Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Glossybox gold holiday box and la prairie box

Loved both. Would jump on any and every limited edition glossybox in the future. The la prairie box was especially noteworthy at only $40 for a travel size set. Total for these full sizes is $905! The new cellular swiss ice crystal cream was rich and very long lasting. The dry oil was also very moisturizing but for me oils dont absorb as quickly as i would like before applying my makeup so it is less useful to me. Still unbelievable value!

Saturday, March 22, 2014

March alex and ani glossybox US

This glossybox was a great one. This is the last month in my first yearly subscription and I know I have to renew now! It included one of Alex and Ani's new Scent 7 products. I got the soap bar which would have not been my choice since I don't use bars so it might get given away. The scent is not described well on their site but on the packaging it is described as warm spice with sweet floral overtones. To me, it is a pretty strong patchouli/incense scent like Tom Ford's Black Orchid but more hippie-ish. An Alex and Ani bangle was an added bonus with the swan charm.

There was also Alterna Bamboo plumping strand expand which I found to give some slight volume with some shine which by the end of the day looked a little greasy. I prefer messy textured volume like that from Bumble and bumble surf spray but others might like that this doesn't make hair appear dry and smooths flyaways.

The Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask which boasts instant youth smoothing plumping and brightening was very luxurious and pretty effective. It says to wipe off excess after 15 min but my skin had soaked all of it up by then. I guess that means my skin is in need of some heavy moisturizer. It has a slight tightening feeling and fills up very fine lines but doesn't have a super dramatic effect.

The Etre Belle liplift peel was a surprise hit from a German company I've never heard of before. It comes in a lip gloss-like tube which is convenient when most lip scrubs come in little jars. It claims to use hyaluronic spheres to smooth, volumize and reduce fine lines on lips. It definitely adds volume. After rubbing in a small amount on lips they feel much fatter. The effect doesn't last for more than an hour or so but I think regular use could really make a difference. It doesn't have the stinging tingle of plumping glosses either. I would really consider keeping this as a staple item in my skincare routine.

The Nails Inc polish is a pretty poppy coraly pink called brook st. It's not super opaque so 3 thick coats were needed. Still, its a happy spring color and Nails Inc has a pretty long wearing formula. Overall A+