June Julep Maven

Oooh, I'm really getting caught up on my posts here! Just a quick one to show you my Julep Maven box I got beginning of June.  I switched from Classic with A Twist to It Girl, so I could get as many of these gorgeous colours as I could.

I got: Sasha, Sandra and Morgan.  It also came with a delicious chapstick that actually tastes like chocolate chip mint!! It smells really good and is very moisturizing!  Two replacement nail brushes, thank goodness because I was one who needed them! 2 pixie sticks that I happily shared with my little ones!

 Here is a better look at the It Girl colours: Sasha, Sandra and Morgan.  All super beautiful colours!

 Then, I decided to add on the two colours from Classic With a Twist, heh.  Claire is the blue one and Lauren is the pink one!

I loved all the colours this month and it was SOOO hard to choose!  I have a sick obsession with their nail polish! :(  It's in a cute bottle, with a cute name and super cute colours!

Hope you're having a nice evening!
~A

BH Cosmetics order from May

I love BH Cosmetics so much that I have a hard time staying away from their site.  I want *everything.*  Generally, I try to keep it down to sale items as I don't want to pay more than the 9.05 shipping.  Once you start to add palettes, it gets REALLY high.  You can get 2 palettes without it affecting the cost of shipping. I picked up a few things during a May sale.  (Really they have a sale almost everyday!)

I got the angled shadow brush for $2.96. 

 I got the contour blending brush for $2.96 as well.

Here is a close-up.  I just used these ones for the first time this weekend and I *love* them. *LOVE* Now, I'm someone who adores her Quo brushes..but I'll cheat.  I plan on stocking up on more brushes during a sale. Totally worth it, beautiful application and very high end feeling.  I didn't have any shedding.

I also picked up Galaxy Chic and Girls Night Out lip glosses for $2.98 each!! Wow!  Now, the reason I *really* got these two colours was because they are the only 2 I didn't have yet and they were an AWESOME price.  I'm not really sure about the top colour though...

I tried to get a better picture of how it looks.  It's somewhere in between the upper picture and this one:

 Next, I picked up a limited edition 40 colour palette in "party girl" for $12.57.

 OOOhhhh look at all the pretty colours.  I'm sure many I'm too chicken to try. ;)

 Here is a close-up of the left side.  On Saturday I wore the pink in the 3rd row down, 3rd colour across.  It was so vivid, and the colour payoff was huge.  Very buildable and vibrant.  That particular pink also has gold sheen in it.  Ohhh it was beautiful!  I fall in love with these colours and then I am scared to run out of the colour!!

 Here is a close-up of the right side.  Would you wear that bright yellow? :)

 A nice representation of the colours:

 Lastly, I picked up the Jenni Rivera 44 colour shadow/blush palette. It is also limited edition and I payed $17.47.  I'm sure I could have got a better price for it...but I *love* this one and have been lusting after it forever.  I would just die if I didn't have it before it was discontinued!

 Look at these colours! They are so wearable!  I tried that navy colour 5th one in on the top row.  It was gorgeous.  I tried it because I didn't think it would be something I could wear, and I learned that it actually suits me SO well!  Now, I'll have to try to find a bigger size!  I love this palette so much that if it gets to 50% off I think I may get a backup.  And, maybe one for a gift!!!

 This is a close-up of the left side. Sorry, it's a bit dark.

A close-up of the right side. Oooh so pretty!  The blushes are fantastic too.  I think every girl should have this palette!

Have you tried BH Cosmetics yet since I've posted about my first haul? :)

I hope you had a nice weekend!
~A

New Shopper's Beauty Boutique Haul!

So, recently I discovered something called a Shopper's Drugmart Beauty Boutique.  This happened by chance and that I only found out 3 days before it opened!  I'm a Property Manager so I sometimes empty out mailboxes of vacant suites...I sort through to make sure there's no mail and toss the junk.  THIS is how I found out about the Beauty Boutique.  I even managed to score TWO $20 off your $75 purchase cards.  There's gotta be SOME perks to a job right? ;)

In any case, they also had some events coming up...and I *love* Shopper's events.  The grand opening one just happened to be a Benefit Event.  I've never tried Benefit Cosmetics, and just barely learned about the product from fellow bloggers.

This is what my Benefit Haul looked like, and I'll get into it a bit more.... I selected a few of my favourites that my Benefit lady used on me..that I just *had* to have! What else I love is that they all have inserts with instructions!

 This was some Quo products I picked up. I love LOVE Quo.  It's a Shopper's own drugstore brand, but really it shouldn't be a drugstore brand.  They should have a Quo counter along with all their high end counters of Stila, Benefit, Smashbox etc.

The first item is Brush Cleaner I got for $6.60 (40% off). The second item is Total Perfection Face Primer I got for $15.00 (I believe the regular price is $23.00). The blush brush was also 40% off and I payed 10.20. Quo brushes are my favourite and I try to pick them up when they're on sale.  I notice they have  a new line of professional brushes that they had marked down as well.  Next time. ;)

First, is the Benefit "Instant Brow Pencil" in medium. "It glides on easily and leaves a natural powder like finish. Comes with a spoolie, in three shades to complement every hair colour." It retails for $25.00. Holy Moly are you kidding me? No!! However, I've never been able to use a pencil and get a nice brow.  THIS is a serious must have, perfect pencil for every girl who doesn't know how to fill in her brows.  It *is* super soft and the spoolie really does make it look natural when you comb it through.  I never thought this would be an essential item for me, EVER. It is.

 Next is the Benefit "High Brow" in linen pink. "This soft highlighting pencil is your instant brow lift! For lovely, younger looking eyes, it's a stroke of genius." It retails for $26.00. Eek, are you keeping a tally here? $51.00 for TWO pencils??! But, again...it was a must have for me.  I was stopped several times by ladies in the store asking me what was on me eyes to make them pop the way they were!  I high tailed it back to get the product..hehe!  Actually, that's when both pencils landed in my bag! I'm in love with this pencil. Where have I been hiding that I've never heard of Benefit?

 This is Benefit "the Pore Fessional." It's a balm to minimize the appearance of pores. It's oil free, lightweight, translucent and silky.  I love this product because it's almost like a cream to powder finish.  It feels super luxurious! It retails for $34.00. You can use it after moisturizer or after makeup application.  It does quite a good job of minimizing pores! In particular the ones between my eyebrows, on the sides of my nose and around my upper lip.  I just love this product! *squeeze*  I'm seeking out a mini sample size one to keep in my purse for touch-ups.

 And for me, the piece d' resistance!  Benefit "Hello Flawless!" Custom Powder Cover-up in Beige. It retails for $42.00.  EEK, I hope my husband doesn't read my blog!!! This stuff does wonders for me.  It takes away the redness from my face and gives me a smooth natural look finish.  To be honest, beige looks dark and I probably would have tried something lighter, if it wasn't for me getting to test the products out.  I would've made a mistake.  I'm fair but this powder was perfect for me!  There's a brush for light coverage and a sponge for more concealer type coverage.  I use the brush all over my face and then dab in the areas I need extra coverage.  I can't live without this product now.  Discontinue it and I will cry, cry,cry!

 This is my beautiful skin with the eyebrow pencil and the high brow underneath.  The High Brow *really* makes my eyes pop. I also have porefessional and hello flawless.  I can't remember the name of the blush off the top of my head, but I'll be looking for that next.

 Skin, looks so pretty and glowy.  Normally, it's pretty blotchy, red, uneven.

 It's a perfect finish, have I convinced you yet to get the powder? You can hardly see the pores in my nose...<3. The giant hole is my nose piercing. Now, if it covered THAT I'd be impressed, lol!

 As a thank you for coming and trying out the products, I received this adorable makeup bag and a sample of Bad Gal Lash.

 I'm dying to try this mascara, but I don't want to open it yet since I just opened a new one.  Benefit's "They're Real" are on my list!

The total of my bill was $123.06.  I saved $19.20 in sales and $40 in promotional coupons.  So this little haul COULD have cost me $182.26.  So, I still saved, right?!?! :)

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed typing it out!  Do you love Benefit?

Sweet Delight Divalicious Sample Box - Summer Edition!

Be forewarned! This post is really picture heavy!  I managed to snag a Spring box from Sweet Delight Divalicious. It sold out in just a little over two hours.  It was sheer luck that I happened upon the announcement on facebook, as I don't normally check in the morning!  What I liked about this box is that there are tons of businesses that are small and what you would find on etsy!  So, you can expect to find a lot of homemade and natural products! I've included TONS of links, so be sure to check them out! You'll get a ton of things from companies you've never heard of and fall in love with!! The box was $26 shipped...amazing deal! This is what my box looked like: 6"x7"x7 1/2":

 Inside it was stuffed to the brim!

Here is everything out of the box..and I went through everything so fast the first time, I missed things!

I'll go over the things that were at the bottom of the box: First is this Gourmet Scented Pencil from Smencils. A Canadian Company. I received an HB #2 pencil in Tropical Blast.  It is QUITE scented, impressive.  What's even more impressive is that it's made from 100% recycled newspapers.  The tube it comes in is made from biodegradable plastic.  They also have pens which are made from recycled plastic.  I think I will use these for  favours at my daughter's next birthday party.  Way better than the cheap junk you normally get in a goody bag, right?!

This is a Rose Hydrating Mist from Awaken My Senses. A Canadian Company. All their products are 100% organic. I read up on it on the site and it's a facial mist.  I wouldn't have known that without looking it up.  There are some neat products on the site.  I'm not sure how much I love the rose mist, because I'm not a huge fan of roses.  It also says not to use this one when you're pregnant.

The next product is a "Bugs Away" body mist in Coconut Lime from Willow Tree Collection. Another Canadian Company! It is highly fragranced. You can definitely smell both the coconut and the lime.  It's a 100% natural product, safe for kids and pets!  I'm going to make  sure to keep this one in my purse or close by if we go camping!  We get a lot of mosquitos in Winnipeg! I should add we also received a 10% off coupon.

Next are some sample packets from John Frieda.  I'm sure many people have heard of their Frizz-Ease line.  This comes with shampoo, conditioner and serum.  For someone who battles frizz, I can say I'm shocked at myself for NEVER trying this product!  So, I'm really looking forward to testing it out!

 Next came a package wrapped in pretty pink tissue! You can see I tore into it. ;)

 This is how the goods were packaged, safe in bubble wrap.

The first item is this SUPER cute charm of peas in a pod from The Curious Cupcake.It's so well made and that little tendril is so precious!  I wish it had 4 beads though, as I have four kids.  It's so super sweet though I'll probably wear it a few times and then give it to my daughter. This charm also included a 10% off in her store.

There's this little package from Biore including a detoxify daily scrub and a refresh daily cleansing cloth.  I didn't know they made products like this.

There was also a sample of the nose strips.  I have had the chance to try them recently and they have changed a lot since the last time I used them...15 years ago!

This is a little wee container of shea butter concealer from Giella. It's extremely creamy and applies similar to a bb cream.  The colour here doesn't really reflect what I got.  It's the 3rd lightest shade they have and it's a really good match for my skin tone.  Apparently, the concept behind the company is creating customized products for YOU and your needs.

These two products came in a teeny little brown paper bag from Abibirem Beauty. The little tub is a moisturizer I gather?  It's made with 100% shea butter.  The interesting thing is it actually smells more like hemp to me.  It's quite solid but applies in a similar fashion to coconut oil.   The lip balm is quite solid but will slightly melt with the warmth of your lips.  I'm not too fond of the smell of it...but it's definitely moisturizing.

Another lip product.  This one is from Tubtown Scents. A Canadian product, yay! I got peppermint and it comes in 15 "flavours."  I haven't opened this one yet, so I can't tell you anything about it...but for some reason I'm really drawn to this product! Lydia House has awesome prices on her site so go check it out!  I'll definitely be having a closer look!

Another lip balm.  This one is really cool from LipZipz. I got "Kiss" a tantalizing berry.  I haven't opened this one yet, but I like it already! You can clip it to anything and it has a string you can pull to use it.  This would be an awesome product for my kids.  They often get chapped lips and I can attach these to their bags! They are $3 each on the website, I haven't checked to see if they ship to Canada.  I hope they do and I hope the cost is reasonable!

The next one is pretty exciting!  It's a Del Sol colour chaning nail polish in Spike.  The top of the lid has a sticker that's purple and it says "outdoor colour."  I'm not too thrilled with this shade of green, but I love purple.  I can't wait to try this out because it's just so different and neat!  Have any of you tried this yet?  It is a shimmer and like most shimmer's it does get streaky.  A good top coat would fix this.  I'm just not sure if this would work with a top coat on it.

The last item in that bundle, were these pretty earrings.  They have swarovski crystals on the bottom.  These were made by Crafty Chris.  She has some neat items in her etsy store. These came with a 5% off entire order tag.

Whew! We're not done yet!!! There was another cellophane bag full of more goodies!! It was packaged up really pretty with ribbons and punched flowers.. this was seriously feeling like Christmas!

A Cow Girl soap cake from Bodylish.  I love how this one is packaged in wax paper and a simple label! It smells REALLY good... woody with patchouli and lavender and other ingredients.  Definitely will be revisiting their site!

Next is a CJ's BUTTer in Sweet Orange EO. It smells AMAZING!!! It's a solid and when you dip your finger in it starts to turn to a liquid, just like coconut oil does.  I looove this stuff.  There was NO information card included with this one and the writing is just way too small for me to read. I did find it by googling the name.  My daughter gets severe excema on her elbows so I can't wait to try this on her in the fall.  If it's as good as it smells I can't wait to get more!

This is Mainely Cole's traditional body butter in "Beanie's Blessings" with chamomile. I haven't opened this one yet, so I can't tell you anything about the scent.  It's a really nice sized sample, but the full size are quite costly!  I can't wait to try it out though.  I always like to repurchase GOOD products if they're worth the money.

Babar Too Co sent a cream.  I'm not exactly sure of the details of this sample whether it's a balm, a lotion or..?  The nice thing is it's made in Canada. Oh, I see it says it's an Omega Moisturizer. *facepalm* The scent is fresh and organic.

Next is an avocado body lotion from California Body Care.  I just LOVE this bottle. It has a matte feel to it.  When this is empty I'm keeping the bottle to add whatever lotion I have on hand for my purse.  The lotion itself smells SOO good.  I'm not exactly sure how to place the smell, but it reminds me of my childhood. This is probably one of my top 5's from this box!  They have some neat products I'll be checking out.

Next is a little packet from Amedaya. A body butter in sweet orange & vanilla.  Can't tell you much about it, except is SOUNDS good. ;) They do have some interesting products on their site, worth checking out! There's a coupon for 20% off, yah!

Next is another little sample packet from Get Fresh. It's a rich body creme in lemongrass....MMM! Love lemongrass.  Again, haven't opened it, so no further details yet! I really like the packaging on their products and their wide variety!

Another little sample packet of body cream from 100% Pure.  This one is green apple scented.  Super neat, you don't see a lot of products apple scented.  It's a 100% vegan product which some people really like.  I'm not fussy.  They have a very pretty site and they are Canadian..yah! For sure check it out! They have a TON of beauty items, from makeup to skincare!

Next is a soap sample from Alegna soap in this really pretty pink! It's another site I wouldn't mind trying out.  This soap smells really nice and it's in "Gwen" flavour.

The next soap I got was from Sugarfoot & Co in Super Shea.  I just love the recycled cardboard packaging. The website is currently under construction, so I can't tell you anything about it. The soap has a nice mild shea scent to it.

The next one is a mini soap in bay rum & lime from Century House Soaperie. I really didn't like this scent at first.  It was really strong/overwhelming. But now that it's been sitting out of the plastic bag for awhile it's toned down and is nice and refreshing.  Not as manly smelling as before.  We'll see how it is once I get it sudsied!  I like that the soaps are wrapped in recycled tissue.  There are some nice soaps on the site.

Next is a hemp hand & body lotion from Hawkestone Soap Company. The scent is white tea & ginger.  Serious love!! It smells fantastic..I love both on their own but together..YUM! It's also Canadian! There are some nice products at reasonable prices on the site!

Last but not least, I received this trio in a pretty black organza bag.  The products come from Plantlife who claim to use only pure, fresh plant based ingredients. I received the lemongrass herbal soap and body lotion. They of course, smell amazing.  I also received a herbal lip balm.  I'm really impressed with the products and the website.  Can't wait to try them out and cruise their site!  They have some really pretty packaging and good pricing.

If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me!! This was a long one and felt like a full time job, but I hope you enjoyed it!  This was a great box that I'm super pleased with.  I hope I can score another in the fall!

Happy Hump Day, it's all down hill from here!
~A