December Glymm Box

So Glymm box was first to arrive this month too!  Because of all the great products I had in last month's Glymm box I was super excited and my expectations were high.  Also it provided a much needed distraction from my finals!  

Doesn't this scream Holidays?  It does.  And I'm so late on my Christmas shopping, but that's another subject.  

So this is what the box looks like when you open it.  It looks like presents thrown away in the snow.... such a romantic aren't I?

First item, a Caudalie enzymatic peel mask.  Ergh.  I'm sure it's very nice and all, Caudalie is a nice brand and everything... but another skin care item?  And not even a moisturizer or something I can easily drop into my routine to try... No.  A mask.  You know the thing I never use because I can never seem to find the time to take a luxurious bath in my not so luxurious small apartment bathroom.  So if I do end up trying it I'll review it, but don't keep your hopes up for a review from me for this one. 

Plus, for some reason, putting anything with the word peel on my skin scares the hell out of me.  

In case you're wondering - and I'm sure you aren't because my nails are chipped a little and my cuticles are as red as the reindeer's nose - the nail polish is China Glaze Holly-Day from their Let It Snow 2011 collection.

For the second item I thought ''yay a hand cream, that sure will be useful for this winter''. Wrong.  The texture is lovely, it sinks right into the skin and leaves it moisturized.  The online reviews I've read are raving about this hand cream.  So everything should be great no?

No.  It. smells. awful.  Very floral, very what you'd call old lady perfume.  I'm sure some people will love it and feel it's very feminine and whatnot but I hate it.  I'll try and ship it off to a friend or something.

There was also a lip gloss.  I thought how nice a pinkish MLBB shade that is very easy to dupe.  The packaging is super cute though and it looks like a full sized item.  I had never heard about Sula, so the brand was new to me.

Here is a swatch on my NW10-NW15 skin.  A brown based MLBB shade that is very pigmented for a lip gloss.  It seems nice quality enough and at 8$ it's really cheap!  So I put it on my lips to see how it looked and applied.  And then, I fell in love!  The smell, the taste!  So wonderful!  It's like liquid strawberries on your lips.  Just because of that, I'm pretty sure this will become an item that I'll use very often.  

Except... where the hell do you purchase those?  I've never seen them in any drugstore or at Wal Mart.  Hum, anyways, onto the next item!

YSL!!!!!! YSL!!!!!!

OK IT'S A FRAGRANCE BUT STILL!!!! YSL!!!!!

Call me shallow but yeah, high end brands make me all happy inside.  I was so excited to try this, I really didn't want to be disappointed.  The full size retails for 85$, but this sample size leaves enough to try it a lot.  

As you can see in this comparison shot, it's a pretty big bottle.  Way bigger than those sample vials you usually get.  

So I opened the cap (beware there's actually a hole the size of Texas under the cap - not really Texas you know, but more like q-tip size so still really easy to spill) and smelled. I was so disappointed, it was again all flowery with a hint of berries.  

But you know when you want to love something so much you just keep on trying to love it, just like when you have shoes that are a tad too small but ya squeeze your feet in 'em anyway?  Well it was like that with this perfume, so I tried it on my wrist just to see how it would react to my chemistry (hopefully well).  

And it did.  It smells much less flowery and a little more powdery on my skin, which seems to even it out and reduce the harshness of the initial smell.  I don't know how others will react to this, but I hope well.  Now I can feel like Kate Moss in Paris too (I wish).

So all in all it was an okay month.  I loved two items out of four so it ain't that bad, but the box didn't have a nail polish or an eye product which are usually my fave.  But no biggie!

This month also had a 10$ off promo code from Glymm to use on their website.  I used it to buy a Butter London nail polish which I can't wait to swatch! :) This definitely is a nice Christmas surprise for this month's box.

And the proverbial Jelly Beans, which sadly/thankfully were the same flavors that I got in my November box.  But they tasted real good anyways :).  Did you like your December Glymm box?

My current fave lip combo : Rimmel Edition!

I thought I'd share my favorite lip combo of the moment with you guys today.  It's definitely a Rimmel edition this time since both my lipstick and lipgloss are from that brand.

Sorry if the pictures are kinda blurry -__-..

Pictured : Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Pink Blush (5.79 $CAD)

The packaging itself is pretty boring.  A lot of people have been comparing this color to Viva Glam Gaga by MAC (17.50 $CAD) so it is a cheaper alternative.

And here is a swatch on my NW15 skin.

Like I said, this did come out a little blurry (sorry :3) but you can see that it is a very cool, very light pink color.  Because my skin is already filled with pink undertones it doesn't look too weird on my lips, but I can see it contrasting A LOT on someone with warm undertones.

This lipstick does tend to stick in your lips fine lines if you don't apply a lip balm beforehand.  Then again, this problem can be avoided easily so it's not a huge deal.  

It's not a sheer lipstick so the color will look very matte on your lips, which I love for that kind of color.  It makes a statement on its own and draws attention, without being a full red or plum lip.  I call it my Barbie lippie.

It doesn't have a super long staying power so you do need to reapply throughout the day.  Also, the smell and taste isn't all that nice, but I didn't find it nauseating or unbearable.  

If I ever run out of this product I will probably try out the Viva Glam Gaga from MAC just to see if it's better quality, but based on the color alone, this is a great purchase.  Then again, depending on your skin tone and tolerance to drawing attention to your lips, you may not want a lippie like this.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Pink Blush - Return on investment: 76%

Pictured : Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Fashion Icon (5.98 $CAD)

Now, I usually pair this lipstick with my Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Fashion Icon, which I got in a past haul (read my Walmart haul here).  It's a beautiful deep coral pinkish color and I loooove it.  

When I was browsing the lip products that day, I had my eye on Revlon's ColorBurst lip gloss in papaya, which was the same color, but looked a little sheerer.  

Again, swatches on my NW15 skin.  Left is the Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in Pink Blush and right is the Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Fashion Icon.  As you can see, the lip gloss isn't shimmery and it's more pigmented than most lip glosses.

And here is the final result with both products on my lip.  I find that the coral tones from the lip gloss balance the coolness of the lipstick and it gives me a really gorgeous glossy pink.  

The staying power of this lip gloss is not all that great - it is a drugstore lip gloss after all.  But the color itself is fabulous and not a lot of drugstore brands carry something like it.  

I have nothing particular to say about the smell or taste, they feel pretty generic and without fragrance.  The packaging is nice, I guess.  Nothing really special there.

All in all, I feel this lip gloss is a must for every skin tone.  It's also really versatile as on its own it's more orange/coral but if you layer it, it sorts of becomes a chameleon.  

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Fashion Icon - Return on investment: 85%

xoxo, MiMu