October Beauty Army

As usual, I was super excited to get another one of my subscription boxes! It always makes my day when I get them. This month's Beauty Army is awesome! Except for just one item but I'll see what I can do with that.

Totally loved the pink box!

The box was pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and they will donate a portion of all the sales for the month of October to Strides Against Breast Cancer. My grandma and my dad are both breast cancer survivors (yes my dad!men can get it too), so I'm really into this cause and really terrified of getting breast cancer, so I always do a self exam whenever I can. Remember to always check, early detection is super important.

I can already see 2 things I'm excited about!

I like the size of my samples for this month, I'm missing the picture of my 

Suki Face Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser, cuz by the time I took the pictures I had already used it and couldn't find the picture.

Nailtiques Formula 2: Sample Value: $9.49 (0.25 fl oz/ 7 ml). I'm loving this product, it's doing wonders for my nails! Totally happy I got it, tho I got a smaller one from a Nailtiques sampler I got from Dermstore, but once I run out of both I'll definitely buy it again.

Nume Hydro Punch, Hydrating Shampoo: Sample Value: $2.86(20ml, full size is 250ml for $35.69 shipping included), this is the only product I'm not excited about, I use Wen for my hair, and ever since I started using Wen, I stopped using shampoo, so I won't go back just cuz of one sample.

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment: Sample Value: $15.30 (1 fl oz/ 30 ml, 4.2 oz is worth $39.95 and 10 oz is $75), I haven't tried this out just yet, but the smell is great, a little strong, but I think I can handle it, it's kinda like argan oil (duh it has argan oil!). Reviews on this are great, so I will start using it and I'll review it later on.

Suki Face Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser: Sample Value: $1 (4ml, full size is 120ml and worth: $30.95). I liked this product, I mean it was OK like any regular scrub, nothing major. It came in a foil packet, which is meh, but it was good for only one use.

 

Lash'em Measurable Difference Lash Gel: Value: $29.99(Full size!), I'm currently trying out this product and will soon post pictures of the results, today is my two week mark so I will see if there's any improvement, the reviews on this are not all good, but I just hope it works for me.

Overall, I'm happy with my October Beauty Army, and really satisfied with the size of the samples, I did get one foil packet and that is never good, but oh well.

The total value of my box was: $63.21!!! Which is pretty good when I paid $12 for it :) 

 If you want to subscribe to Beauty Army , here's the link for it: https://beautyarmy.com/account/registration/?referral_id=4ac4804c5a82a5427d88b75ca6031bcc

Halloween nails!

I decided to do a lil nail look for Halloween. Please ignore my hangnails I don't know how to get rid of that, had it all my life.

I'm not the greatest at doing my nails cuz my hands are always really shaky, so it's not perfect, but I tried :)

Items used:

Julep-Parker
Julep-Fast Dry Top Coat
POP Beauty Nail Glam- Black Crackle No.57
Halloween Decals-Alex Cole Jr for Etsy

I loved it! Hope you do too :D

Two easy tips for great hair!

     I've always been obsessed with my hair. I want it to look healthy, shiny and beautiful. Sometimes it's hard to find the right things for you, everybody is different, so what works for you might not work for me. I've tried different things for it, but sadly it always went back to looking dry and unhealthy.
    This is my new routine, it's affordable and it has worked wonders for me and I hope it can do the same for you.

Almond oil:

   Everybody knows that oils are good for your hair and skin, oils such as avocado, coconut, olive, and almond are great to use. For a long time I would apply olive oil on my hair and leave it on for about half an hour; it was great, my hair was moisturized and after washing it, it wasn't greasy, but I felt like it was still missing something. Now, my new go to oil is almond oil. Sometimes I mix it with some Argan oil. I apply this mix to my hair from about ear level all the way down to the ends with a little bit extra on the ends. After this, I just run my fingers through my hair with whatever is left on my hands, I leave it on my hair for 2 days and just wear my hair up in a bun. After 2 days I wash my hair like I regularly do. As a result my hair feels moisturized, looks shiny and overall feels much more healthy! I can tell this has decreased the amount of my split ends, plus my hair never looks dry and dead anymore.

   Before doing this, the day I washed my hair, it looked dry and dead after it dried, but not anymore! This has worked wonders for me and I totally love it. I paid $2 for a 110ml bottle I bought back in Costa Rica, and it has lasted me for about a month and a half. Sorry, I can't really provide a link for this oil specifically, but it's really easy to find almond oil. It's commonly sold either online or sometimes even in grocery stores.


   Don't worry about how your hair will look during the 2 days you wear it with the oil on it, if it's up in a bun no one will notice you have oil on your hair. A really great thing about this treatment is that Almond oil smells great!

Benefits of almond oil for your hair:

  Sweet almond oil is a rich source of vitamin E, vitamin D, magnesium, potassium and calcium, all these nutrients are beneficial for your skin and hair. It also contains three essential fats, monounsaturated oleic acid (omega-9 fatty acid), linoleic acid (an omega-6 essential fatty acid), and omega 3 essential fatty acid. The combination of fats and fatty acids in almond oil softens, strengthens and nourishes the hair making it look thicker and fuller.

Split ends:

   Hair is made from dead protein, mostly keratin, and since it's dead once it gets damaged there is no way to fix it, other than cutting off the damaged ends. The weight of the oil can help fuse the split ends of your hair together , so that they look healthy and smooth for a healthier look. 

Shine:

  Massaging the hair and scalp with almond oil will smooth out the hair cuticles, which will give it a healthy shine and prevent breakage.

Hair loss:

  With the help of Vitamin E and potassium, sweet almond oil nourishes hair. It helps to strengthen the shaft, provides protein to the hair, which is essential for hair growth and helps with the prevention of hair loss. Massaging almond oil onto you scalp will help with blood circulation, bring more oxygen and condition the hair follicles, which will also improve hair growth. 

Black Currant Seed Oil: 

  Produced from Black Currant Seeds, it contains essential fatty acids like Omega 3 and Omega 6, specifically  GLA (Gamma-Linolenic acid).
  To help with thinning hair and to prevent further hair loss, it's essential to have Omega 3 and 6 as part of your diet. Dry hair is more fragile and will break easier, so moisture is key for healthy hair.
  You can get Omega 3 and 6 from: flax seeds, simply add 2 tablespoons of freshly ground flax seeds to a yogurt or cereal for breakfast and you won't even taste them, or from supplements with GLA, such as Black Currant oil or Evening Primrose oil.
   Take 500mg of either, twice a day for six to eight weeks. Make sure they have at least 45mg of GLA and be patient about it, you won't notice major results right away, but give it some time(six to eight weeks usually). Soon after you'll see how your hair become healthier and a decrease in hair loss. Once you see results, you can cut the dose in half.

 Black Currant Seed Oil benefits for your hair, skin and nails:

•  Restores moisture to your hair and skin.
•  Promotes the healthy growth of skin, nails and  hair.
•  Blocks hormonal break down, which can cause thinning hair.
•  Strengthens hair ,decreasing breakage. 
•  Prevents hair splitting and dryness.
•  Helps brittle nails.

 Black Currant Seed Oil has a lot of other benefits for your health, but my focus in this post is geared for healthier hair. If you want to add it to your diet and take supplements, make sure you won't be affected by the side effects. For example, if you are predisposed to seizures, the Omega 6 acids increase the risk of occurrence, make sure to always check with your physician before taking anything.

  You can get Black Currant Seed Oil supplements at health and nutrition stores, or online. I got mine at amazon for around $9 and it has 80mg of GLA. The bottle comes with 100 soft gels, so it will last for around 2 months.

Here is a link to get the Black Currant Seed Oil that I use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L83ENS/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

 I hope these tips work for you as much as they have worked for me, and I wish your hair to always be healthy and beautiful!

Julep October It Girl Box

Love the look of this, hate candy corn though!

  

This is my first official Julep Maven monthly box, I was super excited to pick out the colors and went with the It Girl box cuz it comes with 3 nail polishes. Since this was my first official month after the intro box I got a free add-on, the other boxes came with the Quick Dry Polish Drops, so I picked that as an add on.

Leslie: (1) Black and silver specked shimmer. I really loved this color, it's a super intense black and the shimmer is super light. 

Regular Price:$14.00/Maven Price:$11.20.

Caroline: (2) A really dark burgundy shimmer. I really like this color, it looks more brown than red, but it's really nice and works for any age! Regular Price:$14.00/Maven Price:$11.20.

  

Glenda: (3) Radiant silver metallic crackle. Not a huge fan of this one, it needs more than just one coat to show well and you have to do it super quick cuz it dries so fast!

Regular Price:$14.00/Maven Price:$11.20

2 Glitter pots in Orange and Black.

Total Value before add ons: Regular Price: $42/ Maven Price:$33.6.

That's already totally worth it, even without adding the free add-on to the equation!

Add-ons: 

Add-ons are $4.99 when you get the box for that month.

Quick Dry Polish Drops: Really liked these quick drops. They work great and I love the size! My other quick dry drops are from OPI (Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops ) and they're only 9ml for $6, this one is 30 ml. The smell is OK, but it stays after a while which kinda bothered me a bit, but overall I loved the product.

Regular Price: $14/ Maven Price: $11.20.

I got this item for free since it was my first month, so they gave me a free add-on.

 

Sofia: (4) Sheer spring green with a flash of aqua irridescent glitter. If you hold it under a light first, this will glow in the dark. Gorgeous lime green color with glitter, a really cute color. It works better as a top coat with another color as a base(I used Kate from my intro box).It works better as more of a top coat with another color under it, but with several coats you could just wear it by itself.

Regular Price:$14.00/Maven Price:$11.20.

Leslie+ Sabrina

Sabrina(AmericanBeauty): (5)Zesty orange shimmer crackle. Lovely orange crackle nail polish, I wish it wasn't crackled, but the color is perfect for Halloween. I did Leslie with this one on top, the black + orange combination looks just awesome!

Regular Price:$14.00/Maven Price:$11.20.

These items were add-ons to my monthly subscription, but they are normally worth $4.99 each.

Total Value for the add-ons: $42/Total Value for Mavens: $33.6. I paid: $9.98.

Total amount I paid for the October+ add ons box: $29.97

Total Value: $84/Total Value for Mavens: $67.2.

Swatches

  I loved my October box so much! Even with the add-ons the value of what I got is more than double what I paid for it! I'm super happy with my Julep Maven subscription and don't think I will cancel it anytime soon.

 If you want to subscribe to Julep, here's the link: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/68437/

 Remember to use the code: penny or color2012 to get your first box for $0.01! 

Julep Welcome Box

 I know, this post is late. I just got these pictures from my other computer that was broken. I've had to enlist my wonderful boyfriend's help with this tragedy. This was my first Julep box, so it ended up costing: $0.01(with coupon promo "penny" or "color2012").

 

Rose: A juicy watermelon cremé. I really loved this color, especially cuz I love pink  for my nails. This one has a bit more red than the fuschia that I already had from Sally Hansen(gorgeous color by the way). Regular Price:$14.00/Maven Price:$11.20

Kate: Pearly white frost. The bottle makes it look like this is a pearl white color, but it really doesn't look like it once you apply it. I was really hoping that 2 coats would be enough with this, but I guess that's just impossible with a white nail polish.It took about 4 coats for it to look ok. I didn't really like it much cuz I was really exciting  a pearl white color, but it ended up looking just plain white. Regular Price: $14.00/Maven Price: $11.20.

The Best Pedi Cream Ever: I love this! I apply it every night, it smells like cucumber and mint, I didn't really notice a huge difference, cuz my skin is already soft. Regular Price: $22.00/Maven Price: $17.60.

Total Value: $50

Total Value for Mavens: $40

 I think the value of this box was great, even if I would've paid the full amount for it ($19.99), it's still worth it. I love what I got, except for the white nail polish, and when I run out of the foot cream I will definitely buy it again.

 If you want to subscribe to Julep, here's the link and remember to use the codes: "penny" or "color2012", so your first box is $0.01!