Products I Finished This Month - January 2015

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Check out the hits and misses in the products I finished last month.

Bath & Body

Cold winter weather made warm baths very appealing this month.  The result is lots of empty packets of bath salts and bottles of bubble bath.  I was happy with all of them and still have a big selection of the "I love..." bubble baths to work through thanks to post-Christmas gift set clearance sales.  The Body Shop's satsuma shower gel continues to be one of my favorites but the Harvey Prince ageless exfoliating shower gel that I got in my December Birchbox was way too overscented for me and I won't be trying that one again.

Hair

I finished up two bottles of conditioner this month.  I continue to love the Herbal Essences Naked line and will definitely buy more.  I didn't find the TRESemme conditioner did much for my hair this time around though so I'll probably take a break from that brand.

Face

Look at that! I actually finished some makeup!  Specifically, Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Luscious Honey.  I did find this shade a bit too red for my tastes but loved the formula.  I have since purchased it in a couple different shades but sadly it seems all but Black Honey have now been discontinued.  That always seems to happen to products I fall in love with.  I also finished a sample of Performance Color's lip repair.  I liked this balm a lot but alas, Performance Colors recently closed up their etsy shop and I'm not sure if they are coming back.  The Peter Thomas Roth cucumber gel mask didn't do much for my skin so I won't be repurchasing it.  The Dana's Cosmetics Nourishing Eye Cream that I got in my last Sweet Delights Sample Bos had a really nice formula and this little tub lasted for several months.  I usually don't purchase creams specifically for the eye area so won't be repurchasing this now.  If I find that eye creams become a need for me then this is one I would definitely consider.  Finally, some Clean & Clear advantage acne spot treatment.  Despite being in my late 20's pesky pimples still make an appearance on my face.  Spot treatments are always a great thing to have in my skin care repertoire.

Hands & Nails

Last but not least I finished up a couple nail files.  One regular disposable one that I use to get through length quickly, and a glass one from WingDust Collections which I used for shaping.  Both were great but have lost their grittiness after months of use.  I would definitely use both again.  I also finished a mini tube of L'Occitane Provence Dry Skin Hand Cream.  While the formula was excellent the scent was just too strong for my liking so I won't be purchasing it in the future.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Layering With Color Club Glitter Wonderland & Emerald & Ash Red Shift

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
I love glitter filled jelly polishes but I absolutely hate the effort required to take them off.  I compromised in this mani by layering a single coat of squishy glittery goodness over a much easier to remove shimmery base colour.

I used two coats of Color Club Glitter Wonderland as my base.  There were a few slightly patchy spots after two coats and had I been wearing it alone I probably would have added a third.  I then added one coat of Emerald & Ash Red Shift over top.  The formula of Red Shift was easy to work with though I can't comment on its stand alone coverage since I obviously didn't use it alone here.  Finally, I sealed everything up with a coat of Nubar Diamont top coat.  Photos show the described mani in daylight spectrum lighting.

What do you think of this combo?  Check out Emerald & Ash on:

emeraldandash.com

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Arcane Lacquer Make A Move Swatches & Review

Gift

Hello readers,
Do you ever have a polish that you compulsively call by the wrong name every time?  I was convinced Arcane Lacquer's Make A Move was actually called Make A Mauve until I got it in person and looked at the label.  I guess my mind wanted to turn the name into a pun.

Make A Move is a medium mauve with a strong copper flecked shimmer.  It leans more purple in direct bright lighting and looks a little dustier in shade or reduced lighting.  The formula was great.  I used three coats to reach opacity but two would be enough it you kept an eye out for bald spots.  Photos show three coats of Make A Move with one coat of Nubar Diamont top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

I love that the shimmer in this polish is just as strong on the nail as it is in the bottle.  You can find Arcane Lacquer on:

https://www.arcanelacquer.bigcartel.com/

Facebook

Instagram

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Femme Fatale Falling Glacier Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have another great Femme Fatale holo to show you.  This was part of my frantic scramble to get all of my wishlist Femme Fatale polishes when they announced that current colours were being discontinued at the end of 2014.  You can still find a bunch of them at various international stockists though if you need to complete your collection.
 

Falling Glacier is a very light green (almost silver) linear holo with a strong green flash.  I did my best to capture this colour shift but it is even brighter in real life. The result is an opalescent holo.  The formula was great.  I used three thin coats to reach opacity. Photos show three coats of Falling Glacier with one coat of Nubar Diamont top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

You can find Femme Fatale at:

https://femmefatalecosmetics.com.au

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Pinterest

If you are looking for discontinued colours like this one check out:

Color4Nails 

Mei Mei’s Signatures 

Rainbow Connection 

Beauty so Fly

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Beauty Box 5 January 2015 Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
This marks my second last BB5 unboxing post.  Why? Because I canceled my subscription and January's box confirms that I made the right decision.  This month's theme was "hello!".  Let's see what kind of products I got.

Garnier Fructis Daily Care Fortifying Shampoo | Retail $3.99 13oz

"Make 2015 the year of healthy hair! Strengthen your tresses with grapefruit antioxidants and proteins that'll leave your locks fortified, oh-so-soft, and super shiny. Did we mention that the invigorating scent will have you hooked in no time?"

 Oh yay! A sample I could easily get at the dollar store or better yet, as part of a free sample pack.  Garnier isn't one of my favorite hair care brands either.  I find their products leave a lot of residue in my hair.  Will I use it? Yes.  Is it a beauty sample I'm excited about? No.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects | Retail $9.99 16 Nail Polish Strips

"A perfect mani for up to 10 days? Bring it on! Peel and apply strips to your mails, smooth over and then shape for easy nail art.  Bonus: when you're done, they come off with regular polish remover!"

 I don't really use nail polish strips and this colour combo isn't my taste at all.  I checked the Sally Hansen Canada and Sally Hansen US sites and neither show this pattern as an option.  So, even if I did loves these I wouldn't be able to purchase them again.

Ultraflesh The Gold Standard Mascara In Blackout | Retail $21.00 0.27oz

"Dramatic, thicker lashes are as good as gold with this amped-up mascara! The expert wand gets every lash coated for major results.  Feeling bold? Layer two or three coats for the most va-va-voom.

 This is a brand I've never heard of before.  Want to know why?  Ultraflesh went out of business in 2011.  Assuming that this tube was made around that time, that means it's still over 3 years old.  Gross!! There's no way it's going near my eyes.  Don't worry though, BB5 made that easy for my by sending a completely dried out unusable tube.  How they came up with a retail prices of $21 when you can't buy it at regular retailers anymore I'll never know.

Softsoap Nutri Serums Vitamin C Body Wash | Retail $8.00 15fl oz

"Treat your body to rich moisture and a super fresh scent while showering! The softening serum pearls burst with Vitamin E to hydrate and Omega 3 and 6 to help your skin retain moisture all day long to banish winter dryness."

 Another dollar store sample.  I'll use it but I'm not excited about it. Moving on.

Coastal Scents Eye Shadow | Retail: $1.95-$24.95

"We're crushing hard on these super-pigmented shadows! Whether you pair all four shades together for an all-over eye look or pick a few favorites to accent with, they'll make your eyes stand out gorgeously."

This is the only decent sample in the box.  Mine came slightly broken but are still very usable.  The colours are a good mix of neutral and slightly bolder.

Conclusion

Despite that last minute decent eye shadow sample, overall this box is a loser in my eyes.  Years old dried up mascara just isn't ok.  Two boring dollar store samples and discontinued nail strip patterns round things out.  I'm glad I canceled my subscription.  Let's see what my last box next month brings.  If after reading this post you still want to learn more about BB5 you can find out more at https://beautybox5.com/.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Picture Polish Enchanting Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
The most recent blogger collaboration shades from Picture Polish featured three gorgeous teals and greens that I knew I needed to have.  Today I have one of them, Enchanting, to show you.

Enchanting is a bright jelly polish on the border between green and teal featuring a flecked subtle scatter holo finish.  The formula was excellent and it only took two coats to become opaque.  It also dried completely smooth so top coat is only needed to make it last longer.  Photos show two coats of Enchanting with one coat of Nubar Diamond top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.  Please note that this polish does lean slightly greener in real life.

I can't get enough of these flecked holo finishes and Picture Polish continues to impress.  I also have Dragonfly and Escapades on their way to me now and I can't wait to try them out.  What do you think of this shade? Is the flecked holo finish a favorite or do you prefer a stronger linear holo?

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Buyer Beware: HealthSnap.ca Experience & Review

Press Sample

Hello readers,
I was recently invited to review a new Canadian website, HealthSnap.ca.  Along with a variety of other health related products they offer beauty and skin care items at good prices.  I was given the chance to try out $25 worth of beauty products for free to test out their site and customer experience.

My initial experience with the site was a little frustrating.  I did find that some of the lipstick colours I tried to add to my cart were immediately out of stock.  Also, the colour representations were not always accurate.  I definitely had to look up pictures and swatches for everything.  I decided to go with three lipsticks, two Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks and a Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick.  The checkout process was easy and my order shipped one business day later.  I received my items no problem and all of the lipsticks were sealed.

Here's where things started to get strange.  Right now HealthSnap.ca is offering a free gift with every order.  I ended up getting a bottle of vitamin D pills.  This seemed a little random since I was reviewing the beauty product offerings of their site.  However, what stood out to me instantly was that they expire in June 2015, all of 5 months from now.  I checked the vitamin D pills I already had at home that I purchased several months ago to compare expiry dates.  My vitamins have an expiry date of September 2016 and I've already had them for a while.  I feel like this free gift is the equivalent of getting rid of soon to expire stock.

This prompted to me to look up the batch codes of the three lipsticks I received.  On the Rimmel this is the imprinted number on the bottom label.  For the Revlons it is etched on the side of the tube. I used www.checkfresh.com to get the following production dates.

• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Berry Haute - batch 12073 - production date 2012-03-13
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Violet Frenzy - batch 12034 - production date 2012-02-03
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in In Vogue - batch 0309 -  production date 2010-11-05

This isn't acceptable.  The newest of the three lipsticks, Revlon Berry Haute, is just under three years old and the oldest, Rimmel In Vogue, is over four years old.  Berry Haute also has a strong smell... you know the one... the kind of sweet and musty at the same time 'this lipstick isn't good anymore' smell.  There's no way I'm putting it on my lips.  The Rimmel lipstick has a strong artificial sweet smell.  I'm not sure if this is how it is intended to smell or if it too has gone bad but I'm not taking the risk

I also wanted to make sure these dates weren't typical so I looked up the batch codes for some Revlon and Rimmel products that I had purchased myself in store over the last year.  The oldest, a Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter, had a production date of 2013-08-27.  This is a year and a half later than the newest of the three HealthSnap lipsticks and I've already owned it for several months.

I contacted the rep at HealthSnap.ca who I was working with to let them know about the production dates of the products I had received and the comparison to similar products I had purchased myself in store.  After they investigated the matter I received the following response:

Thanks for being the manufacturing date concern to my attention.  I’ve only been here just over a week so still getting to know the processes, inventory etc.

I went investigating into this issue with the team here. What seems to have happened is since beauty/cosmetics is very new category for Kohl & Frisch (the parent company for HealthSnap), some new staff in the warehouse were unfamiliar with inventory control in this category. The company as a whole is used to dealing with OTC with a clear expiry date on the packaging vs a lot/batch # in beauty/cosmetics which requires more understanding as you know.

With that said, with beauty/cosmetic products of this nature, there are no regulations by the government in both USA/Canada. A focus when dealing with ‘expiry’ is Period After Opening. Many brands have a stamp on their products with an expiry – after the packaging is opened. Some are 6 months, some are 24 months etc.

Hope that helps!

Actually, that doesn't help at all.  I'm still left with lipsticks that are very old, some of which have clearly gone bad.  They did note that had I been a paying customer rather than someone receiving a press sample then my customer service experience would have been different and my items would have been refunded and/or replaced.  However, I can only comment on the customer service that I received, not a hypothetical resolution for someone else.  I received old cosmetics - some have expired, brought it to their attention and was basically told to deal with it.  I didn't receive replacements for my unusable lipsticks.

For a company with 'Health' in the name they don't seem concerned about selling healthy beauty products.  I will not be making any purchases from them in the future and based on my experience I wouldn't recommend HealthSnap.ca to others. In general, when buying cosmetics online be sure to check the batch numbers of the items you receive to ensure they are still good to use.  Another good option to do this along with www.checkfresh.com is https://checkcosmetic.net.

Happy polishing,

- Michelle