Sunday, June 29, 2014

Josie Maran Bear Naked Nail Wipes and Whipped Argain Oil Intensive Hand Cream review

Part of my Black Friday Haul was the Josie Maran Argan Hand Healers Set which came with 20 Bear Naked Nail Wipes and a 30 mL tube of their Whipped Argan Oil Intensive Hand Cream. Although the set is no longer available, the individual products are so here’s my review on them!



First up is the Bear Naked Nail Wipes: These portable three-in-one nail wipes remove nail polish, repair dry cuticles, and promote healthy nails—naturally. Acetone free and grapefruit-scented, Bear Naked Nail Wipes are infused with organic Argan oil to moisturize cuticles and support nail growth. They are small circular wipes that are a little smaller than a cotton pad. They are grapefruit scented which I really love but I remember they had peppermint around Christmas time!


(compared to a cotton round for size)

These wipes seem pretty effective in removing nail polish despite them being acetone free. I don’t use them often but when I do, it only takes one nail wipe to remove all the nail polish from both my hands. I think it takes the same amount of rubbing as acetone nail polish remover does. A downside of it is that I have only used them on dark polish so far and when I do, the polish ends up staining my fingers because I think it gets transferred off the wipes. The stains wash off though and my fingers are still left moisturized from the argan oil. I don’t think I use them often enough to see if it improves nail growth but it has kept my cuticles looking a bit healthier :) They are sold at Sephora for $11 for 20 wipes and 40 wipes for $19.

Next, the Whipped Argain Oil Intensive Hand Cream: This rich, never greasy, super hydrating cream keeps hands looking and feeling good. Josie's signature ingredient, argan oil, is spun into a creamy butter to revitalize skin and restore softness while improving skin's texture. Lightly scented with natural essences of vanilla and apricot and infused with shea butter, it's nature's most luxurious moisturizer—hands down. This is labelled as ‘vanilla apricot’ scented but I can only smell the apricot part of it. It was also a somewhat light scent that seemed to disappear after 30 minutes or so.



Unlike the description says, this is a little bit greasy at the beginning but it is quite hydrating so that makes up for it. It is not my favourite hand cream but I think it is still pretty awesome. It was a great deal in the set but on it's own, I would prefer another hand cream for that price. This can only be bought in the 2.37 oz. size and is $26 at Sephora.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Loose Button Luxe Box Summer 2014 Review

I purchased a 2 season subscription to Loose Button's Luxe Box for $25+tax/box (shipping included) and here's my review of the Summer 2014 box. This box comes every 3 months and comes with "7 to 8 trial sized beauty and lifestyle discoveries". There are 3 membership options so that you can pay $24 - 26 for each box, depending on your membership. This is my second box and came in the usual white silky bag in a sturdy white box.



- Crest 3D White Whitestrips Professional Effects (3 strips - $6.38)
- Crest 3D White Vivid Toothpaste (6 x 2.5 mL - $0.40)
- eslor introductory collection: Soothing Refiner and Cleanser, Replinishing Scrub, Comforting Mask, Soothing Cream (4 x 5mL - 2.33, 2.80, 3.80, 6.50)
- Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir (4 mL - $2.28)
- Tweezers ($5?)
- eyeko London Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black (full size - $19)
- DERMAdoctor KP duty lotion (10 mL - $10)
- Nicole by OPI mini in Something About Spring (3.75 mL - $3?)
- be a bombshell the One Stick in Southern Belle (full size - $16)

Retail Value: $77.49
Paid: $28.25


This box seemed like a way better value than the one from Spring 2014!  I use some of the Crest 3D products already but these strips and toothpaste are new so it'll be nice to compare with their older products. I received 3 of these Crest 3D sample brochures.


DERMAdoctor's KP duty lotion is a 'dermatologist AHA moisturizing therapy for dry skin'. My body's skin isn't that problematic so I'm hoping that this lotion won't be too heavy for the summer time.


Nexxus Youth Renewal is a line to help 'combat 8 signs of aging hair'. Was aging hair always a thing? I guess it'll be nice to try this and see if my hair looks less...old.

The nail polish for this box was a Nicole by OPI mini (I never knew they had mini bottles until this sample). I have plenty of hot pink polishes already but this tiny size was disappointing. They should've included a full size bottle!



I already received a be a bombshell one stick in my December Ipsy Glam bag and I gave it away since I'm not into cream products. Southern Belle is 'a warm coral with light shimmer' and I am into corals so maybe I will keep this one stick. It'll be great for touchups at work

esclor is a brand that I have never heard of so it seems pretty intriguing to me. I really like that I have 4 different samples and can try their full skincare system.

Lastly, my favourite product of this box is the eyecko skinny liquid eyeliner. Eyecko is supposed to be a great brand and I've heard great things about this eyeliner. It is a felt-tip pen applicator so it's good for those just learning to use liquid eyeliner. It isn't waterproof but is still very smudgeproof :)



Luxe Box is an interesting idea and they do give good products but I think that I have enough samples/products to try for a while and will be deactivating my membership. I think that if someone has the money to spare and enjoys getting a surprise every 3 months (I actually forgot this was coming in June), then Luxe Box could be a good choice!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Topbox June 2014 Review

Hello everybody! Looks like I haven't posted in a while and I have no excuse other than laziness, but I'll break this streak with a post about my June 2014 Topbox!

Topbox is a monthly beauty subscription box that allows you to "Get 4 hand-picked deluxe samples delivered to your door for $12 a month". They also have special Privé boxes you can add on your wishlist to replace the regular Topbox and the sometimes the option of getting the $10 mystery add-on.



- China Glaze Wait N' Seal ($10-12 - full size)
- Barefoot Venus Lip Fable Bazooka ($7.50 - full size)
- Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator ($5.67 - 20 g)
- Bioderma Atoderm Gentle shower gel ($3.95 - 100 mL)

The China Glaze polish is a really nice aqua blue creme colour. I've only ever tried some of China Glaze's top coats so this is my first colour and it went on pretty well. It seems like a great bright summer colour and I did a quick swatch of it (it's the first nail).



Barefoot Venus Lip Fable Bazooka is a bubble gum scented lip balm. I think this was a decent product to include in the box, but I wish I had gotten another scent. This bubble gum scent is a bit too sweet and strong for me. To my gift/give away pile it is haha. For whoever's interested, here's a code to get 20% off their store.


Bioderma Atoderm is a shower gel intended for dry sensitive skin. Although I'm a soap bar person, I think I will end up trying this. The 100 mL also makes it a good size for travel and if I don't use it, my mom always will :P

Vasanti is a brand I've never heard of but BrightenUp! seems like a really intriguing product. It is an "exfoliating cleanser enriched with papaya, micro-crystals, and alice" I'm not sure what alice is, but as long as it is able to exfoliate my dry skin, that's all that matters to me! It has a bit of a soapy type perfumed smell so not sure how my face will react to that. I tested some of it on dry skin (you should use wet) and it seems to work up a bit of foam and the exfoliating beads are not too harsh or course.



This Topbox was an okay one for me, not overly excited but not really disappointed either (okay maybe with the Bazooka). It has a good value and it does seem like I will try everything or at least find some use with it. Looking forward to what July's Topbox has for me :) What did you get in your Topbox this month?

Retail Value: $27.12
Paid: $13.56
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