Final giveaway reminder :)

Just wanted to let you all know that my Harvey Prince Ageless giveaway ends in about 24 hours now!  So enter if you want a shot to win a bottle.

I'll announce the winner a little after midnight tomorrow night, and the winner will have at least 24 hours to respond to my email, or another will be chosen.

Good luck and thanks for making my first giveaway fun! :)

Birchbox: April Box

I received my April Birchbox today!  This month had a green theme, in honor of Earth Day, and focuses on natural products and ingredients.  While I wouldn't say this box is super exciting, I am happy with it and will be using everything in it!

It's always fun to find the pink box in your mailbox. :)

This month had the same outer packaging as usual.  I love these boxes, and I use them to organize makeup, nail polishes, hair ties, and other small items.

In keeping with the green theme, they used green colors on the inside. Pretty! I love the little notes they put on their intro cards.

The list of items I got this month.  I love that they list the full sized prices on the card.

This is what it looked like when I opened the tissue paper.  I love that they always have a couple of small things wrapped up like a present.  

I received the Jurlique Moisture Replenishing Day Cream.  I have never tried Jurlique products before and I look forward to trying this one out.  It contains rose hip and avocado oils, and while it seems very rich and moisturizing, it absorbs readily and does not feel greasy.  The full size retails for $40, making this sample a $12 value.

I am excited about the Alima Pure Organic Nourishing Lipbalm.  I got it in Rhubarb, which is a very natural color for me, and very close to my natural lip shade!  This is made with plant butters and it feels very hydrating.  I swatched it on my hand below.  This is a full sized balm, and retails for $7.

This hand and cuticle salve from J.R. Watkins is in the Aloe & Green Tea scent, which smells great.  I was worried about getting a floral scent, and this one is subtle, clean, and soft.  I love how soft the salve is, it is easy to rub into the skin.  Very happy with this, and this little tint will last FOREVER.  The  full size retails for $7.99, so this sample is worth about 95 cents.

Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift is a fragrance I have not tried.  Fortunately, I really like it!  It's a soft, sweet scent, and so far, it's long lasting.  It's a bit fruity, with vanilla and woods in the background.  I would consider buying this in the future! The full size retails for $59.50, giving the sample a value of about 70 cents.

The lifestyle extra this month is dropps laundry detergent.  These are single use, eco-friendly little detergent packs that you just drop in the laundry.  I got the fresh scent.  I will be trying this out today on my scrubs from the week!  A pack of 20 of these retails for $6, so the sample is worth about 60 cents.

In all, everything in this box is useful for me and I'm happy with it. I appreciate the natural ingredients as I am trying to utilize more green products in my daily life.  The box has a monetary value of about $21.25, which isn't mind blowing but definitely not bad!

The Look Bag - April

I was surprised today to go to my mailbox and find April's Look Bag!  This is only my second month of Look Bag, but I have been happy with both bags!  The Look Bag is a monthly subscription service similar to Birchbox - you get around 5 deluxe beauty samples per month.  One big difference to me is that Birchbox tends to focus on more well known luxury brands, while The Look Bag seems to be a mix of known brands and smaller, more independent ones.  I love both, and actually tend to find things I get in the Look Bag to be more useful and practical for me.

April's bag came in a little pink organza bag, as did last month's, along with the usual introductory cards.

The back of this card (which I forgot to photograph) lists the items in the bag.  You can find information on most of them on their website.  Their site has a store and they offer a 20% discount on products for members. I haven't bought anything there, yet.

The first thing I pulled out was this perfume sample from virga botanicals.  This is a new brand to me and I could not find information about them on The Look Bag's site, so I found virga's site for information.  They say they "use the ancient science of Chinese acupuncture herbal practice, combined with the botanical secrets of Western herbalism to bring you a unique skincare line of astounding effectiveness and perfect natural balance."  Now, that's a lot of words, but they sound good! :)

Their botanical fragrances are made with natural organic essential oils and are designed to enhance positive states of mind and well being.

I received Water Garden.  I haven't tried it yet, as I already have another perfume on today.  I'm not huge on florals, but I'm willing to give this one a chance.  These perfumes retail at $24 for a .75 oz spray. I estimate the value of this sample to be about $1 since the size of the sample isn't listed/marked.

This is Laura Mercier perfecting water in the rich formula.  It is a hydrating formula that claims to temporarily over-hydrate skin in order to allow the skin to allow deeper penetration of treatments and moisturizers.  It contains deep sea water. I've never tried a product like this before, and I look forward to trying it out.  It also comes in a light formula, which would probably be better for me as I sometimes have slightly oily skin, but I'll try this one out!  This sample has a value of about $1.92.

I have been dying to try Orofluido beauty elixir for months!  It is a hair treatment designed to leave your hair soft and silky.  It's a mixture of three natural oils with a vanilla amber fragrance. I can't wait to try this out, and the bottle will last me a while, as a little goes a long way.  It smells fantastic. The sample has a value of about $1.49.

This is Jovie Jubilee luxury body lotion.  I hadn't heard of this brand either, and they seem to be a small company.  This lotion is rich, with shea butter and moroccan oil, as well as tea tree oil.  It smells very shea-ish, which I personally enjoy, but also has a sandalwood, black cherry, and vanilla scent. It is pretty strong smelling.  The texture is nice and thick and will be perfect for my dry elbows and feet.  It's a good size for my work bag! This sample has a value of about .93.

Finally, I got the pur-protect daily moisturizer from purlisse.  I was happy to receive this, as I am already using a purlisse cleanser several times a week and I enjoy seeing how multiple products from the same brand work together.  I love that this one is SPF 30.  It's good for sensitive skin and claims to be anti-aging.  It does  not have a heavy texture or a bad scent as many products complaining SPF do.  I look forward to trying this the next few days and seeing how it works for me. This sample has a value of about $16.17!

In all, I am happy with this bag!  I got a fragrance, something for my body, something for my hair, and two products for my face, which is a decent variety. I will use everything in this bag and I feel it was a good value, as the monetary value for this bag is about $21.51.

Disclaimer - I subscribed to The Look Bag independently. I was not paid for or asked to do this review, and all opinions are my own.

Giveaway reminder :)

Just a few more days left to enter my Harvey Prince Ageless giveaway. It ends on the 17th, so if you're interested, enter soon! :)

Glamourdolleyes eyeshadow swatches.

I've been lusting afterglamourdolleyes shadows for months now, so I finally broke down and ordered some samples. (Strictly speaking, I had promised myself that I would not be buying any new makeup until I used up some of what I have...but samples don't count, right?)

They arrived super quickly, I was really impressed!  I ordered 8 sample baggies, and she threw in 2 free sample baggies with my order.  She also offers sample jars for a little bit more.

The samples came neatly packaged in a ziplock bag, along with business cards, a sticker, and a cute card that has a little tutorial for a look on it. Cute!

I love the colors offered, and it was hard for me to just pick a few.  I ordered the top 8, and the bottom two were my free samples.  There's not a single one I don't like!

I love that she labels each sample with whether or not the shade contained is lip safe and vegan.  Very handy, and I love that the bag itself is clearly labeled.

I did swatches of each color, but as with most nice pigments, it's hard to really capture them in a picture, ESPECIALLY the lighter shades.  I wasn't working with the best lighting here, every one of them is much more gorgeous in person. These have lots of nuance to them, and gorgeous pigmentation.  I was really impressed by the texture, as well.

The GDE site is down for a couple of weeks as she is out of town, so I can't include her descriptions of each shade.  I'll add them in when  I'm able!

 In order:  Glam Girl (a rich shimmery purple), Olivia Green (a matte pigmented dark green - to me it's between a grass green and a forest green), Aqua Foil (a shimmery aqua, so gorgeous), Dirty Jeans (the picture does not do this one justice, grayish blue that shines gold. One of my top two favorites!), Show Off (a shimmery bronzey brown).

 These below are lighter shades and hard to see in the photo, but BEAUTIFUL in person.

 Electric Lemonade (a super bright shimmery yellow), Juicy Mango (my other favorite! A coralish orange that shines pink, this is so gorgeous in person), Love Affair (a shimmery light pink, so cute), Graves in May (a pinky lavender with some depth and shimmer to it), and Girlfriend Sweater (this one is much more  eggplanty-purple than it looks in the pic, it is super pretty and SUPER pigmented).

Here is Juicy Mango and Dirty Jeans quickly swept on my eye (no primer or any other shade), I hoped it could show off some of the amazing color variation shimmer:

I have fallen in love with these shadows! I'll be buying some full sized ones very soon, and I would definitely recommend Glamourdolleyes to any of you.  Vee, the owner, is awesome as well, she ships unbelievably quick.  

Sircle Samples

I recently learned of a brand new sample site called Sircle Samples.  It seems to be mostly focused on beauty samples like many others, but this one is quite different - it's free!  Basically, you earn points by completing surveys and doing other activities (it is still very new and in beta testing, so I'm sure more ways to earn points are on the way) and you are awarded points for these activities.

Then, you use your points to buy samples.  Different samples pop up throughout the day, and I've seen everything from eyeshadow to lipgloss to makeup brushes and a headband.  Currently, each company is only offering a few samples at a time, so you do want to check back sporadically throughout the day to try to catch a good one! So far, I've scored three samples, and two of them arrived today!

RAW Color Makeup Brush set. This includes a maximum coverage foundation brush, a concealer brush, and a retractable multi tasking brush.  This set seems to retail for approximately $40.

 

I have never had a maximum coverage foundation brush, and this one looks nice.  It is soft, and the brush seems to be of a good quality, and well made.  The concealer brush is nice, as well.  The retractable brush will be handy - it's soft and it is about the size of a lipstick when rolled down and capped.  It will be great to keep in my bag for powder or blush touchups.

I recently lost my entire brush collection, so these will be very useful for me.  They are very decent brushes, and I got them for free. Can't complain about that!

The other sample I've received from them is an L Erickson Sassy Bow headband.  I work in healthcare, so I keep my hair tied back most of the time. I like headbands to liven things up and to keep my flyaways  at bay.  L Erickson headbands seem to retail pretty consistently at $24. This one is really cute! It's a chocolate brown color, and the fabric is very nice - silky smooth satin.

The bow isn't too big or garish in person. I love this little headband!

So far, I have only good things to say about Sircle Samples!  If you want to earn samples, go ahead and sign up by clicking here.   That is my referral link - using it will both get me bonus points and link us as friends. Keep in mind that they are brand new and beta testing, so the site is very glitchy...but if you're patient, you can get some awesome things.

Julep Maven April Intro Box - Boho Glam

I'll admit that I'm just not a nail polish person.  It appeals to me in theory, and I'm often lured in by pretty colors, but if I'm honest, I probably paint my nails no more than three or four times a year, so it's just not something I let myself buy often.

I've seen people post about their Julep Maven boxes for months, and I always thought the colors looked super pretty, but $20 for either three small polishes or two polishes and another product is really high, in my opinion!  However, there are often penny codes floating around for your first box, and I decided to give ti a shot.  I took the quiz and got "Boho Glam", and after looking through the available choices, I decided to stick with that one.

I got my box a few days ago.  First, I really liked the packaging!  The black box is cute and a perfect size for reusing.  I am a sucker for cute packaging.

As with most of these services, it came with a little card describing your box.  As you can see, I got Meryl, Blake, and the Glycolic hand scrub.

When I moved the card, this is what I saw.  CUTE. I love pink and black, and it was well packed.  The pink was actually a pink paper bag, which was a nice change from the typical tissue paper.

The first thing I opened was the "Facial for Hands" Glycolic hand scrub.  This is honestly the main reason I decided to try out Julep Maven - my hands take a beating at work as I have to wash and sanitize my hands countless times per shift.  I also get a seasonal bumpy rash on the back of my hands and have since I was a kid, so I'm always happy to try new hand care products.  This scrub promises double exfoliation, featuring a combination of glycolic acid and apricot seeds.  This little tube retails for $32.  I've tried it once, and it did leave my hands soft and smooth, and smelled like oranges.  This is my favorite thing in the box, though I don't think I'd pay full price for it.

I actually do not have a nail file or anything similar, so this will come in handy. It's a good size and texture for the job. A cute little extra.

These are the colors I got - Blake (the yellow) and Meryl (the gray).  I absolutely love these shades.  Blake is a buttery yellow creme, while Meryl is a medium gray creme (true grey, without blue or taupe tones).  They're both so pretty.  However, it should be noted that each bottle contains only about the same amount of polish as the sample sized polishes from brands like Zoya.  They are tall, but very skinny.  I like the packaging, actually.  They retail for $14 apiece, which in my mind is high for a polish of this size.

Most important, though, is the performance, and I'm sad to say that these just didn't impress me.  The colors looked just as pretty when put on, PUT the consistency left much to be desired.  They both seemed very thin and it was difficult for me to get an even coat with them.  They also both chipped within a few hours when applied without a topcoat (I test all polishes on their own first, to see how THEY actually perform without help).  I wouldn't be upset with this performance from a cheap drugstore polish, but I actually have a few $1 Elf bottles that perform just as well as these.  They're not terrible, but they just don't perform like other good brands do, in my opinion.  

In all, this is a subscription I won't be keeping.  I love the colors offered by Julep, and I adore that hand scrub.  But the quality of the polish and the price just don't match up.  I'd rather spend that money on a Zoya, Lippman, or Butter London polish.  I'm not unhappy with this intro box for a penny, but I would never pay $20 for this.  I'm glad I gave Maven a shot, though!

Giveaway reminder!

I just wanted to remind you guys, before I head off to work, to enter my Harvey Prince Ageless giveaway if you're interested.  Happy Saturday!

New Garnier Fructis BzzCampaign.

I've been a member of BzzAgent for a while now, and I love it!  In case you don't know what BzzAgent is, it is a social marketing community.  Basically, you qualify for BzzCampaigns in which you are given the opportunity to try free or discounted products or services.  In exchange, they ask that you "Bzz" (share and/or talk about) these products/services, whether your opinions be positive or negative.  It's a great way to try new things and let others know what you think of them.  It's one of my favorite sites!

 It had been a while since I'd gotten a campaign invite, so I was really excited when I was invited to join the new Garnier Fructis BzzCampaign!  Garnier has come out with new shampoo and conditioner formulas that feature "Fruit Science" and new more eco-friendly packaging.  This campaign features two formulations.

 One is called "Sleek & Shine" and it promises to get rid of frizz for a full 3 days, even in humid conditions.  It contains Argan and apricot oils.

The other is called "Triple Nutrition" and it promises to nourish your damaged hair from the inside out and leave it shiny. It includes olive, avocado, and shea oils.

Both sound great, and either one would suit my hair just fine, so I am really excited for the chance to try one of these lines!  I'll be sure to post a review when I get my BzzKit and finally get to try them!



*Note- I am a BzzAgent and I am sometimes provided with free or discounted products to share and review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Giveaway: Harvey Prince Ageless perfume

The "What's In Your Makeup Bag" Blog Hop

This week, I decided to participate in BlogLoveTherapy's "What's In Your Makeup Bag" blog hop.  Click on the link for more information, and to join yourself!  There are tons of awesome blogs participating, and I've already amassed a huge list of products I want to try just from reading their posts.

These are my daily must-haves that go with me EVERYWHERE.

1. eos every day hand lotion. I have them in both the regular and cucumber scent. LOVE THESE.  The packaging is adorable and small enough to fit in your purse or even your pocket, if needed.  It smells great - the regular is mildly scented enough that it doesn't interfere with any perfume I am wearing at the time, and the cucumber just has that mild fresh scent to it.  I love that they have no parabens, as well.

2. CO Bigelow Lemon Lip Balm.  This is one of my favorite lip balms of all!  I love the smooth texture and the bright lemony taste and smell. It keeps my lips soft, and I love that it has no petroleum.

3. Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hr Eyeshadow in Bold Gold.  I'm an eyeshadow fiend, it is my favorite makeup.  This is a great one!  When I don't have time/the desire to put much effort into my makeup, I can just slick a bit of this on for a little shimmer on my lids, or I can build it up to a more opaque gold.  It's so pretty and it goes with everything.  It can even be used as a base. I love the cream formula, it's perfect to take along with me because it's so easy to sweep a little on with my finger when needed.

4. tarte LipSurgence natural matte lip tint in Lucky.  Oh, how I love this!  I got this product in my March Birchbox and fell in love with it.  I love the light pink, it looks natural on my lips and it lasts a long time.  Love the minty smell and flavor and the matte finish is different from my usual glosses and balms, and it's great for when I want a little low maintenance color on my lips.

5. pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black.  I love this liner.  It's a pencil, but it goes on so smooth and dark it reminds me of a liquid.  It's seriously no-budge, I wear it on my waterline and it stays all day and does not move until I remove it.  I like the small size, and that it's paraben and preservative free.  There are several other colors to choose from, as well.

6. Covergirl LashBlast volume mascara in black brown.  This is my favorite everyday mascara - it makes my lashes thicker, fuller, and longer without looking fake or clumping.  It's cheap and outperforms most of the more expensive mascaras I've tried for a natural look.

Love With Food April box

I got my Love With Food box today!  I've posted about Love With Food before...basically it's a monthly food subscription service that provides gourmet food samples.  The coolest thing about them is that they donate a meal to hungry children for every box sold. April's theme was "Bunny Hop Into Spring", and everything in it looks awesome this month!

As always, it came with a cute little card talking about the theme and the contents. This month obviously has an easter theme to it.

It's always a good sign to open a box and see chocolate!

These are Organic Chocoate Fusions.  I got little buttons of four different flavors: Pina Colada Milk Chocolate, Masala Chai Milk Chocolate, Mayan Pepper Chai Dark Chocolate, and Midnight Mocha Extra Dark Chocolate.

I already ate the Pina Colada ones and they were good! Not overly pina colada-y and don't taste gross and cheap.  Can't wait to try the chai ones!

This is what I am most excited about in this box! Caramel Wrapped Pretzel Petites by Mom's Originals. Mmmm. Gourmet pretzels filled with a soft layer of caramel and dipped in milk or dark chocolate. I accidentally tore the wrapper of the dark one, so I took that as an excuse to just eat it...and it was good! The caramel is nice and soft and chewy, and the chocolate is good.  I would consider buying these!

Four Masala Chai Blend tea bags by Impra tea.  These are a blend of ceylon and green tea. I love chai, so I look forward to trying these.

Annie's Honey Bunny Grahams.  These are made from organic wheat. I always loved Teddy Grahams, so I'll have fun packing these in my lunch this week!

Ferrero Hazelnut Chocolate Eggs.  MORE CHOCOLATE!  I love Ferrero Rocher, so these have to be good.  I am fighting the temptation to eat them now...

So excited about these! The yellow is Meyer Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and the reddish is Rich Basil and Raspberry Vinegar, both by Oliovera.  I can't wait to try these over some greens.

Overall, this is a great box!  It will be my last month, as I just don't have the budget right now, but I am very pleased and will enjoy everything in the box.  I'll add more detailed reviews as I try them!

Harvey Prince giveaway...

Hey guys...keep your eyes peeled (ugh, I hate that phrase), because within the next day or so I'll be posting a giveaway for a bottle of Harvey Prince Ageless perfume, which I LOVE.  :)

Harvey Prince Ageless edt review

First off, I finally ordered a new camera, so hopefully this is my LAST post with these crappy webcam pics!  YAY!!

But anyway... ever since I finished off my last bottle of Pink Sugar, I've been in the market for a new perfume.  Yes, I still love Pink Sugar and intend to buy another bottle, but I've been using it regularly for the last 2 years and I just want to add something new to my routine.  The only problem is, I live hours from a Sephora or similar store, so it's a lot harder for me to get my hands on samples than it is for most people.

Happily, I was chosen a winner of See, Shop, Love's Harvey Prince giveaway!  My prize was a bottle of Ageless, which I had never tried.  I was given the impression that the prize would be one of the small bottles, like roll-on sized.  Even now, when I read the blog post, it states that the prize is a 50 ml bottle - no ma'am, Harvey Prince sent me the big guy!  3.4 oz/100 ml.  I was surprised and excited!

Here, Rowan's helping me model the size, and the cute box.

 I just recently learned about Harvey Prince when I received a sample of Yogini in one of my Birchboxes.   They're a really cool company!  It's run by two brothers, and they describe their products as "Pure, inspired scents of purpose".  I love that each of their fragrances is based on science - including scents that studies have shown to serve a specific purpose.  Even better, they are cruelty free and free of parabens, sulfates, GMOs, and other nasty chemicals.

As I said, I had tried Yogini and really liked it, but for me, it's not a scent I'd wear out to work or running errands, it's more of an at-home relaxation scent. It reminds me of incense, and not my general sort of scent.  So I was excited to try another of their scents (actually two, they sent me a sample of eau flirt as well).

Ageless is a scent that is supposed to make you smell younger.  Not in a candy sweet way, but it actually includes notes that have been proven to cause people to perceive you as younger.  It smells good, too! I love fruity scents, and this is definitely one.  It has already become my everyday scent, to be honest with you, and that's saying something. The awesome box lists the fragrance notes on it.

Since it's hard to read thanks to my crappy webcam (soon!!), it states:

notes:

top

pink grapefruit

pineapple

mango

apple

leafy green

pomegranate

mid

jasmin

lily of the valley

cherry blossom

peony

dry

soft musk

precious woods

vanilla

Now, I'm not a perfumista.  I can't sniff a perfume and pick out a laundry list of notes.  But I can tell you that when you first open the bottle and spray, the very first smell is the fresh pink grapefruit, and then other fruitiness.  I can't say that I specifically smell every fruit listed (I do detect the apple!), but they combine into a nice fruit scent that manages to still smell clean.  I think that is the leafy green.

It does go on a little strong, but I find that most, if not all, perfumes do, and this one mellows out in just a few minutes.  There is a moment (just a couple of seconds), right after the grapefruit, when it actually reminds me a bit of DKNY Be Delicious (which is a scent I like very much, so I'm okay with that).

I was a little concerned about the mids because I dislike strong jasmine smells, but I am happy to say that it's subtle and fresh, and doesn't really smell overwhelmingly floral at all.  It mellows to a sweet, clean scent.

The dry down is nice!  A few hours later, the fruity notes and the mid florals are still there and subtle, but you start to detect these softer notes underneath.

I can still smell this scent on my wrist after several hours.  It smells nice with my body chemistry.  Do I really smell 8 years younger?  I don't know.  But I'm thankful to have received this, because now I have a new scent to liven things up.  And yeah, this is gonna last me a while!  This is definitely a fragrance that you need only one spray of at a time.

(Sorry for the dog, he was feeling very model-y today.)

Rowan checks it out and approves.

Love that the bottle is simple and pink! And huge. And the dog is posing again.

Got a sample of eau flirt, as well. Haven't tried it yet, but it has pumpkin! And Rowan is fond of his profile, I guess...

In all, I am impressed by this perfume and I hope to try the rest of Harvey Prince's scents.  They're a cool, different company, and I definitely recommend checking out their scents if you're looking for something new!

*NOTE:  I won this EDT in another blogger's giveaway.  I was not paid or compensated for this review, and all opinions are my own.