Petit Amuse Box for July Review & GIVEAWAY! (Wine Jelly?!?)

August 2, 2012 By StephanieLouise 754Leave a Comment2012-08-02+15%3A15%3A00StephanieLouise

Petit Amuse noun pə-ˈtētˈ ä-ˌmüz
Also known as amuse-bouche. A French term that literally means “mouth amusement.”These are tiny bites of food served before a meal to whet the palate and invigorate the appetite. They’re more whimsical than hors d’oeuvres, and smaller than appetizers.

When Petit Amuse contacted me asking if I would review their box of groumet goodies & give one away to you guys, I jumped on it. Subscription boxes are one of the absolute MOST popular searched terms on this blog so clearly you guys like them or love to hate them! Either way, I’m always happy to bring you something a bit different.

I love the idea of this box, its definitely something I can share with my husband or family as opposed to some of my other more beauty themed boxes which honestly, I have to make him look at. He doesn’t even care about eyeliner! Can you believe that?

So this box is only $10 a month which is rare for non-beauty boxes. They are normally $12+ so that’s something to note.

In a nutshell, here’s what this box is all about according to their own website ( www.PetitAmuse.com ):
Focus on Producers
We put a lot of effort into the discovery and promotion of products from small food artisans that you won’t find in large retail chains. Why go to all that trouble? Two reasons.

Small batch artisan foods simply taste better. The quality of ingredients and care in production make for amazing products, unlike most anything that you will find in your local supermarket.
They need our help! For a litany of reasons, the odds are stacked against small artisan food producers. Even the best products often don’t get distributed outside of their local markets; never reaching a majority of foodies who would love to buy them if only given the opportunity.

So the idea behind this book is ACTUALLY how I feel about many beauty boxes: There are SO many brands out there that we miss some small ones that are really great. A few brands people know & love but there are others (Nails by Laura, Everyday Minerals, & the recently discovered Sauce Box come to mind!) that I’ve discovered around the way that just don’t hit the spotlight like they should! I can’t even imagine starting a company right now so to know that this box supports the baker down the street & the food artists makes me feel good about it!

What I got in the July Petit Amuse Box:

Ice Wine Jelly from Caramoomel: I’m shocked I’ve never had wine jelly, seriously! I love wine. I like jelly. How? Anyway! This is a simple mix of quality ingredients. A very nice sample size, its a solid 2 oz so it will get used up…but not too fast! Also, love the coloring & the packing is nice as well! My favorite item in the box!

Garukabar by Garuka Bars: This is another example of simplicity tasting incredible. I’ve tried lots of bars if for nothing else but convenience, but I LOVED this one. It is nice & soft, not overly sweet, & tastes exactly like the ingredients inside. High protein, real peanut pieces, & a really wonderful honey glaze.

Original Kettle Corn from Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn: I’ve had it before & I’ll probably have it again. I liked it then…& I liked it now! Tasty, convenient, & a great snack!

Cha-Cha’s & Salted Rosemary Shortbread from Lark Fine Foods: These were really good! I’ve never tried anything from Lark Fine Foods so these two cookies were a great testers. The Cha’Cha’s has a slight spice, nothing over the top at all. They tasted really dark & rich but were a bit hard. The shortbreads were awesome, super buttery & perfect. I had never thought of rosemary shortbreads, I might need to make these sometime!

Things to note:
-I love that the ingredients are right there on the card, especially with the peanuts & such!
-Really nice sized samples! 3 full sized & then the 2 specialty cookies.
-Simple, clean presentation. Nothing frilly or excess.
-Although MY cookies were crumbled (HA!) they have assured me yours will be packed much better!

So…time for the giveaway! Everyone seems to LOVE the subscription box giveaways so I’m thrilled to bring you another one! Please keep in mind you will be receiving the exact same box & that Petit Amuse will be shipping it to you. This contest is for US residents only (sorry guys!) & its easy to enter! Please do know I WILL NOT be spamming your e-mail, the e-mail is strictly to contact the winner!

If you DO NOT see the Rafflecopter widget load below so you can enter, please wait a few seconds/refresh the page if necessary. If you’re still having issues, contact me! As always, my terms & conditions are up in my PR/Contact tab.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Glamour Senses Birchbox July 2012 featuring Color Club, Eyeko, & More! + A Keychain!

July 23, 2012 By StephanieLouise 762Leave a Comment2012-07-23+17%3A45%3A00StephanieLouise

If you saw my July MyGlam post, then you know I was thrilled! Birchbox was also great! Christmas in July perhaps? Maybe they knew I needed some sweet new products? Either way, I hope they keep it up because they both impressed me!

In My Birchbox:
– Color Club Nail Polish in Blue-Ming (mini size minty-turquoise. Love getting these!)
-Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black
-Harvey Prince Eau Flirt Sample
– City Sunscreen Serum from Supergoop! (two sample packets)
-Ginger Pear Mints from Tea Forte
-Seriously cute lime green & hot pink earbuds from Glamour/Birchbox

So…how could I not be in love with this box? Seriously, impressive month overall. Again, please let me know if you want a review of the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black. I’ll do an eye look with it as well! 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 (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!

MyGlam Bag for July 2012 featuring Josie Maran, Kiehl’s, & More!

July 20, 2012 By StephanieLouise 763Leave a Comment2012-07-20+14%3A29%3A00StephanieLouise

You haven’t heard this very many times on my blog, but this month’s MyGlam bag blew me away. It was EXCELLENT. I will use every single item in my bag…even the bag! I actually loved everything in this bag & thought it was really well-rounded. Interested in learning more? Read on!

There was also a coupon from NuMe which you can see in the video. You can see the ‘or’ products here but I would have been happy with any of them really.

1. Josie Maran Magic Marker Lip & Cheek Stain in Tango.
2. Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Towelettes (10 of them)
3. NuMe Hydro Punch Hydrating Conditioner (0.67oz)
4. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion for normal to oily skin types (Pretty much unscented which I like!)
5. Circus by Andrea’s Choice Nail Polish in Reverso

The Josie Maran Magic Marker Lip & Cheek Stain in Tango is a gorgeous watermelon pink when swatched but looks a bit more raspberry after a 2nd coat. These markers are fabulous on the lips, an easy stain with no runny excess or bitterness. Like I showed in the video, these do best when stored pointing down. This also dries very quickly! I’m not a fan of markers as a cheek stain normally though because they dry so fast & are too exact.

I think this was definitely the most surprising item! I had no idea Andrea of Andrea’s Choice was coming out with a nail polish. I received the only non-color polish unfortunately which is Reverso, a white. I used it to dot very quickly & its quite opaque! I have this fabulous feeling that this might be a one coat white!

I pictured it next to an OPI for reference just to show bottle size & all that excess glass. Although it gives it a very heavy feel & kind of a crystal look, I do wish there was more polish in it instead! Less polish in this than OPI. I’ll be interested to see other swatches of brighter shades!

June MyGlam Bag- featuring Philosophy, NYX, & More!

July 5, 2012 By StephanieLouise 775Leave a Comment2012-07-05+16%3A08%3A00StephanieLouise

I’ve had some choice words for MyGlam in the past, if you’ve read this blog before then you already know. This isn’t my favorite service & has definitely been close to getting booted off the list completely. This bag, however, I actually like!

Now before I dig into the bag, this card looks like porn. C’mon it can’t be just me…this card is…very late night.

Anyways! This bag only had 4 items, probably because the bag is different than usual. Personally…I don’t like the bag. It leaks glitter, is flimsy, & I have even less use for it than the zippered ones. Now onto the contents! I love Philosophy in an unnatural way so I am always happy to see them in any of my bags. I haven’t tried this gel moisturizer yet, but I am excited to slap it on.

The NYX lipstick is pretty shimmery but I do like it. My shade is “Georgia” which really had me thinking it would be a peach, no? Anyway, I like it but there are a lot of NYX shades I prefer. Living Proof puts out quality products, this styling cream will be put to use for sure. The brand Marbella is new to me, but maybe I need to look into it. This isn’t the blackest felt tipped eyeliner for sure, but it sure does last. In fact, it lasts & lasts. Plus, it is super fine at the tip & gets thicker so you can create pretty much any line you so wish. Swatched above & below the NYX lipstick in Georgia.

What do you think? Do you subscribe to MyGlam? I know a lot of people think these are a scam but this one was definitely worth the $10 for me this time!

JUNE 2012 Birchbox: Jet Set Box –featuring Stila & theBalm!

July 3, 2012 By StephanieLouise 777Leave a Comment2012-07-03+15%3A05%3A00StephanieLouise

Because I was traveling, I totally missed the box perfect for…well…traveling! Way to time it right? But seriously, this is a fab Birchbox that really fits the theme. In fact, I enjoyed this one so much I hope they do another one soon!

The perfume sample is normally something I completely gloss over in these boxes usually. Normally they are freebie type items in my mind & although I use them, I also find myself hoarding them UNTIL use which isn’t the best use of one of my samples in a box. This sample, however, is fabulous. For one, its a bit bigger & didn’t leak all over everything in my box (Glossybox drama, but I shall save that for another post!) & has the perfume name on the outside. I HATE when they don’t include any info on the outside…like I’m supposed to know what every tiny vial contains from memory? ANYWAY so this is “Not a Perfume” from Juliette Has a Gun & its brilliant. Read more about it in the photo below.

As for everything else…I’m hoping the video pretty much covered it! I love Stainiac from theBalm, I have yet to true the Stila BB Cream, the Melvita Rose Floral Water is fab, & I do very much so enjoy the headband from Mod Cloth. Overall, a very solid Birchbox! I’ve had a few stinkers & was starting to get very scared I might need to cancel, thank goodness this one was a winner! I’ve had Birchbox for over a year & have had very few duds so hopefully my boxes are back on the right track! Probably the best $10 I spend every month, I love beauty surprises!

Do you get Birchbox? How was your June one? Anything here you’d like to see reviewed?

This post contains links to Birchbox. Should you choose to purchase Birchbox through these links, I receive points. This box was paid fr with my own funds & any points obtained go towards buying beauty products to feature on this blog.

May 2012: First Official Glossybox featuring Zoya & Burberry!

May 31, 2012 By StephanieLouise 79210 Comments2012-05-31+22%3A39%3A00StephanieLouise

Remember when I showed you the specialty Glossybox I was sent to review? I showed you guys what kidn of brands to expect from Glossybox in the future & what they had sent me. Well, happily shelled out my own money & bought one so I could ACTUALLY review the service for you. If you want to see what I got & my impressions, continue on!

This arrived a box within a box like the one I received before. I love these boxes, I will be finding many uses for them if I continue with the service. They are extremely sturdy & quite lovely. I prefer these to the cheap bags MyGlam sends each month! If you want to see this box in more detail, check out my video on youtube so you can see it in real life.

What’s in the box:

1. Burberry Lip Mist in Copper No. 202: This is meant to be a dewy lipcolor & I am glad to have it. This is a lovely sample with great, sturdy packaging. This comes off as a brown toned orange. This is from the UK.

A full size is 0.12 oz for $30. This sample is .028 oz which I believe is a decent size & worth about $7.

2. Marvis Whitening Mint Toothpaste: I’ve actually heard of this brand which is a surprise to me. Sure I love a good toothpaste but I was surprised to have heard of it! I didn’t know this was from Italy either! I’m excited to try this.

This is a full size sample which is 1.23 oz & retails for $7.50.

3. Meg from Zoya Nail Polish: When have you ever heard me complain about a Zoya polish being included in one of my subscriptions? I think if anything you’ve heard me complain about NOT getting them! I love Meg & swatched it when I did the Beach & Surf collections in its entirety. My only issue with the entire box laid on this one item though because some of it had leaked around the top 🙁 No major harm done but still a bummer though. This is the US based product.

This is a full size nail polish which is .5 oz & retails for $8 each.

4. Moisture Bound Refreshing Hydra-Gel from Amore Pacific: This product is from South Korea & has some pretty unique packaging. That top bit is a thin mirror but its actually metal & not exactly a circle. No big deal, but odd. It is a small sample but a full size is $100 so I’m not complaining…much. I’ll probably use it around my cheeks where they get dry.

A full size is 1.7 oz & retails for $100. This sample is .27 oz so that makes this sample is $15.88.

5. Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask for Dry Hair from PHYTO: This is a large hair sample which I appreciate. Sometimes I feel like my thick/long hair is discriminated against! The tube is actually one of those metal tubes like the toothpaste above or some of my oil paints. Different right? I always love a great deep conditioner so I’m always happy to have one…especially since I can use it more than once! This product is from France.

The full size product is 6.7 oz for $38. This sample is 1.7 oz which makes this sample $9.64.

Extra: A Glossybox Blush Brush created from goats hair. This is one of those brushes I have to feel for awhile before I decide if I like it. I do by the way. This is kind of stiff but that’s actually what makes it different. I can see myself getting a nice amount of blush on the stiff tips for a brighter look before buffing out.

Overall value of the box is approximately $48 plus the blush brush which I don’t have a definitive value for.

Overall, I’m very happy with this box. The price is more than twice as much as Birchbox which is a bit of a burn but this box was definitely a joy. I love the fact that each product in this box is based in another country. Shall I hold out hope for products in the UK & Germany that I don’t want to pay an arm & a leg for? Maybe! This leaves me with high hopes honestly which is a rocky road. I love the nail product, makeup product, hair product, dental product, skincare product, & the brush bonus. Very well rounded! If Glossybox can continuously bring me wonderful boxes like this, I’ll continue subscribing. But remember, $21 is twice as much to lose!

As always, please let me know if you want to see anything particular reviewed in the near future. What do you think of this first Glossybox? Does this get you interested in this service?

MyGlam Bag for May 2012

May 24, 2012 By StephanieLouise 7977 CommentsMyGlam+Bag+for+May+20122012-05-24+15%3A36%3A00StephanieLouise

As far as MyGlam bags go, I feel like this one is in the middle somewhere. I think when we look at subscription services sometimes, we forget that its only $10. Do we want our moneys worth? Indeed, but sometimes we expect them to be way more impressive. Read on to see what I think about this bag in particular!

The contents:

1. Love Sweet Love Fragrance from Philosophy
I like this perfume quite a bit although it is VERY girly. I haven’t tested out longevity or anything really on it yet. I’ll have to see how it smells on my skin.

2. Studio Gear Complete Color Lipstick in Winter Red.
I just have to say right off the bat: WTF, why are they giving us red lipstick now instead of in fall/winter? Bummer! I really don’t wear red (unless its a tint) during spring & summer because I prefer lip colors that are either a bright spring shade or low maintenance all together.

I swatched it 2 different ways to see if I could sheer it out. The bottom swatch is 2 swipes atop one another & the top is one swipe sheered out. This is really moisturized feeling but it smells like plastic vanilla. It has a golden or red glitter to it. Its fine, but visible so I probably won’t wear it sheered.

3. ISS (Kiss?) Beauty Nail Bling
These nail sticker decal things have me on the negative side of the fence. I took a picture with my largest nail (besides my thumb) to show how large these are. I wish some of them had smaller hearts because on me, these will probably look pink & silver…not silver with hearts. These are really textured as well so I wonder how well they will stay.

4 + 5. MyGlam Concealer Brush & Defining Eyeliner Brush
The last 2 brushes (according to the card) are finally here. Its not that I hate these brushes but the first few stank to high heaven. I find these to be about ELF quality (around $1-$3) which isn’t a big deal except that I didn’t really need these. I’m glad they are coming to an end although I know some people really liked them.

Overall, this isn’t the best or the worst. I will keep on next month though if for no other reason than the brushes will end. I want to see what they include instead. If they switch to foil packets or cheapie products to replace them, I’ll likely kiss this subscription goodbye.

What do you guys think of this bag? Are you subscribed to MyGlam?

May 2012: My Gossip Girl Birchbox

May 22, 2012 By StephanieLouise 7985 CommentsMay+2012%3A+My+Gossip+Girl+Birchbox2012-05-22+17%3A57%3A00StephanieLouise

I waited so impatiently for this Birchbox. I mean really, I felt like a 15 year old waiting for prom. When Gossip Girl first started, I loved it. I still enjoy seeing the fashion from the show as its all really varied but seriously striking. I’m always happy to see Serena (Blake Lively) & Blair (Leighton Meester) gracing the pages in my many (MANY) magazine subscriptions. When Birchbox managed to team up with Gossip Girl I expected something incredible.

Perhaps that was my fault. Maybe I expected too much. If I had run things, there would have been a Blair box & a Serena box filled with fabulous items dedicated to your favorite GG character. I would have gone classy but fun & really aimed to outdo the other boxes. I mean, this is Gossip Girl after all. Although some people did get fabulous boxes with full size Stila items, I did not. However, I am not reviewing those boxes, I am reviewing my own. Here is what I did receive.

– A small sample of Miss Dior Eau de Parfum. This is a very girl scent that I actually quite like. A small sample though so I only get a few tries to judge longevity.

– Diorshow Extase mascara in a sample size.

– Miracle Skin Transformer Body SPF in Glow. I have tried this. I instantly knew it was super sheer & although I tried to layer it over a scar, it just didn’t work for me at all. It has a strange sheen as well which would be fine except that I didn’t expect it to.

– Cleansing Oil Shampoo from Shu Uemura. This only had about 2 uses in it for my thick hair but I got the gist of it. I don’t feel like it was incredibly mind blowing (which for $55 it needs to be) but maybe its only because I got two uses. My hair feels clean but it didn’t do anything brilliant.

-A baby poop colored notecard. I saw this phrase on Pink Sith’s blog & have not been able to get it out of my head. Its just too fitting. I doubt I will ever use this, at least not on someone Ilike.

I will say, the below card ticked me off. I mean, if I watched the show, I would have been livid about the leaked information. I don’t really know what this card pertains to because I don’t watch it but if they ever include a True Blood card like this before a season finale, there will be hell to pay.

Overall, this box is meh. I mean, its not awful but not great. If I hadn’t seen other boxes (but how could I not?) maybe I would be a tad happier but still not beaming. For $10, I’m not dying about it. I think the issues I have mainly are that the shampoo & the DIOR items are pretty much freebies. I feel like overall, this box is lacking & doesn’t compare to many of my former boxes. I’m not dropping out yet, I’ll give it another shot. I just hope I get a glimpse of the wonderful boxes I used to look forward to every month.

May 2012: Glossybox has Come to the USA!

May 4, 2012 By StephanieLouise 8116 Comments2012-05-04+04%3A01%3A00StephanieLouise

Disclaimer: Normally I put these at the end of posts but this one needs to be at the beginning. This is NOT a regular Glossybox & I don’t want you guys thinking this is what you will get if you sign up. This is an amazing launch box filled with 5 full size products & 1 sample pack that was distributed to some people (me because I’m a blogger) or won by others. This is NOT how most boxes will be. Glossybox generally contains at least 5 products, one being full sized. They work with some amazing brands as well so I do believe this is a good representation of the types of brands we will be seeing in this new subscription service. I didn’t want to mislead any of my readers as this isn’t exactly an example of what you will be getting from Glossybox. Once again, this was in celebration of their launch. A big thanks to Pink Sith for letting us know this information.

Okay, now onto the FUN stuff! This is some of the most beautiful & chic packaging ever to hit my doorway, & I’ve seen some beauts. The box it comes in has the logo & glossy box on it, then a beautiful, pink hard box that I can see myself storing all sorts of things in. Next is some information tied with a bow.

Next up is a “Trend Guide” & Info Card. I love this guide & find it to be a very fun addition. Inside are places for you to write notes along with information about the samples & advice about them. This is organized by oconic places & shows their beauty trends. Fun stuff!

The products are wrapped in a light pink paper with travel landmarks, so fashionable! I see myself hoarding these boxes in the future, so sturdy & pretty!

What I received are 5 full size products & one set of sample packs. Here’s what they all look like:

Kiss Me on My Tulips Nail Polish by OPI which retails for $8.50 for 0.5oz.

Initial Reaction: If you put OPI in a box, I will likely buy it. I love this shade & I don’t own it yet. I have so many nail polishes but this is a welcomed addition. I have this issue with needing every polish like…ever.

High Gloss Brilliant Lip Shine in Toffee by Kryolan which retails for $18 for 4ml.

Initial Reaction: I have always heard the most incredible things about Kryolan but somehow have never managed to have my own to play with. This gloss is very large & a lovely shade.

Lavender & Peppermint Body Lotion by C.O. Bigelow which retails for $12 for 5.2oz.

Initial Reaction: I am a lavender addict so I will be testing this out happily. It smells great in the bottle but for the price I do so hope it performs.

Cucumber Tea Eye Gel from Basq which retails for $24 for 0.5oz.

Initial Reaction: This has a very strong smell that has turned off some other reviewers. I will test it out because I am constantly looking for the perfect eye creams & gels. I’ve used the same gel for years though (from Olay) so this had better bring its A game.

EyeBronzer by CARGO which retails for $22 for 0.035oz.

Initial Reaction: Cargo, we have been apart for too long. This looks lovely & perfect for summer. I can already tell you my blue eyes will love this shade.

& last is a sample pack of the Hollywood Collection by Erno Lazlo which are all creams.

Initial Reaction: These are all named after icons: Ava, Katharine, Marilyn, Grace and Greta so they better make me look fabulous. No really, if you slap their names on something it must be a holy grail item.

I’m sorry I couldn’t review this service as a whole although I am incredibly grateful they were thoughtful enough to send this along. I don’t want anyone misinterpreting this box though, thus the long disclaimer. Looking at just the brands, these are way impressive & definitely something I’m interested to see more of. The price tag for this box is DOUBLE that of many other beauty subscription box service chiming in at $21. If you had received my box, I would say that price tag is more than worth it. Because I do not know what will be in the actual batch of boxes I can’t say if it worth it or not. I do so wish they had sent me a box that everyone else will be getting so I can tell you if its worth the price but alas, I cannot. Yet.

What I CAN say is that I will be subscribing as soon as possible & giving it a shot. If this month’s MyGlam bag stinks then I will be canceling it anyways. I look forward to seeing more from Glossybox & am excited to see what they bring to the table. They are so wildly popular in other countries I’m excited it has arrived here in the US. This appears to run differently than Birchbox & more like Beauty Army by opening up subscriptions for a brief period every month. To put your e-mail in the pot & sign up to get notified when these boxes are available, simply go to http://www.glossybox.com. These subscriptions should be available sometime in May 2012.

I look forward to hearing what you hope to see from Glossybox, what you think of the brands, & what you have seen from bloggers & vloggers from other countries who have had Glossybox!