July/August Favorites

I didn't post any favorites last month because frankly, I was in a sampling frenzy, trying to use up some of my sample stash...but there are a few things I've consistently been reaching for over these last two months!

myGlam has been sending out these polishes from the Circus by Andrea's Choice line, and I'm in love with them! They are truly neon and I personally love the formula. After trading, I have the shades Ringleader (pink) and Spectacle (orange) and they are insane and beautiful.

And this Cargo colorstick in Maui is a perfect texture and a nice strawberry pink color for everyday. The formula is great, not at all greasy and soft, dries almost to a velvety powder. 

I ordered a bunch of these sample jars of Glamour Doll Eyes shadows and I love them as much as I loved those I've tried in the past! There's not a bad one in the bunch, but if I had to pick the two I've been reaching for the most, it'd be these two: Phyrra (hot pink with aqua sparkles) and Jailbreak (metallic sparkly silver). The formula is great, the colors are beautiful, and I love the sample sized jars - I've never used all of a full sized shadow. I love change and these are a great size for me, generous enough for plenty of uses.

eyeko Skinny Liner in turquoise is super pretty and lasts forever, I love that it goes on with a marker tip.

And Diorshow Exstase mascara has become a new favorite...it's super lengthening and volumizing enough, and it never flakes. I've been reaching for this sample every day!

I change my fragrance all the time, and right now I'm loving Lavanila Coconut Vanilla...it's nice and warm and smells nothing like most coconut scents. I love these rollerballs, they're perfect to keep in my purse.

Shea Terra shea body whipper in Gingered Pumpkin...YUM. I am in full on fall mode, and this is perfect. It smells just like a sweet pumpkin pie, and it's perfectly hydrating. I like to use it on my elbows, feet, and as an handcream. Every scent by Shea Terra is beautiful and natural, but this is the perfect fall scent for me.

And finally, Naturelle 100% Argan oil. I'd been using some argan products in my hair for a while, but I finally got brave enough to try the pure oil on my face. It's not heavy at all and is making my skin look and feel great. Should have tried it sooner!

So, that's what I'm loving right now. What are your current favorite products? Have you tried any of these things?

Klout Perk: essie Mirror Metallics!

I received my newest Klout perk today, and I thought I'd share it with you!

If you haven't joined Klout yet, it's basically a site that measures your social influence. Your scores qualify you for perks, which can be anything from a food sample to an early movie/tv preview to an extra item on LBB to a free beauty product. I've been a member for a few months now, and I've claimed several perks!

This one is a polish from essie's new Mirror Metallics Collection, which consists of five shades.

I received the color "penny talk": it's a gorgeous incandescent copper.

I find the formula to be very nice - not too thick or thin, and it goes on super smooth, especially for a metallic!

This is a single coat applied on a bare nail! It's  opaque in one coat. I did go ahead and apply a second coat afterwards just for some added depth and shine, but you could definitely get away with a single coat with this one.

I'm a big fan of metallics, so I will likely be picking up a couple more shades in the collection.

I think this is an awesome perk from Klout!

If you haven't joined Klout yet, here is my invitation link. Using this will link us, allowing us to see each other scores and list each other as influencers.

June Favorites!

I can't believe June is over already, wow. I don't have a ton of favorites for the month to share, as I've still been trying to clean out my sample stash. But here are a few things I keep coming back to!

I'm about as pale as I can be, so a good sunblock is a must. I got this one in the summer Target beauty bag, and I fell in love with it. I hate the way most sunblocks feel on my face - they're either too chalky, or too oily, and they make my face feel disgusting. This one is nice - it really is weightless and dry to the touch. I've been using it every day under my makeup (and/or on its own). As soon as this runs out, I'll be buying the full size.

Similarly, I've been using this lip screen by Lavanila every day. I hate sunburned, chapped lips. This is really nice for a lip screen. It's light and smooth, and has a vanilla minty scent and flavor. I like it both on its own and under or over other lip products. The texture and flavor are much nicer than most I've tried, and I love that it is all natural ingredients, as I try to avoid chemicals and petroleum on my lips.

I get bored easily, and I have to change up my scent often. Right now, I'm really loving Vanilla Grapefruit. It's got a citrus zing, but the soft warmness of the vanilla. It's nice and clean and not too strong, and just sweet enough. I love the rollerball, and I keep it in my purse. As with the lip screen, I love that this is all natural and chemical free.

I got this sample from Jouer and I love the shade so much I've ordered the full size. It's called "tender" and it's the perfect peachy shade for me. I love Jouer glosses, they actually last a decently long time for glosses and I like the way they feel on my lips. Love these minis for my purse, too.

I love Zoya polishes - I find them to have the smoothest application and best finish. This shade is my current favorite! It's Kristen, and it's actually from the Feel collection from this last winter. I personally think it's equally pretty for summer, though. While it looks more grey in the bottle, it looks more blue on the nails. It's gorgeous!

And finally, the Cargo color palette in Toronto. I am really into silvery greys and blues right now, and Cargo shadows are my current favorite. The texture and pigmentation is great and the packaging is freakin' adorable. 

So, that's what I'm loving for June. Have you tried any of these products? What are you really into right now?

Cravebox - May (my first!)

I have been coveting Cravebox for months! I missed the initial signup, and was sad about it for months, but finally got a subscription after they raffled some off!

Cravebox is another monthly subscription program. Unlike most of the others, however, it does not limit itself to a category. Cravebox sends out a variety of products ranging from beauty products to food to household cleaning items to office supplies. In the past, they've sent out everything from fun colored markers to pedometers and expensive skin care. They send out both full sized products and samples. I love variety, so this is an awesome subscription for me. Cravebox is $10 a month and send out an average of 5 products in each box.

I received my Cravebox about a week ago and I've had a chance to enjoy everything in it! So, here's what May brought.

The first thing I noticed was how big and heavy the box was! It weighed almost 3 pounds and shipped quickly once I got my shipping confirmation. I was so excited to see this on my porch!

Upon opening it, I was excited at the cute packaging! The contents were covered with a single pink sheet of tissue paper, which I saved for future wrapping/packaging needs. I like that it's all in one box, saving some resources.

Okay, how cute is this confetti? I love the colors, saved this as well.

As with most services, we received a card listing the contents and the theme! This month's theme was "A Taste of the Tropics", perfect for summer.

The first thing I pulled out was this sample of Lipton Tea&Honey in Mango Pineapple! I love drink packets like this - I keep them in my bag and use them at work. I am a huge tea fan, so I was really excited to try this. The Mango Pineapple flavor is delicious, super fruity and tropical. I have since bought a box of these and I've been drinking it daily at work! The packet also included a coupon.

We also got two packets of plum Amazins. These are diced dried plums, basically. I love dried fruit as a healthy snack, so I was happy to get these! I love that they are diced, makes them easy to sprinkle in yogurt or cereal. They tasted just like any other dried plums, and the convenient packaging made them easy to pack in my lunch bag.

I was excited to find this Skintersection Intense Repair Cream for cracking skin. This is a great inclusion for me, as my skin gets super dry in the summer. This is a full sized jar!

The texture is great - really thick, and not at all greasy. It doesn't really have a scent, and it seems to work well!

This is a full sized Shea Sugar body scrub by The Tree Hut! This thing is huge - 18 fl. oz. It smells awesome - Coconut Lime - and has a great, thick texture that isn't too oily, and it's super exfoliating without being too harsh. It leaves my skin super soft and smooth, and a little goes a long way, so this jar will last!

I love that The Tree Hut uses natural ingredients.

Finally, there was an item wrapped up like a present. I love when subs do this!

Mmm, Belgian chocolates! These are seashell shaped chocolate truffles. They got just a tiny bit melted in shipping, but barely enough to be noticeable and they still tasted awesome.

My favorite one was the seahorse. These had a super creamy texture, and I would love to have more of them, but they're crazy expensive.

Overall, my first Cravebox is awesome. I will use and enjoy everything in it, and with two full sized products, the value is great. There is currently a waiting list, but if you get a chance, this is a really fun service.

May favorites!

No, I didn't disappear...I've switched shifts at work, so I've been trying to adjust to my new sleep schedule. Aside from feeling like a zombie, all is well.

Anyway, here are my favorite products for May. I've been using a lot of my samples and packets to clear them out, so there are only a few things I've been using consistently!

I already posted about this Hot Mama blush here, but I have worn this nearly every day this month and gotten about a billion compliments on it. Depending on how I apply it, on my fair skin it can make me look rosy or fresh and glowy. LOVE.

Forgive the messy packaging on this and the below product. Just shows they're well loved!

This is a new product to me. I got it in the traveling sample box I took part in, and I am glad I did! I have been trying to master a neutral eye - I can do bright colors all day long, but I fail at neutrals. I choose the wrong shades, or apply them all wrong...this has helped me a lot! The pink color is the perfect light neutral for me, and the brown is perfect for contouring, they complement each other well and the texture is great. Love the darkest color for lining, too.

The concealer included is too dark for most of my skin, but luckily for me, my eye area is dark and this works great as a shadow base!

I've been trying a lot of new mascaras lately, including high end ones like Diorshow. I still end up going back to the Falsies Flared for my daily needs. Love it!

My love of Harvey Prince is no secret, and I've posted about a couple of their scents already. Lately, I'm absolutely obsessed with Eau Fling! It has notes of jasmine, lavender, pumpkin pie, apple, raspberry, and musk. It does not smell floral to me, just sweet and complex. It's definitely a sexy, seductive scent, but is not at all heavy or overbearing. LOVE.

As I mentioned above, I just switched to third shift. While it's not a huge stretch for me, being a major night owl, it's always hard to switch your sleep schedule. Not only that, but my allergies have been going crazy, so I've been battling major puffy eyes and dark circles. This skyn Iceland eye pen helps immensely and soothes my eyes. Love it.

As a bonus, my other May favorite is a website/service: LITTLE BLACK BAG. I'm not going to go too much into detail about LBB right now, because I have a bag on its way to me and I'll be posting about it then...but it is my current addiction and favorite subscription service. If you're interested in at least $100 worth of high end accessories for $50 a month and some super addictive trading, check it out. :) Linked above is my referral link!

Kara's Way - May (first!) Box

A couple of months ago, I learned of a new beauty subscription service that was preparing to launch. I'm sure you all know by now that I am a sucker for these services, so I decided to look into this one. It sounded great, so I jumped to try it out.

Kara's Way is an eco-friendly, natural subscription service! Their monthly boxes cost $15 , and consist of 5-10 handpicked organic, vegan, or natural beauty and body care samples. They include a combination of makeup, skincare, body care, and fragrance.

I read an interview with the founder, and she said that she has very sensitive skin and eczema, so that gives me hope that she will be truly picky about the products she shares. I'm trying to reduce the chemicals I use on my skin and body as much as possible, and services like this can prove priceless when it comes to discovering new things. The founder stated that she wanted to focus heavily on up-and-coming indie brands, which is awesome and right up my alley.

One cool thing about this service is that they will not post your box's contents until the next month. This is pretty awesome for people like me, who love to be surprised, yet can't help but peek at the spoilers. Maybe I'll actually get a chance to be completely surprised by my boxes with this one! The other cool thing is that literally 10 minutes after it was delivered, I had an email talking about the contents...it seems like they might have it set to send it when your tracking is updated to delivered. Awesome.

As this is the first box, I don't yet know if everyone is going to get the same box each month, or if there will be random selection or customization. I do know that I received a nice variety of products at a good value.

I love the eco-friendly packaging. Instead of an inner box, the shipping box is lined with tissue paper (big sheets, great for reusing) and the goodies are wrapped in tissue paper as well.

Love the cute little tag and the ribbon! The tag is seeded with wildflowers, which is an adorable touch. I'm so going to plant it tomorrow!

I'm glad this eco-friendly company walks the walk when it comes to packaging

Opened up, I found a cute little pile of goodies. A couple of these things were wrapped up like little presents, cute!

The first thing I pulled out was this Cucumber Witch Hazel toner from Thayers. This is a big bottle for a sample! This is an alcohol free toner that contains aloe vera and non-distilled witch hazel extract. It promises high levels of therapeutic tannins. I need a good toner, and I cannot wait to try this! Alcohol based toners can be so drying, so this one sounds great.

A 12 oz. bottle retails for $9.95, so this 2 oz sample is worth about $1.66.

Next, I found a full sized keeki lip shimmer stick! It is made of all organic, food grade ingredients and natural minerals. It contains beeswax, cocoa butter, coconut and sunflower oils, peppermint and vanilla oils, mica, iron & titanium oxides. I tried this and I love the texture, nice and soft and moisturizing, with a slight cooling feeling from the mint but not what you'd really call "minty". So cute. I got the color Sassy, which is a golden honey color. 

I love the oblong shape! It will make this easy to identify when reaching for a balm. The label and branding is just adorable, as well.

This shimmer stick is full sized and it retails for $6.99.

Next is Daily Active Sunscreen by beyond coastal. I am super pale, I burn incredibly easy, and so a good sunscreen is a must. This one sounds awesome - it contains aloe, shea butter, and vitamins C and E to keep the skin healthy. Excited to see how this works out for me!

This 1 oz. bottle retails for $5.99.

In this cute little organza bag, I found 3 samples from Native Touch. This is basically a 3 step skin ritual for feet or body- a DreamCatcher soap, a Blue Corn Sugar scrub, and a Rooting Bear Rub salve/moisturizer. These products look really neat and are made of great ingredients. I'm really excited to try the sugar scrub on my body and the salve on my cuticles and feet!

I opened the scrub up to check it out and it looks amazing - grains of sugar and lots of visible seeds for scrubbing, with a nice citrusy scent.

The samples aren't labeled for size, but the full sized soap is $6 for 4 oz, the scrub is $20 for 16 oz, and the rub is $14 for 2 oz. While I can't estimate the value of the samples, I can say that they are definitely a good addition to the box.

I am familiar with the La Fresh makeup remover wipes, but I have never tried either of these, so I'm excited to. One is an oil free face cleanser wipe, and the other is acetone free nail polish remover. I love products like this to keep in my purse and for travel, so convenient. I love that they are biodegradable and include healthy ingredients. 

The face wipes are $9.99 for 30 and the nail wipes are $9.99 for 18, making the face wipe worth about .33 and the nail wipe worth about .56. 

I was really excited to find this sample of Naturelle D'Argan argan oil! I love argan oil for my hair, and this is a decent sample size, and contains antioxidants. I love that this is good for your skin AND hair, most products I have tried have other ingredients making it too heavy for the face. I'm excited to see what this does for my skin! It promises to fight aging and sagging skin and combat free radicals.

A 1.7 oz bottle retails for $48.99, so this .27 oz sample is worth $7.78!

And finally, a full sized polish from Honeybee Gardens. This seems cool - it is a water based polish! And even cooler - it removes with rubbing alcohol or grain alcohol. I love the pink color and the idea of NOT putting harsh solvents on my nails, so if this works for me I will be a happy camper.  It does have some different tips for usage and application and removal, and upon receiving your box, you receive a link to that information. I am excited to try it! One polish retails for $9.99.

All in all, this is an impressive first box! I love how truly green it all is, and how healthy all of these products are for my body. This is a $15 dollar subscription, and if it keeps up like this I'd say it is definitely worth it! This box has a value of approximately $33, and that doesn't include the three Native Touch products. Definitely a great value.

If this looks good to you, go sign up at https://www.karasway.com/. 

Note: I received a free box for review. I was not otherwise compensated and my opinions are 100% my own.

Lavera Mango Milk hair treatment review

I received this Lavera hair treatment in my March BeautyBox5, and as I do have color treated hair, I was excited to try it.  My hair can be difficult, so I'm always up for trying new ways to tame it and make it happy.  I finally had a chance to try it out this morning, and I am surprised and pleased with the results!

Lavera was a new brand to me, so I decided to read up on them before I tried the product.  They are a company committed to safe, natural, and organic cosmetics, and they make body care, skin care, hair care, and makeup.  They seem to have a decently wide range of products, and I love that they are paraben free, cruelty free, and all products are suitable for sensitive skin.

One of my current goals is using up all of my current beauty products and replacing them with natural, organic products.  It's been pretty easy to do this when it comes to skin care and body care, but I've yet to find the perfect natural hair products for me, so I'll definitely be looking into their shampoos and conditioners!

This same is their Mango Milk Hair Repair deep conditioning hair treatment.  The sachet had enough product in it for two uses, so I have another treatment to do next week.  It contains lots of good sounding things - mango fruit extract, green tea extract, cotton flower extract, organic oils (including jojoba, avocado, and soybean) and shea and cocoa butters.  I found the texture to be rich and easy to apply, and it smells good! Fruity, but not too strong or overwhelming.

Per the instructions, I applied this after my shower, after washing my hair.  I slathered my hair in the product and let it soak in (the directions say 5-10 minutes, I got distracted, so mine stayed on for about 15).  It rinsed out easily and my hair felt silky smooth.  I was in a hurry, so I just put it in a loose braid to keep it out of my face and let it dry.

A few hours later, I let my hair down and I was really happy!  My hair looked so shiny, and it felt great - soft and smooth.   Forgive the picture - I had just taken my hair out of braids.

All in all, I think this is a really good product!  I plan on trying out some other products from this brand, as natural, healthy products that actually WORK are worth their weight in gold to me.

Have any of you tried any Lavera products?? If so, what do you think of them?

Sindulge - March box.

Sindulge is a brand new company.  Based in California, they offer deluxe handpicked beauty samples delivered monthly, just like other sample companies.  However, Sindulge offers something a little different - a live consultation prior to sending out your samples.  You can do this via video or text chat with one of several beauty advisors.  It's a pretty cool idea - theoretically, you can tell them the things you want, need, and dislike, and receive a package that fits you each month. Sounds great to me.

However, they've had a pretty rocky start, due to technical issues and shipping issues. Often, people were unable to schedule their consultations, time zone differences caused problems, and there was no way to manually change or reschedule your consultation time, and it made this first month a pretty discouraging one for many potential customers. However, they do seem to be working out the kinks and they now offer the option for an email consult, which helps with scheduling conflicts.

After seeing some really great bags and some pretty blah ones, I wasn't expecting much.  I think they got a higher demand than they expected, and weren't prepared for such a large volume of orders, and as such, the different products were limited.  When I opened my first bag today, I wasn't thrilled, but I wasn't horrified, either.

In my consultation, I told her I loved bright colors, all eye makeup, and lip balms and glosses. I told her I have sensitive skin so prefer not to receive many skincare samples, and that I do not wear foundation.  It's hard to tell if my consultation was listened to, as I received mostly the same samples as others have, and one different one.

I do find the packaging cute.  Inside the box, there's a little cardboard bag, about the size of a makeup bag.  It has a ribbon strap and I think it's a nice difference from the usual mesh bags or square boxes we're used to.  

I'll probably save this to keep samples I plan to put up for trade in, it's not too big and it stands up on its own.  I didn't take a picture of the inside of the pouch, but the products were covered with a sheet of red tissue paper. 

The first thing I pulled out was this Youngblood Mineral Primer.  According to Youngblood, this primer is to be used after cleansing to lock in moisture and after makeup application to set mineral foundation.  The full size retails for $41.  Nearly everyone I've seen has gotten this primer and it does not sound like a bad product...but I did tell her that I do not wear foundation, so I personally don't have much of a use for it.  That said, I'll give it a shot after cleansing and see if it really does lock in moisture.

Secondly, I found the pixie Eye Bright Primer.  This is supposed to fill in lines, and work like a magnet to hold eye makeup in place all day, and keep your lids matte and crease free.  It retails for $18 for the full size.  I did tell her that I was interested in an eye primer, so I am happy with this sample.  I do wish it was a bit larger, but I am glad to give it a shot.

I then pulled out these fauxlash lashes.  These are the Audrey style, found in the Natural line, and they retail for $16.  These are pretty and delicate and look like they'd be nice and fluttery on.  I don't wear falsies, though - I'm just not coordinated enough to apply them properly.  They will be great to trade, though, and this makes me think that they did listen when I said I like to play up my eyes.

This is Bella Rosa calming skin creme.  It is an oil free creme that is aloe vera based, and ideal for all skin types, especially sensitive.  At first I was a little annoyed that I got this, due to my sensitive skin, and I thought the scent was too heavy for my skin.  However, I found that the texture of the creme was actually very light, and while the smell was strong, it was due to the damask rose water used to make it.  I'm not a huge rose fan, but I decided I will give this a try (and I know my mom will love it if I don't).  The full size retails for $88.  (Note: I did end up giving this to my mom).

This rolled out and I didn't notice it until a bit later, but Im glad I found it!  This is the pixie Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black.  This is a long-wearing, no transfer eye pen that is supposed to give the effect of a liquid liner, but apply like a pencil.  It retails for $14 for the full size (not sure if that is bigger than this or not).  Pictured is the liner after a full sharpen, as I broke the tip off when I opened it.  It does go on smooth, rich, and dark.  I do wish I had gotten this in a color, but I will use it and I feel it adds to the value of this bag by a LOT.

Overall, I think this is an okay bag.  I wish I had gotten some color instead of the mineral primer that I don't need, but it is their first month.  I'll give them another month to impress me.  If you want to give the a shot, sign up at sindulge.com.  :)