Target Beauty Box October 2014

Target is jumping on the Beauty Box bandwagon. (I guess WalMart has one now too.) Target releases a beauty box kind of whenever they want. This is only the second beauty box I've seen from Target, but I guess there have been a lot. I've read that it used to be free and come with a makeup bag, then it was $5 for shipping, but this one was $7 with free shipping. They tell you exactly what you're going to get (although, maybe not the colors you'll get) so you can decide if you want to order it. The first one I saw was back in March or April and sold out right away so I couldn't get it. This one didn't jump out at me right away but I noticed that it was still on sale a few days later so I finally ordered it. I did really want to try the Laneige BB Cushion since I'd heard about it a few months ago from Ipsy. 

Like other Beauty Boxes, this one comes with a card that tells you what you're getting. This box also included a $3 off coupon!

L'Oreal Elnett Extra Strong Hold Hairspray: ($6.69 for 2.2oz - which is what this is) I haven't used this yet, but I imagine it will be like any other hairspray. I will update once I have an opinion.

Fekkai Professional Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo: ($7.99 for 1.7oz, $19.99 for 4.9oz) I don't use dry shampoo that often, but I do like having some just in case. This is really nice. It has a very fine spray and a nice clean scent. It doesn't seem to leave any white residue and has a kind of cooling effect. 

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk: ($4.49) I already have one of these in a gold color and I really like it. I guess Milk is like a cult product in the beauty world. A lot of people use it as a base for eyeshadows and to line their bottom waterline. So I decided to try a bunch of stuff one day. I used it as a shadow base, and it really did make my eyeshadow color stand out. Then I used it in the corners of my eyes and my waterline and I think it really did brighten my eyes. Since trying this, I have gone out and bought another JEP. I did notice my gold color crease one time that I used it, but the white with shadow on top didn't seem to crease. Maybe it needs a sort of setting powder?

L'Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lipstick in Ruby Opera: ($8.99) A lot of people got this in the color Nude Ballet. I think I would've liked that better, even though I don't really like nude lipsticks that much. This red just seems a bit unwearable to me. First of all, it's more like a lip gloss than a lipstick and it's very pigmented. Secondly, it doesn't have any staying power. I put it on and it was so glossy and sticky that it would come off onto anything it touched. So I tried to take most of it off and just have a thin layer. I think that worked a little better, and it maybe had a little bit of stain to it, but I just don't think I'll be able to wear this. I would like to try a more natural color in this though, as it does feel really nice going on. The wand is very fluffy and smooth.

Laneige BB Cushion: ($34 for 2 cushions - 0.5oz) I've heard that each box comes with 2 cushions of product so when you're paying $34, you're actually getting one cushion in the compact with one refill so it's not as expensive as you think. This BB Cream has an SPF 50 and claims 5-in-1 benefits. It's supposed to cool and hydrate, prevent shine and brighten skin by reducing dark spots. The sample came with a small puff to apply the product and 3 colors: Light, Medium, and Dark. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, because I don't want it to go to waste if I can't close up the sample again. I will update once I use it.

Birchbox October 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: Fan-tastic

This month's theme was all about pop culture and what people are reading and watching this fall. I don't even think the beauty products really match with the theme that month, but usually an extra card or something does. Like this one:

I think I saw about 4-5 different cards like this, asking what we were reading, binge-watching or listening to. I wasn't actually watching Gilmore Girls, but because my card had "for the millionth time" on it, that's what I had to put. I could seriously watch that show a million times and not be bored. It's usually what I put on for background noise when I'm cleaning or baking. I own all 7 seasons but it was just added to Netflix so it's even easier to watch whereever I am. Side note about my love of the show: my mom and I used to watch the whole season after it was released on DVD when I was home for Christmas. We have a close relationship similar to Lorelei and Rory. (Another side note: I also got to meet Lauren Graham and take a picture with her last Spring. She's incredibly sweet and I wish I had more time to chat with her)

beautyblender Sponge + mini blender cleanser solid: It's hard to put a price on this sample because, as far as I know, they don't sell a set like this. Birchbox sells the PRO single (the black sponge) with solid blendercleanser for $32.95 and if you wanted to buy them separately, like at Sephora, the sponge is about $20 and the cleanser is about $17 I think - which is what I did. I already own both of these products but I was SO EXCITED to get this in my box. I seriously love my beautyblender. I bought some dupes before and they don't compare. I really wouldn't even call them dupes because they're nowhere near as soft. For those that don't know, the beautyblender is a soft sponge for blending makeup. You run it under water, where it expands twice its size, and squeeze it out. The water helps the product sit on the surface instead of being absorbed by the sponge. I wouldn't think of doing my makeup any other way. I'm so glad to have another one as a backup. And the cleanser and seriously magical. My sponges and brushes would never get fully clean until I started using this. So I'm really happy to get another one of these.

Camille Beckman Glycerine Hand Therapy: ($13.95 for 6oz) I fell in love with a different Camille Beckman lotion I was sent and this one is really good too. I love having small lotions like this. It's pretty thick, more like a body butter, but maybe a little greasy. You really have to rub it in. Overall, I really like it though.

dr. brandt pores no more vacuum cleaner: ($45 for 1oz) This is a mask that, when ready to wash off, turns blue (or at least a white-ish blue). It's supposed to suck out all your blackheads, but I read that it takes using it 2-3 times a week for about 2 weeks to notice anything. I've only used it a couple times and it seems to help a little. Maybe I'll actually try it a few times a week like it says.

SAGE + fasten Onward Eau de Parfum: ($50 for 50ml) I think some of the text was rubbing off my package... unless it's supposed to look like that? I can't really tell. But I really like that this is a rollerball instead of a spray. It's a nice fruity scent, but I haven't used it often enough to see if I really like it.

ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick in Kitty: ($24 for a trio, so $8) Oh the issues I've had with this. I can't give you a real review of it because I don't have a usable product. If you look in the top right picture, there is a small crack to the package. I didn't think anything of it until I opened it and smelled it. Everyone has been raving about how amazing this lipstick smells. That it smells like strawberries and blah blah blah. Mine smells a tiny bit like strawberries, then it changes and an overpowering smell of unwashed armpit takes over. Even my swatch smelled bad. I also think the color is off. It's supposed to be a pinky MLBB color, but mine seems really brown/orange, not pink. I think it turned bad because of the crack in the plastic. I emailed Birchbox customer service because they're always really good about fixing stuff like this. I got a response fairly quickly saying they would send a new one. 9 days after that email, I got a white envelope with Birchbox written on it. But sadly, it was very flat. I opened it and my assumptions were confirmed - the envelope was EMPTY! WTF?! So I emailed again, but they told me they were out of this sample so they couldn't send me another one. I think that's a bunch of BS. They did give me 100 points to make up for it, but this was my Sample Choice this month and I really wanted to try it. I'm not happy and am considering not partaking in any of their "extra" stuff anymore - sample choice, Birchbox extra, promo code bonuses (ones for an actual product), etc so I won't keep getting disappointed :(

Birchbox August 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: Lighten Up

This month Birchbox did something new and started adding fun adjectives to the shipping labels. Some girls have said they've gotten "The Dazzling" "The Awesome" "The Brilliant"... I like mine. I never would expect anyone to call me Vivacious, which makes it even better I think.

I love this box. I've been a little underwhelmed lately. Not angry or anything about my samples, I just saw some other samples that people got that I would've liked better, but this box is awesome! I'll tell you right now: the amika, the Cailyn and the Harvey Prince products all smell amazing!

amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo: ($21 for 5.3 oz) Whatever "Sea Buckthorn Berry" is... it smells so good! I have a couple bottles of dry shampoo that I need to get through, which has been tough because I just got the Klorane last month but this is definitely something I will consider buying.

Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow: ($27 for 1.6 oz) The color seems a little dark, and I don't especially like to "glow": oily skin + glow = mess. But I really enjoyed my Marcelle Serum last month. I tried it over the weekend and I think it worked pretty well. It has a nice color and finish - I always put a powder over - and didn't seem to break me out. This also doesn't have any SPF like the other BB creams I have, so that's a pretty big 'con'. I won't be buying a full size, but I love having travel sizes of this stuff for when I do go away for the weekend.

Harvey Prince Ageless Body Cream: ($26 for 12 oz) I'm usually not a fan of pink grapefruit scents but somehow mixed with the vanilla, it smells really nice. This is the 3rd Harvey Prince product Birchbox has sent me and I love it! I haven't used it enough to attest to the moisturizing power, but really... it has shea butter. It can't not be good :)

Cailyn Cosmetics Dizzolv'It Makeup Melt Cleansing Balm: ($36 for 100ml) I have to tell you, this is the best smelling makeup remover I've ever had. It says it uses papaya enzymes so maybe that's the smell? Not sure but I love it! It looks like a lip balm in the container, but you're supposed to scoop out a quarter sized amount to rub on your face. Then it turns into an oil and all of your makeup is swept up in the oil to be washed away. What? Oil on your face?! Yes. I have oily skin and this didn't scare me, because you wash it off. It also claims to be moisturizing too. Maybe it is, but the first time I used it, I used a different cleanser after to make sure all the oil was gone so any moisture was gone too. I always moisturize after I wash my face anyway because it gets dry and tight. I will be buying the full size, but maybe not right this moment. I'm waiting for a good Birchbox promo to come along... but I'm officially a cleansing balm convert.

theBalm Cosmetics Stainiac in Beauty Queen: ($17 for 0.3 fl oz) This is the sample I got to choose this month. I've been wanting to try the Stainiac since I started getting my Birchbox, and almost bought it a couple times but never pulled the trigger. I'm so glad I got to try it now! The formula is more gel-like than other stains (you can see the little peak of product on the wand) so it all stays together. The top swatch is right after applying (in dim bedroom lighting. I was just so excited I had to try it right away) and the next picture is after I wiped it off maybe 5 minutes later. There is a definite stain. I really like it for my cheeks. It's very buildable and at first I didn't put enough on. I figured a few dots would be good enough but I wanted a little more color. I think I could probably wipe it on my cheeks in a line and blend out for the right amount. As for lips, it doesn't apply very evenly. I had to blend and add more to get the right color and "sameness" throughout. It did seem a little drying, so I put a lip gloss over it. After eating a granola bar and drinking some juice on my commute, I think it stayed put. It was later when I was about to eat something else that I was biting at my dry lips and wiping the gloss off that it all came off. There was a faint line of color still around the edges of my lips, but that was easily fixed with a bit of tinted moisturizer. I will try it on my lips again with just some lip balm on top. Overall, I love it because it is so easy to travel with and I just love stains!

April 2014 Birchbox

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: Rainy Days

Each box contained a card of things to do on a rainy day. Mine was a little pointless. I don't have plants, especially fake ones.

Here's what I got this month:

Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle: ($21.95 for 8oz) I actually got this in my first March Birchbox. They say they never give you the same sample twice, but there was some confusion with that month's box that you can read about here. Likewise, you can read my original review here. But here's my new thoughts: This stuff is awesome. It smells really good and makes your hair feel super soft. I generally blow dry my hair every day because when I air dry, it gets a little frizzy and just lays funny. This past weekend I put this in my hair after showering, and just pinned back my bangs. We were going to a late movie and I didn't need to look great. After my hair dried, it looked great! Even when I took out the bobby pins, I didn't have those dumb creases. I'm so glad I got another sample of this. Maybe when I'm done with both, I will finally be convinced to buy a full size.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel: ($22 for 0.28 oz) As far as I can tell, this is a full-size product. Or very close to. I have started to pay attention to my brows a bit more, but that's because I'm using Benefit's Gimme Brow because it's color and gel in one. I don't take a pencil to my brows, so I don't really need a clear gel like this. But I guess it's good for taming my brows very quickly.

Supergoop! Daily Correct CC Cream: ($32 for 1.6 oz I think) I have a friend who got this sample a few months ago and had to buy the full size. She loves it. I'm so excited to try it! The sample is teeny-tiny (quarter for scale) but it feels full, unlike last month's products. I really like the coverage of this. It's very natural and not heavy. Not sure how well it helped with the oil. I am a little disappointed though: when I first used this, I thought "Wow, my face looks great. I'm probably going to buy this" but by the end of the day I noticed a some tiny zits popping up on a generally clear face. It was too many just to be a bad face day. I went a few days without it, trying other primers and sunblocks I had instead and nothing else happened. Then I tried this CC cream again and the same thing happened, but a little less this time. And I really liked it too :( Glad I didn't just take my friend's word and buy the full-size. 

Color Club Gala's Gems Collection in "Breakfast At...": ($13 for the 4-color pack) Beautiful color. Super smooth. Needs 2 coats (only one coat shown here). Definitely an Easter color. I've been really into the mint greens lately so I love this. I have an Essie color that's close but is a solid flat color and I put them on together after I took that picture.

                       

Kind Healthy Grain Bars: ($11.88 for a box of 15) This was a "Find" this month (it comes in addition to your 4-5 samples.) It made me nervous to see pictures of people's boxes and all of them had a Kind bar in it. We have Kind bars at work, but they're the ones with the fruit in them and I just don't like that sort of thing. I was really excited to see this flavor though! I really like pumpkin seeds. It also has sunflower seeds, oats, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, maple syrup, and sea salt. It was a great sweet and salty treat this morning on my way to work. I will definitely be buying a box of these. It's perfect to throw in my purse for a quick snack. 

March Birchbox #2 Review

So here's what happened: I got an email on March 6th saying my box had been sent and got the tracking number. March 13th came around and my tracking had only updated once, on the 8th saying it was in Indiana. So I emailed Birchbox asking why it hadn't been updating (I think they're using a new carrier) and their response was "Well, I'll send you a new box" instead of just looking into where my original box may be. Got home that night and my box was in my mailbox! The tracking info did update, but not until it had been delivered. I figured they would've known this and didn't put in for another box to be sent to me. Then a week ago, I went to look at my items in my box on my account and they had changed! Luckily, I had reviewed 4 of the 5 products on the website for the points already. Anyway, I was really confused because this was now March 30th and a replacement box hadn't shown up... They did tell me it may take up to 10 days to get to the west coast and I wouldn't have any tracking info but it had been that many business days. So I emailed them again telling them I was confused. She wrote back saying she did send a replacement and gave me the tracking info. It didn't get sent out until the 28th!
Conclusion: Birchbox Customer Service is great. They wanted to make sure I had a box for the month of March so they requested a replacement be sent out just in case my original was stuck or lost. BUT they didn't send it until March 28th so I actually received the box April 4th. So much for a March box. What if I hadn't gotten the other one? But now I'll get my April box within a couple weeks. She also told me I could still review this box for points since those are the items on my account now. Extra points for me! (Though, part of me feels like I'm taking advantage of the system too much... oh well. Honest mistakes and them being super helpful.)

You can read about all the products in my first March Birchbox here.

Onto my review of my second box:

Gilchrist & Soames London Collection Body Lotion: ($16 for 8oz) Smells really nice. Very smooth. A lot of people complained because there's no applicator top, just a big opening to stick your finger into. I really like it actually. It's a great travel size. 

Obliphica Intensive Hair Serum: ($38 for 2.2oz) I don't know why they keep sending me hair oils. I have super fine, medium thickness hair that's very short and not damaged. It smells really good though. This sample will last a long time, since you only have to use a dime-sized amount. I never really see a difference with hair oils but this didn't seem to weigh my hair down at all, so that's good.

Control Corrective Cucumber Bead Cleanser: ($26.40 for 6.7oz) I really like this but I can't justify spending that amount of money when I already have an exfoliator I like. I liked how fine the beads were. It really felt like it was buffing everything away. The smell was a little weird though. Like it was trying to be cucumber but missed and made it smell almost like a dirty vegetable. It's not entirely unpleasant. Just not as "clean" of a cucumber smell as I expected.

Control Corrective Oil-Free Healing Lotion: ($35 for 2.5oz) I'm really glad they gave me both. A lot of the time they give you one or the other of a set. This lotion felt nice going on, but I didn't feel like it was moisturizing enough after the exfoliating. My face still felt tight after and I thought I put more than enough on. The smell is the same as the cleanser - not quite cucumber, but close. They're not the best smelling products, but not so bad I had to wash it off and put something else over. The smell went away fairly quickly anyway.

Inika Certified Organic Eye Liner in Green Lagoon: ($20) This is full-sized as far as I can tell. It's very light, as you can see by my swatch. It's supposed to be very smooth, but I don't think it's any better than any of my other liners. At first I didn't like how light it is, since I had to go over it about 4 times and at that point, it started to flake off. But later I decided it was nice. I like the look of it, it's pretty shimmery. It seems to be lasting really well. Having the sharpener on the cap is a nice idea... if the cap would stay on. It's too loose and just keeps falling off. I love green eyeliner though. I have green eyes and I love to use green eyeliner to bring them out.

I also got another tube of Air Repair Rescue Balm All-Purpose Skin Salve and Lip Balm. You can read my previous review of it here. I'm glad I got another tube because it's barely filled and I didn't have enough to decide if I really liked it or not. 

March 2014 Birchbox Review

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: Spring Forward

I was so excited to try everything in my box this month! Yay Birchbox! I even thought I might want to buy all of these full-sized products before I even tried them. My disappointment came when I realized the Air Repair and Coola only had about one use in their actually decent sized tubes. I like trying things more than once before I decide to spend something like $30 on sunscreen!

Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle: ($21.95 for 8oz) For the blogger that wrote "If anyone has received this item in their boxes and cannot get the sprayer to work, untwist the cap and slightly lift the sprayer. Give it a few pumps while unscrewed, but still in the liquid. It should start to work." Thank you Harlot Beauty! It worked for me! The smell is really subtle - boyfriend said it just smelled like hair product. I have really short hair and don't need a detangler, but my stylist recommended I use a leave-in conditioner. I can't tell much of a difference right now, but I guess it felt nice.

Had to angle the camera to get rid of shadows

theBalm Cosmetics How 'Bout Them Apples?: ($32 for all 6 shades) First of all, the packaging is so cute! I didn't do a size comparison but it's super tiny. Some Birchboxers have said they should sell the samples in the shop because they're the perfect size for a pocket or purse. I love the color! I don't use cream blushes but I may end up buying this full-size and start. I'm not sure how well it works under the powder I wear daily for my oily face, but I guess it's buildable. It worked perfectly for a little color when I went to the beach and didn't want to wear a lot of makeup. It's so smooth on the lips too. One thing I've started to get into since moving to LA is lip color. I've bought way more lipstick and lip tint in the past 6 months than I think I have since high school. I don't know about justifying $32 for this... but I think I'll save my points and get it.

Air Repair Rescue Balm All-Purpose Skin Salve and Lip Balm: ($12 for .9oz) I was so excited for this, but sadly, my first squeeze only gave me a tiny dollop - not even a pea-sized amount. When I pushed from the back all the way to the front, one more dollop, same size and I'm pretty sure there isn't any left. I put the first drop on my lips and it felt nice but tasted really bad. The second drop I put on my cuticles since I have a habit of peeling dry skin around my nails. Then I went to bed. Didn't notice anything amazing. I wish I had more product to try again.

COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face: ($36 for 1.7oz) SO excited for this. I'm planning on going to the beach a lot, and be outside at my lake place when I visit home again so this would be perfect. It's also supposed to mattify. There's barely any product in this tube either, but I did get one full face worth yesterday before I went to Santa Monica beach (and I'm pretty sure there's still some in there.) WOW! I loved it. To be honest, it really didn't have as much tint as I would've liked for a "BB Cream" but it went on very powdery and smooth. After 3 1/2 hours sitting in the sun and sweating, I felt like my face was less oily than it is sitting in my office during the week. I wish had more product in the tube to try it during the week as an experiment but I feel like the next time I use it might be my last. I think I may have gotten a little sunburnt on my nose, but maybe I should've known to reapply after a couple hours? Eh, not too worried. I usually only have SPF 15 in my moisturizer. Speaking of, people are referring to this as a tinted moisturizer? Did I miss something? I thought it was tinted sunscreen... I'm also a little on the fence about ordering a full size now, since I've read how terribly customers have been treated by the company when they try to ask why such a large tube with only a finger full of product in it? I'll probably break down and buy it anyway... it seems like the perfect product for me.
(BTW: wore this with theBalm's cheek tint and some under-eye concealer to the beach yesterday and still felt pretty put together. Even went shopping after and wasn't afraid to show my naked face :P)

Jergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream: This was a "find" this month, meaning it's a drugstore-type brand that Birchbox really liked and wanted to share with others. Haven't tried this yet but I am pretty excited to!

February 2014 Birchbox Review

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: Step and Repeat

Birchbox joined up with US Weekly this month and created the theme: Step and Repeat. Here's what I got this month!

 

 

 

Benefit Fakeup: ($24) I was a little sad to see just how tiny this sample was. It's not Birchbox's fault though, only Benefit's for making a fairly good sized tube with maybe a fourth of an inch of product in it. I was very excited to try it though! After one day, I'm not impressed. Lots of moisture when putting it on, but not enough coverage. I have very dark circles and this just didn't cut it. It also creased throughout the day. I re-blended it about 4 times. I'll use up the sample to see if maybe it improves? But I'll stick with my Garnier Eye Roller.

 

OPI Sheer Tints Color - Tinted Top Coat: ($9) The bottle is really cute and little, I should've put something next to it for size comparison. I was so excited to try this, but it was very disappointing. I French-tipped my nails on Friday night, then put this on as the top-coat. It was already chipped the next morning. Plus, while putting it on I noticed that it was very thick, applied really uneven, and needed at least 2 coats to show any sort of color. I realize it's not supposed to have a bright color, but I wanted at least a little bit. On a bare nail, it looks wrong. Nails shouldn't be slightly red like that... It's a tiny bottle so I'll keep trying it.

 

dr. brandt Pores No More: ($42 for Camera Ready Kit, $45 for 1oz tube) I was really excited for this and I didn't even know I wanted it. I keep looking for something that will keep the oil away all day and this claims to smooth pores and mattify. I was a little surprised to see it was tinted in the tube, but goes on very transparent. I was still oily later in the day, but my face didn't FEEL as oily as usual (you know that gross heavy feeling?) I'm a little scared of the price, but I did like how the product felt going on my face... It was very smooth and almost powdery when blending. I still don't think I can pay $45 when it doesn't mattify like it need it to.

 

Agave Healing Oil Treatment: ($40 for 4oz) More hair products. I was a little nervous about using a hair oil since my hair used to get pretty greasy when it was longer, and still can when it's short. I tried it this weekend and didn't notice anything. Hair didn't feel greasy, but I'm not sure what it will do to my hair, since I've said in other posts - my hair is healthy all on it's own. Guess I'll use it up and see.

 

Benefit Big Easy: ($38) I'll have to pick a day to use this sample, because that's all I get. Maybe this weekend...

February 2014 Birchbox Spoilers

I'm trying so hard not to peek at my samples! I just checked my tracking info and my box should be waiting for me when I get home from work today. I'm excited about the spoilers I've been seeing on Facebook. We'll see how many I actually get!

This is everything that was mentioned in the Sneak Peek video this month. I really really want to try the Benefit Fakeup (I have horrible dark circles under my eyes), the Ruby Wing Color Changing Nail Polish (which I almost bought a couple weeks ago), and the Cynthia Rowley Beauty Liquid Liner (because I don't use liquid liner but I bought a pen like this a couple years ago and loved it, but never bought it again). I wouldn't mind getting the eye cream, the pore refiner, or the Benefit Big Easy but please no more shampoo! I loved the sample I got last month but I have half of it left because I don't use it every time and I'm not switching. Still love the samples though. Nice to try something new, just like when you go to a hotel.

Then Birchbox starts doing it's Box Spoilers.

The first was for Juicy Couture Fragrance. I don't like to get perfumes in my box because I'm so picky, and also because I loved last months and finally decided to buy the full size and I just don't want any more choices.

The second spoiler was for:

OPI's Sheer Tints Top Coat nail polish. I would love to get this sample too. My boyfriend would hate it, he knows how much nail polish I have and always tells me I don't need any more. But I can't help it! I like having pretty nails and they just keep coming out with new products!

The third spoiler was:

Agave Healing Oil Treatment. Do not want. My hair is healthy. My hair is fine. My hair gets oily by itself (less now with short hair but was noticeably oily when it was longer). Of course, if I got this sample I would try it and review it and put it with a couple other samples that didn't work/I didn't like and not complain like everyone seems to on Facebook.

The fourth spoiler was:

W3LL PEOPLE Universalist Multi-Use Color Stick. WANT! Lips, cheeks, even eyes I guess can be colored with this. I love things that are multi-use! I also want a cream blush to try. Please?!

Ugh, so hard not looking! But I love the surprise even more. Then I won't be disappointed for the rest of the day because maybe I'd find out I got the hair oil and be wondering what I'm going to do with that...

Update to come later after I've opened my box!