In the Mood for Fall with Butter London–Shag

I have just realized that along with Halloween nail polishes, I haven’t had the chance to wear any Fall polishes yet so I figure I had better get on it seeing as how Winter is coming! Today I bring to you Butter London – Shag from the Autumn/Winter 2012 collection which is described as “a London Fashion Week favourite, this high-shine metallic nail lacquer is a warm orange-burgundy hue. Reminiscent of fallen Autumn leaves. Sigh”.

I had no troubles at all applying this polish and what I have shown here is two coats with Jordana Quick Shine Topcoat. I don’t think I have ever worn a colour quite like this one and I like it! I feel like a grown-up! ;)

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Monday Blues Blog Hop

Welcome to the seventh edition of the Monday Blues Blog Hop hosted by myself, Traci from Drinkcitra and Christa from ChrissyAi. This week, please say hello to our two wonderful co-hosts for the week, Alisha from Coily Locks and my fellow Canadian Ashley from Steps to Perfection! Thank you to all of you who joined us for last week’s blog hop and Happy Monday! 
 
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Join us every Monday and take those blues away! If you are interested in becoming a co-host for the The Monday Blues Blog Hop feel free to email us at mondaybluesbloghop(at)gmail(dot)com

31 Day Nail Challenge Summary!

31 Day Nail Challenge

I just thought it might be nice to see the last two months all in one place!

October 2012 Empties!

I did just alright this past month, but I really had a fun time trying all sort of different things! I only managed to finish a single hair mask sample which is quite sad! Anyway, there is always this month, right? Onwards to empties shall we?

* denotes a sample size

Face

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Clarins Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Comfort Cream – This is my second jar of this night cream and it certainly won’t be my last. I love the scent, the consistency and it’s one of the few moisturizers that doesn’t leave my skin dry or too greasy. It has been the perfect night cream for my skin once I hit my mid 20s and it will be what I use for now. Repurchase? YES!

Clarins Multi-Active Skin Renewal Serum – I have talked about this serum before in my August Luvs post so I won’t go into much detail, but I love it! Repurchase? Already opened up my second one!

Christian Mode Japanese Sheet Mask – Just as awesome as the last one I tried in my September Empties post from my swap with Nadine. So moisturizing and thick with syrupy, goopy essence! Purchase? Yes!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes – Probably my favourite wipes to date because they are the softest I’ve used so far. These even made it into my list of August Luvs! Repurchase? Yes!

MaskerAide Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask in All Nighter- Love! I received this in October’s Topbox and was very excited to try it. This is the first Canadian sheet mask I have tried and it is just as luxurious in feel as the Asian sheet masks! I loved the smell of peppermint oil and was able to use the leftover “essence” for another mini wake-up mask the day after! Purchase? Yes!

Befine Exfoliating Cleanser* – I received this in my August Glossybox. Smelled nice and although this cleanser felt extremely rough at first, my skin always felt soft and supple after washing it off so my overall impression of this product was positive. Did anyone else find it really hard to get the product out of the sachet? Purchase? Maybe

Balea Grapefruit and Vitamin E Warming Face Mask* – This mask claims to warm and brighten the skin, but I only felt the warming effects. It smells quite nice, but I don’t think I will be buying this again just because I didn’t really notice any immediate effects from using the mask.  Repurchase? No

Bentaberry G-1 Moisturizing Face Cream for Boys and Girls* – I received this in my August Glymm Bag and it was not my favourite face cream at all. It never absorbed into my skin and when I wiped my face it would peel off even hours later. Purchase? No

Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Concentrated Serum* – I received this at a Dior makeover event in March of this year and as with many Dior skin products, I find this overpriced for what little difference is makes to my skin. Granted, I only managed to get 3 uses out of this sample, but I think I’ll stick to my Clarins serum for now. Purchase? No

La Fresh Waterproof Makeup Remover Wipes x 2* – These were really great! They were a bit oily which makes sense as they are supposed to remove waterproof makeup. Although I wouldn’t buy these for everyday use, they are great for travel and on the go. Purchase? Yes

Neutrogena All in One Make-Up Removing Cleansing Wipes* – I received these as a gift for celebrating Neutrogena’s 60 years in Canada and I actually quite like them because they have an oilier consistency meaning that these actually do remove most of my eye makeup. You do need to wash your face afterwards though since the oil leaves a bit more of a residue than other makeup wipes. Purchase? Yes

Skoah Moisture Induce Mask* – This is a skin care line that comes right out of Vancouver and I love it to death! This mask is like a massive blast of moisture for my dry skin. This little sample gave me probably 10 masks so I truly had a good idea of whether this mask would work for me and it did! I actually use it as a “sleeping mask” as it acts like a moisturizer and absorbs right into my skin. Purchase? Yes!

 

Hair

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Fekkai Rapid Results Moisture Mask* – I received this in my April Luxe Box and like I mentioned in a previous empties post, I didn’t notice any difference between this mask and my current hair mask. Purchase? No

 

Bath and Body 

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AHAVA Deadsea Water Mineral Hand Cream* – I received this in last year’s December’s Glymm Box and I love it! This is a scent like no other and I am so glad that I have a full size tube of this because it’s such a rich and luxurious scent! I don’t even know how to describe it, it’s not fruity, but smells like opulence! Purchase? Yes!

B.Kamins Maple Body Lotion* – I just added this to my Sample Sundays mix and let’s just say it doesn’t take a lot to get through 12mL of product! The consistency of this lotion is more on the liquid side and did not smell like maple unlike it’s name. It wasn’t my favourite consistency and although I am glad to have been given a chance to try it, I don’t think this lotion is for me. Purchase? No

Villainess Whipped Body Creme* – I think after receiving this in September’s Glymm Bag all of us who subscribe to Glymm ended up buying the full size! This not only smells like freshly baked cookies, but the texture and actual moisturizing effects are great! Purchase? Yes! Should be arriving tomorrow!

L’Occitane Mango Flower Hand Cream* – Received this in the mail and promptly purchased the full size a few days later! If you like the smell of mangoes, you will love this hand cream! The quality of L’Occitane’s hand creams is also amazing as they are made with 20% shea butter so they are not overly greasy, but still moisturize parched hands. Purchase? Yes!

Pink Wipes* – Easiest empty ever! LOL! This one wipe did what I expected to do, but they’re pretty expensive! I know they are pH balanced for sensitive skin, but wouldn’t baby wipes suffice? Purchase? No.

Dana’s Dreamy Delights in Bulging Blueberries Whipped Body Butter* – I received this in my first and only Sampler Village Box and unfortunately, I don’t like the smell of blueberries. I love the actual fruit, but not in a body butter. This body butter was also VERY thick and greasy so if you have very dry skin this is great, but I don’t like feeling greasy hours later so the consistency was not my favourite.

Life Botanicals Natural Deodorant – This just shows how old this is as Shoppers doesn’t even carry Life anymore! I don’t like scent on my deodorant so this salt stick is perfect for me. I am currently using a LaVanilla deodorant just to try it out, but I I have feeling I will be grabbing the salt stick again! Repurchase? Yes

Arbonne Ginger Citrus Sugar Scrub – Received this at an Arbonne spa party and I liked it! The only deterrent is that to repurchase, I have to go through an Arbonne rep or go through the website and pay for shipping. I have many other scrubs in my beauty arsenal so this will have to wait. Purchase? No

Bath and Body Works Cherry Blossom Shimmer Lotion – I have had this for years and I can’t believe I have finally finished it! It smelled and felt exactly the same as when I first got it which makes me wonder about the ingredients. I like the smell, but I don’t think I will be getting anymore shimmer lotions…the shimmer transfers to my clothes which I find annoying so I will stick to a regular old moisturizer for now. Repurchase? No

 

Makeup

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Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in 257 – This is actually my second tube of this colour and it has served me well! It’s a light, sparkly pink gloss that just adds a little sparkle to any lip colour. Repurchase? Yes

CLEAN Cotton T-Shirt* – I love the entire CLEAN fragrance line, but this was not one of my favourites and I’m glad I grabbed a sample at Sephora just to try it out. Purchase? No

M.Asam Magic Fini* – I received this in Glymm’s March Box and while I was hesitant about it at first, now that I have finally used it up I can conclude that it was actually fairly pleasant. I have been using this as a primer underneath both my liquid and mineral foundations and it has worked quite nicely. It is on the greasier side and I found it to be too greasy at first. I think now that my skin is drier, my skin has enjoyed the extra does of oil! I have other primer samples to work through so for now, I will have to say no to getting the full size. Purchase? No

My drawers of beauty products are now ever so much lighter now! I look forward to seeing how all of you did with your empties!

Beginning Normal Life Again with Zoya - America

Now that the 31 Day Nail Challenge is over, it is actually a bit of a relief to just paint my nails normally and not have to be inspired by anything in particular! The challenge was fun, but I feel like I need to go back to basics for a little while before I dive into back-breaking nail art again!

This Zoya – America which I picked up from Vancouver-based Escents Aromatherapy during one of their sales from the summer and boy am I glad I did! Here I have shown two easy coats before topcoat so you can see just how glossy and juicy this colour is! This is a fantastic bright red which I thought was a great way to start my dive back into “normal” nails again.

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I’ve been working on some product reviews too that I can’t wait to get to as well as some Fall polishes that I have not had a chance to swatch yet! Stay tuned!

October 2012 Glymm Bag (My Last For Now…)

This is my very last Glymm Bag (for now?) and it is bittersweet as it was my very first beauty box subscription I signed up for using a 50% off Teambuy coupon for my first month. I remember being so excited when I saw the old pink box arrive. Let’s be nostalgic and have a look at what I received in my very first Glymm Box shall we?

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Things have changed since then, haven’t they? We’ve all noticed that the quality of the bags has decreased in terms of what they end up being worth in value and we no longer see any “big” names anymore, which I personally don’t mind as Glymm has introduced us to brands we’ve never heard of. Hello Villainess?! Love the body scrub!

This month’s Glymm Bag is centered around breast cancer awareness and begins with a quilted pink makeup bag which I actually really love. I love pink and I would love a pair of quilted patent leather pumps just like this bag! 

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Lash Card

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Say bye bye to clumpy and smudged mascara. This card will save you time and make your lashes lovably flawless.

Thoughts: I’ve always thought these mascara shields were pretty gimmicky. I think any firm piece of cardboard will do just fine and I don’t need to pay to have someone cut out a curved piece of cardboard for me. They’re pretty pricey too at 10 for $6.99! I’ll use the samples for sure, but I know I would never buy them on my own.

Full size: 10 cards/$6.99

I received: 2 cards/$1.40

Femme Couture Lightening Lash Mascara in Blackest Black

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Get noticed with superstar lashes. Lengthen, amplify and bring each lash back to life.

Thoughts: I now get scared when I see mascara samples because I know that by the time I get to it, it may have expired! I have so many in my stash! I wish I could go through mascara faster than I do. I use it every day and yet I have never used up an entire tube. This full size product looks promising though with its crazy amplifying brush and all!

Full size: $14.00/11.3g

I received: *FULL SIZE*

Cyberderm H2O Hydration and Every Morning Sun Whip

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This moisturizer will show your skin a good time. With more benefits than you can count, you can be sure to see some drastic results.

Protect your delicate skin from harmful rays all year round with this daily sunscreen.

Thoughts: What? No syringes this time? The last time we saw Cyberderm products, the method of delivery was so cool! I actually had a great time pushing down the plunger and seeing the amount of product go down! So, all of us have received H2O Hydration before in July’s Glymm Bag and if memory serves me well, it was just ok for me. I’m glad we all get a chance to try out a sunscreen since Cyberderm markets themselves as “the sunscreen company”.

Full size: H2O Hydration - 50mL/$60.00, Every Morning Sun Whip – 50mL/$38.00

I received: Say 5mL each? It doesn’t say. H2O Hydration - 5mL/$6.00, Every Morning Sun Whip – 5mL/$3.80

Miss Jessie’s Baby Buttercreme

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This daily maintenance hydration creme softens like no other and banishes dry hair while adding plump sheen.

Thoughts: Hmmm, the packaging and advertising sound appealing to me…This looks like really thick stuff so I’m going to have to be careful in how much I use on my hair. I’m scared of it looking to lifeless. The name of the product sounds more like a body butter though…I’m sure I’m not the only one that thought this!

Full size: 59mL/$9, 237mL/$32, 473mL/$58

I received: *FULL TRAVEL SIZE*

Johnson & Johnson Johnson’s Baby Oil

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Thoughts: This was a bonus in this month’s Glymm bag. I thought this was a cute addition to this month’s Glymm bag and a sweet way to introduce Glymm Mama. I haven’t used baby oil since I was…a baby?

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Total Value of Glymm Bag: Approximately $34.20

And there’s more! I, too, took advantage of the Villainess duo that Glymm had on special a few weeks ago. I couldn’t say no to that glorious scent of freshly baked cookies! My order also took a little bit longer to process so Glymm was nice enough to throw in a full size Principessa Lip Balm!

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Isn’t it a little bit of a coincidence that my very first Glymm Box had a full size Principessa Lip Balm and so does my last order with Glymm? It’s like I’ve come full circle! Glymm has steadily introduced novel beauty brands into my beauty repertoire and for that I have to say thank you Glymm! I won’t call this a permanent goodbye, but maybe a “see you soon”!