New Release: Julep — May 2018 “Golden Hour”

2018-04-202018-04-20 fivezero1 Comment

Collection: Julep 2018 May “Golden Hour”

Julep’s May 2018 collection consists of four new and four repromoted shades of bright nail color, plus three new shades of Skip the Brush Crème-to-Powder Blush Sticks in Rose Gold, Pearl Glow, and the first matte shade, Muted Mauve (6 g for $24 / $19.20 Maven):

This month’s Nail Color shades are mostly brights in creme and shimmer finishes. Afton (described as a “modern camel creme” when it was released in last winter’s QVC box), April, and Sam are repromotes.

From Julep:

Go for contrast and full saturation with polish shades that sing of fruity drinks, blooming flowers, and life in full color. These punchy brights are sure to bring a smile.

Here are the eight polishes for May:

Essence Winter 2018 collection, Winter Dreamin'

New Release: Essence — Winter Dreamin’ (Winter 2018)

2018-01-052018-01-04 fivezero2 Comments

Collection: Essence 2018 Winter, Winter Dreamin’

Germany-based Essence Cosmetics has just released a new collection, Winter Dreamin’, to kick off 2018. The online exclusive, limited edition collection consists of four new nail colors (US$1.99), a snow ball top coat ($3.99), and nail stickers ($1.49), as well as an eyeshadow palette ($9.99), sheer lipsticks ($3.99), inner rim eye pencil ($1.99), 2in1 highlighter & blush powder ($5.99), and fluffy snow touch hand cream ($4.99).

Cozy Mountain Mornings (01)

Hot Cocoa & Fuzzy Socks (02)

Sleigh Rides & Snowball Fights (03)

Girlstalk at the Fireplace (04)

Ready Set Snow
Snow Ball Top Coat

Sprinkle Me With Snowflakes
Nail Stickers (01)

These are marked as online exclusives on the US site. They are not (yet?) available on the Canadian site.

Happy Shopping!

[Images via essencemakeup.com]

Sothys — Voile de Rose (Cream Blush) Review

2017-12-08 fivezero8 Comments

Collection: Sothys 2017 Fall

Sothys Paris is a luxury French beauty brand that is sold primarily in beauty institutes and spas worldwide. I had never before tried their line of skincare and cosmetics, and was intrigued when I was contacted to review a few of the nail and makeup products from their Fall 2017 collection.

I was sent a Nail Lacquer (but of course!), Cream Blush, and Rouge Mat Velvet Effect Lipsticks for review. I have previously reviewed the Nail Lacquer in Rouge des Arts, and if you would like additional information about the company, you can read it in that review, as well.

Today, I am reviewing the Cream Blush in Voile de Rose (30), a bright yet soft azalea pink.

A innovative cream formula that transforms into a powder. An Old Rose shade that warms up and brightens the complexion beautifully for a guaranteed healthy glow!

Julep Life of the Party GWP (November 2017)

Haulage! Julep — Mystery Box, Holiday Holos, & a GWP (November 2017)

2017-11-212017-11-21 fivezero2 Comments

I thought I was being good by skipping my November Maven Box (not a great fan of frosts), but in the end, I bought a bunch of stuff from Julep, anyway. Blast these holographic holiday sets, Mystery Boxes, and GWPs!

Total Haulage:

Bling It On Mystery Box
Royal Suite Mini Holographics 6 Piece Nail Set
Life of the Party GWP

Consisting of:

14 Nail Colors (6 of which are minis)
1 Cream Blush
2 Lip Colors
1 Lip Oil
1 Cream Eyeshadow
1 Eyeliner
1 Skincare sample

Bling It On Mystery Box

$24.99. This box is currently still available at Julep (referral link) through today, plus you get a chance to win a pair of 1 carat diamond earrings—and don’t forget eBates cashback if you do buy anything!

Products in the Mystery Box may vary, except for Maxine and Reina polishes which are guaranteed.

$150 value

Who needs a diamond ring? Let every finger shine bright with this dazzling mystery box.

Includes two NEW multi-faceted nail colors (including our most brilliant holographic EVER!) + other beauty & nail surprises.

Plus, one special mystery box includes a pair of 1 carat diamond stud earrings! Will you be the one to find them?

This mystery box definitely includes:

Maxine (Bombshell) – Prismatic Ultra-Holographic

Reina (It Girl) – Black Holographic Textured Microglitter

Make it yours, make it fun. BRAVE PRETTY

Offer expires on 11/21/2017 at 11:59PM PT, or while supplies last. Every Bling It On Mystery Box will include Maxine (Bombshell) and Reina (It Girl). Other products vary.

Well, I doubt I’ll be lucky enough to win the diamond studs (imagine my mom’s face at Christmas, eh?), but I am still really pleased with the selection of products I got!

I’ve been dying to try a Julep Mystery Box, but the only ones (one?) they’ve had since I’ve been a subscriber have not come with polishes I’ve been interested in. This time, they had two new holo/metallic shades, so I was definitely in—and I was not disappointed!

fivezero's Ipsy Glam Bag, All You (November 2017)

Ipsy — November 2017 Glam Bag “All You”

2017-11-202017-11-20 fivezero1 Comment

My November Ipsy Glam Bag (referral link) managed to arrive after the missing BLAQ Mask sample from my October Glam Bag—Ipsy were very good about re-sending the missing item, but it took a while to arrive. That’s Canada Post for you, though I am a teensy bit disappointed that Ipsy just mailed me the Mask, and nothing else to make up for the error (I’ve probably just seen too many people posting their extras, and it’s likely that Ipsy doesn’t normally do that!).

Anyway, onto this month’s bag, which I am quite happy with even thought it—gasp!—doesn’t contain a nail polish.

Ipsy November 2017 Glam Bag: “All You”, featuring actual Ipsters!

Image: ipsy.com

What I Received

ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip in Baracuda (3.2 oz full size; US$6)
Mudmasky Facial Detox Purifying Recovery Mask (15 mL sample; 60 mL for € 69)
Naked Cosmetics Mica Pigment in Mother Nature #06 (0.5 oz full size; US$14.99)
tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Feisty (1.5 g deluxe sample; 5.6 g for US$29)
trèStiQue Brow Pencil in Espresso (0.005 oz mini; full size contains 0.007 oz brow pencil and 2.5 mL brow gel for US$24)
Ipsy makeup bag

Glam Bag Cost

$10 + $4.99 (shipping to Canada) = US$14.99

Total Bag Value

$6 + € 7.25 + $14.99 + $7.77 + $8.57
= US$37.33 + € 7.25
≈ US$45.87

I’ve had higher bag values, but I do like pretty much everything in this bag! Except for the bag itself—I think this month’s bag is poorly designed. I received the teal bag, but it’s still kind of ugly to me.

fivezero’s Ipsy November 2017 Glam Bag

Image: ipsy.com

Ipsy Coupon Codes

Mudmasky: 30% off any purchase & free worldwide shipping with code IPSY30 (through 12/31/2017)
Naked Cosmetics: 30% off any purchase with code IPSY30 (through 12/31/2017)
trèStiQue: 30% off any $30+ purchase with code IPSYWINTER17 (through 12/31/2017, US & CA only)

Here are a couple other good ones available:

Ling Skincare: 25% off any purchase with code IPSY25 (through 12/31/2017; US & CA only)
OUAI: 20% off any purchase with code IPSY20 (through 12/31/2017; US only)

Here are some more detailed product shots:

fivezero's beautyBOUTIQUE haulage, Shoppers Optimum Points redemption (September 2017) Chanel, Dior, Estée Lauder

Haulage × 2! beautyBOUTIQUE (July & September 2017)

2017-09-272017-09-27 fivezero1 Comment

This post covers two Optimum Points redemption orders I placed in July and September 2017.

I’ve been racking up the points via the Shoppers app, and redeemed 95k points for $170 worth of product (all prices in CA$) in both July and September during two PLUS Bonus Events. Here’s July’s order:

ARTDECO Art Couture Nail Lacquer in Silver Willow (978)
Elizabeth Arden Advanced Ceramide Capsules (60 Capsules)
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup in 1N2 Ecru
Soap & Glory Flake Away Spa Body Polish

Free samples (I forgot to take pics of these):

Elie Saab Le Parfum EDT (sample)
Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Overnight Firming Mask (sample)
Vasanti Brighten Up! New Skin Amplifying Moisturizer (sample)

beautyBOUTIQUE actually made the first ever mistake I’ve ever had with them: they sent me the wrong shade of ARTDECO Nail Lacquer.

ARTDECO Art Couture Nail Lacquer in Rose Peony (953)

They only asked me to send a picture, which I did, and then they sent out Silver Willow right away. I got to keep Rose Peony, as well. I was really pleased with their excellent handling of an error. Plus, when they sent me the correct nail polish, they also included three free samples!

Lise Watier HydraForce Hydra-Protective Creme-Gel (sample)
PRADA Candy EDP (sample)
Sekkisei Clear Brightening Mask (sample)

Milani Baked Blushes in Bella Bellini & Rosa Romantica

Milani — Bella Bellini & Rosa Romantica (Baked Blush) Swatch & Review, Plus NARS Orgasm & Deep Throat

2017-09-252017-09-25 fivezero2 Comments

Earlier this year (or possibly late last year), Milani introduced two new shades of their highly popular Baked Blushes: Bella Bellini and Rosa Romantica.

I noticed them in a Rexall last month (Canada often gets new drugstore releases fairly late) and have been stalking the weekly sales ever since. Last week, they finally had Milani products on Buy One, Get One 50% off so they came to $6.29 each—yeah, Rexall’s sales can be pretty meh—and I had to run to a larger Rexall to snag both shades. Ideally, I’d have waited for a sale at Well.ca where Baked Blushes are a smidge cheaper, but they didn’t have the new shades at all.

But anyway, I am so happy I got them because they’re utterly gorgeous!

They have the same lovely, soft, highly-pigmented texture of all the other Baked Blushes (see my Megapost here! I think I have all of them except for Red Vino, which I can never find and may have to purchase in the US).

Bella Bellini (12) is a stunner. Milani calls it a “rose gold”, though I think it’s a lot more intense pink than rose gold usually inspires. It’s an azalea pink loaded with golden shimmer: very NARS Orgasm, except with even more shimmer.

Below, I have a swatch comparison of the following blushes: