Non-Makeup Post: Cosmo Voxbox Reveiw!

I mentioned this before, I was one of the 5,000 members on the Influenster website to be chosen to receive and try the products featured in the 2012 Cosmo Voxbox. Influenster, for those of you who don't know, is an invite only site that allows it's most qualified members to do tasks, surveys and challenges in order to qualify to receive products to continue to review! It's a wonderful opportunity, and it's definitely a decent resource to look into if you blog, or just love trying new things and talking about them!

 At first I was a little sad when I received my box, as most of the products included don't really have a place on a beauty and makeup blog. On the other hand, these are products that women, and some of the men that I know would be interested in, so I'm not letting that spoil my blogging fun!

"There's nothing like autumn in the city, and we're celebrating the changing seasons with the Fall Cosmo VoxBox! Inside this box you'll find the products that a modern gal like yourself needs." states the card enclosed. I was as interested as you probably are to see what Influenster thought a girl in the city would need this fall.

Pilot FrixIon erasable gel pens

I was delighted when I received purple as one of my colors to try! The pens write very smoothly, and don't smudge. The eraser is great too. I'd sort of ignored the existence of erasable pens, due to always losing the cap (which usually held the eraser.) Pilot has completely eliminated that in this slick little number! The eraser is on the bottom of the pen, so it doesn't matter if you lose the cap! Another feature I liked  was the little clip on the cap. I've clipped this pen to the edge of several things, books, notebooks, my bag pockets, and my pants pockets, and it has not budged. It grips well, and seems like a hard pen to lose. These pens would be great for anyone, especially if they jot down a lot of notes, or want to show off their wild side with the tattoo inspired graphics!

I used these pens for my Christmas shopping lists, as well as in my planner. I think they're a great product, and am pleased that gel pens, as well as erasable pens have come this far.

Ghirardelli Sea Salt Escape

Yum. I'd never tried sea salt in chocolate before, and am not a huge fan of salty foods. I do, however, like chocolate covered preset, so that was my comparison basis going in to trying this bar. I'd say that this particular bar on average is less salty than your average chocolate covered pretzel. The almonds add a nutty savory crunch to the sea-salt, and the creamy sweet milk chocolate balances it out. This chocolate bar is perfect. I've bought two since trying the one provided for sampling. I will continue to buy more, as it retails for around $3.00, is big enough to share with a friend, and is worth every penny.

Bath and Bodyworks Forever Red Perfume.

I understand that Bath and Bodyworks spent the most they've ever spent on a fragrance on "Forever Red." From the amazing ad campaign that doubles as straight up art, to the ingredients. The fragrance was cloaked in mystery, and has been promoted everywhere the eye can see. But was it all worth it?

Bath and Body Works has described their first premium scent as 
"Our most luxurious longest lasting fragrance blends opulent notes of fiery red pomegranate and delicate peche de vigne, a rare and fleeting French peach. Soft petals of red osmanthus give way to notes of addictive velvety marshmallow and a surprising finale of rich vanilla rum that leaves an unforgettable impression."

 My first thought was that it does not smell like what I'd call the smell of "Red." My second thought was..."Candy apple?"

 I definitely got notes of fruits, sugar, and light floral with a nice dry fruit finish. I didn't receive any comments on this fragrance when I wore it, but I did catch myself sniffing my wrists, so I suppose they got the addictive part right. I was dissapointed by the absence of the most interesting of scents they claimed it had, the vanilla rum.

.The fragrance does have good staying power, but it really is a smidge on the too sweet and confused side to me. I think that Bath and Body works could have spend the money on something else, and I personally wouldn't have noticed the difference. I don't think I'll be buying this again, but I do still have the little trial size, so who knows.

 Gillette Venus with Olay Razor

I tend to be a bit on the lazy side with razors. I'm one of those "I'll buy whatever is on sale" girls, when it comes to a razor. I should say WAS. Oh. My. God.  The grip on the razor handle is perfect for a woman's hand, providing comfort, as well as control. I haven't tried out the initial set of blades that came with the razor, I was more interested in seeing what this Venus with Olay blade would do for my incredibly dry winter skin.

After trying the Venus with Olay razor, my legs felt smooth, and the skin definitely felt less dry. I actually used it without any sort of shave cream, or lotion, because I'd read that the moisture bars can get goopy. (They can.) This razor would be the perfect travel companion, or a good razor for someone on the go who doesn't have the time to pack, or deal with shaving cream. I can also happily report that I experienced no nicks, or cuts while using this 5 blade razor. 

I'll most definitely be using the included two dollar off coupon included in the box, and look forward to trying the entire line this year!

Over all, this was a fun experience, and I enjoyed receiving the VoxBox. I hope that I'll get chosen to do more and more of these reviews, and hope that my opinions are helping companies and consumers alike.

**I received the products reviewed in this post complementary from Influenster to provide my 100% honest, unbiased opinions on!**

Why You NEED Clear Mascara

One product that's quickly made it's way to my list of must-haves is clear mascara. I'd been feeling nostalgic, and wondering out loud to myself about where the old Bonne Bell "Lash Glosses" had gone.(The "Gloss" was none other than clear, slightly tinted mascara.) I turned the corner at Target, and there, among the other ELF products sat a double ended tube of clear mascara! (It does say that one is a brow gel, but the product in each end, as well as the brush/wand are the same!) I just couldn't pass it up for a dollar!

Sorry for the blurriness! My camera was not cooperating!

Before I get into my favorite uses for clear mascara, I'll do a mini-review of the ELF clear mascara/brow gel.

Price - Great for what you get.

Packaging - Great. You can see just what you've got. Also, if you're experimental with your makeup like I am, you might like having two ends to work with.

Performance - Perfect. Not crusty, lightweight. No odd odor.

Over all, this product is amazing.  Now... what can you do with it?

Changes and Things to Come!

Just a quick update, no review or tutorial this time. I've got some exciting stuff planned! I placed an order with Jesse's Girl Cosmetics (I ordered a bunch of shadows and pigments but was promised a "Grab bag" and I can't resist those!) and am beyond thrilled announce that as a member of the NEW Influenster.com, I've been chosen to receive the "Cosmo Voxbox." I'm hoping will have some makeup/skincare/beauty goodies that I can try and show off, as well as review and share my opinion!

In other news, I've applied for a few different blog endorsements, and blog-centric social media sites. Hopefully the badges will be up on here soon! I sincerely hope that everyone who's reading Diary of a Glitter Fiend will share it with their friends and enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing and photographing for it!

Lastly, I've added new pages on the top!  I've moved my review policy to it's own tab, and started what I hope will be a great resource for all you glamour junkies! My collection of tips and tricks! I've collected knowledge from tons of magazines, friends, family, and of course personal experience for years, and will slowly be organizing it and sharing it with the world! I'll probably notify of updates to the Tips and Tricks page via Twitter, or Facebook!

Cocktail Dress?

This year Maybelline put out some brilliant limited edition polishes. Their latest Color Show collection was called "Sequins." Being a massive glitter fiend, as I am, I spotted the perfect shade for myself immediately. Cocktail Dress, a sparkly smokey gel base with black, and silver micro glitters, and larger red chips. Perfect for a pseudo=goth-pinup right? Especially in the coming months, for all those super fun parties!

Before I show swatches, or give my two cents, I'd like to say that the Color Show line is sadly hit or miss. Shocking Seas, is my go-to teal polish, and as a plus it's from their super affordable main line. Same with Onyx Rush. Auburn Ablaze, from their Fall 2012 line, is stunning in the bottle, but definitely needs a bunch of coats, or a strong base coat of a solid color. Also from their Fall 2012 line, Pink Cosmo, redefines the term "Sheer." It's amazing in the bottle, but far too sheer to do much with, aside from topcoat a strong base with. Having said all of that, I do find Maybelline Color Show polishes to wear pretty well.

...until Cocktail Dress.

I cant even show you this polish on my nails, because of the two times I've worn it, it's lasted less than 24 hours. I did some swatches on some junk mail. For a glitter, it dries super quick, and rather matte, so a topcoat is a necessity.

One coat, two coats, three coats, and black base with one coat. All swatches have a topcoa

 My first wear with this polish lasted through the night, and about half way into my work day. I work with my hands, so I figured it was just me, and that I'd need another coat or two of a topcoat.

Tonight, when I tried it again, it literally PEELED OFF MY NAILS within 20 mins of drying. I was removing excess polish, and almost like a nail sticker, the polish peeled right off.

I hope that anyone out there has a more positive experience with this Polish, but I will be telling my friends to avoid it from here on out!

Now... what shall I wear for my Black Friday manicure?!

November 2012 Ipsy/Glam Bag!

I got the November Ipsy/Glam Bag yesterday, and as it's the first I've received since beginning this blog, I thought I'd share my take on the contents!

For those who don't know, Ipsy/My Glam Bags is a monthly subscription service of 5-6 deluxe sized samples in a cute bag for $10 a month! You can find out more information here. I personally really like Ipsy, as I tend to get into a rut with products, and since the $10 is automatically deducted from my bank account each month, I hardly miss it. Win-Win, right?

The theme this month was "Party Perfect!" Personally, brown, berry, and gold don't scream "party" to me, but it IS fall, and the colors are very wearable at this point in the season.

  

Not much to say about the actual bag this month, it's brown with a gold zipper. The color evokes thoughts of chocolate, but sadly the material the bag is made of looks and feels cheap. It's about the same size as the last one, but definitely not as unique or cute. (A heavy feeling black and white chevron print with a red zipper.)

Totally Bold Tenacious Gold and Teal!

 Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you probably already have SOME awareness of the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour Cream eye shadows. You've probably seen the brightly pigmented little glass jars in the supermarket, drugstore, in a magazine ad. There's 10 colors in the permanent collection, and there have been two limited edition sets of four. I own 11 of these. They're great to use alone, and are amazing when used under powder. MOST of them are amazingly pigmented, and apply and blend perfectly. Some take a little more work, but the staying power is worth it.

I did a gold and teal look with them today, and a handful of other products.

And then I decided to make a step by step post/tutorial on one of the many ways to use these amazing shadows!

Color Club Halo Hues Harp on It!

When I caught wind of the Halo Hues polishes from Color Club, I was in hot persuit of these! I said "Meh" to the rumored $10 price tag... they gave me a fond shimmer of nostalgia for the Sally Hansen Nail Prisms. I remember having the "Diamond" one... so of course when I spotted "Harp on It" in the display @ Beauty Plus Salon for a whopping $4.95... I died a little happy death, and skipped to the counter to pay for it.

I've seen it swatched next to the Sally Hansen "Diamond" one and it appears to be a brighter more intense holograph.

  I started with a coat of Orly Bonder, then two coats (though one would be sufficient) of Harp on It, and topped it with one coat of Orly Wont Chip. 

 

 The formulation is good, pretty average. Very easy to apply color, hypothetically it goes with everything, and anything since it's a rainbow holograph. (I'm kidding, but that was my rationale for buying it!) 

In some lights it looks sort of like a boring silver glitter polish, but in lower lights, I find it looks absolutely amazing.

This is a great addition to any polish lovers collection, young or old. 

If you can score one at the Beauty Plus Salon price, I'd say get one, or get one of the many other slightly tinted ones in the Halo Hues collection!