Glossy Box - March 2013

Yesterday, my little pink glossy box arrived and I was shocked because it came kinda early. I got used to not getting it until the last few days of the month. Anyhow, it was a pleasant surprise. 

This month theme is spring fling which doesn't really go with the items in the box if you ask me but, you didn't so, I will put my 2 cents back in my pocket.  


So I got: 

• ModelCo Cheek and Lip Tint- Full size $24
• Elite Models Liner - Full Size $15
• Koh Gen Do Cosmetics Emollient Cream - 0.28 oz (Full Size $123)
• Sebastian Professional Shaper Fierce - 1.5 oz (Full size $17)  
• Prestiche Essential Oil Bar Soap - 4.4 oz (Full Size $16.99)
• Prestiche Gift Card for $40

First up is my favorite item from the box the ModelCo lip and cheek tint in rosy red. This is a lightweight gel that goes on really smooth. I tried this on my lips all you need is just a few dabs and, I had those rosy (like I just had a cherry popsicle) lips. Put a little clear gloss over and it was perfect and lasted for HOURS. Not sure if I will use this as blush, I have never actually wore blush but who knows. Overall, I am so loving this stain.

 
The Elite Liner in Matte Brown is a felt tip liquid liner that creates nice lines, does not smudge and dries super fast. I like this even thought I wish I have gotten it in black. Once again, I have never wore liquid eye liner or even eye liner but I am curious about this one. 

  

 
Aw, the lovely Koh Gen Do Emollient Cream! What can I say this line is amazing and so is this cream. I received a small amount (.28 oz) certainly not full sized. This cream is very rich and feels nice on your face not as moisturizing as I excepted but still nice. It contains vitamin A and 36 botanical extracts! I can't afford to fall in love with this one.

 
So the hairspray, (side eye) you know I wish there was a poll on your Glossy's profile where you could list certain item to never ever ever put in your box. Anyway, I don't use hair spray so, I can't comment on how good this product may or may not be. Apart from that the Sebastian Professional Shaper Fierce is a build able, flexible hold hair spray. I still haven't tried the last Sebastian product that was in my January box. 

My Prestiche Essential Oil Bar Soap is in Limoncello and smells like lemongrass which I am not a fan of. So, when I first saw this soap I was thinking Glossy's really wants us to be clean I mean dang they sent soap last month and my feelings haven't changed NO MORE SOAP! I mean maybe a body wash here and there but, I am over the soap thing for a while. Although this soap has some really good ingredients like olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil and castor oil! I went onto their website and they sell quite a few different scents that seem really nice however at $17.99 for a bar of soap I am gonna go ahead and stick with Dove.

There was also a $40 gift card to Prestiche which I was excited about. I ordered one of their Butter Brulees however, when they hit me with a $12 shipping fee for 3.2oz of cream my excitement dropped to "DAMN GINA" in my Martin voice. 
 
Overall, I will give this box a 3 out of 4 cups of Tia. What did yall think? Did you get different stuff? 

 

 

Beauty Break

Recycle recycle recycle!

Have you ever bought a beauty/ hair product and it well sucks? I have! Being an product junkie I buy tons of stuff that intrigue me. Whether it is a random impulse buy or something I have heard about and am curious, I get "got" from time to time. I have a beauty graveyard in my home that is basically a collection of three large bins that house the stuff that sucked.

Instead of wasting; reuse it in some way. For example, conditioners now I have about 75 million 40 or so that left me with lack luster results. So, I get a bowl mix like three together then add some coconut oil (you know for extra moisture) and presto a much better product.  My sister uses sucky conditioner as shaving cream so, your reuse choices are limitless.

For example, last winter on a whim I purchased this "moisture surge" (side eye) face cream from TJ Maxx because, I was having some crazy depleted skin due to the weather and I was desperate. Long story short to say this cream did nothing for my skin would be an understatement. I honestly felt like my face was more dry if that is at all possible. So, I decided to throw it in my handbag and use as a hand cream. So, after my hands started to crack from dryness (WTH) I started to head to my 2nd graveyard (the trashcan). Luckily, it was pedi day and I deceived to give this "cream" one more try on my little piggies. Well guess what yall... it actually works great on my feet! 

So, my point is to reuse those duds. Don't make your purchase a total waste of your $moo-la$. And, get creative I'm talking eye cream as lip moisturizer or cuticle oil go crazy!

5 ways to wear Pantone's color of the year

5 ways to wear Pantone's color of the year by styleviatia featuring a nail lacquer

Nail Trends

Nail Trends by styleviatia featuring illamasqua nail polish

Tone it up

Toner is an absolutely necessary step for me. I was surprised at the number of people that do not use toner or think it is not that important. If you have oily skin like me, toner can be your bestie. Toners removes that deep down dirt and oil that your cleaners may have missed. So, look at it like your back up plan. Also, your skin is acidic and after you cleanse your PH levels are all screwed up; Toner aids in restoring it back to normal. The most important part in adding toner into your daily routine is picking the right toner for your personal skin needs.

Here are two of my faves.

toner by styleviatia featuring mario badescu skin care

Tia xoxo

Mario Badescu - Vitamin C Serum

New to Mario Badescu's line is the Vitamin C Serum. Anyone who knows me knows I live for a good Vitamin C Serum. Vitamin C does wonderful things to your skin such as fighting wrinkles and building collagen. Young skin has tons of vitamin c but as we age oh so gracefully we lose some each and every day. Eating Vitamin C will help but you NEED it topically.

Badescu's Serum promises to protect skin from free radicals and aid in collagen production. This serum contains 7.5% Ascorbic acid I previously used Obagi's Professional C Serum which is 20%. So what does all that mean, basically just a higher amount of vitamin C goodness. You should see results within a few weeks and around a few months you will notice BRIGHT even toned skin. Please note you must use this as directed which is 2 to 3 drops on clean skin EVERY OTHER NIGHT.  Otherwise you will experience some dryness.

After only one week of use I noticed a glow that was undeniable. I had a dark spot on my cheek that is slightly lighter. This serum is a keeper and should last for a every long time at two drop every other day.

 

Tia

xoxo

Meet your Match

On Saturday February 16, 2013 from 12 - 5pm you can discover Make up for Ever's ground breaking multi use powder foundation that can be used wet or dry! You can get a personalized match and a FREE gift at Sephora inside JcPenny.

I have heard great things about this product and am excited to try this.

This deal is for Beauty Insider's only but, no worries you can sign up at the store.

Tia
xoxo
image via

Julep Maven - February

Julep's February box is all about the A list! Wrapped in gold tissue paper of course after all this is about the A-List.

Julep never disappoints with the pretty. The polishes were wrapped in black and gold and the box included a lash curler and chocolate hearts as a Bonus.

Julep included a Freedom polymer top coat and Oxygen Nail Treatment.

The Oxygen treatment retails at $18 a bottle . This treatment is a complete nail care and make-up all in one bottle for your tips!  This contains their patented Hexanal formula and creates stronger, thicker, smoother nails.  I am excited to try this and will be sure to update you all. My tips have been splinting lately so I hope this helps.  

I can always use a top coat and Julep was on time with this one. Freedom promises to extend the life of you tips. Using natural light it creates a polymer shield the will prevent chipping for days and a gel like shine.  Also retailing for $18 this sounds like it may be a favorite, I'll keep you posted.

Here are the two colors I received. Joan and Sally!

Joan is a raspberry plum color with gold shimmer and Sally is an antiqued ivory creme. I love them both.

This box was well worth it $19 price tag.

Tia

xoxo

Skin Care Tip #124

Be cool and wear your shades.

Seriously, wear some sunglasses. The sun makes you squint and squinting causes wrinkles.... see where I am going here. I have no scientific proof that this is true but, it makes sense in my head. Just like they say drinking out of a straw a lot or smoking causes wrinkles around your mouth.  So, just to be on the safe side wear shades. Plus you will look fancy as all get out.


Tia
xoxo



  

First BB Cream Now, CC Cream!

BB creams are all the rage. BB creams are basically an all in one product where you can get skin care and color in one product.

The first BB cream I ever tried was the Maybelline Dream fresh in Deep ($7) and I was not impressed. It made me look so washed out and ashy.

Impressed that this one has SPF30

So, when Iman Cosmetics came out with a BB cream ($20) I was hopeful. I had a hard time finding the right color but ended up with Clay Medium Deep.

Only SPF15 so I used my CeraVe underneath

Very creamy and perfect match color wise

Blended perfect and feels very lightweight

So, I really like this product. I think it is very moisturizing and has great coverage. It melted into my skin very nicely I did set it with my Mac Blot powder. However, I feel like it may be too moisturizing for my oily skin but gives a nice dewy glow. I noticed I have been oilier than usually since I have been wearing it. Don't fret I keep my oil blotting paper on stand by. I should mention that I don't wear foundation at all so, to me this is provides nice coverage for small imperfections. Overall, I give this 4 stars out of five.

I have been hearing a lot about CC creams recently. CC creams are color control creams and are really just a pumped up BB cream. What I like is that they promise higher SPF's and better coverage with more nourishing ingredients. 

Olay has one under their total effects line. I am sure more copies will follow suit soon. So, what do you think? Is BB for you?

Tia
xoxo 

Share the Love with Zoya

Last night, a pretty little birdie put a bug in my ear. Right now and thru January 13, 2013 Zoya is just giving away nail polish!! Well kinda, if you put three bottles of Zoya nail polish ($8 each) in your cart then enter coupon code ZOYA2013 they are wait for it ....... FREE!! Yeah

While you are there please read all about their wonderful share the love program.

But, I will break it down before you go.


Basically when someone clicks on your link and sets up an online account, a coupon for a FREE Bottle of Zoya Nail Polish will automatically be placed in their account and can be used immediately on their current order. So, what are you waiting for click here on my link and go get your free Zoya nailpolish and then Share that Love!

 

Special thank you to Erika for the tip!!

Tia 

xoxo

Skin Care Tip #122

One of the most important tips I could ever give anyone is to wear Sunblock. I cringe when I hear someone say they do not wear sunblock. I have been wearing sunblock since I was 16years old. I started with Oil of Olay (back then that was their name, now they are just Olay). Having oily skin as I do, it was a challenge to find a sunblock that does not make me look like I was just swimming in an oil spill. I prefer to only use a sunblock that has protection for both UVA and UVB rays. To help keep it straight just remember like this UVA the "A" stands for aging and UVB the "B" stands for burning so, you want protection from both.

My dermatologist advised me to wear at least a SPF30 every day and SPF50 if I plan to be outside most of the day. Make sure you use enough sunblock as well. The recommended amount is about one ounce which is about a shot glass. If you use less then you are not protected. Also, as a general rule you should reapply every two hours.

Cera Ve' is my favorite:

Available at any drugstore for around $11. My skin loves this stuff however, keep in mind everyone's skin reacts different to products so you have to find the best for your skin type.  

Tia

xoxo

Holiday VoxBox '12

I received my Holiday VoxBox from Influenster.com last week and, I was so excited to open it and see what goodies were inside.



The box included:

• Kiss Nail Dress - this box has 28 strips for finger nails AND toes. $6.99
• NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine in Nude York City $2.49
• Eboost in Pink Lemonade flavor $39 for a box of 30
• Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal in Summer Berry flavor $1.79
• Goody QuikStype Microfiber Brush $11.99
• $25 off my first paid on shoes from Sole Society

  The NYC lipshine smells great ( gotta love a lipgloss that smells good). I liked the applicator brush it applied the product very evenly. The color Nude York City (cute name) is a perfect nude shade for almost all skin colors. I was afraid this was gonna be one of those sticky glosses that my hair sticks too (eww). But, it was NOT sticky at all. I really like this one.



I have yet to try the Kiss Nail Dress because I had a fresh manicure when I got my VoxBox. I plan to try these this week so, I will let you know all the deets soon enough.

The taste of the Eboost was okay. I had to add more water then the required 12 oz because it was a little gritty. The taste was not bad; not good but not bad. They claim to boost your mood, energy, focus and immunity with no crash. I felt fine afterwards I was already pretty energized so, it was hard to tell if this did anything. I guess I should have waited until I was either tired or upset. This appears to be a better alternative for those addicted to Red Bull.
 

The Quaker oatmeal was really good. At first it was kinda sweet so, I added more water. This kept me full for a very long time. After I ate it I noticed that it has 14 grams of sugar and aint nobody got no time for that! Even though I was impressed with the 8 grams of protein, the sugar scared me off. So, I will be sticking to my green smoothies and steel oats for now.


 

The Goody Quikstyle brush is suppose to cut drying time in half with it's absorbent microfiber bristles. This brush seems like a great idea for someone just not me. I only finger detangle my hair and then I air dry to limit the use of heat. I do not like brushing or combing wet hair. I did cautiously try this brush and thought it worked pretty well. I does soak up a lot of water. Even though, I will continue to finger detangle and air dry I do think some people may love this. I honestly plan to use it on my dog because I think this will be an awesome dog brush.


Lastly, if you would like to try Sole Society as well then you can get $25 off your first purchase too. Use code INFLUENSTER25. This code expires January 31, 2013so, hurry.


Tia
xoxo


Influenster did sent me this Holiday VoxBox for free, but as always, all opinions are my own and HONEST.

Skin Care Tip

I enjoy having nice skin. It makes life that much easier. I have lots of tips that I truly believe could benefit anyone regardless of your skin type or age.

I will share my most important one today.

Drink some dang water!

I drink lots and lots of water. Water is pretty much the main beverage I drink besides my morning coffee (one cup) and a few cups of green tea. I drink about 96 ounces a day and yes I measure it. Water naturally plumps up your skin for a more youthful appearance.

If you plan to drink alcohol be sure to up your water intake prior and after. Also, traveling especially air travel sucks the moisture out of your skin so, again always replenish.  

So, drink up.

Tia
xoxo


photo credit

Glossy Box- December 2012

I had a feeling this month's Glossy Box was gonna be good one only because last month was mediocre. I was excited when I checked my tracking number online and found out it was waiting on my doorstep. I needed Christmas that day and getting a Glossy Box is like Christmas, even on the mediocre months.

The boxes are always wrapped so nice. This month's tissue paper was Candy Canes and Gingerbread Men!
The theme is Glamour, Glitz and Gloss they might as well said Tia, Tia and Tia.

So, included in the box is:

• ECRU New York Cosmetic Hair Care - Acacia Protein Oil 
• Forest Essentials Luxurious Ayurveda - Madurai Jasmine& Mogra Bath & Shower Oil 
• Heartland Fragrance Co. - Bath Salts White Tea
• Oscar Blandi - Pronto Dry Heat Protect Spray 
• Pleats Please By Issey Miyake 
• Zoya Nail Polish - Storm 
• Jewel Mint - Caged Bangle (below)

 

The Bangle was okay kinda had a cheapie feel to it.

However, Zoya nail polish is one of my faves so, I was excited to just see the bottle but, holy poly Storm is a gorge color. It is a intense black with multi colored glitter it looks so rich and applied so nice.

I'm coo coo for the bath oil! It has such a glamorous and long lasting smell. Can't wait to try the hair products on wash day.

I had been wanted to get my hands on Pleats Please for about six months now. It is based on Issey Miyake's ready to wear line that launched in 1993. So, it is finally available in the US but only at Nordstrom for now. This is such a feminine fragrance with hints of vanilla.

All in all I am a happy chica.

Tia
xoxo

Gifts for the Fashionista in your life

She can either be the easiest person to shop for of the hardest.

More Deborah Lippmann...

Tia
xoxo

Hold my stuff

I remember when I was like 13 I had an Caboodle it was too fresh!! It was a soft pink with a clear purple handle. I loved that thing and sadly I don't remember what ever happened to it. I don't even remember what I carried in it since I never really wore makeup. I was surprised to know that Caboodle is still around and still have some really cute cases along with lots of other companies.

My fave type of cosmetics case is the train style below.

More Ulta...

For the fashionista on the go here are some smaller bags.

More Pottery Barn...

I was shocked the Pottery Barn had so many nice cases. These are such a fun way to get organized.

Tia
xoxo

Julep Maven

Julep is one of the many monthly box subscriptions that I receive. I swear these monthly box subscriptions are going to annihilate my budget. From Glossy box to Bark box I am truly addicted. It is just so exciting when they arrive every month it is like it's my Birthday!

Below are photos of my November box:

It arrived in a black box and the packaging was very charming. My polishes were in wrapped in a pink bag tied with a black ribbon. The two glitter pots were sitting on the black tissue paper in the box.


This months box included two polishes (Stefani and Lynn), cuticle oil and two glitter pots. Stefani is a gold flecked grey metallic, Lynn is a nude blush pearl and some Julep Essential Cuticle Oil. I can't wait to try the glitter pots. All the polishes are full sized and easy to hold while you paint.

You can give Julep a shot too, just click here and take the Julep style quiz.  They will match you to one of five styles that fits you best.  Each month they will send you a box of polish, extras and products for $19.99.  Right now if you want to try your first box it is only 1 cent just use coupon code JULEPVIP when you checkout your maven subscription.  If you don't like it you can always cancel afterwards and keep your 1 cent box.

What I love about Julep is that each month they send you an email so that you can preview your next box BEFORE it ships. At that point you can either do nothing and your box will arrive as normal, switch it up and try a diffrent style of colors, gift it to a friend or just skip that month and the bill.

Also, Julep is having a huge giveaway from now until 12/31/2012 you can win a big red bow set worth over $200. When you enter to win please be sure to tell them Style via, Tia sent you! Click here to enter.

BONUS - Julep made this years Oprah Favorite Things List! So, if Oprah loves it then I love it. 

Tia
xoxo

Introducing the Opal.......

By the makers of the Clarisonic Skin Cleaning brush there is a new and innovation product. I personally love my Clarisonic facial system as mentioned here so, when I saw this brand new item I was quite intrigued.

It says that you will see a "dramatic reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles" So basically, it applied your eye cream for you and plumps up the area while it is there. And over time you are suppose to see visibly smoother, firmer, more hydrated skin and minimized appearance of under-eye puffiness".

Check it out.



Only avaible at www.sephora.com for $245.
So, what do you think? is it worth the price?

Style, via Tia

Protect and Perfect

Sally Hansen has a new product to protect and perfect your nails!

Check out these pre-treated sheer color strips that instantly bond to nails in order to strengthen and protect them. They contain a slight hint of color available in three different shades sheer blush, nude and shell.

They sell for about $7 to $8 and are an instant manicure. I am on my way to buy some now!

Check it out.

More Sally Hansen...

Style, via Tia