Mini Haul!!

Hey guys!

I just did a bit of damage to the credit card these past few weeks (eek!)! Here are all the goodsI picked up!


First stop: Sephora.

This past year my skin has been giving me a lot of problems. I have been breaking out a ton and I have been scarring from each little pimple.  Its been awful! So I've been trying to find a good dark spot eliminator.  Looking through reviews I decided to try the Fresh Peony Spot Correcting Brightening Essence.  

For 65$ you get 1oz bottle, which seems like nothing.  However, after using if for just a day, Ive noticed you need very little product so this one bottle will last quite some time.  Packaging wise, I was not very impressed.  Its pretty cheap looking plastic.  This was pretty disappointing considering the hefty price tag; hopefully the product will compensate for the lack of packaging.

There is also this strange tiny hole at the bottom of my bottle; it seems like it was done on purpose but Im not sure.  Anyone else have this problem??

According to Sephora, this product is supposed to " brighten skintone, clarify, lighten, and visibly reduce the appearance of age spots and imperfections".  

The brightening complex is a mixture of peony root extract, licorice root extract, and vitamin C.  I am not sure how these products chemically work, but they all sound like fantastic ingredients.  This also has hyaluronic acid which helps to seal in moisture!  Hopefully this product turns out to be as good as the reviews say! Ill keep you guys updated!

Next thing I purchased were these awesome hair ties

I am currently obsessed with these! This package was on sale for only 5$; definitely a steal!  These look so cute on your wrist and in your hair.  Absolutely obsessed!

I also got this fun sample from Chloe

The packaging is just absolutely adorable!! Im not quite sure how to describe the scent.  According to Sephora, there are notes of jasmine, ylang ylang, vanilla, and musk.  I still need to test this one out, but I think I am going to like it.  Its definitely a light, florally, feminine scent.  

Next onto Nordstroms.  I only got one thing from here.  My mother recommended it and thought it would help me out.  This is the Estee Lauder 'Clear Difference' Targeted Blemish Treatment (35$).

This produce is pretty unique.  It has salicylic acid which helps bust any pimples!  It has a nifty little roller ball to glide the product on.  I did use it once already.  The one con Ive found with it so far is that you can't control the amount of product that comes up.  Theres a little pump at the bottom (not pictured; sorry!) that pushes the product up and under the rollerball.  I tried to press up gently but a decent amount of product still shot up.  Hopefully the product is good enough that this little con won't bother me much.  

Thats it for this mini haul! Hope you guys have enjoyed! 

May Birchbox Unboxing

Hey guys! So so sorry for taking so long to put something new up on the blog! My schedule has been beyond hectic.  Today's post is going to be all about my May Birchbox! For those of you who don't know, Birchbox is a beauty company.  You register online and fill out a beauty profile about what interests you and what type of beauty and skincare products you enjoy.  For 10$ a month, they send you a box filled with samples of new products to try out! Its really a great and fun way to try out new brands and products.  Ive been a member since January and have been pretty happy with my box every month!
They also have a great rewards program.  Check out the website to read all about it (www.birchbox.com)

So onto my unboxing! Ive only tried two of the products so far, but I wanted to show you guys everything I got this month!

I definitely enjoyed the packaging! It was a lot of fun; and yellow is my absolute favorite color

First thing I got in the box is this Laqa and Co. Sheer Lip Lube Pencil in the color Menatour.  I was petrified of this color when I first saw it.  I am usually more of the nudes/light pinks when it comes to lips but this was shockingly purple.  Even the swatch looked a bit intimidating.  However, when I put it on I fell in love.  First of all, it glides on incredibly smoothly; just like butter.  Its definitely not drying (not too hydrating, but my lips did not flake at all).  The color faded in a few hours but it did leave a nice stain to the lips which lasted all day! I have a picture down below of what it looks like on my lips (I apologize for the awful image quality; I promise my new camera will be coming soon!!)

Overall, I am happy with this product.  The full size retails for 18$.

Next product I got was Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream (full size retails for 20$)

I don't really use shaving cream so this product is kind of a waste on me.  I use Suave hair conditioner (weird I know; but it provides SOOO much hydration and leaves your skin silky smooth!).  I have not tried this product out yet either, but it does smell wonderful.  The scent I got was acai grapefruit.  It has a pleasant citrusy smell to it.  I do think Ill enjoy this, but I probably won't purchase a full sized product.  20$ for shaving cream is a bit steep; and I love my Sauve substitute :)!

Next up was the SmartyPants All in One Gummy Vitamins for Adults. I could not believe that I got vitamins in my birch box this month! I was so so disappointed.  Usually they give something delicious to try out, but I did not expect to get vitamins.  And the package size was pathetic.  It came with 2 gummies (a third of the serving size!)

Heres a picture of the nutrition information and what the gummies looked like.

 

These were shockingly good.  They are vitamins so they don't taste exactly like gummies but they were great! And easy to chew (unlike the one a day chewable vitamins which can get pretty tough).  They also contain omega-3 fatty acids which the one a day ones don't; something I also liked. The full price of this product is 30$ and it comes with 30 servings (which is 6 gummies).  Although these were great, Im not sure that I will be purchasing the full sample simply based on the price tag.  30$ for just a month of vitamins seems a bit pricey to me! 

Next up was the Number 4 Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner.  

I have heard amazing things about this brand so I was excited to try it out.  However the samples again are so poorly made! The shampoo is pretty tiny (maybe 3 washes) and the conditioner is in a flimsy foil packaging! Im expecting good things from the product, but severely disappointed with the sample size and packaging with this one! The full size shampoo retails for 34$ and the conditioner is 36$

The last product I got was the CoTZ Face Natural Skin Tone SPF 40, which retails for 20$.  

This product is super interesting.  It is a natural skin toned SPF cream.  I have been hearing a lot about these types of sun screens so I was excited to try it.  Again the sample size is tinsy!! I don't know what happened to birchbox this month, but the sample sizes were so small! This sun screen is also supposed to leave behind a matte finish and can be used under makeup! So even tho the sample size is tiny, I am excited to try this out! And the price tag isn't to steep, so if its a product I enjoy, I won't mind purchasing it!

Finally, Birchbox partnered up with Kate Spade Saturday this month.  In every box theres this coupon.

My computer refuses to rotate this picture so I apologize but I wanted to show this to you! This was kind of nice.  Its a coupon for 25$ off a 75$ purchase.  Ive been meaning to try out this line so I can't wait to use the coupon! Let me know if you guys want to see a haul from my mini shopping trip!

Thats it for now! Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you guys got in your boxes too!

Sip-N-Glo Juicery Pump Up Shake

Hey guys!

Im back again; this time to talk about this amazing new shake Ive been drinking by Sip-N-Glo Juicery.  I picked up this drink from my yoga studio (which I will be doing another post on later) after a power yoga session to try out.

I was pretty nervous to try out a protein shake like this.  The last packaged protein shake I had tried was one of the Naked Juice ones and I absolutely hated it! You could taste the protein powder with every sip.  This may seem a bit strange but when I was younger and I couldn't swallow medicine pills, my grandmother would crush it up and put it in honey for me to have; it was absolutely disgusting and those Naked drinks reminded me exactly of that.

Anyhow, I decided to pick it up because the ladies at the studio said that everyone loved it and because the nutrition information wasn't as awful as I was expecting. Although it does have 12g of fat, I think thats mostly from the almond milk and the protein powder, so I wasn't too concerned about that.  And it has 25g of protein! Absolutely amazing.  (Theres a picture down below with the nutrition information)  It is a pretty unique drink too.  The only 4 ingredients are listed on the front of the bottle: vanilla protein, chia seeds, cinnamon, and almond milk.  I had never tried chia seeds before either so this was quite the adventure for me.  It was also a bit nerve wracking to buy because it was 8$; pretty steep for a shake in comparison to Naked.

Anyhow, I got home from yoga and went to open up the bottle.  It took me a good minute to loosen it up enough to open.  It was sealed incredibly well.  I apprehensively took my first sip and was pleasantly surprised.  It actually tasted like chai! And there was no powdery protein taste!

The chia seeds added some interesting texture as well.  This drink was absolutely amazing!

And what was great about it was that it actually was filling! I like juicing for lunch whenever I get the chance; especially after gym classes.  It just makes me feel so healthy and fit! But, whenever I have a Naked Juice I always have to have something with it, like a salad.  But this shake was more than enough for lunch!

I will definitely be repurchasing this shake whenever I go to the yoga studio!

I also got curious about this company, so I did some google-ing (that should definitely be a word, I definitely use it quite often)

Sip-N-Glo is a local Philadelphia Juicery which makes a ton of unique juices, smoothies, and protein shakes.  I haven't been to the store yet, but I really want to make a trip out there to try out some of the flavors that aren't kept at my yoga studio! They also offer a cleanse package with various juices, which would also be fascinating to try!

All in all, this was a great find! 

Heres the link to the Juicery in case you guys check it out!

http://www.sipnglo.com

Have a wonderful day!!

Lush Mask of Magnaminty

Time for another product review! Today I am going to talk about Lush's Mask of Magnaminty.

This is the first product I have tried from Lush, and I have to say this is absolutely amazing! I heard about this product on several you tube channels and decided I had to see what all the commotion is all about.

This product is a face and body mask that is made of wonderful, rich ingredients.
The first ingredient is Bentonite Gel.  According to the Lush website, bentonite absorbs grease and dirt from the skin, while smoothing fine lines and tightening the skin.
Another main ingredient is Kaolin (China Clay)which is added to help exfoliate the skin.
The full list of ingredients is available on the website, as well as on the container of the product.

Unlike Lush's Fresh Face Mask's, which need to be refrigerated, this mask does NOT need to be refrigerated.  I do think this is one of the benefits of this mask.  I think I would forget about my products if I had to keep them in the fridge in my kitchen (I also don't want facial and body products in my fridge where I keep my food!)

When you open up this container, first thing you notice is the bright green color and little beads.  These 'beads' are actually ground aduki beans which exfoliate and absorb excess dirt and oil.  Next thing thats easily noticeable is the calming fragrance.  I LOVE the scent of this mask.  It has a minty-vanilla scent which is unbelievable soothing and relaxing.  It almost has an aromatherapy like effect on me.

I usually apply this mask 1-2 times a week when my skin needs some extra cleansing or I am starting to break out.  I have noticed that this mask does an amazing job at minimizing redness and inflammation and helps with my acne.

The only con I have for this mask is that one I wash it off, my skin does feel a bit dry.  I always have to moisturize after using the mask.  I was hoping that such a wonderful mask would have some more moisturizing qualities.  But I guess most of the ingredients are supposed to remove excess oil and dirt, which leaves the skin a bit dry anyhow (the mask is clearly doing its job).

After trying (and loving) this product, Ive decided I need to go and try more Lush products.  I also love the philosophy and ethical grounds Lush has.  It really seems like a wholesome company.  (Here are some of there core values).  If any of you have any recommendations on anything to try, let me know in the comments below!


If you wish to purchase the mask click here.

Goodbye for now!!

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask: Is it worth the hype?

One word: ABSOLUTELY.

This lip mask has completely changed my life.  I have terribly chapped lips 24/7.  Its miserable.  Wearing lipsticks is a disaster because they always flake off and accentuate my dry lips.  I have tried everything, from basic chap stick to various oils, and nothing has seemed to work!

This lip treatment has just been a miracle! It has a mixture of agave nectar, jojoba oil, and various other nourishing components that really work deep into the lips to give a long lasting moisture.

You only need a little bit a product for the effects to really kick in which is why I don't mind paying 26$ for it.  I use it every night after I brush my teeth.  The mask is a bit sticky (which is why I put it on at bed time) but it clings onto you lips wonderfully and the moisture lasts all night and into the next day!

The only thing I don't love about the product is the packaging.  The tube is pretty difficult to squeeze.  I think that this was done on purpose so that the product doesn't spill out, but it can be a bit frustrating.

If you guys have not purchased this yet, I strongly recommend you go out and get it.  Its truly worth the investment!

If you wanna purchase this product from Sephora click here.

Have a lovely day!!


(ps, I have left my camera and my parents house and will be camera-less for quite some time :(; i promise once I get it back I will be posting several pics on every product I review!)