This is my second month with Curlbox so I decided to share another little sneak peak with you. If you’re not familiar with Curlbox you can check my April review here. This month Curlbox brings more full-sized products, three to be exact as well as a deluxe sample and an assortment of sample packets. I must say that I feel kind of spoiled not many beauty programs like this send out so many full-sized products, I’m loving this!

One of the full-sized products in this months’ Curlbox is Kynx I Am Fierce Refreshing Leave-In Moisturizer, it smells more like a shampoo than a conditioner. I haven’t tried the product yet but I did a couple of quick Google searches and the reviews were not too favorable.

Another full-sized product in this months’ box is Design Essentials Natural Daily Moisturizing Lotion. With ingredients like Methylisothiazolinone, a preservative, its hardly a ‘natural” product. But the fact that this ingredient has been restricted in Canada and Japan in cosmetics is concerning. Oh and lab studies suggest that Methylisothiazolinone may be neurotoxic- I’ll pass on this product.

The deluxe size jar of Habibi Vanilla and Rose Body Balm is one of my favorite items in this months’ box. This shea butter based body balm is infused with certified organic Argan Oil, Raw Honey, Tahitian Vanilla Oil and Rose Oil that give it a warm, exotic scent that conjures visions of remote Caribbean islands. This smells quite intoxicating!

I don’t normally use different products on my hairline so I wasn’t sure that I’d actually like the Luster’s Renutrients Slick Stick but I actually liked using this “stick” method to apply the product, it keep you hands free of product and it’s easy to apply. This caster oil based stick has a slightly waxy consistency and contains mineral oil which is not a good moisturizer for your hair. Overall it was okay, nothing spectacular but I wouldn’t use it mostly because I don’t see the need for an extra moisturizer just for my edges.

The last full-sized product is a jar Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer. I was pleasantly surprised by this moisturizer, although the first ingredient is water, the second is olive oil, which is a fabulous hair conditioner. Of course pure olive oil would be best but this is a nice alternative, it’s lightweight which is great for your ends. And this is a good option if you’re into something a little more fragrant than olive oil straight out the bottle.

We also received a Love the Journey mini hair journal, “A journal to document the path of discovering the beauty of your natural hair.” Cute, but not something that I need.

And finally there are four sample-sized packets of lotions and treatments. These are great to save for travel and vacations so that you don’t have to carry a huge bottle of product with you.

Overall the May Curlbox was pretty good, I didn’t love all of the products but I found a few that I liked and one that I really loved, the Habibi Vanilla and Rose Body Balm. Have you tried Curlbox yet?

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This post, Take a peek inside the May Curlbox! originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 17, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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With summer celebrations in the Hamptons just a few weeks away its time to get our outfits in order. Because you can’t sip wine or champagne in just any old outfit that you pull out of your closet.

Well worry not ladies because Chandon has come to the rescue with a chic solution, an epic collaboration with alice + olivia. This summer from June 1 – Sept. 1, 2012 at www.chandon.com  and select retailers you can buy an exclusive Limited Edition American Summer Bottle of Chandon in patriotic red, white and blue. To complement this limited edition bottle of bubbly you can also pick up your very own ultra chic romper from alice + olivia boutiques beginning June 1, 2012.

Chandon is fun flirty and playful, just like a+o.  Who wouldn’t feel sexy in this romper when sipping Chandon from their Limited Edition summer bottle?  – Stacey Bendet, Designer for alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet

The Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet Limited Edition Romper paired with the Chandon Limited Edition American Summer Bottle seems like the perfect way to kick off a blazing hot summer weekend. I can’t think of a better way to spend a hot summer day than sipping champagne in a cute outfit. Can you?

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This post, Because you can’t sip fine wine in the wrong outfit… originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 16, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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Renowned makeup brands like Smashbox, NARS, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Make Up For Ever and Stila were attendees as well as smaller brands like Biobliss and Naked Cosmetics. The show consisted of several floors that patrons had access to that consisted of presentations, vendor booths and live demonstrations. Attendees also had the opportunity to sit in on classes taught by their favorite makeup artists and to re-stock their kits or sign up for pro memberships.

A model shows off his lush lashes at the GrandeLASH^TM-MD booth. Isn’t he gorgeous!?! Back to the product…this serum promises thicker, longer lashes or eyebrows in a little as four to eight weeks. It’s Paraben free and contains vitamins, peptides and amino acids.

The Crown Brush booth is always a Makeup Show favorite, I got there early before the mad rush of people! I already have my full set of Crown Brushes no need to purchase any this time but it’s always fun to check out what’s new.

Of course I had to stop by the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics booth to check out their glamorous eyeshadow and new lip tars.

While walking through The Makeup Show I always like to check out new brands and I came across Biobliss and chatted with their representative. Biobliss is said to help rejuvenate and tighten skin as well as help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The product helps your daily serum penetrate deep into your skin in 45 minutes, shortening your overall treatment time; I think I need to try this!

I stopped by Naked Cosmetics to look at their latest loose mineral eyeshadows, they were gorgeous! I became a fan of Naked Cosmetics at the last Makeup Show, they always have a nice selection of shades.

Benefit Cosmetics has a new beauty book called Raising Eyebrows. The book is said to be The “go-to guide from the eyebrow experts at Benefit Cosmetics…everything you need to raise your brows to their beautiful best”.

Sienna Cosmetics revealed their new Mod Muse Summer 2012 collection which features five shades of lipstick, 3 blushes, five shadows, four lip glosses and two eyeliner shades.

Sienna Cosmetics is really channeling the 60s, hmmm who will be the new Twiggy?

It wouldn’t be The Makeup Show without super glamorous, over the top, fantasy eyelashes. Even though I wouldn’t wear these daily they’re like mini works of art.

…and more fantasy eyelashes!

The show was fantastic, as expected. If you’re not in New York City, check out when The Makeup Show is coming to a town near you!

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This post, My Day at The Makeup Show New York City 2012 originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 16, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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This week we are looking at new lip gloss for ladies that like a seriously sexy nude lip, Naked Princess Naked Shine Luscious Lip Gloss. Naked Shine, love the name, is a lightweight gloss infused with Shea better, sweet almond oil and antioxidants for youthfully soft lips. This gloss delivers a super high shine with just a hint of color and smells insanely delicious thanks to Moroccan Vanilla.

Naked Princess also makes some very sexy lingerie, it’ what they’re known for. So its only natural that I think of this makeup as boudoir makeup, the kind that’s sexy enough to turn heads but not messy enough to ruin your silk sheets. Besides whenever I think of the brand name, a picture of a woman wearing nothing but a diamond tiara is immediately conjured up into my imagination. Damn you Freud!

Back at the ranch…when Naked Princess says that their lip gloss delivers a naked shine, they’re not lying, their gloss gives a high shine and subtle pigment with shades like Barely Rose or Barely Naked. I swatched all of the shades and each swatch below shows at least two coats of gloss.

Top to Bottom: Barely Coco, Barely Blush, Barely Nude, Barely Pink

Top to Bottom: Barely Coco, Barely Buff, Barely Naked, Barely Rose

On a side note I’d like to shout out Naked Princess for being a cruelty-free company that doesn’t use any Parabens, Phthalates or synthetic dyes. Their makeup is also clinically and allergy tested and found to be non-irritating. Woo Hoo!

Naked Princess Naked Scrub

Now with a sheer lip gloss like Naked Princess you must have perfectly smooth lips before application. Right? Here is where the Naked Princess Naked Sugar Lovely Lip Polish comes in, it’s an ultra finely ground sugar scrub to exfoliate your lips. The scrub has a subtle mint flavor and nourishes lips with Vitamin E and Shea Butter. The sugar is so fine that it will dissolve away or can be rinsed away, plus Naked Sugar can also be used on dry cuticles! How sweet is that?

Do you like sheer lip gloss or do your prefer a more pigmented gloss?

Naked Princess Naked Shine Luscious Lip Gloss, $26

Naked Princess Naked Sugar Lovely Lip Polish, $22

Disclosure: The products featured in this review was provided for editorial consideration. Receipt of these products did not guarantee review and all opinions are my own. For further information, please see my disclosure policy.

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This post, Getting Lippy: Naked Princess Luscious Lip Gloss originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 15, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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I was recently invited to review Glossybox, a UK beauty sampling service that is now available in the US. This service is well-known in the UK and now beauty lovers in the US have their chance to preview some of the most popular beauty brands delivered right to their mailbox. The program promises five travel-sized beauty products in each monthly package.

The products arrived in a powder pink box that’s pretty enough to be re-used. The cardboard is pretty heavy and nice enough to use to store small items. The box is lined with pink and brown polka-dots and the products arrived carefully wrapped in pink-tissue paper with a black satin bow.

Here is what’s included in the May Glossybox:

Cargo Eyebronzer, $22

KRYOLAN High Gloss Brilliant Lip Shine in Toffee

BASQ Cucumber Tea Eye Gel, $24

C.O. Bigelow Lavender & Peppermint Body Lotion, $12

Erno Laszlo Hollywood Collection, $125

OPI Nail Polish, Kiss Me on My Tulips, $8.50

All of the products that I received were full-sized samples with the exception of the Erno Laszlo skin care collection which was a deluxe-sized assortment of creams. I should mention that this box reflects a press sample and that subscribers will not receive a box of full-size samples but rather travel-sized products.

The May box included a KRYOLAN lip shine that I previously reviewed here on my blog and the C.O. Bigelow Lavender & Peppermint Body Lotion that I’ve used before, which I loved. I have not tried the BASQ Cucumber Tea Eye Gel or the Erno Laszlo collection so there are brands that I have yet to sample. Overall there was a nice selection of premium brands in the box and there was also a trend report to keep up with global beauty trends which was a nice touch. I’d have to say that the box presented a good selection of products for the entire body so there was no one focus on a particular area of beauty.

However on the flip side I have to ask myself if this sampling program brings anything new to the beauty game? I’ve tried many sampling programs from Birchbox to Eco-Emi to Curlbox and I have to mention that this is one of the more expensive beauty programs currently out and it’s very similar to many other programs. I’d like to give the program a shot to see how it turns out over the next few months see how this program fares in the US.

Have you tried Glossybox? What are your thoughts about this beauty sampling program?

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This post, Review: Glossybox May with Swatches and Pictures originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 14, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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Mothers are cool.

Outstanding moms they are the best.

Hip hip horay for moms.

Extra awesome mom.

Rocking mom.

Then they my youngest son, Jacob, helped me to make the cupcakes. Yes, I’m totally cheating on my lifestyle changing diet but hey it’s Mother’s Day, cut me some slack! This is a total cheat day!

Jacob happily helping on Mother's Day

Jacob all smiles

Jahari reluctantly taking a picture

Sweets for all the moms in the house!

I had such a great time with my family, I hope that all the moms out there had a fantastic time too.

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This post, Happy Mother’s Day! originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 13, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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Once again it’s that time of year, the Too Faced Cosmetics Friends and Family Sale where you can save 20% off your cruelty-free purchases. The sale is going on now through May 16, 2012, just use discount code FFSPRING12 at the checkout.

Enjoy!

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This post, Too Faced Friends and Family Sale – 20% off! originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 12, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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Badger is a company that I have recently fallen is love with, they have a cute mascot, they’re cruelty-free and they’re USDA certified organic. What’s not to love? Badger creates healthy beauty products that stand above other brands in terms of safer ingredients, they do not use ingredients that have been treated with growth hormones, synthetics or GMO’s.

Badger Cuticle Care balm that contains Shea Butter, one of my favorite ingredients and nourishing Seabuckthorn CO2 extract.  It’s scented naturally with essential oils like Geranium, Mandarin, Lemongrass and Ginger. I mostly smell the Lemongrass which I love because it’s so fresh and clean.

Ingredients: Wild African Shea Butter, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Organic), Castor (Ricinus Communis) Seed Oil, Beeswax (Apis Mellifera), Sea Buckthorn Berry Extract, Essential Oil of Geranium, Ginger, Cardamom (Cardamomum) Seed, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary), Litsea Cubeb (Litsea Cubeba), Citrus Reticulata (Mandarin Orange), Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Schoenanthus)

This cuticle balm is great for daily use especially after washing your hands. If you’re like me and you wash your hands all several times per day, which can dry out your cuticles, then using a little cuticle balm to keep cuticles from becoming dry and ragged is essential. I also like to slather a little bit of Badger Cuticle Care on my nail beds if I’m not wearing any nail polish. It really helps to nourish my nails plus it makes them shiny like they’re polished! The balm, packaged in cute round decorative tin, lists the product expiration date on the side to remind you when it’s time to toss it out. Very handy!

Having a cuticle nail treatment in your purse is a nice way to refresh yourself at the end of the day or before an important event when you don’t have time for a manicure. Sometimes I use pure Vitamin E oil to moiturize my cuticles but it’s not always convenient to carry it with me so this is a nice less messy alternative.

Have you used Badger Cuticle Care, what are your thoughts?

Badger Cuticle Soothing Shea Butter Cuticle Care, $5.99

Disclosure: The product featured in this review was provided for editorial consideration. Receipt of this product did not guarantee review and all opinions are my own.

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This post, Review: Badger Cuticle Soothing Shea Butter Cuticle Care originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 11, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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If you follow me on Twitter, @LipstickNYC, then you may have read a few of my #FitBlogNYC tweets and maybe even wondered what the hashtag was all about. Well yesterday I attended a Meet and Tweet event hosted by Fitness Magazine where bloggers were able to sit in on panels like The Real Deal on Carbs, Cleanses and Caffeine, Gym to Street: Fashion Tips That Will Help You Stretch Your Spandex Beyond the Gym and Easy Beauty Secrets: Q&A with FITNESS Beauty Director and Laura Geller.

The event was incredibly fun and we were able to meet and chat with brands Like Vichy, Pure Protein, Oakley and Birkenstock. Each brand had a table set up so the bloggers could speak with brands about new products, health tips and of course answer any questions that we had. We even got to meet Olympic soccer player, Mia Hamm.

Me with Mia Hamm!

At noon we were treated to a very healthy lunch which I need because I’ve been cheating on my diet with sweets. See totally healthy!

On a side not Laura Geller was absolutely charming and hilarious. She shared so many great beauty tips and even suggested some purchases that were not her own brand. Laura Geller was so honest and funny, a true class act!

Beauty Maven Laura Geller and Fitness Magazine Beauty Director Eleanor Langston

Most importantly we learned a lot about improving our health. And I took away lots of inspiration and great tips from the panelists and my fellow bloggers. These are my ten favorite health and beauty tips from the event:

1. Sitting is the new smoking, avoid it for health ~Kelly Olexa
2. Taupe with a little mauve eyeshadow is the ideal eyeshadow for everyone. ~Laura Geller
3. Top tools to have in your makeup bag: Oil blotting powder, lipstick/lip gloss, concealer and blush ~Laura Geller
4. Carbs don’t make you fat, eating an excess of the wrong carbs makes you fat. ~Pam Peeke M.D.
5. Food addiction is real. Main culprits? Sugar, Fat, Salt. ~Pam Peeke M.D.
6. Look less tired by using highlighters on the corner of your eye with a q-tip. ~Laura Geller
7. Waterproof eyeshadow primer on your lips will help your lipstick last all day. ~Laura Geller
8. Confidence looks great on everyone. ~Argy Koutsothanasis
9. Start with a cream blush and the layer a powder blush on top to make the color last all day. ~Laura Geller
10. Working out and meditation grows brain cells. ~Pam Peeke M.D.

I had a great time and I hope that you can take some of these health and beauty tips and apply them to your life!

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This post, Beauty and Health Tips I learned at the Fitness Magazine Blogger Meet and Tweet! originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 10, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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I get it…everyone loves to receive gifts, it’s nice to be thought of and surprised with something special. But what’s more special than receiving something that someone took their time to make for you? I’m heading into my 11th year as a mom and after receiving over a decade of gifts all I want is some quality time with my family and maybe a macaroni jewelry box spray painted gold, I always wanted to keep the one that I made for my mom! Well this Mother’s Day is different, I’m going to treat my mom to some Reiki,; I’m a Reiki practitioner, a nice homemade brunch and a refreshing cocktail.

I was sent a recipe for a delicious Nuvo Mom-tini martini that is pink, fruity and delicious so this fits the bill for my Mother’s Day brunch. I’m sure my mom would love to sit back and relax with one of these.

 Mom-tini Cocktail Recipe

2 oz POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

2 oz Vodka

Splash of fresh lime juice

Top with 1oz of chilled NUVO Sparkling Liqueur

Garnish with an orange peel and serve in a martini glass

Now that I shared my Mother’s Day plans, what are you doing special for your mom on Mother’s Day?

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This post, A Mother’s Day Mom-tini Cocktail + recipe included! originally appeared on Lipstick and Luxury on May 9, 2012. [Tweetthis] Post!

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