mauve shade that is very flattering for my skin tone.  I've also worn Lady Haha, but I did have to "tone it down" just a bit with a light pink lip gloss.  The shade is beautiful, but since I don't normally wear shades this dark, I felt as though my lips were on full display....big, large and loud! 

I haven't tried the nail polish yet, but my toes are due some tender loving care here soon, so I'll try out the polish and post follow up pics.  

Oh, and before I made my Melmphs and Madam Glam purchase, I reached out to Melissa on Instagram and got a response from Madam Glam - yes, the products are cruelty free!!! BONUS!! 

So, if would like to get your hands on these great products, head on over to www.madamglam.com

I'm not sure how long these products will be available, so don't delay!  Oh, and don't forget to check out Melissa's YouTube channel - she is super cute and totally quirky!  

Thank you Melissa and Madam Glam!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

~Pru

January 2015 Vegan Cuts Unboxing

My first Vegan Cuts Box of 2015!  How exciting is this?  Well, I can tell you that I was very excited to receive this in my mail box.  And might I just add, Vegan Cuts did not disappoint.  First, upon opening my box, I saw DermOrganic shampoo and hair mask.  I  love DermOrganics!!!  I've tried several of their products and have enjoyed all of them.  My hair use to be very curly and unruly, but over the last few years, my hair has changed quite a bit.  Long gone are my beautiful curls (which I complained about ALL of the time) and the days of pretty much wash and go and hello to semi -straight, gotta style everyday, hair.  It is still pretty unruly - meaning I have coarse, thick, dry and frizzy hair.  Areas near my scalp are kind of.....wavy (?), but the rest of my hair is just.......ugh!  I recently had a doctor try to explain to me the difference in my hair"As women, with out hormones, and as we get holder....." WHAT????  Certainly not anything I wanted to hear.  Anyways, DermOrganics seems to be what my hair needs.  The shampoo and conditioners not only clean and condition my hair very nicely, but they seem to help "tame" my hair.  And they smell really good
too!

Ok, next is Surprise Nail Polish in Snow Queen.  Since the color of the polish is jet black, I thought Snow Queen was a weird name for the color.  But I guess I can see the humor in it now.  Pretty funny! It's a nice polish - very opaque, which I like.  I haven't painted my nails with this color just yet, so I can't tell you just how many coats of color is recommended.  I will keep you posted.

Next is Modern Minerals eyeshadow.  This is a loose mineral eyeshadow and I have to say I really, really love this stuff.  The shade is a very light (a little pinkish) shade great for the inner corner highlighting and along the brow bone.  I've used this almost everyday since receiving my Vegan Cuts box.  I did a look using this shadow all over my lid and it really made my eyes pop!  Blends easily and it lasted all day (with a shadow primer of course).  This mineral shadow is so pigmented - a little will go a very long way!

I got a great tinted lip balm from Crazy Rumors.  This lip balm is AWESOME!  There is just enough color to enhance my natural lips and the scent is just heavenly!  Along with the Modern Mineral - I've been wearing this every single day.  It has been bitterly cold and windy here and this has moisturized my lips and made them feel soft.  I most certainly will be purchasing this again.

Finally, Gourmet Body Treats Sugar & Spice scrub.  Now, if you've watched the video above, then you know that I am not a fan of this scent.  I can't really describe the scent other than a very earthy, almost like a dirt scent. (Not sure that even makes any sense).  But because I purchase ($19.99) my own Vegan Cuts box, I do like to try everything I receive and give an honest review. So, yes, I will try this body scrub and let you all know what I think. I just hope I can get past the scent of this scrub.  

Thank you all so much for stopping by my blog!  Be sure to check me out on You Tube - Simply Pru.  Oh, and now I'm on Instagram too - Simply Pru

Stay tuned for my thoughts on all of the products I received in my January Vegan Cuts Box!

~Pru

Financial Peace? Yes, please!

Hello!!

Have you heard of Dave Ramsey?  Have you heard of his Financial Peace University (FPU)?   Well, I have and I finally have the opportunity to attend this nine week course towards financial freedom!! Goooo ME!

Materials for FPU

I first heard of Dave Ramsey several years ago.  A friend had recommended one of his books that explained how to pay off debt, investing money, saving money, etc..... But I didn't really take it all that serious.  I mean, I bought the book and had intended on reading it and following Dave's advice, but just never really got around to it.  Over the years, I had listened to a few of Dave's radio shows and watched a few of his YouTube videos and thought to myself, "I'd really like to take his Financial Peace University course", but again just never got around to it.  I do not have a ton of debt, but I knew that Dave taught more than just paying off debt; he talked about investing your money wisely, how to be a savvy home buyer/seller, and most of all giving.   Not just the occasional donation or church offering here and there, but giving BIG and regularly.  So, around the holiday season when I once again Googled Dave Ramsey, I found that there would be new classes starting after the new year for FPU in my area and I immediately took to social media (Facebook) to get anyone's opinion regarding the FPU course.  Surprisingly, several of my FB friends had taken the course and some had even taken it twice.  Needless to say, the FPU came highly recommended, so I signed up! My first class is meeting Monday, January 12 just a couple of miles from home.  Yea!

If you are not familiar with Dave Ramsey and his financial teachings, but would like to know more, I suggest looking up Dave on his web site or on YouTube.  He seems like a really nice guy.

I will keep you all posted on what I'm learning and then of course at the end of my nine weeks I will let you know if I recommend this or not.  (I'm gonna guess yes, I would recommend - I did not come across one person  who had taken the course that did not recommend it.)

~Pru

Happy 2015!!

Can you believe it?  It's 2015!  I don't know 'bout you, but 2014 went by so fast. A whole year has past in the blink of an eye!  Well, as one year ends a new one begins.  A new year full of new hopes and possibilities and I am ready! 

A few weeks ago I had received my December 2014 Vegan Cuts box, but I had not opened it.  With the Christmas season, things got a little busy around here, so I had put off opening my box and filming my box reveal for my YouTube channel.  Today, I finally opened my box and as I type this blog, I am uploading my box reveal video on YouTube. 

I love receiving my Vegan Cuts box each month; it is a great introduction to cruelty free and/or vegan beauty products.  Some things I receive I really love and some things I receive.....well, they miss the mark for me.  But that's ok  - its about discovering new products and that is the goal of my cruelty free journey.  Aside from receiving my Vegan Cuts box, I troll the internet reading about cruelty free products and where to purchase those products.  I've found some on my own and I've tried them out, but again some things I could have done without (and my pocket could have kept the $$).  One of my goals for this year is to post more frequently about things that I not only receive in my box, but the things that I find on my own and whether or not they are worth the cash.  I also want to incorporate info on what products I've finished.  Meaning, products that I've used up and the ones that I just couldn't get through. Maybe some beauty tips and tricks too.  Oh, and fashion...maybe.  Some days I look great, but some days......well...... hey, I'm a full-time student - most of my days are spent behind my computer doing class work! 

So, please stay tuned to Simply Pru.......2015 is going to be AWESOME!!!!
~Pru

Cyber Monday Announcement with Simply Pru

I know it's been a while.......

.....Since I've written a blog post, but I have been busy posting vlogs on my YouTube Channel Simply Pru.  And even though I'm not posting on my blog everyday (week or month) I am sharing my videos from YouTube.

I still receive my monthly subscription to Vegan Cuts and I am so pleased with the samples of cruelty free and/or vegan beauty products I've received.  For me, this is the easiest way to find new cruelty free beauty products to incorporate in my daily beauty routine.  Have there been some misses?  Of course, but for the most part I've liked the products that I've received.  I post two videos regarding my Vegan Cuts box - the first being the box unveiling.  For this vlog, I open my Vegan Cuts box and share the products that I've received.  I also like to do a little sampling of the products such as scents, texture, etc... The second video is after I've used the product samples and I give my thoughts regarding the products.  So, if I receive a sample soap, I throw it in my shower and use it over a week or so and then come back and give my thoughts.  So, please head over to YouTube and watch my Simply Pru video so you too can see what I've been up to.

Next, yes, I am still a Thirty-One Gifts consultant.  I love my company and the products we offer.  There is literally something for everyone.  And the best part.....over half of the items in my catalog can be personalized.  Do you have someone with an unusual name or an unusual spelling of their name?  Well, head on over to my web site and see how their name can be added to a tote, purse or any other item.  I think this is awesome!!  I mean really, have you ever seen the name Pru (or Prudence) on anything?  Nope, me either... not even a key chain!

Cindy Tote in Black Houndstooth $70

Thirty-One has great customer specials every single month!  To see what I have in store for you, head over to www.mythirtyone.com/prupowell

And finally........yes, I'm still in school, but not for much longer.  Going back to school to earn my MBA is one of the best decisions I've made for myself.  And I have the navy to thank for that.  Because of my military service, I have earned my undergrad and soon to be graduate degrees.  Something I never thought I'd be able to do.  And those are all mine.... not matter what, no one can take those away from me!! 

So, thank you for taking a minute to catch up with me.....I'll be back soon!

~Pru

November 2014 Vegan Cuts