Birchbox November 2014

The theme of this month's Birchbox was Giving, with Birchbox donating money to an AIDS charity when photos of the box are shared using a specific hashtag. Also provided was a booklet with gift ideas available through Birchbox to fulfill all of your gift-giving needs.

The kiddo noticed that this month, the full sizes for all but one item in my box is less than $20. I appreciate that, because it really makes me consider purchasing the full size if I like the product.

Looking at the products:

Not Soap, Radio Joy Inducing Body Wash: This body wash has a relatively subtle lemon-dominant citrus scent, and I look forward to trying it. I do wish that the names described the scents better. If when I try the product I do like it, I hesitate to purchase any other scents not having a better description of their aromas.

Tocca Crema Da Mano in Bianca: This rich hand cream has a mild scent, kind of like iced tea with a hint of lemon. Although it is a true cream in that it is thick, it does seem to absorb well.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive: This product very runny. I just opened the tube to smell and sample it and it came pouring out! From what I can tell, I can't really determine scent. I don't usually use peels, and have not yet tried this one.

Bain de Terre Argan Oil and Passion Flower Color Therapy Styling Oil: This oil has a pleasant scent and is one of the thicker hair oils I've sampled. I will be putting this into the sample pile of hair oils to try, but I should get to it very soon.

Ellovi Tinted Lip Butter: Of all the products from this month's box, I've had the opportunity to try this one the most. Unfortunately, I don't have great things to say about it. I do like that this is an all natural product. This does come across in the product in both the scent and especially texture. The butter is sort of lumpy, which feels odd when applying. The oval shape makes applying kind of awkward. Finally, although this lip butter looks tinted in the tube, the color does not transfer to the lips when applied, not even really in a swatch on the hand.

Justin's Chocolate Almond Butter: I enjoy getting food treats in my Birchbox, and I think my family like them even more! I like that this comes in an individual packet. I'll be tossing this in either my gym bag or my daughter's swim bag as a good post-workout treat.  

Overall, I thought this was a decent box.  Once I have a chance to try out the products more thoroughly, I'll have a better idea.

What did you think of your Birchbox this month?

Ipsy November 2014

The theme of this month's Ipsy is Girl meets Glitter. This comes through perfectly with the bag that was provided by Forever 21 Cosmetics for Ipsy. The sparkles are actually a part of the vinyl meaning they will not flake off. The bag is a little on the small side, but the pink zipper makes for a cute accent.

Temptu S/B Highlighter in Pink Pearl: This is a liquid highlighter of very thin consistency. When first applied it looks very pink but shears out to a subtle glow. Because this is such a thin product you have to be very careful when applying it or too much will be dispensed.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer in Neutral Medium: This product is very thick, and a little goes a very long way. I’m glad I read the description on the Ipsy site for application suggestions, or I likely would have applied WAY too much. Even still, the swatch appears to be pretty dark for me, so I’ll have to see if I can use it at all.

Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Shine Hairspray: Because this hairspray contains argan oil, it should provide a nice shine. I’m passing this one off to my mom, so hopefully she will report back with her thoughts.

Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Base in Submissive: This gorgeous bronze color can be built up to opaque or sheered out to give just a hint of sparkle. It is the smoother, creamier, “oilier” consistency I prefer in cream eyeshadows because it allows for easier application and blending. The producer indicates that this product can be used either on its own or as a base for powder eyeshadows, which is what I have found with other cream eyeshadows. I am looking most forward to trying this product out!

J. Cat Beauty Wonder Lip Paint in Red Potion: I have heard about these as a dupe of OCC Lip Tars, and was both excited and a little hesitant to try it, especially when I saw the color I received. When this first comes out of the tube, it appears to be blood red. However, as it gets sheered out, it changes to anything from a medium to deep berry depending on how sheer you go. I can definitely see myself wearing this color. The product itself, on the other hand, I’ll need to play around with. Right now, I don’t have a lip brush, which makes this a messy product to use, but it does intrigue me.

All in all, there’s only one product I definitely won’t use that will be passed along and one that may be the wrong color for me. I’ll have to play around with the lip paint and highlighter until I feel more comfortable with them, but I think eventually I’ll like both products. And I can’t wait to use the eye base!

Do you subscribe to Ipsy? What did you think of your box this month?

Experiences with Black Eyeliner

I’ve never been a fan of black eyeliner on me. I wear eyeliner every single day, but I never thought I could wear black. I always thought it looked too harsh, too stark, etc.

Then, for Halloween this year, I decided to go really dark with my eye makeup. I used a shimmery dark grey eyeshadow all over my lids, so the only liner that would look right would be black. I happened to have just received a sample of a black glitter eyeliner in my most recent Birchbox that I decided to keep, thinking I could smudge it down to look gray-ish, so I used that. I also had a black Ulta eyeliner on the other end of the Dark Brown double-sided pencil I have been using that I got free in a sample bag with purchase, and used that on my water line. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the look. In fact, I couldn’t take my eyes off my eyes that day! They almost looked to be a different color, just by changing up the makeup. The products themselves, well… I’ll get into that in a minute.

Since then, I’ve been playing around more with the sparkly black pencil eyeliner, and it’s been working out OK. I never really apply it too heavy and really smudge it out, so it almost looks like a dark sparkly gray.

Today, after a request from the kiddo for a black eyeliner look, I decided to take the plunge into liquid eyeliner. I recently had picked up the elf Waterproof Eyeliner Pen at Target. (I didn’t want to spend a huge amount on a black liquid liner not knowing if I would be using it more than once.) After priming my lids and applying my cream eyeshadow, I started in on the eyeliner. A few observations:

• Not sure if the winged look is for me. The skin on my eyelids if kind of crepe-y, and the wing itself was really hard to achieve. Once it was there and I had gotten used to it, especially once the look was finished, it looked pretty decent, but not sure if it’s worth the effort.
• I definitely need eyeliner on my lower lash line. Without it, I don’t look complete. I used the same Ulta pencil from Halloween, and brought it up until it met the wing. Also used it on my waterline.
• Right now, all of the black eyeliners I have SUCK! Today, the waterline was gone within just a few minutes. Within 2 hours, the lower pencil that met up with the wing was completely smudged down my cheek on my left eye. When I went to fix that, the wing came off. That meant the right eye had to go too, and it came off easily. The rest of the pencil under the eye is smudgy and I have to keep checking for raccoon eyes. The glitter pencil (Lord and Berry Sparkle Black Mini Liner) also smudges easily, also noted by my sister.

I will continue to wear the sparkly liner, because I can make that work when I need/want to. Otherwise, I’m going back to my pencils in pretty much every color but black, and passing along any black ones I get to my sister.

Any tips or trade secrets to share about liquid liner? What is your favorite eyeliner?

I Signed the Pledge... Did You?

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/givebooks

Ulta Haul October 2014

I need to finally post this Ulta haul post, part 3 of my October hauls. I have actually gotten more from Ulta since I started this post, but I can't include here because I've already started my holiday shopping...

Nicole by OPI Gumdrops Nailpolish in Blue-Berry Sweet on You

• This was picked up by the kiddo because it looked nifty. Neither of us have tried it yet, but we're looking forward to it.

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Metal in Barely Branded

• I picked this up because of the great reviews all over the blogs/YouTube. Is is commonly called the best of the color tattoos, and color tattoos are frequently called some of the best cream eye shadows. This color actually reminds me a lot of the Shimmering Topaz color from the Ulta line, but they are very different in consistency to the touch. However, it does seem to spread easily with good color payoff. I have still been using the Ulta shadow more, mostly due to the consistency differences, but this one will not be wasted.

Ulta Butter Balm in Luna

• This was first found by the kiddo in August as a sample in a store, but they were unfortunately out of it when we went to purchase. This was our first trip back to Ulta since then, so checked for availability and grabbed it as soon as I saw it. She currently carries it in her school bag every day.

Ulta Twice as Nice Mascara in Jet Black

• I have seen a lot of ads and heard talk lately on the internet about dual-ended mascaras, one sided being for top lashes and the other with a small wand dedicated to the bottom lashes. Ulta had their mascaras on sale, so I thought I would give it a try in a relatively inexpensive way.

NYX Butter Gloss in

• Raspberry Tart
• Madeline
• Creme Brulee
• Praline
• Angel's Food Cake
• Devil's Food Cake
• Red Velvet
• Butter Glosses are very well reviewed among beauty bloggers. They are many people's favorite lip glosses. We had picked one up before this for the kiddo to try (Tiramisu), and really liked it. They smell like sugar cookies, and can be worn as fairly sheer or built up to opaque. I had been looking for the darker colors, which happened to be the newer colors and aren't available pretty much anywhere besides Ulta around here. So as soon as we found the huge NYX display with all of the additional colors, we snatched them up as fast as we could.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in

• Sugar Plum
• Fig Jam
  • These also have a huge following online, so I knew I had to try them. When Ulta finally had a significant sale on for Revlon, I grabbed some, and was able to limit myself to only 2 colors. I am actually glad I did. They have a very different feel than I expected. With how glossy and sheer they are, and how everyone calls them so buttery, I expected them to feel much slippery-er on my lips. But they felt like a standard lipstick, and a non-moisturizing one at that, although the texture changes the more times I wear it. Sugar Plum looks really good on the kiddo, so she will be keeping that one, and Fig Jam will be mine.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in

• Cannes
• Monte Carlo
• Addis Ababa
• Prague
• Abu Dhabi
• London
• Amsterdam
  • This also gets very good reviews on the internet, and I had tried it before in San Paulo. I like that one as well, and like the Butter Glosses, most of the colors I prefer are in the newer line that aren't carried in other stores. Yet even at Ulta, these were picked through pretty well, and the only color I could find on my wishlist was Cannes. I was able to pick up all the others I was eyeing online (and on sale!). I have found that I do need to wear a lip balm under these to prevent my lips from completely drying out. They still wear pretty well but do come off easier than if it was applied directly to the lips. I have also applied balm/gloss over these, which 1) defeats the purpose of being matte, and 2) also makes them come off easier. There are differences in application between colors, with some applying patchy while others are completely covering and smooth in a single coat.

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Nail Enamel in Mrs. Mia Wallace (Limited Edition)

• I have been a fan of Pulp Fiction since it was first released. I saw it in theaters when it was first released, and still watch it routinely when it comes on TV. I first saw this nail polish when I saw a display of the full Pulp Fiction Limited Edition line put out by Urban Decay and loved it. I had read that this was on sale, but it wasn't anywhere I looked. But Ulta was also the only store that I was still able to find it, so I decided to grab it while I still could. I love me a good metallic blood red nail, and this is just gorgeous. And since I am a packaging nut, I got sucked in even more. The matte black box with the movie logo and raised glossy “UD” were eye-catching. But the skull on top pushed me over.

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Eye Shadow Palette (Limited Edition)

• Righteous
• Tyranny
• Vengeance
• Furious
• Anger
• Dual Ended Brush
  • I know Urban Decay eyeshadows by reputation and by some minimal use of other people's and experimentation at stores. I had also seen this palette when I first saw the Pulp Fiction display and liked what I saw. But I didn't think it was worth $34 for 5 neutral colors, even if they were Urban Decay. I haven't picked up any of their Naked palettes for the same reason. So when I saw it on sale for more than half off at only $16, I briefly debated and then decided to get it.

Smashbox Lashes + Lips

• Be Legendary Lip Gloss in Pink Lady
• Full Exposure Mascara in Jet Black
  • I thought $10 for this set was a really good deal. I almost picked it up when I was at Ulta last week, but didn't see it until after I had checked out. The lip gloss is a light pink, a little lighter than I normally like, but it is sheer enough that it is wearable.

Philosophy Beauty Break Set

• Amazing Grace Shampoo/Bath/Shower Gel
• Amazing Grace Firming Body Emulsion
• Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes
• The Microdelivery Exfoliating Facial Wash
• Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer
  • Every so often, Ulta offers Beauty Breaks. They are offered every Wednesday from 10am-2pm with online orders. This time, the Philosophy sample set was the free gift for a minimum purchase of $50 during this time. So far, I've tried the moisturizer and exfoliating facial wash with poor results. See my October Favorites or September/October Empties posts for more information.

Fright Night Claw Polish in Where My Witches At?

• Walking past the display, this brand of VERY bright nail polishes caught our attention. And since they were a reasonable price I figured we could get one. The kiddo found this one hiding in the middle of the bunch, and this bright green will be hard to miss.

Ulta Strengthening Nail Polish Remover

• This is the main reason we made a specific Ulta run. I had run out of nail polish remover, and needed a replacement bottle.

Freeman Feeling Beautiful Facial Masks

• Peel-Off Mask in Cucumber
• Anti-Stress Mask in Dead Sea Minerals
  • The kiddo and I recently tried out some masks I had received in Birchbox. I had forgotten how much I liked them, but remembered that, when I was younger, I preferred peel-off ones. I was able to find these on sale, so grabbed the peel-off and figured an anti-stress one would not go to waste.

Mally Lip Fence Lip Pencil

• I have never used lip liners on a regular basis, so I figured that if I was only going to have one, clear was the way to go. I had a clear one, but when I opened it one day, the clear stick was gone from the mechanical pencil part. I looked for a replacement on the drugstore side, but the only one I could find was a standard pencil and not mechanical, which I prefer. I looked around the higher end products and found this one for a reasonable price.

Samples

• Eva NYC Soften Up Conditioner (packet)
• StriVectin-SD Volumizing Hand Treatment (packet)
• Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Plumping Gel Cream (packet + coupon)
• Three little packets as samples with my order. They'll get added to my pile of sample packets to try when I get the chance.
• I now have 2 coupons for Hada Labo Tokyo products. I am really surprised at how reasonably priced these products are. Since the coupons were at least $3, I expected very high prices. However, at Ulta, the most expensive item was listed, when full price, is listed at $25.

Target Beauty Box Fall 2014

I had been debating whether to pick up the Fall 2014 Target Beauty Box for a while. I wasn't hugely interested in several of the products, and knew that I just wouldn't use others. However, after reading a review/unboxing of the box and learning a bit more about the BB Cream (see below), I decided that it was most definitely worth the $7, especially with the free shipping being offered by Target.

First off, this box comes with a card describing all included products. After receiving some beauty boxes without this now, I realize just how helpful this is and how much I really depend on it when I'm opening the box. As an added bonus, there's a $3 coupon off $15 for beauty purchases at Target attached to the bottom!  It also came with a 20% off coupon to Dermstore.com.

Laneige Cushion BB Cream (sample) – I recently read good things about cushion foundations and was interested in trying them, but there are very few options available locally and they are rather expensive with few shades available. Samples were provided of 3 shades which are all available at Target, so I'll be able to really figure out if it works and which color to pick before I spend more than I normally would for a drugstore foundation.

Fekkai Blowout Dry Shampoo (travel size) – I haven't tried this yet, but added it to the pile of products to try. I don't use dry shampoo often, but will give it a shot when I do.

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold Hairspray (travel size) – I've heard good things about this, but I don't use hairspray. This one got passed to my mom, who will definitely get use out of it and will hopefully report back.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (full size) – I use cream shadow every day, at least as a base for other eye shadow. I look forward to trying this.

L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Extraordinaire in Ruby Opera (full size) – Not a fan so far of this. It goes on patchy and was difficult to apply in general. The scent reminds me of fruit punch that is heavy in peach, but it's subtle to the point of thinking “am I really smelling that or am I imagining it?” The color itself isn't bad, but it's not my favorite either. It's rather dark and looks red at first, but when you put it on you realize that it's a dark hot pink with quite a bit of shimmer.

Overall, I think this box gave a good variety of products for a very good price. Some of the products I know I won't use, but for $7 it was worth the products that I will use, especially since 2 of them are full size.  Unfortunately, this box is no longer available, but all of the products can be picked up at Target.

Did you pick up this Fall's Target Beauty Box? What did you think of it?