Posts Tagged ‘lip balm’

Ipsy November 2013: Glam It Up

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
20 November 2013
0

I’m pretty pleased with the Ipsy bag this time around, partly because there’s an extra beyond the usual 5! I do think IpsyMatch could have matched me up with something I’d love a lot more, but I’m getting more open to trying some products I don’t usually use.

Ipsy is $10 per glam bag and comes with 5 or so beauty/skincare products. Bags are sent monthly with no option to skip. There’s usually a waitlist to get the subscription. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free products.

ipsy november 2013 bag items with card including nailtini lacquer in champagne, pixi beauty bronzer in summertime, cailyn mineral eyeshadow in champagne, em michelle phan pillow plush lip balm in strawberry, be a bombshell lip crayon in hot da*n, and starlooks gem pencil in amethyst

collage of em michelle phan cosmetics info card front and back from ipsy november 2013 bag

The Nailtini Lacquer in Champagne looks kind of dark at first, but it applies in a lovely shade that is really subtle and nice. It’s perfect for work when I don’t want to draw attention to my nails but I want them to have some color. It goes well with my skin tone and blends in quite well yet offers a nice sheen to my nails. I like it a lot and I’ll definitely be using it a lot throughout the holiday season!

I’m still debating whether I should open the Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Summertime…I’ve never used bronzer and I don’t want to keep adding to my routine. At the same time, I’m kind of curious how it would look and if I’d like it. I guess since I already have it I might as well try it right? Not like I’d buy one for myself. But I don’t know about adding yet another thing to put on my face – wasn’t the point of BB cream supposed to be that I wouldn’t use all this? I’m still searching for the perfect all-in-one product for that.

I really like the presentation of the Cailyn Mineral Eyeshadow in Champagne, what with its cute sponge tip and loos powder consistency. I gave this a try and while I don’t like wearing eyeshadow, I do like having something like this to put on my skin for a bit of a golden sparkle. It’s really more of a novelty item for me and not something I’d put on the way it was meant to be. I’m enjoying playing around with this and just being silly with it.

Everyone got a bonus item from the em michelle phan line of cosmetics and I got the pillow plush cushiony lip balm in strawberry – perfect! Out of all the products, this would probably be the most fitting for me. I love the subtle strawberry scent and the nice rich texture. It applies well, has a bit of a red tint, and feels nice. The packaging is cute though I think it would have been cool if the lid had a mirror instead of the white background so you can get a glimpse of your lips with it.

The be a bombshell lip crayon in hot dang* is a fun bright red! I never go for something so vibrant and prefer much more neutral colors that blend in with my skin tone better, but I decided to have some fun with this. I don’t know if I’ll ever wear it out since red lips attract too much attention to that area for my liking, but hey now I have just the right thing to apply if I ever need to make a perfect red lip print on something! It’s really smooth and easy to glide on to your lips.

Finally, there’s the Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in Amethyst. I’m tempted to open it since I love purple, but I really don’t see myself using it. Apparently it can be an eyeliner or eyeshadow. I can see myself trying it for kicks but not actually using it when I go out. Ah, dilemmas. So far I haven’t opened any of the Starlooks items that have come in Ipsy bags so maybe it’s time to try one. I mean, how could I resist amethyst??? One of my favorite gemstones and words…

This might be the second time that I won’t be trading anything from my bag! Would you keep all these items? What did you get in your bag? Sign up for Ipsy if you like what you see!

 

*Yes I changed this word because I don’t curse. I don’t care if it’s the name or not. 😛

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this bag and wanted to share what I got!]

June Favorites 2013

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
24 July 2013
0

I’ve been meaning to put together my June favorites for quite some time, but I kept putting it off because I wanted to try creating a cool professional-looking collage with Polyvore. Alas, many of the items didn’t come with pictures or had ones I didn’t like, so I decided to just make my own collage with Picasa. I can always try again next month, right? So anyway, here are some of the things that I really loved using/doing throughout the month of June.

collage of june 2013 favorites including nyc new york color glossy lip balm, trade/swap, spring sing tank top, juice beauty lip gloss and hydrating mist, seabuck wonders facial cleanser and cream, cat it senses feeding maze and play circuit, and graze snack container

1. NYC New York Color Glossy Lip Balm – This came in my Influenster Spring VoxBox and I’ve been using it frequently! I love the light apple scent, the slanted design, and the cute apple design creating a two-toned lip balm. It’s my go-to lip product now and I’ll definitely look out for another one when I finish this one. I’ll probably go for a slightly more subtle color though, since every time I put this on, Panda can tell and I don’t want it to be that obvious!

2. swaps/trades – My newest addiction, thanks to Ipsy, is trading or swapping products. It all started when I decided to subscribe to Ipsy, but found that they sent me my least favorite color nail polish. In the hopes of trading it for the purple one I so desired, I began to explore trade forums and groups. I also had a ton of things from other subscription boxes as well as items I’ve accumulated that I didn’t plan on using, so I decided to create a trade list. Now I’ve done over a dozen swaps and I’m loving all the products I get to try!

3. Spring Sing tank top – When I heard that there was going to be Spring Sing apparel, I got pretty excited. I’m a sucker for anything branded with UCLA-related stuff (<3 my alma mater!) and I didn’t have a Spring Sing item. Then I saw it and fell in love even more! I love the design and that it’s a tank top. It didn’t look so great on the racks, but gosh once you put it on it’s perfect! I just had to get it when I was at UCLA for Alumni Day and I have been wearing it all the time. It’s exactly what I needed for lounging around on the hot summer days. I hope they keep making more designs each year so I can start up a collection. 😉

4. Juice Beauty lip gloss & hydrating mist – I believe it was through subscription box bloggers that I first learned about Juice Beauty. Something about the brand caught my eye and they quickly made it on to my wishlist. When I found out that Juice Beauty lip gloss was being offered in the May Ipsy bag, I really hoped I would get it! Unfortunately that didn’t happen, but I did manage to get it in a trade. It smells wonderful and goes on well. It’s not too gooey and just the right amount of glossy. Then there’s the hydrating mist, which I thought would be nice to have whenever my skin needed a little freshening boost. There’s something very relaxing about spraying yourself (particularly your face) with a gentle, soothing mist.

5. SeabuckWonders facial cleanser & cream – I won these from a blogger’s giveaway and I’m really glad I got to try them! I love a nice scrub and you need so little of this one to cleanse your face that this will last me a long time. I’m also fascinated by design and the spout of the facial cream is so cool! I love the way it pumps out the cream and you barely need to press it to get plenty for your entire face. I was already obsessed with sea buckthorn products and this has just fueled the interest.

6. & 7. Cat It Design Senses feeding maze & play circuit – Once I got my Amazon gift card for participating in a focus group, I immediately ordered these two cat toys for my furries. The feeding maze is fun because it makes your cat work for their dry food and you can change the difficulty to help control portions. Unfortunately it seems that their overall laziness is not enough to overcome their hunger so they stopped using it after a few days. The play circuit can be assembled into a circle or other squiggly shapes and Missy has really enjoyed playing with it. It’s nice for her to have something to be active with indoors so hopefully she doesn’t go out as much.

8. reusing Graze containers – For a long time, I’ve needed something I could place tea bags on (or in) in between steeps. Once I started getting Graze boxes, I found that they made the perfect little container! I could place my tea bag there without worrying about it staining something, drink my cup of tea, then reuse the bag for more steeps! It was just the right size to hold the tea bag without being too large. Then I started to use some of them for my solid shampoo and conditioner bars, as well as soaps. Once my bars start breaking into little pieces, I keep them all in a Graze container so they don’t go to waste. I love it!

So those are some of the things I’ve enjoyed most in June. Stay tuned for a new July list once the month is over! Have you tried any of my favorites too? What would your June list consist of?

Yuzen November 2012 edition

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
08 June 2013
1

Let’s go back in time to the fall, when I got this AMAZING smelling Yuzen box.

Yuzen is $26 per month and comes with around 5 or 6 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. Sometimes there’s a waitlist to get the subscription. They do not offer a referral program.

*Disclosure: As a super fan, I was invited to be the Yuzen Ambassador to help them spread the word about their brand. Starting with the October box, I began to receive them for free. I was not compensated otherwise and all opinions are my own, irregardless of my relation to Yuzen. I just happen to think they’re awesome (as does everyone else I’ve heard from). :)

collage of unwrapping of november 2012 yuzen box

The conversion to organza bags instead of shredded paper is official. Looks great!

Click on the pictures for the full sizes so you can enjoy all the details of each product!  You can even zoom in to read all the messaging.

collage of shea radiance kalahari melon whipped shea butter included in the november 2012 yuzen boxShea Radiance – Kalahari Melon Whipped Shea Butter: The first thing that I pulled out was this tub of very thick whipped shea butter. I liked the idea and the texture, but I am not a fan of the smell. For some reason the smell of shea butter doesn’t appeal to me, though I love the product. I can’t quick pick out the melon scent, or possibly I’m mistaking it for the shea’s natural scent. The butter is also not as soft as I expected – it’s actually pretty solid, though it is fluffy. I’m going to pass this on to someone else to use because I think it’s a good product.

collage of zents bath salts in mandarin and earth included in the november 2012 yuzen boxZents – Mandarin & Earth bath salts: As soon as I could get these out of the bag, I reached for them! They smell fabulous! I didn’t even want to use them at first because I loved getting a whiff of them just by putting them in the room. It was a great way to scent my room and promote a relaxing atmosphere. When I finally did get around to using them, I was enjoying the aroma so much I hardly even paid attention to how it made my skin feel. It was definitely a very pleasant experience to bathe with these salts and I actually liked the combination of their scents a lot so I mixed them. There’s a sweetness and earthiness that make a lovely blend.

collage of savane protective moisturizer with baobab, manketti, and yangu included in the november 2012 yuzen boxSavane Organic Skincare – Protective Moisturizer: This is a brown-colored lotion that is more runny than most I’m used to. It comes come in an elegant stainless steel bottle and incorporates exotic ingredients I haven’t heard much of, like baobab, manketti, and yangu. It has a scent I can’t quite place that is very unique. It goes on smooth and doesn’t leave any greasy residue and the small bottle and pump are great for putting on your desk, keeping in the car, or even in your bag if you are careful the pump doesn’t get pushed.

collage of keeki lip shimmer balm in ooh lala included in the november 2012 yuzen boxKeeki Pure & Simple – Ooh La La Organic Lip Shimmer Stick: What a cute little lip shimmer! It’s a fun oval shape, which I’ve never seen before and I’m a sucker for unique packaging. It reminds me a lot of the Burt’s Bees lip shimmers – almost the same color and “shimmeriness” to it. There’s even a hint of minty freshness as well. It goes on well and is very smooth. I’ve been using it a lot whenever I need a lip balm or want to spruce up my lips.

simple squares cinnamon clove whole food snack bar included in the november 2012 yuzen boxSimple Squares – Cinnamon Clove Whole Food Snack Bar: I ate this up so fast I forgot to take pictures of the actual bar! That’s a good sign for its taste. It has a chunky sort of texture so when you bit in it wasn’t just some mushy bar. I liked that, as well as the flavor. Great little snack to have whenever you need a sweet boost that won’t leave you thirsty. I would get more if I ever ran into them.

collage of gaiam tv free trial offer info card included in the november 2012 yuzen boxGaiam TV – Free Trial Offer & Info Card: Gaiam TV (.com) provides all kinds of streaming videos to promote wellness, whether it’s exercising, eating well, meditating, or taking supplements. It’s a great place to find videos to inspire, motivate, guide, and teach anyone who wants to live healthier. I actually haven’t tried this trial, but I had tried a different one previously and if I watched TV I might get it, but I just wouldn’t use this site fully.

Another great box that provided a diverse selection of products! I love how everything had a warm feeling and really set the mood for the fall.

Blissmobox: Fair Trade Favorites II

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
19 April 2013
0

Another belated review, but Blissmo sometimes offers old boxes up so hopefully this will come in useful! The options were Pantry Picks, Fair Trade Favorites II, or Skin ‘n’ Hair Care (which I had gotten in a previous month).

blissmobox is just under $25 per month with shipping (or as discounted as just under $120 for 6 months) and comes with eco-friendly products in themes like beauty, snacks, home, pets, and more. Each month you choose from two or three themes, or skip if none of them appeal to you. They do not offer a referral program.

the choices for september's blissmobox: pantry picks, fair trade favorites ii, or skin 'n' hair care

The three choices for the September blissmobox.

This was my September 2012 box and I chose the Fair Trade Favorites option since their original Fair Trade box seemed to have been well-received, plus I totally wanted to discover more Fair Trade products!

collage of september fair trade favorites ii blissmobox contents including green mountain coffee, eli's earth bar, hand in hand soap, two larabars, ecolips lip balm, and akoma shea butter

collage of hand in hand soap orange blossom soap barHand in Hand shea butter soap, Orange Blossom – I thought this was totally adorable and amazing! The packaging is really nice and I’d never heard of shea butter soap before, so that was intriguing. These are made in Vermont from vegetable-based ingredients – they’re biodegradable and cruelty-free! This is one of those brands that gives a product each time one is sold (like Tom’s shoes or other similar buy a soap give a soap brands). The orange blossom scent sounded amazing, but I found that it was too light for my liking. It almost felt like a scentless soap, so this is being used in the kitchen since I like fresher smells when washing my hands there.

collage of eli's earth bars dream big barEli’s Earth bars, Dream Big – This lovely bar was just fasntastic. Yummy, yummy! I gobbled it right up and wanted more, which is funny because I’m not really a fan of peanuts or peanut butter. Yet, the way they made this was very tasty without being overly “peanuty” so it’s an excellent treat to have in lieu of Snickers/Milky Way/Mars Bars sort of junk food. Plus, they support children in need and who doesn’t want to help children?

collage of akoma skincare shea million soft shea butterAkoma Skincare raw shea butter, Shea Million – I was pretty excited when I saw this. I hear shea butter and I think all kinds of wonderful things. However, since this is a raw shea butter with no scent, I got to really smell shea and I found I don’t really like it. I love how it melts with your body heat, which is pretty fun. I’m saving this to either gift to someone or use for when my hands need some extra loving.

collage of green mountain coffee signature vermont country blendGreen Mountain Coffee grinds, Signature Vermont Country Blend – I personally do not drink coffee, but I was still glad to see this because my future brother-in-law is pretty obsessed and I knew he could appreciate a nice blend. I gave it to him for his birthday and heard back not long after that it was very tasty! If his discerning taste buds give the stamp of approval, I’m sure most coffee-lovers out there would enjoy it too.

collage of ecolips hemp lip balm vanillaEcoLips Organic Hemp lip balm, Vanilla – I’ve gotta say, I’m not sure how I feel about hemp. In middle school it was like a buzz word for drugs or something, but then by college I saw getting those hemp bracelets without qualms. Why is there a bit of a negative connotation around that word? I mean hemp itself isn’t anything bad, right? I was a little hesitant to try this since I didn’t want to numb my lips or something (no idea why I would think that). It’s really just like any other lip balm though, with a nice sweet vanilla scent and it glides on quite well.

collage of larabar chocolate chip brownie & chocolate chip cookie dough barsLÄRABAR fruit & nut bar, Chocolate Chip Brownie & Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough – Oh my, these are dense! I thought the small size would not be enough, but just one piece and I was feeling full. They sure to pack it in there! Both flavors were quite good and if I worked out, I’d totally be stocking up on these to eat after a workout. For now my life is too sedentary to need a “power bar” sort of thing like this.

If you’d like more info on these brands, you can click below to enlarge the photo and read more.
blissmobox fair trade favorites info sheet

365great Day 28: eos

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , , , , , , ,
11 April 2013
1

Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 28: eosWho said lip balm had to come in stick or tub form? Oh no, it can be much cuter. I can’t remember the first time I found out about eos (aka evolution of smooth), but somehow I signed up for their newsletter and followed them on Facebook. I kept seeing updates of this and that celebrity posing with their lip balms (and loved seeing my adolescent fav, Lance Bass with one). When they announced their shave creams, I was intrigued and went to try some. I loved it!

At some point I acquired a strawberry lip balm and carried it in my purse at all times. The cute little egg shape made me smile every time and the all-natural formulation was definitely important to me. Then one day, they emailed about their Alice in Wonderland set and I was sold. My all-time favorite fruits & flavors are blueberry and watermelon, which this trio had, along with a vanilla flavor. I went out the next day to find them at Target! I’ve even been selling them on eBay, mostly to international buyers. They’re a hit all around the world! A lip balm that’s 100% natural and adorable? Now that’s great!

 

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