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.

Ipsy Glam Bag August 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: Beauty Schooled

School is back in session (I can tell... LA traffic has gotten much worse! :p) so the theme this month is Beauty Schooled. I dunno... I don't think the items ever really fit in with the theme, just the bag. Speaking of...

I didn't think I would like this bag when I was seeing people's pictures online, but I really do. The problem with the rectangular ipsy bags that we've been getting, is that they're too small to actually be a makeup bag for me. They've all been flat and smaller. Since this one is round, it can hold a lot more products, and it's longer than the usual bags, which means mascara and eyeliners fit better. Yay! The only thing I don't like about this bag is that it kind of smells like a pool raft... that synthetic plastic smell. At least it seems waterproof then right?

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara: I was so excited to get this product! Everyone got either this or a purple eyeliner, and I'm allergic to all the purple eyeliners I've used lately. I really like this formula. I don't think it's quite "Bigger. Blacker. Badder." or whatever their tagline is, but it's nice. The brush is nice and fluffy and the formula is thick, but not clumpy. It's good enough for now, but I don't think I'll be buying the full size.

Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo Lip Conditioner in Mandarin Green Orange Ginger: Very smooth and moisturizing. Interesting flavor that I actually really like. Orange ginger is not something I expected on my lips, but I like ginger. I have so many lip conditioners though! Guess I'll just have to put this into rotation.

J. Cat Beauty Flying Solo Eye Shadow in Half Naked: I love pale shimmery eyeshadow. And this is no exception. It looks more orange in the pot but is a very nice shimmer, almost highlight, color. The design of the package is really cool too. They've put an applicator underneath the color with a small mirror for ease when traveling. The mirror is too small to work really well, and the plastic hinge is very cheap, but they're thinking and I like that.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner: This is actually a duplicate from a previous Birchbox. I did like it, but I hardly use primers anymore since I finally found a couple BB creams that work for me. I might have to revisit it for days when I just want to use powder.

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk: This is also a duplicate item from Birchbox, from last month actually! But I guess you can never have too many dry shampoos. Especially because I just read a beauty hack that says you can spray your feet with dry shampoo before wearing flats and they'll stay dry! I don't know how well that works, but we'll see when I decide to stop wearing sandals.