My First Glossy Box

Signed up for Glossy Box last month and besides an email of an invoice, I didn't get anything from them. Started to wonder when I would receive my first box. From fellow bloggers in Canada, found out Glossy Box was doing the shipment so I got a bit excited about when to get it.

I thought I would be sent an email when the shipment has been sent out, just like the other monthly subscription boxes. But nope, it just found its way in my mail box yesterday.

I was so excited when I saw the box in my mailbox

Inside is a beautiful pink sturdy box to die for

My goodies are inside

Info card

I got 2 full sized products: Sebastian Volurt shampoo and Pandora's MakeUp Box Lipstick. Simple Eye makeup remover and Simple facial wash gel and Curel foot cream (together with my other pedi creme from Julep, I should have beautiful and soft feet by the time I'm all done with these products :) 

I have not tried any of Pandora's makeup but have heard it is a Canadian brand and read good reviews about eye shadows and lipsticks. Isn't the packaging gorgeous?

cute lilac 

Color is Sunshine 

very creamy and moisturizing. Nice coral color which I have been obsessing with lately. 

Overall, very happy with my first Glossy Box. I'm excited to try all these items (which is a first for me).

Impressed with Julep Maven

A couple of weeks ago, I received my May Julep Maven box.

My box includes Kylie and Ellie nail polish, a nail magnet, Pedi prep roller, a makeup bag and a foot scrub.

By the way, my box this month is the American Beauty box. Included is a magnet which I have no idea what it is. But fortunately have an information card. Says apply a base coat and let it dry. Then apply a generous second coat and quickly hold the magnet very close to (but not touching) your nail for 10-15 seconds. Then finish with a topcoat. I haven't tried that yet but that looks easy enough to try.

When I first opened Kylie, I was so excited about the color but the brush caught my attention.

I have never had brushes like that. I was so eager to try the new nail polish that I kind of ignore the bad brush. But find it extremely hard not to " paint outside the lines". 

Went on Facebook and other bloggers and find out a lot of people received the bad brushes like I did. Emailed them and within a day, got an email back from them saying they were working on sending replacement brushes out.

1 week later, I got the replacement brushes, together with this card :

Cute, huh?

yay, good brushes!

I absolutely love these 2 colors. My 2 favorites so far.

Tuesday's Treats

Participating in Spot of Tea's Tuesday's Treats blog hop this week.

What have I been lusting/loving lately?

As summer is approaching, time to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. Over here in this part of Canada, summer is really short(from June to early September), so soak up the sun as much as I can.

La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra fluid Lotion SPF 60

Discovered this lightweight sunscreen for face a while ago and absolutely loving it. Putting sunscreen on oily skin does not become a chore for me anymore. It is so light and absorbent that you barely notice it is there.

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL melt in cream SPF 60 for body

In Canada, La Roche Posay is available at Shoppers Drug Mart. Very convenient for me to get fortunately. Since I love the fluid lotion for face so much, went back to get the Anthelios XL melt in cream for body. 

Also a very lightweight and non-greasy lotion. Easy to apply and not sticky at all. Does not have any scent either making it so pleasant to apply.

The Anthelios XL melt in cream kit I got also include a aftersun gel lotion. Love it!

Tuesday's Treats Blog Hop by Spot of Tea

Sunday Wants

J. Crew is having a 30% off sale items right now. I'm so tempted to get a few items but most of the items I REALLY want are on regular price.

Short sleeve sweat shirt

Nautical stripe shorts

This sweat shirt would be great for summer and even into the fall, great for layering.

Bennett Chino

Cashmere boatneck sweater in thin stripe

Yes, I know summer is still approaching but this cashmere sweater seems thin enough. I saw that at the store and it is very nice quality. Perfect for cool summer nights. Also, love the neon pink color. 

Featherweight cotton cardigan in colorblock

If the cashmere sweater is too much for you, how about this lightweight cotton cardigan?

Scoopneck blouse in anchors aweigh

This top has been on my list for a while. It was on sale last week so when the promo started, I was so excited. But guess what? J. Crew decided to pull this one off the sale rack and go back to original price. So, guess will have to wait a bit more.

A few other items from J. Crew factory as well: 

Factory thandie sweater in stripe

Do I need any more stripes in my closet? Definitely yes. So please don't stop me.

Factory classic Bermuda shorts

This seems to me almost identical to the J. Crew 9" chino shorts. There are a couple of colors on sale right now(citrus lemon and green) but I thought I would wear more if it's more basic like white.

Factory printed Bermuda shorts

This looks interesting. But not 100% sold on the prints, what do you think?

The J. Crew 30% off sale items also apply to factory items (use code LOVEIT). Sale ends May 28 so I may still take advantage of the sale and get a few items. But will keep my fingers crossed, maybe J. Crew will start their sale off regular-priced items soon.

Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette

Got the Urban Decay build your own palette when I was in Toronto a couple of weeks ago. But as mentioned in previous post, the shades I like were not available at the Sephora store I visited. So went online to browse the complete list of shades.

Let me tell you, there are so many new shades that I find hard to make up my mind. Like a kid in a candy store, I have to put a few shades in my cart a few times and sleep on them before making my decision.

I have their Naked Palette 2 and love their neutral colors. So besides the neutral shade which comes with the palette, I only picked one neutral.

I love the idea of how easy it is to just pop the shadows out of these cases and put in my palette.

Buck, a very neutral beige color

Asphyxia, a light purple lilac color

Hijack, a dark green

Mushroom, a dark grey shimmery color, absolutely gorgeous

So this is my palette. As you can tell, I only got 4 shades this time. I just cannot find another shade that I absolutely adore to fill up my palette at this time. Figure there will always be new shades coming and I can always add on. What is your favorite Urban Decay eye shadow? Any suggestion ?

Swatches 

Walk of fame is a neutral color which I am intending to use as a base or highlighter on corners of my eye and brow bone.

Buck is another neutral shade with more of a brown tone.

Asphyxia is a light lilac color. Very pretty. Loving lilac and just notice I have none similar to that.

Hijack looks quite different from the shade shown on website. You have to swatch at it at the store to fully appreciate how pigmented and gorgeous the color is. More of a grayish green color.

Mushroom is my favorite. Brownish with a hint of silver shimmers. Perfect for outer corner of eyes.

A few OOTD's

Hope everyone had a nice long weekend (in Canada!) Weather has been absolutely gorgeous for the whole weekend. As a sun-worshipper ( yes, I know, being exposed to the sun too much is no good), I make sure I put on enough sunscreen and reapplying every couple of hours.

J. Crew factory stripe cardigan in size m

Land's End Canvas dot tank in size s

J. Crew scout chino in size 6

Regina Pierallini clover necklace

J. Crew boardwalk stripe zipper tee in s

J. Crew cafe capri in size 4

Regina Pierallini clover necklace

Cole Haan flats

J. Crew factory gingham in size s

Banana Republic cardigan in s

Joe Fresh red denim 

Peep-toe heels from Winners

J. Crew tillary canvas tote

J. Crew clustered pearls necklace

(and yes, my dog kicked the ball right at my feet when I was taking the picture. Guess he just wanted to be included in my OOTD's in one way or the other :)

Canadian Beauty Reviews' 150 Follower Giveaway

Canadian Beauty Reviews has reached 150 followers and is doing a GREAT giveaway:

click here to enter 

Definitely check it out!

Recent Purchase

Came home from Toronto last week. Worked 3 days this week at school. Now I can update on some of my purchases in the city.

My friends and family know how much I complain about living in a small town. Main reason is I'm away from my family, not so much of the "remoteness" of where we live. Also, lack of shopping is one of the reasons too. But now with the convenience of online shopping, my "suffering" is minimal. Sometimes, it is just fun to walk around in stores and browse around and try on stuff.

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I have been eyeing on this gorgeous pair of Tory Burch Reva Flats. I went to the new Tory Burch store at the Yorkdale Mall and Holt Renfrew to try on a few pairs. Love them. The leather is so soft and they are so classic. Yes, trying to justify how much wear I can get if I buy them.  But they are so pricey at $225 and they rarely go on sale. 

Once you have certain shoes stuck in your mind and you can't justify in spending that much on a pair of flats, I started to look for alternatives.

Ended up getting a pair of Coach Dora Flats. They are a bit cheaper than the Tory Burch and they are very comfortable. I can walk hours in them without hurting my feet. I always admire how girls can walk in high heels all day long. 

Went to Sephora a few times and always got out of the store with something I wasn't planning to buy. 

Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette

I have the Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 and have been loving it so much. Love how smooth the eye shadows are and how pigmented and the staying power. So when I saw the build your own palette, I have to get it.

The palette comes with Walk of Fame, which is a very natural shade which can be used as a base or highlighter. I was overwhelmed in the store with so many new shadows. Apparently, the new shadows(with the silver rim) would fit perfectly in the new palette. But the sales associate told me the old shadows (with black rim) would still fit but would be a tight fit in the palette. The store I went to don't have a lot of the shadows I want in stock and I didn't get that day but later on ordered 4 shadows online and will do a review when I get them. 

Bliss Baggage Handler Eye Gel

I am always a big sucker of eye cream. Whenever I see some eye cream/gel which claims help ease the puffiness of eye, I have to get them.

It is a very light gel. I have been only using it for a week so cannot really give a review of whether the product works or not. I only use it in the morning and I like the texture so far as I hate eye cream which is extremely sticky. 

The Balm Mary-Lou-Manizer

I have always been fascinated by how cute the packaging of The Balm cosmetics. Reminds me of Benefit cosmetics. Have been looking for a highlighter and decide to try the Mary-Lou-Manizer. Don't you just love the name? 

Very nice compact. A bit of shimmer with the highlighter. I have yet to find a way to properly apply it. 

Very pigmented as you can tell from the swatch. I have been using my fingers to apply it on

 top of my cheekbone and arch of my brow. Since it has a bit of shimmer in it, I don't want to pick up too much product and magnify my pores. Any suggestion of how I should apply?

Have a great weekend everyone and have a super-great long weekend for Canadians! Happy Victoria Day weekend! 

My Current Favorites (Part 2)

Continuing with my last post of my current favorites.

I love the sun and have always put on suncreen. In the summer, does not matter if it is sunny or overcast, I put enough sunscreen on my face for protection. Even though the BB cream I use now has SPF, still want to put on sunscreen. I hate to put on suncreen as I have tried many different brands and some of them claim they are oil free but my skin grease up within hours after applying.

But after I discovered La Roche Posay, applying sunscreen on my face daily is not dreading anymore.

La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra Fluid SPF 60 Lotion

Unlike any other sunscreen, this one is fluid and very easy to absorb with matte finish. Never makes my face feel greasy and my pored clogged.

Before applying, just have to shake the bottle first to get the product out. I use about 1/2 tbsp (ha, sounds like a cooking show now!) and apply to my face and neck. 

La Roche Posay also has sunscreen in stick and cream form.

Since I'm talking about the brand, this brand is available at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. I have been using their Redermic Eye cream, an intensive anti-wrinkle firming fill in cream. I have been using that for a year now. Very moisturizing but don't notice any significant fine-line diminishing. So I am familiar with the brand and decide to try products I have not used before.

Effaclar Al

A targeted breakout cream corrector. Whenever I feel a pimple is coming (or after an over indulgence on greasy burger and fries), I put some on and the next day, it calms down. One time I could feel a big pimple coming and I was panicing as I know how long my pimple scar would take to recover. I put the cream on in the morning and at night, and the next day, I can see a big difference. No bump and no redness. Of course, don't expect a miracle cream, it does take a good 2-3 days to completely put out " the fire".

Since we're on the topic of pimple/acne, I am the type of gal who has one pimple and after it is gone, the heavy pigmentation would stay on my face for a long period of time. I am talking about a month or even longer. So it is really annoying to get a pimple and wait for the mark to completely go away.

Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution

This is relatively new from Kiehl's. A thick serum but all you need is a drop or two to apply directly on the pimple scar/mark. I apply it 2 times a day. Always before makeup and night time skin routine. Within 3 days, I notice the mark is fading. Not sure if it is actually a miracle solution or just plain luck (since the mark has been there for a good month, some time or later, it may fade away). But I apply to another mark and that has even been there longer. I tried the solution on the mark and this time, takes maybe a week before I notice significant fading.