Review: the lip slip by sara happ one luxe balm

I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this. I'm not partial to potted balms, though I've grown quite enamored with the nuxe one (I've worn it every night for weeks now and made a significant dip in the pot). But surely a company solely known for their lip exfoliation and balm products would be even superior. And then there's this nagging feeling that I should try new things, even if they are $24 potted balms. The balm smells like what you would imagine rose cake to smell like and it's tastes a bit sweet. It's sheer pink and it has fine shimmers in it which aren't obvious on the lips, nor can you feel them in between your lips as with some shimmery glosses.

As far as the ingredients are concerned, it has your standard mineral oil, beeswax and sweet almond and jojoba oil for moisture. While I found this slightly moisturizing, it's not really balmy in texture, it's more of a gloss and a slightly sticky one at that. It's best for throwing on during the day but since it's potted, it hasn't gotten a lot of use from me and it's not really moisturizing for night time. I'm pretty underwhelmed with this but I wanted to mention it so you fabulous people wouldn't bear the same misfortune I have with my poor purchase.

ingredients: Polybutene, Mineral Oil, Beeswax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Tocopherol Acetate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Polydecene, Silica Tin Oxide, Flavor, Saccharin

November Birchbox (2013)

I received my November Birchbox (referral link) early and I'm pretty darn pleased with it! Inside, I found 6 products ($6 worth of points back - yay!), mascara and a chocolate covered pretzel (yum). The mascara is just about half of the full sized, making it worth $12 and covering the cost of the box. It's been quite awhile since I've been excited about trying all of the products in a Birchbox - hopefully this one delivers!

Inside:
Eyeko Black Magic Mascara
Ayres Body Butter
Wei Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask
Wei Pomegranate Buffing Beads
Folle de Joie eau de parfum

Fatty Sundays Chocolate Covered Pretzel

October Empties (2013) (and August and September)

So I'll admit, I've been lacking in the empties department. At the beginning of September I was hospitalized so that accounts for the lack of posting and in the beginning of October I was on vacation. Excuses aside, I haven't finished a lot of stuff, though I am nearing the end of several products. Maybe these will make an appearance in the future November Empties post? Anyway, onward.

Without a fail, I definitely use up face wipes. Here we have the 60-wipe cucumber pack from Epielle, a 30 pack green tea pack from Epielle and various sample sizes (psst the Green Tea smells exactly like Elizabeth Arden's and even though it's fragranced, it doesn't burn my eyes). The La Fresh wipes came in an ipsy bag I think - they were decent enough but I don't think I'd purchase. Yes to Cucumbers is not my favorite but it was a free sample and convenient on our cruise. And the Kaia ones are nice but are super expensive.

The Wen Cleansing Conditioners are great for travel as you can lock the pump after opening. The only fail is the tube doesn't reach the bottom of the bottle so it takes herculean efforts to get the final drops of product out. Philosophy Snow Angel was a decent shower gel and I truly enjoy the Philosophy gels over some other brands. I wouldn't repurchase this particular scent but it reminds me of an old one from Bath & Body Works. The Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe was nice but not nice enough to repurchase given the price and the amount of product it takes for all my hair.

Woo! One lone makeup product. This actually got to the point of empty that I had trouble getting the product onto the wand so it was truly done. Maybelline Define-A-Lash Waterproof is a great mascara. It is very lengthening and holds a curl and the "brush" is thin enough so that it doesn't cause much spotting on my upper lid. Definite repurchase with a sale and when I get through some other mascaras.

The two Caldrea lotion samples came in a Birchbox. They were quite nice and light and perfect for the cruise but I don't think I'd repurchase either scent. Also, I am horrible with remembering to apply body lotion even when I need it. The Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer was really quite nice and I could see using this even though it is a product geared towards men. Light yet moisturizer, not uber scented. Quite nice, actually!

So that was a rather paltry round up of empties given the time frame. What have you used up recently?