Ipsy Canada September 2015 Review

As most of you know, I was planning on cancelling Ipsy the other month due to a shipping fiasco.  I decided not to cancel it as we are SO close to December/January and I want to see how good the holiday bags will be.

This month Ipsy featured a Face Fashion look which was to "inspire the perfect transition from summertime casual to autumn elegance."  Thank goodness the cosmetic bag is decent because the last few have been poor.  Remember the black summer bag that reminded me of scuba gear??

Inside my Glam Bag I received (from left to right) a NYX Eye Shadow Trio, Pixi by Petra Brow Trio, TreStique Mini Matte Lip Crayon in Nantucket Nude, First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream and Accure Brightening Facial Scrub.

To me, this is the perfect amount of skin and body care products and I LOVE that 3 of my products were cosmetic related.  Perfect!!

Ipsy Canada
Total price per month: $14.95
To sign up for Ipsy - www.ipsy.com

    

Topbox Canada September 2015 Review

As you all know, I am currently receiving a few subscription boxes monthly on my quest to find the best makeup box out there.  So far, I've posted about the Birchbox I received here.  I liked the Birchbox but found it filled with too many body products.

So, how does Topbox compare?  First thing to note, it comes in a cylinder tube.  Kind of cool, if you ask me.  I like the tube as you can wrap it with wrapping paper and keep your brushes or other beauty tools in it.

Inside my cylinder Topbox, I received (from left to right) Barefoot Venus Macademia Oil Had Cream, Benefit Cosmetics It's Potent Eye Cream, Tresemme Perfectly unDone Wave Creation Foam (bonus gift), UniqOne All in One Hair Treatment and Ciate Nail Lacquer in Speed Dial.

Makeup box - ummmm. no BUT I'm still impressed with the products I received.  Hair products are always fun to try and I love orange on my nails so am pleasantly surprised with this box.

TopBox Canada
Total price per month: $13.44 CAD
To sign up for your Topbox - http://topbox.ca/

    

Maple Holistics Spa Day and Giveaway!

**These products were sent to me for review by Maple Holistics.  Reviews are entirely my own personal opinion**

Yesterday was a bad day.

First, Benjamin didn't nap once due to us getting a new roof.  This meant roofers were stomping around, pounding in nails and yelling at each other the whole morning and afternoon AND early evening.  This made for a cranky baby.  Second, I didn't have a chance to have a shower and/or bath the whole day which made for a cranky Christina.  Third, I woke up to two pimples on my chin.

There you have it.  A yucky day all around.  After Allan got home, dinner was eaten, baby was bathed and put down for bed, I handed the baby monitor to him and said "I'm having a Maple Holistics Spa Day".

Seriously, I am SO HAPPY I did.

The Shampoo and Conditioner were so relaxing.  They are limited edition products called "Winter Blend" and they seriously smell like candy canes.  The best part of these products is they make your scalp tingle and give it a nice cooling sensation.  The products are created with a blend of 5 different mint varieties as well as a laundry list of gorgeous therapeutic products (green tea, sea buckthorn and hibiscus to name a few).  My hair was clean and my scalp was tingly and I felt so much more relaxed after using them.  (Quick thing to note, because they are sulfate free you will not get the same lather you do with other shampoos.  I don't use sulfate products personally, so this is something I'm already used to.)

As you all know, I'm a sucker for a good skin mask.  Before opening the mask, I thought it was a scrub BUT was very pleasantly surprised to see it was a mud mask!  I have had mud masks in Thailand and Bali and this one reminded me of one I had during my travels.  I was instantly drawn in by the gorgeous lavender smell.  Seriously, so relaxing and luxurious.  The mask went on super smoothly and hardened within a matter of minutes.

I removed the mask after a few minutes and my skin was SO SMOOTH.  Seriously, I feel like a whole new person.  It's been a long time since I've said this but I will actually be buying this product again once I'm out.  It is seriously fantastic.

Now to the good part - GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Maple Holistics (and EduMuch) wants to send one of my readers a set of their own Winter Blend Shampoo and Conditioner.  To enter the giveaway, you must live in the USA (or have an address to ship your items to in the US) AND answer this one question - What is your favorite way to relax?

Check out this link too!  http://www.mapleholistics.com/free-products/

    

Art of Makeup - Tal Peleg's Amazing Eye Shadow Designs

This woman's creations are completely mind blowing.  Imagine having this much creativity, and a steady hand, to design art on someone's eyelid.  Seriously, every time I look at these pictures, I get the chills.  You have to check these out!

Sigh, I want nothing more than for her to come over and create some crazy artwork for me for Hallowe'en.  What do you think of this type of art??

    

Birchbox Canada September 2015 - Review

I'm currently on a quest to find the best beauty subscription box in Canada.  I'll make that clear again and say I want a BEAUTY BOX because to me, a beauty box should be filled with a lot of cosmetics.  I'm finding that so many boxes have moisturizers and cleansers as "fillers".

I get that some people enjoy those products but I am, unfortunately, not one of them.  Give me lip glosses, eye shadows and bronzers any day!

September was my first month receiving Birchbox.  Look how pretty the box is!!!

This month, the box's theme was about the subscribers.  According to the greeting, the box is inspired by all the subscriber's favorite things.

My box was filled with quite a few goodies, but only one item was makeup.  From left to right, i received 100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream, Raw Spirit Wild Fire Fragrance tester, Davines OI sample of Shampoo and Conditioner, Tocca Nourishing Body Scrub, Davines OI All-In-One Milk Treatment and a Cynthia Rowley Liquid Liner in Cobalt.

The color is absolutely stunning and I can't WAIT to wear it.  I will say that the lasting power of this liner is fantastic.  I placed it on my hand and it was still visible after two showers, a day later.  Awesome stuff.

The box, for a first glimpse, was great.  A few too many body products but the liner definitely made up for it.  I am eager to see what this box looks like next month.

Birchbox Canada
Total price per month: $14.95 CAD
To sign up for your birchbox - https://www.birchbox.ca/invite/ltwd2

    

The Week of Vampy Oxblood - Day 5: The Look

My adorable new Kenneth Cole cross-body bag in Oxblood

I sometimes wonder if a "like" becomes an "obsession".  This week has been spent looking for fabulous lipsticks, glosses and of course, shadows and clothes all in this vampy oxblood color.  I literally can't stop!

It's best for us NOT to tell Allan how obsessed I've become.  Let's especially keep all the lip products I've bought a secret....okay?

However, my latest obsession with this trend?  Eye shadow.  What's funny is I don't even own a burgandy, jewel tone for my eyes but man, I can't wait to get my hands on some.  In the meantime, here are some fabulous pictures of people sporting this look.

Kristen Stewart's eyes look fantastic here 

I am so loving the blending on each of these looks.  Because this trend is literally making me more excited than anything, here are three palettes I am absolutely adding to my wish list for this year.

The first one is MAC Burgandy x 9.  Now, most of you know I'm not quite taken with MAC products however I can NOT pass this one up at all.  Look at the colors....sigh

I can't stand how gorgeous this palette is, seriously.  Look at that beautiful burgandy shimmery shadow?  I have never owned a Coastal Scents palette before I want this one so badly.

So there you have it, glossers, a week of Vampy Oxblood.  What are your favorite trends right now?  What colors were your favorite?

    

The Week of Vampy Oxblood - Day 4: The Nail Polish

I have always been a fan of dark nails which is why I am loving this trend so much.  There is just something so great about dark nails.  I don't even think I can explain it, to be honest.  They make me feel glamorous and like I've actually taken the time to make myself look good.

One thing I like about nail polishes is that they are always the color in the bottle.  It makes it really easy to shop for them since you're never surprised when you get home.  I do prefer to have someone else paint my nails, of course, but alas what can you.

I selected 4 polishes that were similar in color: 3 Revlon polishes and 1 L'Oreal.

If I was looking for a red, this one is gorgeous.  It goes on smoothly and the color is seriously great.  I will say that it's actually slightly darker and richer in person but still too red for my vampy feel.

This polish is actually really beautiful.  I will say that it's much more purple black than red black but the coverage is great AND it dried so quickly.  I am really loving this shade.

Sorry for the middle finger though I guess it's fitting as I didn't like this color that much.  In the bottle it looked perfect; multi-faceted color with a hint of glitter.  But on, I did find the color much more brown than red.

This polish is a clear winner to me.  It's dark enough to look vampy but still has that undertone of oxblood which makes me happy.  I guess it's fitting that this color is called Haute Couture Red.

What are your thoughts on the polish?  What is your favorite color?

    

The Week of Vampy Oxblood - Day 3: The Lipstick

When I originally began looking for lipsticks that fit "Vampy Oxblood", I came up empty handed.  For days, actually, I was trying to find the perfect black red tone that would work well with my complexion but also give off that vampy hue without appearing too goth.  Well, glossers, I've found them and, better yet, they are all found in your trusty drugstore.

I found 4 gorgeous vampy oxblood lipsticks that you must absolutely run out and get: Maybelline Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil & Smudger in #35 Plum Please, Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Color in Bordeaux, Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick in #124 Bordeaux and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in #477 Black Cherry.

First up is the Maybelline Smudger.  Fun product as the color is on one end while the smudger is on the other.  The trick with this is to apply the color to the centre of your top and bottom lips and then use the smudger to spread the color all over.  Genius, really, if you classically put on too much product and then end up blotting it off (yes, that's me.)  I am getting used to matte lipsticks and will say that this one is very matte so ensure you scrub your lips prior to application (notice I did NOT do that).  The color itself is more blood red but still a great find.

Cargo Cosmetics is up next with it's take on a Bordeaux lipstick.  I wanted to love this one the most being that it has the highest price point AND is moisturizing but I did find it less pigmented than the other 3 colors.  I will say that because it is moisturizing, I will be using this one on a regular basis and I liked the way my lips felt (and looked) after applying it.  The color is not as vampy as the other ones but still has a great deep tone.

Ah, Rimmel, you've done it again for me.  I love this tone.  It borders more on the deep purple red than black but still a great color.  I can honestly say that I've never gone wrong with a Rimmel lip color.  To be honest, I was looking for #004 but found this one instead and am so happy I purchased it.  For a deep color that will look amazing with every skin tone, you must grab this.

Revlon is definitely the blackest of the bunch (hence the name Black Cherry) and I actually am quite taken with it.  I think this lipstick paired with the Buxom lip gloss from yesterday, could be quite the vampy pair.

Showing the actual color of Black Cherry as the lighting is poor in the bathroom

Things to note when applying any dark lipstick shade:
EXFOLIATE your lips like crazy.  (Sugar scrubs are great and easy to make - Check out my DIY)
Use a LIPLINER and a good one.  Lipsticks bleed and the last thing you want is color on your chin.
Apply using a good LIPSTICK BRUSH.  The tube can only be used for touch ups.  You need something sturdy to get full color on your lips (Also use powder between layers)
PRACTICE makes perfect.  I am apologizing for my lips as I am posting this at 11pm having just come home from yoga and a long day with my little one.

What is your favorite dark shade of lipstick?  Any people out there loving the dark purple instead of dark red?