Smiles for Samples

Birchbox and ipsy unboxing and product reviews every month! PLUS other product/sample reviews!

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Bonjour Jolie Period Box February 2015 I am not subscribed to this box, I simply ordered a one-month trial.  While I'm extremely impressed with the contents of this box, I don't have a need for feminine products every month, and their e-mail only customer service makes me a little leery.  It's a little pricey for Canadians, but I'd say it's worth the cost. Bonjour Jolie allows you to choose your favourite brand, and then you customize the number of tampons/pads/liners you'd like to get!  I choose Kotex, and got 10 tampons, 10 liners, and 5 pads.  Bonjour Jolie also throws in a gift, edibles, and pampering products! The Gift this month was the Antiqued Silver Flower Cuff Bracelet, worth $20! The Edibles included a lollipop (rose and honey flavour which looks super yummy!), a handful of Hershey's Kisses, a full-sized, double-decker Moon Pie, some Wonka candies and sweets, and three different kinds of Tazo Teas. The Pampering items included a handmade lotion bar (which smells like heaven!), soap rosebud petals, an orgasmic-tasting Bonjour Jolie lip balm, Advil, and cleansing wipes.  I was very happy with my Bonjour Jolie box, but really have no need for a box like this every month.  Was a great one-time surprise though!

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February 2015 Vegan Cuts Beauty Box! Last month I tried the Vegan Cuts Snack Box, and found it just wasn't a box for me.  This month I switched to their Beauty Box and was much happier! Blissoma Organic Facial Cleanser First cleanser I've ever used with a dropper applicator before.  Not my favourite, but a nice cleanser and the sample size allows for many uses. I'll definitely use this one up in no time! Red Apple Lipstick I'm really not a lipstick fan, in fact I never wore lipstick until I started getting beauty boxes, but this one has be completely in love! The shade, the texture, the smell/taste....I'm in love with it all!  If I was to ever buy a lipstick, this would be my go-to brand! This was one of my favourite items in this box. Balanced Guru Hair Treatment Smells amazing, easy to apply, and leaves my scalp feeling cool and pampered all day.  I generally put this on when I'm spending the day relaxing at home. Alexandria Professional All-In-One Treatment This was my other favourite product in this month's box! It leaves a bit of an oily residue on the face, but I use it before bed so it really doesn't bother me.  The product size is great, the texture is thick and buttery, and the smell is relaxing.  This has been part of my nightly routine since I got it! Love it! Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Dual Action Lip Exfoliant and Moisturizer A small sample, but considering it's only used on the lips it makes for a good number of uses.  Taste is fabulous, and it has worked wonders on my extremely dry Canadian winter lips.  I've always loved lip scrubs, and this was no exception! I'm extremely pleased with this month's Vegan Cuts Beauty Box!  I loved most of the products, and wasn't disappointed with anything.  I will be sticking with this subscription!

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February 2015 Birchbox! This Birchbox was good and bad this month.  As far as keeping up with products that I like, they did amazing.  Most of these are vegan or cruelty-free, which I'm super happy that Birchbox pays attention to.  Some of the samples could have used some tweaking though.  Anyways, here's what I got this month! Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain - Heartthrob This lip stain is a good size sample.  I've used it a few times since getting my box.  The colour is flattering.  I'm not huge on lipsticks/stains/yadayada, so that's all I really have to say about this one.  I liked it, but I wouldn't buy it myself. Derma e Anti-Wrinkle Vitamin A Glycolic Scrub This was my favourite item this month!  While I by no means need an anti-wrinkle cream, the exfoliating beads do wonders for my acne and leave me feeling super clean!  The smell is perfect for bedtime or morning, and a little goes a long way.  Big win for me, would definitely buy this in the future! Harvey Prince Hello Conditioner and Hello Shampoo These were listed as two separate items, though I feel they should have probably gone as one.  I was actually super stoked to receive these, as I loved the Harvey Prince lotion I got in my January Birchbox, but I was a little disappointed.  I probably would have fallen in love with these products, had I had enough for a few separate uses, or even just a full use out of them would have been nice.  The samples were tiny, and only 1/3 full of product.  Considering I have very long hair, these didn't even get through one shower with me!  Big bummer. theBalm Cosmetics Cindy-Lou Manizer Call me pale, but this colour was way too dark to be used as a highlighter for my skin tone.  I mix it in with my setting powder though and it gives me a nice shimmer. There you have it.  One product I absolutely loved, a few I was okay with, and a couple I was really disappointed about.  I think had the shampoo/conditioner samples been larger, or just fuller, I would have been a lot happier with this box.   

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February ipsy Glam Bag Product Review Luxie Beauty Large Angled Face Brush 504      I was so happy to receive a makeup brush in my glam bag!  I love my brushes, and can never have enough.  I've been using this brush for setting powder, and find it works great!  Super soft too, and it's pink ;) This product was a definite win for me. Model Co BLUSH Cheek Powder      This shade actually works quite well on my face, and goes on like a dream.  Nothing bad to say about this blush, and would probably purchase it in the future. CARGO Cosmetics Mini Lip Gloss      I was honestly going to just re-gift this product without giving it a try, but I'm glad I didn't!  It's a nice, long-lasting gloss.  The shade is a little light and it's a little too creamy for me, but mixed with one of my other lip products I got a stunning combo and was really quite happy with it.  I will probably hold on to this one for myself. "Pencil Me In" Cosmetics Natural Eye Liner Pencil      I do already have dozens and dozens of eye liners, so I could have done without this product, but the colour is different and works well for a night out.  The lid even has a little pencil sharpener built in, which is handy! EVA NYC Up All Night Volumizing Spray      As I sort of expected, this product did nothing for my stubborn hair!  It was a nice spray though; didn't leave a residue, and would probably work well on most people.  

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February 2015 ipsy Glam Bag! I'm really happy with this month's bag!  The brush is a huge bonus for me (I love makeup brushes!) The eyeliner is full-size and a colour I will wear, and the blush is perfect as I was running low on my current blush! The lip colour I might wear a few times, or just re-gift it, as I am really not a huge fan of anything on my lips.  The volumizing hairspray is a really cool sample, but I have doubts as to whether it will actually work on my super thin and stubborn hair.  I am still always excited to try hair products though! Oh, and I absolutely love the bag!  I think all beauty subscriptions should come in cute little bags like this.  I don't think I'll ever have too many adorable makeup bags!  Now one negative thing I can say right off the bat about ipsy, is that they do not personalize their glam bags, at least not near to the extent that Birchbox did.  A friend of mine is subscribed to ipsy as well, and got the exact same bag.  Identical, I'm pretty positive all the shades/colours were identical as well, which made me feel like ipsy really doesn't care what you fill out on your survey. The other thing was the lack of an index card.  Call me lazy, but having to look up all these companies and products online by myself now is a bit of a drag. Despite that, I'm still really happy with ipsy.  I will use all of these products, and I feel I really got my moneys worth with this one.

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Ocean Combo! Best thing to relax yo’ self after a long day of work 😍💙💙💙 #LUSH #LUSHcosmetics #oceansalt #bigblue

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this stuff smells absolutely amazing

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Love this face mask! The minty smell is perfect for relaxing.

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A small sample of my house-cleaning products!

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A couple of my favourite all natural and vegan skin care products that my wonderful mother got me!

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January 2015 Vegan Cuts subscription snack box!

Vegan Cuts offers both a beauty box, and a snack box.  This subscription costs $19.95, plus $8 shipping to Canada, and apparently tax since I'm fairly certain I was charged thirty-some dollars to my Visa.  Now, this is a little pricey in my opinion for the size and selection of products you get, especially since most of these are clearly "free" samples. But I can tell you from experience that finding vegan food in northern Canada can be quite difficult, so I'm always willing to pay a little extra for products that I would otherwise never be able to try. I was eager to try the Vegan Cuts snack box, but for me, this was a one-time purchase right from the get-go.  I am an extremely picky eater, and this box just isn't for me, which I kind of expected going into it.  I do however, plan on subscribing to their beauty box instead! Anyways, enough chit-chat and onto the contents of my snack box :) Munk Pack Raspberry Coconut Oatmeal Fruit Squeeze A whole grain, gluten-free, non-gmo breakfast-on-the-go.  A little nervous about this one, as I don't care for oatmeal much.  I once watched a viral video of a mother who thought her child's juice pack smelled unusual, so she cut it open only to find it had gone bad and started fermenting inside! Since then I have a hard time drinking things from containers which I can't see into.  Call me crazy, but I like to see what I'm putting into my mouth so there's no surprises ;)  Might convince my husband to give this one a go for me! Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Apple Blueberry Granola Wheat-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free granola clusters. Meant to be a breakfast hot or cold cereal I believe?  I'd probably end up eating these dry as a snack at work.

Sant Dried Superfruit That Turns Into a Fresh Beverage They look and feel similar to raisins.  Anyways, apparently you throw a few pieces into iced or hot water, and they infuse into a tasty drink.  I'm quite anxious to try this one, both hot and cold!  Perhaps I'll have this in place of my morning tea tomorrow. Athletic Greens Superfood Cocktail A whole food dietary supplement powder.  "Boosts energy, immunity and overall well-being."  Box came with two of these packets.  I will probably have hubby try one with me.  These intrigue me, I'm praying they taste good! Go Raw Organic Real Live Apricot Bar Gluten-free, wheat-free, nut-free.  Not overly thrilled about this one.  I'm sure most people would like it, but I don't see myself becoming a huge fan.  Another snack to bring to work! Mediterranean Snacks Rosemary Baked Lentil Chips Gluten-free and fiber-packed! These look really good, especially with a little dip! Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods Hemp Pro 70 A plant-based protein powder. I got two packets, a vanilla flavour and a chocolate.  Always thrilled to add things like this to my smoothies! Might have to try the chocolate one in a glass of chocolate almond milk! Yum! Now, those were the seven products listed on the index card, but I received a few addition products as well! Simply 7 Quinoa Chips Sea Salt flavoured.  Gluten-free and non-gmo.  Remind me of tortilla chips.  They look simple but tasty. Nature's Bakery Apple Cinnamon Fig Bar Stone ground whole wheat, 100% natural, and non-gmo.  Looks appealing.  Can't wait to try this one. Fruitigees 24 Carrot Orange Naturally flavoured creamy fruit snack.  Non-gmo, organic and gluten-free.  This looks absolutely delicious, but once again, the packaging is not my favourite as I like to see what I'm drinking.  I imagine it will taste like heaven regardless. TCHO This is a small square of dark chocolate, apparently with a fruity kick?  I do like chocolate... If you're interested in ordering your own Vegan Cuts snack box, you can click this link: http://vegancuts.com/snackbox!

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January Birchbox Product Reviews!

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo      I'll be honest, I really didn't think I'd use this product as I've never been a fan of using dry shampoo on my hair, but I've already purchased the full-size!  This product worked amazing on my hair; sprung it back to life without leaving any residue!       The sample size lasted me plenty of uses.

Derma e Hydrating Night Creme with Hyaluronic Acid      Was this a good night cream? Yes.  Would I buy it again? No.  I really wanted to fall in love with this product, simply because it's vegan and cruelty-free, but there was nothing I found overly special about it.  Good, but I can get the same quality from plenty of others.      Sample size was awesome...I won't be running out any time soon.

Harvey Prince Hello Body Creme      Really nice cream; doesn't leave a greasy residue and has a mild but pleasant scent. Again, wouldn't buy the full size as I have tons of body creams that I'm already in love with.  Worked well, but definitely didn't replace any of my current favourites.    Now, I've just been using this on my extremely dry hands, and for that the sample size is okay.  Had I wanted to try this out of my entire body, the sample size would probably have disappointed me.

ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick      This was a really nice lipstick.  Texture was heavenly and it had a lovely scent.  The colour I received wasn't particularly flattering on me.  I might buy this product in the future, but would definitely try out a different shade.

Whish Shave Crave - Acai Grapefruit      Now, my first impression of this product was really good, simply because of the scent.  As a shaving cream though, I was a little disappointed. Definitely wouldn't purchase this product.      Sample size was large enough to last a few shaving sessions.

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JANUARY BIRCHBOX My first Beauty box, er, my first subscription box of any sort really. Now I haven't found the time to put any of these samples to use yet, but my first impressions are good. The night creme is completely vegan and cruelty-free, and the dry-shampoo is cruelty-free as well.  The lipstick is a nice shade, and smells fantastic! The shave cream smells heavenly. Not overly stocked about the body cream...very little scent to it.