My First Apothica Experience (and Haul!)

I was given a gift card to shop on Apothica.com about a month ago and can't believe it's taken me this long to order something!!!  Seriously, where are my priorities, right?  Let me begin first by saying that placing the order took me FOREVER because I couldn't decide exactly what I wanted.  Honestly, the website contains so many different products and brands that even I was overwhelmed (in a good way).  After careful consideration, I purchased: Badger Headache Soother, Badger Classic Lip Gift Set, Fake Bake TANtalizing Self-Tanning Butter, CARGO Lumieres du Monde Eyeshadow Kit, CARGO Eye Shimmer Collection and Stila Cosmetics E! Live from the Red Carpet Eye Shadow Palette.  (And the total on all these goodies only came to $92.90 INCLUDING shipping....)

Badger Headache Soother

Back in the day, I used to have a roll-on (magnetic ball roller) headache soother that worked WONDERS and then the product was discontinued.  Since that day, I've been hunting for the perfect replacement.  I wish I could say that this one is perfect and banishes your headache in a jiffy, but it doesn't.  However, it does contain natural aromatherapy ingredients such as Lavender, Eucalyptus and Peppermint, all of which promote calmness and refreshing feelings in the mind and body.  I've used this many times since purchasing and, though my headache doesn't disappear, it does help the pain go away.

Badger Classic Lip Gift Set

Since Badger is a certified organic product line, I knew I needed to get the lip balm set.  As much as I like lipsticks, glosses and other bright lip products, sometimes my lips need some organic TLC.  These balms are some of the BEST I've ever tried.  Their non-drying, provide extra moisture and smell fabulous.  Plus, since they're only $10 a pack, I'm definitely going to be giving these out as stocking stuffers...

Fake Bake TANtalizing Self-Tanning Butter

When I first opened the container and saw not only a pair of plastic, disposable gloves BUT a dark brown cream, I was quite nervous.  It took quite a bit of nerve before I gave it a whirl but am very glad I did.  The cream itself is very moisturizing and has a fairly non-chemical scent to it.  (A huge plus for me.)  Another thing that was great was the bronze tone.  I was pleasantly suprised how nice the color turned out.  (Quick note though, if you're extremely pale, don't apply the cream too thick or it will come out slightly orange. ) **Review and pictures to follow soon**

CARGO Lumieres du Monde Eyeshadow Kit

Alright, so how gorgeous are these shadows right?  I fell in love with this palette immediately despite not really needing any more eyeshadow and HAD to buy it.  Plus, I'd never used a CARGO product before.  Now, I've used to use these shadows yet but have a brilliant EOTD planned to display them.  I should mention that this palette contains 8 eyeshadows and 1 blush/bronzer duo (located in the centre of the palette.)

CARGO Eye Shimmer Collection

Love love love these mini shimmer shadows.  When I first saw them, I thought they would be a liquid shimmer  applied with a lip gloss brush.  I was right about one thing, they are applied with a gloss brush BUT instead of liquid, they're little vials of loose pigment.  Plus, once on, they have the best shimmer I've seen in an eye shadow in a long time.  If you have a chance, I highly recommend these!!

Stila Cosmetics E! Live from the Red Carpet Eye Shadow Palette

Last but not least, the Stila Cosmetics quad.  There is no color I love on my eyes more than bronze so I knew this little palette was made for me.  It contains a base color (behind the E!), 2 all-over colors and 1 crease color all in different shades of golds/bronzes.  Though I've yet to try it out, I know I'll get a lot of use out of it.

Have any of you tried these products before OR have you shopped on Apothica before?  What are your thoughts?

XO Christina