Purchase: Nail Polishes, Skin Care, Bargains!

I needed to re-stock on nail polish remover, so I headed down to Priceline yesterday. I got just a couple of extras as well, and some good bargains!



❦ Priceline Beauty Essentials Conditioning Nail Polish Remover - to replace my pricey OPI nail polish remover. The OPI one worked very well, but because it was expensive, I kept trying to eke it out and make it last longer, to the point where it got a little annoying. So I'm going back to the cheap-o brand where I feel like I can splash it around as much as I want.

❦ Rimmel London 60 Second Nail Enamel - I got two for $10 (they're normally around $8 each, I think). I chose Grey Matter as a nice, subdued shade I can wear to work. I think it'd look good with a glitter over the top as well. The other shade I chose was Instyle Coral. Corally reds are so In at the moment, and I've been secretly coveting one for a while. Even though I probably couldn't wear it to work, and I normally prefer less OTT shades anyway, I just couldn't resist! It's a completely irrational purchase, I fully admit it.

❦ Orly Nail Enamel - These were $4.99 each and the shades were so pretty, I just couldn't help myself! I chose Golden Halo, which is a pearly/glittery lavender, a shade I've been wanting for quite a while. The other shade is Walk Down The Aisle (heck knows why!), a light sage green with pearly shimmer. I thought it was girly, but slightly unusual.

❦ Simple Kind To Eyes Makeup Corrector Pen - these are a fairly new concept, I think. I'm always smudging mascara when I put on my makeup, so I thought I'd give it a go. It was $9.59 (20% off).

❦ Palmer's Cocoa Butter Hand Cream and Palmer's Body Oil - The Palmer's range was all 20% off, so I thought I'd get a travel-size hand cream for my handbag. The olive oil formula is OK with my eczema, so hopefully the original cocoa butter formula is too. Plus I love the smell! I thought I'd try out the body oil because I read a positive review for it online a few days ago. I don't really have a problem with dry skin, but it'll be nice for when I want something a bit more luxurious.

❦ Lady Jane Thick Hair Elastics - A few of mine have been over-streched or even snapped lately, so I thought now is a good time to re-stock as they were also 20% off.

I can feel some Nails of the Week posts coming up!

Review of February ILoveThisBox Beauty Box

Hello again already with another beauty box review. I picked up my 'I Love This Box' box from the post office this morning. It actually arrived at the post office on Monday, but I didn't have time to pick it up until today. Technically, it passed the 'did it arrive by Valentine's Day' test, but in practicality, it didn't. It doesn't mean that much to me anyway, but the box is very V.D. themed, so it would have been nice.
This month's box comes with red tissue paper, a sticker with a heart on it, and a generously-sized packet of red jelly beans! I went to the trouble of using my camera today instead of my ipod, so the photo is a little better quality. Here it is:



It contains:

Elizabeth Arden Red Door Eau de Parfum, 10ml bottle.
Now, this is a real luxury product! Elizabeth Arden was a pioneer in the beauty industry, so it's exciting to have her iconic Red Door perfume. I haven't spritzed it yet, but just from sniffing the nozzle, I think it smells good. This item makes me feel very special!
P.S. Did you know that Elizabeth Arden's real name was Florence Nightingale Graham?
Conscience time: Elizabeth Arden is a U.S. company, founded by an individual. It is not tested on animals.
21-MAR-12 edit: I like the smell of this perfume - sophisticated. But it's so strong! The fumes made my eyes water, so I sprayed it on my back instead!

Keratinology by Sunsilk Overnight Treatment, full-size 100ml.
Unilever, the parent company of Sunsilk, still test some of their products on animals, so I was a bit dismayed to find a product from this brand in my box. I heard recently that there are now leave-in treatments which work overnight to repair hair. I don't really see what the difference is to ones that work during the day! I guess I'll use it, seeing as I have it now, but I'm not too happy about it.
Conscience time: Sunsilk is owned by Unilever, an Anglo-Dutch company. Some of their products are tested on animals.

Nail File
I gave this file away to B before I had a chance to photograph it, so I put my glass nail file in the box so it didn't look too empty! It was a cute nail file with pink love hearts on it. As I said in my last GlossyBox review, nail files are not really an exciting product, but at least this one was designed to last a bit longer than the G.B. one, and its design was consistent with the Valentine's Day theme.
Conscience time: The brand is not listed. I don't imagine you'd test a nail file on animals, though.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay Lip Gloss, Colours of Love Series, in Lasting Passion, full-size 2 x 8ml.
I already have a lot of lip balms and glosses, so I wasn't overwhelmed with joy when I first saw this. But then I tried it out this afternoon and .... wow! It stays on like nothing else! My lips still feel sticky 5 hours later! I'm going to need to use makeup remover to get it off! Application is a two-step process: Step 1 is the colour, in this case a deep plum. Once that's dry, Step 2 adds the glittery gloss. The colour is a lot darker than I'm used to, but I can see myself using it at work where a) the shade will fit in well with my business persona; and b) I don't have time to worry about re-applying makeup.
So, even though this isn't a product from a luxury brand, its performance certainly makes up for it. Overall, I'm very happy with this.
Beautypedia Rating Summary [see full here]: This product gets the Paula's Pick (best) rating. It is very long wearing (more so than some other leading brands) and not drying.
Conscience time: Rimmel London is a U.K. brand, owned by Coty, a German company (originally French). It is not tested on animals.

The Aromatherapy Co. Rose & Patchouli Sensual/Soothing Hand & Nail Cream, full size 100ml.
I've never heard of this company before, but the product sounds lovely. I'm not going to open it straight away, as I have my full compliment of hand creams on the go already. I love rose-scented things though, so I'm looking forward to it.
Conscience time: The Aromatherapy Co. is a New Zealand company. It does not test on animals.

Summary: Despite the one product tested on animals, I loved this box! It has many of the products I like - hair care, hand cream, perfume. Most of the products were full-sized - and the perfume was a 10ml door-shaped bottle instead of the more usual 3ml vial - which pushed the value up quite a bit. As with this month's GlossyBox, the nail file was a 'meh' product, but the amazingness of all the other products made up for it (unlike GlossyBox!). So overall, I loved 'I Love This Box'!

Total Value: $66.13. Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $51.18
Rating: 8/10

Quick Update and Rimmel Disco Ball Glitter

I'll post the review of my GlossyBox Beauty Box tomorrow night. I've been meaning to write it all week, but my new job is really tiring me out. My 'I Love This Box' is also waiting for me at the post office at the moment, but I won't get time to pick it up until Saturday. It's getting a bit crazy really, getting 3 beauty boxes a month! I will definitely have to cut back once the probation period is over. I also bought a glitter nail polish the other day:


Not my fingers. Photo schlurped from this blog.

It's Rimmel Disco Ball. They're 'in' at the moment and I just couldn't resist! Though apparently I'm a bit behind the times, because they were sold out of all glitter nail polishes at K-mart! After searching for ages, I finally managed to find one bottle on the bottom shelf at the back under a completely different brand at the opposite end of the section from the Rimmel display. Befuddled, but bought it anyway!

I'll say goodbye with a link to a 1950s magazine with an article on Marilyn Monroe's Health Routine. I wonder if she actually said all of those things, or they were the result of some creative editing! (Make sure to keep clicking 'Next' to see all 4 pages!)