BEAUTY BOX 5: January 2014

so a small part of the reason why i haven't posted lately was because of a trip to the USA for my friend's graduation - she's a doctor now! 

i went for about 6 days and visited a bunch of cities i've never been to before. first stop was Philadelphia for Jenny's graduation - love you! went to a couple tourist-y areas including the Eastern State Penitentiary which was pretty interesting... wish we had more time there though! had dinner at Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant and it's crazy how all the dishes were all so good! i love the restaurant itself - so pretty (top right photo). 

after two nights in Philly, we headed to New York by Boltbus and of course, checked out Grand Central Station, Central Park, Times Square, Wall Street, 9/11 Memorial Site... took the subway! saw a rat! rode a taxi... aiyyy... i forgot that all these cities we were visiting are 'older' cities, so i wasn't expecting so much graffiti, demolition and uneven roads. and man those roads are bumpy! 

we only did one night in New York so it was go-go-go! so stayed overnight in Elizabeth since some of our friends were departing the next morning from Newark. the top left photo of the cathedral is in Elizabeth. it is GORGEOUS. i love cathedrals! i just wished they were open! all of the ones we visited were either under construction or closed... 

took it easy the next two days near Oil City/Pittsburgh. did some some more outlet shopping which is always great. on my way out... my flight gets cancelled. man! i ended up staying overnight at the airport... definitely not the most comfortable place to stay for an extended period of time. if this ever happens to you, make sure you talk to the staff to see how they rebooked your flight because they automatically booked me for 3 connecting flights - ridiculous!

anyway, it was a fab time! i wish i had more vacation days!

onward to BB5!
January 2014 - Cheers to You! featuring That Awkward Moment

i don't have any desire to see That Awkward Moment because i can't handle watching raunchy sex comedies in theatres. but Zac Efron is very pretty. haha

1) H2O Plus : Spa Sea Lotus Body Wash
size: 30 mL
retail value: $17 (370 mL)

to date, i've received four H2O Plus products from BB5. each time i like to check out the website to find out what the 'key elements' are. for this Sea Lotus body wash, they are: water lotus, bamboo, red marine algae, and Vitamin E. similar to the last H2O Plus body wash i received in March 2013, it smells marine-y. it is indeed part of their Marine Skincare line but i just do not like that scent.

2) Nubar : Cuticle Oil in 'T3191-7 Green Apple'
size: 7 mL
retail value: $10 (15 mL)

it does smell like green apples! very light scent. the brush is different from a regular nail polish. this one is stiffer so you can dab it on your cuticles. i am not very precise since it just gets absorbed anyway.

3) Swissco : Bath & Shower Exfoliating Gloves
size: 1 pair [full size]
retail value: $5

i can always count on BB5 for something different. exfoliating gloves! haven't received or used these before. i think these will become very useful, especially with dress season around the corner.

4) Jergens : Daily Moisture Dry Skin Moisturizer
size: 29 mL
retail value: $6.99 (621 mL)

this light cream absorbs quickly into the skin and has a citrus scent with a hint of flowers. a tad boring but will be used someday.

5) Epic Blend : Lip Balm in 'Hemp Coconut' 
size: 4.2 g [full size]
retail value: $3.39
promotion: 25% off online purchase // expired Mar 31, 2014

i said i'd try to pawn off the (MALIN+GOETZ) mojito lip balm from the ipsy bag to my boyfriend but this is more his style.

6) BONUS : That Awkward Moment : Mirror Compact

a rectangular mirror compact that i probably won't use since i already have a mirror with my MUFE Pressed Powder. i'd bring it along for travel if it was bit bigger!

and so there it is. BB5 continues to have some interesting items like exfoliating gloves and brush cleaners in their boxes but it's offset with the boring lotions and shampoos. i also don't really see how this whole box ties in with the movie...

what are your vacation plans this year??

GLOSSYBOX: March 2013

got my Glossybox on Tuesday and i am happy with it.

say what now??

check out the The Metropolitan Chic Glossybox (V1 or V3 depending on which Tresemme product you get):

1) ModelCo Cheek + Lip Tint in "Rosy Red" - i was quite excited about this product - it looks so fancy! i have one other product similar in function to this: the Benefit Benetint. the ModelCo one comes in a squeezable tube and blends out easily. it does not stain as well as the Benetint though. for both, i found it pretty useless on my lips - i'd have to use an excessive amount of the product to get it to actually show on my lips. on my cheeks however, i only need to dab the tiniest amount. the box says not to rub it in so i try my best to just dab it on - still, the majority of the tint remains on my fingers rather than on my cheeks. this product will be great to throw in my purse since i don't like carrying a powder blush around. 

size: 10 mL (full size!)

retail value: $24 

2) Jergens Natural Glow 3 Days to Glow Moisturizer in "Fair to Medium" - i've used moisturizers like this before but haven't exactly observed a difference. perhaps it's because i don't like to use them - waiting for the product to dry seems like such a hassle (cue: ain't nobody got time for that!). this moisturizer claims to make you one full shade darker within 3 days. guess i could start using it now since we still have snow on the ground and the sun won't be coming out anytime soon...

i am glad that Glossybox took my skin tone into consideration! the 3 Days to Glow Moisturizer also comes in "Medium to Tan". the product says "No Odour" and instead smells like perfume. 

size: 120 mL (full size!)

retail value: $12.99

3) L'Oreal Paris Youth Code Dark Spot Corrector Serum - i'd say the sound that came out of my mouth when i saw this can be described as a squeal.

i've been wanting to try a dark spot corrector FOREVER and i just couldn't decide which one to invest my money in since they can be quite pricey. i am very delighted that i get to try this one out and am especially glad that it is a serum since they are more effective than creams. i have a few sun spots on my cheeks near my nose so i will be using this serum completely and will post before and after pics!

the first actual pump didn't seem enough so i did 2 - which was a mistake because then i had way too much. i learned that you can actually control the amount the pump distributes. also handy is that the pump can be twisted and locked. the serum has a nice scent and isn't overly oily. 

but when i rubbed my face where i had applied the product, i felt little balls pilling underneath my fingers - not sure if it was just the product or my actual skin. i tried using less product and there is less of it but it's still there. anyone else have this happen?

the product says that it is clinically proven and that i should see great results within 12 weeks so i am crossing my fingers!

size: 30 mL (full size!)

retail value: $29.99

4) TRESsemme Platinum Strength Deep Conditioning Treatment - this makes it full-sized product number 4. this treatment reminds me of my Joico K-Pak Restorative Treatment which i absolutely love. i got it back in July and i'm still savoring it. 

i can use this conditioning treatment in place of my regular conditioner and it is supposed to repair up to 2 years of damage after 5 uses - howwwwww do they calculate that? hahaha - such claims should always be taken lightly. i must say though, that i definitely noticed a difference in my hair after using this - it feels lighter and softer and looks shinier. love!

size: 177 mL

retail value: $5.99

5) Beautiful Movements Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Platinum Tiara" - the color is described by BM as a "rich, sparkly grey" and is a part of their "Starry Eyed Glamour Collection". although i prefer my greys to be darker than this, it is actually quite pretty. it applies very sheer but the color is buildable. it is also very, very shimmery and i love the name. in fact, many of the other colors on their website are gorgeous. their eyeshadows are 100% mineral. if you are interested in purchasing their products, shipping to Canada costs ~$7.00.

if you noticed that there is mention of a Kimberley all over the website, it is because they are referring to Kimberley Wyatt who is one of the co-founders of Beautiful Movements and previously part of the Pussycat Dolls.

size: 1 g

retail value:  £7.00/$10.93 (2 g)

so those are the reasons why i am delighted with March's Glossybox! as expected, the majority of the Glossybox was full sized but also of a drugstore brand. still, i am very excited to try out the L'Oreal Dark Spot Corrector Serum. i guess if dark spots and sun spots were not a concern of yours, you would not be as pleased as i was. i can even go as far as say that this is one of my favorite Glossyboxes ever.

what did you think of your Glossybox? i've only seen one other blogger post about it so maybe some people haven't gotten theirs yet or is it because many unsubscribed?