Loose Button Luxebox: May 2012

Hiya!

I really spoiled my own fun earlier today by checking out another blogger's post and finding out about this month's luxe box...

Anyhoot, my box finally came today so here goes~

Lots of stuff for the month of May

Cargo Blu_Ray lip gloss Belize - this was the full size product I got, retailed at $25. First impression: it smells very minty and when you first apply it you'll feel a slight tingly sensation on your lips (that eventually goes away). The colour that I got is actually very sheer and only adds a shine to my lip. I thought that the Timestrip Technology part was pretty cool, however, I don't see gloss lasting 9 months if I use it daily XD

Orlane Oligo vitalizing scrub - I feel a bit iffy about getting an Orlane product as I seem to be a bit sensitive to it on my face. This is suppose to help exfoliate dead skin cells to leave your face feeling fresh, smooth, bright and soft (big claim.) Will see.

Paco Rabanne Black XS L'exces for Him/Her - I don't really care for perfume sample such as these ones. I won't use it and the for 'Him' one was suppose to be a 'bonus.' Can I trade the two for something else? :D

Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask - If this came last month I would have been happier. This must be the 5th   product from this brand that I've received in my Luxe box... can I say that I'm feeling a bit bored?

This month we got a little something extra, a Bath and Body Box box which came with a Venus & Olay razor and an Olay Regenerist wrinkle revolution complex (my second one). I'm quite excited about the razor since the concept of a moisture bar on the razor is pretty interesting and good if it works.

Overall, this box was really meh~ I don't know if it was because I spoiled my own fun by reading ahead or if I am just bored with the repeat of brands and products I keep seeing in my luxe box. There was no first in line this month which was surprisingly a relief. Even though it was a 'meh' box, I think I'd still give it a B since two products out of the bunch made me happy/excited (lip gloss + razor). Am I the only one who thinks that these sample boxes lack a certain 'omph' to it?

If only they come up with a subscription box that contain samples of Asian products... I would be ecstatic!

Love it or Leave it

Haro! 

It's been a while since I did a Love it or Leave it post, so here are some that I'd like to share with you:

Cargo - Voyages makeup bag - This got me into my summer mode. It helped me lighten up my purse since the compact size really reduced the amount of makeup I carry around daily. It is very cheery and I just really enjoy carrying it around with me :) Love it! 

ELF shine eraser - this is an essential for these extremely humid hot days. At an affordable price of $1 for 50 sheets, you can't go wrong! Love it! 

J.R. Watkins Hand and body lotion - It's a great hand moisturizer if I can get over the overwhelming lavender smell... Leave it!

JUJU Cosmetics AQUAMOIST Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Cleansing Oil (150 ml) - this just does its job very well, and my face feels clean and oh so soft! My only complaint is the strong tangy scent, otherwise I completely Love it! 

Kiehl's - Ultra Protection Water Based Sunscreen SPF25 - It's suppose to be a light weight water based sunscreen... It feels a bit sticky when you first apply it, however it absorbs pretty quickly. There is a very distinct smell that is almost like white glue. I have to admit that this is a pretty good 'light' weight sunscreen, however, it was not really that great for my oily skin. Oil pools starts forming in the T-zone a few hours after application and it had also caused me to break out. I won't be using this on my face anymore, but will be applying it onto my arms before I leave work... At almost $30 a bottle I'd say, Leave it!

Korres's Lip Butter - I went to Sephora looking for a good lip treatment for dry/chapped lips and the SA recommended this one to me saying that it is very moisturizing and gives off a very nice tint... I love the colour but unfortunately, it did not hydrate my lips... At $16 a pop, I'd have to say Leave it!  I know I said leave it, but after trying it out again when my lip is normal, I'm actually quite enjoying this. The colour is lovely :) and hasn't been drying out my lips, but I still find it lacking in the moisturizing department. I just have to use a gloss over and it's all good :) Love it! [this part is updated Aug 14, 2012]

Klorane Oil-suppressing dry shampoo - Within an hour or two my hair feels greasy again... and I used the bottle maybe 5 times max? This shampoo also doesn't smell that great, double fail? Leave it!

La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water (50g) It has been quite humid recently and this baby really helped me stay cool. This sample size is also perfect to carry around in my purse (which is getting pretty packed!) Love it! 

OPI Turquoise Shatter - I tried this on when I went on a weekend trip with a girlfriend. I regret not painting it on all my nails! This lovely turquoise nail polish has little shimmers on it and with the combo I had on reminds me very much of the ocean~It also crackled very nicely! Love it! 

Pandora's Bague Entortillée en argent aka twisted silver ring - this is a simple piece of accessory that I've worn a lot recently. It looks nice on any fingers, but I mainly wear it as a thumb ring or on my index finger. It's one on of those rings that adds a nice accent on your hand without going overboard :) This ring can be worn as part of a stackable, but is lovely on its own. Can't say that I'm not into brands, but I thought 35$ was not bad for this ring. Love it!

Foldable water bottle - Yes this last product is out of sequence, but I want it to be memorable. It's going to be a hot summer (yay) so remember to keep hydrated and drink plenty of water. I found this collapsible/ foldable water bottle amazing. It is light, compact and environmentally friendly and when it's empty I can just put it in my bag without it taking up so much room. Love it!

Thanks for reading this, sorry it is so long, I guess it has been a while since I did one :) I shared mainly my love it as I find them more useful, but I also wanted to share my 2 cents on products that I did not enjoy as much~ Hope you have a great day!

FOTD : May 26, 2012

Quick FOTD plus first impressions of new products~

No lippies because my lips swelled up from a cankersore...

It was a sunny Saturday so I used the Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-free UV Protector SPF 42 PA+++ under my foundation. First impression: I like this sunscreen, it is light and absorbs quickly into the skin, it does not feel sticky/greasy on my face and it really mattifies my face. This look lasted me all day and night and surprisingly, my face did not oil up at all. I'm not sure if it was the sunscreen that kept the sebum in tact for the day, but will keep everyone posted on it :)

A second new product that I used in this FOTD is the d.j.v. beautenizer Fiberwig LX. I like that this mascara does not smudge, however, the black seems a little light and did not show up well in the pictures. I find that I need to apply quite a few coats of this mascara for my lashes to show. Aii... the curse of short Asian lashes~

Lastly, I used the beautyblender to apply my liquid foundation and I have to say that I love the natural/dewy finish. I feel that it's worth the $13 ($26 for two on Sephora). It was also great at applying cream concealer under my eyes. The only problem I have with this is how to clean the foundation off the sponge... I haven't been too successful with it... Do I have to get the beautycleanser? hmm~

Also, wanted to mention that I was using a different camera (Canon G11) and the pictures were overexposed and the colours were washed out. I think I might stick to my camera phone (Nokia N8) I feel the colours were better, what do you think?

monkey!

I just realized that I used products from different brands, yay for trying out different brands!

Love Package from Daisy~

My awesome friend Daisy not only went to the P&G sale and grabbed me a bunch of yummies for a mere $22 but also gave me a neat little love package full of Korean skincare samples as well as a mask, neck moisturizer and misty spray! I'm quite excited to try out the sample BB creams as well as the masks. Will report after use!

Eyeshadow fanatic

I went to the Shiseido Warehouse sale this year... and my haul consist mainly of eyeshadows... for most of them $10 was too good a deal to pass... now... with the big hole in my wallet I wonder if it was such a good idea... and to top it all off the only thing I've used out of this bunch was the blush...

Loose Button Luxe Box: April 2012

Better late than never~ haha... I just received my Luxe box yesterday... But I shouldn't complain because I liked my luxe box this month despite the duplicate item. :)

Yeah, yeah! Essie nail polish in Pink-A-Boo and Seche's base coat

I got this in my January Luxe box already :|

I think this is a nice sample set to have, although it isn't a 'luxurious' brand but I feel that it is good to try out new things

So, why is this month's box so worth it? I guess I really like the colour Pink-a-Boo so that was a big plus for them. I got so excited that I tried it out right away... It also nice that I got to try out multiple items in one go such as the Seche base coat in this month's box, the OPI top coat from the March Luxe box as well as the TiVoli Magnetic nail polish that I picked up at the warehouse sale this past weekend.

As you can see, I completely failed at applying the magnetic nail polish the first time around... the second time I did it, the magnetic touched and ruined the nail polish and by the third time I decided to settle for my 'best' attempt. Maybe on a day I feel more patient I will do a better job, but I found the Tivoli nail polish too difficult to apply and the pattern does not show up =(

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Update: So I just received an email from Loose Button reminding me about a Cargo product that was missed in this month's box... Looking forward to another surprise later on this month :)

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Received my Cargo product during the weekend :) It was a cute Cargo pouch and a glitter Top Coat Eyeliner. I have to say, I'm quite impressed with this month :)