be.ful CBD Bath Bombs

Assuming you don't live under a rock, you've surely seen and heard loads about CBD lately. It seems it's everywhere - in pill form, tinctures, candy, and... bath bombs? If you aren't familiar with CBD, it's a cannabinoid (a chemical compound found in marijuana and hemp plants) that has been shown to offer a wide range of health benefits like relief from pain, acne, and anxiety, among a wide range of other uses you can google. Keep in mind, CBD is free of THC, which is the chemical that gets you high.

When be.ful reached out to see if I was interested in trying out their CBD bath bombs, I couldn't say no. 

They sent over their 4 pack of bath bombs which includes scents of eucalyptus, lavender, vanilla, and peach. They smell amazing; even though they're packaged tightly in shrink wrap, the smell hits you when you open the bag. Each bath bomb contains 50 mg of active CBD compound. 

Admittedly, I don't know a ton about how or if your body would absorb the CBD compound from soaking in the bath (there are lotions and salves with CBD that do indeed work and help relieve pain, heal acne, etc.), I imagine you'd absorb some, even if it's diluted by the bath water. I've personally used CBD in a number of ways, but haven't noticed any major difference with or without it. Whether you'll find some stress relief, anti-inflammatory benefits, etc., is up to you to discover!

Regardless of if you feel any actual benefits, these bath bombs are great for a relaxing and aromatic soak in the tub. You can buy them here for $39.99 for 4. Save 10% on your order using code BRIANNA10.

I will say I got a good laugh out of the packaging. Who proofed this?! How many spelling errors can you count? No joke, I see at least 10. And don't even get me started on the random capitalization...

Esqido Lashes | Review

If ever you've been pondering over how to take your makeup game up a notch for a special event, or hey - just because - false eyelashes are a really easy way to do just that. While I'm not of the type that wear them daily, weekly, or even remotely close to frequently - for a wedding or for family pictures, I've been known to sport a pair.

I was contacted a while ago by Esqido, asking if I wanted to give a pair of their lashes a test run, and after hearing about this brand everywhere, I jumped at the chance. They were so kind to send me a pair of their "Gina" lashes and a tube of their lash glue.

It's obvious to say that we can't continue any further in this post without noting how gorgeous their packaging is. Holy. Buckets. That white and rose gold? Yes please! 

Esqido lashes are made from real mink fur, which make for a more fluffy, realistic looking lash. Their bands are all cotton, so they're not hard and inflexible like so many falsies you'll find at the drugstore. These babies will set you back a bit more than a drugstore pair of falsies, however, you will get way more use out of these, and they'll look better for longer than your Walmart pair. ;) 

Above are the Gina lashes. After lots of hemming and hawing, these seemed like something I'd actually want to wear for a special occasion. Personally, I like to keep my lash style simple and not too overstated. I like a little extra pop to my eyes. The Gina seemed like the perfect fit.

For shock value, I'm wearing no other makeup in the photos below. It'll show you just what fake lashes can do for your look, and I think this is proof that if you were wearing eyeliner or a full makeup look with these, it's  a no brainer that you'll get the extra oomph you were looking for.

BOOM! Quite the difference, right? I think adding eyeliner to the area where you can see the band would make these look even more seamless and natural. They were comfortable to wear, and easy to apply. I found the lash glue was easy to work with and got just the right amount of tacky in a short amount of time, which I like. 

The Gina lashes are $32 a pair, and other Esqido lashes are of similar price, ranging up or down a few bucks. If you're new to the world of falsies, don't let this number scare you. Because these are higher quality lashes, you're going to get 10+ uses out of these before it's time to dump them. As for the lash glue, that's very reasonable, ringing in at $10 a tube. 

If you've got the expendable budget and you're in the market for lashes, I'd definitely recommend trying Esqido lashes. They're a luxury option and there are options for everyone and every preference. Check them out at Esqido.com.

We Smell Candles | Holiday gift idea!

I know, this is a beauty blog. But if you've read Glazed Over, you know I review the occasional candle, too. For some odd reason, many beauty bloggers do. Maybe it's because we enjoy yummy-scented perfumes, and also like our homes to smell nice, too? I don't know, and I don't care, and today I'm really excited to share a candle brand that's new to me with you.

A couple weeks ago, I received an email from We Smell Candles and was pleasantly surprised that their company is based about 40 minutes from my hometown! It's not often I work with local brands (simply because there aren't many local beauty brands in my neck of the woods) so I jumped at the opportunity. The fact they're local isn't the only reason I said yes to trying out their products... their candles and melts are soy-based, something I'm switching to exclusively (once I use up my massive backstock) because it burns cleaner and longer, and they have SO many amazing scents to choose from on their website. It was hard to narrow it down to just a couple choices! 

Patti from We Smell Candles was nice enough to send me their Christmas Tree candle and a "Quit Your Whining" wax melt to test out, and upon first whiff I couldn't wait to get these burning in my home. 

As expected, this candle is absolutely lovely. The packaging is high quality, poured perfectly in to a mason jar. I personally love the look of mason jar candles, this being no exception. Christmas Tree is described as the perfect Christmas scent, not artificial pine nastiness. I'd say that's spot on. Once you start burning this, you can expect your whole house to smell like the holidays. 

The We Smell Candles mason jar candles are in a 16 oz. mason jar. Compared to a normal 3-wick Bath & Body Works candle, you actually get 1.5 oz more wax. B&BW 3-wicks are just 14.5 oz and are usually more than $9.95. Plus, these are high quality soy candles, so they'll burn cleaner and last longer than any candle you buy from B&BW. I'd recommend We Smell Candles over B&BW any day. 

Quit Your Whining is a super sweet red cabernet scent perfect for any time of year. Pop these melts in to a warmer and your house will smell amazing for hours. I love that these are also soy-based. 

Check out the extensive list of scent options to choose from here if neither of these are up your alley.

Overall, I can't recommend We Smell Candles enough. I'm so thrilled I was turned on to this brand and I'll definitely be purchasing from them in the future when I use up the backstock of candles that I already have! 

Play! by Sephora | December 2016

I've been subscribing to Play! by Sephora for just over half a year, and it's no surprise that I'm still loving it. December's bag had a slew of good things, setting me back only $10! If you're interested in signing up, click here. (not an affiliate link)

Here's what came in December's box...

• Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red - A Sephora house brand lip stain that actually kicks a lot of ass. It stained my lips without making them feel like the Sahara and the lasting time was amazing. They are a little pricey though, ringing in at $14, which I feel is a little steep for a house brand product.

• Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer - Aims to balance skin and perfect makeup application. Also assists with skin tone and increases wear time of foundation. A full size retails for $37 for 1 oz, which is not cheap, but this will probably last you ages. 

• Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo - A dry shampoo to absorb oil and add body to the hair. Drybar is a great brand, but their products don't come cheap. A full size retails for $23 for a measly 3.3 oz. 

• Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray - A setting spray that makes your skin look more natural after makeup application and increases wear time. I swear by this stuff and never go without it. It costs $31 for 4 oz, but you can often find sales on this elsewhere (2 for $50 is a common sale at Macy's and Nordstrom).

• Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara - A mascara that touts added volume and "super-saturated length" for dramatically poppin' lashes. $30 freakin' dollars for a full size! #toocheapfordat

• Elizabeth & James Nirvana Bourbon perfume - Ya'll already know this is one of my favorite newer perfumes, worth every penny. For a full review click here. 

As you can see, the full sizes of all these products are pretty spendy. But that's what I love about Play! by Sephora. You get a chance to try out all these products (for just $10/mo) before splurging on an expensive full sized version! Gotta love that!

What do you think of this month's box? Let me know in the comments!

Holiday Wish List 2014

My beauty wish list spans far beyond what you see here, but I thought I'd show you some of the things that I hope Santa will bring me! 

• Elizabeth & James Nirvana White - My husband got me Nirvana Black for our anniversary this year, and now I have it in my head that I absolutely need both. Both scents are classy, sexy, and feminine. The White version is the lighter, more floral sister of Nirvana Black. 

• Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me (9th Edition) by Paula Begoun - I don't own any of the editions of this book and I've recently come to love Paula Begoun. She's got a wealth of great information about what ingredients are in products and what to grab and what to avoid. I want to dig a little deeper in to her brain and learn more from her.

• Philosophy Pink Marshmallow Buttercream Trio - I've never even smelled this before, but I can assure you that I will love it. Pretty much anything with marshmallow in the scent notes means I am going to love it. I haven't played around much with Philosophy shower gels or lotions so I thought this would be the perfect set to start with.

• Balenciaga Rosabotanica Perfume - I got a little sample of this from Hautelook this year and I fell head over heels in love. Like, make it my signature fragrance kind of love. It's rosy, but so much deeper than that. It's really one of the most unique fragrances I've ever set my nose to!

• MAC Warm Soul Mineralize Blush -  The last thing I need is another blush, but I saw someone talking about Warm Soul on YouTube, then proceeded to look up swatches and fell in love. The rest is history.

• Bobbi Brown Warm Glow Palette - Ugh, this palette is so disgustingly gorgeous. I keep seeing it in magazines and blogs and yearning for it. Just like blush, the last thing I need is another palette, but I mean... LOOK AT IT. Gorgeous, just freakin' gorgeous. And expensive.

What's on your holiday wish list? Do you have any of these products? Let me know!

Influenster - Something Blue VoxBox

Today I've got a really cool post, thanks to a website called Influenster. What is Influenster? Basically, it's a free website that offers you a chance to review products (for free) and share your opinions with others. Or in their own words, it's "a place for culture junkies to come together and share their unique opinions of products and experiences." I couldn't have said it better myself!

I've received 3 or 4 VoxBoxes (as they call them) and I just received one this past weekend called the Something Blue VoxBox for soon-to-be brides, or bridal party members! Lucky for me, I was just asked to be my best friend's maid of honor this past week so this came at the absolute perfect time! The best part is, this was absolutely free to me. Here's what came in it...

Luster NOW! Instant Whitening Toothpaste | Retail: $7.99

To be honest, the one thing that gives me faith about this product is the Allure Beauty stamp of approval on it, otherwise my first impression was that this looks like some Seen on TV scammy toothpaste. Other than that, I was pleased by the size of this sample - it's a good 4 oz. It comes in the flavor Happy Mint, and it smells really good. I haven't used it yet so I can't vouch for any of it's whitening powers, but I will definitely use this once I run out of my current toothpaste. Considering I would never spend $7.99 for a toothpaste (unless it's absolutely amazing), I'm happy to try this out without paying for it.

Q-Tips Precision Tips | Retail: $2.59-$3.35

Who can't use some Q-Tips? I certainly can, and I can definitely use a travel pack or two to tote around with me when I travel. For the sake of this wedding-themed box they suggest using these for touching up eyeliner, precisely applying concealer, and perfecting manicures - but lets be honest, we all know we're going to use them to clean out our ears.

Dr. Scholl's For Her Ball of Foot Cushions | Retail $6.99

I'm really excited to try these out. I'm a wimp when it comes to wearing heels all day, so I'm curious to know if these provide any relief. I know on my own wedding day I wore my heels as little as possible, and switched to flip flops almost as soon as I said "I do!" The gel in these cushions are designed to absorb shock and prevent feet from sliding forward while helping to avoid "toe scrunch" (whatever that is.) I'll definitely be getting good use out of this product.

Urgent Rx Fast Powders | Retail: $1.39

This is an interesting product that I'm kind of surprised is a "new" concept - however, it's not entirely shocking. This is a powder pain killer that you take without the use of water. The packaging says it's made with Aspirin, caffeine, pain-reliever, and Adjuvant. I'm not really one to take pain killers if I can avoid it, so I most likely won't get any use from this. Also, this isn't a brand I've ever heard of, so I'm even more put off by the idea of trying it out. Interesting concept, but not sure I can see it catching on.

Kiss everEZlashes | Retail: $4.98

This was my favorite product from the box - two packs of falsies! The little insert of product descriptions says these retail for $4.98, however I saw these puppies at Walgreens yesterday for $6.99, so depending on where you get them, they can be rather pricey. The thing I like about these is that they're really natural and wispy, they're not some crazy outlandish design. I think anyone could easily pull these off without looking crazy. I've tried other brands of falsies, but this is the first time I've ever owned any by Kiss.

All in all, I think this was a really fun box to receive and nearly all of the products I'll get use out of. Influenster is worth signing up for if you're a survey junkie, or you like to leave and read reviews about all sorts of products. I happen to be all of the above. :) Let me know if you've signed up or are thinking about it - I'd love to know what you think!