Sample Society November Box

I am having a lot of fun with the sample boxes. I love getting stuff in the mail, and getting fun things to try makes it all the better! Since this is the first round of boxes I am getting, I'll make the disclaimer and say I'm still in "trial runs" with all of these subscriptions to see which ones I like and which ones, if any, I can live without. I'm on the waitlist for Birchbox, and am still waiting for my Glossybox, but I've received the rest and will continue posting in the next couple of days. Anyway, on to the box!

The November box included samples of:

• Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Dry Oil Mist
• diego dalla palma Classic Lipstick in Pink Satin
• Diptyque Volutes Eau de Toilette
• Dermalogica Precleanse
• L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream 

I haven't tried all of them yet, but I'll give my thoughts on those that I have tried. 

1. L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream : I am loving this hand cream! Although it's been getting a little humid here in Nevada lately, for the most part it's very dry, so keeping my skin hydrated is a must! This came at just the right time, as the cold is settling in, and I have to say that I can feel the difference in my hands already. Now, a friend of mine said she got this as a sample from someplace else and that she found it to be too greasy for her. I haven't found that to be the case for myself. My hands feel really soft and I love the scent! 
2. diego dalla palma Classic Lipstick in Pink Satin: I'll admit I was a little hesitant about the lipstick. Generally speaking I'm more likely to wear a gloss than a lipstick, so my 3 year old niece actually grabbed it and tried it first. And it looked very lovely on her. Once I tried it for myself, though, I found that it has a very smooth feel on my lips, which is nice, as I am always afraid it's going to end up too sticky feeling. The color was a nice pink too, not too bright, not too sheer. 
3. Diptyque Volutes Eau de Toilette: This was tried by both myself and my sister, but ultimately my mom took this sample. Don't get me wrong, it is a very lovely scent, and I had high hopes for it, as I actually love scents that include tobacco. (One of my favorites, Perversion, comes from the fabulous Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.) Oddly enough, on me this one leaned more towards the floral side and I wasn't picking up enough of the smoky or spicy elements. 

The Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Dry Oil Mist was claimed by my sister, so I will have to wait and see what she thinks of it, and I will use the Dermalogica Precleanse, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. 

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with this box. Can't wait to see what the next one has in store! 

Fall "Thanksgiving" Nails

I suppose I should preface this by saying that I very rarely polish my nails myself. I've been getting gel on my nails since just a little bit before my wedding, so ever since then, I go with my sister every two weeks for a sister manicure day. It works well enough for me, I get to try out all the new colors our nail girl gets, and I'll bring in my own as well sometimes. Plus I get to spend some fun bonding time with my sister, so it's a win all around.

Moving right along, since we won't be back to get our nails done until after Thanksgiving, and it's actually starting to get cold here in Nevada, I was in the mood for a fall manicure. AND since there isn't such a thing as seasons around here, I miss the seeing the leaves change color (Nothing like NY in the Fall, lemme tell you!) so I decided to recreate it on my nails:

We used OPI's Warm & Fozzie, with Indulgence on my ring fingers, and then put Nfu Oh's #44 over all of them. It was hard to get a good picture of the effect on my phone, but it looks really cool in person. 

After this it will be time for winter nails! And for me, that means extra glitter! ♥

Julep Maven Welcome Kit

"It Girl"


I got my Welcome Kit from Julep the other day. The style quiz indicated I was an "It Girl", so I went with that option for my intro box. It Girl is described as follows:

"Edgy and bold, your statement-making look exemplifies the modern rock 'n' roll chic. You love bright, bold, fun and innovative style and are inspired by colors and accessories that are anything but ordinary." 

The box was really cute, I loved the way it was packaged. The colors included in this box are Delaunay {chili pepper red crème}, Daphne {seafoam green crème}, and Otte {camel neutral crème}, and they also included two glitter pots, which I loved!! The colors themselves would work well as base colors for me. Personally speaking, I rarely have "plain" nails, I usually have some sort of glitter, glimmer, or shine on them (if the blog name wasn't an indication of that). 

I haven't actually tried any of these just yet, but I'm looking forward to it, and looking around on the site I have already found other colors I want to add to my collection. 

Hello & Welcome!

Welcome to my newest blogging adventure! I've been a long time reader and observer in the beauty blog world, and I've had a personal blog I've kept for a while now. I've also had a wedding blog when I was planning my wedding and a Disney blog I am currently working on, but I was always a little hesitant to venture into the beauty world of blogging. I couldn't tell you why that was, but I've had a change of heart, so here we are. I'm finally taking the plunge and checking out some of the beauty box subscriptions I have been dying to try, and I'm really excited about that!

Anyway, for those who stumble on this blog and follow along, thank you! I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you.