Nature Box April 2015

          This is my first full sized or "Deluxe Box" from Nature Box and I am not disappointed. 

Praline Pumpkin Seeds

          These were divine, key word being "were". It is like eating crunchy pumpkin spice lattes, white girl gold. These were my number one favorite. You have to try these if you sign up. Amazing.

Tart and Tangy Fruit Medley

          This is dried cranberries which I love and dried apples. I can't handle the texture of the dried apples, they are mushy and hard at the same time. Like old gum. It tastes good but I just can not get over the texture. 

Lemon Tea Biscuits 

            These are adorable little mini cute cookies. Really yummy, lemony goodness. I am actually having these with tea as I edit an I feel so fancy, or at least I would if my hair was washed and I was not wearing sweatpants. Can't win em all.

Dark Cocoa Nom Noms 

           I got these in my trial box and loved them. Dark chocolate, rolled oats and honey. Yup. On the back it tells a little story about keeping them in your desk and that is really the perfect place for them. In the afternoon when you are tired and people are bugging you one of these makes it all better.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Figgy Bars

            These are like Fig Newtons but with Raspberry filling. They are each individually wrapped which is super handy. These were good, I was not blown away but they were Beast's favorite since I was very reluctant to share the pumpkin seeds.

Want to sign up: www.naturebox.com. For $10 off use code "sharetenoff"

My Naturebox trial

Thanks for Reading

A.

@dirty_cupcake 

Empties #4 April 2015

          This empties post is a lot of bath products and not a lot of makeup items. I have become rather obsessed with organizing, reorganizing and using up my huge stash of bath/shower products. They are just so much easier to use up than makeup. Alrighty, here we go:

          Like I said, a lot of bath products. 

Vanilla Bean Bubble Bath from Bath and Body Works

           I was not a huge fan of this scent, it just didn't smell like the usual vanilla scent. It was not unpleasant but I just found it too strong I guess. 

French Lavender Sea Salt Body Scrub by Thymes Essentials 

           I already have another in the shower, I really loved this but the last couple times I used it I noticed it's really stung my legs. If you have dry skin I would not recommend this to you. I will try another scrub once the one in my shower runs out.

I Love Raspberry and Blackberry Bubble Bath and Shower Gel

            I bought this such a long time ago from Shoppers, probably about two years ago. It smelled great, was a fine bubble bath and body wash, my only wish is that the scent would stay on my skin after leaving the shower. 

Peony Pomegranate Blush Bath Salts, The Macbeth Collection by Margaret Joesphs 

           This was one of the items in a set that was on sale at Shoppers, I did not include it in a haul because some of it went to the gift pile. The bath salts were nothing to write home about, pretty cheap really but they smelled amazing. They smelled like a sweet, floral perfume. I am sitting here smelling the empty container. 

Fruit Frappe Grapefruit with Gooseberry Exfoliating Shower Gel by Upper Canada Soap and Shea Butter and Caramel Body Polish by Nirvana Spa

          These were both good products but didn't send me offer the moon, I like my exfoliants to remove at least two layers of skin so they were just too gentle. They both smelled great and were good body washes though. 

          I also used up some hair products. 

Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Hairspray by Marc Anthony 

         I got this from Ipsy and I did like it, I found it was better for when I was wearing my hair down to keep it straight and frizz free. I know I sound like a broken record but it also smelled great. 

Precision Foam Colour in Brilliant Brunette by John Frieda 

          Does anyone else feel like there is an actual Marc Anthony and an actual John Frieda and they are in a huge hair care feud? No. Just me? Ok, moving on. This is the easiest home hair colour I have ever used, the foam is thick and there was more than enough to cover all my hair. Really easy to use, no drips and great results. 

450 Blow Out Blow Dry Spray by Sexy Hair

          Another item I got from Ipsy and I loved this. It just leaves your hair feeling soft, shiney, protected and it really seems like my hair dried faster. I think I will go online to order more because I can not find it in stores around here. I would also like to order the beach spray from the Healthy Sexy Hair line.

Rosemary Mint Cleansing Conditioner by Renpure Solutions 

           While I was using this I really enjoyed it but I have switched back to regular shampoo after Target closed and I couldn't find it anywhere else. I was having such a hard time with my hair, it was falling out more than usual, it was always limp and I couldn't do anything to it without it getting greasy and this product fixed all of that. Also if you are looking for a dupe of the Wen Cleansing Conditioner this is far cheaper, under ten bucks. I still reccomend this it just became inconvenient for me to keep using it. 

Malibu Heat Beach Waves Hair Mist from Bath and Body Works

          This was the first beach spray I tried and one of the best. I got this from BBW a few years ago but have not seen it there again. It gives beach waves without crunchiness or making my hair stiff plus it smells like coconut and pineapples. If I saw this at BBW again I would buy a couple bottles. 

          Some face/skin care products I used up, a couple of which I have been trying to use up for quite a while. 

Vitamins E, A & D Moisturizing Cream from GNC

            Go buy this. Seriously, such a good hand cream. I bought this because my hands were so dry this winter and this healed them completely. I used half the first tube before I read the directions and they suggest using it as a facial moisturizer and primer. Turns out this is the best primer I have used and you can buy three tubes for under 5 bucks. I have them everywhere, it is quite a thick formula with an almost glycerin feel to it which I do not normally like but this just makes my skin feel so good. It just feels like you are healing dry spots and doing something good for your skin. 

Mary Kay TimeWise Microdermabrasion Step One

            My office-mates mother in law used to be a Mary Kay lady and had a whole bunch of samples to hand off to us, bless her. This was one of the best things. We got this and the lotion that is Step Two. I love microdermabrasion products, it just feel so good to scrub all the gunk off your face and out of your pores. This formula was so thick and full of fine little exfoliants and fragrance free. I loved this but the collection is rather pricey and I don't want to get a Mary Kay last because that would mean talking to someone new. 

Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser from The Body Shop 

          I actually just used up a second one of these as I had two on the go for whatever reason. It really cleared up my skin but it is very drying as well so I switched to something less intense but I would reccomend this to someone having trouble controlling blemishes and oil.

Skin Genesis Skin Perfecting Toner by L'Oreal 

          I have had this for a disgusting amount of time. It didn't really do much for me. I would not repurchase. 

         I only have two makeup products that I used up and one I am tossing. 

Revlon Photoready BB Cream in Light Pale 

          This item is almost used up but I have had it so long that it has separated and won't mix back up. This was a decent BB Cream, very liquidy and not much for coverage but just sort of smoothed out my complexion. I used this when I was in Jamacia for days when we weren't in the pool all day because it had SPF 30 and I was extremely paranoid about getting sunglasses tan lines. I wouldn't repurchase as it isn't great for oily skin. 

Julep Blank Canvas Mattiying Eye Primer 

          This was an excellent eye primer, it went on smoothly and was just a light beige colour. They should really make eye primers clear so all skin colours and tones could use them eh? I mean most primers are, why not eye primers? Anywho, good product, probably expensive since it's from Julep.

Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder in Porcelain Ivory 

          I love this powder. I use it over my makeup to set my foundation, a necessary step for oily skin, but I have also used it by itself for light coverage. This is a staple in my routine, it doesn't leave my skin looking powdery or overly made up, it just glides on and smooths everything out. Love this, I have repurchased a couple times and will continue to do so. 

On an empties binge? Let me help you out: Empties #3

Thank you for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake

Haul April 2015 - Julep, Bath and Body Works, Costco, Dollar Store

          This haul is rather scattered, things I have picked up here and there and have just been too lazy to post about. I also bought a few primers to try out but that will be another post. I will link that below once it's up.

Oil of Morocca Argan Oil set by Marc Anthony. $19.99ish

          I saw this originally in a YouTube video by Ashley Elizabeth and as soon as she said this was at Costco for like 20-24 dollars I was on a mission. There is a giant shampoo with a pump, super excited about that, a conditioner and an oil treatment. I promised myself that I would not open these until I used up one set of the three shampoo and conditioner sets I have in the shower. Life determined that was a lie. I have been having issues with frizzyness and static and it is all a distant memory. I like this line so much that I bought the next item.

Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Perfect Blowdry Smoothing Cream sale $9.99

         This says it will keep your hair smooth for three days, I'm sure that is true but there is no way I could go more than a day without washing. This cream is thicker than any other blow dry cream I have tried so the first time my hair was a little greasy but since then it has made my hair smooth, soft and more manageable throughout the day. My one problem is that the pump is broken, slightly inconvenient but I just put some in a jar because I do not return things. 

Clinique Kit $29 at Shoppers

          I have declared war on my oily skin. I was looking at some of the products in the shoppers when a very helpful lady suggested the Clarifying Lotion aka toner, get over yourself Clinique. Now apparently Clinique has a rating system of one through four in regards to its skin care products. I don't know what all of them are but I am a three which as far as I gather is when your T-zone is oily but the rest of your face is "comfortable". I picked up this kit so I could try a few different products. Included is Liquid Facial Soap in the Oily Skin Formula, Clarifying Lotion 3, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel for combination oily to oily skin. On the box it says after ten days of regular use twice a day I will see the Clinique Glow, have fresher and more balanced skin. I only use it once a day since I am pretty committed to my nighttime routine but I have still noticed a difference in my skin, the oily bits are starting to balance out but I do have a couple dry spots that are persistent. I will buy the toner once I use it up, I really think I owe most of the improvement to that perticular product. I will likely purchase the the fash wash once I use up the Neutrogena I just bought. I'm less sold on the lotion but I am still glad I got it in the kit, very light weight and goes on smoothly under makeup. 

13 Cartridges of Schick Intuition razor blades $24ish maybe

          This is my favourite thing from Costco, I've never done the math to see if this is a good deal or not but I am only going to buy them like this because I just want a bunch at once. It also comes with a new handle thinger and those things get gross after a while. I also keep a spare for anytime I am forced to travel and then I can just throw it out rather than bring a wet razor back with me. I recommend this product if you are a clutz and shouldn't be trusted with blades, it is the safety scissors or razors. My life has likely been prolonged because of this wonderful product.

Dual Action Complexion Brush 

          I don't even remember where I got this, Walmart I think. I was under ten bucks and has changed my life! Such a good product, my face has never been this clean. The side you can see has little rubber nubbies that are supposed to get all the gunk out of your pores, the other side is softer, longer white bristles that really scrub your face and foam up your face wash. I have not washed my face without this since I bought it. 

        I realized I had quite a few points or "Jules" from Julep so I decided to use them and I got:

Brilliance Glycolic Hand Scrub 

         I have gotten this in Maven boxes before and really enjoy it. I have made it part of my manicure routine as well as my after the gym routine to avoid callouses from the weights. According to the box "Natural apricot seeds whisk away dirt, oil, and dead skin cells while a potent concentration of glycolic acid works to fight signs of aging." Apricot seeds are my favorite exfoliant, everyone has a has favorite exfoliant right? They are just the perfect size and do not dissolve. If you are looking for a cheaper but still super effective exfoliant the Saint Ives Apricot Scrub is my absolute favorite, very rough and the formula is really thick so you really feel like you are getting all the dead skin off. 

Crystal Nail Files 

          When you purchase something at Juelp you can pick up to three "add ons" which are just random things they offer at a cheaper price. These nail files are normally around $13 dollars if I remember correctly and I believe it was $5.99 to add these one. Why not? As my friend and occasional manicurist Melly can attest to I despise having my nails filed, absolutely hate it. I just can not stand the feeling of the file dragging across my nails, especially if it lifts up at the same time. Ew. Just can not handle it. These are a lot more gentle than most files but still effective. They are made of glass and seem like they will be really long lasting. 

Bath and Body Works

          It was pre-destined that I was to spend too much money at BBW. I was at the office on pay day and my office mate got  an email saying there was a 50% off sale on Aromatherapy. Well damn. 

 Eucalyptus Spearmint Body wash and Foam Bath from the Stress Relief line at BBW

          This product is the reason I was so excited about the sale. That bottle is $13 dollars regular price, foolish. It is my favorite body wash ever, it just smells so natural and fresh and it really does help relieve stress. This also makes a decent bubble bath, not as good their "luxury bath" but it's still my favorite way to relax, I could just huff this all day. I was going to buy two of these but then I smelled:

Jasmine Vanilla Body Wash and Foam Bath from the Sensual line at BBW

          Jasmine is a scent I have been really loving lately and Beast was encouraging me to buy from this line haha. Seriously though it really does have a sexy scent. I am a big fan, I use this when I want more of a feminine scent. 

Lavender Chamomile Pillow Mist from the Sleep line at BBW

           I do not know how I have been able to sleep before this magical elixir came into my life. Since I am still crushing on all things lavender scented I snatched this up. Amazing. I just love this, it is so relaxing and just makes me let go of any worries I take to bed with me right away. I will buy this in bulk when it goes on sale.

Foaming Hand Soaps 26 for $0.78 (or something like that)

          You just can not go to a BBW sale without leaving with more hand soap than you need. I picked up Sunshine and Lemons for the kitchen as kitchens should smell like lemons, Hawaiian Pink Hibiscus, Honolulu Sun which smells just like the resort in Jamacia i went to and Island White Pineapple. I really like these soaps, I prefer foam soaps but the gelly exfoliating ones are also lovely. 

Travel/Trial Size Nourishing Hand Cream in Hawaiian Pink Hibiscus and Maui Mango Mai Tai

          Now these I had no intention of buying but when Beast Grabbed a bag I guess these were in it. Oh well, I might use them but for now they are in the gift pile in my closet. They do smell amazing but I am just not a huge fan of the lotions from BBW  they just do not moisturize as much as I would like and I find they do not absorb well.

Can't get enough of me? Check this out:

HUGE Drugstore Haul

Primer Showdown

Thanks for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake

Nature Box Snack Box Subscription - Trial Box

           I got the trial box after watching a video on YouTube by Julien Solomita and using a coupon code he left in the description. I can't remember what the code was so now you have to go check him out and look for the code. He is really funny and dating Jenna Marbles so there is some of her crazy on there too. It will give you a trial box for just the cost of shipping. 

          Nature Box is all about snacking on healthier options with more natural ingredients. The Deluxe Box is $19.95USD a month for five full sized snacks. You get to pick your snacks by going online and selecting items to put in your "pantry". There are over 100 different snacks of all kinds to try. 

Let's take a look at the trial box:

          In the trial version they send you their top 5 best sellers, one of which is full sized. The packaging is really cute and it comes with a little card explaining how the subscription works and photos of different snacks.

Jalapeño Cashews 

           I am not normally a fan of this type of snack, I have only just begun to eat peppers. These are so good! I find a lot of flavored nut products have a thick coating that just tastes like it was made in a lab and gets all over your fingers but these just have a light coating but with lots of flavour. These taste exactly like cashews and peppers. The ingredients are for the most part all natural and the one ingredient that have a chemically name also has an explanation as to what it does. 

Parmesan Garlic Pop Pops 

           Amazing, they are like bits of popcorn but not all the way popped so they are still crunchy. I would say they are more garlic than parmesan. I will be adding these to my pantry so I can get a full sized bag. 

Garden Tomato Crunchies

           These tomato-flavoured almonds were my favorite snack for the box, they just tasted so natural and delicious. They didn't have a thick coating but still had lots of flavour. I want these in every box. 

Cranberry Medley

          This one did not rock my world but it was good. There were pomegranate and açai flavoured dried cranberries with blueberries. Tasty but the blueberries were kind of hard just because they were so small after they dried. I would eat it again but won't be rushing to put it in my pantry. 

          I was not going to continue this subscription just because by the time it gets to me in Canada it is like $30 bucks but the snacks were so good and Beast was really impressed so he offered to pay half. I am so behind in posting this that I have already received my first monthly box so stay tuned for that. 

        Want to try it out: www.naturebox.com   And for $10 off use code "share10off"

Thanks for reading!

A. 

@dirty_cupcake

  

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Collection Review April 2015

          I got these little samples in the mail, I'm not sure what I signed up for to get these but it made my damn day. I love trying all kinds of new hair products and am always interested in more volume. This collection is supposed to transform fine, flat hair into salon-caliber, natural-looking volume. Included in the package was a Touchably Full for colour treated hair shampoo, conditioner and in shower treatment. I will give you the product descriptions and what each item is supposed to do and then I will give a little review. 

Shampoo - touchably full for colour treated hair.  The shampoo is formulated with a "special volume polymer" adds space between hair strands. The end result is a boosted volume with increased stylability (that is just not a word) and touchably soft, natural-looking fullness. 

Conditioner - formulated with a light-weight volumizing wax that detangles while adding flexible firmness (flexible firmness? The hell does that even mean? Al dente?)

In-shower Treatment - after shampooing and  conditioning squeeze excess water from hair and saturate, leave in for 3-5 minutes. This is a semi permanent treatment with volume boosting polymers that penetrate hair to thicken individual fibers to increase the texture and fullness of strands and adds grip while creating wash resistant volume.

        I had a hard time deciding if I liked this collection or not. At first my hair really felt like it had a lot more volume but after blow drying my hair felt like al dente pasta, just thick and hard. It was impossible to style, kept tangling and just felt gross without any discernible difference in volume. After washing with my regular shampoo the next day I did notice my hair had a little more volume than normal but nothing amazing. I would not purchase anything from this collection but I could see it working for someone else.

Thanks for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake

Ipsy April 2015

          This months theme was Beautifully Bohemian, I was really excited about the theme because I was hoping it would be a cute bag and I was so right. It is a woven hemp and  colored paper; probably my favorite bag that I have ever gotten. Once I saw the contents I was not over the moon about this month still happy with my products.

JulieG Nail Color in Damsel (mid-tone pink creme) Full size $3.99USD

         I am never excited to get nail polish, I just prefer gel polish. I did try this out and it covers pretty well with only one coat. I like the colour but I am pretty sure I have a very similar colour from Essie. A good product, just not one I am super excited about.

NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single by theBalm Cosmetics 0.035oz approx. $3.00

         I received the shade "Flirty" that is described as a "shimmering golden violet" and is the first swatch below. A beautiful colour that is not helping my efforts to use up my single and sample eyeshadows. I will use this with my Naked 3 palette and it will be magical.

The Olive Lip Balm by Olive Natural Beauty in Oats and Honey $5.95

          You can not have enough lip balms and I love finding lip balms with natural ingredients. I was expecting it to be thick since it was described as being so moisturizing but you barely feel it going on until you realize it is working. I am glad to have this and it goes great under lipstick or gloss.

Eye Primer by Mica Beauty 4oz $12.48

Full size 14.4oz $44.95

          

          At first I did not care for this product at all because I had just bought a kit that came with a Smashbox eye primer but that one sucked and I gave it to my sister. I hope to get a long overdue haul video up soon and I will link that below once I stop being so lazy. Anyway, this product looks like it will really have some staying power, it is rather thick. I am also going to try it out as a concealer, it has the right consistency to cover the worst blemishes. 

        There has been some drama over this product, some people are saying theirs had mold in it. Mine just had air bubbles and any photos I have seen have clearly been air bubbles. I was impressed because ipsy reached out through email about this. I told them my sample was fine and that I was glad the product had passed all the tests according to the manufacturer. They are still sending me a replacement product even though there is no issue with mine whatsoever and I think that is going above and beyond.

KCO Colors Lipstick in Natural Born Beauty Full Size $8.00

         The photos do not do the colour justice. It is only slightly darker than my natural lip colour so it is a my lips but better kind if look. It goes on smoothly and seems to wear well. I will use this for days I have heavy eye makeup and don't want to go balls to the wall. 

Swatches for eyeshadow, lipstick and eye primer

Sign up for ipsy with my referral link: https://www.ipsy.com/r/1hni

Ipsy March 2015

Thanks for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake to keep up to date on every post