- See more at: http://tutorialgeek.blogspot.ca/2010/11/how-to-change-your-blogger-domain-url.html#sthash.JOLPbG90.dpuf my beauty full adventure - do not use: April 2013

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Review: Fruits & Passion's Summer Fragrances

Hey Girls! Today I will be reviewing some products from Fruits & Passion, in their new Summer Fragrances. I received these products for free from F&P to try out and review.
Pomelo Granite 
"A joyful fragrance that combines the sweet, energizing notes of pomelo with the freshness of mint, for a granita effect. Melon, pear, peach, grapefruit, guava, blackberry and coconut. This fruit extracts cocktail is known for its antioxidant and softening properties."
 
At first I was worried that I wouldn't like this scent, but I LOVE it! It smells exactly like Spritz Up pop. Which is basically like 7UP or any other lemon-lime soda. It is very fresh and invigorating. I like to use this shower gel in the morning because the citrus really helps me wake up.
 
The body gel and hand lotion both have a gel consistency and the texture reminds me of Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. It absorbs very quickly into the skin and there isn't any greasy residue. I've been using the Hand Cream at work and it works wonders. I am washing my hands 5-10 times an hour when I'm at work and they are extremely dry. This cream has saved my hands. I would definitely recommend it. 
Watermelon-Goji
"A fragrance bursting with fresh, summery watermelon notes accented with a cheerful and invigorating splash of goji berry."
 
I thought I would really like this scent, but it is just meh. It doesn't overly smell like watermelon, and I don't know what goji smells like, but this just smells very artificial. I definitely prefer the Pomelo Granite scent. This shower gel, like the Pomelo one, lathers well and is very moisturizing. The scent also lingers on the skin which is nice because when you use the lotion after you are layering the scents and you smell awesome all day!
 
If I had to repurchase one of the two scents I would absolutely pick the Pomelo Granite. And if I had to pick one of these products to repurchase it would be a hard choice between the shower gel and the hand lotion, but the hand lotion would win. Just because of the wonders it has worked for my hands.
 
If you are interested in purchasing any of these products, or F&P's other products, you can visit your local store or visit their website --> http://www.fruits-passion.ca/.
Keep in mind though that all of Fruits & Passion's products are seasonal and only available for 3-4 months. So run, run, run, to get your hands on these great products before they are gone. 



Thursday, April 11, 2013

March Empties

1. EOS Shave Cream in Pomegranate Raspberry - I've reviewed this before and I don't really like it. It only slightly moisturizes and it really clogs up the razor. I really liked the scent, so I bought a new lip balm in it. Repurchase - No.

2. John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Conditioner - I didn't love or hate this conditioner. It was just OK. I kind of expected more from John Frieda. I found that it really didn't add much moisture into my dry hair. Repurchase - No.

3. Herbal Essences Colour Me Happy Shampoo - This shampoo was over a year old, from the last time I dyed my hair. I didn't find that it overly did much when my hair was coloured or when it wasn't. I do like the Herbal Essence brand though and will continue to purchase their shampoos. Repurchase - Not this exact shampoo, but others I will.

4. Nivea Refreshing Toner - This is my current Holy Grail toner! It smells amazing, gets all the dirt/oil/makeup off my face, and leaves my skin feeling moisturized. Repurchase - Yes.
5. Mario Badescu Strawberry Face Scrub - I love this stuff! It smells so good, like you are putting strawberry shortcake on your face. Although the strawberry seeds do exfoliate nicely, I wish it was a bit more scrubby. Repurchase - Yes.

6. Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel - I didn't really enjoy this cleanser. It didn't lather, smelt kinda funky, and I didn't feel like it really cleansed my skin. Repurchase - No.

7. Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser - I loved this cleanser! It foamed up nicely and gave a very gentle clean. After using this I always felt like I got all the dirt and makeup off my face. Repurchase - Yes.

8. Kirkland Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes - These wipes really remove all my makeup with just one or two swipes. They are not drying to the skin and have a nice scent. Repurchase - Yes.
9. EOS Summer Fruit Lip Balm - I really like these lip balms and they are perfect for in your purse. I really liked the scent and I only used half, but it lasted forever. I just didn't find it sanitary anymore, so I am throwing it out. Repurchase - Yes.

10. Seche Vite Top Coat - As I've said before, this is one of the best top coats I have ever used. I just wish it didn't get thick and goopy after you've used half. Repurchase - Yes.

11. China Glaze Code Orange Mini Nail Polish - I received this in my very first Luxe Box almost two years ago. At the time I really liked the colour, but now I think that it just looks gross on my nails. Plus it is getting slightly goopy so I'm throwing it out. Repurchase - Yes.

12. Calvin Klein Splendid Basis Protective Base Coat - This base coat did not protect my nails from staining and caused my nail polish to peel after a few days. Repurchase - No.

13. Leaves Mini Candle - I love the smell of this candle (I know...typical blogger statement). This mini candle burned for about 5 hours and I loved every minute of it. Repurchase - Yes.

14. Quo Blush Brush - This is my second one in less than a year. I am not impressed with this brush at all. It sheds from day one and within a few months all the bristles are broken in half and it hurts my face to use, because the bristles are so picky. Repurchase - No.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

NOTD: Starry - My 1st Holographic!

I rarely go to the Real Canadian Superstore in my city, but during a shopping day a few weeks ago, I stopped in because I needed some grocery items. I took a walk through the cosmetics section and was really impressed by the set up and selection. I ended up purchasing quite a few items that were on sale. You can see them in my Shopping the Sales Haul.

During that shopping spree I found this Joe Fresh Holographic Nail polish, named Starry, on sale for only $1.99. Normally, JF polishes are $4 a piece so I quickly snatched up this colour, as it looked like they were clearing them out, and it was the last one in stock.

I was excited to try a holographic, but I have to say, now that I have I am kinda disappointed. I did two coats of polish and you can still see my nails underneath. And it is really hard to see the flash of different colours in person, let alone capture them on camera. I took almost 50 pictures trying to get the few you will see below.

Pros of this polish is that it dries super quick and goes on very smoothly. The formula of Joe Fresh polishes never ceases to amaze me, that's why I will always repurchase from this line. The sliver base of this polish is really pretty, and when you can detect the other colours it is incredibly beautiful.

Cons are that I would need at least 3-4 coats for this to be completely opaque. Also, compared to the Color Club and China Glaze Holos, these polishes are lacking a bit.

I may not purchase any more JF Holographics, but my disappointment in this polish will not sway me from trying other brands.



Have you tried a Joe Fresh Holographic? If so, what are your thoughts on them?

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

What I Found @ Dollarama

Hey girls! Today's post is just a short one to show some great things that I have been seeing at my local Dollarama's. Lately I have been seeing some great brands at great prices, so I thought I would share with you!

Keep in mind that all Dollarama's get different products so you may or may not find these products at your stores. Happy shopping! :)

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Review: BA STAR Smoky Eye Shadow Palettes

Disclaimer - This product was sent to me for review purposes from BA STAR through the website BrandBacker. I am not being compensated for this post. Opinions on this product are 100% honest and my own.

BA STAR offers four different smoky glitter palettes on their website in the colours: Natural, Smoky, Pretty N Pink, and True Blue. I received the Natural palette which is the one I was hoping for. You can see the other three by clicking HERE.
This palette comes with three mineral eye shadows in the colours Bronze, Cocoa, and Nude, as well as, two gel glitters in Gold and Crystal. It also includes a dual ended brush.
The brush is pretty cheap and I will never use it. One side has a sponge applicator and the other has a little brush with plastic bristles. Overall, the quality of this brush is lacking. I don't know why companies even include these.
The glitters are nice, but not practical for everyday wear because of the gel base. But I didn't have high expectations for everyday wear. Because BA STAR creates and markets their makeup for use by cheerleaders and dance teams, these glitters need to stand up to sweat, but are not likely to be worn on the eyes. In my life I would probably only use these on Halloween.

The gold glitter needs a few layers before it is semi opaque. I didn't find that the gold was as pretty out of the pan as it is in the pan. For me, the gel base didn't completely dry and on my eyes would crease fairly quickly. I also really had to scrub to get the glitter off which irritated my skin.
The crystal glitter was super pretty swatched on my hand. This glitter flashes a rainbow of colours, in the right light, and I tried my best to capture that. This would be perfect to use if I was doing a Fairy or Mermaid Halloween look. The downside of these glitters for me is that they irritated my skin. After removing the swatches from my hand I was left with a lovely red rash for the rest of the day. I'm not saying this will happen to everyone. Obviously one of the ingredients does not mesh with my skin.
The eye shadows in this palette far exceeded my expectations! I would not hesitate to purchase all four palettes just for the eye shadows and depot them into a freestyle palette. They were super smooth, and buttery and went on like a dream. The only one I had a problem with was Nude. It was a bit chalky and had a bit of fallout. Bronze and Cocoa were both opaque with one swipe. The colour payoff was amazing! I really think Bronze would look good over Maybelline's Bad to the Bronze cream shadow. I really love the tiny gold barely there glitter in Cocoa, it really adds a nice depth to the shadow. Nude would be great over Maybelline's Barely Branded cream shadow and perfect for an everyday makeup look.
I really love these shadows already and could see myself using them daily. If you would like to try BA STAR's Smoky palettes, or any of their other products, readers of my beauty full adventure will receive 50% off by using code BBSMOKY at the checkout.


Monday, April 1, 2013

NOTD: Blue Lagoon


Today's Nail of the Day is Revlon's Blue Lagoon. I picked up this polish at Dollarama a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to wear it. Revlon is my favourite nail polish brand right now and I love that I can find them at Dollarama for 50% off the regular retail price. It can be pretty hit or miss on the colours you can find at Dollarama, but at my local stores I can usually find a mix of both newer and older colours.
 
When I first saw Blue Lagoon I thought it was just another light blue polish, however, upon picking it up I noticed that it had really nice silver iridescent shimmer to it. The shimmer gives the polish some depth and set its apart from the other light blues in my collection.
 
I thought at first to describe this as a Baby Blue, then I said Robin's Egg Blue, but my BF disagreed. In his exact words this nail polish is "a grey blue." And after a week of wear it does kind of look like a greyish blue. But when it was first painted and in the bottle it is a lot brighter. It reminds me of the colour of Cinderella's dress. I don't know why, but it is just what I first thought of when I saw it.
 
Unlike most other Revlon polishes I have used, this one only lasted about 4 days without chipping, whereas, I normally get a week.
This is the best picture I could get that shows the silver shimmer.