Halloween Lush Haul

small haul 

(I like how that rhymes)

So, I have survived Sandy and my classes start up again today, and it is Halloween! And don't think I forgot about the Lush Haul I promised! Well I didn't pick up much, considering how teeny tiny the Lush I went to is, and they didn't have much left of the Halloween collection :( 

Nevertheless, I am so in love with the products I picked up :)

Top Left Clockwise: Sultana of Soap, Twilight Shower Gel, Ocean Salt Scrub Sample, and The Enchanter Bath Bomb

Twilight Shower Gel

I was skeptical about this shower gel, as I am not a big fan of shower gels in general, particularly when Lush has such moisturizing and yummy smelling soaps. But on a whim, and perhaps a little shove from the Lush girl who helped me, I tried the gel in store and fell in LOVE. They only had the smaller size (3.3 fl oz) but I will definitely be looking for this in other Lush stores or buying it online. 

It starts by smelling like a roasting marshmallow, and then an actual wood burning fire. It has some rich spices, and a gentle lavender scent. It was inspired by the Twilight Bath Bomb, so I'll definitely be picking that up as well. It doesn't have any super moisturizing qualities, and the glitter has settled to the bottom so I haven't been doused in glitter, thankfully! 

Sultana of Soap Soap

Every fall I have to pick up a chunk of this soap, which is kind of like the most scrumptous oatmeal cookie ingredients without the oatmeal. It has currants, apricots and smells like a spicy orange which the website says is Bergamot, a fancy schmancy Italian orange. This soap has the most moisturizing lather I've ever felt. But I have to say, when you first wash all the lather off it will feel a little tight on your skin, like a really crappy soap bar, but after a few minutes, like while you're toweling off, you skin becomes super soft, like you had applied some magical lotion to it. And it smells the way fall is supposed to smell! Yummm!

The Enchanter Bath Bomb

This bath bomb is part of the Halloween collection, and it smells amazing!! There isn't much about this bath bomb that drew me in, but the scent is so fresh and citrus-y, I was super surprised it was part of the Halloween collection. It isn't as bright as perhaps a lemon scented soap or bomb, but the orange is dominant and I think it would be great on a sunny Saturday morning before an awesome shopping trip or errand running! The fizz is supposed to turn bath water orange then pink!  

Ocean Salt Scrub Sample!

So...for all the time I spent in that tiny Lush, the girl helping me helped me to a sample of Ocean Salt which was open next to the register. It is a great scrub, with a fresh ocean scent, but the sea salt is too harsh for my sensitive skin to use every day. It has a clean scent, but I prefer almond, green tea or apricot scrubs, and scrubs with finer exfoliants.

I'm back to my Monday, Wednesday and Friday blogging :) Hope you missed me! 

Ciao for Now, M 

Ugh Oh.

School Kinda Sorta Sucks

jk. but exams sure do...

So basically I am really bummed out that I haven't posted in such a long time...nevertheless I will definitely be posting again in November, but for some updates...

1. In the shortest review ever known to the Internet, my October Birchbox was absolutely, positively the worst I've ever received. I was so extremely disappointed with my box this month, especially after being so enamored with last month's box...nothing in the box is worth reviewing. But I didn't receive the special Goop box they offered, so maybe those boxes were much better. I received four items, a highlighter from theBalm which I'll probably use as eyeshadow, but the sample is tiny; a hair treatment from Ouidad, who market themselves as the "Curl Experts" ... I don't have curls...at all. My hair actually can't get much straighter...and the packaging is this weird envelope. I got some vitamin something rather caplets that I'm supposed to break open, spread on my skin and I'll magically have vitamin C? and last I got two fragrance samples with the worst packaging I've ever seen. I'll try and take photos and update this post with them later. All in all, I hope November is better and I've learned to always take the special boxes when they are offered.

2. I want to do a Lush haul on the Halloween edition items I picked up this weekend, so if I get a chance before Halloween I'll definitely put that up (I am sooooo excited about the stuff I got!)

3. I missed the Ulta sale on Butter London nail polishes. I want to cry a little. And by want to, I mean I did.

4. My Bath and Body Works candle supply is so drastically low that I think I forsee a haul in the near future, so stay tuned for that, too.

5. Starbucks flows through my veins. #collegeproblems #midtermssuck

OK, enough of the pity party, back to work...

Hope to post back soon!!!

Ciao for Now, M

Nail Polish Review: Essie's Stylenomics

Perfect Fall/Winter Dark Polish?

you be the judge!

So I picked up Essie's Stylenomics, part of their Fall 2012 collection, about two or three weeks ago and I didn't think the weather called for such a strong, dark color just yet. Then this weekend New York decided that winter had come early and now it is freezing... :( 

But! that means I'm busting out my fall-to-winter nail polishes, and Stylenomics is perfect for that. 

Color Profile: I'd say it is a green-blue with the lights off, it's pretty dark and in low lighting it looks black. If you like the black nail look, but aren't daring enough for OPI's Black Onyx, or you just want a little something special, this is the perfect dark nail polish that doesn't scream goth! It is extremely chic and I love it for this chilly fall. 

Essie's Stylenomics (Fall 2012), 2 coats, natural lighting 

Ciao for Now, M

October Wishlist :)

Cheers to an all new month!
and all new beauty and fashion finds!

October Wishlist: Butter London Nail Polish in Gobsmacked, Kate Spade Pave Studs, H&M Parka,
 Tobi Gina Shift Dress, Madewell Silk City Storyteller Scarf, Hanae Mori Butterfly Eau de Toilette  

Ciao for Now, M

Birchbox Samples Review: September!

super late?

oh well, select products sample reviews

so september's birchbox brought me plenty of goodies, (can't wait to show you what I got with my Madewell discount!) and every month I'll be reviewing the samples that I've used and gotten to use before I get my next box! I just think it's great that we get the samples, but no one ever says, "well this is a great product, I suggest purchasing it," or "I expected much better, that sample sucked"...etc etc. So here are my reviews on some of the samples that came in my box, as you may know from my birchbox opening, my box came really late and I didn't get a chance to use everything/there was so much stuff this month!!

Vasanti's Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator

I have never heard of this brand before getting this scrub in my birchbox, but I'm super curious about their products now that I've tried the Brighten Up! Face Rejuvenator (I mean even the name is exciting) It has a really light, clean, fresh scent and micro-crystals, which I really like for face scrubs because they just feel gentle and not as harsh as bigger beads or pieces, but they still give you a clean, smooth feeling. After using it four times, I didn't notice brighter skin, but as most scrubs will do, my skin was smoother and radiant.  I used it as directed on the bottle, massage onto a wet face and rinse.

21 Drops Concentration 09 Focus Rollerball

Ugh. This sample of an aromatherapy oil for concentration and focus really doesn't do it for me. I don't normally like herbal scented things anyway (besides like, food...) but this rollerball not only doesn't have the best scent, it also doesn't last at all. The packaging is small and cute, but it lasted on my skin for all of 5 minutes and it was totally gone without a trace at all. It also says you can roll this in bags and wherever for some extra focusing power or something, but it just doesn't last long enough...I don't think it's worth the time or money to be quite honest.

Color Club's Nail Polish in Status Update

To my knowledge this is a birchbox designed nail polish, and OMG, just like the birchbox Pink Jouer lip gloss, this too is an amazing color. Birchbox just knows what colors work and look good. This is a classic charcoal gray with a slight blue undertone, and it is so gorgeous for the fall. I forsee this being worn all winter, although it is just too cool a color for the fall, in my opinion, but it is nonetheless amazing. It is exactly the kind of New York gray I've been looking for: modern, sleek, chic and timeless. I totally recommend checking out all of the Color Club fashion week inspired colors on the birchbox website.


Ciao for Now, M

Beauty Review: Stila "In the Know" Palette + Goodies!

a whole lotta Stila

"In the Know" Palette + Two Eyeshadow Singles (with swatches!)

MAJOR APOLOGIES! 

I never intended to miss a blog post day (in case you were wondering, I post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday), and yet alas, I did on Friday and now I feel like I have to make up for it....

SOOOOO...not only will this post be super extra long, but I intend on swatching everything and anything I said I would swatch and yet haven't.

ALSO: SEPTEMBER BIRCHBOX REVIEW COMING THIS WEDNESDAY. 

On to the post!

I received this Stila Palette as a gift from a friend, and I absolutely love it! Stila came out with a new line of palettes this year starting with their "In the Moment" palette for Valentine's Day. They also have the "In the Light" and "In the Garden" palettes, and their most recent, "In the Know". I actually really wanted the "In the Moment" palette when it came out in February, but I couldn't get myself to fall in love with the colors. I was looking for a semi-natural palette that I could love for a long time, and I knew that I would probably rarely use the colors, not to mention just how sparkly they were. I'm okay with shine, but I prefer a matte eyeshadow, especially for everyday. "In the Light" was also too glittery and "In the Garden" also had colors I would never use.

When I first saw "In the Know" I fell in love with the matte colors, and the warm everyday tones. It also comes with a Stila smudgestick in Halfmoon, a charcoal color fine tipped pencil, and a look book which has awesome looks and ideas for different smokey eyes and everyday looks. 

Below are the shades in the palette and then swatched on my arm:

desert, clay, earth, rain, smoke and ebony

(top to bottom, left to right) air, wind, driftwood, fire

smudge stick in halfmoon

top to bottom: air, wind, desert, clay and earth

top to bottom: driftwood, fire, rain, smoke and ebony

    

...I am so in love with this palette, and I totally recommend looking at Stila's other "In the..." palettes, particularly if you like Stila's quality eyeshadows but want something glittery or with more pop colors.

In other Stila news, I went to Nordstrom Rack and picked up some Stila eyeshadow compacts on MAJOR sale... :)

Eyeshadow single compacts in moonlight and sparkle

What a steal! I totally recommend checking out a Nordstrom Rack near you, OR

the final sale section of the Stila website, they have lots of great products, and both of these eyeshadow compacts on sale for a similar price. 

Well, that is all for now, but I will update posts with plenty of swatches, ... and check back for my September birchbox product review, and my October wishlist!

Ciao for Now, M