Josie Maran Bear Naked Nail Wipes and Whipped Argain Oil Intensive Hand Cream review

Part of my Black Friday Haul was the Josie Maran Argan Hand Healers Set which came with 20 Bear Naked Nail Wipes and a 30 mL tube of their Whipped Argan Oil Intensive Hand Cream. Although the set is no longer available, the individual products are so here’s my review on them!

First up is the Bear Naked Nail Wipes: These portable three-in-one nail wipes remove nail polish, repair dry cuticles, and promote healthy nails—naturally. Acetone free and grapefruit-scented, Bear Naked Nail Wipes are infused with organic Argan oil to moisturize cuticles and support nail growth. They are small circular wipes that are a little smaller than a cotton pad. They are grapefruit scented which I really love but I remember they had peppermint around Christmas time!

(compared to a cotton round for size)

These wipes seem pretty effective in removing nail polish despite them being acetone free. I don’t use them often but when I do, it only takes one nail wipe to remove all the nail polish from both my hands. I think it takes the same amount of rubbing as acetone nail polish remover does. A downside of it is that I have only used them on dark polish so far and when I do, the polish ends up staining my fingers because I think it gets transferred off the wipes. The stains wash off though and my fingers are still left moisturized from the argan oil. I don’t think I use them often enough to see if it improves nail growth but it has kept my cuticles looking a bit healthier :) They are sold at Sephora for $11 for 20 wipes and 40 wipes for $19.

Next, the Whipped Argain Oil Intensive Hand Cream: This rich, never greasy, super hydrating cream keeps hands looking and feeling good. Josie's signature ingredient, argan oil, is spun into a creamy butter to revitalize skin and restore softness while improving skin's texture. Lightly scented with natural essences of vanilla and apricot and infused with shea butter, it's nature's most luxurious moisturizer—hands down. This is labelled as ‘vanilla apricot’ scented but I can only smell the apricot part of it. It was also a somewhat light scent that seemed to disappear after 30 minutes or so.

Unlike the description says, this is a little bit greasy at the beginning but it is quite hydrating so that makes up for it. It is not my favourite hand cream but I think it is still pretty awesome. It was a great deal in the set but on it's own, I would prefer another hand cream for that price. This can only be bought in the 2.37 oz. size and is $26 at Sephora.

Loose Button Luxe Box Summer 2014 Review

I purchased a 2 season subscription to Loose Button's Luxe Box for $25+tax/box (shipping included) and here's my review of the Summer 2014 box. This box comes every 3 months and comes with "7 to 8 trial sized beauty and lifestyle discoveries". There are 3 membership options so that you can pay $24 - 26 for each box, depending on your membership. This is my second box and came in the usual white silky bag in a sturdy white box.

- Crest 3D White Whitestrips Professional Effects (3 strips - $6.38)
- Crest 3D White Vivid Toothpaste (6 x 2.5 mL - $0.40)
- eslor introductory collection: Soothing Refiner and Cleanser, Replinishing Scrub, Comforting Mask, Soothing Cream (4 x 5mL - 2.33, 2.80, 3.80, 6.50)
- Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir (4 mL - $2.28)
- Tweezers ($5?)
- eyeko London Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black (full size - $19)
- DERMAdoctor KP duty lotion (10 mL - $10)
- Nicole by OPI mini in Something About Spring (3.75 mL - $3?)
- be a bombshell the One Stick in Southern Belle (full size - $16)

Retail Value: $77.49
Paid: $28.25

This box seemed like a way better value than the one from Spring 2014!  I use some of the Crest 3D products already but these strips and toothpaste are new so it'll be nice to compare with their older products. I received 3 of these Crest 3D sample brochures.

DERMAdoctor's KP duty lotion is a 'dermatologist AHA moisturizing therapy for dry skin'. My body's skin isn't that problematic so I'm hoping that this lotion won't be too heavy for the summer time.

Nexxus Youth Renewal is a line to help 'combat 8 signs of aging hair'. Was aging hair always a thing? I guess it'll be nice to try this and see if my hair looks less...old.

The nail polish for this box was a Nicole by OPI mini (I never knew they had mini bottles until this sample). I have plenty of hot pink polishes already but this tiny size was disappointing. They should've included a full size bottle!

I already received a be a bombshell one stick in my December Ipsy Glam bag and I gave it away since I'm not into cream products. Southern Belle is 'a warm coral with light shimmer' and I am into corals so maybe I will keep this one stick. It'll be great for touchups at work

esclor is a brand that I have never heard of so it seems pretty intriguing to me. I really like that I have 4 different samples and can try their full skincare system.

Lastly, my favourite product of this box is the eyecko skinny liquid eyeliner. Eyecko is supposed to be a great brand and I've heard great things about this eyeliner. It is a felt-tip pen applicator so it's good for those just learning to use liquid eyeliner. It isn't waterproof but is still very smudgeproof :)

Luxe Box is an interesting idea and they do give good products but I think that I have enough samples/products to try for a while and will be deactivating my membership. I think that if someone has the money to spare and enjoys getting a surprise every 3 months (I actually forgot this was coming in June), then Luxe Box could be a good choice!

Topbox June 2014 Review

Hello everybody! Looks like I haven't posted in a while and I have no excuse other than laziness, but I'll break this streak with a post about my June 2014 Topbox!

Topbox is a monthly beauty subscription box that allows you to "Get 4 hand-picked deluxe samples delivered to your door for $12 a month". They also have special Privé boxes you can add on your wishlist to replace the regular Topbox and the sometimes the option of getting the $10 mystery add-on.

- China Glaze Wait N' Seal ($10-12 - full size)
- Barefoot Venus Lip Fable Bazooka ($7.50 - full size)
- Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator ($5.67 - 20 g)
- Bioderma Atoderm Gentle shower gel ($3.95 - 100 mL)

The China Glaze polish is a really nice aqua blue creme colour. I've only ever tried some of China Glaze's top coats so this is my first colour and it went on pretty well. It seems like a great bright summer colour and I did a quick swatch of it (it's the first nail).

Barefoot Venus Lip Fable Bazooka is a bubble gum scented lip balm. I think this was a decent product to include in the box, but I wish I had gotten another scent. This bubble gum scent is a bit too sweet and strong for me. To my gift/give away pile it is haha. For whoever's interested, here's a code to get 20% off their store.

Bioderma Atoderm is a shower gel intended for dry sensitive skin. Although I'm a soap bar person, I think I will end up trying this. The 100 mL also makes it a good size for travel and if I don't use it, my mom always will :P

Vasanti is a brand I've never heard of but BrightenUp! seems like a really intriguing product. It is an "exfoliating cleanser enriched with papaya, micro-crystals, and alice" I'm not sure what alice is, but as long as it is able to exfoliate my dry skin, that's all that matters to me! It has a bit of a soapy type perfumed smell so not sure how my face will react to that. I tested some of it on dry skin (you should use wet) and it seems to work up a bit of foam and the exfoliating beads are not too harsh or course.

This Topbox was an okay one for me, not overly excited but not really disappointed either (okay maybe with the Bazooka). It has a good value and it does seem like I will try everything or at least find some use with it. Looking forward to what July's Topbox has for me :) What did you get in your Topbox this month?

Retail Value: $27.12

Paid: $13.56

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser review

Purity Made Simple cleanser really is a ‘simple’ cleanser. I was hesitant to try this cleanser since I am not a fan of Philosophy’s smells but I’m really glad I did try it.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple is a pH-balanced formula that rapidly dissolves dirt and makeup while deep cleaning pores. The bestselling cleanser contains infusions of sage, chamomile, and carrot.

It is a very lightweight yet somewhat creamy cleanser that works up a small lather. You need about a quarter sized dallop of this in order to cover your whole face and neck. This product really does what it claims as since it helps remove any makeup or oil from my face. I always use a toner after cleansing in order to close my pores and I never see any residual makeup left on the cotton pad after using Purity. It even effectively takes off light eye makeup! To go with the lightweight feel of it, Purity also has a very light smell. I smell the chamomile and a bit of sage, but not the carrot of it. This cleanser is great for all skin types since it is so gentle.

I mainly use this cleanser for days of heavy makeup since I already have a daily cleanser to use up. It hasn’t broken me up or caused any dry skin patches so I can see using it as a daily cleanser if necessary. Another great use for this cleanser is as a makeup brush cleaner! You do need a bit more of the product to clean your brushes and work up a richer lather to get in between bristles, but it is great for deep cleaning brushes.

It is very pricey since it is a high-end cleanser but I actually think it is worth it. I purchased this for $12 as yet another Sephora Black Friday deal ;) (regular price is $26). It was actually supposed to be the 12 oz. size but those seemed to be sold out by the time I got there. I also received a few 2 oz. bottles from Hudson's Bay makeup galas. This $12 Purity deal seems to be a recurring deal for either Black Friday or Boxing Day from the blogs I’ve read so remember to stock up on it then, I definitely will!

Laura Mercier Lip Glacé review + swatch

I received this Laura Mercier Lip Glacé in a Sephora 500 point perk several months ago (November I think) but only started using it now. It came as a mini that is 2.8 g/1.0 oz. which is pretty generous considering the full size is 0.15 oz.! I also love the size because it makes it very compact since it is the same length as a chapstick. The point perk came with the shade Rose which is a soft pink shimmer.

This sheer, high-shine gloss can be worn alone or layered over lip color to add a touch of luster to lips.

The first thing I noticed about this gloss is that there is a bit of scent to it. It smells like some sort of vanilla candy to me and although I hate vanilla scents, I don't think that it is too strong and it also doesn't linger for long. This lip gloss is a little bit thick and slightly sticky but still very easy to apply. It comes with the usual doe-foot applicator so it isn't too messy to apply. Once it is on your lips, it feels a bit sticky but not sticky enough to take a strong hold of your hair. The colour is very true to the ‘Rose’ shade and is similar to the fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose. This makes it quite natural looking for my lips since it is a bit sheer.

It looks pretty shimmery in the bottle but is less so when you wear it. The finish is slightly glossy so people that like high shine probably wouldn’t like this gloss. I always apply it on top of a lip balm so I am not sure if this would be moisturizing enough on it's own, but it was not drying to me at all. The wear of this lip gloss is fairly average as the colour seems to fade after 3 hours and the shimmer lasts a bit longer than that. It also stays a little even after eating and drinking. I’m not much of a gloss person but this product has definitely impressed me! The shade and the finish make it a great everyday lip product.

The full size (0.15 oz.) sells for $29 at Sephora.

Topbox May 2014 Review

Wow I'm amazed that Topbox is always able to ship so quickly! I only received my tracking email yesterday and received my box today. This month I opted to add a Privé box to my wishlist and I ended up getting the GlamGlow one :) To celebrate eco-month, Topbox decided to use a re-usable organza bag as the 'box'. I already have plenty of these but they're always great to keep around to pack gifts!

The GlamGlow Privé box was a 1 Topbox so I just got the 15 g/0.5 oz. travel size of the GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment ($21 value). This is the 2nd time I added this one to my wishlist so I'm glad I finally got it. My box also came with a replacement for the Alien fragrance in my April Topbox and the $10 mystery add-on.

The replacement was the Ceramic Glaze Long Lasting Shine Nail Lacquer in the shade 'Pure' which seems like a nice opaque white. I actually don't have a white among my excessive nail polish collection I'm satisfied with this replacement :) It seems like it'd be great with the new OPI Sheer Tints that I got.

The $10 Mystery Add-on was the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in 'Intense Black'. Woohoo! I've been meaning try this but was always hesitant because of the price and hearing that it dries out quickly. It regularly costs $26 at Sephora/Shoppers so I'm able to try this for less than half the price.

I paid $24.86 for this box and the value (excluding nail polish) was $53.11 so this was another hit for me. Topbox was a great value this time and it makes me excited for the next box.

Julep Maven May 2014 Bombshell Box review

Yay my May 2014 Julep Maven box finally arrived! For those who don't know what Julep Maven is, it is a monthly nail polish/beauty subscription from Julep. You start off by taking a style profile quiz to see which welcome box suits you best. If you don't like it, you can always change your box :) The first box is even free with the code FREEBOX so you are just paying the cost of shipping (It was $4.99 for me in Ontario). Here's my referral link for anyone that wants to give it a try!

I chose to stick with the Bombshell box this month because I loved the colours! This one came with the colours Laree and Saaya as well as the Plié wand. I actually was a bit unsure about Saaya so I got someone that would buy it off me :) I also got 3 add-ons: Paulette, 2 pack of precision brushes, and the Plié wand creativity kit.

Left to right: Saaya, Paulette, Laree

Saaya - golden apricot shimmer
Paulette - golden lilac tulle shimmer
Laree - golden pink tafetta shimmer

These colours are awesome! I love the shimmer since it seems so subtle and the shades also seem perfect for summer. I haven't had a chance to swatch them on my nails since I just did them, but I swatched Paulette and Laree on their caps. I couldn't get the shimmer to show up in my pictures, but it's definitely there!

I also haven't had a chance to try the Plié wand yet but I am really excited to. I'm not sure if this was an accident, but I got an extra precision brush with overcap as well as an overcap on it's own. It was a nice surprise but I'm not sure I need that many extra brushes so I may try to sell them or give to someone.

And as always, the Maven box came with a discount coupon, which is $10 off a $20+ purchase. It is only for Mavens and expires May 31, 2014. The code is PERK10!

What box did you decide to get? :) And for those non-Mavens, give it a try and take the style profile quiz!