Ipsy February 2014 Review

Ipsy February 2014 Review

Well, the snowpocalypse that has hit most of central and eastern states has really taken its toll on my subscription boxes!  I know that I don't want to be out in the blizzards and ice storms, so I am definitely cutting the USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc people some slack for late deliveries.  The roads have been miserable and my boxes have been late.  That's life!

Ipsy finally showed up (despite yet another snow storm) yesterday.

Ipsy February 2014

This month's theme is "The Look of Love."  If features a carnation pink bag with a pink animal print interior.

Ipsy February 2014

This month, everyone received two staple items and 3 variable ones based on Ipsy Match.  I guess since I liked the last set of fake lashes, they figured they would send me more! Oh well.  I now have a ton of fake lashes.  At least I wear them every now and then.

J.Cat Eyelashes in style EL13

These lashes are made from 100% human hair and come with a little tube of eyelash glue.  There were a number of styles sent out this month, and while I did not get my first choice, I did not get my last choice either!  These will add some volume to my own lashes without looking too crazy.

These sell for $3.99 on the J.cat website.

Jesse's Girl 9 Pan Eyeshadow Compact in The Eyes Have It

As I just spent a ridiculous amount of money on indie eyeshadow samples in a rainbow of colors, I'm a little eyeshadowed out right now!  Ipsy sent subscribers one of four color palettes from Jesse's Girl, and I ended up with the greens and browns (probably because I have green eyes, and told Ipsy that I do in my survey.)

Palette in The Eyes Have It

The colors look really pretty in the palette itself.  There's even a yellow!  Very unusual for any palette, let alone a drugstore brand.

Swatched twice over bare skin with finger

However, these are lacking in quality.  There are a few dark shades that are pigmented, but the brighter, lighter colors barely show up at all.  A good primer and a white base might help them to pop more, but it's not worth the effort to me.  These are hard, have a powdery texture, and are just about what you would expect for paying so little.

These palettes sell for $3.99 at drugstores (they sell this brand at my local Rite-Aid) and on the Jesse's Girl site.

First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay

I just tried this- the last of my variable items- and it was ok.  I know it says there is red clay in the formula, but I wasn't expecting this gel-formula to be RED.  It's the color of the bottle!  It just surprised me.

The cleanser itself is mediocre, in my opinion.  It left my skin feeling a little tight and dry.  Some face lotion fixed that, but I don't like to strip my skin of all its oils, only to put them back in again.  I'd rather use a more hydrating face wash in the first place!  I have normal skin- it is not dry, it is not oily, and I don't have to worry about blemishes.  If you are on the oily side of the spectrum, this might work better for you, especially after a workout or a hot day.

The sample was 1 oz, and the full size (4.7 oz) is $24 on the First Aid Beauty site.  Sample is worth $5.11.

Next, we have the two items that everyone got, just with color variations.

Pop Beauty Plump Pout Mini in Peony Petal

I have only received Pop beauty products through subscription boxes, and they tend to be hit or miss.  Often, I find the colors and packaging geared toward a much younger audience.  This gloss in Peony Petal (a "pink rose") is something I like more than I expected to.  I did not know that it was supposed to be a plumping gloss until I looked in the mirror.  It works fairly well!  The color is a little bright, but I wear stuff like this from time to time.

Freckle city! Pop Beauty Plump Pout Mini in Peony Petal

This gloss has no stickiness to it, which is nice.  It is a little thick, but has good coverage and doesn't migrate to the outside of the lips or settle into the lines.  It has a weird scent, though, and I can't place it.  The other color option for Ipsy subscribers to received was Fuchsia Freesia, a bright pink.

The sample is 4g, and full sized is 8.5g for $16.  Sample worth $7.53.

Last, is a full-sized polish from Zoya.  I got "Dot" and the other option was "Odette"- a purple orchid color.

Add caption

As always, Zoya polishes come in a box and are 5-free.  This light pink color is really pretty!  Normally with pinks this light, there are coverage issues.  This went on easily, and had full, streak-free coverage with just two coats.

Zoya Dot

I probably have too man light pink polishes, but I don't care!  I'm happy to add another to my collection, especially one that covers so well.

Zoya polishes are $9 for 0.5 fl.oz and are sold on their site, and at Ulta.

February Ipsy

All together, this bag had a total value of $29.62.  This isn't the highest value ever, but it's not bad, especially for $10.  I didn't like the eyeshadow, and the cleanser isn't my thing, but I'm happy enough with the eyelashes, gloss, and nail polish that my money spent was worth it.  

Ipsy is $10 per month and you get sent 4-6 sample and full-sized beauty and makeup items in a little makeup bag.  They do their best to match you based on a survey.  They do have a point system for item reviews, but it is slow going!  Each item you review gets you 10 points, and each referral gets you 250.  You need 1000 points to get a bonus item.

Bonus: Beautyblender and Blendercleanser

Thanks to those of you who were kind enough to use my referral link, I was able to get a bonus item this month!  Many thanks to Caitlyn, Michelle, and Sarah!  I hope you have been enjoying your bags!

If you don't subscribe to Ipsy, please use my link here.  You may be able to skip the waitlist, they occasionally run a "share this link and we'll bump you up" promotion.

This post contains items paid for by me.  All thoughts and opinions are my own, and no special consideration or compensation was received.  This post contains a referral link, see above for details.

Popsugar Must Have February 2014

Popsugar Must Have February 2014

First Look

This month's Popsugar Must Have box had a "pamper yourself oh and also it's Valentine's Day" theme.  This was the month that people could get for $20 using the awesome 50% off code released a few weeks ago.  That made this box an excellent deal for some people, and it caused some of those who paid full price to have a few issues with the box.

PSMH February 2014

Me? I'm indifferent.  This just confirms to me that not renewing my subscription after it expires in March is the way to go.  I already signed up for FabFitFun which is $50 quarterly.  (Get $5 off the Spring box using code ZOE or EARLY5.)

Dial Vitamin Boox Lotion Infused Body Wash

I'm just going to get this one out of the way.  This body wash polarized the internets.  It is listed as a "Special Extra" in the booklet, and is not supposed to count toward the total value of the box.  Fine.  Birchbox does this all the time- they feature drugstore items in addition to the normal content for the month.  I don't have a problem with BB or PSMH doing this.  As long as it is a bonus, great.

Some people found the inclusion of this body was to be insulting.  They felt it devalued the box as a whole, and would have been better to just omit it all together.  It inflated the box weight significantly without contributing to the value.  That's their opinion, and they are entitled to it.

I am just happy to stockpile more bodywash!  This one smells like kiwis and isn't too girly.  

$3?  Price may vary depending on stores and current sales.

Whew!  Onto the "real" stuff...

Nourish Organic Argan Face Serum

Last month Ipsy included a sample of face lotion from this brand in my bag.  It was just ok.  This is better.  Normally when I read "face serum," I think of a thinner, gel-like product.  Serum?  Right?  Something with some viscosity to it? 

No.  This is a mixture of oils and oils alone.  I wouldn't call that a "serum," and it totally squirted all over the place because I was expecting something with a little more heft to it when I pushed on the pump.  Oh well.  Nomenclature notwithstanding, this is a decent mix of oils.  It is mostly safflower, with argan, sweet orange (which contributes the most to the scent), apricot and rosehip seed oils.  It also has vitamin E.  That's it.  No additives or silicones or anything.  It was a little on the heavy side on my skin, and took a little longer than I'd like to absorb, so I won't wear it in the morning.  At night,  this is great.

20 mL is $23.99 on Nourish Organic's site.

Sugarwish Mini Red Cinnamon Hearts

Cinnamon hearts always remind me of my mom.  There were very few candies in the world that our family did not enjoy, but as far as I remember, she was the only one that liked these.  I thought they were too spicy for my delicate baby mouth.  I've since aged a couple decades, and discovered that these are indeed delicious.  They are also small, which is good.  And not chocolate, which is better. 

I don't like chocolate.  It's ok if that makes you not read my blog anymore.  

Sugarwish is a mail-order candygram company.  You send a gift card to someone and they pick out the candy they want, and Sugarwish sends it to them.  The smallest size you can gift is 4 1/4lb bags for $25 including shipping.  They have the kinds of candy you normally see in the bulk-candy mall stores.

The candy hearts we were sent are 1/4lb, giving them a value of $6.25.  I definitely wouldn't pay that much for cinnamon hearts, but they did come in a cute box with a bow.  Packaging is everything!  There was also a 20% coupon. (I also think it's kinda cute that Popsugar included another company with sugar in the name!)

k. hall designs Peony Travel Candle

This is such a cute candle!  I love the tin, I love the scent (I wouldn't normally like a floral), and I will definitely burn this.  Very appropriate for a pampering/Valentine's themed box.  Would a jar candle have been better?  Yes.  But I'll make do.

$11 on k hall designs' site.

ModelCo Lip Pops Duo Lip Gloss and Lipstick

This is a dual-ended lipgloss and lipstick combination product.  Both ends smell like strawberry to me.  The gloss is clear with a little shimmer, even though it is tinted pink in the bottle.  The lipstick is a brown-leaning medium mauve color which will be flattering on most people.  I managed to leave the lipstick twisted-up after this picture and smushed it into the cap.  That is what I get for taking pictures of my stuff while on too much cold medicine.

I could not find this product individually on ModelCo's website.  It looks like this is the nude lipstick/ striptease gloss combination included in this set.  The set is $49 and includes three of these combos and a mascara.  

I'll estimate $12.25 for this by itself.

ncLA Polish in Rodeo Drive Royalty

What could be more massacre-themed than blood-red nail polish?  Not much, and I'm happy to have another ncLA polish to try out.  We got one over the summer in another PSMH box, and I really liked it.  However, that one was a creme formula, and this one is more of a jelly.  I prefer the creme!  This went on unevenly and was tricky for even me to apply.  My bottle does have a wonky brush, though.

Rodeo Drive Royalty in bright light, 2 coats

This picture is a little lighter than the polish looks in real life.  It is closer to the bottle color.  I'd say it is the color of blood before it has a chance to oxidize- like when you are getting blood drawn into a small tube.  That color.

This is $16 on the ncLA site.  They also call it a creme and that it is cran-apple colored.  They may be less-morbid people than me.

Gorjana Brooks Jewelry Roll

This is this month's "big ticket" item: a faux leather jewelry roll from Gorjana + Griffin.  It is a poppy-red color, close to the zipper pulls in the next picture.  There are three zippered compartments inside and it is held together by wrapping some ties around the thing and kinda tying it the best you can.  The edges of that tie are not stitched onto the back of the pouch well, at all.  I also have random glue splotches around the zippers on the inside.  

Gorjana Brooks Jewelry Roll, inside

I don't feel like this would make traveling with jewelry any easier for me.  I don't often bring much with me, and what I do bring, I wear.  I have a small container I put it in while I go through security, and then it goes back on.  I will probably use this as a clutch, instead.  My iPhone fits in a pocket, and I can put my cards and cash in the others.  Voila.

This is $45 on the Gorjana website and this exact color doesn't seem to be listed.  PSMH also included a $25 off-your-next-full-priced-order coupon code.  I have two of these now, and will never use them because shipping is too expensive and I can't combine the codes with each other or with sale items.  If you think this is something you would be interested in, please let me know in the comments! I will email you one of my codes! I have two! Two people can get $25 off codes!  Yay!

PSMH February 2014

All together, this box had a total (approximated) value of $117.49.  More importantly, I'll actually use and enjoy everything included.  I still probably won't renew my subscription.  I'd rather try out other boxes!

Popsugar Must Have is $40 per month, with slight discounts if you prepay for a certain number of months ahead of time.  You get 6 (sometimes with +1 bonus) full-sized items from various categories.  It is a very diverse subscription and you never know what will be included.  It consistently has a value of over $100.

If you want to try PSMH for yourself, please use my referral link here.  I'll get a free month for every so many people who join using that link.

This post contains items purchased by me.  No special consideration or compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions are my own.  This post contains referral links to PSMH and FFF. 

Swaggable: Bombshell Big Hair Powder

I belong to a site called Swaggable which sends you new products to try out in exchange for a review on their site.  It is minimal effort and you get to try something new every now and then.  Not bad.

I put this hair powder on my wish list, and it was sent to me.  I've since seen this brand at Marshall's/TJ Maxx and drugstores.

Rock Your Hair Bombshell Big Hair Powder

I really wanted to like this product, and it did add a lot of volume to my roots.  However, it made my hair a little too sticky for my liking.  It was like powdered hairspray, if that makes any sense.  Sorry, no picture of the disaster that ensued.

If you like big hair, and/or teased hair, and/or bouffants/puffy styles, this might be for you.  It's definitely NOT a dry shampoo.  It does what it says, I just don't apparently need or want a product like this.

No special consideration or compensation was received for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own. The item in this post was received for free from Swaggable in exchange for an honest review.

Birchbox February 2014

Birchbox Review, February 2014: Collaboration with Us Weekly

Birchbox February 2014

This month, I didn't recognize the red outer packaging in my mailbox, but it turned out to be my February Birchbox!

February 2014 Birchbox First Look

The first look was a little disappointing.  I had no idea what to expect this month, as boxes hadn't updated and I don't watch the sneak peek videos BB posts.

OPI Sheer Tint Top Coat in Be Magentale With Me

We will start with the item that caught my eye.  It's no secret that I love nail polish, so I immediately was drawn to this mini OPI bottle.  It's the same size as you would get in their 4-packs of mini colors, 3.75 mL.  Normal polishes are usually 15 mL, and Julep polishes are 8 mL for a size reference.

This is one of OPI's new sheer tint top coats.  They suggest wearing alone for a sheer wash of color, or over another polish to change up its look.

My poor stained, peeling nails and winter cuticles.
1 coat OPI on index and middle fingers (left two), nothing on ring and pinky (right two) fingers

It's interesting by itself.  1 coat is shown above, and you can probably get it a little darker with 2 or 3 coats, but I think that even with layering on the entire bottle, you could never get this polish opaque.  That's fine, I don't mind sheer polishes to be honest, but I know I'm in the minority.  That being said, I'm really glad I got the pink-tinted variation, and not the green or purple or yellow.  As it is, one coat by itself looks like I did a bad job removing red polish.  I can imaging the yellow tint, alone, looks like you just have the world's most stained nails!

The full bottle of this (15 mL) sells for $9.  3.75 mL is worth $2.25.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara Sample

I was really surprised to see a Smashbox product in my Birchbox!  I know that they have sent out mid-price brands such as Benefit and Stila, but for some reason this was a pleasant surprise.  I don't think I've tried this particular mascara before, but I have a huge backlog to go through before I open it.  It has a nice, full brush, so that will probably mean a lot of lash definition (no spider lashes/clumps).  

0.38 fl.oz. is $19, making the 0.14 fl.oz. sample worth $7.

eleven skin Refresh Cleanser

Here's where things got weird.  I have never heard of this brand (eleven skin), and it seems that this cleanser is part of their anti-aging skin care regimen.  The cleanser is available for purchase by itself, and it looks like it is $30 for 2 oz on the website (and $42 for 4 oz), but Birchbox has 4 oz for $30.  So, I'm not sure if I'm reading things correctly?  I was sent a 2 fl.oz. bottle.  

This is a thinner gel formula and smells like a generic plant-oil mix.  Top three ingredients are water, TEA-lauryl sulfate, and glycerin.  It looks like a generic cleanser to me.  There are some plant oils thrown in (mostly AFTER "fragrance" on the ingredient list), but nothing stands out to me.  I haven't tried it, yet, though.  Who knows? It may change my life (probably not).

Worth $15 going from BB pricing.

Agave Healing Oil Oil Treatment

Aaaaand, a little cardboard packet of hair oil.  I hate these cardboard samples almost as much as I hate caffeine headaches.  Which is a lot.  Also, this is not a novel product.  It is mostly cyclopentasiloxane (silicone in circle form) and dimethicone (more silicone, not in circle form).  There are some random oils thrown in, including some for scent.  It smells like a combination of cheap bubblegum and dollar-store potpourri. I already have a silicone-based, oil-infused hair product I love (OROFLUIDO!) and have no intention of switching.

On Sephora's site, 40 mL sells for $40, making this absurd packet worth $4.  I'm going to go dump this into a resealable container so I don't spill it all over the place. 

Smashbox Full Exposure Paper Samples

Sigh.  See how fast this box went downhill?  I was sad when I thought there were only 4 samples in my box, but then I opened up the little flyer at the bottom and was even MORE disappointed that BB/ Us Weekly thought that this "sample" would be a good idea.  Seriously?  If I'm careful, I might be able to use this once to get a full look going.  But, a small amount of shadow pressed onto cardboard does not, in my opinion, give you an adequate idea of what the actual palette will be like.  Yes, there are shimmery and matte shades included, in a range of neutral colors, but I would have been more excited about a mini pan of just one shade.  Ugh.

No value.

February 2014 Birchbox

All together, this box had a value of $28.25.  I'm not that excited about anything, just because there wasn't really anything *new* to me.  I already have a perfect-for-me face wash and hair oil.  I have too many mascaras and a sheer polish mini really isn't that exciting.  I'm not even going to mention the eyeshadow.  I'll review these on the BB site for 10 points each (assuming they let me review the shadows) and spend my points on something I actually like.  Remember, 100 points is $10 to spend! 

Birchbox is $10 per month for 4-6 samples.  For every item you get and review, you get 10 bb points.  Buying things from their shop will get you 1 point for every $1.  The point system, and the occasional amazing life-changing product, make this subscription worth it for me.  Even with lackluster boxes, like this month's, I will continue subscribing.  If you want to try it out, please use my code here.  I'll get 50 bb points for each referral.

This post contains items purchased by me.  All thoughts and opinions are my own and no special compensation or consideration was received for this post.  This post contains a referral link; see above for details.

Julep Maven, Boho Glam February 2014

Julep Maven, Boho Glam February 2014

This month is the last one from the 6-month subscription my sister gave me for my birthday!  I'm sad!  If I want my Julep fix, I'm going to have to pay for it now.

Julep Boho Glam, February 2014

This month, Julep featured liquid eyeshadows called 'Eye Sheens' and everyone got a bonus polish from Julep's founder, Jane.  This month's Dramatic Collection also featured "stardust" polishes (textured with glitter, much like OPI liquid sand or Zoya Pixie Dust) and polishes named by Jay-Z's ROCNATION.

I wanted a Stardust polish, so I opted for the Boho Glam profile.  I love that Julep allows you to choose the style you want that month!  They have an all-beauty box now, as well as a "basics" box, in addition to the 4 polish-based styles.

This month, we were allowed to choose what color Eye Sheen arrived in our boxes!  Great job, Julep!  They listened to their subscribers when the lip glosses came out.  At that time, each color gloss was assigned to a particular style, you could not pick.  I like being able to choose.

Pale Nude Shimmer Eye Sheen

I chose the pale nude shimmer and it is very subtle and gold.  Definitely shiny.  Definitely stays put!  My hand swatch stayed on for 12 hours.

Pale Nude

From the original pictures, I wasn't expecting something so liquidy.  But, Julep did say these were liquid eyeshadows, so I'm not disappointed.  They go on easily and a little goes a long way.  Good thing, because the pot is SO SMALL.  The diameter is that of a quarter.  The box looked huge, but it was totally an illusion.

Pale Nude Shimmer

See? Subtle.  I might try using this as an eyeshadow base.

Top to bottom: Love, Rooney, Cameron

This might just be my favorite month of Julep, yet.  These polishes knocked it out of the park.

Julep Love on ring finger, over Julep Abigail

Love is a gold, pearl, and fuchsia microglitter polish.  It was so hard to take a picture of, but it is stunning in real life.  There is a major flash of gold over the pink glitter, it is super pretty.  This was one coat over my existing Abigail mani (2 coats).

Julep Love

Cameron is the stardust polish that I wanted.  It is a silver liliac with various sizes of glitter.

Julep Cameron

This was one coat.  I used two for the real thing, but one covered very well and you could get away with just that.  It also removed very well! I did not have to soak or foil or pick off random left over glitter pieces.  Very impressive, although it could have been due in part to the layer of Abigail underneath.

Julep Cameron

Rooney is the polish that I was a little hesitant about.  I don't have any brown polishes, and I was a little hesitant to order this walnut bark creme, but I wanted Cameron.  I'm so glad I picked this style!  Rooney is perfect.  I'm a brown-polish believer, now.  It is so flattering against my skin, and isn't as harsh as a deep purple or navy.

Julep Rooney

This was a two-coated, but barely.  Like most other Julep cremes, it went on like butter.  So smooth and easy!  

Boho Glam polishes

I can't wait to try Love over a darker polish! I'm sure the gold will stand out even more

Julep Rooney with Julep Cameron accents.

Julep Maven costs $19.99 per month and includes shipping.  You get at least $40 worth of products, and being a Maven gets you a discount on anything you buy on their site.  There are 3 profiles where you get 2 polishes + a beauty item, one 3-polish profile, a 2-beauty item profile, and a nail-care based basics box to choose from each month.  HOWEVER.  If you sign up for Maven now, you can only skip your box once every 6 months.  Anyone who signed up before December (20th?) 2013 can skip any and all months, but Julep has changed this policy for new subscribers.  You can still cancel at any time by calling the company, but not being able to skip boxes kinda sucks.  

If you are still interested in Julep, you can use code FREEBOX to get your first box for free, you just pay a few dollars in shipping.  You can use my referral link here and I will get 1000 Jules (Julep points).  

This post contains items purchased by me.  All thoughts and opinions are my own, and no compensation or consideration was received for this post.  This post contains a referral link; see above for details.

Phone Case of the Month, January 2014

Phone Case of the Month, January 2014

January's Phone Case of the Month

Phone Case of the month is $10 per month and they send you a limited edition (200 of each style made) phone case.  It's a pretty simple concept.  Pay money, get case.  The cases are pretty good quality, they have a soft feel to them.  Don't expect an Otterbox, but I definitely have worse cases from random late-night Amazon orders.

The case I was sent this month is 'Time Travel' and I got a few compliments on it the first day I used it.  Nerds like nerdy things like floppy disks and cassette tapes.  

This is the most gender-neutral case I've gotten out of the three months I subscribed, I felt that the others were a little on the girly side.  No ribbons or bows though, just cutesy themes. 

I think this is a pretty good deal, especially if you are like me and get bored with your case after a few weeks.  They have cases for iPhone [4, 4s, 5, 5s, 5c] and Samsung Galaxy [S3 and S4].  If you sign up using my link here, you will get your first case for $5!  I will also get a $5 discount on my next case. You can cancel or pause your subscription at any time.

This post contains items paid for by me.  All thoughts and opinions are my own and no compensation or consideration was received.  This post contains a referral link; see above for details.

Popsugar Must Have Coupon!

Hi everyone!

I have the latest Phone Case of the Month review to do, but first:

THERE IS A 50% OFF PSMH COUPON CODE.

If you have wanted to try out Popsugar, but it was out of your price range, now is the time.

ASK50 *should* get you 50% off of your first box, making it $19.97 + tax.

If you want to try it out, please use my referral link here.  One more person and I will get a free month!  That would be nice, I just cancelled (after my next two prepaid boxes, that's it!).