Glossy Box - December

GlossyBox showed up today and I have to admit I'm pretty happy with it. I'm not sure if it was nicer than usual because it was a Christmas box or if it's always this nice. I'll probably end up giving most of the products to Melia. They're nice, but better suited towards her.
~ ECRU - acacia protein oil
~ Pleats Please - perfume sample (smells nice, just not my favorite notes)
~ Bath and Shower oil - madurai jasmine and mogra scented.
~ White Tea epsom salts
~ Oscar Bland - Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray
~ Zoya - "Storm"... beautiful sparkly black
~ A jewelmint sample which was a pretty gold toned necklace with pretty jewels/pearls (fake).

Anyway, that's that!
It's the last day of Gary's Christmas vacation so we went to see The Hobbit. It was FABULOUS! Now, it's time to cook a delicious salmon dinner and I'll post the recipe if it's as good as it looks. ;)

Beauty Boxes for October

Let me start by saying I was pretty disappointed with all 3 boxes this month but it was easy to pick a winner.

ipsy (formally known as MyGlam) came first. I'm pretty sure this was my favorite out of the month.
First off, it came in this sassy little makeup bag. I usually give these away but I'm keeping this one!
the Balm - mascara
mirenesse - lip bomb lacquer stain
Couture Colour - pequi oil treatement
be a bombshell - eye liner
Coastal Scents - eye shadows
I'm actually looking forward to trying (almost) everything in this months package, especially the stain!

BirchBox was next and I'm usually happy with them but this month was a frackin joke. Seriously.
A Luna bar (that I ate while looking at everything). I like Luna bars but seriously? How is this a beauty product/sample?
Illume - red cedar candle. This smells heavenly. I might order a larger one.
Jouer - Lip Enhance
Kiehl's - Rosa Arctica Eye brightening eye balm
Supergoop - City Sunscreen Serum

Seriously, the only thing in that package that was worth opening was the Luna Bar. /sadface

Beauty Box 5 was last and was "meh"... I'll use maybe 2 of these products and put the rest in a listia auction.
Margania - pure argan oil

City Lips - lip plumper. I'll try this. I already have "big lips" but I am addicted to plumpers!

ShowStoppers - fashion tape

Goat Haus Dairy - lip balm - again. Addicted to lip products. I'll give this a try!

Furlesse - elevens (relaxes your "11's" aka frown lines in a natural way - whatever that means... I don't have that ... yet)

Lash Card - I guess this keeps you from getting mascara everywhere? How about not being a slob? I don't know, I never really have this problem so... meh

So that's it people. 3 boxes of 'meh'... I'll have to rate ipsy the best box of the month and BirchBox a CLEAR loser. 

Meet Toni

So, this is Toni. I was SO excited to order and get this color FINALLY... and it was a real let down. I mean it's a pretty color and all, but WAY more purple than I thought it would be. I don't have a problem with purple, but when I'm expecting a brown and get a purple I get all sad face.
But, I did decide to use it anyway. I chopped my nails off last night and painted them this afternoon, right before a 1.5 hour nap. Yes, I know, I lead a fun filled life. My excuse is that I had knee injections today and I really just wanted to relax this afternoon.

OPI Chip Skip
Julep - Toni
Seche Vite - top coat





ATTENTION FOOD JUNKIES: I haven't stopped posting recipes, I just haven't really tried anything new that I thought was "share worthy". I've been busy lately and sticking to some golden oldies.... well if you wanna call the last 2 months "oldies".. anyway. I'm going to be looking for new stuff over the weekend so be on the lookout!!!

Beauty Boxes for September!

Well, the last box showed up today. While I wasn't blown away by any ONE box, there were products in each one that I'll use or at least pass on to friends who will use them. :)

So, in order of them showing up, we're going to start with MyGlam which is now known as ipsy.

SOHO smudge brush - I'll never use this, I'm pretty set on the brushes that I use.
Jane - sparkle gloss. I will use the hell outta this. If you know me, you know I have a huge lipgloss addiction.
Circus - yet ANOTHER Circus nail polish and this time in a gawd awful purple. The polishes are good and brushes are nice but hello....... some variety would be nice. This is the 4th month in a row!
Mirabella - eye color. I probably won't use this. It's pretty but I use my Beauticontrol eyeshadows and I'm pretty hooked on them.
Carol's Daughter - Split End Sealer. I'll be using THIS the next time I wash and dry my hair. Since I'm growing my hair out, I need all of the help I can get!

Beauty Box 5 showed up next:

H.Wood Beauty - Lip Shine... or bright red lipstick. I have a few that I like but I'm NOT a lipstick person. This will go in Melia's stash. She's the one that can pull it off.
Goat Haus Dairy - bath melts. I'll use this too. I take baths now and then and I'm always looking for good bath products. I'm a lush girl at heart but hey, it's free!
Silk Naturals - eyeshadow... again, nice color but I have my favorites already
Nastassja Skin - Enzyme Facial Peel. I'm going to give this a try this weekend on my beauty night. I heard it's pretty amazing BUT it's pretty pricey so it's nice to be able to try it first. I was happy to see this.
NuMe - Hydro Punch Hydrating Shampoo - They actually gave me enough to be able to wash my hair. Samples are NEVER enough for me. I usually have to pass them on. I don't have one shampoo brand that I like to stick to, in fact I like to rotate them out so that my hair doesn't get build up. I'll use this tonight. PLUS they gave me a $100 off coupon and the shampoo is only $25! I'm going shopping! :D

BirchBox showed up today:

Well, "meh"...
Bvlgari - Mon Jasmin Noir - perfume sample. It kinda smells good and it kinda smells like the Renaissance Festival but not in a sweaty armpit way.
Color Club - custom polish. I'll probably try it because you know ME, I wanna check out the brush and see if I like it, plus it's a nice sheer gold and sometimes that's just what I'm looking for!
Dr Jart+ - Water Fuse Beauty Balm - apparently it's a moisturizer, serum, sunscreen and tint all in one. I use Beauticontrol tinted face lotion though so I'm good. It seems a little dark for me anyway.
Fekkai - Essential Shea Shampoon & Conditioner. OH Fekkai, how I used to love you, then you kinda dumbed down your formula and sold it at Walgreens. It's still pricy, especially for Walgreens, but it's not the same quality it used to be. Their hair gloss is nice though. I do buy that. Regardless, I have way too much hair for the tiny samples they sent. :|
They also included a weird little twistband for you hair... I'll try it when I fast walk tonight.
They also gave me some "brush guards" I guess to slip them over your makeup brushes. Those would be nice for when I travel which is OH SO OFTEN (eye roll).

Well, like I said, none of them blew me away. I didn't hate any of them but Beauty Box 5 had the most samples that I would actually use so THEY WIN for September! :)

Another 2fer..I'm just cheap this week!

This is from 9/9/12, I've just been too busy to update.
I was waiting on this polish to come in from Julep for a long time and it finally showed up. Not that they're slow, I'm just impatient. I've received a LOT of compliments on this color too. It's the first time I've ever used a green and it matches my engagement ring perfectly. It's a keeper.

OPI Chip Skip
Julep - Hoch
Seche Vite - top coat

Ok, the polish that I removed to put on this polish was Essie. Essie is a BITCH to get off. I swear, it takes me like 6 jumbo cotton balls and some freaking muscles. Maybe I'm a wimp but anyway, I have found myself avoiding Essie because of this. Well, I was googling one day and came across this link.
I'm not going to type out everything that I did when you can just go look but let me tell you, I'll NEVER remove my nail polish the "conventional" way again. This looks kinda goofy but takes 5 minutes and it got ESSIE off with NO STRUGGLES! "5 minutes nail polish removal tutorial"

This is what I did last night. I don't normally photograph the right hand. It has nothing to do with the fact that I have a 4 year old skin graft. It's mostly because it's kinda awkward using my left hand to take a picture. Anyway!!

OPI Chip Skip
Essie - Marathin
Seche Vite - top coat

Julep has not let me down!

As the title says, Julep didn't let me down. The ends did wear off a little fast but my nails were LONG and I'm hard on them between cleaning, cooking, typing and texting. I chopped them off last night and repainted a little while ago.

First thing I noticed was that the old Julep color came off my nails like butter. Sometimes, I really have to struggle, even soaking them in remover, just to get the damn polish off!
Julep comes off the nails really well!

OPI Chip Skip
Julep - Claire
Seche Vite top coat

Julep is still running the .01 first month. Use discount code
PENNY.

Birchbox & MyGlam and a new one! - August

My MyGlam showed up first this month. Again, I love their reusable packaging and the cute little makeup bags they use. I might actually keep this one because it's bright and SEE THRU which is fantastic when you see what I shove in the one I keep in my purse. I like to be surprised so I never check the website to see what's coming but someone spilled the beans on me. I saw they were sending another Circus color and I was PRAYING it wouldn't be the white again. I know on my last post I said I'd never use the white but I actually did for my Ombre attempt 2 weeks ago.
So... let's go through the contents of the MyGlam August bag!
Demeter - roll on perfume oil - Dragon fruit scent and it actually smells light and fruity.  Me like!
Eclos - Moisture therapy regenerative cream and cellular activator facial serum. Not sure if I'll try these. I really like my current skin care routine.
S.A.L.T.Y. Cosmetics - Glama-ZOID! Eyeshadow. It's kinda pinkish/violet and will make a good highlighter.
Circus by Andrea's Choice -This time I got the "Ringmaster" color and it's a VERY hot pink. I already have a favorite hot pink so this will probably be a gift for someone. Her colors are nice though and I didn't mind the brushes. Again, you still can't buy this until Fall.
They also included a MyGlam brand of a sparkly pink lipgloss.... you KNOW I love that!

And here is BirchBox. It wasn't bad.

It included:
Schick 5 blade Hydro Silk razor - I'll probably never use it. I use the dollarshaveclub razors. Yeah, that's right, I steal Gary's razors!
Jouer - lip gloss. It came in a really hot pink. I prefer mine tinted and it might be tinted but it looks HOT PINK!
Juicy Couture - perfume sample. Viva la Juicy La Fleur. It actually smells really good. I'm not generally a fan of Juicy so yeah.
Oribe - shampoo and conditioner "for colored hair". I'll save this to send someone or toss in my guest bathroom. I'm kinda hooked on my own shampoo, plus samples are never enough for my freaken mass of hair!
whish - shaving cream. THIS looks interesting. It's organic, foam-free and full of lotion. I get really, dry, ashy legs so if this works then it's something I'll buy!

 This was my first month for Beauty Box 5.  They don't really say why "5" but whatever... these boxes are fun!
This was a trial month with me but they did a good job so I'll keep it up.
Let's go through it!
Blum Naturals - make up removal towelettes. I'll use the crap out of these. I am sure my esthetician won't be happy to hear this but sometimes I JUST DON'T WANT TO WASH MY FACE!
H20 Plus - restoring eye cream. I don't really have fine lines but I do have dark circles. I usually use BeautiControl's dark circles pen but I'll give this a try for sure! My dark circles are bad... and hereditary. <.<
Ferro Cosmetics - sheer crystal veil. I'll be honest. I probably won't use this. I don't wear much makeup or play around with it anymore. I have my set "face" and other than changing an eye shadow color I'm not going to mess around with new stuff. Put that in my "send to someone else" pile.
Ellis Faas -  creamy, milky, glazed lips. FULL SIZED! Full sizes always make me happy. Anyway, I like the coffee color HOWEVER it's one of those tubes where you twist the color up and it comes through the brush... ya know? I know I'll like the color but I'm afraid if I don't like the consistency that I've just wasted a perfectly good product for someone else. I'll think about it. :)
Freeman - anti-stress mask. I just love masks. I do one every week and even talk Gary into it. I'm always on the hunt for a new one to try and they practically tossed 2 weeks worth in my lap! Plus, it's anti-stress... I'm always stressed :D

I don't think I can pick a favorite this week. It's a toss up between MyGlam and Beauty Box 5. I wasn't unhappy with any of them though. All in all, it's been a good samples month.

And here was another boring review by little ole' me. :)

Julep : Trying a new brand!

I was going to wait a few days and post this after I'd given the polish enough time to see how it holds up but I know I'll forget so I'll just update it later.

Meet Rose. She's obviously not a rose color, but Julep names all of their colors (well, so far) girl's names and this one happens to be rose. It's actually a nice red.

If you know me at all, you know I'm addicted to monthly subscription boxes and most especially if they contain beauty products. When I heard about Julep, I knew this was something that I had to try. I did some googling for you and found some discount codes with really good "it works!" percentages.
color2012 - first month should be .01
penny - first month should be .01
welcomemv5 - first month should be $5 and free shipping!
Obviously, try the first 2 first. ;)

So, I'm going to quote directly from their website. Julep.com

Becoming a Julep Maven gives you exclusive access to COLOR. Each month we hand-pick trendsetting new nail colors, cult faves and cutting-edge beauty products that are just right for you. Commitment shy? No problem. YOU decide how often to receive your Julep Maven box, and you can cancel at any time.

I received my first box yesterday and this is what was in it! I'm not sure I'm fond of all of the colors and hopefully I can preview what they're sending each month BEFORE I have to skip or not. I wanted to try one though so I could review it and so I chose the red (Rose).
I love it! I love the brushes, I love how it goes on, and I love the color! I used the same OPI Chip Skip that I always use and finished it with the Seche Vite top coat, like always.
I'm still not sure how it's going to hold up and I'll update in a few days to let you know if it's chipping or wearing off too quickly. I'm hard on my hands so I'll know right away. <.<


If you're a nail polish addict like me, I highly suggest giving it a try for at least a month. With the discount codes it's a deal you can't turn down!

My first "Ombre" attempt...

Well, here is my first attempt at "ombre". I didn't make THAT big of a mess which is surprising. Although I did end up with polish on my lip and I'm still not quite sure how that happened.
I didn't buy a set, I made it myself by starting with my base color and slowly lightening it up with white. I still need to clean up the edges but I'm waiting for it to dry 100%.

Products Used:
O.P.I. - Chip Skip
China Glaze - Liquid Leather
Circus - Reverso
Seche Vite top coat

Tada!

*You can't purchase Circus yet. I got a full sized product in my last MyGlam bag. Any white will do though. :)

I Love Red Polish..

Back when Gary was in boot camp I had a roommate for a short period of time. Her name was Teresa. We had worked together in the past and were pretty good friends. Anyway, we were painting our nails one night and I was giving her grief about never using red since it's such a fantastic color. She explained to me why she didn't use red. She was raised by a Deliverance style, "Christian" mother who was pretty much bonkers. When Teresa was growing up, her mother told her repeatedly that she wasn't allowed to wear red polish because "only whores wear red polish"... I finally talked her into putting some red on her nails and from that day on I've always joked about "whore red". I'm thinking about writing O.P.I or ORLY to see if they'll name a great polish "Whore Red".
That being said today I decided to try out a new red. I'm pretty stinking happy with it. My favorite red is ORLY's Monroe's Red (really annoying auto-start video at that link, but there is a pause button). It's in their permanent collection so it's available.

This week I used:
- O.P.I. Chip Skip *
- O.P.I. An Affair In Red Square
- Seche Vite top coat (as always)

*Originally I thought that Chip Skip was a crappy product. I got it for free when I purchased 2 other O.P.I. colors a few months ago. Anyway, the first time I used it my nails chipped like crazy but then a few weeks later I used that same color again without Chip Skip and it turns out that the polish I was using was just crappy. The brand is great (ORLY) but the polish must have been a bad batch or something. Anyway, I've used Chip Skip since then, and it works wonderfully. I'm really hard on my nails and I almost never have a chip.

Birchbox & MyGlam - July

Birchbox: I don't know if they amped it up because Glamour got involved, but this month's box was pretty good!

1. amika - Obliphica Nourishing Mask (for the hair)
2. amika - Obliphica Hair Treatment (oil for the hair)
3. boscia - B.B Cream SPF 27 PA+++
4. Eyeko - Skinny Liquid Eyeliner (in black)
5. Harvey Prince - Hello (perfume sample and it smells GOOD)
6. Larabar - uber (haven't eaten it and I'm not sure I will, it has bananas in it .. ewww)
7. Earbuds - the cutest neon pink and green earbuds. They'll match the pink on my iPhone perfectly!

Well, this post has been sitting in draft until I received my MyGlam bag and it finally showed up today! One thing that MyGlam has over BB is that they send it in reusable packing and always include a cute and different every time makeup baggie. I use those makeup bags for gift baggies all the time! Oh! One of their items is always a full sized too, where BB sends all sample sizes. Anyway, let's go through this month's package!

1. Juice Beauty - Green Apple Moisturizer
2. Nu.Me - HydroPunch Hydrating Conditioner
3. Yes to Cucumbers - On The Go Facial Towelettes
4. Josie Maran - Magic Marker Lip & Cheek Stain
5. Circus by Andrea's Choice - Nail Color (and mine is "Reverso" (white) and I'll never use it  /sad face)


So, there you have it. Once again, I think I'm picking MyGlam as a winner. I just can't get over the cute little makeup bag, the packaging I can reuse (GO GREEN!) and the full sized product they give me.