May Beauty Army Box: A big let down

Hello Lovelies!

After this month I am unsure if I will be continuing my subscription with Beauty Army , because in the past couple of months I haven't had many good products to choose from and a lot of the products have been repeats of what I have already tried. Although there are some products that I do love to receive multiple samples of it is hasn't been worth the $12 a month. I will show the products I received this month but since I didn't receive the greatest selection I honestly won't have a lot to say.

Cotz Face is a mineral sunscreen for natural skin tones with an SPF of 40. The tube I received is absolutely tiny and only included enough for maybe five to ten applications if I am lucky. When I first squeezed the sunscreen out of the tube I was surprised to find it the same shade as my skin tone and I initially tested it on the top of my hand. At first it has an almost mousse like consistency and when blended it turns into a lovely matte finish. This sunscreen would be great for days where you want to skip a couple makeup steps because it also offers a little coverage. I may find myself having to purchase this for this summer. 

Once again Beauty Army is filling it's boxes with tiny samples such as this one, they are so small that it's near impossible to give a good review. The Wild Rose Cream is suppose to moisturize and brighten the skin for 24 hours, and it's meant for normal and dry skin types. When I first ripped open the package I noticed that it is heavily scented and kind of smells between something floral and my grandma, I also notice that the majority of the package is not in English. Although this product did make my skin feel quite smooth, I honestly  didn't have enough to really offer a good review. 

I was honestly curious about the skincare line from Own receiving this small sample has me feeling defeated. Although the statistics of the skin line seems to prove that there products are wonderful I have actually heard a lot of negative reviews recently, and they say it takes up to 8 weeks to see results and this sample definitely will not last that long. Once again I can't really say much about this product which bums me out because I want to be able to fully review everything I receive for everyone.

 Another product I can not get any use of is this gel polish from Nail Luv because I do not own a LED or UV lamp which is required and I do not plan to purchase one. Although gel manicures look fabulous I would rather not raise my chance of getting skin cancer in the long run. Using UV lamps frequently for nails has the same effects as using a tanning bed frequently. Although some people don't seem to notice that these beauty regimens are risky, I am the type to avoid things like this. Basically if you do decide to follow this trend please apply sunscreen to your hands before your nail appointment. 

Last but not least, these products are ones I have chose before and decided to choose again for lack of better choices. I absolutely love the scanda-lash mascara from Mark, it has become my ultimate favorite because it makes my lashes look fuller and longer in one quick application. Although I do like the Teen Tone Color Touch Eye, Cheek, and Lip Glow, I find myself rarely using it because I do not like cream blushes and I own so many better pink lip products, but it is a very good product for on-the-go or travel purposes because of it's multiple uses. 

May Ipsy Bag "Spring Fling"

Hello Lovelies!

I received my May Ipsy Bag two days ago and once again will be reviewing the products. The theme of this month's bag is of course "Spring Fling" and it's filled with products that are good for looking good in spring/summer. I also noticed that it seems a lot of people received different products this month which makes it kind of fun for us bloggers. I absolutely adore the print of the bag this month, it is bright, colorful, and fun.

My favorite product this month is the Moondust eye shadow in the shade of Space Cowboy from Urban Decay. I received this as an extra because I am an active member of the Ipsy community. This shade is a light champagne color with TINY flecks of silver glitter and has quickly become a favorite in my makeup collection. The collection of Moondust shadows consist of six different BEAUTIFUL shades that I would love to own. From the container the Moondust appears to be a cream, but it actually is a powder and applies easily and looks wonderful. These little shadows are $20 each from Urban Decay which makes this $10 Ipsy Bag so worth it. Below is a look I created using the Moondust, and a brown shadow, called Roo, from RoseMarie Shadows.

I always love adding new lip products to my collection, especially in red/pink shades like this one from Mirabella called Posy. Posy is a color sheer lipstick and applies very lightly and provides about as much color as a tinted lip balm, but it does go on smoothly and lasts long.  For $22 I would much prefer to purchase a tinted lip balm to wear if I wanted this little color, but if price doesn't matter I think these would be a nice everyday lip product.

Juice Beauty  is a great company that offers organic alternatives for cosmetics such as this pink reflecting gloss. The gloss itself smells wonderful and is quite moisturizing but I do have a little thing against the texture that comes with it being an all-natural product. I can get past the issue with the glosses texture, but I can not see myself paying $15 for the gloss although it's organic.

When I first opened the little box I wasn't sure what to think of this color of polish from Zoya called Blu. Obviously pastels are part of the trend for this spring/summer but being as pale as I am some shades just don't work well for me and this seems to be one of them. Although I am not a huge fan of the shade personally I do like the color and the polish is wonderful. I created the look pictured below using two coats of Blu topped with a 3D accent bow from Kiss Nail Designs. These polishes can be found on the Zoya website for $8.

I already have a love/hate relationship with this concealer from Yaby. I love this concealer because it provides great coverage, but I hate it because this particular shade Ipsy sent me isn't right for my skin tone. Ipsy sent me a shade called Buff which seems a little too dark for my skin I typically would have chosen the shade of Ivory for myself. I also dislike when Ipsy sends us refill tins, because I honestly just don't have a place to put them, one day I need to purchase myself a concealer palette. Setting the hate aside the concealer itself is quite wonderful, it is perfect to cover up flaws and applies smoothly. I also love Yaby concealers because they offer a wide range of skin tone choices. These refill tins are $4.85 each, but a full concealer palette from Yaby is $100.



This is one of those products that I will never be testing and I will be giving away to some lucky friend unfortunately.  As I have said before I love having an ivory complexion and do not wish to have a tan. The reviews for this Wash Off Instant Glow Lotion are kind of all over the place, mostly I see bad reviews from people with fair skin like myself saying it was too dark for them, but others say it is amazing. Although I don't have much to say about this product if you would like to try it for yourself you can find it here and the full sized bottle is $18. I wish Ipsy would really take the little quizzes they give us more into consideration so people like me wouldn't receive products like this, but even though I don't like this particular product this month's bag was definitely worth it. 

In the end this bag adds up to about $80 worth of product (not including the price of the bag itself) and is obviously worth the small price tag of $10 and being active in the Ipsy community to receive bonuses such as the Urban Decay Moondust. 

April Ipsy Bag Review

Hello Lovelies!

This month's Ipsy theme is called "Pretty in Pink", I am not sure exactly why they decided to go with pink this month I would have much preferred a more spring inspired theme. Overall the products were okay, but this month was not as impressive as other months have been, although we did receive a couple full size products. I would really like to see some new brands in the near future, possibly some fragrance, and more hair products.

I was really excited when Ipsy finally gave us a printed bag last month, but it looks like they are back to the boring old plain bags, at least for this month. I absolutely hate the concept of a white makeup bag, if I actually used this I would have to wash it so often because I would always be leaving little stains, it's inevitable. 

This peachy pink shade of polish is called Love at First Byte, and I wasn't impressed at all. I decided I wanted to create a look using this polish but as I applied it I realized it was very sheer, it took me FIVE coats to really achieve a color payoff. I did read many comments on the Ipsy website of people saying it quickly peeled, but mine has lasted a week so far with minimal chipping, below is the nail look I am wearing right now using the polish and Kiss nail stickers.

I absolutely adore Be a... Bombshell Cosmetics , but this blush in a shade called Sweet Cheeks is definitely too heavy and bright for my pale skin. I think it would look lovely on someone with darker skin though, and it does blend out quite well. 

Another product from Big Sexy Hair, although I do love the products they offer I wish we would get more hair products from various companies. I naturally have volume to my hair, but occasionally I need a little help creating a good pompadour "poof", especially when my hair is freshly washed and this volumizing powder is the best I have came across. I have tried the volumizing powder from Got2B, but that makes my hair feel sticky and hard to style, this powder from Big Sexy Hair is easy to style and works well.

In the past couple months I have been stocking up on mineral eye shadows, I especially love the shadows from an Etsy shop called RoseMarie Shadows, check out my review on them here. I love this shimmery pink shade by Mica Beauty called Earth. Some people may be thrown off by the fact that it's pink, but it is very subtle.




This month I chose to skip my Beauty Army, because they weren't offering anything new for me to choose, so hopefully I will have a Beauty Army Box to show you next month.

March Ipsy Bag Review

Hello Lovelies!

I was super surprised to see my package from Ipsy in the mail on Friday, especially considering that I had received the tracking code about ten minutes before checking the mail. I tested the products out later on Friday and just had to get the review out to you guys as soon as possible. 

This month's theme is "the great escape" which seems a little more like we are welcoming summer instead of spring, but it's still nice to see something different. I do love the nautical printed bag, I am so happy that they finally agreed to do some prints, and I am hoping next month's in something more "springy" and possibly floral. Overall this month doesn't include much, this has to be the smallest amount of samples I have received yet, but the products we did receive are quite nice.

LA Fresh Travel.Lite Makeup Remover Wipes $1.99 for 8 wipes 

Wipes such as these ones are a necessity for makeup bags, and traveling, although I do find these a bit expensive for such a small pack. These wipes do work well to remove makeup quickly, but they are a tad bit too greasy for my skin, and the scent makes me think of baby wipes. 

 I have heard a lot about the Glam RX Touch Up Palette but have never really wanted to purchase it for myself, and this is kind of a mini of that. The real touch up palette consists of concealer, lip balm, shine erase powder, black eyeliner, mirror, and magnetic bottom level that can hold your personal makeup that comes in a metal tray (They are $17). This Glam RX thing that we received with out Ipsy bag does not include any of the makeup, it's simply the mirror and magnetic bottom level. Considering most of my eye shadows are in palettes this wont really be of any use for me, except to hold my little sample trays I have received from Yaby, Coastal Scents etc. If you are the type of person who uses a lot of single eye shadows this palette may work nicely for you depending on how you like to organize you makeup, and if you feel like "de-potting" some of your shadows. 

 These small shadow samples are from Yaby Cosmetics, shadow in top picture is called "Sand Dune", and bottom is called "So Vein". "Sand Dune" is almost a perfect match to my skin color and works well for a nude natural eye, and I absolutely adore "So Vein" and it's bright shade of teal. (I am using the Glam RX palette to store these.)  Both of these shadows blend well and are highly pigmented, they especially pop when paired with a eye primer/base. You can purchase these trays in a 3 gram size for $3.15 each.  

Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist  $22 for a 6.75 oz bottle. 

This hydrating mist is made from organic ingredients and is said to be great for all skin types. The first thing I noticed when spritzing this upon my face is that not only does it feel refreshing, but it also smells refreshing. My skin instantly appeared brighter and it made me feel more awake and ready to go. As a hint on the products website they say to refrigerate this product in the summer months for an even more refreshing sensation, and I can not wait till it's warm enough to test that theory. This product in itself has me browsing through Juice Beauty's website and wanting to make a little order of my own, so stay tuned. 

Overall this month's bag seems to be disappointing people because of the small amount of products, but I have decided I will just look at the positives. 

1. I have never tested anything from any of these companies before, and they all turned out quite well. 

2. We finally received a printed bag after asking for months, and I love nautical prints. 

3. Ipsy attempted to compile a bag that would leave us happy in hopes that we were planning a spring getaway. 

November Ipsy Bag, Birchbox, & Beauty Army Box Full Review

Ipsy Bag (Formerly MyGlam)

When I think of November I think of the holiday season, and upcoming holiday parties, and apparently so does Ipsy because this months theme was Party Perfect and was full of a color scheme perfect for the colder months. Overall this month provided us with great products from wonderful brands, that nearly anyone would love to add to there makeup collection.

 

This months bag is basic, well made bag in the shade of chocolate brown.

My favorite product of this month is the Meet Matte Eyeshadow from The Balm in the shade of Matt Batali which is a shade of brown that has a slight hint of plum undertones. (This shade is the perfect color for a smokey eyed look.) This product was a sample shade from The Balm's Matte Eyeshadow Palette that includes nine wonderful matte eye shadows for $34.50.

When I think of lip gloss shades to rock this winter the bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lip gloss in the shade of Daredevil is one that is perfect. Daredevil is a sparkling blackberry shade that matches wonderfully with the fall/winter trends. Marvelous Moxie lip gloss has vivid color, it is long-lasting and it provides moisture to the lips. These glosses come in twelve different shades that I would love to own for $18 each.

One part of my face I never really focus on is my eyebrows, sure I tweeze and keep them well kept, but I rarely use makeup to emphasize them. One of the products I received this month was the Chella   Eyebrow Defining Gel which is a brand I have never heard of before this. Chella specializes in skin care products, and products for your eyes and brows. The defining gel helps tame the eyebrows, it keeps all hairs exactly where you want them and really finishes up any makeup look you would like to create.

In the past couple of months I have expanded my nail polish collection thanks to my monthly subscription services, some of the polishes have become my absolute favorites and others I just have added to my collection without knowing what I will end up doing with them. This month I received a polish from Tini Beauty's Nailtini Speakeasy Lacquer collection in the shade of millionaire. Millionaire is a shade of rose gold micro glitter, with teal and gold tinsel, that costs $13 a bottle.

I do not mind glitter in certain ways, but the look of the tinsel makes me think of Christmas trees and children, not of a mature woman's nails. Now, Tini Beauty does have some shades of polish I would love to add to my collection, but in my opinion $13 is too much for just one bottle.

In the past years I have never really been a fan of the shade of brown, but in the past couple months I have expanded my wardrobe to include an adorable chocolate brown sweater dress, and have been rocking a brown smokey eye at least once a week. So, when I received this espresso colored eyeliner from Starlet Cosmetics, I was actually excited because all of the rest of my eyeliners are in shades of black. This eyeliner has become key to create my brown smokey eye look that works perfectly for these colder months.

Birchbox

This month's Birchbox will be the last one I receive, since I have been a subscriber to Birchbox the packages I received have really been hit or miss. Most months include five or six samples, but rarely are they good quality, decent sized samples. Once again this month was a letdown, not as bad as the October Birchbox, but not good enough to keep me as a subscriber.

Out of this month's five samples my favorite product was the fragrance from

Jouer Cosmetics that was a blend of jasmine, gardenia, and honeysuckle with a roller ball applicator. I am not a fan of perfumes with a roller ball applicator, I would like for people around me to know that I smell good, not just myself. The scent itself of this perfume is a light feminine floral scent, that makes me think of early spring.

In the past couple month's mascara has been a go to product for my monthly subscription services, so when I seen that I received the Fibre LashXtend from ModelCo in this month's Birchbox my only thought was that it better measure up.... and it did not. The best thing about this mascara is that it was a full sized sample and included a mirror right on the packaging, but it doesn't seem to do much for my eyelashes and there is no way I would pay $24 for such a lousy mascara.

Since I have been a subscriber to Birchbox I have received two different products from Stila Cosmetics and I haven't been overly thrilled with either product. Now I have heard some amazing reviews of products from Stila, but I myself have never tried anything from them that would make me rave. This month's product was the All Over Shimmer Luminizer in the shade of bronze shimmer, which is too orangey for my pale skin tone so I can't give a very thorough review.  (I wish Birchbox would take subscribers skin colors into consideration.)

Like I have said in the past I always appreciate receiving hair products, but this month's hair product I tested three separate days and still didn't see it work. The product is called Curl Keeper from  Curly Hair Solutions and is suppose to provide a voluminous bounce to your curls without making it crunchy, and also keep your frizz in control. To use this product you apply it to your wet hair from root to tip, then let your hair air dry. I tested this three times because I thought maybe my hair was just being difficult on that certain day or something, but every time my curls were less defined than normal and flatter, but it did keep my hair frizz free.

Like all other months Birchbox included a "lifestyle extra", majority of the time this happens to be some sort of food sample, this month's was a small chocolate bar from Chuao Chocolatier. These chocolate bars mostly come in unusual flavors that would make most people second guess even tasting them. The flavor that was included in my Birchbox was the honeycomb flavored chocolate bar that consisted of honey caramelized into bits and cover in dark chocolate, and tasted amazing. Now the other flavors this company creates I am not so sure about, but definitely know that the honeycomb flavor makes me curious to try the others.

Beauty Army

This month's Beauty Army selection was full of items I had never tried before, unlike last month, and I was very happy to see that everything was back to normal and that I had some good options to choose from.

My favorite product from this month's Beauty Army Box is Every Beauty Pedicure Pad . The pedicure pad is meant to remove dry skin without harming the skin, and it works wonderfully. The pad is great for elbows, knees and feet, and is gentle enough to use on dry skin, but also can be used when the skin is wet. When initially testing this product I just used it on my elbows really quick and could immediately feel the results.

One of my favorite products to always have with me is lip balm, I tend to have dry lips a lot and require a lip balm that not only protects my lips but moisturizes them. This month I chose the You Da Balm Coconut Lip Balm, which has the added bonus of being 100% natural. I regret choosing the coconut flavor because the scent and taste was definitely too strong for my liking, but I don't mind the balm itself. I do prefer a lip balm with some SPF protections, and this one lacks that, but I do like using this balm when I am wandering around the house. They offer this balm also in Grapefruit and Tea Tree.

Before this month I have been offered numerous times the chance to choose a mystery sample, which I have always rejected in the past, but when choosing my November samples I decided to take a chance and pick one. My mystery sample was from M.A.D Skincare and was meant to control oil production, calm irritation, and moisturize the skin. Like I always say, when samples are this small it can be difficult to tell if they truly work or not and I didn't notice any difference in my skin within the couple of times I could use it.

When I think of Fall and Winter I think of nature, natural items, and earth tones and that translates into my makeup artistry. In the colder months I tend to lean to more neutral colors and earth tones than I would in the warmer months. This month I received Whip Hand Cosmetics  Loose Pigment Eyeshadow in a shade called Locked & Loaded which is an iridescent brown shade that works great for smokey eyes. The pigment blends out wonderfully, but the container it comes in is difficult to work with, it comes in a tiny jar.

This 7 in 1 shampoo from Nelson J has the ability to replace your shampoo, conditioner, detangler, shine spray, smoothing serums, color protector, and pre-styling lotions. This is the first non-foaming shampoo that not only cleanses hair, but doesn't use harsh chemicals. I was very hesitant at first with this shampoo because I have never heard of it before this, but was surprised when my hair was shiny, soft and easier to comb after the shower. The scent itself of the shampoo is definitely something that takes a bit to get use to, they use a natural mint scent and well it's pretty strong the first time around, but well worth it.

Overall this month my subscriptions offered a lot of products I wouldn't typically buy and brands I would typically try. Like I said earlier in the post I will be discontinuing my subscription to Birchbox because they do not offer enough good sized decent quality products. I will continue my other subscriptions because I do absolutely love Beauty Army and Ipsy. So, stay tuned for the month of December, I am definitely curious myself to see what they come up with.