#ModaVoxBox from Influenster

Hey there!

I know.. it's been a minute. Unfortunately, I haven't really been feeling very inspired to write about anything lately, but don't worry because all of that will be changing!

To start off, I'm going to blog about the new VoxBox that I received from Influenster! This box is called the ModaVoxBox and it has all KINDS of goodies hiding inside!

First off, I received everything in the box that they would send. Some boxes only received 5 items, I was lucky enough to receive all 8 as the 3 Rimmel London products were ones that were only sent out to some Influensters. So Thank You, Influenster!!

The products I received are as follows:

• Hair Food Moisture Hair Mask by Clairol. #HairFood #Target
• Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa in Milk Chocolate. #SwissMissSimplyCocoa
• JERGENS Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer. #1WeektoGorgeous
• Resource Spring Water. #refreshwithresource
• Puffs SoftPack. #PassthePuffs
• Rimmel London Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara. #RockinIt #Rimmel
• Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in Red Alert. #MoistureRenew
• Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lip Liner Transparent. #MoistureRenew

Right off the bat, I already know I am going to love this box. There is not a single thing here that I know I won't find myself using. There have been boxes in the past where I've received one thing (or like my last box, the entire thing) that I either knew I didn't like or couldn't use, like when I had REALLY short hair, and I received a pack of hair ribbons...

I've already ripped into the Swiss Miss... it's my all time favourite hot chocolate!

 I think the best thing about this box is the timeliness of when they sent it out... in fall. The tissues, the dry skin lotion, the hair mask, the cocoa... it's all perfect for this time of year!! Great job, Influenster! Even better? With this box, I was also given 2 coupons - one for the HairFood and one for the Swiss Miss (oh Influenster, you really know the way to my heart, huh?)

I've only just started to crack into everything, but you can follow my reviews on all of the products on my instagram - @ChristinaDahl01, and my twitter - @ChristinaDahl01 (I know, I'm so original! HA!)

See you there!!

The Nude Nail to Rule Them All!

Yes my friends, I have finally found it! I have finally found the perfect nude/neutral nail colour for me!

Allow me to introduce you to my friend - "Thrilling" by Formula X for Sephora!

This nail colour is part of the "New Neutrals" collection by Formula X, and it is listed as being a "cloud grey" colour. Personally, it looks more like an almost perfect "greige" polish. It's not too brown, not too pink, not too grey... just a perfect beige-y grey colour. Even though it is a lighter toned polish, it's JUST warm enough that it doesn't wash out my skin like other polishes I've had. 

The best thing about this polish to me is that it is sleek and simple enough that there is never a bad time or place to wear it! A formal event, a party, a trip to the beach, on the job... anywhere you wear this colour, it will look good!!

As for the formula of the Formula X polishes, they are pretty fantastic. It usually takes 2-3 coats for a good coverage, and they dry in a reasonable time. It spreads well over the nail, and doesn't get tacky as you're trying to paint all of the nails on your one hand.

The colour range for the entire Formula X line is outstanding, with basics, shimmers, glitters, shade shifting colours and more, you'd be hard pressed to find a nail polish you DON'T like.

Would I recommend this colour? Absolutely! Would I recommend this polish line in general? Absolutely!

This particular polish was $10.50, although the entire line ranges from $10.50 - $12.50 for the polishes. They also carry various nail care products such as polish remover, nail strengthener, drying drops, and cuticle cream.
All of these products, as well as the nail polishes, can be found at Sephora stores and Sephora.com. Keep in mind though that the selection at the various Sephora stores will vary.

LimeCrime's "Clueless Witch" Velvetine Collection review

LimeCrime recently released their new colours for their Velvetine collection of lipsticks and called it "The Clueless Witch" collection. A super cute name for the collection, and it's reflected back by the name of the 3 colours - Wicked, Salem, and Black Velvet.

Let me start off by talking about LimeCrime's packaging - SOOO cute!!

When your package arrives, it comes in a small (depending on how big your order is) plain white box. But then you open it and you see pink and white polka dots and lime green tissue paper with a black sticker that is in the shape of lips that says "LimeCrime" neatly protecting your order!

Now if this isn't setting the bar high for impressionable packaging, I don't know what is!

So not only is the packaging for your entire order adorable, so is the packaging for the product itself! The boxes for the velvetine lipsticks are all in a shiny red box with pink lips all over it! So cute! And to match that, when you remove the actual product from the box, you have the bottom part of the tube that shows you what the colour lipstick is, and then the lid of it with the applicator attached matches the box you just pulled it out of!

Now for this collection, I only ordered two of the three colours available, and that is simply because the third one I knew I'd most likely never wear, unfortunately. The one that I didn't order was Salem, which is a matte chocolate brown colour. While I like my brown toned lipsticks, having one that is straight up chocolate brown just wouldn't work for me. :-(

The two that I did order are Wicked and Black Velvet.

Wicked is a beautiful matte dark blood red colour that I think will look great on every skin tone! Black Velvet is a matte black - as black as can be!  That's the thing about these Velvetines - every colour is matte! There is no shimmer in any of them, and there is no shine. Just straight up matte.

Above is a swatch of the two colours. As you can see, when they dry they are just a flat colour.

Applying these lip colours is a little tricky - you have to be very patient and take your time to carefully apply the lipstick, especially around the edge of your lips. It's best to get a little smudge of it on your bottom lip, and then lightly blend that out instead of loading up the applicator wand and then going to town, same for the upper lip. Be sure to take the tip of the wand and slowing run it along the outer line of your lips to ensure you get a nice clean line all around. Then if you feel like you need to deepen your colour, just fill in the lips some more.

Wicked

Black Velvet

As you can see from my photos above, I don't have the cleanest of lines. Something that I'm going to consider trying, is lining my lips with a lip liner (or eye liner for the Black Velvet) and then filling my lips in from there to see if it will help with keeping a cleaner line.

My favourite of the two is defintiely Wicked! I can wear it more often, and I love how it compliments my skin tone! Here is a picture of me wearing Wicked while running errands with my husband today!

Overall, I love these colours! One recommendation is to make sure you have exfoliated and highly moisturized your lips before using this product. Since it does dry matte, it does feel a bit drying on your lips, a feeling that no one is too fond of, but if you moisturize your lips beforehand, it won't be as bad.

The only thing that disappointed me about these was the fact that they DO budge. Today at Target, I dropped a flip flop on my face (don't ask) and a minute later, my husband was telling me I had something on my chin... low and behold, it was a smearing of my lipstick. Now it's not like I had just applied this colour... I had been wearing it for at least an hour and a half to two hours. So if you plan on eating while wearing this, make sure you have a mirror with you and the lipstick so that you can fix any smudges you may get and reapply. The plus side is these ARE long lasting. While I did get a little smudge from the shoe falling on my face, I have not yet needed to reapply my lipstick, and this is after shoe to the face, drinking an iced coffee from Starbucks, as well as eating a sausage and egg sandwich from Starbuck as well.

You can purchase these colours, along with their original three Velvetines at LimeCrime.com and each velvetine retails for $20.

Fav Everyday Lip Colours

Growing up, I wasn't super big into wearing lipsticks, but as I've gotten older and have learned more about makeup, I've grown to be a big fan of them - especially if they are good quality.

With that being said, you'd be surprised to find out that most of my favourite lipsticks and lip glosses come from the drugstore!! Now don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean I don't dabble in some of the higher end lipsticks and glosses from time to time ;-)

So for today's blog, I pulled together a few of my most worn lipsticks and lip glosses for you!

Most of the lipsticks and glosses that I own fall under the same colour catagory - nude. Whether it be a nude-nude or a pinky-nude... most of them are nude. I usually steer toward that colour just because it can be worn any day for any occasion. You can wear it to work, running errands, on a date, to a wedding... anywhere.

First up is a Maybelline Colour Whisper in the shade "Lust for Blush."

This lip colour is a very light pink that is great for on-the-go when you just need a bit of colour on your lips. I love this product because it is very light in formula and is quite hydrating. You do need to reapply it after a few hours and after eating and drinking, but it's simple to just keep in your bag.

You can find this lip balm/stick at any drugstore (including target, walmart, meijer, etc) for around $5-$7 depending on any sales that may be going on.

The next lipstick is from the Colour Sensational line from Maybelline, and it is a part of their new "Buffs" collection in the colour "Nude Lust." This is probably my all time favourite drugstore nude lipstick for my skin as it is literally the perfect nude. I love wearing this lip colour with a smokey eye, as it gives my lips a LITTLE bit of colour, but doesn't distract from my eyes. 

You can find this lipstick at any drugstore for around $5-$7.

Here is one more Maybelline lipstick, also from the Colour Sensational collection in the shade "Born with It" (a very fitting name, considering the brand's slogan.) This colour is a very pretty, flirty pink much like the Colour Whisper that I posted above, but with a bit more pigment as well as staying power. I love this lipstick with a more natural makeup look, and it is also perfect for spring and summer.

Again, you can find this lipstick at any drugstore for around $5-$7.

Moving on to glosses, I have yet another product from Maybelline (they just know what they're doing when it comes to lip products) and it is their Colour Elixir collection in the colour "Petal Plush." This is a VERY pretty light pink colour that will look beautiful on anyone. The formula is SLIGHTLY sticky, but it is long wearing, however, you'll need to re-apply after eating/drinking.

You can also find this product at any drugstore for about $8.

My last drugstore product is a lip gloss by Revlon. It is from their Colourburst lipgloss collection, and it is in the colour "Crystal Lilac." This lipgloss is a pretty pinky-lilac colour (hence the name.) I also really love this gloss because it is another colour that will look great on anyone wearing it.

You can also find this product at any drugstore for around $5-$8.

Now for the higher end lip products, I only chose 2 because they are the ones that I can wear nearly everyday and any day without looking overdone, especially if I'm going for a very simple makeup look.

The first one is by Urban Decay, one of my all time favourite cosmetic brands, and it is from their Super Saturated lip gloss collection. What is really cool about this product is that, unlike most glosses, this gloss is in pencil form! For me personally, this makes it super easy to apply without a mirror, and I also feel like it's less sticky than most glosses because of the way it is. The colour I love most is "Lovechild." "Lovechild" is a very pretty, natural pink that would also look great on most skintones. I've never personally seen a person of a dark skintone wearing it, but I've always felt that if you love it and you feel good in it, rock it baby!! If you are a dark skintoned person and you wear this colour, please feel free to post your picture in the comments so I can see how awesome you look!!

(I think this picture makes Lovechild look like a much brighter pink than it is, especially since I've been applying and removing all of these lip colours in a row... my lips are going to need some pampering tonight!)

You can purchase this product at Sephora, Ulta, and at www.urbandecay.com for $20.

My last product is one that I only just recently discovered, thanks to Jaclyn Hill, and it is a MAC Cremesheen lipstick in the colour "Japanese Maple." I am IN LOVE with this lipstick! It is SUCH a pretty light pinky-nude! Not to mention, one of my favourite things about MAC lipsticks is that they all smell like cake! MAC's website describes this colour as "frosted light beige" but personally, I don't see the "frosted" aspect of it, it just has that creamy look and consistancy to it.

You can purchase this product at any MAC counter (some Macy's, Nordstrom) at a MAC store, and at www.maccosmetics.com for $16.

So there ya have it!! Those are my favourite, most worn everyday lip colours! I hope you enjoyed this post and that you discovered some colours/products you'd like to try! <3

And, just because I used this the whole time I was putting together this post, be sure to check out the Maybelline Baby Lips Medicated lip balm Dr. Rescue. This lip balm is a life saver for me, especially with how unbelievably cold and dry this past winter has been! Dr. Rescue comes in a few colours, but I just pick up the clear one, I think I have 3!

You can pick this product up at any drugstore for about $5! :-)

A BAR of Moisturizer??

What I am talking about is Lush's "Full of Grace" moisturizing serum.

Here is the information provided by the Lush website - 

"Our solid moisturizing serum is packed full of hydrating tropical butters, calming chamomile and antioxidant mushroom extract to keep your skin in fantastic condition, all year round. Easily absorbed by the skin, Full of Grace creates a soothing treatment for the face. This preservative-free bar is a staple product; it’s the kind of treatment you should give your skin to maintain its elasticity, moisture and glow."


If you have dry skin, I very highly recommend this product! I can't begin to tell you how amazing this serum feels on the skin!! At first it seems a little "oily" or "greasy" but it really isn't as soon as you spread it in all over your face! After 10 minutes of letting it absorb into your skin, your skin starts to feel soooo smooth!!


I had a bad cold about a month ago, and with a cold comes very chapped nostrils. I made sure to put this serum right in those areas for added moisture, and it worked like a charm! After a couple of days, my nose didn't hurt anymore!!


This product retails for $14.95 and you can buy it at any Lush store and at www.lushusa.com.

Nix the clown...

So I'm not gonna lie.. I've never been a huge fan of blush. I've seen many scary pictures of women who don't understand the "less is more" concept when applying blush and just end up looking like clowns. Plus, I'm pretty fair skinned with red tones on my face, so the idea of purposely applying something to make me have pink on my skin kinda freaks me out.

WELL NO MORE!! Muahahaha!!

I was introduced to the fantastic "Dallas" blush by Benefit not too long ago, and I LOVE IT!!

Dallas is a beautiful rose-bronze blush that gives me the right amount of color, without getting scary, plus, it warms my face up with the bronze tones!!

Now, unfortunately I don't have a picture of myself with it because the only camera I have is my iPhone, and the picture quality isn't exactly "Blog worthy," but I can promise you it looks great!! I love the color it gives, it's so easy to apply with either the brush it comes with, or with an angled blush brush like I use, and the packaging is small enough to keep in your bag!!

This blush retails for $28, and you can purchase it at Sephora, Ulta or at benefitcosmetics.com.

A little Hello...

Hey there!
My name is Christina, and I'm just your average twenty-something who loves makeup and fashion. I figured I'd jump on the band wagon and start up my own beauty and fashion blog. I don't doubt that there will be some "in real life" blog posts thrown in here or there, so you'll have a chance to get to know me better.

These introduction posts are always a little awkward, so I'm just gonna sign off now...

<3
Christina