I little while back I caved and ordered a Zoya Mystery Box. I pretty much saw an ad on Facebook and bought one on a whim. It seems Zoya offers these boxes a few times a year and they come with an incredible value.  All I had to do is order 3 polishes from the site worth $10 and apply a code. I got $100 worth of mystery goodies from Zoya and free shipping. So let us see what I got and what I thought of everything.
First off I ordered 3 polishes, Jill, Sage, and Ana. Sage and Ana are satin shades, which I guess I quite prepared for. They seem to run more matte then satin, and are sort of streaky and hard to work with. Jill on the other hand is a beautiful shade that looks amazing on my skin and is really easy to apply. I clearly ordered it just for the name, but fell in love anyway.
Now, onto the box. Technically the box is free since I only paid for the polishes, so I have zero complaints about it. I will say that after the $3.90 international fee and conversion rate this order of just 3 polishes came to a whopping $51.00 CAD on my credit card. So yeah the box is a great thing, but I would never pay that for just three polishes
The box is cute and like everything in my order, safely packed. I got three coupons for future orders as well a booklet describing what is in the box.
First up, Naked Manicure Hydrate and Heal Serum ($12). This is a serum meant for hands and body that has hyaluronic acid in it to help hydrate seriously dry skin. It comes in a little sprayer that is actually pretty easy to use, not much mess comes from it.  It has no real scent to it and just feels like you applied water to your hands, so it absorbs right away. I don't find any real hydration comes from it on its own, but it is meant to be used with the next product.

Accompanying the serum is Naked Manicure Hydrate and Heal Cream ($12). This cream comes in a stiff bottle that makes getting it out a bit of a pain. Meant to go with the serum to help lock in moisture, it is a relatively light cream, not greasy and absorbs relatively quickly but still lingers on the hand, which is really nice because nothing sucks more to me then a cream that vanishes and leaves my skin wanting more. I overall like it, the feel, the results, the scent, but think I will use it up much faster then the serum.
Now on to the big items, the Naked Manicure system. This seems to be Zoya's big deal right now, so I got a NM Base Coat ($12), NM Lavender ($10) and NM Glossy Seal ($12). This is their system that provides you with a manicure that (*gasps*) looks natural. The system provides nourishment to the nails as well as treats damage, improves flexibility and strength. In between the base and the top coat is a lavender tinted clear coat, it is meant to colour correct yellow or other stains left on nails from using other polishes. There is also a few other shades, including  pink, which I would actually really like to try. The end result with this manicure is natural looking nails that are healthier and really pretty. I have tried it a few times and really do like how my nails look, much better then when I just wear a clear polish or a strengthener on them. Sadly my job is probably going to rip my nails apart and I won't get too much of a chance to try it on some more grown out nails.
I also got a Zoya lipstick in the box, mine is in the shade Addie ($12). Addie is a mauve pink that I really like to stair at. I am going to give this to my cousin though since her father (my uncle) is named Addie, and I really think she would enjoy it more then me.

Solid Gold Cuticle Oil ($12) is a gel cuticle oil that has tea tree oil in it to stop fungal growth. I really like how this is in a tube and gel, something I thought I would hate. It really is more of gel then an oil and is completely mess free. It also doesn't smell like tea tree, which is very nice.

Fast Drops ($8), are a tiny little bottle (5ml) of fast drying drops. I actually like the tiny dropper because usually I cannot control applying drops to well and end up waisting a lot of it.
Also in the box is a brand new shade that is just being launched of their Nail Polish ($10) in the shade Brighton. This is a champagne fine halo shade. I really like how it applied on my nails, it is more shimmer then shade but after two coats it looks really pretty without being too shimmery on your nails due to the fact the halos are so tiny

Finally I got a trail sized bottle of Remove+ ($4.60). It is their 3 in 1 remover, which is a mild action nail polish remover which also preps and cleans the nails.
Overall I am happy with this box. They promised me $100 USA worth of product and I got it! I also paid nothing for the box, just my three polishes and an international fee that was pretty small. I am excited to get to try out the Naked Manicure system because I have only heard good things about it as well as the other fun goodies in the box.


*Features paid for items
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Are you the type that likes to get a head start on the holidays? Well Mary Kay is thinking a head with their latest promo Christmas in October, and to be honest I think they have the right idea. Every year Christmas comes along and I have no time to do anything, so getting stuff done and bought now is the best plan of attack for me.
White Tea & Citrus Satin Hands Pampering Set & Fragrance-Free Satin Hands Pampering Set ($51.00 each set)
The Satin Hands Pampering Sets are a cult classic when it comes to Mary Kay. I remember my mom treating my hands to it when I was ten years old and I have loved it ever since. My hands are the dries and most chap things on earth come the holiday season, they usually end up bleeding. The area right between my fingers gets flakey and thick. Since this all happens and there seems to be nothing I can do to prevent it, I love the Satin Hands sets to help clear it up and keep my hands smooth.
The White Tea & Citrus Set comes with:

• Fragrance-Free Protecting Softener 
• Moisturize and protect skin, preparing hands for a stimulating.
• White Tea & Citrus Refining Shea Scrub 
• Blended with luscious shea butter to instantly reveal noticeably smoother-looking skin as it buffs away dirt and impurities and leaves hands feeling softer.
• White Tea & Citrus Nourishing Shea Cream 
• Shea butter-infused cream instantly melts into skin and leaves hands feeling soft and noticeably smoother even after washing. 
• Absorbs quickly, so hands won’t feel sticky, and it leaves a protective barrier on skin for long-lasting softness.

Limited-Edition Mini Eye Brush Set ($20.00)
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When you have more hangnails then you do fingers, you know it is time to start taking better care of your hands.

Now I could blame work, or the extensive cleaning I've been doing, or the dishes or the weather or the easter bunny, but let's face it, I'm the only one to blame.

I've really been neglecting my hands lately, and despite the many lotions I carry around with me, I just never use them.

So today I decided to treat my hands to some TLC.

First up...MARY KAY Satin Hands Satin Smoothie Hand Scrub

I love this stuff. I always have a tube but now I have a big old pump of it.  I broke it out, despite the fact I  know I have  tube somewhere 95% used up.

This stuff buffs aways all the ick on your hands and leaves them felling just amazing. Oh and it smells amazing.

In the dryer weather the area between my fingers actually gets white and flakey and that is when it really pays off to use this product.

Next...THE BODY SHOP Almond Hand & Nail Care



Then...MAC Naked Honey Skin Salve

Now this one no longer exists but I have an almost full tin of it. Sticky and smells like honey it is great on my cuticles.

Now my hands feel soft and hopefully I can ward off any more hangnails.

George's Cream and Moisturizing Lotion were created for lasting dry skin relief. Although there is no cure for many skin problems, George's provides relief from different types of skin symptoms and conditions. It works! That is why it is recommended by dermatologists, pharmacists and physicians. The therapeutic benefits of George's will provide immense relief for those suffering from many different conditions.  

George’s Cream and George’s Daily Moisturizing Lotion are two fragrance free moisturizers that do not contain lanolin, parabens or urea. The cream comes in 3 package sizes: 30g tube for the purse, convenient 90g tube and an economical 450g jar. The lotion comes in 2 package sizes: 30ml tube for the purse and an attractive 360ml pump. -georgecream.com

my poor dry and scratched skin

Have you met my dry winter skin? Say hi to it.
Well don't get to used to it, and get ready to say bye-bye to it for good.

First off let me explain why my skin is this bad. My day job is a dog groomer. This mean I wash about a dozen dogs five days a week. That is two baths, on big and small dogs, hairy and short hair. Even cats, which is where the scratches come from. Then after bathing them, I get to dry them. Subjecting my hands to industrial dries, dog after dog, for hours a day.

Oh so dry

Now in the summer things don't get as bad because of Toronto's humidity, but now it is the cold, windy, snowy, icy, dry, winter...so my skin is toast.
It cracks, it bleeds, it peels and flakes. When you think of washing you hands and you know it is going to hurt, you know you need something strong! Now if I just try to use any lotion (kerry, luberderm, vaseline) I will scream and start to tear up. Why? Perfume and way too much water in the product.

cream left, light moisturizing lotion on right

So when I heard about how George's Cream was formulated by a Canadian, made in Canada, and for Canadians and our skincare needs without fragrance I jumped on trying it out.
George’s Special Dry Skin Cream is nice and thick. Moisturizing, but not greasy.

George’s Light Special Moisturizing Lotion is a little thinner, but not watery and takes little time to work into the skin. It is only slightly thinner than the cream, I am really liking it.

You can see after a few uses how much better my skin looks

Pros:

• Canadian made
• Fragrance Free
• Great of lots of skin conditions
• Absorbs fast into skin
• Easily found in pharmacies.
• Available in a variety of sizes
• Inexpensive
• No animal testing
• Safe for Diabetics

*Products were sent to me for consideration, but do not reflect my views of the product.