June Glossybox 2013

My second Glossybox is here and I can't wait to share it with you.  I absolutely hated my last Glossybox and was worried they'd continue to be blah.

The June Glossybox is an American Beauty box that was collaborated on with Dallas Shaw.  Who is Dallas Shaw you ask?  Dallas is a fashion and beauty illustrator who collaborates with brands and fashion designers.  The illustration on the top of this Glossybox was designed by her and shows the quintessential Glossy Girl with her Glossybox in tow.

Glossybox always includes a Glossybox Mag in it that covers beauty items and goes with the boxes theme.  

Inside everything is wrapped up along with a Dallas Shaw illustrated card detailing my products.  

Tada!  Look at all these beauties.

My items in this box were a Tarte Complexion Brightening Lipstick in Light, C. Booth Honey Almond Nourishing Dry Oil Mist, the Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries fragrance set including all six samplers of scents, Sparitual Nail Polish in Spice of Life and Philip B African Shea Butter Gentle & Conditioning Shampoo.  They must have read my blog review last week when I was bumed about getting throw away foil samples because there are none to be seen here!  Overall I was pretty jazzed opening up this box.  I was prepared for the worst.  

C. Booth Honey Almond Nourishing Dry Oil Mist: $4.00 travel size (2 fl oz) 

This oil mist is described as a dry oil that will moisturize and give you a natural glow without getting you all oil slicked.  I absolutely love the scent of this stuff.  It is sweet and natural without crossing the border into making me smell like a fresh baked cookie.  The oil does give your skin a sheen and natural glow but it is light.  This would actually be great to take to the beach for anywhere you want to draw attention and moisturize.  This mist brought out more of my skin tone so I didn't look so incredibly pale.    I threw this into my carry around makeup bag so I can pull it out whenever I need a spritz.  

Philip B African Shea Butter Gentle & Conditioning Shampoo: $8.00 travel size (2 fl oz)

This shampoo is a moisture restoring formula that is fragrance free.  Many of Philip B products have fragrances, I just drew a fragrance free one in this box. :(  What is the point of a fragrance free shampoo!? I've never even heard of such a thing.  I tried the shampoo out but really missed my hair smelling nice.  

Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries: deluxe sampler set of all six scents

This addition in this months Glossybox is absolutely genius.  The Oscar de la Renta baggie is incredibly soft and well made.  It has two Oscar de la Renta charms on the draw strings.  All six scents included in the Essential Luxuries collection are here.  They include Mi Corazon, Granada, Coralina, Oriental Lace, Santo Domingo and Sargasso.  Now, I am super picky about my scents.  I have smelled 100 and more sample scents and have only ever liked Vera Wangs Princess.  In this set of six I like Mi Corazon, Granada, Oriental Lace and Sargasso!  Unheard of for me.  Coralina and Santo Domingo are nice scents too they're just not me.  Mi Corazon is scented as a white floral bouquet with tuberose, ylang-ylang and a touch of peach.  Granada is scented with jasmine petals, bitter orange and exotic roses.  Oriental Lace smells of hoya carnosa flower with hints of honey and almond as well as dark cacao and patchouli.  Sargasso is a light scent of citrus, cucumber and patchouli that just rings the bell for a spring and summer scent.  Coralina has notes of mimosa, violet and orris as well as some mysterious woody green notes.   Finally Santo Domingo focuses on mandarin and coriander with hints of tobacco, patchouli and spices.  Each of these scents retail for $150 for a full size 3.4 fl oz.  This pack makes me want all of them.

Tarte Complexion Brightening Lipstick in Light: $14.50 full size

The Tarte Complexion Brightening Lipstick is very unique.  I've really never seen a lipstick like it.  The outside of the bullet is a creamy nude with the inside being a sheer bright pink.  On the lips it applies a bit streaky because the colors are not blended.  Once you roll your lips the colors mix with the sheer pink tinting the creamy more opaque nude.  As a lipstick this kind of dropped the ball.  This Brightening Lipstick does not last at all, not more than an hour for me.  It was very moisturizing while it lasted.  I do light the shade on my skin tone very much.  Pink nudes always look great with my pale skin and darker hair.  

Sparitual Nail Polish in Spice of Life: $12 full size

Nail polish!  Woohoo!  I get so excited when I get polish in subscription boxes.  This is Sparitual Spice of Life.  This months Glossybox was supposed to include a Bondi nail polish shade but something happened at the last minute causing them to switch it from Bondi to Sparitual and even causing a delay in shipping by a few weeks.  The Glossybox Mag even has a spread devoted to Bondi polish still.  Veryyyy curious.  Anyway, this shade is beautiful.  It reminds me of Chanel Malice.  It is a deep reddish maroon with tiny shimmers throughout.  

I really wasn't sure how to price the Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries sampler pack so besides that I got a $38.50 value also not including the keepsake Dallas Shaw illustrated box.  My value was great and I really enjoyed this months products.  I got two full size items, two travel size and one deluxe sampler, much more what I expect out of a subscription box.  I have one more month left of my Glossybox subscription before I decide if I'll keep it or not so we will see if its a miss like last month or a hit again.  Fingers crossed for another great box!

To sign up for your own Glossybox just go here and sign up!  You can still get this months Glossybox if you order soon.  Glossybox is $20 a month and the price goes down if you get longer subscriptions.  

Luscious Potion Nail Polish

Luscious Potion Nail Polish is back with an absolutely gorgeous summer collection!  This collection consists of some beautiful metallic glitter polishes and a handful of very unique thermals.

Vivid Flower is a soft metallic violet base with orange hex, purple glitter and teal sparkle glitter.  It dries a little more frosty than shows but I decided to top it with a top coat.  The orange hex glitters do not curl as they may appear to but have a reflective bar in the middle to give the glitter a really nice dimension!  I used three coats to get a full opaque look. 

Another soft metallic, Herbal Green is a pastel green base with green glitter, small matte pink squares and small red hexs.  The frosty finish is refreshing on this one.  I used three coats for coverage and I can still see the tiniest bit of my nail line.

Modest Stream has all my favorite blues in it!  The base for this is a metallic blue with turquoise glitters.  They work together to give the nail dimension and movement.  Three coats became opaque for me.  The formulas on the metallics were very nice and I had no problems apply.  

Sunshine Orchard is a thermal color changing holo polish.  It is a burnt orange when cool that is the slightest bit sheer.  In warm temperatures this polish changes to a sunny yellow.  The holo effect of these polishes is gorgeous!  It really only shows through on the top pointer finger but they are so glittery and gorgeous regardless of which color is being shown.  This thermal was the slightest bit streaky.  I used three coats for coverage.  When orange I could still see some slight streaking on the tip of the nail. This dries matte but I added a top coat to get it nice and glossy.

Vanishing Petals is such a unique polish.  This thermal is a bright opaque fuchsia pink when cool.  In warmth the polish turns sheer and becomes more of a white hue.  This is such a fun color changer. This formula on this was fantastic!  I used three coats for opacity when it was cool and I applied.  This polish is matte when dried but I like to use top coats on my thermals because it slows down the color changing slightly.  It's more entertaining for me to watch ;). 

Mmm, how to explain Sky Meadow.  This color changer is a deep blue holo when cold.  In warmth it turns into a summer green shade.  The color change on this is astounding.  Each color is so different.  Both colors stayed nice and opaque with three coats.  Again, this is a matte when dry but I used a top coat to seal in all the thermal goodness.  Formula was beautiful for this one.

I saved one of my favorites for last! Blooming Dreams is a zinger.  This is a deep purple when cold and a hot pink when it is warm.  This dries matte as with the others but I used a top coat.  This one was deliciously opaque with both colors and the holo really complimented the shades. The formula was lovely.  

Overall, this is a beautiful summertime addition to anyones fingers! My favorites were Blooming Dreams, Sky Meadow, Vanishing Petals, Modest Stream and Vivid Flower.  Herbal Green and Sunshine Orchard were nice polishes as well but slightly sheer.  This can be fun if you are looking to layer though!  The holos all have a good amount of holo shine and pigment.  

You can find Luscious Potion on:

Her Store

Instagram

Facebook

June Ipsy Glam Bag 2013

It's I-I-I-Ipsy time!

My bag arrived yesterday in the tell tale pink metallic envelope.

This months theme is 'on the wild side'.  So of course the bag was neon green and leopard print!  This bag varied from others in that it had the zipper around the front of the bag instead of along the top.

Ipsy is really shaking up the bags now and personalizing them more to individuals.  My items fit me really well!  I got Psssst! Instant Dry Shampoo, a BaubleBar Bracelete, a Chella Highlighter Pencil in Ivory Lace, a Starlooks Lip Pencil in Tipsy, NYX Cream Blush in Natural and J Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette in Suzie.  

BaubleBar O-ring Stud Wrap: $18

My bracelete from BaubleBar is an extra add on from the usual five items for referring friends to join Ipsy!  I got a gold bracelete with a peachy-pink woven wrap and stud accents.  I really like it and it looks like it will be fun to stack with other braceletes....now I just need to get some other braceletes. ;) 

Psssst! Insant Dry Shampoo: $2.99 Travel Size (1.7 oz.)

Dry Shampoo has seemed to be coming into popularity lately!  I enjoy it for days my hair needs a break and still needs to be de-oiled. This dry shampoo has powder that absorbs excess oil, eliminates odor and product build up while boosting volume.  I really enjoy the smell of this powder.  Dry shampoos I have tried in the past usually aren't scented.  This smells like light coconut wafting across an island.  Yes, you read this right.  Pssst! Dry Shampoo has transported me to a tropical island of light, airy, bouncy hair.  Receive the Super Hero Hair Duo for set $13.98 from Freeman Beauty plus free shipping when you enter the code IPSY33.

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter: $18 Full Size (1.4 g)

Chella Highlighter in Ivory Lace is the absolute perfect shade for my skin tone.  FINALLY,  a subscription service that actually reads your profile and gives you cosmetics that match!  Thank you Ipsy!  This highlighter is meant to be used on the cheekbones and under the eyes to hide dark circles and bring some brightness to your eye area.  You can also use it over red spots to give yourself a more evenly toned face.  This stuff is amazing.  I usually use concealer for under my eye area but this gives me better coverage and matches better than my Tarte Amazonian Clay Concealer.  I will be buying six of these to stock up on and take advantage of Ipsy's discount coupon.  Use the code GLAMBAG at checkout on Chella to get 20% off your order!  Ipsy has really turned me on to Chella.  I had never tried it before Ipsy.

On the right is the Chella highlighter unblended and on the left is a line blended in.  You can't even see it it matches so well!

Starlooks Lip Pencil in Tipsy: $12 Full Size (2.4 g)

This lip pencil is a pink with peachy undertones.  pink-nude combos always look slamin' on me!  Not to mention the NYX Cream Blush I got in this bag matches this lip pencil so perfectly.  Applied heavy onto the skin in a straight line it comes across pretty vividly.

On the lips I got a little bit more of a diffused pink.  The pencil glided on smoothly and there was really a wallop of color.  It was very opaque.  I haven't used lip pencils in the past but it is something I could definitely experiment with.  Receive 35% off your entire order on Starlooks using the code IPSY at checkout.  

NYX Cream Blush in Natural: $6 Full Size (3.5 g)

What I love about the NYX brand is that they continually create great products that are trendy and in style and they're sooooo cheap!  This is a full size cream blush in Natural, a light pink and it retails for only $6.  

I prefer cream blushes over powder.  I think it's just easier for me to blend into my liquid foundation but, it always looks better than my powered blushes.  

This is a color that looks fantastic on my skin!  I'm excited to use it. Receive 15% off site wide at NYX using the code IPSY15 or get 40% off Tango with Bronzing Powder when you use the code IPSYCHEEKS.

J. Cats Cream Shadow Palette in Suzie: $4.99 Full Size (3 g)

This product is the only bummer from my bag.  This says shadow on it, even in the palette title but it expressly says on the Ipsy site not to use this glitter packed palette on your eyes. I assume because you'll get glitter shards in your eyes as big as the glacier that sunk the Titanic.  So, I guess we should all apply this stuff as body glitter right before crashing the 8th grade dance at our local middle schools!  I really can't see myself ever using this stuff...like, ever.  I'm not even going to swatch it because I'm going to give it away. But, it was a nice idea.  I could see young girls who get Ipsy liking this.  Ooh! Idea!  I can give this to my 14 year old sister, she'll probably love it.  If you want to check out some other J. Cat Beauty stuff and possibly order use the code LOVEIPSY to get 25% off your entire order.  

Overall this bag was pretty sweet,  four full size products and one travel size.  I got over a $60 value worth of products this month!  You don't see that every day in subscriptions (take that Birchbox and Glossybox) and especially not for $10 a month.  I loved the Psssst! Dry Shampoo, Chella Highlighter, Starlooks Lip Pencil and NYX Cream Blush, leaving the only dud as the J. Cats Cream Shadow Palette.  Of course the bracelete was an added lovely bonus!  I continue to love Ipsy and it is my favorite makeup subscription!

You can sign up now and still get the 'on the wild side' bag!  Just click here and hit 'become a member'.  They'll walk you through signing up and your style quiz so that they can match products to your tastes and preferences.  You can cancel your subscription at any time without penalty.  I find my Ipsy bag has just been getting better and better!  Who knows, maybe I'll sign up for a second bag I love it so much.

More Born Pretty Store

I am obsessed with the studs I got from Born Pretty Store.  So much that I can't stop using them.  Seriously, I keep trying to do nails without studs but then I think, "oh my gosh, how good would this look like with studs?" and the battle is lost.

These nails were created using Zoya Raven on the double accent fingers, OPI Matte Top Coat and studs from my Born Pretty Store stud wheel.  The two outer fingers were done using Incoco Nail Appliques in Venetian Lace.  The inspiration behind the look was leather and lace.  Feminine paired with a little bit of bad always makes me tingle.  

This mani is not what I was imagining at the time.  I wanted to do a saran wrap mani with three colors in a pastel spring look.  I used Julep Hayden, Zoya Blue and Butter London Jasper.  The yellow kind of got lost amongst the brightness of Julep Haydens orange though.  I tried doing a regular tribal on this one but when I was done my brain just found places to put studs!  I couldn't even stop it if I tried.  I think I'm just going to give into the studs.  They want to be studded into my brain.  

You can still get 10% off at Born Pretty Store when you use the code DLLW10 on their website.  It will work on the whole store site wide. :)

Sneak Peek: Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara

Today I have a sneak peek for you!  Influenster and Rimmel London teamed up to give a few Influensters an early look at Rimmel Londons Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara a month before it's release.  I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes and to let my lovely readers see what it's all about!  

Rimmel London has previously released a lash accelerator mascara that instantly gives you up to 80% visibly longer looking lashes and up to 117% visibly longer looking lashes after 30 days of use by using a formula to support lash growth.  They will be releasing the second mascara to the family sometime in July.

Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara (what a mouth full) instantly extends lashes by up to 99%, has micro-fibers that lengthen and a separating brush that catches lashes for no clumps.  This mascara contains a Grow-Lash Complex of Procapil, Keratin and Antioxidants that conditions lashes while strengthening and growing them.  Not to mention that it does come in a pretty cool metallic highlighter yellow bottle.  

I tend to go for defining mascaras.  My lashes are naturally long and curl on their own so I've never needed a lash curler.  My lashes are pretty blonde so I like to use something that will give them a nice black coat to show them off.  I prefer mascaras that don't volumize since I've already got lots of lashes.  

The Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara brush is a typical mascara brush.  It has a cylindrical shape with rubbery spikes coming out on all sides.  They are flexible and move through lashes easily.  

Now for my personal experience!   I've only been using Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara for about a week now.  The above picture shows me sans makeup.

And below I have a little bit of Sephora Smoky Khol Eyeliner in Grey on the inner waterline paired with the Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara.  

See what I'm talking about!  I have inviso-lashes.  They're long and curled but can't be seen until I have a nice coat of mascara.  Ps - no brow comments, I know they're messy, I've been waiting for them to grow out a bit so I can head to the waxer.  

I found Rimmel Londons Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara defined and coated my lashes quite well.  What I really enjoyed was how my lashes stay soft and flexible to the touch once the mascara dried.  Because the mascara was able to move and breath with my lashes there was a great staying power all day long.  

I did have a few more things I noticed however.  This has been one of the messiest mascaras I've used! I think it is because of the lengthening microfibers.  When I applied, this mascara always ended up on my lower lid and brow bone somehow when I blinked.  I don't typically have this problem with mascaras so perhaps it really is lengthening and I'm not used to the lash length when I'm blinking waiting for the mascara to set.  The stray marks were pretty easy to clean up but if I were wearing eyeshadow it would have been an issue.  I may have to use lash cards or a tissue when applying so I don't make a mess.  While this mascara claims no clumps I did get a few very small ones but I could brush them out while the formula was still wet. 

As for growing your lashes to be longer naturally I'll have to come back for an edit after 30 days have gone by and let you know if my already long lashes have grown into redwood lashes.      

Overall this mascara works well.  Very redeeming if you want silky soft lashes even if you're wearing mascara.  For ladies that are looking for length I definitely suggest picking this up next month when it releases.  I'll be excited to see if it really does grow lashes longer and thicker in 30 days.  For those of us with long lashes already make sure you've got some lash cards before applying since this lengthens extra for you.  

Thanks Influenster for sending this my way!  If you are interested in becoming an Influenster member head on over to their site and sign up.  They will send you packages full of goodies that apply to your demographic so you can review and test products out.  I've always had a lot of fun with my Influenster packages.

What kind of lashes do you have?  Would you enjoy a lengthening mascara that grows your lashes?

Polish Me To Go

Everyones favorite glow in the dark polish maker, Polish Me To Go, is coming out with a new collection!  The collection is inspired by nature.  Each polish has both glitter and a glow in the dark effect.  I recieved five out of the six polishes in the collection and have some gorgeous swatches as well as some fun nail art.

Fuzzy Caterpillar is the first polish I swatched.  This is a sheer green base full of teal squares, black hexs, large holo hexs and small white peppered glitters throughout.  In the dark this glows a vivid neon green!  The formula was great on this.  I didn't need to shake it much to get the glow pigment to unsettle and all the different glitter shapes were easy to find and apply.  

In blacklight Fuzzy Caterpillar glows hulk green.

Static Boom is a really beautiful polish.  This one did settle but mixed easily when shaken.  This grey polish is full of shimmer for the base and filled with black and white glitters of different shapes and sizes.  I used three coats and you can still see my nail line slightly so you could use it over another color or do a few more coats to make it opaque.  The glow on this one is a brilliant teal.  My camera made this glow a little more blue than the true bluish/green it actually is.  

In blacklight Static Boom has a strong blue reaction.

Night Water is a really unique and beautiful polish.  This polish has a black base and is full of different translucent and color shifting subtle glitters.  It is really exciting to watch the colors shift and change on the nail.  This polish settles quickly so you will need to shake it up well before use.  In the dark is where Night Water truly surprises!  The black base changes to a bright teal in darkness.

Under blacklight Night Water has a strange reaction and turns a deep almost mossy green.

Watermelon Juice is a pretty hot pink base that is full of shimmer.  Red, black, yellow, and pink glitters are strewn throughout.  This one needed barely any mixing at all!  The glow on this polish was so surprising.  In the dark the nail turned a bright white with pink and blue variations that almost looked like patches of color.  It is so unique in its glow, I was quite astounded.  I've never seen a glow like this before on polish or elsewhere!

Under blacklight Watermelon Juice glows a bright neon peachy-pink.

I've saved my favorite for last!  Galaxia is a beautiful polish on its own.  This one required no mixing!  I actually at first thought it wasn't a glow polish because it lacked the settling glow polishes usually have.  The base is a purple that is slightly sheer but can be layered for more opacity.  I used three thick coats above.  Galaxia is filled with blue, purple and silver glitters that just look so cozy together.  In the dark Galaxia is super vibrant.  My camera shows this as a blue glow but it is the perfect bright teal.  I was gaga for this color in the light and in the dark!

Galaxia did not have much of a blacklight reaction but who cares when it's so beautiful in the other settings!

I created this bird silhouette mani using two layers of Butter London Kerfuffle as the base and used two coats of Watermelon Juice over that.  The silhouette was hand painted.  

In the dark the glow shows up revealing the silhouette.  

Overall these polishes all have an amazing glow!  I would expect nothing less from Polish Me To Go, she always delivers!  My favorites are Galaxia, Night Water, Watermelon Juice and Sonic Boom.  The only reason Fuzzy Caterpillar isn't up there is because I'm not a green girl when it comes to colors.  You can't go wrong with any of these polishes if you want a beautiful glow in the dark look.