Blog Hop #9!!!!

Hi All!

It's time to BlogHop again!  

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!

 This event runs May 7th to May 13th.  

April Luxebox

Finally!  I got mine! It arrived May 1, which was a little surprising because I remember when I first started subscribing, they would arrive in a timely manner, and within the month.  I don't know what's happening with all these subscription boxes!  At least I was able to get my first in line item, despite all the issues that they've been having.  I know that their Facebook page blew up with complaints and all the such.  I think that we should be so lucky to be able to choose a "guaranteed" product, which many other boxes do not offer.  


When I first opened my box, my nose was assaulted by delightful smells!  OMG!  It smells so good!!!!

ESSIE - NAIL POLISH IN BROOCH THE SUBJECT
Full Size : $8 for 15ml
Box size: full size
This was my first in line pick.  The colour is very neutral.  When I put it on, it looks like I have no fingernails!  LOL!  I do like the colour, but I think that I might have to give this one away.


SECHE - RIDGE FILLING BASE COAT
Full size: $7 for 15 ml
Box size: $!.68 for 3.6ml
I own this base coat already, but since it's a small sample bottle that it would be perfect for travelling.  Seche is NOT a 3 free product, so it has a really intense smell to it. 


CHI - SILK FUSION
full size : $33 for 180ml
box size: $2.75 for 15 ml
I think that this is the second one that I've received from beauty boxes.  I have yet to use either of them!  This is a reconstructing treatment that is supposed to protect your hair against thermal styling and environmental damages.  So...i'm not sure if these are just silk drops or protectant drops?  Looks like it does both, but I'm used to using spray protectants that this one might take some getting used to!  It smells really good though.


PANTENE PRO-V AQUA LIGHT SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER
full size : shampoo $6 for 375ml, conditioner $6 for 375ml
box size: shampoo and conditioner $0.80 each for 50ml
I know that a lot of people were disappointed to receive this product in their Luxebox, but I'm pretty happy to have received this.  I've seen a few commercials for this product and was going to purchase it anyways, but now I get to try it without having to waste $6 on it.  I've always been a huge Pantene fan because I love the way that their shampoos always leave my hair so nice and silky.  And now that they've come out with a sulfate free, you can't go wrong!


Total Value of this month's box: $14.03.  Ummmm....I paid $12 for this box.
Rating of this month's box: I don't know.  I really liked the products in this box, the value of this box was a little disappointing.  I already know that I'll probably be giving away the Essie and Chi items.  Even if I ended up loving the Chi item, I probably wouldn't ever pay full price for it.  


What did you think of your LuxeBox?  

Get to Know Me Tag!

Steph @ Canadian Beauty Reviews tagged me with this "Get To Know Me" tag! 

Rules are simple: 

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you plus eleven questions for the people you have tagged to answer.

3. Choose eleven people and link them in your tag.

4. Go to their page and tell them.

5. No tag backs.

11 Facts about me:

1. I hate touching food with my hands.  I will always use an utensil or something to handle the food if possible.

2. I don't cook, but I can bake like a little devil!

3. I'm married and have no plans for children (unfortunately, I'm not very maternal but I do love children - when they aren't my own!).

4. I love to scrapbook, paper craft (i.e., card making) and crochet.  I make little Amigurmuni dudes like these guys!  

5. If I were to able to have any job in the world, I would be a historian.

6. I am a worry wart.  Sometimes I worry so much (about silly little things and the big things) that I give myself stomach aches!  Thank goodness for my other half - he always knows the right words to say to talk me back from the edge of craziness!

7. I game.  Like computer games.  Like World of Warcraft, Skyrim, soon Diablo 3 and Guild Wars 2.  And I game a lot.  Don't judge!  Everyone has their dirty little secrets!  :P

8. I love to travel.  I have been very blessed to travel a lot with my family and now on my own (well, with the husband too).

9. I hate interior decorating or having to shop for things for the house, whether it be a new pot or new paint colour.  HATE IT!

10. When I'm mad, I cry and swear like a trucker.  I know, it's bad.  But it's the only way for people to know that i'm seriously mad!  But could you imagine if you were seeing me truly mad for the first time?  I'd say that you'd be seriously confused....is she sad or is she mad?

11. I'm a seriously organized person, but for whatever reason, I can't manage to keep my desk (at home) neat!

11 Questions from Steph:

1. Who is your favourite youtuber/blogger?

That's a really hard question to ask, because there are so many.  

2. Do you have any siblings?  If so, how many?

I have one younger sister who has been living in Seatlle for the past couple of years.  :(

3. Iphone, Blackberry, Android or other?

iPhone.  Despite my love hate relationship with Apple products, I seem to own a lot of them and one of my favourite products is the iPhone.

4. What is your Favorite current TV series?

Game of Thrones.  If you ever get the chance to read the books, I recommend them too!

5. What is your favourite song?

I listen to a lot of trance.... but lately, I've really been loving "Bliss" by Erik Arbores (he's this awesome 14 year old phenom!!!)

6. Are you subscribed to any Beauty Boxes?

Glossybox, LuxeBox, Julep Maven, Glymm and Top Box. 

7. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

I have my ears pierced.  

8. What is your favourite thing to blog about?

I think beauty stuff and life.  I can talk about anything and everything!!!

9. What is your Favorite All Time Movie?

Lord of the Rings - all three of them!

10. What colour would you dye your hair if it could stay that way forever?

Black.  Like jet black.

11.  What is your guilty pleasure?

My high end designer bags.

My 11 Questions for You!

1. If you were to win a million dollars, what would be the first thing you would do with that money?

2. What place occupies the No.1 Spot on your travel list?

3. What is your favourite make up brand?

4. Dog or Cat?

5. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or Dessert?

6. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

7. What would you say is your best feature?

8. What is your biggest pet peeve?

9. Flats or heels?

10. What is the one thing that you would NEVER leave the house without?

11. What would you say is your worst habit?

So....now to tag!

Meena @The Southern Princess

Jyoti @ Style Delights

SuperficialSydeny

Jasmine @ La Bella Vita

Jane @ thejaneface

Yuli @YuliConversations

Cindy @ Icy Crystal Galleria

Dorothy @ Dorothy's Little Wonderland

Nail Art Couture

Beauty Nerd

Ashley K @Beauty Flawed

Even if you I didn't tag you above, consider yourself tagged!  I can't wait to learn new things about my fellow bloggers!

Julep Maven's April It Girl Box

Here's another Julep Maven box!  This time, it's the April It Girl box.  This box/style seems to have the most polishes in it.  Usually, the other boxes come with either one or two (or in the case of May's Classic with a Twist, none) polishes, but this one seems to always come with three.  I was really dying to get my hands on a baby blue creme colour, kind of like a minty blue and when I saw the colour in this box, I had to have it!

April's It Girl box came with the usual nail file, three polishes and toe separators (nice touch).  For those new to the subscription box, this box costs $19.99 and it's focus is nail products.  The polishes normally retail at $14-$18 each, so this box came with about $72 (wow!) worth of stuff.

The It Girls in this month's box are Niecy, Penelope and Jessica.

Niecy describes herself as a bright pink creme for those sunny days.  And wowzas!  She's fantastic!  She's more like an electric pink pop of colour.  I can already tell that we're already going to be the best of friends.

Penelope...Don't be fooled by her...She says that she's opaque, almost white creme with a hint of blush.  It's like baby pink.  Like the pink that you find at baby showers for girls.  It's pretty, but I don't wear colours like that very often - I have to be in a very special kind of mood to want to bust out such a light, airy colour.

Jessica is a soft and sweet baby blue creme.  And boy, she is!  She's like the boy version of Penelope.  It's that baby blue that you'd find baby showers for boys.  Since it's not as light and airy as Penelope, I can see myself wearing this whenever I want to wear polish with colour but not be totally attention grabbing.  It would make a great tip accent colour.  Not quite white, but not quite a solid blue.

Don't forget about the Cinco De Mayo Mystery Box that's coming out soon! And don't forget to use the CINCO coupon code either!  It'll make this $60 box a $19.99 box and it'll come chock full of goodies!

There are a few more days left on Blog Hop #8!!!

April's Classic With A Twist Julep Maven Box

Classic with a Twist is one of the 5 styles offered by Julep Maven, another subscription box offered to Canadians but are based out of the States.  This box mainly focuses on mani and pedi items and it's different because it allows you to sneak peek your box for the next month and even change up styles if you don't happen to like what was offered in your own for that month.  YAY for choices!

I'll be honest, when I'm looking at which box(es) I want, I'm pretty much just looking at the polishes in the box and not really at what else is offered in that box.  Is that bad?  Heck no!  Ladies, this is essentially what you're paying for.  The polishes, themselves, retail at $14 - $18 each (this does not include the Maven discount) and the box costs $19.99, so really, just from the polishes, you've already made up the cost of your box.

April's box came with "The Best Pedi Creme Ever!" and two polishes.  I already use an excellent foot butter, so I'm not sure if I'm going use this.  But on to the main attraction!  The two beauties included in this box are Susie and Mandy.

Susie is a delicious mint green creme.  I've been searching high and low for the perfect mint green colour.  As beautiful as this shade is, it wasn't perfect.  It's a little greener and lighter than I expected.  I know that my pictures make Susie a little blue and at first glance, she does look blue, but she's got a light touch of green.  Very light.

Mandy. She's a real firecracker!  She's a described as a fresh, bright, deep coral-pink creme.  I find her to be more fire engine red.  Beautiful nonetheless.  I love those bright, strong reds!  Nothing like an awesome red to bring you out of the winter funk.  Where I live, we have winter essentially for what feels like 7 months out of the 12.  

Mandy was quite opaque, which was awesome but Susie needed at least three coats.

One thing I did notice about Julep polishes is that their bottle sizes are a little smaller, 8ml or 0.27 floz.  I believe that regular bottles of polish are at least double that size, so if you think about it, if you were to purchase these bottles individually, they would end up being VERY pricey.  But they are 3-free!


Ps. i just purchased a bunch of colour wheels so I'll be able to start swatching!  


PPS. Julep just announced the release of their Cinco de Mayo Mystery boxes.  They normally retail for $60 and contain anywhere between $60 - $200 worth of goodies!  There's a coupon code, CINCO, that brings that price tag down to $19.99.  It's only good until May 7th, or until they run out (I believe).  Head over to their facebook page and check it out! Will you be getting one?  I already have.  If you want to get an idea of what to expect in those boxes, check out my post on their Spring Mystery Box.

Have you been Bloghopping?

April's Love It or Leave It.

Hi Everyone!  It's that time again!  Am I lovin' it or leaving' it?

I'm absolutely LOVING IT!!!  I have three items that I couldn't do without this month.

Sephora's Precision Pore Cleansing Pad.  It's this pink little skin cleaning delight!  Now, i've owned the Clarisonic and it did nothing but damage to my skin.  Yes, I had the sensitive brush.  Let's just say that I'm VERY thankful for Sephora's awesome return policy.  But this little guy was so pink and so cheap, that I didn't mind if things didn't work out between us. Oh LA!  Things have been going strong for a month, now and I can really see a great future for us.  LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!  I think that my husband might love it too because I think that he's been using it (his skin has been looking awfully nice lately!).  All that I can say is that it's really helped clear up my skin and just overall, it seems less dull and feels smoother!

The Body Shop's Lychee Blossom Eau de Toilette.  I picked this one up because it smelled okay in the store and I needed an item to bring my total up to $40 so I could receive $15 off my purchase.  I remember when The Body Shop's "White Musk" was all the rage in my poor University days.  So I was pleasantly surprised that I really liked this perfume.  I think that it's a special edition or a seasonal fragrance, but don't quote me on that.  It has the right mix sweet fruity scents and a light floral scent.  

Third and last item is.....Bed Head's "After Party".  This is a smoothing cream for silky, shiny, healthy looking hair.  It's AAAAWWWWEEEESSSOOOMMMMEEEEE!!!!  I've tried sooooo many smoothing drops/creams/hair crack that I don't even care to mention.  This by far is definitely THE one.  I have long slightly wavy hair.  Yes, being asian, I'm expected to have stick straight hair, but unfortunately, my hair has a slight curl to it.  This stuff totally smooths my hair it out.  I straightens it like nobody's business (and it's really light!)! It also smells fantastic to boot!


For such a picky person, these products definitely came out to impress!  I'm just sad that the Lychee Blossom is a special limited edition perfume because I wouldn't mind having an extra one on hand for the in between perfume times. 

Boho Glam March Julep Box

I have this motto - go hard or go home.  And since I'm not one to disappoint, I'm going quite hard with these Julep Maven boxes!  For those that are new to these subscription boxes, Julep's main focus is offering manicure and pedicure centred products.  There are about 5 differently styles that you can "choose" from.  The one thing about this particular box is that they let you preview it before they send it to you, so if you don't like the items in your "style" box for that month, you can switch it up for another style's box! In addition, you can purchase past boxes.  And of course, that's what I've done!  

This is March's Boho Glam box.  It came with three items (and lots of chocolates!!!): Alicia, Portia and Julep Elixir Organic Moroccan Argan Oil.

Alicia is a sunny salmon creme. When I think of salmon, I think of pink undertones, but this one has more...orange undertones.  It's a beautiful shade, but it's a little darker on than what you see in the picture (and it's pretty close to what you see in the bottle).

Portia is a sheer tropical blue with glittery sparkles.  The sparkles aren't fine, but rather middle of the road chunky.  It also doesn't spread evenly very well and you can definitely tell that the base is blue.  I also don't find the glitter to be glittery enough - and I'm not even a huge glitter fan!  It's pretty though.

I find that Julep nail polishes are thick, but you need at least three coats, which to me, is a little weird...but as I was swatching Alicia (which I adore!) on my nail wheel, it only took one coat! Yay for one coat laziness!

To be honest, I've been obsessed with the colour orange lately.  Not the super bright orange, but the beautiful peaches, corals and salmon shades...so I pretty much got this box for that shade because it's just simply perfect!

It's Tuesday night, do you know where your BLOGHOP is???