Kawaii Box Review, Jan. 2015 Box

Today I am going to be reviewing one of my new favorite monthly subscription boxes, Kawaii Box.

Now, I am completely in love with the Asian culture, especially Japanese and South Korean. I find both cultures to be colorful and interesting. One of my favorite loves is their music, K-pop/K-rock and J-pop/J-rock. I am also in the process of learning Japanese from a self-taught free website, Memrise. So when I discovered that there was an Asian based monthly subscription box, I was so excited! And this box did not disappoint at all.

For those of you who do not know about Kawaii Box, it is a monthly subscription box that delivers 10 to 12 Kawaii (cute) items that have been handpicked from Japan and South Korean brands. The box costs $18.90 a month with free shipping; with all payments handled completely through PayPal. The brands that are often found in this box are Totoro, Popin' Cookin', My Melody, Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma to name just a few.

Now I'm going to separate what it is in the box into different categories so that I can describe them easier.

Plushies/Keychains

First of all can we just take moment to appreciate the cuteness of these keychains! OMG SO KAWAII!

The biggest plushie/keychain (pictured in the middle) is so soft! Its just so adorable to look at that you can't help but smile seeing the little smile on its face. I'm not exactly sure what it is but if I had to take a guess I would think its a Strawberry Sweet Roll. I cannot wait to put this on my bag!

The second keychain (pictured to the left of the middle) is a squishy keychain. I have always wanted one of these but where I live I have never been able to get my hand on one. I am so happy that I have a squishy now to call my own! And its so cute too! Now the only problem is, is that I cannot decide whether to put it on my keys, bag or phone. Decisions, decisions!

The last keychain is a deco keychain that has a small mirror on the back. To think that someone handmade this is incredible. The details are just fantastic looking, it really does look like a treat you would enjoy with friends. I honestly didn't know if I wanted to eat it or put it on my keys!

Beauty/Accessories

The next items I received were directed at beauty and accessories.

The first product that I received was a pair of Hello Kitty glasses (lens-less). I apologize for not having this product in the picture. When I had first opened my box and saw the glasses I put them on immediately; so when I was taking pictures for this post I completely forgot that I was wearing them. However, I will include a picture that I posted to Instagram of the full box at the end of this blog. The frames are black with a red bow on the left eye frame. The glasses are extremely well made and do not feel or seem cheap at all. Which is just awesome to get such high quality product for such a reasonable price.

The second product that I received is a beaded stretch bracelet. the beads on the bracelet are of a nice large size and are the most beautiful shade of light pastel purple. There are four seashell charms on the bracelet that are gold. Despite the bracelet resembling something a young child or young teen would ear, it is very well made. And even though I am in my mid-twenties, I adore this bracelet and I have no problem sporting this accessory for the world to see. It is a very nice addition to my accessory collection.

The final beauty/accessory product that I received is a small bottle of nail polish from the brand BK. I do now know the official color because there is no other English wording to be found on the bottle. The color speaks for itself however; it is a gorgeous bright blue/green color that I cannot wait to try out the next time I paint my nails. And with the bottle being so small and lightweight, it makes it easier to travel with for touch-ups and such.

Picture of the polish on my nails!

I tried out this polish after typing up this and decided that I had to share it. I simply love the color and I want to try out more colors by this brand!

Stationary

The next group of products that I got were all stationary type products.

The first was a pack of cute ghost stickers. The first sheet has five super puffy and Kawaii ghost stickers, that are just too adorable to even be considered as scary. The second sheet of stickers is a bunch of mini ghosts and bat stickers that are just as cute as the puffy ghosts! These ghosts are just so cute that I simply cannot decide where I want to display them.

The second product that I received was a pen. Since I'm an avid writer, I love collecting pens. And I was so happy that I received such a cute pen in my box! The pen writes in blue and is of a great quality. The little girl on the clip is also too cute for words. The pen also displays a cute quote on the side of it that says, "Hello! My friend dall mate". Now for some this may be annoying as many Japanese products that are translated into English doesn't seem to make sense but this doesn't bother me in the slightest. I find it adorable and a treat to read. Its something that just brightens up my day.

The last stationary product that I received was a vintage stamp set. This set includes one stamp and one ink pad. The design of the stamp is of a little bird sitting on a branch with the words, "Sing a Song" written beneath. The stamp is very well made and is an excellent product to use. The ink pad is also of the same excellent quality and is colored a forest green color. I do a ton of journaling and having this unique set in my collection makes me smile.

The last items that I received were basically misc. products.

The first product being a small coin purse that is coral with white spots. The coin purse has a clasp closing and the material used is a soft material that I cannot identify but I would love to find more products made from this type of material. The coin purse is very well made and is the perfect size to fit into any bag/purse. I'm already using mine as a coin purse in my small bag and its the perfect addition to it.

And last but not least I got a couple of snack products. Both products are Rilakkuma brand snacks. First off the packaging is just adorable! And since the packs are small and light, they are perfect to carry around in your bag for a snack. Each snack bag contains 4-5 Rilakkuma shaped rice cracker snacks. The snacks have been dusted with some seasoning powder. I've never been one to like rice crackers but these are delicious! I only wish that I was able to get more of these snacks where I live cause these would be an excellent snack to carry around during the day, especially a busy day.

Also if you don't want to subscribe to Kawaii Box but you would like to see more of the products that they offer; then you are in luck! They have a Kawaii online store that sells the products that are found in their monthly boxes, so you can just purchase the products that you want and not wait on the box. The site also offers free shipping worldwide! I will link both of the sites below so feel free to check them out!

This was by far one of my favorite monthly boxes to receive that I cannot wait to get another one!

Instagram Pic of Kawaii Box

Until next time!

Kawaiibox.com - Monthly subscription box
Blippo.com - Kawaii Shop


Disclaimer: I have no connection with this company. This box was purchased with my own money and my review has not been influenced in any way. My reviews/thoughts are of my own. 

Secret Agent Beauty Lip Affair Lip Gloss Review

I received this product free in a Birchbox a few months back and I have never really tried it out. So with my sister's wedding around the corner I decided to give it a try. And I'm glad that I did. 

The lip gloss itself is clear and has a great shine to it when you put it on. It makes you lips just shine and shimmer, which I love. I didn't realize it at the time but it was also a Nourishing and Plumping Lip Gloss. It didn't pump my lips up to be outrageously big but made them look fuller without making them appear overly plump. I loved putting this over my lip gloss as it just added such a wonderful shine to my lips.

The lip gloss is tasteless but once you put it on, it does give your lips a slight tingling sensation that feels cool to your lips. I was shocked at first to feel this but I loved it after a few moments. The lip gloss also kept my lips moisturized throughout the whole wedding, even though we spent time outside in the wind taking pictures; my lips stayed moist throughout the cold wind. 

Like I said I got this lip gloss through Birchbox but I did look up information on it if anyone is interested in purchasing it for themselves. The brand of the lip gloss was Secret Agent Beauty Lip Affair, it’s a Nourishing and Plumping Lip Gloss in the color Diamond-Girl Detective which is a clear lips gloss. The size is 0.15 oz and that is full price and costs $18.00.

Until next time! 

Rimmel London Products Review

In this review I'm going to be reviewing two products from Rimmel London. I will be reviewing the Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner and the Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. 

The first that I will be reviewing is the Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Eyeliner. I received this item in my Influenster Frosty Voxbox.

I can say that I haven't tried anything from the Rimmel London but after trying this eyeliner, I'm making a promise to myself that I will check out more of their products.

This eyeliner goes on so smooth and easily that anyone could do it. I'm not very good at applying eyeliner as sometimes I'll add too much to one eye and not enough to the other, cause I want them both to mostly match with the same amount of eyeliner on them. With this eyeliner though, this wasn't an issue. I didn't even have to apply a second coat in order for the product to show up. It showed up perfectly the very first time I used it.

I'm always on the lookout for a good waterproof eyeliner and this one does not disappoint. Living in the humid south, having makeup that doesn't run is a necessity of life here. And I can tell that this eyeliner will be a staple in my makeup when it starts to heat up here during the summer. This eyeliner really doesn't like to move once you put it on, which can be annoying to some but not to me :-)

And since this eyeliner didn't want to come off with my usual makeup wipes, I'm glad Influenster included this next product so that I was able to take the eyeliner off fully without hurting my eyes.

The next product I'm going to review is also from Rimmel London - the Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. Having never tried eye makeup remover I wasn't sure what to expect from this product. But after trying it, I find myself asking how come I waited so long to try a product like this.

I always had a bit of trouble removing my mascara and eyeliner with just using my regular makeup wipes and I almost always ended up leaving some product on and let it wear off by itself. Now I realize how bad that can be for my skin which is another reason why I'm glad I was able to try out this product.

The makeup remover itself is just as it says, its gentle to the eyes and does not burn or sting in the slightest. It only takes just a little to remove even waterproof mascara and eyeliner. With just a little on the cotton round I was able to completely remove my eye makeup without pressing to hard in order to remove it. My eyes were very thankful for that as I did not have to rub them constantly.

I am extremely glad that I was able to try these products out for Influenster! :-)

Until next time!

Disclaimer: I received these products free for review from Influenster. I am not being paid for my review and my thoughts are of my own opinion.

NYC Expert Last Lip Color Review

Okay, I'm just going to be honest here, I hate wearing lipstick. Like I avoid it like the plague for lack of words. The only lip products I will use willingly is lip scrubs from LUSH, lip gloss and chap-stick. I mean I have nothing against lipstick, its just never been something that I enjoy wearing. However after trying out this lipstick I may have changed my mind completely.

I received the NYC Expert Last Lip Color in my Influenster Frosty Voxbox and I must say that I actually have found a lipstick that I like! I'm shocked that I actually like this lipstick as much as I do. The color just works perfectly with my skin tone, Sugar Plum is the color for those wondering.

The lipstick itself is by one of my favorite brands, NYC; so I must admit I was a bit excited to get to try something from one of my favorite brands. The lipstick goes on smooth and leaves a silky finish that leaves my lips shiny and gorgeous. The color really does stay on for a long time as I wore it all day running errands and I only had to reapply it one time while I was out, and that was when I had lunch! I actually thought my friends were gonna steal it from me cause they kept asking me what was the gorgeous color that I had on my lips.

What was really surprising to me however is the way the lipstick smelled. I have smelled lipsticks before and they usually don't have a pleasant smell to them, at least to my nose. I was shocked however to discover that the NYC Expert Last Lip Color had a very pleasant smell to it, a very sweet smell to it in fact. I'm actually thinking about looking into getting more colors from this brand to see if they work as well as this one did.

Until next time!

Disclaimer: I got this product sent to me free for review by Influenster. I am not being paid for my review and I have no affiliation with the NYC brand. My reviews are of my own words. 

Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Serum Review

Once again I am thankful that I am part of the Influenster community. Not only is it a great community to be a part of but I am able to try out different products that I would regularly not be able to try at all!

Today I am going to be giving my review for a product that I received in my Influenster Frosty VoxBox, Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Serum.

Now I have never tried anything by this brand before but I am willing to try anything once. Now I have heard of this brand before from YouTube beauty gurus, mostly those that live in the UK. So I was unaware that we could even get this product here in the US. However I am very happy and excited that we are able to get it over here as well and in our local stores.

Now being 27 years old, I have noticed that my skin is not as youthful looking as it was when I was 18. Not that I look old but I can see small lines forming around my eyes and mouth, smile lines if you will. And like any other woman, I want my skin to look its best for as long as possible.

Despite the sample size that I got, I was able to use it quite a few times and I am excited to say that I have seen a dramatic difference in my skin from me using this serum!

The serum is not greasy or oily and leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturized. I enjoy putting it on at night after a good deep cleansing. I have also suggested this to both my mother and my younger sister, who was really excited to try out a new product.

I have enjoyed using this product so much that I plan to go out and look more into this brand to see what other products in their line I might like and use daily.

Well that's it for this review, until next time!

Disclaimer: Please note that I received this product free for review from Influenster. I am not being paid for my review and my opinion is my own.

NYC Product Reviews!

NYC Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil Review

As anyone knows, finding good eyeliner that not only works perfectly but is also waterproof can really be hard to find. But luckily for me I was able to find one when I went makeup shopping for my sister's wedding. I found my perfect eyeliner in the form of the NYC Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil. 

Now I don't know about anyone else, but I absolute hate putting on eyeliner! No matter how well I think I do it, I always end up either putting too thick of lines, too much or not enough due to me having to go back over and over it until I feel that I have gotten the right amount on. Not to mention that most of the waterproof eyeliner I have used would usually irritate my eyes so bad that I would immediately have to take it off. 

But after trying the NYC eyeliner pencil I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked for it being a drugstore brand. I didn't have to press too hard in order to get the product on my eye, so that prevented me from having to go back and forth over the line to get it dark enough. I love it! 

And to my other pleasant surprise, it didn't irritate my eyes at all! Oh happy I was that I was able to come across this product that not only worked just as well as any high end brand but also didn't irritate my eyes. I am also happy to report that it is indeed waterproof as I did shed a few tears when my sister got married (Happy tears of course) 

I got my NYC Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil from Target. The color I chose was the Black 931 and the price I paid was $2.99 which is very affordable! I recommend anyone to go out and give this eyeliner a try if you haven't already!

NYC Volumizing Mascara Showtime Review

To me finding good mascara is about as hard as finding good eyeliner. But once again NYC came to my rescue cause that is exactly what I found when I had gotten my NYC Eyeliner at Target. The mascara that I found was the NYC Volumizing Mascara Showtime and to my great happiness it was also waterproof which can be nothing but a plus. 

My problem with mascara is that it clumps up on my eyelashes too easily but with the NYC Volumizing Mascara that was not the case at all. One coat and my lashes looked beautiful and full! The fact that it was also waterproof was just an extra bonus and I do mean this mascara was waterproof! I couldn't even take it off with my regular makeup remover and had to borrow some from my mother that was specific for removing waterproof makeup. 

I do recommend this mascara for anyone who is looking for drugstore mascara that works just as well, if not better than any name brand mascara that is out there on the market. I got mine from Target and it was in the color Extreme Black – 844 and retailed for $3.99 which wasn't bad at all. 

Until Next Time! 

Disclaimer: This review is of my own opinion as I am not sponsored by this company at all. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser - Dark Spot Treatment + Concealer Review

Today I am going to give my review for the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Spot Treatment + Concealer. I purchased this item on a whim for my sister's wedding a few weeks ago and I must admit that I have fallen in love with this product. 

First of all, if you have ever heard that less is more; that saying can be said for this product. A little goes such a long way and it lasts for hours. Just a few clicks and a couple of light dabs under my eyes and I was set for well over 6 hours. Without needing to apply! I was amazed and over the moon that this product had worked well beyond my expectations. 

Another thing that I noticed with this product is that it wasn't oily at all but neither was it drying. It was moisturizing without coming across as too oily, which was just as pleasant a surprise as the fact that it lasted for over 6 hours. My skin is naturally a bit oily so I was worried that it would cause my skin to shine and look oilier, but again I was happily surprised when that was not the case at all.

In fact, I cannot remember a time when I got so many compliments on how skin looked like it was glowing. Many asked me what I used and they were pleasantly surprised that I got the results that I did from a drugstore brand that was so affordable. A few of the bridesmaid actually mentioned that they were going to go out and purchase it for themselves that very night. 

The price for this product is $6.99 and I bought mine from Target in case anyone was wondering.

Well that's it for this review! Hope you enjoyed it and until next time! 

Disclaimer: I am not being paid for my review. It is of my own opinion and not influenced by any outside influence.