themakeupnut: April 2014

Elle Beauty Box | Spring 2014

Hi Makeupnuts! Today I am showing you the Elle Spring 2014 Beauty Box. I was totally surprised that I got one of these sent to me. I received the email that I had been selected like last Wednesday and then the box showed up the next morning. Yay baby!

The Elle Beauty Box is free. I just signed up for the Elle Newsletter in order to be eligible for this box. Linky here.

Within in pretty little pink box were; the product card, a little mag called the Looking Glass-The LookBook, coupons and of course the products. The Looking Glass magazine is presented by CoverGirl, Pantene and Olay, showcasing Spring and Summer’s latest trends. More info on these trends can be found at youtube.com/lookingglass.

So what was inside the Elle Beauty Box?

Elle Beauty Box | Spring 2014

CoverGirl Bombshell Volume by LashBlast Mascara
Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel
Pantene Pro-V Repair & Protect Shampoo & Conditioner
Crest 3D White Whitestrips 2 Hour Express (1strip)

CoverGirl Bombshell Volume by LashBlast

The product I am most excited to try is the CoverGirl Bombshell Volume Mascara. This dual ended mascara looks so interesting. Side 1 adds volume and Side 2 adds intensity. I like using mascara combos anyhow so this will be interesting to try out. I was excited to try the Crest Whitestrip but now I am getting a little nervous. I have heard it tastes horrible and can cause sensitivity. Derp! I will ask my hygienist about it when I go get my teeth cleaned next week.
The Pantene samples will get used up. I like that it is the Repair and Restore line. I need that. As for the Gilete Shave gel, I have never really used a shave gel before. I am using the Venus Olay razors and I just use my shower gel with that and my legs feel silky smooth afterwards anyhow. But I will try the Gilette shave gel and see how it make it a difference.

Coupons included;

$3 off Olay Regenerist Luminous product
$4 off Venus Razor System
$1 off Satin Care Shave Gel
$5 off Vidal Sassoon Hair Colour Box

I was hoping I would get a sample of the Olay Regenerist Luminous but a $3 off coupon is good too. I hope I can combine that with a sale J I do love the Venus razors and that is all I use on my legs now so that coupon will get used ASAP.

The Elle Beauty Box was great surprise. Did you get one? If you want to try for the Summer box sign up for the Elle newsletter.

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Hi Makeupnuts! Okay, how much of a beauty junkie does someone have to be to order something and forget about it? Huh? LOL Well that's me. Ooops... but the Flare Mani-Pedi Kit was such a great deal for $25 I guess I just had to have it.

Flare Mani-Pedi Kit

When I picked up my April Topbox from the post office, I was asking myself "Why is the box so big?" When I got it home and opened it and saw the Flare box, I was like 'Oh yeah DumDum you ordered the Flare Mani-Pedi Kit'. I ordered it during a late - I couldn't sleep - night. Those are dangerous for me but I remember why I wanted it. In the early part of March, Topbox offered a limited edition box curated by Flare. For $25, you get an annual subscription to Flare magazine ($12.95) plus a ton of Sally Hansen mani goodness. I already alternate between subbing to Flare and Lou Lou so that took care of that expense for me (kind of - in my beauty junkie reasoning).

Of course I once I remembered I ordered it, I also recalled what was included;

Sally Hansen Cuticle Eraser & Balm
Sally Hansen Dry & Go Drops
Sally Hansen Nail Shaper

Six Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes (left to right);

Strawberry Shields
Tickle Me Pink
Get Juiced
I Lilac You
Jaded
Trouble Maker

Strawberry Shields, Tickle Me Pink, Get Juiced, I Lilac You, Jaded, Trouble Maker

Oh these look so fun for summer! Even Strawberry Shields, which I thought was a weird choice for this box. But I already have plans to use it for a Canada Day NOTD. Interestingly, these are my first Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes. I can't wait to try them.

Flare Mani-Pedi Kit - So Susan Cheek Stain

So Susan 8 Hour Cheek Stain

The bonus item, for the first 500 orders, was a So Susan 8 Hour Cheek Stain.

The cheek stain is a vibrant pink. It claims 8 hour wear, water resistant, fragrance free, suitable for oily skin, no phthalates, made with grapeseed oil, non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic.

I think this will be great for summer wear. On my first swatch, the cheek stain glided on pretty smooth and blended out easily. I will be using my MAC 187 brush to apply this to avoid any harsh edges that the stick may leave behind which can be a pain to blend out.

And the last item was a one year subscription to Flare, which showed up today. That was pretty cool timing.

Flare subscription

For $25, I find the Flare Mani-Pedi Kit a great value. It includes some awesome summer shades, some great nail care items and an annual sub to Flare.

The Flare Mani-Pedi Kit is still availabe to anyone, including the USA for $25 (free shipping). It just won't include the the So Susan cheek stain. If you are interested, go to Topbox/Limited Edition.

Now the only question is which polish to start with? Get Juiced is calling my name....teresa put me on put me on...

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Hi all, I hope you are having a great holiday weekend. I already have my Easter bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter chocolates half eaten. I also have a chocolate bunny for my nephew that I have been eyeing up. I hope it makes it through to Sunday night! HEHE

I was trying to post earlier this week but my hands have been so sore. My arthritis has not been behaving for awhile and has been affecting my hands pretty bad which is making typing kind of tough. Grrr. I have been trying to use my iPhone to use for talk to text but it ain’t working out so well LOL Does anyone know of a good talk to text app I can download? If you got any ideas let me know.

Anyway...on to the post....My BB Sandwich

Annabelle BB Cream | Smashbox BB Cream

While I know everyone is onto CC and DD creams, I have been busting out my BB creams lately. I just like how these have more coverage than my CC/DD creams. My two favorites are the Annabelle BB Beauty Balm (Light Medium) and Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream (Light Medium). Each, on their own, I find the colour a little off. The Annabelle BB Cream is slightly too yellow for my face and the Smashbox is too pink and dark for my skin tone. BUT if I mix the two, I get a perfect shade. I use about a third of the amount of the Smashbox BB to the Annabelle BB cream. I plop the Annabelle on the back of my hand and then pinch a little of Smashbox on top of that and mix together with my finger.

I dot the mixture on my face and then I buff it in with my trusty flat top kabuki brush. I find that both of these offer a long lasting medium coverage while the Annabelle BB cream gives a soft glow. The majority of my redness is covered and I just have to use a concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes. Both have some SPF in it. Annabelle BB cream 15 and the Smashbox BB cream has 35. But mixing the two with really only afford you a max SPF of 15.

Bare Skin | Annabelle/Smashbox mix

The only cons about these BB creams I can think of is that you will need to let your moisturizer really sink in and dry (if you use one). I’ve noticed that if I don’t give my moisturizer time to dry, I have some pilling when I try spreading these out. Secondly, the Smashbox BB Cream clings to my dry patches really bad. Even when I mix it with the Annabelle BB cream, I still have it cling to dry patches. You can see in the pic above that I have some noticeable dry patches on my nose, under my eyes (I had a recent reaction to some makeup wipes) and on the left side of my mouth. To counteract this I spray MAC Fix+ on my face after I have given the BB cream time to set and it seems to fix the problem.

I do need to set my face afterwards as I feel like these don’t dry completely down. They stay a little tacky. I usually use my MAC MSF Medium just for some added coverage. Overall I really like the coverage this combo provides. I just have to make sure I have no bad dry patches.

Finished FOTD

So that’s my BB sandwich that I am loving right now. Does anyone else mix BB, CC, or DD creams together to get a perfect combo?

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Again, Ipsy sent me a bag I am totally enjoying! There are some great items in this month’s bag.

The theme this month is Beauty Rocks which includes products to turn yourself into a Rock Glam Beauty. Or in my case a toned down smokey neutral look :). I think my glam rock days are over LOL.
The bag itself is a blue square nylon bag with a turn table imprinted on it. Not really impressed with bag. It seems a little juvenile but I will use it for something.

April 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag

Contents:

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Liner in Black Velvet

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil Travel Size in Black Velvet

$20 @urbandecay.com

A must for smoky-eye fanatics: an ultra-plush version of UD’s creamy, waterproof 24/7 formula. Create perfectly blended-out or rich, precise lines that are blacker-than-black.
Wow – so excited to see this come through our Ipsy bags. I was just thinking about getting this exact pencil. Black Velvet is a touch smoother that my Zero and Perversion pencils and touch softer in colour than Perversion. I used this today and have only noticed some fading after about 7 hours. GA-gorgeous! From the How-To picture in the Urban Decay sampler package, I can totally see someone can create a Rock Glam look with the products we got.

Elizabeth Mott pop! goes the shadow in Champagne

Elizabeth Mott pop! goes the shadow in Champagne $12.99 @elizabethmott.com
The Elizabeth Mott pop! goes the eyeshadow is the ultimate eyeshadow that's long lasting, easy to apply, and effortlessly blends. Buildable colors will take you from subtle highlights to dramatic smokey eyes. With pop! goes the shadow, eye shadow creasing is a thing of the past. Get ready to try the eye shadow that will change your life!
I have to say I really like this shadow. It is a great lid colour. This colour reminds me of a shadow I already have. I am going to have to go shadow diving to see. But I used Champagne today and fell in love with it. I am not sure about it ‘changing my life’ but I definitely will be using it. A lot.

dr. brandt microdermabrasion

dr. brandt microdermabrasion $90 CDN @sephora.com
The dr. brandt microdermabrasion gently sweeps away dead skin cells and softens skin texture, which enables better absorption of skincare products and helps diminish the appearance of fine lines, acne marks, and skin discolorations. A great at home alternative to professional clinical treatments. Safe to use for all skin types. For best results use with dr. brandt® skincare products.
I love getting exfoliants in my subscriptions. I enjoy checking out the different brands and I cannot wait to try this out. The price is pretty steep for the full sized version ($90 for 57g). I don’t think I have that kind of cabbage in my budget. I know it is dr. brandt but YIKES!

Mary Kay At Play Jelly Lip Gloss in Teddy Bare

Mary Kay At Play Jelly Lip Gloss in Teddy Bare $12 CDN @marykay.ca
Turn up the volume with Mary Kay At Play™ color! It’s flirtatiously fun makeup you can remix-n-match to create your own color playlist. The Mary Kay At Play™ Jelly Lip Gloss has a fun jelly texture that offers brilliant, intense shine with a sheer wash of color.
I like the colour but I hate the texture. It felt ... goopy. I put some on and tried to rub my lips together. Tried. I had to goop on more to actually do it. I might have liked it more if it came in a tube and wand but the squeezy tube thing is a no.

Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse

Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse $17.95 USD @sexyhair.com/$19.88 @chatters.ca
The Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse helps create big volume by pumping up hair at the root. It dispenses out as a spray and turns into a mousse to give tresses tons of volume. Apply to damp hair at the root to achieve phenomenal lift or to dry hair to activate textural volume. Resists humidity and provides lift, fullness and medium hold. Great for fine/medium hair types.
I have always had good experiences with Sexy Hair products. I can’t wait to try this out. My hair can always use volume on top. I don’t know about you but I love these travel sized hair sprays to take on the go.

Some swatches for your eyeballs;

Overall I am happy with almost all my products especially the Black Velvet liner. The Mary Kay lipgloss fell way short for me.

How are you liking your Ipsy bag this month?

If you aren’t subscribed yet you can head over to Ipsy.com and sign up for $10USD or $15 CDN. What are you waiting for?

Don't forget to check out my current giveaway for a Lorac Pro Palette!

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Hello Makeupnuts! March has finally left us and took its ungodly cold weather! That was too cold. The winter of 2014 is now officially the coldest on record since 1898 here in Winnipeg! What???

How did I cope? I bundled up and did a lot of retail therapy in February and March. Maybe too much haha!

But from that came a few favorite things....

March Favorites

Clinique Cheek Pop in Plum – I am absolutely loving this blush. It gives a soft but buildable pink glow. It blends so smoothly. I need more. See swatches here.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent – I bought this on a whim during a Shoppers Drug Mart redemption event. I finally started using it and whoa! I have been using it to set my under eye concealer and it is magnificent! Seriously my concealer stays put all day with it and looks flawless. Love you Stay Matte!

MAC Auto-de-blu, Annabelle TwistUp Divine, Marcelle Duo Eyebrow Pro

MAC Auto-de-Blu Technakohl liner – I have been using this mechanical liner to add a pop of colour on my lash line and sometimes I will just use under my eyes. It is a beautiful creamy navy blue. I find it pretty longwearing once it dries and sets. I will admit I have been reaching for this because I need to sharpen a lot of my other pencils and just couldn’t be bothered in the morning rush. Hehe

Annabelle TwistUp in Divine – I have been carrying this lip crayon everywhere. It is so easy just whip out and apply. Divine is a soft muted rose pink. It is so creamy and smooth. It totally makes a yucky lip day into a great lip day. Got some scragglies? TwistUps will cover them up! The lasting power is about 2-3 hours on me which I find is average for most lip crayons. See swatches here.

Marcelle Duo Eyebrow Pro in Dark – I had to get this during the Marcelle/Annabelle 40% off sale. I was so curious about the brow gel portion. I have been using this to give my brows a light tint and to keep them tidy. This is another great product for us ladies that are in a rush in the morning. Got no time to put on brows? Slap on some brow gel on and go! I am still trying to get the hang of the pencil side of it. It is a thicker slanted pencil and I am so used to the skinny brow liner that I feel like I am using a giant crayon. I will get the hang of it because the color of the pencil side is a perfect shade for me.

Essie - She's Picture Perfect

Essie polish in She’s Picture Perfect – I have been wearing this for almost three weeks. Three manicures and each time I used She’s Picture Perfect. I just love this lilac. It has a pink iridescent shimmer running through it.

Lorac Pro Palette – I. Heart. This. Palette. Seriously I do. I haven’t used much else but this palette since I got it. I love mattes so I knew I would like those shades but the shimmers are so easy to use. None are out there with crazy shimmer or glitter. If you want to see more about the Lorac Pro Palette and all it splendor, please check out my review here - tons of pics and swatches.

Lorac Pro Palette

So those were my favorites for March. I am pretty sure the Lorac Pro Palette may pop up in April too!

Soooo if you had read my first impressions on the Lorac Pro Palette, you will know I had to go through some hoops to get it. It is not available readily in Canada and it seems to be sold out in a lot of stores. I guess most people will probably have to order this palette online at Lorac cosmetics. So I figured if it is that hard to get, I would buy two Lorac Pro Palettes. One for me and one for one lucky Makeupnut!

Excited yet?

Lorac Pro Palette Giveaway

Lorac Pro Palette Giveaway

Rules:

Open to Canada and United States only. (Sorry to my international readers but it is a bigger package and Canada Post is way expensive to ship parcels out internationally).

Must be over 18 years old (or have parental permission)

Good luck all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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