Beauty - sparkleshinylove

Roxymandy June 24, 2015

My Birchbox Review

Have you heard of Birchbox before? I had heard enough about it to give it as a gift, but hadn’t experienced it myself until last week.

The feedback I got from the people I sent a Birchbox to was amazing! The products were great, and getting new beauty surprises every month was fun. It seemed like an awesome concept, so I kept sending them out as gifts to others, and I kept hearing great things.

One day I got really jealous and decided I needed my own Birchbox. I sound very mature, don’t I? Well it’s true, I wanted a cute gift every month with fun beauty surprises inside, so I went ahead and ordered myself one.

Birchbox itself has an online store which sells beauty products often exclusive to the store. They have what they call a monthly Birchbox which is delivered to your home, and includes 5 personalized beauty samples tailored to your profile.

When sending one as a gift the only information you need to provide is the receiver’s address. The receiver can then go online and complete a personal profile so their remaining boxes are tailored towards their preferences.

If you want to buy a full-size version of some of the products you loved in your Birchbox, then you can order them on the website.

Each month is $10.00 CDN plus $4.95 shipping and handling. You can subscribe yourself or a send someone a gift for a 3 months subscription for $44.85, 6 months for $79.70 or 12 months for $159.40.

Each Birchbox has either a theme, or is curated by a special guest. My own box was called “Say Yes!” and it was all about adventure. It included travel tips from Meghan Markle from The Tig as well.

My box included:

Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer

Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo

Parlor by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels

Pure Vida Lave Headband with Charm

I actually hadn’t heard of any of these brands or products before, so it was fun to try them all out! I am in love with the shampoo and the moisturizer. They are both on repeat this week in my bathroom.

I loved getting all of these great surprises in the mail, and it’s nice to try out products I wouldn’t have normally tried. Overall I think it does serve as an amazing gift for someone else, but it’s also a great treat for yourself.

For more details on Birchbox, visit www.birchbox.ca!

Roxymandy June 19, 2015

Review of Coppertone Sunscreen Lotion Sensitive Skin SPF 50 for Chick Advisor

This summer I am all about sunscreen! I have been so paranoid about damaging my skin, and I have really been trying avoid a sunburn at all costs!

I have been trying out Coppertone Sunscreen Lotion Sensitive Skin SPF 50 as part of the Chick Advisor Product Review Club.

This product is primarily for the face, so I have been wearing it under my makeup everyday.

It smells great, but it doesn’t have that regular sunscreen smell. I like that it smells so good, especially when I am going to have it on my face all day.

It’s white in colour, and it really needs to be rubbed in so the white is blended in. I am a little blotchy without makeup on, so I actually liked that the sunscreen was so white because it evened out my skin tone! If I wasn’t going to wear makeup it may be a bit of problem because it really does give your skintone a white sheen, but otherwise since I was wearing it with makeup it was fine. I applied some to my chest and shoulders as well, and it really needed to be rubbed in so I didn’t have white streaks.

I get nervous about using sunscreen on my face because there have been many times different formulas have made me break out. This sunscreen did not cause a breakout, and seemed super soothing when I applied it since it’s quite thick. A little seems to go a long was as well.

Does it work? Absolutely! I actually had a lot of sun time when wearing it, and I didn’t even get a tan on my face at all! It does what it says it will – it provides sunburn protection!

I would buy this product again because it worked so well, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone, especially those with sensitive skin. I have sensitive skin, so no breakouts was good news for me. The product did a great job, and the only special instructions I can provide is that you really need to rub it in so you can’t see it’s white color on your skin.

To see more Chick Advisor reviews on this product, visit their website here! Also check out the hashtag #CoppertoneSensitiveSkin on social media to see what others think about it!

Disclaimer: This product was provided for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own.

Roxymandy June 17, 2015

Review of Benefit’s Roller Lash Mascara

I waited until I was completely out of my Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara before I tried Benefit’s latest addition to their mascara arsenal – Roller Lash.

I have done so many review’s on Benefit products that you may think I am a little obsessed with the brand, but they are usually spot on with their packaging and products so I can’t help myself.

Benefit’s Roller Lash Mascara promises to separate, lift and curl lashes using it’s Hook ‘n’ Roll Brush. The mascara promises to hold up to 12 hours so there’s no need for a touch up.

I have been a huge fan of Benefit’s They’re Real! Mascara, so I was interested to see how the two mascara’s would compare.

The first thing I noticed is the lid is a cute pink colour (and it looks like a hair roller – adorable!), so I was sure I would be getting this wand pretty dirty. I was right – at this point it’s smudged from other makeup and products that were on my hands, and it’s looking a little worse for wear right now.

I tried using this mascara with the help of my eye lash curler, and without. The best way to go is actually without the eye lash curler! Benefit’s instructions say you don’t need a lash curler, and I found it applied better and created a great curl on it’s own – there was not only no need for a lash curler, but my lashes seemed to look much better without using one.

The formula itself did lift and separate my lashes as promised. I really felt like the mascara did everything it said it would – it even lasted all day!

Here is where I ran into a problem – I found myself missing my Benefit They’re Real! Mascara for the length it would create.

Roller Lash does everything it promises to, but for me personally I missed the lengthening power that Benefit’s They’re Real! Mascara seems to have.

The funny part is that when I checked Benefit’s website, they actually include a Beauty Tip on the Roller Lash Mascara page which says “For super curl AND length, apply roller lash first to curl & lift your lashes then layer They’re Real! lengthening mascara on top. It’s sexy drama beyond belief!”.

I think once I go out and grab another tube of Benefit’s They’re Real! Mascara, I will be a very happy girl!

Here is a photo of me wearing Benefit’s Roller Lash Mascara, photo taken by moi since there never seems to be anyone around when I need a photo of myself trying out a new mascara. What’s up with that? Any one interested in coming over to take before and after photo’s of me when I am trying new products? I can pay you in unlimited Starbucks and beauty product cast-offs!

For more information on Benefit’s Roller Lash Mascara, please visit their website here!

Roxymandy June 6, 2015

VIICode O2M Oxygen Eye Mask Review

Over the last month I have had a lot going on, and I have really notice that not only do I feel tired, but I look tired too! It’s like suddenly I took a moment to actually look in the mirror and realize that lack of sleep has been creaping up on me.

I usually realize that I am over-tired or over-worked AFTER I am exhausted, so I go into damage mode once I notice. I have been trying to get more sleep (ha!), eat a bit better, take more vitamins, and try to do a bit of face maintenance.

One product that I have been using this month is VII Code’s O2M Oxygen Eye Mask.

How does it work? Basically you apply the under-eye mask to your face, and let it work it’s magic. It can be worn overnight for best results, or you can wear it for a few hours when you have some downtime. The most it should be worn is 8 hours.

I enjoyed wearing it after my son went to bed since I found it really soothing! It was nice and cool to put on, and the mask didn’t slide around at all when I wore it. The product is meant to strengthen the skin around the eyes, and it works to remove dark circles and bags through natural cleansing products from plant extracts.

For best results, the eye mask should be applied twice or three times a week, and three boxes are a course of treatment.

I found that just applying the mask in general was so soothing and relaxing! I just went about what I had to do around the house while wearing the mask, and it just felt good to have it on.

After going through just one box I felt like the dark circles under my eyes seemed a little brighter!

For more information on the VIICode O2M Oxygen Eye Mask, please visit their website here! The product can be purchased on their website, or through Amazon as well.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own.

Roxymandy June 4, 2015

I’m Trying Out RapidLash And You Can Too! Enter to Win!

You already know I’m lash-obsessed based on how many reviews of mascara I post on the blog. What would make my life (and my make up remover’s life) so much easier would be having long and thick lashes without having to emphasize them with mascara.

For the next couple months I am trying out RapidLash – it’s an eyelash and eyebrow enhancing serum that boosts the look of your lashes and brows. Anything that promotes the overall health of my eyelashes sounds good to me!

I am so excited to give this product a try and see what it does to my lashes.

It’s ophthalmologist and dermatologist tested, safe for contact lens wearers, free of fragrance and paraben’s, and is not tested on animals.

It seems easy to use as well – it’s only to be applied once a day and results for lashes can occur in just 4-6 weeks. It contains something called Hextein 1 Complex which works to strengthen, lengthen, hydrate, nourish and simulate lash and brow hair.

I found my own RapidLash at Shoppers Drug Mart, front and centre at the Beauty Boutique. It was almost sold out, and the sales associate told me she uses it herself and loves it.

I will be giving updates on how things go with this product over the next couple months, but until then would you like to try out RapidLash for yourself?

Enter below to win your own full-size sample of RapidLash (retail value of $59.95) – it’s easy to enter and win!

If you do win, please let me know your results as well! I would love to know what your thoughts are.

The contest is open to residents of Canada (including Quebec), and after the contest closes the winner can expect their prize in approximately 4-6 weeks. You can enter to win amongst some of the other Canadian blogs participating, but please note that you can only win from one participating blog giving away this prize. The contest starts on June 4, 2015 at 12:00am and ends on June 18, 2015 at 12:00am. One winner will randomly selected via Rafflecopter.

Stay tuned for more updates on my experience with RapidLash, and in the meantime check out what all the hype is about at www.RapidLashCanada.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I am part of the RapidLash campaign with Influence Central and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.