Glossybox :: December 2012

Welcome friends to my last beauty box review of 2012! Woohoo! And we end the year with the December Glossybox. Now I had some high hopes for this box in general with it being the priciest of my subscriptions and all the awesome reviews I've seen on other blogs and Youtube. My first box in November was a touch disappointing which I will get into after the review. Now we can always blame Hurricane Sandy on the issues with last month's box so I'm hoping this next box will make up for it, let's dig into December shall we?

 As always Glossybox wins most points for packaging. So pretty and Christmasy!

Product List/Value for the month:
Pleats Please by Issey Miyake .03oz sample $0* (full 3.3oz $98)
Denise Richards Finishing Spray 1.5oz sample approx. $7 (full 10oz @19.99)
Heartland Fragrance Bath Salt in White tea sample size 5.5oz approx. $1.67 (pack of 12 $19.99)
Mark. Lipclick Luxe Lipstick in M. Powerment Petal $12
JewelMint ring approx. $10 (requires subscription to purchase 3 rings for $30)

Wella Velvet Amplifier .05oz sample $0 (full 1.9oz $16)

Zoya nail polish in Electra $8 

Total Bag Worth: approx. $38.67

*Honestly I consider any minuscule sample sizes that you can get as freebies at any department store beauty counter or Sephora/Ulta type store to be worth zilch. Just my opinion, some may disagree >_<

So already I'm thinking the value of this month's box is just not there. there are three full size products if you count the ring but the value of the products featured in general is not what I would consider luxury.  

 So first off we have what I would consider a freebie size of Pleats Please by Issey Miyake. An overwhelming floral smell. One tiny spray was super overpowering to me. It's not a horrible smell just really strong. Some may like this but personally I tend to like cleaner lighter scents. This one will announce your presence before you've even turned the corner into a room. So if you are looking to make a statement with your scent this is the perfume for you!

Next we have Denise Richards Volume Extend Finishing Spray. Now I have not tested this on my hair yet, I don't really wear hairspray unless I'm getting all dressed up for something. I did spray a little on my hand just to check the fragrance and it smells nice enough, not too strong. I really do not like hairsprays that leave you with a crunchy  nasty texture. Any sprays I use need to let my hair feel soft, flexible and touchable. When I do curl my hair I use a volumizing spray from Bamboo for the lightest of holds. I'll be featuring that hairspray in an upcoming Favorites of 2012 post. so stay tuned for that. I will have to try this spray the next time I have a fancy function or night out.

Here we have Heartland Fragrance Bath Salt in White tea. Hmmmm....welll..how do I say this....I don't take baths -_- I am a shower person. I suppose I will try this however I have to say this isn't all that exciting considering its worth a measly $1.67ish. On the website you get this particular scent of salt in a pack of 12 for about $19.99. So again this does not scream luxury so much as dollar store. *sigh* It does smell nice.

 Moving on with Mark. Lipclick Luxe Lipstick in M. Powerment Petal. Now this is a little more exciting to me! Something I might actually use. The packaging is super cute and nice. The closure is magnetic so it makes a nice satisfying click when closed. 

 I really only wear the sheerest of lipsticks or tinted lip balms. So this nice, natural, dusty rose color is right up my alley. I'm just not big on having brightly colored, sparkly, shiny lips. I like to play up my eyes as they have to compete with my glasses most days. Plus, husbands just don't want to be kisses by goo-balls. Oh one downside I must point out, I searched their site high and low and could not find the color they sent me. So if I ever wanted to repurchase it's not available :(

 -_-.....ugh....this is ugly. 

Ewww....it's on my hand! This monstrosity of a ring is from Jewelmint, another subscription service as far as I can tell that features accessories. I tried to find accurate prices for this since Glossybox was claiming its worth to be $29.99. I found out that after subscribing to site pr whatever its really three of these ugh-tastic rings for $29.99 meaning this poor excuse for finger decor is only worth about $10. At least the cheap-ass ring Julep sent me was fun to make and decent looking.

*sigh* 'nother freebie sized product. This one is Wella Velvet Amplifier. It's basically a primer for your hair. I've actually used a hair primer before and it was nice. It made my hair soft and manageable and I think it did help my curls hold up better for a night we spent out downtown for a friend's birthday. This isn't terrible, it's just a bigger size would have been nice considering the already low value of this month's box.

 Finally! A full size product! Zoya nail polish in Electra. This is kind of a neat glitter polish. It's a silvery, iridescent stick glitter. Looks a lot like the Nailtini polish I got in the November Ipsy Glam Bag. Pretty!

Here is how it looks on the nail. It's a bit sparse with one coat but would look color over a more exciting color than the one I chose here which is Essie Ballet Slippers if you are curious. Would definitely need a layer of topcoat or two over this polish as it's a pretty rough dry texture alone.

Well, I suppose that's it for this beauty box! Gosh...I really hate to feel a little disappointed again this month. As I mentioned above my November box was less than thrilling due to the fact that, it was really late and the Truffle Serum and the Argan Oil samples were practically empty. I did contact customer service about it and they said they would send me replacements but instead of getting one of each they sent me two Argan oils and no Truffle Serum. At least they tried right? They did mention they were having a lot of trouble with the November boxes because of Hurricane Sandy. I don't know maybe Sandy interfered with the December boxes as well. I will give them another month I think. Maybe in the New Year they will really Wow me! Until then, let me know what you guys think! If anyone else get's these beauty box subscriptions I'd love to hear from you!

Ipsy Glam Bag :: December 2012

Hello everyone! Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday so far. My Christmas was awesome, sad to see it end :( felt like it went to fast. I'm ready for the New Year though! But before I move on from 2012 let me bring you my review of my December Ipsy Glam Bag.

 So here it is the December Glam Bag! This month the bag was a little different in shape. More like a pencil case which I actually found useful for storing my makeup brush separately from my makeup. Like that a lot! There was another JustFab coupon which I really havent looked into yet but I think its an online accesorry shop where ever thing is under $40? maybe? Dunno but they give you a pretty generous $20 off a $40 purchase which if everything in their shop is that much is pretty nice. 

Product List/Value for the month:
Mai Couture Highlighter Papier $28
Be a Bombshell Lipgloss in Hot Mess $14
NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in White Pearl $3
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero travel size approx. $10 (full size $19)
Mirabella Prime for face and eyes $29
Total Bag Worth: approx. $84.00

 So first we have Mai Couture Highlighter Papier. This is an interesting product to me. I'm new to highlighters in general. I've only tried a few and my favorite is Nars Albatross but I've seen these papers before in Sephora and was intrigued. So I was happy to get a chance to try these out. I used them for my husband's holiday party. I just brushed a sheet across the tops of my cheekbones, my collarbone and across my décolletage. It gave a very VERY subtle glow. Compared to my Nars highlighter this was definitely a lot less noticeable which is good or bad depending on preference I suppose. Plus it was a natural rosy color rather than the goldeny glow I get from Albatross.

 Next we have Be a Bombshell Lipgloss in Hot Mess. Which is a bright fire engine red! Not something I would ever pick out for myself. I'm really not a bright lip color person at all. I stick with sheer. barely there colors or shimmers. I almost never wear lipgloss in general because I just don't care for the shiny, goopey lip look. Plus my husband does not want to kiss that  hot mess indeed ;) See what I did there?? I'm silly I know. I'm not saying I HATe this AAaaah!  I'm just saying not for me **shrug**

 Anyhoozels here is just a closeup of the applicator for those interested parties and below is a swatch of the color.

 Here we have NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in White Pearl. Now I'm not a huuuge fan of loose powder anything just because of the whole messy factor but I really do like the way this stuff applies and shimmers in the light. Soo pretty. Nice brow bone and inner corner highlighter. 

 This is just a closer look at the powder and below is a swatch. Now I've applied a pretty good amount to my hand here just to give you guys a good idea of the pigment and color payoff. IT actually can be pretty sheer if you use a light touch with your application.

 Overall very nice! I like it. I will use it! I will get it EEVvverryyyywherree I'm sure :D

 Next up, another awesome product to be getting out of this month's glambag is Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero. Now I'm already in love with both my Urban Decay Naked palettes so I'm all for trying more products from them. 

 From this swatch you can tell it's nicely pigmented. It did glide on pretty easily and it was smudgeable if you do it quick enough. It's waterproof so once it sets it stays put. I had to scrub to get this off my hand. This would be nice for lining your waterlines for sure.

 Finally we have Mirabella Prime for face and eyes. I'm still in the stages of playing around with primers. I'm not sure they are necessary to be honest. I do consistently use Mac Groundwork as a primer for my eyeshadow but a primer for my whole face? I dunno...I don't really get that oily and I do suffer from some lovely hormonal acne once a month so adding one more product to my skincare/makeup routine does not appeal to me. I really like to minimize the levels of crap on my face. If I use this it will only be going on my eyelids. So we shall see if it makes a difference.

 And there you have it. Above I've applied all the products to my face and you can almost achieve a complete look with this bag alone. I did wind up lining my lips with the Illamasqua lip pencil I received in my November Glossybox just to keep the gloss from traveling. Can't really see the highlighter or primer but the pearl shadow and the eyeliner worked well for me. I will be adding those to my makeup bag.

 I think overall I'm pretty pleased with this month's bag. The value was definitely there ($84!!) and I will be getting some use out of these products. Well that's it for today let me know what you guys think! 

Julep Maven Boho Glam Box :: December 2012

Howdy friends! Sorry this is a bit late but I've a super busy holiday season so far this month. I received my Julep Maven December Box in the first week of December and I was very pleased! This is only my second box but I have fallen in love with the brand. I've gotten some use out of both this month's colors and the November colors and I am super happy with their quality, application, staying power and all that jazz. If anyone is interested in joining Julep Maven click here take the style quiz, follow the instructions and you'll be signed up with this great program! Oh and if you would be so kind as to use my referral code I'd appreciate it! It's 6129970. If not that's OK too, as a Julep Maven member you earn points toward future purchases or boxes with things like sharing, gifting or getting referrals to sign up.

First I will give you my initial impressions on the December box and then at the end I will give you my over all opinions on last month's box since I've gotten more time to try everything out thoroughly.

 So here it is all opened up. It's so hard to keep everything together and untouched before I'm ready to photograph things!

 This is the backside of the little card that comes with just bits of information of the products or any additional instructions on the items that Julep feels necessary to include.

 So in the December box I've received two nail polishes, a warming foot scrub, a DIY ring thingy and an extra little peppermint :)

 The first color is this gorgeous holiday berry red with silvery glittery sparkles called Petra. Sooooo perfect for the holiday season! This color went on really nicely in just two coats and its just so pretty in person. I don't think the camera is doing it justice here. I did wear this color for about a week and I didn't have any major issues with chipping or anything. It stayed really nice for 5 or 6 days.

 This next polish is a chunky silver glitter called Jordan. Not as exciting to me as the other color because its nothing that unique. It actually is really similar to Essie Stroke of Brilliance which I already have in my collection. The only difference between the two is that the Essie color has a blueish tint and in the bottles they do look different but on the nail honestly you can barely tell the difference. Here I have painted one coat of glitter over Essie Licorice which is a plain black color just so you can see the glitter a bit better. My thumb I just used the Jordan alone for comparison. I did wind up using this as a glittery top coat color over last month's polish in Michelle which is a navy cream blue on my toes for a holiday party and it turned out really nice. Looked like starry night on my toes!

 Next we have a warming foot scrub. I haven't used a foot scrub since high school because usually I leave any kind of scrubs or foot treatments to my local nail salon. I don't usually tend to do them myself just because if I really want to relax bending over my own feet and scrubbing away in the shower isn't exactly luxurious to me. However, I gave this a whirl in the shower and it was nice but not spectacular. The 'warming sensation' lasts literally a second. You feel a quick flash of heat when it first contacts your wet skin but doesn't last at all. Then you are left with just a scrubby minty smelling lotion. It's not a particularly rough or abrasive scrub either, its pretty mild so don't expect to slough away any callouses or rough skin with this stuff. It's not terrible or anything, it smells nice and all and I've reached for it a few times in the shower so I will probably use it up but meh...not something I would purchase for myself again.

 Moving on we have a little create your own ring kit! Now at first when I took this out of the little baggy I was like, "Oh how nice a crappy broken freebie ring...woohoo" but then I found the little instruction note card that was floating around in the box and was like, "Coool! Art project!"

 

 Basically all you have to do is paint the flat side of the glass stone with whatever nail polish color you like, I chose the lovely red color they sent me and then once it dries you pop the stone in the setting and clamp down the little prongs to secure it. I suppose you could use some craft glue as well to really secure it but I just didn't have any on hand.

 

 And here it is all done! Kind of a pretty little costume piece.  It really shows off the glitter in the polish well. A cream polish would have been a bit boring.

 I guess that's all I have to say about this month's box! Overall I'm pretty pleased with Julep so far. It has definitely helped keep me from purchasing new polishes randomly which is awesome. Now when I got to the drugstore or mall and see pretty polishes I do find myself resisting the urge to purchase when I know a really cool box is in its way.

 Oh and as promised some final thoughts on my November box. I still love the colors a lot. Both of them lasted at least a week without chipping. I haven't touched the glitter pots since demonstrating them in my last Julep blog post and they will probably wind up in my craft drawer or I've had an idea about adding them to either a clear top coat polish to make a glittery topcoat or a cream polish to add sparkle to an otherwise boring non-shimmering color. And finally the cuticle oil I've used a few times to help remove polish from skin after I've painted my nails and let them dry. I jut roll the oil over spots and it helps loosen the dry polish from my skin so I can just rub it off. And that is it! Thanks for reading! I hope this was helpful and please leave any questions or comments below, I'd loooooove to hear from you!

Glossybox :: November 2012

Happy December Lovelies!! Is everyone excited for the Holidays? I know I am :D! So today I'd like to share with you my first Glossybox! For those that are unfamiliar, Glossybox is a monthly beauty sample box subscription. I subscribe to two other beauty boxes currently (Julep and Ipsy) but I have to say I did most of my research on Glossybox before subscribing, mostly because its a bit more pricey at about $21 a month. However my research on Youtube and other Blogs has shown that the samples are much more generous than other subscriptions and they even include a few full size products so that you definitely get your money's worth. Aaanywayz...on with the review of my FIRST BOX!!

So here it is! On top was a Glossybox magazine, which was nice. Had some different articles on the different brands featured in the box along with little interviews, gift guides and different Celebrity product favorites. Cute, will have to read it in more detail later.

Here is the description of each product featured in my box. Not everyone receives the same products I've heard and they are supposed to send you things based on your style profile which you fill out when you first sign up. The style profile for Glossybox is more about your physical features such as skin type, hair color, complexion etc... Which I actually think is kind of better than answering 'personal style' type questions because for me general terms like Boho Chic, Classy, or Glamazon aren't exactly clear on what kind of products I would likely receive.

Above are two coupons, feel free to snag the codes and use them if you'd like. I'm probably not going to.

Here is the box all opened up. I really like how nicely packaged everything is. The box itself is very pretty and sturdy and can easily be reused for gift-wrapping or storage. This month there are five products total.

Epionce

Restorative Hand Cream

Full Size $19/2.5oz

Formulated to absorb quickly on the skin, this hand cream will leave your often neglected hands feeling soft and deeply nourished all day long. The cream incorporates organic raspberry seed oil, which provides a rich source of anti-inflammatory antioxidants and omega fatty acids that help to protect and restore the skin barrier.

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This is one of the full sized products so there you go you already have your money’s worth for the month and when I tried this out it was really nice! It’s not sticky, it absorbs pretty quickly and you only need a tiny amount for your hands. The smell is very different. Very fruity and you can definitely smell the raspberry. Probably not going to please everyone but I like it.

Skin&Co. Roma

Truffle Serum – Hydro-Toning Day Face Serum

36.00 $ / 1.01oz

Developed in Italy, this light-weight serum works to prevent the signs of aging by bringing together pure extracts of Tuber Melanosporum and Hyaluronic Acid. It works great as a boost to the cellular regenerative process thanks to the potent Panthenol B5. This cellular regenerative formula is rich in Peptides and ideal for any age and skin type. You’ll notice the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles reduced and a more deeply hydrated revitalized looking you.

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Sounds really nice and fancy and I would have loooved to try this buuuut my sample was EMPTY! Yup, I must have lucked out and gotten an empty sample tube. :( So sad! So yeah....I will email customer service and hopefully they will be able to send me a full sample so I can try it. I'll let you guys know next month what the results were and be able to give you a bonus customer service review!

Perfumies

Solid Perfume Stick

$7/.07oz

These decorative perfume sticks are perfect for travel or to throw in your handbag. The slender and elegant tube allows you to quickly dab on your wrists, neck, or cleavage without sticky fingers or goo stuck under your nails. Perfect for fragrant touch-ups throughout the day! All natural, no parabens, no preservatives, and never tested on animals.

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Moving on here we have a solid perfume stick in the scent Kissing Bandit. Interesting product, only lists three ingredients: coconut oil, beeswax and fragrance oil. For what is supposed to be a perfume this was very lightly scented. It smells a little old ladyish, sweet, floral and powdery. Not my cup o’ tea but oh well, it would be interesting to know how others were scented because this is probably one of the products that varied between boxes.

Another shot of the perfume stick, which shows its consistency. It was very mushy almost melted out of the tube.

NuMe Style

Arganics by NuMe Argan Oil

$59/4oz

Achieve stunning and healthy hair with NuMe’s specialized non-greasy Argan oil that penetrates damaged hair cuticles leaving hair healthy from the inside out. This rich yet light-weight hydrating Argan oil reduces drying time in damp hair and prevents fading on color-treated hair.

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Well this is a bit disappointing! The bottle is almost empty; there is barely any product in there. :( And sheesh look at the price of the full size! almost 60 bucks and they can't even give me a sample that's full so I can try it?!?! Welp that's going into my email. Maybe this is just a fluke and other people got full containers I really hope this is not going to be a trend with their samples. This is a pretty pricey service to not be giving people full products....

Finally we have....

Illamasqua Ltd

Lip & Eye Medium Pencil 

$20/.05oz

This highly pigmented creamy pencil allows for easy blending with a long-wearing hold to create sultry eyes and sensuous lips. It's medium size tip allows for versatile use and strong application.

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Now this is a brand I've actually heard of which is nice. Lot's of bloggers and vloggers on Youtube talk about Illamasqua products and they have a pretty good reputation. This is just slightly smaller than a full size product.They advertise this particular product as being multipurpose for eyes, lips, body application. However, I can't imagine where else I would apply this bright red but my lips.

Here is how it looks on my lips. Really Bright fire engine red. The first and last time I personally rocked a rep lip was at my Senior Prom. This is definitely a color to wear for something dramatic. For me though, I don't think I'll get much use out of it. My husband wouldn't come near me with these lips as I imagine most guys wouldn't. It is very smudgy, as I was wearing this, briefly as it was, it came off everywhere, my hands, fingers, my cup, kittycat you name it.

Here is another swatch of the color and how it looks in the pencil form. I would also note that it was very dry and probably not as smooth as the description made it out to be. If you do wear this on your lips you would probably need a gloss or balm or maybe just use it as a liner for a matching lipstick.

Ok that is all everyone! One more look at all the products and honestly I'm a bit on the fence on how I feel about this box. Two practically empty samples and some products I won't use like the lip pencil and the perfume stick.....I don't know. My opinion might improve based on how well customer service responds to my emails and requests for replacement products. I just really really wanted to love this box and I anxiously awaited its arrival all month (posting this in December because I didn't receive the box until the 30th). The late arrival is kind of a bummer too in a way. My other subscriptions came within the first two weeks of the month and Glossybox actually sent me three emails in a row with incorrect shipping info. Who knows maybe we can blame Sandy and this was just a fluke of a month for Glossybox. I guess we shall see if next months box is more thrilling. If you have any questions about any of this let me know in the comments.

:D

Ciao Signorinas! Until next time stay fantastic!