First, let's talk about how I only paid $13.36 including shipping for all of this stuff. How? Let me tell you. Around 2-3 weeks ago, I received an email from Pacifica about their new Naked Quench Lip Balm (as you see above). Originally $7, was on sale for 25% off ($1.75 saved)! AND, they also released some new nail polish colors (as you see above) that we're pretty shades of pink and a really pretty neutral shade. Bonus: they had a deal buy any 2 nail colors get the 3rd free ($9 saved)! It's like they wanted me to spend money. Being the Pacifica, lip balm, and sale junkie that I am, I couldn't help myself. So, I had A) $10 off to redeem from my Loyalty points (which if you aren't signed up for their Loyalty Program definitely do so! It's free!) B) Brooke (their founder) was having a site wide 20% off sale in honor of her birthday ($5.84 saved). All of that in addition to the already awesome deals I mentioned above. I mean seriously, this was a steal. Only a crazy person would say no!
 
As for the polishes, I haven't used any of the colors yet. But I can say they're just as pretty in person as they are online. In fact, they look prettier. I can't wait to see them on. I have used Pacifica's polish before, so I know that the quality is top notch. They last very long. The colors are always vibrant and always true to color. You really can't go wrong with their polishes. These 3 colors are part of their 5 newly released shades. The other two being red shades. None of these colors are colors I typically use. My color palette both in nail polish and life in general is dark colors like black and different shades of gray and purple. But these colors really stood out to me and I said hey why not?!
 
As for the Lip Quench. I have used their tinted lip balm before, and wasn't a huge fan of the colors. I'm just not a fan of tinted lip balm in general. However, the balm itself was really nice. This balm is even better. It's very rich. Not like Vaseline rich, but it's almost as rich as the Moon Balm, which I think it slightly thicker. This stuff is jam packed with oils and essential fatty acids. Avocado oil, vitamin E, cocoa butter, coconut oil, rosemwar extract, candelilla and soy bean wax, plus natural flavor. That's all she wrote! The flavor is Coconut Cherry, which for me is very reminiscent for me of the Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, except the grown up natural version. If that makes any sense. The cherry is real cherry, not fake artificially colored grossness. It makes me feel nostalgic! I absolutely love it! And the packaging is really classy and feminine. The gold filigree designs on the tube looks so nice, which is an added bonus. I really love this balm, from the texture to the scent to the 100% recyclable tube. I definitely recommend it.

I believe the nail polish sale and Brooke's birthday sale has ended, but the lip quench is still on sale! Definitely check it out, as well as all their new products they recently released! They have SO many new goodies to check out! Like way more than just these too, so you don't want to miss out!
 
Enjoy!

This is actually a pretty decent size, considering you only need a few drops for the delicate eye area. I feel like, although it's a sample, it will last long. This is actually valued at $18, which on their website they sell 5 ml for that price. They also offer a 15 ml for $40. This is meant to smooth and sooth your under eye area. This luxurious oil contains only 4 ingredients: jojoba oil, rosehip seed oil, vitamin E, and rose essential oil. The smell is very faint and natural, no harsh perfumes which is what you want for that sensitive area. I'm also really excited to try this out!
 
Overall, another awesome box by Petit Vour. The value for this box comes in at $43, so you're really getting your moneys worth. And as usual, the products they include are so fancy! Like $18 nail polish?! I would never pay that for one bottle of polish, so I love that was what included. I also loved that they put a little of everything in this box, even unexpected things like the aromatherapy oil!
 
Enjoy!

On Monday, I received my VeganCuts October Beauty Box in the mail! This month, the theme was Falling for Beauty. Here's what it included:

This is a full size product. This versatile product can be used anywhere to add a pop of shimmer; lips, cheekbones, decolletage, shoulders, you name it. It contains all natural ingredients including shea butter, Vitamin E, and argan oil. The color comes from real gold leaves, nothing artificial here! I think highlighter is an awesome thing that can really change your look from dull to luminous. I don't use it often, but considering this is just a stick you apply, and I don't need to fuss with anymore tools in the morning, I'm excited to check this one out. You can find this on their website, along with their other products if you want to check them out!
​
Next up, the Luxie Beauty Detailed Angled Brush.

Lip balm is just my most favorite thing ever. This one I haven't tried, primarily because I have 867438759823 lip balms open right now and I'm really determined to finish them before I open a new one. This balm is the third full size product in this box! There is no artificial flavors on ingredients in this balm, which means that the pumpkin seed oil that's included in the ingredients list should really pop, and I can't wait to try it. I have a feeling I will give in and open this probably immediately.​

Last but certainly not least is the True Moringa Peppermint body oil.

In my PetitVour September box, I received this MSC Skin Care + Home Grapefruit & Spearmint Organic Scrub.

I was so excited to try it, because I love sugar scrubs. Now that it's cooler out, and colder weather is coming, sugar scrubs are essential. I use them all over my entire body, and especially on my hands. I use them constantly on my hands. My hands dry out so crazy fast that the best way to prevent them from getting to the point where they crack and bleed is to use a scrub a few times a week to get the dead skin off, and apply a moisturizer right after.

I recommend using these two products in tandem:

When it comes to scrubs, it's my opinion that you need more than just lotion afterwards. You need something thicker, something with staying power, and something that's gentle enough to not agitate your skin after all that scrubbing. I've been using the MSC scrub with my Fanciful Fox Overnight Skin Therapy and I definitely notice a difference. The OST is my go to for the colder months. Combine that with any scrub, you got a winning combo!

I don't like salt scrubs much because they sting so bad. Even though I have one I do like, sugar scrubs, in my opinion, provide better and also gentler exfoliation. Let's focus on the pros and cons of this brand of sugar scrub:

Here's the pros:
1) It's a thick sugar scrub, that's more sugar than anything else. You know how some scrubs are more liquidy with just a few granules of sugar? This one is chock full of big sugar crystals. So, you can really feel the exfoliation.
2) Adding onto #1, even though you can really feel the exfoliation, it's actually surprisingly gentle. I have sensitive skin, and I had no issues or reactions with it. My skin didn't feel raw or rough afterwards. It just felt smooth.
3) With some scrubs, you get a very oily residue on your skin afterwards. All the moisture they pack in some scrubs just sits on your skin, rather than being absorbed. Not this one. This one truly does moisturize without leaving any gross feelings on your skin, thanks to the shea butter!
4) Adding onto #3, this stuff doesn't leave your tub slippery either!
5) They have very simple and basic ingredients. No chemicals and no junky fillers!
 
Now for the cons:
1) My only complaint is the smell. It's supposed to be spearmint and grapefruit, and all I smell is spearmint. Now that it smells bad, it just doesn't smell like what I thought it would smell like. The grapefruit totally gets lost.
2) The price is kind of high. $33 for a 10.5 oz jar seems kind of steep. But, you do get what you pay for!

Fortunately, on their website they have other scents like vanilla, sandalwood and cinnamon, and lavender and lemongrass. So there's a scent for everyone! I wish they offered different sizes for different prices. Or they had a sample set with all of the scents so you could try them all before you bought the full size ones. Overall, this product does exactly what it should. Enjoy!

If you know me outside of this blog, than you know that Halloween is my most favorite day of the year. To me, Halloween isn't just a holiday but it's a lifestyle, one that I live 24/7/365. My apartment looks like Halloweentown. That's my every day decor. Every day is Halloween!

Now that veganism is becoming more prevalent (yay!), there are so many options for us vegans to enjoy on the most spooktacular night of the year. Candys, cookies, cakes, chocolate.. you name it! My favorite vegan bakery, Sweet Freedom in Bryn Mawr PA, has spooky goodies, and their even making us our spooky wedding cake! Vegan Treats, a very popular bakery located in Bethlehem PA, has all sorts of fang-tastic goodies. There's candy companies like Coracao Confections that are really embracing the flavors of the season with sweets like Pumpkin Spice Caramel Truffle Bars. Another company is Premium Chocolatiers. They have so many Halloween treats! Here's what I treated myself to from them:

I ordered the Jack o' Lantern full of goodies, but I want everything else lol. You can see in the photo above they have a chocolate coffin with a skeleton, Halloween truffles, and a chocolate pumpkin and ghost. They have even more online. 

Include in the pumpkin is:
1) A pack of Peanot Cups (like Reese's)
2) Milkless Chocolate Bar (like Hershey's)
3) No Whey Bar (like Snickers)
4) Choco No No's (like M&Ms)
5) Mini Peanot Cups (like mini Reese's)
6) Milkless Chocolatey Pretzels
7) Chocolate Pop in the shape of a Jack o' Lantern wearing a hat!
BONUS: the pumpkin is felt like and can be reused!

This whole thing was $24.95, which seems expensive. Vegan chocolate isn't cheap, so honestly for all that you get, the price is excellent! I did my best to not open anything, trying to wait until Halloween, but my will power was low and I opened the pretzels Friday night. They are SO SO GOOD! Based off just those alone, I guarantee everything is gonna be delicious!

I'm not a huge chocolate person to be honest, but sometimes I want a little something. All of these noms will last me a while. 

Do yourself a favor and check out all their treats, Halloween themed and regular. You won't be disappointed!

Okay so, we got the treats down. Up next, Halloween themed goodies from my favorite, Lush!

I wait every year for Lush Halloween products. They had gift sets for bath with bath bombs and for shower with shower jelly and cream. They have a beautiful bats and moon knot wrap (as you see above). But what's inside the knot wrap you ask?

TADA! 

As usual, I wanted everything. But I was a good little girl and got the Bat Heebie Jeebie set! Above is what it included. The Coalface cleanser was an extra and it was such a bonus because I have been wanting to try it but never have. It's supposed to be awesome for acne prone oily skin

I love love love that the Nightwing Shower Jelly is shaped like a bat. It's going to be hard to use it because it's so cute lol. I haven't used either of them yet. I was trying to wait until closer to Halloween! I love in addition to all of this, is that the cute bat that it all comes in can be used as a decoration. As soon as I find a place my cats can't get to and destroy it (I'm still looking lol), I plan on putting it up!

These products are currently sold out, but they have the pumpkin bath gift set still available! And some bath bombs and the regular sized Lord of Misrule shower cream left. Their specialty products go fast so if you're interested hurry up and get that order in!

Creep it real friends!

First up, and one of my favorite brands, is Method. Method is a cruelty free vegan company. Their slogan is: people against dirty. A company after my own heart! Method makes literally everything: cleaning supplies for every room in your house, laundry supplies, hand soaps, body wash, dish soaps, dish washer tablets, soy candles, and air fresheners. They have antibacterial cleaners, so you can feel good cleaning knowing that you're actually getting your stuff authentically clean! Also, they're safe around animals and kids!They have a very detailed FAQ section and also a search option for you to look up a question you may not see an answer to. Method is awesome! Literally all of my cleaning supplies are by them, as you can see above.

The toilet bowl cleaner is used just like the Lysol one, where you use the nozzle and apply it all around the inside of the bowl. The bathroom cleaner has an awesome and clean spearmint smell. I love the body wash, it's super luxurious and moisturizing. It smells exactly like magnolia but it's not overbearing. Their hand soap is the only soap I use. You really get your money's worth using the refills. I just refill my soap dispenser over and over. However, because I'm a Disney lover, I had to buy the Mickey Mouse one for my kitchen! That's a foaming soap, so I can't use the gel refill, but they have other foaming soaps I can buy to refill it with. Disney always wins! Lol. Their glass and surface cleaner is just like Windex.You can literally use it on everything, and it leaves a streak free finish on my mirrors. I have yet to use my dish washer to wash dishes, so I can't speak to the effectiveness of their dish washer tablets. I'm sure like everything else, they're gonna be awesome. My absolute favorite is the bamboo scented all purpose antibac cleaner. The scent is amazing! It smells so fresh and so clean. It's not an overpowering smell, but it lingers for a bit after you use it, and it's so refreshing! You spray it on the surface and let it stand for 30 seconds to 1 minute to disinfect the surface before wiping it dry. I have also used their soy candles before, and I love them! They're kind of pricey considering their size and they don't last long. However, they have a variety of scents and the essential oils really make their scent flow through the whole room.

Method is my favorite brand, as you can see. Out of all three of the brands I'm listing today, I've used them the longest,  they're the cheapest, they're effective, and also have the best products with an array of scents that are sure to please everyone!

Another company is called Seventh Generation. They are a Leaping Bunny certified cruelty free company that have products for the whole home. The thing I love about Seventh Generation that they have above the rest is that they also have a line of feminine care products, which include organic tampons and pads. I haven't been able to find them at any of my Targets, so I've never tried them, but I think that's pretty awesome, and it's definitely something you don't think about often. They tend to be a little higher in price than Method. I have used their dish soap and their hand soap and I thought they worked pretty well. 

The last company I want to mention is J.R. Watkins. They're a cruelty free company. While I have only ever used their dish soap, they seem to offer a wide variety of products. Their labeling and packaging is beautiful; very vintage and fancy. The bottles themselves look beautiful on your sink or counter tops. They're also the most expensive of the companies. I can't comment as to their other products, but their dish soap is awesome. They have great scents, come in large bottles so they last awhile, and have great staying power so a little goes a long way, which can make up for the price. I got mine on sale and had a coupon, which is why I tried them in the first place.

When it comes to Seventh Generation and J.R. Watkins, they're FAQ section isn't super helpful in determining if they are a fully vegan company. I have emails sent out to both to clarify the details. As soon as I hear back from them, I will be updating this post promptly. So, keep an eye out for an update soon!

UPDATE: I heard back from Seventh Generation regarding their vegan products. Here's the email response:

I love nail polishes. I love regular nail polishes, glitter polishes, shimmer polishes, dark polishes, light polishes, fancy polishes, all polishes. I love that you can change your nails to match your mood, personality, outfit, and more. And, I am always on the hunt for new polishes to try. I have heard so many good things about Sparitual nail polishes for so long that back in June of this year I decided to place an order. Here's what I ordered:

Before I get into reviewing these products, I want to mention a few things. I had an issue with my order which I was kind of irritated with and left a bad taste in my mouth about them. I ordered June 14th, and by June 26th, I hadn't received a shipping email. So, when I sent an email regarding my order, I received a response stating that a shipping confirmation order was sent to me. I checked my inbox and spam thoroughly, and I hadn't received anything. The email response wasn't really apologetic either. Now, I'm not saying that the shipping email wasn't sent and in crazy internet world it didn't make it's way to me. And this woman who responded might have been having an off day when she sent her email. But, it was enough to agitate me, and I wanted to share that with you guys in case you order and something similar happens. You know me, I tell you everything about not just the products, but also the service. I hide nothing. Honesty is my policy!

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to reviewing. I'm going to talk about the nail polish remover first.

I have one word to describe this remover: awesome! I absolutely love it and when this bottle it empty, I will repurchase again and again. You know how awful glitter polish is to remove? This stuff gets right through it, with a minimal rubbing. Also, a little goes a long way. Even for dark colors, which is predominantly what I wear. Does it really smell like mandarin? No. It smells like nail polish remover, but not as bad as most polish removers smell. You can kind of get a hint of the mandarin, but don't go inhaling the stuff expecting it to smell like air freshener. You'll get a headache lol. They offer different sizes for different prices. This is the largest size, at 16 oz. that retails for $14. From there, there is a 4 oz. which is $6, a 2 oz. which is $5, and remover clothes for $7. I recommend this polish remover 110%! It works better than any nail polish remover I have ever used!

Now, for the nail polishes!

Every time I buy polishes, I really try so hard to buy different colors. Most times, I fail. This time, with the exception of Hugs and Howl, I got colors that I typically wouldn't purchase. The first thing I want to mention is that the colors you see on the website look totally different than in real life. That drives me crazy! Dreamsicle looks like a bubble gum candy pink online, and in real life it's like fluorescent pink. I don't wear pink much, but this color would be great for the summer, so I wasn't mad it was different than what I expected. Also, Howl (which I essentially bought because of the name because I friggin love werewolves) is described as a deep golden black. Black is my color. So I was hype. Here's what it looks like in real life:

I just painted them so please ignore the mess- but you can see that that color is nowhere near deep golden black. It's like a dark brown with red and golden shimmer. Don't get me wrong, it's a great fall color. Is it one I would've bought had I known what it would look like? No.

Hugs is described as a violet black creme. This color is exactly that, although online it looks lighter and shimmery but it's not. Actually, I love the color. It's super dark and it's beautiful.

The last color is North Star, which is described as a deep purple shimmer. Truthfully, it's not deep purple at all. It's a rather light purple. And it is shimmery, and that shimmer only makes it look lighter. It's still a nice color, just not what I expected.

So overall, in reference to the colors, be cautious when buying them online. I know they're sold in stores, so maybe try to find them in your local area first.

How about the formula? I don't love it. I feel like they're hard to apply, and they're streaky. I always apply at least two coats anyway,and that does tend to fix the streakiness, but not always for all colors. But considering the price for these polishes, I've used cheaper ones that have worked better. Howl and Dreamsicle are both .17 oz which is teeny tiny, as you can see compared to the full size .5 oz.. Howl was $5, and Dreamsicle was $6.50. Hugs and North Star were both .5 oz and both $8. That's cheap for them though. They have colors that go up to $12+. Pretty pricey all things considered. 

Will I purchase polishes from Sparitual again? Not likely. Will I purchase their remover again? Absolutely, guaranteed. Maybe I got some bad batches, who knows. You win some and you lose some.

Have you guys had any experiences with Sparitual products? What are your thoughts?

So, in September I decided to sign up for Petit Vour. Petit Vour is another vegan and cruelty free subscription box, similar to VeganCuts. I wanted to compare and contrast the two. Plus, do you really ever need a reason to sign up for another beauty box?! The more the merrier I say! Here's the deets on Petit Vour:
 
1) They offer monthly subscription boxes for $15 a month (in comparison to VeganCuts which is $19.95 a month.)
2) They also offer a 3-6 month subscription plan if you don't want to do monthly.
3) They ship beauty boxes to Canada for $23 a month.
4) They focus on the more luxurious side of cruelty free vegan beauty. Their boxes typically contain 4-5 sample to full size products, but the total for the boxes usually ranges between $30-$40 and sometimes more depending on the month.
5) The offer a beauty profile that you fill out when you subscribe for the boxes. I don't know that they use it considering every box I have seen looks identical, but it's a nice gesture.
6) You earn points for everything; reviewing the products and purchasing products from their store. Those points can get redeemed at 1500 PV = $15 and 2500 PV= $25 and are used towards purchases in their shop!
7) Shipping is free over $50 or more! (U.S only)
 
When my box arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a bright pink! Not that pink is my favorite color (I'm a purple girl), but it was a nice touch and a pleasant change from the typical boring brown boxes you usually get. Here are the goodies I got inside my pretty pink box:

This cleanser is suitable for all skin types. It contains lots of awesome skin ingredients like apricot kernal, hemp, willowbark, B vitamins, and other goodies to clean the face without stripping it of it's natural oils. Please note, this is not designed as a makeup remover. Although it will remove light mineral and natural makeup, if you wear a full face, you'll want to remove your makeup first then use it. According to their website, their 4 oz. bottle can last for over a month used 2x a day, so with this 2 oz. bottle you should easily be able to get at least 15 days worth out of it. The regular 4 oz. bottle costs $31.99, so this 2 oz. bottle would be valued at $15.99, which already pays for the box.

I've been using this for about a week, in conjunction with my other face wash and also alone so I can get a good idea on how it works. I'm gonna be honest, I don't love it. It's not a foaming cleanser, which I prefer. Also, I feel like it doesn't get my face fully clean. Like, I need to have an already clean face to wash my face with this. The smell is a little strange. Also, I wish it was a makeup remover. Considering I wear a full face of makeup every day to work, this just isn't practical for me. However, it is super gentle. My face doesn't feel tight after I use it, so it definitely doesn't strip your face of it's natural oils, which is a claim that it makes and is true. And it hasn't caused any irritation on my skin. At this point, I'm just using it not to waste it, but it's not something I personally would buy. 
 
Next up is Elate Creme Lipstick in Lively.

The packaging is so beautiful for this lipstick. That's one of my favorite parts about it lol. This color is like a dark coppery brownish; it's nice for fall. It does seem to have a lot of shimmer in it. I'm super picky with colors I put on my lips, but I think I'm going to give this one a shot. It has mango and shea butter to keep your lips soft, and has lovely organic vanilla essential oil that gives it a pleasant scent. This is a full size lipstick, it's value is $17.
 
Next up is Mahalo Skincare Pele Mask.

Based off what I read, this stuff sounds pretty fantastic. I'm a sucker for face masks, I just love them. They're my ultimate pampering treat. This little guy may be small, but it sounds like it packs a punch! First, the scent is awesome. They describe it on their website as: "raw, earthy, scent of cacao and moist clay, sandalwood, woody, herbaceous." I would say that's spot on. It smells great. It looks like a pale brown powder, which when you add water to it, it becomes a frothy mousse that you apply to your face for 20-40 minutes to get the full benefits. This mask has it all: anti-aging properties (neem leaf), acne fighting properties (Holy Basil), bacteria absorbing properties (Volcanic Ash Clay and bamboo charcoal), oil balacing (Witch Hazel), and a few other excellent ingredients. This stuff sounds just fabulous, and I can't wait to try it. The full 1.7 oz jar is a whopping $64! So, I better enjoy this sample while I have it lol. I have no clue what size this sample is to be honest, it doesn't say and I'm not good at guestimating, but I have full faith you're getting your moneys worth with this.
 
Last but certainly not least is MSC Skin Care Grapefruit and Spearmint Organic Sugar Scrub.

I'm a fan of sugar scrubs, not salt scrubs. Salt scrubs burn the hell out of me, but sugar scrubs are always so gentle on my skin. I know the scent says grapefruit and spearmint, but the spearmint overpowers the grapefuit so all I smell is a slightly sweeter spearmint. But, that's okay because it's a pleasant smell. This scrub includes shea butter, so it's going to be super moisterizing on the skin. Now, the full 10.5 oz size of this retails for $33. This sample doesn't have a size, but I can say that it's pretty decently sized and it's jam packed to the top, so you're at least getting a full sample which is great.
 
Overall, I'm pretty happy with this box. You can absolutely see they value quality over quantity at PetitVour, and for $15 I can feel fancy using all these fancy products. I don't know if I could say VeganCuts or PetitVour is better; both I love receiving and both make me happy. Both take the guess work out of buying vegan and cruelty free. Both offer you awesome products for great deals. You get more products in VeganCuts, but quality isn't skimped on the fewer PetitVour products you get in the box. So it all balances out. It's all a matter of preference. I think you'd be happy with either, or like me, happy with both!
 
Be on the look out for upcoming posts where I review the rest of these goodies for you!

I know that DermaE is a fantastic brand. They have a variety of skin care for any concerns that you may have. This all natural product contains hyaluronic acid to plump skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I'll be fighting my mom off with this one lol. This full 2 oz. container retails for $29.50 and is available on dermae.com if you're interested!​

Next up are the Norabloom Organics Rose Flower Water pads. This pack contains 3 pre-moistened pads. This rose water is supposed to hydrate and calm skin and acne, but it is not recommended for cystic acne prone skin or super oily skin. So, I'll have to be careful with my oily skin. I'll probably try these on a day I'm lounging around with nowhere to go, just in case it turns me into an oil slick. The full size spray bottle is $30 and is available on norabloom.com if you wanna check it out. On their website they said you can actually use this as a room and/or linen spray too! So it's multipurposeful!

Last but certainly not least is the Chia Regular Hold Hair Spray by Aubrey Organics.