Mail Haul V

Does anyone remember my unofficial, no-buy? I hope not, because it has totally gone out the window. Today it seemed like every courier truck made a stop at my door. It kept on coming when I checked the mail too. I'm not going to deny it though, I love parcel days!

Review: Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Quartz

Cream eyeshadows haven't always been a favourite of mine. They always look so appealing, but you never can be sure if they're going to set or stay creamy and end up being a creasy mess. That said, in the past few years, I've come across a few that I like love, and am quite happy to say that there is one more I can add to that list.

 Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Quartz

 Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Quartz

May Glymm Box... er, Bag

*NOTE: Since originally posting this I received my credit card statement and was credited the money for my last three boxes, but never got any sort of confirmation or apology from Glymm themselves.  If you subscribe be very diligent when you cancel.*

This is usually where I proclaim my love of subscription services, which is still true, for the most part; but I have little love left for Glymm. I decided I was going to cancel and I did, a few months ago, via the comment form on the Glymm website. I got a link to their end survey, which I completed, and figured that was that. N'uh-uh. I keep getting boxes. I figured one was just a lapse on their end, so I contacted them. I never got a reply. Okay, so that's unprofessional, but they must have gotten the hint? Yes? No. Another box, another charge on my credit card.

Today, I spoke with the fine Mastercard folks and learned you can't block someone from taking a payment without cancelling your card and opening a new account. Huh. The fraud squad did inform me, that since I had canceled in writing, I can open a claim to get refunded (which I did) but Glymm can still contest it and it could take months to sort out. Blergh. Oh, and don't bother calling Glymm offices either. It seems no matter what time you call, all their agents are busy and you end up playing phone tag with their recording, or you get disconnected. I'm so not happy with Glymm. If you subscribe, be very diligent when you try to cancel.

New Glymm Bag

Instagram Love II

Essie 'Nice is Nice' topped with China Glaze 'Luxe and Lush' / Sephora haul / Newest guilty pleasure / making a mess

Summoned for scratchums / waste not, want not /  Pringle theft / Summer scents

Swatched: Misa Should I?

Another loner polish swatch, I'm afraid. I'd love to say it's the last of them, but there are still a few more stragglers. This is the first Misa polish I've gotten; it came in one of my subscription boxes (Topbox? I think...) Anyhow, I was excited to try the brand.

Swatched: Orly Space Cadet

Orly's Space Cadet has been around the block a few times the ol' blog-o-sphere since it's Fall 2010 release, but I had never felt it was one I needed in my collection. But, I opted to give it a try the last time I stocked up on polish, and it was definitely worth while.

Sephora Haul

I'm on an unofficial no-buy. I just made it a bit more official by making that public... but still. I am not going to set definite rules, as I'll only be setting myself up for failure, but I am trying my darndest not to buy. I'm allowing myself the following wiggles: if it is something on super sale, like waaay to good to pass up or if it is something I truly need.This haul is my last for a while, and I think I made some pretty good choices.

Philosophy Black Cherry Italian Soda Body Lotion and Shower Gel

Usually I don't jump at the newest Philosophy offerings, even though they always seem so tempting, but when I read that one of the new scents was going to be black cherry I knew I had to have it. It smells amazing! It's got a burst of the sweet, but deep cherry scent with a hint of an almost root-beer like spice. So good.

Smashbox Haul

Have you ever tried to shop when you really didn't want anything? As much as I do love a good shop, it's ridiculous when you don't know what you want. I know, you're thinking "Why bother then?" I wanted my Birthday freebie from Smashbox. That's why. Was it worth it? Err... maybe?

Swatched: OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls & Just Spotted the Lizard

I almost forgot about these... oops. They came in last week and I eagerly swatched them and they had their little photo shoot. I uploaded the photos and then... well, I sat on them. These polishes are from OPI's newest collection, The Amazing Spider-Man. As you can see, I opted not to go for the collection in it's entirety, as I wasn't super into most of what they had up for offer and I couldn't care less about Spider-Man. I've seen this collection labeled as being OPI's Summer collection... really? Between this collection and the Mini Mouse polishes (which seemed rather uninspired, as much as I wanted to like them) OPI seems to need a little more inspiration. There were however two polishes that I was curious about: My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Just Spotted the Lizard.

*Closed* Swatched/Giveaway: Mark Nailed it Mini Lacquers Tickled Pink & Violet Haze

Is it Spring yet? I suppose it is, there is no snow, things are beginning to look greener... it just doesn't feel very Spring-y yet. While the weather hasn't quite inspired me to Spring-ish, I have started injecting my wardrobe and the like with Spring colours.

Tickled Pink

April Glossy Box

Subscription services... I love 'em. I've said it way too many times, but I do. I'll admit that I've reached my fill of them, and have canceled my membership with them. Well, most of them. Glossy Box* is the newest one available in Canada, and of course I had to try it.

I signed up in January as soon as the Canadian website was up. I was excited about it, but eventually forgot about it.... until I had a charge on my credit card and realized it was almost March and I hadn't received anything. No package, and not even an email. Long and short of it was that there was a typo in my file and my email address was input wrong, so I didn't get notice of the delay in shipping. I recived my first box last month, but didn't get around to posting it. It was quite a nice selection, btw.

Swatched: Nubar Black and White Polka Dots

Sometimes I'm super on top of new polishes and can't wait for their release, other times they kind of just sneak up on me. Nubar's Polka Dots were the later. I saw a NOTD that featured Black Polka Dots and was intrigued by the idea of black glitter. I jotted down a note to check it out. I found it and it's White Polka Dot pal, and decided to order it them whenever I placed another polish order. Fast forward a few weeks and it was sold out. Seems like everyone was jumping on the polka dot train. I can't say that I blame them.

Nubar Black Polka Dots over OPI Steady as She Rose

Too Faced 'The Naked Look' 500 Point Sephora Perk

I made a Sephora order not that long ago, and was super excited when I got to the checkout. Why? Because they finally had an awesome 500 point reward. I rolled over to 500 points some time ago but there hasn't really been any good swag to redeem for. Well, consider the dry spell over! Let's take a peek at Too Faced "The Naked Look"  mini palette:

Front 

Back

Review: Avon Big Colour Glossy Lip Pencils

The pencil... it seems like pretty much any product you can think of has been pencil-ified. And why not really? What is more convenient than a condensed, portable stick of product? Exactly. The newest kids on the pencil block come from the fine people at Avon. The Avon Big Colour line previously only consisted of their Big Colour Eye Pencils (which aren't that great) so I was a bit apprehensive about giving these a try, but I threw caution to the wind and decided to try a few shades anyway. For about $4 a piece, it was easy to be adventurous.

Swatched: Sally Hansen Gem Crush in 'Big Money'

Glitter is a girl's worst enemy. Glitter nail polish. It's a bitch and a half to remove, but it is so tempting, and so... glittery. The most recent glitter to pass my path is from Sally Hansen's Gem Crush collection: Big Money.

Review: MAC Full of Joy

Recently MAC introduced a few new collections, one of which being Tres Cheek, a collection of six blush powders.

"Everyone loves when you blush. Fashioning your choices: A new sextet of M·A·C blush powders. Go hip in bright red-orange, or add a glorious touch of peach, pink or lavender – each shade staying as bright and un-beige on the skin as it is in the palette. With a formula that’s seamlessly sheer and unabashedly buildable, what do you get? a look that says Tres Cheek." -MAC Press Release

I initially passed on the collection as I have a pretty solid blush collection, and obviously, only one face. How much blush does one girl need? I happened to happen upon a swatch of Full of Joy on Instagram and knew it would have to be mine.

Swatched: Sally Hansen Smooth & Perfect in Sorbet

I don't know exactly how I do it, but I have the gift of always being able to spot a new nail polish colour that would be perfect for my collection. It's a gift really. On one of my latest Wal Mart excursions I spotted a new range of Sally Hansen polishes.

The Smooth and Perfect Color + Care line is made up of '8 barely there shades' and claims to 'allow 20% more oxygen to reach nails'.

"This breakthrough nail color hides ridges and imperfections with a breathable porcelain-smooth finish. Enhanced with ginseng, camelia oil and lotus to promote stronger, healthier nails."- Sally Hansen product webpage

April 2012 Faves

So, I had to try typing '2012' about six times. I kept typing 2013... is that some sort of sign? Maybe? Whatever. After a few months of being a very irresponsible blogger I have my April faves.

A few of these are items I'm trying to finish off, but ended up liking more than I had figured, and a few are items I've been using for months, but never got around to featuring.

Sally Hansen Salon Strength Nail Polish Remover
This was one of those necessities purchase that you just grab. Nail polish remover is nail polish remover right? Well, yes and no. This bad boy is formulated with a higher acetone percentage and removes polish like nobody's business. I have pure acetone to clean up manicures and remove glitters since nail polish remover isn't always strong enough to get the job done, but this stuff is great and really gets through tough to remove polish.

Philosophy Classic Fudge Cake Shower Gel
I bought this last April (for my birthday) and am only now getting to around to proclaiming my love for it. The bottle is huge and you only need a little bit, so this is going to last me FORever, but especially because I keep changing it out and trying other things. The scent of this is amazing; it's like bathing with brownie batter... really light, foamy brownie batter. I've already started a collection of Philosophy shower gels and have an Apricots and Cream stashed away and just ordered the Cherry Italian Soda (for this year's birthday.)

Bioderma Ceraline H20 Micellar Solution
I've had this for a while now, and have been using it sparingly because I didn't have a reliable source to purchase it from. Now that my local drugstore is going to start carrying it and Murale is online I am covered. I can now use this as freely as I like. This micellar is fabulous for not only cleansing skin and removing face makeup but it melts off eye makeup as well. I love how easily it gets through mascara and doesn't require any tugging or rubbing.

Avon Foot Works Sugar Lime Mojito Cooling Foot Lotion
This on my 'use it up list' as it is just an okay product. I admittedly, bought it because I was intrigued by the scent. Unfortunately the scent is really the only thing it has going for it. This is super light and doesn't really provide much in terms of moisturizing and it contains alcohol (to provide the cooling effect) that said, it does feel nice and smells divine.


Marcelle BB Cream in Light to Medium
Review here. I was just so-so about this at first, but I started using on my 'no makeup makeup' days and before I knew it was quite fond of it. It isn't really anything like other BB creams I've used and is more like a tinted moisturizer, but I do like it.

Avon Solutions Maximum Moisture Eye Cream
I found this during a cleaning sweep and was a bit embarrassed... I have no memory of buying it and it was still new in the box *eek*. I'm not usually one to buy eye cream, but I am not getting any younger and figure I should include it in my skin care routine. This one is just a cheapie, but works quite well. It absorbs quickly, isn't too heavy or greasy and gives a good dose of moisture and a little dab goes a long way.

Revlon Tutti Frutti Lip Butter, MAC Prim & Proper Blush, Marcelle BB Cream in Light to Medium

Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti
With the Pantone colour of the year being Tangerine Tango, orange hued everything is, well, everywhere. While I already have a bunch of these lip butters, I couldn't help getting Tutti Frutti as well. It's a great introduction to the orange craze as it can be worn sheer or layered for more of a pop. The tone is also really wearable as it isn't too bright.


MAC Prim & Proper Blush
I've been collecting highlighters like a crazy woman, and that leads to using them as well (go figure). I've found that I've come to really like a neutral blush and it happens to look quite nice topped with a bit of highlighter. Prim & Proper is a dusty nude shade with just a hint of pink.

Foundation Sponge
This is not a Beauty Blender. I just couldn't see the point of spending almost $30 on a little piece of foam that I probably would end up hating. This is a no-name $0.99 version I got on Ebay. I got it months ago, but never used it. I stuck it my brush bucket, where it got shoved down between handles and annoyed me endlessly. I figured I'd better try it, before I ended up just chucking it. I was a skeptic, but I really like it. I spray it with face mist before I use it then blend away. I really like the pointed end for concealer as it gives a really natural finish.

 

Nubar Diamont Seal & Shine Topcoat
I wasn't looking for a new topcoat, as Seche Vite is great (and I have at least 6 bottles to use... it was on sale, okay?) but this came with the Polka Dots set that I recently picked up (they had sold out of the singles.) I had heard that the formula had been changed on this and a lot of the die hard fans didn't like it anymore so I had never tried it. It doesn't dry as fast as Seche Vite, but it is still much faster than any other topcoat and leaves a gorgeous glossy shine. It also is way less prone to shrinkage than Seche, which is a definate plus.

Kerastase Elixir Ultime
I have WAY too many samples and have set out to use them. I've put a bunch in a spot that I will see everyday and have vowed to use at least one a day. If I don't see stuff I won't use it. This is one of about 20 hair oil samples that I have. I'm nervous about hair oils as I worry I'll use too much and have greasy hair and ugh. I decided to buck up and just try one. Kerastase was the smallest sample so I went with it first. I applied it to damp hair and went about my business. I was amazed, hours later when I brushed my hair, at how amazingly soft and manageable my hair was. It isn't normally terrible (my hair that is) but this took away the slight fluffy almost frizz that I sometimes get and made my hair glowy and wow. Unfortunately the full size of this is a crazy price at $50 and there is most likely something that works just as well for a fraction of the price. Regardless, I will enjoy using this up.

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil
This was a little add in to one of the QVC Tarte bundles. I hadn't used it because, like hair oils, I was nervous about dousing my face with oil. I know that there are oils that can do wonders for dry skin, so I threw caution to wind and gave this a try. LOVE. I've been using this every other night and my skin has never felt so soft. This oil isn't heavy, and absorbs quite quickly. While this is just a mini bottle, it is lasting a very long time and a little bit goes a long way.

Did you have any faves this past month? What where they?

Swatched: Sinful Colours Cinderella

This shade has been around a fair bit, but I wasn't that into it. Or so I thought. This shade isn't super unique, but the more I saw it the more I thought it wouldn't be too bad to have in the ol' stash.

Sinful Colours aren't readily avilable near me. There is one store with a display, but it never seems to change. With my chances of seeing Cinderella in store being quite slim, I opted to so a little online sleuthing. I was able to snag a bottle for about $5 said and done from a seller on ebay.

Cinderella is a pale blue that is packed with gold and pink duo chrome like micro shimmer. While the final results are quite pretty, the destination is a bit of a bummer. The formula of this shade is super thin and can be a bit fickle to work with. I needed four coats (five on some nails) to reach full opacity and to avoid dragging and clumping it was essential to let the coats dry quite well between.

While this is a bit more time consuming to apply than I would have liked, the glowing shimmer makes it worth while in the end. Have you tried this shade? What did you think?

Recent Empties

I think that there are probably a lot of people like myself, who find they have a nice stash of products to dive into, but also have a boat load of of half loved, half used products just sitting around in limbo. I decided that before I got to using newer products I had to finish up the stragglers.

Now, I must say I thought that I was pretty good at not jumping around from product to product without finishing things... turns out I'm just really good at hiding the evidence. I was rooting around in my cabinets under the bathroom sink and found way too many half used abandonees. I straight up ditched/ gave away the items I hated (no need to suffer) and got to finishing the others. There is something so uplifting about an empty product. I don't know if it's the satisfaction of knowing you finished it, or the prospect of getting to start into something new.

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser
I used this in the shower because it was light and rinsed off quickly. It was just average, and left my skin feeling a bit tight. I probably wouldn't buy this again.

Arm & Hammer Sensitive Enamel Protection Toothpaste
I have an issue with toothpaste... I must subconciosuly have a fear of running out, because I realized I have three new tubes in my bathroom drawer and a few more stashed away under the sink. I initially hated the taste/texture of this toothpaste as it is a bit baking-soda-ish but is whitens like  no tomorrow and you get used to the taste. Double plus it is super inexpensive and leaves your teeth feeling super clean.

Ideal Quilted Cotton Pads
These are terrible... I go through a lot of cotton rounds and have come to like a certain style. I found these tucked away and thought I'd better finish them. They leave stringy cotton bits all over the place and disintegrate before you're done with them. I wouldn't repurchase.

Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream
Review here. I went through phases of love and hate with this. Overall, it's okay. I wish it didn't have alcohol in it, but none the less I can't see myself purchasing it again.

 

Quo Nail Polish Remover Pump

Not empty in the photo I know... by the time I got to this post I had already refilled the container with new polish remover. The Quo remover that came in the bottle was okay, just your basic polish remover, but the pump bottle is fantastic! I'd buy it again just for the bottle. Actually, I already did, to store my pure acetone.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover
I love this stuff! I think this is my third or fourth bottle. I've been using micellar water (Bioderma Ceraline) as my main remover, but I'd still buy another bottle of this to have on hand.


Yves Rocher Fruity Jelly Hair and Body Wash
This is a mate to the Fruity Water perfume that came out last summer... perhaps the summer before that. It has a light, fresh and fruity scent and a light texture that was perfect for those "It's so hot, I've had six showers today" type days and did a great job on hair as well. I'm not certain if it's still avilable, but I do have another full bottle to use (eventually.)

Body Shop Body Butters in Coconut and Strawberry (50 ml mini tub)
I love that the body shop offers their body butters in smaller tubs now. It gives indecisive folks, like myself, the opportunity to try every scent. Coconut is one of my all time faves and I won't make the mistake of bothering with the small pot again ( it was gone way too fast) but I did learn I don't care too much for the strawberry (not all that moisturizing.)

Elizabeth Grant Advanced Cellular Age Defense Day Serum
This was just a deluxe sample, and it seemed like it was a useless product for me, but I finished it up anyway. If it did any good, I can't tell. I would not purchase the full size.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light-Medium
I think this is the third compact I've finished of this and I will for sure be ordering a fourth. It is a great setting powder and works amazingly well over BB creams and tinted moisturizer.

Aveeno Colour Preserving Shampoo
I was on the par to finish up the conditioner as well, but I really didn't like it. I didn't care for either product but there was just way too much conditioner compared to shampoo. This left my hair lifeless and not as clean as I would have liked. I can't deal with not clean hair and won't be using any Aveeno hair products anytime soon.

Bath and Body Works Fresh Picked Strawberries Hand Soap
I LOVE B&BW hand soaps. I know, hand soap is hand soap, but these smell so good. After trying one I was hooked and have stuck with it since. I buy 6 or 7 at a time (whatever the deal is) and always try the new scents. My current scent is the fresh picked cherries... amazing. I will continue to buy these as long as they make them. 


Ojon Revitalizing Mist
While I love the look of well coiffed hair, I am super lazy when it comes to mine. I suck at styling and rarely even blow dry it, so a lot of products just aren't right for me. They need to make more products that preform for us ladies that don't live by our blow driers. I like this spray because it was a multi-tasker and conditioned and detangled. I got it in a mixed bag of products so I don't even know how much it costs or where to get it, but I can (and will) live without.

Avon Clearskin Blemish Clearing Spot Treatment
This is just your average 2.0% salicylic acid gel. Nothing all that great but it did work a bit. I tend to get cystic blemishes, so I've moved onto bigger and better products, but this was useful for the odd small blemish.

What have you finished lately?