Tag Archives: subscription boxes

Jun16

Boxycharm | June 2014

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I’ve received half of my boxes. It’s halfway through the month. I’ve written one review so far. Pretty sure there’s a math equation in there for all you geniuses out there. If so, I’m almost certain the answer is I’M BEHIND ONCE AGAIN. Well, pffft.

Here’s my Boxycharm goods:

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I’m var var happy this month!  Even though there is an un-favorite in the box, the good far outweighs the bad.  And even the bad isn’t that bad.  I mean, I don’t love it as a genre, but it’s the best one they could’ve sent so I’m alright with it.  What am I going on about?  The suspense, the suspense!

I’ll start with the good stuff.  First item is the Revlon Bold Lacquer mascara.  Y’all know I love me some mascara.  I’ll just go ahead and throw out the fact that I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to purchasing mascara. I don’t get excited about anything drugstore.  I’m not saying there isn’t any amazing drugstore mascaras, so hold onto your wet noodles please.  I just enjoy collecting high end mascara.  It’s my thing.  So getting this Revlon mascara wasn’t the most exciting thing to ever happen, but it’s always fun to try things I know I’d never buy for myself.

The brush is nice and fluffy so it coated my lashes pretty good.  I wouldn’t say it was spectacular or anything, but it’s hard to make me happy when it comes to my eyelashes.  As you all know (if you’ve been reading my blog, and if you haven’t, something is clearly wrong with you), my eyelashes are teeny tiny in their natural state.  It takes a lot of doing for a mascara to work on me.  So no hard feelings, Revlon.  I is who I is.

I got two products from Tarina Tarantino which is an actual, true exciting thing.  I didn’t own anything from this brand, but now I do, so life = succeeded right about now, and I can get back into my pajamas and do nothing forever.

Well, sounds good anyway.

I haven’t tried the Eye Dream Hyperliner eyeliner yet, but I will at some point this week.  I got a pretty blue color, which is fine but I do already have like 3 or 4 other royal blue eyeliners.  That part sucks a little, as I saw on their website they have several other color choices.  I could use a pretty copper or a vibrant green.  Or I could just zip my lip and be grateful this isn’t a perfume sample, which we all know how much I do not love.

The other one is the Eye Dream Hyperlight highlighter.  This is a brush-style universal highlighter in a really pretty pinky peach.  I’ve used this twice so far, and I do like it.  It does help cover up my dark circles.  Not completely, mind you, because I’ve yet to experience that miracle, but it does the best it can.  Which at this point is all I can really hope for.  Can’t say I will use it every single day because that’s adding an extra step to my already 27-step morning process, but it’ll probably be thrown in the weekend batch.

Also, for you girls that have deep skin tones, I was reading a review on the Tarina Tarantino website that said it is an honest to God universal shade for ALL skin tones.  I have not seen this claim in person with my eyes, but just wanted to FYI you anyway.

Got another Tarte cheek stain in a really beautiful pink color called Blushing Bride.  Luckily that is not the shade I already own, which tends to be my luck nowadays.  I like these cheek stains; they’re pretty easy to apply.  I dab my Real Techniques stippling brush over the top of the stain then tap and swirl on my cheeks like a professional.  And then, BAM!  Supermodel.  I highly recommend these to everyone, especially if you are a beginner cream blush user.

Last product in the box is the poo.  Although it’s not a real bad poo.  It’s nail polish, which most of the time I do not want.  However, when they send me a pretty season-appropriate color, I can accept it but with only half a smile.  I mean, it’s still nail polish, and I still do not love.  Anyway.  Got the StrangeBeautiful duo in a pale gold and a blue grey.  These looked so beautiful in their little bottles, especially the blue grey.

I’ve been holding onto this spa gift card my daughter got me for my birthday last year, and when I say hold onto, I mean forgot about.  I was feeling like a total horrible mother cuz everytime my daughter got in my car she’d see the gift card sitting in the cubby hole and she’d give me that look.  That cubby hole is storage for those things you mean to get to later.  Like a coupon for a bucket of soda for 99 cents.  My granddaughter’s pacifier that she spit out onto the dirty floorboard.  And a dentist appointment card from 2012.

It wasn’t that I didn’t love or appreciate the gift card, it’s that I’m a really horrible appointment maker.  I reminded myself countless times these past 10 months to call the spa, call the spa.  And then I never would call the spa.  I went to bed on Friday night with the thought I’d finally call the spa on Saturday to see if they had any spots available for a mani and pedi.  Not a spot in the future, but a spot that day.  Again, not an appointment maker.  Procrastinator, very much so.

Luckily, the spa had time to see me, and at the very last second I had the notion to bring my new blue grey polish with me for them to use.  And while the toe picture is up on Instagram, here is the finger picture in all it’s lovely glory:

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See, that’s just pretty.  Even an anti-nail polish person like me can appreciate this.  Of course, this may be the only time I’ll ever wear it, but that’s beside the point.

Great, great box this month, Boxycharm.  This may be the best one they’ve ever sent.  I love it when that happens, don’t you?  Subscription = justified.  I may proceed with life.

Jun13

Blush Mystery Beauty Box | June 2014

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First box of the month y’all, and it’s a good one! I love starting out my month of boxes on a high note. Add that to the euphoria of being at the front end of all my deliveries, and I’m simply beside myself. I don’t even know how I manage to sit still and be normal.

Here’s what I got:

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You may be thinking to yourself, so?, if you look to the right of the NYX eyeshadow. That’s exactly what I said. But I was so impressed with the sheer size and thoughtfulness of the palette, that I quickly forgot about everything else. So yes, awesome box even though I only really liked one thing in it. Logic only I can understand; don’t even bother.

So this NYX palette is called Be Free.  It includes 25 eyeshadows (hooray!), 3 blushes (yasss!), and 7 lipglosses (boo; snore).  Palettes are my weakness.  I see one and I barely take notice of my own breathing for about 30 seconds.  I have an extraordinary collection stashed under my bathroom sink and more in a basket on the back of the toilet (you know, the proper place to store your palettes).  And yet, I still need more.  I may never get over my palette addiction.

I’ve used several of the eyeshadows and they are quite good.  I didn’t have any pigmentation issues, blending took little to no effort.  I’m var var pleased.  As for the blushes, there is a bronze-y one in the center, and then two pinks that almost look exactly alike. They could’ve used a tweak in that department, but I’m not in charge of NYX unfortunately.  Lastly, the lipglosses.  They’re just okay.  I don’t prefer digging lipgloss out of a pan like that.  I used a couple and they’re pretty sheer.  Not saying I won’t continue to use them, but they will definitely be layered over a lipstick at the very least.

Well I said I only liked the palette in the box, but that’s not technically true.  I love cleansers too.  This DermaNew cleanser is a new-to-me brand and it seems to be full-size.  For the sake of this review, I went ahead and sampled it last night even though there are 3 other cleansers ahead of it.  I am a professional; we’ve discussed this.  Anyway, I really did like this.  It was definitely creamy and it “sticks” to your skin as your applying it instead of feeling loose and drippy.  Am I making any sense?  I hope so.  However, after wiping it off I did feel a little tightness in my face, and not in a facelift sort of way.  So it may be slightly drying.  Or I could be assuming horrible things and should use the product more than once before I say something hideous.  But also, I’m having an oily t-zone issue, so I was fine with any drying it may be doing.

And now for an enormous amount of hair products.  Why this happened, I have no idea.  Whoever is in charge of VARIETY needs a stern talking to.  In the meantime, I have these three things:

A glossing serum from Phyto.  This claims to be an anti-frizz leave-in serum that will make my dry, dull hair come to life.  So I tested that theory.  I used a few drops mainly on my spiky ends after washing last night.  The feel of this was surprisingly less greasy than other oil products.  I say that as if I know it’s made of oil, but honestly I have no idea.  Regardless, it was quite light and I sort of liked it.

I used this in conjunction with the other item I got, the Alterna Caviar Seasilk Oil Gel.  This product is also an anti-frizz treatment, but I applied it on the rest of my hair (not the ends).  I may have done this wrong.  I may have applied two products that do the exact same thing.  But even so, this purple gel looks so stunning sitting on my bathroom counter that it doesn’t even matter.  It may end up more of a decoration piece anyway.  I already have a drawer full of other stuff to use.

However, I will say that my hair is very sleek and soft today.  I was reading the intended use of the Alterna, and while I didn’t necessarily do it wrong, it did say it provided a lightweight hold for styling.  Which doesn’t do a damn bit of good if you go straight to bed after using this.  Ah well.  Still looks stunning on my bathroom counter though!  There will always be that.

Last item I got was a repeat – the Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair hair mask.  I’m not opposed to this item, but I already have two large mask products and one of them – Carol’s Daughter – works amazing and smells insane.  So I can either put the Briogeo under my bathroom sink for the future or I can be the best daughter in the world and it give to my mother.  Probably going to go with the latter because I may not have a Bachelor’s Degree like the other daughter, but I have a free hair mask to bequeath and that’s virtually the same thing in terms of proud factor.  Pretty sure, anyway.

That’s it for today.

Jun2

Beauty DNA | May 2014

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Last box of the month. All in time for my new June boxes to start arriving. My job is never done people. NEVER.

Here’s what came in my Beauty DNA box:

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I got two products instead of the usual one so that surprised me. It’s a lip and eye theme, which also surprised me cuz the product categories are skin, hair and body. I was expecting body this month, so maybe this is their interpretation? Well, regardless, I’m very happy with what I got.

The Avene Cold Cream Lip Balm seems like a pretty standard, verging on boring, product. And while that may be somewhat true, I’m good with it cuz I like to put on plain balms in the evening. And if it’ll help cure my daily flaky lip bits, then I’m all for it. It’s also made in France, which means it’s ultra fancy.

The other item is a mascara by RevitaLash. I love my mascaras so always happy to try new ones. I don’t believe this one is supposed to help your lashes grow or anything – they have a separate serum for that – but it did a great job with fanning out my lashes and making them look long and lush. It’s a keeper, which is good cuz I had an empty mascara hole that needed filled. I ended up tossing a couple over the weekend cuz I just didn’t like them – a Becca one, which had a very dry formula and made my lashes crunchy, and a theBalm one which had a very wet formula that did nothing for me.

I encourage all of you to check out Beauty DNA. I think it’s an awesome subscription box. Out of the three boxes they’ve sent me so far, I’ve loved three of them. If you’re good at math, you’d already know that’s 100%.

Time to go! More fun things tomorrow. Got a beauty haul to share.

Jun1

Glossybox | May 2014

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It’s June 1 and that can mean only one thing: I failed to get all my reviews in before the end of May. I suck so bad. In my defense, I watched two movies on Video on Demand (Gravity and Her), plus went grocery shopping. So as you can see, my day was var var busy.

In that case, all is forgiven.

Here is what came in my Glossybox:

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This was a highly anticipated box. They teamed up with Bergdorf Goodman and touted this as a super luxurious box. And while I can’t say expectation and reality was completely in sync, I do feel that it was pretty awesome.

First product is a cleanser from Iluminage. I’m all for receiving cleansers, as I know I’ll use it regardless what kind it is. So it’s a pretty safe bet. I haven’t used this one yet but it’s up soon. The description says it’s luxuriously creamy, and I love both those things. I’ll keep you posted on if that’s actually true.

This next thing is the most expensive item I’ve ever received in any box. It’s the ReVive Intensite Volumizing Eye Serum. Full size of this stuff is a whopping $350. I other words, hope I don’t love it! The claims of this product is to fill out the hollows of the eye, and diminish dark circles, under-eye bags, and crepiness. I’ve been using it for a few days now, and I’m not sure if it’s fact or psychological brain trickery, but I’d swear my eye lines are less apparent. Not sure if it’s supposed to be an immediate result or not, but I’m almost certain I notice a difference. But then again, for $350 I dadgum better.

Then I got another eye cream which I thought was slightly redundant. It’s the Lancer Eye Contour Lifting Cream and it pretty much does the same thing as the other one but for only $95 instead. I have no idea if it works just as well but I’ll find out as soon as I’ve used up the ReVive. This one says it’s ultra-rich so it may be a thicker cream versus the thin ReVive serum. But I’ll let you know in a future empties post. You’re so excited, I can tell.

I own a lot of foundation primers, but I’m always excited to try a new one. The Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot primer is one I do not own and was so happy to get. Yes, a $45 product got me more excited than the $350 one.

Texture is a big thing with me, especially with primers. This one is more creamy than silicone-y, and once applied it made my skin feel very smooth and soft. That hooked me right there. I almost want to go out and buy it without even finishing the sample, all while hoarding about 15 other primers that need used up. I’m that impressed. So yeah, I’m probably gonna do that very soon. Once I get the idea, it’s very hard to ignore myself.

I did get some perfume, which I am very bored by. But it’s also by Atelier so I’m gonna keep it. I make no sense sometimes. The scent is Rose Anonyme and it’s $80 for 1 ounce. Also it’s made in France, where all fancy things come from. The top notes are bergamot, ginger and Turkish rose. I don’t know what any of that means, but figured somebody out there might appreciate a description. All I know is that it smells alright. And coming from a non-perfume lover like me, that’s high praise. For real, you shouldn’t even listen to me if you love perfume cuz I’m honestly no help whatsoever.

And then there was a repeat. Got another tube of Alterna CC cream for hair. I’m giving it to my mom, not because I didn’t like it but because I don’t feel like sampling it again. Hair products are probably my least favorite things to receive cuz my repertoire consists of zero products of any kind. I use no mousse, gel, hairspray, wax, texturizer – none of it. And somehow still manage to make hair magic every morning. I dunno. Just lucky I guess.

Last thing, and definitely my favorite in the entire box is the $25 gift card to Bergdorf Goodman. This is a no strings attached gift card. I didn’t even have to join an email blast. So instead of buying something for free, I decided to apply it towards something really expensive so I could get a $25 discount. Don’t argue with my logic.

Any day now, I’ll be receiving my brand new Tom Ford eyeshadow quad. I’m so happy, I could just about pee my pants. Look for it coming up in a future post. Again, you’re thrilled.

Okay, time to go. It’s Skincare Sunday so I have so pampering to get to. Ciao!

May30

Petit Vour | May 2014

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This morning was stupid. I spent an extraordinary amount of time trying to get my liquid eyeliner just perfect. You know how hard that is when aiming for symmetry? I did right eye which was fine. Then left eye had a wonky bit that I was trying to even out. So I had to go back to the right eye to match the thickness of the left eye. Then it went all to hell.

In short, I was late to work. Blah.

In better news, Petit Vour sent me this:

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I love 3 out of 4 products. That’s good stats. Let’s start with the poo and end on a high note. The Harvey Prince Hello perfume. I don’t like perfume. Doesn’t even matter that this perfume captures the scent of summer perfectly. Lemon, grapefruit, floral notes, vanilla. Doesn’t matter that it invokes a feeling of sunshine and happiness. I just don’t care much for perfume. But you might care, so I’m letting you know this smells like blue skies, gentle breezes, and smiling faces. Are you fully informed now? Yes? My job is done.

I was watching a YouTube video no more than 2 minutes before opening this box. One of my gurus was talking about his top 10 must have products. And one of them was the Paula’s Choice C15 Super Booster. I thought to myself, well I need THAT immediately. Cuz that’s how I purchase about 97.83749% of the things I own – by sheer influence.

Anyway, I finish the video then open the box, and would you believe the C15 Super Booster is in there?! Like magic or voodoo. Or conjuring. Whatever the case, I own it now and I’m very excited. Apparently it’s an anti-aging superhero that takes care of brown spots and wrinkles. Plus, reviews are glowing; 4.5 out of 5 stars. Can’t get better than that! Well, I suppose 5 stars would be better, but you know there’s always a ruiner in the bunch that gives it a 3 cuz it costs too much money or something equally as trivial. If it replaces my old face with a new one, the cost is a point rendered moot.

Got a pretty red lipgloss from Aromi. I love red lipgloss. It’s my favorite way to wear red without feeling prostitute-y. The color of this one is very lovely. It’s not sticky, and has a great sweet smell. Bad side is that it gathered in my flakey lip bits. Not sure if it’s Aromi’s formula or if any lipgloss would’ve done that. But regardless, I love the lipgloss and I’ll use it for sure.

Last product is a grapefruit and bergamot hand cream from Deep Steep. This tube is yellow. I love the color yellow. You could be selling slug trail but if you put it in a yellow tube I’d probably buy it. Aside from that the smell is glorious. You know how when you were a kid, and your mama would pour you a bowl of Trix cereal? The smell of that cereal is undeniable. Deep Steep has captured it in this hand cream. Probably not on purpose. But it smells good, so it all worked out.

Short and sweet for your Friday! Enjoy your weekend y’all. I’ll be back tomorrow for more fun stuff!

May29

Love Lula | May 2014

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Back a few months ago while scrolling through Instagram at 3 a.m., I stumbled across a picture of the Love Lula beauty box.  It comes from England.  For one, the internet needs to be shut down in the middle of the night because it becomes a very very dangerous place.  And two, I should stop thinking everything from England is adorable cuz before you know it, I’m buying a pre-paid three months subscription without a second blink.

I’m helpless, not gonna lie.

So here is my very last box:

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Yes, two pictures because I was bathing when I unboxed it and left the packet of lotion on the edge of the tub.  Really shouldn’t multitask.  I did another unboxing in the bath tub last night, and I ended up fishing paper confetti out of the water for about 15 minutes.  Bath time is lazy time; I should know better.

Anyway, the products.  I got some shampoo and conditioner by Swell.  Apparently it’s part of a 3-step system, but I was unaware of what the 3rd step was as they’d only sent 1 and 2.  Why would you leave out the 3rd book in a trilogy?  How are you supposed to know how the story ends?  Who will Katniss choose, Peeta or Gale?  You get my point now.  My life is hanging in the balance now that I’ve shampooed and conditioned but didn’t do whatever else I needed to do in order to complete the circle.

Of course I look it up.  Step 3 is a root nutriet complex.  You spray it on your roots.  I don’t want that.  I’ve had bad luck with root things.  Most specifically in the sticky-up hair, dirty film left behind kind of way.  Maybe this one doesn’t do that, but I can’t be bothered about it now.  I freaked out for nothing.  Oh well.  Carry on.

An itty bitty Jane Iredale lip and cheek stain is next.  These samples are so funny, because if we say sample, by God you get a sample!  But in all honesty, I’ve never been that in love with a lipstick where I feel I need an enormous tube of it.  So I’m perfectly fine with this baby size.  Only problem is if I throw it in my purse, I may never find it again.  As for the color, it’s one of those self-adusting pink shades.  I’m not a huge fan of this style, but I will say this yields the prettiest pink I’ve ever had.  And the texture is very moisturizing and soft.  I like it y’all!

Speaking of teeny tiny samples, look at those two PAI skincare ones.  We’re on a roll now, aren’t we?  Both of these are thick, almost solid consistencies that melt into your hands as you rub them together.  I liked that aspect very much.  The cleanser lasted two rounds – and what can I say about a cleanser other than the texture and its function? – but the day cream is still going strong about five rounds in.  You need a small amount because once it melts it spreads pretty good.  And as the product starts to sink into your skin, it leaves behind a lovely velvet softness.  I think I have about one more use left, which actually makes me a little sad.  As sad as empty moisturizer can make me, that is.  Cuz y’all know how much I love throwing things away.  (Var var much.)

Another one of those boring things: nail polish remover.  This time it’s the Fresh Therapies version.  I got a wipe pouch, and then also a vial of the liquid remover.  The vial did not survive intact on its merry ol’ jaunt from England.  Not to worry, nothing leaked, but it did separate itself from the little booklet it was strapped to, and I couldn’t trouble myself with fixing it for a picture.  Which is why it’s not shown.  Another example of my incredible laziness, as just sitting the vial down next to the wipe packet poses too much of an exertion issue.  No wonder I’ve gained 10 pounds in a year.

Last item is a packet of John Masters Organics body milk in the Blood Orange & Vanilla scent.  Now THIS is the smell I’ve been looking for.  It smells what I imagine Heaven to smell like – orange dreamsicle ice cream.  I actually would have appreciated a deluxe sample of this instead of a one-time-use.  Now if it smelled like anything else un-food-related, I would’ve taken a nap right in front of it.  You see how I operate now?  Here’s an easy equation for you:  Food = good; other = hideous.  Works in almost any situation.

Now that my 3-month subscription is over, I debated on whether to sign up again.  Sadly (well, depending who you ask), I have opted not to.  There was some shipping issues with this box (March never came so they sent it again, but then I got 2 April boxes and still no March), and issues of any kind stress me the ef out.  So I’m gonna end it here.  If that doesn’t prove right there what a responsible human being I am, I don’t know what will.

Let’s celebrate at Sephora!

May29

Boxycharm | May 2014

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Do you know how when you are eating peanut M&Ms, and one rolls out of your fingers on its way to your mouth and you try to catch it about a billion times before it plunges to its sad little death in the exact spot where you keep your dirty high heel bottoms for 9 hours everyday?

Well that happened to me today.  It was the most exercise I’ve gotten in quite awhile.

Anyway, here’s my Boxycharm box:

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Kind of liking it.  I will use everything, so that’s a plus.  Let’s review.

The Illume hand creme has such pretty packaging, and that is primarily the only reason why I love it.  Cuz seriously, if you think about it, hand lotion is kind of boring.  One tube lasts for eons and eons.  So unless you’re a habitual lotion user, you will own this tube for 15 years.  They sent me the Thai Lily scent, and it smells pretty good.  Although I saw on their site they also have a coconut mango – I would have loved that scent more.  Food smells get me everytime.  Floral scents come in second place, and then random inanimate object scents (like Desert Oasis or Cool Breeze – because none of that has a smell) are dead last.  In fact, you will never see me in Yankee Candle buying a pack of Morning Dew tealights.  Because what does morning dew smell like?  Nothing.  It smells like nothing.

One thing I wasn’t particularly thrilled to get was the Ferro Cosmetic pink “Fabuki” brush.  Is that a gimmicky name or am I being an asshole?  Well, regardless, someone in the marketing meeting came up with the genius idea to name this pink Kabuki a Fabuki most likely because it is “fabulous” and everyone needs to know immediately.  Okay, yes, I’m being an asshole.

Having said all that, it is very soft and I will find a use for it.  I applied some powder on my face over the weekend and I liked the texture very much.  Probably won’t announce to my friends that I own a “Fabuki” brush, but whatever.

Got a lipstick from Mirabelle, and it is purple.  Okay, technically it’s more of a magenta, but man is it bright.  I wore it to work last week, and I was very self conscious all day.  The color, although not red, might as well be red.  It is super obvious and verging on prostitute-y.  Can’t say I don’t love it, though, but I’ll probably only pull this one out for special events.  However, can’t say I have very many special events occuring in my life.  So either I’ll own this tube for 15 years (along with the hand lotion), or I’m wearing purple lipstick to your baby shower.

Just sayin.

And now for one of those products you know you need but do not enjoy getting as a gift:  nail polish remover.  They’re like the socks-for-Christmas of the makeup world.  I got mine in the form of Lauren B. Beauty nail wipes.  There really isn’t a whole lot to say here.  They remove your nail polish.  Am I missing any other pertinent info?  Let’s see: they wipe away your nail polish, they get rid of your nail polish, you use them to take off your nail polish.  Yep, covered everything.  Moving right along.

Last item in the box are two pouches of hair conditioning treatment cream from Novex.  They sent me the Argan oil version as well as the olive oil one.  I used the Argan pouch a few days ago because I was feeling like my hair needed a little TLC.  The instructions said to leave this on your hair for 25 minutes using a shower cap.  25 minutes?!  That’s a whole lotta lookin ridiculous if you ask me.  But I was a good kid and did as I was told.  Was it worth it?  Wellllllll … it didn’t make my hair fall out or anything, so that’s always a bonus.  Did I have ultra luxurious supermodel wind machine hair?  Not quite.  Still was frizzy as hell once I dried it.  My hair is stupid.  I give up.

Actually, if I would just stop all the shenanigans and go back to my Carol’s Daughter hair mask instead, everything will work itself out.  Cuz that stuff is legit.

I’m done for now.  Except I just remembered I subscribe to approximately a billion boxes, and I forgot one.   So instead of having just 3 more to review, I now have 4.  Not complaining, but this is hard work guys.  Like SO. HARD.   Let’s do a nap.

May27

Birchbox | May 2014

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It’s always rough to go back to work after a 3-day weekend.  It’s hard to not sleep late, wear pajamas, watch reality tv, eat bean dip on the sofa.  But I pulled through and made it somehow.  My perseverence is quite inspiring.

So here is my Birchbox:

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This box was alright.  Nothing mindblowing, but for $10 I suppose I should just hush.  Let’s just say I’ve had better boxes.  Thankfully, though, they’re not sending me tea packets anymore.  If you are having bad month after bad month, go take a peek at your profile and see if there is something on there that isn’t right.  It will definitely help.

Speaking of profiles, I told Birchbox my hair was wavy.  Which is true.  In its natural state, my hair is wavy.  Or lumpy, if you want to get more accurate.  Wavy sounds way more flowing and luxurious than the reality.  In any case, having wavy hair does not mean I keep it wavy.  I straighten the life out of it.  If I didn’t it would be a lumpy frizzy mess and about zero attractive.  However, Birchbox did not know that, so technically I can’t get pissy cuz they sent me a pouch of Miss Jessie’s Quick Curls spiraling creme.  Re-gifted!  Next.

Another sunscreen.  I suppose it is the season for it, but man it’s just so booooring.  This time I got the Supergoop version.  I threw it in my bathroom drawer along with the Hang Ten I got from Ipsy.  At some point I’ll probably use it.  I just don’t go outside for any extended period of time.  Outside is where sweat, humidity, and mosquitos live.  And sometimes there is green lake water, and I’m not doing that either.  I’ve always been that way though, even from childhood.  I remember going camping with my family where I spent an entire afternoon sitting in my dad’s truck reading a book.  That’s not a typo: an entire afternoon.  I am very good company for myself.

Next item is something I will definitely use, the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer.  They come in different colors depending on your skin issue, but I got the clear one.  It has a very silicone-y texture, goes on very smooth.  Feels a little oily at first, but it disappears pretty quick.  And unless it’s some sort of psychological brain trickery, it very well may be holding down my t-zone oil a bit.  Which is very exciting because now that the weather is warm and humid, I’ve traded my dry patches for oil slicks.  And all the lotions and potions I’ve purchased for dry skin has all been rendered moot.  That’s not an expensive annoyance or anything.  Nope, NOT. AT. ALL.

I’ve always wanted to own something from Laqa & Co., and finally my dreams came true.  Received the Lip Lube crayon in the color Coral.  Description says it’s a sheer lip balm that will fill in your unsightly lines.  Well, if that’s the case, then mine is broken.  In fact, if my lips aren’t positively exfoliated to the nth degree, this lip balm will put a big o’ spotlight right on it.  All my scraggly lip bits on full display.  No thank you.  But I wanted to give it a fair shot today, so I scrubbed my lips last night before bed, and things felt pretty nice this morning.  Applied the lip lube, and I no more than walked out of my bathroom and got into my car when I noticed my lip lube color had already worn away.  I mean sure, it’s sheer, but good lord.  Needless to say, I’m probably not going to be using this much.  However, most people on Birchbox seem to like this thing, so apparently I’m an idiot.

Last product in the box is a body balm by Perlier.  I always get nervous around body butters.  I’ve had good ones like Josie Maran and bad ones like that one Petit Vour sent me that had the texture of glue.  I took a bath last night, and instead of using what I’d been using for the past few weeks, thought I’d take a risk and give this one a shot.  And luckily, it was nice!  Was not sticky, absorbed pretty quick, and had a sweet almond scent that wasn’t delicious or anything, but it certainly wasn’t gross.  I will continue to use this sample, which makes me pretty happy.

We’re rolling now people.  Only 4 box reviews to go and 4 days to do it in.  I’m just gonna go ahead and toot my own horn now, mmm k?

May25

Sample Society | May 2014

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I got you a gift. Something you’ve always wanted.

No, not that. The other thing you’ve always wanted. A Sample Society box review! Who’s your favorite blogger in all the land? Me, that’s who. Takin’ care of you and stuff.

Here’s the goods:

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This is an okay box this month. I don’t love it but I will use 80% of what they sent me. As far as beauty boxes go, that’s considered a success I think.

First item is the Juice Beauty CC Cream. I don’t get too excited about a CC cream sample unless you’re amazing like the It Cosmetics one. This one is not that amazing. I finally got around to putting it on today and it’s just okay. It has a weird smell. And it’s kind of thick. My face feels a little sticky right now. Plus you can still see my freckles. But apart from all that, two thumbs up. Here’s my face: -__-

A warning to anyone who might use the Borghese Gel Delicato makeup remover: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT put it in your eye. Cuz I did the first time I used it and gave myself conjunctivitis, complete with antibiotic drops and steroids. Hooray! On the upside, it removes makeup very very well. On the downside, I didn’t wear eye makeup to work for 4 days straight and my co-workers couldn’t recognize me. I showed everyone my morning face, y’all, and it was scarring for life.

Next product is one I’m very excited to try. It’s an exfoliant by Sonya Dakar called Flash Facial. It has the trifecta: works its magic in 60 seconds (instant gratification, my favorite thing), Gwyneth Paltrow loves it (celebrity endorsement), and the full size is $95 (expensive, therefore amazing, presumably). I will be using this as soon as I’m done with the Blue Plasma exfoliant I’m working on and I’ll report back.

Got an SPF cream by Dermalogica called Dynamic Skin Recovery. It’s a daily moisturizer with SPF 50 in it, so it sounds great. I will be using this next week. My only concern is the description calls it medium-weight and emollient. Hoping it’s not too thick cuz guess how much time I have in the morning to wait around for my SPF to sink in? Zero. ZERO time. So we shall see.

Last item in the box is a Murad T Zone Pure Refining serum. I’m happy to get this cuz my t-zone has been getting oily lately, and I’m hoping this serum can put a stop to that nonsense. And also my pores are like moon craters, so I’d like the serum to fix that as well please. In fact, let’s just switch the whole face out ok? Like for a 25-year-old one. Supermodel, preferably. Thanks.

We’re done! Short and sweet. No worries, friends. There’s oodles and oodles more reviews in store. See you tomorrow!

May23

Lip Factory | May 2014

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The fun never ends people.  Another beauty box review starting now.  Just what you always wanted.  (It is.  Trust me.)

Lip Factory is usually a pretty good box.  Sometimes there’s a poo or two, but generally I like everything I get.  However, this May box is the best I’ve ever received.  Take a look:

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Say whaaaaaa?!?!  I know.  I love it all.  Let’s begin.

I own a gorgeous lipgloss from Medusa’s Makeup, and now I own a pretty eyeshadow.  It’s a very good day.  They sent me a pretty pinkish/red color and at first you may be like, pinkish/red?, but seriously it’s like a lovely pop of color for your outer 1/3 and lower lashline.  Well, this is where I put it at least.  You can do whatever.  It’s not super flashy, so it’s definitely wearable.  I mean, I wore this to work along with a matte lime green on my inner 2/3 and I looked like a spring bouquet come to life.  I’m not gonna lie:  I was purty.  You can see the look on Instagram if you’d like.  (You’d like).

Next great thing is this lovely coral boxed blush from Me Me Me.  It kind of reminds me of the Coralista one by Benefit, but I swatched them both and the Coralista is lighter.  I haven’t officially worn the Me Me Me, but I plan to this weekend.  It’s so beautiful in the box, you almost hate to use it.  Almost.  I haven’t quite reached that status yet, buying makeup for display purposes only.  I’m not saying it’s out of the question or anything.  I just need to increase my annual wages by about triple and then I’m all set.  So, in about 80 years or so. Maybe.

I love the makeup offerings by Teeeze.  Lip Factory is the only box that has ever sent me anything by this company, but I now officially own 5 items and they are all fantastic.  This time I got sent the Golden Glow lipgloss in the shade Roaming Mauve.  It is glorious!  Sheer, but you can still see the color, and the golden sparkle is very apparent and so shiny and lovely.  I can’t even explain properly how pretty this lipgloss is (as evident by the blabbering sentence right before this one).  You’re just going to have to trust me when I say if you come across this lipgloss, do not even think about it.  Buy it.  Immediately and like stat.

I got a lipstick by Pari Beauty, which is a company I’ve never heard of.  The color they sent me was like a coral but with a rose gold mixed in.  I’m trying to figure it out on the website swatches, but none of them look right.  It’s kind of a unique color – I don’t own anything like it at least.  I put it on with black pants, and it didn’t go well, so it’s definitely more for brown pants.  I hope you understand what I mean by that.  All my color coordinating is based off my pants.  Is that weird?  Probably.

Last item in the box is a set of nail wraps by NCLA.  I’ve gotten these before and I really like them.  They are so easy to apply and requires zero drying time because they are stickers.  Whoever invented these things are genius.  I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly hard to sit still after painting my nails.  In fact, I did my toes the other day and behaved quite well for what I considered a very long time, but probably it was only about 5 minutes.  Slid my toes under my blanket, and that was the end of that scenario.  In my defense, it was cold.  Pulled my foot and out and reviewed the damage.  It was sort of imprinted with blanket pelt.  But you know what?  My toes are so far down there, anyone who notices is obviously in a very inappropriate position and should be ashamed of theirselves.  Case closed.  Toe = not fixed, but who’s looking?  NOBODY.  That’s who.

Til tomorrow lovies!