GLOSSYBOX USA: Subscriptions are open!

Hihi!

     If none of the subscription boxes so far are doing it for you, then consider Glossybox. They send boxes to multiple countries and from what I'm seeing, there is a lot more makeup/nailpolish involved. Of course that also means that more money is involved. At $21, this box is not cheap! But if it's more tailored to your needs, then I say "Drop those other boxes!" (Sample Society, better watch out).

I've just signed up and this will be their first official (not promo) box. They say that the May box will ship around May 26th. Uh, I hate to break it to you, but that's Memorial Day weekend (no postal service Monday) coming up. Those boxes are NOT arriving in May.

Yes, I'm going on a lot of faith here since it is their very first box. Once I logged into their system I was immediately pleased at the color scheme (it's really pretty).

From what I can see, they've taken after a more Birchbox-like idea. Although you have a Dashboard (Sample Society), they claim to have customized boxes- looks like the Beauty Profile page must still be under construction (we're all getting the same boxes).

I also received 4 emails immediately after signing up. Only one of which was necessary -___-||

Do you usually read the Terms & Conditions? Maybe we should be. It's a bit sketchy- they're really trying to cover their a**.

It means they can take and manipulate your comments, and use your name without letting you know?

"3. User Content License GrantBy posting any User Content on the Service, you expressly grant, and you represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to grant, to Beauty Trend a royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, list information regarding, edit, translate, distribute, syndicate, publicly perform, publicly display, and make derivative works of all such User Content and your name, voice, and/or likeness as contained in your User Content, in whole or in part, and in any form, media or technology, whether now known or hereafter developed, for use in connection with the Service and Beauty Trend’s (and its successors’ and affiliates’) business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels. You also hereby grant each User of the Service a non-exclusive license to access your User Content through the Service, and to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform such User Content as permitted through the functionality of the Service and under this Agreement."

UHM Seriously? So when I "order" I'm giving you an "offer"? -___-

"After placing an order on our standard order form, you will receive an e-mail from us acknowledging that we have received your order. Please note that this does not mean that your order has been accepted. Your order constitutes an offer to us to buy a product. All orders are subject to acceptance by us, and we will confirm such acceptance to you by sending you an e-mail that confirms that the product has been dispatched (“Dispatch Confirmation”). The contract between us (“Contract”) will only be formed when we send you the Dispatch Confirmation. The Contract will relate only to those products whose dispatch we have confirmed in the Dispatch Confirmation. We will not be obliged to supply any other products which may have been part of your order until the dispatch of such products has been confirmed in a separate Dispatch Confirmation. "

So you're saying that you hold no responsibility when you give it to the postal carrier, and that it's OUR responsibility when we haven't even received it yet?!?!? Maybe I'm understanding it wrong. Someone help me out here.

"C) Risk of Loss and Title.
All products purchased from or via the Service are transported and delivered to you by an independent carrier not affiliated with, or controlled by, Beauty Trend. The risk of loss for such products passes to you when Beauty Trend or our supplier delivers these items to the carrier. "

No wonder this part is in caps.. it makes me feel like I'm going to get a virus from visiting their site.

"15. No WarrantyTHE SERVICE, PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SERVICE, PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM BEAUTY TREND OR THROUGH THE SERVICE WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, BEAUTY TREND, ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AND ITS LICENSORS DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE CONTENT IS ACCURATE, RELIABLE OR CORRECT; THAT THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE AVAILABLE AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME OR LOCATION, UNINTERRUPTED OR SECURE; THAT ANY DEFECTS OR ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED; OR THAT THE SERVICE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. ANY CONTENT DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICE IS DOWNLOADED AT YOUR OWN RISK AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM SUCH DOWNLOAD OR YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.
BEAUTY TREND DOES NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE ADVERTISED OR OFFERED BY A THIRD PARTY THROUGH THE BEAUTY TREND SERVICE OR ANY HYPERLINKED WEBSITE OR SERVICE, AND BEAUTY TREND WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY MONITOR ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES."

"SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS AGREEMENT GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. THE DISCLAIMERS, EXCLUSIONS, AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT APPLY TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW."

"TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, BEAUTY TREND ASSUMES NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY (I) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT; (II) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SERVICE; ....(V) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE THAT MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH OUR SERVICE BY ANY THIRD PARTY; "

I'm really hoping there are no issues and that I'm satisfied. If not, I have no problem dropping it like a hot potato. $21 is way too much to spend to get something you don't like.

BB Cream Battle: Dr. Jart+ vs Hanskin

Dr. Jart+ and Hanskin are both big brands for BB cream, so of course I have to sample them.

Overall, Hanskin is more runny than Dr. Jart+. Dr. Jart+, while thick, has much less drying texture than BRTC.

Dr. Jart+


1. Black Label- Looks like the fullest coverage of all 4. Covers 4/5 of scars
2. Water Fuse- Goes on feeling like water, very thin coverage. Good for evening skin tones.
3. Silver Label- Good coverage as well. Little bit less than 4/5 of scars.

Hanskin

4. Super Light Touch BB- Looks like the most even color finish. It may be related to the color, but this one really shows up the flaky parts of my skin.
5. Mineral Magic BB- This is akin to Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse. Very thin coverage, good for evening out skin. Non drying.

My favorite of these is probably Dr.Jart+ Silver label?...It's a close call.

Review: Eshiko Face Powder

I've been on the hunt for a good setting powder. One that is able to diffuse light and make pores appear smaller and skin smoother. It's mainly brought on by seeing the unbelievably smooth finish of skin in Robert Jones' makeup book. I hate how the products are unlisted.

Eshiko claims to have particles 1/5 the size of Make Up For Ever's HD powder. People say that Eshiko is less drying and better. Make Up For Ever some have said is terrible for flash photography.

Surprisingly this product was shipped from Singapore. Was not expecting that.
It is much bigger than I though it'd be. 10g sounds so tiny and other people have pictures that don't make it seem substantial.

The sticker covering the openings is made of paper and rips into pieces- annoying! Then there's all this plastic around the rim. Neither of these things kept powder from leaking out.

Can you tell which side I applied the powder to? Yea neither can I. It's on the left side of the picture. I noticed the shine was gone from my face, and very minimal softening. The good thing is now you know it's ok for flash photography and not drying. I could try packing it on with a puff instead of applying with a brush. 

$30 is too much for such little effect. 

EDIT: See my comparison of Eshiko vs MUFE HD

Trending: Hair Chalking

This has been around for a while, but I just stumbled across it. At first I was skeptical that anything would show up on my dark hair. Everyone's pictures of colorful hair had me convinced they must have stuck colored extensions into their hair instead. Still, any possibility of bright color intrigues me, so I went to Michaels and picked up a pack of SOFT PASTELS (do NOT use OIL PASTELS).

I read that Senneliers has bright pastels excellent for this technique, but Michaels has none. Sennelier pastel sticks have paper wrapped around so that might help in keeping pastel from getting all over your fingers. They're a bit pricey, but if you want to color your hair to go out for something special- these are worth the investment.

I had a coupon and picked this set up for just under $10 (some people were able to find sets for $5). These are 1.5" good for maybe 5-10 streaks depending on size and color density. Right away I knew that the light blue and the bright pink would show up really well because they look like they pack a lot of pigment. I also wanted to add in purple and yellow. The colors that are more "neon" show up better for dark hair.

Start by covering everything. EVERYTHING. You will see that the chalk gets everywhere. Wear an old shirt- I poked a hole through a trash bag and stuck my head and arms through. Disposable gloves are life savers.

Pick your colors and have a general idea what you would like to do. If you have light hair, you can just color and it will show up. If you have dark hair, wet it with water before coloring. You can twist the hair strands to get more friction (can scrap at the chalk better). It may not show up immediately for dark hair, but just keep putting pigment on and let it dry after you think you've finished. Once dry, the color will POP. 

TRY YOUR BEST, to only pull the chalk downwards (don't go up again). Scribbling up and down leads to a "backcombing" effect --> tangled hair. Don't believe me? Pics are below.

For longer lasting effects, you can heat style your hair (combing will make you lose color so don't). Light hair supposedly makes for more permanent color staining (2-3 days I hear). Although people say dark hair won't leave color stains, I found that mine did. Most of it washed out, but I still went to work with pink, purple, and blue streaks (thank goodness no one noticed, it was very light & in a ponytail). To keep chalk from falling out as much through the day, you can also try setting it with hairspray and other products.

This is VERY drying to hair. I didn't believe another blogger who noted as much, but once I was done I literally wanted to grab the Oscar Blandi hair oil and slather some on. Be prepared for some heavy conditioning!

It does come off a little through the day so make sure you wear a shirt which won't show the color deposits as much if possible. You'd think it'd be smart not to wear a white bra as well- guess i'm not that bright -___-||

The purple actually wouldn't show up. I even tried layering white underneath at first to help. Eventually I found that it would show up with flash. The next day in bright daylight my purple streaks were quite obvious. Maybe they're just camera shy.

CLICK TO ENLARGE.

While attempting to take photos I thought it'd be nice to use no flash. Camera decided to make me look a bit goth. I put it here for kicks. See how it's not really showing up as nicely without flash? (You can see the colors other than purple very well irl though).

 Originally I thought to braid 3 colors, so they're all together. It didn't look as nice as I thought it would so I took it out.

And by the end of my photo taking, the colors really faded. I didn't put any hairspray or setting product though.

Send me pictures and let me know how yours turn out! These are especially cool if you're able to do gradient effects.

Birchbox: May 2012

So excited! Got my May Birchbox and it actually came early. The outer box has changed in light of the special Gossip Girl theme this month.

I didn't read the content card before diving into the box contents. So when I saw this XOXO card I thought it was the "clue card" for the Gossip Girl finale. Except, well as you can see the other side is blank. This seriously confused me and thoughts went from "maybe I got a defect" to "is there some secret way to decode this blank piece of paper". I even lit a candle under the paper to see if any hidden words would show up. Nope, it doesn't work. Turns out it's literally just a blank card. 

1. Birchbox Notecards- Each 12-pack comes with four shades—bright orange, marigold yellow, deep purple, and forest green—along with a pack of Birchbox Pink envelopes.

• Uhm, there's not much to say. 12 for $10, worth $0.83

2.  Dr.Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm- spf 25+ A moisturizer, sunscreen, and treatment serum all-in-one, this tinted balm even helps hide imperfections—so there’s no need for foundation or cover-up. 

• I have compared it with other Dr. Jart+ BB Creams HERE
• Full sized 1.7 fl oz $32.00, sample size .06 fl oz worth $1.13

3. Color Club Foil Collection Nail Polish- Disco Nap

• WOW! This seriously looks like liquid metal going on. I'm used to glittery/ shiny polishes going on streaky. 
• With only one coat, the polish is seriously opaque. You can use two for insurance.
• Very smooth application
• Can't stop staring *-* prefer to have the pink one though.
• Full sized 0.5 fl oz $8.00, sample size 0.25 fl oz worth $4.00 

4. Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm

• Comes in a sturdy glass jar.
• Cream is smooth and not too thick.
• Full sized 15 ml $65.00, sample size 7 ml worth $30.33

5. Ojon Volume Advance Volumizing Shampoo- We swear by Ojon’s coconut-derived formula, which boosts volume by gently getting rid of the scalp oils and residue that weigh hair down. Gentle enough for even baby-fine hair, the natural formula uses a blend of rare tropical nut oils and botanicals that nourish strands.

• Smelled so good I stuck my nose right in it
• Hair does indeed feel clean
• I don't have a volume problem with hair, so didn't see much volumizing action
• Full size 8.5 fl oz $22, sample size 1 fl oz worth $2.59

Overall Box Value: ~$38.88

ITEMS: I'm pretty happy with this box, there were a lot of different items to try. A bit sparse on the number though >.>

Last month's box is still my favorite of Birchbox so far, but we shall see what else is in store.