January Empties & Mini-Reviews

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Finishing Powder: This is the jumbo size of Bye Bye Pores and it took me foreeevvverrr to finish. Not that I minded; it's one of the very best finishing powders I've ever used. After I used this up, I tried using some Dermablend Setting Powder I had sitting around from before I used BBP and there's just no comparison. BBP is so finely milled and mattifying, yet it never looks powdery or heavy. It keeps shine down all day and smooths out the skin flawlessly. I went out and bought another container of BBP after only a few days with the Dermablend.

Urban Decay Primer Potion: Holy shit, I finished an eye primer! Yes, it's a mini that probably came with a palette, but even one these seems like a lifetime supply! This is my HG shadow primer.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment: This is a nice lip balm but honestly with how much hype it gets (not to mention how pricey it is), I expected more. It's not bad at all, but I didn't think it was anything to write home about. I prefer the Jack Black lip balms any day.

Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Top Coat: I've written of my love for Gel Lab many times. You can read my full review HERE. The review is on the old formula but I've tried the new Gel Lab Pro and it's even more fantastic!

Pur Minerals Big Blink Mascara: I've gone through a couple tubes of this now and I think it's woefully underrated. It reminds me a lot of Benefit They're Real. You get very nice volume from Big Blink, without any clumping. Plus it has argan oil in it to help condition your lashes.

Urban Decay Subversion Mascara Primer: I had to force myself to get rid of this, because I've been continuing to use it way past its prime. This is one of the best mascara primers I've tried so far. I can totally see a difference in how thick my lashes look when I use it and it really helps you get the most "oomph" out of your favorite mascara. My only complaint is I wish it went on black instead of white, but otherwise this is some good stuff!

Philosophy Purity Made Simple (2 deluxe sample sizes): Another Nailed HG! You can read my full review HERE.

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown: Seriously, how many HG products did I run out of this month?! I love Brow Wiz because of how much control the fine tip gives you and the amount of "give" with this pencil is just right--not so stiff that it feels waxy it not so creamy that you apply too much. I also appreciate the included spookiest on the other end. (There's usually scrap over it but I lost mine somewhere.) The hype for this product is SO well-deserved. I already had a back-up ready and waiting in the wings so I wouldn't have to go without my Brow Wiz!

Tony Moly I'm Real Avocado Sheet Mask: I've purchased this mask a few times now and I think it may be my favorite of the I'm Real line. I'm a big fan of sheet masks in general for how handy they are as a travel buddy or a quick fix. This is great for when your skin is dehydrated or dull-looking. It provides a nice dose of hydration and nourishment to help put your complexion back on the right track.

First Aid Beauty Vitamin Hydrating Mist: If you're a fan of facial mists and you haven't tried this one yet, definitely give it a look. I loved how refreshing it felt on my skin and the citrus smell is to die for! I used it primarily as a makeup setting spray and it looks so pretty and dewy over makeup. I wish they made larger sizes of this because I went through the 2 oz bottle pretty quickly.

No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes: I only keep face wipes around in case of a night where I'm absolutely too tired to do my whole skincare routine. I'm acne-prone and my skin does NOT appreciate it when it's denied all its usual washes and serums and creams. These No7 wipes are some of the only ones that don't irritate my sensitive skin. (The Neutrogena, Yes To Cucumbers and elf ones all made my face  burn, especially the Neutrogena.) I try to use these very, very sparingly so the last few wipes are usually sort of dried up by the time I get to them, which is a little annoying. But I like that these don't enrage my skin like so many other wipes. I recently got a Make Up Eraser and I'm seriously impressed with it so I think that'll be filling my "face wipe" role for the foreseeable future, otherwise I'd get another pack of these.

Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Bubble Bath: I love baths. I love vanilla-scented things. It's pretty self-explanatory why I got this. I love the Bath & Body Works bubble baths. They're strongly fragranced and produce tons of long-lasting bubbles.

Simple Micellar Water: Meh. I wanted to try this after reading so many positive blog reviews. I thought it'd be a good alternative to using face wipes, but it actually took way longer to remove all my makeup and didn't make my face feel any cleaner than the wipes. It would take several cotton large pads saturated with Micellar water to do what one wipe did. I wouldn't mind that if it made my skin feel more thoroughly cleansed, but it didn't. I resorted to using this as an eye makeup remover so that I wouldn't waste this whole bottle and while it worked adequately well for that, I was disappointed by this product overall.

Tony Moly Angel Glow Ring Hair Mask: This mask contains both a cream solution to put on your hair and a hair cap to put on over the mask. It's supposed to make your hair soft and shiny. I'll get to whether or not it did that in a second, but before I go any further, HOLY SHIT THIS BURNS. I am a bleach blonde so I've got a pretty high threshold for stuff irritating my scalp, but a few minutes after I put the cap on, I started to notice a weird tingling sensation. This quickly developed into a full-on burning feel, to the point that I had to rinse the mask out sooner than I would have liked. I was not prepared for how intense it felt and I have no idea if my reaction is a normal one, but I was not about to risk a chemical burn on my scalp. That said, my hair looked and felt ridiculously silky after this mask, but I would be too scared to ever try it again.

Wow, that's one looooonnnggg empties post! So I won't drag it on any longer. :) If you've tried any of the products I finished this month, I'd love to hear your thoughts on them!

December Empties & Mini Reviews

Another month, another set of empties! I hope you all are enjoying this addition to Nailed, because I'm having a lot of fun keeping track of my empties. I started blogging about them in an attempt to motivate me to finish more of the products in my ridiculously huge stash and I feel like it's really working. I've already surprised myself with how much I've been able to get through! Here's what I finished up this past month!

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser: This is desert island, HG, must-have... Whatever you want to call it, I just NEED this fantastic makeup remover in my life no matter what! You can read my full review HERE for more details on Purity's awesomeness.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: I've really come around on this. At first I thought it was kinda clumpy but I got the hang of it after a while and quickly became obsessed with the volume this mascara gives! I feel like the formula performs better after it dries up a teensy bit in the tube. It's a little too "wet" before that and would gum up my lashes. This mini came with my Stardust Palette and I found it completely dried out waaaayyy quicker than my full-sized tube did. I would definitely re-purchase a full-sized one again.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara: Delivers everything it promises: length, lift and definition--even with my straight, stubby lashes. It is strictly a lengthening mascara though, so you'll need to layer a more volumizing mascara over top if you want more dramatic lashes. Makes a fantastic partner for Better Than Sex.

Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus: It's hard to draw too many conclusions from a sample size, but overall I enjoyed my trial run with this serum. It's got a nice, smooth texture that makes my skin feel soft and supple, plus I love that it can be used for both face and eyes.

Algenist Firming and Lifting Cream: This moisturizer is rich without feeling greasy or heavy. Lack of volume isn't really a concern of mine (I have a super round face) so I can't comment on it it really lifted or plumped my skin, but I did enjoy the feel of it. A good choice for the winter months. I've used several other Algenist products (I got this one as a gift with purchase) and have liked them quite a bit, especially the Complete Eye Renewal Balm.

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Light 44: This stuff will cover anything! I've repurchased it several times because I love the full, flawless coverage it gives and how long it wears. I had a little trouble with the texture when I first used it, because it is quite thick and it dries fast, but applying with a Beauty Blender made a huge difference and helped me fall completely in love with this foundation. I don't recommend it for dry skin, as it's extremely matte, but if you have oily skin and want/need serious coverage, give this a try! I always get a lot of compliments on my skin when I wear it, which makes this acne-prone girl feel good!

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NW15: Another favorite foundation. I wish it had slightly more coverage (just my preference), but I adore the longevity and smooth finish of the formula. I'd describe it as a medium-buildable foundation, so you can layer it to full coverage if desired. 

IT Cosmetics Brow Power: I used this pencil exclusively until I discovered the magic of Anastasia Brow Wiz. It's still a fantastic product, but I've come to prefer the skinny tip and more precise application of Brow Wiz to the wider, oval-shaped stick of Brow Power. This is a great pencil for filling brows--it'll even fill in and stick to areas where you have hair--but the wider tip makes it a little trickier to shape your brows. I'm a big fan of the IT line in general and find most of their products to be excellent quality and this one is no exception; I just found something I like better for me.

Jack Black Lip Balm in Natural Mint: No, this line has no relation to the actor. They do make a fantastic lip balm though! This is one of the very few I've tried where I feel like my lips are being nourished and hydrated, not just covered in gel that will leave my lips feeling parched again in a few hours. The mint gives it a very cooling, soothing feel on the lips too.

Redken All Soft Heavy Cream: A great conditioning treatment for dry, brittle hair. I like to do a mask of this and Redken Extreme mixed together to help keep my hair healthy after bleaching it.

Elizabeth and Janes Nirvana Black Dry Shampoo: I knew I'd love the scent of this, because Nirvana Black is one of my very favorite perfumes, but I didn't expect it to be such an amazing dry shampoo too! Really de-gunks and de-greases. Why don't more fragrance brands make dry shampoos? It's a pretty clever idea. The scent is a woodsy mix of sandalwood and vanilla--very sensual yet cozy too. 

Bath & Body Works PocketBac in Heirloom Pear: I always have one of these clipped on my purse. This one smells like pears... Yep. That's pretty much it.

So there you have it: December is in the books! I'm off to a pretty slow start with January empties so far, so I don't think I'll finish quite as many products as I did this past month.

What was your favorite product you recently finished? I'm always looking for new recommendations, so feel free to let me know in the comments section! :)

November Empties & Mini-Reviews

Lush Herbalism Cleanser: Lots of Lush empties for me this month! This is my HG cleanser and I've gone through many containers of it by now. I did a full write-up on it HERE.

Bed Head Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo: This is one of the best dry shampoos I've tried--shame it's so pricey. It does an excellent job of de-gunking your hair and adds great volume too. I go through dry shampoo super fast, so I stock up on this when it's on sale.

Lush Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion: A nice rich (but not too greasy) body lotion. I bought this on a whim, because I liked that 100% of the selling price goes to various charities supported by Lush, and wound up really enjoying it. I used it for quite a while and then suddenly my boyfriend decided he hated the smell. It just smells like cocoa butter to me, so I told him he'd have to live with it. :p

Lush D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap: This is a creamy soap that creates a light, conditioning lather for shaving. I will definitely purchase another pot of this! A little goes a long way, but without gumming up your razor. Plus it has a delicious strawberry scent!

Lush Yummy Mummy Body Conditioner: The concept of limited edition skincare is always a frustrating one for me. I don't mind it as much with color products, because it takes me forever to use up a lipstick or eyeshadow. I get that Lush has to make room for new goodies each season, but it sucks when you fall in love with a skincare product that's no longer available! Lush's body conditioners are like an in-shower body lotion. You leave them on for a minute or two, then rinse and enjoy your ultra soft skin! This one has organic cocoa butter and almond oil, making it super rich and creamy. The scent is divine! It smells like strawberries and honey to me. I absolutely adored this product and I hope Lush brings it back next spring!

Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion for Dry Skin: I was using this a ton until I fell head over heels for Yummy Mummy, then finished it off after Yummy Mummy was done. It's formulated with shea butter and that's the only real scent it has to it. It's not as rich or as fragrant as Yummy Mummy, but I still enjoyed it and will likely re-purchase.

Mally Volumizing Mascara: I have a tendency to hang on to mascaras way too long and I finally had to force myself to chuck this one, because it was getting super dry and past its prime. This is easily the blackest mascara I've ever used. I love how thick and dark it makes my lashes. I suggest layering this over a lengthening mascara if you have short, stubby lashes like me, because it really gives more thickness than length.

Clinique Turnaround Concentrate Extra Radiance Renewer: I've tried quite a few brightening serums and this is one of the best! I've always felt I have a naturally dull complexion and after a couple weeks of using this, I noticed my skin seemed more vibrant and glowing. Clinique recommends wearing their serums over a moisturizer and while that's the opposite of everything I've been taught, I followed the directions and it definitely worked! I'll have to get another bottle of this!

Mario Badescu  Facial Spray With Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater: I can't live without a good facial mist, especially in the wintertime! I'm a big fan of the Mario Badescu line in general. They make wonderful products and I love the philosophy behind the line where they don't spend money on advertising and excess packaging, so they can provide high-quality ingredients at a budget-friendly price point. Almost all of their skincare products are less than $30! I was turned on to this spray by a co-worker who swore by it as a setting spray and it works great as a post-skincare mist too! It feels very soothing and refreshing on the skin.

October Empties & Mini-Reviews

Phew! I had a really productive month for empties! I actually found that having this post to do really helped motivate me to work through products, which is good because I have a lot of beauty-related stuff at home! So hopefully you guys are enjoying these posts too. :) We have a ton of ground to cover, so let's get to it!

Lush Oatifix Mask: This just might be my new favorite Lush mask! I adore Cupcake, but this one is amazing! Look for a full review shortly, but my quick take is it really helps soften, smooth and soothe skin. Plus it smells ridiculously yummy, since it contains bananas, vanilla and ground almonds! I am always so tempted to have a little bite, but I'm sure it wouldn't taste anywhere near as good as it smells. :p

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser: My HG makeup remover! I've gone through at least half a dozen bottles of this and always have a back-up on standby. Read my full review HERE.

Philosophy Homemade Honey Buns: I love Philosophy's shower gels. I always have either a Lush or Philosophy one in my shower. They have such a rich, creamy lather and come in lots of great scents! I prefer the food ones, myself. I believe this was a Christmas scent of Philosophy's last year? It smells like honey and warm dough with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Sadly it doesn't appear to be returning this year.

Bed Head Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo: This is my absolute favorite dry shampoo. A co-worker recommended it to me after I told her I felt dry shampoo did nothing for me. I've never found one that de-greases hair as well as this and it's got a nice scent to it as well. I try to stock up when it goes on sale, because otherwise it costs like $22 and I tend to go through dry shampoo very fast. If you feel like dry shampoo hasn't worked for you in the past, definitely try this one!

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Lite: I love It's a 10! I use this every day before I blow dry as a detangler and heat protectant. It's great for eliminating frizz too and is absolutely weightless on my hair. I only bought the Lite because I found it on crazy low clearance (I think I got a two-pack for like seven bucks?) but normally I use the original in the blue bottle. 

Exuviance Brightening Bionic Eye Cream: I swear there is like a portal to Narnia or something inside this bottle, because I'd been using this eye cream forever, yet it never seemed to run out--not that I'm complaining, mind you, I love it! This has Vitamin K for treating dark circles. When I use this regularly, I need little to no undereye concealer. Awesome stuff!

Lush Marilyn Hair Treatment: I've really been meaning to do a full review on this, because it's one of my very favorite hair products from Lush. I'm bleach blonde (naturally brunette) and sometimes I need a little help between color appointments. That's where Marilyn comes in! This is a natural brightening mask that uses linseed oil and chamomile infusion to brighten and condition blonde hair. The packaging mentions that Mediterranean women have been laying out in the sun with chamomile in their hair for ages to help lighten their locks, so I like to follow their example and lie outside with a good book while I let Marilyn soak a while. It gives my blonde a nice boost that lasts a few days, plus it leaves my hair feeling super smooth and silky! This product and AG Sterling Silver Purple Shampoo are my must-haves for blondes!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: I have to admit that the first couple times I tried this, I hated it. It was really clumpy on me. But then after I had it set to the side for a while, I decided to go back to it and it seemed like the formula had dried down a bit (in a good way) to where it was more manageable to use. While I think the naughty name is a big part of why this mascara is so popular, it is really good. For extra impact, I like layering it over a lengthening mascara like Benefit Roller Lash.

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base: Urban Decay's Primer Potion is my HG, but this comes real close! The only thing I don't like is the tube-style container. I feel like you waste so much product with these! Although this is "empty," I'm sure there's a lot more still in the tube that I just can't reach with the wand applicator.

Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner in 03 Eternal: This isn't so much an empty as it is completely dried up. I went to use this and found it was all gummy and the brush is completely splayed and hardened to a point beyond saving. Bummer. I remember liking this but I wouldn't repurchase based on how quickly it went bad. I also bought this in a blue shade at the same time and that one still looks fine.

TonyMoly I'm Real Avocado Mask Sheet: Face masks are one of my favorite ways to relax and I love that the TonyMoly ones are becoming more easily accessible in the US! TonyMoly is one of the brands at the forefront of the Asian beauty trend and they make some fantastic masks. The avocado one is for nourishing and brightening skin. I dunno if it really brightened all that much, but it definitely made my skin feel soft, hydrated and supple. I'm super oily most of the year, but we're getting into the short time where I'm a bit more dry. So I needed an extra dose of moisture to help keep my skin feeling smooth and this did the trick! I would buy one of these again next time I'm looking for a little beauty treat.

Dr Teal's Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution: This stuff is my jam! I work a job where I'm on my feet all day, so I get sore legs and feet a lot. I love popping a couple scoops of this into a hot bath to help soothe my muscles. It really works and a huge bag is only about five bucks.

Up & Up Nail Polish Remover Dip-It: I need to write a full review on this because it's fantastic. I bought it after reading a review on Nouveau Cheap and now I'm on my third one! One of these puppies will only set you back three bucks at Target. This isn't like those remover tubs that have the worthless sponge inside. Instead, it's got little plastic bristles, almost like a mascara wand. You just dip one finger into the acetone at a time, rub your nail against the bristles a few times and then you're done! I love how fast and mess-free it is, plus it's great at removing glitter. The mixture inside the tub is pure acetone, so it's drying by nature, but that's my only gripe.

 Pixi Skintreats Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner: I'll admit I bought this after hearing so much hype about it online. And I will say that the product itself is wonderful. It's an alcohol-free toner with glycolic acid (fantastic anti-ager with resurfacing abilities), witch hazel and aloe vera. I loved the way it made my skin feel and it did seem to help brighten my complexion. But my one beef with this product is the container is so small! I go through toner pretty fast and this 3.4 oz bottle only lasted me a little over a month. It cost $15, which isn't a terrible price by any means, but I can buy an 8 oz bottle of Mario Badescu Glycolic Toner for the same price and it will last me a lot longer.  Still, it's a great product and worth checking out if you don't mind the small size.

Boscia Balancing Facial Tonic: This is a skincare prep spray with lavender, jojoba oil and willow herb. I like the actual product a lot--it's super refreshing and feels very calming on the skin--but the delivery system needs a little tweaking. The spritzer releases more of a direct spray than a fine mist, so you have to be careful not to hold it too close to your face, otherwise you'll get doused. Other than that, this is lovely! I've used it as both a facial mist with my skincare and setting spray with my makeup and it works wonderfully both ways!

September Empties & Mini-Reviews

I thought it would be fun to start sharing my thoughts on each month's used up products with you guys! I'm a huge makeup and skin junkie in addition to my polish addiction (I'm just a beauty freak in genral, really) and while I hardly ever finish a bottle of polish, I go through other products on a fairly regular basis. Plus I figured doing this type of post would help motivate me to work through more of my massive beauty stash.

This is one of those months where a ton of things ran out at once--11 in all! Most of it's skincare, but there's some makeup too. Read on to see my thoughts on each product...

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye in Light: This is THE best under eye concealer! It's super pigmented and wears all day. You need the absolute smallest amount you can squeeze out of the tube, since a little bit goes a loooooonnngggg way. This little tube lasted me over a year! I've already got another one ready and waiting.

MAC Prolongwear Foundation in NW20: Another all-time favorite product. I love the wear time on this and the coverage is great too. I'd classify it as medium buildable. It feels very lightweight on and doesn't cake or crack. If you have oily skin, definitely check this out!

Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer in I Love Cinnamon Buns: It's true, I do! I always keep one of these little guys clipped on my purse. Great for when you're on the go.

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara: I like the volume this gives, but it is super hard to get off. My go-to makeup remover, Philosophy Purity, can remove ANYTHING (ever notoriously tough mascaras like Benefit They're Real) but it can't get Big Fatty off without giving me some serious raccoon eyes. I believe UD has recently discontinued Big Fatty now that Perversion Mascara is out.

Peter Thomas Roth Unwrinkle Turbo: I'm currently using a prescription retinoid on my face for post-acne marks, but I was having a bad reaction to it only on my forehead for some reason, where it'd get really red and flaky. I don't have any acne marks on my forehead, but I wanted to use the retinoid in that area to help with brow "11's" that were starting to show up. Unwrinkle was a great alternative--no irritation (peptides and hyaluronic acid are the main active component rather than retinoid) and I did see a decrease in the width and depth of the 11 lines. This little guy lasted a surprisingly long time, too! The big bottle is pretty expensive, so I won't be investing, but I liked this and am glad I tried a mini of it.

Bare Minerals Well-Cared For Brush Conditioning Shampoo: My go-to makeup brush cleaner. I use a Sonia Kashuk brush spray when I need to be quick, then use this shampoo for deep cleaning. It works great with both synthetic and natural bristle brushes. It's also got conditioner built right in, so it leaves your brushes smooth and soft afterwards.

Lush Dream Cream Hand and Body Lotion: I got this as part of a set. Dream Cream is designed for sore and sensitive skin. It has calming ingredients like oatmeal, lavender and rose water. I have KP on my upper arms and this felt nice and soothing on that, but overall there are other Lush lotions I like better...

Lush Sympathy For The Skin Hand and Body Lotion: For instance, this lotion! It smells super scrumptious! The dominant notes are vanilla and banana, but like a real banana, not a fake banana Runts-type smell. The texture is rich without feeling greasy. The only thing I didn't like is that, as you can see, the lettering on the packaging kinda disintegrated over time, so it would come off on my hands whenever I used it.

Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant: This is like a reset button for your skin. When I have days where my makeup isn't setting quite right or my skin looks tired, I know it's time to bust out this stuff! It's pretty intense, so I use it sparingly and only massage it very, very lightly against the skin. If you were to rub it in like your normal face scrub, you'd probably take a layer of your face off.

Lush Cupcake Fresh Face Mask: Probably my all-around favorite Lush mask, although I haven't tried the newest ones. It smells like chocolate and gets all the gunk out of my face--what's not to love? I've bought this a couple times now. You can read my full review HERE.

Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Base Coat (not pictured): I've gone through several bottles of Gel Lab and I'm still crazy in love with it. I'm curious to try the re-formulated version, Gel Lab Pro, as I've only used the original. If you want to learn more about Gel Lab, I did a full review on it HERE.

Hope you guys enjoyed my first attempt at an empties post! Is this something you'd like to see more of? What products did you finish this past month?

ShopNBC Beauty Box: Giveaway & Review

I recently received an amazing beauty box from television shopping network ShopNBC in honor of their "Beautiful You" Beauty weekend, a 48-hour event coming up on March 23rd and 24th. Opening up this box was like beauty Christmas! There are so many different goodies to play with, covering a huge variety of areas from skincare to color to haircare to mascara to nail polish! Here's what was inside!

And in list format: Silk'n SensEpil, iampur Pain Relieving Rub, Suzanne Somers Organics Travel Kit, Angel Lift Dermastrips Kit, VB Beauty Miracle Eye & Wrinkle Spot Treatment Set, Lola Cosmetics Universal Colorless Powder, LaRocca Cellular Gold Hydrating Body Balm, Angel Lift Dermasome Moisturizing Relaxant, Lola Cosmetics Pin-Up Pout Plumping Lipstick in Marilyn, Magnifibres Brush-on False Lashes, Epione Signature Eye Cream, Pur Minerals Double Ego Mascara, Pur-lisse Pur-Moist, Pur-lisse Pur-Youth Preserve, MAXIessentials Liftoff Root Lift and Volumizing Spray, FairyDrops Mascara, Absolute Magnetic Nail Enamel in Bleu, Aminogenesis Age Control Dual Treatment Anti Glycation Serum, Pur Minerals Big Blink Mascara, Borghese Brightening Mud, Skinn Cosmetics Amethyst Collection (contains eye color stick, lipgloss, eyeshadow palette and nail polish).

Phew, I think that's everything! ;) And guess what?! ShopNBC sent along another box for me to give away to one lucky reader too! I'm so excited to give one of you guys a chance to add some great new treats to your beauty stash! Details about the giveaway can be found at the end of this post!

To give you a little sneak peek at some of the brands and products that will be a part of the Beautiful You event, I'll be sharing a few of my beauty box picks with you today! If you have any questions about any of the products not featured in this post, please let me know in the comments and I'd be more than happy to share some additional impressions with you! :)

Pur Minerals Big Blink Mascara

Meet one of my new favorite mascaras: Pur Minerals Big Blink! Big Blink promises extreme length and volume, plus the conditioning benefits with ingredients like Argan Oil and Vitamin E--and it delivers, bigtime! Big Blink has a plastic wand with smaller bristles on the end to help grab those hard-to-reach inner lashes. It reminds me a lot of the wand for Benefit They're Real!, which is a big plus in my book.

As for the mascara itself, it's honestly one of the best I've tried! It delivers volume without sacrificing length and the plastic wand separates lashes beautifully. It's water-resistant and doesn't flake, smudge or smear but is easy to remove in the shower (no scrubbing or raccoon eyes) once you're ready to take it off.

 Bare lashes

One coat of Big Blink Mascara

Love, love, love this! If you're in the market for a new mascara, give Big Blink a look!

LaRocca Cellular Gold Hydrating Body Balm

At first I wondered what practical reason there could be to include 24K gold in a skincare product, but the included brochure explains that this balm is made with an exclusive component that LaRocca calls their Cellular Gold Complex. The complex is made with 24K gold and is supposed to "promote electron transfer with the metal ions naturally found in the skin, stimulating cell turnover."

I'm always skeptical of really fanciful claims like that (I can't confirm or deny if the gold in this balm delivers the effects promised), but what I can tell you for sure is that this is an incredibly rich body balm--one of the nicest I've ever used, in fact. In addition to gold, it also contains shea butter, olive oil and Cupuacu butter, so it feels very moisturizing. It gave my skin a pretty, healthy glow after applying.

The texture feels super luxurious and a little goes a long way. I also have to add that the 90s child in me absolutely loves how this smells exactly like a grape Push-Up ice cream bar! Remember those?! I used to have Push-Up bars all the time when I went over to my grandma's house as a kid. :)

iampur Pain Relieving Rub

I love this stuff! It's a cream you can message into those pesky aches and pains you get throughout the day. Although originally designed for people with arthritis, I think anyone with sore muscles would love the way this feels! I got a neck rub with this (in the name of science, of course) and it was heaven! This rub gives a cooling sensation that's very relieving and relaxing. There is a mentholated smell to it, but nothing overwhelming or too "medicated." I have to be on my feet a lot at work, plus I've got back problems and a bum knee (I'm 22 going on 82), so I will definitely be keeping this in my purse for when my muscles start to ache!

FairyDrops Mascara

I have been wanting to try a FairyDrops mascara forever, so I was thrilled to find this little tube inside the beauty box! FairyDrops is a Japanese brand with a loyal cult following here in the states. The brush design is very unique and probably the most stand-out feature of this mascara.

The curved shape of the brush really does a great job of grabbing and coating all of your lashes. It also gives them a nice curl and separates flawlessly--no clumps or spidery lashes here! This mascara delivers sky-high results. I do wish it was a bit more volumizing (my lashes are sparse and stubby naturally, so I love to amp 'em up any way I can) but if you want crazy length that still looks natural and clump-free, I think you'll like Fairy Drops!

One coat of Fairy Drops Mascara

Silk'n SensEpil

Silk'n SensEpil is an at-home hair removal system that promises permanent, virtually painless hair removal using pulsed light technology. You can use it on your legs, arms, underarms and bikini line. Since using this product requires a series of treatments over the course of several weeks, I'm going to give this product its own in-depth review after I've had more time to use it and study my results. I was super excited to try this puppy out, so since I've administered one treatment on my legs and underarms already, I'll share some initial impressions with you.

The device itself is very easy to use. If you can press a button, you can operate the SensEpil! All you do is turn it on, press the device against your skin and administer a pulse. There is a flash of light, similar to the flash you'd see when someone takes your picture, then you move the device over a few inches and repeat the process. Doing both my legs took around 30 minutes total.

 The head of the device

Obviously everyone's pain threshold and level of sensitivity is different, but for me, using SensEpil was painless. After administering a pulse, I only felt a gentle warming and tingling sensation. In areas where my skin is a bit thinner, like around my underarms. I would occasionally experience a very slight sting that only lasted a second or so. My skin didn't show any signs of irritation afterwards. This is way better than waxing!

I am really excited to continue using the SensEpil! It's FDA-approved and I've read some great reviews for it, so I'm hoping to see some awesome results myself. So far, I really like how easy and painless it is to use. It retails for $499, which may cause some sticker shock at first, but if it really does deliver permanent hair removal, the price of the SensEpil will be way lower than a lifetime of razors or waxing treatments and certainly cheaper than in-office treatments like laser hair removal, which can cost thousands of dollars. Stay tuned for an update after a few weeks!

Lola Pin-Up Pout Plumping Lipstick in Marilyn

Lola Pin-Up Pout Plumping Lipstick in Marilyn is a classic retro red. All of the lipsticks in this line are named for some of old Hollywood's most famous beauties and this one, of course, is named for Ms. Marilyn Monroe.

This lipstick has a vanilla scent, very similar to MAC lipsticks, and there is a tingling sensation (from the plumping agent) when you first put it on that lasts for a few minutes. My lips did look a bit fuller as the tingle started up, but I can never tell if it is just my imagination with all of these plumping lip products!

The formula and wear are both absolutely fabulous though. Marilyn has a balmy texture to it that glides across the lips. It's fairly hydrating and holds up through eating and drinking. Also, I adore the little pop-out mirror that is tucked away on the side of the tube! There's a small jewel clip that keeps it pressed down so that it doesn't add any bulkiness to the tube itself. As soon as you open the lipstick, the mirror springs right out--perfect for on-the-go touch-ups! Why don't more lipsticks have this?

THE GIVEAWAY

As I mentioned at the top of this post, ShopNBC sent along a second set of beauty treats for me to award to one lucky reader! The winner will receive a beauty box containing:

Lola Cosmetics Pin-Up Pout Plumping Lipstick in Marilyn, Lola Cosmetics Universal Colorless Powder, Absolute Magnetic Nail Enamel in Bleu, Suzanne Somers Organics Travel Kit, Angel Lift Dermastrips Kit, Angel Lift Dermasome Moisturizing Relaxant, Aminogenesis Age Control Dual Treatment Anti Glycation Serum, iampur Pain Relieving Rub, Skinn Cosmetics Amethyst Collection, MAXIessentials Liftoff Root Lift and Volumizing Spray, LaRocca Cellular Gold Hydrating Body Balm, FairyDrops Mascara, Magnifibres Brush-on False Lashes, Pur-lisse Pur-Moist, Pur-lisse Pur-Youth Preserve, Epione Signature Eye Cream, Borghese Brightening Mud

You can see all of these items in the picture at the top of this post, although please note the beauty box you receive will have slightly different contents (ie. missing a few items) than the one pictured. To enter and read all of the contest rules, just use the Rafflecopter widget below! Good luck, ladies and thanks for reading!! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume IV: Swatches & Review

In addition to nail polish, I also hoard collect eyeshadow...and lip colors...and shoes...and dresses... Basically I like stuff--lots of stuff. But one of my favorite things to collect are Urban Decay palettes! They're really a phenomenal value and Urban's shadows are usually top notch. The Book of Shadows Volume IV came out a while ago but since Urban Decay currently has it on sale on their website for a ridiculously affordable $29, I figured this palette could do with some revisiting! You can click to enlarge any of these photos, so please feel free to do so!


Now, are you ready, boots? Start walkin'!


Packaging
The Book of Shadows are known for their over-the-top packaging and this volume is no exception. The palette itself is quite large, in part due to all of the technological doo-dads Urban Decay included this time around. The theory is that they're giving you all the equipment you need to watch tutorial videos on your smartphone (more on that later), so the palette takes up some extra space in order to house all these extra gadgets. Although the palette is on the bulky side, the accompanying artwork and packaging is very beautiful.

 The box:

The palette:

The top part of the palette opens up to reveal a mirror, a holder slot for your phone (presumably to put there while you watch the tutorials) and a card with the QR codes for the videos, which looks like this:

The actual make-up is housed in a pull-out drawer underneath. Once you have everything all opened up, it looks like this:

The Goods
This palette comes with 16 eyeshadows.

They are:

• Blue Bus - A blue-based purple with a frosted finish. Although this color looks vibrant in the pan, it applied very chalky and with uneven pigmentation.
• Gunmetal - A dark grey with silver shimmer. This shadow has nice, even pigmentation and frequently makes appearances in Urban Decay's palettes.
• Cobra - A dark brown with green-gold shimmer. Goes on a little dry and the shimmer looks more gold than green on the skin.
• Baked - A bright metallic copper. This is a very richly pigmented shade with a wonderful velvet-y texture to it. Baked is probably the most pigmented color in this entire set.
• Bender - A forest green with a slight gold sheen. It has a smooth texture with good color pay-off.
• Gravity - A frosted purple. Decent color pay-off but feels a little dry.
• Lost - A dark brown with some reddish undertones. This applies like butter and is one of the most pigmented shades in the palette.
• Hijack - A teal with a touch of silver. Good pigmentation and smooth application.
• Midnight Cowgirl - A warm-toned gold base with gold glitter. The pigmentation on this shade is very nice and it applies smoothly but like a lot of the Midnight shades, this one is prone to glitter fall-out--not as bad as, say, Midnight Cowboy or Midnight Cowboy Rides Again though.
• Sin - A pink-leaning champagne with a metallic sheen. This shade is especially nice for highlighting and blending.
• Midnight Rodeo - A shiny taupe with silver glitter. Nice color pay-off with surprisingly minimal fallout, especially considering that it's part of the notorious Midnight family of shades.
• Crystal - A blue-y grey with silver shimmer. This is the sheerest shade in the palette, although I think it's intended for highlighting or accenting rather than full coverage. It's a shame since it's such a pretty color in the pan, but you'd really have to pack on shadow if you wanted to achieve that same color on the lid. I usually just use it for small touches, like on the inner corner of my eye, since the texture is dry and tough to blend.
• Bust - A soft grey. Velvet-y texture with nice color pay-off.
• Missionary - A soft beige. Felt a little chalky but pigmentation is decent.
• Skimp - A peachy nude. This one makes a nice base, highlighter or blender. It's pretty close to my actual skintone so I like to use it up by my browbone.
• Zephyr - A shimmery white. This felt a little dry and isn't super opaque, although like Crystal I believe it's meant for blending or accenting.

Now let's swatch these babies! I'm new to the whole cosmetic swatching business so go easy on me here. All swatches are done on bare skin (no primer) and taken with flash.

L to R: Gunmetal, Midnight Cowgirl, Blue Bus, Midnight Rodeo, Baked

L to R: Hijack, Lost, Gravity, Bender, Crystal, Cobra, Sin

L to R: Zephyr, Skimp, Missionary, Bust

And here they are all together.

L to R: Zephyr, Skimp, Missionary, Bust, Hijack, Lost, Gravity, Bender, Crystal, Cobra, Sin, Gunmetal, Midnight Cowgirl, Blue Bus, Midnight Rodeo, Baked

Aside from the shadows, you also get a full-size 24/7 liquid eyeliner in Perversion (black), a travel-size Supercurl Curling Mascara, a travel-size Primer Potion and a mini-speaker for your phone.

The 24/7 liquid liners are my absolute favorite liquid liners so I'm really thrilled they included one in this set--and a full-size one, no less! The 24/7 liners all glide on smoothly and have a thin applicator that's very easy to work with. Plus they're waterproof--so much so that I can even shower and they'll stay on! I love these liners and Perversion is my go-to black liquid liner.

The Supercurl Curling Mascara is actually quite good. I like its curved brush a lot and I do feel it gives my lashes a visible curl. It's not the most amazing mascara I've ever used but it is a nice one. I may buy a full-size tube once I'm done with the travel-size one in the palette.


Of course, most of us all know and love the Primer Potion by now so I'm happy to have more of that (I never wear eyeshadow without it). I haven't tried the speakers yet. The whole smartphone implementation just doesn't appeal to me. However, I have watched the tutorial videos on my computer and used them to do some looks with this palette. The videos are easy to follow and showcase some really pretty looks but overall I feel like the inclusion of all these smartphone extras is more gimmicky than practical. I wish Urban Decay had just posted the videos up on their site (because they are helpful) and left it at that rather than including these other gadgets that most people will likely get little use out of. Then they could've used the extra space taken up by the tech stuff to put in some more make-up goodies instead!


The Verdict
Overall, I'm extremely happy with this palette! Although a few of the shades (Crystal, Blue Bus, Missionary) are on the chalky side and can be difficult to work with, the collective texture and pigmentation of Book of Shadows Volume IV is extremely nice. The technology aspects of this palette were an interesting idea but ultimately not very useful or practical. I wish Urban would have just included more make-up instead of this gimmickry. However, the shadows and other cosmetics are still positively stellar! If you've used any of Urban Decay's eye make-up in the past, then you know they put out some excellent products and this palette is no exception.


This palette originally retailed for $64 and the retail value of everything included here would be nearly $200 if you were to buy each element separately (which you can't, anyways--some of the shadows are exclusive to this set). As I mentioned above though, Urban Decay currently has this on sale on their website for $29. That's an insane value! I think this volume is well worth a purchase so if you're looking to add some quality eyeshadows to your make-up kit or grow your Urban Decay hoard, pick this up--and on the cheap, too!--while you still can!