Tuesday, September 18, 2012

August Glossybox

This month Glossybox was even later than usual.  I didn't actually receive my box until the first week of September!  As usual..here is the pretty box that it comes in.  I just love their boxes because they're so luxe looking. This month was nice and packed!

The first item is Potion 9 Lite by Sebastian. It is a treatment styler that conditions, restores and enhances manageable styling.  I'm not exactly sure what this product is for...but it says to spray in damp hair for soft waves or defined curls.  Or blowdry for straight hair. Hmm..

Full size is 150mL retailing for $20.95.  Sample size is $6.98 for 50mL.

The next item is Biore Make Up Removing Towelettes.  The towelettes claim that they can even remove waterproof mascara.  I can't wait to try these but I think that buying a bottle of makeup remover and using a cotton pad is still a more economical way to remove makeup.

Full size is 10ct/$3.99 or 30ct/$9.99 or 60ct/$14.99.  This one is a 10ct valued at $3.99.

The next item is a lipstick by Kryolan made for Glossybox.  Truth be told I haven't even heard of the brand.  I like that they had a lipstick made for them.  It's actually a really pretty nude pink shade called Glossy Pink. I think that this colour would suit all skin tones.

No size/price information.  It's a Special Edition for Glossybox members.

Here is a closeup:

We also received a Kryolan lipstick.  It includes Vitamin E the help stimulate the skin's repair mechanism for soft lips.  I don't know a thing about this brand at all.. I'll have to do a bit of research.  I don't really like their logo..it reminds me of those creepy ceramic face masks. :P  There is no colour name on it.

Full size is 4gr for $16.99.  The product we received is full size.

This is the colour I received.  I'm really into red lipstick right now... but I think it takes a certain shade for everyone. I haven't tried this one yet and I'm worried it may be a bit bold for me.  I think sending out red lipsticks is a bit tricky.

Next was a Befine box of sample packets.  I thought this was a really neat idea!  Instead of 1 or 2 little samples...we got 5 10mL packets.  I'm super excited to try all these out.  They came with a 20% off coupon. These 2 are Single Serve Night Cream with cocoa, millet and rice bran and Single Serve Pore Refining Treatment Scrub with coconut, jojoba & citrus.

The other 3 are Single Serve Gentle Cleanser with sugar, mint, oats & rice, Single Serve Warming Clay Mask with cardamom, arnica and pomegranate and finally Single Serve Exfoliating Cleanser with brown sugar, sweet almond & oats.  What a fabulous variety to try!!

Full size is $24-$30 for 50-150mL.  I can't really price these but let's say they're all the lowest price and there's a little over 50mL.  So technically we can say this is valued at $24.

Next was a gift certificate from Trend Trunk.  I've never heard of it. Have you?

Inside was the card with a pin number.  You can get a value of up to $250.  I haven't heard if anyone has got that jackpot.  Mine was only valued at $5.  If anyone out there uses this site as I probably won't you're welcome to have it.  Just let me know.
 
Finally, a Blister pad.  It's a good thing to have in your purse just in case.  I've gotten blisters and then be trapped somewhere where the blister gets worse and it gets painful to walk.  However, that hasn't happened in a long time.  I'll just throw it in my purse just in case..maybe even one of my kids may need it.  I think it's kind of neat that they include a little wheel that tells you your shoe size in different parts of the world.  A great tool if you like to shop online.

Full size is 5 units for $5.99.  They said this is a full size item but there is only 1 in here.  So the value is $1.20.

This was my box this month.  I thought it was relatively good.  The approximate value is $68.16.  I gave the Glossybox lipstick a value of $10.00 considering it was made by Kryolan and their other lipstick is valued at $17.00.  I think we all pretty much received the same box for August.

There you have it!  I haven't received ANY of my September boxes yet...have any of you heard what's going on?  This week I will finally post my long awaited FALL LUXE BOX and a new to me subscription!

Have a lovely day!
XO
~A

Friday, September 14, 2012

August Starlooks Box

Hey ladies, I just wanted to share with you the August Starlooks box.  Are you getting one yet?  If not check out the link to the right under "My Subscriptions."  It's a little bit different than other sample boxes in that you don't get samples.  You receive full size items for Starlooks, which is it's own cosmetic brand.  I believe the subscription is $15 US a month.

This month was a signature box by Lauren Bradley.  It was a little bigger than last month.  Lauren Bradley is a designer that's designed for people like Heidi Klum, Regina Spektor and Chris Martin.

Inside there was this envelope that was wrapped in gold string and stamped with a wax seal.

Oooh..isn't that pretty.  I was curious as to what was inside.

A photograph of Lauren Bradley... this kinda umm took me by surprise.

Ohh look a designer to the stars signed it.  That's kind of neat, right?

The first item was a bit controversial.  It's a pointed slant eyeliner brush.  Personally, I'm super happy to get this!  I looove eyeliner brushes.  They make anyone an expert!  It's described as an ultra fine, precise, liner brush that creates the most perfect line for the top of the eyelid..  It is 100% synthetic, Japanese, Nylon hair. Retail value is $15.

I love that they print right on the brush what the brush is.  Sometimes when you have a ton of brushes it's hard to tell!

I hope you can tell from this picture how nice and angled the bristles are.  They are incredibly soft.

The next item was in this box: Hmm...what could it be!

Oooh, an infinity liner to go with the brush! Yay!!! I love gel liners.  They are my favourite kind.  The colour is sculpture. It looks a bit bronzey in this picture, but it's actually a dark grey with gold flecks.  It gives it almost an olive appearance. Starlooks describes the colour as illuminating, creamy, youthful, smokey, neutral charcoal. I can't wait to try it!! Retail value is $9.

I put it in my hand, so you can see it's a nice size!

As you can see there is quite a bit of product in there.

Finally, was a lipgloss.  Which is one of my favourite products.

As you can see on the side of the packaging, all their packaging is made from recycled paper and their products are cruelty free.

This is the lipgloss inside.  At first glance it looks pretty bold. It's a pink with purpley shimmer inside. The colour is pink petal rose. They compare the feel of it to Chanel.  I don't know what Chanel gloss feels like but this is a non sticky creamy formula.  I really like it.  It's a sheer raspberry pink colour.  It has a bit of pearl and a glassy shiny finish.  The only downside for me, is I find I need to use a lot of product and/or the tube limits how much you can take out at one time. Retail value is $11.

It's got the standard doe foot applicator.  Hopefully, you can see this is a really pretty colour.

This is the whole box. Retail value $35 for the box. A rather large box for the product, but maybe because they wanted to fit the autograph in there.  As you can see in the top left, there is a crystal...which is a signature in their boxes.

There you have it! I really enjoyed this box!  What do you think?

Have a lovely weekend!! I promise the draw is coming soon!!! :)

XO
~A

Monday, September 10, 2012

REVIEW: Deborah Lippmann - The Stripper To Go

***PRODUCT WAS PROVIDED FOR REVIEW.  MY OPINIONS ARE MY OWN AND ALWAYS 100% HONEST***

I was contacted by Rachael from Nail Polish Canada to review Deborah Lippman's Stripper to Go. As a company that has provided a product for my review I'll be adding them to my sidebar on the right under "PB Loves."  NPC is a great Canadian company that sells many brands of polish and accessories.  They offer free Canadian shipping when you order $25 or more.

The packets look like this. Like most nail polish remover pads.  At this point I was expecting some kind of glove that would go over my hand! I really didn't know what to expect!  6 packets retail for $12, so it's a pricey product.  This may not be economical for someone who changes their polish on a daily basis. But, if you know Deborah Lippmann, you know her products are spendy!

The product does have a strong scent. The product is toluene, DBP and formaldehyde free.  Notice it does have acetone in it.

This is what I tested it on.  Maybelline Colour Show in Audacious Asphalt and Essence Movie Star 35 (Dark Grey).  This was after 4 days of wear.

On my left hand, I added glitter to the top two thirds of my nails.  A really super chunky glitter by China Glaze called Blonde Bombshell.

When I opened the package, I noticed it was more of a finger mitt rather than an actual mitt.  It's really thick and drenched in remover.  I was skeptical because I've tried pads that were 2 inch square that only worked on one hand.

So, you can put it on your index finger like so and rub your polish off one by one. I did it a little different.  I stuck each finger in and swiped out instead of wearing it on one finger to do all my nails.

This is the result I got from putting the mitt on, adding a little bit of pressure and pulling it off.

When I put the mitt back on and gave it a couple of rubs,  my finger came out naked!!! I followed with the rest of my fingers and it was quick and effortless.  I had only used one side of the mitt at this point and it was starting to get dry...but not dried out.

So, then I turned my attention to the glitter and used the opposite side of the pad.  With the glitter, I held it down for about 10 seconds and gently rubbed on the nail as I pulled the mitt off.  This was the result... tooth cringing strands of fabric stuck to my nail!! If you like scary things than click on the image. ;)

I plodded on...and as you can see the mitt quickly took off all areas where there was JUST the polish.  The result being that it doesn't work very well on coarse glitter.  It definitely does take off all 10 nails of polish which is awesome!

I give it a 4/5 star rating.  The reason is that it does what it intends by taking polish off all 10 nails.  With acetone I expected it to work a little harder on the glitter.  The product is quite pricey for getting 6 uses out of a package.  But, if you are someone who only polishes once in a while these would be a good buy for you.

The other nice thing I need to mention about this nail polish remover is that it doesn't leave your nails and cuticles looking dried out.  As a matter of fact it improved the appearance of my nails where I had previously used a different polish remover.  So definitely two thumbs up for that!

I hope you enjoyed this review.  If you've tried this product let me know what you think.  If you haven't, would you?

Have a great night ladies!! The first 5 days after the weekend are the roughest!

XO
~A

Sunday, September 9, 2012

August Beauty Box 5

Hi Ladies!!  This is an exciting post.  This month's Beauty Box 5 was AMAZING.  It seems that all of the Canadian Beauty's received an identical box.  This leads me to believe, they want to cancel Canadian services or increase our prices due to shipping.  I hope I'm just being paranoid...but seriously, we got an awesome box!

Here is the box...Tiffany blue.  The smallest of all packages, but crammed tight!

First, Blum Naturals Makeup Remover Towelettes. It's nice that they're listening and including more when they are little sample packets.  These towelettes actually have a nice heft to them... they seem large/thick. This is a natural product, which is cool...we'll see how natural makeup removers holdup!

Full size is $3.99 for a 10 pack.  Sample size is 3 towelettes valued at $1.20.

Next, is a blinc eyeliner.  I think this may have come in a previous box, but that's okay. I also picked up a full size one at the Glymm sale...without even testing... *sigh* I hope it's decent!  I think the concept of the product is neat.  It can only be removed by combining water and pressure.

Full size is $26 for .21 oz.  Sample size is .02 oz valued at $2.48.

Next is a Ferro Cosmetics Veil.  I've never tried a veil, so I'm super excited to try it. It's meant for illuminating the skin. It's a white powder and it's intended to be used over your foundation or mixed with your moisturizer for a dewy soft finish without shimmer or glitter.

Full size is $19 for .14 oz.  Sample size is ? I'm not even going to guess.  It's not very big.

If you click on the picture you can read the info here.  Paraben/Cruelty/Chemical Free!

Next is H2O+ Marine Calm Restorative Eye Cream.  It helps diminish dark circles, smoothes and protects.  I'm looking forward to trying this product...I have notorious black circles and have yet found anything to wow me.  I'm super excited they sent me two...I know that not everyone did.

Full size is $32 for .5fl oz. Sample size is .13fl oz. I received 2 for a value of almost $16.

Finally, the most shocking part!  I received 2 Eliis Faas Creamy Lip Glaze. My first thought was that I got two different products...such as a mascara and a liner or something.  I wasn't sure what the product was at first.  Then, when I saw it was a lip colour, I thought maybe they were two colours.  But, alas they were the same.  So, I immediately thought this was a mistake.  I searched for other reviews of the August box and concluded it was a mistake...until I saw Jayne at Cosmetic Proof also recieved a double..and upon further inspection..most Canadians did.  Should we be worried Canadian gals?

This is a full size product valued at $35 for .95 oz. X2 = $70!

Look at the cool packaging..it looks like a bullet.  My sister laughed and said it looked like something else... :P

I couldn't get a great picture of the colour. It doesn't look this butterscotchy, it's more of a neutral colour.

The tip is something like I've never seen before.  It's a thick piece of velvety like foam.  You click the pen to dispense the product, which I haven't done yet.

This is my whole box!! Wow!!! Total value: $93!! (approximate)  That's insane! I totally loved this box.  I know this isn't the norm...so I can't expect the same next month...but it sure was a treat.  I pay $12 US for this box, I believe.

Did you get one? What did you think?  What are you looking forward to trying?

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

XO
~A