January 2015 Beauty Box Five

The January 2015 Beauty Box Five* features products to help us keep our minds open to fresh possibilities in the New Year. The products are meant to encourage us feel confident enough to greet new opportunities while putting our best face forward. 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 January items…

1. Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips | Retail: $9.99 - I’ve always loved nail strips. They are easy to apply and don’t require any drying time. These ones are meant to last 10 days, and they can be easily removed with regular nail polish remover. I received them in the pattern Misbehaved, a light gold base with a black fishnet design. I’ll save these for a night out.

2. Ultraflesh The Gold Standard Mascara in Blackout | Retail: $21 for 0.27 oz (sample is 0.08 oz) - While I’m very happy with my Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash Mascara (and rarely have any desire to try new mascaras), this mascara really caught my eye with its shiny gold tube. The product claims to provide dramatic, thicker lashes, so I’m looking forward to trying it. 

3. Coastal Scents Eye Shadow | Retail $1.95 - $24.95 - I’ve always loved the combination of bronzy shadows with a hint of mint. This little sample shadow quad features very pretty colours that will be my beauty inspiration for spring and summer. 

4. Garnier Fructis Daily Care Fortifying Shampoo | Retail: $3.99 for 13 oz (sample contains 1.7 oz) - Garnier products always smell deliciously fruity. I used to use them often as a child but stopped when I started dying my hair in my teenage years. Now I only use sulphate free shampoo. I will pass this on to someone who doesn’t have colour treated hair. 

5. Softsoap Nutri Serums Vitamin E Body Wash | Retail: $15 for 15 oz (sample contains 1.7 oz) - When I first opened this month’s BB5, I was drawn to the shimmery pink and gold beads in this body wash. The beads are filled with Vitamin E and Omegas 3 and 6 for long lasting hydration. I’m really looking forward to trying this. It’s almost too pretty to use. 

Overall, I am very happy with the January 2015 box from Beauty Box Five. The nail strips and body wash are very exciting, and the items in the box cost more than the monthly subscription fee. I’m looking forward to next month’s box and can’t wait to see what Beauty Box Five has in store for February. Could it be Valentine’s Day themed?

Victorian Lace Nail Look

I love the true elegance of black lace on a light background. Since this beautiful combination is embraced in the fashion world, I wanted to create a version of it for the beauty world with this nail look.

This design has a Victorian feel and is very easy to create. The shimmery light purple base is one of my favourite polishes from OPI called Play the Peonies. For the design, I used the Elegant Lace Glitter Nail Stickers* from Born Pretty Store. They cost less than $1 and you can save 10% site wide using the code BEAUTY4K31.

This look is very romantic and would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day date or a wedding. Not to mention, it’s very quick and practically fool-proof.

Do you like this design? Where would you wear it?

Holographic Ombre Nail Look

Here is a look that I created using three of my favourite purples from Zoya: Marley, Malia, and Pinta.
I created the look by painting on a base of the lightest colour (Marley) and then using a makeup sponge to dab on layers of Malia and Pinta. To finish off the look, I added a coat of OPI DS Shimmer, a holographic polish.
To see a tutorial of this look, click here or on the photos above.
What do you think of this holographic nail look? Would you wear it in the winter?