POLISHED: Barbie Loves Joe Fresh Nail Polish Set

i am by no means a pro when it comes to doing my nails - in fact, i'm not even very good. but i did feel like reviewing some nail polishes for you.
i picked these "Barbie Loves Joe Fresh" nail polishes at Superstore a couple of weeks ago. who knows if they were meant for kids? i only paid like $2.50 (originally $12) for them so i thought it'd be fun! Joe Fresh also has their own line of nail polishes so maybe not?
the set included: Light Pink, Light Purple and Dark Pink (3.5 mL each).

i did a swatch of each, the left side was taken in natural light and the right, with artificial light (this is how swatches are done normally right? hehe)
here's Light Pink:

i did 3 coats since it is a very light color. as you can see, i am not very patient so i have a smudge already! i like this pink color; it appears very innocent and feminine.

Dark Pink swatches:

now this one is not so "innocent"-looking. i also like how this is a nice pop of color. needed only 2 coats.

and Light Purple:

sadly, i was racing against the clock and did not beat it. the sun had pretty much gone down by now but i decided to try anyway! i apologize! this purple is also a very cute lilac color. again, it is a lighter color so it took 3 coats.

the bottles were pretty cute - they were short and round. it may have been a little harder for me to adjust to painting my nails with such a large and round cap. i think the size is perfect though - i've never run out of nail polish before and i buy new colors all the time. and overall the formula was pretty good. the lighter colors needed more coats and may have been a little streaky at times.

and from this, i decided to do something a little fun with my nails which turned out to be very Easter-y. i did not intend for this but realized it after that it was perfect for the occasion. however, i took it off today since i was getting tired of it and Easter is just around the corner. oh well.
i love this idea of having one nail on each hand that is a different color. it makes it stand out with the contrast and all. :)

and on top of this, i used the OPI RapiDry Top Coat from my March 2012 Luxe Box. i did this on March 27 and i took a picture of my nails today before taking it off:

that's over a week (9 days)! and it looks almost like the previous picture besides some edges and a chip that i got the day before since i was getting careless with some hair rollers. i haven't used some of the more prestigious top coats like Seche Vite  so i can't compare it but this OPI one works pretty good for me!

have a fantastic Easter everybody!

GLOSSYBOX: March 2012

dun dun dunnnn! it is finally here!!
it arrived yesterday, after much anticipation and delays. Glossybox was having a bit of trouble with customs. they continually updated their Facebook page on the status of the box as well as gave everybody 250 Glossydots for their patience. for some reason though, the company said the Alberta boxes were sent out last Monday and yet my tracking information said Canada Post received it on Wednesday. Glossybox said it was glitch with Canada Post. i liked being kept in the loop but placing the blame on someone else for the delay will not help the situation. i hope i receive April's box within the month!
so many people were super pleased with their box - i snuck a peek on Facebook. when i picked it up from the mailbox, i was shocked at how heavy it felt. it's a whooping 700 g. haha apparently March's Luxe Box was 500 g but the Glossybox feels really heavy!
so it is the first time i received the Glossybox so here's plenty of pictures.
the cardboard box is quite fancy. it has the Glossybox symbol and logo all over the box and perforation (? is that the right term?) along the side which makes it so much easier to open the box.

upon opening the box, there is a light pink box that seems really sturdy. taking off the lid, you will find some tissue paper wrapped in a pale pink ribbon with a logo sticker.

there's a large black envelope and this is the shot of all the products underneath it (there's a lot of them!):

the black envelope contains: a note from Glossybox including a list of the products, a Bailey Cosmetics product tag, a promo code for Pandora's Makeup Box and a huge booklet about Sebastian products.

products of the month:

1) Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion - i've seen plenty of ads for this so i'm alright with receiving this lotion. it claims that it moisturizes for 24 hours. great for my elbows! there is a very light oatmeal scent and absorbs really quickly. feels slightly more runny than creamy.
size: 71 mL
retail value: $11.99 (354 mL)

2) Bailey Fresh Lip Gloss in " Fresh Berry" - there's no label anywhere saying how big the sample was or what color it was, but i compared mine to some of the other blogger's and found that mine is a lot darker. it also looks more like "Fresh Berry" than it would "Fresh Pink". one thing to keep in mind is make sure you twist it all the way to close it. my sister wanted to take a look but didn't close it properly and it began leaking A LOT. it kept leaking until i figured out the problem. i put some on her, put a ton on me, did a swatch on my hand and still large goops of lip gloss was lost.

this allowed me to take two swatches of the gloss on my lips - one with just a normal layer of gloss, and the other one i layered quite a bit. the color looks darker (quite purple) on my hand and appears sheerer on my lips but you can build the color. it has a sponge applicator and does not feel all too sticky.

some people received an anti-shine powder or a duo foundation - both of which i would've preferred since i've got quite the stash of lip products from these beauty boxes.
size: 8 g (full size!)
retail value: $28

3) Evian Brumisateur Facial Spray - hmm interesting that Evian has "branched out" from bottled water to beauty products. i have something sort of similar that i use to refresh my skin - The Body Shop's Vitamin C Energizing Face Spritz.

i love the smell because the citrus definitely wakes you up. this Evian one however, is just water. so i am not entirely sure what the hype is about. this sample costs $7... i really don't know what you're paying for here.
size: 50 mL
retail value: $17.50 (300 mL); $12.50 (150 mL); $7.00 (50 mL)

4) PANDORA'S Blush in "St. Tropez" - yay! first time receiving blush in these boxes and great timing too! i think blush would probably be the product that i have the least varieties of so this is a great addition. it comes in a little magnetic box and is a nice pink color.
size: 4 g (full size!)
retail value: $18

5) Sebastian Re-Shaper Hairspray - this is a new type of product to receive in the beauty boxes. i have quite a bit of hairspray which i do not use often so i do not know when i will actually test this out. this product emphasizes brushability (did they invent the word?) which would be something i am interested in. i don't like it when my hair looks super hard after hairspray and when you try to brush,it causes little white flakes. will update you on this later!
size: 43 g
retail value: $19.95 (43 g) i heard plenty of bloggers/Facebookers mention that this was calculated incorrectly so i went online to check... $22.95 (300 g) according to Fabove.ca

6) *bonus* Algemarin Foam Bath - i like bonuses! i've never heard of Algemarin and i hardly ever take baths so will let you know later.
size: 15 mL
retail value: $23.95 (750 mL); $17.99 (500 mL); $3.99 (5 x 5 mL)

comparing mine to others, i would've preferred some different items but overall, it's a decent box. my favorite item would probably be the blush from PANDORA'S. the lip gloss is a darker shade than i normally get so that's a nice variation. i wish Glossybox had added those label stickers they sent out last month for new subscribers. i'll have to start thinking of uses for this box now! what do you use all your boxes for?
interested in signing up? i'd appreciate it if you use my link. :)

PS. Topbox is holding ANOTHER giveaway on Facebook - click here to win a top 10 gift set from Stila Cosmetics!
thanks for reading!

REVIEW: Mink Eyelash Extensions - Week 1

hi everyone!
thought i'd share my experience with mink eyelash extensions so far..
i've always wanted to try eyelash extensions out and when they began popping up in the coupon community, i decided why not!
on October 2, 2011, i bought a voucher from Groupon to use at sohni skin & hair studio in Calgary. i checked out the reviews (of course) but it was a fairly new place. i always take a look at the company's website too. with all these vouchers popping up everywhere, i've seen a few deals that seem pretty shady. and when there are spelling errors all over the website or images you've seen used again and again, i become wary of their professionalism.
anyway, sohni skin & hair studio appeared safe so i took the risk. the voucher was $50 for a full set of mink eyelash extensions. at the time, it said this was a $175 value. today, their site states that they cost $120 for a full set and $80 for a fill. $80 is still really expensive! that's almost how much i eventually payed anyway, including tips.
come to think of it, that's pretty steep. especially for someone like me without a steady flow of income just yet :)

i was going to get them done for the holidays but that didn't happen. i went in on March 23, 2012 instead (they expire on April 3). i'm a bit of a procrastinator.
i forgot the name of the lady who did these for me. i had an appointment at 1:30 pm, signed a consent form and then 7 or so minutes later i was in a chair (their studio is really nice and clean). the lady asked what type of look i wanted and i wasn't entirely sure but said something that looks natural and wouldn't continually interfere with my glasses. the lady decided to use the "12s"; another option was "14s" which were longer (not sure what these really mean). they say some people fall asleep during the process but i was not THAT comfortable.
so eyelash extensions work in that they are glued onto your individual eyelashes. each extension consists of 2 "eyelashes" which makes it look like you do have more eyelashes. i felt a little poke every time an extension was glued on. it didn't hurt but it wasn't comfortable either.

the whole process took like an hour including about 10 minutes of waiting for the glue to dry.
so here are the pictures. individual eye pictures look creepy next to each other! i apologize for some of the weird angles. it's tough taking pictures of yourself with your eyes closed!

definitely a noticeable difference! my eyelashes appeared fuller and darker. hooray for curled eyelashes! mine prefer to point downwards. one thing i wished the lady did was to take into consideration my eye shape. my left eye is a monolid - it folds underneath itself so it appears hooded. the lady put a few extensions on the very inner corner of my eye so when i opened my eyes, it looked pretty strange. it also kept rubbing against my eyelid. eventually these fell out pretty quickly anyway. 

i've never had synthetic eyelash extensions so i can't say i noticed a difference with the mink ones. it's been a little over a week now, and my eyelashes looked best a few days after i got them done. nowadays, my eyelash extensions seem to be disappearing rapidly.  i tried to keep count of the ones i notice falling out:

Day 1 (March 24): lost 1 in the morning (usually when i'm washing my face)
Day 2 (March 25): lost 1 in the morning; 2 at night
Day 5 (March 28): lost 1 at night
Day 6 (March 29): lost 1 in the morning

the first couple of days, i was constantly reminded that i was wearing eyelash extensions. it hurt a bit when i slept on my side because i felt the tubes pressing into my eyelids. either this feeling went away or i got used to it because i don't notice them anymore (or that i've lost so many!).

according to the company's site, they are supposed to last 3-6 weeks. at this rate, i think MAYBE 3 if i'm lucky. i did everything i was supposed to too: avoid oil based makeup remover (i actually avoided all eye makeup for a while - first few days, i felt like i didn't even need it!) - i loved getting out of bed and looking like i was ready to go out. i try not to touch my eyes at all. i did not purchase their recommended mascara though. it's a special one for lash extensions and cost $25. perhaps, i need to look into all the ingredients in my eyeliners.
i'll update you on more photos at the end of the week. meanwhile, i'm looking for a heated eyelash curler since i cannot use a normal one. i was told these extensions would hold their curl but it seems that they did not take Asian eyelashes into consideration. mine are normally stick straight so it seems that these lash extensions are slowly molding into MY shape. boo :( i've checked plenty of places that i've previously found heated eyelash curlers but cannot find any now!! funny how it's never there when you need it hey? so any recommendations on where i can find one?

AND AND - my very first Glossybox should be here today! will be positing again either tonight or tomorrow :)