Canadian myGlam Bag December 2012 by IPSY - Open Bag Time!

Time for another Open Bag session with the myGlam bag for December 2012 by IPSY! This month's theme is "Haute Holiday" and the contents in the bag should be able to help create a holiday party-ready look! I try to list as many prices in Canadian currency, but for those I cannot find online I will list in US dollars.

Of course it has to come in the usual hot pink protective parcel bag:

This month's bag is a silvery-grey fabric with a glossy finish. The shape is roughly that of a rectangle, flat at the bottom so it is very roomy. The inside is lined with hot pink material with "ipsy imprinted all over. The zipper has a silver dangling charm. Overall, a sturdy and useful make up case, or it will definitely work as a pencil case if you wish.

Also in the packaging is the usual greeting card and another card with coupon codes for the brands included in the bag this month.

First item out of the bag also happens to be the tiniest of the bunch: NYX Ultra Pearl Mania in LP13 Sky Pink Pearl. This is a full size item at 0.06 oz. (Sorry the lighting of my picture is making it appear more yellow than it really is.) This is basically a loose powder eyeshadow that is very finely milled and has a pearly sheen finish.

"It’s not hard to sparkle with one of our ultra-shimmering loose shadow powders that can be used on eyes, cheeks, even lips. These finely-milled mineral eye shadows are high-impact, long-lasting—and a little addictive." - NYX $3.99CAD

Next is Be A Bombshell Lip Gloss in Hot Mess (love the name!), another full-size 3gm product! The gloss is a bright, pigmented, blue-based red that has no sparkle or shimmer in it. The finish is semi-see through, thus giving a jelly-like appearance and is very glossy. It is smooth on the lips and not very sticky, which I really prefer! It has a doe foot applicator that is very easy to control. The packaging is reminiscent of MAC CreamsheenGlass glosses.This lipgloss is a great "starter" colour for those who are looking to venture into the red lips but are still intimidated by lipsticks, since the gloss is pigmented enough to give colour on its own, yet still buildable so you can control the intensity of the colour. What better time than holiday dinners and New Year Eve parties to rock the red lip? :)

"No Bombshell look is complete without luscious, shiny lips! The Bombshell Lipgloss formula is longlasting and will send whistles your way all day long." - beabombshellcosmetics.com - $14.00US

Next up we have a package of Highligher Paper (shade: St. Barts) by Mai Couture. This brand was first featured in the inaugural myGlam bag back when it first lauched in the US and was only available to US residents. At that time they had given the brand's blush paper and this time around, at the 1-year anniversary, we get to try the highlighter papers too! This is a half-size product with 25 sheets, with the full-size having 50 sheets per pack. The idea of these paper is that you can touch up on-the-go, as well as being super easy to use when you are first applying your makeup. Instead of using a powder product with a brush, tear off one of these sheets and dab/swipe it across the area of the face you which to use the highligher, and the product comes off the sheet onto the skin! Interesting concept, and I agree this will make touch-ups much easier!

"Baby, you were born to shine…with just a bit of help from Mai Couture Highlighter Papier. Wherever your day takes you – home, the office, 40,000 feet – just one sheet of Mai Couture Highlighter Papier will turn up the wattage on lackluster skin in seconds flat. Perfect for both the face and body and great on all skin tones, Mai Couture Highlighter Papier adds beautiful flawless luminosity hygienically and easily while letting you travel light. It’s time to say goodbye to messy brushes or things shattering in your bag. " - Mai Couture  - $28 for full-size.

Fourth product is the Mirabella Primer For Face and Eyes, full-size, 12.85gm of product. Mirabella is a mineral makeup product company. This primer is quite runny in consistency, and comes out clear. The product is very thin on the skin and provides a very smooth surface on your skin that becomes nicely prepped for foundation. I find that it does indeed prolong the wear of my foundation, allowing it to last nicely throughout an 8-hour work shift and a 2 hour dinner after that. I haven't tried it out on my eyes as I am very content with my Urban Decay Primer Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but perhaps one day I will try it out! The squeeze tube is quite handy and I prefer this type of packaging as I feel I'm able to keep the product inside more sanitary. 

"Silky, smooth, clear formula primer slides on the skin creating the perfect base for any mirabella foundation. Avoid lash-line. Use sparingly. Paraben-free, Dye-free." - Mirabella - $29.00US

Fifth and final product this month's myGlam bag is the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero. We receive the travel size at 0.8g (full-size = 1.2g). This size of the 24/7 pencil is usually only found in the pencil sets that Urban Decay holiday value sets, but with 75% of the full-size amount, this is a very generous deluxe sample :)  This eye pencil is a personal favourite of mine for some time, as the formula is super creamy so it doesn't tug at the lashline, yet still delivers amazing staying power for me, including at the waterline and tightline. This is no longer the "blackest" eye pencil that Urban Decay offers (that would be the shade "Perversion") but Zero is more than black enough for daily use and appropriate for most special outings/evening parties. I'm really happy to have another back-up of this pencil. The pencil is quite pricey if you are to purchase at regular price from Sephora, so if you would like to check out something that is more budget-friendly, I highly recommend the NYX Slide-On Pencil range, as the quality is nearly identical (to me) and the colours offered are awesome too.

"Creamy, forever-lasting, award-winning and waterproof, 24/7 pencils delight you with lush tropical hues, deep metallics, and unusually vibrant neutrals." - Urban Decay - $22.00CAD

I am, once again, impressed and satisfied with this month's myGlam bag. For $10.00US + $4.95US shipping fee, I received almost $78.00 worth of product, all of which I know I will be making a use of. I am eagerly awaiting for the January myGlam to arrive at my doorstep in a few weeks :)

Disclaimer: Subscription to IPSY and myGlam bag is purchased by my own money, and all mentioned in the above post are my honest opinions.

TOPBOX December 2012 - Open Box Time!

The December Topbox has arrived today! For those of you who don't know, Topbox is a monthly subscription service that offers to deliver samples from top-rated brands once a month to your door step for a subscription fee of $12, shipping included. You have the option of cancelling at anytime before they charge you for the next month.

This month I did not choose the enviro-friendly version..and this is what my box looks like, unwrapped:

Such festive packaging!

Both the box's exterior and tissue paper is a beautiful red colour that is just oh-so-fitting for the holiday season :) Now what goodies are hiding underneath the paper?

1) Goldwell Sleek Perfection - 20mL - "Waterless spray-on serum for silky-straight looks that lasts. Full-size 100mL $20.95". I am, honestly, not much of a hair product junkie, yet products that promise to de-fizz always capture my curiosity, so I'm eager to try this one out.

2) Ferro Cosmetics - Ultimate HD 3-in-1 Foundation | Concealer | Powder - "A brand founded by Celebrity Makeup Artist Krissy Ferro, that makes 100% natural mineral makeup. Cruelty Free." I am not a big fan of powder foundations and mineral makeup. I don't have overly sensitive skin that reacts to cream/liquid foundations, in fact, my favorite foundation type is liquid! That could likely be due to the fact that I lean more towards dry skin, especially in the winter time, therefore anything that is powdery will tend to accentuate the dry parts of my skin. Furthermore, this product is so messy! :( Oh well, perhaps I can still give this a try, once I figure out how to get a decent-sized brush into the tiny container. If you can't tell already, I'm not too thrilled about this particular sample.

3) Kellett Skincare - Clarifying Acne Treatment (benzoyl peroxide gel USP 5%) - "Developed by Dr. Lisa Kellett, one of Canada's top dermatologists. Combines technologically advanced peptides." I don't know about the peptide part (theoretically, peptides may promote the regeneration of healthy skin cells which increases the rate of skin renewal and results in healthier, more radiant looking skin), but by looking at the main active medicinal ingredient listed right on the package, I know this is no miracle product for acne. Now for a bit of pharmacist ramble...benzoyl peroxide is a type of antiseptic that is able to breakdown bacteria's cell wall and promote bacterial death. It is, overall, quite mild, making it ideal for topical use on the skin to kill off the bacterial that most commonly causes acne. The same ingredient is found in drugstore products that costs as little as under $10 for a 60g tube. As far as I'm concerned, this is not a high-end product in my books, but I will use it up, since my go-to product PanOxyl is currently on manufacturer back-order haha

My favourite fragrance of all time :)

4) Chloe Eau de Parfum - 5mL - "Chloe's signature scent captures the creative, confident individuality of the Chloe woman. Full size $90 (50mL), $115 (75mL)" This is my all-time favourite fragrance, its notes are very unique and very feminine. It is on the rather strong side of frangrance but personally I still find it both day-time (work) and night-time appropriate. I currently have a 50mL bottle on my dresser, a rollerball in my purse, and a 75mL bottle unopened in my closet. If you can't tell already, I don't plan to go a day without Chloe EDP hahaha. The sample bottle from Topbox is really cute, and tiny as it is, it is still made of glass, giving it a minature luxury feel. However, I don't think that I will actually use this bottle because it has a little stopper top that tends to be a bit more difficult to open, plus I already have the full size item in use. I think I will keep it more as a small decoration piece. 

Here is the sample bottle next to the 50mL bottle, it is just so adorable I couldn't help but put one more picture in here!

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with this month's Topbox, especially considering the fact that they recently increased the price from $10/month to $12/month. If only its contents were as appealing as the change in colour of the box itself and the tissue paper. However, this is only my second month receiving it since I came off the waitlist for November, and last month's box wasn't too shabby. I'll continue with the subscription for a little while and hopefully there will be some more surprises in the months to come! 

If you are interested in subscribing to topbox, you can visit them here: www.topbox.ca

Disclaimer: The topbox subscription was paid for with my own money and the above post was my honest, unbiased opinion :)

Thanks for reading!

Joanne

CoverGirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss - NEW nail polish - swatches!

Wow! Covergirl FINALLY released a line of nail polish again! It has been so long since their last nail polish line and frankly, I'm quite excited to see what CG has in store for us this time! I first spotted the new free-standing display in Shoppers Drug Mart about 2 weeks ago, and at that time it was listed with a regular price of $7.99. Even though many colours appealed to me, I held myself back from the rather high price tag. However, perusing the beauty aisle of Shoppers Drug Mart again today, I see found the polishes on sale for $5.99. It was time to buy several! :)

And several it was...the nail polish addict in me could not possibly leave the scene with just one..or two bottles. Nope, it will seven! Each bottle contains 11mL of product, which is slightly under OPI or China Glaze's 15mL bottles, but in comparison with other drug store polishes, Covergirl is right on the money! Essie, Revlon, Wet n' Wild, Rimmel, etc are slightly higher at a little over 13mL, Sally Hanson has some that are also 11mL, and Maybelline and Essence are slightly under at 7mL and 8mL, respectively.

I find the bottles of the Outlast line quite appealing also! In fact, they remind me a little bit of the high-end brand CHANEL and their nail polish line. Of course, the two are not exactly the same, but the shape, size and even cap design are very similar. These polishes have an external square cap that is to be removed and reveals the circular cap and brush underneath.

The brush is nothing out of the ordinary, just the typical slim brush. However, despite being on the thinner side coming out of the bottle, the brush actually spreads quite wide during application, which, in the end, still helps to achieve a flawless finish. :)

Right To Left: Always Naked, Magawatt Mauve, Smokey Taupe

Always Naked: This is a cream polish, with no sparkles or glitter. It is a very neutral colour, capable of giving the hands a very slim illusion. Colourwise, Always Naked is just a tiny bit tanner than Essie's Sand Tropez.

Megawatt Mauve: This is a cream polish, with no sparkles or glitter. It is a neutral dusty pink with a coral undertone. The colour is definitely workplace appropriate!

Smokey Taupe: This is a cream polish, with no sparkles or glitter. It is a dusky purple, leaning towards grey. I find this polish to be able to give the illusion of whiter skin of the hand, and when wearing it, it gives off a very sophisticated vibe.

Right to Left: Forever Festive, Wine to Nine

Forever Festive: This is a near-metallic finish polish, it is mostly red but in the light there is the slightest gold reflects. This polish is the perfect classic red nails for parties, especially during this time of the year with the holiday season!

Wine To Nine: This is a cream polish, with no sparkle or glitter. Please let me start by saying I LOVE the name, it's just too cute! And it is very fitting for the colour as this polish is a very soft yet wine colour with a plum tone to it. Absolutely stunning for nights out and it will go perfectly with any sort of gold accents.

Right to left: Golden Opportunity, Mint Mojito

Golden Opportunity: This is a finely milled sparkly polish. It is a silver-tone gold that doesn't come off too yellow. It is quite a festive polish that can be act as a base for glitter polishes, or definitely can be worn alone for that soft-spoken type of glam look!

Mint Mojito: This is a cream polish, with no sparkle or glitter. The shade is VERY close to the infamous Tiffany blue; it may just be a hair deeper and greener. This is similar to ESSIE's Turquoise & Caicos which is a bit greener, and to China Glaze's For Audrey which is a tiny bit bluer and lighter. 

Swatches part 1

Swatches part 2

The above swatches were all done with a single coat, which I find to be pretty amazing! The dry time was quite fast and was not streaky; the polish has really nice self-leveling abilities :) The finish was smooth and shiny and I'm very excited to test it on my nails for wear; would it really live up to it's "OUTLAST" claims? Now the big question is just...which one do I chose??

The following picture is of my swatch wheel held up to a light, and the polish doesn't appear to have too many "bald spots", an indicator of whether a polish will be sheer or patchy. With only one coat of polish on the swatch wheel, I have to say I am pretty impressed with the performance!

Checking for "bald spots" against the light!

The full display has 27 shades availabe, are you interested to pick up a couple and try for yourself if you come across them? Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading,

Joanne

Covergirl LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm - Swatch & Review!

Today's post is about a new lip product release from Covergirl that was announced a few months ago. I found this on a new end-cap display last week while browsing leisurely at London Drugs and I thought I would pick one up for review! It is the Covergirl LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm and I chose the shade 225 Rose Twist.

Looks like Covergirl is one of the latecomers when it comes to releasing some form of "jumbo lip" product, as it's preceded, already, by numerous products like LipSurgence by Tarte, Chubby Sticks by Clinique, Lip Gloss Stick by Pur Minerals, and (most recently, i.e. summer 2012) Revlon JustBitten Kissable Balm Stain. All these products share similar packaging - a chubby pencil case with a cap and a twist-up bottom for the lip colour. Here is the CG gloss beside the Revlon Balm Stain:

Doesn't it look so similar? Haha! Covergirl gloss balm also appears to be a little bit shorter than Revlon's Balm Stain but actually, CG offers 3.8gm of products where as Revlon only offers 2.7gm, so CG wins this round for generosity.

As previously mentioned, the shade I chose was 255 Rose Twist, which compared to the others on the rest of the display, appeared to be the most natural and wearable shade. Seemed like a good tester products that's more on the safe side. The shade name is printed on the wrapper, but once that is removed, no where else on the packaging are you able to located the name anymore. This is one of my pet peeves...I'm likely to forget this name if I didn't take this picture! On a (small) plus side, there is a small sticker on the bottle of the pencil that has the number printed, so at least it's not ALL gone.

The tip of the product is nicely tapered to a point, and twists up from the bottom - no sharpening!

Swatched - 5 swipes across

The claim of the product is printed right on the tube, concise and precise - "sheer color, soft shine". I couldn't agree more. The claim is neither under-spoken nor exaggerated; it is quite an accurate description of what Covergirl's LipPerfection Jumbo Lip Gloss Balm will do for your lips. The colour is indeed on the sheer side - it's kind of like 40% lip balm, 25% lipstick, and 25% lip gloss, if you get what I mean. It's moisturizing on the lips, but it looks even better with an actual lip balm as the base layer first. That being said, my lips did not dry out after applying, which is always a plus :) The colour payoff is not the strongest amongst other similar lip products, Revlon's JustBitten Kissable Balm Stain is indeed the stronger contender in this department. CG Gloss Sticks are also NOT a stain, therefore it doesn't leave any lasting colour behind after it fades. This may be preferable to those who loves to change lip colours several times a day, and likewise not as desirable to those who enjoy minimal reapplication of lip products through the course of a day. The shine that it gives is quite noticeable upon initial application on the lips, bit wears off relatively soon. However, the colour definitely lingers longer.

The CG Gloss Balm is minimally scented; what little scent/taste it has is very similar to a typical lipstick. That is something that stuck me as odd, as I was half-expecting to find a minty scent similar to the Revlon JustBitten Kissable Balm Stains (likely because I've been using that for so long now!).

Wear-time is moderate, the color lasted through about 2 hours of chatting and drinking. I pretty much didn't remember I had on any lip colour until I wiped my lips with a tissue to prepare for the main course! The gloss balm has a very light-weight feeling on the lips, which is quite nice.

Lip close-up!

All in all, I think this is a nice little product to have, especially for those who are just venturing in the the lip products category, it's easy to apply and is pretty much fool proof. If you are looking for a product that has better lasting power and a stronger colour payoff right from the start, then a better candidate would be the Revlon JustBitten Kissable Balm Stains. I paid $8.99 + tax for this at London Drugs, it was not on sale, and in my honest opinion I don't think it's really worth that price tag. However, if I spot it on sale next, I think I will try one more of the bolder colours and see how it performs! :)

Until next time,
Joanne

A Bright Complexion For The Holidays! - Benefit "Let There Be Bright" Holiday Value Set

Here is an exciting product from Benefit that would make a great gift for someone or a nice treat for yourself :) It is one of the several value gift sets that Benefit has released for the holidays and they are slowly but surely trickling into Sephora and Shopper Drug Mart locations! Today I found this particular one at Shoppers Drug Mart:

Such cute packaging! It's made to look like a piece of luggage to match this year's travel theme.

Opening the golden latch at the top of the box reveals the following precious goodies:

Contents:
- Deluxe sample of The POREfessional Primer (7.5mL)
- Deluxe sample of Triple Moisture Facial Cream (8.9mL)
- Full Size It's Potent! Eye Cream (15mL)
- Full Size Triple Performing Facial Emulsion (50.3mL)

 Now, the reason I purchased this particular set is not only for its awesome deal (the eye cream and facial emulsion retails for C$36 and C$34, respectively), the products are either ones that I already love or I've really want to try it for a while now.

The POREfessional Primer is one that I use every single day as part of my workday makeup routine. While I don't suffer from extremely large pores, you can not go wrong with a product that is able to blur the appearance of the pores and also create a nice smooth canvas for the foundation/tinted moisturizer/BB cream that is to come afterwards. One aspect that sets this primer apart from others that I use is the fact that POREfessional is skin-toned. I think that contributes to it being able melt nicely into the skin and looking very natural. Overall, I think this product is great and I'm always happy to have a travel size of it!

Deluxe sample comes housed in a glass jar!

The Triple Moisture Facial Cream also is another that I've been using for some time now. It is a face cream that is more on the thicker end of the spectrum. With a retail price tag of $42, it's quite a steep purchase. I didn't purchase my full sized jar until Holt Renfrew cleared out their Benefit counter and had it on sale for $25. Since then, I've used the product rather sparingly because I know it's not possible to pick another one up at even a similar price. This face cream is rich without feeling heavy, which I love. However, it is takes just a bit too long to sink in before I can apply make up so I limit its use to just as my night-time moisturizer. Having applied it just before going to bed allows my skin to slowly drink up the hydration and I wake up with nice and bright skin! The cream does have a fragrance that is on the stronger side; it is nothing florally (if that's a concern), rather it smells very fresh and refreshing, almost like fresh laundry, I think. Personally I love the scent, it's unique and makes me feel like I've just done some sort of spa treatment. However, if scents are sensitizing to your skin this may steer you away.

This It's Potent! Eye Cream is the only one of it's kind offered from Benefit and I think the name is just too cute! Now, I have to admit that which it comes to daily skin care routine, the eye cream is the one that I neglect most often. Yup, I know it's time to change that around and hopefully Benefit's It's Potent! Eye Cream can knock some sense into me. In terms of consistency, it's a bit lighter than the facial cream, also, it does not share the same "fresh laundry" scent; It is rather fragrance-free, if you don't count the typical "cream" odour. Anyway, it is nothing major, and it certainly does not smell bad. I tried a bit just now and I don't find that my eyes are irriated when the cream brought up to right under the lash line, and it does feel quite hydrating! I am having hopes for this product now.

Finally, this is the product that is the most exciting for me in the set, the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion! From my understanding, is product is sort of similar to the facial cream but with a more liquidy base AND the added benefit of sunscreen :) With SPF 15 and PA++, the sun protection that it offers is not anything to be head-over-heels for but at least there is some! I've sampled it countless times in Sephora and Shoppers Drug Mart counters but never found the heart to dish out the $34 price tag, but it's lightweight formula and pleasant scent always appealed to me so I'm so eager to try this out tomorrow in the morning! Can hardly wait! The bottle is also super cute, reminds me somewhat of bottles from old shipwrecks...haha :)

At a price tag of $52, will you be indulging? Feel free to share your thoughts and comments, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks again for reading :)
Joanne

NEW! Maybelline Baby Lips - Limited Edition Shades

Hello! Couple months ago, US based magazines started sporting ads from Maybelline that showed sneak peaks of 5 limited edition shades of their newest lip balm line Baby Lips. Not long after, 3 were spotted in stores in the US, but it took until yesterday, while perusing through the aisles of a Wal-Mart in Vancouver, that I discovered these LE shades on the north side of the border :)

The limited edition shades are (sadly) only available in these double packs in which they are housed with one other permanent shade. Going from left to right (LE shade names bolded):
1) Peach Kiss & CORAL CRUSH
2) Quenched & PINK WINK
3) Pink Punch & TWINKLE

I previously own Peach Kiss and Pink Punch; they are much loved products in the lip balm category (moisturizing with good colour payoff) for me and I really don't mind having now picked up back ups for those two. The shade Quenched is one that I didn't own previously so I'm excited to try that too. Needless to say, I am ecstatic about finding these 3 limited edition shades and can't wait to break them out of the package and try those out soon! Perhaps I will have time to do some swatches to post as well!

There will be two more LE shades that are to be released sometime in the new year, and the names are YUMMY PLUMMY & MELON MANIA.

Have you found these in your area too? 
Tried any? 

If you're interested make sure you keep your eyes out for them and I hope you find them soon! :)

Thanks for reading!
Joanne