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Gifts for Moms

I received these products free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

I LOVE reviewing products for moms, because that means I discover some cool stuff for myself while I’m at it. Here’s 3 items for that mom or female friend on your gift list that is just impossible to shop for! They’re all unique, fun, and probably something that she doesn’t have yet!

Moxie Malas

Moxie Malas is Crystal Healing and Aromatherapy jewelry. Each piece is hand crafted in the United States using semi-precious gemstones and crystals.

Moxie Malas sent me this beautiful “I Just Can’t Even” bracelet to review.It’s a 7 inch bracelet on a stretchy band. It seems appropriate considering how difficult it is to keep my cool with the mixture of work stress, educating my children, and unusual holidays this year.

This bracelet has amethyst, aquamarine, moonstone, rose quartz, prehnite, and howlite for a mixture of courage and calming semi-precious gemstones and crystals.

The porous purple stones on this bracelet are lava stones. And, aside from being the perfect addition to this bracelet, they can be used for essential oils if I want to add a little scent to my bracelet.

A lot of Moxie Malas jewelry items have these porous lava stones for adding your favorite aromatherapy to your crystals bracelet.

They even have a monthly bracelet club if you want something new every month but are just overwhelmed by all the great options like I am, and can’t make up your mind!

Bombay Hair

I love playing with my hair, but I hate owning 50 different curling wands (well, I don’t think I actually own 50 – but I definitely own at least 10). All those power cords, sizes, etc.

So, I was excited to receive this 5 in 1 Curling Wand to Review. Basically, I have 5 curling wands, and only 1 power cord. That’s just awesome! This set comes with a rest for setting my hot curling wand on and two hair clips for helping me keep my hair where I want it while I’m curling.

This wand heats up super fast. Yay! That’s really important to me because with 4 kids, when I sit down to work on my hair, I don’t have 10 minutes to wait on my curling wand to heat up. Full disclosure here – with the exception of a couple wands that I’ve purchased for my daughters, I’m still using my curling irons from the 90s and those things take almost a decade to heat up. I think I was way overdue for an upgrade.

The different sizes are super easy to swap out, and there’s a lock switch so you can’t accidentally twist your wand off the base while you’re curling – because that would be a problem. Just make sure that your wand is completely cool before swapping ends. – which is the only down side of a 5 in 1. You can’t use multiple sizes at the same time.

My favorite is the second from the left (in the picture) that has the smaller base and larger end. I start at the scalp and wind my hair around so the end of my hair is at the end of the wand. I have long hair and it’s always frustrating when my ends curl but the top doesn’t, so being able to curl tighter where it’s more difficult and looser where it holds better makes my curls come out so much more even.

Prank-o

These gifts are amazing for that white elephant gift exchange, or for the impossible to purchase for person on your gift list.

I’m actually re-gifting these because I have a couple people on my gift list that just need a gag gift.

These call of nature mugs are funnier the longer you look at them, and the gift cards are perfect for that person who is always telling you how much they love gift cards – or the person who insists on giving everyone gift cards every year. No matter which side of the gift card fence you fall all, these are awesome!

You can actually go to the web address on the gift card (Prank-o owns those domains) and it will give you all the details about how you’ve been pranked.

Prank-o also has prank gift boxes, prank greeting cards, prank flyers, and more. All perfect for bring out the laughs however you choose to exchange gifts this holiday season.

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Tween Gift Guide

*I received free samples of these items for purposes of my review*

Tweens start getting more complicated to shop for. They want fewer toys and more personal care items. My tween loves games, beauty products, and baking! So, I’ve rounded up a few items that I know she’ll love.

Eco Lips

This fun chapstick comes in 3 very festive holiday flavors, Raspberry truffle, Candy Cane, and Gingerbread.

Eco Lips are organic and fair trade so something you can feel good about giving your child.

These are small and make terrific stocking stuffers or buy the multi pack and wrap it as a present.

The way my daughter looses lip balms, I’ll need a couple multi packs just to get her to next Christmas.

Not into holiday scents? They have lots of other flavors available. Including tinted products and bee free products. There’s something here for everyone!

America’s Test Kitchen – the Complete DIY Cookbook for Young Chefs

My daughter loves to bake! And this cookbooks is perfect for her. From making your own sprinkles, to sweet and sour dip, to ketchup, to butter, to milkshakes, to really anything you can imagine. The instructions are easy to follow. There’s lots of pictures. And everything in here is simple enough that my daughter can do it on her own – though sometimes I just can’t resist joining her.

This is the perfect gift for that kid who just loves to experiment in the kitchen!

Scenties

I feel like the 80’s are back! Well, the part I loved about the 80’s is. Scrunchies!!! And, they’re better than ever, they smell like cotton candy, cupcakes, and bubble gum. Honestly, my girls are obsessed with scrunchies. And I can’t blame them, they’re so easy and comfortable for fixing long hair, and what’s not to like about smelling like cotton candy while you’re at it.

Out of this set, the bubblegum hair bands are the favorite. We’ve been using those over and over and they smell like bubblegum every single time. It’s so much fun! Plus the little tag on them is just so cute, and honestly makes it just a little bit easier to grab onto the rubberband without grabbing my child’s hair.

And, if you really want to be all fun and 2020, they have face masks, with velcro loops that you attach the scented bands to. So you can wear a cute face mask AND sport your favorite scent at the same time. How cool is that?

My daughter has requested one of everything for Christmas!

Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle

I remember this being a thing when I was a kid. So I was super excited to check out this toy for my daughter.

It’s way more fun than I expected! This re-release of a classic toy is so well done! It’s quite sturdy and works way better than I was anticipating! All of my kids are having fun with it.

They built some ramps out of cardboard boxes and set up their own stunts in the driveway. They’re so cool! The toy is super easy to wind and use, and it balances well. We’re still working on mastering the wheelie – sometimes we can get it and sometimes we can’t. But, we’re close to figuring it out.

This toy has provided hours of fun and creative play and everyone is super excited every time we pull it out. We can’t wait to figure out what stunt Evel Knievel can do next!

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Spa Night with Spin Master

Thanks to Tryazon and Spinmaster for the fun products to review!

Orbeez Soothing Spa

This is my favorite of the 3 products. It seems weird, but you soak these orbeeze beads for a couple of hours and then stick your feet in the Orbeeze Soothing Spa, turn it on, and the Orbeez cycle over your feet. It feels so good!

You can get more orbeeze already liquified or in these little “seed packets” that you just soak in water and they expand into these Orbeez.

While this was fun at a party, it’s honestly way more fun after the kids are in bed and I want to relax with a good book. And my feet feel so soft afterwards!

Hollywood Hair Extension Maker

These hair extensions are so fun! My girls and their friends all have long hair so they had lots of fun creating and then styling their hair with these colorful hair extensions.

I can also tell you that the markers that come in this kit are washable! Let’s just say that little girls don’t think about the fact that they’re coloring the table when they’re decorating ribbons for their hair!

Since these just require a hair clip to put in, you can use them over and over and style them many different ways! Every friend got to go home with their own extension!

Go Glam Nail Salon

We had lots of fun with this one. Both kids and moms got involved in painting our nails. And then Go Glam Nail Salon stamping machine made it super easy to decorate our nails. It took less than a minute to add the multicolored animal print to my nails!

This was the hot item at the party and everyone loved creating and showing off their Glam Nails!

Some moms went home with some fun new items added to their kids Christmas lists!

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Makeup/Accessories Subscription Box Review

Mint Mongoose

I was sent this cute jewelry subscription box to review. And I was definitely pleased with how fun the jewelry is. For a $16 monthly subscription, you receive 3 matching pieces of jewelry. I love how the jewelry could be worn alone or together. The sealed envelope and little candy were such a nice touch!

Each jewelry set comes with a postcard that tells a story behind the inspiration to create these pieces. You choose if you want silver, gold, or rose gold. And you can opt out of earrings if you don’t want them.

Want a little more? You can get their Mint Mongoose Black subscription for $23 a month. It comes with 4 pieces of jewelry and 2 accessories each month.

So much fun!

My Little Mascara Club

A subscription for mascara? I was skeptical at first, but, being as I was offered a free box to review, I thought I would give it a try. They sent me their starter set. Which is currently $21 (discounted from $31).

The mascara works well for me – I’m a little picky about my mascara, and this one worked great. What I really love though, is the micellar water and the erase pads. These made getting my mascara off actually possible. Erasing one of my pet peeves about wearing mascara!

You can choose 30, 45, 60, or 90 days frequency, depending on how much you use or like to replace your mascara. After your first order, you’ll receive mascara only for $21 at your subscription frequency. Super convenient!

Ipsy

Ipsy is a monthly makeup and beauty supply subscription box. They have 3 sizes, Glam Bag, Glam Bag Plus, and Glam Bag Ultimate. Bags are $12, $25, and $50 a month, respectively. One interesting thing about this subscription is that in order to subscribe to the larger bags, you have to also subscribe to the bags below it.

Glam Bag contains 5 deluxe size samples. Glam Bag Plus contains 5 full size products. Glam Bag ultimate contains 8 full size products and 4 deluxe size samples.

You do get the option to customize your bag each month. I get both the Glam Bag and the Glam Bag Plus and it’s plenty of cosmetics for the month. If I don’t like something, my girls are usually happy to take it. And if I’m feeling like I have too much, I just pause my subscription for a month or two.

This subscription is just a fun way to treat myself every month. Check it out here!

Fab Fit Fun

I love this box! This is a quarterly subscription box. And at $55 a box is an amazing deal! Full price, my fall box would have cost me almost $500. This box has beauty supplies, but it also has home items and clothing.

I got this awesome blue and white poncho in my summer box and have absolutely loved it! That thing itself was probably worth $55 to me! My fall box is on it’s way and I just can’t wait! It has a super cute throw, kitchen canisters, a curling iron, adorable hair clips, and a few other items.

You do get to customize and because I’m getting so many beauty items in my ipsy box, I tend to pick accessories instead of beauty products when I customize.

Get $10 off your first box with my link.

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Summer Products Reviews

I was sent a Littles Tick and Bug repellent for free to review.

I tested this product alongside my usual bug repellent. My husband wore the usual and I tried out the Littles Tick and Bug repellent.

Most of the areas we frequent are sprayed for mosquitos, so no surprises there, neither one of us saw any mosquitos.

This time of year, there are a ton of so see ums. And that’s what I was mainly interested in keeping away. They get especially bad around the 2yr old. He still has that fine baby hair and they love it!

In what I would consider normal situations, the littles tick and bug repellent worked for no see ups. The one issue I had was I had to reapply it every 30 minutes. So, I feel like it’s affects didn’t last that long. Of course, in contrast, the bug repellent my husband was wearing didn’t stop the no see ums at all. Littles Tick and Bug Repellent still worked pretty well until later in the day when the no see ums come out in force.

At that point, I’m really not sure that there’s anything that’s going to stop those bugs. They just kind of swarm around and are generally irritating. Littles Tick and Bug Repellent definitely held them off a bit, but couldn’t prevent them entirely because there was just so many of them.

I’m just happy that it works better than my usual bug repellent and that it keeps the no see ums away for the majority of the day!

It does have a fairly strong smell, my son loves the smell and the girls don’t particularly like it – but I mean, if it doesn’t smell like watermelon the girls are suspicious about it. It’s not an unpleasant smell, but you definitely know that you have bug repellent on!

Check out www.littlesskincare.com for more information and products! They have a whole line of high quality skin friendly products for the entire family!

I received a container of Mother’s Healing Balm free for purposes of my review.

This is an anti-itch, moisturizing, first aid balm. So, needless to say, I was curious, and excited to try it! I mean, we’re entering into summer here and the amount of bug bites, scratches, and dry skin just increases with the warmer weather.

I don’t want to hold anyone back from being outside but it’s also important to take care of our skin. So, I gave it a try.

First thing I discovered, this is a first aid balm. Not lotion. My hands were dry from washing dishes so I tried this out as a hand cream. It’s too oily, and after 15 minutes I had to wash it off (even after trying really hard to rub it in). So, this isn’t a lotion. It’s more for scratches and bug bites, you know, smaller areas where it’s ok to put them balm on and let it set for a while.

Second thing, it really don’t have an odor. Yay! You can smell it a little bit when you open the jar – but it smells good. But on you, the amount is so small, you can’t smell it at all. I love it when things don’t have added scents!

And, Finally, I did eventually try it out on some scratches and it does help to moisturize and in general keep the scab from drying out just like my usual first aid ointment. So, I would say it’s a great product to have on hand for all the little scratches and bumps the kids get throughout the summer!

Want some for yourself? You can purchase it here on Amazon!

Dr. Plotka’s Toothbrushes – I was sent these toothbrushes to review and somehow they got lost in the mail. I’m hoping that whomever received them is getting good use out of them! These look like great toothbrushes!

  • Naturally Antimicrobial* Bristles – Embedded silver naturally eliminates 99.9% of bacteria that grows on the bristles between brushing sessions.
  • Flossing Bristles™ – Dual-layered bristle structure provides superior cleaning: the longer, thinner bristles – thin as a human hair – reach deep into grooves, under the gumline and between teeth to brush away food and plaque other brushes miss while the thicker bristles ensure complete cleaning of gum and teeth.
  • Soft Long-Lasting Polyester Bristles – Get up to one extra month of use thanks to polyester bristles which bend better than the nylon bristles found in most other brushes on the market! (The ADA recommends changing your toothbrush every 3 months. Doctor Plotka’s brush will last about 4!)
  • Dentist Developed – Dr. Ronald Plotka designed this innovative toothbrush as part of his thriving 40+ year Boston-based dental practice.

These look terrific for kids and adults! Check them out on their website here.

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Katari Beauty – Review

Katari Beauty sent me 2 beauty products to review. Hoba Oil and Rosewater.

I’m kind of a skincare enthusiast. I love trying new products and rarely stick with the same brand for long. And these days, I’m super excited about all the great new products that are out there. I just need to try them all!

Katari Beauty – Mediterranean is a simple-ingredient skincare routine. There are 2 products. Hoba Oil and Rosewater. For moisturizing and toning.

  1. I wash my face with water. This is my preferred cleansing routine as many facial cleansers tend to dry out my skin.
  2. The Hoba Oil is 100% pure JOJOBA OIL – it’s a natural primer, moisturizer, hair, beard & scalp conditioner. And perfect for sensitive skin. While I don’t necessarily have sensitive skin, I prefer to use products that are gentle on my skin because harsh products do tend to irritate. I just put some on my fingers and rub it in on my face. Since this is an oil, it tends to drip a little so I always have a tad left on my hands that I just rub in – because my hands need moisturizing too.
  3. The Rosweater spray (Roseau) comes in a spray bottle. After rubbing in the Hoba oil, I just add 2 sprays of this to my face. It is 100% pure Rose Water (vapor-distilled rose petal hydrosol), perfect for all skin types. As an added plus, I absolutely LOVE the smell of Rose Water, making this the perfect finish to my facial care routine. Not only is is good for my skin, it smells amazing!

I am loving how simple this routine is and how simple the ingredients are. They’re high quality facial products without a bunch of added ingredients. And after almost 2 weeks of using them, my facial skin is holding up well to the cold winter that we’re having.

Want to check these out for yourself? Head to their website: Katari Beauty and use code 50offcleanbeauty for 50% off your purchase!

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Rituals – Gift of Relaxation – Review

I received this awesome Rituals box from Tryazon for free to review, all opinions are my own.

I got to pick the type of box that I received and I requested the Rituals of Relaxation box, because I usually love the relaxation scents! And, with 4 kids, relaxing isn’t something that I get to do often.

I was super excited when my box arrived. It was in this very pretty green box (which I’m saving for wrapping someone’s Christmas present this year and was overall just exciting to open!

You can purchase the 4-Pc. The Ritual Of Dao Calming Ritual Gift Set here.

I had to open and smell everything as soon as I received it! It smelled so good! And because my bedroom is green, it even matches all my decor!

The hand wash is now on my sink counter and my bathroom smells so good every time I wash my hands. The foaming wash smells amazing! And the body scrub is perfect! It smells great, and the scrub texture is fine and consistent so it’s quite relaxing to use.

And then I stuck the lotion in my purse for when I’m out and about on these nippy fall days and just want a little moisture and a great smelling lotion.

Honestly, I love everything about this set! It’s high quality and smells great. They have many other scents and I love to give personal products as Christmas Gifts, so a few of these are going on my Christmas Shopping list as well!

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Studex Earrings Review

I received this product free for purposes of my review. All opinions are my own.

About Studex

Founded in 1976 in Los Angeles, Studex has driven innovation with state-of-the-art ear piercing systems as well as creating allergy-free fashion earrings for over 40 years. Studex continues to be the undisputed world’s leader and largest manufacturer of ear piercing instruments, earring studs, and piercing after care products, with all products made in the USA. We are the primary distributor of ear-piercing equipment and earrings to the World’s leading piercing retailers.

Studex is uncompromising in commitment to quality and service, exceeding USA FDA regulations and EC (Euro) standards. With 40+ Studex-owned offices worldwide, Studex strives to provide consumers world-wide with products that are fashionable and on-trend, while offering safety and quality.

Studex Sensitive Earrings: Fashion Earrings – For Sensitive Ears/Metal Allergies
-Allergy Free (hypoallergenic)
-Sterilized and sealed packaging
-Medical Grade, Surgical Stainless Steel
-24K Gold Plated (Gold Styles)
-FDA Compliant Manufacturing and Sterilization Process
-Lifetime Guarantee and Made in USA
-Over 60 different styles to choose from

Tiny Tips Earrings: Fashion Earrings for babies and lil’ kids
-The perfect size for “lil ears”
-Allergy Free (hypoallergenic)
-Sterilized and sealed packaging
-Medical Grade, Surgical Stainless Steel
-FDA Compliant Manufacturing and Sterilization Process
-Lifetime Guarantee and Made in USA
-Over 40 different styles to choose from

20180427_171650My Problem

I have sensitive ears. My 9 year old has sensitive ears. I mean, really sensitive. There are literally no stud earrings that I can wear, and my 9 year old is the same way. We both love earrings, but finding a pair that works is so hard! I usually wear hoops or dangly because it’s so hard to find a stud earring that doesn’t irritate my ears. Which I must add, is also super inconvenient. I have a 8 month old who loves to grab earrings. I’d rather not be wearing hoops right now. But what choice do I have?

I used to purchase nickel free when I was a kid and they worked great, but when my daughter got her ears pierced a year ago I discovered that these aren’t made anymore – they may be calling them sensitive solutions now, but the metal is definitely different because while my old nickel free earrings still work for me the new sensitive solutions do not. Within hours my ears will be irritated. It’s so frustrating!

I’ve purchased sensitive solutions earrings from just about every store, I’ve even purchased sterling silver from multiple stores. It’s not like I’m not trying. I’ve just run out of options.

So, needless to say, me and my 9yr old were super excited to try out these Studex earrings.

20180427_171628The Results

Studex is designed for ears like mine. So I was so excited to try them. I mean, if they can make an earring that doesn’t irritate my ears or my child’s ears, I’ll be a fan for life. Because I can’t find this anywhere.

They sent me these cute sparkly butterfly tiny tips for my daughter and these Studex Stainless Cubic Zirconia Sensitive Earring Studs for me. So we decided to put them to the ultimate test. We both cleaned our ears with the Studex after piercing lotion (which I should add does not sting like rubbing alcohol does) and then put in our earrings.

We’ve both been wearing our new earrings for a week with absolutely no irritation. No itching, no redness, no irritation. It’s awesome. Studex has lots of super cute earrings. While I don’t see a way to order them directly from their website they sell them on Amazon. Most of the pairs I see are about $15. Super Affordable! My 9 yr old has been begging for birthstone earrings, and I see that Studex has them. I know at least one thing she’s going to be getting for her Birthday. I mean, affordable, birthstone earrings that won’t irritate her ears. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of in an earring!

I’m super excited – of course I think my 9yr old is more excited – to find an earring that we can both actually wear!

Checkout the Studex Giveaway!

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Dr. Rogers Restore – Review

This is a sponsored post.

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Dr. Rogers Restore is a petroleum-free ointment that can be used as an alternative to neosporin, vaseline, and such. Designed by a mom who wanted something better for her kids. This is an all-purpose ointment designed for dry, damaged skin, lips and nails. Other uses incude razor rash, diaper rash, chafing, wound care (for small cuts), scrapes, abrasions, insect bites, stings, chapped lips, callouses, etc. Basically, all the stuff I use neosporin and vaseline for.

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Free of petroleum, lanolin, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, fragrance and common allergens. Dr. Rogers is made with all plant-based ingredients.

First, I tried Dr. Rogers out on my cuticles. Our spring has arrived by kicking off with 80 degree weather, then cooling down to 60 degrees and then back up again. This constant temperature not only has us all wondering what to wear each day, but it dries out my hands and I notice it first on my cuticles. So for a couple of days I just put a little bit right on my cuticles where my nails were feeling extra dry.

Dr. Rogers doesn’t smell like anything – in that it has no smell that I can tell. It’s basically a clear ointment, so, I was a bit skeptical that it was actually going to do anything for me.

I used it for two days – twice a day – and my cuticles are no longer dried out. So, it definitely worked.

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Of course, since I’m trying out this cool new product, the kids had to get in on it. I suggested that they try it out on a scratch and see if it helped – usually we use neosporin. Or the girls could try it out where their flip-flops were rubbing their foot – which I use vaseline for. All the kids managed to find a scratch or irritation of some sort to try this out on. I’m sure they invented a few “injuries” as well because that was a good way to get to use more!

My oldest girl and my son both have skin that’s sensitive to scents and dyes so I’m very careful with what I let them try out. Of course, this stuff seemed pretty good, after I had tried it, so I let them use it how they wanted.

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I didn’t notice any real difference is result between using Dr. Rogers or my usual products. They basically seem to work the same. And since this product is supposed to be a replacement for similar petroleum- based products I would say that it works as advertised.

It did not irritate my childrens’ skin, it’s easy to apply, and it did what I expected it to do. Plus it’s plant based instead of petroleum based. In my opinion, a great product.

 

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Divatress Bobbi Boss Wigs

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Ever wanted to change your hair, but don’t want it to be permanent? I know I have! I love to play with my hair, but my hubby isn’t so thrilled with it. To be honest, I’m dying to try out that whole bright splash of color that people are doing in their hair these days – you know, the stripe of hot pink, or turning all my ends blue. I’m just not certain I’ll like it and haven’t tried it because I hate to do something so permanent and then decide it’s no good. And you know what’s worse than doing something I don’t like to my hair? Waiting for it to grow out…

I’ve been checking out these Bobbi Boss wigs, and they’re pretty awesome. They would definitely give me a chance to try out a new hair color without it being permanent. Bobbi Boss is an e-commerce site that carries wigs, haircare, and beauty products. I’m having fun browsing their hundreds of wigs. So much fun, in fact, it’s hard to decide what wig I would try out first!

Like this long wig, I could try out those blue colors that I’ve been dying to try. Without actually dying my hair!

Oh, and I’m loving this red hair. This would be so fun to wear for an extra pop of color!

I realize colors aren’t for everyone. They have regular hair colors as well. This Bob is super cute! And would give me the chance to go shorter without actually cutting my hair. They have a great selection of short wigs.

All of these hair styles have different shades available so you can go really different or get something that’s pretty close to your natural hair color. You could easily make it look like you cut your hair or dyed it when you haven’t actually done anything to your hair at all.

They have long wigs, short wigs, and all sorts of colors for each style. Hundreds of Women’s wigs. They also sell all the wig accessories you’ll need to make your wig wearing a success. It’s like the warehouse of wigs! Just online, so you don’t ever have to leave your home. Or if you’re like me, you can shop for wigs without your children trying them all on… Let’s just say that I’m really enjoying shopping Bobbi Boss online!