Review: Kate Somerville True Lash Lash Enhancing Eye Makeup Remover

As many of you know, my Holy Grail (HG) eye makeup remover is the Makeup Forever Sens'eyes; however, I'm never one to ruling out trying new removers especially for high end brands I'd rarely purchase on my own. The Kate Somerville True Lash Lash Enhancing Eye Makeup Remover came in a recent Neimans order and I quickly decanted the little packet into a spare jar. It's supposed to be a multi-use product as it promises to not only remove makeup but condition and strengthen lashes with a SymLash226™ Complex and that's not all folks, it even claims to reduce the appearance of fine lines and puffiness around the eyes. Honestly, all I care about is the eye makeup removing properties as I've found the less I tug on the sensitive eye area the stronger and fuller my lashes are and the less I lose.

The tube comes with 1.7oz of product and retails for a hefty $35 (the MUFE comes with just about twice the product for $23). Not only did I find that I had to use twice the amount of the Kate Somerville to get off my mascara, even still it left remnants behind that the MUFE quickly cleaned up. Clearly I don't think this is worth the money and I'll be continuing to use and love my MUFE.

Ingredients




Water (Aqua), Caprylyl Methicone, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Propandiol, Polysorbate 20, Sodium PCA, Trehalose, Polyquaternium-51, Sodium Hyaluronate, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Euphrasia Officinalis Extract , Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Persea, Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Urea, Triacetin, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Acrylates/ C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum)

CVS Beauty Steals (Salma Hayek + Physicians Formula)

There are quite a few bloggers that post the weekly store sales, Nouveau Cheap being my favorite but I thought I'd write a quick post for the 2 deals this week that I think you should definitely consider purchasing.

The first is the Physicians Formula deal, buy $10 worth, get $7 in Extrabucks back. Clearly this deal is already awesome. There are quite a few products in the Physicians Formula line that are just over or at $10. Here's how to make this deal even more awesome.

If you are a member of the CVS Beauty Club and/or subscribe to their e-mails (and if you aren't and have a CVS near you, you should be - you get $5 Extrabucks for every $50 you spend on beauty automatically on top of the promotions and sales), you should have received a 25% coupon in your e-mail box on the 26th (check spam). Now, these percentage off coupons are tricky because they don't work on anything on sale. I long disregarded them as I rarely buy full priced items at CVS. However, these coupons work on non-reduced Extrabucks back deals. For instance, I bought a Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker pH Powered Blush (which the Muse reviewed favorably here) in Natural for just over $13. There was a sticker on it for $3 off. My 25% off coupon also applied to the original price.

So...
Full price $13.50
- 25% off brought it down to $10.13
- $3 off coupon bright it down to $7.13
And then I got $7 Extrabucks back making it 13 cents after EB!

Depending on what you buy, you could make out ahead but I really wanted to try one of these new Matchmaker pH line products!

The next deal is the Nuance by Salma Hayek line is buy $20 worth, get $10 in Extrabucks back. I used this as an excuse to pick up a couple more of the face wipes that I reviewed here. So I bought 2 packs of face wipes and a travel size hair cream to get me to $20 (actually $20.88 if you want to be precise), used my 25% coupon, that brought the total down to $15.66 and I received $10 in Extrabucks back! Making each pack just under $3 after EB.

Definitely work the sales to your advantage. Happy shopping!

Review: Karess Krafters Chai Tea Sugar Scrub

I forget who actually introduced me to Heartsy, but I've been scoping the sales for several months now and have partaken in some deals. If you haven't heard about Heartsy, it's very similar to Groupon however the sales are for small independent web shops or for Etsy sellers. To be honest, I've run into good and bad through Heartsy (and Etsy for that matter). For as much as I like to support small business owners and especially artisans, sometimes the level of customer service isn't up to snuff or the goods themselves are substandard. Right now I'm actually dealing with a shop that never sent my order from November and it's been quite a headache. Karess Krafters was a good experience and I would definitely recommend their web shop to purchase from.

The shop itself has several different types of products; I ordered soap and scrubs (if you've been reading for any length of time that won't seem unusual at all to you). The sugar scrubs come with 5oz of product and retail for $7.99 which I feel is very reasonable. The plastic tubs are sturdy and the labels are water resistant. Each tub is sealed as well. The Chai Latte scent is milky slightly spicy scent, but stops from being overwhelming and doesn't burn or irritate the skin.

The scrub itself is nice and thick with lots of exfoliating particles and it seems as though the sugar crystals are either larger than in other scrubs or they haven't been doused with liquids that dissolve them before you actually use the scrub. This is not a bubbling scrub like the Haus of Gloi version and skin needs to be cleansed after using this (while the HoG is really a soap and a scrub in one). It also makes my shower floor a tiny bit slippery but not as bad as the LUSH scrub.

The scrub itself leaves my skin exfoliated but not stripped or irritated. It doesn't dissolve immediately during use either so you can get a nice exfoliation. 

All in all, I'm fairly pleased with this product and the customer service I received from the shop.  Definitely check out Karess Krafters if you've been looking for a new indie bath & body line to support!

Ingredients: Sugar, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Safflower Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Jojoba Oil, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, Orange Peel Powder, Non-Paraben Preservative

Disclosure: Referral links were used.

Stila Love At First Blush Palette + Giveaway

I was in ULTA doing a bit of retail therapy and happened upon these new Stila Love At First Blush Palettes. Stila came out with a similar blush palette for Valentine's Day last year and I was definitely bummed when I missed out on it. This year, they are back though they haven't quite made their way onto the Sephora site which made me really excited to find them! I picked up one for me and one for you guys. If you don't care how the product swatches, then you can simply scroll down to the rafflecopter application and enter to win your very own.

The Stila Love At First Blush Palette comes housed in a sturdy plastic case and comes with 6.2 grams of product at a very reasonable price of $14. Inside is a light shimmery pink, a matte/satin brighter pink, and a shimmery hot pink. Honestly, I could do without the shimmer as it has a bit of glitter but it can easily buffed away.

These are the colors heavily swatched. They aren't super pigmented, the hot pink is the most pigmented of the bunch though it makes the product a lot more wearable and goof proof. I know a lot of people love pigmented blushes but sometimes, a slightly less pigmented product is easier to deal with, especially rushing around in the morning before a busy work day.

You can kind of see the colors swirled together on top but I think I got most of the lighter shimmer color in my swatch. You could definitely angle your brush more towards the hot pink to get more color.

I could do without the glitter to be honest, but otherwise, I think this is a nice treat, especially for the price and it is so adorable with the little raised heart design.

When I was little, my favorite holiday was Valentine's Day. I just loved giving out cards to the kids at school, dressing in my very stylish red heart dotted outfit and decorating cupcakes with little red hots. Oh how I miss those days before adulthood and responsibilities!

Now onto the giveaway...

Current Nail Favorites

There have been a lot of meetings at work lately so I've gone for something super polished that doesn't require much maintenance. Also, with the cold, my nails have been very brittle so I've been using treatments to get them back into shape. I've been using an old favorite and a newer nail treatment item I received in one of my Julep boxes.

The Barielle Natural Nail Camouflage is something I discovered a couple years ago and I love it. It's a great ridge filling base coat and it also provides just enough color to make nails look polished if you choose not to apply color on top. The Julep Nail Therapy is just a clear treatment that can be used as a base coat. What I like about it is even as a treatment, the nails look shiny and it stays on for quite awhile so very little maintenance is required if you wear it alone.

I know this is a rather safe look, but I've been alternating - actually I'm wearing both of them right now - between the Barielle & the Julep and it is very work appropriate. I also haven't gotten one break or tear.

Don't mind the cuticles. That's my next project!

Disclosure: Julep referral link used.

CVS Milani 75% off Sale + Haul

Thanks to Nouveau Cheap, I found out that CVS has put quite a bit of the Milani line on clearance at 75% off (my CVS wasn't marked but the price scanner confirmed the discount so scan if you're unsure). I was pretty well behaved and only picked up 4 items, the HD Advanced Concealer which I have been wanting to try but not at nearly $10 regular price, the Liquif-eye Metallic Eye Liner in Silver, the Nail Lacquer Neon in Techno Red, and the Lip Mixer in Lip Party. Milani products rarely go on sale more than B1G150% so this is great if you've been wanting to try some things. Definitely check the list before you go or pull it up on your iPhone like I did! Happy shopping.

Cracking The Skincare Code

Crystal from Valentine Kisses commented on my skincare "Cleansing Hunter" post about mixing cleansers. Honestly, the idea had never occurred to me before. Sure, we mix other things, like foundations with other foundations, foundations with moisturizers to create your perfect tinted moisturizer shade, color correcting products with others. For me there was the concern of things interacting but so far I haven't run into any problems. The best part, is I think I've cracked the Cleanser Hunt.

Lately, what I've been doing is taking a little squirt of the Ahava Gentle Cleansing Cream (received in the October Birchbox) and an equal sized pump of the Philosophy Purity and use that to cleanse my face. The more moisturizing properties of the Ahava keep the Purity from drying me out meanwhile I get the deeper cleanse that the Purity provides.

I won't say this is "Holy Grail" cause let's face it, we all want an all-in-one product. It's cheaper and it's more convenient. But since I have cleansers sitting around that need to be used and I know which do the job best and where they are potentially lacking, I can fill in with other products to get my "perfect" cleanser.

Have you ever mixed cleansers (or other products) to get a cocktail that best suits you?

Review: Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream Light/Medium

The Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream was something I picked up at Walgreens a week or so ago. I am a big fan of BB Creams and I've tried a few on the market but none from the drugstore. I believe Garnier is the first big brand available at US drugstores that has come out with a BB Cream though I'm sure we'll see more in the future. The Garnier version promises to instantly renew, brighten and even the skin while also being hydrating. As a dry-skinned person, this is the kind of thing I look for in a tinted moisturizer which is what a BB Cream is like. I believe I paid $12.99 for the Garnier version but as with all drugstore products, the price will vary depending on the actual store and the area.

The Miracle Skin Perfector (BB Cream) comes in two color selections, Light/Medium and Medium/Dark, I obviously picked the lighter of the two being fair. It contains 2.5 floz of product which makes the price point fairly reasonable as most foundation-type products, Asian BB Creams included, come with 1floz of product. It's an opaque squeeze tube with a flip top which is nice.  

The problem lies with the color...

 Uh oh...

Uh...

This is supposed to go on my face?!

Alright, so the color is quite dark. Granted, if you use a tiny amount for your whole face, it mostly disappears; however, if you want to cover anything you need to add more than just a little dot and when you do that, you get an orange jaw line which is not very becoming on my ~nw10 skin tone.

So would I recommend this product? Not if you're actually light. Not if you want coverage if you're light; though really you're not going to get a lot of coverage if you're medium toned. This is definitely lighter coverage than a lot of BB Creams on the market (compared to the Missha for instance, this is practically non-existent in terms of coverage). What I do like is it's scented like the Garnier line so it's a very pleasant non-offensive scent and it does keep me well moisturized throughout the day. That being said, I'd look much better if I just used a clear moisturizer instead of this.

Final thoughts? I'm returning this.

Janurary Birchbox

I was so excited about my January Birchbox but it seemed to take forever and a day to get to me so by the time I actually received it, I wasn't so excited anymore (also, I'm still a bit jealous of some of the ladies that received Origins cleansers in their boxes and decent sized ones to boot). That being said, the box is pretty amazing as it is.

I received:
* Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Liner in Peacock (full sized and retails for $20!)
* Jouer Body Butter no size but looks to be between 1/4-1/2 ounce (full size 3.32oz|$32)
* Borghese CuraForte Moisture Intensifier .25.floz (full size 1.7floz|$67.50)
* Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy sample
* Larabar Coconut Cream Pie bar

The Jouer comes in a heavy frosted (what appears to be glass) jar. Is it sad I'm looking forward to using it as a sample refill container more than using the actual product (it's very floral so not my usual style)? Nice to see a full sized makeup product in this box, especially the Smudge Sticks - already love these!


Disclosure: Birchbox referral link used.

Make It Work

Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the Philosophy Purity cleanser (it is drying on me), it's a decent cleanser and absolutely fine if I moisturize after and also I have a 12oz bottle from the Sephora F&F 100 point perk sitting around to be used. I was determined to use this cleanser but the packaging was really bothering me as the flip top on a bottle of that size isn't really the best.

The other day, I happened into a Bath & Body Works and on the 75% off table, I saw a pump. Granted, I could always purchase one off of the Philosophy website but there I would need to pay shipping and I also couldn't confirm whether any of the normal sized bottle pumps would actually fit the slightly awkward 12oz bottle. Pump bought for all of 25 cents, I went home fairly pleased with my cleverness.

I got home and stuck my pump in the bottle only to find that the pump itself wouldn't unlock. Read a couple of reviews online of people having similar issues but kept trying. About 20 minutes later and having attempted to utilize various tools, I gave up, cleaned the pump and set it aside. The next day, I went into a Bath & Body Works, gave them the pump, and the sales associate said that she had heard of quite a few people having issues with the pumps and demonstrated how to unlock it. I gasped. I then thanked her profusely, went home and secured the pump on my Purity bottle. It's not an exact fit, but it fits fairly snugly and works quite well!

For reference, to unlock these Bath & Body Works pumps, one needs to hold the bottom portion firmly and then spin the top and it will pop up.

If you have the same sized bottle and were as frustrated as I was, go to your Bath & Body Works store and grab yourself a pump for 25 cents and before you leave, you might want to ask your local sales associate to unlock the pump for you.

Julep Hayden

Julep describes Hayden as simply "neon peach" which is right on the money. It looks like a pastel peach in the bottle but when it dries, it is definitely takes on a slightly more bright-in-your-face look; it is not matte like many neon polishes on the market though not as shiny as some other Juleps and it should be noted that it looks slightly brighter in person than in the above swatch. This was 2 very poorly done coats as it was my right hand and I'm right handed. It is important to note that if you've been using Julep polishes for awhile, this used to be named Amanda. I'm not sure what caused the name change but if you have an Amanda lying around in your collection, it's the same polish.

As with all of the Julep polishes I've tried so far, this was opaque in 2 coats and dried very quickly compared to other lacquers on the market. That is the reason I've since kept my Julep subscription service as I tend to do my polish at night and these don't need a quick-dry top coat. Even with the price, if I can cut out a step, I'm a happy girl.

The Julep Maven program can be gotten for $5 with code MAVEN5 if there's interest. This post includes my referral link.

Black Eye Liner Comparison

Socialite Dreams asked if I knew of any shiny black liners on my Laura Geller Inkwell Review. I keep on hearing how exasperated sigh it is (like) so hard to find matte gel/liquid liners. Totally.

Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of non-pencil type liners. I'm usually in a rush so my hand is usually shaky and that does not work well with liquid or gels! I was at Sephora doing "blog research". Thanks for giving me an excuse to go in there, Socialite Dreams!

Seriously, I don't know how Karla Sugar does it cause doing this gave me the weirdest looks in Sephora. Also, ignore the "gel pencil" liner on the far right. That was the Tarte one and it kept on breaking while I swatched/wrote. Ok, that aside, the swatches in the order of shininess are...

1. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner - You might not be able to see this from the swatch but this is the most opaque and the shiniest (you can kind of see it compared to the one next to it, the MUFE liner - which looks much more flat/matte).
2. Sephora Long Lasting Eye Liner - This is not the true black shade but it is 2nd in shininess compared to the Stila.
3. & 4. Make Up Forever Aqua Liner and the Hourglass Calligraphy Liquid Eye Liner - These two aren't a flat black but again not as shiny as the Stila.

With Flash.

I hope this was helpful!

JT Asks: Intense Debate Or Blogger?

As some of you may know, Blogger recently came out with a "reply" function in the comments section. I think the reply feature is the reason many (including yours truly) stopped using the Blogger comment section entirely and switched over to one of the stand alone comment systems you can install on your blog. Granted, it doesn't make keeping track of comments any easier but it allows you to get notified only when someone responds to your particular comment (whereas blogger would send you an e-mail every single time anyone else commented on the post - annoying!) and it also has Comment Luv. That being said, I know that there are some people that don't like signing up for those sorts of system and the blogger commenting system is very easy to use. So I'm asking Jeweled Thumb readers!

Keep Intense Debate?
or
Go back to the Blogger commenting system?

Leave your thoughts below. As always, I truly appreciate all of you.

Julep Leah

Julep describes Leah as "Vivid and refreshing grass green with a hint of shimmer" and that is a fairly accurate description. This is a bright green and not a color I generally go far but it's very pretty. I'm always worried about greens giving me "lobster hands" as I'm quite pale and prone to redness. While the touch of silver shimmer is evident in the bottle and quite pretty, I didn't find it translated to the nail so the effect is more of a green cream. I find that in certain lighting Leah looks more minty as shown below which is nice but a little strange.

As with all of the Julep polishes I've tried so far, this was opaque in 2 coats and dried very quickly compared to other lacquers on the market. That is the reason I've since kept my Julep subscription service as I tend to do my polish at night and these don't need a quick-dry top coat. Even with the price, if I can cut out a step, I'm a happy girl. I got some bubbling with this as you can probably see and you can blame yours truly as I didn't keep the bottles upright before swatching.

The Julep Maven program can be gotten for $5 with code MAVEN5 if there's interest. This post includes my referral link.

Drugstore Sightings: Physicians Formula Youthful Wear

 *edit* The Youthful Wear powder also comes in a matte variety - don't feel as though they limited the range if you don't prefer dewy products - although to be fair, this is one of the most subtle highlighting powders, I've seen.

If you have the misfortune of being up when I normally get to work, you saw a photo of these products that I snapped with my iPhone and tweeted already. If not, I found a new display this morning, the new Physicians Formula Youthful Wear line. I picked up the foundation and the powder to test out. Physicians Formula is Buy1Get150% and at CVS it is a participating item in the buy $30 get a $10 CVS cash card, and of course you can see the "try me free" sticker above and the powder came with a $3 off sticker attached to it. New
products for close to free? I was all over that.

The line promises that you can look up to 10 years younger, instantly. This isn't necessarily something I am worried about at my age but products for more mature skin tend to be better for us drier gals so I was pretty excited. I picked up the Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Foundation and Brush and the Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Powder. There is also an under eye concealer/treatment in the line which I think I'll be picking up tomorrow. The packaging is super cute. Everything is a metallic purple and it reminds me of the other newer lines in the range. The foundation tube looks similar to the Cover Girl Natureluxe foundation. I hope the formulas aren't similar as the Cover Girl oxidized horribly on me!

I picked up the foundation in the shade Fair. It comes with a foundation brush which I won't likely use. It's a squeezey tube and holds the standard 1oz of product.

The swatch looks a bit yellow.

It seems to blend in ok, but you can probably see a slightly yellow cast.

Now the star of the show. The pressed powder promises an illuminating finish. Honestly, this appears to be a perfect highlighter! I wouldn't wear this all over. It is silky smooth, super soft and finely milled and blends like a dream though I haven't actually worn it for a full day.

It's just glowy enough to be a good highlight without being crazy glitter-bomb or chunky glitter like some of the MAC Mineralized Skin Finishes.

Super cute packaging as I mentioned.

Can you see the refined glow? Ignore the other swatches (the black stuff is remnants of the Laura Geller eye liners I swatched ages ago - that's 2 showers and multiple hand washings people). Anyway, this is the way my ideal highlighter would look cause it's very hard to mess up and doesn't accentuate fine lines or pores. Granted, the Physicians Formula line is not exactly inexpensive. If I remember correctly and I best find my receipt so I can submit my freebie for the foundation, the foundation was $15 and the powder $14 which is a bit ridiculous all things considered but with the BOGO50% deal, the CVS Cash Card and the freebie/$3 off stickers, it's brings the price down considerably.

As I mentioned I haven't really worn these products but I'll keep you updated. My guess is I'm not going to be a fan of the foundation as it's loaded with silicones. The powder on the other hand, seems perfect.

Have you spotted these yet? It's a bit disturbing how excited I get when I spot new drugstore products!

Review: Laura Geller Inkwell Waterproof Gel Liner Duo

I was recently sent a new product from the Laura Geller line to try out as part of the Beauty Stat Blogger program. The Inkwell Waterproof Gel Line Duo is a new launch in the line for 2012 and priced at $33 for 2 gel liners.

The cool thing about this product is that there is a liner brush housed with each gel liner. One of the reasons I don't use gel liners is that I need to go digging for a brush and it's not very travel friendly. This solves that particular issue (it should be noted that other lines are coming out with similar products, Revlon just launched one that is ~$10 at drugstores). The $33 covers a basic black liner as well as a slightly more out there color (the purple in this case though I hope she comes out with more color combinations).

Each little pot comes with 2.5 grams of product and comes in a sturdy plastic jar.

The basic black cream isn't very special but it is more of a matte or satin which is a nice departure from some of the more shiny black liners out there. The purple is really nice, it definitely has a shimmer to it which sometimes looks a bit blue. It stays fairly neutral and I think it will look good with most skin and eye colors.

The brush itself can be short if you remove the top part or longer depending on your preference. Personally, I like a shorter brush as I feel it allows me more control when I'm drawing my line. This isn't a great picture to show the brush as it looks like a thin liner brush. It kind of looks like a very small lip brush which is great for thin liner (as you can turn it on its side) or a slightly thicker liner if applying liner with the brush flat.

As far as pigmentation is concerned, the purple liner is lacking but it can be built up. In this case, I did run into a little transferring on my upper lid while I waited for it to dry. The black did a bit better in that regard. The texture of these is very soft which makes application easy but I did feel I needed to wipe some of the product on the side of the jar so I didn't wind up with a big goopy brush. Application with the included brush was very easy once coated evenly with product; I was able to do a wing with ease. I found these wore evenly throughout the day with minimal flaking.

Feel free to ignore the colors being off in this picture. I was tired as it was the end of the day and I just wanted a clear picture. I am horrible at taking clear "face of the days" as my hands get shaky and so the photo is nearly always out of focus! You can see that the liner lasted really well though.

As you can see (as the color is a bit more true in this picture), it's just purple enough to be purple without being 'wham!' in your face purple.

I think these are a nice addition to the Laura Geller line and I'm hoping they pop up in one of her Today Special Values on QVC. I also wish she sold these separately as well. Not everyone needs another black liner. For me personally, I'm not sure if I'd go out of my way to repurchase but if they came in a TSV in the near future, I certainly wouldn't complain!


For more information on Laura Geller products, please visit http://www.LauraGeller.com




Disclosure: This product was received for review purposes as I'm part of the Beauty Stat Blogger Program.

December Empties

It's now the beginning of 2012 and I'm here once again with my empties post for the prior month. I'm definitely going to continue these into 2012 and hope to use up even more products in 2012.

I've learned that items like skincare, body care and lip balm are things that I know I will use up. Makeup is a little harder. I've tried to devote my weekdays to specifically using products I want to use up, with some flexibility of course. I also never have more than 1 mascara in rotation. Who knows if I will ever use up an eyeshadow, it's not looking likely at this point though technically I have the whole year in front of me.

 

Nuance by Salma Hayek Detoxifying Facial Cleansing & Toning Towelettes - I know my initial review of these wasn't super favorable but I've since bought a few more packs on sale and I quite like them. Due to the packaging, even if I don't use these every day, they seem to remain more moist going towards the bottom of the pack. I mentioned them again when I reviewed the Ponds wipes. Also, the last time I was at Big Lots, I couldn't find my beloved Epielle due to the massive Christmas beauty sets so I'm hoping the next time I'm there, they will make a reappearance. As much as I like the Nuance ones, I would never pay full price!
CVS Soft Cloths Supreme Unscented -  I'm sure you've all heard at one point or another that baby wipes can double as makeup removing towelettes. It's true. These are really nice and very cheap.

Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer - I swear this bottle never ended. I will try to stop buying these 10floz bottles! It also left a bit of a film on my skin and never seemed to fully penetrate. Neither I nor my husband was a fan of the scent and because it didn't truly sink in, the lotion (and the scent) stuck to our sheets. Very happy to see this empty! I won't be repurchasing!
The Body Shop Cranberry Joy Body Butter - This on the other hand, I love! It's a great fruity tart scent that sticks around after applying but not in a bad way like the Jergens! This is the smaller 50ml size I brought with us to Georgia. It feels light on the skin but is extremely moisturizing and sinks in quickly. I love The Body Shop body butters and will continue to repurchase them!
Mor Basil & Grape and Sugar Rose Tiger Lily Hand Cream sample packets - Oh my goodness. I'm so glad I discovered the Mor brand as I've enjoyed everything I've tried from them thus far. These scents are to die for, the texture is rich and moisturizing yet sinks into the skin. I've never been a big fan of rose scents, but even I like the Sugar Rose Tiger Lily likely due to the sweetness of it. The Basil & Grape isn't something I would normally be attracted to, but it's a nice sweet, yet fresh scent. I am definitely going to be buying more Mor (teehee) in the future. Really enjoyed these. I received these both in one of my recent Bloom orders as the Bloom Bonus.

On10 Schweppes Club Soda lip balm - The On10 made a brief debut in Sephora but has since disappeared. This lip balm is very nice and also something I took with me to Georgia. It is lightly scented/flavored and has the slightly thicker more waxier texture I enjoyed. It is reminiscent of the Fresh Sugar or the Caudalie as far as texture is concerned. And one can not fault the cute bottle cap inspired sleek metal packaging. I would repurchase if it was available.
Woody's Citrus Lip Ice - I really like this lip balm, as with the prior, it is a slightly thicker textured balm. I know this balm can be gotten online but I think the Woody's line might have discontinued it as I haven't seen it in stores. I know it's a mens line but this lip balm is really great for everyone.
Becca Luminous Skin Color in Sand - If you remember, I finished the Porcelain shade of this back in June. This is basically a fancy expensive tinted moisturizer. Even though the Sand shade is a tiny bit darker, I feel as though it didn't oxidize as much as the lighter, more pinker shade. As I mentioned in June, I don't think I'll repurchase as less expensive BB Creams such as the Missha offer a similar product at a fraction of the cost.


Not too shabby. I will be happy to discard the Becca as the emptier it gets, the harder it is for the product to come out! Onto the next foundation/tinted moisturizer victim!


Is there anything that you've finished recently? Feel free to link your own empties posts below! I love to look!

Review: Softsoap Bar Soap in Coconut Scrub

The Softsoap Bar Soap in Coconut Scrub came in the Influenster Holiday Vox Box as I previously mentioned. Due to numerous CVS sales including this product, I already had a decent sized stash of them but I figured I'd review them either way as they are inexpensive and readily available at least to those in the states.

As some of you may know, I am a bar soap kind of gal. I find it much easier to use and like that it doesn't require something like a loofah in the shower as I have limited space (also the bars are significantly smaller than body wash bottles). My favorite kind of soap is one with some scrubby bits in it as it can do double duty. Unfortunately, the Coconut Scrub soap doesn't have tons of scrubby bits so I wouldn't truly classify it as an exfoliating soap but it's still nice. It is very creamy and quite soft. This is kind of a double-edged sword, it lathers up beautifully, it's non-drying but due to the soft texture, it needs to be kept far from water so it doesn't disintegrate.

The coconut scent is very light and pleasant and it doesn't leave my skin dry or tight, nor feel like it is coated in a film after showering. All in all, it's a nice soap for a very reasonable price. You can get a pack of 4 soaps (each weighing 4oz - they didn't skimp) for just over $4 making them around $1 each.

Disclosure: This was received for review purposes and I have also bought quite a few myself.

Julep Megan

Julep describes Megan as a "A playful and sultry Mediterranean aquamarine shimmer" and I agree with the color description, but I feel this more of a frost formula and for that reason, it does have the tendency of being prone to brush strokes. I don't find it as bad with the color Leighton that was in my intro box but it is something that I feel needs mentioning.

As with all of the Julep polishes I've tried so far, this was opaque in 2 coats and dried very quickly compared to other lacquers on the market. That is the reason I've since kept my Julep subscription service as I tend to do my polish at night and these don't need a quick-dry top coat. Even with the price, if I can cut out a step, I'm a happy girl. I got some bubbling with this as you can probably see and you can blame yours truly as I didn't keep the bottles upright before swatching.

The Julep Maven program can be gotten for $5 with code MAVEN5 if there's interest. This post includes my referral link.

Review: Yes To Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter Melon

I mentioned that as part of my Bloom Bonus, I received a full retail size of the Yes To Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter in the Melon flavor. Yes To Carrots is a line that is all natural and for the most part organic. Even though I haven't had the best of luck with the range, I was excited to try this lip butter and even happier that it came free with my order.

This is aptly named a lip butter as it is thinner and slightly more oily than other lip balms on the market. I prefer my balms on the waxier side (not like rubbing a candle all over your lips but thick enough that they stay put). I find the thinner the balm, the easier it rubs off and the less it truly moisturizes for me. This is so thin and even slathering it on overnight, my lips were dry and flaky in the morning. The scent is really nice but I use lip balm to moisturize my lips, not dry them out!

Kind of disappointing as the natural ingredients and the very reasonable price were quite attractive. One day I'm going to figure out which ingredient(s) just don't work for me so I can stop being disappointed and just buy what I know will already work. Until then, you all will get the reviews, the good and the bad.

Organic Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Organic Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Organic Cera Alba (Beeswax), Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Flavor, Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Organic Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Organic Linalool, Organic Limonene, Organic Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Extract, Organic Cucumis Melo Cantalupensis (Melon) Seed Extract, Organic Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Extract, Organic Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Organic Citral, Organic Geraniol, Organic Eugenol

Julep Maven It Girl January Box

My Julep January box arrived in the mail. This is my first "real" box as a full $19.99 paying member. I opted to do a "shelf pull" for January as the It Girl boxes from now on will be all polish. They were also running a promotion allowing a free upgrade in January with an option for 1 of 3 different products (2 nail colors and the nail treatment). I actually elected to chose one of the polish colors so I was a little annoyed to see the nail treatment in my box; however, searching further, I found a little card that apologized as the color I had selected had sold out and offering this and a coupon for a free nail polish of my choice!

This month's box included 3 different nail colors and a sample of their nail polish remover pads. Considering each polish normally retails for $14, I think the $19.99 price is pretty reasonable. The colors included Hayden (a peach cream), Megan (a shimmery teal-aqua) and Leah (a bright grassy green with what appears to be silver shimmer). I haven't tested these out yet but swatches will be coming soon.

Use code MAVEN5 to get your first Julep box for $5 - not quite the steal I posted in my first box post, but a good deal nonetheless.

Disclosure: Referral link used.