August Beauty Box Five 2012

• Blum Naturals/Make-up Remover Towelettes- Remove oil, dirt and makeup with these pro age deep cleaning towelettes that leave your skin feeling soft and silky smooth.

• H2O Plus/Marine Calm Restoring Eye Cream- Use this marine, botanical-infused eye cream to deeply nourish and reduce the look of fine lines and dark circles.

• Ferro Cosmetics/Sheer Crystal Veil- This multi-purpose powder is the answer to illuminated skin. Dust over or under foundation or mix with moisturizer for a dewy soft finish without the shimmer or glitter. This is a silk infused mineral highlighter that subtly illuminates for glowing dewy skin. Sweep onto cheek & brow bones to highlight and illuminate or anywhere on the body.

• Ellis Faas/Creamy, Milky, Glazed Lips- Just twist the bottom of this gorgeous silver pen and you'll be wearing the new lip product that everyone is talking about. This was a nice perk since it was a full-sized and retailed $35. I got the color L109 in the creamy version which is the color Pale Coffee. A liquid lipstick for classic definition and long-wearing coverage.The gorgeous texture of this highly pigmented lipstick gives great definition to your lips, both as a full-coverage lipstick as well as a stain. All shades are that of human colors, meaning that they are inspired by the colors that by nature already exist in the human body and are therefore suitable for all skin tones. Doesn't contain Parabens and is unscented and unflavored. This particular lip pen comes in three formulas Creamy, Milky and Glazed. The creamy lip has a doe-foot type applicator that when you twist the bottom the product comes out through the tiny holes at the top of the pen. The other two formulas come in a brush style pen. It applies soft and creamy. Very nice and looks pretty in your makeup bag.

• Dermaesthetics USA/Vitamin C 20 Serum- Helps prevent the premature signs of aging with this double-duty Vitamin C that promotes collagen production and brightens lackluster skin. Well I will see if this works any I need brightening of my skin. If this does then I'm in trouble a 1oz costs $144 wow so pricey.

If your interested in trying Beauty Box 5 please check out this link. https://www.beautybox5.com/home.php?key=4f3f58d0b6240

July MyGlam Bag 2012

Well my bag finally made it here after being M.I.A for 11 days. It was so weird I received a confirmation as to when the bag was shipped UPS before being handed over to the USPS. Well for some reason on Friday the Thirteenth it was showing that it left Austin, TX and that it was transferred to my local post office it showed that information for 10 days.  With no updates. Until it was finally on the 11th day that it showed that it would be delivered. Wow. So on Monday the 23rd I finally got my bag.

This bag is great and almost one of the best bags I've received from them. I love the style of this make-up bag its so cute, fun and colorful. So in this months bag the theme was Greetings from MyGlam "The land of beauty". The card was a cute post card style. Inside were 5 items a choice of moisturizer and also a choice of lip product. All the other items were similar.

I got an Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion from Kiehl's in a convenient travel size. It says its perfect for normal to oily skin types. So this will be a treat to try . It has a very light scent of citrus it seems well at least to me. Not overpowering really nice. Sample Value $6.75

From NuMe a Hydro Punch Hydrating Conditioner it is for dry or coloured hair. It contains Seratin-K, Sage extract, Bamboo extract and Argan oil from Morocco. It has no parabens or parafins. Now as for me I didn't like the scent it is too overpowering. It gave me an instant headache. Sample Value is around $2.50

A Yes to Cucumbers On-The-Go Facial Towelettes which are soothing. It has cucumbers and aloe vera to cleanse, remove makeup, and nourish the skin...all in one swipe. This comes in a travel-sized pack of 10. Well let me tell you now I opened them to see how they smell. Ewww. Terrible I can't stand cucumbers let alone smell one. I can possibly take a slight scent that may wear off fast but, oh no not these. I will be giving them to my sister. Sample Value $2.99

The lip product I did get was from Josie Maran whom I've heard of but, never had the pleasure to try any of her product line. I got the Magic Marker Lip & Cheek Stain. Well for starters I got this in Quickstep which is a rich plum color. Now I wished I would have gotten Mambo which was a toasted beige color. I'm not too much into plum lips. Well I did try it to see how it would look. It was all right It reminded me of the Cover Girl lip stains and even had that sweet berry taste like them. Now I wouldn't pay full-price for something like this because you can find it cheaper and it will do the same thing. I tried it on my cheeks and no ma'am it wasn't for me. It was too streaky and blotchy. I may try applying it like Michelle Phan does in her July MyGlam how to video. Sample Value $19

Lastly is a Nail Polish from Circus by Andrea's Choice. Andrea is a MyGlam Guru and part of the group. She has apparently started a nail polish line. I guess jump on the wagon while its hot. I believe these are 3-Free. Not quite sure. Well I got the color Reverso which is just a plain white color. It applied very streaky in the first and second coats. I wasn't going to try for a third. It is alright I'm not sure because this is going to be part of a nail color set. She is launching in the fall. I believe there will be 5 colors. Sample Value $8?

So overall this bag was great minus the shipping problem. I also forgot to mention I did e-mail the girl's about my bag on Thursday and they did get back to me on Monday the same day the bag was said it would be delivered. They nicely said that they had looked into the issue and that the bag would be there that day. They were sorry for the shipping issue. I told them it was OK. I was just glad I got my bag. Also this is the first time it has ever been this late. This bags Value was $39.24.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to comment below. Also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Thanks.

June Favorites 2012

So June came and went and so goes another month. Here are the products that I had been using the most for the month.

Nail Life Nail Revitalizer Treatment Formaldehyde Free 1fl. oz. This product is great and has been a lifesaver for my nails. This treatment is for problem nails which are weak, split, cracked, thin, soft or peeling. Which believe it or not mine were. I have tried everything I could to stop this from products to vitamins nothing worked. Till I tried this. It has been a miracle for my nails and is my new HG product. I purchased this at Sally's Beauty it was $7.99 well worth it for a bottle so big. I have been using it daily and followed the instructions on the back the first week for the 7 day program. Well my nails have stayed healthy and strong without splitting or peeling which was a big deal with my nails they peeled and nothing would work to stop it. Well I can say this has. There is also an Original version which contains formaldehyde which reviewed better than the version I own. I'm allergic to formaldehyde so I can't use it so this formula still works well for me. If  you have problem nails its worth a shot to try out.

A moisturizer I have been loving and repurchased as a full-sized after trying a sample from My Glam Bag was from Philosophy Take a deep breath. This is a great moisturizer for the summer if you have oily skin. It is a lightweight gel formula and is oil-free. It lets your skin breathe and also has a light fresh scent and feels cooling to the touch. It also absorbs quickly and will not sweat off like some other moisturizers when it gets to hot. It also helps my foundation glide on more smoothly and it still keeps my skin well hydrated without making it look or feel any oilier. Like I said, I had loved the sample so much when I finished it I went out and bought it. It retails for $34 and can be purchased at Macy's, Sephora or Ulta.

Estee Lauder Matte Perfecting primer. I got this as a sample in a kit I purchased and I really like this primer and the way it feels and keeps my foundation and face feeling all day. This stuff really works and I have tried many primers through the years to keep my oily skin in check. Well this works so well that when I run out I will buy the full-sized in this which is $35.

I have tried lots of facial cleansing cloths and so far I keep coming back to these ones. They are the Up & Up from Target and don't cost that much more than some of the brands. I know that these wipes can be sold for over $7.99 depending on the brand. Well there isn't much to say except that they do the job they take off all my makeup. Plus they keep their moisture and have a slight texture to them in a good way. The size of them are also great they are not to big nor too small. I would highly recommend these. A pack of 30 are $3.79 which isn't bad at all.

As for face washes I have lots to try and this was the latest one I tried for over a month and it has been working really well and helps control my oil during this hot summer. It is from Origins The Checks and Balances Frothy Face wash for combination skin. I really love the creamy texture and the peppermint scent it's refreshing and nice. I also love the way my face feels after washing with it. It really does a great job of cleansing my face. So I give this a thumbs up. I really like it and will keep this on hand for the hot and humid summers. Full-sized is $19.50 for a 5  fl.oz. I have the 1.7 fl.oz. which is $11.00 and can be purchased at any Origins counter or store.

*Still having a problem with the pictures not cropping. I just don't know what's wrong. *

May Favorites 2012

I've just gotten around to this so sorry for the tardiness of this post. I finally had time to decide on my May favorites.

Estee Lauder's Invisible Fluid Makeup. This is their newest formula for foundation. I really love this stuff. It goes on lightweight and sheer but, is build able. I don't have too much to cover except some sight redness on my cheeks and chin. I won't go into too much here since I will be doing a full review soon. The color I use is 2CN1. Which I will say the color is dead on. I didn't think there would ever be a foundation that would be the exact color of my skin tone. Retails for $35

The next item is from Estee Lauder as well. It is their signature silky eyeshadow duo in Cappuccino N 02. I really like how this applies and it goes on so creamy and you only need a little. The colors are highly pigmented. I picked this up on Ebay. I'm not sure if it's in there permanent line. This has been my go to shadow all month. It's so quick and easy and goes with almost every look. So I highly recommend their shadows. Their duos run about $30 anywhere that sells Estee Lauder.

An eye cream I finally finished was my sample of Clinique's All about Eyes. I used this for several months now and I really liked it. It is a cool and refreshing gel formula for the under eye area. I liked the slight scent it had. It wasn't bothersome at all. The only complaint is that sometimes it migrated near my eyes and made me tear. This was only when wearing it at night. This formula absorbed quickly so it made easier when applying my concealer. I really did like this but, I didn't see too much improvement in my under eyes as in the fine lines diminishing. It did reduce my puffiness and as for eye circles it didn't do much. Overall it is a nice eye cream 0.5oz is $29.

In my Birchbox I received the Yes to Blueberries facial wipes to try. I really liked them they have a fresh and clean scent of blueberries and had some moisturizing properties to them as well. Now that's great as an added bonus to someone suffering with dry skin. As for me I have oily skin and I had to rinse my face off a little to get the film off. Now don't get me wrong they weren't bad at all. I just don't like that kind of feeling to my face. They did take all my makeup really well and on my eyes as well. Now when it came to mascara it did take some slight wiping but, it did come off. I didn't get any bad reactions to this nor did it irritate the skin. I will repurchase this in the future. I still have many wipes to use and try. A 8 pack is $2.99 at Ulta & a 30 pack is $6.99 at Target.

The last item to make my favorites is the real techniques expert face brush. This brush has replaced my Sigma Sigmax F80 flat top kabuki ($16). Which I thought couldn't be replaced ever. Well this brush is great a applying my liquid foundation like a glove. Sorry for the Ace Ventura reference. I couldn't resist. Anyway this brush really buffs out the foundation to an airbrush finish. It is lightweight and not as dense as the Sigma. But, still dense enough to make the face look great. I was also impressed with the price. It is $8.99 at Ulta or Ulta.com. Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo has really done well with this brush line. It's super affordable and the quality is great. I have really come to love her brushes. I highly recommend them. These are all my favorites for the month of May. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.

April Favorites 2012

 Wow, another month has flown by. So I'm once again having to find my April faves. These are the items that I used the most last month. This was a hard choice because I had been loving a lot of different products.

The face moisturizer that I've been using this month was from Pangea Organics it is their facial cream. Which contains Nigerian ginger with lavender & thyme. This is for normal to combination skin. The ginger is stimulating, restorative, and nutritive to the skin. The lavender is purifying, balancing, and soothing. This moisturizer balances and defends. Using select plant based ingredients to provide anti-aging and hydrating benefits to the skin. I will be doing a mini review on this later to let you know how this works out. This 1Fl oz is $16 and can be purchased at www.pangeaorganics.com

 I have been trying many different Pre-moistened facial wipes to see which ones I really like. So this month I was at Target and found these Giovanni Eco Chic Skin Care D:tox System wipes. These wipes are purifying & exfoliating. Even though the wipes have no texture to them at all. These towelettes contain Volcanic Ash & Super-Antioxidants Acai & Goji Berry. These wipes draw out toxins to revitalize tired-looking skin. Volcanic Ash gently exfoliates. Antioxidants help combat damaging free radicals. Ultra-soft to comfortably remove makeup and mascara. Won't clog pores or leave an oily residue. Ideal for all skin types.

• Hypoallergenic
• Dermatologist tested
• Clinically tested
• Ophthalmologist tested
• Non-Comedogenic (won't clog pores)
• Alcohol-free
• Oil-free

On the packaging it says out with the bad, in with the good. Prepare to put your refreshed face forward. With these wipes you don't need to rinse your face. I really liked these the only draw back is that I didn't see a bigger package for sale only the 10 count travel/trial size. They smell very good and do take off makeup very well even mascara. I didn't try it with waterproof because I don't have any. The only drawback was they did leave a sticky kind of feel to the face. Which went away after a while. Plus you have to clean quite quickly as they tend to dry out fast. Overall I like these and will repurchase if I can find a larger pack. The pack of 10 towelettes was around $3 at Target.

This next product combines my two favorites sugar & bubble gum. The Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub is great. I really love the way it makes my lips feel afterwards. This was a fluke buy. I was told by a friend about Lush products. I have seen them at Macy's but, the really loud smell turned me away. I'm very cautious about heavy scents since they make me ill. I tend to have bad allergic reactions to heavily scented products or perfumes. So I stay away. Well I braved the smell to get this great scrub. I tend to have very dry to sometimes severe cracked and peeling lips. Chap stick works but, not too well. I got this scrub to help keep my lips soft and flake free. I was really happy to find out that they had this in a bubblegum flavor which is my all time favorite. This scrub contains natural ingredients and oils. All you do is gently rub a pea sized amount of this flavored sugar onto your lips to scrub them soft and smooth. You can either eat this off your lips or rinse off. It does come in other flavors. This jar is 0.8 oz. and was $8.95 at Macy's or www.lushusa.com

I have pretty large pores and several fine lines on my forehead. So when Benefit came out with the Porefessional PRO balm to minimize the appearance of pores I was skeptical. I was given a trial-sized one with my Birchbox several months ago. Well I'm so loving it I went out and purchased the full-sized one. I still haven't finished the trial sized one. I really love the smooth texture it leaves on your skin. It says what it does it minimizes pores and it actually does fill in fine lines well at least mine. What I really love it for is that it makes my 2 small forehead lines disappear if only for the deration of the day but, hey it's better than nothing. You can apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skin tones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals. I'm a believer and will never be without this product again. It's my HG skin filler. It also keeps me shine free. A full sized is 0.75 fl.oz for $29 it is so totally worth it. You can get this at where ever Benefit is sold or at www.benefitcosmetics.com.

Now on to the greatest lash primer well at least in my opinion. Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum. This Serum instantly primes, plumps, and lengthens lashes with an ultra-light and quick-drying formula. The first "active serum" mascara primer also contains a unique cell-conditioning complex made up of hydrolyzed soy proteins that promote long-term lash growth, strength, and vitality. It also contains Hyluaronic spheres which helps to plump lashes. Well I have been using this since December and boy it does really work. At first I used to use this just as a mascara primer. Then I decided to try it at night as well like recommended. Well it really does work it has kept my lashes more supple and stronger. I have naturally long lashes which are somewhat full. I have been told all my life by MA and strangers that I have nice pretty lashes. Well this serum has made them less brittle and more softer. They hold a curl better and keep my non-waterproof mascara on all day without flaking or racooning. You do need to put your mascara on pretty quick since I find it goes on better if you don't let the primer dry then apply it. Either way it still works but, I find when it dries and you put the mascara it won't glide and coat as well. This mascara primer serum is .033 fl.oz. for $28. Which I think it's a steal for Dior. It can be found where ever Dior is sold or at www.dior.com.

So when I was deciding on what to pick as my April faves I was going to wait until next month to talk about this. Well I decided to include this as an extra fave as well. It is the Sonia Kashuk Duo-Fibre Fan Brush. This brush is new to her brush line at Target. It can be used for bronzer, highlighter, blush or face powder. Well I use it for face powder. It works like no other brush I own. I have so many powder brushes small and large and in between. All have made my face look cakey even with the smallest amount of product. This brush does the job and more. It makes my face look flawless using pressed powder or loose powder either way I'm in love. I have yet to try it with bronzer, blush, or highlighter. It can also be used to sweep off any shadow fall-out. I will have to get backups of this one. It is very well made hasn't shedded at all. The bristles are All Natural 100% cruelty-free goat hair and a synthetic nylon blend. It would be nice for all the Vegans out there to have a 100% synthetic brush like Urban Decay or Sigma Bunny Line. Maybe in the future she will make one. This brush is $7.99. It can be found at Target stores or www.target.com  or www.soniakashuk.com.

April Birchbox 2012

 

Well several days ago I received my April Birchbox. I had already peeked as to what I was going to get. So it wasn't a huge surprise. Well I was not as excited this month. This is my 7th month with them. So I expected something different and more Wow.

This months box was themed Natural Wonders.Which I guessed was kinda Earth Day inspired. I was loving the green toned paper a welcome break from their signature hot pink paper.

 So included in my box were the following items. Alima Pure organic nourishing lip balm in Rhubarb. This lip tint is made with plant butters and delivers a natural flush of color. Full-sized is $7. This kinda reminds me of the Bert's Bees lip tints which I already have . The packaging reminded me of the Soft lips brand same size and concept and also the same smell. So this was OK for me but, not a Wow. 

The other item was from J.R. Watkins which was a Foot Repair Salve in a travel size. This salve says rough heels are no match for this restorative balm. The zesty scent perks up tired tootsies. A full-sized is $8.99. I figured this sample was around $2.50 give or take. It is alright but, not something I needed or wanted to try. So I'll give it a shot I guess.

Then I got yet another perfume sample. I'm so tired of receiving these. I wish there was an opt-out button because I'm allergic like I've said, time and time before to many perfumes. Any who this perfume or as they call it parfum. It is from LIV GRN it's a Natural Eau de Parfum. It is made from sustainable ingredients, this bright scent is filled with orange and neroli. A full-sized is a whopping $60. My tiny signature sample is valued at around $2.00.

The next product is from Weleda it's a Pomegranate Firming Night Cream. This Swiss brand's new anti-aging cream overhauls skin with a potent blend of Turkish pomegranate, Jojoba, and macadamia nut oils. Wow! another face cream I have so many to choose from. So that I can do future reviews. YAY! Anyways full-size is $37 which makes my sample at around $7.70.

The last product was what they call a Beauty Extra. Well this extra was one I already have many of. Yes to Blueberries Brightening Facial Towelettes. These nifty wipes remove all signs of makeup and grime. Plus, they refresh the skin with a fruity blend of apple, blueberry, and lemon peel extracts. Now I'm wondering if they are really brightening because my face does need it. Full-sized is a 30 pack for $7.99 my sample pack of 8 was $2.99. I've seen this 8 pack at my local Ulta for the same price.

I of course have yet to try any of these goodies. I'm not sure when I will. Since I keep getting similar items from all my boxes and also when I get a gift with purchases at Macy's and Nordstrom. So with that I guess it was an OK box but, nothing to knock my socks off. Well there is always next months box. Which I'm really excited about because I just found out the May's box will be a Gossip Girl sponsored box. Which if it's anything like the Teen Vogue box in March then it should be awesome. The total value for my box this month was about $22.19.