September 2012 Favourites!

I hope everyone had a fantastic month! I am loving this Fall weather we have been having here in Ontario. Fall is by far my favourite season! This will just be a quick post on a few products I have been loving this month.

September Topbox

Oh hey there! Long time, no blog. I apologize for that... to be honest, professionally I have overextended myself. I have taken on way to much and unfortunately my blog schedule has suffered because of it. Forgive me? I am working on simplifying my life so I can make time for the things I enjoy.. like blogging! I really miss all my blogger friends.. and I honestly did make an effort to still keep commenting on everyone's post even if I wasn't writing posts myself. 

 

Well, it was a long 4 month wait but my name finally came off the Topbox waiting list and I received my first box this month! I was so excited when I received my shipping information and literally two days later it was in my hands - fantastic ship time! I also enjoy receiving the box at the beginning of the month.  

 

In my September Topbox I found...

Benefit They're Real Mascara - I have been dying to try a high end mascara. I have always used drugstore mascara's failing to see the point in spending more. I was thinking of buying one of Benefit's mascaras to try and now I can try before I buy! Brilliant!

 

Redken Colour Extend Shampoo and Conditioner - Ah the good old packet sample. I do like Redken products but the packaging and the fact I do not colour my hair makes this sample a little so-so for me.

 

M.Asam Perfect Teint Primer  - I love the sample packaging of this primer! The little pot is super cute. I don't know if I am a huge fan of this yet...I have oily skin and this primer seemed to only enhance that but I will still give it a fair trial!

 

Vasanti BrightenUp Exfoliater - I love this product! I believe I received it in a Glymm box a long time ago and ended up purchasing it full size. I now have something to take with me when I am away.. perfect!

 

I could not be happier with my first ever Topbox. Again, well worth the wait. It also made cancelling my Glossybox subscription an easy choice!

 

Hope you enjoyed this (long overdue) post!

 

xo Kathryn

July 2012 Favourites

Is it time for a favourites post already?! Summer is flying by which is alright with me since Fall is my absolute favourite season. Just a few products made it into my favourites this month, but all are completely fantastic.

Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk & Hibiscus Creamy Body Lotion - And so continues my obsession with coconut. The smell of this is fantastic and it absorbs very well. It is certainly not a thick cream, which has been perfect for this incredibly hot summer!

Barry M Nail Polish in Berry I/C- I received this in my swap from Laura-Jayn and just adore this colour. I know pastels are usually associated with Spring, but I love them all year round! The formula of this polish is fantastic, and it is completely opaque in two coats.

Korres Lip Butter Glaze in Jasmine - I adore the lip butters from Korres so when I saw they came in a lip gloss I was all for it. I found this in Winners and snatched them up immediately. It was a pack of three of these for only $6.99.

Organix Revitalizing Pomegranate Green Tea Anti Frizz Serum - I have become a little engrossed with the Organix line. Their conditioners, body moisturizers, and styling products are fantastic! This is a great serum that calms my horribly frizzy hair. Just beware: too much and your hair goes from gorgeous to greasy! One pump or less is more then enough!!

Dove Go Sleeveless Deodorant - I picked this up for the sole reason it was on sale. I have never had a loyalty to deodorants but I think I may now. The smell of this is fantastic. I wore it on one of the days in July where the temperature hit 40 degrees Celsius and all I could smell was the amazing scent. I actually have seen a difference in the condition of my under arms as well.

What products are you loving right now?

xo Kathryn

Swap with The Lovely Laura Jayn

Again, I am always blown away by the amazing supportive people I meet through this blog. It is nice to be surronded by people that not only share your interests but also your morals. I have been following Laura-Jayn's blog for quite sometime, and I adore it. So when she suggested a swap, I jumped at the opportunity. We set a dollar amount and agreed to send brands that you couldn't get in the receivers country. When her package came I was so excited. She sent me sooo many products I was overwhelmed! They were so well picked too, she actually considered my skin type, colours and preference. If you aren't following Laura-Jayn yet, you definitely should check out her blog here! Here is a look at the things Laura-Jayn sent me! (Pictures are broken down by brand.. there was just so many things!)




She wrapped everything so well! Nothing broke on its trip all the way from England!

4 Face Masks, the little red tin, and pink lip balm

MUA: Heaven and Earth Palette, Lipstick in Shades #4, 12 and 16, Lip Gloss in #5 and Glamour Days Palette



2True: Colour Drench Lipgloss in #4, 3 in 1 Concealer #1, and Smooth Matte Pressed Powder in #1



Sleek: Oh So Special Palette and Blush in Life's a Peach

Collection 2000: Big Fake Mascara in Brown Black, Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair, Cream Puff Lip Cream in Cotton Candy and Blush in Bashfull



Barry M: Dusky Mauve, Blue Moon, Strawberry I/C, Berry I/C, Peach Malba, and Magnetic Burgundy



I love everything she sent me! The stand outs? The powder, concealers and palettes! She did such an amazing job of finding products I would like (you will definitely see some of these in my July favourites!). So excited to dive further into these products!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

xo Kathryn 

How Much Does Your Face Cost?

I saw a fantastic tag on a few blogs the other day that I thought would be fun to do! I am a little slow to pick up this tag, I know it started awhile ago, but oh well! Instead of the $20 makeup challenge that has been going around, which focuses on limiting the cost of your makeup, this tag focuses on costing out how much your face really costs. This is my standard everyday makeup. You will notice there is no shadow.. on a typical day I do not wear eye shadow just liner. I thought this was fun and if you want, I tag you to do it as well!

Eco Tools Bronzer Brush: $11.00

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream: $9.00

Benefit Hoola Lip Gloss: $18.00

Marcelle Xtreme Mascara: $12.00

NYX Eyebrow Push-Up Liner: $7.00

CoverGirl Lash Blast Length: $8.00

Korres Pomegranate Mattifying Treatment: $10.00

MAC Nicki Minaj Lipstick: $19.00

Physicians Formula Liquid Liner: $11.00

Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Perversion: $17.00

NYC Smooth Size Bronzer in Sunny: $3.00

Tarte Amazion Clay Blush in Blissful: $25.00

MAC Blot Powder: $25.00

Total Makeup Cost: $175.00

This pretty face? It ain't cheap! Granted a lot of these products last forever, and if I broke it down to price per use I'm sure the price tag would be much more reasonable (I hope at least!).

I hope you enjoyed this post!

xo Kathryn

June 2012 Raves

I apologize for being slightly MIA recently. My life has been a little crazy! In the last two weeks I have started a new job and moved to a new house! Needless to say I have been a little overwhelmed but I am really happy with everything and am looking forward to writing some great posts! Here is a quick monthly rave on some products that I have been absolutely loving in the month of June. I have actually been lucky this month, I couldn't think of one product I didn't like, so this will just be a few products I love. 

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost - I recently ran out of Tea Tree Serum from the Body Shop, and since they had a buy 2 get 2 free deal, I treated myself to a few more products. I rediscovered my love for this serum; fantastic consistency and it makes my skin glow in the morning. If you haven't tried this product, I would totally recommend it!

Redken Hair Cleansing Cream - Every Sunday I like to give my hair a deep cleanse and use a deep conditioning mask to prep my hair for the week. I haven't found a shampoo

that really makes my hair feel free of product build-up till I tried this. The smell is amazing and after I leave it on for a few minutes my hair and scalp feel incredibly clean.. but not dried out!

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine - I own a few of these and love them all, but I find I reach for this one the most. It gives a sheer wash of light pink colour and the consistency is fantastic. 10 out of 10 for sure.

Eco Tools Bronzer Brush - I purchased this brush a few months ago, and am in love with it! It is the softest brush I have ever owned.  It is specified for applying bronzer, but it is really my multi-purpose brush! I use it for powder, bronzer, and blush and it works great for all of them. And at only $10? You can't go wrong!

The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Duo in Pinch Me Pink - This was another product in the buy 2 get 2 free shopping trip. This is from their new makeup line that has Lily Cole as the spokesperson. I loved the colour of this and it is a great cream blush. Not thrilled with it on the lips (it barely shows on my lips) but on the cheeks it is beautiful and natural! It is normally $10 but I received it for free :)

I would love to hear what products you are loving right now :)

xo Kathryn

June Julep Box - Classic with a Twist

Since I skipped my Julep Maven box in May, I thought I would treat myself to a box in June. What a good month to choose because the colours were beautiful! I choose Classic with a Twist and could not be happier with my choices. I had every intention to skip July.. but seriously how could I say no to the colour selection for next month!? I caved and can't wait for my July box to arrive. But before I get too ahead of myself.. let's go through June's box!

Lauren is the fuchsia pink which is a fantastic jelly texture. I have already worn it and with two coats it is a beautiful bright opaque colour. Though I did find it to peel quickly. Claire is a great creamy but bright blue. I haven't worn this fully on my nails but I did do polka dots on top of Lauren and it showed up great! I also received two additional nail polish brushes in my box. There was a note saying this was for the defective brushes some subscribers received last month. I didn't order a box last month so I didn't really need these brushes, but they are certainly great to have!

The additional products that Julep always sends in its boxes this month was the Julep Daylight Defence for Hands and Face and the Daylight Defence Lip Balm in Vanilla Mint. These were great additional products and perfect for summer. With the addition of products like this, I can justify the $20 price tag. The lip chap is fantastic: a fairly standard consistency but I love the flavour of mint and vanilla together. Plus, the addition of SPF is great. So often people forget that our lips need SPF too! The consistency of the Daylight Defence cream is great. It is not greasy or heavy and is great for all over the body. I have used it a few times on my face and it has not broken me out. Chelsea at Chelsea Morgan Beauty raves about this and I would have to agree with her review!

Please note that there were two pixie sticks in this box... though they barely saw daylight before I devoured them. What a nice little touch.. so nostalgic for me since I definitely grew up in the era of the pixie sticks!

I love my box this month and shipping was super fast to Ontario (it was me that took so long getting up this post)! Overall, Julep just makes it harder and harder to skip a month!!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

xo Kathryn

Product Review: Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

After my colour match disappointment with Marcelle BB Cream I was on the hunt for a BB cream that would cater to my off-white skin colour. I thought maybe an Asian BB cream would be more my style, but honestly, I live in a smaller city and there is no where for me to get one. And with skin products I really want to try it before ordering it, which made me shy away from on-line ordering. While I was in Wal-Mart the other day I noticed that Maybelline had launched their own version of the BB Cream. I really like the Maybelline brand, and with a five colour selection I thought I might have better luck with this line.

Display at Wal-Mart (this is it even after I cleaned it up a bit for the photo...super messy!)

The Promise: This BB cream promises to be an 8-in-1 product (as can be seen on the front and back of the product). After a few days of wear this is how I feel towards these eight promises:

1. Has SPF 30 - The level of SPF in this product is great, and ensures that I don't need an additional layer of sunscreen under it on a day when I'm just going to the office. The product has no smell other then a faint sunscreen smell (but it is very faint).
2. Helps blur the look of imperfections - I like the wording of this one. Definitely a true marketers statement. I would say this product definitely leans more to a tinted moisturizer then a BB cream coverage or foundation coverage. It will even your skin tone but certainly will not hide anything.
3. Creates a natural glow - This effect is very minimal. I could see it brighten my complexion but only slightly.
4. Skin looks smoother - This statement I would agree with. It does a good job of evening skin tone as stated above, as well as makes your skin feel incredibly smooth once dry. Don't toss that concealer just yet! If you have things to cover (blemishes, hyper-pigmentation etc.) this product will not cover that.
5. Compliments skin tone - With a five shade colour range I am fairly confident that most people could find a colour that would blend it. The lightest shade matched me perfectly. I like that they have mini testers out (which you can see in the display picture), but be aware that the testers have shade names while the actual products themselves do not (how strange?).
6. Hydrates all day - It is extremely hydrating, but somehow walks that line of hydrating my skin without making it oily or dewy. The finish is initially a little scary, but once dried it is beautiful!
7. Feels fresh - this product is super light weight. Once on, it feels like nothing but moisturized skin. No cakey-clearly-wearing-foundation face here. It is perfect for the summer!
8. Oil free - This is perfect for us oily to combination skin girls! I set everything with powder (just a habit of a chronic oily skin girl) but had no problems with my face getting more greasy or getting greasy earlier then it usually does. If anything, this product kept my face matte longer then it usually would be on its own.

Any Flaws?: I am not sure I would recommend this product for dry skin girls. I have quite oily skin but had a dry spot from over medicating a blemish, and the BB cream stuck to the dry patch and made it flake. On the rest of my face it applied evenly and smoothly but I definitely had troubles with that one patch. Additionally, if you are going somewhere where you know your photo is going to be taken, I would not recommend this product due to the high amount of SPF. I'm not sure why but I wish they had shade names on the product..it bugs me for some reason. That is strictly a personal opinion though.

Titanium Dioxide Cream?: I will touch on this point lightly, since I am no scientist (help me out here Jayne?), but it is hard to ignore the "Titanium Dioxide Cream" statement printed right on the front of the product. I mean, how unappealing does that sound? I read a few articles on the matter, (which is the sunscreen ingredient in this product) and all seemed to state the same thing: as an ingredient, it is probably not good for you but there is nothing conclusive saying it will hurt you. We all know most products are better when they are as natural as possible, so it is up to you whether this statement turns you off of this product or not.


Would I Repurchase?: Definitely!! The colour match, the consistency, and the finish are all exactly what I was looking for. Would I love to have a product like this that didn't have an extra long ingredient list with words I can't pronounce? Of course! But despite all that I do love this product and would highly recommend it.

I hope this review was helpful!

xo Kathryn

Product Dupe: butterLondon Black Knight

I think it's safe to say it has been a great year for butterLondon. They have exploded onto the nail polish scene, and are now reviewed and revered every where you look. I hesitate at the price, $18 is not typically what I want to spend on a nail polish, but their colours are beautiful. When I saw Black Knight on Glymm's website it had just come out in their Christmas holiday collection. It was gorgeous... it was sparkly...it had to be mine! I used my points to knock $10 off the price but with shipping it still hit the $15 mark. When I got it I was excited, and immediately put it on. The formulation, packaging, brush: all stunning. And other then taking it off (which is a major pain), I absolutely love it. But...why spend $18 when you don't need to!

I stumbled upon this dupe by chance. I have owned the Black Sally Hansen nail polish for almost a year, it is a fantastic black nail polish. I just happened to buy Rockstar Pink a few weeks ago. I was trying to think what polish colour it would look good over when I saw it beside the Black Knight. The glitter is very similar so I decided to see how close the combo could be. I used two coats of black polish and one coat of the sparkle. The resemblance was amazing. The Sally Hansen colour actually gave me something I was craving from the Black Knight: a deep black base colour. I find that Black Knight is a very greyish black, that never gets as dark and deep as I would like. If you fell in love with Black Knight like I did, try out the Sally Hansen combo (which only costs me $5 in total!).

I hope this was helpful!

xo Kathryn

Escents Headache Relief Roll-on Stick and Shameless Gushing

I have to say, one of my favourite parts of blogging is the people I have met and the friendships I have developed through this blog. It is really refreshing to come on here and be "surrounded" by people who share my interests. This post is going to be full of shameless gushing about one of those friends in particular, Jayne from Cosmetic Proof, who was one of my first followers and one of the first people I began following. She always leaves such nice and thoughtful comments on my blog, and I totally trust and respect her opinion.  She wrote an April Luvs post which included a mention of Escents Headache Relief Roll-on Stick. I was instantly interested, being a frequent headache sufferer myself, and made a comment about wishing that Escents had boutiques in Ontario. A day later I received an incredibly kind email from Jayne saying she was going to mail me an extra stick she had. I was blown away by her kindness.

What I found in my package from Jayne :)

So when the stick finally came in the mail it could not have come at a better time. I had had a horrible day, and was just on the verge of developing a headache. Along with the Roll-On Stick, she sent me some delicious Purdy's chocolate (which isn't available in Ontario... and is already gone since I ate it the next day!), and a lovely little note handwritten from her.

The infamous headache stick

I have to say, Jayne's gift has had a huge impact on my life. I carry this with me in my purse, and at the slight hint of a headache, roll it on my temples and a touch under my nose. No more then 5 minutes later I'm 100% again. I cram a work week into four days so I am staring at the computer for unhealthy amounts of time, and this has become a life saver. I already have, but I again want to thank Jayne, for being so incredibly kind and generous and always supporting myself and my blog from the beginning. If you haven't checked out her blog yet you definitely should, and if you suffer from headaches try and get your hands on this product! It will change your life!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

xo Kathryn

Loose Button's Summer Trends 2012 Event

On Wednesday May 16th, I found myself outside of 720 King Street West. A beautiful building right in downtown Toronto. This is where Loose Button held their Summer Trends 2012 Event... and I was going! Thanks to my fantastic best friend Aleeza from Stylish and Literate for inviting me to be her date! I had a fabulous time. Ate cupcakes, listened to a great presentation from Chantel Guertin, and rounded out the night with a stellar gift bag. You out did yourself Loose Button!

Aleeza and I (picture courtesy of Aleeza)

Cupcakes from the event. Super yummy!

Benefit display..so pretty!

Awkward little me :)

And as for that gift bag I mentioned, here's a little look into what each guest received. It was extremely generous and a little overwhelming to receive so many nice things.

Each bag had a copy of The Kit and Chantel's book Stuck in Downward Dog (just in time since I need a new book to dive into). As well we received a special edition Luxe Box and a Demalogica gift set.

The special edition Luxe Box contained a roller ball sample of Valentina by Valentino (which even my mom liked and she is not a big perfume person!), a full size sample of Benefits new Hoola lip gloss, and KPAK Bio-Advanced Restorative Treatment. 

As if the Luxe Box wasn't enough (which it was!) the Dermalogica gift set topped off the night. The set came with: Special Cleansing Gel, Daily Microfoliant, Skin Smoothing Cream, and MultiVitamin Power Firm . I am going to use up what I am currently using for my skin care routine so I can jump right into this set and be able to accurately see the results.

I have to admit I was a little nervous going to this event, I had never been to anything like this before and was sure I would stick out like a sore thumb! However, everyone was so nice it made it easy to have a good time. It was definitely worth driving down to Toronto and sitting on the 401 in traffic :) Again, thank you to Aleeza for bringing me, she is the reason I started blogging and is such a good friend to me.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

xo Kathryn

April Raves and Returns

I apologize this post is a little late. With my subscription boxes coming at the end of the month, this post became a bit delayed. I think I have already passed being "fashionably late" since it is the 14th of May! I have changed the name of my post from Hits and Misses to Raves and Returns... any opinions on which one sounds better? Anyways, since it was my birthday month, and I had more hauls then any one person should, I discovered a lot of new favourites. You will notice a lot of these from recent hauls!

April Raves

Tarte Amazionian Clay Blush in Blissful - This was part of my Sephora birthday haul and my first plunge into Tarte blushes. I have been wearing this blush every single day since I purchased it! Love the pigmentation, and the overall colour looks very natural on my skin tone. Will definitely repurchase Tarte blushes, even though they lean to the expensive side.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Foaming Cleanser - This product was purchased in my recent Body Shop haul, and somehow I knew it would make it into my favourites. It has a nice fresh scent, is deep cleaning, and I love the foaming action! It is also super gentle on my sensitive skin. I will definitely be repurchasing!

Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Split End Mender- I have been on a major coconut obsession recently. This product happened to be on sale, which is great because I was already hooked on the smell! I can't speak much to it fixing my split ends, I don't believe any product really does that. But it does make my hair soft, smooth and smelling fantastic! I haven't always heard positive reviews on this brand, but I am anxious to dive a little deeper and see how it works for me.

Korres Cherry Lipgloss in Natural Purple - Another product from my Sephora haul. Love the consistency of this lip gloss. It has fantastic opaque colour, and the lasting power is admirable. The price tag hurts my heart, but it's definitely a nice little luxury I can seriously appreciate.

Cargo Duo -  I received this eye shadow in a Luxebox and was a little apprehensive initially. The pink swatched very sheer and the brown very dark. However, it is beautiful on the eye's, and blends out to a perfect everyday look. I wear this combo pretty much every day and never get sick of it!

Sally Hansen X treme colour in Rockstar Pink- A great overall glitter nail polish. A combination of yellow, pink, purple, and blue glitter. It instantly changes the look of any polish, as well as looks amazing alone. It makes a great dupe for a higher end nail polish...keep a look out for a post revealing which polish it dupes.

Victoria Secret Fresh Vanilla - I am just loving the smell of this perfume. Fresh and light, a  floral vanilla scent for sure. I am loving perfume right now since in the summer I don't wear much. Where I live mosquito's are abundant, and smelling sweet just  makes you a prime target. This was relatively inexpensive, but lasts all day.

April Returns

e.l.f. Eye Primer - This was the first eye primer I ever owned. It is very sparkly, but for awhile I did love it, made excuses for it when 4 hours in my eye shadow creased. Honestly, if primer is a necessity for you like it is for myself I would invest in a quality one. This can't hold a candle to my Urban Decay primer. If you have dry skin, this would be a great primer, especially for the price.

The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter - This was one of my first leaps into The Body Shop hair care. This is the miniature size, you can also buy one twice the size of this. I had high hopes since I have loved 99% of the products I purchased from The Body Shop. However, this one really fell flat for me. It didn't add any moisture to my hair, and actually for the most part left it feeling brittle and damaged. I'm really not sure what happened, maybe it's my hair type, but this product just really didn't work for me. Not to say all of The Body Shop's hair products are flops... their Banana shampoo is fabulous!

Hope this was helpful!

xo Kathryn

P.S. Super excited about almost reaching 50 subscribers! Already planning my celebratory giveaway!!

April GlossyBox

Why hello there GlossyBox, fancy seeing you in April! I feel like every month this box comes later and later, I was surprised it made it to me in April and not May. However, it does always seem to be worth the wait. I'm just an impatient individual! Let's go through the box shall we?

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer - Well, isn't that great timing. I was just about to purchase this product when my Glossybox arrived. I was in need of a new daily moisturizer, and haven't found "the one" yet. I have always heard good reviews on Aveeno and wanted to try this product out. Since this is a full size product, Glossybox just saved me an additional $22 :) I love that this has SPF and the consistency is great! Super happy with this product.

Elizabeth Grant Skin Care Shower Gel - This was the only product that seemed to vary throughout individuals boxes. I am not crazy about this scent, while it is pretty it is very heavy, and not typical to what I look for in a shower gel. This is another full size product, which should last quite awhile.

Marcelle Xtension Plus Mascara - Wow, three full size products? Now I have officially been spoiled! Marcelle is a great brand here in Canada, definitely on the more expensive end of drugstore makeup. I can't wait to try this out, however it will have to wait since I just started a new mascara recently. I hate having things going to waste, and always only have one mascara going at a time so they don't dry up before I get a decent amount of use out of it.

Wella Brilliance Conditioner and Treatment - I believe we received another Wella product in a previous box, but I never got to try it because my boyfriend swiped mine on me! Instead of just asking me to pick up some more shampoo for him, he sneaks in and steals mine! I was actually happy we received the conditioner and treatment and not another form of shampoo, since I tend to be pickier with my shampoo's...but will try almost any conditioner. Not sure what to make of the diamond dust... it sounds super luxurious, but whether or not it will make a difference is still yet to be seen.

Marcelle BB Cream in Light - I was really excited to see this sample, though not crazy about the packaging of the sample. I had read such a great review on this product over on Cosmetic Proof, and had been trying to convince myself to commit, but my Shopper's hasn't had any in stock for months. I did try this product out on my day off, and love it. The coverage is amazing, it leaves my skin feeling smooth and looking amazing. And the lasting power is really outstanding, I even got caught in a downpour and my makeup didn't move! I found the finish slightly dewy on me, but a quick sweep of setting powder and I was good to go. However, I won't be purchasing the full size of this product. Why you ask? The colour is way to dark for me. Ah, the burdens of being border line albino. The only way to make the colour work is to blend it with a lighter foundation... which wold defeat the purpose don't you think? Oh well!

I loved my GlossyBox... Did you?

xo Kathryn

April LuxeBox

I received my Luxebox on the same day as my GlossyBox, which happened to be the last day of April... box overload! This month LuxeBox's theme was supporting cancer research. I received a daffodil pin in my box, though it is not shown in pictures since I put it on my coat right away. I also donated one of my products this month. Part of me wonders what a sample can really do, but since my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer this year, I never miss an opportunity to donate.

 (For anyone interested, my aunt is responding well to treatment, and looks like she may beat it)

Bobos Remi Leave-In Conditioner - This was my pick from the Front of the Line program LuxeBox runs every month. I wanted to get the panties.. I really did...but I was in need of a leave-in conditioner so practicality swayed me. I have only used this twice but really like how soft and smooth it makes my hair. It really works over-time removing the tangles in my hair.The smell is a little funny, to me it smells like manufactured purple grape juice (if that makes sense?), but the scent certainly doesn't stay in your hair. I haven't heard of this brand, so I wouldn't be sure where to buy it from, but I'm sure if I end up loving it I can just Google it.

Cargo Eye Pencil in Black - I have never been a big fan of the Cargo brand. There isn't really a reason, just isn't my first pick when I go looking for a product. However, I have found a Cargo product I love from a previous box so I am definitely willing to give this brand a fair trial. Not much to say about the actual product...it is your standard black eyeliner. Practical and useful but certainly not ground breaking.

Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Shampoo and Conditioner - I haven't used Pantene Pro-V in a looonng time. Ever since I found sulfate free shampoo's and conditioners I haven't looked back. I like that these samples are not in packages though. They will be great for travelling, which is what I am saving them for.

Where am I on my journey of committing to one beauty box? So far I am veering toward the Glossybox route. While their boxes are late in the month, I have yet to be disappointed and the extra samples seem worth the extra money. I have finally gotten on the Top Box waiting list (thank you to all those who made me aware of it!). So we will see. I have already paid for May, but i think June may be my first month receiving one box.

What did you receive in your LuxeBox?

xo Kathryn

Sephora Haul

Yes, you read correctly, another haul. I am sure you are all bored to tears by my hauls and are considering recommending I go for treatment for a shopping addiction, but let me explain. While I do love to shop (guilty as charged) most of the year I am pretty controlled. However, I'm a big birthday girl. I love birthday's, regardless if it's my birthday, a friend's, a family member, my dog etc. So every April I allow myself to just indulge a bit (or a lot)...buy the things I really want...live a little and not worry so much about the bottom line. This will definitely be my last haul for awhile, but I like reading haul posts and hopefully you do too.

1. Sugar Lip Treatement Duo by Fresh - This is actually the birthday gift that Sephora gives its members for their birthday. I have had a Sephora card for years, but have never taken advantage of this free little gift. The two products you get are rather small, but they are great for throwing in a purse since they are so tiny. They are also super moisturizing. One of them is clear and one is a lightly tinted red colour. Even though they feel a bit flimsy (wouldn't want to wind them too far up when applying since they feel like they may snap) I love both of these and may consider repurchasing when they are finished.

2. Sephora Mattifying Powder - While I know this is not always the case, I have found the employee's at Sephora to always be so helpful. I never feel like I am an inconvenience or am bugging them. The girl working there was so lovely with helping me find my perfect shade which was great because I ended up with a shade I wouldn't have picked if she hadn't tried a few on my skin. This powder gives light to medium coverage and while the mattifying is not dramatic, it does help my oily skin.

3. Cover FX Primer - This was a product I received because I had 100 Sephora points. Since I only shop at Sephora 2-3 times a year, I always cash in my points whenever I go. I got this product not realizing how many primers I now have.... I have at least 6. Maybe a comparison/review series is in order?

4. Smashbox Primer Colour Corrector  - The last time I was at Sephora I was looking for a good primer (back then I didn't own a primer.. how I went from that to 6 is beyond me!). The rep from Smashbox was helping me and we were torn between this primer and the light clear one I ended up getting last time. My second biggest problem with my skin, other then it being oily, is the redness I get naturally all over my face. I picked up a small size of this primer to see if it would help with the redness. I can't say I see a difference however. I probably will not repurchase this again.

5. Korres Pomegranate Primer and Treatment - This was a product I added since it was the perfect price to get free shipping from Sephora's Canadian site. Does anyone else do this? Honestly, it took me days on the new website to get my order through since they were having major technical difficulties, so by the time it actually worked I just picked the closet item to $19 I could find. I was definitely interested in it though, even though it was an impulse purchase, because it claims to be mattifying and we all know I definitely need that. I think I am liking the treatment more then the primer, but I definitely need more time to see.

6. Tarte Amazonian Blush in Blissful - I always gaze longingly at the Tarte blushes in Sephora, but never pick one up. This is a beautiful peachy pink colour, with a hint of shimmer, which really just comes across as a glow on the face. I love the pigmentation and the lasting power of this blush. I have worn this every day since I got it..instant favourite! I would definitely recommend the Tarte blushes, they are amazing and worth the splurge.

7. Korres Lipgloss in Natural Purple - I had seen great reviews on this line of lip glosses and decided to splurge on it. This totally goes against an earlier post where I said I didn't see the point in splurging on lip gloss, and I guess $20 is splurging, but I love the feel of this gloss. I actually thought I had picked up a different colour then this, but I am happy with this colour. It is actually very close to my natural lip colour, perfect for the MLBB look.

8. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion - I have never owned higher-end eye liner. Usually, I buy from NYC or NYX for my pencil eye liner. This product is magic though, it glides on so nicely and stays all day. I am determined to find a dupe however, over $20 for an eye pencil just breaks my heart, and can only be justified in the month of April!

I promise promise promise this is my last haul for awhile :)

Hope you enjoyed this post!

xo Kathryn

Ulta Haul

Is a haul still a haul if I didn't purchase anything myself? My mama recently went down to the U.S. with a few friends for some good old cross-border shopping. She asked me if I needed anything and I did request a few NYX products. While you can buy NYX in Canada I find everywhere around me carries a limited inventory, and it is never of the products I want. However, being the fantastic mother that she is she picked up a little something extra she knew I would love :) Don't you just love when Mom's do that!



• Naked 2 Palette by Urban Decay - This was the "little something extra" my Mom surprised me with. I had mentioned this palette before to her. Several times I called her because I was in line to purchase it and I needed someone to talk me out of it. I don't care who you are, $60 on a palette is a lot of money! So when she went into Ulta and they had a special on Urban Decay products, she picked up the palette for me :). I was really excited when she gave it to me... I can't even count the blog posts and Youtube videos I have watched on it.. and now I had one. It actually took me three days to finally work up the courage to use it... it just looked so pretty brand new! I won't go into too much detail on it. I'm still developing an opinion and I have an interesting review/comparison post I am going to do on it, so watch out for that!
• Urban Decay All Night Setting Spray - This was an additional gift my Mom got when purchasing the Naked 2 palette. It is a great travel size version of the product, and I actually have this exact same size already, but I'm almost out. I wear powder foundation on a daily basis, and a couple sprays of this really gives my face a natural no-makeup appearance.
• Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion in Sin - I own the full-size version of this in the original colour. This was another additional gift that Ulta was giving away when my Mom was down there. This version is a sparkly bronzed pinkish colour, that is actually quite nice just on its own. A couple times I have worn this as the only thing on my eyes and it looks quite nice. However, if I'm going to pay the $24 for the full-size I would get the original. This version has some serious sparkle and if you are using matte eye shadows, I feel the sparkle in the primer would show through.
• NYX Shine Killer - This is a skin primer for people with oily skin. I saw this on the Ulta website, and being that I am always looking for something to tame my oily t-zone, thought I would ask my mom to pick this up for me. It is a clear gel consistency, and at first use  I wasn't crazy about the way it applied to my face. Still developing an opinion though, I am sure you will hear about it at one point!
• NYX Eyebrow Push-up Bra - My Mom couldn't stop laughing when she was retelling me the story of trying to find this at Ulta. My mom simply printed a list of the three products I wanted, went into Ulta, and handed it to one of the girls to find them for her since she knew she would spend hours looking. Apparently, it took three employees to figure out what this was, because it is a new product, and they were stuck on the word "Push-up Bra". In the end though, I am glad she found it because I really love this product. The brown colour is pretty universal and blends nicely with my eyebrows, and the pink is perfect for highlighting or even covering a small blemish. It is a nice multi-tasking tool!
• NYX Soft Matte Lipwear in Tokyo - I saw this in a few Youtube video's and have been dying to try it! The colour looks so pretty and I like the fact that it is a full colour gloss/lipstick mix. They were pretty inexpensive too. I'm not sure I'm in love with this. The concept is interesting, and it dries matte and true to colour, but it really highlights any of your lips imperfections, and has a tendency to since into your lips natural lines. I think I need more time to play around with it.

It really is too bad Ulta doesn't have stores/doesn't ship to Canada. While I have never actually been in an Ulta store (gasp!) I see their deals from time to time  on-line and they seem to be substantial. I apologize for the quality of my photo, I can't seem to get the right angle/lighting/location etc. Sometimes I feel uninspired to blog, and I think it is because I am less then impressed with my photos. I take a lot of pride in my blog and want to take pride in my photo's as well. I'm working on improving them so if you bare with me, hopefully things will get better!

I hope you enjoyed this little haul!

xo Kathryn

April Julep Maven Box

I received my second Julep Box in the mail today. I recently blogged about giving in to the $0.01 marketing scheme and signing up, and I choose to continue the subscription. I can't see myself doing it every month, but for now building my nail polish collection has been kind of fun. This month I switched it up and ordered the Bombshell box. As well, Julep had a promo where a bunch of their nail polish was discounted, so I chose another one to add to my order. One thing I can say: I'm not a big fan that they shipped them separately. The website told me this was so my original box arrived on time but all I see is a waste of packaging. Totally not eco-friendly...I'm being picky here but it was just something I considered. Anyways, here is my box!

*Makeup Bag - A simple black makeup bag. It has the Julep symbol stitched all over it. I am not crazy about the feel of it... feels very cheap and I would have preferred even a plastic makeup bag. Still, it is versatile and good for travel. Bags like these always get used by me at one point or another.

* Toe Separators - I love that they are pink, very cute! I don't usually use these, because I get my pedicures done by a professional, but I know my mom uses these so I will probably give them to her.

* The Best Pedi Creme Ever - I have extremely dry feet which has come from my years of playing soccer. This is why I go get my pedicure professionally done, even though I moisturize my feet every night they still get pretty bad. This cream smells exactly like cucumbers which I love. I find it very thin though and I don't find it to be highly moisturizing but that's just my opinion.

*Parker -This is a bright beautiful orange. I actually picked this box specifically for this colour... I was dying for an orange polish in my life. However, I forgot I had this ordered and before I received it I purchased the Joe Fresh nail polish. They are almost exact dupes of each other except Joe Fresh is only $4. If you aren't subscribed to Julep but want a good orange nail polish I suggest checking out the Joe Fresh one. Though since I am loving orange nail polish I am sure both bottles will be put to good use!

*Annette - This is the second polish that came in my box. It is a beautiful neutral grey that had such amazing staying power 5 days later when I changed up my manicure, this colour was in almost perfect condition. It actually applies opaque in one coat, though I always apply two. It is not a unique colour but any stretch, I have at least two other nail polishes that produce almost similar colour, but the staying power makes it stand out.

*Renee - Julep had a deal where certain nail polishes were hugely discounted in March ( I believe it was around $4 -$5) so I decided to order Renee as well. This is a really interesting colour. Again, even though it is a lighter colour it applies really opaque and wears beautifully. The colour is a mix between a grey and a purple. In darker light, it definitely comes across grey, but in daylight it takes on a pastel purple hue. Maybe it's just me, but honestly in different lighting this colour can look totally different, which I find totally intriguing. The best part? In the lights of the office building I work at it looks grey (perfect neutral for work), but as soon as I step outside into the sun light I have pastel purple nails. What a multi-tasker :)

I really liked my box this month, though I believe I am going to skip next month. I am not sure I can justify $20 a month for nail polish every single month. I am also thinking of finally making a commitment to one beauty subscription box... will it be Glossybox or Luxebox? So undecided!

Hope this was helpful!

xo Kathryn