Glymm May 2012 Unboxing/First Impression

Thursday, May 17th, 2012
Makeup/Skincare Reviews

This month Glymm did an overhaul on their website. It went from pink and ribbons to black and gold. A much more grown up look for the brand. Their prices have increased from $10 to $12 for the new customers. I hope that means that we’ll be getting even better samples haha! This month Glymm decided to go green and gave us eco-friendly makeup bags instead of the usual box! Reminds me of the American MyGlam beauty subscription. I’m curious how the packaging and look will change for Glymm. Will they keep up with the new colour/look or is this just for May? I don’t think the makeup bags are permanent since they said “limited supply” and “limited edition”? I think that’s what it said on their facebook haha.

I was actually surprised to see how many items there were in this box! Yes the sizes weren’t spectacular but it seems like they’re really trying to get back on track to improving their boxes! I was seriously considering canceling after their feather extension box but I think I see improvements. Lots of people complain about how we never get the stuff they advertise on their facebook and when we get it they complain about the size. Like I’ve mentioned before, is it really Glymm’s fault for the size? I don’t know if they actually have a say in what sizes we receive from the supplier. We technically got 8 items this box, it could be seen as 6 since there’s two fragrance samples and the other two are recommended to be used together. Either way, more items than they promise ::heart2:: .



Just wanted to do a quick mention of how I really like the redesign for their products card! Appealing to the eyes haha! Plus they let you know how you should use it and around how many uses you should get out of the sample ::^^:: .

Calvin Klein // CK One Shock (For Her & For Him)

[[ For Her: "Edgy. Sexy. Impulsive." Shock yourself and everyone around you with this fierce bouquet of passionflower.
Top notes: passionflower, pink peony, poppy flower. Mid notes: liquid chocolate accord, blackberry, narcisse, jasmine. Base notes: vanillin, patchouli, ambers, skin musk.
For Him: "Turn down the lights. Amplify the sound. Act on impulse." Get addicted to this juicy scent. It's fresh and leaves a lasting impression.
Top notes: clemintine, purple lavender, cucumber. Mid notes: osmanthus, black pepper, cardamom, black basil. Base notes: chocolate, tobacco, ambreine, cashmeran musk, patchouli. ]]
Full size: 50ml/$45.00 || Received: 1.2ml/$1.08 x 2

I actually really like the scent of CK One and even bought it for family members. I’m curious as to what the CK One Shock smells like! I’ll be giving the men’s one to my brother to try out. I’ll probably spritz a bit on my wrist too to see what both of them sell like ::>_o:: .

Coola // Mineral Matte Cucumber Face Sunscreen

[[ Protect your face from UV rays with this hydrating, refreshing sunblock. Coola donates a portion of sales to cancer research. It's infused with certified organic ingredients like vitamins, antioxidants, Shea Butter, and Borage Seed oil. ]]
Full size: 50ml/$36.00 || Received: 5ml/$3.60

Glad I got some sunscreen to try for the summer! I don’t wear any usually unless my products already contained some. I know, such a beauty sin ::sweat:: .

NuMe // HydroPunch Hydrating Conditioner

[[ Turn dull and damaged hair into vibrant, healthy strands that you can't help but twirl all day long. A punch never sounded so appealing. This conditioner is packed with Argan oil, fatty acids, Vitamin E and powerful antioxidants. ]]
Full size: 250ml/$24.99 || Received: 20ml/$2.00

I’ve received a couple hair product samples from Glymm and Glossybox and none of them have really wow’ed me yet so here’s to hoping this one would! It’s weird because they all have these oils in there to make hair soft but I feel like all of them have dried my hair out instead.

Mèreadesso // Lip Treats (Sheer Burgundy)

[[ Delight your lips with moisture and a punch of desired color with this new and innovative Lip Treat. This exceptionally moisturizing and soothing lip balm not only tints your lips but can also be layered to give them more intense color. What's more? It doubles as a primer for gloss. It will enhance shine and keep your gloss in place longer. ]]
Full size: Package of 2/$28.00 || Received: 1 Lip Treat/$14.00

I don’t know why, but I always receive these dark berry colours haha ::sweat:: . I was looking through my beauty profile and I’m wondering if it’s from the “beauty style” we choose?? I really don’t want any more berry lip products since I never use them and end up just using them at home. I’ll see how it is, if I don’t really like it I’ll be giving it away to family members ::swirl:: .

Caudalie // Crushed Cabernet Scrub

[[ This natural, wine-inspired body scrub reveals softer and healthier skin. Along with its coarse granules it also contains the 6 draining and cellulite-fighting organic essential oils of the Contouring Concentrate - so boost your slimming regimen! ]]
Full size: 150g/$29.00 || Received: 60g/$11.60

Generous sample size! I love the packaging of it LOL so cute. I’m a fan of body scrubs so I’m really excited to try this one out! I know a lot of people like makeup samples instead of skincare but… I love it so whatever haha! I don’t have any visible cellulite so I won’t be able to review that aspect of it.

Caudalie // Vinosource SOS Thirst-Quenching Serum & Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet

[[ Serum: Give your skin a surge of hydration and restore moisture balance for softer more supple skin. this high potency serum captures and continually diffuses water deep within the skin to impart intense hydration.
Cream: Save your skin with this moisturizer. Your face will feel refreshed, hydrated, and comfortably soft. This gel-cream has immediate and long-lasting calming properties. It awakens the skin's hydration mechanisms and replenishes its water reserves. ]]
Full size: (serum) 30ml/$48.00 (cream) 40ml/$38.00 || Received: (serum) 1ml/$1.60 (cream) 1ml/$0.95

I gotta say, I’ve never really been disappointed in the sizes of the samples, but this one is really measly LOL! I’m shaking them and don’t feel anything. It says you can get 3 uses out of them, but I don’t see more than 1. I’ll just think of this as a bonus item instead haha… At least they gave us a good size for the scrub.

Approximate Value: $35.91

Overall, the variety in this box was good and I do see an improvement from February and March boxes. The approximate value is quite low for this box because of the size of the samples. I hope to see Glymm box keep improving! I’ve subscribed with Luxebox to see how it compares to Glymm and Glossybox and will be getting it probably within these two weeks!

Will give a review of the May samples later on. If you’re interested in subscribing with Glymm please consider using my link ::heart2:: !

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Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
Life

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry, white wine of Shaoxing wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 tablespoon sesame oil
lettuce leaves

  1. Combine the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, and sugar and salt in a bowl and stir well to dissolve the cornstarch.
  2. Place the ground beef in another bowl and separate it big clumps. Add about half the soy sauce mixture, and gently mix the seasonings into the ground beef, using your hands or a large spoon. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. To cook, heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the vegetable oil to coat the pan, and them toss in the ginger and the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, tossing once, until fragrant but not browned.
  4. Crumble in the seasoned ground beef, break it up and spread the meat out over the hot pan to help it cook evenly. Let it cook until it changes color on one side, 1 to 2 minutes.
  5. Toss the meat just enough to turn the uncooked side onto the hot pan, and let it cook another minute undisturbed. Then toss well, using your spatula to break up any large chunks. When the meat is cooked, add the red pepper flakes and green onion, and toss well, Add the sesame oil and remove from the heat, tossing once more to mix everything well.
  6. Transfer to a serving plate. Arrange lettuce cups on a serving platter, and fill each one with a spoonful or two of the cooked beef. Or provide lettuce cups and the serving plate of beef and invite guests to make up lettuce packets themselves.

- SOURCE

Wow I haven’t posted any recipes I’ve tried since December, huh? Well actually to be honest, I haven’t really done much cooking when winter term started ::nervous:: . Fear not, I’ve been trying some stuff out lately haha! I don’t post up recipes I dislike after trying so although I did have some others that I’ve tried and took pictures of, I won’t be posting it up. Sorry about the bad quality of the picture ::GAHH:: ! I just took the picture I put onto instagram because I never took pictures with my camera.

I was going to try out a recipe that uses hoisin sauce instead but, lo and behold, I ran out on the day of LOL. This recipe turned out good though so I’m glad! I used ground chicken instead of ground beef like the original poster. I wanted ground chicken to try out this one recipe and after that my mom kept buying these. I’m running out of ideas as to what I could make with it haha ::sweat:: .

It says to use some pepper flakes but I also skipped that because my brother can’t really handle hot stuff. Still tastes good without that so up to you if you like eating lettuce wraps spicy or not. I think it would be even tastier with chicken thigh fillets cut into small pieces instead -drools-.

I think this is a good easy recipe to do when you don’t feel like eating side dishes with rice. Or when you don’t feel like putting in too much effort and time into cooking a delicious tasting meal! Also a good one to eat with family or a group of friends because they get to ‘make’ their portion themselves and get them more involved? haha!

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Glymm April 2012 Products Review

Saturday, May 12th, 2012
Makeup/Skincare Reviews


Lucia // Soap No.1 and No.6
[[ These refined jewels are packed with pure botanical extracts and enriched with 100% certified organic Shea Butter. Not only will your skin feel silky-soft, it will also be thoroughly cleansed and smelling so seductive. Go ahead, drape yourself in luxury, you know you want to. Signature scents include: Goat Milk and Linseed and Wild Ginger and Fresh Fig -- Package of 8 soaps / $17.50 ]]


I mentioned how many people weren’t happy about this sample. Some people thought it wouldn’t last more than 2 washes because of the Shea Butter or something. I’ve used it a couple times now and still haven’t used up half of it (I broke it in half to use). I think it’s actually a decent size to try the product out. When I was rinsing it off after I got that feeling where you know all the oils were stripped off your body. That’s something I really dislike about bar soaps. I think some people feel like that’s the “clean” feeling but I feel like it is overboard. However, I was surprised to feel that with this soap, maybe 30 seconds after or so, my skin was really soft! I think with the shea butter and goat milk it is highly moisturizing. The smell it leaves on the skin is also delicious… I keep smelling my arm LOL ::nervous:: !!

Likes: the awesome scent, very moisturizing.
Dislikes: the initial feeling of natural oils stripped off your body.

5/5



Atelier Cologne // Orange Sanguine Fragrance
[[ Atelier Cologne is a niche perfume house based in Paris and New York. Each scent is intended to embody a "singular moment" of memory and experience. We present to you Orange Sanguine, "It was the kind of moment you would want to revisit. Everyone was here, gathered on the terrace for breakfast, and the scent of fresh oranges was diffusing in the yellow heat. A symphony of their laughter and waves hitting the cliffs played in the air." -- 30ml / $60.00 & 200ml / $165.00 ]]
I mentioned in the unboxing how I really love the scent. I had said that I thought the scent has a slight bitterness like the peel of the orange, but not in the bad sense. A really great scent for the summer time! If I didn’t have as many bottles of perfume as I have now I might seriously think about purchasing this. I do wish we got a bigger size for sample, but I’m glad I got to try this out though!

Likes: lovely scent if you don’t mind citrus scents.
Dislikes: none!

5/5



Free Your Mane // Sulfate Free Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner
[[ "I'm sorry, I can't make it, gotta wash my hair." You will totally use this line after trying this shampoo and conditioner. It gently cleanses hair and scalp while natural oils help rebuild your hair's delicate moisture balance. With an exclusive blend of Brilliant Baobab Oil from Africa, ultra-moisturizing Argan Oil from Morocco, anti-oxidant rich Pomegranate Seed Oil and Sweet Almond Oil will truly Free Your Mane. -- 300ml $16.00 ]]
“I’m sorry, I can’t make it, gotta wash my hair,” is not what I would say to my friends after I use this. I thought it’d be help give some moisture to my ends because it’s a bit dead. While washing it out of my hair I thought it was helping a bit but once it was dry, so was my hair. It felt a bit brittle after use and I was not happy. I had to use Kao Essential to help put some moisture back into my hair the next day.

Likes: none.
Dislikes: made my hair probably drier than when using drugstore brands.

1/5



Mai Couture // Social Gloss
[[ Treat your lips with luxury you simply can't live without. Not only will this gloss fill in unwanted lines and restore moisture but it will create full kissable lips. Your lips will be healthy and plump. This sheer formula will create a sumptuous and luminous sheen. The secret: A complex mix of plant extracts naturally enhances lip volume effortlessly without the allergen. Your lips will be the life of the party. -- 5ml / $28.00 ]]



I received French 125 and I’m glad because I would’ve picked this colour out of the ones available! The colour is actually quite nice and it’s something I won’t mind wearing daily. The problem I had with this gloss is the glitter. They’re quite chunky and when you press your lips together you can feel it. When it dries it leaves a layer of the glitter on your lips. It’s also not one I would recommend if you have dry lips. Might have to exfoliate the lips a bit since it brings out the flakies. Because of these things it made the gloss a very average one.

Likes: a very wearable colour, lasts long enough.
Dislikes: glitter is too chunky and leaves layer on lips, a bit too sticky for my liking, shows flakies.

3/5

If you’re interested in subscribing please consider using my link ::heart2:: !

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