Saturday, June 29, 2013

April SeasonsBox


I realize that is post is about three months late, but there was some shipping confusion with my April SeasonsBox so I did not receive it until June.
Despite its late arrival, I’m very excited to have the opportunity to review the April SeasonsBox.  Unlike the other “deluxe sample” boxes, SeasonsBox sends 3-5 luxurious full sized seasonal must-have products each moth.
Each month’s box is completely different and includes environmentally conscious products for your home, body, and spirit. It’s called a SeasonsBox because each box is tailored to one season or a seasonal holiday. Last month I reviewed the May Box which was Mother’s Day themed and featured eco-friendly and stylish indulgences to celebrate motherhood and make every woman feel pampered.
This month’s box is Spring themed and features healthy and natural products that help empower women in poverty.
The first item is a beautiful Connected in Hope Shiromeda Spring Scarf.  Each scarf is hand-loomed by a member of the Former Women Fuel Wood Carriers Association in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the profits from each scarf are devoted to empowering women and strengthening families. I received the scarf in the Columbia Blue shade. Each scarf retails for $32.

The next item, Crawford Street Skin Care Lemon Deodorant Cream, is all natural (ingredients include lemon, grapefruit, orange, and cloves) and is it deodorizing, antibacterial, and antifungal. It is free of aluminum and parabens and it won’t stain clothing. This jar retails for $12.

The third item is the Ecotools Foam Applicator. This product is environmentally conscious as it is crafted with recycled aluminum ferrule and a bamboo handle. This applicator retails for $5.99.

Let’s end on a sweet note with these honey drops from Honibe. The honey in these drops is 100% natural and comes from Prince Edward Island. Perfect for anyone on the go! This 12 pack of drops retails for $5.99.

Overall, I’m very impressed with the April 2013 SeasonsBox. The scarf is a wonderful year-round accessory for a great cause.  I’m especially excited to try the deodorant and the makeup brush and honey drops are a nice touch. All of this month’s products are full sized which makes this subscription service more than worth the price. I did a rough calculation of the value of this month’s items, and the products combined retail for close to $56.
Subscription rates begin at $29.95 which seems like a lot but, as you can see from the April items, you get what you pay for. I can’t wait to see what SeasonsBox has in store for June!
Did you receive a SeasonsBox this month? What are your thoughts on it?

Monday, June 24, 2013

NOTD: Essie Go Ginza

 

If you have been reading my blog for a while, then you know that cream polishes (especially in pastel shades) are my favourite! Essie’s Go Ginza is a perfect example of my ideal polish.

This shade came out in Essie’s Madison Ave-Hue collection for Spring 2013. The colour is described by Essie as a “soft cherry blossom pink.” While “soft” describes the shade quite well, I find that it leans a bit more toward purple than pink. On me, it looks like more of a lilac pink than a true pink. That said, the colour is beautiful and I don’t own any similar coloured polishes.

The formula was a bit thick and appeared streaky with the first two coats. As you can see from the photos, it is almost completely smooth with three coats. It did not take an overly long time to dry despite its thickness.

Go Ginza lasted about six days on my nails before it started chipping at the tips.

Overall, I really love this shade and will be wearing it year round, especially for work.

What is your favourite shade from Essie’s Madison Ave-Hue collection?

Sunday, June 23, 2013

June 2013 Ipsy Bag

I have found that the biggest downside to a lot of the current sample subscription boxes is the selection of products. Some months I receive only skincare and haircare products which is very disappointing; I signed up for the services for their makeup products, and due to my sensitive skin and straight, fine hair, I don’t like trying new products for skin and hair.

This is exactly why I decided to subscribe to Ipsy! The bags feature beauty products from popular brands. This month’s bag is my first so I wanted to give you my thoughts and first impressions.

First, let’s talk about the bag…

As a former subscriber of Glymm, I have accumulated many of these mini makeup bags over the past few years. Therefore, I will only keep new ones if I love the pattern. Sadly, I really dislike the design of this month’s Ipsy bag. I am not a fan of animal print, especially when paired with neon. However, I know that a lot of people love this combo so I will send the prizes from one of my giveaways in this bag.

Now onto the makeup items…

1. Cailyn Cosmetics Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner: I received this product in the shade Iron which is a steel grey colour. The product comes with a built-in brush which I imagine will be too thick for those who like a thin, precise line. I will not be taking this product out of the box since I don’t use liner very often and will likely save this one for a giveaway. I was sent a full size jar of this product which retails for $21.

2. Starlooks lip pencil: I received this product in the shade Tipsy which is a matte coral colour. I don’t really wear lipstick so I have never had much use for a lip liner. That said, I’m really loving the colour so I may try to use it lightly to stain my lips and then top it with a clear gloss or balm. The one downside to this product is that the colour is cased in a wooden pencil which requires manual sharpening. This item is full size as well and retails for $12.

3. NYX Mosaic Powder in Dare: If you have seen my previous Glymm or Luxe Box posts, you will know that I don’t really enjoy receiving NYX products in these subscription bags/boxes. I subscribe because I want to try new or higher end items and NYX products can easily be found at the drugstore. This powder looks quite pretty in the pan but it contains a few orange and reddish brown shades that won’t complement my cool toned skin. This product retails for $10.99.

4. J. Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette: I received this palette in Voltage which contains sparkly creams in neutral shades. As someone who normally wears natural makeup, I know that I will never use this palette. I also feel that it is not age appropriate as I would have used something like this when I was a child playing with glitter. It seems very appropriate for theatrical makeup and dance recital makeup but I could not pull this off at work. The palette retails for $4.49.

5. J. Cat Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue (C32): While these lashes look very pretty and wispy, I’m really not a false lash gal. I would much rather sweep on a couple coats of mascara than glue something to my sensitive eyelids. Like the cream palette, these lashes seem appropriate for stage makeup and special events. This set retails for $3.99.

Overall, I liked that the June Ipsy bag sent five full size makeup products retailing at over $50 combined . However, I cannot really see myself using any of them, and I’m left wondering if Ipsy actually took my beauty profile/survey into consideration when selecting my items. I have not decided if I will subscribe to Ipsy for much longer. I will wait a couple more months to see how I feel. I think that the price is right at $10 but I don’t like paying $4.95 for shipping. This additional fee makes the bag more expensive than Topbox which sends items that are more appropriate for my age and preferences.

What are your thoughts on Ipsy?

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

June 2013 Topbox (Regular Topbox)


I opted for the regular Topbox again this month. The prive box brands have yet to impress me since the Benefit Cosmetics box.
I was very impressed with the June Topbox. Four items were sent (two full size) and all were makeup products. I can’t ever remember receiving a Topbox that was entirely makeup, so this month’s box definitely stands out from the rest. All items sent are from great brands, and I think that most can work for all skin tones.
For those of you who do not know what Topbox is, it is a service similar to Loose Button, Birchbox, Glossybox, Ipsy, etc., which offers monthly boxes of deluxe size product samples. Topbox currently offers its services across Canada. For more information check out topbox.ca

Monday, June 17, 2013

Edgy Summer Nails (with rhinestone studs!)


With summer just a few days away, I thought it was time to break out some bright polishes. Normally my summer manicures begin with floral designs and progress to something a little different. This time around, I wanted to start out with something edgy, so I created this pink and blue look accented with silver rhinestone studs.
The studs are from bornprettystore.com and can be found HERE. BPS was kind enough to offer a coupon code for my blog followers/Youtube subscribers (use BEAUTY4K31 for 10% off sitewide).
The blue polish is For Audrey by China Glaze and the pink is Primrose Hill Picnic from Butter London.

The 10% off coupon also works for this super cute, sparkly panda bear ring that can be found HERE


What will you be wearing on your nails this summer?

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Clothingloves.net Review


Back in April, I wrote a blog post about a online store called clothingloves.net that offers affordable and fashionable clothing and accessories, including wedding dresses, women’s blouses, ladies’ fashion, and more (read the post HERE). The company had contacted me and asked me to tell my followers about the site and the type of items that it sells. While browsing the site before writing my post, a few dresses caught my eye and I decided to order one so that I could provide you with a full, honest review of my purchase.
The item that I ordered is the Pleated Chiffon Round Neck Dress (Check it out HERE). It was only $12.71 plus $5.75 shipping to my country. I ordered it in a size small which seems to fit much like a size small from Forever 21 (a good fit with a bit of extra room in the chest for me). I’m average height and the bottom of the dress hits about an inch above my knee. The fabric is a beautiful chiffon in a sea foam/mint green shade. I find that this type of fabric does not wrinkle easily. I have not washed it yet so I don’t know how smoothly it dries.  The dress is lined so it is not see-through. It comes with a nice waist tie that makes the dress look more finished. I like to wear it with nude or light pink pumps. The dress is very light weight and I feel effortlessly classy when wearing it.

Shortly after the dress arrived in the mail, I received another package, a little box of earrings, from Summer who works for clothingloves.net. She sent them to me as a thank-you for my previous blog post. The White Snowflake Earrings (see them HERE) came packaged in a cute red box with a bow. Despite the numerous pretty rhinestones in these earrings, they feel very light on the ears and have sturdy posts and comfortable backs. I can’t wait to wear them this winter!
 
Overall, I’m very impressed with the items that I received from clothingloves.net and I will not hesitate to purchase from this site again.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Giveaway: Joe Fresh Eyeshadows!!!!



I saw these soft, pretty spring shades on a Joe Fresh display and thought it would be nice to give them away to one of my wonderful followers!
The giveaway is open worldwide and will end on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at 12:00 AM.
To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, June 3, 2013

May SeasonsBox



Today, I’m very excited to have the opportunity to review the May SeasonsBox.  Unlike the other “deluxe sample” boxes, SeasonsBox sends 3-5 luxurious full sized seasonal must-have products each moth.
Each month’s box is completely different and includes environmentally conscious products for your home, body, and spirit. It’s called a SeasonsBox because each box is tailored to one season or a seasonal holiday. Last month I reviewed the March Box which was St. Patrick’s Day themed and featured eco-friendly and green products, plus practical spring must-haves, to refresh and rejuvenate your home, body, and spirit.
This month’s box is Mother’s Day themed and features eco-friendly and stylish indulgences to celebrate motherhood and make every woman feel pampered.
The first item is a  natural eyeshadow from Gourmet Body Treats. I was very excited to see this item upon opening the box because my previous SeasonsBoxes did not include makeup. These loose powder shadows are 100% vegan and handmade. I received the shade Island which is a shimmery nude colour. This full size jar of shadow retails for $18.99.

Next is another beauty product! This time it’s a natural nail polish from Priti NYC in a pretty shade from the company’s Spring 2013 Sherbert collection. The shade is called Remember Me Rose but it has more peachy-orange tones than pink. This polish is non-toxic and eco-friendly. I received a full size bottle that retails for $13.50.

The third item in this month’s box is a natural body wash from Deep Steep. This lavender and chamomile scented product contains certified essential oils, shea and cocoa butters, vitamins E and B5, and organic plant extracts. Best of all, it’s 100% natural and cruelty free. The full sized tube retails for $9.95.

The last item, a natural rose bath bomb from ZEN-ful, is the perfect product to help you unwind after a long spring day. These bath bombs, retailing for $5.50 each, are completely natural and contain rose essential oils.

Overall, I’m very impressed with the May 2013 SeasonsBox. The eyeshadow and nail polish were a nice treat and what girl doesn’t love a luxurious body wash and a soothing bath bomb? All of this month’s products are full sized which makes this subscription service more than worth the price. I did a rough calculation of the value of this month’s items, and the products combined retail for close to $48.
Subscription rates begin at $29.95 which seems like a lot but, as you can see from the May items, you get what you pay for. I can’t wait to see what SeasonsBox has in store for June!
Did you receive a SeasonsBox this month? What are your thoughts on it?