May 2014 Beauty Box Five

The May 2014 Beauty Box Five features spring-inspired products to energize us after a long winter and prepare us for summer.
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 May items…

1. MaskerAide Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask – If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I have been using and loving MaskerAide sheet masks for quite a while (see my review HERE). I’m always up for an at-home facial so I was very happy to receive this Beauty Rest-ore mask in the May box. While all MaskerAide masks are paraben-free, vegan friendly, mess-free, and biodegradable, this specific mask’s purpose is to smooth, restore, and regenerate skin with argan oil, super fruit extracts, green algae, and vitamin e—a perfect pick-me-up for skin that has been battling the winter elements for the past few months. This mask is full size and retails for $5.99.

2. H2O Plus Aqualibrium Marine Cleansing Gel – this oil-free cleanser made with sea salt and marine botanicals exfoliates skin while protecting it from free radicals and environmental damage. Although I normally avoid trying new skincare due to my very sensitive skin, I’m always looking for a new facial exfoliator. As far as I can tell, this clear gel cleanser does not contain any rough particles or harsh chemicals so I’m looking forward to trying it in place of my regular exfoliator. The sample tube contains 8 ml of product. The full size contains 120 ml and retails for $18.

3. Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths – I received three of these cloths in the scent Restore (a light powder scent). I love the concept of using cooling cloths to refresh on hot summer days. I’m going to keep these in my purse to use on my feet which often feel very hot and tired after a long day of walking around in flip-flops. These cloths cost $2.97 for a pack of ten.

4. Harvey Prince Hello fragrance – Normally, I don’t usually enjoy fragrance samples sent in beauty boxes because they are often heavy, mature, and overly floral. This fragrance is definitely an exception with its light, energizing scent that boasts refreshing notes of mandarin, grapefruit, forsythia, and plumeria—a sunny summer morning in a bottle! I could not figure out the size of the sample, but the full size contains 5.7 oz of product and retails for $55.

5. Cattiva Precisione Eye Liner – Perfect for spring and summer, this retractable eyeliner is waterproof. It creates smooth, smudge-resistant lines and is paraben free. As amazing as this liner sounds, I will not be trying it because it’s in the shade black which is too harsh for my very pale complexion. That said, I know that someone else will love it so I will save it for a giveaway. This liner is a full size product that retails for $20.
Overall, I am very impressed with the May 2014 box from Beauty Box Five. The sheet mask and eyeliner more than pay for the box, and the smaller samples are perfect to keep in a purse or beach bag for spring and summer.  I’m looking forward to next month’s box!
To learn more about Beauty Box Five and to sign up, visit https://www.beautybox5.com/
*Although the products mentioned in this post were sent for review purposes, all opinions expressed are honest and are my own*

Giveaway: Red & Green Holiday Beauty Products!

To celebrate the holidays, I’m giving away a selection of red and green beauty products. Enter by filling out the rafflecopter form below. This giveaway will end at 12:00 AM on December 31 and is open worldwide.

Good luck!

~Beauty Writer

The Prizes:

Items will be sent in this makeup bag:

Enter Here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway & Review: MaskerAide Face Masks

Looking for the luxury of a spa visit in the privacy of your own home? At only $4.99 per mask, MaskerAide’s line of seriously fabulous face masks will pamper your skin with affordable facial treatments that compliment any skin care routine.

Sheet masks are made from thin fibre sheets that are cut to the contours of the face and soaked in serum. This concept allows for the ingredients to penetrate the skin, stimulate blood flow, and relax facial muscles.

I was lucky enough to try all six of the super-hydrating facial sheet masks that MaskerAide launched in September 2012. The masks showed up in a pearly box with the company’s logo and tied to perfection with a pretty pink bow. I am so happy with them that I want one of you to try them too so there will be a giveaway at the end of this post.

MaskerAide’s sheet masks are perfect for those of you who have sensitive skin like me or are very particular about the ingredients that you apply to your skin. Each of the company’s masks is free of parabens, harsh dyes and pigments, mineral oil, artificial fragrance, glycerine, and benzophenone. They are also eco friendly, vegan friendly, recyclable, and biodegradable—perfect for every skin type!

The Argan Oil based serum in each mask contains a special mix of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and nutrients to target specific skincare concerns or mishaps.

I found the entire experience of trying these masks very relaxing. After having the mask on for a little while, the fabric began to heat up a bit from the warmth of my skin and it felt like the serum was being absorbed by my skin. My skin was left very smooth and moisturized from each mask, and felt very light, fresh, and clean. I did not have to worry about skin irritation or washing the mask away once the 20 minutes had passed. None of the masks felt oily or sticky and I simply patted the remaining serum into my skin after removing the mask and proceeded with my usual skincare routine (applying moisturizer, eye cream, lip balm, etc.).

Three of the masks have a cream based serum and the other three feature a clear serum.

The masks with the cream based serum include:

Beauty Rest’ore – this mask is infused with Argan Oil, Super Fruit Extracts, Green Algae, and Vitamin E to repair skin in need of a beauty rest. While I love all six masks, this one is my favourite as I have been more than lacking in the sleep department and my skin is paying for it. The morning after using this mask, my skin felt very refreshed and less puffy.

I Don’t Wanna Grow Up – hydrating and age defying ingredients such as natural Ylang-Ylang Oil, Argan Oil, Vitamin E, Hydrolized Collagen and Elastin allow this mask to help diminish fine lines and give your skin a youthful glow. At this time, I don’t have many fine lines so I cannot speak of the masks’s effectiveness in that category; however, my skin was very glowy after using it 

Weather Warrior – the soothing and calming ingredients in this mask (Aloe, Green Tea, Witch Hazel, Argon Oil) repair skin that has been damaged by UV rays, wind, and extreme cold. Although it is still Fall, it has been quite cold and windy here. This mask felt very cooling on my wind-damaged skin and left it feeling calm and smooth.

The masks containing the clear serum include:

All Nighter – the All Nighter is another mask that is perfect for those of you who are not getting enough sleep. Natural Peppermint Oil, Aloe, Argan Oil, Heartleaf, Honey, Super Fruit, and Cactus Extracts awaken, cool, and de-puff tired skin. I enjoyed the fresh cooling feeling of this mask and the clear serum was very hydrating.

Detox Diva – this mask contains natural Geranium Oil, Seaweed, and Green Tea Leaf extracts to minimize pores, absorb impurities, and protect from toxins and free radicals. Chinese Plum, Strawberry, and Lemon Fruit Extracts exfoliate skin, while Argan Oil and Honey hydrate. I think that this mask is a great alternative to a harsh scrub. My skin felt clean after using it, not irritated.

Pre Party Prep – this mask is to be used before getting ready for a big night out. Natural Argan Oil, Orange Peel Oil, Super Fruit Extracts, Rice Extract, and Honey prime and smooth the skin. I think that this would be the ideal mask for creating a smooth canvas before applying foundation. I do not use foundation so I cannot comment on its effectiveness in that respect. However, it did leave my skin feeling smooth and the serum felt very light weight and pleasant on my skin.

Overall, I am very impressed with these masks from MaskerAide. While it is a Canadian company, maskeraide.com ships worldwide.

GIVEAWAY!

Although I used all the masks that I was sent to try, I managed to collect a few more and will be giving away three masks (Pre Party Prep, All Nighter, and I Don’t Wanna Grow Up) to one of my followers.

If you are interested in winning, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

RULES

1. You must use the Rafflecopter form to enter this giveaway.
2. You must be a follower of this blog in order to be eligible to win the giveaway.
3. You must be at least 18 years of age or have permission from your parents to enter.
4. This giveaway is open internationally.
5. There will be one winner of this giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Beauty Writer