Sunday 14 December 2014

November Glossybox

I finally got my first Glossybox since it came back to Canada. It took quite a while to get to me but since it ships out so late in the month and I assume it took a little longer this month than normal with all the Canadians signing up. I read a lot of complaints that it was taking so long but I remember it was the same way when it was in Canada before. Ever since it stopped coming in Canada I've tried not to look at what the Americans were getting because I was always so jealous and I missed having it even though I had replaced it with ipsy but it just wasn't the same. This is what was in Novembers box.
 I already knew about the nail polish and was excited for it, and I knew about the moisturizer. 
 The first item is a herbal bath by the company Kneipp in the scent Balancing Lavender. I don't normally put products in my bath since I can't have bubble baths but this might be great to try out with some candles after work one day. The full size of this item costs $20 making this sample worth $3.96.

 The next item is a age defy moisturizer by the company Juice Beauty in the scent green apple. I've used this a couple times and it smells pretty good and moisturizes well. The full size of this item costs $45.00 making this sample worth $11.25.
 The next item is a hair product called instant healthy hair treatment by the company 12 benefits. I'm in the process of trying to grow my hair so this will probably help with this. The full size of this item costs $20.00 making the sample worth $5.00.
 The next item I knew about before I even signed up and was pretty excited for. It's an OPI polish in the colour Pink outside the glossybox. It is the same pink that the boxes that glossy comes in which is a nice faint pink. This is a full sized item worth $9.50.
The last item is a blush in the colour glossy pink by the company kryolan. I feel like I already have this from before but it's a light pink which I could actually use with my light skin. This is a full sized item worth $16.17.

Overall I'm happy with my first glossybox since coming back to Canada. I got a full year subscription making them a little cheaper plus I had a code to get a percentage off for the Canadian release. The overall value of this box was $45.88.

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Julep Diamond Mystery Box

Julep claimed this mystery box to be the best mystery box ever. I guess this came from everyone complaining about every box in the past while. They showed two nail polishes that would be guaranteed in each box and they were Chantel and Sky which have diamond glitter. I purchased the mystery box, an add on and the shinetime promotion.
First the box itself. The box was 24.99 and was supposed to be valued at $150 and one winner would get a pair of diamond earrings. Since they already revealed Chantel and Sky and a nail polish regular price is 14.00 it was basically purchasing these two polishes and getting some free gifts with it. I was very happy with my box, it contained 6 nail polishes and 5 products.
The 5 products I got were Invisible Dry Shampoo valued at $22.00 or $17.60 maven price, Mighty nail and cuticle serum valued at $28.00 or $22.40 maven price, lip gloss in awestruck valued at $16.00, Clean Slate polish corrector pen valued at $10.00 or $8.00 maven price and Gel Eye Glider in Blackest Black valued at $12.80.
My hair is very difficult when it comes to products like this, there are very few that will work for me. This one so far has worked great I've used it a couple times, it smells good and makes my hair look good. I always use dry shampoo night before and it ends up working better for me. 
 I got one of the Mighty sticks in a previous box and I've been liking it a lot so to have a backup is always good, since I will probably use all of this fairly quickly.

I loveee Julep lip glosses. The only problem with these is the packaging is very fragile so you have to be careful or the top will completely break off. They smell really good and look nice. 

 I've never seen this product from Julep before and haven't had the chance to use it yet but it looks helpful! It reminds me of the elf makeup corrector pen. The one thing I always hated about the elf makeup pen is that the tip gets dirty before the product is fully used. This nail polish version comes with extra tips which will be helpful when I do use it so colours don't end up mixing.

I have a julep eyeliner that I use everyday and is almost gone, but it's the kajal eye glider. I haven't tried this new one yet but if it's similar to the one I already have it will get used. 

I got 6 polishes in this box, each one valued at $14.00 or $11.20 maven price.
 The colours are Chantel from BoHo Glam, Austen from BoHo Glam, Nic from Bombshell, Nancy from Bombshell, Eliana from Bombshell and Sky from It Girl. I have been wanted Austen for a while and will use all of these colours.

The total value of the box is $172.80 or maven price $144 and I will use every item in this box.

The add-on I got was 14.99 and contained 3 items - 2 products and one polish. The products I got were the Hand and Cuticle Stick worth $22.00 or $11.20 maven price and the Clean Slate Nail Polish Remover worth $14.00 or $11.20 maven price. The nail polish is in the colour Natalia from the BoHo Glam collection worth $14.00 or $11.20 maven price.
 The box that the remover comes in makes it look like it's bigger than it actually is since it has a pump in it. I haven't used it yet and have never used a remover with a pump so it'll be interesting to see how it works. 
 The nail and cuticle stick is supposed to be an amazing product, I've heard a lot about it but never used it so I'm excited for that.
Natalia is a copper metallic. I don't have a colour like this so I'll find a use for it.

The add-on had a value of $50.00 or $40.00 maven price.

When the box was for sale there was a promotion to get a free bag of items that they said was valued at $120.00 using the code SHINETIME. This included a bag, 3 products and 2 polishes. The products I got was a Sweep Eyeshadow Palette valued at $24.00 or $19.20 maven priced, Lip Gloss in Polished valued at $16.00 and an eyeshadow brush valued at $18.00 or $14.40 maven price. The polishes I got were DeAnn from Classic with a Twist and Ava from Bombshell both $14.00 or $11.20 maven price.
The bag it came with is really pretty but uncomfortable to hold with all the sequins.
 I already have one of these, and I like it a lot but wouldn't use it quick enough to have another but it was free so it's good for a Christmas gift.

I have another brush from Julep and I like it so I'm sure I'll like this one too! 

Another lip gloss, which I love. The two are slightly different colours and I love them both!
Ava is a very soft pink and DeAnn is a red which is good for this time of year. The value of the Julep items is $86.00 or $72.00 maven priced. It said it was valued at $120.00 so I'm not sure how much they think the bag would be worth.

Here are the swatches of all the polishes that I received in this box. The total value of everything was $308.80 or $256.00 maven price plus whatever the bag is worth and I paid $39.98 which is an incredible value and I will make use of every item I got so I am beyond happy with this one!

Monday 17 November 2014

November Ipsy

The theme of this months Ipsy was Girl Meets Glitter. I was pretty excited because I'm loving glitter nail polish and glitter eye liner lately. When I got the early look at my glam room I don't think I was excited as I was hoping I would be.
Ipsy is a monthly subscription service that costs $10.00 a month, but being in Canada I have to pay for shipping which is another 4.95 USD so you'll pay the difference of exchange rate. If you want to subscribe you can do so here: http://www.ipsy.com/r/3kg1

This is what I got in this months bag, I'm still unsure how I feel about it. I like most of the products, but looking at what else was available I think I would have preferred some of the other items. The bag this month is really cute though!

The first item I got was a lip paint by J Cat in the colour red potion. This is one item that I would not use, and I'm confused why I keep getting lip colours when I looked back on my survey lip stick is basically the only thing I don't have checked off. This is however a full sized item worth $4.99
The next item I got was a Elizabeth Mott you're so fine eyeliner in the colour Glitterati. This is the item I was most excited about in the bag since I use black eyeliner daily and have been adding a 2nd coat of a glitter over it every now and then lately. This isn't as powerful of a glitter as when I do that, but it's a nice subtle glitter within the black eyeliner. This item is full sized I believe and retails for $17.99.
The third item was a hairspray by Marc Anthony with oil of morocco argan oil. I always love hair products by March Anthony and usually have a problem with hairsprays because they smell bad, but this smells really good. This item is not a full sized, it is worth about $1.38.
The next item I got was an eye base from be a bombshell in the colour submissive. It is fairly dark but feels really nice and I think will work well. I haven't tried it yet but I think I might get some good use out of it. This item is worth $14.00.
The last item I got is a highlighter by temptu. It is a tiny tiny sample worth about $2.75. I'm pretty pale so I usually don't use highlighters and those types of products but this is a very light colour so I might try it out. 
The bag this month is really cute and I think I will be able to use it when I go out or for organizing purposes in my purse. It was made with Forever 21 for Ipsy this month.


 The total for this bag was 41.11 which is pretty good. Overall I'm okay with this bag, I'll use a few of the things I got so it's good. I think since I've gotten so many at this point that they just seem less exciting unless there is something amazing in them. 




Wednesday 12 November 2014

David Duncan House

Recently my boyfriend and I thought we should go on a nice date night since we usually lean towards the more affordable date nights. He got a suggestion from a friend at work to go to the David Duncan House since it's nearby. It is located just off of Don Mills North of York Mills at 125 Moatfield Drive. I had noticed this building a few times while on the bus and always wondered what it was, I had no idea it was a restaurant. 
We had to make reservations and had them for 8:30 pm since we eat pretty late. Since we were there later it was fairly empty, there were only 5 other couples which didn't seem like many since the place is so large. 
When we went in they had a coat check and took us to the upper floor to eat since it has a nicer view. The decor inside is gorgeous, every detail fits with the theme of the house including the chairs which were very comfy. 
When I saw the drink menu I was excited because they had a strawberry pina colada, which is probably weird to order at a classy restaurant but I couldn't resist and they were amazing.
For food I order the filet mignon and boyfriend ordered the NY steak with lobster tail. Both came with mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots. I'm very picky when it comes to how my mashed potatoes are and these ones were really good. The meal also comes with garlic bread as an appetizer and a plate with pickles, olives and cheese. I was too excited for the food so I didn't take any pictures of it, it was the best steak I have ever had and totally worth the price. 

The history of the building is very interesting and is on their website so if your interested check it out! This would be a great place to go for a birthday, anniversary, graduation dinner, or just a date night. The only problem is that since I've gone I want to go back all the time!