Friday, June 28, 2013

Mobile Post--KBShimmer Minis

Yay! While supplies last, KBShimmer has mini polishes available for a limited time. See below for details.
*I am not affiliated with nor compensated by KBShimmer.*

Here For A Limited Time, 7ml Mini Nail Polishes!
KBShimmer is excited to announce the limited time release of 7 ml mini polishes.  These smaller bottles are perfect for those that want to try the KBShimmer formula for the first time, to get a holiday shade likePimp My Pride, or for gifts.  Each of the 16 available colors are made with the same 3 Free formula as the normal size bottles.

Each mini bottle is just $4.50.
 


This smaller size is available until sold out, and will not be returning, so get them why you can! 
Available Now at https://www.kbshimmer.com/product-category/nail-polish/ 
KBShimmer products can be found at Http://www.KBShimmer.com
KBShimmer was founded in 2008 by the husband and wife team of Jason and Christy Rose.  KBShimmer offers unique and colorful nail glitter nail polishes that are Big 3 Free, with all glitter formulas being completely free of chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).  KBShimmer glitter polishes feature a flat glitter grabbing brush for easy application.  KBShimmer also offers a 2-free quick dry polish top coat, olive oil lotion, sugar scrubs, lip balms, cold process soaps and other skin care products.
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If you would like more information about KBShimmer, contact Christy Rose by emailingsales@kbshimmer.com or visting Http://www.KBShimmer.com.
© 2013 KBShimmer. All rights reserved

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Swatches and Review--Mirabella Colour Sheer in Posy

As you may have read previously, I really liked my Mirabella Colour Sheer lip color in the shade Daydream, which I received through my ipsy subscription. (Swatches and review are linked here.) I was excited to receive another shade, Posy, in a trade on makeuptalk.com.
*I received this product in a trade conducted on makeuptalk.com. I am not affiliated with nor compensated by any of the companies mentioned in this post.*


Application was smooth and easy to control. Posy applied creamy, but without being slippery, much like Daydream. It felt moisturizing for about four hours without eating or drinking, slightly more moisturizing than Daydream for me. Daydream is a ladylike shade, whereas Posy is a little sassy. I need both to express myself. :)


Posy is very pigmented, but sheer to start, as it is supposed to be.  It is very easy to build, however. Shown below is one swipe on the right, and six swipes on the left.



Alrighty, the before photo with bare lips, natural light indoors: 


And the after photo below, natural light indoors. I am not wearing any lip liner or other lip products for these photos other than Posy.


The photo in which I'm not smiling turned out much better, and is the most true-to-color photo (at least, on my monitor):


The next photo is in artificial light indoors (what am I always looking at off to the side?):


These closeups are outdoors in natural light, but the clouds had rolled in:




Mirabella sells their Colour Sheers for $22.00 each on their Web site, in 14 different shades. I have to be honest and say that I do not pay those type of prices for a lip color, so I am glad that I received my two Colour Sheers through my ipsy subscription and through a trade. As a matter of fact, I can't think of a single beauty product that I pay that much for...coupons, sales, samples, and trades for me! Otherwise, my 'stash' wouldn't be so large.

In any case, I am very happy with Posy. Moisturizing, colorful, creamy, and flexible enough to be sheer or opaque. What do you think?
*I received this product in a trade conducted on makeuptalk.com. I am not affiliated with nor compensated by any of the companies mentioned in this post.*




Sunday, June 23, 2013

Spoiler Alert: Total Beauty Collection Mystery Box

Total Beauty Collection offers beauty sample collections, usually $10-15 for a handful of products. They recently offered a Mystery Box at $20 for 13 samples. Through a discount and a coupon code, I paid $16. Here is a photo of everything that came in my box:
*I purchased this collection with my own money and I am not affiliated with nor compensated by any of the brands or Web sites mentioned in this post.*


My initial reaction to the contents:

Honest Co. Face and Body Lotion, deluxe sample 1.0 oz tube
I've read and heard good reviews about this company. The sample is a good size. It says that the lotion is free of harsh chemicals. Nonetheless, I will probably trade this on makeuptalk.com, since I am currently stocked up on my favorite lotions. https://www.honest.com/

Honest Co. Healing Balm, deluxe sample 1.0 oz tube
My closest friend has tried this and says that it is a great product, so I would like to try it. It is a good size for a sample. It is designed for sensitive skin with rashes or irritation and to prevent future occurrences. https://www.honest.com/

Evolvh Ultrashine Moisture Shampoo, deluxe sample 2 fl oz bottle 
Evolvh Ultrashine Moisture Conditioner, deluxe sample 2 fl oz bottle
I have used this shampoo and conditioner before; I found them to be pretty good, but nothing spectacular. That being said, I love having an abundance of shampoo and conditioner samples around, so I am happy to received these. I like the size of these samples and that they are in bottles, not packets. http://www.evolvh.com/

Eboost Daily Health Booster orange flavor energy drink powder, 7 packets
I am almost indifferent to these. If someone wants them on makeuptalk.com, I will include one in a trade. If nobody chooses the Eboost, I am not adverse to drinking them. I used to use Emergen-C a lot and liked it; this seems to be a similar concept. http://eboost.com/

$50 Gift Card to nakedwines.com
I would not personally define this as a gift card, since you have to have a minimum purchase of $51, pay $9.99 shipping IF they ship to your state, and the available wines do not add up to $51. Anyhow, it is a sizable discount and may appeal to some people. Not for me. http://us.nakedwines.com/

NYX Color Lip Balm in 'Xie Xie', full size 0.14 oz tube
I have been very happy with the lip products that I have tried by NYX in the past, so I am excited about this sample. I don't really like clear lip balm, but lip balm with color is right up my alley. http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/

Ferro Cosmetics Mineral Blush deluxe sample pots, in 'Terra Cotta' and 'Suzie's Glow'
These both look very pretty, but I do not like my blush to be loose. They will be up for trade on makeuptalk.com. https://www.ferrocosmetics.com/default.aspx

NYX Roll On Shimmer in 'Platinum', full-size roller
This is also very pretty, but too similar to shadows/pigments that I have already. This will be up for trade on makeuptalk.com. http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/

Alfaparf Milano Semi di Lino Diamanté Cristalli Liquidi Illuminating Serum, deluxe sample (edit: dropper) bottle
This product had great reviews online, so I'm looking forward to trying it on my hair. I have not used this type of product before. My hair has been dry and dull around the lower half, so the timing is good for me. http://usa.alfaparf.com/

Boscia Luminizing Black Mask, deluxe sample 10g tube
I am excited to try this sample. I love facial masks, especially the peel-off versions. I find it very refreshing. I have been wanting to try this particular mask since I have had good experiences with the Boscia brand in the past. http://www.boscia.com/newsite/index.php

Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm, full size 4g tube
As I said above, I am not into clear lip balms. Therefore, although I think this is a good sample and I generally love the Neutrogena brand, it is not for me. I need color on my face. This will be up for trade on makeuptalk.com. http://www.neutrogenanaturals.com/

Q-tips Purse Pack, 30 cotton swabs
I think that most of us would consider this to be a boring sample. However, it is practical and I will definitely use it. http://www.qtips.com/

Overall, I am quite pleased. It was fun to expect a surprise to be delivered to me, and there are at least eight products that I will be using. Keep an eye out for my reviews of the products that I am keeping.

*I purchased this collection with my own money and I am not affiliated with nor compensated by any of the brands or Web sites mentioned in this post.*

Monday, June 17, 2013

Shorty Post--Barielle Nail Mail

Barielle.com recently had an offer for a day or two where you could buy one nail color, get the second half off, and also get free shipping. Irresistible, right? I'm glad you agree, because I certainly didn't resist. Shipping was fast, so I received this lovely nail mail quickly:
*I purchased these products with my own money and I am not affiliated with nor compensated by any of the brands or Web sites mentioned in this post.*


I usually get Barielle polish from T.J. Maxx at really low prices. However, my wish list Barielle polishes have never been spotted by me in a store. So I took advantage of their online sale and jumped at the chance to get Falling Star and Elle's Spell at a discounted price. (My total was $12.00.)

Elle's Spell is this berry red beauty with flakies that shine different colors. I love the green flash in there!


Falling Star is a medium blue with copper glitter. I love blue and copper together.


Like I said, this is a Shorty Post. But keep an eye out for future posts where I will review and swatch Barielle Falling Star and Elle's Spell. In the meantime, I have an upcoming post that reviews and swatches Mirabella Colour Sheers Lipstick in Posy.
*I purchased these products with my own money and I am not affiliated with nor compensated by any of the brands or Web sites mentioned in this post.*



Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Urban Decay Online Sale

Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils are incredibly popular, and for good reason. Creamy, waterproof, and an amazing selection of shades. Right now, the 'vintage' shades (not part of their new lineup) are on sale for $9.50 on urbandecay.com; that's 50% off! 
*I am not affiliated with nor compensated by Urban Decay. I purchased their products with my own money.*


The vintage shades on sale are: Graffiti, Covet, Flipside, Deviant, 1999, Ransom, Gunmetal, Lucky, Eldorado, Crash, Binge, and Lust. (Shown below in that order.) I do not see any expiration date on this sale, so I'm guessing that it is while supplies last. Based on past sales of this nature, I'm sure that the price will go down further, but so will the shade selection. I chose Flipside and 1999. I almost bought Covet and Lucky, but controlled myself. (Ransom is not as smooth application-wise as the others, by the way, but the color is great.)


They have several other products on sale as well. What caught my attention is that their Deluxe Eyeshadows (discontinued) are down to only $4.00! They started at $18.00. I have one in the shade Graffiti and I love it, so I also bought Freakshow. I was able to narrow that down because I already have the Deluxe Shadow Box, which includes most of the other available shades plus some that have been long out of stock as individuals. That reminds me: the Deluxe Shadow Box, which I posted about here, is currently on sale for only $10.00.


Bonus: Free shipping when you buy $35.00 or more of products, valid until 06/25/13. (It is usually $50.00.) Their site says that this is for their Loyal Customers. It is unclear to me if this means that you have to already have an account, or if it will still apply if you register for an account now. 

You can check out all of Urban Decay's current online sales here: http://www.urbandecay.com/urban-decay-cosmetics-sale-products/sale,default,sc.html.
*I am not affiliated with nor compensated by Urban Decay. I purchased their products with my own money.*

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Influenster Spring Fever VoxBox--Photos and Reviews, Part Two

On to the beauty products! (If you missed Part One, you can find it here.) 
*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*



I was very excited to have a chance to try the imPress Press-On Manicure. The Influenster information card said:


I wasn't quite sure at first if they were similar to the nail polish strips, but they are not. As far as I can tell, they are like regular press-on nails, but the adhesive is stronger, the nail is thinner and looks less fake, and the variety of designs and colors is pretty cool. 



I received the style Joyride, which is a bright, almost neon purple with an iridescent blue shimmer. You may remember in my last post that I said that I'm not able to give a real review for this product. I excitedly opened up the cute packaging which looks like a nail polish bottle (you remove the cap and the 'bottle' opens up pretty much like a clamshell), and I started to try to match up which sizes would be best for my nails. Fail. There were none that were a good fit for my nails and not even ones that were close enough. So I didn't attach any of them to my nails; that way someone else will be able to use them. Such a shame! They were very pretty, and I've had great success with some of Broadway Nails' other products. 


Next was an 'or' product, in the sense that each Influenster received one of three possible products from Schwarzkopf Professional OSiS+. These were the possibilities, as listed on the included $5.00 off coupon: 


The hair product I received was Dust It. The product information card describes it this way:


There are a lot of powder products for hair on the market right now, but I hadn't tried any of them before. I was confused by the description because I wasn't sure why you would want to mattify your hair. Aren't we usually looking for glossy shiny locks? But apparently the key is in the rest of the description: lift, texture and control. The matte effect is more about texture than appearance. My hair will often slip out of a style, for example, because the texture is too smooth and straight. This powder gives you control over that.


The effect of Dust It is like a cross between what I imagine dry shampoo does, and ratting your hair for volume. It seems to absorb oil to an extent, and it gives your hair enough texture that it will hold most of the volume that you put into it (either through curling or doing an up-do or just pulling up on your roots for some lift).


The powder is some of the most finely milled I've ever felt, incredibly soft and light. Once you rub it, it appears to evaporate because it just blends in so quickly and completely with your hair or skin.


I've shown before and after photos below of Dust It at work on plain, clean hair. Before:


Although the powder appears to evaporate, you can definitely feel that there is product in your hair. It gives you a flexible control. It's not something that I would have purchased on my own, but I think it will be very useful for up-dos. Maybe my bobby pins won't fall out for once! My hair is thick, but I think that people with thinner hair could probably use Dust It for root lift and some body. After:


My favorite product in my VoxBox ended up being the NYC Glossy Lip Balm. Here's the full product name and description from Influenster's product information card:


I wasn't expecting much from this product at all, since I have a gazillion lip products and some of them are pretty spectacular (I'm looking at you, Tarte Lipsurgence, my love). But first of all, look at the cute little design on top (yep, I like cutesy stuff like that):


Secondly, and of course more important than the cute little apple core, is that I felt this balm lived up to its claims. Color, shine and moisture for a healthy look--I would agree with that. I've included a photo of my bare lips for reference, so you can get an idea of how much color is deposited. The other photos are just after different amounts of time passing, as I was happy with its lasting power, although I did not eat or drink during that time.





This VoxBox was quite a bit smaller than the one that I received last year, but I was very happy with it. I will use everything except for the imPress Manicure, and I would have used that had it fit. 

Samples are such a great marketing tool, whether you pay a fee for procurement/curation to subscription services like ipsy or Birchbox, or you get them free through services like Influenster or BzzAgent. It has given me many new staple products in my beauty routine, but also saved me from products that aren't right for me. 
*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*

Monday, June 3, 2013

Influenster Spring Fever VoxBox--Photos and Reviews, Part 1

The first part of my reviews are the two products from the Influenster Spring Fever VoxBox that have less to do with beauty: the snack cake and the deodorant. Although, you could feel more beautiful if you smell good and have had some chocolate?
*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*


First up is Secret Outlast clear gel antiperspirant/deodorant. This is what Influenster's information card had to say: 


I'm sorry, I was not brave enough to test the deodorant for 48 hours. However, I did test it for 24 hours and I was still fresh and dry, so it gets a good grade from me for lasting power. By the way, why would you need it to last for 48 hours? Maybe I don't want to know...


The scent seemed strong to me, but more like alcohol than perfume. (Beware that it does contain dimethicone, for anyone who may have sensitivities.)


It felt very cold and wet going on, and it took a little longer than I expected to dry. I would recommend letting it dry while you brush your teeth or something, before putting your clothes on.


My final verdict on the Secret Outlast is that it is a good product, but I would not like to wear it every day, but only because of how it feels when initially applied. I am happy to have it on hand, though, because it does not leave white marks or other residue as long as you let it dry before dressing. Personally, I will save it for days when I am wearing sleeveless dark clothing.


Next is the Tastykake Kandy Bar Kake; I received the flavor S'mores. Influenster's product information had this to say:


They had me at 'chocolate enrobed'! Silly wording that still sounds delicious, in my opinion.


The bar was very sweet, but it was indeed tasty. The chocolate and the marshmallow were there, but I didn't taste any graham cracker flavor.


I was pleasantly surprised that the cake layers were as light and fluffy as they claimed to be. The snack was somewhat large to me, but it didn't seem like too much since the cake was light.


I probably wouldn't buy an entire box of these Tastykakes, but it was a nice treat and I would probably pick one up here and there if it were at a convenience store or checkout line. I would really like to try the Peanut Butter flavor--I adore peanut butter.
*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*

Coming up soon I will review the NYC balm and the Schwarzkopf hair powder that I received in this VoxBox, and let you know why I can't give a real review of the ImPress manicure.

Thanks for reading!