Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Cupcake Polish: Sweet Addictions September box

September's Sweet Addictions collaborative box from Cupcake polish has a Marie Antoinette theme. Featured guests in the box are Pipe Dream Polish and Serum No5 along with the box's creator, Cupcake Polish. The box includes 2 full sized polishes, one mini polish and a sugar scrub. The box is packaged very well with bubble wrap around the polishes and pink shreds in the bottom of the box. There are also a few business cards included from the brands.

Cupcake Polish Sweet Addictions September box

Dauphine is made by Pipe Dream Polish and is a cool toned nude crelly packed with small pastel blue, teal and white glitters. The polish was opaque in two coats and topped with Gelous and KBShimmer topcoat for a smooth glossy look. The formula was good and easy to apply with the flat brush. The cap of the bottle has some texture which makes it easier for me to open and her logo and label are splashy!

xoxoJen's swatch of Pipe Dream Polish Dauphine
xoxoJen's swatch of Pipe Dream Polish Dauphine
xoxoJen's swatch of Pipe Dream Polish Dauphine

Versailles is made by Cupcake Polish and is a lavender linear holo with a smattering of pink and purple shimmer. The holo is very strong even under studio lighting. I used two coats and KBS top coat for the finished look. The formula is very easy to control and applies smoothly. The square bottle allows for easy opening and is adorned with a fanciful label.

xoxoJen's swatch of Cupcake Polish Versailles
xoxoJen's swatch of Cupcake Polish Versailles
xoxoJen's swatch of Cupcake Polish Versailles
xoxoJen's swatch of Cupcake Polish Versailles

Cake Revolution is made by Serum No 5 and is a mini sized vanilla crelly with a rainbow of pastel glitters and gold micro glitter. This polish also glows purple in the dark!
I wore two coats over Illamasqua Scorch. The formula was a little textured due to the gitd pigment which dries quickly so you'll need to use fewer brush strokes and work quickly when applying each coat. The polish has a matte finish so I topped it with Gelous and KBShimmer top coat for a smooth glossy look. I used a flashlight to charge the glow for the glow in the dark photo.

xoxoJen's swatch of Serum No5 Cake Revolution
xoxoJen's swatch of Serum No5 Cake Revolution
xoxoJen's swatch of Serum No5 Cake Revolution
xoxoJen's swatch of Serum No5 Cake Revolution

Serum No. 5 also contributed a 2 oz. sugar scrub in the delicious scent of dark chocolate hazelnut. SO in love with this scrub - read why below the photo. :)

Serum No5 Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Scrub

Other than nail polish, I'm a bath and body junkie and I love scrubs. I've used hundreds - from commercial to indie; I've even made a few! I've been working through my scrub stash for about two years now without buying more and still have two shelves full. I was super excited to see a scrub included in this box, but also skeptical because I've found my holy grail scrubs already.

And well...this one zoomed right up to holy grail status.

If you're familiar with scrubs, you know that there are a few different kinds: oily, bubbling, and somewhat bubbly yet moisturizing at the same time. Some scrubs contain salt while others are sugar scrubs and then there are also different sized granules of salts and sugars from large to very fine. Some granules are more square and have rough edges, those work well on callused skin but can feel harsh to softer areas. Some granules are rounded and soft which feel amazing to softer areas of skin like the hands, arms and legs.

The Serum No5 scrub has soft bubbles and a velvety cream feel. It contains fine sugar granules which are rounded and feel good on the hands, arms and legs. I tested this with handwashing first and then on my legs. I like to use a scrub on my hands about once a week to help the skin feel soft and smooth and I always use a scrub on my legs before shaving for a really close and smooth shave.

Using a spoon, I scoop about half a melon ball's worth of scrub into my hands. I use a spoon because when other oils and/or water are introduced into the scrub jar it can cause the scrub to go bad fairly quick. Rubbing the scrub into the skin without water first allows the skin to absorb the moisturizing oils in the scrub; this one contains Jojoba Oil and Sweet Almond Oil along with the oils from the soap. After I've rubbed it in a bit, I add a splash of warm water to work up the suds and creaminess from the scrub and when most of the sugars are melted I rinse and pat my hands dry with a towel. After using the scrub, my hands felt moisturized and soft and smelled of delicious chocolate. SO much love for this scrub, I can't even. If you get this box, I'd love to hear what you think of the scrub!


scrub ingredients: Organic Refined Sugar; Shea Soap [Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Safflower Oil, Glycerin (kosher, of vegetable origin), Shea Butter (refined naturally crushed), Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Oat Protein (conditioner), Titanium Dioxide (mineral whitener used in opaque soaps)]; Jojoba Oil; Sweet Almond Oil; Mica; Fragrance; Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol


The September Sweet Addictions box will be available at the Cupcake Polish shop August 31.

If you've enjoyed this review, please let me know!


xoxo, Jen signature

12 comments

  1. Thank you for swatching these. I've enjoyed everything from this subscription series so far. And thank you for going into detail about the sugar scrub! I'm looking forward to its release!

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  2. What a great box for September. Those are some lovely colors.

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    1. Yes! I love purple, nudes and glow in the dark so how could I not agree?

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  3. That scrub sounds wonderful! Beautiful swatches as always :)

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    1. Thank you! I've been rationing out that scrub, truth be told!

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  4. Wow I can't wait to get this box and try applying the scrub the way you have described here. I sure would love to know your other holy grail products are. Great blog post, lovely nails and swatches, I'm sold! :)

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    1. Aw thank you so much Gretchen! My HG scrub is Sugarworks and another brand that's closed because she had twins! (Happy Button Soap Co.) My second favorite are the soft bubbling scrubs from Haus of Gloi.

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  5. Great in depth review of the scrub - I can almost feel it! Lovely pics as always ☼

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    1. I was shooting for that, looks like my job here is done! LOL Thank you Anne!

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  6. Love the article! Great swatches and that scrub description was amazing. I have to ask what your top scrubs are (I've been searching) I always seem to have really dry skin :(

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    1. Thank you! My favorite type of scrubs are bubbling scrubs but for a much more moisturizing scrub, try out the emulsifying scrub from Haus of Gloi. It's got an oily base to it but it's not greasy nor heavy and it rinses clean. They are my favorite for the "oily" type of scrubs and I use them in the winter moreso than summer. :D
      I mentioned my favorite bubbling scrubs in another comment above, but they are Sugarworks and a closed company called Happy Button Soap Co.

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