Monday, June 29, 2015

Beauty Sample Redux: June in Review!

Holy cow, friends--how can July already be upon us?

It's time to take a look back at the samples I've had for this month from ipsy and Birchbox, along with a few little tidbits about another trip I took to Ulta (I have a problem, I know).  Let's just dive in and talk about the things I bought in this past month from Ulta first! (I'll use the same 5-star rating system as last month.)

Ulta Products:
I've shown you the eye shadow palette and the liquid lipstick palette, but in addition to that, I also grabbed a small kit of tarte brand products (called the tartlette 101 kit), and I decided to try out NYX's Liquid Illuminizer. Here are my thoughts on each of those.

  • The Take Me There Palette by Ulta has been super fun to play with,  Not all of the colors have the same payoff pigmentation-wise, but I've been able to make some pretty nice eye looks incorporating these shadows.  The inconsistency in quality keeps me from being able to rate it higher than 4 stars, but it's a fun new tool to add to my (quickly growing) makeup arsenal. Here are a couple of eye looks I made incorporating this palette:

  • The Ulta Liquid Lipstick Kit is also a really neat addition to my makeup collection.  I don't own any super bold lip colors like these, and while I've only worn the Pink Spritzer shade so far, I enjoyed wearing these.  They are suuuuper pigmented and really fun to add on when I've gone fairly low key everywhere else on my face.  They have a fair amount of lasting power, though I do have to watch that they don't run.  Overall, I really enjoy these.  Rating: 4 stars. Here's how I wore the pink shade earlier this month:

  • The tartlette 101 Discovery Set was a really neat kit I found in Ulta, though I can't find it online to get you a link, which is a major bummer. (I found a link on Amazon, but it's waaaay overpriced.  Check your nearest Ulta store and see if you can get your hands on it.)  It's a kit that includes deluxe samples of tarte's  Amazonian clay bronzer and blush, a LipSurgence lip creme, their Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara, and their maracuja oil.  I've gotten to use all of them and I'm really liking getting to play with a higher end brand that I wouldn't normally be able to afford.  I'm going to go ahead and give this kit 5 stars.  It's a really great introduction to some of tarte's best selling products, and these deluxe samples will last me a good while!  Here's a picture of the pieces of this kit (also featuring the next product I'll be discussing):

  • The last thing I purchased this month from Ulta could easily be purchased in a Walmart, Target, or drug store that carries NYX products.  I purchased their Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator in the shade Gleam.  This is basically a liquid highlighter, and the shade is so gorgeous.  It's warm and golden and peachy and I can't say enough nice things about it.  Oh, and it's also on sale for like $5 right now at Ulta.  Check it out!  I'm easily going to rate this one 5 stars.  Will most definitely repurchase in the future.

ipsy Samples:

  • OFRA Cosmetics Turquoise Eyeliner - This eyeliner is a pretty nice for a pencil eyeliner.  It's not as soft as some of the eyeliners I own and enjoy already and it pales in comparison to the indigo eyeliner I got in my Birchbox this month, but it's been fun to play with and I'll get as much use from it as I can. Rating: 3 stars
  • LAVANILA LABORATORIES The Healthy Body Butter in Pure Vanilla - This was just okay for body butter.  The misleading scent is less of a vanilla and much more akin to a nutty/spicy kind of fragrance that I don't enjoy enough to get much use of.  It'll be good to throw into my suitcase for travel, but it's not a new favorite by any stretch.  Rating: 2 stars
  • Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Foundation Primer - This primer is pretty awesome.  It's the subject of a lot of hype in the makeup community, and while it wouldn't be an everyday primer for me, it certainly does its job to make your skin look smoother and your makeup apply evenly.  Rating: 4 stars
  • Formula X Nail Color in the shade Power Source - I haven't yet worn this nail polish, but the color is lovely and I'm considering painting my toes with it the next time I swap out my colors--I'm currently rocking a Revlon Nail Enamel in the shade 495 - Sultry.  Rating to come once I actually use the color!
  • treStiQue Mini Shadow Crayon in the shade Kona Coffee - This little shadow crayon has proven really versatile for me.  I've used it to fill in my brows for some added drama, and I've used it to darken up the crease in my eyes, as seen in the brown eye look featured earlier in this post.  It's been fun to explore how to use such a dark color! Rating: 4 stars

Birchbox Samples:
  • Temple Spa Good Hair Day Shampoo & In Good Condition Conditioner - I'm rating this duo together.  The shampoo was nothing super special, though the conditioner felt and smelled very nice.  I'll probably tuck these away for travel in the future, but I won't be jumping to purchase these in full size any time soon.  Rating: 3 stars
  • Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels - These packed more of a punch than the Kloraine eye patches I got in last month's ipsy bag, but that's not saying a lot.  They're very refreshing for the first few minutes, but after wearing them for about 5 minutes, you don't notice any lasting effects.  Perhaps if I had more than one pair to try I could speak more to their efficacy, but either way, they were fun to play with,  Rating: 3 stars
  • Dr. Jart+ Premium BB Cream SPF 45+ in the shade Medium-Deep - I did try out this BB cream all over my face one day in place of the Garnier BB Cream that I've basically fallen in love with, and while it felt nice and lasted all day, the shade was just a touch too dark for my face.  It wasn't enough to be problematic, but it was enough to make me think this shade just wasn't the best fit for me.  I'm glad I got to try it, though.  Rating: 3 stars
  • Marcelle Mini Waterproof Eyeliner in the shade Indigo - This eyeliner beats the OFRA liner in a number of ways: it's creamier and easier to work with, it's much bolder color-wise, and it has pretty killer staying power.  Rating: 4 stars  Here's how it looked when I used it on my lower lash line paired with a black liner on my upper lid:
  • Pura Vida Lace Headband - This little headband is pretty awesome for wearing around the house, especially when I need to be applying or removing makeup.  It was an extra this month and I'm glad to have it! Rating: 4 stars
Okay--that about wraps up this month in review.  I hope you're all enjoying your summer!  I've got about 4 more weeks or so of my current grad school course that just got started recently, and then I'll get a few weeks in August to chill out and not think about grad school OR work-school.  Though, let's be honest--I'll probably do some thinking about both.

I'm excited to see what July brings from Birchbox and ipsy, and I'll be back to tell you about both in the next couple of weeks.  As always, I implore you in the meantime--don't forget to be awesome.

Best wishes,

Marlee

Monday, June 22, 2015

June 2015 Birchbox!

Hello again, my friends!

I've just returned back to town after taking a little vacation to spend some time with my parents down in Myrtle Beach. :)  While I was gone, my Birchbox arrived, so it's time to take a look at the goodies I've gotten this month!

I don't have a whole lot of preamble to offer up, so I'm just going to dive right in.  Let's do this thing!

Here's my beautiful box--totally in love.


.

 Products number 1 & 2:


Temple Spa
Good Hair Day Shampoo
Full size, $14
Sample size - 0.84 fl oz
Sample value - $1.73

Temple Spa
In Good Condition Conditioner
Full size, $14
Sample size - 0.84 fl oz
Sample value - $1.73

These are the perfect size for travel, and they smell pretty good.  I'm excited to try them out and tell you more about my thoughts when I do my end of month wrap-up.  More to come on these!

Product number 3:


Skyn Iceland
Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels
Full size, $30
Sample size - one pair
Sample value - $3.75

I'm looking forward to testing these out--they were my sample choice for this month's box.  Maybe tonight after I take off my makeup, I'll try them on and see how they go. I got a pair of eye patches from Kloraine in my ipsy last month and they were just okay, so hopefully these will actually offer noticeable relief.  Again, more to come later. 

Product number 4:


Dr. Jart+
Premium BB Cream SPF 45+
Shade 02 Medium-Deep
Full size, $39
Sample size, 0.17 fl oz
Sample value - $4.42

This is supposedly a light coverage foundation with built in anti-aging and a high SPF for protection.  The shade seems like an okay match for my skin tone, especially now that I've gotten some color.  I'll give this a go see how it looks on my face as a foundation--Dr. Jart+ is a mega-favorite in the skincare and makeup scene.  While I'm not likely to drop almost $40 on a full size, I'll certainly get the most I can out of this sample!

Product number 5:


Marcelle
Mini Waterproof Eyeliner
Shade: Indigo
Full size. $11
Sample size - 0.028 oz
Sample value - $7.70

Here's a swatch:

This is a really pretty, creamy eyeliner.  I'm excited to get some use--the texture is much softer than the Ofra eyeliner, so I think it'll be a whole lot easier to use.  I'll try to take some shots of it on my eye when I put it to use.

BONUS Product number 6:


Pura Vida
Lace Headband
Full size (pack of 8), $18
Sample size - one headband
Sample value - $2.25

This headband is super cute--it's very pretty light blue shade, and it fits very snugly--it may actually be a bit on the small side, but I'll use it while I can.  It'll be great for when I need to wash my face or take off/apply makeup.  

All in all, this month's box had some decent stuff in it.  Total value of this month's box was around $21.58, which is still well worth the $10 subscription price.  I've got a quite a few things that'll be fun to play with, and I'll be back in a week or two with some wrap up conclusions about this month's ipsy Glam Bag and Birchbox.

If you're interested in trying out Birchbox for yourself, click here to sign up and give it a try.  It's a super fun way to learn about and try out new products and I highly recommend it!

Okay, friends, that's it for now--in the meantime, don't forget to be awesome, and I'll be back soon with our June wrap up.

Best wishes,
Marlee






Sunday, June 14, 2015

Ulta Mini-Haul!

Hello, my friends!

I took a walk through Ulta the other day and wound up purchasing a couple of fun items that were on sale.  Thought I'd share them with you!

First up is an eye shadow palette--this is the Take Me There Palette by Ulta.  It's a 16-shade palette that also includes an eye shadow primer and a small brush.  Here's the palette closed and opened--I used the flash on the open picture so you could better see the shades.


The primer is in the circle in the middle.

I haven't gotten to try these out on the lid yet, but I did do some swatches of each of the quads.  I'll include those below with the names of the shades--there's a handy dandy diagram on the back that helps with identifying the various shades. The top row in each of these pictures is over a thin layer of Hard Candy's Eyes the Limit eye shadow primer, the bottom row is without.  I'll give some first impressions after I share all of the swatches.  Let's take a look!


This first set is from the bottom quad.  Shades, from left to right, are:
Majesty
Green Machine
Brownie
Aztec Gold-


This quad is from the left side of the palette.  Shades pictured are:
Khahki
Sunburst
Sunrise
Mimosa


This is from the top quad on the palette.  Shades pictured are:
(Glitter Topcoat) Deep End
Glittering Sands
Key West
Sapphire


This last quad is the one on the right side of the quad.  It's one of my favorite sets, I think.  
Shades pictured are:
Hopeless Romantic
Elegance
Naked
Eggplant

First impressions: I'm excited to play around with these shades to make some more complex eye looks.  The primer is pretty useless as far as I can tell, so that's why I didn't use it in the swatches.  The one downside to not being "name brand" shadows is that while they all feel good, some of the shades are bit chalky.  My favorite shades tend to be the ones with a bit of shimmer, though I'm pumped on some of the darker matte shades because I know I'll have fun playing with those.  This kit was on sale for $9, and I figured for 16 shades, that was a steal no matter what.  I'll try to remember to take pictures as I play with these shades on my eyes and I'll update you when I get to my end of the month wrap-up.

In addition to the eye shadow palette, I was intrigued by a little Ulta Liquid Lipstick & Primer kit. This kit contains 3 bold liquid lipstick shades, along with a primer to wear beneath them and a small lip brush.  Bolder lip colors have become a point of interest for me over the past few months, and I figured this was an easy (and expensive) way for me to acquire some fun shades.  Here's the kit:


Here are some quick swatches on my wrist--I didn't bother with the primer here.
From left to right: Pink Spritzer, Ruby Red, and Mimosa

I figured actually seeing them on the lip was worth it, too  So here are each of the shades on my lips with a thin layer of the primer under them.  Let me begin by saying that when they say a little goes a long way, they mean it.  These things are super pigmented!


Pink Spritzer

Ruby Red

Mimosa
First impressions: I'm so stoked on these, friends.  They're going to be super fun for summer time, and they wear really easily.  This kit was on sale for $7.50, and it was worth every penny.  This may turn out to be the door that gets me into really liking super pigmented lip products--time will tell.

That about wraps up this mini haul--I hope you enjoyed learning about these products.  I look forward to giving you more of a review after some time to play around with them a bit more.  Until next time, don't forget to be awesome.

Best wishes,

Marlee

June 2015 ipsy Glam Bag!

Hello again, my friends!

It's time to dive into another ipsy Glam Bag.  This month, ipsy actually beat Birchbox out in delivery time, though that's partly my fault for not getting my billing information updated when I got my new debit card last month (oops).  Birchbox will hopefully be shipping out my June box in the next few days, but in the mean time, let's crack open this month's bag of goodies from ipsy!

For those of you who are new, ipsy is a beauty sample subscription service--for $10/month, you get a cute little bag of 5 or so beauty products, ranging from sample size to deluxe sample size, with the occasional full size product thrown in.  This is only my 2nd bag from ipsy, and I've been pretty pleased with my products so far.  If you're interested in checking out ipsy for yourself, click here to sign up.

Let's get this show on the road, eh? I'll start out with giving you a brief tour of this month's actual bag (and the still useless card that tells me nothing about the products it holds).

Pink! Shiny! (And thankfully sealed nice and tightly this month.)
The material this month is almost a sort of swimsuit type material. Very soft.
Since it's hard to see in the previous picture, here's a close-up of the fabric.
The zipper is cute, and totally coincidentally coordinated with my nails.
The card. I'm still trying to figure out why they even bother with it when it serves no real purpose.

Onward to some beauty sample goodness!

Product number one:

OFRA Cosmetics
Turquoise Eyeliner
Appears to be full size (0.4oz)
Product Value: $13

Went ahead and swatched it for you:

This is a very pretty color, though I'll tell you that the swatch I got was only obtained after quite a few swipes--this is a typical eyeliner pencil and it's a little on the hard side.  I actually wore it on my eyes the same day it arrived--I'll share that with you in a little bit.  I'll play with it some more this month and give you more thoughts after that. Moving right along...

Product number two:

LAVINILA LABORATORIES
The Healthy Body Butter in Pure Vanilla
Full Size, $19
Sample Size - 0.85 oz
Sample Value - $2.41

This is a nice body butter--it's not quite as thick as other body butters I've tried out, and the scent actually reminds me a lot of the Candlenut Body Cream I received in last month's Birchbox.  It wasn't crazy about the scent then, and I don't love it now, but it seems to be less potent in this instance.  I can handle the scent as a light fragrance, so I'll probably try throwing this into my purse to use this month.

Product number three:

Smashbox Cosmetics
Photo Finish Foundation Primer
Full size, $36
Sample Size - 0.25 fl. oz.
Sample Value - $9

This primer is the stuff of legends within the world of makeup.  Smashbox is a quality brand that's known for putting out high quality products.  As much as I've heard about this primer, I hadn't yet been able to try it out, so I'm excited to have received this sample.  I tried it out on my skin the day it arrived, and I do have to say that it's a bit slipperier than I expected.  I also have to be careful about using primers like this on my forehead, because even though the rest of my skin generally is oilier in nature, my forehead gets flaky and dry and primers like this can highlight sometimes.  I'm stoked to play with this more this month and to see how it goes as I learn where to best use it on my face.

Product number four: 


Formula X
Nail Color
Shade - Power Source
Full Size, $10.50
Sample Size - 0.13 oz
Sample Value - $3.41

Again, this hot coral nail shade is remarkably like the shade that's already on my nails--no, I don't already own it.  But I'm excited to have this little bottle to try out.  Formula X is another brand that I've heard buzz about but haven't had the chance to try out personally, so this will be a fun color to play with this summer. I'm definitely glad to have it!

One more to go!

Product number five: 


treStiQue
Mini Shadow Crayon
Shade - Kona Coffee
Full Size - $26
Sample Size - 0.02 oz
Sample Value - unsure

The main reason I was unsure of what the value of this sample is has to do with the fact that I can't seem to figure out how big the full size is.  Almost any product will tell you somewhere how many ounces it is, but I couldn't find that out for this one.  This product is pretty neat, though--the packaging makes it look ready to use, but the faux pencil cover reveals the actual eye shadow underneath.  The shade is pretty deep, and I don't know if I'll love it as an eye shadow, but I did use it to fill in my brows and really liked it for that purpose.  Just so you can see that and the eye liner in action, here's a shot of how that all came together:

The eye liner looks pretty good in retrospect.
Maybe I was a little quick to judge the color payoff.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with this month's bag.  Total value is estimated at around $28 without accounting for the unknown value of the eye shadow crayon, so it's definitely worth the $10 price tag for the subscription.  I'm looking forward to seeing how Birchbox stacks up to ipsy once it arrives, as well.

I took an impromptu trip to Ulta and got a couple of pretty nifty kits.  I'll be throwing together a short blog with some swatches to share that mini-haul.  Until next time, don't forget to be awesome, my friends.

Best wishes,

Marlee

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Beauty Sample Redux: May in Review

Wow, this post is going up much later than intended!

I figured now was a good time to break down some more solid reviews of the products I've tried out this past month from Birchbox, ipsy, and my own personal shopping hauls.  I'm just going to back up to my mini-haul from Target and work my way forward, giving a brief description and a star rating (out of 5).  Let's get started!

Target Products:
There were three main products that were new to me from Target--the Pacifica Coco Pure makeup remover wipes, the wet n wild Fergie collection mattifying pressed powder, and the book I scooped up: a copy of Gone Girl.

  • The Pacifica wipes smell great, but I've noticed with prolonged use that they're pretty thing and small for a makeup remover wipe.  I generally need 2 wipes if I have any kind of eye make up on, as it starts to transfer from the wipe back onto my skin if I don't swap out a new wipe.  They've been nice, but I don't know that I'd rush to buy them again. Rating: 3 stars
  • The mattifying powder seems to work okay--I've been using it as a setting powder when I finish my makeup in the morning, and it does seem to keep me from getting shiny as the day goes on.  There really isn't a ton of product in the little compact I got, but I'll reserve judgment on whether or not I'll repurchase it until I hit pan. Rating: 4 stars
  • The book was pretty good!  I knew the basic premise, and I'll be honest--the "twist" was pretty obvious to me, but the ambiguity of the ending was interesting.  I need to see the movie now! Rating: 4 stars
Birchbox Samples:

  • Shu Uemura, Art of Hair Cleansing Oil Shampoo - This shampoo wasn't as novel of an experience as I expected it to be.  It smelled pretty great, but didn't wow me in terms of how my hair looked or felt after using it. Rating: 3 stars
  • Juara, Candlenut Body Creme - I couldn't get past the scent of this one.  The texture was okay, but the scent just wasn't one I like.  Rating: 1 star
  • CoTZ, Flawless Complexion SPF 50 - This felt pretty nice on the face, but the tint was basically a joke--it didn't offer any kind of coverage.  It was nice to wear under my makeup for a little boost of SPF, though the tinted moisturizer I've been using as a foundation for a while already has SPF 15.  Would wear at the beach or the pool.  Rating: 3 stars
  • Prescriptives, False Eyelashes Plush Mascara - An impressive little mascara, and while nice for a bit of length on its own, combined with a good volumizing mascara, it packs quite a punch.  Not sure it's worth $23, but I'll use up the sample, for sure.  Rating: 4 stars
  • Chosunga 22, Flavorful Lipstick - Guava Tint Jello - This product continues to mystify me.  The pink shade is pretty and light, and it feels great.  Not super long lasting, but it's a great tinted lip balm.  Rating: 4 stars

ipsy Samples:

  • I still need to check with Linda about the Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Mousse.  Hopefully it's been working out well for her!
  • theBalm Cosmetics, NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single (Shade: "Fit") - This color is really pretty, though fairly similar to some other shades I already own,.  The texture is really nice; I wish I had a few more shades to play with to really make a judgment call. Rating: 3 stars
  • GLAMGLOW, ThirstyCleanse Daily Hydrating Cleanser - Love, love, love this product.  It smells of coconut and it's a really unique cleansing experience--you apply it onto your dry face and then slowly work in water to foam it up.  Leaves my skin feeling fresh and not dried out.  If it didn't cost an arm and a leg, I'd totally buy this.  Maybe I'll check and see if it's in the Birchbox store and start saving up some points! Rating: 5 stars
  • IT Cosmetics, Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+ - It took me a while to get excited about using this, but once I tried it out as an undereye concealer, I liked it.  It isn't really the right shade to use all over my face, but did work really nicely under my eyes.  It's pretty pricey, and I don't feel like it's some all important missing component of my makeup routine, but I'll use it up. Rating: 3 stars
  • Klorane, Smoothing and Relaxing Patches - Underwhelming.  These are cooling for exactly a minute and a half and then they don't have much of an effect at all.  They're nice, I guess, but I don't think they're really all that remarkable of a product.  Don't know that I'd purchase them, but I'm glad I got to use them and try them out. Rating: 2 stars


Alright, friends, that's it for now--next time I post will be to share my June Birchbox and ipsy Glam Bag!  As I sign off, I remind you once more--don't forget to be awesome.

Best wishes,

Marlee