Birchbox November 2013

Price: $10.00 (includes shipping)

Ships out: Every month

Extras: Point system that based on the reviews of the products you review and the referrals that can be used in the Birchbox Shop. I have found that some items are exclusively sold in the Birchbox Shop so the points can add up to a nice discount.

First Look!

This month's theme is 'More Good'

Included in this bag was a little booklet with different gift ideas that can be purchased from the Birchbox shop.

1 fl. oz. Tocca hand cream in "Cleopatra" (Grapefruit and cucumber) I was hoping that I would receive this sample in my box after watching the preview video.

FULL SIZE Chella highlighter pencil in "Ivory Lace" I received this product in my June 2013 IPSY bag. I liked the product, but I haven't even used it enough to need to sharpen it! I ended up giving this to my sister. 

FULL SIZE Color Club nail polish in "Top Shelf"

0.39 oz. Chuao Chocolatier choco pod  in "Honeycomb" yummy.

20 g. Vasanti 'Brighten Up!' Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator

Birchbox referral code Please use my Birchbox referral code if you would like to sign up for a monthly subscription yourself. 

Snapshot Sunday 1

This year I'm going to try to be a better blogger. To help with that endeavor I am starting a new topic on my blog. Every Sunday I will be posting a shot that summarizes the past week that I had. I will be making the attempt to post each Sunday, but as is seen by how Snapshot Sunday has started by missing the first Sunday of 2014, don't expect a post every Sunday. Not all the shots will be taken by me, but they all will describe my life in some manner.

Ulta Online Haul November 2013

I ordered some items from Ulta because they were having a sale on everything in the store. Even the premium items that NEVER go on sale. My sister is is love with Urban Decay's Cannonball Mascara, so I decided to pick one up for her to add to her Christmas gift. 

I was really impressed with the packing that Ulta did to ensure that all of my products came safe and damage free. All of this bubble wrap was for one $4.00 eyeliner!

I needed to order some other stuff to put myself over the free shipping minimum and I remembered that this eyeliner was highly recommended by Tati/Glam Life Guru on You Tube. Finding the perfect eyeliner is my current purpose in life, so I added this to my cart. I was surprised how bad this eyeliner was! I have never had an eyeliner run as badly as this eyeliner did on me. I lined my eyes one weekend and went out shopping with him mom. On the car ride there I got stuck in traffic and decided to see how the eyeliner was doing. What I saw was horrendous. The liner was lining under my eyes, despite me not actually applying it there. I tried to wipe it off and I couldn't get it off! Apparently this eyeliner is only budge proof AFTER it runs down your face and makes you look like a panda bear. It was so bad that the first thing that I did once I got to the mall was find the Sephora to remove it all. I will not be using this product again because it's going in the trash. 

I was really impressed with the color of this eyeliner. I thought that it was really black and creamy. It applied very smoothly. However the liner stick was not made very well and it broke apart and crumbled as I was applying it to my eyes. 

Pink Teasing comb. I needed one. They were cheap. I bought it. 

Japonesque Makeup Brush Cleanser. I needed a spot cleaner. 

NYX The "it"list lip set in 'the pinks' This set included five of their lip gloss products.  I decided to get this to try out the different lip glosses that NYX offers. I received: 

Butter Gloss in Eclair
Mega Shine in Beige
Lip Plumper in Pamela
Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul
Xtreme Shine Lip Cream in Nude Peach Fuzz

I also ordered another Mega Shine lip gloss in Plush Red

Swatches of all the colors (L to R) Plush Red, Eclair, Beige, Pamela, Istanbul, Nude Peach Fuzz

As with each online order, you can pick a sample pack to add to the shipment. I received samples from Sebastian, Benefit and Ahava

As you might have noticed, this post is missing a pic of the Urban Decay Cannonball mascara that caused me to make this online purchase in the first place.  Apparently whomever did the packing of my box forgot to add it into the box. I contacted Ulta Customer Support and explained the situation.  They responded quickly and said that I would be sent out another mascara soon. 

New Beauty Test Tube November 2013

I received my New Beauty Test Tube in the mail!

The tube ships bi monthly for $29.99. 

Keep reading to see what I received in the most recent box.

First Look!

The Test Tube has a booklet describing all of the products featured in this months tube. They also sent out a reminder that the magazine that used to be sent with the box when it was a quarterly service will be sent in the mail, which is included in the subscription price. 

Votivo holiday tin candle in Icy Blue Pine

0.25 oz. Vaseline 'Lip Therapy' in Rosy Lips

1.25 oz. John Frieda 'Frizz-Ease Straight Fixation' Smoothing Creme

1 fl. oz. StriVectin 'Get Even' Brightening serum. This sample is worth $50.00 which is crazy high. I ended up needing a daytime serum so I started using this immediately. I was so happy with the effectiveness of this product. I have a lot of acne scars on my face and this product has helped diminish the redness and scarring a lot. I have already repurchased this product. I ended up finding a set at TJ Maxx for $40.00 for two 1 fl. oz. bottles. 

 3.3 fl. oz. Molton Brown 'Nourishing Body Lotion' in Pink Peppered

18.fl. oz. Dove 'Nutritive Solutions' Shampoo and Conditioner These are not color safe so I will be giving these away.

1.35 oz. Camille Beckman 'Glycerine Hand Therapy' in Midnight Monarch 

1.0 fl. oz. Lumene 'Time Freeze Anti- Age CC Cream' in Light The instructions on this CC cream says that you are supposed to reapply this EVERY TWO HOURS! Ummm, yeah not going to happen.

1 fl. oz. Glo Therapeutics 'Refresh Facial Polish' facial scrub

New Beauty Test Tube continues to include these airplane sized samples in the box. I have found that every box comes with a different set of samples. 

0.03 fl. oz. Rodial 'Stemcell Superfood' facial oil

0.07 fl. oz. Eraclea 'Pure Hydration' serum/zinc

 1 fl. oz. John Frieda 'Frizz-Ease 3-Day Straight' semi permanent styling spray for curly hair. I already have super straight hair. This sample will need to be given away.

CVS Winter Cosmetics Clearance Haul

A lot of drug stores are having cosmetics on sale to clear out their inventory for the upcoming years new makeup from the different brands.  I stopped by two CVS's to see what they had on supply and ended up finding a lot of items. CVS has a lot of cosmetics for 50% and 75% off. Keep reading to see what I got!

Cover Girl 'Lipperfection Lipcolor' in Entwined for $4.25 Saved: $4.24

Cover Girl 'Lipperfection Lipcolor' in Embrace for $4.25 Saved: $4.24

Revlon 'Just Bitten' lip stain and balm in Midnight for $2.45 Saved: $7.34

(4) Lipsmacker lipbalm in Dr. Pepper for $0.62 Saved: $1.87 I know, overkill. But this was my favorite flavor of Lipsmackers when I was in high school. I won't even drink the actual soda, but loved this product. I got two for me and two to throw in my sister's Christmas stocking.

Physicians Formula 'Organic Wear' bronzer and blush for $3.99 Saved: $12.00

Revlon 'ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze' in Timeless Nude for $2.62 Saved: $7.87

Revlon 'ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze' in Endless Lilac for $2.62 Saved: $7.87

Sally Hansen 'Lip Inflation Xtreme' in clear for $2.49 Saved: $7.50

Revlon 'Colorstay Aqua' mineral makeup in Light Medium for $3.69 Saved: $11.10

Neutrogena 'Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover' for $3.49 Saved: $3.50

Rimmel 'Lasting Finish PRO' in Hot Cocoa for $1.19 Saved: $3.60

Coty 'Airspun' Loose Face Powder in Translucent Extra Coverage for $1.99 Saved: $6.00

Revlon 'Just Bitten Kissable' balm stain in Darling for $2.45 Saved: $7.34

Sally Hansen 'Vita C' lip plumper in Tangerine/Clear for $1.32 Saved: 3.97

IPSY November 2013

I received my November IPSY bag in the mail.  This month everyone was promised an EM by Michelle Phan product in their bags. I think that everyone that subscribes to IPSY is aware of who Michelle Phan is, so there was a lot of hype behind this bag. Keep reading to see if it was worth all the hype.

First Look!

This month's bag was a gold snakeskin print with a wristlet.  This bag was different because it was the first bag that I have received that was made to be more than just a cosmetics bag that you throw in your purse. This bag was marketed to actually be used as a clutch - although I probably would never do that. The bag still looks and feels a little too cheap to use as a purse at a party. But I appreciate that they made that attempt and you really can't expect a high quality bag in a $10.00 beauty subscription. 

This month's theme was "Glam it Up" they also included a card in this month's bag all about Em Cosmetics.

FULL SIZED Be a Bombshell lip crayon in Shameless.  I was not expecting too much from this product. I have received a blush in an IPSY bag in the past and it was nice, but not something I really took notice of.  As with the blush, the lip crayon's packaging feels really cheap and thin.  I tried out this crayon for work one day and I ended up liking the color on my skin tone and the color lasted on my lips for a considerable amount of time. I would be happy to receive another product from them and would even consider purchasing some more colors of the lip crayon from this brand. I just wish that they sold them in stores near me. I think that they only sell online and with shipping costs and not being able to see the colors in real life it makes it hard for me to purchase online. I really prefer seeing the product in stores and deciding then to purchase. 

FULL SIZED EM by Michelle Phan 'Lash Gallery Dramatic Volume Mascara' in black. I was originally disappointed that I got a mascara in by bag (you could have received a lipstick, lipgloss or eyeliner) - until I saw a video of an IPSY unboxing where they received the same mascara. When I received this mascara I immediately put this at the bottom of my mascara drawer and said that I would get to it later. After seeing the video I realized that this is a fiber mascara.  I tend to like fiber mascaras because my eyelashes are really thin and short.  I am excited to try this one out to see how well it works at making me look like I actually have eyelashes. 

FULL SIZED Starlooks Gem pencil in Amethyst. I was super happy with this color! It is a light purple shade with full on shimmer. I have been using this product on my lower water line and then lining my bottom lashes with the purple eyeshadow that I received in my IPSY September 2013 bag. I only wish that the liner was long wearing. 

FULL SIZED Pixi 'Beauty Bronzer' in Subtly Suntouched. This shade is a little light for a bronzer, I will use this as a blush and layer on a brighter color on top. 

BH Cosmetics 'Galaxy Chic' baked eyeshadow in Sun.

I received this terra cotta shade that is a nice color for the fall. 

FULL SIZED Nailtini nail lacquer in Champagne. I have been receiving a lot of these rose colored polishes recently.  They are all a little different from each oher (pinker, more of a bronze color, glitter) but I am getting a little sick of this color. 

I was very happy with this month's bag and IPSY continues not disappoint each month. They seem to send out mostly full sized products, as opposed to the sample sizes that Birchbox sends. But Birchbox tends to send higher price, luxury products in brands that I have not heard of before. I like both of the sample boxes for different reasons and will continue to subscribe for those reasons. 

IPSY referral link Please use my referral link if you would like to sign up for your own IPSY bag subscription.

Birchbox October 2013

I received my Birchbox in the mail today. Keep reading to see what I received in my October box. 

First Look!

This months' theme is Beauty Buzz.  It was supposed to be about all of the products that people have been really talking about and loving in the beauty industry. 

Beauty Protector Protect and Shampoo

Beauty Protector Protect and Condition

Just as a side note. I think that Birchbox is the only one "buzzing" about Beauty Protector products. I'm coming to the conclusion that I think that Beauty Protector is a brand that was created by a Birchbox staffer or a family member of one of their CEO's.  This product is only sold on the Birchbox site. 

.33 fl. oz. Evologie Stay Clear cream moisturizer

0.04 fl. oz. The Balm Stainiac lip and cheek stain. I really liked the way that The Balm made this product.  It's different from any other stain product that I have tried. The actual product is a gel and there is a doe foot applicator instead of a brush to apply the product. I really felt like I could get the product on the intended spots (lips mostly) and I had a lot of control with it.  I didn't think that this stain stayed on my lips any longer than any other staining product that I have used, but I also don't think that stains really stay on my lips very long. Don't know if other people also have that issue. 

 FULL SIZE Chapstick hydration lock in vanilla creme. This is the thing that I was the least excited to see in my box, but the one that I am most excited about after trying it. This stuff really works well as a lip balm. I use it at night, right before I go to sleep and when I wake up my lips are soft and don't have that waxy feeling that other lip balms will often leave on your lips. I will be repurchasing this and it will be a staple in my life. 

Upon opening this month's box I was really disappointed with what I had received. I really wan't impressed with the products and felt like I was missing out on something. I was happy to have received a The Balm product that I haven't tried because I really like that brand - especially the cheeky packaging. The initial unboxing was uneventful, but after seeing how much I liked the Chapstick product it added points to the box.

Birchbox referral code Please use my referral code if you would like to sign up for a Birchbox yourself.