❧❦ 5 Things I'm Loving Right Now ❦❧

I never got around to filming an April Favorites video, but I just had to share some of my favorite things right now:

Balenciaga Pencil in Raisin - 2009

The perfect, compact little makeup bag that fits just the right amount of makeup.  Check out the latest versions at Balenciaga.

Betsey Johnson's It's My Pink nail color - Sephora by OPI  

It's a gorgeous, ripe, berry-pink that is scented with her Too Too fragrance. It lasted 4 days without chipping (no top coat). After wearing this for 5 days straight  I could still smell the fragrance!  

It is a limited edition, so be sure to pick one up now.  It's a Sephora exclusive.

Black 15in1 Miracle Hair Treatment 

The company claims it does all of the following: 

- adds shine

- softens and smoothes

- detangles

- prevents frizz and fly-aways

- moisturizes

- protects against humidity

- repairs dry

- damaged hair

- protects against heat styling

- enhances natural body

- seals and protects hair color

- protects from UV light

- strengthens hair

- adds volume

- soothes dry scalp

While I can't speak for all of the above (like the dry scalp claim), it has done pretty much everything else for me.  The real test was when I used the product on my newly colored hair and spent hours swimming in the ocean.  It really did protect my color.

It has now become a staple in my morning beauty routine, and even after several weeks of use find I have far less color fading than I've had in the past.  

Available here.

*Antipodes Deliverance Kowhai Flower Hand Cream

I love the soothing, silky, texture of this hand cream that contains avocado oil.  Non-greasy, instead it feels like you are feeding your skin.  It's on my desk at work, and I reach for it several times a day.  It's almost finished, and I'll have to replenish it soon.  It smells faintly of tonka beans and an orange scent that lingers.  A little goes a long way.  

Available at Hip Apotheca.

Chembur by Byredo 

This is a sophisticated, spicy unisex fragrance that reminds me of being in a room filled with carved wood panelling, covered in a rich patina that comes with age, where incense has been burning.  

It was inspired by the home town of founder Ben Gorham's mother in the outskirts of Mumbai, evoking memories of a Hindu temple. It is a pungent, haunting fragrance that leaves the skin scented with ginger, musk and lemon.

Available here.

Until next time,

- The Sassi Wench

*This hand cream was sent to me by Hip Apotheca for review. The honest opinions expressed are completely my own.  

❧❦ MyGlam Bag May 2012 - Philosophy ❦❧

MyGlam Bag May 2012

Studio Gear Complete Color Lipstick

Miss Beauty - Nail Bling

Philosophy Love Sweet Love

MyGlam Concealer Brush and Defining Eyeliner Brush

MyGlam has got to be one of the worst sample subscription programs out there right now.  Because of my experiences with other subscription services, I know that things can change and that every company has growing pains, so I will continue with it - for now.  But so far, it's been an appalling mix of cheap makeup brushes and cheap makeup bags, minimum purchase coupons in lieu of product,  and products you can find at Walmart.  There have been very few decent samples, even less high end cosmetics.  I've given away most of the products I have received.  


MyGlam does require you to fill out some kind of beauty info page when you sign up, but apparently this is all about demographics.  So they don't care to categorize groups of people by skin tone or hair color and send them appropriate products.  It is clear from all the feedback I have received on my MyGlam videos that random colors are distributed and some people get colors that do not compliment them.


Not to mention the continuing debacle with shipping problems (many of their subscribers received multiple bags, meaning that others received nothing because they were shipped to the wrong address!), people being charged for bags that they never received and having issues obtaining refunds, bad customer service and having to update your credit card information because after a few months MyGlam decided to change their credit card processing service.


I did experience issues when I paid for but did not receive my first MyGlam bag, but after a few emails to MyGlam I was refunded.


And this month is no exception.  I got "Nail Bling" that is appropriate for a 14 year old, but a sophisticated deep red lipstick by Studio Gear called "Autumn Red" - and guess what?  It's SPRING!  The color is lovely but it would look garish if I wore this right now.  It's a color I'll keep until October.  


This kind of thing does not benefit the company being featured - in this case, Studio Gear - because if I don't use the product now, like it and decide to buy more products in the near future, I doubt I'll get around to it in October.


If you are still on the fence, hold off on this one.  For the same amount of money, Birchbox is infinitely better.  More expensive sample boxes are now here - hello GlossyBox!  And then there is always New Beauty's TestTube.


I'll continue to feature MyGlam for a few months, but at the rate they are going, the whole company appears to be a sloppy amateur afterthought and this shows no signs of abating.


- The Sassi Wench

❧❦ Stila In The Light Eye Shadow Palette ❦❧

Stila In The Light Palette

Stila In The Light Palette

I've been a Stila girl for years.  Even though I do love many of their products, I'm really a big fan of their eye shadows.

If you have never experienced them before, Stila eye shadows are finely milled and velvety.  Because they are so soft (especially the shimmer colors), they are more delicate and prone to breakage.  But this also means that you can use less product, and you don't have to dig into the product with your brush.   And if you aren't careful, you can expect a little fallout with the darker colors like Night Sky and Ebony.

But I simply adore this palette - the colors, textures, application, everything - just works for me.  I've used this palette for weeks at a time, and I've never grown tired of it.

For a comparison, as much as I love my Urban Decay Naked 1 and 2 palettes, I have used my Stila palette more often and have hit pan on several of the colors.

Stila In The Light Palette

The palette includes a Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Damsel, a matte chocolate brown, and an 6-page booklet with detailed how-to tips.

Bare - matte ivory

Kitten - a shimmery nude pink

Bliss - matte beige pink

Sunset - shimmery canyon pink

Sandstone - matte light coco

Bubbly - shimmery pale gold

Gilded Gold - golden brown with shimmer

Luster - dark aubergine with gold shimmer

Night Sky - blue with shimmer

Ebony - black

Total eye shadow weight: .49oz/14g, made in USA.

The Smudge Stick is full-sized .01oz/.28g, made in Germany.

Stila In The Light Palette

Stila In The Light Palette

 

Stila eye shadows in Bare, Kitten, Champagne and Gilded Gold

Stila eye shadows in Bliss, Luster

Stila eye shadows in Sunset, Sandstone, Night Sky, Ebony

Stila In The Light Palette Swatches

Stila In The Light Palette Swatches

Pros:

• Versatile colors can create a multitude of looks from neutral to smokey.
• Can be easily layered and blended.
• Soft eye shadows - you don't need a lot of product to create a beautiful effect.
• Can be used wet or dry.
• Will compliment any skin tone.
• Long lasting.
• Highly pigmented.
• Smooth application.
• Unbeatable value of $39 for a palette of 10 Stila eye shadows! An individual Stila eye shadow is $18 for 0.09 oz.
• Includes a really good waterproof eyeliner.
• Not tested on animals.

Cons: 

• Because some of the eye shadows are very soft (like Kitten), by the time you hit pan they have a tendency to break.
• Some of the eye shadows can flake.
• No mirror - I don't mind but for others it's essential in a palette like this.
• A strange cardboard packaging that looks okay initially, but it dents easily and looks scuffed after several months of use making it look cheap.
• There is no clasp or magnet on the palette, and this makes it rather inconvenient to carry around in your purse or travel with because the lid can come open, causing obvious problems and exposing the makeup to bacteria.

I really love the looks that I can create from this palette, and I would repurchase it.

Available here!


- The Sassi Wench

❧❦ Birchbox May 2012 - Gossip Girl ❦❧

May 2012 Birchbox

BlenderCleanser

Color Club Disco Nap

Dr. Jart+ Waterfuse BB Cream

Gossip Girl XOXO Card

Arquiste L'Etrog

The TV show Gossip Girl is apparently struggling in the ratings, and desperate times call for desperate measures - so the peeps at Gossip Girl teamed up with the rising cosmetic giant Birchbox!

I can't say that the products I received are remotely close to Gossip Girl's lofty designer standards, with the exception of the fragrance L'Etrog by Arquiste.

Nevertheless, I did like my Birchbox.  The BeautyBlender BlenderCleanser fluid helps clean tools and my BeautyBlender (which I received in a previous Birchbox).  This item was a welcome inclusion.

The May 2012 Birchbox includes:

L'Etrog by Arquiste

BlenderCleanser by BeautyBlender

Disco Nap by Color Club

Waterfuse BB Cream by Dr. Jart+

The box also included a Twistband skinny hairband (not pictured here but it is visible in my video) and I wore it yesterday after I filmed by video and lost it already!

The Birchbox Extra was an XOXO note card.

Click here for a link to the: 

2012:
January 2012 Birchbox

February 2012 Birchbox

March 2012 Birchbox

2011:

January 2011 Birchbox
February 2011 Birchbox
March 2011 Birchbox
April 2011 Birchbox
May 2011 Birchbox
June 2011 Birchbox
July 2011 Birchbox
August 2011 Birchbox
September 2011 Birchbox

October 2011 Birchbox

December 2011 Birchbox

Click here for a link to the website: 

Click here for a link to Beauty Fix: Beauty Fix

Click here for a link to my YouTube Channel: The Sassi Wench

Until next time!

- The Sassi Wench

❧❦ What's in My Beach Bag on Siesta Key Beach ❦❧

What's in My Beach Bag? 2012

I was fortunate enough to vacation in Orlando, Florida last week.  My favorite part of the vacation was the day I spent at Siesta Key Beach and Turtle Beach in Sarasota.

I am usually much more prepared when I travel but this time around I was really exhausted before I left for my trip, and I forgot to bring my beach bag!  I had intended to bring my large Longchamp le Pliage Arbre de Vie tote.  Everything I need fits inside that bag, including my towel.  

Instead, I had to use my Lonchamp le Pliage medium tote in Curry, which is a bag I was using while I was traipsing around the theme parks and shopping malls.  It is a little less practical for the beach, purely because of the smaller size of the bag - I couldn't fit my towel inside. 

My Urban Decay Quinceañera Makeup Bag filled with beach essentials

I found that the Urban Decay Quinceañera Makeup Bag was perfect to take to the beach.  It's completely lined in plastic inside and out, and therefore it's easy to wipe clean from moisture, sunscreen and sand. 

Longchamp Le Pliage in Curry

Longchamp Le Pliage Medium Tote in Curry

Urban Decay Quinceañera Makeup Bag

Black 15in1 Miracle Hair Treatment (a MUST have HG beauty product!  It really works!)

My Sanyo Camcorder

Coach Card Holder for cash, cards and ID

Lucky Magazine

Body Shop Hair Brush (discontinued) 

Australian Gold Face Guard Sunscreen Stick in SPF50

Coppertone Sport Ultra Sweatproof Sunscreen SPF50

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF15

Sleep Pretty in Pink Earplugs

Hair tie

Secret Outlast deodorant

Cetaphil

Lanocreme Cream

Anna Sui Rose Mirror

Fiji Water

My flip flops of choice? I love my Macramé Havaianas!

Until next time!

- The Sassi Wench