review: nume curl jam set - tri-effect curling wand

hi guys! i'm tired of pushing this post further and further back. so i'm just publishing this nearly as-is, because i'm never going to get around to finishing this post, ever. and i do believe that this post, to some degree, has value. i have removed the original photos from this post because they appear to be broken (too lazy to find them), but you can probably see photos of it in the below linked posts (which i have updated). i am aware that the interchangable curling wand has changed significantly and actually makes sense now. the barrels twist on and off the wand instead of clipping on and never detaching in the most awful fashion. so here y'all go. 2013-14 me. enjoy. ~Lindsay

[i bought this]

hi all. so all the way back last march, i ordered the nume curl jam set. i had a coupon, and paid $74+12ship ($86) on top for this set. well, when i ordered it, it was major back ordered and didn't actually arrive until the later part of may. to my surprise, they included a free thermal pouch and their moisturizing shampoo & conditioner in my package.

when i first ordered this set, i was torn between the curl jam set and the 4play. i decided on this set because there was an extra barrel in the 4play that was an "ok, whatever" to me (the reverse 9-13mm) and the curl jam had a flat iron and only the three barrels. the flat iron in this set was originally intended to be my chi's replacement (see post here), but it took forever to arrive and i've decided that i'm just going to keep one here and one at the in-law's so i don't have to worry about bringing one back and forth whenever i want to straighten my hair.

*[note: my hair is naturally straight to wavy.]
note: i think they've changed the style of the multi-barrel curling irons to twist off. for mine, you have to pinch the buttons and pull them off.

so, on to the review!

tri-effect curling wand: i used it at 200°C (=392°F, the highest setting). the lowest temp setting is 50°C. i love how it tells you if it's on or off. if it's off and plugged in, it will display "off". if it's on, it will light up green and display the current temperature. if you begin hitting the up button, it will flash red. also, in the lower left corner, there's a bar to show it's progress.

1. 19mm barrel:
2. 25mm barrel:
3. 32mm barrel: i don't think i'll use this one all that much--on myself. whenever i used it, it looked exactly the same as when i let my hair air dry. and that's kinda lame.
4. glove: i really enjoy this glove. if you get really close to the iron, you will feel the warmth,  but you definitely won't be burned through the glove. i don't think it'd necessarily be a good idea to hold the heated iron directly in the glove, but it does feel like a pretty solid glove compared to the one that came with my hot tools tapered iron.
5. overall: i do not like how it is in Celsius, see further details below in my overall opinion of the curl jam set.


6. overall for the curl jam set:
1. i do not understand who came up with the temperature settings on these tools. it's horrendous. who decided that the curling wand should be in Celsius and the flat iron should be in Fahrenheit? like really, really?! i understand that they sell to both the US and Canada, but both [or perhaps all] tools should be in the same temperature scale. it was really fun trying to gauge the temperature i needed for the curling wand when i first used it.
1. i think that this set is worth it for the most part. if you're in the market for a flat iron, i think you should look elsewhere, but i do like the tri-effect wand, which you can purchase separately.

review: nume curl jam set - fashionista flat iron

hi all. so all the way back in march, i ordered the nume curl jam set. i had a coupon, and paid $74+12ship ($86) on top for this set. well, when i ordered it, it was major back ordered and didn't actually arrive until the later part of may. to my surprise, they included a free thermal pouch and their moisturizing shampoo & conditioner in my package (see review of those here).

when i first ordered this set, i was torn between the curl jam set and the 4play. i decided on this set because there was an extra barrel in the 4play that was an "ok, whatever" to me (the reverse 9-13mm) and the curl jam had a flat iron and only the three barrels. the flat iron in this set was originally intended to be my chi's replacement (see post here), but it took forever to arrive and i've decided that i'm just going to keep one here and one at the in-law's so i don't have to worry about bringing one back and forth whenever i want to straighten my hair.

i haven't finished testing out the tri-effect wand yet, but i wanted to get this up here, since you can purchase the fashionista flat iron separately anyway. so, on to the review! ~Lin-chan ^.~

update 8/1/14: i still have not worked on my post for the tri-effect wand. know that my curl jam set is from march 2013 and that they have since changed the design of this set.

fashionista flat iron:

• the design of the temperature setting on this is horrible. the lowest setting is 140°F and the highest is 410°F, but it doesn't have an easily viewable line as to indicate temperature milestones (it's a tapered thin to thick line), so you can just flip the wheel to whatever setting and just run with it: it's somewhere between 140° and 410°! also, unlike my one 'n only argan heat flat iron, the temperature wheel doesn't lock in place, so if you inadvertently move it, it will change the temperature. pending on how you hold the flat iron, it's not likely that you'll hit the temperature wheel, but not impossible. also, the flat iron has two LED lights inside, a green and a red. both lights will light up when you turn it on. when the iron is at your desired temperature, the green LED will shut off, leaving the red on.
• i don't particularly like how this iron doesn't stay consistently hot. i feel like when i first start using it, it's great, but then about four strands later, it's cooled down to where the green LED is back on. it's kind of annoying because my argan heat iron seems to maintain consistent heat until i'm finished using it. i feel like i'm wasting more time using this iron because i'm waiting for it to heat back up again.
• the plates seem particularly fond of my heat protectant. i feel like i have to clean them off after every use because they accumulate quite a bit of residue. blehhh.
• overall: not impressed, it's only ok.
 

review: nume moisturizing shampoo & conditioner, thermal pouch

 

hi guys! earlier this year, i made an order with nume for their curl jam set and in my package, they gave me bottles of their moisturizing shampoo and conditioner as well as their thermal pouch. now, i haven't finished testing out the curl jam set to really know how i feel about it, but i wanted to get this up at least. so here ya go! ~Lin-chan ^.~

 

1. thermal pouch: this is not a pouch. when you think of a pouch, it's something that has a pocket of some sort and is able to contain something. this is a mat that can fold in half and velcro shut. the outside has the matching purple zebra print and the inside looks like that heat absorbing space-like material. it looks kind of similar to what they use in most accordion-style car sun shades. while it retails at $19, i don't feel like it's something worth going crazy over and something you should rush out and buy. a few years ago, i bought a thermal pouch--an actual pouch--from sally's for like $10. and i love it. it has a section for the tool and the outer flap has a place to contain the cord. overall, i think this "pouch" works well, but i wouldn't pay $19+shipping for it when i can go to sally's.
2. moisturizing shampoo & conditioner:
• can i first say: kudos for actually making the two bottles different sizes. how many times have you started using a shampoo and conditioner at the same time, then run through the entire bottle of shampoo but still have like half of the conditioner left?! pretty much every time. anyway, the difference in capacity isn't very substantial, but i initially noticed that the two bottles are different lengths, prompting me to notice they in fact contained differing amounts of product. both bottles are $13 each and contain 6.7oz (shampoo) or 5.8oz (conditioner).
• i don't like how they sealed them. they don't have like a convenient tab to pull the foil from the tiny hole that it is covering. the tubes come with a cardboard cover and a foil seal the diameter of a pencil, which is near impossible to break when you're already in the shower to use them. >.>  you have to puncture it. my pinky nail barely got them both open to where i could actually dispense the product. so thumbs down for that.
• they both have the same, light and unoffensive scent. it's almost baby shampoo scented, but not as potent..if that makes sense.
• realistically, i'm not going to repurchase these because, i mean, it was crazy ridiculous for shipping, and it's just shampoo & conditioner. (nume does occasionally come on hautelook* and the shampoo & conditioner are like $5 each but you do have to pay $6+ for shipping)

*Affiliate Link.

may hauls! (updated)

    

hi all! here's what i've gotten this month. i wanted to get this up because i've included a bunch of coupon codes and sale info on here! (see hautelook section for coupons, mua is having buy 3 for 2!)

nume purple zebra curl jam set -- i actually ordered this toward the end of march, and it's been back ordered until now. they have a lot of coupons floating around for their products, a good number of the people i follow have their own affiliate codes for specific tools or just $110 (or so) toward your purchase. if you can't find an active nume code, the person in charge of their instagram will give them to you if you ask. also, now through 10/31, there is a 60% off a single item code: ipsy60. [note, they charge a butt load on shipping. i paid $12!]

• i was super surprised, included in my box were bottles of their moisturizing shampoo & conditioner and a matching thermal pouch. this pouch isn't exactly a pouch, but more like a mat that you can velcro in half. the inner side looks like that shiny space material that they use in the accordion-style car sun shades.
• included in the curl jam box was a 1-in fashonista flat iron (adjustable temperature), a glove--so you don't burn yourself, and the curling wand (adjustable temperature) with 19mm, 25mm and 32mm barrels.
• sooo excited to start using this!

berry, celebutante (over ud original eye primer), demolition, shiva

hautelook* beauty bag: mid april, they were selling their spring beauty bag, so i went ahead and got one despite a long internal struggle to decide.

i was actually kinda sad when i opened this package: of all the items, i really wanted to try this blush out. i contacted hautelook and it was great: they were able to give me a partial refund since they didn't have replacements. i think i might crush it up completely and put it into an empty sifter jar.

• ud pencil in demolition
• lorac eyeshadow in celebutante, 3D lashes mascara in black
• crown brush pro blending fluff -- seems similar to sigma e25, but not as soft
• nyx lipstick in shiva
• stila all over shimmer liquid luminizer packettes in pink, rose gold, and bronze
• laura geller mini blush-n-brighten in berry
• suki skincare exfoliate foaming cleanser
• la fresh beauty wipes
• jessica simpson vintage bloom sample
• coupons:
• laurageller.com: 15% off purchase: hlbbapr13 (exp. 4/1/14)
• loraccosmetics.com: 10% off purchase & free ground shipping: lovelorac (exp. 6/30/13)
• nyxcosmetics.com: 20% off on any extra creamy round lipsticks: lipcrush (exp. 6/1/13)
• smilesciences.com: $50 toward rx strength teeth whitening pen: hautelook (does not expire)
• sukiskincare.com: 10% off: hlbb413 (exp. 6/1/13)

 

BeautyTidbits giveaway: couture gel nails kit with after midnight, vip list, and supermodel. i will have to try these out sometime, i can't use them anytime soon because of a movie i'm an extra in wants us to look au naturale and they're not filming the scene until the first week of june filming in the last week of may. and i'd like to have more time to test the wear on them.

• after midnight: metalic navy blue
• super model: metallic medium purple
• vip list: metallic hot pink

left side, right side; top to bottom (swatched over ud original eye primer)

ebay: wet n wild nude awakening eyeshadow palette

1. a lot of people online were comparing this palette to the naked1 palette, and i see where they're coming from. i'm not going to do a pan-by-pan swatch fest of what seems to be dupes because you guys can go look up other peoples' posts on your own. if you'd like to see my comparison review of the urban decay naked palette and makeup academy undressed palette, click here.
2. shade comparisons:

browbone: it comes off more matte, but very similar to undressed shade 1 eyelid: ud sidecar crease: ud buck definer: undressed shade 8

browbone: ud toasted           eyelid: ud hustle           crease: ud gunmetal           definer: ud creep

3. impressions: both crease shadows are super buttery, just from initial swatching the word "crease" is practically gone! otherwise, this palette is amazing! the shadows are super pigmented and i'm extremely impressed. this is my first wet n wild palette.

quick & messy swatches!! no topcoat. thumb: no polish, pointer: trade winds (3 coats);
2 coats: middle: turquoise paradise, ring: in the cab-ana, pinky: eternal oceans

swatches: sea mist palette (over ud original eye primer), color whispers: ravishing pink & nude shimmer

various locations:

1. maybelline color whispers in nude shimmer and ravishing pink. if i'm able to get it, i'd like to also get sienna sands. on my lips (and in the tube), ravishing pink looks extremely close to lust for blush (permanent color whisper). i don't totally feel like it's worth going out of your way to look for, since it's limited edition.
2. maybelline colorshow nail polish in turquoise paradise
3. covergirl nail polish in eternal oceans...this looks like purple, but whatever. names.. it might be my new lsu go-to purple!
4. revlon colorstay nail polish in trade winds -- was part of a package i bought, it's an interesting nude/flesh color on me, like doll nails or something.
5. revlon colorstay eyeshadow palette in sea mist
6. essie in the cab-ana

*edit*: target acquired. i found sienna sands and i crave coral.

ebates*!!! i got another reward payment! woohoo! so i spent it on more mua! last time, i missed out on the dusk til dawn palette and i wanted more of their brushes (2x F2, 3x F6, 2x E3, 1x F4). and now through 6/4, they've got buy 3 for 2 on everything on their site! check it out!

sally's: wet brush & color club winter affair set (polishes don't have name labels >.<).

• first impressions: i'm really loving this brush. my biggest complaint about the tangle teezer is that you don't have the range of motion that you do with a normal brush. you can hold this brush facing forward or back, using it at different angles and it's not awkward. whereas, the tangle teezer can only be used and held a few different ways due to the range of motion in your wrist.

ulta: got my rewards points in the mail! i got 2 to redeem on my current favorite: macadamia natural oil healing oil treatment, and they sent out an email about a two week's supply of healthy sexy hair soy renewal treatment (which i got in the april ipsy bag and have yet to try, but--hello--free!), and i needed face scrubby to keep at the in-laws'. this is my favorite face scrubber for days that i'm not feelin' it for the clarisonic.

kellogs family rewards/april special k promotion: starting in april, you could pick up specially marked special k products and redeem their box codes for a nicole nail polish trio (3 codes for just red, or 8 for the set). their names are challenge red-y, be ama-zing! (pink), and pros & confidence (blue). despite how these smell a lot worse than most other polishes i own, they're very opaque after one coat with only minor streaking. can't wait to try them on myself!

beauty.com: they were having a deal, spend $20, get a free .5oz too faced primed and poreless. uhh yes please! so, to get free shipping i also got another eos shaving cream in pomegranate raspberry (you can also find them at target). but i wanted to get this pouch because we frequently go back and forth from our parents' houses and i wanted to have something to keep my beautyblender in, not in contact with anything and able to breathe/air dry. the air.port is a mesh pouch with a magnetic clasp and little charms on the side. it also comes packaged with a strip of plastic inside to help the pouch keep it's shape, so you could save it for times when you're not using the pouch. [beautyblender sponge sold separately; there is a dry white one pictured inside the pouch.]

*Affiliate Link.

may 2013 ipsy bag & impressions & notd (updated)

 

hey guys!! look what came in the mail today~! MAY IPSY BAG*!!! spring fling edition

i was really hoping to get the macadamia natural oil healing oil treatment because i love that stuff...but no. *sadface*

overall thoughts: ok to meh. yellow nail polish on an asian, hahahaha! honey (shade) concealer on a light/medium person? no! bronzing products for a homebody who tends to stay indoors all the time? ipsy "YouMatch" was more like a you-fail. ~Lin-chan ^.~

edit/update: they have finally made it available for you to retake your style quiz and my skintone answer from before was medium.............wtf. the interesting thing though, apparently the skintone you put on your style quiz is ultimatum (for your subscription/items), because my profile page says light. and honey is definitely not light. i still wish there was a way to tell them your favorite colors, because yellow polish is a no-no! ..well, maybe not neons.. =P also, i definitely had 'self-tanner' de-selected on my quiz. so why i got a body bronzing product: i have no idea. this bag, realistically, was more of a half fail, not a full-out one. i do like half of the items included.

1. mirabella shimmerati glimmer gloss in brilliant ruby red (6.4g--full size, ret. $24/$16 on sale now) -- this is by far the most bizarre yet interesting packaging ever. the cap does not twist off, you pull it off and it's quite stuck on there which is great for travel, but make sure you're holding it by the sides and not squeezing down on the product when you pull! the back of the package looks similar to the cap: solid plastic. on the front where the product is, it's the squishy clear plastic like any other squeeze tube gloss. so weird!! the applicator is similar to the tip on any squeeze tube lip gloss, angled with a hole in the center. this gloss feels great, not sticky, and balm-like. i'm a fairly neutral, sheer, or brownish lippie lover but this is a pretty flattering shimmery red. love it!
• likelihood to repurchase: yes
2. yaby cosmetics concealer refill in honey (3.5g--full size, ret. $4.85) -- this concealer, as i thought..honey, is a little too golden for me. coverage wise, it seems pretty good, light-medium. comes in a magnetically-attractive pan, so you could put it into a unii or z palette.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe; not this shade
• update: passed it off to T
3. zoya piaf (.5 fl oz--full size, ret. $8) -- pastel yellow with silver shimmer, from the lovely spring 2013 collection. while this color is probably flattering on other people, as a person of asian descent, yellow is the least flattering on my light skintone...
• likelihood to repurchase: yes, not this shade
• update: passed it off to T
4. pacifica island vanilla perfume roll-on (.33oz--full size, ret. $12) -- this smells great! i probably wouldn't have picked up on my own since i've been having really bad migraines lately, but i love this! i'm definitely a vanilla person. thank you for not sending me gardenia!
• likelihood to repurchase: probably
5. pacifica coconut crushed pearl bronzing body butter (2oz--mini, ret. $7) -- i'm not huge into tanning/bronzing products, but after testing this on my hand, it's not too bad, it looks nice. it's about 1-2 shades darker than i am so it looks natural, aside from the shimmery pearl mica in it. it smells good, like any coconut scented product would, but i probably won't repurchase because i'm not into looking tan.
• likelihood to repurchase: no
• update: passed it off to mom
6. $110 off code for nume hair styling tools and extensions + free thermal pouch
7. blue/orange ipsy bag -- while the bag is cute, it's not really spring-y to me.. material feels similar to a beach/summer tote bag, like the lightly padded, quick-drying kind....wait, yes!!! 80's - 90's sweatsuits that your extended family would always send you for christmas and it would make that annoying sound whenever it rubs together when you walk..that. -.- you know what i'm talking about. ~.~
8. card with company info/discount codes
1. mirabellabeauty.com: 50% off colour sheers: ipsy50 OR 30% off all else: ipsy30 (exp.5/31/13)
2. camerareadycosmetics.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsyluvsyabycc20 (exp. 6/10/13)
3. zoya.com/ipsy: buy 2 get 1 free + free 1oz remove+ & $5ship, code: ipsyz (exp.5/31/13)
4. pacificaperfume.com: 20% off purchase, code: beauty20 (exp. 5/31/13)
5. numeproducts.com/shop: 60% off any single product, code: ipsy60 (exp. 10/31/13)
6. sttropeztan.com: 20% off purchase, code: Ipsy20 (exp. 6/30/13)
7. macadamiahair.com: 30% off a 4.2oz healing oil treatment, code: ipsy30 (exp. 7/31/13)
8. juicebeauty.com/ipsy: 20% off of $30+ purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 6/15/13)
9. anastasia.net: (no offers)

approximate product value: $55.85 (gloss at regular price) or $47.85 (gloss at sale price)

swatches: honey concealer, coconut bronzing lotion, shimmerati glimmer gloss; 2 coats zoya piaf
(the concealer on the left in the top left corner is from theBalm in light, which is a perfect match for me)

zoya piaf: 2 coats, no topcoat

*Affiliate Link.