Ipsy October 2013

And the month of spooktacular subscription boxes continues with Ipsy's October glam bag.  The bag is a bit boring and plain but it is what's on the inside that counts, right?  The intent is to art it up as the theme is the Art of Beauty.  Which is why such an amazingly beautiful product card was included this month.

I was really excited to receive a Coastal Scents eyeshadow brush.  It isn't an expensive brush, but it's surprisingly nice.  I would never guess it only has a $2.50 price tag - I am getting a lot of great use out of it.

Speaking of great use, my bag included a beautiful mineral shimmer eyeshadow pigment powder by Bella Terra in emotion.  It is a deep, shimmery purple with a lot of depth.  It is just amazingly pigmented and I love it.

Also included is another full size Zoya polish.  I received a shimmery blue called Neve.  I am not generally a blue polish kind of girl, but it is really rich and interesting, and I love Zoya polishes.

The Nourish Organic coconut and argon body lotion isn't bad.  It is definitely non greasy but I find the smell a bit odd.  There just seems to be a bit of an undertone that I find medicinal, like hand sanitizer.

The last item Sexy Hair's texturizing spray clay.  This actually did an amazing job adding texture and hold to my hair.  I am not used to aerosol cans, and I could taste it rather excessively.  I need practice to keep from breathing/inhaling this stuff.  It's unpleasant and probably unhealthy.  Worth trying though, it really seems to work.

Ipsy is only $10/mo and it is currently my favorite subscription.  It's great if you are looking to build a supply of a variety of beauty products with a focus on cosmetics.  If you would like to learn more about Ipsy, you can check them out here: 

http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-h7wnv8b3vz9fy3 (referral alert)

www.ipsy.com (if you prefer over referral links)

 

 

Birchbox October 2013

I love October.  Sure, it's cold and nature keeps hucking its tree garbage on my lawn.  But there are scary movies, candy holidays, silly decorations and pumpkin spice flavored everything.  I kind of expected my October subscription boxes to be unusually good due to my fondness for fall colors and flavors, and so far I have not been disappointed.  I liked my Birchbox so much in fact, that although it was missing the most fancy pants sample (a Dr Brant Microdermabrasion thingy) I am still ranking it one of my favorites.  I would also like to mention Birchbox has really, really great customer service.  They gave me 100 points to make up for the missing sample.  100 points.  That is $10 in their online store.  The entire box only costs $10.  Crazy - I love them!

Where to even start?  The theme was beauty buzz.  I confess I never read the card so I don't know why.  Cute card though.

I received a Costal Scents eyeshadow quad in Rock Legend.  I wasn't expecting much, I had received a quad from Ipsy a while back in neutral colors and it was just ok.  These colors were rich and bold, a bit powdery but amazingly pigmented and perfectly seasonal.  I love it and am using it frequently.

Pop Beauty's lipgloss is nice.  I really like fuchsia lip colors, and it is pretty opaque for a gloss.  It has a nice minty tingle too.  The applicator confused me, I thought the doe foot popped off into the tube until I watched someones YouTube review and they mentioned it was intentional.  I do think I prefer the old fashioned way, but you can really get a lot on at once with a stick like that.

Miss Jessie's Original Pillow Soft Curls - Wow I can't tell you how excited I am to try this.  Yes I know I don't have any hair.  I have been with Birchbox for a year now, and every month the other curly haired girls all get to try Miss Jessies while I pine away.  No longer!  Ok, well, I haven't tried it yet (I want a container to put it in, it's a good size sample but I am no good with foils).  I am really looking forward to it though, and I have heard nothing but good things.

The Birchbox find this month is a full size ChapStick 'hydration lock' with CoQ10.  It feels funny but good?  Soft but action packed.  It confuses me, but I like it.

So.  Loved it.  Got $10 for a missing sample.  I also received my 13 month anniversary code, and I combined the two for a nice online order.  I really like the Birchbox point system, it gives me an opportunity to buy things I would never otherwise consider.  If you are interested in checking them out you can find them at:

http://birch.ly/1a0bbzg (referral!)

www.birchbox.com

 

 

Influenster Sargento Cheese VoxBox

I was very surprised to qualify for a VoxBox from Influenster.  And excited that it was for Cheese.  Influenster is a kind of social media market research company thing, and they sent me this complimentary (completely, totally free) for testing purposes.  The box included a voucher for a free bag, a coupon for a dollar off another bag, and an insulated cheese stick holder.

I had never tried a cheese stick style snack before aside from string cheese, but I do try to get some dairy in every day, usually in the form of yogurt.  My yogurt is also 80 calories, so this is a great way for me to change up my routine without getting my caloric intake all out of whack.  

These are really good.  I expected more of a mozzarella cheese stick taste, a bit rubbery and bland, but they taste more like legit cheese - a bit melty with a nice edge to the sharp cheddar.  I have only tried the Sharp Cheddar-Jack version but I really like it and have repurchased a few bags already.  They seem a bit on the pricey side at over $4 per bag of 12, however it does work out a bit cheaper than the yogurt I buy (.50/ea) and about on par with my 80 calorie granola squares (about $3-4 for 10) so it is really cost competitive.  They just happen to have more per package than the others.

The only drawback that I have found so far is that occasionally the easy peel opening is hard to open.  I can't find where the plastic separates.  That is fairly rare however and pretty easy to deal with. Also, I tend to go a little overboard so they vanish on me quickly, but I can't exactly blame the cheese for tasting good. 

I definitely recommend these, and they seem to be pretty easy to find at grocery stores.  Right over by the string cheese and whatnot, I honestly don't know how I didn't notice them before. If you are looking for more info, recipe ideas and other fun stuff, check out their website at http://www.sargento.com/.

Here is my unboxing for a closer look:

Starlooks Starbox September 2013

The September Starlooks was actually a bit of a let down.  They haven't really been wowing me lately.  Bland colors and a lack of variety are becoming somewhat of the norm.  This box is a touch over $17/mo when shipping is factored in.  For that I would like to see more 4 product boxes with at least one colorful item per box, however that is just me.  I know a lot of people prefer neutrals. Starlooks was my favorite subscription service early this year, but now I greatly prefer Ipsy.

The eyeliner pot in Milky way is a very light silver.  It doesn't do much on it's own really - as an eyeshadow it is sticky and uncomfortable (but pretty).  It is a bit hard to see on my skintone as just an eyeliner.  As a base it doesn't seem as good as an actual primer (and I just use cheap NYX primer). 

The lipgloss in Pearl Necklace is a wonderful formula but the color just isn't there.  Also, the packaging they use for their glosses is terrible.  I had a problem with the stopper thing popping up into the lid, although re-tightening the cap and waiting a couple days seemed to reseal it.  Unfortunately this is the second time I have had this problem.  I also have a gloss from them with a cracked lid.  I know they had the stopper problem over a year ago with their last August box, and it bothers me that they have not worked to improve their packaging by now.  These glosses are not cheap at $12 and their customers deserve better.

The lashes retail for $13.  The look pretty?  I don't really use lashes.

There was also a 1 month free trial membership for a company called Ooberluxe, an online 'personal assistant' that makes reservations and such for you.  It seems like something wealthy business women could use, but I think most people are not so terribly inconvenienced by making their own occasional online arrangements that they would pay monthly for assistance.

You can learn more (and purchase some past Starboxes for $25, I doubt this one will be sold out for a while) by visiting them at:

www.starlooks.com

Popsugar Must Have Box September 2013

September's Popsugar Must Have Box was quite nice - nothing spectacular but everything is surprisingly useful.  Popsugar is currently $35/mo, however they are planning to increase the price in November to about $40, and I don't know that it is really worth that, particularly as a lot of the value is tied up in 'gift cards' for stores.  This months box included:

The Barr-Co diffuser seems to have a weak scent, however the bottle is so clean and simple and classy looking that it is a perfect fit in any room.

P.S. - You're Invited by Erica Domesek is a DIY project book with easy to moderate projects.  None of them seem to really jump out at me and many seem to involve altering items that already seem pretty cool on their own (if I had the scratch for a silk skirt, I don't think I would want to risk ruining it).  It is filled with a lot of great inspiration and tips though and I do plan to find something I can try out.

The Kitsch headbands are pretty awesome.  The colors are great, and I use headbands.  I love getting these instead of the hair ties that I cant use with my short style.

Sharkies!  Ok, I haven't tried them yet.  The name is adorable though, and I like that they included a sport treat.

Rifle Paper Co. Coaster set.  These are paper coasters, but they are holding up well for me and they are really pretty.  They match my living room decor well.

The apple flavored That's It bar included in the box was so tart I couldn't eat it.  I tried...  The texture was nice?

The Shoptiques gift card has been the biggest disappointment for me.  I ordered two items, which shipped from two different boutiques, jacking up the shipping like crazy.  My total after using the $25 card was ~$50.  The most expensive item was about $45 plus shipping on its own and didn't fit.  When I returned it, they only credited my bank account $23.  I don't know if they credited the gift card, if it can be 'reused' or what, but I am hugely disappointed that my actual money wasn't refunded.  The cheaper necklace I ordered took forever to ship and was packaged terribly.  This is likely the last time I use a gift card received in a subscription box.

http://popsu.gr/gOps (referral link)

http://musthave.popsugar.com/ (weirdly unguessable regular link)

Julep Galaxy Mystery Box

I am such a gigantic sucker for Juleps wonderful marketing strategy that I had to cancel my Maven account to get rid of all that beautiful temptation.  Shortly thereafter, I received an email from them about a new galaxy themed mystery box.  @#*%$ Julep, I thought I was free!

Anyway, I love space.  There was no way I could resist, and holy wow am I glad I didn't.  I ordered the middle sized, cosmic mystery box with a value of at least $70 for $25, and added on the $9.99 'mystery item'.  I had to pay through the nose for shipping now that I am no longer a member, however the box they sent me has a value close to $120, so I can't exactly complain.

How did this even happen?  It's amazing.  Far more than the standard mystery boxes.  The 'mystery item' was just random stuff, the hand and cuticle stick and a polish in the color Carrie.  The colors I received in the actual mystery box are: 

Lexie (yellow)

Charlotte (purple)

Francis (green)

Blakely (molten)

Reiko (copper?)

Estelle (black with multi color holo glitter) 

The tiny travel size kit has the Rock Star hand creme and the Glycolic hand scrub, both of which I have been wanting to try out.  It also has another Oxygen Nail Treatment.  I am not sure how well that works as it can't be used as a base coat.  If I can see my nails, I destroy them.

I got a bit adventurous and decided to try my first nail art.  Julep posted a galaxy nail tutorial on their facebook.  My 'celestial bodies' are too big and just look like polka dots, but I do like how the coloring turned out.

I love and recommend Julep to anyone with self control, as they have a constant flood of irresistible deals.  I joined almost a year ago, and the condition of my nails have improved immensely.  Having such an interesting and good quality polish selection helps me keep them painted, which stops me from picking at them.  The polishes are small, and if you are not a member they are overpriced.  They do have a subscription service that gets you a discount and free shipping as well as your choice of a selection of monthly boxes at $19.99/mo.  You can always skip the boxes, but if you do you miss out on the Secret Store sale.  After that's over they start sending out the mystery box teasers...  Seriously, Julep is a non stop polish sale extravaganza.  If you want to check them out, their site is www.julep.com.

Wantable Intimates Box, September 2013

Wantable has launched a new line of subscriptions box for intimate apparel.  They already have a make up and a jewelry line that seem to be growing in popularity.  They all work the same way - you take a very detailed preference quiz and they offer a very customized box at either a $36 monthly subscription fee or a flat $40 one time fee.  This is a wonderfully versatile system.  When I found out they were offering a new intimates box I decided to try a one time purchase.  I could use some new undies and socks, which is what I assumed would be the primary items.

Let me start by saying that I love this box.  Even more now, a week later, than the day I unboxed it. I wear the socks at every possible moment, and when they finally fall prey to wear or to a hungry dryer they will be mourned.

The Pink Poodle Socks from Sock It to Me have a value of $11.00.  They actually have a ton of cool patterns.  The socks are very soft, but stretchy.  I wear a size 11, so I normally tear through regular socks quickly.  These feel like they will hold up for quite a while.

The Coobie Essential Thin Strap Cami in Seafoam has a value of $20 and is my least favorite item.  It will work for layering, but it is a "one size" item and of course fits weirdly.  It is a tight but slick material that I am worried will ride up if not tucked in tightly.  Useful but not particularly enjoyable.

The Izabella Herringbone Tights in Dark Grey are valued at $19 and the fit is impressive.  I am 6' tall and didn't expected them to send me tights due to the sizing limitations caused by my legs.  Unbelievably, these fit great and are extremely cozy.  It almost makes me happy for the impending doom of fall weather.

And then there is the crown jewel of the box, the Essence Tank in Red from Pheel (size large), worth $48.  The fit is amazing.  And it isn't lounge wear, as I was expecting.  It's active wear, baby!

I have already tried it out at the gym and I am trying to determine how many times I can wear it in a row before other members start to wonder if it's ever clean (it is I swear!).

So yeah, hugely impressed with this box.  It is out of my price range to buy on the regular, but I would very much like to purchase this again as an occasional treat.  Total value is $98, and the cost of the box was only $40.  If you got one of these, let me know what you think!

 

For more info:

 www.wantable.com

Unboxing video if you would like a closer look: