Ipsy Glam Bag July 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: Sensationally Sunkissed

The bag this month is a little bit bigger. Closer in size to the April bag, kind of square. I really like this size to use as an actual makeup bag. It's soft on the inside and plain white, but I wish they would've spent a little more time making them. Two of my three "scalloped" sides don't line up.

This month was much better than last month. I'm pretty ok with everything I got. There wasn't much else that I would've rather had either. I'm not sure how well most of it fits with the theme, but whatever.

bareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in Divine Wine: I was so excited to get this! I just saw it in my Ulta ad and was curious about it, then saw it was an option for this month's bag. The 5-in-1 is supposed to be: long-wearing color, primer, brightening, smooths lines, and protects with SPF.  I'm really impressed with the long-wearing claim - this swatch has not moved in the few hours that I've had it on since I took the picture. Once it dries, it is on there. There is a faint shimmer to it that I didn't notice until it dried too. The color seems pretty dark but I've started using this with a blending brush - just swipe on one line of product, then blend out with a brush so it's not so intense. Makes a nice soft shadow color that lasts all day! I hope they start making this in other colors, not just neutrals. I may go buy one of the pinks I see on the package though.

Clear Clinic Laboratories Vanished Clear Spot Treatment: I guess I didn't even know this was an option but I can always use a spot treatment. I think it has menthol in it, because I saw some people complain about it, but I like the cooling effect that happens once you put it on. I can't really tell if it does anything. I think it does. I don't have too many problem areas at the moment though.

Lord & Berry Kajal Stick in Black Silk: A teeny tiny eyeliner that a lot of people seem excited about. Looks just like a perfect travel size eyeliner for me. But I guess it's supposed to be closer to the kohl that Egyptians used or something? I don't know. It's smooth and smudges easily. Nice and dark. Don't see much different than other eyeliners I have. Will keep this in a bag for travel I think.

Hang Ten Dark Tanning Oil SPF 08: A LOT of people complained about this product when I was announced as an option. "Blah blah skin cancer blah" over and and over again. Or "blah blah I'm too dark to use tanning oil I can't believe you sent this to me blah" but others used it as a moisturizer. Personally, I'm glad I got it. I like tanning. I usually only use about SPF 8 or 10... the lowest I can find at the time. I got the Hang Ten SPF 50 sunscreen in one bag and have not used it, but this I will definitely use. I wouldn't say it has a great smell, but it's horrible either.

Models Own Nail Polish in Red Sea: This is the only product I'm not happy with this month. I like glitter nail polish but this is just cheap. The description says you can wear it alone or on top of your favorite color for a "glistening top coat". Clearly, I can't. I expected the red to be more clear after reading that but this was one coat. And it doesn't apply evenly either. It's thick and doesn't spread very well - the red itself... not because of the glitter chunks. This will go in the back of the cupboard and I'll forget about it. I don't have anyone younger to give stuff like this to like others so I'm stuck.
*Update: I did legitimately try this on all 10 fingers and it was terrible. Hard to spread, took hours (yes, HOURS!) to fully dry - it didn't wipe off or anything, but stayed very gel-y for a long time. And it is the worst to take off! I've taken off glitter before but this was chunks of confetti. Awful.

May 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: Freewheeling

This month is all about spring. They also advertised an exclusive Kate Spade offer inside, so everything is themed around that: the outer shipping box was yellow (usually pink), yellow tissue paper this month (I'm glad they started changing it up. It was also always just pink before), and even the inside of the box has a different pattern. 

Here's what I got this month:

Number 4 High Performance Hair Care - Volumizing Shampoo: ($34 for 8.5oz) **Bonus: "We added in this volumizing condition for the ultimate in lightweight hydration. (Full size, $36 for 8.5oz)" It's so great that they included the conditioner, even if in a little packet. It smells really good. The full size packaging is different too: they're box shaped with pumps on the top. This brand is sulfate-free, which I've started using on my fine hair so that's good! The first time I used it, my hair was super soft! The next couple times, my hair almost felt like straw when I was rinsing it. I don't like that at all. Even with leaving the conditioner in a couple minutes. I guess it's soft when it's dry, but not any more than my normal sulfate-free shampoo. Guess I don't have to want this any longer, because I couldn't afford it anyway.

 CoTZ Face Natural Skin Tone SPF 40: ($20 for 1.5oz) Such a tiny tube, and only seems to be about half full. I didn't take a size reference picture but it says 2g on it. It's lightly tinted, oil-free, mineral sunscreen that is supposed to have a matte finish.

 Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream - Acai Grapefruit: ($20 for 150ml) This comes in 7 different scents and looks like a normal aerosol type can of shaving cream. I like this tube. It's a decent size at 22ml. I loved that it was even printed on the back that it is a Birchbox exclusive. But how can I express how much I don't like this product? First of all, it doesn't lather. It's like a lotion, which made me think I was using it wrong for the first couple minutes. Also, because of the lotion texture, it gunked up my razor (exactly how if you've ever tried to shave without water and just use lotion) and took longer to rinse each time. I hate the smell! I really don't like grapefruit smell so there's that. When I rinsed my hands, they felt super dry and almost like I had oil on my hands and trying to get it off with just water. My legs didn't feel very moisturized either, but I can't say for sure because I used my body wash after shaving and put lotion on when I got out of the shower like I usually do. Sure, my legs were smooth, but they are when I shave really quick under running water too... ick.

 LAQA & Co. Sheer Lip Lube Pencil - Purple: ($18) I don't know if I believe it, but it looks like this little stick is considered the full-size. The website says $18 for .07oz and the sticker on the back of this tube says .07oz. I knew they had smaller sizes but this doesn't seem like a great deal for the price. It's not quite that purple when applied to the lips since it's a sheer, buildable color and it goes over top the pink of your lips. Since Orchid is the color of the year, I understand why they sent this. It goes on smooth and light, but not as moisturizing as my Tarte Lipsurgence pencils. I wore this with a colorful dress yesterday and really liked it. It's not as scary as I thought. It is pretty drying though. The color lasts for a while (I can't say how long for sure since I wasn't paying attention, and reapplied for more moisture) but started to fade unevenly. It's nice to have for more fun makeup days.

SmartyPants All-in-One Gummy Vitamins for Adults: ($29.95 for 30-day supply) This was the "lifestyle extra" this month, which is something the staffers thought was amazing and threw in everyone's (or almost everyone's) box. I'm a little disappointed that there's only 2 in this packet, since the back says a full serving is 6 gummies per day. I'll have to compare it to the adult gummy vitamins I already take, but I think they're probably about the same, but my brand only requires 2 a day.

Overall, I'm happy with my box this month. I'm usually really happy with it and can't understand how people complain all the time about what they got. You know it's a mystery sample service, so why even pay for it if you're not going to at least try everything? I've found a lot of great products from Birchbox already that I never would've tried, or even known about otherwise. 

May 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag

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: Fresh Picks

Here's the bag this month. It feels more like the recycled fabric texture, which is different than the more plastic/vinyl fabric of the bags we've been getting. It's a great size too. The bottom expands a little so it's a great size. 

Here's what I got this month:

Pur~lisse Pur~Moist Hydra Balance Moisturizer: I was just thinking I needed a new night moisturizer for my face. It's sort of like a gel/cream formula. There is a slight smell but barely noticeable and just clean smelling. Feels nice. Don't know if it's any better than what I have, but it's nice to try.

Hang Ten Classic Sport SPF 50: Just in time for our 100 degree days here in LA! I just noticed that the back has tiny print that says "provided by COOLA" (or powered, or presented, not quite sure because it's too tiny) which makes me excited because I love the Coola sunscreen I got from Birchbox in March, so much so that I bought the full size, then bought the same thing for my mom. It's very creamy and spreads really well. A little goes a long way, and has that sort of classic sunscreen smell - which I was always ok with. It's a great travel size and I just read that it is water resistant up to 80 minutes. I actually don't use an SPF this high usually, but I'm sure I'll get some use out of it.

Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Moonbeam & Unicorn: Apparently this mineral eyeshadow is coconut infused. The description also says "gorgeous color pay-off", but it took a few layers to get to the levels on that swatch. The white is pretty nice, but I'm hoping the purple will be more intense with some primer.

Crown Brush Pro Blending Fluff Brush: I was just thinking I needed a good eyeshadow brush. This isn't as soft as the name suggests though. Didn't seem to work too well with the Pacifica eyeshadow - not sure if it was the shadow or the brush.

Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Champagne: The color is very neutral, but shiny. I put it next to my bare nails to show how light it is. I love it. I don't have any color like it. The formula is very smooth and creamy and the color is actually very opaque with one coat. Since I'm back to having longer nails again, I decided to just paint the tips with this color and it just adds a nice shine. 

I'm actually pretty happy with my bag this month. There is less actual makeup than usual, but a nice selection otherwise. So many people complain about everything in their bags - it seems pointless to pay for a service when you know it will be a mystery, just to complain about everything. Don't get the bag then. My makeup and skin care selection has grown so much from trying all these products. I don't always like everything, some I've used once and never again, but I'm so glad I get to try them!

Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 Review

I got a sample of the Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen for Face in my March Birchbox. I wore it to the beach one weekend and loved it! My face seemed less greasy sitting out in the sun for 4 hours than it does in the office during the week. I had to buy the full size!

What it says on birchbox.com:

"This is no ordinary SPF. COOLA suspended two skin-safe mineral sunblocks—titanium and zinc dioxide—in a moisturizing base to ensure a smooth, even application. Shea butter naturally softens skin. Age-reversing antioxidants like evening primrose extract and borage seed oil deflect free radicals, while naturally water-resistant plankton makes the formula extra-durable."

I was expecting this to come on Monday, but I actually got it on Saturday - right as I was leaving to go to my friends' pool. I had used some of my sample but as soon as I saw this box on my doorstep I had to open it and put more on. It held up once again. We were sitting outside in the San Fernando Valley heat, legs in the hot tub for over 3 hours and my face was not greasy or burnt. I'm so excited to use this at the lake when I go home! 

It does say that it's 'tinted' and that is a little misleading. I thought it would be more of a BB Cream (it actually says that on the label) but the tint is there more so it doesn't look white on your face. 

I have used this as a primer, because it's so smooth and it definitely helps with the shine throughout the day. It's not a miracle worker, but it does help. 

It does smooth pores too. I didn't notice it that much on my face, but I convinced boyfriend to let me put it on his nose (or more like I just did it and he didn't really argue.) He has larger pores on his nose and wow, did it make a difference. He asked me what it did and I explained that it basically filled in his pores to make them appear smoother. 

I don't know how I feel about the "Farm to Face" label on the box. I realize it's saying it's good for you and blah blah blah... it just sounds funny.

Verdict:
If you couldn't already tell, I love this product. I would've never known about it if it hadn't been for my Birchbox subscription.