November Birchbox

First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm a little late posting my Birchbox for November. It arrived late due to Sandy and between work and school, I've been a bit preoccupied. This was an alright box in my opinion, nothing ground breaking but some nice samples were included, one of which is a pricey eye mask making the box well worth the $10:

Masqueology Revitalizing Eye. 1 mask. (retail 3 masks $24) "worth" $8

MCMC Fragrances Phoenix 1.6ml/.05floz (retail 9ml $45) "worth" $8

Kiehl's Creme de Corps 1.0floz (retail 4.2floz $18) "worth" $4.25

Stila all over shimmer liquid luminizer 1 of 3 (pack of 3 $20) "worth" $6.50

+ Masqueology Masque Cleanser sachet

+ Masqueology 7D Moisture Cream sachet

Only, I don't give much value to perfume samples, however pricey the full sized bottle is and the Stila luminizers are on sale at Sephora for $10 for the trio but still, a pretty decent box for the price.

Did you get anything good in your November Birchbox?

Disclosure: Referral link included.

Where's Jeweled Thumb?

It is heading towards the last 5 weeks of my very last semester ever and I have pretty much disappeared from social media entirely. Fear not, once I get that piece of paper in December (as long as I pass this class), I will be back to normal posting. I appreciate all of you that are sticking by me even though my posts have been lacking. I have barely been able to read other blogs let alone get onto Blogger myself. Not to say I'm not buying makeup as I definitely am and I have a ton of things to review!

I look forward to blogging without graduate school soon!

Review: EVE LOM Cleansing Balm

A sample packet of the EVE LOM cleanser came in the October Birchbox. I've been wanting to try this cleanser but the price point is pretty ridiculous and while I have paid what I consider high prices for skincare items, $50 for 50ml seemed too high to me especially with the high mineral oil content.

I almost immediately transferred the little packet into a Sephora sample jar. It's almost a creamy gel with particles in it that melt as you rub the mixture into your face. Not a lot of people mention that due to clove oil in the formula, it basically smells like pumpkin pie. I found this cleanser quite luxurious. It smells good, it feels good on the skin and it becomes more of a milky consistency after you include water. This is a perfect cleanser to use when my skin is feeling dry or tight and it doesn't leave a residue.

So I do really like it, and think it's a great cleanser for the winter time, but I don't think I'll be buying it any time soon if ever.

Ingredients:
Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG 30 Lanolin, Bis Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate 2, Aluminum Stearate, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, PEG 75 Lanolin, Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil, Humulus Lupulas (Hops Oil), Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, P Chloro M Cresol, Eugenol, Isoeugenol

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Weartime (review follow up)

The true test of longevity for nail polish for me is my Thursday night water Zumba class. Chlorine combined with vigorous arm movements pretty much kills any nail polish for me. The Sally Hansen Salon Effects however, did surprisingly well. This is a photo taken when I got home from my water Zumba class tonight. I applied these babies on Sunday evening. That is pretty awesome. I removed the polish tonight as well which was a pain in the neck but I'd imagine they would have at least lasted through the weekend, though I did experience some chipping on my dominant hand (right - this picture is of the left). I'm impressed and will pick up a few more packs if I find them on clearance or at Five Below again!