NOTD: Revlon's 210 Jelly

This is the other polish that I bought from the Dollarama for only $2. In the bottle it looks like a deep berry toned pink. In the pictures I feel like it came off as more of a coral, but in person on the nails it look red.

This polish again like my last Revlon NOTD had a watery consistency and dried really quickly, so it was kind of difficult to work with at times. It was very messy around the nails and I had to do a lot of touch ups after I was done painting.

A few nails looked kind of streaky, but a thick layer of Seche Vite Top Coat smoothed out all the wrinkles. For $2 this polish was a good buy but I am kinda disappointed that the colour turned out red on the nails.

Surprise Samples - John Frieda Elite Club

So last week when I went to the mailbox, something so mundane and routine, I was surprised to see a small black box in my mailbox from John Frieda. Now I sign up for a lot of samples, but I have never signed up for anything from John Frieda, just a newsletter for their Elite Club.

This little package of samples made my day and was like an early birthday present. I just wanted to share this with the wonderful ladies who read my blog, so they could sign up for the John Frieda Elite Club and maybe get some samples as well.

Follow the link below to sign up for FREE and start receiving the perks of being part of the Elite Club.

Link to John Frieda Elite Club Sign Up Page

The perks you will be signing up for are:

1. Salon secrets, styling tips and personally tailored advice from our world renowned and critically acclaimed celebrity stylists

2. Access to members-only content and the opportunity to take part in exclusive contests and events

3. Being the first to learn about new and exciting John Frieda^® hair care innovations

4. Receiving special offers on John Frieda^® products

These are the samples I was sent. They were hand-picked for me based on the Hair Survey I filled out when I signed up. I cannot wait to try these products out and hopefully do a review if they work for me. Thanks John Frieda!

Disclaimer: I received these samples because I am part of the John Frieda Elite Club. I am not being sponsored or compensated by John Frieda for this blog post. I just wanted to share this way to possibly get samples of hair products. Just because I received samples does not mean that everyone does or will.



It's My Birthday x2 [GIVEAWAY] {OVER}

So today is my 22nd Birthday! It also happens to be my blogs 1 year birthday! I cant believe that it has been a year since I started blogging. When I started my blogging journey I never thought I would get 1 follower besides my Mom and now I'm here a year later with 21 loyal followers who mean the world to me.

To thank everyone who has followed, commented, and viewed my blog I am hosting a little giveaway of some of my favourite products.

This giveaway is super simple to enter using the Rafflecopter form below and will run for 3 weeks. After that I will pick the winner from all the entries at random and will email you to let you know that you have won. If I don't hear back from the winner within 48 hours I will pick another winner.

Unfortunately, this giveaway is only open to Canadian residents and you must be a follower of my blog. If you have any other questions please let me know and I will do my best to answer them right away.

Thank you again to everyone for making this year in the beauty blogging community a great one! Here is to many more!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer - All products were purchased with my own money.

New Beauty Finds @ Winners!

Since I have quit my job I haven't really went into Winners because I am always so tempted to buy stuff and always leave with something new. I stopped at the Winners on Walker Road today in Windsor and saw that they have totally revamped their beauty area. New shelves and set ups and lots of new products I haven't seen there before. I didn't buy anything but I took a few pictures of things that really intrigued me.

I would have taken more pictures, but the Sales woman was starting to look at me weird, and I didn't really want to have to explain again that I write a beauty blog and was actually doing research and not trying to steal anything from her store.

Because all Winners get different products and stock you may or may not find these at your stores but it is worth a pop in to see.

What's the best thing or deal you have ever found at Winners?

I almost bought this because I have heard so much hype about this brand but upon opening it I was very underwhelmed by this all black liner set. The packaging was not very sturdy and when you opened it no matter how much you tried not to, you got black on your fingers.

I've seen lots of Cargo product at Winners over the past few months but I've never bought anything.

Tons of nail polish at this Winners! This is the wall that always draws me in and tempts me to buy something. They had a Spiderman and Minnie Mouse mini nail polish set. Lots of Colour Club Duos and an assortment of other polishes. This is my heaven.

If I was going to buy anything at Winners today it would be this! It was a complete Face Cleansing Regimen from Korres and it looked really interesting. It was only $16.99, originally $40. If I had a job this would have totally come home with me.

Complete line of Cynthia Rowley skincare.

NOTD: Revlon Guava

Every once in a while you can find some pretty awesome beauty, makeup, and hair products at the Dollarama here in Canada. The other day as I was re-stocking on some makeup remover wipes I stumbled across a whole bunch of Revlon, Elf, and Maybelline makeup and nail polish. I reached over the Elf and almost bought some of the Revlon single eyeshadows and Maybelline blushes, but I withheld. I am very proud of myself lol.

However, when I came across the Revlon nail polishes for only $2 a piece I couldn't help but pick up a few pinks and corals. The first polish that caught my eye was Revlon's Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel in the colour 140 Guava.

This polish is a beautiful bright pink/coral and is perfect for Summer. Although I have many colours similar to this one, it definitely stands out in my collection. What I like about this polish is that even though I've been in the sun a few times I am still super pale and this polish makes me look tan. : )

If you have a Dollarama in your town definitely check it out to see if yours are carrying these beautiful polishes. The only issue I had with this polish is that it was kind of hard to work with because it dried so quickly, it got patchy and streaky. I had to re-do many nails to get my manicure to look as nice as it does.

July Glymm Bag Review

I was fairly happy with the contents of this month's box. However, the products were all moisturizers of some type for different parts of your body. I wish we received more makeup and nail polish in our Glymm bags instead. This month there was no product card and they included a 25% off nail polish promotion for their website. I was excited to use this but you cant use it in conjunction with your Loyalty Points, so this is another promotion that will go unused.




Here are the 5 products that I received in my July Glymm Bag.

Mane Teeze - Social Butterfly Hair Perfume

Sample Value - 8mL/$5.44

Full Size - 50mL/$34

- ON THE CARD - 

Summer is a busy time for pretty socialites like you, so bring this hair perfume along with you when you need that little boost of luxury.

- HOW IT WORKS -
Freshen up and bring out the fun-lover in you with this charming, vanilla infused fragrance. The sweet subtlety of each spray teases your senses for up to 12 sensuous hours. This perfume has a higher concentrate than your average perfumes, so one to three sprays is more than enough to bring out the tempestuous diva within.
SAMPLE USAGE: 50 sprays

- MY THOUGHTS -

I really like the concept of this product. Sometimes I will spritz my hair with my perfume so that during the day as my hair flows in the wind I can smell it. The vanilla scent of this perfume is really nice but there is an underlying chemical/fake smell and I really don't like that. I will definitely be using this sample but I don't think that I will be purchasing the full size. According to Twitter we will be receiving the other 2 scents of hair perfume from this company over the next 2 months in our Glymm Boxes.

Joico - K-Pak Revitaluxe

Sample Value - 50mL/$8.33

Full Size - 150mL/$25

- ON THE CARD -

This luxury hair treatment is clinically proven to instantly correct damage and protect against future damage.
- HOW IT WORKS -
We tease, hairspray, curl, twirl, straighten and braid our tresses until they just can’t handle it anymore! It’s time to show them some love with a treatment that will leave your hair stronger, softer and more moisturized. It’s designed with bio-advanced Keratin Peptide Complex™ a patent-pending blend of revolutionary ingredients. Apply to clean, wet hair. Leave on for 3-5 minutes and rinse.
SAMPLE USAGE: Up to 3 uses - MY THOUGHTS - Another hair product...my room is packed with hair products right now and I am not really a fussy or big hair product person. This product sounds interesting and I will definitely use it because my ends are really dry right now. If this actually does what it says it will I will post a more in depth review.

CyberDerm H2O Hydration

Sample Value - 4mL/$4.80

Full Size - 50mL/$60

- ON THE CARD -

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.
- HOW IT WORKS -
H20 Hydration provides calming relief from the day’s stress and great anti-aging benefits. This olive based moisturizer mimics the skin’s own barrier, allowing its active ingredients to penetrate deeply. It makes for an amazing daily moisturizer and anti-aging product. Apply it in the morning before your sunscreen or during the evening as part of your nighttime regimen.
SAMPLE USAGE: Up to 5 uses - MY THOUGHTS - The H2O Hydration goes on very smooth and soaks right into the skin leaving it feel silky smooth and definitely hydrated. I like that it is unscented and you don't really need a lot for your whole face. Although I think I will like this product I wont be buying the full size because it is just too expensive. CyberDerm PM Anti-Age Sample Value - 4mL/$9.20 Full Size - 50mL/$115 - ON THE CARD - Take a bold stance against physiological aggressors that age us with this powerful cream. - HOW IT WORKS - Let’s face it, sometimes our lifestyle choices, albeit fun – may not be the most conducive to younger looking skin. So put up a fight with this ingenious cream. It will increase the lifespan of your skins’ collagen and elastin fibers and uses turmeric to brighten and bring out your radiance. Use nightly and see a reduction in fine lines, age spots and pore size while giving your skin a boost of hydration. SAMPLE USAGE: Up to 5 uses - MY THOUGHTS - The packaging of these moisturizers are so cute and hygienic because you aren't sticking your fingers in a pot. I don't need an super strong anti-age cream just yet because I am only 22 but even if I did need it I don't know if I would put this cream on my face because it smells horrible.

Dirt Salt Scrub

Sample Value - 0.05oz/$0.19

Full Size - 12oz/$45

- ON THE CARD -

Dirt never sounded so delicious. This delectable body treatment will exfoliate and reveal a glow that you never knew you had.
- HOW IT WORKS -
Inspired by the nutrient-rich properties of the earth, this salt scrub will remove dead skin cells that dull and disguise your glow. Underneath all that ‘dirt’, there exists a natural radiance. This uncomplicated combination of salts and lush oils satiate the body with skin-quenching antioxidants and essential oils. The delicate scent of fresh cucumber, sun-warmed fig and hints of pear, bring absolute joy to the senses.
SAMPLE USAGE: Up to 2 uses - MY THOUGHTS - This sample smells amazing!! But it is so small, I mean the sample is only valued at 19 cents! Glymm says 2 uses but since my container is only half full I think I am only going to get 1 use. Because of price I don't think I would purchase the full size.



Glymm.com - Show Your Love For Lacquer

25% All Nail Polish on Glymm.com
- HOW IT WORKS -
Give your nails some summer lovin' and buy that color you've been eyeing. All you have to do is enter promo code LacquerLove at checkout! Promotion expires on August 31st 2012 11:59PM EST. Cannot be used in conjunction with Loyalty Reward Points.

Glymm Nylon Collection Cosmetics Bag - Orange

Sample Value - $12

Full Size - $12

Say hello to your new cosmetic bag, in one of the hottest colors of the year.
- HOW IT WORKS -
This perfect bag makes your cosmetics look good. Keep your brushes, makeup, bobby pins and whatever else your beauty regime desires in here, zip it up and leave it on your vanity, or throw it in your tote bag for the day. Going on vacay? It makes a great travel case.
SAMPLE USAGE: Forever - MY THOUGHTS - This is my favourite colour for the bags so far and I like getting them because they have so many uses. But again I do not like that Glymm includes the cost of the bag in the value of the box. OVERALL VALUE OF JULY BAG (w/o bag) - $27.96 VALUE OF JULY BAG (w/ bag) - $39.96

NOTD: Russian Red

In my March Glymm Box I received a full size polish from the company Ocean in the colour Russian Red. This is a very bright red with a slight shimmer to it. It was a really pretty colour for Summer but it was kind of hard to work with. The polish has a watery consistency and even after two coats I felt like I needed more to get true colour payoff. I was in a hurry so I only did 2 coats.

For a full size polish from an unknown brand that I received in a beauty sample box it was pretty good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to look for Ocean polishes in store and if I did find them I probably wouldn't pick them up.

What I used:

1 coat of no name Base Coat

2 coats of Ocean Russian Red

1 coat of Julep Fast Dry Top Coat

Artificial Light

Natural Light

NOTD: Dark Knight Dupe??

A few weeks ago I read a post on Provincial Beauty Blog showing an affordable drug-store dupe for Butter Londons Dark Knight polish. While shopping in the states I picked up the two Sally Hansen polished she mentioned and gave it a try today.

Since I don't own Dark Knight I found a picture online for comparison. It is a really close dupe. I think that the Sally Hansen duo provides more glitter coverage on the nail compared to Dark Knight. Dark Knight has the pink, blue, red, gold glitter mixed throughout, whereas, my dupe has a layer of glitter on top of the black polish.

Overall though, I think that my dupe mani turned out pretty close and I am very happy with it. I love how the light hits the glitter and how the black polish makes the glitter pop.

Check out Provincial Beauty's post and blog, she is incredible. And if you know anymore dupes for Butter London polishes let me know in the comments, because I really cant afford $18 per polish.

Polishes used:

No Name Base Coat - 1 coat

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Black Out - 1 coat

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Rockstar Pink - 1 coat

Seche Vite Top Coat - 1 coat

Photo from Provincial Beauty to show comparison of polish bottles.

Photo from Adventures of a Mad Scientist.

The glitter in this polish is more evenly distributed throughout and gives it more dimension.

Mine looks more like a layer of glitter.

June 2012 GlossyBox

So this post is a little late and it's not because I've been lazy like last month, it's because I just received my GlossyBox today! I definitely think that this box was worth the wait though. I was hearing and seeing a lot of comments on the GlossyBox.ca Facebook Page about it being a "drugstore box" and people were not happy about it. I on the other hand am really excited to get these products and try them out. This month there are a lot of full size products of things I can actually afford to buy if I like them.

The thing I don't like about Glymm is that the samples are super tiny and of products that are way out of my price range. If I end up liking them I can never have the full size because of the price. The products in GlossyBox are more drugstore, but if I like them it won't break the bank to buy the full size, and I would rather get a large or full size sample of something drugstore then a one time sample of some unknown super high end brand.

If you are looking for a sample box that delivers deluxe and full size samples every month no matter the brand then definitely checkout GlossyBox, you wont be disappointed.

Biore Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser

Sample Value: 200mL/$9.99

Full Size: 200mL/$9.99

On the Card: Have skin that can't make up its mind? Achieve the clean you want, without disturbing natural moisture your skin needs - more balanced skin in just 2 weeks!

My Thoughts: Ever since I got a free 7mL sample from the Biore Facebook page I have been wanting to buy the full size of this cleanser but could never justify it because I have so many cleansers at home already. Now I get to and I'm very excited.

Wella Professionals Ocean Spritz

Sample Value: 150mL/$16.99

Full Size: 150mL/$16.99

On the Card: Free your hair with irresistible chunky texture achieving that matte, carefree, beachy hair look.

My Thoughts: I am so excited to see this product! Not only is it a full size higher-end product, but I was actually just looking at some texture sprays the other day.

Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex

Sample Value: 7mL/$4.34

Full Size: 50mL/$30.99

On the Card: Advanced micro-fillers instantly smooth the look of fine lines. The anti-aging formula, with a Bio Peptide and B3 complex hydrates and improves the appearance of deep lines in just 14 days!

My Thoughts: I was seeing a lot of girls getting samples of this in their Luxe Boxes. I don't have a need for this so it is either going to go in my giveaway bin or I'm going to give it to my mom.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF 55

Sample Value: 14mL/$2.54

Full Size: 88mL/$15.99

On the Card: Ultra-light and fast absorbing, and voted #1 best-feeling sunscreen by Canadian Dermatologists. Contains HELIOPLEX which provides photostable UVA/UBV protection.

My Thoughts: I got this exact sample for free in my Neutrogena 60th Anniversary Sample Box. Although you can never have too much of a good sunscreen, I didn't really like that in a box I paid for I got a sample that I got for free from a company's website.

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

Sample Value: 1/$1.25

Full Size: 8ct/$9.99

On the Card: 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 (isn't that great?)

My Thoughts: I already use these so it was nice to get another one.

Cover Girl Flipstick - Blendable Lip Duo

Sample Value: 3.8gr/$12.50

Full Size: 3.8gr/$12.50

On the Card: NEW! This Double ended lip color stick has a side for shimmer, and a side for colour. Blend shades together to create endless lip looks.

My Thoughts: I have seen these on TV and in stores for a while now. I have always been interested in purchasing one so it was nice to see one in this month's box. I am so glad that I got the Whisper colour. Two nice pink colours instead of the brown and gold that a lot of girls received this month.

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor

Sample Value: 1 kit/$13.43

Full Size: 1 kit/$13.43

On the Card: 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 shave and incredible Venus smoothness.

My Thoughts: I forgot to take a picture of the one I received. I love getting razors in these boxes because razors are so expensive! Maybe next month they can put some cartridges in the box for us cause those are really expensive as well.

Value of June Box: $61.04

Overall, I am extremely happy with this month's box. I will use almost everything in this box and I am excited to find some new favourites. I still recommend that everyone try this box for at least one month because you wont be disappointed.