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Friday, September 28, 2012

Halloween Giveaway!!!

NOTE: To have a LEGITIMATE entry into the raffle, you must follow me by clicking "JOIN THE PARTY AND FOLLOW ME" on the right of the blog. Make sure you show up as a member or your entry won't count. You MUST be a PUBLIC follower.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



RULES:

1. You must follow me publicly to win.
2. If the winner does not respond after a week, the winner forfeits and a new winner will be chosen.
3. Contest is only open in the US and Canada.

THE PRIZES:




  • OPI So So Skullicious Mini 4 pack




  • NYX Golddigger False Eyelashes




  • Caramel Pumpkin Pie Coffee from WorldMarket




  • Twinings of London Pumpkin Spice Chai





  • Sally Hanson Salon Effects Polish Strips in Candy Corn




  • China Glaze Ghoulish Glow
  • TOTAL VALUE: (approx. $40)
  • Thursday, September 27, 2012

    PIXEL polish

    So over the summer while browsing the aisles at my local Ulta (which I tend to do A LOT), I found a great bargain: 2 dollar nail polish AND it was a brand that I had not heard of until that moment. You guessed it; I bought myself some PIXEL nail polish. I actually bought several colors but I will only be reviewing two here since my camera with the rest of the pictures is broken and I have not be able to pull the pictures off of it.

    PACKAGING: PIXEL did not do anything super exciting with their packaging. The bottles are shaped in the traditional polish bottle shape. I do like the fact that the bottles are small (.17) so that they can act as travel sized bottles. Also this allows you to sample a color you might be attracted to, but it gives you the option of being able to not commit to a large amount of polish the way brands like OPI and Essie do (I do know they come out with "minis" but not every color can be found as a mini). It really stinks to buy a large bottle of polish to try and then hate the color or have to go bad before you use the entire bottle.

    PRICE: When Ulta has their special going for $2 a bottle, the price comes out to be 0.085 fl oz/US dollar. This amount per dollar actually gives the buyer more polish than Butter London (0.028 fl oz/ US dollar) which I talked about in another post. I like a deal as much as the next beauty guru so hi-five to PIXEL for having affordable polish.

    COLOR SELECTION: PIXEL does not have the range of colors of OPI or Essie, but they do have a fairly large range. I believe there were about 60 or so polishes at my Ulta. If they are a new brand, however, the small range is to be expected at the beginning.

    APPLICATION:  This polish is easy to apply but requires at least three or four coats to work well due to the sheerness of each coat. The buildability of this polish is commendable since it works for women who like opaque polish as well as women who want something on their nails but shy away from bold color on their nails. A few people have complained about the size of the applicator brush since the bottle is small. I had no problem with this, but it might be because I have smaller hands than most people. Someone I know suggested that it would be a great "first polish" brand for kids since the tiny brush easily accomodates their hand size as well as allowing them to explore their polish likes and dislikes without parents having to spend a fortune on a collection they might grow out of when they get older.

    LONGEVITY: The polish lasted 4 days chip free before I took it off to wear another color. I hardly keep my polish on for longer than a week.

    Individual reviews:

    PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION: I would like to take a moment and publicly display my affection for this polish (sorry for the corny joke). I wanted a nude polish, but I could never find the perfect shade. This color is my favorite from the collection so far and I am super tempted to run out and buy five more bottles of this color.

    CUDDLE TIME: Another nude polish in a soft brown/tan color. It would be one of my favorites as well except I feel that it matches my tan skin tone too perfectly so that it looks like I have no nail beds. It looks paler when photographed below so it does not look quite as similar to my skin tone in the picture.
     


    ITSY BIT-SY: A dark salmon pink which I thought would look flattering on my skn tone, but turns out it does not (at least in my opinion). When I put the color on my nails, I couldn't wait to get it off. Sorry for the upside down picture :(. I cannot figure out how to get the picture to upload the right way.

     


    Have a wonderful Thursday night everyone! It's almost the weekend (yay!).

    Haylee :)

    Tuesday, September 25, 2012

    Hugo Boss: Hugo Element Men's Fragrance

    Continuing with the fragrance theme and the Hugo Boss theme, today we have Hugo Element, a men's fragrance from Hugo Boss.

    I am not super thrilled about this fragrance (maybe be cause I am a woman). It does not have a wow factor to it and I do not think I would particularly remember a guy for wearing this fragrance. That being said, I do, however, believe the fragrance nice and makes a great everyday scent for a guy or I recommend it for a guy just starting to explore fragrances. I LOVE the fact that the face of the scent is Jonathan Rhys Meyers; he is one of my favorite Irish actors. The eau de toilette has a very fresh, clean scent for its top note and a spicy, woody after note (ginger, coriander and cedarwood according to the company, although I would not have been able to individually guess the spices and the wood myself). Being a scientist, I do enjoy how the bottle resembles an oxygen bottle and clearly fits with the "element" theme. I might have to get this as a gift for my boyfriend who is equally enamored with science-themed items.

    Overall, after reviewing a few Hugo Boss fragrances, I must say I am pleased with the company's efforts at making such high quality fragrances. I have not found a fragrance that I really hate (which is saying a lot since I spend quite a lot of time at fragrance counters smelling scents I do not like).

    I hope the guys appreciate this post that incorporates their likes/dislikes. Keep checking me out since I plan to do a Halloween giveaway soon (post suggestions below in the comments).

    What are some of your personal fragrance favorites?

    XOXO,
    Haylee :)

    PS My Beauty Giveaway is still on, ladies. :) And feel free to follow me. I'll definitely follow back since I love all things beauty and food related. :)
    Monday, September 24, 2012

    Hugo Boss: Boss Orange

    So today I got a sample in the mail for Hugo Boss's new eau de toilette for women, Boss Orange. I love the way the actual fragrance bottle looks with it's peachy/orange color and sleek design. I would definitely display it on my dresser/perfume counter.

    According to Hugo Boss's website the perfume is:

    "...a warm, complex, and inviting fragrance that combines fresh notes of crisp apple, white florals, vanilla and sandalwood. The elements fuse to create a romantic scent you can wear with passion."

    Personally, I like the scent, it's very floral although I was hoping that it smelled more citrus-y due to the "orange" name. Upon spraying, the perfume smelled a bit too much like alcohol for my liking (I am very sensitive to the smell of alcohol so this could just be me); however after waiting a bit the alcohol scent faded away leaving just a nice clean floral smell. It does remind me of oranges a bit although this might just be because the name is "orange". After wearing it about a full 3-5 minutes, the vanilla notes become very apparent and give the perfume a very warm feel which reminds me of the holidays since vanilla seems to remind me of the holidays.

    I can't wait to buy a full sized bottle.  :)

    Any recommendations for other perfumes I should try? What are your favorites?

    <3, Haylee :)
    Sunday, September 23, 2012

    Benefit's It's Potent Eye Cream and BedHead Styleshots Extreme Straight

    So a few weeks ago I got a sample of Benefit's eye cream "It's Potent" and I have to say I was disappointed in the sample. The packaging in a little paper box foil sample made it hard to open and difficult to remove the cream from the inside without wasting the sample. I tend to prefer samples in tiny bottles like Clinique hands out. Also, I was saddened by the fact that I felt like there was not enough sample to see if the product really worked. I used the product for three days but couldn't really tell if it had any impact on my eyes at all. The formula is nice and not super heavy, but I think I will stick to my Clinique All About Eyes formula to keep my eyes wrinkle and dark circle free. I'll post a picture of the eye cream sample when I get a chance since I'm writing this post hastely before I have to go to bed.

    I also stopped by my local Ulta store on my way to get my nails done to get a new conditioner. I love Tresemme's conditioner. It's a cheap effective conditioner for my long black hair. I promise it works; I get compliments on my hair all the time. However, maybe because working in my new lab has made me obsessed about cleanliness, I wanted to get something that would make my hair smell nice and not too chemical-y. I wash my hair every other day and  I wanted the clean hair scent to last the entire time my hair was unwashed. I guess I just associate the smell with clean hair. I had been using Herbal Essences for when I wanted a clean smell to my hair but the scent just didn't last that long as far as I could tell. :( I've tried Aveda and Living Proof, but I don't like using the products since I feel like it makes my hair smell too chemical-y and I just want a nice refreshing scent that doesn't make me feel like I've entered a clean room every time I put it in my hair. Enter BedHead's Extreme Straight in the bright orange bottle. The stylist at the Ulta recommended it after hearing about my "I want to smell nice but not like a chemical company" dilemma. It is the perfect amount of scent and it lasts a long time (4 days to be exact--don't judge me it was a long week with not much time for washing hair).

    Off to bed! Have a wonderful week everyone!
    Haylee :)

    PS Please leave comments; I'd love to know what beauty products you think I should try.
    Friday, September 21, 2012

    Rituals Review and Julep's New Maven Promo

    So I logged on to facebook today to find out that Julep (my favorite nail polish company) has a promo for new mavens. Unfortunately the company only ships to the US and Canada so sorry for my ladies that live everywhere else :(. I feel like this is the best promo so far so I am very jealous I did not have this around when I became a maven. All you have to do is sign up for the maven program (you can cancel or skip the month at any time) and get your first box for $9.99. Normally with the first box, you get either three polishes or two polishes and a product (cream, polish remover, etc) but with the 2FREE promo code, you will get the normal box PLUS two additonal polishes. That's a crazy deal considering that the polishes normally retail for $14.99.

    Here is my referral link so that you can get started with your very own Julep polish box: http://julep.com/?r=20564143

    In other news, I was watching Sherlock today, a BBC series I can't get enough of, when I noticed that my whole body just felt really dry especially my hands. It could be the weather since it is getting cooler where I live or it could be that fact that I've started using ethanol and acetone on a daily basis at work which I feel sucks all the moisture from my skin. I was digging around my beauty stash for a hand cream when I found a sample from this store Rituals which is based in Europe somewhere. I spend a good bit of money at the store when I was visiting Spain a few months back and the girl who helped me gave me quite a bit of samples as well. The hand cream I tried was Ginkgo's Secret and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it! The smell is amazing and it is very rich-perfect for my hands. Unfortunately, the company does not ship to the US so I think I'm just going to have to hope that someone in Europe will send me some of their products or I might beg my friend to buy me some of their hand cream when she visits Germany in a week.

    Have a fabulous weekend guys and please share any dry skin remedies that you know with me!
    Haylee :)
    Monday, September 10, 2012

    Monday Nail Art: Tape and Dotting Tool Manicure

    I'm super exhausted from work today so I won't do a long post. I'm just going to share some cute nail art I did over the weekend using OPI's Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ and New York Color's white polish. Sorry if the nails are a bit messy; I took the picture before the final clean up job. Also, the picture won't upload correctly so sorry the watermark is backwards/upside down.

    Enjoy!
    Haylee :)


    Sunday, September 9, 2012

    Bath and Body Works Haul: Cashmere Glow and Sweet on Paris

    Hi guys! So this morning before heading off to work, I stopped by Bath and Body Works to grab their new scent Cashmere Glow.  I haven't bought any lotion/body stuff in a while since I really don't need any; my countertops and bathroom space are overflowing with scented lotions, perfumes, and sprays at the moment thanks to a few large scale Victoria Secret hauls that I did last year. That being said, I might just give in and buy some of the new stuff from the Cashmere Glow line since I have falled in love with it.

    The lotion I tried today smells amazing! It has a nice vanilla scent and the name makes me think of cashmere sweaters and fall (which I love since fall/winter are my favorite times of the year). The lotion will probably be my comfort lotion that I put on after a warm bath on a rainy fall day. In addition, you guys should know that September 15th from 1-5 pm Bath and Body Works will be doing a "fall festival" where you get to experience all their new collections and sample their fall scents. In addition, if you make a home fragrance purchase, they will give you a free gift of a LIMITED EDITION candle in the scent of "pumpkin carving" and a fall gift bag. I will probably be attending since I am addicted to their candles and I love having my house smell like cookies and pumpkins leading up to the holiday season.

    Speaking of fall, it just started feeling like fall in the desert so I wore my best fall comfy outfit to work today. My mom got me the tights; aren't they amazing? I have the BEST MOM EVER!!! Sorry for the mess in the background, my room needs to be cleaned but I don't have anywhere to put the stuff that has accumulated/the time to clean my room. :(


    Finally, I have another scent that I got a while back from Bath and Body Works that I just didn't get a chance to review. Actually I haven't even tried this lotion yet, so I am opening the bottle as we speak (or type, rather). The scent is called "Sweet on Paris" and I believe it was a summer line that the company launched sometime between April and June. I love the color of the lotion and the bottle decor. Unlike Cashmere Glow which has a fall theme with a brown and gold label and pale pinky/white lotion, Sweet on Paris is very summery with blue lotion and the Eiffel Tower and macaroons on the label. The bottle just looks like a vacation waiting to happen. The lotion itself smells like candy to me and has a very sweet scent. It kind of reminds me of the company's winter lotions/body scrubs called "Candy Apple" that come out during the Christmas season which I'm a big fan of.

    Hope ya'll have a super rest of the weekend! Love,
    Haylee :)

    PS-Sorry for the horrible watermarking. I'm still learning how to do it so I apologize if they are ugly. Any watermarking tips would be appreciated.