And....the WINNER is........?????

Rafflecopter works in strange and mysterious ways....


I clicked "Pick a Winner"...and it did....


So.....


The.....


Winner......


Is.....




Small Town Gal @ Shopping Obsession!!!!


You're probably wondering...hmmm...where have I heard that name before?  


Uh....well....it's because I won her giveaway!  Isn't that crazy insane?


Anyways, have no fear people...I think that I'm officially addicted to giveaways...so be on the look out for more to come in the future!


CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!  Your package is on its way!

Teal the Cows Come Home OPI Summer Minis

I was in the mall the other day and these minis jumped out at me and demanded that I purchase them!  Teal the Cows Come Home minis are the perfect summer colours - they are bright and beautiful.

Teal the Cows Come Home - a beautiful shimmery ocean blue with silvery undertones.

Pompeii Purple - funny enough, this isn't purple at all!  It's a HOT pink with bluish undertones.

Mod About You - A pretty pale pink with a touch of mauve.  

Charged Up Cherry - A bright pinkish red creme coral colour.  

I never heard a peep about this collection, so I did some digging around.  I think that these are the only four colours in the collection.  Anyone have any more information?


Anyways, I love the colours and I definitely see myself wearing Pompeii Purple and Charged up Cherry a lot!  Which one is your fav?

BlogHop #14 - Already?!?!?!?

YAY!  It's time for the weekly bloghop!

Rules are simple:

1. Please follow BlogLoveTherapy (blog or twitter) and leave a comment/feedback on our blog- Let us know what type of feature you would like us to add and/or how we can improve our site.
2. Post about this hop on your blog, twitter, and facebook. This will help drive traffic to the hop. The more people know about it, the more likely you will be discovered.

3. Hop around and be inspired. Please follow at least 5 other bloggers and don't forget to let them know that you found them through our blog hop. 

Don't forget that this is great opportunity to discover new blogs and share yours!

What the Truck????

This was such a cool and neat event that I just have to blog about it!!!  And I apologize for the late post, I wasn't able to get there until this past Thursday!  

I don't consider myself a food snob, but a borderline foodie.  I love going to diners as much as I like going to nice restaurants .

What the Truck is a really awesome event that was put together by one of the local business associations.  It's essentially a gathering of foodie food trucks.  YUMMMMMM!!!!!  This event only runs for the month of May.  4-5 gourmet food trucks gather in a local park just off one of our "trendiest" streets to sell you their wares.  The trucks that are there change from week to week, hence the "menu" changes from week to week.  

I am a HUGE food truck fan.  I don't know why.  Who doesn't want to eat Truffle Oil Tater Tots??  For $6?  C'mon!  :P  So when I heard about this event from a friend, I nearly freaked out.  But unfortunately, like I said before, life kept getting in the way and I couldn't get out there until this past Thursday.  I probably got there around 5:!5pm (the event starts at 5:00pm...and the line ups were already insane!  By 6:15pm, the trucks started to run out of food!!!!  It was a little disappointing to be standing in line for nearly an hour just to find out the "Bacon Bomb" was sold out.  *sad face*  I guess I have to look on the bright side, my heart was probably thanking the high skies that I wasn't able to get it. BUT...I am more than willing to take one for the team, so I'm planning on going again this Thursday, this time with more reinforcements and a plan of attack!  I'm NOT going to be thwarted.  But in the meantime, here are some shots that I took of the event, along with some other photos that I took during the week - I hope that you enjoy.  

Mini Heart Cucumbers from the Farmer's Market

Ummm...not all of this is for me.....

Chanel Eclat Lumiere Review

I purchased this quite a while ago but just haven't had the chance to bust this out until now.  This is definitely one of my more pricier concealers, but was it worth it?

The Chanel consultant recommended this to me as something to put underneath my regular concealer.  She said that the salmon tint would offset and brighten the under eye area.  As you can see in the picture, it's quite the light salmon shade.  

This is a twist pen type of packaging (at the bottom), which I kind of don't like.  I had to twist twice to get the product going and then I had to twist another 15 times to get more product.  When I twisted it for the 16th time, a BUNCH of product came out (what a waste!).  Seems like you can't really control how much product comes out and when.  Or, it could just be that I'm impatient.  Nah.

The formulation is quite runny and I found that you needed to apply at least two layers of the product before the under eye circles were neutralized.  Because it goes on salmon-y in colour, you will need to put concealer on top to even out the skin, plus your setting powder.  That makes for a lot of product.  The product is quite sticky, which is deceiving because it came out of the pen so runny.  You don't need to let it dry before you put on your concealer.  It is quite light (even after concealer and setting powder) and I hardly felt it on my face.  It did last all day, despite a few accidental eye rubs here and there.

HAHA!  I look a little crossed eyed.
Left side is concealed with Eclat Lumiere and Clinique's Line Smoothing Eye Concealer on top.
Right Side has no concealer.

I found that it helped fill in the lines a little better when used in conjunction with the Clinique Line Smoothing Eye Concealer.


I don't think that this is a product that I would use everyday, as it is quite expensive ($40 at The Bay).  Plus, I don't feel so comfortable wearing so much under eye make up everyday - but I have been because I love it!


Did I like this product?  YES!  Will I repurchase?  YES!  


There's still time to enter my 50 Followers Giveaway!

Mini Haul - of sorts...

A while ago, I entered a giveaway for a beautiful pair of earrings.  And then...I completely forgot that I entered, until I got an email (good thing I go through my junk mail!!!!) from Small Town Gal @ Shopping Obsession telling me that I had won!  WHAT???!?!?!  I was kind of stunned.  I seriously never win anything.  EVER.  I think that I was a little overeager in my email responses, but I was truly thankful!!

And here's what I won!

I had won a beautiful pair of Regina Pierallini (New York based designer) gold beaded hoop earrings.  Of course, being the absolute adult I am, I put them on right away and paraded around the house asking my husband every 5 seconds if I looked gorgeous.  Being the ever-so tolerant husband, he said yes.  :P

I just wanted to say "Thank You!" to Small Town Gal for having the awesome giveaway!  If you aren't following her already, please go check out her blog - she's a HUGE J-Crew junkie!

May's Glymm Box 2012

For those that don't know, Glymm has overhauled their look and are calling it Glymm Version 2.0.  They also raised their prices from $10/month to $12/month.  For those that are currently active subscribers, you don't have to do a thing and they will automatically upgrade you.  And you don't have to worry about paying the new and improved priced either.  Glymm has said that as long as you keep your subscription active, you will be charged $10/month.  


So...what's so different?  Less packaging (though, I have to admit, those box did come in handy)!  And NEW PACKAGING!  I love it, love it, love it!  Now, for those people who say that it's a rip off of "MyGlamBag" - who cares???  I'm happy!!!!  :P  The bag itself seems to be of good quality (unlike the myglambag, from what I've read anyways, which seem to be a little cheap).  I hope that the makeup bags are going to be a staple in the "boxes" and I hope that they change up the colours every month.  Perhaps this was part of their grand jelly belly replacement idea?

I was a little surprised to find my "box" a little on the light side, and I instantly though, oh no...this is going to suck....again.  

CK SHOCK FOR HER AND CK SHOCK FOR HIM
HRUMPH!!!!!!!  yay...more perfume samples.  I have at least three or four of this perfume samples.  PUUUHHLLLLEEESSSSEEEEEE.....give me a break from receiving these!  


COOLA - MINERAL MATTE CUCUMBER FACE SUNSCREEN
Protect your face from UV rage with this hydrating, refreshing sunblock.  Coola donates a portion of sales to cancer research.  I've never heard of this brand before, so I'm kind of intrigued.  
full - $36 (50ml)
sample - $3.60 (5ml)


NU-ME HYDROPUNCH HYDRATING CONDITIONER
Turn dull and damaged hair into vibrant, healthy strands that you can't help but to twirl all day long.  Hee hee.  I do twirl my hair....  I've never tried a Nu-Me hair product before, so this will be interesting.  Since my hair is so long, I've been finding it really hard to keep the ends looking nice and less dried out, so this product will definitely be put up to the ultimate test!
Exclusive product launch
full - $24.00 (250ml)
sample - $1.92 (20ml)


CARGO EYE SHADOW DUO in VIENNA
This is probably the third Cargo eye shadow that I've received from my beauty boxes and I have yet to try a single one. I do like this colour combination, so I might actually bust this out once in a while.
full - $25
sample - $25


CAUDALIE - VINEPERT ANTI-AGEING SERUM EYES AND LIPS
Smooth and contour your lips and eyes with this light serum.  I really liked the other Caudalie eye product that I got a while back (which costs, like, a million dollars), so I'm really hoping that I'll like this one too because at least, this one is a little more affordable.
full - $33 (15ml)
sample - $15.40 (7ml)


CAULDALIE SOS THIRST-QUENCHING SERUM AND MOISTURIZING SORBET


The SSO Thirst Quenching serum and the moisturizing sorbet are supposed to be used together, or so it indicates on the card.  Both are exclusive product launches.  The serum is supposed to give your skin a surge of hydration and restore moisture balance for softer and more supple skin.  The moisturizing sorbet will leave your face feeling refreshed, hydrated and comfortably soft.  Both are little tiny samples, but they are in really cute pink packaging, so it's okay.
full - $48.00 (30ml) Serum
full - $38.00 (40ml) Sorbet
sample - $1.60 (1ml) Serum
sample - $0.95 (1ml) Sorbet


Overall, I really liked this month's Glymm Bag.  This will be the first month where I'm keeping all of the samples for myself and not giving any of them away.  One other positive change that Glymm has made is to their card (though, they could save on printing and paper by shrinking the font a little and making the card a little smaller...but not a biggie) is that they tell you approximately how many uses their samples will provide you.  So, hopefully, I'll never see a "Sample usage: 1" on here.  :P  I personally think that Glymm has made quite a few positive changes, but just like when I started my Glymm subscription, I was impressed, but slowly things went downhill, but seeing these changes has changed my mind about cancelling next month.  Hopefully, things will stay good!


Total Value of this month's Glymm Bag: $48.47
Rating: 4 out of 5.


I'm having a 50 Follower Giveaway, please make sure you enter!

Canadian Beauty Review's 150 Follower HUGE giveaway!!!

Steph @ Canadian Beauty Reviews is having a huge giveaway!  She hit 150 followers (WOWSERS!!!!).

Head on over to her blog and check her out.  She's funny, awesome and I love her blog!

BIG CONGRATULATIONS Steph!  And here's to many more!!!!  :)

May's TopBox

I know that I really loved last month's recycled packaging and it must have went over so well with everyone else that this month (and I believe onward), that TopBox are letting you pick which type of packaging you want - recycled or the regular print box.  To me, it's these little touches that really build up "brand" loyalty.  I was already impressed with my box before I even got it!  LOL!

Being the little sneaker peeker that I am, I've already prowled a few of my fav blogs to see what they got in their boxes, so I kind of already knew what was going to be in mine.    :P

ORLANE - FIRST TIME-FIGHTING CARE EYE CONTOUR CREAM

This first time-fighting eye cream for the delicate eye area diminishes fine lines, puffiness, and dark circles leaving the eyes looking smoothed, luminous and lastingly younger looking.  This product was meant those that are 25+ (though, I'm not sure how they came up with that, but sure).  I've never tried Orlane before and I am running out of eye cream, so this is perfect!

full - $75 (15ml)

sample - $10 (2ml)

EXPRESSIONS - BRONZING POWDER BRUSH

Unfortunately, as soon as I slid my brush out of the tubing that it came in, it broke into two pieces.  *sad panda face*  I contacted Topbox and they got back to me within a couple of days and told me that they would send a replacement brush in my June box.  How's that for great customer service? (perhaps Loosebutton should take some notes).  But my initial reaction was how soft and dense the brush was.  I really liked how chunky the handle was because it'll give me greater control.

retail - $25

DEBORAH LIPPMAN - WHATEVER LOLA WANTS

I'm beyond excited to get this polish.  I had previously purchased a collection pack of Deborah Lippman polishes but those were glitter polishes, so it's nice to get a "real" polish. It's this beautiful shell-pink shimmer colour.  Very sheer and needs at least two coats before you can see any of the pink.  It's a perfect colour to put on for those days that you want to wear polish, but don't want to have to pick from your vast collection of polishes (oh c'mon!  Like we don't all have at least 10 polishes!  :P)  It is very similar to Julep's Emma.  Emma is more white based and this is one is more pink based.

full - $20

COVERFX - CLEAR PREPFX

This is an "anti-shine" primer that reduces lines and pores and is long-lasting and easy to blend.  It's a lightweight gel that helps prevent and heal acne blemishes.  I was actually looking at purchasing this primer, so now I can try it out without having to purchase the full size!

full - $39 (30ml)

sample - $9.10 (7ml)

I don't know how Topbox always manages to impress me.  I really liked this box and I'm really impressed with their customer service.  Despite not getting as many samples as the other boxes, this is one is probably my favourite beauty box.  

Total Value of Box: $64.10

Rating: 4.9 out of 5.

If you haven't already, remember to enter my 50 Followers Giveaway!!!

Fairy Drops vs. Blinc

I love fiberwig mascaras.  Mainly because I'm lazy and don't want to wrestle with make up remover to try and get waterproof mascara off my lashes every night. How easy is it to just wet your eyes and pull those little tubes off your lashes?  It's safe, fast and easy.

I've been using Blinc (or when it first came out it was called Kiss Me Mascara - which I believe it's still called in Asia) since my university days.  This is kind of going to date me, but that was about 10 years ago?  I've always found that Blinc (B for short) was a little pricey and it didn't lengthen or volumize my lashes.  And being asian with short stubby sparse lashes, it's not so attractive.  I've heard of FairyDrops (FD for short) before, but I didn't know that Sephora started carrying it. Of course, as soon as I found out that they carried it, I dropped by and picked one up.

I like the packaging on FD way better than B.  It's fun and cutesy.  B is more streamlined and mature.  Minimalistic.  FD - 1, B - 0

FD definitely volumized and lengthened (though not by a lot).  The bonus here is that FD is supposed to also curl.  Side note: I've been using Latisse and it seems to be curling my lashes on it's own, so I don't really need to use a curler anymore.  My lashes are also longer, so I may not notice the lengthening as much.  B gives me the doll eyed look that I like so much, but it doesn't really fill in the spaces.  FD - 2, B - 0.

FD flaked.  B did not.  FD - 2, B- 1.

FD dried out within two months, B has been opened for nearly 6 months and it's finally drying out.  FD - 2, B - 2.

Removing FD was a bit of a process.  It didn't really remove as little tubes, but more like little mascara chunkies (yes, I know, sounds very appetizing).  And it took a little longer to remove.  B is quick and easy.  Put your face under running water (I usually remove it when I'm in the shower) for about 10-15 seconds and then pull and you pull off a bunch of little tubes at a time.  FD - 2, B - 3.

FD has a weird curved bumpy like brush.  B's brush is straight.  The application was about the same for me, but I find that I had an easier time applying with the FD brush.  FD - 3, B -3

B's formula was a lot more watery, or runny, if you will (like nail polish).  FD was a little more thick, more mascara like.  This could also be why B lasted a little longer than FD.  FD - 3, B - 4.  As you can tell by the picture of the brushes, FD is clumpy and B is not.

Overall, I really liked FD, but was just really disappointed at how fast it dried out.  I think that it would be a nice back up, but I think that I'm going to keep using Blinc.


Have you tried either of these mascaras?  What did you think?

Julep's Cinco De Mayo Mystery Box!

Yay!  My mystery box has finally arrived!  It feels like I've been waiting for this forever!  I'm so happy that it came in this tiny box that fit perfectly in my mail box!  

For those that have never heard of Julep Mystery Boxes, these are boxes that Julep offers during special occasions or holidays.  They cost $60, but if you order these boxes soon after they're announced, Julep normally offers a coupon code that brings the price down to $19.99 - which is a fantastic deal because you're guaranteed at least double that amount in product.  This is my second mystery box, the first one being the Spring Box, which I unfortunately, *hangs head in shame*, paid $60.00 for.  

I couldn't wait to see what I had gotten in my box that I literally tore that thing apart, so...sorry, no pretty pictures of the box opening...  :P

This time around, I received four polishes, a crystal nail file, and a mini Glycolic Hand Scrub.  Unfortunately, one of the polishes that I got in this box, I already have, (Jayne@Cosmetic Proof had warned me!) but I think that overall, the box is still pretty good.

Oops!  Hee hee...I guess that I could have removed the "Made In China" sticker!  

I received Alyson, Drew, Emma and Jessica (repeat).  At first, I really frowned when I picked up Alyson and Emma....I kept thinking...what am I?  In high school?  Boring? With all these nude and sparkly colours I've been receiving lately?  These aren't "Jamie" colours!  But after I swatched them, I found that I really liked them!

Drew is a fabulous fushia.  To me, it looks a little more magenta and it definitely doesn't look like the shade that they have on the website.  But I  still LOVE this colour and I cannot wait to try it out.  It'll definitely look pretty awesome on my toes!

Jessica is a soft and sweet creme baby blue.  Since I already have this colour, I'm just going to throw it in with the giveaway.  I hope that you're all okay with that.  ;P

Emma is this gorgeous seashell pink shimmer.  I don't think that I ever would wear this alone because it's kind of not opaque enough for my tastes.

Alyson is this beautiful neutral almond creme shade.  It reminds me of vanilla lattes.  Oh, yummy....

In total, I received about $60 worth in products and I only spent $20!  Not bad!

Would you consider getting a mystery box?

PS.  Don't forget about Blog Hop #10!!!!  

P.P.S Don't forget to enter my 50 Followers Giveaway!!

50 Followers Giveaway!

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my first ever giveaway!  I hit a milestone (at least in my eyes ;P) of 50 followers!  I just wanted to say thank you to my followers - new and old.  I hope that I have picked some great items that you'll all like!  


Here are the rules:
1.  Must be 18 or older.  If you are younger, please make sure you obtain your parents permission to give out your address - PLEASE!  
2. Open Internationally.  
3. Must follow via GFC - I will check!
4. I have 2 mandatory questions, if you do not wish to leave your email address, please let me know by commenting below and email me @ jjquan@hotmail.com.


PS. This is my first time playing around with Rafflecopter, so I hope that everything works out okay!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will be picking a winner on May 30 and announcing it on my May 31.  The winner will have 48 hours to get back to me before I pick another winner.


Good luck everyone!!!

Blog Hop #10

C'mon!  Everyone is doing it!


Rules are simple: 

1. Please follow BlogLoveTherapy (blog or twitter) and leave a comment/feedback on our blog- Let us know what type of feature you would like us to add and/or how we can improve our site.
2. Post about this hop on your blog, twitter, and facebook. This will help drive traffic to the hop. The more people know about it, the more likely you will be discovered.

*Don't forget to mention the hop throughout the week.*
3. Hop around and be inspired. Please follow at least 5 other bloggers and don't forget to let them know that you found them through our blog hop.

Happy BlogHopping!

Clinique Superbalanced Makeup

I haven't owned a Clinique item in a long, long time.  Not even any of their skincare.  But given worries about my dark under eye circles, I thought that I would give their highly reviewed Line Smoothing Concealer.  Of course, once you're there, it wouldn't be fair if you just picked up what you were looking for and ignore the rest of the products!  I was using Make Up Forever HD Foundation - which I completely love, but was running out.  Since I didn't want to make a trip to my local Sephora, I thought that I would see what I could get there.  

This product is made for Normal to Oily Skin.  I get very oily around the T-Zone.  And I mean bad oily.  I put on my makeup around 6am in the morning and by 10:30am, the T-Zone is shiny, oily and uncomfortable.  I probably blot about 4-5 times a day, using anywhere between two to three sheets a time.  The colour that I tried on was in Vanilla.  It was bang on!  I couldn't believe it.  It can be anywhere because light-medium to medium coverage.  It is VERY build-able.  With this foundation, I found that I was still oily, so that was a little disappointing.  I was kind of hoping that it would help control some of that oil.


This is a fairly runny liquid foundation, when compared to my staple the MUF HD Foundation, which is a more creamy and solid type of foundation.  You do have to shake it (like all foundations), but it comes in a glass bottle, which is fairly heavy, so you have to be careful and make sure that you have a good grip on the bottle.  It looks like a smaller bottle, but when I compared the fluid oz to my MUF, they were the same.  I guess it's all in the packaging!


I applied it with a sponge applicator and it smooths on very well and quickly.  You will know instantly if you need another layer.  For someone who needs medium coverage, like me, I was quite surprised (and pleased!) that I only needed one to two layers.  More often one than two.  And it was so light.  It didn't feel like I had anything on - it was fabulous! It also stayed put quite well, once set.  Honestly, I almost didn't even need cover-up to help with the problem areas around the chin area.  I would just take the sponge applicator and daub around those areas and it would take away the red and it would cover those blemishes.


Overall, I really like this product.  It applies easily and well.  Smooths the appearance of your skin and really, really light.  Best of all, it didn't make me break out!  Since it's so light, I think that it would be really good in the summertime.  Would I repurchase this product?  YES!  Definitely.  I would probably alternate between this and my MUF HD foundation.  Would I recommend this product?  YES!

Glymm Version 2.0

Just a quick note about some new information the Glymm changes.  Apparently, their price is going up!  It was $10/month, and now it's $12/month.  Along with the many other "changes" that have yet to be announced, this is the first change that they decide to bust out?  Though, they did say that for current active members, the subscription fee will remain at $10/month, as long as you remain active.

How do you all feel about this?

May's Julep Maven Box

This is my first official monthly Julep Maven box!  My regular style is "Classic with a Twist", but for this month, I switched it up and picked Bombshell.  For those that aren't familiar with Julep Maven, around the 20th of each month, they send you an email letting you have a sneak peek at what's in your style's box.  If you don't like it, you can choose another style.  You can also pick your add ons at the same time.  I actually got my box within 10 days of shipping, so really, the shipping wasn't too bad.  I just don't really like the fact that the tracking numbers are dumb.  Even as I enter it into my USPS app (or my Canada Post app), they aren't picked up.  GRR!!!  Anyways, for this month, I did add on two other polishes, but they ship separately (I really don't understand why) and they shipped for free.  Those have yet to arrive.  

This month's Classic with a Twist was nothing but creams and the like.  No polishes at all!  So, of course I was going to pick another box!  Bombshell came with two polishes ($14 each), a foot file ($6) and the "Best Pedi Prep Ever!" (and boy do I need it! $20).  Also, because this was my first box, they included a pretty nice make up bag.  The inside of the bag has these great pockets to hold some of your julep colours for when you're on vacation.  :)

The girls in this Bombshell box are Sarah and Fina.  

Sarah is a pretty sneaky name for this colour.  It's this hot raspberry sheer base with very fine iridescence and glitter.  And it's not this sissy sheer raspberry base, either.  It's packs quite the colour punch.  I can see Sarah and I becoming fast friends.

Fina.  She's as exotic as she sounds!  She's a sky metallic blue with a mod chrome finish.  Very edgy and very cool!  There was something wrong with the brush though - it was a little splayed...  It made for a very messy, streaky and uneven application.  Not impressed.  The colour is truly stunning and it's the perfect metallic blue to be wearing in the summer because it's a warmer shade of metallic blue.

Bad brush!

Normal Brush

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the box that I picked.  I am disappointed with the brush, but I did read something on Facebook about Julep shipping out replacement brushes, so we'll wait and see.  I'm still anxiously waiting for my mystery box to arrive though!


Total Value of Box : $54.00.  Not bad for $19.99!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.


NEWSFLASH!!!!  Okay, maybe not a REAL newsflash...but...I do have some news for those that currently subscribe and those that are thinking of subscribing to Glymm, if you haven't heard already...Glymm version 2.0 is coming out soon.  I don't have a lot of information on it, but it sounds like they've revamped their boxes.  Whether it be new suppliers or new look, or both.  I do not know for sure.  I do know that if you are current subscriber, you don't have to do a thing.  I like that - only because I'm kind of lazy!  ;P
Second thing, for those that currently subscribe to Glymm, you probably received a cryptic email announcing Glymm Nylon S/S 2012, limited edition ($12/month.  Currently Glymm costs $10/month).  Once again, I'm not sure what it is exactly, but if anyone knows or has some good theories, throw them my way!  I've never been a very patient person and this is no exception!  Here's my theory though...I think that they are testing a new box. Perhaps it'll be one that they will roll out permanently to eventually replace their current box and increase the price point.  Think MyGlamBag in the US.  I hope that this is a positive move for them because I'm on the verge of cancelling them....so it looks like I might have to give it a few more months!

Mini Nailpolish Haul - literanlly!

Well, I did purchase other things, so it's not purely a nail polish haul, but I'm sure that you'll forgive me.

I've been obsessed with nailpolishcanada.com.  I'm on there nearly every second day to see what new goodies they have!  Plus, I've had my eye on a Deborah Lippman set for the longest time but just couldn't justify the price tag (even if it's on sale!).

Actually, now that I look at my purchases, it looks like I splurged on a few things....  I picked up Deborah Lippman's Get the Party Started three pack, OPI's New York City Ballet minis, Deborah Lippman's Stripper to Go-Go remover mitts and OPI's Spiderman minis.

Deborah Lippman's Get This Party Started - wow!!!!  I love it.  I know how hard glitter is to get off (if anyone has some tips, please let me know!!!) but I LOVE these!  They are so fun and sheer enough that you can layer it on top of another colour and create a whole new look!  

Happy Birthday is a clear base glitter.  It has both fine and large chunky glitter.

Candy Shop is a pink base glitter.  It's sheer, but not sheer enough that you can't see the base colour.  I layered this onto of Essie's Brooch the Subject (from my April LuxeBox) and it turned it into a fun pink party!  Forget You is a black base glitter.  Wearing it on it's own makes it look a little odd.  I was swatching it on my ring finger (at work...hahahaha!) and all day, whenever I would type and the glitter would catch my eye, I would look down and think that my nail was dirty or something.  It would perhaps look better with a few more coats?  I love them all the same.  Okay, maybe I love Candy Shop a little more than the rest.  :P

I don't know what possessed me to pick up the OPI Spiderman Mini collection.  They aren't really shades that I would normally like/wear.  Maybe it had something to do with the words OPI and MINIs being in the same sentence?  

Into The Night is medium sheer midnight blue.  The swatch you see took three coats.  It's a fairly nice blue and I definitely see myself wearing it.

Number One Nemesis is a gun metal grey shade.  I loved wearing gun metal grey when I was in high school, perhaps it's time for a blast from the past?  

Just Spotted the Lizard is a yellow green.  It's actually a pretty gorgeous colour.  I'm not a huge green fan, but it's got this gold iridescence to it that makes it a completely different colour.

Your Web Or Mine?  I LOVE this colour.  'Nuff said.

OPI's New York City Ballet is the real reason that I was on the website ordering stuff.  Hey, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  The whole collection looks so delicate and dainty. Full of light creme shades. And fun names to boot!

 My Pointe Exactly is a gorgeous sheer grey.  It goes on looking like a white colour, but as it dries, it almost seems to deepen in colour.  The swatch took anywhere between three to four coats.
Don't Touch My Tutu! This is a wispy sheer white.  It's perfect when you want to wear white, but don't want to stark, in your face white colour.  Once again, you'll need three to four coats.
Care to Danse? is a light, airy lilac.  It's very pretty and probably my favourite out of this set.  
Pirouette My Whistle is fine silver sparkles in a clear base coat.  It also contains big chunky flecks of clear iridescent glitter. You can't really see them until they catch the light.  It's like a surprise!

 Last but not least, I picked up a Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque.  I've heard nothing but great things about this masque on youtube, but it's been very hard to get my hands on where I live.  Sally's Beauty Supply seemed to carry everything else that Queen Helene had to offer except this....So, the other day, when I was in there looking for nail tip wheels, I thought that I'd take another look and lo and behold, there it was!  There weren't many left, so I grabbed two!  I'll be sure to do a review on this, as soon as I'm done my current mask!

See?  Compared to my last haul, this is like a baby haul!

Stay tuned, I'll be posting my 50 follower giveaway contest soon! 

April GlossyBox

Wow!  Did anyone else notice how HEAVY this box was????  It made me very excited!


One thing that I have to say about Glossybox is that, despite their rough start, they are making up some really good ground.  I've always loved their packaging - their boxes are such great quality and the ribbon is a nice rusty rose grosgrain.  It may not be customized like Luxebox, but I can overlook that.

AVEENO - POSITIVELY RADIANT DAILY MOISTURIZER
Full size : $22.99 for 120 ml
Box size :  full size
I've never tried Aveeno face products, other than the under eye roller ball, so this will be interesting.  Everyone I've talked to say that they use this and love it.  It does have SPF 15 in it, which makes me very weary.  I find that products with SPF in it make me very greasy, has an unappetizing smell and I just don't like the feel of it on my skin.  This one seems no differently in the smell department, but my skin seems to absorb it right away, so it looks promising.  I can't believe I received a full size of this product!!!!


ELIZABETH GRANT SKIN CARE SHOWER GEL IN EXOTIC APRICOT
full size: $20 for 240ml
box size: full size
Of course the first thing I did was smell it.  UGH!  It was very strong and not natural smelling.  Coupled by the fact that I don't like shower gels...this was not a win for me.  Apricot just seems like just a strange scent to be sending out to people.  You would have thought they'd pick a more common scent like Vanilla or even Strawberries.


WELLA BRILLIANCE CONDITIONER FOR FINE TO NORMAL HAIR
full size : $13.99 for 250ml
box size : $1.67 for 30ml
This product is meant for colour treated hair, but I don't have colour treated hair.  It's okay though, I'll use it - because it smells FAN-TAS-TIC!  Plus, I really like Wella products.


WELLA BRILLIANCE TREATMENT FINE TO NORMAL HAIR
full size : $13.99 for 150ml
box size: $2.33 for 25ml
I think that this is supposed to be a hair mask?  It doesn't really say on the product, in the description card or the Wella pamphlet that was included.  I don't have the patience for hair masks, but since this one smells so awesome, I'll just *have* to use it!  


MARCELLE XTENSION PLUS MASCARA
full size: $12.50 for 9 ml
box size: full size!!!
This mascara is supposed to define, separate your lashes while minimizing clumps and creating maximum lengthening potential for a lash-extension look without the extensions.  I've never really used Marcelle products before, but since I'm so picky about mascaras, i might just give this one away and not waste it.


Also included was a small packet of Marcelle BB Cream. I'm not even going to include this in value of the box because it's so small.  I'll probably try this out, but I'm not sure if I'm going to like it - BB creams and I have a very love-hate relationship.  And besides, this small packet will most likely be a one time use anyways.


Total Value of box: $59.49.
Box Rating : 4 out of 5.


YAY for so many full sized items!  Despite the fact that I'm going to be giving away the mascara and probably the shower gel, I'm really excited to try out the face moisturizer and the hair products...and if I did use shower gel, I would have been happy to receive the Elizabeth Grant shower gel.



What did you think of April's GlossyBox?