QVC Beauty Favorites Advent Calendar – 2015

This year, my hubby decided to surprise the kiddo and me with an advent calendar from QVC.  (Do you shop from QVC?  What are some of the best things you've picked up?)  He had never done the calendar thing before, but knew that I had liked the various QVC favorites and sampler sets he’s gotten for me in the past, and thought this might be a fun one to add to the collection.  

This one is set up in a very nice box with a latch closure.  Each numbered day is randomly located across both sides of the box when it is open like a book.  You have to break through a perforated layer to reveal the product nestle in its molded plastic compartment.

Let me tell you, it has been so much fun!  Each night, the kiddo and I try to guess what the day’s item is based on the shape of the perforated area.  There have been a few times when we’ve actually gotten it right, but most of the time we’ve been WAY off.

So here’s what was included:

Days 1-6

Days 7-12

1. Bare Minerals Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara in Intense Black (deluxe sample)
2. Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner in Black Velvet (full size)
3. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer in Neutral Medium (travel size)
4. It Cosmetics Hello Lashes 5-in-1 Clinically Proven Mascara (deluxe sample)
5. Doll 10 HydraGel Cream Blush in Flirt (full size)
6. Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (deluxe sample)
7. Nest Fragrances Midnight Fleur Eau de Parfum (sample bottle; same size as rollerball sold at Sephora)
8. Wen Cucumber Thyme Treatment Oil (travel size)
9. Calista Tools Embellish Texturizing Definer (deluxe sample)
10. 2-Sided Mirror Compact
11. Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer (deluxe sample)
12. Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil (travel/”to-go” size)
13. QVC Brand Complexion Blending Sponge
14. StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream (deluxe sample)
15. Formula X Nail Color in Monumental (sample size)
16. LashFood Conditioning Lash Primer (deluxe sample)
17. Clark’s Botanicals Smoothing Marine Cream (deluxe sample)
18. Molton Brown Ylang-Ylang Body Wash (sample size)
19. Philosophy Amazing Grace Shampoo, Bath and Shower Gel (travel size)
20. Color Wow One-Minute Transformation Styling Cream (travel size)
21. Mally High Shine Liquid Lipstick in Orchid (deluxe sample)
22. Algenist Advanced Anti-Aging Repairing Oil (deluxe sample)
23. Clean Skin Rollerball (deluxe sample)
24. Peter Thomas Roth Firmx Peeling Gel Gel Exfoliant (travel size)

Days 13-18

Days 19-24

So, to summarize, we got:

• Makeup: 2 mascaras, 1 eyeliner, 1 concealer, 1 blush, 1 lash primer, 1 lip gloss
• Skincare: 1 moisturizer, 2 body washes
• Facecare: 2 exfoliants, 3 moisturizers, 1 face oil
• Fragrances: 2 perfumes

• Nails: 1 nail polish
• Hair: 1 hair oil, 1 texturizer, 1 styling cream
• Tools: 1 mirror, 1 makeup sponge

There are some fabulous items included in here.  There is only one that I will absolutely not use just (the Wen product, because the scent is overwhelming), so this seems to be a fantastic deal.  You do get some full-size products, but I also love sample sizes because I get to try so many different things.  Also, many of the sample sizes are of luxury skin care items, so you get to feel pampered for a very reasonable price.

Did you have an advent calendar this year?  Was it a beauty one or a more traditional one?

QVC Liptastic Lip Color Discovery Collection

My hubby is such a great guy. He has been supportive of, and even encouraging, my interest in and blogging about beauty. For Christmas, he was the one that picked out the majority of my gifts.  Recently, while laid up in the hospital, he took up the dangerous habit of watching QVC. This led to many of the aforementioned gifts, and one that I mentioned briefly before, the Liptastic Set.

The QVC Liptastic Color Discovery Collection is a set of 8 full and sample size products from mid to high end brands. Most are nudes or pinks, and you get a range of glossy cream to glitter.

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Rebel is a very light sheer pink gloss with a light peppermint scent. This has a sticky texture, but not exactly in a pleasant way. It is not as creamy as the buttercream formula, which is actually what I tried first and I much prefer. I'm not a huge fan of the color, but being so sheer, I should be able to make it work.

Doll 10 Beauty Nude Lip Wardrobe Lip Gloss in Buff is an opaque shimmery nude that smells like caramel. Doll 10 Beauty is the only included brand I hadn't heard of prior to receiving this box, and so far I am fairly impressed. While I personally don't like wearing this on its own, I found that it is a nice one to use to add shine over another lipstick. Also, this is a great weekend color for the kiddo.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF15 is the clear lip treatment version of their very popular product line. This is very hydrating, and really helped heal my painful lips this week. I love that it smells like lemon poppyseed muffins (one of my favorites!). My only issue with this is that, because the stick itself is rather thin in width and soft in firmness, I feel like it may break when I'm applying it. I have noticed that there are marks on the sides of the stick from the edges of the tube, so I am being extra careful when I put it on.

IT Cosmetics CC+ Lip Serum Anti-AgingHydrating Crème Gloss in Love is a warm pink/dusty rose glossy cream liquid lipstick with a pleasant, non-descript scent. They definitely chose the right name for this color, because I am in love! It is a perfect MLBB shade that can be worn with anything. The formula is somewhat sticky but not overly so, so you know that you're wearing something on your lips but they're not sticking together. The applicator has depression in it like Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer, pleasant non-descript scent. My biggest complaint is that the applicator does not pick up a lot of product, so it takes several dips into the tube to completely apply the color to my liking.

Josie Maran Cosmetics Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil in Everlasting Honey is described on the Sephora website as a rosy nude, and I found it has a pleasant, slightly fruity aroma. This product does need to be blended in with brush or fingers since the tube itself does not come with an in-place applicator, likely to ease its dual purpose usage. I found that shaking before using, even just to swatch, provided more even product out of the tube. It does sheer out thoroughly, so it will definitely not be as dark as when it is first dispensed. The consistency is something I had to get used to, since it is a cream-to-oil product, rather than the cream-to-powder I have grown more accustomed to. With my dry skin, I don’t think I’ll have any problems with oiliness, especially in the winter, but others might have issues. I really like this as a cheek tint. It adds just a hint of natural flush while moisturizing and soothing dry skin. It is very sheer and very thin, so it doesn’t really show up well on my lips, but and only sort of feels like you have a thin layer of something on. Since receiving this product, it has become one of my go-to blushes, I'm just not a fan of it as a lip color on me.

Laura Geller Beauty Sparkling CocktailLip Gloss in Cosmopolitan is a red glitter in a clear gel base. I would suggest shaking before using this one. This somewhat sticky gloss is very red and very glittery, so I won't be wearing this alone. But I think it would look great over a red lipstick for a holiday or party look. It comes in a squeeze tube with an angled plastic tip for applying, which reminds me of lip glosses sold for kids or even certain drugstore lip balms, which I think cheapens this a bit. Definitely not my favorite of the group...

Mally Slimline Highshine Liquid Lipstick in Must Have Pink is a lovely peachy pink liquid lipstick with lots of shine, a little shimmer, and a slight fruity scent. Since the tube is so large, I didn't realize until I recently got a full-size one that this wasn't! I think this is a great color and would probably wear it more if it wasn't for the applicator. The applicator is a brush that you have to twist bottom to click product up. Unfortunately, since the product comes up through the middle of the brush, it causes the bristles to spread out and causes the color to apply unevenly and streaky.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in Enchanted is a sheer reddish glossy balm with a peppermint scent that and causes the lips to tingle. It has a very slippery texture, so I have to be careful when I apply it to prevent feathering. This plumping product leaves a significant stain after only a short time. It showed up much brighter than I thought it would (from the tube I thought it would be a dark berry, it was more a darker bright pink), so don’t need to add a lot of product to get good color payoff. This is my first LipSurgence product, but now that I've figured out some of the tricks, I should have no problem wearing it. I understand why they are very popular, but the aren't currently my favorite balm because of how careful I have to be when applying it. If you have any tricks, please let me know!

Overall, I really like this set and have been using several of the products as part of my standard rotation. That being said, I do think this is missing a few things to make it complete. This set does really well on the glosses, but I would have liked to have had at least one cream and/or matte lipstick to round out the color set. Also, if they had truly wanted to stick with pinks and nudes, then I probably would have chosen a different Tarte Lipsurgence color and Laura Geller Lip Gloss. My favorites so far are the IT Cosmetics and Josie Maran items, which I find myself reaching for all the time.

Have you ever gotten any of the sets from QVC? Have you tried any of these items in particular? What did you think?

Christmas Gifts 2014

I must say, this was a very beauty-centric holiday! I received some great gifts from my wonderful family that I can't wait to share. Santa must have thought I was a very good girl this year. ;)

Beauty:

Bath and Body Works A Thousand Wishes Fragrance Mist – The kiddo got me this year's scent, which we had talked about grabbing before but it hadn't been released yet. A little fruity, a little flowery, definitely feminine.

Lush Happy Christmas set – A gift from my sister after what I had asked for was sold out and told her to surprise me with something she has liked. I have heard great things about Lush, and this kit seems like a great way to get to know the company. Included in the box are:

• Santa's Lip Scrub – This has little hearts in it! On first try, this does seem to have more of a cola smell and just a hint of taste, but is still very nice.
• So White Shower Gel – Smells like apples :) I did try this out, and I think it smells more like cola than tastes like it, as advertised.
• Baked Alaska Soap – My sister said she has this at home and loves it, and it was one of the main reasons she grabbed this box.
• Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub – They give several suggestions for using this salt scrub, one of which is as a part of pedicures. Might be using today in a little pampering session.
• Celebrate Hand and Body Lotion – The lemony aroma of this lotion fills up the entire box, so that it's the first thing that hits you when you open the lid.
• Each Peach and Two's a Pair Massage Bar – I'm interested to see how this works. The instructions say to massage this bar into dry skin and it melts right in.  I'm a little worried about it being peach since I'm not fond of that scent, but the smiley face is adorable.

Philosophy Red Velvet Cake Set (sold out) – This set definitely smells like what it says. It comes with Red Velvet Cake Shampoo/Shower Gel/Bubble Bath, Sweet Creamy Frosting Body Lotion, and Red Velvet Cake Lip Gloss. The lip gloss looks deep in color and smells like chocolate.

The Body Shop Brush on Radiance in 01Pink – The kiddo picked this one out for me, and totally surprised me with it! I can't wait to try out this new highlighter.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box o' Blushes (sold out) – A present to myself... I had been wanting to try out the Benefit Box o' Powders, but hadn't been able to pick just one, and hadn't really been able to justify any of them since I don't use a lot of powders right now. This was of the a great way for me to try them all out for the price of right around one. I got one of the 15 minute lessons at Sephora a few weeks ago on Blush and Bronzer, and we specifically focused on this palette.

Honey by Marc Jacobs Rollerball – I've been wanting to pick this up for a while, but Ulta doesn't carry it. Grabbed this when I got Dod for the kiddo for Christmas.

Smashbox Try It Kit – This comes with mini sizes of Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio in Filter (Vanilla, Sable, and Sumatra), 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer, Full Exposure Mascara, ad Photo Finish Foundation Primer.

Top to Bottom: Algenist, Doll 10, It Cosmetics, Bare Minerals

Top to Bottom: Laura Geller, Peter Thomas Roth, Tarte, Mally

QVC Lashtastic Mascara Discovery Collection (sold out) – Since the hubby was in the hospital, he became addicted to QVC, and has picked up some great things from there. This joins the Liptastic set he recently got for the kiddo and me (post coming soon). This kit contains 7 mascara samples and one eye gel from well-known brands. Included are:

• Algenist Firming & Lifting Eye Gel
• BareMinerals Lash Domination 10-in-1 Volumizing Mascara
• Doll 10 Beauty Defining Mascara 360º for Lower Lashes
• It Cosmetics Hellow Lashes 5-in-1 Volumizing Mascara
• Laura Geller Beauty GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara
• Mally Limited Edition Volumizing Mascara
• Peter Thomas Roth Lashes to Die For: The Mascara
• Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara

MallyGolden Rule of Beauty kit – In a gold zippered clutch, the kit came with Mally's Baby blush, Brownstone eye shadow, Black Volumizing Mascara, Just Heaven Liquid Lipstick, and Midnight Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner with sharpener.

BareMinerals Chandelight Glow kit (sold out) – Turns out, this is also a QVC exclusive. This kit comes in a sparkly gold clutch with a magnetic closure, and contains:

• Chandelight Glow Illuminator (neutral, pinky-gold highlighter)
• Morning Glow Eyecolor (satin white to off-white)
• Nightfall Eyecolor (shimmery brown)
• Lasting Line Long-Wearing Eyeliner in Sure Sable (brown)
• Sweet Romance Blush (a warm rose color)
• Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Dim the Lights (a pinky nude color)
• Soft Glow Face Brush
• Double-Ended Plush Brush & Shadow Brush

Other:

2-Piece Cookie Monster Sleep Set – Super soft with fleece pajama pants and one of those T-shirts that feels like it's been worn for years. So comfortable!

Multimitts: A Glove that Does it All – These are fingerless gloves that have a flip-over mitten covering for the fingers. Also, the tip of the thumb flips off, all of which makes texting and doing things in general easier. These also have a zippered pocket on the back of the hand for keeping small items in a pinch.

What did you get for the holidays this year?  Is there anything you are looking forward to trying?