Starlooks Starbox February 2013

I was ecstatic to see my Starlooks Starbox in the mail today.  Getting new make up on a weekend with plenty of time to mess around with it is always a delight. 

This months box is curated by Lauren Clark.  It is a very fun touch to have a guest stylist pick out the products every now and then.  My mad google foo skills failed me, and I incorrectly referred to her as a photographer in my unboxing video.  She is actually a rather famous make up artist.  With amazing taste, as is apparent below:

This months box included four full size items in the girliest shades ever thrown together in a beauty box:

Tipsy Lip Liner - This is a bright orangey pink, that was also included in the 2012 birthday box. I tried it all over the lips as a base for the lipgloss as suggested by the box notes, and it looks and feels quite nice.

Lip Gloss in Pink Oasis - This is purple, right?  It looks purple.  I love it!  It is a non sticky formula and a great color.  But it isn't pink?

Eyeliner Pot in Princess Diaries - The prettiest eyeliner ever made.  I love the eyeliner from the August box in Sculpture, and I am really looking forward to using this.  It is absolutely like nothing else I own.

And the show stealer is the HD Fluid Blush in Barbie.  So bright and pretty!  This blended wonderfully, and it is so pigmented it brought OCC's lip tars to mind.  I used some on my eyelids as well and I love it. So little covers so much this will last for ever.

I swatched some of these out, it showed up better in this photo than in the unboxing video, where they were a bit washed out against my blinding winter skin tone:

From the left, HD blush in Barbie, Lip Liner in Tipsy, Lip Gloss in Pink Oasis (can we just call it sparkle purple party?) and a hefty smearing of the gel eyeliner in Princess Diaries.

Here is a view of this months box with 100% more Princess Fuzzbutt:

She deems this box acceptable, due to the inclusion of an elastic band.  I deem this box perfectly delightful, it is really brightening up an otherwise drab February.

Starlooks Starbox is a monthly beauty subscription service that I can not recommend highly enough.  It is $15.00/mo, plus a couple dollars shipping in the US.  Shipping rates outside of the US differ, but I believe they do ship internationally.  To learn more, head on over to www.starlooks.com and check them out.

Oh yeah - here is my unboxing video for this months box.  I am wearing the blush on my eyes and cheeks, the lip liner on my lips and the gloss over that.

Birchbox February 2013

Birchbox is full of awesome again.  A girl could get used to this...

This months theme is Red Carpet Ready.  This has nothing to do with the actual products, so don't be alarmed that a gown and louboutins are not included:

Whoa, look at the size of these suckers!  I lucked out again this month with excellent sample sizes and variety.  There were 5 items in this box, but somehow the chocolate vanished shortly after this photo was taken...

The first item is Lancome's Bi-Facil eye make up remover.  And it is AMAZING.  I actually already have this sample and never tried it, as I have an unfair perception that Lancome is a sort of boring old lady brand.  Lucky for me, Birchbox has an unfair perception that I am a sort of boring old lady because this product works far better than my Neutrogena make up wipes and my Rimmel eye make up remover combined.  It also really conditions the delicate eye-area skin.  The full size is a bit pricey for me at $28 for a frequent use item, but I will be keeping my eye out for sales and offers from Lancome in the future.

I wasn't too excited about the Color Club nail polish in Wild Cactus, but upon seeing it I have completely changed my mind.  I may change it again after a few days with crazy shenanigans on my nails, but for now I am finding it to be quite an enjoyable change.  It applied smoothly in a single coat with good opacity.

And then there is some chocolate.  Or there was some chocolate.  Om Nom Nom...

The biggest surprise for me is how much I like the Skin&Co Roma Cleansing Body Gel.  Some people were complaining on line about the manly smell.  And it does smell manly.  Like, in the best possible way.  A strong, handsome man that you maybe haven't seen in a while.  And he is in your shower.  What I am trying to say is, I like it.  The scent does not seem to linger on the skin post shower, and it is more of a woodsy incense smell than a cologne scent anyway.  I also found it very hydrating, and despite the strong fragrance not the least bit irritating.  I had taken an allergy pill the day before, so I plan to try it out again a few more times before purchasing the full size.

And finally, I received a piece of elastic tied in a knot.  It's a nice color.  I appreciate that it is a head band and not a pony tail holder, as I have short hair.  It is still a piece of elastic tied in a knot, and they are pawning this off at $20 for a pack of 6.

Overall, I am extremely happy with this box.  I am using and enjoying every single item, even the stupid elastic band.  The samples are huge as well, far exceeding my expectations.  As always, I highly recommend Birchbox to anyone looking for a non-make up focused beauty subscription service.

Birchbox is only $10/month, which includes shipping.  They have a wait list that runs about 4 weeks, and I secretly believe it is just a way to give them more control on the payment cycles.  If you are interested, you can check them out at http://www.birchbox.com

I do have an unboxing video up if you would like a better look at these products.  If you like the video, hit the like button =)  If you hate it, hit the like button.  Indifferent?  Like button!  Get abducted by aliens halfway though?  Ask them to hold up a second so you can hit the like button.  They will understand. (Lol, I don't think you can even hit the like button on an imbedded video.  But at least you can buy yourself a couple extra seconds before the probing?)