June Birchbox Review

Why haven't I ever ordered a Birchbox before?  Seriously.  This is some awesome stuff.  And it's only $10 a month!  Totally worth it.  I was really looking forward to my July Birchbox's arrival and I was super excited to see it in my mailbox.

 

For some reason, the box seemed super small to me. It fit inside my post office box with lots of room to spare.  Don't get me wrong, I wasn't sad about the size of the box, just a bit surprised for some reason. And it's actually really cute and I'll totally be reusing it. 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what my problem is but I have been taking terrible pictures lately. 

 

First look inside the box.  Excitement.

 

First look under the pink tissue paper.

 

My eyes immediately went to the oh-so-cute mint green box to the right in the picture.  I HAD to open it first.  Inside was an awesome Wanderlust nail polish in Mod in Manhattan color.  It's a fleshy white color.  I love it.  And you can find the whole set here.  Only $8 for four awesome colors.  I may just have to buy that!

 

Also in the cute box was a Twistband nautical hair tie.  LOVE.  I've been seeing these around lately and have been wanting to try one!

 

Next is a sample of Juicy Couture La La perfume.  I have a bottle of Viva la Juicy and I love it.  This isn't my favorite but I will definitely use up the sample.  I love perfume and can't seem to get enough so this is a welcomed addiction to the collection!

 

So this Amika obliphica (huh?) nourishing mask seems awesome and it promises to deeply condition and repair hair.  My hair needs help so I'll be using this immediately.

 

I seem to be getting a lot of eye liners in boxes lately.  So, I've started to wear eye liner. And I like it.  I used to be scared of it, but turns out it's really fun to play around with.  I use just a tiny bit, though.  I wasn't' super surprised to see this Eyeko skinny liquid eyeliner in my box.  I am glad this one is a liquid as I have yet to try a liquid liner.  Tomorrow morning I'll be rocking this on my eyes at work.

 

It's HOT here in Idaho right now.  And I do mean hot.  Too hot.  I hate it.  We play at the lake almost daily here, so this Coola classic face SPF 30 cucumber moisturizer will be put into my bag pronto.  And I'm really intrigued about the cucumber-ness of it.  Can't wait to try!

 

I also got this fun set of postcards.  The front says Destination Inspiration and there are five postcards attached in an accordion style.  How darling are these things?  I have relatives all over the place and I haven't sent a postcard in ages so this will be fun.  I will probably give one to the girls to send to a friend also.

 

Here's another (bad) picture of the loot.

 

It's my understanding that Bichbox has lots (30?) of different boxes so it's fun to see what everyone got.  Did you get a birchbox?  What was in it?  What was your favorite item?? 

 

 

June Lip Factory Review

I was so very excited when I heard about Lip Factory subscription box!  Amongst my most favorite things in the whole world, lip gloss / lip balm is definitely one of them!  I have seen reviews of past boxes and some were loaded with lip gloss!  This month there was a mix of makeup items...which is great, although I was hoping for a box full of gloss!

 

The cost for this box is $21 per month (or was it $22?).  Anyway, I think it's a great deal for all that I got!

 

 

 

Fun little information card

 

 This Be fine exfoliating cleanser with brown sugar looks amazing!  I can't wait to try it out!  And you should seriously check out their website.  It's great fun.

 

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And this Essence volumizing eye lash powder is cray cray.  I tried it once but need to "practice" a few times.  From what I can tell you are supposed to put on mascara, and then this before the mascara dries.  When I did that, there was the little powder all over my eye lashes and you could see it on there, so I did another layer of mascara.  By the time I was done, my eyelashes were definitely full but that could be because I kept putting on more mascara to cover the powder.  Hmm.  I'll give it another go sometime soon.  Hopefully I'm cool enough to figure out this type of product.

 

This 29 Lipstick looks so fun in the tube.  Not fun on my lips.  MJ saw it and immediately wanted it.  I might just give it to her one day for dress up.  For now, I just like it in my makeup stash.  Not sure why.

 

This Manic Panic High Voltage lipgloss is awesome.  It's a great color for me, not too bright.  It's really soft and easy to wear.  For some strange reason the lid lights up when I open it.  That's fun.  And there's a nice mirror on the side for application on the go!

 

This Colour U mineral eye shadow is a very pretty turquoise color.  I haven't tried it yet but one day, or night, when Big D and I go out for a hot date I might just feel sassy enough to give it a go.

 

Ok.  This is the best part of the box for me.  I truly needed, and I do mean needed mascara.  I saw that this was in the box from other reviews so I held off buying some until my box came.  This is a really good size mascara and I really like it.  It's also from Manic Panic

 

I really, really, really like this Londontown Lakur nail polish.  I can't wait to try it.  Perhaps it would have been a better choice than the green sparkly stuff I put on last night....

 

Not sure what my problem is but my pictures really suck for this review.  I love the products and hope the pictures don't ruin the whole experience for you viewers.  I would say it is definitely worth the $21 for this package!!!

 

Did you order a Lip Factory box??  Did you get the same things?  What was your favorite?  Do tell!

June Ipsy Bag Review

Whew!  My Ipsy bag FINALLY arrived!  Sheesh!  I was waiting for what seemed like forever.  I kept tracking it and it was supposed to be here a few days ago and it finally showed up yesterday.

I was happy with this bag for the most part.  You can't really beat the price.  It's just $10 a month and so far I've received full size products.  And it's fun to get things that I wouldn't normally buy for myself.  It's fun to try different things :)

I took terrible pictures.  And I didn't crop anything.  But oh well, you'll get the point.

So, first up is a super fun highlighter pencil.  It's from Chella and it's officially called the Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil.  I will be able to brighten up under my eyes with this baby.  I've never had a highlighting pencil before so it will be something new for me to try.

Also in the picture is a Starlooks lip pencil.  The shade is a nice light color so I might not be too afraid to try this.  I'm not really into lip pencils, but maybe it's because I've never really tried one?  This will be a first also.  I love "firsts"!

This sparkly cream palette looks really fun!  It's a J. Cat pallete, and well, call me new, but I've never heard of J. Cat.  I might save this for one of the girl's stockings at Christmas.  It looks so very fun but I don't really see wearing it anywhere.  And it says to not wear it on your eyes. Which is the only place I can even think TO wear it.  Hmmmm.

Next up is a really nice Nyx blush.  The color is perfect for me as I do not like pink blushes.  This is more of a brown-ish color.  I don't usually wear a lot of blush but I'm going to give this a try for sure!

The next thing is a Cailyn gel eye liner.  This looks so fun.  I like how it all fits together with the brush in the handle and all.  I'll be using this for sure.

Here's a picture of the bag.  I really like the animal print!  I am getting a nice collection of makeup bags. 

All in all, the Ipsy bag is great.  I really like the bright pink bubble wrap outer packaging it comes in!  I love opening my mailbox and seeing it in there!

Glossybox May 2013

OMGoodnes!  My Glossybox finally arrived today!  I have been waiting FOREVER.  I love, love, love the box.  But the super slow shipping was making me very, very sad.  I just don't have the patience to wait when I know there's something super fun coming in the mail for me.

So here's my very first glossybox review!

Outside packaging.  Doesn't look thrilling.  Thrilled me....

So here's the inside box.  I love the inside box.  It's so pretty and pale pink and can definitely be used for a gift box in the future.  The box comes with a cute little beauty magazine.

 



 

First look inside the box.  Please just look at how cute the inside of the box lid is.  I love cute things.

 

Ok, here we have the card that shows what all is in the box. This month's theme is A Year of Beauty to celebrate glossybox.  Happy birthday.

 

There's also a coupon for a free trial size spray gel with the purchase of a larger one from Sebastian.

 

And there's a little business-card-sized card for a free wax at European Wax Center.  This would normally be a knock-your-socks-off offer for me due to the fact that I have extremely large eyebrows.  Very thick, caterpillar-ish.  Here's the sad part, I live in the mountains far away from regular civilization (seriously, two hours away from the nearest Target, mall, Safeway, etc.) and clearly don't have one of their fancy shmancy waxing centers here. 

 

Just look at it all.  Fun.

 

So here we have some nice samples.  The one on the left is from etre belle (say what?) and it's a collagen and aloe vera hydro mask.  This promises to reconstruct and moisturize and provide skin with an extreme moisture boost that improves elasticity and promotes hydration.  I can use all of that for sure!

 

The little red packets are body lotion and exfoliating something or other from the European Wax Center.  These will not go to waste!

 

Next up is an eye liner pencil from Xtreme Lashes.  This is the color black pearl and it seems to have a really nice purple-ish tint to it.  It glides on SUPER smooth, just as it says in the description.  It's a gel liner that sets quickly and lasts all day.  I do not usually use eye liner but I will definitely be giving this a try!

 

Now we have a cute tiny sample of Epionce intense defense anti-aging + repair serum.  This is a complete multivitamin for your skin.  It helps stimulate skin rejunivation to reverse and prevent the visible signs of aging using the powerful botanical sources of Vitamins A,B,C,D, and E.  I can't wait to give this a try.  I'm starting to look old.  Sad face.

 

The little cute black thing on the right is an eye / lip liner sharpener. That's rad because I have never owned one and have thrown out liners when they need to be sharpened.  Shame on me.

 

Alrighty. Moving right along.  Next is a cute little trial size of Sebastian volupt spray.  This is a volume-building spray gel with the cushion particle technology (yep, I know what that means) that best combines full volume and sensual softness.  I'm pretty excited about this. I have some natural curl and I do like to scrunch it sometimes.  I also have thick hair and lots of volume, so this will be fun to add even more craziness to my hair!

 

And this is definitely my most favorite thing in the box!  It's a solid perfume stick by Nicka K New York.  It's scent is called Dream 42 as far as I can tell.  It has a nice citrusy smell.  Something I wouldn't have chosen for myself, but once I put it on I loved it!  I will be putting this in my purse immediately.  It is packaged in a beautiful boutique packaging.

 

All in all, my first glossybox was a true success!  Totally made my day.

 

Do you subscribe to glossybox?  If so, what did you think of this month's box?  What was your favorite item?  And what different items did you get compared to my box?

Free Julep Box Coupon Code!

Julep is a nail polish subscription box service.  They have such great colors and each month the selection changes.  One thing I like about Julep is that you can preview the nail polish choices for that month and choose to order one of the sets or skip the month.  It gives you a bit more freedom in ordering the box.  I just ordered my very first box!

I'm stoked. I got a FREE...yes, folks, I said FREE Julep Maven subscription box!  Actually, I paid $3.99 total for shipping.  What a deal.  I'm super excited.  If you want to grab your own free box go to Julep's website and order a subscription box.  The coupon code you want to use is FREEBOX.

Will today FINALLY be the day that my glossybox finally arrives?

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope ya'll have a super great weekend!

Ipsy Glam Bag May 2013

Ok...so I don't know where I've been but I have just very recently discovered that there's such a thing as subscription boxes...mystery grab bags, if you will. I LOVE beauty products. I do not wear a lot of makeup and I never wear anything flashy or crazy (although I wish I did) but I still love to try, look at, and buy makeup and such.

I have, in the past few weeks, subscribed to ipsy. It runs $10 a month and you get a new cosmetic bag full of beauty products. How fun is that? And seriously, super affordable!

I got my first ipsy bag today. I was too excited to bring it home and take pictures of the official unboxing, like many of the cool bloggers do. I ripped that sucker open in my car at the post office. No self-control.

I was really excited about what I found in my bag. First, it came in a nice shiny, pink bubble envelope. I would show you, but, no. It's ripped to shreds and in the trash. Inside the pink bubble wrap was the fun bag of goodies!

 

This is really quite a lot of stuff for $10!  And there's no tax and no shipping.  So it really is jut $10!

 

A beakdown of the booty (is that how you use that word?  Other than referring to your butt?)

 

First off is an awesome full size nail polish by Zoya.  The color is a beautiful pale pink (it says Gie Gie on the bottom...yeah, I know, I'm dumb.  Don't know if that's the color name or not).  It has a nice sparkle to it.  I like sparkly, shiny things.

 

 

Next is a roll on perfume from Pacifica.  The scent is Tahitian Gardenia.  I double heart love this.  It smells super good and I LOVE perfume.  This is a perfect size to stick in my bag.

 

Next is a full size lipstick by Mirabella.  The shade I got is Ballerina...it's a sheer.  It looks so pretty in the tube.  In my dreams I can wear pale pink lipstick.  I think I'll keep it for Ally's stocking. It's a perfect lipstick for a 13-year-old.  Mostly just a shine.

 

Next we have a clear brow gel.  Um, I have the world's thickest, plushest, biggest eyebrows and the thought of putting anything else on them besides the massive amounts of hair that's already there is frightening.  This will be something that willl be put in a gift basket for someone. Or the girls can play with it.  Still looks fun, though, and it has really pretty packaging.

 

 

I guess I forgot to take a picture of the little concealer.  It's a great color for me and I'll definitely be using it.  It comes in a little plastick thing and it's the size of a dime probably, only thicker.  A good match for my skin.  And i needed concealer.

 

And I love the chevron print bag.  The turquoise and oranges look great together!