We're back with the Winter Edition of the Beauty Envy Bag! We've handpicked several of our beauty favorites that will help you make it through this winter season with some new goodies. The bag consists of all full-sized products to help meet your beauty needs. For those of you who may be new to our blogs, here's a quick introduction.

Lakeisha is a nail polish blogger from Florida. She is obsessed with polish, fashion, and merging the two together. She is the blogger behind Refined and Polished.

Latoya is a beauty blogger from the East Coast of Canada. While she loves all things girly, she's also a closet gamer and is a die-hard Walking Dead fan. She is the blogger behind Beauty Obsessed.

Leticia is a beauty blogger from the Pacific Northwest. She is a dog lover, sci fi nerd, handbag collector, and makeup junkie. She is the blogger behind Cosmetics Aficionado.

Lola is a Midwest blogger with a passion for polish, science, and music. She is the blogger behind Burb Beauty.

The Winter Edition of the Beauty Envy Bag contains:

• L'Occitane Hand Indulgence Hand Cream Set (Reviewed by Lola)


• Benefit's High Flyin' Glosses Collection (Reviewed by Latoya)


• Tarina Tarantino Emerald Pretty Eyeshadow Palette (Reviewed by Leticia)


• Butter LONDON Two Fingered Salute & Scallywag (Reviewed by Lakeisha)

Please feel free to click the links above to learn more about each product. Accompanying all of the items is a purple metallic beauty bag from Sephora and additional samples will be included as well.

Here is what you need to know to enter in the Rafflecopter widget below:

• Must leave a blog comment (just one blog, doesn't have to be all four) letting us know your favorite winter beauty product.


• Additional entries for following each blog on social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)


• Open internationally


• Must be 18+


• Giveaway closes on Monday January, 28 at 11:59 EST

Good luck dolls!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Barielle Elle's Spell, Layla Ceramic Effect 53, Deborah Lippmann Raspberry Beret

4 coats Elle's Spelle, 3 coats 53, 2 coats Raspberry Beret

I thought I'd start off the year with a Purge Wars post, since my one and only New Year's resolution is to take purging my stash more seriously. Hopefully it sticks because I'm running out of storage space!



Today, I've pitted different flakies with colored bases against each other. I also wanted to see if I could franken-layer to achieve a similar look.



First into the arena were Layla Ceramic Effect 52 and Nfu.Oh 51

Layla Ceramic Effect 52, Nfu.Oh 51

5 coats 51, 3 coats 52

The base colors of 51 and 52 are more similar than I anticipated. The biggest difference would be the opacity. I'd probably choose 52 to wear alone more often than 51 because I don't often have time for a 5 coat mani. I had no trouble applying either of these.



I used American Apparel African Violet as a base, and then layered Essie Shine of the Times and Milani Purple Neon for my franken layer. The purples I chose were too warm, and the flakie was too dense, but I do think it's possible to get close to 51 or 52 with a few corrections and maybe a coat of 230 or something similar. I think my next attempt will be more successful.



Battle Casualty: I'm keeping both of these because...just look at the pretty! Look at it!



Next up are Urban Outfitters Mystic and Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

Urban Outfitters Mystic, Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

3 coats Mystic, 3 coats Ray of Light

Mystic has larger flakes and its base more vibrant than Ray of Light. Mystic also looks a touch darker than Ray of Light, which is probably because it lacks that slightly dusty quality that Ray of Light has. The formula on both was a bit thick, so I thinned them both. No problems after than.



My franken-layer is a Revlon Royal base with Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure and American Apparel Moonlight Beach layered. I think Hidden Treasure was a better choice than Shine of the Times because it's less dense. I think I'd go for a darker jelly to achieve a more accurate look. Maybe Deborah Lippmann Rehab.



Battle casualty: Urban Outfitters Mystic. There's something missing here. Maybe some depth? Not sure, but I don't mind parting with it.





Is it bad that I prefer my franken layers over all of them, though? Maybe I'm just stroking me ego. :)



That's it for this round of Purge Wars. Stayed tuned for Battle of the Flakies 2:

They're more similar than you think

Considering I'm still on the fence about the liquid sands, I would say these two are my favorites from the collection.

2 coats OPI A Butterfly Moment, 1 coat OPI Pink Yet Lavender

2 coats OPI A Butterfly Moment, 1 coat OPI Pink Yet Lavender

Barielle Elle's Spell, Layla CE 53, Lippmann Sweet Dreams, Raspberry Beret

In my head, I was sure Elle's Spell and 53 would be closer than this, but ES appears to have a much deeper base. I still think those two are worth a swatch comp, though. Sweet Dreams and Raspberry Beret are both pink, so there's that.

Layla CE 52, Nfu.Oh 51

In the bottle, 52's base looks a lot more blue toned than 51. 51 also has shimmer than 52 lacks. These two will definitely be swatch comp'd soon!

I am officially obsessed. L'Occitane en Provence hand creams are by far the best I've encountered. Ever since getting my first tube a few months ago, they have been a staple for me. I love the small 1 oz tubes for my car, purse, gym bag, desk...and so on. They're also perfect for gifting. Who doesn't need an effective hand cream in the winter?






The Sephora exclusive Hand Indulgence set includes three 1oz tubes of L'Occitane's 20% Shea butter hand cremes. The scents are Date Bouquet, Mango Flower, and Rose Flower. I love them all because they're not overbearing, but they do linger for a bit. These absorb super quickly and leave my hands feeling soft and moisturized for hours.



There are two formulations of the hand creme - regular and Shea. The Shea creams are thicker and last longer on my hands, but the regular formulation is great too.

Regular vs. Shea texture

Here's a comparison of Pivoine Flora (a must have!) and Shea butter hand creams. Hopefully you can see the difference in texture.



L'Occitane Hand Indulgence set retails for $28 and is available at Sephora.com.