- See more at: http://tutorialgeek.blogspot.ca/2010/11/how-to-change-your-blogger-domain-url.html#sthash.JOLPbG90.dpuf my beauty full adventure - do not use: May 2013

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

May Wantable Makeup Box

Hey ladies! Today I am bringing you another Wantable Makeup Box review. I last reviewed Wantable's subscription service in March, when they were still working on bringing their service to Canada. About two weeks ago they officially "soft launched" in Canada, and gave the first 1000 girls who signed up a free box. I still had to pay for shipping, duties, and taxes; so this box came to just under $15. If you would like to read all about Wantable, their subscription service, and past products, please refer to my first review HERE. This is a very extensive review, with a lot of pictures.

Unlike in March, where I kept my beauty profile very open, I re-did the survey so that I would get a more customized box. I asked for: eyeliner, blush, lip colour, nail polish, lash product, and eye shadow. I asked not to get: brows, highlighter, bronzer, and brushes. Looking back I wish I had asked for brushes and not lash products, but hindsight is 20/20.

This month I received 4 full size products, and one bonus product, with a retail value of $81. I am pleased with what I received, to a point. The colours are not really for me, and I don't know how much use I will get out of them, but it is always nice to try out new things.

I decided not to stay subscribed after this "free" month, because for $50 each month it is too much of a gamble. I would pay $15 a month for what I got, but in my mind I do not think it is worth it for $50. I would rather take that $50 and use it towards things I know I will like and use.

If you would like to sign up for Wantable I would love if you would use my referral link!

Now for a breakdown of the products I received.

Frownies Eye Gels

Retail Value: $0
"Anti-wrinkle treatment for puffy bags under the eyes contains powerful anti-oxidants that help protect your skin. With one 30 minute anti-aging treatment 100% of women testing Frownies eye gels saw a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and dark circles. The weight of the anti-wrinkle patch smooths the under eye area and protects the integrity of the acid mantle and skin. Frownies Eye Gels promote beauty and provide anti-oxidants to fight free radical damage. Natural ingredients help improve the appearance of the skin."

My Thoughts: I am not in the age bracket that needs to use products like this. I will probably give this to my mom to use. I am glad that it was an extra, freebie product and didn't count as one of my main products.

Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Pinkie Promise

Retail Value: $10
"Pinkie Promise is a fun and shimmery pink base filled with hex and tinsel glitter in magenta, light blue, and gold - this polish calls for a party! Designed and made in the United States, always free of formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate, and with ingredients that have never been tested on animals."

My Thoughts: This polish is so me! And, I am really glad I got this one instead of the matte polishes other girls were. This polish looks like a unicorn threw up on my nails. I only needed two coats for it to adequately cover the nail. It is so eye catching, and would be great for a full manicure or accent nail. I may have to look into buying some more from this brand in the future.

Manna Kadar Blush in Tropicana

Retail Value: $19
"Our custom formulated blush offers a special light texture which glides on smoothly and evenly and provides the perfect amount of colour to give your face a health glow."

My Thoughts: This blush is so bright and pigmented! Swatches will be at the end of the post. It is really not a colour I would go for, if I was buying a blush for myself. Even lightly swatched and blended this blush is way bright. It will require a super light hand to apply. I don't know if this will look good with my skin tone, but I am definitely going to try it at least once.

FACE Stockholm Matte Shadow in Lemon

Retail Value: $20
"This gorgeous matte shadow is hyper-pigmented for long lasting colour and velvety smooth for superb blendability."

My Thoughts: I was initially turned off by this colour, but after swatching it, I have changed my mind. This shadow is soft and lightly pigmented. It doesn't really come off as yellow, but more of a beige/neutral tone. I think this will look nice as an all over wash of colour.

FACE Stockholm Luxe Lash

Retail Value: $32
"Lengthen and define with our unique precision Lash Lift mascara brush. The close-cropped bristles are precisely spaced and designed specifically to latch onto and coat each individual lash for maximum height."

My Thoughts: When I first opened this mascara I found it to be a little too creamy for a brand new mascara. I thought it had totally dried up. However, after using it, I noticed that it is just a drier formula. I am not in love with this mascara. First, because it is a brown mascara, and I only use black mascara. And second because it doesn't do much for my lashes.
Right: Manna Kadar Blush; Left: Face Stockholm Eyeshadow

Monday, May 27, 2013

Revlon Selects Update - Nail Art 3D Appliques

So last week I reviewed the second Revlon Selects package I was sent. You can read that review here. I had pretty rave reviews for all of the products, especially the 3D Nail Art Strips.

I still think these nail stickers are the best I've ever tried. They were easy to apply and lasted about a week, before my nails grew out and I started to get some tip wear. When applying them, I followed all of the instructions on the box. I used nail polish remover to clean off my nails, including any excess oils. I applied the strips and filed off the extra sticker. According to the box to remove them you are to "gently peel applique off nail starting from side corner of the cuticle area."

Everything went great with these nail stickers until I had to remove them. I tried not to be overly rough when pulling them off, but the glue was very sticky, and some effort was needed. I was horrified to see that the stickers were pulling my nails off. Layers upon layers of my nails were ripped off, and I was left with rough, jagged, uneven nails.

I am not trying to bash these nail stickers, because I will continue to buy and wear them, I just want to warn you ladies that your nails may suffer. I guess beauty is pain right?

Next time I wear these I think I will try putting on a base coat, or try softening up the glue with nail polish remover or a blow dryer.

Has this ever happened to you when using these nail strips? I would love to hear any f your ideas on how to avoid this problem in the future.
Before

After
 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

NOTD: Revlon Minted & Stunning

I am one of those girls who buy every mint nail polish they see, because, "it's not the same as anything I already own." That was my justification for buying Revlon Minted. This mint polish is more green toned; most of the other polishes in my collection are more blue toned. I also picked up Stunning at the same time because I just couldn't get over how it sparkled. The large glitter flashes all colours of the rainbow, and the smaller silver glitter is constantly glittering. It is very eye catching and I always get a lot of compliments when I wear it.

I decided to pair these two polishes together and do a accent nail manicure. I used two coats of Minted on 4/5 nails and painted my ring finger just with Stunning. It took about 5-6 pretty think coats to get the glitter to look opaque, and it took forever to dry. Even when I thought it was dry it was malleable. It never completely dried in the week that I wore it. The removal of the glitter was easy because it just peeled right off my nail. I think next time I will use Stunning as an overlay over another polish instead of by itself.


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Review: Revlon Selects #2

Today's post is going to be my review of the products I was sent in the second Revlon Selects Campaign. I received these products a few weeks ago, but am just getting the time now to try them out and review them for you. I received these products for free, but that in no way influences my thoughts on them. This box came with three nail products from there new, limited edition Runway Collections.
"To celebrate the coming of Spring, we thought we'd surprise our Select Friends with a special treat; a sneak peek into what's HOT this season. Be the first ones to try on our Limited Edition Runway Inspired Spring Nail Sensations."

REVLON CHROMA CHAMELEON NAIL ENAMEL IN GOLD

Colour-shifting Captivating Chromes
"Shine in rich jewel tones with the sensation of sleek colour changing multi-chromes on your fingertips. Available in 8 luminous shades."

I was really excited when I first saw this polish, because in the bottle it noticeably shifts from gold, to green, and then a dark blue on the edges. However, once on the nail I lose the colour shift entirely. It took me three coats to get an opaque finish and the shift was barely noticeable. I tried to take pictures of it, but I couldn't capture it. If you would like to see swatches of the complete collection check out Intense Polish Therapy. I didn't really like the brush on the polish and I found the formula really thin and watery. I don't think I would buy any of the other colours in this collection.

REVLON COLORSTAY LONGWEAR NAIL ENAMEL - NUDE COLLECTION IN ROSE BEIGE

Foundation for Your Fingertips
"Skin tone matching shades elongate your fingertips for a chic, minimalist lock that lasts. Available in 8 skin matched shades"

This polish looks kinda boring in the bottle, but I really like it on my nails. It is slightly pink toned so it doesn't really match my skin tone exactly. This polish would be great for the workplace where bright colours may not be acceptable. I wore it for a job interview, and it was perfect. I think this colour would be nice for wedding nails, as well. It lasted a good 5-7 days before chipping happened, and the removal was easy. The formula was on the thicker side, so it took a little longer to dry. I would buy more of the colours in this collection.
 

REVLON NAIL ART 3D JEWEL APPLIQUES WILD FLOWERS IN 08 PYTHON & PETALS

Nail Art goes Wild with 3D Effects
"Instant salon-like nail art designs with a 3D finish, for a beautiful manicure that you can really make your own. Available in 6 beautiful motifs."

I own a set of these appliques already but haven't used them yet. These applied easier than any other nail sticker I have used before and they look amazing. I have had them on for 24 hours now and I have no peeling, ripping, or curling. I was skeptical about this pattern at first, but now that it is on my nails I am really digging it. The box comes with enough nail strips to do a complete manicure, plus some extras that I can use for accents nails in the future. I am really pleased with the quality of these nail stickers and will be looking for more to try out. I really like the watercolor flower design that other girls received.

Overall, I am more than happy with the quality of the products I received. I think they need to work on the formula of the Chroma polishes, but other than that everything was perfect. It's great being part of the Revlon Selects program because I get to try some of their products that I wouldn't normally purchase for myself. If you are interested in becoming part of the Revlon Selects program then "Like" them on Facebook, and check back regularity for updates.

DID YOU RECEIVE THIS REVLON SELECTS PACKAGE? IF SO, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THESE PRODUCTS?



Tuesday, May 14, 2013

NOTD: Revlon Popular

When I first saw Revlon Popular on Sleep and Water I knew I needed to add it to my collection. I searched at Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart, but all my stores were sold out. To my surprise I found it at Dollarama and quickly snatched it up.

Revlon Popular is a light milky pink base with silver glitter and shimmer in varying sizes. I think it is perfect for work, school, an interview, etc because it is such a neutral colour, but the glitter gives it a little pop of fun.

It takes two coats for this polish to be semi-opaque. I could still see the tips of my nails through it a bit. Next time I wear this polish I will try three coats. The drying time is fairly consistent with other Revlon polishes, and it came off my nails fairly easily. Some of the glitter stuck to the nail and I had to scrape it off, but it wasn't that big of a hassle.

 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Always Infinity BzzAgent Review


So, when I first got chosen to be part of this BzzAgent Campaign I was so excited, because this was my first campaign in over a year. However, I was kinda worried about how I was going to write my review here. I mean all of us women get a "gift" from Mother Nature each month, but it isn't something we normally talk about, especially on a public forum like a blog.

Always & BzzAgent eliminated all my worries by sending me complete instructions on how to conduct a demonstration in order to give a review. I am going to be completely honest about my thoughts during the demo and when I tested them out during my time of the month.

I have never used either of the pads I was sent from Always, however, I usually buy Always brand for my feminine product needs. I feel that Always provides something for everybody, and I like that all of their different varieties of pads have wings. I feel more comfortable and confident that I wont have any issues when the pads have wings.

Demonstration

The demo required 5 additional supplies that I, fortunately, had at my house:
1. Scissors
2. An eye dropper
3. Blue food colouring (I used green)
4. Warm water in a small glass
5. A plate, counter top or any non absorbent surface to place samples on
Step 1, was removing the cores from the two pads. This entailed cutting the ends off the pads and then pulling the front and back padding off the core. It was really easy to get the Infinity core out, but the Maxi core made quite the mess.
Step 2, was to mix the food colouring and warm water until it was noticeably green. Then I put 30 drops of water onto each core. This is what it looked like right after dropping the water on. They both looked pretty soaked at this point.
Step 3, after about a minute the water is absorbed. From there I folded the cores in half and pressed them together. As you can see, the Maxi Core looks completely soaked even though it apparently absorbed the liquid. The Infinity core looks almost white again on the surface, and looks like it has lots more room to absorb more liquid.
Third step wasn't part of the demo, but I took each core and folded it in half, then gentle applied pressure. The Maxi pad had a few drops of liquid escape, but the Infinity core didn't.

My Thoughts

The first thing I noticed about the Always Infinity pads were how slim they were, yet, they stated they were for heavy flow. These pads were super comfy when I used them. It didn't really feel like I was wearing one at all, and I had no issues with them either. During the demo I was skeptical about how well this thin absorbent core was going to hold up to a heavy flow, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Here are the fine details about Always Infinity, from BzzAgent:
  • It’s made from space-age material. Need you say more?
  • The Infinicel™ material remains unbelievably light, even while absorbing up to 10 times its weight
  • The dual Flexi-Wing® design adapts to fit the curvature of your underwear for secure protection
  • The Always Infinity core is actually two layers — one acquires fluid, the other holds it

  • The core of the Always Maxi pad was like a giant cotton ball, which is like the core of the pads I normally use. These pads were so thick, almost like a diaper. It was extremely uncomfortable on, and I felt so self conscious wearing it. This pad was also for those with a heavy flow, however I didn't think it held up as well during the demo. It could adequately hold 1/3 of the liquid that the Infinity core could.

    After this demo, and personally using them during my time of the month, I would have to say that I am converted. I loved the Always Infinity with the new super absorbent core. I will be buying them from now on. They felt comfortable and you couldn't tell I was wearing a pad, whether I was wearing jeans, scrubs, pj's, or sweat pants, and I liked that a lot. I am super self conscious about that. They also absorbed a lot better than my normal feminine product.

    Have you tried the new Always Infinity pads? What are your thoughts about them?

     

    Disclaimer - I was sent these Always feminine products because I am part of BzzAgent. The thoughts and opinions found in this review are 100% honest and my own.