Glossybox January 2012

I was very happy to receive my first Glossybox ever yesterday. I was really unsure about subscribing last month because €10 a month is a bit expensive, but I decided to give it a try in the end!

Remember that I live in Italy so this is the Italian version of the Glossybox.

The thing I loved the most is the packaging. January 2012 Glossybox is not pale pink and black but bright pink!

I got samples of Everline Beauty Therapy Moisturizing Shampoo, Nourishing Mask and Shining Elisir; a Kryolan Classic lipstick (a very bright pink shade, I can't remember the code) and two Layla Bijou nail polish minis (a french manicure duo).

I like the items I got. I really want to test out the hair products, but it'll be a problem if I like them because I've never found any Everline products in local stores. The Layla nail polishes look lovely, I often use pastels so I'm happy I got them. As for the lipstick, it's a 'Barbie' shade which is a bit too blue for me and tends to look fluorescent on me! I'll find a way to wear it anyway! 

I think I'll stick with Glossybox because I really like the idea of getting surprise boxes every month. I would spend €10 euros a month on make-up anyway, so after all it's not a huge expense. Let's see what I'll get next month though, and then I'll decide! 

Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV Giveaway

Beauty and The Brute is giving away 2 prizes including a Urban Decay Book Of Shadows IV!

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$100 Target GC Giveaway

PersonalFinanceJourney.com is giving away a $100 Target gift certificate! 

What would you buy if you won it?

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Too Faced, My Beauty Diary and Tokidoki Giveaway

Lipgloss Love Affair is giving away lots of amazing make-up, such as a Too Faced Glamour Revolution Palette, a My Beauty Diary Blooming of Beauty Japanese Hydrangea Mask and a Tokidoki Pink Lametta Flat Iron! I want everything!

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ELF, Models Own & Zoya Giveaway

Lucy's Stash is giving away lots of prizes including ELF Beauty Book Smoky Eye Edition, Models Own Beetlejuices and a Sleek The Berry Collection!

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Anatomicals 'Snog Me Senseless' lipbalm

Some time ago I made a little Anatomicals haul; today I'm going to talk you about a product I'm completely in love with: the Snog Me Senseless lipbalm.

I was immediately attracted by the nice, simple packaging and the name - it's so funny! Also, I'm a lipbalm collector so I thought I could add one to my stash. It was cheap as well (it cost about €3) so I didn't think twice about buying it. This is such a good product for me. It comes in a tube and it has no pigmentation, it's just a regular clear balm. When you apply it, it leaves a strong, fresh minty feeling on your lips for more than half an hour! Moreover, it has a nice glossy finish. I think this lipbalm is perfect for those who often have sore lips, especially in the winter.

Urban Decay Rollergirl palette ++ giveaway winner

A few days ago I was lucky enough to find an Urban Decay Rollergirl palette discounted at the 68%, for only 10 euros! Almost nothing! As soon as I saw it in my local Sephora, I immediately grabbed it. It was the last one remaining too! Huge deal.

I would've probably bought any UD palette if it costed so little, but I was particularly happy to get this because it features some UD bestsellers which are contained in the Naked palette as well - Verve, Darkhorse and Suspect. I am a natural, naked look fan so I doubt I'll ever use Woodstock, but it looks very nice. 

The palette contains also a little 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Whiskey eyepencil and Lip Junkie lipgloss in Crush. I dont really see the use of lipglosses (or, even worse, liptints) in palettes, but I have to say i quite like this one. Its a pretty shade, it lasts for a very long time and it gives a feeling of freshness for a while. On the other hand its a bit sticky and i dont like the fact that it comes in a tube, but anyway! 

The eyeshadow are all very pigmented and quite glittery. Last Saturday i used Verve as a base, Darkhorse as an eyeliner and Suspect on my crease. These 3 shades create a great look, i was very very pleased with the result. It might not be the newest UD product but its quality is definitely high. Its travel size as well and contains a little mirror as you can see from the photo. If youre a nude look lover like me, i really suggest you should try this palette (:

PS: The Hello Kitty beauty kit giveaway winner is PHIONIRAY! 

Congratulations :) I'm contacting you via email. 

I'm thinking of skipping this month's giveaway and doing a very big one in February, including lots of items. What do you think? 

Dollywink and Canmake giveaway

Sayalii is giving away lots of Korean/Japanese make-up, which I love!

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NYX, Revlon, MAC giveaway

Makeup Is My Medicine is giving away tons of makeup products!

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Kawaii and Beauty items giveaway

Fenny is giving away some kawaii items on her blog!

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Anatomicals 'Don't just clean it woman, scrub it' body scrub

This product is part of my little Anatomicals haul I made a while ago. I was looking for a good body scrub, I wanted to test some of the Anatomicals products and for quite a reasonable price (around €5) i got the Don't just clean it woman, scrub it body scrub. It comes in a 200ml tube; in the swatch below you can see it consistency and colour.

While I have nothing to say about the efficiency of this scrub (it works well for my skin; as for the face cleanser I reviewed here, it doesnt leave my skin dry and it cleanses deeply), I have something to criticize: its smell. It's not that good. Well, in fact it reminds me of a medicine I used to take when I had sore throat as a little kid. That's the only bad thing I have to say about this product. I'd definitely buy it again, but they have to do something about the smell !!

Some mail love #3

I was so pleased to receive the swap I did with a lovely girl from South Korea. Here's what I got from her!

All the items are brand new because I had the chance to choose them for myself. I've been wanting these items forever, but before discovering the existence of swaps I basically had no access to them!

The item I craved for the most was the Skinfood BB cream, which I can't wait to use. The Lioele lipstick I wanted to try as well. It turned up it's a bit too orangey for my skintone, but it doesnt matter, I'll find a way to use it.

Skinfood Good Afternoon BB Cream Peach Green Tea

Lioele Real Vivid Matte Lipstick #3 Peach

Tonymoly: Petite Bunny Gloss Bar #06 Orange

Probably the item I was expecting the less is the TonyMoly lipgloss - I chose it only because it looked so kawaii, but I found out it's probably the product I like the most out of the whole box. It gives a really pretty natural colour on the lips and I find it perfect for daily use. I've been looking for a product like this for ages! I'm really curious to find the other products from the same line.

Skinfood Royal Honey Hydro cream sample, Missha The Style Nail Polish (CR003), Lioele Pure White Skin and Pure White Emulsion samples, Baviphat lip tint

The girl I swapped with was so nice to throw in some extras, like some Lioele and Skinfood samples, a Missha nail polish (it's already on my nails!!) and a Baviphat liptint. The samples I'll have to google because the words on them are in Korean LOL

I really like the Missha nail polish, such a pretty colour. The bottle has a strange shape and the applicator brush is so large that you need to wipe it only once on your nail to fully cover it O: it can be comfortable but you have to be very, very precise. Anyway you'll see it in the review I'll do soon (:

I've never tried liptints so I was happy to get one. I tried it once and I quite liked the result. I definitely have to expand my knowledge on this subject!

BottegaVerde Lipstick Rosso Velluto

BottegaVerde is an Italian brand that sells natural products and cosmetics. I was buying some Christmas presents in my local shop and the shopping assistant told me that if I bought one more product, it would get a 40% discount on it. I went through the lipstick rack but I was a bit in a hurry, so I ended up picking a deep red lipstick instead of the pink toned one I wanted. I noticed the mistake when I got back home, so there was nothing I could do. Not that I don't like the lipstick I got in the end, but it's not the one that I intended to buy and I already had a similar one.

Anyway it's a good product so I don't regret buying it. 

The BottegaVerde Longlast lipstick comes in a very elegant black tube. The outside of it reminds me of the consistency of the matte lipstick that's inside. The shade of this product is a very deep, sensual red (it's called 'Rosso Velluto', which means 'Red Velvet' for a reason). Applying it is very easy, it glides on smoothly even if it's a matte. I wouldn't wear it for the daytime because it's such a loud colour! I think it'd be perfect for an evening date or something like that, because it draws the attention on your mouth.

It has a long staying power and it contains Argan oil and Hyaluronic oil so it's supposed to protect and keep your lips moisturized. I'm definitely going to try the other lipsticks from the same line. I love the natural effect the matte lipsticks give. Next time I'll pay more attention Ito the shade I pick though!

NOTD - H&M Golden Treasure

I'm currently in love with golden and glitter.. does it show? :)

Some mail love #2

Yesterday I was so happy to receive the giveaway prize I won over at Moondancerjen's blog - 6 nail polishes from the China Glaze Let it Snow collection! I got Blue Years Eve, Ring in the Red, Twinkle Lights, Glittering Garland, Snow Globe and Tinsel Town. I've been wanting to try a China Glaze nail polish since forever because I don't think they sell them here in Italy (or at least not where I live), so I was glad to get these beauties!

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was the size of the bottles - they're huge! They contain 14ml, while the nail polishes I generally use contain only 11ml. The second thing I noticed was that you get a nice grip of the applicator because its surface is not completely smooth.

I was a bit sad to receive these just after the end of the Christmas holidays because I think I would've used them a lot! Anyways, except for Twinkle Lights which is just too christmassy I don't think I'll have problems wearing the other shades throughout the year.

Ring in the Red, Glittering Garland, Blue Years Eve

Tinsel Town, Snow Globe, Twinkle Lights

The one I like the best is definitely Snow Globe. I absolutely love it and I can't wait to try it! You can't really see it in the picture, but it has red, blue and green sparkles as well as the regular 'white' ones.

Blog sale

 All the items are brand new and can be either purchased or swapped. Contact me at francivusk at hotmail dot it if you're interested!



From left to right:
Kiko Luscious Cream Lipstick 513 Red- €4.50
Kiko Luscious Cream Lipstick 523 Black - €4.50
Kiko Luminous Chrome Lipstick 513 Violet - €4.50



From left to right:
H&M mini nail polishes in Pink Pearl, Grey Pearl, Mother of Pearl - all three: €5 / sold separately: €2 each
H&M mini nail polishes in Purple, Black, Red - all three: €5 / sold separately: €2 each



1. Kiko Kiko Hologram Nail Lacquer #352 Emerald Nebula - €3
2. Kiko Frozen Nail Lacquer #06 Iced Black - €3
3. H&M Kiss Goodnight - €2.50
4. H&M Fall in Love - €2.50
5. H&M Ocean Sand - €2.50



From left to right:
Kiko Water eyeshadow #103 Peony and Emerald - €4.50
Kiko Water eyeshadow #104 Hyper Tangerine - €4.50