RachhLoves Topbox

When YouTuber RachhLoves collaborated with TopBox to create this, I had to have it! I had a $5 off code, so this only cost me $14.00 and it claims to have a $68+ value!!

This box included:

• A FULL SIZE NYX Butter Gloss, I chose the shade Sugar Cookie 
• A 2.5ml sample of Elizabeth Arden Grand Entrance Mascara 
• A 15g sample of GlamGlow FlashMud
• A 7ml sample of Delictable Everything Balm 
• 2 5ml minis of Essie's Summer Collection, I chose the shades Loot the Booty & Viva Antigua 

I love the Nyx Butter Glosses and was happy to get another! I have tried many of the GlamGlow masks and have loved them all, I have not tried this one yet though and am very excited! The nail polish colours are beautiful and the mini sizes are perfect! - I never go through full size nail polishes! The Everything Balm smells so good ad is very moisturizing - I know it will come in handy! The mascara is a good size, so it will be nice to try too. Overall, I think this is a great value and I will actually use all of these products! I am so happy to have gotten this!

Sephora 500 point perk: Nars

I had been collecting points for a while and have been waiting for a 500 point perk to spend them on. When I saw this NARS perk, I had to get it!

This perk included:

• A 4ml Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls - $21.33
• A 2.8g Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base - $11.42
• A 3ml Audacious Mascara in Black Moon - $12.75
• A 3.5g Blush in Orgasm- $28.50

TOTAL VALUE: $74.00!!!

This is a great value, that I couldn't pass up! I haven't tried many products from Nars, but I have liked what I have tried. These are all new products for me and I am o excited to start using with them! I have heard such great things about the blush and eyeshadow base, in particular.  I also love the colour of this lip gloss! Great value!

April 2016 TopBox

It's TopBox time again!

Here's what was inside this month:

• A FULL SIZE OFRA Lipliner in Wine - $17.25
• A 7mL sample of Pure-Lisse Blue Lotus 4-in-1 Eye Adore Serum - $30.33
• A FULL SIZE Ciaté Nail Lacquer in roller coaster - $15.00
• A FULL SIZE POP Beauty Pure Pigment in Matte Bark - $11.42
• A FULL SIZE Schick Hydro Silk Razor - $9.97
• A $5.00 Coupon for Razor Refills - $5.00 Value

TOTAL VALUE: $88.97

This month, I received a Schick Razor as a bonus item. It's always nice to get a bonus item - Thanks TopBox! I now that the value of this box is really good and that I have a lot of full size items, so I'm happy with that. I think that TopBox is really trying to up their game - although it did fall short for me this month. I really don't use loose pigments, the lipliner is quite dark - I probably will get some wear out of it, but little- and the nail polish isn't really my thing. I prefer non glitter polishes. I am most excited about the eye serum, and, well, I guess the razor? Boring, I know. All in all, I appreciate the effort, just not quite to my taste - maybe I should update my profile? Is there a profile for TopBox?

Glam Sense : Lise Watier HydraForce

When I saw that I was being sent a Lise Watier product to try, I was very excited! I haven't tried much from this line, but what I have tried, I have loved. I was sent a 45ml jar of the HydraForce Hydra-Protective Comforting Cream ($45 value) and a skin hydration measuring tool, which plugs into my phone and works with an app developed by Lise Watier Cosmetics. This cream claims to be a weatherproof moisturizer that keeps skin 3x more hydrated and the app in conjunction with the hydration tool are supposed to help proof just how hydrating this cream actually is.

I think that the hydration tool and the app are a great idea! It is a new, fresh take on product testing that I was not expecting. It was also really easy to use and fun. On the more scientific side of things, I found the tool to be quite inconsistent, though the hydration levels were always higher when they were on skin that had just been moisturized. Often I would place it on the same patch of skin and would get very different readings - maybe it was my error. Overall, my skin's hydration usually doubled after applying this cream (usually it would go from 30-35% before to 60-70% after) , which is pretty impressive!

When it comes to the cream, I like that it is in a glass jar - creams just feel more fancy when their jars are glass instead of plastic! The scent is a bit strong for my liking, but not too off-putting and it doesn't linger long. It has a light consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin. It leaves my skin feeling more supple and hydrated. I have only tried this at night so far, so I can't speak to how make-up applies over it. 

Overall? I really liked it! Do I think that it is the best cream that I have ever used? No. But it was fun to test out and I definitely enjoy it and will use every last drop!

To promote this product, there is a HYDRAFORCE SQUAD event being held on April 16th at the MicMac Mall, in Dartmouth, NS, from 12-5pm. You can test out your skin's hydration level and leave with a free sample! #getinthebubble

Glam Sense: Dove Campaign

For this campaign, I was sent 5 full size products to review - yes 5! Wow! I have tried and really liked Dove products - If you have been reading my blog you know my love for the Dove Nourishing Body Wash in Pistachio with Magnolia - IT JUST SMELLS SO GOOD!

Anyways! As soon as I opened this box, I was hit with a very intense baby powder scent. I'm not really into that, but it didn't stop me from trying the products. After smelling each individual product, I', not sure where the strong scent came from - maybe just all of them condensed inside a small box? I was sent: the Daily Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner, the Deep Moisture Body Wash, the White Beauty Bar and the Go Sleeveless Antiperspirant. After trying these out, here are my thoughts!

(I priced these items on Walmart.ca)

Daily Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner ($4.96 each):
Of all the products that I was sent, I like the scent of these the most! The shampoo lathers well and the conditioner left my hair feeling moisturized. It was easy to run my tangle teaser through my hair after using these products - I have very fine tangled hair usually. I really enjoy these!

Deep Moisture Body Wash ($4.97):
I love this product - not as much as the Pistachio Magnolia - but still! It leaves my skin feeling smooth and hydrated. It lathers very well and has a light, fresh scent.  Very gentle on my dry, sensitive skin.

White Beauty Bar ($3.27 for 2 bars):
This is my go to bar of soap. I have very sensitive skin and this has always been good to me and has never caused me to break out. It is very gentle and lathers well. It leaves my skin feeling moisturized and soft. This is also great for cleaning make-up brushes!

Go Sleeveless Antiperspirant ($2.97):
This too smells great! It's a very mild, warm scent. It goes in smoothly and leaves me feeling fresh all day. It doesn't seem to ball up under my arms, like other brands.

March 2016 TopBox

This month's box included:

• A 4g sample of Givenchy Phenomen' Eyes Mascara - $20.00
• A set of MaskerAide All Eyes on Me Hydrating Eye Gel Patches - $6.25
• A FULL SIZE N.S. Fisherman Extreme Lip Care Fisher-Mint Lip Balm - $4.95
• A 3mL sample of Benefit Porefessional - $5.05

TOTAL VALUE: $36.25

This month's box is a good variety of products, but nothing that really wows me. The Givenchy mascara will be great to try! The packaging seems very luxurious, so I am most excited about it. I will use the eye patches, but they're not something that I would normally buy or get excited about. Also, they are a one shot deal. The lip balm is kind of boring. Honestly, I'm getting sick of receiving products from this brand. I really like the porefessional, but have gotten this sample in several previous boxes sooooooo yeah. All in all,not bad, but nothing spectacular either. You can get a FREE sample lip balm with your order from from novascotiafisherman.com with the code TOPBOXFREELB.

Influsenter: L'Oreal Hair Expertise

I  was selected by Influenster to review 3 hair products from the L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise Color Radiance Line! Yay!

I received 3 FULL SIZE products to put to the test!

A bottle of shampoo, a bottle of conditioner and a tube of instant miracle : complete protective care.

I had just gotten my hair dyed before receiving these goodies, so it was perfect timing! These products can all be easily found and are very cost effective.

The shampoo is great! It smells amazing & lathers up really well! I found that a little goes a long way. 

I didn't find the conditioner to be anything too special, it worked well, but I didn't find it to be different than most of the other conditioners that I have used.

The Instant Miracle - WOW! It is the BEST! It brightened my colour and made my hair super shiny and silky - AMAZING for a drugstore product! The cherry on top? It smells SOOOO good!

Thanks Influenster!

#hairexpertise

Feb. 2016 TopBox

Another month, another TopBox...

Here what was inside this month.

• A 5mL sample of Bliss Fabulous Drench 'n' Quench cream-to-water lock-in moisturizer - $4.80
• A 7.1mL sample of Smashbox Photo Finish Primer - $10.41
• A 28g sample of Nova Scotia Fisherman eXtreme Skin Care Sea Salt Soap - $1.44
• A FULL SIZE Morgan Taylor Nail Lacquer in Later Alligator - $ 15.83

TOTAL VALUE: $32.48

This is the second month in a row that I am disappointed. The variety is decent, but all of the products (minus the nail polish) are small. I know a lot of people would be happy to receive the Smashbox Primer, but  I'm not a fan of it. The soap is nice, but living in NS, it's not something new to me. The nail polish colour isn't something that I would wear - besides maybe St. Paddy's Day and the Bliss product is so tiny! If this keeps up, I may have to end what we have going, TopBox.

Use the promo code FEBTOPBOX at novascotiafisherman.com for 20% off!

Feb. 2016 BirchBox Canada - Last BirchBox Canada

Since my last BirchBox post, lots has happened! BirchBox decided to stop shipping to Canada. This news was leaked and BirchBox ended up with a lot of explaining to do. So, this is my last BirchBox. Now, I must say that their customer service has been bending over backwards to accommodate Canadians. I purchased an annual subscription on Black Friday and was reimbursed all of my money. Anyways, I cashed out my points in the BirchBox store and am now awaiting my shipment.

Here's what I got in my final BirchBox. 

• A 45mL sample of 12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment
• A 1.5mL sample of Cartier La Panthere Eau de Parfum
• A Color Club Nail Lacquer in That's My Jam
• A 30mL sample of Naobay HydraPlus Cream
• A 2.5mL sample of OCC Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia

For the sample selection this month, I chose the Lip Tar. I don't have many deep lippies and thought this would be unique. I like the colour, but I'm not sure about the metallic finish. I think that it's pretty, but definitely not an everyday color! I like the nail polish - but it's nothing special. I love the hair product, it smells and works great! I can always use cream, so that's a nice addition. I am disappointed to get a perfume sample. It's small and old lady smelling - not for me!

All in all, a pretty decent box, but sad that it'll be my last. It's been fun BirchBox, let's do this again sometime...

Chick Advisor: Garnier Skinactive

I was so happy to be selected for the Garnier Skinactive Campaign by Chick Advisor!

Included were the following:

• A FULL SIZE Miracle Anti-Fatigue Hydra-Gel Moisturizer ($24.99 Value)
• A FULL SIZE Micellar Water ($9.99 Value)
• A Mug + 50g of David's Blueberry Jam Looseleaf  Tea ($8.98 Value + Mug)

I'm assuming that the mug and the tea were additions made,to compensate for the delay in shipping. I LOVE both additions! I am a hug David's Tea fan and think that this mug is so cute! I also love that the moisturizer contains berry extract and they matched that with the Blueberry Jam Tea - so cute!

Let's start with the Miscellar water. I have tried several of these in the past and always go back to Bioderma (which is quite pricey, but worth it!). Actually, most micellar waters tend to be on the pricey side, but for $10 you get a lot of product here - 400ml! I love how simple this product is to use: just dampen a cotton pad and apply it to your face, it does't get any easier! This is also gentle and doesn't irritate my skin or my eyes and I have very irritable skin & eyes! This doesn't quite remove all of my eye make-up, I find myself having to use additional products to get my eye area totally clean. Also, I definitely have to use more of this product than my Bioderma, I don't find it to be as effective at removing my make-up. I like to use a damp, warm cloth to follow up after using this product, which I didn't have to do with Bioderma. Bottom Line: This is good for days you don't wear much make-up, but might not get all of your eye make-up off. This is good if you are on a budget but isn't quite as effective as other products.

On to the Moisturizer! Firstly, I like that the packaging has a pump & I love the claims : deep hydration, plumps out fine lines, works well under make-up. Yes, yes, yes! I feel like the pump dispenses too much product for me, also the scent is a bit strong for my liking- it isn't a bad scent, it's very clean smelling, just strong. I find that it does absorb well into my skin and it does hydrate well. Bottom Line: This moisturizer hasn't been anything amazing for me yet, but with moisturizers I feel like you see results over time and I can't judge that yet. I think that it is quite hydrating, but the smell is quite off-putting for me.

All in all I am super happy to try these products and enjoy them all. Are they my absolute favorites? No. But are they are good drugstore products! I also love the add-ons! So sweet! Thanks Chick Advisor!