EMPTIES: January 2013

Mid-month, I was starting to get a little disappointed at my lack of progress but things spend up in the last half of January and I'm proud to say I have quite a decent number of empties to start off the new year with(out).

Denise @ Circuits of Fever and Liz @ Beauty Reductionista (who I got the Empties idea from) still do a far better job than I but I'm slowly slowly getting there!


1. DKNY Red Delicious EDT 30ml - Regular size, Expired
I bought this along with the original Be Delicious (green bottle) years ago. Be Delicious is supposed to be inspired by green applies and Red Delicious by it's namesake. These are 30ml/1oz bottles, which are the smallest of the "regular" size perfume offerings. I didn't like Red Delicious nearly as much as the green and while that was emptied years ago, Red Delicious only made it to the half way point before expiring. I thought it would be similar to Be Delicious which was sweet, crisp, and fresh but with a softer vanilla instead of that greener freshness. I didn't experience much of that. Instead, there was leather and musk. Not too much of it but just what I wanted in this sweet blend. I hadn't picked it up for months but after a spritz in January, I smelled that smoky note which often occurs when perfumes goes bad.

2. Bath & Body Works Sensual Amber Body Lotion - Regular size, Empty
This is actually my second bottle of Sensual Amber. The first one was the old formula, although I can't remember a difference. There's nothing really to be said for the quality of B&BW body lotions. It's moisturizing, but I don't find it any more or less so than most others. For me, it's really the scents (and variety of them!) that drive me to purchase B&BW body lotions over any other ones. The Sensual Amber is way too cloying and heavy for summer but in the fall and winter? It is divine! B&BW categorizes this scent in their Warm family and describes it as pink lotus petals enveloped in golden amber and blended with succulent plum and creamy sandalwood. It's sweet, warm, and spicy and one of my favourites for offsetting the biting cold weather. I won't buy another bottle this winter but will most likely pick it up again next year.

3. Bath & Body Works Black Raspberry Vanilla - Regular size, Empty
Similar to Sensual Amber, I love this one for warm weather, too. B&BW has 8 fragrance "families": Exotic, Fruit, Floral, Fresh, Citrus, Gourmand, Woods, and Warm. This one belongs in the "Fruit" family but I think it would be just as appropriate as as Gourmand with it's good enough to eat smell of raspberries and vanilla. It's sweet but creamy so I associate it less with fruit than dessert. Again, I won't be picking up another bottle this year but will do so during one of their great Buy 3 Get 3 Free sales in the fall to prepare for the colder weather.

4. Boscia - Restorative Night Moisture Cream - Regular size, Empty
I really loved the consistency of this cream. It's moisturizing yet weightless, non-greasy, and didn't cause my super-winter-sensitive skin to go all apeshit in the last few months. But....I hate the packaging because it is the same one used for their Revitalizing Black Hydration Gel reviewed here. I figure it's empty because pushing the pump top no longer produces product but I can't be 100% sure. The frugal side of me wishes this was a clear bottle or a squeeze tube... As for repurchase? Nope. It was a great product but too expensive for the amount. I'm more likely to go back to my favourite boring but dependable brand: La Roche Posay.

5. Dove Revival Conditioner - Travel Size, Empty
This has a very light and pleasant pomegranate scent. It did a good job conditioning my hair and providing moisture. My husband and I both use a lot of Dove products (body soap, deodorant, and for him shampoo as well). We love how gentle and moisturizing their stuff is and it doesn't leave behind that squeaky clean feel a lot of other brands do. I actually find that makes me feel less clean. Drugstore shampoos go on sale so often I wouldn't specifically purchase this one again. However, if I had a coupon and this one happened to be on sale and I've run out (not likely considering my stash...)? I would.

6. China Glaze Fast Freeze Quick Dry - Regular size, Empty
This drying agent contains no DPB, Toluene, Formaldehyde, alcohol, nor oils and is supposed to dry up to 5 coats of lacquer in 30 seconds to the touch, 2 minutes out the door (according to their website). It definitely sped up the drying process but I it seemed more like 5 minutes to me. I was quite surprised that it contains no oils because it actually leaves behind an oily residue albeit lightweight and quick to absorb, similar to dry body oil. What I really love about this product is the scent. It has quite a strong peppermint scent that one review said was really offensive but personally, I can't get enough of it! I would buy another bottle of this just for that. Plus, I really like the applicator which is a little glass eyedropper. I can fill the dropper once or twice per hand instead of for every nail.

7. Covergirl LastBlast Fusion - Regular size, Hate!
This mascara is seriously AWFUL. I usually buy the blackest shade I can find but this time I decided to try a navy blue. First of all, the color didn't do anything for my eyes. The blue wasn't a rich royal blue but more of a faded navy which just seemed like dark fluff on my lashes. It was also really drying and provided no volume, length, or curl. It had decent lasting power but that's about all I can say for it. What a waste of money! I haven't had much luck with Covergirl mascaras but this one was really bad.

8. Cake Beauty Milk Made Velveteen Hand Creme - Regular size, Empty
I think Cake is popular because it has seriously cute packaging and is like a godsend for those who love sweet dessert scented products. I'm not so sure it actually has amazing products skincare-wise, though. I haven't tried but a few samples of bodywashes and lotions but nothing really wow'd me. Likewise with this hand creme. Cake Beauty describes this as a vitamin packed hand cream with decadent mango and shea butters, whole milk, and marshmallow extract to moisturize and sooth dry skin. The scent is of warm vanilla with a hint of raspberries. Those who like Aquolina's Pink Sugar will really like this. I didn't buy it at the regular price ($20) and I don't think I ever would. However, if it goes for $10 or less I would as I'm fond of the packaging, I like the sweet scent, and it's a decent moisturizer.

AND THE FINAL COUNT IS.....

# of bulk sized products: 0
# of regular sized products: 7
# of sample/travel sized products: 1 
# of true empties: 6
# of expired/broken: 1
# of hates: 1

How my counts work: Regular size refers to the commonly sold sizes. For fragrance, regular could be anywhere from 30ml/1oz to 100ml/3.4oz. A sample/travel size would be rollerballs and smaller sample vials and cards. A true empty is product I've fully used up. Hates are products that are perfectly useable but I just hate so much, I've called quits!

TOPBOX: November 2012 (My Last One!)

October's Topbox was pretty disappointing and I wasn't feeling too enthusiastic about reviewing. In fact, I had already been thinking about cancelling and this cinched my decision.

I'll talk more about why I decided to cancel Topbox and why I probably won't subscribe to another one at the end of this post.

I only realized last month that you can see what version your box is in the tracking email Topbox sends upon mailing. This month I received #17. Apparently there were more than 20 different versions.

The items were:

1) 14ml China Glaze nail polish in Elephant Walk (full sized)
2) 9.24g x 2 Cuccio Naturale Butter in Pomegrenate & Fig
3) 5ml Robert Cavalli EDP
4) 0.7g Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes eyeliner in Mat Black 0L

So how much was November's box worth?

The full sized nail polish is $10-12 for 14ml although I've never seen it over $10 (usually $7-8). We'll use $10 as the price for this calculation. The full sized butter is $18.95 for 240g. The full size perfume is $80 for 50ml or $105 for 75ml. We'll use the bigger bottle for this calculation.

Based on a unit price calculation, the nail polish is worth $10, the butter is worth $1.46 (2 x $0.73), the perfume is worth $7 the eyeliner is worth $12.89. $10+$1.46+$7+$12.89=$30.85. Not the most the Topboxes have been worth in the past year but not the least either.

14ml China Glaze nail polish in Elephant Walk (Full Size)
This color is from the On Safari collection. Other box versions contained different colors from the collection. I had admit, I wish I received another color as this one is very similar to Color Club's Wild Orchid which I reviewed here.

I will say I'm really glad we received a nail polish in this box and a full sized one at that! This color looks unflattering in the bottle as I tend to go towards warm taupe-y grays but on my finger? I think it actually looks quite pretty, especially with silver jewelry (or perhaps some silver glitter on the tips??...)

9.24g x 2 Cuccio Naturale Butter in Pomegrenate & Fig
I was curious to try this product as I love both fruits. Plus, I'm always looking for super moisturizing products and this one promises to give you ten times worth! I thought the consistency would be like The Body Shop's Body Butters but this is more like a lotion or light cream. If you've ever tried Vaseline's Sheer Fusion body moisturizers, this is very similar.

The scent is great but not as strong as products from The Body Shop and Bath and Body Works. It is moisturizing but I don't find it to be ten times than any other moisturizer. And I'm sure it's a placebo effect, but I find thicker lotions/creams to feel more moisturizing as they coat your skin. All in all, this is a nice moisturizer but I wouldn't spend $18.95 when the Vaseline version is a fraction of the price.

5ml Roberto Cavalli EDP

Perfume is such a personal thing and as someone who isn't very well versed in the various notes and what they would really translate to when blended together, I find I really need to just it out. I'm glad it worked out this time and I actually received a scent I like. Other subscribers really disliked this and thought it smelled old lady like but I think it's quite beautiful.

According to Fragrantica.com, it's an intense oriental based on notes of orange blossom. There are also ambery nuances of benzoin, pink pepper, tonka and vanilla." Seriously, I have no idea what that means but I do think of this as a night time and/or winter scent. It's sweet and I love how it smells freshly applied and within the first bit of wear. I'm not loving the very vanilla dry down but by then the scent has lightened enough to be okay with me.

I'm also really impressed with the sample size. The bottle looks a lot smaller than rollerballs which can be had for $15-30 at Sephora but it's actually the same size as some of those rollerballs when you look closely at the volume (5ml in this case). This will last me a long time and I'm really loving sample/mini sizes these days since I have so many scents.

0.7g Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes eyeliner in Mat Black 0L

I am loving this! I usually line on my upper waterline with black waterproof liquid eyeliner and save for a couple versions, I've found most still smudge a little (or a lot!) under my eyes after a day's wear. I used this instead to see how it would compare, without much faith I might add. And I was totally wrong. It did as well as the best waterproof liquid eyeliners I've used and much better than many others. I am definitely interested in trying the other colors in this line now and there are some really really beautiful ones. The full size does not have that much more product than this sample so I would say on a price per unit basis? This is quite an expensive eyeliner but considering how well it lasts? It's definitely worth a full sized purchase or two or more...!

WHY I CANCELLED MY TOPBOX SUBSCRIPTION:
So, now that the review part is over, I'd like to share a little more of my thoughts on Topbox in general. Before I go on, please note that many subscribers are more than happy with their subscriptions and this is just my opinion.

Some months are better than others, some months have products of higher value or more interest to a particular subscriber than others. I understand all that. But the main reason I cancelled my subscription was how unfair they were amongst their subscriber base. Here are several examples:

Twice they offered an additional free product for pickup at Holt Renfrew. The card indicated it was "while supplies last". I passed on the first but when I went to the Bloor location for the second, the associate had no idea what a Topbox was, much less that there was a free gift pickup. A second associate knew about it but told me they only received 15 and all were gone the first day. Fifteen when they have hundreds of subscribers in Toronto alone? I work a five minute walk from this location but what about those who went out of their way? If you're out of it by the first day and it was offered to subscribers only? Then you supplied way too little. I was also disappointed they chose Holts. Both freebies were big enough to fit in the box so this was purely a way to get subscribers in store. But if you're going to do that? Be fair and pick a place that the vast majority of your subscriber can access. How many Holt Renfrew locations are there in Canada versus Shoppers Drug Mart or The Bay?

They also offered a pick-up only for additional Lise Watier samples at Shoppers Drug Mart. Sounds greatm right? Well, it was only for a handful of locations in Toronto. Again, what about everyone else across the country! Everyone pays the same amount so why 3 offers that were all Toronto-centric or exclusive? Of those Torontoians, a few came back and said that associates had no idea about the offer. Topbox's Facebook response? Oh, we talked to them now so try again tomorrow. Is it just me or is that just a little disrespectful of their subscribers time? To make matters worse, some subscribers printed off the offer coupon and obtained like 10-15 of these boxes to sell on Kijiji whereas many honest subscribers went out of their way only to leave empty handed.

Aside from this unfairness in terms of geographic location or number of extra samples available, I find their boxes way too varied and unfair. If this month's 20+ different boxes are not an indication enough! They claim their boxes are customized but their monthly surveys are so generic it's hard to know how it feeds into the results. Every month, a number of members will indicate that they hate perfume but received that instead of the eyeliner someone else received or vice versa. Or they received a product for color treated hair or oily skin and they have natural hair or dry skin.

On that note, they also "reuse" samples. This happens every. single. month. They'll send some subscribers one product as it if were "customized" for them then send the same sample to other subscribers in other months. I've asked them and they said it's because their suppliers wanted them to share with a larger customer base. But really, I can't help but think they are working more for their vendors than their subscribers, not customizing as they claim, and also padding up their boxes when they are short on new samples.

Their response via email and on Facebook is always super pleasant and polite but sometimes that's maddening. You don't receive true answers, just fluff like "We're sorry, please email us and we'll help!" or "We hope you like the next one!" It sounds like great customer service the first time or two but after a while, it gets old and you really start wishing for some substance and change.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW BEAUTY BOXES MAKE MONEY!
I'm also hesitant to subscribe to beauty boxes again now that I know how they make their money. Did you know that they not only receive all their products for free but in most cases, receive instructions from the supplier how who they should provide the samples to? Perhaps. Did you know that the profiles and monthly surveys you complete also go to the suppliers as market research?

If you're alright with this and see the $10-15 a month as a service for bringing samples to you instead of having to visit stores and asking (something I hate doing!), then no problem. But after learning about the industry, I feel uncomfortable paying for these company's marketing and market research when I don't always get exactly what I want. I'd rather take that money and purchase products I choose to purchase. The company is making money and I am receiving a product I've decided on. Whereas in this case, the company makes money, the middle man makes money, and only sometimes I receive a product or sample I want.

Sorry for the very very long blog post but this is my last one for Topbox and thus verbal diarrhea!

TOPBOX: March 2012

This is long overdue but better late than never, right?





The March topbox came in the same packaging as before. Can I just say...the packaging is getting a little boring? I love the tube mailer but they need to make the outside wrapping a little more exciting!

As for the inside, it's always packaged with purple crinkle confetti and tissue paper to keep the products from jostling around. A card describes each product and indicates their full size and price. An extra note was included this time in celebration of their semi-anniversary.





In this month's box:

1) Two duopacks of Redken Color Extend Shampoo & Conditioner - 10ml each
2) Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Mascara in Extra Black - 3ml
3) simple Face Cleansing Cloths - 7 cloths
4) mark. by Avon Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain - 1.5g (FULL SIZE)
5) mark. by Avon Nailed It Trend Mini Nail Lacquers - 2 x 2.7ml (FULL SIZE)

The full sized mark. gloss and nail polish set are $12 and $8. Based on a unit price calculation, 7 pieces of cleansing cloth is worth $3.08, 3ml of mascara is worth $10.29, 20ml of shampoo is worth $1, 20ml of conditioner is worth $1.36.

$12+$8+$3.08+$10.29+$1+$1.36=$35.71 Not as good as last time based on this calculation BUT this is actually one of my favourite boxes!

This month wasn't high on the "premium" brands which is a tad disappointing as that's one of the main reasons to offer a beauty box, right? Give subscribers an opportunity to not only try new brands but products that are too pricey for most to purchase without sampling.

However, I'm still a super happy camper because each item in this month's box actually interests me and is something I'll use (save for the MUFE mascara as I already have a sample size of).











FULL SIZE mark. by Avon Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain - Full size 1.5g for $12
LOVE this! I'll have to take some time and look into selling this mark. line. A few ladies at work sell Avon but it's never really interested me. Based on this and the nail polish though? I wouldn't mind tooting the horn of products that I will actually use myself. This is a really new interesting product on the market. Yves Saint Lauren's version -Rouge Pur Couture - goes for $34!! It goes on as a gloss and dries down as a stain. The best of both worlds!

The product is dispensed via click pen top, which I like a lot better than the twist style (think Stila and ELF lip glazes) as those often shoot out way too much product. The click seems to dispense less product each time although it takes quite a number of clicks to get product out initially - I thought was empty at first.

Bella Bella is beautiful and such a wearable color. I'm medium-yellow toned but I think it'll be gorgeous on a variety of skintones. I'm definitely interesting in purchasing other colors now.

3ml Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Mascara in Extra Black - Full size 7ml for $24
I didn't test this as I already have a sample but this is a great mascara. It really does create a very soot black thick lashed look. I only ever use waterproof mascara as it holds a curl better but sample sizes only come up every once in a blue moon. For that reason, I personally wouldn't repurchase the full size but I wouldn't be surprised it others do after trying this!





7-piece simple Face Cleansing Cloths - Full size 25-piece for $10.99
I saw these at Walmart recently and had my eye on the cleansing clothes. I'm always up for trying new ones as I use them pretty much every day. They are an absolute godsend for airplane rides, camping, and post motorcycle rides. This one claims to remove waterproof mascara and it does, completely! Granted, it's not as fast or gentle as makeup remover but it's more than I can say for other clothes I've used including Pond's, Garnier, Olay, etc. The cloth is also thicker than most which means it doesn't stretch or rip, nor do you feel like your finger tips are doing the actual cleaning. This is a 100% definite repurchase for me.

FULL SIZE mark. by Avon Nailed It Trend Mini Nail Lacquers - Full size 2 x 2.7ml for $8
I LOVE these! After purchasing a few Essence nail polishes recently, I've really gotten into the smaller sizes. It's hard to finish nail polish when you have so many and I hate traveling with several full sized bottles. These little duos in complimentary colors are perfect for fingers and toes!

I tried the colors on my fingers and they're just beautiful. A stunning metallic violet and a pretty pale lilac. The wear is quite good on these, too. I didn't notice a difference between it and some of my salon-brand polishes.



2 x 2 10ml packs of Redken Color Extend Shampoo & Conditioner - Full size shampoo 300ml for $15, conditioner 250ml for $17
I've used every version of Redken shampoo by now - All Soft, Extreme, Smoothdown, Color Extend, etc. and haven't had an issue with any of them. My favourites are All Soft and Extreme. Color Extend didn't wow me anymore than drugstore versions so I wouldn't buy it at full price. However, I'm really glad to receive these as it's hard to find travel-sized products for color treated hair.

Overall, March was a really good month. In the past few months Topbox's facebook page had received requests to stop sending out lotions and cheap peel-aways samples and start sending out nail polishes and other product types they haven't offered before.

It really sounds like they're making the effort and I'm now excited to see what April brings! I'm keeping my subscription for now.

Did you receive any subscription beauty boxes this month? What did you get? Did you enjoy your surprises?

EMPTIES 2: December 2011

I felt such a sense of accomplishment after my first EMPTIES post in November that I immediately started looking forwards to the next month.

Then other things got in the way and now I find myself at the end of January doing my December round up. Please forgive me!

On a more positive note...I'm going to give myself a little pat on the shoulder for completing yet another handful of products. Granted, I was a little out of control with the beauty purchases in December but hey, at least I put a little (microscopic) dent in my collection, right?

DECEMBER EMPTIES LIST:
Daisy by Marc Jacobs EDT 100ml/3.4oz size
Balea Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover
Feria Conditioner (from hair-dye kit)
Nioxin 4 Conditioner for Fine/Thinning Chemically Treated Hair 500ml size
Bath and Body Works Body Lotion Preview Size
Sample spray vial of Chloe by Chloe EDP
Revlon Nail Polish in Coral Me Wild
MAC Nail Polish in Gee Whiz

TALLY:
Total Empties: 8
Full Sized Empties: 3
Sample Sized Empties: 3
Expired: 2
Others: 0



Nioxin 4 Conditioner for Fine/Thinning Chemically Treated Hair - I first came across this line when I purchased the scalp treatment. It's a foaming liquid that you apply at the roots. I noticed a difference after usage so I decided to buy the conditioner and shampoo. Unfortunately, either the shampoo/conditioner isn't as concentrated as the serum or my hair has built up an immunity to it. It took a LONG time to get through all 500ml of this (this is the bulk size) but now I can finally move on!

Sample of Chloe by Chloe EDP - I absolutely love this smell. It is so distinct and different. So feminine but with a slight kick. According to Sephora, "top notes of pink peony, freesia, and lychee embody subtle freshness. At the heart, midnotes of magnolia flower, lily of the valley, and rose rise to sublimated femininity. A base of velvety elegance comes to fruition through cedarwood, amber, and honey." Doesn't that sound amazing?! I'm definitely going to buy a larger size of this. I was delighted to see that Sephora offers a rollerball version as I've come to realize I'd never get through even a 30ml bottle of anything, with the perfume collection I've now amassed.



Daisy by Marc Jacobs - My mother-in-law purchased this for my birthday over two years ago. Perfume is a risky gift. Fortunately, she totally got me. This is my daily perfume and I may have veered off course every once in a while but I never went longer than a week without a few sprays of Daisy. It's sweet but not cloying, fresh but not green (ew grass smells!), light but not fleeing. It doesn't last as long as I would like it to but honestly, I have yet to find a perfume that lasts all day without having an overly strong initial spray. This Christmas she gave me another bottle! I don't know HOW she knew but I had literally JUST finished it a few days earlier. It's kind of crazy how I actually managed to finish an entire 100ml size bottle. HOLY MOLY!!

Balea Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover - This is by Shopper's house brand and comes in a bottle almost identical to it's L'Oreal counterpart. I've tried the L'Oreal one and find that this one works just as well. However, the price is about the same (one or the other is always on sale and ends up around $7-8). So far with eye makeup remover, I've just go with whatever is on sale when I need another bottle.

Feria Conditioner (from hair-dye kit) - I used to love this and it was one of the reasons I bought the Feria kit instead of other brands. The tube is also so generous, I could use it for quite a few washes. However, this time it didn't seem to be as moisturizing as it used it. It came out of the tube a little drier and pasty than I remember it.



Revlon Nail Polish in Coral Me Wild - I love this color. It's a bright pink coral and seriously so much fun for the summer! Love it on my fingers and toes. Looks great with silver or gold sandals and jewelry. Unfortunately, it dried up and polish thinner didn't help.

MAC Nail Polish in Gee Whiz - Again, another one of my favourites. Unfortunately it too dried up. I've given up on polish thinner....it never goes back to exact how the polish was, brand new. Not to worry, I have another brand new bottle waiting to be opened!

Bath and Body Works Preview Size Body Lotion in Into The Wild Passion Primitive - Everytime B&BW comes out with a new scent, they offer these 59ml preview bottles for just a $1! They're usually either at the front of the store as part of the new scent display or by the cash. I always pick one up as they're a wonderful size for anywhere and it's a great way to try a new scent without committing. Usually by the time I'm finished a bottle, I'm ready to try something new so this is a great deal all around.

So there you are! My round up for December 2011. January 2012's pile is quite pathetic but expect a post in the next week or so anyway. It's alright, a slow but steady start but I am confident I'll pick up speak as the months go by!

REVIEW: Nicole by OPI Nail Polish in Kendall on the Katwalk

Warning!!! If you drive, be careful about putting this color on your nails. Seriously, you may find yourself staring at your nails every few seconds instead of the road ahead.

This is Nicole by OPI's Kendall on the Katwalk nail polish from the Kardashian collection and it is just too beautiful ! I am so not a fan of those vapid money-hungry vultures but I have to admit, this collection (or "Kollection" as they call it) is quite stellar.



I'm totally won over not only by the colors in this polish but also by the amount of glitter. I did put a quick (but streakly) base of navy creme nail polish first but as you can see, it's hard to tell since the glitter covers so well...and that's after only TWO coats!

I have a number of other glitter polishes and it usually takes several coats to achieve opacity.



At first it looks like turquoise blue glitter but it is actually a mix of turquoise and green microglitter with larger flecks of purple glitter. The result is stunning. It's a bright blue with added depth.



Off to go stare at my nails again. See ya!

Butter Me Up

Revolve Clothing just had to post the above drool worthy photo right as I'm scrambling to finish my Christmas shopping for other people. Seriously, who does this? What a tease!

So far, I've been really good about not buying myself anything but I need to finish up my Christmas shopping tomorrow and I definitely have a few gifts-to-me in the back of my mind. Are you guilty? Did you pick up a little something for yourself during your holiday shopping for others?

REVIEW: Nails Inc. Magnetic Nail Polish in Trafalgar Square

I'm loving Sephora less and less each day. At least Canadian Sephora. The price difference on some products are absolutely ridiculous, there are many brands not available to us, and pretty much none of the special offers are available to us. The old excuse that import/export costs and regulations are all to blame? I don't buy it anymore. Not when other retailers are able to do better.

While I don't shop there much anymore (Shopper's Drug Mart, Winners, Holt Renfrew and many others fill the void aplenty), I do always stop in to see what's new. I do like that Sephora displays allow you to play without any hassle from the sales associates. And it's a one-stop (window)shop for new releases from my favourite brands.

/End Rant. Begin review...

When I stopped by Sephora in Upper Canada Mall today, the Nails Inc. Magnetic Nail Polish display was smack dab in front of the door. Curious, since I've seen this on a few blogs, I swiped my nail and hovered the magnet over it. The result in mere seconds was AMAZING!! It was SO. VERY. COOL.

There was only two colors available - Trafalgar Square (silver chrome) and House of Parliament (purple) - although I see that the Sephora website has Whitehall (teal) although it's not available yet. The Nails Inc. website features a fourth shade called Big Ben (gold). I ended up taking home Trafalgar Square although now I'm thinking about going back for House of Parliament, too.





The bottle is 10ML and a little smaller than most (I see 12-15ml mostly). It looks larger but the outer cap comes off to reveal a smaller cap. Peel back the label for instructions. I recommend you ignore them. It seems to imply that you can apply the polish to all fingers, then use the magnet. However, I have found that if you wait until the polish is almost dry, the magnetic effect doesn't work.

I would recommend painting each nail and applying the magnet, then moving onto the next one. I would also recommend one thick coat or two light coats, no more. If doing two coats, apply magnet after the second coat. No point in applying magnet to the first coat only to have it covered up again.



The brush is average but this photo does show you the fine metallic particles in the polish.

You can see on the right a rectangular magnet and a slight lip on one end. That comes in quite handy. It rests against your finger, allowing you to hover the magnet close to the nail without accidentally touching.



The polish applies sheer. It's not that the layer is thin but the particles are sparse enough that the first coat is quite sheer. However, the magnetic effect is quite noticeable even with a sheer layer. In fact, I think it looks better with just one layer.



This is after a third coat. You can see it is now pretty much opaque. The right hand side shows you the magnet effect. Three coats was too much and it created two dramatic spots in the middle of my nail. Hmm...similarities to black holes in space?





Index Finger: 3 coats
Middle Finger: 1 coat
Pinkie Finger: 2 coats
Fourth Finger: House of Parliament purple - 2 coats



For the thumb, I tried holding the magnet to one side and it created this effect instead. I'll have to try a few other methods. I've seem vertical waves made by holding the rectangular magnet length wise perpendicular to the nail.

I can't wait for more colors to come out! I know magnetic polishes are just another fad in the exploding nail color craze but unlike crackle polishes (still on the fence with that one) I am wholeheartedly embracing it! Even my husband thought the magnetic effect was really cool and usually, he's tuned me out after the first sentence when it comes to makeup.

Nails Inc. Magnetic Nail Polish is available at Sephora for $18CDN/$16US. If you've seen them elsewhere (other than online), please let me know!

Can't Stop Buying...Love & Beauty Nailpolishes

At $3.80 a pop, the polishes from Forever 21's cosmetics and skincare line "Love & Beauty" are cheaper than Starbucks Frappucinos but just as addictive.

The colors are all quite fashion forward and they keep coming out with new ones. Unfortunately, they put them right by the cash register so it is very VERY VERY hard to resist!

The polishes come in a variety of colors and textures (cream, shimmer, foil, glitter, scented, etc.) and are surprisingly good and consistent quality...unlike the rest of their color cosmetics line. With a good base and top coat (I use China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat and Color Club Vivid 10 Color Intensifying Top Coat) this polish lasts just as long as many of the salon polishes in my collection....OPI, Essie, China Glaze, etc.

One thing I like about the Love & Beauty nail polishes is that the pigmentation is great, especially for the price point. I find the main difference between many drugstore brands versus salon/designer brands is the lack of opacity, density of glitter, etc. in the former. This is not the case with the L&B polishes. 2 coats is sufficient.

Granted, if you compare glitter to glitter, shimmer to shimmer with one of the higher price-point lines, the formula in some colors may be slightly sheerer or the glitter slightly less dense. But at under $4 a pop, I think you can live with applying two coats instead of one.


My growing collection of Love & Beauty nail polishes. You'll notice the last one is actually labeled L.A. Girl Rockstar Nail Lacquer. It was also purchased at Forever 21 and comes in the same packaging so for all intents and purpose, it's the same thing. I suspect this is a case of the same manufacturing creating polishes under Forever 21's house brand Love & Beauty and as L.A. Girl for sale by other retailers.

On that note, this makes the $3.80 price ever better. L.A. Girl is sold at some retailers for $5-6. I've seen it at Urban Outfitters and Rexall Pharmacy.


Unlabeled (cream with fine glitter)
Multi (glitter)
Unlabeled (cream with shimmer and fine glitter)


Lavender (cream)
Mauve (glitter)
Navy (cream)


Blue (glitter)
Green (pearl)
Green (glitter)
Teal (pearl)

From L-R, top to bottom: Green, Blue, Navy, Mauve, Lavendar, Green, Teal, Unlabeled, Multi, Unlabeled.

I guess the one thing you don't get with these cheap thrills is a good naming system. "Mauve" for a purple glitter or "Green" for both a glitter and a pearl? That REALLY makes sense...

REVIEW: Color Club Shades of Indulgence: Wild Orchid

Every since gray nail polish made it big a couple years back, I haven't been able to stop buying variations of it. I have a number of "gray" nail polishes from warm taupes to gunmetal. I love the versatility of gray. It works with all other colors and looks polished without overpowering an outfit. Neon green nails may be funky but it's kind of hard to look elsewhere!

For the past couple days, I've been wearing a beautiful gray called Wild Orchid by Color Club. It's from their Untamed Luxury: Shades of Indulgence collection which features 6 additional beautiful and very wearable colors.

Wild Orchid is a creamy true gray with slight shimmer. It almost looks like someone took incredibly fine silver glitter and mixed it into this nail polish because it's not a full-on shimmer affect. Hard to explain because it's quite unique.

This photo was taken after 2 coats with no base or top coat.



Here is a photo of the other colors from the Shades of Indulgence collection, which I'm eager to try out. You'll notice Wild Orchid looks slightly lighter in the photo below and that's how it looks in the bottle but it ends up looking darker, like my photo above taken in later afternoon natural light.


image courtesy of www.all-you-desire.com

Clockwise from top:
Ready to Royal - dark brownish purple creme
Jewel of a Girl - deep brownish and reddish purple shimmer
Nothing but Truffle - deep chocolate brown shimmer
Soft As Cashmere - beige grey creme
Pretty in Platinum - light grey with slight shimmer
Wild Orchid - true grey with slight shimmer
Positively Posh - dark taupe creme