Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant

Hello loves! Gosh, it's certainly been a while, hasn't it? Anyway, not so long ago I received the Target Dry Spray VoxBox in the mail from Influenster! Not only did they include an antiperspirant for me to try, they also included one for my husband to put to the test. Both bottles promise a non-irritant formula that provides 48 hours of antiperspirant protection. How did they fare? Let's start with the one for women...

The bottle is sleek and bright with a little indentation near the top, supposedly for a better grip during application. The scent I received was "cool essentials," which smells like a cucumber/honeydew hybrid. I enjoy the scent itself but found that when I used the product, it not only overpowered the room and lingered for hours, but also competed with any fragrance I was wearing. Not a big fan of that.

The product comes out easily in a fine, even mist, but takes a long time to dry on the underarm. I did notice a subtle white cast on my clothes as I went to bed that evening. As for its staying power, well. Let's just say I sweat a lot, so there isn't a product out there that would keep me dry for 48 hours. My regular antiperspirant is a Dove brand stick and I would say that this performs on par with that.

I will be sticking with my regular antiperspirant. The overpowering scent, drying time, and complexity of use are too much of a turn off for me to continue to use this product.

My husband received a charcoal bottle that is decidedly more masculine. It is shorter and doesn't have the same curves as mine. He received the scent "extra fresh," which is pleasant and fresh indeed. This one also mists out finely and easily. The scent is also extremely overpowering.

Husband man's normal fare is Old Spice stick antiperspirant. It smells great and it works for him. This Dove spray, however, does not compare at all. By the end of the day he was stinky! Not fun for him, even less fun for me.

Also of note, both of these products contain aluminum chlorohydrate. If you have an allergy or some other aversion to this ingredient, avoid these!

All in all, these were not winners for us. Sorry, Dove! I still love your stick antiperspirant!

Love,

Allanah

*These products were received complimentary for test and/or review

Back in the saddle!

Hey guys!

It's been a interesting few months, to say the least. Lots of soul searching! I'll spare you the details, I just wanted you all to know that I'm rejuvenated and ready to go! You can look forward to an empties post and a long overdue book review coming very soon!

xo

Unboxed: Target Beauty Box - For Her!

Hello loves! Target is back with more beauty boxes! I bought two: the naturals and for her. While I am still waiting on the former to arrive at my doorstep, I have for her to show you! Target beauty boxes are not a subscription, they are a one-off purchase from the website - when they have them in stock. They sell out very quickly so keep an eye on your social media to grab one of your own! Anyway, the for her box was $10 with free shipping (which is $3 more than the last one). It came with eight items, most of which were full size! A seriously amazing deal.

The first thing in the box is a 0.03 oz Pixi Beauty Endless Silky Eye Pen in BlackNoir, which my little card says is a Target exclusive. I loooooove this! It is so creamy and pigmented and it just gliiiides right on! Once it sets, it stays put! I think this might be my new favourite pencil liner ever and I want to try all the different shades now! A full size of this is 0.04 oz, so this sample is a great size! These cost $12.99 on the Pixi website, but $9.99 at Target. A bargain for such a fabulous product!

Next up is a full size Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer in Carnelian, a deep wine/berry colour. The packaging is very cute with a big gem on the end of the cap! The applicator is a nice soft brush that is quite pleasant to use! The product itself is quite lovely. It's very pigmented, not too sticky, and has a nice glossy finish. It's not too sticky and wears very nicely! It doesn't really have a scent but if I had to describe it, I'd say it smells slightly sweet. What I'm not sure of, exactly, is what makes this product Ultra HD, but it is a nice product in and of itself. The shade I got is nice but very intense and I'm not sure I'm brave enough to wear it! We'll see! These cost $7.99 at Target! Again, a great deal!

Third on the card is a full size bottle (3.2 fl oz, you can still take it on planes!) of Clairol Hair Food Thickening Hair Treatment, another Target exclusive! This gel-like product is infused with kiwi fragrance. It has a really cool nozzle with an inhibitor cap to stop it from spraying when you don't want it to. I tried this and it is quite nice. It has something in it to give your scalp that warm tingly feeling, which really makes it feel stimulating and effective. I can't speak to the effectiveness of this yet, as I have only used it once at the time of writing this, but I like it so far! The value of this guy is $11.99!

Next up is a full size (0.25 fl oz) tube of L'Oréal Butterfly Intenza Mascara in Black. This is very sleek packaging! I like that they display the brush in the packaging so you can see if it's a type you prefer. Speaking of the brush, isn't it strange? It's a rubber one and it has, well, wings on it. The mascara itself smells very much like honey to me. This costs $7.99 both on the L'Oréal website and at Target!

Fifth is a full size (0.19 oz) CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Kit in Blushing Nudes. It's a quad with four nice shades and your usual double ended sponge applicator. While I like the colours in this quad, I am not super impressed by the formula. I'll play around with these, maybe try them wet and over primer to see if I like them any better, but I definitely have better shadows! This will cost you $5.29 on the CoverGirl website and.... well I'm not actually sure about Target because it's only sold in stores!

Number six on the card is a full size (0.12 oz) ChapStick Total Hydration 3in1 Lip Care in Sweet Peach; yet another Target exclusive. I enjoy the packaging on this! The product itself is lovely. The peach scent is pleasant and not too overwhelming and I do find the formula quite moisturising! My lips are dry all year, but get so dry in the winter that they crack and bleed. Hopefully this can make the grade! A tube of this is a very affordable $2.99!

Second to last is a 0.6 fl oz tub of Laneige Water Sleeping Mask with Sleepscent. Yep, you guessed it, another Target exclusive. This is a gel mask you're meant to put on before you sleep and rinse off in the morning. This is definitely a generous size to try out. I have, in fact, tried it, and I loved it. My face felt baby soft the next morning! It smells very pleasant. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it smells like the spa. A full jar of this is 2.7 fl oz and costs $23 at Target. You only use it once or twice a week, so that will last forever. I will definitely be purchasing this!

And finally we have a 0.1 fl oz foil packet of Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum. Whew! I haven't tried this yet, but I've recently introduced serums into my skin care routine and am looking for my first holy grail product, so I am quite excited to try it! A 1 fl oz bottle of this costs $29.99 on both the Boots US and Target websites.

Well guys, that's it for this box! I absolutely loved it; how could you not? The $10 you pay versus the $50 value of the box (so says the Target website) is just fantastic and a no brainer. I wish they would make this a monthly subscription! Having to stalk the website looking for new ones before they sell out is stressful!

xo

Unboxed: November Birchbox!

Hey loves! I hope everyone who lives in the States had a happy Thanksgiving! Sorry I've been posting a little irregularly lately, it's been a weird and busy week with the holiday! Anyway, November might be over but I'm still going to show you my November Birchbox! If you don't know what Birchbox is, it's a monthly beauty subscription that costs $10/month. In it you get five sample size products from various brands to try out and see if you love.

November's theme was (aptly) giving. Birchbox paired up with Red and gave $1 to the fight against AIDS when you shared the AIDS facts on your mailer on social media with the hashtag #shaRED. Very cool! Let's see what's inside!

First there was a cute little holiday catalog in case you're looking for the perfect gift for someone special!

The first thing on the card is a 0.34 fl oz pot of Eslor Firming Collagen Day Cream. Considering the full size is 1.7 fl oz and costs $85, this is not a bad sample at all! The packaging is very substantial and feels expensive and the cream itself is quite nice: soft and not too greasy! I'm not a huge fan of the scent but it's not super offensive. This cream is supposed to restore your skin's elasticity and prevent future wrinkles. I can't speak to that but it is quite nice as a moisturizer. I only wish it had SPF!

The next two samples are 15 mL samples of Harvey Prince's Hello Shampoo and Conditioner. They smell pretty good, although I have been a fan of Hello for quite a while now. I like getting these for travelling and these are a decent size to try out, but I wish Birchbox would include these both as one sample. I feel like it's a waste of two, and shampoo and conditioner come pretty regularly in my boxes. Anyway, full sized bottles of these cost $22!

Next up is a 0.8 fl oz bottle of Klorane Floral Makeup Remover Water. This has soothing cornflower in it and I read that this stuff has the same pH of tears, so it should be extremely gentle and not irritating at all. My Liz Earle cleanser does a great job of taking off my makeup but I look forward to putting this to the test when travel for sure! A full size of this is 13.5 fl oz and costs $23.

Last in the box was a little tiny sample (0.02 oz) of theBalm Cindy-Lou Manizer. This is a shadow, shimmer, and highlighter all in one. The packaging is adorable and thankfully has a magnetic closure. The product itself is great, nice and glowy without emphasizing your pores. This would be great as all three suggested uses! You could even mix some in with your foundation or moisturizer for an extra little glow. A full size of this is 0.3 g and costs $24.

Now, here is my problem with receiving this in a Birchbox. I didn't take a photo, but on the back of the packaging it says "free sample." Why would or should I pay to receive a sample I could receive just by asking at a store? Maybe it's a convenience charge.

So that's my Birchbox for November! Despite getting a shampoo and conditioner and a free sample, I actually really liked this box a lot! I'm really looking forward to December's box; I'm excited to see what the beauty boxes bring to the table for the holidays! If you'd like to receive Birchboxes of your own, you can subscribe here!

Hope you all have a lovely Monday!

xo

The Best Dollar You'll Spend This Year

Alright guys, I know I'm way late to the party on these. Way late. I don't care, these are so awesome I have to talk about them. If you live near a Walgreens, drop everything and go now! Tucked away is a hidden treasure: Twinkle Twinkle 5 color eyeshadow palettes from Profusion for one dollar each. One dollar!

I know, I know, the price is impressive, but if they suck, it's still a dollar wasted. Guess what? They're awesome! There are four to choose from but I only picked up three, as the fourth one had colours I would never wear. The amount of product is really quite impressive. They all come with a double ended sponge applicator. Behind where that brush sits is a long skinny mirror. It's a little awkward but better than nothing! Anyway, let's talk about them!

None of these palettes have names, nor do the shades. They are numbered, though! The first, 01, is a lovely collection of smoky purples. Since the shades don't have names, I'll just talk about them from left to right. The first shade is a really pretty shimmery ivory. It's pearlescent and somewhat sheer, but does build up if you want it to. The second shade is a gorgeous steely lilac that has a pink duochrome finish to it. This shade alone is worth the dollar you'd pay for the whole palette! Third in is a deep shimmery plum. Fourth is a really beautiful shimmery indigo/blurple, and fifth is a wonderful shimmery black. All of these are super soft, really nicely pigmented, and blend really well!

Up next is 02, which is a collection of shimmery nudes. Again, we'll go left to right. First is a really pretty cream highlighter shade, which is quite next. Second is a beige champagne colour, which is really really sheer and doesn't build very well. Kind of disappointing but it could make a nice base. Third is a warm light brown, which is extremely powdery and crumbly. The shade and pigmentation are nice, though. Fourth is a medium brown, and fifth is a really pretty maroon/burgundy colour. This is also really powdery and not so well behaved, but the shade is so pretty it's worth the work! These shadows are all very soft and all nice and pigmented, aside from shade number two. You might have a million and one nude shades, but this palette is definitely worth your dollar!

Last up is 03, a collection of shimmery earthy tones. Shade one is a really pretty rose gold colour. Shade two is a deep olive green that almost looks brown! Shade three is a bright green with a beautiful golden micro glitter. Shade four is a hunter green, and shade five is a shimmery black! As usual, these are all very soft, nicely pigmented, and blend well!

So these are all really awesome! The colours and finishes are beautiful. Some of the shimmers are so shimmery that they're almost metallic! While these are great on their own, they do even better over primer! I have to say that 01 and 03 are my favourites. If you're looking for beauty on a budget for yourself or for a great stocking stuffer, you can't go wrong with these!

Which Twinkle Twinkle palette is your favourite?

xo

Unboxed: November ipsy!

Hey loves! It's ipsy time! ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription that costs $10/month. In it you get at least five products. Some are samples, some are deluxe samples, and some are full size! November's theme is Girl Meets Glitter and I found this month quite interesting, so let's dig in!

Let's start with the bag. I freaking love it, but I am quite the sparkly girl! It's just a wall of silver glitter with a pop of pink in the zipper! The glitter on the bag is covered by a glossy layer, so it is not rough and will not fall off and get everywhere. If you look inside at the label, you'll see that the bag is a collaboration with Forever 21 Cosmetics. I will definitely use this and it is going to be amazing for the holidays.

The first thing I saw in my bag was a Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer from it Cosmetics in the shade Neutral Medium. Whew! Supposedly this is your eight hours of a sleep in a bottle. This is a travel size (0.11 fl oz) but a little goes a long long way. This is really thick and creamy, and the coverage is so full that even a small dollop is enough to cover under both my eyes! I don't have a lot of under eye issues but this does do a great job of evening out my skin tone! A full size of this, which is just over twice the size of the travel size at 0.28 fl oz, costs $24 and will probably last you until the day you die. Love this!

Next in the bag was an eyeshadow base in Submissive from Be a Bombshell. This is a full sized product. The base is a creamy and shimmery bronze that isn't too sticky and blends out nicely. I also have to give props for the packaging. The pot is made of glass, which makes the product feel substantial and luxurious. This lovely product costs $14!

Third is a travel sized (53 mL) can of Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Shine Hairspray. This is for all hair types. If you know me, you know I never really do my hair and never really use hairspray, so I can't really comment much on this. I do appreciate that this has argan oil in it, though! It smells nice and fruity too! A full size (300 mL) of this costs $8-9.

Next up is a sample size tube of SeaRx Micro-Dermabrasion Face & Body Scrub. I'm really excited to receive this! A few Birchboxes back, I received their daily moisturizer and I loved it so much that I made it my actual daily moisturizer! Anyway, this has that same lovely lemony scent and the crystals are definitely teeny tiny. I'm looking forward to using this when my face and neck need a good scrub! A full size jar of this costs $32!

The last thing in my bag was a little sample tube of a Starlooks Lip Gloss in Guilty Pleasure. This is that nice browned out rose pink that is so popular right now. It has a nice doe foot applicator and smells like vanilla frosting! The gloss itself is nicely pigmented and not too sticky, and leaves a nice glossy finish! A full size tube of this costs $13!

So that wraps up my ipsy bag this month! I like the products I received this month a lot! The only thing I'm not super excited about is the hairspray, but that's quite alright! One day I'm going to decide that a southern beehive updo is for me and will need all the help I can get.

If you'd like an ipsy subscription of your own, you can subscribe here!

What was your favourite thing in my bag? If you get ipsy, what was your favourite thing in yours?

xo