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 :(

Beauty Blender Micro Minis!

These little cuties caught my eye when I was browsing the Sephora app on my phone and I saw the "What's New" section. I knew I was going there that weekend so I had to put them on my list.

I bought the original Beauty Blender a few months ago and I absolutely love it. I had bought some dupes, but they were nowhere near as soft and squishy as the real thing. I don't really wear liquid foundation, so I mostly just used it for concealer. So when I saw these little blenders, I knew I had to try them!

I should mention, that when I went into my Sephora, I had to ask someone about them because they weren't with the Beauty Blender display. I had another question about becoming a VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider... meaning, I've spent way too much money at Sephora this year :P) that trip and a promo that I had seen online. She told me the promo was over, then I asked about these. She said that they weren't actually released yet but they did have some in the back and could go get me one. I had seen online that, at first, they were only for VIBs to add to their cart so I'm guessing since I had told her I was becoming one that day, she made a special exception.

Dry vs Wet size

Wet Micro Mini vs Wet Original BB

Each container comes with two Micro Minis and they are held in place with a piece of plastic shaped like a Z in the round container. This little piece of plastic is great because you can still set the Micro Minis on top to air dry if you choose. They only come in lime green, but they just get covered in makeup anyway, so I don't care about the color. I didn't do a comparison between dry Original Beauty Blender and dry Micro Mini because I had just washed my Original before going out shopping so it was still a bit wet. (I also used the card from my Ipsy bag because they was the closest thing I had for them to rest on. I didn't want to put them right on the countertop, so please excuse the weird background.)

The Micro Minis are very small. You can see the size of my fingers holding it, and my ring size is only a size 6, so that should tell you something. I will admit, I dropped it into the sink the first time I used it. After it almost slipped the next day, I started to realize that it was almost like there was a bit of a coating on it? When I got it wet, it seemed to be a little more slippery than my Original. I finished putting on my makeup, then cleaned the Micro Mini with my solid Beauty Cleanser (amazing cleanser for sponges and brushes BTW). The next day when I got it wet again, it didn't seem as slippery and I haven't had a problem since. Some people have said that it removes more makeup while you're smoothing it out than the Original does. I haven't noticed that. They are made from the exact same material so I don't see how that could be an issue.

It's funny, because now I pretty much only use my Micro Minis... and really just one of them so far. I have been using BB creams and tinted moisturizers more, which I use my fingers to apply, so I've been using the Original just to smooth out the edges of my face and around my eyebrows so it doesn't look too streaky. The Micro Minis are perfect for concealer and highlighters. I also think it will be great for traveling - I just have to figure out something smaller to keep it in.

More from Sephora

I used to work at Target and it's always a big joke about how you can go in with a list of 3 things and come out with a cartfull... every time. And it still happens to me. I even told boyfriend that I'm not allowed to shop at Target alone anymore. Well, that's how it's becoming with me and Sephora. Ever since I joined Birchbox, I have started to get to know all of these other beauty brands: Stila, Smashbox, Benefit, Urban Decay, Tarte, etc... and there are so many new things I want to try! This weekend I had some time and I knew I wanted to buy the solid blendercleanser for all my brushes and sponges so I could have a good cleanser (I've just been using shampoo like my costume/makeup designer in college told me) and I would be able to take it with on my vacation back home this summer. Well of course I found other things I had to buy! I was actually pretty good this time. If boyfriend hadn't been waiting outside the store for me, I probably would've been in there over an hour!

Well, of course I did buy my solid blendercleanser, but it happened to be located with all the trial/travel sized stuff near the registers and look what happened to be right above it! A beautyblender!

I originally wanted one a couple months ago and remembered I had seen one at Urban Outfitters. The closest store to me was next to a Barnes and Noble so when I wanted to go buy a book, I had to pop over to get the beautyblender! To my disappointment, they didn't have it anymore. But they did have a dupe set: for only $10!

Photo taken from urbanoutfitters.com

I had read reviews about dupes and most said they were fine but you should really get the real beautyblender. Spend the extra money because it really is better. And I agree. The "Dynamic Duo" was fine... I was mostly only using it for primer and concealer since I don't use much liquid foundation or anything... but when I used the real beautyblender for the first time this weekend, I couldn't believe the difference! It's so much softer! I should've saved my $10 on the dupes and just kept looking for the real thing. Seriously, buy the real beautyblender if you're considering using something like that. You'll thank me and all the other reviewers later.

The blendercleanser is awesome. I love the solid. I feel like it will last much longer than the liquid too, probably less product waste. It comes in a plastic container and is just a solid round soap. Just wet your brushes or sponge and swipe across the surface of the cleanser, then lather and rinse. So easy! I really do feel like it gets everything a lot cleaner too. And I'm more likely to clean everything more often (right now it's about once a week) if it's just: open container, wet sponge, wipe across cleanser, lather, rinse, dry. Rather than: get the shampoo, get hands wet, get brush wet, pour shampoo, later, rinse, keep rinsing, repeat a couple times, then it's probably clean enough - ok so it's not that complicated, but I love my blendercleanser.



I also walked by the Tarte section: bad idea. I just started getting into their products. I've been eyeing the Lipsurgence collection for a while but didn't want to spend $24 on a lip product, but I've read it's supposed to be hydrating and stains a little bit. So I took the leap:

I bought the color "Enchanted" which is a sort of 'safe' red. It's a little more on the purple side, and I love it! It does stain a bit, and is VERY moisturizing. 

Tarte's Lipsurgence Lip Tints are made without:

- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

so I can feel pretty good about the money I spent. And I've been wearing this every day since I bought it. It's a little crayon shaped stick that twists up at the bottom for more product. You can layer it on for more color too. And now I want more colors!

The last thing I bought was a glass nail file with a holder for myself. It is the travel-size found next to the registers. They're supposed to be more sanitary and I've been trying to buy things that are better for my body.