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March 3, 2012

Product of the Week: Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop

Everyone’s been raving about the new Revlon Lip Butters since last year! I only have two so far, Strawberry Shortcake and Lollipop- and I love Lollipop. Strawberry Shortcake barely shows on my lips.I don’t normally wear or buy lipsticks, since I don’t like the dry feeling of them, and I find them to be rather expensive (especially at Sephora). Revlon lip butters gives the option to get quality lip color at a reasonable price.

I’m going to try to review at least one favourite product a week and today I’m starting on the Revlon Lip Butter- Lollipop.This is the description of the lip butter in general from the website.

– Buttery Balm + Shiny Color
– Buttery balm with beautiful shiny color to give you baby soft, healthy glowing lips 94% of women felt lips were softer, smoother, and instantly hydrated.

– Hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula boosts lip moisture by 156%
– Pampering gel formula provides super charged hydration and glides on lips buttery smooth
– Sheer to medium colour with buttery shine
– Available in 20 luscious shades

It sounds pretty promising, right? Since they were quite expensive ($10.49 from Shoppers/London Drugs, $6.97 from Canadian Super Store<-where I got mine from,) I only have two at the moment.

Lollipop is a bright fuschia color with a blue undertone. It also has little sparkles in it.You can build on the color, from sheer to fuschia pink. Since I don’t like bright colors, I dab it on my lips, just enough for the color to pop out. I do find them moisturizing, it doesn’t dry my lips out, and it doesn’t sink into my fine lines.

Photo 2012-03-03 9 47 31 PM — Swatch of Lollipop

In regards to how long the wear is for the lip butter, I’d say an average for about 3 hours.

I really enjoy the classy packaging of these lip butters. The cover is made of sturdy plastic with a nice quilted pattern. I like how the cover reflects the color of the Revlon product. The top of the cover is also transparent so you can see the top of the lip butter. I feel pretty luxurious when putting it on.

Because of its standout color, I would not normally wear it daily to school and such, but it’s a fun color when going out on the weekends! I don’/t usually like loud colors, but I found lollipop very suitable to my skin and overall look. Because I dab a little bit on each time, I can see this tube would last me a long time!

Let me know if there are any other good color recommendations!

February 28, 2012

Benefit of Benefit – Skincare Line Review

Last year, I went on a skincare shopping spree and ended up buying these three Benefit products from Sephora: Foamingly Clean Facial Wash, Total Moisture Facial Cream, and It’s Potent! eye cream. It was quite expensive- but I never used any actual cleansing wash before, or any high end face moisturizer, so it’s about time I take care of my skin!

I’ve been using these products for about 7 months and this is my breakdown on these products:

1) Foamingly Clean Facial Wash($21 USD/ $26 CAD for 127.5 g):

Formulated to work for all skin types, this facial wash effectively cleanses the skin and removes makeup and impurities with a soft, gentle lather.

This is amazing. I have dry skin, and back when I used water to wash my face, my skin felt “tight” and dry afterwards. I use a pea-sized amount, and sometimes add a bit of water for the foam and scrub my face. They wash off makeup well and oiliness that my face builds on throughout the day. I have been using this 1-2 times/day, and it has lasted me for a very long time. There’s still some left too!

It also smells wonderfully fresh and subtle, I don’t like overpowering smells. Also, if you are extremely lazy, you can bring this to the shower with you. The bottle is packaged with little bumps so you can easily grip it. Lather some foam and put it over your face, step into the shower, and rinse it off while showering! Saving water and time! I’m also loving the color combo of this packaged facial wash.

Rating: 4.5/5

Photo 2012-02-28 8 42 00 PM — Facial Wash

2) Total Moisture Facial Cream ($38 USD/$44 CAD for 1.7 oz)

“Formulated for normal to dry skin, this concentrated facial cream provides immediate and long-term hydration for an ultra-radiant complexion. It contains an exclusive “tri-radiance complex” to help develop the skin’s reserves of water and reinforce skin’s moisture barrier.”

Firstly- I really adore the packaging of this. I’m a sucker for aesthetics.

I have been using face cream I got from Hong Kong, but my face always felt dry in Vancouver. This cream solved my troubles. It’s a thick cream, so you only need a little bit to put over your skin. It doesn’t feel greasy, and it soaks into my skin when I apply it. It also has a subtle scent that doesn’t affect my skin. I like to wear it at night, and when I wake up my skin doesn’t feel dry at all! However, it is pretty expensive compared to other high end facial moisturizers, so I probably would not purchase again after I’m done.

Rating: 4/5

Photo 2012-02-28 8 42 09 PM — Facial Cream

3) It’s Potent! Eye cream ($32 USD/ $34CAD for 0.5 oz)

“Your eyes can’t keep a secret—they’re the first to show signs of aging and stress. This powerful eye cream, containing a peptide complex known to help restore elasticity and firmness, fades dark circles and helps smooth fine lines for brighter, younger-looking eyes. Its blend of hydrating botanical extracts features apple extract, known to help boost collagen, and loquat extract, known to help protect the skin from free radical damage.”

This looks like a miniature bottle of the facial cream (another +1 for packaging). I’m always on the hunt for eye cream, because I have dark eye circles + eye bags the size of mountains. In fact, I think my eye puffiness/bags are bigger than my eyes themselves.

I’m still young, so I don’t know if this eye cream has helping me fade any fine lines yet. It is very hydrating though, so I like the feeling when I dab it under my eyes. It depuffs my eye a bit, but it only lasts short term. My dark circles did seem to fade a bit, but they would come back and haunt me if I don’t use the cream regularly.

Overall, I’m on the fence with this one. It’s expensive, and doesn’t help in the long term. I use it more as an under-eye moisturizer.

Rating: 2.5/5

The Benefit skin care line certainly left an impression on me, and in the future I hope to try their other products- such as the Triple Forming Facial Emulsion and the Refined Finish Facial Polish.

Why is taking care of skin so hard?!

February 24, 2012

February 2012 Luxebox Arrival + Review

My Luxe Box has arrived! This is my first time getting a Luxe Box by Loose Button! I think i was being depressed one gloomy day in January and impulse ordered this online. For all of you who don’t know what it is, you pay $12 + tax/month for a box of surprise deluxe-sized sample items. The company also gives you a tracking number so you know where your package is and when you can expect to get it! I got a beautiful red box and when I slid it open, there’s tissue paper with a sticker that says “Made for Whitney.” How personalized!

Photo 2012-02-24 11 43 02 AM — Luxebox February 2012 Limited Edition

Photo 2012-02-24 11 23 37 AM — Made for me!

I opened up the tissue paper and this is what I received:

Photo 2012-02-24 11 23 53 AM — Luxebox samples

They give a little card that has a description of each item plus the price of the full size, which was very useful.

The first product is the daily microfoliant by Dermalogica. It’s a “rice-based enzyme powder” to exfoliate the skin. I never tried anything of this sort for so I’m quite excited. I have been using St. Ive’s Apricot Exfoliant for the past many months now, so I’m glad to have a new item in my routine! The price is $72 for a full size of 75g. I received 13g, so my sample would worth approximately $12.48. I checked makeupalley reviews and it scored 4.2/5.

Photo 2012-02-24 11 24 56 AM — Dermalogica daily microfoliant

The next item was a full sized China Glaze nail polish. I don’t own any red nail polish so this was a good color to add to my collection. I received “Go Crazy Red” – the color is a red-shimmery shade.It is worth $8.

Photo 2012-02-24 11 38 01 AM — "Go Crazy Red" China Glaze

The next item is a tiny cute bottle of Silk Infusion by Chi. It’s a hair treatment. I straighten my hair often and just found some threatening split ends in my hair couple days ago, so I’m excited to try this. Since it’s so tiny, I’ll savour it and only use it when I go out. The full size is 50mL- $15, 150 mL-$25, 300 mL-$42. I received 15mL.

Photo 2012-02-24 11 38 16 AM — CHI Silk Infusion

Lastly, I received a deluxe perfume sample- L’AIR by Nina Ricci. I was worried it would be those tiny pumps you can get from any department store, but it came in a cute bottle. I don’t wear perfume, but the packaging was really cute.The perfume is a blend of “magnolia, freesia, and Bulgarian rose,” and it does smell quite nice! I’ll probably where it for special occasions. The full size of 50mL costs $80, and 100mL costs $110. (Why is perfume so expensive?!) The bottle makes a nice display on my desk.

Photo 2012-02-24 11 29 49 AM — L'AIR Nina Ricci

Photo 2012-02-24 11 38 32 AM — Description of L'AIR

Overall, I do think I did get my money’s worth, and it felt like receiving a birthday present in Febraury. However, I went online to see what other people got, and some people got 5-6 items, whereas I only had 4. Some also received Benefit’s Sun Beam which I would’ve loved to try. I only bought a monthly subscription to see what the hype was about, and I can see why people love it. I probably will get a March luxe box to please myself.

Photo 2012-02-24 11 27 34 AM — Luxebox February 2012

If you got one too, share what you got! For all those who want to sign up, click here for my referral link!

February 21, 2012

Lip Balm Reviews galore! Maybelline, Blistex, Nivea, and more! (That rhymed…)

The one product that I buy like crazy is lip balm. I pretty much have one in every corner in my room. I keep one in my backpack, one in my purse, one in my pencil case, one in my jacket…. Why do I buy so much lip balm? I really don’t wear much makeup (for some reason I have a lot of makeup though…) and my lips are dry literally 24/7. Winter, summer, spring, fall…my lips are always no matter how much water I drink. I’ve bought lip balms from a range of prices and a range of brands.

I have way too many and I think it’s time to go through what I have today!

Photo 2012-02-21 8 41 39 PM — Lip Balms Specifically

1) Nivea Pearly Shine: This is Nivea’s lip balm that’s infused with pearl and silk extracts. If your lips are dry and cracked and you put a layer of this, it does NOT look good (on me anyway). It is quite frosty so it looks like you just stuffed your face in a giant bowl of silver paint and it got stuck on your lips. It looks (a bit) better if you put a layer of regular lip balm under. I do not use this on a regular basis a a lip balm. Instead, I use it to highlight my cupid’s bow (the upside down triangle on your upper lip.) It also stands out if you wear red lip tint/lip stick, and put some shine in the middle of your lips for a fuller pout.

Rating: 2.5/5

Buy Nivea Pearly Shine here.
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2) Maybelline Baby Lips (Quenched) : This is one of Maybelline’s newest products I got at Super Store awhile ago for $4. Shoppers Drug Mart sells it for $6.49, so be sure to check the Canadian Super Store!! I definitely got partially sucked in by the packaging. I love big bold colors. There are 4 other tinted colors + Peppermint (also clear.) I got the “Quenched” balm, which is your everyday basic balm. It’s supposed to last 8 hours, but really, when all ads say that, take off 2-4 hours from it. I have to reapply maybe every 2-3 hours, but maybe because my lips suck in moisture quickly.

It does glide on very smoothly. It has a very generic smell, so nothing special. The one downside I noticed is the white dead skin that appears on my lips after a while. Not very flattering. So I have to be careful when I apply this and check the mirror after an hour! I also forgot to mention, it has SPF 20! After I’m done this balm, I think I want to try the other flavours. Overall, it is a fairly nice smooth balm.

Rating: 3.5/5

Buy Maybelline Baby Lips here.
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3) Nivea Soothing Care : This lip balm has wheat germ oil. There are many benefits of wheat germ oil, check it out here. (I think I got a bunch of Nivea products from Shoppers one day since they were all on sale one time.) However, I didn’t find anything special about this lip balm. If I lose it, I won’t fret over it. The smell is a bit different from other balms, and it glides smoothly. Not something I would buy again.

Rating: 3/5

4) Nivea Hydro Care: One of my favourites! This is my second tube. It has “pure water” and aloe vera in it. My lips feel hydrated after a layer of this balm. It’s also very affordable everywhere ($2-$3 in drug stores). It also makes a good base before applying lipstick. Will buy again (after I finish my other million balms.) However, it doesn’t last very long, and I probably apply it every 1-1.5 hours.

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy Nivea Hydro Care here.
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5) Lipice Moisturizing Lip Balm (Apple flavoured I think..) This is an Asian brand, designed by The Mentholatum Company. I bought this from Hong Kong, but you can also get these here in Candyland (Aberdeen), or Smart N’ Save (Lansdowne), or Osaka Supermarket (Yaohan.) It costs around $4.99. I also enjoy this product very much because it has a mint, tingly feeling. My mom bought a bunch of flavours from Hong Kong that I’m itching to smell/try – lemon and strawberry. It also smells delicious!

Rating: 5/5

Buy Lipice here
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6) Blistex Complete Moisture: This is one of my favourite lip balms. It has a cool minty, tingly feeling when you apply it to your lips. I love that feeling because it tells me it’s working! It also has SPF 15 to it. My lips feel completely moisturized and quenched. It’s inexpensive, and does the job.Sometimes the skin around my lips feel dry as well, so I dab a bit of this onto my skin, and it pretty much saved my life.

Rating: 5/5

7) Espie Lip Care: My mom got this for me from Hong Kong’s Sasa. It has Vitamin E in it. It’s very very moisturizing, and it also makes your lip shiny. However, I wonder if it’s just making the top layers of my lips moisturized, or is it actually sinking in. After wearing it for half an hour, my lips still feel “wet.” It does remove traces of dryness on my lips, so I can’t argue about it.

Rating: 4/5

8) Sony Cp B&C Apple Lip Cream: This was expensive, and I admit, I bought it fully for the packaging. I buy anything that has an apple shape and pattern to it.

It’s adorable! It smells adorable! It contains hyaluronic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, and apple extract. It is a tub full of lip cream, and it makes me want to eat the whole jar. It looks very waxy, but when applied, it’s smooth enough. And it smells wonderfully fruity!! I wear this at night (alternating with Blistex Lip Medex sometimes) and my lips feel smooth in the morning. Did I mention the smell?! And the extremely cute packaging?!

The downside? It costs $11.99 for a lip cream, which is quite expensive. I got it from Shifeon (Downtown Vancouver/ Oakridge Mall.)

Rating: 4.5/5

9) Blistex Lip Medex: This is one of my God- sent, Holy Grail Products. I got it at Walmart for $1.99? Back then, I get cold sores from stress and not sleeping enough. It was painful, but Lip Medex solved those problems! It also gives lips a tingly feeling. This lip salve is meant to for cold sores, cracked and dried lips. Although you have to dip your finger in this one, it doesn’t matter because it’s so good! I have tried the balm version before, and it leaves a yellow residue on my lips. 🙁 I wear this lip salve before bed as well sometimes, and I wake up feeling great. It lasts long.

Rating: 6/5!!

10) Figs and Rouge 100% Organic Balm: This is an organic balm, made in U.K. and I had it ordered from feelunique. It was a bit expensive ( £5.00) but shipping is free on their site. Emma Watson( Hermione from Harry Potter) also talked about this lip balm too!

“I am obsessed with organic skincare and was overjoyed to see how beautifully packaged Figs & Rouge products are.”

Who doesn’t wish they’re not Emma Watson? As an anglophile and a lip balm lover, of course I had to try out this organic lip balm! The flavour I got was Rambling Rose and it has an amazing, light floral scent. What’s best is that this lip balm is organic! Check out the ingredients here. This balm can do ANYTHING. You can put it on cracked, dried skin. You can use it as cuticle balm or dried soles. Your skin is flaky somewhere? Put some figs and rouge on!

Rating: 5/5

Buy Figs and Rouge here
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Wow! That’s 10 lip balms I reviewed. Next time, I’ll share my review on Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments + Revlon Lip Butter!

What’s your favourite lip balm? Do you have any of the same ones, and what did you think? Feel free to comment below!!

February 20, 2012

Julep Maven February Box! + Get yours for $0.01!

Hi all!

I just received my first Julep Maven box a couple days ago and I want to write a review for it =)I had a code that I got it for $5, but now there’s a new code and you can get YOUR first Julep Maven box for $0.01! Read more to find out what’s it all about!

So What is Julep Maven?

From their site| “For just $19.99 a month, you’ll receive over $40 worth of trendsetting polish colors and cutting-edge treatment products each month customized in a gift-able Sneak Peek Box
Each Sneak Peek Box features new, never before released colors and treatments FIRST to you, before anyone else
Your box also includes hits and cult favorites – the products we like to keep on the top of editors’ minds ”

So you pay $19.99 for a box of nail polish + treatments every month. I was browsing the internet after reading too many beauty blogs, and I discovered this gem called Julep Maven. Sounded interesting, so I went to their site and gave it a look. It looked very eye-catchy, but as a student, I couldn’t see myself giving up $19.99 a month for it. Luckily, I found a coupon code and got my box for only $5 (So for $5, why not give it a try?)It is available for Canadians and residents of USA.

I received this cute, little simple black box in the mail.

What’s inside the box?

1) Glow On Age Defying Hand Brightener: It is a hand cream to brighten hands and reduce aging. It has a nice clean smell and my hands do feel moisturized. I don’t see any changes in brightening yet. Hopefully if I wear it often enough maybe the scar I have at the back of my hand would fade. I received a full size (3 oz) and the original price is $32. Expensive? Indeed. I rather stick to my $5-$10 hand creams I can buy at Bath and Body Works/ Body Shop etc, but this was a nice addition to my box nonetheless.

2) A sample of Julep Maven hand cream. I haven’t tried it yet, since the full size (3 oz) costs $28, I’ll save it until I’m somewhere extremely dry and use it.

3) Finally! I can get to the nail polish colors!

Photo 2012-02-20 8 38 29 AM — Julep Maven Nail Colors- Anne & Maria

Anne: It is a bright, violet shade. I tried 2 coats and I got a great color on my nail. It also has a bit of shine on it too. However, I don’t normally wear such bright purple nail polish, but it would be a good summer time color.

Maria: “A shimmering platinum rose” – I couldn’t have described it better myself from the site. I love love love this color! I prefer nail polishes that are nudes and pinks, but this one had the right amount of sparkle on it. Extremely rich and pigmented too! This color could go with any outfit for any event – dates, parties, dinners, and more!

Both Anne and Maria have amazing quality and they’re definitely eye catching colors. However, these nail polishes are worth a whopping $14 each! I don’t think I ever paid so much for a nail polish, nor will I ever will.

The total value of this box would be $60 (hand brightener+ nail polishes, not including the sample hand cream.) Pretty good deal that I got all of these for $5!!! I really do enjoy all the products I got as well. I do plan to cancel my subscription soon though, as I can’t see myself spending $20/ month on nail/hand related products, but it was great to try it for once!

Now, there is a code where YOU can get your first box for $0.01!

Coupon Code for $0.01: COLOR2012

Did you get a Julep Maven box too? Let me know what do you think about yours!

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