Snapshot Sunday 6

Hand painted sugar skull wine glasses. Living Social events.

New Beauty Test Tube January 2014

Happy Valentines Day to all of you in a relationship. Happy Singles Awareness Day to all of us spending our Valentines Day trying to maneuver around all the couple-ly and love-y conversations amongst those around us.

New Beauty Test Tube January 2014

Price: $29.99 plus $8.95 shipping

Ships out: Every other month

First Look!

Votivo candle in Red Currant I received another Votivo candle in my LAST TUBE! I received an Icy Blue Pine Votivo candle in my New Beauty Test Tube November 2013 tube! Now I can understand if I receive the same brand or type of products in multiple sample boxes.  I know that the likely hood of receiving these multiple products is high. But to receive the same brand and product, in consecutive boxes?! Not cool New Beauty Test Tube, Not. Cool.

3.9 fl. oz. Pantene "Expert Collection Advanced Keratin Repair" shampoo

2.5 fl. oz. "Expert Collection Advanced Keratin Repair" Conditioner

I received a smiler product in my New Beauty Test Tube July 2013.  In that tube we received Pantene shampoo and conditioner in the "Age Defy" collection.  I gave those samples to my sister, because they were not color safe. I gave these to her too. 

FULL SIZE Mally Beauty "Evercolor Starlight" waterproof eyeliner in Sailor  (Navy Blue) Received these same eyeliner in the New Beauty Test Tube September 2013 in Starlight (Silver).

FULL SIZE Revlon "Age Defying Wrinkle Remedy" line filler.

1.6 fl. oz. June Jacobs Papaya Purifying Enzyme Masque. EXACT. SAME. PRODUCT. RECEIVED. IN. MY. New Beauty Test Tube Spring "Box"

0.5 oz. Biosilk "Volumizing Therapy" texturizing powder. Another brand that is not new to New Beauty Test Tube subscribers. But I don't mind this repeat brand. The products were different and weren't box after box after each other. 

1.7 fl. oz. Moroccan Oil body butter. And again, the exact same product came in my New Beauty Test Tube July 2013

0.5 fl. oz. Lumene "Time Freeze" with Arctic Heather firming day cream. okay, I just checked and I have received a Lumene product in EVERY. SINGLE. TEST TUBE. THAT I HAVE RECEIVED SINCE  MAY 2013! Get a new brand, Test Tube!

The following products were in the Beauty To Go bag. 

.11 oz YBF (Your Best Friend) lip gloss in "Beachberry" This is the tiniest, cutest little lip gloss sample. Not only is the sample cute, something about the way the shimmer in the tiny little bottle hits the light is mesmerizing. I. need. a. life. ..Moving on...This is the second type of product that I have received from this brand, but it is otherwise fairly new to me. I received an eyebrow pencil in the New Beauty Test Tube July 2013 tube. 

.33 fl. oz. Hydroxatone "90 Second Wrinkle Reducer" New Beauty Test Tube May 2013

0.05 oz. DDF "Ultra Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew" 

Okay, this tube was a HUGE disappointment to me. Most of the products in this tube were exact items that were in previous Test Tubes or were very similar.  I was going to unsubscribe after I opened this tube, but looking back at previous tubes I saw that each of them had at least one product that has become a staple in my routine. I'm going to give it one more try to see if the tube gets better and then I will make a decision.

One thing that makes receiving this box harder is that New Beauty Test Tube currently does not have a customization program to send out different products catered to the person receiving them. I emailed customer service one and they mentioned that they were in the process of creating one, but obviously it has not been created yet. That will not address the issue of receiving multiple similar or identical products, but the customization in a beauty box is something that helps satisfaction among customers. 

Product Empties #1

I decided to do a product empties post a couple of months ago, and then I forgot about it. I'm just now getting to the post.  These are the products that I used and a mini review on them. I also included if I would repurchase these products in the future and why or why not. 

Product: Vitamin conditioner in Mangosteen and Yogurt

Where to get it: Amazon I'm pretty sure that I got this from CVS although I"m not sure if you can still get it now. 

How it worked: It worked fine. The thing that I liked the most about this conditioner was the smell. The Mangosteen scent was really nice. I used this after returning from Thailand, where I tried and loved eating mangosteens.  Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anywhere that I can buy them in my area. 

Repurchase?: Maybe, if I see it somewhere. I'm really not going to go out of my way to purchase this online, but if I were to see it somewhere for a good price, I might purchase another bottle. 

Product: Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Sugar Body Scrub in Tranquil Mint

Where to get it:  This is a really old bottle of this scrub that I have had for years. I was finally able to finish it.  Because it has been so long that I have had this product, they don't sell the same thing at Bath and Body Works anymore. I found a product that is similar on the Bath and Body Works website here.

How it worked: I really liked this scrub. The mint smell was very nice and made the whole shower smell when I used this.  There were essential oils in the scrub, so it made my skin nice and soft after using the scrub. 

Repurchase?: Maybe. I like trying out different scrubs and even making my own. Right now I am not in the market for a scrub, with all the ones that I have to try in my supply.

Product: Philisophy "Happy Birthday Beautiful" 3 in one: shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath.

Where to get it: Sephora gave this out a couple of years ago as the birthday gift for their rewards program. They no longer give these out as birthday rewards at Sephora and the packaging for this product was exclusive to Sephora. The actual product in the bottle is still sold here from Philosophy.

How it worked: I used this product strictly as a body wash. I liked the scent, but I really wasn't impressed with the actual product.  I felt that it look a lot of product to get a good lather - there was several times that I needed to reapply the product to my poof, mid wash.  I know that a lot of people love Philosophy body wash, but I wasn't impressed.

Repurchase?: No.

Product: Cristophe Beverly Hills daily shampoo

Where to get it:  Looks like this product is no longer made and the packaging has been redone. Here is a link to the company that makes this product.  They don't make the daily shampoo anymore, but they have other types of shampoo that they do make. 

How it worked: I really liked this shampoo and even looked into where to purchase it again.  I'm not sure how I came into possession of this bottle in the first place, but I'm happy that I did. 

Repurchase?: This is another product that I'm not sure that I would go out of my way to order it online, but if I come across this brand in store, I will definitely buy it. 

Product: Mary Kay makeup remover

Where to get it: Your local Mary Kay consultant.  My sister bought this product for me. She works at a retirement home and there is a lady that comes to the home occasionally selling Mary Kay products at a deep discount. I think that she sells older products, which is why she can sell them at such a discount to reduce her stock.

How it worked: This is one of those products that you have to shake to mix up and activate the remover.  I thought that this product worked well while I was using it. After I finished off the bottle and tried another product of eye makeup remover, I realized that this product didn't work as well.  I felt that this product needed to be applied and reapplied multiple times to completely remove my eye makeup.

Repurchase?: No.

Product: Oscar Blandi heat protectant spray

Where to get it: Oscar Blandi Website. I received this in one of my sample boxes, I can't remember which one, but I'm thinking that it might have been my Birchbox. 

How it worked: It was a heat protectant. I used it until it was done. 

Repurchase?: Probably not.  Heat protectants are hard to gauge effectiveness, especially when your hair is already damaged. I don't think I could justify purchasing a $23.00 heat protectant when I can't see the results. 

Product: Avon Anew Platinum night cream

Where to get it: your local Avon consultant.  This is another product that I received from my sister, I'm not sure if it was from the same lady that sold the Mary Kay products at the retirement home that she works at or if it was another lady. 

How it worked: This was nice and seemed to moisturize my skin, but I don't think that it meshed that well with my skin. Sometimes when I applied this cream it would tingle, sometimes it would sting my skin. I used the product up, it was a small sample size. 

Repurchase?: No.

Product: Clinique Moisture Surge moisturizer

Where to get it: Clinique website or your local Clinique counter.

How it worked: I really liked this product. I want to try the Moisture Surge Intense moisturizer once I am finished with the other moisturizers that I currently have to go through. I have dry skin, so I want to see how the intense version works with my skinI will also only purchase Clinique products when there is a gift with purchase promotion going on that I like. Those are good ways to try out different products from the brand's line. 

Repurchase?: Yes, the intense version of this product. 

Product: CVS brand nail polish remover

Where to get it: CVS stores

How it worked: This seemed to work well. 

Repurchase?: I'm not really loyal to this nail polish remover, when I need some more I will buy whatever is on sale. 

Snapshot Sunday 5

Birthday parties for kids are so much fun.  The genuine excitement on their faces when they open presents only waivers the older they get and the more awareness of their "cool-ness" grows.  All birthdays should be celebrated like five year old kids. 

IPSY January 2014

I received my IPSY bag in the mail today. Keep reading to see what I got!

Price: $10.00 (free shipping)

Ships out: Every month.

Extras: Each month the products featured in the bag have special subscriber discounts. Points system that is accrued for each review you post on the IPSY site from the products that you received in each month's bag. These points as well as referral points can be redeemed for extra products in future month's bags. 

First Look!

This month's bag was a bright, sky blue color with silhouettes of bottles and tubes lining the bottom half of the bag. I know that a lot of other bloggers complained that there was a strong chemical smell emanating from the bag and I have to agree that the bag stunk! The smell did go away after a while,  but despite that smell, I still didn't like the bag this month.  This bag went directly in the donation pile. 

 This month's theme is "19 Reasons 2014 will be Amazing"

 1 fl. oz. Briogeo 'Don't Despair, Repair" hair mask

 1 oz. èpicè purifying exfoliant

 .272.fl oz. Yaby Natural Finish liquid foundation in Buff

 (4) pads Proactiv Mark Fading Pads

Mica Beauty tinted lip balm in #5 Natural

This month was a fail for me from IPSY.  Usually I really love all of the products that I receive from the bag, this month seemed to focus more on the skincare products than the makeup products that IPSY is known to deliver. Every month can't be a home run, hopefully next month will be better and this won't be the start of a downward spiral that IPSY has in the past (as MyGlam - look it up if you don't know what I"m talking about.)

If you would like to sign up for you own monthly bag, please consider using my Referral Link.

Fab Fit Fun Winter 2013

Price: $49.99 per season

Ships out: Quarterly

The Extras: This box is curated by Giuliana Rancic from E!. The box is pricey but promises full size and premium samples that will at least have $100.00 worth of products in each box. 

First Look!

The box includes a fold out card that describes each of the products that were in this month's box. 

The sneak peek for the winter box was this key necklace from The Giving Keys. You are supposed to wear the key for some inspiration and when you no longer need it, you are supposed to pass the necklace along to someone else that could use the inspiration. 

Each key is differently shaped and has a different word etched onto one side. My key had "Inspire". I liked the key, but don't like how it hangs around the neck. I would have rather had the key hang on one side of the necklace instead of at the bottom (like the picture above). But because the key is heavier than the chain that it hangs on, the necklace hangs he way that it does. 

Retail: $55.00

Lorna Jane bracelet

Retail: $29.99

FULL SIZE Bioxidea Miracle 24 face mask

Retail: $19.00

FULL SIZE Truenergy earbuds There were a lot of different color sets that went out in the boxes. I'm happy with the pink/purple set that I received. These earbuds have a headphone splitter attached, so a friend can listen to the same thing you are at the same time. 

Retail: $39.99

 FULL SIZE Simple Foaming Facial Cleanser

Retail: $7.49

FULL SIZE Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Cream

Retail: $45.00

FULL SIZE Beauty for Real lip gloss in "Just Lust"

Retail: $22.99

FULL SIZE NYX eye shadow palette from the "Love in Florence Collection" in Ciao Bella

Retail: $8.00

Physique 57 5 free online classes

Retail: $25.00

Me Undies gift card

Retail: $20.00

In all FabFitFun has continued to send out great boxes and is well worth the high price tag. I will continue to subscribe to this service if they keep sending out great boxes!

Snapshot Sunday 4

Snapshot Sunday 4

This week it snowed again and I ended up whipping out my rain boots to get to work. I got these black, calf high Hunter boots for Christmas and just got them out of the box this week.  I was trying to decide if I wanted to get the knee high boots or a different color until now, but decided to keep what I received.  I need to get some liners for these, they really don't offer any warmth for my toes - but they do keep them nice and dry.