Shameless Shana @ theBalm

Hiya I hope you are all doing well!

It’s been a few days since I last posted right? I am in the midst of a doozy of an arthritis flare up. Yeah fun times. So when I get like this I lose enthusiasm for almost everything. Just too darn achy to do anything. But if you don’t move and do something, the more sore you get. Agh!! So I have to remind myself life is short so get your butt off the couch cuz you might not be able to do this tomorrow.   So I went and floated around in my pool for the afternoon LOL.

Okay enough of me whining ...

About a month ago I place an order with theBalm.com for some palettes and as a bonus item I got a free full sized Shady Lady eyeshadow Shameless Shana. 

This is a gorgeous bronzy brown shade. It has subtle shimmer to it - not too crazy. It could possibly be used as a shimmery bronzer in a pinch. I have to say this shadow is buttery smooth and so easy to blend. It is another fabulous neutral I have added to my daily rotation. Now I want to get a Shady Lady palette to see if the rest are the same! J I didn't order a Shady Lady palette in my order an now am kicking myself!

The size is enormous at 3.4 grams and comes in a cute little tin with the leopard print Shady Lady logo on it. I don’t think I will ever hit pan on this shadow.

I do believe these ‘free gift ‘ eyeshadows were also part of the January My Glam bags. If you notice on the back of the eyeshadow it has myglam.com on it. Regardless, it a beautiful eyeshadow and has found a loving home in my collection! J

I should note that the individual Shady Lady shadows retail for $16 USD at theBlam.com.

So any Balmettes out there loving their Shady Ladies?

~~99Raina99

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July 2012 Glymm bag

July 2012 Glymm bag

Here is what came in July’s Glymm bag. I am not too excited about.

I want... no need at least one cosmetic item in a beauty box/bag to be happy.  The wicked orange bag and Joico saved the day.

Mereadesso Beautiful Body Balm    deluxe sample

Full size: 200 ml/$54.00
This non-greasy, all over body balm, hand moisturizer and foot cream is the ideal skin solution for all skin types
I whipped this out right away. I forgot to pack some moisturizer in my purse and my shins and feet were getting super dry today. It absorb quickly and wasn’t greasy feeling, overall a nice moisturizer.

Mane Teeze Social Butterfly Hair Perfume   deluxe sample
Full size: 50 ml/$34.00
Summer is a busy time for pretty socialites like you, so bring this hair perfume along with you when you need that little boost of luxury.
At first I was like what the what? But then I realized how many times have I wished my hair (or someone else’s LOL) smelt better? I wonder if they sell these little bottles? That would be ideal for a purse. I kind of like vanilla scent. I would never be able use this at work - my scent-aphobic coworkers would have a bird.

Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe  deluxe sample

Full size: 150 ml/$25.00
This luxury hair treatment is clinically proven to instantly correct damage and protect against future damage.
Love hair products that restore. Nuff said!
 

Glymm.com Show your Love for Lacquer

25% All Nail Polish on Glymm.com
- HOW IT WORKS -
Give your nails some summer lovin' and buy that color you've been eyeing. All you have to do is enter promo code LacquerLove at checkout! Promotion expires on August 31st 2012 11:59PM EST. Cannot be used in conjunction with Loyalty Reward Points. ß AWWWWW

Glymm Cosmetic Bag - Nylon Collection

Full Size: $12.00
Love this street cone ORANGE bag J!

Cyberderm H2O Hydration         deluxe sample

Full Size: 50 ml/$60.00
Cyberderm PM Anti-Age              deluxe sample
Full Size: 50 ml/$115.00
Take a bold stance against physiological aggressors that age us with this powerful cream.
I haven’t tried these yet. The packaging is interesting. It looks like syringes. Made for a real beauty junkie? Haha

So that is what was in my Glymm bag J

~~99Raina99

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Garnier BB Skin Renew Review

I like the idea of a multitasking all-in-one product. The faster I can get out the door in the morning, the better. Where the Garnier BB Skin Renew cream does have some of things I am looking for; moisturization and SPF, it does have some draw backs...

As per Garnier website, BB Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector is:

All-in-one skin care that gives 5 benefits: Hydrates, corrects wrinkles and imperfections, protects, evens and brightens skin tone.

First thing I should note is that nowhere on the box did it state what SPF protection it had. I had to go to the website and I finally found that it had an SPF 15. I suppose that is acceptable. A higher SPF would have been preferable but 15 will do.

There was a slight perfume-y smell that did go away after a while. At least I thought it did but I may have just gotten used to the smell. Some may not like this.

The consistency was on the thicker side, like a foundation. It has some light reflecting properties which I am assuming is what gives you the dewy glow. I ended up using way too much on my first application. Now I use a small squirt like the size of a blueberry. I also apply it with a stiff flat top brush. I find it applies more evenly when I use the brush.

There are only two colours to choose from; Light /Medium and Medium/Dark. The colour I chose was light/medium. It matched my skin tone pretty good but the coverage is too sheer for me. Considering how thick it felt, I thought it would provide more coverage. My freckles were somewhat blurred but fine lines are still noticeable.  But it does give my skin a nice dewy type of glow. To get more coverage without a ton of product, I use a teensiest bit of my foundation as a concealer and then set my face with my MAC MSF.

During the summer months, I have an oily T-zone. The Garnier BB cream does not play well with my oily T-zone.  After a few hours I can take my finger nail and run a line across my forehead. EWWW.  So I do not use this product if I know I am going to spend extended time outside in the summer heat. I am pretty sure anyone with oily skin will not like this product.

I circled the two ares so you could see just how much the Garnier BB cream blurred out my freckles
as you can see, it was minimal

in this pic taken with flash, you can see the 'dewiness'

Normally Garnier BB Skin Renew retails from $17.99 to $19.99. I purchased it at Shoppers Drug Mart on sale at the end of May for $2.69. Yeah, that’s right $2.69. It was on sale 30% off and then I had a $10 voucher I had to use up that week.  And I was glad I only paid that much for it. I just wanted something that was moisturizing, SPF, had some coverage and had some skin benefit.

 So do I think it meets Garnier BB claims?

·         Does it hydrate? Yes but it is thick
·         Corrects wrinkles and imperfections? Marginally
·         Protects? With SPF 15 I guess that is a yes
·         Evens and brightens skin tone? Yes

Would I buy again? No. I find it a little too thick for a daily moisturizer and the coverage is just too sheer for me but the main reason would be that it does not sit well on my face for the day. While it may work for some, it just wasn’t for me.

Have you tried the Garnier BB cream? What did you think of it?

~~99Raina99

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Crazed with Bronzer!

Oh. My. Freakin! Gawd!

I was one of the winners of Beauty Crazed in Canada's Bronzer contest!!! I received my packaged today and holy poo… that’s a lot of bronzer!! I was jumping up and down at my desk. LOL

I got the Avon Sunset Glow bronzer I wanted. I just thought it was too cute!  I am agog right now. Seriously …AGOG! (never thought I would ever get to use that word!) I do not know where to start. I seriously won’t need to buy or steal bronzer for next 5 -10 years?!?!

WoooHoooo!!!

Here are some close ups of a few of the bronzers;

AVON Sunset Glow Bronzer
Isn't it cute?

YSL Terre Saharienne Bronzing Powder - Sable Sand

Bourjois Paris Delice de Poudre 51
I almost bought this one in June!

Vasanti Brazilian Bronzer

Lise Watier Havana All Over Baked Bronzer
The colours in this one are so gorgeous!

Here’s what was in my parcel:

·  Bourjois Paris Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder – 51

·  Avon Sunset Glow Bronzer - from Summer 2012

·  Givenchy Fleur de Frangipanier - 2 Island Sun from the Summer 2012 collection

·  Yves Saint Laurent Terre Saharienne Bronzing Powder - 1 Sable Sand - from the Summer 2012 collection

·  Lise Watier Havana All Over Baked Bronzer

·  Vasanti Brazilian Bronzer

·  Sephora Bronzing Powder - Bora Bora

·  Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Bronzing Powder – Medium

·  Annabelle Biggy Bronzing Powder - Caribbean Sun - from the Summer 2012 collection

BTW – Lisamarie and Christelle are having some awesome giveaways over at Beautycrazed.ca. A Big Bunch of Makeup giveaway, CoverFX and a Reitmans GC. So get your butt over there!

I love reading their blog. They get the scoop on new products and trends and the gals are pretty frackin hilarious. If Lisamarie can make me laugh out loud at work by reading her post, well done well done J

Thank you Lisamarie and Christelle!!!

~~99Raina99

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June 2012 Glossybox Canada

This post is très late... my June Glossybox arrived on July 5^th. I was away on vacation so I did not actually get it until this past Monday. I also received my July Topbox that day as well. 

I had peaked online before I left for vacation to see what was in it. I really could have used this box on my trip but oh well there is more summer to make use of it! 

So let’s get to it and see what’s inside this month’s Glossybox.ca J

June 2012 Glossybox Canada

The rundown:

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor - full size 

Full size: $13.49
YAY another razor! I really like the Venus razors. The one we got in the May Luxe box was awesome! My legs truly felt silky smooth afterwards.  Now that I have two, I am going wait for sales to stock up on cartridges!

Biore 4 in1 Revitalizing Cleanser - full size 

Full size: 200ml/$9.99

I had never used a Biore face wash before. So I was happy this was in the box. I have been using this cleanser for the past few days. I like the pump and I like that it is a foaming cleanser. I find these ‘clean’ you face better in the summer. For winter, I tend to use a cream cleanser. I found this Biore cleanser can be a tad bit drying but your face feels so clean!  So far no breakouts!

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Tough Sunscreen SPF55 - deluxe sample 

Full size: 88ml/$15.99
This was one item I could have seriously used when I was on vacation! I needed the SPF55! This is perfect for facial use. It doesn’t feel as thick as most sunscreens. I usually just depend on my moisturizer/foundation to ‘protect’ my face but I really need to invest in sunscreen for use exclusively on my face. I know I know very bad! I definitely will be getting a larger size of this product.

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips – 1 full size strip 

Full size: 8/ $9.99
I used these strips ages ago. It was fun to see what it pulled up. Sometimes it worked (and hurt), other times not so much. Back then I was on a serious budget and had to give these up LOL    

Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex – deluxe sample

Full size: 50ml/$30.99
I have received a few of these samples in various boxes. I have been using it at night. It does well as a moisturizer but I need more time to see how effective it really is. I am hoping it will resist the ‘11s’ that are developing on my forehead. L aging sucks

Wella Professionals Ocean Spritz  – full size

Full size: 150ml/$16.99
I am so eager to try this. I have naturally wavy hair so this will be awesome for the second day hair...I hope haha. It has been so hot here lately that I have been wearing my hair up. Maybe this weekend when I go out for dinner...?

CoverGirl Blast Flipstick Duo in Whisper – full size

Full size: 3.8g/$12.50
I had previously purchased one of these flipstick in Snap. I hated it. Haha.
The one I got in my Glossybox was Whisper. It is a nice pinky mauve on one end and a paler pink on the other. There is a smell to these lipsticks that I do not like. But I like this colour so I will try it out sometime this week.

There were some grumblings amongst bloggers that the contents were not ‘luxury’ items but I look at this way; it opens my eyes to affordable brands as well – people get stuck in ruts and stick with the same old - same old. I went down the path of buying and using expensive skin care/cosmetic brands and found that drug store brands are just as effective. Besides, I think the majority of us cannot afford $80 face creams. $15/20 creams - yes.

If you want you can sign up for Glossybox for $15 a month (taxes/shipping included) and receive 5 deluxe beauty samples each month! You can use my invite linky J but no pressure! Use promo code GLOSSY27 at check out to save 10% ($1.50).

What did you think of June Glossybox?

~~99Raina99

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I'm Back with July 2012 Topbox!

Heyyy! I am baaaackkk...

Sorry I haven’t posted for over a week. I was on vacation and was out of the city and away from the interwebz. Most days I didn’t even have cell phone reception!  Totally off the grid! I spent the week in Ontario, resting at the lake. It was HOT and lots of bug bites but good times overall J I want to do it again!!!

I had scheduled a couple of auto posts but for some reason they didn’t post L I am not sure what happened there?? Anyhow one was announcing I was on vacation and would be away for a week and half. I guess I do not need to post that now haha.

But I am back and I have my July 2012 Topbox! Love that I just get back and I had my Topbox waiting for me at work!

 

July 2012 Topbox

If you are not familiar with what Topbox is ... Topbox is a Canadian Beauty Box subscription service that retails for $10/mth for 4 premium beauty samples each month.

In this month’s Topbox was;

China Glaze nail polish in Pink Voltage    Full Size

Full sized $10
I was super stoked to get this colour! It is neon pink with a hint of purple shimmer. Love it love it love it! I can’t wait to get my next pedicure with this!

NuMe Hydro Punch Hydrating Shampoo   Deluxe sample

Full size 250ml/$24.99
This shampoo is argan oil infused to help restore hair. I remember I received the Hydra Punch conditioner a few months ago in my Glymm bag and I liked it. Too bad I didn’t get a conditioner as well hehe that would have been nice.

We also received a $100 coupon to use for NuMe hair tools or extensions. I remember receiving one of these in my February Glymm box. I didn’t use it as I had just bought a new hair straightener but I do have my eye on the Wet to Dry styling iron. I am lazy and not having to use a blow dryer would be awesome in the morning rush to get ready. FYI – shipping to Canada is $15.

 

Pure+Simple Calming Cucumber Mask   Deluxe sample

Full size 50ml/$25.25
I love cucumber face masks! I usually use the Balea one from Shoppers Drug Mart. They are great for those days your face is irritated and hates you HAHA. I am going to use this one this week for sure. I got a little too much sun and this will hydrate my sun soaked cheeks J

Sampar Essentials Ultra Hydrating Fluid  2 samples
Full size 50ml/$80
A moisturizing fluid for all ages and skin types with long lasting hydration and antioxidant protection.
I have never heard of Sampar before. Sampar is French cosmetic company. I just wish it was a bigger sample as it is hard to judge how well a moisturizer works from two little samples. I mean to see if there are any visible results. Plus it is expensive so I would want to be sure it was worth it before I bought it.

Overall it was good box, I was more impressed with last months box though. But the China Glaze nail polish is pretty awesome!

If you want in on Topbox there is a waiting list and it is quite long so if you want in you better sign up now! J

Ah I am so glad to get back to my blog. I had high hopes when I was on vacation. I took a ton of makeup with me (with the intent on doing some FOTD) and barely used any of it. I wanted to swatch products but summer fun got in the way HAHA oh well maybe next time!

 ~~99Raina99

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