Fekkai VoxBox Review from Influenster

*Press Samples, Affiliate Links*

Hi everyone! Today I have a bit of a different review for you. I signed up with Influenster recently and received my first VoxBox to try. The Fekkai VoxBox contained samples of Fekkai's Salon Technician Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner as well as a nice sized sample of their Technician Color Care Luxe Color Masque.

I really liked that Influenster asked targeted questions about my hair, hair care routine, hair condition, etc in order to send a sample that fit my needs vs just a generic sample for everyone. Since I have color-treated hair, this was the perfect box for me. Here are all of the other options that were available:

Now I will start out by saying that I've only been coloring my hair for a year or so. I've always just been one to purchase cheap, drugstore shampoo with no issues. Once I started coloring my hair, I did make sure to buy sulfate-free shampoos, but they are still on the inexpensive side (and I really don't use them exclusively). I haven't noticed any ill-effects on my hair or color, so I've not yet been enticed to spend more money on products.

I used the Salon Technician Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner samples first. The first thing I noticed about these was that they have a lovely soft rose scent. I was sort of ugggh when I saw " creme rose-scented" because I automatically assumed it was going to smell old-ladyish, but instead I found it to be a nice clean scent that wasn't overpowering. The shampoo had a nice lather and left my hair feeling nice and clean. After washing out the conditioner my hair felt really lush and slick and I could tell it was an upgrade from my normal conditioner (it is infused with grapeseed oil, so that is likely why). My hair is very fine and straight and I don't typically have issues with dryness, so I haven't been seeking out a super moisturizing conditioner, but I can see that this one would likely benefit someone who was having dry hair issues. When I dried my hair, the scent left behind was nice and soft and my hair looked really smooth and silky without being weighed down. Overall I really thought these were nice products. My one complaint with them is the size of the samples because there was only enough in there for one wash, so I don't feel like I got a well rounded experience with it (I think maybe enough product for 5 days would have helped me more). These retail for $20 each for full-sized (8 oz) bottles.

The next day I tried the Technician Color Care Luxe Color Masque. This masque has grapeseed oil in it as well and is supposed to protect color-treated hair with deep conditioning effects when used weekly. I have never used a deep conditioning product before for fear that it would make my hair greasy, so this was a new experience for me. First note that this masque has the same creme rose scent as the shampoo and conditioner, and I already mentioned it was very nice. I decided since this was a nicely sized tub that I would do some extended testing of this product, and I've been using it once a week for about 2 months now. I figure, if you are testing a product that is supposed to help enhance hair color, then it is best to test it longer! Right after using it, my hair felt very soft and supple and had a lot of shine. I didn't feel greasy or heavy either and that is a big plus. I have not noticed significant fading of my color (I really can't tell if its any more or any less than usual to be honest, because it is pretty gradual). The winter has rolled in here along with the dry weather and indoor heating, so my hair is a bit drier and duller than normal this time of year and I feel like these treatments have helped that too. Also, and this may be completely random and unrelated, but I have gotten more compliments on my hair color in the past 2 months than ever, so maybe it IS making a difference I personally haven't notice in the appearance of my color. The full-sized (7 oz) tub retails for $25.

My overall opinion on these Fekkai products is that they are very nice and luxurious. If you are willing to spend the money for high-end shampoo/conditioner, then I think those are good choices but I personally don't see myself spending that much on shampoo and conditioner. The masque, however, will last a good while if used once weekly and I can definitely see myself re-purchasing that in the future. You can purchase these products at Fekkai.com and Amazon.com (and it looks like now you can even get a few dollars off retail price on Amazon).

Have you ever tried Fekkai products? Tell me your experiences! Thanks for looking everyone!

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*

Darling Diva Polish Malum

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Today I have a beautiful polish from Darling Diva Polish's Salem Collection to share with you. Malum is a deep mauvy brown linear holo with gold flake shimmer. Formula applied like a dream in 2 easy coats. This polish definitely looks brown, but it has some strong pinky undertones to it that make it unique and the flakes add subtle depth. And obviously, the holo flame is just awesome! Yet another winner in the brown polish department this season! There have been so many pretties! I figured since I have hit you over the head with browns this fall, that it was only fitting that I close out the season with a fabulous one! This was my actual Thanksgiving Day mani by the way. :)

Darling Diva Polish is available from creator Carrie's Big Cartel Shop. Darling Diva Polish is also available from Llarowe (US), Mei Mei's Signatures (Singapore), and Edgy Polish (Sweden). Follow Darling Diva Polish on Facebook and Instagram for updates on new collections and restock news.

Scofflaw Nail Varnish LE Holiday Duo and Small Swatch Spam

*Some items in this post were provided for review*

Hi everyone! Today I have a new limited edition Holiday Duo from Scofflaw Nail Varnish to share with you that will be released this Sunday (Nov 30) for a 2 hour pre-order window (12 noon-2 PM Central) along with a restock of the current line.

First up I will show you the Holiday Duo and then I have swatches of a few of the polishes that will be restocked on Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving Mani Featuring CrowsToes Her Goose Got Cooked

*Some items in this post were provided for review*

Hi everyone! Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who are celebrating today! I actually wore this earlier in the week (I haven't taken photos of my current mani yet) but it is the quintessential Thanksgiving glitter in my book! CrowsToes Her Goose Got Cooked is a glitterbomb full of gold, orange, and pink glitters. This is 1 dabbed coat over Reverie Nail Lacquer Bayberry (which I reviewed here...and is amazing!). This polish was from the 2012 CROWSmas Collection and is discontinued, but I can't help but pull it out every year to celebrate!

CrowsToes polishes are available at Llarowe (US), Overall Beauty (US), Atouts Charme (France),Maria Gastadeira (Brazil), Norway Nails (Norway), Femme Fatale Cosmetics (Australia), and Rainbow Connnection (UK). Be sure to follow CrowsToes on Facebook and Instagram as well as on creator Lauri's Blog for all updates and details about new collections. 

CrowsToes Winter Trio (Plus Repromotes!)

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have the beautiful new Winter Trio from CrowsToes to share with you. I'm so excited for some glitterbombs because CrowToes has them down to an art! Along with this trio, there are two returning favorites from her past Christmas collections that will be available again this year exclusively at Llarowe. All of these will be launching next week at Llarowe (exact dates and times TBA, please follow Llarowe on Facebook to get full details), and the trio will soon be available at other CrowsToes distributors.

Pahlish Over the Sea Duo for November

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Today I have Pahlish's gorgeous Over the Sea Duo for November. This is a gorgeous duo that is only going to be on sale for through the end of November, so be sure to grab it while you still can!

CYNA Fall-ing for Nail Art Challenge: Fall Leaves/Trees featuring Born Pretty Store Water Decals

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Today starts off another Challenge Your Nail Art challenge and it is all fall-themed. Today's prompt was Fall Leaves or Trees and I took the really simple route and used these super cute leaf decals that I bought from Born Pretty Store. I started off with a base of one of my fall favorites from a few years back, Zoya Yara from the fall 2011 Mirrors Collection. Yara has the perfect olivey green base with gorgeous flecks of gold shimmer. The decals I used from Born Pretty Store are called Special Maple Leaf (item DS-090). Then I applied the decals randomly around the nail. They were super easy to work with and there were a good variety of colors and shapes (and a LOT of decals) so you could definitely do multiple manis with this one set of decals. They were also very opaque, so they worked well over a darker color like Yara. I probably took the easy road for "nail art", but I really loved these!

Reverie Nail Lacquer Winter 2014 (Partial)

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have some polishes from a new to me indie brand that I have been admiring for some time. Reverie Nail Lacquer has been making some gorgeous polishes this year, and I was so excited to get to try some polishes from the brand new Winter Collection that is releasing on Black Friday (11/28).

HPB Presents: Fall Favorites

*Some items included were provided for review*

Hi everyone! This weekend, the Hobby Polish Bloggers are doing a link-up of our Fall Favorites. I could have gone many ways with this, but I decided to have a comprehensive look at some of my favorite fall nail polish releases from this year. I chose to do this because there are several that I have purchased myself and never highlighted on my blog, even though I have utilized them in a few manis. Hopefully this will give you guys a chance to pick up some of these fab releases before they disappear!

Pahlish The Moon is an Egg

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Today I have a gorgeous Pahlish to share with you that is a preview to their upcoming Doctor Who Collection. I'm very excited for this collection release since I had not yet discovered the wonder of Doctor Who when she released her first two part Doctor Who Collection last year (although I do have several of them anyway). After starting the series this summer, I am totally hooked! This first polish, The Moon is an Egg, was released for a limited time as a preview to the collection but will, of course, return when the collection officially launches (release date is still TBA).

Pahlish The Moon is an Egg is a cobalt blue linear holo with tons of copper flake shimmer. Formula was super nice and it was completely opaque in 2 coats. The copper flakes were very prominant and stunning in this polish (especially against the blue base). This polish was inspired by an episode from series 8 of Doctor Who called "Kill the Moon", which features the 12th Doctor (Peter Capaldi). I have not quite caught up to the current episodes yet because I'm still hanging on to his 11th incarnation and dragging out his last few episodes, but I'm planning on getting caught up during the lull of winter break for all of the fall shows. I still haven't gotten over David Tennant and I don't figure Matt Smith will be much easier. Oh how you play with my heart Doctor Who... #whovianproblems

Pahlish is available from Pahlish's Big Cartel Shop. Be sure to follow Pahlish on Facebook and on their blog for details about restocks (they are Fridays at 7 pm CST) and new polishes. Pahlish is also available from Llarowe, Rainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish. 

Pretty & Polished December Beauty Box

*Press Sample*

Hi everyone! Today I have the December Beauty Box from Pretty & Polished to share with you! They went all out with this box for Christmas, so I'm sure there will be something in there that everyone will love!

Pahlish Bespoke Batch Spam Part Deux

*Purchased By Me*

Hi everyone! Unlike my last Pahlish Bespoke Batch post, this one does not come bearing good news. All of the polishes that you will see here were only available for purchase once and are now discontinued, so LOOK AT YOUR OWN RISK! I'm not going to promise that lemmings will not be ignited by this post, because these are just stunning polishes.

Also, for your information, the lovely Ida from Ida Nails It has a complete list of all of the Bespoke Batches on her Pahlish Bespoke Batch Pinterest Board including when they were released. If you are lucky, you can sometime catch people selling them in destash sales.

Lucidity is a medium purple holo filled with golden and purple metallic flakes. Shown here at 3 thin coats. This one is all kinds of wonderful in real life.

Casino Oasis is a metallic taupe holo with bronze and gold flakes (I think there may even be some purple flakes in there). Shown here at 3 thin coats. This was an exclusive for CosmoProf 2014, but Shannon later released it to Pahlish fans during a one time pre-order event.

Say Something is a green apple colored linear holo with subtle blue flakes shimmer. Shown here at 3 thin coats. I swear, this polish is like a holo Granny Smith Apple. This is probably one of my favorite Bespokes so far!

I have many more Bespokes, and I will be sharing them with you guys all along (don't hate me!). Pahlish releases new Bespoke Batches every Friday night at 7 pm Central Time (they go FAST, so you have to be there on time), so if you want to get in on the Bespoke game, check them out! Shannon usually posts previews of them on Thursday evenings on the Pahlish Facebook page and Instagram. Just be warned...they are addicting!

Pahlish is available from Pahlish's Big Cartel Shop. Be sure to follow Pahlish on Facebook and on their blog for details about restocks (they are Fridays at 7 pm CST) and new polishes. Pahlish is also available from Llarowe, Rainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish. 

Do you have any Bespoke Batches? Which ones are your favorites? 

Also...side note...what do you guys think of the new blog header? I thought it was time for a change!

Thanks for looking everyone!

OPI Green on the Runway

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Today I have a pretty duochrome polish that I wore ages ago and haven't had a chance to post. OPI Green on the Runway is a duochrome polish that has a strong flash from green to reddish brown. It was part of OPI's Coca Cola Collection that was released later in the summer (I'm pretty sure it is the "Sprite" polish). Formula was nice and it was completely opaque in 3 thin coats (or two regular coats). Like a lot of duochromes, it did show mild brushstrokes, but they weren't too noticeable (and were completely ignored due to the gorgeous color shift!). Overall, a really special polish from OPI and I wish they would do more duochromes! These pics were taken after a bit of wear, so excuse the slight tipwear.

I usually purchase my OPI polishes from Ulta or Sally Beauty Supply. You can probably still find Green on the Runway hanging around from the summer in stores where OPI products are sold, but if not, it should be easy to find on Amazon.

Did you guys pick this one up? Any other favorites from the Coca Cola Collection? I really love Coca Cola Red as well. Thanks for looking everyone!

Zoya Wishes Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have the Zoya Wishes Collection to share with you. This set contains 6 new additions to the Zoya line including 1 creme, 1 shimmer, 1 metallic, and 3 new additions to the Magical PixieDust line.

Contrary Polish A Box, Indied Exclusives: Last Leaves and Be Merry

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have two gorgeous Contrary Polishes to share with you that are exclusives to A Box, Indied. One of these was in the November Box, and the other is in the upcoming December Box. Both of these are lovely Contrary Polish jellies with shimmer/glitter that creator Carrie does so well!

Smitten Polish Holiday 2014 Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have Smitten Polish's Holiday 2014 Collection to share with you! This collection consists of 4 microglitter jellies, 2 linear holos, and 1 flakie/shimmer jelly. Pre-order event for this collection will begin on November 15 at 2 pm Central Time (orders will be accepted for 24 hours).

Delush Polish Scream Supreme Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have a new to me indie brand that I have been admiring for awhile, Delush Polish. I was so excited to get the Scream Supreme Collection for review, which was Delush's Halloween release that is based on the show American Horror Story. I have never watched the show because I'm a little leery of scary things, but my friends bug me all the time about it and insist that I should just take the plunge and watch it anyway. Let's take a look at this fab collection of glittery jellies and if you are like me (clueless), you can get some rudimentary knowledge of AHS along the way courtesy of the handy dandy AHS Wiki so you will know the inspirations behind these gorgeous polishes.

Smitten Polish Peppermint Patty (Rainbow Connection Exclusive)

*Press Sample*

Hi everyone! Today I have a new Smitten Polish to share with you that is a store exclusive for Rainbow Connection in the UK, which offers a variety of international indie brands to all of you UK polish lovers with no worries about Royal Mail restrictions!

Smitten Polish Peppermint Patty is a lovely pale mint green jelly with silver holo microglitter. Formula on this is perfect and the glittery base builds up nicely to opacity in 3 thin coats. I think that Noelie has done some amazing work on this polish because I never thought a jelly this pale would have such great coverage! Also...it's mint...and mint is a weakness of mine... All around, it's just a fab polish!

 

Smitten Polish Peppermint Patty is currently available exclusively at Rainbow Connection. Other Smitten Polishes are available from their Big Cartel Shop as well as from these international stockists. Be sure to follow Smitten Polish on Facebook and Instagram for updates on restocks and new collections. Thanks for looking everyone!

Pretty & Polished Opal Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have the gorgeous Opal Collection from Pretty & Polished to share with you! This collection consists of four jellies with multicolored flakies that are all inspired by gorgeous opals! This collection is launching on Pretty & Polished's website on November 14th.

Darling Diva Polish Champagne Wishes and Holo Kisses LE

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Today I have a super stunning polish to share with you that is, unfortunately, discontinued. This was available for a limited time only from Darling Diva Polish around the time that the Salem Collection was released. I actually think it was only stocked at the Friday release and then small amount was restocked the next day so that international customers would have a chance to grab it. I'm sorry to induce lemmings, but this polish is too fabulous NOT to share, and has made its way into my top 20 of all time...

Darling Diva Polish Champagne Wishes and Holo Kisses (LE) is a soft gold holo with a strong gold metallic sheen and gold flake shimmer. After Hank was released, I remember I PMed Carrie and told her that Hank needed to have a gold cousin and she just laughed and told me not to worry, that she already had one cooking. I was SO excited when I finally saw this masterpiece (and even more so when I finally got to see it in person). This is definitely along the same lines has Hank, but it is way more opaque and meant to be worn on its own vs as a topper. The golden metallic sheen is just glorious, and even more so if you get this baby out in the sun (which I highly recommend doing). Formula was fantastic, and it is fully opaque in 3 thin coats. The golden color is very flattering and I think it would work on all skintones. And look at those metallic flakes...STUNNING! When I put this on, it occurred to me that it is everything I really wanted Enchanted Polish Austin Powers to be, because I found that one a little sheer for my liking.

Direct light:

Filtered light: 

So as I said...top 20 material! If you have a chance to nab this one in a blog sale or something, do itttt!! You will not regret it!

Darling Diva Polish is available from creator Carrie's Big Cartel Shop. Darling Diva Polish is also available from Llarowe (US), Mei Mei's Signatures (Singapore), and Edgy Polish (Sweden). Follow Darling Diva Polish on Facebook and Instagram for updates on new collections and restock news.