clean & clear morning burst hydrating gel moisturizer

I received a sample of this product in a Beauty Box 5.  Living in Calgary and having gotten somewhat used to the dry winter conditions, I already knew this gel moisturizer would not be hydrating enough for my parched skin.

To be fair, this product would probably be a good enough moisturizer for me during the summer.  It feels nice and cool when applied, and the honeydew scent is refreshing but not overpowering.  However, in the winter, this product just doesn't stand a chance.  I applied a very generous amount to my face, and within 15 minutes, I could already see my dry patches resurfacing.

Verdict: If I had oily skin and did not require much hydration, I would certainly purchase the full-sized version of this product since it smells yummy and feels great going on.  However, it's just not quite right for my dry skin, so I will have to take a pass.  ~3 oz tube, US$6.99

 

beauty box 5 - february 2014 spoiler

I cancelled my BB5 sub after December so I did not partake in the January offerings.  BB5 likes to send out spoiler emails to people that have unsubscribed in order to entice them to sign right back up for another year (or at least, a month).  Here is the spoiler I received for February - enjoy!

nuxe micellar cleansing water

Micellar waters are non-rinse, soap-free cleansing waters that contain micelle molecules and are supposed to be effective at removing makeup and other impurities from skin.  The Bioderma micellar water is the one that seems to be the most popular, but I ended up picking up the Nuxe version at Shoppers Drug Mart the other day since (a) I've been wanting to try a Nuxe product for some time and (b) I couldn't resist the bright red sticker that says I would be getting a great deal if I purchased it.  Sold!

As I have said in earlier reviews, I cannot stand the scent of rose water, but I found that this version wasn't too bad.  I always follow up the micellar water with toner, which usually gets rid of the scent.  Other reviews that I have read note that this product leaves a sticky feeling on the skin, but again, the toner takes care of that.  I also tried using this after wearing makeup during the day (and believe me, there aren't too many of those days lately).  The cotton cleansing pad I used with the micellar water certainly picked up a lot of the makeup.  I didn't feel comfortable just following up with toner as I usually do, so I added a couple splashes of water in between.  I would say this product did the job in terms of removing the makeup, but then again, I typically don't wear heavy makeup, so those of you that do may find that a separate cleanser and/or makeup remover is required.

Verdict: My skin looks and feels pretty good.  This product effectively removes the amount of makeup that I would normally wear, so I'm happy with it.  I would love it more if it wasn't rose scented, but again, my follow up toner, as well as moisturizer, more than offset the smell.  I would repurchase this product.  ~6.7oz bottle, US$24

aveeno active naturals portect + hydrate lotion

I received a 14g sample tube of this product from Beauty Box 5.  I'm a big fan of Aveeno products, but their Active Naturals line doesn't do much for me.

This lotion contains broad spectrum SPF 30, which is great.  However, the scent of the lotion is very strong - the floral scent is almost overpowering.  This is a big deviation from Aveeno's other products, which are unscented or have a mild oat (and sometimes lavender) scent.  The consistency of this lotion is on the the thin side (also unlike Aveeno's "regular" oat line), so I actually applied this twice on my face because I was convinced this was the only way I would get sufficient SPF coverage.  That being said, the lotion does absorb quickly and does not feel sticky.

Verdict: I have a hard time finding face lotions with SPF that do not feel sticky, so that is one of the pros of this product.  However, the scent is a little too much for me - I would be hesitant to use this on a regular basis because I think my baby would be sensitive to the smell of the product.  I will not be purchasing the full-sized version of this product in the future.  ~3 oz tube, C$10.

 

julep - intro box

The Julep Maven nail polish subscription has been around for quite some time, but since I was never really much of a nail polish person (volleyball keeps my nails short), I didn't have much of an interest.  However, since I went through a bit of an online shopping binge over the Christmas holidays, I ended up signing up for the free introductory box.  I had completed their style profile and been pegged as a "classic with a twist" maven, but since I didn't really like the colours that were featured in that introductory box, I selected the "bombshell" box instead.

Julep was very quick to ship out the box - I received the notification two days after placing the order.  Here's what I found in my introductory box:

• Zelda (Bombshell) - a frosty champagne shade that does not appear to be available on their website
• Kendra (It Girl) - frosty army green shade (I was a little surprised to have received an "it girl" shade)
• Luxe Repair Skin Serum from Julep's own brand of skincare

The nail polish bottles are a bit smaller than the standard drugstore offerings (8mL vs. 15), but I don't recall ever having finished an entire bottle of nail polish, so that's not an issue for me.  The bottles also have stickers on the caps that say "swatch me", which is a fantastic idea if you have a ton of nail polishes and don't want to pull out bottles to identify the colour, but it would make even more sense if the stickers were not already adhered to the bottle cap.  I'm not sure how I'm supposed to swatch the polish unless I use another tool like a Q-tip or my finger.

As much of a cop-out as it is, I'm probably going to cancel the subscription after having received this complimentary box.  I don't spend much time on my nails (though I seem to spend hours filing away at my baby's) and even if I do want to pick up a new polish or two, I'm more likely to head to the drugstore down the street than order online.  However, I'm interested in trying out the serum and if it works out (review to follow - I need to give the product some time), I would definitely order more directly from Julep.