Ipsy March 2014

Ipsy March 2014 Review

PSA: Throw out your lip gloss from Pop Beauty that came in the February bag.  Trust me, I know a chemical burn when I see one, and I chemical-burned the crap out of my lips.  They are still recovering.  Gross.  Just toss it if it doesn't smell like delicious vanilla cookies.  Pop Beauty claims there is a "missing flavoring ingredient" but there is clearly something fishy going on with the sample glosses.  Read about this particular issue here.

THROW THIS AWAY!

And as always, if you ever notice a weird smell or burning sensation (different from a plumping or tingling sensation), or if your skin/lips feel slimy, stretched out and tight (not just dry, but like your skin has shrunk 2 sizes), itchy, or scraped up after applying any makeup product, THROW IT AWAY.  Seriously. 

Ok.  Sorry.  Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

I remember the days where I would get Birchbox and Ipsy on the same day, usually within the first 10 days of the month.  Birchbox has since started to ship to me a few days earlier, and Ipsy has started to ship to me about a week later.  Sigh.  Can't have it all in life, I guess.

Ipsy March 2014

This month's Ipsy theme is "Destination Beauty" and features a bag designed by Klari Rice, an artist from California.

The bag itself is cute, but feels pretty thin and vinyl-ish.  It will wipe clean, at least!  The pattern, for some reason, reminds me of the minions from Despicable Me.  Maybe because the circle blobs look like eyes?  I'm not sure, but I get a definite minion vibe from this bag.

There were 4 products included in the bags this month.

Be a Bombshell Bora Bora Eyeshadow Quad

First up, I got the Be a Bombshell eyeshadow quad in Bora Bora.  There was eyeshadow dust all over the inside of the box and the outside of the compact, but it didn't seem to be from my particular quad.  Weird.  I wiped it all off for the pictures.

Bora Bora Eyeshadow Quad in the remainder of today's natural light.

The eyeshadow is more pigmented than I expected.  I like the combination of colors a lot, but I probably will still give this away as a gift.  I have too much eyeshadow!  Gah! 

Two swipes over bare skin, with a LOT of light shining in

I think Ipsy sends a Be a Bombshell product almost every month! I have lip crayons, lip gloss, felt-tip eyeliner, a one stick, now eyeshadow.... I'm going to end up with their entire product line if I continue to subscribe to Ipsy!  It totally negates the need to buy this product independently, and also makes me devalue their items.  They should probably give it a rest for a little while.

This sells for $16 on the BaB website.

Next, I got two packages of Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing eye patches.

Klorane Soothing and Relaxing Patches

I read somewhere online you could re-use these, so I'm going to try to do that.  I'd hate for these to be one-time use, but it seems like they are.  Oh well.  They felt nice on, but I will definitely take the suggestion to put them in the fridge first!  I don't think they made a noticeable difference on my undereye circles, but I wasn't puffy to begin with.

Dermstore sells a 7-pack of these for $18, making my 2 packs worth $5.14

OH hey! Nail polish! IpsyMatch really had to work hard on that one ;)

Nicole by OPI "On What Grounds?"
Different from the mystery book by the same name.

This is from the Nicole by OPI Roughles line of textured polish.  The color is "On What Grounds?" and is a robin's-egg-blue with navy and gray speckles.  It dries to a matte sandy finish and doesn't have glitter in it (like the Julep Stardust, Zoya Pixie Dust, and OPI Liquid Sand lines do).

Speckles in the bottle

When I first put this on, I didn't like it.  It looked like I had done my nails at the beach and got tons of sand stuck in the wet polish before it dried.  The dark specks don't help that at all!  Trust me- I live less than 1 mile from the ocean.  I know what sand stuck in nail polish looks like, and this is it!

"Roughles".... get it?
Stupid nubby pointer finger :( It is cracked down the middle- I need to keep it short while it grows out!

However, the longer I look at it, the more it is growing on me.  I'll see what everyone at work says tomorrow.  Two coats was plenty, and I happen to be a fan of the wide brush that NOPI polishes have.

NOPI polishes sell for about $7.99 at CVS, Target, Ulta, etc.

Last up, and my favorite thing in the bag this month, is a mini lipstick by Bare Minerals as part of their Marvelous Moxie line in Get Ready.

BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready

The color is really pretty, it is a nice warm rose color that is flattering on my super-winter-ultra-pale skin.  Unlike last month, I am not having any burning feelings associated with applying this lipstick.

Face into the light.  The color of this lipstick is a little more muted in real life.

This lipstick is wonderful.  It is super creamy and richly pigmented.  There is a slight vanilla-mint scent, which I think is nice.  This is one of the best lipsticks I have gotten in a subscription box, if not *THE* best.  I love it!  I wish Ipsy had sent out full sizes, but no biggie.  I'll just buy a full one when I use this sample up.

Sample size is 0.05 oz and the full size is 0.12 oz.  The full size is $18, making the sample worth $7.50.

Ipsy March 2014

The total value of my bag this month is $36.63 (hi there, palindrome!).  I've had higher bag values, but there were some items from decent brands this month.  I am really happy with this bag, especially the lipstick!  I don't think I would have preferred any of the other variable options this month, I'm pretty satisfied.

Ipsy costs $10 per month, and will send you 4-6 sample and full-sized (mostly) beauty items in a makeup bag.  If you want to give it a try, please use my referral link here.  I'll get 250 Ipsy points.  After 1000 points, you get a bonus item.  You get 10 points for each item review you do, so it's hard to accumulate enough points for an item without referrals.  That's the only downside to Ipsy.  You also cannot skip a month, but you can cancel at any time.

No special consideration or compensation was received for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own. All items mentioned within were paid for by me.  This post contains a referral link; see above for details.

Popsugar Must Have March 2014 Review

Popsugar Must Have March 2014

This is how it usually goes for me and my subscription boxes:

Me: Ooooh, I like this box a lot! Let me look at all the previous months and choose whether or not to subscribe!

Then I subscribe.  Beginning months are great! Then the boxes seem to go downhill.  Maybe I get desensitized?  Maybe I just get too greedy?  Who knows.  Months pass.

Me: These boxes are getting lame.  I'm going to cancel my subscription.  

Last box arrives.  

Me: This is great! Maybe I should renew my subscription!

PSMH March 2014

That is how PSMH went this month for me.  It was great! I like this box a lot! It's making me reconsider canceling.  I'm afraid that the April box will be FANTASTIC and I will miss out.  But- I will be strong.  I will stay unsubscribed... until a coupon comes out with a great spoiler attached.  Then all bets are off!

So, for now, this is my last PSMH box.  Prices have gone up, and most of the boxes have not reflected the higher price in their content.  

First Look, PSMH March 2014

This month's box contained:

Real first look

Activeforever Fusion Exercise Ball

Now, with handy dandy straw to inflate it!
ActiveForever Fusion 7.5 inch Exercise Ball

This is a tiny basket-ball sized (7.5 inch) exercise ball.  I have NO IDEA what to use it for!  It comes with a little straw to blow it up, and took all of three seconds to do so.  Now what?

This is from Activeforever and suggested retail is $9.95.

Harvest Snaps Snapea Crisps in Lightly Salted

Snapea Crisps- Lightly Salted

These have the texture of cheez doodles- the crunchy puffed up kind- with a subtle veggie (pea) flavor.  They are strangely addictive! My boyfriend said they were weird, but he is not exactly a health-food connoisseur.  If I happen to come across these in a store, and they have the wasabi-ranch flavor, I would probably pick some up.

This is what they look like.  Appetizing?

These sell for about $2 in various grocery stores.  Here is their site.  

Nature's Bakery All Natural Strawberry Fig Bar

Nature's Bakery Fig Bar in Strawberry
Like a grown-up Fig Newton

This was really really good! It's long gone...

You can get a 12-pack of these on Amazon for $7.50.  That means this single bar is worth $0.63.

This month's big ticket item was the spoiler- a blue ikat scarf from Brokedown.  This print was exclusively designed for PSMH, but this type of scarf retails for $72 on Brokedown's site.  I have to say, this scarf is amazing! 

Brokedown Ikat Scarf

I love the colors and the pattern, and it is just so darn soft!  It is very lightweight, and I know I'll be able to wear it through the summer.  Amazing. 

Jurlique Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum

Jurlique Advanced Serum

It's a little unusual to see a non-full-sized item in PSMH, but it does happen.  At least they send sample sizes that are very generous (this is half of the full size) and allow you to test out the product for a decent amount of time.  I also think it's a little weird that they sent us a face serum (oil) last month, and then another one this month! That's ok- I send half of my oil from Nature's Organic (last month's brand) to my sister.  This one might stay with me.  This serum smells very strongly of roses, which I happen to like, and spreads out nicely.  It absorbs pretty fast.

30 mL size on Jurlique's site is $54, making the 15 mL sample worth $27.  

Dogeared Lucky Horseshoe Make a Wish Necklace

Dogeared Lucky Horseshoe Necklace

This is a rather short gold horseshoe charm on tobacco silk thread.  You are supposed to make a wish when you put this on, and then when the silk breaks, your wish will come true.  

Blurry picture of the necklace on me.  It's short.

This is a cute necklace, but Dogeared has things that are much cuter! I would have picked a different design for myself, but it is still a nice idea.  I might use the 30% off code to pick up some gifts!  Everything is pretty reasonably price, which is nice.

This sells for $26 on the Dogeared site.

Baublebar Elephant Ring Tree

Baublebar Elephant Ring Tree

This is adorable! I currently have my rings sitting in a tiny ceramic dish, but I think this will be cute next to my sink at home or on my desk at work (rings do not mix with continual rubber glove usage).  

So cute!

Baublebar has a number of really cute ring trees (that giraffe! omg!) that are all really reasonably priced!  This was a nice addition to this month's PSMH box.

Ring tree, $12 on Baublebar. 

All together

All together, this month's PSMH has an approximate value of $149.48.  This box costs $39.95 per month, but lately they have been sending out discount codes for new subscribers (5 or 10 dollars off) each month.  If you want to try it out, please use my link here.  If one more person signs up with that link, I will get a free box!

No special consideration or compensation was received for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own. All items mentioned within were paid for by me.

Birchbox March 2014 Review

Birchbox March 2014 Review

Well, it's March.  I set the clocks forward and went out without a jacket yesterday.  Birchbox showed up, and I have some little crocuses popping out of the piles of salt and sand next to my driveway.  It's starting to look like spring!

Birchbox March 2014

As usual, my Birchbox shows up before boxes have updated on their site.  It's a total surprise, and that is fine with me.

First look, March 2014 Birchbox

This month's theme is, "getting more out of everything."  Ok? Sure.

BB Find: Jergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream (light)

This is a Birchbox Find: a drugstore product that BB includes in your box, usually along with a coupon.  

Jergens claims that this BB cream for your body will hydrate, illuminate, even, firm, and correct your skin tone.  It comes in two shades, one for light skin and one for medium and deep tones.

It smells good, it is light and warm.  I usually use a tinted lotion on my legs if I wear a skirt or dress (so I don't blind people with my ultra-pasty-ness), and I don't think that this will take its place.  It might even things out with continual use, and continual use of any lotion will keep you hydrated, but I'm just too pale.  

This is a 1 fl.oz. sample, and the full size (7.5 fl.oz.) sells for about $10 at most drugstores.  Sample worth $1.33

GrandCentral Beauty S.M.A.R.T. Skin Perfecting Serum + Primer

I can kinda see how this fits into BB's theme this month.  This all-in-one serum and primer is supposed to hydrate, smooth, act as an anti-aging serum, prime, fill lines, even redness, wipe your butt, etc..

The thing I like most about it, is that it smells like lilacs!  So nice!  It absorbed into my skin really, really quickly, and I ended up using more than I normally would with a comparable product.  My skin does feel pretty smooth, though.  You know what? I like it.  I'll definitely use this!  I haven't tried it under makeup yet, but I am sure it won't be any worse than using no primer at all.

Full-size (50 mL) is $68 on the company's website, making the 6 mL sample worth $8.16.

Supergoop City Sunscreen Serum

I have a full size of this, courtesy of PSMH, and I like it.  I haven't really worn any extra sunscreen lately, just what is in my foundation/BB cream.  But, spring is coming up and hopefully the weather will be brighter and sunnier, and I'll have to start wearing this under my makeup once again.  It's a nice sunscreen, and I definitely recommend it- but I wouldn't go out and spend all that money on it, myself.  If you are sensitive to a lot of chemical sunscreens out there, it might be worth it to try to find a sample.  It has decent ingredients and is very light on the skin.

Full size (50 mL) is $42 on the Supergoop site. 10 mL sample is worth $8.40.

Keims Hair Care- Peppermint & Macadamia Cleanshine Energizing Shampoo

While I haven't tried this shampoo yet, I'm not sure if I am looking forward to it.  There aren't any mineral oils, silicones, or parabens in this formula, and peppermint is always a good shampoo scent.  It doesn't smell overpowering to me, but who knows how it will behave when it's all lathered up.  However, it WILL lather up- the second ingredient is sodium laureth sulfate.  That's too bad; I don't use sulfate-based shampoos on my hair.  My haircolor lasts longer if I don't, and I have found my hair to be less dry after switching to sulfate-free products.

This is fairly affordable, 250 mL for $9.50 on the BB site.  Sample is 50 mL, worth $1.90.

Inika Eyeliner in Green Lagoon

I liked the Inika eyeshadow I received in BB a few months ago, and this color is perfect for complementing that shade!  I really, really like the sharpener in the cap!  I tend to do my makeup in the car, and sometimes I forget to bring my eyeliners in for sharpening and they get too dull to use.

Inika Eyeliner in Green Lagoon

The color on the pencil end cap is exactly the color it shows up on the skin.  The pencil is not too hard, and not too soft.  It's a lighter metallic color, though, so it doesn't pack as much of a punch, even though the pigmentation is pretty good.  Bonus: This is an Organic, Eco-Friendly brand.

Full size, retails for $29 on Inika's site, and $20 on Birchbox.

Total: $39.79

This was a better box than the others I've gotten lately!  I will probably end up giving away the shampoo (because I won't use it) and the sunscreen (because I have a full size), but I like the eyeliner, primer, and lotion.  Factor in the points (10 points = 1$ per review), and this was a decent box.  The points always make it worth it, though!

Birchbox costs $10 per month, and you can sign up using my referral link here.  I'll get 50 BB points per sign up.  For every 100 points you accumulate, you get $10 to spend in the BB site.  Each month BB sends you 4-6 (mostly) sample-sized products.  There is a personalization quiz and a lot of box variations that go out every month.  You cannot skip a month.

All items in this post were paid for by me and all thoughts and opinions are my own.  No special consideration or compensation was received for this post.  This post contains a referal link; see above for details.

Subscription Box Spoilers, March 2014

Hello everyone!

There are some good spoilers and deals out there for subscription boxes right now.

Popsugar Must Have is featuring this pretty scarf in their March box, AND you can use IKAT10 as a code to get $10 off.  This makes your box $30! 

Golden Tote selection time!  I picked the $149 tote with:

Elephant Dress

Not-so-Basic Button Down in Black and White

Are you getting anything this month?

Ipsy spoilers have started rolling in!

BareMinerals Double Trouble

Spoiler 1 shows this gloss and lipstick- subscribers will get 1 of the two.

FabFitFun  has two spoilers out for their spring box!  Use code SPRING5 to save $5 off of the $50 price tag.

Kai Perfume Oil (gardenia)

Turband from Cult Gaia

This post contains referral links.

Wantable Intimates March 2014

Wantable Intimates March 2014

I decided to do another month of Wantable Intimates.  Mostly because I forgot to skip the month, but partially because I did a major clean-out of my underwear drawer and need new things to fill it!

First Look

This box arrived a day earlier than I expected, which was nice.  It showed up on Feb. 28, I have just been slacking on writing this review ;).

Muk Luks Footless Tights, black

First up, footless tights by Muk Luks.  I can always use more plain black tights, and I like that these are footless.

$15

Sweet Dots Hipster by Icy Hot

These are pretty cute! I like the grey dots and the rouching.  I was a little confused because these were a size M, and I have my preferences set to S, but they fit well.  Maybe this brand runs small, and Wantable sent me the size up because of it?

$8.99

Betsey Johnson Luscious Lite Cami Tap Set- Shorts

Last up is a cami and tap short set from Betsey Johnson.  I apologize for not having a picture of everything in the box together, but this set got put on right away.  It was Friday night.  The pants were coming off, blog pictures be damned!

Betsey Johnson Luscious Lite Cami Tap Set- Cami

Betsey Johnson Luscious Lite Cami Tap Set- Together

I like this set.  It's light and comfortable and the material is nice and soft.  It will be great in the summer, but I didn't want to wait until then to wear it.

$59

This box totaled to $82.99.  This is a better value than the $36 I paid for it, but I do have a little bit of a bone to pick with Wantable.  Because the items you receive are picked based on your profile, all of the boxes vary WILDLY in overall value from person to person.  I've seen March boxes value over $110, and some as low as $70.  Another pair of underwear would have brought this total closer to the high, and I would have been a little happier.  I do like everything I got this month, at least.  But, would I pay $9 for the tights, $9 for the underwear, and $9 for each piece of the set? I don't think I would.  I can get tights cheaper, underwear cheaper, and that exact set was on Hautelook a few days ago for more than half off the suggested MSRP.

If you think Wantable is for you, I suggest you give it a try.  The boxes are highly customizable and the overall value is there.  It is $40 for a one-time purchase, $36 with a subscription.  You can skip whatever months you want to.

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

Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Makeup

I received this product for free from Bzz Agent, and I'm really glad that I did!

Bzz Agent provides free (or at a heavy discount) products in return for a review from people like you and me.  It involves posting to websites, social media, etc...

I was really excited when I was invited to the Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Makeup (Foundation) campaign!  I don't have a real big-girl foundation, I normally use BB cream or BareMinerals if I need more coverage.

Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Makeup

It evened out my skin tone beautifully, and I love the velvety finish. It did not quite last the 12 hours promised, but a few spot touch-ups after 8 hours kept it going strong all night. 


For all the following pictures, I have zero makeup on (except lip gloss).  I applied a thin coat of foundation with my damp Beauty Blender.

Before

After

Classic Ivory was a great match for my skin tone and it looked and felt natural. I wish it wasn't so hard to get the product out of the bottle, though! A pump would be perfect for this foundation. It's not that thick, so the trouble getting it out of the bottle is deceptive.

Before

After

I have normal skin, but I'm very fair and have freckles. This foundation was light on my skin, yet provided medium, buildable coverage. Even with a thin coat, as in the above pictures, you can see how much it evened out my redness.

I did not expect to like this foundation as much as I do. Like I said, I normally use BB cream, but this has been my go-to every morning since I received it. The sun protection is a bonus!

I'm very, very happy with this foundation. It makes me look like I'm wearing a better version of my own skin, which is all you can ask for!  It may not work for everyone, but I'm really glad I found it, and that it is available at drugstores!

No special consideration or compensation was received for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I received this product for free from Bzz Agent.  

Tone Bath and Body Wash Review

This is another product I got for free from BzzAgent.  It was sent to me for free in exchange for honest reviews on various web and social media sites.

Tone Petal Soft Bath and Body Wash

This is Tone Bath and Body Wash in Petal Soft with Pink Peony and Rose Oil.  It is a Dial product.

My first impression was that this smelled like something I would find at Bath and Body Works.  It is heavily scented, and the product is a pink shimmery gel.  It lathered well and made my skin feel clean, but not particularly moisturized.  The ingredients did not really impress me, it was water and a lot of surfactants.

I think I will stick with buying my B&BW shower gels when they are on super-sale ($3!) instead of this.  Don't get me wrong, I will use it up, I just don't feel like it makes my skin soft enough.  It didn't dry me out at all, but if you are prone to very dry skin, I would avoid this.

No special consideration or compensation was received for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own. The item mentioned within was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review.