Review: Yadah Brightening Jelly Pack

Hello Beauty Lovers,

Today I'm going to review the fourth product of my collaboration with Yadah Korea: Brightening Jelly Pack.

This box contains 5 sheets masks, all soaked in rich jelly. The sheet itself is standard microfiber, it's thin and absorbent (You can see it when it's dry in the next photo).

The special thing about this mask is the essence the sheet is soaked in; It's not liquid or lotion like others, it's jelly as the name suggests (You can see the exact consistency in the next photo).

It doesn't drip during the wear and is absorbed well by the skin. The pouch is full of jelly (See the next photo), more than enough for the entire upper body.

The jelly is very moisturizing and makes my skin look brighter. I like that it has citrus in its formula, vitamin C is always good for skin. 

All in all, I like this mask and would totally recommend.

Disclaimer - I received these products from Yadah Korea complimentary for review purposes, but all opinions are mine. 

Review: Yadah Velvet Mood Lipstick

Hello Beauty Lovers,

Today I'm going to review the third product of my collaboration with Yadah Korea: Velvet Mood lipstick.

These lipsticks come in a sleek, black matte square box. In the next photos, you can see the exact amount of lipstick in each box.

It glides on so easily and yields a true matte finish. Unlike other matte lipsticks, this formula didn't dry my lips at all. The colours I tried here are 05 Funky Orange (the lighter one) and 09 Brick Red are very vivid. Pigmentation is so rich that only one coat is enough to get full coverage. It doesn't pile on the lips or bleed outside the lip line. 

The only downside is that it transfers very easily. But, to be clear, it doesn't promise to be long-lasting. In the next photo, you can see that it was almost completely removed by rubbing with a dry paper towel. 

I love it as it is, but if it was transfer-proof, it would be the Holy Grail lipstick. If you don't eat while wearing this lipstick, it will stay put perfectly. It stays well through drinking.

I am really happy to have finally found a matte lipstick that isn't drying with so rich pigmentation.

Disclaimer - I received these products from Yadah Korea complimentary for review purposes, but all opinions are mine. 

Review: Yadah Anti-T Red Zero Concealer

Hello Beauty Lovers,

Today I am going to review the second product of my collaboration with Yadah Korea: Yadah Anti-T Red Zero Concealer. 

This concealer comes in a little tube with a twist top that's a bit tricky to use at first. Twist top has spring mechanism, so you turn it quarter to half round and the product is dispensed on top as shown in photo-3 (below right). 

However, be very careful, it's very easy to dispense way more product than you would need. Move the top very slowly. The amount of product with one twist is more than enough to coat the entire face. Yes, that's right! The amount may seem little, but this product is so concentrated that a little goes a long way. This works great as a concealer, but I also tried it as a full face cover in place of BB cream just out of curiosity and was amazed by the coverage. It provides medium to almost full coverage. As you can see the mark on my hand in photo-4 (below left) is no longer there in photo-5 (below right) ❤

 It covers all the redness and uneven skin tone on my face nicely and doesn't feel greasy or heavy at all. It gives a matte finish and can be used alone or under another BB cream/ foundation if you're looking for more of a dewy/glossy finish. It's easy to apply using just fingertips, I didn't notice any streaks. It is long lasting and I didn't observe any flakes/dryness during the wear, but this also means it takes some time to wash it off. 

All in all, this is a wonderful concealer. If you're in search of a high coverage one, you may want to give it a try. 

Disclaimer - I received this product from Yadah Korea complimentary for review purposes, but all opinions are mine. 

Review: Yadah Anti-Trouble bubble cleanser

Hello Beauty Lovers,

I must admit I was a lazy blogger for the past year or so. I continued posting on my micro-blog (Instagram) regularly, but couldn't post here :/
Now, I have a good reason to come back: I am so happy to start a collaboration with Yadah Korea on a few products and the first product I get to review is Yadah Anti-Trouble bubble cleanser. I loved all Yadah products I used so far and am looking forward to trying more from this brand.

This cleanser comes in a big bottle (150ml) which would be enough for long since just one pump is enough for the entire face. Out of the bottle, it smells pleasantly citrusy, but it's not a strong scent and doesn't stick around while using the product.

One of the ingredients is salicylic acid, so be careful if you're allergic or pregnant.

As you can see in the second photo above, the foam is rich yet easy to rinse off. There is no weird slippery residue left. It cleans well, but you'll need to take off your makeup using micellar water or oil beforehand.

I tested its pH using a colour-scale pH strip. As you can see in the third photo above, pH of this cleanser is around 5.5 which is acidic and that's good for your skin. Lower pH cleansers are preferred since they don't allow bacterial development and create a barrier on the skin. It isn't drying at all and my face doesn't feel tight afterwards.

I have been using this cleanser day and night for the past two weeks. When I first started I had a few pimples on my left cheek, but now they look better. I don't know if this product helped with them, but I didn't change anything else so there must be a connection. All in all, I like this cleanser a lot and am glad I got to try it.

Thanks to Yadah Korea for kindly sending me this product to try (All opinions are my own) ❤

Play! by Sephora is finally open to everyone :)

Hello Beauty Lovers,

Play! by Sephora is finally open to everyone :)
Just go to www.sephora.com/play and put your email address in the box as shown below and click on "Get Started" button:

The next page will come up and just click on "Subscribe Now" button here:

It will take you to log in screen and then checkout page, so that you can put in a payment method and confirm your subscription ;)

The first box you will receive is April 2016 and it is a great one:

Hope this post helps you.
Enjoy :)

XOXO

My First Giveaway :)

Hello Beauty Lovers,

I decided to hold my very first giveaway :)
It will start on February 19, 2016 at 11:59 PM (midnight) EST and end on February 24, 2016 at 11:59 PM (midnight) EST.
All you need to do is to follow my Instagram account @findsofbeauty and repost the giveaway photo on your profile with the following tags "@findsofbeauty #findsofbeauty #findsofbeautygiveaway " before February 24, 2016 at 11:59 PM (midnight) EST.

I included some of my favorite full size and deluxe sample size products in the box:
1) L'oreal Paris Colour Riche Le Gloss in 163 Plum Rush (Full size)
2) Rimmel London Natural Bronzer waterproof bronzing powder in 022 Sun Bronze (Full size)
3) L'oreal Paris Hip studio secrets professional bright shadow duo in Brazen 118 (Full size)
4) John Frieda Frizz Ease KeraFlex flexible hold hair spray (Deluxe size - 2 oz)
5) Maybelline The Flash Clean clean express 3-in-1 makeup removing lotion (Full size)
6) Stila Stay All Day liquid lipstick in Bella 13 (Deluxe size - 0.05 fl oz)
7) L'oreal Paris Voluminous false fiber lashes mascara in 220 Black Lacquer (Full size)

Only 1 repost a day will be counted towards and entry. If you repost on all 5 days (once per day) you will have 5 entries.
I will list all the account names once giveaway ends in the order they reposted and pick the winner using Random.org random number generator.
Since this is my first time, it's only US this time. But, I plan to do the next ones open to all countries.

Good luck :*
XOXO

================================== UPDATE ==============================

Giveaway is over and the winner is @jmejinxx
Thanks to all lovely ladies who joined me in my first giveaway. I am looking forward to the next.
XOXO

ColourPop Back to Cool kit for sale

• Hello Beauty Lovers,
  
  I ordered 4 x ColourPop Back to Cool kits a while ago. Now I am moving across the country and need to sell 3 of them I haven't opened. Would anybody want to purchase them? 

• 
  

• It's either $25 with free shipping in US or $20 if you send me the prepaid shipping label (9 Oz shipping weight).

• If Canadian friends want to purchase, it's 20 USD and they will need to send me the prepaid shipping label.

• I will ship within 1 day after receiving the PayPal payment (and shipping label via email if you pick the second option). If you send payment (and shipping label) before 12-noon EST I will ship it out on the same day.

• Please let me know if you're interested by February 27th.

• Thanks :)

• PS: I shared my kit's swatches here before.

=================================UPDATE================================

Kits are now $20 with free shipping. Only 2 days left!

Do you believe in magic?

Hello beauty lovers,

I have been trying the sensational Egyptian Magic cream for the past 10 days to heal dryness all over and wanted to share my personal experience with you. 

10 days ago, my Egyptian Magic arrived in a small cardboard box filled with cute red and blue shredded paper which complimented the product packaging. Such a sweet start! 

When magic arrives in such a cute packaging, you know things will go well.

When I opened the jar, the cream almost seemed like petroleum jelly (color and consistency wise). But, I noticed the huge difference when I took a small dab. It melted with my body temperature just like extra virgin coconut oil, which showed how pure this cream is with no added stabilizers. Perfect! It is absorbed well by my normal-to-dry skin and left a nice glow. This gave me the idea to use it as highlighter to create a soft strobing effect, and yes, it worked well ;) The same glow is nice on nails and lips as well. So, this multi-functional jar of miracle will polish you up while healing all the dryness your skin got. 

I make an effort to use clean products with no added chemicals, alcohol, parabens, GMOs whenever possible. Oxidants cause cell aging and added chemicals, parabens and GMO ingredients cause oxidative stress on skin cells which creates wrinkles (boo! We don't want them). Alcohol and astringent ingredients should always be avoided because they cause free-radical damage and irritation, which hurts your skin's ability to repair itself and damages its ability to produce healthy collagen (source: Paula's Choice). I am in love with the clean formulation of Egyptian Magic and knowing that it's safe to use even on babies gives me great peace of mind.

The ingredient list is short and items are familiar to everyone. Once a wise person said "If you cannot easily pronounce/understand an ingredient in the list, there is something wrong with that product." Luckily, we all can pronounce and recognize (and also eat :P) all of the ingredients (shown in the image below). It's also PETA approved cruelty-free <3 (you can confirm here).

This image is taken from Egyptian Magic 

I had very specific problems which I hoped Egyptian Magic would help me with: 

* I had a small dry spot on my ankle (in the front, right where my foot and ankle meets) for so long. I tried so many different products from Vaseline to Neosporin to even Cortisol creams, none of them helped. I have been applying a small amount of Egyptian Magic once a day for the past 10 days, and my dry spot is almost gone, no redness anymore, yay!

* My lips are so dry, I have to exfoliate them 2-3 times a week and apply lip balm at least 5-6 times a day. I stopped exfoliating 2 days before I started using Egyptian Magic. Applying a small amount of this cream only once a day removed all my exfoliation needs and I do not have to apply balm so frequently anymore. Also, I like the nice glow it puts on my lips, sometimes I use Egyptian Magic in place of lip gloss ;)  

* I use cuticle oil on my nails regularly, but it's a bit messy. I cannot touch anything for 10 minutes after applying. I decided to stop using cuticle oil for a while and started applying this cream once a day for the past 10 days. Now, my cuticles look so good and nails look/feel much healthier. I did not experience a single nail break after Egyptian Magic, and believe me, my nails were the weak, brittle type.

* I keep placing my elbows on the table, unintentionally, while working. This makes them so dry and rough. After using Egyptian Magic on my elbows for the past 10 days only once a day, they are like a baby's bottom now you just have to touch to believe :D

* I also tried Egyptian Magic on the following areas and observed perfect results:

• Fixing split ends on hair,
• Reducing frizz on hair (use very little),
• Using it as facial sleeping mask for all-over hydration (and getting rid of wrinkles),
• Using it to heal dry-rough heels.

l have a very long flight coming up soon and am planning on keeping Egyptian Magic with me to deal with the dry cabin air, along with my sheet masks. After every flight my skin and lips get super dry, I'm sure my solution is around here somewhere ;) I will keep you updated on how it goes.

Another tip I can give you to keep a jar of this miracle in your purse during the day and when your shoes start to hurt your feet apply a bit on the pressure points. This will reduce friction, give your feet relief, and prevent painful blisters.

If you would like to strengthen your eyebrows, apply some of this cream and they will be nourished with a hint of glow.

Here are some of the most popular uses of Egyptian Magic from their website:

• Face moisturizer 
• Makeup primer 
• Hydrating face mask 
• Lip Balm 
• Eye cream 
• Makeup remover 
• After-sun 
• Scars 
• Itching, rashes, minor burns relief 
• Soothing and treating skin irritations 
• Eczema and Psoriasis 
• After-shave 
• Hair Treatment 
• Hand and cuticle cream 
• Body cream 
• Cracked heels and elbows 
• Vaginal moisturizer and lubricant 
• Massage balm 
• Tattoo aftercare 
• Pregnancy: stretch marks, cracked nipples 
• Baby cream, nappy rash

For those of you who are not familiar with Egyptian Magic yet, I would like to share the first paragraph of the 2007 New York Times article on how it all started:
"The Story of Egyptian Magic begins in 1986 at a Chicago Diner when an elderly man approached Westley Howard (The name Mr. ImHotepAmonRa was then known as), who was passing through as a water filter salesman at that time. The elderly man said to Westley, “Brother, the Spirit has moved me to reveal something to you.”. In that moment, Mr.ImHotepAmonRa said, ” It didn’t seem too weird to me. I’m a Spiritual person, so these things happen to me all the time."

Now, if I grabbed your attention, please go here to read the full New York Times article :)

Egyptian Magic is the sweetheart of celebrities, fashion industry, and dermatologists. I know many doctors would recommend using this cream to heal burns and skin problems faster. What is better than being able to heal without using all the nasty chemicals?
You can see all endorsements here.

If you would like to purchase it in store you can locate the closest retailer to you using this page. Or if you prefer ordering it online, you can do it so using this link. 

Egyptian Magic has two sizes available:
* 2 oz jar retails for $26
* 4 oz jar retails for $39

I also noticed that Costco has a bundle that lets you get 4 oz and 2 oz jars together for only $39.99+free shipping (+$2 non member surcharge if you are not a member), you can find the product page here.

I hope this review will be helpful to you and you will love Egyptian Magic as much as I do. Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: Egyptian Magic kindly sent this product to me for review purposes. But, all opinions in this review and all of the other reviews in this blog are 100% my own.

My October 2015 Birchbox

Hello beauty lovers,

My October 2015 Birchbox just arrived and I love it. I received the following samples:

* Avène Soothing Moisture Mask = 5 ml tube (value = $2.6),
* Dear Clark, Thickening Balm = 1 oz tube (value = $6.5),
* ORIGINS Modern Friction™ Nature's gentle dermabrasion =  15 ml tube (value = $4.74),
* Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo = 0.75 oz can (value = $3.11),
* Eyeko Black Magic Mascara (my PYS) = 4 ml tube (value = $10.76).

After my September box, this one didn't seem to have such great value but I am happy with them all because I haven't tried any of these before. Also, there is nothing I won't use in here, so, good job Birchbox :)

I picked the Eyeko Black Magic mascara during sample choice period last month. I haven't used any Eyeko products before and heard such good things about this mascara. I am glad I picked this one, it is the highest value item in the box. I was planning on going with the Stila mascara but changed my mind when I saw this one as one of the options. However, I was unusually lucky this month and Stila appeared in my second box even though I subscribed on October 3rd to use the $5 box code before it expired. 

As I mentioned, all of these products are new to me and I am very excited to discover new skincare.

Avène Soothing Moisture Mask is such a small sample, barely enough for 1-2 uses. But still, I like Avene products and this one also did not disappoint. I used it right after cleansing my face with Suki exfoliating cleanser (wonderful cleanser btw, get it immediately if you haven't done so already). After 15 minutes, I wiped it off with a cotton pad as directed and my skin looked and felt well moisturized and supple. This mask will be good for dry  winter months. 

Dear Clark, Thickening Balm is a nice sized product I will be able to take with me while traveling. It smells fresh and feels light on my fine-flat hair. I used it only once (on damp hair), so I do not see long term results yet. But it made my hair look a bit more voluminous after air-dried. 

ORIGINS Modern Friction™ Nature's gentle dermabrasion is another tiny sample, but at least this is dermabrasion cream, so a little will go a long way. It is gentle, yet still exfoliates well.

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo looks and smells so good! It doesn't leave any residue and is very effective in refreshing the roots. I like this small purse addition, it will definitely come in handy for some mid-day hair pick me ups ;)

Eyeko Black Magic Mascara sample size is great for purse and travel. It has a curved brush and creates a subtle look which is ideal for day time. I had to apply several coats to get some curling and lengthening, but I don't mind that. It is enriched with Keratin and Shea Butter which makes me feel better about applying mascara ;) It was also easy to take it off using Lancome Bi-Facil (after activating) and did not leave any residue. So far, I love it!

Overall, I like every single item in this box and am glad I picked the Eyeko mascara as my PYS.

If you think of subscribing or resubscribing please use the code: 
"SUBSCRIBENOW50" to get $5 to spend in the shop or 
"BBJETBLUE10" to get $10 to spend in the shop. 
There is also "BCABOX" code which gives power pose curated box as your first box. Another code which will expire on October 16 is "2FOR1BOX", which sends the customer favorites box along with your first box, which is great! 
It is even better if you use a referral link to make another person happy too (referring person will get $5 in BB shop if you subscribe through their link). So, please ask your BB subscriber friend for a referral link. If you don't know anyone who subscribes you can also ask me to send you a referral, if you wish ;)

For those of you who are not familiar with Birchbox yet: It is a monthly cosmetics&skin care subscription service that costs $10/month (including shipping). They usually send 4-5 deluxe samples (and sometimes regular foil ones :/ ) of usually new and trendy brands.

For more information you can check the official page here for US or here for Canada.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other review in this blog are my own.

My September 2015 Birchbox

Hello beauty lovers,

My September 2015 Birchbox just arrived and I love it. I received the following samples:

* Malin+Goetz cleanser = 15 ml tube (value = $2),

* Malin+Goetz face moisturizer = 3 ml foil (value = $1.15),

* Davines Love shampoo = 75 ml bottle (value = $7.4),

* Davines Love conditioner = 12 ml foil (value = $1.4),

* Acure cleansing gel = 30 ml tube (value = $2.5),

* 100% Pure eye cream = 8 ml tube (value = $7.5),

* Japonesque eye shadow duo = 1.6 g (value = $12).

I seem to have the best boxes during September each year. Last year's September box was also a great 7-item one.

I picked the Davines Love shampoo and conditioner during the sample choice period last month. I haven't used Davines before and was dying to try something from them. I am glad I picked this one, I got to review for 20 total points instead of 10 and the shampoo size is really good. 

Actually, all of these products are new to me and I am very excited to discover new skincare. Also, special thanks to Birchbox for sending me this beautiful full size Japonesque eye shadow duo which came in my favorite neutral shades (Shade 8). Its case looks beautiful and the size is just perfect to carry around in my purse. The shadows are very pigmented and buildable. These two tones of brown work great together for a soft smoky-eye look. 

Malin+Goetz cleanser feels nice on my skin and cleans well. I like the refreshing grapefruit scent. 

Malin+Goetz moisturizer also feels soft and light on my skin. Although the sample size was a bit small, I still was able to get one use out of it. It is absorbed well and does not leave any residue.

Davines Love/Shampoo smells so good and feels great on my hair. Lather amount is nice, overall it is lovely indeed.

Davines Love/Conditioner also smells great and makes my hair so soft. I like how nourishing it is. I like how this pair works so well together. These were my first Davines products to try and now I know why the Brand is a sensation.

Acure Organics face cleanser is really gentle on my skin, yet cleans really well. I like that all the products of Acure are fair trade, natural, and certified organic; They are also very easy to find in places like Whole Foods and Target.

100% Pure coffee bean caffeine eye cream is a gentle eye cream. It is absorbed well and does not leave any residue. Brand website describes their products as 100% free of artificial colors, artificial fragrances, synthetic chemical preservatives and all other toxins. This is an approach I like very much as it gives plenty of cosmetics&skin care options to people with fragrance, etc allergies. 

I don't know if you noticed too, but over the past year I noticed a strong effort by Birchbox to include more organic and cruelty free brands in their boxes. I appreciate it very much that they are putting an effort for better without increasing the costs.      

Overall, I like every single item in this box and am glad I picked the Davines samples as my PYS.

If you think of subscribing or resubscribing please use the code "5BOX" to get your first box at $5. It is even better if you use a referral link to make another person happy too (referring person will get $5 in BB shop if you subscribe through their link). So, please ask your BB subscriber friend for a referral link. If you don't know anyone who subscribes you can also ask me to send you a referral, if you wish ;)

For those of you who are not familiar with Birchbox yet: It is a monthly cosmetics&skin care subscription service that costs $10/month (including shipping). They usually send 4-5 deluxe samples (and sometimes regular foil ones :/ ) of usually new and trendy brands.

For more information you can check the official page here for US or here for Canada.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other review in this blog are my own.

My September 2015 Beautyfix

Hello beauty lovers,

My September 2015 Beautyfix just arrived and I love it. I received the following samples:
* Dr. Brandt BB Cream (full size - $39.00)
* SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair – 2 g (Value $13.80)
* Sanitas Lemon Cream Scrub – 60 ml (Value $9.60)
* Nick Chavez Starlet Shine Spray – 3.5 oz (full size - $19.00)
* SkinCeuticals PHLORETIN CF – 1 ml? (Value $5.40)
* Avene Retrinal 0.1 intensive cream – 3 ml (Value $6)
* Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain Mini in forever peach
* L’Occitane Shea Butter Soap Verbena – 50 g (Value $3.50)
* NIA24 SPF Lotion SPF 30 – 1 oz (Value $19.60)
* Raw Spirit Summer Rain perfume sample

The box was so empty, they had to fill it with air pillows. To better illustrate, I was able to put my filled Birchbox box in and close the Beautyfix box :/ I still like the curation of this box.

I am especially excited for Dr. Brandt, Sanitas (smells great), and Nia24. The rest will be used or swapped away. All in all, I think this box is worth $24.99+tax or $34.99+tax since the Dr Brandt alone is $39+tax in Sephora (and Nick Chavez is $19+tax), but it is an even better deal for %50 off. So, if you are not subscribed yet but considering, I would say go for it.

Dermstore seems to send great boxes every other month now, so I hope the October box will be even better.

For those of you who are not familiar with Beautyfix yet: It is a monthly cosmetics&skin care subscription service that costs $24.99/month (including shipping) if you subscribe or $34.99 (including shipping) if you purchase a single box by Dermstore. If you subscribe nowadays, you can get the first month 50% off at $12.48. They usually send 10 full size products and deluxe samples of high end and usually dermocosmetics brands. You can find almost all of the products/brands in Dermstore. 
For more information you can check the official page here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other review in this blog are my own.

My August 2015 Birchbox

Hello beauty lovers,

I received the following lovely samples in my August 2015 Birchbox:
* Rene Furterer LISSEA Leave-In Smoothing Fluid
* OPI Venice Collection My Gondola or Yours? (black)
* Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant
* St. Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion
* LAQA & Co. lip & cheek tint crayon in Humble Brag (blush pink) shade.

I picked the Candidly Nicole curated box during the sample choice period last month. I was excited to get especially Dr. Brandt and LAQA & Co. samples in this box, also none of the other options caught my eye. I haven't tried 3 out of 5 items in this box: St. Tropez, LAQA & Co., and Rene Furterer. I regularly use and love OPI nail polishes and Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion cream, so it was the best option for me. 

Rene Furterer LISSEA Leave-In Smoothing Fluid smells nice and leaves my hair soft. This fluid works well on tips to protect from heat, also reduces frizz nicely.

OPI Venice Collection My Gondola or Yours? (black) was not exactly the shade I was hoping to receive, I'd rather receive the Amore at the Grand Canal (red) shade that was originally listed under my box. I used to use a lot of black and indigo nail polishes during my teens and twenties, but in thirties I tend to go for more classic shades like red or nude. In general, OPI polishes apply evenly and give rich color, but they tend to chip so it's better to use a top coat with them.  

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant is one of my skincare staples. I was happy to receive this sample size to keep in my travel kit. I like how gentle it is even on sensitive skin, but exfoliates so well. This cream also smells so good and a little goes a long way. I definitely recommend this exfoliator.

St. Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion is completely new to me. I tried it once but found the application a bit bothersome. It requires applying evenly on wet skin after rinsing the shower gel out and waiting in the shower with no water running for a minimum 3 minutes which gets boring. The time I tried I applied some hair mask at the same time to utilize the waiting time better, but still I can't see myself using this in shower tanner on regular basis. 

LAQA & Co. lip & cheek tint crayon is a nice matte lip and cheek tint. It applies evenly and gives out a good amount of color. I found it a bit difficult to blend the color on cheeks, so I mainly use it as a lip color. This color looks natural, it is especially good for gym (yes, I wear colored lip balm or natural lipstick shades at the gym :) ).

Overall, I like every single item in this box and am glad I picked this one.

For those of you who are not familiar with Birchbox yet: It is a monthly cosmetics&skin care subscription service that costs $10/month (including shipping). They usually send 4-5 deluxe samples (and sometimes regular foil ones :/ ) of usually new and trendy brands.
For more information you can check the official page here for US or here for Canada.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other review in this blog are my own.

My July 2015 Birchbox

Hello beauty lovers,

My July Birchbox arrived earlier than usual this month (Hurray!).
I received the samples of:
* Stila look at me liquid lipstick in Venezia (Coral)
* Amika Un.Done Texture Spray
* Macadamia Professional™ Weightless Moisture Leave-In Conditioning Mist
* COOLA® SPF 30 Organic Makeup Setting Spray
* theBalm® cosmetics Balm Desert® Bronzer/Blush

I am quite happy with my July 2015 box. Luckily, I did not receive any foil samples this month. Sizes of my samples were pretty generous, especially the Macadamia hair mist is huge and I love their products :)

I picked the color Venezia for my Stila stay all day lipcolor during the sample choice period last month. This seemed like the least bright color among the three (others were bright pink Bell and bright red Beso). I can't work Barbie pink and I already have so many red lip colors, so having a coral-red warm color is nice. This lip color really does stay all day. I put this on around 3pm on our anniversary before we went out and it stayed on all day through the end of a cheese and chocolate fondue dinner :O I heard others complain about how difficult it is to remove it, but I find it quite easy to remove it using some Vichy Purete Thermale micellar water on a cotton pad.

Amika un.done texture spray is my first Amika product, so I am happy to try them. I like their packaging. I didn't expect the spray to make my hair crunchy or mattify it, but this is exactly what it did :/ I like volume on my thin, straight hair but I also like the shine and softness to come with it. Sadly, Amika was a no go for me.

I like Macadamia Professional products and this weightless moisture leave-in conditioning mist was also a winner for me. I like the way it smells and feels. Plus the size is so generous, I will be able to use it for long time. It's also TSA friendly, so yay! for a new addition to my travel toiletries.

I like Coola products, too. Although I do not use make up setting sprays, this organic makeup setting spray was intriguing because of the SPF in it. I like the idea of having a facial mist with high SPF. Sometimes I forget to put SPF on before powder and blush and it's either "go out without SPF" or "remove and redo", such a hassle, I hate it. I will definitely order the full size of this spray.  

The Balm has the cutest packaging, but their samples are so tiny. The surface area of this Balm Desert bronzer/blush sample is as big as a dime and I didn't want to bother trying to apply it with a shadow brush. So, this went into the swap pile.

For those of you who are not familiar with Birchbox yet: It is a monthly cosmetics&skin care subscription service that costs $10/month (including shipping). They usually send 4-5 deluxe samples (and sometimes regular foil ones :/ ) of usually new and trendy brands.
For more information you can check the official page here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other review in this blog are my own.