Ipsy Glam Bag September 2014

Each month, subscribers will receive a beautiful Glam Bag with deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products. Members can watch and play along with the stylists with the same products that they are using. All for only $10 a month. 

When you sign up, you take a "beauty quiz" to let them know what you like. I guess Ipsy is kind of a social network-type beauty website, but I don't do all of that. There's also some sort of points system that I haven't quite figured out. You get 10 points for each review, but you usually need 1000 points to get some kind of bonus product, of which they only have 3 to choose from at a time. There are points for referrals too, but I don't badger my friends into signing up. If you would like to sign up, please consider using my referral link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/4q7r

This month's theme: Street Style

I love the bag this month. I've already used it as a clutch when going out to a stand-up show at a bar. It's more square like the April? bag... the blue/purple one with the record on it.

Hikari Lipstick in Cabernet: I have to admit that I haven't worn this yet. I just don't have a lot of opportunities to wear a red color like this. It seems slightly sheer, which is actually a plus for me and I guess the swatch went on smooth. I like that it's more of a purply-red. I'll report back after I wear it some day/night.

Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duel Brush: This is a really soft brush, though I don't really do any sort of separate crease eyeshadow. It will be great to have when I start experimenting with stuff like that though!

Pacifica Natural Water-Proof Eye Pencil in Gun Metal: The shade is a dark steel silver color, which is nice if you don't want a bold eye. It's a nice sized pencil too, not full size but good enough for a color I won't wear everyday. I wish it was a little bit smoother, but it's not too bad. I haven't tested the "water-proof"-ness of this eyeliner but it's nice to know that it's supposed to be.

NYX Hot Singles Eye Shadow: I will have to look again at the color name... but of all the colors they sent out this month, this would be one of my last choices. I couldn't swatch it on my arm because you couldn't see it! You can kind of see it on my finger because my hands are more pink. I haven't tried this on my eyes yet because I just don't want to waste the time with something that probably won't show up. I know it's supposed to be a nice blending color or whatever, but I just don't spend that kind of time on my eyes. I use one color - maaayyybe two - but I guess it's nice to have in the collection.

Alterna Haircare Caviar CC Cream 10-in-1 Complete Correction: I took a close up picture of all the 10 things this CC Cream is supposed to do. I've tried it a couple times and I have something else that I like to use a lot more. It doesn't seem to have the same effect as a hair oil or leave in conditioner but I may use it more for the UV Protection if I dye my hair again. *shrug* It's ok.

Birchbox September 2014

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box service. For $10 a month, they will send you 4-5 'Beauty and Lifestyle' samples. 

They also have a points system, which is the best I've seen. 100 points = $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop. Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend (monthly boxes don't count, except for the first one) and they offer a lot of promo codes to get extra points. You can also earn 10 points for each review of your monthly samples. That's like getting $4-5 back each month! You also get 50 points for each person who signs up through your referral. If you would like to try Birchbox, please consider using my link: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/pdwbx

This month's theme: Fresh Paint

This month Birchbox had 3 different colorful boxes that went out, instead of the usual brown box.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit: ($24.50 for 3.3oz) I decided to take the description straight from the website: "This creamy cleanser contains moisturizing cocoa butter, and two of nature’s best astringents: eucalyptus essential oil and rosemary. These plant oils lift dirt off the skin’s surface without disrupting the natural barrier function. The 100 percent cotton muslin cloth gently exfoliates without irritation, even for the most sensitive complexions." The instructions say to apply onto a dry face, which doesn't make much sense to me as a facial cleanser but I did it anyway. I didn't like it. I think it works much better when I use it in the shower with a wet face and hands to lather up, then scrub away everything with the cloth. I do really like this stuff. Not enough to buy the full size (yet anyway) but I really like the muslin cloth. It is very gentle and doesn't feel like I'm exfoliating at all, yet my face is very smooth after.

Perlier Body Cream in Lavender: ($28.45 for 6.7oz) I'm not sure what all I can say about another lotion. It seems to be hydrating enough for the "intensive" label and the lavender scent isn't overwhelming, but instead soothing. Nice sample to have, but not much to say about it.

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner in Silver: ($16) I don't understand why Birchbox sends silver eyeliners. Wouldn't a black, brown, or dark blue be better to see if you like the brand? I just don't use silver eyeliners much... and I have 2 of them already from beauty subscriptions! I've been using it to line my bottom water line and I tried it once on top of (as a separate line, not over top) my black eyeliner and I guess that was a nice effect... just more work than I usually want in the morning. It's smooth and bright so the brand itself is good, but I would rather see how it performs with a darker color.

Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris: ($110 for 3.4oz) I don't like getting perfume samples because I just really don't wear perfumes that much. But this is a nice scent. It's fruity and floral. It's a light scent but lasted a while. I'm not sure what else I can say about it...

Dr. Jart+ Pore Minimalist Mask: ($35 for 5 masks) I wasn't overly impressed with this mask. It's essentially a piece of fabric coated in a serum. There are holes for your eyes, nose and mouth but it's a fairly large mask for being "one size fits all" and bunched up a lot around my cheeks and chin. You are supposed to place it on your face and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I felt like it had way too much product on it and was worried it would drip while I was waiting. I guess it felt a tiny bit tingly, in a good way and I could feel my skin tightening up a little bit. You're not supposed to wash off the rest of the serum when you take the mask off, but massage it into your skin. I feel like that defeats the purpose of a mask. Isn't it supposed to be cleaning my skin? Why would I massage all the gunk back in? My opinion: Not worth it. Find something else.