Merry Christmas! {+ Giveaway}

Merry Christmas, girls! I pray that the Lord will shine on you this Christmas season and that you will be able to do great things for Him thanks to his wonderful birth. You're either here from our brand new Youtube channel, or out of curiosity. If you've yet to watch my Christmas video, check it out below.

  

Crocheting is one of my favorite hobbies. Eventually, I'll have some tutorials for crocheting up on the form below. This gift is for our subscribers, but if you aren't following us yet, you can. Just click the link below to enter and be sure to comment some way for me to contact you and the color you would like. Merry Christmas!
Youtube channel, For now, I would like to offer one of you a special Christmas gift. What do you need to do to be considered for this gift? Enter in the Rafflecopter below and share with your friends.

a Rafflecopter giveaway!

~ Bethany

Organic Toner {Product Review}

 Hey, girls! I'm back. Many thanks to Keturah for holding down the fort in my absence. Tomorrow is Christmas, so along with the rest of the girls here at A Pinch of Classy, I would like to wish a very Merry Christmas. I'm so thankful that God sent his Son to earth so many years ago to save us from the sinful world we live in. I'm hoping that you will have an awesome Christmas whether you choose to celebrate it tomorrow or any other day. Hopefully, there will be a bit of a Christmas present for you up as well, so keep an eye out! For now, I'm returning with a new review. Vitamin C Toner from Joyal Beauty. I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review.

 When it comes to beauty products or just any product I'm going to apply to my skin, I want it to be good for it and not fake, chemically laden junk. Whenever I find a nice product made with all natural ingredients, I count it a victory. Hopefully, more companies will get the message and start making healthier products.

 Before I get into the mechanics of this product, I'll talk about what's in it. This product isn't just Vitamin C. It also includes witch hazel, aloe vera, and some other pretty impressive natural products. There is a full list on their Amazon listing, which is below. All of these products are great for your skin.

 The toner works in a different way than most. Instead of being applied by an open top, there is a spritzer that sprays directly to the face, taking away the need of a cotton ball middle-man. My mom thought this might be a bit wasteful if you use too much, but I actually like this method. It makes it much simpler for application and doesn't make any extra trash.

 The toner has a very pleasant citrusy scent and feels cool and refreshing to the face. The spritzer has a pretty powerful blast
so it might surprise you, but shouldn't be too much to handle.

I like this toner to use before applying my moisturizer. It's very nice and feels like quality. It's good for all skin types. If you're interested in checking it out for yourself. visit them on Amazon.

 Thanks for reading. Merry Christmas! Check back later today.

~ Bethany

Voice Remedy {Product Review}

 Okay, so this review is actually a different sort than I've done before, but one I'm probably more excited about than some others. I'm reviewing Sprouts Voice Remedy and I received it in exchange for my honest review.

 I've probably referenced before but I love singing, musical theater, and performance. I also love to sing to glorify God. But one thing that can happen no matter how careful you are when singing is vocal wear. If you use your voice a lot over a period of time it will start to wear out and sometimes it is good to have something to help you out. That's why I was excited to review this remedy.

As you can see it comes in a dark glass bottle with a stopper. The stuff smells pretty nasty to me. Which is normal for typical voice sprays.
 It is a really strong scent that I'm pretty sure has to do with the herbs it contains.

The taste isn't a whole lot better. Sort of a weird mix between sweet and bitter, but it's not something one couldn't get used to, and like I said, it's basically the norm for vocal remedies.

I used this when my voice felt worn and it definitely did help with the soreness. I can see this stuff coming in handy next time I'm in a show, or even when I'm at a church event where I have to sing a lot. Even though its taste isn't the most pleasant, its uses outweigh its tastes and it isn't so bad, really.

 The one thing I have to say is that I think the company should try to convert to spray bottles instead of droppers. The problem with the droppers is you have to drop twenty-five drops down your throat and that can be pretty nasty/take a while. A spray bottle can be used rather quickly and efficiently, so that is what I recommend. Otherwise, a very nice product with helpful voice ingredients. If you are a singer or have a job where you speak a lot, I would definitely recommend looking into a voice remedy. Here it is on Amazon.

~ Bethany

Anaiti {Product Review}

Today will be a bit of a posting blitz because without realizing it, I have several reviews to do today! So that's interesting. To get this thing cracking, I'm going to start with a double review. I'll be reviewing Anaiti's Age-Defying Face Cream and New Instant Wrinkle Smoothing Serum. I received these in exchange for my honest review.

So here's a photo. You also get to see part of my bathroom counter and toothbrush holder (as well as my little glass bottle haha.) Anywho, this is some nice stuff. It retails for $49.99. (See it on Amazon.)

 I gave it to my mom since she always likes to claim the wrinkle stuff. She's almost sixty now, but she looks great for her age, so... But I borrowed it to write my own evaluation (with some added thoughts from her.)

  The container is a sturdy metal. The lotion inside is very light, which I appreciate. I tend to dislike overly thick face lotions especially. This lotion is light so that when you apply it, you don't /feel/ like there is something weighing on your face.

 My brother describes this scent as creamy, which is weird since he really doesn't know what he's talking about haha. I would describe it as a sort of floral toned scent, though it isn't too strong. Just a sort of refreshing scent to it. My mom gives it her stamp of approval and plans to keep using it.

The cream has several ingredients to it that add to its skin work. Hyaluronic Acid, which is basically a great moisturizer, Renovage, which lessens pigmentation,  and Matrixl, which according to the company can reduce wrinkles up to 68%. The company also lists increased elasticity/skin hydration, loss of pigmentation/wrinkles, and smaller pores as results of this product.

As you can see it's a pretty nice product.

Now onto the serum! As you can see this bottle is taller and has a pump. It is also more liquid/gel as it is
a serum instead of a cream. You can also see one of my favorite decorations which is a little artistic scripture in the background haha.

 The serum has the same scent as the cream, though instead of a light feeling, it is a bit more elastic. My mom likes this one as well. In some ways it is similar to to the cream, but some ways it is different.

 It is a vitamin C rejuvenating serum with the same Renovage and Matrixl that the other has. It seems to have some good benefits such as UV protection and wrinkle reducing, etc. It is great for using under the eyes for dark circles, crow's feet, etc.  It is, just like the first item I reviewed, a good quality product and it retails a bit higher on Amazon. Though currently it is on sale for $39.99.

 Thanks for reading!

~ Bethany

Online clothing resale/yard sale!

Hey ladies! So I had an idea. Every month, make a blog post of any clothing you want to sell, mention it in the comments and we'll feature it so that people can see your stuff! Consider it like an online yard sale collaboration! 

Starting off, I'm gonna feature some pre-loved things I have for sale. 

This adorable, flowy teal sheer top is a size M and $8 shipped. 

Vintage retro lightweight dress, purchased off of Etsy. One size because of the stretchy waist and drawstring neckline!

Made in Paris! $12 shipped. 

Rue21 stretchy summer boho tank. Size L, but fits more like a M/S. $8 shipped. 

Flowy, comfortable Style & Co top, with side tie. Size S. $7 shipped.  

Gloria Vanderbilt Alana bootcut jeans. Size 12. $8 shipped. 

Lightweight sheer boho sparkle top. Size M. $5 shipped. 

Lace and crochet overlay tank top. Size M. $6 shipped. 

(all payment methods are through PayPal.) 

Let me know if you are interested in anything! 

Jari Love {Website Review}

  Hello ladies! I'm sorry it's been a bit of time since my last post. Things have been busy. The Lord has blessed me with some wonderful opportunities this summer and I feel like I've grown a bit in Him, praise the Lord! I'm working on getting the youtube channel up and running, but for now, here is a review.

 Today I have the pleasure of reviewing a pretty cool site. It's http://www.jarilove.com/. More specifically I am reviewing their On Demand program. I received this opportunity free in exchange for my honest review.

  The On Demand program works sort of like a video streaming service, like Netflix. Instead of action flicks and romantic comedies, however, On Demand is stocked with work out videos, healthy recipes/tips, and tutorials. There are also audio workouts. Basically, it's pretty cool.

  Because my summer has been so busy, I haven't had the most chances to try the website, which is a bummer, but so far I like it.

  So, first things first. You set up an account. This was a bit of a hassle for me, but that was because of some things. These things were worked out, and the Jari Love folks were quite helpful and kind. Once I was on all I had to do was click on On Demand Member and I was in to look at all the awesome healthy stuff.

  The On Demand page was pretty simple to navigate. There are five tabs at the top: Home, Video Work Outs, Audio Workouts, Tips (including recipes and fitness/nutrition tips,) and the Log Out button. I'm going to go into details on the specific tabs (aside from log out of course.)

  The home button simply gives updates on when new content will arrive and whatnot.

  Audio: Many of the work outs are designed for a specific type of exercise. Both of the audio work outs are for the treadmill user, so of course I avoided those ones. So the audio work outs I didn't really use.

 Video: Many of the video work outs were also for something specific, but they were helpful. Most of them were two parters or could be split into more than one work out, which was pretty cool. Some of them required special things such as weights, but not all of them. The people in the videos were up beat and pretty cool.

 Tips: The fitness tips were pretty neat and there were several to choose from, such as At Home Work Outs and Dealing With Achilles Injuries. The nutrition tips are also nice, with articles about diet soda and eating advice. Lastly, although there weren't a large amount of them, the recipe tip tab had some delicious recipes on it. Mm. Now I want pasta.

  All in all, I think this is really neat site. Something like a Netflix for health sounds like a good idea to me, though I think they're still expanding their database, which will make it even better as some of their options are somewhat limited at this time. But I'm happy I've had the chance to review them and am going to enjoy the rest of my subscription.

~ Bethany 

 

Shower Mirror {Product Review}

 So, today's review gets to be a little different, which is cool. I'm not reviewing a skin product or a food product, I'm reviewing... a mirror! Yep. A mirror. But not just any type of mirror, oh no. I'm reviewing the ReflectXL Shower Mirror by Mirror on a Rope. I received this product in exchange for my honest review.

  I don't know why, but for some reason having a hanging mirror in your shower is cool, especially if you're a guy because it helps with shaving. While I'm not a guy, I like to have a little decoration in my bland little shower and I think this mirror is really cute.

  Mom and I had fun trying to figure out how to set it up. They really wrapped it well. A film covers the mirror but it was so close we couldn't figure out if it was plastic or the mirror itself but finally we got a corner off and found the mirror underneath.


The mirror isn't heavy, but it is pretty durable. It's shatterproof, which is great with my clumsiness. It's also fog resistant. Here are some photos.

Here it is hanging in my shower to liven things up a bit. The mirror kind of tilts, which is cute. See the rope? It's adjustable so you can make it as long or short as you want. We adjusted it so that it would be about my face height or whatnot.

Here's from another angle, cause I figured why not? The rope is hanging off of a little hook that came with the mirror. It's nice and sturdy.

Although I've never been one for mirror pictures, it seemed the most reliable way to take this photo. As you can see it is a really nice mirror and not one that just barely works. I really appreciate this cute little product and I bet it could be a real use to some folks. You can see this product here.

  Have you ever heard of shower mirrors before?

God's Special Blessings + Product Review

  This world is headed into so many strange directions these days. Some see these directions as progressive and great, others aren't quite so thrilled. Today, I wanted to focus on something I think is very special. There are differing opinions about this thing. What is this? Children.

  Children are beautiful creations, full of life and curiosity. It's so interesting to think about how God decided to create human beings as small babies that grow up instead of just making full grown adults from the get-go. (Not counting Adam and Eve of course.) The miracle of life is one of the most fascinating and beautiful things, and a small baby happens to be one of my favorite things.

  Unfortunately in the world we live in, life and children are becoming less important. Parents are taking less interest in the growth of their children and what was once sacred has now become a nuisance. While I am not here to discuss political stances, and yada yada, I am here to provide encouragement. So I wanted to talk about something I am looking forward to: Motherhood.

  Many think that being a mother is a lowly job, and it's more chic to be a business woman or a doctor. Both of these things can be valuable, but I just want to confirm the value of motherhood today. Whatever you have chosen, there is a reason God chose women to raise children. It's because we are especially equipped to take care of and understand children. So while I also respect and love all women who have chosen to go into careers, I just wanted today's post to be a special shout out to those mother's who gave their lives to serve their children. (And to those who work to provide for their children, I salute you as well!)

  Although it is not Mother's Day, it is good to reflect and be thankful for the things a mother provides. My mother is a special woman. For years she worked and studied, hoping to become a doctor. When that didn't pan out, she chose another and equally important calling: Motherhood. She spent years teaching us values, and telling us about Christ. Her one goal was always that we do the right thing and serve God.

  My mother has taught me so many valuable things, including the importance of children. My mother (and my father) has always encouraged me to attain my goals, to follow my dreams, but to always keep God at the forefront of all my desires.

 I'm thankful for all the mothers God created, whether they are home makers, or businesswomen.

 And now a review! Speaking of motherhood, my sister is also a mother. She has both a three year old
daughter and a two year old son. (They're totally adorable.) See, here's my niece --> (you'll see my nephew in a future post.)

  When you have little children, light sockets can be a problem. Curious fingers mess around with them and they can make a lot of trouble. So when I had the opportunity to review some socket covers, I decided to get them for my sister so all the other moms who might read this blog could get some info.

  I was provided Coverplug paintable outlet covers form Coverplug Inc. I sent them home with my sis when she visited and she put them to use. And what I heard about them was only good news.

Usually outlet covers stick out so kids always try to pull them out but this one looks like a plate and completely covers the power outlet. You completely forget it being there and so do the kids (most important thing). Really like it. The kids don’t even notice it. It looks like one of the screw on plates, flat against the wall. It covers entire plug in. So it works much better than most covers. My nephew and niece are always pulling out plugs, but they can’t pull this one and don’t even notice. It covers entire outlet. Blends in and looks like regular outlet plates. Even if they wanted to they couldn't get their fingers around it to pull it out, unlike many outlet covers that stick out. You can even paint it to match your wall color so it blends in even better.

 So if you expect to have little ones in your house any time soon and need some outlet covers, consider these awesome ones. :) See it here. 

 Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed today's post. 

~ Bethany

$35 to spend at eShakti!

Hello ladies! Apologies for not posting in such a long time. 

Life has been so busy and crazy this year!

I'm sure many of you gals are familiar with eShakti.com. They offer a ton of customizeable dresses, skirts, even shirts and blouses. My favorite thing they have to offer is their retro-inspired dresses! 

They are modest and offer all the coverage you may want. Plus, like I said, you can customize them to your preferences! From sleeves to neckline style and skirt length, it's all up to you! I think that's pretty cool.

What could be better than a free coupon for $35 off any eShakti order up until the 10th of this month??

Not much! You won't find a deal like this just anywhere. You should definitely check out eShakti and take advantage of this coupon while it's here for the brief time it will be!

{HERE IT IS.}

CODE: CLASSYPINCH35

Valid till 07/10/2015

Enter this code in the 'Gift Coupon / Referral Code' box at checkout

Only one gift coupon can be used in an order

Not valid on previous purchases / purchase of gift cards.

This gift coupon cannot be transferred, re-issued or exchanged for cash.

Minimun order value of $30

Dead Sea Salt Scrub {Product Review}

Label is a bit wrinkled thanks to me getting oil on it

 Really cool product review for you tonight! It's an exfoliating body scrub from Adovia. I received this product free in exchange for my honest review.

 This is a super neat product. It is actual salt from the Dead Sea. Yup. And it's paired with moisturizing oils. So nice. Basically all you do is pull out a bit of the salt and rub it onto your skin. I had to wash my hands afterward because of the greasiness of the oils, but it is still really nice. My skin feels great afterward and it has a lovely, fresh scent.

 I haven't actually used it as a full body scrub yet but I'm looking forward to it. So far I've used it on my face, hands, and arms. It reminds me of a sugar scrub. You just rub the salt grains into your skin and it works wonderfully. You do have to be careful at times to make sure your oil doesn't leak. I accidentally caused a bit of a spill and am still trying to get my bottle to be non-greasy again. Still, it's just a sign of my clumsiness.

 I love that the brand is so dedicated to truly natural products and that this is straight from the Dead Sea. So cool. So, if you are interested in trying it, you can find it here!

 Here is an image of the product without the top on. As you can see there is plenty of natural oil to keep the salt moist.
And to the right is an attempted image of the salt on my hand. Not the most beautiful thing ever, but it is what it is. A really neat thing.

Thanks for reading!






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Radha Beauty Clearing Serum {Product Review}

 I have another review for you ladies (a few over this week actually) but I'm excited for some outfit posts I'm planning and the new youtube channel I'll be starting up. I hope to do some recipe videos, as well as some possible vlogs, and video reviews. If you would like to submit a post for consideration please email me at bethyhope96(at)yahoo.com.

Source: Radha.

 Professional Age-Defying Skin Clearing Serum from Radha Beauty. I don't have any good photos of the product (let's just say it has been loved on) so I'm using one from the company. Though, as a note, the serum I received was in a taller and thinner bottle.

 This stuff is nice. It has sort of a weird smell, but that doesn't really matter. I usually put it on after I've washed and toned my face. When I use it regularly it really seems to make a difference. Though, be careful of sore places on your skin because it will BURN like crazy.

Now let's look at a little bit of what is in this product and the company that produces it.

Radha Beauty was started in 2014, so is a rather young company. They use all natural EVERYTHING, which is something I always love. They also don't test on animals. The serum contains such ingredients as Vitamin C, Retinol, botanical hyaluronic acid, salicylic acid and Niacinamide, which all work together for your skin.

 So it's a pretty awesome product that I've used (and will continue to use) quite frequently. You can purchase your own bottle here.

 Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow for another product review and hopefully more info about other things!

~ Bethany

Potholder! {Product Review}

 Today I am reviewing a couple of multipurpose silicone potholders from Pratipad. I received these in exchange for my honest input and review. Thanks.

 I think these potholders are really neat. They have the unique attribute of being useful for just about anything you might need them for. My family has used them for cooking, as well as using as something to sit underneath a warm laptop. You can also use it as a can opener, and well... there are many ways you might find it of use.

 As you can hopefully see from the photos, the potholders have a honeycomb type shape all over them. These apparently help evenly distribute the heat and provide good protection. 

These pads are designed to withstand both
extreme heat and cold. I noticed that they work really well, but if I held something more hot than normal for an extended period of time, I could feel the heat coming through them. This obviously wasn't such a big deal to me since most items would only be carried briefly if you were getting them from the oven or something.

 I like the versatility of this potholder. While you can do many things with regular ones, I think this
holder offers superior protection. It is an item I am excited to add to my 'hope' chest. I hope to be able to use it in the future. Have you discovered any neat items lately?

PS. If you would like to submit an article for publication on this site, email me at bethyhope96(at)yahoo.com to look into it. Would love to hear from you!

~ Bethany

Motivation

 Today I feel better than I have in a long while. I've found it to be so easy to just sit and do nothing all day. After getting out of college for the summer and finishing up my theatrical youth career, laying around all day like a couch potato has been all too easy.

 But sitting around doesn't make you feel good. It might be nice to binge watch a tv show or just talk to your friends online all day. But those things aren't always fulfilling. Actually, they rarely are. (Talking to your friends can be fulfilling at times, but the other stuff, maybe not so much.)

 I've found myself lacking the drive to do things. I lack the drive to record my parts for an audiobook, or write that blog posts I've been meaning to work on for two weeks. I've lacked the drive to do the cleaning I want to do. I've even lacked the drive to write my novel. The sad part is that the drive always comes at night when it's much too late and I'm much to tired to do anything. I can't explain the lack of drive I've experienced the last several days. It might have to do with some health issues or just not feeling motivated, though I do feel motivated to a point, I just was having trouble pushing myself to accomplish things.

 A lack of drive is a terrible thing, and one that I refuse to continue. God did not create us to do nothing. We were designed with incredible precision to do great things. So today, I rebelled against my lack of drive. I made myself a pre-workout smoothie, and did a real work out for the first time since before I started college in the fall. I had a shower after that and boy did I feel good. After that I did some work, and recording, and don't plan on stopping.

 If you are feeling unmotivated, here is my advice: Push yourself to exercise, even just a little bit. A little bit of exercise will wake your body up and make you feel more awake and motivated. Another bit of advice? Read your Bible and pray. I always try to read my Bible, but I've been pushing it to be an evening activity. I'm going to change up my routine so I read my Bible and do devotional earlier in the day so I can set the right tone for the rest of the day.

 I've felt so much better since I've gotten myself motivated. How about you? With the lazy days of summer coming, how do you keep yourself motivating? Do you have any goals for the summer?

 ~ Bethany

Charcoal Bamboo {Product Review}

  So a while ago I did a review of a facial sponge. Well, today I am reviewing a similar sponge that is from a different company and has a different thing to offer. How is it different, you may ask? Well, this sponge has charcoal. Bamboo charcoal, in fact. This product is actually by a company called MY Konjac Sponge, so I assume the majority of what they make involves konjac sponges of different kinds. The tag line of the company is 'Your skins best friend.'

  As I had already reviewed a similar sponge, one might think it strange for me to review another, but as they are different products I thought it might be nice to evaluate this one as well, and I was interested in trying this charcoal bamboo one.

 The sponge is the same shape, a teardrop, as the first sponge I tried so I think that must be a common shape for this type of item. It also comes with a string for hanging up. My new bathroom (I'll post photos eventually once I share more news about my renovation experience) has a row of hooks for towels and whatnot, so that worked nicely to hang the sponge on so it would dry out naturally. You aren't supposed to wring these sponges as the fibers are sensitive.

 Let me just go over what is inside this sponge, or rather, just what it is, and what is konjac? Well, konjac comes from a plant that grows natively in eastern Asia. It is a fiber from the plant and has apparently been used in Asian beauty for a long time. I guess it's recently grown more popular in the States. And it has activated bamboo charcoal, all of these things adding up to good skin.

 When it comes to washing my face, I've found myself really enjoying facial sponges. I don't use them all the time, but I'd much rather use them than a wash cloth. The fibers feel so smooth and lovely against your skin, and it is a natural way to clean it. You can pair it with a cleanser as well, and it will be a much gentler treatment, leaving your skin nice and dewy. Of course, the dewiness doesn't last, so make sure you apply moisturizer afterward.

 I think this is a really lovely product to own and I have been enjoying it and will enjoy it for a while since it has a pretty good time length you can use it. These sponges from MY Konjac Sponge are available at many health food stores like Whole Foods Market or even online, like here.

  BONUS: These products or vegan free and have the highest standards against animal cruelty. All natural and all safe.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed!

UPCOMING: Some plans to come possibly include a tutorial video, a look into my room renovation, some more reviews, outfit posts, a look into my facial cleansing routine, etc. I also hope to write some inspirational posts.

~ Bethany