July Petit Vour Review

After a meager showing with the June box, July's Petit Vour was an improvement.  I wasn't blown away by this box, though; it was still just okay to me.  I want to stick with this service a little bit longer because they are brand new, but I have a feeling that after a box or two more I will end up cancelling.

The reason I'm considering cancelling is because I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth with this box.  I want to love them because they feature only cruelty-free and vegan products, but I think I would feel better if this box cost $10 as opposed to $15.  There were two full-sized products this time around, though, so I suppose my perspective is still being skewed by last month's disappointing box.

• Beauty Without Cruelty Natural Eye Pencil in Delft Blue ($16.95) - This is the third blue eyeliner pencil that I've gotten from a box, and I don't understand why they send them.  I'm a pretty traditional girl when it comes to eyeliner--just give me black or brown.  In no universe can I pull off wearing blue eyeliner.  I'll save this to give to someone who will use it in the future.
• Sumbody Soap in ahh-vocado ($1.98) - I love handmade soaps!  This one is cute and green and smells really ripe and citrus-y.
• Mun Aknari No. 1 ($6.33) - At first I thought this was another perfume sample, but it's actually an argan oil and prickly pear seed oil blend that can be used to soften and nourish the skin.  The package says "Nighttime Dream Youth Serum" on it.  My issue with this sample is that the vial is 2.5 inches long, but it's only filled up to the 1 inch mark.
• Kimberly Sayer Tangerine and Calendula Cream ($2.40) - I'm excited to use this night cream because it's for oily and combination skin.  My box contained three 1.5 mL packets.
• Dr.'s Remedy Enriched Nail Polish in Rescue Red ($17.00) - I was glad to get a nail polish in this box because they're one of my favorite beauty products to receive.  I've already used this once and it glided on very smoothly and was opaque after three coats.  These polishes contain tea tree oil, vitamins, and wheat protein to help nourish your nails.

Bottom Line: July's box was much better than June's, but I'm still not in love with this service.  The overall value of this month's box was $44.66, but I'm still not that impressed with it because I'm not overjoyed with any of the items.  The nail polish is probably my favorite, but I still haven't gotten that, "Wow, this box is amazing!" feeling that I've been hoping for.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

Midnight Velvet Padlock Handbag Review and Giveaway [CLOSED]

Midnight Velvet is an online retailer and mail-order catalog that has been in business for more than 25 years.  They offer apparel, jewelry, accessories, mineral makeup, and much more.  I was given the opportunity to review their beautiful Padlock Handbag from their upcoming fall collection!

Midnight Velvet offered me the option of reviewing makeup, apparel, and other items, but I chose to review this handbag because I can never have enough purses!  I'm glad I chose the Padlock Handbag because it is gorgeous.  It retails for $99.95 and comes in a variety of colors, from fall shades to brights.  I liked the black version best because black goes with everything.

It's a larger satchel made with faux leather with gold hardware.  The interior has three pockets -- two on each side that are separated by a middle zip pocket.  There are two interior slip pockets on one side with a zipper pocket on the opposite side.  There is also an exterior zippered pocket on the back of the bag, and you could also slip a cell phone or other items into the front of the bag (the line running horizontal between the two gold handle hardware in the photo above).  I really liked that this handbag had so many compartments.  It also has a handle drop long enough to wear the bag over your shoulder, which is pretty essential to me.

A look at the many interior compartments of the bag

There was a slight hiccup with my order, but Brenda, my contact for this campaign, provided excellent customer service and the issue was quickly resolved.  Not only does Midnight Velvet offer quality products, but this incident showed me how excellent their customer service is as well!

Be sure to visit the Midnight Velvet website to browse their full line of products.  You can also request a free catalog via snail mail here.  If you like what you see, you can enter to win a $50 gift certificate by using the Rafflecopter form below!

• Connect with Midnight Velvet on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and Pinterest
• Check out the Midnight Velvet BeautyBlog

Enter the giveaway and view more photos of my Padlock Handbag after the "read more."

*Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Midnight Velvet.  I received no monetary compensation.

RocksBox #4 Review

I'm currently on my sixth RocksBox, but it's taken me so long to post my reviews for the fourth and fifth boxes because they really weren't anything special.  For continuity's sake, though, I figured it would be best to write up a quick review for both.

I'll start with my favorite piece from the box, which was this necklace by Gorjana.  I didn't write down the names of the pieces before sending the box back, oops.  I've seen bar necklaces like this around and I wanted to get one, so I'm glad that I was able to try one through RocksBox because I actually didn't care for it once I had it on.  This was similar to all of the ones I've seen out and about, and I realized that the chain is just too short and I prefer longer necklaces.

I don't remember anything about these earrings, and RocksBox doesn't keep lists of the past items you've received so I have no idea what these were called or who the designer was.  I wanted to like them but they ended up being too big for me.  I just felt like they looked ridiculous regardless of what I wore them with because I just don't usually rock giant earrings.

This is the worst review post of all time because I also don't remember the name of this bracelet!  I do know that it was by CC Skye, though, because it's imprinted on the inside of the cuff in the photo above.  I wanted to like this one, too, but I didn't.  First, and most importantly, it was in terrible condition!  The clasp was dirty and really worn, and I think that RocksBox should have pulled this from their rotation.  I can't imagine anyone wanting to purchase it because it was in pretty rough shape (more photos below).  I thought that this cuff looked cool when I opened the box, but once I put it on it just seemed awkward and I didn't like how the chain part just hung down (it felt weird on my wrist).

Bottom Line: This box was a bust for me.  I thought I would like these styles, but I didn't.  It was also the fourth box in a row where they sent me all gold jewelry, even though I had specified in my profile that I wanted a mixture of silver and gold.

• RocksBox Review #1 & more info on the service
• RocksBox Review #2
• RocksBox Review #3

*Disclaimer: I received a free six-month membership to RocksBox through the iFabbo Shop.  I was not monetarily compensated for this post.

More photos of my items are after the "read more."

FAST Shampoo and Conditioner Review and Giveaway [CLOSED]

I've always had pretty long hair, but I wear it in a ponytail most days out of laziness.  On the rare occasion that I wear my hair down, people are always surprised at how long it is.  That being said, I recently got a hair cut because I was lacking a style and it had been more than a year since my last cut (I know, so bad!).  Anyway, why am I telling you this?  Maybe you have short hair and you want it to grow longer, or maybe you have long hair like I do and want it to grow even longer.  That's where FAST Shampoo and Conditioner by Nisim comes in!

I've been using this shampoo and conditioner for about two weeks now, and I so far I've really enjoyed my experience.  FAST stands for "Fortified Animo Scalp Therapy," and it's clinically proven to increase the rate at which your hair grows.  It works by feeding hair with a special blend of amino acids, nutrients, and proteins.   Two weeks isn't the longest amount of time to gauge hair growth, but I feel like FAST has already started working on my hair.  I used it daily during that time, except for the two days during the week that I had to use my dandruff shampoo.  I won't lie, I haven't had any measurable differences in hair length yet, but I do think that this set is giving me healthier hair.  Hopefully after a month's use I'll have noticed a difference in length.

FAST is free of sulfates, parabens, and DEA, but it does contain other synthetic ingredients.  It's also a cruelty-free product.  What I liked best about the shampoo was that, even though it didn't contain sulfates, it still lathered really well.  Both the shampoo and conditioner have a scent that kind of reminded me of how Head & Shoulders used to smell, a bit like peppermint.  Overall, the system left my hair feeling hydrated and soft.

Bottom Line: I like that FAST Shampoo and Conditioner is cruelty-free and also sans sulfates, parabens, and DEA.  Even if it doesn't end up affecting the rate at which my hair grows, I'm happy to continue to use this system because it does have positive affects on the appearance of my hair.

Want to win a set of FAST Shampoo and Conditioner for yourself?  Enter using the Rafflecopter form below!  The giveaway is open to US residents aged 18+ and ends at 12 am EST on August 2nd.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Nisim International.  I did not receive monetary compensation.

July Birchbox Review

After some time away from Birchbox, I re-subscribed last month and loved my box.  July's box is not as phenomenal as last month's, but I'm still really happy with it and I'm still excited about the prospect of future boxes.

July's theme was "Power Play" and featured products inspired by the show Suits.  I've never actually watched an episode, but I'm familiar with it because I watch a lot of other USA Network shows and I've seen the promos, etc.  I didn't really get a Suits vibe from this box, but that was inconsequential because I was really happy with the samples I got.

This month's box contained the first repeat product I've ever received from Birchbox -- last month I got one of the Color Club exclusive nail polishes, and another one arrived for July.  I am totally not complaining, though, because I love nail polish!  I especially love Color Club because they have a great formula and they're cruelty-free.  I'm also glad I got a different shade than last time, if it was a repeat shade I don't know if I would have been so happy.

• Birchbox + Color Club Wanderlust Collection - I think this mint shade, "London Calling," is really cute.  It's a bit more neon on the nails than in the bottle, but it's fun for summer.
• Birchbox Bobby Pins - I'm glad I got the green pins and not the white ones.  I'm still not sure I'll use these, but they're much sturdier and have a stronger grip than I was expecting.

• Caudalie Divine Legs - This is a tinted lotion that "imparts firmness, moisture, and a beachy glow."  I probably won't use this because my skin is already pretty tan, plus I'm hesitant to use a tinted lotion only on my legs.  I'm assuming the color isn't very strong, but there definitely isn't enough in this packet to spread onto my arms as well in the case that my legs looked darker than the rest of my body.
• Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream - At first I thought this was like a BB Cream, because I've used Dr. Jart+ BB Cream before.  It's actually more of a moisturizer and I liked it.  It's very smooth and a little goes a long way.  I would have considered purchasing a full-sized bottle of this, but it costs $48.  Oh, and this was my Suits pick.
• ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick - I'm not a lipstick wearer but I like this one!  It actually smells really good (fruity and vanilla-y) and is not drying like other lipsticks I've tried.  My shade is called "Peony" and it's a creamy, darker pink/red (photos below, click to enlarge).

 

Bottom Line: Good job again, Birchbox.  As far as I'm concerned, you can send me a nail polish in every box!  I'd love to see some Zoya, please (*hint hint*).