Jackpot Candles Pina Colada Candle Review

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I love love loooove jewelry candles! There's something about knowing there's another little surprise waiting for you inside that makes me twice as happy. I was lucky enough to receive this beautiful Pina Colada candle from Jackpot Candles to try out. Pina Colada is one of my favourite scents (and drinks!), because I love coconut and tropical fruit.

Jackpot Candles are 100% soy candles that have been hand poured, with a jewelry surprise worth $15 to $5000 in each one. You can pick between earrings, a ring or a necklace for your little "jackpot", which I really like. Not everyone wants a ring every time, so having the choice makes it that much more fun :) You can also pick your ring size (6, 7, 8 or 9) so you don't get stuck with a ring that doesn't fit.

The Pina Colada candle smells fruity and divine! It reminded me of being on a tropical island, drinking sweet pineapple and coconut cocktails :) It filled the big living room nicely with it's pretty scent after about 5 minutes. After the candle had burned down for a couple of hours, I started to see the little foil wrapped package. It's much easier to get out while the wax is still hot and liquid, but be careful! I ran the package under cold water to ensure it was cool and then opened it up to reveal my surprise...

Aren't my new earrings beautiful?? And they're my favourite colour, purple. They come with a little code that you can put into their website and get an instant appraisal. Mine are worth around $20, so while not $5000 earrings they're definitely a lovely bonus on top of the scented candle. I'm really happy with both my candle and my jewelry surprise, and enjoy the option to choose different types of jewelry.

Have you tried jewelry candles before? What's your favourite candle scent?

Born Pretty Store Nail Stickers Review

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I enjoy doing nail art, but sometimes I just want something easy and cute that looks good but takes very little effort. A while back I received these cute nail stickers from Born Pretty Store for review and they are the perfect accent to a mani when you don't have time (or energy) for nail art.

All of the stickers are adorable, but I love the diamonds sooo much! I decided to use a couple of  them over ORLY Fight On and Sinful Colors Pinky Glitter. After using a glue basecoat to assist with glitter removal, I did one layer of Pinky Glitter, one layer of Fight On, one layer of Pinky Glitter and one last layer of Fight On and then put two diamond stickers on the accent nail and top coated. The effect is extremely cute!

The stickers are light and thin and quite flexible so they lay very flat on the nail.Some nail stickers can curl up at the edges or feel raised, but these just felt nice and smooth under top coat. They stayed on perfectly the whole time I wore this mani and I will definitely be using the rest of the sheet! They are super, super cute and only 99c for one sheet of stickers.

Are you a nail sticker girl, or do you prefer to do more intricate nail art? I like doing both! :)

Check out some pretty nail art, nail art products and more on Born Pretty and use my coupon code "FBB10" for discounts!

System Hinoki Giveaway Winner!

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Thank you so much to everyone who entered! Here is the winner of the giveaway :)

If you didn't win this time, keep an eye out for future giveaways!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pink Hearts Valentine's Day Nail Art

I Bought This


I had been struggling to come up with something for my Valentine's nails, but decided to stick with some tried and true themes: pink and hearts! Add a polka dot style pattern and glitter and voilà! Instant Valentine's Day nails.

The polishes I used are OPI Bubble Bath, Sinful Colors Pink Forever, Sinful Colors Pinky Glitter and white acrylic paint for the white accents.

What I did step-by-step:

1. 1 coat of ORLY Bonder base coat
2. 1 coat of OPI Bubble Bath on my index and middle finger and 2 coats of Sinful Colors Pink Forever on the other nails.
3. I used Pink Forever and painted heart shaped tips on my index and middle fingers. Rinse and repeat, this needs 2 coats to be even.
4. I put 1 coat of Sinful Colors Pinky Glitter over Pink Forever to give it some extra sparkle.
5. I then used a toothpick and white acrylic paint to trace around the heart shapes on my index and middle fingers.
6.  I attempted something I've never done before, which is using a toothpick to make little hearts and did a polka dot style on my ring and pinky fingers. You do 2 dots next to each other and then draw them both down in a v and connect them to make a heart. It's quite simple and looks cute!
7. I drew a heart on my thumb with the white acrylic paint.
8. Waited a few minutes to let the acrylic paint dry a little and then applied 1 coat of KB Shimmer Clearly on Top top coat applied generously to avoid smearing the nail art.

I'm really loving this, since it appeals to my love for all things pink and cute. I'm definitely doing the polka dot hearts again, since it's easy (although time consuming!) and acrylic paint just makes it that much easier. Whether this will last until Valentine's Day is another story, but if I get bored, I might just come up with something cuter :p

Show me your Valentine's (or Anti-Valentine's) manis!

Giveaway! System Hinoki Haircare Set

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It's the first giveaway of 2015!

If you haven't read my posts on the System Hinoki set for fine, thin or thinning hair, you can check them out here. I really like the whole system and this very generous giveaway is for $80 worth of product! It is open within the US only and ends on Feb 24th, so get cracking and enter!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hayashi Worldwide, is offering a chance for one lucky winner to win System Hinoki, a boxed set of four haircare products formulated to improve the condition of both hair and scalp. Retail value: $80.

WHAT IT IS

System Hinoki is a set of four haircare products, made in the USA, by Hayashi Worldwide, consisting of a shampoo, conditioner, leave in scalp conditioner, and leave in body booster. The products are meant to be used together regularly (during every hair/scalp cleansing) over the long-term to provide cleansing, healing, and nutrition to both hair and scalp.

WHO SHOULD USE IT

Men and women, with any hair texture (curly, straight, thick, or fine), suffering from thinning hair, hair loss, slow-to-grow hair, or dandruff, will all benefit from using System Hinoki products on a regular basis.

WHAT’S IN IT

The key ingredient in the System Hinoki products is Pure Hinoki Oil, or “Chamaecyparis Obtusa Oil.” This is a unique ingredient, known for its natural antifungal and antibacterial qualities, is not found in many haircare products today, however it has been used for over 2,000 years in Japan and other parts of Asia to treat different types of skin ailments. The shampoo and conditioner also include Retinyl Palmitate, a form of Vitamin A and one of the primary antioxidants found naturally in skin; it is FDA approved and used to stimulate cell renewal and enhance skin elasticity. Unlike many other products marketed to hair growth, System Hinoki is drug free so safe to use for long-term results!

WHAT RESULTS CAN BE EXPECTED

System Hinoki products’ unique formulations have been trusted by salon professionals since 1985 and have recently been re-launched for use at home. When the products are used together, the complete system promotes hair strength, volume, and scalp therapy, resulting in weight-free hair, improved hair texture, and a clean scalp that promotes healthy hair growth.^*

^* Note that no product can bring dead hair follicles back to life, but many people with hair loss simply have hair follicles that are still alive and in the dormant stage.

HOW TO USE THE PRODUCTS

The order in which you should use the System Hinoki products is 1. Shampoo, 2. Conditioner, 3. Hinoki Plus (leave-in scalp conditioner), 4. Hair Thickener (leave-in body booster). For best results, use all four products every time you cleanse and condition your hair. If your scalp begins to itch, only use the Hinoki Plus every third use of the other products. The shampoo and conditioner are used the same as any other wash out shampoo and conditioner. The Hinoki Plus should be applied to damp hair, directly on the scalp, by separating hair with fingers or a comb and spraying directly onto the scalp, then repeating until adequate coverage is achieved. Then, use your fingertips (never fingernails!) to massage the product further into the scalp. Finally, while hair is still damp, apply the Hair Thickener by squirting a generous amount into the palm of your hand, then rubbing your hands together and apply to hair from root to ends, working it in for full coverage of the lengths of your hair. Style as usual.

Note: Hayashi Worldwide makes other product lines that are meant to work in combination with the System Hinoki products for those who experience other hair concerns other than just hair thinning. They should be used as complete sets after every third application of System Hinoki. The Repair Zone system should be used by those with naturally very curly to kinky hair in need of added hydration. System 911 should be used by those who need added protein, due to styling damage, such as relaxers or heat from regular blow drying or flat ironing. System Design is a great option for styling fine/thin hair in need of additional body and shine.

For more information about System Hinoki, read my previous posts or visit www.hayashiww.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/systemhinoki
Twitter: www.twitter.com/systemhinoki

Neon Orange and Textured Teal Nails

I Bought This

Is it Summer yet??? I wanted to share these screaming hot neon orange and textured teal nails with you, even though it's totally not seasonally appropriate ;) I'm sooooo ready for the beach!

The polishes I used are China Glaze Seahorsin' Around and ORLY Tropical Pop. 2 coats of Seahorsin' Around with no top coat and 2 coats of Tropical Pop over a coat of white (to really make it "pop"!) plus top coat. I did the dots with a dotting tool and I'm loving the effect! The contrast between the texture and the smooth creme polish is to die for.

I hope you like this look, even if it's not quite beach weather in many places yet.

Black, White and Silver Bling Nails for New Years

I haven't been in much of a holiday mood when it comes to my nails, but New Year's is a theme I can definitely get down with. Blingy and dramatic are what I think of when NYE rolls around and this black, white and silver combo will add that extra pop to a dressy outfit. I had seen a manicure in one of my facebook nail polish groups which had these pretty white 3D bows and I decided I had to incorporate them somehow into my NYE nails. Working around the bows, I arrived at this extra sparkly look.

I used a few different polishes to achieve this, the black is China Glaze Liquid Leather, the white is China Glaze White on White, the silver holo is Orly Mirrorball (my favourite silver polish to date!) and the glitter is OPI I Snow You Love Me, which I fished out and placed on the nail. CG Liquid Leather and ORLY Mirrorball have to be two of the best polishes I've used lately.The are both gorgeous and go on beautifully. The bows I got in a Secret Santa swap. but you can easily find them on ebay. They are so cute, I want AAALLL the colours. I usually use super glue to put them on, as nail glue doesn't quite cut it for staying power, whereas super glue usually stays on well until I remove them with acetone.

I'm in love with my nails right now! They are the perfect mix of elegant B&W and sparkle. The Mirrorball + I Snow You Love Me glitters are so ridiculously blingy that I catch myself just staring at them all the time. This is a simple design, but I think it works really well. Other than the black and white theme, the little rhinestone in the bow complements the silver sparkly nails perfectly.

I don't have any big plans for NYE, we'll probably just watch the countdown on tv and have some drinks, but I can still get festive with my nails! What are your plans/nails looking like for NYE?

Beauty Box 5 December Subscription Box Review

Just wanted to do a quick post on the December Beauty Box 5! It's a fun one, with pretty polish and some yummy scented stuff.







He are my thoughts on a few of the products in this month's box:

I love the Lucky Number 6 perfume, it's a really nice floral scent which isn't too heavy. I've been thinking about getting a new perfume so this came at a perfect time. I can use it for a while and see if I like it enough to buy a full size one :) The Nanacoco nail polish is going to be my new years manicure, it's a colourful, festive glitterbomb. Having a little tub of nail polish remover wipes is perfect for when you're out and a nail chips, no more putting up with ugly chipped nails until you can make it home! It's in peach scent and is acetone free which means it's gentler on your skin. Lastly, the facial mist in "Rose Bouquet" smells sooooo pretty. I adore rose water and it is definitely nice to have some extra hydration in the dry winter months.

This month's box is a winner for me, I absolutely love all the gorgeous scents and of course the nail stuff.

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas if you celebrate and happy holidays to everyone else!

Wet n Wild Mega Rocks Rising Star

I Bought This

As I was perusing the aisles of Walgreens, looking for the ever elusive Sinful Shine Prosecco nail polish (if you haven't heard of it, it's a limited edition greige beauty with a gorgeous golden shimmer), I happened across this stunning limited edition Wet n Wild Mega Rocks polish: Rising Star. It was in a special section with other limited edition Wet n Wild Fall polishes and makeup. I can honestly say I own nothing like it, so I picked it up and took it home to put on right away.

Can I just stop a minute to gush about how much I LOVE this beauty??

This polish is supposedly a dupe for Maybelline Gilded Rose and although I don't own Gilded Rose, from online swatches I think they are very close. Rising Star may be a little less yellow gold and more of a silvery pink rose gold, but otherwise I believe they are almost identical.

I am so in love with this polish, I used it twice in a row which is almost unheard of for me. AND I even put it on my toes and gave my BOFA a mani with it. It went on beautifully in 2 careful coats. I say careful because if you drag the brush too much, you might end up picking up some of the glitter underneath and leaving bald spots. Using a light hand on the brush, I got perfect coverage quite easily. The wear was pretty good, I wore it for 4 days with no chipping, but just be careful not to do super thick coats.

If pretty rose gold glitter is your thing, then RUN don't walk to your nearest Walgreens and pick up this beauty before she's gone.

Beauty Box 5 October Subscription Box Review

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If you haven't seen any of my previous posts about the Beauty Box 5 subscription boxes, you can have a look here :)

October's box is an exciting one, with full size products galore! Check them out...

The one I was most excited about is the Nanacoco nail polish. I love trying new brands of polish and this seems like a pretty shade for the coming cooler months. I did a quick swatch over my current manicure and it seemed quite smooth and opaque in one coat. I'll be doing a NOTD and probably some nail art with it, so keep an eye out! I was also really intrigued by the Extend Your Beauty cosmetic tool, as I'm always sad when I'm at the end of a tube/bottle of product and I just cant get that little bit down the bottom out. I'm interested to see how this works for me. All the products are ones that I'm looking forward to using, the Bellapierre cheek and lip stain is a pretty shade and you KNOW I'll be using the heck out of that chapstick in this dry weather we've been having here in SoCal. I have been trying to use eye primer a bit more, since it's better to have a nice smooth canvas for eye makeup, so the Lashem Picture Perfect will come in handy.

I think this box was great value for the amount of product you get and had some really fun and useful items. Beauty Box 5 continues to satisfy my expectations for a subscription box, so I've been very happy with it.

System Hinoki for Thinning Hair Review: 3 Months Update

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The long awaited 3 month update to my System Hinoki experience is finally here! How did the products stand up in the battle against thinning hair? Read on and find out...

For product ingredients, first impressions and all about System Hinoki, please read my first update post!

As I stated in my first review, this system can be a little drying as heavy conditioners and serums can weigh your strands down, leaving thin hair looking stringy and lack-luster. To counter-act the dryness, I just used a conditioning mask on my mid lengths and ends. One thing to note: DON'T use too much of the Hair Thickener treatment on your roots like I did, it can make your hair a bit oily.

Hair day 1

Hair after 1 month

Hair after 3 months

I definitely think you can see less scalp when I part my hair, and I've been feeling a lot less sensitive in the scalp area as well. I have some new hair growth and my hair generally has more volume. I don't think this is a miracle product that will allow you to sprout hair instantly, but I do think it's worth trying if you have thinning hair. It adds volume and I believe has aided in some new hair growth, so I'm pretty happy with it. Again, make sure you look at the ingredients before you decide to try this or any hair care system, as there may be something that would irritate a sensitive scalp or those who are prone to allergic reactions. My scalp is a little on the sensitive side and was perfectly fine, but it never hurts to double check :)

I will be continuing to use these products in my hair care routine, as I'm satisfied with the results.

OPI Bubble Bath + Gold Shimmer + Glitter Gradient Nails

I Bought This

Just wanted to share my recent mani with you all. I bought OPI Bubble Bath from a girl who was selling a bunch of polish and wanted to try it out, so I put on 2 coats and LOVED the result. The shiny, sheer beautiful nude shade is to die for! But of course I couldn't leave it like that, so I did a coat of Sinful Colors 24 Karat which is a lux gold shimmer, and then applied loose iridescent glitter in a sort of gradient.

I'm so in love with the result and I can definitely see this being a beautiful look for any time of the year. Nude and glitter are so perfect for each other and a combo that I find myself using time and time again.

What's your go to mani that suits all the seasons?

Memebox Korean Beauty Box Review

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I was super excited about the Memebox, since it's a Korean beauty box! :D the name is pronounced "Me-Me" box not "meem" box. The term 'Meme' came from the name of a popular Korean doll “Mi Mi”, which is the beauty idol of many little girls in Korea. "Me" is emphasised, because they wanted to put the focus on beauty being about the individual.

The box is filled with the latest Korean beauty products, shipped straight from Korea. I love that it only has Korean products, as there are so many beauty boxes out there that have western beauty products or watered down versions of asian products. I'm a huge fan of asian beauty products, and some of the very best come out of Korea.

And... oooooh it's allllll pink!!

MemeBox

There are a few different types of boxes, I have listed a few of them below:

MEMEBOX
The original Memebox comes packed with 4 - 8 full-sized products and deluxe samples.

SUPERBOX
Each Superbox series comes with it’s own theme, and contains only full-sized items.

COLLABORATION BOX
Each month, we team up with style icons to curate special limited-run Superboxes featuring each collaborator's favorite items - keep an eye on these, they sell out fast!

The one I received was the MEMEBOX Scentbox #1 Rose.

MemeBox Scentbox #1 Rose Contents

I was soooo happy to receive the Rose Scentbox!! Rose is one of my absolute favourite fragrances and all of the products have a beautiful, yet subtle scent. No pounding overwhelming scent headaches over here, girl ;) The packaging is super cute, with all of the items ending up happily displayed on my vanity. I got 3 full sized products and one sample in this box.

I tested out the Lip Tint and it gives a gorgeous flush of natural looking colour, and is hydrating and smooth on the lips. The products all look, feel and smell very high quality, exactly what I would expect from Korean beauty products.

What I really like about the Memebox is that it's not a subscription. You sign up to receive an email every month when new boxes are available for purchase and you can purchase as many or as little, or no boxes at all. It's all up to YOU (or ME :p). You can also purchase many of the products from the boxes on the website and they ship to many different countries around the world. Because the products are coming directly from Korea, here in the US it can take around 15-25 business days to get here (although mine came fairly quick), but I'm used to those kind of wait times for international shipping. I was interested to see that they have something called "US Exclusives" which includes favourite products of US customers that ship straight from the US warehouse to your door in a matter of days.

Considering the quality and value of the fullsize products I received, I definitely think the $19 - $29 (depending on which box you get) price tag is well worth it. I'm just over the moon that finally there's a Korean beauty box available!

ScoreBig Concert, Event and Family Attraction Tickets - For Cheap!

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Summer is here and we've been wanting to do more things around SoCal, but  things can get kinda expensive with 3 kids. They want to go to theme parks, water parks, sports games and attractions, all of which can hit the wallet quite heavily. I was contacted by ScoreBig to try out their service, which allows you to name your own price for discounted tickets.

From the ScoreBig website:

About ScoreBig
ScoreBig.com enables consumers to get great tickets for live sports, concert and theater events – at guaranteed savings of up to 60 percent. ScoreBig.com customers pick their own price on seats from the floor to the rafters, always pay less than box office price, and never pay any fees. For its partners, ScoreBig.com is the first and only opaque sales channel to move unsold ticket inventory in a way that protects the ticket owner’s brand and full-price sales. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif., ScoreBig.com was founded in 2009 and is backed by Bain Capital Ventures and U.S. Venture Partners. ScoreBig.com was recently recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Most Promising Companies and by Billboard as one of the 10 Best Start-ups of 2012.

I was excited to try ScoreBig, because I'm a big fan of discount deal websites and this one sounds fun. You basically name the price you want to pay for the tickets and they either accept your offer or give you a counter-offer that still saves you money. Every ticket is guaranteed to save you money, there are no fees and you get to choose your seating area (for concerts/games etc) and all your seats will be together. There's no waiting, you find out instantly if your offer was accepted or if they counter-offer. I enjoyed using the service, as they have quite a few good deals, but some are better than others. The theme parks/attractions in SoCal I saw you only save around 10% on, but the sporting events and other shows you're more likely to save up to 60%. They also have a 'Last Minute' section, where you can find last minute deals that might be a better discount.

I ended up buying tickets for the San Diego Safari Park and saved about 10%. I'm happy with that, since it's somewhere we wanted to go and it doesn't usually have any discounts, but I'll also be keeping an eye out for other discounted tickets in the coming months. I know the boys will love going to a baseball or soccer game this Summer :)

Check out ScoreBig in Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/scorebig

https://twitter.com/scorebig

http://blog.scorebig.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scorebig/