Month: September 2012

Loose Buttons Fall Edition Box

Posted on by Cindy

You might have been wondering why I haven’t posted a Loose Buttons Unboxing in a little while well they recently changed the way they did their boxes. So instead of it being monthly its now quarterly. So basically you can expect a Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer box. Within that box you can expect to recieve 7-8 travel sized beauty and life style items each season.

The price for each seasonal membership plan is as follows:

The annual plan, you will pay $96 every 12 months, which equals to $24 per season and a total of 4 Luxe Boxes per plan cycle.

The semi-annual plan, you will pay $50 every 6 months, which equals to $25 per season and a total of 2 Luxe Boxes per plan cycle.

The pay-as-you-go plan, you will pay $26 per season and a total of 1 Luxe Box per plan cycle.

I am on the pay as you go just because if I ever feel the need to cancel I can.

I have to apologize for this post because it will be jammed packed with photos.

Since its now a seasonal box they have changed the packaging. The fall box came in a rectangular ivory colored box that is brown inside. On the outside they used a gold button and inside they used gold lettering for LUXEBOX. I thought this was an elegant touch.

The theme of the ivory and gold carry on into the envelope that holds the product card.

The same applies to the sticker although I am disappointed since I got a R stamp. Everyone’s stamp was personalized with the intial as you can see mine isn’t. Hopefully this is a one time occurance.

Its too bad that the product card isn’t like the rest of the packaging. If you have gotten Luxe box you will have noticed that they changed the card. You have to go online to the site to find out more about the products and how to use them. Although when I went to the product descriptions in my account they aren’t even the products I got.

When you open the lid you see this and I thought this was an elegant touch. It just wraps up the whole luxury theme of the box and I like how this cloth can be reused for something else again.

This is all the products inside the box. Looks like there is some goodies inside.

This is an exclusive and full size product. Its a exfoliating pad which is always nice to have since I didn’t have one and needed to get a new one. I love the brown packaging with gold button. Very nice.

Sorry this is upside down but I wanted to show how nice the packaging was.

I don’t think I have tried any Calvin Klein products before so this was something new and something I would love to try. Its from Calvin Klein’s Beauty line. I loved the perfume spray, the scent is very light  and floral. Plus the bottle is the kind I like with the pump spray and wish more samples would come like that. I got a 1.2ml sample of this.

I love the lotion. Its got a light scent and it went on smoothly and left my skin soft and not greasy. Plus its a perfect size to throw into a purse or bag. I got 30ml

This is a new to me product. Its the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner. I have been looking for a eyeline and was excited that I got this one.

As you can see it goes on nicely and it was like using a thin paint brush. Its easy to use and control and you don’t have to worry about a huge mess. It dries quickly and its smudge proof as you can probably see from the mark I made on the back of my hand. This is labelled as a full size product and its exclusive to Luxebox.

Since getting the beauty boxes I am loving the discovery of new products within a line and I am falling for the Benefits products. This is the Stay Don’t Stray.

Its a stay put primer for concealers and eye shadows. I have used it on both and I noticed that they stayed put and didn’t fade away as the day went on. This is a perfect sample to try before you buy and I think I would buy the full size when I run out of this.

I didn’t get the China Glaze nail polish, which is a little bit of a bummer but in its place I got the Sally Hansen Salon Effects polish strips which has been something I have wanted to try but didn’t want to buy them. I am curious to see what they are like.

This is Kerastase Elixir K Ulitmate. I have seen these around and I don’t think I have ever tried it.  I will have to check this out on how to use it. If anyone has used this before please leave me a comment so I know what to do and not to do with it.

The last two products are brands I have gotten before The first one is a Thermo Active firming serum amd the second is Absolute Skin Recovery Cream.

So I have to say I am pretty impressed with the fall box and I am signed up for the winter box. I am excited to try out these products and its nice getting sample sizes so you have an idea of what the product is like before you buy.

Did you get a Loose Buttons box? What did you think of it?

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(BBAW) Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012

Posted on by Cindy

  I was pretty much a newbie blogger when I first heard about BBAW (Book Blogger Appreciation Week) in 2009, I didn’t really do much that year with BBAW but I made it a point to take part the following year.

I was lucky enough to meet Amy, who is the host and the person who came up with this, at my very first BEA (Book Expo America) in 2010. She was a super sweet person.

For some reason I didn’t take part last year and I’m not quite sure why but thankfully I happened to stumble upon this on Sheila from Book Journey’s blog another blogger I got to meet finally at BEA 2012.

If you are interested you can still register to take part all you have to do is click here to go to the registration form . Please note that its taking place Monday Sept 10th to Friday Sept 14th. I’m not sure when the registration will close so be sure to hurry over if you are taking part.

I missed out on the interview swaps but thats okay. Perhaps if you are reading this you could post any questions you have for me below and I will answer those instead.

Be sure to check back all next week when I will answer the daily blogging topics.

Please let me know if you are taking part in BBAW

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Glossybox August Edition

Posted on by Cindy

If your new to my blog you might be wondering what Glossy Box is, well its a montly beauty subscription service available to Canadians and Americans. The American beauty box subscription service is very similiar to the Canadian box (which is the one I get monthly).
Each month you can expect to receive 5 luxury travel-sized beauty products sometimes more. This is a little bit more then the regualar boxes $15 Canadian and $21 USA.

I have to say that this is by far one of my favorite beauty boxes out there. I have yet to be disappointed in this box. I always feel like I walk away with money well spent and with products I am dying to try. So with that being said please note that this subscription service is paid for by myself and I am in no way affiliate with them. This is my honest and sincere opinion.

The only down side, which isn’t anything major in my opinion, is that they moved the shipping dates so they now ship out at the end of the month so usually this is the first box I get in the following month. I know alot of people think that this is the September box and that they miss out on the previous month but that isn’t the case.

I am always excited when the mailman rings the bell to deliver this because like I said above Glossy Box is yet to disappoint and it feels like Christmas morning because the boxes are always heavy.

I love that no matter what they have stayed the same. The same box (which is perfect to reuse for gifts, storing stuff etc) and I hope they stick with this because I love the box.
Another thing I love is that they are still sending out product cards. I hope they don’t switch to doing it online because in all honesty I hate having to go online to find the info because I usually don’t have the computer on in the afternoon so having to wait to see what the products are is a pain. This month we got a note wishing us a happy belated 6 month anniversary (wow I have been with Glossy since it started-green card), there was another card for Befine talking about their products and we get 20% an introductory order) and the final card is the product info card.
Something I have been wanting to try is these Biore Make Up Removing Towelettes. I have been meaning to pick these up but just never did so being able to try them is amazing. These are perfect to drop in your make up bag.

This is a full size product, 10 wipes are $3.99 and they also come in 30 wipes for $9.99 or 60 wipes for $14.99

This is a new to me product and I am excited to try them out. Its the Befine Fine Food Skin Care. I got samples of:
Night Cream with Cocoa Millet & Rice Bran/ Warming Clay mask with Cardamom, Arnica and pomegranate/ Pore REfining Treatment Scrub with Coconut, Jojoba and Citrus/ Exfoliting Cleanser with brown sugar, sweet almond and oats/ Gentle Cleanser with Sugar, mint, oats and rice

The full size: 50 -150ml for $24-$30

This is the Elastoplast SOS Blister. This was a bonus item and I think this would have been perfect for the box in May or June with the summer season beginning but just the same I will be putting this away until next summer.

The full size: 5 bandaids for $5.99

This is another bonus item. Its from Trend Truck and it was a mystery giftcard. I have never heard of this marketplace but it allows you to buy, trade, sell or donate you new or preloved fashions. My card is only $5 so not sure if I will actually use it or not.
 
I have to say that I love this lipstick. The color is perfect for me. This lipstick is exclusive to Glossy Box and its members and its made by Kryolan.The shade is called Glossy Pink. I think knowing that its exclusive to us makes it all the more special. I was using it almost every day and then stopped because I don’t want it to end.
Another product that I absolutely love is this Ahava Mineral Body Lotion. I love the scent and the feel of it. I am always using it constantly and have gotten it in previous boxes but I don’t mind because now I have a back up.

I don’t remember the price of this but it was an anniversary gift from Glossy Box.

This is what I love about Glossy Box, they always send you something you never heard of before and for me its this product. Its the Layla Smalto “BIJOU” nail polish. The card said it was “inspired by the bold and Italian woman, this collection of nail polish is for those who love to have fun and be daring with color.”

Sadly I don’t think that statement applies to this shade because as you can see its a nude/ pale pinkish. Its in the shade of Layla. I guess I would have loved to have one of those daring shades since I love color.

This is a full size product  and for this its 4.5ml for $11.99

Another brand I love is Sebastian. Glossy Box has been sending out quite a bit of things from this line and I love it. This is the Potion 9 Lite Treatment Styler. Its got a great scent and perfect to throw in your make up bag.

I love this size for that reason when your traveling you can just pop it in and not worry about a huge can.

The full size is 150ml for $20.95

 

As always I loved my Glossy Box for August and I am excited to try the products I haven’t tried yet and I love the ones I have tried.

This box definetly paid for itself and I am so happy that this has been one box that I am always happy with and excited to get.

Do you get Glossy Box? If so, is it a Canadian or American box?

Did we get the same things or different.

 
copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Spending the day with a local blogger

Posted on by Cindy

Today I was lucky enough to get to spend the morning with an awesome Montreal blogger, Lucy from Moonlight Gleam . Even though Lucy lives about 20 minutes from me it seems like we never get together nearly enough because we are always busy so I was happy when we were able to nail down a date to meet up.

The last few times we have met up for breakfast we have gone to Moe’s which is a fantastic place because it always seems to be quiet and they are never in a rush for us to leave. I wish I would have taken pictures to show you guys the food (next time) but I went with a waffle, with fruit (strawberries, kiwi, banana and these blue small beads -not sure what they were) and an english sause and it was so good. 

It was so nice to sit and talk with Lucy because so much has happened since we last seen each other in July. It was great to catch up personally, we talked about books, blog content, politics (since we had a provinical election this week), the book signing we are going to next week and the problems we have encountered but happy to say its been resolved and finally a little bit about BEA.

We are talking about sharing a room for BEA in May. I am already in my planning stages and have started to put money on the side to go.

After breakfast we went to Chapters and browsed around the store. I have to admit I caved and bought a book but it was okay because Lucy gave me permission to (HEHE). I bought

The reason I bought this is because Rosemary Clement-Moore is coming to town next Saturday for a signing and I would love for her to sign it for me. I actually love the cover of this and didn’t realize she had this new book coming out.

After chapters we ended up going to Second Cup for coffee I ended up grabbing two drinks one was a pumpkin spice latte (although the one I had last week was much better) and as I was waiting to pay I noticed that they had a spiced apple cider so I ordered that to drink later. It was so decilious and I think this could possibly be my favorite fall drink. Thnkfully its not super close to wear I live and out of the way so I think I will enjoy it that much more.

While we were at Second Cup, Lucy told me that her post for the Simon  & Schuster Canada Blogger Spotlight was up and I was so happy for her. If you want to check it out click on this and it will take you to it. She is an awesome blogger.

Then after that we quickly ran back to Chapters because I wanted to check to see if they had this magazine RT Book Reviews because when I was in the US (July and August) I was able to pick up Sept and October issues and really enjoyed reading them but sadly they didn’t so we popped over to a magazine store and Lucy was so excited because they had books on sale so she was looking at them while I was looking for the magazine which they didn’t carry.

Before you know it, it was time to leave but before we did I got an amazing package from Lucy. She gave me the following books:

Birthmarked by Caragh M O’Brien
Glitch by Heather Anastasiu
Between by Jessica Warman
Broken by Kelley Armstrong
Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Thank you Lucy for the books. Not only did she give me books but she gave me some awesome goodies. I was like a kid in the candy store when I got home to open everything up.

This is a little goodie bag she gave me from her trip to Disney. It contains a pen, soap, shampoo, shower gel and body lotion. I love how its all labelled Disney. Thanks so much Lucy love this and it was so sweet of you to give them to me.

Inside that bag there was also the above goodies. So many great things I am looking forward to trying such as the concealer and the lipglosses as well as the lotions.

It was an awesome day hanging out and I look forward to doing it again so. The next time I will see Lucy will be on the 15th of this month for the author signing.

You know I will be writing about that.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(Review)Surviving Hig School

Posted on by Cindy

Title: Surviving High School
Author: M. Doty
Pub Date: September 4, 2012
Publisher: Poppy (a division of Little Brown)
Pages: 272

Source: I received a copy of this when I attended BEA 2012 from the publisher.

What’s the secret to surviving high school?

Freshman Emily Kessler needs perfect grades, a rigorous training schedule, and record-breaking swim times. She survives by limiting her fun to lunch with her best friend Kimi and the rare Friday-night sleepover. But when she starts to fall for Twin Branches High’s heartthrob, and secrets about her sister, Sara, start to surface, Emily begins to question the strict path her life is on. Maybe there is more to high school than just studying and swimming. But if she breaks a few rules, will she survive the consequences?

The hit mobile game Surviving High School comes to life in an original novel about perfection, failure, and following your dreams.

Photobucket

When I was making my list of books I would love to get at BEA this was one of them and I was so happy that I was able to pick this up. It sounded really good. Well I read this in almost one sitting and it was good. There was so much happening that it sucked you and made you want to read it to find out what was happening.

The book is based on the mobile game Surviving High School. Which I have never played or heard of until I came across the book. I am currently looking for that app as we speak.

Emily is just beginning high school and she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Not only is she trying to get through school with perfect grades but she is also having to train rigorously to live up to the expectations of an Olympic dream. One that her dead sister, Sara was trying to achieve.

You can almost see that this really isn’t Emily’s dream but that of her coach/dad. Emily is trying to fit in and be a normal teen and to perhaps do all the things that Sara wasn’t able to do or did she?

Emily tries to be a normal teen dispute the rigorous training schedule and that includes having lunch daily with her best friend, Kimi and having the montly sleep over. Its when she spots and falls for the cute boy, Ben that things begin to change for Emily. Emily begins to find out secrets about Sara that she never knew and this sets in motion an almost new Emily.

Emily begins to question things and before long she is sneaking out with Ben, breaking the rules and having fun like a normal teenager.

As you know sooner or later you will get caught and that is exactly what happens. Will this be a good thing or a bad thing for Emily?

I really enjoyed the book and it brought back so many memories of high school for me. Its hard to fit in as a new comer but probably more so when everyone knows your sister. That sometimes could be a good thing or a bad thing.

I have to admit that I really liked Ben. I thought he was perfect for Emily because he made her see that there was more to life and she could be who she wanted to be.

I was pleasantly surprised by Nick and wasn’t sure about him at the beginning because I thought he was pretty shady but as the story progressed I really liked him and being able to find out what really happened to Sara was nice because it was no longer a mystery about why and how she died.

I am curious to read future books by M. Doty should he choose to write more and I did find out that there is a sequel that will come out later in 2013. So excited for that.

He also has another book available but its only on Kindle and its called Almost Kings along with a dvd movie of the book as well.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(Q & A) With Author Kristine Grayson

Posted on by Cindy

Two of my favorite things about book blogging is:

  1. Discovering new books
  2. Discovering new authors and being able to interview them (well I guess that wold count as three right?)

When I first heard about Kristine Grayson’s book Wickedly Charming, I knew I wanted to read it:

He’s given up on happily-ever-after…

Cinderella’s Prince Charming is divorced and at a dead end. The new owner of a bookstore, Charming has given up on women, royalty, and anything that smacks of a future.

That is, until he meets up with Mellie…

But she may be the key to happily-right-now…

Mellie is sick and tired of stepmothers being misunderstood. Vampires have redeemed their reputation, why shouldn’t stepmothers do the same? Then she runs into the handsomest, most charming man she’s ever met and discovers she’s going about her mission all wrong…

It’s only natural that sparks fly and magic ensues when these two fairy tale refugees put their heads-and vulnerable hearts-together…

I read it and loved it and was so happy because I found more books to love. Since then I have been quick to jump at requests when I see Kristine’s books on the list and as of today I have read: Wickedly Charming, Utterly Charming, Throughly Kissed and Charming Blue (watch for my review this week).

If you enjoy a modern spin on fairy tales I highly recommend these books. You won’t be disappointed.

When I found out from Sourcebooks that Kristine was going on a virtual book tour I had to have her on my blog again. I loved interviewing her the first time and this time around  had a whole bunch of other questions to ask Kristine. I hope you enjoy it and please help me welcome Kristine to Cindy’s Love of Books once again.

Cindy: Hi Kristine,
I am such a huge fan of your books and so happy that Sourcebooks introduced me to them.
Thanks for taking the time out to answer some of my questions. I look forward to having you on the blog again.

Kristine: Thanks for asking me again!

Cindy:Having written a few fairy tale stories is there one you dying to write about?

Kristine: I can’t wait to tell Cinderella’s story. What went wrong? Why is she so mean? But I don’t think she’ll be the heroine. I suspect that will be Gussie, one of the stepsisters. That book is bubbling, so I’ll probably write it in the next year or two.

Cindy: Who is your favorite author? What is one book they wrote that you would recommend?

Kristine: I have so many favorites. In mystery, I like Michael Connelly and Ian Rankin. With Rankin, start with The Complaints. Any of Connelly’s will do. As for romance, I buy everything Mary Balogh writes. Love her work. I’m reading Julia Quinn right now. Her Smythe-Smith series is wonderful and funny! I’m also reading a lot of P.N. Elrod. I know that she’s urban fantasy, but I think of her work as closer to mystery. And in sf, I can’t get enough of Jack McDevitt. Wide open vistas, lots of space stories.Seeker is a good place to start.  I suspect, though, if you ask me tomorrow, I’ll give you a different list.

Cindy: If we were too look at your desk what would we be surprised to find or discover?

Kristine: Besides how messy it is? You’d probably be surprised to discover just how much really technical/text-booky nonfiction I have there. And the little stuffed alien in the corner that my cat keeps finding and knocking down.

Cindy:  What are you currently reading? (If you are) What are you currently listening to?

Kristine: This is a tougher question than it should be! I’m currently reading a biography of James Tiptree Jr. (the female sf writer), another nonfictionToo Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin, Mystery Writers of America Presents Vengeance edited by Lee Child, andGeneration Loss  by the marvelous Elizabeth Hand. Next up is Mary Balogh’s newest, but I’m saving it until I’m done writing the current book.

Cindy: Are you working on anything new? If so anything you can share?

Kristine: I’m finishing my next Kris DeLake novel for Sourcebooks. Then I focus on a series featuring the Interim Fates. If you’ve read the other Grayson series,Simply Irresistible, Absolutely Captivated, and Totally Spellbound, you’ll discover the inept Interim Fates whose father, Zeus, installed to keep an eye on true love. They end up in a difficult place at the end of that series, so they need their own stories. The first,Tiffany Tumbles, will be out from WMG Publishing next spring. If you want to see the series, it’s out in trade and ebook from WMG. There’s also an ebook edition calledThe Fates Trilogy that has all three books in it. You can always find out more about my work on my overall website kristinekathrynrusch.com or on the Kristine Grayson website, kristinegrayson.com.

Thanks so much for inviting me back to the blog!!!

Best,
Kris

Kristine I want to thank you once again for stopping by and taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit down and do this with me. I love forward to reading your other books. No matter what they are.

Thanks to Beth at Sourcebooks for arranging this interview for me.

If your looking for something fun and exciting to read then I highly recommend this author and her books.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(Meme) Sundays In Bed With….#13

Posted on by Cindy
I was just getting some posts ready when I realized I had to do a Sundays In Bed With…. post.

The awesome blogger behind this is Kate from Midnight Book Girl   not only is she an awesome blogger but she is was one of my roommates for BEA. YAY!!

Midnight Book Girl

Sundays In Bed With….is a meme I’ve started to share the book we’re spending the morning in bed with, or the one we’d like to stay curled up in bed with all Sunday if only our busy lives would allow! For fun, take a picture of the book in your bed, or simply write up a post or comment below sharing your Sundays in Bed With book. Quoted from Kate’s blog

Sadly by the time this goes up, I won’t be in bed reading this

The reason I won’t be in bed reading this is because I am on my way to Burlington, Vermont for the day. It was a last minute trip south of the border but one I am looking forward to. When I say its last minute I mean its last minute. I have been joking about going to do some grocery shopping and hitting the Olive Garden again when low and behold I was told we are going in the morning. So yea

I am bringing this book and another one (not sure yet) to read in the car.

Hope your having a good long weekend and that you manage to find some time read this week. Its hard to believe that this is the last long weekend of the summer. Where did the time go?

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.