April 2015 Beauty Box Five

The April 2015 Beauty Box Five* features products to help us start fresh this spring and try something new after a long winter. If you are unfamiliar with Beauty Box Five, it is a subscription service that sends its members five cosmetic samples each month. The service is open to those in Canada and the USA, and subscriptions start at $12 per month. The best part is that shipping is free! The brands that Beauty Box Five works with are also very impressive (see them all HERE).

Now let’s talk about the April items...

1. Dancin’ Goat Hula Bliss Body Lotion | Retail: $17.99 for 8oz - This hydrating lotion contains natural ingredients such as goat’s milk, coconut oil, lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary. I’m always on the search for the perfect hand cream, so I’m looking forward to trying this product.

2. Lasting Smiles Passionfruit Mango Organic Lip Balm | Retail: $4.99 for 0.15 oz - This full size product contains organic ingredients and also supports fair-trade global farmers and funds cleft surgeries for children (LastingSmilesCare.com). I really appreciate that Beauty Box Five included a product this month that makes a difference in the world. Not to mention, mango is one of my favourite fruits and also one of my favourite scents for lip balm.

3. Style Essentials TwinGloss | Retail: $2.50 for 0.03 oz - This non-sticky, super-shiny gloss includes two complimentary shades that mix upon application. I really like this concept and am happy to have received a sheer nude shade.
 
4. Incoco Nail Polish Applique Set | Retail: $8.99 - This polish strip set is my favourite item in this month's box. As a nail polish lover, it’s always nice to use a product that produces a nice design with lasting results and no drying time. I received a design called Painted Blossoms which features a white shimmery base with blue painted flowers. I have tried many brands of polish strips and Incoco is one of my favourites. In fact, I have reviewed three of their designs in the past, including Very Rosy, Tickle Pink, and Sweet Spots.

5. First Aid Beauty Facial Cleanser | Retail: $20 for 5 oz - This PH-balanced cleanser is paraben-free and safe for sensitive skin. I already use the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream and look forward to trying this cleanser from the brand as well.

Overall, I am very happy with the April 2015 box from Beauty Box Five. This may be one of my favourites so far! The nail strips and two lip products are full size items and the skincare samples include a good amount of product. I’m looking forward to next month’s box and can’t wait to see what Beauty Box Five has in store for May.

Giveaway & Review: Incoco Nail Polish Strips

Over the last month I have reviewed Incoco Nail Polish Strips in Very Rosy and Sweet Spots. Today I’m going to review Tickle Pink, a rosy shade with a pretty, satin finish, and also give away a set of strips (you choose the colour or design) to one of my lucky followers! Enter at the bottom of this post.

Read on for the review and giveaway.



While I normally gravitate toward cream finish polishes, I absolutely love the shimmery sheen on these nail strips. They are very iridescent and remind me of mother of pearl seashells. For this reason, I think it’s accurate to describe Tickle Pink as a seashell pink.



Like Sweet Spots and Very Rosy, Tickle Pink came with sixteen double-ended strips that last on the nails for up to 14 days. The strips also came with a little nail file, an orange stick, and application instructions. I found that these specific strips were a little thicker than the patterned ones and were even easier to apply. I wore the strips for a full two weeks before easily removing them with a cotton pad and regular nail polish remover. After two weeks the strips looked almost exactly the same as they did the day that I applied them.



Applying the strips was a very easy task. First, I buffed my nails gently using the nail file in the kit. Next, I prepped my nails by wiping away traces of oil with a polish remover. After selecting a strip to fit my nail, I peeled away the plastic on both sides of the strip and placed the strip as close as I could to my cuticle without allowing it to touch the skin. I then smoothed down the trip with my finger and ran the orange stick from the kit around the edges to smooth out any uneven spots. To remove any excess, I folded the strip over to meet the tip of my finger and gently separated the strip from my nail with the file. Application time for all ten nails took less than ten minutes.



One thing that I really love about the strips is that they are made of real nail polish that is 3-free, so the polish does not contain any harmful dbp, toluene, or formaldehyde. Being made of real nail polish also allows the strips to last much longer than nail stickers made of other materials. Another great aspect of these strips is that they are not tested on animals and are cruelty free.



Over the last year I have tried many different types of nail strips, and I would say that the Incoco strips are most comparable to those from Sally Hansen in terms of application and wear time. I do find that Incoco has more unique design and colour options than Sally Hansen, as well as a lower price tag.

Overall, I’m very impressed with the nail strips from Incoco and I will definitely purchase from this company in the future.  I really like using nail strips because there is no drying time and, in my opinion, they last so much longer than liquid nail polish on my nails. They also don’t make my house smell like nail polish and there is nothing to clean up after application.

The Incoco nail strips can be purchased from http://www.incoco.com. The website also includes a store locator.

GIVEAWAY:
Incoco was generous enough to offer a set of nail strips to one of my lucky followers. The winner will get to choose a set of strips in the design/colour of his/her choice. The contest is open to residents of the USA and Canada. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway begins today and ends on Friday, August 16. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Incoco Nail Polish Strips in Very Rosy (Review)

Recently I reviewed the Incoco Nail Polish Strips in Sweet Spots (see the full review HERE). Today I’m reviewing the design Very Rosy which features an orange, red, and pink floral design with green accents and a creamy pinky-white background.



Like Sweet Spots, Very Rosy came with sixteen double-ended strips that last on the nails for up to 14 days. The strips also came with a little nail file, an orange stick, and application instructions. I wore Very Rosy for a full two weeks before easily removing the design with a cotton pad and regular nail polish remover. Aside from some slight wear at the tips of the nails, after two weeks the strips looked almost exactly the same as they did the day that I applied them. Surprisingly, they even lasted through a Saturday afternoon task of pulling down old wallpaper.



One thing that I really love about the strips is that they are made of real nail polish that is 3-free, so the polish does not contain any harmful dbp, toluene, or formaldehyde. Being made of real nail polish also allows the strips to last much longer than nail stickers made of other materials.

Over the last year I have tried many different types of nail strips, and I would say that the Incoco strips are most comparable to those from Sally Hansen in terms of application and wear time. I do find that Incoco has more unique design and colour options than Sally Hansen, as well as a lower price tag.

In terms of application, these strips were easy to apply and they were quite stretchy so I could smooth them over my nails with ease to avoid bubbles or uneven patches. There were a few instances where I didn’t place the strip in the correct spot on the first try; however, it was not a problem since the strips are easy to lift and reposition even though they stick to the nail quite well once they are pressed down firmly and smoothed out.

Since the strips already have a coating of top coat, the design always has a shiny finish and does not need any additional product to keep it shiny or help it last longer. The finish did not become dull with wear and the design did not fade over time.

Overall, I’m very impressed with the nail strips from Incoco and I will definitely purchase from this company in the future.  I really like using nail strips because there is no drying time and, in my opinion, they last so much longer than liquid nail polish on my nails. They also don’t make my house smell like nail polish and there is nothing to clean up after application.

The Incoco nail strips can be purchased from http://www.incoco.com. The website also includes a store locator.

See the other designs that I have reviewed or will be reviewing below.




What are your thoughts on nail strips?

*Although the company sent me these strips to try out, all opinions are honest and are my own*

Incoco Nail Polish Strips in Sweet Spots (Review)

I’m very excited to review these nail strips from Incoco in the design Sweet Spots. Very appropriately named, the pretty pastel dots on these nail strips remind me of one of my favourite things—candy!



Each package of Incoco nail strips includes sixteen double-ended strips that last on the nails for up to 14 days. After wearing Sweet Spots for a full two weeks, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the strips looked almost exactly the same as they did the day that I applied them. They were only starting to wear a bit on the tips of the nails on my dominant hand. I could have worn them for longer than two weeks but, by that time, my nails had grown quite a bit and I wanted to cut them before they started breaking. The strips were easy to remove with a cotton pad and a regular nail polish remover.
As you can see from the photos below, the strips also came with a little nail file, an orange stick, and application instructions.





One thing that I really love about the strips is that they are made of real nail polish that is 3-free, so the polish does not contain any harmful dbp, toluene, or formaldehyde. Being made of real nail polish also allows the strips to last much longer than nail stickers made of other materials.

Over the last year I have tried many different types of nail strips, and I would say that the Incoco strips are most comparable to those from Sally Hansen in terms of application and wear time. I do find that Incoco has more unique design and colour options than Sally Hansen, as well as a lower price tag.

In terms of application, these strips were easy to apply and they were quite stretchy so I could smooth them over my nails with ease to avoid bubbles or uneven patches. There were a few instances where I didn’t place the strip in the correct spot on the first try; however, it was not a problem since the strips are easy to lift and reposition even though they stick to the nail quite well once they are pressed down firmly and smoothed out.

Since the strips already have a coating of top coat, the design always has a shiny finish and does not need any additional product to keep it shiny or help it last longer. The finish did not become dull with wear and the design did not fade over time.

Overall, I’m very impressed with the nail strips from Incoco and I will definitely purchase from this company in the future.  I really like using nail strips because there is no drying time and, in my opinion, they last so much longer than liquid nail polish on my nails. They also don’t make my house smell like nail polish and there is nothing to clean up after application.

The Incoco nail strips can be purchased from http://www.incoco.com. The website also includes a store locator.

I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to review a couple more Incoco designs over the next few weeks. See the upcoming designs below.



What are your thoughts on nail strips?

*Although the company sent me these strips to try out, all opinions are honest and are my own*