Mani Monday Deborah Lippmann Space Oddity Trio

My love affair for Deborah Lippmann nail polishes began last year with the color Candy Shop which may as well be a cupcake in a bottle. It's wonderful. So imagine my delight when I popped into Sephora to find a Deborah Lippmann trio on sale! Originally $29 it was on sale for $13.99. These are just about half size (8mL versus the usual 15mL.) The trio is called Space Oddity and contains the colors When Lightning Strikes (silver polish with gold micro glitter and white glitter),  Planet Rock (a violet grey crème), and Baby I'm A Star (champagne gold with gold micro glitter and pink glitter.)

These colors are all gorgeous, but I chose Planet Rock to try out first. It has great opaque coverage in two coats. It's a moody neutral that is quite chic.  I can't wait to try out the other two.

What's on your nails this week?

Sample Sunday: Fresh, Stila and Bite

Here in New England it seems like Spring is desperately fighting to come through. So my first sample today was chosen to try to bring a little bright freshness and ward away winter. I chose the fragrance Sugar Lemon by Fresh since citrus always reminds me of warmer days. I'll be completely honest with you, the initial impression I got was lemon scented cleaner, not quite lemon pledge, but in that neighborhood. But I gave the fragrance a little time to open up and it turned into a lightly sweet lemon scent, reminiscent of a lemon tree on a warm day, not like lemonade. It's a very light fragrance and smells very clean and is great if you just want a hint of fragrance.

Next up I chose Stila CC Cream in the shade Light (since they don't make Casper.) I've had a hard time with some of the double letter products, i.e. BB, CC, and DD creams since often they are too dark for me, even though most people complain they don't come in dark enough shades. It's hard being this white sometimes. Initially I was surprised because it comes out of the tube a slightly grey shade and I thought it was going to be pasty looking and unnatural, but as soon as I swiped it with my finger the color transformed.  It has a really lightweight texture and feels like nothing is on. It did help to even out my skin, but wasn't able to give me as much coverage as I was hoping for on the under eye area and some small blemishes. I did try to apply a little more since it is a buildable coverage and that a helped a little, but I would still use a small amount of concealer on those areas. Overall though a good CC cream that matched my skin very well (shocking really) and would be great for days when I don’t want to be bare faced, but am feeling too lazy for full makeup.

Not a huge difference on camera, but I noticed some improvement in person.

Last but not least on today's lineup is Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Musk. The only thing I did to prepare my lips was a lip scrub. This lipstick has a really beautiful texture. It is very creamy and feels hydrating on the lips which is often difficult in a lipstick. The coverage is opaque and even. This color was very close to my natural lip color however, but I actually really like that. It looked in the tube like it might be a little darker as you'll see in the photos. I really like this color for day to day.

New Feature: Sample Sunday

I love samples. I think they are just great, especially in the beauty world. Fragrances and cosmetics are very personal and should be tried on to see if they are a good fit for you. I worked in fragrances for about 3 years and had hundreds of clients who I had try on a fragrance before buying one willy nilly. It is so crucial since what a fragrance smells like on a blotter card or what a foundation looks like on the back of your hand can be so different from what it wears like on you. Cosmetics can be expensive so you really want to make sure you are making a good investment. For this reason I get samples as often as I can. I can try out so many products to see if I love them before taking the plunge. Sephora always offers 3 samples with your online order and many cosmetic companies will throw a few in with your order as well.  Add to this the variety of sampler bags that Sephora and Ulta so often have and a girl can wind up with a whole lotta samples.

I actually have a shoebox sized storage tote overflowing with samples at the moment. This helps to keep all my samples in one place and avoid losing them. Since I have so many I've decided that from now on every Sunday until the basket is empty, if that ever happens (not likely), will be Sample Sunday where I will test out up to 3 samples and then let you know what I think of them. This will help me to get through them and help you to make informed buying decisions, although I still recommend you trying them too!

 Pictured: SOOOO many samples

theBalm on Hautelook

As we all know by now, I love Hautelook. They have awesome deals and if it's the first time you're trying something it's always good to get a deal. I've scoped out theBalm before and I love their packaging. It's cheeky and fun and they seem like great products. There are some really awesome deals going on right now and I highly recommend checking it out.







My top pick to try is the Nude'tude Eye Shadow Palette for $18. At half off you get 12 gorgeous nude and neutral shades with a good range.

I've spotted this palette before and it is just too cute and so cheeky. I love the pin ups!

Images courtesy of Hautelook and theBalm

If you're looking for more matte shades then Meet Matt(e)! This palette is 9 shades with a little more range, but still fairly neutral and with a matte finish.

 If you're looking for a little more color then check out the Balm Voyage palette with 16 eye shadows in a range of neutrals with some pops of color in pinks, blues and purples. There are also 3 lip or cheek colors with a fun pop of coral and pink.

Too Faced 70% off Sale!

I have been dying to try a lot of Too Faced products and this is the perfect time! Right now there is a sale for up to 70% off including some of their awesome holiday palettes and gift sets.

image courtesy of Too Faced Cosmetics

As soon as my order comes in I'll do a haul post and review. Comment down below which products you're getting or have tried.

Some of the best deals include the All I Want for Christmas set at $25 which includes a full size Shadow Insurance which retails for $20 by itself. You'll also get free shipping over $50.

Sale ends 3/12/14 so hurry over to Too Faced and snag some deals!

Guest Post: Graze Box Review

I've been seeing Graze box around lately and I was so pleased to see that my friend Mason had tried it out. A big thank you to him for writing my first guest review! He's also got a coupon code for you to try out Graze for free!

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 It’s no secret that subscription boxes are nifty little parcels that will certainly turn your Mondays into ‘Fundays,’ from toiletries and bath bombs to novelties and fashion. I haven’t considered signing up for these frequent packages until recently, when I discovered an organic snack box from a little company based in New Jersey called Graze.

Graze was founded by a few friends who’d grown tired of crisps and candy who wanted a healthier way to snack; fast forward a few years and those friends had crafted over ninety delicious snacks for your consumption. With snacks that not only use the freshest of ingredients, but are portion controlled, nutritious and if needed, vegan, celiac and lactose friendly, you’re guaranteed to find something you love amongst the library of fruits, seeds and nuts, savouries and sweets.

I originally signed up after seeing an advertisement from their Facebook page that caught my interest; with so much going on in my life within the past weeks, I’d completely forgotten about it until my first graze box arrived in the mail today; the wonderful thing about the box aside from its completely environmentally friendly and biodegradable compound is that it fits right into standard mailboxes. With my graze box came a nifty little pamphlet made of recyclable paper welcoming me and giving me a little insight to my first box. On the reverse side of the pamphlet were the individual nutritional facts for the snacks I’d received specifically within the box. Each snack also comes vacuum-sealed to ensure quality and absolute freshness!

With my first box, I received ‘walnut and vanilla truffle’ which contains walnuts, fudge pieces, sultana raisins and vanilla infused pumpkin seeds. Next to this was ‘cracking black pepper cashews’ which contains black pepper cashews, roasted unsalted cashews and redskin peanuts. Third was the savoury ‘my thai’ which contains baked soy bites with a sweet chilli sauce which in comparison tastes like a milder shrimp cocktail sauce. Lastly and most deliciously of the box, in my opinion, were the ‘apple and cinnamon flapjacks’ which are rustic, rolled oat flapjacks with apples and cinnamon. Similar to oat and cereal bars, these flapjacks were moist and scrumptious and came as a trio.

After receiving your first box, you’re able and encouraged to log on to Graze.com and rate your snacks; these ratings will help improve the consistency or lack thereof (depending on your rating) of their presence in future boxes. Your ratings will range from Love to Like to Try and to Trash; a love rating will frequent the snack while the like rating will have it sent occasionally. Try is primarily for items you’ve not yet received that would be appreciated, while trash is for items you’d prefer not to receive again due to perhaps an allergy or a general dislike. No hard feelings! To start, all four items I’d received in my box earned a delightful love and I would not mind seeing these friendly faces in the future, especially those tantalising flapjacks, which to my pleasure, come in a variety of flavours.

With a subscription to Graze, members are able to determine the frequency of their graze boxes; you can be a part of the ‘tasting club’ with a new box due to arrive bi-weekly or an occasional grazer and have a box sent once a month. In between, you may rush or postpone your boxes as early as weekly to as late as months, in case you’re low on funds or have other commitments. You may also cancel and resume future deliveries at any time with no charge or penalty.

The entirety of the content of your graze boxes are not only made of recyclable material but are 100% environmentally friendly and biodegradable; after your box has been emptied, keep it for a wonderful craft idea, some light storage or feel free to toss the components into your appropriate recycling compartments.

In addition, grazers are given ‘friend codes’ which are able to be shared limitlessly and every time someone signs up using your friend code, they get their first and fifth boxes absolutely free and you get a credit of $1 (one dollar) per person signed up using your code. That credit can be put toward future boxes or even donated to the give-back program in Uganda. Graze’s give-back program teaches the community how to grow, maintain and harvest fruit from their own orchards. It also provides graduates a sustainable source of income, whereas they’re given the means to grow food for themselves, their families and to sell at local markets.

Now, I know you’re wondering how much a subscription to Graze will cost you. I’m pleased to inform you that it barely costs you anything! Your subscription would be $6 per box and like I said previously, they can be as frequent or as infrequent as you want and can be cancelled at any time with zero recourse or penalty!

If you’re still skeptical, then mosey on down to Graze.com and sign up using my friend code: MASONS7NB to get your first (and fifth, should you choose to continue) box for free and give it a try today. I firmly believe you will not be disappointed.

Graze is an innovative, delicious and nutritious new way to snack that’s not only perfectly portioned, but completely guilt-free as well. With a company that’s so intent on providing quality, healthy snacks at reasonable prices, in environmentally friendly packaging and gives back to the community, there’s no going wrong when becoming a grazer.

March 2014 Julep Maven Box

This month's Julep Maven Box was the Riviera Collection with warm and tropical hues to thaw us out of this frozen Winter. My Bombshell Box had two gorgeous polishes and a great lipgloss, plus candy like Julep often does.

This month's gorgeous colors are both rich cremes. Monaco is a richly bright, deep blue with very slight purple undertones. Lilou is a light pastel egg yolk yellow. It is very similar to Bea from a previous month. I think these two would be very pretty marbled. I'm only a little disappointed to receive such a similar color, especially since I barely wear yellows. It's still a very pretty addition to my collection.

 And now for this gorgeous gloss. I was originally a little nervous to be getting a gloss this month. So many glosses promise to be smooth and not sticky and yet all you get is goo.

The color I received was Awestruck. It's a lovely slightly mauve pink and is very flattering. I think it could work on many skin tones especially since it is a little on the sheer side.

What I'm really in love with though is the texture. This gloss goes on smoothly and stays gorgeous. My lips felt soft and smooth and not sticky at all. I was shocked to be honest. It has a superfine glitter that comes off more as a sheen and not sparkly. They've also added their hydrating, anti aging Power Cell Complex. You can get 25% off the glosses through March 31st using code: GLOSS25.

Sign up for your box today!