Sebastian Professional Potion 9 Styling Treatment- January Glossybox

Sample was 1.7 oz

Full-sized is $19 for 5.1 oz through Sebastian Professional Salons (or Ulta)

This styling cream is a very unique orange color. It’s a cream gel that smells like coconuts and tropical breezes. This is a pump applicator so I just used the amount that came out with a pump. It seemed just right for my hair but someone with shorter or longer hair would need to adjust accordingly. The directions say to work into damp hair blow dry or air dry for conditioned smooth hair. I used this in my damp hair and let it air dry. I was impressed with how smooth and shiny it was. The next morning it was still very soft and shiny and it didn’t make it any more greasy than normal. After using it every day for a couple weeks I still really like it. It’s a good leave-in conditioner/smoothing serum/shine serum. Just an FYI, if you have super fine hair and this is too heavy for it they do have a Potion 9 Lite as well that you could try.

Unfortunately it doesn’t matter how much I liked this stuff because I’m not sure I’m going to be able to buy it. It’s a salon brand so you have to get it through the salon. There are no salons anywhere near me. After doing some more online research I did find it at Ulta. You can’t buy it online but if you’re lucky enough to live near an Ulta that carries this you can buy it there. I have an Ulta about an hour and a half from me so next time I’m in that direction I plan to check it out and see if they carry it. I did find some on Ebay and Amazon so if you’re interested check that out but just a warning, most of them are way more expensive than the regular price. 

Fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Serum- January Glossybox

Sample was .17 oz

Full-sized is $35 for 1 oz

Pic from sephora.com

First of all, what is Umbrian clay? It apparently is an ultra-fine clay that comes exclusively from Nocera Umbra, Italy. So there you go. The Umbrian clay in this serum is supposes to neutralize acid on the face, purify and clarify. Ginger root and meadowsweet extract control oil and minimize pores. If this actually does all of the things it claims. . .I will be in love.

This serum doesn’t really strike me as a serum. It seems more like a light moisturizer. It’s a sort of tannish colored cream that smells weird. It doesn’t really smell bad, just weird. It smells sort of like cucumbers but not like a refreshing cucumber, like a bitter cucumber. Its hard to describe but it doesn’t hang around after it dries. It’s a very light moisturizer. It smoothes on really nicely and was enough moisture for me but someone with dry or normal skin might need an extra moisturizer. But then again someone with dry or normal skin probably doesn’t need a mattifying serum. Now, you know I have oily skin. Not horrendously oily this time of year but I do still have to blot at least once throughout the day. This serum didn’t change that. I still had to blot at about the same time I usually do. And I didn’t notice my pores were minimized at all.

So overall, it was a nice light moisturizer but it didn’t control my oil and it’s a little more than I would spend on just a day moisturizer.

Le Metier De Beaute Replenishing Daily Solution- January Glossybox

Sample was a dinky foil packet

Full-sized- $225 for 1.7 oz exclusively at Neiman Marcus

Pic from www.neimanmarcus.com

Its obvious to see why Glossybox only sprung for a dinky foil packet of this stuff. This crap is expensive. This rich cream promises to hydrate, nourish, and detoxify the skin. It says it uses Syntoc Actif which apparently is some breakthrough technology that delivers the ingredients to your skin more efficiently. This says it can be used along with moisturizer but for my oily skin I am using this alone as a night moisturizer. Even though this has SPF 30, I feel like its too rich to use during the day. The cream is one of the richest creams I have ever felt. I would liken it with some of the eye creams I have used. It’s a pretty peachy pink color. It has more of a chemical, sunscreen-y smell than I thought it would. From such an expensive cream I was expecting a more pleasant scent. It does smooth on well though and my skin feels fabulously smooth after just the first time using it. As far as the moisture level goes it seems pretty similar to my Simple Night Moisturizer but when I woke up the next morning my face was way smoother and softer than its ever been with any other night moisturizer. And I haven’t noticed any extra blemishes. I was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked. Using just a thin layer of this at night, the packet will last me a good two weeks. I should say though that I only used this about a week and a half, rather than the whole month I usually like to take to test skin care products because I received a trial of another skin care brand that’s kind of time sensitive so I had to start using that. But based on the length of time I used this I loved it. Unfortunately Its way too expensive for me to ever actually buy it.

OPI Liquid Sand Nail Lacquer in Can't Let Go- Glossybox January

Sample was full-sized- $9 at your Salon

O.P.I.’s Liquid Sand Line is a brand spankin’ new line. It was developed in conjunction with Mariah Carey although her name is not anywhere on the packaging. I found information online that said it was launching in January of 2013 so it should be in salon’s now. I also found a lot of bottles on Amazon for $5. The whole line is matte polishes that have glitter in them and dry in a bumpy texture. There are 8 shades.

Can’t Let Go is a matte purple with lighter purple glitter in it. I used a topcoat, just because I always automatically do, before I read online that you aren’t supposed to use a topcoat because it will effect the matte-ness. Oh well. It is more shiny than it normally would be but I like the look. As far as the quality of the polish, its OPI so if you’ve used that before, you know what to expect. It went opaque in two coats.

So, what do I think of this? I really didn’t know at first. Its very different and I didn’t know what to think of it. I couldn’t quite decide whether or not I liked it. I definitely liked the color but I wasn’t sure if I liked the texture or not. But after wearing it for a while, and getting several compliments on it, I’ve decided that I like it. It wears fairly well too. I’ve been wearing it for four or five days now with only minimal chipping on the tips. That’s pretty good for me. I’m hard on nails. 

January Glossybox First Impressions!

If you don't want to read this click here to watch my video. Otherwise here's a summary of my January box.

First of all this is super late because its curated by The Man Repeller and her fans went crazy over this box and Glossybox was overwhelmed. Second of all, I got four boxes for some bizarre reason. Here's what was in my box:


Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara in Extreme Black
Sample was a small tube (about half-sized)
Full-sized- $25 at esteelauder.com
I'm excited to try this but I hope I don't like it. I don't want to fall in love with it and then miss it after its gone because I'm not going to spend that much on mascara.


Fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Serum
Sample was 1.7 oz
Full-sized is $35 for 1 oz
This is something I'm also excited to try. I've never tried any of the Fresh skin care products so we'll see how this works. I have oily skin so if this works this will be good.


Sebastian Professional Potion 9
Sample was 1.7 oz
Full-sized is $19 for 5.1 oz through Sebastian Professional Salons
From what I pumped out of the bottle already, this is an orange cream-gel that smells like coconuts. Its supposed to be a pre-styling lotion that conditions and smooths hair and helps hold your style.


Le Metier de Beaute Daily Replenishing Daily Solution
Sample was a dinky foil packet
Full-sized- $225 for 1.7 oz exclusively at Neiman Marcus
This is something else I hope I don't like because its ridiculously expensive and is not something I'm going to ever buy.

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick in Fierce
Sample is full-sized-$26
This lipstick is very smooth and creamy and I really wish it was a better color but unfortunately its a bright, orange-y red. It doesn't look good on my skin tone and makes my blemishes more obvious. Its just a little bright for my tastes.

O.P.I. Liquid Sand Nail Lacquer in Can't Let Go
Sample is full-sized- $9
This nail polish has a unique texture. It dries matte with glitter in it. Its a pretty purple color. I'm very happy with this.

Narciso Rodriguez for Her Eau de Toilette
Sample is a small spritzer
Full-sized is $25 for a rollerball, $52 for 1 oz, $77 for 1.6 oz, or $104 for 3.3 oz
I don't love this smell but its not awful. It is floral, musky, and has a touch of powder. It smells kind of grandma-y but not the worst I've ever smelled.

The total value of this is $77.21. Well times four because I have four boxes. I can't say for sure because I haven't actually tried most of it yet but I feel like this might be worth it. I really wish the lipstick was a different color. If it was more wearable I definitely would say this is so worth it. But I'm gonna try everything and review everything individually and I'll get back to you.

First Video!-Glossybox November and December- Was It Worth It?

So this is my first video attempt! I apologize for the crappy awkwardness of it. For all you Negative Nancy's out there, yes I know I said um and like way too many times and I played with my hair too much and the angle is weird but I will try to get better about my videos. Here it is!

Okay so I couldn't get it to upload but I uploaded it to YouTube so here's the link. Ugh. I just watched it again and its really just awful so I apologize but I promise I will try to get better at this.

And just a update on my January Glossybox. . .I checked the tracking today and my box is currently two states away. I'm hoping to get it Monday or Tuesday. If anyone cares.

Oscar Blandi Dry Styling Heat Protectant Spray- Glossybox December

Sample size- .75 oz (a good travel size)

Full-sized- $23 for 4 oz at www.oscarblandi.com or sephora.com (I also found this as low as $19 on ebay)

(Pic from Glossybox.com)

Oscar Blandi is a very popular high end brand of hair products that I have been wanting to try. This spray uses a “patented polymer complex” to protect hair from heat and keratin to make hair shiny. To be fair, my hair is pretty shiny to start with but I didn’t notice much difference using this. I washed my hair and used my normal argan oil, let my hair air dry (my hair doesn’t like being blow dried) and then used this spray with my flat iron. I didn’t notice that much more shine and I didn’t notice that my hair was any softer or more protected feeling. It has kind of an obnoxious chemical smell and the second time I used it I used a little too much and my hair got all tacky feeling. Its just an average protectant spray and definitely does not live up to the hype. I’ll use the rest of this but I won’t buy it.

Forest Essentials Luxurious Ayurveda Madurai Jasmine & Mogra Bath & Shower Oil- Glossybox December

Sample was about half-size
Full-sized is $22 for 6.8 oz

(pic from glossybox.com)

Like I said in my original Glossybox December post, I’m not quite sure how Glossybox came up with this price. I searched for this product online and the only place I could find it was an Indian site where they didn’t list a price in USD. I didn’t actually try to buy it so I’m not sure if you can or not. I did find some on Amazon but they were $55. Anyway price aside. I’m not sure what to think of this body oil.

It’s a very thin yellow colored oil (that is actually mostly sunflower oil) that has a very nice jasmine smell. I like jasmine a lot. It says to put this oil onto still wet skin after the shower and it uses essential oils to lock moisture into skin. Not to mention making you smell lovely. I tried various combinations of wetness and amounts of oil. Even with the smallest amount of oil that I could pour out on my skin (which was still sopping, dripping wet so the oil would distribute over as much skin as possible) it still ended up feeling oily and greasy and like I needed to take another shower. However I did notice after using it a couple times that my skin was very soft and moisturized. And I didn’t even need to use any perfume. I used it a few times more and figured out it seems to work best if you rub it on your still wet skin after taking a shower, let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse it off (while being careful not to slip on the slippery oil that’s all over your shower). It gets rid of the smell but your skin still gets the moisturizing benefits. It still leaves my skin a little oily but it soaks in after a little while. It does also work well as a bath oil (if you like that sort of thing).

I don’t think this is something I would ever buy. I love myself a relaxing bath but I prefer bubble bath or bath salts to bath oil. I actually wasn’t sure I wanted to use up the rest of the bottle just because of the oiliness but I compelled myself and realized it was like throwing away $11 if I don’t. However, after using it for about a week and half straight the moisturizing properties sort of stopped working and my skin actually ended up being drier than it was before.

So bottom line, I don't think I would recommend this. Maybe other people have had more success with it (I found some very positive reviews on beauty blogs) but I just didn't like the greasiness and it didn't really moisturize that well at all. Plus it seems super expensive for being mostly sunflower oil. Maybe the jasmine they use in there is expensive or something but you can buy sunflower oil at any grocery store. For much less than this stuff. Just food for thought.