Starlooks Starbox, January 2013

Awesome sauce

I just received the best Starlooks Starbox to date.  It had everything I had been hoping for and more!  I have an unboxing video up - this month was particularly exciting for me because I managed not to cheat and find out what I was getting on line ahead of time.

This months box included 4 full size products, and one very special extra:

See that there blush?  It is crazy fantastic.  Buttery, pigmented and a shade that goes perfectly with everything else in the box.  I am already testing it, and so far the performance is top notch.  It is also the most prettily packaged item I have ever gotten from Starlooks.

Eyeliner #1 is a nice, smooth deep brown.  This applies creamily and I am not seeing any transference or smudging so far.

Eyeliner #2 is an unbelievable  beautiful shimmery green.  I have it smudged out all over my lid, and I have combined it with a matte brown from the November eyeshadow pallet in the crease.  It is a perfect match.

I used the included soft small dome fluff brush in 858 to apply some of the matte brown shadow along my bottom lash line for extra definition, as I do not usually use liner under my eyes.

As an extra surprise, a lovely green bracelet from Abby Rose Designs was included in the box.  It caught me completely off guard.  It is such a nice touch, and I will for sure be checking out her etsy shop. 

Swatches!

Here is a terrible photo of the finished look...  All photos taken of me are out of focus and poorly lit due to a serious and incurable Sasquatch Curse (ever seen a clear, well lit photo of a Sasquatch?).  It's a long story, but never tick one of those things off.  They are a bitter, bitter species. 

It is much better in person, and the green really pops.  I really like using the eyeliner as an eyeshadow, and wanted to share.

This Starbox is fantastic, and a steal at $15 (plus $2 shipping in the US).  If you are interested in checking them out you can purchase past Starboxes for $25.  It's a great way to see what they have to offer before jumping into the program.  Even at $25, the boxes are a fantastic deal.  Did you receive a Starbox this month?  What did you think of it?

http://starlooks.com/

Ipsy January 2013

This months Ipsy bag is here! The bag itself may very well be my favorite, a midnight blue with a star pattern lining. Nothing really has any business being that cute.





I was also very excited to find a crease eyeshadow brush. I love brushes! I have had a chance to test most of the products in this bag, and the quality of the brush isn't great. It does not hold its shape well, and is best used for an all over wash of a single color rather than a precision eye look. I often wear single neutral colors though, and it does apply that quite well.

The Big Sexy Hairspray gave me big not-so-sexy helmet head. For an up-do that absolutely must stay put, this may be useful. Not an every day spray for sure.

I received a full size Nailtini polish in Bloody Mary. I have not tried it yet, but it is a fun looking color.

Included this month is a generous size sample of Pacifica Body Butter. It's a bit greasy, and really heavily scented.

The Josie Maran argon oil is the star of the show this month. I haven't figured out why oils are so popular, but they are the in thing. I appreciate Ipsy providing on-trend items.

All in all, it was an ok bag, and well worth the $10 monthly fee. I tend to over compare them to Birchbox, but they are really very different. I find Ipsy provides bigger samples of more affordable items, which is great for repurchasing. The samples themselves seem to be a little more hit and miss though. If you would like a better look at these items, check out my Unboxing video in the link down below:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SuGatdYq4kw

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Birchbox January 2013

What time is it?  Why it's January Birchbox time!  How do I always score the good boxes?  I don't even know.

Birchbox usually has some kind of theme.  The included card would like to imply this month's theme is 'Best Year Ever'.  This is a lie.  The theme this month, for my box at any rate, was 'Good Lord Woman, you're old!'.  If I didn't love this box so much I would consider replacing their 'r' with a 't' for the duration of this review.  But I digress.

The first and most awesome product this month is a 1oz sample of Alessandro Cream rich Age Complex (see where they slipped that in?  It's just the start).  This is a fantastic size, and the cream feels amazing.  I have been testing it all day and it lasts well even through washing and smells vaguely of wax lips. In a good way.

Next is a sample of a Harvey Prince perfume in - wait for it - Ageless.  Really Birchbox?  It does smell great though, has a spray applicator and I have been really wanting to try one of his scents so...  Still a win for me.

Also included in my box this month is new-to-me brand My.  This is a generous .3 oz mattifying moisturizer in an anti-aging formu- OH COME ON!  And again they nailed it, because I could really use a mattifying moisturizer.  Sigh.  It would be so much easier to be miffed if I wasn't loving this stuff.

On to a couple of non catty items, I also received a tiny sample of Lash M mascara.  I have heard some interesting hype about this product so this will be fun to try out.

Last and certainly least, I have a couple foil packets of Kerastase hair masque.  I have been wanting to try out a hair masque, so this is a nice addition.  It's just a bit overshadowed by the other spectacular items in this months box.

Overall, I am very excited about this month's birchbox.  For only $10 a month, I really feel they provide a good variety of generously sized samples.  If you want to check them out, head on over to birchbox.com.  They do have a 4-5 week 'waiting list' that I am half convinced is just to get all the billing cycles on the same track.

But wait, there's more!  Behold the link to my poorly lighted and completely unedited very first unboxing video.  I don't know how to edit yet, or even how to embed links or video in my blog, but whatever.  I will figure it out as I go along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-mtHWd20tk

Best of 2012

Goodbye 2012, hello 2013!  I have a feeling this is going to be a great year.  I dug through my somewhat excessive beauty product accumulation from the past twelve months to see what I liked best (and to remind myself to practice some self restraint this year!)  Some of this junk has been particularly well loved, and I would like to share my favorite products from the year.  Except like, not really.  Because they are covered in my bacteria and stuff.  It's more like I want to show you what worked for me and what I liked, in case you are looking for good products to try:

 

Best lipstick:

Rimmel London #050, Paradise - a warm nude that doesn't make me look dead, lasts ages and does  not dry out my lips.  Perfect.

Best lipgloss:

Starlooks in Pink Petal Rose - a blue based shade that goes perfectly with a ton of my lipsticks as I have a preference for blue based colors.  The top is cracked, and the terrible packaging from Starlooks is truly unfortunate, as I otherwise really like their products.

Best Foundation:

Covergirl Naturelux?  I really enjoyed it for many months, but as my skin tone darkened I found other shades oxidized to an unpleasant orange on me.  In the dead of winter, 310 is a great fit for me.  I just don't recommend the line in general.

Best bronzer:

Rimmel London in 021 Sun Light.  Crazy cheap, a ton of product (going on at least 6 months and no pan yet) and a great matte shade.

Best blush:

Hot Mama! from the Blam.  I like it more than my Nars blush!

Best eyeshadow:

Urban Decay Sin - is that pan I see?  It is only the second time I have ever hit pan on an eyeshadow before it expired.  The first time...  Also Sin by Urban decay. It's beautiful, high performing, matches everything, is easily worn alone - I could go on all day.  This is my favorite product overall.  Ever.

Best Mascara:

Tarts Lights Camera Lashes.  I actually didn't often wear mascara before this year on account of the dreaded raccoon eyes.  Waterproof was too hard to remove.  This is the perfect medium - no smudging but easy to wash off at night.  It is past its prime at about 4 months old, but so hard to throw out!

Best Primer:

NYX HD eyeshadow primer.  Holy cow, cheap and it really eliminates creasing.

Best Nail Polish:

OPI's ridge filler.  Which isn't a color so I am throwing in Juleps suede finish Minka.  Minka chips something fierce, but dries in about -7 seconds.  If you are running out the door, but want to jazz up a bit on a very temporary basis, Julep's suedes are the way to go.

Best Hair product:

Aveda Control Paste.  So expensive.  So awesome.

Favorite sample from a beauty subscription:

Dr.Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm.  It can be a bit grey on me as it is made for Korean skin tones, but it feels great and the coverage is the perfect balance between a tinted moisturizer and a foundation. 

This doesn't count and is no longer available:

I wouldn't have fallen in love with make up if it wasn't for my ancient eyeshadow brush by Benefit, #05.  Many years ago, a pushy Sephora employee foisted this on me, and I was to young/shy/stupid to admit it was way beyond my budget.  The difference between using a sponge applicator for eyeshadow and a good quality brush is indescribable.  It turns a chore into a pleasure and a small luxury.  Brushes should be replaced after some set period of time, but I will use this until it falls apart.  Even now it is the best brush I own.  Thank you pushy stranger and early 2000's/late 1990's ugly misuse of available credit.

Looks like for 2013 I should maybe try some things that are not brown and or tan.  I am looking forward to some fun new product lines!  What were your favorite items of 2012?  I hope you had a great year full of your favorite things as well!