Limited Edition Lancome Luxe Box *Warning Spoilers*

I picked up the Lancome box today that I won from Loose Buttons, and that my readers have a chance to enter and win here.


I'm warning everyone now that there are spoilers coming so if you want the win to be a surprise stop reading now! Otherwise continue on and check out what comes in the box :)


I just love the rose on the box! I kind of destroyed the tissue paper I was trying to preserve :( I have a weakness for tissue paper printed with company logos. I tend to keep it and use it to wrap gifts to trick people into thinking they are getting something they aren't. My mom is really good at guessing what she is getting so I have to use bigger boxes, weird wrapping paper, and bags from other stores to throw her off course!



First up is a group shot of everything when I opened the box. They are mostly hidden in the paper shreds! Bet you can't find the pot in the top right corner!! At least you can't say it doesn't come well boxed.
I know it's weird coming from someone who loves beauty products but I have never tried a Lancome product before! These will be the first things I have ever tried from the brand!


Everything out of the box. Even the jar has the rose on it! I am going to have to keep the container when I am finished with the product.

The box contains:

Tresor Midnight Rose Perfume 5ml sample worth approx. $9.67
To purchase full sized: 30ml $58, 50ml $75, 75ml $94
*probably the coolest bottle I have ever seen.*

Aquatique Waterproof Eye colour Base 0.08 ounces sample worth approx. ??
To purchase full sized: $28
*I couldn't find much info on the size of the normal product. So I have no way to determine what the sample size is worth.*

Cils Booster XL Super Enhancing Mascara Base 2.07ml sample worth approx. ??
To purchase full sized: $28
*Again I couldn't find any information online about the amount in the full sized product.*

Genefique Youth Activating Concentrate 7ml sample worth approx. $22.09
To purchase full sized: 30ml $95, 50ml $125, 75ml $155
*Expensive stuff that I am passing on to my mom since I have no use for it and I refuse to let it go to waste.*




Close up of the perfume. Sorry it's a bit blurry but it has a little rose attached to the top of it. I think I may have found my new favourite perfume!

Julep Maven Try It For 0.01!!!!

Limited to the first 1000 new subscribers you can try out the Maven monthly box for just 0.01 if you use the code SHAREON
I'm not sure how long it will take them to make it to 1000 new subscribers but if you have always wanted to try these boxes it's a $60 value almost absolutely FREE!
You always have the option to cancel before the next month's box, so it could be a great opportunity if you are unsure about these boxes to sign up and try it out with no obligation to continue.

http://julep.com/?r=15549118

*Contest* Win the entire Julep Nail Polish Collection

Here is another contest for people to enter!!!

http://bit.ly/veHf8w

All you have to do is click the link above, like the page and enter. Once entered you will get a code like the one I posted above and if 5 of your friends enter under your link you can win the ultimate prize. I have no idea what the ultimate prize is though!

Great! You're signed up for a chance to win the entire Julep Nail Color collection. Now, get five friends to enter too, and you will be eligible for the ULTIMATE Julep prize! Once five friends have entered, come back here to unlock the prize!

Lancome Luxe Box Contest!

We did it! I made it in the top 25 so that means I get a limited edition box for myself as well as one to give away!
I will make this fairly short and sweet. I plan on posting a review and reveal of the box once I receive it, but that probably won't be until next week.

There will be a few rules for this contest:

1. You must "like" the Lancome Canada fan page on Facebook to be eligible to win.

2. Once you are finished liking the page, please post back here on my blog in the comments directly below this. Let me know that you have liked them and please include an email address where I can contact you if you are the winner.

3. You have until December 31st at midnight to enter the contest.

4. I will be drawing the winner January 2nd 2011 and will post here, as well as contact the winner.


Now for the fine print. The prize is sponsored and provided by Luxe Box. You must be okay with me passing along your name, email, and shipping address to Luxe Box so that they can mail out the prize if you are the winner.
Open to Canadian Residents as they only ship within Canada at this time.
Good luck!

Loose Button Lancome Contest LAST WEEK TO VOTE!!!

Hey, everyone just a reminder that voting closes at 3pm on FRIDAY!!!

Check out this video teaser. Remember if I win one of you will too!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvxTW3Z3o7I&feature=player_embedded

Loose Button Lancome Contest

Just a reminder to please vote for me in the Lancome contest! I am one vote away from being bumped out of the top 25! Your votes will help me stay in the top and give me a chance to give away a special edition box to one of my blog readers!

All you have to do is like Loose Button on Facebook


https://www.facebook.com/LooseButton

• Then just click on the "Lancome Contest" link on the left side of the page below the profile picture.
• Fill out your information and then look for "My Briar Rose" in the voting section and click on vote.

It's that easy!!

You have until December 9th to vote for me and you can vote once every 24hour period.

Julep Maven Polish Christina

Pre clean up photo! I'm a very messy polisher. I haven't even applied a top coat yet but this polish is very shiny and shimmery!
This colour is stunning! It's very unique and looks so amazing. I can't wait to see how it shimmers in the sunlight. This is two coats but you might be able to get away with one. I'm a compulsive two coat polish person so I had to do two. This polish goes on very smoothly and dries fairly quickly. I can't believe I didn't sign up for this sooner because this is probably by far one of the best polishes to apply. I can't comment on wear right now because I just did it. I really hope it wears well because I am so in love with this brand right now.

Julep Maven

I got something very exciting in the mail today from Julep! I purchased the $5 introductory box to test out this program. It's the same as the other monthly beauty boxes that are out there only this one is nail polish!!
What you do is fill out a beauty quiz and based on the answers they will give you a list of polishes that are tailored to your quiz results. I got "It Girl" which is very much me completely. I love the unique colours and wear anything from dark vampy colours to bright neon colours.
Anyway on to the intro box!
Everything is very nicely packaged which makes it a great gift idea for the nail polish lovers in your life. It also makes it a bit extra special to unwrap yourself because it's like getting a birthday gift every month even though you know what will be in it. It's still a lot of fun!

The polishes come all snugly wrapped in tissue paper.


Based on my survey results these were the colours that were chosen for me in the introductory box.
From L to R Christina, Trina, Kim, and Nail Therapy, and a few hand cream samples which I am passing on to my mom because I never have a use for hand creams and she does.
If you like the looks of this box you can use my referral link here and sign up for yourself. The first box is your introductory box which you can get for $5 and then every month after that if you want to continue with the subscription is $19.99 a month. I think it's an amazing deal considering each polish if I were to purchase individually would cost $14.00!! You also get free shipping and 20% off orders if you become a maven member. You have the option to pause a month if there isn't any colours you want, you can also pass it on to someone else as a gift for a month if you don't want it, or you can cancel anytime.
If you want to try out the monthly maven program use my link:
http://www.julep.com/AP.aspx?ID=520&EID=15549118

Loose Button Luxe Box Lancome Contest

http://www.facebook.com/loosebutton

Please visit the link above to vote for My Briar Rose. The contest link is on the left below the display picture that says "Lancome Contest".
You may be wondering what is in it for you? Well if I win, not only do I get a limited edition box for myself, but I also get one to giveaway on my blog!! That means that one lucky person would also have a chance to win. You can vote once a day so please cast your vote and maybe you yourself will be the lucky recipient of a limited edition Lancome Luxe Box!

Monthly Subscriptions to Beauty Boxes

Since reviewing the Luxe Box for October I decided to go on the hunt to see what was available for monthly boxes that Canadians could subscribe to. I found a nail box called Julep Maven. They had offered a $5 introductory box if you are new so I signed up. I am awaiting the intro box right now but I plan to review it once I receive it. It is pricey at 19.99 a month regular price of the monthly boxes, but it might be a nice treat once in awhile since their nail polishes to purchase are 14.99 a piece. You can skip months as well which is the appeal for me. If you go away you can skip getting a box that month, or if you just don't want a box that month you have the option to skip. I like this idea because I don't have to commit to the whole 12 months, which means I can pause the subscription for a few months if I don't want a box. I am hoping this works out because I know I can't afford a box each month so I am planning on getting boxes for special occasions or for those months when I need a cheap pick me up!
I also found a box similar to Luxe called Glymm. I haven't signed up for that one, but I may try it in the next few months just to see how it stands up to Luxe. I didn't think we had so many options for monthly subscriptions! I need to stop researching now though because I will end up broke with all these monthly boxes.
I'm currently on a no spending ban, so it's hard to find these great things and not be able to purchase them long term. It might be a nice idea for a Christmas gift though for the person you don't know what to buy for. I am on this self imposed ban until school is paid for this year. Which means I have about 3 months left of the permanent ban before I can start splurging a little again.

Halloween Nails!

China Glaze Zombie Zest. Probably the only green I will ever think about wearing. I basically only bought it for the name last year not thinking I would actually like it on. It is a pretty shear swamp green with gold and green reflective micro glitter. I did two coats and should have done three.

Luxe Box Review

So this arrived in the mail for me on Thursday of last week. I haven't had a chance to test everything yet though because I have been crazy busy with fashion week and school. Anyway for anyone who doesn't know Luxe Box is the Canadian equivalent of a Birch Box. I had been dying to try the Birch Box forever, but living in Canada I couldn't get it so I have been watching my American friends review all kinds of amazing products for around $10 a month.
http://luxebox.loosebutton.com/



I love samples and having very very pale fair skin that is very picky about what goes on it, I practically live off samples until I find something that works for me. I have been burned too many times (literally) by products that were supposed to be for sensitive skin and then ended up leaving rashes or breaking me out.
It is $12 a month to sign up for Luxe Box which is a pretty good deal considering I probably waste double that if not more on full sized products that didn't end up working for me. The samples range in variety from hair care, makeup, skincare, and nail care. If you sign up for a yearly subscription it works out to be $10 a month which is an even better deal.


Opening the box I found these goodies waiting for me!


In my package was:

• a coupon for $25 off a purchase of $75 or more at Dealuxe.ca (oh how I want to spend money to get this deal! Resisting the urge to do so though since I don't 'need' anything)
• Lise Watier Flash Lift Radiance Vial (full sized priced at $27 for 7 vials, sample I received valued at $3.86 for one vial)
• Moroccanoil (full sized valued at $40 for 100ml, sample I received valued at $10 for 25ml)
• Pur minerals Mineral Glow (full sized valued at $24 for 12g, sample I received valued at $6.80 for 3.4g)
• Olay Professional Pro X (full sized valued at $60 for 15ml, sample I received valued at ?? no size on the tube)
• Chloe Eau De Parfume (full sized valued at $90 for 50ml, sample I received valued at $9)

The approx total of value in this package was around $30 which is pretty good considering the boxes to purchase are between $10-$12 depending on which subscription you get.


Now a bit about the products and if I can actually use everything in the box.

The Lise Watier product I'm not 100% sure what it is exactly supposed to do, but it says it's good for erasing signs of fatigue. I wish I had this with me during fashion week! I haven't posted half my pictures because I look exhausted Friday night!! I don't have fine lines or wrinkles so I am not sure if this is a product that will be ok for greasy skin, or if it will be greasy itself. It's worth a try though and I will update this when I do try it.

The Moroccanoil I already know is not for me. It says it is for light and fine hair but it's oil and my hair does not need anymore of that! My hair is naturally very greasy so I will be passing on the oil and giving it to someone who can use it. I'm also not sure if being a red head I can use it or not? It doesn't specify what kind of light coloured hair. This will probably be given to my aunt who has really dry hair and uses oil treatments.

I am excited about trying the Pur Minerals bronzer. My sister bought a starter kit that included the same sized product in a powder and then the bronzer and I have been trying to track down a starter kit for awhile now. I can at least try this out and see how my skin reacts to it since I feel like it's a bit pricey to pay full price and have it not work out for me. I have so many bronzers though that I rarely use in the summer because I'm so pale. I guess I have to start getting into them more.

At first I thought the Olay Pro X would not be something for me since I am young and have no aging signs yet, but it claims to reduce dark circles which I have a lot of that I am tired of covering. I will give this a try and see how well it works. I just hope it isn't greasy like some anti aging products because I have a lot of oil that my skin produces naturally.

Now the last product in here is probably my favourite. The Chloe perfume! Except of course I managed to get it all over my hands when I opened the bottle for the first time. I'm always like that with perfume samples though. I wish they made them in spray bottles or vials instead of the plugs that make a mess. Unless I'm the only one? This perfume smells amazing! I love that this is a mini bottle version of the full size. It's probably too pricey for me to purchase full sized at full price, but I have so many perfumes that this one will last me a long time as it is.

Overall I would probably subscribe to Luxe Box based on what I have seen. I have read other reviews of people receiving full sized China Glaze shatter polish this month, as well as Essie polish full sized. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get any nail polish because I am a total addict and I am dying to get my hands on other shatter polishes since they are hard to find where I live. Also I have seen some of the past makeup products and would love to get something more like that in the mail each month to try out. I have so many beauty products that I can't justify buying more unless they are sample sized!

What I would like to see from Luxe Box is a more tailored box for specific needs. I haven't seen anything about a questionnaire so I can see myself getting products that I won't use since I see quite a few boxes with anti aging and hair serums that do not fit my skincare needs. I know that's part of getting a box is to try things you normally wouldn't try, but I already have a stock pile of anti aging things from magazines inserts that I just don't know what to do with. I know that Birch Box tries to tailor the boxes to the questionnaires so that would be something I would like to see if Luxe Box was to change anything.
I also wish they accepted paypal for subscriptions. While I do have a credit card it's totally maxed out with school and will be until next summer, so I can't be putting frivolous things on it until then. If they took paypal I would be able to sign up for a subscription without having to worry about my CC being maxed out when they want to take the monthly payment.

*All products were sent to me as a review by Luxe Box*

Halloween!!

As much as I hate all seasons that aren't summer, I have to say I absolutely love Halloween! After having seen these amazing Wet and Wild polishes being reviewed on other blogs I had to start hunting for them. Of course since I live in a small town we get our stuff months after other major areas so I just spotted the display last week! I grabbed the last two in the store!

I'm currently wearing black magic but can't wait to wear purple potion!

My Nail of the Week

Essie Can't Film Fest. I'm not normally a fan of pink, actually I hate the colour. I do however love this pink on me. When I bought it I thought it was purple since it leaned more towards purple in the store. When I got it home I was disappointed to find it looked way too pink for my liking in natural light. I am glad that it doesn't look terrible on me and that I am embracing pink for once.

Crest 3D Whitestrips 2 Hour Express

*Borrowed image because my box showed up in worse for wear shape*

*This product was provided to me free of charge to test by Chick Advisor*

First of all I will start with a bit of background on the product. The box is a years supply of whitening strips. You are only supposed to do one treatment every 3 months. You are supposed to leave them on for 2 hours and then remove and repeat again in three months time.

My initial thoughts on this product. While reading through the little booklet that comes in the box I didn't notice very complex steps. They were pretty vague actually. They have three steps to remove from packaging, place on teeth, and remove after 2 hours. I figured it would be easy enough I just needed to find 2 hours that I wouldn't be hungry or thirsty. That is actually pretty hard for me! You also can't brush your teeth before doing the treatment so doing later at night was out of the question too.
Upon opening the strips and trying to apply them I noticed they were really long for my mouth. I don't know if anyone else had problems with them, but for me I had problems getting the top ones to stay put. They kept sliding because I couldn't wrap the ends under because they were so long they went back to my molars and didn't adhere 100% at the back which made them shift down. Once they were applied I noticed that I had a lot of saliva and I really wasn't sure if I could swallow it or since these strips are peroxide if I had to spit it out. I opted to spit it out and that was when I started having slippage problems with the top strips. I really wish they had more instructions in the booklet. I ended up trying to search the internet for the answer. The taste also leaves a lot to be desired and may not be ideal for anyone with a delicate gag reflex. I got about 20 minutes into treatment and my teeth and gums were hurting so bad I opted to remove the strips. My gums were actually bleeding as soon as I removed the strips. I can't fairly judge how well they whiten since I didn't stick out the full two hours, but for me personally the pain is not worth any amount of teeth whitening.

Pros

• One treatment every 3 months
• One box is a years worth of treatments
• Easy to follow instructions
• Large strips that cover well
  

Cons

• Kind of messy if you have to keep repositioning them like I did
• Strips were too large for my smaller mouth so they didn't adhere as well as they should have
• Bleeding gums after 20min
• Very sore gums and teeth after only 20min
• Taste is horrible
  

Overall I would never purchase these again and am not sure if I am going to attempt a full two hour treatment since my gums are still throbbing from the short time they were on my teeth tonight. I think I would rather use whitening toothpaste and mouthwash since I don't have badly stained teeth to begin with.

Late on the Bandwagon

I know I am way late on the whole crackle polish trend, but it was so unavailable here it took me four months to find it!
Here are two of my favourite looks. One is using Sally Hansen Black Ink over Sephora IM Beauty, and the other is using China Glaze Platinum Pieces over Revlon Lunar.

Nail of the Day

I was bored yesterday so I did my nails. I used Sephora Violet Amethyst. I love this colour it's such a vampy purple. It has flecks of red in it but you really can't see it unless you look hard in sunlight! It wears horribly though and it's chipping at the tips already and it's only been on for 24 hours :(
The colour is still amazing though! I guess I will have to find another brand that offers the same look but wears much better.

MNY Beauty Guide Coupons

If you received the magazine a little while ago with expired coupons keep your eyes on your mailbox! The corrected coupons appeared in my mailbox yesterday!! Just in time too because I need a new concealer and there is a $2 off any face product in my batch of coupons!