November 2015 BirchBox

This month I got the regular BirchBox and a curated box by Tati, from GalmLifeGuru.

Here is what I got!

In the regular Birchbox:

• Bio Republic Green tea Purifying Sheet Mask
• LOC One & Done Shadow Stick in the shade On Point
• Salon Gioje Keratin Protein Mask
• Temple Spa La La Lagoon Bath & Shower Gel
• theBalm Cosmetics Frat Boy Blush

I am always happy to see sheet masks included n these boxes, because they are a nice pampering treat, but can be expensive. The blush from theBalm is a very wearable soft pink shade. I love getting products from this brand! The LOC shadow stick is beautiful! This colour is very wearable and so easy to apply! It stays put with minimal creasing. As for the other two products...they were quite blah. The hair mask has a really intense smell that I can't deal with and the shower gel is nothing special. This box does have a good variety of samples and I am happy with it.

In the Glam Life Guru Birchbox:

• Skynn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels
• LOC One & Done Shadow Stick in the shade Day Trip
• Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate Nourishing Moisturizer
• Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo
• theBalm Cosmetics Frat Boy Blush

I redeemed some of my BirchBox points to get this box. It was curated by Tati and I am pretty happy with the products in it. The shadow stick is a more intense colour, not for my everyday look, but still wearable. The eye gels and cream are nice. I am probably most happy to have gotten the dry shampoo! I love trying out new dry shampoos and this one is so high end!

All in all, another great month with BirchBox!

November TopBox 2015

My November TopBox came!

This month's box contained:

• A 1.5ml sample of Benefit's Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer - $14.25
• A FULL SIZE Nova Scotia Fisherman's eXtreme Skin Care Lip Balm in Salted Caramel - $6.95
• A 75ml sample of Revlon Professional Style Masters Modular Hairspray - $2.99
• A FULL SIZE THEFACESHOP Brightening Character Mask  $3.00

TOTAL VALUE: $27.19

This box was a pretty good assortment of products. I am always happy to get travel sizes of hairspray. I have not tried this one before and I never know that Revlon made hair products, so I'm interested in trying it out. Getting a sample from Benefit is always nice! This is one of their newer products, so again I am happy to test it out! The sample is quite tiny, but with me eye primer lasts forever - you only need a small amount! The NS Fisherman Lip Balm smells quite nice and is very moisturizing. Great timing, just as the cool weather is upon us! I have never tried a character face mask before, so it'll be fun. A little gimmicky, but fun none the less!

All in all, the value may not be that high, but I can honestly say that I will use all of these products, which is a win for me!

Use the code TOPBOX to get 20% off at novascotiafisherman.com .

Beautylish It Cosmetics CC+ Cream

I received this 4ml sample of It Cosmetics CC+ Cream free from Beautylish and thought that I would review it. The sample was a decent size (about enough for 2 applications) and came in a nice velvet pouch. It is easy to use and the colour match was great (I chose fair). It did not come off leaning too orange for my skin, which is awesome! The coverage was really nice and it felt light on my skin. It definitely evened out my skin tone, in the most natural way. The only thing that this product has going against it is the scent. It was nice at first, but as I rubbed it into my skin it was very off-putting.

I would not purchase this product due to the scent and am happy that I got to try this sample!

Sephora VIB Sale Nov. 2015

I don't always take advantage of the VIB sale, but this time I had my eye on a few of items and I just couldn't resist!

Here is my small haul!

I just had to get the Becca Opal on the Go set. This set contains a mini of the liquid Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal and a mini of the pressed powder version. I am so happy to finally try out some of the Becca highlighting products! I have found that a little goes a long way, So I'm very happy to have two minis to put to use!

I bought the Cinema Secrets tin to put my sample of the Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser in that I received from BirchBox a while back. I think this will make cleaning my brushes a lot easier and less messy!

Another item that I needed to have in my life was the baby Sephora Z-Palette. Last year, I bought the holiday Benefit blush set, which came in super bulky packaging. I had been wanting a Z-Palette for a while and when I saw that this size was only $12, I was sold! It fits the blushes perfectly!

I didn't go crazy, but I am very happy with everything that I got! Did you make a purchase during the VIB event?

BzzzAgent : 3 Boxes to Bzz About!

Recently, I have been accepted to participate in 3 BzzAgent campaigns. For those of you who don't know, BzzAgent is a website that you can sign up for. You complete surveys and can take part in campaigns where they will send you free products to try, in return they expect you to review the products and talk to people about the products.

The first campaign is for Cover Girl Mascara.

There were several options available and I decided to try the Lash Blast Volume version.

This kit included a full size mascara and several $2.00 off coupons!

I have tried this mascara in years ago and remember really liking it. Since this time, I have ventured into the word of higher end mascaras, so I was curious to see how this compared.

I really like it. The wand is plastic and to my liking. It separated my lashes well, and added volume. I have definitely rekindled my feelings for this mascara!

My second campaign is for the Herbal Essences Naked line.

For this Campaign, I chose the Moisture version. It came with 3 full size items: Shampoo, Conditioner & Dry Shampoo.

These products claim to be more natural and free of silicones, parabens and dyes. The Moisture version is supposed to provide lightweight hydration and leave hair sleek and smooth. I was drawn to this, as my hair is quite fine and many products weigh it down. I enjoyed all of these products. My hair wasn't left feeling like there was build-up in it and the scent is refreshing and minty. It didn't weigh down my hair. As for the dry shampoo, it won't replace my Batiste, but it works well to absorb oils in a pinch! Overall, I'm quite impressed with these products. To top it all off, they are very affordable and readily available.

My third campaign is for Secret Clinical Clear Gel. I received the scent Completely Clean.

This Bzzkit included a 14g sample of the product.

The size of this is perfect to throw in a bag or to take when travelling. I am usually not a gel deodorant person, but do quite enjoy this product. Once it dries, it is very effective at keeping those dreaded sweat stains away. The smell is very clean, it is a bit too strong for my liking, however. This left me feeling dry, comfortable and confident.

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to try out these products! Thanks BzzAgent!

October BirchBox 2015

This month's BirchBox came and it is pretty in pink! Let's see if the inside is just as pretty!

This month's box included:

• A 14g sample of derma e Purifying 2-in-1 Charcoal Mask
• A 5mL sample of Harvey Prince Hello Shampoo
• A 2mL sample of Wildflower Handalei perfume
• A 3.5g sample of Model Co. Ultra Lomg-Lasting Lipstick in Stiletto
• A deluxe sample of W3ll People Expressionist Mascara

Overall, I think that this box had a nice variety of products. I probably most excited to try the derma e mask. I have heard good things about the brand. I like getting make-up products, so I am happy with the mascara and the lipstick samples. The shampoo is very tiny and I doubt that there will be enough to wash all of my long hair. I hate getting perfume samples and this one is no exception...the scent is not my taste! I'm happy with this box and will use most of the products.

October TopBox 2015

This month's TopBox came in a black organza bag.

It contained:

• A 7 ml sample of Avon Anew Power Serum - $9.33
• A FULL SIZE Cuccio Nail Lacquer in Bologna Blush - $4.21
• A FULL SIZE Delectable Ultra Nourishing Hand Cream in Coconut & Cream - $15.00
• A 9 ml sample of  D:FI Reshapable Spray - $1.56

TOTAL VALUE: $30.10

The only product that I am really happy to get is the hand cream. I love this brand and my hands could definitely use this! The hair spray will be nice to try out, and it's a nice size for travel. I have received a Cuccio nail polish in the past and wasn't wowed by it. Also, the name of this polish is really odd....I like receiving a serum, but am a bit put of that it is Avon. My skin hasn't done well with the brand in the past.

Overall, I'm not thrilled with this box....maybe next month!

Sephora 500 Point Perks: Origins & Bobbi Brown

I always save up my Sephora points for a 500 point perk from a brand that I love. When I saw these two point perks, I knew it was time to cash in!

First, let's look at the Origins Perk.

This set came with:

30 ml - High-Potency Night-A-Mins ($31.80)

5 ml - Ginzing Eye Cream ($12.92)

30 ml - Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash ($5.30)

15 ml - Modern Friction ($5.88)

Having a total value of: $55.90!

I have tried all of these products before and love them all! I especially like the Night Cream & the Eye Cream! I can't wait to finish up my current creams and break into these!

When I was looking at the point perks, I also came across this Bobbi Brown set. I have read a lot about Bobbi Brown and tried a few sample sizes of her products from a Sephora gift with purchase set, so I was happy to see this!

This perk included:

30 ml - Instant Long-Wear Makeup Remover ($14.00)

3 ml - Hydrating Eye Cream ($11.20)

3 ml - Smokey Eye Mascara ($17.00)

0.03 oz. - Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Pink ($20.40)

Having a total value of: $62.60!

Here is a close-up of Golden Pink.

I have heard such great things about the eye cream and can't wait to try it! I was also excited to try out the shadow stick. I think it will make a nice, simple everyday look. It is a bit more sparkly than I had hoped.

I am so happy with both of these point perks!

Sephora Gift with Purchase: VIBTOKENS

The minute I opened the e-mail, I knew that I had to have this set! Since trying Buxom's Dolly, I have wanted to try more Buxom lip products. This is a great sample set to get for free!

When it arrived I wasn't disappointed!

 There is a lot of product in all three of the samples. 

Berry Blast - is very pigmented and creamy.

San Francisco -  is a bit stiff in texture, but is such a perfect fall colour, I love it!

Erin - is quite transparent with shimmer. 

I'm so happy with all 3!

Julep September 2015

I haven't done a Julep review in a long time. I am on nail polish overload and have been skipping a lot. I forgot to skip the month of September. So, I called, used up my points to get the box for  free and finally cancelled! It is such a liberating feeling! haha!

So, here is my LAST Julep Maven box!

Here's what I received (according to the Julep website):

• Light on Your Lips – Wink: Full-coverage tea rose crème lipstick floats on, feels weightless, and keeps lips hydrated. 
• Rayma (Classic with a Twist): Italian plum crème
• Alison (Classic with a Twist): Sweet almond soft focus

There was a also a Bonus polish in the month of September, the Julep Signature Polish. I'm happy to have this beautiful shade in my collection now :)

All are very wearable shades and I like the consistency of these polishes.

Farewell, Julep! It's been fun!

Sample Source October 2015

Sample Source provides free samples of products to Canadians. Sometimes they have 1 product specific campaigns and other time they will send a box full of a variety of samples to try out. If you sign up today, you will receive an e-mail when they have free product to give away. You simply log-in to your account and select the products that you would like. I have learned that you have to act fast, as samples go very quick!

This time I did act quite quickly and got some great samples! I was delighted to see this box in the mail!

Here is all of the products that were inside!

I was really happy to receive all of these goodies to try! The only one that I have tried before is the Brookside chocolate covered delishisness!

I highly recommend joining Sample Source!

September TopBox 2015

This month's TopBox came in a forest green organza bag.

This bag included:

• A FULL SIZE Trind Nail Repair Matt Non Gloss Nail Strengthener - $19.95
• A 1oz. sample of Prevailing Organic Essentials Organic Bath & Shower Gel in Apple - $1.62
• A FULL Size MeMeMe Enchanted Eyes Dual Ended Eye Wand in Woodland Smoke - $14.00
• A 0.35oz. sample of NovaScotia Fisherman  Xtreme Skin Rescue Body Balm - $4.14

TOTAL VALUE: $39.71+

I like that there are 2 full size products in this bag; however they are both not products that I would pick out or myself. I probably won't use the eye shadow at all. The nail repair treatment, I probably will get use out of. The shower gel smells soooo good & the body balm has a herbal scent, but has worked wonders on my dry, sensitive hands.

All in all, great value, not bad products, but not amazing either.