My 2011 Recap

2011 has been a good year to me. Celebrated three years together with the boyfriend, went on an amazing vacation to England and France where I got to meet up with my brother whom I hadn't seen in a few years and the rest of my family whom I haven't seen in about ten years. I did well in school and cemented down my major in college.

I thought I'd link to my most popular posts on the blog and my personal favorite posts that I've done this year.

My top nine most popular posts for the year were: (from the least most popular to the most popular)









and my most popular post for the year 2011...


My personal favorite posts that I've done in the year were: (In no specific order)



Indie Style December Mini Awesome Box Swatches and Review (the boyfriend got this for me for Christmas so I had to include it!)


I hope you guys have had a good 2011 and hopefully 2012 will be better!

Sugarpill Burning Heart Pressed Eyeshadow Palette

The Burning Heart palette is constantly out of stock on the Sugarpill* website and considering my extremely positive experience with it, I understand why. This palette is valued at $48 but retails for $34. You're getting a 29% discount buying the shadows in the palette versus buying them individually. For nearly the price of three, you're getting four full sized shadows.

I know the front of my palette is messed up but that's because I had gotten it during a special where Sugarpill was selling off their slightly imperfect palettes. If you get it from them, yours will be pristine but I was happy to pay 40% less for nearly the same thing!

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The eyeshadows are packaged in a cardboard quad but it's a heavy durable one. From the picture you can tell it's gone through where and there and there are some scratches but it's lasted quite well. There's a magnetic closure and a large mirror in the lid.

Going clockwise from top left, it's Flamepoint, Buttercupcake, Poison Plum, and Love+

Cameras seem to dislike taking pictures of purples in product pictures. Poison Plum is much more red toned than blue toned in real life.

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(Did I meticulously try to clean my palette with a q-tip? Perhaps. That's the life of a blogger trying to get a good product shot)

I swatched these dry over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer and this picture was taken in daylight.

Flamepoint, Buttercupcake, Love+, and Poison Plum

Sugarpill Burning Heart Palette

Flamepoint: This is described as a "vibrant matte orange". If I had to pick my favorite of the quad, it would have to be this one. Absolutely smooth and a color that I could work into my everyday look.

Buttercupcake: This is described as a "bright matte yellow with awesome opaque coverage" I like this eyeshadow but I will admit that sometimes it can be trickier to work with. It takes some work to get a smooth and opaque coverage but it sure looks nice when you can manage it. Sometimes it can oxidize around the edges and appear a little darker.

Love+: This is described as a "bright red with a semi-pearly sheen" I love this but I will admit that I don't always have the chance to wear a red eyeshadow. It doesn't detract from how pigmented and even it is. This is THE red eyeshadow to get if you want to get a red eyeshadow.

Poison Plum: This is described as a "dramatic purple with a semi-pearly sheen" I personally don't see a semi-pearly sheen, at least not one that's present like in Love+. If I had to pick a least favorite (which isn't really a negative thing considering I love all colors) it'd have to be this one because it stains my skin pink (even applied dry over a primer). I made the mistake of experimenting with colored eyebrows once using Poison Plum and I ended up with pinkish eyebrows.

I should say your mileage will vary on staining. I've heard of people saying Love+ stained their skin when Love+ is fine for me and it's Poison Plum that gives me trouble. The stain goes away in a day though so it's not a big deal!

I love their quads and I hope that they come out with more when they release their new pressed eyeshadows (If you haven't seen the swatches of new colors, check out this post!). I think they're an excellent value and the quality is so worth it!

Do you own any Sugarpill Pressed Eyeshadows? Are you looking forward to the new shades coming out?

*Affiliate Link

Twinkling Goldilux Lights EOTD

Christmas may be over and done with but I'm so not done using holiday colors. Green and gold complement each other so I had to combine the two together for this look. I think warm greens/emerald greens and golds go well with my warm/yellow undertones, much more than most other colors!

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Eyes
Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer
Darling Girl Glitter Glue
Aromaleigh Twinkling Lights on the lid
Sugarpill Goldilux on the middle of the eyelid over Twinkling Lights and lower lash line
Physicians Formula Eye Booster Liner in Ultra Black

NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine Swatch and Review

I was glad to see more beauty related items in the Influenster VoxBox like this NYC New York Color Lipgloss. I honestly haven't tried much of the brand other than their translucent face powder and a few of the nail polishes. I know they recently revamped the brand so it was nice to get my hands on one of their products.

The Liquid Lipshine is said to have pure pigments that create a 3D gloss effect. The formula is touted to be non-sticky, super shiny, and soft with 10 different shades in the range and retailing for $2.49. This has .24 fl oz of product or 7.2 ml.

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The Liquid Lipshine is in clear tube with silver accents and a doe foot applicator. It smells really sweet to me, like a sugared vanilla and it smells artificial to me. I got it in the shade Nude York City, which is a sheer, slightly milky sparkly peachy-pink.


Swatch time! These pictures were taken in daylight.

Bare lips for reference

NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine

Nude York City

NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine

It's marketed as non-sticky but I did feel that it had a bit of stickiness to it. The doe foot applicator it comes with is a little flimsy, mainly because it's longer than most doe foot applicators. It is a sheer lipgloss but does provide a nice amount of sparkle to your lips.

There's a warmth to it when it's on your lips, it reminds me of the way some lip plumpers work. I don't think I'll purchase this product myself, mainly because I don't particularly like the scent and I think it's a little strong.

The lipgloss lasted about two hours on me.

Have you tried out the NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshines?

Disclaimer: I received this product as part of the Influenster Holiday Vox Box! I wasn't paid to write this post and all opinions are my own.

December Giveaway #4 Win a Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit!

This is the last giveaway in my mini series for December (and for 2011). I hope you've enjoyed the giveaways I've had. The winner for the December Giveaway #3 has been contacted and will be sent her prize soon!

For this giveaway, one person will win a Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit. US Only, sorry!

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Be sure to follow all the entries in the Rafflecopter widget, and make sure to click the button to ensure that your entry counts!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


MAC Shop Shop Shop/Cook Cook Cook Promo Images!

Third post of the day! I don't usually talk about upcoming MAC collections but I had to post about this upcoming February 2012 collection, otherwise known as "The Return of the Tendertones!"

You can get more information on this Specktra page regarding the number and kinds of products that will be released in the collection. I got this information via a postcard in the mail, inviting me to an event at the end of January. Please do not repost these images, I'd prefer it if you'd just link back to this post and the Specktra page!

The front of the postcard.
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The back of the postcard.

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The products featured in the collection!
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Be sure to check the Specktra page (linked up there) to get more information on the collection!

Indie Style December Mini Awesome Box Swatches and Review!

Two posts in a day! I was going to wait but I wanted to review this while it was still relevant. Beauty sample boxes are very popular nowadays with many different themes. The concept is new but I personally never subscribed to any. I was extremely intrigued lately when I heard about the Indie Style Awesome Box. The Indie Style Awesome Box is a bimonthly box full of samples and goodies from Indie businesses. It's a very very new project and this December Mini Awesome Box was their little testing box before their February Grand Opening Box. You can check out the website for more information and like the Fan Page!

This mini box was $15 and I received it as a Christmas gift from my boyfriend. There were a bunch of cute goodies inside and I'll be reviewing and swatching all of it. I was really happy to try out all the products in the box, mainly because all but one of the sellers were new to me. All of the swatches were done over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer and the pictures were taken in daylight.


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EMJewelry

This is a jewelry company headed by the lovely Erin of The Cheap Chick and Ravings of a Lipstick Lunatic. You can find EMJewelry at Etsy and Storenvy.

When I read that there were going to be earrings in the box, I was a little hesitant at first to ask for it. I don't have my ears pierced anymore, but I figured that I could just save these for a giveaway. And then I saw the earrings.


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These are so cute and I really didn't want to give them up. Luckily someone lamented about not being able to wear them because they too didn't have pierced ears and Erin chimed in saying that she could send us clip ons to swap out the hooks with or to send them back to her to have her do it!

Needless to say, I asked for the clip ons. I haven't swapped them out yet but once I do I'll show how they look on me. I believe these earrings are exclusive to the box but she's got other earrings too.

Evil Shades

I've reviewed Evil Shades before on my blog, and this was actually the only company in the box that I've personally tried before! If you want to read my reviews, you can click here, here, and here.

In the box, I received a sample of Oh Pagan Tree eyeshadow which is described as a solstice evergreen base decorated with multi colored lights.


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I found this to be a little lighter in person than pictured on the site. It is a pretty medium green with lots of shimmer and a strong gold highlight

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Geek Chic Cosmetics

Geek Chic is another company that I've heard about but never tried. After swatching some of the eyeshadows though, they're certainly a company that I'll keep on my radar. I got eyeshadow samples of Across the Narrow Sea, Katamari King, and Solid Snake.

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Across the Narrow Sea: "A lush, rich turquoise as deep as the sea at the end of the world. More green than blue, with gleaming seafoam highlight and a glitter of aqua sparkles" I think the swatch picture on the site is pretty spot on. It's a pretty blue with a green highlight to it.

Katamari King: "Pastel purple with tons of sparkle in the light" I really liked this eyeshadow, I think most companies can't do light purples well and this had good texture and pigmentation. On the site, I think it looks a little too lilac when for me, it is a little more pink toned.

Solid Snake: "Black/blue duochrome with tons of blue sparkle" I think for me, it's not as deep and black as it appears on the site, but more like a deeper, darker, navy.

Innocent+Twisted Alchemy

Innocent+Twisted Alchemy is another brand that's new to me. The artwork behind the brand is so so amazing. The shop doesn't seem to have many colors out but they do look intriguing.

I received a sample of Peppermint Kisses.


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Peppermint Kisses is described as a "Satin white with a slight red sheen with red sparkles". I don't usually swatch over a glitter fixative, but since this color contains glitter I thought it might be useful to see how the color looks with it.

Left is just over primer, right is over Darling Girl Glitter Glue


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Here's a closeup picture to show that you can really see the red glitter in the eyeshadow.
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I might try the company out once I find more reviews on them!

One Hand Washes The Other (OHWTO)

I've personally never tried out One Hand Washes The Other before, but I know they're highly touted for their Black Magic soap and their other body and perfumery products!

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In the box, I received a Solid Scent Sample in the scent 1605. The scent description is: "36 barrels of gunpowder, a faint yet insistent wisp of church incense, and a wafting of bonfire smoke. Warm ginger bread and a tall mug of hearty stout. Inspired by the story of Guy Fawkes, and created to evoke the tale every time you wear it. Opening mainly as a food scent, 1605 dries down to a warm, spicy, and softly smokey scent"

Scent is a very very subjective thing and what smells good to me may not smell good to you. A person's body composition means that a scent will most likely smell differently on you than it does on me. That being said, I personally did not like the scent that I got from OHWTO, but it doesn't make it a bad scent. I'm big on fruity scents, and don't really like incense scents. 1605 in the clamshell smells a little peppery and smoky, and that doesn't really dissipate once it's on my wrist. On me it actually smells a little bit like Carmex because it's got this herbal feel to it. I do detect a sweetness that rounds off the smokyness, but I think it doesn't work with my body chemistry and my personal taste for scents.

Whimsy Beading

I've heard of Whimsy Beading before, but I wasn't ever tempted to get any of the necklaces or the earrings before this Awesome Box.


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For the opening box, Whimsy Beading didn't offer an actual product but a generous coupon code for their shop! If you're wondering, I do believe they offer clip ons as a custom option for their earrings. I'm already eyeing the Short French Hook Earrings (with clip ons if that's an option for those specific earrings) in the Winter's Gold Colorway. If you want to see some of Whimsy's work, you can check out this post by Phyrra which features a necklace and earrings by them.

Indie Style Extra

In every box, they'll be a little extra from the creator of the Indie Style Awesome Box. For the December Box, it was a little handmade Christmas ornament.


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The next box will be on sale January 15th and will be shipped out around February 1st!

Sugarpill Loose Eyeshadow Swatches and Review

*PS Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a mini set of body lotions from Bliss, Scott Barnes, and The Body Shop!*

I've used the Sugarpill* Loose Eyeshadows quite often on the blog but I don't think I've ever properly swatched and reviewed them. I own five, Darling, Goldilux, Lumi, Paperdoll, and Royal Sugar and they constantly rotate in usage!

These are all gorgeous colors and my favorite colors are Goldilux and Lumi, mainly because they're easier to work with versus Darling, Paperdoll, and Royal Sugar. Darling, Paperdoll, and Royal Sugar are mattes/satins with tons of sparkle which can make it a little more difficult to work with. It takes some effort but I think the end result is worth it.

I swatched the eyeshadows dry, over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Eye Primer and these pictures were taken in daylight.

Darling, Goldilux, Lumi, Paperdoll, and Royal Sugar.

Sugarpill Loose Eyeshadow Swatches

Darling: This is described as a stunning teal loaded with iridescent turquoise star bursts. This is a lot brighter in real life, more green than blue. Very pretty but needs the extra effort.

Goldilux: This is described as a brilliant, highly-reflective metallic gold with breathtaking shine. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you're only going to get one Sugarpill eyeshadow, make it Goldilux!

Lumi: This is described as a snow white with turquoise sheen and flashing bursts of blue and green. Absolutely gorgeous and the turquoise sheen is really prominent in real life, even without a dark base underneath!

Paperdoll: This is described as a lovely lavender with dazzling shimmer and sparkle. I find this to be a little more difficult to work with but with the extra effort, you can make it look gorgeous. Purples tend to be a little more troublesome to deal with as it is.

Royal Sugar: This is described as a striking bright blue with a heavenly burst of turquoise diamonds. When I first got it, I liked it but didn't really use it to its potential and was rather meh about it. I recently rediscovered it and don't know why I felt the way I did before. It is a little clumpy together because it's a really intense mix of matte and sparkle but patting it on will make it easier to work with.

Bonus pictures of Lumi!

Another angle of Lumi eyeshadow

And look how gorgeous it is over a black base (e.l.f. Black Cream Eyeliner)

Sugarpill Lumi over black cream eyeliner

Do you own any Sugarpill Loose Eyeshadows? What are your favorites if you do?

Disclaimer: *This is an affiliate link that gives me a small commission through your use of the link! I purchased these eyeshadows though!

My Christmas Goodies

I should preface this by saying that this post is in no way a means to brag about what I got for Christmas. I'm genuinely excited and happy to get what I got and I don't feel entitled to the presents that I did get. I asked for a bunch of beauty related stuff for Christmas and got a little something special too and I wanted to share it with you guys since it's related to the blog!

The most exciting bit was this gift from my sister!

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Oh yeah, that's the Naked palette. I've already played around with this and so happy to get it! An EOTD and a swatch and review post will be coming up!

I also got my first set of Shiro Cosmetics products! They were having a holiday special where you could get two Intertubes for $10 (when they normally retail for $13.00) so I asked to try out two and also got some shadow samples with it.

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My boyfriend and I aren't big on surprises so we usually tell each other what we'd like for Christmas or for our birthday. This time for Christmas, he got me an Awesome Box by Indie Style and held onto to until Christmas. I'll be talking about this in a separate post but here's a preview of the contents!

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I got a ten pack of Hi-Chews in the Mango flavor but I've already eaten through part of a pack and had a pack stolen by my sister, so there's no picture of it.

The last two things I got from other members of my boyfriend's family and isn't beauty related at all but I'm joyous about getting them.

This is an DIY Eraser Kit that you make using your microwave.

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and this is an edible, DIY, Candy Sushi Kit.

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I found out about the existence of these kids kits through a youtube user by the name of RRCherrypie. He's got these videos showing how he makes all these cool Japanese snacks and trinkets and I knew I wanted to try at least one of these kits. I may not be able to read Japanese but luckily they've got pictures on the back.

My parents actually got a new camera, meaning I've got a new camera to "borrow" which I used to take pictures of everything. Expect me to be fiddling around and changing the quality of pictures that I take while I get acquainted with the camera!

How was your guys' Christmas? Was it fun? Did you eat lots of good food?

Happy Holidays!

It is Christmas today but I hope you enjoy whichever holiday you celebrate! I'll be spending my day with my family and my boyfriend's family opening presents and eating yummy meals :)

To spread the holiday cheer, here's a picture of my family's Christmas tree!

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10 points if you can spot the cheese ornaments on the tree! I hope you guys enjoy the holidays!

Tangled in a Not So Silent Night EOTD

It's been a while since I've done an EOTD and I recently won some Aromaleigh eyeshadows so I decided to use some of the eyeshadows I got to do a look. I didn't intend on it, but it does match up with Hanukkah colors (at least the colors adopted for the holiday). I've been in a big neutrals look so it was nice to use a good sparkly deep blue/navy color and accentuate it with the metallic silver.

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I actually used Sugarpill's Lumi on the center of the lid over the silver, but the flash obscured the sparkle.

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Eyes
Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Primer
Darling Girl Glitter Glue
Aromaleigh Not So Silent Night
Aromaleigh Tangled Tinsel
Sugarpill Lumi
Physicians Formula Eye Booster Liner in Ultra Black

Montagne Jeunesse Passion Peel Off Face Mask Review

When I think of Montagne Jeunesse, I think of a brand with eccentric, sort of outdated packaging and a hard to pronounce name. I've tried some of their face masks before but never one of the peel off face mask. After trying it out, I have to say that I'm an utter fan and I need more. This is quite possibly the coolest peel off face mask ever.

The packaging looks very much outdated and I'm wondering why the model looks like she's got a purple face mask on when in reality, the peel off mask looks nothing like that.

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The Passion Peel Off comes off as a translucent pink jelly that smells excellently fruity. Do ignore my wrinkled fingers!

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The instructions say to slather on and leave for 15-20 minutes. After I put it on and as it was drying, it made my face look like a sunburned Borg Queen. No pictures because I looked crazy.

When it came time to take it off, it was amazingly easy to peel off. It all came off in one piece (except for the areas where I applied a thinner layer). After it came off, my face felt smoother and I haven't noticed any adverse reactions to the product after several days!

The trial packet had the perfect amount which brings me to my only annoyance about these masks and that's the size of the full size packets. It comes with too much product for one person. I feel wasteful using it sometimes because I'll feel like I've covered my face with enough product and there's still tons of product left. It doesn't help that because it's stored in a packet, there's no proper way of storing the leftover product.

You can get this online or in stores. The price will vary in stores but I believe I've seen the masks retail for about $1.99.

I would definitely repurchase!

Have you tried out any Montagne Jeunesse Products?

Disclaimer: This was sent to me in my Influenster VoxBox. I wasn't paid to write this post and all opinions are my own!

imPress Press-On Manicure Review

After seeing lots of reviews showing off these imPress Press-On Manicure nails in the Influenster Holiday 2011 VoxBox, I was really intrigued and excited to try it out. After wearing it for a little bit though, I can't say that they're a product for me.

I got the set in the color Lil'Drumr Girl, which is a bright hot pink with zebra print. These retail for $5.99 for the solid colors and $7.99 for the patterned nails and there are 36 colors and patterns to choose from.


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They're packaged in a very cute way, in a plastic nail polish bottle style container. There was a black cap that you twisted off before pulling apart the container that had the nails inside.

These have several claims of having no drying time, a superior and lasting shine, easy removal and can last up to a week. I'd say they do live up to the claims. They were shiny, easy to remove (I was able to easily peel off some of them and the rest I could take care of with nail polish remover), and they had no dry time. I didn't wear them for a week though so I can't attest to that claim.

Application was amazingly easy. You sized the nails out, prepped your nail with the included prep pad, pulled off the plastic sticker covering the adhesive, and stuck it on your nails.


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Unfortunately, my biggest issue with this was the sizing. I have rather small hands and nails and it was difficult for me to get a proper fit. They only had two size options for the thumbs and both were too big. The next size down was too rounded at the cuticle to fit well. They're also really long for me.

For someone who has longer nails, I don't think this'll be an issue but for me personally, the adhesive tab on the fake nail went past the free edge of my real nail. I didn't wear them for very long but I was a little worried about potentially collecting dust and gunk underneath the nail.

Some of the nails weren't perfectly cut at the ends and so were a little rough compared to the other nails in the set. Hopefully you can see how it looks from the picture.



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Lastly, I had trouble removing the plastic sticker covering the adhesive. Some of the adhesive tabs got slightly warped because the adhesive and plastic stick stuck together and took a lot of force to get apart.

I'd really like to see more sizing options, the rest of the issues I could probably get over if they fit well on me. I think though that they do look fake, and not in the good way. They're thick but I think it can be difficult to get proper thin press on nails. I think if you have longer and bigger nails, then I think these would fit you.

For someone who may want to wear these for a special event, I would recommend this because of its ease of use (presuming you don't have any size issues of course).

Would I purchase? Maybe if they came out in smaller size but until then, probably not.

Have you tried these nails out before?


Disclaimer: I received these nails to test through Influenster's VoxBox! I wasn't paid to write this post and all opinions are my own.

CLOSED December Giveaway #3 Win Body Lotions from Bliss, Scott Barnes, and The Body Shop!

*The winner of my December Giveaway #2 is Victoria! I shall email you and get your address so I can send your prize out!*

Now here's my third giveaway in my December Giveaway Series! This time around, I'm giving away three mini body lotions from Bliss, Scott Barnes, and The Body Shop.

One person will win:

1.7 oz tube of Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Butter
1 oz tube of Scott Barnes Body Bling Original Shimmering Body Lotion
1.7 oz tub of The Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter

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Be sure to follow all the entries in the Rafflecopter widget, and make sure to click the button to ensure that your entry counts!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holiday Aromaleigh V.1 Eyeshadow Swatches and Review

This post is an ode to Shattered Shards because I'm swatching the eyeshadows I got in her Happy Holidays Giveaway.

You know those fancy mailers you get in the mail that are asking for money to donate to their cause? The ones that are printed as if they were handwritten but you know they weren't? Yeah that's how I received my prize from Shattered Shards. I don't actually have a picture of the envelope and everything because I sort of tore it apart but trust me when I say that Shattered has the best handwriting ever.

Anyway, onto the Holiday Eyeshadow Swatches! I won six assorted eyeshadows from the Holiday Blast, Holiday LE 2008, and Pure Eyes 2008 Collections.

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Swatches were done dry over Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Eyeshadow Primer and photographed in daylight. All descriptions courtesy of Aromaleigh (I only wish I could describe eyeshadows as well as some people do!)

From left to right, Allspice, Almost Midnight, Not So Silent Night, Tangled Tinsel, Twinkling Lights, Wintergreen

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Closeups of Allspice, Almost Midnight, and Not So Silent Night

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Allspice (From the Holiday 2008 kit)-Warm deep rich tarnished copper brown with sparkly shimmer. I'm so into neutrals lately and this fits the bill. Amazing shimmer and my god I love it.

Almost Midnight (From Holiday Blast 2008)- The brightest, most vibrant jewel of a purple with dramatic blue shadowy sparkles. When I first saw it in the baggie, I really didn't think much of it but man alive it fits the description. It's an utterly royal purple and you can really see the blue sparkles.

Not So Silent Night (From Holiday Blast 2008)- Deepest pure midnight blue with a shock of aurora borealis sparkle. This was another one that looked boring in the baggie but really shined through when applied. How could you go wrong with this?

Closeups of Tangled Tinsel, Twinkling Lights, Wintergreen

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Tangled Tinsel (From Holiday Blast 2008)- Metallic true silver with bright glints of iridescent sparkle. This is like liquid silver and needs no introduction. I absolutely love this.

Twinkling Lights (From Holiday Blast 2008)- Satin lustre medium cool holiday green with pink/red twinkling shimmer sparks. This reminds me of holly, with the green base representing the leaves and the pink/red twinkling shimmer representing the berries!

Wintergreen (From Holiday 2008 Kit)- Lush neutral green with a soft smokey undertone and red contrast shimmer sparkle. I didn't see a red contrast shimmer or sparkle to this eyeshadow, mainly the green over a brown base.

All of these are gorgeous and exceptionally pigmented. I didn't have any issues with application at all and I only wish I could get my hands on more of Aromaleigh V.1! I'm not sure I'll be shopping from Aromaleigh V2 anymore because I've found myself displeased with how they've handled their social media accounts and the impression they've been giving off.

Do you own a lot of Aromaleigh V1 eyeshadows? Are you planning on getting any Aromaleigh V2 eyeshadows?

Influenster Holiday 2011 VoxBox!

After seeing Influenster mentioned several times on Twitter, I decided to join the site see what all the fuss about. Influenster is a site that sends out boxes with products inside for people to try out and review and you can qualify for boxes based on badges that you apply for. For example, I have badges because I have a blog, go to college, am a beauty fanatic, etc. If you want more information, you can check out their site!

I finally got the Holiday 2011 Voxbox last week and I couldn't wait to delve into the products.

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Included was a card telling me about the products I received.

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I'll be reviewing the imPRESS Press-on Manicure, New York Color Lip Shine, and Montagne Jeunesse Face Mask separately but I'll talk about my opinions on the rest of the VoxBox.

Softsoap Coconut Scrub Bar Soap

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When they say gentle exfoliation, they really mean it. This looks like a regular bar of soap speckled with grains of sands. The first time I used it, I had to wash off the outer layer of soap before I could feel the grains. I felt the grains more when I was rubbing the soap between my hands than when I was using it on my body. I do like the scent though, it's a fruity coconut scent.

Mentos Pure Fresh Gum in Fresh Mint

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Maybe I'm weak but man I found it difficult to open the packaging up. It's got a plastic strip you need to remove and it took a lot of pulling for me to get it off. This tastes like minty gum and much easier to deal with that the rolled Mentos.

Larabar in Apple Pie

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I'm not one for fruit and nut bars so I'm not the best to ask about this. It does taste like apple with a hint of cinnamon, but I just didn't like the nuts. Not my cup of tea.

Look forward to my reviews on the rest of the VoxBox!

Disclaimer: I received this VoxBox complimentary from Influenster to test out! I wasn't compensated for this and all opinions are my own.