A Guess at my July 2012 Birchbox

Got my shipping notice today- means I'm getting my box tomorrow. Before then, why don't we guess which box I'll get?? After eliminating boxes with items I've already previously received, this is what I'm left with.

Any other time and I'd be super happy to get the beauty blender. Well, it's still good, but with so many other things to try it falls a bit behind.

The Oscar de La Renta I really hope I don't get. Only because I already got the sample size as part of my Beautybar.com order way back when (how'd I know it was gonna be a hit?). Then a bigger one in the Sample Society June box. Really wish they wouldn't cross so much product-wise. Same brand I'm fine with, but when you sample so many of the same items it makes one of the boxes useless. And let's face it, a lot of us with subscriptions have more than one.

I want the lipstick!! So boxes with the lipstick are in the yes pile. And ones with Eyeko eyeliner (i need a new one). Ones with Supergoop are in the heck no! pile (even though they both have Eyeko liners). Jouer LMT I've already sampled so much of =/. I wouldn't mind the pink lipgloss though.

They have Blinc Mascara! How exciting! I remember when I was all over this stuff. Didn't smudge, didn't take forever to take off. Unfortunately it doesn't provide volume or length...

Stila lipgloss thing is an ok item. Colorclub nailpolish I'm not so excited about this month (maybe one of the dud months before it would've been ok). And no teas pleas >.

Is it just me or is the Dr.Jart+ bigger now? lol.

Highly coveted


Ok



Dud Boxes

Correct me if I'm wrong, but these two look like the same box.

Feather Lashes

Decided to get in touch with my funky side for a bit. The main lash tutorial I found on Youtube - Enkoremakeup's channel.

1. Buy some fun feathers from a craft store. I got these from Michaels- brand is Creatology.
2. Choose two that are the same in size. Mine are similar, but not exactly the same. You can trim it later a tiny bit.

3. Spray a tiny bit of hairspray so the feathers don't go everywhere.
4. Cut/ peel off half of the feathers

5. Run your nail under the quill to bend it (so it conforms to your eye shape better)
6. Apply with lash glue.

I used the pink Urban Decay eyeshadow from the 50 year anni palette. It's so much more wearable than I initially thought.

You can also play around with other designs.

This one underneath I used Urban Decay's "Rockstar" as a base color. I was trying to channel a rock star, but the rest of the picture actually looks more like a beauty shot -__-||

This one below was also inspired by another youtuber. She does it better than I do. You can find hers by searching up "Feather Lash tutorial" as well I think.

The eyeshadow above is by Fyrinnae, called "Sennyo", which means Fairy/ Nymph. I'd like to think I have a good start on that concept here!

I wish there were more dress up parties~

Essie!: Lilacism, Nice is Nice, Tart Deco, Lapis in Luxury, Turquoise in Caicos, Guchi Muchi Puchi, A French Affair, Dive Bar

I've been avoiding Essie for as long as I can remember. Their little rectangular bottles just didn't hold any appeal for me (esp at $8 a pop). They have a huge line of elegant pinks, but the polishes looked too sheer in the bottle.

Did I tell you that I've been looking for a Lilac color? Well I have, and it seems like I couldn't find the perfect shade anywhere =/. I noticed Essie had some and decided to try them out at a Walgreens (technically, you're not supposed to, but they were displayed such that I accidentally thought you could =X). There were definitely a good set of super sheer pinks ("You put something on?" my friend said). But then I found a pink that was light in color, but not too sheer. And that was Guchi Muchi Puchi. Then I tried Lilacism and fell in love (or so I thought).

HELLO ESSIE!! This is pretty much where my obsession began.

Ulta was having a buy 2 get 1 free sale, so I snagged some for me and couple friends.The results are below!

Nice is Nice on thumb, Guchi Muchi Puchi on index, Turquoise in Caicos on middle, Lapis in Luxury on ring, and Lilacism on pinky.

Nice is Nice is more purple (warmer) than Lilacism (cooler). Lilacism is also a bit lighter in color.

Tart Deco on index, Dive Bar on middle

 Dive Bar is such a beautiful color in the bottle (blue, purple, and green shimmers), but applied it turned out too dark =/

Tart Deco is a coral/orange. A bit too bright for my tastes.

Dive Bar is so pretty in the bottle, but it doesn't translate onto the nail.

Just for fun, I swatched Dive Bar with a couple other super dark colors in my polish collection.

Thumb: Essie Dive Bar with Borghese Plumaggio Purple layered on top

Index: Borghese Plumaggio Purple

Middle: Essie Dive Bar

Ring: Zoya Cynthia

Pinky: Zoya Indigo

 I don't wear the others much, but Zoya Indigo I love looking at. All those silver glitters make me think of stars in the night sky =)

^A French Affair. Love this color!

^ Nice is Nice on my toes. It's my new favorite color!!

Surprisingly, I did get full cover with a couple coats. I guess the more "sheer" appearance of the Essie polishes is what allows the lighter colors to go on nicely instead of having a "white out" effect.

These polishes also dry really quickly too! Within 10 minutes I'm good to go. I did a Nice is Nice mani on the beach, and only one nail got seriously messed up (got knocked over by waves a few times..)

If you have a favorite Essie color, please share!

Sample Society: July 2012

I'm just going to jump right in.

Borghese Tono Body Lotion

• Admittedly I didn't think much of this product. The ugly orange packaging was just such a turn off.
• When I tried it it was a whole different story! This actually moisturizes my dry skin without being greasy. It has a faint fresh scent. I think I smelled this from the Murad face wash last time or something.
• I would purchase the full size, but $36 for a moisturizer is steep @_@
• Full size 8.4 oz $36.50, sample size 1 oz worth $4.35

Jouer Cosmetics Luminizing Moisture Tint SPF 20- Golden

• Well, well, what do we have here? Something that I just tried out last month. Unfortunately this is not my color. Maybe I'll try giving it to a friend.
• As a quick recap, I think this product is excellent for evening out skin tones, and it didn't dry out my already dry skin.
• How did SS know I wanted Jouer things?? Now I can purchase the cheek and lip tints with the $15 off coupon! Awesome!
• Full size 1.7 oz $38, sample size .17 fl oz worth $3.80

vbeauté vbeaute Eye Never Nourishing Repair Eye Creme

• Well this looks familiar. Like maybe from the June Glossybox?
• Full size Eye Never 0.5 oz $85, sample size 0.033 oz worth $5.61

Sisley-Paris Hydra Globa Intense Anti-Aging Hydration

• This is a lighter moisturizer than the Borghese. Definitely smell the lavender. How crazy is the pricing?!
• Full size 40 ml $250, sample size 4 ml worth $25

Vincent Longo Vincent Longo Duo

Roseberry on the left, Patch of original lip color at top middle, and Spring Rose on the right.

• I really love this duo. It's not too creamy so the color won't budge. A tidge drying though so I would apply some balm underneath
• At first they look similar, but Spring rose has shimmer and makes for an interesting day color.  Roseberry is matte and a bit more intense- good for evening wear. They're both wearable flattering shades. 
• Full size $26

Overall Box Value Total ~ $64.76

FAVORITES: Borghese Tono Body Lotion & Vincent Longo Duo Lip Pencil

Every time I think about canceling Sample Society, they always send me some things that I'm happy with. Ahhh, what to do.

I really want to see swatches of the other lip pencil colors if people got different ones.

Glossybox USA: June 2012

     I have some issues with Glossybox. Like how I was charged almost a month ago for the June box, and am just now getting it- it's July. And then I was charged for July before I even got the June box. Every beauty subscription seems to have its growing pains, but this is ridiculous. Luckily I was only charged once- my sympathies to the beauties who got their credit cards maxed out from multiple charges.

     And then Glossybox subscribers will know that the shipping is ridiculously slow. It started out in the same state as me, landed somewhere not 45 minutes away, and took 3 days to get to my mailbox. =/ Can I just drive to the warehouse and pick it up next time? Sample Society shipped out yesterday from Pennsylvania and managed to arrive today as well. huh.

     Then I had a huge surprise while opening my boxes (has nothing to do with these boxes though) that I shall not speak about. I will only say that it left me reeling and I definitely needed a few moment to continue with my unboxings. X_X What a day.

On with it!! So this month's Glossybox had a couple of variations. I think one box has the mascara, and the other Ofra eyeshadow. I got the eyeshadow, which I wanted, but just not in this color.... I don't think the variations are based on Beauty Profiles since we didn't really all get a chance to fill those out in time. It's more likely they just randomly sent out different boxes.

A Perfume Organic- Urban Organic

• I'm not fond of this perfume scent. You can definitely smell the Lavender and Basil. Sharp scent. Oil like consistency. 
• Full size 0.41 oz $65, sample size ?

First Aid Beauty Smooth Shave Cream

• White, no added fragrance- smells like glue
• It's ok, I did get a clean shave, but that seems like it's more from my razor's 5 blades. 
• Legs left with a frictious feeling. Akin to what my skin feels like after using glycerin soap. Some people like that "squeaky clean" feeling. I prefer my legs to be smooth and silky. To glide against each other. Didn't foam much.
• I'm not really sure what this offers as a different shaving product (yes I know it's listed, but im not seeing the effects) compared to something like Skintimate.
• Full Size 6.8 oz $16.50, sample size 2 fl oz worth $4.85

AHAVA Mineral Botanic Hibiscus & Fig Velvet Cream Wash

• I was most excited for the AHAVA. Milky color. Smells absolutely divine. Nothing super new scent wise for these body products, but it just smells really yummy. Kind of like ripe pears. I did detect a faint after smell of Flintstone chewable vitamins, so that's suspicious. But it's hardly noticeable. Like shampoo consistency. 
• Mixed it with a bit of the Qtica Lemon Exfoliating Sugar Scrub, and it was on!! Legs got back to silky smooth (after dealing with the shaving cream stuff above)
• Full size 17 oz $22, sample size 3 fl oz worth $3.88

Wella Professionals Enrich Moisturizing Treatment

• This smells super yummy too.
• It was nice. Not too much else to say about it. I think the stronger conditioners that come with hair dye work better (like the John Frieda, L'oreal Healthy Look)
• Full Size 5.07 oz $12, sample size 0.84 fl oz worth $1.99

Ofra Cosmetics Eye Shadow ICE- Never Back

• I was looking forward to this since people say it doesn't budge.
• A bit disappointed since I would have preferred the black or plum color. I love purple so the plum would be ok for me. And others have noted that the black can be used as a liner (it just so happens my gel liners dried up). But what can I do with gray?? Ideas??
• They have a champagne/ nude color called In the Flesh. If this is a good product I might consider getting that.
• EDIT: So I tried using it underneath shadow to give it a pop. Instead I think these particular colors popped more without the gray (no gray on bottom). This eyeshadow really doesn't seem to budge, once it's dry it doesn't smudge. That means it's also not very blendable once it dries. Now I really want to try the black one as an eyeliner.
• Full size 0.47 oz worth $14.95

vBeaute- Lite Up, Buying Time, & Eye Never

• Skin care set that a lot of people are disappointed with due to size,
• How can they expect us to get a feel for the product when most of the tube is empty? With makeup you can make do with a couple uses, but with skincare you really don't see any effect until you've used the product quite a few times. 
• Lite Up: liquidy, milky white in color. Just enough for 1 liberal use. Can't discern brightening effects on hyperpigmentation with one use.
• Buying Time: A pretty average feeling moisturizer. A little more than 1 use.
• Eye Never: Not the lightest eye cream, but not heavy either.
• Full size Lite Up 1 oz $150, sample size 0.033 oz worth $4.95
• Full size Buying Time 1.7 oz $135, sample size 0.033 oz worth $2.62
• Full size Eye Never 0.5 oz $85, sample size 0.033 oz worth $5.61

Total Box Value ~$38.85

Overall I like the box, but not sure about how my $21 is being used. I sign up for these boxes to get introduced to new products but ehhh...

**EDIT** I got the "Order Received" email twice and totally freaked out. Luckily I was only charged once still. This is making me super nervous. Is this their computer system or someone screwing up?? I just don't understand how they're charging people multiple times- multiple times.

I've been thinking what to do with all these subscription boxes that are accumulating. They're really nice so I think I'll wrap people's Xmas presents in these haha. And these small bottles and jars I'll find a use for as well.

Did you get something different in your box? Share with me!