Elegant Elite Blog

A beauty and style blog for elegant people about elite products.

Author: Anna

  • Fab Fit Fun Subscription Box 2nd Box

    This is actually my second box I’ve gotten from Fab Fit Fun, but the first one was so disappointing not only did I not post anything about it, but I also canceled my subscription after just one box. However, their customer service team contacted me to tell me that the second box had already been shipped but I could get a refund if I wanted. I told them that I was willing to wait and see what is in the second box, and if it contained good stuff, I would consider re-subscribing. I have to admit that the second box was MUCH better than the first, but I still don’t know if I’m impressed enough to re-subscribe. My first box had a small Skintimate shave gel sample, yoga socks, fancy sunscreen, a strange gel face peel, and popped chips. I think there may have been one or two more small things, but they were obviously not memorable. This second box not only had better samples, but better sized samples. However, they sent a candle, and even though it was one of my favorite items in the box, it broke and there was glass everywhere in the box!!

    So here’s what I got in my second Fab Fit Fun box:

    • A silver Half United necklace that gives 7 meals to hungry children
    • A Daniel Stone red currant candle
    • Juice Beauty green apple peel in sensitive
    • Tibetan Goji Berry advanced anti-aging eye serum with retinol
    • Two Swedish Beauty eye shadows in Swedish winter and brown hypnotic
    • AHA hand crème with evening primrose
    • Fashion Project gift card for $30 of lightly pre-used clothing
    • Salted TV free membership for 3 months
    • Zumba workout DVD and gift card for $25
    • Justin’s Classic almond butter
    • Organic Valley organic balance milk protein shake
    • Special K snack bar in salted pretzel chocolate

    Now that I’ve listed it and looked at the grand total of what it would cost to buy full sizes of all these products at retail price ($383.59!), it does seem to be a lot for $50. The Daniel Stone candle smells so good! I broke all the glass and eventually got wax candle out from the broken class holder. I cut the old wick and lit the candle while it was on a tea plate. It smells wonderful! Juice Beauty is a brand that I have used before and I absolutely love the products that I have tried so far. I’m really excited to try this green apple peel! The Tibetan Goji Berry eye serum is a nice sized eye serum sample, and so far I like the tightening feel I get from just one application. It’s too early to tell if it actually reduces wrinkles or brightens like it claims it will, but the sixth ingredient in this serum is retinol. The Swedish Beauty eye shadows are fairly large for just being samples, and I love the colors. The AHA hand cream is a whopping 4 oz sample! It’s an extremely rich hand crème that smells a little chemically, but still has a nice rose perfume smell to make it feel luxurious.

    Fab Fit Fun does a great job at giving out samples that you won’t use. Fashion Project is a website that sells lightly used designer clothing and accessories and gives a portion of their profits to charity. It may be a great concept, I just don’t know how many people would buy used clothing especially if you can’t smell them first … ew. A free 3-month membership to Salted TV, which according to Fab Fit Fun is “like Netflix for cooking!” I will be giving this to my mother. However, I will probably be using the Zumba Beto’s maximum calorie burn DVD and $25 gift card. I just don’t know how long I’ll actually be working out during the DVD. But we’ll see, I do need to loose all that holiday weight, yuck.

    Fab Fit Fun also sends some random food items, and I mean random! Justin’s Classic almond butter is actually something I’ve gotten in a Birchbox before, so maybe they’re so far off from what people want. However, I didn’t really like it, but I’m an extremely picky eater. They also sent an ORGANIC milk protein shake without refrigeration. I know its winter, but my parents kept the box inside the house for a couple of days before I was able to pick it up and open it. I’m scared to open it, let alone drink it now. Finally, they sent a Special K snack bar in salted pretzel chocolate, and that was the best tasting product in the box.

    So that’s what I got in my second Fab Fit Fun subscription box. I’m not completely happy and I still don’t know if it’s worth $50 if you don’t end up using all the products.

  • Presents!!


    So, getting to the holiday party last night was disaster because of Santa Con and the protests happening in the city, but we eventually got there to see my brother and nephews and other relatives. While my nephews had fun playing with their Legos and remote control cars, my brother made latkes and we all ate and drank together. We very quickly exchanged gifts because it took me and my parents so long to get to my brother’s house. I received a $100 Open Table dining check from one brother, and a nice bottle of prosecco from another. I got a wonderful customized suede bag with my initials on it from Mark and Graham from my aunt Maria. I also got a Stila magnificent minerals foil eyeshadow from my Mother, who knows me too well. I love all my Hanukkah presents and had a great time at my brother’s party. I hope you will be inspired to try and eat a latke!

  • Holiday Party Makeup

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    Tonight I’m going to a family holiday party! I’m wearing a chunky warm sweater from Intermix, and regular jeans from Levis. My family’s parties are pretty casual, so I didn’t want to over do my makeup. I’m wearing blends of brown Mac eyeshadow and nude Narz eyeshadow. To make up for the bland colors, I used a bold cat eye to balance everything out and make my look Holiday Party ready!

  • Longchamp Le Pliage Losange


    This graphic Longchamp bag is a great everyday tote that stands out among the millions of Longchamp bags that are in New York. According to Longhcamp, this bag is inspired by the graphic patterns in the architecture of Paris. Longchamp specifically mentions the lozenge motif, which is am intricate diamond pattern, that is seen in the Place du Palais Royal, the Jardin des Tuileries, and the pyramid of the Louvre. Its obvious to see that Longchamp’s inspiration was used in a great way of combining ancient patterns and modern graphic style.

    Pyramid of the Louvre

    Photo Credit AllPosters.com

  • Sephora Lipstick Sample Bag


    I may have been doing some Instagramming, but I know I haven’t done a blog post in a long time, and I apologize. Anyway, as I was buying gifts for friends and family at Sephora (I will not be listing the gifts I bought for obvious reasons!) I used a coupon code for beauty insiders and spent some beauty reward points to get some sample packs for myself. There were tons of small samples in the Lipstick Sample Bag that I got with a coupon code for free! Two Clinique moisture surge face moisturizers, Fresh’s rose hydrating eye gel cream, Benefit’s the pore-fessional cream, Soap and Glory’s smoothie body buttercream, Ole Hendriksen’s pure truth youth activating oil, Dr. Jart+’s Beauty Balm, Smashbox’s photo finish makeup primer, Yu-Be’s moisturizing skin cream, Versace’s bright crystal perfume, and L’Occitane’s precious cream. That’s a lot of samples!!! Some of these I have used before and have mentioned previously, but I’m exited to try out the new products that I don’t already own. I also used my beauty reward points to get a L’Occitane 500 point reward pack that came with four deluxe samples and a cute pink cosmetic bag. The samples I got in the reward pack were Almond Firming and Softening Supple Skin Oil, Cleansing and Softening Shower Oil with Almond Oil, Immortelle Precious Cream, and Shea Butter Hand Cream. In addition to all those samples, whenever you purchase anything from Sephora.com, you get to choose three samples that come free. No code needed, and you don’t need to be a beauty insider. The three samples I chose where: Juicy Couture’s Viva La Juicy Noir perfume, Hanae Mori’s Butterfly perfume, and I also got a sample of The Art Of Shaving’s Perfect Shave Trio for my boyfriend.

  • Steam Facial

    Everyone enjoys a steamy hot shower, but did you know that steam can be used to detox and cleanse? Steam rooms have been around for centuries, and the ancient Greeks knew the benefits of detox sweating in a steam room. Steam facials and facials in general can get pretty expensive. That’s why I’ve actually never had a professional facial, so be mindful that I don’t have any experience to compare this to.

    Some people like to use the old “tried and true” method of heating up filtered water until its steaming, filling a large bowl with the steaming water, and then putting a towel over your head to collect the steam over your face. But I find that method to be not only primitive but also really really hot. Because a towel is made from thick material, and when the steam collects under it I tend to over heat very quickly. I can never get a good facial because I can’t stay under the towel for a long enough period of time.

    I prefer to use a Conair Facial Sauna System to steam my face. It has an open top area where the steam can escape so you don’t get too hot. I also like to use it when I have a severe sinus infection and I need to unclog my sinuses. It comes with a facial brush, but don’t get excited, it is an extremely underpowered device that does very little to clean your face.

    Simple Instructions for Face Steaming:

    1. Make sure that your Facial Sauna (or bowl) is clean and filled with filtered water. Impurities from your device may cause unwanted bacteria to collect on your face during your facial.
    2. This next step may seem obvious, but it’s important. Clean your face of all makeup and wash your face. Really make sure your face is free of all dirt and debris. Steam opens up your pores and if you do not clean your face beforehand the dirt can get seep deeper into your pores and create bigger problems.
    3. Now, steam your face for 5-7 minutes. Make sure the steam is comfortable and not too hot on your face, you don’t want to burn yourself! Don’t over do it because you are going to steam your face again.
    4. Next, use a gentle exfoliator to really clean deep into your pores. I recommend Kate Somerville’s Gentle Exfoliating Treatment. You can use a gentle massaging motion, but that is not highly recommended for highly acne-prone skin. But remember, over exfoliation is extremely damaging to your skin! If you are scared of over exfoliating, then you might want to consider using a mud mask during this step. Don’t forget to use a mud mask that removes dirt and oil and detoxifies your face. I recommend Boscia’s Luminizing Black Mask.
    5. After exfoliating, steam your face again for 3-5 minutes to make sure all the dirt has come out of your pores.
    6. Then, wash your face with lukewarm or ideal cool water. This temperature change from hot to cold will seal your pores and prevent dirt from reentering after your facial.
    7. Finally, make sure to use an oil free moisturizer on your face. The purpose of an exfoliator is to remove dirt and dead skin from your face. When you do that, you leave your skin stripped of essential oils and you must use a moisturizer after every exfoliation.

  • Festival Makeup

    First off, I have to say that I am extremely apologetic for my long hiatus in blogging. I have been working on this huge project for my job called Photoville, which is a photo festival in Brooklyn that turns shipping containers into photography galleries. But this post is not about Photoville (even though its an awesome even and you should go next year!), this post is about the products I used during Photoville to keep myself looking fresh and feeling clean. These are the products I would recommend for anyone attending an outdoor festival or possibly traveling during the summer.

    Photoville is an outdoor event with some pretty warm days, and then include running around like crazy therefore I ended up sweating a little bit. It’s inevitable, just accept it and deal with it and move on. I like to use body wipes during the day to wipe sweat off and keep my clothes from smelling. I prefer to use Ban Cooling Cloths because they have a nice cooling sensation that is relieving during very hot weather and they have a nice scent. However, they don’t come in nice travel-sized individual packets so I sometimes use Crystal Body Deodorant Towelettes, Solos.

    I know everyone tries not to wear making up those really hot and sweaty events, like a music festival. But come on girls, we all do a little bit! When it’s hot out, I like to use Murad Skin Clearing Concealer. It helps keep my skin clear if I do end up sweating with makeup on. I also try to use lighter makeup, like Becca Blotting Powder Perfecter. It’s a lite, oil free, blotting powder that has shear coverage that you can reapply throughout the day if needed.

  • LORAC Twitter Prizes!

    After retweeting a LORAC Cosmetics tweet on July 25, I received a message from LORAC saying that I was their twitter winner! After emailing them my skin tone preferences and mailing address, I received a FREE Pro Brow Pencil and Double Feature Concealer / Highlighter! OMG! My parents went away for two weeks and they are the only ones who have the mail key so it took me forever to finally get the package, but I got them!

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