New Beauty Test Tube September 2013

My New Beauty Test Tube came in the mail and the changes keep coming! 

RecentlyTest tube changed their shipping schedule, going from a quarterly subscription service to a bimonthly one. The most recent shipment had an aestheic change.  The new packaging is super cute, with pink hexagons throughout the boxes and tube. They also started wrapping the products in tissue paper instead of just packing everything in a box. 

First Look!

I really like the new changes that they made to the packaging! How cute is the pink and orange honeycomb design!?!

It Cosmetics was highly featured in the tube.  This booklet was included to showcase all the It Cosmetics products that they offer. 

FULL SIZE It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Powder Brush. This brush was really soft, but I'm not sure it will be my everyday powder brush.

2.26 fl. oz BioSilk Silk Therapy

2 fl.oz. It's a 10 Miracle Leave in Plus Keratin This is the second time I have received a sample of this leave in conditioner. The first one I received as the lite version. It will be nice to compare the two and see which works better for my hair. 

.5 fl. oz La Roche-Posay 'Mela-D' deep cleansing, brightening foaming cream

.5 fl. oz. Smashbox 'Photo Finish' Foundation Primer I already have a sample size of this product that I bought in a kit. I love this primer and it is my go to primer.  Although I already have this product, I was happy to receive another one. 

 .14 oz. Amore Pacific 'Color Control Cushion Compact' inTan Blush

This product I was really confused and interested in. The product is in a sponge and you are supposed to press the applicator (which is amazingly soft) into the inner sponge and then apply that to your face. 

I haven't tried out this product, because I am still so confused as to how to wear it. Is it a foundation? a tint? how much coverage does it have? do I apply it before or after my foundation? Blarg.

 FULL SIZED Mally Cosmetics 'Evercolor' eyeliner in "Starlight" When I first saw this I was really disappointed. The  last Mally Eyeliner that I received was a huge disappointment. Once I saw this pretty silver color it made everything better. 

TestTube continued to pack the extra products along with the tubes. 

 Nip+Fab Viper Venom

Nip+Fab No Needle Fix Serum

Lumene BB Cream

 Spa Ritual Handprint Hand serum I've never heard of a hand serum before. I'm interested to see if this work and how it works. 

I love the aesthetic changes that Test Tube has made, but noticed that there has been a lot less full sized products in the tubes than I have previously received. My first tube had numerous full sized products, most of which were all luxury brands that I have never heard of. Now it seems that they are shipping out products that are easily accessible and that other sample boxes have shipped out in their boxes. All of which are in boxes that are much cheaper than the $29.99 plus shipping every two months price tag. Every brand in this tube I have heard of, I already have similar products or have the exact product already. My very first tube I received from Test Tube had mostly all products that I had never heard of. I liked that about the old Test Tube.  I'd rather not see products that I can easily pick up at my local CVS in the tube. 

Ulta Online Haul

Ulta is having their 21 Days of Beauty sale and I couldn't pass up one of the offers, so I made a order on their website. Here is what I got!

Below are the samples that I received as part of this order. You get the choice of a fragrance, skincare or variety packet as an extra with your order. I chose the variety packet and received everything shown below, aside from the fragrance sample, as part of that packet. All three of these products were packaged in a baggie and the fragrance sample was thrown in alone.

 Sebastian 'Drench' Moisturizing conditioner

Smashbox 'Camera Ready BB Cream'

Matrix 'Biolage' Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner

Versace 'Eros' fragrance sample

I love Real Techniques brushes. They are of excellent quality and price. Ulta was having a buy one get one for 50% off sale, so I picked up two face brushes.

 Real Techniques 'Expert Face Brush'

Real Techniques 'Powder Brush'

These were in the sale section on the website.  I think this is old packaging, but I really can't be sure of that.

 Garnier 'Skin Renew Anti Dark-Circle Roller'

Garnier 'Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller'

I have heard some really good things about this lip stain. I was previously only aware of this brand being sold on QVC and Ulta just recently started selling the brand. It is currently only in select stores, and of the Ulta's that I have been in, I have not seen them sold in store. I also was not able to find on the website where the brand was being sold.

I tried out this product and was really disappointed. The look and feel of this product is of a lip balm. The claim is that the product is fairly clear (it's kind of cloudy or white) and when it is applied, it reacts with your skin and creates a color that is perfect for your skin tone. 

Firstly the physical product was not very well made. I love the design, but the actual lipstick was poorly made. The lipstick does not stand alone in the tube and when I apply the lipstick, the product moves to the wall of the tube. So as I twist the tube back down to put the lid on, the product scrapes all the way down the tube. I have to physically realign the lipstick before putting the lid on. This happens every time I use the product.

Secondly the color wasn't very saturated. I tested out the product on my arm first to see what color it would turn into. I had to swatch it on my arm multiple times before I saw any color. Once it was on my lips, I didn't see any color and there wasn't any longevity of product.

 It Cosmetics 'Vitality Lip Flush' in "Je Ne Sais Quoi"

This is the product deal that I had to take advantage of. I have a Clarisonic 'Mia 2' and you are supposed to replace the brush heads every three months. The 21 Days of Beauty Deal was if you buy three brush heads, you receive one for free. I did the math and figured that this deal would be slightly better for me than a 25% off deal (like a few dollars better).

Clarisonic replacement brush heads in 'Acne' and 'Deep Pore'

...and that's it! That's what I got.