Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Pinky Polka Dots


It's raining here in Monterey AGAIN! I needed a pick-me-up so I grabbed my new Carrie nail polish from Julep & started painting away. I used Carrie for my main color & then did white polka dots with my dotting tool. I LOVE IT. It's so springy & fun. Carrie is one of my new favorites!

Julep has an AWESOME deal going on right now. If you want to sign up to be a Julep Maven & get these SUPER FUN nail colors each month, they have a deal going on where you get your first box for ONE CENT. Go ahead & try them out for a penny. You won't regret it. Just go to the website here & take their style quiz then use the code COLOR2012 to get it for ONE PENNY.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

February MyGlam Bag

My first MyGlam bag arrived in the mail on Saturday! I've heard several mixed reviews about this company. Some people love it & others hate it. MyGlam is a brand new company that started out in December so it's really only a 3 month old company. There have been quite a few shipping issues thus far, & a lot of subscribers did not receive their bags in January so everyone was really nervous going into February. But it looks like all the bags made it to their subscribers safe & sound this month. I was excited to get my first bag & see what was inside.


MyGlam works just like Birchbox. For $10 a month you get a fun little make-up bag with 4 to 5 deluxe samples of beauty products. I decided to do both Birchbox & MyGlam & then after a few months decide which one I like better & cancel the other membership.


Here is my February MyGlam bag. There were several postcards with coupon codes to all the companies that provided the samples for this month's bag. I admit that I do like this. If I try something & REALLY like it, how awesome is it to have an automatic coupon code to purchase MORE at a discount? Good job MyGlam on that one!

Inside I received the following products:

Freeman Hydration Mask in Goji Berry
X-Out Shine Control
NYX Roll On Shimmer in Blue
Premier Cinderella Mask & Eye Cream
$100 NUME Gift Card
2 Ghirardelli Chocolates


I was really kind of excited about this mask. I buy a lot of high end beauty products & am tired of spending that much money on them. I'd LOVE to find a cheaper brand that I could afford on a regular basis to save money. So I'm glad this was included along with higher end things. HOWEVER, I ended up being terribly allergic to it (like I am to most drugstore brands). My face felt like it was on fire & turned bright red like I had a sunburn. I was literally scrubbing it off my face as fast as I could. I felt like I was in a fiery furnace. It's too bad. . . the search continues. I really should just stay with the expensive stuff that doesn't KILL my face. You can buy these Freeman sample mask packets for $1.00 at Walmart.


I had the exact same reaction to the X-Out shine control. It made my face red & it burned going on. It smells terrible like a perm & feels like hand sanitizer being put on your face. You can definitely feel the drying effects of the alcohol. This is probably a GREAT product for people with oily skin. I can imagine this stuff sucks up that oil like nothing else, but I don't have oily skin & this just dried me out & burned my face. I've looked online in several places & can't figure out if this was a full size product or just a sample of it. I'm guessing it's just a sample since I peeled off the X-Out label & found ANOTHER label for Cindy Crawford's masque underneath the X-Out label. They obviously put the sample of X-Out in unused tubes of another company's products. A full size of Shine Controlis sold in a set with their cleanser for $19.95 making a full size worth $10.00. This is most likely not a fullsize, but it is a good size sample. I'm going to appraise it at around $5.00.


I know NYX is a cheaper brand of make-up, but I really like their products. They're mascara is the BEST STUFF EVER. So I was really excited about the NYX Roll-On Shimmer. I wasn't too thrilled about the 70's blue color, but the actual product itself is great. It went on a lot easier than I thought it would & it was pretty concentrated as well. It does wipe off if you're not careful but I can see how throwing one in your purse for those times you need a little extra sparkle would be nice. I definitely want totry a more useable color like a nude or champagne color. I can see myself buying many more of these especially since they only cost $4.50. (I LOVE SPARKLES)



Finally a mask that DOESN'T make my face burn. ha ha ha. The Premier Cinderella Mask sample was microscopic. Just a one time use, but what do you expect when the full size product is $150? I REALLY wish it had been bigger because I think this was my favorite product in my glam bag. The mask went on easily, didn't burn, felt fantastic, & smelled great. My face looked SO MUCH BETTER after using it too. They named it a Cinderella Mask for a reason. It makes your skin look fabulous. Unfortunately, for $150 a pop I will never get the chance to use it again. It's midnight & I'm back to my old maid self again. ha ha ha. So for $150 for 2 oz. our sample was .01 oz. making this sample worth a HUGE $0.73. There also was a sample for the Premier Eye Cream. I didn't see a huge difference in my eyes after using it, but it was soft & went on easily & didn't have any harsh smells. I probably wouldn't buy it though. The Premier website actually has this exact eye cream sample on their product page listed for $0.00. So basically this one WAS A FREE SAMPLE.


Also included in my glam bag was a $100 gift card to NUME to use on styling products or extensions. Sounds fabulous right? I was in desperate need of a new flat iron so I couldn't wait to spend my $100. HOLY COW. That $100 was NOTHING. Everything on their website is well over the $100 mark. I did really need a new flat iron & I've never owned a "nice" one before so I did splurge & paid quite a bit OUT OF POCKET for it. Much more than I probably should have. I also didn't appreciate the $12.00 shipping NUME charges. Butthey shipped SUPER FAST & I got my new Fashionista Hot Pink Flat Iron only 4 days later.


I have to admit. . . it was pretty. I'm a sucker for anything HOT PINK.



So was it worth the $80 I ended up paying for it? I'm still on the fence on that. I'm so much of a cheapskate when it comes to things like this that I can't justify paying $80 for much of anything. But I did it because I wanted to own something really nice, & it is. The first thing I noticed was how fast it heats up. I don't have to sit & wait 10 minutes for it to get hot enough to do my hair. Literally in 1-2 minutes, it's hot & ready to roll. The second thing I noticed was that it does NOT pull your hair. Every flat iron I've ever owned just rips the hair out of my head. I thought that was normal. I thought for sure this thing was a piece of junk because it didn't even get a good grip on my hair, but I soon realized that maybe that's the way it's SUPPOSED to be. Maybe my flat iron SHOULDN'T be ripping all my hair out. It flat ironed my hair super fast (even thought it's heat plates are much smaller than my last flat iron's) & it gives you hair a really pretty shine. I like it. It does work wonders on my girls' hair. My 4 1/2 year old has the most unmanageable hair I've ever seen. This flat iron made her hair GORGEOUS & Super Shiny. She loved it! I didn't realize how long her hair is since it wasn't all matted up in a curly mess. ha ha ha. So I highly do NOT recommend this flat iron for the $165 retail price, but the $80 I paid for it. . . maybe if you're wanting something nice for a change. Though I do feel it's kind of odd to get something in my glam bag that cost me $80 in the end if you know what I mean. But I do like getting discounts every now & again, just not EVERY time.



So let's see how February's Glam Bag added up. I paid $10 (+ an additional $80 for the flat iron, but I don't know if I should count that or not) & received $11.23 worth of product. I'm not sure that's a very good deal. Come on MyGlam. You have to make it somewhat WORTH being a member. Here's hoping March brings better surprises. :-)

Monday, February 20, 2012

Sunshine & Polka Dots


I'm loving me some Blake today. Here in Monterey, the skies are grey & gloomy & I definitely needed some sunshine, so I decided to add some sunshine to my nails. In my Julep Valentine Mystery Box I got Blake (beautiful yellow color) & I couldn't wait to brighten my day with it. I added a few little white polka dots with a dotting tool & VOILA.

Sunshiny nails to make me smile.


Oooh, & have you seen the Julep Boxes for March yet? TO DIE FOR. I'm getting Boho Glam this month. I've been DYING for a coral-like polish for ages. And the turquoise shimmer? Yeah! SO EXCITED.







Julep has an AWESOME deal going on right now. If you want to sign up to be a Julep Maven & get these SUPER FUN nail colors each month, they have a deal going on where you get your first box for ONE CENT. Go ahead & try them out for a penny. You won't regret it. Just go to the website here & take their style quiz then use the code COLOR2012 to get it for ONE PENNY.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Try Julep Maven for $1


For all of you who are trying to decide whether to sign up to be a Julep Maven or not, they have a REALLY GREAT DEAL going on right now. You can get your first box for only $1.00. Try it out, see if you like it, & if you don't just cancel. . . but I'm almost positive you won't.

Every month you will receive a Maven box filled with $40 of AWESOME manicure/pedicure products as well as some FABULOUS polishes for only $20. You have the option to SKIP as many months as you want if funds are low or if you just don't like your box. This is the only subscription service I know of that allows you to see your box before it's shipped & then allows you to decide if you like that box or if you want to trade it for one of 4 others. There's ALWAYS one you'll love.

And then the PERKS. Each month, Julep sends 100 lucky maven's a GOLDEN BOX that has $100+ worth of products just because! And then there are contests & sweepstakes you can enter all the time not to mention all the fun coupons they send out. And then there are MYSTERY BOXES! Those are the BEST. They offer mystery boxes every few months & they are worth anywhere from $60-$200 in product. It's just a fun company & their customer service is the best I've ever seen. I LOVE THEM.


Take advantage of the $1.00 deal. It will give you the chance to try them out & see how wonderful they really are. Just click here & take their style quiz. It's time to pamper yourself.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

February 2012 Birchbox

My very first Birchbox arrived yesterday. I've been following my tracking number like a stalker in anticipation of seeing what I'd get.


It was packaged beautifully. I enjoy how pretty these subscription companies make their boxes. It makes it fun to open.


So here's a look at what I got. I have to admit I was a little disappointed at the size of my samples. Yes, they are SAMPLES, but holy cow these were tiny. The box came with a music download, but I'm not really into that so I won't be reviewing it since I didn't download the songs.


My first item was a Blemish Clearing Serum by Juice Beauty. This is serum to put on your face to help make your acne clear up. It's made up of organic ingredients which I appreciate. There are a lot of harmful ingredients in skin care & make-up these days. I like going back to the basics. The smell of this guy wasn't bad. It didn't really smell like much of anything so I guess that's better than something that stinks right? I don't have a problem with acne so in the long run I probably wouldn't buy this, but it might be great for those that do have acne issues. The sample sent to me was 0.17 oz.
Seriously, a DELUXE sized sample? Not in my book.
However, after using it, I can see that a little bit of this stuff does go a long way so I could probably get a week's worth of use out of it applying it once or twice a day. This sells for $29.00 for a 2 oz. bottle making my sample worth $2.46.


Next I pulled out a sample of Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Perfume. This is your basic perfume sample that you literally can pick up at any department store or as a freebie online. You can get these for FREE off coupon websites. So the fact that this was an actual SAMPLE in my box was kind of disappointing. HOWEVER, I've never used Juicy perfume before & I LOVED THIS SMELL. It actually has me considering buying a full size. It wasn't overpowering & my hubby liked it; plus it made me feel feminine & pretty. I liked that. This guy sells for $89.00 retail for a 3.4 oz perfume bottle. My sample was 0.05 oz. (again, NOT DELUXE SIZE) which is worth a grand total of $1.30. (& again, you can get samples of nice perfumes like this for free on couponing websites all the time.)


I also received a Benta Berry G-1 Moisturizing Face Cream in a microscopic sized sample. (ha ha ha) I used this last night & I didn't care for it at all. The smell was horrible & it was SO HARD to put on. It didn't go on smoothly at all & it made my face feel greasy all over. I'm sure it's a great product for a lot of people out there, but for my particular skin, it was a no-go. This cream sells for $22.00 for 30 ml which really isn't a terrible price compared with some of the other high end things I've seen on Birchbox, so if it works for you, it's nice to know it's not overly-expensive. My 0.1 oz sample was worth $2.20. This sample only had 2 uses in it. I used it once last night & once this morning (just to give it another shot) & it was gone. NOT DELUXE SIZED at all. I'm not complaining too much because I didn't like it, but I would be REALLY upset if I really liked it & only got a one day supply in my box.


The sample was WAY TOO SMALL in my opinion. Look at it compared to a quarter. It is almost the exact same size as my perfume sample. 2 uses is NOT DELUXE.


My largest sample in this box was the Eye Rock Designer Liner. I'm still laughing at this. Do people really wear this? They are giant stickers for your eyes that look like really bad eyeliner. From the videos posted on YouTube, they look like they don't stick very well & they are a little over the top for a 30 year old mom with 5 kids. But I don't know. . . . I didn't throw them away, but I also did not go try them right away either. Maybe for Halloween? Watch . . . I'll put them on as a joke one day & will wind up loving them. ha ha ha. This package had 4 different liners in them from simple cat eyes to over the top claws. These sell for $13.00 retail making this sample my highest value at $6.50. Too bad it's not something I'd wear every day.


My last sample was a piece of Chuao ChocoPod chocolate. Amazingly enough, this one piece of chocolate was bigger than my other three samples combined. Seriously! The chocolate in my box was Spicy Maya which had cinnamon & chili's in it. It tastes like dark chocolate & then has a spicy aftertaste at the end. It's nothing new. . . they've been selling chili chocolate all over Europe for years, but it's a fun twist on chocolate. I don't care for it much, but my 2 year old LOVED IT. These retail for $9.95 for 12 making my one sample $0.83.


I just wanted to show you all how very small my samples this month were. My husband saw me opening it & when he saw what was inside he said, "Wow, FREE SAMPLES just get smaller & smaller these days. Can you even get anything out of that?" If my HUSBAND thinks they're FREE sample size, then we're really in trouble. I'm not usually a complainer, but I do think Birchbox needs to stick to what it advertises. . . DELUXE SIZED SAMPLES. There is nothing deluxe about these. The eyeliner stickers, maybe. . . but the rest, no. Three of these samples fit in the palm of my hand with PLENTY of room to spare. I know it's only $10 a month, but come on. . . you have to at least make it worthwhile. I want to add that my
TOTAL WORTH for this box was $13.29.
I paid $10 for it. So I saved what? $3.29? What's worse is that several other subscribers got Beauty Blenders ($13+ value EACH) & the Dermalogica Microfoliant sample worth over $10 in their boxes. If you're going to send $25-$30 boxes to some subscribers, PLEASE DON'T SEND $13.00 boxes to others. It's just not good business. Equal it out. I really don't expect much for $10, but I expect SOMETHING. This was my first Birchbox, & I do enjoy getting a pampering box for myself each month, so I'm hanging in there, but we'll see. . .

If you want to learn more about Birchbox, click here for more information.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Julep - Valentine Mystery Box


Wahoo! Look what showed up on my doorstep last night? My Valentine Mystery box from Julep. A week ago Julep had a promo where you could purchase a "Mystery Box" filled with surprise products for $19.99. The boxes contents were guaranteed to be worth $60-$200. I knew at once I'd get a $60 box. I'm never lucky enough to win the big guys, but even $60 worth of my favorite nail products for $20 is a GREAT deal. I got Mystery Box #1 & this is what was inside:

I love it when they throw fun little things in there. In this box I got a cute little chocolate heart (that was yummy & was devoured almost immediately upon arrival) & a small jar of
white . . . fuzzy . . . stuff? I know this is a glitter pot, but it's not glitter & it's not sequins. It looks like FLUFF. I know how to use glitter & sequins, but does anyone out there know how to apply "fluff" to their fingernails properly? Can you put top coat over it? I really truly can't wait to try it out, I'm just curious if anyone out there knows exactly how to do it.


This box also came with a full size Julep Nail Therapy. I've heard AWESOME things about this stuff so I couldn't wait to try it out. It went on smoothly & it did have an almost conditioning feel as I applied it. It kind of has a strong smell, but it's not any worse than any other nail polish I've used. I can't wait to see how it does on my nails. It's supposed to be an ideal base coat & is supposed to make your nails strong & flexible. So we'll see.


I was SO HAPPY to see a travel size version of the Age Defying Hand Brightener in my box. Sure, I got the full size (3 times the size of this guy) in my intro box last month, but I'm SO incredibly in LOVE with this lotion that I'm THRILLED to have a small version for my purse. Now I can put in on ANYWHERE. This product is one of Julep's MUST HAVES.


I also got some Julep Nail Appliqués. These guys have an almost peacock feel/look to them. I've never used nail appliqués before so when I put these guys on I'll be sure to review them on a future blog post. In reality, these are NOT something I'd buy on my own, but that's what I love about Julep. They send me things that get me out of my comfort zone, & 9 times out of 10 I end up LOVING them.


Now for the colors. I will admit that I was kind of bummed when I pulled Taylor out of my box. Not that I don't like her. . . I actually LOVE HER, but I JUST got her in my box last month. So I've been wearing her for a month now. I kind of wished for a new fun color that I haven't tried yet, but now I'll be able to do a GIVEAWAY in the future so one of you can try Taylor out. You will LOVE HER. She is a beautiful bluish-purple periwinkle color & she is just beautiful on. Pulling her out of mystery box made me remember how much I do love her, so I did my nails in Taylor last night. :-)



The other color I got in my mystery box was Blake. I never in a thousand years would buy Blake on my own. I've never even considered painting my nails YELLOW. ha ha ha. But the more & more I stared at her, the more & more excited I got. Again, THANK YOU JULEP FOR GETTING ME TO STEP OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. Blake is pretty pastel yellow color, perfect for Easter. I see some fun Easter nails in my future. I'm excited to play with her.


My almost 7 year old daughter was SO excited to see Blake in my box. Her favorite color is yellow & she BEGGED me to put it on her RIGHT NOW. So I did. Next Saturday is her 7th birthday & we're having a Spongebob Squarepants themed party. I'm thinking we might need to have matching SPONGEBOB NAILS for her special day. What do you think?


So that was my fabulous Mystery Box. Yes, I would have liked to get the $200 box, but seriously I loved my little box. I will definitely be purchasing more in the future.

If you'd like to learn more about the Julep Maven program click here & take the Julep Style Quiz. And just a reminder that you can get your first box for ONE CENT by using the coupon code COLOR2012. You won't regret it. I look forward to my box every month!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

February Maven Box - Boho Glam


I just get giddy when the postman delivers that little black box on my doorstep. I love being a Julep Maven. For February, Julep was celebrating the Oscars. Every color in the Oscar collection was made with the Academy Awards in mind. These colors are GORGEOUS. Normally I'm "Classic with a Twist," but I immediately fell in love with the "Boho Glam" box. The great thing about being a Julep Maven is that you get to PICK which box you want to get each month. I wasn't really crazy about the grey polish in the Classic box, so I SWITCHED my box for the Boho so I could get Marisa!

Julep also advertised that in February, 100 special OSCAR GOLDEN BOXES would be sent out to 100 lucky subscribers. I wasn't a lucky golden winner, but I LOVED my box. I saw some of the GOLD boxes & they had EVERY color in the Oscar collection as well as the cuticle oil & Top Coat for hair. The gals who got those were very lucky indeed.

So, on to my Boho Glam box. . . My box came with the Julep Cuticle Oil, Marisa & Oscar polishes, & a chocolate Oscar statue.


Marisa was the selling point for me in this box. She is a BEAUTIFUL dark blue with an almost purplish golden shimmer to it. I'm currently having a love-hate relationship with Marisa. Inside she is a very matte navy blue & I'm not very fond of her, but in the light & sunshine she is one of the most beautiful & shimmery polishes I've ever owned. I live in Monterey & it's been very grey & gloomy lately so she hasn't been shining at her best lately which has had me a little sad, but the sun came out today & she was RAVISHING in the sunlight. Yes, she's a keeper & she's growing on me more & more each day.


All five boxes in February came with Oscar, a golden glitter polish. I LOVE OSCAR. I will admit, she's a booger to get off like any glitter polish, but she's worth it. In 2 coats she fully covers your nails & she is BEAUTIFUL. I can't wait to play with Oscar & Leah (green) for St. Patty's Day next month. The trick to getting Oscar off your nails is to wet a cotton ball with nail polish remover & wrap it around your nail for 5 minutes. It wipes off a LOT easier that way. I'm definitely in love with this one.


I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the cuticle oil. I've never used cuticle oils before & didn't think I needed it. OH BOY DID I NEED IT. I love the roller ball top. It makes for quick & easy applications. I've been putting it on once or twice a day for a week now & the look of my nails is 10 times better than they have ever been. The real SUCCESS STORY is my sweet little girl, Lorien. Lorien is almost 7 years old & she gets the WORST hangnails I've ever seen. This poor kid comes home from school with band-aids every day. Her hangnails bleed & bleed & she cries. My heart breaks for her. Since I got this cuticle oil, I've applied it on her little fingers twice a day every day & she hasn't had a hangnail once in over a week.
NO MORE BANDAIDS, NO MORE BLEEDING, & NO MORE TEARS.
I'm going to buy her her own so she can keep it in her pocket & put it on all day long. This is ONE HAPPY MOMMY.


So another FABULOUS box from Julep Maven. I can't wait to see what's in my next box.


If you're interested in becoming a Julep Maven, they are having an AWESOME deal right now where you can get your FIRST BOX for $0.01; YES ONE CENT. Just enter the code COLOR2012 at checkout. Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

NYX Full Size Sample Surprise

Guess what showed up on my doorstep the other day?

A box FULL of NYX Cosmetics full size products for me to sample. I don't remember ever requesting them; perhaps I entered a sweepstakes & won, but no matter how it happened, I was pretty excited to find a bunch of FREE MAKE-UP on my doorstep.

It was all bundled up in pink tissue paper & placed sweetly inside a BEAUTIFUL black lacy drawstring bag.


This is what I found:


First I played with the eyeshadow palette.


The palette consists of 5 neutral colors. I wear a lot of neutrals so I was really excited to give these a try. I have to admit, I had a hard time putting them on dry. They didn't show up on my skin which is VERY pale to begin with, but then I tried getting my brush wet first & WOW. That did the trick.

The dark brown is a matte color. Although it looks glittery in the palette, it doesn't have much shimmer on the eye. But it is a pretty color, especially in the crease. The camel color didn't show up at all on my eyes wet or dry so I'm not a huge fan of that guy. He's pretty much the exact color of my eyelids. :-) I bet he'd be a lot prettier on someone whose skin tone isn't like mine. He is also a matte color. The middle shade of brown is pretty & DOES have a shimmer to it. I like to brush him over my eyelid & he sparkles. (I love sparkly things.) My most used color in the palette is the white guy. I use him over my entire eyelid. He has a little bit of shimmer & is a beautiful base color for your eye. I can already tell I'm going to be running out of him first. I use him almost every day. And the last little guy is a gold that I LOVE. He is VERY shimmery & is GORGEOUS just about anywhere on your eye. He's an easy way to dress up your look.

I have a problem with my make-up wearing out by the end of the day & I HATE having to re-apply it. These guys withstood the all day test. They were as beautiful at the end of the day as they were when I applied them at 5 am that morning. I wear them all the time now & love them. I will most likely be purchased more eye colors from NYX. I'm loving them.


The 2nd product I tried was the Bronzer/Blusher Combo. I tried to do a sample picture of it on my hand, but the camera couldn't do it justice. I've never been a huge fan of bronzers, but this combo works for me. The blush is the perfect neutral shade & literally adds just a small hint of warmth to your cheeks. Add a little bit of the golden bronzer & you don't look like you've got make-up caked on your face. You look like you just got kissed from the sun. I LOVE NATURAL LOOKS LIKE THIS. This guy did NOT stand up to the all-day test for me & I found I had to reapply him half way through the day, but blush is quick to reapply. I have yet to discover a blush that stays on ALL DAY.


I've never used liquid eyeliner before so it was fun to be adventurous & try
I learned very quickly that liquid eyeliner is NOT EASY to put on. ha ha ha. I think it will get easier as I do it more & more. This eyeliner goes on a little TOO easily & stays there FOREVER. So if you can get the hang of it, it will be a LONG WEARING liner for you. As for me, I like my crayon-like liner from Cover Girl. . . . but I plan on practicing with the liquid liner on the weekends when I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get 5 kids up & out the door ASAP.

The NYX Xtreme Lip Cream was next on my agenda. I'm always looking for a good lipstick/cream/gloss/etc. that has great color & stays for hours. I have 5 kids to kiss on all day long so I want something that #1: DOESN'T kiss off, #2: DOESN'T dry out my lips, & #3: color that lasts as long as possible. I liked this lip cream. It went on smoothly & didn't dry out my lips. The color was vibrant & bright for several hours even after eating. I had to reapply after about 5 hours, but that's pretty good for a lipstick. It DID kiss off however. But 2 out of 3 is pretty good. Every time I kissed my little 1 year old, he'd get a bright pink mark on his head that WOULD NOT clean off (because the color really does stay for a while). But I did like how moisturized my lips felt & the color did stay for quite some time. I wish they would have sent me a different color than Bonfire. It was FUSCHIA PINK & kind of makes me look like I'm "trying too hard" so I don't think I'll be wearing that particular color again, but I'm interested in trying another one of their lip creams in a different, more neutral color.


And last, but certainly NOT LEAST is the NYX Provocateur Mascara. Boy was this a diamond in the rough. I almost just put it in the back of my make-up drawer because all mascaras are created equal right? NO. NOT RIGHT. This stuff is AMAZING. Out of every product in this bag, THIS was my FAVORITE. It's a nifty little contraption. There are two lids to unscrew. The lower lid has a big fluffy brush & application on your top lashes is a DREAM. Then you unscrew the itty bitty lid from the very top & you find a LONG skinny wand with a nice little brush at the end tailored just for your LOWER LASHES. No more mess on the bottom of your eyes. I would pay out the nose for this stuff! It is AWESOME! I need to order 10 more so I can always have it on hand. My lashes look fuller, blacker, & are NOT CLUMPY AT ALL. This is a miracle worker for sure.

So there you have it. Thank you NYX for sending me such a fun sample bag. Feel free to send me ANYTHING ANYTIME. ;-) You made my day!