Glossybox USA August 2012 featuring Illamasqua, Ellis Faas, & More!

September 5, 2012 By StephanieLouise 726Leave a Comment2012-09-05+21%3A16%3A00StephanieLouise

GLOSSYBOX totally blew me away this time! I think everyone has those brands that they just haven’t quite gotten to yet: the brands on your wishlist, the talked about brands, maybe a bit more expensive or hard to find. Illamasqua is one of mine that I just haven’t quite jumped into yet so I was thrilled to see it in this months box! & a full size nail polish at that! Besides that lovely surprise, the rest of the box was pretty great too! I like Ellis Faas pretty well (still sampling some items before I review them!) & was impressed with ANOTHER full sized item! That’s $49 already. Pure Luxury indeed! Snaps to you!
Photobucket So you can see that this box had great variety & amazing value for only $21. This box had something for hair, nails, lips, skincare, & a primer which I consider makeup. Woohoo! 2 makeups + a nail polish!

The Illamasqua nail polish shade that I received is called Purity & is a lovely peachy-orange sorbet. I’ll be swatching it soon & will let you know my first impressions of the line. I really like the shade I received as well. The Ellis Faas lipgloss I got is called L204 & is a really great orange. I don’t own many oranges that aren’t completely color sheer so this is actually exciting!

The other 3 products don’t LOOK as exciting but I actually am. I’m psyched for the Exquisite Oil sample from Biolage/Matrix. I tend to really like Matrix products & I pretty much love the lightened oils for my hair. They’re fantabulous.I forgot to point out that they are only 5 ml but have really nice pump packaging, perfect for travel. I never have any oils superb for travel so I might hang onto this. The Touch in Sol brand’s Feel like Honey Moon Skin Base is also quite intriguing. I didn’t notice this before, but its got gold pieces in it. Interesting indeed!The last product is the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster with potent vit. C. I have been using some new skin care that’s a bit more agressive leaving me with some peeling. I’m testing this out to see if it helps to heal it up!

As always, let me know if you want a full review/swatches of any of these products either in video or blog post form. I hope you enjoyed seeing what was inside, it was a wonderful quality box! No complaints here! I urge you to sign up for your own GLOSSYBOX for only $21 now so you can take advantage of the free box promotion! I have a link up at the bottom right column of this post! Enjoy!

*Box was provided from PR however all opinions are my own. I’m still buying my own as well but they were the same this month! Affiliate links for GLOSSYBOXhave been used above, clicking & buying through them helps to support this blog!

Nail Challenge 2012 Day #6: Violet Flakie Tips with Zoya & Pampered & Primped from Icing

September 4, 2012 By StephanieLouise 727Leave a Comment2012-09-04+19%3A49%3A00StephanieLouise

I love purples & they have their own shelf in my collection. I thought I’d take a break from nail art today to show you a new (to me) polish called Pampered & Primped that I picked up from Icing which is a brand by Claire’s. I believe these were BOGO at the time, but either way at full price its still only $5. & its a flakie. I’m obsessed with flakies. I’m looking at my collection & see over 15 just from here. Its probably a bit unhealthy at this point.

Rarely do you find actual purple flakies, something about them is just crazy hard to make. Usually if they are in a purple base, they’re actually another shade like blue or orange. Not this one!

Pampered & Primped from Icing by Claire’s: A sheer light purple base with blue/purple & orange/bronze flakies.

This is a THICK base which I didn’t realize when I did my middle finger first. It definitely needs a bit of thinner which isn’t a big deal. This isn’t hard to place at all after thinner & I think its a gorgeous mix of shades, especially over Monica from Zoya from their Fall 2012 Designer Collection.

I did just my tips to do something a bit different then topped it by Seche Vite. Super easy & really eye-catching in the sun or shade!

Here is the list of Varnished Vixens joining me in the Challenge:

-Kimber at Kimber’s Lacquer Korner
-Kat at Hooked On Polish
-Diana at Nails By Diana
-Aly at Wonderland Beauty
-Meredith at Perfectly Polished
-Nicole at The Color Republic
-Kate at The Painted Pony Nails
-Cee at Absolutely Cee
-Sam at Polished Art
–Nail Narcotics
-Nicole at Nicole Gets Nailed
-Shelby at Shelby’s Swatches
-Stephanie Louise at All Things Beautiful
–Mixed Mama
-Joanna @ Sweet Polish of Mine
–Patty Greenberg
-Liz and Lisa @ Lozlosa
-Mari at Nailista
-Greta at How Was Your Day?
-Miss L at Beauty by Miss L
-Gini at Sassy Paints
–Chameleon Stampede
-Pam at Nail-E-Glance
–Me, Myself, and Polish
– Robin Sparkles

If you want to join in on the 31 Day Challenge, just let Kimber know! She’s first on the list of participants 😉

In case you missed, Day #1 was RED Nails, Day #2 was ORANGE nails, Day #3 was YELLOW nails, Day #4 was GREEN nails, Day #5 was BLUE nails, & the next Challenge will be BLACK & WHITE nails.

BlogHer: Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner Review + Giveaway

September 4, 2012 By StephanieLouise 728Leave a Comment2012-09-04+14%3A46%3A00StephanieLouise

I think I’ve made it pretty clear I’m a Dove fan…heck check me out on the Dove billboard! From body care to haircare, they have some seriously good mojo.Check out the giveaway + Dove coupon print out below!

From Dove (on the back of the bottle): Dove recognizes that that the main reason for our hair problems is damage. That’s why we put a damage care and repair at the heart of everything we do. For benefits of a treatment at the speed of a conditioner, leaving hair intensely nourished, significantly strengthened, and silky smooth.

Directions: After shampooing, massage a quarter sized portion through wet hair & leave on for 1 minute. Rinse out thoroughly. Use instead of your regular conditioner.

One Dove trait I seem to constantly be repeating: I love the scent of this ____ . Its no different with this Dove Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner. It smells like a clean, slightly sweet conditioner that lingers wonderfully. I like being able to smell my hair & it holds scent pretty darn well! Dove products just always smell clean & unisex which I really like

While I can’t use this everyday on my hair currently due to oils, this is an amazing treatment with a nice bang for your buck. Its VERY moisturizing without weight down my super thick hair: Win. Plus, Dove products are always easily accessible to me, from drugstores to mega stores. Also, they tend to put out coupons which I also appreciate when trying something new!

I use this about 2-3 times a week. I recently picked up a clarifying shampoo which strips out all the gunk but also leaves my hair dry & sort of rough feeling. Dove Intensive Repair is the perfect 2nd step since it repairs the dryness & makes my hair soft & silky.

Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 – 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove^®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.

Face: Willa Naturals Face of the Day Tinted SPF 30 Swatches & Review

September 3, 2012 By StephanieLouise 729Leave a Comment2012-09-03+14%3A07%3A00StephanieLouise

About Willa:
For the past 3 ½ years we have been developing a skincare line for girls called willa™ . It all started when my mom and I looked for skincare products for me and we couldn’t find them – at least not natural products.
My mom always nagged me to wear sunblock, wash my face, moisturize – you know the drill. But even though I knew it was important to take care of my skin, I never enjoyed doing it…the products available just didn’t feel good–and believe me I tried everything.
willa consists of 17 products; each is special and different from other brands because they were developed by girls, for girls. My friends in NYC have been helping me test and tweak products and we made sure they look cool too.

Willa Products are:

Paraben free

Proplyene glycol free

Sulfate free

DEA free and phthalate free

Not tested on animals

Made lovingly in the USA

About Will Naturals Face of the Day SPF 30 Tinted Face protection:
Face the Day is genius. It’s for all skin types. A lightweight, oil-free natural SPF 30 formulated with just enough tint to camouflage super white Zinc – nature’s most powerful defender against the sun’s damaging UVA/UVB rays. Anti-oxidant green tea fights free radicals as natural moisturizers keep skin feeling soft and healthy. With such silky-smooth and flawless absorption, you’ll reach for this SPF 30 every day, rain or shine.

Top left is fresh out of the pump, top right is a very small amount lightly smoothed out. You can see its like a souffle. The bottom stripe is a tiny amount smoothed out. Check out how whipped it looks!

Overall:
I was excited about this foundation. The texture is pretty incredible. When I was a teenager with dry skin, there wasn’t really anyone catering to me. Dry skin products weren’t advertised to me & if they were, they were usually pretty heavy coverage. I so wish there had been something like this back in the day, especially available at my local Target. Now that my skin is so combo (& currently oily!) it wouldn’t work for everyday. This winter though, Willa Naturals will be my buddy. I’m always dry in the winter & foundation is SO not kind about it. I think this will make a great base. Although it is oil free, my currently oily skin broke it down while my joy areas looked great.

Some things to note, especially for teens, is the SPF. I’m BIG on SPF & 30 is a great amount for a foundation, especially if it is all you’re slapping on. Teens often don’t need much more. Personally, this is on the sheer side but that’s absolutely what a teen needs. Many teens try to wear way too much foundation thinking that it will perfect their skin when in fact it can make it worse or look cakey. If I had a daughter, this is exactly what I would be looking for. Also not the pump which helps to keep the product sanitary & provides some sort of control over how much you use. Woo!

You can pick this up in select Targets & also on the Willa website for $14.50.

Product provided for review. These are always my honest opinions. If you have any questions, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Girly Girl Nail Challenge Day #1: Michael Marcus Fuchsia Have This A Good Time + WnW Black Tips

September 2, 2012 By StephanieLouise 730Leave a Comment2012-09-02+17%3A23%3A00StephanieLouise

So I joined up with ANOTHER challenge (indeed I am insane) but it only posts on Sundays. You won’t find loads of girly nail art on this blog so I thought this would be a good challenge to branch out a bit. & use pinks which I hadn’t realized were so rare on this blog. I have loads of them I assure you. So this is a linkup blog type deal & I’ll post the info at the bottom.

“Think Pink:Wear your favorite pink nail polish & nail art” was the basis for this first post. Although this isn’t my favorite pink (at the moment that would be Zoya’s Kimber which is from the Surf Collection but favorites constantly shift)however I did get a request to swatch it so I am. The brand itself isn’t one I’m a fan of, but I do like the polish. This IS my favorite way to wear pink most of the time though: a hot shade or a light shade with pure black tips. I pretty much always use Wet n Wild Black Creme. Its my favorite & a bargain so it lets me experiment more.

Now…the name doesn’t make sense. Fuchsia is a purple leaning pink but this shade is a hot pink. It even dries slightly matte & makes my camera freak out…another sign of a neon leaning shade. So the name is a huh but the shade is lovely. This is 2 coats. Its slightly sheer after 1 & still shows visible nail line after 2 but I didn’t feel the need to add anymore since I was putting black over it anyway. I topped them with Seche Vite.

The bottle is cool looking, but not exactly conventional to store. The bottle doesn’t say how much it contains or anything really but what you can see in my photo of the bottom label. I tried to color correct these but it still leans a bit more red. For questions about this challenge, contact the host.

Nail Challenge 2012 Day #5: Blue Storms with Zoya & Wet n Wild

September 1, 2012 By StephanieLouise 731Leave a Comment2012-09-01+15%3A52%3A00StephanieLouise

So I totally love blue nail polish but when it came to coming up with some cool nail art, my options were pretty much sky or water. So…I went with both! I created these blue storms on my nails with some sponging & then cloud tips. The rain drops are clear/white jewels which I think give this a really cool look. Since I did a pattern for green, I definitely wanted to go with nail art this time for blue.

Base color is Zoya Natty which only took one medium coat. Next I sponged with Wet n Wilds Blue Wants to be a Millionaire lightly & sporadically. Then I dabbed a bit of Zoya Wednesday & again with Wet n Wild’s Blue Wants to be a Millionaire. The clouds were made using the Circus by Andrea’s Choice polish in Reverso & a dotting tool. This white kind of sucked when I tried to use it as a base once but its alright for nail art. Topped it off with the Seche Vite & jewels.

I got compliments from random people on them last night & found myself holding my hand out (it looks a lot more like storms from further away!) & smiling all night. That’s the sign of a good mani folks.

Here is the list of Varnished Vixens joining me in the Challenge:

If you want to join in on the 31 Day Challenge, just let Kimber know! She’s first on the list of participants 😉

In case you missed, Day #1 was RED Nails, Day #2 was ORANGE nails, Day #3 was YELLOW nails, Day #4 was GREEN nails, & the next Challenge will be PURPLE nails.

Nail Challenge 2012 Day #4: Green Waves with Zoya, Sally Hansen, & Spoiled

August 29, 2012 By StephanieLouise 732Leave a Comment2012-08-29+13%3A03%3A00StephanieLouise

Let’s get this straight: I love green. I love green eyeshadows, nail polish, shoes, purses, plates, comforters…& just about everything else. I love green. So when my challenge was finally something other than yellow or orange, I was thrilled. Then I got overwhelmed. SO many options! I decided to go with something fun but simple…& green. I love this so much.

Colors used:
Base is I Only Eat Salads from Spoiled which is the bright lime
Lighter green is Parrot from Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure
Dark murky green is Evvie from Zoya
Metallic green is Meg from Zoya

Love love LOVE this pattern! I topped it with Seche Vite to seal it all together. I seriously want to do this a lot in the future! Woo!

Here is the list of Varnished Vixens joining me in the Challenge:

-Kimber at Kimber’s Lacquer Korner

-Kat at Hooked On Polish

-Diana at Nails By Diana

-Aly at Wonderland Beauty

-Meredith at Perfectly Polished

-Nicole at The Color Republic

-Kate at The Painted Pony Nails

-Cee at Absolutely Cee

-Sam at Polished Art

–Nail Narcotics

-Nicole at Nicole Gets Nailed

-Shelby at Shelby’s Swatches

-Stephanie Louise at All Things Beautiful

–Mixed Mama

-Joanna @ Sweet Polish of Mine

–Patty Greenberg

-Liz and Lisa @ Lozlosa

-Mari at Nailista

-Greta at How Was Your Day?

-Miss L at Beauty by Miss L

-Gini at Sassy Paints

–Chameleon Stampede

-Pam at Nail-E-Glance

If you want to join in on the 31 Day Challenge, just let Kimber know! She’s first on the list of participants 😉

In case you missed, Day #1 was RED Nails, Day #2 was ORANGE nails, Day #3 was YELLOW nails, & the next Challenge will be BLUE nails.

Birchbox for August 2012 featuring Juicy Couture, Sumita, & More!

August 28, 2012 By StephanieLouise 733Leave a Comment2012-08-28+20%3A40%3A00StephanieLouise

So this Birchbox had lots of paperwork attached! Also…it was longer, as proven on the video. Not crazy, it’s true. I liked the papers & presentation. I also love the cause, Pencils of Promise does some amazing things! Although I really love these addictions, I try to judge these boxes pureply on the products they contain & IF I can reuse boxes/bags & such.

What I got & first impressions:

– Lipstick Touch-up swabs from Beauty Fixation: LOVE these! I used them with a red lip I totally botched haha. Again, heard some complaints about these. Okay, so they aren’t super exciting or expensive, but I WILL use them & I can definitely afford them. The key to using these on the go is to put both a swab & a regular q-tip in your purse. Use the swab then follow it with the q-tip to remove the excess.

– High-Gloss Masque from GLOSS Moderne: I did actually use this! It made my hair shiny & clean feeling but its quite pricey!

– Viva la Juicy La Fleur from Juicy Couture: This I kind of count as an extra. I hear complaints about these ALL the time. While I DON’T agree they are a deluxe sample, they are a nice bonus extra. I love this scent, a really nice fruity blend.

– Sumita Brow Base Pencil: This is so creamy! A really fab texture! I’m still deciding how to use it though.

– Although the Schick Hydro Silk Razor is technically an extra, I’m totally counting it. These aren’t cheap & I already have one I love! I will pretty much never complain about a free razor haha. Plus, this came with a $4 off coupon for next time, woo!

What did YOU get in your Birchbox this month? If you haven’t signed up yet, its only $10 a month for a box of sample sized items (sometimes full-sized as proof above!) & its a fun way to surprise yourself every month. Here is my referral link for Birchbox: Birchbox Referral. If you use it, points go towards buying more products to feature here on the blog! I buy these boxes with my own money.

As always, feel free to link your Birchbox posts using the Comment Luv option on my commenting system! Don’t have a blog? I’d still love to know what you got!

Maybelline Limited Edition Color Show Nail Polish Swatches & Review Fall 2012

August 28, 2012 By StephanieLouise 734Leave a Comment2012-08-28+12%3A33%3A00StephanieLouise

So these are actually my first Maybelline Color Show nail polish swatches & I’m pretty impressed. These polishes were available alongside the more neutral 24 Hour Color Tattoo eyeshadows that I reviewed & swatched recently. Heads up: I found the other 4 today, the ones that are jewel toned! I’m getting them up ASAP! They’re STUNNING! [Read more…]

Maybelline NEW Jewel Toned Color Tattoo Swatches & Review!

August 27, 2012 By StephanieLouise 7351 Comment2012-08-27+12%3A21%3A00StephanieLouise

These shades are totally what I wanted for fall! Okay, seriously, I’d take these shades anytime. I love the in your face feel of these. I already know some people will immediately look at them & say “No freaking way” but wait! Remember, these are super long wearing…consider using them as eyeliner! I wear them that way often & they are perfect…& I am finding it hard to beat the staying power!I think if you love color, these are just as impressive as the fabulous neutrals from the other Maybelline Fall 2012 Limited Edition displays! [Read more…]