June Julep Mystery Box

If you haven't heard me talk about Julep before....you can see my first post about it Here - I won't get into the details about the company or the Maven program here, but if you are interested in reading about this innovative company and amazing Maven Membership Program you can read about it there!

Anyways, Julep often hosts Mystery Boxes (separate from the Maven Program) where for $19.99 (including shipping) they send you a surprise box full of nail polish (and sometimes other goodies like sunscreen, lip gloss, lip balm, lotions, etc). I previously purchased the May Mystery Box  and absolutely loved it - so when they announced the June Mystery Box, I jumped on board immediately!

Here's what I received:

Pretty packaging :)

A file, Lip-balm, Nail Strengthener, and 3 polishes!

 Julep Lip Balm in Vanilla Mint: This smells AMAZING! Also, I cannot underscore the importance of lip balm with SPF! Lips need sun protection too! ($6 value)

Julep Nail Therapy: I first heard about this on Chelsea's Blog and was just about to purchase it when voila, it came in my Mystery Box! This stuff truly is amazing. I have used it a mere 2 times and already my nails are stronger than they have ever been! Definitely will repurchase this when it runs out! ($16 value)

Pippa: This looks more pink in the photo than it does on my nails. I LOVE this colour. It is extremely neutral/perfect for work. Very creamy looking. "An updated neutral camel creme, sure to upstage!" This has been on my nails for a few days now and now sign of wear/chipping/dents even though my hands take quite a beating from day to day -  great quality. ($14 value)

 

Juliette: Secret - this is  my first white! I can finally do french manicures AND I have heard that white underneath neons really makes them pop! Also, good for a base for when I attempt to do splatter some time..... Very happy to finally have a white in my small but growing collection! This is a "soft, white creme"($14 value)

 Jodie: "deep rose with a golden shimmer". I would describe this as wine-coloured (it comes out a little darker on the nails than it looks in this picture). The nice thing is that it has little golden speckles that are super subtle, and not too flashy, but add a little pizzazz. With all the Julep polishes I have tried, I have always been thoroughly impressed with the quality and lasting power, this one however, started to chip after a day! I was not very impressed. Maybe I just painted my nails sloppily/in a rush...I'll have to try again with this one and give it another chance. ($14 value).

So overall, I am very happy with my mystery box! A little disappointed about the chipping with Jodie, but ecstatic with Pippa/Juliette/Nail Therapy and Lip Balm! Overall, I spent $19.99 and received over $65.00 worth of products (4/5 of which I am extremely happy with!)

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Peacocks and Leopards, oh my!

Sorry I have been slightly M.I.A - I have been very busy this month. I have lots of pictures and posts to catch up on though, so except a slew of those soon!

As I mentioned Here, Steph from Canadian Beauty Reviews was amazingly kind and sent me these Julep Peacock Nail appliques. I finally grew back most of my nails (slightly) and had a chance to apply them! 

 They were super easy to apply. My one qualm is that none of them reallllly fit perfectly to my nail-bed (I must just have really wide nails?). They are still absolutely gorgeous!! Without further ado....

 

 I also had a chance earlier in the week to copy a super cute leopard print nail design I saw on pinterest the other day. This is my attempt.....

 

The polishes I used for the leopard-print are, Wet 'n' Wild in black, American Apparel Neon in Red, and my first ever Julep Polish, Charlotte.

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Neutrogena 60th Anniversary Gift

About a month ago, my friend told me about a promotion Neutrogena was having on their facebook page to celebrate their 60th Birthday....this is what they sent me!

 Goodies Galore!!!

I am really picky about sunscreen because I hate greasy/sticky sunscreen on my face - Neutrogena Dry-Touch is actually one of the only 3 sunscreens that I will put on my face! I love this sunscreen! It is completely matte/non-sticky/greasy. I also love that it's 55 SPF. I'm basically albino, so SPF 30 doesn't cut it for me on a bright sunny day!

I'm not normally a bar-of-soap girl (I use shower gels/cleansers/exfoliators/etc) but this one is apparently really good for oily skin/meant to help with breakouts - so I'm looking forward to giving this one a try!

I already posted about this Here - this is one of my favourite hand creams!!! And this is the perfect travel size for your purse and it lasts a long long long time (I had this tiny size last time). I am in love with it! This is the only hand cream I know that is a gel and not a cream, but it works amazingly!

This is great because it has SPF 45 like a sunscreen, but is also a lotion/moisturizer for your skin. It dries/sinks in after about 3 min, so it's perfect for wearing under makeup as a primer + SPF protection!

 

 I love make-up removing pads - they are perfect for on the go or when you don't have the time to fully wash your face before bed. I have already raved about the Body Shop Tea Tree Exfoliating pads Here! These Neutrogena Wipes don't leave my skin as "clean" feeling as the Body Shop ones, but they do get off all the makeup, and Bonus, unlike the Tea-Tree pads you can use these on your eyes and it easily takes off even the most intense/waterproof eye make up!

All in all, this was an amazing free gift!! I am so happy my friend told me about this and am loving all these products!  Do you use any Neutrogena Products? What are some of your favourites?

XX

May Glossy Box

As I mentioned in my Luxe Box Post, I signed up for several beauty-boxes (Luxe Box, Glymm Box (Bag?),  Glossybox, and Julep Maven) and am deciding between just 1. I signed up for all, then cancelled all, and will be signing up for just 1. I received one of every box to try - but because I didn't decide I was going to be cancelling them all until recently, this will be my 2nd Glossybox.....

 Glossybox is a Beauty Box in Canada where a curated box full of beauty products is sent to your door monthly! 

This box costs $15 a month andyou can easily cancel your membership and will not be charged for any future months after cancellation.

If you want to sign up - and you've first read about it here/or been motivated to sign up based on my post I would really really really appreciate it if you use my referral code! (Sign Up Here) 


So what was inside my May Box??

All wrapped up in a bow :)

 

 

 

First up, Sebastian Professional Volupt Shampoo: Pump up the volume with Volupt shampoo. This is the 250ml FULL SIZE and Retails for $15.78. Okay, so my box is already paid for itself in full with this first product! I haven't tried this yet, but am looking forward to it. I'm a little nervous because I already have quite thick hair - so I don't want tooooo much volume.....

 
Simple Facial Wash Gel:  Leaves your skin thoroughly cleansed and revived, is a perfect blend of our purest skin-loving ingredients. The full size is 150ml and retails for $9.99. So at 50ml, this sample is $3.33. I have yet to try this out, but I have heard nothing but good things about Simple.

Simple Eye Make Up Remover: Effectively removes even waterproof mascara. Dermatologist tested. Opthalmologist tested. Safe for sensitive eyes, contact lens users, etc. Hypoallergenic, Noncomoedogenic (what does that even mean??). The full size is 125ml, and retails for $9.99, so at 56ml, this sample is about $4.50.

Curel Foot Therapy: Significantly improve the look and feel of even the direst heels and feet. Hydrates and softens dry, cracked feet in just 2 nights. This is the full size at 100ml and retails for $3.99. I'm looking forward to trying this! 

Finally, I swear I'm the only person who did not get a Boxx product in my Glossy box... I received an IMAN Red Luxury Lipstick. 

 This is the full size product - it says they are $16.00 each in stores. Though I looked and you can find them online for about $8-$10. It claims "this is the perfect shade of red for everyone, it's creamy texture provides full coverage and gives a long lasting smooth finish while conditioning and moisturizing the lips." 

The tagline for Iman cosmetics is "cosmetics for women of colour".... well I am not a woman of colour, and although this is apparently "a shade of red for everyone" I found this red to be far too dark/strong for my albino pale skin. It makes me look rather gothic/freaky. If any one knows a way of cutting it down/toning it down PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!!!!

They also included this card for a free "IMAN luxury Radiance Liquid Makeup Deluxe Sample" - that's nice, but:

1) I looked online and since this is a company for "women of colour" the lightest shade would be 10x too dark on me, and 


2) I live in Vancouver and IMAN cosmetics is only in Calgary and Toronto. 


So I am not very pleased with Glossy box for sending me this coupon when my address is clearly a Vancouver address, nor am I happy about receiving a shade of lipstick meant for "women of colour" when I am clearly albino and stated I was "pale" in my beauty-profile.  If anyone is from Calgary or Toronto, and has a tanned/darker skin tone and would like this coupon, please leave a comment and I would be happy to mail it your way!  




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Julep Nail Appliques, Or, Why Steph is Awesome

The other day I posted about my love for all things Peacock, and how I couldn't wait to see pictures from the girls who got Julep "Peacock Nail Appliques" in their Julep Cinco de Mayo Mystery Box....shortly after, Steph from Canadian Beauty Reviews commented and said she would be happy to send hers my way! 

She is the sweetest! The blogging community in general is so warm and friendly, and Steph is no exception, she is extremely generous and kind. She also has an amazing blog that I absolutely adore reading, so you should go check it out: Canadian Beauty Reviews

Anyways, yesterday I got these beauties and a lovely little note from Steph in the mail! You should have seen how excited I was when I opened my mail box!! I was having a rough day on top of things, so seeing how kind a complete stranger could be completely turned my day around.

I haven't tried them yet because I had a little accident the other day in which 4 of my nails basically ripped off :$ and I am waiting until they are grown back before I grace them with these beauties.....I can't wait to try them! I will obviiiiiously do a post once I do!!!