Beauty Haul: CVS, Rite Aid and Sephora

 I wanted to share with you a little beauty haul/mini review of some products I picked up over the past week from CVS, Rite Aid and Sephora.

I had several Extra Care Bucks about to expire at CVS last week and nothing essential I needed to get, so I decided to treat myself and I finally picked up the Essie polish Set in Stones from their Luxeffects line that I had been eying for months.  It's a gorgeous silver glitter that is very densely packed with sparkle.  I love using glitters like this as an accent over polish on my ring fingers.

On the same shopping outing, I took advantage of a 40% sale on Revlon products that was going on at Rite Aid and I picked up three of the new Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains which I had heard glowing reviews about from two of my favorite YouTubers: makeupTIA and redheadphd.  These balm stains are just what the name implies: slightly minty balms with somewhat sheer, but buildable color that stain your lips to leave behind beautiful color even after the balms have worn off.  There are currently 12 shades offered in the range, everything from a nude to a deep red.  The shades I purchased were Honey, Smitten, and Romantic.  I have to say I have been very pleased and impressed with these balm stains!  The initial application is fantastic and I find the stains themselves to last a very long time.  When I catch these on sale again, I definitely plan to browse the shades again to see if any more catch my eye.

Recently Sephora had a "15 Days of Beauty" promotion going on where each day a different product was offered as a free gift with any online purchase over $25.  I had been wanting to pick up the new Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Coral for several weeks and when I heard about the promotion Sephora was offering, I checked every day to see what the free gift was.  I was holding out on making my purchase until the free gift was something I really wanted or needed, and when the free gift was a full size Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion near the end of the promotion, I knew that was the time to place my order as I was finally running out of the travel size that came with my Naked palette that I purchased a year ago (this stuff lasts positively ages).

To pass the $25 minimum for the promotion, I checked the sale section and found a Nail Dotting Tool and figured that might be fun to experiment with and added it to my cart.  Now I'm cheap and I hate to pay for shipping when I don't have to, so to qualify for free shipping I decided to purchase a Clarisonic Deep Pore Cleansing Replacement Brush Head.  I actually don't currently own a Clarisonic, but I plan to utilize some Birchbox points and birthday cash to purchase a Clarisonic Mia sometime this month.  I've heard nothing but glowing reviews for the Clarisonic from everyone I know who owns one and I've been dying to see if the Clarisonic would help improve my oily, acne-prone skin.  Perhaps I'll share my experience with the cleansing system after I've purchased the Mia and had a sufficient time to see results.

I thought I'd share what swatches of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains in Honey, Smitten, and Romantic look like, as well as the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Coral.  Here you can see swatches of the products in that order (from left to right).

Have you picked up any new products from the drugstore or Sephora/Ulta lately?  I'm really loving a lot of the new products that have released for spring/summer.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies

I first made these Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies back in February of last year almost immediately after Madison of Espresso and Cream had shared the recipe on her blog.  The cookies were darling and the flavor sounded so very enticing.  I made them for hubby and I that Valentine's as a simple treat to enjoy while we were both recovering from the flu.  Even with muted taste buds I thought they were fantastic!

These cookies are rather humble and incredibly easy to whip together (the cookie itself is from a cake mix and the frosting is essentially just cream cheese and powdered sugar), but they were so yummy that I began dreaming up other flavor combinations I could try based off this recipe.  You might have seen the Orange Creamsicle version I posted about previously.  After trying a few variations, I've decided the strawberry version is my absolute favorite.  I can't believe it's taken me over a year to make these again.  They are just as good as I remember.

I baked and frosted these last night and boxed up all but a few (to photograph and share with you, of course) for the hubby to take to work to share.  He let me know that there were many "These are soooooo good!" comments coming from his work kitchen today.  Looks like these are as much of a hit with others as they are with me!

I followed Madison's recipe exactly the first time I made these cookies, but found the 1/4 milk suggested for the frosting made more of a glaze and less of a spreadable consistency, so I've decided to omit the milk in the frosting altogether.  I've also added a half teaspoon or so of vanilla extract to the frosting, because I really believe everything sweet should have at least a splash of vanilla.  Other than those minor changes, I follow her recipe exactly.  I suggest you bake and frost these the night before you'd like to serve them, as I find the texture improves after a few hours.  The cookies are incredibly soft and the strawberry flavor is strong and sweet and nicely complimented by the tangy cream cheese.

I suggest you grab a box of strawberry cake mix next time you're at the store and make these cookies pronto.  You won't be disappointed.

 Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies

1 box of strawberry-flavored cake mix (I used Pillsbury)
1 large egg
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
a smidgen of pink food coloring (optional)
white sanding sugar and sugar pearls (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, egg, oil, and water.  Stir by hand until ingredients are evenly combined.  Scoop dough by tablespoon portions and roll between your hands to make a smooth ball.  Set on the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until slightly cracked on top and just lightly golden around the edges.  Be careful not to over bake.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

To prepare the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and food coloring.  Continue to beat until fully incorporated.

Using an offset spatula or knife, spread frosting on top of cooled cookies and garnish with white sanding sugar and sugar pearls, if desired.

May 2012 GLOSSYBOX USA

It's been absolutely ages since my last post.  I have missed blogging terribly and am excited to be back!  I've decided to start sharing snippets of my life beyond the occasional cooking adventure.  My May GLOSSYBOX arrived today and I couldn't wait to share the contents with you all!

I've been a beauty subscription addict for the last year or more, starting when I signed up for Birchbox in April of 2011.  I've tried out a few services since then: Birchbox, NewBeauty TestTube, Beautyfix, myglam, Julep Maven, and now GLOSSYBOX.  I've had a love/hate relationship with many of the subscription services out there (Birchbox, for example, can be especially hit or miss for me), but none of the services had me as excited upon their launch as GLOSSYBOX.

For those who haven't heard of GLOSSYBOX, they may very well be the most widespread of the subscription services out there, servicing over 15 countries worldwide!  They finally launched in the USA with their May 2012 box being the first offered to the public for purchase.  For $21/month they offer "5 exciting travel-size beauty products" from "the crème de la crème of international brands."

 The first thing I noticed about GLOSSYBOX that really made them stand out among other services I have tried is their packaging.  While I feel that several other companies have excelled in offering beautiful packaging, GLOSSYBOX was above and beyond anything I'd seen to date.

Inside an adorable cardboard box printed with the GLOSSYBOX logo is a very sturdy and lovely pale pink box.  Such a pretty box would definitely be kept and used again.  I could even see myself using it as a gift box as the GLOSSYBOX branding is simple and chic.

Inside the contents of the box were wrapped in elegant black tissue paper and tied with a soft pink bow.  Enclosed with the products is a card introducing GLOSSYBOX and listing the month's contents.

I can't express how impressed I was with the packaging!  What a treat is was to open such a precious parcel.

Nestled safely were five "samples" and an extra treat.

1.  Amore Pacific - Moisture Bound Refreshing Hydra-Gel ($100/1.7 oz)
A hydrating gel moisturizer that leaves your skin feeling bright and refreshed.  Notice your complexion visibly improve, giving you confidence and a natural glow.

Sample size: 0.27 oz
Sample value: $15.88

2. Burberry Beauty - Lip Mist Natural Lip Sheer Lipstick in Copper No. 202 ($30/.12 oz)
A creamy lipstick that offers a hint of natural, sheer color leaving your lips moist and dewy.  The perfect present for the perfect pout.

Sample size: 0.028 oz
Sample value: $7

3. Marvis - Marvis Whitening ($7.50/1.23 oz)
Make the most of your splendid smile with a whitening toothpaste dripping in cool mint freshness, all while protecting against decay, tartar, and plaque.

Sample size: 1.23 oz
Sample value: $7.50

4. Phyto- Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask for Dry Hair ($38/6.7 oz)
Indulge in luxury and aroma with a conditioning treatment that moisturizes and detangles strands without weighing hair down.  Nourish, revive and delight.

Sample size: 1.7 oz
Sample value: $9.64

5. Zoya - Summer 2012 Beach and Surf Collection in Lara ($8/0.5 oz)
Dive into the creamy shades and shimmering sea foils of the Zoya Beach & Surf Collection.  Allow your nails to go on vacation every day.

Sample size: 0.5 oz
Sample value: $8

Extra - GLOSSYBOX Blush Brush crafted from the finest goat's hair - an essential for any world beauty jetsetter.

Total box value: $48.02

I was really impressed and excited about the contents of the May GLOSSYBOX!  Each and every product is one that I'll use and look forward to doing so.  I'm crazy about the Zoya polish in Lara--such a pretty pink for summer.

The Burberry lipstick, while tiny, has the most gorgeous packing with the iconic Burberry print not only on the exterior lipstick packing, but imprinted on the bullet itself!  The lipstick is almost too darling to use.  The copper shade looks like it'll be a universally flattering neutral.

My first impressions of the May GLOSSYBOX are high!  I'll be back next month to share the contents of my June box and perhaps give a little update on what I thought about the products from this month, once I have a chance to really try them out.

If you received a May GLOSSYBOX, let me know what you thought!