Zoya Halloween - Amazing Deal!

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Do you want to pay $0.50 for a full sized Zoya nail polish with FREE SHIPPING? I think the answer is a yes, so onto how to get this amazing deal. This is for TODAY ONLY, so hurry!!!
  • Click HERE, this is the link for Zoya's Halloween Trick or Treat.
  • Log in or create an account.
  • Once you click the doors on the Halloween link, it will give you a code and it will automatically apply it at checkout.
  • Click HERE, and add a Zoya Color Spoon to your cart. This is $0.50.
  • Now add whatever nail polish you want to the cart
  • Go ahead and check out, it should be free shipping and you'll wind up with a Zoya polish and a color spoon for $0.50!
Enjoy!

November 2013 Ipsy Spoiler / Sneak Peek

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Good news everyone! There will be 6 items in the Ipsy bag this month. One item will be a full sized item from em, Michelle Phan's cosmetic line.

November’s Glam it Up Bag includes five of our community’s most sought-after items, plus a bonus full-size product from our co-founder Michelle Phan’s own em michelle phan collection. That’s six products total!

Want to receive gush-worthy goodies like this in the future? SUBSCRIBE TO THE GLAM BAG!



NOVEMBER SNEAK PEEK #1: You asked and we listened! To kick off "Glam It Up" month in style, every ipsy subscriber will be getting a glamorous goodie from this emspiring makeup line! Which product are you most excited to try?

1. em (Michelle Phan's make up line) make up item (full sized)


These lip products are perfect for your party clutch and, this month, you will be getting one of these undeniably glamorous shades! 
2. Be a Bombshell - Lip Crayon

A touch of color and a hint of sheen - a little dust of one of these and you'll be good to glow!

3. Pixi - Beauty Bronzer

Every toast you make will be a little more glamorous when you use one of these lovely shades to raise your glass.
4. Nailtini - Nail Polish

Get ready to sparkle like a diamond with one of these amazing products in your November Glam Bag!
5. One item from the list below:
Kiss - Ever EZ Lashes
TRESemme - TRES Two Extra Hold Hair Spray
Cailyn Cosmetics - Built-in Sponge tip Mineral Eyeshadow
Glam Glow
HSI Professional - Argan Oil
BH Cosmetics - Galaxy Chic Sampler

6. Starlooks - Gem Eye Pencil

The bag!

EcoTools False Lashes and Tools

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I received these via Klout as a free perk. I'll post a review with pictures whenever I get around to using these, which I'm sure will be in the near future.

Have you used these before? If so leave a comment and tell me what you thought!

Zoya Buy 1 Get 1 Trio + Free Shipping

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I got this email earlier today.

ZOYA would like to say thank you by letting you save big on your favorite Zoya Nail Polish Team Spirit Trio Sets.

Now Through 11/1/2013 Buy Any Zoya Nail Polish Team Spirit Trio
and Get 1 Free + Free Shipping.

Use CODE: SPIRIT

Offer Exclusively available on www.zoya.com

Offer expires 11/1/2013 at 11:59PM ET.




This set includes a set of the Pixie Dust polishes, so if you've been waiting to try these you're in luck! Basically you'll be getting 6 polishes for a total of $22

Anya's October Ipsy Bag

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This month's Ipsy bag has this nifty quote on it: "Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art."

Here were the contents:



  • Zoya "Mason" Nail polish -- It's actually closer to purple than red like the picture shows.
  • Ofra Lipgloss Plumper "Sultry"-- The color on that is a brownish burgundy that's actually quite nice
  • Style Sexy Hair -- Spray Clay
  • Nourish Organic Coconut & Argan Body Lotion
  • H2O Plus Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment - (not photographed -- frankly it rolled behind something and confused me! LOL)
I haven't had a chance to test any of this out except for the lotion...and that was *shrug* A little meh.

Though I'm thrilled to get a full-sized Zoya polish.

Anya's Review: Sauté Express - Land O'Lakes

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Here's another BzzAgent product we got free: Land O'Lakes Sauté Express. We picked the Garlic & Herb flavor. Unfortunately, the one I grabbed had a very recent expiration date so we were only able to use it twice. But here are our findings:

This is the chicken my other half made with the product:


And here's the pork made with the product:



The chicken wasn't terribly flavorful but damn, the pork was great. Oddly it tasted nothing like garlic and herb. It was closer to a barbecue-type taste.

While we might try this again (hopefully with a lengthier expiration date), we'll be trying a different flavor...and hoping the flavors match as advertised.

Mel's October LootCrate

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The theme this month was Survive (ie: Zombies). I love everything in the box this month!! Anyway onto the goodies.

1. Ewoking Dead T-Shirt by GraphicLab: Super cute, I'm surprised my boyfriend hasn't taken this yet but I'm sure he will soon.

2. The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks: I already own this book, but I'm sure I'll be gifting this copy to a friend sooner or later.

3. Outbreak Status Temporary Tattoo: There is actually a contest through LootCrate where you take a picture with either the Infected or the Safe tattoo on and the winner will get a 3 month extension (for free) of their LootCrate subscription.

4. Zombie Hunter ID by Loot Crate Labs: This is a cute little extra.

5. Love Your Guts Card by OpenMe: This is freaking adorable. The outside of the card stays "I LOVE your guts!". The inside says "Your brains are nice too!"

6. 8-Bit Zombie Buttons by Loot Crate Labs: I actually really like these. I'm rocking a skelanimal purse right now, so I'll be tossing one or two of these on it in the very near future.

7. Creepy Candy by Candy Warehouse: I got the gummy eye ball. It's a nice little Halloween treat for this months box.

8. There was also a $5 off coupon code for a purchase of $15 or more at GraphicLab

All in all I really enjoyed this month's box. The subscription is $13.37 a month and $6 for shipping/handling, so total $19.37. Do I feel that the subscription is worth it? Yes, almost all of the boxes I've received from LootCrate have been worthwhile and I enjoy them. The ones that are misses are okay, but the products get used. The value of everything in the box each month is over what I paid, so I feel it's a decent subscription service.

If you're thinking of signing up but have a question feel free to ask me below.

Referral link: http://mbsy.co/lootcrate/137049

N@N's Review: Buitoni Riserva

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I just love it when an email comes in from BzzAgent asking if I want to take part in a new campaign. This one included food! Even better, Italian food! We'd tried a few Buitoni products in the past...fresh fettuccine, angel hair pasta, and tortellini. All were fairly good. So I was thrilled to join this campaign for fancy ravioli.

Above is a picture of the coupons I got. With that, I bought this Shrimp Scampi Ravioli:



We followed the directions on the package and made it two ways, one with olive oil only and one with homemade pasta sauce.

Here's the ravioli with our homemade sauce. Looks, good, doesn't it?


And here it is with the olive oil only:



The olive oil only option lets you really taste the filling. And let me tell you. The filling is good.


My Findings:

I was skeptical of "shrimp scampi" in ravioli. Buitoni pulls it off! These really taste like shrimp scampi has been stuffed into a ravioli. I'll definitely be buying them again. And next time I'm not bothering with the pasta sauce. These are good enough all by themselves.

If there's one dish a company could say tastes like it was made in a restaurant, it's definitely this one!

Julep "Black Latex" - Cleopatra

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I ordered an add-on in this month's Julep box, and even though I didn't receive half of the box's products, I did receive my add-on.

It was this Black Latex finish polish called "Cleopatra". I used my Julep points to get it free.

It's a sweet, sweet finish. Way better than the Illamasqua rubber finish in terms of the final look.

The finish is nearly matte but it holds up better than the matte polishes/topcoats I've used.




I definitely suggest this polish to anyone looking for neat finishes that hold up better than a matte finish.

Julep October "Modern Beauty"

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I ordered Julep's "Modern Beauty" box again this month. It came the last day of September (so early). Unfortunately though I received the box for the "Kajal Eye Glider", the only thing inside it was a pencil sharpener. No pencil.

I did, however, receive the "Mask Noir".

Here's a photograph of it "unboxed":

(Note the lack of a pencil, but there is that pencil sharpener. They did put some candy corn--that's their Halloween thing)

I'm hesitant to touch either of the products because I'm still waiting to hear back from their customer service about what I'm supposed to do to get the pencil situation fixed (I emailed them late on the 30th).

So, you won't get a review from me on the products until this gets resolved. This ought to be interesting simply to see how well Julep handles issues.

Update 10/7 @ 4pm: Julep customer service emailed that they're sending the Eye Glider and they will send me tracking once they get it.

Update 10/7 @ 10pm: I went ahead and tried the Mask Noir since the other product is coming. This stuff is gooey but spreads well...the first time. Don't try to touch up any spots because it'll just peel right off. The tube mentions washing any residue off with warm water after you've peeled it but lemme tell you, warm water did zilch on my fingers. I needed soap, water, and some hefty rubbing to get the remainder off. Here's a shot of how ridiculous I look with the stuff on:


I promptly used my "Mask Noir" to scare MG. He screamed, "Ah, What the HELL! It's like the black oil [a la X-Files] got on your face but missed your eyes." Can you feel the love? I guess that's what I get for scaring him.

So, after removing it, there were still plenty of little residue pieces. I tried a little water but that didn't do much so I tossed on last month's Modern Beauty product (the cleansing oil). That did a beautiful job of removing it all. But now I can't tell what result came from which product.

So here's what the website says about Mask Noir:
A peel-off mask of gentle kaolin clay and black volcanic ash.

Features and Benefits of Mask Noir:

  1. Black volcanic ash boasts anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial peptides.
  2. Kaolin Clay is as gentle as it is deep-cleaning.
  3. Incredibly clean, visibly brightened skin upon removal
  4. Enriched with Julep’s proprietary Power Cell Complex™, a trio of skin-boosting superstars:


  • Rosehip seed oil – a nourishing oil (and natural source of vitamins A and C) that helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and post-acne marks. Contains natural fatty acids that bond moisture to skin
  • Malvaceae Lipid Extract™ – a lipid complex that provides immediate and long-lasting hydration and works to rebuild skin structure from the inside out
  • Green coffee bean oil – a natural anti-inflammatory that promotes cell turnover
I'll update again if I notice any clearer skin as a result.

Update 10/15 @ 11pm:  The replacement pencil arrived today in a box with another set of candy corn. AND they sent me another pencil sharpener! I'm definitely pleased with Julep's customer service :)

Thanks for reading!

N@N's Review: Luster Premium White

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 Anya before (incandescent lighting)

Anya after (incandescent lighting)


Anya after
(natural lighting on the same day & no further applications)


Anya's review of Luster Premium White:

Let me begin by saying the instructions on this are a bit confusing. Step 4 says repeat steps 1-3 12 times. It's like a dental while loop! But then below that there are instructions for only doing the process 4 times (only? hah! each session of 1-3 takes at least 11 minutes) or twice a day. Their instructions are so confusing that they had to add in an FAQ to explain how it really works. It's time to fire your copy editor if you need an FAQ to answer things that should have been covered in the initial instructions.

And all the warnings not to let the gel touch gums or lips? Let's just say that's frightening.

The first time I tried this system I ended up drooling all over myself while trying to keep the gel away from my lips for the 30 seconds it demanded. (uh oh! The instructions ALSO said to keep it out of my saliva). My lips were very dry after that.

The second test a few days later happened much the same as the first.

The third and fourth times I accidentally got the gel on my gums. The stinging sensation wasn't pleasant but it went away after I quickly wiped the gel away.

After that I learned to roll up clean toilet paper and place it over my bottom lip and against my gums. This kept the gel from getting on either and makes the process a little easier.

Like Mel mentions below, there was no teeth sensitivity after using this product so that much is good.

From the pictures above, it sure does look like my teeth are whiter. I'm not sure if that's because one was taken indoors and the other outdoors. To my eyes...you know, in a mirror, I don't see a huge difference from when I started the process. But I guess I look at myself in the mirror daily so I likely wouldn't notice differences.

That said, I can't say I'll buy another package of this stuff after I run out.

Mel's review:

I'll start by saying that this isn't my first Luster product I've received from BzzAgent. So the confusing directions weren't too confusing for me this time around. I do agree with Anya that most people will have to re-read the directions or find a youtube video on how to actually use some of their products.

While I didn't notice a huge difference, I did notice a slight whitening effect, enough so that people without major stains on their teeth will be happy. Like with the first Luster whitening set, this one has the same issue, the drool factor. Anything mouth related that you can't close your mouth due to not being able to get it on the gums or in the saliva is going to cause issues. I didn't notice any teeth sensitivity after using this for a few days straight. So as I said before, if you don't have serious stains and are looking for an affordable teeth whitening system I would recommend this.