With the start of school (and the return of grad school), I simply didn't find the time to get back over here and do my monthly wrap up! So today I figured I'd go ahead and do a quickie wrap-up along with a post for my September Birchbox which arrived today! Let's launch right into it so this won't be miles long.
ipsy Samples:
- AILA Cosmetics Luxury Nail Lacquer in the (unfortunately named) shade Mister Pookies: This nail polish, y'all. It is dark and plum and chocolate and gray and I want to wear it for basically all of fall, k? Just got it put on my nails this past weekend and I miiiight wind up wearing it again in the near future. Definitely 5 stars. [Bonus: in the pictures for this month's Birchbox samples, this is the color on my nails.]
- LATHER Ultra Mild Face Wash: This was just okay. Didn't exactly blow me away, but it is intended to be mild, so I didn't expect incredible results. Solid 3 stars.
- Doucce Ultra Precision Eye Liner in the shade Black (500): Pretty typical black liner. I've used it in my waterline on and off this month and been pleased with its staying power, but I'm not sure I'd rate it all that much higher than my drug store brand liner--I definitely don't know that I'd say it's worth $22. I give this one 3 stars.
- Hikari Cosmetics Lip Gloss in the shade Merlot: This gloss is pretty gorgeous. It is, however, not exactly long lasting--it is still a gloss, after all. But I've enjoyed the color and I'll probably get more wear out of it in the coming months. I'm glad to have it. 4 stars!
- Jesse's Girl Eye Shadow Primer: This stuff seems to work pretty well! It doesn't match my Urban Decay Primer Potion, but it's a great product, especially for the price. I'll give it 3 stars!
- I haven't tried out the St. Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower yet...I can't bring myself to try it, but I know I should at least be able to speak to how well it works for me, so I'll gather up my courage and report back once I've given it a go sometime during the fall.
- R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo: S'okay. Nothing spectacular, but I used it up. 3 stars.
- Air Repair Complexion Boosting Moisturizer: Decent moisturizer. Used it at night, but I'm not sure I got enough use to have a solid opinion on any lasting effects. I'll give it 3 stars.
- theBalm Cosmetics Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush in the shade Take a Dip: I'm still a little frosty at how small this bronzer sample is. It's the same size as eye shadow samples I've gotten from theBalm in the past, and I don't see how they expect me to be able to assess how well this product works for me when they give me such a small sample. I can't rate it. I didn't use it.
- COOLA SPF 30 Organic Makeup Setting Spray: I enjoyed this product. It felt nice going on. I was surprised that I didn't get more out of the spray bottle, but I liked what I was able to use. I don't know that I'd purchase this one--$36 is pretty steep--but I might consider grabbing a drug store brand setting spray after getting the chance to play with this one. I'll give it 3 stars.
That's the super speedy wrap up of August's samples. Some hits and misses like always, but now we look onward to September! Let's dive into my Birchbox that arrived today--it's got some pretty awesome goodies in it!
The box is, once again, gorgeous. The design is based upon a few
Birchbox subscribers' submissions to a contest, and I think it looks super cute!
All neat and tidy...and full of goodies! :)
Here's the product card for this month!
Product number one:
Mally
High Shine Liquid Lipstick Pen
Shade: Cherry Blossom
Product is full size!
Product value: $20.00
I'm pretty stoked on getting a full size lip product! This shade is a very pretty petal pink with a touch of shimmer, and while it's called a liquid lipstick, it feels much more like a gloss. Regardless, it's a very pretty shade that'll be really wearable with lots of different looks, so I'm happy to have it!
Product number two and three:
Davines
LOVE Smooth Shampoo & Conditioner
Full size, $25 (Shampoo) & $29 (Conditioner)
Sample size, 2.5 fl oz (Shampoo) & 0.40 fl oz (Conditioner
Sample value, $7.40 (Shampoo) & $1.37 (Conditioner)
[Total sample value: $8.77]
This was my sample choice for this month--I'm not going to lie, it was partly motivated by knowing that the conditioner packet would offer me an extra 10 points. :) I'm excited to try both products out--Davines is a brand I've heard about ever since joining Birchbox, but I haven't had the chance to try their stuff out until now. I'll let you know how my hair handles it! (It smells lovely.)
Product number four:
Whish
Three Whishes Body Butter
Scent: Lavender
Full size, $24
Sample size, .75 fl oz
Sample value, $3.52
I've gotten a couple of Whish Shave Lotions before and they've been hit or miss, but this stuff smells awesome. The lavender scent is super soothing, and I think I'll put this to use at night before bed time. Super glad to have it!
Product number five:
100% Pure
Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream
Full size, $25
Sample size, 0.3 fl oz
Sample value, $7.50
I'm slowly coming to love eye creams. I've only gotten one other product from 100% Pure before and it was sort of a miss, but I'm excited to try this product out. Being that it's all natural, it has a bit of a..."natural" kind of smell, if that makes sense. But the reviews say it's super effective, so I'm excited to try it out.
Product number six:
By Rosie Jane
Perfume
Scent: James
Full size, $39
Sample size & value unknown
I can't pull a sample value together for this one because--lo and behold--they don't put the sample size anywhere in the information in my box. It's an interesting fragrance described as having notes of fig, amber, and gardenia. It's a touch floral for me, but I think I'll enjoy wearing it--it'll certainly be something different!
Overall, this box has been pretty solidly in the win column. Total value (not counting the unknown value of the perfume sample) comes to almost $40 ($39.79), which is almost 4 times the cost of the subscription! I'm stoked to try everything out and I look forward to sharing my findings with you all. If you're interested in trying out Birchbox for yourself, click here. The next time you hear from me should be for this month's ipsy bag, which I expect any day now!
Until then, don't forget to be awesome!
Best wishes,
Marlee
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