Canadian July 2012 Glossybox review

Hi loves, I finally got my July Glossybox this morning .. August 2nd.... I opened my box his morning and have sampled all the products and I'm excited to tell you all about it!

So this month Glossybox sent us this month to celebrate Canada's 145th birthday. As always, there's different versions of the boxes and I received V3. From reading a couple reviews before I got my box, I knew that I was receiving the box with the least value as I only received 2 full size products while other

received more..

 

The first product on the card is the Zoya nail polish. Now I already own nail polishes from Zoya and I really enjoy their quality and their range of colors. Your box version didn't determine the color you got as multiple colors were sent out and I am pleased to have received a nice pink shade named "Lara". I applied it this morning and it goes on really smooth. I used two coats but you could get away with only one coat if you're in a rush.

 

The nail polish is of course a full sized product (0.5oz) and retails for $8. The next product on the card is the Alessandra International Pedix heel rescue balm. The card indicates that the rescue balm protects and nourishes your skin with shea butter, allantoin and tea tree oil. I used this on the balls of my feet after showering this morning and I could definitively feel the menthol effect which I later found out that it was rather the tea tree oil. It's not oily and greasy and goes on quite nicely and the skin absorbs it quite well. This sample size is 30 ml and the full size (100ml) retails for $19.95.

 

Next up is the John Fried Frizz-Ease xtra strength serum. The card indicates that this serum instantly and dramatically transforms coarse, wiry, unry frizz for ultra sleek, purely polished, and super shiny results. I have it in my hair right now as it dries from the shower I took this morning, however I do not have frizzy hair so I'm hoping that the serum acts more as a smoothing balm instead. There seems to be a mistake on the card as it says that it's a full size product but it's actually a sample size of 24ml. The full size (50ml) does retail for $14.99.

 

The next product is a very small sample 5ml of the Eucerin calming cream. The product contains Natural Colloidal Oatmeal and it's also fragrance free. It's not oily or greasy and goes on nicely just the way you would want a hand cream to go on. My hands aren't dry at the moment so I can't certify the moisturizing properties. I'm a little disappointed because the V3 boxes got this very small sample instead of a full size Burts Bees lip balm...

 

Next up is the Dove Softening Cream Body Wash. It's a product that promises more beautiful skin in just 1 week.. (I'll see about that..) I used it in the shower this morning. The body wash has a nice fresh scent and leaves your skin feeling nice and soft. Just about everything you want your body wash to be, so really I have no complaints about this product. This is the full size product and it retails for $5.99.

 

Lastly, there's 4 little samples of the Beautysoclean Sanitizer wipes. These wipes can be used to effectively sanitize makeup that accumulates visible debris like dust, lint and food particles. I used two wipes this morning to clean off a mascara brush. It works nicely, but the wipes are so small that you would almost need 2 or 3 to clean up a grungy product. The full size (48 wipes) retails for $12.50.

 

So there you have it: The Canadian July Glossybox for 2012. The box as a whole is not bad, but I am a little disappointed by the price differences between the different boxes and also by the fact that V3's only received 2 full sized products. On the plus side, I'm happy that we got a nice range of products, one for your feet, your hands, your hair, your body, your nails, and your makeup. And also, the overall value of the box is not bad.

I'm still waiting for my box from the new company called The Natural Beauty Box that I have subscribed to for only 1 month to test it out. The August box will be the first box for the company and I'm looking forward to review it.

Till next time,

xo

J.

Sa Sa haul - July 2012

Hi loves, 

Last week I got a package of wonderful things that I ordered from Sa Sa and I'm very excited to review all these products

.

 For those of you that don't know what Sa Sa is, well it's a leading cosmetics retail group in Asia. It's based in Hong Kong and offers a range of Asian brands such as cosmetics and beauty products. They carry skincare, makeup, hair products, body care products and even health supplements. They have retail locations in Asia but you can also order their products from their online website. The company's vision is to be a "one-stop" store for beauty related products. 

The first items that I bought were 4 SKINLITE face masks. This is a Korean beauty brand.I got the Relax Soothing Aloe, Hydrating Cucumber, Re-Energizing Green Tea and Strawberry Yogurt. I have only used the Aloe and Green Tea masks so far, but for the value I think it's a steal. First of all, there's enough in the package to last atleast 2 or 3 applications and the scents and texture of the mask is very fresh and soothing and was not sticky or heavy. I didn't really see a different with a skin after, but atleast it wasn't dry or oily and I didn't break out. I think these masks are mostly meant for a nice soothing application. Each mask (10g) cost me $1 each. I can't wait to try the Cucumber and Strawberry Yogurt masks. 

The next item is a hair mask that Suzi from StyleSuzi recommended in one of her videos. It's the RICH PREMIER Ultra Honey Hair Mask from the Japanese brand ESSENTIAL. At first I didn't care much for the scent of this product. Although smelling true to the package, like honey, I wasn't completely sold by it. However, after using it in the shower I really like the way your hair feels after using it. You can skip the conditioner after your shampoo and just use the hair mask as a hair treatment and you're good to go. Also, the price range is quite similar to other hair treatments so all in all I would recommend this product. The company also sells another version of this which I believe smells differently as well. I might give this other product a try when I make a new order. This hair mask cost me $9.60 at checkout for a 200g container. 

Next up is a pack of oil-blotting paper with powder-coating by the Japanese brand HAKUGEN. I already use this type of product so I decided to test another brand to compare. I really love to use oil-blotting paper sheets in the summer when my skin gets oilier. I like that the HAKUGEN paper had a powder coating that didn't smell like much and left your skin feeling matte and refreshed. I don't have anything specifically amazing to say about this product in particular, I thought it was good, especially for the price, but it's not necessarily something that I would re-purchase. The 70 piece pack cost me $2.10 at checkout. 

 The next two products are both from the Korean beauty brand The Face Shop. The first product is the HERB DAY 365 Peach Cleansing Foam. I bought this product because it was fairly inexpensive and also because I had heard of The Face Shop before but had never tried any of their products. I originally wanted to go with the Lemon scented one but it was sold out so I settled for the Peach one instead. Let me just say that it smells true to the label and I love the fact that it's not too fragrant but just right. Also, you only need a dime size amount of this cleanser to foam on your face, this way the bottle with last for a long time. The only bad thing I would have to say about this product is that my skin felt a little dry more like a firm feeling, after using this cleanser. However, using a toning lotion after cleansing (which I normally do anyways), fixes this feeling. I bought the cleanser (170ml) for $4.50.

 

 The next product from The Face Shop is the CLEAN FACE Oil Free BB Cream. I've heard alot of great things from BB creams, but I had never actually tried one. I read a couple reviews about how great SKIN79's BB creams are but they weren't on sale so I decided to try The Face Shop's instead. The size of the packaging was alright although I was expecting a little larger sized tube/bottle. This cream goes on really dark at first on my fair skin but blends in really well with your skin tone and I didn't notice any weird foundation lines either, which is a plus. The label says that the cream is infused with a pleasant camomile scent that you can definitely smell when you apply the cream. It's however a nice scent and doesn't smell chemically. I would need to try another brand to be able to choose a favorite but I think for the price you get quite good value in this BB cream and would recommend it to try. The 35g tube cost me $10.10 at checkout.

 

I've never bought anything from their online store but I have read about other people's experiences and decided to place an order when they were offering free international shipping near the end of June. At checkout, I paid $30.30 and bought 8 items so I'm really happy with the value and thought the shipping time was reasonable considering it was free and was coming all the way from Hong Kong. On top of that it was so well packed with a bunch load of packing peanuts and plastic that I doubt that any products get damaged during shipment, so I was impressed with that as well. 

 As a final note, I was quite pleased with my first experience with Sa Sa and will definitely place another order sometime to try various other products. I always hear nice things about Asian brands and I was very pleased to like the quality of the products that I bought. 

 Till next time, 

 xo J

Glymm Bag July 2012

Hi Loves,

A little late but this is my review of the Glymm bag for July 2012.
I got the bag on July 16th and since then I've gotten the chance to try all the products in the bag so I can give a proper review of all the products.

This month, July's bag is a nice orange color which is perfect for the summer time. It has Glymm's logo imprinted in gold on the bag.



There was 5 products in the bag this month from these brands : Dirt, Cyberderm, Mane Teeze and Joico.



The first products are two moisturizers by Cyberderm. The packaging is very creative as they come in little plastic syringes which makes easy application and ensures that you don't use too much. One of the products is a H2O Hydration cream that I would mainly use as a day cream. The consistency and the texture of the cream is very nice and light and it smells quite fresh. I loved that my face didn't feel sticky after applying it before my makeup. The sample promises around 5 uses and the full price (50 ml) retails for $60.

The second syringe moisturizer is a PM Anti-age cream also by Cyberderm. Unlike the H2O cream, this one smells very strong, almost perfume like. However it has the same pleasant light texture as the other cream. This sample promises around 5 uses and the full size (50 ml) retails at $115.

The next product is a hair perfume by Mane Teeze. This sample called "Social Butterfly" is a literally a deodorant for your hair. This scent is infused with vanilla but I felt it smelled more like coconut to me. The spray is very lightweight and does give off a scent. However, I'm personally not a fan of coconut or vanilla scents so I did not enjoy this product. I think I would have enjoyed another scent better. I read somewhere that Glymm might be offering the other two scents this product comes in, in the next bags. This sample promises around 50 sprays and the full size (50 ml) retails at $34.

Next products is a salt scrub by Dirt. Even though it's a very small sample size, this has got to be my favorite product in the bag. Its a fruit smelling salt scrub that promises to remove dead skin cells from your skin. I've used it on both my body and face and loved the scent! It's a mix of fresh scents of cucumber, fig and pear and is an absolutely great smell! Too bad the full size is very much out of my price range, otherwise I would consider buying this product. This small sample promises around 2 uses and the full size (12 oz) retails at $45.

The last product is by Joico. It's a K-Pak Revitaluxe hair treatement. Now, because I love Joico shampoos and conditioner, I was expecting great things from this product but I was a little disappointed. It's a hair treatment that says to treat damaged hair and well as protecting it from future damage. I found the smell nice and pleasant but that my hair didn't feel as smooth and silky after using it. It's meant to be applied to wet hair and rinsed out after 3-5 minutes. This sample size promises up to 3 uses and the full size (150 ml) retails at a good price of $25.

Also in the bag is a coupon code for 25% nail polishes on http://www.glymm.com. It expires on August 31st. I don't think I will be using it as I have so many nail polishes already.

And that's it :)
I hope you enjoy my quick review. I was a little disappointed by the products in this bag and I hope that next month's will be better.

Until next time, tahtah

xo J

New Specs

Hi loves.

Earlier this week I decided to purchase a pair of glasses off of http://clearlycontacts.ca. It's a Canadian based company in Vancouver that sells eyeglasses and contact lenses as well as solutions and eye related accessories. The company's goal is to quickly deliver quality eyewear  and to offer a range of selection.

I ordered the Joseph Marc 4107 in Black. I was surprised by the speedy arrival as I ordered them late at night on July 2nd and they were shipped out on July 3rd and I received them two days later on July 5th. This is amazingly fast as I live on the other side of the country. Once I opened the package I was surprised to find a nice black eyeglass case as well as a pouch with eyeglass cleaner, a cloth and a frame repair kit ; things that I already own being an eyeglass wearer but for the price I paid it's an absolute bargain!

At checkout I used coupon code: FIRSTPAIRFREECA and only paid a bit off the lenses plus shipping and handling fees. I ended up paying $34.95 which is much less then what I paid for my usual glasses ($199).

As for the quality of the eyeglasses: well, the frame is not the best quality, the plastic feels a little cheap. Plus, even though I keyed in my right prescriptions, my vision is having a hard time adjusting to the lenses. However, for the price I paid, the speed of the shipping and the items that I received, I believe that this is a great service! I will definitively consider buying some of my contact lenses from this website as well.

Joseph Marc 4107 in Black

Canadian Glossybox June 2012

I got my June Glossybox yesterday and I was finally able to pick it up from the post office this evening! We got lucky this month : 4 full size products! This month's Glossybox is all about summer. This is what's in my box (The descriptions are from the GB product card)








The first item is the Bioré Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser. It's a full size product (200 mL) and can be bought in stores for $9.99. Have skin that can't make up it's mind? Achieve the clean you want without disturbing natural moisture your skin needs, more balanced skin in just two weeks! This is great because I do have combination skin and I've never tried Bioré products before.

Also, there is a sample of Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips. Pore strips are the deepest way to clean your pores. In just one use , you remove a week's worth of built up dirt and it only takes 10 minutes! They retail for $9.99 for 8 strips.



Then there's the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch sunscreen lotion with SPF 55. This is a deluxe size product. Ultra light and fast absorbing and voted #1 best feeling sunscreen by Canadian Dermatologists. Contains Helioplex which provides photostable UVA and UVB protection/ Who doesn't need sunscreen in the summer?! I sure need it!. It retails at full size (80mL) for $15.99

There's also a deluxe sample of the Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex. I don't have wrinkles yet.. well maybe small ones! But i'll definitely give this product a try. My mom always says that's never too early to start taking care of your skin! Advanced micro fillers instantly smooth the look of fine lines. The anti-aging formula with a BioPeptide and B3 complex hydrates and improves the appearance of deep lines in the just 14 days! The full size (50 mL) retails for $30.99



Next in the box is a full size bottle (150mL) of the Wella Professionals Ocean Spiritz. I love Wella products so Im looking forward to testing this out. I love that it's a full size product. It retails for $16.99. Free your hair with irresistible chunky texture achieving that matte carefree beachy hair look. Available exclusively in salons!



Next is a Gillette Venus Embrace Razor. Now I normally wouldn't get very excited about a razor but I actually needed a new one so I'm glad that I don't need to go out and buy one. Get Ready for the shave fit for a goddess. Our first women's razor created with 5 blades hugs every curve to get virtually every hair, even bikini hair! An ultra close and incredible Venus smoothness It retails for $13.43

This last product is surely the dark horse in the box. Not only will I NOT use this product .. I don't know anyone who would so I don't know what I'd do with it! It's the Covergirl Flipstick Blendable lip duo in Minx. One side is a golden color whereas the other side is a dark brown shade. Totally not colors for my complexion and skin tone! It retails for $12.50... Glad that's money I didn't spend!




Well that's it for the June 2012 Glossybox. It's not the best box but atleast I will be using most of the products!

If you're interested in signing up to receive a Glossybox every month for $15 (includes shipping and handling) use my referral link here: http://www.glossybox.ca/invitation/MTE4NTE=?utm_source=Customers&utm_medium=link&utm_term=MTE4NTE=&utm_campaign=Refer-a-friend/

xx

J

payday is shopping day

Hello loves,

I went home this past weekend for my sister's high school graduation! Congratulations Emma! :)



Also, I did a little shopping back home and also in my current city where there's a Sephora that opened!



I was very modest and only got two items at Sephora, the lipstick is by GOSH and was bought elsewhere

Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer in Green - $22 (micro size)Sephora Brand Nano eyeliner in Black - $7
GOSH #147 Sunrise - $8.99


I have a hard time not buying new shoes, especially pointy toe flats in bright summer colors! Got these gorgeous flats in yellow and bright coral at Ardenes 2 for $20



These tops were on sales for $5/each

Bluenotes striped tank top - $5
Dynamite wine colored tank top - $5Dynamite baby pink colored tank top - $5



I got all these pieces of jewelry at my work

Payless ShoeSource glitter black brecelet - $12.99
Payless ShoeSource black glitter flower ring - $12.99Payless ShoeSource 6 pack heart studs - $12.99



Those who know me know that I'm completely obsessed with blazers, I got these two when I was shopping back home last weekend

Stitches Cheetah Print blazer - $24.99
Dynamite baby pink blazer - $44.90



Lastly I got a couple items at Bath and Body Works and The Body Shop! The Mango Mandarin conditioner is my current favorite!

Bath and Body Works Body Mist in Pearberry - $4Bath and Body Works Body Mist in Pink Grapefruit - $4
Bath and Body Works Moisturizing Conditioner in Mango Mandarin - $9.50
Bath and Body Works Moisturizing Conditioner in Warm Vanilla Sugar - $9.50
Bath and Body Works Antibacterial Handsoap in Cucumber Melon - $5.50
The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Day Cream - $16.50
The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Cleansing Face Whips - $14.50


That's it for now.
I will soon be doing a review of a pair of Nudy Brown circle lenses that I won from Angelcontacts.com, in the meantime please like their Facebook Page and check out their website!

http://www.angelcontacts.com/ (Official website)

http://www.facebook.com/AngelContacts (Official Facebook page)

xox

J

this week's haul

Hi lovelies, If you haven't noticed I've completely deleted all my old blog posts and have decided to start fresh and new. How do you like my new template? I've shopped quite a bit this week and I wanted to share a couple of the things I've bought! these are a couple of the items that I've bought this week, exciting!

 First off is this lovely travelling bag and scarf that I picked up at H&M, the bag is tan, brown and navy and is quite large so you could use it as an overnight bag or as luggage for a short trip. I have the same scarf in a nudy pink color and I love it so much I decided to get it in navy as well. It's quite thick so I suppose I'll keep for the fall
Bag - $20 - H&M
Scarf - $5 - H&M

  

I also picked these up at H&M because they are so wonderfully priced! The sunglasses have a purple tint to them and a zebra print on the sides. The bangle is black and made with 50% recycled materials. It's circular on the inside and heart shaped on the outside
Sunglasses - $2 - H&M
Bangle - $2 - H&M

These are the last of the items that I bought at H&M. I haven't tried them yet so I hope they'll fit. They're the type of fold up flats that you can keep in your purses when you're tired of wearing other shoes all day long, plus they're super cute! Fold up flats - $3 - H&M


 I got this lip gloss and this lip stick in Shoppers Drug Mart. The lip gloss is a dark nude colour by Quo and the lip stick is a nice orangey tone by GOSH.
Lip gloss - $3 - QUO
Lip stick #148 Sundown - $3 - GOSH cosmetics


 This a mini 8 piece sampler set of Jr. Watkins products that I also bought in Shoppers Drug Mart. I absolutely loved their products. They're almost 100% natural and smell great. They had their sampler kit on sale so I decided to get one. The items are sample sized but should be enough for a couple uses. The kit was on sale for $10.

From left to right
Aloe and Green Tea Hand & Body Lotion
Mango Hand & Body Lotion
Peppermint Foot Cream
Aloe and Green Tea Body Cream
Lemon Cream Body Cream
Peppermint lip balm (full size)
Lemon Hand & Cuticle Salve
Lavender Hand & Salve



 One thing I absolutely can't live without is nail polish. So when I saw these great shades on sale at Shoppers, I couldn't resist! Four of them are from the Kardashian Color series from Nicole by O.P.I and the other three are by GOSH. My favourite of the bunch is the lovely tea green shade!
From left to right
Sealed with a Kris - $3 - Kardashian Color Nicole by O.P.I
My Empire ... My Rules - $3 - Kardashian Color Nicole by O.P.I
Rainbow in the S-Kylie - $3 - Kardashian Color Nicole by O.P.I
Disco Dolls - $3 - Kardashian Color Nicole by O.P.I
#610 Blissful - $3
#009 Bright Idea - $3 - GOSH
#609 Drizzle - $3 - GOSH



 These are two pairs of shoes that I got where I work. One is a pair of basic white pumps and the other are white wedges. I bought both to go with a dress I bought for my sister's graduation and I can't make up my mind on which to wear!

 On the left
 White Wedges - $39.99 - American Eagle at Payless Shoe Source

 On the right
White Pumps - $24.99 - Comfort Plus by Predictions at Payless Shoe Source


 Lastly, I bought a couple items at the Body Shop. These I've never tried before but I love mostly all their body products and their makeup. I've been wanted to buy something for my feet because between my two jobs I'm often standing and I wanted some products to help my keep my feet nice and smooth. I always buy my products in store but they have great promotions on their website as well. The product descriptions are partially from The Body Shop website. (Canadian The Body Shop website)

Top row, from left to right
Peppermint Cooling Pumice Foot Scrub - $14 ("Community Trade peppermint oil promotes a cooling sensation to leave feet feeling refreshed and helps to combat odor. Pumice granules from volcanic rock are intensely exfoliating to smooth and soften even the roughest skin. Menthol further cools skin to leave it feeling refreshed.")

Peppermint Intensive Foot Rescue - $18 ("Community Trade peppermint oil promotes a cooling sensation to leave feet feeling refreshed and helps to combat odor. Community Trade cocoa butter is an excellent moisturizer that melts at body temperature. Sweet almond oil is rich in essential fatty acids that help to restore skin’s moisture barrier. Grape extract is a fruit acid that has skin smoothing and gentle exfoliation properties."

Blue Corn 3 in 1 Deep Cleansing Scrub Mask - $16.50 ("Cheat a little, care a lot. If you don't have time to clean, scrub and moisturize, just layer on this absorb-exfoliate-condition treasure. For normal to oily skin.")

Bottom row, from left to right
Coconut Body Butter - $6/each or 2 for $10 ("This rich and creamy Body Butter is a feast for the skin. It melts straight in to leave skin feeling soft and smooth. It contains Community Fair Trade virgin organic coconut oil and has a totally tropical coconut scent.")

Satsuma Body Butter - $6/each or 2 for $10 ("It contains Community Fair Trade shea butter and smells of fresh satsuma. Contains Satsuma oil, community Fair Trade shea butter, community Fair Trade cocoa butter, community Fair Trade soya oil, community Fair Trade brazil nut oil")

Aloe Soothing Night Cream - $20 ("A rich night cream that moisturizes, comforts and calms the skin while you sleep, helping to restore its natural defense system and moisture barrier. Dermatologically approved and clinically proven as suitable for sensitive skin.")

 And the little bottle on the right....

Tea Tree Oil - $9 ("A medicine cabinet must. A pre-blended oil which can be used in many different ways to help soothe blemished skin. Dab directly onto skin at first sign of a blemish.")

 Well, that's it for today. I won a free pair of circle lenses from so I'll review those as soon as I receive them! xx J.E