The quest for the Holy Grail - Qtica Intense Lip Repair Balm

Qtica Intense Lip Repair Balm  - my Holy Grail lip balm....where have you been all my life????? The best $12.00 I have spent all season.

The weather outside is cooling off fast. While I simply adore autumn - everything from the deeper color palettes to the fashion (mmmmm, buttery leather jackets and knee high boots) to the Starbucks beverage selection (mmmmm, Pumpkin Spice Latte), my skin tends to protest.

My lips generally suffer the most in cold weather. They are often dry and peeling. The lines in my lips look deeper. I'm not talking a little flaking here and there, but it's like little sheets of skin continually peel off. It's not pretty - and it's especially not pretty when trying to wear the en vogue plum and burgundy lip colors that are fall staples. *shudder*

I have tried countless products to try and combat dry, flaky lips - everything from a homemade sugar and olive oil scrub, drugstore balms to high end salves. And while everything has offered some level of relief, the results usually only last as long as the product remained in contact with my lips.  I had resigned myself to religious re-application and constant exfoliation.

That is - until I stumbled upon Qtica's Intense Lip Repair Balm.  (I literally stumbled upon it while I was online shopping and needed to spend $10 more dollars to get free shipping!)  Even though I have a box full of half-used lip products, the reviews were glowing and I figured I didn't have much to lose. 

The balm is incredibly thick and difficult to push out of the tube, but the tiniest dollop applied twice a day (I prefer to use a clean finger) and the flakiness and dryness have almost completely disappeared. It's the first product I've used that doesn't require constant reapplication to keep the hydrated, smooth, soft feeling going. It feels wonderful on and the effects are immediate and long-lasting. I put it on before I go to bed at night and again in the morning before I put on my lipstick.  It's not greasy or grainy. There is a noticeable tingling sensation, as with many lip balms that have peppermint in them, but I quite like it and don't find it uncomfortable or overwhelming.  

I'm spending the holidays in Colorado this year and with the dry, cold air my lips would normally be a cracked mess. I am obsessed with my new HG lip product from Qtica and for the first time I'm not dreading the winter months (at least, not where my lips are concerned!). 

I used to pack at least 3 of the lip products below.  I'm not saying these products aren't good, but I find that have to keep slathering them on because none of them seems to have the long-wearing softening and hydrating effects of Qtica.  I would definitely use Qtica as a lip treatment and for a spot application during the day - especially when I'm wearing matte / longwearing lipstick that have a drier formulation - I would put one of the below on top just for some added moisture.

1. Nuxe Reve de Miel Balm  2. Jack Black Grapefruit and Ginger Lip Balm  3. Eve Lom Kiss Mix  4. Smith's Rose Salve in Minted Rose  5. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose and Original Formulas  6.  Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

A few quick notes on the above:

1. Nuxe - the texture is different than most balms. It's matte, thick and a bit grainy. I used to put this  on at night after exfoliating with a homemade sugar scrub.  I wouldn't tote this around with me because the pot packaging. I don't want to dip a finger that's been holding onto subway polls and then smear it all over my lips. Ew.

2. Jack Black - I've bought countless tubes of this stuff. I would still use this because it does contain SPF in it and the smell is divine. It's pretty slippery, so I have to reapply this pretty often to maintain flake-free lips

3. Eve Lom - the single most expensive lip treatment I've ever bought. It's probably got the highest concentration of peppermint in any lip balm I've used, my lips would be extremely tingly after application. While it was the most expensive, I found the effect to be pretty short-lived. Again, it's a pot, so if you're a germaphobe, this isn't the most practical balm to be toting around.

4. Smith's Rose Salve - A cult classic. Too slippery to do much good for very long. Very shiny. Broken record alert - but I really don't like pot applications on the go.

5. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - Another cult classic. I got this mini set as my Sephora VIB birthday gift. Smells lovely. Glides on like butter and has a great shine. The issue is that I'm constantly reapplying.

So like I said before, there are lots of good lip products out there. The question is: how many times do you want to have to put it on throughout the day?  If you're like me, the answer is: as few times as possible.  

*This review was unsolicited and all opinions are my own. All products mentioned were purchased with my own money unless otherwise stated.  

Tale of 3 Boxes / Glossybox October 2012

And after the 3 month experiment, the winner is....GLOSSYBOX.

After one too many crappy Birchboxes (see rant HERE), I cancelled my subscription.  Despite a miss this month with Sample Society (see review HERE), I'm still happy enough to continue with my subscription.

The hands down winner of the Tale of 3 boxes is Glossybox - bottom line: I've been consistently happy with my Glossybox products and I actually USE a lot of the products that I get from them.

October's Glossybox clinched it for me. What's in this month's box?

See product descriptions after 2nd photo

1.  Kryolan for Glossybox Blush in Glossy Rosewood  2. ModelCo's Dusk Lipstick (part of Duo)  3. ModelCo's Strip Tease Gloss (part of Duo)  4.  Dusk lipstick with Striptease Gloss layered on top
Pic 2 (on right) - My new fave nude lip look

1) Alterna Bamboo Luminous Shine Mist - Full size $22 for 4oz - Sample Value (0.85oz) $4.68

I love hair shine products and will be using this happily to get me through the holiday party season.

2) Heartland Fragrances Exfoliating Loofah Soap in Peppermint - FULL SIZE -  $8.00 for 6 oz.

While peppermint isn't one of my favorite fragrances, my guy loves it. The exfoliating factor also is great for this season's drier skin.

3) Kryolan for Glossybox Blush in Glossy Rosewood - FULL SIZE - $9.00 for 2.5g

This is the 2nd Glossybox / Kryolan parternship product that I've received and I'm not disappointed. The blush shade is flattering and reminds me a bit of MAC's Cubic blush, which I loved so much, I hit the pan - something which rarely happens. It's nicely pigmented and the mauve-y pink shade will be great for the fall.

4) Nastassja Skin Enzyme Facial Peel - Full Size $40 for 2oz - Sample Value (0.25oz) $5.00

I'm a skincare junkie and I have paid lots of money for enzyme peels at spas. Gentler than chemical peels, enzyme peels, like this one are derived from fruit enzymes (in this case, papaya). Looking forward to trying this one.

5) ModelCo Lip Duo Lipstick and Ultrashine Gloss in Dusk / Strip Tease - FULL SIZE - $39.00

The star of the box. After struggling with the nude lip, either picking products that were way to light / chalky / ashy/ sheer, I FINALLY found something that gives me the perfect nude color that I've been hunting for.   I'm sad that I can't find the Duo Lipstick for purchase, but was able to find the lipstick and the gloss separately and have already purchased to make sure I have backups.

TOTAL BOX VALUE:  $65.68 and THREE full size products. WOOT!

Oh, Glossybox. I heart you. Please keep it up!   

Influenster Beauty Blogger VoxBox

So I was selected to receive a free beauty blogger VoxBox from Influenster.  What is Influenster, you ask?

Well, according to the website:

Influenster is a place for culture junkies to come together and share their unique opinions of products and experiences. Active members of Influenster get exclusive access to deals, promotions, and swag from brands that thrive off the input (the good, the bad, and the ugly -- they just want to know what's up).

I am nothing if not opinionated and I delight in being able to review products - just because these samples were provided and not purchased doesn't mean I won't give my 100% honest opinion.  I don't want anyone spending their hard-earned money on things that I don't think are worth it.

So what was in the box?

1.  Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit  2. Boots Beautiful Skin Cleansing Lotion  3.  Boots Beautiful Skin Night Cream Normal / Dry Skin  4.  Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream  5.  Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin  6.  EBoost Effervescent Powder  7.   NYC New Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact in Dark Shadows  8.  Bath & Body Works Mini Candle in Nutmeg & Spice

For a beauty box, I was slightly puzzled to receive a candle and the Eboost - I guess beauty does begin from the inside. Anyhow, I've received EBoost packets in a couple of beauty subscription boxes now and they're ok. I don't notice a huge perk in energy or anything, but the taste is pleasant.

As for the candle, whether you think it's on-theme or not, I love the Nutmeg and Spice scent. My apartment smells absolutely yummy.....which is great, except when it makes me hungry.

Now I have to say that it is difficult for me to properly review some of the products I received simply  because they don't really suit me.  I have dead straight, non-frizzy, Asian hair, so I can't really speak to the quality of the curl defining cream.  As for the Boots No. 7 skincare - it is geared to people with normal / dry skin whilst I have combination / oily skin.

That still leaves plenty left to review....

Goody Spin Pins - $7.49 for package of 2

Now, as I mentioned before I have dead straight, slippery Asian hair. To illustrate - it took over 100 bobby pins and a half a can of Elnett hairspray to keep my updo from falling on my wedding day. I was dubious about using the Goody Hair pins, expecting them to simply slip out of my hair.  I was pleasantly surprised. My go-to style these days is a top knot and the spin pins worked brilliantly to keep my hair up without the used of an elastic to tie my hair into a ponytail first.  

I wouldn't go for a run and expect the pins to keep my hair in place, but for the usual hustle around town, my hair held up great.  My bun felt secure and I imagine if I put any gel or mousse in my hair to give it a bit more texture, the pins would hold even better.   I will definitely be purchasing these in my hair color.

Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit & NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact

I love the look of full, lush lashes and since my natural set are nothing to write home about, I've increasing turned to falsies.   I do have a steady hand but even still, have to occasionally wrestle with false lashes to get them on just right.

Looking at the Kiss Ever Pro Started Kit, I'm not sure if I would ever choose this particular set of lashes, since they are so dramatic, as I tend to favor a more subtle look. However, paired with the NYC eyeshadow palette, if full drama is what you were looking for, these could be the products for you.

The color payoff for the shadows was pretty good. I'm not sure if it was simply because of the color on my skintone, but I found the lighter shades in the palette to be slightly chalky.  I did like the final look that I could achieve with the palette - one can't go wrong with the traditional smokey eye. 

I didn't use the primer that was included in the kit as it was much too light for my skin, but I used my own primer just to protect against creasing.  Looking at the photo above, despite the use of a primer, it seemed that the shadow was prone to creasing, so I would play around with different primers to see if that could be prevented.  

It was a nice idea to try and include the primer and a cream "illuminator" in the palette, but I think it could have been executed better. The shadows were on the drier / more powdery side and the cream products had quite a bit of dark shadow flecks all over it.  Also, the primer would be limited to those with lighter skin tones, so it's essentially unusable for anyone with a tan.

After a couple of hours of wear, the creasing wasn't much worse, but I don't think I will be purchasing these shadows in future. 

As for the lashes, as I said before, these are perhaps too much lash for me, but I did really like the adhesive that was included in the kit.  My eyes are pretty sensitive and many lash adhesives cause my eyes redness upon the initial lash application. That wasn't so in this case. The falsies stayed on great, even at the corners where they tend to lift off. I would definitely repurchase the adhesive again.

All in all, I had mixed results with the products included in this VoxBox. Perhaps Influenster in future may be able to get a bit more personalized with the products - half the products sent to me were not appropriate for my hair / skin type and thus, I couldn't give an honest review of them. Even the Spin Pins, though they worked great, were sent in the wrong color.  Just my two cents.

Finally a MAKEUP subscription box - Wantable.co

Wantable.co  Bold Lips Collection in Plumberry - My apologies for the yellowish cast on the photos - my lighting was not cooperating today

With the myriad of beauty subscription boxes there are out there, I can almost hear the collective groan when I tell you about yet another new box that I signed up for.  Before you roll your eyes and close your browser, let me just say that Wantable.co is finally offering what us beauty junkies have been searching for - AN ALL MAKEUP BOX of FULL-SIZE PRODUCTS.

All you have to do is take a survey (yeah, yeah - I KNOW what you're thinking. But this time, it seems that they REALLY listen!)  to help zero in on your personal style. Then, your information is used to help suggest a curated collection of beauty items to suit your style.

Each pack is based on your personal style profile and contains 6-7 items that are curated by professional makeup artists and stylists. Shipping & returns are always free. If you don't like it you ship it back at no charge with the included return label. No calling or pre-authorization is needed.

I took the quiz and was deemed a "Classic Chic"....however, don't feel bound by the description they give you. You are more than welcome to browse through and purchase ANY of the curated collections.  Each "style profile" (Classic, Glamour, Rock Rebel, Trendy and Boho) has a "look" for the season and there are 3 color variations on the look to choose from.  Unlike other subscriptions, you can choose which "look" you want AND you can choose which of the 3 color variations you prefer.

WHAT WAS IN THE BOX:

• My Face Cosmetics in Sugar Plum - Retail value $20.00
• Beauty for Real Nail Polish in #3 Burgundy - Retail value $15.00
• Paula Dorf Lip Color Cream in Victorian - Retail value $22.00
• Beauty for Real Light Up Lip Gloss in Deeply in Love - Retail value $22.00
• My Face Cosmetics Upload Lashes Mascara in Black - Retail value $18.00
• Verhoeven Cosmetics Cheek Candy Cream Blush in Sunset - Retail value $16.00

Total collection value: $113 (+ 2 bonus perfume samples from Spadaro)

Seems too good to be true, right?  I've always thought my coloring  - I'm asian with tanned skin, but with olive (not yellow) undertones - would prove it difficult to get matched with the right shades. It's really easy for any colors to look too pink or too sallow on my skin....so I was a little dubious about getting a collection of products from a company and have them all work out.  BUT THEY DID. Check out the swatches:

1.  Paula Dorf Lipstick in Victorian  2.  Beauty for Real Light Up Lip Gloss in Deeply in Love  3.  Verhoeven Cosmetics Cheek Candy in Sunset  4. My Face Cosmetics Blingtone Eyeshadow in Sugar Plum - slightly too sparkly for my taste, but this was my only criticism of the entire collection!     And then there's me wearing my new plummy look. I LOVE the lip color, which is richer in real life and the cheek color is perfect for a natural-looking fall flush.


New looks / collections are available quarterly, so for $40 you can get an on-trend look for each season.      I wouldn't necessarily call Wantable.co a subscription as nothing is automatically sent to you as you have to choose which collection you prefer.  Also, the flexibility at being able to opt out of purchasing every quarter is great.

THE BRANDS - I had never heard of Beauty for Real or Verhoeven cosmetics before, but I've been LOVING the cream blusher and the lip gloss - which feels great and not too tacky or slippery. It's also more muted in real life than in the bottle or in the pic above. A truly wearable shade of red that is so on-trend this season.

ANOTHER thing I love about this subscription service is that they list every product they send you with the retail value and the picture from the website of how the look fits together.

Bottom Line:  I am really looking forward to the future offerings from Wantable.co!  The $40 price tag might seem steep compared to other beauty boxes but one has to remember that this is a quarterly box (and you don't have to buy one every quarter) AND that these are full-size products AND you get to choose which collection you want to get.   For the amount of 4 possibly hit or miss Birchboxes, I have a collection of makeup that I know I will use.

Disclaimer:  This is a non-sponsored post. I paid for my Wantable.co box and was not asked to review the company or the products above. All opinions are, as usual, my own.

October Birchbox Rant

Courtesy of  Tiffany @ mymakeupboxes.blogspot.com

So my Birchbox came today and I couldn't even post pictures of it because it was a leaky, gooey mess. And you know what? I was kinda happy that it was - Why, you ask? Because the thing that caused the mess was a sachet of Ouidad Climate Control anti-frizz gel for curly hair.

Um. I don't HAVE curly hair. This is clearly stated in the profile every beauty subscription box makes you take and almost every single one ignores afterwards.  This is the 2nd Birchbox in the last 3 months where the main sample in the box is absolutely useless to me. 2 months ago I got 4 - FOUR!!!! - self-tanning products.  I'm an NC 42 complexioned lass - I have absolutely no need or desire for tanning products. And yes, that is also indicated on my personal profile.

Other than tanning products, the only thing I hate worse in my subscription boxes are perfume samples. OH, guess what? I got 2 of them in this month's Birchbox as well....actually, I should say one and a half - because one of the vials was already more than half empty upon arrival.

Other than the leaking, oozing, useless anti-frizz gel for curly hair and the pathetic half-full vial of perfume oil from Lucy B, I got a highlighter from theBalm which, if it wasn't covered in slimy stuff, might be pretty nice, a pack of Vitivia Pro-Vitamins A15 and C10 which I can salvage and a random Luna Bar, which seems to come in every other Birchbox these days.

The theme of this month's box was "Transformations" - that is, if you didn't opt for a GOOP box, which many other subscribers complained about, but I digress.  This one is a bit of a head scratcher for me. What, praytell is transformative about anti-frizz gel, a Luna Bar, and perfume oil?  Surely a highlighter is great for spotlighting features...but transformative? Hardly.  Vitamins? Great, I can actually see where that could help transform one's skin surface and texture.  But come on, it takes more than 1 product in the box to be able to call this month's theme "TRANSFORMATIVE".

This box was a huge fail for me - and I'm not even talking about the product spillage.  I signed up for Birchbox 2 years ago with the promise of deluxe-sized samples.  Did you know that Birchbox no longer promises "Deluxe" samples, as some eagle-eyed bloggers were quick to spot on the website?

I'm tired of the Birchbox envy.  Thanks to Tiffany at mymakeupboxes.blogspot.com - you can see all of the other Birchboxes you didn't get. I've never gotten one of the super primo boxes even after two years.

I feel like there's been a bait and switch here. I used to look forward to my monthly Birchbox. Now, the box I so delighted in has time and again failed to give me any products which I'm at all tempted to buy full-size.  This is why I'm cancelling my subscription.

Sample Society October 2012 - Meh.

Maybe I'm just lazy post-vacation to do much blogging, but I got my Sample Society box yesterday and I figured I should say *SOMETHING* about it.

It's not that it was a bad box. It was just "Meh."  I thought - hey, maybe I'm just over  the beauty box thing, but I got my first Ipsy bag today and I was excited enough to want to blog about it thatveryminute, I realized, it's not me, it's this month's box.

Maybe I'm being harsh - I was tickled pink with Sample Society's last 2 boxes and this one just suffered from too high expectations. I mean, I'm wearing the full-size Deborah Lippmann purple nail polish I got in my very first Sample Society box back in August as I type.

ANYHOW...what's in this month's box:

1) Oscar Blandi Pronto Wet Instant Volumizing Shampoo - Full size 250mL for $24.00 / Sample value $4.80 (50mL)

2) Kate Somerville ExfoliKate - Full size 2 fl oz for $85.00 / Sample value $10.63 (0.25 fl oz)

3) Aromachology Clean & Fresh Eau de Parfum - Full Size 3.4fl oz. for $100 / Sample value - oh, I will guess $5.00 - since I don't know what the perfume sample size actually is.

4) Jane Iredale - Full size 4.2 fl oz for $36.00 / Sample value approx $2.15 (est. 0.25fl oz)

5) Erno Laszlo Phormula 3-9 Repair Balm - Full size 1.7oz for $245.00 / Sample value approx $14.41 (0.10 fl oz)

*BONUS: Herban Essentials Lavender Towelette - $16.00 for 20 / Sample (1 sheet) $0.80

TOTAL BOX VALUE: $37.79


So, sure, looking at the return for the $15.00 price tag, that's not bad.  But to me, the word "value" means more than just money. My quick thoughts on the products:

-The shampoo is volumizing, but I'm a bit obsessed with always pairing my shampoos with their respective conditioners. It just seemed like an incomplete product stuck in the box.

-Kate Somerville - YAY!  Love her stuff. Glad to have a good sized sample of her best-selling product.

-I generally hate perfume samples.  I did like last month's Dyptique sample, but regarding Aromachology's offering this month I have to say it: I HATE THIS PERFUME. It gave me an insta-headache. It smells like the too-sweet bubble bath that you get in those off-brand bath gift baskets. I do NOT want to smell like that. EVER.

-The other thing I hate other than perfume samples - tanning products. Why? I don't need them. I am naturally tan. I say this in the survey EVERY beauty subscription makes you take when you sign up (which every service seems to ignore summarily afterwards).   Needless to say, I wouldn't even bother to swatch the one and only makeup product in this month's box. I had never heard of the brand before I started with the beauty boxes and the only other product of hers I've tried is mascara, which proceeded to uncurl my carefully lash curler-ed lashes in RECORD time.

-Erno Laszlo's repair balm - definitely intrigued to try, if only to see whether or not it would be worth the hefty $245 price tag for the full-size product.

-Herban Essentials towelette - I don't care how good I might think this is.  I would never pay $16 for 20 hand wipes. Enough said.

So really, there are only 2 products I'm excited about. Not a great end result.  It just seemed disjointed to me.  One of the things I LOVE about sample boxes is that it is like giving yourself a gift every month....and you know what they say about gifts - it's the thought that counts and to me, it seemed like there was very little thought put into the mish-mash of products that were put into this month's box.

I'll keep Sample Society for a bit longer since I hope that the upcoming holiday season inspires the box curators to include some nifty stuff.  But all in all, the theme for this month's box for me is: MEH.

My first Ipsy Bag - finally a Birchbox contender?

When I was scouting for beauty subscription services, I found MyGlam - a service by youtube beauty guru sensation, Michelle Phan.  However, bad reviews drove me away. However, with the recent re-launch of MyGlam - now Ipsy, I decided to give it a shot.

I wasn't sure how I felt about subscribing to a beauty service spearheaded by Phan - thinking that the products would be geared to a much younger audience than myself.  I first heard about Michelle Phan from my teenage cousins, after all.  Well, I got my first Ipsy bag today and IT ROCKS.

Ipsy is a $10 / month beauty subscription service and online beauty forum / community. The price includes shipping, putting it on par with Birchbox.  While there are a myriad of beauty subscription services out there, I have been unable to find anything comparable to Birchbox at the $10 price point - UNTIL NOW.

Unlike most other services, Ipsy came in a fun metallic fuschia padded mailer envelope which I couldn't wait to tear open.

1. Chevron print makeup bag  2. Colour Couture Pequi Oil Treatment for Hair   3.  Bombshell Felt-Tip Eyeliner Pen in Onyx  4. The Balm "The Body Builder" Mascara in Black  5.  Coastal Scents Eyeshadow Mini Palette (Set 5)

With a "Hello, Bombshell" theme,  inside the awesome chevron printed makeup bag I was delighted to find a cohesive selection of products.  Unlike other themed boxes or bags, I actually felt that this was thoughtfully curated to be able to produce a "bombshell" look.

What are the signatures of a "bombshell" look, you ask?  To me, it's all about the black liquid liner and the red lips.   And lo, and behold - a killer red lipgloss and felt-tipped liner pen were in the bag.

1.  Bombshell Eye Liner in black  2. Mirenesse Lip Bomb Glossy Lacquer Stain in No. 2     3.  Coastal Scents Eyeshadow in Vibrant Red  4. Coastal Scents Shadow in Frosty Taupe  5. Coastal Scents Shadow in Vanilla Sky and  6. Coastal Scents Shadow in Raisin Berry

Holy pigmentation, Batman!  All the products had a great color payoff.  While the bullet tip on the eyeliner was thicker than I would normally prefer (esp. to pull off any kind of cat-eye flick), the color was super inky, which is absolutely key for me.  The Mirenesse Lip Bomb Gloss is an awesome true red which isn't too shiny, like I find most glosses to be.  All the coastal scents shadows were generally  true to color even on my tanned / olive skin and I know I'll be using the taupe color a lot this fall - even though it's more khaki than taupe on me.

All in all, I'm really impressed by my first Ipsy bag. There was a good mix of familiar and new brands but all were of good quality.  It was, by far, the most cohesive themed box I've ever gotten - at any price point.  

What you're getting for your $10 - "Hello, Bombshell" October Ipsy Bag

1) Coastal Scents eye shadows are super inexpensive - a regular sized 12 shadow palette lists for $4.99 on the Coastal Scents site - so approx sample value is probably around $0.80 

2) The Balm "What's Your Type" Bodybuilder Mascara - Full size $19 for 0.33oz - Sample size  0.11oz valued at $6.33 

3) FULL-SIZE Lip Gloss by Mirenesse - $39.00 

4) Couture Colour Pequi Oil Treatment 0.5oz bottle sells in Sephora for $12.00 on its own

5) Be A Bombshell Eyeliner - ANOTHER Full-Sized product - retails for $19.00

Total approximate value: $77.13  PLUS the fab makeup bag which is already in my purse.  There are discount codes for all of the products included in the bag.

Bottom line:  I know it's only the first Ipsy bag I've received - but with 2 full size products that I will undoubtedly use, plus actual deluxe sized samples, AND the makeup bag....well, Birchbox, you've got a LOT of catching up to do.

Can't wait for November's bag!