Thursday, March 27, 2014

Wantable March Unboxing

So it's time for another Wantable accessories unboxing!  If you don't know Wantable is a monthly subscription box. If you're interested in learning more head over to my January post and you can read more. 

Let's dive right in.

They changed the look a little for March.  I was waiting for this and was surprised to get a little white box that fit in my tiny mailbox instead of the larger black one.  I guess being accessories it makes sense to use a smaller box.  It was just a surprise. 

This was the first thing in my box. At first I couldn't figure it out. But it's scarf. It's a really pretty muted sage green color.  Sadly, I look very bad in pale green so I will most likely be giving this away.

These are hair ties.  They are pretty fashionable right now. What makes them nice is they don't leave a line in your hair.  What I don't like is these are not made for people with very thick hair, at least not this set.  I have a lot of hair and I could just barely get one around my hair in a pony. 

Finally something nice!  I've gota nice pair of earrings in every box.  These look like they'd be heavy but they aren't.  I'm really impressed by Wantable's ability to get me exactly the length and size of things I like.  I'm not a girl who wears large earrings and every pair has had just the right of dangle for me.  This set is really shimmery too. 

The last piece I got was this necklace.  I really love things with that old school classic look to them.  This also was just the right length.  This made the box for me.

That's everything!   Wantable allows you to return boxes and to be honest I almost did with this.  It just didn't wow me.  In the end I really liked the necklace so I decided to keep it.  My other boxes have been wonderful so I hope this is just an off box. If not I may be trying another one of their boxes instead. 







Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Sugar Works Bath and Body Review

Wow Syn, you've done a lot of bath product reviews lately.  I know.  It's winter and I bath a lot.  Plus, I've found a lot of really amazing bath and body companies.  Like Sugar Works.  Sugar Works is a small company with hand made, cruelty free, products.  The owner used to be a forensic scientist when she decided she wanted a job that brought joy to herself and others.  She started out with their double whipped sugar scrub.  Now they make scrubs and several kinds of lotions and body oils, even body spray.  And the scents!!  There are probably a hundred different scents you can ask for your products to be scented with.  Floral, fruity, sweet, musk, a scent for everyone.

I decided to get a tub of the original double whipped sugar scrub and on of their whipped argan oil body cream.


The scrub is made of three different kinds of sugar and is blended with argan oil.  What that gives it is a scrub that's exfoliating but not too coarse.  It has a really nice consistency.  It reminds me of when you cream butter and sugar together for baking.  When you scrub it on
your body it actually lathers up a bit.  Being whipped with the argan oil makes it so it is full incorporated.  No mixing up oil.  This also helps this scrub to be clean rinsing.  Your skin feels soft and hydrated but not greasy.  The scent I got was A Magical Way with Roses.  It's a very sweet, rosy scent.  It reminds me of Lush's Rose Jam.  A 5-6oz size is $8.95.  These tubs come very full so I feel like it's well worth the money.  




There isn't much to say about the argan body cream other then it's amazing.  It's so light and silky yet hydrates amazingly.  I picked out the scent Egyptian Rose.  It makes me think of a face cream my great grandmother used.  It has that underlying cold cream smell.  It reminds me of happy things.  The 4-5oz container is $13.95.  It's a little spendy but it is really great.  

Over all I had a great experience with the company.  The products were great quality and shipping was fast.  I'm looking forward to trying some of their other products.  

Have a small business you'd like to have reviewed?  Let me know!  









Saturday, March 15, 2014

Tarte Colored Clay Collection

Recently I saw a review from Grav3yardgirl, Bunny (if you aren't watching her you should be), on YouTube for the Tarte Colored Clay Collection.  This collection is only available from QVC so while Bunny tempted me I was skeptical about ordering from them.  The ordering process was actually really easy and shipping was fairly fast.  I liked it well enough I just ordered a Clarisonic Mia 2 from there.  The runs $65.96


So this kit comes with a cc primer stick, a liquid foundation, a brush to apply it, a gloss, an eyeliner, a mascara, and a bronzing blush. Plus a cute little bag to carry it all in.  Really all you need to do is add an eyeshadow quad and you're ready to go.  It comes it 5 colors. I'm super pale so I got the light. 


The first product to go on is the cc primer stick.  CC stands for color corrector and that's what this is designed to do.  It's got little wedges of green and pink to offset red and blues in your skin tone. This is mixed in with a skin tone to help prime your face for foundation.  I was a little nervous because its a stick but it went on really smooth and not thick.  It did take away some of the redness I get around my nose and cheeks.  It also dries to a very silky finish so I didn't feel like I was just caking makeup on. 


Next on, foundation.  This foundation is really interesting.   It comes in this little jar and in the middle is a mesh that you push down on to release product. 
They give you this quarter sized, flat topped brush to apply it with.  In combination this works really well.  The mesh keeps you from getting too much on the brush and the shape of the brush makes it easy to buff it in.  I do wish the brush head was a bit larger.  The formula of this foundation is definitely full coverage.  Having clay in it means you can feel it in your face but it does well at keeping the shine down. I didn't feel like I needed powder as the finish was very matte.  



This is what they call a bronzer blush. It is a little bit bronze but I think it's far too pink to really use it as one. You could sweep it over the high points on your face to bring some warmth. I used it as a plain old blush.  It's not super pigmented so it's very buildable.


This is a very nicely formulated eyeliner.  Goes on smooth and easy to smudge out.  My only complaint is that it's not really very black.  I feel more like it's a dark charcoal. 

I really found this mascara to be nothing special. It does darken and stay put but it's pretty unremarkable. This was the thing I liked least.



I really liked this gloss.  It looks very sparkly in the tube but on your lips it just adds a nice shimmer.  The color is really vibrante with good pigment.  Its only drawback is that it is a little sticky.  That doesn't bother me any but I know some people are put off by that.  

I wore the whole look out today to see how it would wear.  It did keep the shine down.  I noticed a little creasing on my forehead.  Everthing else seemed to stay put just right.  I'll probably take it for another few drives to see how it goes.  

So there's my Tarte collection.  What's your favorite Tarte product, or maybe something youd like to try.
















Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Ipsy March Unbagging


I was really surprised when I opened my mail box to find my Ipsy bag.  Ipsy is a monthly subscription box, well a bag, you take a quiz, pay $10 a month and they give you a pretty nice bag full of full sized products and deluxe sized samples.  This is my second bag.  For those of you wanting to know what happened to February bag it came but due to the move D packed it up and I just got it. If anyone is interested I'll do a post up of it.


All Ispy bags come in some sort of set like this.  The bright pink bubble mailer then a makeup bag of some type.  This one was designed by an artist named Klari Reis   And this is  based on her geographer series called Street Anatomy and showcases San Fransisco.

My first product was a full sized, indigo blue, eyeliner by Chella.


It's a really beautiful blue and glides on super easy.  I really like the fine tip marker like applicator.  

Next full sized product was a NYX eyeshadow trio in Love in Rio. 

The first color is a very shimmery coppery color  and the second is a lot like it but with less glitter.  The third is a nice matte brown.  The color pay off is fairy good.  

My third item is a deluxe sample of a beauty primer from Pixi.
It is a slightly tinted primer that leaves your skin with a dewy finish.  My makeup went on well over it and it seems to be doing well at keeping me from being shiny and keeping my foundation from slipping around. 

The last thing in my bag was a cute sample sized lipstick from BareMinerals.


This sample came with coupon code for free shipping and a free deluxe sample of their LashDomination when you order from BareMinerals.  I really liked the color I got. Sort of a dark pinky coral.  Very wearable but still nice and spring. 

So that was my bag! So far I am liking it much better then BirchBox.  Anyone have other boxes they think I should try?










Saturday, March 8, 2014

Glamglow YouthMud Mask

I had one of those hectic days at work so I decided to come home, pop in the bath with some Fortune Cookie and relax with a mask.  I bought a jar of GlamGlow YouthMud TingleExfoliate Treatment the other day when I was at Sephora so I thought I'd give it a try.


This mask is described as, "leaving skin noticeably radiant and glowing. It works with the body's natural moisturizing collagen to provide gentle resurfacing exfoliation and helps to leave skin smoother, brighter, and softer. While providing tighter skin texture and tighter pores, it provides a more youthful appearance and absorbs impurities without removing natural oils."  That's a lot of claims for a jar of sandy mud!  

So I took off my makeup and washed my face.  They mask is a little clay like but not super thick.  It is really full of exfoliates.  I made a thin, even layer on my face.  Sort of worked it around some to scrub before I let it sit.  

It's suppose to be tingly on the skin.  I don't know if I would describe it as that.  It feels warming to me.  A bit like if you have ever done a cinnamon scrub.  It dries pretty fast and you can feel it tightening.  To take it off I wet my fingers a bit and began to scrub around some really working on the places that had been dry or uneven.  Then rinsed it off with lukewarm water.  

So was it amazing?  Is my skin totally transformed?  It definitely left my skin tighter And softer.  It was a little drying in my opinion.  After I finished my night time routine that feeling went away.  My skin initially got a little rosey around my checks but after it calmed down I could see the brightening effect of the mask.  My skin looks glowy and happy. 

This product is $69 for a 1.7oz jar.  I got mine from Sephora.  So bottom line, was it worth it.  My skin has been feeling dry so I needed a really scrubby exfoliate, which this was, and I
do like how my skin feels.  I'm reserving my judgment until tomorrow when I wake up.  I will say it has perked my interest to try their ThirstyMud Hydrating mask.  

What's your favorite mask?  




Thursday, March 6, 2014

Fortune Cookie Soap Spring Box

One of the companies I discovered from watching YouTube is the Fortune Cookie Soap Company.  Fortune Cookie is a small bath and body company that hand makes its own products.  It's only about 6 years old so it really is still very indie.  They are a cruelty-free company.   

One of the things they do is a quarterly subscription box.  Every three months they put out a sample box full of their newest, seasonal, products.  The box is $19.99.  I was lucky enough to be able to get my hands on one of these for spring.  


Like other boxes it comes with a card to tell you what you will find in your box.  Your box also comes with a coupon code for $10 off your next Fortune Cookie order.  Their prices are pretty reasonable.  For example you can get about three of their signature fortune cookie soaps for that price.  

The theme of the box was Garden of Good and Evil.  You get some samples from the good side and some from the evil side of the collection.  

First off, The Good:

The first thing I got was a sample bottle of their body wash in Native Nectar.  
Native Nectar smells like fresh coconut.  Just that pure and simple.  I like that it does smell like coconut but it does not smell overly sweet or fake smelling.  I didn't see where you could buy this on the site but their body washes run $10.99 for 6.8oz.

The next thing I got was their OCD hand sanitizer in the scent Afternoon Delight. 
This is a pink watermelon, apricot, and white floral scented sanitizer.  The initial smell is a floral watermelon smell.  It does have an alcohol back scent in the bottle.  On your hands the apricot really comes out and the alcohol goes away.  It smells really fruity without being overpowering. The full sized version is $2.89 with part of the proceeds going to support the International OCD Foundation.  

The last good was a cuticle butter. 
The butter came in the scent Marshmallow Dreams.  This is described as having lavender, sage, and basil with a splash of vodka and a swirl of marshmallow.  I really get the marshmallow, it's a nice toasty scent.  It does seem to have an herbal note.  Maybe it's the sage I get. It's very oily and and nice on your cuticles.  Full sized is .5oz and is $8.95.

The Evil:  

On the evil side I got their whipped cream body lotion. 
This scent is Make it Rain and I am crazy about it.  It's a citrus, jasmine, and cedarwood.  I love jasmine!  The lotion is incredibly creamy and hydrating.  Leaves your skin soft and smelling amazing.  Full sized is $10.99.   

This is the Bloom Bloom Room bath fizzy.  This is a combination of jasmine, lilac, lily of the valley, citrus, peach, and spun sugar.  You can really smell the peach and lily.  It's very sweet.  I noticed it's a bit crumbly so this is probably a one time use bomb (I cut most of mine in half).  Again I didn't see where to buy this on the site but similar bombs are 4oz and $4.50.  

Up next the Steam me up Scotty shower steamer in Me so Thorny.  
The idea behind this is to give your shower an aromatherapy element.  You unwrap the tab and set it on the floor of your shower, out of the direct stream, and let it slowly fizz away and fill your bathroom up with fabulous smelling steam.  This is suppose to have citrus, lavender, vanilla, patchouli, and sandalwood.  I think the patchouli and sandalwood really take over.  You can maybe get a bit of lavender.  I do like how it smells.  You get three of these tabs when you buy them for $5.99.  

There is also a sample of perfume oil in the scent Venus Fly Trap. Bergamot, narcaisse and musk with notes of water orchid, lemon and pink jasmine.  The water orchid and the jasmine smell so good together.  The only thing I didn't like is the packaging.  These little bottles make me nuts.  I always end up spilling it all over me.  This one actually broke.  Full sized is $5.99.  

 Last thing is, of course, a piece of their signature fortune cookie soap.   


Yes, it has a real fortune in it.  This is Forbidden Fruit.  It's scented with verbena and blueberry.  It smells so leamony and fresh.  This is a full sized product.  The soaps run $3.69.

So that was the Spring box.  I really enjoyed it and found some great new products.  Can't wait for the next box.